Out Magaze - Gay & Lbian Travel, Fashn, Culture & Polics

Contents:

• HE TRAVEL – GAY TRAVEL TOURS, GAY ADVENTURE TRAVEL, ACTIVE VATNS
• LGBTQ TRAVEL: A FABULOUS GUI TO GAY TRAVEL 2023
• GAY UNED STAT TRAVEL GUI
• MANY UNTRI DON'T ACCEPT OUR RIGHT TO EXIST: LIFE AS A GAY TRAVELER
• OP-ED: AN AIRBSHED JORDAN FOR THE GAY TRAVELER
• THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023
• 5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)
• FELLOW TRAVELERS: INSI MATT BOMER AND JONATHAN BAILEY’S EPIC, SEXY ROMANCETHE TWO ACTORS GIVE THEIR ALL TO THIS S-SPANNG LIMED SERI, WHICH EXPLOR A GAY LOVE STORY WH BOLD—AND EXPLIC—CEMATIC SWEEP.BY DAVID CANFIELDMAY 25, 2023BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHEN MATT BOMER AND JONATHAN BAILEY FIRST MET AT A FFEE SHOP ON CUMBERLAND STREET TORONTO, ON THE VERGE OF BEGNG SIX MONTHS OF FILMG FOR THEIR S-SPANNG LIMED SERI FELLOW TRAVELERS, THEY MA A PACT TO HAVE EACH OTHER’S BACKS. SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH, GIVEN THAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON SOME OF THE RICHT SCREEN WORK OF THEIR RPECTIVE REERS. BUT OVER ZOOM, BOTH ACTORS SPEAK OF THAT TRODUCTN NOW AS ALMOST SACRED. WATCH FELLOW TRAVELERS, AND YOU’LL UNRSTAND WHY. THE SHOWTIME EPIC PICTS AN EXTRAORDARY TIMACY BETWEEN S LEAD CHARACTERS, AND ASKS FOR TE VULNERABILY OM BOMER AND BAILEY, WHO LIVER WHOUT PROMISE.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.ADAPTED BY OSR NOMEE RON NYSWANER (PHILALPHIA) OM THOMAS MALLON’S 2007 NOVEL, FELLOW TRAVELERS (PREMIERG THIS FALL ON PARAMOUNT+ WH SHOWTIME) EXAM THE VOLATILE, PASSNATE, EPLY LOVG ROMANCE BETWEEN HAWKS FULLER (BOMER), A CHARISMATIC IF SOMEWHAT OPAQUE WAR HERO TURNED POLIL STAFFER, AND TIM LGHL (BAILEY), A RELIG IALIST LOOKG FOR HIS WAY TO THE DC GRD. THEY MEET AT THE DAWN OF THE EARLY-’50S LAVENR SRE, WHICH SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY AND HIS CHIEF UNSEL ROY COHN PURGED WHOMEVER THEY EMED GAY OR LBIAN OM ERNMENT ROL—DUBBG THEM MUNIST SYMPATHIZERS—AND SPARKED A NATNAL MORAL PANIC AROUND HOMOSEXUALY. THE SERI THEN BUILDS TO A KD OF GRAND CHRONICLE OF QUEER AMERIN HISTORY, TRACG THE EVOLUTN OF HAWK AND TIM’S RELATNSHIP THROUGH VAR ERAS BEFORE CULMATG THE AIDS EPIMIC OF THE 1980S.A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWTHE PROJECT ME TO BAILEY AT A SERENDIPO MOMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME HIS LIFE, THE BREAKOUT STAR OF BRIDGERTON WAS MAND AND BEG ASKED WHAT HE WANTED TO DO NEXT. “MY ANSWER WAS ALWAYS, ‘WELL, I’D LOVE TO DO A SWEEPG GAY LOVE STORY,’ BUT MY EXPERIENCE ACTUALLY WAS THAT I’D NEVER REALLY SEEN THEM,” BAILEY SAYS. “OR IF I HAD, I HADN’T SEEN ACTORS LIKE ME AND MATT PLAY THOSE ROL.” (BOTH BAILEY AND BOMER INTIFY AS GAY.) THAT DREAM OPPORTUNY ABPTLY PRENTED SELF FELLOW TRAVELERS, WHICH BAILEY JOED AFTER BOMER HAD ALREADY SIGNED ON AS BOTH STAR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER. “THE STORY HAD BEEN MARATG WH RON FOR A SOLID BEFORE I EVER ME ON BOARD,” BOMER SAYS. “RON HAD AN ALMOST RELIG ZEAL ABOUT THIS PROJECT, THIS WORLD, AND THE CHARACTERS THAT JT WASHED OVER EVERYONE VOLVED, AND MA THE PROFOUND EXPERIENCE THAT WAS.