Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 9/28/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 39 September 28, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: September 28-October 4, 2009

MON: 9/28/09: Austin, TX: 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. Book People. Also: http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Press_Media_Judy_BookTour09

MON-SUN: 9/28-10/18: New York, NY: New York Musical Theatre Festival. A showcase for new musicals. NYMF's previous success stories include "[title of show]", "Altar Boyz", "Yank!" and "The Big Voice: God or Merman". www.nymf.org.

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

TUE: 9/29: New York, NY: Jennifer Hudson and Julianne Hough perform a free concert before a 75th anniversary screening of "The Wizard of Oz". 7:30PM. Rumsey Playfield. Central Park.

WED: 9/30: Pasadena, CA: Kathy Griffin, queen of the D-List, signing copies of "Official Book Club Selections". 7PM, Vromans Books.

WED: 9/30: New York, NY: Matthew Broderick, star of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, speaks. 8PM. 92nd Street Y

WED: 9/30: Pittsfield, MA: An Evening with David Sedaris. Humorist and author. Also: THU: 10/01: Buffalo, NY; FRI: 10/02: Princeton, NJ; SAT: 10/03: Easton, PA; SUN: 10/04: Glenside/Philadelphia, PA http://www.barclayagency.com/sedaris_appearances.html or

WED: 9/30: Washington, DC: Stuart Weisberg signs copies of his new biography: "Barney Frank: The Story of America's Only Left-Handed, Gay, Jewish Congressman" 6:30PM. Lambda Rising Bookstore. www.lambdarising.com. Also: THU: 10/01: Rockville, MD: 7PM. Rockville Library.

THU: 10/01: Highland, NC: Peterson Toscano performs his solo theatre piece "Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House'." about surviving time in the ex-gay movement. www.petersontoscano.com

FRI-SUN: 10/02-10/04: Anaheim, CA: Gay Days Anaheim. the unofficial gay days at Disneyland. Entertainment includes: Eden Espinosa, Alec Mapa, Stacey Q, and Bruce Vilanch. www.GayDaysAnaheim.com

SAT: 10/03: Anaheim, CA: Youth Events at Gay Days Anaheim. 11AM-10PM. For 21 and under. http://www.thetrevorproject.org/events.aspx

SAT: 10/03: Bristol, CT: Out on The Lake at Lake Compounce. http://www.oicgifts.com/outinthepark/outatthelake/index.html

SUN: 10/04: Easton, PA: San Francisco, CA: Castro Street Fair. the arts & community groups street fair co-founded by Harvey Milk. www.castrostreetfair.org

Newsworthy:

Project Gaydar, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology experiment, identifies gay students, which raises questions about online privacy. The Boston Globe reports: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/09/20/project_gaydar_an_mit_experiment_raises_new_questions_about_online_privacy/?page=1

Schedule Update: 10/09/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Equality Across America: http://equalityacrossamerica.org/blog/?page_id=33

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Mika, the Euro pop star, came out bisexual in a Dutch magazine. He doesn't like the idea of "labeling". Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/09/mika-labels-himself-call-me-bisexual.html

Jane Castor, an out lesbian, was named chief of the Tampa Police Department by Mayor Pam Iorio on 9/16/09. Castor will be the first woman in Tampa’s history to hold the title after she is sworn in on 10/01/09. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/09/open-lesbian-jane-castor-named-first-female-police-chief-of-tampa.html

Jarrett Barrios, president of the GLAAD, has responded favorably to the addition of a gay judge and the progress of a same-sex dance couple on the popular television show, “So You Think You Can Dance.” The New York Times reports: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/gay-leader-likes-moves-on-so-you-think-you-can-dance/

Awards and Honors:

Emmy Awards Winners: The New York Times recap: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/arts/television/21emmylist.html?ref=television

Blogs Of Note

Band of Thebes. Interesting site with commentary on LGBT literature: http://bandofthebes.typepad.com/bandofthebes/

On CD:

***Alan Cumming: I Bought A Blue Car. An eclectic mix of pop, theater, punk and chamber rock on the bi actor's debut album. Yellow Sound Label. Release date: 9/22/09.
***Love Is The Answer, the newest solo recording from Barbra Streisand (her first studio collection since 2005). Columbia Records. Release date: 9/29/09.

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 Keith Huff play about two Chicago cops who are lifelong friends. to 12/06/09. www.asteadyrain.com.
***Billy Elliot, Elton John’s Tony-winning musical about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer. www.billyelliotbroadway.com.
***Hair, Tony-winning revival of the first major rock musical. www.publictheater.org.
*** Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Nora and Delia Ephron's new play. Tyne Daly and Rosie O’Donnell star to 10/18/09. www.LoveLossOnStage.com
***Wishful Drinking. Carrie Fisher's solo autobiographical show. to 1/03/10. www.roundabouttheatre.org

Elsewhere...

***Alan Cumming: I Bought a Blue Car Today. Cumming's show based on his new to 10/06/09. Hollywood, CA. www.iboughtabluecartoday.com.
***Dixie's Tupperware Party, bringing Tupperware-mania to a theatre near you. Dixie Longate stars. 9/30/09-10/18/09, Cleveland, OH. www.DixiesTupperwareParty.com
***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.
***Parade. TR Knight ("Greys Anatomy") stars as Leo Frank in tthe musical about a 1913 murder in Atlanta. to 11/15/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.centertheatregroup.org.
***The Picture of Dorian Gray, gay Oscar Wilde's scandalous thriller about a handsome young man (Roderick Hill) who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. to 10/04/09. Bethesda, MD. www.roundhousetheatre.org.

