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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260515T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260515T203000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260507T035048Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T161318Z
UID:16396-1778871600-1778877000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Office Hours Spring 2026 Showcase Reading
DESCRIPTION:Join us Friday\, May 15 at 7:00 PM EDT for the Office Hours Spring 2026 Showcase Reading\, a hybrid event taking place online and in-person at thhe Bureau of General Services—Queer Division (208 W. 13TH ST\, NYC\, ROOM 210). \nRSVP TO THIS EVENT \nOur current fellows will give a sizzling reading in celebration of another strong season of poetry making\, community building\, and surviving in difficult creative times. \nThis event will be livestreamed at youtube.com/@bgsqd
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/office-hours-spring-2026-showcase-reading/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T180000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260422T153952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260422T164229Z
UID:16341-1778947200-1778954400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:BOOK LAUNCH – Queer and Muslim: On Faith\, Family\, and Healing
DESCRIPTION:RSVP TO THIS EVENT \nCelebrating the launch of Queer and Muslim\, a powerful collection of works by and for LGBTQ+ Muslims. \nPlease join us for a special New York City launch of Queer and Muslim\, featuring co-editor Rahim Thawer in conversation with moderator Anthony Abd-al Shafi Rosado. \nRahim will be joined by contributor Robbie Ahmed for an evening of readings\, reflection\, and dialogue. Together\, they will celebrate the essays\, poems\, letters to past and future selves\, and more that make up Queer and Muslim. The collection explores the emotional and spiritual dimensions of queer Muslim life and challenges the perception that faith and queerness are inherently incompatible. \n**************** \nModerator \nAnthony Abd-al Shafi Rosado is an Amefricano Boricua Muslim cultural curator and art historian native to Bushwick\, Brooklyn. He curates interactive exhibitions and literary anthologies\, calling people to invest in preserving local stories and conserving cultural traditions. Rosado has earned a B.A. in Theater & Dance and an M.A. in American Studies from Trinity College. More here: https://linktr.ee/abdalshafirosado \nCo-Editor & Contributor\nRahim Thawer is a queer social worker\, psychotherapist\, speaker\, and writer. His work centers LGBTQ+ experiences and clinical education for therapists and service providers. He teaches full time at The University of Alabama where he is also enrolled in a doctoral program. He is a co-editor and contributor for Queer and Muslim: On Faith\, Family\, & Healing (University of Regina Press\, 2026). More here: https://allmylinks.com/thepoliticizedpractitioner \n Contributor\nRobbie Ahmed is a New York/Toronto-based songwriter/producer\, media writer\, educator\, and researcher whose work explores cultural studies\, music tech\, mental health\, spirituality\, and trans representation in media. Drawing on life across Russia\, Saudi Arabia\, and Bangladesh\, he brings a rich diasporic perspective to art\, advocacy\, and community conversation. He is currently a Master’s candidate in Music Technology at NYU finishing his research in Global pop and technology. More: https://www.robbieahmed.com \n****************\nBooks will be available for purchase and signing. \nThis event is free and open to the public.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/book-launch-queer-and-muslim-on-faith-family-and-healing/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Queer-Muslim-May-16-1.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260517T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260517T170000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260422T164129Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260422T164129Z
UID:16351-1779030000-1779037200@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Soulmate As A Verb: Poems by Kelsey L. Smoot
DESCRIPTION:RSVP TO THIS EVENT \nPoet Kelsey L. Smoot\, author of the debut DOPAMINE collection SOULMATE AS A VERB performs his powerful lyrical work and talks with visual artist/performer/print maker and curator Lo Smith about the evolution and lived experience of artistry for Black queer artists across mediums.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/soulmate-as-a-verb-poems-by-kelsey-l-smoot/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Soulmate-as-a-Verb-May-17.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T210000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260422T175313Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260422T175313Z
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SUMMARY:Entangled States: A Life According to Quantum Physics
DESCRIPTION:RSVP TO THIS EVENT \nJoin us for a discussion with debut author Karmela Padavic-Callaghan and Sevan Rasmussen about Entangled States: A Life According to Quantum Physics. \nPadavic-Callaghan is a science writer currently on staff writer at New Scientist where they report on physics\, materials science\, and quantum technology.  Each chapter examines a moment in Karmela’s life through the lens of a physics concept. Knot theory becomes a lens for the story of Karmela visiting a Croatian healer. Ultracold atom labs lead to a meditation on societal expectations that women be unfailingly warm and nurturing. And the workings of an electron microscope become a framework for Karmela’s evolving relationship with cosmetics as they realized they are nonbinary. \nPadavic-Callaghan writes conversationally about seeing themselves in Freddie Mercury’s queer masculinity and power\, what it means to be a queer teacher to young people\, and overall how  “Queerness\, as I have come to understand it\, is always future-oriented\, always a state of becoming.”
