Issue 2 Vol 1 – Carl Clemons-Hopkins

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Inside:

Queer Reads Kellen Whaley Podcasts Carl Clemons-Hopkins Cinematic Considerations Jasmin Singer Under the Influance

Team

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EDITOR

Jonathan Shuffield has worked within the media industry for over 20 years. From television to radio, from podcasting to writing for publication and film he has firmly planted his foot in the media world. He has become a bold voice in the realms of entertainment and politics. Queer Centric is a needed and important part of that voice and he is proud to stand at the helm. Always remember, If our voice held no power, they wouldn’t try to silence us, indeed the most powerful weapons any of us have are the breath in our lungs and the stories we possess. Tell your story.

GRAPHIC EDITOR

Kurt Schmierer is an artist, graphic designer, photographer and lover of all medias TV/Radio/Magazines. Kurt has owned and run an online magazine called Proud Times for 8 years as Graphics Editor, Interviewer and the person who helped set up countless stories and coordinated over a dozen writers coast to coast. The magazine went from nothing to interviewing George Takei, Cyndi Lauper and backstage with Elton John in a short 8 years.

Digital Content Producer

Thomas Campbell Getting his first real camera at age 15, Thomas never stopped capturing the world around himself and creating engaging narratives through photo and video. Regardless of the number of people who end up seeing it, Thomas has always been excited to make things, purely for the sake of creating something he’s passionate about.

Film

Nathan Box is a reader, writer, hiker, cinephile, music fanatic, and nonprofit employee working on behalf of historically disenfranchised groups in Seattle, WA. He has reviewed films for 5+ years for local publications and the website, Natetheworld.com.

If you want to be a contributor to The QueerCentric, email editor@thequeercentric.com 2

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The Writer’s Room We come together every week, we pitch stories, we plan issues, we exchange ideas. It is a time that I look forward to often. It reminds me of the days when I was a kid and would ask my Mom why she was out with her friends so long and she would look at me, smile and say, “We were just fixing the World.” The writer’s room is that place for me, a safe space to talk about the heavy issues of the world around us. In that room we get to debate ideas and issues without worry of being “canceled.”

We allow each other opportunities to explore and grow and evolve in our ways of thinking.

What happened to an exchange of ideas in an effort to grow? Our culture has begun to expect others to arrive fully formed and evolved from the minute we interact. We have become social snipers, we would rather take each other down than take a moment to see each other. Now don’t get me wrong, people who refuse to move, will not change and continue to push a racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, et al thought base are not the people I am speaking of. What about those open to being educated, those who may stumble but want to participate in the conversation to understand the pieces? Not everyone will

agree with each other, but can we not explore our ideas in an effort to find our common humanity?

Recently we were taken to task by a member of our queer community.

Valid talking points wrapped in hurtful and misinformed criticisms.

There was no grace offered to the understanding of an ever evolving project. When suggested that maybe they could participate in some way to affect the changes they were concerned about, there was no interest in that conversation. It’s not about that individual’s resistance to work with us, it was about this expectation that all must be perfect without variance.

in a new friendship or acquaintance.

I certainly know that I am always learning and always in need of growth.

As for the feedback we received, I was disappointed by the way it was handled, however I accept the learning opportunity that it has provided. Every day we strive to be better, maybe we should just check our approach. Let’s do more uplifting and less tearing down, let’s cheer more and gripe less, let’s celebrate our humanity. In the words of our film columnist, Nathan Box, be kind to each other.

Just a thought.

This world and the people in it are not, nor will they ever be perfect.

We must all consistently strive to be better humans at all times.

This expectation of perfection without variance is how a society will stagnate and wither away.

No one is so enlightened as to not have room to grow.

I strive to live by the idea that destruction only begets destruction, it is within creation that lies life. I want to spend my time being a cheerleader, lifting people up. I exist in the excitement of what can be learned

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Whether you are relaxing on the beach, running awa laying low at home, nothing is better than a good Q reading list a bit more

Release Date Day March 22

Born for Trouble - When

you meet him, Hap Collins seems just like a good ol’ boy.

But even in his misspent youth, his best pal was Leonard Pine; black, gay, and the ultimate outsider. Together, they have mostly found their way as partners in crime-solving – and, at least as often, as hired muscle.

As Hap wrestles with his new identity as a father, and Leonard finds love in a long-term relationship, the boys continue their crime-solving shenanigans.

