GAYLETTER

So this week GAYLETTER is getting back to its roots and hosting a party. Yas! Don’t you miss us? Not to worry, if you caught us drinking from a bottle of Veuve on Instagram last week I can assure you there’s more where that came from. Sugarcube is a relatively new party created by Parson James that happens every few months. It’s very VIP and has hosted the likes of Lil Kim, Amanda Lepore, Char Defrancesco, Zeke Thomas, and many more...which is why we are inviting all of you to attend this Wednesday, May 9th — we’ll be helping them host their third installment. Come say hi, don’t be shy. Expect performances by Dorian Electra and Jesse Saint John. “Episode 3 will include a night of spring-fueled gaiety with a blossom-clad cube designed by Sean Kelly. The night will be blooming with cute young buds looking for a sugar-coated spring awakening. Doors open at 10pm with SVEDKA Vodka Happy Hour open bar for all.” That’s going until midnight, which is pretty fabulous. I’m wondering if they’ll mix it with champagne for us. Think Ab-Fab but… more Tots-Maj. I guess we’ll find out, we have been trying to make a Stoli-Boli our go-to for spring 2018. Arrive early, let’s get drunk together and see how that goes. Click here to RSVP.  —Gayletter

You can be queer and Middle Eastern/North African. Did you know that? It's rough because society wants to see you as one or the other, which is fucked! Alex Khalifa, an old friend of GAYLETTER, has often used his own Egyptian heritage as a funnel for his art and drag, and now — with the help of his good friend Assia — parties! They’re starting a brand new party on 4/20 called Yalla! — which is Arabic for “let’s go, c’mon, move” because they saw a hole that needed filling. Their mission is to create an inclusive, brown, positive and generally supportive space where they could bring all of their friends, and their friends’ friends, plus whoever might wander into Friends & Lovers, together for a grand old evening of dancing. “We basically just want to create a shared qtpoc space where our community can celebrate their identities and feel supported,” they told me. “Especially in these tricky times / current political climate, where immigrant rights and Muslim and Middle Eastern people’s rights are being needlessly challenged.” Bring your best vibe, because they said you should expect lots of hugs, kisses, dancing. All kinds of wind and shake vibes. It’s refreshing to hear about a party that sounds welcoming, rather than cliquey… or just downright ragey. I guess how could it not be? The bar is called Friends & Lovers after all.  —Chris Stewart

This is a big one. I can hardly believe that this party is 10 years old. Nuts! Started by Amber Martin, John Cameron Mitchell, Angela Di Carlo, PJ DeBoy and Paul Dawson, Mattachine happens once a month at Julius’ — one of the oldest gay bars in the country, if not the world. The point of the party is pretty straightforward. They “spin vintage vinyl from queer yesteryear” and encourage those in attendance to have a dance, have a drink and have a good time. There’s not much space in this tiny bar for bad attitudes so please come correct. The bar serves food from its improbably placed kitchen throughout the night and the crowd is always wonderfully mixed. Young, old and everything in between. I have run into all kinds of queens at this party, from Dita Von Teese, to Nicole Kidman, Liv Tyler, Parker Posey, Michael Stipe, Drew Barrymore and Zach Quinto. It’s really one of those parties where anyone could show up. Congrats on 10 years of carrying. That’s a long time when it comes to a party. Can’t wait to help them celebrate!  —tom

A few weeks ago you read Tom’s brief report of David Bowie Is: the sprawling, several gallery museum exhibition that features the late musicians costumes, personal ephemera and more. As a part of their Target First Saturday’s series, the Brooklyn Museum has tapped local nightlife go-getters Horrorchata and Tyler Ashley to bring their acclaimed Bushwig party to take over the Beaux-Arts Court and… thrown down. The show lineup is gaggy, mostly cause it features so many amazing NYC/Brooklyn performers who I’ve had the blessing of seeing many times, including the haunting Untitled Queen, Charlene: queen of all things that make you say wow, Patti Spliff, Maxxx Pleasure (amazing drag king I used to see perform at our Alma Mater, Purchase College) and others. If you haven’t been to one of these first Saturdays, I’ll quickly clue you in because one time I ended up at one by mistake and on a really high-dosage edible. The event will feel brief, and the space is a little bit moot, but it makes it the perfect place for Horrorchata and her gang to take over because lord knows they can make any space work. Plus, there is a bar, so really you just need to show up. If you’re a good time, you’ll arrive at 5:00PM on the dot to make the most of the happy hour(s), which goes until 7:00PM, and if you’re smart you’ll wear a lock that pays homage to David, the grandfather of all things bisexual and hero to butches, femmes, fags, dykes and punks everywhere.  —Chris Stewart

I haven’t been to Nowhere bar in years, but I always tell people from out of town to go there when they ask me for a recommendation of where to go for a gay local bar. You know, Nowhere bar is your classic, gay, easy, no frills, no pretentia, gay dive bar. This Friday, April 6th, (wow we are already in April, wtf!) Cameron Cooper (who also has been DJing this party with Zah Cole of Gag) is bringing us his monthly party Cruise Control, which happens the first friday of every month. This time around with guest DJ Reaubert who told me that he’ll be going for “that dive bar aesthetic and sound” playing “a vinyl set of disco, house, italo disco and new wave.” Sounds super chill. Cameron created this party after doing a Pride event there, he told me that they wanted the music to be “classic gay 1970’s sexy music you’d want to hear while cruising someone. Disco, synth new wave that kind of vibe…Patrick Crowley, Grace Jones, Donna Summer, Divine, The Normal stuff like that. The mood board is Peter Berlin, Tom of Finland, tight tees heeled leather boots. But again that’s just the mood board only a few people show up like that.” Now, that you got all the details, get off the cruising phone apps for one night only and get to cruising real guys LIVE. Doesn’t it sound thrilling to do that in 2018?  —Abi