Alan Daniels, aka Anjila Cavalier, earns respect from southern Illinois to northern Iowa
As hundreds packed themselves into Bass Street Landing in downtown Moline, IL, on a warm June afternoon, Alan Daniels was readying himself for yet another performance. The routine is a familiar one for the Rock Island native turned drag queen. Cinched in a yellow...
Out and About in the Quad Cities with Clock Inc., Mary’s on 2nd, Edwards UCC, MCC of the Quad Cities
Get a glimpse at progressive events happening around you, with our revived and renamed photo galleries, Out and About. Our first return gallery features a few events from the Quad Cities over the past month; watch in the future for more Out and Abouts from all...
QCAD nonprofit that started LGBTQ+ support in Quad Cities 33 years ago is now offering Joyce Wiley Memorial Scholarship
Joyce and Jack Wiley started Quad Citians Affirming Diversity in 1990, after watching their son suffer through “coming out.” QCAD is now offering the Joyce Wiley Memorial Scholarship.
PHOTO GALLERY: Community members enjoy Pride Party at Bass Street Landing 2023
QUAD CITIES — The 3rd Annual Pride Party at Bass Street Landing Saturday drew a non-stop crowd all afternoon and evening, and The Real Mainstream’s photo gallery focuses on community members taking in the vibe.
The Pride Party, in Moline, is among more than two dozen Pride events that are part of this year’s Quad Cities Pride season. A reminder: Pride Month is a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn bar in New York City stood up against police that had been harassing and intimidating the bar’s patrons.
Those patrons included not only drag queens and kings, transgender/nonbinary people, gay men and lesbians, but also people from other walks of life who felt unaccepted by the “mainstream.”
Enjoy the gallery.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” role inspires focus on empathy for “America’s Got Talent” star Brian Justin Crum
Brian Justin Crum rocked the music world when he provided a moving cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” in 2016.
He went on to finish fourth in “America’s Got Talent” and has since become a role model for the LGBTQ+ community. And he’ll perform in Carbondale, Ill., tonight as part of Pride in Action-Southern Il and its three-day Pride celebration.
Iowa drag legend Ruby James Knight looks back on her path-paving 30-year career
WATERLOO — Ruby James Knight, an Iowa drag legend for 30 years, is “resting comfortably and in his final hours,” announced Kings and Queens Club owner John Hayes earlier today after rumors spread that the 72-year-old icon had passed.
Knight (Jim Raymond in real life) took time about two months ago, before his illness took another severe turn, to talk with The Real Mainstream about his career, and how he credits Ruby James Knight, her style and generosity, and her fellow queens, with transforming his life.
Enjoy as Ruby James Knight, whose name became nearly synonymous with Kings and Queens, takes a look back. You’ll also find a photo album featuring some of Knight’s favorite looks over the years.
Kamrah brings boundary-breaking belly-dancing to Carbondale’s Rainbow Variety Show
Kamrah is a trans-masculine belly-dancer from Chicago who defies stereotypes and will headline the Rainbow Variety Show in Carbondale tonight.
As someone who also studies microbiology and anatomy, and identifies as autistic and a “geek,” Kamrah also brings a new level to the term “intersectional.”
Read about Kamrah and other local performers who will take the Rainbow Variety Show stage tonight in Carbondale. The featured performers include author Rafael Frumkin, dancers Kimea Rhines and Darryl clark, vocalist and sound healer Pat York, and acoustic performers Shane Bruce, Jacqui, Elana Floyd-Kennett, Shane Bruce, and Curt Wilson.
The show raises money for the Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center and its work of LGBTQ support and social opportunities, HIV and AIDS testing, harm reduction, and more.
Black History Month Art from ‘Embracing Our Differences’
Embracing Our Differences has grown from a Florida effort to an international cause involving tens of thousands across 119 countries.
Its leaders gathered submissions that resonated with Black History Month and gave The Real Mainstream a chance to share that work here.
Check out this specially curated collection, featuring nine pieces from eight different artists exploring different themes of Black history, and excerpts from their Artists’ Statements.
Galena LitFest welcomes Angela Trudell Vasquez, Madison’s first-ever Latina poet laureate
Angela Trudell Vasquez is the first-ever Latino poet laureate for Madison, Wis., a community with a thriving poetry scene.
She’ll speak Thursday, Jan. 26, as part of Galena LitFest in a presentation available in-person and online.
Learn about Vasquez’ childhood in Iowa City and Des Moines, her commitment to both editing and free-writing, and her many projects to bring the beauty of poetry alive for students and others.
Her talk tonight starts at 6 p.m.; pre-registration is required for both online and in-person attendance.
