Category Archives: News and Happenings
First & Only Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art Launches in New York City
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City Receives Museum Accreditation from
State of New York
Even well after the cultural wars of the mid 1980’s, the representation of sexual difference in art has been aggressively policed. And America’s museums, with few notable exceptions, have been silent in the face of what is now the most vocal contemporary civil rights frontier. But there has never been a shortage of gay and lesbian art on display in America’s museums; what has been lacking is the courage to articulate that fact and to illustrate how the artist’s sexuality influenced his/her art. Now, for the first time, a new museum in New York will finally show what has been hiding in plain sight. With the recent accreditation by the State of New York as an official Museum, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (MoGLA) has become the first and only museum of gay and lesbian art in the world.
Charles Leslie and his late partner Fritz Lohman – who organized their first small exhibition of gay art the same year as the Stonewall riots in 1969 – founded the new Museum with their multi-million dollar gift. It is now run by a Board of Directors, helmed by Prof. Jonathan David Katz, the co-curator of the recent Hide/Seek – the first major museum exhibit to focus on themes of gender and sexuality in modern American portraiture. The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art focuses on gender and sexuality, in the still relatively unexplored historical, socio-political and cultural context in which these gay and lesbian artists lived.
“While until recently, queer art exhibitions assumed an audience of mostly queer visitors, a new generation of queer cultural institutions instead seeks to make queer art visible to a mainstream audience. If we learned anything from the record setting attendance of Hide/Seek it was that people of all stripes were hungry for precisely the information the big museums have been censoring for decades now,” said Katz.
The museum has announced an aggressive programming schedule for the Fall of 2012, featuring the first major American retrospective of transgender photographer Del LaGrace Volcano. (http://www.dellagracevolcano.com/index.html). Widely exhibited in European museums, the American- born Volcano has been almost completely ignored in this country, and represents, according to Katz, “exactly the rationale for this new museum.” This fall will also see a major exhibit of legendary American artist Paul Thek’s early work in the context of his gay social circle of the fifties and sixties, and will include many works never exhibited before. While there was an exhibit of Paul Thek’s work at the Whitney Museum in 2010-11, these early works were not shown. “This will be the first exhibition of Thek ever mounted that reveals how powerfully his gayness structured his early work,” said Katz. (There will be a separate announcement about these shows coming later.).
The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art has a permanent collection of more than 6,000 objects spanning more than three centuries of gay and lesbian art. The new museum will mount historical, thematic, and survey exhibitions drawn not only from its permanent collection but also from museums and private collections around the world. Its programs include 6-8 major exhibitions a year, film screenings, plays, poetry readings, artist and curator talks, panel discussions, THE ARCHIVE (a quarterly newsletter focusing on gay and lesbian art and artists), a membership program, a research library and an archive of the permanent collection.
Though newly accredited as the first dedicated gay and lesbian art museum in the world, the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation, founded by Charles W. Leslie and Fritz Lohman, has for more than 20 years, persevered in its mission to exhibit, preserve and foster the works of gay and lesbian art and artists. The new museum will now exhibit and analyze a wider range of art and artists, national and international, while staying true to its mission. A non-profit, membership organization, the museum is committed to offering all of its exhibitions with no admission charge.
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (MoGLA)
26 Wooster Street
(btwn Canal & Grand)
New, York, NY 10013
212.431.2609
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat: Noon-6pm
Ricky Martin Spices Things up in Evita Revival
Ricky Martin is receiving some positive reviews for his charming turn as Che in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.
According to early reviews, Ricky Martin is all swoon-inducing charm in the Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.
Unless you ask the bitter and jaded Rex Reed! Reed describes the production as “sprawling, overproduced, clumsily
directed and strangely emotionless.” He writes that Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s music is “derivative” and that Tim Rice’s lyrics are
“repetitive,” reducing the story of Eva Peron to a “second-rate
operetta.”
The revival, which opened at New York’s Marriot Marquis recently, has
already garnered plenty of buzz for its casting of openly gay Martin as
the revolutionary Che. But now that early reviews have heaped praise
upon Martin (one review called his performance “a supernova of
charisma”), the musical will no doubt attract even more ticket-buyers. – Ticket sales have been brisk so far.
