August 20, 2008
British spy agency goes after gay recruits
LONDON—Britain’s domestic spy agency wants gay recruits to know: It’s time to come out of the closet. After shunning them for decades over worries of blackmail, MI5 is now asking gay and lesbian people to consider a career as a spy, promising the chance to fight terrorists, protect their country and earn a decent salary, plus benefits... Full Story
Nation Report
Colorado ski resort owner adds partner benefits
ASPEN, Colo.—The Aspen Skiing Co. plans to offer benefits to employees’ domestic partners this fall, matching policies at other major Colorado resorts. By the time ski season starts, health insurance and ski passes would be available to employees’ domestic partners, whether they are of the... Full Story
Nebraska wrestlers booted after porn pics surface
LINCOLN, Neb.—Two University of Nebraska wrestlers, including one who won an NCAA championship in 2007, have been dismissed from the team after posing naked for videos and photographs on an Internet pornography site.
Paul Donahoe and Kenny Jordan were let go Aug. 12, three days after... Full Story
California referendum goes forward as is
SAN FRANCISCO—The sponsors of a fall ballot measure seeking to ban same-sex marriage in California say they won’t ask the state’s highest court to throw out the revised title and summary California Attorney General Jerry Brown prepared for the initiative. ProtectMarriage.com had argued that Brown’s amended... Full Story
FDA approves Viread as hepatitis B treatment
SAN FRANCISCO—Gilead Sciences Inc. prepared to expand its reach further beyond AIDS drugs Aug. 11 after federal regulators approved the biotech drug maker’s signature anti-HIV therapy as a hepatitis B treatment.
Gilead announced that the Food and Drug Administration is joining regulators... Full Story
King’s family sues school over his dress and makeup
VENTURA, Calif.—The family of a gay teenager who was fatally shot in class blames the school district for allowing their son to wear makeup and feminine clothing to school—factors the family claims led to the death. The parents and brother of 15-year-old Larry King of Oxnard... Full Story
Federal court rejects challenge to Oregon DP law
PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge to the Oregon domestic partnership law approved by the Oregon Legislature last year. Opponents had tried to collect enough initiative signatures to put the issue to a statewide vote. But Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury ruled they did not get enough... Full Story
Arizona legislative committee dismisses ethics complaint
PHOENIX—An Arizona legislative committee dismissed an ethics complaint Aug. 12 against a lawmaker accused of breaking rules by cutting off a debate that served as a filibuster for opponents of a referendum to prohibit same-sex marriage. The target of the complaint, Arizona state Sen. Jack Harper... Full Story
Editorial
Like nature, progress constantly seeks new paths. Just in this week’s news is a story about one of TV’s biggest stars—an out lesbian—marrying her partner in Los Angeles, another story about the influential California Supreme Court telling doctors they can’t refuse services to... Full Story
Every presidential election year, I’m struck by a basic imbalance in media coverage. A great deal of time, space and attention go to what we can expect from the candidates—on their policy stances, their strengths and weaknesses, their frame of mind at any given moment. Given... Full Story
Opinion
For upwards of 15 years the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its annual assessment of HIV and AIDS has stated that the number of new HIV infections was about 40,000. Then at the beginning of August, it published a study showing that its previous figures were significant underestimate... Full Story
Maybe you’re disappointed by Barack Obama. I know I am. Maybe, for example, you listened to Obama and John McCain talk about gay marriage Aug. 16 with Rev. Rick Warren, the pastor of the giant, evangelical Saddleback Church in California, and the host of the first... Full Story
Freetime
I’ve just read about the “Waterboard Thrill Ride” at New York’s Coney Island amusement park. Artist Steve Powers built robotic dolls to reenact the U.S.-approved method of torturing prisoners. Visitors to Coney Island are enticed into watching the animatronics spectacle by a sign depicting SpongeBob SquarePants saying “It don’t Gitmo better!”... Full Story
LIBRA: SEPTEMBER 21-OCTOBER 20: This opportunity isn’t as golden as it looks. Trust me—in a few months you’ll find yourself feeling like you got suckered in. For now it would be best to remain cautious and let time show you that you’re better off staying put. More
“Mulan” and “Mulan II” (Disney DVD)—With the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing still a fresh memory, now is as good a time as any to keep the torch burning. You can do just that with the timely DVD box set reissue of the 1998 Disney theatrical feature “Mulan” and its direct-to-video 2005 sequel... Full Story
Back in the Day: Moments in Chicago's GLBT History
1979 : The drawings of James Fetterman are on display at the In A Plain Brown Wrapper gay art gallery at 2943 N. Halsted. 1981: A noted lesbian-feminist theologian, the Rev. Karen Ziegler, preaches at Good Shepherd Parish Metropolitan Community Church at 615 W. Wellington. Ziegler... Full Story
CFP reviews 'Bounty Hunter' & 'Boy Meats Boy'.Full Story
News
So now the dwindling anti-gay crowd in Massachusetts plans a new campaign—this time to get enough voter signatures to force a referendum on re-instituting a law repealed last month that prevented most out-of-state gay and lesbian couples from getting married in Massachusetts... Full Story
Finding a school for kids takes work for gay and lesbian parents in Chicago
When it comes to the reception and openness of GLBT families, many schools in the Chicago Public Schools system are only as welcoming as their principals. Families with same-sex parents concerned about the wellbeing of their children—whether it concerns bullying... Full Story
Court says doctors can’t discriminate
