The Pridelets Files for September 26

On this day in 1994, Frank Cremeans, an Ohio Republican congressional candidate, is quoted in a full-page ad in the Capital Hill newspaper Role Call, declaring he "don't" as the 50s song goes "know much about history." Says Cremeans the cretin, "The Greeks and the Romans were homosexuals. Their civilization did not stand. Did they come into contact with a social disease like AIDS? I don't know the answer."

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1601 - King Louis XIII, of France
* 1791 - French painter Jean Louis Andre Theodore Gericault
* 1888 - poet, dramatist, and literary critic Thomas Stearns Eliot
* 1907 - Burgess-Maclean spy case "4th man" art historian and museum curator Sir Anthony Blunt
* 1922 - National president of the Daughters of Bilitis, Shirley Willer
* 1942 - Latina author Gloria Anzaldua
* 1946 - "Our Blood" author, radical feminist Andrea Dworkin
* 1956 - Author Scott Heim
* 1962 - "Ellen" actor (and so much more) Patrick Bristow

Q.UOTE
"Why be nice to ignorant hicks? My advice to all of you gay boys that live in a horrible town is: be a BITCH and you'll never be afraid of walking down the hall. Be strong. Never let stupid people make you ashamed of who you are!" -- Chad, quoted in XY Magazine

THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"Wide Awake" by David Levithan

In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish man has been elected president of the United States. Until the governor of one state decides that some election results in his state are invalid, awarding crucial votes to the other candidate, and his fellow party member. Thus is the inspiration for couple Jimmy and Duncan to lend their support to their candidate by deciding to take part in the rallies and protests. Along the way comes an exploration of their relationship, their politics, and their country, and sometimes, as they learn, it's more about the journey than it is about reaching the destination.
Only David Levithan could so masterfully and creatively weave together a plot that's both parts political action and reaction, as well as a touching and insightfully-drawn teen love story.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 27

On this day in 1999, the Vatican successfully forces Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father Robert Nugent to disolve "New Ways," their "gay-positive ministry of advocacy and justice for lesbian and gay Catholics and reconciliation within the larger Christian and civil communities." Gramick vows to honor the official decision but will continue to work within the bureacracy to reverse the churches position. "New Ways" was founded by the duo in 1977.

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1601 - French king Louis XIII would be 404.
* 1898 - Film score composer Vincent Youmans ("No, No, Nanette")
* 1937 - One of the founding fathers of gay drama in America" Robert Patrick (occasionally known to friends as "Una O'Connor")
* 1945 - "Nebraska" and "Someone Was Here: Profiles in the AIDS Epidemic" novelist/journalist/playwright George Whitmore

A TRIBUTE
To honor my friend Robert Patrick, I dedicate Pridelets today.
A legend of modern gay drama, also acting on Off Off Broadway
Poems and lyrics, short stories and books,
A movie reviewer who's still got his looks.
A fellow absurdist with humor, like mine.
Congrats Master Patrick have a great 69.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE
Get your dancing shoes on for the Scissor Sisters' new neo-disco disc "Ta-Dah."


This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 25

On this day in 1993, three members of the Lesbian Avengers are arrested out of the 22 loud and proud members of the activist group raising a ruckus at the official dedication of the new $30,000,000 Focus on the Family headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. "Born-again" ex con Chuck Colson, one of the speakers at the event says that the gay agenda espoused by these troublemakers is more dangerous to the nation "than Watergate" (the break in that he was a slight God-approved part of.)