ACT UP commemorates 25th Anniversary April 25 with Wall Street protest
ACT UP COMMEMORATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY
BY RETURNING TO WALL STREET
FOR MASSIVE PROTEST
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25
To Be Joined by Occupy Wall Street For an End to Financial Crimes
Against People with AIDS and the 99%
To commemorate its 25th anniversary,
the AIDS activist group ACT UP will return to its roots and stage a massive demonstration and march on Wall Street — on Wednesday, April 25 — starting at 11 am at City Hall and ending on Wall Street. Hundreds of protestors are expected to converge for a daylong siege in Lower Manhattan.
ACT UP (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) will be joined by Occupy Wall Street (OWS), the organization making history this year and last with its public encampments and series of protests against the global
financial community. The groups are joining forces to pump up the volume on a growing nationwide outcry for a “Financial Speculation Tax” (Fi.S.T.) on Wall Street.
The groups are calling on local, state, and federal legislators to “give Wall Street the FiST,” which is needed to fill AIDS funding gaps and — once and for all — provide universal healthcare in the US. It’s time for effective healthcare to be made available to everyone — to the 99%, not just the 1%.
The Fi.S.T. does not target individual investors, and would not affect regular bank transactions. Instead, it would place a small tax — a mere fraction of one percent — on speculative trading by Wall Street investment banks, hedge funds and other large financial institutions.
HIV treatment saves lives — by preventing new infections and keeping those already infected from reaching end-stage AIDS. However, only 44% of people in need worldwide have access to the treatment they need.
More than 8 million people do not. In the United States today, 3,840 people who qualify for federal assistance to pay for HIV treatment are on waiting lists — or in other words, are at risk of dying from AIDS.
“The AIDS crisis is not over,” says veteran ACT UP New York member Ann Northrop. “But, we know it could be,” she adds. AIDS treatment — when combined with simple prevention interventions — is the key to breaking the back of the epidemic worldwide. In addition to saving lives, early HIV/AIDS treatment reduces the risk of transmission of HIV by 96%. And so, with sufficient funding for treatment and prevention, we can turn the tide on AIDS. Globally, HIV/AIDS has claimed over 30 million lives.
Both ACT UP and OWS suggest the revenue from a Financial Speculation Tax would be significant — potentially in the hundreds of billions of dollars. The revenue from this tax should be used to fund the end of the AIDS pandemic, i.e. to fill in US budget gaps in the fight against HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. It should be used to provide treatment, services and prevention to thousands of Americans and millions around the world. The groups also say the tax could help pay for universal healthcare in the US.
“We are organizing this historic united front to bring our message to governments and to Wall Street financiers who are sitting on the key to ending the AIDS epidemic,” according to Eric Sawyer, a founding member of ACT UP New York.
“There is no excuse. We have the know-how to end AIDS. It is lack of funding and political will that keeps us
from reaching universal access to HIV treatment worldwide.”
Additional organizations are expected to join the demonstration in New
York City, including Housing Works, Health GAP, National Nurses
United, OWS Healthcare for the 99% Working Group, Visual AIDS, MIX
NYC, Le Petit Versailles, Queerocracy, Queering OWS and others.
For more info visit www.actupny.com or @actupny on Twitter.
New York City Nissan Taxi of Tomorrow
The latest version of our city’s only private form of public
transportation—the yellow cab—will be unveiled this week at the 2012 New
York Auto Show.
Can you imagine getting the opinions of taxi drivers, fleet owners,
transportation bureaucrats, the mayor, and the notoriously cranky New
York City public – to vote on A CAB for the city? That must have been a hot mess! How many languages was the survey offered in?
The Nissan NV200 has been selected to replace the
venerable 13,000 Ford Crown Victoria’s as the Big Apple’s official cab. This
so-called Taxi of Tomorrow will be unveiled to skeptical residents for
the first time at this week’s New York Auto Show.
VANITY FAIR got the inside scoop and says, “the city’s first purpose-built cab will host myriad bespoke features
calibrated to the distinctive needs of New York’s taxi users.
These
include a standard driver’s navigation system that will preclude ever
again having to explain which numbered streets precede and follow West
17th. HOW GREAT IS THAT??
