Genre | anthology |
---|---|
Published | November 2017 |
Publisher | Flashpoint Publications |
ISBN | 978-1-63304-813-3 |
Our Happy Hours: LGBT Voices from the Gay Bars is a 2017 anthology that came about as a result of the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The anthology is curated by writers Renee Bess and Lee Lynch and contains contributions from LGBT writers from all walks of life. The anthology was created to give LGBTQ writers a chance to reflect upon the role of the gay bar in their lives and to express its importance to non-LGBTQ people. [1]
The massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida brought LGBT club life into the public view. However, it became apparent that many people outside of the LGBTQ community did not truly understand the role that bars and clubs play in the community and how their importance evolved over the years. [2]
When writer Renee Bess read Lee Lynch's blog, "Freedom Clothes", she noticed the historical descriptions of gay bar life mirrored the contemporary descriptions of the gay bar's role in the lives of LGBTQ persons. Despite the commonly accepted belief that the gay bar is a place of refuge and self-affirmation, it is also a place that offers different experiences to different members of the LGBTQ community. Bess felt it was important to have a discussion about the significance of the gay bar/club in LGBTQ culture. The idea of inviting writers to contribute their pieces of short fiction, slices of their bar-related memoirs, and their poetry to an anthology came to mind as a means of sharing the LGBTQ club experience with the world. [2] [3]
Bess asked Lynch, a revered member of the lesbian writers' community, if she would like to join her in inviting LGBTQ writers to create and submit original poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essay, and memoir pieces that explore the role the gay bar's culture has played in their life or the lives of the LGBT community. [4]
The "gay bar anthology" was titled Our Happy Hours: LGBT Voices From the Gay Bars and was published in the fall of 2017 by Flashpoint Publications. [5] [6] It also contains memoir pieces about gay life in the 1960s before the acceptance of the LGBT community within the mainstream society. [6]
The anthology contains stories and poetry from over thirty LGBT writers that were influenced or inspired by LGBT bar experience and covers themes ranging from "fiery political birthplaces", "poetic reverence", and "points of resistance. [7] [8]
The necessity of the anthology came as a result of the massacre and the fact the many LGBT youth are homeless. The curators felt the royalties from the book should go to help homeless youth. It was decided the royalties from the anthology will go to benefit the Attic Youth Center in Philadelphia and Ali Forney Center in New York City. [9]
Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature. The awards were instituted in 1989.
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, is an American professional association dedicated to coverage of LGBTQ issues in the media. It is based in Washington, D.C., and the membership consists primarily of journalists, students, educators, and communications professionals. The organization was previously known as the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA), but changed its name in 2013 to "NLGJA: The Association of LGBT Journalists" to reflect the diversity of the communities it represents. In 2016, it added a "Q", updating its name to "NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists". In 2023, it added a "+", updating its name to "NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists".
Metrosource is an American LGBTQ magazine. The bi-monthly gay and lesbian lifestyle magazine and business directory has three editions: Metrosource NY, Metrosource LA and Metrosource National. The magazine is distributed in print and digital formats.
Essex Hemphill was an openly gay American poet and activist. He is known for his contributions to the Washington, D.C. art scene in the 1980s, and for openly discussing the topics pertinent to the African-American gay community.
Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics.
Lee Lynch is an American author writing primarily on lesbian themes, specifically noted for authentic characterizing of butch and femme characters in fiction. She is the recipient of a Golden Crown Literary Society Trail Blazer award for lifetime achievement, as well as being the namesake for the Golden Crown Literary Society's Lee Lynch Classics Award.
Kevin Killian was an American poet, author, editor, and playwright primarily of LGBT literature. My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, which he co-edited with Peter Gizzi, won the American Book Award for poetry in 2009.
Although same-sex sexual activity was illegal in Canada up to 1969, gay and lesbian themes appear in Canadian literature throughout the 20th century. Canada is now regarded as one of the most advanced countries in legal recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights.
Darnell L. Moore is an American writer and activist whose work is informed by anti-racist, feminist, queer of color, and anti-colonial thought and advocacy. Darnell's essays, social commentary, poetry, and interviews have appeared in various national and international media venues, including the Feminist Wire, Ebony magazine, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, and The Advocate.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest LGBTQ populations and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."
LGBT culture in Leeds, England, involves an active community of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender/transsexual. A BBC News Online article published in 2012 stated that, while Leeds City Council has not published statistics relating to the number of LGBT residents, the figure can be estimated at 10% of the overall population, which currently suggests a total of at least 77,000. The tenth year of the Leeds Pride march and celebration, held in 2016, was attended by over 40,000 people.
LGBT culture in Baltimore, Maryland is an important part of the culture of Baltimore, as well as being a focal point for the wider LGBT community in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Mount Vernon, known as Baltimore's gay village, is the central hub of the city's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.
Storme Webber is an American two-spirit interdisciplinary artist, poet, curator, and educator based in Seattle, Washington. She is descended from Sugpiaq (Alutiiq), Black, and Choctaw people.
Willyce Kim is an American writer. She is generally recognized to be the first openly-lesbian, Asian American poet to be published in the United States. Kim published her first book of poetry in 1971 and continued to publish poetry and novels throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She also contributed to a number of lesbian literary reviews throughout this time period. Her work is characterized by its celebration of lesbianism, strong women, and queer kinship.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
S. Renée Bess is an American author from Pennsylvania whose writing focuses on multi-ethnic and cultural representation in literature, social themes, African-American culture, lesbianism, feminism, complex female characters, and family relationships. She is a retired Spanish and French teacher who has been writing for most of her life. Her writing has won a number of awards including a Golden Crown Literary Society “Goldie” for Our Happy Hours: LGBT Voices from the Gay Bars, a 2017 anthology that came about as a result of the massacre at the gay Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. She serves as a member of the GCLS Sandra Moran Writing Academy Scholarship board. and is a long-time member of the Golden Crown Literary Society and the Lambda Literary Foundation.
JR's Bar and Grill is a gay bar in Neartown, Houston, in the U.S. state of Texas. Charles Armstrong is the owner.
Mr. Flamingo is a gay bar in Zona Romántica, Puerto Vallarta, in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Diesel is a gay bar in Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington.
On November 19–20, 2022, an anti-LGBT-motivated mass shooting occurred at Club Q, a gay bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. Five people were murdered, and 25 others were injured, 19 of them by gunfire. The shooter, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, was also injured while being restrained, and was taken to a local hospital. Aldrich was charged and remanded in custody. On June 26, 2023, Aldrich pled guilty in the shooting and was sentenced to five consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 2,211 years.