Lez Keep It Real

I came across this article this morning. While it’s not thought-provoking by any means, it’s one of those fun articles that’s amusing to read. I figure, hey it’s Tuesday. Why throw something heavy on the table at the beginning of the week? Let’s keep it light and fairy, oops, I mean light and airy.

According to the LA Times, these are the best gay pals on television …
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Hear ye’, Hear ye’ … it’s contest time at Lez Keep it Real! This is the first contest to be held on this blog (aside from the network wide contests that 451 hosts from time to time) because, well … I haven’t had anything really cool to give away.

Guess what? I do now!

Lyndsey, what could this wonderful, amazing, unbelievably special prize possibly be?

Why it’s …

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It has often been argued that there is no existence of homosexuality in the animal kingdom. And because of this, many religious proponents like to say that homosexuality isn’t natural, that God didn’t intend for humans to be that way.

They say, “Do you see animals doing that? No! It’s not natural. It’s not normal. It’s blah blah blah.”

Well … now I say, “On the contrary, my friend!” ( I didn’t know how to spell the French version … say la vie!)

Celebrities aren’t the only ones coming out of the closet!
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I’ve decided to take you all to school … well, I’ve decided to let the Advocate take you all to school actually. It’s time to brush up on your GLBT history. And the Advocate has taken the liberty of outlining the past 40 years for us. I’ve already gone through some of the key time periods … and even I’m a little wet behind the ears. I’m beginning to think that GLBT history should be a course taught in schools. I think it’s available as a college course, but some of this stuff is not only noteworthy, but essential in the teaching of tolerance.

I’ve taken the liberty of posting time periods below, linking you to the Advocate’s website on 40 years of gay history. Each time period discusses key events covered by the magazine with articles, video clips and more. Please take a moment to read, watch, and more importantly, learn.
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I listen to podcasts at work sometimes. A friend of mine told me to listen to one in particular this morning. It was a discussion on NPR about the ethics of outing. Meaning, is it right to out someone for political or personal agendas?

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Since Friday’s post was about me and my Labor Day Vacation, I’ve moved the Come Out & Play series post to today! I’m back from North Carolina and ready to get back to posting. I apologize to those of you I kept in great suspense … here is the final part of Marco’s coming out story!

Today’s Come Out & Play post spotlights Marco, a well-known character from the hit show, Degrassi.

Basically, Degrassi is a totally awesome show! (That’s my inner 80’s child coming through!) There’s an openly gay character on the show named Marco DelRossi. His inner struggle with coming out was made into a two-part episode a couple of years ago. It was brilliantly scripted and just as wonderfully acted. Other episodes followed, revolving around his coming out to his family and friends. I thought I’d show it as a series, breaking it down in video clips from YouTube.

Remember the days when you’d watch a film in class, knowing you wouldn’t have to sit through another lecture for at least a week because that’s how long it would take to get through the film in the amount of time the class allotted. Well, think of this as a Come Out & Play 101 film! It’s broken up into nine parts.

(If you are confused and missed the introduction of Marco’s story, go here for a refresher. To view the other parts of Marco’s story, click on the Come Out & Play category on the right hand side to watch parts 1-8!)

This is the final part of Marco’s story:

I hope you enjoyed this series involving Marco from Degrassi.

Tune in every Friday for the Come Out & Play series, featuring coming out stories of celebrities, every day people, personal reflections, advice, tid bits and everything else concerning the complicated world of coming out!

Got an interesting coming out story to tell? Contact me and I will feature it in an upcoming post of Come Out & Play.

degrassi, marco delrossi, come out play, coming out story, canada, gay and lesbian issues

Well, as you all read this I am off to the sunny state of North Carolina. Yep, I’m taking a little vacation from the b-lo in order to drop in on my best friend from childhood and chill. I’ll be basking in the sun, reading by the pool and eating lots of not-so-good-for-you food. So, have a splendidly gay weekend - wherever you may be!

