Cyclizen - Politics on Wheels

Life. Cycle.

2012-01-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

Sh*t Cyclists Say

2012-01-22T12:18:00.001-08:00

Shelved?

2012-01-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

Lots of people are talking about who the online book shopping experience has hurt independent bookstores.

For example, Toronto's Glad Day Bookstore is facing its end after decades of service as a pioneering store.

The Toronto Star reports that John Scythes, who bought the store from founder Jearld Moldenhauer in 1991, has put a sign on the counter inviting anyone interested in buying it to contact him. According to a staff member, he began looking about a month ago, reaching out first to friends and customers first.

Glad Day first opened in 1970, operating out of Moldenhauer’s apartment in downtown Toronto, and was a hub for the city’s burgeoning queer community. (Giovanni’s Room, the oldest gay bookstore in the U.S., opened in 1973.)

So, it was with particular concern that I developed Every Time I Think of You and its marketing campaign, as well as its sales availability.

Well, now you can buy it from Giovanni's Room, the historic LGBT bookstore in Philadelphia. It's the oldest bookstore in the USA, and it holds a particular place in my heart. Giovanni's Room hosted the first reading of PINS, my first novel, and it snowed that day, most of Philly's gay wrestling team came by, plus it was my birthday.

Anyway, there won't be an East Coast reading tour this time around. So buy my books and others through their website and they get a share of the sale. (Sure, it's still the big conglomo I published it with, but you get the idea.)

Every Time I Think of You, now at Giovanni's Room's online store!

Every Time I Think of You

2011-12-03T11:50:00.000-08:00

It's a new book, it's a new blog, it's a new day ... and I'm feelin' fine.

Every Time I Think of You, my new novel.

Paperback ($14.95; 260 pages)

Kindle edition ($6.99)

Nook edition ($6.99)

Trailer music performed by Eric Himan!

It's Time

2011-11-26T11:05:00.001-08:00

This clip has had nearly 3 million views worldwide. Julian Shaw, the guy in the video, is not only cute, but an accomplished filmmaker.

Eat Me!

2011-11-22T21:29:00.001-08:00

'Dark' Matter

2011-11-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

My second interview with Thomas Jane!

(The first one never got published because I misplaced the cassette with my interview after a screening of Stander in 2009. D'oh! I found it later, but here's the new one).

Taking a break from his role as a male hustler on the HBO series Hung, Thomas Jane will be at the Castro Theatre this Friday for a rare screening of his 2009 directorial debut, Dark Country, a noir-horror 3D thriller in which he also stars.

Jane shared his lifelong appreciation of the noir and horror film genres in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter.

"As a first film, I wanted to explore some of the things that inspired me to get into movies in the first place," said Jane in a phone interview from Los Angeles. "I used to watch The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits on TV as a kid; Saturday matinee movies, EC comic books with the twist ending; they heavily influenced me as a young man. So I wanted to tackle something that would pay homage to that. Dark Country also merges horror with noir, another genre I love. As a teenager, my other friends were listening to Wham and Prince while I was reading Dashiel Hammett."

It was at that time that the young high school student and aspiring actor was swooped up from his Bethesda, Maryland upbringing by a roving Indian film crew. At 16, Jane starred as the non-Indian male romantic lead in the odd 1987 film Padamati Sandhya Ragam that is viewable on YouTube.

"I played myself at 16 and 40," said Jane. "They put a wig and mustache on me and I phonetically learned Telegu (yes, that's Jane speaking his own lines, although they're often dubbed)."

Living in India for half a year, Jane traveled around the United States with the film crew in vans and RVs on a guerrilla filmmaking trek. He recalls the difficulties, wonderful meals and camaraderie of the project, calling it "one of the most formative experiences of my career."

READ MORE at www.ebar.com

Politics on Wheels

2011-11-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

I was going to consider an essay about how pro-cycling (which means cyclists who obey laws and commute) is the new "kiss a baby" for local politicians. But most of them are sincere and not just posing for photos, although they do pose for photos!

The article linked below pretty much embodies the political + cycling aspect I've been focusing on since I started this blog in 2007.

For Modern Luxury.com David Darlington goes on bike commutes with cycle-pal politicians John Avalos and David Chiu (both running for mayor of SF).

Darlington explores the increasing political clout of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, compares street improvements over the past years, and frames it to show how interim-mayor Ed Lee's braggadocio about "getting it done" is really just leftovers from the Gavin Newsom administration.

Basically, Avalos and Chiu, along with Mirkarimi, are the most authentic cyclist-politicians of the lot for this week's elections. Avalos even has a cyclist contingent of supporters.

Along with gay and smart Bevan Dufty, who also supports a greener city, you can pretty much figure out who I'm endorsing this year. Dennis Herrera's nice, too, but it's odd with ranked choice, even more of a issue-specific popularity contest.

This is particularly notable:

"Chiu, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, is running for mayor. On a bike-advocacy platform. Fourteen years ago, this would have been unimaginable. In 1997, when mayor Willie Brown authorized the arrest of riders in Critical Mass—the infamous monthly bike mob that had been blocking intersections, tying up rush-hour traffic, enraging drivers, and creating a serious cultural flash point—supervisor Michael Yaki declared that “no proposal may be deemed too extreme in controlling bicycles in San Francisco.”

And Ed Lee is basically the puppet of that Mr. Brown. I have no idea what happened to Yaki, nor do I care. He had no idea then or now, how to handle cycling in Sf.

Fortunately, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition does, as noted in Darlington's article:

"The nation’s biggest metropolitan cycling lobby, 12,000 members strong, the coalition is one of the city’s most influential grassroots groups and its largest deliverer of programs on bike safety and parking, transit access, and road infrastructure. Since its beginning 40 years ago as a ragtag collection of bike nuts and green freaks, it has matured enough to enjoy a full-frontal embrace with city hall: Last month, 14 of the 16 major mayoral candidates submitted to its quiz on cycling issues, and the organization’s relentlessly upbeat executive director, Leah Shahum, has served on the board of the all-powerful Municipal Transportation Agency. Not coincidentally, the MTA now has a “holistic” division called Sustainable Streets, whose policy aim—according to the agency’s deputy director of transportation planning, Timothy Papandreou—is to make cars “residual.”

That'd be nice.

Vote green. Vote on wheels. Check out the SFBC's endorsements, and make your own decision(s), after watching this video:

Let the Sun Shine

2011-10-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

Well, that didn't take long.

Oakland police did what they do best, becoming a violent thug brigade that teargassed peaceful protesters in a local version of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations and tent cities.

"Late last night, Oakland police, under orders from the city, began surrounding the Occupy Oakland encampment in preparation to oust the protesters from Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Approximately an hour ago, hundreds of Oakland police officers raided the camp. Dressed in riot gear, the police used rubber bullets, flash grenades, and gas canisters to forcibly evict and/or arrest the demonstrators who remained in the plaza."

Here are some eyewitness reports and videos.

And this is what happened a day later: twenty times as many people protesting the violent police actions. Photo by Brenda Norrell:

The whole world is watching.

Tonight, I saw a musical about "hippies" fighting war, racism, capitalism and teargas. Sound familiar, Oakland, San Francisco, the world?

Let's Be Frank

2011-10-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Franklin Edward "Frank" Kameny (May 21, 1925 – October 11, 2011) was "one of the most significant figures" in the American gay rights movement. In 1957, Kameny was dismissed from his position as an astronomer in the Army Map Service in Washington, D.C. because of his homosexuality, leading him to begin "a Herculean struggle with the American establishment" that would "spearhead a new period of militancy in the homosexual rights movement of the early 1960s".

Kameny protested his firing by the U.S. Civil Service Commission due to his homosexuality, and argued this case to the United States Supreme Court in 1961. Although the court denied his petition, it is notable as the first civil rights claim based on sexual orientation. He died of natural causes on October 11, 2011.

In August 1961, Kameny and Jack Nichols co-founded the Mattachine Society of Washington, an organization that pressed aggressively for gay and lesbian civil rights. In 1963 the group was the subject of Congressional hearings initiated by Congressman John Dowdy over its right to solicit funds.

Kameny is credited with bringing an aggressive new tone to the gay civil rights struggle. Kameny and the Mattachine Society of Washington pressed for fair and equal treatment of gay employees in the federal government by fighting security clearance denials, employment restrictions and dismissals, and working with other groups to press for equality for gay citizens. In 1968, Kameny, inspired by Stokely Carmichael's creation of the phrase "Black is Beautiful," created the slogan "Gay is Good" for the gay civil rights movement.

In 2007, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History included Kameny's picket signs carried in front of the White House in 1965, in the Smithsonian exhibit "Treasures of American History." The Smithsonian now has 12 of the original picket signs carried by gay and lesbian Americans at this, the first ever White House demonstration. (source: Wikipedia)

I last met Frank Kameny in Los Angeles in 2000. Frank was seated outside a movie theatre, holding a small sign that read BOYCOTT COORS. From his little folding chair, he told me that the gay film festival OutFest was still taking money from the rightwing-owned beer corporation. While I wasn't actually "supporting" the festival, since I had comp tickets, I felt dirty through the entire screening (of a forgettable 'light comedy').

There he was, the grandfather of gay rights, still keeping the struggle going, in the face of an army of tanned, veneered "new gays," more concerned with their reel than what's real.

Well, they won't be remembered the way Frank is this week.

The Washington Blade:
“Because there was one Frank Kameny, trailblazing and honest enough to speak out 50 years ago, there are now millions of Americans, coming out, speaking out and fighting for their basic civil rights. His is a legacy of bravery and tremendous impact and will live on in the hearts and minds of every American who values equality and justice.” - Chad Griffin, board president for the American Federation for Equal Rights

ABC News:
"While so many have been impatient about the pace of progress, there was Frank, insisting we recognize that, in the last two years, he was regularly invited as a guest of honor by the very government that fired him simply for being gay," said a statement by Rea Carey, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Associated Press via Edge Media:
"Being gay has become infinitely better than it was," he said earlier this year when documents from his collection of gay rights history went on display for the first time at the Library of Congress. "The fundamental theme underneath all of that is simply equality."

TowleRoad
"Nearly fifty years ago, the United States Government banned me from employment in public service because I am a homosexual. This archive is not simply my story; it also shows how gay and lesbian Americans have joined the American mainstream story of expanded civil liberties in the 20th century. Today, by accepting these papers, the nation preserves not only our history but marks how far gay and lesbian Americans have traveled on the road to civil equality." Frank Kameny

JoeMyGod has more links and quotes.

CNN did an expansive feature on Kameny.

Frank's legacy may be overshadowed by the over-promoted and much less worthy.

To the overpaid executives at the allegedly pro-gay nonprofits? Be more like Frank and less like the equivocating suits you cowtow to.

To the large gay media that wouldn't dare put a senior on its cover, let alone an actual homosexual: be more like Frank.

To the deranged "street artists" who don't know the difference between vandalism and activism: Let's be frank. You're idiots.

To the narcissistic self-promoting gay celebutantes who can't post a single picture on Facebook that isn't of themselves, you're un-Frank, and an un-friend.

To the "gay" TV networks that vomit out a cascade of vicious stereotypical nobodies whose only achievement is arriving on camera where there's an open bar: Let's be frank. You're a bunch of douchebags.

None of us has done half as much as Frank did. But we can aspire to be like Frank.

Grapplers. Made from Good Stuff.

2011-10-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Harvard's wrestling team made a little show of support on National Coming Out Day by sporting various T-shirts and buttons with pro-gay phrases.

The Harvard Crimson reports:

Before their Tuesday afternoon practice, members of the Harvard varsity wrestling team posed for a picture on the steps in front of the Malkin Athletic Center. But instead of sporting their team uniforms in this photo, the athletes came in gay pride attire and rainbow pins that read “Proud Ally.”

In honor of National Coming Out Day, the men chose to wear the pins in solidarity with the BGLTQ community.

Harvard College Queer Students and Allies co-president Emma Q. Wang ’12 said that this year the student group wanted to emphasize the importance of coming out as an ally.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to be very vocal as an ally,” she said. “We want them to feel included because they play such an important role.”

According to wrestler David J. Lalo ’13, it was a non-resident tutor in Lowell House, Robert Joseph “R.J.” Jenkins, who inspired the team to participate in National Coming Out Day.

What a bunch of sweeties!

Walled Streets

2011-10-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

It seems the near-media blackout over coverage of the Occupy Wall street protests has opened up to a diffuse grey. Two weeks after the protests over financial corruption began, corporate media entities have a taken an adequate, if not jaded, glance.

Yahoo News:

More than 1,000 people marched past City Hall and arrived at a plaza outside police headquarters in the late afternoon. Some held banners criticizing police, while others chanted: "We are the 99 percent" and "The banks got bailed out, we got sold out."

Workers from the financial district on their way home watched as the marchers passed, with some saying it was not obvious what outcome organizers of the Occupy Wall Street movement wanted.

Police observed the march and kept protesters on the sidewalk, but no clashes were reported. Police said no arrests were made before the protest dispersed peaceably by 8 p.m. after the march.

"No to the NYPD crackdown on Wall St. protesters," organizers had said on their website, promoting the march. Other online flyers for the march read: "No to Stop-and-Frisk in Black & Latino neighborhoods" and "No to Spying and Harassment of Muslim Communities."

The protest came less than a week after police arrested 80 people during a march to the bustling Union Square shopping district, the most arrests by New York police at a demonstration since hundreds were detained outside the Republican National Convention in 2004.

A police commander used pepper spray on four women at last weekend's march and a video of the incident went viral on the Internet, angering many protesters who vowed to continue their protests indefinitely.