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.NYSWANER HAD ALREADY DONE NSIRABLE REARCH ON FELLOW TRAVELERS, HAVG PREVLY PLANNED TO ADAPT THE BOOK AS A FILM. HE HAD MORE RECENTLY TABLISHED HIMSELF PRTIGE TV—WRG FOR SHOWTIME DRAMAS LIKE HOMELAND AND RAY DONOVAN—WHILE NTUG TO WORK MOVI. HIS SCRIPT FOR LAST YEAR’S AMAZON FEATURE MY POLICEMAN TRODUCED HIM TO PRODUCER ROBBIE ROGERS; NYSWANER SENT ROGERS THE FELLOW TRAVELERS NOVEL, WHICH SPARKED A NVERSATN ABOUT MAKG A LIMED SERI OUT OF . “THE AMBN OF GOG THROUGH THE DIFFERENT S AND FDG A REALLY PELLG STORY—NOTHG LIKE THAT HAD BEEN DONE, WHERE ’S AN EPIC GAY LOVE STORY THAT HAS THIS POLIL ELEMENT THAT’S WOVEN THROUGH ,” SAYS ROGERS. FELLOW TRAVELERS LEAV NO STONE UNTURNED, EXPANDG S WORLD BEYOND HAWK AND TIM TO FASHN AN EXPANSIVE HISTORIL TAPTRY. A RE PARALLEL STRAND OF THE DRAMA FOLLOWS JELANI ALLAD’S MARC HOOKS, A QUEER BLACK POLIL JOURNALIST FDG A NEW PARTNER OF HIS OWN (NOAH J. RICKETTS), WHILE NYSWANER’S EARLY EPISOS ALSO DIG TO THE VIC METHODS OF MCCARTHY (A TRANSFORMED CHRIS BER) AND THE APPALLG HYPOCRISY OF COHN (WILL BRILL). “SOMETHG LIKE AN TIMATED 10,000 PEOPLE LOST THEIR JOBS, AND A LOT OF FOLKS TOOK THEIR OWN LIV,” BOMER SAYS. “THAT’S THE LANDSPE THAT THE PEOPLE ARE ALG WH.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.BUT HAWK AND TIM ARE OUR FLAWED, FASCATG HERO—WH FELLOW TRAVELERS CISIVELY SUATG THEIR TENSE CHEMISTRY WH A BROAR POLIL NTEXT. THE LH, SWEEPG, LIBERATELY OLD-FASHNED QUALY OF THE FILMMAKG, TEMPLATED BY EMMY-WNG DIRECTOR DANIEL MAHAN (AMERIN CRIME STORY), NTRASTS SHARPLY WH THE SHOW’S CREDIBLY SPECIFIC FOC ON ONE UPLE’S DYNAMIC. THAT TIMATE STORY IS LARGELY TOLD, WH A SURPRISG AND CCIAL BOLDNS, THROUGH SEX.“THE NUANCE OF A PLITED, VOLATILE QUEER RELATNSHIP IS THE POWER BALANCE—AND THAT IS WHAT IS AMAZG ABOUT TIM AND HAWK,” BAILEY SAYS. “EVERY SGLE SEX SCENE IS A METICULO EXAMATN OF POWER.” FELLOW TRAVELERS HEATS UP AS HAWK GETS TIM A JOB WORKG FOR MCCARTHY—AND TASKS HIM WH SPYG ON THE SENATOR FOR TEL ON HIS TACTICS, AND SIGHTS TO HIS WEAKNS. THIS GIVE-AND-TAKE EVABLY MOV TO THE BEDROOM, THE SPAC WHERE THE TWO MEN MT GRAPPLE WH NOT ONLY THEIR HIDN BLOSSOMG LOVE, BUT ALSO THE TRANSACTNAL QUALY OF THEIR BOND. “THERE’S A LEVEL OF TST AND TIMACY THAT’S EVEN MORE VALUABLE WHEN SOCIETY IS AGAST YOU,” BOMER SAYS. “YOU KEEP YOUR SECRETS TOGETHER.” COURTY OF SHOWTIME.THE RULTG SEX SCEN, PTURG A RANGE OF ROLE PLAYS, WILL RG AS HIGHLY THENTIC TO GAY MEN, AND MARK UNCHARTED TERRORY FOR MASTREAM DRAMATIC TV—EVEN ON A WORK LIKE SHOWTIME. “NOT THAT WILL BE SHOCKG TO PEOPLE, BUT I HOPE WHEN PEOPLE WATCH , THEY’RE LIKE, ‘OH, WOW. THEY REALLY WENT FOR ,’” ROGERS SAYS. THE PRODUCTN MA TIMACY ORDATORS AVAILABLE TO THE ST THROUGHOUT FILMG, AND BOMER AND BAILEY FELT AN TRSIC TST WH EACH OTHER, ROOTED THAT CUMBERLAND STREET PACT. “I WILL BE SO TERTED TO SEE HOW PEOPLE RPOND TO ,” BAILEY SAYS. “TO ME, BEG QUEER ALSO IS ABOUT, AS TWO MEN, HOW YOU NEGOTIATE YOUR GIVG OF YOUR BODY TO THE OTHER PERSON. THAT IS SOMETHG THAT I’VE ALWAYS YEARNED TO SEE PROPERLY DONE BEE I KNOW HOW EXTRAORDARY IS TO EXPERIENCE .” AT ONE POT, BAILEY SENT BOMER A VIO OF TORVILL AND DEAN’S LEGENDARY “BOLERO” ICE DANCE. “WE’RE TWO ICE SKATERS DANCG TOGETHER— SORT OF FELT LIKE THAT,” BAILEY SAYS WH A LGH. BOMER CHIM : “IT WAS REALLY TERTG TO FD THE DIFFERENT TYP OF EXPRSN OF THEIR LOVE AND TIMACY OVER THE DIFFERENT TIME PERDS,” HE SAYS. “IT WAS LIKE OPENG A CHRISTMAS PRENT EVERY TIME I WOULD SEE JONNY A NEW TIME PERD AND SEE WHAT HE WOULD BRG TO THE TABLE WH THIS NEW CHAPTER OF TIM’S LIFE.