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REMEMBERING

RIVER

AUST $9.95 NZ $10.75 USA $14.99 CANADA $14.99 UK £5.50

dnamagazine.com.au

®

m a d e t h at w ay

PHOENIX

25 YEARS ON

FREE GAY AND… RUSSIAN? THE NEXT GEN LGBT REVOLUTION

RAINBOW

RIOT

THE POWER OF MUSIC IN UGANDA’S STRUGGLE

THE WARWICK

ROWERS

#226

N A K E D AG A I N !

HEAVENLY BODIES

BRIAN

COX

MEET OUR FIRST OUT

GAY AFL STAR!

(WELL, SORT OF…)

ON THE COVER: MARIO ROSSI BY ANTONY KOZZ

INTRODUCING AERIAL MESH JOCK

4 DNA

DNA 5

®

m a d e t h at w ay FOUNDING EDITOR

ANDREW CREAGH [email protected]

ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

DAVID SHOEMAKER [email protected]

ONLINE COORDINATOR

TROY MURPHY [email protected]

DESIGN

TROY MURPHY [email protected]

GROOMING EDITOR ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR STYLE EDITOR BOOK REVIEWER THEATRE REVIEWER SUBSCRIBER SERVICES CONTRIBUTORS

MODEL FOR DNA LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PITCH A STORY

WILL FENNELL [email protected] MARC ANDREWS [email protected] JOSHUA HEATH [email protected] GRAEME AITKEN [email protected] MATTHEW MYERS [email protected] RAE MILLS [email protected] RUSSELL FLEMING, VANESSA MCQUARRIE, TORSTEN HOJER, CAMERON MCCOOL, XAV JUDD, ANTONY KOZZ, JEREMY SMITH, ANDREW M POTTS, ANDREW STUBBERSFIELD, CAIN COOPER, RILEY-MCFARLANE PHOTOGRAPHY.

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Style feature starts page 32. 6 DNA

DNA (ISSN 1443-1122) is published monthly in Australia by DNA Men Nexus Pty Ltd, PO Box 503, Baulkham Hills NSW 1755 Australia. DNA and Made That Way are registered trademarks in both Australia and the USA. Trademark pending in the UK. Registered by Australia Post (PP243459/00169). Copyright © DNA Men Nexus. All rights reserved. No part of DNA may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The appearance, mention or likeness of any person or organisation in editorial or advertising in no way suggests sexual or political orientation. Photographs used to illustrate editorial do not depict the real lives, behaviour or sexuality of the models. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers.

Unsolicited editorial or photographic material is welcome but will not be returned unless appropriate postage is supplied. Submissions of text, photographs or any other material will be taken as consent to publish said material. DNA will not be held liable for material lost or damaged in transit. DNA is printed by Bluestar WEB, Unit 1/83 Derby Street, Silverwater NSW 2128, phone 02 9748 0020, and distributed by Gordon And Gotch Australia, Gordon And Gotch Corporate Centre, 26 Rodborough Rd, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 Australia, phone +62 2 9021 8169. For newsagency enquiries: 1300 131 169. November 2018

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AVAILABLE IN SYDNEY Bang Clothing 4 Flinders Str, Darlinghurst, 2010

CONTENT 226 #

Regulars 10

FROM THE EDITOR.

12

BURNTTOAST: WHAT READERS SAY.

14

THE MONTH IN A MINUTE.

16

NUTS! THEY SAID WHAT?!

18

THE STUFF WE’RE LOVING

22

MUSIC: “POP WILL NEVER BE THE SAME …”

26

BOOKS: A MAN A DAY.

30

THEATRE: MADIBA.

32

STYLE: L’HOMME INVISIBLE.

DNA Samples 20

SKYE STRIKLER

28

DOLLY DIAMOND

DNA Profile 24

PILLO BYTR

36

WARWICK ROWERS

54

56

FREE, GAY AND… RUSSIAN?

Gays with bloodied faces and black eyes: these are the images of modern Russia. But the old country’s relationship with the gays is long and complicated and hasn’t always been so hostile. RAINBOW REVOLUTION

Staring down the barrel of a gun but making a difference in Uganda with LGBTIQ music.

60

THE ENDANGERED LARRIKIN

66

STILL IN LOVE WITH RIVER PHOENIX

Paul Freeman’s photography of manly men remains as hot as ever, but can it survive the tech giants’ censorship?

On the 25th anniversary of his passing, Xav Judd ponders what might have been, and pays tribute to his idol.

Photography 40 70

MARIO

Mario Rossi by Antony Kozz. JOHNNY

Fur and muscle by Russell Fleming.

Features 38

48

50

OUR STRAIGHT MATE, BRIAN COX

Staring at the stars, says Professor Brian Cox, reveals great truths about our lives. But is he Team Trek or Team Star Wars? OUT IN THE AFL

Actor, tradie and real-life footballer, Ethan Panizza plays Rusty on TV’s Playing For Keeps. He may be fictional, but Rusty is our first out gay AFL pro! ADDICTIONS: FINDING THE WAY BACK

How do we know if we’re treating ourselves or cheating ourselves when drugs and alcohol are involved? Part 2 of our series. 52

8 DNA

BOY ERASED REVIEWED

Is the new film tackling gay conversion therapy preaching to the choir?

On The Cover: Mario Rossi by Antony Kozz. On This Page: From John Bortolin’s 2019 Manscapes calendars. Review on page 26.

FROM THE EDITOR

ANDREW CREAGH

UNDER ATTACK

I

t has always been my intention that DNA be a celebration of all the best things about being a gay man. It starts with the cover. The sexualised male body is still a major taboo in our culture – especially when it comes to men looking at other men. So whoever is on our cover, the subtext is always the same – look and enjoy without fear or guilt or shame. Inside the magazine, on our website and social media, it’s all about the people, places, music, movies, icons and, yes, the swimwear we love. And packed with eye candy! This issue is no exception but… an unexpected theme emerged as we were editing this month. Despite all our progress towards acceptance and civil rights, we are still, constantly, under attack. It’s political, social and economic and it’s there, just beneath the surface of our everyday lives.

The Warwick Rowers pose nude to raise awareness of homophobia in sport. There’s no fullfrontal nudity, but their online images are censored. For example, I interviewed photographer Paul Freeman about his two new Larrikin books. They’re great; very sexy images that capture naked men in a rough-and-ready naturalness. They’re beautiful, quite innocent images really – nothing revolutionary. And yet, the US tech giants that control our online lives take issue with Paul’s work and he finds himself censored, banned and barred from advertising. It’s a similar story for the Warwick Rowers, also in this issue. You’re probably familiar with their annual fundraising calendars in which the boys of the rowing club pose nude to raise money and awareness around homophobia in sport. There’s no full-frontal nudity and it’s all, again, rather innocent and tasteful. But even they find their online images censored. But these are trivial issues compared to those faced by LGBTIQ people in Uganda or Russia. In our Rainbow Riot feature this month, we reveal 10 DNA

how a music project in Uganda ended with a hostage-taking siege, reminding all involved that LGBTIQ people are not tolerated in that country – let alone allowed to express themselves culturally through something as universal as music. Still, it’s an inspiring story because it feels like progress, however small, is being made. And Russia… well! Young gay kids being beaten by security forces may be the prevailing image we have of modern LGBTIQ Russia, but it hasn’t always been that way. Our story Free, Gay And Russian looks at the history of homoacceptance and homophobia in that country. It also suggests that progress towards greater rights and freedoms is coming with the activism of a new generation. This month sees the release of the muchanticipated feature film, Boy Erased. It deals with the practice of “gay conversion therapy” in which LGBTIQ kids are “counselled” into praying the gay away. Of course, it doesn’t work. Worse, it’s psychologically damaging and has longterm health implications including self-harm and suicide. The film, starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Lucas Hedges and Troye Sivan, is attracting great reviews, and we take our own peek. So, I apologise if these stories seem a bit grim (did I mention we recall the life and sad death of River Phoenix, too?). They are, nevertheless, worth reading. Elsewhere this issue you’ll find a lot more up-lifting and cheerful stuff. Hilarious New York pop star Pillo Bytr has heaps to say about being queer and his idols Pete Burns, RuPaul and Childish Gambino. We chat with the actor Ethan Panizza, who plays a gay AFL star on Playing For Keeps. Marc Andrews reviews an album from a gay Brit that he says, “Will change pop forever”! Heady stuff. Finally, there are two shoots in this issue – Mario and Johnny – and they are both spectacular! Whatever your taste in men, I think you’ll appreciate the beauty of these two models. Comments to my in-box, on the DNA website and our social media are, as always, most welcome! Next month, it seems mad to say, is the Swimwear Issue, which means we’re at December already. I can’t wait to shoot the swimwear story and share it with everyone next month. I promise tons of behind-the-scenes shots and video! Until then, happy reading. Andrew Creagh Founding Editor

DNA PROFILE

ENDANGERED! Paul Freeman’s photography of manly men remains as hot as ever, but with tech giants censoring the internet and social media, will old-fashioned print save the day?

60 DNA

FEATURE

STILL IN LOVE WITH

RIVER PHOENIX Naturally gifted, he seemed destined to become the actor of his generation until his shocking, untimely death. On the 25th anniversary of his passing, Xav Judd ponders on what might have been, and pays tribute to his idol.

E

very generation has a significant celebrity death: John F Kennedy, Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse. I’ll never forget what I was doing when my idol, actor, River Phoenix passed away in October 1993 at age 23. I was staying at a mate’s place in Edinburgh over Halloween. A few of us had just returned from a night’s clubbing when I saw a TV news bulletin reporting that River Phoenix was dead. What made it even more shocking was that this squeaky-clean twentysomething had succumbed to a coke and

Weir film The Mosquito Coast (1986). Harrison Ford was my favourite actor at the time and famous for the initial instalment of the Star Wars saga (1977–1983). I watched all of his movies religiously but, in this film, was a relatively unknown adolescent out-acting him. No-one I’d seen on film before made such an immediate impression on me. River’s acting style was mercurial and naturalistic – his talent jumped off the screen and held me spellbound. That same year I saw him in the coming-of-age classic Stand By Me

66 DNA

PORTFOLIO

HELLO JOHNNY

RE AD TH E LATE ST PHOTOGRAPHY RUSSELL FLEMING MODEL JOHNNY

70 DNA

NE WS

heroin overdose after leaving Johnny Depp’s Hollywood nightclub, The Viper Room. Who was this wildly charismatic but troubled performer, and why did he make such an impact on me and the film world? River Jude Phoenix was born on 23rd August 1970, in Oregon, USA, the eldest child of John and Arlyn. They named him after the river of life in Hermann Hesse’s spiritual novel Siddhartha, which seemed prescient as he certainly had ethereal qualities The first time I saw River was in the Peter

A celebration of masculinity, muscle, ink and fur.

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Part of

BURNTTOAST

HAVE YOUR SAY. LEAVE COMMENTS ON OUR SITE, SOCIAL MEDIA OR EMAIL [email protected]

DNA #220 Congratulations on the feature Sleepwalking Into Sharia [by Andrew M Potts]. The Sharia law in Mauritania, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, parts of Somalia and Northern Nigeria can all have the death penalty handed down for various forms of homosexuality depending on the country. As a member of Amnesty International for many years, we are involved with working on homophobia, violence, arbitrary arrest, torture and imprisonment of LGBTIQ people. We, who are lucky to have our freedom and human rights, I urge to lobby and protest for those who are forced to live under regimes that legalise homophobia. – Robin Chittenden

DNA WEBSITE

Pasha and Anthony, thank you for the beautiful photo spread. Would have loved to see some nudes of this handsome model. Thank you for not shaving the body hair… very sexy! – Steve Colburn

DNA #221 Exceptional choice of Mr Quin Bruce as your cover man. He possesses perfectly imperfect perfection and one radiant smile. His photo on page 43 sealed the deal for me. – Teva

DNA #224 Glad you like Schitt’s Creek, but it’s not a CBS production from the USA – it’s from the CBC, ie, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. You know, like the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Yup, Schitt’s Creek is an example of my Canadian tax dollars being put to good use! – Larry Tayler, Ontario, Canada

Thanks Larry, that’ll teach us to fact check beyond Wiki! There are some really great looking guys in your Sexiest Men Alive issue but the most beautiful man alive, in my opinion, is Nils Tatum from BelAmi. – Jordan A

Sundays at The Imperial Hotel Dear DNA, you got it wrong. The Imperial Hotel’s Express Yourself Sundays hashtag is #Impy not #Immy! Instagram: imperialerskineville. – Sammy

DNA #224

Sorry, we were drUnk tesxting!

Thanks Jordan, and here’s a hot pic of Nils for your trouble!

(Re: Brandy Martignago wearing Cocksox on the cover, and the behind-the-scenes video on DNA’s Instagram) U R a f*cking hot guy with f*cking hot balls and underwear plz invite me to f*ck your ass plz darling. – Erhanali1162 That shoot looks like it was a lot of fun and those undies don’t leave much to the imagination. – Nickjnash 12 DNA

Quantum Swimwear

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MONTH IN A MINUTE

COMPILED BY TORSTEN HØJER

The Yankees wholeheartedly support equality for all individuals… It is our hope that this scholarship program will serve as a springboard for young LGBTQ student community members and advocates as they continue the pursuit of their dreams, ambitions and livelihoods. WIKI COMMONS

– The New York Yankees announce financial support for LGBT+ students to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, in 1969.

laws following India’s legalisation of gay sex last month. The country’s High Court will hear the case from LGBT activists and then agree on a way forward. Gay men in Kenya often experience violence and abuse due to current homophobic laws.

WIKI COMMONS

INSTAGRAM

HOPE Kenya agrees to examine its anti-gay

shooting him, carving up his corpse and dissolving it in acid. PREPARED HIV diagnoses in Australia reaches

a seven-year low. Sexual health experts say that effective medication, PrEP and regular testing are proving to be vital tools in the fight against new transmissions.

MAMMA MIA! Cops arrest the son of Cher’s

assistant during a raid on the superstar’s California home. Reports allege he was involved in drug dealing, which led to the death of a user in the area.

EQUALITY The United Nations says the

Courtney Act says she is now dating men of colour after realising she was guilty of “sexual racism”. The man behind the star, Shane Jenek, says he feels “more fulfilled” after diversifying his dating life.

PLUNGER A straight English plumber is jailed for three years for using hook-up apps to meet closeted gay men, film them having sex and then blackmailing them. Benjamin Muskett, 31, threatened to send the sex tapes to the men’s families unless he was paid large sums of cash. JA-BAN Tokyo moves to ban all LGBT+

discrimination ahead of hosting the Olympic Games in 2020. The new laws intend to send a strong message that the city is open to all. 14 DNA

world must redouble efforts to achieve LGBT+ equality. UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, urges leaders and citizens to “never give up the fight” to ensure LGBT+ people are treated fairly.