Police have said pepper spray was a better alternative than night sticks to subdue those blocking traffic.

It was only after excessive force was used that the protests got any large-scale notice.

And while it's endearing to see all the funky homemade protest signs, since many of them are almost illegible, perhaps the most striking visual moment was when about 700 hundred Continental and United pilots, joined by additional pilots from other Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) carriers, demonstrated in front of Wall Street on September 27. The uniformity of signs, and, well, uniforms, really had an impact.

I mean, damn. Busby Berkley couldn't have done it better.

Other unions are joining in.
Here's a photo album.

UPDATE: 400 Arrested at Protests
Police reopened the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday evening after about 400 anti-Wall Street protesters were arrested for blocking traffic lanes and attempting an unauthorized march across the span.

The arrests took place when a large group of marchers, participating in a second week of protests by the Occupy Wall Street movement, broke off from others on the bridge's pedestrian walkway and headed across the Brooklyn-bound lanes.

Transporte

2011-09-26T17:34:00.001-07:00

Claro?

Article: We're #1! San Francisco named the best of Best Cities to Live in Car-free

Bus Hit & Run

2011-09-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

MUNI is known for its temperamental and irresponsible drivers. Here's another (SF Examiner):

A Muni bus operator rolled over the arm of a San Francisco bicyclist last week, only to then drive away without stopping.

Nob Hill resident Laila Brenner was cycling home from work on Sept. 14 when she changed lanes to avoid a double-parked car and subsequently tangled with a bus near the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Broadway in North Beach, all parties agree.

Brenner’s bike crashed to the ground, and the back right tire of the bus rolled over and crushed her arm, her attorney Doug Saeltzer said. While Brenner lay injured, the 8X-Bayshore Express then sped off.

Muni spokesman Paul Rose said his agency has reviewed the footage captured by cameras at the Roaring 20s club. He said it is unclear whether Brenner crashed due to the actions of the bus, or because of the illegally parked vehicle.

But Saeltzer quarreled with the agency’s findings, saying the bus was “way too close” to Brenner.

“We just can’t understand how an operator can literally run over somebody and not stop to check it out,” said Saeltzer, who is planning to file an injury claim with The City. “A professional driver should know if they hit someone.”

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner:

I've had (knock on wood) no dangerous interactions with MUNI buses, mostly because I give them a wide berth. Passing double-parked cars is the scariest thing. MUNI bus drivers foten tap their horns politely when approaching a cyclist. Sometimes, they don't. It's a daily risk urban cyclists face.

The photo is from a different bike vs. bus accident in SF.

Have a Pleasant & Safe journey

2011-09-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Pleasanton is making biking more...pleasant.

The Mercury News reports on a new high-tech method that makes intersections safer for cyclists.

Pleasanton is the only city in the nation using a new radar-type device to make street crossings safer for bikers. The city began testing the "Intersector" -- a microwave motion and presence sensor -- for that use in January 2010 at one of its 104 signaled intersections. The device monitors the intersection and can differentiate between vehicles and bicyclists crossing the road and either extends or triggers the light if a cyclist is detected.

"I would like to think we are bicycle-friendly," said Joshua Pack, Pleasanton's senior transportation engineer. "We are not actively yelling and screaming that we are doing it, but behind the scenes we are."

The results from the test run, at Foothill Road and Stoneridge Drive, went so well that the city installed the device at six other intersections and has plans to add four more.

Since it began using the Intersector, the city has received calls from at least 20 other jurisdictions, from some in the Bay Area to as far away as Memphis, Tenn., that want to know how the experiment is going.

"It's nice to feel acknowledged and recognized," said Jim Ott, a Pleasanton resident and cyclist. "Before (the light) didn't give as much time, so you had to cycle harder to make it. You also didn't want to get caught in the middle. And, if the light didn't trigger, you were a sitting duck for folks to bump into."

Neat.

"Pleasanton is doing some great things," said Renee Rivera, executive director of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. "It is getting more bike-friendly all the time."

How pleasant!

Dare to Share

2011-09-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

New York City has started a bike share program with 10,000 bicycles (source: New York Observer).

Sounds pretty neat, considering what a dangerous place it is to ride in.
It's not without its share of controversy and problems, though.

"The city has been in the thrall of a bicycle backlash for the past year, after the city’s Department of Transportation ran lanes through the East Village, Upper West Side and, most controversially, along Prospect Park West, which led to a lawsuit filed by neighbors living on the thoroughfare."

There's also a concern with an economic feasibility, despite several other cities having done well with such programs.

"Concerns have been swirling in the city about a bike share program, particularly after The Times published a story in June pointing out that Montreal’s Bixi system, in which Alta is a partner, had been losing money and had to be bailed out by the city for more than $100 million."

Well, take it from me, Montreal should never be used as an economic model. Outgames $5 million debt, anyone?

More on the bike share program at Huffington Post.

Funny; when I lived in New York, they already had a bike share program. It was called Theft.

9/11mm

2011-09-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Twin Tower Cameos from Dan Meth on Vimeo.

For the past three decades, nearly every time I flew on a plane, I pilfered an emergency flight brochure. It became a minor collection of souvenirs. I thought one day I'd use them in some sort of art project for my somewhat closeted hobby of making collages.

After 9/11, like many people, I got a sad haunted feeling every time I saw the World Trade Center in TV shows and films. I began copying these clips onto a VHS tape, then a DVD. I also downloaded the horrifically ironic scene in the film 'Godspell,' where a clown Jesus and pals sing, "Yes, It's All For the Best!" from the roof of one of the Twin Towers. That scene is missing from the montage above.

As some know, I used to live in Manhattan and Jersey City in the 1980s and '90s. My ex-sister-in-law's loft on Cedar Street is across the street from the WTC, and I worked and commuted there frequently.

I even got funding for, and created, wrote and composed a musical in 1998 set in the World Trade Center's PATH station, called Under the River. Both of my pre-9/11 New York novels, Monkey Suits and Cyclizen, include scenes near, and under, the towers.

Years before PINS took shape, I first wrote the first draft of Monkey Suits on a tiny Macintosh in the loft, before I even had a computer. My ex-sister-in-law's home, which I visited weeks afterward, was severely damaged, and that itself became a serious media topic for a long time.

(This is a photo I took from inside the Cedar Street building.)

So, I feel a connection in my own small way. A while back, I developed a proposal for a 9/11 art installation to be put up somewhere during September of this year. I submitted it to a few galleries (they succinctly rejected it) and it was accepted to be part of a local arts festival which I no longer care to mention by name. I dropped out for various very unpleasant reasons.

Then I noticed that the window installations at the Little Roxie had a few upcoming vacancies. They liked my pared down much smaller version of the concept. I began to collect the additional materials.

After a minor setback with installing it, last Saturday, I spent four hours putting it together while hearing the audio for the film Shut up, Little Man! playing from the nearby projection booth.

But then the electrical outlet malfunctioned. The management has been very nice in attempting to accommodate the problem, but it mostly won't be seen lit up at night, which completely defeats the purpose of the installation. The collected clips were converted into a looped DVD, which is supposed to glow upward to the string-fabricated "twin towers," which, below, are surrounded by "buildings" composed of most of those collected flight brochures.

It's kitschy, tiny, and only deals with a minor aspect of this entirely overwhelming event, one which has changed our lives, and destroyed so many others.

I still have yet to get a good photo of it at night, when the security gates aren't covering up the window.

Perhaps it's appropriate that I installed the work over Labor Day weekend, the same time when thousands flocked to Burning Man. Former club promoter Ggreg Taylor's famous phrase about Playa art projects sums it up succinctly: "Great ideas gone horribly wrong."

Stop by and check it out, through September. Or, like most of the deranged homeless people and partying drunks along that messy little block will probably do, ignore it completely.

Stunning Stunt Art

2011-09-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Danny Macaskill - Industrial Revolutions

Polo Play

2011-09-05T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, here's another item that warms the cog-gles of my heart. Bike polo? Yes, bike polo. I can't believe I didn't remember that this exists, since 1891, in fact.

Here's a photo of a cycle polo match at Eastleigh, 1938 (source: Guardian UK).

In addition to global competitions, the US version is going strong. San Francisco also has its own league.

According to SF Bike Polo, Hard court polo can be found Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Jose Coronado Park (21st & Shotwell), 7pm-10pm, with grass games on Tuesday afternoons.

Among the renovations at Dolores Park in San Francisco, one of the tennis courts or areas near there is going to be converted to a bike polo court. For now, they use the tennis courts.

Mike Shriver (who took the two cool color photos, among many, many others) told me that three San Francisco teams are playing in the World Championship tournament this weekend in Seattle.

While it looks like a lot of fun, something about crashing into other players, or flipping over if a mallet got caught between the spokes, leaves me knowing I'll remain an observant fan, but not a participant.

If you're feeling daring, join the Facebook group to find out where to play.

Here's a video from 2007 of New yorkers getting into the game.

What a Rush

2011-08-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

The New York Times reports on a novelist whose rollerblading messenger novel was developed for a screen adaptation, then the entire idea was ripped off, not unlike many an urban bicycle.

Everyone loves a good heist story, and that is what Mr. Quirk says he uncovered as he spent the last year figuring out how, in his view, the characters and plot of his “Ultimate Rush” came to be in Sony’s “Premium Rush.” He filed a lawsuit earlier this month — but had to talk to almost 50 lawyers before he could find one willing to take the case.

Even at time when the value of intellectual property is perhaps higher than ever, with local technology companies including Google and Apple spending billions of dollars on patents while the entertainment industry works frantically to stamp out piracy, it can be remarkably difficult for a lone creative professional like Mr. Quirk to protect his work.

Tell me about it! My sympathetic to Mr. Quirk. I definitely want to read his novel, I should have noticed it before writing Cyclizen.

UPDATE: Here's the trailer; over the top hyper-adventure but Mr. Gordon-Levitt stars, so I may break my integrity boycott and watch it.

Hot and Better

2011-08-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Ask, Tell, Dance.

2011-08-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

Cyclophobia II

2011-08-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

Trial ordered in hit-run rampage on S.F. cyclists

An Albany man accused of running down four bicyclists in the Mission District and Potrero Hill in a six-minute rampage last year must stand trial for attempted murder, a San Francisco judge said Tuesday.

The attorney for David Mark Clark, 40, said outside court that he will pursue an insanity defense.

Read more:

Gee; insanity. Ya think?

"Clark, a tennis instructor and self-styled master natural healer and crystal therapist..."

See? Tennis is a gateway drug.

Seriously; the reason many cyclists are slim isn't the exercise, but the high-calorie-burning stress of constantly avoiding potential vehicular manslaughter.

Previous coverage HERE.

Expensively Stupid

2011-07-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Bicycles get stolen pretty much every minute of every day. It's a given. Fortunately, I've had good luck in San Francisco (knock on wood), mostly because my bikes are old and beat up. Also, I never leave a bike parked in a dodgy area, or for a long period of time.

New York City was a different case. I visited an editor's office on Lower Broadway for half an hour. Despite his invitation to bring it inside, I didn't, and returned to see the skeletal frame of my bike still locked to a sign post. Both wheels and seat were stolen.

A common occurrence; but when a celebrity gets his bike stolen, suddenly, it's news! Top that with it being a $2300 bike owned by a TV news reporter, and have the theft caught on camera, and it's definitely "news."

I'm sorry, but anyone foolish enough to leave such an expensive bike outside doesn't get much sympathy from me.

Chileno today, Hot Tamale

2011-07-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

Closing the Borders

2011-07-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

Borders bookstores are closing nationwide. This is sad news, but it's also predictable.

From the Detroit Free Press:

"The Borders sales started Friday at its remaining 399 locations, which include 259 Borders superstores, 114 Borders Express and Waldenbooks, and 26 Borders airport stores.

Liquidators plan to clear out more than $700 million of inventory, including books, puzzles/games, activity sets, stationery, magazines, music and movie media, calendars, posters, store fixtures, furnishings and equipment.

"This marks the end of an era," Edwards said in a statement."

Along with placing the blame on Amazon.com, ebooks, and the economy, there's another angle, that Borders' business practices toward authors was less than friendly, and more geared to a cafe culture.

Author Larry Correia posts about his experiences with Borders, and several expansive comments add to it with informed perspectives from former employees, major authors and fans.

It's easy to blame corporations like Amazon.com. But for me, it's about adapting to inevitabilities.

In the week since I published the Kindle versions of my three books, I sold more copies than I did at an average Borders store. Small, independently published just don't get shelved in chain stores very often. As a consumer, should one feel obligated to pay more at a brick and mortar store instead of paying less than a dolar online?

With independent bookstores, particularly local ones, shopping helps you, because you're keeping local businesses alive. But in times like these, a bargain is a bargain.

I've probably given away, donated or sold off more books than I now own. While I doubt I'll ever get so Zen that I only own 100 Things, the idea of getting rid of 100 things sounds great.

Among those things, for me, are a lot of old paper files, including my PR materials, which include a lot of print-outs of bookstores I sent promos to, or arranged reading events. In looking it over, I realized that the majority of these independently-owned bookstores have closed. Gone. The sentimental or archival value of this list may have value to someone else, but I have to face the fact that I can't be an archivist for an entire culture.

In another personal business aspect, I just got my annual invoice from my printer of PINS. They've been storing the files and negatives from the original print version. In converting the manuscript (I had to download a new version of Quark to extract the text into Word, then convert to HTML), I noticed some persistent typos that exist in the print version.

