The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) back issues from May 2009:
Editor's letter.(A guy's unethical reaction to sexual orientation)(Editorial)
May 01, 2009; ... I'M USED TO PEOPLE KNOWING MY SEXUAL ORIENTATION. Some figure it out (or at least think they do) because of the way I dress, the way I talk, or the way I do my hair. Scientists might tell you that they know because of the difference in length between my middle and ring fingers ....
View from the hill.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Join Washington correspondent Kerry Eleveld ...
Reaction: prop. 8 ruling.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)(same sex marriage)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... At press time, California's supreme court had yet to rule on whether to uphold Proposition 8, the ballot measure that amended the state constitution to ban marriage equality ....
Top five stories on advocate.com: February 10-March 10.(THIS MONTH ON ADVOCATE.COM)
May 01, 2009 ... ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Matt's Next Act Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham wowed the world with his win last August, but half a year later--with no major endorsements--he's ready to prove his gold medal is no flash in the pan. 2. Phelps Clan Barred From U.K. As they've ...
We knew them when.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... Congratulations, Obama appointees ["Great Expectations," April]! All of us "out" here are proud of you. How exciting for each of you to be in this administration. I just read your bios, and we are in good hands. ROD ABAD WRIGHT Coeur d'Alene, Idaho I'm ...
Dashed expectations?(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... You couldn't be more wrong ["Great Expectations," April]. Not only is Barack Obama not in favor of gay rights, he's in favor of watering down a whole bunch of existing rights and privileges, such as the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, as well as the expectation of the people ...
Sam and Ted.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... There is one huge difference between Sam Adams and Ted Haggard ["Of Pastors and Politicians," April]. Haggard is a Janus-faced hypocrite who espouses enmity toward homosexuals. He does this while at the same time engaging in the same drug-related and sexual activities that he condemns as ...
Brother Luke.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... I enjoy Luke Macfarlane's work on Brothers & Sisters, but I encourage him and your readers to look deeper into the methods of the Sierra Club before offering a sweeping endorsement of its work [I Advocate, April]. Preserving open space is a noble cause, but the way the Sierra Club achieves ...
21st-century Bergman.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... Who cares if any (or all) or some of Neil LaBute's characters are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or don't know ["He's Not Bad, He Just Writes That Way," April]? He is a genius who creates identity crises and psychosexual sadists that are truly monsters. He is (or will be thought of as) the ...
Matt's rewards.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009; ... While I hardly objected to seeing Australian diver Matthew Mitcham on your March cover (and who would?), your caption "What's a guy to do when he's got the gold, the fame, and the man--but no big-time endorsements?" gave me pause ["Matt's Next Act," March]. It's legitimate to ...
Cover girl.(Feedback)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2009 ... Instead of putting (yet another) picture of Matthew Mitcham on your cover (yup, he sure can swim!), why not try to do the socially responsible thing by putting beautiful, talented African-American Wanda Sykes on the cover ["Black and Gay Like Me," March]? As ...
Correction.(Feedback)(Correction notice)
May 01, 2009 ... In our April Advance item "Friends in High Places" we inadvertently misnamed ...
Do you think Matthew Mitcham's sexual orientation hurts his endorsement chances?(ONLINE POLL)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... "His sexual orientation didn't hurt his endorsement chances--it was his honesty about it that did him in." "What hurts him is diving's lack of visibility." "He should've kept quiet until he got a contract. Speedo continued its endorsement with Greg Louganis after he ...
High hopes: with the June opening of the High Line park, New York is about to get a different kind of stimulus package.(ADVANCE)(new elevated parks)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, spirits were lifted by the rise of the Chrysler and Empire State buildings. This June recession-weary New Yorkers will be gifted with the first segment of another civic landmark: the High Line, an abandoned railway turned park ...
Lost in translation: a gay Minnesota legislator from a conservative district says there are bigger priorities than marriage equality--like saving the English language.(ADVANCE)(Paul Koering)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GAY GOP STATE SENATOR Paul Koering represents a conservative, rural district in central Minnesota where the economy depends on the struggling tourism and the paper-milling industries. Right-wingers attempted to unseat him during his last reelection ...
