GAYLETTER

We featured filmmaker Elegance Bratton in the third issue of our magazine. His interview was fiery and alive and was a great read. Elegance has been working on a film about the LGBTQ kids who call the piers in West Chelsea home. Elegance spent time on their piers as a homeless kid himself, before entering the Armed Forces and turning his life around. Because of his time at the piers he was able to gain trust from the gay and trans kids he features in his documentary. This Friday is your chance to see excerpts from Elegance’s unfinished doco, Pier Kids, as well as clips from a couple of other films about queer, black and Latino youth. There’s Anthony + Christopher = Kim (2014) in which “Christopher helps his lover Anthony transform into their drag alter ego Kim Labeija” as well as Walk For Me (2016) in which “Hassan Kendricks is set to make his Femme Queen debut in the shimmering lights of the Ballroom scene voguing as a girl named Hanna. His two worlds collide when his mom shows up and discovers her secret daughter.” The screenings and conversation will be followed by a reception sponsored by Harlem Pride. If you’re uptown you have no excuse not to attend this event. And if you’re downtown, hop on the 6 and get your ass up to Harlem. You won’t be disappointed!  —tom

I have been looking at images of the “revival” version of the famous publication NEWSPAPER, which was originally a 23”x34” newsprint from 1969, created by Steve Lawrence and Peter Hujar. It ran for nine issues until 1971. I got very excited when I saw that someone was bringing it back, I have a few pages of an old copy, that a friend gifted to me awhile back. The 2016 version of NEWSPAPER is created by editor Marcelo Yáñez and he will be celebrating their latest release at Printed Matter on June 16th. He “will give a brief talk on his research into the history of Lawrence’s publication and his work to create a contemporary re-iteration in dialog with that lineage.” You can get copies of NEWSPAPER at the event and some work from contributing artists — some of them are past GAYLETTER contributors — including Benjamin Fredrickson, Elliott Brown, Bryson Rand, Elle Pérez, Jackson Stack, John Edmonds, Mark Fitton and Robert Flynt. “Over its 48 pages of large-scale black and white images, there is work by students, established artists, found vernacular, and amateurs. The publication is intended to function as an alternative exhibition space in print with shows promoting a certain reformation of queer imagery.” Did you get that? It sounds great!  —Abi

Last week on the train home I read the letter Brock Turner’s rape victim read to him in court. I forwarded it to all of my friends. We do not hear enough from women affected by sexual harassment or sexual abuse and though her letter is grueling and unsparing, it’s oh so necessary for all people to read. Her reality is unfortunately shared by many women who cannot afford to speak out. Their stories cannot be something you avoid because they make you squeamish. “GRLCVLT, a national secret society who will not stand silently and watch the patriarchy reinforce the values of a society in which the suffering of women is secondary to the advancement of men,” is having a party “while filling out forms to express our dissatisfaction with the judge responsible for passing an unreasonably lenient sentence for the sexual abuse committed by Stanford student Brock Turner.” There will be free drinks and music to get the blood flowing so you can write a really gnarly, but informative (and fact based!) letter to unseat Judge Aaron Persky, or, the white man who “was concerned about the “impact” jail time would have on [Brock’s] future,” so he gave him only six months, that was then reduced to three. No further comment. Are you angry, too? GOOD. See you there.  —Chris Stewart

This is one for all you theater fans: it’s a viewing party for the Tony Awards with drinks and special guests at The LGBT Center. I like Broadway, but I am not like some of you queens. Random side note: after listening to the Vogue podcast (see Wednesday) I learned that Anna Wintour is a MAJOR Broadway fan (as is her daughter, who has seen Hamilton 10 times). Apparently Anna sees at least 2-3 shows a week. Who knew? Back to Sunday’s event. “Join actor/emcee Rob Maitner and guests as they present an evening of music, trivia, camp and high drama in celebration of theater’s top night.” Tickets are $20 but that includes admission to the pre-show, the awards screening plus food and an open bar. That’s a pretty fucking good deal if you ask me! I’m sure it’ll be a night filled with carrying queens. This year’s ceremony is hosted by James Corden. If you saw his recent Carpool Karaoke with Lin Manuel from Hamilton and other Broadway stars, you’ll know he’s a big song and dance man and loves to put on a show — so it should be a fun night. Rest those vocal chords beforehand.  —tom

It has been too long since anyone at GAYLETTER has carried at The Carry Nation — we used to go and carry so often, we really miss carrying. I was getting a little sad ‘cos I thought by “season finale” they meant that the party was coming to an end. They are clever with that name it’s just their final installment before they leave NYC for the Summer. They will be at the Good Room and this is your last chance to see them for a while. Music for the night is by the Carry Nation (of course), with a special guest DJ Gavin Russom “who is taking a break from touring with LCD Soundsystem, just to DJ with us.” There’s gonna be “Bad Room takeover with the Factory Girls.” Hosts for the night are The Culture Whore, Gage of the Boone, Bobby Clemens, Sam Banks, Nicholas Contrera, Queen Sateen & Exquisite. Call Molly she’d love to attend, sweat her out, dance the blues away. And remember, if you can talk you can sing, if you can walk you can dance, and if you’re alive you can carry!  —Abi