A panoramic glass roof for staring up at the young men on those
Hollister billboards
A low-annoyance horn tuned to a frequency that’s
only audible to other cabbies (or so we hope)
One 12-volt and two USB
charging ports so all your batteries will be as fresh as the scent
inside the cabin
Fuel-economy numbers that double those of the
neolithic Ford
No Hump rear seating and lots of legroom
and antibacterial pleather seats that provide lower
rates of Ebola transmission than most other fabrics.”
New York Gay Couple Dies Just Weeks Apart
You have no doubt heard the expression, died of broken heart….
you never know if it is true? or a coincidence?
When same-sex marriage
became legal in New York last year, Chris Alexander (pictured) married Shaun O’Brien, the
celebrated character dancer with the New York City Ballet.
They had been
together for more than 60 years and died less than two weeks apart —
Mr. Alexander on March 7 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., at age 92;
— Mr.
O’Brien on Feb. 23 at 86.
They shared a Victorian house in Saratoga
Springs.
“If there is a cause of death, it’s a broken heart,” his friend Jane
Klain said in confirming Mr. Alexander’s death. “It’s as simple as
that.”
Mr. Alexander, who left no immediate survivors, had lived with Mr.
O’Brien in Saratoga Springs since 1993.
Each afternoon at 4:30 they had
an ice cream party.
How sweet is that?!
Royal Asscher LGBT Night of Diamonds and Champagne March 29
Diamonds and Champagne (and Vodka!) event.
THURSDAY March 29, 2012.
Royal Asscher of America
10 West 46th Street, Suite 1005
Spring is in the air is so is gay marriage, right?
During the event, view diamond collections and sip on a drink (or two;).
As a
company, Royal Asscher has been an advocate for many important causes and they embrace the gay community and show their support for gay rights and
especially gay marriage, which is the theme of this event.
RSVP here…ROYALASSCHER
Rosie Leaves Chicago for New York City
A report on the Huffington Post
cites an “insider” who says Ms. O’Donnell was not happy about commuting
from her New York home to tape the show at Oprah Winfrey’s former Near
West Side studio. (WTF? She just bough a condo in Chicago!)
She’s also found it more difficult to persuade guests
to travel to Chicago that it would be to book them on a New York-based
show, the source said. – well of course. Dah.
The news came on the same day that reports said Ms. O’Donnell had found a buyer for her Lakeview home six months after she bought it. It had been listed on the market for just a day.
Ms.
O’Donnell bought the Chicago property as she began taping “The Rosie
Show,” which took over Harpo Studios after Ms. Winfrey ceased production
on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to focus on her OWN network.
“The Rosie Show” has undergone changes since its debut. Ms. O’Donnell recently cut staff and stopped filming before a studio audience.
Project Runway All Stars Sample Sale March 14th
Thanks Mondo for tweeting the details on the sale! It seems some of the Project Runway All Stars, Rami Kashou, Kara Janx, Mondo Guerra, and Michael Costello
are having a sample sale on Wednesday, March 14th, at 11am, at 242 West
36th Street in NYC. 8th floor. One day only.
Discounts go up to 80% off, with prices starting at $25.
VLADA is New and Improved
Hello New York!
I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to share with you the many excited things coming up at Vlada Lounge, but first let me thank you for being a loyal customer for the last 6 years and making Vlada the best vodka bar in NYC (New York Magazine, Best Of New York issue). I believe you will be excited to learn what our little Russian elves have been up to and the ways in which Vlada is expanding for the new 2012/2013 season.
Much like Lindsay Lohan (girl, did you see her on SNL?!) we have given Vlada a face lift: classy new furniture, a fantastic staff comprised of some of the sexiest, smartest, and talented men in New York, and added new flavors to our extensive, home-made, organic, infused vodka menu. All in all, I’d say we pulled it off better than she did. To continue with the Russian theme, we have made some delicious additions to our food menu. Be sure to try some of my favorites: Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Kiev, Siberian Pelmeni, Poached Salmon, Blini with Caviar, and several Traditional Russian Salads created by the award winning, original chef from the Russian Samovar. Check out photos of the new menu here.
As owner of the only Authentic Russian Gay Bar outside of Moscow, equality for the gay community has always been my highest priority. Minutes after the gay marriage law passed in New York I became an Ordained Minister so I could marry same sex couples at our beautiful and elegant upstairs event space. We’ve had many successful and beautiful ceremonies in 2011 and I anticipate many more to come! Please email vlada@ministervlada.com if you or someone you know is looking to tie the knot in a memorable way. We have also expanded into highend catering, so we are able to fulfill any and all requests for parties of any size. Please email vlada@vvscatering.com for all catering inquiries.
