LGBT History Month Icons Oct. 29th - 31st

Lilli Vincenz - Saturday, October 29th
“We were laying the groundwork for what we hoped would be later activism that would give homosexuals equal rights.”
Lilli Vincenz is a Gay Pioneer. Each July 4th from 1965 to 1969, she participated in the Annual Reminders at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell that launched the LGBT civil rights movement. More

Virginia Woolf - Sunday, October 30th
“Language is wine upon the lips.”
Virginia Woolf was an accomplished 20th century English author. She published nearly 500 essays and nine novels. More

Pedro Zamora - Monday, October 31st
“As gay young people, we are marginalized. As young people who are HIV-positive and have AIDS, we are totally written off.”
Pedro Zamora was an AIDS activist who appeared on MTV’s “The Real World.” He brought national attention to HIV/AIDS and LGBT issues. More

Happy Halloween: Cheap Costume Idea

My favorite holiday of the year is Halloween. It's the day when we don't have to wear our masks anymore. I think that this is the reason why it has long been a favorite holiday for gay men. Happy Halloween...I hope you get a TRICK and a TREAT.

If I were dressing up for Halloween (I'm teaching tonight, so no partying), my cheap costume might have been "Safe Sex Worker."

I'd raid my home improvement tool box for tool belt, knee pads and hard hat. I'd raid my bedside table toy box for dildo, condoms and lube. Mark the dildo with 1" increments and put in hammer strap of tool belt. Other pockets hold condoms and lube.

Then print up business cards:

JOE BLOW
Safe Sex Worker

Hand Jobs - Blow Jobs

Pay by the inch or by the job

FREE ESTIMATES

I'd dress in a blue collar shirt, jock, jeans, knee pads, tool belt and boots.

I'd pass out the cards. Use my measuring dildo for estimates. Where I would go from there is up to how the night progressed. Keep it safe.

What are you going to be for Halloween? (By the way, I actually went as the devil this year.)

CHEAPEST, GAYEST, MOST OUTRAGEOUS HALLOWEEN COSTUMES BY: JOE THOMPSON


SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE LEFT COMMENTS/SENT EMAILS IN THE LAST WEEK OR SO:  I have to apologize for not answering comments and/or emails in a while.  I have been incredibly busy for the past week or so and basically just doing my best to post something each day.  My free time has been spent trying to get a little rest.  Hopefully, things will start to settle down a bit and I can answer all the comments that have been left.  Please keep the comments coming, I read each and every one of them, and eventually, I will respond to all of them.

13 Gayest Halloween Movies Ever

Dark, twisted tales that feed our need for revenge. Sexy scenes with hunky young bucks all desperately yearning to get laid. Gory sights and demented deeds that are so over-the-top they border on camp.

These are the staples of fright flicks, and though society may suspect that gays shy away from horror and violence, the truth is that we love it in films that speak to our unique sensibilities. So in honor of Halloween I compiled a list of our 13 favorites.

So sit back, cuddle closely with your man (or bestest girlfriends) and enjoy the show.

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
It's the weird and wonderful as newly engaged couple Brad and Janet encounter a problem when they car halts in the rain. They both look for contact only to find themselves at the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter a transvestite. A place to stay is offered, but will Brad and Janet want to remain there? Especially when a large group of Transylvanians dance to the 'Time Warp', Dr. Frank-N-Furter builds his own man and a whole host of participation for the audience to enjoy. This movie is high camp horror at its best.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Mortimer Brewster is a newspaperman and author known for his diatribes against marriage. We watch him being married at city hall in the opening scene. Now all that is required is a quick trip home to tell Mortimer's two maiden aunts. While trying to break the news, he finds out his aunts' hobby; killing lonely old men and burying them in the cellar. It gets worse.  Who could not love this movie?

Rope (1948)
Inspired by real-life convicted killers (and lovers) Leopold and Loeb, Rope is Alfred Hitchcock’s gayest film ever. It features a gay couple (played by John Dall, and bisexual Farley Granger at his most luminous), a dinner party, witty repartee, and a body hidden in a stylish piece of furniture. Sounds like summers in Fire Island to me.

