The Daily Sheet July 16 - 31, 2009

[Stilllearning]

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Ang Lee Heading To Lincoln Center

"A feature film retrospective on the work of Ang Lee has been announced for the Film Society of Lincoln Center, running August 1-11, 2009 in New York City. The program, entitled "Intimate Views from Afar: the Films of Ang Lee," will screen all of Lee’s work - from 1992’s debut Pushing Hands to 2007’s Lust, Caution - suggestively in anticipation of his latest film, Taking Woodstock, which opens in theaters August 28th. Lee and James Schamus will appear in person for a Q&A after a screening of the director’s cut of Ride with the Devil on Monday, August 10. '"The films of Ang Lee constitute one of the most impressive bodies of work in contemporary cinema", says Richard Pena, The Film Society’s Program Director, in a statement. "From ancient China to contemporary America, from classic literature to Marvel comics, from furtive cowboy lovers to the remnants of Confederate rebels, Lee has brought his considerable talents to bear on an already amazingly wide range of people, places and events in just eleven feature films. Yet no matter how disparate or unfamiliar the subject, each of the films always conveys a powerful sense of intimacy: Lee draws you close to his characters and lets you in on the unguarded moments and the struggles behind their choices." Brokeback Mountain will be shown on Friday, August 7th at 9:15pm, Saturday, August 8th at 5:45pm, and Tuesday, August 11 at 6:30pm. Click links to purchase tickets online. Read more. Source: indiewire.com.

Ang Lee with Taking Woodstock actors Demetri Martin and Emile Hirsch in Cannes this past May. Photo by Eugene Hernandez.

Brokeback Mountain Out in the Open at La Villette Parisians will soon have the opportunity to enjoy Brokeback Mountain "plein air" as part of an ongoing summer series already in session in the beautiful outdoor setting of the Parc del la Villette. The after-dusk film screening program is touted as 100% friendly, and features a large lawn (perfect for a picnic), a giant screen, and new for this year: free admission to the festival (with free parking as well for motorcycles, and to those who come to the park via bicycling). Movies slated to show include The New World (Terrence Malick), Into the Wild (Sean Penn), Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch), The Golden Door (Emmanuel Crialese), Amistad (Steven Spielberg), and Brokeback Mountain, by none other than Ang Lee. Despite Brokeback Mountain's availability as a film dubbed in the French language -- the website for Cinéma de Plein Air indicates that all of the featured films this summer will be shown in their original version with subtitles. Read more. Source: parisetudiant.com

Gay Pair's Photo Blacked Out of Yearbook

The following story is from 2007, but here's something new: Andre Jackson has decided to sue. "A photograph of an East Side High School student kissing his boyfriend was blacked out of every copy of the school's yearbook by Newark school officials who decided it was inappropriate. "Andre Jackson said he never thought he would offend anyone when he bought a page in the yearbook and filled it with several photographs, including one of him kissing his boyfriend. "But Newark Superintendent of Schools Marion Bolden called the photograph "illicit" and ordered it blacked out of the $85 yearbook before it was distributed to students at a banquet for graduating seniors Thursday. "There are several photos of heterosexual couples kissing in the yearbook, but the superintendent said she didn't review the entire yearbook and was presented only with Jackson's page." Read more. Source: blog.nj.com

The "illicit" smooch.

Man Dance Company's World Premiere with Special Guests: Audience Reviews

The Man Dance Company's World Premiere in San Francisco last weekend was attended by several members of DCF. The dance company is described as "a fantastic series of annual theatrical events involving tragic to triumphant stories of diversity and LGBT history, plus some occasional campy fun to delight audiences of all ages. Celebrating the harmony between male dancers worldwide, Man Dance Company showcases local male professionals as well as youth and always a fabulous featured female artist." A selection of audience reviews from the World Premiere: • I love the concept behind this dance company. I was really happy to see a full house on the night that I went. ... The pieces were all short, so it was very enjoyable and lively. The audience got a taste of different styles and see different dancers. Overall, good show!!

• First rate entertainment! Great dancing, wonderful live music and vocals, inspired incorporation of young dancers. Shawn Kirchner and his lover, Ryan Harrison, were wonderful performing Shawn's Meet Me On The Mountain! • Excellent!! We really enjoyed this event!!! Would go see it again. Very talented dancers. Fun and exciting!! • Excellent revue by male and FEMALE dancers. Too many mini speeches breaking up the show. Great music provided by Shaun Kirchner, Ryan Harrison, and the Lollipop Guild from the San Francisco Gay Mens Chorus. Fantastic dancing of the piece Velocity by MDC 2009 Youth Competition Winner, Alec Guthrie. • Exceeded my expectations. "Through collaborations with local and national arts organizations and outreach to educational institutions with gay-straight alliances, Man Dance Company of San Francisco strives to not only create amazing performances without boundaries, but also to provide opportunities and support for young dancers and LGBT youth everywhere to reach their fullest artistic potential. MDCSF will provide scholarship opportunities for young male dancers to participate in the annual Man Dance Youth Competition Festival." Read more. Source: goldstar.com

Gay Pride Parade, Hollywood, 1972

Gay, A Photographic Essay 1969-1972 "The landmark 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain is conventionally regarded as a romantic gay love story instead of what it really is -- a heartbreaking tragedy about the closet. Rarely does society want to admit its complicity in repression. "But 40 years ago, the Stonewall Rebellion marked a sudden beginning of the protracted end of secrecy shrouding homosexuality in American life, which the closet still represents. "The anniversary of the ruckus is being remembered in a compelling show of vintage photographs by Anthony Friedkin at drkrm.gallery. (A selection was last shown in 1994 at Stephen Cohen Gallery, which collaborated on this exhibition.) Collectively, the 56 prints in "Gay, A Photographic Essay 1969-1972" don't just refuse to participate in maintaining silence; they also actively embrace taking part in the diversity of gay experience that publicly emerged in Stonewall's wake." Read more. Source: latimes.com Exhibition ends August 2nd. Visit www.drkrm.com