CALL ME, MAYBE Call Me By Your Name

director, Luca Guadagnino says he may need five movies to tell the story of Elio and Oliver fully. He is currently working on the script for the sequel, which will see Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer back in their groundbreaking roles. The as-yet-unnamed film is scheduled for release in 2020.

PSYCHO An Italian man is given a life sentence for murdering a gay activist who lived with his girlfriend. Authorities say Ciro Guarente became jealous of his girlfriend’s friendship with Vincenzo Ruggiero, and reacted by fatally

INSTAGRAM

EXPANDING Aussie drag queen

JUST MARRIED, MA’AM The British royal family has its first ever gay wedding as the Queen’s cousin, Lord Ivar Mountbatten, weds James Coyle in a lavish ceremony. Ivar was previously married to a woman, Penny, who gave him away in a show of her support.

;)

Photograph by Domenic Hartmann Photography | Model: Marcel Koetter in Packed Lunch briefs | 'lunch' is model's own!

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THE HATERS ARE STILL HATING! COMPILED BY TORSTEN HØJER

“They’re here, they’re queer, but not for much longer.” – The message on posters around Townsville, Australia, put up by NeoNazi group, Antipodean Resistance. Yes, Australia’s very own haters have had a “productive” month, according to their website, where they are too ashamed to show their faces.

“And let’s not forget the deadly contribution of ‘LGBTQ’ advocates who demand ‘inclusive’ sex ed – lessons that outline in detail how kids can engage in anal and oral sex, the sex practices of homosexuals.” – Christian writer, Linda Harvey reveals that heterosexuals don’t do oral or anal!

“Shouldn’t our society also protect the rights of gropers [who] can’t resist the urge to grope once they have caught a whiff of a female’s smell on a crowed train?”

“In Malaysia, there are some things we cannot accept… Even though it is seen as human rights in Western countries.”

“We took matters into our own hands and said a prayer of exorcism over this thing. It was cut into seven pieces, so it was burned over stages.”

“Our holy Torah… obligates us to distance such people, not legitimise them, especially since drawing them closer would pose a great danger.”

– Japanese writer Eitaro Ogawa, a born-again Christian, suggests this should happen if society protects the rights of LGBT+ citizens. He has also blamed rape victims for “emitting pheromones”.

– American Catholic priest Paul Kalchik, “explaining” why he set fire to a rainbow flag at his church. What’s next? Burning crosses? Witches? 16 DNA

– Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, rejects LGBT+ equality. He also thinks racism is fine, calling Jews “hook-noses”.

– Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch responds to a Jewish guide on the wellbeing of LGBT+ young people in schools. Such a Mean Girl!

“I will also be asking the library’s board of control to conduct a thorough review of its programming and approval process for taxpayerfunded events.” – Joel Robideaux, the mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana reacts to Drag Queen Story Time. Obviously he’s not sitting comfortably.

Loving... THE STUFF WE’RE

Signs Of The Times If you’re looking for a hot, meaty topping and a thick crust (hold the cheese) head to this Greville St restaurant in Melbourne. And next time you fly, consider Thomas Cook’s Cocks Club! (The sign reads “I love Cook’s Club” until the middle door opens!)

WHOOPS!

Dr Whoah! Doctor Who has regenerated into a woman (played by Jodie Whittaker), which we love, but one of her new time-travelling companions is hunky Tosin Cole as Ryan. Seen previously on Eastenders and briefly in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Hot!

BUY YOUR TICKET!

BIANCA’S BAAACK! After three sell-out Australian tours, comedy queen and RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Bianca Del Rio returns to Australia with her brand-new comedy show, It’s Jester Joke. The self-proclaimed “clown in a gown” tells tales of her world travels and the outrageous circus that is her life of politics, travel, family and social media. It isn’t all fun and games, though. There’s an important life lesson to be learned… sometimes we all just need to lighten the f**k up! With second shows for Melbourne and Sydney announced, don’t miss your chance to see The Queen Of Mean in her fiercely funny new show in 2019.

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18 DNA

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DNA 19

DNA SAMPLES

HE’S MADE THAT WAY! Texan hottie Skye Strickler likes going nude, spreading love, doing dudes and his debut album is called… DNA. By Marc Andrews

DNA: You’re a man of many talents – many of them musical! Skye: My mission is to encourage people to love themselves and spread that love and I to do this through singing, songwriting and producing music. I was always singing as a kid. Who has influenced your music? My grandmother. When she passed away I wanted to keep her musical legacy alive so I tried writing songs and fell in love with it. Those first few ideas eventually became my album DNA, each one a challenge to be as different from the last as possible. Career highlights so far? I partnered with Facebook to perform for 400,000 people last year during Pride – that was epic. I won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest twice, headlined Portland Pride, and sang God Bless America during a Houston Astros home game. I cried tears of joy. Does it matter these days if you are defined as a “gay singer”? When one uses that term there’s a presumption or stereotype. I’m expected to dress, act, talk or even sing a certain way. I’m an artist and I’ve sacrificed for it willingly. I also happen to like dudes. Who are your gay role models? Ellen DeGeneres and Laverne Cox. They strive for greatness and they’re positively affecting people’s lives. Who was your idol growing up? I lived vicariously through a blogger in San Francisco. He was a gay man, living in a polyamorous relationship, chronicling his newly realised sexual fantasies-turned-explorations. I read his stories and wished I could be somewhere I had the freedom to meet a person who could make me as happy as he seemed to be. I learned to embrace and love myself a bit by following his stories. What was your coming out like? I came out, a little unexpectedly, during my first radio interview. I wasn’t hiding it at the time, but I hadn’t confronted some of the people in my life who may not have understood it yet. Did you ever suffer from bullying at school? I’ve suppressed a few memories – probably not healthy – but I’d rather focus on a positive future. I will say this to those who may be getting bullied: communicate. Tell your parents, tell your teachers. You’re not alone but no one can help you if they don’t know. You are a beautiful person. Don’t let someone’s words or actions affect you so negatively you devalue yourself or your life. Was music your safe place? I didn’t have close friends in school so I often spent time with the music. I had access to a piano, so that’s where I went to find peace and understand myself. I wrote depressing pop songs in high school and composed a musical the summer before college. Are you romantically attached? I wish. I like sporadic dates and a man who can woo me. Applications open.! What do you like to do when you’re not making music? I’m hitting the gym every single day trying to outdo myself and surpass my limitations. I’m also learning a new language and making a point to travel more. What are the issues that are closest to your heart? Love, humanity, equality. A lot of that’s lost in my country. Sadly, it’s now a game of politics that has nothing to do with basic human decency. Do you ever imagine yourself getting married and having kids? Totally. I’d love to have kids with Mr Right. What’s the nicest compliment anyone has ever given you? When good-hearted people share their hearts with me – that’s the biggest compliment ever. At the beach, speedos, boardshorts or totally nude? [Laughs.] I’d go totally nude everywhere if it were doable. MORE: Skye’s niftily titled album is called DNA. His website skyestrickler.com has links to all his social media

20 DNA

MUSIC REVIEWS

BY MARC ANDREWS

MATT CORBY – RAINBOW VALLEY

Sweet-voiced Matt Corby named this record not after a dedicated LGBT geological feature, but after the location where he wrote and recorded this album. So if you’re trying to read something into the title you may be getting a little ahead of yourself here. Musically, the glorious and lush single No Ordinary Life suggests Matt wants to free himself from past constraints, or even sexual norms, when he sings “open up your doors and windows”. The genteel and sensitive All Fired Up, with our handsome singer/songwriter on piano, offers up a forlorn love song about missing someone (non-gender specific) who’s not coming home. A sweet Valley full of exquisite sorrow and soulful psychedelia; rainbow flags are currently not required.

ROBYN – HONEY

It seems almost absurd to think Swedish popette Robyn is now best known as the writer of Dancing On My Own (which Calum Scott had a solid chart run with recently in a stripped down version). We can only hope the now 39-year-old Robyn Carlsson finally gets the superstar dues she deserves with her sixth proper album. As preview single, Missing U hinted, she’s been through tough times (two years in psychoanalysis to process the death of a close friend and the end of her romantic relationship). “I came back from the wilderness and in a much better state of mind,” Robyn explains. Honey drips with mucho killer hooks, sexy beats and Robyn’s clever clogs lyrics. Lick this up now!

CULTURE CLUB – LIFE

It’s hard to believe for a band that’s now spanned almost 40 years that they’re only just up to album #6. Boy George and co have certainly been tardy – album #5, Don’t Mind If I Do, was almost 20 years ago! Not straying too far from the reggaelite formula that brought them global fame in the ’80s, Let Somebody Love You is inoffensively sweet. It’s never going to be considered a career high point, but the fact they’re still recording and touring together as a foursome is a testament to their longevity and universal appeal. Life is unlikely to stretch too far beyond the George fan(atic)s, but for bringing sunny vibes to our troubled world, Culture Club deserve credit and thanks.

STEVEN TAETZ – DRINK YOU IN

This Toronto-based out artist has reinvented himself on his second album. He’s foregone pop for a swinging jazz sound that echoes Michael Buble and, stretching further back, Frank Sinatra. Drink You In is fizzy, pretty and romantic. Combining six originals that sound like they arrived from a more sedate era, with a bunch of old-time standards, our cool crooner adds a queer twist to his dry martini remakes. Steven has even announced that he’s proud to follow in the tradition of legendary LGBT jazz performers like Billie Strayhorn, Ma Rainey, Fred Hersch and Gary Burton. You may not know or care who those music legends are but Steven sure does a neat job of making jazz “swelligent”. 22 DNA

This is groundbreaking stuff and pop-dom will never be the same again. MNEK – LANGUAGE

The debut album from 23-year-old gay Brit wunderkind MNEK (who’s already written tunes for the likes of Dua Lipa, Beyonce and Madonna) starts with a useful prologue on how to pronounce his name (“EM-AN-EE-KAY) before getting underway. The jaunty Correct offers the advice “stay fabulous, honey”, while Tongue might be the sexiest love song you’ve heard from a male voice and a proudly gay one at that. His rainbowdrenched single Colour, with Hailee Steinfeld, drifts too close to some of Justin Bieber’s past hits, but Girlfriend where MNEK blurts “if your girlfriend knew about me and you, about what we do” there’s no escaping this is ground-breaking stuff and pop-dom as we know it will never be the same again. That’s a damned good thing, too. With 16 tracks there’s a few that could’ve been trimmed but, overall, this is a bold, empowering and tasty Language we all speak.

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DNA PROFILE NYC’s Pillo Bytr are the next level in queer music, where punk and glam rock collide. Their debut single is a cover of Dead Or Alive’s classic, Something In My House. By Marc Andrews

THE FUTURE IS GENDER FUCKERY 24 DNA

DNA: Where have you been all these years – we’ve been waiting forever for you! Pillo Bytr: [Laughs] Thank you! I’ve been in other bands, DJ’d, done performance art… but I never got my own act together until now. I went through some tough times and was living with a friend who believed in me and said, “That’s it! I’m putting together a band for you!” Why the name Pillo Bytr? Pillo Bytr is my name but it’s also the band’s name – like Sade, Bon Jovi or Goldfrapp are named after the lead singer. The band that plays on the recordings probably won’t be the same one that will play live with me on stage. It’s a New York thing – everyone is in five different bands at the same time so it’s hard to pin people down. But the term “pillow biter”…? Oh, yes, it’s a slang term for a gay man, particularly a bottom who likes getting pounded with such ferocious force while bent over that he bites the pillow! I just decided to switch up the spelling to make it unique. How do you define yourself in terms of gender and sexuality? I try not to. I want my audience to interpret my music and performance in their own context. The glam rock look I’ve chosen allows me to explore my feminine attributes, while the more masculine sound of Pillo Bytr allows me to blur the lines of gender expectations. That’s what made people like David Bowie so revolutionary. Was he even human? He was otherworldly. Even when he wore make-up and dresses he oozed masculinity. The same goes for Prince. A friend of mine worked for Prince and he would always say, “That was the straightest muthafucka I’ve ever met. He loved pussy!” Prince was secure enough in his masculinity that he could play with feminine styles with total confidence. Gender illusionist, gender fucker, drag queen or none of the above? Genderfucker, absolutely. What I do as Pillo Bytr is still very masculine if we were to put it on a spectrum. I’m trying to redefine the boundaries of what it means to be a man. I’ve been getting a lot of shit for not having my nails painted in the Something In My House video [laughs] but that’s just who I am. I didn’t want them painted. I’m not fitting into anyone’s box. We love that you’ve covered a Dead Or Alive pop classic as your opening salve. I like it when a band debuts with a cover

version. It gives people something familiar to grab onto while introducing someone new. It’s interesting how the song choice came about. I always felt Dead Or Alive was a punk band underneath all the Stock Aitken Waterman production. That’s what I wanted to expose with Something In My House – it’s a punk song once you strip back all the layers. There’s plenty of Dead Or Alive singer, Pete Burns’ punk spirit in Pillo Bytr, right? Yes, there is! Dance pop has a lot of gay/queer sensibilities on a very obvious level but many forget that LGBTIQ culture had a major impact on rock’n’roll as well. The leather look, which is pretty much the uniform of heavy metal acts, can be traced to Rob Halford of Judas Priest. He came to rehearsal dressed in the same leather gear he wore to the gay sex clubs and the rest of the band were like, “Yeah, that’ll be our look!” Then there’s all the ’80s glam metal bands like Motley Crue, Poison, even early Guns N’Roses – they were basically drag queens. Somehow none of their sexualities were questioned at the time, but they’re definitely in drag.

Glam metal bands like Motley Crue and Poison were drag queens. Somehow their sexuality wasn’t questioned, but they’re definitely in drag. Are there more covers or original material for Pillo Bytr to follow? We have several original songs in the oven, we just need to get back in the studio and get them done. I’m hoping to have our next single Distant Thunder out shortly. It’s ready to go, we just need to film the video. What other songs would you like to cover? We have one more cover we’re working on. It’s a Divine song, but I won’t tell you which one [laughs]. Divine is so punk rock. Are we likely to see you performing live somewhere? Yes, Something In My House has created a stir over here in New York. Not too many groups are doing what we’re trying to do – mixing glam rock and punk with genderfuckery. There’s a demand for us to do shows, but I want to do it right. We need some more songs out and to solidify the live band’s line-up. Who’s your diva? Grace Jones and Siouxsie Sioux have always appealed to me. They’re both genderfuckers. Grace Jones always presented herself as female but pushed the boundaries by taking on many traditionally masculine attributes with

PILLO BYTR ON… PETE BURNS

“2016 was an insane year. We lost Pete Burns, David Bowie, George Michael and Prince. They all toyed with established ideas of gender and sexuality and created something new. Pete, especially, could possibly be the last individualist. His life and his physical body were his art. In the ’80s and ’90s he burned every bridge by refusing to be anyone but himself. He destroyed his friendship with Morrissey over his infamous Guerilla coat, which also got him in trouble on Big Brother. That’s how he endeared himself to his fans. That sort of authenticity is hard to come by.”

