Category Archives: News and Happenings
Live Out Loud Kinky Boots and Harvey Fierstein March 20
MARCH 20th!
Kinky Boots is an uplifting show featuring music by Cyndi Lauper, book by Harvey Fierstein, and choreography by Jerry Mitchell!
Writer Harvey Fierstein and Kinky Boots actors will participate in a talkback after the show!
Proceeds
from these premium tickets will benefit Live Out Loud’s educational
programs that connect LGBTQ youth with LGBT role models.
Tickets are limited and will sell out soon! Click here to buy your tickets now!
Location: The Al Hirschfeld Theatre, 302 West 45th Street, New York, NY
New Yorks Gay Valentine Boat Cruise
Who said February had to be cold. Set sail on New York City’s Hottest
Gay Harbor Cruise this Valentine’s Day. Bring your sweetheart or find a
new one on this 3 hour floating dance party.
Toast to love or lust
with an open bar of premium liquor and free shots of Cupid Juice served
to you by Cupid’s little helpers. Passed appetizers, a decadent dessert
bar, wine & chocolate tastings by Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar,
and the most amazing views of New York City’s skyline make this one
“cruise” you won’t forget.
- 3 Hour Evening Heated Cruise Around Manhattan Harbor
- DJ Performance
- Passed hors d’oeuvres
- Open Bar with Premium Liquor
- Dessert
- 21 and Over
BOOK NOW ONLINE!
Guerrilla Gay Bar New York
What
is GUERRILLA GAY BAR NY?
is a combination of flashmob and the French Revolution. Only much,
much gayer (Fewer decapitations and less powdered wigs).
Once a month, we will take over one of the straightest bars we
can find in NYC. We won’t tell them we’re coming – we just
show up – by the hundreds – and make ourselves at home.
When
is GGBNY? On the 3rd Friday of every month you are invited,
as long as you are gay, lesbian, trans, bi, or a friend, and are
game for the challenge.
Who
inspired GUERRILLA GAY BAR NY? GGBNY is inspired by our
GGB comrades in LA, San Fran, Boston, and others who want to branch
out beyond the gay bars and make a straight place GAY once a month
(as if it is their choice).
How
do I find out where GUERRILLA GAY BAR NY takes place?
Trick is, we won’t announce our shindig’s digs until the day before
the party – we don’t wanna give them any notice. So, the only
way to know where to go for the party is to rsvp via our newsletter/website
(see the link above) or via our facebook and twitter. We
will inform everyone of the location one day prior to the event.
Once you get the invite details, spread the word!
WHY
DO THIS? Field trip!!! And, to show the straight
community our community and encourage them to support diversity.
GUERRILLA GAY BAR NY will give the straight world
a chance to see, mingle, and interact with the LGBT community
on a personal level.
Next
Mission: TONIGHT! Friday January 25th, 6-9pm
Color
Codes: Red!
Wear anything red!
Location:
Secret!! You must register to know the location!
Register
at http://ggbnyjan2013.eventbrite.com/
The Men Event
Broadway Bares Winter Burlesque at XL
OMG!
This steamy theatrical striptease is sure to warm up the audience and
benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Doors will open at 8 pm for the 9 pm show.
Doors will open at 10:30 pm for the 11 pm show.
Reserved Table Seating for the 9 pm show is SOLD OUT.
BROADWAY BARES 2013
GET TICKETS NOW!
Sunday, June 23, 9:30 pm & Midnight
Roseland Ballroom
239 West 52nd Street, NYC
New Yorks Gay Youth Center Gets Grant
GREAT NEWS!
The Ali Forney Center (AFC) – the nation’s largest services and advocacy organization working on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) runaway and homeless youth – is excited to announce that it has received a grant from the Roger I. and Ruth B. MacFarlane Foundation.
implemented in other cities including Minneapolis and Chicago. In the program, adults will open their homes for up to one year to a limited number of the AFC’s youth, offering young people a chance to live day-to-day as part of a stable, LGBTQ-supportive household. Given a severe shortage of shelter beds in New York, the program has the potential to make a significant impact.
The AFC has been researching a Host Home Program for over two years,
visiting other organizations that have implemented such programs –
including Minneapolis’ Avenues for Youth and Chicago’s uCan – to learn
from their experiences and prepare to implement a counterpart in NYC.
