Category Archives: News and Happenings
Gay vs. Straight in West Village
What is going on in the West Village?
Gay people made that neighborhood what it is, now the non gay people want us out!
From Towelroad A restaurant in the West Village, has begun selling a passive-aggressively flavored, “straight” ice cream seemingly in response to the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop just down the street. What makes Gallo Nero’s ice cream straighter than other ice creams is unclear, but the patrons of the restaurant are certain of Gallo Nero’s homophobia.
“They have their own way, we have our own way,” a manager who asked to remain anonymous told the Gothamist when asked whether Gallo Nero’s straight ice cream was a social statement. “What’s the issue? We can call our ice cream whatever we want.”
Gallo Nero, a NYC restaurant down the street from the West Village’s well-known Big Gay Ice Cream shop, has removed a sign from its window advertising ‘Big STRAIGHT Ice Cream’ after it was brought to the neighborhood’s and the internet’s attention.
AMNY reports that the manager at Gallo Nero, which had responded earlier this week to the controversy with the statement “No statement. We are letting New York City speak on our behalf,” is now speaking on the restaurant’s behalf.
Says the manager now: “No, no, no more straight ice cream here. It doesn’t work in the West Village. Gay and proud.”
SEVERAL DAYS AGO….On Sunday, September 13th the gay rights group “Night Life Activist,” in association with Boots and Saddle Bar, held a rally to oppose what they call a “gross display of bigotry” from community members that showed up to a CB 2’s hearing on Tuesday, September 9th.
Gay and drag bar Boots and Saddle is being forced to move after 40 years in the same neighborhood due to a rent hike. They are looking to stay within the same neighborhood, which is also home of the gay rights movement: The West Village.
During the hearing for the liquor license transfer for the historical bar, community members voiced their opinions by saying “What about the children walking by,” in reference to exposing children to drag performers. Other remarks included: “We would really like to see you find a home, but we believe this is not the place,” as well as, “I could not think of a worse application for this enclave”. – Why the Hell did you move into a gay neighborhood? Oh that’s right, we made it fabulous and now you want us out!
After the rally all participants marched around The Village and, specifically, right by the place the desired location for Boots and Saddle Bar, chanting “We were here first,” and “1,2,3,4, bigotry has to hit the door” In response to the very words of the community member, they chanted, “Who’s enclave?! Our enclave!”
HERO Awards Broadway and Ballet
The best of both worlds performing together.
Featuring performances from the brightest stars from Broadway and Ballet.
A benefit for HERO – HIV Experience Resources Organization.
Honoring The Actors Fund.
Sunday, October 19th, 2014
42 West, 516 West 42nd Street, NYC
8–10 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Purchase Tickets $20 General Admission – Premium seating $100 – Tables of Ten
The awards are given to those organizations and individuals who have gone above and beyond to help the HIV/AIDS community. The event will screen short tribute videos highlighting the accomplishments of the honorees and organizations.
Talent participating in Broadway and Ballet will include: Michael Leon Wooley (Broadway – The Plant – Little Shop of Horrors, American Buffalo, The Music Man, Five Guys Named Moe, the voice of Louis – Walt Disney’s The Princess and the Frog), Stephen Hanna (Broadway – On The Town, Billy Elliot, Principle Dancer at New York City Ballet), Michael Cusumano (Broadway – All Shook Up, Chicago,” “American in Paris”) ABT, World Ballet Gold Medalist), Patrick Boyd (Me and My Girl, “Grease” and starring in the upcoming movie, “Touch: A Love Story”), Kelly King (“Silver Seagull” Award for best international singer at the Viña Del Mar International Song Festival, top 20 recording artist), Sean Stewart (ABT Ballet), Alina Fay (ABT Ballet alumni), Marty Thomas and The Divas, (Broadway – Wicked, The Secret Garden” Xanadu), Russell Brown, (Irish historian , harpist and Irish dance sensation), and many surprise celebrity guests.
The first HERO Awards Broadway and Ballet will be hosted in order to honor the individuals and collectives that have helped HERO become a valuable resource where those afflicted by HIV/AIDS can find the information and help they need. Our event aims to showcase the brightest in the ballet and Broadway worlds while also screening short tribute videos for the recipients of our HERO awards The awards are given to those individuals who have gone above and beyond to help the HIV/AIDS community. Top talent from the Broadway and ballet worlds, will be in attendance to entertain YOU! There will be five awards presented. The Broadway HERO Award, presented to Jerry Mitchell (on availability), in honor of a Broadway artist who has helped the HIV/AIDS community by promoting awareness.
The Ballet Hero, presented to Ballet Star, Stephen Hanna, who has also gone above and beyond for the community. The HERO Partner Award, presented to The Actor’s Fund, is to acknowledge our partner, who has distinguished itself by assisting those afflicted with HIV/AIDS. The Super HERO award, will be given to a corporation that has shown outstanding advocacy for both the HIV/AIDS and LGBT communities. And a special award given to Stephen Lessard from Orrick who helped us to gain our 501 (3) (c) status.
