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‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ ‘Versace’ win big for LGBT TV at Emmys

‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ rack up the most awards

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RuPaul accepts the award for Outstanding Reality Competition Series (Screen capture by Joey DiGuglielmo)

The 70th annual Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in television on Monday night including a few wins for LGBT TV.

The biggest night in television kicked off with an opening dance number led by “Saturday Night Live” cast membersĀ Kate McKinnon and Kenan Thompson. The bit jokingly celebrated Hollywood finally finding a solution to its diversity problem. McKinnon and Thompson were later joined on stage by other TV stars such as “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star Tituss Burgess and RuPaul.

“Saturday Night Live” continued to represent itself as the show passed on to its hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” made herstory with its win forĀ Outstanding Reality Competition Series rounding out five total wins for the show. RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Ross Matthews and Carson Kressley all were on stage to accept the award.

“Thank you to the Academy. This is so lovely. We are so happy to present this show. I would like to thank, on behalf of the 140 drag queens we have released into the wild, I’d love to thank Dick Richards for introducing me to Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey,” RuPaul said in his speech.Ā  “All of the dreamers out there, listen,” he said. “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here? Now let the music play.”

RuPaul also won his third consecutive award for Outstanding Host at the Creative Arts Emmys.

“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” also was honored with Ryan Murphy winningĀ Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special and Darren Criss winningĀ Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie. The show also won Outstanding Limited Series. Murphy used his speech to spotlight hate crimes against the LGBTQ community.

ā€œā€˜The Assassination of Gianni Versaceā€™ is about a lot of things, itā€™s about homophobia, internalized and externalized,ā€ Murphy said in his acceptance speech. ā€œOne of out of every four LGBTQ people in this country will be the victim of a hate crime. We dedicate this award to them, to awareness, to stricter hate crime laws, and mostly, this is for the memory of Jeff and David and Gianni and for all of those taken too soon. Thank you very much.ā€

LGBT representation continued throughout the night with lesbian comedian Hannah Gadbys, known for her critically acclaimed Netflix special “Nanette,” who presented Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The cast of “Queer Eye” also took the stage to present as well as RuPaul and Leslie Jones, who recently became close after Jones’ “Drag Race” binge.

“Game of Thrones” was the big winner of the night taking home nine awards including Outstanding Drama Series.Ā “The Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā€ followed close behind with eight awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, and “Saturday Night Live” also won eight awards.

Other notable moments of the night were Henry Winkler’s first Emmy win in his decades-long career forĀ Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for “Barry;” an appearance from Betty White and Glenn Weiss who used his win forĀ Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special to propose to his girlfriend on stage.

The complete list of winners is below.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Brian Tyree Henry ā€“ ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
Louie Anderson ā€“ ā€œBasketsā€ (FX)
Kenan Thompson ā€“ ā€œSaturday Night Liveā€ (NBC)
Tituss Burgess ā€“ ā€œUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtā€ (Netflix)
Henry Winkler ā€“ ā€œBarryā€ (HBO)Ā 
Alec Baldwin ā€“ ā€œSaturday Night Liveā€ (NBC)
Tony Shalhoub ā€“ ā€œThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā€ (Amazon)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Zazie Beetz ā€“ ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
Laurie Metcalf ā€“ ā€œRoseanneā€ (ABC)
Leslie Jones ā€“ ā€œSaturday Night Liveā€ (NBC)
Alex Borstein ā€“ ā€œThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā€ (Amazon)Ā 
Betty Gilpin ā€“ ā€œGLOWā€ (Netflix)
Aidy Bryant ā€“ ā€œSaturday Night Liveā€ (NBC)
Kate McKinnon ā€“ ā€œSaturday Night Liveā€ (NBC)
Megan Mullally ā€“ ā€œWill & Graceā€ (NBC)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Donald Glover ā€“ ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
Stefani Robinson ā€“ ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
Alec Berg, Bill Hader ā€“ ā€œBarryā€ (HBO
Liz Sarnoff ā€“ ā€œBarryā€ (HBO)
Alec Berg ā€“ ā€œSilicon Valleyā€ (HBO)
Amy Sherman-Palladino ā€“ ā€œThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā€ (Amazon)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Donald Glover ā€“ ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
Hiro Murai ā€“ ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
Bill Hader ā€“ ā€œBarryā€ (HBO)
Mark Cendrowski ā€“ ā€œThe Big Bang Theoryā€ (CBS)
Jesse Peretz ā€“ ā€œGLOWā€ (Netflix)
Mike Judge ā€“ ā€œSilicon Valleyā€ (HBO)
Amy Sherman-Palladino ā€“ ā€œThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā€ (Amazon)Ā 

