In The Magazine 
Columns and Commentary
Las Vegas became even more fabulous from Aug. 12 to 15 when the city hosted its first Fabulous Vegas Weekend. The event was a four-day party promoted by the city of Las Vegas, MGM Resorts and Logo TV. I was asked to host the Logo TV Lounge inside EyeCandy at the Mandalay Bay Resort and also the Fabulous Pool party at Luxor. Many celebrities walked the red carpet at the Logo Lounge and performed at the pool party, and each stopped by to say hi and give me their naked truth. So without further adieu here are the best celebrity quotes from Fabulous Vegas Weekend:
I can still remember my first time as though it was yesterday. The anticipation was excruciating. My pulse raced and my young heart pounded as finally the experience washed over me. The rush of adrenaline excited me in a new way. I didn’t want it to end. Yes, it was my first time at the rodeo and it wasn’t just any rodeo. It was the Ft. Worth Rodeo, which has been one of the greatest rodeos and stock shows in the world since 1896.
I was 15 at the time, and although I grew up in Ft. Worth, it was my first time at the big event. Like most young people my age, I was keenly interested in the Beatles, the Doors and the youth culture. The Vietnam war was raging and young people were turning on, tuning in and dropping out.
This is Sin City, a playground for adults and one of the hottest LGBT tourist destinations. However if you are from 18 to 21 years old you may be scratching your head trying to figure out just what to do. So here is the naked truth about the things you can do even if you’re underage in Vegas.
It’s a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and you are dying to go to the hottest pool party but you get there and realize it is 21 and up. What to do? Did you know there is a mini water park in Vegas? Yes you heard right, Desert Breeze Aquatics Center (located at 8275 W. Spring Mountain Rd.) is the place for you. They have two water slides and a beach-style pool, and best of all it's only $3 to get in.
Hot off the presses, the numbers are in. Nevada now has the dubious distinction of highest unemployment in the nation. Our grand state’s unemployment rate set a new record in June, hitting 14.2 percent statewide compared with the national average at 9.5 percent. With an economy heavily reliant on casino taxes and tourism, the deep recession has resulted in a domino effect, hitting other industries like construction and services particularly hard.
The spring LVGA3 softball season came to an end with Fun Hog winning the D Division. They will be heading to the Gay World Series in Columbus, Ohio, to play August 17-21. The Las Vegas Rat Pack won the C Division and will also be going to play in Ohio. Congratulations to both teams on an outstanding season.
The repeal of the insidious law known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year is an issue that I consider quite personal. In March, 2003, during the initial push into Iraq, I became the first Marine injured when I stepped on a land mine that broke my right arm and injured my leg so badly that it needed to be amputated. I was awarded a Purple Heart. After serving thirteen years in the Marine Corps, I was discharged in 2004. Since leaving the military, I have worked tirelessly so that gay and lesbian service members can serve their country openly and honestly. Repeal is within reach but it will only happen with your help. That’s why the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has launched the Countdown 2010 campaign to make sure we contact our elected officials now to demand action this year.
It’s July and time for us to celebrate the birthday of our great country. I usually give you the naked truth about the news or hot topics. However this month I want to give you the naked truth about the best places to go and celebrate July 4th.
This is, after all, the best time of year to enjoy a weekend getaway; the summer has just begun and you need a little time to relax and have fun. Here are my tips for things to do in Vegas as a “stay-cation” and weekend trips close by.
Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) was founded in 1984 and is the oldest and largest AIDS service organization in the state of Nevada. 2009 marked our 25th anniversary of practicing our unyielding commitment to the community by providing unparalleled health expertise, support and advocacy for adults and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada. Over the years, we have created various programs that offer consistent and comprehensive assistance including direct client service programs, food programs, prevention and education programs and community outreach. As part of the mission of AFAN, these client service programs assist in enhancing the physical health and psychosocial wellness of the individuals they serve, while promoting dignity and improving the quality of their lives.
That stated, let me once again explain what these two, privately-owned publications have attempted to do — perform a valuable service for their readers.
Southern Nevada has never sustained a non-partisan, political organization. Were such an organization to exist, both publishers would most likely defer endorsements to a community group, rather than write their own.
In 1979, we had Nevadans for Human Rights (NHR), an LGBT political group that responded to Nevada’s version of the Briggs Initiative, which would allow school teachers to be fired simply for being homosexual. Later that year, Nevada’s US Senator Paul Laxalt introduced the anti-gay Family Protection Act. NHR disbanded in 1987.
I’m exhausted…. You see, I’ve been focused on one thing with little more than sleeping breaks for the past three months and its time has nearly arrived. No, I’m not awaiting the newest computer game or surfing the Web. The other 17 members of the Southern Nevada Association of PRIDE, Inc. (SNAPI) board and I have been working on Las Vegas’ largest LGBT event of the year, Las Vegas PRIDE, and it’s almost arrived.
