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

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

Missing evidence. (letter from the editor in chief).(social effects of 9/11 attacks)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
January 22, 2002... Although I recently wrote about the events of September 11 in The Advocate, I nevertheless find myself unable to begin my year-in-review letter without noting, one more time, how everything has changed. The scary part is, unless you live in New...

News of the year. (Time Line).(gay interest stories of 2001)
January 22, 2002... JANUARY 1/11: [A] Wanda Jean 41, becomes the first African-American woman since 1954 to be put to death in the United States. She had been found guilty of the murder of her lover, Gloria Leathers. 1/15: The Army drops its plan to...

Gay marriage worldwide: 2001 was a year of small but numerous victories for same-sex partner rights. (Marriage).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... While nothing as dramatic as the enactment of Vermont's civil unions law happened for American gay couples in 2001, it was a watershed year in the ongoing fight for same-sex partner freedoms. A number of sweeping changes happened overseas:...

Tsk, tsk, tsk: did 2001 mark a sea change in the right wing's willingness to demonize gay people? Maybe so, if conservative pundits' and politicians' responses to Jerry Falwell's finger-pointing are any indication. (Far Right).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... "God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.... The pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative...

Salvation Army fatigue: in less than a year's time, the charitable group has faced both scorn for its antigay policies and glory for its recovery work. As with the Boy Scouts, it's the scorn that may endure. (Far Right).
January 22, 2002... Until 2001, for most people, mention of the Salvation Army conjured up warm images of volunteers ringing bells during the winter holidays and workers dispensing clothing and food to the poor. But during the past year the group became the latest...

Not-so-civil war: the controversy stirred up by renegade AIDS activists in San Francisco is just one of many distractions from an increasingly crucial question: Can AIDS prevention programs be fixed? (Aids).
January 22, 2002... It was a scene that once would have made advocates for people with AIDS explode into the streets. On November 28 two well-known San Francisco AIDS activists, David Pasquarelli and Michael Petrelis, were arrested, handcuffed, and thrown into...

Lance Loud: a death in an American family. (AIDS Commentary).(one-time documentary subject describes last days with AIDS)
January 22, 2002... Lance Loud was an Advocate columnist for many years during the 1990s. He was already a legend in the gay community for revealing his sexuality in the revolutionary 1973 PBS documentary An American Family, and his voice was always insightful and...

This is Mark Bingham: his life was rich and dramatic for 31 years before he boarded Flight 93 on September 11. Now for the first time, the people who knew and loved Mark share their intimate stories. (Person Of The Year)(Cover Story).
January 22, 2002... It took a while for Alice Hoglan to muster the courage--not to mention the technological know-how--to check the messages on her son's mobile phone. Mark Bingham had had the phone with him when he boarded United Airlines Flight 93 nearly two...

Life goes on: surviving partners of victims of the terrorist attacks take different approaches to the same goal--getting on with their lives. (Survivors).
January 22, 2002... Today, it seems like an omen that Jeffrey Collman woke up at 2 A.M. on September 11 and called his partner of 11 years, Keith Bradkowski, to tell him that he loved him. The sentiment was hardly out of the ordinary, but the sound sleeper's...

We were there: gay and lesbian New York City police and a firefighter unite for these photos--and to share their September 11 stories. (Gay Heroes).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... From left: Spike Cutolo, detective, New York Police Department Whereabouts on September 11: Home. She began working at ground zero at 4 A.M. on September 12. Her story: "They had us searching nearby buildings for body parts and plane parts....

Good morning, heartache: how are gays dealing with the added anxiety of life after September 11? Andrew Solomon, author and expert on depression, talks about our fears of being hated--and hunted. (Aftermath).(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 22, 2002... Long before September 11, the gay community was disproportionately afflicted by depression. We get our due in Andrew Solomon's encyclopedic The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. Not a doctor but an inquisitive layman, the gay, 38-year-old...

2001: an out-of-place odyssey: almost nothing about 2001 wound up the way we thought it would. Forget Kubrick's 33-year-old predictions--how about from Jnauary? (notes from a blond).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... 2001 was not the year Stanley Kubrick said it would be. Instead of hurtling through space for lunar lunch meetings, we were standing on lines at airports while grim-faced security suits threatened us with a cavity search if we tried to sneak...

From Rent to Russell: Anthony Rapp talks about costarring with Russell Crowe--and the bisexual subtext--in the Oscar hopeful A Beautiful Mind. (Film).(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 22, 2002... According to Anthony Rapp, one of the perks of acting in a movie with Russell Crowe is that he actually lets you touch it--his Oscar, that is. "It's incredibly impressive," gushes the 30-year-old Rapp over lunch in a cafe in Berkeley, Calif.,...

Big gay twists: they're b-a-a-ack--those wacky, wonderful supporting characters who turn out to be gay in the last reel. Thanks, Hollywood! We feel included! (Film).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... Remember lesbian chic? Hollywood doesn't. For those who keep track, it seems that every other mainstream film in the past year featured a supporting gay male character, from the wacky wig-wearing neighbors of the stinky Sweet November to the...