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Pamela Adlon ā€“ ā€œBetter Thingsā€ (FX)
Lily Tomlin ā€“ ā€œGrace & Frankieā€ (Netflix)
Allison Janney ā€“ ā€œMomā€ (CBS)
Tracee Ellis Ross ā€“ ā€œBlack-ishā€ (ABC)
Issa Rae ā€“ ā€œInsecureā€ (HBO)
Rachel Brosnahan ā€“ ā€œThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselā€ (Amazon)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson ā€“ ā€œBlack-ishā€(ABC)
Ted Danson ā€“ ā€œThe Good Placeā€ (NBC)
Larry David ā€“ ā€œCurb Your Enthusiasmā€ (HBO)
Donald Glover ā€“ ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
Bill Hader ā€“ ā€œBarryā€ (HBO)
William H. Macy ā€“ ā€œShamelessā€ (Showtime)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Adina Porter ā€“ ā€œAmerican Horror Story: Cultā€ (FX)
Merritt Wever ā€“ ā€œGodlessā€ (Netflix)
Penelope Cruz ā€“ ā€œThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)
Letitia Wright ā€“ ā€œBlack Museumā€ (ā€œBlack Mirrorā€) (Netflix)
Sara Bareilles ā€“ ā€œJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concertā€ (NBC)
Judith Light ā€“ ā€œThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Jeff Daniels ā€“ ā€œGodlessā€ (Netflix)
Ricky Martin ā€“Ā ā€œThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)
Finn Wittrock ā€“Ā ā€œThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)
John Leguizamo ā€“ ā€œWacoā€ (Paramount Network)
Brandon Victor Dixon ā€“ ā€œJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concertā€ (NBC)
Edgar Ramirez ā€“Ā ā€œThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)
Michael Stuhlbarg ā€“ ā€œThe Looming Towerā€ (Hulu)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Kevin McManus, Matthew McManus ā€“ ā€œAmerican Vandalā€ (Netflix)
Scott Frank ā€“ ā€œGodlessā€ (Netflix)
David Nicholls ā€“ ā€œPatrick Melroseā€ (Showtime)
Tom Rob Smith ā€“ ā€œThe Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)
David Lynch, Mark Frost ā€“ ā€œTwin Peaksā€ (Showtime)
William Bridges, Charlie Brooker ā€“ ā€œUSS Callisterā€ (“Black Mirror”) (Netflix)Ā 

Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
Scott Frank ā€“ ā€œGodlessā€ (Netflix)
David Leveaux, Alex Rudzinski ā€“ ā€œJesus Christ Superstar Live in Concertā€ (NBC)
Barry Levinson ā€“ ā€œPaternoā€ (HBO)
Edward Berger ā€“ ā€œPatrick Melroseā€ (Showtime)
Ryan Murphy ā€“ ā€œThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)Ā 
Craig Zisk ā€“ ā€œThe Looming Towerā€ (Hulu)
David Lynch ā€“ ā€œTwin Peaksā€ (Showtime)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
Jessica Biel ā€“ ā€œThe Sinnerā€ (USA Network)
Laura Dern ā€“ ā€œThe Taleā€ (HBO)
Michelle Dockery ā€“ ā€œGodlessā€ (Netflix)
Edie Falco ā€“ ā€œLaw & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murdersā€ (NBC)
Regina King ā€“ ā€œSeven Secondsā€ (Netflix)
Sarah Paulson ā€“ ā€œAmerican Horror Story: Cultā€ (FX)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie
Antonio Banderas ā€“ ā€œGenius: Picassoā€ (National Geographic)
Darren Criss ā€“ ā€œAssassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)Ā 
Benedict Cumberbatch ā€“ ā€œPatrick Melroseā€ (Showtime)
Jeff Daniels ā€“ ā€œThe Looming Towerā€ (Hulu)
John Legend ā€“ ā€œJesus Christ Superstar Live In Concertā€ (NBC)
Jesse Plemons ā€“ ā€œUSS Callisterā€/ā€Black Mirrorā€ (Netflix)

