MAKE

YOURSELF
F-able!
ON THE COVER
CALUM WINSOR
® m a d e t h a t w ay
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20 TOP TRAVEL
SPOTS FOR 2017
AUST $9.95 NZ $10.75 USA $14.99 CANADA $14.99 UK £5.50

CIRCUIT PARTIES, PRIDES

SKI WEEKS, BEARS
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FROM PARIS TO PETRA
THE PRINCESS TRAVEL DIARY
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#204 BACKPACKING
WITH THE BOYFRIEND!
NEWS FEATURE:

The EVIL Gay

Who Made
Donald Trump
 ®

m a d e t h at w ay

FOUNDING EDITOR ANDREW CREAGH

andrew@DNAmagazine.com.au

ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE DAVID SHOEMAKER

david@DNAmagazine.com.au

ONLINE COORDINATOR TROY MURPHY

online@DNAmagazine.com.au

DESIGN TROY MURPHY

online@DNAmagazine.com.au

GROOMING EDITOR WILL FENNELL

hello@willfennell.com.au

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR MARC ANDREWS

marc.richard.andrews@gmail.com

STYLE EDITOR JOSHUA HEATH

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DNA (ISSN 1443-1122) is published monthly in Australia by DNA Men Nexus Pty Ltd, PO Unsolicited editorial or photographic material is welcome but will not be returned unless
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10 DNA
 LOOK THE BEST YOU CAN
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CONTENT 204 #
80 IS THAT THE EIFFEL TOWER OR…?
Regulars Paris makes an art of drinking, eating, shopping,
cycling, sight-seeing, sex and romance.

14 FROM THE EDITOR 86 2GETHERING

Forget the hotel room – take the whole hotel or
16 BURNTTOAST villa or castle! “Togethering” is the latest travel
18 STYLE trend and the gays love it!

20 THE STUFF WE’RE LOVING

28 MUSIC REVIEWS
30 THEATRE REVIEW
Fashion
42 MARCO MARCO
32 DEAR DIVA
At the underwear icon’s latest runway show.
34 BOOK REVIEWS
90 PIN-UP BOY!
38 THE GAY CHEF David John Craig by Chan Andre
39 NUTTIER THAN A SQUIRREL TURD
40 HEALTH WITH DR ZAC
50 STRAIGHT MATE
98 THE BACK PASSAGE!

Samples
22 ME, MYSELF, WE
24 TRAVEL TIPS FROM THE FAST LANE
Features
26 FACING UP TO PARTY SEASON 56 AM I F*CK-ABLE?!
Your attractiveness isn’t just in the size of
your pecs. Your emotional and mental well-
being count, too. But building a better body

Travel can kick start the journey.

58 THE FIRST…AT LAST
52 THE PRINCESS TRAVEL DIARIES Meet Chansey Paech, the first out
“I always knew my partner was a bit of a Indigenous MP in Australian parliament.
princess,” but will budget backpacking bring out
60 THE GAY MAN
the princess in them both?
WHO MADE DONALD TRUMP
66 20 BEST GAY TRAVEL DESTINATIONS Meet Roy Cohn, a closeted gay, right-wing
Pack your snorkel, your skis, your stock whip lawyer who taught Trump all the tricks
and your cock ring! There’s so much on the gay that would later help him lie, intimidate
calendar for 2017. and bully his way into the US Presidency.
74 REDISCOVERING PETRA
A metropolis of the ancient world, one of the
new seven wonders and as close as you can get
to stepping back in time.
Photography
46 ON THE COVER
78 DOING THE CIRCUIT
Golden Boy, Calum Winsor returns to our
Barcelona’s world-famous gay mega-party
pages to claim the cover.
festival turns ten! Let’s celebrate.

12 DNA
 FROM THE EDITOR / Andrew Creagh

Travel Tales Tall And Small

SOMETIMES THE SMALLEST
MOMENTS CREATE THE Me at the top of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe,
STRONGEST MEMORIES. drenched. Note rainbows!

Welcome to our first issue of 2017, and the first

of our two dedicated travel issues this year.
The gays, myself included, love travel. Many
of us live in double-income, kid-free households
and have the time and spare cash to spend on
adventures abroad.
I’m fortunate and extremely grateful for the
incredible travel experiences that have come my
way courtesy of this job. I’ve travelled to South
Africa, Norway, The Philippines and Canada as
a Mr Gay World judge, for example, and been
invited on sponsored trips by travel bureaus from
around the world.
We tend to remember the big moments in our
travels. For me, it’s things like watching the
finals of an international fireworks competition
at the top of a gorge outside Montréal. The
fireworks were so close and so bright it felt like
the night sky was tearing open to reveal heaven.
It’s things like seeing David by Michelangelo at
the Accademia in Fiorenza – photographs don’t library for their community.
prepare you for the power, beauty and overt Everybody has great travel stories and I’d
sexuality of the statue. It’s white-water rafting in love to hear yours. What have been your best
Indonesia, dog sledding through a snowy forest and worst travel experiences? Did you have an
in Ushuaia, safari in Botswana, my boyfriend amazing long haul flight, or a dreadful one?
teaching me to ski in New Zealand. Send us your What about a holiday romance? Holiday sex?
But sometimes the little, seemingly
inconsequential moments, remain with you
travel tales! Have you travelled with a group of friends, or
made lifelong friends of people you met on your
as well. I vividly recall the uncurious San Email your adventures to journeys? Some travel disasters become hilarious
Franciscan who couldn’t think of a single reason burnttoast@DNAmagazine.com.au anecdotes in hindsight.
he’d want to travel to Australia… except to see If you’d like to share some of your stories,
the water going the wrong way down the toilet. please email them to us at:
There was the New York taxi driver who was concentration camps. And I fondly remember the burnttoast@DNAmagazine.com.au. Include some
astounded to learn that New Zealand is not “the glamorous Parisian lady on the Metro who, on photos if you like. Everything we receive we’ll
end of the map” because the world is round. her way to the opera, lugged my suitcase over the consider for publication in a future issue.
And the LAX waitress who became increasingly turnstile for me when I went through without it! I hope the travel stories in this issue entertain
furious at me for asking for a salad without meat. On my travels I’ve always been astounded by and inspired your own future travel plans. Travel
I remember bursting into tears in Paris the kindness and generosity of people who have safe, and thanks for reading!
when I realised that the park I was in was very little: the women working at a remote HIV
built as a memorial to the Jewish children of sanctuary outside Johannesburg, the people of a Andrew Creagh
the neighbourhood who were shipped out to Philippines’ slum who banded together to build a Founding Editor

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burnttoast @ dnamagazine.com.au
INSIDE THE MINDS OF DNA READERS! EMAILS, LETTERS, TWEETS, FACEBOOK POSTS, CARRIER PIGEON DISPATCHES AND RAMBLINGS
BREAKFAST ANYONE?
#DNALOVING: WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO EAT
FOR BREAKFAST?

I’d like to eat him for breakfast, lunch and

dinner. – Rick Zalez
He’s holding his banana and I can hold his I
hope. I don’t bite too much. – John Brown
I have bananas. – Manuel F Zúñiga
Think I’ll just eat some manjuice off of that 6
pack. – Kenneth Hibbitts

(SOURCE INSTAGRAM)
Uuuuuum. Ohhhh. Aaaaah. Just shove it in my
mouth. I’m sure it will taste great and give me
my protein requirement. – Robert Youngquist
Uncooked hotdog. – Andrew Jaraba Banzon
I would like you and your package in your
underwear. If I can’t have that I will have
pancakes. – Darryl Costey
RICKY ON THE COVER OF DNA #203 Something organic! – Edwin Maldonado
A beautiful cover man and great edition all
magazine
The thirst is real! – Ed.
round. Thank you DNA for another terrific year.
Thoughtful stories, gorgeous models. It’s a real
pleasure to read the magazine each month. I
hope Andrew and all the team have a beautiful
Christmas and may 2017 be all you want it to be.
Best wishes to you all! – Revboy
Thank you, Revboy! – Ed.

Great cover image. After receiving the issue in NOT ENOUGH FOR TOPS
the mail, along with the excellent 2017 calendar, As usual with DNA, six or seven frontal
I must say Ricky Tishler is the man of 2016 and shots. Hot guy. Great abs. Identical pose.
2017. I keep going back to check him out. Thank Maybe different underwear. Rarely a shot
you DNA. – Radar69 from behind. Some of your readers are
Ricky also appeared on the cover of DNA #188 – Ed. tops. – Random Guy
We suggest you flick straight to pages
DNA POOL PARTY 49, 70, 71, 72, 95 and 96 this issue! And
Grumble grumble wrong hemisphere grumble here’s Simon Dunn’s butt again, just JUMP TO
grumble bloody miserable up here grumble for you! – Ed. LATEST
grumble. – George Forth POLL

DNA POLL: FUR REAL hairy chest and abs is very HOT. natural selves guys. – Bascia2
Olympic diver Tom Daley has The guy in the pic [Ben Todd shot
revealed he hates chest-hair on men. by Michael Ching] is perfect. I Couldn’t care either way. I consider
How do DNA readers feel about agree with those who say ban the the whole package and personality
hairy chests? razor – trim but do not shave. – of a man. – Sexydude
Gardenguy
THE MORE HAIR THE BETTER! 26% If you want hair-free chests go back
A LITTLE BIT OF HAIR IS HOT! 56% I like guys to look natural. If they to the ladies. – Maxfried
BARE SKIN IS THE BEST! 18% are naturally hairy or hairless that
is fine. If they are hairy and remove Hair is very sexy… but not on
I love body hair on men. A beautiful it, it just looks weird to me. Be your shoulders or backs. – Pegasus41

16 DNA
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18 DNA
 / SUBSCRIPTIONS OFFER

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 Loving...
THE STUFF WE’RE
Gold…fingerrrr!
Da! Da! Dah!

Who’s
That
IMAGE: INSTAGRAM Boy?
He’s Dylan Jagger Lee, son of US
rocker Tommy Lee and Baywatch
babe Pamela Anderson. Just
thought you’d like to know.

VCL
It’s 145 in Roman
numerals but it’s also
“Visible Cock Line”.
Thanks to Pietro
“World’s Sexiest Math
Teacher” Boselli for
posting this pic of his
Trevor Ashley “145” on Instagram.

Channels
Dame Shirley
Trevor Ashley’s much-loved Diamonds
Are For Trevor, his tribute to Dame
Shirley Bassey, makes a glamorous
return to the Sydney Opera House with
Face Toys
a 24-piece orchestra! In association with Nothing beats a wet shave with a
Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras, razor for smoothness on all face and
Trevor sings the songs and tells the hair types but Braun’s Series 9 electric
Dame Shirley story in his own inimitable is getting ever closer. Literally. Their
way. Block out March 2 in the diary and “hyper-lift and cut” technology is scary
go to Sydneyoperahouse.com to book! sexy. Looks good, feels nice in the hand
and cleans itself – better than most
boyfriends, eh?

20 DNA
 DAY TOWEL
The Day Towel by Milkbeach. It’s premium 550gsm
ring-spun combed cotton, fashion packaged, in luminous
colours, 90cm x 180cm, high-end and ethically purchased
from responsibly sources. Sexy!

www.milkbeach.com.au

BOYS BUFFING UP
The Baywatch movie isn’t out until mid-’17 so in the meantime we’ll make
do with Zac Efron’s beach bod from Dirty Grandpa (pictured above left
with Robert De Niro).

GETTING UNDRESSED
You meet a stranger, strip down to your undies, climb into bed and
start a conversation. This is how most gay men meet, right? SBS’s
Undressed turns the dating game into a reality show with season
one including David and John. David (left) is an Aboriginal health
worker who donned drag for Dubbo Pride last year. John is career
focused and romantic but unlucky in love. Tune in mid-January to
see how they get on!

The Perfect Ts
You don’t need to walk around with a bunch of pegs on your
T-shirt to make it fit your body perfectly. So stop doing that.
Instead, check out Citizen Wolf who use a T-shirt template
and then tailor it to your perfect fit. Brilliant! They’re at
Citizenwolf.com

DNA 21
DNA SAMPLES /

Kyron We makes waves with a

sexy gay beach romp video.

ME,
MYSELF,
WE
Trinidadian singer Kryon We’s
Dear Single Me fuses reggae
and urban grooves. The video is
an unabashed skimpy-swimwear
affair! He tells Marc Andrews
about his singledom and how SEE KYRON’S
Oprah helped shape his life.
VIDEO

DNA: Your Dear Single Me video pushes developing material, an image and a following out when I was 19. I consider this video to be a
plenty of buttons! for myself. testimony of my commitment to live honestly and
Kyron: Thank you! We’ve seen the boy-meets- When did you realise you wanted to pursue follow my heart.
girl fairytale too many times. My intention with your dream of pop stardom? You have no problem showing skin – what’s
the courting and cuddling scenes were to loosen Growing up in Trinidad I always loved Destiny’s your workout regime?
up some buttons. Child and Michael Jackson music videos. After Running, running and more running, push ups,
What was the inspiration for the song? moving to New York I made it into the Brooklyn sit-ups and squats. I enjoy bike riding and the
I go out dancing at least once a week, but I’m Youth Chorus. I’ve since performed back-up occasional yoga class. Did I mention I go out
yet to find Mr Right! Every time I listen to Dear for Elton John, Lou Reed and Barbra Streisand. dancing at least once a week!
Single Me I’m reminded that if I keep believing Nothing compares to the exhilarating experience What do you look for in a partner?
in love I will attract the right people. of performing. Someone who is confident, has a sense of humor
What’s been the response so far to the song Was Bob Marley a big influence on you? and is a smart businessman.
and video? I think I was born knowing at least ten Bob What is your best feature and best attribute?
Positive. Some of my friends text me the lyrics Marley tunes. I can’t remember when I learned I have very soft skin and I’m an attentive listener.
from time to time and that feels good. I’ve made about him because my mother quotes lyrics from I’m also a pretty supportive guy. I love kids and
some new friends online and they find the video him endlessly. look forward to having a family.
sexy. That means I did my job well. Was your mother a big influence? Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Exactly how single are you now? Yes. For as long as I can remember she has I see myself with a substantial following, on tour
I’ve been single since 2012. I go on dates every now spoken to me openly on many taboo subjects promoting my first album.
and then but if I don’t feel the connection is strong and has always encouraged me to inquire within. What’s your message to the readers of DNA?
after three months I refocus my energy on dating Oprah Winfrey was also a huge influence. Her Normal is over-rated and as citizens of this Earth
myself. talk show exposed me to various perspectives on we have the right to pursue our dreams.
What does that mean? subjects are rarely addressed in Trinidad.
As the primary investor, manager, publicist What are you most proud of in yourself?
MORE: Find Kyron on Snapchat at @trinisyboy.
and producer in my life, I spend all my time I’m 25 and still most proud of myself for coming On Instagram/Facebook look for @kyronwe

22 DNA
DNA SAMPLES /

T RAVEL T IPS FROM T HE FAS T L ANE shoes you can unzip and slip on and off easily
AN AUSSIE SUCCESS STORY, without having to do up shoelaces, and wear belts
ANTHONY AND CHRIS OF LQD SKIN with removable buckles so you can take the clasp off
CARE LAUNCHED THEIR RANGE IN and leave the belt in place without your pants ending
BLOOMINGDALES IN THE USA LAST up around your ankles.
YEAR. THEY SPENT 13 OF THE LAST 16
WEEKS TRAVELLING FOR BUSINESS, 4. LEAVE IT ON
SO WE FIGURED THEY’D HAVE SOME Always leave your wristwatch on. It’s not worth
USEFUL TRAVEL TIPS. WE WERE RIGHT! the risk of getting to the other side of security and
finding that timepiece you saved up five years to
buy has gone missing during your pat-down with number otherwise you might be banging on the
security because you left your passport in your door of room 1208 because that was the room
1. GET AN UPGRADE pocket and had to go back through the screener number from the night before in a different hotel.
We usually get the opportunity to travel business three times. Same goes for gym lockers. They all start to look
class, which, of course, is a luxury, but we often the same after a few weeks travelling. You’re
use points to upgrade to First. I can’t imagine always likely to have your phone on you so let it
anyone forking out for a full fare First Class flight, become your memory, especially if you’re also
but people do! For a greater chance to upgrade jet-lagged.
your flight, travel on a Tuesday or Thursday. These
tend to be the least busy travel days. Business 8. TIME TRAVEL
travellers usually choose Monday, Wednesday or The best way to avoid jet lag is to set your watch
Friday. Most tourists try to fly out either before to the destination time as soon as you board your
or after a weekend. It’s the less popular days that flight and immediately start living on that time
you’re more likely to be able to use your points to zone. If you get on the flight and it’s night where
upgrade, so think of this when booking. you are travelling, try to get some sleep straight
away. When you arrive, get as much daylight as
2. YES, TO HYDRATION you can. If you arrive in the morning, make sure
Everyone knows you should keep hydrated on a 5. TELL THE BANK you spend as much time outside as possible and
long-haul flight, but did you know that you should Always let your bank know where you are going don’t take a mid-afternoon nap. Stay awake to
keep your skin hydrated as well? By packing your before you travel. Imagine arriving in LAX at help you sleep the first night through.
moisturiser in your carry-on baggage, you’ll not 6am and getting to your hotel to find you can’t use
only look better when you land but you will feel your credit card because your bank has stopped it 9. KEEP YOUR UNDIES HANDY!
fresher as well. Just make sure it’s 100mL or less for suspected fraud after you used it to pay for the Pack your electronics, charge cables, underwear
otherwise it won’t be joining you on the flight. cab and a Starbucks. It’s now 1am at home and the and medications in your carry-on luggage. If by
bank’s help desk isn’t opening for another 8 hours! chance your checked luggage gets delayed (yes,
3. THE BUCKLES AND BOOTS TRICK it happens), then at least you can still have a
Going through airport security can dramatically 6. DATA ROAMING: BUY BEFORE YOU FLY shower, change into fresh underwear, charge your
increase your stress levels. To reduce this, wear Buy your International Data plan before you leave phone and go shopping.
home. Forget this one and you’ll be paying premium
data rates from the time you set down in your new
destination. Whether it’s Facebook or other online
aps, you’ll be churning through the dollars quicker
than you can say pass me a Tall Mocha Frappuccino
and hold the whipped cream! Or even better, if
you want to be super organised, take a spare old
unlocked phone and buy a local sim when you
arrive at the airport and hotspot your data off it for
the duration of your stay.

7. PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY
When you’re moving around a lot and staying MORE: www.lqd.com.au or follow the boys in
in different hotels, take a photo of your room Instagram @ lqd4men

24 DNA
 WHAT MAKES YOU

FIST WS S&M PIERCINGS BONDAGE DIRTY ANAL ORAL ANYTHING

GOES

sizzelapp.com
Credits: Tom Cullis Photography
Publicist: Shandrew PR (LA)
DNA SAMPLES /

Facing Up To Party Season

SUMMER DOWN UNDER MEANS HARSH SUN, SALTY WATER AND THE PUNISHING PARTY SEASON. WE
ASKED GLOBAL MAKE-UP ARTIST AND NAPOLEON PERDIS ACADEMY GRADUATE RAJJA RICHANI WHAT
A BOY HAS TO DO TO SURVIVE?

DNA: People like to dress up for Mardi Gras,

Halloween and costume parties. What’s the best
way to get a special make-up job done?
Rajja: Whether you’re applying make-up to yourself
or getting it done professionally, having a clear vision of
what you’re after. Creating a “mood board” of images and
clear references is my favourite way of making sure the
end result is what it needs to be for my client. YouTube
is also a great source of inspiration, cool ideas, not to
mention tons of tutorials if you are looking to DIY.
Drag… If a boy was going to frock-up, what would
you recommend about doing the face?
First, he needs to decide whether he wants to look
femme or do super-creative drag make-up. Drag has no
limits. It can be pushed to the extreme or kept on the
feminine side. Whatever he chooses, having fun is the
key. As a make-up artist I enjoy creating both looks.
they do is help you relax and unwind they’re worth doing.
If you have a particular skin type, oily or dry, can
you change that with products?

OMG! My favourite part

No. Your skin type is wired into your DNA and you
can’t change it. What you can do is manage it, and

of travelling is packing skincare has the power to do that. Personally, I’m of

the opinion that constantly moist skin helps to prevent
my toiletries bag! My ageing, so staying hydrated is the key!

motto: bring everything! What should a boy always have in his toiletries bag
while travelling?
OMG! My absolute favourite part of travelling is
packing my toiletries bag! I recommend you pack as
What about taking it all off at the end of the night? many masks as you can, especially for the plane ride.
At the end of a long night, the last thing you want to Planes are extremely dehydrating, so taking care of your
do is spend forever removing make-up. Using a make- skin by drinking lots of water and using masks while
up remover/cleanser that is oil based is the key. I use up in the air is so important. People must think I’m
Napoleon’s Rebirth Of Venus Skin Renewal Cleansing Oil. quite strange when I’m travelling because I always have
What’s your number-one men’s skincare tip for a mask on in-flight. My motto when packing is “bring
summer? everything”. That means whatever skincare you use at
Use a great serum. Serums can make or break your home. The other thing to think about is what season you
skin care regime. They are normally more lightweight are travelling to. If it’s winter you may want to invest in
than moisturisers so they are comfortable to wear on a richer face and eye cream. If it’s summer, lightweight
hot days and nights. products may be better.
Peels, face masks, cucumbers on the eyes… does
any of that actually work?
Absolutely! I can’t live without my masks and peels. Skin
treatments are so important to the overall look of your Napoleon Perdis Suggested Products:
Opposite: Supreme Eye Cream, Multi-Hydration Gel
skin and should definitely be inserted into your skincare Cream, Auto Pilot Complex Skin Renewal Serum, Skin
regime. I recommend using a mask at least once a week. Elixir Serum Broad Spectrum SPF15, Collagen Hydrogel
As far as some other skincare fads… if the only thing Gel Mask, Auto Pilot Moisture Mist.

26 DNA
PUM P! ne
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© 2016PUM P!® Al sr
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PUM PUNDERW EAR.

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MUSIC REVIEWS / compiled by Marc Andrews

OLLY MURS – 24 HRS

What’s not to love about good golly Mr Olly? The
32-year-old looks like he just wandered in from a Best
Blond Bottoms Of The Year video, never stops opening his
mouth to smile and has an undeniable knack for making
cracking pop tunes. Already the former British reality
TV star is up to album #5 and album opener You Don’t
Know Love is as good a reason as any other to adore him.
With a layer of swaggering class and maturity Justin
Bieber can only dream of, it references the sound
of the ’80s and is still totally contemporary.
He even manages to out-Bruno Bruno
Mars on poignant piano ballad Years
And Years. While there’s a question
whether it’s actually him laying
his heart bare here or his bevy
of well-paid songwriters, Olly
already seems a lot like the new
Robbie Williams.

CATCH OLLY’S
VIDEO! Olly: dirty blonds
have more fun.

EMELI SANDE – LONG LIVE THE ANGELS JUSTICE – WOMAN

Opening with a spiritual poem Selah that speaks of This art nouveau French band has often
forgiveness, here’s that heartbreak/divorce album suffered in comparison with another French
you’ve been desperate to give your bestie who duo you may have heard of. Returning
just broke up with the love of their life. Emeli’s with their first album in five years (and
second album is, in her words, “the ultimate just 10 tracks), they deserve to be heard
journey in rebirth and self-discovery”. Translate just as widely as Daft Punk’s Get Lucky.
that into “messy divorce” in real terms (after 10 years with her childhood Killer single Safe And Sound even has a
sweetheart). It’s no surprise the second track is called Hurts and another remarkably similar ’70s disco riff. One
Lonely although, good news, she recently started dating British rapper track from their third album, with the suggestive title of Randy, might
Hypo. The 29-year-old Scottish singer also features plenty of her Zambian even have been stolen directly from some gay clone disco album of the
background here. The uplifting Tenderly includes vocals from her father era. That’s a good thing, by the way, for the Grammy winning duo. Love
and cousins, credited as The Serenje Choir, named after the town in the SOS, meanwhile, somehow manages to suggest that their idea for this
African country where her father was born. album was to bridge the gap between ABBA and Daft Punk.

BIC RUNGA – CLOSE YOUR EYES LITTLE MIX – GLORY DAYS

So celebrated in her homeland of New Zealand Perrie, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Jade formed as Little
is Bic Runga that she was honoured recently Mix in 2011 as part of The X Factor in the UK,
with a legacy award. While her sales have never hoping to replicate One Direction’s success. While
quite matched her critical acclaim, that may those teen dreams imploded (Zayn, call us, when
change with her first album in five years. Bic has you get a moment!), Little Mix have bravely carried
decided to tackle 10 covers and only a few of the on filling the boy/girl band void with big hooks, big
choices are obvious (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Only hits and big inches… of gossip columns regarding all their various liaisons.
Love Can Break Your Heart). The bulk of this collection are quirky, Cannily realising this is actually the key to their success, their recent big hit,
left-of-field choices like Kanye West’s Wolves and Nick Drake’s Things Shout Out To My Ex, was like a virtual FU to the parade of boy band members
Behind The Sun. Genuinely lovely and definitely worth closing your the gals have swiftly worked their way through. So smart art they, there’s even
eyes and melting away to. an Amy-Winehouse style shuffle ballad here called FU. Glory, indeed.

28 DNA
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THEATRE REVIEW / with Matthew Myers

Paul Capsis brings his

idiosyncrasies to the
role of the Emcee.

Come Blow Your Horn! CABARET RETURNS TO PROVIDE A TIMELY ANECDOTE FOR A WORLD IN DISARRAY.

WHEN IT COMES to Cabaret, most think of the symbolic scene of a gas chamber. “I’ve just read Joel Grey’s book Master Of
1972 movie starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York. Actors, directors and producers are still inspired Ceremonies, which is brilliantly written. I was
And rightly so, considering this particular film earned by the chilling shadows around the show. In its 50th interested in what was going on for Mr Grey when he
eight Oscars and lifted Minnelli out from the shadow year, producer David M Hawkins has brought a new created the original Emcee on Broadway and how he
of her famous mother, Judy Garland. production to Australia, directed by Nicolas Christo found him. We are very different people, Mr Grey and
Cabaret’s story, however, goes much deeper than who pays homage to the original source. I, but I imagine I shall bring my own lived experience
the popular movie. It began as Berlin Stories, a 1939 “We are lifting a glass to the author of the Berlin into the role, with my own edge,” says Capsis.
novel by Christopher Isherwood. It was adapted into Stories, the incredible Christopher Isherwood,” says When Christopher Isherwood wrote the original
the play I Am A Camera by John Van Druten in 1951 Christo. “David Hawkins and I are so passionate story the world was on the cusp of massive political
before finally becoming the 1966 Cabaret musical we about the poetry and insight of Isherwood and want to change – the rise of right-wing fascism in Europe.
know today. It was the song-and-lyrics duo of John give this production that sense of wickedness and wit. Aspects of the story seem reflected in the current state
Kander and Fred Ebb who created what many believe This is a show that draws on the decadence of Berlin of the world, director Christo points out.
to be “the musical for people who hate musicals”. and serves up the swirling art and culture clashes of “It’s a scary case of history repeating itself,” he says.
Set in Berlin of the 1930s with the rise of the Nazi the 1920s and ’30s.” “Sure, the rise of Trump in America is an obvious
Party as the political backdrop, Cabaret tells the story Playing leads in the wickedness are Chelsea Gibb, parallel to the rise of Nazism but even in Australia we
of bisexual American writer Cliff Bradshaw and his renowned for her role as Roxie Hart in Chicago, and are witnessing a move to the political right and, still,
relationship with English performer Sally Bowles. Marcus Graham from television’s Jack Irish. But we scratch our heads and think ‘how?’ This is a show
The cabaret itself takes place in a seedy, burlesque as roles go, one of the most interesting is that of the that has the guts to examine the implosion of one of
nightclub called the Kit Kat Klub where social and Emcee, a somewhat ghoulish character who has been the world’s greatest cities, Berlin, and one of the most
political commentary is cleverly told through song. described as a “devil-doll host”. Integral to the story, progressive societies to have ever existed.”
Successful productions of Cabaret are usually he is Riff Raff to Rocky or Che to Evita and in the For some, theatre revivals may seem tedious
innovative and intense. For instance, one Broadway new Australian production is played by Paul Capsis. but, as with recent productions such as Angels In
production included a large, warped mirror that “I had dreamed about doing this role,” says Capsis. America and RENT, Cabaret comes at a time when
reflected back at the audience. The 1993 London “There are roles you long to do and sometimes it’s a bit counterculture protest, freedom of speech and artistic
revival directed by Sam Mendes (with Alan obvious, but because the Emcee inhabits a dank, dark license are needed more than ever.
Cumming as the Emcee) involved the cast stripping to world, it’s very hard to resist him.”
reveal concentration camp uniforms, yellow stars of Joel Grey won an Oscar for his portrayal. Alan MORE: Cabaret plays the Hayes Theatre
David and pink triangles (symbolizing the Jews and Cummings sexualised the character in the ’90s. in Sydney from January 9 and Athenaeum
Theatre Melbourne from April 27. Go to: www.
the homosexuals killed in concentration camps) and a Capsis’ interpretation will be keenly anticipated. cometothecabaret.com.au

30 DNA
 ADVICE / with Robbyne Kaamil

ea
D ar
Div
Mama’ s g o t som ething to say on you
r
!
current situation

Dear Diva, Dear Diva,

My boyfriend and I have been together for over I’ve always wanted to write a novel. I used
five years and so have many mutual friends. But to write short stories and even won a poetry
Arrange a romantic
evening and, later, fuck
when some of my friends from college came contest in high school. I told one of my friends
to town, he got very upset that I was spending about my goal of writing a novel and he was very

him like there’s no

so much time with them. I was surprised at his discouraging. He thought the whole idea was
behavior. silly. He ranted about how difficult it would be to
Dear College Catch-up,
Your man was probably just feeling a little
get the book published and sell it with so much
competition from more experienced writers.
tomorrow.
neglected. After the friends leave, arrange a Dear Dreamer,
romantic evening and later fuck him like there’s Fuck that bitch. I hate it when miserable bitches
no tomorrow. He should be back to his old self in try to destroy your joy and your dreams. This bitch that he has gained the weight but he is doing
the morning. Fucking has a calming effect on most didn’t have the courage to fight for his dreams nothing to get rid of it.
of us. so now he is trying to sabotage yours. Cut his Dear Fat Lover,
sorry ass out of your life. Congratulations to you Your man needs to get the fuck off the couch and
Dear Diva, for hanging onto your dream. Write and publish find a job. Tell that motherfucker that you can’t
My mother can be a pain in the ass. She made your book using services like Create Space or continue to support the both of you. Since his hips
some not-so-nice comments about a new sofa Smashwords. You can achieve anything you want have spread from all the binge eating you need to
my boyfriend bought and he responded with in this life if you have a vision and the passion to buy him a new suit for interviews because his old
some not-so-nice words. I don’t want to be in the see it through. clothes won’t fit. Once he gets a job you can get his
middle of this but I can’t have my mom spoken ass in the gym. In the meantime, hide the Doritos.
to this way. Dear Diva, You also need to have a conversation with him
Dear Mama Drama, I don’t have the perfect body but I do try to take about getting serious, professional counselling.
Tell your man and your mother to play nice. Have care of myself and stay in shape. My boyfriend
a conversation with each of them and remind them of 12 years has let himself go. He has gained
MORE: Robbyne Kaamil is a relationship
both how much you love them. If they really love over 30 pounds [nearly 14 kilos] in the last year expert on TV, radio, and at Playgirl.com. She
you they wouldn’t want to see you get stuck in the with no end in sight. He has been out of work is also an actress, comedian and singer. Find
her on FB, Twitter@theadvicediva, and email
middle of their petty drama and will work to be on for over a year. Every night he sits in front of the
your confidential Dear Diva questions to:
their best behavior. television and stuffs his face. He is depressed asktheadvicediva@gmail.com.

32 DNA
BOOKS: SUMMERS BEST - PART 1 / with Graeme Aitken

P lunge In!
OUR PICK OF
SUMMER’S BEST READS…
KATHY PINK INK: THE
GRIFFIN’S GOLDEN ERA FOR
CELEBRITY GAY AND LESBIAN
RUN-INS: MY MAGAZINES
A-Z INDEX By Bill Calder THE FALL OF VALOR By Charles Jackson
By Kathy Griffin This lively and easy-to- This reissued classic is from Valancourt Press,
The unfiltered read history recounts the a small independent American publisher who
American comic story of how Australia’s specialise in the rediscovery of rare, neglected
who loves “her gay community changed and out-of-print fiction, including an extensive
gays” is back from a clandestine world to one that held range of gay fiction.
with a new book acclaimed parties and public festivals. Jackson scored a major success with his
that runs through The story is told through the changing pages of autobiographical novel The Lost Weekend (1944),
her encounters the many magazines published since 1970. From the story of a writer tormented by alcoholism,
with celebrities the first male nude magazine William And John which sold more than half-a-million copies and
and files them in an A-to-Z format. through to today’s glossies such as DNA, the was the basis for a now-classic Billy Wilder film
The book opens with Woody Allen, where we many and varied personalities who started these (which omits all the novel’s gay content).
learn that he never missed an episode of Hannah publications are brought to life. Perhaps surprisingly, Jackson followed up
Montana, through to Renee Zellweger and a Inspired by the Stonewall riots in New York that novel with another semi-autobiographical
case of mistaken identity. These encounters and – and a bottle of whiskey he shared with his story, The Fall Of Valor (1946), the searing
reminiscences are brief, often only a page or two, neighbour Christabel Poll – John Ware took up the tale of a marriage disintegrating, in part,
and though many are delivered solely for their fight in 1970 for gay rights and started Australia’s because the husband is coming to terms with
comic impact, others are genuine tributes to a first gay magazine Camp Ink. Twenty-one-year- his homosexuality. It was controversial subject
star’s talent or legend. old Sydney man John Baker published William matter for the 1940s and some critics were too
Given that Kathy’s brand of comedy relies on And John at the start of 1972 to amuse his party- grossed-out by the very idea of homosexuality
her making fun of celebrities, her relations with set friends with information and entertainment. to even consider the book’s literary merit. A
some of the people she profiles is prickly at best. Pictures of nude men sold best, but it proved to be horrified Saturday Review critic found “the
Case in point, Cathie Lee Gifford who considers a short-lived enterprise as drugs and government idea itself shocking, even revolting”.
her vulgar but, on top of that, the two are plagued censors wore him down. The Fall Of Valor opens with John Grandin
by a name confusion issue with both called by Gay bar promoter, Rod Stringer launched and his wife Ethel on their way to a seaside
each other’s names too many times to count. This Campaign in September 1975 and to survive had holiday in the hope of salvaging their marriage.
name confusion “reached a very surreal apex to negotiate the corrupt world of Sydney cops. But the vacation has the opposite result when
one August day in 2015 when I began receiving Later Danny Vadasz founded a media empire Grandin meets, and falls in love with, a
a string of cryptic tweets with a Christian tinge”. that included the glossy magazine OutRage, handsome young Marine captain.
Eventually Kathy deduced that Cathie Lee’s newspapers such as Melbourne Star Observer, Seventy years after it was first published,
husband Frank had passed away and legions of Capital Q and, in its fledgling years, Sydney Star Jackson’s novel still makes for compelling
her fans were sending tweets to “a foul-mouthed, Observer. He even published the porn magazine, reading and, as historian Michael Bronski
gay-friendly atheist… Tears were streaming OutRage’s Men and the short-lived lesbian writes in the introduction to this new edition,
down my face that day,” Kathy writes. “I’ll let magazine Lip. However, his empire was fatefully it is strange that The Fall Of Valor fell
you wonder whether they were from sadness or taken over by the Satellite Group and collapsed into obscurity for so long instead of being
uncontrollable laughter.” soon after. recognised as a modern classic alongside some
If you are after an entertaining, amusing Each of these publishers and their magazines of its contemporaries like Norman Mailer’s The
holiday read that serves up plenty of celebrity were central to the battles of their day around law Naked And The Dead and Gore Vidal’s The
dish, look no further! reform, Mardi Gras, and the AIDS epidemic. City And The Pillar.