They uncover the sordid secret of a missing bookmobile, compete in a warped version of the Most Dangerous Game, regroup after Hap’s visit to the psychologist goes terribly awry, and much more!

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Boys, Bea

winning autho short-fiction c heartbreak, a intertwine. W human, the b worlds can de more.

Release Date Day June 14

Despite his a cloud, a foste bullies to a qu revenge throu A rebellious g identity that t

ay to a weekend in a snowed in cabin or simply Queer Read. Here are our picks to make your e QueerCentric!

asts, & Men – In Nebula Award-

or Sam J. Miller’s devastating debut collection, queer infatuation , inevitable and brutal revenge seamlessly Whether innocent, guilty, or not even beings in Miller’s gorgeously crafted estroy readers, yet leave them wanting

ability to control the ambient digital er teen falls for a clever con man. Luring uarry, a boy takes clearly enumerated ugh unnatural powers of suggestion. group of queer artists creates a new transcends even the anonymity of death.

Release Date Day July 22

The Extractionist – Eliza McKay is an Extractionist: an expert in the virtual reality space where people’s minds are uploaded as digital personas.

When rich or important people get stuck in the Swim – for reasons that are sleazy, illegal, or merely unlucky – it’s McKay’s job to quietly extract them. And McKay’s job just got a lot more dangerous.

After McKay repels an attack on her Swim persona, hired thugs break into her house to try to hack her cybernetic implants directly. Something is lurking in the Swim, and some very powerful people will stop at nothing to keep it secret.

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The Bruising of Qilwa - In this intricate

fantasy novella, a nonbinary refugee practitioner of blood magic finds a strange disease that causes political rifts in their new homeland. Persian-American author Naseem Jamnia is a vital new voice who has crafted a gripping narrative layered with themes of persecution, healing, and family.

Release Date Day August 22

Firuz-e Jafari is one of the fortunate ones who have emigrated to the Democratic Free State of Qilwa, escaping the slaughter of bloodmagic practitioners in their homeland. They have a good job at a free clinic, and a kindly new employer, the healer Kofi. But a strange plague is spreading quickly through Qilwa, and the local government is quick to blame it on refugees. In order to survive, Firuz must break a deadly cycle of prejudice while finding a fresh start for both their blood and found families.

Body Shocks - The most terrifying thing

that you can possibly imagine is your own body in the hands of a monster. Or worse, in the hands of another human being.

In these twenty-nine tales of body horror, you’ll find the unthinkable and the shocking; a couture designer preparing for an exquisitely grotesque runway show; a vengeful son seeking the parent who bred him as a plasma donor; organ-harvesting doctors who dissect a living man without anesthetic; and much more.

Published Oct 2021

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Always Too Much and Never Enough: A Memoir - One woman’s journey to find herself through juicing, veganism, and love, as she went from fat to thin and from feeding her emotions to feeding her soul. This is a GREAT read!

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Admit it, we’ve all been there, sucked into the couch for a day of binging baking shows on The Food Network. I have lost many an hour to some well placed footage of the perfect cookie. Now imagine that cookie is paired with a charming, witty and magnetic smile and the outside world stands no chance of getting me off my couch. I can’t be the only one, since Kansas City baker Kellen Whaley participated in a baking show on the network in 2018 he has been brought back by Food Network no less than two more times!

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Kellen’s Pro Tip: When

you’re rolling out dough to cut out shapes, always make sure to chill it twice.

I make my cookie dough and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cutting out my shapes. This helps keep it firm when cutting out your shapes so you can get a clean cut and move it to the baking sheet with minimal alteration.

Then once you have your shapes cut out, chill the dough again before baking.

The second chill will help the dough maintain its shape while baking. If you put room temperature dough into a hot oven, the cookie will spread and lose its shape.

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When he came back to do The Christmas Cookie Challenge, he won! “Spoiler alert! But yes, I did. It was very unexpected as I felt I was the least skilled of the bunch being a part-time home baker, while my competition had storefronts and were classically trained. I told myself going in to stick with what I know and be confident in my abilities and that’s ultimately what won over the judges.”

Whalen has a friend of a friend to thank for his fateful casting at the network. “I had been baking for about six years, and Whaley Sweet had been going for around three. A casting director was pointed in my direction.

After some initial back and forth on Instagram, I filled out the applications and met with the producers and long story short (“too late”) I wound up on Food Network.”