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.THE SHOW BEGS BY SHIFTG BETWEEN THE ’50S AND ’80S, BUT S LATTER HALF SHAK UP THE FORMULA, HURTLG TO PERDS OF LIBERATN. IN HAWK, BOMER CHARTS THE EXPANSN OF A MAN WHO’S PARTMENTALIZED A VAL PART OF HIS BEG FOR MUCH OF HIS LIFE. “LOVE IS DANGERO—’S A THREAT TO HIS VERY EXISTENCE, AND TIM IS REALLY THE ONLY PERSON WHO N CHALLENGE THAT,” HE SAYS. OVER TIME, HE MARRI A CHILDHOOD IEND, LUCY SMH (ALLISON WILLIAMS), WHILE NTUG TO SEE TIM. THE SHOW DO NOT EVER ST TIM A PIABLE LIGHT, HOWEVER. “HE’S VERY PURE, EVEN THOUGH HE’S ALWAYS SEARCHG FOR ABSOLUTN AND TTH, AND HE IS FUNDAMENTALLY VERY CLEAR ON WHO HE IS,” BAILEY SAYS. “I ULD SEE WHO THAT WAS.” THE ’80S SEGMENT OF THE SHOW, GLIMPSED THROUGH TO THE FAL EPISO, OPENS WH THE CHARACTERS SEPARATED—WH THEIR TENSE, HEARTBREAKG RNN LEADG TO THE NARRATIVE’S NCLN. OVER EIGHT HOURS, THE SHOW AMBLY RECREAT EVERYTHG OM ’50S DC TO ’70S FIRE ISLAND TO ’80S BAY AREA—ALL TORONTO AND SOMEHOW, PER ROGERS, UNR BUDGET. THE FAL SCEN TAKE PLACE AT THE FAMED AIDS QUILT, WH THE PRODUCTN SIGNERS THOROUGHLY REIMAGG THE INIC NATNAL MALL SE. THEY HAD COHN’S ACTUAL SQUARE ON HAND, AND SIGNED SOME OTHERS OM SCRATCH. “WHEN YOU SEE , YOU WON’T BELIEVE ,” ROGERS TEAS. “YOU’LL BE LIKE, ‘OH, MY GOSH, THIS LOOKS LIKE THEY SHOT DC.’”COURTY OF SHOWTIME.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.BY THE TIME PRODUCTN WRAPPED, BAILEY AND BOMER FACED A FULFILLG—IF NOT EASY—GOODBYE. “JT GETTG TO PLAY THE CHARACTER OVER THE URSE OF 35 YEARS—SOME OF THE SCEN THAT TAKE PLACE THE LAST EPISO FOR ME WERE SUCH A RE OF PASSAGE TERMS OF SAYG GOODBYE TO THE CHARACTER,” BOMER SAYS. ADDS BAILEY, “IT’S BEEN JT THE MOST JOYO, EMOTNAL, AND ALSO RMATIVE EXPERIENCE I’VE HAD ON A JOB. I’VE NEVER GRIEVED A CHARACTER MORE.”WELL, KD OF. BAILEY ACTUALLY FILMED THE THIRD SEASON OF BRIDGERTON AT THE SAME TIME AS FELLOW TRAVELERS. “I HAD A REALLY WEIRD TIME,” HE SAYS. AT THE TIME, HE’D REGULARLY MUTE BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UK. AND FOR HIS LAST DAY MAKG FELLOW TRAVELERS, HE WORKED THROUGH AN EMOTNALLY DRAG 19-, MAYBE 20-HOUR SHOOT WH BOMER. THE WORK BLED TO THE WEEKEND. BAILEY FALLY LEFT THE SET FOR THE LAST TIME. AND BY MONDAY, HE WAS BACK REGENCY-ERA ENGLAND, TRANSPORTED 200 YEARS TO THE PAST, CHARACTER AS ANTHONY BRIDGERTON. “WHEN I SAY I GRIEVED , I DIDN’T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY SPACE TO,” BAILEY SAYS NOW OF FELLOW TRAVELERS. “BUT I STILL THK ABOUT TIM A LOT.” UNRSTANDABLY—THIS IS A LIFE STORY THAT’LL STAY WH YOU.LISTEN TO VANY FAIR’S LTLE GOLD MEN PODST NOW.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)DAVID CANFIELD
• PRENTG THE 2022 GAY TRAVEL AWARDS NOME

