Gay Soup - Gay Blog

News:

Activists around the globe marked the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) Thursday, May 17, a date chosen to mark the World Health Organization's 1990 decision to no longer list homosexuality as a disease. In D.C., the anniversary was marked with an event tied more to information than to activism. But it is information that will likely help save LGBT – and intersex, meaning those who identify as neither specifically female nor male – lives.

At the Equality Center of the Human Rights Campaign headquarters in downtown Washington, about a hundred people gathered for the release of The Road to Safety: Strengthening Protection for LGBTI Refugees in Uganda and Kenya, a new report from Human Rights First, an international human rights organization with offices in D.C. and New York. The event was presented as the second installment of HRC's recently launched ''Equality Talks.''

Anne Richard, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, was among the first to address the forum, which included representatives from the Council for Global Equality and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

''I commend your work highlighting the plague of homophobia,'' said Richard. ''And I commend Human Rights First for launching a report to bring attention to the threats against LGBT refugees.

''When we read the accounts of abuse and exploitation included in this report, we have but one option: We must stand squarely on the side of the most vulnerable. We must do what we can to provide them an environment where their safety and security is ensured, and their rights and dignity upheld. That must be our priority.''

During the discussion that followed, emphasis was made of the need to create safe spaces for LGBT refugees in either their home countries or host nations, whether that might include circumventing a government hostile to LGBT people or battling homophobia within agencies working to help refugees.

''There is currently some capacity to provide safe shelter to LGBTI refugees in scattered housing,'' said Duncan Breen, a senior associate with HRF's Refugee Protection Program and principal researcher and author of the report. He defined ''scattered housing'' as small groups renting housing in cities, ''because they feel that one specific safe house would then become a target for violence.''

''But,'' Breen added, ''funds are very limited for these programs. They are often not able to assist everyone who has these kinds of needs. This is an area that the U.S. and other donors can assist in. But sometimes for LGBTI refugees who face high risk of violence, it is difficult to remain for long periods in the specific country. … Temporary shelter may be a solution, but people cannot have to keep on moving every time in order to protect their safety.''

Sometimes resettlement is an LGBTI person's only reasonable option, he concluded. That option, like all others, usually requires some sort of service provider. In his research for this report, Breen found that would not necessarily be easy, adding that while the report covers Kenya and Uganda specifically, many of its findings and recommendations could be applied widely.

''A number of staff members in organizations that we spoke to also … indicated that they had quite negative attitudes towards LGBTI persons,'' said Breen. ''Some cited religious or cultural reasons for that. So there is a need to address this with training, as well as accountability measures, so that people who discriminate against LGBTI refugees or others on similar grounds are then held accountable for their actions. There's also a need for targeted outreach strategies to let [LGBTI] people know where they can go for assistance, because we saw some big gaps with that.''

Kushaba Moses Mworeko, a gay Ugandan who successfully applied for asylum in the United States and who now lives in D.C., agrees with Breen that there is room for improvement at possibly every juncture in the journey of an LGBT refugee. En route to New York City May 18, Mworeko told Metro Weekly via email that he knows of gay Ugandans who fled to other countries and fared far poorer than he has.

''There are some that went to other countries and started living in refugee camps – a very traumatic experience, especially when you look or are perceived to act different from the norm,'' he said.

While Mworeko applied for asylum in the U.S. once he was already here, having come for an HIV/AIDS educational conference, he agrees with Breen's finding about the need to train and hold accountable those who could be in a position to help LGBT refugees – or nationals – in Uganda and elsewhere.

''There are NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) and community organizations, but their powers are so limited, so they dance the government's tune,'' he said. ''It's just recently, due to the escalation of the war on gays and the international outcry that these NGOs and civil society organizations have started offering support, like sanctuary and advice.''

Closer to home, Mworeko assesses the U.S. immigration officials he encountered between 2009 and 2011, and again finds room for improvement.

''There is still 'information poverty' when it comes to international LGBT issues,'' he said, ''which leads to poor, unfounded, partial, misleading judgments on the part of immigration officers.''

Also speaking at Thursday's event, moderated by Mark Bromley, chair of the Council for Global Equality, was Allison Herwitt, HRC's legislative director; Eleanor Acer, director of HRF's Refugee Protection Program; and Larry Yungk, senior resettlement officer at the UNHCR.

