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N.Y. Scene Year in Review: Highlights from 2011

N.Y. Scene is a monthly column that chronicles lesbian nightlife, and venues and events of interest in New York. Grace Chu has come out of lesbian scene retirement to navigate the vast and ever-evolving New York City scene, so you don’t have to.

A new year is upon us. I hope all of you have kept your resolutions so far, but if you didn’t, the Lunar New Year was January 23, so you can use this opportunity to make the same promises you won’t keep. But even if you’ve already fallen off the wagon or the treadmill, it’s the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon is like the Chinese Honey Badger, which means this year you’re going to be fierce and nasty ass no matter what. 

But before we launch ourselves into 2012, let’s take a moment to reminisce about 2011. 2011 was a great year to be a New Yorker. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, and same sex marriage was legalized in the Empire State. New York native Lady Gaga released “Born This Way,” which became 2011’s gay anthem. Indie films featuring lesbian characters wowed audiences at the Tribeca Film Festival and Newfest, and the critically acclaimed Pariah, set in Brooklyn, was picked up by Focus Features and is currently playing in theaters. Hole reunited at the MoMa, CMJ rolled through town, and lesbian promoters outdid themselves at Pride.

While the city is absurdly big, I am absurdly small, and recapping every event of interest to lesbian and bi women would be impossible, but here are a few highlights.

January

In December 2010, the House and Senate voted to repeal the military policy known as Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, because Congress finally clued in on what we knew already. To quote Margaret Cho, “As if you can win a war without lesbians.” To celebrate the occasion, downtown staple Choice C*nts encouraged everyone to arrive in military themed apparel for its January fete.   

Yes, ma’am!

In theater, after seeking financing for the better part of 2010, Bridget Regan and Natalie Weiss‘ play about two teenagers falling in love at Christian youth camp, Camp Wanatachi, landed a two week Off-Off Broadway run. 

February

February saw the launch of Wonder Women, a non-profit organization founded by entrepreneur Aliya Hallim-Byne and restauranteur Yoanne Magris. The frigid weather and downright dangerous walk to the venue, Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, did not deter the 100 or so VIPs who were invited to attend. 

Club promoters kicked it up a notch in February, throwing one offs at some of Manhattan most well known clubs. These weren’t your ambiguously androgynous aunt’s lesbian parties. Maggie C Events threw a Valentine’s Day blowout at Crimson Club, and a group of promoters collaborated on a Presidents’ Day event at megaclub Pacha. 

New York native and gay ally Lady Gaga released her single “Born This Way,” which became 2011’s gay anthem and the fastest selling single in iTunes history. 

March

LGBT professional networking organization Dot429 held its inaugural women’s event, featuring Heather Matarazzo as its keynote speaker and Gloria Bigelow and Setup Squad‘s Meredith Schlosser as hosts. The 18th annual GLBT Expo was held at the Javits Center, featuring gay friendly businesses looking to target the LGBT market. 

Businesses included everything from mom and pop shops to giants such as Anheuser Busch, and if  Anheuser Busch is around, you know who else is around? The Bud Light Girls, which is always a plus.

The New York segment of the GLAAD Media Awards was held at the Marriott Marquis, and while there wasn’t very much lesbian representation, at least True Blood won for Outstanding Drama Series.

Hole reunited at the Museum of Modern Art for the New York premiere of Hit So Hard, a documentary about Patty Schemel‘s career as a drummer and her descent into (and recovery from) drug addiction.

The Rainbow Book Fair was held at the LGBT community center, featuring several gay friendly publishers and readings from gay and lesbian writers and poets.

Finally, one of the longest running NYC women’s parties, Snapshot, held its final bash at Bar 13. Snapshot’s run lasted seven years, which is equivalent to a century in lesbian time.

April

The 10th annual Tribeca Film Festival took place in late April and featured many films with lesbian characters, including Angel’s Crest, The Perfect Family, and She Monkeys. Kate Walsh played gay once more in Angel’s Crest, and Emily Deschanel played the lesbian daughter of a devoutly religious mother, played by Kathleen Turner, in The Perfect Family.

