Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 7/19/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 28 July 19, 2010
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com

The Fine Print

See previous editions

The Gay Agenda: Datebook: July 19-25, 2010

Ongoing: Global: 2010 Pride Season. Parades, fairs, festivals celebrating LGBT Pride around the world. www.interpride.org

thru SAT: 8/07: New York, NY: 19th annual HOT! Festival of queer culture and performance. Participants include: Julie Halston, Sweetie, Steve Hayes, David Ilku, Jody Lennon, Bradford Scobie, Clark Beasley, Greg Wallach, and Jay Rogers. www.hotfestival.org

Just Added: SAT: 7/17: Los Angeles, CA: Coming Out in Hollywood, a panel discussion with publicist Howard Bragman and Family Ties actress Meredith Baxter and other industry leaders. Outfest. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-0707-outfest-20100707,0,6163780.story

MON-SUN: 7/19-8/08: New York, NY: International CringeFest. Theme nights include: Sex Encounters of a Disturbed Mind; Psycho Bitch Party; Is That a Corncob in Your Pocket?; Sex, Thugs & Rockin' Roles; Dow Jones Meets Deep Throat; and No Holes Barred. www.nyartists.org.

WED: 7/21: New York, NY: Oasis, The Ali Forney Center’s Inaugural Summer Benefit .
RuPaul's Drag Race contestant Jujubee will appear. The Ali Forney Center is the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. www.aliforneycenter.org

WED-SUN: 7/21-7/25: Easton Mtn/Greenwich, NY: Camp Nehirim for Nice Jewish Boys. The fayest Jewish summer camp ever. http://www.nehirim.org/summer2010

THU: 7/22: New York, NY: Broadway in Bryant Park. Free lunchtime (12:30PM) concerts featuring casts of “Chicago” and “A Little Night Music”. www.1067litefm.com

FRI: 7/23: New York, NY: Carol Channing and Channing impersonator Richard Skipper sign CDs of Channing’s new gospel album “For Heaven’s Sake”. 6PM. Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Square.

FRI-SUN: 7/23-8/01: New Haven, CT: International Cabaret Conference at Yale University. Performers include: Jason Graae, Sharon McKnight, Julie Wilson, Tovah Feldshuh, Faith Prince. www.thecabaretconferenceatyale.com

FRI-SUN: 7/23-7/25: Concord, NH: TransForm New Hampshire, uniting the T with the LGB. the first annual conference to educate the LGBT and allies community about transgender identities in New England. http://transform.transmentors.org/nh/

FRI-MON: 7/23-7/26: Alexandria, MN: Family Camp 2010. Family Equality Council’s summer camp for LGBT families and friends. http://www.familyequality.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_familycamp&AddInterest=1101

SUN: 7/25: New York, NY: Broadway Impact Summer Series. Performance by Broadway’s “American Idiot” to benefit the marriage equality group. Joe’s Pub. www.joespub.com.

SUN: 7/25: New York, NY: New York’s Gone Mad. The Mad Men Season 4 World Premiere Screening Event. 7PM. Times Square. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123562287689011

Newsworthy:

Court Deals Blow to DOMA. In a major victory for marriage equality advocates, a federal judge in Boston ruled 7/08/10 in two separate cases that a critical portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/us/09marriage.html

The DADT Survey, distributed to 400,00 armed service members, has a tinge of homophobia. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/07/dadt-survey.html

Connecticut: A woman was denied an award in her deceased wife’s medical malpractice suit. 365Gay.com reports: http://www.365gay.com/news/connecticut-woman-denied-award-in-deceased-partner’s-malpractice-suit/

Georgia: A federal judge in Atlanta has handed a legal victory to Vandy Beth Glenn, a transgender woman who was fired from her job as legislative editor for the Georgia General Assembly after announcing she would transition from male to female. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/transgender-woman-wins-ruling-565280.html

The University of Illinois has fired a professor, after a student filed a complaint that the teacher was spewing hate speech.. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/07/school-fires-professor-for-personal-views-on-gays.html

