Kay's Moment

Monday, January 20, 2014

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day

LGBT News: Meet Crimson Kitty, Brooklyn Drag Artist And Performer

James Nichols

james.nichols@huffingtonpost.com

This is the twelfth installment in an ongoing series that explores drag culture and the nightlife scene in Brooklyn, N.Y. Over the past several years, following the large-scale exodus of artists across the East River and into northern Brooklyn, those engaged in drag culture in this outer borough have rethought what "drag performer" signifies. Accompanied by a larger movement to understand drag culture outside of the pageant circuit, many individuals engaged in the drag community throughout Brooklyn approach drag culture through a nontraditional lens of "alternative" drag or performance art. Visit HuffPost Gay Voices regularly to learn not only about the individuals involved in Brooklyn's drag community, but more about the culture of the community itself.

The Huffington Post: How did you get your start in the drag world?
Crimson Kitty: I was a burlesque performer for several years before I got tired of the scene. Prior to the whole "Drag Race" phenomenon I experimented with gender but no one got what I was doing because I wasn't doing a drag king style of performance, and my schtick wasn't properly developed. I was at a crossroads in my performance career when a faux queen pageant popped up and I knew it was something I had to do. So I changed my stage name to Crimson Kitty (formerly Agent N or “N”) and entered, writing my own parody song to Lady Gaga’s "Born This Way" with backup dancers and a dress made entirely out of latex. I didn’t win (nor come close) but I knew I had what it took to do this. I focused on lip-syncing performances and honed my craft and one day I met a queen by the name of Rebecca Glasscock -- the first queen that really believed in me. I started doing shows with her and my drag family at the world famousStonewall Inn and things really hit it from there!

Drag King K.James described you as a "female-to-female or FtF drag queen." As a biological woman, what would you say to those who would claim this isn't, in fact, drag at all?
In early drag times (when I first started) I had no idea what to call myself or how to promote what I did, so I started saying that I was FtF because at the time, gender labels were huge in the queer community and I wanted nothing more than to stand out. I loved the term, friends loved the term, and then I realized that it was offensive to some. My intentions weren’t to offend -- my intentions were to be fabulous! Rather than deal with backlash, I simply dropped the FtF identifier and just started calling myself a drag queen and, honestly, it felt so much better and much more appropriate.

As for as those who would claim that my drag isn’t drag at all -- please, by all means get on stage and lip-sync a Whitney song to PERFECTION! I can do it… can you?

All T and shade aside, while I have a growing fan base of those who adore what I do, I also still get naysayers and resistance. I’ve been called everything from a novelty and something not to be taken seriously to a feminist. Since when are dicks taken seriously? Also, who are the inspirations for drag queens anyways? I feel like it’s the circle of drag life. I’m inspired by drag queens inspired by strong women who made me into a strong fierce female!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

LGBT Quote Of The Day

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Inspirational Quote Of The Day

Lesbian News: 'Lesbians Explain: How Lesbian Sex Is Better' Released By Arielle Scarcella, Vlogger

(Note: The video above contains graphic language about sexual situations and may not be appropriate for viewing in work or other sensitive environments)

With so much mainstream confusion surrounding lesbian and queer female sexuality and sex, the women in the video above are here to make one point clear: lesbian sex really is better than straight sex.

From the "Lesbians Explain" series by vlogger Arielle Scarcella, the clip brings together a group of women to walk you through the benefits of sex between two women. In true fashion with this series, the video is both entertaining and informative about queer female sexuality.

Check it out above -- are you convinced that lesbian sex is better?

If you're interested in viewing more videos from this series, check out "Lesbians Explain: Sleeping With Men" or "Lesbians Explain: Why Straight Girls Love Lesbian Porn."

LGBT News: Bisexuality Not Deemed A 'Legitimate Sexual Orientation' By Heterosexual Men, Women: University Of Pittsburgh Study

Both heterosexual men and women have serious doubts about bisexuality as a "legitimate sexual orientation," a new study has found.

The analysis, led by Dr. Mackey Friedman of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and presented this week at theAmerican Public Health Association's 141st Annual Meeting & Expositionin Boston, made some startling revelations about the "prejudice, stigma and discrimination" the bisexual community faces, according to a press release.

Officials administered a 33-question survey to an online sample of 1,500 adults. Although researchers were quick to point out that heterosexual men were three times more likely to have doubts about bisexuality as a sexual orientation, straight women, gay men and lesbians had similar qualms:

Overall, respondents were generally negative in terms of their attitudes toward bisexual men and women, with almost 15 percent of the sample in disagreement that bisexuality is a legitimate sexual orientation. However, women, white people and people who identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual had less bias and prejudice against bisexual people.
Of note, respondents who identified as gay or lesbian responded significantly less positively toward bisexuality than those identifying as bisexual, indicating that even within the sexual minority community, bisexuals face profound stigma. In addition, these findings indicate that male bisexuals likely suffer more stigma than female bisexuals.