Op-ed: Let's Fight HIV, Not Our Sexuality
Op-ed: Let's Fight HIV, Not Our Sexuality
We must reframe the conversation about HIV prevention so it’s about more than just condoms.
Mathew Rodriguez
www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/12/26/op-ed-lets-fight-hiv-not-our-sexuality
Ladyfag's SHADE Party Hits NYC For New Year's Eve
Ladyfag's SHADE Party Hits NYC For New Year's Eve
“Are you a hologram? Are you tired of being a hologram?”
That’s the tagline for New York City nightlife party curator Ladyfag‘s New Year’s Eve installment of her monthly party “SHADE.”
Taking place in a Brooklyn warehouse location announced the days leading up to NYE, “SHADE: 2084” is slated to be a massive warehouse rave with overarching dystopian themes informed by the digital age and the surveillance state.
Ladyfag, who was recently featured in HuffPost Gay Voices Associate Editor James Nichols‘ series “After Dark: NYC Nightlife Today And Days Past,” utilizes her monthly “SHADE” parties to curate large-scale, all-night fantasy rages informed by overarching and intelligent thematic frameworks. Past “SHADE” parties have included a dystopian homage to Detroit called “Detropia” and a commentary on the commercialization of LGBT Pride called “Shame.”
The Huffington Post chatted with Ladyfag this week about “SHADE: 2084” and what attendees can expect at this NYE fantasy.
The Huffington Post: What is your vision for SHADE: 2084?
Ladyfag: Dark! “SHADE” tends to veer to the dystopian themes quite a bit to quench our dark side — it is called “SHADE” after all! That said, it’s still New Year’s, so it’s dark and festive at the same time. The New Year is a time to reflect on the world you live in and, while the trajectory the world is veering towards isn’t always looking too promising, at least we still have the freedom to come under one roof and think about it. The “Shade State” is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but also a reminder of how blessed we still are in spite of it all. Big Brother will NOT be watching…
How is the framework for this party informed by life in the digital age and the surveillance state?
The installation is centered around the idea of a futuristic means of delivery of information to the masses, of the totality and centrality of the message, and of the human race huddling together to weather the storms. It’s strange to re-watch dystopian future movies from my childhood because half of the futuristic things in them ended up becoming reality. A lot of what we’re creating for the event is intended to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, while also making you think about it. The first time I ever saw “Blade Runner” was actually on NYE when I was a teenager. I remember my heart and mind racing so fast… and in a way I’m trying to recreate that feeling.
You previously told The Huffington Post: “We feel a certain responsibility at this point to live up to the SHADE reputation, so we’re always trying to outdo the last one.” How are you going to accomplish this through SHADE: 2084?
We always have to think outside the box because a lot of our crowd is a little spoiled in thinking that they should all be on the guest list and that budgets are astronomical. But it forces us to be a bit more creative in trying to give them a fully immersive experience as best as we can. We still have to do our job of providing the “wow factor.” But for SHADE: 2084 we went more of the mental route with the installations, attempting to communicate the message to the guests’ minds directly and then let the partygoers can use their brains to paint the picture of what’s happening around them and outside of the building. We also splurged on sound and lights because, well… techno!
What does next year hold for SHADE and Ladyfag?
Things are about to get a lot SHADE-ier… without ever throwing any of the proverbial Shade. I guess we’re hoping to bring new meaning to the word — and to give New York the kind of positive Shade they deserve!
Head here for more about “SHADE: 2084” or here for ticketing information. Want to learned more about Ladyfag? Head here to read her interview from the series “After Dark: NYC Nightlife Today And Days Past.”
Want to see more photos from past “SHADE” parties? Check out the slideshow below.
Five Reasons You Should Attend Time to THRIVE
Five Reasons You Should Attend Time to THRIVE
If you are an educator, a counselor, a service leader or an activist, Time to THRIVE is the right conference for you.
