Larry Kramer: George Washington Was Gay; Rock Hudson's True Love Speaks; Coffee Shop Owner Bans Anti-Gays

Larry Kramer: George Washington Was Gay

If you don't have a sense of humor, you might take all this too seriously. You've been warned.

AIDS activist, Larry Kramer, wrote a book. The publisher claims it's a novel. Larry Kramer is calling it "history" and regardless of anything anyone might think it's getting a whole shitload of attention in some places.

“In the case of Washington, he was a big queen, basically,” Kramer said. “He decorated everything. He designed all the uniforms, the buttons. The correspondence exists with all the dealers he dealt with in England to make everything. And then there was a man called Baron von Steuben, who was German, who designed all the maneuvers for all the troops of all the great armies in Europe. And he kept getting thrown out after he made the armies real – like Rockettes [laughs]. He got kicked out and he came to George. And he and George hit it off like nobody’s business.”

And there you are. Stereotypes and all. There are links that try to prove everything Kramer says. I haven't read the book, I don't plan to read it, and I can't actively dispute any research Kramer did for the book.

Here's another article about it from a reputable source quoting Kramer.

"I'm so tired of reading history books that don't have anything about gay people in (them), when we know that there are so many famous people in the history of this country who were gay," Kramer said. 

I've written about "gays" in historic in novels, and posted about this on the blog time and again. First, there were no "gay" people prior to the 1970's because "gay" was what you did when you danced, partied, or went on an Easter egg hunt. It meant you were having a good time.

I also wrote about what it was like back in the old wild west, with cowboys on ranches, and how young men were treated as almost sex slaves because there were no women around. From my post, which was not written to garner or exploit anyone now or in history. The source seems reliable.

Cowboys were heavily exploited and usually brutally treated until such time as they became able to beg, borrow, buy or steal a gun. They were used not only as cheap and disposable labor, but also for sexual release by older and stronger men. Such adult men used the pretext of a scarcity of women to establish enforced homosexual relationships in remote camps and ranches comparable to the relationships for which today's prisons are notorious.

So there was definitely homosexuality throughout American History. That's a given. President James Buchanan was allegedly homosexual, but it's not widely covered, not now or in the time in which he lived. However, being that this topic was treated in such a taboo manner, and in most cases as a mental illness or a crime, you're not going to get much solid proof that it ever even existed. And don't forget about the shame. Which, of course, is the saddest part of this entire post for me. I researched the Edwardian era for anything I could get about same sex love for my story about the Titanic and found almost nothing.

Oh, and Kramer's book...the e-book...is for sale on Amazon for $19.99. Yes, that's $19.99 for an e-book. And according to the Amazon page, that is a price reduction from $40.00.

Rock Hudson's True Love Speaks

Now this is the kind of LGBTI history I find fascinating. Someone who was actually there is speaking up about something...and he was there and it's not just conjecture or hearsay designed to sell and exploit...or blow smoke up our asses.

Rock Hudson lived a double life, where he was every girl's dream in the movies and in real life about as gay as it gets. That's what he did to survive during a time when admitting he was "homosexual" would have ruined his entire life. Not just his brand or career; his life. So I think it's pretty safe to say that under those circumstances you can't blame the guy. At least I can't. 

In any event, Hudson had a lover, too, Lee Garlington. And now Garlington is speaking up about it...I think for the first time.

“He was a sweetheart,” Garlington, 77, tells People. “I adored him.”

Garlington was a film extra in 1962, and after hearing rumors about Hudson, decided to stage a meeting.

“He was the biggest movie star in the world and the rumors were that he was gay,” he says. “So I thought ‘Let me get an eye on him.’ I stood outside his cottage on the Universal lot, pretending to read Variety, which was probably upside down at the time. He walked out and down the street. He looked back once. That was it.”

You can read the rest here. It's actually heartbreaking. I think we all know how Rock Hudson died.  But what we'll never fully understand is how he really lived.

Coffee Shop Owner Bans Anti-Gays

I've been wondering why something like this hasn't happened sooner, especially with all these good Christians refusing to bake wedding cakes, refusing to do floral arrangements, and having crowdfunding campaigns to make money on discrimination.

But "it" has finally hit the fan. Well, at least in a humorous way. Here's what one coffee shop owner in Fargo, ND, recently did.

To retaliate, Joe Curry (pictured), co-owner of the Red Raven Espresso Parlor, posted a sign outside his coffee shop dictating that all antigay lawmakers were banned from entering the establishment “unless accompanied by a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual, queer, intersex or asexual person.”

“The ban was, I thought, very tongue in cheek, requiring them to be escorted by someone from the LBGT community,” Curry told the Guardian. “I hope that they thought about it, at least, and I hope some of them giggled. But in the end, they are all welcome here.”

This is interesting to me, because of course it was done as a joke, and with the kind of intelligence we don't usually see from the good Christian right bigots who ban gays for religious reasons. And that's a basic, given fact: you can't be dumb and funny. You can be smart and funny. But in order to get people to laugh with you and not at you have to know what you're doing...like this coffee shop owner.