RUPAUL

“That RuPaul has stayed in the spotlight since the ’80s is unprecedented. I love his ’80s preSupermodel videos. He was more of a genderfucker than a drag queen early on. My mom worked for a major fashion designer and ended up doing some men’s suits for him. She never worked on a dress for him. She gets a Christmas card from him every year. Drag Race has given the artform more visibility and more acceptability. I feel it still favors “fishy drag” but there’s a huge variety of drag out there, so I wish it would be more varied.”

CHILDISH GAMBINO

“I rate Childish Gambino very highly for playing pansexual in the recent Star Wars movie. With all the racial tension currently going on over here [his video] This Is America has really struck a nerve. He put it all on the line and created an uncomfortable discussion, which is what good art should do. I have high expectations for anything he puts out – music, film or otherwise. I also love that he’s the alter ego of an already famous actor.”

her sharp, square hair-do. Siouxsie had her menacing, angular make-up, which almost looked like war paint. Both are undeniably female but they’re not the girls next door. Are you romantically attached? No, I’m a complete and total slut and totally proud of it. A true Pillo Bytr, let’s say! At the beach, speedos, board shorts or nude? Nude, if allowed! What are the big issues that concern you most at present? The political situation in America is very troubling right now. We could do a whole interview on that alone. Lots of hatred, racism, and homophobia are being normalized to an alarming degree. We have Nazis openly running for Congress, police who kill unarmed civilians with impunity, religious nutcases crashing our Pride parades, not to mention the growing income disparity that affects LGBTIQ people of colour to a higher degree. It’s still legal in 31 of the 50 States to deny employment to someone based on their sexuality. We’re very much in the Dark Ages here. What’s the one thing that might surprise people about you? That I’m a complete geek, a nerd, a total dweeb – music geek, comic book geek, you name it! I’m really not cool at all and if I seem cool it’s completely by accident. Tell us about “something in your house”. The walls of my bedroom are covered with over 15 nude male paintings. It’s a fringe benefit of knowing many artists in NYC. I have more paintings than I know what to do with. It makes my boudoir look like an artsy sex dungeon. What’s your message to the gay men? Next year is the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. So much has changed in that time but we still have a long way to go. The fight is not over by a long shot.

MORE: Go to pillobytr.bandcam.com to download/stream the band’s music. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Soundcloud

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BOOK REVIEWS

BY GRAEME AITKEN

A MAN A DAY! THE RANGE of sexy men calendars for 2019 is

greatly reduced due to the absence of any products from German publisher Bruno Gmunder, which went into receivership in mid-2017 after the death of the new owner. This means that perennial favourite calendars such as Bel Ami, Cocky Boys, Raging Stallion, Mark Henderson and Rick Day will not be available. In 2017 Gmunder published 17 large format calendars and three super-sized poster calendars just prior to the company’s collapse. So the absence of this popular range in 2019 will leave many disappointed. However, other favourite calendars are still available and there are some exiting new ones. Colt have published six titles, including their newish and very popular, Colt Hung. Some of the most eagerly sought-after calendars in 2018 were the Red Hot range from photographer Thomas Knights, who frantically reprinted more copies prior to Christmas 2017. For 2019, Knights is keeping things fresh by releasing three different calendars. The Red Hot American Boys was released in September and November sees the return of his full-frontal calendar Red Hot C*cks, which was an enormous success in 2018. Released at the same time, is a new calendar Red Hot Butts! The Warwick Rowers are celebrating their 10th anniversary with their 2019 calendar and promising something super special. Fans of Asian guys will be delighted that photographer West Phillips is releasing a 2019 calendar hot on the heels of his superb new photography book Asian Male Portraits. As for Australian content, Byron Bay photographer John Bortolin has published his Manscapes calendar for several years now. It’s extremely popular with its Byron Bay guys modelling, some of whom are happy to go fully nude! But for 2019, Bortolin also has a second calendar available – the Balls Out Bingo Calendar. Balls Out Bingo is a popular charity event at The Sportsmen Hotel in Brisbane and all profits from this charity calendar will benefit the Queensland AIDS Council. MORE: The Bookshop Darlinghurst specialises in gay and lesbian books. Tel: (02) 9331 1103. Email: [email protected]. Web: thebookshop.com.au. Visit: 207 Oxford Street, Sydney.

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PHOTOGRAPHY @PHOTOBYJEEVS

DNA SAMPLES

A MO-MENT WITH DOLLY DIAMOND “I’m putting the camp in campaign!” says showgirl, Dolly Diamond, joining the fight against prostate cancer as a Movember Ambassador.

DNA: Will Dolly be growing a mo for a bro? Dolly: There’s a lot of things I’m willing to do for a man – but no. It’s not a good look for a lady. I’m encouraging those who can’t grow a mo to sign up for Move at Movember.com, and walk or run 60kms over the month of Movember. That’s all! Your 60kms represents the six years that the average man stands to lose from his life for, largely, preventable reasons. How did you get involved with Movember? Like most of us, I know people whose lives have been affected by cancer. My mum died from lung cancer and my dad died from prostate cancer. He was a tough old thing who, sadly, didn’t pay much attention to his health. I’m doing this to help raise awareness. The stats on prostate cancer are startling. Were you surprised when you saw them? The numbers are startling. It’s the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and last year 3,452 Australian men died from prostate cancer. That’s why I’m getting in on the action and using this face for good! Movember is getting the word out there. Awareness is a wonderful thing. Getting a prostate check-up… where should we start? To begin with, well done for being on top of things and not ignoring it. Your risk of 28 DNA

developing prostate cancer can increase with age. That doesn’t mean it only affects old men. Stop being ageist. If you’re 50 or over, you should be talking to your doctor about PSA testing. If you’re of African or Caribbean descent, you need to start that conversation at 45. If you have a brother or father with prostate cancer in their history, do it at 45. Men with a family history are two-and-half times more likely to get prostate cancer. The treatments can involve surgery and chemotherapy and are gruelling and disruptive. Is early detection best? It’s key. The difference between early detection and late can be life and death. When detected early, prostate cancer survival rates are better than 98 per cent. Finding it late, those survival rates drop to below 26 per cent. How often should we get tested? It makes me happy to think that my face might encourage a man to get his prostate checked! Firstly, you should be talking to your doctor about whether testing is right for you. PSA testing determines the concentration of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in the blood and is the primary method of testing. What are some of the achievements of Movember since it began? Okay, here’s some heart-warming facts: over

the past 15 years, Movember has funded more than 1,200 men’s health projects globally in the areas of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. They’ve established the largest global alliance of researchers and health experts dedicated to men’s health. Until the Movember Foundation, this work wasn’t happening in a globally coordinated way and, in many cases, it simply wasn’t happening at all. What does Dolly have in store for 2019? I’m premiering a brand-new show for the Midsumma Festival about Dolly Parton called Parton Me. I’ll be taking that on tour throughout the year. I’m also heading to Adelaide and Perth for Fringe with Dolly Diamond’s Bl*nkety Bl*nks, with a season at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. That should keep me out of trouble for at least 6 months! Finally, which bros have the best mos? I spent many a night wishing for Tom Selleck to invade my personal space with his Magnum. Check out James Franco, Jamie Dornan and Bradley Cooper with a mo – so hot! I like a dark mo to go, you know – especially when it’s being grown for a good cause. MORE: Movember.com

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THEATRE REVIEW BY MATTHEW MYERS Perci MoeKetsi takes the lead role in Madeba.

AN OPPORTUNITY MISSED Nelson Mandela’s revolutionary struggle comes to life on stage, as the world tour of Madiba kicks off in Australia.

MANY SIGNIFICANT historical events have

been transformed into great theatre, especially when the story involves personal struggle and triumph. The story of Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist, has been brought to life in a new musical bearing his clan name, Madiba. Created by Jean-Pierre Hadida and Alicia Sebrien, Madiba premiered at Paris’ Le Comedia Theatre in 2016. The first English language version, touring here, marks 25 years since the end of apartheid in South Africa. Madiba begins with Mandela as a young lawyer/activist, arrested for treason and imprisoned. He becomes a symbolic backdrop as the audience is introduced to other characters including the white racist policeman, Van Leden, who’s daughter Helena falls for the black activist and artist, William. There’s a clever use of William’s black-andwhite sketches in the staging. The couple’s forbidden romance provides a West Side Story edge, adding extra drama to the narrative. But, of course, it’s Mandela’s ultimate release from prison and victory as 30 DNA

A story like this should be as powerful as Les Miserables. South Africa’s first black president that is the predominant story arc. A slow start and underdevelopment of the characters in the first half – even scenes with Mandela seem brisk and disjointed – leaves the audience feeling unconnected and wanting more. The second act picks up but doesn’t provide the much-needed momentum the play lacks. There’s a redemptive moment for Van Leden that gives the show a poignant kick, but it comes too late. It’s a pity this is something of a misfire because it sports a great local cast – Tim “Timomatic”

Omaji (So You Think You Can Dance), Blake Erickson (Cry Baby), Tarisai Vushe (The Lion King), Barry Conrad (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) and Courtney Bell (The Sound Of Music). Rapper and Kylie Minogue dancer, David Denis is the show’s Narrator. Omaji, Conrad and Bell do justice to their roles but, while Narrator Denis has great energy, the rapping can, at times, seem gimmicky. Most perfectly cast is South African Perci MoeKetsi in the lead role. His wide smile and soulful eyes bear an uncanny resemblance to Mandela. This musical borrows heavily from other classics. There’s the huddled groups of interpretive dancers (Hair), the show-stomping victories (RENT), and the good-versus-bad operatic baritones (Jesus Christ Superstar). Such homage is not a bad thing and, considering the story is mainly set during the ’60s and ’80s, seems fitting. A surprise moment with Mandela’s grandson adds emotional punch to the conclusion but, while Mandela’s fist in the air may look dramatic, the gravitas is just not there. Madiba has great intentions and untapped potential. It should be emotional and confronting and could be so much more. A story like this should be as powerful as Les Miserables. For more visit: madibamusical.com.au

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STYLE WITH JOSHUA HEATH

THE INVISIBLE MAN PHOTOGRAPHY JOSHUA HEATH JOSHUAHEATHSTYLIST MODEL MATTHIEU REBOUL MATTREBPRO LOCATION LA RESERVE APARTMENTS LARESERVEPARISAPARTMENTS.COM GEAR MATTHIEU WEARS L’HOMME INVISIBLE LHOMMEINVISIBLEPARIS

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Parisian designer, Sandpeed Shani has worked with Armani and Lacroix. Now he’s taking a unique vision of men’s underwear to the world with his own brand, L’homme Invisible.

DNA: When did you start designing men’s underwear? Sandeep: I started designing underwear in 2002, but was working for other brands. L’homme Invisible ranges use unique fabrics that are rarely seen in mainstream men’s underwear. Where do you find these? I meet suppliers from across Europe: mainly Italy, France and Germany but also Austria. I look for the unusual. Even the manufacturers themselves have no idea that their fabrics could be used for men’s underwear. I think everyone probably sees these fabrics, but you have to have an imagination for things to see how you’re going to transform them into a garment. Lace features heavily in your collections. What is it about the fabric that inspires you? There are other fabrics but, yes, the lace takes a prominent role in each collection. I think we are the only brand that presents lace in such a masculine way. Lace is a work of art – how simple yarns are linked together to give such beautiful motifs. And with a simple change in yarn density we are able to create different levels of transparency. I love the intricacy and all the imagination and hard work that goes into making this fabric. It is very sensual the way it >>

He’s not afraid to express his individual taste and his masculine sensuality.

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STYLE / WITH JOSHUA HEATH

>> drapes the body, revealing some and hiding some! From where do you draw your inspiration when designing your collections? Art plays a very important role. My references are usually linked to different art movements. When I see a print or touch a fabric it just speaks to me and I know there and then what I will do with that fabric. Who is the L’homme Invisible man? He is a confident, well-travelled, well-read man who loves art, culture and architecture. He appreciates the fine art of living. He doesn’t go by the trends but is looking for something different to express his personality and his style. He’s not afraid to express his individual taste and his masculine sensuality. And the inspiration behind the latest collection? Comfort and sex appeal are the most important ingredients that I look for before designing any collection. For Christmas we are looking for some rich, luxury velvet fabrics both in underwear and loungewear. Indulgence is the key word. You’ve just launched a sports and fitness collection; what’s next? In the coming season we plan to develop a new range of Resort Wear. We already did few tests and our clients just love it. These are hand embroidered tunics, trousers, and ensembles for destination holidays or to just lounge around at home, in style.

MORE: Follow Joshua on Instagram @JoshuaHeathStylist and go to joshuaheath.com.au

It is very sensual the way it drapes the body, revealing some and hiding some! 34 DNA

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DNA PROFILE

NAKED FOR THE CAUSE They strip off to fight homophobia. Not bad for a bunch of mostly straight boys. Warwick Rowers calendar producer, Angus Malcolm talks sport, sex and equality.

