On July 11, popular local drag trio Chico’s Angels return to Casita del Campo with a new staging of their second production, Love Boat Chicas. While cruising on TV’s most famous oceanliner, cuchi-cuchi queen Charo is nearly murdered, and it’s up to the high-heeled tres-some to solve the case. 

In the summer of 2009, Manhattanites Bryan Petroff and Douglas Quint rented themselves an old-fashioned ice cream truck to dispense their unique brand of soft serve topped with a generous dollop of kitsch. They quickly became cultural icons in the Big Apple, and now the bicoastal dessert duo sets up shop in DTLA and will be publishing their own cookbook. Petroff spoke with Frontiers about their growing ice cream empire. 

It’s said the best way to gentrify a neighborhood is to move in the gays. Over the past decade, Downtown Los Angeles has enjoyed a renaissance, in no small part thanks to the growing LGBT presence revitalizing the once-dilapidated urban wasteland. Recognizing DTLA’s burgeoning queer community, Oliver Luke Alpuche and Zachary Beus will be opening Redline, a gay video bar and lounge this fall on 6th Street. 

With a generation of LGBT tweens coming out  just as they hit the cusp of puberty, it’s interesting to see a man in his 40s do the same, but after suffering a heart attack onstage, Todd Glass had an epiphany.

“Here I am, 45 years old, possibly at death’s door, surrounded by friends—and I still can’t be honest about who I am,” says Glass. “How the fuck did I get here?”

How does party king Jeffrey Sanker top this year’s legendary White Party 25th anniversary? He teams up with the 1Life Festival to produce North America’s first-ever all gay “massive” (the European turn of phrase for large-scale dance music fests). Over the July 4 weekend, SoCal’s LGBT party community can revel in the freedom to love and sing and dance and play when 1Life takes over the National Orange Show Fairgrounds in San Bernardino, less than an hour from DTLA. Modeled after Europe’s banging party productions, 1Life actively aims to set itself apart from the traditional circuit parties and Pride events that typify the gay scene. 

Robert Garcia made Long Beach history back in 2009 when he was simultaneously the youngest and the first gay politician to be elected to City Council. During his tenure as a councilmember, the Peruvian politician supported local unions, reduced the business license tax for artists and initiated the city’s first Latin-American Parade. This year he broke an even bigger boundary when he was voted in as the first gay mayor in the history of Long Beach. Despite his double minority status (triple if you count him within that coveted youth populace), Garcia represents every citizen under his purview equally, no matter their age, race or sexual orientation.

With over 21 million views, The Horizon (thehorizon.tv) is the most watched gay web series in in the world. The internet chronicle of queer culture in Sydney returns for its fourth season this summer, which begs a question we can’t help but wonder: What’s the secret to its success?

Polish your Silver Imperium Crystal and fire up your Gundam Mecha, because the Anime Expo is back in town. North America’s largest convention for Japanese Animation anticipates over 200,000 participants, many of whom will be indulging in the geek-chic tradition of cosplay (costume play for you non-geeks). What adorkable gay can pass up the opportunity to strut through the halls of L.A. Convention Center decked out as Ash Ketchum, Super Saiyan Goku or Tuxedo Mask? The latter is especially apropos, because this year the entire English voice cast of the smash hit
series Sailor Moon will reunite for the event. To help gay anime novices, here’s a primer on the genre’s LGBT highlights.

It's a Frontiers tradition that we kick off summer each year with The Hot List, our annual roundup of local LGBTs who should be on your radar. While the 20 men and women on this year's list contribute to the vibrancy of Los Angeles via the arts, fashion, sports, politics or an entrepreneurial instinct, they are all at the same time talented, inspiring and sexy. Each of these individuals make the City of Angels a great place to call home, and we honor their contributions in our latest issue. Meet this year's Hot List below, and click through to find their individual profiles.
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Los Angeles is the only city on the planet where a majority of the adult populace plays ‘make believe’ for a living, from actors pretending to be cops and vampires on-screen and writers developing fictional microcosms of imaginary conflicts to artists creating objects of profound beauty from acrylics and everyday household objects. The Hammer Museum is currently shining a spotlight on this last group with its biennial exhibit Made in L.A., which features the work of 35 Angeleno artists, emphasizing emerging and unrecognized talents. Curated by Connie Butler and Michael Ned Holte, the showcase permeates every gallery space inside the museum, running through September. Here are some of the most important events yet to take place over the show’s run. Read more...