34 DNA
MILKBEACH

MILKBEACH.COM.AU
BOOKS: SUMMERS BEST - PART 2 / with Graeme Aitken

The Orchard Of Flesh

By Christian Baines
Like The Beast Without, the first book in the
Arcadia Trust series, The Orchard Of Flesh
takes the supernatural world of vampires,
werewolves and ghouls out of the typical
Victorian London or back-woods America, and
drops it in the heart of modern day (night?)
Sydney. But this is a darker Sydney than we’re
used to. Christian Baines mines the seedy,
sexy, and dangerous aspects of the city’s past,
turning Oxford Street into an ideal and very
There is
recognisable feeding ground for vampires (or humanity in
Blood Shades, as they’re known in this highly
original paranormal setting). these beings
There is humanity in these beings and, yes, and, yes,
romance but
romance but there is also suspense, horror and
a satisfying mystery, all imbued with a chilling
sense of rising dread.
Both Reylan, the Blood Shade protagonist and
there is also
his werewolf lover Jorgas are apex predators, suspense,
still navigating their volatile relationship and
learning who they can trust. Getting to know horror and… a
the rest of this colourful cast is half the fun, chilling sense of
rising dread.
making The Orchard Of Flesh a gruesome
delight for newcomers and returning Arcadia
Trust readers alike.

A Nice Normal Family develop to his full potential and in the process, five best documentaries of 2012. But before
By John Terry Moore friendship turns to love… he became a film-maker, David France was an
Like the author’s first investigative journalist (and senior Newsweek
novel, Black Dog, How To Survive editor) with an interest in LGBT subjects.
this is another page- A Plague: The His previous book Our Fathers explored the
turning romance set in Inside Story Of Catholic sexual abuse scandal in the United
contemporary Australia but How Citizens And States. Now France has written a book on the
one that dares to imagine Science Tamed same subject as his film and it was published by
a gay man as the Prime AIDS the prestigious Random House imprint Knopf to
Minister of the country, By David France coincide with World AIDS Day 2016. Like the
complete with a husband and children. Some readers may film, it too is enjoying an exceptional critical
A Nice Normal Family traces the friendship recognise the title and response. It was listed on The New York Times
between Jacko, who identifies as straight, and the author’s name as Notable Books of 2016. Although only just
gay boy Sammy. They’re best mates from a big back in 2012 David published, there seems no doubt that this will
regional town in Australia. Marriage equality has France directed a documentary film How To be the non-fiction book of 2017 for gay readers
become a fact of life but not much else is equal Survive A Plague about the early years of the – although the acclaim and media attention it
because Jacko has a learning difficulty – dyslexia AIDS epidemic. is receiving will ensure that it crosses over to a
– and he relies on Sammy to help him through His film was extremely successful in terms much broader readership.
school and beyond. of its critical response, being nominated for and
Sammy realises very early in their friendship winning a slew of prestigious awards including
that Jacko has the special qualities that some a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at MORE: The Bookshop Darlinghurst specialises in
famous dyslexics also exhibited, such as the 85th Academy Awards. It was also nominated gay and lesbian books. Phone (02) 9331 1103, email:
info@thebookshop.com,au, visit online at www.
Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Sir for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was thebookshop.com.au, or in person at 207 Oxford
Richard Branson. He tries to encourage Jacko to named by The New York Times as one of the Street, Sydney.

36 DNA
 MAKEUP YOUR
CAREER TODAY
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 THE GAY CHEF / with Jordan Bruno
MELISSA LOUISE PHOTOGRAPHY

FIRM AND FRUITY

THIS MONTH, JORDAN’S PISTACHIO AND CRANBERRY BISCOTTI

INGREDIENTS:
1 3⁄4 cups of plain flour 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1⁄2 tablespoon of bicarb soda 2 eggs, beaten
3⁄4 cup of caster sugar 1 cup of cranberries
60g of butter, melted 1 cup of pistachios

tray with baking paper.

METHOD: 6. Place the baking tray in the oven
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. for 30 minutes or until the dough has
2. On a clean table, sift flour, caster browned. Once cooked remove from
sugar and bi carb, and make a well in oven and set aside to cool.
the centre of the flower mixture. In 7. When the large biscuits have
the centre of the well add the, butter, cooled, start slicing the log with a
vanilla essence and beaten eggs. serrated knife, chopping the log into
3. With a fork to start (and your 1.5cm increments on a 45-degree
hands eventually), gradually whisk angle.
the ingredients to make a sticky soft 8. Once the biscuits have been sliced,
dough. To the dough mixture, add the place them back on the baking tray
cranberries and pistachios, knead the and continue to cook them for a
dough and make sure all ingredients further 10-15 minutes or until golden
are well combined. all the way around.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap 9. Remove from oven and let the
and let it rest in the fridge for 30
minutes.
biscuits cool. Enjoy!
VISIT JORDAN’S SITE
5. Once rested, remove the dough
from fridge and cut into two. Roll MORE: Get The Gay Chef free from
jordanbruno.org and donate to one
both lots of dough into logs with your of his LGBTI charity recipients while
hands and place on a large baking you’re there.
PHOTOGRAPHY
STUDIO CHRISTIAN SCOTT

38 DNA
 NUTTIER THAN A SQUIRREL
(HERE’S WHAT THE HATERS HAVE BEEN SAYING…)
TURD Compiled by Torsten Hojer.

“The Rainbow Jihad’s bloodlust “We are threatening the

is insatiable… They seek sanity of – and, yes, I’m
destruction… they intend to
overrun the land, choke the life going to say it – normal
out of it, and leave it for dead… children. It’s time
Taking our country back from the to put an end to this
forces of darkness will require a
D-Day-like effort of cleansing and nonsense.”
reconstruction.”

American ultra-conservative Christian talk – British Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine
show host Steve Deace on LGBT criticises a new book about LGBT-inclusive
“militant activists”. school education, Can I Tell You About Diversity.

“Many Nigerian youths, especially “If you do not like the looks of any part of
those involved in illegal economic your body, come to me… If you want
big buttocks I can do it for you, I can
migration, have fallen prey to help. If you have a small manhood, I
homosexual practices. Many Nigerian can change them all when I come to
youths abroad are now becoming gay the spiritual realm.”
because of economic inducement,
either to legalise their documents
or to get jobs and they bring back
Anti-gay Ghanaian Bishop Daniel Obinim says
he can enlarge parts of a man’s body via the
diseases like HIV/AIDS to “power of God”. He does this by “massaging”
the country.” his parishioners’ “manhoods”.

Nigeria’s Consul General in South Africa, “It is a demonic spirit not only
inside of the lesbian couple who are
Ambassador Uche Ajulu-Okeke, speaking at the
World Congress On Families And Marriage
in Cape Town. pretending to get married in this
TV commercial, but now influencing
and ruling in the hearts of the ad
“For any Christian who wants to spend hard- executives who have decided… that
earned dollars with family-friendly, Christian- they should promote this as a good
affirming retailers, restaurants and service thing to all of America. They
providers, the list is growing shorter all the are deceivers, they are
time. There’s Target… selling gay pride
T-shirts a few years back was bad enough, fooling the America public
but Target is now ‘proudly standing’ with and we need to expose that
homosexuals and cross-dressers who want to as wrong.”
change America’s 1964 Civil Rights Act to add
‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’.”
US Republican Gordon Klingenschmitt
suggests that ad makers who used a same-
American anti-gay activist Linda Harvey complaining that there’s nowhere sex couple in a jewellery commercial are
left for her to shop. possessed by evil spirits.

39 DNA
HEALTH / with Dr Zac Turner

PARTY PILL
POPPING
IT’S SUMMER, THE PARTY AND MUSIC
FESTIVAL SEASON. THAT MEANS
DANCING ALL NIGHT AND DAY AND THE
NEED TO BE REALISTIC ABOUT PARTY
PILLS, SAYS DR ZAC.

HOSPITAL admissions across Australia have soared

over the past few years with Ecstasy and MDMA
overdoses. The reality is that more and more people
– especially young people – are risking their lives,
and sometimes dying, because they don’t know
what they’re taking.
When talking to people at festivals and in
hospitals, it’s clear that even though people
acknowledge that taking drugs isn’t safe, it doesn’t
stop them. Australia has the world’s highest number
of regular Ecstasy and MDMA users per capita.
New South Wales has one of the world’s highest
hospital admission rates for party pill overdoses,
doubling in the past five years.
A pill now costs around $20, which is a lot Mick Palmer and former Premier Bob Carr dropped inside. The liquid within then changes
cheaper than alcohol prices at festivals, and can are both in support of drug testing kits. In colour depending on what is in the pill and can be
keep you high for up to four hours. The overdose my opinion, the politicians who take a “tough compared to a colour scale. You can see for yourself
issue stems from the inconsistency of the strength stance” on drugs do so because it’s an easy vote what you might actually be taking.
of pills. Those tested have ranged between five winner, despite the overwhelming evidence There are several drug testing kits and I suggest
and 60 percent purity, and they have been getting that prohibition has failed. Portugal and the that if you’re buying pills this summer that you buy
stronger over the past few years. This huge range Netherlands, for example, have implemented more than one. The ones I would suggest are the
in purity is the difference between needing to policy reforms that are seeing massive reductions general testing kit, which will tell you roughly what
take one or several pills for the same effect, or in their drug addiction and overdose rates. is in the pill, and the MDMA and Ecstasy-specific
getting a strong one that tips you over the edge The new EZ-Test kits that are available and tests, which will tell you the strength/purity of the
into overdose territory. will, hopefully, be made legally accessible at pill. You can make an informed decision about
From a public health perspective, one of the festivals could make some big differences. The whether or not to take it, and hopefully it’ll help
great initiatives proposed has been drug testing Harm Reduction Group is made up of doctors and keep you alive and on the dance floor.
kits. These can give festival goers and party-pill medical professionals who see the young lives This could be a way to keep yourself and your
poppers some awareness of what they’re taking. lost and destroyed as the result of an overdose. It friends that bit safer over summer.
However, this has been met with a massive seems crazy to me that any government or law-
backlash from the NSW government, including enforcement body wouldn’t support such a group
the Premier, who have warned that anyone taking who are proposing proven, tried-and-tested harm
a drug testing kit to a party would be stopped, reduction strategies. MORE: Dr Zac Turner
(MBBS RN Bsc) can be
searched and arrested on the spot. This is a A pill tester costs between $7 and $60 depending contacted at www.
disappointing stance when it’s obvious that our on the number of uses. They come with a testing drzac.co
continued “a war on drugs” has failed. tube where a small amount of the pill is broken
Former Australian Federal Police commissioner off (about the size of the head of a matchstick) and

40 DNA
If you are buying party
pills this summer I
suggest you also buy
more than one drug
testing kit…

DNA 41
 A NIGHT IN THE RED LIGHT
MARCO MARCO REVEAL HOT NEW LOOKS WITH A FEW DRAMATIC TWISTS.

PHOTOGRAPHY
@EMCBOWERY AND
@MAGNUSHASTINGS

42 DNA
 / FASHION EXTRA

W
hen Marco Marco decide to put on a
fashion show you know it’s going to
be full-on! Guests arriving for A Night
In The Red Light entered to find LA’s The Globe
Theatre transformed into a sultry red cabaret room,
glowing intriguingly, and hinting at the seductive
night of entertainment ahead.
Before a single model hit the runway, guests
were treated to pole artists who perfectly blended
sexuality and sensuality through acrobatic dance.
Next, aerialists took to the air, rising high above the
runway on a large hoop in a terrifying but beautiful
show of breathtaking strength and flexibility – and
even a hint of romance. Alaska Thunderfuck
Singer and Australian drag queen Courtney Act 5000 and vogue boys.
performed a beautiful acoustic version of Roxanne
– what better song for a red-light theme? Act’s Drag
Race alumni Shangela was next, twirling, flipping
and pumping the audience up for some sexy Marco
Marco fashion to come. There’s nothing like a
contagious personality and a few death-drops to get
people cheering.
Then… fashion time! Marco Marco’s gorgeous
men strutted down the runway in sexy new
underwear styles from this edgy brand. Models
including Murray Swanby, Laith Ashley, Daniel
Ratcliffe and Jason Wimberly showed off their assets
in custom designs featuring bright colours, geometric
shapes, and a bit of sparkle to catch the light at
the end of the runway. The crowd cheered as each
model glided towards them – they were even more
enthusiastic to watch them turn and walk away.
For the first time, Marco Marco’s show included
cis-gendered women on the runway in custom Shangela.
couture, along with the usual diverse cast. Among
them was Canadian actress Jacqueline Wood.
SEE THE
With the models and audience exhausted, there WHOLE SHOW!
was one more surprise in store – Drag Race All Stars
2 winner Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 sashayed onto
the stage accompanied by a crew of hot, vogueing
boys. They transformed the space into a good, old-
fashioned ball, Alaska treated the audience (which
included Carmen Electra, Brooke Candy and Teen
Mom’s Farrah Abraham) to an energetic rendition of
her latest hit, Puppet.
The curtain call brought back the star-studded
cast of models and performers and Marco himself
appeared, his relief, pride and happiness at the
success of the show was palpable behind his
masked face.

MORE: Catch the show on YouTube: Marco and Vivian Hart.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdafDSTaZ1w

DNA 43
 COME
PARTY
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SATURDAY 04 MARCH

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ON THE COVER /

Golden Boy

PHOTOGRAPHY ISOUL STUDIOS

MODEL CALUM WINSOR

Regular DNA readers will recognise Calum Winsor from

a previous shoot in which we recalled the glory days of
Physique Photography. This month, the golden Aussie
boys makes the cover. Enjoy!

46 DNA
DNA 47
ON THE COVER /

48 DNA
DNA 49
STRAIGHT MATE /

CURRENT
AFFAIRS
COMMANDO!
From war zones and red carpets to hosting The
Today Show with brother Karl, Peter Stefanovic has
seen more than your average journalist. He tells
Matt Myers about life in the firing line.