It's a bittersweet duty that I'll have in contacting the printer to let them know that the old-school files will no longer be needed. Frankly, I realize now that the fonts and layout are a bit antiquated. I'm happy to know that the Kindle version, and a new cleaned up manuscript, will be the legacy of that book into the 21st century.

So, basically, like a beloved rotary phone or Victrola, I'm throwing out the outdated versions of my work.

99 more things to go.

Cyclophobia

2011-07-15T19:39:00.000-07:00

When I titled my third novel Cyclizen, I didn't exactly invent the term. But I like to think I popularized it. Obviously, my dream of making it a mass cult movement was an epic fail.

Anyway, riding home from work today, I pondered the term "cyclophobia" and was surprised to see that it's already a real word and apparently an actual phobia.

The definitions seem to focus on a root fear based on some childhood trauma. Some people are afraid to ride bicycles. If they have balance issues, or a traumatic past, that could be the reason. After my last serious accident, I refused to ride, then was afraid, then cautious, and now, I'm still cautious, but of other vehicles, not cycling itself.

But some other people, non-cyclists, don't fear cycling as much as cyclists themselves. Actually, to compare it homophobia, they don't fear bicycles as objects, or snap at them like pretty much every small dog I ride past. Instead, they hate cyclists like racists hate people of other races.

Yesterday, an elderly woman was struck and seriously injured by a cyclist in downtown San Francisco. This led to many online comments, including a few posts by Facebook friends, who made generalizations like "most cyclists are rude and arrogant." "Most cyclists have a smug sense of entitlement." "Cyclists should be forced to get insurance."

It went on. And on.

Yet, only the day before, a UCSF shuttle bus crashed into a truck carrying a trailer of cars at the infamous Most Dangerous Intersection, Octavia and Oak. One person was killed and four injured. Here's a previous article about the intersection.

This is also the same intersection where I photographed the handsome Patricio Hoter years ago for the cover of Cyclizen (the upper half is of an early 1990s New York ACT UP protest).

I didn't see any posts about how dangerous shuttle buses are. However, I can recall three times when a UCSF shuttle bus driver nearly killed me by swerving into the bike lane, and in one case, a driver was so enraged when I tried to escape his path that he deliberately drove at me to run me down. I only escaped by jumping onto a sidewalk and behind a garbage can.

It was a horrible incident, and my complaints to UCSF were, of course, ignored.
Do I now have a phobia of shuttle buses, or UCSF? No. Do I generalize now that "most" shuttle bus drivers, UCSF ones in particular, are lousy drivers who probably hate their jobs? Yes.

But despite the overwhelming factual data proving that the majority of traffic accidents involving cyclists are caused by cars and jaywalking pedestrians, the hatred and fear of cyclists continues. People who have one or more unpleasant interactions or near-accidents with cyclists foist their hatred and fear on all, or "most" cyclists.

The most ridiculous things I read were frequent resentful complaints about our "entitlement," as if we all think we're 'allowed to break traffic laws because we're cyclists.'

Yes, some do. Some cyclists are total jerks. But they're no doubt jerks off their bikes, too.

I hardly consider myself "entitled" when I have to daily avoid cars, trucks, cab doors, double-parked vans, deranged homeless people and drunks wandering in the street, not to mention nails, broken glass, sunken curb drains and sewer holes, and dangerous potholes in the street.

To top it off, a new study claims that cyclists are more prone to heart attacks than sedentary auto drivers.

But wait. The same British media publication debunks that. So yes! No! Whatever.

A higher chance of being killed, a probability of dying from bus fumes, a near certainty of eventual bike theft, and a large-scale vilification from non-cyclists.

If that's entitlement, you can have it.

UPDATE: July 20: Another serious accident, another online article and another venue for irate vindictive cyclophobes to foist their hatred against an accident victim who may be dead.

Kindling

2011-07-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

My three novels, PINS, Monkey Suits and Cyclizen, are now available on Kindle. Monkey Suits has a slightly different cover.

I hope a lot of new fans have a Kindle, because ePub has given me a few snags so far.

Also, Cyclizen is now an ebook on Lulu.com.

Firearmed is Forewarned

2011-07-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to the only country whose national anthem ends in a question mark.

You'll forgive me if I tend to remove myself far away from pyrotechnical displays this year.

I'd love to believe it's the land of the free. But it's more lately been the land of the "free to dodge bullets."

Yesterday, I'd been at this stop an hour before a shooting Saturday night left one man dead. Later, someone with a knife was shot by BART cops.

Last week, five people were shot on the Saturday of Pride weekend near Civic Center (at least the hot shirtless guy doesn't seem hurt. But seriously...).

With the memory of the Pink Saturday shootings two years ago, some were quick to associate it. The criminals were apprehended, and a video of the aftermath was aired.

SF Pride even got into the fray, threatening to sue the videographers for misrepresenting pride, as the shootings took place a few blocks away from Civic Center.

Again, I missed this shooting by a few minutes. That's happened several times in other places throughout the city.

But in addition to that, what's Pride doing, while in the middle of its own difficulties, diving into a video bitchfight? Here's the aftermath on Market Street, which focuses on a 75-year-old man bleeding. WARNING; graphic.

Read a critique of this censorship attempt, and see other videos HERE.
Happy 4th, freedom of speech and all that.

Oh, and congrats, New York.

post-Pride

2011-06-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

So, it's been raining all day, which, I should admit, I like.

Pride was spent less taking pictures and more enjoying the experience. But here are a few.

Nudes of the World

2011-06-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Darn; missed another World Naked Bike Ride. Actually, I really couldn't participate until I get a more comfy bike seat. The photo above is from Mexico. Portland's big ride HERE. Italy's Cyclo Nudista HERE. NSFW.

Lowest Lane

2011-06-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

From Raw Story and New York Magazine, Casey Niestat, a Manhattan cyclist, proves that a law requiring cyclists to only ride in the bike lane is ridiculous.

Here in San Francisco, it's also not easy; double-parked cars, merging lanes at large busy intersections, and other human, vehicle and construction sites make it sometimes impossible to stay in the bike lane. Fortunately, SFers are not (yet) required to ride only in bike lanes.

Sheesh. This is the grief cyclists get for nearly eliminating their carbon footprint; a kick in the face from the law.

Addendum: Oh, and now cops are (allegedly) ticketing NYC cyclists for wearing skirts!

Bike-Ish

2011-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

This week's issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian is bike-tastic. Several features include topics such as Kids on Bikes, bike parties that go beyond Critical Mass (and are less annoying to others), the rise of bike culture, minority cycling, fun, and a handy map for optimum SF cycling.

Thanks, Guardian!

Mixed Up

2011-05-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Finally, after years of hemming and hawing, searching online, I finally found a cheap, functional, Mac-friendly cassette-to-CD converter (or mp3, the format to which I'm converting.). Thank you, Buy More.

It's my new passion! Hilarious and surprisingly tasteful mixes, the old-fashioned way. I'm looking forward to this, and already have five cassettes digitized.

I know; welcome to the 21st century, a little late.

Under the Wheel

2011-04-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

This is, unfortunately how some of my pedestrian pals feel about speeding cyclists.
Of course, this is not real, but says something that is creepy and hilarious.

Mark Jenkins street installations. THIS is street art, people.

Turning a Page

2011-04-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, news of the imminent closing of A Different Light Bookstore was published on Bay Citizen. A Different Light had been a standard of the ultimate gay bookstore for decades. Under management by prolific editor Richard Labonté, the store stocked pretty much every LGBT title at the time.

When I self-published my first novel PINS in 1999, Labonté and his staff ordered copies by the carton. I would occasionally haul a 50-pound box in a duffel bag, arrive sweaty on my bike, and unload the books with a sense of accomplishment, and the consignment sales checks kept arriving on time.

I also read many times with short story anthology contributors at events that were more like literary parties. Readings I had at the Los Angeles and New York branches (both have closed) were also successful and fun.

After LaBonté moved to Canada, the new management drastically cut back their stock, which recently has been reduced to fewer titles and a bin of discount porn DVDs.

Having read from novels and short stories more than a dozen times at ADL, it's really saddening to see this happen. Similarly, Modern Times Bookstore, where I also read and bought books many times, has closed.

Everyone saw this coming more than a decade ago. Online sales have wiped out independent bookstores, and people need to support them.

But at the same time, I had to take advantage of online sales to reach a broad audience, many of whom don't or can't buy retail.

As my second and third books, Monkey Suits and Cyclizen were released, I took advantage of the streamlined Print-On-Demand format. Selling them via consignment became problematic, however, as bookstores got a much smaller sales percentage, leaving reading events to be mere symbolic promotional appearances.

Here in San Francisco, down Market Street, Books Inc. maintains success by mixing a good dose of LGBT titles with mainstream books, calendars and magazines. Readings there are usually well attended, despite the occasional clunk of weights from the gym upstairs.

Yet, as this sad news hit, I got a message from the publisher of my third novel, Cyclizen, that they will include it among many titles being published via eBook format free of charge.

This is right when I've been futzing with the problematic ePub application. For this book, at least, that's being taken care of, and Cyclizen should be available via the Apple iBookstore in about a month.

The pages of publishing have been turning, and now scrolling, very fast. As I polish up what may be my next novel, I've already begun formatting it in an eBook-friendly format before offering a print version.

It's sad to see this kind of change, but it's inevitable. Bookstores may not survive, but books can.

And although few things can replace the pleasure of literally sitting down with a book made of paper, the possibility of being more green, while still sharing my work, offers hope.

(Very interesting column by Thomas Roche about ADL's closing, specifically, the comment made that "gay stories have all been told.")

Flight Fright

2011-03-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

The only thing better than a brave protest is a brave protest done by shirtless hotties.

Read about Aaron Tobey, who was arrested by TSA airport thugs for raising concerns about the 4th amendment. Seems the TSA doofs didn't care for his stripping down and displaying the fourth amendment written on his chest.

"Aaron Tobey's dramatic strip-protest is one of the latest in a series of stunts by American travelers fed up with airport security procedures some consider too invasive. A YouTube video of a California man's airport security pat-down, in which he warns the agent not to "touch my junk," went viral last year. John Tyner's infamous quote has been made into T-shirts and bumper stickers and even became the colloquial title of proposed legislation, the Transportation Security Administration "Don't Touch My Junk" bill.

The Constitution's Fourth Amendment outlaws "unreasonable searches and seizures." Tobey, a 21-year-old University of Cincinnati architecture student, had those very words scrawled across his chest and abdomen when he stripped down to his underwear at a Richmond, Va., airport back in December. He was heading to his grandfather's funeral at the time. Tobey was arrested and cited for disorderly conduct.

The misdemeanor charge has since been dropped, but Tobey is still suing. The defendants listed in his legal filing are Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the head of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, the Richmond airport authority and several security officers there. He's seeking $250,000 in damages and reimbursement for legal fees.

Personally, I'm boycotting airlines altogether until this fascist baloney is done with. I was hoping to go to Hawaii soon, but seeing as it'll be coated in a radioactive cloud soon, I might not even take a boat.

Pink is the New Cool

2011-02-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

Chaos, Revolt, and American-made tear gas

2011-02-02T22:17:00.000-08:00

A moment of compassion amid the violent chaos in Egypt. People are digging up rocks to fight the pro-Mubarek "protestors," who are allegedly hired thugs on camels and horses.

Wheely True

2011-01-31T21:19:00.000-08:00

Not even gonna try to comment on the amazing uprising in Egypt, except, "Mubarek; Game Over," and "U.S., stop sending billions to dictatorships and spend it on Americans."

Funny pic is from Laughing Squid.

Darren Criss!

2011-01-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

He's so talented and adorable! I've become such a fanboi. Can't wait to see what happens with he and (Golden Globe winner) Chris Colfer's characters on Glee.

Book 'em

2011-01-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Oh, dear. Like the unwanted pregnancy that turns out to be a favorite child, a new novel, perhaps a novella, has sprung forth from my brain to the computer over the weekend.

I hadn't planned it, and the inspiration is based on half fanciful recreation of teenage experiences, but more on recent dreams. Unlike some dreams, perhaps inspired by too much pizza before bed, there are no all-singing, all-dancing dinosaur musical numbers, but a series of plottable scenes that, transmuted to print, lose some of their fantastical qualities, but intrigue me, and hopefully someday, readers.

Yes, I awoke at four a.m Saturday morning, cranked out the first two chapters and went to bed contemplating the subsequent ones. Even doing four loads of laundry while reading a Kurt Vonnegut book could not distract me from new chapters for the characters that have emerged, almost fully formed, out of nowhere but my psyche and a cup of coffee.

If I sound like I'm bemoaning a new spurt of spontaneous creativity, perhaps I am. Who needs another gay novel, me in particular, its typist, when several others lay half-written in print drafts and on my computer (and double backed up on an external hard drive and separate discs. I learned that lesson to the tune of a 2001 computer failure and an $800 drive recovery bill).

Anyway, I'll withhold the details of the new book, excepting that the process this time isn't going to be as labored as previous works. I suppose all those years of fumbling away at the first three will make the subsequent ones' completion simpler (Monkey Suits was written first, and Cyclizen drafted in greater form before PINS, which I self-published first, it being the coming of age tale and all. Confusing? A bit).

What I hope to be the next one (yet a different novel) needs work, proofing and an agent. Frankly, were I a more daring author, I could pitch this baby based on the first two chapters alone.

At the same time, I'm finally dabbling in e-book creation software of my already published works, to some befuddling code errors. Perhaps I'll Kindle my way into the 21st century, knuckle down and just let some hireling make it e-work, with chapter links, etc.

