Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 2/09/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 6 February 9, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB

The Fine Print

See previous editions.

Subscription Information: This newsletter is available via free email subscription only. Our mailing list is confidential.
To subscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Subscribe COS News” in subject line.
To unsubscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Cancel COS News” in subject line.

The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 9-15, 2009

MON: 2/09: Phoenix, AZ: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel "Basketball Jones". 7PM. Barnes & Noble, N. Tatum Blvd.

MON: 2/09:New York, NY: Broadway Backwards. The guys perform music usually performed by dolls and vice versa. Starring: Alan Cumming, Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher Sieber, Mario Cantone, Megan Mullally, and Jai Rodriguez. A benefit for the LGBT Community Center. www.gaycenter.org

MON: 2/09: San Francisco, CA: All You Need Is Love: A Help is On the Way's Valentine Benefit concert with Wilson, Cruz, Loretta Devine, Sharon McKnight, Rita Moreno, KT Sullivan, Joanne Worley, and more. The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation raises money for local beneficiaries. www.helpisontheway.org.

WED: 2/11: Washington, DC: Ira Glass signs copies of "This American Life: Season 2" 6:30PM. Borders, K Street.

THU: 2/12: New York, NY: Liza Minnelli and Donna Karan receive The Award of Courage, along with Howard and Cindy Rachofsky and the amfAR Winter Gala. www.amfar.org.

FRI: 2/13: San Francisco, CA: Lesley Gore sings "It's My Party" and more. www.yoshis.com.

FRI-MON: 2/13-2/16: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. popular LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com

FRI-SUN: 2/13-2/15: Bloomington, IN: Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. http://www.mblgtacc.org

FRI-SUN: 2/13-2/15: Santa Barbara, CA: 19th LGBTQIA Western Regional College Conference: “Cultivating Our Roots, From the Ground Up: How Deep Is Your Love?” www.uclgbtia.org/conference2009/

SUN: 2/15: New York, NY: Broadway Bears XII. An auction of teddy bears decorated by Broadway shows to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. Bears are posted at www.broadwaycares.org.

Newsworthy:

Massachusetts: The state's Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) has issued a new policy to facilitate the changing of gender markers on driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards for people who have undergone a gender transition, a move that LGBT advocates say will have a substantial impact on the daily lives of TG people. Bay Windows reports: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=86400

Massachusetts II: Phillip T. Ragon, chief executive InterSystems Corp, a Cambridge-based software company called InterSystems Corp, has donated $100 million to fund AIDS research at Mass General Hospital. Reuters reports: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE51353Q20090204

Closing: The Oscar Wilde Bookshop in New York's Greenwich Village, the nation's oldest LGBT bookstore, will shutter on 3/29/09. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/nyregion/04bookstore.html?ref=nyregion

Newsworthy: Proposition 8 Update

California: Mormon church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by California's Fair Political Practices Commission, reported on 1/30/09 nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/31/BA7615KLB9.DTL&hw=mormons&sn=001&sc=1000

Big Bucks Spent: Donors gave more than $83 million to support or oppose the ballot initiative that abolished same-sex marriage in California, according to campaign disclosure reports made public 2/2/09. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23816

The California Supreme Court will hear arguments on 3/05/09 over whether to allow a ban on same-sex marriage that has become a national rallying point for gays and their supporters. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72346.asp

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Ron Huberman, newly-appointed CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, has come out in a Chicago Sun-Times interview. http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1407380,CST-NWS-huberman01.article

Neil Giuliano, president of GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, will step down later this year. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71928.asp

In Memoriam:

John Paul Barnich, Houston AIDS activist and former Municipal Court Judge and the first openly gay man to become a city court judge in Texas, died 2/02/09 at age 63. The Houston Chronicle reports: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6245272.html

G. Donn Teal, gay historian and activist, a co-founder of the Gay Activist Alliance in 1969, died 2/03/09 at age 76. Joe.My.God. reports: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2009/02/gay-historian-donn-teal-dies-at-76.html

