Popupchapel

Today I married two couples in Central Park. A beautiful day! Check out Popupchapel.com for details. These photos are by my husband the Baad Lamb and by JoeMyGod.



Here is the link to the individual photos on Flickr if you want to read the captions.

Same sex fariytale weddings take place in Disneyland

Read all about it here

Honk for Love

By West Village Bill

I didn't see a happy couple, but I was one of a few guys snapping mobile-phone-camera pix of this cutely decorated car, with a Jersey plate, on Perry Street in my neighborhood this afternoon.

Don't Look Back

by baad lamb

In the Biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, God destroys the cities but spares Lot and his family. He warns them all not to look back as they flee the raining fire and brimstone, but Lot's wife did and she was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. We were taught that this story was a warning of the wickedness of homosexuals (and somehow were expected to overlook the "godly" father who offered up his young virgin daughters to be gang-raped). What most of us took from it as we opened up our dark closet doors and danced into the sunshine was "Don't Look Back".

In the 21st century story of equal rights for all New Yorkers, the legislative body elected by and for New Yorkers finally grasped the equal part, and same-sex couples can now get married, divorced, and remarried as often, and for as profound or as frivolous reasons as their straight brothers and sisters. There will be no looking back.

Enter betrothed here

Exit married here!

The long line-up waiting for that moment

Father Tony assembles a wedding party photo

The First Batch of Same-Sex Marriages in New York City

The Baad Lamb and I went to the City Clerk's Office this afternoon to join the cheering crowd (drowning out the two dismal protesters) of well-wishers as the first several hundred same-sex couples were granted licenses, and, with the otherwise mandatory 24 hour wait waived, got married on the spot.

The lines wrapped around the block with each couple clutching the card that would allow them inside to obtain their license and to get immediately hitched.

Here's a slideshow, or use this link to see the names/captions.



Outside the building, whenever the revolving exit door delivered another newly wed couple,  an accordian player would cue the crowd which would break into applause and cheers.
Here's a video of the lonely protester cordoned off across the street.



One of the two protestors refused to give his name or affiliation. Another older man named Joseph Garber identified himself as a concerned Jewish New Yorker whose signs demanded that Archbishop Dolan excommunicate Governor Cuomo. He seemed grammatically challenged. One of his posters read "Homo Sexuality is a Biblican Sin".

I chatted with the Reverend Thomas Synan of the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest located at East 90th Street and 5th Avenue. He was there to offer his blessing to any of the newlyweds who might want it. When I asked him if his church is 100% in favor of the concept of same-sex marriage, he replied, "Not yet 100% but we're working on that. There is certainly a solid block of us."

There were other marriage officiants offering their services for a range of fees. I saw prices from less than $50 to $100. Cantor Shira Belfer was offering a custom-tailored Jewish ceremony at her shop on East 14th Street. Today, she brought with her some pvc pipe to fashion an instant chuppah for any impetuous Jewish newlyweds.

The happiness was contagious.

Perry Brass: Lost Gay New York: Alexander McQueen at the Metropolitan Museum

It’s hard to imagine that at one time not that along ago, New York was a city awash in fashion, in its own sense of New York style and feeling. Now you walk up Fifth Avenue, and “style” is the Hollister store, the NBA store, H & M, and other dreary corporate dreck-sellers, where the important thing is selling not a look or feeling but the shopping bag that the stuff comes in.

But New York, especially lost gay New York was all about fashion; this sense that you felt fantastic, and sexy, so everything you put on felt that way too—and you could be outrageous with it. One incarnation of this was cranberry red velvet jeans. It seemed that in 1968 they were all over the place. You saw men in them and women in them; they were of a red of such unabashed intensity that it stopped traffic on the street, so walking down New York avenues became like Morse Code: lots of stops and dashes, just looking at this amazing color stretched across the thighs and asses of so many good-looking people. Fashion seer Diana Vreeland once said that the two most stylish periods of American life were the 1920s and the 1960s: she was right. There was this sense of outrage and also just the right amount of money running around—you need money. Fashion needs money, but even more it needs a sense of permission, something that Right-Wing gorgons like Michelle Bachman want to choke the hell out of.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, still running at the Metropolitan Museum reminded me of this full flowering of youth and excess that is now barely glimpsable. The show, the most popular in the history of the Metropolitan Museum, is both wondrous and sad.