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1828 - Bisexual Red Cross founder, Swiss philanthropist Jean Henri Dunant
* 1849 - Critic, and translator of Ibsen, Sir Edmund Gosse
* 1914 - Lyricist Robert Wright
* 1939 - Novelist Sheila Ortiz-Taylor
* 1955 - Theatre Rhinoceros founder Allan Estes
* 1969 - gay for pay "Queer as Folk" actor Hal Sparks
* 1951 - Academy award winning director Pedro Almodovar (Some sources say September 24.)
* 1952 - Writer/Editor Cherrie Moraga

Q.UOTE
"All we want is our law-abiding, taxpaying gay son to have the same civil rights as our law-abiding, taxpaying straight son." -- Char Cepek

THE BIRTHDAY TABLE
"Pedro Almodovar: Interviews" with Paula Willoquet-Maricondi

"Pedro Almodovar: Interviews" documents the 22-year-long cinematic career of the most internationally celebrated Spanish art-film director since Luis Bunuel. Many of these interviews, from French, Italian, and Spanish periodicals, appear for the first time in English.
Covering more than two decades, the interviews collected here trace Almodovar's journey from the small village of Calzada de Calatrava to Madrid, from his humble and Catholic provincial upbringing to his superstar status as Spain's leading postmodern auteur. Originally published in Spain, France, Italy, and the United States, these conversations disclose as much about Almodovar's personal biography as they do about his thematic universe, his directorial personality, and his maturing style.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 24

On this day in 1998, Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" reports on the the protests outside Terrence McNally's gay satire "Corpus Christi," which sets the story of Jesus and his disciples in modern-day Texas. Craig Kilborn, who has previously deemed the production a "delightfully blasphemous homosexual romp," notes that, "While historians argue that Jesus was not gay, there is evidence he did enjoy the occasional three-way (Cue photo of the Jesus and the other two biblical crucifixions that day on the hill.) The opening night reviews were mixed with critics complaining about the erotic raising of Lazarus scene and the one act with a second, third and fourth coming of Christ."
Professional complainer William Donohue of the Catholic League, compares Comedy Central to the Nazis and playwright McNally to Hitler.

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1717 - Gothic novelist Horace Walpole
* 1899 - Painter Sir William Dobell
* 1902 - Stage producer Cheryl Crawford
* 1940 - "Sweet Tooth" author Yves Henri Michel Navarre
* 1985 - C-SAM, a Quebec-based AIDS group

Q.UOTE
"I am not such an idealist that I believe we can live with pride without paying a price. I, too, have lost jobs and friends and even my church. I have had my tires slashed, the paint scratched off my car, my office ransacked, my churches bombed. Hardly a week goes by without some death-threat or hate-filled letter. There is one thing I have learned the hard way, however; the price tag for living with pride as an openly gay or lesbian person isn't nearly as high as the price of living with shame." -- from Holy Homosexuals, the 2nd edition

SUNDAY BEST
"Holy Homosexuals : The Truth About Being Gay or Lesbian and Christian" by Michael S. Piazza

Yes, you can be gay or lesbian and Christian! You can be the happy, healthy, and holy person God created you to be.
What does it mean for lesbian and gay people that Jesus was tempted "like we are in every way?" Fundamentalists have created God in their image. What if God has qualities other than being "right wing, upper middle class, white, and male?" In the Revised Edition, Rev. Piazza challenges us to look at God from a different angle.

Michael S. Piazza is a spiritual visionary, author and social justice advocate who currently serves as Dean and Senior Pastor of the Cathedral of Hope, the world’s largest inclusive and progressive Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. Under Rev. Piazza's courageous leadership, the Cathedral of Hope is setting new standards for compassionate evangelism, inclusive worship and national ministries, while at the same time making religious history.
A native of Georgia, Rev. Piazza recently celebrated thirty years in ministry and has pastored churches in Texas, Georgia, Oklahoma and Florida. He holds Bachelor's Degrees in history and psychology from Valdosta State College in Georgia and a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta.
From 1973 to 1981, Rev. Piazza pastored United Methodist Churches, becoming an associate minister of a Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) congregation in Atlanta in 1981. From 1983 to 1987, he pastored St. Luke's MCC in Jacksonville, Florida and came to Dallas in November of 1987 to pastor the Cathedral of Hope.
The Cathedral of Hope has five weekly services for its 3,000-member congregation. National church ministries, outreach programs, internet media and counseling services touch thousands of lives each day. Cathedral television ministries broadcast a weekly message of hope to a potential audience of 7 million households in 38 cities across the U.S.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 23

The Pridelets Files for September 23
On this day in 1998, a three-judge panel on the second circuit U.S. court of appeals rules in "Able v. United States," that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy does not violate the U.S. Constitution.

