Ellie Conant
Sapphic sailors and fetching mermaids. Tattooed ladies and inked-up creatures. A Halloween parade of day-glo goblins and sexy sirens. Just the usual crowd at Choice NYC, the party brainchild of nightlife promoter Ellie Conant, a.k.a. The Gaysha. Taking cues from the art/event producing collective Kostume Kult, Conant designs each monthly Choice installment to celebrate the avant-garde and encourage a free-spirit vibe. “My goal for the past eight years has been to create spaces that allow us to be exactly who we are, without falling under the oppressive glare of the ‘straight world,’” she says. “Although I’ve thrown some pretty dope parties, my job is never done. There must be safe spaces for lesbians to gather, and the responsibility of creating gatherings and being consistent falls squarely on the shoulders of anybody who declares herself to be a promoter.” Before launching Choice, Conant helmed the long-running party Snapshot with Sir Sabrina and Shana Fried, earning the respect of her after-dark peers. “Ellie holds the torch for nightlife for queer women in NYC,” adds hard-working showman Murray Hill. “She hasn’t wavered her dedication and unbridled enthusiasm in all the years I’ve known her.”
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