Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 10/26/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 43 October 26, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: October 26-November 1, 2009

This Just in !!! SUN: 10/25: Los Angeles, CA: Michael Kearns, the author/director who was the first Hollywood actor to come out on TV, launches his new book "The Drama of AIDS: My Lasting Connections with Two Plays That Survived the Plague" www.skylightbooks.com/event

This Just in !!! SUN: 10/25: Hollywood, CA: The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later benefit for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. All-star reading with Lisa Edelstein, Barrett Foa, Johnny Galecki, and appearance by Judy Shepard. www.matthewshepard.org

MON: 10/26: 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.

MON: 10/26: Denver, CO: An Evening with David Sedaris. Humorist and author. Also: TUE: 10/27: Irvine, CA: WED: 10/28: Carmel, CA: THU: 10/29: San Rafael, CA: FRI: 10/30: San Diego, CA: SAT: 10/31: Boise, ID: SUN: 11/01: Vancouver, BC: www.barclayagency.com/sedaris_appearances.html

MON: 10/26: New York, NY: Broadway Close Up: The John Kander Salute. with David Hyde Pierce, Debra Monk, and Karen Ziemba. www.kaufmancenter.org

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

WED: 10/28: New York, NY: Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Concert benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. www.broadwaycares.org

WED: 10/28: Richmond, IN: 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: 10/29: Washington, DC: Mary L. Gray discusses her book "Out in the Country: Youth, Media, and Queer Visibility in Rural America". Lambda Rising Books. lambdarising.com.

THU: 10/29: Washington, DC: Sir Ian McKellan, acclaimed actor and gay rights activist, performs his one-man autobiographical show "A Knight in Harman Hall". www.ShakespeareTheatre.org

SAT: 10/31: Los Angeles, CA: Rooftop Halloween Voyeur Party, benefitting The Trevor Project. LASC. http://www.thetrevorproject.org/events.aspx

Newsworthy:

Kevin Jennings, GLSEN founder and now President Obama's Safe Schools Czar, is under attack by a group of House Republicans who want him fired for supporting LGBT students. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/53-house-gop-sign-on-to-antigay-witch-hunt-against-kevin-jennings.html

"Laramie Updated". The production of "The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later", an epilogue to the original "Laramie Project" (which told the story of Matthew Shepard's murder and its impact on the people of Laramie) drew over 50,000 people to simultaneous performances in 150+ theatres. The New York Times reports: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/the-laramie-project-10-years-later-draws-50000-theatergoers/

Sweden: Tourism offices have been bombarded with inquiries from millions of men captivated by a mythical town of sex-mad lesbians in Chako Paul City. Australia's News.com reports: http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,28318,26182164-5014090,00.html

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Donal Og Cusack, the Irish hurler, has come out. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/irish-hurler-donal-og-cusack-im-gay.html

Coming Out: Law & Order SVU Special Agent George Huang MD comes out on the show's 10/21/09 episode. Huang is played by out actor B.D. Wong. After Elton reports: http://www.afterelton.com/TV/2009/10/law-oder-gay-character-revealed?#comment-96218

Coming Out: Jonathan Groff, Tony-nominee actor for "Spring Awakening" and recently seen in "Taking Woodstock", has come out. Broadway.com reports: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/let-sun-shine-hair-and-broadway-make-history-national-equality-march/

Features

Reflections: Lou Chibbaro Jr. has been a reporter at the Washington Blade for over 30 years. He recalls the news and the stories that he covered, as the LGBT paper celebrates its 40th Anniversary. Coming out stories played a big role on the agenda. http://www.washblade.com/2009/10-16/news/localnews/15372.cfm

Twenty Best Signs at the National Equality March: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-20-best-signs-at-the-national-equality-march

In Print:

Assembly Required: Notes from a Deaf Gay Life by Raymond Luczak. RID Press. Luczak shares stories from his days growing up as a deaf gay man in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and learning signs in secret, trying to follow the music on the radio in order to be cool like his hearing classmates, and feeling clueless whenever gay cultural icons like the Village People, Queen, and Bette Midler were promoted in his small hometown. After he graduated from high school and enrolled at Gallaudet University, the world’s only university for Deaf people, he discovered gay literature and came out soon after. http://www.raymondluczak.com/assemblyrequired/

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
***The Diary of Anne Frankenstein. HX Drag Queen of the Year Nominee Mimi Imfurst stars as Anne, who hides in a lab attic in Bavaria. to 11/08/09. www.thediaryofannefrankenstein.com
***Fela! The musical story of groundbreaking African composer, performer and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti staged by out Bill T. Jones.
***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.
***Justin Bond, best known as Kiki (of Kiki and Herb fame), in concert. 10/31/09. www.joespub.com.
***Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter. a new musical about her glamourous life with gay husband Cole Porter. to 11/21/09. www.lovelindathemusical.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...

