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Illusions Pageant hits the scene in New York this weekend!
Two weeks ago, we headed out to the West Coast to film and feature a new preliminary pageant for the Entertainer of the Year Pageantry System. California EOY was a resounding success and put the West Coast on the map for drag pageantry. Our cameras are now headed to the East Coast where we will be filming yet another young and up & coming preliminary pageant system.
Just like California, New York City has its own distinctive style of gay pageantry and when you think of pageant cities, NYC usually does not come to mind. Pageants, as you know it today, are "generally" not common place in New York City. That distinction belongs to the "ballroom scene" which had its roots dating back to the 1920s. Originally, the ballroom scene composed of white men who would dress up in women's clothes to entertain middle-class and upper-class white audiences. Today's ballroom scene has evolved and change drastically and while it does not resemble gay pageants as we know it today, it has its own place in the New York Culture.
Enter the Illusions New Jersey International Inc Pageantry System. Created in 2009 by entertainer Tyson Anyae, its goal was to provide a strong and classy outlet for the drag community, while simultaneously helping people suffering with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers. "Through this pageant," says pageant owner Tyson Anyae, "we can uplift our community and cast away negativity & drama all while having a great time." In its 2nd year in the NYC/NJ area, Illusions New Jersey is poised to set the tone for future pageants to come in the area.
The 2010 pageant will be hosted by a trio of talent and comedy. Princess Janae, the legendary Chevelle Brooks and SugarPie KoKo are all on tap to bring you this year's exciting contest. Guest entertainers scheduled to perform this year include the owner of Mr. and Miss International Inc. Marlowe Rainbow, 2009 Miss International Inc. Newcomer Chi Chi Devine, legendary entertainer and former 2006 Miss New Jersey USofA Empress Vizcaya-Lord, Octavia Anyae, Nikky Sky Blake and many more. Judges this year include 2009 Mister International Inc Romance, Julie Vutton and others to be announced later. The winner of this preliminary pageant will get to compete in the national Mr. and Miss International Pageant held in Jackson, MS in June and also compete in the Mr. and Miss Gay New Jersey pageant as well.
Details you say...details. The pageant will be Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 9pm at the Ravel Hotel (808 Queens Plaza South in Long Island City). Tickets are $15 in advance which you can get by emailing info@ravelhotel.com. Tickets will be $20 at the door. Need information - give the hotel a call at: 718-289-6101. Traveling by subway - Queens Borough Plaza is your closest station served by the N, W or 7 train. Traveling by car - it is a short hop (if you can call it that with New York City traffic) from Manhattan to the east.
Click Click Expose has had a fun January month of pageants with California EOY in West Hollywood, California; Miss Florida USofA & USofA Classic in Tampa, Florida and finishing up in New York. We can't wait to meet new friends and fans in NYC and see what Illusions has to offer this year. Good luck to all the contestants and we will see everybody this Sunday.
Click Click Expose Gay Podcast Network - Weekly Update January 17, 2010
Happy New Year from your friends at The Click Click Expose Gay Podcast Network. We are a network of different podcast shows produced by Click Click Expose (Gay Entertainment Media) with contributions from our friends, supporters and content producers.
Whether its a music show, love show, news or entertainment - we have something for everyone. We invite you to come check it out and be apart of our community. More shows will be coming soon!
Don't forget to check out Planet "Q" TV - it's our very own all gay video sharing website with more than 1,000 videos from all over the world in support of our community. Check it out and upload your video today!! Watch your favorite video by clicking here!!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY: 
THIS WEEK'S SYNOPSIS:
1. Gay News Week In Review - National and International news for week ending January 17, 2010.
2. DJ House Music Show - This week's music show - Funk Bee Dees - Part 2 - from DJ Louie B.
3. Queer History Fact #98 - U.S. Songmaker Johnny Mathis.
4. Passion Hits - Episode #5 - Jan 10. - Love and dedication show dedicated to the one you love.
5. Passion Hits - Episode #6 - Jan 17. - Love and dedication show dedicated to the one you love.
6. REBROADCAST - Generation Q Radio - Youth podcast show for the queer generation
LISTEN:
Passion Hits - Episode #5 (Podcast)
Passion Hits - Episode #6 (Podcast)
Gay News Week In Review - W/E 01-17-10 (Podcast)
DJ Louie B "Funk Bee Dees" - Part 2 (Podcast)
Queer History Fact #98 (Podcast)
Generation Q Radio - Episode 1 (Rebroadcast) (Podcast)
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: Click Click Expose (Gay Entertainment Media)
to learn more about our shows, to be apart of our network or listen to any of our previous shows.The most hilarious anti-gay and pro-gay signs across the internet!