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 63 B.C. - Roman emperor Augustus
* 1899 - Sculptor Louise Nevelson
* 1954 - Tony Award-winning writer, director, and producer George C. Wolfe
* 1970 - folk goddess Ani DiFranco

Q.UOTE
"How many state constitutional amendments need to pass before we get angry? How many of our so-called friends in elected office need to betray us by supporting marriage segregation, while accepting awards at LGBT dinners, as if civil rights stop at the altar? We still do not have one civil right on a federal level, and the radical right is raising tens of millions and political capital by making us the ultimate scapegoats. Where is our outrage? Where is our passion?" -- Robin Tyler

THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right" by Mel White

This Fall's midterm elections will see much discussion about the enhanced power of the Christian fundamentalist Right, leaving many people to wonder: just who are these people and what exactly do they want? What are their ultimate goals? The Reverend Mel White, a deeply religious man who sees fundamentalism as "evangelical Christian orthodoxy gone cultic," believes that it is not a stretch to say that the true goal of today's fundamentalists is to break down the wall that separates church and state, superimpose their "moral values" on the U.S. Constitution, replace democracy with theocratic rule, and ultimately create a new "Christian America" in their image. White's new book, "Religion Gone Bad," is a wake-up call to all of us to take heed.
White is singularly qualified to write this exposé of the Christian Right because he himself was a true believer who served the evangelical movement as pastor, professor, filmmaker, television producer, author, and ghostwriter for such fundamentalist leaders as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Billy Graham, all of whom he got to know well. As he writes, "These are not just Neocons dressed in religious drag. These men see themselves as gurus called by God to rescue America from unrighteousness. They believe this is a Christian nation that must be returned forcibly to its Christian roots."
He is also a gay man, who made news when he came out more than twelve years ago. White has gained a unique understanding of the fundamentalist agenda because, since the fall of "godless Communism," homosexuality and abortion have become the primary targets through which fundamentalists have created fear, raised money, and mobilized recruits. "Religion Gone Bad" documents the thirty-year war that fundamentalist Christians have waged against homosexuality and gays and lesbians and offers dramatic, heartbreaking evidence that fundamentalist leaders-Protestant and Catholic alike-are waging nothing less than a "holy war" (jihad) against sexual minorities. By focusing on the current plight of gay people in this country, White addresses the wider issue that fundamentalist Christianity-like fundamentalist Islam-has become a threat not just to gays, but to all Americans who disagree with fundamentalist Christian "values."

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 22

On this day in 1955, speaking to a group of perky Hollywood Republican wives, Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen reveals that the work of witchhunting for subversives, like "wreckers, destroyers, security risks, blabber-mouths, drunks, traitors, saboteurs and homosexuals" is "no picnic."

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1889 - "Frankenstein" director James Whale
* 1958 - Performance artist Tim Miller
* 1960 - Singer/songwriter Joan Jett
* 1970 - "All Over the Guy" actor / writer / producer Dan Bucatinsky

Q.UOTE
"Squeaky Fromme got life for missing Gerald Ford!" -- A courtroom spectator, after Dan White got two years for assassinating Harvey Milk and George Moscone

THE MEDICINE CHEST
"A Gay Man's Guide to Prostate Cancer" edited by Gerald Perlman and Jack Drescher