Photo Shoots and Video

"Blithe Spirit" meets the media. Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, and Angela Lansbury at rehearsals for the Noel Coward comedy revival: from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BLITHE_SPIRIT_Meets_the_Media_20090131

Features

My Sister's Keeper: A feminist lesbian community in Florida is aging. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/fashion/01womyn.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1

Profile: Stephen Fales. Gay, Mormon, and out. Backstage reports: http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/2009/02/oxymormon-fales-comes-to-the-cabaret.html

Cultural Eye-Candy: AfterElton.com picks the hottest men in theatre today: http://www.afterelton.com/theater/2009/1/37hottestguystheater

Profile: Charles Busch, comic playwright who writes the best diva roles for himself. He's now playing diva opposite Kathleen Turner. TheaterJones reports: http://www.theaterjones.com/index.php?section=coystories&id=20090201124552

On CD:

Love Songs: Judy Garland. Savoy Jazz. Compilation from the soundtrack of her TV series.
Liza's at the Palace. Liza Minnelli's current Broadway hit on CD. Hybrid.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Billy Elliot, the Elton John/Lee Hall musical based on the movie about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer. www.billyelliotbroadway.com.
***Blanche Survives Katrina in a FEMA Trailer Named Desire. Mark Sam Rosenthal is Blanche, who leaves New Orleans for the Superdome, is evacuated to Shreveport, and becomes a fragile, alcoholic, sex-addicted belle. to 3/15/09. www.sohoplayhouse.com
***Distracted. Cynthia Nixon stars in Lisa Loomer's comedy about parenting in the age of the internet and Ritalin. to 5/03/09. www.roundabouttheatre.org.
***The Story of My Life, a musical about two guys and a lifelong friendship. Malcolm Gets stars. www.thestoryofmylife.com

Elsewhere...

***Dolls. World premiere by and starring Michael Phillis. A gay man's doll collection comes to life. to 2/22/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org.
***Dusty and the Big Bad World Dusty, hero of "the most popular animated PBS children's television show in America" goes to visit a family with two daddies. to 2/28/09. Denver, CO. http://www.denvercenter.org/event_calendar/caldetail.cfm?id_production=21883639
***I Am My Own Wife, Bruce Nelson plays Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, real-life German cross-dresser, who survived the Nazis after WW2. Winner 2004 Pulitzer Prize to 2/22/09. Baltimore, MD. www.everymantheatre.org.
***The Little Dog Laughed. A barracuda Hollywood agent has a problem. Her matinee idol client plans to come out. to 3/08/09. Washington, DC. www.signature-theatre.org.
***Minsky's, Christopher Fitzgerald, Rachel Dratch, and Beth Leavel star in the musical about burlesque. to 3/01/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
***Tennessee in the Summer. Joe Besecker's take on the psyche of gay playwright Tennessee Williams. to 3/01/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org.

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Resource: Cine-Queer: GLAAD's Guide to What's LGBT in Film: http://www.glaad.org/eye/cinequeer.php

Out on Screen...

***Ciao. Two men meet after the death of a mutual friend. www.ciaomovie.com.
***Doubt, the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's award-winning drama. A nun (Meryl Streep) suspects a popular priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of abusing a boy.
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***Milk, Gus Van Sant's film about gay activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). Also starring: Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco.
***Shifting the Canvas. Cheyenne Jackson, Scott Thompson and John Paul Pitoc star in this comedy drama about a Brooklyn cafe owner, who acts as "patriarch" to a wayward group of younger gay and lesbian artists. www.shiftingthecanvas.com.

Out On Video & DVD

***Brideshead Revisited. In the 1930s, Charles and Sebastian (Matthew Goode and Ben Wishaw) tryst on a country estate. www.bridesheadrevisited-themovie.com.
***Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars in Joss Whedon's internet musical.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***Tangled Web: Making Kiss of the Spider Woman. David Weisman's documentary about how Manuel Puig's novel became a movie with William Hurt (as a gay window dresser) and Raul Julia; and later became a Broadway musical.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz, highlighting some of the earliest stage and screen adaptations, and the musical Wicked.

