SEPTEMBER 2022 FINLAND

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CONTENTS

08 THE FUTURE OF SEX TOYS

Inside the movement to sell
pleasure to all

12 PICTORIAL
ANAIS LEHUGEUR

20 FACES OF RESILIENCE
we join the Trevor Project to celebrate
how far we’ve come

28 MAREN MORRIS
The country singer-songwriter-producer
is breaking records

34 THE #20BITEEN MAN

Why is male bisexuality still shrouded i
n taboo?

40 ON THE COVER
POLINA LARINA

50 APOCALYPSE THEN
The never-before-told oral history of
Apocalypse Now’s Playmate scene

60 GUEST ADVISOR
The Loveline host weighs in on a range
of sexual quandaries

64 PICTORIAL
DANIELLE DIAMOND

72 TRAVEL: ON THIN ICE

Can Iceland handle a climate crisis
and a tourism boom?

78 20 QUESTIONS
the Silicon Valley star is nothing like
the nerd he’s played for six years

82 PICTORIAL
STACY MUSSELMAN

90 HIGH DINING
Chef Andrea Drummer is changing

40
 KRZZHWKLQNDERXW²QHFXLVLQH

ISSUE
No 4 | September 2022

4
 STAY
PLAYFUL.
One-of-a-kind products.
exclusive collections, accessories, and more.

VISIT PLAYBOYCLOTHING.COM.AU

©2021 Playboy Enterprises International, Inc. Playboy and the Rabbit Head Design are
trademarks of Playboy Enterprises International, Inc. and used under license by Atomic.

PLAYBOYCLOTHING.COM.AU
SHOP THE
RABBIT
One-of-a-kind products.
The official site for Playboy clothing,
exclusive collections, accessories, and more.

VISIT PLAYBOYSHOP.COM
 BY SUZANNAH
WEISS

the future
of sex toys is
gender neutral
BUTT PLUGS ARE NO LONGER ONLY FOR GAY MEN, AND
NA:J9LGJK9J=FLBMKL>GJOGE=F

s a kid, I was expected to play with “girls’ toys”

A
like dolls and horses, but I also enjoyed “boys’
WR\V´OLNHUDFHFDUVDQGDFWLRQ¿JXUHV$VDQDGXOW
when sex toys became my playthings of choice, I
found there wasn’t much wiggle room: The ones
designed for my body were pink or purple, often
with photos of women in sexy underwear on the
SDFNDJH
In recent years major retailers have begun to
offer gender-neutral products or to market existing ones as gender
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VHFWLRQV$PD]RQQRORQJHUXVHVJHQGHU¿OWHUVLQLWVWR\OLVWLQJV
and the Disney Store has stopped labeling children’s costumes as
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VWXEERUQO\ JHQGHUHG VH[ WR\V 0DQ\ DGXOW FRPSDQLHV DUH
surprisingly regressive in assuming that certain toys are made
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Slowly, though, that’s also changing — and, in the process,
FKDQJLQJKRZZHWKLQNDERXWVH[JHQGHUDQGSOHDVXUH
Carol Queen, resident sexologist for the feminist sex shop
Good Vibrations, says her customers have long been vocal about
WKHLUGHVLUHIRUOHVVJHQGHUHGWR\V6RPHRIWKRVHFXVWRPHUVDUH
among the increasingly visible population of trans and non binary
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WKDWWKHHVWLPDWHGSHUFHQWDJHRIDGXOWVLQWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVZKR
LGHQWLI\DVWUDQVJHQGHUKDVGRXEOHGLQURXJKO\WKHSDVWGHFDGH
These people may feel excluded by toys that come in pink
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GHVLJQHGIRUYXOYDV
³/DEHOLQJWR\VE\JHQGHUSXWVWKHSRZHULQWKHVHOOHUV¶KDQGV
to make assumptions about buyers based on their gender,” says
$PEURVH+HIIQHUDWUDQVPDQ³/DEHOLQJWR\VE\IXQFWLRQSXWV
the power in buyers’ hands to make a judgment call and make their
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5HVWULFWLYHODEHOLQJDIIHFWVFLVJHQGHUFXVWRPHUVDVZHOO³2XU
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTTIE CAMERON
 Above: A vibrator for females and a masturbation aid for males, this sex toy is
ideal for couples’ play but can also be used solo. Rianne S Duo Vibe.
Left: This small but mighty spherical toy packs a powerful punch, and all that’s
required for enjoyment is nerve endings. Unbound Babes Bean.

Right: Designed
for long-distance
couples, the
2018 — because they can use it not just on themselves but also on
Lush 2 allows
WKHLUSDUWQHUVUHJDUGOHVVRIKRZWKH\LGHQWLI\³7KHIDFWWKDW\RX
users to control can have one multipurpose, fully adaptable product helps shift
the vibration \RXUIRFXVRIIWKHQHHGIRUWKHµFRUUHFW¶WR\IRUDVSHFL¿FUHJLRQ
intensity via cell and allows the user to be more creative in the application of it —
phone. Lovense and thus more creative and engaged in sex in general,” says chief
Lush 2. PDUNHWLQJRI¿FHU'RPLQQLTXH.DUHWVRV
/HOR¶V7UDQVIRUPHUZKLFKPRUSKVLQWRDUDEELWYLEUDWRUFRFN
ring, prostate massager and more, raked in more than $1million
LQ LWV ¿UVW \HDU DFFRUGLQJ WR WKH FRPSDQ\¶V EUDQG H[SHUW 6WX
1XJHQW8VHUVOLNHWKDWLWLVQ¶WLQ\RXUIDFHDERXWEHLQJJHQGHU
cis-women customers have long disliked the ‘porno lady’ QHXWUDOKHH[SODLQV³0RVWQRQELQDU\FXVWRPHUVGRQ¶WZDQWWREH
boxes because they were being sold an image of what a woman UHPLQGHGRIJHQGHUDOOWKHWLPH´
VKRXOG ORRN OLNH DORQJ ZLWK WKHLU YLEUDWRU´ 4XHHQ H[SODLQV It’s not just sex-toy inventors hopping on the gender neutral
Genderneutral toys appeal to people who want to experiment EDQGZDJRQVRPHRQOLQHPDUNHWSODFHVLQFOXGLQJ:LOG)ORZHU
with new sensations but feel intimidated by — or are simply 6SHFWUXP %RXWLTXH DQG 9LEUDQW DYRLG JURXSLQJ SURGXFWV E\
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toys marketed to women but haven’t because the toys are bright on customer feedback, a lot of that growth is in part because of
pink or designed to look like a realistic penis,” says Daniel Saynt, KRZDFFHVVLEOHWR\VEHFRPHRQFHJHQGHULVUHPRYHG´VD\V$P\
IRXQGHURIWKHVH[XDOZHOOQHVVGLJLWDODJHQF\16):&UHDWLYH %R\DMLDQ :LOG )ORZHU FRIRXQGHU DQG FKLHI H[HFXWLYH RI¿FHU
To meet these customers’ demands, brands are tailoring their “Customers are getting the products they desire easily while
FRORUVGHVLJQVDQGSDFNDJLQJWRDEURDGHUUDQJHRIEX\HUV2YHU DOVREHLQJLQWURGXFHGWRQHZRSWLRQV´ %R\DMLDQDOVRQRWHVWKDW
WKH SDVW IHZ \HDUV /RYHQVH KDV UHOHDVHG DW OHDVW WZR WR\V WKH gender- neutral sex toys push back against the “pink tax” — the
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in black — a stark contrast to its couples’ set from 2013: a pink 0DQ\ UHWDLOHUV VLPLODUO\ DYRLG ODEHOV VXFK DV ³VH[ WR\V IRU
vibrator named Nora and a white masturbation sleeve named women” and “sex toys for men” in their signage and conversations
0D[$QDOWR\VHOOHUE9LEHRIIHUVPRVWRILWVSURGXFWVLQEODFN ZLWKFXVWRPHUVVD\V/\QQ&RPHOODDXWKRURIVibrator Nation:
DQG VH[XDOZHOOQHVV EUDQG 0DXGH RIIHUV D SODLQ JUD\ SHUVRQDO How Feminist Sex-Toy Stores Changed the Business of Pleasure
PDVVDJHUVLPSO\FDOOHG³YLEH´'DPH3URGXFWVZKLFKODXQFKHG “ Some of the most interesting conversations I had with sex-toy
the couples’ vibrator Eva to close the pleasure gap between men UHWDLOHUVDQGEX\HUVZHUHDERXWµTXHHULQJ¶VH[WR\VDQGEUHDNLQJ
and women, now markets its products as sex aids for all people RSHQER[HVWKDWGLGQ¶WQHHGWREHWKHUH´VKHVD\V
ZLWKYXOYDV $OWKRXJK WKH ³JHQGHU QHXWUDO´ ODEHO RIWHQ DWWUDFWV D ZLGHU
Some companies have even designed new products to work on customer base, many — one could argue all — toys originally
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twists into different shapes so users can stimulate multiple body VD\VLWLQLWLDOO\PDUNHWHGLWV0RQDDVD*VSRWPDVVDJHUEXWVDZ
SDUWV&XVWRPHUVDSSUHFLDWHWKH&UHVFHQGR²ZKLFKDFFRUGLQJ DQXSWLFNLQVDOHVDIWHUSURPRWLQJLWDVDSURVWDWHPDVVDJHU³:KLOH
WR0\VWHU\9LEHGRXEOHGWKHFRPSDQ\¶VVDOHVEHWZHHQDQG it’s possible to make a versatile sex toy and phrase everything

10
SEPTEMBER 2022
Below: This weighted anal toy provides the sensation
of penetration, while the slick silicone exterior makes
for comfortable entry. By Vibe Snug Plug 3.

Above: For the adventurous, this

double-ended vibrator can easily
morph into a cock ring, a rabbit vibe,
a clitoral massager and just about
anything else, with a few simple
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versatile as the sexual identity of its
users. Lelo Transformer.

vaguely to avoid making assumptions or dictating how a product

should be used, you also occasionally have to say very directly,
µ+H\WU\SXWWLQJWKLVWKLQJGLUHFWO\XS\RXUEXWW¶´VD\V1XJHQW
:KLOH VXFK PDUNHWLQJ PD\ VHHP SURJUHVVLYH VH[ WR\V DUH
DFWXDOO\ UHWXUQLQJ WR WKHLU URRWV $V IDU EDFN DV WKH ODWH V
YLEUDWRU DGV IHDWXUHG ERWK PHQ DQG ZRPHQ DFFRUGLQJ WR +DOOLH
/LHEHUPDQDXWKRURIBuzz: A Stimulating History of the Sex Toy
³,W ZDVQ¶W XQWLO WKH V DQG V ZLWK VRPH LQ WKH IHPLQLVW
PRYHPHQW OLNH %HWW\ 'RGVRQ WXUQLQJ YLEUDWRUV LQWR V\PEROV RI
female empowerment, that they got gendered more female,” she
VD\V
7KHHYROXWLRQJRHVRQ7KH¿UVWJHQGHUQHXWUDOWR\VKDGJHQHULF
bases with male and female attachments, but as more people
identify outside the gender binary, brands are accommodating a
EURDGHUUDQJHRILGHQWLWLHV³<RXFDQVHOODJHQGHUQHXWUDOWR\WRD
much larger market than you can a gendered toy, so there’s more
RSSRUWXQLW\WRPDNHPRQH\´/LHEHUPDQVD\V
3HUKDSVRQHGD\LWZLOOEHFRPHFRPPRQNQRZOHGJHWKDWVH[DLGV
of all varieties, just like clothes or children’s toys, can be enjoyed
E\DQ\RQHUHJDUGOHVVRIWKHLUDQDWRP\RULGHQWLW\3HUVRQDOO\WKH
chance to use gender-neutral sex toys has helped me feel freer to
forge my own identity, just as the ability to play with dinosaurs did
ZKHQ,ZDVDNLG     Ŷ

11
SEPTEMBER 2022
Anais
Lehugeur Instagram @anais.lehugeur

Photography by Mathilde Steullet | @mathilde_st

Make-Up Artist Marie Baillon | @mariebaillon_
Hair Stylist Alexis Mercier | @alexis__mercier
Lingerie Maison Close | @maison_close
Jewelry Dress’Vintage Paris | @dressvintageparis
 15
SEPTEMBER 2022
 17
SEPTEMBER 2022
Such an absolute honor to have you on Play- eye and it comes out in her photos.
boy! Talk to us about your career and what
made you get into the industry? I do this for What puts the biggest smile on your face? Be
fun! I'm not a model, I'm an actress. I do shoot with the people I love.
from time to time when I like the work of the
person. Shoots allow you to meet inspiring What are some of your biggest passions? To
people. That's what I like. write. I've always had this need to write since I
was little. I write for me. It helps me a lot to de-
What is your favorite thing to do? My favorite cipher my emotions and evacuate them. I also
thing to do is sit at home and watch a movie like to write about moments that touched me.
from my favorite director. I like my moments of
solitude. 3 ultimate deal breakers when it comes to
men? A man who is disrespectful of everything
What does it mean for you to be seen as and especially of women, this is unacceptable
a strong, intelligent, ambitious woman? It for me. Men who want to show by all means
means everything. times have changed, and that they are men. And men who lie to get what
I'm proud to be a woman. Even if there is still they want.
work in some areas, being free to dress as we
want and having the right to express our opin- What are some of the things that attract you
ion should not be a chance. I think of all those to a man? The way he cares about others. His
women who can't do it... curiosity.

