Gianfranco Lentini

Good morning, New York! How do you like your eggs and bacon? In the morning or all day every day? How about your waffles? Doused in Upstate maple syrup or served up with some Brooklyn fried chicken? Whichever way you flip your flapjacks, here’s your guide to the best breakfast joints in New York State, guaranteed to please any hard egg. RECOMMENDED: The best upstate New York resorts

As we don our vaccine-tinted glasses and watch New York City awaken from its slumber, the question on everybody’s queer and allied lips is, What can we do now? Refraining from responding like Gia Gunn: “What you want to do is not necessarily what you’re gonna do,” we figured out the answers for you. From some of the best museums in NYC to memorials to musical Mondays, here’s your guide to ten LGBTQ+ spots in New York City that you can visit right now. RECOMMENDED: Guide to Gay Pride NYC 2021

The great American songwriter Frank Loesser said it best:  'If I can't takeMy coffee break,Something within me dies.' Relatable! Whether you’re on the road to work, in the middle of an all-nighter, or just in desperate need of that pick-me-up, never fear. From Long Island to Buffalo, here is your java-lover’s guide to the best coffee shops in New York State.

Dear Muggle, We’re pleased to inform you that while your acceptance letter to Hogwarts or Ilvermorny has been delayed, you now own the ultimate guide of Harry Potter experiences in New York City to keep you distracted. And the best part? No need for Floo Powder or Portkeys. Everything, from a speakeasy to an actual castle, is within reach by subway—but please don’t accept candy from anyone claiming to be the Trolley Witch.  There’s mischief to manage. Yours Sincerely,A Hufflepuff also awaiting his letter

Aptly named after the feminists of the Enlightenment, Bluestockings is New York City’s only queer, transgender, and sex worker cooperatively-owned bookstore, fair-trade cafe, and activist center. This is the perfect LES spot to pick up a copy of Mikki Kendall’s Hood Feminism and stay for the Queer Book Club.

You can catch a live performance from Mizz Privileze at WorldPride 2021's Drag Night on Friday, August 20, 2021. As an official media partner of the international event, we'll be streaming the show live so you can enjoy the glitz and glamour wherever you are in the world. Mizz Privileze, the politically-charged drag queen of Copenhagen, won the hearts and minds of viewers around the world when she took Denmark’s Got Talent by storm in 2019. Since then, the DGT finalist has done everything in her power to use her platform for progressive change, including creating Live and Let Live, a Danish organization responsible for reporting LGBTQ hate crimes to Denmark’s Parliament and Minister of Equality. It comes as no surprise then that this forward-thinking queen also has an unconventional take on what five things every LGBTQ visitor should do when visiting Copenhagen, especially as the city prepares for hosting WorldPride 2021. As Privileze puts it, “You’ll not find this Top 5 on TripAdvisor.” Let’s take a trip off the beaten Studiestræde (Copenhagen’s gay neighborhood). Culture: Gay House (Bøssehave in Danish) 2021 marks “the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Gay Liberation Front in Copenhagen, Denmark. [The GLF was the organization] who marched after Stonewall [in New York City] in 1971. Then, that same year, they created the Gay House in Christiania, Copenhagen as a culture house for events and big summer parties. [And although] it’s called Gay-House, it’s super queer feat

You can catch a live performance from Vinegar Strokes at WorldPride 2021's Drag Night on Friday, August 20, 2021. As an official media partner of the international event, we'll be streaming the show live so you can enjoy the glitz and glamour wherever you are in the world. Fresh off London’s Freedom Day celebration—a day that marked the end of over a year of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions—the LGBTQ nightlife scene is back. And who better to give us the tea on their five go-to gay bars than “the proper London lady” herself, Vinegar Strokes! A finalist on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 1, this comedy queen is no stranger around the Thames having appeared on the West End in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, alongside Michelle Visage, and, most recently, Death Drop. Now, Vinegar’s back to share her must-visit list of Soho, “the LGBTQ Mecca of London,” as well as a few pro-tips. G-A-Y Bar “I would start [my night out] in Soho at G-A-Y Bar because it’s very affordable and they play some incredible camp music.” This world-famous Soho institution keeps the drinks flowing between three bustling floors of electric entertainment. And when their doors close at midnight, G-A-Y Late throws their doors wide open around the corner to keep the party going. Admiral Duncan “Where I would go after that is Admiral Duncan. It’s quite an old-fashioned bar in London. Very old school, lots of drag, lots of karaoke.” Located right in the heart of Soho, this infamous gay pub has been pouring drafts since

Gianfranco Lentini is a New York-based LGBTQ+ journalist whose work has been published with Grindr, Backstage, and Broadway Roulette, and for all the Potterheads out there, you can find him (on and off-camera) reporting on all the latest Wizarding World news for The Leaky Cauldron. Nestled in the heart of Harlem on 139th St & Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, the only Black-owned LGBTQ+ establishment in New York, has won the heart of the Harlem community and become a shelter for queer and BIPOC patrons. Owned and operated by Alexi Minko, a queer, Black immigrant from Gabon, Alibi has withstood the adversities of hate crimes and COVID-19’s economic impact and stands today as a tried and true testament to the love Minko has for those who find a home at his bar. We sat down with Minko for a conversation building up to #PrideWorldwide. RECOMMENDED: Pride Worldwide 2020: A global celebration of LGBTQ+ culture How did Alibi Lounge come to be in Harlem? I moved to Harlem in 2015. When I started exploring the neighborhood, I realized that there were [no gay bars.] It was my dream to have what Hell's Kitchen has or what Chelsea has. A gay neighborhood… I just decided, that’s it. I'm going to open a bar. People were so enthusiastic about the idea. From the moment the word started to spread, it was just an outpour of support and anticipation.    Photograph: Courtesy Tahseen Rabbi/@tahseenmachine               What does it mean to you that you are the only Black-owned LGBTQ+ bar in NYC? I