The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) articles from February 2002

The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) archives from February 2002

Honest Ian. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... After reading your interview with Sir Ian McKellen, I have even greater respect for the man ["The Knight's Crusade," December 25]. He blows closeted Hollywood stars' primary excuses for not coming out totally out of the water. I only hope to...

Gay middle-earthlings? (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... In "The Gay Guide to Middle-earth" [December 25] you mention queer-friendly themes in The Lord of the Rings, but you forgot cross-dressing. You'll have to wait until the next installment of Rings to see Eowyn, daughter of King Theoden of Rohan,...

AIDS in D.C. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... While I am pleased you chose to profile Whitman-Walker Clinic as part of your story "The Bucks Stop Here" [December 25], I'd like to point out an inaccuracy. You quoted me as saying, "One in 20 adults in Washington, D.C., is HIV-positive....

Doctor, doctor. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... What a pleasure to see The Advocate interviewing the amazingly talented Laura Innes ["ER's Leading Lesbian," December 25]. Witnessing TV's most complex character embracing her lesbianism is not only dramatically mesmerizing, it's a significant...

War stories. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... After reading "`Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Goes to War" [December 4], I thought it might be appropriate to tell my story. I am a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel. I retired in 1986 after serving 24 years on active duty. I did not realize my...

Reader comments from www.advocate.com. (Advocate Poll).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... * "I am, in fact, practicing it more strictly. There's no excuse for stupidity." * "You would have to be a fool to let your guard down. We may have won some battles, but we are definitely still at war." * "My partner and I have been...

Telling evidence. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... Your article "Think Before You Tell" [December 4] includes a statement from Aaron Belkin, director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military, that "now if a soldier steps forward and says `I'm gay' and there's no other...

Aide and abet. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... Your interview with White House AIDS office director Scott Evertz ["Bush's AIDS aide," December 4] illustrates the sad shape of (the few) gay appointees in a Republican administration. Evertz's appointment is the worst type of political...

Shame kills. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
February 5, 2002... I appreciate seeing The Advocate speak to the issue of HIV infection in gay men despite the fact that we should know better ["A Midlife HIV Crisis," December 4]. The article touches on many reasons gay men may still be giving and getting the...

For the record. (reader forum).(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
February 5, 2002... In The Advocate's January 22 "News of the Year" time line, Stephen Herbits should have been listed as having been hired as Defense Department consultant in January 2001, serving for one year.

Land of the free. (my perspective).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... I first became curious about what it means to be a gay in smalltown America after a man in Piqua, Ohio, told me, "I can't say whether there are gays here, but definitely there's a lot of queer bashing." I know--I was gay-bashed in Piqua. I had...

Rants & raves.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... "I guess I'm gonna have to stick with [being lesbian] for a while--as opposed to other people." --Ellen DeGeneres, concluding her opening monologue as host of Saturday Night Live, December 15 "We have to deal with the whole life of...

New hurdles for survivors: how will gay survivors of the September 11 attacks cash in on the federal compensation fund? (Domestic-Partner Benefits).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... It's a brand-new year, but the surviving partners of gay people killed in the September 11 attacks may feel as if they're stuck in the past. The Department of Justice's recent decision to refer to individual state laws to determine eligibility...

Swift surprise. (Politics).(Jane Swift selects gay running mate)(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Last year, acting Massachusetts governor Jane Swift came out strongly against marriage rights for gay men and lesbians. But on January 3 the Republican lawmaker chose openly gay staff member Patrick C. Guerriero, 33, to be her running mate in...

A mixed bag from Bush. (White House).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... The education reform bill that was expected to be signed into law by President Bush in January turns out to be a mixed bag as far as gay activists are concerned. It includes provisions to reauthorize education programs aimed at reducing hate...

Last chance in Miami-Dade. (Petition).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Officials in Florida's Miami-Dade Country have given the go-ahead for a September referendum on the county's gay rights amendment. But activists who fought hard for the amendment in 1998 aren't ready to see it tested at the ballot box just yet....

Lance's tale continues. (People).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Just weeks before his death on December 21, writer Lance Loud called Alan and Susan Raymond from the Carl Bean hospice in Los Angeles and asked them to film what he knew would be his final days. The Raymonds, a much-awarded documentary...

Belated apologies. (Spain).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... People persecuted for homosexuality during the Franco regime in Spain will have their records erased from police files and will likely receive reparations thanks to a December ruling by the Spanish parliament. Thousands of people, mostly...

