The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) articles from September 2005

The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) archives from September 2005

Toni Atkins.(Q&A)(Interview)
September 13, 2005... San Diego city council member Toni Atkins is one of the nation's most powerful lesbians--until December 5, that is. That's when the recently deputized interim mayor will hand over the reins to the winner of a special runoff election. Until...

First impressions.(FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF)
September 13, 2005... I was a senior. He was a junior. I edited one small section of the college newspaper. Derrick, as I'll call him, had quickly leapt to a leadership position at the paper. We barely spoke. I was a recently out Yankee attending a Southern...

Openly gay TV actors.(TIME LINE)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... 1975: Female impersonator Lori Shannon (Don McLean) debuts as Beverly LaSalle on CBS's All in the Family. 1989: The Canadian comedy series The Kids in the Hall, whose cast includes out comedian Scott Thompson, begins its first season. ...

Colorado's legacy.(ARCHIVES: (02.23.93))(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... News that John G. Roberts Jr., Bush's pick to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, helped a group of Colorado gay rights activists to eventually win a landmark ruling in 1996 caused quite a stir [see story, page 34]. But it was nothing...

The real Reichen.(FROM THE READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2005... I really enjoyed Richard Andreoli's article on Reichen Lehmkuhl and the whole reality TV phenom and its connection to the gay community ["Reichen's Return," August 16]. Just a word of advice to Reichen, though: Serious actors don't do reality...

The truth is out there.(FROM THE READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2005... In the article "Sex, Lies, and Teenagers" [August 16] there is one obvious point missing: Most teens curious about any subject will find their way to the Internet. Before the Internet, this censorship of sex ed would be labeled a major...

Label-conscious.(FROM THE READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2005... I am alarmed with your findings that some of today's youths prefer not to identify themselves as gay or lesbian ["Same-Sex But Not Gay," August 16]. Labels suck, I agree. However, all Americans are not created equal--in a sociopolitical sense,...

Readers comments from www.advocate.com.(THE ADVOCATE Poll)
September 13, 2005... In the July 19 issue, we asked: Is the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force an effective advocate for GLBT equality? yes 72% no 21% unsure 7% Note: Table made from pie chart. Reader comments from...

Doing what's right for you.(FROM THE READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2005... In his article "An Education in Abstinence" [August 16], Joel Derfner states that a sexual relationship between men exists only when they have penetrative sex. The idea that partners who don't have penetrative sex do not have a sexual...

Bonilla bonita.(FROM THE READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2005... Thank you for the wonderful article on actress Michelle C. Bonilla ["Dream Girl," August 16]. Being a Mexican-American lesbian myself, I truly appreciate this story. Three words come to mind with regard to Ms. Bonilla: Fab-u-lous/She's...

Take your positions.(FROM THE READERS)(Letter to the Editor)
September 13, 2005... Bravo to Christopher Rice for his column on tops and bottoms [Coastal Disturbances, August 16]. When I ran a workshop at Single Men's Weekend in Province-town to explore these sexual positions and the personality styles and sometimes the stigma...

Heating up California.(DOMESTIC PARTNERS)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Can a landmark California supreme court ruling strengthening the rights of registered domestic partners actually threaten those rights in the long run? The August 1 decision in favor of B. Birgit Koebke, who was seeking a spousal membership for...

Egyptian kings closet.(HISTORY)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Forget about walking like an Egyptian. According to ancient Egyptian texts, it's all about talking like one. Well-known Egyptologist Lisa Schwappach-Shirriff, curator of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, Calif., said ancient...

Oregon spoiler.(LEGISLATURE)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Oregon's gay and lesbian couples ought they were going to get civil unions after the state's Democratic governor came out in support of a bill this year. That was before Karen Minnis got in the way. After the bill passed the state senate...

Cherokee union.(MARRIAGE)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Dawn McKinley and Kathy Reynolds of Oklahoma were happy to become the first same-sex couple to be legally married in the Cherokee Nation. But the celebration lasted only about a week. The Cherokee Nation's highest court on August 3...

