Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 2/21/11

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 14 No. 7 February 21, 2011
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.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 COSNewsweekly@gmail.com and write “Subscribe COS News” in subject line.
To unsubscribe: Email COSNewsweekly@gmail.com and write “Cancel COS News” in subject line.

The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 21-27, 2011

thru SAT: 6/04: Nationwide: David Sedaris continues his book tour with his new bestseller “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk”. http://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html

MON: 2/21: Los Angeles, CA: Carol Channing 90th Birthday Celebration. Bruce Vilanch emcees. Other Dollys in attendance: Carole Cook, Joanne Worley, Phyllis Diller. 323.933.9266 ext. 34

TUE: 2/22: Sacramento, CA: Screening: Gen Silent,Stu Maddox’s new documentary about six LGBT elders and their caregivers in Boston. Also: THU: 2/24: New York, NY, Washington, DC, Vancouver, BC. Also: FRI: 2/25: Seattle, WA: http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_screenings.html

WED: 2/23: Seattle, WA: dot429 Winter Networking Cocktails. Professional networking opportunities for the LGBTA Community. Roche Bobois. www.dot429.com

FRI-SUN: 2/25-4/24: Washington, DC: The Edward Albee Festival. Arena Stage celebrates the out playwright by presenting all 30 of his plays. www.arenastage.org.

SAT-SUN: 2/26-2/27: Boston, MA: Back to Work training program for transgender people seeking jobs. http://www.hrc.org/15215.htm

SAT-SAT: 2/26-3/05: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com

SUN: 2/27: Los Angeles, CA: Academy Awards. www.oscars.org

Newsworthy:

Resource: Free LGBT News E-Newsletter. Gay Politics Report comes out twice-weekly with news briefings. From Smart Brief. An excellent resource for LGBY officials, business organizations, and community leaders. http://www.smartbrief.com/lgbt/

DOMA, The Defense of Marriage Act, impedes same-sex marriages. The Hartford Courant reports: http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/hc-op-stanback-doma-0213-20110213,0,6466081.story

Massachusetts: The latest census shows an increase in same-sex couples. Boston.com reports: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/02/08/more_listed_in_state_as_same_sex_couples/

Photo Shoots and Video

Broadway Backwards, the fundraiser where the boys sing the girls songs and vice versa. A benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Center.
***Photos: The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/02/09/theater/20110209-backwards-10.html
***Video: BroadwayWorld.com reports: http://broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=208721

Features

Couples to Admire. The Advocate salutes a dozen. http://www.advocate.com/Society/Commentary/Couples_to_Admire/

The Resource Center: Anti-Bullying Information and Resources

***A Thin LIne. A site offering information, stories and quiz for those who have digital drama. www.athinline.org

***Bullying.org A site dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and to preventing, resolving and eliminating bullying in society. www.bullying.org

***GLSEN. A great organization that is working to eradicate bullying and bias in schools
www.glsen.org

***The National Center for Bullying Prevention: Helping to promote awareness and teach effective ways to respond to bullying. www.Pacer.org/bullying or http://kidsagainstbullying.org/

***National School Safety and Security Services. Bullying, anti-bullying legislation, school safety. www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/bullying.html

***No Bully. Helps schools to implement an anti-bullying policy and create school cultures where every student feels included. http://www.nobully.com/

***Project Change. A grassroots, nonprofit organization comprised of youth and adults who believe that high levels of youth engagement are essential to building strong, vibrant and healthy communities. www.projectchange-md.org

***STOMP Out Bullying Focused on reducing bullying and cyberbullying. www.stompoutbullying.org

***Stop Bullying Now: US Department of Health and Human Services offers flash movies, games, and information about bullying and how to prevent it. 
www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids

***The Trevor Project. A 24-hour, national help-line for gay and questioning teens. 
866-4U-TREVOR or www.thetrevorproject.org

In Print:

Coming Out: It Gets Better: Living Proof. Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating A Life Worth Living. by Dan Savage and Terry Miller..Penguin. A collection of stories from many people, known and unknown, involved in the It Gets Better Project. Release date: 3/22/11. Pre-orders available. http://www.itgetsbetter.org/blog/entry/the-it-gets-better-book-coming-march-22nd/

Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering by Meredith Baxter. Crown Archetype. A successful TV actor and mother who conquered alcohol and came out. Release date: 3/01/11.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Tony Kushner’s award-winning epic. Michael Urie stars thru 3/27/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***Book of Mormon, the new musical penned by "South Park" co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker and “Avenue Q” Tony winner Robert Lopez.
***The Divine Sister. Charles Busch plays an indomitable Mother Superior driven to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. to 4/30/11. www.DivineSisterOnstage.com.
***The Importance of Being Earnest. Gay Oscar Wilde’s classic. Brian Bedford turns in a gender-bender as Lady Bracknell. to 7/03/11. www.roundabouttheatre.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". Harvey Fierstein and Jeffrey Tambor co-star.www.LaCage.com
***The Laramie Project, the story about the aftermath of the Matthew Shepard murder amongst the people of Wyoming. A benefit for The Trevor Project. The Looking Glass Theatre. 2/27/11. www.smarttix.com.
***The Loose Chanteuse. Varla Jean Merman’s new show. to 2/27/11. www.varlaonline.com
***My Scandalous Life, Thomas Kilroy’s portrait of Lord Alfred Douglas, who was Oscar Wilde’s lover. Des Keogh stars. to 3/06/11. http://www.irishrep.org/

Elsewhere...

***Grey Gardens, the award-winning musical about mother and daughter Beale. to 4/03/11. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. http://www.Risingactiontheatre.com/
***Little Miss Sunshine. A new musical by William “Falsettos” Finn and James Lapine based on the film. Hunter Foster and Malcolm Gets co-star. to 3/27/11. LaJolla, CA. www.lajollaplayhouse.org.
***Prometheus Bound. Gavin Creel and Lea DeLaria star in a new musical from Steven Sater and Serj Tankian, based on the Aeschylus tragedy. to 4/02/11. Cambridge, MA. www.americanrepertorytheater.org
***Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Tracy Letts and Amy Morton star as sparring spouses in out Edward Albee’s masterpiece. to 4/24/11. Washington, DC. www.arenastage.org.

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***Gen Silent,Stu Maddox’s new documentary about six LGBT elders and their caregivers in Boston. http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_screenings.html
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on Steve McVicker's book about real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris. (Ewan McGregor).
***Kaboom, a new film from Gregg Araki. The world according to Smith, a bisexual Southern California cinema studies major (Thomas Dekker).
***Rabbit Hole, John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig” and “Short Bus”) directs the movie version of the Broadway drama which stars Nicole Kidman. www.rabbitholefilm.com.

Out On Video & DVD

***HOWL, the docu-feature about Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
***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). .
***Prayers for Bobby. Sigourney Weaver stars in a true story about the mother of a gay son who has problems accepting him.
***William S. Burroughs: A Man Within. Documentary about the Beat Generation icon and one of the first writers to explore queer culture in the 1950’s.

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 frequently. www.glaad.org/tvgayed

***February: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***SUN: 2/27: 83rd Annual Academy Awards live from Los Angeles. ABC. www.oscars.org.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

2/28/11: New York, NY: Harmony. A musical gala to benefit the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus and Youth Pride Chorus. Ann Harada from “Avenue Q” stars. http://www.nycgmc.org/Event.aspx?EventId=HARMONY2011

3/05/11: New Haven, CT: The 8th Annual Dorothy Awards. New Haven Pride Center’s benefit honoring Rev. Marilyn Bowens, pastor of MCC New Haven; Tony Ferraiolo, co-founder and president of the Jim Collins Foundation; Robb Bart, owner of Gotham Citi; and the Northeast Ursamen. : http://bit.ly/dTWqRd

3/06/11: New York, NY: Broadway BearsXIV. The annual auction for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS with a collection of 40 one-of-a-kind celebrity autographed teddy bears. http://www.broadwaycares.org/Broadway_Bears_XIV_pre-event

3/07/11: New York, NY: Savor, Ted Allen hosts a culinary event to benefit the Gay Mens Health Crisis. https://act.gmhc.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=326

3/12/11-3/15/11: New York, NY: The 18th GLBT Expo. Trade show. http://www.originalglbtexpo.com/

3/13/11: New York, NY: ABC Daytime Salutes Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Stars from “All My Children”, “One Life to Live”, “General Hospital” and “The View” perform to raise money for BroadwayCares. www.broadwaycares.org.