YOUR HELP:
To produce this event, we need your help. There are many costs associated with putting on an event of this magnitude. Although we have many volunteers, and no one is paid at HERO, we are hoping for your support to help us pay for venue costs and promotion materials including: posters, postcards and donation envelops, press kit production, promotion and PR assistance. Go to INDIE GOGO
WHY WE ARE DOING THIS:
Although we have been fighting the spread and helping people with HIV/AIDS for more than five years, we have not ever done a national media event to let people know about the resources we offer. In addition to valuable local, national and international resources and tools, we provide a large amount of video content, celebrity support and coverage for many other HIV/AIDS related charities. We also put the latest news regarding HIV/AIDS from the World AIDS Map which is updated weekly under NEWS.
ABOUT HERO:
HIV Experience Resources Organization (HERO) is a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization founded in 2009 by Michael Cavnaugh, former vice president of Event Presentation at Madison Square Garden. HERO helps people find the most pressing, up-to-date information available critical to their heath. HERO’s Websites, HIVhero.org and HEROnews.org, provide local, national and international resources and interactive tools which provide assistance in:
· finding doctors
· getting medication
· mental health counseling
· housing
· financial assistance
· insurance
and much more. We also serve as a portal site providing free content and promoting the services, activities and fundraising efforts of our partner organizations including: Broadway Cares, Equity Fights AIDS, The Actors Fund, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, The LBGT Center and Housing works.
HERO produces celebrity interviews and event coverage that support the services, activities and events of our partners. These videos are filmed and edited in-house and provided to partner organizations and the media open free of charge. Celebrity interviews discussing safe sex, and healthy living with HIV/AIDS, have been conducted with Cyndi Lauper, Matthew Bomer, Angela Lansbury, Neil Patrick Harris, Bebe Neuwirth, Alley Sheedy, Kelly Ripa, Mary Louise Parker, Alan Cumming ,Chita Rivera and many other.
LYPSINKA Returns! for 8 weeks!
1 STAR! 3 SHOWS! 8 WEEKS!
John Epperson’s
Iconic Creation Returns to the New York Stage
For the First Time in Nine Years
To Celebrate Three Decades of the ‘Goddess of Showbiz’
With Three Glamorous Productions Running in Rotating Repertory
Lypsinka! The Boxed Set, The Passion of the Crawford
And John Epperson: Show Trash
Previews Begin November 5th, 2014
At The Connelly Theater (220 East Fourth Street, NYC)
Strictly-Limited Engagement – Through January 3, 2015 Only
After a 9-year absence, a triple dose of the legendary Lypsinka, John Epperson’s iconic creation, will be doled out this Fall when the ‘Goddess of Showbiz’ deigns to grace New York City with her sweeping presence in LYPSINKA! THE TRILOGY. To celebrate a staggering three decades of glamorous theatrics, three different shows — revivals of the acclaimed LYPSINKA! THE BOXED SET and THE PASSION OF THE CRAWFORD, as well as the New York premiere of JOHN EPPERSON: SHOW TRASH – will run in rotating repertory for a strictly-limited 8-week engagement from November 5th, 2014 – January 3rd, 2015. The trilogy will take place at the ravishing jewel-box Connelly Theater, located at 220 East 4th Street in Manhattan’s way-too-swept-up East Village . . . a stone’s throw from the Pyramid Club and Tompkins Square Park, where Lypsinka was born. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, September 19th at 10am and will be available at www.tweedtheater.org/
LYPSINKA! THE BOXED SET – Directed by Kevin Malony
Not seen in New York since 2001, this full-length ‘traditional Lypsinka’ concert show is the award-winning revue of Lyp’s greatest bits that has toured the world, flabbergasting audiences from Los Angeles to Sydney to Glasgow. Using a soundtrack created from films, musicals, and concert recordings, the supreme archivist of irony showcases the modern woman’s challenge of being over-blessed with femininity and celebrity.
“An artful illusion-spinner!
Lypsinka anatomizes feminine artifice — and its dangers — like no one else.
Finesse is evident in every aspect of the production . . . A fascinating, funny spectacle.”
– The New York Times
THE PASSION OF THE CRAWFORD – Directed by Kevin Malony
The Lyp’s tour de force embodiment of towering screen queen Joan Crawford – featuring a re-enactment of Crawford’s onstage interview from 1973 – is a fantasia of fame and insecurity, grandness and identity. Last presented in New York in 2005, this tribute to Hollywood and ego crisis has since been mounted from San Francisco to Sarasota.
“Raises the act of mouthing words and lyrics to an art form.”