His story is even more inspiring when he talks of how he started his baking journey. “I taught myself how to bake pies in college after watching Pushing Daisies, a show about a pie maker who can bring dead things back to life. It was so bright and colorful and whimsical.

I was immediately hooked. The next logical step was to try my hand at making my own dessert and it was an utter failure. Actually, it looked fine. The taste, on the other hand. Let’s just say you should read the ingredients very carefully when baking because you could need cinnamon and because you grabbed the first spice jar starting with ‘C’ in the cabinet, you end up with an apple pie with cumin instead.

Reading mishap aside, I kept at it and found that I had a real affinity for making delicious food. I’ve always been fascinated with food and how it’s made, so baking falls right in line with that. It’s also a fun creative outlet to get to essentially play with your food. I create my own canvas and paint anytime I make a cookie, and even though the final masterpiece will get chewed up, it’s the ability to make something visually appealing as well as incredibly tasty that I really enjoy.”

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Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe (Kellen’s favorite kind of cookie): The New York Times has an amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe. You have to let the dough rest for 24 hours before you bake it, so you know the extra time involved is going to yield a delicious cookie.

Anyone who recognizes the genius of “Pushing Daisies” is a man I will trust and follow.

Whalen has a way of making you feel that even YOU can pick up new skills and be ready to win accolades, if not from strangers, at least from your friends! “I earned my cookie degree from YouTube University as I know many others have, too. It’s a skill that starts as a hobby and grows as much as you want it to.

I’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years and I’m still learning new techniques and tricks, not only from videos online, but from other bakers. The cookie community has grown so much since I began, and it’s such a close-knit group of people that everyone shares their knowledge. There’s a joy you get from watching others learn and grow and succeed.”

As a matter of fact even Whalen has some free advice

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for those wanting to try their hand at baking, “Practice, practice, practice! I didn’t get to where I am overnight. There have been many failures over the years, but if it’s something you’re really passionate about, you will turn that failure into a teachable moment and learn from it.”

In a time when representation and visibility continue to be needed, Whalen admits to being genuinely surprised at the reception of fans. “Not that I was expecting anything other than kind words and messages, mind you, but to be honest I never realized how many people watched Food Network competitive baking shows. My inbox was flooded with so many messages of congratulations and well wishes and people from all over the country letting me how they were rooting for me and enjoyed watching me compete.

It was a really nice feeling.”

He gives credit for his attitude and confidence to “me just being myself, in my daily life I don’t really think twice about my sexuality being a determining factor in anything I do. It’s just... me. To me, queer means creating your own community and circle of trust and family. In a world where everything is expected to be a certain way and deemed

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“normal” or not, to be queer is casting all that aside and making your own path and finding likeminded people to surround yourself with in love and laughter.”

The true secret to Whaley’s continued success is “just being myself, whether on TV or with customers in Kansas City, that’s been a big part of my success.”

Sadly for those of us not in the Kansas City, MO area due to Missouri’s cottage food laws, he is prohibited from sales of his delicious concoctions across state lines. (This includes shipping) Until then you can always book a ticket and enjoy Kansas City. His smile has got to be on the must see list of this show me state!

If he could create a QueerCentric cookie it would be a gingersnap, because it’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and everybody loves it.

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On The Rocks is a weekly filmed podcast/talk show hosted and produced by onair personality Alexander Rodriguez. A mix between Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson and Judy Garland, Alexander talks about entertainment, fashion, pop culture and hot topics while sipping cocktails with his celebrity guests from stage, screen, and beyond. Academy Award Winners, Golden Globe Winners, Tony Award Winners, Emmy Award Winners and pop culture headliners – he’s drank with them all.

An interactive podcast (hosted

by Tom Goss) featuring real people describing their perfect fantasy date, which you can take them on if both agree!

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Maybe you are on the bus, or the commute to work is more than five minutes, or maybe you just feel like avoiding others for the time being, well we are here to help! Check out these awesome podcasts for your earholes. Entertaining, informative or just plain weird, we’ve got you covered.

Just a modern-day regular dude who also happens to be a gay bear. It amazes me how alone most of us feel, but we all surprisingly have more in common than you’d think.

If you have suggestions just email editor@thequeercentric.com

A multiracial mix of queer writers talk about sex, relationships, race, identity, what we like to read, and who we like to read.

