Voir (Oh) Dire

 

We finished HBO's "Last Call" about the serial killer targeting gay men in NYC in the early 1990s last night and I highly recommend it. (It's based on Elon Green's book of the same name.)  Despite the brutal murders and dismemberments of our gay brothers, somehow this question posed during jury selection made me even more sick to my stomach. 

What are you personal views of homosexuality and consensual homosexuality?

1. Live and let live

2. Disapprove

3. It is an illness

4. It is a sin

5. It should be illegal

6. AIDS is God's punishment for such activity 

I only hope that younger people can appreciate how dehumanizing it is that the best we older types could hope for in a court of law in the United States of America -- and we were lucky that the prosecutors thought to ask -- is "live and let live" when asked what people's "personal views" of homosexuality were. 

See also: Jones, Jenny murder

Remains of the Day (07/31)

The WoW Report: Paul Reubens, best known as Pee-wee Herman, dead at 70 after years with cancer

Between the Lines: Pro wrestler Anthony Bowens gets candid about making history as AEW’s first put LGBT champion

Angel Cruz: My dad banned me from playing with Barbies in case I 'turned gay.'

13 Week Theatre: Remembering the short-lived but long-remembered 'Square Pegs'

Manspread Monday: 'Excuse me, my biceps and pecs are up here.'

WaPo: His Hollywood star was finally rising. Now I want him to clean my apartment.

The Caftan Chronicles: Porn kingpin Michael Lucas doesn't seem very excited about porn anymore, but he's as exhausting as ever

Insider: India's first openly gay prince says his parents tried to subject him to the 'torture' of conversion therapy to make him straight

Homo Box Office: I just added 'Raging Bull' and 'In Cold Blood' to my list of films I probably should have already seen

CNN: Lori Vallow Daybell sentenced to life in prison for murders of her 2 children and conspiring in the murder of her husband’s first wife

NYT: They put the heart in ‘Heartstopper’

Gr8er Days: Hilarious parody of every '90s dance hit!

USA Today: Tyler Childers's new video 'In Your Love' hailed for showing gay love in rural America

The Advocate: Iran morality official suspended after gay sex tape leak

People: Inga Swenson, star of 'Soap,' 'Benson' and Broadway, dead at 90

Hot Cat of the Day: Those ears! Is he part bunny rabbit? 

Weekend Tennis Roundup

We're in that weird period where the European clay-court season resumes just as the North American hardcourt season begins. Full photo report BELOW.

Sunday Comics

 

Hell hath no fury like a kitty denied treats.

Remains of the Day (07/28)

Page Six: Chris Cuomo seems to be doing just fine, post CNN

Washington Blade: Meet Poland’s out gay lawmaker fighting for LGBT rights

NYT: Randy Meisner, a founding member of the Eagles and singer of 'Take It to the Limit,' dies at 77

Out in Jersey: “On Christopher Street” chronicles the growth of LGBT culture and identity as it is known today

Saturday 'Stache: I have a new favorite stripper

Jessica Ferri: Greg Marshall’s memoir is about being born with cerebral palsy and not being told about it until he was 30, while his mother endured one cancer diagnosis after another and his father died of ALS at 55.

Rolling Stone: Tori Amos honors Sinead O’Connor with emotional covers at San Francisco show: ‘A force of nature’

Back2Stonewall: When Illinois became the first state to rescind anti-sodomy laws (by mistake!) 

THR: Stu Silver, who wrote for 'Soap,' 'Bosom Buddies,' Showtime's gay 'Brothers' and more, dead at 76

Speedo Sunday: Spread, white and blue

Drew Mackie: Who remembers that weird backdoor pilot on 'The Golden Girls' starring Rita Moreno?

BosGuy: Did somebody say thick 'n' hairy?

EW: Kylie Minogue announces Las Vegas residency

WaPo: After Mississippi banned 17-year-old transgender boy's hormone shots, an 8-hour journey

Boy Culture: What was your favorite gay porn mag?

Hot Cat of the Day: I'll flag the first question: On his lap?

