Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 304 – February 22, 2017

BY ALEXANDER KACALA
Model
Behavior
The second of six New
Yorkers we’re profiling who
can be found on the world’s
premier gay social network,
Hornet, Jean Arsirii just
wants to be seen
Jean Arsirii is pretty easy to
look at. You may have seen
this 24-year-old aspiring
model slinging drinks behind
the bar in the Upper East
Side at Townhouse, or
working for party promoters
Brandon Voss and Brian
Rafferty. With not a bad
bone in his body, the sweet
and mild-mannered Arsirii
has high hopes of becoming
New York’s next top model.
Luckily for us, we have
Wilsonmodels’ photography
as proof that he has what it
takes to be on top.
Where can you find him? You
can find him on Hornet,
of course!

When did you move
to New York City, and
what’s your favorite
thing about the gay
community here?
I moved here from the
Ukraine when I was 19
years old to model, so
it’s my fifth year here
in New York City. My
favorite thing about
the gay community in
New York is that we
have a community here
at all, and people can
be themselves happily
and freely. Where I’m
from there’s no gay
community at all!
You’re an aspiring
model?
It’s the artistic process
in modeling that I enjoy
so much. And for one
thing, I’m always trying
to improve myself to
do a better job, and I’m
always up for new and
interesting projects.
What are some of the
brands you’ve already
worked with?
Surprising to me, I was
called to work with
both Nasty Pig and
Slick It Up. It was a
pleasure, and I’m very
grateful to those
brands that paid
attention to me
and gave me the
opportunity to work
with them.
As a model, what do
you want to do next?
For me as a model,
I’m up for interesting
artistic projects. I’d
also be interested in
working with more
underwear and fitness
brands.
What do you love
most about Hornet?
Honestly, my favorite
thing about Hornet is
the Explore feature. I
can pick any location in
the world and talk to
Find Jean Arsirii on Hornet: @jj5417
guys in that area. It’s so
easy to use.
Hornet is currently
available on iOS,
Android and the web.

map / GET OUT! MAGAZINE >> GETOUTMAG.COM

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CONTRIBUTORS
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
EILEEN SHAPIRO
IAN-MICHAEL BERGERON
ISSUE 304 - FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Cover: Jean Arsirii
Photo Credit: WILSONMODELS
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>> BY GET OUT! Magazine
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THE VICKY BOOFONT
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February 15th at 8pm;
run every Wednesday night
until March 22nd at the
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Off-Broadway!
Downtown Urban Arts
Festival (DUAF) announces
the playwrights accepted for
the 15th Anniversary season
of its Theater series to run
at the Cherry Lane Theatre
and Joe’s Pub at The Pubic
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Monday @ Rise Bar
Tuesday @ Therapy
Thursday @ The Ritz
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Saturday @ The Monster
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stories
/ GET OUT! MAGAZINE >> GETOUTMAG.COM
After my breakup with
Q, I started seeing The Ex
Fiancé again.
I had to admit, it felt
strange. I didn’t feel like
it was before, but it also
didn’t feel like something
new. We went out for drinks
in SoHo with his friends;
we went to see movies
at the Bow Tie Theater in
Chelsea; we’d stay in and
make dinner. (Well, he
would make dinner, and I
would eat it.) I felt like we
were finally back on track,
but it also seemed stale.
In an attempt to make our
relationship feel new, I
decided to buy a bike.
Just Like
Riding a Bike
BY IAN-MICHAEL BERGERON
The Ex Fiancé loved riding
his bike around the city:
He even had a bike rack
on the wall of his office,
where it hung like art when
he wasn’t gallivanting
around. I figured it would
be something we could do
together, something we
could bond over.
Disclaimer: I had not been
on a bike since I was 15. I
rode my bike to and from
Godfather’s Pizza, where
I was a cashier and salad
bar cleaner, until I saved
up enough money to buy
a used 2002 Ford Focus. I
never looked back.
I ordered the bike, had it
delivered to a nearby bike
shop to be assembled by
professionals and picked it
up one Saturday afternoon.
The Ex Fiancé came with
me, his bike in tow—we
were going to jump right
in and ride across the
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
into the city, then through
Central Park.
@ianmichaelinwonderland
you’re shorter than me, so
this should be perfect.”
He got on his bike, and we
rode over to the bridge.
The phrase “Just like riding
a bike” when referring to
picking something back up
easily is bullshit. For me,
literally riding a bike wasn’t
just like riding a bike. In
high school I rode my bike
every day. Now, I swayed
left and right, breathing
heavily, barely keeping up
with The Ex Fiancé ahead
of me, convinced my seat
was too high.
The bridge wasn’t too
stressful, since we were on
a bike path the whole time.
It was after the bridge, on
the way to Central Park,
that things went awry. Cars
honked at me the whole
way, and just when the park
was in site, a red doubledecker
sightseeing bus cut
me off. I drove up onto the
sidewalk, almost taking out
an entire family of Asian
tourists.
PHOTO BY STEVE BRENNAN
I tried jumping on and
immediately fell over,
scratching the hell out
of my ankle. “The seat is
too high,” I complained,
trying again, barely
maintaining balance.
The Ex Fiancé tried it.
“It’s actually low,” he said,
“for me anyway. But
I picked up my bike,
looking around: The Ex
Fiancé was out of site,
speeding ahead without
me.
I wondered if I had made
a mistake, and then I
wondered if I was thinking
about the bike or The Ex
Fiancé.

