The Fabulous Underground

An Archive of Queer Fabulosity! (click the box in the top left for more options)

[fabulousunderground]

Wonder Gay

  WHO

Do you love K-pop? Do you love a gay who can dance? Well if you said yes to either or both questions, look no further than Wonder Gay! Wonder Gay is a Thai dance troupe composed of five members (Por, Bick, Pepsi, Korpai, and Aki) who concentrate their sassy, slick moves and charp choreography on K-pop dance covers. More specifically, the boys cover the enormously popular Wonder Girls. Wonder Gay have been devoted fans of the Wonder Girls, and have been performing their choreography for audiences both virtual and live almost as long as the Wonder Girls themselves.

  CLAIM TO FABULOSITY

Listen, these boys can dance. Go ahead and tell me these guys don’t give the Wonder Girls a run for their money (even down to the furry wristbands).

   Not to mention they can totally kill it solo. (Rest assured that if the author ever attempted to move his body like that, it would look a little something like this.)

  They even perform their dances at all sorts of events for a solid fan base. I mean, listen to those screams!

WHAT THEY’RE DOING

By being unafraid of who they are and unafraid to do what they want, Wonder Gay is a positive, fun influence for queer-identified youth in Thailand. While Thailand is generally a tolerant country for queer folks, being open, public, and vocal about queer sexuality is still uncommon and uncomfortable. Queer people are tolerated, but not visible. Tolerated but not protected. Wonder Gay is helping to break this silence (it’s right there in the name), yet without being overtly political or aggressive. They’re doing what they are passionate about while being open about who they are, and as a result hopefully more queer Thai youth will be able to do the same.

[fabulousunderground]

Dynasty Handbag

WHO

“I am the wolf./ I run through the forest./ I howl/ Back/ And fourth [sic]/ Through the forest./ Looking/ Looking for that place/ the place where I/ can let it all out.”

  The above was a segment from the “About” page on Dynasty Handbag’s website, which can be found at http://www.dynastyhandbag.com/

  Dynasty Handbag may be a bit of an aloof character, but what a character she is. Handbag takes her work to the extremes of performativity. She is shocking visually, her content is controversial, her execution is erratic, and her voices are demonic. Handbag does not anchor herself in the identity of her actress for humanity and accessibility, as seen in her choice of a handwritten poem about a wolf as her only bio. She in no way claims to be realistic or relatable, but comes crashing into her performances like an extraterrestrial bent on wreaking gleeful havoc on American society.

CLAIM TO FABULOSITY

The most traumatic cover of Beyonce’s “Party” you have ever seen. Also probably the most traumatic cover of any song you have ever seen. Yes it is 10 minutes long and no the song will never be the same. And I can assure you that all of her videos are equally appalling, yet amazing, like this trip down the rabbit hole into Handbag’s life.

 WHAT SHE’S DOING

Dynasty Handbag’s surreal, irreverent performances are high Camp. Handbag’s performances are all about artifice – a crazy persona matched with equally outlandish visuals and themes. Through the ridiculousness of Handbag’s gimmicks, she perverts the superficiality and artifices of everyday life. The extremities to which she pushes her performances allow her to sink her teeth into norms embedded in everyday things like pop music, social interaction, and sexuality and rip them apart. The polarization of Handbag’s performances also makes them a Campy delight – arresting and funny, yet revolting. Through her volatile performances, Dynasty Handbag points out the absurdities in everyday life that pass as mundane, static realities. In the process, Handbag is also navigating a new interpretation of Camp, a traditionally queer territory, and therefore innovating new modalities of queer art and performance. 

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Annie Sprinkle

WHO

Annie Sprinkle is a woman of many hats. She has been a prostitute, a porn star, a director for sex films, and has moved on to become the first porn star to earn a Ph.D (in Human Sexuality, of course), a sex worker rights activist, a radical sex-positive feminist, artist, teacher, lecturer, and ecosexual.

  Annie Sprinkle has used her vast and intimate experience with sexuality and humanity to become one of the most well-informed and well-grounded proponents of sex-positivity, sexual health, and sex worker rights. She is devoted to spreading her knowledge and experiences, and seeks out where her sexual activism intersects with other progressive issues.