On TV Of Note: All times listed are ET. Check local listings for times in your area.

Resource:TV Gayed, GLAAD's Weekly Guide to What's LGBT on TV: Updated every Friday. www.glaad.org/eye/tv_listings.php

***February: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***MON: 2/09: Mario Cantone entertains the ladies on The View. 11AM. ABC.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

2/21/09-2/28/09: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com

2/23/09: New York, NY: Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, benefiting: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality and The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force. www.defyinginequality.com.

2/24/09-3/01/09: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com

3/01/09-3/07/09: Lake Tahoe, NV: Lake Tahoe WinterFest Gay & Lesbian Ski Week. includes Outlaugh comedy festival. www.LakeTahoeWinterfest.com

3/4/09-3/6/09: Philadelphia, PA: Rethinking Sex: Gender and Sexuality Studies State of the Field Conference. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/

3/06/09-3/08/09: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html

3/12/09-3/14/09: Storrs, CT: True Colors XVI Conference focusing on the needs of LGBTQ youth and their allies through a comprehensive annual conference. Programs on mental and behavioral health. www.ourtruecolors.org.

3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Fun Couples: Valentine’s Trivia

1. Question: Name one member of this pair, together for 44 years. Both worked in a Washington, DC government office. Both were closeted. One was reportedly a cross-dresser after work, but before he put on his heels, he busted and ruined the lives of many homosexuals. Answer: J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson. Hoover ran the FBI; Tolson was his assistant. History says Hoover wasn’t particularly fetching in his red dress.

2. Question: Name this fun couple of 20+ years who were the toast of contemporary American arts and letters. One was an author and essayist who espoused many feminist theories of the day. The other immortalized pop culture's leading actors, entertainers, and icons with her magazine photography. Answer: Susan Sontag and Annie Liebovitz. Sontage died in 2004. Liebovitz photographs for "Vanity Fair".

3. Question: Name this celebrity who tried gay marriage at least twice: first, to Judy Garland’s opening act, and last, to a producer who is still licking his wounds. Answer: Liza Minnelli. Her first husband was singer/songwriter Peter Allen (“The Boy from Oz”). Her most recent hubby was David Gest.

4. Question: Name this couple, together professionally and personally for 40+ years. They produced over 45 major motion pictures. Answer: Ishmail Merchant and James Ivory. Their films included: “The Bostonians” (1984), “A Room with a View” (1986), “Maurice” (1987), and “Howards End” (1992). Merchant died in 2005.

5. Question: Name this fun couple. One, a TV mogul, made history a decade ago coming out on TV and in real life; the other, a sitcom star, came out recently. One is the first out person to host a major awards show; one adapted hhis/her name from a Shakespearean character. Answer: Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi. DeRossi adapted her name from the character of “Portia” in “The Merchant of Venice”.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Black History Month

1. Question: Name this young, gifted, bi, black American author and playwright, who became the foremother of African-American drama, and a contributor to the understanding of pro-choice, discrimination, and Africa. She died at age 35, but her work is still read and performed frequently.

2. Question: Name this American author, playwright and Civil Rights activist. Gay characters appeared in his works, which often dealt with the personal impact of prejudice against those who were young, gifted, black, and gay.

3. Question: Name this American-born bisexual dancer, singer and actress, who lived most of her life in France. She was known for her extravagant night club act. She also adopted twelve children from all over the world and called them her "rainbow-family".

4. Question: Name this flamboyant rock and roll legend, who has topped pop music charts since 1956.

5. Question: Name this American activist in the struggle for human rights and economic justice who helped organize one of the most important civil rights actions in American history.

The first person to submit the correct answers gets their name in print right here. Email your answers to: OnQYB@aol.com. If you do not want your email address to appear in the blog format of this newsletter, please indicate that. http://cosnewsweekly.blogspot.com/