HE TRAVEL – GAY TRAVEL TOURS, GAY ADVENTURE TRAVEL, ACTIVE VATNS

SliThe Ft Gay Travel ToursAdventure, culture, leisure or luxury, HE Travel is the lear gay travel tours and gay adventure travel today and for the last 40 years. Our Founr Hanns Ebensten ran the first exclively gay adventure tour down the Grand Canyon 1973 and we most recently acquired OutQut Global Adventur, brgg even more gay travel tours to gay men, lbians & their iends. Our gay vatn group tours are ial both for sgle gay men and lbians to meet new iends, and also for upl to enjoy the mararie of explorg new plac wh other gay and lbian travelers.

This will clu the unique sign of their flexible gers (yurts), and their annual Naadam Ftival of wrtlg, 545-SW-HETravel-NewMexi-Colorado-Southwt-Gay-Tour-gallery-300× Southwt Enchantment Adventure TourWe are exced to offer our first adventure tour through the remarkable, high sert regn of Northern New Mexi and to the lh tumn lors of the mountas of Southwt Colorado.

Our tour follows the steps of Native Amerin tradns and an eclectic mix of settlers, thors, and artists who500-WF-Iceland-ma-image-HETravel-Gay-Tours-300×203.

LGBTQ TRAVEL: A FABULOUS GUI TO GAY TRAVEL 2023

GWt Iceland Fjords: Gay Iceland Adventure TourFrom Vikg culture to Arctic wilrns & bety, our new tour of Iceland will show you the extrem of Iceland: iendly Vikg scendants, unspoiled lh wilrns, fumg and hissg geysers, massive glaciers, towerg volno, and vg natural hot sprgs.

A Tribute to Doug MayberryA Tribute to Doug MayberryWe mourn the passg of our brother, uncle, and iend Douglas Gayle Mayberry, known to his fay and iends as Doug. Taste of ItalyPlant A Tree ProgramSPLASH Grand Canyon Gay Raftg AdventureHE Travel Heads to Machu PicchuHE Travel Prents EcuadorHE TRAVEL KAUAI ADVENTURE TOURHE Travel Prents Pengus of South AiHE Travel’s Galapagos AdventureGay travel huntg Santiago, Chile. ” I barely knew how to travel, wasn’t entirely sure I was a lbian, and I didn’t really know how to give them an LGBTQ-iendly spiel… A gay travel gui assortment of tips and advice… Their qutns really threw me.

But I also know that travellg n be the bt gift to give yourself while tryg to figure out which booti you like bumpg and how to live a life that is still not nsired “normal”, there are some super smashg gay iendly ci to fill the spiratn cup along the way. FAQs of Gay TravellersWrappg Up the LGBT Travel GuiExperienc of LGBTQ Travellers – A Challeng and Inspiratn SandwichFor this article, I terviewed several other badass LGBT travellers.

GAY UNED STAT TRAVEL GUI

Travellg Together When GayThere will be differenc the challeng – and rewards – of travellg as a partnership or group of iends pendg on the same factors above.

When I was livg and travellg Central Ameri, two of my gay iends faced more overt threats of vlence om small sectns of the muny (mostly borrachos late at night). Existg as your uneded, loud, proud, gay-ass self giv those around you permissn to be there is no reason for you to not claim your space as an LGBT traveller some of the world’s bt gay ci. It might get a b overshadowed by Sydney’s showy Madi Gras para, but the gay travel scene Melbourne is still bt thgs to do Melbourne are terwoven to the fabric of this progrsive cy.

While Colombia is still que a nservative untry, gay marriage is legal and so is same-sex upl don’t have two left Flower Ftival held Augt is not somethg to be missed.

MANY UNTRI DON'T ACCEPT OUR RIGHT TO EXIST: LIFE AS A GAY TRAVELER

Along wh torrents of ptivatg ffee, the bt gay ci always seem to have scmpt we of the ve – and Cape Town don’t is credibly betiful scenery around alongsi some great hikg to be done around the edg of the as I might, I’ll never be this Town is also a great place to learn to surf… or even swim wh great whe sharks.

”The most prehensive article on LGBTQ travel safety I found was this list of the 150 Worst and Saft Countri for LGBTQ travel; the article ma the lk between many untri which have “anti-gay” legislatn and their stat as former Brish loni.

Add that to the dirty lndry list of lonialism – wispread crimalisatn of non-hetero activi and the breedg of stigmas that still lgers to this thkg about the regns of the world and how dangero would be to travel gay there, I thought about this qutn: what would happen if I held the hand of my same-sex partner public this area? Conversely, some plac that are likely safe for LGBTQ travellers are not safe for LGBTQ wh untri that on the whole are unacceptg, there are still some of the bt gay ci to be found.

OP-ED: AN AIRBSHED JORDAN FOR THE GAY TRAVELER

Even though is a untry that n be que nservative and overtly vlent toward LGBTQ travellers and lols, Mexi Cy is one of the saft and most enjoyable ci for gay travellers the Ameris! But I’m gonna lightly drizzle on this you do e datg apps untri where there are legal or vlent repercsns for beg gay, a quick word of warng: the police and other vigilant have been known to e apps to lure other gay men to icky I thk this is fucked up?

Sometim you have to bee a ‘no one’ and unwatched by iends and fay to give yourself the space to learn more about yourself as a traveller, as a gay person, and as a human on this crazy TRAVELLING SOONER. I started chattg to one of them who realised I was also wag for my girliend, like he that penny dropped, he kept showg me photos of his brother and his brother’s hband Ameri and suggtg the bt unrground gay bars New Delhi!