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Cast two gay icons—Bette Davis and Joan Crawford—as crazy / tragic protagonists, then have them abuse one another while performing at level 10, and you’ve got one of the most camptastic movies ever made. The dialogue is deliciously mean, the hatred between these two actresses leaks off the screen, and because the characters’ bitter back-story creates a strong foundation you have a solid film rather than one of those “so-bad-it’s-good” features gays love so much.

Best served in a crowd of drunk gays who can truly appreciate the dark humor.

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
If Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? makes the list, this movie is also a must.  Charlotte Hollis, an aging recluse deluded into a state of dementia by horrible memories and hallucinations, lives in a secluded house where, thirty-seven years before, John Mayhew her married lover, was beheaded and mutilated by an unknown assailant.  Plus, there is always the back story behind why Joan Crawford refused to make this "sequel" and the why Vivian Leigh refused the role (Leigh famously said "I can just about stand to look at Joan Crawford at six in the morning on a southern plantation, but I couldn't possibly look at Bette Davis.")  Also, Agnes Moorehead is in this movie, not only was she the mother on Bewitched, but she was also a well-known lesbian.

Carrie (1976)
Along with Baby Jane, Mommie Dearest and Showgirls, Carrie is one of the films with dialogue most quoted by gay men. Gems like “I can see your dirty pillows,” to a screeching “They’re all gonna laugh at you!” and “They’re called breasts, and every woman has them...” have become part of the secret language of gays. And Carrie’s prom night-mare has become pop culture shorthand on TV shows from Ugly Betty to RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
New Line Cinema’s second schlep up to Elm Street is bursting at the seams with homoerotic imagery and undertones. It features openly gay actor Mark Patton as Jesse, a teenage boy Freddy Krueger tries to possess in order to leave dreamland and continue his killing spree in the real world.

Even before the film’s writer, David Chaskin, admitted to including the screenplay’s gay subtext in the 2010 documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Nightmare 2 had been herald as the ultimate homo-horror flick for years by countless fans.

A film about a boy struggling to repress “something” inside of him would have been enough to brand Nightmare 2 as an obvious gay allegory. However, it’s the moments following Jessie’s trek into a gay leather bar—where he discovers his P.E. coach—that rank this film among the gayest of all time. After all, tying up your coach in the locker-room showers and snapping his bare ass with a towel before you kill him from behind will earn you that kind of reputation.

Beetlejuice (1988)
Aside from featuring Alec Baldwin at the height of hotness, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice has enough camp to be welcome at any homo-Halloween haunt. The film’s quirky style has held up amazingly well since it debuted over 23 years ago, and Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz is a queer cinema classic. From the interior decorator played by the late openly-gay actor Glenn Shadix to outrageous musical numbers, there isn’t much about this film that isn’t gay.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)
The Queen of Halloween’s first feature film has become a gay camp-classic for all the reasons that made Elvira one of the biggest gay icons of all time. Over-the-top in every way possible, from the costumes and sassy one-liners to the big musical number ending stuffed with hunky shirtless male dancers, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is the Showgirls of Halloween movies.

Check it out.

Hocus Pocus (1993)
This poor film has a bad reputation, and some of it is deserved. The movie is about time-displaced witches who fly on vacuums and sing songs, and the kids who must set things right. But it’s also a delightfully fun bad movie, comes from Disney and director Kenny Ortega (famous for the High School Musical franchise), and stars gay faves Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy (fresh of her stint in Sister Act). No, it’s not brilliant filmmaking, however it works for babysitting, if you’re in the mood for something light, and if you can mix a potion of vodka and… well… anything… to go along with your screening.

The Covenant (2006)
Abercrombie & Fitch goes supernatural in this good warlock vs. bad warlock fantasy/horror flick starring models-turned-actors Steven Straight (10,000 B.C.) and Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights), as well as a pre-shag Chace Crawford. Between that and this picture, do you need any further explanation on why you should rent it?

