Ethan LaCroix

  Thirty days of summer is a pretty paltry window of time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and Pride is so much more than a month of parades and celebrations – it’s life. And while we’d never baulk at an excuse to celebrate everything that Pride stands for, we also believe that any time is the perfect time to crank up these gay songs and fly that rainbow flag.  That’s why we’ve assembled a 50-song playlist perfectly calibrated for Pride Month and beyond, featuring some of history’s greatest queer artists and LGBTQ+ allies who pay more than lip service. You’ll find party anthems, pop songs, disco infernos and punk-rock proclamations, so there’s no need to wait for the parade. This is your all-seasons, all-time-great Pride playlist. Grab the aux cable and blast it loud and proud. Listen to these songs on Amazon Music RECOMMENDED:🎤The best karaoke songs🍻The best drinking songs🎉The best party songs🎶The best ’80s songs💖The best pop songs

Once again, the SCOTUS clearly wanted to be sure NYC Pride is extra amazing. Just as they did in 2013 with United States v. Windsor, the court granted a major victory for marriage equality just in time for the weekend's festivities. Revelers came together at the Stonewall Inn—where the modern gay rights movement got its start in 1969—to celebrate. The party also happened to be at the end of the route of this year’s Drag March, which added plenty of extra color to the scene. RECOMMENDED: Full Gay Pride in NYC coverage

Thirteen New York City drag queens have competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race since the show launched in 2009. As New Yorkers tend to do, these ladies almost always made a big impression, whether through their humor, glamour or extreme weirdness. With this season heating up, we’ve ranked all the gender-bending artists who've emerged from NYC’s gay clubs and gay bar scene to compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar. RECOMMENDED: Full NYC drag queen guide

Seemingly every queen who's graduated from RuPaul's Drag Race has released music in the wake of her time on the show. The results have been mixed, but gender-bending stars like Willam, Shangela and Manila Luzon veer toward the comedy side of the charts. So it's a bit of a surprise that unabashed comedy queen Alaska Thunderfuck's new album, Anus, actually works as an album, not just a collection of jokes. Throughout the record, Alaska dives into retro house ("Hieeee"), sweet girl-group pop ("Pussy") and dark industrial rock ("This Is My Hair"). Tying it all together are Alaska's sometimes strange, sometimes sincere and generally hilarious lyrics, which touch on everything from how to respect a drag queen in a club to gender-oblivious love. We caught up with the drag genius about Season 7 of Drag Race, her personal idols and what inspired her to call her album Anus.      What can people expect at The Gayest Show You've Ever Seen at in NYC this week? Well, it is Pride season, and it's a really special Pride because we now have marriage equality. It's really cool to be gay right now, so I think this is a really appropriate show to be doing. My music partner Jeremy and I—and he's also my best friend—we're really gay individuals, so this is definitely a gay spawn of our love of all things homosexual.   Are you going to be doing songs from your new album at the show? Um, definitely, because what is possibly gayer than an album named Anus?   Good point. Why did you decide to call it

Being kicked off of a beloved reality show for breaking the rules isn’t a typical path to comedy stardom, but getting the boot from RuPaul’s Drag Race seems to have done just that for Los Angeles comedy queen Willam Belli. Since running afoul of Mother Ru, Willam has racked up millions of views for his over-the-top (and surprisingly well-sung) music-video parodies, and he’s landed endorsement deals with American Apparel and Sephora. He’s also brought his singularly shameless comedy show to stages around the world. He called us while driving in Orlando (“Fuck you, tolls!”) to tell us what we can expect when he takes the stage at the Gramercy Theatre on April 18. RECOMMENDED: Full NYC drag queen guide So why is there only one i in Willam?It's a family name. My grandfather's name was Felipo. But when he came over here from Croatia, the nun said it wasn't a real name, so his dad just picked the name of the kid in front of him. That was William, but they had a big old accent so they couldn't say it, so it became Willam. So when it came time to name me, they just named me Willam. Before your drag career took off, you were doing a lot of TV work, right?Yeah, and I don't do it anymore. I mean, I say yes when I'm offered stuff, but now transgender people actually play the transgender roles on TV instead of me—which is amazing for the community. It's a fucking kneecap for my career, but it allowed me to reinvent myself to do what I love doing now, which is basically to be a clown. I a