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week in pictures
GLOW SATURDAY @ BOOTS & SADDLES

BY EILEEN SHAPIRO
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
Emerging from the
inside of a sparkle
and a rainbow, this
refreshing, high-energy,
punk/pop, all-girl,
puissant and compelling
new faction has taken
audiences by storm as
they open for pop icon
Adam Ant on his North
American tour.
The glittery members
of the band include
Ali Cat, the vivacious,
outgoing and sexy
lead singer; Veronica
Volume, the colorfully
adorable guitarist
(whose dad just
happens to be one
of the members of
Hollywood Vampires
with Alice Cooper,
Johnny Depp and Joe
Perry); Millie Chan, the
beautiful bass player;
and Cassie Jalilie, the
pretty and energetic
drummer.
With a very special
energy, unique only to
them, the girls spoke
to Get Out! about their
new release, “Glitter
City,” their experiences
thus far on their first
big tour and about
their dreams, hopes
and desires.
What kind of
experience are you
having thus far on your
first huge tour?
Ali: Fun. We’ve played
several shows with Adam
and one on our own, but
we love to travel, on the
road, meeting people.
We’ve been having an
amazing time. We all
love each other. We’re all
friends, and that helps.
Cassie, you’re the
newest member. How
did that happen?
Cassie: Millie and I have
been long-time friends.
We’re both from San
Francisco. We moved to
LA to pursue music, and
she joined this band. So
they needed a drummer,
and we were friends, so...
Veronica: We are all in
an all-girl cover band,
and my dad heard us
rehearsing in his studio.
Then we were talking
about this tour, and he
heard that we needed
a drummer, and he
said, “Well, what about
Cassie? She sounded
great that day when you
were practicing.”
What is the most fun
experience that stands
out for you so far?
Millie: Meeting Adam.
Veronica: Meeting all
of the woman after the
show, because we had all
these cool women [with]
empowering signs. They
wore hot pink, and we
brought them with us.
Then all of these women
started coming over
to and wanted to take
pictures with us.