– Oakland Tribune
JOHN EPPERSON: SHOW TRASH – Directed by Barry Kleinbort
An autobiographical multi-media pastiche, starring Epperson – unmasked and in street clothes – tinkling the ivories and spinning yarns of Mississippi, Manhattan, and Hollywood. Now making its New York City theatrical premiere, the anecdotal SHOW TRASH reveals the man behind the madness.
“In discovering Epperson’s roots, you more fully grasp Lypsinka. The fusion is complete.
Lypsinka may have the looks and Epperson the soul, but they’ve both got each other: Epsinka.”
– Washington Post
Sting and Patti LuPone Uprising of Love Sept. 15th
UPRISING OF LOVE!
September 15, 2014.
#UprisingofLove
At this unique moment in history, when we are seeing such rapid progress in the fight for equality in the West, we cannot be blind to appalling violations of human rights elsewhere. Today in Russia, Uganda, Nigeria, and elsewhere, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people are facing harassment, abuse, and violence. In some countries, recent laws have deemed homosexuality punishable by death and the situation appears to be getting worse, not better.
THE MISSION:
1. To raise awareness among the international community of violence, discrimination, and atrocities committed against LGBTI people.
2. To support LGBTI people and communities in areas where safety and dignity is compromised through funds and solidarity.
3. To support and collaborate with LGBTI and human rights organizations concerned with these issues.
“Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality.” The concert, headlined by Broadway diva Patti Lupone and international superstar Sting, falls strategically around the UN General Assembly and Clinton Gobal Initiative and aims to raise awareness about the unfortunate state of affairs for many LGBTI-identified communities around the world.
Proceeds from the event will go to Fueling the Frontlines, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice’s 3-year, $20 million global LGBTI rights campaign. Find out more and Get Tickets.
Wes Hempel at George Billis Gallery
George Billis Gallery is delighted to present the solo exhibition of work by Wes Hempel. The exhibition will run from September 30th through October 25th, 2014.
The opening reception will be held at the gallery located at 525 West 26th Street between 10th and 11th avenues on Thursday, October 2nd, from 6-8 pm.
Wes Hempel portrays his vision of masculinity through the juxtaposition of contemporary art and historical play. Using the psychological demeanor found within the portraits of present-day men and placing them in similar backdrops that resemble paintings of the historical Neoclassical era, Hempel’s work creates the perfect blend of provocative dialogue of historical references with familiar modern day aspects.
The exhibition features paintings where contemporary figures showcase the artist’s interest in masculine sexuality and its representation throughout art history. Hempel writes of his work, “A walk through any major museum will reveal paintings that depict or legitimate only certain kinds of experience. Despite the good intentions of critical theorists questioning the validity of the canon, paintings of the old masters on the walls of museums like the Met, the Louvre, Rijks museum still have a certain cache. They’re revered not just for their technique but because they enshrine our collective past experience. Of course, it’s a selected past that gets validated. Conspicuously absent to me as a gay man is my own story. By presenting contemporary males as objects of desire in familiar looking art historical settings, I’m able to imagine (and allow viewers to imagine) a past that includes rather than excludes gay experience and ride the coattails, as it were, of art history’s imprimatur.”
Hempel has an MA in creative writing from the University of Colorado Boulder. His work has been exhibited extensively throughout California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, and Washington, and is in the collections of museums such as the Denver Art Museum, the New Britain Museum of American Art, the Arnot Art Museum, and in the Columbus Museum.
The George Billis Gallery marks its 18th year in the Chelsea Art District
and its sister gallery is located in the gallery district of Culver City in Los Angeles.
George Billis Gallery
525 West 26th Street, ground floor
new york, ny 10001
PHN: 212.645.2621
Annual Out-Fit Challenge Mud Run New York Massive Success
LGBT focused 5k mud run, Out-Fit Challenge (http://out-fitchallenge.com), recently thrived in bringing New Yorkers together in support of family equality. The sporting event featured over 15 military style obstacles which included various elements such as mud, water and ice throughout the course. The event drew more than 650 participants who were ready and willing to get muddy for a good cause, including reality star and recording artist Sara Stokes. Sara Stokes is known for her roles in 2006’s “YaDaDa Movie” and the 2002 ABC/MTV music reality series by P. Diddy, “Making the Band”. The Michigan born songstress participated in the mud run to join the fight for LGBT family equality and took pictures with fans.
This year’s event took place on June 21st, 2014 at the Tuxedo Ridge Ski Center, 581 Route 17A West, Tuxedo, New York 10987 from 9 am to 5 pm with race waves beginning every 20 minutes. The LGBT sporting event is now officially sponsored by Jack’d, a top gay men’s chat and dating app available for free on the App Store and Google Play, as well as a NYC Pride Partner for 2014. Other sponsors include Kind Healthy Snacks, Kellogg School of Management, Equality Florida, Miami Beach Gay Pride and NYC Pride. This year’s New York event charity of choice was the Family Equality Council, which connects supports and represents the LGBT community across the US.
