Jersey Girls Rule

It was Girl Power as I made my appearance at the official After-Party of the 12th annual Hudson County LGBT Pride Festival.  The Festival is run by Jersey City's Hudson Pride Connections Center and took place on August 18th.  I shaked and danced with Jersey Girl genetic Female Burlesque dancers at the Hard Grove Cafe at 319 Grove Street in Downtown Jersey City, NJ.  

Stonewall Bears and Honey

I had a HUGE good time as the Hostess of the great big annual Stonewall Bear Pageant!  It took place at the legendary Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher in Greenwich Village, New York City on August 29th.  Big, Hairy and incredibly sexy men from all over came to compete for the leather sash and title to represent the Bear Community for Stonewall in New York.  Mr. Stonewall Cub Jay Edwards, Mr. North American Bear Jed Ryan, Mr. Metro Cub Heriberto Oquendo, Mr. Drummer Bear and hundreds of other Bears, Cubs, Otters, Admirers and friends came to check out the Super-sized competition. Also present were Doc Hoskins Jr. and the sizzling Men of Onyx, an organization formed and operated by Men of Color who enjoy the Leather Lifestyle!

Fresh and Fruity Evening of Fun

The 10th annual Fresh Fruit Festival presents a fun evening of song, improv and stand-up comedy called "Fruits Gone Wild!" on Saturday, July 21st at 10pm. With the juicy talents of me, Lady Clover Honey (NYC Life's "Under the Pink Carpet"), funny-gal Alison Grillo (Upright Citizens Brigade), sexy Leather-man Jed Ryan (Mr. Rawhide), comic/producer Evan Laurence (Sexahol Review, People's Improve Theater) and performance artist David Slone (Squeezebox Cabaret, The Love Show) and a special surprise by my dear sister Lady Karalynne Honey. We reenacted our childhood performance act of "Sisters" with a burlesque twist!  The event took place at the WILD Project, 195 East 3rd Street, in the hip East Village of NYC.  Fresh Fruit is an inclusive International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Culture & Arts Festival held in New York City! All Out Arts' most exciting ongoing event, The Fresh Fruit Festival feeds the spiritual and artistic souls of the LGBT and artistic communities. Special thanks to City, nightlife, culture photographer Miguel Dominguez for taking wonderful images.

Festival Kick-Off

This Summer, it was time for the 10th anniversary of the annual Fresh Fruit Festival!  And we started it off with a kick-off gala celebration at the Park Side Lounge in the East Village of New York City.  I had a wonderful time entertaining the festival patrons and meeting up with other "Fruities" like Artistic Director Brian Maschka, recording artists Robert German and Toshi Nakayama aka Tokyo Penguin,  Drag Diva Candy Samples, performance artist Jonathan Dalin, reporter Fred Anguera and many others. 

Stonewall F2M Trans Fundraiser

I had a wonderful time making an appearance at an event that was used to raise funds for Brian Ellicott, a Female-to-Male Transsexual, to have top chest surgery. The procedure helps F2M Transgenders will remove their female breasts and make their torsos look like male chests.  The event took place on July 8th at the legendary historic Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.  Among the gusts were New York City Council Members Rosie Mendez and Melissa Mark-Viverto (Districts 2 and 8 Manhattan), Stonewall Democrats President Melissa Sklarz, Political Activists Mark Thompson and Michael Mallon, Mr. Stonewall Cub Jay Edwards, DJ Bone Intell, Gerard Mawn of Staten Island Pride, Diva Appolonia Cruz, actor Taylor with a special performance by SAG actor and recording artist Lovari.
  

GLBT Pride Parade of New York

There was no shortage of celebration as hundreds of thousands of spectators showed up for the 43rd annual Gay Pride Parade in New York City on June 24, 2012. The Parade runs down Fifth Avenue to Christopher Street past the historic Stonewall Inn, the site where the first Gay civil rights protest happened on the last Sunday of June 1969.   This year's colorful procession marked the first anniversary since same-sex marriage was legalized in New York. I had a wonderful time marching in the parade with the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art.  I have curated two spectacular shows with them and have been to countless exhibits and opening night premieres.  Founder Charles Leslie and Director Jerry Kajpust and other board, staff and supporters of the Museum all marched down the Avenue with a pink classic 1970 Oldsmobile Royale convertible.

Pride Kick-Off at Hudson Terrace

Next Magazine hosted the official Kickoff to New York City LGBT Pride weekend on June 22 at the glamorous VIP roof-top deck party at the Hudson Terrace Hotel in midtown Manhattan.  I walked the red carpet with Tony Sawicki of Under the Pink Carpet and enjoyed the views and the music by DJ Whitney Day.  A great way to start off the weekend. 

NYC Mayor's Pride Reception at Gracie Mansion

I was thrilled to be a part of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Reception to honor and celebrate GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender) Pride Month at Gracie Mansion, the grand Upper East Side official residence for the City's Mayor.  The soiree was a barbecue held in the gardens alongside the East River. Almost everyone important and vital to New York's Gay Community was present to greet the Mayor and other prominent elected officials like City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, City Council Member Jimmy VanBramer,  Commissioner Katherine Oliver and others .  I work as a Media Correspondent on a television series that is broadcast on NYC Life's WNYE, Channel 25, part of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment.  It was a wonderful way to spend a Summer evening and to celebrate the contributions that GLBT people make to the culture and life-beat of New York City. 