Robbie Manson (main image), the world’s fastest rower, just happens to be gay and in the 10th anniversary calendar. 36 DNA

If you want to find conservative, outdated attitudes in sport, just follow the money. You’ll see that money talks and equality walks… out the door. DNA: What prompted the first Warwick Rowers calendar back in 2009? Angus Malcolm: Initially, it was to fund the boat club at Warwick University. As the antihomophobia message of the calendar became a more important part of the project, we set up Sport Allies with calendar funding to focus on making sport more inclusive and a leader in promoting inclusion. All calendar profits now go to Sport Allies. What was the reaction from the public like, the first time? The reaction was always positive, but it really took off when we made clear that the Warwick Rowers were straight allies who were stripping off to show their respect for LGBT rights. People loved that idea and that is when celebrities like Stephen Fry, Sir Ian McKellen and Kylie Minogue began to support us. When guys sign up to join the team, they must know they’ll end up naked in the calendar? They hear about the calendar early on but there’s no obligation to take part! Fortunately, most of them have chosen to anyway. Now that we are donating all profits to Sport Allies we are open to including athletes from other rowing clubs and other sports, as we have this year! Yes, there’s a special guest appearance in the new calendar. Why did you choose to include Robbie Manson? Robbie Manson chose us! He reached out to us a few years ago to tell us, as an LGBT rower, how much he appreciated the message we were sending out. He offered to support us in any way he could so when we were planning our 10th anniversary calendar and wanted to do something special we thought, “Why not ask the fastest rower in the world, who also happens to be gay, to be our special guest star?” It’s not just a comment on the importance of straight allies, it’s highlighting that the world’s fastest rower is LGBT. Were Robbie’s shots done in New Zealand? No, they were shot at Sydney University’s spectacular new boathouse in Burns Bay, and

on location in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The team spent time in Australia shooting the calendar; what was a highlight of the trip? Undoubtedly getting to spend time with Robbie Manson, who is a hero to the boys both as an elite athlete and as a leader for diversity in their sport. We had an amazing time in Australia, and we must thank our friends at Planet Dwellers and the Cambridge Hotel for their support. Does getting naked together bond the team? Very much so. The guys are used to being naked together because of the changing rooms and showers. But spending whole days together naked is a very different thing. It helps them to confront the invisible rules about masculinity and acceptable male behaviour within which they live. The calendar addresses the anxiety that many men, gay and straight, have about being naked in front of other men. Where does that anxiety originate? I believe it originates in rules that are intended to prevent men from forming physical and emotional bonds outside the established rules. And we are not necessarily talking about rules that go back to pre-history here! A lot of the “heteronormativity” in our culture can be traced back to the 19th Century. Universities and sports clubs often have secret hazing rituals for new members. A lot of it seems violent and sexual. Do you think those rituals are inherently homophobic? I’m not an expert, but I think they are a clear example of how we need better models for expressing healthy masculinity, both between men and between men and women. Expressing masculinity should not be conflated with violence or aggression. What did the team get up to at RuPaul’s DragCon recently? The highlight was undoubtedly Lucas and Ryan strutting their stuff on the runway in rhinestone stilettos and Warwick Rowers purple onesies. It was their first time in heels, and they did

an amazing job. Andrew Wilson, a Broadway choreographer, spent several hours creating an amazing routine to Sissy That Walk. Do you find yourselves censored by Facebook, iTunes and other social media? Do we ever! It’s a massive issue in the digital age that there is no democratic discourse around what is permissible in social media. These channels are controlled by private enterprises who are, almost exclusively, US-based and do not recognise that other cultures have different perspectives on nudity. What can I say? It’s part of the battle we are fighting, particularly in relation to male nudity. There is still a patriarchal bias towards objectifying women while keeping men safely under wraps. Since 2009, some high-profile professional athletes have come but there’s still plenty of homophobia in sport. Absolutely, and the bigger the sport, the bigger the problem. If you want to find conservative, outdated attitudes in sport, just follow the money. So, whether it’s about professional sponsorship, selling merch or broadcast rights, you’ll see that money talks and equality walks… out the door. Are things getting better, though? Are more LGBT people feeling more accepted in sports teams and clubs than, say, back in 2009? It depends on where you look. The world seems to be moving in two directions – forwards towards greater individual freedom in some countries, and backwards towards cultural totalitarianism in others. In your opinion, what is the sexiest sport? Any sport that allows us to appreciate the total beauty and amazing potential of the human body. I think the Ancient Greeks had it about right. It’s been downhill from there, but I’m doing my best to reverse the decline!

MORE: For the latest Warwick Rowers calendar and more on the guys, go warwickrowers.org

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OUR STRAIGHT BY MATTHEW MYERS MATES Staring at the stars, says Professor Brian Cox, reveals great truths about our lives. But the big question is… Team Trek or Team Star Wars?

STAR MAN 38 DNA

DNA: Your Stargazing Live TV show in Australia earlier this year set a new world record for people looking into the night sky. Brian Cox: Yes, we did! I was amazed at the number of star parties around Australia. There were thousands! Virtually everywhere, people were participating to get the world record for the number of people looking up into the sky at any one time and it was achieved! When you see a whole country joining in astronomy it’s wonderful. There were ten-year-old kids, some who will go into science and astronomy as a result of the Stargazing Live week. It may have been the first time they looked through a telescope, and those are the moments where I think it’s more than just a TV show. What can people expect from your Universal World Tour next year? I talk about the questions that are genuinely existential in nature because I think astronomy and cosmology force you to confront such questions. It’s undoubtedly true that we are, in one sense, absolutely insignificant in the face of the universe. We’re one planet around one star among 250 billion stars, in one galaxy – among two trillion galaxies! But, in another sense, we know of nowhere else where life exists, and nowhere else where there’s a civilization. That means there’s nowhere else where things think. We’re collections of atoms that think, and that could be an extremely rare phenomenon in the universe. That also means there’s nowhere else in the universe that there’s any meaning! That’s all quite deep, but you have an engaging way of explaining it. I like to mix in very spectacular imagery, and I’ve managed to get the biggest LED screens available in Australia. The whole theatre wall will be a high-resolution LED screen. I’m also working with the company who did the graphics for the movie Interstellar. We simulate a black hole on stage using state-of-the-art graphics from that film. I’m also going to discuss what it’s like to fall into a black hole, and Einstein’s theory about space and time – what it tells us about the origins of the universe and its future. But, most interestingly, I talk about our place within it. This is our Entertainment issue. What movies about the cosmos do you think get it right? Interstellar really gets it right! One of the instigators heavily involved in the film was Kip Thorne, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, and a world expert on gravity. In fact, the computer

code that we’re using in my show to generate black holes is the same computer code Kip developed for Interstellar. He calculated all the things about being on a planet and orbiting around a black hole where one hour of time passes while seven years of time passes outside. Interstellar is a brilliant film because all the relativity is absolutely correct. Any others? I also love 2001: A Space Odyssey because Stanley Kubrick wanted to make a film about the limitless possibilities humanity will open when we become a space-faring civilization, and that’s exactly what he did. We’re a very interesting and valuable part of the universe, but we’ve only just begun to take the first steps into it, and to understand it. Team Star Trek or Team Star Wars? That’s a difficult question! I was nine when Star Wars came out and it dominated my life. I’m very fond of it but Star Trek has longevity and depth and a more complicated philosophy. Gene Roddenberry had an optimistic view of what our society could be like. If you look at the original Star Trek it does what great science fiction always does, which is to approach difficult contemporary subjects and sneak that discussion into public discourse. There was that classic episode with the people with half black, half white faces, and the great conflict it caused, including the threat to destroy their planet. Interestingly, you couldn’t really tell the difference between these people at all. There’s an obvious message, but for 1960s television in the US, it was incredibly powerful. Whoopi Goldberg has spoken passionately about the character of Uhura [played by Nichelle Nichols in the original series] being a black woman on the bridge of the Enterprise, and how she had a television character to aspire to. Speaking of which, the current series, Star Trek: Discovery, has a gay couple. Yes, it’s brilliant. You have the central character who happens to be gay, but the plotlines are not about being gay. In the absolute spirit of Star Trek there is a series of characters playing pivotal roles that you can look up to and identify with. That’s why it’s a brilliant series. You also had a role in The Science Of Doctor Who. Discuss! Yes, I got to film in the TARDIS for a day with Matt Smith. I’m not an actor but the experience of standing in front of one, and getting a sense of what it’s like, was wonderful. It’s also the most amazing set, and it all works! You press the buttons and lights come on! I grew up with Doctor Who so it was quite an experience. How about Big Bang Theory? Again, it’s another great piece of television. I don’t know how accurate the portrayal of physicists is but there are definitely quite worldly theoretical physicists out there. So, in that sense, it’s probably quite true! [Laughs.] Have you been approached to guest star? I haven’t, but I live in hope. I’ve been in Doctor Who and I keep trying to manoeuver myself to become an extra on Star Wars. I actually met JJ

IF YOU WERE GAY, WHO WOULD BE THE ONE? Oh, there’s a great number of attractive men out there. Obviously Brad Pitt [pictured in Thelma And Louise] was astonishing in his heyday. I’m a massive Bowie fan so I wouldn’t say no to him.

In one sense, we are absolutely insignificant… But we’re collections of atoms that think, and that could be an extremely rare phenomenon. Abrams at a recent gig and suggested it would be a good idea if I were a storm trooper! What do you remember of your days in the bands Dare and D:Ream? I did Dare in the late ’80s, which wasn’t where I thought I’d end up! I was a big Duran Duran fan and then became a goth. I was also into Joy Division, The Smiths and other bands from Manchester, where I lived. I wanted to be in a band so I taught myself to play keyboards. Then I accidentally ended up in a rock band. It wasn’t my kind of stuff, but we had a great time and made two albums and toured with the likes of Jimmy Page [Led Zeppelin]. I became sick of that, and got into astrophysics at the University Of Manchester, but needed a job so I began driving D:Ream around the country. When they got a record deal they asked me to play keyboards, so I accidentally joined D:Ream. London, at the time, was full of energy and D:Ream was a club band all about white label vinyl and 12-inch remixes. To be part of that scene in 1992 was very exciting and, in hindsight, a special time for music and popular culture. Who is your musical diva? I’m a huge Kate Bush fan, however, in terms of an absolute diva it would be Bernadette Peters. I went to Rockefeller University for a time in New York, which meant living on the Upper East Side. I went to a lot of Broadway shows and Bernadette Peters was in the revival of Annie Get Your Gun. She was brilliant! I went to see it about seven times. Bernadette Peters – you can’t get any more diva-ish than her! In 2009 you made People’s Sexist Men Alive. How did you feel about that? I was very surprised because it’s an American

magazine and I don’t have the same kind of profile there, but it’s a great accolade and, probably, my most treasured award! You also have great hair. Almost Beatle-like! Yeah, it evolved into that Manchester look, which is an echo of the ’60s, but I got stuck in Manchester in the ’90s! I don’t know if I’m more Paul McCartney or Liam Gallagher! Do you hang out with gay mates or family? I have lots of gay friends and, it’s the biggest cliché, but my hairdresser for the past 20 years is a gay friend. My haircut is really his creation and no one else has cut my hair since. His name is Stephen Glendinning and he’s quite a famous stylist in Britain. I met him on a TV show and we’ve been friends ever since. What would you say to a Star Gazing Mardi Gras float, right under the Sydney night sky? That would be wonderful! As I said, astronomy and cosmology gives us great perspective. My hero, Carl Sagan, said one of the most valuable things about astronomy is that it gives us perspective in that we are a single civilization on a very fragile planet. Astronauts have always expressed how the moment they see the Earth they see it as one world and that’s really the Mardi Gras message, isn’t it? It’s quite central to that idea that we are one people on one world together and that’s a very astronomical perspective. A celebration of “one world” on a Mardi Gras float devoted to astronomy would fit perfectly. Your favourite Bowie album is Hunky Dory, which includes Life On Mars. Have you heard Streisand’s version? Bowie said it was “bloody atrocious”! No, I haven’t, but there’s a great version of Life On Mars in the Bowie musical Lazarus. That whole musical is brilliant. It’s hard to do a great Bowie cover because they are such definitive songs, but I’m going to listen to the Streisand version now! Last but not least, are you briefs, boxers or free-balling? Boxer briefs because I find they’re the most comfortable.

MORE: Tickets for Professor Brian Cox Universal World Tour are on sale from 22 October. Go to lateralevents.com

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/ ON THE COVER

MARIO Once he was in front of the camera, his blend of extraordinary sex appeal, innocence and humility created something very special.

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unearthed the force of nature that is Mario Rossi while working-out at a local Southern California gym,” recalls Antony Kozz, a professional photographer based in Laguna Beach. “I’ve been into fitness for over 40 years and it’s rare that someone commands my attention the way he did. He had a presence that was so much more than an excellent body.” Mario, 20, has grown up on the Californian coast where he loves the outdoors, good food and fitness. “I’m extremely interested in the endless opportunities of fitness and nutrition. Being able to inspire or motivate other people to do something that makes them happy is really exiting to me,” he says. Antony’s experience and instinct told him that a shoot with Mario would be “epic”. “I knew instantly,” he says, “and once he was in front of the camera, his blend of extraordinary sex appeal, innocence and humility created something very special.” The fact that Mario seems unaware of his appeal makes him even more attractive, adds the photographer. The last word goes to Mario: “My dream is to have a positive impact on others and to help them achieve what they want in life, physically, mentally and spiritually.”

PHOTOGRAPHY ANTONY KOZZ ANTONYKOZZ MODEL MARIO ROSSI MARIO_ROSSI

Ú Ú

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/ ON THE COVER

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/ ON THE COVER

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/ ON THE COVER

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FEATURE Ethan: “I’m hoping Rusty’s storyline could be a blueprint if an AFL player ever chooses to come out.”

OUTSTANDING Actor, tradie and real-life footballer, Ethan Panizza plays Rusty on TV’s Playing For Keeps. He may be fictional, but Rusty is our first out gay AFL pro! By Matt Myers

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Rusty’s Playing For Keeps story.

The best part of this role are the of layers to Rusty’s character. He’s a hard-as-nails footy player who just happens to be gay.

