Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 3/28/11

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 14 No. 12 March 28, 2011
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: March 28-April 3, 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

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

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

MON: 3/28: New York, NY: Angela Lansbury and Friends salute Terrence McNally, the out playwright who has chronicled LGBT issues over the years. Among Angela’s “Friends”: Audra McDonald, Alan Cumming, John Glover, Malcolm Gets. An Acting Company benefit. www.telecharge.com.

MON: 3/28: Boston, MA: Screening: Gen Silent,Stu Maddox’s documentary about six LGBT elders and their caregivers in Boston. Hosted by the LGBT Aging Project. Coolidge Corner Cinema, Brookline. 7PM. Also: TUE: 3/29 Bridgewater, MA. FRI: 4/01: Cary, NC: SAT: 4/02: Chapel Hill, NC: SUN: 4/03: Charlotte, NC: http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_screenings.html

TUE: 3/29: Seattle, WA: It Gets Better Book Tour with Dan Savage. 7:30PM. Town Hall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvhZA0B_qiQ&feature=player_embedded

TUE-SUN: 3/29-4/03: Breckenridge, CO: OutBoard. annual LGBT snowboarding festival.www.outboard.org

THU: 3/31: Northampton, MA: Screening and Discussion: Transparent, the documentary about 19 FTM parents. Media Education Foundation Community Room. 7PM. http://www.transparentthemovie.com/

FRI-SUN: 4/01-4/03: Waltham, MA: National Union of Jewish LGBT Students National Conference. http://www.nehirim.org/nujls

FRI-SUN: 4/01-4/03: Sacramento, CA: GAYLA. GSA Advocacy and Youth Leadership Academy. A GSAnetwork 3--day intensive training in the legislative process, policy and administrative advocacy, media activism & other important related skills. https://gsanetwork.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=57

FRI: 4/01: New York, NY: LGBT Night at New York City Opera. A performance of “The Elixir of Love” and a concert by Juilliard-trained drag diva Shequida
http://www.nycopera.com/seasontickets/lgbtevent.aspx?utm_source=s110096&utm_medium=m110002&utm_campaign=c110033

SAT: 4/02: Los Angeles, CA: Original Cast 2. Carol Channing, Rita Moreno, and Robert Morse star in a benefit to raise monies for HIV/AIDS service organizations in Southern California. http://www.stagela.com/home.php

SUN: 4/03: Miami, FL: AIDS Walk Miami. www.aidswalkmiami.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/

Resource: Gay Rights Media. News and resources of interest for the LGBT Equality Movement. http://GayRightsMedia.org/

Coming Out-

Poll: Slim majority now backs gay marriage, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The results underscore the nation’s increasingly tolerant views about LGBT people, and parallel a string of recent legal and legislative victories for gay rights advocates. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/slim-majority-back-gay-marriage-post-abc-poll-says/2011/03/17/ABhMc7o_story.html

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Mike Mohill, candidate for Glendale CA City Council came out when his opponent outed him and outed himself. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/03/16/Council_Candidate_Comes_Out_Outs_Opponent/

Coming Out: Josh Flagg, a contestant in the Bravo reality series “Million Dollar Listing” has come out. (on the 3/22/11 episode). The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/03/21/Million_Dollar_Agent_Josh_Flagg_is_Gay/

Michael McRaith, the openly gay director of the Illinois Department of Insurance, will be named to lead the new Federal Insurance Office. U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner made the announcement on 3/17/11. The Windy City Media Group reports: http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=30979

Kate Middletown has asked her wedding guests to donate to an anti-bullying organization (in lieu of gifts), because she had been bullied as a teen. Bay Windows reports: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3&id=117643

Awards and Honors:

The Publishing Triangle, the association of lesbians and gay men in publishing, announced their finalists for Best Lesbian and Gay Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Debut Fiction Published in 2010 as well as the Ferro-Grumley Literary Awards. Lambda Lit reports: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/03/17/publishing-triangle-award/

Honorees: GLAAD Media Awards in New York. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/03/glaad.html

Daniel Radcliffe will be honored with the Trevor Project's Hero Award in New York in June. www.thetrevorproject.com.

