A gay street gang from Little Rock, Arkansas, “The House of Avalon” is redefining party life and fashion in L.A. BY MARK ARIEL | PHOTO BY DUSTI CUNNINGHAM Performance artists, event planners and fashion queens “The House of Avalon” have taken Los Angeles by storm, throwing fabulous queer parties throughout the the city (the next…
Local artists to look out for in 2017. The first in an ongoing series promoting local queer art. DAVIS MALLORY Singer-Songwriter, DJ, Actor Davis Mallory from MTV’s The Real World is gearing up to get Loud this spring with the release of the title track from his upcoming album. Cowritten with Mitchell Rose and…
West Coast Premiere of Katherine Fairfax Wright’s documentary, part of the Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival. Last year Todrick Hall, the singer, dancer, actor, director, American Idol sensation, and YouTube superstar unveiled his biggest project yet: The Wizard Of Oz—inspired musical Straight Outta Oz. Influenced largely by his small-town Texas upbringing and his close…
Excerpts from a conversation between International Mister Leather (IML) 1989 Guy Baldwin and IML 2017 Ralph Bruneau. TRANSCRIBED BY SEAN GALUSZKA Guy Baldwin: Hello Ralph. First off—can you tell us a little about yourself? Ralph Bruneau: I’m a psychotherapist here in Los Angeles, been doing this for a little over 20 years. Originally I became…
A summer series of interdisciplinary happenings, brings together Los Angeles-based artists to respond to the Getty Center’s unique architecture and gardens and forge new connections to the collections and exhibitions. July 14 Visual artist Molly Surno presents We of Me, a choreographed soundscape featuring Brian Chase of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and 20 men who…
A 7-color 5k fun run/walk to celebrate city’s diversity. Register at GlitterRun.org. BY ORLY LYONNE Be bold, be proud, and bedazzled while participating in The Glitter Run, a 7-color 5K fun run/walk on Sunday, August 20, that benefits the Los Angeles LGBT Center and its newest initiative, Mi Centro, a partnership with the Latino Equality…
Violence Against Russian LGBTS Prompts Young Violinist To Come Out to The World. BY LARRY BUHL Artem Kolesov didn’t plan to be a spokesperson for Russian LGBT rights. The 23-year-old violinist thought his coming-out would be limited to a Facebook status update on his birthday that a few people, and his mother, might see. In an…
Rapper Cazwell aims to make America femme again through music and fashion. BY ORLY LYONNE Cazwell’s Loose Wrists, the first single off his new music label Snow Cone, is old-school hip-hop with a beat that is purposely simple and bass driven. “I moved to Los Angeles a year ago and I wanted to make a…
In the current political climate, with the jackals sniffing at our collective door, the flag controversy feels like a potentially deadly distraction. BY BRENDEN SHUCART After a series of nasty events exposed deep fissures of racism within Philadelphia’s LGBT communities, that city’s Office of LGBT Affairs unveiled a new flag for Pride Month—a version of…
San Diego’s Pride Festival will take place July 15–16, in Balboa Park, and will include over 90 acts across 4 different stages. The multi-platinum female music group En Vogue will be headlining at San Diego’s Pride Festival this month. “We are excited to perform at San Diego Pride this year! It’s always been important…
#ResistMarch founder Brian Pendleton: “It was a moving human rights monument—and it was a beautiful thing to be part of.” BY MARK ARIEL A crowd estimated at about 100,000 took part in the #ResistMarch last month. The march for human rights, organized by LA Pride, was in solidarity with the National Equality March for Unity and…
SATURDAY, JULY 1 GLOW ME Bullet Bar, 10522 Burbank Blvd, North Hollywood, CA. 9pm–2am. Celebrate your independence at Glow Me at the Bullet Bar! It’s going to be a hot and steamy summer night for this body paint blacklight underwear party! Come get glown by their professional make up artist! $6 cover. #glowme #glowparty #noho #northhollywood…
THE FIGHT at OC Pride, last month. LOS ANGELES Center Hosts Trans Pride LA 2017 The Los Angeles LGBT Center hosted Trans Pride LA last month at The Village in Hollywood. Trans Pride LA is one of the oldest and largest trans celebrations in the country. The event offered more than 30 organizations – part of…
Generic Truvada A generic version of the drug has been approved by the FDA. BY VICTOR MELAMED The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic version of Truvada, the drug used as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), aimed at preventing HIV-negative people from becoming infected with the virus, reports The Advocate. Truvada, also used in HIV treatment in…
SOLD OUT Clothing At MICKY’S SOLD OUT Clothing held a runway show at Micky’s in West Hollywood during LA Pride week. Keith Webb and David Kahauolopua showed variations of their Tom of Finland designs on the models. The show included a special segment honoring the Orlando 49 in collaboration with the Orlando Ribbon project as…
From Russia Without Love European Court blasts Russia’s “gay propaganda” law. BY VICTOR MELAMED Russia’s “gay propaganda” law is discriminatory and encourages homophobia, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled, reports the BBC. The Strasbourg judges said Russia had discriminated against three gay rights activists who opposed the law. It was adopted in 2013, banning “promotion…
Melodrama The second studio album by New Zealand singer Lorde: simple yet intricate songs with a hushed, expansive technicolor sheen. BY PAUL V. VITAGLIANO It’s felt like an eternity waiting for Lorde to graduate to sophomore status with her 2nd album, but damn—the wait was worth it! The New Zealand phenom seemingly came out of…
“Gay pride is the antithesis of gay shame… We’re not proud of being gay, per se. We’re rejecting society’s disdain, a disdain that heterosexuals have not experienced.” THERE WILL COME A TIME I couldn’t help but notice that you FIGHT readers showed your Pride early this year in solidarity with a national day of Trump protests…
Summer Sobriety The associates at My 12 Step Store in West Hollywood on how they’re staying sober these hot summer days. BY PAULO MURILLO HAVE FAITH ″When I was in my addiction, I’d be running around and always looking for the next place where I could get high. I’d be walking in the heat for hours…
CA Travel Ban New restrictions prohibit state-funded travel to anti-gay states. BY VICTOR MELAMED California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) will bar state employees from business trips to four states after those states passed measures limiting the rights of LGBT people, reports The Hill. The new restrictions prohibit state-funded or state-sponsored travel to Texas, Alabama,…