Your regular scheduled programming of the Come Out & Play  series will be posted on Tuesday. Be sure to stop by for the final part of Marco’s coming out story!

 Peace.

As most of you know, I am a writer. I write poetry, columns, articles, short stories and novels all while using my creative powers in the world of advertising as a full time copywriter.

I’ve had a good year as far as publishing goes … and now I am famous.

Well … famous in Buffalo, NY that is - as far as The Hamburg Sun News is concerned.

As my publications become available, I’ll post them in this blog. Stay tuned for the publication of Best Lesbian Love Stories: Summer Flings, published by Alyson Books due out in October. I have a story entitled, The Sight of Her, which will be included in the anthology.

Hey I’ll admit it … I’m not afraid of a shameless plug!

the hamburg sun news, buffalo ny, best lesbian love stories: summer flings, alyson books

The title of this post isn’t cute or clever - it’s straight to the point. Teen suicide among GLBT youth is still at an alarming and overwhelming high. I haven’t touched on the subject as yet, not for any other reason than the fact that I was looking for the right way to go about it. I wanted to be able to inform, educate and affect the Lez Keep it Real audience the best way I possibly could.

I’m obsessed with GAYBC radio. (this will make sense in a moment, I promise that it’s not some random tangent.) I listen to it while I am at work through the internet, pounding away on the keyboard. When I’m writing, I need noise in the background. Even if I’m only half listening. This particular broadcast, however, distracted me because it was such an intense topic. I basically had to wait and listen to it over lunch so that I could give it my full attention.

I’ve talked about GAYBC radio before.
John McMullen does an amazing job interviewing Benjie Nycum (Micheal Glatze’s former partner) while touching on a sensitive subject. He knows how to ask the right questions, the tough questions and the questions no one else would dare to ask. He poses them in such a way that they aren’t imposing, offensive or assuming. I like his style and I like the way he presents his radio show.

Now for the connection to GLBT teen suicide. I found an old archived show (from a couple of weeks ago) about teen suicide. McMullen interviewed Charles Robbing, executive director of the Trevor Project. (The Trevor Project operates the nations only 24/7 suicide & crisis prevention helpline for gay and questioning youth.) It’s a wonderful interview and accomplishes exactly what I wanted to get across when I thought about writing on GLBT teen suicide. I couldn’t do it any better. So, here you go:

Listen. Learn. Lament for those we have lost.

Thoughts are welcome.

charles robbins, the trevor project, john mcmullen, gaybc radio, glbt teen suicide

Hello ladies and gents. I’m feeling a itsy bit sick today, so I woke up from my Advil induced slumber just to write this post. Of course, I’m taking the easy way out. I’m going to highlight some of the “goings on” across the 451press network:

First, over at my counterpart’s site, Pride and Opinons, Adri’s latest edition of his comic, No Style takes a look at the lighter side of GLBT news and life.

I’m not sure if any of you are Harry Potter fans, but the Hogwarts Harold has all the latest news and gossip surrounding the seventh installment of JK Rowlings famous scribe.

Farley, at Wine Outlook, talks about her dining experience at Astaria, while Soccer Buzz blogger, Dent, brings us all up-to-date on the Beckham Press Conference from last week.

And last, but certainly not least, for something to satisfy your dark side of curiosity when it comes to the intriguing world of celebrities, pay a visit to Trashy Celebs to get the latest dish on Madonna.

It’s off to the couch for me. I think a good book and a cup of tea are waiting for me to join them.

Yes, that’s right. I’m giving myself the day off from blogging, seeing as how it’s a holiday and all. I did want to stop in at the “office” to say a nice and sincere, “Happy 4th of July” to everyone. Despite our country’s wayard stance on so many issues and the perplexing decisions made day in and day out by our government, I still feel a sense of pride for the place in which I call home. 

