thequeerlyproject

As a girl who grew up in the suburbs of Maryland, I remember being extremely frustrated by the lack of sapphically inclined females. Gay girls popped up here and there, but I never met a girl I was actually into. It wasn’t until the first time I popped into Phase when I turned 21 that I realized there was an entire community of tightknit queers at my fingertips. Girls who dressed how I wanted to dress, girls with hairstyles I envied, and a plethora of girls I wanted to grind on. Ever since that first night out, I have worked hard to integrate myself into the community and find a way to give back. In that spirit, this week I have chosen to feature an individual who has played a huge role in maintaining the DC queer scene in the last decade.

            Angela Lombardi, a West Coast transplant by way of Los Angeles, is a true District queer. She originally came out to on a soccer scholarship for the Division 1 team at George Mason University, but soon found her true calling as the general manager of the aforementioned Phase 1. Since she’s been on the scene, the illustrious bar has become known for events such as Jello Wrestling, Shirtless Saturdays, and PhaseFest. She always organizes a float for the annual Pride Parade, and has supported events such as this year’s Her HRC. Basically, this queer is a boss. If you don’t know her or haven’t done this recently, go find her bartending at Phase 1 during the Official Women’s Kick Off Party this Friday and give thanks for her service to the community. ENJOY - and check us out here for the full set and writeup.

xx,

As the creator and editor of The Queerly Project, my goal has been to show you a peek into individual souls within the fabric of our community. At the same time, I strive to keep mystery and aesthetic alive. My role parallels that of the folks in the entertainment industry. These purveyors of fun put on a façade full of makeup, sex appeal, and good times as a means of existence. This is the reason I am so fascinated by a one Miss Jasmine Andrews – in turns a DJ, bartender, and host at Phase 1, she’s the epitome of that struggle.

  In congruence with that fascination, my brief foray into her life reveals that Jasmine, aka DJ Jay Von Tease, is that she is also “an underground poet.” She muses about true self and the consciousness thereof. In her own words,

  “There are people who keep a good round number of hearts - enough for a lifetime of puppy love, false love, unrequited love, and maybe even true love. You could say they keep them buried deep in some far corner of the body. They might be stashed in elbows, shoulders, or knees. Truthfully, however, they just hide. It is a lengthy game, and it’s no way to run a psyche. That stream of old emotion is just waiting underneath the surface calm, full of events and people that refuse to be looked in the eye. Hopeless single-hearts simply can’t compete with the ruthless multiple-hearts. They'd rather know the truth even if it cracks their single heart in half. Some people keep ten hearts and you'll never know if you were one of them.”

  Clearly, the face Jasmine puts on for our entertainment is only a small slice of the whole. She hopes that “these pictures don't only give you what you expected of me, but also a better inside on who I really am.” I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment.

  xx,

Eva

on that PREVIEW jaunt - new edition of The Queerly Project out TOMORROW on this here tumblr.

This week in #TheQueerlyProject, I explore the theme of the surreal within the mundane. It is these small slivers of slow-tempo sunshine that remind us to slow down amidst the frantic throes of life. These shards of sanity weave through each plane of our splintered realities, creating perhaps the truest version of existence. Joining me on my search for glimpses into, as Lev Grossman imagines it, The Neitherlands, is queer lady Sabrina Ruby of Phase One, the oldest lesbian bar in DC. The petite brunette hails from Port Elizabeth, South Africa and has modeled for the likes of Playboy. These days, she lives a tamer lifestyle as a Washington DC based au pair who fits the femme profile. I do not exaggerate, however, when I say that she can burp and strut with the best of them. I’m lucky to call this dirty-mouthed, Heineken swigging, cigarette smoking magical unicorn my friend. xx, Eva

PART TWO of this week's #thequeerlyproject with DJ Kiki-Daniella - read the full write-up here.

Happy Mid-March, queerlies! Thanks for tuning in for our latest edition of The Queerly Project. This week I chose to take a slight tangent from our premise: the oft-silent realm of eating disorders. From the lanky silhouette of Shane to the svelte swank of Andrej Pejic, it’s clear that there is a certain look in vogue for the queer folks of contemporary times. Boyish and beautiful is the aspiration of many in the quest to androgynously perfect. I can’t even begin to enumerate the beautiful people I know who disparage their bodies because they don’t fit this mold. In a statement of courage, my close friend Rose has chosen to come forth with her struggle. Today, she is a survivor of the bulimia that once ruled her life. I feature her portraits and her story to highlight her new-found body positivity. My hope is that she may help create the same for you. She shares her thoughts below. Love, Eva

aaand part two of the Valentine's Weekend Edition of #thequeerlyproject with #glamgamz aka one of our favorite #hotlesbians

heeeeey tumblrs! it's been a long two weeks, and I've been itching to get this recent set for #thequeerlyproject on the interwebz. I'm incredibly pleased to announce that for our Valentine's Weekend edition (bc letzbereal vday bleeds into the next 48 hours), we had the pleasure of shooting with Glam Gamz, a veteran of the DC burlesque scene and one of my favorite #hotlesbians. she performs in a classic style and has undoubtedly the best stocking pull in the tri-state area. just sayin. if you'd like to catch a performance, she'll be performing at Bare the Fold in Rockville, MD on Saturday Feb 22nd 2014. more info here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/into-the-fold as always, help spread the love! follow, repost, tweet, like the project on FB here! cheers,

The best part about being out and proud is shamelessly gay-checking-out the objects of my desire. I no longer feel like I need to be stealthy when I see an androgynous person strutting down the street; my head swivels in their direction with clear interest. It’s no surprise that I also no longer clear my search history when I look for eye candy on the Inter-webs. It was in the midst of such a shameless search that I became aware of the dearth of good photos of smoking hot queers. Lo and behold, #thequeerlyproject was born! The impetus for this social media invasion of #sexyqueers and #hotlesbians is to change the type of content that surfaces when gaybies in queer deserts (or human beings in general) Google "hot lesbians." In other words, I’d like to help us spread the term "sexy queers" and reclaim the phrase "hot lesbians." I don’t want to sift through 50 photos of women with sharp nails making out. I want to see a proliferation of people who look like me, my friends and the people we're attracted to - sometimes with shirts, and sometimes without. The bottom line is that there is a terrible shortage of tasteful, sexy and accurate documentation of contemporary #hotlesbians and #sexyqueers. SO, LIKE QUEEN BEY SAID, WHO RUN THE WORLD? That’s right, #hotlesbians (and #sexyqueers). And I wanted to photograph gorgeous people. So there’s that. #thequeerlyproject will release a photo set twice a month on THIS VERY TUMBLR, Where The Girls Go, and Facebook. Remember, dear reader, that our success depends on you. Repost, tweet, share! Know a #hotlesbian or #sexyqueer who should be up representing the community? Send a picture and a brief bio to [email protected]. Now, before I get completely carried away with excitement, I’d like to give my gratitude to the wonderful folks at Where The Girls Go for their support. I’d especially like to thank the fabulous Alexander Smith for allowing me to photograph his sexy mug and blatantly piggyback on his popularity ;) LOVEYOUMEANIT.

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