So far, I have yet to see one gay owned an operated business turn away one single person because he/she is a good Christian. If there are, please let me know.

You can read more here. Curry has removed the sign, but will put if up again if and when he feels it's necessary.

Unmentionable:

The Men Who Loved on the Titanic

Fiction

Amazon   

Review: The Normal Heart

Review: The Normal Heart

There has been a lot written and said about Larry Kramer's play, The Normal Heart, since it was introduced in the 1980's. And the recent HBO film adaptation directed by Ryan Murphy, starring many well known names which include Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer, will have people talking about it once again for a long time.

The theme of the film revolves around the early days of AIDS...before it was recognized as an actual crisis, back when no one knew anything about it...or wanted to know anything about it. I was still very young and what I remember most was the lack of information we were getting. After, watching TNH for the first time as a film I understand more now about why we didn't get that information. I understand the obstacles. In this respect, the film held nothing back, and it even openly exposed the closeted gay mayor of NY at the time, Ed Koch. That I already knew through gay circles. But it was never disclosed in public. When Koch died a year or so ago, they did not even mention it once. There are still people who will argue the point for the sake of Koch's image.

And that's because anything gay related came with the stigma of shame, which in turn created men who were often filled with such self-loathing and doubt that hiding who they really were ruled their lives. We've all been there at one point...all gay men. A lot has changed since the early days of AIDS, but remnants of that shame still linger on as always. Films like TNH designed to educate and disabuse the myths help reduce the stigma for future generations of gay men, many of whom don't even realize what's happened.

In full disclosure I came to the film with mixed feelings about how Ryan Murphy would pull something like this off, so to speak. I couldn't help imagining Glee scenes where Matt Bomer was wearing a white suit tap dancing to Singing in the Rain. But what I found in Murphy's adaptation instead was the fastest two hours I've spent in years, and a film that handled one of the most serious issues of the twentieth century that held nothing back.

Matt Bomer has had a great deal of press with this film, and rightly so. He was excellent and after seeing him act in TNH I'm glad he won't be part of Fifty Shades of Grey. He's too good for it. Every performance in the film was excellent. But the one that stood out for me the most was Mark Ruffalo. He didn't even look like Mark Ruffalo. He became the character. He created the ultimate illusion every good actor strives for at least once in his/her career. And he did it so effortlessly.

Part of the storyline discussed the beginnings of ActUp and Gay Men's Health Crisis. I remember them as well, but didn't know the details. I did some work for an activist publication in Philadelphia called We The People, where I wrote for a newsletter in the early 1990's. I'm going to post the fiction I wrote about AIDS at the time very soon, never thinking that one day there would be HIV drugs and that HIV would become a chronic illness instead of a death sentence. Back then there didn't seem to be much hope, which is also something this film showed well. Though Murphy can be self-indulgent at times, he managed to break that mold with TNH.

The way gay marriage was handled will make you cry at times, especially knowing how far we've come and how little those in the past had in terms of basic equality. I just hope younger people watch this movie and see how it was back then. It may not be easy to fully grasp it all, but it's important to get the overall impression of how things were. Even the politics in TNH film was different. It isn't partisan. This time each and every political statement really happened right down to the way the President of the United States handled AIDS.

I think one of the things I found most interesting about TNH film is that the subject and the characters back then were on the fringes of society fighting for recognition in a very unfair environment. And here we are, almost forty years later, and it's a mainstream film millions watched on national television.

Kramer vs Streisand; Hotel Asshat List; Modern Family Gay Wedding

Kramer vs Streisand

As the Memorial Day weekend air date for the film adaptation of Larry Kramer's play, The Normal Heart, approaches, Kramer has lashed out once again at Barbra Streisand. This time he's alleging that Streisand finds gay sex "distasteful."

“I said, ‘I really think it’s important that after eons of watching men and women make love in the movies, it’s time to see two men do so,’” the playwright and activist told The New York Times of his desire to see his 1985 autobiographical play brought to the big screen. “I bought [Barbara] a book of very beautiful art pictures of two men making love, and she found it very distasteful.”

The back story to all this is that Kramer wanted Streisand to adapt The Normal Heart into a film (for years) and she never did it. Evidently, he's been holding a grudge for a long time. I've posted about it a few times, here.

Streisand has responded quietly and with professional dignity:

Streisand -- who has long been a gay icon and gay rights advocate -- responded to the Times story, saying her goal is “to promote the idea of everyone’s right to love. Gay or straight!”

“Larry was at the forefront of this battle and, God love him, he’s still fighting,” added Streisand, who for a time owned the rights to "The Normal Heart." “But there’s no need to fight me by misrepresenting my feelings. As a filmmaker, I have always looked for new and exciting ways to do love scenes, whether they’re about heterosexuals or homosexuals. It’s a matter of taste, not gender. ... I was trying to reach a large audience, and I wanted them to root for these two men to get married.”