Executing injustice. (Saudi Arabia).(gays beheaded)(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... It sounds like a grisly scene out of a horror movie, but reports that three Saudi Arabian men were beheaded January 1 because they were gay are all too real. An official Saudi press statement said the men "committed acts of sodomy, married each...

Tales of a teenage Taliban. (People).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Could finding out that his father is gay have pushed American Taliban member John Walker toward Islamic fundamentalism? San Francisco Examiner columnist P.J. Corkery opened up a Pandora's box when he suggested as much in his December 18 column....

Transitions.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 5, 2002... DIED: Eugene H. Nickerson, 83, pro-gay New York federal judge best known for trying to strike down the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, of complications from stomach surgery, January 1, APPOINTED: Mona Noriega, as regional...

Lessons from Israel: Tel Aviv's first out lesbian elected official, Michal Eden, talks about the worldwide struggle for peace--both political and personal. (Behind the Headlines).(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 5, 2002... When Michal Eden was elected to the Tel Aviv--Jaffa city council in 1998, she became the first openly gay elected official in Israel. She has campaigned for gay causes, including the founding of Israel's first hostel serving homeless and...

Larry gets a liver--but who's next? Author-activist Larry Kramer's high-profile liver transplant could help other HIV patients win access to expanded treatment. (Health).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Despite an erroneous Associated Press headline declaring writer and activist Larry Kramer dead after a December 21 liver transplant, on January 2 his best friend and primary caregiver, Rodger McFarlane, was gathering Kramer's belongings from...

Clicking for change. (Digital Queeries).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... There's more to Internet activism than signing petitions or forwarding E-mails. Let's take, for example, the well-known ExxonMobil flap: The oil conglomerate is in trouble for being the first U.S. company to yank a nondiscrimination policy...

February 21, 1995: cybersex and surveillance. (From the Archives of The Advocate).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... As soon as the Internet was created, battles for privacy and personal freedom on the Web sprung up right along with it. In the February 21, 1995, issue of The Advocate, journalist Jorge Morales explored the issues of sexual freedom and the...

Two degrees of separation. (the Buzz).(Gosford Park)(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... THE BUZZ LOVED Robert Altman's film Gosford Park for all its upstairs-downstairs wit and wile but was especially tickled by a passing proposition between Bob Balaban, as a gay Hollywood producer, and his oversexed valet, played by Ryan...

Billy Elliot role reversals. (the Buzz).(actor Smart Wells )(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... THE FILM'S DIRECTOR WAS OPENLY GAY; the young actor was only playing gay. Now, in real life, the director is married to a woman, and the boy is joining the British army. Teen actor Smart Wells charmed audiences worldwide when he smooched Jamie...

Queer Duck amok. (the Buzz).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... THE QUACK IS BACK. Queer Duck, the outrageous cartoon that originally gained a cult following on Internet shorts, has returned--now on Showtime, following Queer as Folk encore showings on Tuesdays. For the uninitiated, Queer Duck features...

Centers stage: the effort by a new gay and lesbian center in San Francisco to win over its community reflects a nationwide mission to shape centers according to the needs of the people they serve. (Activism).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... After a decade of planning, the 41,000-square-foot, $15 million San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center was scheduled to open January 15. More than just a new organization with a custom-designed building, the...

Frank and outspoken: on the eve of President Bush's State of the Union address, gay statesman Barney Frank gives his own assessment of where we stand. (Politics).(Interview)
February 5, 2002... Barney Frank has just come from the House floor, where he was marshaling opposition to President Bush's economic stimulus bill. The openly gay Massachusetts Democrat may seem to be unwinding as he loosens his red tie. But the gleam in his eyes...

Beware the cyber censors: Internet filters help ensure some gay and lesbian youths stay in the dark about their sexual orientation. (Internet).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... For many parents and educators, the Internet is a lot like an unpredictable and streetsmart friend. Adults want to trust it, but they are uncertain how to protect their children from the new and foreign ideas it can provide access to. As a...

Junk E-mail: with so many E-petitions floating through cyberspace, does it do any good to add your name to the list? (Internet).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... There are probably very few gay men and lesbians with Internet access who don't know that American Airlines has strong ties to many gay groups. That's because most of us have been asked countless times to add our names to an E-mail petition...