(photo: Alexander McQueen, courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The Heat

It falls on you like a pile of wood when you walk into the street. Women in the subway lift and knot the hair from their necks. Dark new continents appear on cotton shirts. Dogs mind the leash and can't sniff differences in the air. The deranged delight in it as common ground with the sane of the city who turn away from their cackling, too spent to tell them to shut up.

Young NYC Voices on Marriage

You will want to listen to their voices. Most of them are straight. As expected, the right to love whomever you wish to love is obvious to most of them, even the ones who are misinformed about the mechanics of marriage and the current availability of benefits for unmarried same sex couples. The religious ones know that the teachings of their faiths are at variance with marriage equality but they express their personal openness to it. This entire argument will disappear within a generation or two.

(NY Times photo/graphic)

Broadway, Last Night

I almost don't remember a time when this stretch wasn't a pedestrian mall where people could rest on a hot summer night.

Fork On The Left, Knife In The Back, Michael Musto At Heart

For twenty-seven New York City years (127 elsewhere years), Michael Musto has delivered a reliably sparkling column called La Dolce Musto, the first thing most readers turn to when they open The Village Voice. Musto is fascinated by and in love with New York City, and NYC loves him back and embraces him completely as its Renaissance gay clown prince who knows all the good dirt. Simply, if Musto is preoccupied with someone or something, we should be too. In a city crawling with pouty Carrie Bradshaws, bless their hearts, Musto’s entrance at any event is a benediction and a raised baton signaling the overture to greater fun.

Most of us see him about town from a respectful distance—not that he is aloof—but I finally sat down with him at the East Village, Cooper Square offices of the paper to see if he was really the kind of man I suspected. On the day of the Casey Anthony verdict, a trial he had covered with relish, we watched the televised scene in the courtroom. When I asked him if he felt justice had been done, he said, “Oh yes. Absolutely.  No evidence of murder one.” The verdict was incidental to his titillation with the story. It is the human drama and people in all their colorful, quirky and tawdry glory that beguile him.

I asked how he became “Michael Musto”. Was it intentional?

BABY JANE DEXTER's NEW CD

The legendary cabaret jazz singer Baby Jane Dexter has a new CD available here. Check it out!

Bear Week 2011 Provincetown

Reports that NYC and Fort Lauderdale are deserted should be believed. Ptown is in a very happy mood!

Side Effects

"Side Effects" presented by MCC Theatre at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, June 30, 2011

(photo by Joan Marcus)


Michael Weller returns to MCC Theatre with the other side of the story from 2008's Fifty Words.  He's got a little more to say this time around, but it's the performances that make the visit worthwhile.

Bipolar Melinda (Joely Richarson) doesn't like to take her medicine, which frustrates her politically ambitious husband Hugh (Cotter Smith) to no end.  With two sons echoing Melinda's polar split (perfect son vs. screw-up son), both Melinda and Hugh maintain a total disregard for human nature that encourages this.  Their relationship devolves quickly as Hugh's political star begins to rise. Melinda is angry at being dragged along the for the ride and takes every opportunity to spoil the possibilities.  Hugh remains the definition of calm, cool and collected, until Melinda pushes him over the edge following the boys' car accident with her own breakdown.  Melinda's affair with Adam (from Fifty Words) shows up to push the plot along, but feels contrived since it's no more than a couple of one-sided telephone calls for exposition.

Master Class

Posted by Mondschein

"Master Class" presented by Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, June 26, 2011

Terrence McNalley's 1995 fantasia of Maria Callas conducting a master class at the Julliard School in the 1970s returns to Broadway courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club. 


Playing La Divina is an unlikely Tyne Daly, whose Callas simmers and seethes through the thinnest of skins, bristling at the smallest perception of a slight to a star of her caliber.  Ms. Daly masters the intricate diction of the singer beautifully, though she felt occasionally less than clear as she navigated the memory segments, interacting with her first husband, then Onassis.  Callas was a consummate acting singer - a novelty in opera at the time.  As she coaches each of the three "victims" (her word), she sends each one back to their score to find the answers in the composer's music and text.  (It's a solid performance/coaching/directing technique best and most recently demonstrated by David Cromer's recent productions of "Our Town" and "Brighton Beach Memoirs.")  Ms. Daly's Callas is not subtle though she strives for elegance.  The narcissistic fragility interrupts too often.