You can also take advantage of our all new upstairs for private events of all shapes and sizes! From fundraisers to birthday parties to Russian language classes, our upstairs is ideal for your party. The space comes with its own private floor, ipod connection and CD players, projector, piano, available microphones, artwork from community artists, and much more! Email billy@vladaloungeny.com
For a limited time we are offering a 20% discount on our select services to make your experience even more memorable. Call Billy, Ernie, or Vlada Von Shats at 212-974-8030 and let’s have a meaningful date (we like to cuddle).
Peace & Love,
Vlada Von Shats
Billy Hannon, Jr.
Ernie Cote
Connect with us
Times Square Social at Traffic w/ Special Guest David Drake
Wednesday February 22, 2012 from 6-9PM
Traffic Bar & Restaurant, 701 9th Ave. Corner of 48th St.
RSVP: Trafficfebruary.eventbrite
FREE EVENT – Since
2004 TheMenEvent has been bringing you the HOTTEST Gay Networking
Events. This month, we descend upon a new venue, Traffic in Hell’s
Kitchen. Expect to meet lots of other gay professionals (or professional
gays – wink), make new friendships, win stuff, enjoy drink specials and
get some free appetizers (but you have to get there early for the yummy
treats).
Featuring:
*
Prize Giveaways including DVD’s and Show Tickets. PLUS Enter to win 1
of 3 Top Men’s Fragrances from the Fragrance and Beauty Outlet.
* No cover!
* Drink Specials- $4 Coors Light Drafts, $5 mixed well cocktails $5 Glass of Traffic’s signature sangria & $5 house wines.
* Hundreds of Amazing Guys!
* Free Appetizers from 6-7pm
* CELEB ALERT: Meet DAVID DRAKE (The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me) who is currently donning drag in new comedy MY TAWNY VALENTINE.
Gay Day Flash Mob at JC PENNY TODAY 2pm
Lets
show our support for JC Penney in standing by their values and refusing
to cave in to the ANTI-GAY ZEALOTS demanding Ellen be fired as
Spokesperson.
Meet in front of JC Penney at
2 PM SHARP this Saturday Feb 11
Wear Pink! Bring signs of support if you like!!!
AND LETS BUY SOME STUFF… THE GAYS LOVE TO SHOP AND I’M SURE WE CAN
FIND SOMETHING AT JC PENNEY. T-SHIRTS? BASICS? CREW SOCKS?
BRUNCH AFTERWARD ANYONE? GAYS LOVE TO BRUNCH, TOO.
PLEASE COME. PLEASE RSVP. SCREW ONE MILLION BIGOTED MOMS (ACTUALLY
THERE ARE ONLY 40,000 OF THEM, BUT THEY ROUNDED UP TO THE NEAREST
MILLION).
HERE’S ELLEN TALKING ABOUT IT
FACEBOOK PAGE
David Drake – My Tawny Valentine
David Drake is playwright, stage director, actor and author. He is probably best known as the author and original performer of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, for which he received a Village Voice Obie Award, a 1994 Drama-Logue Award for “Outstanding Solo Performance.” – But he has done so many things over the span of his career. – That sexy vision of him, up onstage, shirtless with a leather jacket, is burned in mind forever!
Now, David, as his alter ego “Tawny Heatherton,” is bringing his new show, “My Tawny Valentine”
to NYC’s Laurie Beechman Theatre. This show marks the unheralded return
of Tawny Heatherton, a lovably eccentric showbiz survivor and “one hit
wonder” of the disco zeitgeist of the early 1980s. Tawny brings her
singular blonde-swept brand of sunny, funny optimism while recalling
stories of wandering the globe performing her disco “hit,” her
headline-grabbing turn as the unwitting “Pyro Girl of Long Island,” her
short-lived stint as a “Hee-Haw Honey,” and reuniting with her long-lost
aunt Joey Heatherton at the Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino.
“My Tawny Valentine” plays Feb 17, 24, & March 2 at 7:30pm at the Laurie Beechman Theater (407 West 42nd Street, between 9th & 10th Avenue).