Gale force: Queer as Folk's feisty Gale Harold takes aim against homophobia, fame, and critics of his character, Brian. (Cover Story).(Interview)
February 5, 2002... THE TALL, SLENDER MAN locking his bicycle outside an unpretentious Toronto restaurant is wearing a fedora tilted down over his eyes in a way that suggests a desire for great distance, as though a veil of inviolability has been drawn about him...

Beyond QAF: from news to sitcoms, out gays & lesbians are making their mark all over British TV.(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... When BBC TV personality Christopher Price was offered a plum two-year contract for a reported 250,000 [pounds sterling], it made national news in the United Kingdom. The 34-year-old is the host of Liquid News, a sort of Entertainment Weekly for...

Tilda triumphant. (frames of mind).(Tilda Swinton)(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)
February 5, 2002... The Golden Globe Awards, a ritual at which I usually scoff for the celebrity-pandering focus of the proceedings, thrills me this year. Call it the 9/11 effect, a softening of the cynicism that usually pulses through my veins--whatever--but I...

Reclaiming McCullers: with her new play on author Carson McCullers, Sarah Schulman brings her empathetic outsider's eye to New York's mainstream theater scene. (theater).(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)
February 5, 2002... Stagestruck is the name of Sarah Schulman's 1998 award-winning nonfiction book about theater, AIDS, and the marketing of gay America, but it could also serve as the title of her life story. Although she is recognized worldwide as one of today's...

Homebody/Kabul. (Arts & entertainment: Angels in Afghanistan).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Homebody/Kabul * Written by Tony Kushner * Directed by Declan Donellan * Starring Linda Emond, Dylan Baker, and Kelly Hutchinson * New York Theatre Workshop, New York City (through March 3) Tony Kushner likes big plays, big subjects, big...

Cocktails with Dame Judi: bringing Iris to the screen involved deciding how to portray writer Iris Murdoch's bisexuality. Here's the inside story from the film's director and stars. (film).(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)(Interview)
February 5, 2002... Enigmatic, witty novelist Iris Murdoch lived a life of the mind until her death from Alzheimer's disease in 1999. She also lived a life of bisexuality, carrying on numerous affairs with women both before and, allegedly, during her involvement...

Iris. (Film review: flowering Iris).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Iris * Directed by Richard Eyre * Written by Eyre and Charles Wood * Starring Hugh Bonneville, Jim Broadbent, Judi Dench, and Kate Winslet * Miramax As an urban stoic who is able to keep tears at bay for anything, from the chopping of a...

Oscar, Madonna, and Jim: British actor Jim Broadbent gives the Oscar race a one-two punch: as a steadfast caregiver in Iris and singing "Like a Virgin" in Moulin Rouge. (film).(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 5, 2002... Whatever that elusive "gay sensibility" may be, it seems to trail actor Jim Broadbent like a shadow: He played a supporting role in the gender-surprise plot of The Crying Game, became the toast of musical theater in Topsy-Turvy, and in 2001...

Death of a kingly actor: Oscar-nominated actor Sir Nigel Hawthorne was circumspect about his sexuality but extravagant with his talent. (film).(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 5, 2002... In 1995 The Advocate proudly broke the news that Sir Nigel Hawthorne--who died on December 26 at age 72--was the first openly gay Best Actor Oscar nominee, for his star turn in The Madness of King George. While promoting the film, Hawthorne had...

White out: writer-producer Mike White comes out and discusses the gay subtext in his new comedy, Orange County. (film).(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)(Interview)
February 5, 2002... Mike White's unforgettable turn as a childlike gay man in 2000's creepy comedy Chuck & Buck--a film he also wrote--raised questions in more than a few quarters about his own sexuality. Two years later White is ready to answer them. "It's not...

Gentlemen preferred Haines: a new documentary traces the life of 1920s movie idol Billy Haines, who quit acting rather than closet himself, then became interior designer to the stars--including Joan Crawford. (television).(Out of the Closet, Off the Screen: The Life of William Haines)(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)
February 5, 2002... In 1930 William Haines was America's number 1 movie star. He was also gay. Haines lived with his lover, Jimmie Shields, and never posed on the red carpet with a beard on his arm. But in 1933, after Haines was arrested by a Los Angeles vice...