“Our success with Out-Fit Challenge this year surely surpassed our expectations,” begins Founder & CEO of Out-Fit Challenge, Tory Fitzgerald. “We were able to accomplish our mission by uniting our community through fun and competitive means. It’s amazing to watch people who don’t know each other cheering and providing extreme encouragement to one another while completing the 5K course.”
The sporting event featured obstacles such as the “Cherry Picker,” “Is that Mud in Your Pants “and” Hello Sailor”. Once participants reach the finish line they were then welcomed by a lively end of race after party. Out-Fit Challenge premiered with two very successful mud runs in Miami and New York in 2013. For 2014 they expanded their 5K cross-country trails to four cites chosen through a public online voting contest. The next cities on the list for Out-Fit Challenge include Reno, Nevada on September 20, 2014 followed by events in Boston, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California. Apart from putting on mud run sporting events, the organization aims to aid national and local charities that are making a significant difference in the lives of LGBT individuals across the United States such as the Family Equality Council.
For more information on Out-Fit Challenge please visit http://out-fitchallenge.com/. For information on Sponsorship for the other events email info@beautifulplanning.com or call 877-841-7244.
About Out-Fit Challenge
Out-Fit Challenge is designed by and for members and friends of the LGBT community who aspire to compete, make new connections, and celebrate community via outdoor endurance sports. The company provides proceeds from every event to a national and local organization that strives to make a difference for LGBT individuals.
Broadway Bares Raises $1.3 Million
The annual flesh fest BROADWAY BARES this year featured performances by Alan Cumming, war veteran-turned-underwear model Alex Minsky, and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Bianca Del Rio giving actor James Franco a “full cavity search”, the rock-and-roll themed Broadway Bares: Rock Hard!
Playbill reports:
The 75-minute show opened with two dads (Matthew Saldivar and Joey Taranto) complaining that they had been dragged to a One Direction concert by their daughters and reminiscing about the great old days of rock. Through the magic of Broadway Bares, they were whisked back in time to watch performances inspired by the likes of Elvis, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin and Prince, with their memories putting the sex back in sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.
To date, Broadway Bares has raised more than $11.3 million in the fight against AIDS.
Magnus Hastings Photos WHY DRAG? at OUT Hotel
“WHY DRAG?” WONDERS ARTIST IN NEW PHOTO EXHIBITION LAUNCHING DURING NYC’S GAY PRIDE MONTH
This month, Magnus Hastings, a pioneer in drag photography, presents a remarkable installation of photographs that capture some of the world’s most celebrated drag superstars and asks them the question, “Why Drag?”. Photos represent a wide spectrum of drag ranging from mainstream icons, underground drag royalty and the new breed of reality television stars. Included notables are Bianca Del Rio, Courtney Act, Sharon Needles, Lady Bunny, DWV, Jackie Beat and an introduction by Boy George. The exhibition will take place at New York’s Out Hotel Monday May, 26th through August 31st, during New York City’s Pride month. It will then move on to other North American cities. A coffee table book featuring many of the images from the “Why Drag?” exhibition is also in the works.
“I have been shooting drag queens for the past ten years,” explains Magnus Hastings from his home in Los Angeles. “Drag is the creative love of my life. I view it as both a magical fantasy world and as an art form. In art, you can have a Picasso or a Matisse. You can also have a painting of velvet dogs playing poker. I like to think that my show is presenting a room full of Picassos.”
Hastings describes himself as a child of drag. As a youth, he would raid his mother’s closet and play with old hairpieces and accessories he found. He particularly loved her white ostrich feather fan. He would run up and down the street, naked, wearing only the fan and a pair of his sister’s silver clogs. He also regularly put on shows for his parents, usually opting for the female lead and relegating his sister to the supporting roles.
Then ten years ago, while visiting Sydney, Hastings came across an extraordinary group of drag queens. Among them was Vanity Faire, upon whom Hastings found himself transfixed by. “I thought I had left drag behind in my childhood, but it felt like I found my way home,” he says.
Vanity Faire was the first queen he shot and would become his first muse. His portrait of her dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz is included in the exhibition. The piece is so special to him that its original hangs in his living room.
Magnus Hastings’ love of drag was reignited once again, only this time, instead of dressing in it, he was seizing the pageantry in beautiful photographs. He continued shooting drag personalities, quickly becoming the go-to photographer for drag portraits. The queens appreciated the fun he brought to a shoot, his skill in lighting and his willingness to do just about anything to get the perfect shot.