If there is one thing you can depend on in protest marches and demonstrations - are the signs. Some good, some ignorant and some downright hilarious. Here are a handful of signs found throughout the internet that goes to show you can have a sense of humor while protesting. --- Thomas
Top 10 gay and lesbian stories of 2009
Now that 2010 is officially here, I thought it would be interesting to look back at 2009 to see how far we have come as an community. For a lot of us (me included) 2009 was a horrible year; however, there were some positives that we can embrace. This top 10 listing was culled from research done at the Bilerico Project blog and writer Bil Browning:
Number 10: Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga & Chaz Bono reveal themselves to the world!
So what happens when you don't tuck properly - you get embarrassed (or at the least) you shock your adoring audience. Thus the country's revelation that Lady Gaga is bisexual or transgendered. Did it hurt her career? Not in the least, as she continues to sell records by the thousands. Adam Lambert of American Idol fame came out of the closet and also caused quite a stir by simulating a sex act at the American Music Awards - thus confirming the double standard that its okay for straight folks to do it in public but gay folks can't. Finally, Chaz Bono came out stating he was beginning his "transition" thus helping to bring the issues of transgendered people to the forefront.
Number 9: Stonewall Riots - history repeat itself once again.The Stonewall Riots may have occurred in 1969 but that hasn't stopped history from repeating itself again. Texas ABC agents and Ft. Worth Police stormed the opening of a gay bar sending one man with brain injuries to the hospital. Texas ABC ended up firing two of its agents for the incident while the Ft. Worth Police maintained the patron brought the injuries onto himself. Is police brutality on the rise? Is police brutality against gay folks on the rise? Ask many people and they will tell you yes.
Number 8: Can California overturn Prop 8?
It was originally a 2008 story- California voters denying same-sex marriage. In 2009, attempts were made and failed to overturn Prop 8 with the right hiring top gun lawyers and forming all kinds of new political action groups. Will a new measure hit the ballots in 2010 or 2012? Only time will tell. The most important question to ask is "will the people of California finally realize that gay marriage is not something to be scarred of."
Although this created a stir in the gay community and a backlash against President Obama, it's result comes as no surprise. DOMA is legal and on the books; so when the Justice Department had to make a statement because of a legal challenge - surprise- they had to defend the current law. Who would have thunk it!! Somehow (of course) that defense was translated to Obama doesn't want to help the LGBT community and all of a sudden, the community is up in arms. Will DOMA get overturn on Obama's watch? Hopefully. Will don't ask, don't tell get repealed? Probably. But 2009 was a nightmare for the country and you can only do so much. I think our community needs to have just a little patience - after all - if McCain was in office - we would never get what we want.
Number 6: The LGBT print media doesn't recognize changing times.
The LGBT print media suffered from the same fate as its hetero counterparts. Not recognizing that the public has steadily moved away (for years) from print media in favor of the more convenient online services. It is surprising considering that many LGBT folks get their information exclusively online, you would think that publications like "The Washington Blade," TWIT," David's Magazine," "Southern Voice," - would realize this and change their strategy. Nope, didn't happen and as a result many respected and important voices in the gay community were silenced. 11 papers and counting - not to mention that the advent of the gay book store is suffering as well (my partner and I have always wanted to run our own book store and cafe). It's all about the internet now!!
Number 5: Congress says "yes" to HIV travelers.
When it comes to basic civil liberties for LGBT folks, it seems that the world gets it right before the U.S. does. It took a while, but Congress this year finally repealed the ban on HIV + travelers to this country. The ban represented one of the darkest moments for this country as we systemically discriminated against people with HIV while there was no scientific basis for the ban. The rest of the world admonished us for it - Obama recognized it was wrong and ended it.