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
Melinda Taub, Samantha Bee ā€“ ā€œFull Frontal With Samantha Bee Presents: The Great American* Puerto Rico (*Itā€™s Complicated)ā€ (TBS)
John Mulaney ā€“ ā€œJohn Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous At Radio Cityā€ (Netflix)
Michelle Wolf ā€“ ā€œMichelle Wolf: Nice Ladyā€ (HBO)
Patton Oswalt ā€“ ā€œPatton Oswalt: Annihilationā€ (Netflix)
Steve Martin, Martin Short ā€“ ā€œSteve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Lifeā€ (Netflix)

Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
Stan Lathan ā€“ ā€œDave Chappelle: Equanimityā€ (Netflix)
Michael Bonfiglio ā€“ ā€œJerry Seinfeld: Jerry Before Seinfeldā€ (Netflix)
Marcus Raboy ā€“ ā€œSteve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Lifeā€ (Netflix)
Hamish Hamilton ā€“ ā€œSuper Bowl LII Halftime Show Starring Justin Timberlakeā€ (NBC)
Glenn Weiss ā€“ ā€œThe Oscarsā€ (ABC)Ā 

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ā€“ ā€œGame of Thronesā€ (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin ā€“ ā€œHomelandā€ (Showtime)
Matt Smith ā€“ ā€œThe Crownā€ (Netflix)
Peter Dinklage ā€“ ā€œGame of Thronesā€ (HBO)
David Harbour ā€“ ā€œStranger Thingsā€ (Netflix)
Joseph Fiennes ā€“ ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey ā€“Ā ā€œGame of Thronesā€ (HBO)
Vanessa Kirby ā€“ ā€œThe Crownā€ (Netflix)
Ann Dowd ā€“ ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)
Thandie Newton ā€“ ā€œWestworldā€ (HBO)Ā 
Millie Bobby Brown ā€“ ā€œStranger Thingsā€ (Netflix)
Alexis Bledel ā€“ ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)
Yvonne Strahovski ā€“ ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss ā€“ ā€œGame of Thronesā€ (HBO)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge ā€“ ā€œKilling Eveā€ (BBC America)
The Duffer Brothers ā€“ ā€œStranger Thingsā€ (Netfix)
Joe Fields, Joe Weisberg ā€“ ā€œThe Americansā€ (FX)Ā 
Peter Morgan ā€“ ā€œThe Crownā€ (Neflix)
Bruce Miller ā€“ ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Alan Taylor ā€“ ā€œGame of Thronesā€ (HBO)
Jeremy Podeswa ā€“ ā€œGame of Thronesā€ (HBO)
Jason Bateman ā€“ ā€œOzarkā€ (Netflix)
Daniel Sackheim ā€“ ā€œOzarkā€ (Netflix)
The Duffer Brothers ā€“ ā€œStranger Thingsā€ (Netflix)
Stephen Daldry ā€“ ā€œThe Crownā€ (Netflix)Ā 
Kari Skogland ā€“ ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman ā€“ ā€œOzarkā€ (Netflix)
Sterling K. Brown ā€“ ā€œThis Is Usā€ (NBC)
Ed Harris ā€“ ā€œWestworldā€ (HBO)
Matthew Rhys ā€“ ā€œThe Americansā€ (FX)
Milo Ventimiglia ā€“ ā€œThis Is Usā€ (NBC)
Jeffrey Wright ā€“ ā€œWestworldā€ (HBO)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Foy ā€“ ā€œThe Crownā€ (Netflix)Ā 