Ever since drag queens stood on the frontlines at the Stonewall riots in '69, New York has been home base for gender-bending revolutionaries. From Wigstock founder Lady Bunny to art-punk turned Broadway diva Hedwig, there’s no denying that our drag stars can kick the ass of any other city’s. In that grand tradition, a new breed has risen in Brooklyn in recent years—proudly weird, confrontational and frequently hairy, forsaking the glam looks of their foremothers. Much of the neo-drag action is centered around the House of Bushwig collective, whose multiday festival takes over Secret Project Robot every September. With Brooklyn’s own Pearl starring on RuPaul’s Drag Race, the borough’s drag scene is suddenly in the national spotlight. Below, see photos of some of the scene’s leading ladies: Horrorchata, Untitled Queen, Merrie Cherry, Pearl and “shitty drag queen band” bottoms. RECOMMENDED: Full NYC drag queen guide

It's actually pretty hard to find an unfriendly gay date spot in NYC. But if you're looking for a thoroughly queer date, these New York bars, performance venues and cultural institutions should do the trick, whether you're seeking a casual afternoon stroll, romantic bar or a rowdy hookup spot packed with sexy dark corners. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to date ideas in NYC

Seeing a show in the New York International Fringe Festival is always a roll of the dice. Will you catch the next Triassic Parq or Silence: The Musical? Or will it be more like the next "damn, I wish I had those 90 minutes back" moment of your life? For those limiting this year's Fringe shows to gay-friendly ones, your very queer choices are contained below. RECOMMENDED: See full coverage of Fringe Festival NYC

The modern gay rights movement got its start in Manhattan's West Village in 1969, at the mafia-owned dive the Stonewall Inn. Today, the Stonewall is still standing (and was recently made an NYC landmark) and is just one of many LGBT watering holes still dotting the historic neighborhood. (In fact, Stonewall isn't even the neighborhood's oldest gay haunt; that honor goes to Julius's.) Gay bars here tend to veer toward the divey side, and that's just fine by us. There's a timeless and thoroughly accessible vibe here that just can't be replicated at the sleek drinkeries uptown in Hell's Kitchen. RECOMMENDED: Find more things to do in the West Village

LGBT Pride Weekend is one of the most action-packed times of year in New York—and this year was extra festive in the wake of Friday's SCOTUS decision about marriage equality. Gay parties, parades, rallies and more filled the West Village and beyond this weekend, and the biggest event of all was the LGBT Pride March, which commemorates the Stonewall riots of 1969 by taking over Fifth Avenue. The massive procession ended near the Stonewall Inn, which is having its own party after recently being designated a city landmark.    RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of the Pride parade in NYC

Mention Brooklyn Pride to anyone who’s attended the borough’s official festivities in the past, and you’re likely to get something along the lines of “cute” or, less charitably, “boring.” But for the last few years, Brooklyn Pride has begun to creep up on the big Gay Pride extravaganzas, with official and unofficial events appealing to the borough’s gay nightlife-loving demographic. This year’s official opening and closing parties are produced by the folks behind the long-running mixed-queer shindig Hot Rabbit, and events not officially affiliated with Brooklyn Pride—such as a queer edition of Target First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, and a gigantic dance blowout at Verboten—have also upped the cool factor. Of course, there’s still plenty of family fun to be had: The nighttime Pride Parade and preceding festival are definitely Park Slope parent-approved. But this year, the party will rage on well after the kids are snug in their beds. RECOMMENDED: Full Gay Pride in NYC coverage