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f you believed the promos, you’d think Network Ten’s drama Playing For Keeps centered on a salacious group of footballer’s WAGs (Wives And Girlfriends). But it’s more than just Mean Girls in an AFL corporate box. In fact, this new Aussie production has legs – and hairy, muscular ones at that. Granted, the WAGs at the fictitious Southern Jets Footy Club play a pivotal role in the drama, but so do their hunky HABs (Husbands And Boyfriends – a term we’ve just invented). A major plotline involves the surprise coming-out of Rusty O’Reilly, played by Ethan Panizza. The back-flanker is accused of having an affair with another player’s wife, but the affair, it turns out, is with her husband Jack, played by James Mason. That Jack has also mysteriously drowned during a training camp adds to the drama. For Ethan Panizza, playing Rusty was not only challenging but also eye-opening for the straight actor/athlete. “When I auditioned for the role I didn’t know Rusty was gay,” says Ethan. “But when they told me, I thought, ‘What an incredible opportunity and privilege to play this character.’ “I’ve got a close group of gay friends, so I talked to them about the role and took my research seriously, watching YouTube videos of people coming out, and speaking to a lot of LGBTIQ community members. “But, as much as I try, I’ll never be able to fully understand what it must feel like for Rusty,

and people in his shoes who are forced to come out. I got the vibe that a solid support network means everything, and I’m so happy that in our story the character is backed up by his club, friends, family, and even the media.” Ethan says he felt passionately about last year’s marriage equality debate and supported the Yes campaign. “That was huge,” he says. “Love is love, and everyone should be able to love whoever they want! It’s certainly never been a problem for me. When the Yes vote came through, and I saw how happy and overjoyed people were, well, it was just an amazing moment. To see people finally able to marry who they love was just fantastic.” Having played for the Claremont Tigers in Western Australia, Ethan brings authentic Aussie Rules spirit to the show, even guiding the other actors. “The camaraderie is the biggest thing,” he says. “At a football club, you can walk in and no matter what you’re going through, you’ll always feel welcome. Your team is like your family, and that’s what they wanted with this group of actors. So we hung out a lot and I connected with all the boys, particularly Jackson Gallagher, who plays our captain. “When it comes to footy, I reckon I had the ball in my hand before I could breastfeed! Football was where my dad [also an AFL footballer] and I really connected. I thought that would make him proud, but there comes a time when you realise you can’t just do things for other people, and you need to take

on your own persona. I honestly thought playing football would be my life, but then the acting bug caught me. I was doing plays in and out of school and discovered a love for entertaining people.” As for playing Rusty, Ethan understands the responsibility that comes with such a unique and pivotal role, especially when representation is important to the LGBTIQ community. “I’m hoping Rusty’s storyline could be a bit of a blueprint if an AFL player ever chooses to come out,” he says. “I think one of the best parts of this role is the amount of layers to Rusty’s character. He’s a hard-as-nails footy player and fiercely loyal, who just happens to be gay. His sexuality isn’t his only defining quality, which is really true of everybody. It’s good to see him as his own person, and not put into a mould.” As for his own defining qualities, Ethan is as superstitious as most athletes. “I’m very superstitious when it comes to playing footy,” he admits. “I never let my jersey touch the ground; I always hang it up and speak to it before a game. I tie up my right boot, but not my left because that’s my kicking boot, so I wait until I go out on the grounds. “As for auditions, I always carry a football premiership medal that my dad won back in 1991. That seems to do the trick!” MORE: Playing For Keeps screens Wednesday’s 8.30pm on Network TEN

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FEATURE

ADDICTIONS, PART 2: DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

FINDING THE WAY BACK A few drinks after work, party drugs on the weekend – many of us accept this as part of everyday LGBT life. It’s common, acceptable and even encouraged. This month, Vanessa McQuarrie asks, How do we know if we’re treating ourselves or cheating ourselves when drugs and alcohol are involved?

“PEOPLE TAKE drugs and alcohol because

they like the way it makes them feel,” says Dr Brad McKay, a GP practicing in Sydney’s LGBT heartland. “Whether it’s relaxation from sedatives, a boost of energy from stimulants, or experiencing an altered reality from hallucinogens, drugs and alcohol can be appealing to many people. But they can 50 DNA

be addictive.” The problem is that every time we use them it sets up a pathway to the part of the brain where dopamine is released and, repeated use – travelling down what becomes a well-worn path – causes addiction. “The more we use addictive substances, the more we need to get the same effect,” says Dr McKay. The clearest sign of addiction is when your substance use starts to impact on the everyday – your job, home life, relationships. Most people will know when their use has become misuse; they will know when it is time to act. Genevieve Whitlam, Associate Director of Clinical and Client Services at health organisation ACON, says the organisation’s Pivot Point website (details below) provides a self-assessment tool to help LGBTIQ people who think their alcohol or drug use might be becoming more problematic. The site also suggests next steps for reducing or quitting by yourself to seeking external support,

guidance and assistance. “There are many types of treatment programs available and making decisions about which is best for you can be daunting,” she explains. “It might be helpful to talk with a counsellor about your options.” Jacob Thomas is a human rights activist (originally from Shepparton in rural Victoria), who took the first step to overcoming addiction by asking a GP for a referral to a psychologist. “I was definitely breaking under the weight of my addictions. I had little to no self-esteem, I was crying a lot and having panic attacks every day.” “Working with my psychologist, we took time to work out why I felt compelled to partake in the behaviours I had and thinking about what I could do to stop falling into the same habits. For me, it’s likely to be a lifelong process, but it’s worth it to take my life back.” Jacob’s self-esteem has always been tied to work. “I’ve always felt it is tightly wrapped up in what I do, rather than who I am. This has led to taking on too much work… and feeling

like I don’t deserve to be loved unless I’m overachieving. “It also led me to party hard to justify working hard, drinking to excess until the wee hours of the morning, power-napping for a couple of hours, then getting back into the office by 9am.” Jacob says the trauma caused by homophobia and transphobia played a part. “I pushed myself to be excellent, or to stand out, to make up for being queer. I learnt, falsely, early on that queer kids from the country don’t often make something of themselves. There was a constant vibe to make up for something, to be brilliant, otherwise I wasn’t going to be worthy of love or community.” Melbourne creative Craig Ingrey grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney and started taking drugs as a 14-year-old in the 1980s. He’d take the train from Liverpool after school, to a locker he kept at Central Station – containing clothes and make-up – and party all night on the Golden Mile (as Oxford Street in Sydney was known back then). He’d get the train back again in time for school the next morning. Craig feels his childhood and adolescence only played a small role in his later addictions. Some kids at school disliked him intensely. After school, during his 20s, when Craig was living large in the gay community working in the arts and entertainment industries, he was spoilt for friends. It was then that he started to notice that the drugs had changed and so had everybody’s mood – including his own when he couldn’t get a quick enough fix. He also realised that back in those early days on Oxford St, when he thought nothing of doing sexual favours in exchange for money and attention from older men, he had actually been groomed and abused by paedophiles, and he was drinking to forget and not feel. His greatest trauma, though, was the experience of caring for his long-term lover who died of cancer at only 26. That’s when he hit drugs and alcohol hard. A few years and a bad relationship later, Craig was living in Perth and drinking a lot. Life was messy and so was he. There were some serious falls (down stairs, into plate glass windows), plenty of bruises and a broken arm. “I took a good solid look at my life and had tough conversations with myself.” He never went to any formal treatment – he just “moved towards the light”, taking up yoga, eating well, talking to a therapist or GP as required. The process was internal and reflective, and he took one step at a time. He’s been sober since. Stu Fenton, a clinician and therapist with first-hand experience of addiction, says some people will be better served by seeking out a specialist in alcohol and other drug treatment (as opposed to a general psychologist or psychiatrist) or to attend a 12-step meeting (such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous) or a SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training) group session.

I began to see that my drug using was fuelled by my low self-esteem, my inability to self-regulate my emotions and my internalised homophobia… Like many gay men, Stu started using ecstasy and ketamine at circuit parties and in night clubs in a moderate way about 15 years ago. But after a very difficult relationship break-up he “pressed the self-destruct button” because he was unable to deal with his anger, grief and jealousy. “To numb myself and not feel the pain and rejection I started using crystal meth intravenously and started to party a lot of the time.” He also “acted out” by doing escort work

HELP AND SUPPORT • Resort 12 offers addiction and trauma treatment to LGBTIQ clients internationally: resort12.com • Dr Brad McKay is a GP based in Sydney: eastsydneydoctors.com.au • ACON’s Pivot Point website features a self-assessment tool, information and resources for LGBTQI people in New South Wales: pivotpoint.org.au • The Touchbase website provides alcohol and drugs, mental health and sexual health information, support and services for LGBTIQ people throughout Australia: touchbase.org.au

and took steroids, antidepressants and antianxiety medication. A highly functional addict, it took drug psychosis to make him stop and think about his substance use. Stu tried everything to break free of addiction but needed a six-month stint in rehab before he was able to stay sober. “It was the first time I stopped looking outside of myself and turned my attention inward and begin to see that my drug using was fuelled by my low self-esteem, my inability to self-regulate my emotions, my internalised homophobia, my inability to except the feminine aspects of myself, and also my lack of boundaries with particular family members.” Stu now works at Resort 12, an LGBTIQ rehabilitation centre in Thailand. His first step with clients is to ascertain whether they are a drug abuser or a drug addict. “A drug abuser is someone whose problem is not so severe that it warrants residential treatment or even a detox,” he explains. Such clients can get good results from seeing a therapist once a week. “A drug addict is generally someone who, despite their best efforts, simply cannot stop their usage – which puts them in very dangerous situations,” he continues. “For these people, I do often suggest detox and residential treatment from the beginning. Residential treatment can really contain the addiction and give greater insight to the underlying issues in a relatively short space of time.” DNA 51

FEATURE REVIEW

PREACHING TO THE CHOIR? Two new films tackle gay conversion therapy and conclude that you can’t “pray the gay away”. Have they missed the opportunity to deliver this message where it’s most needed? By Jeremy Smith

FOLLOWING the marriage equality victory

in 2017, LGBTIQ Australians were asked what the next priority for our civil rights should be. According to a report in The Guardian Australia, a whopping 93 per cent of respondents said that banning the practice of “gay conversion therapy” should top the list. Gay conversion therapy, sometimes referred to as “pray the gay away” is a sinister, unscientific practice that seeks to covert homosexuals into heterosexuals. It uses a variety of damaging psychological techniques including exorcism. It suggests that homosexuals are possessed of evil spirits and that “sufferers” will be “cured” if they turn to God. The practice is widely condemned by international health organisations. Unfortunately, vulnerable young people are the most common victims of these “therapies”, administered at the recommendation of religious or spiritual leaders. 52 DNA

Brazil, Ecuador, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and even China have banned the practice, as have several US and Canadian states, and the state of Victoria in Australia. The UK, Ireland, New Zealand and Germany all have plans to make it illegal. Australia’s Federal Health Minter, Greg Hunt has affirmed that the government doesn’t support the practice, however, Prime Minister Scott Morrison infamously stated that conversion therapy was “not an issue” for him – a statement so vague it’s uncertain where he stands on it. This year, two major films deal with the subject. Both are based on best-selling novels, one of which is a first-hand account. The Miseducation Of Cameron Post stars Chloe Grace Moretz and is based on the book by Emily M Danforth, who was inspired by a teenager’s blog posts about his time at a conversion therapy camp. The second is Boy Erased – already generating “Oscar buzz” – and is an adaption of Garrard Conley’s first-hand account of his conversion therapy experience. It’s an Australian production directed by Joel Edgerton who also plays the conversion therapy leader. Its cast is impressive. Hot from his roles in two Best Picture-nominated films last year (Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri), and his Oscar nomination for Manchester By The Sea in 2016, Lucas Hedges

plays Jared, the teenager at the centre of the story. Nicole Kidman is Jared’s mum Nancy, with a performance that solidifies the “Kidman Renaissance” since her Emmy win for Big Little Lies last year; and Russell Crowe is Jared’s dad (reminding us of the time he played gay in one of his early breakout roles, The Sum Of Us in 1994). In supporting roles are Aussie music star Troye Sivan and Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan as other kids at the camp. The Miseducation Of Cameron Post is a story of teenage friendship and group survival in the face of discrimination, with scenes depicting the blossoming relationships at its heart. The film’s powerful climax scene is during a group therapy session, which emphasises the new relationships between the kids, and suggests the film is aimed at a younger audience. The climax of Boy Erased depicts a far more disturbing group shaming scene (with an actual coffin and a boy being spanked with a bible). It’s far more intense than Cameron Post and its dramatic punch applies to Jared’s parents, Nancy and Marshall, rather than to Jared himself. Boy Erased is aimed at an older audience, including the parents of LGBTIQ kids. Indeed, while promoting the film on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Troye Sivan said as much. Neither film speaks directly to LGBTIQ kids who might actually want to undertake conversion therapy and who believe they can become heterosexual. This is a glaring omission.

Joel Edgerton, Nicole Kidman and Troye Sivan at the Toronto Film Festival’s screening of Boy Erased.

The protagonists in both Cameron Post and Boy Erased don’t want to go to the camps; they’re attending because of coercion by family. Troye Sivan’s character advises Jared to fake his therapy results in order to survive. Some background characters in these dramas present as believing in the therapy but their reasoning and stories are never adequately explored. This gives us two stories in which characters succeed in overcoming adversity, rather than stories in which the lead characters experience a complete revision of their strongly held first positions. More interesting and nuanced films would have focused on characters who don’t make it out; the boy or girl who goes willingly to the camps because they truly believe they can be changed. That would be a harder film to make but a more rewarding one in understanding how and why such monstrous places and practices continue to exist. That isn’t to say that Boy Erased shies away from the horrors of the practice. Far from it. It’s a deeply disturbing, intense and hard-hitting drama that should come with several trigger warnings, not only for the traumatising selfhating practices of conversion therapy, but also for a depiction of campus rape and the theme of youth suicide. I grew up in a very religious, Christian environment. In my childhood I experienced conversion therapy both personally and through members of my immediate family. I found the film excruciating. To those who have had similar experiences and are considering watching Boy Erased, be prepared to relive the ordeal in detail and beware of residual trauma

Boy Erased does not shy away from the horrors of the practice. It’s deeply disturbing and should come with several trigger warnings. resurfacing. Watch it with a close friend who will be supportive afterwards. Boy Erased’s best moments are in the parents’ powerful scenes of revelation and redemption. These moments are, unfortunately, handicapped by a directorial decision to mix up the progression of the film’s storyline. We open with Jared and his mother driving to, and enrolling in, the camp with the lead-up to this moment told through a series of flashbacks. This creates both confusion and diminishes the story arc and pacing. When the climactic shaming therapy scene is revealed it comes as a surprise because the lead-up includes flashback scenes that disjoint the emotional punch of the present. Additionally, any nuance in the subject matter is lost by an overplaying Joel Edgerton. He sledgehammers the audience with the message of the stupidity and horror of the therapy without engaging in the conflicts of the soul

that can lead hurting people to seek it out. Boy Erased is full of great performances but is a disjointed film that never gets to the ugly heart of its subject. Rather than engaging with an audience that may benefit the most from its telling, it seems happy preaching to the choir. This flawed film is, nevertheless, worth watching for the powerhouse performances of the cast, particularly the masterly scenes between Jared and his parents. The Oscar buzz may reward the Boy Erased cast in spite of the film’s limitations. A 2009 made-for-TV film, Prayers For Bobby is worth looking up. It deals with similar subject matter and stars Sigourney Weaver as the intolerant mother who must eventually find redemption. Our Pentecostal PM may not think gay conversion therapy is an issue for him, but it may well become one in next year’s federal election campaign. Both The Greens and Labor have declared their intention to make the practice illegal. And, as yet, no one knows where Philip Ruddock’s Religious Freedom Review, commissioned after the marriage-equality win, will sit on the subject. The Miseducation Of Cameron Post and Boy Erased are important films that need to be seen. They explain, in no uncertain terms, why gay conversion is dangerous and should not be legal and, as such, have the potential to save lives. We can only hope that they find their way to LGBTIQ people who struggling to reconcile their faith and their sexuality.

