Gay Place

ANY PORT IN A STORM And what a storm is upon us, swabbies; batten down those hatches. The nascent, black-clad hipster masses have come for your street cred. Come take comfort in this safe harbor, dear irate pirate. This year, South by Southwest reached out and offered me (Kate X) a hosting gig for the first official SXSW Interactive LGBT Meet-Up. The queer li'l meet and greet happened this past weekend at our posh and fabulous Driskill Hotel's Victorian Room, a fitting setting given her Best Little Whorehouse in Texxxass grandeur. More than 150 of you queerbos showed up. Many Marys had to wait for outs to get in. That's pretty dang sweet considering it was a first-time Fest feature. As often as I yammer on about LGBT community and creating safe spaces for freaks to feel comfortable in their own skins, blah blah, sometimes even I forget what it is like, coming from a nonurban, non-gay-fabulous place to a strange town like Austin. Sure, Austin has a great gay-affirming reputation, but we are still Texas and still the South and still subject to the same prejudice and bigotry as any backwater we think we are so much better than. Whether the dynamic involves race, class, sexuality, or whatever, marginalized groups function more freely and productively within inviting environments. And no matter how inviting you assume you've made it, an open hand is always the kindest indicator. Thanks, SXSW. We'll take your warm hand as a warm heart.

PARDON OUR DUST So, we are struggling this year, dearies. Every turn your friendly neighborhood Gay Place takes, it seems is met with technological contrariness. We are just getting the Gay Place Blog back into a flow this week. Please check us out at www.austinchronicle.com/gayplaceblog. And check out our mascot Dandy's new 'do. He's a handsome pony, ain't he? Friend him on Facebook. We'll tell zir to keep it clean or at least clean up after zirself when the fagtabulous poots of rainbow Skittles get all over everything: www.facebook.com/dandyunicorn

PANTIES IN WADS Here's what's got us juiced this week: The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye; Oh Land; Otis Under Sky; Moby's Vegan Yacht; Diamond Rings; Hit So Hard; Christeene's "Bustin' Brown"; Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour; Katey Red; Big Freedia; Rusty Lazer; the Hook-Up (Thursday and Saturday); and a butt-load of on- and off-property gayness that makes us tingle in our southerly climes. Look through these listings for the little crown to indicate events that are Gay Place-endorsed. Also be sure to check out each of the three upcoming SXSW dailies. Gay Place gets a half-page in that mofo. And of course, the most tang-tingling news is of the mother ship landing – the mother ship to blow the bunghole out of all mother ships: GayBiGayGay, the annual all-day Fest closer that sends 'em home with big fat grins on their sated li'l gay faces (See Sunday). GBGG has new digs this year, a mere 1.5 miles north of the old digs, but check the listings to be sure you know where the action is.