Ben Harvey hosts the “Six Pack” podcast with comedian Dave Rubin and is co-presenter of GUMBO, a monthly gay party at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Read his blog 
The Gays. We’re everywhere. Everyone is talking about us. That means we’re important! So important, in fact, that GLAAD threw its annual Manhattan party in our honor. They corralled celebrities to show up. Most of them were straight. (Well, Scott Evans was there.) They love us, they really do. Because we’re fabulous, they believe. We are so fun and so outrageous and so good at decorating!
Last night, Queerty sent Ben Harvey to hang out with some of our favorite adoring public figures on the rooftop of 230 Fifth, and we talked about, well…us.
What’d we learn?
(Photo: Homo-Neurotic)
The Gays. We’re everywhere. Everyone is talking about us. That means we’re important! So important, in fact, that GLAAD threw its annual Manhattan party in our honor. They corralled celebrities to show up. Most of them were straight. (Well, Scott Evans was there.) They love us, they really do. Because we’re fabulous, they believe. We are so fun and so outrageous and so good at decorating!
Last night, Queerty sent Ben Harvey to hang out with some of our favorite adoring public figures on the rooftop of 230 Fifth, and we talked about, well…us.
What’d we learn?
(Photo: Homo-Neurotic)
LESSON LEARNED
We are mama’s boys.
THE SCRIPTURE
“My mother in real life is actually playing my mother on the show. She’s on the show as this very conservative woman, but in real life my mom is this crazy woman, awesome [and] liberal.”
THE PROPHET
Scott Evans, who plays Oliver Fish, one-third of the gay love triangle from One Life to Live, the latest soap opera to hop on the gay storyline bandwagon. And he just happens to be Chris Evans’ openly gay younger bro. Who’s hot. Who talked to us. Swoon.
(Photo: 
LESSON LEARNED
We’re jealous, cowardly, and bitchy.
THE SCRIPTURE
“It’s really easy to sit behind a computer and be anonymous and write bitchy stuff about someone. I think part of it stems from jealousy…There’s just a small percentage of a very vocal population that likes to sit and just bitch.”
THE PROPHET
Jack Mackenroth, former Project Runway contestant and 2009 Outgames stud, discussing anonymous commenters on gay blogs. (Scroll down for user-generated examples.)
(Photo: 
LESSON LEARNED
The gays are at the disposal of fabulous women.
THE SCRIPTURE
“Any truly fabulous woman has at least two or three of them. I just happen to be number one in Jill’s life.”
THE PROPHET
Brad Boles, Jill Zarin’s “gay husband” on The Real Housewives of New York City (and her lackey at Zarin Fabrics). He’s the Will to her Grace. Er, she’s the Grace to his Will. Or whatever the saying is.
(Photo: 
LESSON LEARNED
LESSON LEARNED
We make pretty girls feel good about themselves… most of the time.
THE SCRIPTURE
“I love me some gay men, I’ll tell you. First of all, they never shy away from telling you how pretty you look… And believe me they’ll also tell ya if you’re not looking so good.”
THE PROPHET
Rescue Me‘s Milena Govich, after which we told her she was really pretty. Because she really is.
(Photo: 
LESSON LEARNED
We were put on this earth to decorate.
THE SCRIPTURE
“In a Jewish family, you have to have a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant… and, like, you need a gay decorator. You do, you need, like, the gay fabulousness of the family to round it out.”
THE PROPHET
The Real Housewives of New York City‘s Jill Zarin, who tells us she wishes she had a gay son. But Jill, what about those gays who were born without decorator DNA? “Oh, you should date one! You’ve got options!”
(Photo: 
LESSON LEARNED
We don’t always need to be the belle of the ball.
THE SCRIPTURE
“Andy Warhol used to always say that the best party was where you were the least attractive, least famous, least successful person there. So you hope that you’ll be the schmuck and everyone else will be the big stars.”
THE PROPHET
Frank DeCaro, of The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius/XM
(Photo: 
LESSON LEARNED
We scare off the lesbians.