Fire Island Invasion

By West Village Bill

Tony P. and I were in Fire Island Pines for part of the long 4th of July weekend and so were able to catch the 35th annual Invasion of that hamlet by a boatload of drag queens (and a few drag kings) from Cherry Grove.

Miss Meat-Rack 2011 was one of my favorite individual queens. Tony and I really enjoyed the collection of Esther Williams wanna-bes, who did a synchronized-swimming-style routine on the dock; they won the (no doubt highly coveted) Most Tragic Group award.

Many more photos after the jump, including the winner of the Best Individual award, Chita, who looked fabulous in gold and oodles of feathers.

IntenSati4Men & Coaching: A Review

I was recently invited to experience a new exercise program called IntenSati4Men & Coaching.  According to press materials, "IntenSati is a revolutionary workout fusing high-energy cardio, martial arts, yoga, strength conditioning, AND spoken affirmations (optional). Originally created by fitness guru Patricia Moreno, it is fitness at the highest efficiency and empowerment — physically challenging and spiritually mindful. Courage, confidence, willpower, enthusiasm, self-respect, and a strong healthy body are all the results of this practice."

Ferry to Governor's Island

Did you know that through September 25th, the ferry to Governor's Island is free and that you can board with your bike? Get it at the Maritime Building (where Streisand demanded that no one rain on her parade.) Such things you will see.

I was momentarily distracted from the skyline by the bling on the hand of a passenger on the lower deck.

ENJOY!

Terry Riley's "In C" Live on Governor's Island

by baad lamb
The mesmerizing musical minimalism of Terry Riley's seminal 1964 work "In C" was the kickoff performance of what one hopes will become a (much larger) annual contemporary classical music festival.  "Rite of Summer" has two more scheduled dates of live performances on Governor's Island this summer. (Take the free ferry from the Maritime Building- and bring your bike!).

Whether you find this piece brilliant or boring may depend on your musical adventurism. Saturday's performance of In C began with the first repetitive staccato "C" notes plunked out on a toy piano by the conductor/keyboardist Jed Distler, setting an insistent but measured tempo that does not change for the length of the performance. There is no melody in the conventional sense. Instead, 53 single-bar patterns are played in sequential order by the collected group of musicians. According to the performing directions Mr. Riley wrote to accompany the musical notations, "A group of about 35 is desired if possible, but smaller or larger groups will work." There were approximately 40 musicians on Saturday.

As the piece progresses, individual musicians choose when to enter or depart, and how many times to repeat the phrase they are on. The directions also state the musicians should occasionally drop out and listen, stay within two or three patterns of each other, and alter their alignment with others if there is too much unison. This carefully controlled randomness allows for individual and group improvisation, with the resulting chance-patterns and harmonic overtones giving the piece its sonic depth.



If all this "instruction" leads you to believe that only studious lefty-leaning adults can enjoy this music, you would be wrong. There were plenty of very young children in attendance, and they danced, shook, ran around, or just plain gazed thoughtfully throughout the 45 minutes of this shimmering, engaging outdoor performance.

More pictures, the sheet music and Terry Riley's original performance instructions after the jump...

Pearl and the Beard - July 7 - Brooklyn

I like their evocative harmonies. Music Hall of Williamsburg
Here are two samples tracks: "Reverend" and "Sweetness"

Zodiac Heads

By West Village Bill

Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads, 12 bronze sculptures by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, are on display at the Pulitzer Fountain in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza through July 15. The pieces are a reinterpretation of "the traditional Chinese zodiac that once adorned the famed fountain-clock of the Yuanming Yuan, an imperial retreat in Beijing," according to the exhibit's website. Ai was released from an undisclosed holding area on June 22 after being detained by the Chinese government for almost three months.

There are two more photos after the jump.

QNY Review: The Eyes Of Babylon

Over six foot tall, hairy chest, big hands, big feet, naked on stage except for his Marine Corps issued white boxers, Jeff creates a big impression. It is not until he puts on his uniform on stage that you suddenly see the transformation from a hot naked man on stage to a Marines Marine and a true warrior in every sense of the word.

