Category: Queerespondence

Tony Kushner Suggests Biden ‘Flop’ on Same Sex Marriage Orchestrated by White House

By Nicole Brydson

Playwright Tony Kushner sat down with Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman to discuss Joe Biden’s comments which led to President Obama expressing support for same-sex marriage. But the Tony Award winning Tony says don’t believe the hype that this seeming flop wasn’t orchestrated somehow to test the national waters on the issue of gay marriage during an election season.

The Many Faces of Actress & Comedienne Jen Tullock

By Douglas Calhoun

Ladies and gentleman, this Second Saturday at Southpaw our very own Queerespondent Jen Tullock will be making her worldwide debut in character as everyone’s new favorite 90s white girl rapper Jenatari. Who better to ring in the holiday season then one of our very favorite local comediennes! But before she was Jenatari.. she was Estelle! and Charisma! And an almost-expired Bushwick roommate. We caught up with her in advance of Jenatari’s debut performance to talk about her past characters and various incarnations of the one and only Jen Tullock.

Queerespondence Got Its Zombie on DownSouth

By Staff

The October Queerespondence, our inaugural night at Southpaw, was a blast! Here’s the documentation of the Night of the Living Queers party by resident photographer and stand up guy Michael Popp.

Queerespondence Second Saturdays, DownSouth @ Southpaw

By Douglas Calhoun

Queerespondence is moving it’s monthly bonanza to the fabulous DownSouth lounge at Southpaw in the heart of Park Slope. From now on every second Saturday of the month will be the time and place to party like a Queerespondent should.

The Fancy-iest Band In Brooklyn

By Robin Bacior

Queerespondence recently interrogated Mississippian gent Seth Garrison, 27, of the danceable and dreamy, chamber music-infused, The Fancy. We didn’t tie him up, but we came close.

A Brooklynite’s Guide to Queer Literature

By Natalie Peart

Greenlight Books and Feminist Press staffer Natalie Peart recommends her favorite queer literature for summertime reading.

Gaga at the Gala: Rakesh Satyal Wins Lambda Literary Award, Sings About It

By Nicole Brydson

Rakesh Satyal, friend of BrooklynTheBorough.com and author of the novel Blue Boy (Kensington, 2009), recently won the Gay Debut Fiction Award at the 22nd Annual Lambda Literary Awards. Upon being presented with the award, he broken into song – something that he’s well known for doing – and this time he caught the attention of the New Yorker. We caught up with the Fort Greene-based author about the award, his speech and what’s in store for a potential second, musical career path.

Prospect Park Zoo’s New Arrivals are Adorable!

By Douglas Calhoun

Gender Neutral at Prospect Park Zoo? Well that’s summer lovin’! After a group was polled, including 169 votes for yes on the park’s website, the new born Tamarin twins were named Tira and Misu.

Summer’s Seasonal Snacks for A Prospect Park Picnic

By Douglas Calhoun

Local chef and musician Jesse Gold has been cooking for almost an entire lifetime, so we asked the Brooklynite and musician to whip up some seasonal snacks and dishes alike for your summer time picnic basket! Here are the recipes she cooked up.

Either/Or with ImFromDriftwood.com’s Nathan Manske

By Douglas Calhoun

Nathan Manske founded ImFromDriftwood.com a little over a year ago, when inspired by the work of Harvey Milk, he began simply documenting the stories of gay people all over the globe.

Summer Interiors: A Pastel Pad On Flatbush

By Douglas Calhoun

There are flowers blooming everywhere we go and bikes hitting the pavement to Prospect Park so that must make it time for a new installment of Queer Interiors, featuring a lovely home or two every season for that special sneak peak urban dwellers crave. This round features talented baker, proud Brooklynite and cute cyclist Jason Schreiber, who has a gem of a space to hang his hat. He gave us the low down on his not-so-bachelor pad for our summer edition of Queer Interiors, so check out Jason’s eye for design – homemade or otherwise – which makes this a delicious space.

Facebook Deletes Author Fan Page for “Inappropriate Language”

By Douglas Calhoun

Lambda Literary Award nominee Frank Anthony Polito’s Facebook fan page for his book Band Fags! was deleted last Thursday by the social networking giant, for his use of “inappropriate language” in the title.

Resident Queerespondent Thorgy Auditions For RuPaul’s Drag Race

By Douglas Calhoun

Our Third party at Bar4 was a true madhouse. Resident performer Thorgy came out and made some serious magic to the tune of RuPaul’s “Jealous of My Boogie” as a live audition for RuPaul’s Drag Race Reason 3. Needless to say, Thorgy put her colorful spin on the whole song, drawing the admiration of the crowd and the show’s producers with this rare moment of genius. We’re rooting for you Thorgy!

Spring Interiors: The Bachelor Edition

By Douglas Calhoun

Brooklyn is full of singles getting their apartment ready for spring! One of those bachelors is 24 year-old dancer Stuart Singer. He’s a tree of a man with a taste for simple and homey things. His mix of retro, heirlooms, and craigslist finds makes for a great space. Spy on this handsome drink of water and welcome the coming days of spring! Hooray!

Queerespondence: Our Party Family!

By Douglas Calhoun

Get to know the family that throws the newest queer night in South Brooklyn by way of Queerespondence! Native Brooklynite Lauren Gulbrandsen of Babeland in SoHo and fabulous Southern transplant Douglas Calhoun of Queerespondence will join forces Saturday, March 6, to throw the second of many queer Brooklyn parties to come. Find out about upcoming events and learn more about these two as they turn the questions on each other over a few drinks and few laughs.