Related to this theme, visually at least, are images from the work of surrealist painter Jonathan Wolstenholme. I first saw a gallery of his work while attempting to peruse Facebook on my new cell phone.

Facebook friend Mark Dylan Sieber, a self-described "disengaged designer and ink slinger," continues to post beguiling galleries of graphics that demand downloads as witty screensavers. Visit his blog now.

Sieber posts galleries of famous and little-known artists like my favorite French impressionist-realist, Gustave Caillebotte, who was not only a great artist, but quite the hunk. See for yourself.

A poorly trimmed poster (cropped to fit an ornate junky yet suitable frame) of his "Floor Scrapers" adorns my writing room wall (partially because, as a former dancer, I recall the sensation of freshly sanded wooden sprung studio floors).

I first saw Caillebotte's work in a 1995 visit to Paris at the Muse´d'Orsay, where his works, and "Un Coin de Table" by Henri Fantin-Latour, brought me to emotional catharses and inspired both published and unpublished works. Caillebotte's "La place de l'Europe, temps de pluie" at the Chicago Art Institute, also brought me to tears. Perhaps on each occasion, I was simply an exhausted tourist. Doubtful.

This post is also a pleasant way to bump down my previous post about that ... hideous Alaskan creature (see below), whose name I refuse to ever again type or speak, and as a sort of blathering response to a query from another writer that I join in to a 15-Questions format he posed to some writers (on Facebook, yet again) about their process. Obviously, I broke the rules and chose my own format.

As to creative inspiration, I think I've answered that in my own way. Should said new novel-in-gestation ever be published, an inside secret to you will be that I just now chose to make the story's love interest resemble a modern teenage version of Caillebotte. Why? Why does a dog lick his own butt? (Because he can.)

So now, I will, as one floor scraper seems to be saying to the other, "Get back to work, hot stuff."

Palin Speech = Hate Speech

2011-01-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

Report Sarak Palin's horrific "crosshairs" graphic on Facebook.

The crazed shooter who killed six people in Tucson has no literal connection to Sarah Palin, the Tea Party, or the Republican Patry. The New York Times reports his mental illness, videos and online connections to anti-semitic hate groups, though. Who can say what connection there is (hey, Bristol Plain just bought a house in Arizona, with cash; coincidence? Yes.)

Palinites are already splitting infinitives and arguing semantics over the word "crosshairs" versus "gunsights."

But one thing is clear. The violence committed is merely the ultimate extreme version of the rhetoric spewed by this woman, her adherents, and the bulk of bilious rightwing politicians and media puppets.

Openly Gay Intern Daniel Hernandez Jr. Credited With Saving Life Of Rep. Giffords

Daniel Hernandez Jr., the 20-year old student intern credited with saving the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, confirmed to the Dallas Voice this morning that he is openly gay.

Hernandez, who confirmed that he is gay in an interview with Instant Tea on Sunday morning, is a member of the City of Tucson Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. “She’s been a great ally to the LGBT community,” Hernandez said of Giffords during the brief interview across a bad connection.

Read more at JoeMyGod, who notes: "The website for the Dallas Voice is presently showing an "Account Suspended" message. It's possible that this news has caused the site to temporarily exceed its hosting agreement. I'll update this post if more is learned."

Related news:

Jared Loughner YouTube Videos, MySpace Suggest Alleged Shooter May Have Ties To Hate Group

Heroic Woman Charged Jared Loughner, Averting 'Huge Greater Catastrophe'

Die-aspora

2011-01-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

Bumble Bees IN U.S. Suffer Sharp Decline
Latest research on U.S. bumble bees only exacerbates concerns over future food production, as bees are responsible for pollinating 90 percent of the world's commercial plants, from fruits and vegetables to coffee and cotton.

Hundreds of dead blackbirds found near New Roads
LABARRE, La. - Around 500 dead blackbirds and starlings have been found in Pointe Coupee Parish, according to state wildlife officials.

The birds were spotted lying in roads and ditches near Labarre Elementary School. The community is between Morganza and New Roads on Highway 10. Scientists from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries have been sent out to collect samples, which will be sent for testing to the University of Georgia and National Wildlife Center in Wisconsin.

This comes after about 5,000 blackbirds and swallows were found dead around Beebe, Ark. on New Year's Eve. Dr. Jim LaCour with LDWF said he's not sure the two incidents are connected.

"It's not common, (but) we do see a few die-offs for various reasons," said LaCour. "Yes, we need to look into it, we need to be a little alarmed, but it's not out of the scope of things to have a die-off."

Birds fall out of sky en masse
Maybe the Mayans were on to something?
That's surely what students of the famed Mayan 2012 prophecy for the end of the world had to be thinking with the news of recent eerie wildlife die-offs in Arkansas. Just as the calendar nudged a year closer to that fateful date, birds began falling from the sky in Arkansas and a massive fish kill occurred some 125 miles to the west.

The end of days?

Oops. Never mind...

Expert says storm likely killed thousands of birds

...for now.

Oops. More.

Dead birds fall from the sky in Maryland, Brazil, and New Zealand.

Thousands of dead fish in Toronto.

Thousands of dead fish in Florida.

Thousands of dead fish in Arizona.

Boy, that "storm" sure gets around.

Update, Jan 6: ..and thousands of dead crabs wash up on shore in New England.

I guess that "storm" went below sea level.

Oh, and here's the latest: Thousands of dead turtle doves with odd green markings on their beaks drop dead in Italy.

Let's keep track of our species apocalypse, shall we?

EU Times has a long list of recent mass species die-offs.

Slide show of previous mysterious animal mass alleged suicides.

But don't compare any of them to lemmings. Read online:

"I forget the exact details, but basically what happened with those POOR lemmings, was that the Disney Corporation was on this wildlife filming kick, so they rounded up these lemmings, hoping to film them in cliff-side area. Unfortunately the animals were completely confused, and stressed and ended up leaping off the cliff out of confusion, not from a mass desire to commit suicide. But Disney sold it that way ever since.

Elevendy

2011-01-01T12:23:00.000-08:00

Happy new year. Dive in to 2011.

Merry Krimble!

2010-12-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

Wheel of Fortune

2010-12-20T16:03:00.001-08:00

Where are your alleged "anti-terrorism" tax dollars going?

Billions are going down the drain in offices full of untrained unauthorized surveillance of those would-be terrorists, bike lane advocates.

"Maryland State Police infiltrated local groups that lobbied for bike lanes and human rights"

1. The FBI's Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative, or SAR, currently contains 161,948 suspicious activity files, into which authorities can put information they've gathered about the people at the center of the files: employment history, financial documents, phone numbers, photos. In many cases, the people in the files have not been accused of any crime but have attracted the suspicions of a local cop, FBI agent or even fellow citizen. The files have led to five arrests but no convictions, the FBI says. Some of the files are unclassified so that local police agencies and even businesses can submit reports on anyone they deem suspicious.

2. The Department of Homeland Security does not know how much it spends in funding state fusion centers, which synthesize security information from all state agencies and feed information to SAR. But since 2001, the department has doled out $31 billion to states and localities for domestic security initiatives.

3. Local officials at these fusion centers are tasked with understanding terrorism, but have little or no training. To fill the void, self-styled experts with fairly extreme views on the scope of the Muslim terrorist threat are asked to come in and train local authorities, the Post reports. Professed ex-terrorist Walid Shoebat told a group at the first annual South Dakota Fusion Center Conference in Sioux Falls this year that they should monitor local Muslim student groups and mosques and try to tap their phones. "You can find out a lot of information that way," he said.

National intelligence officials told the Post they preferred that people with "evidence-based" approaches to Islam were lecturing instead, but that no guidelines are in place to determine the qualifications of a given speaker.

4. The localities are often left without guidance from the Department of Homeland Security, which can lead to confusion about the counter-terrorism actions they're supposed to be carrying out. Virginia's fusion center named historically black colleges as "potential" terrorism hubs; Maryland State Police infiltrated local groups that lobbied for bike lanes and human rights; and a contractor in Pennsylvania writing an intelligence bulletin flagged meetings of the Tea Party Patriots Coalition and environmental activists.

5. Many states and towns are taking the unprecedented amounts of money handed out to fight terrorists and are using it instead to fight crime. "We have our own terrorists, and they are taking lives every day," Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin said.

Fine by me.

2010-12-16T11:23:00.000-08:00

If you think cycling isn't a political issue, the latest brouhaha over Berkeley cops fining a student $440 for locking his bike and running a stop sign should prove you wrong.

Campus cops are swarming around students who dare to ride their bikes across a plaza, or -shockers!- cruise through a stop sign when there's no traffic. Berkeleyites are mad!

Just look at the angry arguments on SF Weekly's blog post, "A Bike is not a Car."

Anyone who isn't a cyclist seems to view cyclists as cast members from Death Race 2000. Demonize the wheeled ones while you yack on your cell phone, straddling two lanes in your SUV. Go ahead.

But fining someone for cycling violations, and demanding a driver's license, is not legal, or cool. A 10-year-old kid can ride a bike. You don't need a license to ride a bike, and motor vehicle laws do not apply.

Stop attacking cyclists. Pretty soon there won't be any more oil, and there will be a lot more people cycling by necessity, not just for fun.

Fire in My Belly by David Wojnarowicz, Diamanda Galas

2010-12-02T22:31:00.000-08:00

This got censored, in Washington, D.C.
Just like Mapplethorpe in 1989. and the Gang of Four.

Robert Mapplethorpe. Wojnarowicz, Diamanda Galas.
If you don't know who they are, first of all, you're clueless; second, find out about them if you don't.

Two trillion on wars, and some 20-year-old East Village poverty super-8 classic with chilling vocals by the most piercing clarity, combined with a frenetic montage of the experience of their abuse during the AIDS war, SCARES the reichwing into censoring this art.

Because they have nothing better to do? Now?

Washington Post:

This fuss is about the larger topic of the show: Gay love, and images of it. The headline that ran over coverage of the matter on the right-wing Web site CNSnews.com mentioned the crucifix - but as only one item in a list of the exhibition's "shockers" that included "naked brothers kissing, genitalia and Ellen DeGeneres grabbing her breasts." (Through a bra, one might note, in an image that's less shocking than many moves by Lady Gaga.) The same site decries "a painting the Smithsonian itself describes in the show's catalog as 'homoerotic'. "

Against all odds, the stodgy old National Portrait Gallery has recently become one of the most interesting, daring institutions in Washington. Its 2009 show on Marcel Duchamp's self-portrayal was important, strange and brave. "Hide/Seek," the show about gay love that it opened in October, was crucial - a first of its kind - and courageous, as well as being full of wonderful art. My review of it was a rave.

Now the NPG, and the Smithsonian Institution it is part of, look set to come off as cowards. Tuesday, after a few hours of pressure from the Catholic League and various conservatives, it decided to remove a video by David Wojnarowicz, a gay artist who died from AIDS-related illness in 1992. As part of "Hide/Seek," the gallery was showing a four-minute excerpt from a 1987 piece titled "A Fire in My Belly," made in honor of Peter Hujar, an artist-colleague and lover of Wojnarowicz who had died of AIDS complications in 1987. And for 11 seconds of that meandering, stream-of-consciousness work (the full version is 30 minutes long) a crucifix appears onscreen with ants crawling on it. It seems such an inconsequential part of the total video that neither I nor anyone I've spoken to who saw the work remembered it at all.

But that is the portion of the video that the Catholic League has decried as "designed to insult and inflict injury and assault the sensibilities of Christians," and described as "hate speech" - despite the artist's own hopes that the passage would speak to the suffering of his dead friend. The irony is that Wojnarowicz's reading of his piece puts it smack in the middle of the great tradition of using images of Christ to speak about the suffering of all mankind. There is a long, respectable history of showing hideously grisly images of Jesus - 17th-century sculptures in the National Gallery's recent show of Spanish sacred art could not have been more gory or distressing - and Wojnarowicz's video is nothing more than a relatively tepid reworking of that imagery, in modern terms.

-----

An indictment on Super8, scaring the bejeezus out of the rightwing.

The Decemberist

2010-12-02T15:07:00.000-08:00

December is my favoritest month.

New BARtab here!

Adopt Inky

2010-11-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

Adopt Inky, a one-year-old former street youth saved from a life of crime and nurtured by a a loving family.

He's still a bit uncouth, needs a scratching post, and likes to hide in the closet. We think he's gay.

After he got fixed, he got a bit of a chub, and he's still got his claws, but with light play he retracts them. He's easily amused by tossed paper, string and toys.

Inky comes with a full playset; litter box, large tub full of food, steel scooper and extra litter!

We know you'll fall in love with him.

Rubber Up!

2010-11-23T19:54:00.001-08:00

In a seismic shift on one of the most profound " and profoundly contentious " Roman Catholic teachings, the Vatican said Tuesday that condoms are the lesser of two evils when used to curb the spread of AIDS, even if their use prevents a pregnancy.

The position was an acknowledgment that the church's long-held anti-birth control stance against condoms doesn't justify putting lives at risk.

"This is a game-changer," declared the Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit writer and editor.

The new stance was staked out as the Vatican explained Pope Benedict XVI's comments on condoms and HIV in a book that came out Tuesday based on his interview with a German journalist.

The Vatican still holds that condom use is immoral and that church doctrine forbidding artificial birth control remains unchanged. Still, the reassessment on condom use to help prevent disease carries profound significance, particularly in Africa where AIDS is rampant.

www.huffingtonpost.com

How nice for them.
How nice for everyone.

NOW will you get over myself and a few thousand others, 110 others inside, for stating this case quite emphatically to the nearest annex of his church, more than twenty years ago?