Usually I loathe going to one person shows as I don't like boring shows with narcissism, but The Eyes Of Babylon exemplifies neither. In the tradition of storytelling from the Greek theater to Shakespeare to Broadway, this is story telling at its finest. The Eyes of Babylon is based on Jeff's journal entries while stationed in Iraq. It is clear as you watch the show that his journal writing and listening to music is what kept him sane and helped him survive such a difficult environment.

You will be swept away from the very beginning with music and a story of a gay, southern, white, spiritual, warrior, Marine and his discovery of who he is and of what's important in this world.

STONED & PAINTED ~ A LIVE CONCERT

COBY KOEHL IN CONCERT

Thursday, June 30 at 7:30PM

at Dixon Place
161A Chrystie Street
btw Rivington & Delancey
New York, NY 10002
United States
F to 2ND AVE, J/Z to BOWERY, 6 to SPRING, M to ESSEX, B/D to GRAND ST.



Ken Kincaid on piano, Leo Santino on percussion. Additional music by Legendary producer Man Parrish. "Coby Koehl is the greatest living soul singer since Amy Winehouse & is absolutely one of the most Amazing voices I've heard in fifteen years" - Boy George General Admission tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Student/Senior tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

Not lost in NYC

The Department of Transportation is proposing these signs to help tourists and locals get around.

Michael Musto is not sure he likes the idea, saying "I've finally figured the grid out, for chrissake. Please don't suddenly turn it into a board game for the unwashed!"

One of the best things about living in Rome was the frequent getting lost. I never demanded that the city strew bread crumbs for me to follow. I never resented an urban layout like a basket of rumpled laundry. My favorite places were the ones I discovered by accident.

The question becomes "Whose city is this?" Maybe it belongs to both residents and visitors, but can they both be served without destroying what is great about this city? Meanwhile, I sometimes like living in Disneyork. When I go out for coffee in flip flops and shades, the tourists think I am someone on television and must be photographed and identified later. Like a bug.

A bit more Pride

I didn't get a chance to march with the other fine members of Queer New York Blog but I hear they represented  with the utmost pride and fabulousness.  Even though I had to bow out early I was able to get the required 'Balloons at Pride' picture which I'm sort of loving right now.

A favorite NYC spot for lounging.

On a Bertoia wire mesh chair, under the regimented London Plane trees of the Barclay Grove at Lincoln Center, looking at the Henry Moore sculpture on the reflecting pool from a questionable angle, and speculating about the wear to the lawn-roof over the new restaurant.

Some moments from the 2011 NYC Pride March

HAPPY GAY PRIDE DAY!

March with the Bloggers/Writers/Digital Activists/Readers/Stalkers of NYC

If you would like to march with our group on Sunday, we step off at 1PM, on 37th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison. Find Section 11, Group 13. All are welcome!

Blowoff NYC

At the Highline Ballroom last night, a few hours after the Senate approved marriage equality, Mould and Morel whipped the crowd in higher euphoria.

Marriage Equality: We Did It.

The Manhattan Young Democrats applauds Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature for coming together to finally make marriage equality a reality for all loving couples. This long-awaited day would not have been possible without the thousands of New Yorkers – from all political stripes and from every corner of the state – who committed countless hours to this cause. Our collective canvassing, phonebanking and organizing in key districts since 2009 have paid off and today we can proudly say we live in a state where all couples are respected and treated equally under the law. Our sincerest congratulations to all who stood in support of marriage equality and made today's victory possible.

Ready for my Wedding: Thank you, New York!

By Ivan Vargas

I'm proud to call myself a New Yorker. The State finally did the right thing. Now I need to find me a stud... and that Vera Wang dress. I'll make an adorable bridezilla and I'll make sure everyone shakes in terror as I prepare to say my vows. I'll have that luxurious wedding at Saint Pat's, the reception at any grandiose place of my choice that is comfortably nestled in Manhattan, preferably on the High-Line, and I'll finally be able to scream stylized bon mots at my husband during those nights locked inside our Manhattan hi-rise, preferably with a Central Park view, that will make George and Martha shake their head in shame and long for Albee to raise their verbal violence just inches short of gunfire and manslaughter. Oh, the expensive dinnerware and cutlery and Japanese vases we'll fling at each other full force, the nights filled with stares of sheer anger and nary a word uttered as the tension rises and Juanita the maid wonders if this will be the night she'll become mincemeat, and then, the operatic moments of fabulous man-sex that will cement that we, in short, are a Couple. Thank you, New York!

