A M E R I C A’ S L A R G E S T C I R C U L AT I O N G AY A N D L E S B I A N N E W S P A P E R !
Gay City
S E R V I N G G A Y, L E S B I A N , B I A N D T R A N S G E N D E R E D N E W Y O R K • W W W . G A Y C I T Y N E W S . C O M
■ CRIME
DA Probe
Appears Stalled
BY DUNCAN OSBORNE
W
hile activists and elected offi-
cials believed that District
Attorney Robert Morgenthau
promised at a March 6 meeting to inves-
tigate the arrests of gay and bisexual
men in Manhattan porn shops, com-
ments made by an assistant district
attorney during a trial suggest that any
such investigation has produced little
information.
“Have there been any conclusions
reached in this investigation?” said Rich-
ard M. Weinberg, the judge who presides
in Midtown Community Court, at the
start of a May 5 prostitution trial. Andres
Torres, the assistant district attorney
who was handling the case, said “No,
your honor.”
The questioning came as Linda
DA PROBE P. 8
OUTRAGE
16
AMs$RINKS"EERS
'/Ss7EARLEATHERFORSHOTS
TM
NEWS YOUR FREE
LGBT
NEWSPAPER
MAY 14-27, 2009
VOL. EIGHT, ISS. 10
■ BOOKS
Tackling
Southern
Gothic’s Queen
BY MICHAEL EHRHARDT
B
rad Gooch has fulfilled a long
harbored wish to write the defin-
itive biography of the queen of
grotesque “grit-lit,” Flannery O’Connor,
and it was well worth the two decades’
wait. Gooch, who confesses a “literary
fascination” with his subject, has hand-
ily tackled the life of this recondite and
canonic American writer who died from
lupus at age 39. Long before John Ber-
endt’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good
and Evil” chronicled the eccentric char-
acters and macabre manners of the
inhabitants of Savannah, Georgia, the
GAY CITY NEWS
GOOCH P. 28
SENATOR TOM DUANE’S JOB NOW IS TO MOVE MARRIAGE EQUALITY BY JUNE’S END In this issue:
Big Assembly Win Sends ■ EDITORIAL
Answer the attacks
Marriage Bill to Senate —————————————————
■ 10
Malcolm Smith of Queens, whose cau-
BY PAUL SCHINDLER ■ PANIC DEFENSE
cus has only a 32-30 edge, has pledged
A
fter an emotional debate that ran his support, though he has consistently Did “sexual predator”
more than three hours — about said he would bring the measure to the
as long as when the question was floor only when he is confident it will invite 50 stab wounds?
first taken up in 2007 — the New York carry. This year’s session ends in June. ■3
State Assembly passed Governor David As the Assembly debate unfolded, —————————————————
Paterson’s marriage equality bill on May however, Smith made his strongest ■ BEING MALCOLM
12, by an 89-52 vote. In June 2007, the statement on the prospects for the bill.
measure carried with an 85-61 margin, “The momentum is shifting — marriage The task before the
but was not considered by the State Sen- equality will be a reality in New York State Senate leader
ate, then controlled by Republicans. This
year, Democratic Senate Majority Leader
and I welcome that day,” Smith said in
■ 11
ASSEMBLY P. 4
Grand Reopening Party Fri. May 15th
PM
(OT'/
185 Christopher Street, New York, NY
© GAY CITY NEWS 2009 • COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

2/ Human Rights
Gays Turn Out in Beirut
Open show of LGBT pride almost never seen in Arab world
BY DOUG IRELAND
I
n an almost unheard
of event for the Arab
world, Lebanon’s LGBT
group held a gay rights
demonstration on May 10
in downtown Beirut, with
several dozen demonstra-
tors carrying rainbow
flags and signs in Arabic,
English, and French. The
demonstration was orga-
nized by HELEM, which
is the Arabic acronym for
Lebanese Protection for
Lesbians, Gays, Bisexu-
als, Transgenders, and
Queers; the word “helem”
is also Arabic for “dream.”
It was intended as part of
HELEM’s new campaign to
repeal Article 534 of Leba-
non’s penal code, which
prohibits sexual relations
that “contradict the laws of
nature” and carries a one-
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year prison term.
HELEM is the only
LGBT organization able
to operate openly in any
Arab country, and was the
recipient of the 2009 Felice
de Souza Award given by
the International Gay and
Lesbian Human Rights
Commission. HELEM
operates a walk-in LGBT
community center in a
beautiful French colo-
nial building not far from
downtown Beirut.
Turkey, the only other
largely Muslim country in
the region with open LGBT
groups, is not Arab, and
groups representing gays
and especially the trans-
gendered in Turkey have
been under increasing
legal attack by the Islamist
government now in power
there to ban them, taking
steps that have enflamed
Located
in Chelsea!
rising anti-gay and anti-
trans violence in the coun-
try. ASWAT, which bills
itself as an organization of
“Palestinian gay women,”
operates from Israel but
cannot do so openly in the
territories controlled by
the Palestinian Authority.
Iraqi LGBT, headquartered
in London, has members
and informants through-
out Iraq, but its opera-
tions there are totally clan-
destine, and 17 of its gay
activists inside Iraq have
been murdered for their
membership in the group
in the four-year-old “sexu-
al cleansing” murder cam-
paign by anti-gay Shiite
death squads. At the same
time, Iraqi LGBT is charac-
terized by the current gov-
ernment as an “unauthor-
ized terrorist organization,”
and five members of the
group arrested and given
a hasty star chamber trial
on charges of belonging to
such an organization are
in prison and believed to
be awaiting execution.
The Sunday demonstra-
tion in Beirut was the sec-
ond organized by HELEM
this year. A slightly smaller
action was held in Febru-
ary to protest an extreme-
ly violent attack on two
gay men by the Lebanese
Army. In that homopho-
bic incident, the two men,
seen making out in a door-
way on the Place Sass-
ine, were arrested by an
Army patrol and severely
beaten bloody in the street
with rifle butts, fists, and
boot kicks as a crowd of
onlookers who poured out
of nearby cafes watched.
According to HELEM,
“State agents’ behavior
with LGBT individuals
in Lebanon is marred by
a string of human rights
violations as well as by fre-
quent violations of Leba-
nese law. State intelligence
services used informer net-
works and lengthy interro-
gations of LGBT detainees
in order to gather informa-
tion on suspects.” Police
A poster demanding the decriminalization of homosexuality to be used in another LGBT rights demonstration planned for
Beirut on May 16.
keep records of LGBT sus-
pects and of the places
they frequent, which are
kept under surveillance.
The group added, “The
Internal Security Forces
have been given a discre-
tionary authorization to
censor all foreign maga-
zines and non-periodical
works, as well as foreign
and local plays, books,
and films, before they were
distributed in the market.
They also continue to con-
fiscate personal LGBT pub-
lications from their owners
at the Beirut International
Airport. They even scru-
tinize private mail enter-
ing or exiting the country,
confiscating LGBT books,
magazines, and films.”
In connection with the
International Day Against
Homophobia (IDAHO) —
observed in more than 60
countries each May 17
in commemoration of the
World Health Organiza-
tion’s removal in 1993 of
homosexuality from its
list of mental disorders,
HELEM is sponsoring this
weekend a decriminaliza-
tion rally and concert for
repeal of Article 534, to be
held at the Babel Theater
in Beirut.
In addition to counsel-
ing, consciousness-rais-
ing, AIDS prevention, and
other educational services
that HELEM provides at
its community center, the
group has recently been
making a particular effort
to aid the growing number
of Iraqi gays fleeing to Leb-
anon to escape the cam-
paign of assassinations in
their home country.
The May 3 Huffington
Post carried an article by
Lebanon-based journal-
ist Meris Lutz in which
she interviewed one such
new refugee, a 21-year-old
code-named “Hassan” (the
interview was arranged by
HELEM director Georges
Azzi, who accompanied
“Hassan.”) The Iraqi youth
told the journalist of “three
weeks of rape and torture
at the hands of the Iraqi
Ministry of Interior, fol-
lowed by a month of living
as a fugitive before fleeing
to Lebanon.”
The Huffington Post
added, “According to Iraqis
and human rights workers
interviewed for this post,
some sort of understand-
ing was reached between
the Iraqi government and
the Mahdi Army to ‘cleanse’
Iraq of homosexuals.” Lutz
wrote, “According to Has-
san and M.M., another gay
Iraqi who fled to Jordan
and eventually made his
way to Lebanon, [radical
Islamist cleric and Mahdi
Army leader] Muqtada al-
Sadr was given the green
light from the government
to attack homosexuals
after video footage of a
14 - 27 MAY 2009
HELEM.NET
private party attended by
gays, lesbians, and trans-
sexuals began circulating
Iraq. Neither had attend-
ed the party or seen the
footage, but several oth-
ers confirmed they had
heard the rumor. The BBC
recently posted a number
of videos depicting homo-
sexuals and cross dressers
being harassed by security
forces. The video provided
a pretext for the Mahdi
Army, partially disbanded
and discredited, to recon-
stitute itself as a morality
force. Other armed groups
were not far behind.”
The Huffington Post’s
journalist reported that
Human Rights Watch
staffers returning from a
trip to Iraq were among
the human rights workers
she interviwed who con-
firmed the account of the
new agreement between
al-Sadr and the Iraqi gov-
ernment to “cleanse” the
country of homosexuals.
The web site of the Leba-
nese LGBT group HELEM, in
English, Arabic, and French,
is at helem.net/. The Huff-
ington Post interview with
the young gay Iraqui refu-
gee in Lebanon is at huff-
ingtonpost.com/meris-lutz/
the-pink-army_b_195282.
html. Doug Ireland may be
reached through his blog,
DIRELAND, at http://dire-
land.typepad.com/.
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
■ CRIME
Panic Defense on Tap
Defense charges George Weber was a sexual predator
BY DUNCAN OSBORNE
T
he attorney for a
16-year -old who
allegedly mur -
dered a gay journalist in
Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill
neighborhood argued
that his client was
defending himself from a
sexual assault when he
stabbed the 47-year-old
radio anchor.
“He’s absolutely the
victim, morally, he’s the
victim,” said Jeffery T.
Schwartz, referring to
his client John Katehis,
following a May 8 court
appearance.
Allegedly, George
We b e r o f f e r e d t o p a y
Katehis $60 to smother
him in a March 20 Craig-
slist exchange. Kate-
his traveled fr om his
home in Queens, where
he lived with his par -
ents, to Weber’s home.
Once there, Weber gave
Katehis some beer and
cocaine, which made
Katehis “jumpy,” he
wrote in a statement he
gave to police. The two
then moved to Weber’s
bedroom where Katehis
began to bind Weber’s
Most juries would take a dim
view of a 47-year-old paying
a 16-year-old for anything
remotely resembling sex.
legs with duct tape.
Weber then took a knife
out of his pocket. “He
took it out just to show
it to me, but I got ner -
vous and grabbed for the
knife,” Katehis wrote. “I
was able to turn the knife
back toward George and
push it toward him, acci-
dentally stabbing him in
the neck.”
Police have alleged that
Katehis stabbed Weber
50 times.
Because the age of con-
sent in New York is 17,
A picture found on 16-year-old John Katehis’ MySpace page at the time of his
arrest.
Schwartz, who referred to
Katehis as a “16-year-old
child” during the hearing,
argued that the encoun-
ter was per se a sexual
assault. Under New York
law, a person who is over
21 who has sex with
someone under 17 can be
charged with third-degree
rape, an E felony, the low-
est level felony.
“As a matter of law, it
was a sexual assault,”
Schwartz told the press
later. “He had an absolute
right to defend himself.”
It is not clear that
smothering would legally
be viewed as a sexual
encounter. Indeed, Kate-
his’ description in his
written statement sug-
gests that the two never
removed any clothing,
kissed, or engaged in any
behavior usually associ-
ated with sex.
It is, however, likely
14 – 27 MAY 2009
that most juries would
not care about such hair-
splitting and would take
a dim view of a 47-year-
old paying a 16-year-old
for anything remotely
resembling sex. Cer -
tainly, giving a 16-year-
old beer and cocaine is a
crime.
The defense that
Schwartz proposes,
assuming he moves for-
ward with it, is related
to homosexual panic
defenses that attorneys
have used for decades to
win acquittals for their
clients in attacks on gay
men and, more recently,
transgendered people.
Katehis faces one
count of second-degree
murder and one weap-
ons possession count in
the killing. He could get
as much as 25-years-to-
life if convicted.
Schwartz was not
simply previewing his
defense. Because Weber
belonged to the fraternity
of New York City journal-
ists, the press coverage
of the killing has tended
to present him favorably
and Katehis as a dement-
ed kid with an unhealthy
obsession with violence
and knives. Schwartz
3
GAY CHRISTOPHER STREET
Opening party
Friday May 15th 9PM till 4AM
said explicitly that he
was countering that mes-
sage.
During the hearing,
Schwartz said Weber had
a “long history of trying Wednesday Night Karaoke
to prey on young chil-
dren” and that “smother- starting at 9pm Staring Show
boy” was a screen name Biz Spitfire Paige Turner
We b e r u s e d w h e n h e
“attempted to lure other Starting May 20th and every
underage boys to his
lair.”
Wednesday there after
Schwartz also came out
aggressively against the
Brooklyn district attor -
ney. The May 8 hearing
was intended to release
the indictment against
Katehis and its sup-
porting documents, but
Schwartz presented the
court with motions seek-
ing evidence from the dis-
trict attorney that would
vindicate his client.
“We’re very specific in Happy Hour - 12 - 9 pm Daily
our requests,” he told 185 Christopher Street 212-242-9113
Judge Neil J. Firetog.
When talking to the press
later, Schwartz said he
was seeking copies of the
hard drives of Weber’s Bringing hot
and Katehis’ computers. back to
Typically, such motions
come much later in the christopher st.
legal process.
Schwartz also moved to KARAOKE NIGHT
set bail for Katehis, who MONDAY 9 P.M. – 1A.M
has been held on Rikers
Island since his March HAPPY HOUR
24 arrest. When Firetog 3 P.M. – 9 P.M.
said he would read the
indictment, grand jury
minutes, and supporting 76 Christopher St. / 212-633-1986
documents, and rule on
www.bootsandsaddlenyc.com
that motion on July 17,
Schwartz said he would
appeal that decision,
A Village Landmark
then pressed for argu- Serving The Community
ment so he would have a For 37 Years
record on which to base
an appeal.
“Based on what you’re
saying, judge, this child
will have to stay in jail ©
for another two months,”
Schwartz said. Mon-Fri 2pm- 4am Sat-Sun 1pm- 4am
Firetog cut off Anna- Happy Hour 4pm-8pm Sat & Sun Beer Blast 2-8pm
Sigga Nicolazzi, the pros-
ecutor in the case, when Fire Flag/EMS Firemen’s benefit 2nd Tuesday
she said she wanted to of the month. Supporting LGBT uniformed
respond to Schwartz. professionals 50/50 Raffle
Nicolazzi declined to
comment following the 114 Christopher St.
Btw Bleecker & Hudson St. / 212-741-9641
hearing.

4/ Politics
䉴 ASSEMBLY, from p.1
a press release, in which he
added, “It is my goal to realize
that… accomplishment in the
Senate, and as a strong sup-
porter of marriage equality leg-
islation, I will continue to work
until we have sufficient votes to
pass it.”
Three weeks ago, when
introducing the marriage bill
at a Manhattan press confer-
ence, the governor, who once
served as minority leader in
that chamber, called for a Sen-
ate vote whether or not pas-
sage was assured, arguing that
some fence-sitters will only be
smoked out that way. “Whenev-
er the vote is taken, I believe you
will see — and it will be interest-
ing to watch if this doesn’t turn
out to happen — whether there
aren’t three or four members
of the Senate who will vote for
it when they had not said they
would,” Paterson told Gay City
News in a follow-up interview.
“The sooner the vote is taken,
the sooner this will pass.”
Thomas Duane, an out gay
Chelsea Democrat who is the
lead Senate sponsor of the mar-
riage measure, released a state-
ment after the Assembly vote
saying flatly, “I am confident
that this year my Senate will
uphold this fundamental legal
principle and vote for my right,
our right, to be married this
year.”
Paterson, Duane, and
advocates led by the Empire
State Pride Agenda (ESPA) all
acknowledge that Republican
votes will be needed — Bronx
Democrat Ruben Diaz, Sr.,
a Pentecostal minister, is an
implacable foe of gay rights
who will lead a rally in opposi-
tion in that borough on May
17, and other Democrats have
voiced opposition, though in
less than Shermanesque terms.
In the effort to build biparti-
san momentum heading into
the Senate, the Assembly vote
offered reason for optimism.
The number of GOP votes, from
a caucus that numbers only
41 out of the 150 seats in total,
rose from three to five. In the
far northern part of the state,
Republicans Teresa Sayward of
Willsboro and Deirdre Scozza-
fava of Gouverneur were joined
by Janet Duprey of Plattsburgh.
Joel Miller of Poughkeepsie
voted for the bill again, and for
the first time, GOP Assembly-
man Fred Thiele of Sag Harbor
cast an aye.
Last week, the Daily News’ Liz
Benjamin reported that ESPA
had spent $100,000 on polling
in key swing State Senate dis-
tricts currently represented by
Republicans and found that in
four Long Island districts — rep-
resented by GOP Senators Ken
LaValle, Kemp Hannon, Charles
Fuschillo, and John Flanagan
— voters approve of marriage
equality by a 52-42 margin. The
issue polls best among voters
under 30, women, and Indepen-
dents. Some flips by Democratic
assemblymembers to a pro-
equality vote also offered hope
that neighboring senators might
be swayed. Sandra Galef from
Ossining spoke out in favor of
the bill this week, after voting no
in 2007, and ESPA confirmed
that her switch will be helpful
in lobbying Senate Republican
Vincent Leibell, who is from Pat-
terson, in neighboring Putnam
County.
Stepping up its efforts to move
senators in key districts, ESPA
on May 13 unveiled the first in
a series of ads aimed at show-
ing “how real New York families
are hurt when same-sex cou-
ples aren’t allowed to marry.”
The first 30-second spot, set to
run in Buffalo, Syracuse, and
Albany, features Barb and Don
Crawford, who are parents of
two daughters, one straight
and one lesbian. The couple
talk about both having met the
“person that she loves,” with
younger daughter Jody mar -
ried, but Amy, in a relationship
for 12 years and the mother of
their oldest grandchild, Olive,
unable to do so. Saying that
Olive has been the flower girl
in two weddings, Barb says,
“She wants to be the flower girl
in her mom’s wedding. It’s time
to pass the marriage equality
bill.”
“She wants to be the flower girl in
her mom’s wedding. It’s time to pass
the marriage equality bill.”
As the lead Assembly spon-
sor, it fell to Daniel O’Donnell,
an out gay Democrat from the
Upper West Side, to respond to
questions and criticisms from
the bill’s opponents. Those
Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell steered marriage equality to a bigger win this year than in 2007.
fighting the measure clearly
had received talking points
from the National Organization
for Marriage (NOM), a recently
for med group dedicated to
spending millions in opposition
to equality initiatives nation-
wide and the producer of the
infamous “Gathering Storm”
ad.
Republican Michael Fitzpat-
rick, from Smithtown on Long
Island, informed that the mea-
14 - 27 MAY 2009
discrimination was minor,
then pointed to a Methodist
organization in New Jersey
that lost a tax exemption for
seaside boardwalk property it
owned after refusing to make
it available for a civil union
ceremony. Benjamin failed to
mention — and likely did not
know — that the tax exemption
in question was not related to
religious freedom but rather
the facility’s availability as an
open spaces public accommo-
dation receiving favored tax
treatment under New Jersey’s
Department of Environmental
Protection.
In the end, each of these
three acknowledged a deeper-
seated opposition to marriage
equality that had nothing to
do with the technical quibbles
they raised. Fitzpatrick spoke
of “a lifestyle I do not condone”
and warned of “a coming day
of collision” over marriage
equality. Hikind said, “This
legislation under mines the
very foundations of traditional
marriage.” And Benjamin said
he felt like a Roman centurion
guarding against “the Huns
and the Visigoths” and like
Captain Picard battling the
Borgs.
O’Donnell largely resisted
the temptation to blast or
belittle his opponents for their
arcane and alarmist warnings,
saving much of his firepower
for emphasizing the evidence
from New Jersey and Vermont
GAY CITY NEWS
that civil unions had failed
same-sex couples — most dra-
matically “in emergency situa-
tions,” such as when hospital
staff, concerned about running
sure specifically states that afoul of federal medical privacy
no religious institution can be provisions, deny civil union
compelled to officiate over a partners access to their sick
same-sex marriage, insisted or injured loved ones. Repub-
that it would “force society” to lican James Tedicsco from
accept such unions, warning of Schenectady, who recently lost
school assemblies held to cele- his bid to win Senator Kirsten
brate gay marriage. Dov Hikind Gillibrand’s vacant House
of Brooklyn’s Boro Park, elect- seat, badgered O’Donnell for
ed on both the Democratic being “intolerant of bisexuals”
and Republican lines, said he who, he said, might want to
understood discrimination and be married to both a man and
invoked the Nazi gas cham- a woman. Comically, Tedisco
bers, but then warned that was followed in speaking by
Hasidic congregations would Manhattan Democrat Micah
be compelled to rent out their Kellner, who is openly bisexual
halls for marriage celebrations and assured the Republican
by gay couples. Michael Benja- that his relationships have
min, a Bronx Democrat, item- been sequential and not simul-
ized a litany of injustices that taneous.
burdened African-Americans O’Donnell offered moments
over the past 400 years against
which he suggested anti-gay 䉴 ASSEMBLY, continued on p.14
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 14 – 27 MAY 2009 5
■ POLITICS

Maine, DC — and AN OPEN LETTER TO MOMS

FROM MIKE BLOOMBERG
New Hampshire?
MICHAEL R. BLOOMBE
RG
One state enacts marriage law; one is in
limbo; US capital offers recognition
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BY PAUL SCHINDLER

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ess than an hour after the Maine
Senate gave final approval to a
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marriage equality bill, Democratic
Governor John Balducci on May 6 signed

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the legislation into law. Meanwhile, in
New Hampshire, advocates are awaiting
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a decision — which could come as early

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as Friday, May 15 — by Democratic Gov-
ernor John Lynch on a bill that the Leg-
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islature there approved, also on May 6. A
day earlier, the City Council in Washing-
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ton, DC, approved a bill to accord legal
recognition to marriages by same-sex

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couples in other jurisdictions, a policy
already in place in New York State.
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The Maine House of Representatives
on May 5 gave approval to the marriage
equality measure, by a vote of 89-57,
passed in preliminary form, by the Sen-
ZHUHDOO\VKRXOGWU\
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ate the previous week. The final Senate
vote the following day was 21-13. In a
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+DYHDJUHDWGD\0RP
written statement, Balducci said, “In the
past, I opposed gay marriage while sup-
porting the idea of civil unions. I have
come to believe that this is a question of
fairness and of equal protection under
the law, and that a civil union is not
equal to civil marriage.”
Betsy Smith, executive director of
EqualityMaine, noted the significance
of a massive public hearing held sev-
eral weeks ago, at which thousands of
citizens turned out, the clear majority
of them in favor of same-sex marriage
rights. “Since we began our campaign,
tens of thousands of Mainers have raised
their voices in support of fairness for
gay and lesbian families,” Smith said,
in a written statement. “Today the Leg-
islature and the governor listened to 0,.($1'&+$5/
277(%/220%(5
*
the people of Maine and made marriage
equality the law of this state. Two weeks
ago thousands of Mainers traveled from www.mikebloomberg.com
every corner of the state to testify to their Paid for by Bloomberg for Mayor 20099
hopes for their families, and the harm
that they suffer from not being able to
marry.”
Baldacci became the first governor in
the nation to sign a marriage equality
law not mandated by a court. Earlier this
year, Connecticut’s Republican gover-
nor, Jodi Rell, signed a measure passed
by the Legislature there to conform the
state’s laws to its high court marriage
equality ruling last year. Republican Gov- While Maine’s governor, John Baldacci, approved mar-
ernors Arnold Schwarzenegger of Cali- riage equality, New Hampshire’s John Lynch considered
his options, and Washington’s former mayor, Marion Barry,
䉴 MARRIAGE, continued on p.30 threatened a backlash.