...more

Stage:

How does a family endure? Studio Theatre 2ndStage's The Big Meal is entirely preoccupied with that question, and curiously, its answer is found in an average-looking Ohio restaurant that tracks decades over hamburgers and spaghetti.

Although in this joint, the worst thing to see is your food. Playwright Dan Franc turns the act of eating into a somber metaphor for death, meaning that when a character's ''order'' is up, the waitress (Sarah Taurchini) appears – a symbolic twist on the Reaper – and the soon-to-be dearly departed chow down.

The Big Meal

The effect, unlike some of the Franc's other risks, is somber and profound given the context of Meal's compressed narrative. In 80 minutes, we watch a first date turn into dating turn into marriage and children. The kids have kids, then those tykes grow up and have kids of their own, too.

Which is to say, Meal demands a tremendous degree of directorial precision to work – and more often than not, Johanna Gruenhut pulls it off. But when she doesn't, when Franc's innovative cross-talking dialogue veers the audience from captivation to confusion, Meal stumbles on obstacles of its own design.

The cast of eight, to their credit, perform remarkably well under the circumstances. Each actor must pivot from character to character as years fly by: Chris Genebach and Hyla Matthews, most notably, work through the perpetual struggles of adulthood with a refreshing, affective candor. Pay attention, though: Depending on the scene, they could be siblings or newlyweds.

THE BIG MEAL To May 20 Studio Theatre 2ndStage 1501 14th St. NW $30-$35 202-332-3300 studiotheatre.org

If you can't keep up – and unfortunately, it's exceedingly difficult to do so as more and more characters are introduced – Meal's message will get lost in the details. But, perhaps, in a way that's a message in and of itself: The average American family, while timeless, doesn't require particularly memorable parts to be special.

Too bad I can't say the same of The Big Meal.

...more

Film:

Let's get one thing out of the way: Bernie is about much more than a real-life murder.

''What you're fixin' to see is a true story,'' a title card promises at the film's onset, and ultimately, that story is much wilder than the mystery of how, in 1996, an 81-year-old heiress was stuffed into a freezer with four bullets in her back. (Yes, even wilder than that.) Bernie, at its heart, is a dark comedy about small-town culture in East Texas, and how one man was so beloved within one of those rural communities that even his confession couldn't convince folk he could kill.

Bernie: MacLaine and Black

Of course, anybody who's read Midnight in the Garden of East Texas already knows that. Written by Texas Monthly reporter Skip Hollandsworth, the story weaves together the down-home characters of Carthage, Texas, who rallied around Bernie Tiede, a 39-year-old assistant funeral director (and maybe, possibly, a closeted gay man), after he was arrested for murdering Marjorie Nugent, the millionaire widow who befriended him and became his close companion. The two were inseparable for five years – Nugent, perhaps out of spite for her family, even revised her will to make Tiede her sole benefactor – until, seemingly out of the blue, he shot her.

But, here's the rub: While her body was icing over in a freezer, Tiede spent Nugent's millions on Carthage and its residents. A fervent theater fan, he turned the community theater into a first-rate production. He bought homes and cars for friends. He funded a renovation of the local Methodist church. Before he was caught, the quiet little town of 7,000 even had its own airport. Tiede was so well regarded that Buck Davidson, the district attorney prosecuting the case, had to move his trial nearly 50 miles away from Carthage to avoid an acquittal.

In print, all of this adds up to quite a difficult story to tell. (And, for the record, Hollandsworth pulled it off.) But on film, that job seems damn near impossible. How could a movie balance the absurd hilarity of Carthage with the glum reality of murder? Or depict the blind support of Tiede within a believable narrative? And, above all else, find the right actor to play him?

BERNIE Starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey Rated PG-13 104 Minutes Now Showing Landmark's E Street Cinema

Enter Richard Linklater. The director, who's best known for Dazed and Confused and Before Sunrise, had the genius idea to blend reality into his adaptation by interviewing real-life gossips who live in Carthage and knew Tiede and Nugent. It's an incredibly risky move, and it pays off mightily. By cutting in those sound bites between scenes – mockumentary flair, as it were – Linklater lends Bernie the authority generally reserved for legitimate documentaries, all while the Hollywood likes of Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey parade around as Tiede, Nugent and Davidson, respectively.