***Abraham Lincoln's Big Gay Dance Party. Aaron Loeb's comedy. A rural third grade teacher outs Abe at the annual Christmas pageant. to 11/08/09. Storrs, CT. www.crt.uconn.edu
***Dixie's Tupperware Party, bringing Tupperware-mania to a theatre near you. Dixie Longate stars. to 11/08/09, Columbus, OH; www.DixiesTupperwareParty.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
***The Little Dog Laughed. A Hollywood agent goes bonkers when her matinee idol client decides to come out. to 11/08/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctscf.org
***Margaret Cho in concert.. 10/30/09, Palm Springs, CA. www.margaretcho.com.
***Parade. TR Knight ("Greys Anatomy") stars as Leo Frank in the musical about a 1913 murder in Atlanta. to 11/15/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.centertheatregroup.org.
***A Streetcar Named Desire. The Tennessee Williams classic with Cate Blanchett as Blanche in the Sydney Theatre Company production, directed by Liv Ullman. to 11/21/09. Kennedy Center. Washington, DC. www.sydneytheatre.com.au
***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)

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.
***8: The Mormon Proposition is a new documentary about the involvement of the Church of Latter Day Saints' involvement in the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Written and directed by Reed Cowan and narrated by Dustin Lance Black. http://www.towleroad.com/2009/10/documentary-exposes-mormon-financial-contributions-to-prop-8.html
***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 (gay) Elliot Tiber's memoir.

Out On Video & DVD

***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.
***The L Word. The Complete Series in a box set.
***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/November: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***October: An Englishman in New York. John Hurt plays Quentin Crisp in a film about the last years of his life. Among the co-stars: Cynthia Nixon, Denis O'Hare, Jonathan Tucker. Logo. Check local listings.
***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

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

11/03/09: Boston, MA: HX Gay & Lesbian Travel Expo. http://gaylifetravel.squarespace.com/

11/04/09: Washington, DC: Raymond Luczak shares his tale of growing up gay and deaf in his new book "Assembly Required: Notes from a Deaf Gay Life". Lambda Rising Books. www.lambdarising.com.

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

11/09/09: New York, NY: Jane Lynch of "Glee" (Sue, the cheerleader coach) appears in the first installment of "Newsmakers" at the LGBT Center. www.gaycenter.org.

11/11/09: New York, NY: 2nd Annual Travel Summit/Insiders Europe. www.outprofessionals.org.

11/14/09: Hartford, CT: One Big Event. Benefit for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. http://www.hglhc.org/onebigevent/index.html

11/20/09-11/22/09: West Palm Beach, FL: 2009 Anti-Heterosexism Conference. In-depth workshops open to everyone who seeks to challenge the harmful affects of heterosexism, reparative therapy, ex-gay ministries and other efforts to change people’s sexual orientation. http://www.soulforce.org/anti-heterosexism-conference

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

11/30/09: New York, NY: A Very MARY Holiday Benefit for Broadway Speaks OUT & The Ali Forney Center. Featuring Nick Adams and Jeffery Self and Cole Escola of Logo "Jeffery & Cole Casserole". www.broadwayspeaksout.com

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Marches for Equality

1. Question: When did the first major National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights take place ? It drew over 75,000 people to the Nation's Capitol to demand equal civil rights and urge the passage of protective civil rights legislation. It drew major LGBT figures of the times, amongst them Allen Ginsberg, Troy Perry, and Leonard Matlovich. Answer: October 14, 1979, ten years after Stonewall.

2. Question: Name this activist, very much involved in last week's Equality March. A contemporary of Harvey Milk (he was played by Emile Hirsch in the recent film), he was a co-founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. His memorial initiative to people with AIDS was unveiled for the first time in public at the secondMarch on Washington. Answer: Cleve Jones, founder of the AIDS Quilt.

3. Question: Name the initiative, which evolved from the second major March on Washington in 1987, which drew over 500,000 people to demand government action, especially by the Reagan administration, in the fight against AIDS. Today, this initiative supports an act of bravery in the LGBT community. Answer: National Coming Out Day, which launched in 1988.

4. Question: Name this national center, which opened days before the 1993 LGBT March on Washington. It's part memorial, part history museum about the marginalization and extermination of minorities, gays included. One major gay rights symbol traces it roots to this dark historical period. Answer: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which has sent exhibitions about the persecution of gays during Nazi Germany on national tours. The pink triangle traces its roots as a symbol to identify gays in Nazi concentration camps.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: November Milestones

1. Question: Name this successful LGBT news magazine, subject of a front page profile in the Wall Street Journal on November 3, 1975. It continues to be one of the leading LGBT news sources today.

2. Question: Name this out comic, the first openly-gay cast member of “Saturday Night Live”. He joined the company on November 9, 1985, and did a great “Nancy Reagan”.

3. Question: Name this bisexual American designer born November 19, 1942. Many people have his name below their belts. When Mark Wahlberg teamed up with him, Times Square had fender benders for days.

4. Question: Name this gay photographer and artist, born November 4, 1946. He was known for his “uptown” floral portraits, but his “downtown” nudes and S&M pictures caused a censorship controversy in the 1980s.

5. Question: Name this award-winning play (and subsequent film), which opened on Broadway on November 20, 1934. It profiled two schoolteachers accused of being lesbians. Its author, one of the most celebrated female playwrights in 20th century literature, wrote a play which made Talullah Bankhead an American icon.

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/