Now. Here. This.

Photo Credit: Dirty Sugar Photography

If all those hot-ass people in the picture look familiar, they should....it's the same team that brought [title of show] to Broadway a few years back.  Susan Blackwell, Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Heidi Blickenstaff, Larry Pressgrove, and Michael Berresse have collaborated on a brand new show, very different from their previous creation but also, very much like it.  They'd been work-shopping it at the Vineyard Theater on 15th St. for the previous two weeks and while it's current incarnation is now over, there is no doubt that you haven't missed it.

The White Rainbow

White, not technically a color, is my absolute favorite non-color--especially when it comes to dinnerware and kitchenware. I have an ever expanding collection of whiteness that M fears will take over the apartment and turn it into a ceramic Antarctic.

White has other associations, such as weddings, that I can appreciate from a rainbow’s distance. Ever since realizing a few critical truths about myself at a young age, I’d given up on the idea of being one-half of a couple having such a ceremony with family and friends in attendance. One can always play dress up and make believe, but never in my teenage years did I ever think it would be part of my life.

Unnatural Acts

"Unnatural Acts" at Classic Stage Company, June 18, 2011

This new dramatization by the Plastic Theatre chronicles the events leading up to the "secret court" hearings conducted by Harvard University in 1920, following the apparent suicide of Cyril Wilcox.

Amit Paley, a student journalist for The Harvard Crimson, discovered a reference to the incident in university archives.  Harvard eventually allowed Mr. Paley to review the documents, prompting Tony Speciale of Plastic Theatre to make his own investigation.

Around the World on my Lunch break

By Patrick

Jury duty a few weeks ago had me spending time in a part of town I don't find myself in often, where Soho, Tribeca, Wall Street, Chinatown, Little Italy and City Hall all flow, meld and occasionally crash into each other.  My first lunch break I strolled over to Tribeca hoping to find a cheap place to eat.  Gentrification is  several decades old here so expensive restaurants abound, heavy on the upscale Italian, but just as I began to give up hope, I stumbled onto a classic New York deli.  And when I say classic New York, I mean owned and run by Greeks.  Posters of the Acropolis and Crete mingle with posters for Broadway shows, and Law & Order cast shots signed with complementary messages about the food.  The menu is Midwestern farm and all-day breakfast foods  supplemented by souvlaki, moussaka, and gyros, all served with a pickle and cup of coleslaw, french fries if you order the deluxe (hash browns if you're having eggs).  This place broke with tradition only by having pretty good coffee.

Day two I decided to head east, in search of unfamiliar terrain and something healthier than pancakes.  After a cheap, filling Thai stir-fry, I wandered into a nearby park. 

 

Queer Bloggers/Writers/Readers/Stalkers to March Together in NYC Pride March

Were you wondering why I had not announced this for a third year. My bad. Although it is last minute,  it looks like we will be dusting off the banner and marching as a group. You're all welcomed to march with us. Stay tuned for details. This was our group in 2009.

QNY Giveaway: 2 Tix to Blowoff NYC!

Leave a comment. We'll assign a number to your comment and draw from a hat.
Check back on Friday for the winner. We'll tell the winner how to claim the prize.

Keeping Things Queer in the East Village

by Charlie Vázquez


Queer New York, I miss you! But I haven't wandered astray for any other reason than work and event overload. Last week we hosted an event at the Phoenix for the Cuban writer and drag queen Roxy la Rusa. Below is a clip from that night of San Juan, Puerto Rico's one-and-only Lola von Miramar paying homage to Cuba, Puerto Rico, and to the Puerto Rican poet lost to AIDS, Manuel Ramos Otero.

If you need something to do tonight, we'll be at Nowhere (322 E 14th St) for HISPANIC PRIDE PANIC!, where we'll be honoring two NYC queer poets of greatness, Pamela Sneed and Robert Vazquez-Pacheco (plus other guests). That starts at 7:30...smooches.

