Bay Windows
Endless Summer
Her new album Crayons may be filled with a million musical shades. But when it comes to her personality, local color is one hue that always stuck with Donna Summer.
A grand old stag
"I’m kind of an old stag. Bloody but unbowed," singer-songwriter Rick Berlin says of the title of his new CD, Old Stag, out Sept. 16 on Hi-N-Dry Records. "I didn’t think there’s any reason to not say I’m old. I like drawing attention to that. I like the perseverance and humor of that image."
No more arrests in alleged gay bash
Despite the arrest of Fabio Brandao, a 29-year-old Framingham man believed to be linked to a South End gay bashing, police have made no other arrests in relation to the incident.
In a lonely place
"Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets," prophesied Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, before unleashing his frustration in explosive violence. This most American of anti-heroes serves as an ironic inspiration for Tarik, a disaffected Arab-American and would-be holy warrior in Only the Lonely, the new novel from local author Gary Zebrun.
Out candidate campaigns with influential endorsement of retiring rep
When retiring Rep. Pat Walrath endorsed Kate Hogan to succeed her as the Third Middlesex District state rep she brought to the campaign more than just the credibility she had built up as the district’s representative for 24 years; she also brought the power of warm baked goods.
Melissa Ferrick :: Here comes the good stuff
For indie musician Melissa Ferrick, being on the cusp of 38 is the perfect place to be. On the jaunty title song of her new CD Goodbye Youth, Ferrick saucily crows, "Goodbye youth, goodbye lust, say hello to the rest of your life, here comes the good stuff!"
Model behavior: HIV positive, negative folks say ’HIV Stops with Us’
When Alfredo Hernandez, 44, auditioned to be one of the spokesmodels in the Boston "HIV Stops with Us" ad campaign he knew that he might soon become a very public spokesperson for people living with HIV. Even so, he was taken aback when he began seeing his face plastered on billboards and transit advertisements around the city last month.
One suspect arraigned in Columbus Ave. gay bashing
Fabio Brandao, a 29-year-old Framingham man charged as one of the perpetrators in a vicious South End gay bashing, pled not guilty to multiple counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and civil rights violations in Boston Municipal Court Sept. 2.
Running for his (political) life: Rough-and-tumble city politics color Sciortino campaign
Four years ago Carl Sciortino’s defeat of Somerville Rep. Vincent Ciampa in the Democratic primary was viewed across the state as the most potent symbol of the power of the marriage equality movement in Massachusetts.
No More Hiding
Terrance Dean, a big player in the TV and music industry, perfectly recalls his first exposure to hip hop. "When I was 13 years old," he recalls, "I was in my aunt’s living room and I came across an album by the Sugarhill Gang... at that moment, at 13 years old, I knew I had to be a part of that culture."
Ten years of gridiron gays
Ten years ago, Robert Saurer was fresh out of college and tossing a football around at home, wishing that he had a safe, comfortable environment where he could play football as an out gay man. On a whim, he placed an ad in Bay Windows looking to start a league for gay and gay-friendly football fans.
Rectitude and gratitude
In an age when flash memory is rapidly replacing film, 22-year- old photographer Jess Dugan is as much a throwback as a prodigy. Her favorite camera is a large format Shen-Hao wooden field camera that uses 4"x5" film. It produces rich black and white tones with sharp detail, but it’s not the kind of equipment you can just whip out to fire off a few quick snaps.
Transgender Emergency Fund kicks into gear
This month, the newly created Transgender Emergency Fund (TEF) will begin helping transgender and transsexual individuals pay their bills. After holding two fundraisers, TEF reached its original fundraising goal of $2500 and has begun accepting applications from individuals who are in need of financial help.
Beauty Queens
Women who compete in beauty pageants will endure a lot to win that crown: they’ll rub Preparation H under their eyes, put Vaseline on their teeth, wax everything, and use double sided tape to make sure there are no wardrobe malfunctions during the swimsuit competition. The contestants in the Miss Glamouresse Pageant are willing to go even further: they’re tucking their business.
Suspect in Boston anti-gay attack pleads not guilty
Fabio Brandao of Framingham pled not guilty to assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and civil rights violations in Boston Municipal Court yesterday. The charges stem from his involvement in an apparent gay bashing in Boston’s South End in the early morning hours of Aug. 24.
Barry Scott to appeal ruling on juror to SJC
Barry Scott, the openly gay Lost 45s DJ who was convicted last month of disturbing the peace, resisting arrest and violation of a noise ordinance while spinning at a private party in Provincetown last summer, told Bay Windows he will file an emergency appeal within the next week to the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) asking to be allowed to interview one of the jurors who decided his case.
AIDS Project Worcester marks 20 years of helping those with HIV/AIDS
Francine Coleman is 56 and has been living with HIV for 21 years. While she thanks God every day that her condition hasn’t progressed to an AIDS diagnosis, she attributes both her health and happiness to AIDS Project Worcester (APW), an organization that has given her a network of incredible support throughout her struggle with HIV.
The gays of summer: How to enjoy summer’s last gasp away from the usual LGBT tourist traps
Just because August is nearly gone doesn’t mean it’s too late for a summer vacation.
Coakley gives okay to 1913 law referendum
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has approved a referendum petition on the recently repealed 1913 law, which prevented most out-of-state same-sex couples from getting married in Massachusetts. The repeal, which was signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick on July 31, is being challenged by well-known anti-gay advocacy group MassResistance, headed by Brian Camenker of Newton.
The happy homo hooker
In literature’s roster of wonderful opening lines, Blue Blake may not be as pithy as Melville ("Call me Ishmael.") as evocative as du Maurier ("Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." or as quotable as Dickens ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." But for sheer memorability, it’s hard to beat Blake’s "Can somebody stop that bloody Doberman licking Caesar’s balls?"