DNA: Your book Hack In A Flak Jacket tells of because I thought it’d be fun. As soon as I took off on top of them. I saw them in a makeshift hospital
some pretty harrowing experiences. Was there my leg got jammed between the exhaust pipe and that had been set up by Doctors Without Borders.
ever a time where you thought, “Oh shit! I’m the metal frame and I cut it open. I went back to Atina, a nine-year-old girl, was howling because
packing it in?” the news desk to do an update and could feel the she was getting a full-body cast placed on her; she
Peter Stefanovic: No, never. There were a couple warm trickle of blood running down my ankle. I had so many broken bones. I reached down and
of times where I thought, “Oh shit!” because we lifted up my suit pants and there was a big gaping held her arm thinking it might be of some comfort
got too close to a missile, but never to pack it in. wound! So I went to the hospital and got stitched and she just looked at me and stopped screaming.
There was so much adrenaline involved and it was up. That never happened to me as a correspondent! It was kind of a nice moment. Then there was
a great real-life thrill ride. The Paris attacks, the Haiti earthquake, a royal Ferguson, a seven-year-old who had both legs
Your flak jacket was never hit, yet you were birth, Michael Jackson’s funeral… you’ve seen amputated. He woke up while I was there and there
injured back home in the Channel Nine car it all. Are there experiences that stay with you wasn’t even a tear. He just wanted to go home, but
park! Is that true? more than others? his didn’t have a home and his parents were dead.
[Laughing] Yes. We had the Top Gear guys in with Yes. In Haiti there were a couple of children who These things really put other things in perspective.
these motorised three-wheel bicycles. I’ve never I think about… most days actually. They had been You learn a lot about life in those places, especially
been good on motorbikes but I decided to get on “pancaked” in their home by a building that fell in developing countries where all this nasty stuff

50 DNA
 / FEATURE

WHO WOULD YOU

TURN GAY FOR?
“Oh, Chris Hemsworth is so damn handsome! So is Hugh
Jackman, and both are just really nice guys. Nice people are
the best, and in many cases they happen to also be Australians!
When I was a correspondent in the US I interviewed Hugh
a fair bit. He was so generous with his time, so entertaining,
informative and nice! He can do it all – song and
dance man, serious actor and can hold an
intelligent conversation. Hugh Jackman is
my kind of man!”

seems to happen. But it’s the world’s poorest because I never dated that much. I was so focused over the years as a
nations that often have the most generous people on work, which always came first for a long time. correspondent.
with a great outlook on life. Because I didn’t have a girlfriend I think people This is our travel
For the LGBTI community, the Orlando assumed I was gay. But it didn’t really concern me issue. What’s your
massacre was like a stab to our hearts. Did you and I took it as a compliment. favourite place to visit?
have to report on that story? What’s your porn name? (The name of your I really enjoy European countries because my
No, I was back in Australia on The Today Show, first pet and the street you grew up in.) family is European and I lived in England for
but one of the US correspondents covered it. My first pet was Rocky and my street was Summit, five years. I love going back to America, too,
There have been too many of these mass killings so Rocky Summit. That doesn’t sound too bad, because I lived there for three years. All these
and they keep happening. In America you have a hey? places feel like home and I know it’s a cliché but
country that is resistant to change its gun culture Does that mean that you and Karl have the I love Paris, and the big European cities such as
and as long as that doesn’t change these things same porn name? Berlin and St Petersburg. I love the Middle East,
are going to happen. People from all kinds of No, because Karl’s older than me and there were a too. There’s a wild kind of energy there, with a
communities are going to be affected. No matter few other pets before I came along. I think he had strong and interesting history. Beirut is one of
who the victims are, we all feel it. a dog named Red before Rocky, so his porn name my favourite cities. It’s the Paris of the Middle
How close do you think Australia is to legalising may very well be Red Summit, but I think mine East with a beautiful culture, and it’s parked on
same-sex marriage? sounds way better! the Mediterranean.
I hope it’s just around the corner because that’s When you arrived home from overseas, you Who’s the most famous person you’ve met?
what’s right. Frank Ocean sang a lyric in one of were greeted by a flash-mob of screaming girls. Over the years I’ve interviewed a lot of A-listers
his songs, “I don’t believe that marriage should be Please explain? doing the celebrity beat in Los Angeles, but I met
between man and woman, it should be between That was my brother, again. Karl’s never too far the Queen and Prince Phillip when I was invited
love and love,” and I like that lyric because I feel away in my life. He hired a band and a rent-a- to Buckingham Palace. The Queen has a very
it’s correct. crowd for when I came home in 2015. I arrived strong handshake! I dropped my pavlova on the red
We all love Frank. feeling a bit tired and noticed something was odd carpet, leaving a big stain. I was kind of roused on
And I love his music. It’s rare for a mainstream when the Qantas flight attendants were escorting by the minders. I guess I was so bloody nervous
hip-hop artist to come out, but he was the first big me to the airport exit. I thought, “This is really and excited to meet the Queen.
name in recent years. great service.” Then, low and behold, when the Your brother Karl also did this interview and
Who is your music diva? doors opened, a band started up, there were we called him Current Affairs Cowboy. Surely
I know my brother said George Michael and I’d “Welcome Home Pete” signs with the crowd and you’re the Current Affairs Commando?
probably agree with that because when we were cameras. When I look back it’s pretty funny. I’ve I’ll buy that! Current Affairs Commando works!
growing up we used to listen to his album Listen got to hand it to him. Speaking of commando… jocks, fitted boxers
Without Prejudice all the time. You recently became engaged to Today host or commando?
You were, in fact, listening without prejudice? Sylvia Jeffreys, and you’re moving to 60 I’m a boxer briefs man. I like some tight comfort.
Yeah, absolutely. We grew up in Cairns and there Minutes. It looks like a busy year ahead. Especially working on the frontline!
weren’t many people around who were listening I’m looking forward to 60 Minutes. Growing up, I That’s right!
to George Michael. In fact, we might have been it! watched the show and thought they had the most
But that doesn’t matter, we enjoyed it. amazing adventures. I always thought it would
MORE: 60 Minutes is on Channel Nine on
Have you ever been mistaken as gay? be great to work there. It means more travel, Sundays. Hack In A Flak Jacket is available online
I think some of my friends thought I was gay but I’ll get to use the experience I’ve learned and in stores.

DNA 51
TRAVEL /

THE PRINCESS TRAVEL DIARIES

“I have always known my partner was a bit of a princess,” says Mathieu
Cordonnier, long-suffering boyfriend of DNA’s Grooming Guru, Will Fennell. But
will backpacking together on a budget bring out the princess in them both?

52 DNA
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY MATHIEU
CORDONNIER
PHOTOGRAPHY WILL FENNELL

L
et’s be honest, Will is not a natural
traveller. When I mention dinner at a
friends’ place who doesn’t live within
the gaybourhood he asks me if he needs
his passport. And don’t even get me started
on public transport. If I even dare mention
the words “bus” or “train” I get a face not
unlike Rihanna’s when watching Taylor Swift
accepting yet another American Music Award.
So, when I suggested to Will, “Let’s go
backpacking for a year,” he raised his left
eyebrow and smirked, which I can only
translate as, “Baby, I love you, but not
that much.”
To his credit, he did ask me what
backpacking meant before saying no.
After a year of relentless whining (I’m
French, so it wasn’t that tedious. Whining
is a bit of a national sport in my country),
and the promise of a complete The North
Face backpacking outfit “make-over”, he
finally agreed.
Six months later and after selling our
life’s possessions on Craigslist to finance the
adventure we were on our way to Sydney
airport to start our voyage. The plan was
simple. First we would head to Southeast
Asia, then make our way to Europe and spend
Christmas with my family in France, and
travel onwards from there.
The rules were simple. One year, tight
budget, low-cost flights, public transport,
communal dorms in cheap backpackers’
hostels and cover as much of Asia and Europe
as we could. In a nutshell, we would live out
of a backpack for over a year.
When Will started listing the beauty
“essentials” he refused to live without,
I laughed to myself and thought,
“Girlfriend, whatever you want, but I ain’t
gonna carry your shit.”
Needless to say, upon our departure his
backpack weighed 2.5kg more than mine and
he was already asking me to carry stuff for
him! Simple… in French we say, “Non!” >>

DNA 53
TRAVEL /

INDONESIA: THE BEGINNING

>> I’d started selling the dream by making
him watch Eat, Pray, Love and, as a result, we
decided that the first stop would be Ubud in
Bali. We were both dreaming of the pristine rice
paddies and laid-back atmosphere as depicted
in the movie. That’s how it was when I had
experienced it ten years ago.
Little did we know that Ubud had become a
victim of its own success. Of course, the rice
paddies are still there but the laid-back atmosphere
and the quiet vibe we expected were definitely
M.I.A. This once quiet little town famous for its
yoga retreats and art galleries has become overrun
by tourism. The two weeks we intended spending
there turned into a few short days and we quickly
made our way back to Seminyak for a couple of
nights – sampling the local gay bars, mostly.
Kuta, Legian and Seminyak are at the heart of
the action on the island of Bali and are as famous
for their vibrant nightlife as they are for their
beautiful beaches. It is busy – some would say too
busy – loud and exciting. If you ever make your
way there, don’t miss the world-class sunset from
Kuta Beach, while sipping a few cocktails.
After a few relaxing days and not-so relaxing
nights out, Will’s introduction to real public
transport began. We left at 5am for a nine-hour
trip that included two minivan rides on tortuous
roads and a four-hour trip in a boat on the high
seas. We were headed to Lombok to climb
Mount Rinjani.
The trek up the volcano, peaking at 3,700
metres, would take us three days and two nights.
I’ll quickly mention the part where I got food
poisoning the night before the trip to Lombok, lost
my phone on the boat and ripped my shorts in rage
– I blamed their large pockets for the loss.
It took some serious self-control not to react
when the boyfriend asked me, after all my
troubles, standing half naked with the ripped
shorts in hand, if he could take a photo of me,
saying, “Who’s the princess now?”
Later, in the middle of the night, the gloating
boyfriend woke me up screaming (squealing,
really) because, according to him, a rat the size of
a schnauzer was eating our provisions for the trek
that he had stored on the bedside table. I obviously
couldn’t resist. While I was chasing that cute little
mouse around the room, Will was on the bed
trembling like an elephant in a cartoon. “There is
Matt attempts his casual sexy justice in this world… princess,” I remarked, casually.
thing. Is he succeeding, readers?
After a good night’s sleep (for me anyway, Will
kept fearing Mickey Mouse would return for his

54 DNA
croissant), we got up to start the climb.
The first day, nine hours of steep walking,
got us to Base Camp One at some 2,700
metres, where we spent the night in our
tent. The following day required a very
early start – 3am – to climb the remaining
1,000 metres to the summit, in the dark,
on a very steep and narrow path made of
volcanic rocks and sand. We arrived at the
summit in time to watch the sun rise over
the Indian Ocean. I promise, this is a view
we will never forget.
The rules were simple.
The rest of the day, as well as day One year, tight budget,
three, were even more difficult. At one
point I asked Will if he was enjoying the
low-cost flights, public
experience. He removed his earphones transport, communal
and gave me the death stare. Only dorms in cheap
backpackers’ hostels…
vintage pop music blasting direct into
his ear was getting him though: Kylie’s Mount Rinjani at dawn:
Locomotion, I believe. It was hard, but worth the hike.
worth all the effort.
Following the trek, we took a boat to the
Gili Islands. The archipelago, composed BALI MUST-DO LIST:
of three tiny islands small enough to walk • Enjoy a cocktail while watching the
around in less than two hours, is famous sunset from La Plancha in Seminyak.
for partying and beautiful beaches. As • Visit Bali Joe, the busiest gay bar on
soon as we got to the first island, the the island.
boyfriend put his foot down. Actually, it • Trek Mount Rinjani to the summit.
would be more correct to say he had a • Sunbathe, relax and drink on the Gili
tantrum, and insisted we blow the budget Islands.
and book into a proper resort. After
three days of walking up and down in
the wilderness, no toilets, questionably USEFUL TIPS:
weatherproof tents and dodgy smelling • Get the Lonely Planet travel guide,
sleeping bags, I didn’t put up much of Southeast Asia On A Shoestring.
a fight. So we spent four days in a nice It’s full of good recommendations
hotel, private room, king-size bed, daily and advice on how to travel through
housekeeping and air-con. Will and Matt with actual “backpacks”. Indonesia.
Finally, after a month on the road, it felt
like a holiday. The following week was • Eat street food as often as you can.
spent sunbathing, snorkelling and sipping Chances are, you won’t get food
cocktails watching amazing sunsets. Well, poisoning (which I got from a proper
less than a week if you include the first restaurant) and it’s yummier and
two days spent in bed with legs so sore we cheaper.
could barely move.
Once we were back on our feet, quite • No need to look for dorms.
literally, we headed back to Bali to take Accommodation is cheap in Indonesia,
our flight to Thailand, the second stop on even when travelling solo. Single
our year-long backpacking adventure. rooms are very affordable.
The Princesses Travel Diaries will be
continued. • Avoid local alcohol. Whatever you
drink, insist on top-shelve or famous
The torn shorts: who’s a
brands. This will limit the magnitude
MORE: Find Mathieu Cordonnier on
Instagram @mat_cordo princess now? of your hangover.

DNA 55
FITNESS / with Justin Dulihanty

Am I F*ck-able?
LET’S CUT TO THE CHASE. YOUR ATTRACTIVENESS TO OTHERS ISN’T JUST ABOUT THE SIZE OF
YOUR PECS. YOUR EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING COUNT, TOO. BUT BUILDING A BETTER
BODY CAN HELP KICK START THE JOURNEY.

O ne of the most challenging things I’ve

ever done was be completely honest
with myself about my insecurities. Often
it’s not until we’ve reached breaking point, where
So, right now I want to challenge you. Look
at yourself in the mirror. What do you see? Be
completely naked, physically and emotionally,
and ask yourself the absolute truth. Am I worthy
The beauty of building your physique is that
it will have a positive carry-over affect on your
mental and emotional life. These three areas have
a close relationship and speak to each other, so
you have no choice, that we examine our lives in of happiness? Am I loveable? And am I fuck- when we improve one we improve all.
this way. That’s certainly how it was for me. able? The answer to all of the above is yes, but if Let’s have a closer look at how this works.
It was only by taking that scary, first step of you’re standing there with your self-worth in the When we improve our body image we begin
self-reflection, and then making a commitment gutter, then read on. to feel good about ourselves via two pathways:
to daily, diligent work, that I was able to pull my At this point we need to roll up our sleeves by what we see in the mirror, and in the simple
self-esteem out of the rubbish bin. I was able to and get to work on you, so that we can fast track fact that we’re making good progress. The
change the recurring negative soundtrack playing getting your pants down around your ankles! compliments we receive from friends and
in my head that told me things like, “I am not Getting to a healthy state of mind is external validation from others helps us begin to
worthy of receiving, I am not loveable, I am not multilayered. It requires work on the inside and think differently about ourselves. It may sound
good not enough.” out to be completely whole and happy. I’m a firm superficial but who cares if it works to improve
These negative thoughts are the result of faulty believer in working evenly on these three facets of self-esteem? People see a new energy in you, a
programming during early years of emotional health: physical, mental and emotional. new confidence in the way you walk, talk, how
development. They can lead us to choosing you carry yourself and interact. This will make
emotionally unavailable or abusive partners, people naturally gravitate toward you and want
bad sex, and drug and alcohol dependence that to be around you. You will be more attractive to
distracts us from our dark feelings and emotions.
We’d rather be running life in the fast lane, We need to roll up our them, which then elevates your “market value”.
Once it was about the guy you fucked being
stoned off our tits and in chaotic relationships sleeves and get to work the trophy – now, all of a sudden, you realise that

so we can get your

with people who treats us like shit, than be alone you are the trophy. I want to provide you with
in silence, feeling depressed and dead inside. some simple mind-set tools you can use to make
I hope you are reading this before you have
reached that desperate point, but I’m conscious
pants down around yourself more fuck-able today!

you may have already arrived. If so, welcome your ankles! So, are you ready to become more fuck-able?
brother. You and I are on this journey together. Find out more and join me on Projectgetlaid.com.
You’re not alone. I’m right behind you. Pain and See you there.
growth are inversely related, so congratulations In this piece, I want to focus on the easiest of
on reaching your highest growth point disguised the three to control – the physical. It’s the easiest
as your greatest pain. This is where your story because it’s tangible. You can physically control MORE: Connect with Justin at Projectgetlaid.
com or The Alpha Plan (www.thealphaplan.com)
can change if you’re willing to take the step. lifting a weight. You can physically control the
Part of being human is accepting what we foods you put in your mouth. :
consider to be our deficits, and being comfortable Mental and emotional development requires If this story has raised issues for you, contact:
knowing we are not good at everything. No one that your beliefs change, and I’m not qualified Lifeline Australia Tel: 13 11 14.
is. We all have different skills and qualities we to assist with that. If you feel you need to
Beyond Blue Australia: 1300 22 4636
can be proud of and we all have weaknesses make those changes I recommend you find a beyondblue.org.au
that make us unique and human. It’s vital that professional counsellor and the best place to start
we catch ourselves from using shameful talk in is with your GP or a phone counselling service. Make an appointment with your GP.
the daily chatter taking place in our heads. We But I can help you build the physical strength that Google: “Professional counselling in my
can be our own worst enemy, constantly putting will help grow your esteem and in turn help build area”
ourselves down. that inner strength.

56 DNA
 Am I F*ck-able?
CHECKLIST
1. STOP PEOPLE PLEASING
If you’re a natural people-pleaser and
constantly put others ahead of yourself, stop!
No one respects a pushover. You lose your
power and your sex appeal immediately.
Know and own your worth. You’re better
than being treated as someone’s doormat

2. WRITE DOWN 10 THINGS YOU

RESPECT AND ADMIRE ABOUT
YOURSELF
They have to be simple: no over-the-top stuff
your subconscious doesn’t believe. They
have to be personal, meaning, they cannot
have anything to do with helping or pleasing
someone else. They must be positive. “I’m
really good at bullying workmates,” doesn’t
count. Find your 10 positive attributes and
read them every morning and night out loud.
You are talking to the little boy who never felt
lovable or valued. If you struggle finding 10,
refer to the footnote at the end of this story.

3. LIVE LIFE ON YOUR TERMS

Identify your non-negotiable values and
begin living by them. Being swayed by
external influences or people will only talk
negatively to your integrity. If it isn’t deeply
true for you, then don’t do it. Stick to your
guns and live on your terms. You are on this
planet for you. Let’s live that way. Being a
man of integrity is sexy!

4. HAVE SELF RESPECT

The fact that you are on this planet makes
you a miracle, end of story. You are worthy
of being treated with respect. That starts
with you in order for others to follow. Brush
your teeth, do your hair, dress proud, smell
good and rock the streets like you have a
pair. People will treat you how you treat
yourself. Let’s step up our game here.

5. COMMIT TO DAILY DILIGENT WORK

Changing thoughts and beliefs is a
physiological process that requires a neural
pathway reroute in the brain. It’s like
changing your morning ritual or any other
GO TO JUSTIN’S
GET LAID WEBSITE
habit. At first it requires conscious effort
before it becomes built into your DNA.
You’ll feel discomfort initially, but that’s part
of healthy growth.
PHOTOGRAPHY
STUDIO CHRISTIAN SCOTT

DNA 57
MAKING HISTORY /

THE FIRST… AT LAST!