Enjoy the video!

Don't burn your fingertips

when you snap out those candles tonight.

“Gatsby?” demanded Daisy. “What Gatsby?”

Before I could reply that he was my neighbor dinner was announced; wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine, Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square.

Slenderly, languidly, their hands set lightly on their hips, the two young women preceded us out onto a rosy-colored porch, open toward the sunset, where four candles flickered on the table in the diminished wind.

“Why CANDLES?” objected Daisy, frowning. She snapped them out with her fingers. “In two weeks it’ll be the longest day in the year.” She looked at us all radiantly. “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.”

“We ought to plan something,” yawned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed.

“All right,” said Daisy. “What’ll we plan?” She turned to me helplessly: “What do people plan?”

How the city changes

This is 28th Street as seen from the newly opened second portion of the High Line looking west. The north side of the street is vacant with recent demolition prepping a huge lot for new condos. You can't quite see down to the Eagle on the south side of the street. Later in the day, Folsom Street East would take place directly below this overlook. That must have made for some very shocked tourists! Click to inspect the site where too many worlds collide. Nothing can or should be done to stop this. It is part of the vitality of the city.

Broadway Bares XXI

Last night, as the plus-one of JoeMyGod, I attended that great annual benefit stripathon called Broadway Bares. You'll want to view these big. (They are rather NSFW.) Event details in the captions.

Some visual delight for a Monday

I love this Samsung video. Via Andrew Sullivan.

Parting shot of partying shots.

Newest QNY contributor Miguel Dominguez reported on the bash, but I'd like to add this one photo because I love the reflection of another photo-in-progress seen in the angled mirror behind the bar. Very Vermeer.

In the foreground: Scooter LaForge,  Coby Koehl and Rob Ordonez

Gov Cuomo Continues Push for Same-Sex Marriage in NY

Perry Brass: Lost Gay New York: George Platt Lynes at Throckmorton Fine Arts

George Platt Lynes, courtesy Throckmorton Fine Arts

We now live very much in the Age of George Platt Lynes, a miraculously queer photographer who died in 1955 at the age of 48 of lung cancer. Whenever you see a stop-in-your-tracks image of a young, well-built, sexually enticing man in an isolated setting—in other words, what you’re looking at is the man, either alone or with another man, nude or with as few clothes on as possible, and that’s it—you’re staring at a George Platt Lynes image.

It can be a gym-sleek ad for GNC, a hot fashion shot for Armani, one of those Abercrombie & Fitch creatures dripping innocent sweat and sex, 2-Xist or Calvin Klein, Dolce and Gabbana, or Dolce and anything: all George Platt Lynes. He did it first, and better, and he knew how to knock your eyes out with a kind of sweet effortlessness that took a genuine dollop of genius to create.

Who was he, and how did he do it at a time when you could not even send nude shots of the men he photographed through the mails without risking arrest?

Key West Pride

By Tony Adams

Coming back to NYC tomorrow with wonderful memories of Pride Week in Key West.
I took this photo earlier today as we prepared for the parade (I was on the Island House trolley) and I think it captures the "One Human Family" motto of Key West. Click it for full gorgeousness.

Brooklyn Pride!

The opposite of the Manhattan Mega 4-Hour-plus Pride Parade is the organic, almost barely-organized charm of Brooklyn Pride. No crowd control barriers, no corporate advertisements masquerading as "pride" floats, just a wildly enthusiastic mini-crowd of locals lining 5th Ave in Park Slope, one person deep, so every one has a front row view. As the parade moves north, from its start at 15th Street to the end at Union, spectators melt into participants, creating one unified mass of colorful celebration.
Happy Pride Brooklyn!

 

Videos after the jump....

The Meeting with Justin Sayre - A benefit for the Ali Forney Center

Hey all you beautiful queers, I want to clue you in on an exciting show that's happening next Monday, June 13, 2011, at 7:00pm, at Joe's Pub.  Justin Sayre is one of my best friends in NYC.  He is an hilarious and incredibly talented writer for stage and screen, and produces his own monthly variety show called The Meeting (of the International Order of Sodomites), at the Duplex in Sheridan Square.  Get tickets.

