Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 496 i GAY TIMES

Chicago’s Society for Human Rights (1924) did not last long and was superseded by the Mattachine Society, founded by communist Harry Hay in Los Angeles in 1950, which spread across the country over the decade and is considered the first significant American gay rights group. The Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian group (named after the fictional Sapphic character), started by partners Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon in 1955, was primarily a social safe space but became involved with the political struggle. Writers such as Gore Vidal, James Baldwin, Christopher Isherwood joined Radcliffe Hall in writing some of the only available fiction and would soon be joined by Audre Lorde and others. In the UK, things were also changing. After high-profile prosecutions of Alan Turning, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and…

Bretman Rock speaks with an ever-present sassiness. “I love me as fuck,” he screams into the phone from his hotel room at the W Hollywood in Los Angeles, where he has been staying. Before I can respond, he adds, “You are what you believe. I believe that I’m the baaaaddest bitch, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks.” Rock and I are speaking over the phone from across the country, and even from hundreds of miles away, I can feel his self-assurance and positivity. I immediately decide that Rock could probably convince me to do anything. He is encouraging and witty. It’s hard not to wonder if he’s always been this confident, moving through the world with a deep understanding of who he is. Rock’s large and loyal social…

What was it that drew you into the show? I think it was the team, to be honest. I’m a huge fan of Lauren Morelli, who previously wrote for Orange Is The New Black, so that was a sure sign that I should be a part of this, and Laura Linney being there when I had my callback for the audition, she was lovely and I knew working with her was a big deal. And then also learning about the story through Armistead’s books and how it had this long history before I was even born, I learned so much from it, I had no idea that any of it existed, so the fact that it was this brand new thing for me really drew me in. There’s a whole…

Despite being raised by a Mormon family in conservative Texas, Dustin Lance Black has spent much of his adult life fighting for LGBTQ rights. He won an Oscar for his critically-acclaimed 2008 biopic of openly gay politician and activist Harvey Milk, and later thrust himself into the fight for nationwide marriage equality in the United States. When that was achieved, he turned his focus to TV with political docudrama When We Rise, which follows 45 years of the LGBTQ movement in his home country. When witnessing the incredible progress made first hand, it would be easy to assume the hard work is over, but Dustin says he won’t be content until the whole world can enjoy the freedoms he has. “As happy as I am for places like London or…

A guided meditation session with a punk Buddhist in Greenpoint of a Monday night. Interpretive dance by a man dressed entirely in red, pirouetting after paper Chinese lanterns as they swirled in the wind under City Hall. Tequila shots with The Met’s Curator of Modern Art who told us he only bought Man Ray’s ‘Obstruction’ because Eddie Monsoon took the piss out of it in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous (‘it all looks like bollocks so it must be worth something’). Liev Schreiber dressed down in trackies and beat-up sneakers dragging his dog-a-like and considerable bulge down Lafayette, stopping off to chat with ladies carrying dry-cleaning and some bloke professionally committed to showing off so he must be off the telly, but nothing we’d watch. A lesbian hitting on all…

The burger bar at Julius’ Yes, it’s a broken down gay bar, the same broken down gay bar you saw in the Melissa McCarthy film Can You Ever Forgive Me, but they have a burger bar right there, opposite the main bar, so your vintage Madonna tee will come back with a whiff of deep-fried. Their frying skills are, however, second to none with chips the likes of which you’ve not had since your mum could be bothered to cook. And how clever! They lure you in with a happy hour and give you no excuse to leave as you can just go and get a burger (even a veggie burger!), with a side of onion rings and ‘two-more-vodka-club-sodas-and-make-it-snappy’! juliusbarny.com GITANO You might want to go to regular ol’ GITANO…

The Roof, PUBLIC. Another Ian Schrager masterpiece of a hotel, another crazy-gorgeous rooftop bar and terrace opening out onto the most delicious wraparound of Uptown. It’s pretty darn sexy here; the people, the twinkling skyscrapers that seem to bring out the best hair in people, the cocktails served until 4am on a non-school night that bring out the best flirt in people. But if flashy debauchery isn’t your thing, you can bring your laptop up during the day for glamorous co-working. And if you want to sip on a hearty red while you’re at it, so be it. publichotels.com Harriet’s, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge. The cherry on top of DUMBO’s very own 1 – the luxe eco-hotels that are scientifically more beautiful than all the rest – first gets to…

Hair & Makeup Pricilla Pilling using Urban Decay and Redken Model Casper at Premier Model Management Fashion Assistant Solly Warner…

CRASH TEAM RACING NITRO-FUELED (out 21 June on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One) Two decades after it first hit PlayStation in 1999, and subsequently never left our now-retro consoles, Crash Team Racing is back and looking better than ever. Capitalising on the nostalgia wave of the N. Sane Trilogy, which brought Crash’s classic platforming games to a new generation, Beenox and Activision have remastered the original marsupial racing game which sees players navigate themed tracks and collect power-ups to take out their rivals in fast-paced, outrageous gameplay. Even better, Nitro-Fueled not only lets us live out our Crash Team Racing dreams in beautiful HD, it also includes content from sequels Crash Nitro Kart (2003) and Crash Tag Team Racing (2005) and introduces new features including online play and…