6/ Health
8 Busted in AIDS Protest
Advocates press Bloomberg for share of US stimulus money
BY DUNCAN OSBORNE
A
s dozens of AIDS activ-
ists gathered on the
steps of City Hall to pro-
test $10 million in cuts to AIDS
services in Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg’s proposed budget for
the 2010 fiscal year, nine others
protested inside and were arrest-
ed.
“Hell no, we won’t go, back to
living in an SRO,” chanted the
nine as they briefly blockaded
the entrance to the mayor’s offic-
es on the second floor of City Hall
on the afternoon of May 6.
The civil disobedience began
when one activist loudly blew a
whistle. Plainclothes and uni-
formed police officers quickly
arrested the group as they con-
tinued their chant and added,
“What do we need? More hous-
ing. When do we need it? Now!”
The mayor’s proposed $59.4
billion budget for the fiscal year
that begins on July 1 makes
$3.4 billion in combined cuts to
city agency budgets and reduc-
es the headcount of municipal
employees by laying off roughly
3,700 and losing another 9,700
through attrition. Like city and
state governments across the
country as well as the federal
government, New York City has
been hard hit by the dismal
economy.
The $10 million in AIDS cuts
includes $6 million in scaled-
back housing programs for peo-
ple with HIV, $900,000 in reduc-
tions in HIV prevention services,
and just under a $500,000 trim-
ming to a meals program that
serves people with HIV. Activists
also objected to $20 million in
cuts to general public health ser-
vices.
“This is an important issue
and we want to make sure that
the mayor is focused on this,”
said Diana Scholl, a spokes-
woman for Housing Works, an
AIDS group that is known for its
aggressive advocacy.
The nine arrestees wore
T -shirts from Housing Works
and the New York City AIDS
Housing Network, though only
one of them is known to be an
employee of Housing Works.
The activists were particularly
incensed that $1 billion in feder-
al stimulus money for Medicaid
has already been allocated with-
out any input from community
groups.
“The reason we are going
after the stimulus money is we
saw it was a pot of money that
was being used for reasons that
we don’t know and we want to
see... it being used for supportive
housing,” Scholl said.
Jason Post, a mayoral spokes-
man, stood by while the pro-
testers were arrested and as
Scholl spoke with the press, but
declined to make any “immedi-
ate comment.”
Other groups participating in
the protest on the City Hall steps
included the Gay Men’s Health
Crisis (GMHC), Bronx AIDS Ser-
vices, and Hombres Latinos De
Ambiente.
14 - 27 MAY 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
THU.MAY.14
PHOTOGRAPHY
Gay Men Play
As part of the New York Photo Fes-
tival, held in DUMBO through May 17,
Chris Boot, a London-based editor and
publisher, whose titles include “Lodz
Ghetto Album” (2004) and “Things as
They Are: Photojournalism in Context
Since 1955” (2005), curates “Gay Men
Play,” investigating the contemporary
photographic representation of gay sex
and gay recreational sexual identities.
The exhibition features a series of por-
traits by Stefan Ruiz of gay men geared
up for play, shot during gay party week-
ends, in a mobile studio on the streets of
San Francisco and Berlin. The exhibition
also features photographs collected from
gay networking websites by Christopher
Clary, with projects by another ten pho-
tographers shown on digital screens. 37
Main St. at Water St, DUMBO, near
York St. F stop, High Street A station,
and Clark Street 1 station, through
May 17. Admission to the festival begins
at $20, with multi-day admission pack-
ages available. Visit nyphotofestival.com.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
MUSIC
May Blossoms
The Youth Pride Chorus of LGBT Com-
munity Center’s Youth Enrichment Ser-
vices holds its May show, “Lullabies and
Wake-Up Calls.” The singers will rock the
stage with electrifying dance, cutting-
edge spoken word, and hits by Aretha
Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, the
Beach Boys, and others. Cherry Lane
Theatre, 38 Commerce St., btwn.
Bedford & Barrow Sts., May 14-15,
8 p.m. Admission is $20; for reservations
call the YES Program at 212-620-7310.
Admission is free for those under 21 by
calling Kathy Rodriguez at the YES Pro-
gram at 212.620.7310, ext. 410.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
DANCE
In the Steps of
Saints
Inspired by fantastical tales from
Jacobus de Voragine’s 13th century
work, “Legenda Aurea Sactorum”
(“Golden Legend of the Saints”), Chris-
topher Williams’ “The Golden Legend,”
receiving its world premiere, is a grand
GAY CITY NEWS
scale production bringing together por-
traits of 17 male saints performed by a
diverse range of male dancers (including
As dozens protested on the steps of City Hall, eight activists were arrested inside as they
blocked access to the suite of offices occupied by the mayor’s staff. 䉴 MAY 14, continued on p.8
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
NEWS BRIEFS
Obama Taken to
Task on Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell

1$
In unusually strong language,
the Servicemembers Legal Defense
Network, an advocacy group for
LGBT soldiers that is pushing for
an end to the Pentagon’s Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell policy, has charged that
President Barack Obama is “caving
to senior military leadership [and
the] religious right” on the issue.
SLDN’s statement came in the
wake of the president’s national
security advisor, General James
Jones, Jr., telling ABC’s George
Stephanopoulos, “I don’t know” if
the policy will be overturned.
“’I don’t know?’ The answer
should have been a one-word
answer ‘Yes,’” said Aubrey Sarvis,
SLDN’s executive director. Sarvis
noted Obama’s statement to the
Human Rights Campaign in the fall
of 2007: “America is ready to get
rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell pol-
icy. That work should have started
long ago. It will start when I take
office. America is ready to get rid of
the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All
that is required is leadership.”
SLDN, which since Obama won
last fall had been taking a more
insider posture emphasizing the
importance of moving the issue
both at the White House and on
Capitol Hill, noted the boasting by
the Center for Military Readiness
(CMR), which produced laughably
anti-gay witnesses for a House
hearing on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell last
summer, that it was “changing the
debate” and moving the president
to back away from his commitment.
The gay advocacy group’s press
release noted that Senator John
McCain, who also appeared on
Stephanopoulos’ show on May 10,
urged that a commission study the
military’s policy. “SLDN had hoped
this president would offer leader-
ship, not give in to some throw-
away study or commission,” the
release stated.
Obama’s press secretary, Rob-
ert Gibbs, asked at the daily brief-
ing for reporters on May 12 about
the president’s commitment to
end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, said, “In
terms of keeping his promise, I
would note that many of the ques-
tions that have been asked here
require more than the snapping of
one’s fingers. To get fundamental
reform in this instance requires a
legislative vehicle. The President
made a promise to change this
policy; he will work with the Joints
Chiefs of Staff, the administration,
and with Congress to ensure that
we have a policy that works for our
national interests.”
By PAUL SCHINDLER
A Gay Marriage
for Barack in
Des Moines?
Despite the number of states
with legal marriage for same-sex
couples on the books growing
from just two to five during his
short presidency, President Barack
Obama has had little of interest to
say on the topic since his Inaugura-
tion. Until this past Saturday, when
he took up the topic as an object
of humor during his speech to the
White House Correspondents’
Association Dinner at the Washing-
ton Hilton. “David Axelrod is here,”
the president said. “You know,
David and I have been together
for a long time. I can still remem-
ber — I got to sort of — I tear up
a little bit when I think back to
that day so many years ago when
I called Ax and I said, ‘You and I
can do wonderful things together’.
And he said to me the same thing
partners across America are say-
ing to one another right now: ‘Let’s
go to Iowa and make it official.’”
The White House has offered no
comment on whether the federal
government would recognize an
Obama-Axelrod marriage.
Former
Milwaukee
Archbishop
Comes Out
Rembert G. Weakland, the
retired archbishop of Milwaukee
who resigned in 2002 in a scandal
over using $450,000 in archdioc-
esan funds to hush up a former
Marquette University theology stu-
dent who accused him of a 1979
date rape, has finally come out in
a new memoir entitled “A Pilgrim
in a Pilgrim Church,” set for pub-
lication next month. Publisher’s
Weekly has dubbed the book “a
moving personal confession,” and
Weakland told the Associated
Press, “I was very careful and con-
cerned that the book not become a
Jerry Springer, to satisfy people’s
prurient curiosity or anything of
this sort.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sen-
tinel complained that Weakland,
82, declined to discuss the book
with that newspaper, which it said
had “extensively covered his per-
sonal scandal and his alleged role
in covering up sex abuse by other
priests, now the subject of civil
lawsuits.” The memoir, however,
also acknowledges Weakland’s
failure to respond appropriately to
the priest scandal.
The newspaper stated that
the payout of archdiocesan funds,
which it said were repaid by
Weakland and friends, resulted
14 – 27 MAY 2009 7
from a 1998 extortion demand
by the former theology student,
Paul Marcoux, who threatened to
5IPNBT
%
4IBOBIBO
release a love note the archbishop
had sent him. ±"UUPSOFZ
BU
-BX±
Weakland said he will donate
proceeds of his book to the Catho-
lic Community Foundation, a Wis-
consin charitable group.
TV Bully/ Anchor
Not Sorry
Kirby Dick’s new movie “Out-
rage,” which looks at the hypoc-
risy of closeted gay and bisexual
politicians who work against the
interests of the LGBT community, /FX
:PSL
&NQMPZNFOU

has stirred a lot of controversy, but -BXZFST
"TTPDJBUJPO
the issue has heated up nowhere
as much as on the “Let’s Talk Live”
show on Washington’s News
Over A Decade of Experience
Channel 8 last week. Mike Rogers,
a DC-based blogger who has done
Litigating Employment and Civil Rights
some of the most groundbreaking
reporting in this area and who is
Cases for our Community
featured in the film, was on hand
to discuss it with co-hosts Doug
McKelway and Natasha Barrett. 2007 - 2009 Deputy Commissioner,
McKelway opened the inter-
view aggressively, introducing
New York State Devision of Human Rights
Rogers by saying, “I am a huge
opponent of this process of out- 2006 Honoree: New York City Council -
ing. I think everybody is entitled
to their private sexual behavior,
“Contributions and Service to New York City”
no matter where they stand pub-
licly. And I have a big problem 2003 Honoree: Common Cause
with this.” Rogers responded that
he too opposes outing; what he “Holding Power Accountable”
does, he said, is report on hypoc-
risy. That distinction and others
Ethical New Yorker of the Year Award
Rogers tried to make during a ten-
and-a-half minute segment were
lost on McKelway. About three
minutes into the interview, he told
Former Aide to Mayor David N Dinkins
Rogers, “I’m about ready to do a and Public Advocate Mark Green
lot more than point my finger at
you.” When Rogers asked, “What
would that be?,” McKelway shot
back, “Take you outside and give
you punch across the face.”
Over the following 24 hours,
EMPLOYMENT LAW / CIVIL RIGHTS
the show was deluged with ',6&5,0,1$7,21‡6(;8$/+$5$660(17
viewer comments, most of them 3$571(56+,3$*5((0(176',63,7(6‡&,9,//,7,*$7,21
critical of McKelway’s conduct.
After reading a number of the 0$75,021,$/&8672'<‡0(',&$/0$/35$&7,&(
messages, McKelway asked that
the camera man “give me a real
3(5621$/,1-85<
nice tight shot of my face.” He
then said, “An apology? Mike Rog-
ers, you’re not getting one, you
understand that? Because you’re
Thomas D. Shanahan, P.C.
a bully yourself.” McKelway con-
tinued down this road for another
moment, before Barrett cut him
551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2010
off, reminding him, “You had your
Bill O’Reilly moment.” Then noting
that the show had two anchors,
New York, NY 10176
Barrett added, “I thought yester-
day was attack journalism” — on
McKelway’s part. tel (212) 867-1100 WWW.SHANAHANLAW.COM
fax (212) 972-1787 TOM@SHANAHANLAW.COM
䉴 BRIEFS, continued on p.9

8/ Crime
䉴 DA PROBE, from p.1
Poust Lopez, a Legal Aid Soci-
ety supervising attorney, was
seeking exculpatory evidence
on behalf of a female client who
was arrested for prostitution
last year by an undercover offi-
cer in the Manhattan South Vice
Enforcement Squad identified
in court records by the badge
number 3371.
The district attorney’s office
has interviewed 3371 and per-
haps a half dozen people he
arrested for prostitution last
year, including some of the 30 or
more men busted in at least six
porn shops. Officer 3371 made
15 of the 30 arrests that have
been identified, widely seen as
false arrests in the gay commu-
nity.
“The district attorney’s office
is investigating cases in which
this undercover may have been
involved,” Torres said. “It’s not
necessarily specific to this under-
cover.”
Assuming the inquiry had
yielded evidence that might aid
her client at trial, Lopez asked
that it be turned over. “At this
moment in time, do you have
any exculpatory material based
on this investigation?” Weinberg
asked. Torres said, “No, your
honor.”
Gay City News asked Torres
and Annie M. Siegel, another
assistant district attorney who
was in court on May 5, for the
assistant’s name. Siegel refused
to identify him, saying the news-
paper should not quote him, and
then said only that his name was
Torres. The district attorney’s
press office did not respond to
requests seeking comment and
Pinter Moves to Void Guilty Plea
Leader in movement to stop prostitution arrests goes back to court
BY DUNCAN OSBORNE
A
gay man busted by vice
cops in a por n shop
prostitution sting who
pleaded guilty to disorderly con-
duct has taken legal steps to
void his guilty plea. “I filed the
motion to vacate because I’m
not guilty of prostitution nor am
I guilty of any disorderly con-
duct,” said Robert Pinter, one
of at least 30 men arrested by
vice cops in 2008 six or more
the full name. Gay City News
learned his full name from
Lopez.
Saying he needed to protect
3371 in his undercover work,
Weinberg closed his courtroom
to the press and public when
3371 testified during the young
woman’s trial, but Lopez said
that when she questioned 3371
about his interview with the dis-
trict attorney, he said he was a
witness and not a target of the
inquiry.
Also on May 5, Lopez moved
to dismiss the prostitution
charges against a 43-year-old
man arrested by 3371 in an East
Village porn shop and another
man who was 42 at the time of
his West Village arrest by 3371
because the district attorney’s
time to bring them to trial had
run out. The district attorney
agreed. The 43-year -old was
among those who were inter-
viewed by the district attorney.
On April 28, Lopez made
the same motion concerning a
37-year-old man who was bust-
ed by 3371 in Unicorn DVD in
Chelsea. The DA would not agree
to dismiss those charges.
Reactions from activists and
elected officials who participated
in the March 6 meeting ranged
from counseling patience to
anger, with others saying they
never thought the district attor-
ney would move forward with a
serious investigation.
“I still think that it was a great
plus for the district attorney
that he met with us and that he
agreed to do an investigation,”
said Thomas K. Duane, the out
gay Chelsea state senator who
arranged the meeting. “Investi-
gations always take longer than
Manhattan porn shops and
the founder of the Campaign
to Stop the False Arrests. “It’s
a matter of principle for me and
hopefully for the other at least
30 men who’ve been arrested
and pleaded guilty to disorderly
conduct as I did.”
Pinter was one of 12 men
busted in Blue Door Video, an
East Village porn shop, last
year. After being held in custody
for roughly 36 hours, he plead-
ed guilty and was sentenced to
District Attorney Robert Morgenthau’s March 6 commitment to investigate dubious arrests of
gay men has borne not fruit to date.
anyone wants them to... I am
disturbed about what was said
in court. I just hope that’s not
reflective of the overall stance of
the district attorney’s office.”
Assemblyman Micah Kellner,
who represents the Upper East
Side and Roosevelt Island, was
unhappy to hear that the Uni-
corn case was not dismissed.
“I think it’s really, really disap-
pointing that the district attor-
ney told us one thing and seems
to be doing the opposite,” he
said. “He said the assistants
were instructed not to prosecute
these cases and on April 28,
these cases are still being pros-
five counseling sessions and a
small fine. That plea and sen-
tence was typical of most of the
30 men, though some men were
required to perform community
service.
Only one of the men bust-
ed in Blue Door contested the
charges, as did four of the five
men who were arrested in Uni-
cor n DVD, a Chelsea por n
shop. The case against the Blue
Door arrestee was dismissed on
May 5. In the gay community,
14 - 27 MAY 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 MAY 14, from p.6
Gay City News’ own Gus Solomoms jr) and
accompanied by two movement choruses
and puppets by Eric Wright, Lake Simons,
and Christopher Williams. Dance The-
ater Workshop, Bessie Schönberg
Theater, 219 W. 19th St. Through May
16, 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at dancethe-
aterworkshop.org or $15 at the box office.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
BOOKS
FRI.MAY.15
A Boy’s Own Story
Center Voices presents a staged
reading of Shareef Hadid Jenkins’ “The
J.B. NICHOLAS
Three Mothers of Zachary,” a series of
monologues detailing the life of a young
gay boy and his relationships with three
very different women — his biological
mother, Angie, a recovering IV drug addict
who tells her story within the confines of
ecuted. That’s just wrong.” a mental institution; Connie, his aunt who
In separate emails, Joey Nel- takes over raising him after the neglect
son and Andy Velez, members of and abuse he suffers at Angie’s hands; and
the Campaign to Stop the False Frances, who welcomes Zachary. Jenkins
Arrests and the Queer Justice was inspired to write the piece by a boy
League, described this as “same he met at the Attic, a Philadelphia gay and
old same old” and “a disappoint- lesbian support group, when he himself
ing, but not a particularly sur- was 14. In 1995, that boy, Scott Rowan,
prising development.” In their killed himself. LGBT Community Center,
view, police and the district 208 W. 13th St., 7 p.m. Admission is $10.
attorney only responded to the ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
initial outcry. Velez wrote, “The
NYPD system is as powerful as An Anarchist,
it is deeply flawed. It will take a Pioneer & Poet
seismic and courageous effort Jack Spicer (1925-1965) was a self-
on the part of both the public proclaimed San Francisco anarchist, a gay
and officials to make some real rights activist in the early 1950s, and a
and needed changes.” brilliant poet whose innovative writing ran
counter to the Beat poets as well as his
mainstream contemporaries, and continues
to influence today’s avant-garde poets. In
“The House That Jack Built: A Jack Spicer
Symposium,” panelists Dodie Bellamy,
Samuel R. Delany, Kevin Killian, Jennifer
Moxley, and George Stanley discuss the
poet, his life, and work at 6:30 p.m. At 8,
these busts, based on the word the panelists and others read from Spicer’s
of uncover police officers, are work. St. Mark’s Church, 131 E. Tenth St.
widely seen as false arrests. at Second Ave., 6:30 p.m. Admission is
The motion, authored by $8; $7 for students & seniors. For informa-
attorney Susan V. Tipograph, tion, visit poetshouse.org.
asserts that among “Pinter’s ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
constitutional rights which
were violated” were “due pro- PEFORMANCE
cess, fundamental fairness, and Boogie Down
effective assistance of counsel.” Dance
Tipograph wrote that Pinter In a festival running through Jun.
was one of 80 defendants fac- 3, the Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance
䉴 PINTER, continued on p.9 䉴 MAY 15, continued on p.13
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 14 – 27 MAY 2009 9

䉴 PINTER, from p.8

ing various charges who were processed

in just a few hours at criminal courts
in Lower Manhattan, with the Legal Aid
Society representing Pinter and another
67 clients. Pinter had not slept or eaten
since he was arrested when he entered
the plea.
“[H]e had been without sleep for 36
hours, his mental and physical states
were so compromised that it was impos-
sible for him to be capable of making a
knowing, voluntary, or intelligent choice
about his case,” Tipograph wrote. “Under
the circumstances, Mr. Pinter did not
make a voluntary and intelligent choice
when pleading guilty to disorderly con-
duct.”

GAY CITY NEWS

Pinter is a licensed massage thera-
pist and the arrest could affect his state
credentialing. He also remains incensed
over the arrest. If he wants to sue the
city, he will first have to have to vacate
the plea then get a dismissal or win an
acquittal at trial. Pinter said he had
made no decision about suing. “I don’t
know,” he said. “I’m undecided.”
Such motions are generally hard
to win, but Pinter may be aided by a
promise made by District Attorney Rob-
ert Morgenthau at a March 6 meeting
with activists and elected officials to not
oppose such a motion.
In addition to the fines, counseling,
or community service, most of the men
were given a one-year conditional dis-
charge, meaning the case would effec-
tively be dismissed if they are not rear-
rested. They were also promised that
their records would be sealed two years
after they entered the plea.
The Mayor’s Office of Special Enforce-
ment and the police department named
the men in two of the five nuisance
abatement lawsuits they brought against
the porn shops where the prostitution
arrests were made. Those records are
unaffected by any deal made with the
Robert Pinter has gone to court to void his guilty plea.
district attorney. Anyone can access the
lawsuits and some of the records are
highly detailed, containing names, birth
dates, home addresses, and other per-
sonal information.
In 2007, the special enforcement office
sued Video, Video, Video, a porn shop
at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue, after
police arrested 22 men there on prostitu-
tion charges, with those arrests happen-
ing from 2004 through 2007. All 22 men
were named in the suit and, for some,
their home addresses and other personal
information was included.
When Gay City News contacted the
district attorney’s office to learn the dis-
position in those 22 cases, the newspa-
per was told that six were sealed. Shari
Hyman, director of the Special Enforce-
ment unit in the mayor’s office, did not
respond to an email seeking comment,
and the mayor’s press office declined to
comment. The police department did not
respond to repeated calls seeking com-
ment.

