Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 11/15/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 45 November 15, 2010
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: November 15-21, 2010

thru THU: 12/02: Nationwide: David Sedaris does a book tour with his new book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Beastiary http://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html

thru WED: 11/24/: New York, NY: So You Think You Can Drag. Fabulous queens compete for celebrity judges and audience approval. www.timeoutnylounge.com/soyouthinkyoucandrag

thru SAT: 11/21: Massachusetts: Transgender Awareness Week, sponsored by MTPC, MA Transgender Political Coalition. Activities and educational programs designed to create awareness of the Baystate’s TG citizens and their challenges. www.masstpc.org.

Just Added: THU: 11/11: Los Angeles, CA: It Gets Better: The Concert. Frenchie Davis, Taylor Dayne, and Jennifer Leigh Warren headline the benefit for The Trevor Project. www.uprightcabaret.com

MON: 11/15: Seattle, WA: Justin Spring does a reading/booksigning of his new book, “Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade”. 6PM. Elliott Bay Bookstore. http://www.secrethistorian.com/events.htm

MON: 11/15: San Francisco, CA: Jai Rodriguez and cast members from “West Side Story” perform a benefit for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation. http://www.richmondermet.org/reaf10.1/index.htm

MON: 11/15: New York, NY: Callen-Lorde Community Health Awards. Billy Porter hosts. Honoring Tony Kushner, The LGBT Caucus of the New York City Council and the Rainbow Heights Club. http://callen.convio.net/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=100261&autologin=true

WED: 11/17: New York, NY: Revel 2010 at the Highline Ballroom. A Stonewall Community Foundation Benefit. http://www.stonewallfoundation.org/

WED: 11/17: Northampton, MA: Free Screening: Stonewall Uprising. Sponsored by WGBY. 7PM Academy of Music.

TUE: 11/16: Nashville, TN: Fannie Flagg, out author of “Fried Green Tomatos” signs copies of “I Still Dream About You”. 7PM. Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Green Hills Village Drive. Also: THU: 11/18: Huntsville, AL: Books-A-Million

THU: 11/18/: Sacramento, CA: Armistead Maupin does a booksigning for his newest book of “Tales of The City”, “Mary Ann in Autumn”. Sacramento Bee Book Club. http://www.armisteadmaupin.com/Events.html

THU-SAT: 11/18-11/20: Washington, DC: Out For Business. 2010 NGLCC National Business and Leadership Conference. National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. http://www.nglcc.org/node/11330

SAT: 11/20: Miami, FL: Michael Cunningham does a reading and booksigning of his new novel “By Nightfall”.Miami Book Fair International. http://www.michaelcunninghamwriter.com/tour/

SUN: 11/21: New York, NY: OUT Auction NYC..http://www.glaad.org/events

SUN: 11/21: New York, NY: The Race to Deliver. 4 mile walk/run to benefit God’s Love We Deliver. https://www.glwd.org/events/signature.jsp%3bjsessionid=C916FEC494B01B8EFB954F4E297F42FB?c=race&n=race

Newsworthy:

Washington, DC: The George Washington University women’s basketball has a transgender player. EDGE reports: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?ch=news&sc&sc2&sc3&id=112379

DADT Repeal:
***The Democrats plan to turn away from overturning the law. The Huffington Post reports: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/dems-to-cave-on-dadt-repe_n_780371.html
***Strong objections amongst Republicans and the military. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/us/politics/09military.html?hp

Gay Couples Begin Attack on DOMA, the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. GLAD, the Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and the ACLU are filing lawsuits. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/us/09marriage.html?_r=1

Some See “Agenda” in School’s Efforts to End Bullying. While nearly all states require schools to have rules against harassment, only 10 require them to explicitly outlaw bullying related to sexual orientation. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07bully.html?_r=1&hp

Re-Surfaced. A censored 1953 play by British playwright John Osborne, which dealt with a gay teen, has been rediscovered. The NewYork Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/theater/08osborne.html

Campaign 2010 Recap

Election Returns: The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund today announced that more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history. Gay Politics reports: http://www.gaypolitics.com/2010/11/03/record-number-of-lgbt-candidates-elected-to-office/

California: Alameda County voters elect country's first transgender judge. The Bay Area Reporter reports: http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=5205

Kentucky: Jim Gray, an out man, has been elected mayor of Lexington, KY. The Lexington Herald Leader reports: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/03/1506693/jim-gray-elected-mayor-of-lexington.html

Rhode Island: Democrat David Cicilline won the congressional seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy, becoming the fourth openly gay member of Congress. The Boston Globe reports: http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2010/11/03/dem_cicilline_wins_kennedys_ri_congressional_seat/

***Towleroad: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/11/2010-election-wrap-gop-seizes-control-of-house-dems-keep-senate.html
***Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/03/election-2010-winners-losers_n_778079.html
***The Victory Fund: http://www.victoryfund.org/home
***Gay Politics: http://www.gaypolitics.com/
***America Blog Gay: http://gay.AMERICAblog.com/

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Chris Bruce, the body builder, has transitioned to a female fitness guru. The Dallas Voice reports: http://www.dallasvoice.com/trans-fit-1050053.html

Bishop V. Gene Robinson,whose consecration as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church set off a historic rift in the global Anglican Communion, announced to his New Hampshire diocese that he intended to step down. He plans to retire in January 2013. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/us/07bishop.html?hp

Awards and Honors:

Constance McMillen, the high school senior barred from taking her girlfriend to the prom, is named Glamour Magazine’s “Woman of The Tear”. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/11/05/Glamour_Names_Constance_Woman_of_the_Year/

Nominees: People’s Choice Awards: Glee, Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Lynch, Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Betty White, Lady Gaga, www.PeoplesChoice.com

Photo Shoots and Video

Video: It Gets Better: Matthew (“Glee”) Morrison speaks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VaykR_GaFk

Features

Songs for Gay Survival: From Lady Gaga to Ke$ha to Katy Perry, gay rights and empowerment through music. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/fashion/07ANTHEM.html?hpw

For Gay Teens: It still needs to get better. The Boston Globe reports: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2010/11/06/for_gay_teens_it_still_needs_to_get_better/?s_campaign=8315

The Resource Center:

LGBT Resources for National Adoption Month (November): Bay Windows reports: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=columnists&sc=mombian&id=112682

Gay & Lesbian Manners. LGBT Advice for dating, sex, coming out, marriage etc. Managed by Steven Petrow, best-seller author of “The Essential Book of Gay Manners and Etiquette.FB: Steven Petrow’s Gay Manners. http://www.gaymanners.com/

In Print:

10 LGBT Books for teens that tackle suicide and bullying. Lambda Literary reports: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/10/28/10-lgbt-books-for-teens-that-tackle-suicide-bullying/

For Frying Out Loud: Rehoboth Beach Diaries by Fay Jacobs. A&M Books. The third book of hilarious essays by the Rehoboth Beach humorist. www.fayjacobs.com

Finishing The Hat. Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) by Stephen Sondheim. Alfred Publishers.

My Passion for Design: A Private Tour by Barbra Streisand. Viking Press. The actress, singer, and diva shares her philosopy of architecture and design.

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. thru 2/20/11. www.signaturetheatre.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. Harvey Fierstein stars as Albin beginning 2/15/11.www.LaCage.com
***The Last Castrato. the story of Alessandro Moreschi, the last of that unique, almost forgotten group --the castrati-- who were damaged at a young age by forces beyond their control. www.lastcastrato.com.
***The Pee-wee Herman Show. Paul Reubens’ stage version of his TV hit. 10/26/10-1/02/11.
***Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. A new musical based on out filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s film. Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sherie Renee Scott star. www.lct.org.

Elsewhere...

***Adam and Anthony Live. Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp showcase their 15 year friendship (as “Rent” co-stars) in their new concert tour. 11/21/10. San Francisco, CA. www.bayareacabaret.org.
***The Boys in the Band, Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking 1968 play about pre-Stonewall gay life. to 12/12/10, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. www.risingactiontheatre.com.
***Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical based on the 1994 Australian film. . Toronto, ON. to 11/28/10. www.priscillathemusical.com.
***Santaland Diaries. The David Sedaris holiday story about a department store elf. Todd Waite stars. 11/21/10-12/31/10, Houston, TX..www.alleytheatre.org
***Take Me Out. A baseball player comes out. to 12/19/10. Hollywood, CA. www.celebrationtheatre.com
***[title of show], the four-person Broadway musical that chronicles the creation of that musical. Seth Rudetsky stars. to 12/12/10. New Brunswick, NJ.www.GSPonline.org

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***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
***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.
***HOWL, the docu-feature about Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
***Stonewall Uprising, a new documentary covering the 3-day Stonewall riots in 1969. http://firstrunfeatures.com/stonewalluprising_playdates.html
***Wild Target. Out actor Rupert Everett stars in the story of a con artist pursued by a top assassin after scamming a gangster.

Out On Video & DVD

***The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story, the film documentary about songwriting brothers Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman, (Mary Poppins,' 'The Jungle Book,' 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' and more). They were tempestuous in life and great work collaborators. Release date: 11/30/10.

***Cher: The Film Collection. A set of her greatest films including “Moonstruck”, “Silkwood” and “Tea With Mussolini”.
***Eyes Wide Open, two ultra-orthodox Chasidic Jews who fall in love in Israel. Aaron is a married, respected butcher; Ezri is a yeshiva student, who becomes Aaron’s apprentice who becomes something more.
***Mädchen in Uniform, the 1958 lesbian classic.
***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
***Sex and The City 2. Carrie and the girls and a gay wedding with Liza.
***Sondheim: The Birthday Concert. Davd Hyde Pierce hosts.

