Number 173 Spring 2018 $11.95 First TiME2 RFD 173 Spring 2018 Issue 174 / Summer 2018 AMUSE US—A MUSE US Submission Deadline: April 21, 2018 www.rfdmag.org/upload We’re asking our readers to tell us about their muses, what amuses you, speak to the things musing in your heads. Tell us a story. We’re looking for things which will amuse but also make us muse on our lives together. We’ve spent a great deal of the last year resisting things often greater than ourselves but here we’re asking to look inward, see where there is room to laugh, think more deeply, find the spirit in music, and let us learn about ourselves rather than things outside of ourselves. Please send us your essays, poems, songs, ruminations, artworks, photos, dance steps, recipes, reviews, fashions, hair styles, animals, nature spots, toys, subject-subjects...amuse us. RFD 173 Spring 2018 1 Risqué First Dates Vol 44 No 3 #173 Spring 2018 In this issue we’re celebrating first times, instances of remembrance and reflections of emotions both joyous and difficult. We’re thrilled with our readers response to this issue and we hope you enjoy reading about those transitions in our lives which help define us. The magazine has been moving along nicely and we’re noticing our own shifts and realignments, our long time stalwart Sister Mish has resigned from our Board of Directors, much of RFD’s history can be reflected in its many helping hands but a few names stand out as exemplars of devotion. Sis- ter Mish is certainly one of those and we’d like to thank him for his constant support and wish him all the best and know he’ll always be at hand if need be for support. Many of our readers will be aware that we are a small magazine but we thrive on our readers input and support. Consider ways you can support us – renew your subscription, tell us when you move, share RFD with friends, and as always send in your ideas for upcoming themes. We exist to publish your ideas, reflect your experiences and glory in the art and magic you create. Also enclosed is our annual gathering guide – we worked hard to include as much as we can find and share about Radical Faerie gatherings but also gatherings and events which also reflect RFD’s values of inclusion, discovery and spiritual growth. If you know of events we should be including in future issues, do drop us a line. We’re especially interested in hearing from rural queers and others whom might not always make it into our pages not my omission but lack of awareness on our humble parts. One of our sister organizations, Zuni Mountain Sanctuary in New Mexico suffered a fire to one of it’s buildings. If you support queer space please con- sider supporting Zuni in whatever way you can from cash, to helping hands, to nurturing them in their time of recovery and renewal. This issue was produced in a glorious slush storm in a whirlwind weekend sans margaritas this round. With warmest queer love from the wilds of the slushy streets of Rio Blanco. —The RFD Collective Between the Lines2 RFD 173 Spring 2018 RFD is a reader-written journal for gay people which focuses on country living and encourages alternative life- styles. We foster community building and networking, explore the diverse expressions of our sexuality, care for the environment, Radical Faerie consciousness, and nature-centered spirituality, and share experiences of our lives. RFD is produced by volun- teers. We welcome your participation. The business and general production are coordinated by a collective. Features and entire issues are prepared by different groups in various places. RFD (ISSN# 0149-709X) is published quarterly for $25 a year by RFD Press, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Postmaster: Send address changes to RFD, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Non-profit tax exempt #62-1723644, a function of RFD Press with office of registration at 231 Ten Penny Rd., Woodbury, TN 37190. RFD Cover Price: $9.95. A regular subscription is the least expensive way to receive it four times a year. First class mailed issues will be forwarded. Others will not. Send address changes to submissions@rfdmag.org or to our Hadley, MA address. Copyright © RFD Press. The records required by Title 18 U.S.D. Section 2257 and as- sociated with respect to this magazine (and all graphic material associated therewith on which this label appears) are kept by the custodian of records at the following location: RFD Press, 85 N Main St, Ste 200, White River Junction, VT 05001. On the Covers Front: Painting by Richard Vyse Back : :”Wide Awake” by Paul Richmond Production Managing Editor: Bambi Gauthier Art Director: Matt Bucy Visual Contributors Don Perryman 24 Doug Sandelin 13 Fabrizio Bottasso 4, 8, 17 Mike Kear 40 Paul Richmond 28, 32, 45, 46, 50, 57 Raphaël Frigon 7 Richard Vyse 2, 14, 18, 20, 23, 34 Will Pounds 48 Submission Deadlines Summer–April 21, 2018 Fall–July 21, 2018 See inside covers for themes and specifics. For advertising, subscriptions, back issues and other information visit www.rfdmag.org Painting by Richard Vyse RFD 173 Spring 2018 3 CONTENTS Announcements ................................................................4 Pervers/cité Montreal Underground and Political Pride .....................Jamie Ross ............................6 Gathering Guide ...............................................................9 Beatus recipit Sorore nostra ....................................................12 Sea of Flames ............................Qweaver .............................15 The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful First Times ...............e.c. patrick ...........................16 Dared, a First Time .......................Arno Bohlmeijer .....................19 The Kachina Dance .......................Don Perryman .......................25 I’m Traveling in Some Vehicle ..............James Ru ............................27 Still Love You ............................Kelly Connell ........................29 The First Time I Met Purli Sudds ...........Randy Krahn .........................31 written in the vernacular of lovers ..........nicholas fiorellini .....................33 First Time All the Time ....................James McColley Eilers .................35 Catalog of Firsts ..........................Andrew Sweetfern ....................36 Ode to the Divine Fool .................... Jay Sunlight Moonshadow .............37 Puppy Love ..............................Perry McCrackin .....................38 “Come!” .................................Prince Frivolous ......................41 My First Piercing .........................Tim Evans ...........................44 Radical Faerie Glitter Ball 8th December 2001 ....................Will Pounds .........................47 Hobbit Home! Adamama Israeli Fairy Sanctuary ........Eve From Albion .....................49 Where I Left My Wings ................... Spriggan Radfae .....................51 Adventure in the Sin Trade ................Fadrian Bartley .......................52 An Open Letter to Ocean Vuong ...........Woody Woodger .....................53 Three Faces of God .......................Story Stag ...........................544 RFD 173 Spring 2018 “My First Gay Dance” by Fabrizio Bottasso RFD 173 Spring 2018 5 Gay History Serial Podcast Debuts Mattachine, a ten-episode serialized show available free on iTunes January 4, 2018, follows the true story of the secret Mattachine organiza- tion that catalyzed the American LGBTQ rights movement in 1950. From a spark of inspiration in 1920s Chicago, through secret speakeasy- style meetings that brought together anonymous homosexuals, the program will open FBI case files to journey through McCarthy-era paranoia and the witch hunt that pulled the communist queer activists apart, scattering the seeds of the move- ment. Produced and hosted by Devlyn Camp with editorial advising from Paul Di Ciccio and Chicago theatre critic Albert Williams, Mattachine aims to entertain and educate an audience about our vast history and the strength of our community during a time of new political resistance. Listeners may hear the first episode and subscribe now on iTunes or other podcast-playing apps. New episodes are released every Thursday. Political and social history have been inter- twined with queer history, though our stories are overlooked by all history classes in public schools. With the assistance of voice actors and interviews with Mattachine founder Harry Hay courtesy of the ONE Archives at the University of Southern California Library, Mattachine brings the stories of these activists back to life in order to uncover nu- anced issues the LGBTQ community still struggles with today: internalized homophobia, misogyny, political pressure, anonymity, and assimilation. Listeners may find that the study of history is preparation for the work ahead. Follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @mattachinefiles, and explore resources and other details at mattachinepod.com. ANNOUNCEMENTS6 RFD 173 Spring 2018 Call for proposals Montreal’s queer summer festival Pervers/cité is in its second decade! Pervers/Cité is a collaboratively organized radical queer summer festival taking place August 9-19 août 2018. Since 2007 Pervers/Cité has been organizing a blend of hot dance parties, critical political interventions and alternative art practic- es to build links across social justice movements and queer communities. In a climate of corporate gay agendas and whitewashed homogeneity, Perv- ers/Cité strives to provide a schedule of activities to reanimate the radical underpinnings to the pride movement. We acknowledge that Montreal (Tiohtià:ke in Mohawk) is located on unceded Mohawk (Kanien’keháka) territory. Past events have included panel discussions, workshops, performances, film nights, direct ac- tion interventions, picnics, sex parties, rituals, art shows, bonfires, concerts, community suppers, and games. If you want to organize something please fill out and submit the following online applica- tion: http://www.perverscite.org/proposals/. (We’re working on our website at the moment. We ask for a short event description of maximum 100 words, a list of needs from the Pervers/cité collective and whether you have a fixed date and a confirmed space for the event.) perverscite@ gmail.com Facebook: Pervers/cite Deadline is in early June annually. Send us an email! Appel de dossiers Le festival queer d’été de Montréal est dans sa deuxième décennie! Ayant lieu du 9 au 19 août 2017, Pervers/Cité est un festival d’été radical queer organisé de façon col- lective. Depuis 2007, Pervers/Cité a organisé un mé- lange de partys de danse, d’ateliers, d’interventions politiques et de pratiques artistiques alternatives pour tisser des liens entre les mouvements pour la justice sociale et les communautés queers. Dans un climat où prévalent l’agenda corporatif gai et l’aseptisation homogénéisée des queers, Pervers/ Cité tâche de fournir des activités destinées à réa- nimer les fondements radicaux du mouvement de la Fierté LGBT. On reconnaît que la ville de Montréal (Tiohtià:ke) se situe en territoire non-cédé Mohawk (Kanien’keháka). Les éditions passées ont inclus discussions, ateliers, performances, soirées de films, actions directes, pique-niques, rituels, concerts, expos d’art, feux de camp, soupers communautaires et jeux. Si vous désirez organiser un événement, veuillez remplir et soumettre le formulaire suivant en ligne: http://www.perverscite.org/fr/proposals/. (On travaille actuellement sur notre site web: pour les soumissions on demande une courte description de l’événement 100 mots max., une liste des besoins du collectif Pervers/cité, si vous avez une date fixe et un endroit déjà confirmé pour l’événement). perver- scite@gmail.com Facebook: Pervers/cite La date limite est normalement vers le début juin. Envoyez-nous un courriel! Pervers/cité Montreal Underground and Political Pride by Jamie Ross A s corporate Pride festivals around the world prove themselves less accountable each year to the history they claim to represent, there is a need to repoliticize Pride. A wide range of queer and trans individuals and groups comes together every summer to present a series of events, workshops, panel discussions, and actions to coincide with mainstream Pride. Lots of Montreal Radical Faeries frolic in the streets at the height of summer—join us for Pervers/cité. RFD 173 Spring 2018 7 Photos by Raphaël FrigonNext >