Valentine's Day With The Big Voice

I was all set to write a post encouraging attendance at The Big Voice, the critically-raved off-Broadway musical about, written by and starring two gay men in a 22-year relationship. This is the slow time of year for theatre attendance and when the shows with less than packed houses tend to fold. Then I got the following press release:

An interfaith commitment ceremony hosted by the Actors Temple, The Actors Temple Theatre, and the hit off-Broadway musical, THE BIG VOICE: God or Merman? will take place on February 14th in honor of V-day and in honor of love.

Dozens of same sex couples will proudly celebrate their commitment to each other in a public demonstration of their devotion, loyalty and love after the 8pm performance of The Big Voice onstage at the theater. February 11th thru 17th is Freedom to Marry Week in the United States.

Join Rabbi Jill Hausman and THE BIG VOICE stars Jim Brochu and Steve Schalchlin, who have lived together as a couple for 22 years, as they bear witness to a miracle on 47th Street. Rabbi Hausman and Jim Brouchu, who is also ordained, will conduct the inter-denominational ceremony.

Rabbi Hausman commented, "I welcome all couples to The Actors Temple, Congregation Ezrath Israel, who together wish to present themselves for an interfaith ceremony of commitment. We invite those who want their union to be blessed in dignity and love, in acceptance and respect, and as a recognition of their intention to live together in the community as a married couple."

If you've been putting off seeing The Big Voice, you've got no excuse to wait any longer.
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Weekend Links

Belinda Carlisle dazzles at in-store appearance. - Boy Culture

Prediction: Bears, by a hair. Ahem. - The Cup Of Joe

Meth-related ER visits drop by 30% in SF. - Michael Petrelis

Openly gay high school quarterback dies in car crash. - ESPN

Activists object to Tuscon TV expose' on park cruising. - Box Turtle Bulletin.

Out Of It

I still thought it was the Baltimore Colts.

Storms Tear Up Central Florida

Thanks very much for all the kind emails asking about my family regarding this morning's tornados in Central Florida. I am touched by your concern. My people are all OK, the storm did the most damage in Lake and Volusia counties, where at least 14 were killed. Orlando is the thunderstorm capital of North America, but seems have been spared this time. When I lived in SF, I actually used to miss the storms, crazily enough. One time we had a lightning storm there and it made the newspaper.

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INRI

The Church Of Scientology thinks that Tom Cruise is the messiah. I don't know, I always expected God to be, you know, taller. And a top.
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Fighting Back: Good As You

New Yorker Jeremy Hooper, author of the vital gay news blog Good As You, today takes on a man who has sent him violent threats after viewing Jeremy's recent appearance on the PBS gay newsmagazine, In The Life.

An easy Google search has ID'd the man as a Philadelphia business owner and Jeremy names him today. Something tells me that if you are in the business of wholesaling steaks to restaurants, you definitely do not want to piss off the chefs of your town, as I've heard that sometimes chefs are teh gay. Go read.

UPDATE: Watch Jeremy's episode of In The Life.

UPDATE II: This just in: Haters are not so smart.
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Sharon Stone Digs The "F" Word

"I've been called a bitch - and a lot worse - for years. And you know what, so what? People who think that aren't going to change their minds. And I wouldn't dream of sending them to therapy to 'rehabilitate' their feelings. How absurd. Please, I call all my gay friends 'big fags'." - Sharon Stone. Opinions?
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Spitfire Spitzer

"Listen, I'm a fucking steamroller, and I'll roll over you and anybody else." - New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, who yesterday tripled the proposed expenditure for gay community health programs. That proposal may get shot down, there has been some outcry against his new budget, but like many, I continue to be impressed with our new governor. In just over a month in office, Spitzer has implemented many changes meant to thwart corruption and lobbyist influence in Albany.
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I Will Hold You Ten Times

My apologies for this rerun from my archives. My dear friend Daniel Johnson, who threw the most kickass Groundhog's Day birthday parties for himself, would have been 50 years old today. His was a life that burned brightly and I am illuminated still. Daniel Johnson, 1957-1997.