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

***November: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***Weekdays: The Nate Berkus Show. Oprah’s out protege goes hourly in syndication. Check local listings.
***Weekdays The Talk. Out “Roseanne” alum Sara Gilmore produces a new version of “The View” with Marissa Jaret Winokur, Julie Chen, and Sharon Osbourne. CBS Weekdays. Check local listings.
***SUN: 11/21: Lance Bass hosts the American Music Awards. Among the nominees: Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Eminem. ABC.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

11/22/10: New York, NY: Stephen Sondheim and Frank Rich headline “Times Talks”. Rich interviews Sondheim about his collection of lyrics, “Finishing The Hat”. http://nytimes.whsites.net/timestalks/

11/22/10: New York, NY: You Are Not Alone. Betty Buckley headlines a benefit for The Trevor Project. http://www.youarenotalonebenefit.com/

11/29/10: New York, NY: A Very Mary Holiday. A benefit honoring activist Laura Benanti as a benefit for the Ali Forney Center. Onboard: Brian Charles Rooney, Sandra Bernhard, Anthony Rapp, Kate Shindle, and more. (www.aliforneycenter.org). http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/broadwayspeaksout/co-produce-broadway-stars-at-benefit-honoring-judi

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: November Sweeps

1. Question: Name this news anchor/reporter, still part of a network news magazine team. On March 7, 1967, he hosted "CBS Reports: The Homosexual", the first major network news special about homosexuality. Answer: Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes".

2. Question: Name this American radio personality, television host and political commentator, the first out anchor to be hired to host a prime time news program in the USA. The journalist was the first out American to be named a Rhodes scholar. Answer: Rachel Maddow. She holds a PhD from Oxford. Her thesis: “HIV/AIDS and Health Care Reform in British and American Prisons.”

3. Question: Name this award-winning TV talk show host who came out to Diane Sawyer in 2002 on a program about gay parenting. She once joked with Ellen deGeneres about being “lebanese”. Answer: Rosie O’Donnell.

4. Question: Who was the first out competitor on "Dancing With The Stars", the consistent ABC ratings winner. Answer: Lance Bass, featured in the 2008 competition.

5. Question: Name this veteran television news anchor, the first openly gay news anchor on local TV news in the country. He was let go from his post last year, after an award-winning 12-year tenure on the air. Answer: Randy Price of WHDH-TV (Channel 7) in Boston. Price was an advocate for animal rights and gay issues. He headlined local events such as the annual Men’s Event fund-raiser for Fenway Community Health Center.

11/15: This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Kander & Ebb

This year Broadway celebrated out composer Stephen Sondheim on his 80th; out Broadway composer Jerry Herman will be feted at The Kennedy Center. Out composers/lyricists John Kander and Fred Ebb have a new Broadway hit (despite the fact that Ebb died several years ago).

1. Question: Name this actor. Kander & Ebb wrote the scote to her Broadway debut musical, her biggest movie hit, her signature songs, and a wealth of other material.

2. Question: Name this Kander & Ebb musical, based on a series of diaries written by an early 20th century gay writer. The musical included an androgynous lead; the film adaptation featured a bisexual threesome.

3. Question: Name this Kander & Ebb musical, a success when it first opened on Broadway, but overshadowed by another musical about dancers. In revival, it’s one of Broadway’s biggest hits. It features a cross-dressing gossip columnist.

4. Question: Name this Kander & Ebb musical, in which a gay man in prison visualizes a film princess of “B movies”.

5. Question: Name this Kander & Ebb musical, set in backstage Boston. Its leading man came out before winning the Tony. Its leading lady played “Mom” to a young resident who came out after a fight on the set.

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/

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 11/08/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 44 November 8, 2010
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: November 8-14, 2010

Resources: Events Calendars

***Damron Guides Event Calendars: http://www.damron.com/calendar/index.html
***Pride Events worldwide: www.interpride.org.
***PRIDE Calendars: http://www.gayfriendlybiz.com/calendar.html
***Gay.com’s Pride Calendar: www.gay.com/pride/calendar/
***LGBT Sports Events from Outsports: http://www.outsports.com/localEvents/index.cfm
***GayGevalt.com is a new national Queer Jewish Calendar for LGBT community events around the USA. http://gaygevalt.com/calendar/events/index.php
***Family Pride Coalition Calendar: http://www.familypride.org/ourcalendar.html
***LGBT Choruses Performance Calendar: www.galachoruses.org
***Travel Events Calendar from Out Traveler Magazine: http://www.outtraveler.com/calendar.asp
***LGBT Film Festivals from PlanetOut.com: http://www.planetout.com/popcornq/fests/
***CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers. www.lgbtcenters.org
***National Coming Out Day Events posted at the Human Rights Campaign: http://www.hrc.org/issues/10772.htm
***Edge Publications. Calendar listings for events in 15 cities and regions:
***Celebrity Booksignings and Events: http://www.celebritybooksigningsandevents.com/events

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


thru THU: 12/02: Nationwide: David Sedaris does a book tour with his new book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Beastiary http://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html

thru WED: 11/24/: New York, NY: So You Think You Can Drag. Fabulous queens compete for celebrity judges and audience approval. www.timeoutnylounge.com/soyouthinkyoucandrag

thru SAT: 11/13: Chicago, IL: Reeling: Chicago Lesbian & Gay Int’l Film Fest.
www.reelingfilmfestival.org

SAT: 11/06: Northampton, MA: Screening: “Leading Ladies”, New England premiere about a lesbian couple who take to the ballroom competition floor. Out! For Reel LGBT film series. www.outforreal.org

MON: 11/08: New York, NY: Bebe Neuwirth, Ann Reinking & Chita Rivera star in The Career Transition For Dancers’25th anniversary gala, hosted by Angela Lansbury. . www.careertransition.org

MON: 11/08: New York, NY: Fashion Forward 2010, a fundraiser for the GMHC hosted by Tim Gunn. http://www.gmhc.org/donate/special-events/fashion-forward-2010

MON: 11/08: New York, NY: Ali Forney Center Benefit Concert with David Raleigh, Alan Cumming, Billy Porter, and Ari Gold. www.thefriendsproject.org.

TUE: 11/09: New York, NY: 2010 Emery Awards, honor “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy. A benefit for the Hetrick-Martin Institute (Harvey Milk School). www.hmi.org.

TUE: 11/09: Lake Forest Park, WA: Armistead Maupin does a booksigning for his newest book of “Tales of The City”, “Mary Ann in Autumn”. Third Place Books. Also: WED: 11/10: Seattle, WA: University Bookstore. THU: 11/11: Los Angeles, CA: Skylight Books..FRI: 11/12: Portland OR: Powell’s Books. SAT: 11/13: Portland OR: National Kidney Foundation Authors Luncheon. http://www.armisteadmaupin.com/Events.html

TUE: 11/09: Los Angeles, CA: Ricky Martin, out singer, signs copies of his memoir “Me”. 7:30PM. Barnes & Noble, Grove Drive.

TUE: 11/09: Fairhope, AL: Fannie Flagg, out author of “Fried Green Tomatos” signs copies of “I Still Dream About You”. 6PM. Page & Palette, South Section Street. Also: WED: 11/10: Birmingham, AL: 7PM. Books-A-Million, Brookwood Village.

WED-SUN: 11/10-11/14: Hartford, CT: 12th EROS Film Festival. http://www.outfilmct.org/

WED: 11/10: New York, NY: Stephen Sondheim, Oscar & Tony winning composer, signing copies of “Finishing The Hat”, his collection of lyrics. 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Union Square.

WED: 11/10: Los Angeles, CA: Portia de Rossi, star of "Arrested Development" signing copies of “Unbearable Lightness”. 7PM. Borders Books, Westwood Blvd.

FRI: 11/12: Denver, CO: Blue Alliance Veteran’s Day Dinner, Blue Alliance, the LGBT Alumni organization of the Air Force Academy and OutServe, a network of LGBT mmilitary honor LGBT vets. http://blue-alliance.org/content/blue-alliance-press-release-veterans-day-dinner-moved-academy

SAT: 11/13: Los Angeles, CA: LA Gay and Lesbian Center Gala and Auction. Lily Tomlin hosts. Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch appear. www.lagaycenter.org.