Number 4: A March on Washington Returns!
I remember when I was a field producer in 1993 helping to produce a video for the March on Washington in '93. It was an amazing experience considering I was struggling with coming out to myself. I wanted to be in Washington in 2009 for this historic march - the National Equality March that brought over 250,000 people to the nation's capital. What was extraordinary about this march? It was originally shunned by many, fearing cost and support. But a grass-roots campaign and national support from celebrities got the ball running and in 6 short months, the march was put together at a cost south of $200,000. Far cheaper and faster than any major march for LGBT rights on record.
Number 3: Activist win the fight in Washington and Kalamazoo - but lose in Maine.
Of course, if you listen to the right - gay folks are out to ruin the nation and convert our children and their was not shortness of rhetoric in the 2009 year. But a few victories were achieved. Kalamazoo upheld their law outlawing discrimination against LGBT people. Washington "upgrades" its domestic partnership law which includes many (if not all) of the benefits and protections afforded heterosexual couples. Maine on the other hand, overturned the same-sex marriage law - leaving only Civil Unions in place.
Number 2: And then there was 6?
So you are a gay couple and you want to get married. A few years ago, you had to travel to Canada or take a trip to the Netherlands. Not anymore. 6 states have allowed same-sex marriages: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont (despite the Republican Governor's veto), New Hampshire and Washington DC. Progress is slow but it's coming.
Number 1: Pro Gay Legislation makes history!
So there you have it - 10 issues that have made a difference in the live of gay and lesbian people all over the country. Here's hoping for bigger and better things in 2010.
Thomas
A road sign with a sense of humor!
Be careful out there people!! - Thomas
Another country of firsts: Argentina's first same-sex marriage
After a months-long legal battle, two gay men in Argentina became the first homosexuals to marry in Latin America, in a wedding that took place in the southernmost province, Tierra del Fuego, the only one governed by a woman.
"We're the first, but we won't be the last," said Alex Freyre, who married José Maria Di Bello Monday in Ushuaia, capital of Tierra del Fuego, more than 3,000 km south of Buenos Aires. "There are hundreds of legal appeals that we hope will have the same outcome," he said.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden with the US lagging behind with same sex marriage only being legal in Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut & Washington DC & New Hampshire. (Did you know there are 40 US states with laws on the books stating that marriage is between a man and women)? In spite of these positive developments, this Argentina marriage represents the first gay marriage in Latin America.
Earlier this month, the Mexico City legislative assembly approved changes to the local civil code, replacing the clause that defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman with one that says it is a union "between two people." But actual weddings will not start taking place until the reform goes into effect next year. For a highly catholic country, this is an amazing development.
Freyre and Di Bello's wedding was held without any previous announcement in Ushuaia, after their first attempt in Buenos Aires fell through on Dec. 1. In April, the couple, who belong to the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Trans (LGBT), had been denied a marriage license in Buenos Aires. Along with other members of the Federation whose applications for a license had been denied, they filed an appeal. In November, Buenos Aires Judge Gabriela Seijas ruled in the case that the civil code's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional, and ordered that the two men be granted a marriage license. The Buenos Aires government did not appeal the decision.
However, another court filed an injunction on the eve of the wedding that blocked it from taking place in Buenos Aires. A final decision is pending in the Supreme Court. But Freyre and Di Bello were determined to get married this year. Aware that Tierra del Fuego Governor Fabiana Ríos had backed different initiatives in favour of same-sex marriage, they applied for a marriage license in that province, which was also denied. But when they complained to higher-ranking authorities, the governor intervened, ordering that the initial Buenos Aires court ruling be honoured and that they be allowed to marry in the civil registry office. "I didn't do anything extraordinary. I merely complied with the law; the right of two people who had a ruling in their favour could not be denied," said Ríos.
The campaign for "the same rights with the same names" was launched by the LGBT Argentine Federation before Freyre and Di Bello appealed to the courts. But since Seijas ruled in their favour, the movement has gathered momentum and more than 30 appeals have been filed around the country.