Clearly, Streisand is not only a supporter of LGBTI people, but I would imagine very deeply involved for personal reasons. Her son is gay.

I would never wish for my son to be anything but what he is. He is bright, kind, sensitive, caring, and a very conscientious and good person. He is a very gifted actor and filmmaker. What more could a parent ask for in their child? I have been truly blessed. Most parents feel that their child is particularly special, and I am no different. I have a wonderful son. My only wish for my son, Jason, is that he continues to experience a rich life of love, happiness, joy, and fulfillment, both creatively and personally.

In any event, Ryan Murphy of Glee fame picked up the option and he's done the HBO film adaptation that will air this weekend. According to this article, in true Murphy fashion, he gathered up all of Hollywood's most beloved "icons" to star in the film. Originally, Alec Baldwin was set to be in it, too, but that changed fast. 

There's also an e-mail exchange between Kramer and Streisand that was leaked, here at this web site.  This comment by Kramer is interesting.

“Overnight this is going in the press? This will make her mad. But she had every opportunity to make the movie. If she had made it in 1986, it would have been out there a long time ago, doing its job. But I always sensed there was something troubling her about the play that she wouldn’t put into words. I think, maybe, she was uncomfortable directing the sex stuff. We invited her to our opening night [of last year’s revival] in New York, but she never responded.”

If you do a simple search, you'll find even more information about the vituperative attack Kramer has launched against Streisand in public. He makes the jaded politically incorrect expression "mean old queen" look tame in his quest for publicity and attention.

Side note: if anyone is looking for an excellent, comprehensive account of what it was like for people living with AIDS in the 1980's, John Irving's novel, In One Person, is the best I've ever read...and there's nothing self-indulgent or insulting to many gay men about it. The details and research is astounding. It won a Lambda Award last year, and I've reviewed it. This link has all the information you'll need to know.  If I were Streisand I'd go after the film rights on this one, make a feature, and flip the bird to Kramer when no one else is looking, with a great big smile.

Hotel Asshat List

Here's an interesting article involving Twitter and asshats that go to hotels and complain about them on social media.

At the taping of yesterday’s Pando “webinar” I  asked founder Sam Shank outright: By any chance does Hotel Tonight keep a list of whiny Twitter assholes to ensure they get special treatment?

“It’s not a list of assholes,” Shank insisted, thus confirming that it absolutely is.

He wouldn’t tell me precisely how many people were on Hotel Tonight’s asshole list, although he would say it’s “a few hundred.” But again he insisted the assholes on it were referred to in the company as “influencers.”

“What kind of influencers?” I asked.

Shank hesitated. “Heads of state, Victoria’s Secret models, that kind of thing,” he lied.

This is proof that nothing we say or do anymore goes unnoticed. I keep a few asshat lists myself whenever I see something on social media.

You can read more here.

Modern Family Gay Wedding

The gay wedding between Mitch and Cam on Modern Family focused more on comedy than politics and emotion. I haven't seen it yet, but I've read and heard a lot of positive things about it.

'We want emotion we want to send a message but if it's not funny then people are going to lose interest really fast,' show creator Steve Levitan said at a party this week celebrating the episode. 'I think its got an abundance of heart but I also think that it's a really funny episode.'

Eric Stonestreet (Cam) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitch) play the grooms who have been together for several years already and are raising an adopted daughter who was introduced in the show's first episode five years ago.

Stonestreet said at the party: '(Our) first and foremost goal is to make an audience laugh. (The fact) that we have these two characters on our show that also get to check in and be cultural touchstones for people who may have questions or may not know what a gay wedding might be - this TV show transcends that.'

I think he makes an excellent point. Many people still are so unfamiliar with gay marriage and gay weddings it's important to show things like this to the mainstream. It's relevant. And what better way than to do it with comedy?

There's more here.

FREE Gay Excerpt; Davey Wavey: Nude; Anal Hygiene; Larry Kramer's Male Full Frontal Nudity

Davey Wavey: Nude

Last November I posted a link to a site where there are Davey Wavey nude photos. Today I'd like to post about how Davey Wavey has reacted to those photos, and how he's not making any apologies to anyone. I actually didn't know whether or not he'd posted them himself or someone had discovered them. He explains it all here.




Do I need to say anything else? I think it's a good example of owning your decisions, taking a positive stand, and never letting anyone else intimidate you for something you've done previously. I've always thought that was important, even for authors. I once wrote about a burping penis in a parody gay romance loosely based on the TV show American Idol. And it was interpreted as serious literature by one dumb, but vicious, blogger. I have no regrets. I might even do it again.

Fuck with me: it's the best attitude sometimes. We should all take it more seriously :)

Here's the youtube link, where you can watch many other Davey Wavey videos on all kinds of gay topics.


Anal Hygiene

Speaking of parody and comic relief, I've been working on edits for a new book in the Chase series, Chase of a Holy Ghost, and I needed something that would make the storyline a little lighter. Actually, I needed a few things because the book can be emotional at times. So I wrote a scene where a ridiculous webcaster spoke about anal hygiene and referred to it as anal douchery. You should have seen the comments I received from the editor I hired.