SAT: 11/13: Hartford, CT: One Big Event, a benefit for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. http://www.hglhc.org/onebigevent/index.html

SAT: 11/13: Victoria, BC: Justin Spring does a reading/booksigning of his new book, “Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade”. Modernist Studies Association Convention. http://www.secrethistorian.com/events.htm

Newsworthy:

DADT Stays in Effect. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sc-dc-1102-dont-ask-20101101,0,3269720.story

Texas: In response to GLAAD outreach, KETK, the NBC affiliate in Tyler, Texas, is taking responsibility for re-airing a local radio segment in which listeners were invited to call in and debate an appalling question: “Will the acceptance of homosexuality be the fall of America?”. GLAAD reports: http://glaadblog.org/2010/10/28/update-texas-ketk-takes-responsibility-for-airing-anti-gay-segment/ Read their apology: http://www.ktbb.com/post/?p=48208

Arkansas, Clint McCance, the school board member who posted vicious homophobic comments on Facebook, will resign. CNN reports: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/28/arkansas.anti.gay.resignation/?hpt=T1

Campaign 2010: Ten important races to watch, according to The Advocate. http://advocate.com/Politics/Election/2010_Races_To_Watch/

The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer’s acclaimed AIDS drama, may return to Broadway this Spring. The New York Times reports: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/normal-heart-looking-likely-for-broadway/?ref=theater

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Rev. Jim Swilley, pastor of a Georgia mega-church, has come out to his congregation. He says he was prompted to speak out by the recent rash of teen suicides. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/29/Megachurch_Pastor_Jim_Swilley_Comes_Out/

Coming Out: Portia de Rossi tells Oprah about her coming out experiences. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/11/watch-portia-de-rossi-tells-oprah-about-her-coming-out-process-and-her-mothers-shame.html

Coming Out: Ricky Martin on coming out.
The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/11/02/Ricky_Martin_Came_Out_for_His_Kids/

Profile: Brian Gallivan, “Sassy Gay Friend” gets profiled by his hometown paper. The Boston Globe reports: http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/comedy/articles/2010/10/31/brian_gallivan_brings_together_shakespeare_characters_and_sassy_gay_friend__and_the_videos_go_viral/

Photo Shoots and Video

Video: The Epic Anti-Gay Moments Highlight Reel. “Midweek Politics” host David Pakman compiled some of his interviews and conversations with America’s most notorious homophobes. (Editor’s Note: David Pakman is one of my clients). From Pam’s House Blend. http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/17439/midweek-politics-david-pakmans-epic-antigay-interview-moments

Video: It Gets Better:
***The cast of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” via BroadwayWorld.com: http://broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=180719
***Broadway stars speak out. From Broadway.com. http://www.broadway.com/videos/153316/broadwaycom-exclusive-broadway-stars-say-it-gets-better/
***Kermit The Frog speaks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEoCyLQgdCU

Features

Cher graces the Vanity Fair December issue. In it, she discusses her struggle with Chaz’s transition from F to M. The Advocate reports: http://advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Entertainment_News/Cher_Talks_to_VF_About_Chaz/

Profile: Alison Arngrim. The “Prairie Bitch” tells all. EDGE Boston reports: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=features&sc3&id=107008

Profile: Alan Champion signs for the hearing-impaired at Broadway performances. He’s battling cancer in between performances. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/theater/30sign.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all

In Print:

Sal Mineo: A Biography by Michael Gregg Michaud Crown Archetype Books. The story of the gay 50s movie star (“Rebel Without A Cause”) turned director and his brief stint as a gay pioneer before an early death.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Life in The Theatre. T.R. Knight stars with Patrick Stewart who plays an elderly actor and Knight’s mentor in David Mamet’s play. to 1/02/11.
***Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Tony Kushner’s award-winning epic. thru 2/20/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***The Divine Sister. Charles Busch plays an indomitable Mother Superior driven to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. www.DivineSisterOnstage.com.
***La Cage Aux Folles, a revival of the 1983 Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical, based on a French film, which inspired the film "Birdcage". www.LaCage.com
***The Last Castrato. the story of Alessandro Moreschi, the last of that unique, almost forgotten group --the castrati-- who were damaged at a young age by forces beyond their control. www.lastcastrato.com.
***The Pee-wee Herman Show. Paul Reubens’ stage version of his TV hit. to 1/02/11.
***Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. A new musical based on out filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s film. Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sherie Renee Scott star. www.lct.org.

Elsewhere...

***The Boys in the Band, Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking 1968 play about pre-Stonewall gay life. to 12/12/10, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. www.risingactiontheatre.com.
***Five Shakespeare Sonnets. World premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s new work. He performs it with the San Francisco Symphony. 11/11/10-11/13/10. San Francisco, CA. www.rufuswainwright.com
***The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. The Tectonic Theater Project’s docudrama about the aftermath of the Matthew Shepard murder. 11/11/10-11/13/10, Philadelphia, PA. http://www.tectonictheaterproject.org/Tectonic.html
***Next Fall. The Tony-nominated play about a gay couple, one devout Christian and the other a confirmed non-believer. to 11/14/10. St. Louis, MO. www.repstl.org
***Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical based on the 1994 Australian film. The story of a drag queen and her two fish-out-of-water friends who head west across the desert to Alice Springs in their battered old bus. Tony Sheldon, Will Swenson, and Nick Adams star. Toronto, ON. to 11/28/10. www.priscillathemusical.com.
***Take Me Out. A baseball player comes out. to 12/19/10. Hollywood, CA. www.celebrationtheatre.com

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Resource: GLAAD's Guide to What's LGBT in Film: http://glaadblog.org/whats-lgbt-in-film/

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.
***HOWL, the docu-feature about Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
***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
***Wild Target. Out actor Rupert Everett stars in the story of a con artist pursued by a top assassin after scamming a gangster.

Out On Video & DVD

***Cher: The Film Collection. A set of her greatest films including “Moonstruck”, “Silkwood” and “Tea With Mussolini”.
***Evening Primrose, the 1966 musical teleplay by James Goldman from from John Collier short story, with a score by Stephen Sondheim. Anthony Perkins stars.
***LA Mission. Benjamin Bratt is a barrio tough guy who discovers that his son is involved in a relationship with another boy.
***Mädchen in Uniform, the 1958 lesbian classic.
***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
***Sex and The City 2. Carrie and the girls and a gay wedding with Liza.

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

***November: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***Weekdays: The Nate Berkus Show. Oprah’s out protege goes hourly in syndication. Check local listings.
***Weekdays The Talk. Out “Roseanne” alum Sara Gilmore produces a new version of “The View” with Marissa Jaret Winokur, Julie Chen, and Sharon Osbourne. CBS Weekdays. Check local listings.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

11/29/10: New York, NY: A Very Mary Holiday. A benefit honoring actor/activist Judith Light as a benefit for the Ali Forney Center. Onboard: Brian Charles Rooney, Sandra Bernhard, Anthony Rapp, Kate Shindle, and more. (www.aliforneycenter.org). http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/broadwayspeaksout/co-produce-broadway-stars-at-benefit-honoring-judi

12/01/10: Worldwide: World AIDS Day

12/01/10: New York, NY: OUT Music Awards, celebrating the contributions of out LGBT and allies recording artists and performers. Honorees: Melissa Etheridge, Wayne Besen, Cyndi Lauper, Randy Jones. www.outmusicawards.com.

12/05/10: Los Angeles, CA: Trevor Live, formerly Cracked Xmas. The annual comedy performance and dinner benefit for The Trevor Project. http://www.thetrevorproject.org/trevorlive

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: LGBT Veterans

1. Question: Name this Middle Eastern nation that has permitted gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military since 1993. Answer: Israel.

2. Question: Name this American author who profiled the discrimination of gays and lesbians in the US military (from the Vietnam War to the Persian Gulf). Hint: He also wrote a best-seller about the AIDS Movement in America. Answer: Randy Shilts, author of "Conduct Unbecoming: Lesbians and Gays in the U.S. Military, Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. It was published in 1993 as DADT took effect.

3. Question: Which was the first nation to ban discrimination against gays in the military. Answer: The Netherlands, which adopted the policy in 1974.

4. Question: Name this doctor, humanitarian, and writer, who was dishonorably discharged from the military for being gay. As a navy doctor, he supervised a medical assistance program for more than 600,000 refugees fleeing North Vietnam. After his discharge, he established a network of clinics in South East Asia. He died at age 34. Answer: Dr. Tom Dooley. His book "Deliver Us From Evil" is a fascinating story of his life.

5. Question: Name this Vietnam veteran, recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, who was one of the best-known openly gay men in America in the 1970's. His fight to remain in the military put him on the cover of TIME Magazine in 1975. Answer: Leonard Matlovich, Tech Seargant in US Air Force.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: November Sweeps

1. Question: Name this news anchor/reporter, still part of a network news magazine team. On March 7, 1967, he hosted "CBS Reports: The Homosexual", the first major network news special about homosexuality.

2. Question: Name this American radio personality, television host and political commentator, the first out anchor to be hired to host a prime time news program in the USA. The journalist was the first out American to be named a Rhodes scholar.

3. Question: Name this award-winning TV talk show host who came out to Diane Sawyer in 2002 on a program about gay parenting. She once joked with Ellen deGeneres about being “lebanese”.

4. Question: Who was the first out competitor on "Dancing With The Stars", the consistent ABC ratings winner.

5. Question: Name this veteran television news anchor, the first openly gay news anchor on local TV news in the country. He was let go from his post last year, after an award-winning 12-year tenure on the air.

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/

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 11/01/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 43 November 1, 2010
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: November 1-7, 2010

thru THU: 12/02: Nationwide: David Sedaris does a book tour with his new book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Beastiary http://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html

thru WED: 11/24/: New York, NY: So You Think You Can Drag. Fabulous queens compete for celebrity judges and audience approval. www.timeoutnylounge.com/soyouthinkyoucandrag

thru MON: 11/01: New York, NY: Queer Shabbaton. A weekend for LGBT Jews. http://www.nehirim.org/qsny

MON: 11/01: New York, NY: It Gets Better: Broadway Supports The Trevor Project. Broadway's leading voices, lending their support to this vital organization that provides suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. Farah Alvin, Brent Barrett, Kevin Chamberlin, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Michelle Dowdy, Daisy Eagan, Eric Michael Gillett, Annie Golden, Randy Jones, Karen Mason, Liz McCartney, Judy McLane, Sarah Rice, Roz Ryan, Stephen Schwartz, Mary Stout, John Tartaglia, Stephen Wallem, Barbara Walsh, and Sally Wilfert star. www.smarttix.com.