3/14/11: New York, NY: Straight for Equality Gala. PFLAG’s 3rd annual salute of straight allies in the LGBT community. http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=1341

3/19/11-3/26/11: Crested Butte, CO: Butte 11: Matthew Shepard Foundation Gay Ski Week, at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Some proceeds benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation. http://www.matthewshepard.org

3/19/11: Washington, DC: Servicemembers Legal Defense Network 19th annual National Dinner and Silent Auction. www.sldn.org/dinner

3/19/11: New York, NY: GLAAD Media Awards. Celebrating GLAAD’s 25th anniversary. http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards

3/20/11: Washington, DC: Victory Fund 20th Anniversary Champagne Brunch. www.victoryfund.org.

3/21/11: New York, NY: The Broadway Beauty Pageant. Broadway chorus boys compete in talent, formal wear and swim suits. A benefit for the Ali Forney Center. http://aliforneycenter.org/beauty/

3/27/`11-3/29/11: Washington, DC: GLSEN Safe Schools Advocacy Summit. http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/news/record/2680.html

3/28/11-4/03/11: Palm Springs, CA: Kraft Nabisco Golf Championship. previously known as the Dinah Shore Golf Championship. gurlz and golf.www.nabiscochampionship.com

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Valentine’s Day

1. Question: Name one member of this pair, together for 44 years. Both worked in a Washington, DC government office. Both were closeted. One was reportedly a cross-dresser after work, but before he put on his heels, he busted and ruined the lives of many homosexuals. Answer: J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson. Hoover ran the FBI; Tolson was his assistant. History says Hoover wasn’t particularly fetching in his red dress.

2. Question: Name this fun couple of 20+ years who were the toast of contemporary American arts and letters. One was an author and essayist who espoused many feminist theories of the day. The other immortalized pop culture's leading actors, entertainers, and icons with her magazine photography. Answer: Susan Sontag and Annie Liebovitz. Sontage died in 2004. Liebovitz photographs for "Vanity Fair".

3. Question: Name this celebrity who tried gay marriage at least twice: first, to Judy Garland’s opening act, and last, to a producer who is still licking his wounds. Answer: Liza Minnelli. Her first husband was singer/songwriter Peter Allen (“The Boy from Oz”). Her most recent hubby was David Gest.

4. Question: Name this couple, together professionally and personally for 40+ years. They produced over 45 major motion pictures. Answer: Ishmail Merchant and James Ivory. Their films included: “The Bostonians” (1984), “A Room with a View” (1986), “Maurice” (1987), and “Howards End” (1992). Merchant died in 2005.

5. Question: Name this fun couple. One, a TV mogul, made history a decade ago coming out on TV and in real life; the other, a sitcom star, came out recently. One is the first out person to host a major awards show; one adapted hhis/her name from a Shakespearean character. Answer: Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi. DeRossi adapted her name from the character of “Portia” in “The Merchant of Venice”.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Hooray for Hollywood

The Oscars air on Sunday, 2/27.

1. Question: Name this 1969 film, which featured gay themes and was the first X-rated film to win the “Best Picture” Oscar. Its openly gay director made several mainstream movies with gay characters.

2. Question: Name this 1972 Oscar-winning film, based on a Tony-winning musical based on a gay author’s journals about his life in Europe. It won 8 Oscars. Its in-your-face decadence featured threesomes, transvestites and other club types.

3. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for a breakthrough performance as a real-life transgender victim.

4. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for playing an HIV-infected man who was the subject of discrimination in the first major Hollywood film to deal with HIV.

5. Question: Name this out singer and songwriter who got an Oscar gold with a song about going green. For over a decade, this artist's music has been top of the charts; the artist is a GLAAD Media Award winner, a cancer survivor, and a spokesperson for coming out issues.

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/