Dan Via Wrote and Stars in Daddy, But It’s Not A Manifesto

By Douglas Calhoun

Dan Via is the playwright and actor starring in Daddy, a new play about gay relationships, currently running at TBG Arts Center’s Mainstage Theatre through Februrary 13. I was able to get the inside scoop from this handsome writer, who is currently based in Park Slope, as the show was kicking off.

Winter Retreats: A Romance and A Bromance

By Douglas Calhoun

Our homes are often a reflection of our relationships and in this edition of Brooklyn Interiors we’ve got a real queer romance and two straight boys in a serious bromance. Both charming apartments are in Prospect Heights and offer a very zen design. Peak inside your neighbor’s homes with another installment of modern apartment porn!

Get Gay Travel: A New Way to Get Gay in the New Year!

By Douglas Calhoun

While you might only afford to dream of your next getaway in this very cold post-holiday season, the folks at Get Gay Travel – a group of young travel know-it-alls who are catering to the queer travel community – are planning to transform the way gays and straights alike get from state to state or country to country. Queerespondence was able to grill Get Gay Travel’s President Ari Warshawsky to find out what they are all about and to also get some hot destination picks, so whether you’re jetsetting or roadtripping there is a thrilling adventure in your (not so distant) future!

Home for the Holidays: A Holiday Edition of Queer Brooklyn Interiors

By Douglas Calhoun

This week of cheer post-Christmas and pre-New Years is always a good time. Hosting friends and toasting away last year’s dead-end jobs or high expectations is always a real pleasure. This is a time when your home is a critical oasis from slushy snow boots, pushy shoppers and honking cars, and making a home in this town is a true task. Getting over the loud streets, the blaring music, or the crazy neighbors leaves making your space a reflection of your own taste a tiring adventure. Some of the queer folks of Brooklyn have a real skill making their spaces true escapes in this crazy town. I was able to get some beautiful shots of these homes thanks to the exceptional work of photographer Michael Popp. Oogle these fabulous interiors after the jump.

Queer in The Kitchen: Squashing It With Local Chef Jessie Gold

By Douglas Calhoun

Local chef and musician Jessie Gold has been cooking for almost an entire lifetime. The Brooklyn resident has established some local celebrity and a pretty savory cooking gig at locally owned and operated Ortine in Prospect Heights. A sturdy bike, a flare for the fabulous, and a penchant for cooking make it obvious Jessie is going places. As we kick off the holiday season this weekend, and friends and family come together around their dinner tables, I thought I’d ask for some cooking help from a master, and luckily it got me some yummy perspective from this talented chef.

A Gay Pride Center Grows In Brooklyn

By Douglas Calhoun

Did you know that Brooklyn is the only borough of this great city that does not have a gay pride center? On Thursday, the steps of Borough Hall played host to a collection of Brooklyn heavy hitters to talk about plans to change that.

Queens in Queens: How Gay is Far Rockaway?

By Douglas Calhoun

Rock Rock Rock A Gay Beach! Queerespondent Douglas Calhoun explores the nether regions of Queens.

Gay Pride Over Brooklyn

By Nicole Brydson

A rainbow arched over the Manhattan Bridge during today’s erratic weather. Happy Pride Day!

Police Commissioner Answers Questions at Medal Day Ceremony

By Nicole Brydson

The morning after residents of Crown Heights took the Police Commissioner to task for drug dealing, prostitution and quality of life issues in the neighborhood, Ray Kelly was awarding the Deputy Inspector of their local 77th precinct a unit citation at Medal Day ceremonies.

The same precinct where, according to department statistics, crime has plummeted 18%.

“If you look at statistics at this precinct, they are very, very impressive,” Commissioner Kelly had told the crowded basement of Berean Baptist Church. “If you’re the victim of a crime, you don’t want to hear about statistics, I understand that, one crime is one crime too many – but the numbers here are really an indication of the work that’s being done.”

With all the talk about statistics, it sounded like the crowd was watching The Wire.

Police Commish Mum On Anti-Gay Allegations Against Cops

By Nicole Brydson

There was an elephant in the basement of Berean Baptist Church in Crown Heights on Monday, when Police Commissioner Ray Kelly spent an hour addressing the questions of residents concerned with violence, drugs and quality of life issues on the streets of the 77th precinct in Brooklyn.

That elephant came in the form of allegations that officers from the 77th assaulted two lesbian women outside of a local nightclub while spewing anti-gay remarks. The question never came up during the meeting and the commissioner gave a terse “no comment” when confronted with it on his way out the door.

The Under Report: Lesbians Beaten Up By Cops in Crown Heights

By Nicole Brydson

According to a report, two lesbians were allegedly beaten in front of a nightclub on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights. Jeannette Grey and Tiffany Jimenez are alleging that NYPD officers used excessive force and hateful speech when they encountered the women outside of Ife Lounge on May 16.

Singer Scott Matthew Finds Fame, Gets Berated by Cab Driver

By Nicole Brydson

Self-admittedly, Scott Matthew has led a Jekyll and Hyde existence for some time now – famous on one continent and struggling in another.

Bowling Alone in Williamsburg

By Nicole Brydson

On a recent Saturday night, I did a little experiment: I broke the rules of youthful social engagement and went to a bar by myself. I sat in the dimly lit courtyard behind Union Pool in Williamsburg. I made myself available, quietly sipping a pint of Blue Moon.