October 29, 2009
Cinema: Reel advice: movie reviews and DVDiva
Reeling 2009, the 28th Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival begins Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of “The Big Gay Musical” at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport (see review below). Reeling runs through Nov. 15 at a variety of participating theaters. For a complete schedule, visit reelingfilmfestival.org. Many more reviews... Full Story / Comment
Freestyle
Making it gay: an interview with filmmaker Rob Williams
After making serious dramatic films such as “Back Soon” and “3-Day Weekend,” gay filmmaker Rob Williams puts his delightful sense of humor on display with the hilarious comedy “Make The Yuletide Gay,” screening Nov. 7 at 7:15 p.m. at the Landmark Century Theatre, 2828 N. Clark, as part of Reeling 2009... Full Story / Comment
Dining: When Q isn’t for queer
On Facebook there are always these little quizzes; “Which Brady are you?” or “What film diva are you?” Well, if there were one called “Which TV sitcom are you?” I would guess that I’d end up as “Green Acres.” Except that my husband and I would both want to be Lisa Douglas. Yes, I’m a certified city boy (or girl, depending on my mood that day... Full Story / Comment
David Guetta is this year’s Mark Ronson. He’s the kind of producer/remixer with whom all the stars (and wannabes) want to work. His “One Love” (Astralwerks/Gum Prod) features a mind-blowing array of artists including Kid Cudi, Akon, Kelly Rowland, Estelle, Black Eyed Peas and out artist Chris... Full Story / Comment
Check out this week's live performance listings... Full Story / Comment
Even after she has passed on, Bea Arthur has proven herself to be a Golden Girl—this time for gay youth in New York City. New York Daily News has reported that Arthur left $300,000 to the Ali Fornay Center, which provides services to more than 1,000 GLBT... Full Story / Comment
CFP reviews 'Bastards of Young', 'Fedra, Queen of Haiti', 'The Flowers' & 'Heroes'... Full Story / Comment
Editorial
We’ve given the Obama administration a lot of grief in this space as of late. They unfortunately have dragged their feet on many of the issues that have grave implications for our community, most notably repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act. But last week they made some headway in another one of our arenas... Full Story / Comment
Today’s Senate passage of federal hate crimes legislation is a milestone for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans and the entire country. The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act will help protect people against violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, gender, national origin and disability by extending the federal hate crimes statute. It will... Full Story / Comment
Marketplace
Putting Your Home in the Best Light
Here’s what every model, actress and person over forty knows. Lighting is everything. Bad lighting can make you look old and unattractive. Good lighting, on the other hand, can take 10 years—even 10 pounds—off instantly... Full Story / Comment
Freetime
Midlife Crisis #286: Love Thy Neighbor…Yeah, Right!!
I’ve just read about Gary Stewart, a gay man in Manchester, England, who has pleaded guilty to trying to poison his neighbors, Marie Walton and Beverley Sales, a lesbian couple. The neighbors had been fighting for years–one time Stewart kidnapped the lesbian couple’s three-legged cat and dumped... Full Story / Comment
Breaking News
Obama signs hate crimes measure into law
Wednesday Oct. 28, 5:00pm
In the East Room of the White House today, President Obama signed into law a measure signaling a major civil rights change—it is now a federal hate crime to assault a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. In order to make passage of The Matthew Shepard/James Bryd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act more likely, it was attached to a $680 billion defense bill that was passed by both the House and the Senate in October. Obama has long said that he supported hate crimes legislation for GLBTs and had been expected to sign. ... Full Story / Comment
News
Congress extends hate crime protections to gays
Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved Oct. 22 and sent to President Barack Obama. A priority of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, (D-Mass.) that had been on the congressional agenda for a decade... Full Story / Comment
GLN protests LaBarbera dinner in ‘burbs
bout 30 area activists attended a suburban protest against anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera Oct. 24. The protest, organized by Gay Liberation Network, took place at Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave., in Arlington Heights, where LaBarbera’s... Full Story / Comment
Man says Brazilian husband denied US asylum
BOSTON—The American husband of a gay Brazilian man says his spouse has been denied asylum that would allow them to be reunited in the U.S. Tim Coco said Monday that the Obama administration did not act on a Friday deadline in the case of Genesio “Junior” Oliveira, effectively denying his request. The Justice Department did not immediately... Full Story / Comment
Icing on the cake: Bakery with a social mission celebrates birthday, growth
It’s been one sweet year for a local bakery with a big heart. Sweet Miss Giving’s just celebrated its one-year anniversary. The bakery, which is part-owned by local HIV/AIDS agency Chicago House, provides job training... Full Story / Comment
UC scholar tackles same-sex marriage and Constitutional law
Numerous arguments have been made against same-sex marriage by the GLBT community’s opponents on the Right. But, according to University of Chicago professor and author Martha Nussbaum, most of those... Full Story / Comment
The many faces of domestic violence
“When people think of domestic violence, a lot of people think of a woman with a black eye,” said Lisa Gilmore, a Center on Halsted training coordinator and Anti-Violence Project therapist. As pervasive as that stereotype is, however, there are many more faces to domestic violence. It’s just as severe a problem... Full Story / Comment
Paterson says gay marriage bill will pass in NY
New York Gov. David Paterson said Oct. 22 that he expects to sign a same-sex marriage bill into law in the coming weeks. Paterson said he expects the state Senate to give the measure final legislative approval in weeks ahead and then he will sign it, making New York the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. Paterson can’t force... Full Story / Comment
Maine gay marriage supporters lead in funding
Supporters of Maine’s same-sex marriage law continued Friday to collect far more campaign contributions than their opponents in a referendum that’s being watched nationally. NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality said in its campaign finance report to the state that it has raised $4 million in its campaign to keep... Full Story / Comment
Opinion
It’s sometimes tough to measure progress, personal or political. Our lives are lived slowly, day by day, and so change can seem incremental. Or impossible. But a lot of difference can be made in a decade... Full Story / Comment
This will be my last column for the Chicago Free Press. The publisher has decreed that as part of ongoing cost-cutting measures my column is being canceled. I regret this decision, of course, but I am not unaware that the economic downturn has had adverse effects on the mainstream and the gay press. As Kurt... Full Story / Comment
