GAYLETTER

If you’ve ever been to Printed Matter’s Art Book Fair in New York or Art Basel, you know that these sorts of bazaar-style, art-driven spaces feel like highly competitive arenas. They’re driven by art, of course, plus consumerism and all of the trendy-folk who love to go out to see and be seen. If that’s totally not your schtick, I get it. It can be exhausting to pretend your fabulous, or even care, but this weekend you’re in luck! Back for its 20th edition is Postcards From the Edge. Featuring postcard size works from a handful of celebrated artists like Catherine Opie, Nicole Eisenman, Nayland Blake, Tom Bianchi, Marilyn Minter and many other queer-focused photographers and painters, over 1,500 works displayed will all be on sale from Friday through Sunday for an eye-popping $85 with proceeds going towards the organization celebrating their 30th year! That means even if you’re struggling to make rent, you could budget your funds right (say no to brunch this weekend) and end up owning a serious piece of art. Here’s the catch: The works are shown anonymously, so you’ll have to spend a particular amount of time assessing the works if you’re after a particular name. I chatted with Esther McGowan, Executive Director of Visual AIDS and she said, “Saturday is very busy, with collectors vying to grab artwork that they think is by a well known artist. Sunday is more chill, with a great special – BUY 2 GET THE 3RD FREE!” Because I’ve been to many similar fairs, I wanted to get the inside scoop: Was there any way of spotting the well known artists? How can we beat crowds? She just told me to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to spend time looking at a lot of art. “It’s not always easy to spot works by well-known artists – sometimes they create a work for us that is in a different style than their usual.” Good to know!  —Chris Stewart

Dear readers, wherever you are... if you are able to attend the Women’s March or please do. “Join the world! On January 20th NYC will raise its voice again to demand equality for all humans at the 2018 Women’s March on NYC...Over the past year, basic rights for women, immigrants, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, the religious and nonreligious, people of color and even Mother Earth have struggled to survive under the weight of the current administration.” The main entrance point will be between at 72nd & Central Park West. In NYC the rally starts at 11:30AM, meet at Central Park West & 61st/62nd streets. Later, after the Women’s March from 3pm-6pm head over to Club Cumming for their Outreach party. Grab many drinks, it’s Saturday afternoon and day drinking is smart because if you can control yourself you’ll end up in bed earlier and wake up the next day fresh. After the march you know damn well you’ll deserve a few drinks. The bar will be giving half of the money to the organization She Should Run, which is “dedicated to dramatically increasing the number of women in public leadership by eliminating barriers to success.” Darren will be playing music and you’ll be getting wasted or trying to score your next DA, hey it’s all for a great cause.  —Abi

The queer food magazine Mouthfeel (“food from a gay point of view”) is collaborating with the art/food magazine Counter Service and the food media and event company Yardy to bring you a “salon style winter party.” This new series is basically an event to bring queer people and food together. Mac from Mouthfeel told us that they’ll be “expecting around 100 guests. Great people. Everyone from Andy Baraghani at Bon Appétit to Roddy Bottum from Faith No More. Should be a cool mixed crowd.” Andy also mentioned to me last week that this is gonna be a great event, alright Andy, I trust you — that homo has good taste in food, so I guess I am feeling extra confident recommending this event. I am not sure if food is important to you, but I’ve always said in the past I could never date someone who doesn’t appreciate good food. I mean, I don’t mind hooking up with trash eaters, but I guess that’s different. Call me a pretentious cunt if you’d like, but I am telling you how I really feel. Expect DJ sets by Anna Dunn (Diner Journal) and one of our faves Anthony DiCap (Holy Mountain, JIZZ). There will be a door girl, her name is Roxy Romero, just in case you wanted to know.  —Abi

Last year, I went with a group of friends to Prospect Park to watch these fireworks. We were very impressed with the experience, I mean they have a good budget (you are gonna get good quality fireworks…) we were yelling, yassing and naming the fireworks with drag queen names. It was one of those gay times. We thought, this park just needed a few more queer people and would’ve been perfect. Here’s my recommendation if you want to watch some amazing fireworks. “Join Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Prospect Park Alliance for Brooklyn’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve Fireworks Celebration at Prospect Park’s iconic Grand Army Plaza. This free event includes live entertainment by Brooklyn’s own Quintessential Playlist starting at 10:30 pm, followed by fireworks at the stroke of midnight. The event, now in its 38th year, attracts tens of thousands of revelers to Prospect Park…” I’d say you probably shouldn’t waste your money going out on this day, is it really worth the trouble? Here’s my second suggestion: after the fireworks, get together with some friends and get wasted at yours or someone’s home, keep it simple, in great company. I mean whatever go out after if you’ want to, but why would you rush it? You’ll have plenty of times to go out in the 2018. Say bye to 2017 with a middle finger and smile, now repeat this with me as loud as you can: fuck you 2017!  —Abi

Bootleg is one of my fav adjectives. It’s just so apt in so many contexts — let’s say you moonlight as a server at a hotel that can’t even pay you on time: that payroll is bootleg mama! You decide your wallet can’t support the 76-times distilled top shelf vodka and there’s no cute LGBTQI-friendly affordable delicious choice in spirits, so you settle for Smirnoff: bootleg! For Christmas, you receive a fabulous Gucci watch from your estranged aunt that lives in the Hamptons only to find out it’s a $20 Chinatown watch. Bootleg as hell! I think you catch my drift. If you’re don’t...then idk, your mom must have gotten that bootleg in-vitro treatment. Anyway! I bring up my love for this word for a reason. This year, the Bootleg T-Shirt Show returns to Printed Matterc Inc. “Part III of the Bootleg T-Shirt Show once again includes a set of designs that mash up, ripoff or reframe an original. Using appropriated logos, texts and images as their starting point, the artists take on pop cultural iconography and corporate identity — both in praise and as critique — to generate new willfully derivative works that reimagine both well-known and deep-cut references across film, music and culture.” It sounds so good. Like, there will be a design incorporating writing and lyrics from Emily Dickinson and Aaliyah. Bitch bye! Fuck me up, I need it. There will be numerous other designs too, of course, but all will be in an edition of just 20! They’ll be available to purchase at the opening reception and leftovers will be available on the Printed Matter website in the new year. And if you’re rich, don’t get slick. You can’t show up and buy everything up. There’s a limit to 1 t-shirt design per customer. Yaaas socialist practices! Yaaas bootleg tendencies!  —Connor Atkins