On a more serious note, the fact is that there are certain things gay men should know about anal hygiene. As far as I know, I have never heard once of a parent explaining THIS to a gay teen when talking about the facts of life. In fact, I often wonder how younger gay men now learn about the facts of life with everything becoming more open nowadays. Do parents talk about these things with gay teens? Or do gay teens still get their information about the facts of life everywhere but at home?

In any event, once again, here's Davey Wavey talking about anal douching. I won't get into details here, but I often mention it in books just in case younger gay people are reading. It is important information every gay man should know...or at least almost every gay man.

For two men to have anal sex with each other, a certain routine of cleansing must take place. Perhaps, during your first sexual encounter, neither you nor your partner realized this. And then things got disgusting and you never, ever wanted to be a gay man again. And then you found out about cleaning one’s bottom — and how it’s an activity that’s best silently acknowledged, but never spoken about, because: ew. Take it away, Davey.

Here's a link to a video where Davey explains it in detail.


Larry Kramer's Male Full Frontal Nudity

I've posted about Larry Kramer and The Normal Heart, many times. I don't always agree with Kramer and his beliefs, but this article to which I'm linking shows how difficult it was for him when he first started out. I have no doubts about that. It's still difficult for all gays, but it must have been torture way, way back then. He produced a film, Women in Love, and it became famous for the biggest taboo of all time: male full frontal nudity.


As Kramer recalled, adapting Women in Love to the screen was the easy part. Getting it produced was much more difficult because it involved the arduous task of negotiating a final approved cut of the movie with the British Board of Film Censors. Even before production began, Kramer sent a copy of his script to the board's chief, a man named Lord John Trevelyan, who liked to brag, "We're paid to have dirty minds." Trevelyan didn't hold out much hope for Kramer's project and told him he doubted Women in Love could be filmed at all. "The wrestling scene," as it was soon to be dubbed, and its male frontal nudity sent immediate shock waves through the BBFC.


If you follow my posts on male full frontal nudity in films, you'll see not all that much has changed since Kramer used it in his film. I think the most recent full frontal male scene that I've noticed was with Bobby Cannavale in Boardwalk Empire, which I posted about here. That was in 2012. I'm sure there might be one or two I've missed. But the point is you don't see it often.

More here.

FREE Gay Excerpt

Here's an excerpt from my still-being-edited (and formatted for digital) WIP. It's titled, Chase of a Holy Ghost, and will be released sometime at the end of this month.

On Saturday mornings, Jim usually went for a long ride on his favorite horse way out beyond the back pasture.  He'd always been big on routine.  He wore his favorite old cowboy boots that morning, jeans so old they were torn at the knees, and one of Len's old cowboy hats because he liked the way it felt.  When he reached the creek he stopped and smiled for a moment.  He'd scattered Cain's ashes there, and then Carol Greene's ashes because there hasn't been anyone else willing to give Carol a funeral service.  Her roots went back to Amish culture and she'd been shunned for being gay and a transgender.  He would have climbed off the horse and sat on a rock for a while to pay his respects.  It was one of those bright mornings with a slight breeze, perfect for daydreaming.  But he had to get back to the house before his mother-in-law, Doris Branson, arrived.

A few hours later, Jim jogged down the back stairs and heard voices in the main hallway.  Clinger was barking and Jim couldn't make out what they were saying, so he smoothed out his jeans, took a quick look in a mirror next to the back staircase, and then headed to the front of the house to see what was happening.

When he reached the hallway, he stopped and took a deep breath.  He held it for a moment and exhaled slowly.  Doris was hugging Len, and Jim's mom and dad were standing on the sidelines waiting to greet her.  Jim's mom caught a glimpse of him in the doorway and she rolled her eyes.  Jim shrugged and smiled, and then stepped into the hallway braced for battle.

As Jim walked up beside Len, Doris turned from Len and looked down at Culum.  "And how are you, young man," Doris said, with her deep raspy voice.  "Are you happy to see grand-ma-ma?"

Culum blinked and took a step back toward Clinger.  He called Jim's mom grandma and he'd told Jim he didn't like calling Doris grand-ma-ma, with the accent on the last syllable.  Jim sent Culum a look, letting him know he wanted him to behave.  No one appreciated Doris referring to herself as grand-ma-ma.  COAL Ranch wasn't Downton Abbey.  It was Chatsworth, California in the twenty-first century.  But in order to keep the peace, so to speak, Jim had warned everyone to humor Doris Branson's pretentious quirks and make her feel at home for as long as she was there.  If that meant calling her Your Royal Highness Jim would have done it.

Doris's head jerked to the side.  "What's wrong?  Aren't you happy to see grand-ma-ma?" Her voice grew deeper and Jim had to wonder if she had a single nurturing bone in her body. Then he dismissed the thought, feeling guilty because he didn’t know her all that well yet.

