Pride

Brooklyn’s Eric Sosa is the king of Brooklyn nightlife. Here’s his life during the shut down.

Brooklyn Pride may have gone virtual this year, but the bar and club owners of some of the best bars in the city are starting to get ready for patrons to return later this summer or fall. We’ve heard a lot of buzz about Good Judy, a new venue in South Park Slope, that has piqued our interest.
We checked in with owner Eric Sosa about Pride, NYC right now, and Good Judy.
Tell us about your new bar Good Judy, and what we can expect? 
Good Judy is a new bar in South Park Slope for queers and queer allies. We are in the former Excelsior bar space, which was the oldest queer bar in south Brooklyn. It’s important for us to honor their legacy while introducing our own unique vision to the queer community of Park Slope and Brooklyn. 
How is it going to be different from other bars when it finally is able to open? 
Good Judy is a bar, lounge, dance space, and piano bar/cabaret room. There are no queer spaces in Brooklyn that have this hybrid vision and I really think it’ll be a special place for many people.

You also own C’mon Everybody, what makes this venue unique? 
C’mon Everybody is unique in that it really embraces and embodies the energy and spirit of the New York City of yore. There is no pretension there, everyone is welcomed, and it just has a real, homegrown vibe that people love.

Tell us about your LGBTQIA+ Parties at C’mon Everybody? 
I created a tea dance party called Yes Homo back in 2019 that’s a celebration of queer icons and queer culture. Yes Homo has been a successful party for us and brings out queers from all five boroughs. Our other queer events include Yas Mama, a Latinx party hosted by Bushwig’s Horrorchata, Balls Deep Disco (a party from Toronto), and A Night At The Baths, a disco party hosted and DJ’d by The Illustrious Blacks. The goal for all of our queer parties at C’mon Everybody is to create and nurture an inclusive vibe that caters to everyone in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum and their allies.
Why do you think that queer spaces are essential, even in 2020? 
We need queer spaces where our community can feel safe – where queer people can be our true selves without judgment, and where we can feel the joy of community and queer camaraderie. Even as society opens up more and more toward acceptance of the queer presence, there is still nothing quite like immersing yourself completely in queer energy and family. 

How did you get involved in the industry? 

I started as a programming associate at The Zipper Theatre, which shuttered in 2009. I then moved on to become the director of programming at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO. I had always wanted to open my own bar/venue and my first space, C’mon Everybody, came about through my desire to create an inclusive venue that was not only a bar, but also a performance space to highlight emerging talent.
What has it been like living in New York during the quarantine?
It’s been stressful and anxiety-filled, but also it has brought all of us together even though we’re physically distanced. We’re all going through this collectively, and there’s something oddly comforting about that. The city is slowly coming back to life, as it moves through the four phases of economic reopening, and you can feel the energy shifting – like we’re coming out of hibernation. I do think that while it has been difficult dealing with life in these uncertain times, it has given us all a moment to pause and reflect. 
 
I see that you have been protesting with the Black lives movement, why do you think it’s so important to be a part of it? 
It’s important because black people have been facing injustice for many, many years and it’s time for white people to step up, support, and elevate black and brown folks.

Why is Pride so important, especially now, in 2020? 

I think it’s important now because it feels like pride is going back to its roots. It’s not about the commercialism that typically comes with Pride month right now, it’s about the community coming together for each other in these difficult times – and especially coming together as allies for our queer black and trans brothers and sisters.
Do you have a Pride memory that you would like to share? 
Pride 2019 was very memorable for me. Not just because it was Stonewall 50 and World Pride in NYC, but that we hosted some incredible pride events at C’mon Everybody and saw some of our biggest attendances, which included people traveling from across the globe.
How do you feel proud of our community, even now when so many of us have been in quarantine for so long? 
I’m really proud of our community for rallying together for the Black Lives Matter movement. I attended the Black Liberation rally, an action for Black Trans lives, in Brooklyn on June 14th and there were an estimated 15,000 people in attendance – mostly queers and queer allies. It was amazing to see all of us come out, especially during a pandemic, to stand up for Black trans lives.

What are some spots in NYC that you would recommend not missing once the city is back open again?
The Brooklyn Botanic Gardens is one of my favorite places in the city to take in natural beauty, Horse Meat Disco at Elsewhere in Bushwick is an amazing queer dance party, Good Room in Greenpoint is a great club to hear house and left of center dance music, Meme’s Diner is a restaurant in Prospect Heights run by queer folks, and Ciao Gloria, also in Prospect Heights and queer-owned, is a great spot for coffee and delicious baked goods.

What are a few queer spaces you look forward to checking out after were able to travel again?
I miss Provincetown and I can’t wait to get up there once I’m able to.
 
You’ve always had such great taste in music. What are a few of your favorite NYC-based musicians or performers that everyone should know? 
Thanks. Bright Light Bright Light, The Illustrious Blacks, Princess Nokia, Sateen, Alsarah, and Kat Cunning are some personal faves and artists that have performed at C’mon Everybody.
 
Where can we find you on social media? 
You can find me on IG @ericmsosa, Good Judy IG @goodjudybk, and C’mon Everybody IG @cmoneverybodybk 
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