WikiWhat? Will you be going to the The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in August to see Ang Lee and James Schamus, or Brokeback Mountain on the big screen? If so, check out their Wikipedia listing for a more information, and a synopsis of The Lincoln Center's history. "Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre (6.6 ha) complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City. "A consortium of civic leaders and others led by, and under the initiative of John D. Rockefeller III, built Lincoln Center as part of the "Lincoln Square Renewal Project" during Robert Moses' program of urban renewal in the 1960s. Rockefeller was its inaugural president from 1956 and became its chairman in 1961. He is credited with raising more than half of the $184.5 million in private funds needed to build the complex, including drawing on his own funds; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund also contributed to the project." The Wikipedia page offers a listing of all the arts organizations that call Lincoln Center home, as well many various performance facilities, including The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, where you can attend the Monday, August 10th Q & A with Ang Lee and James Schamus.

Post of the Day

Posted by killersmom in The Forum Meetings/Reunion/Visits Pics Thread III

A gathering of fun-loving Brokies met up last weekend in San Francisco for the Man Dance Company World Premiere with special guests. Photos of the event, and other happenings, are now being posted in various threads. Here's a couple of cool shots that Linda took on just one of their enjoyable day trips. We had a gorgeous day today as we took the ferry to Sausalito... Bobby discovered...

The Forum Image

Posted by conny in Pets and Other Animal Friends

"isn't he the cutest guy ever?"

Be sure to visit the thread for more pics of Conny's adorable puppies.

Quote of the Day

“The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.”

~  G.K. Chesterton  ~

Photocaption of the Day

By AZbbm in Photo Captioning Fun 5

Alma: Speaking of fire, I notice you put up the tree in front of the stove,
and now you're flicking your ashes in its direction?

Ennis: Don't mean nuthin, Alma...

Contributors: killersmom, Lyle (mooska), conny, AZbbm

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Mini-Slash Bash
Philadelphia - October 23-25, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Today's edition by gnash

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by gnash

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
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[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

GLBT History: Gladys Bentley

Gladys Bentley was a star of the "Harlem Renaissance" era of the 1920s, a creative contemporary of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Wallace Thurman, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Moms Mabely. During that era, Harlem was a magnet for intellectuals, performance artists, and gays, making it a natural destination for a 16-year-old lesbian. "It seems I was born different," she told Ebony magazine years later. "At least, I always thought so....From the time I can remember anything, even as I was toddling, I never wanted a man to touch me...Soon I began to feel more comfortable in boys clothes than in dresses". Bentley's life story is an iconic example of the achievements and tragedies of gays and lesbians in the first half of the 20th century. Bentley's talents as a musician and performer got her jobs at rent parties at first, but she was soon performing, in a signature tuxedo and top hat, in major speakeasies of 1920s New York including the Cotton Club, Jungle Alley and the predominantly lesbian Clam House. By the early 1930s, her stardom included a male backup chorus at the Ubangi Club and recordings on the OKeh and Victor labels as well as a Park Avenue apartment. In the anything-goes spirit of the era, society columnists announced Bentley's extra-legal marriage to a white woman in New Jersey. She was even the model for a character in Langston Hughes' play Little Ham. The Depression and the repeal of Prohibition dismantled much of the entertainment scene where Bentley had made her fortune and by 1937, she was living with her mother in Los Angeles. Bentley found work, however, in the gay bars that flourished on the West Coast in the wake of World War II: the San Bernardino Club and Joaquin's El Ranco in Los Angeles and Mona's Club 440 ("Where girls will be boys!) in San Francisco. In 1945 she made recordings on the Excelsior label. But times changed once again, and the tide went against Bentley even more in the following decade. With the end of the World War came the McCarthy era and Bentley, a potential major target and a woman with an aging mother to support, began wearing dresses and entering into two successive marriages whose validity is still murky. First husband J. T. Gibson subsequently denied that they had ever married, but Bentley then had a second marriage to Charles Roberts, a man 16 years younger than herself. In her 1952 interview with Ebony Magazine titled "I Am Woman Again", considered by many historians to be largely fabricated, Bentley claimed to have been "cured" by regular injections of female hormones. Whether the treatments actually took place or not, Bentley's marriages did not last. "In the article," blogger Don Davis comments about the Ebony piece, "Bentley renounces her entire life...and in doing so she paints a portrait of a woman who would have been a whole lot happier if she would have had the freedom to just be herself." One of Bentley's last appearances was on Groucho Marx' "You Bet Your Life" television show. By this time she had become a member of the Temple of Love in Christ , Inc. church and was studying for the ministry. Bentley died of influenza two years later, at the age of 52. See a more complete biographical sketch by Don Davis at Bilerico. Click on the links to view videos of Gladys Bentley in her appearance on "You Bet Your Life" and performing "Wild Geese Blues".

Mona's 440 Club at 440 Broadway has been a
music venue from the 1920s up to the present,
its current incarnation being Apartment 24.

Wintering In New Zealand

Skiing is considered a winter sport, and winter seems far away right now in the Northern Hemisphere. But head on down below the equator to New Zealand from August 29th to September 6th, as the organizers of Gay Ski Week New Zealand "roll out the kiwi carpet to skiers and non-skiers around the world." Dennis Hensley, reporting for the Advocate, describes it as "nine days of powder and parties, slopes and gropes, headquartered in the 'adventure capital of the world' Queenstown." Hensley did an extensive interview with organizers Mike Sanford and Craig Lawson, who told him that they "had about 600 people attend and this year we're looking at about 700. About a third of our attendees have come before. A good two thirds are from Australia and New Zealand. We get a small amount of Americans, but we want more!"