䉴 BRIEFS, from p.7
Meanwhile,
Another
“Outrage” at
NPR…
According to indiewire.com’s
Eugene Hernandez, National Public
Radio trimmed a story about the
film, deleting references by critic
Nathan Lee to Florida Governor
Charlie Crist and — believe it or
not — former Idaho Senator Larry
Craig, convicted of soliciting sex in
a Minneapolis airport bathroom.
NPR executives cited a network
policy of protecting the privacy of
public figures in overruling the text
agreed to by Lee and his super-
vising editor. “Only an overriding
public need to know can justify
intrusion into anyone’s privacy,”
was the explanation posted on the
NPR website. Lee demanded that
his byline be removed from the
piece, and posted a comment air-
ing his grievance on the NPR site,
but that was quickly removed by
senior folks at the network. Kirby
Dick’s film, of course, alleges that
the mainstream media is complicit
in covering up the hypocrisy of anti-
gay closeted politicians.
Doctor’s Note
for Name
Change?
Olin Winn-Ritzenberg is a
transgendered man who believes
that Olin, his father’s middle name,
better reflects his masculine iden-
tity than the female name he was
given at birth. But when he filed a
petition for a legal name change
in New York City Civil Court, he
was told he needed medical cer-
tification that a name change
was necessary. Name change
petitions are generally pro forma,
and Winn-Ritzenberg is unhappy
that, because of his identity as a
transgendered man, the court is
imposing a demeaning require-
ment on him. The Transgender
Legal Defense & Education Fund
says that it runs across this sort of
problem often in its Name Change
Project, which offers free advice
to trans folks looking to get their
identity records in proper order.
On May 11, the group announced
it is appealing the order facing
Winn-Ritzenberg. “Fundamen-
tal fairness mandates that every
person be treated equally under
the law, Michael Silverman, the
group’s executive director, wrote.
䉴 BRIEFS, continued on p.13
 14 - 27 MAY 2009

10/ Perspective
■ LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
PUBLISHER & CO-FOUNDER
JOHN W. SUTTER
JWSutter@communitymediallc.com
Answer the Attacks
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER & CO-FOUNDER BY PAUL SCHINDLER
TROY MASTERS

T
troy@gaycitynews.com
uesday evening’s State equality sponsor a whole string of property tax exemption under
Assembly debate, which Daniel O’Donnell’s men and women, a New Jersey open spaces envi-
EDITOR IN-CHIEF & CO-FOUNDER
PAUL SCHINDLER
resulted in same-sex clear statement on so long as he or ronmental program aimed at
editor@gaycitynews.com marriage rights winning approv- the point, that the she divorced one giving the public access to pris-
ASSOCIATE EDITOR al there for the second time, this bill proposed by before moving on tine natural settings. Again, the
Duncan Osborne year by an 89-52 margin, was Governor David to the next, just Association wished to benefit
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS an occasion for impressively elo- Paterson explicitly as Rudy Giu- from state support in maintain-
Christopher Byrne (Theater), Susie Day, quent statements about equal- states that no religious institu- liani dumped the cousin before ing a facility it rented out to the
Doug Ireland (International), Brian McCormick ity by several dozen supporters tion would be forced to solem- marrying the newscaster who public, but then turned around
(Dance), Dean P. Wrzeszcz
of the LGBT community — and nize any marriage it objects to. preceded the divorcee. Still, the and discriminated. The issue
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Betsy Andrews, Seth J. Bookey,
largely airless pronouncements But, in an end run, the Smith- arguments the opponents posed had nothing to do with the civil
Anthony M.Brown, Kelly Jean Cogswell, and warnings from opponents. town Republican charged that Tuesday night are fair warning. union statute there.
Dean Daderko, Tate Dougherty, Andres Duque, Still, those seeking to derail the aim of the bill is to force As the bill moves to the Sen- Opponents of marriage equal-
Michael Ehrhardt, Steve Erickson, Nick Feitel,
Jim Fouratt, Joe Fyfe, Deborah Garwood, marriage equality in New York “society to accept” same-sex ate, chief sponsor Tom Duane, ity will throw whatever they
Erasmo Guerra, Emily Harney, Andrey Henkin, clearly had received talking marriages. What exactly does his Senate allies, and the advo- need to at us. When O’Donnell
Frank Holiday, Andy Humm, James Jorden, Brendan points from the National Organi- that mean? By his telling, young cate community, especially the pointed out that the state’s mar-
Keane, David Kennerley, Gary M. Kramer, Arthur S.
Leonard, Rachael Liberman, zation for Marriage (NOM), hate- public school students will be Empire State Pride Agenda, riage recognition policy means
Michael T. Luongo, Lawrence D. Mass, monger Maggie Gallagher’s new forced to attend assemblies glo- must be at the ready to coun- that some same-sex couples are
Winnie McCroy, Eileen McDermott,
Gregory Montreuil, Ioannis Mookas, Carrie Moyer,
group that is spending millions. rifying gay marriage. Hikind had ter and snuff out these lies and already married under New York
Stephen Mueller, Christopher Murray, The group luanched the much- Hasidic halls in Boro Park and obfuscations. law, the rejoinder was that it was
David Noh, Wayne Northcross, Lori Ortiz, spoofed “Gathering Storm” ad Williamsburg compelled to open Catholic Charities’ adoption a shame that was done by guber-
Pauline Park, Sheila Pepe, John Reed,
Nathan Riley, Andrew Robinson, Gerard Robinson, several weeks ago suggesting their doors to clamoring lesbian decision in Massachusetts had natorial edict. Laudable as Pater-
Chris Schmidt, Sarah D. Schulman, that queer corn farmers from and gay couples looking to book nothing to do with that state’s son’s directive to state agencies
Jason Victor Serinus, Linda Shapiro, Iowa and potato farmers from receptions. Tedisco asked why marriage equality court deci- a year ago was, in fact he was
David Shengold, Gus Solomons Jr., David Spiher,
Drew B. Straub, Stefen Styrsky, Jerry Tallmer, Maine are about to destroy the slippery slope should end sion. The group was getting doing no more than complying
Stefanos Tsigrimanis, Kathleen Warnock, Western Civilization. Each in at same-sex marriage; wouldn’t public social services funding with a recent court ruling steeped
Benjamin Weinthal, Lee Ann Westover,
James Withers, Kai Wright, Susan Yung
their turn, Michael Fitzpatrick bisexuals have the right to ask in providing adoptions, and a in time-honored New York tra-
from Smithtown, Dov Hikind of they be allowed to marry a man policy of forbidding qualified dition on recognizing out-out-
ART DIRECTOR
Mark Hasselberger
Boro Park, Michael Benjamin and a woman at the same time? same-sex couples from adopt- state unions. Another Assembly
of the Bronx, and James Tedis- But it was left to Benjamin to ing ran afoul of the state’s anti- opponent got away with claiming
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Jamie Paakkonen co from Schenectady on the pull the NOM alarms all at once discrimination and adoption that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Assembly floor dutifully trot- — Catholic Charities was forced laws, not the policy toward gay only endorsed marriage equal-
SENIOR VP OF ADVERTISING/MARKETING
FRANCESCO REGINI ted out the same examples that to stop its adoption services in marriage. This is all rudimenta- ity when she was named a US
francesco@gaycitynews.com the NOM ad had test-marketed. Massachusetts; a New Jersey ry public accommodations law senator; in fact, according to her
Their arguments, ludicrous as religious society lost its tax- — you can’t take state money, account, she voiced that view in
ADVERTISING MANAGERS
they may sound to many of us, exemption for refusing to allow hold yourself out as open to the a radio interview prior to reelec-
COLIN GREGORY
colin@gaycitynews.com at times went unanswered in a lesbian civil union on its prop- public, and then discriminate. tion last November in her “con-
direct enough fashion. The most erty; a first-grade class in Cali- It’s that simple. Catholic Chari- servative House district,” as her
ALLISON GREAKER
allison@gaycitynews.com important lesson our commu- fornia was bussed to a gay wed- ties knew this, and opted to critic described her Hudson Val-
JASON SHERWOOD
nity learned from our defeat at ding in San Francisco City Hall; quit on its own. The tax exemp- ley base.
jsherwood@gaycitynews.com the hands of Prop 8 in Califor- a Knights of Columbus hall in tion lost by New Jersey’s Ocean As we work on nailing down
JEREMY MARKS nia in November is that when Canada was fined. Grove Camp Meeting Asso- the votes to make marriage
jeremy@gaycitynews.com charges are lodged and lies are To his credit, O’Donnell field- ciation, a Methodist-affiliated equality a reality this June, let’s
JASON SPARKS spoken, they must be answered ed some of these warnings in his church group, had nothing to be smart. The facts are on our
jsparks@gaycitynews.com — quickly, directly, and deci- trademark style — with concise, do with its religious exemption. side. Let’s never be shy about
Please call (212) 229-1890 for sively. precisely constructed rebuttals. The non-religious boardwalk correcting the record — and
advertising rates and availability. Fitzpatrick acknowledged, He made clear, for instance, facility the group denied use of doing so again and again until
ACCOUNTING in response to chief marriage that a New Yorker could marry to a lesbian couple enjoyed a the lies fade from the screen.
DAVID JAFFE
david@gaycitynews.com
NATIONAL DISPLAY ADVERTISING
■ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Rivendell Media / 212.242.6863
Web master WHY HOLD THIS hustlers, but he’s lauded in your paper for son has been a pioneer with this issue and New York State. New York State tax filings
Arturo Jimenez
Arturo@gaycitynews.com
GUY OUT? being a “pleasant guy”? I don’t get it. when New York State finally does legalize still must mirror federal tax filings and for now
Gay City News, The Newspaper Serving Gay and Lesbian NYC, is pub-
Mark Milano marriage — hopefully sooner than later — this ensures that gay married couples will not
lishedby Community Media, LLC. Send all inquiries to: Gay City News, May 7, 2009 Manhattan history will remember him for his efforts to be treated in the same manner as heterosexu-
145 Sixth Ave., First Fl., NYC 10013 Phone: 646.452.2500 Written
permission of the publisher must be obtained before any of the contents To the Editor: push for it. Thank you, Governor Paterson. al married couples on account of the Defense
of this paper, in part or whole, can be reproduced or redistributed. All
contents (c) 2009 Gay City News. I was certainly surprised to read “The Donald Ryan of Marriage Act. Paterson promised last year
Gay City News is a registered trademark
Two Happy Worlds of George Weber” (by A GOVERNOR ON Saratoga to decouple the New York State tax from the
of Community Media, LLC. Nathan Riley) in the Apr. 30-May 13 issue. THE LINE federal, but this has not happened and until it
John W. Sutter, President
Fax: 646.452.2501; I never listened to his radio show, but his does, gay married couples will continue to be
E-mail: JWSutter@communitymediallc.com blogs indicate he was a typical right-wing April 30, 2009 May 8, 2009 treated as singles even if gay marriage even-
talk show host who hated stuff like “anti- To the Editor: To the Editor: tually passes in New York.
Subscriptions:
26 issues, $90.00 war protesters —-who aren’t just against Governor David Paterson’s efforts on The article indicates that Governor Pater- Franc Martarella
(c)2009 Gay City News. the war, but against America.” marriage equality deserve commenda- son is focusing on tax relief before gay mar- New York City
All rights reserved. So, another closeted right-winger who tion (“The Governor Speaks Out,” by Paul riage. I wish he would focus on the tax relief
was so self-hateful he only had sex with Schindler, Apr. 30-May 13). Governor Pater- he promised for married gay couples living in 䉴 LETTERS, continued on p.14
14 - 27 MAY 2009
■ ALBANY POSTCARD
B
eing Malcolm Smith,
the leader of the New
Yo r k S t a t e S e n a t e ,
is no fun. Should one dissi-
dent take a walk, he loses the
Democrats’ bare majority of
one. These rebels make Smith
look weak, and the Democrats
look quarrelsome. This is not
the way to win elections.
During the struggle to save
the subway fare with a new
financial plan for the MTA, the
proposal kept changing to sat-
isfy the whims of individual
senators complaining about
tolls on the East River bridges,
the payroll tax, and the omis-
sion of funds for upstate bridg-
es and roads. Although the
fare increase was moderated,
the Senate was embarrassed
— with even the Republican
minority getting itself in trou-
ble. They had hoped to sit back
and let the Democrats stand in
a circle shooting each other, but
their passivity ended up looking
irresponsible.
Marriage equality also tests
Smith’s leadership abilities. The
Democrats are in the major -
ity after the first election vic-
tory over the Senate Republi-
■ A DYKE ABROAD
I
n a couple of weeks, New
Yorkers will be marking
the 40th anniversary of the
Stonewall Riots, but probably
nobody’s gonna throw a bottle
or a punch. State-by-state,
we’re winning the rights to
same-sex marriage. In the aca-
demic world, queer and gender
studies programs are practically
mainstream. And during the
post-election protests against
the passage of Prop H8te, there
was a brief resurgence of LGBT
street activism with young
queers getting in on the act.
With all that going on, why riot?
Maybe just to stay in practice.
When activists in Spain won the
right to same-sex marriage, they
popped a cork and went home
without sticking around to
change the larger society. Years
later, LGBT folks are hated just
as much as ever, and without
a community structure, with-
out activists, enforcement of
Being Malcolm Smith
cans since the 1960s. The new
majority benefitted greatly from
the million dollars contributed
by thousands of LGBT donors.
And yet too many Senate
Democrats hesitate to support
marriage equality. The major-
ity leader must find a way to
change their minds.
Democratic senators should
avoid getting locked into nega-
tive positions. Those wavering
— frankly, in either party —
should talk about their doubts
openly with voters in their dis-
tricts. In many locales around
the state, opposing the mar -
riage rights of lesbian and gay
couples is no longer the default
safe position. If the farmers of
Vermont, Maine, New Hamp-
shire, and Iowa can support
equality, why can’t upstate New
York senators? Suburban sena-
tors have large constituencies
of gays and their friends; losing
this support would hurt their
chances for reelection. New
York City senators face scorn,
even ostracism, should they
vote against equality.
A great shift in public opinion
is taking place. The Legislature
and the governor will be judged
Putting the Riot Back in Stonewall
the right to marry, or anything
else, seems to be almost impos-
sible for any but the most well-
connected.
Likewise, the development
of “queer” studies programs in
Spain, and in France as well,
seems to actually be eroding
Little thugs populating
the schoolyards don’t care when
they’re taunting you as a dyke.
gay activism. It’s partly a mat-
ter of language. Embracing the
foreign word “queer” with no
explicit association with homo-
sexuality deludes French and
Spanish kids into believing
they’ve come out, even though
culturally they have both feet
in the closet, carefully sheltered
from homophobia.
BY NATHAN RILEY
on their ability to enact this leg-
islation. It costs nothing, and
neighboring states in competi-
tion with New York for wedding
dollars — and much, much
more — are making the change.
Voting for gay marriage makes
New York an attractive destina-
tion for talented young people,
offering the chance to grow its
population while the economic
crisis makes other people leave
the state.
Life hasn’t changed for the
overwhelming majority in Mas-
sachusetts because same-sex
couples began to marry. Mar-
riage equality victories, mean-
while, are wearing down an
ultraconservative religious
coalition that controls the
Republican Party and threat-
ens the well-being of the United
States. The active opponents of
gay marriage are the same peo-
ple who ruined the GOP — and
arguably the nation over the
past eight years — forcing our
leaders to waste time on phony
issues like stem cell research,
when the US should have dealt
with real problems like health
care costs and global warming.
No one is saying that the
BY KELLY JEAN COGSWELL
I could dismiss the “queer”
thing in Europe as a peculiarly
middle-class college phenom-
enon, except that in practice
“queer” theory — deconstruct-
ing sexual orientation into an
artificial veil of performed gen-
der and constructed identities
— is actively used to stigmatize
the words lesbian and gay as
reactionary labels rooted in the
past.
Nobody’s taking to the streets
for — or with — dinosaurs.
Lesbians, especially, with the
double whammy of homopho-
bia and misogyny, are find-
ing it impossible to recruit new
Perspective /11
state senators in opposition are
themselves conservative evan-
gelicals, but marriage equality
opponents are aligning them-
selves with the most reaction-
ary and destructive forces in
American politics. This is true
for Democrats and for Republi-
Opposing the marriage rights of
lesbian and gay couples is no longer
the default safe position.
cans. The GOP must break the
grip of these conservatives if it
is to develop new ideas and sur-
vive. In this week’s vote in the
Assembly, several more Repub-
licans joined an increasingly
lopsided majority for equal-
ity. Hopefully, this will make it
possible for Smith to create a
bipartisan majority in support
of change.
Senator Dean Skelos, the
minority leader, understands
that Republicans must be
opened-minded on this issue.
He called marriage equality a
conscience vote and will allow
activists, even if the little thugs
populating the schoolyards of
Europe don’t care if you’re only
a collection of socially assigned
values when they’re taunting
you as a dyke.
The state of activism is only
marginally better in the U.S.,
where Stonewall 2.0 seems to
have fizzled. And even without
the specter of Spain, history
warns us how fragile progress
is without a strong activist
base. In Prussia, for instance,
statutes forbidding Jewish par-
ticipation in liberal professions
like the law were overturned
just to be reinstated more bru-
tally a few decades later in what
was by then Germany.
In the United States, where
laws are harder to pass and
more rarely reversed, I don’t
expect a queer Holocaust, but
things could get bad again,
even if they’re just selective-
ly enforced. Something with
Republicans to make their own
decisions without requiring
party unity. This is a big plus. I
hope that Smith can make his
colleagues understand that if
two-thirds of the Vermont legis-
lators can support gay marriage
to override a governor’s veto
there, and if the Catholic gov-
ernor of Maine can reverse his
opposition and sign a marriage
law less than an hour after it
passed, the Senate Democrats
can move with the times and
support the right of adults to
chose their life partners. It is
really that obvious — and politi-
cians, Democratic and Republi-
can — are beginning to under-
stand this.
It would be a blow to the rep-
utation of Senate Democrats to
lead if their vision stayed cloudy
on this critical generational
question.
which Americans do have a
long tradition. The white boy
gets a warning for his gram of
coke, while the black guy goes
straight to jail. The fag killer
getting off with a panic defense,
the murderer of businessmen
earns the chair.
As a perpetual minority,
LGBT folks would be stupid to
assume their progress is written
in stone. But too many activists
have been snoozing since ARVs
demobilized AIDS activists and
other groups like the Lesbian
Avengers went kaput. We’re not
only silent, but assimilating,
unraveling, passé. We’ve forgot-
ten our strengths as a commu-
nity, and how we are bound by
more than same-sex sex.
Sometimes in the spring,
when I go to the French Agricul-
tural Fair where children can
see everything from sheep and
䉴 RIOT, continued on p.15
12 14 – 27 MAY 2009
■ LEGAL
15,000 Unlawful
Arrests at Issue
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Federal judge allows class action lawsuit
A benefit for Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
over NYPD loitering cases
BY ARTHUR S. LEONARD
Join us for the most anticipated
family-friendly event of New York City’s
S
omebody at the New York City
Police Department should prob-
LGBT Pride season! ably be appointed to monitor the
appellate courts so that somebody can
tell the officers in the front ranks when
to desist from enforcing unconstitution-
MONDAY al laws. That’s the lesson of a ruling on
April 28 by US District Judge Shira A.
JUNE 15TH, 2009 Scheindlin, certifying a class action law-
suit against Commissioner Raymond
6:00 – 9:00 PM Kelly and the NYPD seeking an end to
enforcement of the unconstitutional loi-
tering laws that the state’s highest court
at the long ago struck down as unconstitu-
tional. The State Legislature has never
JOHN TARTAGLIA CENTRAL revised them to conform them to those
rulings.
Star of Broadway’s
Shrek The Musical and
PARK ZOO In 1983, in a Lambda Legal case,
People v. Uplinger, the Court of Appeals
The Disney Channel’s “Johnny 5th Avenue & East 64th Street struck down a section of the state
Ramped entrance at East 60th Street penal code under which the Buffalo
and the Sprites”
district attorney was prosecuting Rob-
ert Uplinger for allegedly asking an
FOR MORE Please visit, www.callen-lorde.org undercover cop to go home with him
for oral sex. The court found a violation
INFORMATION OR TO or call Ryan Ramirez, Development of freedom of speech, noting that what
PURCHASE TICKETS... Associate at 212.271.7268 Uplinger was alleged to have asked the
cop to do was perfectly legal — the same
court struck down the state’s sodomy
