Tag: louie ortiz-fonseca
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Water From The Moon (a Poem for My Mother)
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now imagine this.me – a moon chaser running across the sky stealing blue-white streaks to travel years of light. imagine if i traveled to the moonto gather a liter of its water to cleanse your auraand fill the creek that many have stolen a drink from. imagine if i strike myself against the universe and break open…
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Songs That Soundtracked the AIDS Crisis: Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”
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My memories are a sacred place. Some may say I am addicted to nostalgia, and maybe, on some level, I am. But aren’t most people? My visitations to yesteryear are not rooted in the longing to relive the past but rather a way for me to time travel and have…
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RAHSAAN PATTERSON: in celebration of
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In 1984, one of my favorite songs was Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero.” I was just eight years old, but I fuckin’ LOVED the drama of the anthemic song. I would lip-sync this song when no one was around. I knew adults didn’t think it was “ok” for…
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songs that soundtracked the AIDS crisis: Tiffany “Here In My Heart”
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The impact of HIV/AIDS in the collective consciousness in pop music was undeniable. This period saw a move toward more introspective and somber tones lyrically and sonically. “Being Boring” by Pet Shop Boys, and Gwen Guthrie’s “Can’t Love You Tonight” are notable songs of this time. And yes, even teen…
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Throwback: Easter 1994
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we weren’t catholic, but easter was still a big thing in our family. and by that, i mean, we got new clothes to show off while doing what we did every other day – sit on the damn steps. we didn’t get easter baskets. we didn’t go to sunday mass.…
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songs that soundtracked the AIDS crisis: boogie down productions “jimmy”
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“here is a message to the super hoes” whew, name a more iconic and sex-positive opening line of a hip-hop song released in 1998 – during the genre’s golden era? well, maybe i am being hyperbolic, but almost every lyric in “jimmy” by the pioneering new york hip-hop group boogie…
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For the Patron Saint Janet Jackson
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i have always believed in pop music. i have always believed in the beat. pop music, in its infinite power, was my only religion. and it was the patron saint pop divas like saint janet that i pray for sanctuary, for deliverance. as a young queer person in the late…
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RAY NAVARRO
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On December 10, 1989, a significant event in New York City would set the stage for Ray’s remarkable journey. Thousands of activists, many living with AIDS themselves, gathered for the “Stop The Church” demonstration outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Their target: Cardinal John O’Connor, an influential Catholic authority whose statements on…
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songs that soundtracked the AIDS crisis: martha wash’s “carry on”
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known as the queen of clubland, martha wash has been a constant presence on the dance floor of queer clubs for close to half a century. her voice helped to propel songs by sylvester (“disco heat”), the weather girls (“it’s raining men”), rebbie Jackson (“centipede”), seduction (“you’re my one and…
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DIONNE WARWICK
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2025 will mark the 40th anniversary of Dionne Warwick’s cultural milestone single, “That’s What Friends Are For.” The one-off single, featuring the equally iconic Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder, “That’s What Friends Are For,” was released as a charity single in October 1985 to support AIDS research. The…
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songs that soundtracked the AIDS crisis: queen’s “there are the days of our lives”
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The early 1990s were a pivotal era in popular culture, significantly marked by the escalating AIDS epidemic. For Queen, one of the most celebrated rock bands of the 20th century, the impact of AIDS was deeply personal. By the release of “Innuendo,” Queen’s fourteenth studio album, Queen had established itself…
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It’s a Musical?! It’s a Slasher?!: It’s the 2014 Film “Stage Fright”
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Have you ever wondered what “Glee” would be if it was a slasher film? The show, at times, was horrific, but it was no slasher film. Have you ever wondered what “Scream” would be if it was a musical? No? Well, I have, and while enjoying the wonders of an…