Photo Shoots, Audio and Video

Photos: GLAAD Media Awards. From BroadwayWorld.com: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_22nd_Annual_GLAAD_Media_Awards_Part_One_20110320
http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_22nd_Annual_Glaad_Media_Awards_Part_Two_20000101

Photos: Priscilla Queen of the Desert from BroadwayWorld.com: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Flash_Exclusive_First_Look_at_PRISCILLA_QUEEN_OF_THE_DESERT_THE_MUSICAL_20110316

Photos: The Broadway Beauty Pageant fundraiser for LGBT homeless youth programs at the Ali Forney Center. BroadwayWorld. com reports: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_Broadway_Beauty_Pageant_20000101

Features

Changing The Game: The GLSEN Sports Project. The Advisory Group talks about why they got involved in the new GLSEN initiative to make K-12 sports and physical education inclusive and safe for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZVmiqSXOkM

Intersex Babies. Boy or Girl and who decides ? ABC reports: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/intersex-children-pose-ethical-dilemma-doctors-parents-genital/story?id=13153068&page=1

Ten Questions for Dan Savage (It Gets Better) from Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2059604,00.html

Changing Views on Same-Sex Experiences at College. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/education/18sex.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes

Preview: Broadway Bares posters. The New York Times reports: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/first-look-at-broadway-bares-xxi-posters/?smid=tw-nytimestheater

The Resource Center:

Steven Petrow’s Gay & Lesbian Manners E-Newsletter. LGBT advice for dating, sex, coming out, marriage, and other matters. http://www.gaymanners.com/index.php/newsletter

SAGE is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBT older adults. SAGE has pioneered programs and services for the aging LGBT community, provided technical assistance and training to expand opportunities for LGBT older people across the country, and provided a national voice on LGBT aging issues. http://www.sageusa.org/index.cfm

Center Link: The Community of LGBT Community Centers. A directory of centers and services and a good resources guide. http://lgbtcenters.org/

In Print:

Coming Out: I’m Walking As Straight As I Can: Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond by Geri Jewell with Ted Nichelson. ECW Press. She was the first person with a disability cast in a recurring role on American TV (“The Facts of Life”). She describes her trimuphs and challenges and comes out in her memoir. Release date: 4/1/11.

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 4/24/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***Anything Goes. Gay Cole Porter’s madcap musical. Sutton Foster stars. www.roundabouttheatre.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.
***Gay Plays for Straight People (and Gay People).”The All-American Genderf**k Cabaret” and “The Un-Marrying Project”. Two gay-themed plays in repertory. to 4/30/11. www.purplerep.org
***The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key To The Scriptures. Tony Kushner’s new play. to 6/12/11.www.publictheater.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 Christopher Sieber co-star. www.LaCage.com
***Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical based on the 1994 Australian film. The story of three drag queens who head west across the Outback in their battered old bus. www.priscillathemusical.com.


Elsewhere...

***Grey Gardens, the award-winning musical about mother and daughter Beale. to 4/03/11. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. http://www.Risingactiontheatre.com/
***M. Butterfly, David Henry Hwang’s Tony Award winning play about a French diplomat who carried on a 20-year affair with a Chinese spy, never knowing his partner was a man disguised as a woman. to 4/10/11. San Francisco, CA. www.CustomMade.org/tickets
***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...

***Beastly. A modern take on “Beauty and the Beast”. Neil Patrick Harris is featured.
***Kaboom, a new film from Gregg Araki. The world according to Smith, a bisexual Southern California cinema studies major (Thomas Dekker).
***Making The Boys. A documentry about the production of “The Boys in The Band”, the first commercially-successful gay-themed drama which opened just before Stonewall. With Edward Albee, Mart Crowley (the playwright), Candis Cayne and others. Screening schedule on Facebook.
***Rabbit Hole, John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig” and “Short Bus”) directs the movie version of the Broadway drama which stars Nicole Kidman. www.rabbitholefilm.com.
***Twelve Thirty. Jonathan Groff and Mamie Gummer star in a quirky film about a broken family (Dad is bi). www.twelvethirtymovie.com.