CLAIM TO FABULOSITY

Sprinkle and her partner are pioneers in ecosexuality, and so have married the moon, the sky, the ocean, the mountains, and the snow in a succession of symbolic weddings. That’s right, Annie Sprinkle is married to the moon. As her partner, Elizabeth Stephens, stated “we’re changing the metaphor from Earth as mother to Earth as lover.” By attempting to shift this cultural paradigm, Sprinkle and Stephens are advocating environmental awareness through stressing that all humans are connected to nature, and should love and cherish it as they would a lover.

WHAT SHE’S DOING

Annie Sprinkle is practically an embodiment of “queer.” She worked in the margins of society for years, earned significant academic prestige, and is now challenging all kinds of social norms. She is extending her influence over issues entrenched within society like sex work and sex-positivity. But she isn’t content to queer only areas of sexuality, oh no no. She has combined her passion and activism in the realm of sexuality with other areas that don’t seem to intersect at all, like environmentalism. Through her efforts, she is promoting a world where nothing goes un-queered.  

[fabulousunderground]

Sayoni Wiki

Sayoni

From The Fabulous Underground

  Sayoni is a website and organization based in Singapore to support queer women.  Started in 2005, the website covers LGBTQ news, focusing especially on Singaporean laws, events, and the like.  It posts many articles on subjects from coming out to advocacy, and encourages users to discuss different issues and current events through comments and specific user forums.

  Contents

1 Events

2 Advocacy and Education

3 Articles

4 References

    Events

  Sayoni is very active in IndigNation, a group that organizes Singapore’s LGBT pride season, including parades, talks, meetings, and the like.

Sayoni most recently participated in IndigNation 2013, where the organization held events on queer parenting and the queer revolution in Southeast Asia.

  Advocacy and Education

  Conducted several general assessments of the queer female population in Singapore. The surveys were conducted to help the organization assess the women’s needs in order to improve the website and events, and be of better service overall.

            Notably published Report on Discrimination against Women in Singapore based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identityto be presented before CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, run by the UN.

  Articles

  The website frequently publishes articles on almost anything having to do with queerness.  It works as a valuable resource for women in all different situations, and provides them with anything from discussions about queerness and faith, politics, and queer theory.

              The articles are sorted into the following categories:

                        Activism

                        Coming Out

                        Commentary

                        Entertainment

                        Events

                        Faith

                        Family

                        Humor

                        LGBT Rights, Politics, and World News

Latest News

Literature: Queer and More

Sexuality

Relationships

Youth

  By organizing the articles in this way, Sayoni makes it easy for users to quickly find discussions, advice, and information on almost any subject.

  Resources – External Links

  http://sayoni.com

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/

http://indignationsg.wordpress.com

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Taylor Mac – Theater Artist Extraordinaire

For those of you who may not have heard of him, Taylor Mac is an amazing theater artist (meaning he does everything from cabaret to playwriting to theater to songwriting, etc. etc. etc.) and activist.  He is the definition of the word fabulous in my opinion!  His work is extensive, so I will just focus on one of his many performances so as not to overwhelm with his incredible talents.  (Can you tell I like him?)

  Before I start, check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q1-K1ht984

This is a video of Taylor performing his song “The Palace of the End” in drag, the song I will be focusing on because I cannot get it out of my head!

  Taylor starts the somewhat campy but hard-hitting performance by sitting down on a stool and strumming a ukulele.  He is wearing a full face of makeup with sequins, huge false eyelashes, red glitter lipstick – the works!  He begins the song by strumming with an innocent expression on his face and begins to sing.

  The song is obscurest and tells (in a nutshell) a story that leads to Saddam Hussein and Lynne Cheney falling in love right as Saddam is executed.  Taylor Mac starts by singing both Lynne’s and Saddam’s histories (in the context of romance novels).  Then, Lynne Cheney appears to watch Saddam get executed and the two make eye contact through the glass and fall in love – right before he is killed.

  At first glance, the song and performance may seem incredibly strange, but as Taylor begins to sing the viewer is drawn deeper and deeper into the story.  The ridiculous performance mixed with the equally ridiculous song initially shock the audience but then somehow manage to make a statement.  As soon as the song ended, I took a minute to think, and then immediately pressed play again – Taylor’s performance, though initially strange looking, reveals amazing truths.  Try it – watch again and see what the song makes YOU think of!

