We all know that all Drag Queens would feel insulted if we ever called them quiet . We expect them to be loud in every sense of the word, and never hesitant to speak up. Marti Gould Cummings is one of them, but Cummings wnt so much further and used her talent to turn them into one of New York’s most voluble queer political activists.
In. 2021 Cummings, who identifies as non-binary, decided to run for New York City Council to represent Upper Manhattan’s District 7, which includes parts of the Upper West Side, West Harlem and Washington Heights. Their journey was chronicled for a new documentary directed by Emma Fidel which has new just been released on Advocate Channel (for free)
A resident of New York for 15 years and also a working queen for 10 years, Cummings also founded the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats in 2016 and has served on their local community board and the NYC Nightlife Advisory Board.
Fidel (making her feature directorial debut) had her camera follow Cummings and a number of their 11 competitors running to represent a district of 160,000 residents. Cummings campaign was also covered in Vogue, and W Magazine as well as local New York publications. And most importantly by QUEERGURU too (check out our video HERE ). Their supporters, includes actor Billy Porter who narrates the trailer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, comedian Ilana Glazer, and nearly two dozen of NYC’s top drag queens.
Cummings has always been a person who naturally just fills whatever room they are in, and see them put this, and their passionate convictions to such an excellent cause, that makes the documentary such compelling viewing
Fidel, and the producers, told QUEERGURU “We were thrilled to chronicle Marti’s effort as a singular candidate during this critical time for American democracy and America’s working class,. “We care deeply about queer representation and deconstructing gender norms, and we hope this film helps redefine who can be a politician.”
“Queen of New York” will premiere on Advocate Channel is available for free streaming through June 30th, 2024. Audiences can download the Advocate Channel App for their mobile phone and favorite streaming device from platforms like the Apple Store, Google Play, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Google TV. To get additional information or updates about “Queen of New York” please visit queenofnyfilm.com
Labels: 2024, documentary, Emma Fidel, Mart Gould Cummings, The Queen of New York