10 best of the year: film.(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... (1) Hedwig and the Angry Inch Actor-cowriter-director John Cameron Mitchell and musician-cowriter-composer Stephen Trask turned their stage show about an ambisexual rocker into a masterpiece of sweat, tears, and glitter makeup. (2) The...

Hip gay aunt, hot gay niece: family resemblance: filmmaker Lisa Udelson and her niece, punk rocker JD Samson, make big artistic waves. (Culture).(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 22, 2002... Lisa Udelson and JD Samson have a lot in common. They're both from Cleveland. They've both been quite hot, culturewise, this past year: Udelson directed queer film festival favorite Lifetime Guarantee, a documentary about flattopped folksinger...

Bright light of Broadway: Ben Brantley, chief theater critic of The New York Times, reflects on editing a new book of Times reviews, dueling with antigay critic John Simon, and witnessing the healing power of theater. (Theater).(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 22, 2002... Reading a Ben Brantley review leaves little doubt: This is a man who loves his job. As chief theater critic for The New York Times, having begun there as a theater reviewer in 1993, he writes reviews that are insightful, intelligent, and, most...

10 best of the year: stage. (Theater).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... 1) The Full Monty and The Producers (Broadway) They put gay people onstage, not backstage, and sparked plenty of debate. 2) Giulio Cesare (Los Angeles Opera) Countertenors David Daniels, David Walker, and Bejun Mehta hit a new high. 3)...

Dish from Dietrich's daughter: Maria Riva, daughter of Marlene Dietrich, addresses those lesbian rumors about her mother--as a new book and a TV documentary celebrate the star's 100th birthday. (Books).(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 22, 2002... Ah, Marlene Dietrich. Her beauty was considerable, but her go-to-hell spirit is the real reason why, 100 years after her birth, she's still equally cherished by lesbians and gay men. This November her fans had a chance to fall in love yet...

Marlene vs. Adolph. (Books).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... Marlene Dietrich: Her Own Song * Written by Karin Kearns * Directed by J. David Riva * Narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis * Turner Classic Movies * Premieres December 27, 8 P.M. Eastern (check local listings) Starting on...

She's gotta have it: gen X sex guru Tristan Taormino talks about the year her underground savvy bubbled over into mainstream success. (Books).(Brief Article)(Interview)
January 22, 2002... "Thees ees how you need to bring her to or-gahsm," says Tristan Taormino in her best German-accented imitation of munchkin sex gum Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Then Taormino, a self-described sex educator herself, detonates the Dr. Ruth impression....

10 best of the year: books. (Books).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... (1) Sissyphobia: Gay Men and Effeminate Behavior Tim Bergling Bergling's book may be the first footnote-free, addictively readable account of all the gender stereotypes ("queen," "straight-acting") that gay people propagate without any...

Thought-police brutality: out artist Alex Donis discusses his sexy new paintings--which the city of Los Angeles says are too controversial to display. (Art).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... "A police officer walked in one day and started asking me questions." Alex Donis is recalling his experience while hanging his artwork at the Watts Towers Arts Center in Los Angeles. "He asked me if the paintings were going to travel to the...

When Tony met k.d.: musical legend Tony Bennett talks about collaborating with k.d. lang on their smash tour and his new CD. (Music).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... Tony Bennett thrives on discovery and collaboration. There's no need for the legendary vocalist to work as hard as he continues to--and yet he does. "There's no other way for me to exist," he says with a wide grin. "The day I get lazy or bored...

Collect 'em all! The sizzling spinnings of out lesbian DJs are burning up the dance floor. Our trading cards give their fans a chance to memorize stats and trade for their favorites. (Music).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... They may not be pro baseball players, but lesbian DJs are heavy hitters on the dance music scene. Once a field completely dominated by men, more and more clubs are turning to women--and better still, out lesbians--to spin the grooves and rock...

10 best of the year: music. (Music).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... (1) Ladyfest Midwest, Chicago A low-budget, high-energy happening with Le Tigre, Tegan and Sara, Amy Ray, and scads of others. Listen up, Michigan: Inclusivity rocks, on and off the stage. (2) Rufus Wainwright, Poses (CD) No sophomore slump...

Sister act: All My Children's Eden Riegel got expert advice on playing a lesbian--from her out sister, Tatiana. (Television).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... In the summer of 2000, when Eden Riegel won the high-profile role of Bianca, the most famous lesbian on daytime television, she had an ace up her sleeve: her big sister. Of course, Riegel didn't know what the writers at ABC's All My...

10 best of the year: television. (Television).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... (1) Ellen DeGeneres She couched lesbian jokes in a nun's habit on Will & Grace, launched her own laugh-out-loud, back-to-basics sitcom, The Ellen Show, then brought Hollywood to its feet with her stunning Emmy hosting performance. In case...

Unpolarizing ourselves: when all the shouting was over, we sifted into two camps: the virtually normal and the troubled with normal, the radical middle and the far left. (last word).(Brief Article)
January 22, 2002... It's going to take us all a while to accept this, but if we as gay people are going to maintain a vibrant intellectual community, sooner or later we'll have to admit the truth: The gay culture wars are over. By this I mean the internecine ones,...