MORE: If this story effects you and you need help, in Australia, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36, or search “counselling services” for online or telephone services in your area.

Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe in Boy Erased. DNA 53

FEATURE

FREE GAY AND… RUSSIAN? Rainbow parades attacked by thugs, police in riot gear beating gay activists with batons, young gay Russians with bloodied faces and black eyes: these are the images of modern Russia. But Russia’s relationship to the gays is long and complicated and hasn’t always been so hostile. By Andrew M Potts

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Maxim Neverov, 16, out and proud as an LGBTIQ activist in homophobic Russia.

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n August this year, Maxim Neverov became the youngest person ever charged under Russia’s so-called gay propaganda laws. The 16-year-old first came to the attention of the authorities when he took part in a performance art piece called, Gays Or Putin in which activists in Biysk (a city near Russia’s southern border with Kazakhstan), tried to highlight Russia’s suppression of LGBTIQ people’s right to gather publicly. “The essence of the performance was to submit 12 notifications to the local authorities for holding rallies on mutually exclusive topics (for Putin or against Putin and for gays or against gays and so on),” Neverov tells DNA. “This performance was discussed for several weeks by the media and residents of Biysk.” However, that’s not why young Neverov was prosecuted; it was because of photos he posted to Vkontakte, the Russian equivalent of Facebook. “These were images of two embracing guys without T-shirts,” says Maxim, “The authorities considered that this propagandized nontraditional sexual relations.” Neverov says he has developed a thick skin as a young LGBT person in Russia since first realising he was gay at the age of 11 or 12. “For many, it’s hell, but for me it’s a routine. Homophobic comments do not hurt me,” says the stoic teen. His lawyers are appealing his case, which has become emblematic of the attitude of the state towards sexual minorities in a country that has been ranked by the International Lesbian, Gay,

Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association as the second most homophobic country in Europe. However, history suggests that this hostility towards homosexuality is a relatively new phenomena in Russia. So, where did it come from, and why now?

Surprisingly, the children of homophobes are tolerant. They quietly communicate with me, despite the fact that I’m gay, and can discuss anything with me. A EUROPEAN EXCEPTION

It seems that from the beginning of recorded Russian history, there was a unique tolerance of homosexuality in Europe’s Far-East that was not found in other parts of the Christian world. Though deeply frowned upon, the Russian Church’s approach to homosexuality in the Middle Ages was not as severe as in other parts of Europe, where it often attracted the death penalty. Lay people who confessed to acts of “sodomy” were ordered to undergo periods of penance

for their sins. One 12th Century religious text suggested a period of eight years, but by the 15th Century, three years was considered enough to cleanse a person’s soul of the transgression. The threat of same-sex bonds forming between monks was an ongoing problem for the church so, for the clergy, the punishment was excommunication or worse. By the 1600s many of the country’s larger cities had gender segregated public bathhouses. There is not a lot of information about the goings-on in these venues but, if the examples of other countries are taken into account, they were probably popular meeting places for same-sex attracted men (most would have been married), and a place where male prostitution occurred. “Nowhere in the East or West was this sin looked upon so lightly as in Russia,” wrote historian Sergey Solovyov of the late 17th Century. However, in 1716, Tsar Peter The Great felt it necessary to crackdown on homosexuality in the military and introduced corporal punishment in an effort to stamp it out. That law only applied to soldiers and it distinguished between consensual sex and male rape, which was much more severely punished. By the 1870s and ’80s an urban homosexual subculture had emerged in Russia. Just as in other big cities in Europe at that time, there were meeting places, codes, and secret networks for those in the know. Rumours of homosexual affairs among the nobility were the source of popular gossip with commoners – though the word “homosexual” didn’t formally enter the DNA 55

FEATURE

QUEER RUSSIA

RUDOLF NUREYEV (1938-1993) Already a sensation in the USSR, Nureyev took advantage of a European tour by the Mariinsky Ballet of St Petersburg in 1961 to defect. Within months he had a contract with London’s Royal Ballet and then the Paris Opera Ballet in the 1980s. Nureyev hung out with celebrities including Freddy Mercury, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Gore Vidal and Jackie Kennedy, and partied at Studio 54. Behind the scenes, he lived a promiscuous lifestyle of bathhouse visits and one-night stands but had two enduring relationships. He had an on-and-off relationship with the Danish dancer Erik Bruhn over the course of 25 years, beginning soon after his defection. However, in 1973 he met a 23-year-old American dance student, Robert Tracey, who became Nureyev’s live-in companion for over 14 years. Nureyev was diagnosed HIVpositive in 1984 but refused to live as if anything had changed. His declining health began to affect his performances by the late ’80s. Bruhn died of lung cancer in 1986, aged 57. Some have speculated that Bruhn was also HIV-positive. Nureyev returned to the USSR in 1992 to conduct the ballet in Kazan. The city now hosts a festival in his honour. On his return to France his health continued to decline and he died in January of 1993, aged just 54. Tracey survived him until 2007, dedicating the rest of his life to HIV and LGBT advocacy.

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An LGBT activist is arrested.

Russian language until 1895. By the end of the 18th Century, a clash between the old order and the new had broken out on the other side of Europe: The French Revolution. One of the results was that homosexuality was decriminalised in France in 1791. Napoleon Bonaparte’s armies extended that policy everywhere they conquered – except Russia. Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 with his Grande Armee of 650,000 men. They took Moscow, but retreated as the weather turned.

Gay men were sent to labour camps. Male homosexual social groups were associated with political conspiracy and treason. The legacy of personal freedoms in the countries that retained the Napoleonic Code after the wars created the opportunity for the world’s first gay activist: Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. He began a campaign of pamphlet writing from Germany in the 1860s that planted a seed that grew to become a panEuropean movement for sexual law reform by the early 20th Century. Ulrichs’ radical pamphlets were read across Europe. In Germany, they were noticed by the authors of a book that became influential in Russia’s own revolution – The Communist Manifesto. In 1869, Friedrich Engels wrote to

Karl Marx about one of Ulrichs’ pamphlets, calling it “a very curious thing”. “The pederasts are beginning to count themselves, and discover that they are a power in the state. Only organisation was lacking, but according to this source it apparently already exists in secret. And since they have such important men in all the old parties and even in the new ones… they cannot fail to triumph.”

RUSSIA’S REVOLUTION

When the Bolsheviks that Marx and Engels inspired took power in Russia in 1917, one of the first things they did was legalise homosexuality along with prostitution and abortion. Some Russian socialists were also involved in the World League For Sexual Reform that was active across Europe, attending its congresses in Berlin in 1921, Copenhagen in 1928 and Vienna in 1930. Their delegate to the World League, Dr Grigorii Bakkis, wrote in 1923 that, “[Soviet law] declares the absolute non-interference of the state and society into sexual matters, so long as nobody is injured and no-one’s interests are encroached upon – concerning homosexuality, sodomy and various other forms of sexual gratification, which are set down in European legislation as offences against morality.” He continued, “Soviet legislation treats these exactly as so-called ‘natural’ intercourse.” Dan Healey, Oxford professor of Modern Russian History and author of Russian Homophobia From Stalin To Sochi, tells DNA that decriminalising homosexuality was not a priority in itself for the early communists, but was part of showcasing radical reforms. “There were many such ‘progressive’ measures, some quite utopian, adopted by the new communist regime,” Healey says. “This was the world’s first socialist state and

it believed it had to show the world the full range of political radicalism that socialism could offer.” How gay men in Russia viewed the revolution, though, is unclear. “Early indications from the research of my doctoral student Ira Roldugina are that many urban male homosexuals believed in the Soviet sexual revolution and thought it was a liberating part of the socialist project,” says Healey. “They were still cautious about the authorities, who could be arbitrary and violent against the populace.” Homosexuality was not, generally, seen as a sickness at the start of the revolution, but Soviet scientists increasingly came to view it as a mental illness towards the close of the 1920s. Despite that, the official line in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia as late as 1930 was still, “Soviet legislation does not recognise so-called crimes against morality… Our laws proceed from the principle of protection of society and therefore countenance punishment only in those instances when juveniles and minors are the objects of homosexual interest.” However, as Stalin cracked down on resistance to his regime, homosexuality was recriminalised in 1933 and gay men inside the

Sexologist Kurt Freund spent the 1950s trying to ‘cure’ gay men before deciding it was futile and pointless to punish them. USSR suddenly faced being sent to a labour camp for as long as five years. “They were deporting female prostitutes, who cruised in the same urban streets and parks where gay men met, to labour camps by this time already,” says Healey. “They seem to have associated male homosexual social groups with political conspiracy and treason. Stalin also seems to have personally felt disgust at homosexual activity as he amended the secret police draft law to make it harsher, extending the minimum penalty to three years for consensual sodomy, which meant imprisonment in the very worst parts of the

Stephen Fry at a support rally in London.

International support: a proLGBT rally in Tel Aviv, Israel.

QUEER RUSSIA

TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Peter Tchaikovsky (Swan Lake, Nutcracker Suite), was the first Russian composer to attain lasting popularity on the world stage. His first love was a university classmate. His brother, Modest recorded this had been his “strongest, longest and purest love”. As interest in his personal life grew with his career, Tchaikovsky sought to marry. He proposed to a Belgian soprano in 1868 but she refused to settle in Russia. In 1877 he married a former student, Antonina Miliukova, but fled the marriage within three months. A photo from 1877 depicts him arm in arm with Iosif Kotek, another former student, and one of only two witnesses to the marriage. A year earlier, Peter had told Modest, “When [Iosif] caresses me with his hand, when he lies with his head inclined on my breast, and I run my hand through his hair and secretly kiss it... passion rages within me with such unimaginable strength.” Yet he also wrote, “It would be unpleasant for me if this marvellous youth debased himself to copulation with an ageing and fat-bellied man.” A year later Peter confided to brother Anatoly, “Only now... have I finally begun to understand that there is nothing more fruitless than not wanting to be that which I am by nature.” Tchaikovsky’s sexuality was airbrushed out of history by the Soviets, and under Putin. Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky denies Tchaikovsky was gay.

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FEATURE

QUEER RUSSIA

Members of an orthodox Russian church group join an anti-gay counter-rally.

THE RUSSIAN BALLET (1909-1929) Under its impresario, Sergei Diaghilev, The Ballets Russes, a touring company of Russian artists, performed throughout Europe and the Americas during the early 20th Century, showcasing ground-breaking ballet. They never performed in their homeland or returned there after the Russian Revolution. The Ballets Russes was full of gay men, both on the stage and behind the scene. Diaghilev bedded many of his leading men including Vaslav Nijinsky, the most famous male ballet dancer in the world at that time. Designing the sets and costumes for the ballet was another gay man, the painter Léon Bakst. One of his most recognised works is of Nijinsky in costume for The Afternoon Of A Faun, which contained a masturbatory dance scene that shocked audiences. Nijinsky succumbed to schizophrenia at the height of his fame. In 1913 he married a female Hungarian fan who had stalked the troupe. After returning for a tour of the Americas in 1917 Nijinsky and his family retired to Switzerland and he spent the rest of his life in and out of mental institutions before dying in England, aged 61. Diaghilev’s next star was another lover, Léonide Massine, who became Europe’s leading ballet choreographer of the 1920s and ’30s. Later, Massine became a famous womaniser and married four times.

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Gulag system.” Given the brutal conditions, that could be a death sentence for some. It’s estimated that somewhere between 800 and 1,000 gay men were imprisoned each year under Stalin’s Article 121, which effectively silenced LGBT people and made them invisible in Soviet society for the next half century.

With all the tricks at their disposal, homosexuals win the confidence of youngsters. Such people should be reported so they can be removed from society. THE THAW BEGINS

In the second half of the 20th Century some of the socialist countries in Europe began to reform their laws. Most of the Eastern Bloc countries outside of the USSR legalised homosexuality during the 1960s, beginning with Czechoslovakia in 1962 thanks to a campaign by the sexologist Kurt Freund. Freund had been commissioned to develop a test to exclude homosexuals from the Czechoslovak Army and spent the 1950s trying to “cure” gay men before deciding it was futile and that it was wrong and pointless to punish them for expressing their attraction. As socialism placed science above religious moralising, his ideas proved influential behind the Iron Curtain and Hungary

followed suit decriminalising sex between men the same year, with Bulgaria and East Germany following in 1968. Russia, however, remained resolute with its ban, and Romania even further criminalised homosexuality at this time. A Soviet sex manual from 1964 warned, “With all the tricks at their disposal, homosexuals seek out and win the confidence of youngsters. Such people should be immediately reported to the administrative organs so that they can be removed from society.” In 1984, with Article 121 still in place, a group of gay men in Leningrad attempted to form an LGBT organisation for the first time in modern Russia, but they were quickly suppressed by the KGB. But when Mikhail Gorbachev became the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985 and declared a new era of glasnost and perestroika (openness and restructuring) it was a breath of oxygen for a new generation of gays and lesbians in Russia. Four years after the KGB had suppressed those men in Leningrad, the Moscow Gay And Lesbian Alliance was founded by Yevgeniya Debryanskaya and Roman Kalinin. By the beginning of 1990, the country had its first gay newspaper, Tema (literally “The Theme”), edited by Kalinin under the pseudonym “Dimitri R”. This early progress, however, was followed almost immediately by an attempted coup against Gorbachev in 1991 by hardliners in the Communist Party. Another reformer, the recently elected President of the Russian Republic, Boris Yeltsin saw his time to shine and organised mass resistance to the coup, speaking to the nation from atop a tank.