Discover the facts about -- and personal stories of -- gay men diagnosed with prostate cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, one man in six will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime, the second leading cause of cancer death in men. A Gay Man’s Guide to Prostate Cancer explores the medical facts as well as the personal experiences of medical and mental health professionals and gay men from different walks of life. This insightful examination from the perspective of being gay in a predominantly heterosexual medical world emphasizes the unique concerns gay men have when confronted with this life-altering disease.
The status quo of the medical world is heterosexually assumptive. A Gay Man’s Guide to Prostate Cancer shifts the perspective to gay men’s needs, challenges, and experiences when faced with this critical health risk. The book is divided into a professional section that covers the medical and psychological aspects affecting gay men, and an experiential section in which gay men of varying ages, ethnicities, races, and HIV status describe their own very personal feelings and experiences regarding their diagnosis, treatment, and side-effects. A helpful glossary provided for the layperson explains the meanings of medical words and phrases.
A Gay Man’s Guide to Prostate Cancer fills the gap in the literature about gay men challenged with prostate cancer, making it vital reading for physicians, psychotherapists, gay men faced with positive diagnosis, and of course, friends and loved ones. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to MaleCare, Inc., a nonprofit organization that specifically serves men with various forms of cancer and organizes self-help groups specifically targeted to gay men with prostate cancer.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 21

On this day in 2000, hundreds come out to Washington, D.C., for the "Healing Works: First National Conference on Lesbians and Cancer" sponsored by the Mautner Project. Among the speakers at the three-day event are Marilyn Gaston, a U.S. assistant surgeon general National Black Women's Health Project founder Byllye Avery; and surgeon and author on breast cancer Susan Love.

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1723 - British author Sarah Scott
* 1902 - Spanish poet Luis Cernuda
* 1747 - French revolutionist Philippe I, Duc d'Orleans, would be 464.
* 1849 - British critic and translator Sir Edmund Gosse
* 1898 - Russian surrealist painter Pavel Tchelitchew
* 1902 - one of Spain's most influential twentieth-century poets, Luis Cernuda
* 1944 - Novelist, actress, and "Match Game" panelist Patricia Neal AKA Fannie Flagg
* 1955 - playwright and fiction writer Jim Grimsley
* 1974 - "R.F.D." (which does not stand for "Radical Faerie Digest")
* 1998 - "Will & Grace"

Q.UOTE
"Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that homosexuality 'is a lifestyle I don't agree with.' This is a trope you hear from the religious right a good deal... but it is a very odd thing to say. No one speaking rationally says, 'I don't agree with the Pacific Ocean' or 'I don't agree with the Grand Canyon.'" -- Paul Varnell

THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"What is Marriage For?: The Strange Social History of Our Most Intimate Institution" by E. J. Graff
Will same-sex couples destroy "traditional" marriage, soon to be followed by the collapse of all civilization? That charge has been leveled throughout history whenever the marriage rules change. But marriage, as E. J. Graff shows in this lively, fascinating tour through the history of marriage in the West, has always been a social battleground, its rules constantly shifting to fit each era and economy. The marriage debates have been especially tumultuous for the past hundred and fifty years—in ways that lead directly to today's debate over whether marriage could mean not just Boy + Girl = Babies, but also Girl + Girl = Love.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 20

On this day in 1994 Houston assistant police chief Art Contreras apologizes (almost) to the local GLBT community. It seems that while they cops were within their rights to harass and humiliate patrons of area gay bars during their recent raids, they really shouldn't have been wearing ski masks while doing so. (Oopsie!)

