Earlier this month, the organizations shared that they had secured a dedicated space to host their parties and will be announcing more details about the new LGBTQ+ bar at their Sapphic Nights party on Saturday, January 28th at The House of Blues.
The space, Dani’s Queer Bar, will be open to all but dedicated to and for Boston’s queer women and non-binary LGBTQ+ community. For more information about this new queer venue you can attend their next party later this month and / or you can follow the Instagram account, Dani’s Queer Bar 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️.
About Sapphic Nights Sapphic Nights is a bimonthly dance party that has been hosted at The Good Life, since at least the fall of 2021 when I first learned about it. The announcement of a new, dedicated space for LGBTQ Nightlife Events and their Saphhic Nights parties couldn’t be better timed since the host space for these parties, The Good Life, closed its doors in December 2022.
Before we dive into the findings from, John Burn-Murdoch’s recent story, Millennials are shattering the oldest rule in politics in The Financial Times, let’s take a moment to define how we identify someone who is a Millennial and who they are.
MILLENNIAL: Also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, Millennials are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Psychologist Jean Twenge defines Millennials as those born 1980–1994, but Millennials are also often referred to people born between 1980–2000.
In 2020, Pew Research published a report that said that in the previous year Millennials had surpassed Baby Boomers in the United States to become the largest generation. The numbers shared below are based on data from 2019.
+ Millennials (ages 23 to 38 in 2019) 72.1 million + Boomers (ages 55 to 73) 71.6 million + Generation X (ages 39 to 54) 65.2 million *Note the age range for Millennials by Pew in this survey was 1981 – 1996
Using census data that defined Millennials as those born between 1980-2000, CNN Money reported in 2020 that 72% of Boomers in the US are white as compared to 56% of Millennials. The fastest growing and youngest demographic in the US is Latinos (44% of the 60+ million Latinos in the US identify as Millennials). I share that information because race can be a dividing and driving influence in American politics. However, Latinos are not as easily categorized – race and place of origin plays a significant role in their voting patterns. For example, Cubans typically vote Republican whereas Mexicans and Puerto Ricans vote for Democrats by a margin greater than 2:1.
With that context in mind, I found the Financial Times article, that looked at voting patterns of Millennials in the US and UK, very interesting. Race aside, some of the reasons cited for Millennials less conservative voting patterns was the economic and social uncertainty that has defined their generation including: + 2008/09 financial crisis + 2016 Brexit vote (in UK) + 2020/21 global pandemic + 2022 high inflation continuing to put home ownership out of reach
In the US, the Republican Party’s embrace of conspiracy theories and extreme social positions which accelerated during the Obama years (2008-16) and hopefully peaked during the Trump Administration (2016-2020) had to have been a driving force in Millennials distaste for the Republican Party. By contrast, Democrats seem far more balanced and centrist in their polices and language. The progressive wing in the Democratic Party have been tempered by moderates who did very well in the 2022 elections (including but not limited to Sen. Kelly from AZ, Sen. Cortez-Masto from NV, and Sen. Hassan from NH).
It’s probably an oversimplification to point to one or two variables, and past voting habits don’t guarantee future voting behavior but as a person who believes in a more progressive agenda, I find it heartening. With each election, Millennials and their younger cohort, Gen Z will be able to flex their political muscle and have greater influence. Next year will be an election year in the US (and likely in the UK). We will be able to see how voting trends with Millennials compare. Will they and their younger cohort (Gen Z) continue to vote in large numbers? Will they continue to reject the extreme rhetoric from the Republican Party? Time will tell, and I’ll be watching.
ManRay will bring back their weekly Campus gay night each Thursday
ManRay, was a fun, popular bar in Central Square that opened in 1983 and closed in 2005 to make space for a new condominium development. Each Thursday ManRay became “Campus” and catered to the LGBTQ+ community. It was on a Thursday night in January 1999 that I met my partner at Campus.
I was sad to see this bar close and in the years that followed I repeatedly (hopefully) wrote about rumors that it would reopen. I first wrote about it in 2013 and again last summer. Each time the rumors while credible resulted in nothing but resounding silence as the rumored date of opening would come and go. Imagine my surprise when last night, seemingly out of the blue, The Boston Globe publishes, ManRay, legendary Cambridge nightclub that closed in 2005 will reopen Saturday.