THE SCRIPTURE
“Whenever I go to a gay event, it’s all men…what is that? …Where are the fucking women? I find that the best events seem to have the men, so I don’t think that’s very fair. I want to get dressed up for some women sometime, you know?”
THE PROPHET
MTV News correspondent and former America’s Next Top Model lez Kim Stolz. She had a valid point, so we just shrugged.
(Photo: 
LESSON LEARNED
Some of us are do-gooders.
THE SCRIPTURE
“I enjoy doing the charity work, especially here promoting GLAAD’s efforts in the community. They’re making a real difference by changing people’s hearts and minds and making sure that we’re being represented in the way we deserve to be represented.”
THE PROPHET
Model, singer, and activist Ronnie Kroell, runner up from the first season of Bravo’s Make Me a Supermodel and one half of the gay/straight bromance “Bronnie”
(Photo: 
myrios123
I heart Ronnie #10.
Matt
What did we learn?
Jack Shit.
prissysissy
@Matt: Agreed.
Maybe the only thing we learned is that it is not possible to have a gay event without the element of sleaze/porn thrown in, a la the topless beefcakes with vacuous faces (pic #1) who are there simply to entice the sex-hungry crowd. You’d hope that people would show up for more worthy reasons like fighting for the cause.
Matt
@redington: Thanks for the pictures. You just proved my comment. Nothing but a bunch of drunk prissy queens trying to be seen.
Brad
@Matt: And you just proved Mackenroth’s comment, that anonymous gay blog commenters are nothing but self-important, jealous, bitchy queens.
Jason in WV
Countesses aren’t royalty – they’re nobility. Duh!
manny
way to prove your “white privelege” entry Queerty
i didnt see a single person of color in your recap of GLAAD’s event…
WHAT a surprise..
terrwill
MYROIS: If you heart Ronnie in pic #10 you will most likely heart on Ronnie in #1 because thats him in also. And once again the BOQB is out in full force hating on anyone even remotely good looking………..Ronnie is actually trying to do some good…..he is one of the very few totally out and proud working models and seems to be a nice guy…………
Joel
lesson: we’re all apparently caucasian??
Matt
@manny: There was a link here by a commenter that showed everyone at the party. There were other races there. It’s been deleted though. I don’t understand why minorities get their pants in a wad if there isn’t a minority. You don’t see white people beating down the door to the BET awards ceremony except for Robin Thicke.
MoHoTo
GLAAD events are generally fun in my experience. But nothing beats the NCLR events. Mix in hundred’s of iconic lesbians, liquor ’em up, throw in some blow and badda-Bing! You got yourself a party! Take it from experience.
Tim in SF
What a fun blog post. Thanks, Queerty.
Matt
@Brad: If you’d post your email address, I’d be happy to correspond with you or Mr. Mackenroth about my opinions on the gay community. I’d hate to be perceived as an “anonymous gay blog commenters [who] are nothing but self-important, jealous, bitchy queens.”
I’m sure you won’t post your email so here is exactly what I think. I think that we are our own worst enemy. If you don’t wear the latest trendiest clothes, drive the best cars, live in the finest houses, or at least pretend to be that you are shunned by the gay community. We treat each other like dirt and we really don’t deserve squat. I’ve been to these parties and let me tell you all the fund raisers/parties I’ve been to no one cared about the cause involved. They just wanted to be seen, hook up, or get drunk/high.
Thank God I wised up and stopped wasting my life thinking we were making these huge changes.
Joel
“I don’t understand why minorities get their pants in a wad if there isn’t a minority.”
Guess again. I’m as white as you can get, and I immediately noticed the complete and utter lack of diversity in the photos (and even, yes, the overwhelming lack of diversity in the larger gallery via the link).
Look around. We’re a pretty insular “movement.” And we won’t really get moving anywhere until we change that.
redington
@Matt: Here’s the link to all of the pictures from that evening: http://www.homo-neurotic.com/2009/08/26/real-housewives-swimwear-models-grace-glaad-manhattans-cabana/
Yuki
Quite honestly, the majority of this list wasn’t even truths; it was stereotypes. Yeah, there ARE people who conform to those stereotypes, but seriously, we’re here to make women feel pretty and they have to have one of us?