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 365 B.C. - Alexander the Great was born this day
* 1749 - The Tiger of Mysore, maharajah Tippu Sahib
* 1918 - African American expatriate, stage and film actor, folk musician, director, producer, founder of the Studio Theater of Paris and co-owner of the nightclub L'Abbaye, (Seifield) Gordon Heath
* 1940 - Playwright Robert Pitman

Q.UOTE
"The pope runs all over the world condemning homosexuality, dressed in high drag. Now I ask you!" -- Robin Tyler

THE BOARDROOM TABLE
"Business Inside Out: Capturing Millions of Brand Loyal Gay Consumers" by Robert Witeck and Wesley Combs
More and more marketers are discovering that the largely untapped gay and lesbian market segment offers opportunities to increase market share when other markets may show little or no growth. With a projected $641 billion in purchasing power and higher discretionary spending patterns than mainstream consumers, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) market segment has become an important target for some of the biggest brands.
In today's highly competitive marketing environment, reaching out to as many potential customers is not only a smart strategy but a mandatory one. In their new book, marketing experts Robert
Witeck and Wesley Combs share more than thirteen years of real-life, research-based lessons that provide a complete approach to successfully targeting this emerging market.
Harris polling and Witeck and Combs have long partnered on learning the estimated size, strength, spending habits and brand loyalty factors of gay consumers. In Business Inside Out, Witeck and Combs apply this knowledge to provide insights into how best to approach this valuable market segment, including:
· Why gay consumers have such high potential for brand loyalty
· Determining if a targeted or "gay-vague" approach is best for your business
· What strengths and weaknesses within a company have an impact on brand loyalty
· How to strike a balance between addressing this specialized audience and maintaining the interest of other customers
· How to manage negative consumer response and respond to tactics such as the threat of backlash
· Understanding how to leverage the emerging trends within the GLBT market, such as the increase of same-sex parents as well as retirement communities
"Business Inside Out" also profiles campaigns from major Fortune 500 brands that target gay consumers and includes an extensive list of resources for marketers interested in reaching this audience. It is the first book to provide a complete overview of the GLBT market from a business perspective.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 19

On this day in 1989, The New York Times accuses AIDS activists of causing the unnecessary deaths of patients demanding the FDA refine the length of time "necessary to approve" treatments for the syndrome. (Yes, that's exactly why ACT UP, Project Inform and AIDS doctors want approval of drugs that work on the market sooner.)

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1551 - Drag connoisseur France and Poland's King Henry Ill
* 1876 - artist Ethel Mars
* 1934 - The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein
* 1945 - Mystery writer John Morgan Wilson

Q.UOTE
"Lord: Take me where you want me to go, Let me meet who you want me to meet, Tell me what you want me to say, and keep me out of your way" -- FDNY Chaplain Father Mychal Judge

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THE ACTIVIST'S TOOLBOX
"EX-Gay Research: Analyzing the Spitzer Study And Its Relation to Science, Religion, Politics And Culture" edited by Jack Drescher, MD, and Kenneth J., Zucker, Ph.D.
In 2001, Robert L. Spitzer, MD, presented his study on sexual conversion therapy with its controversial findings that some homosexuals can change their sexual orientation. The resulting media sensation and political firestorm that followed enraged the study’s critics and emboldened its supporters. "Ex-Gay Research: Analyzing the Spitzer Study and Its Relation to Science, Religion, Politics, and Culture" presents leading experts examining Spitzer’s research methodology and findings to discern whether the study itself deserves deeper consideration or outright dismissal. Every facet of the study is reviewed to discuss the positive or negative aspects of the results, its significance in political and social terms, and the implications for the future.
Dr. Spitzer himself was an instrumental figure in the American Psychiatric Association's decision in 1973 to remove homosexuality as a mental illness listing from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-III. His later study that states that in some individuals, homosexuality may be more fluid than previously thought stirred controversy in the psychiatric community and society at large. His study is presented here to allow the reader to evaluate and consider it for themselves. Leading experts then voice their own pro or con views on the methodology and findings. "Ex-Gay Research: Analyzing the Spitzer Study and Its Relation to Science, Religion, Politics, and Culture" fearlessly illustrates the sometimes fuzzy boundary between science and politics, courageously spotlighting the culture wars now dividing our society.
"Ex-Gay Research: Analyzing the Spitzer Study and Its Relation to Science, Religion, Politics, and Culture" discusses:
the ex-gay movement
the nature of scientific inquiry
the relationship between science and politics
the results of sexual conversion therapies
gay and lesbian rights
Ex-Gay Research: Analyzing the Spitzer Study and Its Relation to Science, Religion, Politics, and Culture is essential reading for sex researchers, mental health professionals, pastoral counselors, political activists, and any person asking if one can truly "change" his or her homosexuality.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 18