“We are entertaining but providing a space for enlightenment and another space for ecstasy,” says Pose actor Ryan Jamaal Swain early one Saturday morning Stateside, revealing how the Emmy-nominated Ryan Murphy show affected audiences. “I have people coming up to me on the brink of tears saying how much the show has moved them, taught them, how much it has articulated a language for their family to find empathy, for them to find forgiveness – which I find very important.” His first major gig since leaving university, Ryan’s life changed almost overnight, and with that he welcomed a new level of exposure, but also privilege, in bringing a spotlight to issues that affect those within the queer space. “It asks me to check my ignorance and educated myself on the…

If you’re below a certain age, you may not even be aware of its existence, but soapy drama Tales of the City was revolutionary for its time. The queer-themed TV series, which was based on the collection of nine classic novels by beloved wordsmith Armistead Maupin, followed Midwest girl Mary Ann Singleton as she moved to San Francisco and discovered a world of drugs, disco and homosexuality. When it debuted in 1993, it was widely regarded as one of the first TV shows to fairly represent LGBTQ characters, as it tackled several important issues like coming out, HIV/AIDS, and gender identity. Now, 18 years after it last graced our screens, the show is receiving a revival courtesy of streaming service Netflix with author Maupin on board as an executive producer…

“I think I was always really scared growing up that I didn’t want to capitalise or cash-in on my sexuality,” says L Devine, curled up on a sofa at the East London studio she rehearses at. “It’s ridiculous now when I think about it.” We’ve relocated from Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club – the backdrop of our photoshoot with the star – and have started to discuss how important it was to L Devine to be open about her sexuality from the start of her career. The oftentold story when it comes to LGBTQ musicians is that traditionally they have been encouraged to keep their sexual orientation under wraps. A new generation, however, have found themselves with a very different problem: they are resisting their identity potentially being exploited as…

The Moxy Chelsea. Down a flower-packed street in Chelsea – you really do have to dodge those palms – through an actual florists, like you were finding your way into a speakeasy, is one of New York’s hottest new hotels. You may not think it from the low-key, check-yourself-in-if-you-can-be-bothered reception or from the little bank of lifts, but if you bag yourself an upper floor (ask for 30 and above), this is one of the most spectacular spots to stay in this part of town. Floorto-ceiling windows looking right down to One World Tower and the Statue of blinking Liberty means you might not even notice the cool quirkiness of your room right away, what with its pegs all round the walls so you can even hang up tables and…

A PICTURE CAPTURED LIKE A PRO. If you’re looking for a flagship device that can capture to sheer scale of Pride, then the Samsung Galaxy 10+ could be your choice. Its Ultra Wide Camera capability lets you take detailed photos with a full field of vision, truly taking in everything a human eye can. Like most smartphone cameras on the market today, it uses a combination of lenses to achieve stunning results. But what the Galaxy 10+ has in its arsenal is its Pro Assist feature, an onboard AI assistant that can get a sense of the picture you are attempting to capture and will offer tips on adjusting the setting to get the best possible shot. Achieving pro-level results couldn’t be easier. (The Samsung Galaxy 10+ is priced at…

“I ‘ve been completely overwhelmed by the love and support I’ve had from the disabled community,” Ryan O’Connell tells me on the phone direct from New York where he’s been plowing through interviews for his groundbreaking new Netflix show Special – proudly hiding no part of his queerness or cerebral palsy in any conversation. “It’s been really, really surreal to be honest! I feel like I always believed in what we were doing and what we made, but to have people as bowled over as they are is incredibly emotional and surreal,” he says. “The messages I’ve been getting from people who are disabled, and gay, or gay and disabled, or just even not is overwhelming and I can’t wait to unpack it with my therapist!” Written and led on…

There’s a clear update on gender identity and sexuality references in the series, alongside the inclusion of social media. How easy was it updating what fans love and adore? When Lauren Morelli, our showrunner, came aboard, she said that we needed to be absolutely faithful to the spirit of the books and the spirit of Armistead’s world, but we don’t need to be faithful to the events that are happening – Armistead was fine with that. It was much more about the dialogue and the events taking place today; as long as we made sure it felt like the same, but slightly magical world, those existed in. The world of the original tales was a largely white and male world, a world where you were a gay man and that…

“My crazy ass has achieved a lot with my fantasy and if I keep on pushing, it’s all gonna come true, like being on the cover of GAY TIMES!” laughs the Miss Congeniality slash fan-favourite contestant of RuPaul’s Drag Race season nine…Valentina. “Did I know this was gonna happen? No. But in my fantasy, I’ve been on the cover of every magazine.” The Mexican-American drag icon is currently on a high after her gag-worthy photoshoot (look at her, like, hello?), and she’s explaining the true meaning of her ‘fantasy’, which she memorably introduced to fans during her stint on the fourth season of All Stars. “The fantasy is the world you can live in and be taken over by the spirit of delusion,” she tells us in true Valentina, telenovela…

Where is it? Your taxi driver will never find it unless he actually takes notice of his sat nav (honestly, some people!) even though it’s one of the most famous addresses in the whole wide world. The address is 7th Avenue but the entrance is round the corner on 47th Street. And Times Square is right there. The bright stuff. Why so lovely? The latest masterpiece from The King of New York, Ian Schrager (read our interview why don’t you), the man behind the legendary New York hotels Morgans, The Royalton, The Paramount, The Hudson and recently-opened PUBLIC, his slightly cheaper take on hyper-luxe. And as with all of those hotels, Ian Schrager, the inventor of Studio 54 – he knows a thing or two about keeping people happy –…

Models Jamie at SUPA and Jemal at STORM Hair & Makeup Pricilla Pilling using Urban Decay and Redken Fashion Assistant Mariana Fidalgo Photgraphy Assistants Delali Ayivi and Esme Plumb…