GAYLETTER

Wooo! Bastille Day at last! I know we’ve all been waiting for this day, so don’t even front like you haven’t. Anyway, my best friend is in Paris right now celebrating — I’m totally not pressed or anything — so to one-up her, I’m going to see Eli Escobar and Lele Sacchi at the yummy vegan/vegetarian restaurant slash event venue Black Flamingo. If that seems like an odd fourway...then I don’t know what to tell you. Except that the strangest things sometimes turn out to be the coolest. For those of you who may not know, Eli Escobar is one of Battle Hymn’s resident DJs and has been a huge influence on NYC’s disco and house music scene over the past 20 years. Lele Sacchi is a Milanese DJ who is widely considered to be an icon of the Italian electronic/house music world. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m listening to Sacchi’s most recent EP, Try to Understand Me. To give you a sense of what it sounds like, imagine Random Access Memories-era Daft Punk cumming inside Lady Gaga’s way underrated track Government Hooker. Hot. Join me and come on out — it’s free, so you really have no excuse.  —Connor Atkins

Julius is the oldest gay bar in New York, America, or the world. I can’t be sure which one of those statements is true, but I know it’s one of them, regardless, it’s a super cute neighborhood bar that you simply must visit! There’s no better time to go than for their monthly OWL party. According to the organizers, David Orton and Nick Schiarizzi,  OWL is “NYC’s #1 late night luncheon for self obsessed homosexually-inclined investment bankers and their children. Our party features a live black therapist and an ex-Mormon doing gentle ass horoscopes. Music to make you scream. Burgers to make you cry.” I love everything about that description. Julius is a true local gay bar, and sooo cozy, especially when it’s packed to the rafters with homosexuals. If you’re feeling lonely, just show up and walk from the door to the seating area at the back. The space is so tight you’ll easily get a month’s worth of human contact in one trip. That might sound like a sad thing to do, but it’s better than sleeping with someone ugly, hey, this is New York City — you gotta do what you can to stay sane. But anyway, back to the party, it’s a lot of fun, and you’ll most likely have the best night of your life if you go, I promise.

This is a relatively new party, having just started in earnest last month at the Metropolitan Bar. Party organizer Beau Winslow initially began Honey Please “as an ongoing Instagram story and series of playlists on Spotify in the fall of 2016.” The name of the party comes from Barry White’s song “Honey Please, Can’t See Ya.” He DJ’d two house parties at 717 Manhattan Ave. and from there, things developed naturally. “I wanted to organize a Tea Dance where Top 40 was not the default playlist. A bona fide daddy gifted me a record collection from the 70s and 80s. It’s an experience I wanted to share while fostering a fun atmosphere and navigating back channels of popular music in a queer setting.” The party starts at 5:00pm, go enjoy some sunlight at the patio while Beau slays the decks. So come out, make some friends, slut it up, the Summer is here! What more do you want, homo?  —Gayletter

Battle Hymn has been going on every Friday since I moved to the city. It sounds so cool — and judging by the sickening photos that come out of the party each week, she’s lit as fuck. But for some ungodly reason, I haven’t been yet. Don’t get me wrong — I keep meaning to, and totally feel like a failure of a gay for not having participated in what is, as far as I’ve picked up on, an institution in queer nightlife. I plan to change that this week. Join me and “come dance to the beats of Hex Hector and get down to Quentin Harris and Ultra Naté as Black Stereo Faith!” This week’s installment is also “celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ultra Naté’s all time classic ‘Free,’ as well as Black Stereo Faith’s album release.” If you’re like me and haven’t been yet (or even you’re more of a weekly crusader), this week should absolutely not be missed — it’s the last Battle Hymn of the season! So bring your poppers, dig out your wallet (drinks are pricey), and, as always, wear your most fab look, and get ready to dance and kiss your way to a higher spiritual purpose.  —Connor Atkins