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/entangled-states-a-life-according-to-quantum-physics/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Entangled-States.webp
ORGANIZER;CN="Bureau of General Services%E2%80%94Queer Division":MAILTO:contact@bgsqd.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260529T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260529T203000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260513T165346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260513T165646Z
UID:16423-1780079400-1780086600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:BOOK LAUNCH – Pretend You're Dead And I Carry You
DESCRIPTION:Join us at The Bureau for a night of reading\, conversation\, and Q&A to celebrate the launch of Julián Delgado Lopera’s new novel PRETEND YOU’RE DEAD AND I CARRY YOU. Julian will be joined in conversation by Angie Cruz\, author of HOW NOT TO DROWN IN A GLASS OF WATER. \nRSVP TO THIS EVENT \nIsolated in a dreary Bogotá apartment\, Ignacio’s light has dimmed\, leaving his teenage daughter Valentina to raise herself in the wake of her mother’s death. Valentina longs to discover the details of her mother’s drowning and for Ignacio to snap out of his depression—his listless afternoons spent smoking cigarettes in long blonde wigs\, telenovelas humming in the background\, haunted by memories of the young man he loved and betrayed. \nFrom Ignacio’s dark past emerges the luminous Mamadora Eléctrica\, the wise travesti who introduced Ignacio to the city’s queer scene years prior. Stepping into a maternal role for Valentina\, Mamadora fears the worst: that Ignacio’s self-loathing may have unleashed a curse on them all. A profound and irreverent story about coming undone\, PRETEND YOU’RE DEAD AND I CARRY YOU affirms Julián Delgado Lopera as a brilliant and singular voice in global literature. \n*** \nJulián Delgado Lopera is the author of The New York Times acclaimed novel Fiebre Tropical (Feminist Press 2020)\, the winner of the 2021 Ferro Grumley Award and a 2021 Lambda Literary award; a finalist of the 2020 Kirkus Prize in Fiction and the 2021 Aspen Literary Prize. Julián is also the author of ¡Cuéntamelo! (Aunt Lute 2017) an illustrated bilingual collection of oral histories by LGBT Latinx immigrants which won a 2018 Lambda Literary Award and a 2018 Independent Publisher Book Award. \nJulián is the former executive director of RADAR Productions and one of the founders of Drag Queen Story Hour. Julián has been curating Latinx history projects for over 10 years in partnerships with places such as the GLBT Historical Society\, SF Public Library\, El/la Para Translatinas\, Galería de la Raza and Brava Theatre. Born and raised in Bogotá\, Colombia\, Julián currently resides in Brooklyn where he is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Contemporary Latine Literature at CUNY. \nAngie Cruz is a novelist and editor. Her most recent novel How Not To Drown in A Glass of Water (2022) was a finalist for the 2024 Neustadt International Prize for Literature\, shortlisted for The Aspen Words Literary Prize\, winner of the Gold Medal\, Latino Book Award/The Isabel Allende Most Inspirational Book Award\, longlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize and chosen for The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2022 and The Washington Post 50 Notable Works of Fiction. Her novel\, Dominicana was the inaugural book pick for GMA book club and shortlisted for The Women’s Prize\, longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction\, a RUSA Notable book and the winner of the ALA/YALSA Alex Award in fiction. It was named most anticipated/ best book in 2019 by Time\, Newsweek\, People\, Oprah Magazine\, The Washington Post\, The New York Times\, and Esquire. Cruz is the author of two other novels\, Soledad and Let It Rain Coffee and the recipient of numerous fellowships\, residencies and awards including the 2025 USA Fellowship\, The Poets & Writers /Writers For Writers Award\, and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature. She’s the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the award winning literary journal\, Aster(ix) and teaches at Columbia University.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/book-launch-pretend-youre-dead-and-i-carry-you/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Pretend-Youre-Dead.webp
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260616T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260616T210000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260506T045200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T172423Z
