Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 9/07/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 36 September 7, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

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: September 7-13, 2009

This Just In !!! SAT: 9/05: Provincetown, MA: 23rd Annual Gala Auction for AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. Fishermen's Wharf, www.asgcc.org

thru MON: 9/07: Milwaukee, WI: National Gay Softball World Series. www.nagaaasoftball.org

thru MON: 9/07: Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Black Pride Weekend. www.inthelifeatl.com

thru MON: 9/07: New Orleans, LA: Southern Decadence. the famous city-wide circuit party. www.southerndecadence.com

thru MON: 9/07: Columbus, OH: GALA 2009 Columbus, the annual conference of GALA Choruses, serving LGBT choral groups. www.galachoruses.org

thru MON: 9/07: Seattle, WA: Gender Odyssey. panels, workshops & meetings; entertainment, art exhibits focusing on transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. www.genderodyssey.com

TUE: 9/08: New York, NY: Kathy Griffin, queen of the D-List, signing copies of "Official Book Club Selections". 7PM, Barnes & Noble, Warren Street.

TUE: 9/08: Longmeadow, MA: Leslea Newman, our author of "Heather Has Two Mommies", talks about her writings. 7PM. www.baypath.edu

TUE: 9/08/09: West Hollywood, CA: HX Gay & Lesbian Travel Expo. Also THU: 9/10: San Francisco, CA: http://gaylifetravel.squarespace.com/

WED: 9/09: New York, NY: Tim Gunn, star of Project Runway, signs copies of "Models, Inc". 4PM. Midtown Comics.

WED: 9/9/09: New York, NY: Judy Shepard signs copies of her new book "The Meaning of Matthew", her story of Matthew Shepard's murder and her becoming a gay rights activist. 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Union Square. Also: THU: 9/10: Boston, MA: 7PM. Newtonville Public Library. http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Press_Media_Judy_BookTour09

THU-SUN: 9/10-9/13: Montreal, PQ: National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association Annual Convention and LGBT Media Summit. http://www.nlgja.org/convention/index.html

FRI-SUN: 9/11-9/13: Shreveport, LA: Northwest Louisiana Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Premiere edition. Among the guests: Leslie Jordan. http://www.pacelouisiana.org/SE2009filmfestival.php

FRI: 9/11: Hartford, CT: Peterson Toscano performs his solo theatre piece "Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible" about gender-variant Bible characters. www.petersontoscano.com

SAT: 9/12: North Hollywood, CA: Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Various playwrights create short plays addressing the issue of gay marriage in America and/or Proposition 8 in California. Starring Miss Coco Peru, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Robert Gant, and Peter Paige. www.elportaltheatre.com/events.html

SAT: 9/12: Springfield, MA: 2009 AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts AIDS Walk and 5K Run. www.aidsfoundationwm.org.

SAT: 9/12: Staten Island, NY: My Big Gay Italian Wedding. Anthony Wilkinson and Scott ("One Life to Live") Evans star in a benefit for the Lustgarten Foundation for pancreatic cancer research. www.stgeorgetheatre.com.

SUN: 9/13: Westport, CT: Connecticut Cares. Lambda Legal celebrates "Love Makes A Family". www.lambdalegal.org/connecticut09

SUN: 9/13/09: New York, NY: Broadway on Broadway 2009. The casts of current and upcoming Broaway musicals perform excerpts from their shows. 11:30AM. Times Square. Free. www.broadwayleague.com

Newsworthy:

Update: Equality March on Washington. A groundswell of support for the National Equality March, set for 10/10/009-10/11/09 in Washington D.C., is building as the date approaches. Towleroad exclusively reveals a list from Equality Across America of 140 prominent LGBT figures and allies who have put their names and endorsements behind the National Equality March, which seeks equal protection in all matters governed by law in all 50 states.. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/09/exclusive-140-lgbt-leaders-endorse-national-equality-march.html

Mary Cheney, the former US Vice President's lesbian daughter, has made a $1,000 campaign contribution to Rob Portman, an Ohio politician running for Congress, who is outspoken against LGBT rights. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/mary-cheney-gives-cash-to-antigay-candidate-for-congress.html

Yummy Yummy. Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, the Vermont-based company has renamed "Chubby Hubby" to "Hubby Hubby" to celebrate Marriage Equality in Vermont. The Boston Herald reports: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/20090901ice_cream_company_fetes_gay_marriage/srvc=home&position=also

In Print:

Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer Visibility in Rural America by Mary L. Gray. New York University Press. An unprecedented contemporary account of the lives of today's rural queer youth. Against a backdrop of an increasingly impoverished and privatized rural America, LGBT youth and their allies visibly--and often vibrantly--work the boundaries of the public spaces available to them, whether in their high schools, public libraries, town hall meetings, churches, or through websites.

Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership & Civil Unions by Emily Doskow and Frederick Hertz. Trade Paperback. A guide to the past, present, and future of same-sex relationship laws in the U.S. Offers a comprehensive review of all the issues that influence the decision to marry, breaks down the complex and ever-changing rules of same-sex relationship laws, and provides practical guidance on one of the most important decisions a couple can make.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Steady Rain. It's raining men (Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman) in the two-character Keith Huff play about two Chicago cops who are lifelong friends. to 12/06/09. www.asteadyrain.com.
***Darren Williams: "Not The Boy Next Door" performs the Peter Allen Songbook. 9/13/09. Metropolitan Room.
***Hair, Tony-winning revival of the first major rock musical. www.publictheater.org.
***The Hole. Ari Gold stars in a musical about the short-lived infamous East Village gay bar of the same name. to 9/20/09. 212-868-4444.

Elsewhere...

***F__king Men. Joe DiPietro’s adaptation of Schnitzler's 19th century "La Ronde" which observes the sex lives of modern gay America. to 10/25/09. Hollywood, CA.
www.celebrationtheatre.com
***Grey Gardens, the award-winning musical about eccentric Jackie O cousins Edie Beale and her mother, to 10/10/09. Atlanta, GA. www.actors-express.com.
***Into The Woods. Moises ("I Am My Own Wife") Kaufman stages Sondheim's fairy tales. to 10/04/09. Kansas City, MO. www.kcrep.org.
***Lewd and Lascivious. World Premiere. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested by the Massachusetts State Police on vice charges in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***Margaret Cho in concert.. 9/10/09-9/13/09, Nashville, TN.www.margaretcho.com.
***My Walk Down The Pink Carpet. Leslie Jordan's hilarious solo show. 9/11/09-9/13/09, Shreveport, LA. www.thelesliejordan.com/
***The Picture of Dorian Gray, gay Oscar Wilde'sthriller about a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth. to 10/04/09. Bethesda, MD. www.roundhousetheatre.org.

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***The Big Gay Musical, Fred M. Caruso's movie, a hilarious story that mixes backstage drama, conservative religious families, coming out, coming to terms, and the occasional tap dancing angel during the making of "Adam & Steve". http://www.thebiggaymusical.com/
***Bruno. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista from Austria who fancies himself as "the voice of Austrian youth TV."
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***Passing Strange. Spike Lee's documentary about Stew's Broadway rock musical.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.

Out On Video & DVD

***A Jihad for Love, the daring documentary filmed in 12 countries in which Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma explores the intersections of Islam and homosexuality.
***Grey Gardens, a new movie about eccentric Jackie O cousins Edie Beale and her mother, starring Drew Barrymore as Little Edie and Jessica Lange as her mother Big Edie.
***Hair: Let the Sunshine In. Pola Rapaport's documentary that traces the roots and legacy of the landmark musical.
***Hope Along The Wind: The Life of Harry Hay. the 2002 documentary about the gay rights pioneer.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.

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/tvgayed

***September: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***MON: 9/07: Were The World Mine, one of the most buzz-worthy films in recent years. The tale of a contmporary all-boys high school taking on Shakespeare's “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 9:00 PM ET/PT and LOGOonline.com. Also on Logo On Demand throughout the month of September.
***WED: 9/09: Glee, season premiere of the musical series about a high school vocal group with Broadway hunk Matthew Morrison as the music teacher. 9PM. FOX. Check local listings.


Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

9/14/09: New York, NY: "Love! Valour! Compassion", Terrence McNally's Tony-winning play about a group of gay guys who vacation together in a benefit performance featuring an all Asian-American cast. www.naatco.org.

9/14/09: New York, NY: Celebrating Bea Arthur, a memorial tribute. Hosted by Angela Lansbury with appearances by: Adrienne Barbeau, Zoe Caldwell, Billy Goldenberg, Norman Lear, Clinton Leupp, Rue McClanhan, Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, Rosie O'Donnell, Chita Rivera, and Daryl Roth 1PM. Majestic Theatre. Free.

