“I think that the Republican Party has been, you know, and I am not the first to say this, I have seen op-eds about it ad nauseam but it certainly makes sense that the Republican Party has been assembling this monster for a very long time with all of their covert racism and sexism and homophobia. And the list goes on and on with the things they want to control and help destroy. You know, rights of women, reproductive rights, the environment and healthcare and poverty and education and healthy eating initiatives. You know, the list is a thousand miles long. They got their monster, but their monster is also unpredictable, and they don’t know what he really is about. So it’s sort of the ultimate endgame for them.”
These are the words that opened my candid conversation with comedian Sandra Bernhard – she’s part of the zeitgeist, you know; fuck Madonna – and the rest of her genius can be witnessed on the pages herein. These are crazy times, rife with any kind of disdain you can muster in even your calmest moods. However, these, too, are amazing times. Bernhard joins a cornucopia of talented performers and concerned exhibitionists in taking Central Florida by storm this week. We would say a certain incorporated term, but for reasons those in the gay-pub business are all too familiar, we’ll just keep it to your Big Gay Weekend, your One Magical Weekend, your GayDayS, and play nice with everyone. And this year’s is going to be a trip.
There was a funny moment in putting this issue together that may have only been funny to this editor. There was a fear that Bernhard – a genius in her own right – might rise above the brows of the oonce-oonce beat-collectivity of our LGBT population. Would people just sit and listen to someone talk? Well, Bernhard does more than talk, and she’s more than a consummate entertainer. She’s a joy to connect with, and she’s a huge part of this community’s push forward. Without her, we’re not exactly nothing, but we’re lesser in value. She’s a gem.
Obviously, in the glut of the days that are gay, things get lost and broken like iPhones on It’s a Small World, but it’s great to know that some constants remain. Bernhard is certainly one of them, and I personally am glad to have had the chance to spittle ideals at an idol. Without her, I’d be nothing.
However, there are so many other things going on, even as we don our red shirts and trip the humidity fantastic. And that, dear readers, is why we’re here. On the Orlando side, we have some fairly important updates on just how the GLBT Center is going to advance as its leader Terry DeCarlo departs. Meanwhile, we get a little more insight into how the Metropolitan Business Association is going to move forward from a period of discord and leadership changes. Hint: Everything will work out fine.
Over on our gulf coast, we wag fingers and roll eyes at what has become of the Hulk Hogan sex-tape scenario (there’s a gay angle! Also, Gawker!), ponder Sarasota’s continued conservative dismissal of federal directives to adjust transgender bathroom policies and wish we could make the Cyndi Lauper concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall or even at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center.
“For me, all I wanna do is a good job. I wanna be a great singer. I wanna learn. I wanna always learn. I study music constantly. I try and listen to what’s happening,” Lauper told our reporter.“I try and listen to what’s happened, to what I might’ve missed. I think music is… I love it and I think it lifts people up. I think I finally did a record that makes people happy, ya know? Maybe I learned that from Kinky Boots.”
And making people happy is what this weekend is about, political frays be damned. We hope you’ll join us as we sweat our way through our old pants, make appearances at all of the wet, dark and late parties, push forward with our “gay agenda” and try to make equality take hold in a manner that can no longer be questioned.
Speaking as someone who carried a Jackie Siegel bag to the beach this weekend, even though she is in the bag for Drumpf, let’s let loose, take off our shirts, make new friends, probably get in some trouble, and wake up on the other side. You are beautiful; own it.
Mostly, though, we wish you heaven with a sprinkle of magic. These gayest of days didn’t come easy, but nothing worthwhile ever has. We’ve got this. Come along, won’t you?
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