Shotover Canyon

Some actvities are not for the timid.

You can expect mild weather for the season. Sanford says that "Usually the snow is just up in the mountains, so you can zip around enjoying the town in just a jacket and a scarf. And it's a very gay-friendly place." He emphasized that straights are welcome, adding that "A small but enthusiastic number of girls come. Last year the girls took over the dance floor at the Welcome Party [Laughs]. And the local girls seem to come out of the woodwork for the Queenstown's Got Talent karaoke night." There will be events and activities throughout the week, including a cowboy-themed dinner at the Lone Star restaurant. "Awesome ribs, fantastic atmosphere. Bring your cowboy hat!" Austrailia's Qantas airlines offers direct service to New Zealand from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Honolulu.

In the Cyber-Neighborhood

Whether or not Grandma was a good cook, there are plenty of comfort-food recipes at Cook Like Your Grandmother. The site is full of nutritionally-incorrect but delicious classics like banana cake with brown sugar buttercream frosting, frozen chocolate truffle pie, lemon bars, cheese steak sandwiches and egg salad. The site also offers a free online cooking course, “Starting From Scratch.” The site also sells a book by the same title. According to author Drew Kime, "Cooking used to be all about making food that tasted good. But somewhere along the way, we seem to have decided the diet-of-the-week was more important. How to Cook Like Your Grandmother is a return to recipes and techniques that are based on what tastes good, not on junk science and fad diets. You won't find the words lite, low, lean, free or skim anywhere. This is all real food, cooked the way Grandma would have done it."

In the Blogosphere

The Daily Sheet of June 23rd reported that the Rockstar Energy Drink company had threatened to sue the Bilerico blog over comments about its family tie to anti-gay talk radio host Michael Savage (real name Michael Weiner). On July 9th, Bilerico announced that Rockstar had dropped the lawsuit. According to Bilerico editor-in-chief Bil Browning, “Rockstar Energy Drink CEO Russell Weiner announced today that the beverage company will expand its LGBT corporate policies and make $100,000 in donations, shared among several prominent LGBT organizations. The donations represent a significant contribution given Rockstar's relatively small staff of 120 employees. “The contribution will be shared among the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and  The Trevor Project. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink will also financially sponsor the National LGBT Bloggers Initiative. The donations and affirmation of LGBT-friendly corporate policies mark steps by ROCKSTAR to demonstrate support for the LGBT community.” Last week, the story took a soap-opera-like turn. Janet Weiner, Michael Savage’s wife, who had been CFO for both Rockstar and her husband’s Savage Productions company, quit her job with Savage Productions “as an apparent statement of solidarity with equality advocates”, according to Bilerico. Savage Productions’ spokesman Tony Guilfoyle stated that Janet Weiner “ stepped down of her own accord, but (he) would not comment on the Weiners' personal lives. Janet Weiner could not be reached for comment.”

Building in "Signal" For Sale

Commercial Land / Building/ Canada Post Lease Price: $80,000.00 Address: East of Calgary Date Listed: 08-Jul-09 Commercial lot 25 x 125 ft with old building. Canada Post lease currently in effect. 30 minutes east of Calgary. All utilities on-site. The building was featured in the movie Brokeback Mountain. Brokies know the building, listed on the real estate website Kijiji, as the anonymous building that Ennis and Jack passed on their way to kill some time in the bar in Signal, actually the town of Carseland, Alberta, about 45 minutes from Calgary. The "bar" is a hotel today, and the building up for sale has been operating as a postoffice. According to FindingBrokeback.com's Jim Bond, "Carseland is also where the drop-off (Ennis exits the truck) was filmed.  A deleted scene in which Ennis encounters an old man who is working on a tire was also made there." Another town that hosted more than one BBM scene made the news recently when Nature made an unwelcome stop there .In the town of Rockyford  last week, over 5 inches of rain fell in just a few hours, causing destructive and inconvenient sewer backups.  According to the [u.=http://www.drumhelleronline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=690&Itemid=66] Drumheller Online, [/url]"the volunteer fire department deserves a lot of credit for their quick reaction when the flooding began. Firefighters began pumping out basements and worked from about 3 o'clock until midnight.  They then did the main lines so the waterfall would get back to normal."  However, neither "the village nor its residents called upon surrounding communities for help, as they figured they were well equipped to deal with the situation themselves." According to Jim Bond, "the building to the near right is the Riverton Post Office. On the opposite side of the street is JT’s Bar (where the phone booth stood). The street leads two blocks on to the rodeo grounds that were used for both the Electra and Childress rodeos.  Jack and Lureen’s parking spot is there too. On the left side of the street, opposite the phone booth site, you can make out a column of the bank that served as the Childress Dance Hall exterior."

"How On Earth Did I Get Here?"

According to Betty Greene Salwak, "I'm straight, married 30 years. I'm a Christian Sunday School director. I'm writing a guest post on Bilerico. Wait. Did I take a wrong turn? "I took a turn all right, but it was in the right direction, just a few short years ago. I came to realize that it was time for me to step up and stand against what I knew was a gross injustice. I was seeing people who claimed to be Christians spewing hateful invective in the name of God against people who were gay. Those malevolent tirades are far and away the loudest shouts being heard by the LGBT community. The only other voice nearly as loud says there is no God." Many of our Forum members know Betty as longtime member neatfreak, who told the Daily Sheet on Sunday that "I have written an op-ed piece at the request of one of the editors of The Bilerico Project, a national website that has dozens of contributors who write about issues related to the gay (LGBT) community. I was thrilled to be asked." Between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, Betty's essay had already received 23 comments, with a dialogue starting up between Betty and a pagan reader. One reader welcomed her with "Thank you for being a voice for change in a sometimes unwelcoming community." Read Betty's entire essay at Bilerico.