Hellbent (2004)
Two gay men on a date are murdered the night before Halloween in West Hollywood, California. Eddie and his friends Joey, Chaz and Tobey are going out the following night to the West Hollywood Halloween festival when they encounter the psycho, who sets his eye on them. The killer stalks them through the festival as Chaz parties, Joey chases his jock crush, Tobey tries dressing in drag, and Eddie pursues Jake, the bad boy he wants to get to know better. Not until the very end do you find out who dies and who survives their night of terror.

Moment of Zen: Flaunt

James Franco continues to be one of the most unusual, unpredictable and random A-list actors in Hollywood. From producing gay-themed art films and starring in a music video with Kalup Linzy to enrolling in something like 100 college graduate courses, the guy is not only a creative energizer bunny, but an odd one at that.

Franco’s latest uncharted turn is both shocking and not-so-shocking, considering the era we live in. The shocking part is that a recent Oscar-nominee would agree to have a close up photo of his naked bum grace the cover of Flaunt, the Los Angeles-based fashion magazine. That’s right kids; you can go out and purchase a close to life-size photo of Franco’s sweet cheeks, ready for framing or sleeping with under your pillow. The not-so-shocking part is that we live in a world where we’ve seen paparazzi photos of Britney and Lindsay’s naughty bits and sex tapes of Kim Kardarshian, Paris Hilton, Eric Dane and more. At this point in time, a 2-D picture of an actor's butt seems almost…well, family friendly.

GAY.NET: JAMES FRANCO'S NAKED BUTT SCORES A MAGAZINE COVER BY: MICHAEL MATSON 10.27.2011

LGBT History Month Icons Oct. 26th - 28th

Dan Savage - Wednesday, October 26th
“I thought, when I was a kid, that my mother and father would be devastated if I ever told them I was gay.”

Dan Savage is an award-winning author and journalist. He launched the “It Gets Better” video project to combat bullying and prevent LGBT teen suicides. More

Amanda Simpson - Thursday, October 27th
“I'd rather not be the first but someone has to be.”

Amanda Simpson, the first openly transgender female presidential appointee, holds a top-level position in the U.S. Department of Defense. More

Wanda Sykes - Friday, October 28th
“They pissed off the wrong group of people. Instead of having gay marriage in California, we’re going to get it across the country.”

Wanda Sykes is an Emmy Award-winning comedian and actor praised for being one of the most entertaining women of her generation. More

Gay Coffee?

Too bad I don't wake up to him too...

I absolutely love coffee.  I love to wake up to the smell of coffee in the morning, and I almost always go by Starbucks for a cup of coffee before I teach my night class.  It always gives me that extra pep which helps me keep my students engaged in the classroom.  I have always believed that an enthusiastic teacher is one who has the best chance of keeping students interested, but I digress from my original topic which is coffee.  There is a new coffee company catering to the gay coffee lovers, and quite honestly we know that many gay people love coffee, just walk in any Starbucks or coffee shop and you should know what I mean.

The Gay Coffee story begins in 2004, in Northampton, Massachusetts – a small, progressive college town. After working in coffee shops throughout her undergraduate career at Smith College, coffee aficionado Melissa Krueger opened up a tiny cafe in a former ATM kiosk, on a quiet downtown street adjacent to campus. She called it the Elbow Room.

One of the first 100% fair trade coffee cafes in Northampton, the Elbow Room filled up daily with thirsty students, professors, staff, and folks visiting from the all over the world. The cafe soon became a local landmark, the ideal place to meet a friend, take a one minute vacation over an espresso, and chat about the events of the day. The Elbow Room Cafe patrons grew into a family, and word spread about the tiny cafe with the best coffee in town.

Melissa ran the Cafe each day, often from morning ‘til closing, and after two years cranking out locally roasted java, became interested in taking the quality of her coffee one step further. She purchased a small commercial drum coffee roaster and set about learning the craft of coffee roasting herself. Each night after the Cafe closed, she disappeared into the small roastery behind her house and, like a mad scientist, roasted late into the night perfecting each bean.

The Elbow Room’s reputation grew, and patrons lined up down the street and around the corner as word spread about Melissa’s fresh and vibrant hand-roasted coffees. As her business grew, Melissa maintained her commitment to 100% fair trade coffee purchasing. With her partner Mary, she traveled to rural Nicaragua to meet coffee growers and hear their stories. And four years later, unable to keep up with demand for her coffee, Melissa sold the little Cafe to purchase bigger equipment and pursue a new career as a full time coffee roaster.

