The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) articles from May 2004

The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) archives from May 2004

Cusick's stand.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 11, 2004... I always look forward to receiving my issue of The Advocate, but the April 13 issue is particularly outstanding. Coverage of the debate over gay marriage will continue, and hopefully the ludicrous idea that gay committed couples are a main...

Dear Mary.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 11, 2004... This is in response to the recent rantings of LGBT Americans attacking Mary Cheney for her lack of action and the article in The Advocate about the DearMary.com Web sire ["Mary Cheney Is Missing," April 13]. This is a Dear Mary of my own: ...

Reader comments from www.advocote.com.(The Advocate Poll)(readers respond to question of whether they would move in order to be legally married to their same-sex partner)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... THE ADVOCATE POLL SPONSORED BY SUBARU. In the April 13 issue, readers were asked: Would you consider moving to a different city in order to be able to legally marry your same-sex partner? Yes 54% No ...

Oppression TV?(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 11, 2004... I had been growing increasingly angry by the recent Fox series Playing It Straight, but after reading Richard Andreoli's fluff treatment of the show ["Girl Meets Boys," April 13], I am livid. The show is a distilled "reality TV" version of the...

Men-only spaces.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 11, 2004... Regarding your story "Are Gay Priests to Blame?" [April 13]: great article; thanks very much. One question raised is why there is such a large proportion of gay men in the priesthood. David France and Brace Steele discuss the possibility that...

Singing the blues.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 11, 2004... In the April 13 issue, music reviewer Dave White, in trashing the Susan Morabito dance mix named for one of the original circuit parties, Blue Ball, states that "circuit parties have a lot to answer for" ["Dance Music Dos & Don'ts"]. I am...

Clothes not optional.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 11, 2004... I was irritated by "A Flexible Inner Peace" [April 13], one third of which was dedicated to "Hot Nude Yoga." I'm going to guess hem, but in all of the yoga classes of my life, there were exactly four people I might want to see naked. Yoga is...

For better, for worse, for us.(my perspective)(California state senator shares her thoughts on same sex marriage)(Column)
May 11, 2004... Suddenly it was decided: My eight closest friends in the universe--four lesbian couples with whom I've spent birthdays, baby namings, holidays, and, in the case of Torie Osborn, eight happy years a decade or so ago--were going to San Francisco...

Rants & raves.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... "It's a gorgeous script, and God, Jake's cute." --Health Ledger (above, right), talking about Jake Gyllenhaal (left), his costar in the upcoming gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain, on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, March 19 "I'm...

The two faces of George: despite statements to the contrary, Bush's "compassionate conservatism" may stop short of protecting gay men and lesbians.(Politics)(George W. Bush)
May 11, 2004... Is the Bush administration publicly supporting existing rights and protections for gays and lesbians while secretly working to eliminate them? Scott Bloch, a Bush appointee to the head of the Office of Special Counsel, in early February...

A floundering amendment.(Politics)(Colorado House of Representatives votes down Federal Marriage Amendment)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... If it's true that politics begins at home, the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment has been dealt a significant blow. At press time the Colorado house of representatives had failed to raise a simple majority to support a resolution in favor of...

Equality through Barbie.(Lawsuit)(lesbian student wins discrimination case, Queens, New York)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... After losing a friendly bet on the basketball court in April 2002, Natalie Young wore a BARBIE IS A LESBIAN T-shirt to her Queens, N.Y., middle school. Now her lost bet has turned into a big win: $30,000 in an out-of-court, settlement stemming...

Puerto Rican media bash.(Homophobia)(gay rights groups, activists plan to file complaint over attacks on gays in television and radio)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Homophobic slurs are common in Puerto Rican media, but when a caller to a popular radio program said gays should be beheaded, it was too much for some in this U.S. island commonwealth. A coalition of more than 25 human rights organizations and...

How you can volunteer.(Marriage battlefield)(National Gay and Lesbian Task Force)(Freedom to Marry)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... National Gay and Lesbian Task Force who they are: A national gay rights organization how you can help: Join a "Night to Create Change," and host a fundraising party on the eve of Massachusetts's licensing of same-sex marriage....

Across the nation.(The Nation)(news on gay and lesbian rights, incidences of homophobia, United States)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Syracuse, N.Y. The H.W. Smith Elementary School's Rainbow Kids international choir, which emphasizes diversity, dropped out of a March 28 church service celebrating the gay community because too few parents gave permission for their...