It boy: P.J. Mehaffey is a gay actor trying to make it in New York. Does he have that special something? A new reality series follows him to find out. (television).(The It Factor)(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 5, 2002... In his first scene on Bravo's new reality series The It Factor, which follows the lives of 12 young actors trying co break through in New York City, producers ask P.J. Mehaffey to tell them a secret. "Well, if isn't really obvious to you...

Wachs meets Warhol: after a full career in Los Angeles politics, Joel Wachs begins his own act 2--as president of New York's Andy Warhol Foundation. (art).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... After 30 years on the Los Angeles city council and three runs for mayor--most recently as an openly gay candidate in 2001--you'd think Joel Wachs might be ready to slow down. Hardly. "I don't want to sleep until 11 and go to the gym and go out...

52's still rockin' at 25: with a new CD anthology and book detailing the band's history, Keith Strickland of the B-52's looks back--and forward--with glamour. (music).(Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology)(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)
February 5, 2002... Keith Strickland may be the most musically diverse surviving member of the legendary B-52's--he plays guitar and drums in addition to composing songs--but not even he can recall the ingredients of the "Flaming Volcano," a heady elixir that...

The B-52's Universe: The Essential Guide to the World's Greatest Party Band. (Arts & entertainment: dance this book around).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... The B-52's Universe: The Essential Guide to the World's Greatest Party Band * Mats Sexton * Plan-B Books * $49.95 Author Mats Sexton is the president of the B-52 s fan club, and it's clear from the loving and exhaustive detail he s put into...

Trans substantial rock: gender-bending duo Bitch and Animal go where they want and do what they want on their latest album, Eternally Hard. (music).(Brief Article)(Critical Essay)
February 5, 2002... "What Animal and I do best is improvisation," says 28-year-old Bitch, a self-identified "queer elegant queen" who hails from Detroit but now, with 25-year-old partner-in-art Animal, calls Brooklyn, N.Y., her home. "I think of us more as...

Love Stories: Sex Between Men Before Homosexuality. (Book review: old-fashioned love songs).
February 5, 2002... Love Stories: Sex Between Men Before Homosexuality * Jonathan Ned Katz * University of Chicago Press * $35 Ishmael and his tattooed bruiser, Queequeg. Twenty-eight-year-old Abraham Lincoln and his 24-year-old bedfellow, Joshua Speed. Walt...

Friends indeed. (arts & entertainment).(Dear Friends: American Photographs of Men Together, 1840-1918 )(Review)(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... During the 19th and early 20th centuries, men proudly recorded their intense friendships in photos used as postcards or cartes de visite. These images are celebrated in David Deitcher's Dear Friends: American Photographs of Men Together,...

Swimming in the mainstream. (last word).(Brief Article)
February 5, 2002... Maybe it was the effects of September 11. Maybe it is a recognition of the progress our community achieved in the past decade. But it wasn't until my pastor, of all people, suggested that gays and lesbians seem to be facing the challenges of...

Person of the Year. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
February 19, 2002... I read "This Is Mark Bingham" [January 22] on the train after having spent Christmas with my family, and I must say it was truly wonderful and touching. The article showed the depth Mark had and the kind of person he was. Reading how he was...

True love. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
February 19, 2002... Your article "Life Goes On" [January 22] was possibly the best article you have ever had in The Advocate. It was excellently written and brought me to tears. The true love of the couples in the article would move anyone to understand that a...

Picture-perfect. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
February 19, 2002... To the wonderful gay and lesbian New York City firefighters and police officers pictured in "We Were There" [January 22]: Thank you for your presence in The Advocate. All I have from September 11 is sorrow for a dear friend who was in the World...

Remembering Lance. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
February 19, 2002... Lance Loud's commentary touched me deeply ["Lance Loud: A Death in An American Family," January 22]. It reminded me that we must never forget what AIDS has done and continues to do. More so than any terrorist, AIDS is with us while...

Reader comments from www.advocate.com. (The Advocate Poll).(contributions to AIDS service organizations after terrorist attacks)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... * "Neither increased nor decreased. Unlike the twin towers, the AIDS plague is still a fixture on the landscape." * "I have decreased my donations because I feel that the victims of the September 11 attack are in much more need of money."...

The AIDS wars. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
February 19, 2002... Nothing indicates the level of hysteria behind the jailing of David Pasquarelli and Michael Petrelis more than the overzealous comments of Jeff Getty and Jeff Sheehy ["Not-So-Civil War," January 22]. Comparing Pasquarelli and Petrelis to Al...