Chansey Paech is 29, a proud Territorian first hand the work Labor has done to improve and remote locations.
and the first out gay Indigenous person living conditions for my people, and for all You’ve got a huge electorate. Tell us about
elected to a parliament in Australia. “It’s people living in the country. Namatjira and its people.
very exciting, and I wear it with pride,” Did you have heroes or role models from the Namatjira is about the size of Germany. It has
the new Labor MP for the huge Northern Indigenous world or from the gay world? a population of between five to eight thousand,
Territory electorate of Namatjira told DNA Yes, an Aboriginal lady named Pat Turner played scattered vastly across the land mass. It’s
when we called to congratulate him. “It’s a strong role inspiring me. I’ve always been roughly around 75 to 77 per cent Indigenous.
an honour, and comes with a very big impressed with Senator [Penny] Wong, and think So I felt it was important to have Indigenous
responsibility!” Interview by Matt Akersten. she’s been a great role model for members of the representation in the assembly, and that people
LGBTI community. understood the cultural connections to country.
Arriving in your new role as a local MP, has I wanted to make sure that as a government we
DNA: What inspired you to get into politics? anything surprised you about politics so far? were building capacity for people to make their
Chansey Paech: For me, getting involve Well, there ain’t no party like the Labor Party! own decisions, and play a role in shaping the
was very natural. My family have always The people who work in this movement are future with self-determination.
been involved in what I call “black politics” passionate, committed and fun. But my time As a member of the Northern Territory
– board membership of the local grassroots as a local member so far has been filled with Parliament, whose seat is mostly a bush
community organisations. My grandparents memorable and important experiences. I’m very electorate, I’m constantly travelling vast
were big supporters of trade unions and the fortunate to have, both federally and in the NT, distances to meet and listen to constituents and
Labor movement. I saw the difference that a group of Labor members who support equality their concerns. I’m confident we will bring
Labor governments brought to the rest of the in both the Aboriginal and LGBTI contexts, and the issues of housing, health, education and
community when they were in power. I witnessed care about the living conditions of people in rural the environment to the parliament. Economic

58 DNA
empowerment is also very important because it
lays the foundations to ensure that my people –
our First Nations people – continue the path to
self-determination. It’s critical.
Everyone must be included if we are to succeed
as a nation. We need to make sure that, with
everything we do, we look at how it affects the lives
of all people. Fortunately, the Territory is quite an
inclusive society. We must keep it that way and
make sure we stay on track for a brighter future.
I’m quite a progressive person and I sit to
the left in the factions of the Labor Party. My
view is that as a nation we need to get with
the times and have a contemporary approach
to overcoming polices that exclude people for
Chansey with Northern Territory Chief
ridiculous reasons – which should never have Minister, Michael Gunner and MPs.
been allowed to be considered or implemented.
Marriage equality remains an issue for me,
and I intend to remain a vocal and a strong Well, I had always known I was gay. I came It’s our role as members of the state and territory
supporter of it in the Territory and nationally, out in my late teens. I thought I’d better let legislators to make sure that the pressure
but there are other issues as well. people know. Of course, there’s always a level of continues to be put on the Federal Government.
Such as? anxiety, but it’s also a very rewarding experience. I’m still hopeful that, in the near future, the
In some areas, lesbian and gay parents are able In the end, I knew this is who I am, and I’m not Labor party will work with the other members of
to foster children but not adopt. I want to make going to deny myself the right to live the life I the Parliament to put forward marriage equality
sure that I’m part of advocating for changes on want to live. legislation. It shouldn’t be an issue in this day
a national stage. We’ve got a great opportunity and age.
to be bold and leave discriminating policies and Lastly, no trip to Darwin is complete without
laws for the history books. a visit to Throb nightclub. Have you been?
The Federal Government is grappling with I am young, I am gay, I certainly have! I’ve kicked up my heels there

I am black. I’m a true

hate speech laws. What’s your opinion on once or twice. If you get the opportunity, it’s
freedom of speech versus cracking down on definitely worthwhile. The Territory LGBTI
racism and homophobia?
I still struggle to understand why people would
blue Territorian. community is a wonderful, inclusive, diverse
community. They come in all shapes and sizes
want to water down those laws. They were put and colours. I’m very happy and proud to be part
in place to ensure that attacks on a person or a I told my parents first, then my other relatives, of that community.
group based on a range of attributes – gender, and then my friends. For some of my family it was And the future?
ethnic origin, race or sexuality – weren’t allowed a relief. They said, “Thank God you’ve done it, For me it’s simple. As a member of Parliament
to happen. I don’t support any view that would we’ve been waiting.” Others in my family needed I’m here to highlight the issues for Aboriginal
allow those kinds of things to be spoken. I don’t to take a bit of time to process and work things and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTI
tolerate it in my personal life, I don’t tolerate it in out. But all-in-all it was a very positive experience. people, and people living in remote parts of the
my professional life, and I’m quite comfortable I’ve been fortunate to have an extended family who territory. I’m confident and I’m hopeful that
with calling it out whenever I see it happen. It’s want me to have the same rights as everybody else. more members of the LGBTI community – and
not okay. My mum is a very strong advocate of mine. Now young, gay Aboriginal people – will come into
During your campaign, did being gay ever she puts the pressure on me to find someone to Australia’s Parliament. I know a few already
become an issue? settle down with and have a kid! who would make fantastic representatives when
Oh, yes, certainly. My sexuality wasn’t an issue Do you have any advice for people about they’re ready to run.
for me, and it wasn’t an issue for my constituents, coming out? Finally, will you be in Sydney for Mardi Gras?
but it was an issue for other candidates. There Remember, there’s always someone there, Yes! I’m looking forward to walking in the
was a bit of smearing and hate speech – “Don’t whether it’s friends or family, or even Parade with a large Labor team from right across
vote for him because he’s gay,” which backfired organisations who are there to help members of the country. I think that’ll be very special. We’ll
because people in the community were saying, our community do it. You never have to do these be reassuring our communities, nationwide, that
“We don’t care that he’s gay, we just want better things alone. we’re here and we’re supportive of them!
houses and better resources.” Now that the plebiscite’s been blocked, what
What was it like coming out to your family, do you think is the next step towards marriage MORE: You can keep up with the latest news
friends and local community? equality? from Chansey Paech on Twitter at @CPaech.

DNA 59
 The
Twisted
Gay
Man
Who
Made
Donald
Trump

60 DNA
 / NEWS FEATURE

On October 16, 1973 the public first

met Donald J Trump with the headline
“Major Landlord Accused Of Anti-
Black Bias” splashed across the cover
of the New York Times.
For the next two decades, Trump
was represented by Roy Cohn, a
closeted gay, right-wing lawyer who
taught him all the tricks that would
A rare image of
later help him lie, intimidate and Cohn and Trump
bully his way into the US Presidency. together, possibly
at the opening of
Feature by Andrew M Potts. Trump Tower.

I
n 1973 a 27-year-old Donald Trump, fresh in Cohn also called up the head of the Justice claiming that the payout was only “a small fraction
the public eye, needed a lawyer and fast. Department’s civil rights division and demanded of the potential award,” adding that he would have
Managing his father’s property empire of that the lawyer who had brought the case be fired. liked to continue fighting the case had he not won
more than 14,000 apartments across the New York The threat was not well received, but they knew the election. In actuality, it’s unlikely that the total
boroughs of Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island Trump and Cohn meant business now. pay-out to students would have been more than $15
had landed him in hot water with the US Justice The judge eventually dismissed the million had he proceeded and lost the case.
Department over allegations that his company had countersuit as a waste of time and the Trump Looking back over four decades, Tony Schwartz,
violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating Management Corporation settled the case with the ghost writer of Trump’s bestseller The Art Of
against African-American renters. the Justice Department two years later – but The Deal, sees the 1973 case and his involvement
After receiving complaints, the Justice Trump avoided any admission of personal with Cohn as a pivotal moment for Trump that
Department had sent white and black “testers” culpability in the agreement. shaped the man we see today.
to apply to rent apartments in more than a dozen “This is a classic example of where Trump begins
buildings owned by the Trump Management to demonstrate something he talks about all the
Corporation and found that black applicants time today, which is that he’s a counterpuncher,”
were either falsely told that apartments were
no longer available when they applied to rent A lesser-known Schwartz told PBS’ Frontline in July.
“Somebody comes after him and says that he’s
them or were offered different rental terms and element… and one done something nefarious and horrible, and he

that harmed far more

conditions to whites. just goes back at them with all guns blazing – you
“The government contended that Trump know, boom, boom, boom. And admits nothing,
Management had refused to rent or negotiate rentals
‘because of race and colour,’” the New York Times
people was the witch- never admit anything, never say you made a
mistake, just keep coming. And if you lose, declare
reported in October of that year. hunt conducted against victory. And that’s exactly what happened there.
“The company... had misrepresented to blacks
that apartments were not available.” homosexuals. He lost as clearly as you could lose but he loudly
proclaimed his victory.”
Trump’s response to the charges? “They are Three years later Trump was back in court
absolutely ridiculous,” he told the Times. “We never after the Justice Department charged Trump
have discriminated, and we never would.” Trump claimed the settlement as a victory to Management for continuing to discriminate against
Trump had just 20 days to respond to the Justice the New York Times because it did not require the black applicants and Cohn was by his side again.
Department’s charges against the company. He Trump Management Corporation to “accept persons Cohn told the Times that the case was “nothing
turned to the notorious anti-communist witch- on welfare as tenants unless as qualified as any more than a rehash of complaints by a couple of
hunter turned New York power lawyer, Roy Cohn. other tenant”. planted malcontents,” while Trump claimed to
Trump first met Cohn at the exclusive Le Club on Forty-one years later, after winning the 2016 US be the victim, calling the investigation a “form of
New York’s East Side where both were members. election, Trump would claim another settlement as horrible harassment”.
Cohn advised Trump to hit back hard against the a victory – agreeing to pay $25 million to former Cohn would represent Trump for thirteen
government with a countersuit demanding $100 Trump University students to avoid having to stand years through the ’70s and ’80s, becoming his
million dollars – a ridiculous sum of money in the trial while holding the office of the President. closest friend and advisor and, when needed,
1970s: over half-a-billion in today’s dollars. Trump spun the settlement as a win on Twitter, his attack dog. >>

DNA 61
NEWS FEATURE /

>> Barbara Res, the construction engineer and protégé had soured. appointed to the New York Supreme Court by
that Trump appointed to his signature Trump Cohn had been at the February 1983 opening Franklin Roosevelt. His father is remembered as a
Tower development in Manhattan, recalls Trump party for Trump Tower, Trump’s first great business gentle and reserved man and it appears his mother
keeping a black-and-white photo of Cohn’s success and the one he built his reputation on, but was the bigger influence on Roy’s young life.
sneering face in a drawer in his office that he Trump did not speak at the funeral of the man he Described as overbearing, when Roy attended his
would use to intimidate people, telling them that had once publically called his “greatest friend”. He first summer camp she stayed in a nearby hotel the
if they didn’t come to an agreement on his terms just stood at the back of the room. whole time. In turn, Roy would live with his mother
then that was the face they were going to be The New York artist and celebrity party crasher in the family home until her death in 1967. Justice
confronted with in court. Richard Osterweil would later quip that those who Cohn had died eight years prior.
Cohn was quoted in his own obituary in the had attended Cohn’s funeral had done so “because Roy attended exclusive private schools in The
New York Times as saying of himself, “my scare they wanted to make sure he was really dead”. In Bronx before enrolling at Columbia College.
value is high”. Graduating from the
“My area is controversy. Columbia Law School
My tough front is my aged just 20, he had to
biggest asset. I don’t write wait until his 21st birthday
polite letters. I don’t like before he could be
to plea-bargain. I like to admitted to the bar.
fight. You might want a Cohn’s father was
nice gentle fight, but once influential in the
you get in the ring and Democratic Party and
take a couple of pokes, it Cohn Senior used his
gets under your skin. influence to obtain a
“It’s fair to say that in position for his son in the
an adversary situation office of United States
I’ve got one role – to win Attorney Irving Saypol in
for my client. Law is an his Manhattan office.
adversary profession. The alliance between
But within the bounds the United States and
which are permitted, the USSR had quickly
most lawyers are Caspar deteriorated following
Milquetoasts [a reference the end of World War
to a softly spoken cartoon II when it became clear
character]. They don’t that the Russians were
realize that they are in a not going to give up their
fight. To them, a lawsuit is military gains in Europe.
nothing more than going At the start of the war the
to court, then going out to Communist Party of the
lunch with your adversary. United States of America
To me it’s serious Robert Mapplethorpe’s 1981 boasted of a hundred-
business.” portrait of Roy Cohn. thousand members and
Cohn handled the by the 1950s still claimed
prenuptial agreement for as many as 50,000
Trump’s first marriage in 1977, though he advised reality, the room was full of the great and powerful: members. In this growing Cold War between
Trump against getting married at all, saying it relationships and connections Cohn had cultivated Russia and America, the fear of Soviet agents
would only lead to “trouble” down the track. The over nearly four decades in the glare of the public and their sympathisers on American soil became
contract stipulated that Ivana Trump would have to spotlight while living a double life in the shadows. a source of great concern for the public and
return any gifts that Trump gave her during their political leaders alike.
marriage were the couple to split and that she would BIRTH OF A COLD WAR As an Assistant US Attorney under Saypol,
only be entitled to $20,000 a year in alimony. After WARRIOR Cohn was soon helping to secure convictions, and
Ivana filed for divorce in 1991 and sued for a bigger Cohn was born to an observant Jewish family in headlines, in a number of highly publicised trials
share of Trump’s wealth, Trump said that those the New York borough of The Bronx on February of Soviet agents. Cohn prosecuted 11 members
terms had been Cohn’s idea. 30, 1927, the only child of Dora and Albert C Cohn of the American Communist Party Politburo
Cohn was not there to represent Trump in 1991. – the then-First Assistant District Attorney for for preaching the violent overthrow of the US
He died from an AIDS-related illness in August of Bronx County. Government, and William Remington, a former
1986, and by then the relationship between mentor When Roy was just two years old Albert was Commerce Department employee who was

62 DNA
accused of being a Soviet asset by KGB defector Cohn and McCarthy attempted to stir up further Cohn and Gerard David Schine were both Jewish
Elizabeth Bentley. anti-Communist fervour in the US by claiming that New Yorkers who shared the same birth year and
However, perhaps the most high-profile case that overseas Communist agents had already convinced the pair became fast friends.
Cohn was involved in while at the office of the several closeted homosexual employees of the As McCarthy’s chief counsel, Cohn brought
United States Attorney was the trial and execution federal government to pass on secrets in exchange Schine into McCarthy’s office as an unpaid
of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The Rosenbergs for keeping their sexuality under wraps. “chief consultant”. The pair then embarked on
had been accused of being Communist agents By the end of the Democratic Administration of a lavish, tax-payer funded, “research tour” of
and of receiving classified documents from the President Harry Truman, the US State Department Europe in 1953.
Manhattan Project that were of value to the Soviet reported that it had fired 425 employees over Theodore Kaghan, Deputy Director of the
nuclear weapons program. Their accuser, Ethel’s allegations of homosexuality. Public Affairs Division in the Office of the US
brother David Greenglass, later claimed that he The following Republican administration of High Commissioner for Germany, labelled the
had lied in order protect himself and his wife Ruth, President Dwight D Eisenhower went even further, pair “junketeering gumshoes” over the jaunt. In
and that the prosecution had encouraged him to signing Executive Order 10450 in April of 1953 that response, Cohn and McCarthy accused Kaghan of
do so. Cohn later claimed that it was his personal completely banned homosexuals from obtaining being a security risk.
recommendation to Judge Irving Kaufman that the jobs in the federal government. Later that year Schine was drafted into the
couple be given the death penalty that had seen Homosexual panic was now a bipartisan part of United States Army as a private and Cohn
them sent to the electric chair – an accomplishment American politics. Executive Order 10450 would immediately began trying to apply his influence
that he remained proud of for the rest of his life. stay in place until 1995 when it was replaced by to have Schine promoted and given special
Cohn’s involvement in the Rosenberg trial President Bill Clinton with the policy of “Don’t privileges, such as being able to leave his military
brought him to the attention of FBI director J Edgar Ask, Don’t Tell” under which the government base at night and being exempted from being
Hoover who, history now suspects, was himself would no longer actively seek to identify assigned overseas.
a closeted gay man and in a relationship with his homosexual employees as long as they did not Cohn’s actions provoked a push back from the
second-in-command at the FBI, Clyde Tolson. identify themselves. Army and he was charged with using improper
pressure to influence the army and an investigation
THE LAVENDER SCARE was launched into the affair. Cohn hit back,
Senator Joe McCarthy hired Cohn for his Senate claiming the Army was holding Schine as a kind
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on
Hoover’s recommendation, choosing him over Donald pisses ice water. of hostage in order to stop his Commission’s
investigations into Communists and their
future Democratic Presidential candidate and sympathisers in the armed forces.
United States Attorney General, Robert Kennedy. The hearings were broadcast on television and
The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Former US Senator Alan K Simpson wrote in the resulted in Schine and Cohn appearing on the
was initially formed to look into corruption around prologue of the 2013 book Dying For McCarthy’s cover of Time magazine in 1954 under the banner
World War II military contracts but, under Senator Sins that the homosexual victims of this period “McCarthy And His Men”.
McCarthy’s leadership, it quickly became a vehicle of American history have been severely forgotten There had been gay rumours about Cohn and
for investigations into espionage and subversion in comparison to the other witch-hunt trials of McCarthy as well, with the playwright Lillian
with a particular focus on Communists and McCarthyism such as the Hollywood blacklists of Hellman nicknaming the threesome “Bonnie,
homosexuals in the government. the House Un-American Activities Committee. Bonnie and Clyde” after the infamous bisexual
In the mind of the American public in the 1950s, “The so-called Red Scare has been the main outlaws of the 1930s. Whether Cohn was successful
homosexuality and Communism were seen as focus of most historians of that period of time,” in bedding Schine is debatable, and Schine went
intrinsically linked and as threats to the family and Senator Simpson wrote. “A lesser-known element… on to father six children before his death in a
the American way of life. and one that harmed far more people was the plane crash in 1996. But the Schine Affair was
On April 19, 1950, the Republican National witch-hunt McCarthy and others conducted against the beginning of the end of Cohn’s career in
Chairman Guy George Gabrielson warned homosexuals.” government and he resigned from McCarthy’s staff
that “sexual perverts who have infiltrated our soon after the hearings.
government in recent years [are] perhaps as THE SCHINE AFFAIR However, leaving government and embarking
dangerous as the actual Communists”. During this same period, rumours about Cohn’s on a career as a high-profile New York attorney
In May that year a report in the New York own homosexuality began to stir when he showed with the firm that eventually became known as
Times estimated there could be as many as a special interest in advancing the career of Saxe, Bacon And Bolan, Cohn did not lose his
three-and-a-half thousand “deviates” working David Schine, a handsome blond student who had interest in politics.
in branches of the federal government. Not only written a six-page anti-Communist pamphlet and Despite being a lifelong registered Democrat
were homosexuals felt to be more likely to have had copies placed in every room in his family’s like his father before him he maintained close
Communist sympathies but they were viewed as chain of hotels. ties with political conservatism, serving as an
easy targets for blackmail by Soviet agents and The pamphlet drew the attention of Time informal advisor to both Richard Nixon and
thus posed a greater security risk. magazine and Schine was introduced to Cohn Ronald Reagan and supporting Republican
During this so-called “Lavender Scare” period, through the newspaper columnist George Sokolsky. candidates in election races. >>