What would you say makes you stand out in What is the most daring thing you have ever
the industry? I don't really consider myself in done? I was on vacation with my best friend
the industry. I am not a model. I do this for fun. in Marseille. I spotted a boy playing volleyball.
I say yes to shoots when I like the work of the All afternoon I didn't know how to approach it.
person opposite. I was super happy to pose for It was once I left the beach that I had an idea.
Mathilde, because she has a cinematographic We went back to the beach, and I pretended to
have lost a bracelet near the net. He
saw that I was looking for something
and asked me what I was looking for.
That's how I was able to approach him
and talk to him. Except that after all
the people on the beach started trying
WR²QGP\ORVWSODFHWKDWGLGQ WH[LVW

What is the best way to approach you

as an admirer? Make me laugh. I am
very sensitive to humor.

Where can our readers catch up

with you and stay updated with your
work? On my Instagram @anais.lehu-
geur.

We are so happy to have gotten to

know you a little bit! Any last words
out there for our readers? Since the
covid, we live a little strange time. I
would like to tell people that the only
thing that matters in this world is love.
Love yourself, and love your neighbor.

18
SEPTEMBER 2022
 FACES OF

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN PFLUGER

RESILIENCE
ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE STONEWALL RIOTS, WE JOIN THE TREVOR PROJECT
TO CELEBRATE HOW FAR WE’VE COME — AND RAISE AWARENESS OF THE WORK THAT
STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE TO SECURE EQUALITY FOR ALL

BY NICO LANG

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condemning a method of treatment intended to “cure” though, conversion therapy takes the form of talk therapy wherein
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Francisco’s Society for Individual Rights, described the case of a WKHPWKDWZKRWKH\DUHLV³VLFN´DQG³ZURQJ´
22-year-old patient “treated for transvestism” through aversion $WWKHWLPHRI/LWWOHMRKQ¶VOHWWHUKRPRVH[XDOLW\ZDVFRQVLGHUHG
WHFKQLTXHV $IWHU VKRZLQJ WKH SDWLHQW SKRWRV RI KLPVHOI GUHVVHG D ³PHQWDO LOOQHVV´ VLQFH WKHQ WKH$PHULFDQ 0HGLFDO$VVRFLDWLRQ
LQ ZRPHQ¶V FORWKLQJ /LWWOHMRKQ FODLPHG GRFWRUV LQMHFWHG WKH DQG RWKHU RUJDQL]DWLRQV KDYH HYROYHG ,Q LWV Journal of Ethics,
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GLVHDVHWKHGUXJDOVRLQGXFHV³KHDGDFKHVQDXVHDDQGYRPLWLQJ´ ineffective, claiming it leads to depression, anxiety and increased
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wrote, “but the last four had to be abandoned because he became DQ HVWLPDWHG  SHRSOH LQ WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV KDYH EHHQ
irritable, confused and hostile; developed rigors, high temperature VXEMHFWHG WR WKH SUDFWLFH :LWKRXW GHFLVLYH DFWLRQ LQ WKH FRPLQJ
and high blood pressure; suffered from impaired coordination and \HDUVWKRXVDQGVPRUH/*%74\RXWKZLOOMRLQWKHUDQNVRI RIWHQ
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$OWKRXJK GRFWRUV KDG GHFODUHG WKH SDWLHQW ³FXUHG´ RI KLV To honor the decades of advocacy against conversion therapy,
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electroshock therapy, this time as treatment to cure homosexuality, \RXWK VXLFLGHSUHYHQWLRQ RUJDQL]DWLRQ DQG DUFKLWHFW RI WKH ³
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“I cannot see where this form of treatment differs from the VXUYLYRUVZKRDUHUDLVLQJDZDUHQHVVRILWVLPSDFW
WRUWXUHVRIWKH,QTXLVLWLRQRUWKHEUDLQZDVKLQJRIWKH&RPPXQLVWV´ Their stories, each representative of a different experience with
/LWWOHMRKQFRQFOXGHG conversion therapy and presented alongside stunning portraits by
+LV OHWWHU WR WKH HGLWRU ZDV SXEOLVKHG LQ 0DUFK  ² IRXU TXHHU SKRWRJUDSKHU 5\DQ 3ÀXJHU DUH D UHPLQGHU RI ZKDW )UDQNOLQ
months before the Stonewall riots, during which activists including ( .DPHQ\ FRIRXQGHU DQG SUHVLGHQW RI WKH 0DWWDFKLQH 6RFLHW\ RI
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years after the six-day protest kick-started what would become DQG $XJXVW  Playboy Forum comments made by behavioral
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Today such treatments are widely known as conversion therapy, LQWKH86GHFODUHGWKDWKRPRVH[XDOLW\GLGQ¶WQHHGWREHFXUHG
though they’re sometimes referred to as “reparative therapy” or ³*D\LVJRRG´KHVDLG
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of practices including everything from shock treatment and aversion KHHGVWKDWPHVVDJH BY ADAM SKOLNICK

21
SEPTEMBER 2022
 the advocate
sam brinton
alexandria, virginia

says, the top 10 or 20 entries on Google were for conversion-therapy

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explains, adding that advocacy efforts in 2011 focused on “trying
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nuclear engineering to work as the head of advocacy and government
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DQGGLVDUPLQJQXFOHDUERPEV´WKH\VD\³,¶YHEHHQGRLQJLWIRUPRUH “So many people think that because this is being done by a licensed
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NLQG RI DGYRFDF\ $V D FRQYHUVLRQWKHUDS\ VXUYLYRU WKH\ EHJDQ and yet there’s this pervasive idea that because the person who is doing
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:KLOH DGYRFDWHV DQG VXUYLYRUV KDYH EHHQ ¿JKWLQJ DJDLQVW “The Surgeon General has a warning on every pack of cigarettes,”
conversion therapy for decades — through litigation and storytelling, WKH\VD\³,ZDQWHYHU\VLQJOHSHUVRQDFURVVWKHFRXQWU\WRNQRZKRZ
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pathology — recent years have seen the practice achieve unprecedented KRZ IDU WKH PRYHPHQW KDV FRPH ,Q  ZKHQ 3UHVLGHQW %DUDFN
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In 2019, the top Google search results for “conversion therapy” collecting pens from all the governors — seven Republicans and nine
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22
SEPTEMBER 2022
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QHHGHGWRFKDQJH+HZDV\HDUVROGDQGKRPHRQVSULQJEUHDNIURP nickname, Dusty Ray, and a playful taunt from fellow waiters at a
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The son and grandson of evangelical pastors, he grew up in what he VXUYLYLQJFRQYHUVLRQWKHUDS\
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his parents wanted him to be, the person his peers wanted him to be, KHMXVWZDQWVWRSURYHKHZDVQHYHUEURNHQQHYHUQHHGHG¿[LQJLQ
and the hollow space where he hoped to one day carve out his own WKH¿UVWSODFH$IWHUWKHH[RUFLVPKHZDVIRUFHGWRPHHWZLWKFKXUFK
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him down to the kitchen, saying his father had discovered something ³<RXZLOOQHYHU¿QGWUXHORYH´KHUHFDOOVWKHPDQVD\LQJ³<RX
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father found, but as he crossed the threshold into the living room, 7RGD\%RWWRPVNQRZVWKDWLVQ¶WWUXH7KHSRSXODULW\RIRuPaul’s
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of 12, he had been sexually assaulted by a man who had pulled him
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he got away before the man hurt him, his parents remained convinced
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taught that “if you have a sexual encounter with someone, you take on
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The two-hour session was held in a conference room at a local church,
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contact with the prayer warrior at all times and keep his mouth wide
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while his parents looked on — his father scarlet-faced, his mother
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“I had to list the names of all the people I ever had a sexual
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the celebrity
dusty ray bottoms
new york, new york

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23
 the survivor
peter nunn
norcross, georgia

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his childhood, he was raised in a repressive fundamentalist faith that he 1XQQVXUYLYHGWKDWDWWHPSWDQGKHKDVFRQWLQXHGVXUYLYLQJ,QKLV
FRPSDUHVWRDFXOW³(YHU\DVSHFWRI\RXUOLIHZDVFRQWUROOHG´KHVD\V early 20s, at the urging of a friend, he began seeing a psychologist,
Transgressing those strict dictates meant risking excommunication, ZKRKHOSHGKLPFRSHZLWKWKHWUDXPDKH¶GH[SHULHQFHG(YHQDVKH
ERWKIURPWKHFKXUFKDQGWKHHQWLUHFRPPXQLW\ began dating men and slowly opening up to friends about his sexuality,
During a layover at the airport, his father explained that Nunn was WKHOHVVRQVKHOHDUQHGLQFRQYHUVLRQWKHUDS\IHVWHUHG
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KLP,I1XQQGLGQ¶WFKDQJHKHVD\VKLVIDPLO\SODQQHGWR³JHWULG´ Therapy helped him embrace the parts of himself he’d been taught
RIKLP to hate, but it also showed him that talking about his trauma could be
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on the line for me: my family, my relationship with my parents, my WKHUDS\ LQ WKH VWDWH RI *HRUJLD ,I WKH ELOO EHFRPHV ODZ WKHUDSLVWV
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,I,GLGQ¶WJHWWKLV¿[HGWKHQHYHU\WKLQJWKDWZDVLPSRUWDQWWRPHLQ licensing authority” if they’re caught offering any treatment that seeks
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Nunn spent two weeks receiving conversion-therapy treatment at WKHDJHRI
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VSDUVHO\ IXUQLVKHG URRPV ZLWK FKDLUV DQG GHVNV ¿OOLQJ WKH VSDFH DV “If I can give hope to a kid or educate a parent who might not
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³KRPRVH[XDOLW\LVDVLQWKDW*RGSXQLVKHVJD\SHRSOHZLWK$,'6DQG sending their kid to conversion therapy,” he says, “then it will have
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24
,Q PDQ\ ZD\V 5DOSK %UXQHDX KDV EHHQ WKHUH IURP WKH EHJLQQLQJ “I had tried everything, and the thing that worked was to accept
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representative — sought to introduce legislation banning conversion %UXQHDXZRQWKHWLWOHZKLFKPDGHKLPWKHROGHVW,0/ZLQQHULQ
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the therapist
ralph bruneau
los angeles, california

25
SEPTEMBER 2022
 the faithful
gaby garcia-vera
washington, d.c.

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by a religious tradition that, he was told, viewed him as the living
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or electricity, Garcia-Vera felt irrepressible joy that his community had 7KRXJK3RSH)UDQFLVKDVEHHQODXGHGIRUKLVPRUHPRGHUDWHYLHZVRQ
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Garcia-Vera isn’t a survivor of conversion therapy, but after joining ³:KRDQGKRZZHORYHLVQ¶WVRPHWKLQJWKDWLVXSIRUTXHVWLRQ´KH
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26
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come home between classes to eat lunch and furiously type up She often broaches the subject of conversion therapy with the
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family had a television in the basement, and when she looked 2QHLQWHUDFWLRQVWLFNVRXWWRKHU:KHQVKHZDV¿YHPRQWKV
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included the “children of civil servants and military brats, along SUREDEO\QHYHUNQRZH[DFWO\ZKDWWKDWVWUDQJHUZHQWWKURXJK
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describes the horror of seeing him become a national symbol of
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she says gave her a new perspective on the violence and stigma
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time she gave birth to her son, Elias, and after meeting Sam
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of a little boy who is “black, Irish and Colombian,” the prospect
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“It’s as ludicrous as me saying I’m going to change my kid
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sound?”
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the parent
veronica kennedy
annandale, virginia