Ali: The best experience
for me was after the
show, getting to meet
all the new fans and
supporters. It felt wild
signing dozens of
autographs on the album
that we worked so hard
to create. It’s great to see
that “Glitter City” has
made such a powerful
impact.
Cassie, you’re the only
gay member in the
group? How does that
work for you, traveling
with an all-straight band
who just happen to be
girls?
Cassie: Yeah. What’s cool
is that they’re all really
supportive, plus they
know I won’t try to make
any moves. [laughs]
Ali: We all identify with
the gay community.
Cassie: It’s a lot easier
for straight
people. But I
love these guys.
I feel totally
comfortable.
Millie, when is
the last time
that you did
something for
the first time?
Millie: I just
got back from
Sweden, so
seeing the snow.
I’ve never seen
snow in my
whole life, being
from California.
I went hardcore,
midwinter in
Sweden. I’ve
never been in
snow. I’ve never
gotten hit by
snowball. It was
my first time.
Is there a
particular song
that raises some
kind of emotion in you?
Ali: Any Queen song. I
get very emotional. My
favorite Queen song is
“It’s Late.” Whenever I
hear Freddie sing, I cry.
When I first found out
he died, I bawled. I was
watching a documentary,
and at the end of it they
said he passed away a
long time ago. I said,
“WHAT!”
Cassie, who do you
envy?
Cassie: I wouldn’t say
that I really envy anyone.
I look at that as kind of
a bad thing. For me, my
whole outlook on life is
you have to go for it, and
you have to work for it.
Musically, I want to be
the best that I can be. I
always strive to just get
better. I strive to keep
learning and to never
Glam Skanks will be
performing at The Monster on
Friday, February 24, at midnight.
stop. I never want to limit
myself as a drummer.
There’s definitely people
that I idolize, and I want
to be like, so I think to
myself, what do I need to
do to get there?
Who’s your idol?
Cassie: Travis Barker.
Aside from music, I read
his book, and I love his
motto: “Can’t stop, won’t
stop.” That’s what I pretty
much live by.
Veronica: Definitely
David Bowie! He’s been
a huge influence on us,
and we definitely tried to
channel his glam energy
into our album “Glitter
City.”
What kind of impression
have you left thus far on
the Earth?
Veronica: I definitely
left more glitter across
this country at
this point than
probably anybody
else has! Also
probably pieces
of my hair. I leave
a lot of hair dye in
bathtubs. I leave a
lot of color around
wherever I go.
How do you
deal with your
mistakes when
you’re live?
Ali: I don’t make
mistakes! What are
you talking about?
I just hair flip or
do a movement.
People don’t
know. If I’m in the
moment and I
forget lyrics, I’ll just
make something
up.
Visit getoutmag.com
to read the full
interview.

BY EILEEN SHAPIRO
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
Michael Longoria
“The View Upstairs”
‘The only way to get through this is by loving each other in any way we possibly can’
Michael Longoria, the audaciously talented and strikingly handsome star of
Broadway, television and New York City nightlife, will be appearing in what
promises to be one of the most sparkling and glittery sensations to hit Manhattan.
The View Upstairs will be at The Lynn Redgrave Theater (45 Bleecker Street, NYC)
on February 28. This glam rock musical production is based upon the real life
gay bar in New Orleans, in the 1970s, which unfortunately burned to the ground.
Written by Max Vernon and directed by Scott Ebersold, it includes an all-star cast
including Longoria, Jeremy Pope, Taylor Frey, Nathan Lee Graham, Frenchie Davis,
Benjamin Howes, Ben Mayne, Nancy Ticotin and Randy Redd.
Longoria himself has an impressive array of credits, consisting of the starring role
on Broadway as Frankie Valli in the Tony Award-winning Jersey Boys, in Hairspray as
well as performing solo in Times Square for thousands for Broadway on Broadway.
He has also appeared on various television shows including “Broadway Under the
Stars,” “A Tribute to Harold Prince” and the finale of “America’s Got Talent” season
nine.
Having recently released his new album, “Broadway Brick by Brick,” Longoria has
also performed at “Joe’s Pub,” “The Cutting Room” and “Carolines on Broadway.”
He is also in The Midtown Men and performs nearly every summer at Cherry Grove.
Although I have interviewed hundreds, Longoria’s words were some of the most
expressive experiences I’ve ever had. His answers painted the most vivid pictures
and feelings, and he caused me to feel what he was feeling.
What role will you be
portraying in The View
Upstairs?
I play Freddie, who is also
the bar’s drag queen. As
a drag queen, my name is
Aurora Whorealis. There
are a few generations
in the bar when we
flash back in time, into
1973. I play a young and
rebellious drag queen,
and my storyline is really
about a mother and the
love for her child. You
meet my mother in the
middle of the play, and