DNA 63
NEWS FEATURE /

THE PRIVATE LIFE AND DEATH OF sole came off. I was dragging my foot so I wouldn’t wouldn’t stop bleeding. When he went to the hospital
ROY COHN go flop-flop, and Roy said, ‘I want you to meet the they removed two growths plus something from
Over the next 30 years Cohn represented figures President and Mrs Reagan.’ The President was very his leg. Another growth on his ear was found to
as diverse as mafia bosses Tony Salerno, Carmine warm. He was probably so nice to me because he be malignant. Cohn was diagnosed with AIDS by
Galante and John Gotti, The Roman Catholic thought I was handicapped. This poor boy dragging doctors at the National Institutes of Health in October
Archdiocese of New York, Studio 54 owners Steve his foot.” of 1985. In less than a year he would be dead.
Rubell and Ian Schrager, and the New York Yankees Cohn would receive the Americanism Award The only people he told about his diagnosis were
baseball club, to name a few. at a Washington reception later that year and be Fraser and his business partner of 30 years, Tom Bolan.
Celebrity friends included Barbara Walters, congratulated by President Reagan via video. But Cohn managed to use his influence to muscle his
Estée Lauder, Calvin Klein, Andy Warhol, Norman Ronald Reagan is remembered by history as the US way to the head of the queue to be accepted into
Mailer, Bianca Jagger, Rupert Murdoch and, of president who dragged his heels in confronting the medical trials of the then-experimental HIV drug
course, Donald Trump. HIV epidemic – ignoring the problem as the bodies AZT and initially responded well to treatment.
However, while Cohn would never publicly piled up in the absence of effective treatments for Others would die waiting for the drug.
admit his homosexuality, there were a procession the virus. However, his doctors’ files record that, despite his
of handsome, much younger men that he would It wasn’t until a year after Cohn’s death – and diagnosis, he wasn’t ready to abstain from sex yet and in
introduce at social gatherings during the ’70s and two years after Hollywood actor Rock Hudson’s 1985 there was still much unknown about the disease.
’80s as “employees” of his law firm. – that his administration would finally take the “Reinforce need for celibate state [to patient],”
It is unclear at what age Cohn had become virus seriously by establishing the President’s the files read. “Caution against spread of
reconciled with his sexual orientation and began Commission on the HIV Epidemic. By that time disease… [Patient] stated somewhat reluctant to
having relationships with men or whether those 36,058 Americans had been diagnosed with HIV become celibate.”
relationships were solely monogamous. A guest at and 20,849 were already dead. The disease was Cohn did, however, show some interest in
one of his dinner parties in 1981 got the impression in 113 countries, with more than 50,000 cases protecting others. “Patient asked for information on
that both of the young “office boys” serving dinner worldwide. The vast majority of those people would sexual practices,” the files state. “I stated that the
were Cohn’s lovers. die from the virus. safest sex was none but if he wanted to have sex, he
Later, in the early ’80s, Roy introduced a would need to use condoms and especially inform
man named Russell Eldridge to relatives as his his partner that he had AIDS.”
“secretary.” Eldridge was 20 years his junior and After three weeks of treatment Cohn checked
had been Cohn’s errand boy for several years.
Despite his youth, Eldridge soon became sick, losing
Cohn was part of a himself out of the hospital and received a telegram
from the Reagans wishing him a speedy recovery.
23kg, and in 1984 Roy paid for him to be cared for clique of rich, white, “Nancy and I are keeping you in our thoughts and
in a private suite overlooking Central Park as he
slowly slipped away from AIDS. It’s unknown if it conservative gay men prayers. May our Lord bless you with courage and
strength. Take care and know that you have our
was from Eldridge that Cohn contracted HIV and who enjoyed lives of concern,” the message read.

privilege while others

there are conflicting accounts of the nature of their His recovery was not to last.
relationship but, within a year, Roy would have his Gossip about Cohn’s health soon began to spread
own diagnosis.
The most serious relationship in Cohn’s life, and
were literally fighting in the press. Someone must have recognised him
at the hospital and put two-and-two together. Cohn
the one we know the most about, was his last. Cohn and dying for their denied the rumours, saying he had liver cancer, but
met Peter Fraser, a young, blond New Zealander
with model looks at a party in Mexico. Fraser had rights. the New York Daily News reported that he was
“being treated by Dr Bijan Safai, whose field of
left a small farming community aged 19 to travel the expertise is Kaposi’s sarcoma, a form of AIDS.”
world, spending several years exploring the United Roy was reportedly heartbroken when Eldridge One night in January of 1986 Peter caught Cohn
States. Soon after meeting Cohn he moved into the died in January of 1985. He had been in Florida with trying to kill himself, fumbling with his pills in the
six-story New York townhouse on East 68th Street Peter and another friend, Ed Gillis. They flew back bathroom, but he was too weak to open the child-
where Cohn lived and worked. to New York the next day to arrange the funeral, proof bottles by himself and Peter convinced him to
Cohn began introducing Peter to his social circles which was held at Roy’s townhouse. come back to bed with him.
and eventually even introduced him to the then- “Roy didn’t cry, and he wasn’t about to cry,” Gillis In March of 1986 a visibly ill Cohn appeared on
President of the United States and First Lady at a told Life magazine in a 1988 interview. “He was 60 Minutes and was asked point blank by Mike
White House dinner. Cohn had taken to introducing angry but very reserved in his anger, and maybe Wallace – are you a homosexual and do you have
Peter as his “office manager” by this stage of the he just cursed the disease and talked about how he AIDS? “I’ll tell you categorically, I do not have
relationship although they shared a bed. had been trying to get somebody in the Office of AIDS,” he told Wallace. “Bachelor, unmarried,
“We went into a small room,” Fraser later recalled Management and Budget to increase funding for middle-aged… The stories [about me] go back to the
in 1988, “Several people were milling there. Roy research.” [McCarthy] days.”
said, ‘Why don’t you come meet a friend of mine?’ It was by accident that Cohn learned he, too, had He kept up the charade even with those in his life
As I was walking over, I scuffed my shoe and the the virus. One day he cut himself shaving and it who knew he was gay, telling one friend that he

64 DNA
would have jumped off a building if he thought he His relationship with Peter was not so ROY COHN’S LEGACY
had HIV. acknowledged. The New York Times’ obituary Until the election of Donald Trump to the US
Despite his failing health, Cohn had bought an simply recorded, “With him when he died there was Presidency, Roy Cohn’s greatest claim to fame was
Irish Wolfhound puppy for him and Peter to care his friend and aide, Peter Frazier [sic].” the fictionalised account of the end of his life as it
for together. He named the dog Disraeli, after the Cohn left everything to Peter and his business appeared in Tony Kushner’s 1992 play, and the later
Victorian-era Jewish Prime Minister of Britain and partner Tom Bolan but the IRS ordered all his television adaptation, Angels In America: A Gay
Conservative Party leader. assets to be frozen as it had brought tax evasion Fantasia On National Themes.
But it wasn’t all roses between Peter and Roy. charges against him claiming $7 million in back The play would win numerous awards including
Cohn had an old boyfriend, “Mark,” who he would taxes from the estate. Cohn had been battling with the 1993 and 1994 Tony Award for Best Play and
fly in from California every few months for a visit the government for over a quarter of a century in 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Roy Cohn was
behind Peter’s back. When confronted by Peter the courts over his tax arrangements and it took his played by Al Pacino in the HBO series – winning
when he’d find the plane tickets or travel agent bills, death for the tax man to finally triumph. him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor
Cohn’s response was always the same: “I’m dying… Veteran Republican political consultant and for his performance in 2003.
It may be the last time I see him.” Trump advisor Roger Stone would later say Cohn’s With Trump’s election, Cohn will be remembered
In June of the final year of his life, the New “absolute goal was to die completely broke and as the mentor of the least qualified person to ever
York State Supreme Court, the same one his father owing millions to the IRS. He succeeded in that.” hold the office of the President of the United States.
had been appointed to by the president all those Cohn’s contempt for paying tax has clearly been When President Trump comes up against obstacles,
years ago, finally disbarred Cohn over foreign and domestic, will he lead with
charges of mishandling clients’ funds, the Cohn counterpunch? Or will Trump
illegally using an escrow account and be able to moderate his behaviour and be
practicing “dishonesty, fraud, deceit and diplomatic, content with the satisfaction of
misrepresentation” over two decades. already having achieved his biggest con.
In the mid ’80s, while Trump was still Time will tell.
there for him, his friend had testified as From Cohn, Trump also learned his
a character witness as that legal battle litigiousness. Both Cohn and Trump
had begun, with Vanity Fair magazine have used the legal system to bully,
reporting that at one stage Trump and intimidate and coerce their creditors,
Cohn spoke as much as “15 or 20 times a foes and underlings. Over the past three
day” on the phone or in person. Al Pacino as
decades Trump and his businesses have
But Trump cut ties with Cohn when Roy Cohn in been involved in nearly 3,500 legal cases
rumours of his HIV diagnosis began to HBO’s Angels In in the US federal courts and state courts
America.
spread. Responding to the betrayal, Cohn – an unprecedented number for a US
reportedly said, “Donald pisses ice water.” presidential candidate. Trump, or one of
“I don’t know how he found out that Roy his companies, were plaintiffs in 1,900
was HIV-positive, and then it was like, boom, gone,” adopted by Trump. The New York Times reported and defendants in 1,450.There are still pending
Cohn’s long-time secretary Susan Bell would later last October that Trump has claimed business losses lawsuits against Trump and his empire. Will we see
recall of Trump. of $916 million dollars, which he believes exempts President Trump in court during his administration
That July, Cohn’s health seriously declined. He him from paying any tax for the next 18 years. This and will President Trump go down in history as the
couldn’t recognise the doctors or nurses who were claim is being examined by the IRS and US taxation president who sues?
caring for him. The only person he really recognised lawyers. Ultimately, Cohn will be remembered as part of a
was Peter. He soon lost the ability to speak and It is unclear how much from the estate Peter clique of rich, white, conservative gay and bisexual
relied on Peter to communicate his needs. ever received but, in 1988, he told one of Cohn’s men who walked the corridors of power at a pivotal
In the final days, as Roy slipped away, syndicated biographers, “Few people loved me and I certainly time in history, advancing their careers by stepping
columnist Jack Anderson obtained Cohn’s medical file loved him. He protected me.” on their own, allowing themselves to have private
and finally confirmed Cohn’s diagnosis to the public: President Reagan did not attend Cohn’s funeral, lives of privilege and hypocrisy and never lifting a
AIDS. Whether Cohn ever learned of this is unknown. though Cohn was buried wearing a pin of the finger while others were literally fighting and dying
Cohn died from cardio-pulmonary arrest and president on his suit. At the end of the service the for their rights.
dementia as a result of infection with the HTLV- four hundred gathered sang God Bless America, Republican political operative Roger Stone
3 strain of HIV on August 2, 1985 at 6am at the Cohn’s favourite song. summed Cohn up in a 2008 interview in The New
Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center of the While Cohn never publicly admitted he was Yorker magazine: “Roy was not gay.”
National Institutes of Health at the age of 59. Peter HIV-positive, a square in his name was later “He was a man who liked having sex with
sat beside him, holding his hand. Although he added anonymously to The Names Project’s AIDS men. Gays were weak, effeminate. He always
refused to acknowledge it publicly, his cause of Memorial Quilt. It simply read, “Roy Cohn: Bully, seemed to have these young blond boys around.
death from HIV was acknowledged in virtually Coward, Victim.” It just wasn’t discussed. He was interested in
every obituary the next day. power and access.” 

DNA 65
TRAVEL /

20 Best
Gay Travel
Destinations,
2017
Pack your snorkel. And your skis. And
your stock whip. And your cock ring!
There’s so much on the gay calendar for
2017 you’ll hardly be home at all.
Feature by Xax Judd.

66 DNA
London’s Hard On Club.

London
In the ’60s it was swinging. In the ’70s it was spitting
with punk fury. The ’80s was the time of the New
Romantics and the decade of the House music
explosion. London has always had its finger on the style
pulse and still does. Its thriving gay scene is centred in
the West End’s Soho around Old Compton Street, but
there are small hubs such as Vauxhall and ultra-trendy
Dalston. Of the dozens of shops and venues some of the
most interesting are the over-fifty-year-old LGBT pub,
the Royal Vauxhall Tavern; the hedonistic nightclub
Heaven; and alternative hangout, The Retro Bar.

London Pride, June 24–July 9.

The First Canada

Pride, Montreal,
August 10–20
Summer is always a great time to be in
Montréal but this summer, instead of their
usual Pride event, they’re hosting the first
Canada Pride – combining the Prides of
Montréal, Vancouver and Toronto. It will
be epic and will last for 11 days. 2017 also
marks the 150th anniversary of Canadian
Independence and the 375th commemoration
of the forming of Montréal. Montréal’s gay
village (around Rue Saint-Catherine) will
become an eclectic mix of cafés, bars, clubs
and specialty parties. And, yes, there will be
a massive Parade and, yes, it’s highly like that
dreamy PM Justin Trudeau himself will be
somewhere among it.

www.fiertemontrealpride.com

DNA 67
TRAVEL /

RSVP’s Six-Day
Caribbean Cruise,
February 5-12
You’re standing on the deck of a ship, looking
out across the wide blue yonder with the warm
glow of the sun on your back and a bunch
of besties sharing a bevy. Setting sail from
Key West, this oceanic excursion on Holland
America’s new vessel, Koningsdam, has ports of
call including George Town (Grand Cayman),
Roatán (Honduras) and Cozumel (Mexico).
There’s no chance to get bored on-board. Your
luxurious cruise liner boasts the World Stage,
a theatre configured to surround the audience
with a 270-degree LED screen; a two-tiered
nightclub where there’s a riotous cabaret;
various pools; a casino; a fitness centre and a
spa. A limited number of Oceanview Staterooms
are available.
www.rsvpvacations.com

The Life Ball in Vienna, June 10

Vienna is legendary for its huge balls. It has over 450 colossal ones each year. It all started back in
the 18th Century when the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II, first allowed non-nobility to take part
in such dances in masks and costumes. It caught on and today one of the most illustrious LGBT
celebrations is the star-studded Life Ball, which has been raising funds for AIDS causes for over
two decades. This glamorous gala is staged in the City Hall and all who attend must be costumed
according to theme. (At time of press, this year’s theme was not yet announced.) Tickets are limited
to 3,780 guests who get to enjoy a variety of bars and buffets and music from waltzes to pop, to
opera. There’s also a fabulous fashion show and celebs galore!

www.lifeball.org

Brand G’s Prague And

Danube River Cruise,
August 11–20
Visit four of Europe’s most delightful capital cities
in an 11-day trip starting with a 48-hour stay in
Prague where you’ll experience Pride amid the
historic onion domes, statues and towers. Then
your ship, The Amsterdam Silver, which boasts
78 elegant cabins, journeys along the famous
waterway taking in Bratislava, Budapest and
Vienna.

www.brandgvacations.com

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 Arosa Gay
Ski Week,
Switzerland,
January 21-28
Arosa is a small, quaint town perched
at 1,775 metres in the picture-perfect
Swiss Alps. Conditions couldn’t be
better with guaranteed snow, sunshine
and fresh air. What’s more, as Arosa is
linked with Lenzerheide resort by cable
car, there’s over 225kms of piste at
one’s disposal. Stimulating hiking trails,
tobogganing, skating and horse-drawn
carriage rides are on offer. The itinerary
includes such treats as the Gay-ó-Meal
Food Party, Swiss Fondue and Sledding
Night. Here’s a money-saving tip: get
an all-in-one party pass – gold, silver or
bronze – for official events rather than
buying individual tickets.

www.arosa-gayskiweek.com

Pride And Ski Festival, Whistler

Blackcomb, Canada January 22–29
Roughly 120kms north of Vancouver is Whistler Blackcomb, home to one of the best LGBTI
ski weeks in North America. During the day, ski and board the legendary slopes (plenty of
runs to suit all ability levels). It’s easy to buddy-up, join a mountain tour, or get a guide if
you’re on your own. Of course, there’s plenty of apré-ski drinks and themed parties every
night. This year, the event’s 25th anniversary, includes a night of comedy with Pam Ann in
Snow Landing. The closing party Snowball 25 will be a must: mega sound, stunning visuals,
hunky go-gos, and The Cube Guys rocking the house until well past your late check-out!
Atlantis’ Rio Carnival
To Buenos Aries Cruise, www.gaywhistler.com

February 25–March 7
“In Brazil they throw flowers at you. In Argentina they throw
themselves.” To see if you agree with the legendary Marlene Dietrich,
sign up for this 11-day South American extravaganza. The fun begins
with a 72-hour sojourn in Rio during the biggest street party on Earth.
Over two million people attend the eponymous carnival. The colour,
passion and joie de vive continues in Buenos Aries, Montevideo, Porto
Belo, Santos and more. Your home for the duration will be the HMS
Regatta. Along with the usual on-board entertainment, chef Jacques
Pepin will be conjuring up scintillating cuisine in all five restaurants.

www.atlantisevents.com

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 TRAVEL /

Oil Wrestling, Edirne,

Turkey, late June-July
Beefy hunks in leather trunks, grappling with each
other’s oil-drenched bodies. Sounds like a delectable
gay fantasy but this intriguing grease wrestling sport
(Yağlı güreş) is Turkey’s national pastime. In these
fascinating tussles, competitors wear short, hand-
stitched leather trousers known as kisbets. Yanking
Photography: Terry George.

the garment so far below an opponent’s hips so that

he cannot rise without exposing himself is one of the
ways of winning the match. The annual tournament,
the Kırkpınar, takes place in Edirne, approximately
240km from Istanbul, and has been occurring since
1362, making it the oldest continuously sanctioned
sporting competition in existence.