Culum looked at Jim one more time, and then he nodded and said, "Yes, I'm happy to see you."  He refused to say grand-ma-ma unless it was the last resort.  He usually referred to Doris with pronouns.

Jim covered his smile with his palm. Culum had stubborn tendencies that often amused him.

Then Radcliff reached out to shake Doris's hand.  "It's good to see you again, Doris.  It's been a while.  You're looking well, indeed."  Jim sometimes had a feeling his dad flirted with Doris, which tended to make Helen's lips turn down.

Doris looked Jim's dad up and down and said, "Yes, too long, darling.  It's good to see you again, Randolph."  She ran her long French-tipped fingernails down his sleeve and batted her eyelashes.  Doris often flirted back, within reason, which also tended to make Helen's eyebrows arch.

Helen rolled her eyes.

Radcliff didn't bother to correct her about his name.  He seemed to know it would be a waste of time.

Helen reached out to hug Doris, but Doris took a step back and reached for Helen's hand instead.  "Hello, dear, good to see you again."  Doris never used Helen's name.  She didn't even bother to mispronounce it.  She always referred to her as dear or hon.  She turned to Len and said, "I hope my visit isn't a bother.  I didn't know Jim's parents would be here, too.  I can stay at a hotel."

Jim thought he had mentioned this to Doris.  There had been so many things happening he could have forgotten.

Helen smiled and said, "If that would make you feel more comfortable.  I'm sure there are a few fine hotels nearby, dear."

Doris glared at Helen for a moment, and then laughed.  "I love your sense of humor, hon."

Helen smiled.  "And I love yours even more, darling."

Len smiled and looked up at the ceiling.

Jim shot his mom a look for the bitchy hotel remark she'd made.  He wanted to laugh, but knew it would only get him into trouble.  Jim actually had a better relationship with Doris than her own son.  It had been that way from the first day they'd met.  It wasn't that Doris thought of Jim as her own son.  In this case it was more that she felt close to Jim and thought they were a lot alike in many ways.  Doris had always thought of herself as a victim living among the strong controlling Branson men and she'd learned how to survive with them by not backing down.  She considered Len, her own son, just as vicious as all the other Branson men, and often sided with Jim as if he were an ally.  Although Len could be aggressive and controlling, Jim humored her.  He'd never considered himself a victim.

So Jim stepped up and broke into the conversation before Doris could reply to Helen's catty remark with one of her own and said, "I just finished getting the guest suite on the third floor ready and I don't want to hear anything about a hotel."  He put his arms around Doris, hugged her, and said, "You're staying right here with us and that's that.  And why didn't you let me know you were here so I could drive out to get you myself?  I thought you would call."

For the first time since she'd arrived she smiled and said, "Thank you so much.  I prefer my own driver from Branson Communications.  We pay him enough."  She looked at everyone else in the room, including poor little Culum who was just standing there observing on the sidelines, and said, "Now that Jim's here everything will be fine.  He clearly knows how to make an older, lonely widow feel at home."

While Doris sent Len a fierce look, Jim winked at Helen and said, "I'll help Doris get settled."

Helen took the hint and said, "We were just leaving.  We're taking Culum to the zoo this afternoon.  Would you like to join us, Doris? We don’t mind waiting."

Doris made a face and said, "I think not, dear."  She glanced at Culum and frowned.  "Grand-ma-ma will schedule something cultural for you while she's here if there's time."  That could have meant anything from the symphony to a trip on her private jet up to wine country where Doris had an established relationship with a Catholic bishop.  Being a strict Catholic with a great deal of money, she had established relationships with priests, nuns, and bishops all over the world.  In fact, she'd met two Popes in person.  She collected priests and nuns the same way other people collect stamps.  Back east, she often traveled with them.  But the one in wine country, she claimed, gave her special blessings and she usually flew up to visit him while on the west coast.

With a blank expression, Culum nodded.  The last time she'd been there and she'd taken him to a cultural event they'd wound up touring a convent where the nuns weren't allowed to speak.  The poor kid spotted a life-sized crucifix on a wall in the dark convent, screamed at the sight of a dead man hanging with blood dripping from his hands and feet, and had nightmares for one solid week.  Although Jim had been raised Episcopal, and Len Catholic, they weren't part of any organized religion anymore and they'd decided to raise Culum knowing both faiths.  Of course Doris thought Culum should be raised Catholic, and Radcliff and Helen thought he should be Episcopal.  But Jim and Len had made it clear they wanted to raise Culum their own way and he could one day make his own choice on religion.  And until organized religion fully accepted gay couples and gay marriage, they didn't want to expose him to hate.

Jim reached for Culum's backpack on a chair in the hallway and handed it to Helen.  "I packed a few things for him."  Then he handed Helen a box and said, "And this is for you to put in your purse."  He didn't like to make a big thing about this.  The box contained an epi-pen just in case Culum needed it.  He'd experienced multiple bee stings once and developed a deadly allergy to bees as a result.  Jim lived in constant fear of this.  There was nothing he could do but watch and be prepared.  If Culum had had an allergy to shell fish or nuts Jim could have made a conscious effort to avoid those things in a more relaxed manner, but bees were everywhere and you couldn't trust them.