On the Rag, Vol. 770

A weekly look at what's making news in the gay magazines:

Gloss: Colton Ford gives you his 'Permission'

The Unleashed Voice: Meet the Davis-Washingtons 

Dallas Voice: ‘Chicken and Biscuits’ director serves up flavor with a side of love for Uptown Players

Lavender: This Old Horse offers green pastures for horses in need

Q Salt Lake: Whatever Mike to headline Utah Trans Pride

Metro Weekly: D. Smith takes audience to 'Kokomo City,' her stunning documentary portrait of four black trans sex workers

Gay Times: Fashion at the intersection with Munya Jani 

 “It feels so liberating”: 'Drag Race' and 'American Idol' contestant Adore Delano comes out as trans

26 Magazine: Mario Lopez on living la mejor vida!

San Francisco Bay Times: Summer fun at clothing-optional beaches: San Gregorio, Laguna Creek and Little Muir Beach

'Introverted Queers' Need Love Too

“What if INTROVERTS were allowed to have a sex party?” is a question this horrible flyer answers with “It will take 10 hours and involve clown”

Conversation with a friend who shared with me this disturbing, I guess I'll go with, sign:

This is surely some sophisticated bluff plot to turn us into massive right wingers

Yikes

Ron DeSantis finding a new route to get votes

Yes

I'm staying in forever; that's my first thought

I'm interested in sex with gay men -- not a a bunch of "queers"

Haha. Plus: "Clowning? Theater? 10 hours?"

Seriously

For one thing, who has this kind of time?

10 minutes maybe

Totally, at the most. Otherwise hands off lady, momma's off to Elmo.

And scene.

sex parties are getting reeeeeal niche

We used to be a proper society

Remains of the Day (07/27)

The Hill: Michigan bans conversion therapy

WPR: Wisconsin doctor is first openly gay person to lead American Medical Association

People: Tyler Perry calls for help, offers $100,000 reward for information about targeted murder of gay man

Out: Wilson Cruz recalls how fellow gay students saved him from bullies in high school

Thursday Ad Watch: Ron Dorff for the win!

Star Tribune: Adult friends plan to confront their high school teacher/tormenter in Tim Murphy's 'Speech Team'

PinkNews: Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov accused of ordering torture and murder of missing gay man

NYDN: Scissor-wielding maniac randomly slashes two people in West Village -- so '80s!

NYT: The life and death of Frank Kozik, a punk-rock Warhol

The WoW Report: The hilarious (and sexy) Matteo Lane is on tour now (and it looks like he has a hot, new boyfriend too!)

Gimme Shelter: Stephen Sondheim’s NYC house that ‘Gypsy’ built lists for $7 million

Bang: The stars who have been allies to their LGBT siblings

AV Club: 40 years of Madonna: The Queen of Pop's greatest songs, (poorly) ranked

NYP: What happens when two drama queens are on the same flight

HuffPost: Manatee-on-manatee action turns fatal

Hot Cat of the Day: Came from a literate litter.

Song of the Day: 'Haunted' by Shane MacGowan and Sinead O'Connor

If there was a more romantic duet of the ‘90s, I never heard it. 🙏❤️☘️

The original 1985 version had its charms, too.

Sinead O'Connor's death not being treated as suspicious, police say

Remains of the Day (07/26)

Dennis Anyone?: A chat with Andy and Danny Vallentine, the husband-and-husband team behind "The Mattachine Family," about a male couple in L.A. and their long, complicated journey to becoming fathers. The film stars Nico Tortorella ("Younger"), Juan Pablo di Pace ("Fuller House") and Emily Hampshire ("Schitt's Creek").

The WoW Report: Sinead O'Connor dead at 56 

Out: In rare move, Japanese pop star (Shinjiro Atae) comes out publicly as gay

NPR: Is the streaming business model broken? (I'll save you a click: Yes.)

Wrestle Wednesday: A few you won't forget

Found: I've been on a bit of an R.E.M. bender lately, so this Top Forty Playlist of the band's music according to Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe is perfectly timed!

The Randy Report: Kevin Spacey found not guilty of sexual-assault charges, again

NYT: Ian Shaw plays his father, Robert Shaw, in “The Shark Is Broken,” a comedy based on the troubled production of the 1975 film “Jaws.”