On this day in 1954, "TV Guide" asks "When Will Liberace Marry?" They're not completely in the dark, as they say the foppish easily mocked entertainer is "A perpetually grinning matinee idol, slightly pudgy, who seems for all the world to be an overgrown little boy dependent on his mother." (As if that was a bad thing.)

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BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1848 - Composer/musician (Benjamin Henry) Jesse (Francis) Shepard AKA writer Francis Grierson
* 1883 - Composer, painter, novelist, aristocrat Baron Berners (XIV), Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson
* 1905 - the amazing Greta Garbo
* 1913 - "Homosexual in America" author "Donald Webster Cory" AKA City University of New York Professor of Sociology and Criminology Edward Sagarin, a vocal conservative critic of the modern gay movement
* 1976 - Regional TV morning show producer, improv actor, Oasis columnist & Pridelets reader Troy Diggs

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Q.UOTE
"The church says we should get down on our knees and repent! Well, excuse me, but didn't being on my knees cause most of my sins?" -- Bob Smith

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THE BOOK BAG
"Tough Love: High School Confidential" by Abby Denson
Inspired by shounen-ai manga (melodramatic Japanese comics by girls about gay boys) "Tough Love" is a teen romance and coming-out story about a shy boy named Brian. More realistic than Japanese manga, this story centers on the relationships Brian develops with the boy he likes, Chris, and Julie, the girl who befriends him. Serious issues like gay bashing, suicide, and coming to terms with one's own sexual identity are depicted with an honest, gentle touch. Socially relevant, fun, immediately accessible, and a bit of a soap opera, "Tough Love" helps gay teenagers to be more comfortable with themselves and less troubled, especially when they're feeling alone and misunderstood.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 17

On this day in 1990, "Dear Gay Men of America, when we, General Motors, ran ads suggesting that foreign made vehicles were 'little faggot trucks,' we didn't mean to offend you." (Please buy our gas guzzling trucks, thanks.)

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1730 - Baron Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand AKA Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben (Valley Forge battle instructor under General Washington)
* 1884 - "Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan" composer Charles Tomlinson Griffes
* 1904 - Royal ballet choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton
* 1928 - Elfin photographer / actor / occasional ape Roderick "Roddy" Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall
* 1953 - "The Front Page" founder and editor Jim Baxter

Q.UOTE
"Okay, yes, there is a homosexual agenda, okay? There's just two things on it: 1) don't get killed; 2) a decent brunch. That's it!" -- Elvira Kurt

CAMP OUT
Even before you take Paul Lynde's "Uncle Arthur," the turquoise painted eyeshadow of (professionally closeted lesbian) Agnes Moorehead, and "Darrin #2" (the equally closeted Dick Sargent) into account, there is something fundamentally queer about "Bewitched" which made its debut on this night in 1964.
From keeping her supernatural secrets closeted away from their nosy neighbors and not letting on what was unusual about their ... non-traditional marriage, it was just more interesting and considerably more fun for Samantha to be different than the common mortals, who were prejudiced against a woman who happened to be more powerful than most of the men in her time zone.
Relive some of the campy magic in "Bewitched - The Complete First Season."

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 16

On this day in 2004, having been fined $1,229.09 and convicted of misdemeanor harassment for dumping 3 tons of manure along the planned gay pride parade route in Conway, Arkansas, cattle farmer Wesley Bono suggests that "I didn't do this as a hate crime. If I was going to do it as a hate crime, I'd get it done." Bono pleaded innocent "insisting he was utilizing his constitutional right to free speech," ... "Under the first amendment-- a man is allowed to protest. That's what I was doing. (Besides) A guy fertilizes for free. What should he get?"

