Shortbus
Love and sex. The connections can be myriad, comic, and sometimes tragic. Several New Yorkers find each other — and themselves — at a weekly underground gathering of art, music, politics, eccentricity, and polysexual debauchery in this in-your-face ensemble comedy. 2006. Directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch). Available March 13 from THINKFilm (www.thinkfilmcompany.com). — Preview: Eric A. T. Dieckman
In Shock to the System: A Donald Strachey Mystery (the second film in the series of gay detective stories by novelist Richard Stevenson) openly gay detective Donald Strachey (played by the also openly gay Chad Allen) discovers that Paul Hale, a recent client, has been found dead. A trail of puzzling clues leads Strachey to Dr. Trevor Cornell (Michael Woods), a religious-right biased gay conversion therapist. The client was sent to Cornell by his mother (Morgan Fairchild) who claims, “All I wanted was what was best for my son, to see him healthy and safe and happy.”
SUSTAINING SPIRITS. Plans are well underway for the sixth annual Kindred Spirits Celebration, a reunion of the friends and family who frequented that fabled ’80s era women’s bar (and those who wish they had), owned by Marion Coleman (pictured here on right, applauding with organizing committee member Renee Tappe at the 2006 event).
A lot can happen in 20 years. Texas’ sodomy laws have been declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Men who played professional basketball can announce they are gay. Women can wear fly-front pants—in public!—without fear of being arrested for cross-dressing.
I wasn’t looking for love . Having a fling was fine, but nothing long-term for me, thanks. My “Forever” relationships had always ended in ugly scenes and late-night door slamming. Who would want that to last till the end of time?
Bit by bit, support for the military’s ban on openly gay service members is crumbling. In a recent and important New York Times op-ed, retired army general and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman (1993-97) John Shalikashvili concludes that the antigay Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy should be phased out.
It’s hard not to get excited about the Democratic primary for President. Clinton. Obama. Edwards. Richardson. Biden. Vilsak. Dodd. Kucinik. What a lineup.
Extrapolated from statistics found on the City of Houston website (www.houstontx.gov), there are an estimated 21,209 persons in our city living with HIV/AIDS. That’s about one in every 100 people. Another of our citizens becomes infected with HIV every nine hours.
People may joke about Texas being somewhat conservative, but Texas can boast about being the first state to support a full-time GLBT lobbyist. Equality Texas, the GLBT state legislative lobby group, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005. And celebrate it should. Yes, the legislature passed an anti-marriage amendment that later won statewide approval. So did many other states. But the state legislature passed the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act and has not limited GLBT adoptions or foster care, as some states have done. We owe a big thank you to Equality Texas for these and many other accomplishments.
When it comes to being an athlete, traits many people think of are physical strength, skill, and work ethic. But there are other significant elements involved with sports: teamwork, a sense of community, and the relationships that come from participating in a sport or activity with others. Teammates, in my experience, often become friends. Teams can even bond like a family.
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