After they all walked Helen, Radcliff, and Culum out to the Tahoe and saw them off, Len turned toward the long black limo that had brought Doris there from the airport and said, "I'll get your luggage, mother."  He called her mother all the time, not mom; she expected it and Len preferred it.

Doris waved her hand and said, "Just get your man to do it.  I'm going upstairs with Jim."

"We don't have a man, mother," Len said.  "You know that.  We do things around here on our own.  It's very casual.  We're just normal folks."

Doris glanced around the property with a disapproving look.  Even though COAL Ranch was one of the finest and most elegant ranches in Chatsworth, compared to her estate in Connecticut it was a small time affair.  She frowned and said, "I see that."  She patted Jim's back and said, "Poor thing.  We need to have a long talk soon."

Jim looked at Len and said, "Len will be more than happy to bring your things upstairs.  It's no trouble at all, Doris."

Doris looped her arm through Jim's and they headed back toward the house.  "I don't know how you do it, you poor thing.  No full time help here at all, working full time yourself, and raising a child.  You really do have to be more assertive, Jim.  I don't care if Len changed his name to Mayfield, my maiden name after my father.  Len is still a Branson.  These goddam Branson men will eat you alive if you're not assertive.  You should demand full time domestic help, at least a housekeeper.  I learned a long time ago that you have to stand up to the Branson men or they will step all over you, trust me."  She clenched both fists and said, "You have to be tough, three steps ahead of them at all times, and never back down.  That's why I'm still here and Len's father isn't.  He wasn't going to kill me first."  She sounded proud of the fact that she'd outlived her husband as if they'd been racing to the finish.

Palm Beach Stud by Ryan Field

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Boy-Billionaires-Palm-Beach-ebook/dp/B00JMGDR8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399561870&sr=8-1&keywords=palm+beach+stud+by+ryan+field



His Only Choice by Ryan Field

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-His-Only-Choice-ebook/dp/B00HZ47Q4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399561915&sr=8-1&keywords=His+Only+Choice+by+ryan+field

 

 

 

The Preacher's Husband by Ryan Field

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Preachers-Husband-Glendora-Hill-ebook/dp/B00JEHN0D4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399561981&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Preacher%27s+Husband+by+ryan+field

Giovanni's Room Shuttering for Good; Larry Kramer's AIDS Comments

Giovanni's Room Shuttering for Good

It's believed to be the oldest LGBTI bookstore in the US, and this May Giovanni's Room will be Shuttering its doors forever. I've been shopping there myself for a long time and it was the first LGBTI bookstore I ever visited. The owner, Ed Hermance, had planned to sell the business but the buyer couldn't come up with the funds. Hermance also said the money he's lost made it impossible to keep the bookstore open any longer.

He blamed retailers such as Amazon for the tough environment independent bookstores are currently facing.

“The government is allowing Amazon to tighten their fingers around the throats of the publishers and drive their retail competitors out of the business by clearly monopolistic methods,” he said.

Hermance said there is a possibility that Giovanni’s Room could be resurrected in some form, but said ideas would have to change in order for it to be successful.

“Whatever it is that they do, it will have to be something different than what we are doing now. If won’t survive if it isn’t different,” he said.


Read more: PGN-The Philadelphia Gay News. Phila gay news. philly news - PGN exclusive Giovanni s Room to close next month

There's a press conference tonight, and if there's anything worth repeating I'll follow up on it tomorrow.

While I find it a shame to see GR close, because it's really the end of an era in many ways. I don't believe Amazon or other online retailers made it a tough environment alone, nor do I think anyone has their fingers around the throats of publishers. In the past decade never before in the history of publishing have there been as many LGBTI books published and self-published. Never before have writers had the opportunity to make even a slight living by writing LGBTI books. But most important, never before have readers had so many choices when buying LGBTI books. If anything, the old publishing system had its fingers around the throats of writers, and gatekeepers, including bookstore owners, only gave a select few the opportunity to be heard.  

The fact is that life has changed, reading habits have changed, and we've been moving toward a new era for at least the past five years. And I'm only talking about publishing now, not everything in retail.

You can read more here.

Larry Kramer's AIDS Comments

With the date to air The Normal Heart film adaptation in May approaching fast, Larry Kramer has been on a major public relations binge that's only going to increase in the next few weeks. In this article he talks about how making this film is a highly charged personal political statement, and he makes a few good points and a few I'm not sure I understand. You see that's because I was there, and I lived through those times, too. I was very young, but missed nothing. And my own experiences with AIDS didn't just stop in the 1980's, and I've never made a dime from those experiences.

