Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 3/09/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 10 March 9, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

The Fine Print

See previous editions:


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

MON: 3/09: New York, NY: ABC & Soap.Net Salute Broadway Cares. Actors from such ABC daytime shows as "All My Children," "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital" offer musical numbers and skits. www.broadwaycares.org.

MON: 3/09: San Francisco, CA: Nathaniel Frank, author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America" does a reading and booksigning. 6PM. Commonwealth Club. Also: TUE: 3/10: San Francisco, CA: 7:30PM. Books Inc/Castro. WED: 3/11: Chicago, IL: 7PM. Borders/N.Clark. http://www.unfriendlyfire.org/events.php

TUE: 3/10: New York, NY: Mikhail Baryshnikov, international ballet star, signs copies of "Merce My Way". 7:30PM. Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle.

THU-SAT: 3/12-3/14: 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.

FRI: 3/13: Washington, DC: Freedom to Serve Rally and Lobby Day to build momentum for repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and to support all servicemembers.12 Noon. US Capitol grounds. www.sldn.org.

SAT: 3/14: Washington, DC: SLDN 17th National Dinner and Silent Auction, a fund-raiser for the Servicemember's Legal Defense Network. www.sldn.org.

Newsworthy:

Update: The California Supreme Court hears arguments today (3/05/09) on Proposition 8. Towleroad updates: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/03/prop-8-eve-of-justice-vigils-held-across-california.html

California: The high school production of "Rent" will go on. The production had been cancelled when school administrators objected to the musical's content and gay characters. The New York Times reports: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/high-school-rent-production-will-go-on/

California: Sean Penn, Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Equality California (EQCA) held a press conference on 3/03/09 to announce the re-introduction of legislation creating Harvey Milk Day in California.

Washington, DC: The house of gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny is now a national historical landmark, the first gay-related site approved for landmark status in the District of Columbia. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24228

Los Angeles: A Different Light Bookstore to close. The independent bookseller was the major LGBT bookseller in the market and they were renowned for presenting readings and booksignings. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73856.asp

The Lambda Literary Foundation is launching a Directory of Professional Services this month. Listings of working professionals in the following areas will be included: editors, literary agents, publicists, graphic designers, web designers, writing workshops, etc. To be listed: info@lambdaliterary.org.

The Equality Forum, Philadelphia's weeklong LGBT cultural event that takes place every spring, will not receive its usual $115,000 support from the city this year. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73981.asp

Grey Gardens' Edith (Little Edie) Bouvier Beale returns to life in a Washington, DC recreation of her short-lived stage act, as reimagined by Ganymede Arts. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/26/AR2009022601222.html

Don’t Ask / Don’t Tell

***Towleroad has additional information on Nathaniel Frank's book, "Unfriendly Fire", an upcoming PBS special and more: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/03/military-suppressed-evidence-critical-of-gay-ban-says-author.html

***Rep. Ellen Tauscher is interviewed on her quest to end the military's failed policy. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/03/rep-ellen-tauscher-on-dont-ask-dont-tell.html

The Buzz (People Making News)

James Dobson, the conservative evangelical leader who has spoken out against gay rights, has resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family. The Associated Press reports: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iYgrbhrH3ysV5JVN7Ol2jFuSdtVwD96K5RH03

Tony Kushner, playwright of "Angels in America", will be celebrated with a three-month festival of his works at Minneapolis' prestigious Guthrie Theatre. His world premiere, "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures", begins previews 5/09/09. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126812.html

Terrence McNally, the out playwright, will be showcased, as three of his plays about opera are presented at The Kennedy Center in 2010. "Terrence McNally's Nights at the Opera" includes "Masterclass", his story of Maria Callas; "The Lisbon Traviata", the comedy about opera queens and diva worshippers who adore Callas, and "Golden Age", a world premiere about the composer Donizetti and his final opera, "I Puritani". www.kennedy-center.org.

