OLDBARREL r THe BIG GaY Bar crawL issue FeaTurinG: •Deew.ieye • STaTe OF THe Gay Bar •oneweeK, i4Bars promiscuiTY in coLumBus • OUT & aBOUT •marKroTHKO feb 2013 • vo I 17 i s sue 9 •orDinarYDaYS 0 2> • eaT IT! FOOD TRICKS • Dave Franco 0 ll74470ll25134 ' 7 & OUTLOOK BLOGGerS Tou Are Not Alone' Documentary Examines Depression Among Black Day Men by DA. Steward Clay packages it in a way that offers hope to soundtrack, titled Father and Son. the country, because we have so many young peo­ those who feel hopeless. ple who are just coming to terms with their sexu­ When Tyler Clementi jumped off New York's "Doing the documentary was my own form of ality and are committing suicide just for bein George Washington Bridge in 2010, he quickly be­ "No one's talking about the intense stigma and therapy. This film is a beacon of light and I hope who they are." came the face of the a nti-gay bullying epidemic. homophobia a black gay man has to deal with it shows people that even though I dealt with all But that sa me year, it was the suicide of Joseph that's getting him to the point where he no longer of those hardships. I overcame it. and they can You Are Not Alone \s set to hit the film-festival cir­ Jefferson, a 26-year-old African-American gay cares about himself and too often getting to the too." cuit this year, with appearances already sched­ rights activist, that deeply affected award-win­ point where he wants to die," Craigwell said. uled at Los Angeles' Pan African Film & Arts ning journalist and author Antoine B. Craigwell. Nhojj, an OUTMusic Award-winning recording Festival (Feb. 7-18) and the Oakland Interna­ Clay, who's known mostly for his stage work, said artist who's responsible for the film's theme song tional Black LGBT Film Festival (Feb. 15-17). Jefferson's roommate found him after he'd hung he approached the film the same way he ap­ Hold On... You're Not Alone, echoes this senti­ Craigwell said he wants to have the film released himself in his Brooklyn apartment. He was a proaches his dramatic writing and directing. ment. on DVD within the next year as well, but until then graduate of thefamous HarveyMilk High School he's willing to host screenings and discussions of and worked at Gay Men of African Descent, devot­ "Here is the spilled milk, now clean it the f*** "That's where the song ca me from... my own per- the film anywhere he's welcome. ing much of his time to the fight against HIV/AIDS up!" Clay said. "In Act 1,1 show what depression sonal experiences with depression and overcom- in the black gay community. Needless to say, his is and what it looks like, and Act 2 is about re- ing it," he said. "When films like this come along, Everyone interviewed for this article said getting suicide took many by surprise. demption and finding the resolution. How can we you rea lize there are other people who are going its message to the people was the most impor­ solve this issue? The story had to be uplifting." through the same thing. It adds relief and helps tant mission of You Are Not Alone. "I went to [Jefferson's] funeral," Craigwell said. "I to look at what's really causing this." couldn't help but think, What could I have done Craigwell and Clay hope to continue to be an up­ "Depression among black gay men because they to prevent this?' That was my powder-keg mo­ lifting force beyond the film. Through this project, Craigwell's research identifies five key compo­ are black and gay needs to stop," Clay said. ment." se organization Depressed Black Gay Men was nents that lead to depression among black gay "When we sat down to watch the first rough cut born. DBGM now consists of the book, the docu­ men, which are discussed in great detail in the of the film with the editor, we all cried. All I could At the time, Craigwell already had logged many mentary and a series of community discussions film and his book. He cites denial or negation of think was, 'Wow, this is going to help a lot of peo­ hours working on a book that he still hopes will that Craigwell and the cast/crew host in various self by family, community and/or society; sexual ple.'" become the definitive research tool on the issue of cities throughout the country. abuse or sexual trauma; the role of the church, black gay men and depression. However, set­ a nd religion demonizing one for who they are; the For more