Anthony
GLAAD is dumb and a waste of energy.
Brian
Please remind me why we have GLAAD? It seems they are on the same path as HRC – from useless to bankrupt.
Kyler
@Matt:
I agree with Matt. I have attended these events and rather than the cause at hand most of the gays are more interested in their gift bags. I doubt Queerty would have even bothered to cover the event if the half dressed z-listers hadn’t shown up.
mikeandrewsdantescove
Scott Evans is sizzling on One Life to Live and going through that Bi phase.
Mike
http://www.gay2share.com/view_video.php?viewkey=c71009c0809142766eb2
Sam
@Joel: what is this, affirmative action?
The purpose of this blog entry wasn’t to give some world changing news, to shape people’s opinions or to show everyone how great gays are.
It was an amusing way to discuss a recent event.
It gave ‘amusing’ quotes from ‘celebrities’.
Perhaps the best quotes were from white people. Perhaps the editor merely wanted the more ‘famous’ people included, so the people reading it know who the hell we’re reading about.
Was my SSAyouth group discriminatory because we didn’t have any black people in it? no…there just weren’t any black people in it…
As for the stereotypes given by these particular quotes…meh…i got a laugh, and for a lot of people it IS true…
Brad
@Sam: Amen, Sam… this was clearly tongue in cheek. the headline refers to us as “the gays,” so i don’t think any serious lessons were meant to be learned by this article.
Ricky
@manny:
No kidding.
They must have had a seperate entrance.
🙂
Ryan
Lesson Learned: The gays watch a lot of shitty television.
jason
I don’t see what baring one’s torso has to do with gay rights. It’s vanity, not gay rights. It trivializes our movement, and reduces it to the level of straight men ogling big-boobed women at the Playboy Mansion.
When are we finally going to grow up and leave the body fetishes behind us?
MoHoTo
The purpose of these events is to thank contributors and generate buzz for the org. If you aren’t up on all the good works GLAAD does, its because you are too fucking self-absorbed or lazy to learn about their work, much less contribute to it in any meaningful way. Instead you sit on your ass and make snide comments about subjects you know nothing about. Drips.
jason
Good work that GLAAD does??? As Sophia Petrillo would say, huh?
The simple reality is that GLAAD often avoids criticizing liberal media organizations when they transgress, electing instead to criticize conservative media organizations. It’s politics before principle in my view.
Alexandre
Anyone else thinking that Ben Harvey looks like he gives great head?
SuperCat
Stop self hating everyone. So some lgbt are not perfect people. If we were all perfect role models we would be boring as hell. There is no need to be so serious all the time.
GLAAD is doing what they can. No organization is perfect either, just a group of imperfect people trying their best. We are better off with them around then without.
Ronnie Kroell
First, to all the haters and critics you really do need to do your research before you start having diarrhea of the mouth. Organizations like GLAAD, HRC, ACLU, NAACP, you name it…they are all going to have their faults, but at the end of the day they are doing the best that they can and moving towards positive change.
Those that have negative things to say, I dare you to volunteer an hour of your time to one of the services and programs that GLAAD offers vs. judging the organization based on a celebratory party to raise money, thank donors, and create a buzz. Honestly, do you think some of the crazy things that come out on the runway during NYC Fashion week are actually going to be for sale? Of course not, the outrageous pieces are for show and to draw peoples attention. The designers know what they are doing — it is business. The same goes for the not-for-profit world, especially during this recession … everyone is struggling to stay afloat for the benefit of the end users of the services provided.
Secondly, this piece was meant to be a little tongue and cheek and not to be taken so seriously. This is an entertainment blog that covers what is going on in the community — it’s meant to be fun, raise awareness, and encourage others to get involved. Everyone does what they can within their means to make a difference, but this event was a time for those that have worked so hard to let their hair down and have fun too.