law a few years earlier. (That part of the
penal code too was never revised by
the Legislature — until the new millen-
nium.)
Spend an In 1988, the Court of Appeals struck
down another section of the penal code
enchanting that made it a crime for somebody to be
evening present in a transportation facility who
is “unable to give a satisfactory explana-
in the zoo tion of his presence.” The court found it
to support unconstitutional to abridge a citizen’s
the health right not to answer questions from law
enforcement officers, when the alterna-
and wellness tive is being barred from a public accom-
of our modation, which transit hubs are.
Despite these two decisions, city
communities
police officers have continued to enforce
both provisions. According to data pre-
sented by the plaintiffs, there were
4,750 prosecutions under the sexual
loitering statute from 1983 to 2007,
and 91 prosecutions under the “unex-
plained presence” statute from 1988 to
2007. Of course, the number of arrests
under the two statutes — versus pros-
ecutions — was vastly higher. The com-
356 West 18th St U New York, NY 10011
plaint alleges that number is more than
212-271-7200 U www.callen-lorde.org
15,000. Even after the NYPD was served
with this complaint and had stipulated
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
that it would stop enforcing these stat-
utes, there have been several dozen
more arrests reported under them.
Looking just at the sexual loitering
statute, the statistics recited in the case
show that there were 2,550 individuals
convicted of violating the unconstitu-
tional provision, who were hit with fines
totaling $192,981. The issue before
Scheindlin was whether to certify the
case, which had been filed on behalf of
two indigent men arrested under these
laws, as a class action, representing
the thousands of people who have been
arrested, held in jail, convicted, and/or
fined under these laws since they were
invalidated. Statutes of limitations
would apply to the efforts of some of
those individuals to seek damages, but
surely most would want their criminal
records expunged. And relief would
also likely involve the NYPD institut-
ing effective training and disciplinary
enforcement against offending cops.
Scheindlin spent most of the opin-
ion looking at the issue of whether this
should be a class action law suit, and
whether these two indigent men can
serve as effective class representatives.
They are represented, however, by vet-
eran class action attorneys, making it
likely that the lawyering will be first-
rate. Since the suit aims to vindicate
constitutional rights, and will most
likely be settled, fees for the attorneys
can be negotiated out of the settle-
ment. Scheindlin made just this point
in the course of dismissing the city’s
argument that the two named plain-
tiffs were inadequate class representa-
tives because they are “disrespectful
and blatantly self-serving.” She noted
that because the laws in question were
most frequently enforced against “the
vagabonds, the homeless, and the
destitute,” if these two plaintiffs could
not represent the class, “the claims
of those even worse off would inevita-
bly go unheard.” She also noted that
gay men caught up in the enforcement
of the sexual loitering statute might
be unwilling to come forward as class
plaintiffs.
Class attorneys are from the firm of
Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady, and
Earl S. Ward, J. McGregor Smyth, Jr.,
and the Bronx Defenders. Assistant
Corporation Counsel Rachel Seligman
Weiss of the city Law Department repre-
sents the defendants.
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 MAY 15, from p.8
presents “The Boogie Down Dance
Series at BAAD!” Professional dance
companies from the Bronx, led by
resident company Arthur Aviles Typi-
cal Theatre, are joined by Brooklyn and
Queens choreographers, Dance Theater
Workshop’s choreographer in residence
Maria Colaco, John Jasperse holding an
open rehearsal, Desmond Richardson,
1994 founder of Complexions, leading a
master class, Archie Burnett, and Future
Ninja. BAAD, 841 Barretto St., btwn.
Garrison & Lafayette Aves., Hunts
Point in the South Bronx (Hunts Point
Ave. on the #6 train). Admission is $20
at bronxacademyofartsanddance.org. For
a complete schedule through Jun. 3, visit
the BAAD website.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
NIGHTLIFE
A Dazzlingly
Inclusive Prom
Night
The LGBT Community Center’s
Gender Identity Project hosts the fifth
annual Trans Prom, a dance extravagan-
za for trans and gender-non-conforming
people, their partners, friends, and allies
18 and over. This year’s theme is “Hol-
lywood in the ’90s.” 208 W. 13th St., 8
p.m.-midnight. This event is free.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Bears, Bears &
Beers
The Ramrod, formerly the Dugout,
hosts a Bear Blast-Off, with cheap drinks,
good tunes, furry guys, and DJ Tony Ruiz.
Admission is free until 9 p.m.; $5 after that.
185 Christopher St. at Weehawken St.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
COMMUNITY
SAT.MAY.16
Pride on the
Delaware
The New Hope Gay Pride Parade,
this year with the theme “Riding the
Wave of Diversity,” kicks off at noon,
rain or shine, on West Bridge Street
downtown. The parade spotlights
the 12-member all male DC Cowboys
dance company (runners-up on NBC’s
“America’s Got Talent”), DJ Mark Pic-
chiotti from Logo’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race,”
Philadelphia’s All Star Mummers Band,
Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman
Patrick Murphy, the Lesbian and Gay Big
Apple Corp Marching Band, and the NJ
Eagles Motorcycle Club. New Hope
䉴 MAY 16, continued on p.18
NEWS BRIEFS
䉴 BRIEFS, from p.9
“Transgender people may not be
burdened with additional require-
ments to change their names.”
There He Goes
Again… And
Again
As Glenn Beck has amped
up the race to Crazy World over
at Fox News, Bill O’Reilly, work-
ing overtime to cede no ground
to any wingnut, has produced
two beauties in the past week.
On May 5, he argued that the
federal hate crimes bill, just
passed by the House, could pro-
tect pedophiles. “You could make
an argument that a pedophile
has a disease, and because the
disease is there, he’s a target
or she’s a target,” he said, add-
ing that disability is a protected
class of victims under the bill.
✯ Pedophilia, however, is not cov-
ered by the 1990 Americans with
Disabilities Act, according to Karl
Frisch, a senior fellow with the
watchdog group Media Matters
for America. Frisch said that the
following day Fox anchor Megyn
Kelly charged that Democrats in
the House had “voted to protect”
pedophiles by voting down Iowa
Republican Congressman Steve
King’s amendment to the bill
stating that “the term ‘sexual ori-
entation’ shall not include pedo-
✯ philia.”
On May 11, as part of a recur-
rent rant about the slippery slope
from marriage for same-sex cou-
ples to polygamy, O’Reilly told
Fox analyst Margaret Hoover,
“You would let everybody get
married who want to get married.
You want to marry a turtle, you
✯ can.” Media Matters noted that
O’Reilly had previously warned
against interspecial marriage
with goats, ducks, and dolphins.
David Geffen
Running the
Times?
David Geffen, a gay mogul
famous for an illustrious record
producing career typified by his
enduring friendship with Joni
Mitchell, for co-founding Dream-
Works, and for turning on Bill and
Hillary Clinton during last year’s
presidential primaries, is now
thinking about buying the New
York Times.
According to a May 12 story
in the UK Financial Times, earlier
this year, Geffen made an unsuc-
cessful bid for a 19.8 percent
stake in the Gray Lady. Two sourc-
es with knowledge of that bid
14 – 27 MAY 2009
By PAUL SCHINDLER
told the newspaper that Geffen
remains “a patient buyer.” Those
sources added that Geffen had
no intention of mounting a hostile
challenge to the Ochs-Sulzberger
family’s control, though Arthur
Sulzberger Jr., the company’s
chairman, has not signaled any
willingness to relinquish it volun-
tarily. Last year, Geffen made an
unsuccessful offer to buy the Los
Angeles Times from the Tribune
Company, the parent company of
the Chicago Tribune now in bank-
ruptcy protection.
Two Lesbians in
Supreme Court
Running
The New York Times, among
a number of leading newspa-
pers and legal blogs, is reporting
that two out lesbians are among
those candidates President
Barack Obama is considering
most seriously for the Supreme
Court vacancy that Justice David
Souter’s resignation creates. The
Times says that two Stanford
University Law School profes-
sors — Kathleen M. Sullivan and
Pamela S. Karlan — are in the
running. Sullivan, 53, has been
a constitutional law specialist at
Stanford since 1993, after nine
years at Harvard Law School.
She authored amicus briefs in
the Supreme Court’s two sod-
omy cases -- Bowers v. Hardwick
in 1986 and Lawrence v. Texas
in 2003. Karlan, 49, joined the
Stanford faculty as a specialist
on voting rights in 1998 after ten
years at the University of Virginia
Law School and three years with
the NAACP Legal Defense and
Education Fund. She has been
a frequent commentator on PBS’
“The News Hour With Jim Lehrer.”
At least one Christian conser-
vative has already raised a red flag
about a pink prospect on the high
court. The Times quoted Bishop
Harry J. Jackson Jr. of the Belts-
ville, Maryland, Hope Christian
Church saying, “That would be
tantamount to opening the gate for
the other side. If [Obama] meant
what he said about marriage, then
I think he has to stand up and be a
president who acts on his beliefs.”
Pundits have said that picking
a woman or picking a Latino is
viewed as politically desirable by
the White House.
In his May 11 “First Read” web
post, Chuck Todd, the sharp-as-
a-whip political director for NBC
News, reported a short list of
six names, five of them women,
one a Latina, that did not include
either Sullivan or Karlan.
Growing By
Leaps and
Bounds
Even as the number of states
with marriage equality on the
books has grown by 150 percent
in just the last two months, sur-
veys polling American attitudes
toward the issue are also show-
ing astounding movement. On
April 28, the New York Times/
CBS poll registered a nine-point
gain in support for gay marriage
in just one month, from 33 to 42
percent. Two days later, ABC
News reported that a plurality
of Americans, by a 49-46 percent
margin, favor marriage equality.
In August 2004, voters opposed
equal rights for gay and les-
bian couples by a 62-32 margin,
according to the same polling
organization.
Jobs, Jobs,
Jobs
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
is a marriage equality supporter,
and when the Washington, DC,
City Council this week approved
legislation to recognize legal
same-sex marriages from other
jurisdictions, she stated her
belief that Congress should not
interfere, despite its oversight
of the district under its Home
Rule Charter. Still, at a May 6
press availability, Pelosi was not
about to be drawn into a direct
discussion of federal recogni-
tion of gay marriages. According
to Deb Price, reporting for the
Detroit News, when asked about
the Defense of Marriage Act,
the speaker responded, “Right
now on our agenda we’re talk-
ing about turning the economy
around, dealing with an energy
policy, health care for all Ameri-
cans; education is the third pillar.
We have an economic crisis of a
magnitude that none of us has
seen in our lifetime that we have
to deal with.”
Pelosi noted that “we have a
human rights, civil rights agenda,
of course,” pointed to the strong
majority for passage last week of
hate crimes legislation, and said
that action might be possible on
ending the anti-gay Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell military policy in the
near term. She concluded her
answer, however, by emphasiz-
ing, “But right now our agenda is
jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs,
and as we move on that front,
concurrently, we have to make
some decisions about what is
possible in our values-based ini-
tiatives as well.”
The Plumber,
the Queers &
the Kids
Joe Wurzelbacher, the Ohio
handyman who apparently has
put his plans for becoming an
overtaxed small businessman on
hold while he pursues every sec-
ond of his 15 minutes as Joe the
Plumber, has decided to short-
hand members of the lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender
community as “queer” — and
not so trustworthy around chil-
dren. In an interview with Chris-
tianity Today, the Plumber, asked
his views on same-sex marriage,
said, “I personally still think it’s
wrong. People don’t understand
the dictionary -- it’s called queer.
Queer means strange and unusu-
al. It’s not like a slur, like you
would call a white person a honky
or something like that. You know,
God is pretty explicit in what
we’re supposed to do -- what
man and woman are for. Now, at
the same time, we’re supposed
to love everybody and accept
people, and preach against the
sins. I’ve had some friends that
are actually homosexual. And, I
mean, they know where I stand,
and they know that I wouldn’t
have them anywhere near my
children.” A big segment of the
LGBT community is no doubt
breathing a sigh of relief that
even if they are called queers and
viewed with suspicion, they are
spared the opprobrium of being
dubbed honky queers.
Jeez, For a
Guy Who Likes
Weddings...
When a small gathering of
friends assembled at the West-
port, Connecticut, home of Jeff
Soref and Paul Lombardi on May
2 to celebrate the wedding of
Howard Koeppel, a politically
prominent Queens auto dealer,
and his partner Mark Hsiao, one
intimate was conspicuously
absent -- the former mayor of
New York, Rudy Giuliani.
When Giuliani was booted
from Gracie Mansion by his then-
wife Donna Hanover in 2001 after
he had taken up with his current
wife, Judith Nathan, Koeppel
and Hsiao opened up their multi-
million dollar Manhattan home to
the refugee mayor, then consid-
ered a moderate, even a progres-
sive among Republicans, on gay
rights.
But, several weeks ago, in
his first major salvo in a poten-
tial 2010 challenge to Governor
13
David Paterson, Giuliani, who
is on his third marriage — if
you count the one annulled
because the woman was his
cousin — launched a verbal
assault on marriage equality for
gay couples, saying he would
speak out against the Demo-
cratic incumbent on the issue
across the state. The New York
Post quoted Koeppel saying,
“Rudy and Judith were both
invited with a beautiful written
invitation by mail. His secretary
called Thursday and said he was
not able to come to the wedding
and wished us all the best.”
Fred Phelps,
Michael Savage
Unwelcome
As the result of a 2005 law,
the UK Home Office has the
authority to bar people who
promote hatred, terrorist vio-
lence, or serious criminal activ-
ity from entering the country.
Explaining that visiting Britain is
a “privilege,” not a right, Home
Office Secretary Jacqui Smith
announced the names of 16 of
the 22 who had been barred entry
in the five months ending March
31. Fred Phelps and his daughter
Shirley Phelps-Roper, who head
up the God Hate Fags ministry out
of the Westboro Baptist Church
in Topeka, Kansas, and incendi-
ary radio shock jock Michael Sav-
age, known for his rants about
gays, immigrants, and Muslims,
were among those refused entry.
Smith said that the names of the
other six barred were not made
public for national security rea-
sons. According to the BBC, the
Muslim Council of Britain has
argued that nobody should be
barred, regardless of their politi-
cal or social views, unless they
have broken the law.
Those Darned
British Actors
The Daily Record of Glas-
gow reports that Rupert Ever-
ett, a sometime movie gay best
friend currently on Broadway in
Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit,” is
opposed to gay men having chil-
dren through use of a gestational
surrogate. “This surrogacy thing
is utterly hideous,” he said. “It’s
egocentric and vain. And these
endless IVF treatments people
go through? If you are meant to
have babies, then great. But this
whole idea of two gay guys filling
a cocktail shaker with sperm and
impregnating some grim lesbian
and then it gets cut out is just
weird.”
14 14 – 27 MAY 2009
?
䉴 ASSEMBLY, from p.4
Like to Party with TINA
of eloquence when talking about his
partner of 28 years, John Banta, assur-
ing his colleagues that all they wanted
from them was “a piece of paper” any
The Substance Use Research Center
of the rest of them could get and the
at Columbia University right to hear a marriage officiant con-
clude a ceremony with the words “by
seeks medically healthy Meth users between the ages of 21 and 45
to participate in a 10-session study evaluating stimulant effects.
the power invested in me by the State
of New York.” Some of O’Donnell’s fel-
You can earn up to $1,004. low marriage equality supporters also
provided memorable moments. Matt
T itone, an out gay Democrat from
For more information, please call: (212) 543-6013 or (212) 543-6545 Staten Island, talked about the trou-
ALL PERSONAL AND IDENTIFYING INFORMATION WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL ble his partner of 16 years, Josh, had
gaining access to the hospital room
where Titone’s mother lay dying. Deb-
orah Glick invoked the mentorship of
African-American feminist Flo Ken-
Metropolitan Community Church of New York nedy and the memory of Bayard Rus-
Social Spiritual
tin, a top aide to Martin Luther King,
Homeless
Youth Jr., whose homosexuality at times
Services became a lightning rod for civil rights
Service
A church of lesbian,
and Sylvia Rivera
Home
gay, bisexual opponents. Hakeem Jeffries, a Brook-
Food Pantry and transgender
people. Open to all. lyn Democrat, meanwhile, spoke of his
admiration for the late Congresswom-
an Barbara Jordan, whom he termed
Advocating
“a paradigm for diversity,” as a dis-
Marriage Equality and abled African-American lesbian from
Transgender Rights
Texas.
The Reverend Pat Bumgardner, Pastor Jose Rivera, a veteran Democratic
Weekly Sunday Services: 9 am (Traditional), 11 am (Celebration) lawmaker from the Bronx, explicitly
3 pm (Mandarin) and 7 pm (Praise & Worship) challenged religious leaders pushing
11 am features ASL interpreter (1st, 2nd and 3rd Sunday of each month)
446 West 36th St. bet. 9th & 10th Ave. NY, NY 10018 to defeat the equality measure, saying,
212-629-7440 website: www.mccny.org email: info@mccny.org “I don’t care what clothes you wear or
what book you quote from. You’re not
going to intimidate me or shake me
䉴 LETTERS, from p.10
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
April 30, 2009
To the Editor:
I haven’t finished this article as it is too difficult
to comprehend how anyone can do this to another
human being (“Iraqi Gays Face Gruesome Torture/
Murder Technique,” by Doug Ireland, Apr. 30-May 13).
Having said this, I do appreciate the Gay City News
for bringing this to the attention of all people. I have
lost my faith in religion, especially Islam, as they also
bury alive and beat their woman. How can any God
condone this kind of treatment? I’m almost ashamed
to be a member of the human race. And please stop
referring to this kind of behavior as that of “animals.”
It’s an insult to animals. I will try and go back and fin-
ish reading.
John Nicol
New York City
May 6, 2009
To the Editor:
These are crimes against humanity. No reli-
gion allows for such barbarity. The murderers
should be brought to justice. Even under Sadd-
am Hussein’s regime such cruel acts of violence
would not have happened. Ms. Yanar Moham-
med, who brought this savagery to light, should
be commended.
Michael Johnson
Ottawa, Canada
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
down.” Thiele, the Sag Harbor Repub-
lican, in explaining how he came to
embrace a bill he voted against last
time, admitted that, in 2007, “I took
the path of least resistance,” adding, “I
never felt good about that vote.”
Perhaps the most compelling testi-
mony came from assemblymembers
who believe, or once believed, that
their vote was politically risky. Frank
Skartados, an Ulster County Democrat
first elected last fall, said he thought
his constituents might not like his
vote, but stated, “It is the right thing
to do, not in the eyes of God, but in the
eyes of a humble man like me. Even if I
am a one-term assemblyman, it is the
right thing to do.”
Republican Sayward, whose son is
gay, said that as she left the Assem-
bly chamber in 2007 after a moving
speech in favor of marriage equality,
“A colleague came up to me and said,
‘You will never be elected again in New
York State.’ I headed up the Adiron-
dacks that night, head held high,
assuming I would not be back here to
vote for this again.”
Her 2008 victory margin exceeded
that of 2006.
Broadway Impact, an organization
of theater and television professionals
supporting marriage equality, is lead-
ing a rally on Sunday, May 17 from 5-7
p.m. at 45th Street and Sixth Avenue in
Manhattan. Information at Broadway-
Impact.com.
YETTA KURLAND’S BID
May 1, 2009
To the Editor:
Great! A progressive voice running against “Take
Us For Granted” Quinn (“A Careful, Pointed Chal-
lenge,” by Paul Schindler, Apr. 30-May 13). Hey, this
is great news. As a longtime lesbian activist, I am so
over Christine Quinn. HASA for All would save New
York City so much money in the long run and relieve
unfair and unnecessary suffering that disproportion-
ately affects gay men. Chris Quinn can promote an
LGBT tourism campaign — but do little to protect gay
male tourists once they are here from being arrested
by homophobic NYPD “vice” officers. Chris Quinn
can deny a black community board in a black commu-
nity the right to name a street they elected to, while
approving streets being named after slave owners! I
remember when being lesbian meant being different
and progressive. Chris Quinn now acts just like any
other politician. Yetta, how can we volunteer for you
and, ultimately, our community?
Dawn Reel
Chelsea
WRITE US!
Address letters to the editor, of no more than 250
words, to:
Editor@gaycitynews.com.
Please include your phone number, for confirma-
tion purposes only. The editors reserve the right to
edit all letters due to space constraints.
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 14 – 27 MAY 2009 15

