Although it might sound surprising to hear about out lesbians working with and for the mob, there was a time in New York City when all the gay clubs were Mafia-run. Davis is an expert on those years, and the author of Under the Mink, a mystery set in the world of the lesbians and drag kings working in the mob-run nightclubs that dominated the Greenwich Village gay scene in the 30s and 40s. Davis, as a young lesbian academic in New York in the 60s, befriended many of these women and captured their stories in her novel.
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What Does Liberation Look Like?
Walk along Waverly Place in New York City’s West Village and you’ll hit the narrow end of Christopher Park, a sharp shard of public land inhabited by four lovely but melancholy figures. Covered in white plaster, they are clustered in pairs: two men, standing, and two women, seated. They’re called “Gay Liberation”—but there’s nothing liberatory about them. With their mournful expressions and restrained physical contact, they seem more like a vision of gay tolerance, liberation’s anemic shadow.
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The Crisis of America’s LGBT Youths in Foster Care
LGBT youths are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than their heterosexual peers to be placed in the foster care system, according to a relatively recent report from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, a leading authority on LGBT issues. Nearly 20 percent of foster youths surveyed identified themselves as LGBT. These youths had a higher-than-average number of placements and a greater chance of being hospitalized overnight or treated for emotional issues. They were also more likely to end up in a group home or on the streets.
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Filming Mario Diaz, the Man Behind The Cock
Called Club King, the documentary is a mix of cinema verite footage of Diaz now—dressing up go-go boys at his LA parties, showing off his "drag closet," and brunching with his friends—mixed with some archival footage of his time in NYC and before, and talking head interviews with some of the fabulous freaks who made The Cock what it was, like genderqueer cabaret star Justin Vivian Bond and drag sensation Jackie Beat.
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Power in the Crisis: Kia LaBeija's Radical Art as a 25 Year Old, HIV Positive Woman of Color
Before we start talking, Kia LaBeija slips off her shoes and runs her feet through the grass-green Astroturf at the end of a pier at the Hudson River Park Trust, one of the most brutally, beautifully gentrified parts of Manhattan. It's the first spring day that feels like summer, not just hot, but heavy, thick. Everyone here wants to be naked. Thirty years ago, everyone would have been.
Read MoreMeet the First Black Woman to Play Yitzhak in 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' on Broadway
Yitzhak was initiated in this run by Lena Hall, but is currently played by Rebecca Naomi Jones, who has been on Broadway before in American Idiot and Passing Strange. The young star has made a name for herself by taking on interesting roles in genre-busting productions. Paper magazine said that Jones was "the girl to call when there's a cooler-than-thou musical in town." She's also the first black woman to play Yitzhak in a major production, a smart choice for a show that plays heavily with fluid identities and cross-casting.
Read MoreWill Ireland Be the First Country Legalize Same-Sex Marriage by Popular Vote?
Today, Ireland may make history by becoming the first country to legalize same-sex marriage via popular vote. Considering the long-standing influence of the Catholic Church on Irish life and politics and the church’s continuing opposition to same-sex marriage, the referendum has a surprisingly high level of support: New polls suggest that voters support the measure, as do all four of Ireland’s major political parties. Last week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny (Ireland’s equivalent to a prime minister) took to television to urge voters to approve the measure.
Read MoreThere’s a Suicide Problem Among Transgender Youths—and We Need to Help
You’ve probably heard about Leelah Alcorn, the 17-year-old transgender girl from Ohio who committed suicide after being rejected by her religious family. But you may not know about Blake Brockington, the 18-year-old black transgender activist and prom king from North Carolina who killed himself earlier this year. In the last six months, at least seven transgender teens have killed themselves. Most have been youths of color. Those are just the young people we know about: The kids who were out, the ones who left notes
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