According to Vanyaland, which initially broke the story about ManRay’s reopening, the venue will follow a similar weekly schedule that the original nightclub hosted from Wednesday to Saturday, with a nightly curfew of 2 a.m. and an age entry policy of 19+ at the door. Wednesday will resurrect the goth party Crypt; Thursday revisits the Campus gay night; Friday returns its fetish-themed industrial night; and Saturday celebrates Heroes, DJ Chris Ewen’s new wave and electro party that was previously held at nearby Sonia.
The new space will also have a stage to accommodate bands and artists (perhaps a new drag show or two could be in its future or a new home for Ryan Landry and his misfit performers – who can say), but Ewen said in Vanyaland that ManRay’s main purpose will be to provide people with a nightclub they can come to and enjoy.
Each Friday morning I post a riddle to get you to think outside the box and exercise your brain. If you are stumped, share it with a friend or colleague and see if you can figure out the answer together. Leave your answer in the comment section.
This week’s riddle is a tough one but give it a try. The riddle was first shared on NPR’s Sunday Puzzle by David Edelheit of Oyster Bay, N.Y. I’ll approve responses later in the day to give people a chance to respond without seeing any spoilers.
This week’s brain teaser:
Think of a pair of two-syllable words that are pronounced the same, except one is accented on the first syllable while the other is accented on the second. The word that’s accented on the first syllable is associated with confrontation, while the word that’s accented on the second syllable is associated with cooperation. What words are these?
Cathedral Station THURSDAY: Bruins vs Kraken @7PM || Celtics vs Nets @7:30PM FRIDAY: Bar and kitchen open SATURDAY: Celtics vs Hornets @7PM || Bruins vs. Islanders @7:30PM NFL Wild Card Seahawks vs 49ers @4:30PM || Chargers vs Jaguars @8PM SUNDAY: NFL Wild Card Dolphins vs Bills @1PM || Giants vs Vikings @4:30PM NFL Wild Card Ravens vs Bengals @8PM MONDAY: Bruins vs Flyers @1PM || Celtics vs Hornets @1PM NFL Wild Card Cowboys vs Buccaneers @8PM
I haven’t a clue when these two guys may have cuddled up next to each other to pose for this photograph. I’m wondering if anyone can date this based on their attire?
A few days before the country will pause to remember and celebrate the legacy of Nobel Laureate, Martin Luther King Jr., Boston will unveil a new 20′ memorial sculpture of both Martin Luther King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, who first met here in Boston in the 1950s when they were both studying. For those unfamiliar with their love story and courting, check out the video, Legacy of Love on YouTube.
This beautiful new sculpture on the Boston Common (near the start of the Freedom Trail and visitor center), is meant to capture the power of love and the love that these two shared for each other. It is a beautiful sentiment and tribute to both of these civil rights leaders. I particularly like that this is a tribute to the couple, recognizing them as equals who practiced their beliefs of non-violence to help change America (and the world for the better).
The sculpture is currently open to the public, but a ceremony to commemorate this new sculpture will take place on Friday morning. The massive piece was designed by sculptor, Hank William Thomas and was inspired by the photo of the couple embracing in 1964, during a news conference, following the announcement that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Photo Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images
For more information about the sculpture, The Embrace, and the work the organization, Embrace Boston is doing to help continue the teachings and work of these two civil rights legends, visit, embraceboston.org.
Hopefully the caption I’ve shared below inspires you to offer up one or two of your own. Leave a funny caption in the comment section, and I’ll approve it for readers to enjoy.
Boston Pride Hockey’s “Pick-Up Pass” is back this winter for all of you who like to skate. The pass allows you to skate through April 6th at the Simoni Skating Rink in Cambridge each Thursday night.
This is a great way to get out, meet people and be more active during the winter months. For more information about Boston Pride Hockey and their annual winter skating at Simoni Skating Rink in Cambridge visit, bostonpridehockey.org/pick-up.
BosGuy 