To capture the image of Courtney Act featured in the Why Drag? exhibition, Hastings photographed her in a filthy dumpster behind her apartment. For the Sharon Needles photo, he flew to New York armed with a straight jacket. He intended to photograph Needles in her hotel room but it was so tiny, they ended up shooting in the hotel lobby instead. “I was panicking that the security would stop me because we were causing a fire hazard. I just clicked like crazy, without checking what the hell I was getting, and then sorted it out afterwards.”
Thinking on his toes is how Hasting’s captures many of his most popular images. “Some see it as chaos but I see it as mixing it up,” he says. “Shooting superb photos is about being able to come up with an idea instantly, trying it, and hoping it works. I did a great shoot with Adore Delano running around the streets of West Hollywood simply grabbing anything that caught my attention as background.
“I find using a tripod very difficult because it makes everything static, which is fine if that’s what you want, but it’s not me. My way makes for some, umm, interesting contact sheets.”
The “Why Drag?” photo exhibition will be the first time Magnus Hastings’ work is on public display in New York. In addition to the portraits, each queen featured answers the question, “Why Drag?”.
It’s a simple enough question, but it’s interesting to see the girls that take it as an honest inquiry and those who view the question as an attack. Some mistake the question to mean, ‘What the fuck are you dressing up for?’
“My intention was to learn what lead them to their love of drag,” explains Hastings. “To uncover what drag means in their life.”
Alaska Thunderfuck arguably answers the question best, saying, “Drag is like being a nun or a priest. Once you get the divine calling, you have no choice in the matter and you belong to drag for life.”
Through the process of shooting them, Magnus Hastings has developed his own thoughts on the question. “The queens do it because it’s in their blood. Some enjoy the attention and the infamy, but it is more than that. They are artists and their canvas is their face and body.”
The “Why Drag” photo exhibition takes place at New York’s Out Hotel beginning Monday, May 26th through Tuesday, August 26. For more information, visit http://magnushastingsphotography.com.
New Yorks Chelsea Hotel goes Boutique
FROM AD WEEK
…Even by New York standards, the Hotel Chelsea—a red brick monolith that’s dominated West 23rd Street for the past 129 years—is a hostel like no other. Behind its wrought-iron balconies, an artistic who’s who accomplished their triumphs and travesties: Dylan Thomas drank, Andy Warhol filmed, William Burroughs wrote, and Sex Pistols guitarist Sid Vicious stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death.
All that, of course, is history—but it’s also marketing. A building this old with stories this deep is a brand in the making. And if developer Ed Scheetz gets his way, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
Scheetz, a veteran hotelier who cut his teeth with Ian Schrager at the Morgans Hotel Group, became the Chelsea’s sole owner last year. In addition to renovating the landmark hotel, Scheetz will also apply the famous Chelsea name to his small but growing portfolio of historic hotels in the city.
In other words: New York’s most famous bohemian landmark just became the latest entrant to the boutique hotel category.
READ MORE AT AD WEEK
New Yorks Phrosties Being Attacked By Senator Schumer
Phrosties showed up sometime in the past year, but didn’t start getting widespread attention until mid-May. The unregulated alcoholic drink could only be purchased through a private Instagram account (which has now been pretty much wiped clean and made public). At the time, Grub Street noted they were $10 each (including delivery), and came in flavors like Blue Hawaiian, Dragonberry Colada, La Phiesta, and Hero. Each one tasting like “frozen Kool-Aid, mixed with Red Bull and spiked with 150-proof Everclear.”
At a press conference on Monday, Senator Chuck Schumer announced that he wants to crack down on the alcoholic slushies (which he misidentified as “sloshies”). Schumer specifically cited the ease with which a teenager could order a dangerously alcoholic concoction.
Schumer says they’ll “have to prove [they’re] not selling to kids if [they] want to stay in business,” according to the Post. Schumer explained, “A 12-year-old can probably buy these ‘sloshies’ online, get it and enjoy it because it’s filled with fruit juice and fruit punch and all the things that taste sweet and nice.” The Phrostie-makers are “already are under investigation by the State Liquor Authority because they are unregulated and unlicensed,” an SLA spokesperson told the paper.
ROCHESTER Radio Show Hosts Kimberly and Beck TransPhobic
WOW – how do these people get these jobs??
THIS IS SHOCKING!
98.9 ‘Breakfast Buzz’ morning radio hosts
Kimberly and Beck
are douche bags of the week!
They took the opportunity to unleash a torrent of mockery upon trans people during a sarcastic 12-minute segment in which they cackled about genitalia and insulted a caller who dialed in to tell them how offensive they were.
Some of the choice quotes (although you really must listen to the audio, AFTER THE JUMP…)
“Transgender or gender nonconforming. What the hell does that mean? Like you’re not a woman or a man??
“The dude can look like a lady and the city is going to pay for it!” (cue “Dude Looks Like a Lady” music)
“Does that mean then if women want a boob job they’ll pay for a boob job because that’s only right.”