Bears On Ice, Reykjavik, August

31–September 3
Just over ten years ago a pride
of bears descended on the
Icelandic capital, Reykjavik
and had such a good time
that Bears On Ice in now a
regular four-day event for
the fur contingent and their
admirers. As well as a couple
of incredible parties there
are two engaging excursions.
Firstly, the Golden Circle tour
is a daytrip that includes a trio
of Iceland’s natural wonders:
the breathtaking Gullfoss waterfall; the eponymous Geysir (which has given its
name to all spouting hot springs); and the Unesco World Heritage-listed Þingvellir
National Park, a spectacular rugged landscape where the world’s oldest extant
parliament, the Althing, was founded in 930AD. Secondly, there’s an expedition
that involves a 50-minute drive out of Reykjavik to the soothing, mineral-rich
waters of the amazing geothermal spa, the Blue Lagoon.
www.bearsonice.org

Berlin
Because it was split into East and West during the Cold War (1947-1991),
Berlin is a city with a unique appeal and atmosphere. Due to its historic
division there is no gay village as such, but numerous venues spread all over
town. Traditionally, the LGBT centres have been the districts of Schöneberg
(where Christopher Isherwood and David Bowie both lived), and Kreuzberg
in the Western part of the German capital; and Prenzlauer Berg in the
Eastern part. Between them, they contain a glittering array of cafés, bars
and clubs, and this uber-metropolis’ cool hang-outs that cater to every taste:
leather, bear, rubber, industrial (music), drag etc.
Porn star Hans Berlin – in Berlin.
Berlin Gay Pride (Christopher Street Day), 22 July.

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 Appreciating nature in
Sydney’s Gay And Queenstown for Gay Ski Week.

Lesbian Mardi Gras,

February 17–March 5
The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest annual event
began in the 1970s as a protest against police
brutality. The violent riot that followed triggered
seismic social changes in Australia and lead to
decriminalisation and broad social acceptance.
Mardi Gras’ 2017 theme, Creating Equality,
is a combination of arts, politics and parties.
Hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists will
be entertained at Fair Day, the ever-popular film
festival, underwear parties and, of course, the
massive night Parade (4 March) and after-party
(ending in the small hours of March 5). Past party
Photography: Marc Berndsen

performers have included Conchita Wurst, Kylie

Minogue, George Michael, Chaka Khan, Olivia
Newton-John, Cyndi Lauper and Boy George.
Who will it be in 2017?

www.mardigras.org.au

Xlsior Festival,
Mykonos, August Gay Ski Week,
23–30 Queenstown, late
Picturesque white-walled houses, languid
August
windmills, beaches with soft-underfoot- Although it doesn’t compare with the scale
sand that fringe a bay with crystal-clear of Northern Hemisphere gay ski weeks,
turquoise waters… and the doof-doof-doof New Zealand’s surely rivals the others for
hedonistic beat of one of the world’s most fun and adventure. Don’t let picturesque
popular gay destinations. Welcome to Queenstown, nestling quietly on the edge of
Mykonos, a small, charming Greek island Lake Wakatipu, fool you. This little town
adrift in the Aegean Sea. Stay in the capital, boasts big-city distractions (restaurants, bars
Mykonos Town (also known as Chora by and clubs) and is not regarded as the capital
the 30,000 locals), an ideal spot for this of extreme sports for nothing. Apart from
summer festival. Cavort, frolic and dance the skiing on several great peaks nearby,
for hours in the trendiest open-air venues Queenstown offers jet-boating, skydiving,
to some of the most acclaimed DJs and zip-lining, paragliding, mini-subbing,
musical acts on the LGBTI circuit. Want go-karting, bungey jumping… it goes on. Ski
more sight-seeing? There are thousands Week events include costume parties, formal
of ripped guys sans shirt as temperatures dinners, karaoke, quiz nights, and fun that
reach a sizzling 35 Celsius. keeps punters coming back year after year.

www.xlsiorfestival.com www.gayskiweekqt.com

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World Out Games, Miami,

May 26–June 4
A minute bead of sweat drips down a footballer’s brow, a forehand
ripples the top of the net and a chessboard maestro opens with a
Sicilian Defence. Nothing beats the cut-and-thrust, or camaraderie,
of competition. This carnival of athleticism and mind powers
is open to all levels of participants regardless of their sexual
orientation. Additionally, events will not be limited to the 35
sports on offer. There are hundreds of cultural and humanitarian
events planned. Many of the expected 15,000 contestants and
150,000 spectators will be from countries where homosexuality
remains illegal or hidden. During the games, a diverse array of
concerts, dance and pool parties, and art exhibitions will be held at
Lummus Park, a gorgeous wedge of Miami oceanfront that will be
transformed into World Out Games Festival Village.

www.outgames.org

Lady Gaga at the The 51st

Super Bowl, Houston,
February 5
For most of the spectators and global audience, there’s the
little matter of an American football match between the
AFC and NFC champions. For some of us, however, the
real kick will be the halftime performance by the one-
and-only, Lady Gaga.

www.nfl.com/superbowl

Broadway Bares, Josh Green and cast performing

at Broadway Bares.
New York, dates TBC
Ever wanted to see what those gorgeous, toned
chorus boys look like without their sequins and
tap shoes on? Now you can, and all for a good
cause. Originated by American theatre director
and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (currently
enjoying Kinky Boots success) to raise money
for people living with HIV/AIDS, the show is a
bodacious, burlesque affair starring Broadway’s
hottest dancers and actors who, generously,
Photography: Benjamin Ryan.

nude-up. Often hosted by sparkling personalities

like Graham Norton and Alan Cumming, the
2016 shows (there are a few over a week) raised
over $1.8 million. Tickets go fast so be vigilant
on ticket sites.

www.broadwaybares.com

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 Barcelona
Circuit Festival,
August, 5-20
Where can you find 70,000 six-
packed Adonises? At Europe’s
boldest and brashest party. The
Matinée Group’s 2017 event is set to
be bigger than ever. Now in its tenth
year, expect parties, parties, parties
until the embers of sunrise. An
international roster of super DJs and
entertainers (yet to be announced)
will be joined on a program of
mixed cultural and sports events
including paddle surf and volleyball.
If you need to calm down a bit, take
a stroll past the exceptional Gaudi
architecture, the bustling Las Rambla
or find a spot on one of the many
beaches.

www.circuitfestival.net

World Gay The Gay Tent At Oktoberfest, Munich,

Rodeo Finals, September 16–October 3
Despite its name, this event actually runs from September until October 3. The festival dates
Albuquerque, back to 1810 and is the biggest beer drinking-funfair on the planet with over six million
October 13-15 people in attendance on average. Several huge tents house the carousing but not everyone
is aware that one of these, the Bräurosl, hosts a party for the LGBTI community (the Rosa
Stetsons, leather chaps and plaid shirts have Wiesn) on the first Sunday of this enormous jamboree. Expect, typically, 6,000-plus mainly
never been so cool as at this buckaroo fest. males who turn up to celebrate, kitted-out in traditional Lederhosen or Dirndl dress. Prost!
Gay rodeos are held throughout Canada and
www.oktoberfest.de/en
the United States and began so as to allow
the LGBTI community to participate free of
the homophobia they may experience among
the cowboy fraternity, and to raise funds
for charities. The finals in Albuquerque,
New Mexico will involve roping, rough
stock, speed and camp events, along with
goat dressing and wild drag racing. Go rope
yourself a cowboy.

www.igra.com

DNA 73
TRAVEL /

R EDISCOV ER ING PETR A

A GREAT METROPOLIS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD, ONE OF THE NEW SEVEN WONDERS AND
ABOUT AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET TO STEPPING BACK IN TIME, PETRA IS A BUCKET-LIST
DESTINATION, AND BEST TACKLED ON FOOT RATHER THAN DONKEY!

PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORY BY RILEY-MCFARLANE PHOTOGRAPHY

R
emember that scene in Indiana Jones
And The Last Crusade where Indy is
on horseback galloping down a deep,
narrow sandstone gorge that suddenly reveals an
amazing structure hewn into a sandstone cliff?
This is Al Khazneh (The Treasury), part of the
ancient, rose-coloured city of Petra. Lost to the
modern world until 1812 and now one of Jordan’s
most recognizable destinations. It is both a
UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the
New Seven Wonders Of The World.
Many who travel here assume that Petra is
just this one building, but beyond lies one of the
most inspiring cities of the ancient world. The
city is a breathtaking 264-square kilometres of
temples, streets, an amphitheater and numerous
carved tombs. It was possibly built as early as
312 BC by the Nabataeans, an Arab people. They
were eventually conquered by the Romans, who
subsequently abandoned Petra around 663 AD.
The journey into the lost city begins with a
two-kilometre walk through the Siq or gorge.
A horse ride, included in the entrance fee will
take you from the stables just inside the front
entry to the beginning of the gorge a mere 800
metres away. However, the dubious treatment
of the horses may make you reconsider and, in
fact, walking may be the better choice as there
are many smaller tombs and sites of interest
that would be easily missed from horseback.
However, after a day-long trek through the
beating sun, a horse ride on the return leg may
offer a welcome respite.
The chasm winds gradually down into the
valley. With each stride you step further back
into history through the Byzantine and Roman
eras, but you also begin to realize that at the end
of the day, the return trip will be all uphill!
Periodically along the pathway, touts with
varying degrees of aggression beg you to buy
postcards or tempt you to ride their camels or
donkeys. A smile and a firm “no” is usually >>

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DNA 75
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TOP TRAVEL TIP:

Entering Jordan you will be
required to purchase a visitor’s visa
and this requires local currency. If
flying, withdraw from an ATM in the
arrivals hall rather than using the
currency exchange booth.

76 DNA
>> enough. Note, though, that a “maybe” means
“yes” so it’s best avoided.
Most tourists go no further than the Library,
but exploration beyond this point is rewarded with
unexpected sights and experiences.
Waded, a local Bedouin woman who runs a stall
at the foot of The Royal Tomb invited us to take
refuge from the beating sun under her tent and
offered a restorative pot of sage tea made over a
small open fire. As her children played around us,
she explained that she lives just beyond the ancient
city in a Bedouin village but is inspired each day
to sit beneath the ancient carved cliffs selling
her wares. Along with other locals that line the
main walking routes of the city, she sells scarves,
jewellery and locally made trinkets.
Further on, you start the climb to El Deir (The
Monastery), another of Petra’s grand carved
façades located at the top of one of the highest
peaks in the area. In the heat, it’s certainly a
challenge ascending the 800 steps to the site.
It is possible to take a donkey, the locals call While homosexuality is not illegal in
them taxis, although personally the pilgrimage Jordan, there are no anti-discrimination
to the top is best done on foot to enable you laws and LGBT people displaying public
to really take in the astounding view of the affection can be prosecuted for “disrupting
valley below. Watching others who have bravely public morality”. In a recent poll asking,
decided to ride a donkey it becomes more “Should society accept homosexuality?”
apparent that walking is surely the safest option. 97 per cent of respondents said no. This is
The width of the steps and treacherousness of still an Islamic country whose civil laws
the geography means you’re expending as much are in line with Sharia law. Tolerance of the
energy just trying to stay on your donkey as you LGBT community is growing but is not yet
would otherwise walking. universal, so caution is always warranted.
The Monastery does not have the same impact as
The Treasury due to its location and the direction
of your approach, however, standing at 50 metres
high and 45 metres wide, its scale is compensation
enough with the view over the valley a spectacular
backdrop.
Accommodation is available close to the
entrance gates or in the nearby town of Wadi Musa
(which is Arabic for “Valley Of Moses”). It is said
that it was here that Moses struck his staff on a
rock to provide water for his followers. It’s from
this same spring that the Nabateans drew water
into their city.
Petra is often included on the list of Places
You Must See Before You Die – and while that
recommendation stands, be aware that the rugged
terrain and heat may just hasten the death part! It
is not a day trip. If you decide to see it then take
the opportunity to see some of the other sights of
Jordan while you’re in the country. The people are
friendly, the sights amazing and in the context of
the Middle-East, it is a safe place to visit. 

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DOING THE CIRCUIT

5TH-17TH AUGUST, 2017

BARCELONA’S LEGENDARY great party wear and before long ES

CIRCUIT FESTIVAL and Matinée became partners.
CELEBRATES ITS 10TH Since 2008, hundreds of thousands
ANNIVERSARY IN 2017 AND of gays and lesbians have danced in the
THAT CAN ONLY MEAN sun at the famous waterpark party and
ONE THING – A MIGHTY BIG created a new global tradition. Circuit
BIRTHDAY PARTY! Festival means the best DJs, meeting
with friends from all over the world
and making new ones, celebrating our
IN 2008, Spain’s Matinée Group culture and diversity, and discovering
launched Circuit Festival, a week- Barcelona’s beautiful beaches and
long program of gay clubbing that incredible lifestyle.
reinvented the party scene and turned For Circuit Festival 2017 expect 15
Barcelona into the gay capital of whole days (three weekends), brand
Europe. Today, thousands of LGBTI new spaces, more than 25 themed
party-goers from around the world parties, 50 world-class DJs and
head to Circuit for the summer festival. astonishing events.
Two years previously, in 2006,
another iconic Spanish brand was
born – ES Collection, best known MORE: www.circuitfestival.net

for their sexy swimwear, underwear, MORE: ADDICTED is represented in

athletic and street wear. Of course, ES Australia at addictedaustralia.com and
Collection and Addicted gear make Bang Clothing, Darlinghurst, Sydney.

78 DNA
 Photography: Marc Berndsen

DNA 79
Photography: Marc Berndsen
TRAVEL /

View from Josh’s bathtub

in the Shangri-La Paris.

