There were loads of double-takes last fall in downtown Stamford. Especially on Summer Street, where life-sized animals were sliding out of cars, hoofing down the sidewalk, crossing the street with their wings, antennae and ears flapping, all flocking to the Armon Hotel. Inside, it was a total Furpocalypse. That’s its name. “Furpoc,” for short, is the Halloween-themed convention that each year draws about 1,500 “furries” to socialize, dance, share their artwork, party and be their furry selves. Furries are fans of anthropomorphism, the creative act of attributing human characteristics to animal ..read more

By Brian Scott Lipton   Attendees at this year’s Connecticut Voice Honors, which take place April 27 at Hartford’s Bushnell Theater, are in for a very special treat as drag legend Varla Jean Merman will be the celebrity host for the festivities. A singular performer–and  Varla really knows how to sing–Merman is a master of giving audiences a good time! We recently talked with Varla’s creator (and male alter ego) Jeffery Roberson about how Varla was “born,” her decades-long career as both a drag artist and theater performer, her early drag influences, how she feels about “RuPaul’s Dra ..read more

He’s a man of many talents with a long career that’s included playwright, actor, director, novelist, cabaret performer, and drag icon. The legendary Charles Busch has written and started in more than twenty-five plays including The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, The Tribute Artist, The Confession of Lily Dare, and his latest, Ibsen’s Ghost. His play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom became one of the longest running plays in the history of Off-Broadway, and over his long career, and Busch (now 69) defined the downtown theater scene throughout the 80s and 90s with his laser s ..read more

Do you own a body? If so, congratulations: you are among the 100 percent of readers who can use this news. If you’re also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you’re more likely, actually, to need this news. LGBTQ+ people already face unique and added obstacles to accessing healthcare. Fortunately, in Connecticut, there’s help available (free!) for one of the most stressful of them: insurance. The state Office of the Healthcare Advocate offers free assistance with health care issues–most commonly with appeals of insurance denials. Their success rate is high, says OHA General Counsel Sean King. In ..read more

Meet Liat Feller, 24, of Stamford. You’ll be glad you did; there’s a lot to appreciate, and they own it all proudly. They identify as intersex, one of the most misunderstood cohorts under the LGBTQ+ banner. Feller is an online influencer and natural comedian, who identifies as “raising queer, intersex, Jewish, disabled, anti-capitalist hell.” They’re an early childhood education student at American Jewish University. They’re an educator, speaking and consulting on intersex and disability issues. And this year they were selected as an interACT Youth Advocate, charged by the advocacy organizatio ..read more

By Maria Lino   If there’s one positive lesson to glean from pandemic times, it’s the realization that life’s challenges demand a collective response. First, there was COVID, with its multiple waves and accompanying guidelines. Soon after, “monkeypox” or “la viruela del mono” emerged—swiftly evolving into “mpox”—posing the challenge of reaching a specific vulnerable population: the LGBTQ+ community. The healthcare system found itself compelled to craft an awareness message emphasizing prevention, action, and risk without resorting to stereotypical messages. This community, throughout its ..read more

By Amy White   A good dip is the unsung hero of any get-together. Whether it’s game day, cocktail hour or time at the pool, dips elevate snacks and turn veggies from “Blah!” to “Ahhh!” Making dips at home adds good healthy choices to the dip equation. Homemade dips combine the freshness of ingredients (which equals fresher flavor), the opportunity for nearly endless customization, and the satisfaction of putting something delicious on the table for people to gather around. Good ingredients are imperative for any recipe, but this is extremely true for dips, as typically little-to-no cookin ..read more

It is frustrating, alarming, sad, and more than a little scary that this still needs to be said in 2024, but here we go, once again, for the record: Trans. Rights. Are. Human. Rights. Some so-called “leaders” throughout the country have decided that the trans community—including gender non-conforming, non-binary and intersex folks—make an easy target as political pawns in their hate-filled culture wars. Which is why it is more important than ever for the entire LGBTQ+ community and our allies to stand up boldly on behalf of the entire trans family. Simply stated, there is no LGB without the T ..read more

The Family that Plays Together… BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE Natalie Gold, Michael Esper, Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll If one takes the meaning of the word “appropriate” in the sense of stealing (or more accurately, “purloining”), then Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new play Appropriate now at Second Stage is a glorious act of literary thievery that also manages to be completely original, funny, heartbreaking, and much more. From Chekhov, we get the house about to be sold and the­ dark memories that haunt it. From O’Neill, we have the drug-addled mother. From Williams, we get the characters with dangerous secr ..read more

It’s 2003, and I am just pulling into a parking space at Westfarms Mall, where I sell cell phones for T-Mobile.  On NPR, they’re talking about an American CIA agent whose identity was outed by a journalist. That agent’s name is Valerie Plame. I lock my Ford Focus, put my nametag on, and walk towards the mall. As I pass the trash compactor, I wonder, Why would anyone want to out a CIA agent… Of their own country? By the time I clock in, I had already stopped thinking about it, and had moved on to counting the cash in my register, getting ready for another day of slingin’ cell phones.  ..read more