A few months after launching her new coffee roasting company in early 2011, Melissa and Mary were musing one morning – over coffee, of course! – about the recent legalization of gay marriage in New York. Watching the images of couples marrying on television, Melissa and Mary toasted the screen and smiled at one another with their cups raised. With a clink, the idea for Gay Coffee was born. At the intersection of a historic moment in gay civil rights, and over the morning ritual of sharing a cup of exquisite coffee, Gay Coffee was conceived as the perfect integration of these two powerful themes. Gay Coffee celebrates ourselves, our history, and our unique contribution to the world.

Melissa’s passion for roasting the very best coffee is reflected in every cup of Gay Coffee. All of their coffees are fairly traded and organically sourced, respecting their coffee growing partners, and our planet’s health with 1% of all profits donated to the LGBT Task Force. Melissa continues to roast each batch by hand in her Williamsburg, Massachusetts studio and cups every roast of Gay Coffee before it is packaged. She, Mary, and the crew at Gay Coffee hope you enjoy these unique, vibrant coffees as much as they enjoy bringing them to you, one cup at a time.

Gay Coffee debuted at the Castro Street Fair in San Francisco, California on October 2, 2011 with five new hand-roasted coffee blends. Each named after various aspects of queer culture, Stone Butch Breakfast Blend, Good Morning Mary!, Red Hanky Roast, Second Date, and Weekend Pass mix humor with history to create a product that is both educational and enjoyable. Rather than simply tap into queer culture for the camp value, each package of Gay Coffee is also informative. Every blend named after an aspect of gay culture also includes a description of its place in LGBT history.

“One part of our branding is to take some stereotypes and themes we are all sort of familiar with, take ownership of them in what we hope is a fun and funny way, and then compliment the wink and chuckle with a piece of something more meaningful and thoughtful,” said Krueger. “I have actually learned quite a bit about gay history during this project. I’m always particularly delighted when someone reads the back of one of our coffees and says, ‘Oh cool, I didn't know that!’”

A brand name with such obvious ties to the LGBT community might have made some entrepreneurs nervous, but Krueger says the idea that her coffee could be controversial was never an issue. “My main concern launching Gay Coffee was more that people would take the time to interact … and really enjoy the whole product – our branding, our sense of humor, our mission and, of course, our coffee.”

Aside from perpetuating the unique legacy of queer culture, a percentage of all profits from Gay Coffee are also donated to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. However, it was also important to Krueger that her company be mindful in another way as well.

“Unlike the vast majority of coffee companies out there, 100% of our coffee is sourced fair trade and organic. We think the fair trade price and mission should apply to all of the coffee farmers we buy from, not just a couple,” Krueger said. “I have travelled to coffee producing areas and spoken with coffee farmers, stayed at their houses, and feel very strongly about our commitment to being a real fair trade company.”

Melissa Krueger’s commitment to fairness and quality has earned Gay Coffee high praise since the brand debuted earlier this month.

“The response to the product has been incredibly positive,” Krueger said. “I am personally in awe of the tremendous positive feedback we have received, and inspired to continue to create something that does good, tastes great, and makes people happy.”

To order your own batch of Gay Coffee, visit the company’s website.

Hellbent

Halloween is less than a week away and happens to be one of my favorite holidays/celebrations.  And if you like scary movies to give yourself a little scare during Halloween, then I have a movie for you.
HELLBENT is the terrifying original feature from writer/ director Paul Etheredge-Ouzts and Joseph Wolf, the co-creator of such horror classics as Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Taking place at the famed West Hollywood Halloween Carnival, there is a serial killer on the loose. A group of four gay friends will have to fight for their lives to make it through a night where flamboyant costumes, beautiful people, drugs, music, dancing and sex are everywhere.
A wild, relentless ride that combines winning and appealing characters, unexpected surprises, and shocking scares, HELLBENT is a refreshing new classic for the horror genre.


