The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) articles from February 2009

The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) archives from February 2009

Editor's letter.
February 1, 2009... WE AS A NATION have spent the better part of the past two years debating change--how much we need, when we need it, and who the arbiter of this change should be. The Advocate has covered every aspect of this race for change--from our early...

Reichen speaks.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)(Reichen Lehmkuhl's column)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Having gone from reality show winner to political activist, model-actor-author Reichen Lehmkuhl lends his thoughts to everything from overturning "don't ask, don't tell" to surviving the make-or-break streets of...

Live from Sundance.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)
February 1, 2009... Advocate.com continues its tradition of bringing you live coverage from Park City, Utah, including chats with your favorite stars, updates on must-see movies, and--given all the press around the funding of California's Prop. 8 by the Utah-based...

Top five stories on Advocate.com.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)(Proposition 8)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... November 15-December 15 1. Gay is the New Black? In the wake of California's passage of Proposition 8, protests are popping up around the country--and so are comparisons between gays' and African-Americans' fights for equality. 2....

The color of oppression.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2009... I applaud TheAdvocate for its bold headline "Gay Is the New Black" on its December 16 cover and for the courage to tackle such a raw subject amid the post-election anguish we feel in our community. Unfortunately, I feel that Michael Joseph...

What went wrong.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2009... One might get the impression from "Anatomy of a Failed Campaign" [December 16] that the effort to defeat Prop. 8 was run by a cabal of gay and lesbian leaders who started meeting a few weeks before the November election, blissfully unaware of...

Is gay the new black?(ONLINE POLL)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... How leaders responded to the Advocate.com poll question featured in the December 16 issue of The Advocate Yes 56% No 37% Undecided 7% Note: Table made from bar graph. "You can't compare each movement in...

Hoping to "Wu" Michelle: dressing Michelle Obama in November was a game changer for designer Jason Wu. Now he has his sights set on the future first lady's most high-profile event: Inauguration Day.(ADVANCE)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE QUEST TO DESIGN THE INAUGURAL GOWN for Michelle Obama, the American fashion industry's undisputed new muse, has ignited a Project Runway--like challenge of epic proportions for a diverse group of designers whose...

Pop art goes political.(ADVANCE)(Shepard Fairey's political art)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Street artist Shepard Fairey has come a long way since his Andre the Giant days. His OBEY stickers-black-and-white images of the wrestler-became a ubiquitous sight on billboards and buildings in the early part of...

Wan*na*be*yon*ce.(DEF.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... \wa-na-,be-yan-'sa\n--one seeking fame by lip-synching and dancing on YouTube in response to a pop divas hit a: If you forward me another wannabeyonce, I'm permanently spam-blocking you. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

We need to talk--or at least text: what's breaking up when we're really not yet an item? Ethical expert Stephen Milioti explains.(QUEERIES)(Brief article)(Column)
February 1, 2009... Q: I've gone on five dates with a guy over several weeks, but we haven't formalized our relationship. Now I want to break up, but I'm wondering if I need to officially do that. If so, I know I probably shouldn't do it via e-mail, but do we have...

The agony of success: how Prop. 8's win was bad business for several of its supporters.(ADVANCE)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE DECOR AT LOS ANGELES'S 77-year-old El Coyote Mexican Cafe has always been cheap and overdone, but the place was over-the-top dramatic one day last November. That's when a crowd of Proposition 8 opponents stormed...

For gay penguins, first comes love, then kidnapping.(ADVANCE)(parenting)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After their long waddles together grew tedious, male penguin partners at a zoo in Harbin, China, graduated to the next step: kids. With family options limited, the guys took matters under their own wings by pilfering...

Gaydar.(ADVANCE)(Boy George imprisoned a prostitute)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... "I absolutely admit I had him in the handcuffs, so he wouldn't go anywhere while I checked the computer. I certainly wasn't going to kill him--that's hardly going to do my career any good, is it?" "BOY GEORGE" O'DOWD who was found guilty...