Tatiana Maslany ā€“ ā€œOrphan Blackā€ (BBC America)
Elisabeth Moss ā€“ ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)
Sandra Oh ā€“ ā€œKilling Eveā€ (BBC America)
Keri Russell ā€“ ā€œThe Americansā€ (FX)
Evan Rachel Wood ā€“ ā€œWestworldā€ (HBO)

Outstanding Reality Competition Program
ā€œAmerican Ninja Warriorā€ (NBC)
ā€œProject Runwayā€ (Lifetime)
ā€œRuPaulā€™s Drag Raceā€ (VH1)Ā 
ā€œThe Amazing Raceā€ (CBS)
ā€œThe Voiceā€ (NBC)
ā€œTop Chefā€ (Bravo)

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
ā€œAt Home with Amy Sedarisā€ (TruTV)
ā€œDrunk Historyā€ (Comedy Central)
ā€œI Love You, America with Sarah Silvermanā€ (Hulu)
ā€œPortlandiaā€ (IFC)
ā€œSaturday Night Liveā€ (NBC)
ā€œThe Tracey Ullman Showā€ (HBO)

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
ā€œThe Daily Show With Trevor Noahā€ (Comedy Central)
ā€œFull Frontal With Samantha Beeā€ (TBS)
ā€œJimmy Kimmel Live!ā€ (ABC)
ā€œLast Week Tonight With John Oliverā€ (HBO)
ā€œThe Late Late Show With James Cordenā€ (CBS)
ā€œThe Late Show With Stephen Colbertā€ (CBS)

Outstanding Limited Series
ā€œGenius: Picassoā€ (National Geographic)
ā€œGodlessā€ (Netflix)
ā€œPatrick Melroseā€ (Showtime)
ā€œThe Alienistā€ (TNT)
ā€œThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Storyā€ (FX)

Outstanding Comedy Series
ā€œAtlantaā€ (FX)
ā€œBarryā€ (HBO)
ā€œBlack-ishā€ (ABC)
ā€œCurb Your Enthusiasmā€ (HBO)
ā€œGLOWā€ (Netflix)
ā€œThe Marvelous Ms. Maiselā€ (Amazon)
ā€œSilicon Valleyā€ (HBO)
ā€œUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtā€ (Netflix)

Outstanding Drama Series
ā€œThe Americansā€ (FX)
ā€œThe Crownā€ (Netflix)
ā€œGame of Thronesā€ (HBO)Ā 
ā€œThe Handmaidā€™s Taleā€ (Hulu)
ā€œStranger Thingsā€ (Netflix)
ā€œThis Is Usā€ (NBC)
ā€œWestworldā€ (HBO)

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PHOTOS: Israel at war

International News Editor Michael K. Lavers was on assignment in the country last month

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The Pride House of Beā€™er Sheva in Beā€™er Sheva, Israel, on Oct. 9, 2024. The banner on the gate reads, ā€œGet them out of hell!ā€ in reference to the hostages who remain in the Gaza Strip. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

TEL AVIV, Israel ā€” The Washington Blade was on assignment in Israel from Oct. 4-14, 2024. 

The Blade covered the first anniversary of Oct. 7, and interviewed the cousin of a woman who Hamas militants killed after they kidnapped her and her sister-in-law. The Blade also interviewed the widow of a gay Israel Defense Forces soldier who spearheaded efforts to amend the countryā€™s Bereaved Families Law to recognize LGBTQ widows and widowers of fallen servicemembers.

Activists in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Beā€™er Sheva also spoke with the Blade.