The pilot version of the program will introduce one full-time Host Home
Coordinator who will lead implementation and community development. The
program offers NYC residents the opportunity to open their homes and
host a homeless LGBTQ youth for a period of up to one year. Both Host
Home Providers and youth will be supported through the program, which
will include training, counseling, and targeted goals. The AFC is
looking to explore partnerships with community organizations, including
the Brooklyn Community Pride Center and the LGBT Community Center in
Manhattan. Individuals will be screened to ensure they meet the
program’s eligibility criteria. Similarly, AFC’s care team will screen
and offer specialized support to youth who enroll in the program, as
participation is entirely voluntary.
Said Carl Siciliano, Executive Director of the Ali Forney Center: “With such
a terrible dearth of shelter beds available for the estimated 1800
homeless LGBT youth on the streets of New York each night, every bed is
of vital importance. I am incredibly grateful to the MacFarlane
Foundation for their generosity, which will allow loving adults to open
their homes to our youth, many of whom lack any kind of family support.”
Said Jessica MacFarlane of the MacFarlane Foundation: “The MacFarlane
Foundation is thrilled to contribute to the Ali Forney Center’s Host
Home Program. The Ali Forney Center is a leader in serving homeless
LGBTQ youth, and they set a standard for other organizations to aspire
to. This program will bridge the gap between the current housing offered
by the Ali Forney Center and young clients’ living independently. The
Foundation feels strongly about the importance of supporting the LGBTQ
community and is pleased to support the Ali Forney Center.”
The MacFarlane Foundation has issued its grant in order to help AFC pilot
the Host Home Program to determine the program’s viability. The pilot
will also allow AFC the opportunity to secure greater funding for the
continuation of the program. This is the second new program AFC will be
introducing in 2013. In the coming months AFC will expand the operation
of its Drop-In Center in Harlem to offer 24/7 programming, the first of
its kind in the nation for homeless LGBTQ youth.
About the Ali Forney Center
The Ali Forney Center (AFC) was started in June of 2002 in response to the
lack of safe shelter for LGBT youth in New York City. The Center is
committed to providing these young people with safe, dignified,
nurturing environments where their needs can be met, and where they can
begin to put their lives back together. AFC is dedicated to promoting
awareness of the plight of homeless LGBT youth in the United States with
the goal of generating responses on local and national levels from
government funders, foundations, and the LGBT community. For more
information, see www.aliforneycenter.org
About the Roger I. and Ruth B. MacFarlane Foundation
The Roger I. and Ruth B. MacFarlane Foundation makes catalytic
contributions to organizations, by enhancing the impact of existing
endeavors and leveraging organizations’ capacities to expand their
reach. The Foundation aims to improve the opportunities of individuals,
build strength within communities, and effect lasting change. The
MacFarlane Foundation is a family foundation whose funding reflects the
individual interests and passions of its Trustees.
Gay New York Nightlife EXPOSED
Well, for better or for worse, New York Gay Nightlife was exposed to the masses this week!
“The city’s gay subculture is experiencing another
nocturnal boomlet, thanks to a post-recession spate of new LGBT bars,
clubs, and parties. Here, a survey of the scene, complete with the
requisite go-go boys, outré drag artists, and low-key lounges for people
who just want to drink. “
Zapata describes this Monday-night party when promoting it via Facebook.
dandies-in-the-making, rich architects, and the unemployed artists who
love them into Le Baron’s townhouselike environs.
the older patrons tend to kick back on the leather banquettes, making
for a pleasantly adult outing.
New York Show Deals! 20 at 20
FOR 20 DAYS ONLY, SEE THE BEST OF OFF-BROADWAY FOR ONLY $20!
ABSOLUTELY AFFORDABLE!
Here is your chance to catch up with shows you may have
missed, get a sneak peek at the next big show, or revisit a favorite –
all for only $20 each!
ALWAYS ON!
Since Off-Broadway has performances to fit everyone’s
schedule, you can see more than one. Where else can you see five shows
in one day, for less than the price of ONE BROADWAY TICKET?
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS!
Beginning Tuesday, January 22nd, and running through Sunday,
February 10th, tickets for all 20at20 shows are only $20, starting 20
minutes before show time. Just go to the box office of the show you want
to see 20 minutes before it begins and say, “20at20” and you’ll get
your ticket to a real New York theater experience!
