Category: Giving Them Their Roses
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SYLVESTER
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sylvester, believed that god was found on the dance floor. his live performances were a revival and his lyrics were that of anointed sermons, “you are a star. you only happen once.” proclaimed the literal queen of disco during the genre’s peak in the late 1970’s, sylvester set both the…
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EMILE GRIFFITH
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Emile Griffith was the epitome of a reluctant boxing superstar. After moving to New York from the Virgin Islands in the early 1950’s, went from hat factory worker to professional boxer in just a few short years. On April 1, 1961, Emile stepped into the ring to fight reigning welterweight…
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KEVIN AVIANCE
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in 1997, my friends and i would all make our way to a local youth drop-in center in philadelphia every friday night. there, i’d watch as they take over a small room and break out a single-speaker radio that magically only worked on friday nights. someone would then pop in…
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TANDI IMAN DUPREE
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the most iconic drag performance entrance and possibly one of the, if not, the most influential, did not take place on “rupual’s drag race.” in fact, it took place long before most folks even imagined a reality show about drag queens. miss tandi iman dupree was born on august 13,…
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ADVEVA
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1990 was the year house music went mainstream. after creating a massive underground following in chicago, new york and detroit, house music had become the most popular dance music across the globe. and one of the reigning queen of house music during that time was school teacher and baptist choir…
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WAYLAND FLOWERS
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in the early 1980’s, a puppet with big drag queen energy served as a trojan horse sneaking comedic skits that were both camp and queer as fuck into the homes of america every as recurring act on the nationally syndicated variety show “solid gold.” believed to be inspired by actress…
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DOMINIQUE MORGAN
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Dominique Morgan (she/her) is a visionary. As executive director of Black & Pink, the largest prison abolitionist organization serving LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are currently and formerly incarcerated, Dominique has spent the last three years ensuring that these communities have access to mutual aid, housing, treatment…
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JOCELYN ENRIQUEZ
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my love for jocelyn began on a hot summer night in 1994. my friend oscar and i were on our way to check out the then just released disney movie “the lion king.” as we drove down hunting park avenue, we chatted as we listened to FM radio. remember terrestrial…
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NICO SANTOS
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nico santos, best known for his role as mateo, a queer undocumented character in the nbc hit sitcom “superstore,” has helped to shine a brighter light on lgbtq filipinos in US mainstream media. born in manilla, philippines in april 7, 1979, nico santos moved to US when he was sixteen.…
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CHI CHI DEVAYNE
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chi chi devayne, who dazzled and charmed the world as part of the season 8 cohort of “rupaul’s drag race” passed away on august 20th, 2020 from complications of pneumonia. chi chi was just 34 years old. born on september 24, 1985, her drag name “chi chi” was inspired by john leguizamo’s…
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MISS TONY aka BIG TONY
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if you grew up dancing at $2 house parties in the 1990s on the east coast, then you might have instantly recognized the refrain “there’s some whores in this house” that starts off hip-hop queens cardi b and megan thee stallion’s summer juggernaut hit “WAP.” released in 1992 by radio…
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MOI RENEE
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in 2007, two years after the launch of youtube, a video of the late great moi renee performing their now legendary underground house song “miss honey” was uploaded bestowing a blessing that the world desperately needed but did not and still does not deserve. moi renee was born in jamaica…