Post Your Rant Here!

michaelflanagansf has started an unusual thread titled Sharing Sad, Infuriating and Depressing News. "The purpose of this thread" Michael posts, "is to share the events in the world that give us heartburn, headaches and generally ruffle our feathers. Though there is already a 'News and Current Events' thread that thread is dedicated to grand events on the world stage. This thread is dedicated to the events in the world that make you question the human animal and its continued existence on the planet - it can be grand events (i.e., the actions of nation states) or the events of individual lives (e.g., child abuse, elder abuse, wife abuse, murders and the types of petty offenses that make the world an unpleasant place)." Commisserating with others' SI&D news is acceptable; but the use of huggy emoticons is discouraged. Gripes range from drunk/texting/tweeting driving and gay-bashing to kerfuffles with computer keyboards and the Virgin Mary appearing "in bird poop."

Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: What finally went out of fashion in ancient Rome, prompting people to begin wearing short pants called feminalia or palliums? Let us know the answer on the response thread. Last week's question and answer:  What two continents have never been the site of a major military conflict? Yes tfferg - the answer is Antarctica and Australia; and we thank you and Brianr (who pulled himself out of retirement again ) for giving us some history on the subject and a more complete answer.

The Forum Image

Miasland shares a series of photos of "Djurgården. One of the 14 islands Stockholm is built upon. A beautiful island with parks and forest. Many museums, the Stockholm zoo, amusement park, restaurants and lots of nice events..."       and dejavu has posted "some pictures from the Castro area of San Francisco, where Linda (killersmom) led a tour during last weekend's Brokie gathering in San Francisco." "Some architectural styles in the Castro" A mural on an outdoor wall in the Castro, identified as "a mural that was painted by two artists who ran a gallery called Art-Lick on 19th St."

Quote of the Day

“The suffragettes refused to be polite in demanding what they
wanted or grateful for getting what they deserved. Works for me.”

~ Anna Quindlen ~

Photo Caption of the Day

Scenes (and wedding guests!) we'd like to see, contributed by CellarDweller115 at Photo Captioning Fun 5:

PASTOR (dramatically):  "...if any person can show just and sufficient reason why these two
                                          persons may not be joined in matrimony, let them speak now
                                          or forever hold their peace."

JACK:  (from back of church):  "I believe I have somthin' to say......"

Contributors: Miasland, neatfreak, dejavu, michaelflanagansf, CellarDweller115, Jim Bond

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Mini-Slash Bash
Philadelphia - October 23-25, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Today's edition by Marge_Innavera

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by gnash

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to tds@davecullen.com.

To subscribe to The Daily Sheet, click the “Notify” button at the top or bottom of the page.
When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

The Daily Sheet Archives
Respond to The Daily Sheet

[Stilllearning]

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

Vatican Embraces Oscar Wilde

"In a week in which the Vatican made its peace with that dangerous consorter with witches Harry Potter, the Holy See has also revealed an unexpected soft spot for Oscar Wilde. "Earlier this week the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, which had previously described JK Rowling's books as presenting a "vision of the world and the human being full of deep mistakes and dangerous suggestions", praised the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for making it clear that good must overcome evil "and that sometimes this requires costs and sacrifice". "Despite the Catholic Church's condemnation of practising homosexuality, the newspaper has now run a glowing review of a new book about the famously doomed lover of Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde was "one of the personalities of the 19th century who most lucidly analysed the modern world in its disturbing as well as its positive aspects", wrote author Andrea Monda in a piece about Italian author Paolo Gulisano's The Portrait of Oscar Wilde. "Wilde was a man of great, intense feelings, who behind the lightness of his writing, behind a mask of frivolity or cynicism, hid a deep knowledge of the mysterious value of life," he said. Read more. Source: guardian.co.uk

Willie Nelson Celebrates a Decade on Lost Highway

"Willie Nelson's next CD will feature highlights from his 10 years on Lost Highway Records, which he is leaving for his own label. Lost Highway, due Aug. 11, will feature 17-tracks from 9 releases, including 3 unreleased songs and 1 previously digital-only release. "The CD features special guests, including Elvis Costello and Diana Krall, Lucinda Williams, Rob Thomas, Shania Twain, Toby Keith and two Grammy Award-winning duets with Lee Ann Womack (Mendocino County Line) and Ray Price (Lost Highway). This collection contains songs penned by Nelson and also Jimmy Cliff, Cindy Walker, Bob Wills, Rob Thomas, Bernie Taupin, Eddy Arnold and Fred Rose. "Nelson's tounge-in-cheek Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other, which created a stir during its iTunes-only release, is included. The three previously unreleased songs are Ain't Going Down On Brokeback Mountain from the Moment Of Forever sessions, Superman, and Both Sides of Goodbye." Read more. Source: countrystandardtime.com See article for full track listing and details. Visit Lost Highway Records.

"Whoa, that last note sounded a mite queer!" There doesn't seem to be a Willie Nelson version of "Ain't Goin' Down on Brokeback Mountain" (Written by Wynn Varble, Ben Hayslip and Brandon Kinney) available on Youtube, but here it is sung by the The Saddle Sores. Or listen to a live version, complete with difficult-to-decipher commentary by Wynn Varble: "It's been described as number two... Hope I don't piss nobody off, it's all in fun. A little cowboy music."