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Tough times won’t

break our stride.
16 14 – 27 MAY 2009
■ FILM
Taking on the Closet
Talk to Filmmaker Kirky Dirk builds on work of Mike Rogers, Mike Signorile
a banker BY GARY M. KRAMER
“O
utrage” is
who
Kirby Dick’s
incisive doc-
umentary about clos-
eted politicians who work
understands against the interests and
freedoms of the LGBT com-
munity in their careers.
your This film is less about out-
ing individuals and more
about the hypocrisy of
needs. such politicians having
power and wielding it so
irresponsibly.
The film opens with
the arrest of Idaho Sena-
tor Larry Craig for lewd
b e h a v i o r, a n d c h a r t s
the bad behavior of sev-
80 Eighth Ave.
eral politicians who have
at 14th St. proved Janus-faced. The
gay rumors about Flori-
101 West 14th St. da Republican Governor
Charlie Crist, who sup-
at Sixth Ave.
ported for Amendment 2,
which protects heterosex-
800 Sixth Ave. ual-only marriage in that
at 27th St. state, are scrutinized. Like-
wise, former Republican
354 Sixth Ave. Louisiana Congressman
at Washington Pl. Jim McCrery is exposed
for using his college fra-
769 Broadway ternity house “as a gay
at 9th St. bar” on visits to his alma
mater. Dick shows how the
“moral hunter” becomes
207 Varick St. the “moral hunted” — as
at Houston St. when Virginia Congress-
man Ed Schrock’s pruri-
885 Eighth Ave. ent phone calls for gay sex
at 53rd St. were broadcast on the web.
The Republican quickly
“folds like a cheap suit,”
resigning his seat.
Dick also takes Demo-
Ask about a Plus account, crats to task. Ed Koch, the
with a world of benefits former mayor of New York,
designed to help you hid the fact that he had a
live in financial balance. male lover, according to
the film. “Outrage” claims
Call 1 866 837-2340 or visit Koch did little or nothing
us.hsbc.com/balance today. to help the gay community
and assist with the AIDS
crisis during his time in
office. In contrast, ex-Gov-
ernor Jim McGreevey of
New Jersey talks candidly
and poignantly about his
own battles with the clos-
et.
Yet Dick is adamant
in the argument that
Deposit products offered by HSBC Bank USA, N.A.
Member FDIC. ©2009 HSBC Bank USA, N.A. the media is involved
in a conspiracy respon-
OUTRAGE
Directed by Kirby Dirk
Magnolia Releasing
Clearview Chelsea Cinema
260 W. 23rd St.
clearviewcinemas.com
sible for underreporting
or improperly reporting
such clear hypocrisies. In
a recent interview with the
filmmaker, Gay City News
asked. Kirby Dick told.
GARY KRAMER: What
outraged you that you
decided to make this doc-
umentary?
KIRBY DICK: I was in
DC promoting “This Film
Is Not Yet Rated,” about
censorship in the Ameri-
can film rating system,
and I thought there must
be a number of great sub-
jects for documentaries
that people only within the
Beltway know. I started
asking around and very
quickly came across this
subject matter — closeted
politicians voting anti-gay.
I was fascinated on two
levels. First, this issue of
underreported hypocrisy
and, second, by the psy-
chology of these people
who would choose a pow-
erful political career at the
cost of living a double life.
Their experience is almost
Shakespearean to make
that deal with the devil.
GK: You are not out-
ing anyone who hasn’t
exposed themselves or
been exposed by someone
else. Can you explain how
you approached this pro-
vocative topic?
KD: The film drew a
bright line by focusing
on people who are in the
closet and acting hypo-
critically. I feel the discus-
sion around outing has
obscured the more impor-
tant issues around this.
One of our younger staff
wanted to do much more
of the gotcha kind of jour-
nalism. Theatrically, that
would have played very
well, but I wanted this film
Straight filmmaker Kirby Dick said his “gaydar has become much more refined’
by the making of “Outrage.”
to have a really thoughtful
approach.
GK: The power of your
film comes from show-
ing how human rights
are being denied by poli-
ticians who vote against
hate crimes legislation
in particular. What were
your goals in tackling this
subject?
KD: I wanted to con-
tribute to the advance-
ment of the gay rights
struggle in this country,
which is trending in the
right direction, but by no
means resolved. One only
has to look at the passage
of Prop 8 and Amendment
2 to see that. I wanted to
show the damage — the
cost — of the closet. And,
I hope that my film con-
tributes to the demise, or
at least partial demise, of
the closet.
GK: Why do you think
these politicians stay clos-
eted?
KD: I think the closet
exists because people
perceive there is some-
thing wrong — a liability
— with being gay. I per-
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
MAGNOLIA RELEASING
sonally believe that they
underestimate the power
of coming out and being
open and honest. Cer -
tainly, there is going to be
a percentage of the popu-
lation who is extremely
homophobic who is going
to turn on them, but I
think — particularly in
these “purple” ar eas,
districts — that there is
going to be a larger per-
centage of the population
that will say, “That took
a lot of guts,” and respect
from the constituency will
increase.
GK: What roadblocks
did you encounter in mak-
ing the film? Did anyone
not cooperate?
KD: I’m surprised by
the level of fear I [encoun-
tered]. I would talk to
people who were in a rep-
resentative’s district, and
these sources were very
afraid. I would initiate
conversation with them
and they would be afraid
to continue. Whether they
were afraid of repercus-
sions, whether their fears
䉴 OUTRAGE, continued on p.17
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
■ DANCE
Inside View
Megan Sprenger’s new work puts the audience within
BY BRIAN MCCORMICK
W
hen audiences
w a l k i nto the
space at PS122
to see Megan Sprenger’s
new work “…within us.,”
they will find nowhere to
sit. Dancers, who may
or may not enter along
with viewers, may not
be immediately identifi-
able. Inside, they’ll find
set designer Brad Kisicki’s
natural wood cubes — 60
of them — decorated with
black stencil and arranged
in clusters as well as sus-
pended from the ceiling.
Guides will lead people to
their seats by reconfiguring
the set to allot one block to
a customer.
Set in a 360-degree envi-
ronment with audience
members integrated among
the performers, “…within
us.” subverts the conven-
tion of viewer as voyeur by
breaking spatial bound-
aries and invading per -
sonal space. Drawing on
the archetypes of aggres-
sor, inflicted, watcher, and
fighter, the work examines
the physical and emotional
instincts that lay at the
core of human conflict.
For her first commis-
sion from PS122 in 2006,
Spr enger cr eated “No
Where,” a trio that brought
䉴 OUTRAGE, from p.16
were valid or not, I don’t
know. But there is a level
of fear out there.
GK: How did you get the
interviews you did with the
folks you did?
KD: It took a great deal
of persistence. Some peo-
ple were very happy to
talk. People like Kirk Ford-
ham and Barney Frank
came forward very early
on. Others took a great
deal of time. My producer
Amy Ziering is very per-
suasive, and excellent in
making the point that this
was a legitimate film –– it
was really meant to dig
In Megan V. Sprenger’s “…within us.,” the view can’t rest in the role of voyeur.
MEGAN V. SPRENGER/
MVWORKS
“…within us.”
Performance Space 122
150 First Ave. at E. Ninth St.
May 17, 24 at 5:30 p.m.;
May 19-23, at 7:30 p.m.
$20; $15 for students
& seniors
ps122.org or 212-352-3101
the mystery, tension, and
beauty of Gregory Crewd-
son’s photographic imagery
to life. For this second com-
mission, she drew inspi-
ration from the images of
violence in Jacob Landau’s
visual artwork, but not in
the same literal way. Here,
she likened the material-
ity of Landau’s images to
deeply into the issue. It
was not tabloid journal-
ism by any means.
GK: Like “This Film Is
Not Yet Rated,” “Outrage”
relies on queer investiga-
tor Michael Rogers, who
outs these closeted politi-
cians on blogActive.com.
You also feature out radio
host Michelangelo Signo-
rile. Can you talk about
how gay media outlets
have brought attention to
this issue?
KD: In many ways this
film is built on the shoul-
ders of the gay press. The
position that they have
been taking has been,
“Let’s have full parity.”
14 – 27 MAY 2009 17
a real-life, frightening
The
experience that under -
Math
scored Sprenger’s under-
standing of the deeply
entrenched, almost
hard-wired behavioral
characteristics humans
manifest, especially
of
in the face of extreme
or intense situations.
New York
“People watched and did
nothing,” Sprenger said.
“There was no fighter. It
living.
was a one-on-one real
MEGAN V. SPRENGER
example” of how people
behave according to pre-
defined social rules. The
characters in “…within
us.” interchange among
the performers, but each
a color in a painter’s land- archetype can be iden-
scape; world events and tified through behavior
her own experiences also a n d b o d y m o v e m ent.
drove the work’s objectives. “The inflicted is weighted
“I wasn’t going to pro- and boneless,” explained
tests,” Sprenger said in a Sprenger, “the aggressor,
recent interview. “I wasn’t sharp and agitated; the
involved in the body count, watcher is watching and
or any of the other activities
that were going on. I was
disconnected.”
Sprenger’s team
choices
aware of things, but also of includes performers Tara
my own apathy. There was O’Con, Maria Parshina, Alli
a real disconnect — to be Ruszkowski, and Richert
so conveniently watching Schnorr, with costumes
from my couch. I’m not by Mary McKenzie. Jason
interested in being overtly Sebastian’s spatially dis-
political, but because of persed score alternates
humanity, I became inter- between metallic, indus-
ested in exploring these trial noise, and natural,
characters, these roles.”
Recently, one of her col-
melodic sonority. Electric
god Joe Levasseur con-
judgments
laborators “got jumped,” tributes his lightning.
Even to the point that if tion. But the organization
there’s a gay scandal, that has really caused
report on it in the same damage to gay rights is
way as a straight scandal. Fox, not CNN.
Talk to bankers who
GK: In the media sec- GK: If you appear on value your differences as
tion of your film, Fox News Anderson Cooper’s show to much as your finances.
Channel’s Shepard Smith promote “Outrage,” would
is featured, but CNN’s you discuss this topic with Call 1 866 837-2340 or visit
Anderson Cooper is con- him? us.hsbc.com/balance today.
spicuously absent. Can KD: No! [Laughs.] Now,
you discuss why? do I think Anderson Coo-
KD: With Fox, there’s per should come out? I do.
no question they have Do I think it would be very
been in the development of significant? Yes. Do I think
this anti-gay hysteria. With other celebrities should
CNN, that’s not the case. come out? Yes. Do I think a
There is certainly a parallel very interesting film could
between Cooper and Smith be made on this subject?
in terms of their promi- Yes, but it is not this film.
nence and importance in Deposit products offered by HSBC Bank USA, N.A.
Member FDIC. ©2009 HSBC Bank USA, N.A.
their respective organiza- 䉴 OUTRAGE, continued on p.22

18/ Theater
Drab Accent
Musty romantic comedy for David Hyde Pierce fans only
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
N
o doubt back in 1934,
when Samson Rapha-
elson penned the draw-
ing room comedy “Accent on
Youth,” self-referential theater
was still a novelty. A play about
a May-December romance, nes-
tled within a play about a May-
December romance that fea-
tures actors poking fun at life on
the Great White Way, must have
been drolly ironic. The intricate,
sticky love web shared by the
aging, doubt-addled playwright;
his young, curvaceous muse;
and the boyish, idealistic co-star
she ends up marrying, must
have been highly amusing. The
loyal butler, dressed in tails and
always quick with a quip, was
surely a laugh riot.
But as staged by Daniel Sul-
livan (“Rabbit Hole,” “Proof”),
the first Broadway revival of the
work comes off about as bub-
bly as last night’s champagne.
Not for lack of trying. If anybody
could pull off the lead role of the
50-plus neurotic Steven Gaye,
it would be David Hyde Pierce—
from a technical standpoint,
anyway. His precise comic
timing and deadpan delivery
helped keep “Curtains” open
for its healthy run of more than
500 performances — he beat
out Raul Esparza and Jonathan
Groff for the Best Actor Tony in
2006 — and they’re in full force
here. Hyde Pierce, as a play-
wright who fears his glory days
are behind him, captures the
“poetry of a man facing old age”
Rocky Roads
“Godot” is a triumph while “Desire” is an epic disaster
BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE
“W
aiting for Godot”
is one of the most
discussed and dis-
sected plays of the modern era
— and one of the most important
in shaping contemporary the-
ater. It stands as the most com-
monly known existential play, a
work that discards conventional
notions of plot, character, and
narrative style in favor of a deep-
ACCENT ON YOUTH
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
261 W. 47th St.
Tue. at 7 p.m.; Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m.;
Wed., Sat., Sun. at 2 p.m.
Through Jun. 28
$56.50 to $96.50; telecharge.com
Or 212-239-6200
well enough, but unfortunately
the dated material and scat-
tershot direction work against
him.
And we can’t ignore, as Hyde
Pierce himself reaches deep into
middle age, that his smoldering
romantic lead potential is — how
do I put this? — limited. Despite
the play’s central theme, I found
it hard to swallow that a woman
decades younger would be so
hopelessly smitten by him. Let’s
face it, the actor’s trademark
fussiness doesn’t necessarily
scream babe-magnet.
“Life never makes sense,”
observes the curiously named
Gaye. He’s got that right.
Linda’s speedy metamorpho-
sis from mousy love-struck sec-
retary to savvy Broadway star is
also jarring, though I blame the
disconnect on the script and off-
kilter direction rather than on
Mary Catherine Garrison’s per-
formance, which is layered with
emotion. “I hate audiences,”
says Linda, but the joke lands
with a thud.
As leading man Dickie, David
Furr is appealing, though I
found his virtuous boy-scout act
unbelievable. When we discover
Dickie has won Linda’s hand in
er examination of an admittedly
bleak human existence. It is not a
play for all tastes, one in which in
Act One essentially nothing hap-
pens. And in Act Two, nothing
happens again. All the scholarly
attention aside, does it work as a
piece of theater?
In the magnificent produc-
tion currently at Studio 54, the
answer is yes, sublimely so.
Director Anthony Page and his
amazing cast have made this play
He may have pulled it off with Daphne Moon, but it’s hard to buy that David Hyde Pierce as
playwright Steven Gaye would really have secretary Linda, played by Mary Catherine Garrison,
love-struck.
marriage, I didn’t care to deter-
mine if he’d also won her heart.
Even the ever-reliable Charles
Kimbrough (of “Murphy Brown”
fame), who would seem born
to play Flogdell the butler, goes
overboard. His constant grimac-
ing is more pained than funny.
The rest of the cast is solid, and
I was disappointed that Lisa
Banes, as Miss Darling, one of
the actresses up for the part in
Gaye’s play, vanishes inexplica-
bly after the first act.
Also off-putting was John
Lee Beatty’s ornate but rather
unattractive set, replicating a
cavernous penthouse, where
various veneer wood grains
fight each other harder than the
characters. Surely a suave fel-
low like Gaye has better design
sense than that.
On the plus side, the redemp-
tive power of love and all its pos-
sibilities is a timeless topic, as
live not as an intellectual exercise
but a gut-wrenching tragic-com-
edy that is lyrical, light-hearted,
and unflinchingly dark all at the
same time.
Vladamir and Estragon are
waiting by a tree on a road. They
do things to pass the time, but
all of that is secondary to their
main function — to wait for an
unknown figure they know only
as Godot. They are joined briefly
by Pozzo and Lucky. The day
JOAN MARCUS
is the dread of finding oneself
heading over-the-hill. And there
are some wry one-liners. But
there are plenty of clunkers as
well. “There is no substitute for
youth,” Gaye laments, as if we
haven’t figured that out by now.
Originally conceived in three
acts, the play is now two, with
the bulk of the two-hour enter-
prise running post-intermis-
sion, which makes for a lopsided
evening indeed. Apparently the
text was given minimal tweaks
from the original, yet in Sulli-
van’s hands, the screwball and
tragic sensibilities don’t mesh.
An uneasy, stale air of sadness
wafts through this trifle of a pro-
duction.
Perhaps, in considering reviv-
ing this quaint play, the pro-
ducers should have listened to
Linda in describing the bitter
realities of old age: “You can’t
warm over cold mutton.”
passes. Repeat in Act Two. Why
is this so fascinating? Precisely
because in performance, the play
becomes a visceral experience,
part of which is frustration at the
very human need to draw sense
from it — a task doomed from the
start.
As Vladimir and Estragon
engage in distractions to “hold the
terrible silence at bay,” they still
䉴 ROCKY ROADS, continued on p.19
14 - 27 MAY 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 MAY 16, from p.13
Celebrates runs May 15-17, and also
features dance parties with top-named
DJs, cabaret, comedy performances, a
softball tournament, bike rides, historic
walking tours, and family activities. For
complete details, visit NewHopeCel-
ebrates.com.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
FAMILIES
A Wild Play Outing
The LGBT Community Center’s
Center Kids Program hosts a family
play day to see “Wild Thing,” Monica
Flory’s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s
“Where The Wild Things Are…,” pro-
duced by the Children’s Aid Society.
See what happens when a group of
Monsters mistake him for an unruly
child and take him away to the land
of the Wild Things. Merriment turns
to mayhem and dreams become real-
ity. The Philip Coltoff Center, Main
Stage, 219 Sullivan St., btwn. W.
Third & Bleecker Sts., 3 p.m. Tickets
are $10, with toddler playtime available
at the LGBT Community Center, 208 W.
13th St. (with a $20 family donation
suggested). For more information, call
the Center Kids’ Ivy or Avi at 212-620-
7310 ext. 400.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
NIGHTLIFE
Dancing With the
Studs
Big Apple Ranch, which since 1997
has been hosting a weekly country-west-
ern dance for the gay and lesbian commu-
nity, presents “Rhinestone Cowboygirl,”
an evening of dazzle, sequins, and fringe
to benefit the New York City Gay and Les-
bian Anti-Violence Project. Oh, and don’t
forget the leather-soled boots or shoes.
39 W. 19th St., fifth fl. Two-step les-
sons at 8 p.m.; line dance lesson at
8:30; dancing from 9-1. The $10 admis-
sion includes the lessons. For more infor-
mation, visit biggleappleranch.com.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
The Big Banana
Jonny McGovern presents “The Big
Banana,” a downtown dance party for
men, with cheap drinks, dirty tricks,
and DJs Rich King, John Roberts, Corey
Tut. Gorilla Club, 74 Leonard St. at
Broadway.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
䉴 14 DAYS, continued on p.20
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
䉴 ROCKY ROADS, from p.18
hold out hope that something will come
along to change their lives. Something
does, but it get them no closer to resolu-
tion or peace. Pozzo, an evidently rich man,
keeps Lucky on a rope. Lucky’s function is
to serve and think, and in a long speech he
contemplates, broadly, man’s relationship
to God and the nature of suffering.
It is a brilliant tour de force, not only for
the writing but for the fact that Lucky’s
powerful thinking changes nothing. We go
on, without understanding and yet waiting,
hoping — when there is no evidence that
can alleviate our suffering. The characters
contemplate suicide and become immo-
bilized. Director Anthony Page has done a
brilliant job of honoring the play — creat-
ing a richly entertaining piece that fasci-
nates endlessly. Page, like Becket, under-
stands the inherently solipsistic nature of
an audience and plays with that brilliantly,
enabling us to look at a mirror on our souls
and struggles.
The cast is phenomenal. John Good-
man gives a performance of inspired com-
edy as Pozzo. His bombast and sheer size
command fear and derision. John Glover
as Lucky is spectacular in a risky per-
formance of laser-sharp focus. His long
Act One speech, in which he thinks for
Pozzo, is the work of an actor at the peak
of his craft, mesmerizing and daring in the
extreme.
Nathan Lane is brilliant as Vladimir.
Demonstrating his incredible range, he
balances the clowning and despair of the
character with a childlike openness and
fear both delightful and painful, and wrings
affection and compassion from us. Simi-
larly, Bill Irwin gives the performance of
an increasingly accomplished career. Like
Lane, there is subtlety and depth to his
performance that capitalizes on his natu-
ral magnetism and makes us feel Estragon’
hopeless hoping. Lane and Irwin play per-
fectly together, mining every nuance from
the text to make it live with heartbreaking
resonance.
The wonderful set is by Santo Loquasto,
the exquisite lighting is by Peter Kaczo-
rowski, and the inspired costumes are by
Jane Greenwood, making this production
as visually beautiful as it is deeply felt.
A friend of mine who saw this produc-
tion a few days after I did left at intermis-
sion. “I didn’t want to work that hard,” she
said. But that’s the antithesis of what this
play is about. “Waiting for Godot” address-
es the nature of being and the torment
of trying to make sense of the inherently
senseless. Seeing this production was not
work, it was bliss.
T
he same cannot be said of Robert
Falls’ ponderous “Desire Under
the Elms,” which goes wrong from
the moment the curtain goes up. Walt
Spangler’s set — looking like a wasteland
purloined from “Godot,” with rocks and
a house hung on ropes — is dramatic,
but it makes no sense. Is this moonscape
the farm the family is fighting so fiercely
14 – 27 MAY 2009 19
JOAN MARCUS
Nathan Lane, John Goodman, Bill Irwin, and John Glover
(not pictured) are all brilliant in “Waiting For Godot.”
WAITING FOR GODOT
Roundabout Theatre
Company at Studio 54
254 W. 54th St.
Tue.-Sat. at 8 p.m.;
Wed., Sat., Sun. at 2 p.m.
$36.50-$116.50,
roundabouttheatre.org or 212-719-1300
DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS
St. James Theatre
246 W. 44th St.
Tue. at 7 p.m.; Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m.;
Wed., Sat. at 2 p.m.; Sun. at 3 p.m.
$32.00-$117.50; telecharge.com
or 212-239-6200
for? Where are the elms? New England is
rocky, but the farms don’t sit on outcrop-
pings of barren granite. Perhaps I’m being
too literal, but the expressionistic intent is
far too heavy handed for what is essentially
a family drama with epic pretensions.
The story concerns the Cabot family.
Father Ephraim is a tyrant, who binds his
sons, Eben, Peter, and Simeon, to him by
their hopes of inheritance. In time, Peter
and Simeon abandon the farm for Califor-
nia — pronounced ad nauseum as “Calee-
forn-eye-ay” — leaving Eben to stay and
work. Ephraim’s new wife Abbie also wants
the farm, and when he dies, the battle
between Eben and his stepmother turns
into a love affair with tragic consequences.
No one gets what they want, and all ends
unhappily.
Falls has directed this to be an epic
Greek tragedy, which means, unfortunate-
ly, that everyone screams at the top of their
lungs and there is no character develop-
ment, clear motivation, or relief. One hun-
dred minutes of aural assault going abso-
lutely nowhere, without a single subtle or
believable moment. Eugene O’Neill saw
tragedy writ large in the American expe-
rience, but Falls’ interpretation fails not
because it’s not risky but because it’s bor-
ing. Abbie watching as Eben takes a bath
may be geared toward the audience’s titil-
lation, but the scene is inconceivable in the
period portrayed.
䉴 ROCKY ROADS, continued on p.27