information on the film You Are Not backs with securing a publisher led him to trans­ "Being a part of this documentary definitely correlation between HIV/AIDS and depression; and Alone and the organization Depressed Black Gay lating the project into a full-length documentary. helped me emotionally, I talk candidly on camera the abandonment felt by older gay black men who Men visityana-thefilm.comanddbgm.org. about dealing with the sexual abuse done to me are emotionally and sexually rejected, Craigwell partnered with NAACP Image Award- by my father, and how I didn't associate it with D.A. Steward writes The Other Side every month winning director Stanley Bennett Clay and late abuse as a kid. I just thought that was how my "This is a film that everyone needs to see," ssaia id foroutlook. He also hosts Queer Minded, anon- last year released You Are Not Alone, a powerful father loved me," said Lester Greene, one of the Dr. Jeffery Gardere, a clinical psychologist who line radio show that airs live every Thursday at 8p and unprecedented look into the issue of depres­ many powerful stories featured in the film. appears as an expert in the film and is also its at talktainmentradio.com. sion in the lives of black gay men. Craigwell inter­ co-executive producer. "My hope forthe film is views dozens of men about their experiences, and Greene is also responsible for a song on the film's that it becomes a staple in every school system in ra) fcbWi3 I wonder if Tou Arc Not Alone" by Michael Jackson is on the soundtrack? outlookcolumbus.com £L^^_Myv£j Natio 45 Spor iyDUD J-Yihlai-iC -i rhuz •dbfiinr*/ __ - J„_J"£:JJ J, ^UJU arnoldsportsfestival.com Columbus, Ohio Jt r mcm£EM |__iopatfh] ~_K_9£I __i r <-/, >r/TJ _^ POWfRj™ > * * i _ _i •• in'- -J [Nationwide. %£• nnaiL • I6338u!K8e SUBWAf 0THER5V IMETROEITNESSI 9 2012 CLASSIC PRODUCTIONS INC outlookcolumbus.com There will be a lot of beefy men in Affliction T shirts runing around that weekend. fcb*oi3 m J super mario world AS THt P/SCO BALI TURNS by Mario Pinardi ways those guys and gals who wanted to seem cool and would writhe against you while holding a ciga­ I would never be awarded a VIP card to any trendy rette. There is nothing hot about this, folks. Your hot nightclub, and my gay card should have been re­ ashes spread when you are trying to do a mating voked years ago. dance, thus turning folks off and burning the over­ priced T-shirt I'm wearing. I would get handed the D.U.M.B. (Dorky, Uncoordi­ nated and Misunderstood Bro) card instead. Now, The jealous boyfriend/girlfriend game was always a don't get me wrong, I love a good drink along with a bag-o-laughs. It goes like this: Guy wiggles up good tune, but I was and I still am a terrible disco against me, gropes me, then is pulled off by the diva. My disco-clubbing etiquette is awful, and I can jealous boyfriend. Repeat until there's a fight. It was become belligerent when surrounded with diva-ish so stupid, and in turn, I felt stupid for allowing this stupidity. to happen. Hear me out. Fast forward to present day. If I'm going out to the disco, I need a tall strong drink before I dance, and Bathrooms in nightclubs are awful, unless it is a then I'm usually that weird, nerdy guy convulsing in high-end establishment. Back in the day, the club's the corner, while Hubby is shaking his booty near bathroom is where all the action happened. You me. As I said before, my club etiquette is awful. ._ could get high, find a quick blowjob and maybe even find your next spouse. Even peeing on a live, Bartenders in the nightclub scene must have the wanton body was sometimes part of the action, too. same genetic makeup as male peacocks. They pa­ rade, vogue, flaunt and flex to get us to buy drinks. I I used to get frustrated because I actually had to used to fawn over the hot bartenders at clubs, use the bathroom for its intended purpose, and I dreaming that I would be the horse they'd wantto hated waiting for the dealer to sell a bag of blow so mount. Little did I know their interest in me was I could pee in the stall. The urinal was always chal­ solely for a tip. lenging for me in a club because there was always a puddle to dodge and getting your shiny clubbing I know I'm generalizing and there are bar staff who shoes soaked is not cool. actually care about their patrons, but this is a small population.