Destroyed homes in the outskirts of Khan Younis, Gaza, in January 2024. (Courtesy photo)

Layla, a gay bar in Tel Aviv, in an Instagram post for an Oct. 1 party notes the Israel Defense Forces are ā€œdemilitarizing Lebanon.ā€ The promotion includes a picture of long-time Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who the Israeli Defense Force killed in the Beirut suburb of Dahieh less than a week earlier. Iran on Oct. 1 launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel in response to Nasrallahā€™s death. (Photo courtesy of Laylaā€™s Instagram page)

A public art display at Ben-Gurion Airport on Oct. 4, 2024, demands the release of the hostages who remain in the Gaza Strip. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A mural in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 4, 2024.(Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A boy plays a piano in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 4, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 4, 2024. (Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)

The Blade could not access Al Jazeeraā€™s website in Israel.

The Israeli government in May banned the Qatar-based network from working in the country, and shut down its bureaus in East Jerusalem and Nazareth, a predominantly Arab city in northern Israel. A judge in June extended the ban for 45 days. Israeli soldiers on Sept. 22 raided Al Jazeeraā€™s bureau in Ramallah, the Palestinian capital, and ordered its closure for 45 days. (Washington Blade screenshot by Michael K. Lavers)


An Israeli Pride flag flies next to a banner on a terrace in Tel Aviv, Israel, that calls for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Hilton Beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 5, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A bomb shelter near Beā€™eri, Israel, on Oct. 5, 2024. Hamas militants on Oct. 7 killed three people from the nearby Nova Music Festival who took shelter inside. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Part of the makeshift Nova Music Festival memorial near Reā€™im, Israel, on Oct. 5, 2024. Hamas militants on Oct. 7 killed 360 people at the all-night rave and took 40 other partygoers hostage. The Nova Music Festival took place roughly three miles from the Israel-Gaza border. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

The Nova Music Festival memorial. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Cats in Independence Park in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 6, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A mural in Tel Aviv, Israel, notes Hamas is still holding Shiri Bibas and her two children, Kfir and Ariel, hostage in Gaza. Kfir was 9-months-old on Oct. 7. His brother was 4-years-old. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

An anti-war sticker on a light pole in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 6, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

KAN 11, an Israeli television station, broadcasts from Kfar Aza, Israel, on Oct. 7, 2024. The kibbutz is one of the many kibbutzim near the Israel-Gaza border that Hamas militants attacked on Oct. 7. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A juice stand at the intersection of Dizengoff Street and Ben-Gurion Boulevard in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 7, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)


Two men in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, embrace while watching the Bereaved Families Memorial Service on Oct. 7, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

ā€˜Red alertsā€™ for ballistic missiles that Hezbollah launched from Lebanon on Oct. 7, 2024. The missiles targeted an Israel Defense Forces base north of Tel Aviv. The IDF interceptions woke this reporter up at around 11 p.m. (Washington Blade screenshot by Michael K. Lavers)

Yarmulkes for sale in Jerusalem on Oct. 8, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Dome of the Rock above the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Oct. 8, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Omer Ohana looks a picture of his fiancĆ©, Sagi Golan, a gay Israel Defense Forces major who died fighting Hamas militants in Beā€™eri, Israel, on Oct. 7, 2023, A memorial service for Golan took place in Herzliya, Israel, on Oct. 8, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A billboard overlooking the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, Israel, with a caricature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu references Oct. 7 and says, ā€œWe wonā€™t forget.ā€ (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Street art in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

A poster with Carmel Gatā€˜s face on it inside a replica of a tunnel in the Gaza Strip that was built in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, Israel. Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, kidnapped Gat from Beā€™eri, a kibbutz near the Gaza border. They killed her and five other hostages in late August. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Shortly after dawn in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 12, 2024, as the country marked Yom Kippur. (Video by Michael K. Lavers)

Banners that hung from an overpass above the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 12, 2024, contain pictures of the hostages who remain in Gaza. They also call for their release and ā€œbringing back hope.ā€ (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Fishermen along the Jaffa waterfront in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 12, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

