Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 4/11/11

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 14 No. 14 April 11, 2011
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: April 11-17, 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 SAT: 6/18: Chicago, IL: Windy City Gay Idol talent competition. www.windycitymediagroup. com

MON: 4/11: New York, NY: Lambda Legal at The Standard. Networking event for LGBT young professionals. http://www.lambdalegal.org/events/

MON: 4/11: Iowa City, IA: Screening: Gen Silent,Stu Maddox’s documentary about six LGBT elders and their caregivers in Boston. http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_screenings.html

TUE: 4/12: Denver, CO: Elton John gives a benefit concert for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Wells Fargo Theatre. www.ticketmaster.com

WED: 4/13: New York, NY:  Authors In Kind. Dan Savage and others present a reading and booksigning to benefit God’s Love We Deliver. https://www.glwd.org/events/signature.jsp;jsessionid=35A365BDABC4729195F3FFA19D558FD1?c=authors&n=authors

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

SAT: 4/16: Washington, DC: PFLAG Gala and Silent Auction. www.pflagdc.org

SAT: 4/16: Hamden, CT:  Connecticut Pride Hikers climb Sleepy Rock State Park. http://ctpridehikers.isgreat.org/

SUN: 4/17: Palm Springs, CA: Lambda Legal in The Desert. Brunch with Labda Legal officials. . http://www.lambdalegal.org/events/

Newsworthy:

Survey: U.S. Catholics are more supportive of LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage, than the general public and other Christians, according to a newly released study analyzing public opinion polls taken in 2010. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/03/31/most-u-s-catholics-back-civil-marriage-for-gays/

Massachusetts: Governor Deval Patrick is making history again with one of his judicial selections, nominating Barbara A. Lenk, an openly gay associate justice of the state Appeals Court, to a seat on the Supreme Judicial Court. The Boston Globe reports: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/04/source_patrick.html

A Different Light, the iconic LGBT bookstore in San Francisco’s Castro district, may be going out of business. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/Business/SF_Different_Light_Going_Out/

Milestone: 10 years of gay weddings in Amsterdam. BBC Travel reports: http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20110401-amsterdams-gay-wedding-anniversary-weekend?OCID=fbtvl

Transitions:

Chris Crowe, president of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Congressional Staff Association and a longtime legislative aide to Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), died 3/20/11, at age 29. Roll Call reports: http://www.rollcall.com/news/longtime_hill_aide_chris_crowe_dies_from_meningitis-204504-1.html

Awards and Honors:

Peabody Awards Winners for Excellence in Journalism include:  Degrassi: My Body Is a Cage (TeenNick) TeenNick/Ncredible productions True to its history, the durable high-school serial’s two-parter about a transgender teen neither trivializes nor overdramatizes its subjecthttp://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/70th_short_cites.pdf

Tommy Tune is the  2011 recipient of the Helen Hayes Tribute Award. He will be honored at the 27th Helen Hayes Awards honoring excellence in Washington, DC theatre. BroadwayWorld.com reports: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Tommy_Tune_Wins_2011_Helen_Hayes_Tribute_Award_20110401

Nominees: 2011 Lortel Awards for Off-Broadway Excellence. Among the nominees: “The Kid”, the musical about Dan Savage and husband’s attempt to adopt; the “Angels in America” revival; director Joe Mantello. www.LortelAward.com

Photo Shoots, Audio and Video

Photos: Point Foundation Gala from BroadwayWorld.com: http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_Close_Glover_Ripa_More_Celebrate_LGBT_Leaders_with_Point_Foundation_in_New_York_City_20110405

The Resource Center:

Best Hospitals for LGBT patients from The Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/Health_and_Fitness/Health_News/Perfect_Score/

On CD:

***Lance Horne: First Things Last. with Horne songs rendered by Cheyenne Jackson, Alan Cumming, Ricki Lake and Lea DeLaria. Yellow Sound/Warner Brothers. .

***Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Broadway cast recording. Over 20 dance floor hits from the last three decades. www.rhino.com.

***Gypsy Meets Gypsy brings two LP recordings to one CD. The first half of the disc is comprised of the numbers from Sandra Church's Let Me Entertain You album, which was released to capitalize on Church's success in playing Gypsy Rose Lee in the original cast of Gypsy. The second half of the disc will feature the songs heard on Lee's own recording That's Me All Over. The disc will include one bonus track, which features Lee in conversation with Jule Styne, the composer of Gypsy.

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...

***Becoming Joaquin, Janis Astor del Valle’s TG solo performance piece explores sexuality, gender, and Latino culture. 4/08/11. Middletown, CT. www.greenstreetartscenter.org.
***Dixie’s Tupperware Party. Dixie Longate’s show: Part drag. Part Tupperware. to 5/15/11, Chicago, IL; http://www.dixiestupperwareparty.com/
***The Mormon Boy Trilogy. Three plays by Steven Fales about growing up gay and Mormon. to 4/24/11. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. http://www.Risingactiontheatre.com/
***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...

***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.
***Gen Silent,Stu Maddox’s new documentary about six LGBT elders and their caregivers in Boston. http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_screenings.html
***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.

Out On Video & DVD

***Black Swan. Natalie Portman plays a ballerina competing for a lead in “Swan Lake”.
***Glee: Season 2, Volume 1: First ten episodes of Glee Season 2 on 3 DVDs.
***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).
***MadMen, Season #4. .
***The Times of Harvey Milk. The award-winning documentary about the gay rights leader.

