Mark Ryn, The Gay 90s Wt — MICHAEL KOHN GALLERY

Contents:

• THE GAY 90'S
• ART TIME PRENTS: THE GAY 90S!
• THE GAY 90S
• GAY 90S
• MARK RYN: ‘THE GAY 90S: OLD TYME ART SHOW’
• MARK RYN, THE GAY 90S WT

THE GAY 90'S

The 'Gay 90's' term was ed the 1920s, referrg to the ialistic image of Amerin life the more hont and unplited era of the late 19th century. The 1920s were seen as Roarg, while the Gay 90's beme a symbol of a lmer life, prospery and ral happs. After a century, at the begng of 1990s, the Gay 90s term uld not be ed the same sense any longer, as the Goln Life was anythg but a parallel of the recent perd.

Explorg the cultural spe of our age, he employs the athetics of the Gay 90s era evokg ksch, ializatn and utopism of the long lost agment of vtage pop culture.

The exhibn tled The Gay 90s: Wt opens on May 3, ntug through June 28, 2014. The Gay 90s: Wt exhibn ntu the ncept of his prev show The Gay 90s: Ol Tyme Art Show om 2010 at the Kasm Gallery New York. In May 1990, 35 LGBT activists me together at the London Lbian and Gay Centre Farrgdon, and beme the jot -founrs of OutRage!

ART TIME PRENTS: THE GAY 90S!

The activist group was created om the anger at ntual vlence towards the gay muny, particular the murr of Michael Boothe, who was kicked to ath Wt London, and the rise numbers of gay and bisexual men beg arrted and nvicted for nsentg, victimls behavur.

The group was mted to radil, non-vlent direct actn and civil disobedience - one of their first protts was June 1990 at the toilets Hy Park, where they protted agast the Metroplan Police and their entrapment of gay men. - the group anised a ‘kiss-’ at Picdilly Circ, prottg the arrts of gay men for kissg public.

Between 1990 and 1994, the number of men nvicted for nsentg gay behavurs fell by two thirds. 1990 also saw the start of the Lbian and Gay Police Associatn (GPA). Found by Constable Jam Bradly, the GPA reprented the needs and terts of gay and bisexual police officers and police staff across the UK.

THE GAY 90S

Their objectiv were to: promote equal oppotunti for gay and bisexual men and women the police service; offer advice and support to gay and bisexual men and women the police service; and improve relatns between the police service and the wir gay muny. One of GPA’s most otandg achievements me over a later, 2003, when they persuad Chief Constabl to allow gay Police Officers to march uniform Gay Pri march. Back 1948, the World Health Organisatn (WHO) published the Internatnal Classifitn Of Diseas (ICD-6) which classified homosexualy as a sexual viatn that was prumed to reflect an unrlyg personaly disorr.

It wasn’t until 1992, and the publitn of ICD-10 that homosexualy was removed om the list of mental disorrs, explicy statg that the sexual orientatn by self is not nsired a disorr. In le wh the chang that the WHO ma, other rights for the gay mmuny were beg looked at.

In 1994, the age of nsent for gay men was voted for Parliament. Conservative Member of Parliament Edwa Currie troduced an act to lower the age of nsent for gay men - which at the time was 21 years old - to be the same as the age of nsent for heterosexual acts - 16 years old.

GAY 90S

They entered the Barbin London and hand out hundreds of leaflets accg the chary of beg ‘homophobic bigots’. Such as handcuffg themselv to sks wh the Sunday Tim offic, prottg MPs, and ridg an open top b around london wh a megaphone, prottg Clse 28 - the banng of any tnal promotnal of homosexualy the UK. Even though gay sex had been crimilised, Gary Abdie, David Godey, Mark Love, Jonathon Moore, Craig Turner, Norman Williams and Terry Connell were all nvicted unr sectn 13 of the 1956 Act bee more than two men had sex togehter, which still remaed illegal.

The 1990s showed real termatn and mobilisatn wh the gay muny. If there’s one thg we know how to do at The gay 90s, ’s celebrate. Somethg old, somethg new, somethg you’ve never experienced before: End your sgle days style wh drks and champagne at the Gay90s.

Whether you are celebratg a bachelorette party, gay bachelor party and dont fet to make VIP table rervatn. PARTY WITH THE GAY 90s. Gay, straight, Betiful People, everyone is wele to jo.

MARK RYN: ‘THE GAY 90S: OLD TYME ART SHOW’

The natn’s first gay and lbian talk rad show, The Gay 90s, aired om downtown Cleveland, Oh and started off wh a bang.

Dpe the potential danger, The Gay 90s aired as schled on March 26, 1993, and beme the untry’s first mercial live, “ll ” rad program by, for, and about the gay and lbian muny. Given Cleveland’s history of settlg disput wh explosiv, upled wh the homophobic atmosphere surroundg lbians and gay men at the time, the threat was taken serly.

Thankfully, no bomb explod at Tower Cy that night or any of the followg nights durg The Gay 90s six-year n. It was, stead, the rad show self that blew down barriers, shattered myths and uned Cleveland’s gay, straight and “ between” muni a remarkably peaceful way.

MARK RYN, THE GAY 90S WT

Lookg back, ’s not surprisg that the natn’s first gay and lbian talk show was hosted by Cleveland native Buck Harris, a man at ease beg the “first” a number of public rol. In 1984, Governor Richard Celte appoted Harris as the Oh Department of Health’s gay health nsultant, the first state the natn to create such a posn rponse to the growg AIDS crisis.

Shortly after his appotment, The Pla Dealer asked Harris for an terview regardg the crisis, sistg on referrg to him as a “homosexual” (as opposed to gay) nsultant, as was the newspaper’s policy at the time. The paper relented and, 1985, for the first time ed the word “gay” stead of the flammatory alternative.

’s 1986 “Happy New Year” list, the first openly gay person to make the cut. Later that year, Cleveland Magaze named Harris one of the 86 most tertg Clevelanrs – aga, a first for any openly gay Clevelanr.