Marriage.(BY THE NUMBERS)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... According to a July poll taken after President Bush's nomination of John Roberts to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, support for gay relationships is increasing. Percentage of Americans who support civil unions: AUGUST 2004: 48% JULY 2005:...

Debunking Social Security reform.(NEED TO KNOW)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Already shortchanged under the current Social Security program, activists argue that gay men and lesbians would be in an even worse situation under President George Bush's plan because: [] Proposed cuts will disproportionately hurt gay...

Cross country.(REPORT)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... 1 SANTA FE, N.M. David Trinidad, 17, one of six men charged in the beating of gay men James Maestas and Joshua Stockham in a motel parking tot last February, pleaded guilty to all charges on August 8. Other defendants were considering plea...

Spain loves all couples.(WORLD FOCUS)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... The Spanish government is now offering complete marriage equality not only to its gay and lesbian citizens but also to the world. After several gay couples raised concerns following the legalization of same-sex marriage in Spain in July, the...

Unlocking the breast cancer code.(HEALTH)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Scientists at New York City's Howard Hughes Medical Institute have identified genes that some breast cancer cells use to spread to other organs, opening the door for important research into new treatments. That's good news for many lesbians,...

Superstrain not super.(HIV/AIDS)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Six months after health officials in New York City sparked a media firestorm with a public alert about a new HIV "superstrain," they are saying it may have been a big mistake. The officials were alarmed in February when a New York man's virus...

Too feminine? Bash gays.(RESEARCH)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... If people think you're a girly man, just bash the gays. Researchers at Cornell University have found that's exactly what most men do when their masculinity is threatened. The findings, presented at the American Sociological Association's...

Author Peggy Drexler.(SHORT ANSWERS)(Interview)
September 13, 2005... Popular wisdom dictates that a father is essential in raising a son, but CoP nell University professor Peggy Drexler wasn't buying it. Her study showed that the sons of lesbians and single mothers are actually better off than those in...

Lavender haze.(MILITARY)(reasons why Jimi Hendrix was discharged)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Maybe he was singing "'Souse me while I kiss this guy" and not "kiss the sky" in "Purple Haze" after all. According to a new bio, legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix said he was gay to get discharged from the Army. Medical records reveal that he...

Noah vs. Islam.(FAR RIGHT)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... The filming of Logo's Noah's Arc--an upcoming series about African-American gay men--was reportedly shut down In Los Angeles August 5 by approximately 150 protesters from the Nation of Islam. "This is very serious and could happen again," said...

A cut at Scissors.(LAWSUIT)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... In Running With Scissors, his acclaimed memoir, gay author Augusten Burroughs details a childhood spent with a Santa-like psychiatrist and his bizarre family, including a pedophile who lives in a backyard shack. While Burroughs called the...

Rants raves.(REPORT)
September 13, 2005... "To be able to have a relationship with the car, I feel like I've made progress." --Actor SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT, on romancing a car in The Dukes of Hazzard after having locked lips with men in three of his previous films, as quoted in...

First person: Joe Hopkins: no merit for scouts.(REPORT)
September 13, 2005... The Boy Scouts of America have been in the news a lot lately. Among reports of discrimination and tragedy there was one about Syracuse University banning a Merit Badge Day program from its campus because the Scouts' ban on openly gay members...

Friend or foe?(REPORT)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... FOE ROBERT TRAYNNAM, gay spokesman to antigay U.S. senator Rick Santorum, who said he strongly supports the senator as "a man of principle." Traynham is mulling over a job offer from the Ku Klux Klan. FRIEND KRAFT FOODS, maker of...

Desert murder.(HATE CRIMES)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... The unsolved murder of 23-year-old female impersonator Amancio Corrales recently led friends and gay activists in Yuma, Ariz., to form the Amancio Project to raise awareness about hate crimes. They launched a Web site and held an August...

Owning the word dyke.(IMAGE)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Can an insult reclaimed by its intended targets as a badge of honor still be considered derogatory? The federal government thinks so and is steadfastly refusing a request by the San Francisco chapter of Dykes on Bikes to trademark their name....