Recs and wrecks: what's the delicate way to tell a friend you won't vouch for her work? Ethical pro.(QUEERIES)(Brief article)(Column)
May 01, 2009; ... Q: A good friend of mine wants to use me as an employment reference, but I have qualms about her work. Should I tell the prospective employer how I feel? This friend really needs a job. We don't need to go too far into the current economic situation except to say that it means a ...
Fighting AIDS one gene at a time: is gene therapy the future of HIV treatment?(ADVANCE)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IT WAS HAILED AS A MEDICAL miracle: After undergoing a stem-cell transplant to treat his leukemia, a 40-year-old HIV-positive man was found to have no detectable HIV in his blood and no symptoms. As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine February ...
The activists' wish list: the new, gay AIDS czar, Jeffrey Crowley, has his work cut out for him.(ADVANCE)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... After seeing lush funding for abstinence-only sex ed and not enough for basic services during the Bush era, AIDS activists were thrilled when candidate Barack Obama proposed a comprehensive, science-driven strategy to tackle the epidemic in the U.S. In late February the new president took ...
Can't stop the beat: the summer music festival season begins in earnest now.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE CLOSEST SOME URBAN GAYS get to spending time in a tent is working as seat-fillers during Fashion Week. For other, crunchier homos, May marks the beginning of music festival season--the time to let down your underarm hair and take a deep breath of ...
Ovaries only.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Michigan Womyn's Music Festival)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... For one week every summer, Hart, Mich., becomes its own womyn-only nation-state as the host of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. You're ...
Woodstock.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(biopic about Elliot Tiber)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... Ang Lee is producing a biopic about Elliot Tiber, the gay Bethel, N.Y., chamber of commerce president who issued the permit for the Woodstock music ...
Can opener.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(first portable toilet )(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1956 a man named Andy Gump built what may have been ...
Perry Farrell.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bi singer Perry Farrell, who founded Lollapalooza ha 1991, was rumored to have a harem of male groupies ahead to his every ...
No man's woman?(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Sinead O'Connor's pullout to Wotapalava)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... In 2001 thousands of gay music fans were shocked at the last-minute cancellation of Wotapalava, billed as the first music festival to feature only out musicians. The reason ...
Desert hearts.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Coachella festival )(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To the delight of aging disaffected bisexual emo boys everywhere, this year's Coachella festival ...
Cyndi Lauper.(ADVANCE: Talking Points)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... 2007 singer Cyndi Lauper created the True Colors tour, a music tour with proceeds benefiting LGBT charities and organizations. Britney Spears was rumored to ...
Peaks and Valleys: fighting for equality in the Mormon Church's backyard.(ADVANCE)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOLLOWING THE BACKLASH over Prop. 8, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints asserted November 5 that the church "does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or ...
Affairs of state.(ADVANCE)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... A flurry of bills for and against equal rights have been introduced in state legislatures this year. Here's where some of them stand Anti-equality legislation ARKANSAS: A bill introduced March 9 would prohibit domestic-partnership registries in the state. ...
Clamor for the glamour: considering Liberace's legacy on what would have been his 90th birthday.(ADVANCE: Exhibit A)(Walter Valentino Liberace )(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EVEN IF LIBERACE'S NAME DIDN'T ADORN THE FACE, one can hardly imagine another person wearing this watch. The accessory, given to the star by business manager Seymour Heller to commemorate Liberace's then-25 years in show business, is 18-karat yellow gold ...
Lone Star Chic: the lesbian-owned Kimber Modern elevates Austin's hip SoCo district.(Travel)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... CROCHETED TABLE RUNNERS AND FUSSY FLORALS have no place at the Kimber Modern, the perfect new complement to artsy Austin and its rebellion against Texas's pervasive cowboy conservatism. Kimber Cavendish and Vicki Faust, a couple for 16 years, turned the B&B concept on its ear with this ...
Q&A.(Travel)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... Q: My partner and I are still able to travel during this economic crisis, but not without some guilt. Is there any way to give back to the less fortunate in the exotic places we visit? A: Zoom Vacations teams up with local schools, community centers, or AIDS hospices in ...
