''My Comrade'' is a

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

underground magazine published and edited by Linda Simpson, a

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

from New York City, who is often considered a historian of the drag scene. It was published between 1987 and 1994, and came back in late 2004.

History

1987–94

In 1987, Simpson started to publish ''My Comrade'', a magazine about New York City's gay nightlife, as editor. The original format was that of a

zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...

: a group of black and white photocopies stapled together. Over that period, 9 issues were published, and its success allowed it to continually grow in format and content. The publication self-proclaimed itself the "

court jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...

of the queer press"; it opted for a

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

approach to gay lifestyle, talking ironically about popular culture, and

parody A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...

ing other types of magazines. The publication also acted as a showcase for photographers, illustrators, and writers of the queer subculture. It was very popular among the underground queer scene of New York City, and is still considered by many a great embodiment of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

’s and East Village’s

LGBT culture LGBTQ culture is a culture shared by lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals (LGBTQ people). It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), LGBT culture, and LGBTQIA cult ...

of the period.

Since 2004

After a 10-year hiatus, Simpson decided to come back with the magazine in the fall of 2004. The gay press, especially in New York City, expressed its contentment with the publication's comeback, and the new issue received excellent reviews. The second issue of the 21st century, released in spring 2006 featured the first color cover in ''My Comrade''’s history. The magazine's format thus evolved to resemble more to other popular magazines, though its inside design kept the "zine" aesthetic of the past issues. The content also kept with the humorous tone of the previous series. It features funny stories and reportage, as well as profiles of a broad range of personalities, from local

go-go dancers Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo, located in the town of Juan-les-Pins. The bar's n ...

to widely known reality television stars like Austin Scarlett, along with drag queens,

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

performers, and artists. In 2022, My Comrade was the theme of a special exhibit at Howl! Happening Gallery, in Lower East Side, New York.

References

External links

Official website

The Drag Explosion
by Linda Simpson
Interview with Simpson
at

Artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City. It is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly-traded company based in Berlin that is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Ex ...

{{LGBT in New York 1987 establishments in New York (state) LGBTQ-related magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1987 Magazines published in New York City Zines Magazines established in 2004

History

1987–94

Since 2004

See also

References

External links