Although that trio deserves just as much credit for what Bernie accomplishes. While MacLaine and McConaughey back him up with some awfully good work of their own, Black is a bona fide revelation as the titular lead, scaling back his typical eye-bugging shtick to turn in a performance that's as thoughtful as it is unexpected. His Tiede seems every bit as odd and charming as the real deal, with the added bonus that Black clearly has a ball with the character's quirks. Whether he's singing country-tinged gospel songs in his car or teaching apprentice morticians how to embalm and prepare a body for viewing, Black's totally invested in the role. You wouldn't realize it from his last decade of work, but Bernie is a heartening reminder of how good Black can be when he's not saddled with outrageous mania.

The marriage between top-notch acting and real-life narration, ultimately, is what lifts Bernie beyond its torn-from-the-headlines premise. It's dripping with Linklater's distinctive wit and laid-back charm, all while realizing the not-so-enviable task of making murder funny, but Bernie's best trick is employing actors and civilians, side by side, to tell this story. I'd say that's an appropriate tribute for such a tall tale.

Read Metro Weekly's interview with Jack Black.

...more

Poll: //

Read Doug Rule's post remembering Donna Summer in Soundwaves.

...more

News:

To say that the reaction of the D.C. area's LGBT community to President Barack Obama's endorsement of marriage equality was favorable would be the understatement of the year.

Just hours after Obama announced his support for marriage equality, during a May 9 ABC News interview, becoming the first sitting president to do so, several local groups and community figures began issuing a flood supportive statements.

The Marylanders for Marriage Equality coalition used the juncture to call for renewed support of Maryland's recently passed marriage-equality law.

''We're delighted – as millions of Americans undoubtedly are – with the news that our President supports civil marriage rights for all committed couple,'' Josh Levin, the campaign director for Marylanders for Marriage Equality, said in a statement.

Levin continued, tying the president's support to the fight to uphold marriage equality in the Free State.

''His announcement is especially important to our coalition and to the thousands of couples and families in Maryland who are working to ensure the Civil Marriage Protection Act is upheld this November,'' Levin said, pointing to an expected referendum fight over the new law.

The nonpartisan LGBT rights group Equality Virginia mentioned the president's support in its monthly newsletter and asked its supporters to send a message of support to the president, who will need to win Virginia as he did in 2008 in order to win re-election.

''Equality Virginia thanks the Commander-in-Chief for stating to the public that he supports marriage equality,'' the group's release said. ''We hope that the leaders and people of Virginia and across the nation will be encouraged by the president's statement.''

In the District, where marriage equality is already legal, gay Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) issued a statement praising the action.

''The President's comments today mark a historic moment for equality and human rights for our nation,'' Catania said. ''By his simple declaration, President Obama has affirmed the deeply American principle that we should all be treated equally under the law.''

The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, D.C.'s largest LGBT political group, also issued a statement supporting the President.

''President Obama's support for marriage equality puts him on the right side of history,'' Stein President Lateefah Williams said in a statement. ''We are overjoyed that President Barack Obama decided to stand firm in support of marriage equality, even while knowing that his stance promoting equality and fairness would ignite opposition among his detractors.''

...more

Dance:

''Do you know that I performed at the national festival 20 years ago?''

Diane DeFries of the American College Dance Festival Association says she hears that comment often. ''It's amazing how many people working [in dance] have been involved with the organization, or were involved as students,'' she says.

But the general public?

''It's sort of been a secret,'' she laughs, ''because we never had tickets.'' This year, ACDFA's biennial National College Dance Festival has doubled the number of its gala performances, making more tickets available.

Next weekend's festival features three different gala concerts, each performed twice. And each concert features 10 different dances. DeFries considers the variety, what you could call dance sampler platters, as part of the concerts' general appeal. But there's also the quality and energy. ''There's this level of enthusiasm with the performers that is so inspiring,'' she says. ''And the technical level is very high. The dancing is beautiful.'' At the end of the gala concerts, one student choreographer and one student performer will be honored with ACDFA/Dance Magazine Awards.

ACDFA started almost 40 years ago organizing annual regional dance conferences, which culminate in gala concerts highlighting up to a dozen dances from attending schools. Every other year since 1981, a panel consisting of ''people with national reputations in the field'' select roughly 30 works from those conferences to premiere at the Kennedy Center during the national festival.

For gay audiences, DeFries singles out two works in this year's festival by Keith Johnson, a professor at California State University, Long Beach, and a guest artist at California's Loyola Marymount University. ''Both of these works really look at same-sex relationships in a stunning way,'' she says.

DeFries says you can't go wrong seeing any of the three different programs – if you can't see them all. But the program on Sunday, May 27, strays the furthest from the festival's typical ballet to contemporary dance spectrum.