Paul Weldin.(BAD ROLE MODEL)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Current home: Chicago Position: General manager for the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus; former president of L&GIT, a tourism company catering to gays and lesbians Bad move: Arrested on July 21 for possession of 31 grams of crystal...

Batting for Hillary.(POLITICS)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Who needs a candidate to run a presidential campaign? Not Florida gay rights activist Bob Kunst, who is campaigning for U.S. senator Hillary Clinton to take the White House in 2008 even though Clinton has said nothing about running. Kunst's...

Died.(TRANSITIONS)(John Baldry)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... LONG JOHN BALDRY, 64, a gay R&B singer widely considered one of the founding fathers of British rock and roll, of complications from a chest infection n Vancouver Canada. July 21. During his long career. Baldry played with and inspired the...

Amended.(TRANSITIONS)(Raytheon's equal opportunity policy)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... The equal opportunity policy at RAYTHEON, which already protects gays and lesbians, to include gender identity and expression. July 28. The defense contracting giant now has a 100% rating on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index....

Honored.(Allies for Justice Award)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... HAROLD HONGJU KOH, the dean of Yale Law School, with the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association's Allies for Justice Award, at the American Bar Association's Annual Conference in Chicago, August 5.

Sentenced.(Usman Durrani gets life in prison for stabbing his partner to death)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... USMAN DURRANI, 20, a London man convicted August 8 of stabbing his partner, Rod Hall, to death in May 2004 after chaining him up as part of sadomasochistic sex play, to life in prison. Hall was a literary agent who represented the writers of...

Signed.(James McGreevey contracts with ReganBooks)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... JAMES MCGREEVEY, the former governor of New Jersey who resigned last year during a dramatic press conference in which he came out and admitted to having an adulterous affair with a man, to a tell-all book deal with ReganBooks, August 4.

Making schools safe.(GEN Q)
September 13, 2005... Joseph Amodeo struggled with being gay in high school. He was picked on by fellow students and harassed by faculty. And when he asked officials at his conservative school district in southern New York State if he could form a gay-straight...

Lightening the gay news.(GEN Q)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Move over, Jon Stewart: Jeremy Hooper says he has the gay answer to all the hellfire and damnation coming from antigay conservatives via the news, and it's helping gay youths. Hooper, 25, is the founder of GoodAsYou.org, a new Web site that...

Campus watch.(GEN Q)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... It shouldn't take the threat of murder to spur a university to protect its gay students. That's the conclusion of student leaders at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, who have become the target of antigay harassment and a widely...

Outspoken: Jude Lizama.(GEN Q)
September 13, 2005... Ever since I realized I was gay at age 14, I wanted to confide in my twin brother, Jacob. But fear got the best of me, so I spent years thinking, Maybe he will just catch me in the act someday. We attended Lakes High School in Washington...

Future gay hero: Aaron Bowen.(GEN Q)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... When Aaron Bowen was 15 years old his best friend in high school asked him what he would think if someone came out at school. "I told him that if I was gay, I'd shoot myself in the head," recalls Bowen, who was closeted at the time. "And he...

Poll.(GEN Q)
September 13, 2005... Have you been helped by a gay rights group? In July 19 issue we asked: Do you know anyone who has attended an "ex-gay" program? Results: No 61% Yes 39% Note: Table made from pie chart.

Elijah Wood: in his latest film, Everything is Illuminated--written and directed by actor Liev Schreiber from the book by Jonathan Safran Foer--Elijah Wood sports thick-rimmed glasses that magnify his already sizable peepers to anime dimensions. But it's the former hobbit's sizable talent we admire most of all.(BIG GAY FOLLOWING)(Interview)
September 13, 2005... Given that you hadn't read The Lord of the Rings until after you'd made it, I've got to ask: Have you read Everything Is Illuminated yet? You know, I bought the book, started thumbing through, and realized very quickly that the structure...

