COS Newsweekly

MGAPR's Note:

We took over the editing of this weekly newsletter for AOL's Gay and Lesbian Coming Out Support programs, when OnQ, the Gay and Lesbian Community Forum, managed that site. On Q merged with Gay.com and left AOL, and the chats and support groups migrated there for a short period, until they returned to AOL under the People Connection program. When AOL discontinued the Community Leaders program (the folks who managed the chats, message boards, and support groups), the newsletter (and some of the support chats) went independent. It was supposed to be a short-term assignment for me. I'm still doing it 8 years later, and the newsletter (available by email) has several hundred readers.

Here are some excerpts from the January 5, 2009 edition. If you want to subscribe, email OnQYB@aol.com and put "Subscribe COS" in the subject header.

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 1 January 5, 2009

The Fine Print

About this Newsletter: All information included is proprietary information provided for your personal use only. None of the information here may be redistributed or reprinted without the written consent of the editor. All times listed are ET (Eastern Time). Dates and times are subject to change.

Subscription Information: This newsletter is available via free email subscription only. Our mailing list is confidential.
To subscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Subscribe COS News” in subject line.
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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: January 5-11, 2009

This Just In ! FRI-SUN: 1/02-1/04: Swarthmore, CT: Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. A reading of Tony Kushner's landmark play to benefit the The Angels of Mercy HIV ministry of Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church. www.pcstheater.org.

TUE: 1/06: New York, NY: Perez Hilton, online gossip guy, signs copies of "Red Carpet Suicide". 7PM. Border's Books, Columbus Circle. Also: SAT: 1/10: Bloomington, MN: 3PM. Barnes & Noble, Mall of America. Also: SUN: 1/11: Oak Brook, IL: 4PM. Border's Books.

Newsworthy:

Medical "Right of Conscience" Bill could put LGBT patients at risk. The Bush administration issued a “right of conscience” regulation on 12/18/08, that could enable health care workers to deny treatment to gay patients based on religious beliefs, according to activists. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2008/12-26/news/national/13811.cfm

Pope's Year-End Speech Angers Gay Rights Activists. Groups criticised  Pope Benedict XVI's end-of-year address in which the pontiff spoke about gender and the important distinction between men and women. The Guardian UK reports: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/24/pope-speech-gender-gay-sexuality

LGBT Leaders' Enthusiasm for Obama Subsides, with the President-Elect's choice of homophobic pastor Rick Warren for inauguration festivities and Obama's failure to name an out LGBT cabinet member. The Associated Press reports: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gRY9SuBE8oG14dq2N2N98WDVvU-wD958M4RG0

New Study: How parents or guardians respond to a youth's sexual orientation profoundly influences the child's mental health as an adult, say researchers at San Francisco State University, whose findings appear in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Associated Press reports: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jl1Az0ECSb7bidhhc7BDiGW54eXwD95C5LL8D

Tourism Has Declined at Larry Craig's restroom at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2008/12/larry-craig-men.html

Mmm Mmm Good. Despite demands from the American Family Association calling for e-mails to Campbell Soup Co. urging the company to stop “pushing the gay agenda,” the icon of all things American is standing behind a decision to advertise in theLGBTmarket. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid69429.asp

Features

Opinon: You're Likeable Enough Gay People. Frank Rich discusses Obama, Rev. Rick Warren, and the new administration's look at the gay community. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/opinion/28rich.html?hp

Profile: Mark Doty, out writer, and recipient of this year's National Book Award. The Washington Blade reports. http://www.washblade.com/2008/12-26/arts/books/13836.cfm

Profile: Judy Gold, the out comic puts a gay twist on Jewish mother jokes. The Boston Globe reports: http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/12/30/a_gay_twist_on_jewish_mother_jokes/

In Print: Books for Young Adult Readers

Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg. Penguin Books. A high school athlete comes out in Konigsberg's debut novel. Konigsberg is an award-winning sports journalist who has written for television, newspapers, wire services, and the internet. in 2001, he came out in a story on ESPN's website; that work won him a GLAAD Media Award. www.billkonigsberg.com

Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne. Harper Collins. A fascinating story about a really cool kid who gets killed because he's different. For teen readers. Of note: James Lecesne is an author, actor, and activist, whose film "Trevor" received an Academy Award for best short film. James cofounded the Trevor Helpline, a 24-hour suicide-prevention hotline for LGBTQ teens.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Billy Elliot, the Elton John/Lee Hall musical based on the movie about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer. www.billyelliotbroadway.com.
***Gaytino! Dan Guerrero's solo performance about growing up Latino and gay.  "From Mariachi to Merman. Sondheim to César Chávez". 1/10/09-1/11/09. www.gaytino.com.
***The Gospel According to Adam. Geoffrey Nauffts's comedy-drama about  an atheist, who falls in love with another man, a Christian. to 1/18/09. www.nakedangels.com.
***Gypsy. Patti LuPone won the Tony reprising Mama Rose. www.gypsybroadway.com/ Closes 1/11/09.
***Jackie Hoffman performs selections from her CD "Scraping the Bottom". 1/05/09. www.joespub.com.

Elsewhere...

***Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party. a rural grade school teacher rewrites the annual Christmas Pageant including a bit about a possibly gay Abraham Lincoln. to 1/17/09. San Francisco, CA. http://www.sfplayhouse.org/season0809/lincoln.php
***Falsettos, the William Finn & James Lapine musical about lesbians, gay men, an ex-wife, their child and a straight psychiatrist! to 2/08/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therhino.org.
***Hedda Gabler, Ibsen's classic, reimagined as a lesbian drama by the Mauckingbird Theatre. to 1/29/09. Philadelphia, PA. http://mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
***Looped. Valerie Harper stars as Talullah Bankhead. Chad Allen plays her sound engineer. to 2/15/09. West Palm Beach, FL. www.cuillocentre.org.
***Missionary Position. world premiere of Steven (Confessions of a Mormon Boy) Fales' solo play based on his journals and adventures as a Mormom missionary in Portugal. to 2/08/09. Hollywood, CA.  www.celebrationtheatre.com
***Mitzi Gaynor, Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind the Sequins! 1/10/09. San Francisco, CA. www.cityboxoffice.com
***Varla Jean's Victory Lap Dance. Varla Jean Merman's new show which features the Varla Jean Merman Film Festival. to 1/17/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therrazzroom.com.
***Zanna, Don’t!, the musical about a gay high school, where two straights fall in love. to 1/18/09. New Conservatory Theatre Pride Season. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Resource: Cine-Queer: GLAAD's Guide to What's LGBT in Film: http://www.glaad.org/eye/cinequeer.php

Out on Screen...

***Ciao. Two men meet after the death of a mutual friend.  www.ciaomovie.com. 
***Doubt, the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's award-winning drama. A nun (Meryl Streep) suspects a popular priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of abusing a boy.
***Milk, Gus Van Sant's film about gay activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). Also starring: Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco.
***Shifting the Canvas. Cheyenne Jackson, Scott Thompson and John Paul Pitoc star in this comedy drama about a Brooklyn cafe owner, who acts as "patriarch" to a wayward group of younger gay and lesbian artists. www.shiftingthecanvas.com.
***Were The World Mine, Tim Gustafson's film about a struggling gay teen in a homophobic town, who fantasizes about a potion that turns the town gay. http://www.weretheworldminefilm.com/

Out On Video & DVD

***The Boys in the Band. the landmark gay-themed play of the 1960's in the William Friedkin film verson. New to DVD.
***Cyrano de Bergerac, direct from Broadway with Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner. The one to watch is Daniel Sunjata, who bared all on Broadway in "Take Me Out".
***Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars in Joss Whedon's internet musical.
***Mamma Mia, the ABBA movie musical. 
***Savage Grace. A mother (Julianne Moore) tries to cure her son's homosexuality. Based on a true story. Tom Kalin directs the Sundance Film Festival drama.

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 every Friday. Currently listing to 1/08/09.  http://www.glaad.org/eye/tv_listings.php

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

1/11/09-1/18/09: Aspen, CO: Aspen Gay Ski Week. www.gayskiweek.com

1/15/09-1/24/09: Park City, UT: Sundance Film Festival. http://festival.sundance.org/2009/

1/15/09-1/21/09: Park City UT: Queer Lounge, The Sundance Film Festival ground zero for LGBT film makers and artists. www.queerlounge.org.

1/16/09-1/19/09: Atlanta, GA: GLSEN SOCO Weekend. Students of Color Organizing (SOCO) gathering of middle and high school students of color to provide networking and skills building opportunities. http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/library/record/2003.html

1/26/09-1/30/09: Nationwide: No Name-Calling Week, the sixth annual GLSEN, (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) initiative with support from Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and the nearly 50 partners. www.glsen.org

1/28/09-2/01/09: Denver, CO: Creating Change Conference. The national conference on LGBT Equality. http://thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change

1/28/09-2/01/09: Vail, CO: Vail Gay & Lesbian Ski Week. www.vailgayskiweek.com

1/28/09-2/01/09: Stowe, VT: Winter Rendezvous. annual week of gay skiing & winter sports. www.winterrendezvous.com

1/29/09-1/31/09: Bloomington, IN: Pride Film Festival. www.pridefilmfestival.org

2/01/09-2/08/09: Whistler, BC: WinterPRIDE, Whistler's gay ski celebration week. gaywhistler.com.

2/09/09: New York, NY: Broadway Backwards. The guys perform music usually performed by dolls and vice versa. Starring: Alan Cumming, Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher Sieber, Mario Cantone, Megan Mullally, and Jai Rodriguez. A benefit for the LGBT Community Center. www.gaycenter.org

2/13/09-2/16/09: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. popular LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com

2/24/09-3/01/09: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: January Milestones

1. Question: Name this musician, author and activist, who was the first person to come out on television on January 18, 1973. His family was the subject of a reality series documentary on PBS.

2. Question: Name this playwright and activist. On January 12, 1982, a group of gay men met at his apartment to form the GMHC, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, a non-profit organization to provide programs and services to people with HIV. Today, the GMHC is one of the nation’s laregest AIDS service organizations, and the playwright is best known for his activism.

3. Question: Name this out award-winning actor and activist. His gay and lesbian theatre and film colleagues, among them Alec McGowen, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Cameron Macintosh, and Martin Sherman, came out publicly in the UK’s Guardian to support his knighthood on January 9, 1991.

4. Question: Name this Wisconsin congressman, who came out in January, 1993, (he was the third to come out) and resigned his position as deputy whip to protest intolerant statements made at the 1992 Republican convention.

5. Question: Name this bisexual American actress, born January 31, 1902. She was best known for her portrayals of Southern belles, although she had a mouth that could frighten sailors.

The first person to submit the correct answers gets their name in print right here. Email your answers to:  OnQYB@aol.com