Lastly, people would have come if their were boys in bathing suits or not — but if you would have come to the event you would have realized the bathing suits were being auctioned off as a fun way to raise money for GLAAD programs and services. It was not simply some gratuitous display of man-flesh. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, it’s just some people have more well rounded ones that are rooted in facts vs. those that assume and judge from the outside looking in with ignorance.
So, with that being said, I say a major kudos to GLAAD for their continued service to the community. I’m proud to support their efforts to protect the image of the LGBTQ & A community and will continue to support and promote the organization. Stronger, smarter, and faster tomorrow that we are today — united in one voice for the common good of all human beings.
light and love,
Ronnie Kroell
JM
For the majority of you who may not live by reality TV and do not know who Kroell is, from his own bio on his website:
“Ronnie Kroell, most recently of Bravo’s ‘Make Me a Supermodel’ season one, is one of the most motivated, creative, and talented artists of his generation.”
And I’m sure he isn’t exaggerating about GLAAD’s and HRC’s accomplishments either.
Kiddo: You’re hot, you got big dreams, and you’re starting to live some of them. Congrats and I wish even more fun and success to you. But get real. And don’t accuse people who criticize an org for being apathetic. False choice there. Everyone who criticized the orgs for their massive failure in Calif. on Prop 8 were all lazy do nothings? Nope, they were pissed off. They wanted their orgs to get real. Not reality TV real, not breathless self promotion real, not runway real, but real real.
M Shane
To be prudish about bare tops, or the display of male beauty deeply misses the point about what it is to be gay. Like it or not we are primarily defined by our sexuality.
As a by-product many other labrinthine concerns define who we are politically, and in relation to one another hopefully a large degree of humanity. and tolerance for each other.
Republican
M Shane,
Another thing we agree on. Gotta ask though.. are you one of those public sex guys?
Sam
@Ronnie Kroell: “I enjoy doing the charity work, especially here promoting GLAAD’s efforts in the community.”
I hope, from your comments, that you actually volunteer with GLAAD yourself. ‘Cause honey, going to a party is NOT “charity work.”
manny
@Matt: It really doesn’t matter to me if ANY person of color was even invited to GLAAD’s event, I was only pointing out the apparent irony of Queerty’s insightful article (a sort of “DUH” piece) about the LGBT’s exclusive white middle-class male image and then this wonderful piece.
I saw the other photos from the event, but judging from this entry, you would never guess anyone without a pasty (or faux-range) tint was invited. Point in case: the very FIRST photo of two shirtless white men. hmmm
and p.s. just because BET may be the only other organization run by people of color that you may know of, doesn’t mean its the ONLY ONE.
Ronnie Kroell
@ JM
First of all don’t call me Kiddo — I’m a 26 year old man, you don’t know me or my life from Adam. I’m an adult, not a child. Secondly, I live in a free country in which I can accuse anyone of anything I want — LOL — and that means yes, I can be critical of the critics. And as the “great” Sarah Palin would say, thanks but no thanks to your shallow words of support and encouragement in following my dreams.
I wouldn’t work with an organization I didn’t do my research on and/or believe in and I certainly won’t back down from a debate with anyone who wishes to smear it. And thanks for taking the time to drop by my website, so nice of you I REALLY appreciate it!! <—–exaggerating again…silly me!!
@ Sam
Of course I do other things with GLAAD except “going to parties” — which is not what I did at all. If you think it is a walk in the park taking time out of your day to walk around a party in swimwear and get people to bid on you in an auction, think again. I am proud to do it for organizations that I care about, but it is not just me partying or going to a party — trust me. And really, don’t call me “honey, if you want to take you seriously.
Henry Holland
Gawd, here we are in 2009 and being a fashion designer and a dreary straight woman’s accessory isn’t cause for scornful mockery? I stopped doing activist work in the early 90’s because of shit like this, kowtowing to the lamest fucking industry on the planet, bar none, the fashion/design industry, and trotting out the clones and calling it gay activism.
jwalker666
You tell ’em Ronnie. Good for you, I first saw you on Bravo’s show and thought you were pretty fricken’ amazing 😉
Republican
Ronnie,
I must admit that my first impression of you was that you were an airhead. After seeing your replies here, I see that I was mistaken. Keep up the good work.