Homophobia In Country Music

"Queer Music Heritage is both a radio show and a website, and the goal of both is to preserve and share the music of our culture, because I just don't think gay & lesbian music of the past should be forgotten. "It's The Return of Big Bad Bruce: Homophobia in Country Music. I'll explore those comedy and novelty songs, done by straight artists over the years, that have been making the most of gay stereotypes. Some are outright homophobic and some merely poking gentle fun. But when you're in a mostly silent minority those songs in those early years got your attention. There were no role models on television in the 70's, and what those of us deep in the closet heard were the likes of Big Bad Bruce. I'll trace the evolution of the types of songs. Yes, the style of the stereotyping changed over time. Tune in and you'll see how, until I bring you up to date with a handful of gay-themed songs by straight artists that are downright positive, ones any gay artist would have been proud to have written. From Big Bruce to Garth Brooks, y'all come. (click image to listen to The Ballad of Ben Gay) "They laughed at me when I my ripped my panty hose pullin' them over my spurs." "Following "Fruity Brucey" was "Hopalong Sissy." That one was, at least according to the label, by Bruce Poose, from 1981. And also you heard one that got a bit of radio play in 1974 was "The Ballad of Ben Gay" by Ben Gay & the Silly Savages. "...what songs are homophobic? Who makes that call? It's a gray area and it's subjective. Even as a gay person there are songs that I might think are funny that someone else might find offensive. But even if you can appreciate a song's humor or cleverness, there's that underlying theme of perpetuating the stereotype, and that itself is damaging. A song about a swishy hairdresser is as demeaning as a song about a lazy Mexican or an Italian gangster. "As I studied the list of songs I compiled for consideration for this show, I started to notice a change in the style of the stereotyping through the years. And while of course there are exceptions, as we got out of the 80s there were fewer and fewer songs that depended on the swishy characters with affected, lispy voices." Read more. Source: queermusicheritage.us

Martina McBride Shines

"Until now, Martina McBride has never spoken this publicly about gay issues. But tackling tough and taboo subjects is something the mega country star known for hits like This One’s for the Girls and I Love You has been doing since she came on the scene 17 years ago. "One of your hit songs, In My Daughter’s Eyes, includes a line about everyone being equal. So you’ve always felt that way then? "Absolutely! I grew up in Kansas on a farm in a very small town of about 180 people. So, needless to say [laughs], I didn’t know any gay people when I was growing up -- and it just sort of wasn’t an issue. But I’ve always believed my parents had -- luckily -- a kind of care for our fellow human beings. No matter what. "I love that several country artists -- including Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson, and yourself -- have all embraced the gay community wholeheartedly, but why are you just deciding to publicly do so now? "It’s not that I’ve really just decided to do it right now. It’s not a conscious decision. I have a friend who works at the record company who kind of brought it up. She was like, “What about talking to some gay magazines?” -- we’re actually doing a mix of the single Ride for some clubs -- and I was like, “Well, yeah!” But I don’t know; it was just never really brought up to me before, and it’s my own fault that I didn’t pursue it. She sent it to me in an e-mail, “What do you think about this?” And I said, “Absolutely!” -- with exclamation points.

"How do you feel knowing that some of your songs, like “From The Ashes” for example, have helped people come out? "Oh, I love it! My music is hopefully empowering to people, and so that’s one thing that I hear over and over. And it’s definitely something I want to put out there. So when I hear a story like that, I love it. My music’s doing when it’s supposed to do -- it’s empowering people to do whatever they need to do in their life. "Your music is obviously very issue-oriented. You’ve covered abuse, suicide, self-empowerment. How, if ever, do you think you could work gay rights into a song? "Oh! That would be cool. I don’t know, that’s a good question. That’s a good thing to explore. I don’t know if there are very many people -- country writers -- writing songs like that [laughs], but I’m starting to write now, so maybe I’ll have to bring that up. " Read more. Source: out.com

World Outgames Begin Today "The GLISA family is honoured and proud to welcome you to the 2nd Annual World Outgames for an exciting week full of sport, culture, and human rights. More than 5,000 athletes, close to 1,000 Human Rights Conference attendees and hundreds of cultural activities participants have come to Copenhagen to celebrate our diversity and our culture. "World Outgames is an international event for the body, the mind, and the spirit. We celebrate the talents and contributions of homosexual, bi-sexual and transgender men and women from every corner of the globe. "The World Outgames was born with a big bang in Montreal, Canada, in 2006.  With more than 18,000 participants from 111 countries as conference delegates, athletes, volunteers or participants in the cultural program, the 1st World Outgames was able to exceed its participation and attendance targets. "This year's World Outgames will be held from 25 July - 2 August 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. "There will be tournaments in 38 different sports disciplines, from aerobics to wrestling, for competitors at all skills levels. In addition, there will be a wide variety of cultural events including performances, exhibitions and parties to inspire, provoke and make you dance like crazy." "World Outgames 2009 will also feature a human rights conference addressing issues and concerns of the LGBT community  and all others for whom love of freedom and freedom to love is self-evident." Read more. Source: copenhagen2009.org

Social Conservatives Cheer Over Former Gay Stories

"Social conservatives are cheering recent headlines about a former lesbian and a gay penguin. "The cheering started when one of the San Francisco Zoo's gay penguins, Harry, abruptly ended a six-year relationship with Pepper to shack up with Linda. Harry and Pepper made international headlines when they adopted an egg laid by another Magellanic penguin and zoo handlers allowed the couple to incubate it last year. "After a bitter separation, which required Pepper be placed in a separate exhibit, Harry and Linda successfully nested this year. "Matt Barber, an ardent anti-gay foe, used the breakup as evidence that being gay is choice: "The highly contentious 'nature vs nurture' debate over whether gay penguins choose the homosexual lifestyle or are hatched that way has reached a hard boil," Barber said in a RenewAmerica article titled 'Gay' penguin flies straight. "After praising Harry's decision to “embrace natural sexuality,” Barber adds that Pepper has "reportedly been spotted waddling around the zoo's public men's room, skulking in stalls and inexplicably tapping his flipper."' Read more. Source: ontopmag.com