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***Coco Before Chanel, Audrey Tautou stars as the legendary fashion designer, as the film follows her early years, exploring her rumored lesbian affairs.
***Fame. A remake of the 1980 musical with Kelsey Grammer, Debbie Allen and Megan Mullally with a cast of unknowns playing the wannabe stars at a New York City performing arts high school.
***Hannah Free. Sharon Gless stars in the film adaptation of Claudia Allen's play about a woman who fights to see her lesbian partner one last time in a nursing home. Premiere screening:www.hannahfree.com
***Little Ashes, Paul Morrison's drama about the young lives and loves of Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel and Frederico Garcia Lorca. www.littleashes-themovie.com.
***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.
***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.
***The Patty Duke Show: Season One. Before Neely O'Hara, there were cousins, identical cousins all the way.
***The Wizard of Oz. 70th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition showcasing Dorothy and friends.

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/October: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***September: 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” On Logo On Demand throughout the month of September.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

10/05/09: New York, NY: A Place At the Table. Rufus Wainwright headlines the benefit for the Ali Forney Center, the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. www.aliforneycenter.org/

10/05/09: Washington, DC: Barney Frank signs copies of his new biography by Stuart Weisberg. 8PM. 6th and I Street Synagogue.

10/08/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Gay Bowl IX: The National Gay Flag Football Championship Tournament. www.dcmonuments.blogspot.com, .

10/08/09-10/11/09: Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.siglff.org

10/09/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Equality Across America: The National Equality March to let our elected officials know that now is the time for full equal rights for LGBT people nationwide. www.NationalEqualityMarch.com

10/11/09: Nationwide: National Coming Out Day. www.hrc.com/ncop

10/12/09: Nationwide: The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. A new epilogue to Moises Kaufman's award-winning theatrical docudrama, a study of the murder of Matthew Shepard, will be performed in over 100 theatres in all 50 states and several countries. www.laramieproject.org.

10/15/09-10/18/09: St. Petersburg, FL: InterPride 2009 Conference. Workshops for/by the International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Coordinators. www.interpride.org

10/15/09-10/18/09: San Francisco, CA: Sundance Stompede. San Francisco's annual LGBT country/ western dance weekend. www.stompede.com

10/16/09-10/25/09: Seattle, WA: Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. www.threedollarbillcinema.org

10/18/09: Los Angeles / West Hollywood, CA: AIDS Walk LA. www.aidswalk.net

10/24/09: Los Angeles, CA: Rise Up and Shout ! Voices of the next gay generation. A benefit for gay youth. LGBT elders leading the community and youth coming out showcase their voices and visiions. www.riseupandshout.com

10/26/09: San Francisco, CA: Defying Inequality: The San Francisco Concert, a benefit for Marriage Equality USA and Garden State Equality. Featuring the cast of "Wicked", Patty Duke, Bruce Vilanch, Judy Gold and others. www.defyinginequality.com.

10/26/09: Seattle, WA: A Life in the Theater: An Onstage Conversation with Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich. www.benaroyahall.org

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Touchdown

1. Question: Name this NFL running back, who is 1975, became one of the first professional athletes to come out. He was an All-American running back at The University of Washington, where he was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He played pro-football from 1964 to 1972. Answer: David Kopay. Today, he is a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation. His 1977 biography, The David Kopay Story, was written with Perry Deane Young.

2. Question: Name this NFL offensive lineman with the New York Giants and later with the Washington Redskins during Super Bowl XVIII in 1984. In 1992, he came out on the Phil Donahue Show. Answer: Roy Simmons, whose autobiography, "Out of Bounds" (written with Damon DiMarco) detailed his drug addiction, prostitution, and promiscuity. Around 1997, he learned he was HIV+.

3. Question: Name this NFL defensive lineman, born of Samoan ancestry, and nicknamed "Mr. Aloha". He reached the Super Bowl in 1998 while playing with the Atlanta Falcons. He also played for the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers during his career. He came out on HBO's "Real Sports" in 2002. Answer: Esera Tavai Tuaolo, who has since worked with the NFL to attempt to combat homophobia in the league and is a board member of the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation. Tuaolo's autobiography, "Alone In The Trenches: My Life As A Gay Man In The NFL", was released in 2006.

4. Question: Name this gay or bi football player who was a tight end for the NFL's Washington Redskins from 1965–1977. Sports Illustrated called him "an outstanding receiver among tight ends, with the ability to break open for a long gain." He was the first former professional football player to die of AIDS. Answer: Jerry Smith. Although he acknowledged that he had AIDS, he never publicly acknowledged his gay activities. Smith's sexuality was confirmed after his death by a former teammate, pro NFL football player David Kopay.

9/28: This Week’s Trivia Quiz: October Milestones

1. Question: Name this American celebrity, whose death from AIDS on October 2, 1985, brought international attention to the epidemic. Hint: One of his best friends stepped up to the arena to become the world’s leading HIV/AIDS fundraiser.

2. Question: Name this LGBT event, which began on October 11, 1988. Coincidentally, it’s also the birthday of a former First Lady, suspected of having a romantic relationship with another woman, a journalist. Their letters were made public on October 21, 1979.

3. Question: Name this international musician and composer who came out bisexual in Rolling Stone on October 7, 1975. He’s since revised his statement and identifies as gay.

4. Question: Name this gay man, the victim of a hate crime on October 6, 1998. (He died several days later). His murder, which inspired some important plays and films, launched a new era in the LGBT Rights Movement. His parents have taken on the cause.

5. Question: Name this actor and muse (born October 19, 1946) of American cinema’s most famous bad boy. The muse did her own stunt work as the world’s filthiest person and died shortly after winning mainstream approval as the mother of a chubby teen.

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/