WaPo: L.A. County deputy stalks and punches trans man who flipped him off

AP: Nashville police sued for rescinding job offer to former cop with HIV

YouTube: Although we pay for full cable television and multiple streaming services, I still frequently find myself itching for something new to watch. In this case, I found a "new" 20-year-old sitcom called "It's All Relative," which I would describe as a cross between "All in the Family" and "Frasier" (very high praise coming from me). It came out in 2003 but I had never so much as heard of it in passing. The premise is the refined daughter of a gay couple -- one uptight, one hunky and fun -- in Boston becomes engaged to the son of working-class Irish pub owners. Harriet Sansom Harris (who played Frasier Crane's conniving agent Bebe Glazer) is wonderful as the O'Neill matriarch. And a pre-"Veep" Reid Scott plays the dim-but-lovable groom-to-be. (Paige Moss is also sublime as little sister Maddy O'Neill!) But it's Broadway veterans John Benjamin Hickey and Christopher Sieber as the gay parents -- both played by gay men back when that wasn't typical -- who are the real stars of the show. Although I'm guessing "It's All Relative" isn't for everyone -- it's a three-camera sitcom with a laugh track, gay stereotypes (that now seem to bother people even though they're based entirely in reality) and old-fashioned potshots galore -- I found it to be hilarious (and smart) and retroactively wish it had stuck around a little longer. Irony alert: You don't even need to subscribe to anything new to watch it -- the entire series is currently uploaded on YouTube HERE.

GMA: Ricky Martin reflects on not being ready to come out as gay, how 'amazing' it felt when he did

WaPo: She was a GOP congresswoman. Her son is a transgender activist.

Instinct: 'Big Brother' alumni Zach Rance posts underwear video

Steven Harrison: I was a closeted gay teacher. Textbooks with LGBTQ+ figures matter to gay students

Hot Cat of the Day: This is how you get me to return to the office!

Vanity Project

This is how I responded when someone said a(nother) catfish was using my likeness to dupe a poor woman in Sweden. 🤣🤣🤣

 

Queer and Present Danger

We watched the first episode ("Peter and Thomas") of HBO's "Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York." (First episode was gripping. So moving to hear from the daughter of one of the earliest victims.) As you may recall, I rolled my eyes when I saw they'd used "queer" in the title (mimicking the book on which it’s based) when the story was explicitly about the murder of gay men back in the 1990s. With that in mind, I couldn't help but laugh when they showed a clip from a contemporaneous class for police officers on how to deal with the gay community with sensitivity, featuring a chalkboard of words NOT to use. Note the upper left above pajaro!  

Don't let the black & white fool ya -- this was in the 1990s.

Remains of the Day (07/25)

People: JJ Watt cools down in the water with his 8-month-old son 

NBC News: Former pastor charged with 1975 murder of 8-year-old Pennsylvania girl on her way to Bible camp

CNN: California school board adopts social studies textbooks that include gay rights after warnings from governor

TAS: Gay man in Japan granted workers’ comp for being outed by boss

Brian Ferrari: I recently found myself perusing (as one does) the September/October 1979 issue of In Touch For Men. Featured on the cover and centerfold is Tim Kramer, an all-American boy who would go on to become one of the top gay porn stars of the 1980s

Max: I've largely avoided the world of reality dating TV. But my friend worked on "Swiping America" so Damian and I decided to give it a look. Much to my surprise, it's one of the most moving shows I've seen in years. Without giving away too much, I will tell you that if you liked "The Real World" growing up -- and what Gen Xer didn't? -- you will probably enjoy this show. Although they do go on dates, the show's heart is the relationship between the four roommates -- only these roommates are in their 30s, mature and thoughtful -- and instead of looking for drama they're focused on getting to know themselves (and each other) better as they search for a romantic partner. All of the housemates are endearing, but it's the one who you would guess at first blush you'd like the least who might really steal your heart. 

Instagram: Cheyenne Jackson's chest breaks the internet with his Cameo pitch

BosGuy: Boston LGBTQ+ library in the works

The Randy Report: Watch the official trailer for the new season of 'Heartstopper'

Greg in Hollywood: Andrew Rannells discusses his new book (“Uncle of the Year”), the actors strike and his upcoming new Broadway musical

Fandom Wire: Michael Scott was only supposed to hug Oscar in the ‘Gay Witch Hunt’ episode

AP: Swimming authorities create new open category for transgender athletes

WaPo: First dog can't stop biting people

Sky News: BBC admits asking Morocco captain 'inappropriate' question at Women's World Cup

Page Six: Alia Shawkat ('Search Party,' 'Arrested Development') is pregnant with her first baby

Hot Cat of the Day: Summer heat requires that you stay hydrated! 