Vin-ish Line

2010-11-10T14:51:00.001-08:00

The cat-calling for my favorite biracial bald muscled movie star reaches new proportions on D-Listed, where there are more photos of Vin Diesel riding a bike in Rio with his boyfrie--, friends, er, trainers, er, entourage.

Wear a helmet, dude! We don't want that perfect head getting bumped.

Dudes ex Machina

2010-11-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

Brian Wilson shows off his total fagstagocity on the Jay Leno Show.

In part two, we meet "The Machine."

Dig in for the Holidays

2010-11-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

ISSUE # 7: November 2010

Open publication - Free publishing

Orange and Black

2010-11-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Yay.

A bit more at BARtab.

Bully for you

2010-10-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Bullying, suicides, crazy teabag politicians, Don't Ask Don't Tell...
Agh. I deal with all this at work. I'm not gonna blog about it.

Here are pictures of hot guys in costumes. I'm already planning for Halloween.
Costume suggestions?

Get Lit

2010-09-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

Since work and stuff have precluded posting here very often, I thought I'd plan ahead for my possibly only post for the next few weeks.

October 9, as Editor of BARtab, I get to host a Lit Crawl event! Whoo-hoo.

Lit Crawl is the final night of the annual Lit-apalooza, Litquake, where hundreds of snazzy authors read and participate in all kinds of events. It's funtastic for word-lovin' nerds such as I.

Add some socko martinis, and we've got half a dozen smartypants authors - Meliza Banalez, Cindy Emch, Felice Picano, Jim Piechota, Rob Rosen - who will share Bar Pick-ups Gone Terribly Wrong*, Saturday, October 9, 6pm at Martuni's, 4 Valencia St. at Market, in San Francisco.

RSVP to the Facebook Invite, if you like.

Check out the nine days of booktastic events at Litquake.

Enjoy leatherific features and events on BARtab.
The October BARtab will be out September 30.

*(... or right)

Labor-ious

2010-09-06T10:55:00.001-07:00

I'm happy to be working a little bit today on what is a holiday-pay day off for most. Yes, I'll get some sun on this day (mostly) off. But as I type this, I'm messaging on Facebook with a fellow journalist who is in Chicago, and Googling notes on tech/geek web upgrades for work's websites.

Several panels at this past weekend's 20th anniversary NLGJA convention, held in downtown San Francisco, focused on web strategies to basically make articles more popular. There were also a lot of fun social events, and deserving awards given.

While I write about arts now, I get to touch back on gay sports via Out Q Radio stringer gigs, which uses my decades-old speech theatre etc, experience as well.

The latest story: The Federation of Gay Games and Cleveland Synergy Foundation, the non-profit created to bid and host the 2014 9th quadrennial LGBT athletic event, are battling over funding, licensing and other issues. Sources: Plain Dealer, WKSU (additional WKSU article).

That link-filled, "Five Ws" (Who, What, Where, When and Why) sentence should have been the first in this post, according to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques. But since this is merely my rambling blog, I 'buried the lead,' something you shouldn't do if you want your blog posts to be "popular." To get good Google-bot assistance, state the story's main themes in the first sentence. I often don't do that here.

I don't often indulge in coverage about coverage, but others do it quite well. You can find more interesting posts about perspectives on gay media issues at http://nlgjareact.wordpress.com/

To be popular, according to a sardonic quote from a columnist shared by an NLGJA panelist, you should use 'Lady Gaga' in every article. So... maybe, between lawsuits, some smart Synergy person will book Lady Gaga at Richfield Colosseum or get Lady Gaga to show up at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because Lady Gaga loves the gays.

So, if this latest round of gay sports administrative infighting doesn't lead to yet another full-blown Gay Games controversy, we may get more stories about actual LGBT jocks with a new angle.

I'm relieved to not have to cover this new soap opera in depth, curious to see how it plays out, relieved that a gay story is not about homosexuality and simply about a bureaucratic catfight, and torn about even returning to Ohio in four years.

A truck photographed during my last winter visit to Ohio

While I understand the intent of bringing the Games to Ohio as a form of cultural outreach, and know from experience that there are many well-equipped sports facilities throughout northeast Ohio, I spent decades living there and know that blood-red state is intractable in its antigay politics (and probably responsible for massive 2004 presidential election ballot fraud).

photo: From Brazil to Bucyrus? Doubtful.

Touching back to Facebook and the clash of personal and work-related social marketing discussed at the NLGJA conference, I just chose not to "friend" a former high school acquaintance on Facebook when I perused his photo album from Glenn Beck's ridiculous "Restore America" rally, aka Whitestock. My brief glances at other similar people I haven't seen in three decades -and don't want to, ever again- revealed similar perspectives.

So, excepting a few Ohioan Facebook pals, and a gay oasis here and there, like Columbus' Short North district, it's also just ... boring, and staunchly rightwing. Non-US jocks are not going to travel across the globe to bowl in Parma and be berated by Tea Party nutjobs.

The "bring The Games back to America" campaign worked in Chicago in 2006, because the Second City's jocks and gay media have a big strong community (See lots of coverage linked on my old site, www.sportscomplex.org). This summer's Games, held in Cologne, Germany, appear to have been extremely efficient, fun, and lacking controversy, which is good. However, that doesn't result in much US media coverage, gay or mainstream.

Visit scenic Ohio?

Perhaps some bucolic images and features about javelin throwers training on a farm in Coshocton might stir up some sentiment in 2014. Perhaps the Gay Games will empower LGBT Midwesterners, and change the hearts and minds of the Republican-thick Buckeye state. Perhaps this newest administrative battle won't sully the Games' reputation, again.

Perhaps the FGG website's having deleted all info on its GGIX page isn't a bad sign, just a glitch.

Perhaps.

Perhaps not.

BARtabbin'

2010-09-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

No time to blog post, what with editing two websites at work.
Here's a handy-dandy page-view version of the September issue of BARtab:

Open publication - Free publishing - More transgender

Click HERE to view all issues.

And enjoy the blog format of all articles, events, and stuff on www.bartabsf.com.

Vacation's

2010-08-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

...all I ever wanted.

Actively Judging

2010-08-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

In which Fox "News"' Chris Wallace spews the faltering rightwing taking points, and gets schooled by Ted Olson.

Wheely Stupid

2010-08-04T21:48:00.001-07:00

So, Proposition 8 was overturned as unconstitutional, like you haven't heard. I mean, really; biggest gay news of the year! Of course, I was just uploading web pages about it while everyone else was in the streets celebrating.

And, of course, rightwing douchbags are gnashing their fanged teeth, from adulterous 3-time divorcee Newt Gingrich to Michelle "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann. Other religious doofs seemed to have failed in their mass prayers to defeat the gays. and in Utah, God gave the Mor(m)ons an earthquake.

But what about cycling? Apparently, to the deranged rightwing, that's even gayerer.

The Denver Post reports on yet another crazy dip-brained rightwing doof who thinks bicycling is a commie conspiracy.

"Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes is warning voters that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's policies, particularly his efforts to boost bike riding, are "converting Denver into a United Nations community."

"This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed," Maes told about 50 supporters who showed up at a campaign rally last week in Centennial.

Maes said in a later interview that he once thought the mayor's efforts to promote cycling and other environmental initiatives were harmless and well-meaning. Now he realizes "that's exactly the attitude they want you to have."

"This is bigger than it looks like on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms," Maes said."

The stupid. It hoitz.

Glogger

2010-07-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Big (firm grasp of the obvious) news! Gays blog. Gays are on Facebook, in droves.

OnTopMag article: A new poll released Tuesday finds a majority of gay adults frequent social networking sites and blogs.

The Harris Interactive online survey of 2,412 adults, of whom 271 self identified as gay or lesbian, found that gay adults are among the nation's most frequent blog readers and users of social networking sites. A majority (54%) of gay adults read blogs, up from 32% in 2006. Forty percent of heterosexual respondents reported reading blogs.

Most gay adults reported reading news and current issue blogs (36%), followed by entertainment and pop culture blogs (25%). Both of those figures are higher than for their heterosexual counterparts, of which 45% report reading news and current issue blogs and 16% entertainment and pop culture blogs.

TechCrunch article: A new national survey carried out by market research firm Harris Interactive suggests gay and lesbian adults online today are among the most loyal and most frequent blog readers and social network users in the United States.

And since I spend 24/7 glogging (gay blogging) and Gayfacebooking, I have less time to spend here. Actually, I have a day job and a personal life, both of which are more productive than copy-pasting links and stuff here. So don't expect frequent new glogs here.

And because yet another screencap of a blog on a blog about blogs is frackin' dumb, Here's a hot pic of an Iroquois Nation lacrosse player. They refuse to get US passports, because, of course, they are not US citizens, but Iroquois Nation citizens (and not, as far as I know, gay, but very cute).

Yahoo/AP article: "The Iroquois previously have traveled using passports issued by the Iroquois Confederacy. But the U.S. government says that, unlike U.S. passports, the Iroquois passports aren't acceptable under new, stricter immigration rules. The players won't accept U.S. government-issued documents because they see them as an attack on their identity."

And if you don't understand the cultural logic of that protest, you probably never Friended me or read this glog anyway.

Chains of Love

2010-06-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

Big Gay, All!

2010-06-25T19:08:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of the last and busiest week of Pride month, every day is simply stuffed with LGBT events. Parties, movies, benefits. Before Homo Overload sets in, set your agenda on a Kinsey 7: super-duper-extra gay.

Sunday, June 27 is San Francisco's LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration in Civic Center. Join the largest LGBT celebration in California, which celebrates four decades of pride. Mainstage musical acts in the heart of Civic Center include The Backstreet Boys, Andy Bell of Erasure, Rose Royce, Martha Davis and the Motels. Several DJed dance area in nearby streets should please all tastes. The parade moves from Market St. at Beale west to Market at 8th St., 11am-5pm. And, by the way, don't forget, lots of acts and booths will be open in Civic Center on Saturday, June 26. www.sfpride.org

Pepperspray
Luminous drag stars Peggy L’eggs, Jordan L’Moore, Precious Moments and Tinkle Peterson reunite with SLC royalty Princess Kennedy and band mates Swirly Rat Jr. & Stony Curtis. With go-go dancers the Warm Pepperettes. Special Pride season showcase co-starring Carletta Sue Kay and Brent James. $5. 9:30pm. 398 12th Street at Harrison. www.peppersprayband.com www.sfeagle.com

Pepperspray also performs Friday, June 25, with DJ Lady Miss Kier and others, as part of Art Attack at Supperclub, 657 Harrison St. at 3rd. 11pm-ish. $10-$20

Blackbird @ Mama Calizo's Voice Factory
Seth Eisen's fascinating and funny musical cabaret tour through queer cabaret history, from speakeasy singers to Klaus Nomi and Sylvester. $20-$25. 8pm. Thu-Sat (some Sun). Thru July 10. 1519 Mission St. www.eyezen.org www.mcvf.org

More, much much more at www.ebar.com and www.bartabsf.com

Crude Oil Wrestling

2010-06-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

Men rolling around in petroleum (actually canola oil). That’s just about the gayest awareness campaign for the Gulf oil spill. But wait, there’s more.

The Faetopia Festival invades the former Tower Records June 20-26. The groovy Playa Joy folks bring Eco Homo, a fun-filled week of environmental arts, awareness and activist events.

Sunday, June 20, the must-see event was “Crude Oil Wrestling,” a fundraiser for Gulf oil spill relief, with hours of real live (but fake oil) grappling, from 2pm-6pm. Those who got there oily enjoyed the matches in the street in front of the space.

If you missed that there’s more. Partake of environmental education workshops, film screenings, photo sessions and exhibits, and drag shows, including a multimedia recreation of the wild film Aliens Cut My Hair, with Suppositori Spelling, Veronic Klaus, Elvis Herselvis and more.

$20-$45. Check the website for times and tickets. Thru June 26. 2278 Market St. at Noe. www.playajoy.org

Queeple

2010-06-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

It almost felt condescending to remind a rather assertive yet clueless publicist who was pushing her mainstream (i.e. not in the least bit gay) client, that: A; We're a gay newspaper, and B; It's June. Therefore, if it ain't got gay swing, it ain't for Miss Thing.

At the same time I was assuring said publicist that no, there was not room in our publication for her client this week, a fellow writer (who's so gay he should have a varsity letter G) shared (via Facebook) his freshly coined term for perpetually online pals: Tweeple.

So, my queeple (queer people), you know it's Pride Month. You're busy. I'm busy. The week's best is below. Go.

Sunday June 20, Dancing With the Drag Stars at Cheryl Burke Dance Studio is a must-see. The second season of the local drag spin-off of the popular dance TV show, hosted at the studio of Dancing With the Stars pro Cheryl Burke, includes contestants Mercedes Munro, Sasha Soprano, Margaret Cholo, Ferosha Titties, Cassandra Cass, and returning contestants from last year. Donna Sachet, Sister Roma, Bebe Sweetbriar and Patrick Gallineaux cohost/judge. Proceeds benefit the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation. $25-$100. 6pm-11pm. 1830 17th St. www.patrikpresents.com

The Faetopia Festival invades the former Tower Records June 20-26. The
groovy Playa Joy folks bring Eco Homo, a fun-filled week of
environmental arts, awareness and activist events. Sunday, June 20, the
must-see event is "Crude Boys Oil Wrestling," a fundraiser for Gulf
oil spill relief, with hours of real live (but fake oil) grappling from 2pm-6pm. Get there oily.

