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

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

Editor's letter.(A guy's unethical reaction to sexual orientation)(Editorial)
May 1, 2009... I'M USED TO PEOPLE KNOWING MY SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Some figure it out (or at least think they do) because of the way I dress, the way I talk, or the way I do my hair. Scientists might tell you that they know because of the difference in...

View from the hill.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Join Washington correspondent Kerry Eleveld every Friday for a weekly look at what's gay and happening in the nation's capital.

Reaction: prop. 8 ruling.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)(same sex marriage)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... At press time, California's supreme court had yet to rule on whether to uphold Proposition 8, the ballot measure that amended the state constitution to ban marriage equality. Advocate.com covers community reaction to the decision and where the...

Top five stories on advocate.com: February 10-March 10.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)
May 1, 2009... ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Matt's Next Act Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham wowed the world with his win last August, but half a year later--with no major endorsements--he's ready to prove his gold medal is no flash in the pan. 2. Phelps...

We knew them when.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... Congratulations, Obama appointees ["Great Expectations," April]! All of us "out" here are proud of you. How exciting for each of you to be in this administration. I just read your bios, and we are in good hands. ROD ABAD WRIGHT Coeur...

Dashed expectations?(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... You couldn't be more wrong ["Great Expectations," April]. Not only is Barack Obama not in favor of gay rights, he's in favor of watering down a whole bunch of existing rights and privileges, such as the Second Amendment right to keep and bear...

Sam and Ted.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... There is one huge difference between Sam Adams and Ted Haggard ["Of Pastors and Politicians," April]. Haggard is a Janus-faced hypocrite who espouses enmity toward homosexuals. He does this while at the same time engaging in the same...

Brother Luke.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... I enjoy Luke Macfarlane's work on Brothers & Sisters, but I encourage him and your readers to look deeper into the methods of the Sierra Club before offering a sweeping endorsement of its work [I Advocate, April]. Preserving open space is a...

21st-century Bergman.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... Who cares if any (or all) or some of Neil LaBute's characters are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or don't know ["He's Not Bad, He Just Writes That Way," April]? He is a genius who creates identity crises and psychosexual sadists that are truly...

Matt's rewards.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... While I hardly objected to seeing Australian diver Matthew Mitcham on your March cover (and who would?), your caption "What's a guy to do when he's got the gold, the fame, and the man--but no big-time endorsements?" gave me pause ["Matt's Next...

Cover girl.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... Instead of putting (yet another) picture of Matthew Mitcham on your cover (yup, he sure can swim!), why not try to do the socially responsible thing by putting beautiful, talented African-American Wanda Sykes on the cover ["Black and Gay Like...

Correction.(Feedback)(Correction notice)
May 1, 2009... In our April Advance item "Friends in High Places" we inadvertently misnamed Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. senator from Rhode Island who supports marriage equality.

Do you think Matthew Mitcham's sexual orientation hurts his endorsement chances?(ONLINE POLL)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... "His sexual orientation didn't hurt his endorsement chances--it was his honesty about it that did him in." "What hurts him is diving's lack of visibility." "He should've kept quiet until he got a contract. Speedo continued its...

High hopes: with the June opening of the High Line park, New York is about to get a different kind of stimulus package.(ADVANCE)(new elevated parks)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, spirits were lifted by the rise of the Chrysler and Empire State buildings. This June recession-weary New Yorkers will be gifted with the first segment of another civic landmark: the High...

Lost in translation: a gay Minnesota legislator from a conservative district says there are bigger priorities than marriage equality--like saving the English language.(ADVANCE)(Paul Koering)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GAY GOP STATE SENATOR Paul Koering represents a conservative, rural district in central Minnesota where the economy depends on the struggling tourism and the paper-milling industries. Right-wingers attempted to...

Recs and wrecks: what's the delicate way to tell a friend you won't vouch for her work? Ethical pro.(QUEERIES)(Brief article)(Column)
May 1, 2009... Q: A good friend of mine wants to use me as an employment reference, but I have qualms about her work. Should I tell the prospective employer how I feel? This friend really needs a job. We don't need to go too far into the current economic...

Fighting AIDS one gene at a time: is gene therapy the future of HIV treatment?(ADVANCE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT WAS HAILED AS A MEDICAL miracle: After undergoing a stem-cell transplant to treat his leukemia, a 40-year-old HIV-positive man was found to have no detectable HIV in his blood and no symptoms. As reported in The...

The activists' wish list: the new, gay AIDS czar, Jeffrey Crowley, has his work cut out for him.(ADVANCE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... After seeing lush funding for abstinence-only sex ed and not enough for basic services during the Bush era, AIDS activists were thrilled when candidate Barack Obama proposed a comprehensive, science-driven strategy to tackle the epidemic in the...

Can't stop the beat: the summer music festival season begins in earnest now.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE CLOSEST SOME URBAN GAYS get to spending time in a tent is working as seat-fillers during Fashion Week. For other, crunchier homos, May marks the beginning of music festival season--the time to let down your...

Ovaries only.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Michigan Womyn's Music Festival)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... For one week every summer, Hart, Mich., becomes its own womyn-only nation-state as the host of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. You're male-to-female? Too bad. The camp's official policy remains i "womyn-bornwomyn" only. Better luck next...