Tickets are $20 plus a $15 food/drink minimum and can be purchased by calling 212-352-3101 or visit SpinCycleNYC.com..
Our dear friend Adam, from the popular site, Call Me Adam, caught up with David and interviewed him this week!
Read all about David and the new show!
More at David Drake Productions
Be Nick Adams’ Valentine ! Feb 14th – LGBT Discount Night
2 DEALS on
ONE NIGHT!
February 14th!!
Looking
for a great way to spend your Valentine’s Day? If you have a special
someone take them to see a great show, if not, let the cast of Priscilla
be your Valentine!
Purchase an LGBT ticket for PRISCILLA QUEEN OF
THE DESERT and receive admission to a special pre-show reception before
the show at The Ritz Bar in Hell’s Kitchen including one free cocktail
and a special gift from the show!
Tickets for LGBT Night at Priscilla
Queen of the Desert on February 14th may be purchased at a special
price of $77 orch/front mezz, $60 rear mezz, and $43 balcony (Reg.
$52-$127).
All ticket prices include one complimentary drink at the Ritz
Bar (369 West 46 St) between 5:30 and 6:45pm on Feb 14th. Tickets may
be purchased by going to Ticketmaster.com or by calling 877-250-2929
and using code PQDVDAY, or by bringing this article to The Palace
Theatre Box Office 1564 Broadway (bet. W. 46th & 47th Sts.).
IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH –
Fans also have the chance to be Nick Adams’ Valentine on February 14th!
(see above and here is Nick on YouTube).
Matt Anctil Broadway Bares Stripper of the Month
BROADWAY BARES has named hottie
MATT ANCTIL their stripper of the month!
The adorable Matt Anctil made his big Broadway debut in La Cage on Broadway and now is traveling around the country with George Hamilton and the La Cage National Tour.
Over the years he has donated his time to various charities including Broadway Bares.
Matt says, “Aside from tradition, it is so important to me to be a part of Broadway
Bares because it is a wonderful example of how the entire Broadway
community comes together year after year to help our fellow human beings
with the gifts we have been given.
This is more than a show…it’s art,
it’s family, it’s celebration….a celebration of life! Honoring those
who we have lost and looking forward to each and every day we have to
live as Jerry (Mitchell) always says….FULL OUT!!!“
Last year Matt was named Broadway Hero of the Month by Gay Life NYC.org. and he had much to say about bullying, his time in high school, the broadway
beauty pageant and all the great things he does for charity.
It’s so refreshing to see someone so young (he is 25) doing so much for charity. And he has actually been donating his time and talents for several years now! How incredible is that?! Congratualtions Matt – from Best Gay New York.com
(Above photo by BOY CULTURE)
Simon Doonan at The Center Feb 15… Gay Men Don’t Get Fat!
On Wednesday, February 15th, Center Authors and Second Tuesday present the witty, clever, and talented Simon Doonan, who will present and read from his new book of essays, Gay Men Don’t Get Fat
.
A fashionista and trusted adviser, Doonan can tell a story like no one else, moving you from outright laughter to a little tear in the corner of your eye. In his new book, Doonan talks about himself (and his designer hubby, Jonathan Adler) with honesty and hilarity; offering wisdom, advice, and inspiration beyond the same old diet and exercise tips.
He uses his own life experiences and insights to show us all how we can make every day a memorable event. Gay Men Don’t Get Fat continues Doonan’s tradition of linked stories and essays, this time to give away all the best gay secrets we use to stay svelte, fabulously accessorized, and beautifully decorated.
Originally from England, Simon Doonan worked for Savile Row before
becoming the creative director for Barneys New York, where he designed
legendary window displays for more than twenty years. Formerly a
columnist for The New York Observer, he is now a contributor to
Slate.com. He has appeared on Gossip Girl, Iron Chef America, and
America’s Next Top Model.
He is the author of several books, including
“Wacky Chicks,” “Confessions of a Window Dresser,” and “Beautiful
People,” which was adapted for television in the UK. Doonan lives in New
York with his husband, Jonathan Adler.
| WHEN |
Wednesday, February 15 PM, 6:30 PM – 8 PM |
| WHERE |
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center 208 West 13th Street New York City |
Shame on YOU, HRC – Honoring Goldman Sachs, Really??
As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights
Campaign represents a force of more than one million members and
supporters nationwide — all committed to making HRC’s vision a reality.