I’ve had mouthy twats… if they see a gay person, you know, I n’t even unt how many tim I’ve been told, YOU FAT you’re not tellg me anythg I don’t know, ya prick!

THE 8 TOP GAY CIS FOR 2023

But all serns, you n’t expect that someone who’s been raised a Church for twenty, forty, fifty years who has been told that beg gay is a s to jt sudnly love the first gay person they will also be wrong about a lot of thgs your life, and this is jt somethg they’re fuckg wrong about. The greater prence of gay travellers then the more normalised we bee, and the ls dangero is for the LGBTQ travellers that e after, there is far too much good ffee and the h mango on this si of the Pacific to be sampled for LGBTQ travellers to simply stay at home!

The story of passenger aviatn is tertwed wh gay men, most famoly gay flight attendants, stereotypilly swishg their way through the ski wh their gal pals, a guy every (air)port, footloose, fancy ee and happy. As one of the relatively few openly gay aviatn journalists, and one who specialis the passenger experience – what we all see when we travel – the way this particular quirk of history has evolved, as Phil Tiemeyer’s excellent book Plane Queer tells , trigu me. Right now, the shadow of another panmic, my gay iends of a siar age and I talk equently about how formative that particular experience was how we’re reactg to COVID-19, and how much affected our perspective.

In more than a dozen untri, gay people n still be put to ath for spendg a night wh our partners, arrted for holdg hands, prosecuted for gatherg wh other people like , jailed for even discsg our liv – let alone beg attacked by mobs for simply beg who we are.

5 SAFT PLAC FOR GAY TRAVELERS IN 2019 (AND THE MOST DANGERO)

I intify as gay and queer, and I reclaim the word “queer” along wh others to scribe a wir sense of inty, the unrstandg that there is a generatn olr than me, of gay men particular, who don’t like the word, havg had screamed at them by police as they were arrted and btalized. Let me be the first to highlight that the LGBTIQA+ muny is as diverse as s members, and I n only speak to my experience as a whe, cisgenr, universy-ted thirty-somethg gay man livg wtern Europe, which giv me a particular perspective on the world.

Enjoyg credible drag performanc Sgapore, the search for the perfect ty gay bar Shju, gog for a drk the Stonewall, lettg my purple hair down gayborhoods om the Marais to the Castro, browsg queer bookstor om Toronto to Melbourne, dancg the night away among fellow queers om Beijg to Buchart… and chattg the galleys of aircraft worldwi: gettg to experience the amazg flavor of queer life across the world is a joy and a privilege.

It’s also a rponsibily: as a journalist wh a public profile, I often avoid postg about visg gay venu and queer spac on social media untri where LGBTIQA+ people are still targeted for harassment, vlence and opprsn by ernments or society.