27
SEPTEMBER 2022
 20 / Q

MAREN MORRIS
 BY ANDREA DOMANICK

The 29-year-old
country singer
has 10 Grammy
nominations
(including one
win), a recordbreaking
album, a world tour—
and something to say
Q1: Your 2016 debut, Hero, won you a Grammy, and
about how her this year’s follow-up, Girl, was streamed 24 million
genre handles WLPHVLQLWV¿UVWZHHN²WKHPRVWIRUDQ\VWXGLRFRXQWU\
album by a woman. What does the spirit of this
women, skin and transition, from Hero to Girl, mean to you?
outspokenness MORRIS: , ZURWH WKH EXON RI +HUR DURXQG IRXU
years ago at a time when virtually no women were
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ZHUH,IHOW,ZDVQ¶WKHDULQJP\SHUVSHFWLYH,ZDQWHG
to hear less from a girl singing to a guy about how
cute he is and how she wants him to notice her, and
more from the perspective of 20-somethings who are
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Those fun few years when you’re just a mess, you’ve
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many of the same mistakes as you did in your early
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WR EH WKH VDVV\ YRLFH RI UHDVRQ , ZDV DOVR JRLQJ
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my band and crew on salary, giving them health
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life, it’s not you giving up anything or any part of
you; it’s sharing your whole self with another whole
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Q2: Girl meditates on everything from craving sex
and being in love to moments of yearning and the
more emotional nuances of being a woman. How do
you approach writing about these topics in a time
when feminism and womanhood tend to be associated
with a take-noprisoners kind of strength?
MORRIS:%\EHLQJKRQHVWZLWKP\VHOIDQGNQRZLQJ
I don’t have the sassy, armored exterior many of my
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QRWEHDEDGDVVDOOWKHWLPH2YHUWKHSDVWIHZ\HDUV
as I wrote Girl, I learned that it’s not a weakness to
be vulnerable with somebody else, to share all your
light and your darkness with them, to trust that they
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a learning curve for me, because I used to think if

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HARPER SMITH

29
SEPTEMBER 2022
 you were vulnerable and admitted how
much you needed someone, you were being
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I need my husband [country singer- songwriter
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the femininity of needing someone but also in
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Q3: The album’s title track has become an
anthem among your fans. Can you explain its
meaning?
MORRIS: ,W¶V DERXW D ¿JKW , ZDV KDYLQJ
with another woman who’s also in the music
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not our fault there are so few slots that we turn
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Q4: Yet you’ve also said, “Being a woman
isn’t the most interesting thing about me.”
MORRIS: ³:KDW¶V LW OLNH WR EH D ZRPDQ LQ
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artist as well, and no one ever asks him what
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place, actually, because I don’t want to be
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ZRXOGOLNHWREHNQRZQDVDJUHDWDUWLVW
Q5: Last year you were featured on Zedd’s

Locking into becom- “The Middle,” one of the biggest songs

of 2018, which landed three Grammy
nominations. What do you wish people knew
DERXW\RXQRZWKDW\RXKDYHDKLJKHUSUR¿OH"

ing an established
MORRIS: I would love for people to do their
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started as a writer and wrote for other artists,
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JHW D WRQ RI TXHVWLRQV DERXW P\ ZRUN LQ WKDW

country artist has UHDOP ,W¶V DOZD\V ³6R \RX FKDQJHG \RXU
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Q6: Okay, we’ll take the bait. How has your
background as a songwriter shaped you as an

been daunting. artist?

MORRIS: I learned so much in my years

30
SEPTEMBER 2022
EHKLQGWKHVFHQHV,KDGWRKHOSSURGXFHP\RZQGHPRVHVVLRQVDQG it’s popular, or they discovered it on a playlist and it makes them feel
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of Nashville songwriting and learning from people who were better SROOLQDWHEHFDXVHLWPDNHVIRUEHWWHUPXVLF,W¶VNHHSLQJHYHU\RQHRQ
WKDQPH their toes and not regurgitating the same kind of art on the conveyor
Not thinking you can produce is a mentality even incredible EHOW
ZULWHUVDUHIRUFHGLQWR,W¶VQRWDQHDV\OLQHRIZRUNEXWZKHQ\RX Q11: You performed at this year’s Grammys with Miley Cyrus and
love every facet of making music, you really do care how a guitar Dolly Parton, and you recently invited pop star JoJo to perform
VRXQGV<RXFDUHDERXWWKHUHYHUERQ\RXUYRFDORUKRZORXGWKH with you onstage in Los Angeles during your world tour. What other
EDVVLV²GHWDLOVOLNHWKDW,ORYHVLQNLQJP\WHHWKLQWRLW7KDW¶VZK\ artists do you want to sing with?
LWWDNHVPHVRORQJWRPDNHPXVLFEHFDXVH,RYHUWKLQNLWVRPHWLPHV MORRIS:,ZRXOGORYHWRVLQJZLWK.HKODQL,VDZ+(5DWWKH
Q7: Are you a perfectionist? *UDPP\VDQGVKHZDVLQFUHGLEOH,ORYH.KDOLG,I,¶PVKRRWLQJUHDO
MORRIS:,¶PDSHUIHFWLRQLVWXQWLO,¶PQRW,NQRZZKHQ,JHWDJXW KLJK,ZRXOGORYHWRVLQJZLWK%H\RQFp7KDW¶VWKHSLQQDFOH
IHHOLQJDERXWVRPHWKLQJDQGLW¶VGRQH6RPHSHRSOHZLOOMXVWNHHS Q12: Bigger success has opened you up to more criticism. You’ve
working on music, remixing it and changing things little by little until been slut-shamed and body-shamed online quite a bit. Why are you
LW¶VWZR\HDUVODWHU$QGWKHQ\RXQHYHUSXWLWRXW/XFNLO\,KDYHD still dealing with this in country-music culture?
ERQHLQP\ERG\WKDWWHOOVPH³2ND\\RXFDQ¶WGRDQ\WKLQJHOVHWR MORRIS:,W¶VDWUDQVLWLRQDOWLPH(YHU\RQH¶VVXSHUDQ[LRXV$ORW
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Q8: Various headlines have described you as being restricted by VRPHRQHLVFRXUDJHRXVRUGRHVQ¶WWU\WREOHQGLQLWSLVVHVSHRSOHRII
country. Are media outlets getting the narrative right? It’s been like this forever, but we’re much more connected now than
MORRIS:,QDVHQVHQREHFDXVH,DFWXDOO\DPSOD\HGRQWKHUDGLR ZHXVHGWREH$ORWRIKRWEXWWRQWKLQJVWKDWVHHPVPDOOH[SORGHLQWR
For the past two years I’ve been the most-played woman on country VRPHWKLQJKXJH
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catchy song; it’s because I don’t sound like anyone
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because I was risking that country radio would think I
was abandoning them because I was part of this giant pop
VRQJ
That I’m restrained in any way is a dumb perception,
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just as hard, if not harder, than I do, and they don’t get a
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while I have the success and while I’m here, why aren’t
any of my friends getting played? I want to shine a light
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Q9: The past few years have seen greater crossover
between country and pop. Is this helping country music?
What do you think when people suggest that country
music needs saving?
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because there’s so much about country music — classic
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been accused of ruining country music, even the outlaw
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Q10: So cross-pollination between genres is a good
thing?
MORRIS: Country artists having songs on the pop
charts and on pop radio this past year has only helped
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listen to it because of its genre; they listen to it because
Q13: Have you ever regretted something you’ve said publicly?
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,ZRXOGQHYHUUHJUHWFDOOLQJWKHPRXW
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and ticket sales over it, is so mind- boggling to me, because it’s
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want to be one of those head-in-the-sand artists who’s only worried
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if I’m going to be a musician and do this thing I’ve been given a gift
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VWDQGWKLVLVZKDW,ZDQWWKLVLVWKHZRUOG,ZDQWP\NLGVWROLYHLQ
7KDW¶VZK\,VSHDNXSZKHQ,GR,WGH¿QLWHO\UXIÀHVIHDWKHUV1RW
PDQ\FRXQWU\DUWLVWVVSHDNXS
Q14: Not many country artists have agreed to be photographed by
PLAYBOY either.
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I was intrigued, because so many of the moves Dolly made i
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woman in country music — as a woman in any genre — it always
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VSUHDGV\RXJX\VKDYHGRQHZLWKDUWLVWV,ORYHVXFKDV+DOVH\VR
what the hell?
Q15: Are you concerned about how people might react to your
being in this magazine?
MORRIS: I’m speaking such a loud, noisy concept of what it
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like I’m amplifying a message I’ve been passionate about since the
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Q16: What else scares you?
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we’ve been forced into, and it scares me that I’m getting so fed up
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Q17: How so?
MORRIS: I could just shut up and sing, keep my head down, not
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up, and that doesn’t necessarily mean becoming more mature or your ideologies for patriarchal and bullshit standards that women in
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EHDOLWWOHPRUHIUHHZKHHOLQJ Q19: What makes you feel sexy?
Q18: You’ve been married for just over a year. What has marriage MORRIS: I’ve been trying to be better at exercising the past year
taught you? RUWZR,GRQ¶WZDQWWREHVNLQQ\,ZDQWWREHVWURQJDQGIHHOOLNH
MORRIS:,W¶VWDXJKWPHWKDW,¶PQRWDOZD\VULJKW,¶YHEHHQGRLQJ /DUD&URIW,UHPHPEHUZKHQFKRRVLQJ*LUO¶VFRYHU,ZDVOLNH<HDK
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someone else in and letting him be a part of that with me has been EHFDXVH,NQHZ,ZDVJRLQJWRJHWÀDNIRULWIURPWKHVHOLWWOHWLWWLHV
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right; just because you disagree with somebody doesn’t mean they’re maybe they haven’t thought about?
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much a feminist, and I’ve never really done anything that’s freaked HDUO\RQ\RXNQRZZKDW\RX¶UHJHWWLQJIRUWKHUHVWRILW$VHO¿VK
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you’re proud of your body — someone who’s not watering down VHO¿VKLQPDQ\RWKHUIDFHWVRIKLVRUKHUOLIHDVZHOO Ŷ

