Why the Phluid Project founder left the corporate world to promote gender inclusivity  By Sarah Bricker Hunt  Thanks to the era of “new media,” where no stone is left unturned when it comes to invading the privacy of every public figure from social media influencers to the Hollywood elite (and not-so-elite), you’d be hard-pressed to

A meteoric rise to Island Goddess By Johnny Trlica Just over ten years ago he entered a talent night contest. So, You Think You Can Drag hosted by Kofi was a regular feature at Meteor. The Montrose club is just a memory now, but Serena Spellman is still showing the world who can drag, and

By Johnny Trlica The television variety show may have fizzled out decades ago, but the concept of putting varying acts on the same stage on the same night has lived on via the drag show. In the early days of television shows like Ed Sullivan’s Sunday night variety hour and the Hollywood Palace presented a

By Johnny Trlica Lana Turner was discovered when she was a junior at Hollywood High School, skipped a typing class and bought a Coca-Cola at the Top Hat Malt Shop. Charlize Theron got her big break when completely broke, she was trying to cash an out-of-state check at a bank. An agent in line, hearing

By Johnny Trlica  The Houston/Galveston area is home to countless entertainers and drag queens. They perform at brunches, bingo, happy hours, church events and most every bar — gay and, in some cases, straight. Many frequently offer their talents in volunteer efforts in benefits and worthy causes.  Beginning with this issue, MONTROSE STAR will shine

By Sarah Bricker Hunt  I grew up in a small town in rural Southern Ohio, and like so many LGBTQ+ people, I often feel I escaped from something I can’t quite define but can instantly recognize when I meet people with similar backgrounds. Because while I am from a small town, I’m not sure I

| The ‘And Just Like That…’ writer on Hollywood, boredom, and why she loves Michigan  By Sarah Bricker Hunt  As I tore through a used library copy of Samantha Irby’s 2017 bestselling collection of essays, “We Are Never Meeting in Real Life,†in one sitting, I felt a kinship with the readers who came before

| Support your local bookstore with must-read fiction, memoir, kids’ books, and more  By D’Anne Witkowski  In an era when books by or about LGBTQ+ people are being taken off library shelves and banned in grade schools, there’s never been a more important time to support queer literature. Remember: Representation not only matters, but it

By Andrew Collins  The dignified city that General James Oglethorpe put on the map in 1733 has weathered the vagaries of time in fine fashion. Savannah has survived devastating fires and been spared destruction by General Sherman during the Civil War. It’s bounced back from the neglect of its historic district during the mid-20th century,

| Why writer Sean Donovan wanted more for Brendan Fraser’s gay character  By Sean Donovan  When Brendan Fraser’s character Charlie first appears in director Darren Aronofsky’s new film “The Whale,†he is masturbating to gay porn. Shown first as an anonymous shape sitting on a couch, Charlie is circled by the camera tentatively, as if