I Will Hold You Ten Times

1. I will hold you, Daniel

2. The lesions don't bother me. I will hold you.

3. I will pretend nothing is wrong when you want me to pretend and when you want me to hold you, I will hold you.

4. I will make plans with you to go to your favorite places that we both know you can no longer go and I will sit with you and look at your pictures of these places and I will hold you.

5. I will ride with you on the train to your doctor's office and when you get sick in the station, I will hold you.

6. I will see the Post-It notes you put all over the house reminding yourself to do everyday things like "Turn off stove" and "Lock front door", and I'll pretend the disease isn't robbing your mind and when you tell me something for the third time in ten minutes, I won't let you know, I will hold you.

7. I will go to Safeway with you because you need to get out into the world, and when the diarrhea overwhelms you and you shit your pants in the middle of the store, I will call us a cab and in the cab, I will hold you.

8. I will make you mix-tapes of our favorite songs from last summer, just like you asked me to, and when the memories make you sad instead of happy and you throw the tapes in the trash, I won't get angry, I will hold you.

9. I will sit up all night with you, because the fevers and night sweats won't let you sleep, and in the morning I'll change your drenched sheets and help your out of the shower and when you weep from the sight of your withered body in the mirror on the bathroom door, I will hold you.

10. I will hold you, Daniel.

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Newsom Fucks Up (And Around)

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson, the darling of some gay marriage activists, has been exposed for having an affair with the wife of his election campaign manager. Newsom is up for re-election this year and faces a grassroots campaign urging openly lesbian state Sen. Carole Migden to run against him.

Not all gay marriage proponents are Newsom fans. Some activists working on the issue have been critical of Newsom's February 2004 unilateral declaration that gay marriages would be legal in San Francisco, calling the move "political grandstanding" and ultimately detrimental to the cause. The marriages that took place in San Francisco were later ruled invalid.

Gay marriage activists that had been doing the tedious legislative groundwork towards legalization suddenly found the rug pulled out from under them, as Newsom's spotlight-grabbing tactic eroded the then slowly improving climate for approval. Others (myself included) suspected at the time that Newsom could even be covertly working for the Republicans. Obviously, this new scandal will increase the call for Sen. Migden to oppose Newsom this fall.

UPDATE: The SF Chronicle thinks this scandal may hurt Nancy Pelosi.

Hairy Potter Googlebomb

One of the top search terms on the 'net in the past few days has been "Harry Potter naked", thanks to Potter star Daniel Radcliffe's buff turn in a London production of Equus. Naked Harry Potter pictures showing Daniel Radcliffe nude in photos are causing bloggers to have a field day laying fake Googlebombs in their posts, in order to drive traffic from those seeking those pics of Harry Potter naked. Naked Harry Potter pics, who needs 'em? Not me. And I don't need naked pics of Paris Hilton, or naked pics of Britney Spears, naked pics of the Super Bowl, or naked pics of Playstation 3.

Nobel Nomination For Al Gore

Al Gore has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless work to publicize the issue of global warming. Those eligible to submit nominations include former Nobel winners themselves, members of national governments, selected university professors, and members of the awards committee. The Peace category of the Nobels has been widely criticised for some of its winners in recent years, such as Mikhail Gorbachev, Yasser Arafat, and Kim Dae-jung.

HomoQuotable - Charlene Cothran

"I must come out of the closet again. I have recently experienced the power of change that came over me once I completely surrendered to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As a believer of the word of God, I fully accept and have always known that same-sex relationships are not what God intended for us.” - Charlene Cothran, publisher of Venus Magazine, which for 13 years has targeted the black LGBT community, in announcing that her magazine would now be a vehicle for the "ex-gay" movement. First article in the new Venus: "Packing At Church: How To Top For Jesus."

Open Thread Thursday

I'm addicted to Discovery. What's your favorite cable channel?
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Has The Quilt Run Its Course?

There's an interesting story about the AIDS Memorial Quilt in today's New York Times that speculates on the enduring value of the quilt in a day when its message may have "lost its punch". The quilt's caretaker organization, the Names Project, has been mired in infighting and lawsuits for years now and the bulk of the quilt is slowly deteriorating in storage in Atlanta.

The current size of the quilt is six city blocks, several times larger than its last complete public display in 1996 (pictured), which my friends and I flew from Florida and California to attend. Protease inhibitors had just become available and even while walking those hallowed rows of grave-sized panels, there was a palpable sense of optimism in the air.

