Diversity Rules Magazine

Diversity Rules Magazine | June 2023 | 9 Body Hack now throws monthly par es at Nowa- days in Ridgewood (Queens), crea ng space for trans people to gather, celebrate, and extend support to one another. Each party doubles as a fundraiser for a trans-related ini a ve, and has raised over $300k in the last five years. "We believe in priori zing a mindset of abundance over scarcity. We believe that trans people are bril- liantly resourceful, and that we don't need to de- pend on people who don't understand or value who we are and what we do in order to survive. We strive to build interdependence within our communi es, we can get what we need by suppor ng one another. We refuse to be respectable in our fundraising, we can be our whole selves when we ask for support and when we give it. We believe organizing should be fun and feel fulfilling in order to be sustainable. We honor the long standing rela onship our communi- es have to nightlife—as a refuge and space to seek pleasure and possibility." - Body Hack Organizers About Alexis De Veaux and JesusDevil The Parables Alexis De Veaux is a black queer feminist indepen- dent scholar whose interna onally known work is published in six languages. She has been publishing fic on, poetry, plays, memoirs, and children's litera- ture since 1973, and her work is anthologized in nu- merous collec ons. De Veaux is the author of Yabo and Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde; and was tenured faculty at the University at Buffalo, De- partment of Women's Studies, for more than twenty years, mentoring a new genera on of interdisciplin- ary scholars of black, feminist, and queer studies. She is a 2022 Queer|Art|Mentorship Mentor, and was the the recipient of the 2022 Pamela Sneed Award for Black Queer|Art Mentorship Ar sts & Organiz- ers. Evoca ve and experimental, JesusDevil: The Parables is a nonlinear tale of black life and spiritual expres- sion. Wri ng in a style she calls "afic on," Alexis De Veaux expands and moves beyond tradi onal narra- ve, following the adventures of Fhill, a black, queer spirit who has taken human form. Neither male nor female, Fhill moves fluidly and disrup vely across concepts of iden ty, passing through the nine "par- ables" that comprise this text. Examining aspects of what it means to be black and human—from a non- human perspec ve—Fhill's liminal nature redefines social and literary categories, exploring social con- struc ons of blackness as well as themes of desire, memory, sex, revenge, and more. The book is a dar- ing new work and crowning achievement from a vet- eran storyteller. About Clit Club Founded in New York City in 1990, the Clit Club was a nightclub and performance venue that offered a sex- posi ve, racially, economically, and culturally-mixed queer space of encounter for self-iden fied lesbian, gay, and trans people for over twelve years. The par- ty was conceived and ini ated by Mul -Year QAM Mentor Julie Tolen no and ritual performance ar st/ filmmaker Jocelyn Taylor (aka Jaguar Mary). By 1991, Clit Club ran as a weekly party, known for its hot en- erge c vibe that blended nightlife with sex, art, and ac vism in a manner far ahead of its me. "Clit Club was more than a party. Or, like the best par- es, it was an ethos, a des na on that lived inside its inhabitants—a roving home for dykes, sex work- ers, and unflappable misfits. A legendary safe house along the path of a malevolent journey," says Editor- in-Chief of Ar orum, David Velasco. About Queer|Art Queer|Art connects and empowers LGBTQ+ ar sts across genera ons and crea ve disciplines. Founded in 2009, we are an ar st-led and community-centered organiza on—united by shared values of collec ve care, crea ve resilience, and the preserva on and advancement of queer legacies and queer futures. The devasta ng loss of a genera on of ar sts to the ongoing AIDS pandemic has created a profound long- ing for cross-genera onal connec ons, mentorship, and community. Queer|Art serves as a ballast against this loss, seeking to highlight and address a con nuing fundamental lack of both economic and ins tu onal support for our community. Ongoing programma c ini a ves include: our annual cornerstone program, the year-long Queer|Art|Mentorship and a wide array of awards, grants, and offerings that provide direct support to LGBTQ+ ar sts. Website: www.queer-art.org Instagram: @queerart Press contact: Ma Gross / Heart Spade PR, ma @ heartspadepr.com, 347 804 6837.

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