Category: fangsters clan of the jersey boys by ryan field

Lori Perkins, Riverdaleavebooks Article; Drag Queen Protests Russia



Lori Perkins, Riverdaleavebooks Article

Someone sent me a link today with a very nice article about Riverdaleavebooks.com, and information about the owners, Lori Perkins and Don Weise. I’ve worked with both before as editors. I’ve learned a great deal by working with them both and I never take that for granted. In fact, the main reason I wrote “Fangsters Clan of the Jersey Boys,” was because it was with Riverdaleavebooks.

It’s a nice article, with a photo of Perkins. They don’t mention this, but she’s a very nice person. And Don is adorable.

 Ms. Perkins, who has lived in Riverdale for two decades, said she snatched up space in 5676 Riverdale Ave. because it once housed Baen Books, a science fiction, fantasy and horror publishing company, and she sought to continue to use the office as a place for publishing.

After noticing that several publishing companies she admired were named after the streets in their addresses, Ms. Perkins and Mr. Weise decided to name their company Riverdale Avenue Books.
 
As a side note, I’ve been to Riverdale, NY and it’s one of NY’s best kept secrets. You’re only miles from downtown Manhattan and yet it’s very historical and relaxed from what I recall. (Haven’t been there in a while.)

Drag Queen Protests Russia

I’m not even sure if it’s PC to refer to a female impersonator anymore as a drag queen, which is why I don’t write the phrase in books, and never use it. However, since it’s in Huff Po I figure it must be okay to use here, and especially within the context of this very serious article. A Berlin based drag queen has literally sewn his mouth shut in protest against what Russia is doing to gays. The magnitude of this act, not to mention how this entire ordeal in Russia has sparked outrage, is now a global issue.

In wake of Russia’s recent anti-gay legislation and violence against LGBT individuals, activists have united in their own forms of protest on an international scale.
 
These range in magnitude from gay bars boycotting the sale of Stoli Vodka to large-scale protests of individuals coming together in the streets.

Breakout stated to Die Welt newspaper (and translated by PinkNews) that the widespread violence throughout Russia has impacted him profoundly and emotionally. “The pain I felt inside when I had to see in the media what is happening in Russia was greater than the physical pain of the needle,” he said. “My partner held the camera while I did it. But he couldn’t look.”

While watching TV news last night, I saw a clip of gay men pouring Stoli vodka down the drain in a Center City Philadelphia gay bar in protest. I’ve also received e-mails from both gay and straight people telling me to boycott anything Russian produced in protest (hit them in the money belt with the gay dollar, which is not something to ignore). And when I posted about this article written by Johnny Weir about how he thinks we should support the Olympics based on his own self-serving needs, I don’t think I’ve been that angry in a long time. In fact, I think sewing his mouth shut would be way to extreme and violent, but I wouldn’t mind seeing someone put a big piece of duct tape over his mouth.

I had to re-read that paragraph a few times just be certain I wasn’t missing something. I hope his ass doesn’t wind up in prison. Way to go, Johnny boy. It’s always best to put yourself first, be self-serving, and forget about the majority of innocent LGBT people suffering through the physical and mental injustices of Russia’s stance on LGBT rights…or lack thereof.

In any event, you can read more here. There is also a photo list of anti-gay celebrities, including Kirk Cameron from the old 1980’s sitcom fame…a show I can’t recall at this moment.  Of course the comment thread with the article is dismal.