MON: 11/01: New York, NY: Nothing Like a Dame. the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative Benefit. Charles Busch, Mario Cantone, Victoria Clark are amongst the stars. www.actorsfund.org

WED-SUN: 11/03-11/07: New York, NY: New York City Comedy Festival. Among those featured: Rosie O’Donnell and Margaret Cho. www.nycomedyfestival.com

WED: 11/03: San Francisco, CA: Armistead Maupin does a booksigning for his newest book of “Tales of The City”, “Mary Ann in Autumn”. Books Inc. Also: THU: Danville, CA: Rakestraw Books. SAT: 11/06: San Francisco, CA: Book Passage. http://www.armisteadmaupin.com/Events.html

WED: 11/03: New York, NY: Ricky Martin, out singer, signs copies of his memoir “Me”. 12:30PM. Border’s, Columbus Circle. Also: THU: 11/04: Ridgewood, NJ: 7PM. BookEnds. SAT: 11/06 Coral Gables, FL: 4PM. Books & Books, Aragon Avenue.

THU-SAT: 11/04-11/13: Chicago, IL: Reeling: Chicago Lesbian & Gay Int’l Film Fest.
www.reelingfilmfestival.org

FRI: 11/05: New York, NY: Portia de Rossi, star of "Arrested Development" signing copies of “Unbearable Lightness”. 6PM. Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle.

FRI: 11/05: Las Vegas, NV: 16th Annual Honorarium, The Gay and Lesbian Community Center recognizing individuals from Southern Nevada who have distinguished themselves as leaders through their commitment to the LGBT community by giving of their time, talents or resources during the past year. www.thecenterlv.com

FRI-SUN: 11/05-11/07: Spokane, WA: Spokane LGBT Film Festival. www.spokanefilmfest.org

FRI: 11/05: New York, NY: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. East Coast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

SAT: 11/06: New York, NY: Glitter and Be Gay. New York City Opera’s LGBT after-party following a Leonard Bernstein concert with Cheyenne Jackson and Michael Urie. www.nycopera.com

SAT: 11/06: Boston, MA: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. Northeast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

SAT-SUN: 11/06-11/07: Bloomington, IN: Queering the Countryside: New Directions in Rural Queer Studies. Indiana University’s two-day, interdisciplinary conference and workshop. http://www.iub.edu/~gender/queering-the-countryside.html

Newsworthy:

Coming Out: Teacher Fired for Coming Out gets his job back. Seth Stambaugh reinstated in Oregon. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/teacher-fired-for-coming-out-to-student-gets-job-back.html

Prop 8: The 9th Circuit Court will hear arguments in the federal challenge against Proposition 8 on 12/06/10. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/21/Prop_8_Arguments_Set_for_Dec_6/

Campaign 2010: A few TG candidates in line for victories. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/us/politics/25transgender.html?_r=2&hp

Campaign 2010: Gay voters angry with Democrats could sway the election. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/24/AR2010102401490.html?hpid=sec-politics

Facebook may be outing users to advertisers. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/21/Gay_Facebook_Ads_Reveal_Privacy_Issue/

News: Gay Teens, Bullying and Suicide

Day in Purple. National coverage for a cause. USAToday: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-10-19-gay-teens-purple_N.htm

Facebook is launching a network of support for LGBT teens. Switched.com reports: http://www.switched.com/2010/10/21/facebook-creates-network-of-support-for-lgbt-teens/

Features

Profile: Zachary Quinto. From “Star Trek” to “Angels in America”, the star’s career is on the rise. He supports all kinds of LGBT causes, but he won’t reveal anything about his private life. . The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/theater/24quinto.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1

In Print:

Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture by Jonathan D. Katz and David C. Ward. Smithsonian Books. The companion volume to an exhibition of the same name at the National Portrait Gallery, “Hide/Seek” highlights the often overlooked influence of gay and lesbian artists on American art and portraiture from Eakins, to O’Keeffe, to Rauschenberg, to Warhol, to Mapplethorpe.

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi. Atria. De Rossi,shares her struggles with her eating disorders and her sexuality in this memoir.

Me. by Ricky Martin. Celebra Press. From Menudo to La Vida Loca to coming out, Ricky tells all in a new memoir.

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. thru 2/20/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***Back to New York. Gavin Creel of “Hair” and one of the founders of Broadway Impact, an organization fighting for equality and the LBGT community, returns to New York in concert. to 11/15/10. www.birdlandjazz.com.
***The Devil Boys from Beyond, the all-male sci-fi adventure. to 12/30/10.
***The Divine Sister. Charles Busch plays an indomitable Mother Superior driven to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. www.DivineSisterOnstage.com.
***The Lesbian Love Octagon. The musical comedy journey of Sue, a dyke with a broken heart, who loses her current girlfriend to her ex-girlfriend. 11/04/10-11/07/10. www.horseTRADE.info
***The Pee-wee Herman Show. Paul Reubens’ stage version of his TV hit. to 1/02/11.
***Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. A new musical based on out filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s film. Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sherie Renee Scott star. www.lct.org.

Elsewhere...

***The Boys in the Band, Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking 1968 play about pre-Stonewall gay life. 11/05/10-12/12/10, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. www.risingactiontheatre.com.
***Boys Will Be Boys. The musical about a fundraiser to fight gay attention deficit disorder. to 11/20/10. Theatre Out, Santa Ana, CA. www.theatreout.com
***Jeffrey Johnson as Edie Beale. Johnson recreates Little Edie’s infamous 1978 cabaret act “Live at Reno Sweeney”. 11/05/10-11/06/10. San Francisco, CA. www.therrazzroom.com
***Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical based on the 1994 Australian film. Three drag queens cross the Outback in a battered old bus. Toronto, ON. to 11/28/10. www.priscillathemusical.com.
***Take Me Out. A baseball player comes out. to 12/19/10. Hollywood, CA. www.celebrationtheatre.com

On Display

thru 1/23/11: Washington, DC: Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture. A display of portraits from the late 19th century through today illustrates the changing social attitudes towards sexual difference and how it is depicted. National Portrait Gallery. http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/museums/national-portrait-gallery-smithsonian-institution,793021.html

thru 3/26/11: San Francisco, CA: Exhibition: More Life! “Angels in America” at Twenty. Museum of Performance and Design. http://www.mpdsf.org/EXHIBITIONS/ANGELS/ANGELS.html

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.
***HOWL, the docu-feature about Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
***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
***Wild Target. Out actor Rupert Everett stars in the story of a con artist pursued by a top assassin after scamming a gangster.

Out On Video & DVD

***Cher: The Film Collection. A set of her greatest films including “Moonstruck”, “Silkwood” and “Tea With Mussolini”.
***Evening Primrose, the 1966 musical teleplay by James Goldman from from John Collier short story, with a score by Stephen Sondheim. Anthony Perkins stars.
***Modern Family: The Complete First Season. Follow the story of Mitchell and Cameron.
***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
***Score. Radley Metzger’s 1972 film based on an off-Broadway play. One of the first mass-market films to explore couples who swing both ways. A gay sex scene with Cal Culver (Casey Donovan) was restored for the DVD release.
***Sex and The City 2. Carrie and the girls and a gay wedding with Liza.

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

***November: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***Weekdays: The Nate Berkus Show. Oprah’s out protege goes hourly in syndication. Check local listings.
***Weekdays The Talk. Out “Roseanne” alum Sara Gilmore produces a new version of “The View” with Marissa Jaret Winokur, Julie Chen, and Sharon Osbourne. CBS Weekdays. Check local listings.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

11/08/10: New York, NY: Fashion Forward 2010, a fundraiser for the GMHC hosted by Tim Gunn. http://www.gmhc.org/donate/special-events/fashion-forward-2010

11/08/10: New York, NY: Ali Forney Center Benefit Concert with David Raleigh, Alan Cumming, Billy Porter, and Ari Gold. www.thefriendsproject.org.

11/09/10: New York, NY: 2010 Emery Awards, honor “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy. A benefit for the Hetrick-Martin Institute (Harvey Milk School). www.hmi.org.

11/10/10-11/14/10: Hartford, CT: 12th EROS Film Festival. http://www.outfilmct.org/

11/13/10: Los Angeles, CA: LA Gay and Lesbian Center Gala and Auction. Lily Tomlin hosts. Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch appear. www.lagaycenter.org.

11/13/10: Hartford, CT: One Big Event, a benefit for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. http://www.hglhc.org/onebigevent/index.html

11/22/10: New York, NY: You Are Not Alone. Betty Buckley headlines a benefit for The Trevor Project. http://www.youarenotalonebenefit.com/

Last 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. Answer: The Advocate.

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”. Answer: Terry Sweeney.

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. Answer: Calvin Klein. MarkyMark’s billboard in Times Square (in his Calvins) caused fender benders along Broadway.

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. Answer: Robert Mapplethorpe.

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. Answer: The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman, author of “The Little Foxes”.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: LGBT Veterans

Veteran’s Day is November 11. Despite the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which discriminates against LGBT service personnel, many have served with honor. Thank them.

1. Question: Name this Middle Eastern nation that has permitted gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military since 1993.