The Today Show will open its Modern Day Wedding Contest to same-sex couples. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/07/08/Today_Show_Marriage_Contest/

Gay Teen Database Privacy at Risk in Bankruptcy Case. The fate of a database containing thousands of gay teens’ names is in question following the bankruptcy of XY Magazine, which owned the names. While creditors want to grab the asset, opponents say it would violate the privacy of minors. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/07/13/Gay_Database_Jeopardized_By_Bankruptcy/

Teen Vogue’s “Sound Off” coolumn advises teens how to treat a “gay best friend”. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/07/07/Teen_Vogue_on_How_to_Treat_a_Gay_Best_Friend/

Awards and Honors:

Nominees: Prime Time Emmys: “Glee” picks up 19 bids.
The complete list: http://www.emmys.com/nominations
Towleroad’s assessment: : http://www.towleroad.com/2010/07/62nd-annual-emmy-nominations-announced-out-is-in.html

Photo Shoots and Video

Video: The Proposition 8 Handbook. via Towleroad. http://www.towleroad.com/2010/07/video-get-caught-up-on-proposition-8-in-less-than-five-minutes.html

Video: The Golden Girls on marriage equality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xxpd3Ye0zA&NR=1

Video: Sherry Vine’s Lady Gaga Spoof. Vine takes on politicians in the closet. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/07/12/Alejandro_Drag_Parody_Takes_on_the_Closet/

Features

Andrew Cuomo, possibly New York’s next governor, supports gay rights, but how much? The New York Times weighs in. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/nyregion/09gays.html?hp

Playwrighting and Parenting. Partners Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary are profiled by Playbill.com: http://www.playbill.com/playblog/2010/07/jonathan-tolins-and-robert-cary-a-pair-practicing-playwriting-and-parenting/

Fighting for the Right to Marry. Susan Green’s story from NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128409696&sc=fb&cc=fp

Scott M. Stringer, the Manhattan borough president, says that if gays can’t marry in New York, he’ll take his upcoming wedding elsewhere. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/nyregion/10stringer.html?_r=1&hp

Tom Ford: From Fashion to Film. The Terry Gross interview from NPR’s “Fresh Air”. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128380389

The Resource Center:

Project Lifevest. A lifevest to at-risk LGBTQ youths in need. Their mission is simple: "To be a helping hand, a life vest, to as many LGBTQ teens and adults as possible. We will carry out this mission through the establishment of safe places in as many cities as possible; through opening a call center with a qualified and well-educated and experienced team of counselors who can give advice and guidance where needed; through finding qualified and screened families who can, if the need arises, host rejected teens while they finish schooling or find a new place."http://www.projectlifevest.org/

In Print:

New LGBT Books for July from Lambda Literary Foundation: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/07/09/new-in-july/

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Night at the Tombs. World premiere musical written and performed by TG legend Bianca Leigh. . to 8/05/10. www.SpinCycleNYC.com.
***Another American: Asking and Telling. Mark Wolf’s tour-de-force one man show about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Mondays from 7/12/10-8/30/10. Proceeds benefit several LGBT non-profits. http://www.facebook.com/anotheramerican
***Beautiful Thing. Jonathan Harvey’s award-winning play (on which the film is based) about two boyhood friends in the London slums, who come of age and come out. to 7/25/10. www.spoontheater.org
***La Cage Aux Folles, a revival of the 1983 Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical, based on a French film, which inspired the film "Birdcage". Kelsey Grammer stars. www.LaCage.com
***Promises, Promises. Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth star in the Burt Bacharach & Hal David & Neil Simon musical. www.promisespromisesbroadway.com.
***Thank You For Being A Friend. The unauthorized musical parody inspired by the
beloved TV sitcom “The Golden Girls,”. to 8/01/10. Kraine Theatre
www.SpinCycleNYC.com

Elsewhere...