Out On Video & DVD

***A Marine Story. Alexandra, a married Marine, is a casualty of DADT. After discharge, she rebuilds her life. The trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixk192SX9es. .
***Anything Goes. A 1954 TV production of gay Cole Porter’s musical in which Ethel Merman and Frank Sinatra made their TV debuts.
***Black Swan. Natalie Portman plays a ballerina competing for a lead in “Swan Lake”.
***Burlesque. The tale of a young singer (Christina Aguilera) who is hired as a cocktail waitress at a club that does musical revues by the star (Cher).
***Into The Woods, the Sondheim musical about some grim fairy tales. The London West-End production. www.digitaltheatre.com.
***MadMen, Season #4.

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

***March/April: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***Ongoing: The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway. Times vay through 4/16/11. HBO. www.hbo.com
***SAT: 4/02: Elton John hosts Saturday Night Live. 11:30PM. NBC.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

4/04/11: New Haven, CT: Screening: Gen Silent,Stu Maddox’s documentary about six LGBT elders and their caregivers in Boston. Also: 4/07/11: Greenville, NC: 4/08/11: Chicago, IL: 4/11/11: Iowa City, IA: http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_screenings.html

4/04/11: New York, NY: Point Honors Benefit to fete Andy Cohen, Margarethe Cammermeyer and Johnson & Johnson. http://www.pointfoundation.org/newyork/index.html

4/04/11: Sacramento, CA: QYAD: Queer Youth Advocacy Day. https://gsanetwork.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=57

4/06/11-6/18/11: Chicago, IL: Windy City Gay Idol talent competition. www.windycitymediagroup. com

4/07/11-4/10/11: Rehoboth Beach, DE: Camp Rehoboth 2011 Women’s Fest. www.camprehoboth.com.

4/08/11: New Haven, CT: Chocolate and Cheesecake. A benefit for True Colors, a program serving sexual minority youth and family services. http://www.ourtruecolors.org/

4/09/11: Hollywood, CA: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. West Coast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

4/15/11: Nationwide: National Day of Silence. www.dayofsilence.org

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Celebrating Women

1. Question: Name this American writer, poet, and art collector who spent most of her life in France. She wrote a coming out story in 1903, which was published in 1950. Several of her writings were set to music. Her long-time partner was best known for her brownies. Answer: Gertrude Stein (1874-1946). Her partner was Alice B. Toklas.

2. Question: Name this lesbian couple, who in 2004, became the first same-sex couple to be legally married in the USA. Both were activists involved in forming an important gay rights organization. Answer: Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, married by then San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004. They founded The Daughters of Bilitis.

3. Question: Name this politician who became the first out lesbian elected to a state-office in 1974. That same year, Kathy Kozachenko had been elected to Ann Arbor’s city council. Answer: Elaine Noble, elected to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

4. Question: Name this comedienne, television host and actress, who came out publicly to Oprah as her TV character came out on prime time television. She has over a dozen Emmys to her credit. She was the first out person to host The Oscars. Hint. While hosting the 2001 Emmys just weeks after 9/11, she said “What would bug the Taliban more than seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews?” Answer: Ellen DeGeneres.

5. Question: Name this Indian-born American LGBT rights activist and author. She pushed the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force into international limelight. Her book about the mainstreaming of LGBT liberation has been a blue print for the current gay rights movement. Answer: Urvashi Vaid, author of “Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation “

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: April Milestones

1. Question: Name this American blues singer, born April 15, 1894. One of her most famous songs included the lyrics: "There's two things got me puzzled, there's two things I don't understand; That's a mannish-actin' woman, and a skippin, twistin' woman-actin' man."

2. Question: Name this New York City educational institution that opened its doors on April 1, 1985. Named for a slain gay rights activist, it was the first publicly-funded school for LGBT kids.

3. Question: Name this gay American playwright, born April 17, 1887. He’s best known for his portrayal of a rural American community, but he also wrote a breakthrough role for Talullah Bankhead and a play set in Yonkers which became one of America’s most popular musicals.

4. Question: Name this young American who died on April 8, 1990. He put a human face to HIV and AIDS, and in his final years, worked tirelessly to raise monies and awareness of AIDS issues. Several funding initiatives are named in his memory.

5. Question: Name this award-winning play, which opened in New York on April 14, 1968. It was the first commercially successful theatre production to deal with openly gay characters and queer subject matter.

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/