Tennis Tuesday

 

This is the kind of targeted advertising I don't mind seeing. And it turns out this is the company that outfits American doubles hunks Nate Lammons an Jackson Withrow. See BELOW

Johnny Hit and Run Elon

This hilarious tweet is the only "good" thing to come out of this whole misbegotten takeover. You can find me on Threads HERE.

Remains of the Day (07/24)

AP: Luca Guadagnino's tennis-themed "Challengers," starring Zendaya, has been pulled from the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 30, where it was to be the opening night film, due to the actors strike. Amazon Studios will instead release “Challengers” in theaters April 26. (Do we think this is going to be worse than "Players" and "Racquet"?!)

The WoW Report: I guess playing an Italian in 'Moonstruck' has finally gone to Cher's head

Rob Lowe: When you say '80s, I say ...

Back2Stonewall: It’s OK to be gay and lesbian and not 'queer'; as much as I dislike the adjective queer, I was stunned to see an ad from City Winery about an upcoming event called Queers Got Talent. Now we're really calling LGBT people "queers"????? 

Manspread Monday: Ginger on the 1 train

NYT: As long as I live I will never understand how this story isn't about the guy in the shorts

The Guardian: ‘More harm than good’: Malaysia’s gay community fear backlash over The 1975 frontman’s outbursts over LGBT laws

Brian Ferrari: Married gay couple contributes to art and writing 'zine

Independent: Cheri Pies, author of pioneering lesbian parenting handbook, dies of cancer at 73

CBS News: The Miss Gay Michigan America pageant is returning to Detroit after nearly 30 years

WSJ: Dying malls stir up nostalgia -- and eager bidders for the décor ... ICYMI: My childhood mall was just detonated.

Daniel Reynolds: What Barbie dolls meant to gay boys ... I wasn't a big Barbie boy -- my Tuesday Taylor Penthouse Apartment made any Barbie Dream House look like a nightmare -- but I did have a Growing Up Skipper!

The Advocate: Indiana State Police have extracted two DNA profiles from human remains found on the property of the late suspected gay serial killer Herbert Baumeister

Susanna Cassisa: The ‘groomer’ anti-LGBT panic is not new — and has caused immense harm

Daily Mail: Married lesbian couple who won legal victory against five-figure 'gay tax' for NHS fertility treatment say they 'cannot wait' to have children

Hot Cat of the Day: Someone wants you to have a great week ahead! 

Weekend Tennis Roundup

The dullest week on the tennis calendar saw titles for Rublev, Mannarino, Cachin, Zhen and Timofeeva. Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW. 

Remains of the Day (07/21)

EW: Before Greta Gerwig, there was Todd Haynes's infinitely weirder Barbie movie about Karen Carpenter ... which I saw in 1989 at the Biograph Theatre in Washington while interning on Capitol Hill 

Gr8er Days: Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96

Time: Grindr staff petition to unionize, seeking protection against premature evacuation 

OMG: Did someone say thick 'n' shirtless Andrew Garfield?

Glenn Gaylord: A review of 'Studio One Forever,' about a youthful haunt of mine where I had the time of my life!

T&C: Classified documents weren't the only things the Florida man was hoarding at his tacky house

Texas Tribune: Texas A&M President Katherine Banks resigns amid fallout from failed hiring of journalism professor, who is a former NYT colleague of mine

Saturday 'Stache: Making history with your hunky boyfriend by your side

We Live Entertainment:  'The Mattachine Family' is a very moving addition to the gay film lexicon, from Andy and Danny Vallentine (review)

NPR: Ken Felts, who didn't come out until he was 90, has just gotten married

Pink News: Man jailed in Turkey for 20 days just because he ‘looked gay’

Johnny Carson: Annie Potts vs. Shelley Winters

Metro Weekly: Gay Monument in The Hague vandalized with anti-gay graffiti 

NYP: For my money, there's nothing better than lesbian drama!

WSJ Mansion: Jackie O.’s collection of homes was as iconic as it gets, but boy did it depress me to learn her Fifth Avenue apartment was purchased by a Koch brother when she died

Speedo Sunday: Five for the price of one

Hot Cat of the Day: Nothing but the finest for this little cutie