Bay Windows
Durkin memorialized at Allston church
About 40 people gathered Oct. 21 at St. Luke’s and St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Allston to celebrate the memory of Corporal Ciara Durkin, the lesbian National Guard soldier serving in Afghanistan who was found dead from a gunshot wound last month. Durkin’s family joined with members of the congregation of which Durkin had been a part before leaving to join the National Guard to talk about the ways that Durkin touched their lives. Durkin was memorialized in two funeral services, one in Quincy and one in her native Ireland, earlier this month.
Sheryl Swoopes Asked :: "How Gay is the WNBA?"
About 15 minutes into her onstage interview with WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoopes at Provincetown’s Unitarian Universalist Meeting House on Oct. 13, comedian Vickie Shaw cut to the chase: "How gay is the WNBA?" Shaw asked, abruptly changing the subject of her previous question about who inspires Swoopes (her mother) and causing the 200 or so ladies in the pews to erupt in laughter and applause.
Director Tim Sullivan on Gay Horror and "Driftwood"
Some people have childhood stories about dressing up in their parent’s clothes. But Tim Sullivan was probably covering himself in ketchup and trying to knock down chandeliers. He talks about ’Driftwood"... and why we don’t see more gay themes in horror films.
Joan Rivers :: Can we talk?
The title of Joan Rivers’s best selling comedy album was What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most?, but there’s nothing ’semi’ about the legendary comedienne. She plays Boston on October 27th - and warns, "Every gay man in Boston fucking well better show up." Here’s the interview!
Jury finds Cirignano not guilty
Larry Cirignano, the former executive director of Catholic Citizenship charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, has been found not guilty by a Worcester County jury. Shortly after resuming deliberations Oct. 22, the jury sent a note to Judge David Despotopulos telling him that they were "at an impasse." Despotopulos urged them to go back into deliberations, consider every juror’s position carefully and try to come to a unanimous verdict. Just an hour and a half later, at 12:30 p.m., they did.
What’s Next for MassEquality?
MassEquality’s work on gay marriage in the state of Massachusetts may be resolved, but the future of the organization is anything but clear. Should the group follow the intent of its founding members and disband? Ten local GLBT advocates give their opinions.
Woman testifies that Catholic Citizenship leader assaulted her
On the second day of the trial of former Catholic Citizenship Executive Director Larry Cirignano on misdemeanor assault and battery and civil rights violation charges, Sarah Loy, the victim of the alleged assault, described her confrontation with Cirignano to the jury.
Christopher Shinn on "Dying City"
The war in Iraq is the subtext in personal relationships - or is that the other way around? - in Christopher Shinn’s play Dying City, an intense two-hander that delves into the complex strands of need, honesty and deception between an Iraq War widow, her husband and her husband’s twin brother.
Local activists take lead role in ENDA debate
In the wake of the decision by leadership in the House of Representatives two weeks ago to split the federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) into two separate bills, one focused on banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and the other based on gender identity, local transgender activists are playing a central role in responding both to House leadership’s strategy and to the decision by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) not to oppose a non-trans inclusive ENDA bill.
Barney Frank Speaks Out
On Oct. 9 Congressman Barney Frank spoke on the floor of the House to explain his decision to split the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) into two bills, one focusing on sexual orientation and the other on gender identity, and he responded to critics of his strategy. The following are excerpts from his speech, as reported in the Congressional Record: Read the full text here.
Erin McKeown :: Don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing
Get ready to rearrange your CD collection, because Erin McKeown knows exactly where you should file her new disc,
Maggie Crowley on "The Femme Show"
What do a modern dance with Doc Marten boots, a stop motion film with Barbie dolls and a burlesque belly dance have in common? They’re part of the sexy fun of The Femme Show, a multidisciplinary cabaret that explores queer femme identity. The show features 15 artists with backgrounds in everything from modern dance to cartooning to conceptual art.
HRC’s Donna Rose urges trans community, allies to engage
When Donna Rose, a member of Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) board of directors, resigned last week over the organization’s decision not to oppose split versions of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), it struck a further blow to the relationship between HRC and the transgender community. Rose told Bay Windows that since she made public her resignation she has received the support of both her friends and of people across the country.
Family Pride becomes Family Equality Council
The Family Pride Coalition announced Oct. 9 that the organization’s name has changed to the Family Equality Council. Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of Family Equality, said that the change is an acknowledgment that while the organization’s mission is primarily focused on advocating for LGBT-headed families, the issues facing those families are similar to those faced by other non-traditional families such as single-parent and blended families.
Joe Solmonese: ’We’re all working towards the same goal’
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has taken major hits on LGBT op-ed pages, activist blogs and listservs for its decision not to oppose a split version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), and the organization’s credibility in the transgender community was further undermined by the decision of Donna Rose, the only out transgender member of HRC’s board of directors, to resign over HRC’s ENDA stance.
Conspiracies and lies at MassResistance forum in Acton
At the MassResistance forum at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School the evening of Oct. 3, held to denounce the school drama club’s upcoming performance of The Laramie Project, several of the speakers seemed convinced that there was a vast gay conspiracy to silence them by any means necessary. The paranoia reached epic proportions when Brian Camenker, leader of the anti-gay group, told the crowd that one of the scheduled speakers, ex-gay activist Stephen Bennett, was rammed by a gay activist in another car while driving up from Connecticut.
Laura Kiritsy on Local Gay Politics
Whether they’re masterminded by Karl Rove or MassResistance, dirty tricks are nothing new in politics. Openly gay or gay-friendly candidates especially are vulnerable to homophobic whisper campaigns, push polls and mailings. What’s worse is that the politicians and campaigns responsible for the shadowy attacks are rarely held accountable for their smears.
Slain National Guard soldier was active member of Bay State LGBT community
Ciara Durkin, a 30-year-old member of the National Guard from Quincy who was shot in the head and killed at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan Sept. 28, was an active member of Boston’s LGBT community, according to family members and her former employer, Fenway Community Health Center.
Consent in HIV testing divides health experts
Last week the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health heard testimony on House Bill 2209, a bill that would repeal the legal requirement on medical providers to get written informed consent from patients before testing them for HIV (see "State Hears Testimony On AIDS Bills," Sept. 27).
A "Bitch"-y Conversation
Sparks will fly when things collide, a basic alchemy long understood by the musician Bitch, who’s been blending folk and punk, and pop and politics, both as part of the 90s queercore band Bitch and Animal and as a solo performer.