HRC is NOT a non profit – and in recent years, I believe, their dinners are all about who throws them the most money. For lobbying. Allegedly.
Now, with this announcement of HRC honoring Goldman Sachs, this publisher, WILL NO LONGER SUPPORT HRC.
Queer/LGBTIQA2Z Occupy Wall Street, a caucus of the NYC based Occupy
Wall Street movement, announced today that it will protest a Human
Rights Campaign (HRC) Gala honoring Goldman Sachs on Saturday February
4, 2012 at the Waldorf Astoria.
In contrast to the $650 a plate Gala, the Queer/LGBTIQA2Z Caucus will
host a “Guerrilla Potluck” on the sidewalk outside of the prestigious
hotel at 50th Street & Park Avenue from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Queer Caucus: 1. Condemns HRC for honoring Goldman Sachs, 2.
Calls upon HRC to adopt a strategy of Full Equality by 2014, and 3.
Demands that HRC create a transparent process that includes the
grassroots.
1. The Queer Caucus condemns HRC’s decision to honor Goldman Sachs in a
time of financial collapse caused by their own unethical business practices
and greed, and deplores the use of our cause and suffering for
corporate public relations. HRC honoring Goldman Sachs at this time
reveals all one needs to know about the corporate LGBT lobby, and its
disconnect from the 99% and the LGBT people it purports to represent.
2. The Queer Caucus calls upon HRC to embrace the grassroots demand for
Full Federal Equality by 2014 – the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Civil
Rights Act.
After 60 years of struggle, there is still not a single federal
non-discrimination law protecting LGBT Americans from discrimination.
More incredibly, HRC, the corporate entity that controls our strategy,
is not even seeking equal protection for our community.
To address this, the Queer Caucus calls on HRC to take The Pledge for
Full LGBT Equality to seek and secure full non-discrimination
protections based on sexual orientation and gender identify for all
people.
The right to be protected from discrimination secures a core liberty
interest. And it is the duty of government to protect LGBT Americans
from the harm caused by discrimination as a matter of public welfare,
law and conscience, as it has for decades for all other oppressed
groups.
As HRC restrains the demand for equality, discrimination takes its
insidious toll on LGBT Americans who suffer vast psychological harm
rejected by their families and society, driven to suicide at 5 times the
heterosexual norm by tormenting, minority stress afflictions, and lost
hope.
A whopping 40% of homeless youth identity as LGBT, 66% of Transgender
people have been fired or not hired for a job, 60% of our youth are
taunted and feel unsafe at school, and LGBT people are 6x more likely to
have multiple mental stress disorders due to societal discrimination.
“Homo/transphobia in America is a public health and economic emergency
for our community” said Michael Tikile, an occupier and Duke University
graduate. “We are not safe in school, work or housing. How are we
supposed to live, pursue happiness or achieve economic equality?”
3. The Queer Caucus also demand that HRC open the process with transparency and grassroots inclusion.
Currently, HRC operates under a closed, hierarchical system, controlled
by a financial elite, insulated from grassroots input. Likewise, in
Congress, Democrat House members Barney Frank, Jared Polis and Tammy
Baldwin, keep the grassroots out of the conversation, protecting the DNC
strategy from movement agitation and impact.
With this structure in place, queer occupiers know that only a handful
of privileged voices are setting the national queer agenda and strategy,
defining what “LGBT equality” means and who our friends are.
For example, HRC’s key sponsors includes a long list of big businesses
that contributed to recent economic and environmental distress,
including Citi Bank, Bank of America, Chevron, BP, Shell, Morgan
Stanley, MetLife, Deloitte, Lexus, Prudential, and Ernst & Young.
“With all of these companies, you’d expect the power to be on our side!
But instead, our community is simply a tool and pawn in the political
system” said Tanya Walker, an original occupier and tireless transgender
activist.
Simply put, the Queer Caucus demands equal non-discrimination
protections under the 1964 Civil Rights Act because equality is the only
true antidote to LGBT abuse – like it has proven to be for race, sex,
national origin, religion, age and disability – long protected from
discrimination by law.
“Equality and non-discrimination are universal values that define basic
human dignity” said Todd (Tif) Fernandez, a human rights lawyer and
grassroots activist. “It is our civic duty as Americans to protect and
respect the LGBT community immediately.”