Judging Mr. Roberts: Supreme Court nominee John Roberts helped overturn an antigay law in Colorado but also may oppose the privacy argument that erased the nation's sodomy laws. Should he be opposed? Activists are divided.(WASHINGTON ADVOCATE)
September 13, 2005... For gay men and lesbians, John Roberts is shaping up to be one of the most perplexing Supreme Court nominees in decades. On one hand, the baby-faced 50-year-old is praised by antigay conservatives who cite his work in the Reagan and first Bush...

Faith-based equality: what would Jesus do, indeed. Hundreds of straight religious leaders are coming out in support of gay men and lesbians--both in speaking to their congregations and lobbying lawmakers.(RELIGION)
September 13, 2005... In November 1980, Steve Clunn was a 19-year-old with two dreams: become a minister and see Ronald Reagan get elected president. He remembers thinking that the 40th president was just the conservative force needed in the United States to "keep...

Portia heart & soul: in an intimate interview, Arrested Development star Portia de Rossi talks for the first time about sex at 16, coming out to grandma, and finding happiness with Ellen DeGeneres.(Interview)(Cover Story)
September 13, 2005... Portia de Rossi must be a good actress, because in person she doesn't resemble at all the two TV characters she's most known for. She's neither the frosty, stiff-backed lawyer Nelle Porter from Ally McBeal nor the spoiled, narcissistic O.C....

Sexy, cool, and French: liberated young actor Edouard Collin and the out gay couple behind the crowd-pleasing farce Cote d'Azur debate whether the French are just hipper about sexuality.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: FALL PREVIEW)
September 13, 2005... Edouard Collin is a tall wisp of a French teenager, all well-tanned Parisian sinew with a sharp-angled, warmly expressive face born to be placed in front of a camera. But while he was happily tackling the likes of Moliere onstage beginning at...

Boys of Summer: the teen coming-out romance Summer Storm was hugely popular in Europe; now the film's director and star hope that success continues in this country.(FILM)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Filmmaker Marco Kreuzpaintner set out to make a coming-out movie that he would want to see when he started writing Summer Storm. "I wanted to make something personal," he explains. "Also I wanted to make a movie that straight people would watch...

Global goodies.(FILM)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... As Cote d'Azur and Summer Storm prove, great gay movies are being made all over the world. Here are six more to check out Beautiful Boxer: The true story of Thai teenager Nong Toom, who grew up knowing she was a girl trapped in a boy's body...

The power of positive women: two out talents--filmmaker Jane Anderson and memoirist Terry Ryan-unite to film the true story of a '50s mom who kept her family fed by ... writing jingles?(FILM)(Interview)
September 13, 2005... The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio is the story of a woman who won jingle-writing contests during the 1950s and saved her family of 10 children--plus an alcoholic husband--from financial ruin. But the loving memoir of her daughter, Terry Ryan,...

Gender studies: just in time for back-to-school, Sundance Channel presents a new documentary series that follows the everyday lives of four transgender college students.(TELEVISION)
September 13, 2005... For many young people, leaving home and going to college provides the first opportunity to live openly as a gay man or lesbian. But what's the experience like for trans folk? A new documentary series premiering September 20 on Sundance Channel...

LD Beghtol, renegade popster.(MUSIC)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... LD Beghtol, gay front man for Flare, says he's currently focused on a new, surprisingly upbeat band, LD and the New Criticism. Their contagiously poppy debut album, already finished, is awaiting a label. "New Criticism is very different from...

Joy of singles: Imperial Teen's Will Schwartz goes pop with his bubbly side project, hey willpower.(MUSIC)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Will Schwartz first won fans as one fourth of queer alt-rockers Imperial Teen. But his current side project, hey willpower, hews closer to Gwen Stefani than Green Day. "I sincerely love radio pop music," admits the San Francisco denizen, citing...

Catch him if you can: Terrence McNally speeds into the fifth decade of his illustrious career with new works premiering in New York, San Diego, and San Francisco.(THEATER)
September 13, 2005... "My cup runneth over, as they say," says Terrence McNally cheerfully. The renowned gay playwright has cause to be ecstatic. He has a new play, Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams, running in New York, and an even newer work, Crucifixion,...

