WE MISS DRAG BRUNCH.
That said, the LGBTQ+ community has REALLY stepped up during the pandemic lockdown to bring us all quality stay-at-home programming. And we’re gonna talk about that RIGHT NOW! (Clearly this is not an exhaustive list, and one of our best tips is for you to follow your favorite queer personalities on socials for all of ye olde updates. We also plan to refresh this list as time goes on, and if YOU have any queer or queer-leaning programming you’d like us to include, please do shout us out!)
From BYT…
Obviously we’re gonna plug our very own QuaranQueens (and QuaranKings) series on IG live first; we’ve already had some incredible guests on, and this week the magic continues with:
Wednesday 4/8, 5pm – BYTLive: QuaranQueen with House of Sonique
Join one of our favorite local drag house mothers Chazmen for a special House of Sonique edition of QuaranQueen! Last week Chaz took us through an incredible creative process, who knows what this week will hold but we know it will be fantastic and gorgeous (as is everything House of Sonique does). Support Chaz here.
Thursday 4/9, 7:30pm – QuaranQueen: “Ruth Reads the Classics”
Join Queen Ruth Allen Ginsburg as she reads us a wonderful bedtime story. Grab a pillow, some snacks, and snuggle up with your phone. Support Ruth here.
Check out all of this week’s programming here, and follow us on IG!
Aside from BYT…
While we’re on the subject of drag, Digital Drag Fest 2020 is in full swing! Programming kicked off March 27th and is set to run all the way through until April 30th, so you’ve still got a few weeks of goodness left ahead; each 30-minute performance will feature singing, cooking, comedy…you name it! While shows (which do have capacities, and do sell out!) are ticketed, they start at a reasonable $10 per household. Check out the full lineup here.
And even though we can practically see Brooklyn’s Rosemont out our goddamn window right now, OOPS (which usually hosts a show there on Wednesdays) will be taking the drag vibes digital for now; tune in Wednesdays at 10pm ET on IG, and remember to support via Venmo!
Meanwhile, them. has been hosting another virtual festival on IG focusing on music and the arts ft. live performances and conversations with some fantastic queer creators! So far themfest has featured Cameron Esposito, Dewayne Perkins, Carlie Hanson, Devonn Francis, Isaac Dunbar, Texas Isaiah, Andy Baraghani, Serena Tea, Jake Cohen, PVRIS, Michael Chakraverty and Princess Nokia, and programming will continue today at 4pm ET with the one and only Miz Cracker! Tune in, and stay tuned for daily guest announcements here.
And while Barcelona-based MARICXS usually conjures images of real good IRL LGBTQ+ dance parties, they’ve lined up some A+ programming while the pandemic rains on our parade; in addition to live-streamed DJ sets and mixes you can groove to from your living room, House of Maricas’ The Art of Staying Home is bringing live cooking, yoga, tarot, readings, talks and everything in between to our screens on the daily. Much of it will be in English (or will require no words at all), but mega-bonus if you speak Spanish!
Another spot that typically makes you think of real good IRL LGBTQ+-friendly dance parties is Brooklyn’s own Nowadays; they’re helping us weather the storm with nightly 8pm ET to 12am ET streams (ft. DJ sets and the occasional skill share) until they can reopen. Free to tune in, but do consider making a donation to help one of our favorite queer-geared venues stay afloat during this difficult time! Check out the full lineup here.
Toronto-based Club Quarantine is keepin’ your dance vibes virtually queer every night from 9pm ET (except Saturdays, when things kick off earlier at 6pm ET!); Zoom codes released on the daily, be sure to get in there!
And London-based Queer House Party goes live Fridays at 4pm ET (9pm for the English lads) for all your queer bop needs! Feel free to crack a cocktail, but be discreet about it and decant if you choose to imbibe; they’re trying to make this a safe space for everyone, sober friends included!
If you miss posting up at the bar, Queer Digital Happy Hour is out here providing virtual space for “women, trans, nb and gnc folxs” with weekly programming! Expect plenty of chats, plus tunes ‘n comedy to boot. Grab tickets here.
To bone up on your queer history, look no further than Quarantini, “an LGBTQ+ book and movie club for the quarantine era.” Dr. Eric Cervini, a Harvard and Cambridge-trained historian of LGBTQ+ culture and politics, will be discussing all his favorites with us over on IG and FB Live.
Campaign for Southern Equality has also hopped on the virtual boat with its The Front Porch series! Today at 4pm they’ll take Queer Artist Meet-Up online for an electro-etching skill-share workshop and on Friday at 2pm ET they’ll host J. Chong Eats: A Cooking Show For These Times over Zoom; free to tune in, just RSVP for the webinar links.
And one more super important mention for the coming days and weeks are remote/online 12 Step resources; here is a great list from The Center featuring websites, speaker tapes, hotlines and virtual LGBTQIA+ meetings. The Center is also hosting a virtual space on Mondays and Tuesdays where the queer community can come together for support.
BYT makes our living off of things that are currently non-existent as a source of income (arts, events, arts and event advertising). If you’d like to support the work we do, click here. Every little helps right now. Thank you.