SEE 7 SHOWS AND GET DINNER ON US!
See any 7 of the participating 20at20 shows from 1/22/13 through 2/10/13
and receive a FREE voucher for dinner for 2 at an area restaurant!
Mail in your ticket stubs once you have seen 7 shows and we will send
you your voucher while supplies last.
Questions about 20at20? Visit our frequently asked questions page!
Brooklyn Dad Starts Alternative Scouts Troop
YEA for Brooklyn dad Todd Schweikert!
Schweikert, a 33-year-old Windsor Terrace
resident whose son goes to P.S. 154, researched several alternative
scouting options, including groups like Camp Fire. He settled on the
Baden-Powell Service Association to be the parent organization of his
troop. Like other traditional scouting groups, BPSA teaches “woodcraft,”
or how to survive outdoors. BPSA troops also use what’s called the
“patrol method” to divide scouts into teams that each have a leader
nominated by other scouts.
BPSA troops are open to both boys and
girls, and unlike the Boy Scouts of America, there is less talk of God
and religion in official scouting laws, Schweikert said. The troop
welcomes kids as young as 5 years old, who are known as Otters. At age
8, scouts graduate to Timberwolves.
His 7-year-old son is a charter member of the 5th Brooklyn Scouts,
which accepts boys, girls and all sexual orientations while believing
that prejudice is best snuffed out like an untended campfire.
“The tipping point was the BSA’s approach to gay scouts and the gay
and lesbian parents,” Schweikert wrote in an email to The Huffington
Post. “Any form of discrimination, no matter how small, is never ok and
not something I can endorse and wish to teach to my children.“
Schweikert told HuffPost that he has received a “great response from gay and lesbian parents, as well as straight.”
Schweikert’s troop, to be called the
Fifth Brooklyn Scouts, will meet weekly at the Brooklyn Society for
Ethical Culture on Prospect Park West. The location is well-positioned
for excursions to Prospect Park for “nature observation,” but scouts
will also embark on overnight camping trips and weekend hikes. The troop
will learn classic scouting skills like knot-tying and community
service projects, and they’ll earn badges after they accomplish specific
goals.
Ballet With a Twist at New Yorks Biggest Gay Club, XL
In the wake of a scintillating fall season that
included appearances at New York City’s
Beacon Theatre and New Jersey’s
new Hamilton Stage, Ballets with a Twist,
the hot next-generation ballet company, announces
a new performance date for the intoxicating evening-length dance experience Cocktail Hour.
Photo: Nico Malvaldi)
On January 13th at 7 pm, cocktail culturists will enjoy
the full suite of delicious dances at the company’s Manhattan home, XL Nightclub and Cabaret, one of the sleekest nightlife
hotspots in the city. Several of the dances will feature live musical
accompaniment by some of New York’s
most celebrated musicians, all of whom can be heard on the official Cocktail Hour soundtrack. Trombonist Peter
Zummo will add an extra tropical twist to “Mai Tai,” singer Barbara
Morillo will sweeten up “Shirley Temple,” and Deni Bonet will bring
“Mint Julep” back to its Southern roots with her finest fiddling.
Peter Valentine and Tabitha Fair will end the show on a high note, adding their
soulful vocals to the crowd-favorite “Holy Water.” Ballets with a
Twist fans will also delight in the long-awaited return of the majestic
“Margarita.
Conceived and choreographed by celebrated dance-maker Marilyn Klaus — whose eclectic
background ranges from vaudeville and show dancing to Isadora Duncan and
classical ballet — Cocktail Hour
is a sassy suite of dances, each inspired by a well-known beverage. The show
both reinvents ballet and pays respect to the rich creativity of cocktail
culture, launching the Martini, Gimlet, Manhattan,
and more off the menu and onto the stage
Cocktail Hour features original music by Stephen Gaboury, who has collaborated with
Klaus for over 20 years. Gaboury’s music has been featured in film and on
television. In 2004, he received a Grammy nomination for his work with pop/rock
legend Lauper, with whom he recently contributed as co-writer for selections in
her new musical Kinky Boots. He has also performed with many A-listers
including Patti Labelle, Suzanne Vega and Ute Lemper. Catherine Zehr is the artistic force
behind the glamorous costume design. Her exquisite creations evoke the origins
and spirit of each libation with vivid colors and embellishments.