Completely Chaste Rewrite: Brokeback Mountain

"Imagine, if you will, a world in which filmmakers are no longer allowed to put sexualized content in anyone's job description. That means no nookie in the script. It could be due to a court order, or a change in fashion, or even someone finally paying proper attention to the bottom line. Imagine, even, that things change overnight and that they have to do a mad scramble to fix everything currently in production. What will they do??? (Make money, of course. Everyone loves a good comedy.) I have kindly taken it into my heart to offer some sample rewrites, in case anyone needs any help figuring out what to do. And I will take requests, if I can get whatever it is out of the library. "The film [Brokeback Mountain] is a beautiful adaptation that fills in a great deal about the relationships the two men have with their wives as well as their own developing relationship. There is nothing gratuitous in this story - it is truly a work of art. However, it was rated R by the MPAA for "sexuality, nudity, language and some violence". I have two concerns about how the film was made: one is the sexuality and nudity, the other is the emotional intensity required for the major roles.

"Sexualized content is only one half of the problem with filming a story like Brokeback Mountain. The story is beautiful, but requires a considerable amount of emotional intensity on the part of Ledger, Gyllenhaal and Williams. If the emotions are fake, the story won't work - it won't ring true. But if the emotions are real, then the performers are having real emotional experiences with their colleagues, as part of their jobs. Not collegial relationships, which would be fine, since they're coworkers anyways. But intense romantic attachments. I don't know how the two men worked it out, but there seems to have been some carry-over to their personal lives for Ledger and Williams, since they were engaged for a while in real life, and had a child together, as a result of meeting and working together on this film. "Perhaps instead of showing us sex inside the tent, the film could have showed us one leading the other by the hand into the tent, awkwardly the first time, then warmly the second time, and left the rest to our imagination. If we see them lying beside each other in the morning, and they're comfortable with each other, it's obvious enough." "I don't know how to say this: On-camera intimacy is *dangerous*. And there doesn't seem to be any research or even any thought on how to make it safe for the performers. I don't know how to make things safer, other than saying don't go there in the first place. Perhaps there is a way of making intimate stories safer to portray, or perhaps some stories, no matter how beautiful they are, should not be filmed. They can be written, drawn (you can do a lot with a graphic novel), and maybe sung or danced, but perhaps they should not always be acted out. Perhaps they should never be acted out. It's hard to say." But it's easy for some, I'd say. Be sure to take part in the poll that's posted at the top of the page. Note: The blog entry this article is based upon was deleted a few days ago for reasons unknown, but such an interesting viewpoint was too good not to include. Source: geniusparachute.blogspot.com

Prince of Persia Poster

Here's Jake Gyllenhaal looking fine for Walt Disney's adventurous offering, due out in May of 2010.



Source: towleroad.com

WikiWhat?

Today's WikiWhat? features the boyishly handsome Brandon De Wilde, an Oscar-nominated actor (for his role as Joey in Shane) who appeared in numerous motion pictures and TV shows, as well as onstage in theater productions. De Wilde started out early in the world of show business, and made "his much-acclaimed Broadway debut at the age of 7 in The Member of the Wedding, and was the first child actor to win the Donaldson Award." Tragically, he suffered a fatal motorcycle accident when he was only 30 years old. Here are excerpts from his Wikipedia entry: Andre Brandon De Wilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an Academy Award-nominated American actor born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn. His father, Frederick A. De Wilde, was a Broadway production stage manager, and his mother, Eugenia De Wilde, was a part-time Broadway actress. The De Wilde family moved from Brooklyn to Baldwin, Long Island after he was born. De Wilde -- who watched as Paul McCartney wrote the song "Wait" during the filming of the Beatles movie Help! -- had hoped to embark on a music career. He asked his friend Gram Parsons (of The Byrds), and his band at the time, "International Submarine Band," to back him in a recording session. Guitarist John Nuese claimed that De Wilde sang harmony with Parsons better than anyone except Emmylou Harris. Parsons and Harris later co-wrote a song entitled In My Hour Of Darkness, whose first verse refers to the accident that killed De Wilde: "Once I knew a young man / Went driving through the night, / Miles and miles without a word / But just his high-beam lights. / Who'd have ever thought they'd build / Such a deadly Denver bend; / To be so strong, to take so long / As it would till the end."

                       

(Click images for larger versions, and for a link to a "What's My Line?" video on YouTube)

Forum Humor

Posted by Lyle (Mooska) in Bring Your Humor Here thread.

Quote of the Day

“Realizing that our actions, feelings and behavior are the
result of our own images and beliefs gives us the lever that
psychology has always needed for changing personality.”

~  Maxwell Maltz  ~

Photocaption of the Day

By RickB in Photo Captioning Fun 5

Ennis thinks:
You know, underneath this cowboy hat,
yellow raincoat, and the coat underneath it,
under my shirt, under my pants and my boots,
I'm totally naked!
And no one has any idea!

Although, lately, I think they are beginning to suspect.

Contributors: Sason, Lyle (Mooska), RickB

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Mini-Slash Bash
Philadelphia - October 23-25, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Today's edition by gnash

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by gnash

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[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

GLBT History, 1776 to morning TV

Compton's Cafeteria, 1966 Three years before the Stonewall riot in New York, a cafeteria on the other coast was the scene of another "not going to take it anymore" moment when what was then a usual police sweep turned into urban warfare.   ... Today the Oshun Center, a non-profit health care organization, has replaced Compton's at 101 Taylor Street. An historical plaque commemorating the riot was placed at the site in 1966. Transgender people had limited options for gathering places in the mid-1960s. In San Francisco the open-24-hours Compton's Cafeteria at Taylor and Turk in the Tenderloin district was one of those few. Cross-dressing was illegal in 1966, however, so no public place was safe from police raids.