***It’s A Bird...It’s a Plane...It’s Superman! Hunk Matt Cavenaugh plays the man of steel in a revisal of the musical. to 7/25/10. Dallas, TX. www.dallastheatercenter.org.
***Pearls Over Shanghai. San Francisco’s Longest-Running Cockettes Musical. to 12/19/10. San Francisco, CA: http://thrillpeddlers.com
***Queertopia: The Anti Violence Project, the work by Paula Gilovich and the About Face Youth Theatre Ensemble is a youth-driven oral-history project that explores violence within and against the LGBTQ communities in America. to 7/31/10. Chicago, IL. www.aboutfacetheatre.com
***Slap and Tickle. David Parr’s new play, set in a bathhouse, about how drugs, politics,
HIV, and the internet have changed the social landscape for gay men in America. to 8/14/10. Provincetown, MA. www.slapandtickleonline.com
***Yellow. A new dysfunctional family comedy by Del (“Sordid Lives”) Shores. to 7/25/10. West Hollywood, CA. www.yellowbydelshores.somc
***Zanna Don’t. The straight couple fall in love quietly in the all gay high school. to 7/31/10. Theatre Out, Santa Ana, CA. www.theatreout.com

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride. Bob Christie’s documentary shows that Pride is more than a parade, it’s a giant step on the road to global human rights.
***Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. A new documentary which follows from gig to gig, onstage and at home, and historically through the ups and downs of her career.
***The Kids Are All Right. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star in a two-mom family dramedy. Their kids seek out their sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo). http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/the_kids_are_all_right
***Stonewall Uprising, a new documentary by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner covering the 3-day Stonewall riots in 1969. http://firstrunfeatures.com/stonewalluprising_playdates.html
***Violet Tendencies. Mindi Cohn (“The Facts of Life”) plays a fag hag in this new romantic comedy. www.violettendenciesmovie.com. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJi_HtHFLFY

Out On Video & DVD

***A Single Man. Tom Ford's debut film, an adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel, about a day in the life of a gay man, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. .
***Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin, the documentary about the visionary civil rights activist and out mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King.
***Cinema Pride Collection. 10 time-tested queer films spanning 40 years of Hollywood from 1961 onward. http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=arts&sc=movies&sc2=news&sc3&id=106677
***8: The Mormon Proposition, initially a documentary about gay teen homelessness and suicide in Utah. Director Reed Cowan added the Mormon involvement in Proposition 8 into the mix.
***I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Kevin James and Adam Sandler play straight firefighters who pretend to be gay in order to reap their company's domestic partner benefits.A rather tepid comedy.
***Out in the Silence. A small town confronts a firestorm of controversy ignited by a same-sex wedding announcement in the local newspaper. Available for viewing online. http://www.hulu.com/watch/157306/out-in-the-silence

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

***July: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***July/August: The 70s: The Way We Were. Marvin Hamlisch hosts a concert of 70s pop stars including Gloria Gaynor for PBS. Check local listings. www.pbs.org.
***WED: 7/21: Carol Channing schmoozes with “The View” ladies. ABC Daytime. Check local listings.
***THU: 7/22: Bryan Batt visits with “The View” ladies. ABC Daytime. Check local listings.
***SUN: 7/25: MadMen: Season 4 begins. AMC. Season promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ehEi0eFJqw

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

Ongoing: Global: 2010 Pride Season. Parades, fairs, festivals celebrating LGBT Pride around the world. www.interpride.org

7/31/10-8/07/10: Provincetown, MA: 15th Annual Family Week, for LGBT families and friends. http://www.familyequality.org/site/Calendar/1740357659?view=Detail&id=100061

7/31/10: Washington Depot, CT: Tea for 200, the annual garden party benefit for the Washington Art Association and Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Danbury. www.teafor200.info/.

7/31/10-8/07/10: Cologne, Germany: Gay Games, 8th edition of the quadrennial event. www.games-cologne.com

8/03/10-8/10/10: Walhalla, MI: Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. Music by women for women since 1976. www.michfest.com

8/08/10-8/15/10: Los Angeles, CA: Writer’s Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices. Sponsored by Lambda Lit at the American Jewish University. http://www.lambdaliterary.org/writers-retreat/

8/12/10-8/15/10: San Francisco, CA: Homo A Go Go. Queer arts festival. www.homoagogo.com.