Each year, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art curates an “ART & AIDS” exhibition. This year’s show is called 35 Years of Survival and will serve to commemorate the 35th anniversary of GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis). “The artworks, created in a variety of media, are the products of GMHC clients and weekly therapeutic art classes run by GMHC’s Volunteer, Work & Wellness Center. Art instructors donate their time to teach classes for GMHC’s clients (who include both professional and non-professional artists), and teacher David Livingston, along with GMHC board member Osvaldo Perdomo, curate the exhibition.” There will also be a panel discussion featuring Sally Fisher, Luna Luis Ortiz, Nelson Santos, and Robert Vázquez-Pacheco. The panel discussion will be moderated by museum cofounder Charles Leslie. All you need to do is register/RSVP, which is free, and show up! That RSVP comes with a guaranteed seat in the panel audience, also — yas! If the event is filled I am sure if you ask them they'll let you stand or sit on the floor. As queer people, it’s important for us to interact with queer art, how else are we to understand our collective and not-as-collective struggles?  —Connor Atkins

Are you a theatre queen? A Broadway bitch? If so, listen up closely, hun. What Would The Neighbors Say? is “an emerging theatre company with a mission to provoke questions through untold stories” and it’s hosting — alongside Alan Cumming and Daniel Nardicio — an event benefitting Puerto Rico in the wake of the destruction brought by hurricanes Irma, Maria, and Tr*mp. The event will be at Alan’s new East Village club, Club Cumming, which not too long ago was the beloved Eastern Bloc. Of course, it’s not a benefit event without some cool acts! These will include “queer musician and visual artist José Rivera Jr., Ani Taj of the Dance Cartel and ‘On Your Feet’ Broadway star Emanuel Lopez Alonso.” There will also be auction prizes from Chita Rivera, photographer Michael Kushner, and Broadway’s production of Hamilton — a musical that my queeny ass has been a fan of since the get-go. You bet I’m one of those people that knows every lyric. Early bird tickets cost just $20 through the weekend. Don’t throw away your shot! Click here to get your ticket.  —Connor Atkins

Back in 2013 when the Bureau of General Services — Queer Division was located in the Lower East Side, it was back when we didn’t even have a printed magazine. I remember thinking, ‘I guess if we have a magazine or some sort of printed matter we can sell it here.’ They had an Indiegogo campaign at the time which we helped them promote via this newsletter and our website. We feel that it’s important for our community to try to keep these types of places alive, there aren’t that many, if any, bookstores in NYC that focus mainly on queer culture/literature. BGSQD is now located at the LGBT Center and they carry an amazing variety of books, they have been hosting readings, art shows, and lots of interesting events including one that I will never forget, a performance by friend and artist Gio Black Peter while being peeing on front of the audience. The owners of the shop, Greg Newton and Donnie Jochum (pictured), are very progressive and we love them for that. This Friday, November 17, they are celebrating their 5 year anniversary with a fund-raising event. The event will be hosted by actor and “long-time friend of the Bureau,” Drae Campbell and it will feature raffle prizes (check online for their full list), food, drinks, dancing and performances. Other appearances include: “author/blogger Jeremiah Moss (Vanishing New York: How A Great City Lost Its Soul), poet Pamela Sneed, comedian Elsa Waithe, drag performer Lady Quesa’Dilla, burlesque performer and porn star Chris Harder, and DJ Viva Ruiz!” You must go, $25 is nothing for all the things you get, just drink up and help keep this lovely queer store alive.  —Abi

Step back and understand. Trans people of color have always been on the forefront of the battle for queer rights. Watch the documentary The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson on Netflix if you haven’t. Rewatch if you have. The Audre Lorde Project is sponsoring an event at St. John’s Lutheran Church in the West Village to come together as a community out of respect, mourning, and reflection; we honor the fallen members of the trans community, we buttress the power behind the living, and we demand change and recognition of the gross violations of human rights trans people face. Trans women of color are victims of hate crimes by disproportionate means in relation to other queer people. There is absolutely no excuse to stay silent. Let trans voices direct the conversation, and do what you can to make these voices heard. Donate your money. Say their names. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 2016 marked record for the highest number of trans people murdered in America with 23 lives taken as a result of senseless violence. This year has already seen the murders of at least 25 members of the trans and gender nonconforming community. We remember Mesha Caldwell, Sean Hake, Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow, Jojo Striker, Tiara Richmond, Chyna Gibson, Ciara McElveen, Jaquarrius Holland, Alphonza Watson, Chay Reed, Kenneth Bostick, Sherrell Faulkner, Kenne McFadden, Kendra Marie Adams, Ava Le’Ray Barrin, Ebony Morgan, TeeTee Dangerfield, Gwynevere River Song, Kiwi Herring, Kashmire Nazier Redd, Derricka Banner, Scout Schultz, Ally Steinfeld, Stephanie Montez, Candace Towns, and all other unnamed trans people who have been murdered.  —Gayletter