The 10th anniversary of the annual Queerty (Queerties) Awards occurred recently in West Hollywood, CA at the EDEN Sunset. It was a beautiful venue, with outside and inside spaces to mingle, toast, eat, and celebrate. Outside, in the garden area, centered around a large, square, majestic marble body of water, was one of the bars, a selfie station, a bright rotating video self-recording device, hor d’oeuvres plated and served by the women working the event, heat lamps, festive decor, and the press stations.
The featured signature drinks of the night, found outside and inside, were Vizzy Hard Seltzers with pineapple mango, blueberry pomegranate, strawberry kiwi, black cherry lime flavors, Serv Pink Lemon Drop with SERV Trixie Mattel Pink Lemonade Vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, cranberry juice, lemon wedge garnish, Serv Glamtrontini with SERV Alaska 5000 Original Unflavored Vodka, orange juice, grenadine, cherry garnish, Serv Mixed Berries Purple Rain with SERV Trinity The Tuck Mixed Berries Vodka, gin, blue curacao, lime juice, lemon juice, soda water, and grenadine, and lastly, the Serv Spicy Pineapple Mojito with SERV Manila Luzon Pineapple Vodka, club soda, simple syrup, lime juice, mint leaves, and tajin rim. Those were the Queerties official drink menu, but of course, other drinks were served, as well.
Inside, there was a hallway, with a ferocious fireplace, that lead to a big room with lavish couches, as well as being the entrance down the stairs to the main event space. It appeared to be a large club space, with vip tables and seats located around the perimeters of the dance floor. There were two stages. One was used for the awards ceremony, and the other had a band set-up for the post-ceremony musical accompaniment. The band that played was a new one, comprised of a group of women called The Beginners. They played a few songs after the awards were handed out and the speeches were given.
While mainstream club songs blasted inside before the awards ceremony, providing a nice vibe for the guests, that all stopped once the event kicked off. The big winner of the night was MJ, or Michaela Jae, Rodriguez, for her outstanding work as a trans trailblazer in shows like “Pose.” She received the Icon Award. Another standout winner was Samantha Stark for her work on the documentary “Framing Britney Spears,” and Amy Schneider of “Jeopardy” fame. In addition, the social media stars: The Old Gays. Other nominees included: Alaska, Big Dipper, Bob The Drag Queen, Brandon Anderson, Brian Esperon, Chris Morrissey, Daniel Luna, Denali, Edward Russell, George M. Johnson, Gil Hizon, Haaz Sleiman, Jack Plotnick, John Paul Brammer, Julian Burzynski, Kameron Ross, Kevin Zak, Mandy Salangsang, Mathew Fifer, Michael Henry, Mikey Angelo, Monet X Change, Nicole Beckwith, Patti Harrison, Philemon Chambers, Quentin Lee, Rams Dolll, Robbie Couch, Robin De Jesus, Ronen Rubinstein, Rose Montoya, Ry Russo-Young, Sean Cruickshank, Seth Harrington, Shalita Grant, Sherry Vine, Talleah Bridges McMahon, Trixie Mattel, Tyler Dwiggins, Tyler Gaca, and William Belli.
Celebrities, and notable figures, that attended the red-carpet were: Garrett Clayton, Daniel Franzese, Adrian Anchondo, AJ Gibson, Arisce Wanzer, Aubrey Peoples, Barret Foa, Blossom Brown, Brandon Stansell, Brea Grant, Brian Dare, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Briana Venskus, Charles Burnett, Constantine Rosouli, Dominic Burguess, Ed Begley Jr., Emile Ennis Jr., Eric Cervini, Eric Graise, Ian Paget, James Bland, Jason Caceres, Kit Williamson, Manilla Luzon, Marta Beatchu, Michael Feldman, Michael Rachlis, Morgan McMichaels, Nelson Lassiter, Omar Sharif Jr., Peter Staley, Sachin Bhatt, Stephen Guarino, Tony Rodriguez, and Verton Banks.
The Queerty Awards (the Queerties) celebrate the best of LGBTQ media in that given year. As Queerty says, they are free of any agenda, except the gay one. Here’s to another year down, the ten year anniversary, and to even more LGBTQ represenation in media next year to celebrate!