20/ Film
Superhero Backlash
Hitoshi Matsumoto conjures documentarians following a schlub
BY STEVE ERICKSON
I
t’s no insult to say that “Big
Man Japan” peaks in its first
20 minutes. It opens with its
hero, Dai Sato (writer/director
Hitoshi Matsumoto), taking the
bus home, with a documentary
camera crew following him. With
a woolen cap and hair well past
his shoulders, Sato looks like a
neo-hippie rapidly approaching
burnout. Chatting with a fellow
passenger, he makes a cryp-
tic remark about the weather
affecting his job. Getting off the
bus, he walks by a stall selling
umbrellas.
Sato tells the documentar-
ians that he likes small things
that expand, such as umbrellas
and dried seaweed flakes. His
dilapidated house is surround-
ed by graffiti. As he talks to the
documentary’s director inside,
rocks fly through his windows
twice, but he doesn’t flinch or
even seem to notice. When he
cycles toward a power plant, one
notices that the road is covered
with signs, seemingly aimed at
him, complaining about litter
and noise. Who is this magnet
for hate, and why does the docu-
mentary drop so many elliptical
hints about his life and work?
He’s a superhero!
With the exception of “Iron
Man,” recent American superhe-
ro films have taken themselves
extremely seriously. Refreshing-
ly, “Big Man Japan” has noth-
ing to say about the Iraq War or
George W. Bush. Like “Watch-
men,” it deconstructs the classic
The French Family Valued
Olivier Assayas delivers quiet, personal meditation on home
BY STEVE ERICKSON
“S
ummer Hours” isn’t
French director Olivi-
er Assayas’ best film,
but it may be his most personal.
Most of the time, it feels like a
compilation of the themes and
moods of his previous work.
His past three films –– “Demon-
lover,” “Clean,” and “Board-
ing Gate” — revolved around
various forms of globalization.
superhero mythology, but it does
so with a much lighter touch. It’s
the first superhero film whose
protagonist could also fit com-
fortably into a piece of neo-real-
ism about the plight of the work-
ing-class.
Matsumoto’s background
lies in stand-up comedy; in
1983, he formed a duo called
Downtown and went solo seven
years later. “Big Man Japan”
alternates between cinematic
and TV influences. Obviously,
it wouldn’t exist if not for the
tradition of Japanese monster
movies launched by “Godzilla.”
However, Matsumoto’s sensi-
bility seems equally formed by
British TV shows like “Knowing
Me, Knowing You With Alan Par-
tridge” and the original version
of “The Office.” His mockumen-
tary conceits are delivered with
a perfectly deadpan tone. Seeing
the film a second time, one can
see how stringently every actor,
even background extras, sticks
to character. When Sato walks
down the street, people occa-
sionally stare at him with a hos-
tile eye.
“Big Man Japan” inverts the
heroic trajectory usually fol-
lowed by genre films by mak-
ing its hero a schlub, indeed a
virtual anti-hero. Sato lives in
the house he inherited from his
grandfather, whom he calls “the
Fourth.” Now suffering from
Alzheimer’s, the Fourth is still
alive, occasionally even rousing
himself from his nursing home
to incompetently fight mon-
sters. Sato is estranged from his
“Summer Hours” returns to this
theme in a more subtle manner.
It re-stages the teenage party
scene from his 1994 master-
piece “Cold Water,” but in a mel-
lower mood. This time around,
no one smashes furniture or
sets it on fire. “Late August,
Early September” is the Assayas
film to which “Summer Hours”
feels closest, but the exploration
of mortality and middle age here
is far freer of anxiety. Notice a
BIG MAN JAPAN
Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto
In Japanese with English subtitles
Magnet Releasing
Opens May 15
Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St.
Cinemavillage.com
as its secret weapon. For most
of its running time, “Big Man
Japan” manages to balance its
two distinct moods. In the final
reel, it gives way to complete
absurdity, turning its plot into
a giant non sequitur about rela-
tions among America, Japan,
and North Korea.
While political allegory may
not be its strong point, “Big Man
MAGNET RELEASING
Japan” bridges the gap between
jokes about farting monsters
and a semi-serious examination
of the shrinking expectations
Filmmaker Hitoshi Matsumoto as superhero of Japan’s Generation X. The
Dai Sato in “Big Man Japan.” Fourth inspired board games
and card decks, while the best
wife, although not technically Sato can hope for is a better
divorced, and only sees their time slot on TV for his battles
daughter once a month. His wife than 2:40 a.m. Every time he
would like to make that twice a winds up in the public eye, he
year. He’s not even sure if his pet screws up.
cat is a rescued stray or might In less capable hands, the
belong to someone else. film could have been a one-note
Tonally, “Big Man Japan” is slog, but Matsumoto brings a
all over the map. If the mocku- skillful touch to its creation.
mentary sequences are dead- Even the sound design apes the
pan, Sato’s fights with the overdriven, bass-heavy assault
monsters give way to a glorious of modern genre films faithfully.
silliness. Their special effects Matsumoto’s talents unfortu-
combine cheesy CGI with rub- nately don’t extend to coming
ber suits. The monsters them- up with a satisfying ending, but
selves are a goofy batch; the first there are so many incidental
one sports a comb-over, which pleasures in “Big Man Japan”
keeps flopping in the wind, and that it doesn’t detract too much
another one uses flatulence from the experience.
theme developing? “Summer (Charles Berling), and designer
Hours” is Assayas’ most benign Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) ––
film, a 180-degree turn from the have come to pay their respects
flirtation with sleaze and danger on the eve of an international
in “Demonlover” and “Board- tour of paintings by Hélene’s
ing Gate” toward a very French late brother, Paul. Most of the
exploration of family. family makes it to San Francis-
“Summer Hours” begins co for the retrospective’s debut
at a family gathering held by –– an event that takes place off-
75-year -old Hélene (Edith screen –– but Hélene dies soon
Scob). Her three children –– ven- afterwards. The family is spread
ture capitalist Jérémie (Jérémie
Renier), economist Frédéric 䉴 FRENCH, continued on p.21
14 - 27 MAY 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 14 DAYS, from p.18
BENEFIT
SUN.MAY.17
Okay, It’s Not Miss
California
In a benefit for the Hetrick-Martin
Institute, home of the Harvey Milk
School, ten contestants representing
their gayborhoods will duke it out for the
title of Miss Fag Hag, competing in cat-
egories of evening wear, fabulous talent,
swimwear, and sassy Q&A. Celebrity
judges include Caroline Rhea, Michael
Musto, Hedda Lettuce, and Katina Cor-
rao, and there are special performances
by Shayna Steele, Bridget Everett, Brit-
ney Houston, Mel & El, and Mr. Murray
Hill. Comix, 353 W. 14th St., 7 p.m.
Tickets are $20 at comixny.com, or $25
at the door.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
FILM
Five Years of
Queens Queer
Cinema
Five Cinemarosa, Queens’ only queer
film series, celebrates its fifth anniver-
sary, with a series of shorts by directors
Joe E. Jeffreys, Ali Cotterill, Matthew
de Leon, Erin Greenwell, and Joe Mur-
phy, from 3-5 p.m. The filmmakers will
be on hand for an informal Q&A. From
5-7 p.m., there will be a performance
and celebration featuring a presenta-
tion of “The Rosa Files,” Cinemarosa’s
best moments, prepared by Soluciones
Visuales, and a multimedia performance
and dance party celebration animated
by DJ Pepe aka Cerebro and his unique
sound mixes. Queens Museum of Art,
Flushing Meadows/ Corona Park,
3-7 p.m. E, F, V, or R train to 74th St.
& Roosevelt Ave., transfer to #7 train
to Willets Point Ave./ Shea Stadium,
walk toward the Unisphere. For more
information, visit cinemarosa.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
THEATER
Yesterday’s
Tomorrow Stage
Today
The Chocolate Factory presents Tar-
get Margin Theater’s “The Theater of
Tomorrow,” a large-scale exploration of
early 20th century cultural innovators
by its artistic director, David Herskovits,
accompanied by more than a dozen
theatrical performances, installations,
䉴 MAY 17, continued on p.22
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
䉴 FRENCH, from p.20
across the globe and finds it difficult to
come together to divide her estate. Only
Frédéric opposes its sale.
Initially, the style of “Summer Hours”
seems determined by the hubbub it
stages. Its first major scene takes place
outside, with the three protagonists,
their mother, their own children, and
two dogs all vying for attention. Assayas
glories in filling the frame with clutter
and noise. However, he refrains from the
out-of-focus Steadicam long takes that
have populated his other films. By his
standards, “Summer Hours” is relatively
austere, with cinematography inspired
by Impressionist painting.
Assayas’ films have often been marked
by their distinctive use of music. The
lengthy party scene in “Cold Water” is set
to a wall-to-wall soundtrack of early ’70s
rock, much of it played halfway through
and then begun again. Most of his other
films are more sparing in their use of
music, but even the handful of songs
played in “Irma Vep” make such an
impression that its distributor got que-
ries about a soundtrack album. Until its
final reel, “Summer Hours” uses almost
no music. When it does, it echoes “Cold
Water”; partying teenagers play a French
hip-hop song, take it off, and put on a
rock song in its place. The film’s end
credits play out to a tune by psychedelic
folkies the Incredible String Band.
14 – 27 MAY 2009
Jérémie Renier as Jérémie, Juliette Binoche as Adrienne, and Charles Berling as Frédéric in Olivier Assayas’
“Summer Hours.”
Insistently, “Summer Hours” touches
on the subject of globalization and its
impact on French life. Adrienne pivots
among Japan, France, and New York,
while Jérémie lives in Shanghai at the
start of the film. He then moves to Bei-
jing but plans to spend summers in Bali.
The two siblings argue about the value
of the cheap shoe factory Jérémie over-
sees in China. The dispersal of the family
around the world parallels the break-up
of their art collection.
Assayas is also attentive to the ways
in which art becomes a commodity. Most
of the collection consists of utilitarian
objects like vases and armoires. Hélene
and her maid, while well aware of their
21
SUMMER HOURS
Directed by Olivier Assayas
In French with English subtitles
IFC Films
Opens May 15
IFC Center, 327 Sixth Ave.
at Waverly Pl.; ifccenter.com
as a reaction against those films. The
director’s globetrotting and casting of
JEANNICK GRAVELINES/ IFC FILMS
charismatic outsiders like Asia Argento
and Maggie Cheung seem over; even if
some of the characters here live outside
France, the film itself never leaves the
country. It’s easy to see the family home
as a metaphor for France itself, and it’s
surprising to see Assayas’ attachment
to it, even as he portrays global drift as a
necessary evil.
value, filled them with flowers and lived “Summer Hours” ends by ushering in
with them. Even Paul’s paintings hung the next generation. Recycling an event
on the wall, rather than collecting dust from “Cold Water,” it depicts Frédéric’s
in a vault. By selling off the family col- daughter getting busted for shoplifting
lection, Adrienne, Frédéric, and Jérémie and drugs. Whatever his worries about
shift its meaning from something that is the impact of globalization, Assayas
appreciated on a daily basis to what is shows a continuity from generation to
clearly a product. Its value is then judged generation. It’s nice that he passes the
by the amount of money for which it can baton to present-day teenagers, but
sell rather than its beauty, usefulness, unfortunately, the final reel of “Sum-
or personal meaning. mer Hours” plays like a pale shadow of
With “Demonlover” and “Boarding “Cold Water.” Its vision of youthful rebel-
Gate” –– and, to a lesser extent, “Clean” lion is secondhand. This is undoubtedly
–– Assayas had reinvented himself as a Assayas’ most mature film and one of
postmodernist closer to Abel Ferrara and his most accomplished, but it’s an easier
David Cronenberg than Jean Renoir. one to appreciate at a distance than get
“Summer Hours” could have been made passionately involved in.
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22/ Film
A German Genre Twist
Christian Petzold reimagines “The Postman Always Rings Twice”
BY STEVE ERICKSON
C
hristian Petzold has
been making films for 13
years, yet even frequent
arthouse patrons are unlikely
to have heard of him. “Jerichow”
and “Yella,” the German film-
maker’s previous feature, are the
only two Petzold films released
in the US so far. One distribu-
tor, the Cinema Guild, is respon-
sible for this; it recently released
“Yella” on DVD and plans to put
out two earlier Petzold films on
DVD later this year.
It’s easy for critics here to
make sweeping judgments about
the health of national cinemas
based on the handful of foreign
films Americans have a chance
to see. For instance, German and
Italian film cultures now look like
shadows of their former selves.
That determination doesn’t take
into account the Berlin school,
a group of directors who’ve
emerged from Germany since the
late 1990s. The Berlin school may
not yet have reached the heights
of ’20s German Expressionism or
’70s New German Cinema, but
from what I’ve been able to see,
their work is far more interest-
ing than more widely distributed
films like “Downfall” and “The
Lives of Others.”
“Jerichow” is named after its
setting, a small town in north-
easter n Ger many. Thomas
(Benno Fürmann), whose moth-
er has recently died, comes back
there after being dishonorably
discharged from the Army. Tak-
ing over her house, he plans
to look for a job, but is robbed
by several friends to whom he
owes money. He meets Ali (Hilmi
Sozer), who owns a chain of 45
roadside snack bars. Prone to
paranoia about money, Ali offers
Thomas a job as his driver after
䉴 OUTRAGE, from p.17
GK: Do you want closeted
politicians to apologize as Jim
McGreevey does? Or are you
hoping for the kind of response
former RNC field director Dan
Gurley had — to start using his
power for good not ill?
KD: If I had a choice between
the two, I’d be very happy with
Benno Fürmann, Nina Hoss, and Hilmi Sozer in Christian Petzold’s “Jerichow.”
a drunk-driving arrest takes
away his license. Laura (Nina
Hoss), Ali’s wife, is initially cold to
Thomas, but the two later devel-
op a passionate relationship.
Ali and Laura’s marriage seems
strained, and Thomas discovers
she married him in large part
because he was willing to take
over her enormous debts.
As described by critic Chris
Darke, “Yella” expressed a sen-
sibility equally drawn to materi-
alism and mysticism, dropping
advance hints about its major
plot twist, yet maintaining an
eerie atmosphere throughout.
“Jerichow” is far more grounded
in reality, the mysticism gone
here, though it retains an ambi-
guity about character motivation
and behavior. By design, this film
leaves a harsh, sour aftertaste.
The two films examine capi-
talism from different perspec-
tives. “Yella” showed a woman
who makes a success of her life
in venture capital, while “Jer-
ichow” focuses on a small-scale
businessman convinced that
everyone is cheating him. “Yella”
depicted both the corrupt and
glamorous sides of corporate
culture, while “Jerichow” focuses
on the rot. Still, they have a great
deal in common, including the
use of drab settings in the former
East Germany.
“Jerichow” is an adaptation
them using their power to pro-
mote gay rights. I am not really
asking for an apology. Maybe
they owe an apology. But they
are in a difficult position.
GK: But it is of their own mak-
ing.
KD: It’s true. But the most
significant step is to come out. If
we had a prominent gay Repub-
THE CINEMA GUILD
JERICHOW
Directed by Christian Petzold
In German with English subtitles
The Cinema Guild
Opens May 15
Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St.
Filmforum.org
of James M. Cain’s novel “The
Postman Always Rings Twice.”
Petzold’s influences include
American genre cinema –– he
drew on horror films in “Yella”
–– and German documentar-
ian Harun Farocki, whose short
“Nothing Ventured” is included
as a bonus on the “Yella” DVD,
and who served as script con-
sultant on “Jerichow.” Petzold’s
films are short and fast-paced,
yet their indictment of material-
ism –– including the suggestion
that it has destroyed the mean-
ingfulness of the well-rounded
narrative with psychologically
convincing characters –– seems
very European. All the same, the
two films don’t offer their char-
acters any alternatives. In Wim
Wenders’ “Kings of the Road,”
a character complains, “The
Yanks have colonized our sub-
conscious!” That was the ’70s.
In “Yella” and “Jerichow,” money
dominates the imagination. As
in the Rainer Werner Fassbinder
oeuvre, love is warped by cash.
Petzold has the makings of
a major filmmaker, but I’m not
lican, that may be the achieve-
ment that could advance the
cause of gay rights today. There
should be zero tolerance on
this issue. Every time we see an
instance of discrimination on
this issue, it should be called out
and changed.
GK: That’s why you are a
straight man making this film.
sure he’s there yet. “Yella” had
one major flaw –– a reliance on
a gimmicky, and easy to guess,
twist as its ending. Here, the
problems lie with the casting.
As we were leaving the screen-
ing of “Jerichow,” a friend com-
pared Fürmann to wrestler/
actor John Cena. With a tattoo
on his left shoulder and his hair
shaved down to a dense stubble,
the actor looks the part. How-
ever, his portrayal of brooding
machismo, grounded in a mili-
tary background, is forced and
wooden, never all that convinc-
ing. If Bruce Willis spoke Ger-
man, the role would be perfect
for him; even Dwayne “the Rock”
Johnson could do better than
Fürmann. By contrast, Sozer
manages to go from nebbish to
menace in a manner of seconds.
He’s both frightening and vulner-
able, villainous and sympathetic.
While “The Postman Always
Rings Twice” has been adapted
to film several times, making
one third of the love triangle a
Turkish immigrant gives the
story a new twist. However, Pet-
zold makes few overt references
to German racism or Turkish
alienation. When Ali speaks
about “a woman that I bought
and a country that doesn’t want
me,” his anger almost comes as
a surprise, although it’s perfect-
ly understandable. “Jerichow”
doesn’t dwell on violence, but it
offers several unexpected bursts
of brutality. All the way through,
one senses that the characters,
each of whom hides volatile
secrets, could begin throwing
punches at any moment.
Despite its flaws, Petzold’s
work pulses with urgency.
Indeed, its excitement about tin-
kering with genre tropes would
be welcome in American cinema
as well.
So, how has this film changed
you?
KD: My gaydar has become
much more refined. I now look
at people — men in particular
––and go, “He’s gay.” I realize
that I would not have known
that two years ago. I would not
have thought about sexual ori-
entation years ago, one way or
another.
14 - 27 MAY 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 MAY 17, from p.20
readings, and hybrid experiments cre-
ated specifically for the Chocolate
Factory’s performance spaces. “The
Theater of Tomorrow” is part of a two-
year cycle of creation that culminates
next spring with a documentary piece,
“The Really Big Once,” exploring the
relationship between Williams and Elia
Kazan and their “Camino Real” col-
laboration. Works presented during the
May 17-Jun. 6 festival include Gertrude
Stein’s “A Family of Perhaps Three,”
selections from Zora Neale Hurston’s
“Cold Keener,” Eugene O’Neill’s “(oh
my god I am so) Thirst(y) (mostly),” Edna
St. Vincent Millay’s “Aria Da Capo,” and
e.e. comings’ “Tom.” Chocolate Fac-
tory Theater, 5-49 49th Ave., btwn.
Fifth St. & Vernon Blvd., Long Island
City (#7 train to Vernon/Jackson).
Event prices range from free to $15. For
complete schedule and ticket purchase,
visit chocolatefactorytheater.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
ADVOCACY
MON.MAY.18
Standing Up to
Hate
The Imperial Court of New York
hosts a Meet & Greet with the Mat-
thew Shepard Foundation that will
feature remarks by Judy Shepard,
the group’s executive director and the
mother of the gay Wyoming college
student brutally slain in 1998. LGBT
Community Center, 208 W. 13th St.,
7-9 p.m. Suggested donation of $10 at
the door.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Fairness In
Advertising
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) hosts a launch
party for its new Advertising Media
Program, which picks up the work of
the former Commercial Closet, which
ended its existence last year after a
fiery conflict with that group’s found-
er. The new GLAAD program aims to
ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive
images of the LGBT community in
advertising. The evening will be a net-
working event with hors d’oeuvres and
an open bar. Alvin Ailey Studios, 405
W. 55th St., 7 – 9 p.m. Admission is
$25 at glaad.org.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
䉴 14 DAYS, continued on p.24
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM 14 – 27 MAY 2009 23