The sun sets over Hilton Beach in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 13, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
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Queer writer reflects on assault, drug use, more in ā€˜Mean Boysā€™

An interview with Geoffrey Mak

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(Book cover image via Amazon)

Queer Chinese American writer Geoffrey Mak takes the personal essay to new, and sometimes unsettling, heights, in his book ā€œMean Boys: A Personal Historyā€ (Bloomsbury, 2024). Described as a ā€œmemoir-in-essays,ā€ Mak, the gay son of an evangelical minister, takes readers on his volatile and visceral personal journey, which includes the techno clubs of Berlin, various illicit substances, his sexual assault, and ultimately an examination of mass-murderer Elliot Rodger. Mak generously made time for an interview in advance of his November appearance at the Miami Book Fair.

BLADE: In the authorā€™s note for your book ā€œMean Boys: A Personal History,ā€ you said, ā€œI wrote most of these essays for the Internet,ā€ and that awareness of your readership extended to ā€œwhat they wanted to hear, and what they were wearing.ā€ Is that still your target audience or were you looking to expand it with the book?

GEOFFREY MAK: If I could go back in time and inspire my 26-year-old self to keep writing, I would say, ā€œBabe, in 10 years, youā€™ll get everything youā€™ve ever dreamed of, just online-only.ā€ I still see the natural habitat of the personal essay; yet the internet has a tendency for fragmentation and bubbles. When I decided to write a book at a mainstream press, I thought a lot about how a bookā€”unlike a paintingā€”is a mass-produced object, which makes it a more democratic medium, almost humble. I thought a lot about the opportunity to reach readers in Idaho or Oregon or Arkansas, and, in fact, I now get emails or Instagram DMs from readers in all those states. I wanted to explore universal themes that anyone can relate to, such as the wages of status in a high school cafeteria, or the process of forgiving oneā€™s own father.

BLADE: You also mentioned James Baldwin and Joan Didion, as well as Ed White, Hilton Als, and Alan Hollinghurst, among others. How important are these writers to you in your work?

MAK: I love that you called him Ed, because he is Ed. Each of those writers gave me something that is a part of me. Baldwin: conviction. Didion: cadence. White: self-mythology. Als: voice. Hollinghurst: sex.

BLADE: Another writer, Wesley Yang, is featured prominently in the ā€œIdentity Despite Itselfā€ essay. Do you know if heā€™s aware of being the essayā€™s subject? If so, has he told you how he feels about it?

MAK: Marco Roth, a friend, was one of the founding editors of n+1, and commissioned and edited Wesley Yangā€™s remarkable essay, ā€œThe Face of Seung-Hui Choā€ when it came out in 2008. After Marco read my book, he sent it to him. In Marcoā€™s view, I had at last given Yang his due: taking him as seriously as he deserved, which is something any writer should be flattered by. And I did take him seriously, calling him into account for his internalized Asian racism and transphobia. As to what Yang actually thinks, I have no idea. Can you believe it: Not a single person I wrote about in the book has reached out to me about it?

BLADE: In ā€œMy Father, The Minister,ā€ you address religion, not only as the son of a religious leader but also as a gay man. Religion continues to make headlines, whether itā€™s the role itā€™s playing in the 2024 election, the ongoing sexual abuse scandals in the various churches, or the war in Gaza. What role, if any, does religion play in your life at present?

MAK: I pay close attention to the religious life of this country. Two-thirds consider themselves religious. A lot of what I read disturbs me, nothing is surprising to me. I was heartened when, earlier this year, the United Methodist Church rescinded a ban on gay clergy. It was a rare victory because sexual difference remains the greatest divisive factor in American churches today. The articulation of the queer, Christian subject might be my highest priority as a writer today. (Out of all my essays, I consider ā€œCalifornia Gothicā€ my greatest work.) I donā€™t participate in organized religion, but I still study the Bible and read queer theology, particularly the work of Marcella Althaus-Reid and Linn Tonstad, major influences of mine. I count theologians as some of my closest friends. I was actually just emailing with the writer Garth Greenwell about how 4th-century apophatic theology has parallels with queer theory today. Iā€™m currently writing a novel about a trans-femme protagonist who finds her way to God. Iā€™m quite serious. Sometimes, I dream that if this whole writer career doesnā€™t pan out, I might go to Divinity School.