Please Take the Pledge for Full LGBT Equality (by 2014) (http://bit.ly/the2014pledge).
Join the Guerrilla Potluck (http://on.fb.me/
Join Queer/LGBTIQA2Z OWS Caucus organizing, Sundays at 1pm, 60 Wall Street or on FB http://on.fb.me/QueerOWS.
BestGayNewYork.com
Shit New Yorkers Say… by The Glazers
6 days
2.5 million views
TOO FUNNY!
WATCH NOW!
(Check out Eliot’s
It Gets Betterish series)
By Eliotglazer.com
and Ilanaglazer.com
I’m From Driftwood: Black LGBTQ Spotlight Preview Party Jan 31st
ImFromDriftwood.com
is spotlighting the black LGBTQ Community in early February. Before the
stories are shared online, you can get a first look at Gallery Bar! All
while enjoying an OPEN BAR from El Dorado Rum, winning great raffle and
silent auction items, and listening and dancing to live DJ Missy B! Details:
*Gallery Bar, 120 Orchard St.
*Tuesday, January 31, 6:30pm – 10pm (*story screening starts at 8)
***EL DORADO RUM OPEN BAR 6:30 – 7:30
*Tickets: $10 advance, $15 door, purchase tickets here
*VIP Tickets ($100 or 2 for $150) get you Open Bar all night,
5 free
raffle tix, bottle of El Dorado rum, signed I’m From Driftwood book.
*Silent Auction + Raffle Prizes
*DJ Missy B
Join the Facebook Page
ImFromDriftwood.com is a Brooklyn-based
non-profit that collects and shares personal LGBT stories to help deepen
our understanding of each other, preserve our history, and open hearts
and minds.
ImFromDriftwood.com/Event
Gran Fury Read My Lips Exhibition Jan 31-March 17
Gran Fury was an activist/artist collective that came together in 1988.
The
first comprehensive survey documenting the important AIDS activist art
collective’s work from 1987 to 1995 is set to open on January 31 at 80WSE. The exhibition, curated by Gran Fury and 80WSE Assistant Director Michael Cohen, runs through March 17, 2012.
Angered
by the political sphere’s refusal to address or react to the AIDS
crisis that devastated NYC beginning in the ‘80s and continuing through
the ‘90s, a group of designers and artists formed the collective, Gran
Fury, after meeting through ACT UP (the AIDS Coalition to Unleash
Power).
Photographs
and records from the period help convey the urgency of the early AIDS
crisis that lead many into the streets to demand reforms that changed
public policy and saved countless lives. Gran
Fury’s work raised public awareness of AIDS and put pressure on
politicians, while sparking debate in sites ranging from the Illinois
Senate to the tabloid press of Italy.
Much
like today’s global activists leverage technology and social media to
organize and inform, Gran Fury utilized the tools available to them at
the time. Through media including billboards, postcards, video, posters,
paintings and giveaways, the group was able to heighten public
awareness of AIDS, while compelling politicians into action.
This is such an important piece of our history!
EVERYONE should go see this!
“Gran Fury: Read My Lips” Exhibition Information
80WSE Galleries
80 Washington Square East in Greenwich Village (Between West 4th Street and Washington Place)
Exhibition Dates: January 31 to March 17, 2012
Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30am to 6pm
The exhibition and panel are free and open to the public
Nearby Subways: A, B, C, D, E, F, M, N, R, 4 and 6
BestGayNewYork.com
Dot429.com Networking at SoHo Grand Jan 25th
429INSPIRED NYC
SOHO Grand
310 West Broadway
6:00PM
– 9:00PM
dot429s signature speaker series.
Cocktails. Conversation & Cause.
Join us as we welcome Brad Carpenter, Producer of Nurse Jackie and
Sex and the City as he tells us what inspires him.
Hosted by Brian Balthazar, Kelvin Chen, Mike Sullivan, Steven Birkeland,
Norbert Beatty, James Norton, Phil Putnam, and Elliot Tomaeno
These monthly installments have successfully brought together pioneering
professionals and inspiring individuals for an evening of cocktails and
connections.
Hosted Blue Angel Vodka bar.
$25 in advance | $35 at the door. RSVP ONLINE
Proceeds to benefit Newfest
CONNECT + ENGAGE + DISCOVER