9/14/09: Miami, FL: Judy Shepard signs copies of her new book "The Meaning of Matthew", her story of Matthew Shepard's murder and her becoming a gay rights activist. 7PM. Books & Books. Also: 9/15/09: Atlanta, GA: Time TBD. Outwrite Books.
9/19/09: Washington, DC: 2PM. Borders. K St. 9/21/09: St. Louis, MO: 7PM. Left Bank Books. 9/23/09: Denver, CO:Time TBD. Tattered Cover Books. 9/24/09: Boulder, CO: Time TBD. Boulder Book Store. 9/26/09: Salt Lake City, UT: . 7PM. Sam Weller's Bookstore. 9/28/09: Austin, TX: 7PM. Book People. http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Press_Media_Judy_BookTour09

9/16/09-9/20/09: Fresno, CA: Fresno Reel Pride. the annual lesbian & gay film festival in central California. www.reelpride.com

9/20/09: Springfield/Agawam, MA: Out in The Park. unofficial gay day at Six Flags New England. www.outinthepark.com

9/21/09: New York, NY: Friends in Deed Gala taps Tommy Tune's "Steps in Time" with the Manhattan Rhythm Kings. www.FriendsInDeed.org

9/24/09: Providence, RI: Life is a Cabaret. LGBT Night at Trinity Rep for a performance of "Cabaret". www.trinityrep.com.

9/25/09-9/27/09: Washington, DC: 5th Annual National LGBTQA College Student Career Conference. Educating, and empowering queer college students for the transition from academia to the workplace, www.outforwork.com.

9/26/09: Los Angeles, CA: Point Honors. Cherry Jones receives The Point Courage Award from The Point Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit. www.pointfoundation.org.

9/26/09: New Orleans, LA: Night of Divas. A benefit for the Forum for Equality’s 20 years of service to the Louisiana LGBT community. www.forumforequality.com

9/29/09-10/04/09: Palm Springs, CA: IAGLBC Annual Bridge Tournament. sponsored by the International Association of Gay & Lesbian Bridge Clubs. www.GayBridge.org

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Hey Boys and Girls, Who's Gay ?

1. Question: Name this cartoon couple of 25+ years, who were assumed to be gay. A 1993 film documentary about them confirmed the urban legend, but their creators denied that they were any more than “just friends”. Answer: Bert & Ernie from “Sesame Street”, profiled in the Peter Spears’ documentary “Ernest & Bertram”, a film that the couple’s creators tried to block.

2. Question: Name this British born member of a television quartet, who was accused in 1999 by a member of the religious right of promoting a “homosexual agenda”. The cleric said this stylish puppet “looked gay”. Answer: Tinky Winky from “The Teletubbies”, outed by Jerry Falwell for accessorizing with a purse.

3. Question: Name this syndicated cartoon. One of its major characters came our on February 10, 1976, the first cartoon character to do so. Answer: Doonesbury. Andy Lippincott came out in Garry Trudeau’s acclaimed comic.

4. Question: Name this address, where a closeted Republican stockbroker puppet named Rod lives with his “roomate”, Nicky. Rod likes Broadway musicals from the 1940s and 1950s. Answer: Avenue Q. Rod and Nicky star in the Tony Award winning Broadway musical.

5. Question: Name this peripatetic cartoon hero who was chastized for hanging out with lesbian moms on a Vermont maple sugaring trip. P.S. The segment was filmed near the home of Vermont's tastiest same-sex couple, Ben & Jerry. Answer: Buster, the PBS Kids hero from "Postcards from Buster". The religious right came down on PBS for allowing this to air.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: September Milestones

1. Question: Name this French entertainer, born September 12, 1889, whose Lerner and Loewe signature song implied he liked the pretty Parisian pre-teens. In reality, he went home to his “valet” Felix Paquet for many years.

2. Question: Name this legislation, signed by President Clinton on September 20, 1996, which defined a hot LGBT community issue being debated today.

3. Question: Name this soldier, who came out on a Time Magazine cover titled “I Am A Homosexual” on September 8, 1975. He later became a gay rights activist.

4. Question: Name this TV series actress, who came out on the Advocate cover on September 21, 1993. She was the first regular series cast member on an American sitcom to do so.

5. Question: Name this lesbian rights organization, founded on September 21, 1955, which was on the forefront of the Pre-Stonewall women’s rights and gay rights movement. The group opened its first New York chapter in September, 1958.

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/