8/13/10-8/29/10: New York, NY: New York International Fringe Festival. emerging theatre serious and otherwise from 197 theatre troupes at 20 venues in lower Manhattan. www.fringenyc.org.

8/14/10: San Francisco, CA: .The Big Gay 10K. www.thebiggay10k.com

8/15/10: San Francisco, CA: Help is On The Way XVI. a benefit for four Bay Area AIDS Service Agencies. www.helpisontheway.org

8/22/10-8/29/10: Porter, ME: Camp Camp. Summer camp for LGBT adults.
www.campcamp.com

8/26/10-8/28/10: Miami Beach, FL: Lavendar Law 2010. National LGBT Bar Association 2010 Career Fair and Conference. http://lgbtbar.org/annual/

8/26/10-8/29/10: Philadelphia, PA: Rainbow Boogie 2010 World’s only gay skydiving event. www.rainbowskydivie.com.

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Friends of Dorothy

1. Question: Name this character. Amongst the original Friends of Dorothy, one friend's real life son married Dorothy's real-life daughter. Answer: The Tin Man, played by Jack Haley. Jack Haley, Jr married Judy Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli. Their 1970s marriage was brief.

2. Question: Name this TV series set in the Emerald City, in which two Friends of Dorothy had a brutal romance. One emerged as a compassionate cop; the other emerged on a suburban lane, where he romanced a housewife's son. Answer: Oz, which starred Christopher Meloni ("Law & Order SVU") and Lee Tergesen ("Desperate Housewives") as prison buddies. The prison unit was called "Emerald City".

3. Question: Name this 1978 film, based on an earlier musical, which urbanized the friends of Dorothy, who was played by a diva. Her recently-deceased scarecrow was said to resemble her appearance. Answer: "The Wiz". Diana Ross played Dorothy and Michael Jackson was her scarecrow. The Broadway version was revived this summer with Ashanti as Dorothy.

4. Question: Name this prequel to Dorothy's story, based upon a best-selling book written by an out author. It tells Dorothy's story from the viewpoint of two witches, one who wants to be popular and one who is green. Answer: "Wicked", the blockbuster musical based on Gregory Maguire's book "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch".

5. Question: Which of the following has not played a Witch ? A) DeeDee Bridgewater, B) Kristin Chenoweth, C) Lena Horne, D) Bebe Neuwirth E) Billie Burke. Answer: Bebe Neuwirth. DeeDee Bridgewater was "Glinda" in Broadway's "The Wiz" and Lena Horne played the role in the film. Chenoweth was "Galinda" in "Wicked" and Billie Burke was the original "Glinda".

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Coming Out on the Page, On-Stage, On-Screen

1. Question: Name this American author, who wrote the ultimate guide to coming out (for LGBT people and their families). It had its third printing in 2005. It provides answers to several hundred FAQ about homosexuality. He also wrote a book on coming out questions for a young adult audience in 2007. Hint: he wrote a couple of LGBT history books and biographies.

2. Question: Name this American mom, whose daughter came out to her on a Gulf Coast beach over 20 years ago. As her daughter became active and visible in the LGBT community, she wrote a best-selling book about love and acceptance. She’s now an authority and an activist in coming out programs.

3. Question: Name this Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway hit, in which an audition turns into a an inner “reveal” for its participants, including a Latino who recalls the painful process of coming out to his parents. Hint: the actor playing the Latino won a Tony Award for his performance.

4. Question: Name this American author, who wrote his coming out autobiography in the early 1970s. When he came out publicly, and wrote the sequel some 20 years later, it turned out that this privileged Ivy Leaguer was a highly visible best-selling author and political activist in real time.

5. Question: Name this British stage play, turned 1998 film, that like “Beautiful Thing” combined a coming out and coming of age story in poignant terms. The play, much more intense than the film, was recently revived in San Francisco.

The first person to submit the correct answers gets their name in print right here. Email your answers to: COSNewsweekly@gmail.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/