2. Question: Name this American author who profiled the discrimination of gays and lesbians in the US military (from the Vietnam War to the Persian Gulf). Hint: He also wrote a best-seller about the AIDS Movement in America.

3. Question: Which was the first nation to ban discrimination against gays in the military.

4. Question: Name this doctor, humanitarian, and writer, who was dishonorably discharged from the military for being gay. As a navy doctor, he supervised a medical assistance program for more than 600,000 refugees fleeing North Vietnam. After his discharge, he established a network of clinics in South East Asia. He died at age 34.

5. Question: Name this Vietnam veteran, recipient of the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, who was one of the best-known openly gay men in America in the 1970's. His fight to remain in the military put him on the cover of TIME Magazine in 1975.

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/

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 10/25/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 42 October 25, 2010
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: October 25-31, 2010

thru SUN 10/31: Nationwide: LGBT History Month

thru THU: 12/02: Nationwide: David Sedaris does a book tour with his new book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Beastiary http://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html

thru WED: 11/24/: New York, NY: So You Think You Can Drag. Fabulous queens compete for celebrity judges and audience approval. www.timeoutnylounge.com/soyouthinkyoucandrag

FRI-SAT: 10/23-10/24: Hartford, CT: A Gender Bending Weekend. Film screening of “Play in the Gray” and performance of “All The Kings Men”. University of Hartford. http://new.hartford.edu/

SUN: 10/24: Boston, MA: It Gets Better, a benefit for The Trevor Project at Rocca. http://roccaboston.com/eblasts/trevor/  

WED: 10/27: Las Vegas, NV: Leslie Jordan headlines the Aid for AIDS Nevada Benefit. www.afanlv.org.

THU: 10/28: New York, NY: Gregory Maguire, author of “Wicked”, does a booksigning of his new paperback “The Next Queen of Heaven”. 7PM. B&N Broadway at 82nd St.. www.bn.com

SAT-MON: 10/30-11/01: New York, NY: Queer Shabbaton. A weekend for LGBT Jews. http://www.nehirim.org/qsny

SAT: 10/30: New York, NY: Tituss Burgess performs “Tituss and The Tightass Band”, hits from Jay-Z to Michael Jackson to benefit The Trevor Project. www.timeoutnylounge@newworldstages.com

Newsworthy:

Coming Out: Fired after coming out, Seth Stambaugh, an Oregon teacher speaks out. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/watch-oregon-teacher-fired-after-coming-out-to-student-speaks-out.html

DADT: Department of Justice requests a stay on the injunction barring its enforcement. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/doj-requests-stay-on-injunction-barring-enforcement-of-dadt.html

DADT: Pentagon tells recruiters to accept gay applicants. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/19/Recruiters_Must_Accept_Gay_Applicants/

Liberace Museum Closes. NPR reports: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130571040&sc=fb&cc=fp

News: Gay Teens, Bullying and Suicide

It Gets Better. The viral campaign bringing hope and help to gay youth is profiled by the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/us/19video.html?_r=1

Video: It Gets Better. Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns reaches out on National Coming Out Day. From AmericaBlogGay: http://gay.americablog.com/2010/10/incredibly-touching-it-gets-better.html

Video: It Gets Better. Voices from Broadway. http://www.youtube.com/user/ItGetsBetterBroadway

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Perez Hilton will end his outing of celebrities. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/watch-perez-hilton-makes-kindness-pledge-to-ellen-says-hell-stop-outing-celebs.html

Lara Lawless, TG golfer, is suing two of the country's top golf associations to do away with their ban on trans-women athletes. The Ladies Professional Golf Association, better known as the LPGA, is only open to women who were "female at birth." SF Weekly reports: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/10/transgender_woman_golfer_sues.php

Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who jumped ship, pled guilty. USAToday reports: http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-10-19-jetblue-attendant-plea_N.htm

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka. Fathers of twins. BroadwayWorld.com reports: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/153941/neil-patrick-harris-and-david-burtka-bring-home-their-twins/

Transitions:

Cheyenne Jackson, Broadway, “Glee”, and “30 Rock” star, married his longtime partner Monte Lapka. BroadwayWorld.com reports: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Cheyenne_Jackson_Weds_Longtime_Partner_20010101

John H. Embry, a pioneering gay author, Drummer magazine publisher, and activist died on 9/16/10, at age 83. The Bay Area Reporter reports: http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=5158

Photo Shoots and Video

“Priscilla: Queen of The Desert”, now in Toronto and Broadway-bound.
***Video From BroadwayWorld.com. http://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=175295
***Photo Preview: from BroadwayWorld.com. http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_Priscilla_Meets_the_Press_20101013
***Photos: Nick Adams. Transformation from actor to drag queen for “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”. The Toronto Globe and Mail reports: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/theatre/how-to-make-a-drag-queen/article1759536/?cmpid=rss1

Features

The Future of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. In The New York Times feature “Room for Debate”, several contributors weigh in on the policy and its enforcement. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/10/13/the-future-of-dont-ask-dont-tell?hp

Pro Gay Groups: Desperate for Obama to take action. NPR reports: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130651607&sc=fb&cc=fp

Top 10 Colleges for LGBT Students, according to Gawker: http://gawker.com/5655407/the-top-10-colleges-for-gay-students

The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Tony Kushner. A profile by New York Magazine’s Jesse Green. http://nymag.com/arts/theater/profiles/68994/

LGBT History Month

Video Playlist: LGBT Icons. GayRights Media’s YouTube posts: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6A90B6A637BB6B53

Gay American Heroes Memorial honors those LGBT people who were victims of hate crimes. http://gayamericanheroes.com/

Paragraph 175: The Holocaust and Homosexuals. from GayRightsMedia. http://gayrightsmedia.org/2005/paragraph-175-the-holocaust-and-homosexuals/

The Resource Center: Anti-Bullying Resources

***The Trevor Project is determined to end suicide among LGBTQ youth by providing life-saving and life-affirming resources including our nationwide, 24/7 crisis intervention lifeline, digital community and advocacy/educational programs that create a safe, supportive and positive environment for everyone. www.thetrevorproject.org.
***GLSEN. A great organization that is working to eradicate bullying and bias in schools
www.glsen.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 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/
***STOMP Out Bullying. Focused on reducing bullying and cyberbullying
www.stompoutbullying.org
***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
***Bullying.org. A site dedicated to increasing the awareness of bullying and to preventing, resolving and eliminating bullying in society. www.bullying.org
***No Bully. Helps schools to implement an anti-bullying policy and create school cultures where every student feels included. http://www.nobully.com/
***National School Safety and Security Services.Bullying, anti-bullying legislation, school safety. www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/bullying.html

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Life in The Theatre. T.R. Knight stars with Patrick Stewart in David Mamet’s play. to 1/02/11.
***Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Tony Kushner’s award-winning epic. thru 2/20/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***A Quiet Place. Leonard Bernstein’s opera about the estranged members of an American family (mother, father, daughter and gay son). to 11/21/10. www.nycopera.com
***As Is. William Hoffman’s 1985 drama, one of the first plays to tackle the AIDS crisis in America. to 10/31/10. www.applecoretheatercompany.org
***The Divine Sister. Charles Busch plays an indomitable Mother Superior driven to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. www.DivineSisterOnstage.com.
***The Pee-wee Herman Show. Paul Reubens’ stage version of his TV hit. to 1/02/11.
***The Power of Two. Michael Feinstein and Cheyenne Jackson in concert at Carnegie Hall. 10/29/10. www.carnegiehall.org
***Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. A new musical based on out filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s film. Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sherie Renee Scott star. www.lct.org.

Elsewhere...

***Boys Will Be Boys. The musical about a fundraiser to fight gay attention deficit disorder. to 11/20/10. Theatre Out, Santa Ana, CA. www.theatreout.com
***Carrie. Stephen King’s horror novel turned stage play. Erik Ransom pulls a gender-bending turn as the high school student with telekinetic powers. to 11/07/10. Philadelphia, PA. http://www.bratproductions.org/
***Gut Bucket Blues: The Legendary Bessie Smith. World premiere musical byDavid Bell about the raucous blueser with interest in the women. to 11/07/10. Atlanta, GA: http://truecolorstheatre.org/
***Pearls Over Shanghai. San Francisco’s Longest-Running Cockettes Musical. to 12/19/10. San Francisco, CA: http://thrillpeddlers.com
***Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Three drag queens cross Australia in an old bus with disco tunes. to 11/28/10. Toronto, ON. www.priscillathemusical.com.
***Take Me Out. Richard Greenberg’s award-winning drama about a major league baseball player who comes out. to 10/31/10. Los Angeles, CA.
www.celebrationtheatre.com

On Display

10/30/10-1/23/11: Washington, DC: Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture. A display of portraits from the late 19th century through today illustrates the changing social attitudes towards sexual difference and how it is depicted. National Portrait Gallery. http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/museums/national-portrait-gallery-smithsonian-institution,793021.html

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.
***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).
***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

Out On Video & DVD

***Evening Primrose, the 1966 musical teleplay by James Goldman from from John Collier short story, with a score by Stephen Sondheim. Anthony Perkins stars.
***Glee. The Complete First Season.
***LA Mission. Benjamin Bratt is a barrio tough guy who discovers that his son is involved in a relationship with another boy.
***Mädchen in Uniform, the 1958 lesbian classic.
***Modern Family: The Complete First Season. Follow the story of Mitchell and Cameron.
***Score. Radley Metzger’s 1972 film based on an off-Broadway play. One of the first mass-market films to explore couples who swing both ways. A gay sex scene with Cal Culver (Casey Donovan) was restored for the DVD release.
***Sex and The City 2. Carrie and the girls and a gay wedding with Liza.

