Bay Windows
Climate Change
Some stand-up comics lose their edge as they get older, relying on shtick and indulging in easy jokes. Not Kate Clinton. On her eighth comedy album (and in her sixtieth year) Clinton is in rare form, and her timing and delivery have never been better as she ruminates with bemusement and sharp insight on everything from gay retirement homes, Republican scandals, designer dogs and the Bush regime.
Senate amendments bring $$ for LGBT programs, but not AIDS funding
The Massachusetts state Senate voted to add new dollars to LGBT-related programs across the board May 22 during deliberations on the fiscal year 2009 (FY09) budget. HIV/AIDS programs, however, did not fare as well; the Senate rejected an amendment to add $500,000 to the HIV/AIDS budget line.
Far from the finish line
On June 1, Phil, a 36-year-old South Ender, will participate in AIDS Action Committee’s (AAC) AIDS Walk for the first time in about a decade. Back then he joined a walk team to honor a close friend who had died of complications from AIDS in 1994. This year, Phil’s reason for walking is even more personal: he was diagnosed with HIV in 2005.
Friendly spirit
Massachusetts-born Julie Silver has become a nationally known figure in contemporary Jewish music. Now a resident of California, she returns to Boston this music for a rare concert appearance to raise funds for the progressive congregation Boston Jewish Spirit. The busy Silver spoke with Bay Windows by phone, while en route to a music conference, about her work and faith.
Cyndi Lauper on "True Colors"
With a new disc and a new tour, Cyndi Lauper’s true colors shine brighter than ever. She talks gay fans, being inspired by Alan Cumming, and the tour that’s put her literally all over the map.
Stonewall Communities continues look at Safe Schools movement
Stonewall Communities Lifelong Learning Institute, a program for gay and lesbian people over 50, will hold its second program looking at the history of the Massachusetts Safe Schools movement on June 3 with a panel discussion called "Liberty & Justice for LGBT Students: What the Safe Schools Movement Teaches Us About Organizing."
A kiss is not just a kiss
Last October Ed Ford, a 64-year-old Bostonian and president of the Boston Prime Timers, stood up before a crowd at the Boston Center for the Arts on National Coming Out Day and read them a story that he had never publicly shared with anyone else. The subject of the story was a kiss.
MAP raises awareness of HIV/AIDS in API community
Massachusetts Asian and Pacific Islanders (MAP) for Health held its Rooted in Acceptance reception and awards ceremony May 15 at the Boston Center for the Arts to honor individuals who have worked to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community. The event was held to coincide with National API HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on May 19.
Green rainbow party
The LGBT community announced that it was proud to be green, as members voted to make the theme for this year’s Boston Pride the eco-conscious "Sustaining our community, conserving our world."
Northeastern student alleges gay bashing
Daniel D’Orsi, a 22-year-old Northeastern student, was assaulted and robbed in the early morning hours of May 6 outside Fritz bar in the South End. D’Orsi, whose injuries were severe enough to require reconstructive surgery to repair his collapsed cheekbone, said the assailant shouted anti-gay slurs at him during the assault.
Stolen away from fairyland
Fairies, love potions, mistaken identities, straight people turning gay, and glam rock musical numbers. Yep, it’s just another day in high school
The end of an era
In an afternoon of music, dance, poetry and praise, more than 150 members of the Union United Methodist Church on May 17 paid tribute to their beloved pastor, the Rev. Martin McLee, who will be leaving the congregation on June 30.
Marriage: The final frontier
Chatting with actor George Takei about California’s marriage victory
Design students give AIDS Walk a facelift
Commuters riding the T may have noticed a plethora of eye-catching ads popping up to promote AIDS Walk Boston, which takes place June 1. The slick ad campaign was not the product of a high-powered ad agency; it was the brainchild of a pair of design students from the New England Institute of Art.
Dyke Night helps the Dyke March
Next month Kristen Porter will host a one-off Dyke Night event to benefit another cherished lesbian institution: the Boston Dyke March. Dyke Night will host the official Dyke March after-party on June 13 at the Holiday Inn in Somerville.
I M. womyn
Queer African American women speak for themselves
Meet Suffolk DA’s LGBT liaison
Though she acknowledged it’s a big old clich?, Jennifer Stott said her work as a victim witness advocate for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley stems from her desire to help people.
These condoms are ready for their close-up
Chi Chi Larue, gay icon and porn director extraordinaire, has been one of the more vocal proponents in the adult industry of promoting condom use in adult films, and as part of a new partnership announced earlier this month Larue and her production house, Channel 1 Releasing, will be getting all their condoms for film shoots at Southie’s own Global Protection Corp., maker of One condoms.
Senate budget cautious on LGBT, AIDS funding
The Senate Ways and Means Committee released its budget proposal for the next fiscal year on May 14, and like their counterparts on the House committee they opted to provide level funding to the state’s LGBT programs and to provide a small increase to the state’s HIV/AIDS budget. Lawmakers and advocates are working to file amendments and pick up co-sponsors by the deadline of noon on May 16 in an effort to boost those numbers.
Youth Pride charts progress and problems still facing LGBT youth
Between the parade, the drag kings, the rock and hip-hop acts, the fabulous outfits and the competitors squaring off on the Dance Dance Revolution game console, Youth Pride was a non-stop party. But this year’s theme, "Actual Reality," made it a party with a pressing purpose: ending harassment and violence against LGBT youth and empowering them to live healthier lives. As Youth Pride chair Kelly Lydon told the hundreds of youth who turned out on the Boston Common on May 10, reality for many LGBT youth includes harassment, violence and suicide.