Since I first saw this movie, a real gay horror movie, (not one of those straight boys in their underwear horror movies that David DeCoteau has made so many of), I have watched this movie every Halloween.  It’s scary with a lot of eye candy, what more could you ask for on Halloween.
Tonight, I might also add another hot horror movie, which is considered one of the Top 5 Unintentional Gay movies on Cracked.com.  Ranking #4 on their list is The Covenant from 2006:
#4. The Covenant (2006)

Summary:
Caleb is the leader of a gang of "undercover" male witches who spend a lot of time showering together. He is obsessively targeted by a mysterious stranger, Chase, the new kid at their exclusive private school.
We don't want to read too much into the fact that the school's female students are featured mostly as blurry, indistinct figures in the background. Why read anything at all when we have an all-male naked locker room fight scene to watch?

"I'm gonna cast a magic spell. A magic ass spell. On your ass."

Yes, it's the classic story of male friendship: One man defends another in a naked brawl, sparked when one of the men is called gay. Our memory is a little hazy, but we're fairly certain that's how Mel Gibson met Danny Glover in the first Lethal Weapon.
After their bond if forged through butt-naked combat, Chase and Caleb hit some bars together and engage in extended male swimming competitions while wearing tiny, tiny shorts. Their relationship reaches its climax when Caleb discovers the secret that Chase hides away from the world in the clos ... cupboard deep within his soul. We're of course talking about the fact that Chase is also an undercover witch.
Chase becomes desperate to consume Caleb's magic, when he learns that Caleb has a special magic that will only fully develop once he turns 18. Chase stalks him, threatens his friends and eventually holds him down and kisses him.

"This is how we steal magic, right?"

This brings us to the final conflict, and the point at which the film pretty much whips the audience in the face with the homoerotic symbolism: In the climactic scene, the two men hurl magic translucent white globs of power at each other as Chase begs for Caleb's consent.
Best Line:
"How about I make you my wi-atch?"
Wait, Are You Sure This is "Unintentional"?

"Be careful, my magic is very sticky and if it gets in your hair, you'll never get it out."
In this case, at least, all of the homoerotic subtext lurking just beneath the surface (and sometimes prominently above it) seems to be a strange, misguided attempt to appeal to the young women who this film was plainly aimed at. The filmmakers must have spent some time in some chat rooms, and decided that homoerotic fanservice is all that is needed to sell tickets in these modern times.
To be fair, the obligatory girl-girl make-out scenes in modern slasher flicks demonstrates that producers don't have a much higher opinion of male horror fans.
Read more: http://www.cracked.com/article_17097_the-5-most-unintentionally-gay-horror-movies.html#ixzz13yFccdAH

We Have Not Long To Love

We Have Not Long To Love
BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

We have not long to love.
Light does not stay.
The tender things are those
we fold away.
Coarse fabrics are the ones
for common wear.
In silence I have watched you
comb your hair.
Intimate the silence,
dim and warm.
I could but did not, reach
to touch your arm.
I could, but do not, break
that which is still.
(Almost the faintest whisper
would be shrill.)
So moments pass as though
they wished to stay.
We have not long to love.
A night. A day....


Source: Poetry (February 1991).

LGBT History Month Icons Oct. 22nd - 25th

Ricky Martin - Saturday, October 22nd
"I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."
Ricky Martin is a Grammy Award-winning pop singer who has sold more than 60 million albums. More

Amelie Mauresmo - Sunday, October 23rd
“Whether it's in the right way or sometimes the wrong way, you learn about life and its lessons.”
Amélie Mauresmo was the World No. 1 tennis player. She won two Grand Slams and an Olympic Silver medal. More

Constance McMillen - Monday, October 24th
“Stand up like I did. It was hard but it was worth it.”
After being denied permission to bring her girlfriend to the prom, Constance McMillen successfully took legal action. More

Ryan Murphy - Tuesday, October 25th
“I dealt with my sexuality at a very early age. I didn't have a struggle, and I know so many people who were terrified of dealing with it.”
Ryan Murphy is the creator of "GLEE" and an award-winning director, writer and producer. More

Lazy Day

I needed a lazy day today.  It's been a long and stressful week, and some days you just need a day to be lazy.  Today is the day.  I probably wouldn't even be awake right now, if someone had not called me on the phone. Now that I am awake though, it is a beautiful day outside, and I am going to enjoy it the best I can.