COMMUNISM FALLS

As the first leader of the post-Soviet Russian Federation, Yeltsin quickly dismantled socialism. In April of 1993, as part of an effort to obtain membership of the Council Of Europe, he signed a wide-ranging reform that

finally repealed the prohibition of sex between men in Russia after six decades. In 1997 that reform was reflected in the new Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Two years later Russia declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. Then, in 1999, former KGB agent Vladimir Putin came to power when Yeltsin resigned. In 2003, in perhaps the only pro-gay reform to take place under Putin’s watch, Russia equalised the age of consent to 16. But when LGBT activist and Gayrussia.ru founder Nikolai Alekseev tried to organise the first Pride march in Russia in 2006, Moscow’s city council banned the event and Christian and Muslim leaders called for vigilantism against anyone who took part. When they marched the following year, the event was attacked by anti-gay hooligans. Police moved in – and arrested the Pride marchers. In 2008 activists held a flashmob in Moscow in front of a statue of Tchaikovsky and unveiled a banner on a building opposite Moscow’s city hall that read, “Rights to Gays and Lesbians. Homophobia of Mayor Luzhkov should be prosecuted.” The following year the Russian Duma voted against criminalising “homosexual propaganda” 226 to 90. With Moscow hosting Eurovision that year, it was inconvenient. But the idea of banning the public expression of LGBT people had caught on, with other jurisdictions seeking to pass their own bans over the next few years. Finally, in June 2013, Russia passed a federal law banning so-called “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships” to minors – effectively banning any public expression of LGBT identity across the Russian Federation. This time the Duma voted 436-0 in favour of the proposal and it was promptly signed into law by Vladimir Putin. Exactly 20 years after Russia had decriminalised homosexuality, their own government made the LGBT community invisible and voiceless once again. Professor Healey sees the Russian government and Putin’s homophobia as part of an effort to foster a sense of “united Russian exceptionalism” in opposition to the West.

“It’s a populist tactic to distract attention from domestic problems and to deflect blame on supposed ‘outsiders’ or foreign agents,” Healey says. “At the same time, it’s important to recognise that every society undergoes its own journey in dealing with differently oriented sexuality and genders. We should remember how homophobic our own countries were before the very recent past. “Russia, before and after 1917, made amazing advances in what we would now call LGBT rights and culture. The Soviet period began as one of heady and world-leading experiment, including in homosexual rights as they were then understood. “The Stalin and post-Stalin period laid down the basis for Russia’s modern homophobia. But the democratisation process of the 1980s and ’90s also gave LGBT Russians the courage to express themselves, and their voices aren’t going to disappear. “Russian LGBT citizens are in this ‘culture war’ for the long haul, and I think in the longer run, their cause will be recognised and acknowledged by mainstream Russia – on Russian terms, not on ‘foreign’ or Western or European terms.” Back in Biysk, Maxim is hopeful, too. He tells DNA that, in his experience, the younger generation of Russians were more openminded than their parents. “Stalin and the Soviet system are to blame for this,” Neverov says. “You can see that those people who grew up in the ’90s and later are less homophobic than those who were brought up in the USSR. “Surprisingly, the children of homophobes are tolerant. They quietly communicate with me, despite the fact that I’m gay, and can discuss anything with me. In my own life, I almost do not face homophobia.” Maxim can also see a time where LGBTIQ people have equal rights in Russia once more. “In 20 years, I think we will live in a tolerant country, where the rights of all people will be respected,” he says. Let’s hope so. 

At an illegal LGBT rally in Moscow, this sign reads, “Homophobia can be cured.”

QUEER RUSSIA

IVAN THE TERRIBLE (1530- 1584) Crowned the first Tsar of all the Russias when aged just 17 in 1547, Ivan The Terrible was married seven times and sired eight children. Popular mythology credits him as also having a thing for beautiful, cross-dressing young men. Legend has it that one of his most formidable police chiefs, Feodor Basmanov, rose to power in Ivan’s court by performing seductive dances for the emperor. Ivan stabbed a member of his court to death for taunting Basmanov about his relationship with the Tsar. Ivan also had Basmanov killed… after forcing him to kill his own father. Terrible! Centuries later the story of Basmanov’s courting of the king was incorporated into the plot of the 1862 novel Prince Serebrenni by AK Tolstoy. In it, Basmanov is depicted as a shrewd political schemer and an effeminate homosexual who wore silks and make-up and shared the Tsar’s bed – something that was considered a paradox by readers of that time. English poet, George Turberville, who visited Moscow in 1568 during Ivan’s reign, recorded that, while the Russian man “has a decent spouse, he prefers his sodomite friend to her”. During Ivan’s reign, Russia absorbed many of the Muslim khanates that were left behind in Siberia and Central Asia after the fragmentation of the Mongol Empire, contributing to the religious diversity that exists in Russia today.

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DNA PROFILE

ENDANGERED! Paul Freeman’s photography of manly men remains as hot as ever, but with tech giants censoring the internet and social media, will old-fashioned print save the day?

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He’s unselfconsciously handsome and carefree, not manicured, natural and unwashed … he’s pretty well extinct. DNA: Congratulations on both new books. What are you looking for in your subjects? Paul Freeman: My characters are usually unselfconsciously handsome and carefree. They’re immune to fashion or styling, not manicured, pretty natural and unwashed to boot. There’s a bit of raw beast about them. It’s a version of masculinity that’s pretty well extinct, I guess. So how do you find these near-extinct raw beauties? Most of my subjects find me these days via Instagram. They know I have a particular style and I’m going to interpret them according to that style. What sort of men want to model for you? Gay, straight, extroverts, professional models? Over the last few years it’s mainly gay men. A lot of straight men have been scared off by online exposure. Occasionally a straight guy sees my books at their gay friends’ house and wants to get photographed in that way – not just naked but in that style. Killian, the cover boy for Lads, was like that. He’s a straight French guy and he came across my work through a Paris photographer. A lot of popular Instagram men seek out photographers they like. I’ll sometimes contact someone, not caring about sexuality, and ask them if they are interested in shooting. It helps when a man already has that “Paul Freeman look”. There must be some crazy behind-the-scenes moments when shooting these books. There’s always a lot of stealth shooting in places we’re not really supposed to be. It’s the reason I don’t shoot many behind-the-scenes videos. There’s been some hilarious near misses. And some scary ones. Like, shooting in back lanes in dangerous urban areas, within metres of

people we can hear conducting their business. One fantastic old location in LA cancelled my booking when the owner saw my website. There was a morals clause on the location’s website that said if they thought the location would be used for “immoral purposes”, permission wouldn’t be given. It’s an interesting time for photographers of the nude – your work is being censored on social media and independent book distributors are becoming scarce. It’s a double-edged sword. Social media saved me from publishing ruin because it introduced me to a bigger audience that I wouldn’t have reached otherwise. And there’s a wonderful and loyal core group who support me by subscribing to my website and collecting my work. This enables me to shoot the kind of work that I love to shoot and earn a living. On the other hand, I’ve never had my work more interfered with. I’m either offending someone or “exploiting” them. “You should shoot this type of guy”, “You should shoot more diversity”, “You’re a white supremacist” or, whenever I post a black man, “Finally, you shoot a black man!” Never mind that I’ve shot black men since my first book. Then there’s “You make me feel bad about my body. Please reconsider your beauty aesthetic!” An assistant curator at the National Portrait Gallery told me the naked man is not valid art because “many women still find male genitalia confronting because the phallus has been a symbol of oppression over women for centuries”. Plus, “I have two grown sons and I don’t want to see images of naked men their age.” A student told me that their photography

teacher flipped through one of my books and said, disdainfully, “This isn’t photography. It just about the penis.” It’s Vagina Monologues good. Penises bad. I’m banned from advertising of my work on Google and Facebook. My work is taken down even when it conforms to their “community standards”. My Instagram account has been restricted for the last 12 months. I think it’s because I shoot hairy masculinity – I see more revealing almost pre-pubescent boyish nakedness all over Instagram. The fact that I don’t know what I’m doing wrong is infuriating. I may be shut down at any moment without notice or explanation and it’s stressful. You seem to have travelled far and wide in the making of these new books. I spent a lot of last summer in Britain and the US. I found my inspiration for Lads in southern England, and New England in the US, Vermont and upstate New York. There’s a famous London graveyard some people might recognise and one of the fisherman stories was shot on a windy, barren outcrop littered with decaying fishing boats next to a nuclear reactor in Dungeness, England. I also spent a week in Nevada in a ghost town. Digs was shot everywhere from old London warehouses to Palm Beach, Florida. There’s a caravan in the Nevada desert, a 16th Century stable-hand quarters in Essex, an old country house in Queensland, and a student pad in Sydney.

MORE: To subscribe to Paul’s site and purchase books go to paulfreeman.com.au

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY TANIA MARTI, KAMOGA HASSAN, JOHANNES HELJE, OLAV HOLTEN.

FEATURE

Petter Wallenberg with Alicia and Javan; and (opposite) some of the Ugandan LGBT musicians involved in the Rainbow Riots project.

RAINBOW REVOLUTION It started five years ago in Sweden as a protest against homophobia. Now, Rainbow Riots is a global movement, encouraging LGBTIQ freedom through the transformative power of music. Along the way, songwriter and project leader Petter Wallenberg has stared down the barrel of guns but he’s making a real difference in Africa and India. He’s also getting drag queens to read stories to kids. What’s not to love? By Marc Andrews

DNA: What happened back in 2012 that prompted you to start Rainbow Riots? Petter Wallenberg: Rainbow Riots started as a protest. The Jamaican singer Sizzla was coming to play in Stockholm. He makes a homophobic style of dancehall often called “murder music” that’s infamous for lyrics about killing gays. I started a protest, lots of people joined and it grew into a national debate. His 62 DNA

gig was cancelled and in light of this victory, the movement I had created needed a name, so I came up with Rainbow Riots. How did you get from that to where you are today? The whole thing started as a protest against hate speech in music so I got the idea to do the opposite – to use music as an antidote to hate and homophobia. As an artist and songwriter, I wanted to make an album with queer voices from some of the world’s most dangerous places to be gay. So I packed my bags and went out there. [Laughs.] It’s been one hell of a journey.

Uganda and Sweden are a long way apart – and more than just geographically. Yes. When I went to Uganda the first time I was scared. The country is notorious for its violent homophobia. It didn’t exactly feel like a gay dream destination. To illustrate this, the minute you enter the country Grindr automatically sends you a warning to be careful, but one thing all gay people have experienced is homophobia. So I just took the bull by the horns and went to Uganda, without any team or anything backing me. What did you discover? When I arrived I found my way into Uganda’s secret underground LGBT community. In the face of danger, they are brave enough to live their lives. I just clicked so much with them all. It felt like I already knew everyone. So… Uganda is not really so different to other places in the world? The fantastic and fascinating thing about queer people is that we are the same all over the world. Of course there are national and cultural differences, but something about our experiences shapes us to be very similar. The major difference, however, is that in my country our rights have finally been won, and that hasn’t happened in Uganda yet. Having lived through modern gay liberation in Europe, I know how quickly things can change. Music is the international language of hope

and brotherhood. Discuss. Music has always been an important part of gay liberation. Disco and house music came out of gay clubs in the ’70s and ’80s and were our freedom songs against homophobia and AIDS. Queer people have always used creativity and culture to fight against hardship. Just look at art history – we are all over it! [Laughs.] We fight hatred with beauty. Culture and creativity are extremely powerful weapons because they change the most important thing – people’s minds. What response did the Rainbow Riot album get when released last year? The Rainbow Riots album has been making waves around the world, with so much media support from the BBC to SBS Australia and other major players. My Ugandan and Jamaican crew and I have been invited to perform the music at both Stockholm Pride and EuroPride. It’s one big wave, which keeps going. It’s amazing.

I wanted to make an album with queer voices from some of the world’s most dangerous places to be gay. So I packed my bags and went out there. What’s been the best thing about it so far? The reactions from people. Since the launch I’ve been contacted by queer people from Africa and Asia, South America and Russia, who have all been inspired and moved by it. Recently, a teenage lesbian came up to me and told me she has our song Freedom as the alarm on her phone every day. I’m overjoyed that it brings hope and strength to people. Even some of our “enemies” seem intrigued by this musical project. The news about the album was picked up in media in some of the world’s most homophobic countries like Indonesia and Jamaica. That’s a major breakthrough. Maybe some people that wouldn’t normally support this cause will reflect on the message. How will you be following this up? My plan is to keep coming up with new creative ideas to fight this war for equality and continue to create new Rainbow Riots projects in new territories. This is only the beginning! One of the new projects that we’ve launched is our podcast, Rainbow Riots Radio, where I travel the world meeting queer heroes. Two of the episodes are actually set in Australia. What about in other less gay friendly countries? A year back I started working on a new Rainbow Riots project in India. I’m making music and art with the LGBT pioneers who were instrumental in abolishing the law that criminalised gay sex. After 157 years of criminalisation it’s no longer illegal to DNA 63

FEATURE Petter Wallenberg with Paras and friend from the Hijra community in Mumbai, India.

The fantastic and fascinating thing about queer people is that we are the same all over the world… something about our experiences shapes us to be very similar. be gay in India. I’m right at the heart of that movement in this historic time and victory for our rights. It’s very exciting and going to be launched next year, so watch this space. You’re also planning to launch an LGBT+ centre in Uganda, we hear. In Uganda it’s illegal to be gay. Queer people live in fear of being arrested or getting beaten up or killed. There is no safe space. This is why my team and I want to open Uganda’s first LGBT community centre. The centre will be a safe space to welcome queer people and encourage and support them. It will be a place to do creative projects, like music and arts, to find ways to empower the community. We’ll also give advice on health and safety, which is much needed. It will, in essence, be a support system in a hidden secret location. How do you plan to make this happen? We need people to support the project. Check out our fundraisers on our website and see how you can help. I want everyone around the world to help us fight against the horrific injustice against queer people in Uganda. By opening this centre we can take a step towards making the world a better place for queer people. How is the situation in Uganda improving? 64 DNA

In the four years I’ve worked with Rainbow Riots in Kampala I can definitely see small positive changes, mainly in that there is a tendency towards more voices being heard on this topic and allies of the LGBT community speaking up. Social media is playing a big part. Some of our trans members are pioneering a new visibility, using social media as their tool. It’s a sign that times are changing one small step at a time. We’re surprised you haven’t got Madonna involved in this project. If Miss Ciccone calls, I promise to pick up the phone. [Laughs.] Sweden is known for great pop music like ABBA, Roxette and Robyn. Does that influence Rainbow Riot? Very much so. As an artist, and the songwriter and producer my musical taste is at the heart of what we do. The music I create for Rainbow Riots is a mix of my Scandinavian pop sensibilities and electronic music, with the influences of the singers’ own cultural heritage. We all also share a love of rap and soul and the end result is one big rainbow melting pot. Someone said it sounded like a Pride party in the jungle. [Laughs.] Do you ever face criticism that you’re the white face of a black movement? I am fighting for our rights as queer

Petter Wallenberg performing with Jamaican rapper Mista Majah P

When the Ugandan police held us hostage they beat up a German lesbian… They want to stop anyone from outside supporting the local queer movement. stuff like that but most of the response has been amazing. All the shows of the opening season were fully booked and we are now taking the project on a national tour around Sweden. Why do kids take so well to drag queens? Kids really connect with it. Dressing up, glitter, transformation – it’s something they know and love. They don’t care that the storyteller is a man in a wig; it’s adults that read stuff into it. My favourite conversation took place between one of our drag queens and a four-year-old girl. It went like this… Girl: Why are you dressed like a princess? Drag queen: Because I like it. Girl: I like ice cream. How can the readers of DNA get involved with Rainbow Riots? The great thing about the concept of Rainbow Riots is it’s a model I can take all over the world. I want to come to Australia and do a Rainbow Riots project. All ideas are welcome. Your readers are welcome to contact me, and we want to come perform at Mardi Gras. Get in touch, Australia! Remember that we, as queer people, are still the number one targets of hate crimes around the world. We can’t sit back and think that just because things are better in some places right now, the fight is over. It’s far from over. We must never forget that our rights didn’t come without a fight. In the West and Australia we have won our rights – but they are never guaranteed; the pendulum can swing back. But if we band together we will be a strong force. Let’s stop all the petty fussing in the gay community and stick together and work for a world where none of our brothers and sisters will be in danger for simply being who they are.

