Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 10/12/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 41 October 12, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: October 12-18, 2009

October: LGBT History Month: http://www.glbthistorymonth.com/glbthistorymonth/2009/

Editor's Pick! MON: 10/12: 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.

MON: 10/12: Tulsa, OK: An Evening with David Sedaris. Humorist and author. Also: TUE: 10/13: Fayetteville, AR: WED: 10/14: Minneapolis, MN: THU: 10/15: Davenport, IA: FRI: 10/16: Champaign, IL: SAT: 10/17: Columbus, OH: SUN: 10/18: East Lansing, MI: An Evening with David Sedaris. Humorist and author. http://www.barclayagency.com/sedaris_appearances.html

MON: 10/12: Towson, MD: 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

THU: 10/15: West Hollywood, CA: Christian Siriano, star of “Project Runway”, signing copies of "Fierce Style". 9:30 PM. Book Soup. Also: SAT: 10/17: Bloomington, MN: 2PM. Nordstrom Court.

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

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

FRI-SUN: 10/16-10/18: New York, NY: 5th Annual Broadway Cabaret Festival. 10/16: David Merrick Tribute. 10/17: Linda Eder. 10/18: Broadway Originals. www.the-townhall-nyc.org.

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

SAT: 10/17: West Hartford, CT: AIDS Walk 2009 to benefit AIDS Project Hartford. www.aphct.org

SAT: 10/17: Phoenix, AZ: Peterson Toscano performs his solo theatre piece "Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible" about gender-variant Bible characters. www.petersontoscano.com

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

Newsworthy:

Texas: A judge has ruled that two gay men, married in another state, can divorce in Texas (where same-sex marriage is banned) saying that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The Dallas Morning News reports: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/DN-gaydivorce_02met.ART.State.Edition2.4bcd80d.html

The Buzz (People Making News)

Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN, advocate for LGBY youth, and now at the U.S. Department of Education, is under attack from the right wing over a decades old counseling incident. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/under-attack-from-right-education-departments-kevin-jennings-releases-statement-on-counseling-incide.html

Donna Sachet made history as the first drag queen to sing the National Anthem at a Major League Baseball Game. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/donna-sachet-is-first-drag-queen-to-sing-national-anthem-at-major-league-baseball-game.html

Cheyennetologists Take Note: Rumors abound that hot out Broadway star Cheyenne Jackson is bound for "30 Rock", spreading the Cheyennetology movement nationwide. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/133411-Is_Cheyenne_Jackson_30_Rock-Bound%3F

In Memoriam:

Kevin McGee, ex-husband of "Little Britain" star Matt Lucas, hung himself after leaving a Facebook note. The Daily Mail reports: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1218387/Kevin-McGee-ex-husband-Little-Britain-star-Matt-Lucas-hangs-leaving-Facebook-suicide-note.html

Features

Iraq: Gay Pogroms and Americans shepherding gay Iraqis to safety. New York Magazine reports: http://nymag.com/news/features/59695/

The High Price of Being a Gay Couple. Gay rights isn't just about marriage, protections, and equality. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/your-money/03money.html

T.R. Knight makes the move from "Grey's Anatomy" to serious theatre. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-knight4-2009oct04,0,3923126.story

The Resource Center:

Prime Timers Worldwide: A social network for older gay and bisexual men. There are chapters and travel programs across the country. http://www.primetimersww.org/

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Boy and His Soul. Colman Domingo's one-man musical about coming of age and coming out. to 11/01/09. http://www.vineyardtheatre.org/show-a-boy-and-his-soul.html
***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.
***Finian's Rainbow. An old show with good tunes and Cheyenne Jackson starring as Woody for the swoon quotient.
***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. She wakes up with a dead gay Republican in her bed and more. to 1/03/10. www.roundabouttheatre.org

Elsewhere...