When I lived in Fort Lauderdale, my boss was the chair of the Florida chapter of the Names Project and he was always shuttling around the state from one display to another. At these displays there were usually donation jars set up, so that visitors could contribute to the costs of storing and shipping the panels, no small amount when the number of panels in a single display could number in the hundreds. My boss would bring the donation jars into the office so that our accountant could count up and bind the cash and checks for deposit.

After a well-attended exhibition at the Palm Beach County Jewish Senior Center, the visitors had been particularly generous and as it was late in the day, I offered to help the accountant count the donations. Looking across a pile of money, Jon stared at me for a second and said, "OK, I'll do the cash. Why don't you do the checks?" He pushed a large pile of personal checks at me. I gathered them up and returned to my desk with the donors register, which the Names Project used to record the names and addresses of contributors.

As I began the laborious process of recording the names, addresses and amounts, I couldn't help noticing the memo line on one of the checks. "For my son, Adam." The check was for $20. My throat clenched up. The next check: "I miss my Ronnie." $10. A couple of checks later: "For my grandson, Michael." $25. I turned on the radio and tried to become more mechanical in my movements. Name, address, amount. Name, address, amount. But I kept finding my eyes returning to the memo line. I couldn't stop myself. "In the name of Ben Johnson, our son." "Daniel Berg. 1965-1995." And on and on.

I only got about 50 of the 200 or so checks recorded, when I came across this notation: "Mama misses you so much." $10. I slammed the register shut, put the checks on top, and walked back the accountant's office. I pushed the door open and said, "Jon, um...listen, I'm sorry but I can't finish this right now. I'll get to it in the morning, cool?" Jon looked over the top of his glasses at my red, watery eyes and gave me a slow, understanding nod, "Yeah, sure Joe." I turned to walk out and he added, "Why do you think I said I'd do the cash?"

The AIDS Quilt is the most powerful memorial in the history of gay culture. If it has "lost its punch", I really don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

BOTTOM RIGHT: My former boss' quilt for his father, Dr.Valeriano Suarez. Sewn to the quilt is a teddy bear wearing surgical scrubs.

Florida To Consider Gay Rights Law

Florida lawmakers have been presented with a bill that would outlaw anti-gay discrimination in employment, housing, and public accomodations. Two legislators from liberal oasis Boca Raton, working at the behest of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, introduced the bill to the state Senate and House of Representatives.

As regular readers know, I am from Florida, where like most U.S. states, it is perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay, except in the scattered cities and counties where local laws prevent it. (Key West, Miami Beach, Wilton Manors, as examples.) Additionally, last year the CEO of one of the largest hotel chains in the country withdrew his support when the mayor of Orange County, home to the one of the largest hotel-based economies the world, pledged to support equal housing laws for gays, a law which has yet to pass there.

I'll be following this story closely. Of course, if our new Congress were to pass ENDA, these sorts of state-level legislative efforts would be rendered moot. A new trans-inclusive version of ENDA may be presented to Congress this year. ENDA came within one vote of passing in 1996, the last year it was presented for voting. Things are looking very good for ENDA in 2007.
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25 Year Flashback:Top 5 Albums Of 1982

Since we're on an oldies roll today, here are the Top 5 albums of 25 years ago and my foggy memories thereof.

1. Asia Asia - Self-titled debut album from the schlocky proggy rock supergroup comprising members of King Crimson, Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and The Buggles. Asia produced three forgettable hits. The double-dumbass video for Heat Of The Moment (#1 US,#47 UK) can still make me cringe.

2. Go-Go's - Beauty And The Beat. Critical darlings and homo favorites, Go-Go's would implode after only three albums, but it was a sweet ride while it lasted. Beauty produced the 1981 hits We Got The Beat (#2 US) and Our Lips Are Sealed (#20 US, #47 UK). It was the first album that was written and performed by an all-girl band to reach #1. (Who else has done this?) Every white girl in the country copied Belinda's dance. (Also: gay men.)

3. Foreigner - 4. I was not and remain no fan of the sort of colorless stud-rock of the time, which Foreigner personified. That said, "4" produced a couple of great singles: Urgent (#4 US, #47 UK) and Waiting For A Girl Like You (#2 US, #8 UK). I used Waiting in my slow-dance set back when I was a baby DJ.