Chicago and Paris on DVD.(DVD)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Two classics from queer directors hit DVD in September from Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Jennie Livingston's drag-ball extravaganza Paris Is Burning makes its DVD debut September 6 with outtakes and a commentary, while Rob Marshall's...

Heavy hitter: with a new book of collected essays, activist, author, and radio host Michelangelo Signorile throws out his latest challenge to anybody--make that everybody--who stands in the way of LGBT rights.(Books)(Interview)
September 13, 2005... When Michelangelo Signorile wrote Queer in America back in 1993, getting gay issues on the "mainstream" radar screen was a full-time job. Now we're all fighting to keep up with LGBT stories erupting all over the place, and the man who pioneered...

Looking at Logo.(NOTES FROM A BLOND)
September 13, 2005... The first thing I saw on Logo was a commercial about genital herpes. But I get ahead of myself I came to Logo, which is Viacom's new channel programmed to the gay and lesbian market, a bit late. Well, who wouldn't? It was difficult to tear...

Avenue Q's under construction.(BEHIND THE SCENES)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Apparently, Avenue Q is the road to success. John Tartaglia--one of the stars of that Tony-winning Broadway musical--heads to Las Vegas for its much-anticipated bow in September. "I've actually never been there," says Tartaglia, who has...

Gadgets galore: whether it's music, lawn mowing, or bicycles, these cool new gizmos will keep you on the cutting edge.(TOYS)
September 13, 2005... First you'll tell yourself that it's triple the price of a new iPod Shuffle. Then you'll hear the realistic bass tones and rich sounds coming from the Shure E4c Earphones ($300), and you'll evict the voice in your head that said it. ...

Fly topless.(TOYS)(Saab 9-3 Arc Convertible)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Saab started out making airplanes, not cars, and the company's heritage shows in the contemporary aerodynamic design of the Saab 9-3 Arc Convertible. Start with the cockpit, which surrounds you with data on the ride, not to mention enough...

Serious dark circles?(NEW PRODUCT UPDATE)
September 13, 2005... "The first product specifically developed for serious dark circles... not the kind that pop up in the morning and are gone by breakfast, but the kind of serious dark circles that stay around forever... making you look old, tired and...

Film.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PREVIEWS)(Calendar)
September 13, 2005... September Capote * (United Artists): Truman Capote (the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman) develops an intense bond with the accused killer at the heart of his true-crime book In Cold Blood. Catherine Keener is a standout as a very funny,...

Art.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PREVIEWS)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
September 13, 2005... September Dialogues: Duchamp, CorneR, Johns, Rauschenberg * Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, Sept. 4-Jan. 8 Four major 20thcentury artists, two of them gay: Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg form half of this aesthetic discourse. ...

Pop music.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PREVIEWS)(Calendar)
September 13, 2005... September A Bigger Bang * The Rolling Stones (Virgin): Aging rockers' first studio disc in eight years bashes hypocrite patriots on new tune "Sweet Neo Con." (Sept. 6) Home To You * The Peasall Sisters (Dual-tone): Sweet-voiced,...

Classical music.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PREVIEWS)(Calendar)
September 13, 2005... October Doctor Atomic * (San Francisco Opera, San Francisco): Composer John Adams and librettist Peter Sellars team on an operatic exploration of the life and fateful creation of A-bomb inventor J. Robert Oppenheimer. (Oct. 1) Orpheus...

DVD.(HOT PICKS)(Clueless; Garbo: The Signature Collection)(Video Recording Review)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... Clueless: "Whatever!" Edition Aug, 30, Paramount Home Entertainment Has it really been 10 years since this bubbly (and queer-inclusive) adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma first delighted us? And in that time, couldn't there have been more good...

Books.(HOT PICKS)(Women's Barracks Femmes Fatale)(Book Review)(Brief Review)
September 13, 2005... Women's Barracks Femmes Fatales (Feminist Press) Butch officers, femme bombshells, innocent girl soldiers: This lesbian pulp by Tereska Torres was hot in the '50s and it sizzles now.