Royally gay in Luxembourg.(United Kingdom)(British embassador to Luxembourg and his partner become first officially recognized gay couple to have audience with Queen of England )(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... While the U.K. parliament was debating a bill that would give same-sex couples many of the rights of marriage, James Clark and his partner, Anthony Stewart, were making history on their own. On March 30 they became the first officially...

A majority leader comes out: Rhode Island legislator Gordon Fox decided to tell everyone why the battle for marriage equality in the Ocean State is personal.(Behind the Headlines)(Interview)(Biography)
May 11, 2004... Gordon Fox wasn't planning on speaking at a March 31 rally for same-sex marriage at Rhode Island's capitol building, but as a cosponsor of the state's pending marriage-equality bill, the 42-year-old Democrat and house majority leader was asked...

Heaven trumps gender equality.(Education)(school board trustee refuses to follow state law protecting transgendered students, Westminster, California)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Judy Ahrens knows that by refusing to obey a California law protecting transgendered students, the Westminster School District (located in conservative Orange County) could lose as much as $40 million in government funding, "but the rewards are...

Spirited advocacy.(HIV/AIDS)(California's Merryvale Vineyards to make donations to AIDS activist group Project Inform)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Merryvale Vineyards, based in California's Napa Valley, announced in March that it would donate $5 from every bottle of its 2000 profile red blend and 2000 and 2001 Silhouette Chardonnays sold until June 30 to Project Inform, a national AIDS...

Video distortion.(Catholicism)(journalist protests Catholic Church video against same-sex marriage)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... It's traditional during a wedding for the officiating party to ask if anyone objects to the marriage, but the Roman Catholic Church is apparently less welcoming of opposition to its own stand on marriage. When freelance journalist Chuck Colbert...

Not married at Prudential.(Benefits)(lesbian sues Prudential Life Insurance Co. for medical insurance for her spouse)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Legal spouses of employees of the insurance company Prudential can get retirement benefits--unless they're gay. That's what New Mexico resident Laurel Awishus, who retired in 1994, recently discovered after she married her partner in Canada....

Keith Cylar.(Died)(New York AIDS activist)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
May 11, 2004... Keith Cylar, 45, a longtime AIDS activist and cofounder of New York's Housing Works, of cardio-arhythmia in his East Village home, April 5. He is survived by his partner, Charles King.

Kathleen DeBold.(Honored)(by Uncommon Legacy Foundation)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Kathleen DeBold, executive director of the Mautner Project for Lesbian Health, as Woman of the Year by the Uncommon Legacy Foundation, March 21.

Evan Wolfson.(Honored)(by Family Pride Coalition)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Evan Wolfson, founder of Freedom to Marry, a national advocacy group working for marriage equality, with the Family Pride Coalition's Family Tree award, May 1.

Paula Wolfe.(Resigned)(from Gay and Lesbian Community Center, Utah)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Paula Wolfe, as executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Utah, saying a "vicious" legislative session is why she's leaving the state, March 25.

Looking for queerer TV.(Generation Q)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Tune in to television shows depicting teenage life, and you will see them struggling with romance. Oh, the crazy drama they can create! They teach us that youth is spent learning about ourselves by learning how to deal with others--unless...

The bride's side.(First Person)
May 11, 2004... You've read Sheila Kuehl's account [page 10] of officiating at the marriage of her ex, Torie Osborn. Go to www.advocate.com to read Torie's own moving account of her wedding to her longtime partner, Lydia Vaias.

Imagining marriage.(Book Excerpt)
May 11, 2004... Most people imagine their wedding day from the time they're children. Why should gays and lesbians he cut off from that dream? An exclusive excerpt from Jonathan Rauch's new book, Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and...

Fashionable after 40.(Funny Uncle)
May 11, 2004... Who is an older gay man to emulate for age-appropriate stylishness? Christopher Harrity recommends David Geffen, Ian McKellen, and... Jeff Stryker? An Advocate.com exclusive.

Gay marriage goes mainstream: November 30, 1993.(From the Advocate Archives)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... As the country prepares for the nation's first legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples in Massachusetts, it's worth noting that The Advocate explored the burgeoning issue of same-sex marriage over a decade ago. If the first wave of gay...