Subsequent days, partake of workshops, film screenings, photo sessions and exhibits, and drag shows, including a multimedia recreation of Aliens Cut My Hair, with Suppositori Spelling, Veronica Klaus, Elvis Herselvis and more. Check the website for times and tickets. Thru June 26. 2278 Market St. at Noe. www.playajoy.org

Thursday, June 24, I'll be at the no-doubt packed Dark Horse Cabaret at Cafe du Nord featuring Planet Booty (the multi-talented and cute Germick brothers), Ethel Merman Experience, Trauma Flintstone, Erika Von Volkyrie, Alyssa Stone, F BJ Browne, Gottie Lux, Kitten on the Keys, Jeremiah Broom, Matthew Martin and Lady Monster in a festive night of queer and curious cabaret. $12-$15. 21+. 8pm. 2170 Market St. at Sanchez. 861-5016. www.cafedunord.com

Equally fab and also June 24 (decisions, decisions!) PepperSpray reunites at the Eagle Tavern. Drag stars Peggy L'eggs, Jordan L'Moore, Precious Moments and Tinkle Peterson reunite with Princess Kennedy, Swirly Rat Jr. and Stony Curtis. The special Pride season showcase includes Carletta Sue Kay and Brent James performing as well. $5.
9:30pm. 398 12th Street at Harrison. www.peppersprayband.com
www.sfeagle.com

Get out and get your gay on, queeple!

More listings on www.ebar.com and nightclub events at www.BARtabSF.com

BBP

2010-06-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

No, it's not a new sandwich, like a PPJ. But "Boycott British Petroleum" may be tougher than you think. Most people don't have the advantage of being cyclist-commuters, but many drivers passing this "polite" protest on the sidewalk next to an Arco gas station (owned by BP) honked their horns in approval.

Cyclists and others, about 30 in total, rode and walked to the problematic gas station, whose entrance driveway cuts off cyclists. On a larger scale, I was hoping there would be more direct action, but it's not wise to go civil disobedience on the site of a flammable gas station. Still, a small message was conveyed.

I was also given a mini-flyer for a "Hair Raising Party" (shouldn't that be hair RAZING?)June 12, 2pm-6pm at 250 Loomis Warehouse (way down on Bayshore and Industrial; quite a bike ride, so maybe carpool).

Although BP has refused hair donations (which made me feel like my head-shaving stunt was futile), I was told that Louisiana locals are making their own hair-sopper mats. So Matter of Trust still serves a purpose.

Free punk CDs for anyone getting a Mohawk! I'd go, but I'm otherwise occupied, and don't have much hair to donate again ... yet!

Going Rogue

2010-06-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

So, time to play catch-up with some stuff going on.

Elections: I had to go elsewhere to vote, since the nearby middle school is being renovated. Women won big, even though some of them are clueless billionaires who will be awful rightwing tools. Fortunately, some far rightwing nutbags elsewhere lost big, like wack job Orly Taitz.

Lots of dumb stuff nationwide's making headlines. The silliest is dumbass Sarah Palin blaming environmentalists for the oil spill. What a maroon. She conveniently omits the fact that her hubby worked for BP for years.

Locally, the big cycling news is the freak who went on a rampage to deliberately attempt to kill cyclists. The guy was predictably driving an SUV, the ironically named Nissan Rogue.

The Albany man suspected of mowing down four bicyclists last week in the Mission District and Potrero Hill in a six-minute rampage in his SUV was identified Saturday as David Mark Clark.

Clark, 39, was booked into San Francisco County Jail just before midnight Friday, police said. He was booked on four felony counts each of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and hit and run resulting in injury and is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

His ex-landlord said the Clark she knew was a kind man, very low key, concerned about health and nutrition and very social. And he was an "avid bicyclist," she said.

"He's really a people person," she said. "This is amazing to me to hear this." Read more:

What's freaky about this? He's not some angry rightwinger, but a "tennis pro, self-styled master natural healer and crystal therapist." Oh, jeez. Hippies Gone Wild.

In the comments section: "If there's a bright side in any of this, it's that his prosecution should be relatively quick." and "Four counts of attempted murder had better result in life in prison."

Another person adds, "Both comments should be true, except for the ointment fly, Kamala Harris." Harris has a reputation for not convicting criminals. Although my paper endorsed her, it was with serious doubt that I voted for her. Her opponents seemed even less competent. But letting this freak off the hook would be truly criminal.

Second Verse, better than the first

2010-05-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

BARtab's second issue comes flaming out of the closet June 3.
RSVP to our premiere party, June 3, on Facebook.

Pride Lit

2010-05-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

LGBTQ Pride Month starts off with a reading.
This is the first San Francisco Pride event of the month.
Hopefully, you can attend.

Cleis Authors Celebrate Pride Month at LGBT Writers Panel

San Francisco, CA : June 1, 2010
Writer Jim Provenzano will host guitarist Jon Ginoli (Pansy Division); sex educator and writer Felice Newman (whole Lesbian Sex Book); Queen of Lesbian Fiction Ann Bannon; author Rachel Pepper (The Transgender Child); and writer Rob Rosen (Divas Las Vegas), held in conjunction with Pride Month, with "Out and Off the Margins: LGBT Authors Making History," a panel at the San Francisco Public Library at 6:00pm.

Cleis Press.

San Francisco Public Library.

Buzz Off

2010-05-13T02:38:00.000-07:00

Buzz cut benefit to fight the Gulf Coast oil spill, believe it or not.

Promo mention in BAR-TAB.

www.matteroftrust.org

BAR-TAB is now serving.

2010-05-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

BAR-TAB.

Read responsibly.

I'm busy.

2010-04-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Really busy.

See you May 6 at our premiere parties!

Web banner exchange, anyone?

Promenade

2010-04-09T17:25:00.001-07:00

The teen lesbian in Mississippi who got doubly snubbed from attending her prom now has Lance Bass and Green Day behind her.

The ASA writes:
"The Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition's second annual Second Chance Prom will be held on May 8, 2010 in Downtown Tupelo, Mississippi. "We've very pleased to be able to support and promote LGBT equality alongside other sponsors," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. "We're proud to be standing on the side of love and acceptance instead of fear and prejudice, and we hope that the event will bring appreciation of the diversity within our society and encourage others to embrace it as a positive value that can continue to forge progress for all Americans."

Also, Georgia teen Derrick Martin was banned, kicked out of his home, then unbanned from his prom, and gay choruses and celebrities ponied up to support the kid. Martin asked Bleckley County school officials if could bring his boyfriend to his senior prom, and last week they gave him the official okay.

Martin says: “I didn’t expect them to say yes. It’s who I am. I have the same rights. It’s my senior prom and I wanted to be able to prove not everyone would cancel prom. At first she said no, Cochran wasn’t ready for it. But then last week, school officials said they have no policy in place against it. It’s standing up for the rights thing, especially after the Mississippi canceled prom. It’s senior prom. It’s pretty big.”

Then there's the kids in North Carolina:

Two gay teens, Jordan Nixon and his boyfriend Chase have been allowed to attend prom at Starmount High School in Booneville, NC after Jordan's mom Leesa heard how Chase had been told by the principal that he couldn't bring a "friend" to the prom. After explaining that Jordan was not a friend but a "boyfriend" the school still wouldn't relent.

Jordan's mom Leesa Nixon went to the principal, threatened to take action and go to the media, and quickly the issue was resolved. This is the story of a great parent standing up for her gay kid and a school faced with the threat of exposing its discriminatory behavior.

Gay teen prom rights are THE issue right now, folks.

UPDATE: See, I told you so. Constance has been selected to be a Grand Marshall at New York City's LGBT Pride Parade.

Comically Delicious

2010-04-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

WonderCon 2010 didn't keep me long this year, what with Easter plans, and the torrential rain.

While I did get a glance at my favorite scifi dude Adam Baldwin at the autograph booth, I caught a press interview with the Prince of Persia team, including Jake Gyllenhaal! Story to follow next month.

Two other gladiatorial hunks, in particular, Ares (above) and (below) the donning of a Transformer costume. He's not the one who turns into a car. This guy's costume was made of metal (impressive) but not very mobile. But it was neat.

I bought a T-shirt. FRAK ME.

Rain Check?

2010-04-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

The biggest local news about gay events is that for the first time in years, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence's annual Easter celebrations in Dolores Park may have to go inside, due to rain. It's been raining off an on all week (my pics from 2009).

The rain venue is the Eureka Valley Recreational Center's main gym. I'm sure that no matter what the weather, or locale, it'll be fun.

Just different.

The only good thing I can report about this weather, other than reservoirs rising, is that my sale-item weatherproof rain jacket (thanks, Sports Basement, and Champion, who made it, in China, by slaves, no doubt. My bad.) is actually rainproof.

But most drag isn't. So let's see.

Lake of Fire

2010-03-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Tea Partiers: Why don't those who oppose Obama just come out and state the real reason for their venom:

"We don't take orders from a Negro!" White people can't stand that a black man is giving them directives. That's all this is about. Their hatred of black people.

Why do the media pretend it's about something else?

At least the FBI isn't pretending it's something else:

The FBI was conducting raids Saturday night at multiple locations in southeast Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

At least seven people, including some from Michigan, have been arrested in raids by a FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana as part of an investigation into a Christian militia group, according to a this report from DetNews.com.

The suspects are expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Detroit on Monday.

On Sunday, the FBI confirmed that federal law enforcement agents were conducting activities in Washtenaw and Lenawee counties over the weekend in connection to Hutaree, a Christian militia group. FBI Special Agent Sandra Berchtold told The Detroit News the federal warrants in the case are under court seal and declined further comment.

Sources have said the FBI was in the second day of raids around the southeastern Michigan city of Adrian that are connected to a militia group, known as the Hutaree, an group whose members describe themselves as Christian soldiers who are preparing for the arrival and battle with the anti-Christ.

Agents have also obtained search warrants and multiple arrests have been made.

Oh, more:

Police, federal agents in raids in Sandusky and Huron: A battalion of local officers and federal agents flooded the Bayshore Estates neighborhood Saturday afternoon.

A second raid was conducted in Huron. An FBI agent at the scene of the Bayshore Estates raid said a second, related raid was taking place at “another location.” Huron police confirmed late Saturday a raid had taken place in that city, but would say nothing more.

Sandusky, Ohio?
Wow. Who woulda thought the home of Cedar Point would be a terror hub.

Well, anyone who's lived there.

I remember best the little train ride you took at Cedar Point, through Frontier Town, which was basically a bunch of prop western exteriors with wire-controlled skeletons in western gear (amazingly I found a pic online). It was odd, not being scared in the woods in the middle of an afternoon by gun-shooting skulls.

My favorite was the upside down house, which had traditional amusements; funny mirrors, tilted walkways, etc. Great fun.

So, I wonder how many of these homegrown terror suspects ever enjoyed a nice day at the park?

That might be the problem. Too much rightwing homeschooling, not enough fun.

Oh, and I found this related 2-year-old gem quite by accident:

SANDUSKY, Ohio (AP) -- A highway patrolman who was photographed in a handmade Ku Klux Klan costume while on duty the day before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has been suspended without pay, authorities said.

Ohio. Ohio. Thank god I left Ohio.

She told ya so

2010-03-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

(via Towleroad)

Sinead O'Connor was vilified for defying two thousand years of bullshit when she tore up a photo of a pope.

Now, she's calling for a full criminal investigation against the Vatican. O'Connor in the LA Times:

"There should be a full criminal investigation of the Catholic hierarchy of any country in which this has been an issue. There should be a full criminal investigation of the Vatican. There should be a full criminal investigation of the pope. The pope should stand down for the fact that he did not act in a Christian fashion to protect children, and for the fact that his organization acted to preserve their business interests decade after decade rather than be concerned about the interests of children, and for showing so much disrespect for Christ, God, the victims, the rest of us, their own clergy. . . . The Vatican and the pope need to get on their knees and confess the full truth in the same language they make us use in Mass. . . . They need to get on their knees, open everything up, be transparent, tell the truth, ask the people for forgiveness and prayers."

Scary? What's really scary is that no one has yet done just that.
I don't want them on their knees, unless it's behind bars.

Hell & Healthcare

2010-03-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

Like a giant toxic kidney stone, the Healthcare bill passed.

Hooray. Whoop-de-doo.

Reichwing losers (particularly one in a recent presidential election) are already threatening to repeal it.

Of course, it's been gutted of abortion services, except in emergency purposes.

It's been gutted of LGBT inclusion, so if your GLBT partner is hospitalized, you still have second-class rights, or none at all. Yet the Human Rights Campaign supports it.

But to criticize it is to possibly be dumped in the camp of lunatic hordes who invaded the Capitol Building mall and tried to riot inside. they closed the building (the same as any other large protest would induce), yet reichwingers are few yet furious in their ire.

A few hundred total wackos, some screaming racist and homophobic epithets, others using signage of assassination threats, another actually Tweeting about it, and another pasty-faced white man shouting "Baby-killer," this time a congressman.

It's ugly, watching the rightwing unravel.

" I will make a concerted effort emhance my personal wealth by scaming the system. That will become the national passtime. And by the way. JUST WATCH for whats comming down the pike. BEFORE THE NOV. ELECTION. Amnesty, & energy (cap and trade), they have to pass this fast to complete the takeover. My God help us all."

Why are they so upset? It pleases the health insurance lobbyists, who paid off the rightwing and Blue Dog Democrat politicians to start those horrid shouting matches at town halls.

But if it's perceived as a victory for President Obama, fine.

Let's move on.

