Andrea Gibson, Sam Jay and a spicy collection of sexy stories

Hello my larkspurs, hyacinths and forget-me-nots, and welcome to a fresh bouquet of cultural treasures made to delight all of our artistic appetites. I’m S. Bear Bergman, your intrepid culture nerd, tasked with tootling around the internet looking for all the best queer and trans things to bring to your attention. As usual, we have a rootin’ tootin’ array for the upcoming weeks. 

Together Again, Andrea Gibson

I have been in the room at least a dozen times while Andrea Gibson uses their words and every time I am struck by how remarkably flexible and beautiful language is in their mouth. For the first time in nearly a year, they’re back and coming to you live from their living room, making their particular brand of magic, on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. EST. It’s a sensible Saturday mid-afternoon concert time you could, if you were feeling Valentine-y, turn into a lovely picnic event for yourself and whomever you might wish to share it with. The thing about Gibson is, no matter what, you know there will be love poems and they will be simultaneously sweet and complicated, as is their (superlative) way.

PAUSE with Sam Jay, Sam Jay

I tend to avoid “comedy” these days (I have seen way, way too much), but of course there are still comedians I quite enjoy. One of them is Sam Jay, a sardonic lesbian comic with several years of writing on Saturday Night Live under her belt (she writes “Black Jeopardy,” among other claims to fame). Now, HBO has given her her own show, PAUSE with Sam Jay. The concept has Jay inviting a group of guests to her apartment to eat and converse on a weekly theme. The vibe is friendly and low-key, but the conversations are timely, topical and studded with the jokes and throwaway sass Jay brings to the proceedings, making for some great television. 

Anonymous Sex by Hillary Jordan and Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

While all the stories in this compilation aren’t necessarily queer, they’re all scorching hot and in a fun twist they’re anonymous… sort of. Anonymous Sex features a remarkable list of literary heavy hitters, ranging from Edmund White to Souvankham Thammavongsa. Each of them is a jewel in its own right, but not knowing which literary hero wrote which filthy business somehow makes the entire situation even more appealing. Editors Jordan and Tan have done a heroic job of balancing the book, keeping the range of activities wide while making sure that there’s a treat for nearly anyone. A splendid gift for your favourite sexually omnivorous reader—including yourself.

Auntie Vice on Talking Dirty and Rahim Thawer on Sex & Shame

With plenty of conversations about sex positivity and pleasure, it’s also useful to think about how we understand ourselves as sexual beings and what makes us tick (or not). Sex positivity isn’t just going out and doing it whenever, but rather being solid in your own sexual agency and sexual values regardless of whether you’re an extremely friendly slut or not having any sex, even by yourself. We’ve got a pair of options, depending on what you need out of this conversation: Auntie Vice teaching you to up your dirty talk game, in partnership with the fine and frolicsome folks at International Ms Leather (and Bootblack); or a series of talks by Rahim Thawer on queer men wrestling with their sexual shame, presented by the South African College of Applied Psychotherapy. Whether you want to play with your shame or heal it, we’ve got something for you to try. 

Many Parts, One Body: Black LGBTQ+ Movement Building in the Black Church, Pride in the Pews

Some of the most ferocious advocates and fearless activists I know are Black LGBTQ2S+ Christians whose faith directs them in their work moving the world toward justice. This symposium about Black churches and the LGBTQ+ movement building within them looks extraordinary, and continues the work of organizing that has centred itself in Black church spaces for decades. Convening on Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7:00 p.m. EST, the symposium will feature a keynote by Rev. Carmarion Anderson-Harvey, who recently became the first Black trans woman to offer a prayer at the White House (and who is known to be an uplifting and lyrical preacher). Cost of admission is by sliding scale. 

Scarborough (the film!)

With the help of two documentary filmmakers and a local cast, Catherine Harnandez made her award-winning book, Scarborough, into a film—and the result is truly gorgeous. Directors Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson collaborated to make the TIFF-premiering film, and Toronto-based distributor levelFILM is giving it a theatrical release beginning Feb. 25. Check out the trailer here and keep your eyes peeled for the first chance to see Hernandez’s brown femme dream come to life on the silver screen. 

And that, my birds and bees and bunnies, is the round-up in queer and trans things for the moment. I am sorry I missed Andrew O’Neill’s recent online comedy show because they neglected to let me now so I could let YOU know, and I am also sorry I haven’t had a minute yet to talk in more depth about this wild book of forest poetry I am reading, but here we are and the show must go on. I hope you show up, show out and show someone a good time (and show them a thing or two and show me the way to go home). And I, after reminding you to drop me an email or DM if you’re making something new and queer, will show myself out.