Alanis sings Cole.(the Buzz)(Alanis Morissette)(Cole Porter)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... FOR DE-LOVELY, the upcoming musical biopic about legendary gay composer Cole Porter, producer-director Irwin Winkler (Life as a House, The Net) recruited music heavyweights Robbie Williams, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Natalie...

Gay in the White House.(the Buzz)(West Wing)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... SEVERAL YEARS into his administration--and after much prodding by gays and lesbians--the president finally "has an openly gay staffer working in the White House. That's right, Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen)--the liberal, pro-gay president on NBC's...

The lady slim shady.(the Buzz)(Eminem)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... EVEN GAY ACTIVISTS who have been upset with Eminem in the past must admit that (a) his Grammy duet with Elton John was a ballsy move, (b) his character in 8 Mile was really nice to the gay guy, and (c) he looks really fierce in drag (above,...

The tipping point: beginning May 17 in Massachusetts, gay and lesbian couples will be able to obtain fully legal marriage licenses for the first time in U.S. history. What does this mean for gay equality? (Marriage).
May 11, 2004... In just a few months Wilfred Labiosa 32, and John Barter, 36, have settled in among their straight neighbors in the Boston area. Like many committed gay couples in Massachusetts they've become unwitting local ambassadors for same-sex marriage...

Dodging the altar: gay men and lesbians aren't exactly rushing to marry in Canada. Why marriage equality isn't such a big deal up north.(Marriage)
May 11, 2004... In June 2003 same-sex marriages were legalized in the Canadian province of Ontario. Other provinces quickly followed suit: British Columbia in August and Quebec in March. Yet for all the fuss that's been made over Canada's pioneering foray into...

Marriage's grass roots: the activist who led the equal marriage movement in Hawaii recalls the long road to Massachusetts.(Commentary)
May 11, 2004... Getting married. I hope there is a very long pause as you read those words. As I write them I am flooded with the overwhelming desire to scream and grab that husband of mine, Lance--at least in Canada he's my husband. May 17, 2004, is...

Hope springs eternal.(The Advocate bulletin: our essential guide to events + promotions)(Children's Hope Foundation)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Children's Hope Foundation seeks to improve the lives of young people living with HIV/AIDS. Its innovative programs identify a family's needs, and a committed base of volunteers, donors, and corporate sponsors deliver direct financial end...

Spring has sprung!(The Advocate bulletin: our essential guide to events + promotions)(Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Join the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation for its Second Annual Summer Kick-Off Fund-raiser: Sprung! 2, held in the heart of Manhattan's Meatpacking District at the swank and sexy Jeffrey (449 W. 14th St.). The benefit is held on Wednesday,...

Heather Headley comes home.(The Advocate bulletin: our essential guide to events + promotions)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Heather Headley returns to Broadway on May 24 for a one-night-only concert benefiting Broadway Cares. The concert, titled "Home." plays at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Where Heather created the role of Nala in Elton John's smash hit The Lion...

And the award for "Best Performance by a Fund-raiser" goes to ...".(The Advocate bulletin: our essential guide to events + promotions)(Academy of Friends Gala)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... And the award for "Best Performance by a Fund-raiser" goes to... the Academy of Friends Gala. San Francisco celebrated in style at this sold-out event with note than 2,500 revelers, raising $350,000 for 13 Bay Area HIV & AIDS service...

The reel thing!(The Advocate bulletin: our essential guide to events + promotions)(Broadway Bares XIV)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2004... Don't Miss Broadway Bares XIV "Now Showing" on June 20 at NYC's Roseland Starring the hottest dancers on Broadway. this musical eye-candy extravaganza was originally conceived by Jerry Mitchell of Hairspray fame. The performance benefits...

Closeted in the capital: they're powerful, Republican, and gay. Will the marriage battle finally get them to come out to their bosses?(Politics)
May 11, 2004... David Catania, the first openly gay man to serve on the Washington, D.C., city council, remembers one of his first jobs in town about 16 years ago. He was staffer for a conservative Republican senator, who has since retired. His boyfriend...

The big chill censorship: Paul Reubens: arrested for collecting vintage nude photos. Howard Stern: silenced for on-air speech. How a nationwide crackdown on "obscenity" could freeze out gay and lesbian expression for years to come.(Cover Story)
May 11, 2004... In November 2001, Los Angeles police officers raided actor Paul Reubens's Hollywood hills home, seizing what they alleged to be stacks and stacks of obscene material and what Reubens called his "vintage art collection." They confiscated his...