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

***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

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

4/21/11: San Francisco, CA: Lambda Legal San Francisco Celebration. Fundraiser. http://www.lambdalegal.org/events/

4/21/11: New York, NY: Joey Arias performs a benefit for Lifebeat, the non-profit that uses music to educate young people about AIDS prevention. www.ticketmaster.com

4/21/11: Portland, OR: It Gets Better Book Tour with Dan Savage. 7:30PM. Powell’s Books. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvhZA0B_qiQ&feature=player_embedded

4/21/11-5/01/11: Miami, FL: Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.MGLFF.com

4/21/11-4/23/11: Calgary, AB: Western Cup, Apollo’s annual multi-sport tournament, the longest-running (29th year) annual LGBT multi-sport tournament in North America. www.westerncup.com.

4/25/11: New York, NY: Live Out Lous Young Trailblazers Benefit. Michael Urie hosts. Live Out Loud is a non-profit dedicated to connecting LGBT youth with role models and leaders in the LGBT community. http://www.liveoutloud.info/

4/25/11: New York, NY: Night at The Pier, a Family Equality benefit honoring individuals who have fought for family equality. http://www.familyequality.org/site/PageServer

4/25/11: New York, NY: PS 122’s 30th Anniversary Season Gala, honoring Justin Bond, Danny Hoch and Carmelita Tropicana. http://www.ps122.org/performances/gala_2011.html

4/25/11-4/26/11: New York, NY: 25th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition to benefit Broadway Cares. www.broadwaycares.org

4/25/11-5/01/11: Philadelphia, PA: Equality Forum. largest national LGBT civil rights forum with panels, parties, and special events. www.equalityforum.com

4/26/11: New Yorki, NY: Bistro Awards honor Carol Channing, Dionne Warwick, and 16 other artists from the New York nightlife scene. www.bistroawards.com.

4/26/11: New York, NY: GLBT Travel Expo public travel trade show/exposition. Also: 4/28/11: Philadelphia, PA: .http://www.glbttravelexpo.com/happiness/

4/28/11-5/07/11: Washington, DC: Reel Affirmations 20, One in Ten’s LGBT Film Festival. www.reelaffirmations.org

4/29/11: Happauge, NY: 2011 Equality Awards Gala. .Long Island Gay & Lesbian Youth benefit with Nikki Blonsky and Wilson Cruz.. http://www.ligaly.org/content.php?pgID=184

4/29/11-5/01/11: London, ON: London Lesbian Film Festival. www.llff.ca

4/30/11: Farmington, CT: Transgender Lives Conference. The Intersection of Health and Law Conference. www.transgenderlives.org

5/01/11: San Francisco, CA: Divas and Dames, Bay Srea divas and friends in concert to fight AIDS. a fundraiser for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation. www.helpisontheway.org.

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Spring Break

1. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. Hollywood's A-List began wintering here in the 1930's; by the 1980's, the boys came for the Easter Weekend White Party and the girls came for golf's Dinah Shore Weekend. Its onetime Mayor, father of a major gay rights activist, was once married to a diva. Answer: Palm Springs, CA. Sonny Bono was once mayor. His marriage to Cher produced Chaz Bono.

2. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. This party town, one dubbed "The Paris of the Swamps" is known for its Southern Decadence, its fine food, and its non-stop partying. Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Christopher Rice used the city as a backdrop for America's finest dramas and literature. Answer: New Orleans, LA. Southern Decadence is a big gay Labor Day Weekend party.

3. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. Ponce de Leon stumbled on it in 1513, and by the 1880's, it was a tough party town filled with pirates, smugglers, and whores. The alternative lifestyle types moved in by the 1960's. The locals refer to themselves by the name used for a shellfish. Answer: Key West, FL, where the locals are called conches. Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote frequented the island city.

4. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. In the beach blanket movie period, it was "where the boys are". Despite an orange juice queen's anti-gay actions, the city became a gay mecca on a par with a beach to its south. Answer: Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

4/11: This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Who Said This ?

1. Question. Who said or wrote this? “I don’t want to be the greatest lesbian of the western world” said this renowned contemporary gossip columnist, who came out in her autobiography. She made the previous statement comparing herself to Sandra Bernhard. Hint: Her column was recently dropped from the New York Post.

2. Question. Who said or wrote this? “Take it from me, the first rule of how not to come out to your parents: do not come out when they are driving. The second rule: do not come out on a major family holiday when the whole clan is around.” Hint: This TV sitcom actor spent his so called life on Broadway in a Jonathan Larson musical based on “La Boheme”.

3. Question. Who said or wrote this? “I don’t have any problems with my sexuality, whatever you wanna think I am. I’ll never answer the question. I’d rather have you die wanting to know.”. Hint: This singer and talk-show host got rave reviews in a movie musical, where she played a butch jailhouse matron. She’s rap royalty.

4. Question. Who said or wrote this? “It took me 49 years to be able to say to a stranger like you that I was gay”. Hint: This actor and activist is currently reprising his role in a hot movie. He was the second openly-gay actor (the first was Nigel Hawthorne) to be nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award.

5. Question. Who said or wrote this? “It is never too late to come out. Never! and, I encourage everyone to come out.”. Hint: This bisexual conductor and composer adapted “Romeo and Juliet” for Broadway and wrote a ballet and musical about three sailors running wild in New York over 24 hours.

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/