SAN FRANCISCO—California’s highest court barred doctors Aug. 18 from invoking their religious beliefs as a reason to deny treatment to gays and lesbians, ruling that state law prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination extends to the medical profession. Justice Joyce Kennard wrote that two Christian fertility doctors who refused to artificially... Full Story
Obama, McCain talk about gay marriage
WASHINGTON—Republican John McCain used anecdotes and carefully honed campaign positions, while Democrat Barack Obama responded philosophically to questioning by one of the nation’s most influential evangelical pastors as both candidates scrambled for support Aug. 16 among America’s important conservative Christian voting block... Full Story
Colorado poised to elect first gay congressman
An Internet millionaire who poured $5 million of his own money into his campaign is poised to become the first openly gay congressman from Colorado after winning the Democratic primary Aug. 12. Jared Polis defeated Democratic Party machine favorite Joan Fitz-Gerald, a former Colorado state senator, to win... Full Story
Ellen weds partner in private ceremony
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are married, according to reports. In the biggest celebrity union since California legalized same-sex marriage, DeGeneres, 50, and de Rossi, 35, wed the evening of Aug. 16 in an intimate ceremony at their Beverly Hills home, People and Us Magazine reported... Full Story
Gays get pension rights in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—The government of Argentina announced its first nationwide gay-rights measure Aug. 18, granting same-sex couples the right to claim their deceased partners’ pensions. Couples must prove they have been living together for at least five years to receive the... Full Story
BERLIN—The openly gay mayor of Berlin led a protest Aug. 18 against vandals who damaged the city’s new memorial to gay victims of the Nazis. About 100 people gathered at the memorial—a gray concrete slab on the edge of the Tiergarten Park. A window in the slab that allows visitors to view... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
Color, structure and tradition
Israeli artist Moshe Rosenthalis was born in Lithuania in 1922. In art school, in the Communist-controlled and culturally isolated country, Rosenthalis was trained in the approved Soviet style of “Socialist Realism” that emphasized uplifting representations of life under Communism. At one point... Full Story
Waukesha museum shows Lennon art
WAUKESHA, Wisc.—John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono and his admirers are so protective of his legacy they don’t want any of his original drawings photographed in full. Some are fragile and worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, and they don’t want them to hit the Internet, where they can be counterfeited... Full Story
Good jeans: Riding high, low, easy
It’s round-up time in Chicago, with the Windy City Rodeo set to take place Aug. 23-24 at Six Guns Ranch and Arena in distant Crete. CFP doesn’t suggest you strap on your six-guns, but we do know that the Illinois Gay Rodeo Association’s signature event is more fun when the audience... Full Story
Sat., Aug. 23: The Patty Elvis Band performs at 8 p.m. at Davenport’s, 1383 N. Milwaukee. Call (773) 278-1830. More
Ray of light: An interview with Amy Ray
“Didn’t It Feel Kinder” (Daemon), the third solo album by Indigo Girl Amy Ray, takes Ray and her followers in new and wonderful directions. “Birds of A Feather” gets things started with its queer take on modern blues and its “Hey brother/it’s hard to be close” call. Even more of a radical departure is the magnificent... Full Story
Still tempting: An interview with Chris Difford of Squeeze
Chris Difford is a busy man. He recently put out his latest solo album “The Last Temptation of Chris” (Airline/Stiff), his third in five years. It’s a wonderful record, full of everything one might expect from one half of the writing team from the band Squeeze (the other being Glenn Tilbrook). Songs such... Full Story
Song of the saddle: Windy City Rodeo runs aug. 23-24
Gay cowboys and cowgirls from around this country and Canada ride into Chicago this week for the 12th annual Windy City Rodeo, sponsored by the Illinois Gay Rodeo Association. The rodeo runs Aug. 23-24 at Six Guns Ranch & Arena, 26926 S. Stateline Road in suburban... Full Story
“Hamlet 2” (Focus)—Is there anything worse than a comedy that isn’t funny? If you feel the need to answer this question, then see the uncomfortably unfunny “Hamlet 2.” Dana (Steve Coogan), an actor with an unpronounceable surname and an embarrassing résumé, finds himself running... Full Story
Great food, great wine, great deal
I like wine. As a matter of fact, I find that wine improves with age: The older I get, the better I like it. While I know a bit about wine, I wouldn’t consider myself an oenophile. That’s why I was always a little intimidated by bin 36. Fabulous though the food was, the whole wine thing... Full Story
Want to cool off this summer without jacking up your electric bill? Instead of turning down the air-conditioning, try turning on a ceiling fan. While a ceiling fan won’t actually lower the temperature, it will move the air around, making you feel much cooler. According to the American Lighting Association, the perceived... Full Story
Theater
Ready to vote yet? If not, don’t worry: Neither is Adam, the protagonist of “Election Day,” a frothy, funny new comedy getting its Chicago premiere from Theatre Seven. It’s safe to say that no matter how badly awry the first Tuesday in November might go for you, it’ll be nothing compared to what our man... Full Story
A glorious gift from 1882, this delightfully whimsical Gilbert and Sullivan operetta combines Sullivan’s Mendelssohn-merry fairies and Gilbert’s astute satire of the upper house of Parliament. The result is a musical banquet as clever as it’s melodious, well worth a revival as excellent as Kurt Johns’ sterling staging... Full Story
“Another Suitcase in Another Hall,” the plaintive lyric sung by Juan Peron’s ex-mistress after Evita kicks her out, distills the essence of this 70-minute song cycle (originally the vocal half of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1982 “Song and Dance”). Its dozen-plus songs detail the troubled love life of Emma, an ambitious expatriate hatmaker whose... Full Story