Little Falls, Big Storms

2010-03-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

More than ten years ago, my first novel, PINS, was published. Set in the real New Jersey town of Little Falls, its name embodied one of the many metaphors in that book.

In my expansive research, I bought and studied topographical maps, received promotional material from the town council (and a supportive note), and even visited a few times (once after moving to California while attending a nearby family event), stopping through to take photos of buildings and homes which became the model for several settings.

For the cast and crew of the 2002 premiere of my commissioned stage adaptation of PINS, I bought Little Falls memorabilia as gifts.

While I changed some names to other fictional titles, I felt like I'd a sense of the reality of life in that town.

So it was with an especially unusual bit of sadness that I saw one the news that Little Falls, along with many parts of the Eastern tri-state area, had been devastated by the floods from recent harsh winter storms.

Trees sliced through homes like a scene from Donnie Darko, and even killed a man. A tree.

May the people of the East recover from the natural (or climate change-induced?) devastation. This also happened two years ago, and several times before that.

Gosh. It's so ... biblical.

Or else they're just too stupid for not moving or stopping it from happening, despite a report LAST YEAR telling them they should build levies.

Oh, New Jersey. Thanks so much, ya big dope.

Pope on the Ropes

2010-03-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

Why is anyone surprised?

Pope Nazinger Involved in Sex Scandal

"The Pope was drawn directly into the Roman Catholic sex abuse scandal last night as news emerged of his part in a decision to send a paedophile priest for therapy. The cleric went on to reoffend and was convicted of child abuse but continues to work as a priest in Upper Bavaria. The priest was sent from Essen to Munich for therapy in 1980 when he was accused of forcing an 11-year-old boy to perform oral sex. The archdiocese confirmed that the Pope, who was then a cardinal, had approved a decision to accommodate the priest in a rectory while the therapy took place. The priest, identified only as H, was subsequently convicted of sexually abusing minors after he was moved to pastoral work in nearby Grafing. In 1986 he was given an 18-month suspended jail sentence and fined DM 4,000 (£1,800 today). There have been no formal charges against him since."

The Vatican is claiming ignorance: "The cardinal could not deal with everything..."

Could it be ... Satan? you betcha!

Nazinger's chief exorcist blames it on demons in da house!

How much longer will naive Catholics belive the lie that this is a holy man?

Soon, soon, the Vatican will be a shopping mall.

Making Fun

2010-03-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

What's funny about being from a country whose dictator denies you even exist?

For gay Iranian-American comic Mehran Khaghani, humor is the best weapon. He'll be performing in There Are No Gays in Iran at Café du Nord, Friday, March 12, with straight comics Amir Malekpour, Tissa Hami and Max Amini, who each dispel myths and muses about their culture through humor.

So, Khaghani is asked, what is funny about dictatorial oppression?

"Well, there's dick, first."

Khaghani has a few nicknames for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who publicly declared that Iran has no homosexuals. A favorite: Napoleon II: Electric Boogaloo.

"He's basically a midget who's getting away with it," Khaghani said. "He's gotten in bed with the right people; he's essentially blown the status quo to get where he is. This guy isn't some revolutionary thinker, but smaller. He's like a fifth-generation asshole, donning Men's Wearhouse jackets so he can seem like a man of the people."

Read more on www.ebar.com

Get more info on the show.

and the Oscar goes to....

2010-03-07T21:41:00.000-08:00

Being a writer, I always gravitate to the Best Sceenplay nominations. That "The Hurt Locker" won is fine, but that the writer exaggerated and completely fictionalized the work of bomb squad personnel to make a faux-war-critique film that's actually pro-war propaganda, didn't please me.

The fact that I was at an Oscar party where thousands were raised for AIDS-HIV and other nonprofits, was fine. But seeing the usual status quo winners wasn't.

That "The Hurt locker" won the Best Director to a woman, Katherine Bigelow, over billion-dollar director James Cameron, was remarkable.

But the Academy is basically a bunch of old out of work actors who resent CGI characters. Despite "Avatar"s global phenomenon, and "The Hurt Locker"'s relative obscurity, it's fascinating to see the underdog win among the blockbusters.

I still have yet to see more than 3 of the 'Best Picture' nominated films. So who am I to complain?

A Capitol Affair

2010-03-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

DC couples obtain marriage licenses

(photo: Aisha C. Mills and Danielle A. Moodie were the 11th couple in line this morning to obtain a marriage license in Washington, D.C.)

A new law takes effect Wednesday in the nation's capital, granting equal rights in marriage licensing for same-sex couples.

Washington, D.C.'s marriage equality legislation became law in spite of a Herculean effort by opponents to block its implementation through both legal action – including a last minute Hail Mary pass to the U. S. Supreme Court and Chief Justice John Roberts for a stay – as well as legislative maneuvering in the House and Senate.

Read the Bay Area Reporter article.

Take Me Out

2010-02-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

Windy City Times reports on Laura Ricketts, the lesbian co-owner of the Chicago Cubs.

Ricketts does realize the impact of being the only openly gay owner of a major league men's sports franchise in the U.S., and also a rare woman owner and board member. She wants to make sure to serve both the Cubs and her community well. And this year, Ricketts, 42, and her partner of five years are not just becoming part of Cubs history, they are also welcoming a new Cubs fan into the family: Laura is pregnant and is expecting a baby girl in May. "We're extremely excited [ that ] we're expecting a baby in spring," Laura said. "This is a big year for us, not only in regards to the Cubs acquisition, but if you can imagine, for my partner and I an even bigger blessed event. My whole family is excited."

I love Chicago, and had so much fun at the 2006 Gay Games, especially at Closing Ceremonies in Wrigley Field, and events preceding it. Yay for the Cubs!

The Gay Gladiator

2010-02-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

'Spartacus' character proves to be an equal opportunity assassin

At 6'4" tall, Antonio Te Maioha tends to standout in a crowd, even if that crowd is an equally impressive assortment of tall muscled men. Maioha plays the gladiator Barca in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, the new Starz original series set in ancient Italy under the Roman Empire. Barca, 'the Beast of Carthage' serves as bodyguard and occasional hitman to Batiatus (John Hannah). But his role in the show changes events early on the series' first season.

A few episodes into the much-discussed series, Te Maiha's character begins a romantic relationship with slave boy Pietros (played by Eka Darville, who's also known for his role as Power Ranger Scott Truman) at Batiatus' gladiator school. In effect, Barca may be the first out gay gladiator in film history.

READ MORE ON WWW.EBAR.COM

Visible Progress Line

2010-02-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

After being asked for the fifteenth time if I'm watching The Olympics, I had to bluntly say, "No! It's boring! I hate corporate sports without a gay subtext, or in Johnny Weir's case, flagrant subtext!"

Really. Yet another snow bunny does a loop de loop? Figure skating is STILL flamingly homophobic and fixing results?

The Quebec Gay and Lesbian Council has demanded a public apology from French-language broadcaster RDS after one commentator said Weir hurts figure skating's image and another said Weir should be made to take a gender test. The remarks were "outrageous" and "homophobic," CQGL said in a statement on its website.

Don't forget the out gay former figure skater who did even worse during Weir's 2007 competition.

Enter the 21st century, you relics.

Actually, I have caught some nice moments via recorded bits online. Take Johnny Weir's response; as good a "Pokerface" as his number!

I simply can't stand the endless profile pieces and nasal commentators.

But it is nice to see some happy athletes, like Bode Miller, who dresses right nicely at the awards podium, showing his happiness and practically bulging with pride. Isn't this the guy who got hassled for smoking a joint?

But really. Aren't there more important things to pay attention to?

Don't Ask Don't Tell and its supporters get a trashing on Media Matters.
Enter the 21st century, military.

Maryland will recognize gay marriages from elsewhere.
Thanks, Maryland, for entering the 21st century.

Asshat Newt Gingrich: "Obama is a Socialist." Back to the 19th, for you, gramps. And take your freak show CPAC circus with you.

But most important, Betty White's on her way to getting a host slot on Saturday Night Live!

Taking it off

2010-02-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, when a hot male celebrity takes his shirt off, it's for a cause. What cause remains to be determined.

Take, for example, rightwing anti-choice poster boy Tim Tebow (below). The college football player, whose pastimes include shilling for abortion bans in Super Bowl commercials, and traveling to Africa with his church group to force boys into getting circumcisions, is also, according to critics, not a very great player. Since I no longer write my sports column, I'll leave the technical critiques to others.

But for some reason (a body fat test?), Tebow allowed himself to be videotaped and photographed at some Gatorade-sponsored thingy where he sat in a big fish bowl in his underpants. While fans appreciated the show of pulcritude, others, like this blog, focused on the lack of girth between his legs. Maybe when his weenie got snipped, they trimmed it a bit too closely.

A completely different perspective from another football player was that of New Orleans Saint Scott Fujita, who, while straight, came out in support of gay rights and birth control (unlike Tebow).

Here's Fujita taking his shirt off for some event, not a gay one. But it's nice, anyway.

Continuing with sports, now out gay British rugby player Gareth Thomas (top pic) continues a very visible campaign of doing interviews and taking his shirt off. It's nice to see a rough, manly, actively playing jock who also has a hot body. Not into the tattoos, but hey, nobody's perfect.

And then, much lower on the celebrity scale, Scott Herman, one of the dozens of hunks from MTV's 'Real World' (season 25 or longer) has boldly taken off his shirt to pose in the utterly useless NoH8 campaign. You know, the one that only got any attention outside the gay media enclave when rightwing Cyclon wife Cindy McCain and her daughter posed for it. Yeah, they got a few moments of 30-second news items on TV gossip shows. But did their vague efforts change any minds, like that of their cranky husband and father? No.

So, what happens when a cute straight model strips down against Prop 8? Well, a few queens critique Scott Herman's efforts on the popular blog Towleroad.com, and within minutes, he posts a defensive retort, mentioning his numerous degrees and business successes, then castigates a few for not doing anything. "What have you done with your lives that gives you the right to judge anyone?" wrote Herman.

You know, there's nothing more funny than being told off by a straight twink half your age that you're not doing enough for gay rights. Because, apparently, taking your shirt off is a great humanitarian act. You didn't know that? Neither did I.

Before the parade ... wheels by

2010-02-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

I left New York so I wouldn't have to deal with its problems. But sometimes, like a few ex-boyfriends, they follow me.

A ruling by a NYC judge that the cycling activist group Critical Mass needs to get "parade permits" for their monthly mass bike ride may effect SF law, according to SFist and the SF Examiner.

A judge ruled Tuesday that New York City can force groups of 50 people or more on bicycles to get a parade permit, a process known to be cumbersome.

The legal battle stemmed from a clash between cyclists and police in 2004 during the Republican National Convention in which hundreds of bicyclists were arrested for alleged unruly behavior.

After the incident, the New York City Police Department sought stricter enforcement on Critical Mass, a group cycling event that clogs up busy city roadways on the last Friday evening of every month. The event started in San Francisco in 1992 and is now mimicked in cities around the world.

See? It's the Republicans' fault. Will it happen in SF or other cities?

Last month, police Chief George Gascón expressed dissatisfaction with the bike protest, saying he had been fielding complaints from drivers and bicyclists since becoming chief in August. The Police Department launched a review of the event, he said.

Mayor Gavin Newsom has repeatedly cautioned that the potential backlash from a major crackdown would not be worth the hassle.

The Mayor’s Office “hasn’t had a chance to review the [New York City] ruling to decide if it would apply here or whether we would even want it to,” Newsom press secretary Tony Winnicker said Tuesday.

Darth sees the light.

2010-02-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

O.M.G. (via JoeMyGod)

Darth Cheney is now on our side in repealing DADT.

This morning on ABC News This Week, Dick Cheney said that the time to repeal DADT has come.

I think the society has moved on. I think it’s partly a generational question. I say I’m reluctant to second-guess the military in this regard because they’re the ones who have got to make the judgment about how these policies affect the military capability of our, of our units. And that first requirement that you have to look at all the time is whether they’re still capable of achieving their mission and does the policy change i.e. putting gays in the force, affect their ability to perform their mission. When the chiefs come forward and say we think we can do it, then it strikes me that it’s time to reconsider the policy. And I think Admiral Mullen’s said that.

You can view his Darthness say it HERE. But avert your eyes to avoid the soulless abyss behind his.

Really?

Or is it just his way of riling Obama?
Or is it just another veiled attempt to portray himself as actually human?

Protest Inc. - Protest ink

2010-02-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

One upon a time, before focus groups, before private cabalistic groupings, before the ill-timed push for gay marriage, people just protested. They got together and stood on the streets and protested. Maybe it did good, maybe it didn't. Things don't always go the way they're originally drawn.

Take the "new" LGBT political activism. It's an email with a link that usually reads DONATE. But to which one? The one wanting to repeal Prop 8? The ones who bleated for a March on Washington, whose presence vaporized the day after?

Apparently, the powerful folks making the decisions about who gets the most attention in this fractured movement had a little not-secret yet invite-only think tank to decide our fate, er, gay activism's fate.

Is tomorrow's marriage equality protest the latest product of this "Activist" group? Who knows? We're just waiting to be told where to flashmob.

Meanwhile, without approval of focus groups or polls, a single man performed a random straight marriage as a protest to inequality and U.S. anti-gay marriage laws. Then, elsewhere, a lesbian spontaneously did it, too.

Gay activists in Notre Dame didn't need a think tank to decide what to do.

And while gays and "homosexuals" are getting defamed, derided, and denied at all levels of our culture, the far rightwing fake Tea Party - which is nothing more than a cabal of underlings of the far fringe right and their paid-off politicos, who are whores of the pharmaceutical and health insurance lobby - is rabidly mad at a comic book.