[fabulousunderground]

IndigNation -- a post of appreciation!

Hello again dear readers, I am writing on the subject of IndigNation, Singapore’s national pride month.  I wanted to get word out there about this amazing feat and give them some much-deserved recognition.  I am not sure how much prior knowledge you have about Singapore’s relationship with LGBTQ+ issues, so:

  If you are familiar with them, skip this paragraph.  If not, read away!  Singapore has in place a law that criminalizes sexual acts between two men, with a possible punishment time of up to two years.  This law is section 377A of the Singaporean Penal Code.  Though infrequently acted upon, this piece of legislature makes clear Singapore’s conservative views on gay and queer rights.  This is a very brief background, so please do some research of your own too.  I hope to post a more in depth look at Singapore and queerness soon.

  IndigNation is an incredible feat.  A very committed group of activists have worked incredibly hard with to allow this annual pride month to continue without the government stepping in.  IndigNation is a month long, typically spanning the month of August, and started in 2005.

  IndigNation hosts a variety of queer themed events and focuses on stimulating discourse about various queer issues.  There are lectures, discussion groups, art exhibits, parties, performances, and much more.  This year saw the ninth annual IndigNation, which ran from August 3rd through 31st, 2013.  

  IndigNation 9 showed the progress the collective has made in the events since the inaugural celebration in 2005.  This was seen in the more concentrated focus of the event on faith, shown in the month’s title, Faith in the Future.  By changing the focus to one main theme, IndigNation enabled the attendees to delve into the issue of faith, sexuality, and Singapore.

  Faith in the Future encouraged open discourse about the intersections of different religions and sexualities to attempt to create a more co-habitable Singapore through awareness and willingness to talk about these issues.

  IndigNation 9 accomplished these goals through workshops, speeches, discussion panels, music, art exhibitions, and more.  IndigNation seems to have grown in the different areas it uses to discuss issues in the years since 2005, adding smaller discussions, music, readings, and more.  It has grown to reach attendees needs, which is clearly visible when viewing the 2013 schedule, which is chock-full of diverse events to cater to people’s different needs.

  In the nine years since its conception, IndigNation has gathered a large following, media coverage, and more sponsors.  It has promoted discussion and thought about issues ranging from gay rights to parenting styles, and has given a voice to many who otherwise did not feel like they had one.

  Through the large audience the celebration has drawn, IndigNation has enabled smaller support groups such as Sayoni to have greater outreach and power.  It has given many queer Singaporeans hope and a sense of community, and has raised awareness about their oppression in the Singaporean and global community.  Perhaps most importantly, IndigNation has shown that change is possible, and has empowered hundreds of people who may have previously felt worthless and cast out.  Having accomplished so much in only nine years, it will be interesting and exciting to see what further changes will come about due to this brave and proud collective!

[fabulousunderground]

Imani Uzuri

Imani Uzuri is an amazing singer and composer from North Carolina – my home state!  She just released her second solo album, The Gypsy Diaries, which explores her experiences traveling, both to different countries and places and in her mind.

  Her voice is rich, deep, and has that almost raw quality that makes you instantly get goose bumps when listening.  While her first album was much more intense, this album sounds more simplified and contemplative but still emotional to an extent – it makes you think, and can put you in a trance-like state of awe.

  She has spent the time working on her album traveling all over the world and experiencing different cultures.  In an interview (found here, http://vimeo.com/40667485, dear readers,) Uzuri explains that traveling has made her come face to face with her own issues, and that this album is her grappling with them and figuring out who she is.  

  The music on this album is acoustic and rhythmic.  Every strong has an easily identifiable beat from the get-go, and Uzuri’s full, soulful voice is complemented by acoustic guitar, cello, violin, sitar, and daf.  The works on the album really showcase her magnificent voice and allow the listener to join her on her journeys, both to new places and to self-discovery.

  I strongly recommend listening to this album, or even just a song, as I think the concepts and issues Uzuri raises, as well as her very global perspective, make the album very accessible to almost any listener, and will surely make you think.  After listening to her album, I had the same feeling of oneness, calmness, and clarity that I do after meditating or practicing yoga – I highly, highly recommend checking this amazing woman out!