you find out that although
her son being a drag
queen wasn’t necessarily
her dream for her son,
she’s comes to love him,
and love the gay bar,
and comes to frequent
it. You see this woman
from Puerto Rico, who
came to America with her
husband, who wanted
this American life, and
has all these challenges
because she has a gay
son, which is a challenge
that many parents have
to deal with. Obviously
we as gay people go
through so many trials
before we realize that
we have the strength to
come out to the people
that we love, because we
are afraid we’re going
to lose them. But, as an
adult, I look back, and I
think about my parents
and what they had to go
through. The fear
of the unknown,
and the knowing
of your child all
of a sudden, but
really getting
to know them
deeply in a way
that they didn’t
know them
before. Their sexuality all
of a sudden, and what
that means. For me, I was
a Mexican American. My
parents were Catholic
Mexican, my father was
machismo, so coming
out to my parents was
similar to Freddie. My
father didn’t accept me
right away, and Freddie’s
father doesn’t accept
him because he’s gay,
and he leaves his wife
and Freddie. So with
all that drama in their
life, you see the joy that
they get from coming to
this place, where they
meet these characters
and these friends from
different generations.
Nathan plays this wise,
fabulous, crazy queen
of the bar. He sits there
in judgment and tells
everybody about the
way it was. Freddie is the
kind that wants to moon
everybody outside and
wants to be who he wants
to be, no matter what.
Even though Stonewall
happened, they were
still living in a lot of
oppression in the South.
I think there still is to a
degree.
Absolutely. Even now, I’m
sometimes challenged
on the street by some
asshole who wants to
feel manly. That definitely
still happens now. The
sensation that you get
when you first go to a
gay bar, I remember
“Obviously we as gay people
go through so many trials before
we realize that we have the strength
to come out to the people
that we love...”
that very well. I was a
teenager. Even though I
was underage, being in a
place that all of a sudden
you know you’re not
supposed to be in, but
you want to be in, and
you know you belong.
All of a sudden all that
hunger and fuzz, without
even having a drink,
because I was underage,
but the feeling and the
high of being yourself, of
saying anything you want,
being anything you want
and having everybody in
the bar not give a shit.
Of course, those times
aren’t that true anymore,
with the shadiness that’s
around in our days. But
for a young queen who
doesn’t know about that
shadiness, being able to
go to a space that’s like a
utopia. You can really be
who you are inside. For
Freddie in this play, this is
his playground. Not only
can he prance around in
his bellbottoms, but he
can get in his dress and
be fabulous, and look
like Marilyn Monroe, and
really live who is inside,
which is this woman, this
inner being. So that’s who
I am, and I get to put on a
fun drag show within the
show.
I just bet you do...
It’s really fun, and I’ve
never done drag. It’s an
amazing experience, and
a learning experience
too.
Did they assign you a
drag mother?
No, not yet. I’ve had a
lot of drag inspirations
from going to Fire Island
and hanging out at the
Ice Palace. You see all
of those drag queens
perform, and throughout
the summer I’ve gotten
to know them both in
and out of drag. What’s
interesting about playing
a drag queen now, I’ve
had crushes on drag
queens for the past five
years. Interesting, weird,
like “Why do I like you?”
I really admire them,
especially the funny
ones. The ones that are
beautiful, and then all of a
sudden they are hilarious.
You have to admire
someone that can make
a crowd laugh, especially
in times like these, when
we’re laughing and crying
at the same time. Cont.