“The services that will be paid for under the new coverage – gender reassignment surgery, PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING, because you’re probably a NUTJOB to begin with!”
“It’s a slippery slope. Then if some woman can go to a doctor and it’d be proven that she’s got mental issues because her rack’s not big enough then you know what? she deserves a boob job, Right Kimberly? Or she deserves liposuction.”
LISTEN HERE
Call or write the station and urge them to be FIRED.
These people are paid to spread misinformation and are bullying!
Sue Munn
VP/General Manager
smunn@entercom.com
Bob Barnett
Ops Manager
bbarnett@entercom.com
Mike Danger
Program Director
danger@entercom.com
Mike Johnson
Director of Sales
mjjohnson@entercom.com
Buzz Numbers
Business Line 585-423-2900
Studio Line 585-222-BUZZ
Studio Text 52545
Address
98.9 The Buzz
High Falls Studios
70 Commerical Street
Rochester, NY 14614
“Right, IF YOU CAN PROVE YOU’RE A NUT, I guess.”
Bianca Del Rio Insults Hebro!
WATCH Bianca del Rio Do Jew!
Purchase reduced $20 tickets to Hebro Pride event with an open wine and beer bar!
CLICK HERE!
UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bianca is teaming up with director Matt Kugelman for a comedy:
Hurricane Bianca is a feature-length comedy about a New York teacher who moves to a small town in Texas, gets fired for being gay, and returns disguised as a mean “lady” to get revenge on the people who were nasty to him! It’s Tootsie meets Revenge of the Nerds, or Mrs. Doubtfire for the Jackass generation! Topical, touching and really funny, it’s one person’s journey to find himself while pretending to be someone else.
NYC Pride Announces Demi Lovato to Perform at Dance on the Pier 28
In honor of the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, two of the largest Pride events in the world— LA PRIDE and NYC PRIDE—have joined forces to announce the participation of one of the biggest names in Hollywood in this year’s LGBT Pride celebrations, Demi Lovato.
On June 8th, the multi-platinum selling recording artist will join the LA PRIDE Parade as Grand Marshal and her participation will include a special performance. On June 29, Lovato will head east to headline perform at NYC Pride’s legendary Dance on the Pier on Pier 26 in Tribeca.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of both LA and NYC PRIDE celebrations this year,” says Lovato. “I have been an active advocate of the LGBT community and am wholly committed to supporting individuality and being comfortable in one’s own skin. I am thrilled to be a part of both events as they are a wonderful celebration of independence and self-confidence.”
One of the most exhilarating aspects of LA PRIDE’s weekend celebration is that of its annual parade, which brings out hundreds of thousand of participants, spectators and marchers to the streets of West Hollywood. A focal point in the flamboyantly colorful parade, the Grand Marshal represents a person whom has used their celebrity to be an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community.
“Demi Lovato is an amazing role model for today’s youth, both LGBT and non-LGBT, for her activism in the area of equality, positive messaging on body image, and level of openness with her struggles. As a community, we’re fortunate to have an ally like Demi,” said Patti DiLuigi, Co-President of Christopher Street West, producers of LA PRIDE.
Dance on the Pier is NYC Pride’s largest fundraising and community support initiative. The event’s production committee awards over $45,000 in grants to LGBT and LGBT-friendly nonprofits and community organizations each year. The event also supplies NYC Pride with critical operating revenue and pulls in countless visitors, driving attendance to NYC Pride’s other official events as well as various unofficial Pride events throughout the city. The historic event has played host to world-renowned performers, including Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and most recently Cher.
“We are thrilled to welcome Demi to our stages for this historic celebration. Now in its 28th year, the Dance on the Pier continues a proud tradition of partnering with all-star talent to create a high-quality event that raises funds to support local LGBT non-profits and New York City’s annual Pride festivities,” says Chris Frederick, Managing Director of NYC Pride.
LA PRIDE runs June 6 to 8. Visit lapride.org for more information on LA PRIDE’s Parade and other annual events, including the thrilling Festival, featuring entertainment from Jennifer Hudson, Azealia Banks, The Bangles, Mary Lambert and Betty Who.
NYC Pride runs June 21 to 29. For tickets to Dance on the Pier, visit nycpride.showclix.com. For information on NYC Pride and their full roster of annual Pride events, visit nycpride.org/events.
Gay New York and Chick Fil A
I will NEVER eat at Chick Fil A!
But some gay people will eat there, even though a portion of every dollar spent, goes to fighting to the gay community.
One gay boy from New York says, ““But I personally don’t think my money or my going there is me saying I hate gays as well. I don’t think about it like that $7 is going to some foundation to stop gay marriage. For me, it’s just food.”
Chick-fil-A has always displayed its Christian roots with pride, closing its doors every Sunday in observance of the biblical day of rest. But Cathy’s comments — such as “I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about” — brought intense scrutiny to the firm’s history of supporting and donating millions to anti-gay groups, including the Family Research Council and the now-defunct Exodus International, which supported conversion therapy.