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
***October: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***Weekdays: The Nate Berkus Show. Oprah’s out protege goes hourly in syndication. Check local listings.
***Weekdays The Talk. Out “Roseanne” alum Sara Gilmore produces a new version of “The View” with Marissa Jaret Winokur, Julie Chen, and Sharon Osbourne. CBS Weekdays. Check local listings.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

11/01/10: New York, NY: It Gets Better: Broadway Supports The Trevor Project. Broadway's leading voices, lending their support to this vital organization that provides suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. Farah Alvin, Brent Barrett, Kevin Chamberlin, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Michelle Dowdy, Daisy Eagan, Eric Michael Gillett, Annie Golden, Randy Jones, Karen Mason, Liz McCartney, Judy McLane, Sarah Rice, Roz Ryan, Stephen Schwartz, Mary Stout, John Tartaglia, Stephen Wallem, Barbara Walsh, and Sally Wilfert star. www.smarttix.com.

11/01/10: New York, NY: Nothing Like a Dame. the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative Benefit. Charles Busch, Mario Cantone, Victoria Clark are amongst the stars.
www.actorsfund.org

11/04/10-11/13/10: Chicago, IL: Reeling: Chicago Lesbian & Gay Int’l Film Fest.
www.reelingfilmfestival.org

11/05/10: Las Vegas, NV: 16th Annual Honorarium, The Gay and Lesbian Community Center recognizing individuals from Southern Nevada who have distinguished themselves as leaders through their commitment to the LGBT community by giving of their time, talents or resources during the past year. www.thecenterlv.com

11/05/10-11/07/10: Spokane, WA: Spokane LGBT Film Festival. www.spokanefilmfest.org

11/05/10: New York, NY: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. East Coast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

11/06/10: Boston, MA: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. Northeast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

11/06/10-11/07/10: Bloomington, IN: Queering the Countryside: New Directions in Rural Queer Studies. Indiana University’s two-day, interdisciplinary conference and workshop. http://www.iub.edu/~gender/queering-the-countryside.html

11/06/10-3/26/11: San Francisco, CA: Exhibition: More Life! “Angels in America” at Twenty. Museum of Performance and Design. http://www.mpdsf.org/EXHIBITIONS/ANGELS/ANGELS.html

11/08/10: New York, NY: Fashion Forward 2010, a fundraiser for the GMHC hosted by Tim Gunn. http://www.gmhc.org/donate/special-events/fashion-forward-2010

11/08/10: New York, NY: Ali Forney Center Benefit Concert with David Raleigh, Alan Cumming, Billy Porter, and Ari Gold. www.thefriendsproject.org.

11/09/10: New York, NY: 2010 Emery Awards, honor “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy. A benefit for the Hetrick-Martin Institute (Harvey Milk School). www.hmi.org.

11/10/10-11/14/10: Hartford, CT: 12th EROS Film Festival. http://www.outfilmct.org/

11/10/10: New York, NY: Stephen Sondheim, Oscar & Tony winning composer, signing copies of “Finishing The Hat”, his collection of lyrics. 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Union Square.

11/13/10: Los Angeles, CA: LA Gay and Lesbian Center Gala and Auction. Lily Tomlin hosts. Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch appear. www.lagaycenter.org.

11/13/10: Hartford, CT: One Big Event, a benefit for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. http://www.hglhc.org/onebigevent/index.html

11/21/10: New York, NY: OUT Auction NYC..http://www.glaad.org/events

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: LGBT History Month

1. Question: Name this gay scientist, the father of modern computing, who broke the Nazi Enigma codes. He was convicted of "gross indecency", after which he committed suicide. Last year, The British government formally apologised to him. Answer: Alan Turing. Two years after being convicted of "gross indecency" and sentenced to undergo hormone therapy, he killed himself with a cyanide-laced apple. His story was made into a play and ilm called "Breaking The Code".

2. Question: Name this state, the first to introduce civil unions in 2000. Last year, the state approved gay marriage; the first state to do so legislatively as opposed to judicially. Answer: Vermont.

3. Question: Name this sitcom which made history on March 1, 1994, when an actress, granddaughter of a literary giant, played a character who kissed the show's leading lady in an episode called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". The episode was the highest rated TV show of the week. Answer: Roseanne. Mariel Hemingway (granddaughter of Ernest), liplocked Roseanne.

4. Question: Name this person who made headlines in 1952 as the the first widely-publicized person to have undergone sex reassignment surgery, in this case, male to female, creating a world-wide sensation. Answer: Christine Jorgensen.

5. Question: Name this American politician who became the first out mayor of an American city with a population of over 1,000,000 people. Answer: Annise Parker, who became mayor of Houston, TX in January 2010.

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: 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/

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 10/18/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 41 October 18, 2010
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: October 18-24, 2010

thru SUN 10/31: Nationwide: LGBT History Month

thru SUN: 10/24: Chicago, IL: The Great Plays of Terrence McNally. A series of readings and performances of the out playwright’s major works. Pride Films and Plays. www.pridefilmsandplays.com.

thru THU: 12/02: Nationwide: David Sedaris does a book tour with his new book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Beastiary http://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html

thru SAT: 10/23: Washington, DC: Reel Affirmations: The Nation’s LGBT Film Festival. www.reelaffirmations.org

thru SUN: 10/24: Seattle, WA: Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. www.threedollarbillcinema.org

MON: 10/18: New York, NY: The Normal Heart. Joel Grey directs a 25th anniversary staged reading of Larry Kramer’s groundbreaking play. Victor Garber, John Benjamin Hickey, Joe Mantello and Patrick Wilson star. An Actors Fund and Friends in Deed benefit. 212.221.7300, ext 133.

WED: 10/20-WED: 11/24/: New York, NY: So You Think You Can Drag. Fabulous queens compete for celebrity judges and audience approval. www.timeoutnylounge.com/soyouthinkyoucandrag  

THU: 10/21: Los Angeles, CA: The Legacy Award, a gala to benefit Outfest’s Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation. The Outfest Legacy Project, a collaboration with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, is the only pro www.outfest.org/tla/

THU-SUN: 10/21-10/24: Laughlin, NV: International Gay Rodeo Finals. www.finalsrodeo.com

FRI: 10/22: Fort Collins, CO: Carol Channing, Broadway legend, signs copies of her gospel album “For Heaven’s Sake”. 6PM. Barnes & Noble. South College Avenue.

SUN: 10/24: Boston, MA: Alison Arngrim, star of "Little House of the Prairie" signing copies of her new book “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch”. 12:30PM. Barnes & Noble, Boylston Street.

SUN: 10/24: New York, NY: David Hyde Pierce chats show biz with Broadway’s Jordan Roth. www.92Y.org/lectures.

Newsworthy:

Judge Suspends Down DADT: Policy Infringes on fundemental rights, according to US District Court Judge Virginia Phillips. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/judge-suspends-down-dont-ask-dont-tell-policy-infringes-on-fundamental-rights.html

Campaign 2010: Ten Races to Watch. The Victory Fund showcases out LGBT candidates. http://www.victoryfund.org/newsroom/view/url:victory_fund_names_ten_races_to_watch

California: The University of Southern California has acquired what it calls the world’s largest archive related to LGBT history, the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, which includes the papers of activists and entertainers, seminal magazines and other historical materials. 89.3KPCC/Southern California Public Radio reports: http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/10/08/gay-archive/

News: Gay Teens, Bullying and Suicide

It Gets Better Project. http://www.itgetsbetterproject.com/

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Isaac Katz, son of Jonathan Katz the homophobic Washington University physics professor, has come out. The Advocate reports: http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/11/Son_of_Homophobic_Professor_Comes_Out/

Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the widow of tennis legend Arthur Ashe, released a video for the Human Rights Campaign in New York that expresses her and her late husband’s support for marriage equality. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/01/Jeanne_Moutoussamy_Ashe_for_Marriage_Equality/

Photo Shoots and Video

Video: “Trevor”: the short film that inspired The Trevor Project to develop a 24/07 hotline for LGBTQ youth. http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2010/10/watch_the_short_film_trevor_1008.php

Video: Divas in Discussion. Liza Minnelli chats with Charles (“The Divine Sister”) Busch on “In The Life”. http://www.playbill.com/playblog/2010/10/liza-minnelli-talks-to-charles-busch-on-in-the-life-video/

Photos: T.R. Knight and Patrick Stewart in “A Life in the Theatre”. BroadwayWorld.com reports: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_A_LIFE_IN_THE_THEATRE_on_Broadway_20101006

Features

Coming Out: The Advocate on National Coming Out Day: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/11/Complicated_Time_for_National_Coming_Out_Day/

The Resource Center:

National Resource Center on LGBT Aging: Resources for LGBT older adults. http://www.lgbtagingcenter.org/

OutServe: The Underground Network of Actively Serving LGBT Military Personnel. http://outserve.org/#

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Life in The Theatre. T.R. Knight stars with Patrick Stewart who plays an elderly actor and Knight’s mentor in David Mamet’s play. to 1/02/11.
***Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Tony Kushner’s award-winning epic. thru 2/20/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***As Is. William Hoffman’s 1985 drama, one of the first plays to tackle the AIDS crisis in America. to 10/31/10. www.applecoretheatercompany.org
***The Divine Sister. Charles Busch plays an indomitable Mother Superior driven to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. www.DivineSisterOnstage.com.
***Swan Lake, the all-male Matthew Bourne version. to 11/07/10. www.NYCityCenter.org
***Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. A new musical based on out filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s film. Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sherie Renee Scott star. www.lct.org.

