200!! WOW! We made it! Thanks to everyone who has taken time to listen to even just one episode. We appreciate your support over the last three, almost four, years!
This week we had the pleasure of Skyping with (cause social distancing) founder, editor, janitor, of Q Salt Lake Magazine the one, the only Michael Aaron. Michael has been a staple in Salt Lake and in the LGBTQ+ community since the beginning of time. Well, since the beginning of his time. Michael knew that he had a purpose and need to be an activist and make a difference while growing up in Northern Utah. The 80’s and 90’s shaped his activist years which eventually evolved into journalism. In his college years he started the gay club (all the letters didn’t exist yet) up at the University of Utah. Over time he watched that grow (and add more letters) to become the LGBT Resource Center. Q Salt Lake was started by Michael in 2004 at a time where change was happening and conversations needed to be started. There wasn’t a way for information to get out specifically for the gay community in Salt Lake. At the time, Amendment 3 was at the forefront of everyone’s mind. To recap, the Amendment was to define marriage between a man and a woman. Well, if you lived under a rock for the last 7 years, that was shut down in 2013 and it became legal for a man and a man… and a woman and a woman to wed! Fast forward 16 years later, Q Salt Lake Magazine, and Michael Aaron are always looking for ways to evolve, spread information about news and events, and honor important people in our community. Michael is also VP of NEMA, National Equality Media Association, which is the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to serving LGBTQ media.
Two other passion projects for Michael, that are full of heart and charity, are the Matrons of Mayhem and the Big Gay Fun Bus. The Matrons have been around for years. It started as the Utah Cyber Sluts circa 2005(ish) and consists of some of Utah most fabulous and campy queens offering up drag bingo. Now rebranded as the Matrons of Mayhem, every third Friday they offer drag bingo for charity at the First Baptist Church on the East side of Salt Lake. You can find Michael’s alter-ego, Pansy Pap-Smear, ready to collect your donations! Some of their charities include the VOA Homeless Youth Resource Center, Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue, Camp Hobe, Street Dawg Crew, the Utah Pride center and more! The Big Gay Fun Bus is a chartered bus that heads to Wendover, with these same queens, generally about once a month (currently on hold but keep up to date on their social media or website for new dates) and they sell out about a month to two months in advance. It is a day trip to Wendover with all the fun you can imagine, including bingo, and the money raised is also used charitably for organizations and individuals in the community that might need a little extra help.
Follow Q Salt Lake on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and definitely read their monthly issue online or you can pick it up in select locations(for now). **If you know anyone that is interested in magazine sales, please reach out to Michael Aaron ASAP. He’s looking for some mad skills**
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Music By: Folk Hogan. Bootleggers Dance.