The riot didn't occur in a vacuum. According to a brief history in Transgender Tapestry, "In the mid-1960s, urban renewal was transforming central San Francisco, and most affordable housing in the area was torn down to make way for high-rise office towers, museums, and convention facilities. A wave of new residents flooded into the Tenderloin, displacing transgendered tenants in the neighborhood's already overcrowded residency hotels."  At the same time, the activist Glide Memorial Church had helped nurture the fledgling Vanguard group, an early gay youth organization, and the lesbian Street Orphans group had been organized as well. Tension had already developed at Compton's, which had been picketed by members of Vanguard the month before over a service charge they considered discriminatory and calculated to discourage low-income customers. When the police arrived at the cafeteria, reportedly called by the management over some unruly customers, their manhandling of one of the transwomen was the spark that hit a slowly accumulating pool of gasoline. Instead of submitting to arrest, she threw her coffee in the arresting officer's face. In the riot that followed, items like dishes and glass sugar shakers proved to be handy weapons of destruction and after the fighting overflowed into the street, a police car was damage and a sidewalk newsstand burned. Compton's barred transgender customers from the cafeteria, but this only inspired a demonstration the following night, in which the windows were broken again.

In the two years following the riots, a community effort with police involvement culminated in the establishment of the National Transsexual Counseling Unit, a first for support and advocacy groups. The incidents at Compton's were documented in Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria.  According to TLA Video, the documentary "introduces viewers to street queens, cops and activist civil rights ministers who recall the riot and paint a vivid portrait of the wild transgender scene in '60s San Francisco. Integrating the riot’s story into the broader fabric of American life, the documentary connects the event to urban renewal, anti-war activism, civil rights and sexual liberation. With enticing archival footage and period music, this unknown story is dramatically brought back to life." The film will be available on DVD August 11th and is available for pre-order.

Baron Von Steuben, 1770s According to The Queerest Places, "in 1777, Baron Frederick Wilhelm von Steuben, then a captain in the Prussian Army, faced charges of taking 'familiarities' with young men, and, to avoid a public scandal, he accepted a commission with the Continental Army, arriving in the American colonies with a 17-year-old French nobleman whom he called his 'secretary.' Von Steuben, who was well-acquainted with the rigorous drills of the Prussian Army, is credited with introducing much-needed discipline into the revolutionary forces and thus aiding immeasurably in the eventual American victory. The baron is honored by a monument in Lafayette Park, at the base of which is a statue of two warriors in an appropriately gay friendly position." Forum member Lyle recalls that “just north of the town I grew up in, Remsen, New York, is the Baron von Steuben Memorial Park where there is a monument, log cabin with historical memorabilia and a huge park grounds. I first knew that Baron Von Steuben was gay from reading Randy Shilts' book Conduct Unbecoming. To think that this park which I frequented for twenty years while growing up in Remsen was in honor of a gay man is truly fascinating and I think knowing that fact would have made at least one moment of my life growing up there just a little bit easier.” A visitor to the park related that Von Steuben "is known as the 'drillmaster of the American Revolution,' but affectionately known as “von Schtooby” to my history-buff kids."  Like many park visitors, she was impressed with the natural beauty of the heavily-wooded park, especially its views of the Mohawk Valley. "Walking into these woods is like walking into another world. Strange birds chittered to us from the treetops. Deep hoofprints of virile bucks heavily imprinted the soil. Crunchy layers of pine needles and the remnants of a gravel path urged our feet to go deeper into the forest. It was… primeval. Numerous historical markers were the only evident signs that someone had been here before us."

...
Von Steuben gravesite


...
Replica of Von Steuben's log house

See the New York Traveler for more information about the park.

Falwell vs Sloan, 1980s In 1984, Rev. Jerry Falwell appeared on a Sacramento morning talk show, Look Who's Talking, and was surprised to see gay activist Jerry Sloan in the audience.  The two had known each other through Sloan's mother years before, and during the show Falwell chatted with Sloan on-camera. Tensions quickly developed when Sloan took Falwell to task concerning a remark he'd made about the Metropolitan Community Church on his TV show, The Old Time Gospel Hour:

"Look at the Metropolitan Community Church today, the gay church, almost accepted into the World Council Of Churches recently. . . the vote was against them, but they will try again and again until they get in and the tragedy is that they would get one vote because they are spoken of here in [the Bibilical book of] Jude as being brute beasts, that is, going to the baser lust of the flesh to live immorality. And so, Jude describes this as apostasy. Thank God, this vile and satanic system will one day be utterly annihilated and there will be a celebration in heaven!"

Falwell emphatically denied having made the statement, and finally told Sloan he would give him $5,000 if Sloan could provide proof.  Sloan had made a tape of the sermon, but Falwell didn't pay up and Sloan finally filed a lawsuit for breach of oral contract -- with ample proof of the agreement on television. He filed the lawsuit on the same day that Falwell returned to Sacramento for a fund-raising tour. Two years and much legal wrangling later, three appeals court judges awarded Sloan his $5,000 plus an additional $2,875 and interest. Sloan used the money to fund The Lambda Community Center. Today, Sloan says, the center "is still on 20th and L streets, serving the needs of Sacramento GLBT communities. It now has a vision to move and expand to meet the growing demand for its services. In the last 19 years, countless men, women and young people have availed themselves of it services and left feeling better about themselves. "Without Jerry Falwell, the Lambda Community Center and all of these other fantastic benefits would have never become a reality." See Alternet for a more detailed history of Falwell's unwilling role in founding the center.

