Entertainment

In spite of the plethora of coronavirus memes circulating on the interwebs, quarantine life can be extremely difficult for so many of us. Self isolating, economic uncertainty, and concerns about the virus’ potentially serious health effects can all be too much to deal with. As queer people, we often find our community and a space to express ourselves at gay bars or Pride celebrations. The absence of those spaces can intensify mental health issues. A survey by Queer Voices Heard found that 57% of LGBTQ people believe their lives will be worse off in six months because of the coronavirus. A few weeks of trying to flatten the curve has already taken a huge economic toll on the service industry and the nightlife performers we know and love. 

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer but it’s not all doom and gloom! We can still enjoy performances by some of our favorite drag queens and continue to support them. Every week, drag performers are going live and finding innovative ways to make the most of performing on mobile screens. Here are a few online drag shows you can tune into every week.

Biqtch Puddin’s #DIGITALDRAGSHOW

When: Fridays at 10pm EDT
Where: twitch.tv/biqtchpuddin

La Queerantine

When: Daily shows Wednesday – Saturday at 4pm EDT
Where: Instagram Live – @laqueerantine

Drag Queen Story Hour

When: See Facebook page for schedule
Where: Facebook Live or Instagram Live

PEG Presents: Digital Drag Fest

When: March 27 – April 30 see performance schedule
Where: Stageit

Drag Aerobics

When: Every Wednesday at 3:30pm EDT
Where: Facebook Live or Instagram Live – @dollytrolleydrag

Club Q

When: Every night at 9:00pm EDT, Saturdays at 6:00pm EDT
Where: Zoom, see Instagram bio (@clubquarantine) for password

Hopefully there are still plenty of gay bars and individual queens firing up our notifications with shows of their own. If your favorite drag queen is going live, please let me know! I’d love to tune in and start a more active list on Twitter and Instagram. If you don’t see your favorite queen performing online, you can always show your support by donating to them directly. Queerantine.Me has an ongoing list of Venmo/CashApp/PayPal accounts for your local LGBTQ bar staff and drag performers.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a flash point in the LGBTQ rights movement. To commemorate the event, the New York Public Library has put together the Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50 exhibit along with a number of events.

The exhibit features a collection of photos by photojournalists Kay Tobin Lahusen and Diana Davies as well as numerous zines, flyers, posters, and other printed materials from the era. Walking through the exhibit, you’ll find it’s divided in different themes: the Stonewall Riots, Resistance, Bars, In Print, and Love.

I found the exhibit intriguing and deeply moving. Many of the photos are an intimate look into a movement that feels only recently paid attention to.

Most of the materials feature the 1970s, a period where LGBTQ activisits called for a reimagining of societal norms. The language used in the printed materials struck me for its raw, unabashed sensibilities, reclaiming of homophobic slurs, and making drag culture front and center.

The Love section also made an impression on me as the photographs on display do feature romantic couples but many of the scenes shown were intimate moments between friends. It was a beautiful reminder of the bond many queer people share with their chosen families.

Seeing the number of tourists who either made this exhibit a stop on their visit to New York or just stumbled in while visiting the library, was reassuring in this political climate. Multigenerational families wandered through taking in the stories and experiences, a reminder of how important documenting our struggles and telling our stories are.

The Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50 exhibit is on display at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building until July 14, 2019.