Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Rediscovering 'The Drag Queens of New York' on the Bowery
Damian and I spent Saturday afternoon on the Bowery at HA/HA for the Then & Now – Gallery Tour, Discussion and Video Screening, part of the 30th-anniversary celebration of "The Drag Queens of New York."
The book's author, Julian Fleisher, led the event and introduced the two speakers, setting the tone with the kind of insider affection that reminds you this history was built by people who were truly fans.
As he ushered us from room to room, Julian reminisced about the interviews he conducted with the reigning queens of the day -- all of which were prefaced with lengthy questionnaires -- and steered us toward the eclectic collection of ephemera on display (including the queens' handwritten responses) from the passion project that clearly means a lot to him.
He then brought up drag historian Joe E. Jeffreys, who gave a smart, engaging overview of the cultural landscape that shaped Fleisher’s book, with shoutouts to predecessors such as Carlton E. Winford's "Femme Mimics: A Pictorial Record of Female Impersonation" and Avery Willard's "Female Impersonation." His context underscored just how prescient the work was -- drag is about as mainstream as it gets these days -- but also how much more there was to art form beyond the late 20th century NYC time capsule Fleisher so brilliantly documented.
He was followed by the ever-hilarious, delightfully self-effacing Miss Guy, who shared that (s)he never actually considered herself a drag queen -- androgynous is more like it -- but was offered a chance to be on stage so ran with it as a means to an end to kickstart her music ambitions. When forced to pick a drag moniker, (s)he says (s)he opted to keep her (already) given one -- dolled up with a femme honorific -- so that decades later people wouldn't be calling "Hey, Melinda" from across the room(!).
Guy then played a rarely seen 1995 interview with former go-go boy Mark Allen for the downtown cable show "Party Talk." The segment follows the two of them romping around Guy's memorabilia-packed apartment, eating cereal, getting prank calls and talking about “queer” rock and roll and the early days of the Toilet Boys, Miss Guy's glamtastic band whom I saw open for Blondie back in '99. (There’s even early performance footage from Squeezebox, Guy's notorious party night at the erstwhile Don Hill's.)
Guy mentioned (s)he still lives in the same place 30 years later, and that the clip contains the only footage of her late kitty, giving the moment an unexpectedly touching edge. Guy screened additional videos from her career -- providing a momentary mini–Miss Guy retrospective -- but adorably seemed to shy away from the attention. ("Events like this remind me how much I miss ... social distancing," (s)he quipped.)
As for Mark, it was so nice seeing him again and meeting his handsome boyfriend, Will McLeod, whom I know from Instagram. Mark shocked me by revealing he hadn't been in the city in almost two years(!) -- and it was his first time with Will -- which is hard to imagine for a guy whose East Village apartment used to be live-streamed for the world to watch before that was even a thing.
If you haven’t stopped by yet, the full exhibition "The Drag Queens of New York" is on display at Howl! Happening through Nov. 30. It’s a lovingly assembled slice of LGBTQ New York history -- absolutely worth catching before it’s gone.
The silver lamé pants did things to me ...
Miss Guy's the limit!
The Watergate tapes have nothing on these
And now a word from our author
With Miss Guy
Julian Fleisher, Miss Guy and Mark Allen
Putting the meat in a Will and Mark sandwich
Tennis Tuesday: Grigor Dimitrov and Jack Draper
Is the Bulgarian hunk officially making foot content now while Jack-ed Draper takes it lying down? See for yourself BELOW
Monday, November 17, 2025
Remains of the Day (11/17)
CPR: Catholic preschools appeal to Supreme Court in Colorado case over LGBTQ rights and religious liberty
Forensic Files Now: Texas rapist Randy Lee Allen seals his fate
Queerty: Tig Notaro on the crushing “50-million-page email” her future wife sent after they first made out
PinkNews: "Santiago of the Seas" cartoon pulled off air in Malaysia after complaints about "LGBTQ+ content"
Washington Blade: Chilean presidential election outcome to determine future of LGBTQ rights in country
Hot Cat of the Day: I hope Chris named his way Steinway!
Boob tube: Off the top of my head, here are a few things we’ve been watching lately -- in case you need recommendations or want to exchange notes:
“The Couple Next Door”: Season 2 is every bit as juicy as the first, and new man Sam Palladio somehow manages to fill Sam Heughan's gigantic shoes.
“I Love L.A.”: A smart and witty send-up of influencer culture.
“I’m Sorry”: We discovered Andrea Savage on the brilliant “Episodes,” and her move to center stage might be one of the most brilliant things I’ve ever witnessed … we had to constantly rewind because we were laughing so hard we kept missing half the thing! (And Tom Everett Scott is sublime as her straight-man hubby.)
“Platonic”: Season 2 is just as awkwardly hilarious as the first.
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”: Why didn’t anyone tell me 20 year ago that this is the best show of all time? It’s like a funnier version of "Seinfeld" if the gang had even less character.
“Nobody Wants This”: My solo show that Damian cannot stop eavesdropping on.
“Malice”: Just started, but Jack Whitehall is deliciously evil.
“Shameless”: Ancient, I know, but something I never considered watching until Damian finally gave it a look and now we're into it. Remains to be seen if we'll stick around for all 208 seasons.
“The Studio”: We’ve been slogging our way through this for months. One episode left ... not my fave, but usually just enough to keep it worthwhile-ish.
“New Girl”: We always joked that we’d probably have to watch the seven(!) seasons of this show if a second administration of you-know-who ever happened ... and sadly, it has. Unlike "Baby Daddy" -- our coping mechanism during the first term -- "New Girl" is a lot more uneven. But I like all the actors involved, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner popping up as Zooey Deschanel’s parents is always a treat.
Sunday, November 16, 2025
Weekend Tennis Roundup
Sinner defends at the ATP Finals, but Alcaraz ends the year No. 1. Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post -- including this Christian Harrison gif that keeps giving -- BELOW.
Friday, November 14, 2025
Remains of the Day (11/14)
The Advocate: These are the top 10 most expensive gayborhoods in the U.S. ... I knew No. 1 BACK WHEN!
Border Report: Tijuana opens center for LGBTQ migrants, women and children
ABC News: Dog shoots owner
The Advocate: Erik Bottcher certainly has my vote!
Amherst Indy: Guidance counselor fired for discrimination against LGBTQ students will resume duties at middle school
Oakland North: City of Oakland gets first rainbow crosswalk: "It tells every trans, queer and non-binary person … they are welcome"
Speedo Sunday: Take a picture, it lasts longer ...
Hot Cat of the Day: Find out why Oakley is the best brother an ailing pooch could ever have!
Beefcake Bible: How Charles Hix and Ken Haak pumped up gay desire
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