33
SEPTEMBER 2022
 IN
SEARCH
OF THE
#20BITEEN
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ART BY OSCAR RODRÍGUEZ AMADO
 SEXUAL EXPRESSION “I don’t think I could date a bi guy,” a friend percent of adult women ages 18 to 44 identify
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HAS ARGUABLY NEVER KH¶GZDQWWROHDYH´ UHFRJQL]HG DV DQ RULHQWDWLRQ E\ WKH VFLHQWL¿F
BEEN MORE INCLUSIVE, ,KDGJLGGLO\VHQWKHUDSLFWXUHDQGVRPHTXLFN FRPPXQLW\ LQ WKH V  7KRVH QXPEHUV KDYH
facts about the man I was going out with that been rising incrementally, and search-engine
BUT BISEXUAL MEN STILL night — bi, a dad, a scientist — which I usually statistics suggest they’ll continue to do so:
STRUGGLE SIMPLY TO do before a date, both out of excitement and for 6LQFH  VHDUFKHV IRU ³ELVH[XDO WHVW´ KDYH
CONVINCE THE WORLD P\VDIHW\%XWZKHQ,JRWP\IULHQG¶VUHVSRQVH ULVHQ E\  SHUFHQW ³$P , EL" TXL]´ E\ 
my stomach dropped, even though it was hardly percent and “signs of bisexuality in males” by a
THEY EXIST. WE ASKED WKH¿UVWWLPH,¶GKHDUGVRPHWKLQJOLNHLW ZKRSSLQJ  SHUFHQW DFFRUGLQJ WR D JOREDO
FIVE OF THEM TO TELL US $VDVH[FROXPQLVW,VWULYHWRFOHDUXSP\WKV VWXG\ FRQGXFWHG E\ 6(0UXVK %XW WKH 16)*
ZKHWKHU WKH\¶UH URRWHG LQ IDFW EOXH EDOOV  RU research also indicates that far more people have
THEIR STORIES QRW ³DFFLGHQWDO´ DQDO  ,¶YH ZULWWHQ DERXW EDE\ had same-sex sexual encounters than ultimately
play, sex dolls and furries, and no one has batted LGHQWLI\ DV EL 7KLV GLVFUHSDQF\ KDV FRPH XS LQ
BY DANA DQ H\H LQ WHUPV RI DFFHSWLQJ WKHLU YDOLGLW\ <HW the data for the past 30 years — despite the fact
HAMILTON male bisexuality remains a blind spot even in that in large, population-based studies, bisexual
P\ UHODWLYHO\ SURJUHVVLYH LQQHU FLUFOH ,¶YH behavior is more common than purely lesbian or
been asked if I worry about being cheated on or JD\EHKDYLRU
contracting an STI and why I bother dating bi .HULWK &RQURQ UHVHDUFK GLUHFWRU DW WKH
PHQLIWKH\³DOOHQGXSZLWKRWKHUJX\VDQ\ZD\´ 8&/$ 6FKRRO RI /DZ¶V :LOOLDPV ,QVWLWXWH ZKR
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help, but scrolling through the posts, I see next to community, has also observed the gap between
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DSS'0V6RZKHUHDUHWKH\" to 44, almost six percent report some sexual
7KH1DWLRQDO6XUYH\RI)DPLO\*URZWK attraction to men in addition to women,” she
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“FOR A LONG
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WAS ‘I’M THE
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³%LVH[XDOPHQDUHQ¶WVWXSLG²WKH\NQRZWRDQWLFLSDWHDQHJDWLYH ONLY BISEXUAL
MAN I KNOW,
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BUT I’VE
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are confused, prone to sexually transmitted infections, unfaithful, FUCKED A LOT
OF STRAIGHT
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— the belief that bisexual people are confused or that their sexuality is
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“whereas when someone says, ‘I’m gay,’ it’s just sort of taken at face
GUYS.’ “
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existence — you’re confused, you’re just experimenting — all those WKHPDUHFRPLQJRXW%XWWKH\GRH[LVWDQGWKH\KDYHDORWWRVD\,
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Regarding the idea that bisexual people are more likely to be LQ%L7HHQ
unfaithful in relationships, neither Dodge nor Conron have seen data
WRVXSSRUWWKDWDVVXPSWLRQ$QGZKHQLWFRPHVWR67,ULVNUHFHQW ON TERMINOLOGY
statistical research shows that the numbers of heterosexual men and DOMINIC MINOR
ELVH[XDOPHQZKRDUH+,9SRVLWLYHDUHOLNHO\QHDUO\LGHQWLFDO Age: 29
Even within their own populations, bisexual people face daunting Location: Minneapolis
FKDOOHQJHV ZKHQ LW FRPHV WR LGHQWLW\ :H¶YH VHHQ QHZ ODQJXDJH Occupation: sales
emerge in recent years to articulate a greater number of sexual Status: single
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XQGRXEWHGO\DJRRGWKLQJLWFDQFUHDWHDIUDFWXULQJHIIHFW3HRSOHDUH relatively young, I’m still old-school, so I kind of existed before there
claiming myriad sexual minorities because there are more words to ZDVUHDOO\ODQJXDJHRXWVLGHWKHELQDU\
GHVFULEHWKHLURULHQWDWLRQVDQGGHVLUHVEXWZLWKHDFKFDWHJRUL]DWLRQ TRAVON FREE
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VLORHGZLWKLQWKHLURZQFRPPXQLW\ Location: Los Angeles
$QGWKHQWKHUH¶VWKHSUREOHPDWLFFRQQRWDWLRQRI³EL´7KHWHUP Occupation: TV/movie writer; comedian
bisexual has come under scrutiny for excluding nonbinary and Status: single
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recent studies Dodge has noted that people with identities outside XPEUHOODRILGHQWLW\
the binary are the most accepting of bisexuality, followed by gay and GRAHAM ROEBUCK
OHVELDQSHRSOH²DQGODVWO\KHWHURVH[XDOPHQ Age: 30
7KHFRPELQDWLRQRIWHQVLRQVZLWKLQWKH/*%74FRPPXQLW\DQG Location: Toronto
poor attitudes from the heterosexual mainstream leads to double Occupation: sales (eyewear industry)
GLVFULPLQDWLRQ ,W¶V QRW KDUG WR LPDJLQH WKH HIIHFW WKDW SURORQJHG Status: dating a gender-nonconforming person
societal stigma and lack of solidarity would have on mental health: I think there’s value in bisexual as a reclaimed term, because at a
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health disorders, substance abuse and suicidal ideation, even when ,WKLQNWKHUH¶VSRZHULQWKDW
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36
SEPTEMBER 2022
EXWVWUDLJKW,NQHZDVDFKLOG,ZDVGLIIHUHQWEXW,GLGQ¶WKDYHD QRW³VXSSRVHG´WRKDYH7KH\MXVWGRQ¶WXQGHUVWDQGWKHRWKHUVLGH
ZRUGIRULW,GLGQ¶WKDYHDQ\ZD\RIHYHQNQRZLQJZKDWLWZDV 7KH\¶UHQRWWU\LQJWREHPHDQ7KH\¶OOVD\³:KRD\RX¶UHIXFNLQ¶
The world is built to tell you that boys like girls and girls like boys, what?´%XWHYHQWKDW¶VKXUWIXO
VREHFDXVHWKDWIHOWQDWXUDOWRRLWGLGQ¶WIHHOOLNH,ZDVSUHWHQGLQJ MOORE: There were a few months when I went off the ladies altogether
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I didn’t know anything about bisexuality LW ZDV OLNH$P , JD\" bi process is this long, drawn-out thing of trying on hats and being
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,ZDVOLNH:HOOLW¶VGH¿QLWHO\QRWWKDWEXWZKDWLVWKLVRWKHUWKLQJ" XQWLO\RX¶UHMXVWOLNH:RZ,WKLQN,MXVWOLNHDOOWKHKDWV
There was no way to explore anything sexual with a boy where I
ZDVJURZLQJXSVRLWEHFDPHDWKLQJWKDWMXVWVDWLQP\PLQG, ON DATING AND RELATIONSHIPS
UHPHPEHUJRRJOLQJDURXQGDQGVWXPEOLQJRQELVH[XDOLW\,UHDGWKH FREE: :LWK ZRPHQ LW¶V KDYLQJ WR UHDVVXUH WKHP WKDW DOO WKH
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Age: 47 \RXDQG,¶PJRLQJWRVD\³<RX¶UHJUHDWEXW,¶GUHDOO\ORYHDJX\´
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,KDGDFUXVKRQ>0HWDOOLFDIURQWPDQ@-DPHV+HW¿HOGEXW,GLGQ¶W VWHDNKRXVHV´,I,¶PLQORYHZLWK\RXDQG,¶PGDWLQJ\RXWKDW¶V
ZDQWWRKDYHVH[ZLWKKLPDWDOO,WZRXOGEHDFRPSOHWHUXLQHULIKH ZKDWZH¶UHGRLQJ
ZHUHWRWDNHKLVSDQWVRII%XW,GH¿QLWHO\ZDQWHGWRKDYHVH[ZLWK MOORE: I was literally called a faggot by a liberal woman I was on a
2OLYLD1HZWRQ-RKQDQG-RDQ-HWW date with in 2011 after she had just confessed to me that she was
JACK MOORE ELVH[XDO,KDYHWRVD\,GRQ¶WIDXOWKHUEHFDXVH,WKLQNVKHKDGDORW
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sleepover and they put on porn and there’s a low-key circle jerk MINOR:7KHLGHDWKDW,¶OOOHDYHDZRPDQIRUDPDQLVKLODULRXV,W¶VMXVW
KDSSHQLQJ,IRXQGP\VHOIPRUHGUDZQWRWKHRWKHUGXGHVMHUNLQJRII you trying to escape the fact that I’ll leave you for you, which is the
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with that rattling around in your head: Am I gay? Am I gay? Am I
gay? I must be gay7KHQDWVRPHSRLQW\RXWKLQN1R,VWLOOUHDOO\ ON ERASURE
ORYHZDWFKLQJVWUDLJKWSRUQ,ZRXOGDVNP\JD\IULHQGV³<RXNQRZ ROEBUCK: I think a lot of times people assume that if you’re in a straight-
that gay thing where you still love eating pussy?” and they would be presenting relationship you’re somehow not bisexual anymore — or
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default, so it’s easy to just let people assume that and accept the :KHQ\RX¶UHLQDPDUJLQDOL]HGJURXSEDVHGRQH[WHUQDOIDFWRUV\RX
privileges that come along with it, but at the same time I wish it was GRQ¶WJHWWKHFKRLFH(VSHFLDOO\LQEODFNFXOWXUH,I\RXVXFNGLFN
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haven’t been out at my workplace because I have a fear of not being DVJD\<RXFDQTXHVWLRQDOOWKHVHWKLQJVEXWGRHVLWFKDQJHKRZ
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“It’s okay you’re bi, but you better not tell anybody, because it’ll MOORE:,W¶VKDUGWREHELVH[XDO6WUDLJKWSHRSOHGRQ¶WUHDOO\ZDQW
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into boxing, I have guns, I have children — all the things you’re you’re with a man and as straight when you’re with a woman,
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because who would want to be lost between gay people and straight XQVFDWKHGRUEUHDWKLQJ\RX¶YHJRWWHQWKDWPXFKVWURQJHU:KHQ
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raisers and all types of things, but no one acknowledges the fact ON FREEDOM
that everything gays and lesbians feel in terms of stressors, mental FREE:,ORYHWKDW,JHWWRH[SHULHQFHWKHEHVWRIPHQDQGZRPHQ,
health and things like suicide are experienced multiple times over love that I get to walk outside every day and know that my love
by bi people, because they don’t have a community within the isn’t limited to male or female, and that it allows me to see so much
straight community and they don’t have a community within their beauty in so many people who identify as so many things across the
own community — with the people who should be accepting and VSHFWUXP,IHHOWKHZRUOGLVVRPXFKPRUHEHDXWLIXOWRPHEHFDXVH
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ELLIS:,GRQ¶WIHHOFRQQHFWHGWRWKHFRPPXQLW\DWDOO,ZDQWWREH ROEBUCK: I think having accepted my own bisexuality has led me
more a part of it, because I don’t see people who look like me out down a path of being more accepting of other gender expressions
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that, because if I had stayed closed off maybe I never would have P\VHOI,JXHVV,GRQ¶WKDYHWREHSLJHRQKROHGLQWRRQHSDWKRI
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ON VISIBILITY I’m showing up in my sweatshirt and bucket hat, and I just might be
MOORE: This is changing, but for a long time my line for this was kissing a guy, I might be kissing a girl, I might be kissing a neither,
“I’m the only bisexual man I know, but I’ve fucked a lot of straight DQGWKDW¶VMXVWZKDW¶VXS6DPHEXFNHWKDWGLIIHUHQWSDUWQHUDQG
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have the potential to be in love and live their best life and have MOORE:3HRSOHDOZD\VXVHWKDW0D\D$QJHORXTXRWH³:KHQVRPHRQH
plenty of same-sex experiences will just go without it because of tells you who they are, believe them” to talk about evil people, but
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FREE: I’ve always felt that if I have to die for my identity, I’m okay VRPHRQHWHOOV\RXZKRWKH\DUHEHOLHYHWKHP'RQ¶WDFWOLNH\RX
ZLWKWKDW,I\RX¶UHJRLQJWREHYLVLEOHRQVRPHOHYHO\RXKDYHWR NQRZEHWWHUEHFDXVH\RXGH¿QLWHO\GRQ¶W
PDNHSHDFHZLWKWKDW7RPHWKHVLOHQFHLVZRUVHEHFDXVHLIZH ELLIS:,I,KDGWR>SUHWHQGWREHVWUDLJKW@,ZRXOGEUHDN6RPHWKLQJ
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SURJUHVVZH¶YHPDGHEHFDXVHZH¶YHUHIXVHGWREHVLOHQW with my kids, I like the sun, I like skateboarding, I like having sex
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through it, because every time you’ve come out the other side PH,W¶VZKR,DP    Ŷ

38
Polina
Larina
Instagram @polina.top.69
 Photography by Olga Novikova | @olga_novikova_life
MUA Kristina Vertyagina | @vertyaginabeauty
PR LA Media Group | @la.mediagroup

41
SEPTEMBER 2022
42
Such an absolute honour to have you on Play- ideas, preparations, process and, of cause, the sexy. Simple things, but it’s quite rare to have
boy! Talk to us about your career and what results. Also, I dance bachata, do boxing and them as a combination here.
made you get into the industry? I was always enjoy going to the gym. Like drawing paintings
interested in helping people. Sex is something and writing stories, I hope it would become a What puts the biggest smile on your face?
that everyone does, but not so many people book one day! My photos on the cover of Playboy magazine
are ready to talk about it honestly and openly, would make me smile and happy for sure. Also,
because of cultural and social taboos, and so I What does it mean for you to be seen as I’m always happy when I get letters of gratitude
have started that conversation. I Have created a strong, intelligent, ambitious woman? It from my followers and clients.
my own courses on the topic of sex, to help girls means just being myself. Do my best to realise
and guys discover their sexuality and to know my small and big goals. Be patient, don’t give What are some of your biggest passions? My
how to make their partners happier and more XSLI,IDFHXSZLWKVRPHGLI²FXOWLHVEHOLHYHLQ job is one of my biggest passions. All the time
VDWLV²HG everything that am I doing! I’m trying to grow and be a better version of
myself. And I have some typical girl passions:
What is your favourite thing to do? I love What would you say makes you stand out in fancy bags, expensive shoes, and Agent Provo-
photo shoots, the atmosphere - looking for new the industry? I’m open with people, smart and cateur lingerie.
3 ultimate deal breakers when it comes to men? them, who knows how to make and spend money,
1. If a man can’t keep his word and doesn’t keep the and at the same time he should care about me and be
promises he makes. with me on the same wavelength.
2 If he is trying to restrict me doing something I enjoy.
For example, if he would say that I should stop with What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
erotic shootings or can’t wear something that I like. ,ZHQWRQD²UVWGDWHWR6RXWK$IULFD0D\EHQRZLW
3. I could never be with a toxic person, unhappy with doesn’t sound that risky, but that was the other part
everyone and everything around. of the world, and I knew the guy just for a short time,
by texting!
What are some of the things that attract you to a
man? I like strong personalities with good heart. I like What is the best way to approach you as an admir-
guys with clear goals and strategy, how to achieve er? My language of love is care and gifts, I think that is
the best way to show that the guy is really interested
in me.