Critics and audience members agree: Cocktail Hour is an artistically seductive
must-see. The Huffington Post raves that Klaus is
“blasting the boundaries between high art and entertainment,” and
that her style is a distinctive mix of “Hollywood glitz and New York polish,”
while The New York Times praises
her as “witty and fantastic.” Recent performances also caught the
attention of The Wall Street Journal
and New York City’s
PIX11 Morning News.
For more information on Ballets with a Twist, please visit Balletswithatwist.com or
Facebook.com/
For more information on XL
Nightclub and Cabaret, please visit XLnightclub.com. Tickets for Ballets with a
Twist’s January performance at XL Cabaret can be purchased in advance.
GAY NEW YORK book Still Top Seller at Amazon
…DID YOU KNOW?
that before the 1960s gay life existed only in the closet, where gay men
were isolated, invisible, and self-hating. Based on years of research
and access to a rich trove of diaries, legal records, and other
unpublished documents, this book is a fascinating portrait of a gay
world that is not supposed to have existed.
Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940
Comedy Event: Queens of Queens, Jan. 10
of 2013 Edition!
and Vh-1’s “Best Week Ever” headlines this LGBT laugh-fest. (She’s
straight, but Canadian — which is almost the same as being gay).
making the new year queer will be Adam Sank (NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,
Sirius-XM OutQ), MAC Award-winner Danny Cohen (Comedy Central’s
“Premium Blend”), Cara Kilduff (Here-TV’s “Hot Gay Comics” and co-host
of Queens Public Television’s “Talking About) and your mistress of
ceremonies, “Biggest Loser” champ Poppi Kramer (warm-up comic for the
syndicated “Bill Cunningham Show”).
For tickets and information, visit www.laughingdevil.com.
4738 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City (Queens)
Davey Wavey asks New York: What Do You Fear
Facebook and Twitter!
this project!
Thanks to Sam who shot this video. Sam is also
making a Davey documentary and requesting video submissions from blog
buddies for his video. Check out a private teaser of Sam’s doc…. and use the password ‘shirtless’. Upload your responses by Dec. 10 as a video response to this video.:
Chicago Club Kids Bring FACE to Nightclubs
Legendary Chicago club kid, doll maker, makeup artist, costumer, and penis-sculpture enthusiast JoJo Baby costars with his clubbing companion, Sal-E, in Bernard Colbert’s lush new 12″ x 12″ coffee-table book Getting into Face: 52 Mondays Featuring Jojo Baby and Sal-e
(Schiffer).
For 17 years, Bernard has been perfecting his craft, working in the field of commercial and advertising photography.
‘In the vibrant community where I live and work, I find what I have
always been searching for- a sublime energy. Nightlife activity blends
with the arts and diversity of self expression abounds. Here, I can
freely pursue my dream: to document and celebrate that spark within,
which defines the unique nature of our human experience.’
performance artists JoJo Baby and Sal-E use their bodies as canvases to
become inspired and whimsical conceptual characters, executed with
expert skill using original, theatrical makeup and costumes. In more
than 100 portraits, photographer Bernard Colbert rigorously captures
these two performance artists in genius moments as psychedelic Hindi
gods, comic book villains, fantastical creatures, astronauts, and much,
much more.
Colbert’s stunning portraits document these delightful
transformations over a five-year period and are the same body of work
featured in the Clive Barker documentary titled JoJo Baby. Through
Colbert’s collaboration with JoJo and Sal, viewers can experience a
front row seat to an ongoing show which has been entertaining club goers
in Chicago for two decades. This is a portfolio for the visually
adventuress and fans of true creative vision.
Every Monday night, JoJo Baby with friend Sal-E have gone to work as
hosts of Chicago’s largest and longest running house-music dance party,
the Boom Boom Room, which is currently on hiatus from its usual location
at Green Dolphin St., 2220 N. Ashland Ave., while the building
undergoes renovation. It took the duo hours to prepare, and Colbert was
there every week to capture the endlessly entertaining process. He said
he usually only had 10 to 15 minutes to photograph them before they went
on stage.
“Sometimes they would show up and I would look at what they were
wearing and try and quickly comprehend what they were up to, because
sometimes it’s high concept and it’s not obvious right away,” Colbert
said. “It’s interesting right away, but it’s like, ‘What the heck is
going on?’ So I scramble and try and make it happen.”