***Dixie's Tupperware Party, bringing Tupperware-mania to a theatre near you. Dixie Longate stars. to 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
***I Am My Own Wife, the fascinating real-life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German transvestite who managed to survive both Nazi rule and the repressive East German Communist regime. to 11/08/09. Sacramento, CA. www.bstreettheatre.org
***Insatiable Hunger. Lea Delaria stars in a new musical about a washed-up rock star who comes face-to-face with her past. to 10/23/09. Wellfleet, MA. www.what.org.
***Parade. TR Knight ("Greys Anatomy") stars in the revival of the musical about a 1913 lynching in Atlanta. to 11/15/09. Los Angeles, CA.www.centertheatregroup.org.
***Tiny Kushner. Five short plays by out playwright Tony ("Angels in America") Kushner. to 11/29/09. Berkeley, CA. www.berkeleyrep.org

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Resource: GLAAD's Guide to What's LGBT in Film: http://glaadblog.org/whats-lgbt-in-film/

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
***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.
***Every Little Step: The Journey of "A Chorus Line".
***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.
***Out At Work. The documentary that vividly illustrates what happens when LGBT people are not legally protected from employment discrimination. The new DVD has updates to reflect the 2009 status of LGBT workplace rights. /www.newday.com/films/outatwork.html?code=H2U7UA
***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

***October: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***October: Outrage. Kirby Dick's ("This Film is Not Yet Rated") documentary, a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Includes analysis by Barney Frank, Jim McGreevey, Larry Kramer, Michelangelo Signorile, and Mike Rogers. thru 11/10/09. http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/outrage/index.html
***FRI: 10/16: Ugly Betty two-hour season premiere. 8PM. ABC.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

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 San Francisco cast of "Wicked", Patty Duke, Bruce Vilanch, Judy Gold and others. www.defyinginequality.com.

11/05/09-11/14/09: Chicago, IL: Reeling 2000: Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Fest. www.reelingfilmfestival.org

11/22/09: New York, NY: 16th Annual Race to Deliver. Road race in Central Park to benefit God's Love We Deliver to help provide life-sustaining meals for those living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-altering illnesses. www.racetodeliver.org

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: National Coming Out Day

1. Question: Name this real-life teen who came out to his all-American family on January 15, 1973, on television’s first “reality series”. Hint: He later became a musician and a magazine columnist. Answer: Lance Loud. the Loud family was profiled on PBS’ “An American Family”.

2. Question: Name the comic strip, whose major character came out on February 10, 1976. He was the first comic hero to do so. Answer: Doonesbury. The character was Andy Lippincott.

3. Question: Name this singer, the first major entertainment figure to come out in an Advocate cover story on October 16, 1992. Her career never suffered as a result, and she paved the way for other entertainers, from Amanda Bearse to Nathan Lane. Answer: k.d. lang.

4. Question: Names this high-level American elected official who came out under duress on July 20, 1983. A fellow Congressman from his home state followed four years later. They were amongst the highest-ranked out public officers prior to Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin and New Jersey Governor James McGreevey. Answer: Gerry Studds, Massachusetts congressman. Barney Frank came out after him on May 30, 1987.

5. Question: Name this Emmy winner, who came out on television and on the cover of Time on February 14, 1997. Other Emmy winners who have since come out include: Rosie O’Donnell (2002) and Cynthia Nixon (2004). Answer: Ellen DeGeneres.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Opera: Queens and Divas

You don't have to know or like opera to figure these out.

1. Question: Name this 2000 opera, written by an out composer and playwright, who were inspired by Susan Sarandon and the story of a Louisiana sister. Hint: It has become one of the most popular contemporary operas, alongside Andre Previn’s “A Streetcar Named Desire”.

2. Question: Name this 20th century diva, whose offstage life was as dramatic as her roles (Fanny Ardont played her in a Zefferelli biographical film. Faye Dunaway, Dixie Carter and Patti LuPone played her onstage.). She inspired gay playwright Terrence McNally twice; Nathan Lane became a star because of McNally’s first play.

3. Question: Name this gay opera composer who wrote many leading roles for his off-stage partner of many years. His final work (1973), based on a German novella, was the story of an older man obsessed with a beautiful Venetian twink.

4. Question: Name this historical character, whose life and tragic death became the subject of a 1995 American opera. The character rose to fame in post-Stonewall America as an out politican and gay rights activist.

5. Question: Name this opera which inspired a Broadway musical which has starred an American idol, a TV-show cop, a very young doctor, a green witch, and a queer guy. Hint: It’s not “Madama Butterfly (which became “Miss Saigon”) or “Carmen” (which became “Carmen Jones”).

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/