The first article I am going to talk about was published by Smithsonian Magazine and is titled, “Inside Gateways, One of the World’s Longest-Surviving Lesbian Nightclubs.” It was written by Lucia Cheng and published on June 28th, 2022. This article is about a documentary titled, Gateways Grind directed by Jacquie Lawrence about the erasure of a famous lesbian nightclub in Chelsea, London from 1943 to 1985. The article talks about the nightclub and the effect it had on its patrons and even celebrities. It also talks about how common it is that lesbian stories and history are more commonly erased than most other LGBTQIA+ groups. The main goal of the documentary and the article is for the spot where Gateways once was to get a blue plaque to commemorate its existence after the door was painted white, making it almost invisible. I enjoyed this article and thought it was very educational. I thought it incorporated interviews very well to show the impact the club had on the people who went there and experienced "heaven" as most called it. I also liked the use of images from the documentary and of the club itself, showing how it truly was back in the day of the club's opening. The mention of celebrities and famous LGBTQIA+ people who went there highlighted Gateways's credibility and emphasized why it should get a blue plaque. The description of the club and its rules also gave a sense of what it was like being there and made the article more immersive and easy to picture. This article has inspired me to utilize most of these techniques. I plan to include pictures from my documentary as well as interviews to elevate the article. I also want to include elements that are going to enhance my theme and message, similar to this article, of not letting queer voices disappear into the background. This article was great and helped give me a good frame of reference for my magazine spread. The article is linked here.
The second article I am going to talk about was published by POV, a Canadian documentary magazine. The article is titled "Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero Is an Ode to Queer Joy," written by Pat Mullen and published on January 26, 2024. This article is about the music artist Lil Nas X's concert documentary titled, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and Zac Manuel. The documentary, while also having concert footage, talks a lot about Lil Nas X's experience with being queer, self-expression, and identity, as well as the effect they have on their fans, family, and haters. The main theme of the documentary is how Lil Nas X's music and freedom of expression emphasize queer joy. This is a similar theme to my documentary as well and something I want to emphasize in my article. This article includes images from the concert and the documentary as well as red carpet press but all show Lil Nas X expressing themselves in their own way. The article also utilizes quotes from the directors and Lil Nas X himself, which are both elements I want to utilize in my article. The article also uses tone shifts to emphasize the good and bad reactions to the "celebration of queerness" that is Lil Nas X and his documentary. Overall, this was a good article that gave me a lot of great ideas as to how I can write my own. The article is linked here.
I also viewed some film magazine spreads to inspire what I want my spread to look like. They are shown here.
I am really excited to get started on the print component of my project and write about something meaningful and impactful, not only for me but for a bigger audience.
"We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love. That's okay.
- Laverne Cox
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