BLADE: You also write honestly about your drug usage in ā€œMean Boys.ā€ Thereā€™s a line in the ā€œCalifornia Gothicā€ essay that reads: ā€œAfter psychosis, and after addiction, I knew that whether I would recover came down to a single test: Could I find grace in the ordinary?ā€ Where are you now on that journey?

MAK: I happen to be sober now, but I have cycled through periods of limited drug use and sobriety since I finished that essay. I belong to a harm reduction community that keeps me accountable to my self-stated goals. For several years, I have had a buddy system, which differs from a sponsor relationship because itā€™s non-hierarchical, with a friend Iā€™m extremely close withā€”we regularly check in with cravings, take stock of our weekly stressors, talk about books. If we ever call the other, we know to drop whatever weā€™re doing and pick up, because itā€™s an emergency. One night, he called me when he relapsed on meth, and I ran straight to his apartment, we flushed out the syringes, and cried in each otherā€™s arms until the sleeping pills kicked in. Since then, heā€™s been sober for almost two years. Recently, Iā€™ve been talking to him about ā€œjunk time,ā€ which are the late-night brain rot hours when I canā€™t read and crave drugs the most. I need to start finding grace in the ordinariness of junk time. Thanks for the reminder.

BLADE: What was involved in your decision to write about the aftermath of your sexual assault in the essay ā€œIn Arcadia Ego?ā€

MAK: OK, so the first section of that essay originated as a Facebook post. People reached out with caring words, although the writing partly explored my reaching a limit with caring words. The material was so raw that I put it down for at least a few years. After I had some distance from my own assault, I picked up the essay again and suddenly realized I was bored of my own pain. It wasnā€™t going to teach me anything, because suffering isnā€™t a university. I wanted to party, so I wrote about that. Nothing about this was virtuous or wholesome or dignified. I got fucked up and screamed with my gays on the dance floor like sorority girls at a bachelorette party. In a previous era, you had a party to commemorate an occasion. My friends and I partied for no reason; the party justified itself. Life is like this, too. You never need a reason.

BLADE: Was the lengthy, titular essay that closes out the book, the first essay written for the book, and therefore the inspiration?

MAK: It was the last essay I finished. In fact, we delayed the release date of the book because I couldnā€™t finish it. Itā€™s my most original writing and original thinking. Itā€™s also not for everyone.

BLADE: In the ā€œMean Boysā€ essay, you write about the ultimate mean boy ā€“ mass-murderer Elliot Rodger. Did that essay begin as being about Rodger or did that come later?

MAK: This was one of the first essays I wrote where I didnā€™t outline it or know where it was ending up in advance. I started with an imageā€”the Lacoste polo with the popped collarā€”and just kept writing. Itā€™s meandering, because thatā€™s how I wrote it, working through the innate turbulence of each paragraph until a door appeared into the next paragraph. I eventually found my way to Rodger. There was a time I thought I could write the essay without reading the manifesto, until I realized, cā€™mon, I was being chicken, I had to read the manifesto. Once I finished it, I knew I had to rewrite the entire essay.

BLADE: Have you started writing or thinking about your next book project?

MAK: Iā€™m working on a novel about degenerate ravers in Berlin. While the UK and Germany have novels about raving, America curiously doesnā€™t have one. So, I decided to write one.

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PHOTOS: Birthdays at JR.’s

Drag queens celebrate at local establishment

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Citrine performs at JR.'s on Saturday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Citrine, Andromeda and Silver WareĀ Sidora celebrated their birthdays at JR.’s Bar with a drag show on Saturday, Nov. 2.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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