What are you doing this Sunday?

Moment of Zen: Contemplation

LGBT History Month Icons Oct. 19th - 21st

Michael Kirby - Wednesday, October 19th


“If every gay person in Australia stood up and said this is me, get over it, the whole shabby charade would be finished.”
Michael Kirby is the world’s first openly gay justice of a national supreme court. More

Victoria Kolakowski - Thursday, October 20th


"I have been very fortunate to have a successful career as a public servant, and I feel an obligation to serve my community as a role model as well.”
Victoria Kolakowski is the first openly transgender person to be elected a trial judge in the United States. More

Dave Kopay - Friday, October 21st


“I hear from people all over the world that my coming out has empowered them in their search for self.”
Dave Kopay is the first NFL payer and one of the first professional athletes to come out. More

Support LGBT Youth: Wear Purple for Spirit Day

Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Observed annually on October 20, individuals, schools, organizations, and corporations, media professionals and celebrities wear purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Getting involved is easy -- participants are asked to simply "go purple" on October 20 as we work to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are.

Go Purple Now

Far too many of us have been targeted or mistreated just for being who we are, especially during our youth. We know that one of the worst parts of that experience is feeling alone and isolated, as if no one understands or cares. The motivation for Spirit Day is to conquer this with a very simple gesture.

Let's send a message to all the young people looking to find acceptance for themselves, their family and friends who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. From television studios to school assemblies to storefronts to sporting events: Wear purple on October 20!

The idea of wearing purple as a symbolic gesture came from Brittany McMillan who was moved by the tragic stories of teen suicides in the LGBT community in 2010. She wanted to highlight the color purple, which represents "spirit" in the rainbow pride flag, as a show of hope and resilience. The idea caught on like wildfire. From Hollywood to pep rallies, people were wearing purple in a vivid display of love and support.

We all have been profoundly impacted by these stories and want to send a powerful signal that we collectively value and celebrate the lives of all young people. In a sea of encouraging friends all wearing purple in a massive gesture of unity, it gets much harder to feel alone. Our hope is that this day of solidarity and strength in numbers will be a source of on-going inspiration for young people as they face the inevitable challenges of learning to love themselves for who they are, sometimes in the face of extreme adversity.

Please join me. Let's do it again with even more creativity and visibility. It doesn't take much and who doesn't look good in purple? Help us make it clear that, regardless of the obstacles, young people should always feel surrounded by love and crowds of allies. Wear purple, let your support shine.

Zachary Quinto Comes Out

Zachary Quinto, inheritor of the iconic Mr. Spock role in JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot and the star of the upcoming film "Margin Call," reveals that he is gay in a new profile in New York Magazine. The star, 34, credits his role in the Broadway play "Angels In America," in which he plays a gay man who leaves his AIDS-afflicted boyfriend, for helping to put him further in touch with the hopes felt and struggles faced by both gay and straight Americans, and discusses his political outlook for the rights movement.

While Quinto's sexuality hasn't exactly been a big Hollywood secret, he's been pretty clear in the past that he'd rather focus on his advocacy for gay rights than his personal life. Last year he told the New York Times,

The fact that these things are such hot-button issues right now, socially and politically, I would much rather talk about that than talk about who I sleep with. I would love to be a voice in this maelstrom of chaos and obsessive celebrity infatuation that says, ‘Let’s talk about something that matters.’

So it was a bit surprising to some people when he seemed to casually refer to himself as a gay man to New York magazine recently. Quinto was talking about his role in the Broadway play "Angels In America," in which he plays a gay man who leaves his AIDS-afflicted boyfriend. He said,

Doing that play made me realize how fortunate I am to have been born when I was born. And to not have to witness the decimation of an entire generation of amazingly talented and otherwise vital men. And at the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like I -- there's still so much work to be done. There's still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed.

In the interview Quinto also mentioned the recent suicide of bullied gay teen Jamey Rodemeyer, saying "as a gay man I look at that and say there's a hopelessness that surrounds it."