Where can our readers catch up with you and stay

updated with your work? My instagram: @Polina.
Top.69

We are so happy to have gotten to know you a little

bit! Any last words out there for our readers? Thank
you so much for reading. It is the greatest honour to
be here. When I was a young girl, I was dreaming to
become a Playboy cover girl and am happy, because
today that dream become true!
 47
SEPTEMBER 2022
 PLAYBOY

HE
RIT
AG
E
F R AN C IS FO R D CO P P O LA • K INUKO Y. C RAF T • TH OM AS PAG E
M C BE E • A P RO - C HO IC E PL AT FO RM • THE NAKED TR UTH: NUD E
D U DES IN PLAY BOY
APOCALYPSE
THEN
AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE MEMORABLE
PLAYMATE SCENE FROM FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’S
OSCAR-WINNING 1979 CLASSIC

BY
STEVE PALOPOLI

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$PHULFDQ FXOWXUH WKH GLVWDQFH EHWZHHQ
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Coppola’s masterpiece Apocalypse Now is,
surprisingly, just a short jaunt — perhaps
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inspired by actual events, in which
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² RU WU\ WR $JDLQVW WKH chugga-chugga
t hump o f w hirring blades, a Rabbit
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the night sky onto a brightly lit stage as
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portrayed by Colleen Camp and real-life
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the helicopter and begin shimmying to
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enough, the soldiers rush the platform,
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movie as a whole, the scene brilliantly
captures a frightening aspect of humanity:
WKHPHQDFHRIPHQGULYHQWRH[WUHPHV
 “IT WAS ALL, I’M SURE, VERY DANGEROUS, BUT
THROUGHOUT THE SHOOTING WE DIDN’T LOSE
ONE PERSON. SO MANY THINGS CAN GO WRONG.”

Previous page:,QWKH¿OP)HEUXDU\
1973 Playmate and PMOY 1974 Cyndi
:RRGWDNHVRQDUROHFORVHWRKHUKHDUW²
Playmate of the Year. She recalls that
during her downtime on the set, and even
in the midst of a typhoon, she liked to write
original songs. Above: A scene featuring
Colleen Camp that built on her real-life
H[SHULHQFHDVDELUGWUDLQHUZDV¿OPHGEXW
later cut from the original release; part of
it can be seen in Apocalypse Now Redux.
Right: Camp (top left), Linda Carpenter
(top right) and Wood atop a helicopter
bearing the Rabbit Head insignia.
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$VSURYHQE\&RSSROD¶VSUHYLRXVFULWLFDODQGER[RI¿FHVXFFHVVHV determined to document the production); others took time and
—The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and The Conversation — effort to cast.
gangsters, gritty realism and paranoia were the currency of New CYNDI WOOD:,GLGQ¶WJRORRNLQJIRUWKHSDUW,EHOLHYHWKH\
+ROO\ZRRG:DU PRYLHV ZHUH KRSHOHVVO\ XQFRRO HVSHFLDOO\ RQHV FDOOHGPHLQ,GLGQ¶WKDYHWRDXGLWLRQ,ZDVLQYROYHGEHOLHYHLWRU
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Coppola decided to take on the project and headed into the jungles COLLEEN CAMP, actress: I had done a movie called Smile,
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D EORRG\ FLYLOFRQÀLFW² ZKHUH KHWXUQHGDVFULSW E\ -RKQ coproducer of Apocalypse Now, came to visit that location in
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ZKHQWKH¿OPGHEXWHGLQLWZRQWKH&DQQHV)LOP)HVWLYDO¶V Apocalypse Now , PHW ZLWK )UHG )UDQFLV DQG SURGXFHU *UD\
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expanded re-edit, Apocalypse Now Redux, restored 49 minutes NANCY MORAN, on-set photographer: I was a freelance
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KHOLFRSWHU IXHO DV ZHOO DV D EULHI FRQQHFWLQJ VFHQH LQ ZKLFK a wonderful reporter for The New York Times, and I took pictures
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about it that felt almost like a documentary and yet surreal at the HQGHG
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celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original release, we present /LQGD&DUSHQWHU²DOOEHDXWLIXOYHU\QLFH\RXQJZRPHQ²DQG
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Unexpected disasters delayed but never derailed the ambitious &DUWHUDQGUHWKLQNWKHQXGLW\²ZKLFK,GLG6R,JRWFDVW
production. NANCY MORAN: Every day I called the publicity department
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would have been better if, when they’re in the boat, they look and \RXQJ PHQ ZKR FRXOG ORRN OLNH *,V DQG ZH ZHUH RI FRXUVH
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a sudden, without warning, everybody’s running, shouting “Take  LW FKDQJHG P\ OLIH , ZDV  \HDUV ROG ,W¶V PDUWLDO ODZ
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were trapped in an abandoned building in the jungle, far away from ZDVXQEHOLHYDEOH
the set and the rest of the crew, with no way to communicate, no
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all these grown men around me were scared to death that everybody The Playmate USO scene was shot in one single marathon night of
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because of the helicopter blades, and the pilots were 18, 19 years only one who could dance, but that adds to the goofy charm of the
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CYNDI WOOD: That little routine was nothing, but we shot for like — and this is one of the things about the movie—how much
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get different angles, and they shot the audience, and they did this RU&\QGLRU/LQGD,WKLQNLWZRXOGKDYHEHHQVFDU\WRKDYHDOOWKHVH
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²ZKHQWKHKHOLFRSWHUÀLHVXSDQGWKHUHDUHVWLOOJX\VKDQJLQJRQ EHLQJDZDUHWKDWWKDWZDVJRLQJWRKDSSHQ)UDQFLVGLGWKDWDORW
WRLWDQGWKH\GURSLQWRWKHZDWHU — you wouldn’t know what was going to take place, so you would
It was all, I’m sure, very dangerous, but throughout the UHDFWQDWXUDOO\+HZDVDQLQFUHGLEOHGLUHFWRU
shooting, we did not lose one person in the entire year and a half,
WZR\HDUV$VDGLUHFWRUZRUNLQJRQDSOD\RUDPRYLHWKDW¶VWKH THE REAL VIETNAM PLAYMATE
greatest fear you have, because the people working so hard and Playboy lore has it that the USO scene was inspired by Playmate Jo
so many hours have their minds on what they’re doing and not on Collins’s much more practical 1966 trip to Vietnam.
 GARY COLE, former PLAYBOY photography director, who
oversaw the magazine’s 1979 Apocalypse Finally pictorial:%DFN
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because they didn’t want the girls appearing in porno or really crap
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JO COLLINS, December 1964 Playmate and 1965 PMOY: I
didn’t even know where Vietnam was — I thought I was going to
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and jumped out of a helicopter and did a go-go dance or anything
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Far left: Director Francis Ford Coppola speaks with Camp behind
the scenes, with Wood in the background. Left: Wood says that as the
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hanging from the landing skid were stuntmen or not: “Some of those
things you just didnt know, because they were so spontaneous.” Top
right: As the challenging production went on, Coppola saw the movie’s
budget balloon from $12 million to nearly three times that. Bottom right:
Carpenter and Coppola on set.
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the crew sought out extras at military and educational institutions in the Philippines.

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remained intact. old boy to Vietnam to drop napalm on people is as immoral as what
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birds in the helicopter, and a piece of it was shown in Apocalypse FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA: Tribeca is going to commemorate
Now Redux WKH WK DQQLYHUVDU\ RI WKH PRYLH DQG WKH\ VDLG WR PH ³:KLFK
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want to stop shooting, because I have always felt that if you get longer ReduxYHUVLRQ"´7KHYHUVLRQZDVYHU\DEUXSWO\FXWWR
bad weather, that’s an opportunity to have something really be short, because at the time the movie came out, no one knew what
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has some strange gaps where, for length and other reasons, scenes ORRNVDQGVRXQGVXQEHOLHYDEOHApocalypse Now: Final Cut has the
were removed, and there are certain continuity things that you don’t 3OD\PDWHVKRZRIFRXUVHEXWLWGRHVQRWKDYHWKHPHGHYDFVFHQH
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 HERITAGE SPOTLIGHT

A KALEIDOSCOPIC
TALENT

An appreciation of artist
Kinuko Craft, whose
ingenuity graced PLAYBOY’s
pages across five decades