4. John Cougar - American Fool. His last pre-Mellencamp release, I remember buying this album to satisfy a rockist boyfriend of the time. I think my copy hit the dustbin about 20 seconds after the boyfriend did. The album contained the bearable Hurt So Good and the unforgivable Jack And Diane. Here's a little ditty 'bout - oh fuck. I apologize for reminding you of this. Sincerely.

5. J.Geils Band - Freeze-Frame. This album actually got a lot of play in teh gay clubs. Flamethrower was a hit 12" single (#12 Club Play). J. Geils will always be most remembered for the goofy paint-splattering video for Freeze-Frame (#4 US, #27 UK), and for Centerfold, which was the biggest hit of the band's career (#1 US, #3 UK.) and which always sent me diving for the station buttons.

I now return you to the 21st century.
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Tweakends.org

Tweakends.org, a new collaborative website from APLA and GMHC has been launched to combat the crystal meth epidemic.

From the press release: AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) and Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) today announced the launch of tweakends.org , an online resource to help gay and bisexual men better understand crystal meth and how it impacts physical, mental and sexual health. Tweakends.org builds on both agencies’ growing portfolio of resources and programs confronting widespread use of the drug in gay communities.

The site features an interactive “drag and drop” feature by which users can ask a series of questions of a crystal ball to receive information about reducing risk, accessing health resources and connecting with other community members. The information provided is a combination of up-to-date medical language, candid talk and humor to engage visitors and inspire their thinking about use of the highly addictive drug.
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Homoblivious

Today's Word Of The Day over on UrbanDictionary.com is "homoblivious": Not having the ability to recognize homosexuals as being homosexuals; a lack of gaydar. Example: "He was so homoblivious that he didn't know that guy was coming on to him." Everybody got that?
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It Must Be IRS Day

I get tons of PR materials from publicists, but this one I had to put right up, as Belinda is so adored by Teh Gays. I'm gonna try and get to this thing. And holy crap, it's been over 25 years since Beauty And The Beat!

UPDATE: Carlisle's complete new album, Voila, is streaming live here. Check out her take on La Vie En Rose. It's as camp as Christmas! As gay as pink ink! I'm totally plotzing in anticipation of the remixes. Purchase here.
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Roooooxxxxanne!

The Police are reuniting after 23 years to perform at the Grammys. I am unreasonably pleased by this. Back in 1978, I considered that I had personally discovered The Police, plucking the 45 single for Can't Stand Losing You / Dead End Job out of the import bin at Orlando's Record City. I was drawn in by the photo of Stewart Copeland hanging with a rope around his neck, a space heater slowing melting the ice he was standing on. That blew my 19-year old mind.

I'll admit that the loping reggae of the A-side Can't Stand Losing You was disappointing to my punk-obsessed self, but the full-on punkness of the B-side Dead End Job made me pick up Outlandos d'Amour when it followed a month later, and I was hooked. (Trivia: Police Brutality was the original title for the first album.) I saw The Police in concert for the first time that fall at Great Southern Music Hall for $8 and I still have the ticket. They had such a small reportoire back then, for their encore they had to perform Roxanne a second time. The Grammys are February 11th.
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Death Bowl

The city of Miami is planning to host a huge party in the Orange Bowl upon the death of Fidel Castro. And then everybody is loading onto small boats and in a massive reverse-Mariel, they'll retake their homes and businesses in Cuba. It's only been 50 years or so. Everything should be right where it was left. At least, that's what I always heard when I lived in Florida.
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Vista

So who's got Vista already?
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Cervical Vaccine Might Work For Males

The vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV). which was approved for girls by the FDA last year, might work to prevent anal cancer, for which gay men have an elevated risk. The European Union has already approved the vaccine for use on boys ages 9-15. Considering the outrageous campaign by the American religious right to keep the vaccine from young girls, I imagine that it will a bumpy road getting the vaccine available for boys as well.

The FDA has not yet approved the vaccine for use in males in this country, but doctors here may administer it "off-label" upon request. The vaccine's manufacturer, Merck, is doing a study on its effectiveness against anal cancer, using a cohort that has a large number of gay men. (It was difficult to find gay men eligible for the study because most already have HPV.)

