Queer Town Archives
On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court refused to take Proposition 8 off the November ballot. The anti-gay marriage measure will now go to the voters...and gay rights activists will need the state's political stars to follow through on their promises. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is important, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are the real key players in the coming months.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, left, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appear together at a press conference in Los Angeles. (photo courtesy of the Mayor's Office)
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On Saturday afternoon, inside theater number two at the Directors Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard, California State Senator Sheila Kuehl sat on a panel with other gays and lesbians for a "special event" at Outfest called "Queer State of the Nation." Kuehl was feeling feisty.
"Tell them that they better fucking do what Hillary tells them!" she said into her microphone.
As the first openly gay person to be elected to the California legislature, Kuehl, dressed in a red, loose fitting shirt with black slacks, is a trailblazer. She was responding to a question from a woman in the audience, who said her lesbian friends, and Hillary Clinton supporters, were thinking of not voting in November if Barack Obama was the Democratic party's nominee. Kuehl, who once served as chair of the New York senator's California LGBT Steering Committee, seemed bored and somewhat angry with that kind of talk.
"They're dissing their own candidate," said Kuehl, explaining Clinton made it clear that her supporters should now back Obama.
The woman in the audience handed over her microphone to someone else.
Senator Barack Obama fund raiser Jeremy Bernard, left, California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, and actor Dan Butler discuss gays and politics at Outfest last Saturday.
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In 1970, Gil Scott-Heron, a poet and singer with a strong distaste for political apathy, released the song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” It was something of a brass-knuckled, knock-out punch against anyone who didn’t fight the powers-that-be, with Scott-Heron delivering his lyrics with just the right amount of sarcastic outrage.
The revolution will not be brought to you
by the Schaefer Award Theatre
and will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen
or Bullwinkle and Julia.
The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.
The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.
The revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner,
because the revolution will not be televised, Brother.
Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell will be one of the films showcased at this year's Outfest in Los Angeles.
I first heard the song on KCRW several years ago, as I recall, around the same time I came out. I often think about it whenever I write something about the gay rights movement because it makes a certain amount of pragmatic sense--people need to get involved, hit the streets, and work for equality. But, over the years, I've realized Scott-Heron's battle cry doesn't fully apply to the gay struggle.
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Sister Unity stood before me in West Hollywood Park on the first full day of legal gay marriage in California. She was dressed head-to-toe in drag and sounded somewhat disappointed.
“A gay guy walked up to me and said, ‘Do you really think this is going to help us in November?’ When he said it, 'power to the sissies' came to my mind.”
She was part of a two-person contingent representing the Los Angeles chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag queen outfit that puts a queer spin on Catholic nun-hood. Some people think they’re wacky, but I’ve always seen them as fun…and a lip-sticked reminder of the kind of rebel streak that’s needed to be out and gay.
At West Hollywood Park on June 17, the media ignored Sister Unity, left, and Sister Margaret Snatcher and instead swarmed actor George Takei (in the background) and his fiancé Brad Altman.
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On the evening of June 26, with the right kind of ears, a steady, collective groan could be heard from thousands of gay Republicans throughout California…followed by an eerie silence. Their man, Senator John McCain, decided to play small ball in his quest for the White House, and came out with a two-line endorsement of the anti-gay marriage ballot measure, now officially known as Proposition 8. It was a move, according to one political strategist, to “solidify his base.” But over the coming months, it can easily be spun into something much more different.
(Photo courtesy of John McCain 2008)
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The big neon sign at the Stonewall Inn is gone now, and the world famous gay bar has undergone a complete renovation. But it will always be the sacred ground where an angry bunch of drag queens and effeminate gay men pushed back after New York City police officers raided the place, and subsequently started the modern gay rights movement. The official date of the Stonewall Riots, according to a plaque outside the bar, is Friday, June 27, 1969.
At Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street, a few yards away from the Stonewall Inn, crowds tangled with police for several nights in late June, 1969.
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Queer Town: Swimsuit Models and the Engaged Chorus Boy
by Patrick Range McDonald
June 24, 2008 6:00 AM
Before the party crowd showed up at 717 Olympic—the new luxury apartment high rise on Olympic Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles near Staples Center—Dan Glenn and Rob Bartusch walked over to the poolside bar and asked for a couple of stiff drinks. They were the swimsuit models for the evening, and Glenn, a handsome and muscular guy, was feeling somewhat self-conscious.
“I’m walking around a bunch of people I don’t know in a very tight swimsuit,” said Glenn, an actor who lives in Hollywood, “so, yeah, I’m a little nervous.”