But despite the company’s controversial beliefs, some gay New Yorkers are salivating over the chance to get their hands on that iconic chicken sandwich — a savory, juicy fillet with crisp dill pickles on a buttered bun.
Read More at NY POST
Michael Alig Released from Jail and Returns to New York
Does anyone care? I want to know how you murder someone, chop up their body, and only get 17 years in jail?
New York City’s most infamous club kid from the ’90s, Michael Alig, has been released from prison after serving 17 years behind bars for first-degree manslaughter. He pleaded guilty in 1997 to killing, dismembering and dumping the body parts of his then-roommate, Andre “Angel” Melendez, into the Hudson River over a drug deal gone wrong.
“Alig effectively destroyed nightlife for many years,” Michael Musto, the Village Voice reporter who first broke Alig’s murder story in 1996, told Paper magazine in April. “The killing happened during the Rudolph Giuliani era when nightlife was portrayed [by the Mayor] as evil. It became uncool for many years to go out in costume in any way.”
ANDY WARHOL said everyone is famous for 15 minutes – is Alig’s 15 minutes up? Young kids don’t even know who he is and they have no interest in the past.
Alig’s friend, World of Wonder curator and occasional TV personality James St. James, wrote Alig an open welcome-back-to-the-world letter, advising Alig on what movies, technologies, conversation topics, drugs and social outcasts he should know about now that he’s back on the outside. In the letter, he also offers Alig the following advice:
Speaking of clubs: You’ve become a bit of a legend since you went in (YOU’RE WELCOME) and you WILL stop the room the first few times you go out. It’s an odd sensation, but even odder is when it doesn’t happen. See, you’re old now, and although many of this generation were raised on Party Monster , sometimes you’ll find yourself in a room where everybody is completely CLUELESS. They’ve never seen the Geraldos or Phil Donahues or Jenny Joneses.
They’ve never heard of Angel. They don’t know or care who Julie Jewels was. They don’t even know who Andy Warhol was. A 21-year-old at WOW had never heard of Moby. MOBY. It’s weird. The generation that has the greatest access to knowledge in the history of mankind is the one that cares the least about it.
So there will be places where you go where NOBODY WILL RECOGNIZE YOU and NOBODY WILL CARE. And because you are no longer a cute little twink, 20-somethings will LOOK RIGHT THROUGH YOU. Or worse: SNEER at the old man. Joy Behar once said that after 35 nobody looks at you on the beach anymore, no matter how good you look. It’s true. And it’s true everywhere. My point: Enjoy the times people recognize you, because not being recognized when your old SUUUUUUUCKS.
Lady Bunny Clown Syndrome Opens This Week at New Yorks La Escuelita
“Clown Syndrome” opens on Tuesday April 29nd and runs for five consecutive Tuesdays through May 27.
The price is as cheap as her humor—$19.95 with a recession-friendly 1 drink minimum.
La Escuelita is at 301 West 39th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.
Clowns Syndrome is co-written by Bunny and the bitter and hysterical Facebook sensation Beryl Mendelbaum. For tickets, head here.
Bunny is interviewed this week by Huffington Posts Noah Michelsen. Bunny discusses her show, politics and the whole she mail backlash.
Look, being trans is a very difficult journey and it is very hard to understand. I’m really the wrong one to ask about the terms because I didn’t like it it when the Gay Center started calling itself the Gay and Lesbian Center because that is grammatically incorrect. Gay means you like the same sex and lesbian means you like the same sex. It’s like saying “Fruits and apples” or “bitches and Bianca Del Rio.”
Then at one point they were saying the sign was like Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Two-Spirits and I’m just like — listen! Why don’t we come together? And stop trying to divide us because, like I said, those people who are going to bash you in a dark ally are probably going to bash me and a gay man or woman who is not in drag. So I don’t understand the divisiveness and I certainly don’t understand the hatred towards RuPaul.
Here’s my other thing: you’re going to get offended in life! If you decide to come out of the closet, there’s a lot of people that hate gays! If you decide to transition into a woman, there’s a lot of people who hate trans people. That comes with the territory! You’re going to get offended. GLAAD has included on its list of taboo words the term “gender bender.” David Bowie was a gender bender! There’s no derogatory term in there! I don’t think anyone’s ever bashed a drag queen or a trans person and said “You fucking gender bender!” You know? The thing with RuPaul and the “she-mail” controversy really riled me up because first of all, there are people who would bash your head in a dark ally if you’re gay, drag or trans. Are you going to focus on some silly game on a reality show?