Exhibit.(HOT PICKS)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... "Gay Hollywood" Sept. 15-Dec. 4, Hollywood Entertainment Museum, Los Angeles A look at the queer figures on both sides of the camera and a history of gay and lesbian representation in Hollywood, displayed in the heart of Tinseltown's tourist...

TV.(HOT PICKS)(Brief Article)
September 13, 2005... The Flight That Fought Back Sept. 11, Discovery Channel This new documentary remembers the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93-including gay rugby player and Advocate Man of the Year Mark Bingham--on the fourth anniversary of 9/11. Amazing...

Theater.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PREVIEWS)(Calendar)
September 13, 2005... September Avenue Q * (Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas). While continuing on Broadway, the Tony-winner for Best Musical has cloned itself and moved into Sin City with its full puppet nudity, gay subplot, and dirty lyrics intact. See page 70. (Now...

Books.(ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PREVIEWS)
September 13, 2005... September Crashing America * by Katia Noyes (Alyson, $14.95): One part Eileen Myles, one part Jack Kerouac, San Francisco writer Katia Noyes's rough-edged but gleaming first novel is a queer road trip to remember. Diary of a Drag Queen...

A letter to Judge Roberts.(FINAL CUT)
September 13, 2005... Dear John, When I first met you in August 1970, I could never have imagined that you would become George W. Bush's nominee to the highest court in the land. I'm frightened. Should I be? You were a sophomore at the La Lumiere School for Boys...

Nuggets & bites.
September 13, 2005... "[Washington, D.C. minister Willie Wilson maintains] that black girls are 'engaging in same-sex relations' at 'an alarming rate all over the nation,' and that 'many girls... have been threatened and intimidated into participating by same-sex...

Dan Savage.(Q&A)(Interview)
September 27, 2005... Seattle writer Dan Savage has penned the best book to date on why gays should be able to marry. The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family (Dutton, $23.95) is, on the surface, the story of Savage and his partner, Terry, deciding whether...

There and back again.(crystal methamphetamine use)(Editorial)
September 27, 2005... "It was a euphoria," says Emory Etheridge of his first experience with crystal methamphetamine. "It was amazing." Real Worlder Chris Beckman remembers thinking simply, This is really great! New Yorker Mike, while high on crystal, experienced...

Time line: "don't ask, don't tell".(FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2005... 1993: The "don't ask, don't tell" policy is crafted by Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network forms to support gay soldiers. 1996: A witch hunt for gays explodes at Hickam Air Force...

(06.30.76) archives: a drug of our own.(FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF)(amyl nitrate)(Brief Article)
September 27, 2005... Methamphetamine, or "meth," has become the drug of choice for many gay men [see story, page 481. Nearly three decades ago, as featured in The Advocate's first cover story on drug abuse, it was amyl nitrate, or "poppers." When compared with...

Relating to Chad.(Letter to the Editor)
September 27, 2005... As an older gay man, I have found myself becoming disenfranchised from your magazine. Every now and then, however, you print an interview or column that reels me back in. This month's interview with Chad Allen was superb ["Chad's on the Case,"...

Out for repairs.(Letter to the Editor)
September 27, 2005... I really appreciate your August 30 story "Brainwashed No More" for helping expose the dangers of "reparative therapy." My personal experience with over six years of reparative therapy was a cycle of guilt, shame, brainwashing, and fear--these...

Helping hands.(Letter to the Editor)
September 27, 2005... Thank you for including Gay Christian Outreach among your list of supportive resources for Christian youth ["Allies in Escaping the 'Ex-gay' Trap," August 30]. There is an error in the address you provided, however. The address listed,...

PFLAG booster.(Letter to the Editor)
September 27, 2005... Having been quoted in your August 30 story "Family Boosters" regarding Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, I note that no mention was made of our chapter's appreciation for all the work the national group does for our chapter....

Dependence vs. addiction.(Letter to the Editor)
September 27, 2005... Alan Sverdlik's article "Enslaved to Painkillers" [August 30] caused me pause. I am a 42-year-old lesbian and registered nurse who has been using narcotic analgesics for almost three years. You can be sure that when my back began to dissolve, I...