Magazine Art Photo Reception Gala

The Art that gets displayed in New York City is always amazing, but during Gay Pride Month, the Arts community usually loosens up and exhibits artistic images that are especially fabulous.  There is no better example of this than at the Next Magazine Pride Photo Contest Finalists display and reception at the Leslie Lohman Gay & Lesbian Art Museum, 26 Wooster Street in SoHo of New York City. Next is the premiere guide to Gay nightlife and culture in New York and Leslie Lohman is the City's foremost Gay visual art exhibition space! The contest winner was photographer Vincent Vega who submitted a fabulous Drag image! It was a grand and artsy evening with dear friends Gerald McCullough, actor and heartthrob from CBS' CSI:Crime Scene Investigation and the Bear City films, Leslie Lohman Museum founder Charles Leslie, Leslie Lohman director Jerry Kajpust, Next Magazine editor Ben Solomon, photographers Rob Ordonez, Miguel Dominguez, Santiago Felipe, and Gustavo Monroy, designer Geary Marcello, Anu Singh, Mark Schulte, Noah Pfefferblit and others!

NYC's Most Sizzling Street Fair

Lady Clover Honey had the most sizzling of times on June 17th as part of New York City's sexiest and kinkiest Street Festival, Folsom Street East!  Folsom Street East, the largest outdoor fetish street festival on the Eastern coast, brings thousands of sexy kinksters out onto the streets of New York City on a summer afternoon to celebrate sexual diversity and expression!  Going strong since 1997 and named after the infamous Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, the provocative block party brings our Leather-men, S&M affectionados, Fetish friends and admirers together for a great celebration while raising money to support worthy causes. Over the years, the success of Folsom Street East has raised more than $250,000 donated to GLBT Community Charities.  I sported an 80s punk-rocker look and rocked the streets with my gorgeous Leather-men friends!

White Party - Jersey Style

I was so happy to be a hostess and performer at Fifth Annual Jersey White Party at the dazzling Iron Monkey nightclub in the Downtown Waterfront area of Jersey City, NJ.  The event was a benefit for the Hudson Pride Connections Center, the LGBT Community Center of Hudson County, New Jersey.  I donned a white sequin gown that shimmered in the summer night.  The crowd mostly got all decked out in white attire and we mingled and danced the night away, showing the Gay culture and community is also found on the West side of the Hudson River!  

National Arts at Gramercy Park Mansion

I had a wonderful time making my appearance at the Summer Art show premiere at the National Arts Club Gallery at the historic Tildon Mansion on Gramercy Park South on June 12th.  I was there to support dear friend and inspirational artist Tracy VonBecker who had amazing original pieces in the exhibit.  I enjoyed entertaining the patrons while I sang Cole Porter jazz tunes in the lounge with recording artist J. Fortino.  Other artists friends Lovari, Frances Legge, Rob Ordonez, Heidi Russel and others joined us for a fascinating evening. The National Arts Club was founded in 1890 by Charles de Kay, the literary and art critic for The New York Times. He and a group of distinguished artists and patrons conceived of a gathering place for artists, patrons and audiences in all the Arts. 

Manhattan Borough President GLBT Pride

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer held a beautiful reception to celebrate GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender) Pride Month on June 11th at the glamorous Onegin Restaurant in Greenwich Village to honor GLBT contributions to Manhattan and New York City.  One special honoree was dear friend Michael Musto of the Village Voice.  Borough President Stringer presented a grand Proclamation declaring June 11th to be "Michael Musto Appreciation Day."  Musto gave an appreciative speech with his own style of humor saying "This is the bar mitzvah I never got," adding "It was just Judy Garland's birthday, but who cares?  It's Michael Musto Appreciation Day!" Other honorees were Brice Peyre, NY Deputy Chief of Staff; Lynn Schulman, Victory Fund; and Earl Plante, social/economic justice activist. United States Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and New York City Council Member Rosie Mendez were present for support and celebration.

Lipstick Legends and Classic Disco

What an amazing night I had celebrating the release of dear friend Angela Bowie's new book, "Lipstick Legends" and the birthday of fabulous promoter Jamie T. Ranieri aka Fruit Fli.  We danced the night away to classic disco beats at Sunday Night Fever, a special soiree at Splash, 50 W. 17th Street, New York City, hosted by the amazing Randy Jones, American Music Award winner and original Cowboy of the Village People.  Angela is known as the ex-wife of rock icon David Bowie and the alleged inspiration of the Rolling Stones' hit "Angie" but she's also an impressive writer.  In "Lipstick Legends" she writes about how music and fashion of the late 60s/early 70s changed the pathway of human sexuality. For the first time ever, it was suddenly chic to by Gay or Bisexual and to explore Androgyny and alternative Gender expression. This was largely thanks to the renegade styles of male rock stars who started wearing makeup, flashy unisex clothes and long hair. 

Drag Better Half to SoHo Photo Premiere

I was so happy to be included in a fierce and unique photographic art project called "My Better Half."  The only thing more fun than modeling for the project is going to the Art Premiere Receptions!  Renowned photographer Rich Odell digitally alters two photos of famous Drag Queen personalities and the Men who create and portray them, into one image of the two personas interacting. In my image, Mr. Clover Welsh playfully shoves a piece of cake into Lady Clover Honey's receptive mouth!  I showcased some of these images in a group show I curated at the Leslie Lohman Gay & Lesbian Art Museum called "Strike A Pose" with the Fresh Fruit Festival in 2008. Odell had his first New York City solo show of his images at the prestigious SoHo Photo Gallery in Downtown Manhattan with the opening night on June 7, 2012.  Other Divas, besides Lady Clover Honey who modeled for the exhibit included Sherry Vine, Epiphany, Honey LaBronx, Kitten Withawhip, Vera Wylde, Tupperware's Aunt Barbara and others.  We were surprised to see producer/director Steven Spielberg at the reception.  He is actually a big admirer of photographic art.