Gay men develop anal cancer about as often as women developed cervical cancer before the advent of the pap smear. Anal pap smears are recommended for gay men over 50. It is estimated that 95% of HIV positive gay men already have HPV, versus 65% for those HIV negative.

Should this vaccine prove effective in males, it will be very important for all of us to advocate strenuously for its speedy approval and its routine, widespread delivery to American boys, which doubtlessly the religious right will fight with 100 times the fervor with which it fought against it being available to girls.
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Today's Solemn Vow

By the many arms of Vishnu, I swear that I will never wear a Bluetooth earpiece. Can you hear me now? Good.
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Straight To Video

I've been enjoying some great new tunes over the last week, but I still can't stop playing those Logo reality show gay twin Jehovah's Witnesses, Nemesis, whose Number One In Heaven is one of the sweetest slices of pure pop I've heard in ages. However, the video for the song leaves me scratching my head, as it features the brothers pawing and canoodling with girls. What gives? A remix of Number One In Heaven is currently #18 on Billboard's dance chart.
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HomoQuotable - Mike Jones

"A couple of ladies cried when they were touching me. I was thanked for exposing the church, for helping Ted Haggard. A couple of them said they hoped I get God into my life. And they all said 'God bless you,' every one of them." - Mike Jones, recounting his warm reception upon his visit to Ted Haggard's New Life Church.

UPDATE: Mike just told me he'll be on MSNBC's Rita Cosby Show today at 2:30PM, Eastern.
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From The "That Was Fast" Department

Author and editor Ted Gideonse is pursuing his PhD in Anthropology and has just submitted this au courant paper: "So if you're a fag, He hates you, too: Donnie Davies, the phenomenology of gaydar, and the feminist call for parody."

"Davies" is a professional comedic actor. His parody of a “reformed homosexual” and Christian bigot, possibly unknowingly, does exactly what Weiss and Butler desire: subversion, disruption of performance, a “[recognition and affirmation of] the power of individual agency in the construction of, deconstruction, and reconstruction of the very terms of corporeality.

And later...

Effeminacy, then, except when done deliberately as camp, as it often is in Western gay culture, is an unconscious habitus-like movement, mimicry of “feminine” behavior. Once they reach adulthood, most gay men are keenly aware of how their behavior is interpreted. In order to pass, we will consciously sublimate whatever seems to be feminine in our movement and our speech; we become “the I that moves forms movement.” This constant policing of our behavior makes us particularly observant of effeminacy in others. Hence “gaydar.

Fascinating stuff. Read the paper here.
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Overheard At The Dugout

Man On Cellphone: Oh, Jesus! Well, if it is gunshots, don't sleep in the front bedroom!
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Txt Msg Bk

The world's first all text message novel has been published in Finland. (First review: "SUX!". ) Finns apparently have a real passion for text messaging, their Prime Minister was widely ridiculed for breaking up with girlfriend via text message. I guess he didn't know that u cnt txt mssg brk up.
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Moscow Pride Bravely Goes Forward

Organizers have announced that Moscow Pride will take place this year. Yesterday Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov called gay people "satanic" and vowed that he will not allow any celebration to occur. Last year's event turned violent when skinheads and other protesters showed up and were allowed by police to attack marchers. The head of Moscow Pride, Nicolas Alexeyev, was among many arrested. The lawyer for Moscow Pride, Dmitri Bartenev, has previously said he will take their case to the European Court Of Human Rights. Moscow Pride is scheduled for May 27th, the anniversary of the 1993 decriminalization of homosexuality in Russia.

UPDATE: The lawsuit has been filed with the ECHR.
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Morning View - Central Park Apple Store

Eddie took this shot yesterday when he and I accompanied the Farmboyz to the Apple store on the corner of Central Park. The Farmboyz were in search an upgrade. Aren't we all? As he always must, Eddie had to ride the glass elevator that travels one floor down from the street level. The store was a madhouse, but the Farmboyz managed to collar a floor clerk immediately. The clerk interrupted Father Tony's question to point at me and say, "You look familiar." Father Tony said, "Oh, maybe you read his blog." The clerk shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure I know that one from out on the party circuit." Ruh roh.