Awards and Honors:

Campus Pride honored three college seniors with Voice & Action Leadership Awards for being young adult role models and activists within the LGBT community: Celso Perez (Boston College), Shawna Scott (University of Georgia), and Justin Hager (University of Wisconsin–Madison). The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid73516.asp

In Memoriam:

Neal Kenyon, the actor-turned-director who staged "Dames At Sea" (which made Bernadette Peters a star), died on 2/27/09 at age 79. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081224/ARTICLE/812240340/2055/NEWS?Title=Director_made_theater__his_life_

In Print:

Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk by Dustin Lance Black. Foreward by Armistead Maupin. Newmarket Press. This official illustrated companion book by the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Milk" features oral histories, archival photographs, behind-the-scenes stills, and the story of the Focus Features film directed by Gius Van Sant and starring Oscar winner Sean Penn as gay-rights icon Harvey Milk.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Blithe Spirit. Rupert Everett makes his Broadway debut in Noel Coward's ghostly comedy. Angela Lansbury and Christine Ebersole co-star.
***Christine Jorgensen Reveals. Bradford Louryk stars as America's first famous transsexual, in his solo theatre piece which won numerous awards. to 3/15/09. www.ticketcentral.com
***Gates of Gold. Frank McGuinness' comedy-drama based on Hilton Edwards and Micheal MacLiammoir, partners in business and also in life, who together founded Dublin's Gate Theater in Dublin in 1928. to 3/29/09. www.59e59.org.
***33 Variations. Moises ("The Laramie Project") Kaufman's new play with music brings Jane Fonda back to Broadway. Colin (“Mad Men”) Hanks co-stars.. to 5/25/09.
***West Side Story. The acclaimed musicalization of "Romeo & Juliet" in a new production directed by Arthur Laurents. www.broadwaywestsidestory.com.

Elsewhere...

***After the Garden: Edith Beale Live at Reno Sweeney Miss Pixie's Backroom Palace, a recreation of Edith (Little Edie) Bouvier Beale's famous nightclub act. to 3/29/09. Washington, DC. www.ganymedearts.org.
***A Beautiful View. Daniel MacIvor's take on two women in love. MacIvor is one of Canada's greatest living playwrights. to 3/22/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therhino.org.
***A Conversation With Edith Head. Susan Claassen's portrayal of the award-winning designer who gave good Hollywood costume. 3/13/09: Tubac, AZ.www.tubacarts.org.
***Jerry Herman's Broadway. The National Symphony Orchestra celebrates the out composer. 3/12/09-3/14/09. Washington, DC. www.kennedy-center.org
***La Cage Aux Folles. The Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical based on the film that became "Birdcage".to 3/29/09. Santa Rosa, CA. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com
***Master Class. Barbara Walsh stars as opera diva Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's Tony-Award winning play. to 4/05/09. Millburn, NJ. www.papermill.org.
***Sin, A Cardinal Deposed. A docudrama about the lawyer who pursues Boston Archibishop Cardinal Bernard Law for his failure to protect the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests in his archdiocese. Thursdays to 4/02/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.thehayworth.com.

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.
***Hair: Let the Sunshine In. Pola Rapaport's documentary that traces the roots and legacy of the landmark musical.
***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.
***Chris and Don: A Love Story. Tina Mascara's documentary about British writer Christopher Isherwood and his lover, the much younger American artist Don Bachardy.
***Religulous. Bill Maher travels the globe to investigate the current state of world religion, questioning many religious leaders on LGBT rights. www.lionsgate.com/religulous.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***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.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

3/18/09-3/22/09: Mammoth Lakes, CA: Elevation 2009, the 7th annual Mammoth Gay Ski Week. www.mammothgayski.com

3/18/09-3/20/09: Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Sport, Sexuality, and Culture Conference. Former NBA player John Amaechi, will deliver the keynote address. http://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/grad/sportmgmt/sportsexualitycultureintr/ConferenceSchedule/

3/23/09: New York, NY: Legends, a reading of the infamous James Kirkwood comedy with Charles Busch, Lypsinka, Whoopi Goldberg and Bryan ("Mad Men") Batt. www.playbill.com/news/article/125984.html

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

3/28/09-3/29/09: Pittsburgh, PA: Pennsylvania Volleyball Steel City Classic, a NAGVA-sanctioned vball tourney. www.SteelCityVolleyball.org

3/30/09-4/05/09: Palm Springs, CA: Kraft Nabisco Golf Championship. previously known as the Dinah Shore Golf Championship. women and golf. www.nabiscochampionship.com or www.dinahshoreweekend.com