HRC.org
A Rare Glimpse Into Iran's Underground Gay Community
A Rare Glimpse Into Iran's Underground Gay Community
When then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared in 2007 that there were no gay people in Iran, he was correct in one sense. Because homosexuality is illegal and punishable by imprisonment, torture or execution, the idea of someone living their life openly gay in Iran is unheard of.
But of course Ahmadinejad was wrong in that there are plenty of gay Iranians living in the shadows. It’s just that the government chooses to ignore them — at least until it doesn’t.
And while we often hear about LGBT Iranians who’ve fled the country, what about those who choose to stay or can’t afford to leave?
In a story published Tuesday, Vocativ offers a compelling look at Iran’s underground gay community through the eyes of three of its members: a 25-year-old single man who recently had the courage to come out to his parents, and two men in their early 30s who are in a relationship, albeit a very secretive one.
It’s a story of private parties whose hosts must pay off the country’s moral police, and of wealthy married men who live parallel lives and cruise parks for young male prostitutes.
From Vocativ:
Gays from lower classes and rural areas, where stigmatization is often most severe, rarely have the ability to move out of the house before marriage, let alone leave the country. Even in more affluent communities in cities. there is generally little acceptance of homosexuality, but some middle- and upper-class Iranians have the means to create parallel lives, out of sight of their relatives or friends. These people—men like Saeed—are the lucky ones.
“Ninety-five percent of gays in Iran will never come out,” Saeed says over pasta at one of northern Tehran’s coffee shops, where the atmosphere is relatively permissive. For all his friends who have dared, coming out has been a traumatic experience; parents lock their children inside the house, confiscate their phones and laptops, and force them to seek therapy.
Even “the lucky ones” like Saeed live in constant fear — “We are all so fucking scared,” he told Vocativ. The Iranian government keeps extensive intelligence files on its citizens and presumably monitors gay apps like Grindr. But an even bigger threat to gay Iranians can be blackmail by other citizens who find out.
The pressure is so intense in Iran that many gay men choose to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Being transgender is acceptable in Iran, where more people undergo GRS than in any other country except Thailand.
Meanwhie, the country’s HIV rate has increased nine-fold over the last 10 years, and 70 percent don’t know they’re infected.
Still, there are signs of hope.
A recent government study found that 17 percent of young adults in Iran said they were gay. And the government has begun to at least acknolwedge their existence — even if it’s through backward policies like a ban on military service for those who can prove it.
Hossein Alizadeh, of the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, told Vocativ:
“There’s a new generation of people who are more tolerant of these issues. But at the end of the day, it only takes one person to destroy your life.”
And in some cases, “destroy your life” can mean literally.
Read Vocativ’s full story here.
John Wright
Go Hard or Go Home
Go Hard or Go Home
Questions: Night on the town or movie club night? Hot Chocolate or flaming sambuca? Foam Party or Hot Bath? Hit the club at 11 or hit the hay at 11? sunday brunch or waking up after midday?…
XV Campaña de recolección de regalos / @Movilh 2014
The Big List of People Who Came Out in 2014
The Big List of People Who Came Out in 2014
We’ve rounded up the year’s comings out from our archive and found famous names like Ellen Page, brave moves by athletes such as Michael Sam, and inspiring moments in business and music.
Advocate.com Editors
www.advocate.com/year-review/2014/12/26/big-list-people-who-came-out-2014
Watch Neil Patrick Harris' First Oscars Promo
Watch Neil Patrick Harris' First Oscars Promo
Neil Patrick Harris has a last-minute gift idea for you: Tell your family to watch him host the Oscars. ABC released the first promo for the 2015 Oscars on Christmas Day, and though that’s a pretty lame present — sorry, NPH — the ceremony will mark Harris’ first time as host. When the gig was confirmed back in October, Harris said that hosting the show “is a bucket list dream come true.” The Oscars air on ABC on Feb. 22, 2015.
Best of 2014: Obama Administration Reaches Historic LGBT Milestones
Best of 2014: Obama Administration Reaches Historic LGBT Milestones
President Barack Obama helped our country reach unprecedented LGBT milestones throughout 2014.
HRC.org