It’s like that nervous
laughter that turns into
tears. The message of
The View Upstairs, is that
ultimately, you had these
places in the ‘70s that were
secretive for a community,
and it was everybody,
everybody within each
other, and they had
each other’s back. That’s
what we really need to
remind each other of now,
because in the eight years
with Obama we’ve made
so much progress and
have felt very liberated
in a sense. The fact that
we could get married to
“I fall in love with
these drag queens, because
I see both sides...”
anyone we wanted, and
now all of a sudden it’s
like, psych, just kidding.
It’s like the carpet being
pulled out from under
you and your heart being
ripped out of your chest
from an America that
you thought was finally
understanding you. We
have to remind ourselves
that we have each other,
not just in gay bars, but we
are all around. We have
each other on Facebook,
we have each other in
these magazines that I’m
talking to right now, in
these relationships that are
forming, and the only way
to really get through it is
by loving each other in any
way that we possibly can.
That’s by supporting each
other, going to the drag
shows and telling them
they’re fabulous, even
when sometimes they
might not be.
Rule one, never insult a
drag queen. Too much
work goes into it.
Ever, ever, ever. It takes a
lot of balls...literally...and
it takes a lot of courage
and heart. Those people
have a lot of heart. Those
drag queens that I know
have both sides. They are
evil in a sense; they have
to have that hard shell of
protection from bullies
while growing up a lot of
times. But they also have
this enormous sensitivity
that is very loving in
nature. Maybe that’s why
I fall in love with these
drag queens, because I
see both sides, and both
sides are beautiful. They
bring out the best in all of
us, because they make us
laugh.
I love drag queens more
than life itself. I used to
own a gay bar.
So then you know the
community that can
form, the drama that
can happen and all of
the relationships that
happen. These characters
are loosely based on
some of the victims that
could’ve been there. Like
me: If I was living at that
time, I would’ve gone to
that bar. In fact, this was
the biggest killing of the
gay population before
Orlando. I’ve been to
Pulse, I’ve been to Latin
night, I tour, and I’ve been
to those specific parties.
So, it could’ve been
me. So to know that it
happened, and those souls
were not allowed to be
grieved for, a lot of those
parents couldn’t claim
those kids that were in
the fire because they were
afraid that they would get
blacklisted or lose their
jobs because they had gay
family. It was so weird and
so heartbreaking. One of
the characters is based off
of someone who might
have been one of the
three unidentified bodies
that was buried in a mass
grave. So it’s sort of a story
that needs to be told,
and it’s very bold of them
to be bringing this right
now. It’s scary, but it’s also
liberating.
PHOTOS BY PETER HURLEY