For those of you looking for a good post, perhaps in the 451 community, I would highly suggest  dropping by Adri’s blog. He’s my fellow GLBT blogger, only a tid bit more humorously cynical. I sent him an article yesterday that knocked the wind from my sails so drastically, I couldn’t bring myself to actually sit down, contemplate and write about it. Instead, I threw it in Adri’s lap - knowing he’d have the ability to stomach what I couldn’t.  As usually, he did a fantabulous (yes, it’s a real word!) job saying exactly what I wanted to say and more. I caution you though, this particular subject isn’t for the gay faint of heart.

 Hugs, fireworks, sparklers, picnic food and red, white and blue tablecloths to you all!

Happy Monday! This time, I don’t have any horrific news to report. Actually, I hardly have any time to write at all. So, I will point you in the direction of an awesome article that sums up the gayest moments in music by Blender magazine.

Here’s a taste of one of the moments mentioned…

I remember when I saw that happen. I think I had to pick my jaw up off the floor afterwards.As for another quick bit of gay humor to share on this fine Monday, check out Adri’s (of Pride and Opinions fame) No Style comic. He sums up what a lot of us mainstream homosexuals feel, but can’t quite put into words. He captures it perfectly with this splendid artistic display of sarcasm.

I’ll return tomorrow with more riveting commentary on news, entertainment, gossip or anything remotely interesting that tickles my fancy.

no style, blender magazine, gayest moments in music, madonna britney kiss

Let’s face it. Lesbians come in all sorts of colors – from femme to butch to everything else in between. However, I wasn’t aware of this kind of categorization when I first came out, until a friend of mine teased me about being attracted to “femmes”. OK, I thought, whatever that means. Since then I’ve heard about a billion and one different names to describe this or that type of lesbian. So I did a little digging to see what the most common categories were. I talked with friends, looked on the Internet and consulted some magazines.

Here is what I came up with. (Some of which flat out made me laugh!)
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I’m not sure if anyone else saw this yesterday, but I thought it was worth checking out. It’s always fun to look back in time and see how our culture has influenced the mainstream, and in turn, to see how the mainstream had embraced our culture.

The Phoenix -

In our post–Queer Eye for the Straight Guy world, many people — particularly younger people — take for granted that the divide between gay culture and mainstream culture is as thin as the latex of an expensive condom. This has not always been the case. Since the Stonewall Riots of 1969, the underground gay counterculture has consistently, and vitally, influenced mainstream popular culture in style, music, fashion, language, sexual mores, and politics. Here are 10 moments — all of them decisive — that chart the gradual, but irrefutable, queering of American culture.

1970: Bette Midler, camp out
In 1970, Bette Midler, mixing an outrageous blend of camp, sex talk, and Andrews Sisters tunes began performing at Manhattan’s Continental Baths. Within six months, she was one of Johnny Carson’s favorite guests, and in early 1973, her LP The Divine Miss M went gold. The rest has been wind beneath her wings.

1972: David Bowie, alien sex
If the Rolling Stones shocked middle-class sensibilities with their rough, thrusting cock-rock swagger, it was Ziggy Stardust — a/k/a David Bowie — in 1972 who single-handedly invented glam rock, making androgyny, glitter, face paint, and ambisexual posturing the newest threat to red-blooded American youth, spawning artists such as KISS and Boy George.

1977: The Village People, muscle shirts
In 1977, producer Jacques Morali manufactured disco sensation the Village People, who satirized butch gay-male stereotypes. What began as an insider parody sold more than 85 million albums and “YMCA” — a testimonial to anonymous gay-boy sex — is now a staple of summer-camp sing-alongs.

1984: Madonna, art of the shallow
Her impersonations of Marilyn Monroe in her 1984 “Material Girl” video and appropriation of black-gay voguing in the 1990 hit “Vogue” made Madonna a premiere conduit of gay culture to the young masses. Aside from instructing teenage girls to wear devotional jewelry, she also was vehement in her endorsement of gay rights.