Elsewhere...

***Anita Bryant Died For Your Sins. Brian Christopher Williams play about 1977 global recession, double digit unemployment and the fight for gay rights. to 10/24/10. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***Becoming Walt Whitman. The coming of age story of the famous poet, set in pre-Civil War Manhattan. to 10/24/10. Santa Rosa, CA. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com
***Boys Will Be Boys. The musical about a fundraiser to fight gay attention deficit disorder. to 11/20/10. Theatre Out, Santa Ana, CA. www.theatreout.com
***Carrie. Stephen King’s horror novel turned stage play. Erik Ransom will pull a gender-bending turn as the titular high school student with telekinetic powers. to 11/07/10. Philadelphia, PA. http://www.bratproductions.org/
***I Can See Sarah Palin from my Window. World premiere of gay activist and performance artist Peterson Toscano’s new solo piece. 10/23/10, New Britain, CT. http://www.petersontoscano.com/Schedule
***The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. The Tectonic Theater Project’s docudrama about the aftermath of the Matthew Shepard murder. 10/18/10-10/19/10, Whitewater, WI. 10/22/10-10/23/10, San Francisco, CA. http://www.tectonictheaterproject.org/Tectonic.html
***Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical based on the 1994 Australian film. The story of a drag queen and her two fish-out-of-water friends who head west across the desert to Alice Springs in their battered old bus. Toronto, ON. to 11/28/10. www.priscillathemusical.com.
***Sassy Gay Friend. Brian Gallivan’s hilarious Second City character. 10/20/10. Boston, MA. http://www.improvasylum.com/home/sassy-gay-friend-comes-to-boston
***Take Me Out. Richard Greenberg’s award-winning drama about a major league baseball player who comes out. to 10/31/10. Los Angeles, CA.
www.celebrationtheatre.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.
***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). http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/the_kids_are_all_right

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. .
***Glee. The Complete First Season.
***LA Mission. Benjamin Bratt is a barrio tough guy who discovers that his son is involved in a relationship with another boy.
***Mädchen in Uniform, the 1958 lesbian classic.
***The Matthew Shepard Story. Stockard Channing plays Judy Shepard in the Lifetime network film about Matthew’s murder. Her performance is incredible.
***Modern Family: The Complete First Season. Follow the story of Mitchell and Cameron.
***Score. Radley Metzger’s 1972 film based on an off-Broadway play. One of the first mass-market films to explore couples who swing both ways. A gay sex scene with Cal Culver (Casey Donovan) was restored for the DVD release.

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

***October: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***Weekdays: The Nate Berkus Show. Oprah’s out protege goes hourly in syndication. Check local listings.
***MON: 10/18: "The Talk," the new talk show featuring out Sara Gilbert, Marisa Jaret Winokur, Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Rimini. 2PM CBS.
***WED: 10/20: Michael Feinstein's American Songbook, part three of a three-part series that explores the history of American popular music. www.pbs.org.
***WED: 10/20: A Broadway Celebration: In Performance at the White House featuring Nathan Lane, Idina Menzel, Audra McDonald, Brian d’Arcy James and more. 9PM. PBS. www.pbs.org.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

10/27/10: Las Vegas, NV: Leslie Jordan headlines the Aid for AIDS Nevada Benefit. www.afanlv.org.

10/30/10-11/01/10: New York, NY: Queer Shabbaton. A weekend for LGBT Jews. http://www.nehirim.org/qsny

11/01/10: New York, NY: It Gets Better: Broadway Supports The Trevor Project. Broadway's leading voices, lending their support to this vital organization that provides suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth. www.smarttix.com.

11/01/10: New York, NY: Nothing Like a Dame. the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative Benefit. Charles Busch, Mario Cantone, Victoria Clark are amongst the stars.
www.actorsfund.org

11/03/10-11/07/10: New York, NY: New York City Comedy Festival. Among those featured: Rosie O’Donnell and Margaret Cho. www.nycomedyfestival.com

11/04/10-11/13/10: Chicago, IL: Reeling: Chicago Lesbian & Gay Int’l Film Fest.
www.reelingfilmfestival.org

11/05/10-11/07/10: Spokane, WA: Spokane LGBT Film Festival. www.spokanefilmfest.org

11/05/10: New York, NY: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. East Coast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

11/06/10: Boston, MA: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. Northeast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

11/06/10-11/07/10: Bloomington, IN: Queering the Countryside: New Directions in Rural Queer Studies. Indiana University’s two-day, interdisciplinary conference and workshop. http://www.iub.edu/~gender/queering-the-countryside.html

11/06/10-3/26/11: San Francisco, CA: Exhibition: More Life! “Angels in America” at Twenty. Museum of Performance and Design. http://www.mpdsf.org/EXHIBITIONS/ANGELS/ANGELS.html

11/08/10: New York, NY: Fashion Forward 2010, a fundraiser for the GMHC hosted by Tim Gunn. http://www.gmhc.org/donate/special-events/fashion-forward-2010

11/10/10: New York, NY: Stephen Sondheim, Oscar & Tony winning composer, signing copies of “Finishing The Hat”, his collection of lyrics. 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Union Square.

11/13/10: Los Angeles, CA: LA Gay and Lesbian Center Gala and Auction. Lily Tomlin hosts. Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch appear. www.lagaycenter.org.

11/13/10: Hartford, CT: One Big Event, a benefit for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. http://www.hglhc.org/onebigevent/index.html

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Marching 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 year’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: LGBT History Month

1. Question: Name this gay scientist, the father of modern computing, who broke the Nazi Enigma codes. He was convicted of "gross indecency", after which he committed suicide. Last year, The British government formally apologised to him.

2. Question: Name this state, the first to introduce civil unions in 2000. Last year, the state approved gay marriage; the first state to do so legislatively as opposed to judicially.

3. Question: Name this sitcom which made history on March 1, 1994, when an actress, granddaughter of a literary giant, played a character who kissed the show's leading lady in an episode called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". The episode was the highest rated TV show of the week.

4. Question: Name this person who made headlines in 1952 as the the first widely-publicized person to have undergone sex reassignment surgery, in this case, male to female, creating a world-wide sensation.

5. Question: Name this American politician who became the first out mayor of an American city with a population of over 1,000,000 people.

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/

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 10/11/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 40 October 11, 2010
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: October 11-17, 2010

thru SUN 10/31: Nationwide: LGBT History Month

thru SUN: 10/24: Chicago, IL: The Great Plays of Terrence McNally. A series of readings and performances of the out playwright’s major works. Pride Films and Plays. www.pridefilmsandplays.com.

thru THU: 12/02: Nationwide: David Sedaris tours with his new book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunkhttp://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html

thru SUN: 10/17: Provincetown, MA: Women’s Week. http://www.womeninnkeepers.com/womens_week.html

MON: 10/11: Nationwide: National Coming Out Day. www.hrc.com/ncop

MON: 10/11: New York, NY: PFLAG New York Awards Dinner, 3rd edition. http://www.pflagnyc.org/dinner

TUE: 10/12: Los Angeles, CA: Michael Cunningham does a reading and booksigning of his new novel “By Nightfall”. 7PM. Los Angeles Public Library. Also: WED-THU: 10/13-10/14: San Francisco, CA. THU: 10/14: Seattle, WA: SAT: 10/16: Austin, TX: http://www.michaelcunninghamwriter.com/tour/

WED-SAT: 10/13-10/16: Atlanta, GA: The 2010 Atlanta Queer Literary Festival. http://atlqueerlitfest.blogspot.com/

THU-SUN: 10/14-10/17: San Francisco, CA: Sundance Stampede. San Francisco’s annual country/ western dance weekend. www.stompede.com

THU-SUN: 10/14-10/17: New York, NY: Queer Black Cinema International Film Festival. http://www.queerblackcinema.org/

THU-SAT: 10/14-10/23: Washington, DC: Reel Affirmations: The Nation’s LGBT Film Festival. www.reelaffirmations.org

FRI-SUN: 10/15-10/24: Seattle, WA: Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. www.threedollarbillcinema.org

SAT: 10/16: West Hartford, CT: Hartford AIDS Walk to benefit AIDS Project Hartford, and the Connecticut AIDS Resource Coalition. http://adiswalk2010.dojiggy.com

SAT: 10/16: Portland, OR Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. Northwest Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

SUN: 10/17: Atlanta, GA: AIDS Walk Atlanta. www.aidswalkatlanta.com

SUN: 10/17: Los Angeles, CA: AIDS Walk LA. www.aidswalk.net

SUN: 10/17: Westport, CT: Connecticut Cares 2010. http://support.lambdalegal.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=101401

Newsworthy:

Coming Out: Teacher Reassigned for Coming Out. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/04/Teacher_Reassigned_For_Coming_Out_to_Student/

National Sex Survey: 15% of adults are gay, according to Indiana University findings. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/10/04/Sex_Survey_15_of_Adults_Gay/

Washington, DC: 52 area Starbucks will be converting their restrooms to gender-neutral in the wake of pressure from trans equality groups. Edge reports: http://www.edgeonthenet.com/index.php?ch=news&sc&sc2&sc3&id=111155