When the gays come marching in.(ADVANCE)(Lesbian and Gay Band Association)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Among the nearly 1,400 groups-bands, singers, dancers--vying to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration, only a few dozen made the cut. One of those was the Lesbian and Gay Band Association, a 26-year-old organization of musicians from the...

Gaydar.(ADVANCE)(Chelsea Handler on Joe Jonas)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... "Star Magazine says Joe Jonas has a mannequin he dresses up to test out his outfits for the next day. OK, so he's in a boy band and loves styling people. I have an idea of what the cover of The Advocate May 2011 might be." CHELSEA HANDLER,...

Super Bowl Sunday: some useful knowledge for the big football bash--but bring a good hors d'oeuvre just to be safe.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] OSCAR PARTIES. FASHION WEEK PARTIES. Halloween parties. White, Black, Blue, Flaming Technicolor parties. There aren't many shindigs in the world that aren't planned, attended, or staffed by gay people. But come Super...

Austerity chic: how novelist and performance artist Mike Albo gets by in lean times.(ADVANCE: My Take)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ARE YOU REELING FROM THE RECESSION? Join the club. Here are four penny-pinching tips: (1) A jar of Marshmallow Fluff for $1.49 makes a fine dessert. (2) Squeeze lemon juice into your tap water and it will...

Baby, you can drive my car: down-and-out Detroit made a pass for the pink dollar at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show, where General Motors sponsored the car extravaganza's very first Gay Day. High on low gas prices and electric wonders like the Chevy Volt, 53 gearheads--many of them decked out in green to identify themselves as gay--answered questions about their life on the road.(ADVANCE: Civil Survey)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sex: Male: 82% Female: 18% Age: 20-29: 23% 30-39: 36% 40-49: 29% 50-59: 5% Can you drive stick? Yes: 82% No: 18% What is the most you've spent on a car? ...

The nation's first out governor? After overseeing an impressive city makeover, Providence mayor David Cicilline has his sights set on the statehouse.(ADVANCE: Close-up)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DAVID CICILLINE WOVE HIS WAY THROUGH A SKYBOX, mixing with prominent politicos at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last August. As president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors, he played host...

The Black Cat: an inconspicuous Los Angeles gay bar's past is written into the history books.(ADVANCE: Exhibit A)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE CLOCK HAD BARELY STRUCK MIDNIGHT--and the calendar turned to 1967--when marauding police officers charged through the doors of the Black Cat bar in Los Angeles's Silver Lake neighborhood, interrupting the chorus...

Let's talk about sex ... why it's vital to get personal with your doctor.(HEALTH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ONE PARTICULARLY ANGRY GAY MAN ONCE SAID TO ME, "What goes on in my bedroom is none of my doctor's &#@$ business." I couldn't disagree more. Sure, talking to a doctor about sex, particularly as a gay patient, can be...

Positive thinking.(HEALTH)(gay men's sexual health)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... A study published in the December 2008 Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that gay men who feel sexually undesirable are more likely to engage in risky sexual practices, and their sexual partners are more apt to insist on not using...

Just for girls?(HEALTH)(Gardasil)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Gardasil, the vaccine for the highly infectious human papillomavirus, has been in the news lately. The leading cause of cervical cancer in women and a cause of anal cancer in men, HPV can be spread through shared sex toys and direct...

Fontainebleau encore: a 1950s Miami Beach icon gets a 21st-century update.(TRAVEL)(Fontainebleau Hilton Resort and Spa )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AFTER A $1 BILLION REBOOT, Miami Beach's most celebrated hotel, the Fontainebleau, delivers a massive jolt of sleek, joyful escapism while paying adoring homage to its 1950s roots. Black bow-tie-patterned marble...

Facing fears about travel abroad.(TRAVEL)(Brief article)(Column)
February 1, 2009... Q: After last year's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, I'm reconsidering my plans to take a two-week trip there next fall. Should I stay in the States? Am I being irrational? A: India is fascinating, a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, a true feast...