FELLOW TRAVELERS: INSI MATT BOMER AND JONATHAN BAILEY’S EPIC, SEXY ROMANCETHE TWO ACTORS GIVE THEIR ALL TO THIS S-SPANNG LIMED SERI, WHICH EXPLOR A GAY LOVE STORY WH BOLD—AND EXPLIC—CEMATIC SWEEP.BY DAVID CANFIELDMAY 25, 2023BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEWHEN MATT BOMER AND JONATHAN BAILEY FIRST MET AT A FFEE SHOP ON CUMBERLAND STREET TORONTO, ON THE VERGE OF BEGNG SIX MONTHS OF FILMG FOR THEIR S-SPANNG LIMED SERI FELLOW TRAVELERS, THEY MA A PACT TO HAVE EACH OTHER’S BACKS. SOUNDS SIMPLE ENOUGH, GIVEN THAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON SOME OF THE RICHT SCREEN WORK OF THEIR RPECTIVE REERS. BUT OVER ZOOM, BOTH ACTORS SPEAK OF THAT TRODUCTN NOW AS ALMOST SACRED. WATCH FELLOW TRAVELERS, AND YOU’LL UNRSTAND WHY. THE SHOWTIME EPIC PICTS AN EXTRAORDARY TIMACY BETWEEN S LEAD CHARACTERS, AND ASKS FOR TE VULNERABILY OM BOMER AND BAILEY, WHO LIVER WHOUT PROMISE.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.ADAPTED BY OSR NOMEE RON NYSWANER (PHILALPHIA) OM THOMAS MALLON’S 2007 NOVEL, FELLOW TRAVELERS (PREMIERG THIS FALL ON PARAMOUNT+ WH SHOWTIME) EXAM THE VOLATILE, PASSNATE, EPLY LOVG ROMANCE BETWEEN HAWKS FULLER (BOMER), A CHARISMATIC IF SOMEWHAT OPAQUE WAR HERO TURNED POLIL STAFFER, AND TIM LGHL (BAILEY), A RELIG IALIST LOOKG FOR HIS WAY TO THE DC GRD. THEY MEET AT THE DAWN OF THE EARLY-’50S LAVENR SRE, WHICH SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY AND HIS CHIEF UNSEL ROY COHN PURGED WHOMEVER THEY EMED GAY OR LBIAN OM ERNMENT ROL—DUBBG THEM MUNIST SYMPATHIZERS—AND SPARKED A NATNAL MORAL PANIC AROUND HOMOSEXUALY. THE SERI THEN BUILDS TO A KD OF GRAND CHRONICLE OF QUEER AMERIN HISTORY, TRACG THE EVOLUTN OF HAWK AND TIM’S RELATNSHIP THROUGH VAR ERAS BEFORE CULMATG THE AIDS EPIMIC OF THE 1980S.A GUI TO HOLLYWOOD’S BIGGT RACARROWTHE PROJECT ME TO BAILEY AT A SERENDIPO MOMENT. FOR THE FIRST TIME HIS LIFE, THE BREAKOUT STAR OF BRIDGERTON WAS MAND AND BEG ASKED WHAT HE WANTED TO DO NEXT. “MY ANSWER WAS ALWAYS, ‘WELL, I’D LOVE TO DO A SWEEPG GAY LOVE STORY,’ BUT MY EXPERIENCE ACTUALLY WAS THAT I’D NEVER REALLY SEEN THEM,” BAILEY SAYS. “OR IF I HAD, I HADN’T SEEN ACTORS LIKE ME AND MATT PLAY THOSE ROL.” (BOTH BAILEY AND BOMER INTIFY AS GAY.) THAT DREAM OPPORTUNY ABPTLY PRENTED SELF FELLOW TRAVELERS, WHICH BAILEY JOED AFTER BOMER HAD ALREADY SIGNED ON AS BOTH STAR AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER. “THE STORY HAD BEEN MARATG WH RON FOR A SOLID BEFORE I EVER ME ON BOARD,” BOMER SAYS. “RON HAD AN ALMOST RELIG ZEAL ABOUT THIS PROJECT, THIS WORLD, AND THE CHARACTERS THAT JT WASHED OVER EVERYONE VOLVED, AND MA THE PROFOUND EXPERIENCE THAT WAS.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.NYSWANER HAD ALREADY DONE NSIRABLE REARCH ON FELLOW TRAVELERS, HAVG PREVLY PLANNED TO ADAPT THE BOOK AS A FILM. HE HAD MORE RECENTLY TABLISHED HIMSELF PRTIGE TV—WRG FOR SHOWTIME DRAMAS LIKE HOMELAND AND RAY DONOVAN—WHILE NTUG TO WORK MOVI. HIS SCRIPT FOR LAST YEAR’S AMAZON FEATURE MY POLICEMAN TRODUCED HIM TO PRODUCER ROBBIE ROGERS; NYSWANER SENT ROGERS THE FELLOW TRAVELERS NOVEL, WHICH SPARKED A NVERSATN ABOUT MAKG A LIMED SERI OUT OF . “THE AMBN OF GOG THROUGH THE DIFFERENT S AND FDG A REALLY PELLG STORY—NOTHG LIKE THAT HAD BEEN DONE, WHERE ’S AN EPIC GAY LOVE STORY THAT HAS THIS POLIL ELEMENT THAT’S WOVEN THROUGH ,” SAYS ROGERS. FELLOW TRAVELERS LEAV NO STONE UNTURNED, EXPANDG S WORLD BEYOND HAWK AND TIM TO FASHN AN EXPANSIVE HISTORIL TAPTRY. A RE PARALLEL STRAND OF THE DRAMA FOLLOWS JELANI ALLAD’S MARC HOOKS, A QUEER BLACK POLIL JOURNALIST FDG A NEW PARTNER OF HIS OWN (NOAH J. RICKETTS), WHILE NYSWANER’S EARLY EPISOS ALSO DIG TO THE VIC METHODS OF MCCARTHY (A TRANSFORMED CHRIS BER) AND THE APPALLG HYPOCRISY OF COHN (WILL BRILL). “SOMETHG LIKE AN TIMATED 10,000 PEOPLE LOST THEIR JOBS, AND A LOT OF FOLKS TOOK THEIR OWN LIV,” BOMER SAYS. “THAT’S THE LANDSPE THAT THE PEOPLE ARE ALG WH.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.BUT HAWK AND TIM ARE OUR FLAWED, FASCATG HERO—WH FELLOW TRAVELERS CISIVELY SUATG THEIR TENSE CHEMISTRY WH A BROAR POLIL NTEXT. THE LH, SWEEPG, LIBERATELY OLD-FASHNED QUALY OF THE FILMMAKG, TEMPLATED BY EMMY-WNG DIRECTOR DANIEL MAHAN (AMERIN CRIME STORY), NTRASTS SHARPLY WH THE SHOW’S CREDIBLY SPECIFIC FOC ON ONE UPLE’S DYNAMIC. THAT TIMATE STORY IS LARGELY TOLD, WH A SURPRISG AND CCIAL BOLDNS, THROUGH SEX.