It’s not about food — we just really like the pun.

Hosted by Lex and Mary is a podcast for all the queers, but their masc-lesbian perspective is what makes this podcast super unique. They discuss topics that range from domestic violence in lesbian relationships to body dysmorphia.

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“There’s always so much that can get in the way with a night like that, a lot of shit can get in the way, I just didn’t want any shit on it. I wanted it to last as long as I could.”

Playing the role of Marcus, the put-upon chief operating officer to a legendary and aging comedian, Deborah Vance (played by Jean Smart), Hopkins turns in a nuanced and authentic performance.

“This script was just brought to me by my agent, it was something I had not really seen before and I really enjoyed the premise of it. I had no idea at the time that I would be working with Jean Smart, I mean I grew up watching Designing Women! It’s been a really great learning experience to watch someone so skilled and gifted and brilliant as Jean, it’s been a real honor. You don’t necessarily always get the opportunity to work with someone so brilliant” In an industry that rarely allows for women of a “certain age” to helm a major mainstream project, it is also still not the norm to have accessible queer storylines be woven into the tapestry of the narrative. “It’s been very exciting, very affirming that that can happen. It’s a challenge of course because you want to do it right when you get this opportunity”

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It is certainly helpful to have such sharp, poignant and hilarious writing delivered by the executive writing team of Jen Statsky (The Good Place, Parks and Rec), Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs (both known for their work on Broad City). “I truly enjoy the freedom that the writing allows for me as an actor. I love the knowledge that I get to go to work with really kind, really funny people and that’s everyone, from actors, to writers, to all those on set.

It does not frequently occur. I have had some really wonderful experiences as well as not so wonderful experiences in this industry.”

Hopkins has not gone unnoticed, in September of 2021 their work on the show was recognized with an Emmy nomination. This was a historical moment as it made them the first non-binary person to be nominated for an Emmy in the award show’s history. “I don’t think it is something that I ever considered until I heard the news. I don’t think anyone considers that sort of thing too often.

Honestly, that night, I was just focused on not falling down, just staying upright with

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so many cameras in my face. I was so excited! My plan was to enjoy the night as much as I could in every way that I could. That was the only time that I was going to get to go to my first award show as a nominee for the first time.

There’s always so much that can get in the way with a night like that, a lot of shit can get in the way, I just didn’t want any shit on it. I wanted it to last as long as I could.”

They definitely made the night a worthy celebration.

Arriving in a one of a kind Christian Siriano design in the colors of the non-binary flag, they stunned on the red carpet. “It took a lot of planning, a lot of emails, the outfit took a lot of sketches. To get an email from Christian was amazing, I was so excited, that was it for me. I was like, “Are you sure this is who you meant to email?”

Hopkins admits that there can be pressure when you are acknowledged as “the first” anything. “I think I also have the luxury of not considering all the levels of it because I am the actor alone. I mean being called the first anything has the temptation of then trying to figure out why, then it becomes about people and not about you.”

Then there is the inevitable backlash, but Hopkins has a firm grasp on dealing with the haters. “I’m from pre-Stacey Abrams Georgia, I know there’s backlash, I don’t give a shit, I can’t give a shit. Seriously, yes it is one thing to be aware of the backlash when you are different than someone society dictates should be succeeding. I mean they’re still lynching black people, so my existence is in backlash.

I don’t have time to fucking comment on some internet website, I have to live.”

“Do good, do your best, don’t die.”

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Hopkins sums their attitude up in a simple philosophy. “In the end do good, do your best, don’t die.You still serve your community the way you serve your community,and continue to do that and continue to live.

You can’t give from an empty well and you will empty that well very quickly by putting energy into trying to hold up a facade of yourself.”

Inspiration and telling the story have always been what has driven the actor. The film Moonlight (Academy Award winner 2017 Best Picture) ignited the desire to move from theater to film for them.

“I loved the idea that there could be queer representation without cliche. Here are some beautifully written characters in a beautifully told and shot story and they are queer, AND they are black, AND they are in the South. For me I was like, this is It. It was a level of representation and identification that really made me want to try. I had never seen that story and I have gone to queer film festivals and

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seen some beautiful, brilliant, wonderful work, but this made me want to tell stories in this realm.”

As much as Hopkins career shows us the strides we have made culturally and in entertainment, when asked about their first love of theater Hopkins takes pause to add a cautionary note, “Theatre will always be, I say if you can then do it. The American Theater has not always been accessible for me to show up as myself.