"I love my job": the opportunity to succeed as openly gay and lesbian professionals gives these men and women high regard for their employers.(Careers)(Biography)
May 11, 2004... Rick Cirillo, 56 Manager of military and government sales American Airlines Dallas Rick Cirillo hadn't really considered his role in the rise of mainstream gay and lesbian marketing until a recent conversation with some...

Prodding the Fortune 500: one gay rights leader learned that equality in the workplace may come by simply asking for it.(Careers)(Malcom Lazin)
May 11, 2004... Concerned that 176 of the nation's Fortune 500 companies didn't include sexual orientation language in their nondiscrimination policies, Malcom Lazin decided to take matters into his own hands. As head of the Philadelphia-based Equality Forum,...

Never a bride?(minority retort)(same-sex marriage)
May 11, 2004... Five years ago my lesbian sister, Monica, met Marie androgynously handsome woman with blond spiky hair and the patience of a saint. On the morning after their second date they found themselves on opposite ends of Monica's living-room couch My...

Bet on black: how Hollywood's off-center icon Karen Black wound up singing on the set of the new gay independent film Gypsy 83.(film)(Interview)(Biography)
May 11, 2004... At first Karen Black had no intention of playing Gypsy 83's Bambi LeBleau, a small-town highway-lounge singer who threw in the towel after a successful New York career. "I thought it was an ironic parody of me," says Black, veteran of more than...

From Gollum to Gotham: actor Andy Serkis trades middle-earth for Midtown as Jennifer Garner's gay boss in the comedy 13 Going on 30.(film)(Interview)(Biography)
May 11, 2004... "I could have been a lot more flamboyant," says actor Andy Serkis. "it could have gone sky-high." Serkis could well be referring to the role that's made him world-famous: Gollum, the slippery, computer-generated villain in Peter Jackson's Lord...

Love's a bitch: Mexican import A Thousand Clouds of Peace is an intoxicating look at lost love.(Movie Review)
May 11, 2004... A Thousand Clouds of Peace Written and directed by Julian Hernandez * Starring Juan Carlos Ortuno, Juan Carlos Torres * Strand Releasing Even considering the recent spate of Mexican features that have found fame in the United States, the...

Measure of a man: The Opposite Sex, a two-part showtime documentary, begins with the gripping journey of trans man Rene Pena, a God-fearing, married truck driver.(television)
May 11, 2004... The Opposite Sex: Rene's Story opens with documentary subject Rene Pena jogging through the countryside. Handsome, muscled, and driven, he's a prime example of masculinity. That only grows more obvious when the traditional, God-fearing Pena, a...

Coming out in the colonies: how would being gay play in the 17th-century village re-created for PBS's Colonial House? Two men found out. An Advocate exclusive.(television)(Jonathon Allen)(Craig Tuminaro)(Interview)
May 11, 2004... After overcoming testicular cancer in 2000--his senior year of college--Jonathon Allen was thrilled to take on a challenge of his own choice. The South Carolinian signed on for Colonial House, set to air May 17, 18, 24, and 25 from 8 to 10 P.M....

Why can't the idol be gay? America's favorite reality TV contest may be cutting contestants who appear "too gay".(television)(American Idol)
May 11, 2004... It was the Wild Card night of performances on Fox TV's American Idol, told 23-year-old Marque Lynche was standing in front of the judges. In a new twist, a dozen handpicked semifinalists who hadn't yet made it to the final 12 were told to...

Tonya meets Tony: with fiery Tonya Pinkins in the lead, Tony Kushner's tough musical Caroline, or Change takes aim at Broadway.(theater)
May 11, 2004... Fierce. That's how people describe Tonya Pinkins in Tony Kashner and Jeanine Tesori's bold musical Caroline, Or Change. Drawing on Kushner's childhood memories of Louisiana, the show tells the simple story of the emotionally needy son of a...

His own Pulitzer: out playwright Doug Wright reflects on winning the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for his Broadway hit I Am My Own Wife.(theater)(Brief Article)(Interview)
May 11, 2004... The day after he won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Doug Wright was still feeling a bit giddy: "I keep calling my boyfriend every two hours and saying, 'I still have my Pulitzer!' I keep waiting to wake up from a dream. It's especially...