1985: Rock Hudson, a crack in the mirror
Rock Hudson, the 1950s’ most vital, masculine, heterosexual heartthrob, died of AIDS-related infections in 1985, making Hudson’s long-rumored homosexuality all too visible. The culture shock was a result not only of his death, but of the new understanding that life beneath the tinsel of Hollywood was queerer than moviegoers had previously suspected.

1992: Calvin Klein briefs, mmm . . .
Men’s bodies have always been sexualized in gay-male culture — Physique Pictorial of the 1950s became the template for male bods everywhere. But in 1992, photographer Herb Ritts upped the ante — and the booty — with his Calvin Klein ads, which brought a gay-porn sensibility to Vanity Fair.

1997: Ellen, soft butch next door
In 1997, Ellen Degeneres — the most famous soft-butch in America, after Hillary Clinton — “came out” on her TV sit-com. The show was cancelled a year later, but Ellen made Will and Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Queer as Folk, and The L World possible.

1998: Dennis rodman, boa bad
Dennis Rodman’s 1998 autobiography Bad as I Wanna Be was as revealing as his flagrant display of body art. Rodman’s fondness of tattoos, piercings, flamboyantly colored cranial plumage, and wedding dresses was a triumph of mix-messaged drag/punk/biker gay sensibility — the precursor to the milder metrosexual.

1998: Still more Sex and the City
It’s no surprise that critics thought Sex and the City (1998–2004) was the ultimate integration of gay-male sensibility into TV: it was written by gay men, and it’s edgy sexual dialogue and plots were gayer than Will and Grace. Is this what heterosexual women really sounded like in private? Only their screenwriters know for sure. Het-sexual freedom, once again, turned out to be a copy of queer life and love.

2006: Mark Foley, closeted conservative
In September 2006, Florida Republican Congressman Mark Foley resigned amid allegations of improper behavior toward male pages; heterosexuals breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t — yet again — one of them. But Foley’s indiscretions evinced not only another crack in the facade of Republican respectability, but a true sign of the old gay-lib adage: we are everywhere.

gay culture, mainstream media, bette midler, mark foley, david bowie, dennis rodman, madonna, sex and the city, ellen, the l word, the phoenix, marky mark, calvin klein briefs, the village people

TCM, otherwise known as Turner Classic Movies, is doing something special. Or, at least I happen to think it’s pretty special.

It’s Pride season and TCM has decided to explore over six decades of Pride & Prejudice in film. Forty-four movies tracing stereotypes, innuendos and honest portrayals of gays and lesbians in cinema. Co-hosted by Screened Out author Richard Barrios, and featuring interviews with Alan Cumming, Tab Hunter, Armistead Maupin, Michael Musto, Ron Nyswear and more.

Barrios, with degrees in musicology and cinema studies, worked in the music and documentary film industries before turning to film history. His award-winning works include A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film and Screened Out: Playing Gay in Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, and has lectured on film at the Smithsonian and American Film Institutes, among other venues. For Turner Classic Movies, he narrated and appeared in Busby Berkeley: Going Through the Roof as well as appearing in several other documentaries on television and DVD. Originally hailing from the swamps of South Louisiana, Barrios currently resides in the Philadelphia area.

Find Out More!

Tune in for such classics at Queen Christina (1933), Reflections In A Golden Eye (1967), The Children’s Hour - my personal favorite (1962), Syvia Scarlett (1935), The Fox (1967), and The Sign of the Cross (1932).

It all begins in June at 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesday. Set your DVRs and your TIVOs, and for you old schoolers out there, your VCRs.

This is one program you won’t want to miss. For those of you into reading instead of watching television, you’ll find some interesting reading material here.

Comment Question: What’s your favorite gay/lesbian movie?

gay cinema, tcm, screened out, lesbian movies, gay and lesbian theater, richard barrios, the children’s hour, alan cumming, tab hunter, ron nyswear, queen christina, reflections in a golden eye, gay themed movies, gay classics