''On Sunday, there is a full-out Mexican folklorico piece with, I think, 23 dancers onstage,'' she says. ''It is really a lot of fun.''

The National College Dance Festival gala concerts are Friday, May 25, through Sunday, May 27, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $25 each. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.

...more

News:

Rhode Island Moves to Recognize Out-Of-State Marriages

Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) on Monday, May 14, signed an executive order to recognize same-sex couples legally married elsewhere, the Associated Press reported. Rhode Island does not offer marriage equality, though Chafee is pushing for it, saying his state is ''way overdue.''

Chafee characterized the order as ''following through'' on a nonbinding opinion issued in 2007 by then-Attorney General Patrick Lynch that favored recognizing same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.

The AP reported that the National Organization for Marriage criticized the move, with the group's regional coordinator, Christopher C. Plante, saying the order ''flies in the face of the clearly expressed actions'' of Rhode Island residents and the state Legislature.

Ray Sullivan of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, however, called the order ''bold'' in that ''all families deserve equal protection and recognition under the law.''

Expelled Gay Student Attacked At Indianapolis Mall

Darnell ''Dynasty'' Young, a gay Indianapolis teen who made headlines after being expelled from school earlier this month for bringing a stun gun to school to defend himself from bullies, was attacked at a mall food court May 11, Indystar.com reports.

The alleged attacker, Khyran R. Delay, 34, told police he recognized Young, 17, from the recent news coverage and wanted to speak with the teen. Young and a janitor working at the Indianapolis mall, Circle Centre, told police that Young passed by Delay's table, that Delay used anti-gay slurs, and that Delay hit Young in the face.

The Marion County, Ind., Prosecutor's Office has charged Delay with a misdemeanor count of battery.

Family Equality Council Rings the Closing Bell

The Boston-based Family Equality Council launched International Family Equality Day May 6 with events in the United States and Europe, such as picnics in Albuquerque, N.M., and Geneva, and family photos in New York's Times Square.

Also in New York, the organization continued the celebration Wednesday, May 9, when Family Equality Council Executive Director Jennifer Chrisler rang the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange. Chrisler was joined at the bell with a group of about 20 people, about half of whom were children, and including Bishop Gene Robinson, the first out gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. With Zach Wahls, Robinson's daughter, Ella, co-chairs the council's Outspoken Generation campaign, featuring the children of LGBT parents.

''For the first time ever, LGBT parents and their children from across the world will come together on this special day to celebrate the amazing progress we've made over the years and to recognize what efforts still remain,'' Brent Wright, the council's director of programs, said in a release announcing International Family Equality Day, which coincides with the council's 30th anniversary. ''On this day, I hope families will realize they are a part of a worldwide community bound by love for their family, commitment to their children, and shared hope for a world where all families can be celebrated and valued.''

...more

News:

Reports Surface of More Gay Executions in Iran

While unconfirmed, reports are coming out of Iran that four men have been sentenced to death for sodomy. According to Pink News, ''Europe's largest gay news service,'' which cited the Human Rights Activist News Agency and Joopea News blogs, the four men will be hanged according to Shari'a law.

Pink News's May 12 story quoted London-based human rights lawyer Mehri Jafari in it's coverage of the story.

''After this announcement it is very likely that the execution will be carried out soon, and the remote location makes it difficult to exert any influence on the process,'' said Jafari. Reports put the condemned men in Choram, a remote town roughly 300 miles south of Tehran, about 50 miles inland from the Red Sea. ''I hope international organizations act quickly and effectively on this specific case.''

Pink News also quoted Gorji Marzban, chair of the Austrian-based Oriental Queer Organization.

''The death penalty has failed to eradicate homosexuality from Iran, but it was successful to force queer people into the closets,'' said Marzban. ''Sooner or later, any Islamic community is obliged to integrate queer people. We believe that Iranians should gain more gender equality and rights and wholly condemn such an archaic sentence to murder, which is inherently un-Islamic.''

Speaking through a translator at Columbia University in New York in 2007, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, ''In Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country. We don't have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I don't know who has told you that we have it.''

Reports of executions of gay men in Iran surface routinely, including news of three men being executed for sodomy in September 2011, as reported by the U.K.'s Independent.