Merritt's multiple tracks: a new Magnetic Fields album and an opera are just a few of the new projects for composer Stephin Merritt.(arts & entertainment)(Interview)
May 11, 2004... Most stars have obstructionist managers and other hangers-on to protect them from the world. Stephin Merritt has Irving Berlin. To get to Merritt, the out, 30-something cult songwriter whose 1999 CD 69 Love Songs brought him instant acclaim in...

Queer, talented, and on their own: a handful of unsigned out artists whose CDs are making waves with adventurous audiences.(music)
May 11, 2004... Michelle Shocked predicted the future 13 years ago when she sang "If you want the best jam / You gotta make your own" before dumping her record label. Even as major labels have merged and cannibalized their competition, savvy music fans have...

Still breaking silence: checking in with Janis Ian on music, politics, recording with Dolly Parton, and the joys of married life.(music)(Interview)(Biography)
May 11, 2004... Many musicians are gifted; Janis Ian is brilliant. Her resume is nearly as long as her life. In 1967, when she had her first hit, "Society's Child," America was almost as shocked by the youth of the teen singer-songwriter as by the audacity of...

A way with words: Patty Griffin's powerful new CD reveals a singer-songwriter at the height of her craft.(Impossible Dream)(Sound Recording Review)
May 11, 2004... An honorary lesbian who ranks among straight-but-friendly Lilith Fair and Songwriter Tour alums Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, and Dar Williams, Patty Griffin is finally approaching a level of mainstream success that once seemed...

A road less ordinary: a new anthology of travel writing goes off the beaten path--and raises money for an even bigger literary endeavor.(books)(Raphael Kadushin)(Interview)
May 11, 2004... "Most of the gay travel anthologies I'd seen were just erotic--about going to the Caribbean and sleeping with the pool boy," says Raphael Kadushin. He wanted to dig deeper with Wonderlands, a new anthology of gay travel writing he edited for...

Dead poets' society: three great gay poets live again on spoken-word CDs that let you read along.(The Voice of the Poet: Allen Ginsberg)(The Voice of the Poet: W.H. Auden)(The Voice of the Poet: Frank O'Hara)(Audiobook Review)
May 11, 2004... The Voice of the Poet series: Allen Ginsberg; W.H. Auden; and Frank O'Hara * CDs with companion books containing text of featured poems and commentaries by J.D. McClatchy * Random House Audio * $19.95 each Poetry is the least necessary of...

The deal-breaker.(against the current)(George W. Bush and gay rights)
May 11, 2004... We all have some idea of what a deal-breaker in a relationship is. It differs with each of us. I don't think I could ever date someone who doesn't find Monty Python funny, who shaves or trims his body hair in any way, or who takes Michael Moore...

Star power.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 25, 2004... Thank you so much for your fantastic article featuring 42 artists and their thoughts and feelings regarding the Federal Marriage Amendment ["Stars Speak Out," April 27]. It is one of the best articles I've seen in the media on this important...

Koz celebre.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 25, 2004... I was stunned to hear that Dave Koz is gay ["Just Koz," April 27]. Whenever I am under great stress and need to get centered, I put on his Lucky Man album, and it brings me peace. It was his album I played when I got out of jail in 1993 for...

Common ground.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 25, 2004... "The Black Divide" by David Ehrenstein [April 27] was by far one of the best articles I have read in your publication. As an African-American gay man, I have to say thank you. I only wish and hope that African-Americans who are not gay will...

Reader comments from www.advocate.com.(The Advocate Poll)(Letter to the Editor)
May 25, 2004... * "Unfortunately, there is not much to be gained and much to risk by supporting us at this time, So for now we are the crazy aunt in the attic," * "I don't believe most American politicians, Republican or Democrat, have the spine to...

Bullish on bears.(reader forum)(Letter to the Editor)
May 25, 2004... I was happy to see mention of the bear culture in your April 27 issue [Left Hook], but I take offense at Richard Goldstein's stereotyping of it as a fetish. Webster's defines fetish as "an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion...

Correction.(reader forum)(Correction Notice)
May 25, 2004... In our April 27 story "The Black Divide," author Lorraine Hansberry's name was inadvertently misspelled in the caption.

Rants & raves.
May 25, 2004... "It's weird that they would pick up on an innocent kiss between two girls like there's something dirty about it." --Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, on press coverage of a kiss between Gilmore characters Rory (Alexis Bledel,...

A bisexual mom comes out.(my perspective)
May 25, 2004... As a fringe member of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered community, I feel the shock waves resounding in our nation today. Arguments abound: Is same-sex marriage a civil rights issue or a religious taboo? Here is my take on the issue...

