What’s Next Now

When William Johnson was 15 and just beginning to understand his sexual orientation, he came across a copy of George Whitmore’s The Confessions of Danny Slocum in a Hartsdale, New York library. The novel changed Johnson’s life, teaching him the power words have for gay men. “I stole the book from the library,” Johnson, 36, admits, “and it has become a psalm-like touchstone for what I love to read: a lyrical snapshot of gay life that is often not considered for the established canon.” continue reading »

The fable of a young abstinence-advocating teen who discovers teeth in her vagina—to the detriment of the boys who try to force themselves upon her—offers one window into gay men’s psyches. “It can be seen as a gay man’s nightmare [but] there is a real myth throughout the world. I don’t think we gay men [can claim] vagina dentata,” says out director Mitchell Lichtenstein of his first film, Teeth. Son of the famous pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, Mitchell garnered success acting in films like Robert Altman’s Streamers before taking on directing. continue reading »

When RuPaul’s Drag Race returns to Logo on February 1, Sahara Davenport will be the only New York queen in the competition. But the glamour girl, who’s a professionally trainer dancer, wasn’t sweatin’ the pressure. “I was thrilled. I didn’t understand why there wasn’t a New York queen in first season, actually,” she says. “Of course I had to represent—I couldn’t let my city down!” Describing her look as “if Grace Jones and Iman had a striking, thin and gorgeous daughter,” Davenport’s been kicking it up in shows at Barracuda, The Monster, Splash and Lavish Lounge. (Her newest gig, Diagnosis: Diva! at therapy, also starts on February 1 right after the premiere of Drag Race). As anyone who’s watched the show knows, contestants have to be ready for anything, and novice sewer Sahara says she had to hot-glue and staple like her life depended on it. But the Harlem princess’ inborn confidence helped her keep her cool. “Part of the reason I did the show [was] to be seen. I want to be [known] on an international level. Not to steal from Madonna, but I would love to rule the world—in drag.” continue reading »

Say what you will about boys who like knitting, because Josh Bennett has heard them all. “Women in yarn stores would ask me if I knew how to knit. When I replied ‘Yes,’ they would say, ‘But you’re a boy!’” That’s why the 28-year-old Hell’s Kitchen resident created Boy Meets Purl (BoyMeetsPurl.com), a resource for guys (and girls) who knit. “There wasn’t anything out there. So instead of complaining about it, I decided I would start designing my own knitwear and patterns.” Little did Josh know that by sharing his new designs online he would launch a whole new career for himself. “I started to get clients that believed in the same knitting philosophy that I [did],” he explains. “Eventually I started designing for magazines like Vogue Knitting and made Boy Meets Purl my full-time job.” continue reading »

David Brind is not Diablo Cody. In fact, while the openly gay screenwriter’s aggressive teen-speak in Dare (opening November 13 at the Village East Cinemas) often brings to mind Ms. Cody’s punchy verbal sparring in Juno, he hasn’t even seen the flick. “[Juno] was written in sound bites. It’s really important for me to not create characters who speak in sound bites,” says the 32-year-old Hell’s Kitchen resident. Still, the comparisons to Cody’s meteoric rise remain for Brind and Dare—his sexually charged tale of three different kinds of high school misfits. Dare earned Brind and director Adam Salky a nomination for Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film festival and since then the film— expanded from their Award-winning gay short of the same name— has garned plenty of buzz thanks its rumored threesome between its sexy stars, Zach Gilford, Emmy Rossum and Ashley Springer. continue reading »

As any gay in New York who’s attempted to shop the overcrowded skin-care aisle in Duane Reade will tell you, figuring out what grooming products to buy is confusing. “I run into a lot of men [who] admit they don’t have a clue about what to do for their skin,” says Joshua Harrell, who turned his dismay at the lack of products designed specifically for men into his own skin-care line, Jock Soap (GetJock.com, 800-274-JOCK). “I wanted a soap that wasn’t made with all the crap that most soaps are made of, plus it had to smell good.” Since 2007, the 34-year-old, who splits his time between his native Atlanta and his boyfriend’s in New York, has been developing an entire line of naturally made grooming products, just for men. “Men, gay or straight, don’t want to do something they think only girls are supposed to do. So they block out so much that could help them look their absolute best.” continue reading »

Humor isn’t always something that translates well across cultures. But don’t tell that to local gay filmmaker Sebastian Silva, whose dark comedy The Maid (TheMaidMovie.com)—opening October 16 at the Angelika— turned heads when it premiered at Sundance last spring, winning the Chilean-born director the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize. “Shame, for me, is a good ingredient for comedy,” the East Village resident tells us on a sunny bench in Tompkins Square Park. “Larry David makes me laugh in the way he portrays what he thinks is funny—it’s really natural.” continue reading »