Bike tour through Burgundy.(HOT LIST: Invigorate your body and mind on these adventures)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... Alyson Adventures' men-only biking trip begins June 13 in Beaune, France, and travels through Burgundy to ancient towns like Chateauneuf and Semur-en-Auxois. Most meals are included, promising the full experience of regional wines, cheeses, and local specialties ...
Grand Canyon rafting.(HOT LIST: Invigorate your body and mind on these adventures)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... This 10-day trip, starting July 1 in Las Vegas, includes a 280-mile rafting adventure down the Colorado River. Along with "luxurious camping" at night, meditation and "group movement rituals" help participants ...
Active Alaska cruise.(HOT LIST: Invigorate your body and mind on these adventures)(RSVP Vacations)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... RSVP offers a breathtakingly gorgeous summer Alaska cruise, August 23-30, on the five-star Westerdam (pictured below), that leaves from Seattle and travels up the West Coast. Options for active travelers include glacier hiking, kayaking, dogsledding, wildlife walks, and even helicopter ...
Hot pate: summertime means sunshine, but what price a tan? Wrinkles-and melanomas.(Health)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NOW THAT SUMMER--and warmer weather--are thankfully approaching, I was particularly interested in a recent study out of the University of North Carolina that found that people with melanomas on the scalp and neck were twice as likely to die of the cancer ...
Curse of the drinking lass: alcohol consumption linked to breast cancer in women.(Health)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... Here's something to think about before you celebrate that next softball win: A recent study of more than 1 million women found that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer. Researchers at the University of Oxford compared women who had one to two drinks per week with women ...
Q&A.(Health)(checking for sexually transmitted diseases )(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... Q: After an extramarital fling I guiltily read that many STDs produce minor or no telltale signs. If I'm trying to be honest with my doctor but also want to be sure I'm keeping my sexual partners safe, what tests should I ask for? Only blood tests, or are there others? A ...
Business meets brotherly love: Philadelphia rolls out the red carpet for work and play.(UNCONVENTIONAL TRAVEL)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOUR YEARS BEFORE THE LEGENDARY DEMONSTRATIONS outside New York City's Stonewall Inn in 1969, one of the earliest gay rights protests took place in front of Philadelphia's Independence Hall after a local eatery refused to serve gay patrons or any other ...
What I did last summer: author and performer Mike Albo loves the balance of tacky, sublime, and sexy he's discovered in queer resort destinations.(VANTAGE POINT)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] YEARS AGO, WHEN I ARRIVED in Provincetown, Mass., for the summer, I rented a bike (the best way to get around) and rode up Commercial Street, the main thoroughfare. I wheeled past Town Hall (where the dedicated tranny Ellie croons into a mike with her deep ...
The house at heartland crossing: when a male couple in their 70s were brutally killed in their Indiana home last fall, it seemed like a clear-cut hate crime. After all, a homophobic note had been left on their door weeks earlier, and the men's phone and cable lines had been cut. No one suspected that the killer might be a man whom one of the elderly victims had met while cruising online.(murder of Milton Lindgren and Eric Hendricks)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To get to the house where the terrible thing happened, you leave behind the small-scale, mid-century charm of downtown Indianapolis for I-65 South, merge onto I-70 West for a good eight miles, then turn south on IN-67 down a five-mile, nondescript strip of ...
Reduce, reuse, religion? A new generation of evangelicals debates swapping an antigay agenda for a pro-planet one.
May 01, 2009; ... Jonathan Merritt doesn't want to talk about his own views on gay marriage or civil unions--perhaps for good reason. Merritt is a young evangelical leader, a prominent writer on modern faith, and the son of a former Southern Baptist Convention president. The religious landscape of this ...
In a word: Carter: an up-and-coming visual artist finds a collaborator in actor James Franco, making a name for himself and getting his strange new film a screening at MoMA.(SPECTATOR: Film)(Erased James Franco)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JAMES FRANCO IS BOYISHLY cute. He veered toward hot in Milk with an A1 Parker moustache. But James Franco is not pretty, not like Julianne Moore, perennial Oscar nominee and face of Revlon Age Defying Makeup. James Franco does not resemble Rock Hudson ...
