Welcome to Natured and Nurtured, a new series we are doing exclusively for newsletter readers.
This series started as a debate with a friend about whether we are are born gay, or made gay.
I had never heard anyone I knew take the nurtured position, but my friend Tyler (who is gay) was adamant about it. I have always felt that we are born gay, in the same way that straight people are born straight.
While I still think that’s true, it got me thinking about the ways our family, culture and society shape what kind of queer person we may grow up to be.
Our cultural touchstones may look monolithic to straight people, but we know they are much more nuanced and varied.
In this series we’ll invite some of our favorite people to share the moments in culture, travel, art, spirituality, and life experiences that made them, them.
We thought we’d kick things off by featuring Silvia Prada in our inaugural issue.
Silvia is a Spanish born artist, DJ and one of our favorite people. Silvia has worked with fashion brands from Miu Miu, Diesel, to Helmut Lang and even Playgirl Magazine. Silvia has also illustrated many back pages for GAYLETTER Magazine.
So without further ado, let’s do this….
Silvia: “I think being gay is 100% DNA, like the color of your eyes. But here are the top things that made me the type of gay I am now.”
1. 🎥 Yentl
My dad was straight but he had a really gay taste. He owned a coiffeur salon for men and a fancy record player, plus lots of magazines.
I grew up listening to Barbra Streisand and many other artists like ABBA, and the Bee Gees. But Bab’s lyrics touched me deeply in my gay heart. She is a CERTIFIED GAY ICON.
When I was 14 years old the movie YENTL was in the theaters. I was not old enough to see it but I sneaked into the theater for an early 4 pm session and BINGO!...One of the queerest movies I have ever seen.
Yentl sees herself as a woman disguised as a man during her days at the Yeshiva, that said, she canonically “passes” as a man to the rest of society, and for most of the film’s screen time two men represent the primary romantic storyline. On top of that, this is a musical, and a love triangle. GENIUS!
2. 🙎 Lady Diana
It’s not new, my obsession with Lady Di as an icon of pop culture
androgyny. Her rebellious attitude, her queer energy... She made me gay with her sporty style. She is always the conversation, and always will be.
3. 👅 Tom of Finland
Tom’s impact in my life and artistic practice is profound, it’s my freedom and my religion.
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4.📒 Interview Magazine
As a teenager in the 80’s I collected books records and magazines and of course I discovered Interview Magazine at its best. In my first year at the Fine Arts University I owned a whole collection of issues and they defined my identity and my taste.
Thanks for reading. New Dick Diaries coming soon, but here are some you might have missed: Nico, David & Lil Beef, Mark, Patch Evans, Quinn & his Ramming Rod, Jarred, Gabe, Troy, Cole, Jimmy Jimmy Cocoa Puff, Beto El Cabezón, Pillow Penis, Humpty Dumpty, The Driver, Thumper.
5. 💿 House and Acid House
A new kind of music appeared in the radio, clubs and across fashion and culture, in the UK and the states, everywhere, this soud shaped my taste in music and personal style as a queer young woman flirting in the club, disco, electro, house, garage....and all this people with all this amazing looks united by a sound and a collective experience where it didn’t matter your inclination, race ,gender or where you came from, it was about a collective experience of belonging where I discovered what’s like to feel safe CLUBBING.
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