Till death do us part. (my perspective).(spousal rights in same-sex union; narrative)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Lois Marrero and I met in 1986 while working at the Tampa police department. Lois had been an officer for four years, and I was a new recruit. Initially Lois and I were just friends. I admired her because she was so very passionate about life....

Rants & raves.(quotations)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... "Questions about my sexuality, I guess, will always be questions.... I wouldn't even address it. I would just say, `Mind your fucking business.'" --Luther Vandross, interviewed on BET's Journeys in Black, January 8 "I would never go...

Olympic-size closet: where are all the out lesbian and gay athletes at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City? (Winter Games).(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... When the Olympic contenders march on Salt Lake City's Rice-Eccles Stadium for the February 8 opening ceremonies to the Winter Games, they will be strutting proudly behind flags from around the world. But it appears that none of these athletes...

Pataki states his support. (Legislation).(New York Governor George E. Pataki; Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Activists and conservatives alike cheered New York governor George Pataki at his State of the State address January 9 as the Republican called on legislators to pass the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act during the 2002 legislative...

Dog-mauling trial begins. (Court).(manslaughter charges against Robert Noel, Marjorie Knoller for death of Diane Whipple)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Nearly a year to the day after Diane Whipple was fatally mauled by two presa canario dogs in the hallway of her San Francisco apartment building, the criminal trial against the animals' owners began, on January 24 in Los Angeles, where Judge...

Disability as a moving target. (AIDS).(possible limits to scope of file under Americans with Disabilities Act for AIDS patients)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... A January 8 Supreme Court decision limiting the scope of file Americans With Disabilities Act could make the workplace a tougher place for people with HIV. In the case, which involved a former assembly-line worker with carpal tunnel...

Maryland's Maggie makes her mark. (Politics).(politician Maggie McIntosh)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Maggie McIntosh already had the distinction of being the first female majority leader of the Maryland house of representatives. Now she is also the state's first legislator to come out of the closet. A strong advocate of gay rights for all of...

Touched by an angel. (People).(actress Sharon Stone officiates at interior designer Greg Henson's commitment ceremony)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Greg Henson has more than one reason to thank Sharon Stone this Valentine's Day. Not only did the gay-friendly diva officiate at the November commitment ceremony in which Henson married his partner, Jeff Brooks, but Henson believes she was...

A five-fingered loan? (Crime).(executive John Loan is arrested for embezzlement)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... If John Loan is telling the truth, New York's gay service groups may be unknowingly providing services with dirty money. Loan, 45, who was arrested January 14 and charged with grand larceny, is accused of embezzling $3 million. He says he...

Yes, minister. (Norway).(Minister of Finance Per-Kristian Foss marries partner Jan Erik Knarbakk)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Norway's minister of finance, Per-Kristian Foss, married his longtime partner, Jan Erik Knarbakk, in early January, becoming the first member of the Norwegian government to enter into a binding same-sex partnership. Foss and Knarbakk got...

Shaking up Salt Lake City: the ACLU's Stephen Clark talks about gay activism at the 2002 Winter Olympics and what it's like to be openly gay in Mormon country. (Behind the Headlines).(American Civil Liberties Union)(Interview)
February 19, 2002... During the 2002 Winter' Games, activist groups will descend on Salt Lake City to make their voices heard by an international media audience, one of the most prominent being Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. PFLAG got...

All gay, all the time. (Television).(development of television networks for gay community)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Couch potatoes looking for gaycentric entertainment could find themselves with three all-gay TV networks to choose from by next year. Cable networks Showtime and MTV, both owned by broadcasting behemoth Viacom, announced plans January 10 to...

College boys' dive. (Internet).(CollegeBoysLive.com)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... The placid atmosphere of an upscale subdivision of Longwood, Fla., near Orlando, has turned tense since residents discovered that CollegeBoysLive.com, a gay erotic Web site, is operating in their midst. Residents are exploring legal action to...

Bait and switch? (Far Right).(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Activists in Massachusetts have a nagging suspicion that a proposal to ban gay marriage that will appear on a 2004 ballot may have fraudulently ridden in on the back of a horse-meat measure. Conservative group Massachusetts Citizens for...

Transitions.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 19, 2002... DIED: Jimmy "Buc" Buccalo, 41, popular circuit DJ, of undisclosed causes, in Atlanta, December 31. Buccalo spun at parties and clubs all over the world. DIED: Rebecca LePere, 51, San Francisco-area gay rights activist, of breast cancer,...