Rob Bartusch, left, prepares to meet his audience with fellow model Dan Glenn.
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Queer Town: Villaraigosa Jumps (Belatedly) on the Gay Marriage Bandwagon
by Patrick Range McDonald
June 23, 2008 7:48 AM
A week, almost to the hour, after the first gay couple legally wed in Los Angeles County, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will finally preside over a same sex marriage. American Beauty producer Bruce Cohen, who won an Oscar for the film, and New York art consultant Gabriel Catone will take their vows downtown at City Hall. Cohen and Villaraigosa had both been major supporters of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
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By the end of last week, the gays got married...even in San Diego County. But things turned a little weird for San Diego County Clerk Greg Smith, who was confronted with at least 14 employees who said same sex weddings and their religious beliefs did not mix. It was the first time gay marriage opponents successfully, and boldly, played the religion card at his office...and possibly anywhere else in the state.
Last Tuesday, at West Hollywood Park, gay couples made their own religious statements as they prepared to wed.
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At West Hollywood Park, across the street from the Pacific Design Center, Mayor Jeff Prang stood underneath the shade of a palm tree in a navy blue suit with a gold-and-blue striped tie. He had been talking to journalists from all over the world and needed to take a breather before the press conference at eight-thirty in the morning. Prang had only been mayor since April, less than a month before the California Supreme Court ruling made same sex marriage legal.
"For me, it was a fortunate roll of the dice," he said. "This is a huge moment in the LGBT movement, so it's a humbling moment for me. The eyes of the world are upon us."
A few minutes later, Prang was cutting a ribbon with the rest of the West Hollywood City Council, welcoming hundreds of couples to the same city that passed the first domestic partnership law in the nation. This time, the gays were getting married.
(Mayor Jeff Prang, far right, held a pair of big scissors as photographers snapped away.)
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On the front steps of the Beverly Hills Courthouse, Robin Tyler and Diane Olson became the first gay couple to marry in Los Angeles County, and possibly all of California. Tyler and Olson were the leading plaintiffs in the 2004 same sex marriage lawsuit that went before the California Supreme Court, with the majority of justices ruling in their favor on May 15. On late Monday afternoon, it was time to make everything official.
(Robin Tyler (left), Diane Olson, and lawyer Gloria Allred)
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"Ring them bells St. Catherine/ From the top of the room,
Ring them from the fortress/ For the lilies that bloom.
Oh the lines are long/ And the fighting is strong
And they're breaking down the distance/ Between right and wrong."
"Ring Them Bells," Bob Dylan
Gay marriage is a reality in California this coming week, and it has apparently made a whole bunch of queer lawyers and activists nervous. Boutique hotel owners, tuxedo rental shop managers, and any other proud capitalist who cater to the wedding crowd are absolutely giddy, however. Another California Gold Rush of sorts is on.
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On June 17, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be missing in action. Instead of standing on the steps of City Hall, reading vows to Chuck and Mike or Deb and Julie, he will be visiting with airport security experts in Israel...far, far away from the TV camera crews that will be filming every man-to-man and woman-to-woman kiss for a world-wide audience.
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The nights go nearly sleepless, but the last day of Gay Pride Week is no time to flake out. Promises are made and need to be kept, so I head over to the Abbey and Here Lounge several hours after the parade has ended on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The thump, thump, thump of the house music can be heard a block away.
Suddenly, I see the blonde, spiky hair of Andrew Gruver, the ever-present manager at the Abbey, as he walks by me on the sidewalk. I reach out and grab his shoulder, but the usual spunk is gone.
"I'm very, very tired," he says.
I wrap my arm around him and say to hang in there. Just as we start to swap tales of Gay Pride exhaustion, a svelte acrobat dressed only in an electric blue Speedo starts his performance.
"Oh, you have to take pictures of him," Andrew tells me, and I obey.
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Twelve hours before the Big Gay Parade in Boys Town, I decide to hop into the Chevy, pick up my pals Tyle and Ted, and visit gay nightlife uber-promoter Tom Whitman at his annual "Wonderland" party at the Tribune Studios in Hollywood.
When we get there, the fun vibe is heavy, and I see a few familiar faces from Crunch gym--the workouts have obviously served them well. Suddenly, this couple appear before us in the back lot, and I'm not sure if it's Halloween or if there's some kind of jock/bondage theme for the evening nobody told me about. But they're nice enough chaps, and they graciously pose for a picture.