BY EILEEN SHAPIRO
CELEBRITY CORRESPONDENT
Nathan Lee Graham
“The View Upstairs”
The vivacious and very friendly stage and screen
actor, singer, writer, director and cabaret sensation,
Nathan Lee Graham, answered his phone with a
tantalizing “Good morning,” well prepared to speak
about his role in the new off-Broadway hit, The View
Upstairs. That is, after he turned off his classical music.
Graham was extremely well spoken and a magnificent
personality.
Graham is known for his role as Todd in Zoolander and as Miss Understanding in
the original Broadway cast of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Amongst his many
other credits are his roles in “Absolutely Fabulous,” “Scrubs” and “Law and Order.”
He also has accepted awards including the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award
for Best Feature Performer in a Musical in The Wild Party and a 2005 Best Classical
Album Grammy Award for “Songs of Innocence and of Experience.”
Having started his career at seven years old, the handsome actor portrays Willie, a
role created especially for him by Max Vernon, writer of The View Upstairs, which
will open on February 28 at The Lynn Redgrave Theatre at The Culture Project on
Bleecker Street in New York City.
I want to know all
about the character
that you play in this
fabulous, flamboyant
musical.
I play the character
of Willie. I like to call
him the Dolly Levi of
The View Upstairs,
because he’s a little bit
of a matchmaker, makes
things positive. He has
a lot of effervescence.
He’s the life blood of
the musical. He brings
people together. I’d
even go as far as to say,
sometimes to a fault,
he really might be in a
constant state of denial.
One might call it alter
affect if you will, but he
does it for all the right
reasons. So that’s who
he is, and that’s what he
does.
How did you get
selected for the role?
Actually, Max Vernon,
the composer and writer,
actually wrote this part
for me. He was in the
last stages of getting
his degree at NYU in
composing, and that
wonderful program is
one of the few programs
like that in the country.
They always ask people
who are professionals to
come and help out with
the graduate students,
if they have time. As a
matter of fact, I’m doing
it again while I’m doing
the show. So that’s how
that started. Thankfully,
and gratefully, he was
a fan of my work, and
he wanted me to do
this role. That’s how it
happened. I said if it
ever came into fruition,
and if it ever went
into production, that
I wanted to be part of
it, and every reading
that it had, and every
workshop, I tried very
much to be available to
play the role of Willie.
It’s a role that I have a
long history with the
past several years, and
it’s just a fabulous role in
the truest sense of being
fabulous. At the same
time, it’s such a

celebratory role in a very
dark period of LGBTQ
history.
What time period did
this take place?
In 1973, New Orleans, at
The Upstairs Lounge.
Does the bar still exist
in some way?
The bar, I believe, does
not still exist, but there
is a marker where it was.
It did burn down, and
I don’t believe it was
ever replaced. There is
a marker there to mark
where it was and how it
happened.
How long will the
musical run?
We have previews
beginning on February
15, and we open on the
28th of February, which
happens to be Mardi
Gras, apropos for a show
that takes place in New
Orleans, and then we
have an open run at least
until June.
That’s fantastic. Nathan,
I just have to tell you
that you sound so
Broadway. How long
have you been acting?
Well, that’s what I am.
When I got into the
business I was
about seven
years old. I
started out in
Los Angeles,
and I was the
glorified extra in
“The Bad News
Bears of Japan,”
then I was a
munchkin in the
national tour of
“The Wiz.” When they
came to Los Angeles
they would hire kids
locally. So that’s when
I started. I’m 48 now.
I’ll be 49 in September,
and I’ve been doing this
a very long time. I’ve
been very fortunate to
keep working in films
and stage off-Broadway
and on Broadway. It’s
not an easy ride, but it’s
fulfilling, and if I didn’t
love it and didn’t think I
had something to say, I
certainly would’ve quit
many years ago. It’s been
a wonderful ride.
Aside from the musical,
is there anything
else that you wish to
promote or talk about?
I am working on an
album. It’s going to
be called NLG, my
initials, “NLG Le Jazz
Classique.” I’m doing a
classic Jazz album. It’s
going to be mostly Cole
Porter, but there will be
some Irving Berlin in
there, George Gershwin.
So that’s on the horizon.
That will be my debut
album actually. After all
these years being on
everyone else’s albums,
finally I’m going to be
doing a solo album.
There are a couple of
projects that I wish I
could tell you about. I’m
always doing stuff.
PHOTOS BY ANDREW WERNER

week in pictures >> BY WILSONMODELS / wilsonmodels.blogspot.com
BAD APPLE BOYLESQUE @ TRIAD THEATER
CHULO UNDERWEAR FASHION SHOW
EDEN @ HUDSON TERRACE
KILLER QUEENS @ BLOOD MANOR

TURNT @ RITZ
STRUT @ ACME
MANSTER @ MONSTER
HOLY MOUNTAIN
@ SLAKE
LEGEND WEDNESDAYS @ RISE