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According to art historian Christopher Reed, in the 19th century the word artist was used as a pseudonym for queer. Frankly, we’re not surprised.
In the journey that we have taken to put together this, our first art issue, we have met so many incredibly talented and creative gay artists that the two things have become almost inseparable.
Whatever the reason for this – artistic talent as a inherent characteristic of the ‘gay gene’, or as psychologist Alan Downs would have us believe in The Velvet Rage, a desperate cry for validation in attempt to overcome some deep-rooted shame at being brought up in a society that doesn’t know how to cope with our homosexuality. Or maybe it is just that as born outsiders, we see the world differently.
Perhaps like Jean Genet we see beauty where others do not – we need to define ourselves in relation to the world around us, to explore our desires, to create our own images as a shield against the relentless barrage of heterosexual imagery.
Whatever the reason, we wanted to celebrate queer artists who inspire us and share with you their life-enhancing work.
It seemed fitting then in this issue to feature the city of San Francisco, the birthplace of so much creative, queer culture; home to so many important
artists, writers, photographers, and performers. We talked to Armistead Maupin and Jake Shears men of different generations, but sharing a love
for the place that inspired their collaboration on the musical version of Tales of the City. We sat in on two of the original Cockettes, Rumi and Scrumbly,
reminiscing about their antics and we have profiled the work of Dan Nicoletta, whose seminal
photographs document the city’s queer history.
Our cover star, Penny Arcade, regaled us with stories of the New York art scene, recounting memories of queer visionaries like Jack Smith and Andy Warhol.
In keeping with our love of the greats, our style section sees homages to David Hockney and Pierre et Gilles. But most of all, we wanted to impart our excitement at showcasing some of the wonderful, inspiring talents Out There today.
What's Out There? We are. And we hope you will join us...
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SPOTLIGHT   ART   
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CULTURE:
SPOTLIGHT
Ain Cocke (Beijing)
Xing Zhao talks to artist Ain Cocke about his homoerotic romanticism of men in uniform
Clifton (New York)
Paul Alexander from The Ones tells us why Clifton Brown is a performer that once seen will never be forgotten
Daniel Kane (Berlin)
Padraig Robinson on decayed grandeur and contemporary baroque in Daniel Kane's photography
Francois Retief Lubbe (London)
Pedrag Pajdic talks about this playwright's childhood and his love of beauty
Zachari Logan (Saskatoon)
This artist's breathtaking work has taken him to the brink of becoming one of the defining queer artists of his generation
Dicky Beau (London)
Darrell Berry talks to one of the most exciting, innovative and engaging performers on the London scene
Paul Harfleet (London)
Alex Hopkins talks to the man behind The Pansy Project
THE ART ISSUE
The art of the photocopier
Artist profile: Sito Mujica (Barcelona)
Redrawing the past
Art historian Christopher Reed explains the role of homosexuality in art
Painting the town
Jeremy Novy highlights the queer artists reclaiming the streets
A dogs life
Artist Howard Hardiman on his beautiful and gritty queer comic, The Lengths
Sir Gay
Artist Georgina Starr celebrates the lost innocent world of Ronald Wright
Brave new world
Martin Perry meets the artists of the 'me' generation
Hidden art of Japan
Mona Madry opens the closet doors on Japanese erotic art
Home is where the art is
Interior designer Trip Haenisch gives us the inside track on choosing the right art for your space
Designed for life
Architects Featherstone Young share their passion for creating perfect spaces
BACK TO TOP >
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"OUT THERE is the salvation of culture, the Divine David to the Goliath of crass, vulgarity and mediocrity that is shoved down our throats everyday in the bankrupt name of cool. It is the antidote to contemporary homosexual banality single handedly making the world safe for wit, intelligence, integrity and aestethics!"
- Penny Arcade
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FEATURES   
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VOICES:
FEATURES
Penny Arcade
Ben Walters speaks to legendary 'old queen' of the underground, who wants to honour the past, change the future and be your friend
Another country
With its brutal anti-homosexual policies and tribal mentality, Uganda is the worst place in the world to be gay. Alex Hopkins speaks to two men who escaped the nightmare
I'm from Driftwood
Alex Hopkins finds out what drove 30-year-old Nathan Manske to light a beacon of hope for the LGBTQ youth of his and future generations
I'm gay, doctor...
With roughly one in four HIV+ gay men in the UK unaware that they are infected, Yusef Azad points out the benefits of early diagnosis and asks: isn't it time we started to think differently about getting tested?
Never never land
David Hawkins tells us from experience why he feels the gay community developed a Peter Pan complex
What is art?
Steve Bustin considers whether a garden can truly be considered a masterpiece
Sky high
Mona Madry tells a cautionary tale of sex and drugs at 35,000 feet
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SAN FRANCISCO
    TRAVEL
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TRAVEL:
SAN FRANCISCO
Sodom by the sea
Historian Michael Bronski, with original illustrations by Felix D'eon, explores the queer history of San Francisco and its legacy of personal freedom from the 49ers to Prop 8
Passing the torch
Rupert Mellor talks to Armistead Maupin and Jake Shears on carrying Maupin's legacy to a fresh generation of audiences. Illustrated by Jamey Christoph
The making of a gentleman
Adopted San Franciscan Brenden Schucart explains how moving to the city seven years ago saved his life
Cockettes
Two of the originalmembers of the legendary queer performance troup synonymous with San Francisco's history talk about the good old days
Beyond Barbary Lane
San Francisco's liveral attitude is a draw for LGBT youth across America, but for some who arrive without the means to support themselves the dream can soon go sour
Queer street
Taken under the wing of Harvey Milk at 17, Daniel Nocoletta has dedicated his life to documenting queer San Francisco
A few of our favourite things
Our panel of SF insiders give us their personal recommendations for things to do in the city.
TRAVEL
Passing shots
The world as seen through the lens of travel photographer Nadia Attura
Rest and Relax
A round-up of Out There's Top 5 hotels with spas
Slicker Cities: Bangkok
Chef David Thompson can't get enough of Thai flavours
Slicker Cities: Paris
Richard Nahem swaps the Big Apple for La Ville-Lumiere
Slicker Cities: Manchester
Andrew Stokes traded London for the UK's other cosmo-city
Design Counsel
George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg share their thoughts on what today's travellers are really looking for in a hotel
Out There explores
Our round-up of gay-friendly hotels with great design credentials
A tale of two cities
Zurich and NYC are poles apart, but if you look hard enough, you'll find that they're not as different as you'd think
Despatches
Voices from inside the gay travel industry share their experiences of the wold and tell us what makes them do what they do
Up in the air
Out There's mystery passenger puts two airlines' premium-class offerings to the test
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