A lot of work goes into planning Las Vegas PRIDE events. Take, for example, the Annual PRIDE Night Parade. The two-hour event is quite an undertaking and the majority of the 10,000+ attendees never pause to think about what goes on behind the scenes. Parade permits and traffic control plans have to be filed; police officers and crowd control must be arranged, coordinated and paid for; staging, bleachers, vehicles and pedestrian rails are rented; signage and advertising designed, printed and placed; parade entry forms created, distributed, and collected; hosts, judges and broadcasters are selected… the list goes on and on… and on. It’s an incredible feat of organization and troubleshooting to ensure the parade runs smoothly. Last year, just as the parade was about to commence, we faced unexpected winds that literally blew some of the parade entries away and caused rumors of cancellation to circulate. Though the winds were unexpected and quite a nuisance, it didn’t rain on our parade and the next morning brought clear skies and sunshine at the festival.
The last time I was given the opportunity to grace the final page of QVegas was in February 2008, two months after my partner and I had just finished purchasing our new house. Despite the grumblings of a faltering economy, we took the plunge and, riding high on life, my editor graciously allowed me to use this section to write a dedication piece for us, entitled "Two Strikes, but a Home Run." It may be the only piece I have ever published that took an inward look into how I operate; I laid out my soul onto the printed page and it was tough, but therapeutic. Now, however, I am given this section for an entirely different, more depressing, reason; though I must say that if the words within these pages help even one person then it will have definitely been worth it.
In 2007, after three years together, Lauren and I had begun looking for a house. The economic meltdown was still a year and a half out, at the time everything still looked pretty rosy, and since our current living situation was cramped and aggravating, we figured it was as good a time as any to become homeowners. Lauren had been making good money at his job and I was also working, so—like many others—we were roped in with the idea of a zero down payment and other perks that our agent brought to the table. Fortunately, the word "sub-prime" was just beginning to surface, so we knew better than to get involved with an interest-only or adjustable rate mortgage. We had done everything right, hadn't we? We were given one of the best Christmas presents anyone could ever give themselves that year: a brand new house. We carved our initials into the drywall as it was being built, one of the most romantic things I've ever done. Here it was, the venerable American dream, reached in my mid-twenties.
Exciting news for Las Vegas gay athletics: the LVGA3 Softball League has been working very hard to finish two complete softball seasons in order to go before the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) to become sanctioned. Larry O’Halloran attended the NAGAAA meeting a few weeks back representing Las Vegas and we were approved. What does this mean for our players on our C and D Division teams, you might ask? The world! We now are eligible to send two or three teams to the Gay Softball World Series this year being held Aug. 16-21 in Columbus, Ohio. We will send one C Division team and one D Division team with a possibility of one additional team. Now is the time to get involved and come out and support our teams and become a fan. For those of you who have been to the Gay World Series, it is a trip of a lifetime and a total learning experience competing with teams from all over North America.
We are hosting softball clinics for new players and refresher clinics on Sundays, 1-4 p.m. at Doc Romeo Park, located at West Cheyenne Avenue and Ronemus Drive. Take I-95 north and exit Cheyenne. Ronemus is just before Buffalo on the left. We had 34 players out at the clinic on February 14. There is still time to join and get in shape. Come out and meet all the new people, like yourself, who have not played for years. You will be fine. Joel Sanchez and Thomas Bogle, along with all the other coaches and players will be assisting all the new players.
Hello all my Naked people. I get asked all the time from tourists, "where should we go when we're in Vegas?" so I put together my Best of Sin City list and then I asked the readers on my online blog, www.SinCityTimes.com, what they thought. Here our my picks (Naked Boy News—NBN) and then the readers' choices for what are the best things to do in Sin City nightlife.
BEST GAY BAR
NBN Pick: Escape Lounge—You'll know you've arrived at the Escape Lounge when you see the mini-Statue of Liberty on Sahara Avenue just west of the Strip. This locals bar has great drink prices and a comfy lounge with couches, booths and tables. In the back there are pool tables and in the front there is a jukebox so you can set the feel of the night. Come in for a drink and enjoy this great locals bar with friends and the new friends you're sure to meet.
The 27th Annual Las Vegas PRIDE kicks off in less than two months and many are anxious to discover who will perform and what type of events will take place during this two-week-long celebration. Here is a sneak peak into the planning, struggles and triumphs that go into putting on such an incredible event.
Most people do not realize that planning events as large as PRIDE begins immediately after the last one ends. With over 12 months of planning, it’s literally a second job. This being my second term as the Entertainment Director (Entertainment Co-Chair) one thing I have learned is that entertainment never stops moving—it’s an endless road of socializing and networking, not to mention an endless stream of phone calls and e-mails.
Do you know H8? It is so easy to jump on the No H8 bandwagon; however, I ask, do you really know H8? At times, and it seems often, as a community we shun members of our own community for one reason or another. Maybe a person is “too gay” or “not gay enough” so we ridicule them until they are “like us.” Aren’t we throwing stones in a glass house? We expect and even demand that people accept and respect us as LGBT Americans but do we accept ourselves? So many times I have heard LGBT people put others in the community down and yet get upset when the “mainstream” makes fun of the exact same people. I have the same feeling when rap artists use derogatory terms in their music and then get upset if someone else uses the same term. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Close your eyes. I want you to draw a picture inside of your head. Draw yourself a picture of what you think a typical LGBT activist looks like. Now, what did you come up with? Chances are that you pictured a group of 30- or 40-something white males. Maybe a couple of white women? Did you see any Black people? Probably not.
I am an LGBT activist. I am Chairman of The Stonewall Democratic Club of Southern Nevada. I am the Director of LGBT Outreach for the Clark County Democratic Black Caucus.
I am Black.