Alyson Books, a longtime publisher of LGBT books, will only publish e-books. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/alyson-books-nixes-print-to-only-publish-e-books.html

News: Gay Teens, Bullying and Suicide

Coming Out: Another Outing and Suicide. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/nyregion/30suicide.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Recent Suicides Expose Pressures of Gay Teens. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/us/04suicide.html?src=mv

It Gets Better: the videos for LGBTQ teens: http://mashable.com/2010/10/03/it-gets-better-youtube-videos/

Gay Teen Suicide: a round-up from Towleroad: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/suicide.html

Video: Celebrities combat anti-gay bullying on “Larry King Live”. via Towleroad. http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/celebrities-combat-anti-gay-bullying-on-larry-king.html

Video: “We Give a Damn” with Ricky Martin and oithers. via Towleroad: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/ricky-martin-elton-john-and-wanda-sykes-help-fight-hate-crimes.html

Video: Margaret Cho speaks out on pride and anti-gay bullying on “Dancing With The Stars”. via Towleroad: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/10/margaret-cho-uses-dancing-stage-for-gay-pride-suicide-prevention.html


The Buzz (People Making News)

Vaughan Walker, the Judge who declared California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional, will step down from the bench in February 2011. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2010/09/prop-8-judge-vaughn-walker-stepping-down-next-year.html

Features

Coming Out: “What It’s Like to Be a Gay Teen”. Brian Moylan reports for Gawker. http://gawker.com/5652378/

Judy Shepard speaks out on the Clemente Suicide. CBS reports: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/01/earlyshow/living/parenting/main6918173.shtml

Give a Damn Campaign: is for everybody who cares about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. www.wegiveadamn.org. For public service announcements about “We Give a Damn”: http://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=171536

Profile: It Gets Better, the campaign aimed at gay teens by those who’ve been through it. NPR reports: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130268587&sc=fb&cc=fp

Larry Kramer talks about his new epic book on the history of gay America. The New York Times reports: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/more-to-the-story-a-history-of-gay-america/

What a Drag! New York Times theatre writer Ben Brantley looks at female impersonators from Charles Busch to Charles Pierce. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/theater-talkback-what-a-drag/

Profile: Annise Parker, Houston Mayor. America’s first lesbian big-city mayor talks with Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_41/b4198096799595.htm

Profile: TR Knight. Out of the OR and back on-stage. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/theater/03knight.html?_r=1

Gay Fall Travel Getaways: The Advocate recommendations: http://advocate.com/Travel/Destinations/Fall_Gay_Getaways/

LGBT History Month

LGBT History Month: A short video about Serge Diaghilev, who changed the world of ballet, bringing luminaries like Picasso, Stravinsky and Chanel together. Diahghilev discovered the famous dancer Nijinski and later became his lover. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/constantin-bjerke/diaghilev-and-the-golden_b_744251.html

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Life in The Theatre. T.R. Knight stars with Patrick Stewart who plays an elderly actor and Knight’s mentor in David Mamet’s play. to 1/02/11.
***Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Tony Kushner’s award-winning epic. thru 2/20/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***As Is. William Hoffman’s 1985 drama, one of the first plays to tackle the AIDS crisis in America. to 10/31/10. www.applecoretheatercompany.org
***The Divine Sister. Charles Busch plays the Mother Superior driven to build a new convent school in his new play. www.DivineSisterOnstage.com.
***La Bête, David Hirson's Moliere-inspired satire, starring David Hyde Pierce and Joanna Lumley (Patsy in “Ab/Fab”). http://labetetheplay.com/
***Oklahomo: The Adventures of Dave and Gary. A new rock musical about two Midwestern mall food court employees who are also partners in love (and eventually justice). 10/14/10-10/16/10. www.nymf.org
***Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. A new musical based on out filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s film. Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sherie Renee Scott star. www.lct.org.

Elsewhere...

***Anita Bryant Died For Your Sins. Brian Christopher Williams play about 1977 global recession, double digit unemployment and the fight for gay rights. to 10/24/10. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***Becoming Walt Whitman. The coming of age story of the famous poet, set in pre-Civil War Manhattan. to 10/24/10. Santa Rosa, CA. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com
***Boys Will Be Boys. The musical about a fundraiser to fight gay attention deficit disorder. to 11/20/10. Theatre Out, Santa Ana, CA. www.theatreout.com
***The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. The Tectonic Theater Project’s docudrama about the aftermath of the Matthew Shepard murder. 10/13/10-10/14/10, Cedar Falls, IA. 10/18/10-10/19/10, Whitewater, WI. http://www.tectonictheaterproject.org/Tectonic.html
***Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the musical based on the 1994 Australian film. Toronto, ON. to 11/28/10. www.priscillathemusical.com.
***Take Me Out. Richard Greenberg’s award-winning drama about a major league baseball player who comes out. to 10/31/10. Los Angeles, CA.
www.celebrationtheatre.com
***Transfiguration: Transgressing Gender in The Bible.Peterson Toscano finds gay Biblical people. 10/13/10-10/16/10, Phoenix, AZ. http://www.petersontoscano.com/Schedule

On Display

to 10/23/10: Los Angeles, CA: Jeff Sheng’s Portraits of service men and women who pose in response to DADT. Kaycee Olsen Gallery. http://www.kayceeolsen.com/

to 9/04/11: Kent, OH: Katharine Hepburn’s collection of costumes from stage and screen. Kent State University Museum. http://www.kent.edu/news/video/hepburn.cfm

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.
***HOWL, the docu-feature about Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Trailer: . http://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=171820
***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.

Out On Video & DVD
.
***Glee. The Complete First Season.
***LA Mission. Benjamin Bratt is a barrio tough guy who discovers that his son is involved in a relationship with another boy.
***Mädchen in Uniform, the 1958 lesbian classic.
***The Matthew Shepard Story. Stockard Channing plays Judy Shepard in the Lifetime network film about Matthew’s murder. Her performance is incredible.
***Modern Family: The Complete First Season. Follow the story of Mitchell and Cameron.
***Score. Radley Metzger’s 1972 film based on an off-Broadway play. One of the first mass-market films to explore couples who swing both ways. A gay sex scene with Cal Culver (Casey Donovan) was restored for the DVD release.

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

***September/October: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***Weekdays: The Nate Berkus Show. Oprah’s out protege goes hourly in syndication. Check local listings.
***WED: 10/13: Michael Feinstein's American Songbook, parttwo of a three-part series that explores the history of American popular music. www.pbs.org.
***THU: 10/14: Cheyenne Jackson guest stars on the live episode of “30 Rock”. 8:30PM. NBC.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

10/18/10: New York, NY: The Normal Heart. Joel Grey directs a 25th anniversary staged reading of Larry Kramer’s groundbreaking play. Victor Garber, John Benjamin Hickey, Joe Mantello and Patrick Wilson star. An Actors Fund and Friends in Deed benefit. 212.221.7300, ext 133.

10/21/10: Los Angeles, CA: The Legacy Award, a gala to benefit Outfest’s Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation. www.outfest.org/tla/

10/21/10-10/24/10: Laughlin, NV: International Gay Rodeo Finals. www.finalsrodeo.com

10/27/10: Las Vegas, NV: Leslie Jordan headlines the Aid for AIDS Nevada Benefit. www.afanlv.org.

10/30/10-11/01/10: New York, NY: Queer Shabbaton. A weekend for LGBT Jews. http://www.nehirim.org/qsny

11/04/10-11/13/10: Chicago, IL: Reeling: Chicago Lesbian & Gay Int’l Film Fest.
www.reelingfilmfestival.org

11/05/10-11/07/10: Spokane, WA: Spokane LGBT Film Festival. www.spokanefilmfest.org

11/05/10: New York, NY: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. East Coast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

11/06/10: Boston, MA: Campus Pride College Fair and Prep Day. Northeast Region. http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events/default.aspx

11/06/10-11/07/10: Bloomington, IN: Queering the Countryside: New Directions in Rural Queer Studies. Indiana University’s two-day, interdisciplinary conference and workshop. http://www.iub.edu/~gender/queering-the-countryside.html


Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: National Coming Out Day

1. Question: Name this real-life teen who came out to his all-American family on January 15, 1973, on television’s first “reality series”. Hint: He later became a musician and a magazine columnist. Answer: Lance Loud. the Loud family was profiled on PBS’ “An American Family”.

2. Question: Name the comic strip, whose major character came out on February 10, 1976. He was the first comic hero to do so. Answer: Doonesbury. The character was Andy Lippincott.

3. Question: Name this singer, the first major entertainment figure to come out in an Advocate cover story on October 16, 1992. Her career never suffered as a result, and she paved the way for other entertainers, from Amanda Bearse to Nathan Lane. Answer: k.d. lang.

4. Question: Names this high-level American elected official who came out under duress on July 20, 1983. A fellow Congressman from his home state followed four years later. They were amongst the highest-ranked out public officers prior to Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin and New Jersey Governor James McGreevey. Answer: Gerry Studds, Massachusetts congressman. Barney Frank came out after him on May 30, 1987.

5. Question: Name this Emmy winner, who came out on television and on the cover of Time on February 14, 1997. Other Emmy winners who have since come out include: Rosie O’Donnell (2002) and Cynthia Nixon (2004). Answer: Ellen DeGeneres.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Marching 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.

2. Question: Name this activist, very much involved in last year’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.

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.

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.

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/