According to a survey by the pollster Analogías, 66 percent of respondents were in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, while 57 percent of those who defined themselves as Catholics rejected the Catholic Church stance against marriage between homosexuals.
I think this is great for Latin America and for Argentina and continues to show how the US is really behind the times when it comes to granting basic civil rights to all.
Thomas (Timeline information provided by IPS Reporter Marcela Valente)
Drag pageantry will come alive in California January 12th – Don’t miss it!
Forget what you think you know about drag because honey, it's quite different from your perception. Often when we refer to drag in the gay community, we refer to camp and burly men dressed in women's clothes with makeup from hell and mother's 1950's dress. If this is your perception of drag in our community, I invite you to take a look at the world of gay drag pageantry. This art form of female illusion and male lead is a highly established, highly stylized and fierce competition between men and women in a variety of local, regional and national contests. While "drag" has been a cornerstone of cabarets and live theatre since the Middle Ages, drag pageantry is said to have been established in the LGBT community in the 1970s in the post Stonewall era.
When you travel across the United States in search of drag pageantry, you think of such hot bed markets as Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas & the east coast. These markets have been engaged in the world of pageant competition since the beginning. California, on the other hand, has always been known for "camp and comedic," according to Erin White, Executive Director of California Entertainer of the Year. "Thankfully, California has moved into a new era with some of the most jaw dropping illusionist and formidable talents."
The Entertainer of the Year pageantry system is one of the major "four" pageantry systems in the United States. It is a system that prides itself on creativity and talent. And because of this emphasis, dozens upon dozens of entertainers (since EOY's inception in 1990) have coveted the title of Entertainer of the Year, FI and Mr. Entertainer of the Year. California joins a list of more than 15 preliminary contests whose goal is to send the winner and first runner-up to the national contest in Louisville, KY. Executive Director Erin White is excited to add California to the system and feels with the huge pool of viable competitors in California, that his system has "a shot at taking the national title this coming year."
Not only will the contest be exciting for both contestants and spectators, but this year's preliminary pageant is also a major fund-raising event. The "Heel Hate" silent auction is designed to raise money for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Starting on January 4th, people from all over the world will be able to bid on autographed high heels from celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Shania Twain, Cyndi Lauper, Shakira, Paula Dean, Salma Hayek, Lauren Conrad and Lea Michele (from "Glee"). If you want to bid on these items, head to the website "charitybuzz.com" or you can bid at the night of the pageant. Another charity that the folks at California EOY are working on is the NOH8 Campaign who has been raising awareness on the issue of gay marriage through a year-long photo "silent protest." All of the contestants will have a NOH8 photo in the program and there will be a souvenir NOH8 poster of the contestants.
And if that wasn't enough to entice you to come see the pageant (January 12, House of Blues-Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California), maybe the star-studded judges panel will. Judges this year include: 2008 EOY winner Nina West, National Title Holder Alyssa Edwards, Actress, Author and 1999 Tennessee EOY winner Calpernia Addams, Singer, Dancer & Actress Aubrey O'Day, American model and television personality Holly Madison, Co-Director of Miss California USA Shanna Moakler and the producer of Logo TV's Rupaul's Drag Race Matthew Rose.
Needless to say, Click Click Expose is excited to be chosen as the official videographer of this year's inaugural contest. As you know, we have been filming gay pageants since the days of us getting our start in Houston, TX in 1996 - so our cameras have been around the block a few times - but never have we been more excited than coming into a new market with new ideas and a fresh outlook on the pageantry community. Look out everyone, California EOY is looking to make its mark in the world of pageantry.
So details you say...details: buy your tickets at: www.ticketmaster.com or the California EOY website at: www.californiaeoy.com. Ticket prices are: general admission $18.00, reserved seating $25.00 and VIP Platinum seating $45.00. Never seen an EOY contest before, check out this preview trailer we created of this year's 2009 National contest:
or view more than a dozen EOY preview videos on our very own video sharing website Planet Q TV (Just click on the button that says Planet Q TV). This year's contest will be held at the world-famous House of Blues - Sunset Strip on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. Doors open at 6:30pm. Showtime is at 7:00pm. See you there...
--Thomas, Click Click Expose (Gay Entertainment Media)
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