Gay Group Calls for Jerusalem Councilmember Investigation

An LGBT coalition within Israel's Labor Party has asked the nation's attorney general to investigate a member of Jerusalem's City Council for possibly inciting violence against gays, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Dan Slyper, co-chair of the Labor Party's LGBT Circle, says that Councilman Rabbi Yaakov Halperin, during a budget discussion of Jerusalem Open House, the city's LGBT community center, called for gays to be killed.

''A call to murder, even if made under the guise of citing the Torah, is still a call to murder,'' Slyper said May 14, referring to Halperin's alleged citation of the Torah. ''The limits to freedom of speech are clear, and incitement to murder is a line that cannot be crossed. If I quoted historical personages who called for the murder of Jews, could I get away with saying that this is merely a quotation?''

Slyper says Halperin quoted from Leviticus, which contains a passage often used, debatably, as evidence of homosexuality being a sin punishable by death.

''I did not incite,'' Halperin told the Post. ''I merely quoted exactly what is written in the Torah.''

...more

Horoscope:

Heavenly Round-Up: Unexpected material comes bubbling up from the depths, like a swamp. And the release of all that pent-up matter comes as a huge relief, like popping a pimple. Are you ready to suffer the ignominy of the gross in order to reap the benefits of the aftermath? I should mention, you can run, though you can't really hide, from the forces of the universe. Better to accept than to complain about the state of things. Find the diamond ring in the manure pile. Wash well afterward.

Aries: You don't mind the suddenness. You're rather intrigued than off-put by the spectacular dissonance developing around you in the workplace. The key here is to stick it out until the dust has settled. You will be amply rewarded if you can just be patient. Work out.

Taurus: You weren't anticipating an ethical smackdown, but that's what it amounts to. Will you defend your position to the death? Will you let the forces of compromise wear you down like a pebble on the beach pounded by surf? Is there a middle path? Consider.

Gemini: Does it strike like lightning? Does it come like the creeping dawn? Does it overwhelm like an earthquake? Does it roll like waves on the high seas? There's a change coming. It will make everything different. Are you ready to move on your objective?

Cancer: You are what you eat. What have you been eating lately? Now would be a good time to reach out to friends whose health routines you admire. Pick their brains to find a strategy for putting yourself into optimal condition. Keep your goals in mind on Sunday.

Leo: It's not as far from here to there as you might imagine. Part of the distance is entirely an emotional construct. Part of the distance is wholly illusory, based on your depth of knowledge in this corner of the possible world. Think way outside the box for results.

Virgo: You're the best and the brightest of your kind. You're the one who gets things done. You're on top of your game, and you can prove it. Now it's time to work on your interpersonal skills. Now it's time to make a shift in your approach to core duties and key outcomes.

Libra: If you were any sharper, you'd cut yourself. As it is, you're tormenting yourself with so many vectors of potentiality you're beginning to lose precious sleep. Narrow your focus. Eliminate impossibilities. Make the most of your hyper-acuity. Trust intuition on Friday.

Zodiac Calendar

CAPRICORN Dec 22-Jan 20

AQUARIUS Jan 21-Feb 19

PISCES Feb 20-Mar 20

ARIES Mar 21-Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21-May 21

GEMINI May 22-Jun 21

CANCER Jun 22-Jul 22

LEO Jul 23-Aug 23

VIRGO Aug 24-Sep 22

LIBRA Sep 23-Oct 23

SCORPIO Oct 24-Nov 22

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23-Dec 21

Scorpio: If it were merely destiny, you'd be feeling that distinct push from the great hand of fate. As it is, you have choices and options and a lot of reality to shovel through in order to get where you're going. It's not so much about the direction as about a course of action.

Sagittarius: You would if you could, but you're not sure you can. Is it time to call in the cavalry? Is it time to surrender and tuck your tail between your legs? Is it time to pull yourself off the linear continuum of either/or and get to a point of functional synthesis? Oh yeah!

Capricorn: You're not at fault, but you were with it when the whole darned thing went down in flames. If you're subjected to scapegoating, that's your cue to cut and run. Alternatively, you could lawyer up and make your innocence a matter of record and income alike.

Aquarius: Patience usually serves you well, indeed. This time around, you'll be called to action and before you're fully ready to take those necessary steps. Manage stress with exercise, rest and plenty of supplementation. You won't regret the extra care.

Pisces: You're ready to learn. You're ready to change. You're ready for whatever comes down the pike. Or so you deeply feel. However, there are still more things in heaven and earth than your philosophies have dreamt of. Batten down the hatches and enjoy the extremes.

...more