This year, one of the weirdest and largest annual events in queer New York went through a big change. After a quarter century at Roseland Ballroom, which closed last year, The Black Party moved to a Brooklyn warehouse, which Black Party promoters the Saint at Large christened The Mineshaft. The location may have changed, but the scene remains very much the same. All the world-class DJs and "Strange Live Acts" that defined the Manhattan Black Party were on hand to accompany the fetish blowout to the borough of Kings. Here's what we saw this year. RECOMMENDED: Read more on the Black Party NYC

Black Party Poster, 2015 Photographs: Ves Pitts and Jeff Eason; design: Eman Carballo        RECOMMENDED: Read more on the Black Party NYC Ah, spring in New York: The birds chirp, the flowers bloom and the leather men polish their harnesses in anticipation of the Black Party. After more than two decades at the now-shuttered Roseland, the epic kinkfest jumps the river to Brooklyn (to a "secret" location that will be provided to ticket holders before the event), but it will no doubt be as sexily strange as ever.One of the first indicators that Black Party producer the Saint at Large is keeping things weird is this year's poster, which we're unveiling exclusively here. The image is a man-machine mashup, assembled by graphic designer Eman Carballo using photographs by Ves Pitts and Jeff Eason. The mildly unsettling—but definitely still hot—result is inspired by this year's "Mineshaft" theme, and it's the 36th entry in what's become a compelling ongoing queer art project. The first Black Party poster (from 1981) featured a pair of devilish photos by iconic photographer Robert Mapplethorpe , and subsequent works have existed at various points on the sexy-creepy spectrum. (For our money, the most unsettling is the 2001 poster featuring a cherubic cartoon boy cradling an oversize steak. Shudder.)  Curious to see more? You can flip through the entire archive of Black Party posters (plus a few promo images for the now-defunct Black Party Expo) in our slide show. Be warned, it's very N

Guess what? The Hangover Part III was one of the most LGBT-inclusive major films of 2013—as ranked by the watchdogs at GLAAD, no less! No, the Bradley Cooper vehicle wasn't secretly, subversively queer. It's just one of a handful of movies in a very shallow pool. For its second annual Studio Responsibility Index, out now, GLAAD examined all of the films released in the preceding year by the major American studios (20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Sony Columbia Pictures, Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Brothers) to evaluate their LGBT inclusiveness. The SRI tallied the total number releases from these companies featuring at least one LGBT character—which is a paltry 17 out of 102, and fewer than half of those passed GLAAD's Vito Russo Test. Inspired by the Bechdel Test, which examines the roles of women in films, the VRT requires films to meet all of the following criteria:1. The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT).2. That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity (i.e. the character is made up of the same sort of unique character traits commonly used to differentiate straight characters from one another).3. The LGBT character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect. Meaning they are not there to simply provide colorful commentary, paint urban authenticity, or (perhaps most

(Updated 3/17/2015, 12:30pm) LGBT group Irish Queers is once again protesting the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade, which is the central event in NYC's massive St. Patrick's Day celebration of all things Irish. Today's protest comes in the wake of September's announcement that one gay group, Out@NBCUniversal, would be allowed to march under its own banner in this year's parade. That was briefly hailed as a progressive move, though closer inspection revealed that allowing the NBC group to participate was most likely cynical attempt to appease sponsors—including Heineken and Guinness—who pulled their support over the parade's antigay policies last year. (Also worth noting: NBC's local affiliate broadcasts the parade.) RECOMMENDED: See the complete Saint Patrick's Day Parade guideMayor De Blasio (along with the City Council) is also skipping the Manhattan procession—last year he became the first NYC mayor to do so—though he did march in the more inclusive St. Pat's For All Parade in Queens.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously today to consider the Stonewall Inn a city landmark. This morning's vote is largely considered a formality, and the official designation will happen after a public hearing on June 23. How is that just happening now?!?, you may be wondering. Well, the LPC has generally been more concerned with architectural rather than cultural significance. And besides, the Stonewall (housed in a pair of former carriage houses) wasn't really in danger of getting knocked down to build a Uniqlo any time soon—it's already part of the Greenwich Village Historic District (and has been since 1966), and it's on the National Register of Historic Places for its role in the gay-rights movement. Still, since the Stonewall's facade is pretty much identical to what it was during the 1969 Stonewall Riots, the LPC has decided it's worthy of this additional honor. That means the exterior of the building cannot be changed, though the interior (which has been altered several times—half of it is now a nail salon) will not be landmarked. Neighborhood activists still want to see Julius, the LGBT Center and 99 Wooster St (the site of the city's first gay community center) granted city landmark status for their roles in the LGBT rights movement. But for now, the special honor for Stonewall is cause for celebration—just in time for New York City Pride. UPDATE: As expected, the city's landmarks preservation commission voted unanimously today to des