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It is six o'clock on a warm Saturday evening, and the Christopher Street West Gay Pride Festival on San Vicente Boulevard is jammed. Nothing much is happening at the Rogaine booth, but free ID Lube is a big hit. At the Circuit Dance tent, revelers move to their own peculiar, inner beat, regardless of what's playing over the sound system. It is a time to let loose, and possibly win a gift certificate at the Cock Ring Toss.
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The Human Rights Campaign, the ultimate Washington D.C. lobbying group for gays and lesbians, has officially endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president.
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Christoph Babka, a handsome blonde with a keen sense of duty, was burned out working in Hollywood, so he decided to shake things up.
"We try to get the younger generation involved," he said, holding a clipboard inside the Armani Exchange store on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. "There's a lot of apathy with that group of people. Sometimes they get lost in the scene. Sometimes they're not even a part of the scene. And sometimes they're not even a part of the community. So we're trying to build a community."
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The court has not only ignored the will of the people and imposed a redefinition of marriage on Californians, it has inflicted years of legal chaos, quite possibly on the entire country.
Glen Lavy, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, in the New York Times
These are not happy days for scared people like Glen Lavy, and yesterday was probably one of his worst. Rather than delay last month's landmark ruling on same sex marriage until after Election Day as Lavy requested, the California State Supreme Court decided a rehearing on the matter was unnecessary. The gays, four out of the seven supreme court justices ultimately said, could finally get married, starting on June 17.
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This morning, the California Supreme Court denied a request to rehear its May 15 ruling that legalized same sex marriage. Gay and lesbian couples can now wed, starting on June 17--the date set by the state. Now it's only a question if county clerks throughout California can quickly change the fine print on marriage licenses from a "husband" and "wife" to "spouse" and "spouse."
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On Monday, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen officially certified the anti-gay marriage ballot measure. If passed, the initiative would overturn last month's California Supreme Court ruling--which legalized same sex marriage--and insert one sentence into the state constitution. It would read, "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
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On Tuesday, the Democratic Party will finally wrap up its long, hard fought primary season. There will be a lot of talk about who will ultimately be the best candidate to defeat Senator John McCain on Election Day, but gays and lesbians--in California and anywhere else--may want to consider something else: Who will draw the most voters to sink the expected anti-gay marriage ballot measure in November? According to Democratic political strategist Darry Sragow, Senator Barack Obama is that person.
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Yesterday, the LA Times released an amazing poll of Californians' views on same sex marriage. One startling fact--from the gay point of view, at least--was 58 percent of female registered voters would vote "for" the anti-gay marriage ballot measure to ban queer unions. But only 43 percent of male registered voters made up that same response. Gay activists are probably shaking their heads right now, wondering if the pollsters at the Times got these numbers turned around--women are often assumed to be more gay-friendly. Apparently not in California.
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If Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was hoping for a quick injection of gay dollars into California's ailing economy this summer, it may not happen. Opponents of same-sex marriage asked the state's Supreme Court on Thursday to delay its decision to allow queer weddings until after November 4, when an expected anti-gay marriage ballot measure will be put in front of the voters.
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The phone started ringing at Timothy Jay Candles a little bit after ten o’clock in the morning, and it didn’t stop for the rest of the morning. At one o’clock, the red portable phone rang again. Tim Sullivan, a bright-eyed man in his sixties and owner of the candle shop, answered it.
“Timothy Jay!”
Someone said something on the other end of the line. Sullivan smiled wide.
“Oh, Jesus! Yes! It’s a wonderful, wonderful day! I took out my big old rainbow flag and hung that fucking thing! It’s waving in front of my place right now!”
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Slideshows
Canadian Cobrasnake, 7/23/08
Fence jumping, stage diving and Slurpee drinking north of the border
HARD Festival, N*E*R*D, MSTRKRFT, Aoki, Shrine, 7/21/2008
Following up their downtown New Year's Eve party, HARD returns with their Summer Music Festival including A-Trak, Spack Rock and more
Feist, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Hollywood Bowl, 7/20/08
Pacifika also performed at the evening full of indie-folk, soul and electro-flamenco
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Recent Posts
- Queer Town: Gay Marriage Promises
- Queer Town: Day into Night at Outfest
- Queer Town: The Televised Revolution
- Queer Town: Power to the Sissies
- Queer Town: McCain Plays Small Ball in California
- Queer Town: Stonewall Riots Remembered
- Queer Town: Swimsuit Models and the Engaged Chorus Boy
- Queer Town: Villaraigosa Jumps (Belatedly) on the Gay Marriage Bandwagon
- Queer Town: Gay Marriage and the Religion Card
- Queer Town: Good Craziness in West Hollywood
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