Colbert, who took courses in commercial photography at Columbia from
1989–1991, said he loves portrait photography and has been drawn to
performers such as models, musicians and athletes—people who are both
interesting and like being photographed.
The combination of unplanned imagination and spontaneity kept Colbert
continually inspired. He said the most successful images captured an
indescribable magic that would often occur.
“It was something that would elevate it from an interesting time to
really high art, and it’s something that fascinates me,” Colbert said.
“It feels elusive, but when you find that you can do it time and time
again, it’s really fun to keep trying to do it.”
Getting into Face: 52 Mondays Featuring Jojo Baby and Sal-e
Alan Cumming and Liza Minnelli at Town Hall March 13th
Last year, party promoter Daniel Nardicio had the opportunity to bring together two of my favortite performers for one night, a night the New York Times called “the biggest cultural event of the Fire Island season”
and Michael Kors called “a seminal Fire Island moment”
Under the musical direction of Emmy winner Lance Horne
Yes Alan Cumming and Liza Minnelli are on stage at NYC’s histroric Town Hall March 13th and you, my dear readers, as a can get on Daniels list, get an opportunity to get advance tickets now before they go on sale to the general public Wednesday.
because those tickets allow you to get into the private afterparty and
you can order those tickets HERE starting Wednesday.
Gay Male Stripper Show Only at SPLASH
City’s sexiest male dancers in a planned and choreographed show. We hope
that if you are consummating your love you choose to have your BACHELOR
PARTY with the hottest male strippers in NYC. Whether you’re
celebrating a special occasion, wedding, or the ultimate guys night out
we can guarantee a great time at one of our many performances.”
Gay Skiing in Upstate New York Affected by Lack of Snowfall
A new analysis conducted for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Protect Our Winters (POW) will detail the devastating economic impact that climate change could have on the winter tourism industry in New York and the rest of the nation.
The analysis finds that the $12.2 billion ski and snowmobile industry is dependent on heavy and predictable snowfall, and changes in the winter season snowfall have already been felt across the nation and are likely to become even more pronounced with climate change.
The study aims to help policy makers understand both the ski and snowmobile industry’s current economic scale and the potential economic impacts that climate change may cause, as well as the effects the industry is already feeling in New York and the rest of the nation from reduced snowpack and rising winter temperatures over the last decade.
Just this past ski season, 50 percent of ski resorts opened late and 48 percent closed early with every region experiencing a decrease in the days of operation. Winter sports resorts are not the only ones affected by this shift; a reduced and shortened winter season will also hurt the secondary related industries of lodging, restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores and entertainment.
Last Minute Gifts at Broadway Cares
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS sets the stage for another season of on-line gift-giving with our latest A Catalog of Giving. The curtain goes up on a new ensemble of unique and original merchandise that is sure to garner applause from Broadway and theatre fans everywhere.
UNDERWORLD VI: Broadway Understudies & MTWorkers DEC 10th
ONE-NIGHT ONLY BENEFIT ENGAGEMENT
The annual benefit event headlines Broadway understudies performing their favorite songs and sharing their most intimate career changing stories.
UNDERWORLD VI will include Broadway understudies Nick Cartell (Scandalous, Jesus Christ Superstar), Elizabeth DeRosa (Mary Poppins), KJ Hippensteel (The Book of Mormon), Amanda Lea LaVergne (Annie, Grease) and Billie Wildrick (Scandalous). With MTWorkers Carol Hickey (Barrier Island), Heather Massie (Flashbacks), Maureen O’Boyle (The Oath, Good Lonely People), David Stallings (A Home Across the Ocean), and Susan Wallack (Good Lonely People).
Will Hillary run for Mayor of NY? Or President of US?
Many have wondered whether retiring U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton might consider another stab at the presidency in 2016, but a published report Monday said Mayor Michael Bloomberg was hoping she might run for another office even sooner.
Citing “a phone call confirmed by three people,” the New York Times reported
Bloomberg encouraged Clinton to enter the 2013 mayoral race. The
article revealed few other details about the call, calling it “shrouded
in mystery.”
People briefed on the call told the New York Times that Clinton
responded in no uncertain terms that she is not interested in the
mayor’s office, and will not be running.
The secretary of State has said she will step down as the nation’s top diplomat in January. In an interview in October, she said that she hoped to find time to herself after leaving the Washington spotlight.