Last night, Quinto posted a blog entry on his own website that explained some of the thinking that had led him to publicly announcing his orientation:

In light of [Rodemeyer's] death - it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it - is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality. I believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society - and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action. Jamey Rodemeyer's life changed mine. And while his death only makes me wish that I had done this sooner - I am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me.

To me, the power of what he's saying goes beyond the issue of sexuality—when I read those words I am touched by the passion in his belief, and the bravery of choosing to come out, and yet not make a huge deal of it. Who among us isn't striving for a life of authenticity?  A large part of what I discussed in my post about Emerson's "Self-Reliance" is that we should strive for a life of authenticity. How many of us would be willing to so publicly state our intent to live with compassion, integrity, and action?  I would hope that we all are. I imagine the hard work it took for him to get to this place, and the courage it took to say it.  I am very proud of Zachary Quinto for coming out and for being an inspiration to others.

In an industry that's so often focused on surface pursuits, I think Zachary Quinto is an absolutely amazing man who should be commended not for disclosing the details of his personal life, but for taking an enormously difficult step to make a difference in the lives of others.

With Quinto's coming out, we are living in an exciting time.  We actually have celebrities coming out in the prime of their careers as opposed to the end of their careers.  The more celebrities that take this courageous step, the easier it will be for others to accept us as real people, not reject us for our sexuality.

Androgyne, Mon Amour

Androgyne, Mon Amour
BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS


I

Androgyne, mon amour,
brochette de coeur was plat du jour,
(heart lifted on a metal skewer,
encore saignante et palpitante)
where I dined au solitaire,
table intime, one rose vase,
lighted dimly, wildly gay,
as, punctually, across the bay
mist advanced its pompe funèbre,
its coolly silvered drift of gray,
nightly requiem performed for
mourners who have slipped away...

Well, that's it, the evening scene,
mon amour, Androgyne.

Noontime youths,
thighs and groins tight-jean-displayed,
loiter onto Union Square,
junkies flower-scattered there,
lost in dream, torso-bare,
young as you, old as I, voicing soundlessly
a cry,
oh, yes, among them
revolution bites its tongue beneath its fiery
waiting stare,
indifferent to siren's wail,
ravishment endured in jail.
Bicentennial salute?
Youth made flesh of crouching brute.

(Dichotomy can I deny of pity in a lustful eye?)

II

Androgyne, mon amour,
shadows of you name a price
exorbitant for short lease.
What would you suggest I do,
wryly smile and turn away,
fox-teeth gnawing chest-bones through?

Even less would that be true
than, carnally, I was to you
many, many lives ago,
requiems of fallen snow.

And, frankly, well, they'd laugh at me,
thick of belly, thin of shank,
spectacle of long neglect,
tragedian of public mirth.

(Chekhov's Mashas all wore black
for a reason I suspect:
Pertinence? None at all—
yet something made me think of that.)

"Life!" the gob exclaimed to Crane,
"Oh, life's a geyser!"
Oui, d'accord—
from the rectum of the earth.

Bitter, that. Never mind.
Time's only challenger is time.

III

Androgyne, mon amour,
cold withdrawal is no cure
for addiction grown so deep.
Now, finally, at cock's crow,
released in custody of sleep,
dark annealment, time-worn stones
far descending,
no light there, no sound there,
entering depths of thinning breath,
farther down more ancient stones,
halting not, drawn on until

Ever treacherous, ever fair,
at a table small and square,
not first light but last light shows
(meaning of the single rose
where I dined au solitaire
sous l'ombre d'une jeunesse perdue?)

A ghostly little customs-clerk
("Vos documents, Mesdames, Messieurs?")
whose somehow tender mockery
contrives to make admittance here
at this mineral frontier
a definition of the pure...

Androgyne, mon amour.

San Francisco, 1976

"Androgyne, Mon Amour" by Tennessee Williams, from THE COLLECTED POEMS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, copyright © 1937, 1956, 1964, 2002 by The University of the South. Used by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.


Source: THE COLLECTED POEMS OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (New Directions Publishing Corporation, 2002)


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