24/ Opera
Big Breaks
Subs enliven Met’s closing weeks
BY DAVID SHENGOLD
L
ast-minute substitutions
at classical events can be
thrilling or disheartening.
Different genres present differ-
ent possibilities. When at very
short notice Krystian Zimmer-
man had to cancel an April 6
solo Carnegie piano recital, the
very different but equally gift-
ed Vladimir Feltsman stepped
in to present a stirring Bach/
Beethoven/Musorgsky pro-
gram.
But solo pianists work alone,
usually having a reservoir of
works ready for performance
scrutiny. Vocal recitalists face
different challenges — their
schedules must mesh with
accompanists’, but also with
their own operatic and orches-
tral gigs, which may be incom-
patible with the demands of
evening-long programs. Pre-
senters filling sudden gaps in
recital series usually prefer
to find someone of compara-
ble stature already on a tour
schedule allowing the singer
and pianist suf ficient time
for an add-on. So when Soile
Iskokoski cancelled a Zankel
recital due to a family emer -
gency, the hall stayed dark.
Winning Turns
Joseph Calleja’s distinctive beauty in “L’Elisir D’Amore” and “Rigoletto”
BY ELI JACOBSON
S
pring has sprung but
illness, family crises,
vocal problems, and
other unspoken matters have
sidelined almost a dozen of the
scheduled performers at the
Metropolitan Opera over the
past two months. This rash of
cancellations has kept the Met
artistic administration scram-
bling around the clock finding
replacements with no time for
picking daisies or days at the
beach.
The most inevitable of these
cancellations was the with-
drawal of Rolando Villazon from
an all-star revival of “L’Elisir
D’Amore” due to laryngitis.
Bryn Terfel had withdrawn from
fast. Italian diva Barbara Frit-
toli, slated for Anna’s role, was
switched to Elvira; and L yric
Opera of Chicago-developed
Erin Wall joined the Met in
Frittoli’s place. This change
accompanied Pavol Breslik’s
already-scheduled debut as
Ottavio.
As seen April 20, “Don Gio-
vanni” proved a worthwhile
performance, due to a solid
cast more than to the barren
production or Louis Langree’s
sometimes eloquent but gen-
erally unfocused conducting.
BEATRIZ SCHILLER/ METROPOLITAN OPERA Wall, a handsome Canadian
with a bright, sizable soprano,
has made Anna her calling
card and gave a very accom-
plished performance. Frittoli
— her native mastery of the
words a major asset — turned
in one of her best recent out-
Among the substitutions at the first “Sieg- ings vocally, a sympathetic
fried” at the Met, Robert Brubaker made the and complex Elvira. Breslik,
sometimes unlistenable role of Mime a star a Slovakian tenor, proves slim
vehicle. and cute in the way current
marketing-driven casting dic-
However, the Met — where tates. Youtube reveals him
the second-run of “Don Gio- pushed beyond his undoubt-
vanni” was to have featured ed abilities — “Lucrezia Bor -
the beautiful-voiced Finnish gia”?!! — offering a lesson to
soprano in what was report- fast-tracked, camera-friend-
edly her last company contract ly younger singers like Alek
as Elvira — needed to work Shrader. His Ottavio was capa-
the role of Dulcamara before
the season started, leaving only
Angela Gheorghiu to supply the
star factor. Italian lyric tenor
Massimo Giordano was flown in
from Berlin just in time for the
final dress rehearsal. Giordano
took over the opening night and
the following Saturday matinee
radio broadcast. Ideally “Eli-
sir” is an ensemble piece with a
comedic star turn for the tenor.
The backstage drama left the
piece out of balance. Giordano
has a pleasant but shallow and
monochromatic lyric tenor of
the right size and quality, but
rather plain ideas about phras-
ing and dynamics. Mostly it was
four-square phrasing at mezzo
Joseph Calleja as the Duke and Diana Damrau at Gilda turned in winning performances in
䉴 WINNING TURNS, continued on p.25 “Rigoletto.”
14 - 27 MAY 2009
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
ble — small-scale in ensem- 䉴 14 DAYS, from p.22
bles, artful if nearing tonal
limits in the arias. After the
overemphatic Erwin Schrott’s
“sitcom macho” Giovanni this
fall, Peter Mattei’s relaxed, gor- COMMUNITY
WED.MAY 20
geously sung interpretation fell Just Coming Out?
as balm to the ear — some of Identity House, the city’s oldest all-
the most accomplished and volunteer GLBTQ organization, is host-
unforced vocalism heard here- ing an eight-week coming out group
abouts all season. Arcibravo! for those looking for support during a
critical moment in their lives. The group
T
he company pulled a will meet for eight successive Wednes-
rabbit out of a hat April day evenings beginning tonight. For
8 when, given Rolando complete information on the pro-
Villazon’s continued inability to gram, email the group facilitator,
perform, they presented Barry Jim Arnoff, at Jimboxox@aol.com.
Banks as a one-night-only Nem- ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
orino in “L’elisir d’amore”. The
British tenor hit one out of the NIGHTLIFE
park, with an energetic, stylish Bingo With Benefits
and endearing characterization Diva Flotilla joins Will Clark in co-
in attractive, modulated sound. calling another evening of Porno Bingo,
In any sane universe Nemo- tonight benefiting Team New York
rino gets the final bow in “Eli- Aquatics, a group of more than 175
sir”; she who seized it — Angela swimmers who compete in the Gay
Gheorghiu — sounded excel- Games and other LGBT and otherwise
lent, especially in her expansive sports events. Seth Bedford will sing,
top octave. Adina’s music suits and hottie go-go stud Tass will shuck
Gheorghiu very well; it’s a pity his clothes as the game progresses.
not one moment of emotional Pieces, 8 Christopher St. at Sixth
truth intruded on her calcu- Ave., 8-10 p.m.
lated, self-impressed, ultimately ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
depressing performance.
䉴 BIG BREAKS, continued on p.25
NIGHTLIFE
THU.MAY.21
Dirty South
Daniel Nardicio and Sweetie offer
up a visit to hillbilly heaven with a
kooky, queer, country night, spinning
classic country, rock-a-billy, southern
rock, square dance, and gospel. Sweetie
will sling drinks and talk some shit, and
there will be spiked watermelon balls
all night from Banana Boy and 3 danc-
ers who give new meaning to the term
“dirty South.” The Hose, 225 Avenue
B at 13th St., second fl, 10 p.m.
Admission is $4.99.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
NIGHTLIFE
FRI.MAY.22
Broke Straight
Boys
BY ELI JACOBSON
Trash at Splash offers up an eve-
ning of broke straight boys up for —
what? They’ll be hand in den of sin in the
bar’s basement, along with lots of alter-
䉴 MAY 22, continued on p.26
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
䉴 BIG BREAKS, from p.24
S
till-unexplained circumstanc-
es deprived Met audiences of
Christine Brewer’s Bruen-
nhilde, perhaps the season’s most
awaited assumption. Illness played
havoc with other “Ring” elements.
The first “Siegfried” (April 18) went on
with three non-last minute subs. The
strongest of them was American tenor
Robert Brubaker, a very skilled sing-
ing actor with a strong, useful voice
who made the sometimes unlistenable
role of Mime a star vehicle. Brubaker
saved the Volpe administration’s skin
in 2001’s “Doktor Faust,” but was
asked back only briefly. European
companies seem to know his worth;
surely after the warm audience recep-
tion here he’ll return. His fine perfor-
mance literally dwarfed the debuting
Siegfried, Christian Franz — not the
䉴 WINNING TURNS, from p.24
forte with the occasional hint of croon.
His acting was high on energy but low on
individual character development.
Simone Alaimo as Dr. Dulcamara and
Franco Vassallo as Belcore had solid
professionalism and some idiomatic flair,
but seemed to be working in a vacuum.
That left Gheorghiu to decide that the
title of the opera was really “I Capricci
d’Adina” and take center stage — and
the final star bow. Keeping the energy
level high, the Rumanian diva poured
on the high spirits, high notes, and
feminine wiles. The middle voice is more
smoke than fire these days, but one had
to admire her determination to give the
audience full value while looking past the
rather self-regarding manner and lack of
real engagement with her colleagues.
Showing the effects of a disrupted
rehearsal period, Maurizio Benini insti-
tuted fast and rigid tempos, hoping that
everyone would fall into line, which made
for an oddly mechanical yet imprecise
performance.
As Villazon’s laryngitis persisted, two
other tenors, the elfin Barry Banks and
native New Yorker Dmitri Pittas, took
over his remaining performances. The
young Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja was
always scheduled for the last show on
April 22, and this proved to be the best of
the run. A tall husky man with a broad
open face and warmly engaging person-
ality, Calleja’s voice is still developing yet
already a thing of complex and distinc-
tive beauty. The sound is large yet nar-
rowly focused, with a slightly reedy vibra-
to in the middle that gives the sound a
plaintive urgency. The timbre is honeyed
and the top notes in recent years have
taken on a more focused golden ring.
But Calleja’s most treasurable quality is
that he treats the music lovingly, often
beginning and finishing his phrases with
a caressing mezza voce. Also showing
strong stage presence and acting ability,
14 – 27 MAY 2009
worst anyone has heard but far from
the best. He offered native diction and
affability in this “dumb jock” role, but
an uncompelling, rather diminutive
tone. A Heldentenorino? Franz seemed
unable to produce soft singing with-
out going off support, leading increas-
ingly to pitch problems. By Act III, he
sounded exhausted and approximate,
especially when trying to ramp up the
volume.
Irene Theorin — cheered to the
echo — sounded fresh and pleasant
at moderate volume; under pressure
she wavered and both high Cs were
screamy. Looking lovely and acting
with warm conviction seemed enough
to an audience increasingly urged to
hear with its eyes. Wendy White (Erda)
was no disgrace; also no contralto.
Happily, James Morris regained
impressive form for perhaps his final
“Ring” broadcast; even sporting that
Calleja performed Nemorino as a naive
yet exuberant teddy bear with a heart
bigger than his brain that ultimately took
him where he needed to be.
Nicole Cabell, the second cast Adina,
has a velvety timbre but the tone seemed
strangely unsubstantial until it opened
up in her final aria. Vassallo and Alaimo
now seemed part of a team and showed
real vivacity and comic brio. By the
end of the evening, the entire audience
seemed to be feeling the effects of Dul-
camara’s love potion and gave Calleja a
roaring ovation as he took the final star
bow.
C
alleja’s debut role at the Met in
2006 was as the Duke in “Rigo-
letto,” and he returned to the
role this April in an interesting second
cast. He showed that though a cad, the
Duke is an aristocrat; the elegance and
tenderness of his vocal manner is the
veil for his sins. Revealing herself once
againthe real “singing actress,” Diana
Damrau as Gilda integrated a perfectly
controlled, technically secure voice into
an untraditional interpretation. All of
her vocal effects were used to create
specific emotional reactions working
off of the music rather than compet-
ing with it for attention. Eschewing
the usual passive lamb to the slaugh-
ter approach, Damrau’s Gilda was a
headstrong teenager clearly chafing
at her seclusion and the secrecy that
surrounded her home. Her initial duet
with Rigoletto showed her trying to
pry information from him and reacting
with frustration and anger when she
failed to discover her father’s secrets.
The intricacies of “Caro Nome” were
attuned to the hormonal rush of a
young girl’s first romantic experience,
the high staccati were excited giggles,
and the downward runs were dreamy
sighs. The conception did become less
convincing as this obviously smart and
willful young girl sacrifices her life to save
25
awful Father Guido Sarducci hat, his improved, but her singing gave great
Wanderer exuded dignity. Richard pleasure. As yet she seems more con-
Paul Fink’s reliably strong Alberich nected with and moved by the music
and Lisette Oropesa’s fresh Waldvo- than by the words; part of this cycle
gel merited praise. But, along with is, after all, about maturity and
Brubaker, the real heroes were James renunciation. One hopes Meade will
Levine and the phenomenal orchestra choose repertory carefully and that
— excepting, alas, problematic lead her gorgeous soprano will have many
trumpets. more outings in Strauss’ sublime
cycle. (On July 31 with Will Crutch-
A
pril 16 in Philadelphia’s Perel- field at Caramoor, she treads into very
man Theatre, up-and-coming different waters, as Rossini’s Semir -
soprano Angela Meade — who amide opposite Vivica Genaux, Law-
made her own Met emergency debut rence Brownlee, and Daniel Mobbs
in “Ernani” last year — sang Rich- — a “don’t miss” date.) Under the
ard Strauss’ iconic “Four Last Songs” nuanced baton of Rossen Milanov,
under the auspices of the Astral Philly-based Symphony in C gave
Foundation, which promotes and aids good support; concertmistress Robyn
developing classical artists. Meade, Bollinger aced the soaring lines of
who is still an AVA student, displayed “Beim Schlafengehen.”
a truly lovely sound, beautifully pro-
duced. Some details of pronuncia- David Shengold (shengold@yahoo.com)
tion and breath placement might be writes about opera for many venues.
a man clearly unworthy of her. Some of lion against the corrupt society he inhab-
Damrau’s business in the last act began its. Native Italian diction and insight into
to seem contrived and busy, but clearly the text combined with securely pro-
this was a major artist at work, and she duced medium-sized tone helped Fron-
held the audience rapt to her every utter- tali create a moving portrait of the jester.
ance and gesture. Conductor Ricardo Frizza had some
Roberto Frontali as Rigoletto grew on odd ideas about tempos, but worked well
me as the evening progressed. Not an with his soloists and musicians. Thanks
imposing man or a true dramatic bari- to a distinctive and involved trio of leads,
tone, his anti-heroic sound and presence this “Rigoletto” proved a revival with a
revealed an underdog in a doomed rebel- strong dramatic and musical pulse.
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26
■ IN THE NOH
Song and Dance Man
Leslie as Lena, Ebersole’s garage band fantasy, d-ivine Duvivier
BY DAVID NOH
Y
ou won’t see a more daz-
zling or beautifully heart-
felt show — defining the
very meaning of “show business”
— than Jon Peterson’s “Song
and Dance Man” at the Triad
Theater (May 18, 20; triadnyc.
com). In it, he pays virtuosic tri-
ple-threat tribute to his inspira-
tions — George M. Cohan, Fred
Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bobby Dar-
rin, and Anthony Newley. With
his brilliant, graceful tapping, he
transforms the tiny stage into a
Hollywood sound studio and
vocally encompasses everything
from the dulcet, husky tones of
Kelly (totally recreating “Singin’
in the Rain”) to Newley’s trade-
mark nasal machine-gun vibra-
to. And when he sings Irving
Berlin’s “It Only Happens When
I Dance with You,” you wonder
if Astaire really did it any better.
It’s a complete education in per-
formance disciplines, as well as a
total bewitchment.
Darrin, who tragically died
young of rheumatic heart dis-
ease at age 36, must have a par-
ticular relevance for 47-year-old
Peterson, who himself was born
with a hole in his heart. He told
me, “The doctors opened me up
and I’m about 70 percent normal
now, but they don’t really know
much more about it than what
they tell me. They say I might
have until 50 and I’m getting
there, but I feel pretty good. It
comes in and out.”
Given the high stress level of
performing, not to mention the
intense heat-amplified yoga he
is a practitioner of, one is lost in
admiration for his pure stamina.
“The answer is I rest a few hours
and then get up and do some-
thing, even after an operation,”
he said. “It’s the only way to live
— just get up! The yoga purges
you of all the toxins and is like a
near-death experience, but two
hours after class you feel amaz-
ing. Seven weeks after my open
heart surgery, I was back in
class.”
Peterson has performed since
he was a child at London’s Royal
Ballet School (“Imagine being bul-
lied for being a good dancer, but
at ballet school?”) and is a vet-
eran of innumerable shows on
two continents, including “The
Sound of Music” with Petula
Demon triple threat Jon Peterson, currently
providing the best evening of entertainment
in town at the Triad.
Clark (“lovely, and I thought bet-
ter than Julie Andrews”), a musi-
cal version of “Mutiny on the
Bounty” (entitled — you guessed
it — “Mutiny!”), his long-dreamt
of role in “Cats,” and musical
videos with Sarah Brightman
(“She and Andrew Lloyd Webber
wouldn’t even look at us danc-
ers”) and Duran Duran (“John
Taylor was the nicest, and even
remembered me years later”).
Here, he understudied the
role of the Emcee in “Cabaret,”
with Norbert Butz (“I had a big
crush on him — there’s noth-
ing he can’t do”) and got to go on
quite a bit. Teri Hatcher opened
the show in Los Angeles: “Very
sweet and not really a singer, but
for those scenes when she fell
apart, I think she had the edge
on all the other Sally Bowleses.
The press tore her apart – I think
there was some kind of personal
vendetta. She was very upset.”
He also understudied John Sta-
mos: “God! He was very nice,
but I couldn’t be the one to say,
‘Did you hear that?’ because it
sounded like sour grapes and
I was just happy to have a job.
But when I’d have to go on with
Molly Ringwald, and she was so
distant with me. After a while,
she said to one of the girls, ‘He’s
quite good, isn’t he?,’ reluctantly,
but she would never speak to
me. Everyone — when they left
the show — would write on the
wall of the wardrobe, so I wrote,
‘Goodbye to everybody, except
Molly Ringwald.’”
Peterson has a partner of
seven years, actor John Salva-
tore: “He’s playing Bob Crewe in
“Jersey Boys” in Vegas now. We
14 – 27 MAY 2009
met doing “A Chorus Line” in St.
Louis — I was Paul and he was
Bobby. We’re an old married
couple now, but I never thought I
could be with an actor. I was the
least equipped person to main-
tain a relationship in the theater.
But he’s very stable and what we
do has nothing to do with us—
we just have this common prob-
lem.”
It’s a downright crime that, as
Peterson said, “I never work. Tara
Rubin is the casting director who
does all the Broadway shows. For
a while, she would have me in for
everything and kind of fucked
me around a little. She’d call me
in, and then say, ‘Why are you
here?’ So then I refused to go in
for her shows anymore and she
got pissed off, and now that’s it.
So, basically, I can’t do Broad-
way now because of her. Write
that — I don’t care.” This kind of
casting fascism has resulted in
audiences having to watch, so
often, the same groan-inducing
tired faces doing the same tired
things in role after role, when
there’s a city full of ignored or
untried real fresh talent out
there who could deliver the
magic so often lacking on stage.
Here’s hoping that Peterson gets
the opportunities to shine that
he so eminently deserves; by
the way, his dream role is “The
Roar of the Greasepaint”: “But
the book is so bad, although the
music’s fantastic!”
A
nother performer I’m
longing to see more of
is Leslie Uggams, espe-
cially in her Lena Horne show,
“Stormy Weather,” which fin-
KEVIN BERNE
Leslie Uggams recently dazzled Los Angeles
as Lena Horne in “Stormy Weather,” which is
trying to come into New York.
ished a run in Los Angeles. She
was at the AMAS Musical The-
atre Gala on March 30 to deliv-
er an honorary award to “my
sister,” Dionne Warwick. The
evening was a gorgeous illus-
tration of “Black Don’t Crack,”
as these two ageless wonders
shared the stage with Tony win-
ner Vivian Reed, who brought
down the house with “God Bless
the Child,” blazingly delivered (“I
don’t need no mic!”). Warwick
gave one of the funniest accep-
tance speeches ever heard, as
she confessed initial ignorance
of AMAS, saying she is more a
music than theater person —
and then described how difficult
it was for her to get any further
info, like when and where the
event was being held, so that
she made it there just about in
time for her award.
Uggams later described
“Stormy Weather” to me: Tony
nominee “Martin Pakledinaz gave
us the most incredible costumes.
I just love him. We were all so
beautifully dressed. I’ve known
Lena forever. In fact, I’m a Delta
sorority girl and she pinned me,
so there’s quite a few connec-
tions. This is a show about loving
a woman who opened so many
doors and did so many things
people are not even aware of,
and this musical just blows peo-
ple away because that side of her
they never knew. She’s a com-
plex, beautiful lady who’s been
through a lot in her personal as
well as theatrical life. This new
generation, and even her own,
are not even aware of the great
civil rights things she did. And,
of course, you can’t beat the
music — she sang the best songs
and they’re all here. It’s been an
incredible experience, and in Pas-
adena, people went crazy.
“Lena is 91 now and with
her family — she doesn’t really
socialize. Her daughter, Gail,
knows I’m playing her, so I’m
sure she’s well aware of it. We’re
hoping to bring it here in 2010,
but we have to find a theater.
Right now, everything is hop-
ping, which is good, considering
this economy.”
Asked her secret for remain-
ing so ageless, she laughed, “It’s
my beautiful daughter here with
me and my beautiful husband.
䉴 IN THE NOH, continued on p.27
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 MAY 22, from p.24
nafags. At 2 a.m., the dancers will wash
off their sins in the showers. Admission
is $15, with $2 drinks from 10 to 11 p.m.
50 W. 17th St.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
AT THE BEACH
SAT.MAY.23
Cherry Boxers &
Briefs
Daniel Nardicio, the man who brought
Fire Island the original underwear party
six years ago, is back with a summer full
of shenanigans. Tonight he hosts a Box-
ers & Briefs Summer Kick-Off at the Ice
Palace in Cherry Grove, importing
some of New York City’s hottest dancers,
including Shay, Ricky, and Matt Camp. If
you’re in the Pines, join the Meat Rack
Parade that will leave the Pavilion
at 10:30 p.m. Admission is $5 all night.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
COMEDY
SUN.MAY.24
A Memorable,
Memorial B-Day
“The Electro Shock Therapy Com-
edy Hour,” tonight celebrating host Brad
Loekle’s gay birthday, Keith Price (Sirius XM
Radio), Jessimae (Brad’s “favorite thing”
winner from 2008), Yamaneika (NBC’s
“Stand Up for Diversity”); and Michelle
Buteau (“Last Comic Standing” on Comedy
Central). Therapy, 348 W. 52nd St., 10
p.m. No cover charge; $6 cosmos all night.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
MON.MAY.25
PERFORMANCE
Hedda Sheridan
Square
Tonight’s edition of “Broadway
Speaks OUT” features Ano Okera,
Frankie James Grande, and drag super-
star Hedda Lettuce in a benefit perfor-
mance for the Ali Forney Center, which
houses and provides social and support
services to homeless LGBT youth. The
Duplex, 61 Christopher St. at Sheri-
dan Sq., 9:30 p.m. There’s a $10 cover,
plus a two-drink minimum.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
Sneak Preview
Scott Nevins’ “Curtain Call” wel-
comes Mel & El, whose “Show & Tell”
䉴 MAY 25, continued on p.29
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
䉴 IN THE NOH, from p.26
I’m happily married and they keep me
grounded!”
C
hristine Ebersole made her long-
cherished fantasy of performing
garage band cover songs come
true at Birdland on May 4. She began
nice and easy with “Skylark” and “The
Nearness of You”, and then segued into
“Woodstock,” a touching rendition of the
Dixie Chicks’ “Two Days Past,” and “The
End of the World,” which, always bless-
edly political, she dedicated to Ben Ber-
nanke and the Federal Reserve. This
amazing all-purpose diva, who can sing
anything from jazz stylings to the sopra-
no lyricism of “Camelot,” showed even
more vocal shadings on hard rockers
and gospel, and did an exquisite job on
Linda Ronstadt’s “Prisoner in Disguise.”
J
ulien Duvivier (1896-1967) was
indisputably one of the great-
est French film directors, and the
Museum of Modern Art is holding a rare
major retrospective of him (through May
25; moma.org), featuring many works
unseen in this country. Despite his emi-
nence, with scores of classic films to his
credit in the 1950s, the upstart auteur
critics-soon-to-become-New Wave direc-
tors of the magazine Cahiers du Cin-
ema, like Francois Truffaut, denigrated
Duvivier as a mere craftsman. The rap
on him was that he never put his indi-
vidual stamp on films, the way Hitch-
cock or John Ford did, with their repeti-
tive themes, cameo appearances, and
stock companies of actors. Pure merde!
Duvivier, like William Wyler — another
disfavored director — was non-narcissis-
tically content to tackle every genre and
serve the material in the best, fullest way
he could, which was often brilliant. A
viewing of “La tete d’un home” (1933), for
example, proved that, not only could he
make a gripping, emotionally rich crime
thriller, which would influence every film
noir to follow, but his experimentation
with early sound techniques, as well as
innovative camerawork and cutting, pre-
saged any so-called revolutionary efforts
by the likes of Truffaut or Godard a gen-
eration later.
Although Duvivier was by all accounts
heterosexual, a certain queer sensibility
permeates many of his films, particularly
“La Bandera” (1935), which has a campy
gay American Foreign Legionnaire, as well
as a startling scene set in a Barcelona
䉴 ROCKY ROADS, from p.19
Hampered by the director, the perfor-
>Ê˜œÜ
mances are uniformly insufferable. The
amazing talents of Brian Dennehy as
Ephraim, Carla Gugino as Abbie, and,
especially, Pablo Schreiber as Eben are
completely wasted. Dennehy is out of
control, a sputtering tyrant with no dis-
cernible motivation. Gugino gives a one-
14 – 27 MAY 2009 27
Vivien Leigh in Julien Duvivier’s beautiful but strangely
unsatisfying “Anna Karenina,” being shown at Museum
of Modern Art.
bar populated by drag queens (“Females
are not the only hustlers here,” hero Jean
Gabin is warned.)
MOMA is showing his big interna-
tional successes like “Un Carnet de Bal”
and “Pepe le Moko,” perhaps the great-
est 1930s romantic melodrama of them
all, as well as rarities anyone would be a
fool to miss. Duvivier came to Hollywood
in 1937 and made MGM’s lavishly kitsch
“The Great Waltz,” with its star Miliza Kor-
jus (of the steam kettle coloratura, who
would inspire James McCourt’s opera
novel, “Mawrdew Czgowchwz”) and a
campy sequence of Johann Strauss com-
posing “Tales of the Vienna Woods,” lit-
erally while riding through said woods. Gay,
You can also catch his lavish, strangely
unsatisfying “Anna Karenina,” starring Str8,
a supposedly perfectly cast but wan, Bi,
Cecil Beaton-gowned Vivien Leigh, who Curious?
doesn’t emerge half as sympathetic as
Ralph Richardson’s brilliant Karenin.
Kieron Moore is pretty but extremely
lightweight as her lover, Vronsky, and,
without a proper strong love object to