Kramer says in a new promo video released by HBO: 'How do you get attention when the mayor (Ed Koch) doesn't care? When the president (Ronald Reagan) doesn't care? When the commissioner of health doesn't care? When the gay world doesn't care? The gay world did not want to know about this illness.'

I do recall the silence with both Mayor Koch and President Reagan. All politicians went dead silent. It's almost the same kind of silence we've seen with politicians like President Obama and Hillary Clinton with gay marriage up until recently. They weren't very vocal about it either. This is what politicians do in all things too controversial.

However, I don't recall the same silence Kramer mentions within the gay community, at least not within my circles. We knew what was happening, we wanted to know what was happening, and many of us took precautions because of what was happening. I can recall a time when gay men would go to a bar and order straight alcohol instead of a mixed drink thinking that the straight alcohol would kill AIDS germs. It sounds ridiculous now, but that's because we really didn't know all the facts about AIDS back then. No one really did. As we learned more, all that changed.

So while I'm sure certain people within the gay community didn't want to know about AIDS, I can state from personal experience that many did want to know about it and they cared about what was happening. I have one of the first works of fiction I ever wrote for an AIDS organization in Philadelphia in my files waiting to be re-released. I only have it in hard copy but I'm going to scan it eventually and publish it here on the blog...for free.

I've also had my own personal devastating experiences with people I know who have had AIDS. I can tell you everything you need to know, from PCP to IRIS. So Larry Kramer doesn't know all there is about AIDS or what happened back then. I'm not trying to diminish his personal experiences, but I don't like it when other gay men speak for me, or about me. There are many of us who know as much, if not more, only we haven't tried to make money on it. Most of us have been trying to make money FOR AIDS. I've always thought it uncouth for me to write about my personal experiences with AIDS, as intense as they have been. But I'm starting to rethink that, especially when I listen to Larry Kramer promote his experiences.

You can read more here.

Mark Ruffalo The Normal Heart; Colin Firth On Rupert Everett; Matt Bomer Too Beautiful for Normal Heart

Mark Ruffalo The Normal Heart

Mark Ruffalo who is straight playing gay, talks about why he did The Normal Heart, and how he feels about it.

"I was growing up during the AIDS epidemic, and I saw how cruel and how insensitive people were to these people suffering. It sort of has been forgotten in our culture what happened during those times."

Many of the pioneering HIV/AIDS activists depicted in the film, he added, "brought us to the point today...gay marriage is as common almost as marriage right now."

"That was an important story that needed to be told, and I was honored to tell it with the folks that I got to tell it with, and having Larry Kramer's words to convey it," he noted.

I'm looking forward to The Normal Heart. I grew up gay during that time, too. But I think this is what happens sometimes when straight actors play gay roles. It's not that they can't play the parts. It's just that when it comes time for publicity they say things that often make me wonder. Matt Damon did the same thing after the Liberace HBO movie and I commented in a post about that in March 2013. (And I thought Damon was wonderful in the film.) I think if Ruffalo were gay he would have said a few different things. First, the comment about marriage. Tony and I are legally married in only a few states, not in PA where we live and pay taxes. One mile away in New Jersey we are legally married. Gay marriage outside New York and other metropolitan areas is far from being as common as "marriage" right now. But more than that, marriage is marriage. Period. 

And please don't tell me I'm scrutinizing this too much. No one dares to say that to Whoopi Goldberg or Oprah Winfrey if they know what's good for them. I want the same respect.

You can read more here.

Colin Firth On Rupert Everett

This bit of news won't change the world. But what the hell. Sometimes it takes a while for actors to open up, and when they do it can be interesting. This time it's Colin Firth talking about working with Rupert Everett years ago when most of us were still kids.

'We started off as friends, then it went horribly wrong about two weeks in,' Firth recalled. 'He was incredibly unpleasant.
 
He described me as a "ghastly guitar-playing socialist." I did not have a guitar.'
 
But the two managed to patch things up and work together again - most notably in Shakespeare in Love. Says Firth: 'We're great friends now.'

There's more here. Best buds forever.

Matt Bomer Too Beautiful for Normal Heart

No one can promote anything better than Larry Kramer, so there will be more than a few posts and links until The Normal Heart airs on HBO this May. When it comes to self-promotion Kramer makes one pushy gay male m/m romance author I know look tame in comparison. (Sorry, no names.) This time the link is to an article where Larry Kramer thought Matt Bomer was too beautiful to play this part in the film but Ryan Murphy didn't agree.

To convince Kramer, Murphy arranged for the two men to meet and the 36-year-old Bomer admits that going in, he was 'starstruck' because he had first read The Normal Heart as a 14 year old.

'It was like meeting one of the Beatles,' Bomer tells the magazine.

'He was so central to my understanding and development. We talked for a really long time.' Kramer, who has waited nearly 30 years for his acclaimed play about the early days of the AIDS crisis to be turned into a movie, sent Murphy an email immediately after his meeting with Bomer which simply stated: 'He’s the one.'

Frankly, I'm still not over the fact that Matt Bomer isn't going to be Christian Grey.  But I'm glad he snagged The Normal Heart role.