Yes, the group which has less strength than a leaky cup of Sanka, whose own group has already splintered between arguing factions, complained to Marvel Comics about a Captain America comic which includes ACTUAL IMAGES of Teabagger protests in the art work.

That's why the rightwingers got so upset they forced a major media empire to apologize. Not a parody, but actual signs were used in the fictional portrayal -accurate, if you ask me- that some in the group are white supremacist racists.

So, while lefty gays get Protest, Inc., a private cabal to evolve and dictate where we go, the far rightwing chooses to Protest Ink and the publishing policies of a superhero. It seems Captain Marvel can stand up to the entire Nazi Party, but not foaming-at-the-mouth U.S. rightwing fringies.

Life in Wartime

2010-02-10T10:33:00.001-08:00

The only out gay military personnel who's also been named Grand Marshall for New York City's Gay Pride March. (via JoeMyGod)

Wait. Wasn't Dan Choi Discharged? Nope. Discharge actions are in place, but you know the military. Endless paperwork.

Dan Choi himself writes: "I was never fully discharged and have been substituting drills because of my schedule of lobbying and pushing for repeal. I attended national guard duty this past weekend beacuse we needed to train on critical skills for a possible upcoming deployment. My discharge is still pending, but I have returned to work - and there are no instances of decreased good order or discipline. I sleep in an open bay with little privacy. No issues. Good to be back with my unit! - although I can still be fired at any moment for DADT." -- via Towleroad.com

So now, in the midst of his possible return after becoming globally famous for his position, let alone his eloquent speaking about his situation, and that of hundreds of thousands of lives on the line, being debated in the rightwing Senate like so much spoiled cheese.

Hopefully, his requisition for time off in late June is approved, because he's got a parade on schedule, according to Q New York:

This past Monday, February 8th 2010, at a meeting of NYC Pride (aka Heritage of Pride) it was announced that Lt. Dan Choi would be one of the Grand Marshals for the 41st Annual LGBT Pride March, which will occur on June 27th, 2010. When first approached about the request to be the NYC Grand Marshal, Lt. Choi responded with resounding excitement and a sense of honor for all who have struggled under this policy. Lt. Choi’s selection and acceptance of the honor of NYC LGBT Pride Grand Marshal marks the first time in U.S. history that an openly gay male on active service with the U.S. Armed Forces will be an LGBT Pride March Grand Marshal.

Choi was the Grand Marshall of San Francisco's pride parade in 2009. I got to meet him and talk about this. But not an interview.

But Choi is in a unique position, to make history as a singular immediate symbol of this struggle. And if that wakes up the antigay fuckheads, I don't know what will.

Update: OMG, I just got an email from Dan Choi!

Returning to my unit this past weekend for army training was many things: invigorating, exciting, a homecoming... but overall, a reminder that actions speak louder than words.

The night before I reported for duty, I appeared on CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, BBC, al-Jazeera and many other networks commenting on the testimonies Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates gave before the Senate Armed Services Committee. One debate on Larry King Live was particularly interesting, as the anti-gay Tony Perkins rolled out his same-old fear tactics and insulted our military in front of Gen. Wesley Clark and the nation. Tony Perkins bet against our soldiers, predicting that so many people would quit we would need a draft.

During the infantry training, we proved him wrong.
Do not call any of us quitters. Gay patriots are serving openly and honestly today.

I am back with my unit, drilling and preparing for a possible deployment. However, my discharge is still pending, and any day I can still be fired under Don't Ask Don't Tell.

While some might praise the idea of "better implementation" of the law, claiming that "witch hunts," "jilted lovers," or "third party outings" are the worst part of DADT, we know that the most dangerous and poisonous part of DADT is the fact that it forces soldiers to live a lie.

Help me deliver 500,000 signatures to congress by signing the petition.

We all have a responsibility to honor our soldiers, and restore integrity by demanding the full repeal of military discrimination. Do not accept a compromise: our American values have been compromised for too long.

Your Battle Buddy,

Dan

Okay, so it's a group email from the Courage Campaign, who are having an online discussion with Choi, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, whose move to cut funding for DADT discharges isn't the best move, according to others who want to go full on with the Senate hearings and their "results." But still. People are doing things at an accelerated pace.

Illustrated men

2010-02-04T11:43:00.000-08:00

Dale Lazarov, the Chicago-based writer of several popular gay erotic comic books, will discuss his sexy new book, Nightlife, at Books Inc. on February 11 at 7:30pm.

We talked on the phone recently, and Lazarov explained his collaborative work with several acclaimed comic artists, including Bastien Jonsson, whose sexy illustrations comprise the visuals of Nightlife.

Lazarov's appearance will include a question and answer session and book signing. He won't be reading from his comic books, since they don't contain dialogue. "I suppose if I were to read, I would have to mime the comics," he mused.

Lazarov is best known as the writer/editor of Sticky (in collaboration with illustrator Steve MacIsaac) and Manly (in collaboration with Amy Colburn), both published by Bruno Gmuender Verlag. He's also the writer/editor of Fancy, a gay erotic web comic drawn by Delic Van Loond and published weekly at AdultWebcomics.com. Other projects include work with Foxy Andy on Chums, Theo Bain on Greek Love, and Mioki on Power Pop Boys.

For more, read the interview at www.ebar.com

Twilight silliness

2010-01-30T12:48:00.001-08:00

Another Op'nin', Another Show!

2010-01-29T15:23:00.000-08:00

President Obama may have purposely timed his State of the Union address on the same day as the San Francisco unveiling of the new iPad. He's regenerating himself, although, from what I heard, it was a lot of campaign jargon and rhetoric.

Obama did make sure not to schedule his SotU (that's how the acronym should be spelled, but does anyone listen to me?) speech during the season re-premiere of the last season of LOST (which is not an acronym, but people seem to always spell it in all-caps). The last thing he would need is a herd of devoted LOSTies breathing down his neck, or something.

THE moment for us gays, as predicted, was his announcement about repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. That was met with a chilly reception by the evil alien replicants who pretend to be the Armed Forces Cabal of the U.S.

Also, odd that Clarance "Uncle Tom" Thomas didn't show for Obie's speech. He's pretty much a useless puppet of the rightwing, but please. Show some surface respect, Amos!

The rightwing ho's had to step down and cower, apparently, under Obama's scold session at a House Rethug Retreat in Baltimore.

"White House officials told the Huffington Post the (Obama team) were absolutely ecstatic. MSNBC's Luke Russert, who was on the scene in Baltimore, relayed that a Republican official and other GOP aides had confided to him that allowing the "cameras to roll like that," was a "mistake."

Yes, it's the same as the bovine NOMnut Maggie Gallagher (who has a bastard child yet bleats about the sanctity of marriage) claiming that even the potential for televised court trail on Prop 8 scared away her "strong" defense witnesses. Oh, please.

Suddenly, at their convenience, Rethugs want media censorship when it suits them.
It's amazing how a fat cow who spawned a bastard leads the fight for "traditional marriage," and that the top ranking soldiers who relentlessly attacked two countries and occupied them so obviously fear a few thousand homos.

Drawing a Blank(enhorn)

2010-01-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

In the ongoing historic Perry vs. Schwarzenegger trial, the defense for Prop 8 brought forth one helluva dork, one complete idiot named David Blankenhorn:

Star defendants' witness David Blankenhorn today was just-barely allowed to testify after he admitted under questioning from David Boies that he does not possess a doctorate; has never taught a college or university class; has only two peer-reviewed publications, none of which are germane to this case; that his masters degree thesis, one of those two publications, focused on two Victorian cabinetmakers; and has never conducted any scientific research on same sex marriage. His cross examination by Boies will start off the morning in court.

Along with undermining his credibility, Blankenhorn's testimony helped make the plaintiffs' case. "I believe homophobia is a real presence in our society," he testified. "We would be more American on the day we permit same-sex marriage than the day before."

Blankenhorn also testified that allowing gays and lesbians to marry would improve the wellbeing of their households and their children. Among the reasons cited for opposing marriage equality, he testified, was the specter of polygamy and polyamory.

"This is the game that they're playing," Ted Olson said. "They define marriage as a man and a woman. They call that the institution of marriage. So if you let a man marry a man and a woman marry a woman, it would de-institutionalize marriage. That is the same as saying you are deinstitutionalizing the right to vote when you let women have it. It's a game. It's a tautology. They're saying, 'this is the definition. You're going to change the definition by allowing people access that don't have it now, and that would change it so that people who currently have access won't want it any more because it's changed.' This is all nonsense. They are not proving that. This is a syllogism that falls apart. The major premise, minor premise and conclusion are empty."

Pam's House Blend has more.

So does JoeMyGod, natch.

Boies went after Blankenhorn’s credibility immediately, noting that he apparently had only one peer-reviewed article to his credit and that was a thesis on a labor dispute between cabinetmaker unions in Britain. Although Blankenhorn was being offered as an expert witness on how same-sex marriages are detrimental to heterosexual marriages and children, Boies noted that Blankenhorn’s education had been in history. “You’ve never taught a course in college,” said Boies, “and you have no degree in psychology, psychiatry, sociology, anthropology.…” “No,” said Blankenhorn, interrupting. “And in preparation for this testimony, did you undertake any scientific study of what effects permitting same-sex marriages have been in any jurisdiction where same-sex marriages have been permitted?” asked Boies. “No,” said Blankenhorn.

Basically, it will take another measure of bias and rightwing fraud for the Yes on H8ers to win this. And they'll try to do just that.

I could post more, like 1000 funny Tweets from peeps in the courtroom, but I gotta get to work, where we'll post more articles daily.

I'd rather not post more pics of the uglies from Yes on H8. Instead, how about this? At Sundance Film Festival, Jon Hamm (still bearded, literally) and James Franco talked about gay marriage and its publicity in comparison to the Prop 8 trial and the subject of their new film together, Howl, about the obscenity trial over Allen Ginsberg's famous poem.

Watch it at EW Online.

Yes, I'm only using the Prop 8 trial to contextualize how sexy Jon Hamm is with a beard. He could lose the golf cap, though.

By the way, a repeat of Hamm's hosting of Saturday Night Live is on January 30.

Oops. It's not a rerun. It's a whole spankin' new show. But Damn! Jon shaved his beard for the show! He could have done a lumberjack sketch in the first half.

Damn.

Apparently, I'm not the only one obsessing about Hamm's hot beard. NY Magazine has two articles about it, Here and Here.

Crazy, for Beards, or The Tam Tam Club

2010-01-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

I feel an obligation to share the utterly deranged perspective of Mr. Hak-Shing "Crazy" William Tam, the "hostile witness" in the Prop 8 trial. Tam claims that gays will eat your children, because he "read it on the internet."

That's the heart of the pro-Prop 8 defense, people. Right there, no matter how the Yes on H8 peeps wanna spin it. Tam's the freak who wanted to hide and cower after being a major cause for Prop 8, because somehow he thinks he'll be attacked by hordes of gay sex deviants. He's why we can't see the trial, and have to resort to staged recreations, drawings and file footage.

Crazy insane freak Tam makes the 12 Galaxies guy seem normal by comparison.

Oh, and the 2008 California election was fixed, according to this report, largely ignored by just about everyone.

But I really just want to share the glorious manliness of actor John Hamm, and his fantastically manly beard, seen at Sundance at the premiere of Howl. James Franco plays poet Allen Ginsberg. Hamm plays a lawyer, not Jack Kerouac, unfortunately. I don't even know who plays Kerouac. I just know that a recreation of the occasional sex between Ginsberg and Kerouac as portrayed by Franco and Hamm, after being viewed, would have turned millions of straight men gay.

In which case, then maybe this Tam guy would be proven right, in some odd way.

Useless

2010-01-20T11:35:00.001-08:00

What's more useless than a failed presidential candidate? The wife of a failed presidential candidate? His loudmouth daughter? Or a useless PR campaign of glossy photos glamorizing silence in the face of marriage equality that features said wife and daughter?

If you're wondering why gay marriage is floundering nationwide, the No H8 "campaign" is a prime example. At first I thought it was related to some actual fundraising group that did something (not that any of them did such a bang-up job anyway).

But then it became clear that it's just about Adam Bouska's career, and his need to turn his deep thoughts on marriage equality into a series of what seem to be shampoo ads. Fortunately, thousands of Z-list "celebrities" on dipwad reality shows and more than a few porn sluts made time in their "busy" schedules to show they like the gays! Whew! How revolutionary.

Their latest coup? Getting (probable) Cylon Cindy McCain and her stout daughter to seem to protest something, particularly the gay marriages their respective husband and father want banned, eliminated and outlawed.

Now that their political clout is below that of a traffic cop, they're being "bold" by getting their hair over-styled and putting some (no-doubt easily removable) duct tape over their maws.

As one anonymous person online succinctly typed:

"The No H8 campaign is am embarrassment. An orgy of narcissism, self-promotion and vacuous political symbolism. It's part of the reason Proposition 8 opponents were unable to defeat the bill: stupid Californians opted for the glamour of celebrity endorsements instead of building coalitions. As for the photographs, what's the point? How does an overlit, heavily airbrushed glamour shot with masking tape express the pain and disappointment of Prop 8? This wasn't a freedom of speech issue. The photos don't even express pain; everyone looks beautiful, boys show off their biceps and girls show off their cleavage. The message is: join our cause, it's like being a celebrity! It has all the substance of an American Apparel advertisement."

Thanks, Los Angelinos. You look so pretty while feigning a protest.