Official press still by Oana Marian

 May

The 23rd Annual Lambda Literary Awards was held in New York City, and Eileen Myles’ Inferno (A Poet’s Novel) took away the award for Best Lesbian Fiction.

District 36 nightclub was host to Popped, an art show and benefit for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, and Out Professionals launched its young professionals group, OP.Prime.

On Memorial Day weekend, the entire lesbian population of New York City jumped on the ferry to Cherry Grove, Fire Island, ushering in the summer.

June

At 10:30pm on Friday, June 24th, the New York Senate voted to legalize same sex marriage. Hundreds of people congregated on the streets adjacent to the historic Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the gay rights movement, to celebrate. The news was an auspicious beginning to Pride weekend, which is the one weekend where you see everyone you’ve ever dated, everyone you wish you’ve dated, everyone you lost touch with, everyone you still keep in touch with but wish you didn’t, and everyone else.

July

On July 4, spectators lined the boardwalks of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines for the annual Invasion of the Pines event. The Invasion has its origins in a spontaneous protest by a few outraged drag queens 35 years ago over the ejection of a drag queen from a restaurant in The Pines, and it has grown into an annual celebration, with hundreds of drag queens boarding the multilevel Fire Island Ferry at The Grove to “invade” The Pines every 4th of July. 

New York City’s LGBT film festival, Newfest, featured films such as Chely Wright‘s Wish Me Away, a documentary about her coming out as a country music singer. Other films that screened included Sundance darling Circumstance, Sebastian Silva’s Old Cats and Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same, a screwball romantic comedy set in New York City.

Also, the Met held a special gay pride showing of Alexander McQueen‘s Savage Beauty exhibit, thousands of women descended upon gay friendly beach town Asbury Park to dance and play dodgeball in the annual Diva on the Shore event, and twelve same sex couples were wed in pop up chapels in Central Park to commemorate the legalization of same sex marriage.  

August

Mother nature decided to rattle the Big Apple. A hurricane and an earthquake hit within a week of each other. And we thought last year’s tornado in Park Slope was bad.

Original Sin, a women’s event in Atlantic City featured cast members of The Real L Word and the Truck Stop Girlz. And a candied apple.

September

On September 19, Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black premiered his play 8, based on the Proposition 8 trial in California, on Broadway. The one night run featured a star studded cast including Morgan Freeman and Ellen Barkin. Then the day afterwards, on September 20, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was packed into a Hefty bag and launched into the garbage truck of history.

October

The GLAAD Amplifier Awards spotlighted gay friendly companies and gay friendly advertising campaigns. Among the winners were Google Chrome, Absolut Vodka and American Airlines.

Ally Sheedy made an appearance at the benefit for the Ali Forney Center.

Music festival CMJ came to town, featuring many bands with queer members, such as Wild Flag, MEN, Making Friendz, and The Shondes.

Finally, Halloween gave lesbians an excuse to dress up as Hope Solo – or a giant butterfly – at events such as the Third Annual Vampire Bash and Stiletto’s annual Halloween party.

November

$1.3 million was raised to benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute at the Emery Awards, Patricia Field co-hosted DJ Tracy Young‘s birthday party at District 36 nightclub, and Kelly Ripa made an appearance at the opening night of Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays at the Minetta Theater.

December

Dees Rees’ critically acclaimed film Pariah, set in the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn, opened in theaters.

And finally, the TruckStop Girlz donned purple Santa hats and threw down at the TruckStop holiday party, which was the craziest TruckStop of the year. Here are the photos to prove it.

So are you ready to take on 2012? According to the Mayans and Britney Spears, it’s all going to end on December 21, so what are you waiting for? Time’s a runnin’ out, so let’s get this party started, Chinese badgers!

All photos by Grace Chu unless otherwise noted

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