sacrifice everything for, Anna emerges
as the “deeply mediocre woman” gay
critic James Agate once described her
as. Co-curator Lenny Borger introduces
the films with deep perception, and told
me these films are rarely shown in France,
particularly at the national Cinema-
theque, which still clings to the old critical
disdain for Duvivier. This history-negating
stupidity extends as well to other vintage
directors, like Jacques Feyder, who you
will never see revived there.
Contact David Noh at Inthenoh@aol.
com and check out his new blog at http://
nohway.wordpress.com/.
note performance of a craven opportun-
ist. And Schreiber is bland and sexless,
with zero chemistry between him and /ÀÞʈÌÊÀiiÊUÊ
Gugino.
I have no doubt that many will think
that this is “important” theater, and
646-731-6658
reaction to this production has diverged
wildly. I would have been just as happy
to see that elevated house fall on all of
them so I could go home sooner. 1800GayLive.com MC 7003 Ent only 18+ *Limited Free Trial Photography by Kevin E. McPherson
28
䉴 GOOCH, from p.1
sui generis Flannery O’Connor (1925-
1964) was turning out stories and nov-
els set in similar territory remarkable for
their combination of satire, humanity,
and apocalyptic fierceness. Her osten-
sibly simple, often arcane stories rever-
berate with profound implications, such
as the Christian concept of faith, free will,
and redemptive grace through ordeal.
O’Connor once wrote, “Grace changes us
and change is painful.”
Raised a Roman Catholic in the seg-
regationist Protestant Bible Belt, where
Catholics and Jews were looked on with
suspicion, O’Connor, with her predilec-
tion for exotic fowl, knew what it was to
be a duck out of water. “Catholics were
explicitly banned, along with rum, law-
yers, and blacks under the Georgia Trust
in 1733,” Gooch write. Yet, in addition to
the local fauna, O’Connor was fascinated
the pixilated rednecks and unholy Bible-
thumping grifters who inhabit her work.
The cosmic humor and nihilistic violence
of her first novel, “Wise Blood,” left many
reviewers miffed, and scandalized the
Southern ladies who lunched, who con-
sidered Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with
the Wind” the ne plus ultra of respectable
Dixie fiction. When critics often highlight-
ed the brutality in her work, such as that
perpetrated by The Misfit in “A Good Man
Is Hard To Find,” O’ Connor unapolo-
getically countered: “I am tired of reading
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14 – 27 MAY 2009
FLANNERY:
A LIFE OF FLANNERY O’CONNOR
By Brad Gooch
Little, Brown
$30; 464 pages
charged from the military for being a les-
bian and was the recipient of a weekly
letter from O’Connor for more than a
decade; the reclusive Hester was given
the pseudonym “A.,” and her identity
was not known until after she killed her-
self in 1998. A large cache of these letters
held in Emory University archives were
only made available to scholars in 2007.
Gooch cites “the weird literary battle for
Betty’s soul” after Hester became a fan of
LITTLE, BROWN
British existentialist writer Iris Murdoch,
whom O’Connor blamed for leading her
friend away from the Catholic faith, and
With “Flannery,” gay writer Brad Gooch realizes a 20-year with whom Hester corresponded until her
literary wish. suicide.
A former runway model, Gooch is the
reviews that call ‘A Good Man’ brutal and author of “City Poet: The Life and Times
sarcastic… The stories are hard but they of Frank O’Hara,” short stories (“Jail-
are hard because there is nothing harder bait”), two novels, “Scary Kisses” and “The
or less sentimental than Christian real- Golden Age of Promiscuity,” as well as the
ism... When I see these stories described inspirational guides for gay men, “Finding
as horror stories I am always amused the Boyfriend Within,” “Dating the Greek
because the reviewer always has hold of Gods,” and “Godtalk: Travels in Spiritual
the wrong horror.” America.” He is also a professor of Eng-
O’Conner’s deep religiosity was not doc- lish at William Paterson University in New
trinaire or moralistic, as is demonstrated Jersey, and lives in New York City.
by her loyalty to her fan and best friend, His interest in writing an O’Connor bio
Betty Hester, who was dishonorably dis- began more than 20 years ago, when it
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was forestalled after he learned that her
friend, Sally Fitzgerald, was working on
a memoir of the writer; however, Fitzger-
ald died in 2000 at 83, without complet-
ing the manuscript, and three years later,
Gooch took up the gauntlet. His extensive
research included travels to O’Connor’s
hometown and numerous archives, and
interviews with surviving friends and
relations. Gooch also gives readers a fine
account of O’Connor’s extracurricular
activities during her stay at the famous
artists’ colony, Yaddo, located near Sara-
toga Springs, where writers such as Tru-
man Capote, Patricia Highsmith, and
Carson McCullers resided. “Katherine
Ann Porter shared a chicken dinner with
her fellow guest Eudora Welty — and had
the dubious pleasure of finding Carson
McCullers stretched across her doorway
in the main mansion, professing undy-
ing love, as she simply stepped over her
admirer on the way to dinner.”
Although an ardent fan, Gooch writes
honestly and lucidly, without excessively
gilding his iconic peacock; he presents the
cantankerous O’Connor and her coevals
evenhandedly, while supplying a fine
running commentary on the significant
events and influences that helped shape
her work. He also demonstrates just
how much luck and experience — either
through editors, colleagues, or seren-
dipitous news stories — can come to the
䉴 GOOCH, continued on p.29
Sponsors: The Phoenix, Provincetown Banner,
HBO, Bacardi, Crown & Anchor, Art House,
Mass. Cultural Council, Visitors Service Bureau
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 MAY 25, from p.26
is playing a limited engagement at Ars
Nova (511 W. 54th St., arsnovanyc.
com) through May 30. Splash, 40 W.
17th St., 11:30 p.m. Admission is free
until 10 p.m., $5 after. You must be 21.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ [S]he insisted that ‘the story as a
POETRY
WED.MAY.27
The Bard of
Brooklyn
The Walt Whitman Project celebrates
the great American poet’s 190th birth-
day with the Sixth Annual Walt Whit-
man Birthday Bash with scholars,
speakers, and performers, including
Jonathan Ned Katz, author of the land-
mark “Gay American History,” who dis-
cusses Whitman’s “Calamus” poems
that celebrate the love of men for men;
Michael Roberstson, author of “Wor-
shipping Walt: The Whitman Disciples,”
a Princeton University Press book that
discusses a fellowship of followers in
England dating back 150 years; Walter
Raubicheck, chair of Pace University’s
English Department, who reads Whit-
man’s works that influenced the Beat
poets; Cynthia Shor, executive direc-
tor of the Walt Whitman Birthplace
Association, who discusses the still-
standing Long Island house in which
Whitman was born; Judith Jarosz and
David Fuller, actors from Theater Ten
Ten, who read Whitman’s prose about
Abraham Lincoln; soprano Reyna Car-
guill, who sings “When Lilacs Last In
The Dooryard Bloom’d” with music by
Jack Perla; and composer Paul Vasile,
who performs the world premiere
of his organ solo inspired by a Whit-
man poem. Park Avenue Christian
Church, 1010 Park Ave. at 85th St.,
7 p.m. Admission is free, but reserve a
seat at 212-288-3246, ext. 300.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ of this, the sort of Catholic stuff
BOOKS
Sex, Gore & Dark
Humor
Internationally acclaimed gay writer
Dennis Cooper makes a rare appearance
to talk about his new short story collec-
tion, “Ugly Man,” which plumbs veins
of dark humor amid the sex and gore
his fans have come to expect. Cooper
is interviewed by Tony O’Neill, author
of “Down and Out on Murder Mile” and
a former band member with the Brian
Jones Massacre. The Bryant Park
Reading Room, 42nd St. side under
䉴 MAY 27, continued on p.30
䉴 GOOCH, from p.28
aid of true genius. For instance,
Gooch explains how an editor of
the Kenyon Review balked at the
“racist ring” of O’Connor’s title for
the story “The Artificial Nigger”:
“But O’Connor viewed the story’s
diminutive plaster-of-Paris statue
— provoking the healing of a rift
between uncle and nephew—as
a textbook Christ symbol, sug-
gesting ‘the redemptive quality of
the Negro’s suffering for us all’…
whole is much more damaging to
white folk’s sensibilities than to
black’. Her jarring title stuck.”
Gooch spoke recently with Gay
City News about his interest in
O’Connor and putting the biogra-
phy together.
Michael Ehrhardt: Did you
have access to Sally Fitzgerald’s
material when you began your
book?
Brad Gooch: Actually, no, I
didn’t. Her papers were just sold
to Emory University. Also, when
I started, the situation was still
unclear whether a biography was
really coming out. And then it was
a touchy subject for Fitzgerald’s
children, who were considering
editing it themselves, so that was
all off into its own sequestered
area.
ME: O’Connor is a true writer’s
writer, and there are certainly
enough reasons why you’d be
interested in writing about her
life, but as the author of “Godtalk:
Travels in Spiritual America,”
were you additionally attracted to
her by her unique religiosity?
BG: Yeah, I liked the combi-
nation. She was an influence
when I was writing stories in the
’70s. And definitely the combina-
tion of the cinematic directness
where you often felt between the
lines this almost medieval spiri-
tual quest. And when I read the
letters, I discovered the extent
going on in the work — then
I became very intrigued. And
there’s a Catholic publisher,
Orbus, who put out a book spe-
cifically about the spiritual writ-
ings of Flannery O’Connor, which
includes a lot of letters. Actually,
there’s something of a movement
afoot to emphasize that part of
her writing more than the other.
And, I think it’s rare to find some-
one who was religious to the
extent that she was and who can
successfully pull off fiction, as
propagandist, that people actu-
ally want to read.
14 – 27 MAY 2009
ME: As a devout Catholic
writer, I guess you can say, she
entered the cathedral by the side
door. Maybe her proselytizing is
most obvious in “ The Displaced
Person,” in which the priest
observes the peacock and mur-
murs: “The Transfiguration.” It
has all the subtly of a blackjack.
BG: Right. But she doesn’t do
it much in the sense that there
are only two walk-ons by Catholic
priests in all her work.
ME: Where do you find the
saving grace in the horrific story
“A Good Man Is Hard To Find.”
It’s almost like a direct confronta-
tion with Satan.
BG: Well, O’Connor’s expla-
nation, and what you get in one
reading of it, is that the grand-
mother gets rattled enough to be
reduced in extremis to her basic
humanity, to where she reaches
out and sees The Misfit as one
of her own children. So, after he
kills her, The Misfit says, “She
would have been a good woman
if she had somebody to shoot her
every minute of her life.”
ME: Damn, but that’s cold!
BG: But that’s pure O’Connor.
It’s hysterically funny and brutal-
ly cold and scary. But her theolo-
gy is very interesting. You first see
it when her father died of lupus
when she was 15, and she wrote
in her journal — with remarkable
maturity for a teen-ager — basi-
cally about God’s grace being like
a bullet in the side. She made this
connection early on between vio-
lence and grace. Also, although
it may be theologically edgy, is
that the Devil can be an agent of
grace. It’s a very medieval con-
cept, and an extreme point of
view of course.
ME: Do you think much of
O’Connor’s work was influenced
by a sense of her own mortality,
and the lupus that haunted and
ultimately killed her at only 39?
BG: Oh, yes. There’s a com-
ment I have by Sally Fitzgerald
that I got from a transcript of an
interview with her, where she
says that after she found out
about her disease, O’Connor
went back to Georgia and felt that
she herself was looking down the
barrel of a gun. And then, during
those first six months back home
she wrote, “A Good Man…,” “The
River,” and “The Life You Save
May Be Your Own.”
ME: I was surprised to read
that O’Connor was such a tal-
ented cartoonist. How come there
aren’t any samples of them in the
book?
BG: I had access to the car-
toons, but the estate didn’t give
permission to reprint them.
ME: Are they good?
BG: Well, the concepts are very
much O’Connor. I mean they’re
not the most finessed drawings,
like Charles Adams, but they are
very sharp satires. I mean, she
basically figured it out by becom-
ing a writer. She sent a lot of them
to The New Yorker, which has the
dubious distinction of rejecting
them, along with her stories; The
New Yorker even sent back “Good
Country People.”
ME: They rejected a lot of
James Purdy’s work, too. I think
he was influenced by O’Connor
as well.
BG: Yes, I love James Purdy.
In fact, she mentions him a few
times in her letters.
ME: She died shortly after
“Malcolm” was published.
BG: I don’t know if she called it
in on “Malcolm.” I know, she was
initially interested in him, but
she soon dismissed him as too
much of an arbitrary grotesque.
When you get the grotesque with-
out the religious aspect, then she
would become suspicious. That’s
what she didn’t like about Car-
son McCullers.. But, I love James
Purdy. He also wrote a great
blurb for my first book “Jailbait,”
and he sent me a nice letter.
ME: Where do you suppose
O’Connor’s dislike of Truman
Capote, Carson McCullers, and
Tennessee Williams rose from?
Was it a form of homophobia?
BG: It wasn’t homophobia
per se. One time, I thought I’d
write an essay called “Flan-
nery O’Connor’s Gay Double,”
inspired by the scene in her “The
Violent Bear It Away,” where this
sort of pederast character rapes
the young boy, which is then his
instrument of grace. Of course, at
that point you can say, ”Oh, Miss
O”Connor!” But I think when you
get down to it, I don’t think it was
homophobia as much as sexu-
ality. Because, even D. H. Law-
rence’s “Lady Chatterly’s Lover”
repelled her. Whenever work that
was overtly sexual in that way,
she was uncomfortable about
it; which is classic Jansenist
Irish Catholic in that way. Also,
it wasn’t that those writers were
gay that she was snarky about
them, and about many of her fel-
low Southern writers, but it was
partly the work and partly the life-
style. She was fine about Eudora
29
Welty and Katherine Anne Porter;
they had a style that was closer
to her; especially Welty, where
she could deal with her mother
and wore dresses and was proper
looking. With Truman, and Car-
son and Tennessee, there was
their flamboyant lifestyle that put
her off. Also, Carson was mean
about O’Connor and claimed
that she ripped her off. So literary
competition came into it, too. So,
I think those two were a little too
close for comfort.
ME: O’Connor’s relationship
with Bette Hester might prove
that she was open-minded about
homosexuality.
BG: Yes. Betty Hester and
Maryat Lee, who were a lesbian
and a bisexual, became very close
friends. Their stories were very
interesting to me, because you
get a window into lesbian life in
the ’50s, and both those women
came on to Flannery. I don’t think
she was comfortable with it, but
she certainly wasn’t shocked. She
was hardly the Emily Dickenson
of Milledgeville. When Hester con-
fided that she had been dishonor-
ably discharged from the military
for lesbian activity, O’Connor’s
unconditional love and support
were surprising. She had a lot of
gay people around her, and an
extraordinary number of single
relatives. There were two uncles
living in a home for single men; I
mean, what would they think of
that today? It was a special world
in the South back then.
ME: Is it true that Flannery
and Betty Hester’s relationship
pretty much broke up over Hester
transferring her allegiance to Iris
Murdoch?
BG: Yes. One interpretation of
Hester killing herself in the late
’90s was that due to Iris Mur-
doch’s advancing Alzheimer’s
disease, she couldn’t correspond
any more.
ME: One of my favorite
O’Connor stories is “The Artifi-
cial Nigger,” which is perhaps her
most sentimental, in the most
positive sense. Which are your
favorites?
BG: My favorite’s “Revela-
tion”; it was printed in the last
year of her life and then it got the
O’Henry Award just before she
died. You really see all the clas-
sic elements of her work in that
one story. It’s like Dante meets
“Tobacco Road.” There’s redemp-
tion and grace at the end.
Contact Michael Ehrhardt at
Menyc3@aol.com.
30
䉴 MARRIAGE, from p.5
fornia and Jim Douglas of Ver-
mont vetoed similar measures,
though Douglas’ action was
overridden. Democratic Gover-
nors David Paterson of New York
and Jon Corzine of New Jersey
have pledged to sign marriage
equality measures if and when
approved by their Legislatures,
and Massachusetts’ Democratic
governor, Deval Patrick, was
instrumental in helping block a
referendum aiming to turn back
the 2003 court victory there.
In Iowa, Democratic Governor
Chet Culver, though not a mar-
riage equality supporter, oppos-
es any effort to put the recent
court victory there before the
voters.
The House vote on May 5
came shortly after the defeat
of an amendment that would
have forced the question onto a
voter referendum in November.
The amendment was defeated
85-62. The Bangor Daily News
described the House’s three-
hour debate as “emotional,” but
Representative James Martin,
an out gay Orono Democrat,
said, “I’m also glad we’ve moved
beyond the contentious debate
over the issue that’s taken place
over the past 25 years. It was
a very civil debate today.” Mar-
tin and his partner celebrated
a commitment ceremony nine
years ago and plan to marry if
the law is enacted in Maine.
The Bangor newspaper
reported that while the bill had
more Democratic votes than
Republican, it passed with
bipartisan support. Noting he
would soon celebrate his 53rd
wedding anniversary, Represen-
tative James J. Campbell Jr., a
Newfield Republican, said, “They
have been the best 53 years of
my life. I don’t want to stand
here and say that two men and
two women cannot have what
I’ve had for the past 53 years
with my wife.” But Representa-
tive Michael Thibodeau, a Win-
terport Republican, said, “Let’s
be honest. This isn’t about civil
rights. It’s about a social agenda
that tears at the very fabric of
our society.”
Opponents of the legislation
vowed to collect the signatures
necessary to force any marriage
equality legislation to go before
the voters in a referendum. They
would have to gather 55,087 sig-
natures, in a state with a popu-
lation of just over 1.3 million.
The marriage law takes effect
90 days after the Legislature
adjourns — probably in June —
but if the signatures have been
collected and certified by that
date, its implementation will be
delayed pending a referendum
in November. Gay rights legis-
lation has several times been
forced onto the ballot in Maine.
Maine becomes the fifth state
with marriage equality on the
books, not counting Califor -
nia, where the right to marry
was taken away from same-sex
couples by Proposition 8 less
than six months after a State
Supreme Court victory there.
Three of the other four — Mas-
sachusetts, Connecticut, and
Vermont — are in New England,
and the other is Iowa.
Marion Barry warned,
“All hell is going to break loose.
The black community is just
adamant against this.”
In New Hampshire, the House
Judiciary Committee on May 5
approved amendments to the
marriage equality bill that the
State Senate the previous week
had added to the legislation
the House originally passed in
March. The House approved the
revised bill on May 6. L ynch,
the Democratic governor, has
not stated a definitive view on
the bill, but has just five days
to act on the bill once the sec-
retary of state delivers it to him.
While that timing is within the
prerogative of the secretary of
state, New Hampshire political
observers say the bill may not
go to the governor until he is
prepared to act. One informed
source said that could come as
early as the end of this week,
though the secretary of state
has until the end of the legisla-
tive session this summer.
When the New Hampshire
Senate passed the marriage
measure two weeks ago, Lynch
articulated his long-standing
preference for civil unions,
which already exist there, over
outright marriage equality, say-
ing, “I still believe the funda-
mental issue is about providing
the same rights and protections
to same-sex couples as are
available to heterosexual cou-
ples. This was accomplished
through the passage of the civil
unions law two years ago. To
achieve further real progress,
the federal government would
need to take action to recognize
New Hampshire civil unions.”
That message was similar to the
14 – 27 MAY 2009
statement Vermont’s Repub-
lican governor, Jim Douglas,
made last month prior to veto-
ing marriage equality legisla-
tion (that veto overruled by the
Legislature), but Lynch has not
ruled out signing the bill. Since
then, the governor’s office has
issued only a statement from
press secretary Colin Manning
saying the governor “will be
reviewing the legislation care-
fully.”
L ynch has faced intense
pressure from both proponents
and opponents of the marriage
bill as he considers his options
— which likely means he would
like to get the issue off the table,
particularly as he continues to
struggle with a difficult budget
process. New Hampshire Free-
dom to Marry put volunteers
on the streets in cities across
the state the weekend before
the final legislative approval
to urge voters to contact the
governor in support. Mo Bax-
ley, executive director of the
group, said proponents have
made up to 300 calls a day to
Lynch’s office. Baxley charged
that out-of-state opponents
are spearheading the drive to
press Lynch to veto the legisla-
tion, saying, “We’re having only
New Hampshire people call. We
thought it was a better way.”
Brian Brown, executive direc-
tor of the National Organization
for Marriage (NOM), a group
based in Princeton, New Jersey,
that pledges to spend millions
in opposition to marriage equal-
ity nationwide, called Baxley’s
charge “absurd,” stating, “New
Hampshire people are calling us
saying, ‘What can we do?’ Resi-
dents of New Hampshire don’t
support same-sex marriage.
Period. And they aren’t being
listened to by the House and the
Senate.” Still, Brown acknowl-
edged that NOM’s advertising,
which has been generic to date,
including the infamous “Gath-
ering Storm” spot, was pre-
paring an ad targeting Lynch,
which has since appeared, and
will work to defeat pro-marriage
equality legislators in the next
election.
The primary difference
between the Senate and House
versions in New Hampshire
is that the Senate approach
explicitly distinguishes between
civil and religious marriage, a
component of the legislation
that the House had originally
not included. If New Hampshire
enacts a marriage equality law,
it would become the sixth state
with marriage equality, leaving
Rhode Island as the only New
England holdout. Action is still
possible this year in both New
York, which already recognizes
legal out-of-state marriages by
same-sex coupes, and New Jer-
sey.
In Washington, DC, the City
Council, by a vote of 12-1,
approved a law, supported by
Mayor Adrian Fenty, an Afri-
can-American Democrat, rec-
ognizing legal same-sex mar-
riages from other jurisdictions,
but the one dissenter on the
Council, former Mayor Marion
Barry, warned, “All hell is going
to break loose. We may have a
civil war. The black community
is just adamant against this.”
Barry’s fiery rhetoric led David
Catania, an out gay Indepen-
dent councilman, to charge
that his words were “bigoted,”
according to the Washington
Post. That in turn led a group
of African-American clergymen
to storm out of the Council
chambers.
The US Congress, in accor-
dance with Washington’s Home
Rule Charter, now has 30 days
to review the legislation. House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued
a written statement after the
Council action saying, “I have
long believed that Congress
should not interfere with inter-
nal decisions made by the Dis-
trict of Columbia’s elected rep-
resentatives — just as the Con-
gress did not intervene in the
State of New York’s recognition
of valid marriage contracts in
other jurisdictions.” But, Utah
Congressman Jason Chaffetz,
the ranking Republican on a
House Oversight and Govern-
ment Reform subcommittee,
said, “Some things are worth
fighting for, and this is one of
them. It’s not something I can
let go softly into the night.” Elea-
nor Holmes, an African-Amer-
ican Democrat who is Wash-
ington’s non-voting delegate in
Congress, praised the Coun-
cil’s action, and said, “I do not
believe that a serious attempt to
overturn the Council bill will be
made or will be successful.”
Catania has pledged to intro-
duce a marriage equality bill in
the City Council later this year.
WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM
14 DAYS
14 NIGHTS
䉴 MAY 27, from p.29
the trees, 12:30-1:45 p.m. The rain
venue is the Library of the General Soci-
ety of Mechanics and Tradesmen, 20 W.
44th St. Free.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
FILM
This Was Your
Father’s Arizona
“Lonesome Cowboys”(1967–68),
directed by Andy Warhol with cinema-
tography by Paul Morrissey, is a Western
comedy/drama shot on location in Arizona,
about a small town with a transvestite
sheriff, a rich lady rancher named Ramona
Alvarez, her male nurse who expertly danc-
es the twist, and five lonesome cowboys
who fixate on their hair, practice ballet on
a hitching post, engage in amorous activi-
ties, and discuss the loneliness that makes
them “love themselves more than any-
one else.” Joe Dallesandro and Viva star.
Museum of Modern Art, 11 W. 53rd St.
May 27-29, 1:30 p.m. Admission is $10;
$8 for seniors; $6 for students.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
ADVOCACY
Party for a Vaccine
In a free evening of entertainment
aimed at educating the community about
the push for an HIV vaccine, “Vaccine-O-
Licious 5” features Glammy Award win-
ning drag queen Peppermint, Stella, the
queen of the vaccine, Jacqueline Dupree,
Jiggly Caliente and Angelique Ali, the
“Single Lady” Men, Jerome and Devin,
the Divine Ms. Chanel Divine Roberts,
and Luke Jones. The show is presented
by Project Achieve, the New York Blood
Center’s vaccine trial effort, as well as
the Columbia University Medical Center,
the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition,
and Gay Men of African Descent. Ther-
apy, 348 W. 52nd St., 8-10 p.m.
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
BOOKS
THU.MAY.28
Honoring the
Greats
The Lambda Literary Foundation and
CLAGS, CUNY’s Center for Lesbian and
Gay Studies, present the 21st annual
Lambda Literary Awards, recognizing
excellence in LGBT writing. One highlight
of the evening will be special recogni-
tion for Leslie Feinberg, Andrew Hol-
laran, Felice Picano, and Edmund White.
CLAGS/ CUNY, Fifth Ave. at 34th St.,
cocktails at 6 p.m.; awards at 7;
afterparty at 9:30. Tickets are $75; $95
after May 15䉴 at lambdaliterary.org.
JUMP, continued on p.30
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32 14 – 27 MAY 2009 WWW.GAYCITYNEWS.COM