I always wish I had recordings of my conversations with Justin.  Few people are as erudite, insightful, and beautifully gay as Mr. Sayre.  He's making waves in the downtown performance scene and broadening the reach of his rapier wit.  This Summer he'll be guest hosting radio shows and producing special editions of The Meeting on Fire Island.  Catch any of his shows; you'll be amazed.

For his special June edition of The Meeting, Justin is hosting his second annual benefit for the Ali Forney Center.  If you don't know AFC and you're a New Yorker, you've been hiding out somewhere and perhaps you can comment on this post so we can send in a therapist to coax you back out into the real world.  AFC is the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth.  AFC's goal is to provide homeless LGBT youths, aged 16-24, with the support and services they need to escape the streets and begin to live healthy and independent lives.  There is no queer group of people more in need of our help, in my humble opinion.

Justin's lineup of performers includes JACKIE HOFFMAN (The Addams Family, Hairspray), PAUL IACONO (MTV’s “The Hard Times of RJ Berger,” Fame), DAISY EAGAN (The Secret Garden), COLE ESCOLA (Logo TV's “Jeffery & Cole Casserole”), GAY MARSHALL (Jacques Brel Is Alive…), RYAN O'CONNOR (“Oprah’s Search for the Next TV Star”), EMILY BERGL (“Desperate Housewives,” “Men In Trees”), NATALIE JOY JOHNSON (Legally Blonde, But I’m A Cheerleader), RANDY RAINBOW “(“Randy Rainbow is Dating Mel Gibson”), LADY RIZO (Grammy \-winning singer and chanteuse), JEFF HILLER (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, “30 Rock”), ERIN MARKEY (Puppy Love: A Stripper’s Tail at PS 122), KIM SMITH (Bistro Award for “Outstanding Performer on the Rise”), SUMMER & EVE (the folk-musical comedy band featuring NADIA QUINN of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), MICHAEL LONGORIA (Jersey Boys), JACK FERVER (Rumble Ghost at PS 122, SWAN!), LARRY HAMILTON, and JAMAAL WILSON.

For $25, that lineup is a steal, and when you consider your money is benefiting the Ali Forney Center, it'd be downright silly to miss it.  I hope to see you there!

West 96th Street.

Born This Way Only OK

By West Village Bill

By now, I'm sure a considerable chunk of QNY's readership has had a chance to purchase and digest Lady Gaga's Born This Way. What do you think of it?

I'm enjoying several songs on the album, but overall, I think it's a bit of a letdown. There's no song that demands to be listened to again and again like "Bad Romance," "Telephone," or "Poker Face" from The Fame/The Fame Monster. The title song is fine and well-intentioned, but it doesn't have as memorable of a hook as Gaga's earlier hits.

I like "Americano," and I want to believe it's a love letter to America Ferrera. And I like "Hair" despite its ridiculous assertion by Gaga that she's "as free as (her) hair." WTF?

"Fashion of His Love" sounds like something Tiffany would have sung at a Long Island mall in 1988. And that's not a good thing.

New York magazine has put "The Edge of Glory" in the running for the Song of the Summer. It's one of my favorites from the album. As are the country-ish "Yoü and I" and the anthem-ish "Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)." But I could do without "Heavy Metal Lover" and "Electric Chapel."

Please leave your own impressions in the comments.

Quilled Lady Gaga card created by Leesandra Diaz at New York–based Sweet Spot Card Shop.

The Second Section of the High Line Is Open!

If you come to New York City but do not have the High Line on your list of must-sees, you are making a big mistake. If you live here....

Section Two is now open. There are a zillion gorgeous photos via the links in their press release (I am especially fond of the Flickr link which allows people to post their own High Line pics:

Earlier today, we stood with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Speaker Christine Quinn, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, and other leaders and supporters to cut the ribbon on the new section of the High Line. Tomorrow will be the first full day the new section is open to the public.

The opening of the new section doubles the length of the public park. After years of planning, design and construction, the High Line is now one mile long, running from Gansevoort Street to West 30th Street, connecting the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Hell's Kitchen.

Read more about Section 2's design on our Web site, and view photos on the High Line's Facebook page.