Hot list: put these destinations on this year's travel itinerary.(TRAVEL)(Buenos Aires, La Reunion and Philadelphia)
February 1, 2009... BUENOS AIRES Sexy, serious, and beautiful, tango perfectly reflects Buenos Aires, its culture, and its residents. This urbane, gay-friendly city-the first in Latin America to legalize same-sex civil unions proudly hosts an annual...

Back to the future: forget that madcap rush from the airport to Manhattan: now that JetBlue has opened its new JFK terminal, your next trip to New York City begins ends in the heart of queens.(adventure)(JetBlue Airways Corp.)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] REVAMPING TERMINAL 5 was a risky move for JetBlue. Designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen to personify TWA's futuristic vision--original construction was completed in...

The business of pleasure in the crescent city: whether visiting for Mardi Gras or extending a work trip, here's your road map for a perfectly gay getaway to New Orleans.(UNCONVENTIONAL TRAVEL)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TIME WAS THAT WHEN WORK CALLED FOR A TRIP to New Orleans, thoughts of ditching the convention center in order to join beaded revelers in their pursuit of live music, beignets, and Sazeracs popped into one's mind....

Best place to meet locals.(READER'S TIP)(700 Club )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... "A longtime New Orleans bartender opened the new 700 Club in the French Quarter, so it's had a loyal gay following from the start. The couches in the lounge are a great place to chill out. There's still just as much excitement in New Orleans as...

Gay apres: winter sports fanatic Scott Holman loves cold men, slippery slopes, and vacations filled with ups and downs.(VANTAGE POINT)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I have long been a ski freak, but now that I live in Manhattan I need to ski, to trade in grimy concrete for pristine powder and diesel fumes for the scent of pine. For many years it seemed to me that skiing was an...

The revolution will be digitized.(anti Proposition 8)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Internet has galvanized a new wave of activists in the wake of California's antigay Proposition 8. Not only did protesters nationwide turn to the Web for information on the next demonstration, they documented those rallies by uploading...

Whither Maddow? Where is our lesbian pundit-in-chief when it comes to delivering the incisive TV commentary we need in the wake of Proposition 8?(Rachel Maddow's coverage of Proposition 8)
February 1, 2009... THERE ARE TWO LESBIAN opinion makers whose insights I turn to a lot in any given 24-hour news cycle: Pam Spaulding and Rachel Maddow. Pam is the blogmistress, as she calls herself, of Pams-HouseBlend. com, a popular blog where she and her...

Match point: ten years ago, Amelie Mauresmo came out of the closet after her breakout run to the finals at the Australian open. Two grand slam titles and several dives in the ratings later, is she putting her formidable backhand to bed forever?
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PROFESSIONAL TENNIS CAREERS can be counted in dog years. Twelve months tracking down yellow balls across five continents feels like seven years; a decade is a lifetime. So when Amelie Mauresmo says it's been "almost...

The next condom conundrum: why use a rubber when you can just pop a pill? That's what HIV-negative guys across the country are asking themselves--and their doctors. As condom usage is down and HIV infection rates are up, could a prescription be the key to prevention?
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHEN ADAM, AN HIV-NEGATIVE BOSTONIAN in his mid 20s, was dating an HIV-positive man last year, he made a conscious decision not to use a condom when they had sex. Instead, he popped a tenofovir, an antiretroviral...

Hail Mary: Sigourney Weaver's starring role in Prayers for Bobby--the true story of Mary Griffith, a religious mother who drives her gay son to suicide--is a far cry from her more notorious turn as the panty-clad, flame-throwing Lieutenant Ripley, but this is one actress who still knows what it means to feel like an alien.(SPECTATOR: Television)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EVEN BY ACCLAIMED ACTRESS STANDARDS, Sigourney Weaver isn't particularly normal. She chooses her words with unusual precision. Her skin creases too authentically. Her eyes focus on yours in an oddly insistent,...