Religious rejection: Iowa's Jonathan Wilson is the latest target of lawmakers who make no bones about voting strictly on their religious views.(Politics)
May 25, 2004... Is there no separation of church and state when it comes to gay and lesbian issues? That was the case in Iowa when state senators rejected the nomination of an openly gay man to the state school board because his homosexuality ran counter to...

Skating around the the truth?(Sports)(Mike Danton)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... Mike Danton of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues has never said he is gay. But that didn't stop the media from running with that notion after his arrest on charges of trying to have a male "acquaintance" killed. Danton was...

Grandmothers on wheels.(Advocacy)(Carrie Ross-Stone, Elisia Ross-Stone)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... Carrie and Elisia Ross-Stone are proving that they are anything but traditional grandmothers. The Florida women, who were joined in marriage last September in the Canadian province of Ontario, now are bicycling from San Francisco to Rehoboth...

Virginia is not for lovers.(Legislation)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... Virginia's Democratic governor, Mark Warner, is no advocate for gay couples, but he did attempt to block a legislative ban on all legal recognition of gay relationships. Warner amended a bill that would ban state recognition of any "civil...

How you can volunteer.(Marriage battlefield)(gay rights organizations)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... glaad who they are: An organization that promotes fair and accurate coverage of gay and lesbian people and events in the media how you can help: Participate in GLAAD's "I Do" campaign, a national contest to Create 30-second...

Across the nation.(The Nation)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... Kearney, Neb. Several parents of Kearney High School band members withdrew their teenagers from a band trip to Orlando, Fla., scheduled in June, because it will coincide with the city's Gay Days. Detroit, Mich. Two lesbian...

Voted off the island.(Tanzania)(Zanzibar)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... When two men were wed in a public ceremony in Zanzibar last year, local officials and Muslim clerics were so upset that they lobbied the government to ban all gay practices. Now it appears they were successful. On April 13 lawmakers in this...

Out in the Terry family: Randall Terry says his son's coming-out was a betrayal, and he's still determined to deny "special civil rights" to gays.(Behind the Headlines)(Interview)
May 25, 2004... Outraged by his son Jamiel's public coming-out in the May issue of Out magazine, antigay and militant antiabortion activist Randall Terry published his own essay on the far-right Web site WorldNetDaily.com. He accused the magazine of recruiting...

Cirque pays out.(HIV/AIDS)(Cirque du Soleil)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... Openly gay gymnast Matthew Cusick may not have his dream job of performing as an acrobat with Cirque du Soleil, but he feels his experience will help other HIV-positive athletes in the performance arena. Cusick, 32, was fired by the...

Frank talk equals better health.(Health Care)(lesbians)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... More and more lesbians are coming out to their doctors, and that's helping them get better health care, a new study reveals, but they've still got a long way to go. The Boston Lesbian Health Project II, to be published in a spring issue of the...

Satire lost on antigay group.(Far Right)(Simple Truths Our Priority)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... Members of the London, Canada-based group Simple Truths Our Priority thought they were giving school officials solid evidence that a proposed safe-schools policy was an effort by "homosexuals" to recruit children. A short time later the group...

Died.(Transitions)(Leroy S. Walker)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
May 25, 2004... DIED: Leroy S. Walker, 63, a gay rights activist and attorney who spearheaded important efforts in the 1970s and '80s to protect gays' and lesbians' workplace rights, of an apparent heart attack in his West Hollywood, Calif., apartment, April...

Appointed.(Transitions)(Daniel Hooper, Jennifer Mason, Jay Weisner)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... APPOINTED: The reverends Daniel Hooper, Jennifer Mason, and Jay Weisner, as pastors at Lutheran churches in California and Minnesota, despite the church's ban on the ordination of noncelibate gays and lesbians, May 2.

Honored.(Transitions)(Tammy Baldwin, Mary Bonauto)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... HONORED: Tammy Baldwin, the nation's first out lesbian congresswoman, and Mary Bonauto, lead counsel in the Massachusetts same-sex marriage case, with Leadership Awards from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, May 4.

Hatred brings us together.(Generation Q)(gay and African American students)(Brief Article)
May 25, 2004... Camped out in the quad at California's Riverside Community College in April 2003, those of us who belonged to the gay-straight alliance had just finished our "wall demonstration," depicting images of hate crimes inflicted on different groups of...