UID:16390-1781636400-1781643600@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:BOOK LAUNCH – Homosexual Intifada: A Queer Palestinian Anthology
DESCRIPTION:Celebrate the launch of Homosexual Intifada: A Queer Palestinian Anthology\, a groundbreaking new collection amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ Palestinians across the diaspora and homeland. Join co-editors George Abraham and Hannah Moushabeck\, alongside contributor and journalist Afeef Nessouli\, for an evening of readings\, conversation\, and community as they explore themes of identity\, resistance\, and love. \nRSVP TO THIS EVENT \nThis special event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the queer Palestinian writers and artists that challenge dominant narratives\, confront erasure\, and affirm  the richness and resilience of queer Palestinian life. A book signing will follow the discussion. \nPublisher proceeds of this book will be donated to Palestinian LGBTQ+ human rights groups. \n\nAbout the Book:  \nA groundbreaking anthology amplifying queer Palestinian voices through art and storytelling that reclaim identity\, resist erasure\, and challenge stereotypes. \nHomosexual Intifada is a powerful and groundbreaking anthology spotlighting the voices of queer Palestinian writers from both the diaspora and homeland. This first-of-its-kind collection features a dynamic range of LGBTQ+ Palestinian perspectives through deeply personal essays\, short stories\, poetry\, comics\, photo essays\, and memoir. \nCentering queer Palestinian identity and experience\, this essential volume explores themes of displacement\, assimilation\, belonging\, and love across geographies—from Jerusalem and Ramallah to New York\, Beirut\, and beyond. These stories\, often silenced or misrepresented in Western media\, challenge false narratives\, boldly reclaim agency\, and dismantle stereotypes. \nContributors include celebrated and emerging queer Palestinian authors such as Noor Hindi\, Mejdulene Bernard Shomali\, Elias Jahshan\, Randa Jarrar\, and more. \nMore than just a literary work\, Homosexual Intifada is a radical act of visibility. It challenges the pinkwashing of queer identities in service of imperial agendas and affirms the existence\, resilience\, and diversity of LGBTQ+ Palestinians worldwide. This collection is a vital contribution to queer literature\, Arab identity\, and decolonial thought. \n\nGeorge Abraham (they/he) is a Palestinian American poet\, essayist\, critic\, performance artist. They are the author of When the Arab Apocalypse Comes to America (Haymarket\, 2026) and Birthright (Button Poetry\, 2020)\, which won the Arab American Book Award and was a Lambda Literary Award finalist. They are the executive editor of Mizna\, and co-editor of Heaven Looks Like Us: Palestinian Poetry (Haymarket\, 2025). They are a graduate of Northwestern’s Litowitz MFA+MA program\, and teach at Amherst College as a Writer-in-Residence. \nHannah Moushabeck (she/her) is a second-generation Palestinian American author and book worker who was raised in a family of publishers and booksellers and learned the power of literature at a young age. Hannah has worked in publishing for over a decade at companies such as Chronicle Books\, The Quarto Group\, and Simon & Schuster. She now runs Interlink Publishing\, the only Palestinian-owned publisher in the United States\, alongside her family. Her debut picture book Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine (Chronicle Books) won The New England Book Award and The Arab American Book Award. She lives in Amherst\, Massachusetts on the homelands of the Pocumtuc and Nipmuc Nations.  \nAfeef Nessouli is a journalist and host of “With Afeef Nessouli” and is a journalist with The Intercept. He has previously worked for Spotify and The Wall Street Journal\, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and CNN. He focuses on queer and Arab stories. Afeef spent 9 weeks in Gaza as a humanitarian aid worker in 2025\, and just came back to the United States from covering the war in Beirut\, Lebanon.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/book-launch-homosexual-intifada-a-queer-palestinian-anthology/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/QueerIntifada-scaled.webp
END:VEVENT
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260617T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260617T210000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260424T220551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260512T172854Z
UID:16364-1781722800-1781730000@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Modern Cruising with Leo Herrera & Michael Henry