BY CAT AUER
accompany a “ribald classic,” Craft’s elaborate wood-
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so skillfully done, from the intricate medieval Russian
iconography to the faux-distressed gold-leaf frames, that
they looked as if they’d been lifted from the walls of a
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It’s kind of embarrassing for me; she probably thought, ZD\WR$UW3DXODQGVKHDFFHSWHGKHU¿UVW3/$<%2<DVVLJQPHQW
:KDWNLQGRIZHLUGRLVWKLV"´ DQLOOXVWUDWLRQIRUDZU\VKRUWVWRU\DERXWXUEDQERKHPLDQV)URP
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gave her the opportunity to learn about other artists and their VWRULHVWRDVH[VXUYH\
WHFKQLTXHV ³ZRUNHG OLNH D VFKRRO IRU PH´ VKH VD\V ³,W ZDV WKH ³:LWKKHUVRSKLVWLFDWHGFLWDWLRQRIPDQ\VWUDQGVIURP:HVWHUQ
PRVWHIIHFWLYHWUDLQLQJ,HYHUJRW´ art’s tradition of visual fantasy, Craft clearly has high expectations
+DYLQJ EHJXQ LQ  ZLWK DQ DVVLJQPHQW IURP IRXQGLQJ DUW for her audience’s wider cultural knowledge,” writes professor
GLUHFWRU $UWKXU 3DXO &UDIW FRQWLQXHG WR ZRUN IRU 3/$<%2< /RUUDLQH -DQ]HQ .RRLVWUD DERXW &UDIW¶V 3/$<%2< SDLQWLQJV
WKURXJK$FURVVWKRVH¿YHGHFDGHVKHUSKHQRPHQDOJLIWIRU for another ribald classic: Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market
ZRUNLQJLQZKDWHYHUPHGLXPDQGVW\OHWKHWDVNDWKDQGUHTXLUHG +LHURQ\PXV%RVFK%RWWLFHOOLDQG$UWKXU5DFNKDPDUHDPRQJWKH
— including art deco, biblical, trompe l’oeil, even nursery-rhyme YLVXDOUHIHUHQFHV.RRLVWUDQRWHVLQWKHSOD\IXOO\ZLFNHGSDLQWLQJV
LOOXVWUDWLRQ²LVRQGLVSOD\LQPRUHWKDQPDJD]LQHSLHFHV Craft’s versatility also caught the eye of novelist and cultural
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From the moment she picked up her big sister’s crayons and drew all kinds of subjects, and in all kinds of styles,” he writes in his
a mountain landscape on a sliding screen in her family home in  YROXPH The Art of Playboy. ³6KH ¿WV KHUVHOI WR KHU VXEMHFW
.DQD]DZD-DSDQDWWKHDJHRIWZR&UDIWNQHZVKHZDVDQDUWLVW ZLWKFKDUPLQJHDVHDQG\HWOHDYHVKHUVHOIIUHHWRUHPDLQKHUVHOI
³7KDWZDVWKH¿UVWKXJHSDLQWLQJ,GLG´VKHVD\V³1RERG\VFROGHG +HU LOOXVWUDWLRQV VXJJHVW RQH ZKR LV D WUXH FRQQRLVVHXU RI DUW
PH²,¶PVRJUDWHIXO´ ZLGHO\UDQJLQJWKURXJKDOOWKHFRXQWULHVRIWKHZRUOG´
$QRWKHU HDUO\ PRPHQW KDG DQ LQGHOLEOH HIIHFW RQ WKH QDVFHQW %UDGEXU\JRHVRQ³2QHFDQQRWKHOSEXWWKLQNKRZGHOLJKWIXOLW
DUWLVW ³0\ JUDQGPRWKHU ZDV FDUU\LQJ PH RQ KHU EDFN 2XWVLGH would be to walk into a gallery full of the fruits of her kaleidoscopic
ZDVWKHIRUHVWLQEHDXWLIXOVXQOLJKW$VWUD\EDPERROHDIVWXFNWR WDOHQWV´ :H¶UH KDSS\ WR UHSRUW WKDW RQH FDQ VLPSO\ E\ ÀLSSLQJ
WKHHQGRIDFREZHEWZLUOLQJZLWKWKHEUHH]H7KHVXQOLJKWKLWWKH WKURXJKWKH3/$<%2<DUFKLYH <HDUVODWHU&UDIWZRXOGLOOXVWUDWH
wooden sash, and I thought it was the most beautiful thing,” she The Witch Door RQH RI %UDGEXU\¶V RULJLQDO 3/$<%2< VKRUW
VD\V³,WLVHWFKHGLQP\PLQG7KDWZDVWKH¿UVWIXOODZDUHQHVVRI VWRULHV
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Ever since, Craft has gravitated toward beauty and endeavored FUHDWLRQVLQFOXGH3DXO7KHURX[-RKQ&ROOLHUDQG7&%R\OH$OLFH
WRFDSWXUHLWLQKHUZRUN³8QIRUWXQDWHO\,¶PDPHUHPRUWDO´VKH .7XUQHU3/$<%2<¶V¿FWLRQHGLWRUIURPWRGHVFULEHG
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6WDWHV LQ ODWH  IRU JUDGXDWH VWXG\ DW WKH 6FKRRO RI WKH $UW KLVVWRU\KalkiWKDWVKHDQGWKHPDJD]LQHGHFLGHGWRJLYHLWWR
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DOPRVWWXUQHGRQKHUKHHODQGÀHG³1ROHDYHVRQWKHWUHHVDQGLW VOLJKWHG KHU ³:KHQ KH UHFHLYHG LW KH VDLG µ, XVXDOO\ GRQ¶W OLNH
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%XWVKHVWXFNLWRXWDQGEHJDQKHUVWXGLHVLQIUHTXHQWO\ 2XWVLGHRI3/$<%2<&UDIWZRUNHGIRUDGYHUWLVLQJDJHQFLHV
visiting the eponymous museum next door to wonder at the master WH[WERRN SXEOLVKHUV DQG RWKHU PDJD]LQHV LQFOXGLQJ Time,
ZRUNVZLWKLQ$IWHUD\HDUDQGDKDOI&UDIWOHIWVFKRRODQGVWDUWHG Newsweek, National Geographic, The Atlantic and Forbes5DUHO\
working within Chicago’s studio system, which she describes given much time to complete her projects and reluctant to turn
as “a bunch of illustrators sitting and waiting for salesmen GRZQZRUN&UDIWIUHTXHQWO\SXOOHGDOOQLJKWHUVWRPHHWGHDGOLQHV
WR EULQJ MREV´ ,W ZDVQ¶W ORQJ EHIRUH KHU SRUWIROLR IRXQG LWV GULQNLQJDVLQJOHFXSRIFROGJUHHQWHDWRVWD\DZDNH
“YOU CAN  +HU SDLQWLQJV KDYH JUDFHG WKH FRYHUV DQG SDJHV RI GR]HQV

FEEL THE
of books, and her work is in the permanent collection of the
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•••
In the early 1980s Craft left Chicago for the East Coast to settle into

PAINTER’S
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her big backyard and plays with the birdseed cakes, sometimes

PASSION
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though living in a rural area has had its complications; she recalls
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Though the advent of faxing and later FedEx made it

IMPRISONED
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IN THE
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everything — structure, composition, idea — is there, but not
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CANVAS.”
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,QWKH¿UVWGHFDGHVRIKHUFDUHHULOOXVWUDWLRQZDVDPDOHGRPLQDWHG a “winter general” who marched from the depths of her imagination
¿HOG DV 3RSH UHFDOOV &UDIW IDFHG DGGLWLRQDO EDUULHUV HVSHFLDOO\ — a powerful white-haired woman wearing armor and wielding a
DW VPDOOHU DJHQFLHV DQG SXEOLFDWLRQV ³:KHQ WKH\ ORRNHG DW PH VZRUG)RUVXFKZRUNVWKHLQLWLDOGUDZLQJFDQWDNHXSWRDZHHN
DOO WKH\ VDZ ZDV$VLDQ µ%ULQJ PH WKH$VLDQ VDPSOHV IURP \RXU followed by session after session of painting with her brushes,
SRUWIROLR QH[W WLPH¶ ´ &UDIW VD\V SRWHQWLDO FOLHQWV ZRXOG WHOO KHU which she likens to feeding: “If the painting takes longer, I have
“Not being born in this country, and speaking with an accent, was WR IHHG KHU DJDLQ ,W¶V YHU\ KDUG ,¶P  \HDUV ROG DQG ZRUN OLNH
QRWDGYDQWDJHRXV´ ,¶P´
%XW&UDIWUHFDOOV3/$<%2<DVEHLQJIDLUDQGZHOFRPLQJ³7KH\ Taxing though it may be, Craft has no plans to stop painting,
ORRNHGDWPHDVDSDLQWHUMXVWDSDLQWHU´VKHVD\V³3/$<%2<ZDV ¿QGLQJSXUSRVHLQHQGOHVVO\FKDVLQJDFRQQHFWLRQWREHDXW\DQGWR
JHQGHUEOLQGFRORUEOLQG´ QDWXUH³7KHUH¶VVRPHWKLQJ,ZDQWWRJUDVSZKLFKDOZD\VHOXGHV
Craft’s work has been shown in galleries across the country, and PH,WKLQN,¶PJRLQJWRIHHOWKDWWLOOWKHHQGRIP\OLIH´&UDIWVD\V
she was inducted into the Society of Illustrators hall of fame in ³0\SRRUERQHVFDQ¶WUHVW,KDYHWRGRZKDW,¶PZLUHGWRGR´Ŷ

Detail of Craft’s illustration

for a June 1987 3/$<%2<
¿FWLRQSLHFHWLWOHG7KH
Egret. Opposite: The
triptych Craft created
to accompany The
Gabriliad, Alexander
Pushkin’s naughty New
Testament spoof that
3/$<%2< ran as a “ribald
classic” in 1974. It
ZDVKHU¿UVWWLPHZRUNLQJ
with gold leaf; she
visited the medieval
room at Chicago’s Art
Institute for inspiration.
Left: Craft in her
studio, circa 1983.
ARTWORKS BY ALPHACHANNELING
 PLAYBOY

ADVISOR
Dr. Chris Donaghue¨FHUWL²HGVH[WKHUDSLVWGLUHFWRURIFOLQLFDOHGXFDWLRQIRU
the Sexual Health Alliance and host of Loveline — takes on the role of Playboy
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sex isn’t penetration; it’s achieving mutual sexual encounter either feeling better about +RZ PDQ\ UHDGHUV KDYH EURNHQ LQWR WKHLU
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DXWKHQWLFLQZKDWHYHUKHOSV\RXGRWKDW IHHOLQJEDGDERXWLWDOO&KRRVHWKHIRUPHU MR\DQGVXVWDLQDELOLW\RXWRIDQ\UHODWLRQVKLS
Further, your heterosexuality should Cheating is an unacceptable solution for
not inform anything about your sex life Q: Why has adultery become so prevalent? whatever issues your friends may be trying to
other than the gender of your sexual partner ,¶YHZLWQHVVHGWKUHHRIP\IULHQGVFKHDWLQJ² VROYH RU UXQIURP ,WUREVDUHODWLRQVKLS RI
WKRXJKHYHQWKDWLVÀXLGQRZDGD\V %HLQJ separately, though all three did it publicly and WUXVW ZKLFK LV GLI¿FXOW WR JHW EDFN 0RVW RI
straight does not predetermine one’s favored in front of me. I’m close with their partners, XV FRXOG EHQH¿W IURP EHLQJ KRQHVW ZLWK RXU
VH[ SRVLWLRQV QRU VKRXOG LW UHVWULFW WKHP VR WKHLU LQ¿GHOLWLHV KDYH FRPSOLFDWHG RXU partners about our needs, and that includes
<RXUKHWHURVH[XDOLW\DOVRLVQ¶WDQH[FXVHIRU friendships. This has made me quite cynical a desire to have sex with others while in an
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<HV FDOOLQJ VRPHRQH¶V VH[XDO I don’t know how to handle what I’ve seen. without telling a partner is nothing short of
preferences “strange” amounts to a form of Do I call them out, tell their partners or shut GHVWUXFWLYH
VKDPLQJ ZKLFK FDQ TXLFNO\ WXUQ DEXVLYH P\PRXWKDQGWRVVRXWP\PRUDOFRPSDVV"² %XWOHW¶VVZLWFKEDFNWR\RXWKHLQQRFHQW
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nontraditional interests your girlfriend A: 6LPSOH DQVZHU $GXOWHU\ LV SUHYDOHQW cheating friends individually so you can better
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our sexual interests to a lover, the response collected by the General Social Survey from has the same rules, and it’s increasingly
should be one of acceptance — as long as WRDVPDQ\DVRQHLQ¿YHPHQKDYH common for couples to enter monogamy
those interests are mindful of your partner’s FKHDWHG RQ WKHLU VSRXVHV &RPSDUDWLYHO\ ZLWK GLIIHUHQW H[SHFWDWLRQV DQG G\QDPLFV
SOHDVXUH DQG FDXVH QR KDUP WR RWKHUV 13 percent of women have cheated on their Some couples are fully open, some allow for

61
SEPTEMBER 2022
 Orgasms are hot and fun, but they aren’t
guaranteed, nor should they be required. The
goal isn’t mutual orgasm but mutual pleasure. By
expanding our definition of what we call “sex,” we
can create new sexual connections and new kinks.