Woodstock.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(biopic about Elliot Tiber)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Ang Lee is producing a biopic about Elliot Tiber, the gay Bethel, N.Y., chamber of commerce president who issued the permit for the Woodstock music festival in 1969. Locals were caught by surprise at how massive the festival became. They'd...

Can opener.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(first portable toilet )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1956 a man named Andy Gump built what may have been the world's first portable toilet in his garage. A line formed around his block instantly.

Perry Farrell.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bi singer Perry Farrell, who founded Lollapalooza ha 1991, was rumored to have a harem of male groupies ahead to his every need. The word "lollapalooza" was used in a Three Stooges movie to describe an all-day...

No man's woman?(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Sinead O'Connor's pullout to Wotapalava)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... In 2001 thousands of gay music fans were shocked at the last-minute cancellation of Wotapalava, billed as the first music festival to feature only out musicians. The reason cited was the surprise pullout of the recently self-proclaimed lesbian...

Desert hearts.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Coachella festival )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To the delight of aging disaffected bisexual emo boys everywhere, this year's Coachella festival headliners include Morrissey, the Ting Tings, Bob Mould Band, Hercules and Love Affair, Antony and the Johnsons, and...

Cyndi Lauper.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... 2007 singer Cyndi Lauper created the True Colors tour, a music tour with proceeds benefiting LGBT charities and organizations. Britney Spears was rumored to appear on the tour's Los Angeles stop in 2007, but it turned out Brit-Brit's true...

Peaks and Valleys: fighting for equality in the Mormon Church's backyard.(ADVANCE)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOLLOWING THE BACKLASH over Prop. 8, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asserted November 5 that the church "does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care,...

Affairs of state.(ADVANCE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... A flurry of bills for and against equal rights have been introduced in state legislatures this year. Here's where some of them stand Anti-equality legislation ARKANSAS: A bill introduced March 9 would prohibit domestic-partnership...

Clamor for the glamour: considering Liberace's legacy on what would have been his 90th birthday.(ADVANCE: Exhibit A)(Walter Valentino Liberace )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EVEN IF LIBERACE'S NAME DIDN'T ADORN THE FACE, one can hardly imagine another person wearing this watch. The accessory, given to the star by business manager Seymour Heller to commemorate Liberace's then-25 years in...

Lone Star Chic: the lesbian-owned Kimber Modern elevates Austin's hip SoCo district.(Travel)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... CROCHETED TABLE RUNNERS AND FUSSY FLORALS have no place at the Kimber Modern, the perfect new complement to artsy Austin and its rebellion against Texas's pervasive cowboy conservatism. Kimber Cavendish and Vicki Faust, a couple for 16 years,...

Q&A.(Travel)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Q: My partner and I are still able to travel during this economic crisis, but not without some guilt. Is there any way to give back to the less fortunate in the exotic places we visit? A: Zoom Vacations teams up with local schools,...

Bike tour through Burgundy.(HOT LIST: Invigorate your body and mind on these adventures)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Alyson Adventures' men-only biking trip begins June 13 in Beaune, France, and travels through Burgundy to ancient towns like Chateauneuf and Semur-en-Auxois. Most meals are included, promising the full experience of regional wines, cheeses, and...

Grand Canyon rafting.(HOT LIST: Invigorate your body and mind on these adventures)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... This 10-day trip, starting July 1 in Las Vegas, includes a 280-mile rafting adventure down the Colorado River. Along with "luxurious camping" at night, meditation and "group movement rituals" help participants fully experience the uplifting...

Active Alaska cruise.(HOT LIST: Invigorate your body and mind on these adventures)(RSVP Vacations)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... RSVP offers a breathtakingly gorgeous summer Alaska cruise, August 23-30, on the five-star Westerdam (pictured below), that leaves from Seattle and travels up the West Coast. Options for active travelers include glacier hiking, kayaking,...

Hot pate: summertime means sunshine, but what price a tan? Wrinkles-and melanomas.(Health)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NOW THAT SUMMER--and warmer weather--are thankfully approaching, I was particularly interested in a recent study out of the University of North Carolina that found that people with melanomas on the scalp and neck...

Curse of the drinking lass: alcohol consumption linked to breast cancer in women.(Health)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Here's something to think about before you celebrate that next softball win: A recent study of more than 1 million women found that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer. Researchers at the University of Oxford compared women...

Q&A.(Health)(checking for sexually transmitted diseases )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Q: After an extramarital fling I guiltily read that many STDs produce minor or no telltale signs. If I'm trying to be honest with my doctor but also want to be sure I'm keeping my sexual partners safe, what tests should I ask for? Only blood...

Business meets brotherly love: Philadelphia rolls out the red carpet for work and play.(UNCONVENTIONAL TRAVEL)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOUR YEARS BEFORE THE LEGENDARY DEMONSTRATIONS outside New York City's Stonewall Inn in 1969, one of the earliest gay rights protests took place in front of Philadelphia's Independence Hall after a local eatery...

What I did last summer: author and performer Mike Albo loves the balance of tacky, sublime, and sexy he's discovered in queer resort destinations.(VANTAGE POINT)
May 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] YEARS AGO, WHEN I ARRIVED in Provincetown, Mass., for the summer, I rented a bike (the best way to get around) and rode up Commercial Street, the main thoroughfare. I wheeled past Town Hall (where the dedicated...

GAP stretch/fans.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)
May 1, 2009... Because you can go out to dinner, have a full meal and dessert, and you don't have to undo your pants under the table.