Boston Uncommon vol. 1 / no. 4
Trans Resistance, Kikipedia, digital drag competition
Boston Uncommon is a weekly newsletter covering Boston-based drag, burlesque, cabaret, sex work, and general queer nightlife. By engaging authentically and openly with the community of people who work and play within Boston’s in-person and digital queer spaces, we hope to report on the issues and events that affect them and their lives.
In this week’s edition of Boston Uncommon we:
Cover a BIG STORY: Trans Resistance MA to host second annual socially distant Trans Resistance March and Vigil this Summer
Make sure to STAY ON TOP OF THIS: Boston-based app Kikipedia tracks queer nightlife across the country
Check in with our STREAM QUEEN?: New digital drag competition opens casting for all drag artists
And stop to think— WHAT’S MISSING?: “Boston Uncommon” files FOIA request with Boston Department of Public Health
BIG STORY: Trans Resistance MA to host second annual socially distant Trans Resistance March and Vigil this Summer
In response to what they refer to as a ‘trans-exclusionary Boston Pride board,’ a collective of trans and queer activists formed the Trans Resistance MA in June 2020 to address the unequal representation of TQBIPOC people within the LGBT+ community.
The Boston-based group will be hosting an alternative event to Boston Pride, meant to honor trans trailblazers in LGBTQ+ history and BIPOC history.
Considering COVID restrictions, the event will be a socially distanced march and vigil in Franklin Park. Further information will be released on Trans Resistance MA’s website as event planning continues.
STAY ON TOP OF THIS: Boston-based app Kikipedia tracks queer nightlife across the country
Kikipedia is a queer nightlife database, first developed in Boston, that tracks virtual shows, drag casting calls, venues, and upcoming events in cities around the country and the world.
“The gay bar is a threatened species, the girl bar is an endangered species, and our trans siblings find it even harder to find safe, inclusive spaces these days,” the About Us page reads. “Sometimes what people have been looking for has been under their noses the whole time. Our goal is to help remedy this as best we can.”
The database is run by a small team that is dedicated to distributing free information regarding upcoming gay events and helping patrons plan their bar crawls, drag line ups, and nights out.
STREAM QUEENS: New digital drag competition opens casting for all drag artists
In addition to their regularly scheduled Twitch programming, The Serve Network, a collective of drag performers hosting a variety of shows throughout the week, have launched a new digital drag competition.
Hosts Violencia! and Majenta with a J are casting drag queens, kings, and things from here, there, and everywhere who are regularly doing drag, able to produce digital drag videos, and willing to participate in live weekly shows.
According to Kikipedia, all competitors will be paid for each episode they are featured in with the grand prize still to be determined. Applications must be submitted here by 12 a.m. EST on Feb. 28.
WHAT’S MISSING?: “Boston Uncommon” files FOIA request with MA Department of Public Health
In order to gain further information on CNN and the CDC’s findings in their recent issue brief regarding the higher risk of COVID-19 infection within the LGBTQ+ community, I have filed a FOIA request with the Massachussets DPH.
I have requested demographic data detailing the sexual orientation of those testing for COVID-19. I am seeking this information from 2020-present.