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Is That The

Eiffel Tower
Or Are You
Just Pleased
To See Me ?
To fall in love once is amazing. To fall in love again and taste, smell and explore
every inch like it’s your first time is sublime. It’s this joy that has me returning to
Paris each year, to fall in love again with the most romantic city in the world.
To love Paris is something of a cliché, to use a beautifully French word, but The
Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Champs-Elysées… predictable as they may be, are
no less impressive in their own right.
Paris makes an art of drinking, eating and even shopping. Cycling, sight-seeing,
sex and romance are all the better in the French capital. Joshua Heath explains…

DNA 81
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be the cheapest lunch you’ll have but it will

definitely be one of the best.
After lunch, head across the courtyard to La
Gallerie for cocktails and people watching,
enhanced by the pianist who plays from 3pm.
Located just steps from the Champs-Elysées, the
city’s luxury fashion district, the crowd is a mix
of chic travellers and stylish fashionistas. Jeff
Leatham is the hotel’s artistic director, creating
incredible floral displays throughout the hotel
lobby, restaurants and marble courtyard. These
alone are worth going to see, especially if you’re
in Paris for Christmas.
The perfect place after a full day’s shopping,
Benedict is in the heart of Le Marais and takes a
breakfast favourite to a whole new dinner level.
The Benedict Burger is a 250g juicy beef patty,
roast tomato, guacamole, poached eggs and
hollandaise sauce – and is ridiculously good. Add
a side of truffle fries and a bottle of rosé and
Printemps department store. you’ll be in a food coma for the rest of the night.
Book a table in the window, sit back and watch
the beautiful men promenade Le Marais.
factory-direct Paris-style. Take the RER A train To discover a restaurant and bar with breath-
SHOPPING line and exit at Val d’Europe/Serris Montévrain taking views across the City Of Light, take the
station, the stop before the Marne-la-Vallée- lift to the 7th floor or climb the 127 stairs of the
THE FRENCH are known for their dress sense Chessy-Parcs Disney stop. Turn right out of the Terries Hotel to reach Terrass
so it’s no surprise that Paris delivers when it station and walk through the Val d’Europe mall Perched high above Montmartre, the restaurant
comes to shopping. For the big department store to La Vallée Village. It’s open seven days a week and bar feels like an artist’s loft with its large
experience you can’t go past Printemps and from 10am to 7pm and there are over 100 fashion bay windows and a mixture of leather and
Galleries Lafayette, positioned next door to each and homeware outlets offering discounts of up wood finishes. I recommend a long Sunday
other on Boulevard Haussmann. Both stores are to 60 per cent. Unlike many other DFO outlets brunch sampling some the country’s best wines.
filled with luxury brands from high-end watches around the world selling ranges that are seasons Montmartre is the highest point in Paris making
like Hubolt to fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, old, Lavaliere Village is current season. If you’re Terrass one of the best bars to watch the sunset
Hermés and Sandro. If you’re not into crowds, from the Southern Hemisphere you’ll be buying before heading down the hill to the Moulin Rouge.
though, avoid. gear that hasn’t even hit our shores yet, but at
Le Marais is not just the gay centre of Paris, heavily reduced prices. Don’t forget the 12 per
it’s the heart and soul of cool, casual street cent tax refund when you spend over €175 on THE MOULIN
fashion, home and lifestyle stores, and pop-up
shops featuring up-and-coming designers. Le
the same day in the same store. This includes La
Vallée Village and sale periods.
ROUGE
Marais is in the 3rd and 4th arrondissement, its Féerie (opposite) has been playing at Le Moulin
narrow streets winding between the Louvre and Rouge for nearly 20 years and still packs house
the Bastille. Through summer, it’s awash with RESTAUR ANTS twice a night, 52 weeks of the year. I’ve seen it
beautiful men from around the world, enjoying many times and, like the 1,200 strong audience
the outdoor gay bars, cafés, restaurants, and the I BLAME Paris for my annual 5kg weight gain; on this particular night, was singing the theme
shops that make up the area. BHV L’HOMME over indulging on cheeses, wines and the endless, song before it even began. What follows is a two-
on rue de la Verrerie, a department store, is enticing restaurants and cafés that beckon and hour, non-stop, high-energy spectacular including
worth checking out. seduce. This year I added three new favourites to specialty acts and… miniature horses!
The best time for shopping in Paris is during my list and perhaps a couple more kilos. Just as you think the show has reached its
the sales (soldes) which happen twice a year. Le George is in the luxurious 18th Century pinnacle, a glass aquarium rises from the stage to
Winter Sales are January 11th through to Four Season Hotel, George V. Overlooking reveal two huge live pythons as the snake charmer
February 21st. Summer sales 2017 are expected an impressive sun-soaked marble courtyard, dives in to swim with them. From the opening
to start on June 28 and end August 8th. this chic restaurant offers light and modern number when the dancers rip off their glittering
If you love a sale you can’t miss a trip out to Mediterranean-style cuisine. I recommend the sliver pants to the epic staircase that cascades from
La Vallee Village, 40 minutes out of Paris – it’s three-course lunch menu at €65. It may not the ceiling during the finalé, the >>

82 DNA
Moulin Rouge boys.

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>> Moulin Rouge should not be missed. the Raidd Bar, where the hot bartenders turn of the famed Shangri-La Paris. The bar reflects
Incidentally, The Moulin Rouge loves Aussie into strippers and famously take a public shower the hotel’s opulence with its gold-leaf details and
men. A large majority of the cast are from Down every night. rich fabric walls. The black granite, bronze and
Under including the super sexy Kristian Crowe If you’re looking for something a little more mahogany bar beckons as you enter the room
(featured in DNA #197). chic consider Le Café Marly. It may be expensive – or perhaps it was the handsome barmen that
but it’s worth paying for the chance to enjoy caught my eye.
a drink on the terrace of the Louvre over- Fifteen signature cocktails make up the list,
LE PICNIC looking the glass pyramids. A favourite among featuring rare botanical spirits and carefully
celebrities, models and designers, keep your eyes selected liquors. Each cocktail is a masterpiece
TUILERIE Gardens is the perfect location to peeled. in its creation and doesn’t disappoint on
picnic. I suggest stopping at a local fromagerie consumption – although I can’t claim to have
(cheese shop) to pick up a selection of France’s sampled all 15. Definitely put Le Bar Botaniste
best, a baguette and, of course, a bottle of HIP BARS on your to-do list and report back.
champagne. Just in front of the Louvre is a
grassed area that’s great to watch the sun set HIGH, LONG, narrow and luminous, the aptly
behind the Eiffel Tower as the city bursts into named Le Bar Long is at the hotel Royal CHAMPAGNE
nightlife. A favourite of locals and tourist, this is Monceau and is designed by Philippe Starck. The
a definite must and it won’t cost you a fortune. bar’s signature cocktail, the Raffles’ Parisian WE NOW come to the small matter of
From there it’s an easy walk along the river Seine Sling is recommended and with good reason. champagne. Not going to the Reims, France’s
to Le Marais for some gay nightlife. Gin Sipsmith, Raffles 1915, Grand Marnier, champagne region approximately 45 minutes
yellow Chartreuse, green Chartreuse, apple juice, by train outside of Paris, would be like going
pressed lime juice, pineapple juice, kiwi syrup, to Italy as a gluten intolerant vegetarian. There
THE GAY fresh mint, soda. Yep, it’s good. And the crowd? are several champagne houses to choose from,

QUARTER It’s popular with local lawyers, financiers and

the kids from the advertising industry, along with
however, for me, you can’t go past Veuve
Clicquot, whose cellars are listed as a World
POPULAR gay bars in Paris include the Café well-heeled foreigners. Hotel rooms in this next Heritage site by UNESCO.
Cox (butch crowd), The Banana Café (younger of le woods are from about €780 a night. There are several tours to choose from
crowd), The Quetzal (for a conversation) and Le Bar Botaniste is tucked away in the lobby including public or private tours depending on >>

84 DNA
Four Seasons Hotel lobby
Christmas decorations.

Romance is alive and well

and living in Paris.

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Le Bar Botaniste. The Veuve Clicquot cellars.

Marble courtyard at the

Four Seasons.

86 DNA
 Shangri-La luxury: room
service and giant bed.

>> your budget. My pick is Aromatically Yours a maze, public and private showers, steam and greeted by attentive staff who ushered me into the
where you’ll discover the fruits and flowers of sauna, video rooms and free towels. It’s clean and discreet check-in area. My luggage was already
the aromatic garden before being guided down draws a mixed crowd of business men and gym in my room by the time I reached it, along with
to the heart of the cellars. You’ll taste Brut goers. The busiest time is from 5pm. It’s open a handwritten welcome letter accompanied by
Yellow Label and four vintages including two every day from 9am to 2am, entry is €7. macaroons, champagne and beautiful fresh flowers.
rare vintages, accompanied with unpasteurised Sun City is one of the biggest and most popular The hotel offers 65 rooms and 36 luxuriously
cheeses. The tours operate Tuesday to Saturday gay saunas in Paris. Through an antique doorway appointed suites, each with marble bathroom, heated
from March through November. Bookings are you’ll enter an impressive Indian-themed sauna floors, rainfall shower and a flat screen television
essential, and prices start from €25. spanning 3,000 square-metres. With the huge integrated into a large mirror over the double vanity.
indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room, My room allowed me to lay in the bathtub, as I did,
jacuzzi, private cabins, dark room, video room, and view the Eiffel Tower from my window… with
THE BIKES gym and lounge bar there really is something for a glass of champagne, of course.
everyone. Every night is busy with a mixed crowd, From my bed, which was huge, I enjoyed
WITH OVER 23,600 bikes across the city, available especially after the local bars close. Entrance fee unobstructed views across the Seine to the Eiffel
24/7 all year long, in 1,800 bike stations located includes a drink, towel and condom. It’s open every Tower and beyond. There is something seriously
every 300 meters, using the Vélib Bike hire system day from 12pm to 6am, and entry is €7. romantic about lying in bed with your man and
is the best way to get out and explore Paris. With watching the Eiffel Tower burst into life with its
over 317km of dedicated bike paths you’ll never glittering night-time display.
run out of options. Download the Pocket Earth SHANGRI-LA Whether it’s your first time in Paris or you’re a
app; it’s the best offline maps app. Download cities,
countries or the entire world before you travel to
PARIS frequent visitor you’ll love the 10 Parisian Walks
guide, a pocket book created especially by the
avoid expensive roaming bills. Bikes do not come THIS YEAR I decide to pull out all the stops – and hotel. I recommend taking one of the walks in
with helmets so ride safe and pay attention to the the Amex – to experience one of the world’s the evening along the Seine, just watch yourself,
cars even when riding in dedicated bike lanes. most luxurious and multi-award winning hotels, though: the pickpockets are cunning.
Shangri-La Paris. The hotel took out three of the The Shangri-La Paris offers not one but two
Hotel Of The Year Awards in 2015: Best Fine separate Michelin star restaurants, Shang Palace, the
SEX Dining worldwide, Best Hotel Chef worldwide only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in France,
and Best Hotel Room worldwide. No wonder and L’Abeille with two Michelin stars. Even the
YOU’RE IN the City Of Love – why not sample a Queen B herself was staying in the suite above room service is exceptional, so if you’d prefer to sit
little Parisian passion? Gym Louvre was the first mine throughout my stay. in your comfy bathrobe and gaze out the window,
gay gym in Paris, offering a well-equipped gym Once home to Napoleon Bonaparte’s grand- you can be sure of a feast fit for a Prince.
on the first floor with a mix of cardio equipment, nephew, Prince Robert Bonaparte, the royal The Shangri-La Paris lived up to the hype, was
and pin and free weights. Downstairs you’ll treatment lives on in this five-star masterpiece. everything I expected and more, and is, without
find the sauna and X’Zone, with private rooms, As my car pulled up to the front of the hotel I was doubt, one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in. 

DNA 87
TRAVEL /

Forget the hotel room – take the whole Booking as a group makes it an extremely cost we be booking the Maldives sooner rather
hotel or villa or castle! “Togethering” is effective way to holiday in absolute luxury. than later?
the latest travel trend, which sees groups When you split the nightly rate up among your Not disappearing in the near future, however, it’s
of friends book out a whole location. And group it generally means you can enjoy five-star an amazing location and a must-see.
the gays love it, says Andy Grant a villa luxury at an affordable price. Your day-to-day Bali has a patchy reputation. How can
manager in Bali. expenses such as meals come at a fraction of the travellers make sure they have a safe, relaxing,
cost as you’re only charged for the groceries that stylish holiday there?
are purchased with a minimal service charge I have never felt un-safe in Bali. It is a safe place
DNA: Togethering is the new buzz word in in comparison to a resort holiday, which can be to travel. Like anywhere in the world you have
travel. Are you seeing that in your properties? very expensive for wining and dining. to be aware of yourself and surroundings when
Andy Grant: Yes, often. It’s a great option Do you think gay travellers have been you’re out and about and be respectful.
for groups of friends or a large family holiday. togethering for some time? As a seasoned traveller yourself, what are
Nothing compares to a villa holiday. Once you’ve Yes. This is something groups of gay friends your hot travel tips?
experienced it there’s no going back! often do. They can enjoy their holiday with those Always have the local currency of wherever
Is it the luxury of it that appeals? who are special to them, and not with all the you’re headed. Make sure the toiletries bag is
Yes, and the privacy. The whole place is other guests in a main common area of a resort. full of essentials – any lotions or potions, special
exclusively yours. Exclusivity and privacy. medicines you may not be able to get at your
No nasty squabbles about who gets the best Australians love south-east Asian destinations. destination. Always a good lip balm. My husband
seat by the pool, then? What are the current hot spots? and I are in love with tropical Asian holidays. We
Right! You don’t have to race out to the pool You obviously can’t go past Bali. Phuket is are lucky enough to call Bali home, but we love
lounger and 5am and put your towel on it! Plus, fantastic – incredible beaches, people, and who Phuket, too. It’s the amazing people and cultures
you have your own team of staff on-hand to take doesn’t love Thai food? Singapore is a great stop- and affordable luxury you can enjoy along with
care of your every whim. Most villas have chefs over on route to Bali or Phuket, great for a couple the tropical climate.
available at all times, full butler service, 24-hour of days shopping and dining. The Philippines and
security, and a full-time manager who can organise Vietnam are also on the hot list.
drivers and bookings at the best spots in town. We keep hearing about sea levels rising and MORE: Andy Grant is Villa Manager for Elite
Surely one of the other advantages is cost? islands like the Maldives disappearing. Should Havens. Go to outandabouttravel.com.au

88 DNA
Villa Batavia,
Laksmana
Created by a former Swiss pharmacist
and his partner, the five-bedroom Villa
Batavia has a Colonial feel. Think The
Raffles: afternoon tea in heirloom teacups,
sundown cocktails in the open-sided bar,
and gourmet silver service dining. The
villa is in the Laksmana Estate, minutes
from Petitenget Beach, Ku De Ta and the
bright lights of Seminyak.

Go to: outandabouttravel.com.au

DNA 89
FASHION /

Pi n-Up!

PHOTOGRAPHY, STYLING, DAVID WEARS

GROOMING CHÁN ANDRÉ FOR VOYEURIZED BETTERTHANFAMOUS.COM
MODEL DAVID JOHN CRAIG T-SHIRT.
HAIR PHILIP WOLFF

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DAVID WEARS VINTAGE TRUNKS.

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FASHION /

DAVID WEARS VINTAGE SHORTS.

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DAVID WEARS
VINTAGE
SHORTS.

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FASHION /

DAVID WEARS VINTAGE

SHORTS AND SCARF.

94 DNA
DAVID WEARS COTTON ON TANKTOP,
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DNA 95
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DAVID WEARS
TIES.COM
SOCKS.

96 DNA
SEE MORE OF DAVID
IN THE DIGITAL-ONLY
EXTRA PAGES
DNA 97
THE BACK PASSAGE / #N B THE EGG PLA NTS ARE
NOT SCR ATC H AND SNI FF!

- 20 16 - As others reflected on 2016 with insightful analysis of the

YEAR OF THE
US election, the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s
death, Cassini’s final, dying orbits of Saturn, or the tiring
marriage equality debate in Australia, here we’d like to

AUBERG NE
reflect on the real trend of 2016: the “leaked” celebrity
nude. Nothing keeps one in the public eye like a nob-out
Snapchat post of one’s self! Oops, did I really post that?

ORLANDO BLOOM
MOVIE STAR

Orlando certainly bloomed this year when OMGblog.com

“leaked” his naked paddle board escapades with Katy Perry.

CHARLES
LAURENT
MARCHAND
MODEL

The joy of capturing a

screen shot saw model
Charles Laurent
Marchand’s private
naked Scruff pics
“leaked”! Quick,
download the app!

JUSTIN BIEBER
SINGER
PIETRO BOSELLI
The master of the leaked nude, Justin
MODEL
ROBERT
Bieber had another nude pic “leaked” on Thanks to the magic of photoshop, we may SEPULVEDA JR.
OMGblog.com, days after Orlando Bloom. have had our first glimpse at everyone’s
REALITY TV
It was Justin’s way of telling the world that favourite maths teacher turned model Pietro
while he may not be the king of pop, he is Boselli’s third leg! It’s either the flower’s thick LOGO TV’s Finding Prince
the king of the leaked celebrity nude. branch or his, you decide. Charming contestant, Robert’s escort
past caught up with him in a series of
revealing XTube videos.
BRANDON
MAYERS
REALITY TV
ALEX BOWEN
REALITY TV
MTV’s Ex On The Beach
personality, Brandon The UK reality TV personality
Mayers, sent his Snapchat from Love Island had his
followers into a tailspin impressive nudes “leaked” to
with a series of deliberately Twitter. None are fit to publish
“leaked” naked photos here, but who’d know anything
showing of his ever about him without them?
impressive length, girth…
everything! Fingers crossed 2017 is bigger, better, bolder and veinier!

98 DNA
 WAIT, THERE’S MORE…

ENJOY EXTRA
Wait, there’s more…

Discover the extended content of the Digital version of DNA.

When you read DNA on your iPad or mobile device, there are SPECIAL REPORT:
KICKING CRYSTAL
extra pages and added content links that aren’t available in the ® mad
“I saw myse
lf for what
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,

Print edition.
e t h at
w ay
ine.com.au

If you are already a DNA Print subscriber, the Digital issue is

SEX
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THE FASTING FACTS
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GYM FASHION
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#201 DOING GREECE
The best bits
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Her booty call
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offers more DNA goodness.

 Supadupa Shorts
We’d like to invite you to have a look at Supawear’s new Summer 2016 collection.

The seasonal palette is bright confident greens, strong fossil greys and cool blues along-
side custom prints inspired by summer.

Highlights include Supawear’s new woven stretch fabric, which makes it supa lightweight,
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DIGITAL EXTRA /

P i n-Up!

PHOTOGRAPHY, STYLING,
GROOMING CHÁN ANDRÉ FOR VOYEURIZED
MODEL DAVID JOHN CRAIG
HAIR PHILIP WOLFF

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