“THE NUANCE OF A PLITED, VOLATILE QUEER RELATNSHIP IS THE POWER BALANCE—AND THAT IS WHAT IS AMAZG ABOUT TIM AND HAWK,” BAILEY SAYS. “EVERY SGLE SEX SCENE IS A METICULO EXAMATN OF POWER.” FELLOW TRAVELERS HEATS UP AS HAWK GETS TIM A JOB WORKG FOR MCCARTHY—AND TASKS HIM WH SPYG ON THE SENATOR FOR TEL ON HIS TACTICS, AND SIGHTS TO HIS WEAKNS. THIS GIVE-AND-TAKE EVABLY MOV TO THE BEDROOM, THE SPAC WHERE THE TWO MEN MT GRAPPLE WH NOT ONLY THEIR HIDN BLOSSOMG LOVE, BUT ALSO THE TRANSACTNAL QUALY OF THEIR BOND. “THERE’S A LEVEL OF TST AND TIMACY THAT’S EVEN MORE VALUABLE WHEN SOCIETY IS AGAST YOU,” BOMER SAYS. “YOU KEEP YOUR SECRETS TOGETHER.” COURTY OF SHOWTIME.THE RULTG SEX SCEN, PTURG A RANGE OF ROLE PLAYS, WILL RG AS HIGHLY THENTIC TO GAY MEN, AND MARK UNCHARTED TERRORY FOR MASTREAM DRAMATIC TV—EVEN ON A WORK LIKE SHOWTIME. “NOT THAT WILL BE SHOCKG TO PEOPLE, BUT I HOPE WHEN PEOPLE WATCH , THEY’RE LIKE, ‘OH, WOW. THEY REALLY WENT FOR ,’” ROGERS SAYS. THE PRODUCTN MA TIMACY ORDATORS AVAILABLE TO THE ST THROUGHOUT FILMG, AND BOMER AND BAILEY FELT AN TRSIC TST WH EACH OTHER, ROOTED THAT CUMBERLAND STREET PACT. “I WILL BE SO TERTED TO SEE HOW PEOPLE RPOND TO ,” BAILEY SAYS. “TO ME, BEG QUEER ALSO IS ABOUT, AS TWO MEN, HOW YOU NEGOTIATE YOUR GIVG OF YOUR BODY TO THE OTHER PERSON. THAT IS SOMETHG THAT I’VE ALWAYS YEARNED TO SEE PROPERLY DONE BEE I KNOW HOW EXTRAORDARY IS TO EXPERIENCE .” AT ONE POT, BAILEY SENT BOMER A VIO OF TORVILL AND DEAN’S LEGENDARY “BOLERO” ICE DANCE. “WE’RE TWO ICE SKATERS DANCG TOGETHER— SORT OF FELT LIKE THAT,” BAILEY SAYS WH A LGH. BOMER CHIM : “IT WAS REALLY TERTG TO FD THE DIFFERENT TYP OF EXPRSN OF THEIR LOVE AND TIMACY OVER THE DIFFERENT TIME PERDS,” HE SAYS. “IT WAS LIKE OPENG A CHRISTMAS PRENT EVERY TIME I WOULD SEE JONNY A NEW TIME PERD AND SEE WHAT HE WOULD BRG TO THE TABLE WH THIS NEW CHAPTER OF TIM’S LIFE.”BY BEN MARK HOLZBERG/SHOWTIME.THE SHOW BEGS BY SHIFTG BETWEEN THE ’50S AND ’80S, BUT S LATTER HALF SHAK UP THE FORMULA, HURTLG TO PERDS OF LIBERATN. IN HAWK, BOMER CHARTS THE EXPANSN OF A MAN WHO’S PARTMENTALIZED A VAL PART OF HIS BEG FOR MUCH OF HIS LIFE. “LOVE IS DANGERO—’S A THREAT TO HIS VERY EXISTENCE, AND TIM IS REALLY THE ONLY PERSON WHO N CHALLENGE THAT,” HE SAYS. OVER TIME, HE MARRI A CHILDHOOD IEND, LUCY SMH (ALLISON WILLIAMS), WHILE NTUG TO SEE TIM. THE SHOW DO NOT EVER ST TIM A PIABLE LIGHT, HOWEVER. “HE’S VERY PURE, EVEN THOUGH HE’S ALWAYS SEARCHG FOR ABSOLUTN AND TTH, AND HE IS FUNDAMENTALLY VERY CLEAR ON WHO HE IS,” BAILEY SAYS. “I ULD SEE WHO THAT WAS.” THE ’80S SEGMENT OF THE SHOW, GLIMPSED THROUGH TO THE FAL EPISO, OPENS WH THE CHARACTERS SEPARATED—WH THEIR TENSE, HEARTBREAKG RNN LEADG TO THE NARRATIVE’S NCLN. OVER EIGHT HOURS, THE SHOW AMBLY RECREAT EVERYTHG OM ’50S DC TO ’70S FIRE ISLAND TO ’80S BAY AREA—ALL TORONTO AND SOMEHOW, PER ROGERS, UNR BUDGET. THE FAL SCEN TAKE PLACE AT THE FAMED AIDS QUILT, WH THE PRODUCTN SIGNERS THOROUGHLY REIMAGG THE INIC NATNAL MALL SE. THEY HAD COHN’S ACTUAL SQUARE ON HAND, AND SIGNED SOME OTHERS OM SCRATCH. “WHEN YOU SEE , YOU WON’T BELIEVE ,” ROGERS TEAS. “YOU’LL BE LIKE, ‘OH, MY GOSH, THIS LOOKS LIKE THEY SHOT DC.’”COURTY OF SHOWTIME.COURTY OF SHOWTIME.BY THE TIME PRODUCTN WRAPPED, BAILEY AND BOMER FACED A FULFILLG—IF NOT EASY—GOODBYE. “JT GETTG TO PLAY THE CHARACTER OVER THE URSE OF 35 YEARS—SOME OF THE SCEN THAT TAKE PLACE THE LAST EPISO FOR ME WERE SUCH A RE OF PASSAGE TERMS OF SAYG GOODBYE TO THE CHARACTER,” BOMER SAYS. ADDS BAILEY, “IT’S BEEN JT THE MOST JOYO, EMOTNAL, AND ALSO RMATIVE EXPERIENCE I’VE HAD ON A JOB. I’VE NEVER GRIEVED A CHARACTER MORE.”WELL, KD OF. BAILEY ACTUALLY FILMED THE THIRD SEASON OF BRIDGERTON AT THE SAME TIME AS FELLOW TRAVELERS. “I HAD A REALLY WEIRD TIME,” HE SAYS. AT THE TIME, HE’D REGULARLY MUTE BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UK. AND FOR HIS LAST DAY MAKG FELLOW TRAVELERS, HE WORKED THROUGH AN EMOTNALLY DRAG 19-, MAYBE 20-HOUR SHOOT WH BOMER. THE WORK BLED TO THE WEEKEND. BAILEY FALLY LEFT THE SET FOR THE LAST TIME. AND BY MONDAY, HE WAS BACK REGENCY-ERA ENGLAND, TRANSPORTED 200 YEARS TO THE PAST, CHARACTER AS ANTHONY BRIDGERTON. “WHEN I SAY I GRIEVED , I DIDN’T ACTUALLY HAVE ANY SPACE TO,” BAILEY SAYS NOW OF FELLOW TRAVELERS. “BUT I STILL THK ABOUT TIM A LOT.” UNRSTANDABLY—THIS IS A LIFE STORY THAT’LL STAY WH YOU.LISTEN TO VANY FAIR’S LTLE GOLD MEN PODST NOW.MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMTHE TAN SUBMERSIBLE DISASTER WAS YEARS THE MAKG, NEW DETAILS REVEALWHY THE GEIA INDICTMENT AGAST TMP AND HIS ALLI IS THE MOST SWEEPG YETIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMER25 PERFECT TV EPISOS FROM THE LAST 25 YEARSA NEW SLIM AARONS BOOK CAPTUR A LOST WORLDFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)DAVID CANFIELD