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\RX LQ DQ XQIDLU SRVLWLRQ ,Q WKH HQG EHLQJ many patients who strive to heighten their It’s important to be conscious of how
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SROLFH ,I WKH\ WXUQ RQ \RX RU UHVSRQG ZLWK FRPSDWLELOLW\ <RX DQG \RXU KXVEDQG VHHP but there’s no politically correct form of
anger, you have no reason to stay faithful to to have achieved all that — to which I say VH[XDO GHVLUH 'RQ¶W RYHUWKLQN ZKDW WXUQV
them — something they should know a thing FRQJUDWXODWLRQV you on, and don’t resist what arouses you
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14 years. We enjoy a physically intense sex on the similarities between my exes, but VRFLHWDO LQHTXDOLW\ $V ORQJ DV \RX WUHDW
life that includes verbal degradation and today’s climate has made me hyper-aware the women in your life like the gorgeous,
sex that leaves us both bruised. We’ve never of body shaming, misogyny and racism. Is it intelligent, autonomous sexual beings they
taken it to the point where either of us feels possible I have some underlying, unhealthy DUH\RXKDYHQRWKLQJWREHFRQFHUQHGDERXW
unsafe; only once have my bruises been large attraction to women of a particular race and
enough that I’ve had to cover them. I recently ERG\W\SHWKDW,¶PQRWIXOO\DZDUHRI"²$3 Q: My sister’s boyfriend recently relocated
started bingeing HBO’s Big Little Lies, and A:,I,ZHUHWRUHDG\RXUTXHVWLRQDGLIIHUHQW from Chicago, where they were living
on the show, Nicole Kidman and Alexander way, it may sound as though you’re covertly together, to Boston, where I live, for work.
Skarsgård’s characters engage in similar asking whether you, a white man, should sleep $V D VWUDLJKW ZRPDQ , ¿QG KLP LPPHQVHO\
VH[XDO EHKDYLRU ² WKRXJK WKH EDODQFH RI RQO\ ZLWK WKLQ ZKLWH ZRPHQ 7KH DQVZHU WR attractive and have had many sex dreams
power in their sex life seems less equitable. WKDWLVDQREYLRXVQR about him throughout their relationship. Now
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may be addicted to the pain. I never thought your sexuality can impact others in ways you texts me to hang out. I don’t trust myself
such a thing was possible. Is it? Could my PD\ QRW IXOO\ UHDOL]H 7R PH WKLV VSHDNV WR around him and have gone to great lengths
husband and I be addicted to pain during \RXU FRPSDVVLRQ +DYLQJ FRPSDVVLRQ IRU to avoid contact. My sister wants to know
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A: <RX VKRXOGQ¶W UHWURDFWLYHO\ SDWKRORJL]H LV D JRDO RI LQWHUVHFWLRQDOLW\ &RLQHG E\ actually causing me a lot of stress. What do
14 years of a healthy sex life because of a .LPEHUOp &UHQVKDZ LQ  DQG GH¿QHG DV ,GR"².+
¿FWLWLRXV SORWOLQH RQ D VRDS\ 79 VKRZ )RU “the complex, cumulative way in which the A::K\ GR \RX WKLQN \RX ZRXOGQ¶W EH DEOH
RQH \RX FDQQRW EH ³DGGLFWHG´ WR SDLQ <RX effects of multiple forms of discrimination to control your impulses if the two of you
can seek pain, enjoy it and prefer sex with it, VXFK DV UDFLVP VH[LVP DQG FODVVLVP  were to spend time together? I suspect you’re
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2XU FXOWXUH OLNHV WR GUDPDWL]H H[WUHPH WKH H[SHULHQFHV RI PDUJLQDOL]HG LQGLYLGXDOV \RXWZR HQG XSWRJHWKHU6RUU\EXW KHLVQ¶W
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62
SEPTEMBER 2022
 <RXUDQ[LHW\LVSDUIRUWKHFRXUVHLQFDVHV different materials, such as latex, polyisoprene partner who demandsVH["<RX¶UHOXFNLHUWKDQ
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VLQJOH PHQ \RX FRXOG GDWH 'RQ¶W ZDVWH \RXU ÀDYRUHG$OORIWKLVLVWRVD\¿QGLQJWKHULJKW mature, because what you view as problems
time obsessing over your sister’s boyfriend, FRQGRPJRHVEH\RQG¿W — an inability to stay hard, an inability to
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person your sister loves deeply — feel at home one on and wear it while masturbating to kick- 2UJDVPV DUH KRW DQG IXQ EXW WKH\ DUHQ¶W
ZLWKRXWEHFRPLQJDKRPHZUHFNHU7KHUHDUH start your body into linking protection with JXDUDQWHHG QRU VKRXOG WKH\ EH UHTXLUHG IRU
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LQ SXEOLF RU GR JURXS DFWLYLWLHV 'RQ¶W VSHQG lot of unforeseeable reasons, but I can assure is supposed to be fun, and you don’t need
time alone with each other, and don’t get you that the person you take to bed will be WR ¿QLVK WR KDYH IXQ )XO¿OO KHU IDQWDV\ E\
LQWR[LFDWHG WRJHWKHU $YRLGLQJ KLP LVQ¶W LPSUHVVHG\RXFDPHSUHSDUHG2KDQGDVNLQJ IXFNLQJ KHU ZKLOH ZHDULQJ WKH MRFNVWUDS ,I
sustainable; should they wed, you’ll be running your bedfellow to put the condom on you turns you go soft, start using your tongue or your
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her face, switch up positions, ask her to ride
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sex soon. How am I supposed to know which me to wear a cup. My girlfriend loves it. \RXUHUHFWLRQ
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thick in girth. I’m also uncircumcised. I don’t off my uniform and asks me to fuck her while PXWXDO SOHDVXUH %\ H[SDQGLQJ RXU GH¿QLWLRQ
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DQGKLVKHU SOHDVXUHEXWLQWHJUDOWRHIIHFWLYH my girlfriend’s fetish for my dirty jockstrap, activity, cultural conditioning and personal
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63
SEPTEMBER 2022
PLAYMATE

DANIELLE
DIAMOND Instagram ɩĉďÌÐăÌ­ĊðÐăăÐÌð­ĉďĊÌɁ
 Photography by Scott Church | @thescottchurch
MUA Julia Ashley | @_julia_ashley
Hair Artist Sabrina Spiegel | @saylonseven

65
SEPTEMBER 2022
PLAYMATE
PLAYMATE

67
SEPTEMBER 2022
PLAYMATE
 We’re happy to have you feature on deserves a mention is this one “I need
Playboy! Can you give us a bit of a you to call me right now. (Then gave
background on your career as a model number) I need information on how you
and where it all started? I have always pick the person you want to be intimate
been creative. I loved fashion, nude art with? I met someone but I’m not sure if I
PLAYMATE

and traveling. My career has been very want to be with them. I mean if you want
H[FLWLQJ +RZ , ²UVW 6WDUWHG ZDV DS- to be with me then I wouldn’t be with
proached by a modeling agent standing them.”
in line at a bank. A few weeks later I left 2nd one
for a test shoot in Los Angeles. I started
RXW GRLQJ ²WQHVV FORWKHV 7KHQ ZHQW “I was wondering if you would go to a
straight to artistic nudes. high school reunion with me. You could
pretend that you were in my grade. Peo-
Having a full schedule must make it dif- SOHZRXOGUHDOO\IDOOIRULWDQGWU\WR²J-
²FXOW IRU \RX WR JHW PXFK DORQH WLPH ure out who you were because you’re so
talk to us about the top 3 must-dos to beautiful. After a while you could kiss me
HQVXUH \RX ²W LQ VRPH ZHOOGHVHUYHG and tell them that I had been your boy-
down time? I love to travel; I have a pass- friend for years. Finally, after people try
port and I use it. I love going and getting WR²JXUHRXWZKR\RXZHUHSUHWHQGOLNH
spa treatments. I Enjoy nature, whether they know who you are. We would tell
that means going for walks. Or taking a them that I met you on social media.”
ride on a scenic road.
Now we’re sure you experience a lot of
What does it mean for you to be seen PDOH DWWHQWLRQ RQ DQG RI³LQH DQ\ DG-
as a strong, intelligent, ambitious wom- vice you would like to give to men out
an? My vision, voice, and actions help me there who are hoping to catch your eye
to stay in alignment of who I am. What I the right way? My advice to men- I like a
want out of life. when someone makes me laugh (not put
me down) a sense of humor. Someone
What are some of the biggest miscon- who pays attention to details, like what
ceptions people have about what you o like to drink. A gentleman not neces-
do? That if I’m invited to a social gather- sarily just good manners, although some
ing, I wear something that is too sexy or of those do help. I mean being honest,
act Inappropriately. ²QGLQJWLPHIRUPHDQGPDNLQJPHIHHO
special.
What does freedom of self-expression
mean to you? It has been very healing What is the absolute worst thing a
to me. I was once very shy and reserved. man can do to completely put you off?
I was a long journey for me to feel more Things that will turn me off men who
comfortable in my own skin. Expressing VHQG PL[ VLJQDOV 3RRU VHOIFRQ²GHQFH
myself being naked or posing in sexy or continuous bad self-talk. Glass is al-
clothes has been my most real, raw, vul- ways half empty type. Be on the phone
nerable, and authentic self. Seeing my- most of the date.
self published in a magazine is still mind
blowing. I took small steps, to face my That said, what advice would you have
fears and found freedom in my own self- to give to all women out there when it
expression. comes to love and relationships. Chiv-
alry still has a place. Allow a man to be
We absolutely love your Instagram, masculine, it brings out your feminine.
your content is very dynamic, inspira- Show your gratitude towards your part-
tional, and downright sexy, could you ner. If he did something you liked to
perhaps tell us what your personal ex- thank him. Let him know you appreciate
SHULHQFHDVDQLQ³XHQFHUKDVEHHQOLNH" what he did, or he is doing. Don’t take
It has been fun, powerful and a way to each other for granted. Go on dates have
be creative. I have been able to connect fun, enjoy your partner.
with fans, other models and photogra-
phers. Can’t wait to see what happens Thank you so much for sitting down
after this issue comes out. with us and letting us get to know you!
Any last words for our readers out
3 things that you can’t go a day with- there? I love exercising and taking care
out. Music, shoes and… of my body. I also like to take care of my
mind and remember the great things
What about those crazy DMs you must about my life. My family, my friends and
receive! Care to share a few funny sto- all the people who have supported me
ries regarding those?7KH²UVWRQHWKDW on my journey.

69
SEPTEMBER 2022
PLAYMATE
PLAYMATE
ON
THIN
ICE
 A social-media-fueled tourism boom saved
Iceland from economic ruin. A decade later, is it
leading the country to environmental collapse?

BY CIARA O'ROURKE

S
HO¿H VWLFNV SXQFK WKH VN\ DV WKUHH ZRPHQ DUH XQNQRZQ EXW \RX FDQ SLFWXUH WKHP 1HZV UHSRUWV
EREWKURXJKWKHPLON\EOXHZDWHU7KH\ORRN have warned about a crisis in the country, one that’s
like knights charging against a strong wind, RYHUZKHOPLQJ HYHU\WKLQJ IURP KRWHOV WR QDWLRQDO SDUNV
EXWWKH\¶UH\RXQJDQGWKH\¶UH$PHULFDQDQG Iceland’s environment is fragile, and it’s being threatened
WKH\ SHUVHYHUH 7KHLU KDLU LV SLOHG KLJK RQ E\ WRR PDQ\ WUDYHOHUV %XW WRXULVP KHOSHG \DQN WKH
their heads, and they purse their lips as they country out of an earlier crisis, buoying the economy after
JD]H XS DW WKHLU L3KRQHV %HKLQG WKHP D WKHGHELOLWDWLQJFROODSVHRI$QGKHUH,DPUHDG\WR
man takes photo after photo of his partner experience a country whose rapidly expanding popularity
DVVKHVZDQVLQVPDOOFLUFOHV6KHUHYLHZVWKHVKRWVZLWK may be permanently damaging what lured me here in the
DVHYHUHH[SUHVVLRQDVKHVKLHOGVWKHVFUHHQIURPWKHVXQ ¿UVWSODFH
:KHQ WKHLU LPDJHV SRVW WR ,QVWDJUDP WKH\ ZLOO DOO •••
appear to be alone in this otherworldly watering hole, the ,¶PVHDWHGQH[WWRDPDQQDPHG-DVRQRQP\ÀLJKWIURP
%OXH/DJRRQVLWXDWHGDERXWPLQXWHVRXWVLGH5H\NMDYLN 3DULVWR5H\NMDYLNLQODWH-XQHDQG,WHOOKLPP\SODQVIRU
,FHODQG¶V FDSLWDO ,Q UHDO OLIH WKH\¶UH VXUURXQGHG E\ WKHQH[W¿YHGD\V'ULYHWRDWRZQQHDUWKH6yOKHLPDM|NXOO
WRXULVWV IURP FRXQWULHV VXFK DV 3DNLVWDQ $OJHULD DQG glacier, which
3RODQG DOO VLPLODUO\ SRVLQJ LQ WKH VWHDP\ JHRWKHUPDO I’ll climb with
VHDZDWHU RU PDNLQJ WKHLU ZD\ WR WKH EDU ZKHUH WKH ¿UVW a tour group
JODVVRIVSDUNOLQJZLQHLVRQWKHKRXVH recommended on
7KH%OXH/DJRRQZDUQVLWVSDWURQVWKDWLW¶VLPSRUWDQW 7ULS $GYLVRU
to stay hydrated while wading in the 100-degree, silica- then drive to
KHDY\SRRO)ORZLQJRQRQHVLGHRIWKHODJRRQLVDPHWDO Reykjavik and
IRXQWDLQ HWFKHG ZLWK WKH ZRUGV 385( ,&(/$1',& YLVLW WKH %OXH
:$7(5WRVLJQDOZKHUHYLVLWRUVFDQ¿OOWKHLUFXSVIRUIUHH /DJRRQ DQG WKH
If this seems like a marketing ploy to make local water Golden Circle,
VH[\ LW¶V ZRUNLQJ 2QH ZRPDQ¶V H\HV JR ZLGH DV VKH a popular tourist
tells me how great the tap water tastes in Iceland, better URXWH
WKDQ EDFN KRPH 7KH FRXQWU\¶V WRXULVP ERDUG SOD\IXOO\ Normally I
rebranded tap water as Kranavatn, a word that literally avoid talking
WUDQVODWHVWR³WDSZDWHU´ to anyone on
*RRGPDUNHWLQJLVEHKLQG,FHODQG¶VWRXULVPERRP7KH planes, but I
country’s seemingly pristine landscapes abound on social- QRWLFH -DVRQ¶V
media screens and draw more than 2 million visitors to driver’s license is
its shores each year to hike behind thundering waterfalls IURP:DVKLQJWRQ
RU WR VHH XS FORVH WKH FDQ\RQ ZKHUH -XVWLQ %LHEHU VKRW state, which
KLV³,¶OO6KRZ<RX´PXVLFYLGHR6RPHODQGDW.HÀDYLN leads us to
,QWHUQDWLRQDO$LUSRUW²WKHPDLQHQWU\SRLQWIRUIRUHLJQ discover that we
travelers — because they’re seeking something more graduated from
DQFLHQW WKDQ WKH &RORVVHXP LQ 5RPH OHVV GH¿OHG WKDQ the same college
7XOXP 2WKHUV DUH KHUH EHFDXVH WKH\¶YH VHHQ ,FHODQG¶V in the same
remote vistas on Facebook or on Game of Thrones, \HDU7KHFRLQFLGHQFHGRHVQRWIHHOVRLPSUHVVLYHZKHQ
ZKLFK RIWHQ ¿OPHG KHUH %XW DV WKH QXPEHU RI WRXULVWV I recount the number of people I know who’ve visited
has spiked, with yearly visitors outnumbering permanent ,FHODQG LQ WKH SDVW IHZ \HDUV ² QHDUO\ WZR GR]HQ 2QH
UHVLGHQWV VL[IROG WUDGLWLRQDO V\VWHPV KDYH EURNHQ GRZQ RI P\ IDYRULWH VWRULHV $ ZRPDQ ZDV LQ D FRIIHH VKRS
/RFDOVNQRZQRWWRYHQWXUHRQWRDJODFLHULQVDQGDOVDQG in Reykjavik when she asked the person sitting next to
WRVWD\RQGHVLJQDWHGSDWKVZKHQKLNLQJ9LVLWRUVLQWKHLU KHUWRVFRRWRYHU,QDFRXQWU\ZLWKRQO\DERXW
attempts to get photos that don’t feature other gawking residents, perhaps it’s also not so remarkable that the
tourists, traipse farther and farther off the trail, destroying ZRPDQZDV%M|UN
SODQW OLIH 7RXULVWV SOXFN WKH ZRUGV 6(1' 18'(6 LQ Tourism has played a vital role in helping Iceland
PRVVWKDWZLOOWDNHGHFDGHVWRUHJURZ UHFRYHUIURPWKHHFRQRPLFFUDVKVD\V6LJUtèXU'|JJ
The culprits in that very real crime against a hillside *XèPXQGVGyWWLU D VSRNHVSHUVRQ IRU 9LVLW ,FHODQG DQG