The theater industry is older than the film industry, just think about how racist and sexist the film industry is and then think of the industry older than that. While I definitely intend to have a career that involves the theater, live performances, live humans interacting, I’m not going to act like it is some sort of fantasy.”

Hopkins is busy doing the work, the work they love and reminds us that sometimes we can’t get lost in the noise of a world that may not understand us or cheer us on. “If I had to give advice

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to anyone who wants to follow their dreams I would simply say, honestly, wake up and get to work on it. As an actor you work, you don’t just party” They add with a laugh, “There are no parties, we are in quarantine. ” We have no doubt that Hopkins will continue to work and turn in performances that keep us thinking and moving forward.

They are a person of action, maybe we need a bit more of that quality in the World.

Even beyond that they have a fierce and, at times, sassy determination to make their own path. For this writer, that makes them one to watch.

Catch Carl Clemons-Hopkins in Hacks on HBO Max. Season 2 schedule for mid 2022 so you have time to catch up!

“If I had to give to anyone who w follow their drea simply say, hone up and get to wo

advice wants to ams I would estly, wake ork on it.”

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Osca Plot: “FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.”

Review: With your eyes closed, picture home.

Does your mind wander to where you currently live, the things you own, and the people you share this space with and love? Does your mind think of the city or town where your house lives? Does your mind drift back to your childhood home and everything that means to you?

Flee asks us to step in the shoes of Afghan immigrants/ asylum

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ar Nominated, FLEE

By Nathan Box - Cinematic Considerations seekers as they escape the civil war in Afghanistan, which pitted Mujahideen groups and the Taliban against each other. In the United States, we have spilled countless hours of television and rivers of ink discussing immigrants and asylum seekers at our southern border. Far less time and column inches have been filled with stories humanizing the experience of those individuals.

Using a mix of animation and live-action news reels, this documentary does this and more. It does it beautifully, powerfully, and convincingly. If you are open to the experience, this is one of those movies that has the power to change you forever.

capture his father, never to be seen again, this becomes a story of escape.

Our story begins with a man lying on a rug being filmed and asked questions about his past. Amin is on the verge of marriage to his partner, but before he can take this monumental step forward, he must unpack the trauma experienced in his past life.

From an early age, Amin knew he was gay, but living authentically had to take a back seat to survival. As authorities

There is light at the end of the tunnel. I will not ruin this light.

Instead, I will say this. As you watch this film, think of the heightened sense of awareness required if you were in Amin’s shoes. Think how exhausting it must be constantly looking over your shoulder. Think of the isolation and how unnerving it must be to find no face you can truly trust. The mission of this film is simple. It exists as

With his mother, older brother, and sisters, they escape to Russia, hoping to move onto Sweden, where his oldest brother lives. From here, this film exposes the underlying fear, distrust, pain, torment, and anguish that many immigrants and those seeking asylum face. As visas expire and the family is slowly separated, this film becomes a cascade of heartbreak. It is here we realize the challenges facing Amin.

We begin to understand the difficulty of coming out and the trust required to let someone know your true self.

an artistic expression meant to lure empathy from the shadows.

I have seen countless movies and documentaries focused on the immigrant, refugee, and asylum experience. This little animated documentary might just be my favorite. It sure lured empathy out of me.

* Showtime 4/5 - Means this is a show to watch!

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many years before I’d come out—eventually trading in my accidentally asymmetrical bangs for an intentionally asymmetrical ‘do paired with telltale thick glasses and, most likely, tickets to an upcoming Indigo Girls concert.

Purpose. Connection. Direction.

I came out as bi at 19 after I boldly met a woman in an AOL chat room and we went back to her apartment all the way in Queens to awkwardly sleep together. Looking back, it’s abundantly clear that I was not even remotely attracted to her, but that didn’t matter—because I had started the powerful process of liberating a part of me that desperately wanted out.

It would be another eight years before I would realize that I was a full-fledged lesbian—a revelation I had after an experience with an older butch When I was a little girl growing who was the first brave (and up in those fluorescent 1980s possibly hopeful) soul to inform when my bangs were crooked me that she was absolutely and I was a proud, card-carrying certain I was gay. (She never member of the Whitney Houston did get her toaster.)

Fan Club, I possessed a longing that even Whitney couldn’t fulfill. Love. Lust. Allyship.