I also grew up the UK the 1980s when the Thatcher Government stuted laws that prevented schools om talkg about gay people and lol ernments om fundg servic for , cludg AIDS servic. We still live a world where scribg the layed rponse to the HIV-AIDS epimic – where failure to fund treatments for a disease that was first lled Gay-Related Immune Deficiency was wispread durg a time where was seen as a “gay disease” — as a genoci is ntroversial. We live a world where I’m expected to travel to and via some of the dozens of untri where I uld be put to ath, jailed, tortured or extrajudicially killed for beg gay whout a send thought.

We live a world where I watch and listen to the experience of the transgenr, genr-nonnformg, genrqueer, non-bary and other members of the LGBTIQA+ muny, and see so many disturbg parallels to how gay people were treated earlier my lifetime that I n’t help but stand bi them. Mart: 'My mother asked who else our town was gay' I myself was my 30s when I publicly me out for the first time, and I chose to do at an LGBT pri edy event where I was performg. I was joed onstage by a iend and fellow performer, Kathere Lynch, who cintally was also the same person to brg me to an LGBT venue Dubl for the first time, back days of my story reachg the lol newspapers I was undated wh msag om the Traveller muny, some nasty and homophobic, but the majory msag of support and hope.

PRENTG THE 2022 GAY TRAVEL AWARDS NOME

We didn’t talk about my sexualy, not bee he was homophobic, but bee speakg about would mean he would have to wrap his head around the physily of me beg gay, and that was far too an awkward nversatn for both of the week that the article about my g-out was released, I lled my mother for a chat, and the background I uld hear my father shoutg: “Is that Rory. ” My father, a big fan of the TV s Mrs Brown’s Boys, felt that llg me Rory (an openly gay character the show) was enough for me to unrstand that he knew I was gay. Photograph: RTÉ Hughie: 'You fear your parents will never unrstand' Hughie Mghan (26), who has appeared on Big Brother, Eatg wh the Enemy on Virg Media and First Dat Ireland on RTÉ, speaks of the homophobia he has experienced.

When you are listeng to your father speakg wh his iends, for example, and how they might have banter between them, and how if someone ed a homophobic word agast someone, mak you thk that you n’t speak to them about beg gay. ”Ruby O’Brien Ruby: 'It took me years to see that I wasn't gay, I was trans' Ruby O'Brien (21), a trans Traveller om Co Kerry speaks about beg physilly asslted by a group of Traveller men London, simply bee she was trans and a Traveller. “I feel that people need to expla to young people what transgenr means, bee I have iends that I believe are trans, but they feel that ’s jt worse to e out as trans, so they live their liv as gay men, bee there is no one explag the difference to young Travellers.