Brokeback Here, Brokeback There

The Choices We Make As part of "Adaptation Week," the book website Vulpes Libris asked for essays  about printed works adapted to film.  In "Brokeback Mountain – the choices we make and those we don’t" author Anne Brooke compared and contrasted the artistic choices that went into creating the short story and film. Mention she prefers the short story but highlighted aspects where both were effective. She gives the story's prologue as an example of a short narrative that is "incredibly punchy to start with" but which takes on a whole new meaning by the end of the story. Quoting the imagery of Ennis' situation alone in the trailer years after Jack's death, Brooke notes that these sum up the essence of the story right at the beginning. In Ang Lee's film, Brooke appreciates the natural scenery used in the visual medium, while also valuing the vivid phrasing of Annie Proux's descriptions.  The music, in contrast, is unobtrusive during most of the film but Brooke feels that it is all the more effective for that, "because it suits the story and the scenery so well, it becomes part of the whole experience and I think it would be a significantly lesser film without it." She notes that some aspects were shown in more detail in the film, Alma and Lureen. Lureen in particular "ensures that she and Jack somehow manage to motor through life with some sense of connection at key moments, which Ennis and Alma never do." Brooke urges movie viewers to note "her subtle and delighted smile when Jack finally stands up to her bullying father during a Thanksgiving Dinner." Read the whole essay at Vulpes Libris.

Heath's Apartment Building Sold The Soho apartment building where Heath lived has finally been sold, after a foreclosure proceeding lasting several years, for $15 million, according to Entertainment News.  Earlier this month, the New York Post said Donald Burns, whose Palm Beach Mortgage Management is the main lender to the building at 421 Broome Street in Soho, made the winning bid at the foreclosure auction through his attorney.

... Fans and friends left memorials outside the building at 421 Broome Street in January of last year.

Earlier this month, New York Post, reported that the building is mostly empty, with only one apartment occupied (by a minority shareholder) plus an upscale furniture store on the ground floor. The others, including Heath's, are unoccupied, though perhaps not altogether due to the economy. The Post noted that "artist Junia Neiva claimed in court papers that the building's majority stakeholder, millionaire Donald Burns, has purposely kept the apartments empty so he could foreclose on the Broome Street property." Heath's loft is a bargain compared with the building's penthouse, which rents for $70,000 a month.

In the Cyber-Neighborhood

Most of us would dread being stranded at an airport overnight, but a stranded traveler with a laptop can now log onto   Sleeping In Airports.com  for tips.  Emergencies aren't this site's emphasis, however. It takes an upbeat attitude toward indoor airport camping, and claims to represent "a travel community that for 13 years has been sharing their airport sleeping experiences and travel advice with fellow airport sleepers around the world. Nowadays you'll find travelers of all ages and income brackets stretched out on airport floors."

The site has a 10 Best and 10 Worst airport list -- you're lucky if you have to spend the night at Singapore, Oslo, Vancouver or Denver; unlucky if you're stuck in Paris, Delhi, Chicago or Manila -- but also provides an extensive index to others. On each airport's page, travelers' reviews evaluate noise level, best places to sleep, concessions, security and cleanliness.  Overnighters can also share and discuss experiences on the website's blog. For travelers not sleeping in the airport on spur-of-the-moment necessity, the recommended survival kit recommends an inflatable pool raft ("the fold up nicely and make the hard floor a lot more comfortable"), eye shades and ear plugs, bottled water and snacks, books and magazines, personal music devices (to block out loud announcements as well as for entertainment), alarm clock, disinfectant wipes and toilet paper, money for tips to airport personnel and Vick's Vapor Rub "to block out bad terminal odors."  Suggested additional items for entertainment: a Twister mat or playing cards; and "if these are unavailable to you, luggage carts and airport wheelchairs have also brightened a few faces around here."

Calling All (UK-bound) Brokies

Andy wants to know if there's interest in a UK Brokie get-together:

"A recent comment on TOTW has sparked interest amongst some Brokies with regard to a screening of the movie somewhere here in the UK. This idea is nowhere near being off the ground yet but maybe this post will spark further interest and give us an idea as to whether it's worth pursuing. Please direct all comments and thoughts on the Brit thread and we'll see what comes out of it."

Be sure to visit the thread and if you want to attend and have suggestions for time, place and sightseeing.



Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: Tell us your initial first-read-through answer: Count every 'F' in the following text: FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS... Let us know how many you counted in the response thread. Last week's question and answer: What finally went out of fashion in ancient Rome, prompting people to begin wearing short pants called feminalia or palliums? The toga! (Source).

The Forum Image

tigs, starting here in Life Through the Lens 3.

And chapeaugris shares some less aesthetic images of celebrities' aging processes, in Share Your Humor.  The awful truth about Alec Baldwin, Brendan Fraser, Mickey Rourke, Clint Eastwood, Pierce Brosnan and more.

Quote of the Day

“For my part I believe in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of ignorance.”

~ Adlai E. Stevenson ~

Photo Caption Classics

Contributed by backtobrokeback in Photo Captioning Fun 2 (2007).

If Lureen had been Scarlett O'Hara:



Scarlett: And if Ashley won't have me and Rhett won't have me, I'll just up and move to Texas!  I will, I will!
I'll marry a cowboy!  And I'll dye my hair blond, and I'll run a business, all by my little self!  Fiddle-dee-dee!

Contributors: tigs, Lyle (Mooska), chapeaugris, backtobrokeback, Andy, MaineWriter

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Mini-Slash Bash
Philadelphia - October 23-25, 2009

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

Researchers: BayCityJohn, BrokenOkie, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Today's edition by Marge_Innavera

Formatters: denim girl, gnash

Today’s edition formatted by denim girl

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to tds@davecullen.com.

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When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

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