4/01/09-4/04/09: Kingston, RI: University of Rhode Island GLBTIQQ Symposium. 15th Annual URI Symposium on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Questioning Issues. www.uri.edu/glbt/symposium.html

4/09/09-4/11/09: Calgary, AB: Canada Badminton, Bowling, Curling, Running, Swimming, Volleyball Western Cup XXVII, 27th anniversary of North America's longest running annual LGBT multi-sport tournament. www.westerncup.com

4/09/09-4/12/09: Washington, DC: International Gay Square Dance Clubs Convention. www.iagsdc.org

4/17/09-4/19/09: Minneapolis, MN: 2009 Bisexual Empowerment Conference (BECAUSE) at the University of Minnesota. www.becauseconference.org.

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

President Bill Clinton signed DADT, the paradigm for gays in the military, into law 15 years ago.

1. Question: Name this non-profit organization, founded in 1993, which provides support and legal assistance to gays in the military affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". It has responded to over 9,000 requests for legal assistance since its founding. Answer: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the non-partisan, non-profit, legal services, watchdog and policy organization. For a history of DADT and a list of SLDN programs an services: www.sldn.org.

2. Question: Name the author of the definitive history of LGBT people in the US military. This author, who had chronicled the gay rights movement in the Harvey Milk years and the rise of AIDS activism in the USA, died shortly after completing the book. Answer: Randy Shilts. "Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the US Military: Vietnam to the Persian Gulf", was published in 1993. "And The Band Played On", his chronicle of HIV, is one of the most fascinating and compelling books of the late 20th century.

3. Question: Name this gay soldier who was perhaps the best-known openly gay man in the 1970s. A Vietnam War veteran and recipient of the Purpole Heart and the Bronze Star, he came out and fought to stay in the Air Force, a battle that put hiim on the cover of Time Magazine in 1975. Answer: Leonard Matlovich (1943-1988), Technical Sergeant. His outspoken manner resulted in articles in The New York Times and a television movie on NBC.

4. Question: Name this out former colonel in the Washington National Guard and a gay rights activist. Prior to DADT, she came out in a security clearance, and was discharged. She fought for reinstatement. Her battle became the subject of an award-winning film. Answer: Margarethe "Grethe" Cammermeyer. On 6/11/92, she was honorably discharged from the military. Cammermeyer filed a lawsuit against the decision in civil court. In June, 1994, a judge ruled her discharge, and the ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military, unconstitutional. She returned to the National Guard and served as one of the few officially accepted openly gay or lesbian people in the military until her retirement in 1997."Serving in Silence" a film version of her autobiography of the same name, starred Glenn Close.

5. Question: Name this Naval Academy student who was expelled from Annapolis in 1987, after coming out to his commanding officer. At the time, he was six weeks from graduation and one of the top six midshipmen within the academy. He sued for reinstatement. His case was unique in that he was accused of no homosexual conduct; his separation from the military was predicated solely upon his admission of homosexuality. After a long legal battle, he chose not to appeal his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, he's a successful attorney. Answer: Joseph Steffan. His autobiography, "Honor Bound: A Gay American Fights for His Right to Serve His Country" was published by Villard Press in 1992.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Fashion Icons

1. Question: Name this gay designer (1932-1990) who was the first international fashion superstar. He designed Jackie Kennedy’s famous Inauguration pillbox hat, and is best known for his social life at Studio 54, where he hung out with Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor, and Liza Minnelli.

2. Question: Name this possibly bisexual design icon, whose ad campaigns, using photos by Bruce Weber and Herb Ritts, were full of homo-eroticism. Brooke Shields was featured in one of his most famous ads, and MarkyMark’s billboard in Times Square caused numerous fender-benders.

3. Question: Name this acclaimed gay fashion designer, one of Italy’s first public figures to come out. His fashion was legend, and he frequently collaborated with Elton John onstage and in AIDS charity work. He was murdered in Miami, but his sister keeps the business going.

4. Question: Name this gay American designer (1940-1986), one of the first to develop casual sportswear for women and men. He was also one of the first public figures to die from complications of AIDS.

5. Question: Name this gay Broadway designer who won Tony Awards for making Nathan Lane look like both a producer and a gambler, Harvey Fierstein look like a Baltimore matron, and Tommy Tune’s women of Venice look chic.

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/