Despite my long string of heartbreaking crushes on my women teachers, it would be

And yet, despite my rainbow socks collection, when I was first asked to write about what

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being queer means to me, I was befuddled. It’s like asking me what it means to have a belly button. I don’t particularly think about it very often, but I’m happy it’s there.

As time went by, however—and my curmudgeonly disposition faded ever-so-slightly (along with my bright crimson hair dye)—I challenged myself to connect on a deeper level to what my queerness means. And as I lit my Bette Midler candle and meditated on the question, the answer came to me.

Empathy. Passion. Compassion.

Being queer means I can write my own script. It means I can free myself from the very narrow world that many straight people have available to them. It means I can dye my hair and tattoo my skin and pierce my face and sob over Patti LuPone ballads without feeling threatened by a heteronormative society that is banking on my assimilation.

It means I can be a safe space for younger queers who want very much to find mentorship and allyship and don’t know where to turn; I get to be that person for them—the one who reminds them they’re exactly the right level of fabulous just

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as they are, today. It means I can hold my wife’s hand and kiss her in public and normalize something for a queer-leaning teen that sees our amorousness and recognizes the possibility of happiness. It means I can ask for the things I want and need— whether in my relationship, in my workplace, or from myself— without letting fear dictate my moves.

Because I’ve overcome fear already. I’ve teetered on the edges of despair and selfdestruction but I always found my way back thanks to a global community of LGBTQIA+ goddesses who wanted me there, even if we hadn’t met. And as I got older, the knowledge that I can see my way through challenging times effectively gave me permission to take risks; to throw my name in the hat, even when it was a near impossibility; to go big or go home.

Partnership. Self-confidence.

Collective care.

And it’s paid off. No longer needing to ascribe to societal norms because society as a whole was not mine for the taking and “normal” was never a word people used to describe me anyway, my queerness opened me up like a candy jar—ready to give and receive

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all the sweetness in the world. I became an activist for so many communities whose trajectories were not as upward-tilting as mine, fighting for the rights of trans Black women and men, of those whom society still deemed “less than,” of animals.

I went vegan 18 years ago, a life- and career-defining decision precipitated by my relentless pursuit of boycotting cruelty. My queerness had loosened the jar lid; all I had to do was barely pivot and the rest came pouring out.

Fun. Connection. Community.

All around me, everything I see and do and am—everything I believe in, fight for, care about— is a direct extension or result of my queerness. The little old rescued dogs who sleep by my side as I type this. My brilliant, nerdy wife in the next room putting together plans for our net-zero home construction. The media nonprofit I co-founded that focuses on changing the world for animals. The Newark LGBTQ Center that welcomed me in as a board member.

The anthology I edited last year on antiracism and animal advocacy. The friends I have, the challenging conversations we spark, the space we hold, the unconditional love we share.

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These are all reflections of my queerness, luscious manifestations of the life I have built after that fateful decision to bravely find my truth and tell my story, at first tip-toeing and then finally leaping out of the closet with my hands in full-on Evita mode.

Bravery. Wholeness.

Authenticity.

The tremendous gifts I have been presented and the ones I am lucky enough to give away are, in its most simplest term, pure expressions of my worldview, my identity, my queerness.

And that—Whitney Houston—is the greatest love of all.

Jasmin Singer

(jasminsinger.com) is the author of Always Too Much and Never Enough: A Memoir and The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan as well as the cohost of the award-winning Our Hen House podcast.

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Music is an ever changing and detailed landscape. If you just look at the surface, it can be beautiful and smooth, but if you follow the heartbeat beneath it is a nuanced and vibrant tapestry beyond your imagination. There are hard working musicians and vocalists all over the World you may not know if you don’t look deeper. We are happy to shine our spotlight on some amazing queer artists you will definitely want to add to your playlist! Check out music from each artist.

Glass Battles - Darling

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SNG Maybeidonthinksobutithinksobutidoubtit

Mercy Collazo - Look Up

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David Hernandez - Ily

Lyle Volkwyn (Lyle Anthony) Love Wins

To read more in-depth spotlight interviews with these artists go t (Feel free to email editor@thequeercentr

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Kaleena Zanders Stronger Than I’ve Ever Been

Eric Himan - These Small Town Boys

EricHiman Photog Tony Li

to our website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! ric.com if you have suggestions for us!)

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