OhYeah
Could there possibly be anything more vapid than being a Manhattan gay?
Ronnie Kroell
Thanks Republican, are you sure t just wasn’t the Sarah Palin reference that did it for ya ;o) Haha, have a good one!
jwalker666
I would hope the Sarah Palin reference did not do it for him…she is a nutjob
M Shane
@No. 33 · Republican ; Not one of those public sex guys; that’s just exhibitionism; there’s plenty of private space!
Brad
The countess is American Indian, by the way… so take that.
And Ronnie don’t stoop to the level of these guys. You’re an amazing guy and shouldn’t have to defend yourself to anyone. the “manhattan gays” (i am one) love you and what you do, and as you know they’re the most difficult ones to please.
Kyler
@Ronnie Kroell:
hmmmm. pot meet kettle. why is it called “diarrhea of the mouth” when someone states their feelings, but when you ramble on it isn’t?
Ronnie Kroell
@ Kyler, there is a difference between “feelings” and facts …it is diarrhea of the mouth when people ramble on without facts or some sort of direct proof that the accusations they are making are true.
Marc
@Ronnie Kroell:
Ronnie, shouldn’t you be out doing your volunteer work instead of trolling blogs? oh, that’s right. volunteer work is on hold whenever you see pictures of yourself online.
Steve
To Ronnie and all the other supporter of GLAAD, HRC, etc., who throw a hundred (or more) dollars down to attend a cocktail party and then feel good about giving back to the community, why not do some real volunteer work with some LGBT organizations who are actually improving people’s lives, like Sylvia’s Place or the Ali Forney Center or Trinity Place. Never heard of them? Didn’t think so.
Matt
I don’t see why we are all getting our panties in a wad. I mean Mollygood, Jossip, and Stereohyped have shut down, this blog isn’t far behind so it’s not really worth getting upset about.
scott ny'er
@Matt: Sheesh. I didn’t know that about Jossip. I guess Queerty still brings in some nice ad bucks.
Must be the twenty click thrus to see the near naked models from Model Mayhem.
jwalker666
damn there are alot of bitchy queens on here
JustIMHO
There are clearly people here who know EXACTLY what other people know and do at every moment of another person’s life…
I commend Ronnie for having big DREAMS. That’s how ideas get started. If “getting real” means not believing in anything anymore, then I’d rather not “get real.” No organization is perfect and we ALL have issues with one organization or another. If you’re not satisfied with the way things are, then the only thing to do is actually do something about it instead of putting people down for being active in them.
Don’t worry critics: there’s always room for you – we need you to keep things honest. However, I suggest when criticizing, you actually offer some constructive suggestions on how things can be improved. My suggestion: let’s not judge books by their covers.
jeff
@JustIMHO:
that’s basically what most gays do….judge books by their covers. when was the last time that most guys on here even bothered to look a little deeper and not simply judge a guy by what he looks like?
Peter
“We’re jealous, cowardly, and bitchy.
THE SCRIPTURE
“It’s really easy to sit behind a computer and be anonymous and write bitchy stuff about someone….”
Did we not read this part?! GLAAD actually I believe does some good as well as AfterElton/Ellen. It’s good to spotlight positive portrayals of LGBT people as helpful for teens finally coming out. I know this and I’m thankful for this. Thanks Ronnie, you showed me why I really crushed on you beyond your looks. Thanks, Peter
Freddie
“”Ronnie Kroell, most recently of Bravo’s ‘Make Me a Supermodel’ season one, is one of the most motivated, creative, and talented artists of his generation.”
wow. I didn’t know showing your cock was a work of art.
Freddie
Did they give an award to the fat ugly Lisa Lamppost for using “fag” all the time? I mean, like every goddamned day?
Frackin idiots at GLAAD.
Jesse Helms
2 queers