The equation: this month's cultural math.(Peaches' I Feel Cream, Newcastle, True Blood: Season 1)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DONALD DUCK & WINNIE THE POOH Lovable scamps who don't wear pants. + [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A DRUNKEN SAILOR The kind for whom the phrase "swears like ..." was coined. + ...
Coming back to America: American author Vestal McIntyre found a husband and a home in the U.K., but his first novel, Lake Overturn, brings him back to the Idaho countryside of his childhood.(SPECTATOR: Books)(Book review)
May 01, 2009; ... LAKE OVERTURN HAS ALL the ingredients to be the next Great American Novel, including a dozen characters (these from mid-1980s Idaho) observed by an omniscient narrator who has humor, righteousness, and that rare ability to both dazzle and touch while remaining steadily entertaining. For ...
Shout out.(SPECTATOR: Books)(Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc.)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... Dear Cracker Barrel, Wow, ain't this a sign of the times. You once fired at least 11 employees just for being gay, and now you're selling a collectors' edition rerelease of Dolly Parton's album Backwoods Barbie. In 1991, with the firing of Cheryl Summerville and others, you ...
Ladies' man: Tom of Finland is well-known for his hypermasculine drawings of men, but with the publication of the massive new Taschen book Tom of Finland XXL, readers get a glimpse of his rarely seen portrayals of women.(Books)
May 01, 2009; ... "I NEVER LEARNED TO DRAW WOMEN BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ATTRACTIVE ABOUT THEM. --Tom of Finland TOM MADE NO SECRET of his preference for men, and yet he did draw women--not many, and certainly not well--throughout his career. Sometimes it was simply for ...
Beauty & the boob tube: feminist writer-performer Staceyann Chin finds herself sucked into the weird world of kiddie pageants.(SPECTATOR: Viewpoint)(Essay)
May 01, 2009 ... I AM FAIRLY UNGLAMOROUS in my everyday life; my face is bare when I leave my house--a little acne cream, maybe a dab of ChapStick in wintertime. I hate to be uncomfortable, so I wear Crocs, corduroys, and tanks, and my hair is either wild or barely contained in a haphazard ponytail. All I ...
Hot mama!(SPECTATOR: A-List)(Amy Poehler )(Interview)
May 01, 2009; ... AFTER EIGHT SEASONS on Saturday Night Live (for which she earned an Emmy nomination--a rare honor among cast members), Amy Poehler is ready for prime time. The 37-year-old now plants herself on NBC's Parks and Recreation, a mockumentary-style sitcom from the executive producers of The ...
The Los Angeles gay and lesbian center: here is what actress Jane Lynch is passionate about this month.(I Advocate ...)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... "I have been on the board of the center for about two years. I actually asked to be on the board after Peter Paige told me I should look into it, and I had to be voted in. But I haven't been the best board member because I travel a lot. It's a huge responsibility, but I go to all the ...
Kings Road Cafe coffee.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I go to the Kings Road Cafe in Los Angeles every day, sometimes twice. I eat breakfast there with my friend Guy, or I just get my coffee to go. There's ...
The Huffington post.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] My friend David calls it liberal porn, and I'm addicted. It's hard-core progressive ...
Equality.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... My orientation is gay. It doesn't make me more special or less worthy than ...
Women's stories in TV film.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... Women are almost completely absent! We have Lifetime, which is sort of sappy--nothing real or funny about it. I love Judd Apatow as much as the next person, but come on, people! I don't think it is malicious; guys write what they know. Of course, there are exceptions. Ryan Murphy ...
Butterscotch budino at pizzeria Mozza.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... Mozza in Los Angeles makes the best pizza you will ever eat in your life. The restaurant is packed, but it's worth the wait. I saw Katie Holmes coming in for a bunch of pizzas to go, so I can't think of a more ...
GAP stretch/fans.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)
May 01, 2009; ... Because you can go out to dinner, have a full meal and ...
Pedicures and a good shoulder rub while the toenails dry.(I ALSO ADVOCATE ...)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... I go to a no-frills manicure place where they are not even really nice to you. I don't like the fancy places with New Age music. I like to hear the washing machine in the back and the workers talking to each other in Vietnamese, and I like ...