GAYLETTER

Everyone loves pride. High schoolers fresh out of the closet, tourists, dogs, straight girls, and apparently McDonald’s does too. That’s all very well, but in the heat of commodifying the rainbow and trying to have a G.B.F, it seems that somewhere along the front lines, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera’s march for LGBTQ+ acceptance has gotten lost, and now our designated month to celebrate who we are is just an excuse for corporate America to pat us marginalized folk on the back while accepting our money.

We get it. Its unavoidable. In Trump’s America, pride month is no longer recognized. In fact, while Ivanka is showing us “support” on Twitter, the White House, for the first time in eight years, has proclaimed June as “Great Outdoors Month.” I’ll tell you what we should do with Great Outdoors Month: take all of our queer asses down to the parks, the streets, the piers, where our previous community thrived and died, and fuck each other like rabbits. Clearly, some people want us out from under their roofs, and you know what? That’s fine. Just be one with nature the best way you know how – with your hand firmly placed on your crotch… or someone else’s!

But we digress… for all of the right reasons. It is so easy to get mad in 2017. For 30 days though, let’s use that anger and channel it into unapologetic celebration. Corporate America may want our money, but honey, at least they are putting queer people in the campaigns! (They better be getting paid).

As fashion week rolled through in September and then February, we couldn’t help but notice that so many runway shows included rainbows or slogans promoting all-inclusive love. It felt campy, but how many gay people actually get to wear these clothes and celebrate in the chicest way they no how? We’ll tell you how many: next to none. So for pride month, we asked the brands featured below if they were down to dress some gay guys. Much to our delight, they said yes, and we are thankful for them.

So maybe we dabbled a bit with corporate America. The point is that, when we told them we were celebrating pride, they were down. We won’t list who wasn’t, but have fun assuming. The LGBTQ-consumer is totally disregarded by larger markets, and yet, we’re the ones who start the trends, sleep with the models and give the damn world what it always needs: COLOR.

Don’t you dare forget to smile this month. It’s yours. Do what you want with it. Kiss your partner in the streets. Wear a thong to the club. Cry if you mother-fucking need to, but don’t you damn forget to be proud.

Marko wears wool sweater and denim by Gucci.

Julian holds it down in denim pant by Gucci, and Marko wears Gucci‘s queercore brogue boots. 

Tayler wears heart mohair sweater with rainbow flat crossbody bag by Marc Jacobs.  

These are Converse‘s Chuck Taylor All Star ’70 1st Pride Parade High Tops. Socks by Ozone Socks. 

Julian wears shorts by Rufskin with Marc Jacobs‘ sweater and rainbow crossbody bag. The rainbow strap with stars is by Marc Jacobs as well. 

Leaon wears Levi’s 505 Pride Shorts with Marc Jacobs‘ Biker rainbow print backpack and scarf. 

Converse‘s “Yes to All” campaign features various styles with those fantastic rainbow soles. Tayler wears coat by Marc Jacobs and shorts by Rufskin. Julian is casual in Levi’s denim and his knit Spencer Vladimir sweater. 

Text & Production by Chris Stewart.

Models: Leaon Gordon, Marko Andre Leon, Tayler Nunes & Julian Woodhouse.

Special Thanks: James Linacre, Vin Riportella & Phoebe Gillan.