Going for the Black and Gold: an unexpected Grammy nomination could catapult Sam Sparro into household-name territory.(SPECTATOR: Music)
February 1, 2009... THE RECORDING ACADEMY UNVEILED its nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in December--and for the first time in years, certain nods seemed refreshingly relevant. Yes, critical darlings like M.I.A., Adele, Radiohead, and Kanye West made...

Don't slam Sundance; the excitement around this year's Sundance Film Festival has been muted by talk of boycott in response to Mormon efforts to pass Proposition 8. Director and Sundance veteran Gregg Araki explains why he thinks turning your back on the film festival is exactly the wrong approach.(SPECTATOR: Film)
February 1, 2009... LIKE MANY, I WAS OUTRAGED by the campaign of lies that Yes on 8 flooded the airwaves with last fall. We are so easily lulled into complacency living here in "life is good" Los Angeles (or any progressive city, for that matter), that having our...

The equation: this month's cultural math.(fashion designers)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] UNZIPPED The 1995 documentary about designer Isaac Mizrahi's fall '94 collection. - [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "ESKIMO CHIC" The concept Mizrahi thought he was introducing with his Nanook of the...

Shout out: Watchmen.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Dear Watchmen Director Zack Snyder, Comic book tans of all stripes are eagerly awaiting your film version of Alan Moore's darkly deeonstructed seminal 1986 comic book series Watchmen. and we know there will be plenty of sticklers looking...

Not another gay interview: Chris Evans is a serious actor, but that doesn't mean he wants you to stop objectifying him.(SPECTATOR: A-List)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... AFTER WORKING A WHIPPED-CREAM BIKINI in the 2001 spoof Not Another Teen Movie, Chris Evans fried phone lines in Cellular and melted hearts as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four films. Next seen as a telekinetic troublemaker in February's...

... Keep a child alive.(I Advocate ...)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... "It now costs only $360 to keep a child in Africa alive for a year on HIV drugs--half the price of a pair of Louboutin shoes. It's a way of addressing the abject misery in Africa that you hear about on the BBC News but might not hear if you...

... Getting women back in the kitchen.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I can't stand all these male celebrity chefs who are basically jerking off on the food. I think women are really creative and intuitive with food, and men just make it into freaky-ass, horrible, improbable...

... Going on Youtube and looking at lots of '60s French pop singers.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... ... GOING ON YOUTUBE AND LOOKING AT LOTS OF '60S FRENCH POP SINGERS, like Sylvie Vartan and Francoise Hardy, Serge Gainsbourg, Claude Francois, Johnny Hallyday. They all look really dumb, like someone just banged them on the head with a frying...

... Nepotism.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Jonathan Adler's candle)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... The Jonathan Adler hashish candle is really dreamy. The smell is like YSL 1970s, a gorgeous whiff of Morocco, but also a great gift for that pothead friend who just can't get his lips off the bong. Get him addicted to Jonny's [Doonan's husband]...

... Martin Margiela.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(designer coat)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... I just bought this black sheepskin pimp-daddy coat--it's sheepskin, so it's sustainable. I don't really feel like a pimp in it--but very Liz Taylor in Butterfield 8. There's a satin lining, so you can drop it to the floor and really drag it.

... The BBC news.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(British Broadcasting Corp. BBC News)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... ... THE BBC NEWS, which is just a lot more interesting than the news in America. Gigantic stories can be breaking in the world and you never even hear about them here. Also, the newscasters don't wear earpieces in England, no one's telling them...

... Britney.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Britney Spears)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... In L.A. in the '70s, I was very much like her--minus the fame and money--and would run into the ocean in my undies too. If I'd been given fame and money, I would probably have made a much bigger mess of things than her. She never tries to be...

... Spilling the beans.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ... SPILLING THE BEANS, the recent autobiography of Clarissa Dixon Wright, one of the Two Fat Ladies, the living half. She was just a giant gin-aholic, so for anybody who's a big drunk or already in AA, it's a really...