There are well-funded organizations who seek to deny gay and trans people equal opportunities and housing. Are those your real enemies? Or is it someone doing a “shemale versus female” thing? I just really feel like it’s kind of crazy to attack RuPaul and it just seems like word police. I looked at some graphic the other day called the “Transgender Umbrella” and it included everything — drag queen, transvestite, transgender pre-op, post-op, two spirit, berdache, questioning — and I fall under that umbrella. So if I want to use the word “tranny,” which I’ve always seen as an affectionate abbreviation for someone who is a transvestite or transsexual, that is my right.
Wise words! We LOVE LADY BUNNY! Could you see Hillary and Bunny running the White House?
Read more of her great interview HERE at Huff Post
For more information on Lady Bunny, visit her official website here.
Gay Couples Kissing in Churches Photo Exhibit in New York
I do not go to church – but I love to look at them! And I was always told,
In the United States, each state regulates photography restrictions. State and local regulations vary, but all photographers, amateur and professional, must comply with them.
Typically, photography in public places is permitted, unless special equipment that allows the photographer to take pictures of private locations is used. For example, you can take a photo in a public park, but you cannot stand in that park and use a telephoto lens to take a picture of people inside their home.
Privately-owned museums, shopping malls, tourist attractions and other businesses may restrict photography as they please. And usually it is posted if you can not take pictures.
HOWEVER, different countries can have different rules. And if the photos are to be used in a public way and not just for personal use, then permission is always required.
The kisses seen around the world are coming to New York.
Spanish artist Gonzalo Orquin’s controversial series “Si, Quiero” is taking up residency in Manhattan’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art on April 30.
Orquin shocked the Vatican last fall with his photos of gay, lesbian and straight couples kissing inside Catholic churches in and around Rome. The artist was forced to cover up the pieces after the Vatican threatened legal action.
It was disappointing turn of events for Orquin, who considers himself a faithful Catholic.
See the photos in SoHo thru June at
Manhattan’s Leslie-Lohman Museum
where they will be on display in the windows, for all to see!
See the rest at NY Daily News
Sandblast Weekend Moves to Atlantic City!
Sand Blast the Largest Mid-Atlantic Gay Summer Beach Party
Moves to Atlantic City July 18-20
Sand Blast producer Brad Hurtado announced today he is moving Sand Blast, the largest mid-Atlantic summer gay and lesbian beach party, to Atlantic City, New Jersey Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20, 2014.
Sand Blast Atlantic City’s lineup includes Friday’s LOST AT SEA Kickoff Party at the Chelsea Host Hotel to welcome guests, Saturday’s 7-hour SAND BLAST BEACH PARTY with popular DJ Joe Gauthreaux presiding over the dance floor alongside the ocean at the Bungalow Beach Bar. The weekend long event continues with a gay beach volleyball tournament and live stage performance on Saturday night at The Claridge Hotel’s theater followed by DEEP BLUE, an all-night dance party helmed by DJ Phil Romano from Barcelona, Spain. Sunday’s RIPTIDE POOL PARTY takes over the stunning pool at HARRAH’s with music by DJ Eddie Martinez, followed Sunday evening by the closing party at Caesars spectacular DUSK Nightclub with music by NYC’s DJ Escape.
In the coming days Sand Blast will be announcing two oceanfront Host Hotels offering extremely attractive room packages for weekend guests starting as low as $170/night for a 3-night stay. To be among the first to know when Host Hotel rooms go on sale visit SandBlastWeekend.com and enter your email address to receive Sand Blast event announcement
Sand Blast originated in 2002 when a small group of New York City’s gay and lesbian weekend homeowners in Asbury Park, NJ, decided to create a summer beach weekend so they could invite friends to the once thriving destination, with the goal of increasing its popularity. Twelve years later, Sand Blast has grown into the largest mid-Atlantic summer gay and lesbian beach party. The event’s impact on Asbury Park created a thriving historic downtown, a boardwalk lined with shops, beaches packed with visitors and a vibrant and involved gay and lesbian community of over 600 households & thousands of LGBT visitors.
“The popularity of our weekend of events has caused us to outgrow Asbury Park which has been our beloved home since 2002. Atlantic City with its many hotels, attractions, and party venues was a natural choice, and this move allows us to continue our original mission to introduce our LGBT friends from cities along the east coast to the wonders of the Jersey Shore. Atlantic City’s airport opens the weekend event to an entirely new audience from New England to Florida.” says Hurtado.
Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian said “We in Atlantic City are excited to host Sand Blast this year,” said Mayor Don Guardian. “This is a great opportunity for the LGBT community to enjoy our beautiful City, free beaches and amazing hotels.”
New Yorks Ali Forney Center sends Plea to Pope Francis
A full-page ad in the weekends New York Times made a plea to Pope Francis on behalf of homeless LGBT youth. The letter to the Pope is written by Carl Siciliano, the executive director of the Ali Forney Center, NYC’s largest shelter for homeless LGBT youth….
See the full page ad here