Heart-wired. (Digital Queeries).(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... It's easy enough to hit the store for flowers or chocolates, but if you really want to impress your sweetie this Valentine's Day, more memorable gestures are accessible via the Web, and they're easier to find too. Immortalize the story of...

October 1, 1996: the California AIDS Ride's corporate approach to fund-raising. (From the Archives of The Advocate).(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... As the cover story in this issue affirms, AIDS Ride founder and chief organizer Dan Pallotta has long been a controversial figure, both applauded and criticized for his unorthodox self-described "corporate" style of fund-raising. Six years ago...

Boy-band boyfriends: bye bye bye. (the Buzz).(Interview)
February 19, 2002... FIRST IT WAS MELISSA AND JULIE, Ellen and Anne, k.d. and Leisha. Now former Boyzone member Stephen Gately and Eloy de Jong--one of Europe's most visible gay couples--have called it quits. According to The [London] Mirror, the two Euro-boy band...

Yet not a woman. (the Buzz).(Angel Benton's performance in 'Britney Baby, One More Time')(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... ONE OF THE MOST UNLIKELY yet camera-friendly sensations to emerge from the 2002 Sundance Film Festival was Angel Benton (ne Robert Stephens), the gay Britney Spears impersonator at the center of the mock documentary Britney Baby, One More Time....

Cementing her reputation. (the Buzz).(Melissa Etheridge commemorated on Rock Walk of Fame)(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... Rocker Melissa Etheridge was immortalized in Los Angeles's Rock Walk of Fame on January 16. Joining the pantheon of rock greats, Etheridge noted, "I want to thank Hollywood for being here--'cause I grew up in Kansas and Hollywood was always the...

Amazing grace and resolve: gay African-American Christians too often find themselves at odds with the churches they've called home. But they are not losing faith. (Religion).
February 19, 2002... Last year, on a postcard-perfect fall day, Charles Underwood and Wayne Toles exchanged commitment vows. They wore matching African ceremonial robes for the occasion, which was presided over by the Rev. Carl Wallace, a United Church of Christ...

Rolling out the red carpet for gay consumers: the openly gay experts who head niche marketing firms are helping corporate America connect with the lesbian and gay market. At stake is an estimated $450 billion in spending every year. (gay-owned Businesses).
February 19, 2002... If you didn't know better, you might miss the significance of HBO's latest direct-mail piece, which in February will land in the mailboxes of 1 million homes nationwide. The piece, promoting such original programming as Six Feet Under, Sex and...

Handmade and heartfelt: Potters James Klein and David Reid make and market their profitable KleinReid line of porcelain ware--without letting their marriage glaze over. (gay-owned Businesses).(Brief Article)
February 19, 2002... When it comes to running their business, personal and professional partners James Klein and David Reid take the hands-on approach--literally. "We do it all from scratch," says Reid, and his words are borne out on a recent visit to the couple's...

Out in the field: pro footballer Alissa Wykes talks about breaking new ground for out lesbian athletes--and the flak she's gotten along the way. (Sports).(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 19, 2002... Alissa Wykes doesn't scare easily. The 5-foot-6, 209-pound professional football player, nicknamed "A-Train" by her Philadelphia Liberty Belles teammates, was even singled out by Sports Illustrated Women in its December-January issue, which...

The world according to Dan: Dan Pallotta invented AIDS Rides, which have raised more than $100 million for charity. But with former allies now battling him in court, he finds himself once again defending his for-profit vision for improving the human race. (Cover Story).
February 19, 2002... Dan Pallotta wants nothing less than to change the world. It's a dream he's held close ever since he was a student at Harvard University in the early 1980s, when he organized a 69-day cross-country bikeathon to combat world hunger. At the time,...

A beautiful mind game. (notes from a blond).(A Beautiful Mind)
February 19, 2002... What if someone made a movie about JFK, his storied family background, his adored children, his naval career, his congressional career, his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, his 22 months in the presidency, his tragic and untimely death--but left...

Playing friend and foe alike: actor-activist Mark Webber talks about the gay reality behind his diametrically opposed roles in Storytelling and The Laramie Project. (film).(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 19, 2002... Storytelling, the new film by Todd Solondz (Happiness), received some gay press last year when the famously perfectionist auteur excised an entire gay story line from its multichapter body. However, the director did, at least, leave a gay oral...