You can read more here.

Bryan Singer Accused of Rape; The Normal Heart; Asking Out Same Sex

Bryan Singer Accused of Rape

Given a post I wrote about an unnamed TV personality in the UK who was mentioned in a story about a nineteen year old guy who committed suicide, this article is interesting because they don't seem to be holding anything back.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man who claims he was sexually abused by "X-Men" franchise director Bryan Singer said Thursday that he reported the molestation to authorities at the time, and he does not know why charges were never pursued.

With his voice occasionally wavering, Michael Egan III described abuse he said began when he was 15 years old at the hands of Singer and others. He told of being plied with drugs and promises of Hollywood fame while also enduring threats and sexual abuse in Hawaii and Los Angeles over several years.

Chilling allegations. You can read more here. 

And here's another article that talks about why the accuser decided to wait so long to file a lawsuit.

 

I can't comment on this in-depth. But everything he says seems to back up what all people who have experienced abuse at young ages say.

 

 

The Normal Heart

As the date for the TV premiere of The Normal Heart draws nearer, we'll be seeing more of these clips with Matt Bomer. 

Directed by Ryan Murphy, "Heart" features an all-star cast, including Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons, and is based on Kramer's acclaimed 1985 play about the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York.

You can see the clip here. 

 

It should be interesting to see how it's done.

 

Asking Out Same Sex

I guess this was meant to be amusing, but I'm not so sure given the potential for misunderstanding and possible backlash. A man and woman asked people of their same sex for phone numbers, aggressively coming on to them, and filmed the responses.

In these two videos that are making their rounds on the Internet, a man and a woman individually approach different people of their same sex asking for their numbers and insinuating that they'd like to take them on a date. Oftentimes awkward, the differences between the responses of the men and women are perhaps the most interesting part of these videos.

You can see the clip here. 

It's not something I would do.

Matt Bomer to Star in Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart"

According to this article, Matt Bomer is scheduled to star in Larry Kramer's "The Normal Heart" on HBO. It's going to be directed by Ryan Murphy (Glee), and will also star Julia Roberts and Mark Ruffalo.

In this case, I have a feeling it's going to be authentic with Murphy as the director. He tends to get a bit too political sometimes, but in this case, with this film, I don't think it's possible to get too political...or rant and scream too much about. If that is what he intends to do.

Although I was only a kid at the time, I can still remember how AIDS was ignored back then. The President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, never used the term once while he was in office...as I recall personally. There was panic, protests, and emotional events that helped define the next generation of gay men. Things were never the same again.

I'm going to do another post about this either tomorrow or Monday, with links to what it was actually like in Philadelphia, and how the fight still continues.
 
In the eighties and early nineties not a week went by without hearing something Larry Kramer related in gay newspapers.

Kramer’s play debuted at New York’s Public Theater in 1985. The 2011 Broadway revival garnered five Tony nominations, winning for Best Revival, Best Featured Actor and Best Featured Actress.

For those who know nothing about Larry Kramer or the play, this is from Wiki:

The Normal Heart is a largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer. It focuses on the rise of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay Jewish-American founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. Ned prefers loud public confrontations to the calmer, more private strategies favored by his associates, friends, and closeted lover Felix Turner, none of whom is prepared to throw himself into the media spotlight. Their differences of opinion lead to frequent arguments that threaten to undermine their mutual goal.

Here's something about Larry Kramer:

Larry Kramer (born June 25, 1935) is an American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBT rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for Women in Love in 1969, earning an Academy Award nomination for his efforts. Kramer introduced a controversial and confrontational style in his 1978 novel Faggots, which earned mixed reviews but emphatic denunciations from the gay community for his portrayal of shallow, promiscuous gay relationships in the 1970s.

Both wiki articles go more in-depth and both are interesting to read.

I'll be looking for this film, and posting more about it in the future. I honestly don't see how they can go wrong with Matt Bomer. And I admire any actor or writer who wants to take something like this on. I don't like to write about AIDS or anything AIDS related because I've experienced some of the more intense situations you can imagine with AIDS. And I'm still involved with AIDS related organizations to this day. While I'm not afraid to revisit some of the worst things I've seen, it's not something I choose to go looking for either...at least not right now. And I applaud those who do.

I only wish there were more of these things, and that it didn't take over 30 years to get a film like this out there. I know there have been others...as few...and they've been done well. But I don't think it's possible to have too many films about what it was like during the height of AIDS. On the other hand, maybe a lot of people feel the way I do: we just don't want to go back there because it's so hard to do.

In any event, I have harped on this before, and I'm doing it again. John Irving's most recent release, "In One Person," has the best account, and the most accurate detailed narrative, of what it was like back then I have ever read before. From the AIDS related illnesses to the medications they used to treat them, Irving nailed it in a way that I don't think has received nearly enough recognition as it should be getting. I can't emphasize this enough. Read Irving's book. It's long, but it's worth it.