DESCRIPTION:TICKETS TO THIS EVENT\nJoin us at the Bureau for a stimulating conversation with Leo Herrera\, author of the bestselling book analog cruising\, and gay stand-up comedian Michael Henry. They’ll have a frank and hilarious chat about modern cruising\, gay sex and the viral success of “The Manual.” Co-hosted by Gayletter.\n\n\n  \nTickets to this event include a bundle of all three of Leo’s books in special hardcover editions. Tickets are required to attend this event. Please see below for details.\n\n\n  \n*****\nLeo Herrera is a queer Mexican artist who explores queer and immigrant experiences through the lenses of sex\, technology\, and history. His work centers on themes of disease and stigma\, always searching for utopia in LGBTQ history’s darkest chapters. Herrera is director of Fathers\, a multimedia project which imagines the world if AIDS never existed. He is author of Analog Cruising\, a manual for modern sex outside of our phones.\n  \nMichael Henry is a gay stand up comedian\, actor and content creator who has toured all over the USA and internationally. He was featured on his OutTv show “Wish You Were Queer” featuring Trixie Mattel and Tim Murray\, was mentioned as a Queer comedian to watch by The New York Times\, is a Queerty award winner and has no gag reflex.\n\n***** \nThis event will take place in-person at the Bureau of General Services – Queer Division\, located in Room 210 on the second floor of The LGBT Community Center\, 208 W. 13th St.\, NYC\, 10011. The Center and the Bureau are both fully wheelchair accessible. \n* \nThe event will also be live-streamed to the public at YouTube.com/@BGSQD \n*\n\nTickets are required to attend this event. Tickets include hardcover editions of Analog Cruising; Post; and Sentences. Thank you for supporting Leo Herrera and the Bureau!
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/in-conversation-leo-herrera/
LOCATION:Bureau of General Services–Queer Division\, 208 West 13th Street\, Room 210\, New York\, NY\, 10011\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Herrera-1.webp
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260618T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260618T210000
DTSTAMP:20260513T144623
CREATED:20260507T042943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T042943Z
UID:16399-1781809200-1781816400@www.bgsqd.com
SUMMARY:Rasheed Newson: One Night in Hollywood
DESCRIPTION:Rasheed Newson launches his novel There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood \nin conversation with actress Cassandra Freeman\n\nDoors: 7:00pm\nEvent: 7:30pm\n\nRSVP TO THIS EVENT\n\nThe Bureau and Hive Mind Books Present: One Night in Hollywood\n\nRasheed Newson\, known for his work on The Chi and Bel-Air\, launches his novel There’s Only One Sin in Hollywood\, which follows a queer\, Black Hollywood heartthrob of the Golden Age\, Xavier Barlow\, and the fixer hired to keep him in the closet. “This novel is my way of reclaiming untold Hollywood history\, from a Black and queer perspective\,” Newson told People in an interview. He will be in conversation with actress Cassandra Freeman.\n\nThis event will be held at 208 W 13th St\, New York\, NY – Room 301 (inside the LGBT Community Center)\n—-\nRasheed Newson is the author of the national bestseller My Government Means to Kill Me\, which was selected as a Lambda Literary finalist for Gay Fiction and was named one of the “100 Notable Books of 2022” by The New York Times. He is also a television drama writer\, producer\, and showrunner. He codeveloped Bel-Air and worked on The Chi\, Animal Kingdom\, and Narcos\, among other drama series. Newson is a 2025–26 American Library in Paris Visiting Fellow. He currently lives with his husband and their two children in Pasadena.\n\nCassandra Freeman is an acclaimed actress\, producer\, and entrepreneur best known for her powerful portrayal of Aunt Viv on Peacock’s Bel-Air. Her film and television credits include Atlanta\, Luke Cage\, The Last O.G.\, The Enemy Within\, Inside Man\, and I Think I Love My Wife\, with recent work in Love\, Brooklyn\, an Andre Holland-led film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Beyond acting\, Freeman is the co-founder of Creatricity\, a creative ecosystem supporting artists and innovators across entertainment and media. Freeman is a respected voice in the industry for her work as a creative strategist\, thought leader\, and advocate for diversity and inclusion and authentic representation. She is represented by the agents of Artium Talent.
URL:https://www.bgsqd.com/event/rasheed-newson-one-night-in-hollywood/
LOCATION:NY
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://www.bgsqd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Rasheed-1.webp
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