MORE: Go to www.petterwallenberg. com and www.rainbowriots.com. You can also find them on Facebook under RainbowRiots.org

HELD HOSTAGE IN UGANDA PHOTOGRAPHY BY TANIA MARTI.

people, whatever race or region. This fight is happening in different ways all over the world. We are all affected by anti-gay laws wherever they are – it’s our human rights. Trust me, if you get caught in Uganda, the police don’t spare you because you’re white. When the Ugandan police held us hostage [see breakout box] we saw them beating up a German lesbian. They want to stop anyone from outside supporting the local queer movement. They really believe that there is a global gay mafia recruiting new vulnerable members. This sounds familiar! In most countries where LGBT people are discriminated against the rulers always say that gay people are from somewhere else. In Uganda they say exactly the same thing as they say in Russia – that it’s a Western import; a corrupt, decadent influence from outside. That’s one of the important things I wanted to tackle – to show that we are everywhere. We come in all colours. Homophobic forces all over the world may have opposing views on many things, but they unite in their hatred of gays so we need to unite and fight back. If they think there is a global gay mafia – let’s give ’em just that. [Laughs.] How would you describe the music style of Rainbow Riots? As a songwriter, producer and composer, I am known for making electronic music under the moniker House Of Wallenberg. Rainbow Riots is a total departure and new artistic direction. I work in countries like Jamaica, Uganda and India, which are big music countries, so it’s been inspiring to explore those influences. The first album had a mix of afrobeat, electro, soul, pop, rap, dancehall, gospel, spoken word and orchestral arrangements. In the Indian project I’m going Bollywood, baby! [Laughs.] The first single, Equal Rights, was chosen to be the signature of a campaign for the UN’s Global Goal. The track features vocals by Mista Majah P, a Jamaican artist fighting for gay rights and is inspired by Jamaican dancehall, which is normally associated with violent homophobia. I wanted to turn that around and use music styles associated with homophobia to make gay anthems. Talk us through Drag Queen Storytime. Bland drakar och dragqueens (Amongst dragons and drag queens) is a project where drag queens read stories to children in libraries across Sweden. I started it in 2017 at the Stockholm Public Library. The idea was to get drag out of nightclubs and into libraries, and nobody knew how it would go. With drag queens and kids, anything can happen. [Laughs.] I had hate mail saying I’m “perverted” for exposing kids to drag queens and

This was only weeks after the massacre in the gay club in Orlando, so we couldn’t help but think… are we gonna die? “BEING GAY in Uganda is like being in an underground resistance movement during a war. A war where any display of rainbow flags or anything else associated with gay culture can put your life at risk. “For our music videos, I smuggled in wigs to the trans performers in Uganda. One of our singers nearly got arrested for wearing rainbow make-up. It sounds extreme but that’s the reality. That’s how dangerous it is. The rainbow flag in the west in just a fun party thing, but in Uganda it’s a forbidden dangerous symbol. “One of the defining moments of my journey with Rainbow Riots, if not my life, was in 2016. My Ugandan friends and I were celebrating Uganda Pride in a venue with a few hundred LGBT people. Suddenly the police stormed in with machine guns and ordered us down on the floor. No one could leave the venue and they held us all hostage for two hours. This was only weeks after the massacre in the gay club in Orlando, so we couldn’t help but think… are we gonna die? Everyone was silent. All you could hear was someone crying. Later we found out someone had jumped three stories to escape and broke their spine. I’ll never forget that night. “That event made me dedicate my life to fighting for change. Although we had machine guns pointed at us, I didn’t feel scared, I felt sad. During the raid I looked at rainbow flags torn down and thrown on the floor and I looked into the eyes of a stranger. It was the saddest pair of eyes I have ever seen but, in the middle of that sadness and chaos, everyone stuck together. When you are in a situation like that the things that matter in life become very clear. I have taken that feeling with me. We need to focus on the important things, support each other, stick together and never take our rights for granted.”

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FEATURE

STILL IN LOVE WITH

RIVER PHOENIX Naturally gifted, he seemed destined to become the actor of his generation until his shocking, untimely death. On the 25th anniversary of his passing, Xav Judd ponders on what might have been, and pays tribute to his idol.

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very generation has a significant celebrity death: John F Kennedy, Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse. I’ll never forget what I was doing when my idol, actor, River Phoenix passed away in October 1993 at age 23. I was staying at a mate’s place in Edinburgh over Halloween. A few of us had just returned from a night’s clubbing when I saw a TV news bulletin reporting that River Phoenix was dead. What made it even more shocking was that this squeaky-clean twentysomething had succumbed to a coke and 66 DNA

heroin overdose after leaving Johnny Depp’s Hollywood nightclub, The Viper Room. Who was this wildly charismatic but troubled performer, and why did he make such an impact on me and the film world? River Jude Phoenix was born on 23rd August 1970, in Oregon, USA, the eldest child of John and Arlyn. They named him after the river of life in Hermann Hesse’s spiritual novel Siddhartha, which seemed prescient as he certainly had ethereal qualities The first time I saw River was in the Peter

Weir film The Mosquito Coast (1986). Harrison Ford was my favourite actor at the time and famous for the initial instalment of the Star Wars saga (1977–1983). I watched all of his movies religiously but, in this film, was a relatively unknown adolescent out-acting him. No-one I’d seen on film before made such an immediate impression on me. River’s acting style was mercurial and naturalistic – his talent jumped off the screen and held me spellbound. That same year I saw him in the coming-of-age classic Stand By Me

FOUR MUST-SEE RIVER PHOENIX MOVIES

The unfinished Dark Blood.

The Mosquito Coast (1986) Harrison Ford plays an inventor who, disillusioned with American consumerism, takes his wife and kids from their New England farm to Central America. River plays the oldest son, Charlie. The hoped-for utopia of their new life in a rainforest village soon turns to a nightmare.

Stand By Me (1986) This moving and witty rites-of-passage drama sees four very different 12-yearold boys go in search of a missing local lad. River plays Chris Chambers, from a family of crooks and alcoholics. As they zero in on the body, they learn a lot about themselves. My Own Private Idaho (1991) Mike (Phoenix) and Scott (Keanu Reeves) are gay street hustlers eking out an existence. Scott is streetwise and calculating. Mike, who is in love with Scott, is traumatised by family experiences and suffers narcolepsy. They travel to Idaho, then Rome, in search of Mike’s mother. Sneakers (1992) In this techno-caper, River plays a computer hacker who’s a member of an elite group testing security systems. They help their boss (Robert Redford) when he’s blackmailed by government agents, but there’s more at stake than anyone realises.

(1986), which immediately became my most cherished feature film. Undoubtedly, this had a lot to do with an ingenious storyline developed from Stephen King’s novella, The Body (1982) involving four kids trying to track down a dead boy; and also because of the extraordinary cast including John Cusack, Richard Dreyfuss and Kiefer Sutherland. Nonetheless, it was River’s performance that stole the show. River’s unconventional upbringing inspired his cinematic career but, it could be argued, also played a sizable part in his demise. His parents were hippies. Their other offspring were also given colourful names: Liberty, Rain, Summer and Leaf, who is now better known as the Joaquin Phoenix. In 1973 they “dropped-out” of a United States riven by the Vietnam War (1955-1975) and the Watergate scandal. The intended nirvana for the family was South America, where Arlyn and John worked as missionaries for the Children Of God, a Christian cult. Finally settling in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, times were so hard that River and his siblings often sang on street corners for money. It’s possible that this experience toughened the elder Phoenix and helped him grow as a performer, but it was not a happy time for him. Towards the end of the ’70s, after becoming disenchanted with the Children Of God, John and Arlyn moved their clan back stateside, to Florida. But they had no idea, at the time, what had happened to their son while in the cult. In a November 1991 Details magazine interview, River revealed that he was raped when he was four years old by a member of the Children

Of God. It’s almost impossible to contemplate the effect this crime had on his mental health. We know that in many instances, childhood trauma can be a contributing factor to developing addictions in adult life; again, we speculate, but could this have led River to the solace of narcotics? While busking with his siblings in Westwood, Los Angeles, River was spotted by talent agent Iris Burton who signed him up. His exceptional qualities in front of the camera were soon discovered and put him on the fast track to stardom. After completing several high-profile advertising jobs and serving as the warm-up act for the audience on the TV show Real Kids, River devoted himself full-time to acting. It was 1980, and the precocious, doe-eyed, 10-year-old threw himself headfirst into the Hollywood machine. River always seemed to have a fresh approach when it came to acting, whether it was in the roles he played or just auditioning. For instance, in 1982, in attempting to win the Guthrie McFadden part on the CBS semi-musical TV show Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, he turned up to the interview with guitar in hand. A few minutes later, the program’s producer was “all shook up” when River did an impromptu Elvis impersonation, and so offered him the gig. Later, in the feature A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon (1988), according to its director William Richert, the teenager prepared diligently for the lead by restricting himself to a diet of tinned soup and doing hundreds of press- ups so that he could shed the puppy-fat look from Stand By Me and assume the toned profile necessary DNA 67

FEATURE for the character. River was not a method actor per se and never had any training in this particular discipline, but he joins a long line of performers – Marlon Brando, Montgomery Cliff, Robert De Niro – who totally subsumed themselves into a role. With River Phoenix, I always felt that the more he invested himself into a persona, the more his inner being expressed itself on screen. Indeed, the Dutch director George Sluizer, who cast the star in Dark Blood, said of him, “I don’t think I ever felt that something was false or fake”. River himself once stated, “For me, being true is all I can do in my craft that makes it valid for me.” (Dark Blood was filmed in 1993 but, due to River’s death, not released until 2012 with additional narration for uncompleted scenes.)

As young Indian Jones in The Last Crusade.

It strikes me as strange that anyone could have any moral objection to someone else’s sexuality. – River Phoenix But authenticity and commitment to his vocation were not the only traits that distinguished River from his peers. By the late 1980s, when his rising-star status meant he could pick and choose his projects, he was receiving thousands of fan letters a week and adorning the covers of teen magazines. Yet, the last thing he wanted was fame for fame’s sake. This may be hard to comprehend in the celebrity driven era we now inhabit. Today, a talentless, non-entity C-lister can create a tsunami of publicity just by shaking their butt or “accidentally” releasing a sex tape. River avoided the spotlight and was happiest chilling at the ranch in Gainesville, Florida that he bought for his family. Here, he composed songs and became a proficient guitarist. His rock band, Aleka’s Attic were offered a record deal. That’s not to say that River didn’t use his star power from time to time. He did, but to draw attention to a range of important causes he felt strongly about, like advocating for a more sustainable lifestyle. He promoted PETA (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals) and veganism. He purchased 320 hectares of endangered rainforest in Costa Rica. For me, he was the first well-known person I observed who talked about conservation and animal welfare, and against materialism. In 1988, River demonstrated that he was coming of age as an actor in Sidney Lumet’s Running On Empty. He played Danny Pope, a virtuoso pianist and the oldest member of a fugitive family, and the performance garnered him his only Oscar nomination. The following year, he teamed up with Harrison Ford again, this time in the 68 DNA

swashbuckling Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989), in which he played the young Indy. But his desire to stretch the boundaries of his art meant he was searching for edgier roles. Against the wishes of his agent, who thought the project was “too seedy”, River took a co-starring lead role in the Gus Van Sant film, My Own Private Idaho (1991). River played Mike, a drug addict, opposite Keanu Reeves as Scott – both are gay street hustlers in the decrepit underbelly of Portland.

Van Sant benefitted greatly from the casting of Phoenix and Reeves because the film’s obtuse Shakespearean references and subject matter could have consigned this arthouse drama to obscurity without them. It was an extremely brave career move for both young actors, emerging A-listers at the time, to take on overtly non-heterosexual roles. In preparing for Idaho, River’s “method” approach to research included visiting the less salubrious parts of Portland to interview

River was a remarkable artist and a rare human being. I miss him every day. – Keanu Reeves rent boys. During the shoot, he was quoted as saying, “It still strikes me as strange that anyone could have any moral objection to someone else’s sexuality. It’s like telling someone else how to clean their house.” This was a significant message for me, a fan, to hear. I was struggling with my own sexual identity at the time. It made me feel slightly less alone. To others, his comment was simply fuel to the speculation that he was bisexual, as was a

change he made to the Idaho script. In Van Sant’s original version, the director had written a three-page confessional campfire scene; but River re-wrote it – more than doubling it in length – and adding dialogue in which his character, Mike, tells Keanu Reeve’s character, Scott, that he loves him. Many have speculated that this was, in fact, how River felt about his co-star in real life. Officially, he was heterosexual and his

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girlfriends included Samantha Mathis and Martha Plimpton. But, had he been gay or bisexual, the accompanying insecurity and fragility may have been what provided those extra dimensions to his on-screen personas that made them seem more complex, interesting and human. Shades of Montgomery Clift and James Dean. Unfortunately, in further preparation for his role in Idaho, River experimented with the hard drugs that his character used, and eventually became dependent. He tried to quit but couldn’t. There were a variety of pressures facing the young actor that may have been contributing factors: he’d been supporting his entire family from a young age, he may have been conflicted around his sexuality, he was uncomfortable with his fame and the nature of the Hollywood system. No doubt he was also deeply traumatised by his childhood rape. When he died on the pavement outside The Viper Room, Generation X lost one of its heroes and the world lost a performer who was destined to reach the top of his profession. We’ll never know how deeply his talent would have evolved, and we’ll never know what good his activism may have brought to the world. River sought substantive roles and brought sensitivity, vulnerability and nuance to the screen, while his ideals marked him as a beautiful soul. 

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