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1856 German artist and "First Photographer of the Male Nude" Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden
* 1887 - Music teacher Nadia Boulanger
* 1926 - "A Separate Peace" author John Knowles
* 1934 - "West Side Story" actor George Chakiris
* 1949 - Activist / priest Kathy Piccard
* 1954 - novelist Michael Nava
* 1980 - "First Hand" magazine -- "Because talking about sex is important."

Q.UOTE
"We undressed and he kissed me. It was the first time in my life that a kiss meant what it was supposed to mean - it sent me through the roof. I was like a man emerging from 44 years in a cave to taste pure air for the first time, feel direct sunlight on pallid skin, warmth where there had only been a bone-chilling numbness. I pulled him to the bed and we made love like I'd always dreamed: a boastful, passionate, whispering, masculine kind of love." -- Ex-New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, on the first sex he had with the man for whom he'd ruin his political career

THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"Gay-2-Zee: A Dictionary of Sex, Subtext, and the Sublime" by Donald F. Reuter
If you've ever wanted to know the origins of the gay meaning of the word pansy, the slang term Twink(ie), or the phrase, Mary, dont ask, then girlfriend, you're in luck. Gay-2-Zee is the absolute go-to guide (dont call us anything as dull as a dictionary) for all things said from a queer perspective. Lavishly illustrated in two-color throughout, Gay-2-Zee explores the gay dialect in twenty-six alphabetical sections with entries that include definitions, provenance, and which section of the gay community is most likely to use the term, including: Cinderella:One who does not keep the usual late-night gay hours. Dont bother asking Cinderella to join: He needs to be home, in his bunny slippers, by midnight. dash:A small amount; One who shows apparent signs of gayness. Id say hes more like a dollop than a dash in that outrageous chartreuse top. Gay-2-Zee compellingly makes the case that language, especially a vernacular born out of secret, coded communication, can tell a provocative and enlightening tale of turmoil, compassion and fortitude of the history of homosexuals all done with plenty of laughs.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.

The Pridelets Files for September 15

On this day in 1967, twenty-five cents will buy you a copy of Dick Michaels and Bill Rand's new revamp of the Personal Rights in Defense and Education (PRIDE) newsletter, now called "The Los Angeles Advocate."

The initial run of 500 copies on cheap 8 1/2 x 11 paper, laid out via typewriter, is a sales hit as the area warms to their 12-page rag of the latest community news, rants, advice and classifieds. By January, PRIDE has ceased to exist and Michaels, Rand, and Sam Winston are able to buy sole ownership rights to the publication for $1.00. Over the summer of '68, ad sales catering to the local club and cafe scene and persons "in search of" are up so far you that the they're able to quit their day jobs and work full time on the project. In 1969, the journal of note drops "Los Angeles" from the title with a national launch as "The Advocate."

BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1789 - "Last of the Mohicans" author James Fennimore Cooper
* 1904 - The King of May (Italian Re di Maggio), Umberto II
* 1924 - Humble "saloon singer" of "Great American Song" Bobby Short * 1947 - poet/novelist Perry Brass

Q.UOTE
"Anyone who thinks that love needs to be cured has not experienced enough of it in their own lives." -- Joan Garry

THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"Father Mychal Judge: An Authentic American Hero" by Michael Ford
http://tinyurl.com/js47d
"This spiritual portrait of Father Mychal Judge is a remarkable testimony to the hope and courage that he brought to thousands of people, not only as the New York City fire chaplain during the attack on the World Trade Center, where along with so many firefighters his life was brought to a tragic end, but also to the wide-ranging people to whom he ministered. Featuring exclusive interviews with some of his closest friends and associates, the book explores the inner life of New York's popular and charismatic Franciscan who has become an overnight American hero.

This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.