  Hibernation season is finally over! Urban Bear Weekend—that annual festivity in which burly boys and their friends hit the streets for parties, food and a boozy street fair—is upon us once again. For the uninitiated, the various specimens that make up the NYC gay bear community can be tough to figure out. Here's a quick guide to the major animals you'll find out and about this weekend.   Bear1. Any large, hairy man, usually self-identified as part of a gay subculture; often found in metropolitan areas2. Alec BaldwinExample: “The bears went to the beer blast at Rockbar.”   Musclebear1. A bear subspecies defined by a toned physique and frequent public shirtlessness2. Tom Hardy Example: “The David Barton locker room was full of musclebears tonight.”   Cub1. A young (or young-looking) member of the bear community 2. The passive partner in a bear couple3. Tim TebowExample: “Did you see that adorable cub in line at Artichoke?”   Otter1. A fuzzy guy too skinny to be a bear but still a fixture at bear events and bars2. James FrancoExample: “I was hoping to pick up a musclebear tonight, but that was a total otter party.”

Drag queens may be best known for lip syncing, but some gender illusionists can actually sing (or rap…or at least talk sassily over a beat…). Legendary performers including Joey Arias and Jackie Beat have long been known for their vocal prowess as much as their fierce drag looks, and new generation of queens is using RuPaul's Drag Race as a stepping stone for a music career—to the point where it's even become something of a cliché. (Season 5 winner Jinkx Monsoon jokingly named her debut outing The Inevitable Album.) Still, some of these ladies transcend novelty status, whether through actual talent or sheer star power. Below, check out videos for some of the best Drag Race graduates crossing over into songsmithery. Adore Delano, "Hello, I Love You" You have to be pretty smart to play dumb, and Season 6 Drag Race favorite Adore Delano (who was also a contender on American Idol!) is genius in this new clip for her ditzy stalker anthem. Her gleefully outrageous video for "DTF" must also be experienced.Jinkx Monsoon, "Coffee and Wine" The Season 5 winner went old-timey with her recent debut, The Inevitable Album, which is packed with quality songs and excellent vocals. Of course, the comedy queen's sense of humor is still front-and-center in this loving homage to uppers and downers.Willam Belli, "The Vagina Song" The only contestant ever to be kicked off Drag Race is also among the best comedians and singers to come out of the show. He went on to become a viral sensation thanks i

Grrr! Woof! The gay bears of the very popular web series Where the Bears Are are back on your various screens on August 11 for their third season of comedy-mystery shenanigans. This time around, our fuzzy heroes investigate the murders of beefy sex workers in Los Angeles. But it's not all dark stuff! Expect extra large portions of puns, heaping helpings of double entendres, and more body hair than you'll find at a Baldwin family reunion. The season also features guest spots from the likes of Tuc Watkins, Drew Droege and Sam Pancake. WTBA raised $159k on Kickstarter recently—which is not surprising; the Internet seems to love gay bear videos (maybe even more than real bear videos, non–panda division). Thankfully, from the look of the trailer below, its delightfully thrifty production values are still intact. For updates, keep an eye on wherethebearsare.tv.