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHANTAL ANDERSON

73
 Some residents feel Iceland
has become a cartoon of itself.
Left: Situated on the south
coast, Reynisfjara is one
of Iceland’s most visited
black-sand beaches.
Acclaimed for its beauty,
the beach is also notoriously
dangerous due to the
water’s strong undertow.

DVRUWRIK\SHZRPDQIRUWKHFRXQWU\7KHLQGXVWU\KDVJURZQUDSLGO\IURPIHZHU adds, “there’s a really strong will in

WKDQ  YLVLWRUV LQ  WR  PLOOLRQ LQ  7KH FRXQWU\ XVHG WR EH D Iceland to preserve nature and maintain
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74
 Left: The Icelandic horse
has lived on the island
since the 10th century;
today it’s bred for
sheepherding, competition
and leisure riding. Middle:
Vandalism to plant life
has become a concern
following increasing
reports of intentional
destruction. Bottom:
Landmannalaugar, a
popular hiking destination,
is surrounded by mountains
and obsidian lava fields.

she presents breakfast: bread made with barley from

their farm, homemade dandelion and rhubarb jams,
$QJHOLFDSHVWRDQGODPESDWp7KHHJJVDUHIURPWKHLU
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from California, Florida and Seattle and a man from
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advantage of the stopover and is visiting Iceland for
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expensive, plus a lot of her colleagues at the school
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insulates the ice, forming dark peaks and valleys near
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hammered into the earth that marks where the glacier
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after my trip, the Copernicus Climate Change Service
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lagoon like meringue won’t exist by the end of this summer, he says, and he notices
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“Eventually we won’t
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Retreating glaciers can be
increasingly hard to access,
says Nathan Reigner, an
$UFWLF)XOEULJKW6FKRODULQ
Reykjavik, but the glacial
melt is also creating new
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glacier lagoon that formed
when glaciers calved and
melted along the south
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sites have emerged, he
says, there has been an
“arms race” for who can
develop tourism businesses
to meet the skyrocketing
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early in the tourism boom
called a “surprising lack
of planning and control
at the national level” led
to a spate of visitors and
tour companies that were
ignorant of environmental
VXVWDLQDELOLW\JXLGHOLQHV
Reigner is a recreation
and tourism consultant
with a background in park
management, concentrating
in part on crowding,
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coffee shop in downtown
Reykjavik he gives me
a primer on Icelandic
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To wit: Tourists have
been coming to Iceland
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the economy crashed,
the country hosted about
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was the volcanic eruption
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friendly glacial lagoon UDOOLHGWRVDYHWKHVXPPHUWRXULVPVHDVRQ,WZRUNHG%\DERXW
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76
SEPTEMBER 2022
 Below: Landmannalaugar (“People’s Pools” in Icelandic)
is dotted with hot springs and serves as the starting
point of the 34-mile Laugavegur hiking trail.

Above: At about 40,000

square miles, Iceland is
roughly the same size as
Kentucky. Outside the Ring
Road, much sightseeing is
done via hiking trails, which
traverse the country across
three national parks.

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as the krona regains its value, visitors are staying for Reykjavik surely feels changed, though compared with when, I don’t
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77
SEPTEMBER 2022
20 / Q

THOMAS
MIDDLEDITCH
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIAN BUCHAN
Q
AHEAD OF SILICON VALLEY’S FINAL SEASON, THE
EMMYNOMINATED STAR OPENS UP ABOUT
THE UNEXPECTEDFROM HIS DREAM ROLES
TO SEXUAL EXPLORATION TO SHOOTING
GUNS WITH ALEX JONES

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79
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Photography by Kevin Talley | @kevintalleyphoto

83
SEPTEMBER 2022
Such an absolute honor to have you What would you say makes you stand how a man carries himself with comfort-
on Playboy! Talk to us about your ca- out in the industry? My unique ap- able ease is very sexy.
reer and what made you get into the proach in analyzing over 100 biomarkers
industry? First, thank you for having in each individuals blood work, provides What is the most daring thing you have
me and the privilege to showcase my me an insight that is generally over- ever done? I could tell you but then I’d
Quantum Care to your readers. Early on looked by the average doctor. By uncov- have to kill you. Most recently, THIS! Put-
in my professional career I noticed that HULQJ VSHFL²F WUHQGV , FDQ LGHQWLI\ WKH ting myself on display with the under-
people were not living at their optimal reasons preventing them for living their standing that not everyone is comforta-
OHYHOV,Q³XHQFHVOLNHVWUHVVODFNRIH[HU- best, most optimal life. ble in their own skin or looking at others
cise and unhealthy lifestyle were taking for that matter. I AM! I am comfortable
their toll on people of all ages. During What puts the biggest smile on your naked and love being naked! Business
my dissertation research, I discovered face? When a patient has that “Ah-Ha DWWLUHVLVMXVWWKDW LWKLWV³RRUDVVRRQ
comprehensive bloodwork holds many Moment” when they experience the as I walk in the door. Nothing feels better
secrets and that fascinated me. The an- Quantum Shift. They realize that their than the transition from business suit to
swers were in the bloodwork the whole health and wellbeing is in their own birthday suit. I am completely comfort-
time? The answer was most likely YES! hands and can take control to transform able in my own skin and want others to
It my goal to share this with the world themselves from ordinary to extraordi- be as well. My Quantum Care program
and help everyone feel their optimal nary. is all about being real with who you
best. I went on to complete post gradu- are and accomplishing your goals real-
DWH ZRUN DQG FHUWL²FDWLRQ LQ IXQFWLRQDO What are some of your biggest pas- istically. I want everyone to feel sexy in
blood chemistry analysis. My Quantum sions? Health and Wellness, dogs, hors- their own skin, comfortable with their
Care program was built around analy- es, a summer thunderstorm, and sadly bodies and grateful for the opportunity
sis of comprehensive bloodwork, easy shopping… lol. to change with the knowledge that my
to understand color coded reports and comprehensive panels provided. I be-
natural protocols. Most people rely on 3 ultimate deal breakers when it comes lieve that when people are aware of the
doctors and medicine when they are in to men? probability of dysfunction in their body,
crisis and prescribed treatments that • Ridged thinking. A man’s greatness which is paramount withe my Quantum
can have adverse side effects. That med- is limitless. If a man is not open to ex- Care program, they will make changes
ical model seemed off to me. Why wait pand his potential of higher self, that is a to live a healthier more optimal life. The
until extreme dysfunction presents itself, big deal breaker. Self-imposed bounda- current medical model in the US is like
when proper analysis of the patterns ries based on antiquated idealisms are looking through a peep hole giving a
and trends in bloodwork can reveal the a speed bump on the road to happi- very tiny glimpse of your health with the
probability of dysfunction sometimes ness. Personal growth and development door only to be opened to a synthetic
far before symptoms present discom- through life are paramount and we are treatment. The Quantum Care reveals
fort. Allopathic medicine primarily is not all works in progress. everything. Why look through a peep
proactive, but reactive and very rarely • Bad manners and that includes rude hole when you can get the “Full Monty”
addresses the root of the issue nor the or mistreatment of anyone at events,
environment that brought on the state restaurants, stores etc. We all get What is the best way to approach you
RI GLVHDVH RU GLVFRPIRUW , LGHQWL²HG dressed the same way in the morning, 1 as an admirer? Directly! If you walk the
through bloodwork, that somewhere leg at time. How a person treats others walk and talk the talk, it’s an amazing
between dysfunction and optimal health is a window to the soul. start.
there are many questions. The answers • No magic in the moment. That tin-
were to quantify an individual’s unique gle a man can give with a touch, a kiss Where can our readers catch up with
needs and create a personalized proto- or even an entrancing wink from across you and stay updated with your work?
col for them to achieve a higher qual- the room. Intimacy should create sparks You can view my website at YourQuan-
ity of life. Quantum Care allows you to DQGZLWKWKHULJKWSHUVRQ²UHZRUNVDUH tumCare.com to book a consultation,
do what you want with your health, not possible. read some of our many testimonials and
what you have to. press releases. Instagram
What are some of the things that at-
What is your favorite thing to do? Can- tract you to a man? We are so happy to have gotten to
didly, to empower people to discover • Self-actualization. A great man has know you a little bit! Any last words out
that they can enjoy incredible health, great power. Nothing turns me on more there for our readers? The cliché, health
energy and an intense sex drive. Turning than a man aware of his true potential is wealth is simply the most valuable as-
the light on for others….just turns me on. and doing the work to achieve his ideal set we can own. Quantum Care helps
self, even at the minutest level. you take control of your body, mind,
What does it mean for you to be seen • The sexiest thing a man can wear is and spirit to live at your optimal level,
as a strong, intelligent, ambitious his smile. We choose how we react and now and well into the future. The Quan-
woman? It makes me feel powerful and choosing happiness is a monster turn- tum Care program is the best invest-
incredibly sexy to know that I live every on. ment you can make in your most valu-
day practicing what I preach. I walk the • When a guy is comfortable in his own able asset, your health.
walk and talk the talk. skin. There is power in presence and

87
SEPTEMBER 2022
 AMERICA’S FIRST
FINEDINING CANNABIS
RESTAURANT IS SURE TO
LIGHT UP LOS ANGELES. BUT
WILL THE ACTIVISM THAT
CHEF ANDREA DRUMMER
INFUSES INTO EVERY BITE
TRANSFORM THE INDUSTRY?

BY MICHELLE LHOOQ
 “ADVOCACY AND
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KANYA IWANA

91
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92
SEPTEMBER 2022
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRANT CORNETT
 “IT’S A LOT OF
PRESSURE, BUT
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— an early step toward mending prohibition’s damage and
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pressure, but what’s the alternative? Sitting around and not
being able to change the narrative? Not being able to hire
people to be a part of this industry? Not having learned
anything?
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FEW FIERCELY FUNNY FRIENDS RQDGDWHDQGWKHPDQVWLOOVOHSWZLWKPH

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96
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