Planet Homo

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World

If you haven't visited Tom and Lorenzo's website "Fabulous and Opionated" you're missing out. These lads turn out a blog that concerns itself mainly with fashion and style as it applies to television and film, but have of late, turned their considerable talents to writing reviews for the Huffington Post and Metrosource.

On that note, they have taken a considerable amount of time to deconstruct the latest happenings in the world of TV's popular Madmen. A certain Bob Benson in particular has brought back to the show the presence of a gay man in advertising in the 60s. What's so great about Tom and Lorenzo is that they delve deep into the historical and sociological aspects of the character. Here's a sample:

But Bob’s life doesn’t necessarily have to be one completely without companionship or sex. New York City was (and in many ways still is) one of the best places to be in the country for young gay men with no family ties. There was a burgeoning gay social scene at this time. There almost always had been one in New York City, but in the years following the war, the numbers of detached men and women who migrated to the city and joined what would later come to be called the “gay community” expanded tremendously. This is largely why the Stonewall Riots of 1969 happened when they did; because the gay community finally had the numbers and the communally-fed anger needed to do something about the institutionalized harassment they were receiving from the police.

By the way, the Stonewall Riots will be happening practically in Joan’s backyard. Having lived in the Village the entire decade of the sixties, Joan has probably come across more gay people in her day-to-day life than anyone else in the Mad Men story. It makes perfect sense that she would befriend a good-looking young gay man who works with her.

Anyway, we made a point in our initial review of this episode that Bob comes across “culturally gay,” which is to say, he’s closeted in work and in many areas of his life, but he likely has some form of gay social life, given that he knows Manolo well enough to recommend him for jobs. If you’d like some sense of what this gay social scene was like and how someone like Bob Benson would have fit into it, we highly recommend seeing the film version of “The Boys in the Band.” The play opened off-Broadway in April of 1968 and offers a near-perfect snapshot of bitchy, self-loathing, pre-Stonewall middle-class Manhattan gay male socializing. The entire film is available on YouTube. It’s quite the artifact. We would also highly recommend Edmund White’s “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room is Empty” for an extremely detailed and well-drawn depiction of white gay male life in NYC prior to and around this period.

Read the entire piece on their blog, it is a fascinating analysis and happily, they are both great writers. That we all got most the "facts" about Mr Benson wrong is of no importance—we are  but tea readers in the mind of Matthew Weiner, but is good to see the issue being rasied once again. There is enormous speculation about the show in the public— will Don Draper's wife Megan, die a horrible Sharon Tate-ish death, will Don finally pay for his wealth of sins? We have taken to look at the series as a reflection of not only the fashion but the politics and culture of the era in which it exists, the 60s. I would only add to the speculation my own version of endings of the show: its in the credits, literally, in the credits of the show, we are shown a man falling from a New York high-rise. I suspect that is how this ends.

Mike Albo on Becoming a Daddy

I remember the first time I was called Daddy. I was 38, dating a 26-year-old, and gray was appearing in my beard. We stood there in my apartment, kissing. “You’re my daddy,” he said. My dentures fell out. Daddy? Me? It seems as if just yesterday I had my hair in Björk buns and was called a club kid. I wasn't sure how to react, yet stood there trying to suddenly fit the role. 

Daddy was an older guy who had a strong personality, wouldn’t take no for an answer, and got on top of you. Daddy never showed doubt or vacillation. For instance, a Daddy would never say, “Does this contain wheat? I have a gluten allergy.” Above all, a daddy always paid for things (even when he was a ranch hand), which, I thought, ruled me out. But this young man I was dating didn’t need me to fulfill all these stereotypes. I was a Daddy, like it or not.

The daddy — or more specifically, the leather daddy — has been around for a while in gay eroticism (where, let’s face it, all sexual fetishes and flexibilities are begat). It’s had a long sadomasochistic fantasy history. For a schooling, check out Joe Gage’s classic “working man trilogy” porn movies from the late seventies, or, also from that decade, Larry Townsend’s novels and Drummer magazine stories that explore leather subculture. If you’re wondering, the old gay hanky code color is hunter green. 

 

READ ON HERE

Time to Get Festive

It's summertime and Outfest has arrived. Founded by UCLA students in 1982, Outfest is the leading organization that promotes equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. Outfest builds community by connecting diverse populations to discover, discuss and celebrate stories of LGBT lives. Over the past three decades, Outfest has showcased thousands of films from around the world to audiences of nearly a million, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers and protected more than 20,000 LGBT films and videos. Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival is eleven days of world-class films, discussions and parties.

It is also a great opportunity to mingle with like-minded individuals and see many films that may not get wide release. The Opening Night festivities are always a glamourous event with a red carpet arrival of celebrities, filmmakers and people of interest. Opening night is held at the venerable Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. The Ford Theatre hosts the closing night screening while the Directors Guild of America (DGA) is host to most of the screenings.

A Night with Legends

This Saturday, some great American writers will be honored by the Lambda Literary Organization. To purchase tickets http://www.lambdaliterary.org/25th-la-event/

The Language of Love

 

Seventeen-year-old Kim Ho was one of the winners of the 2012 monologue competition Love Bytes, held by Fresh Ink, a development program for emerging playwrights from the Australian Theatre for Young People.

As one of the competition’s winners, Kim was assisted with transforming his original three-minute video entry, Transcendence — which tells the story of a young gay teen struggling with his sexuality and the love he feels for a boy in his French class — into the beautiful nine-minute short film The Language of Love.

“Homosexuality is still a sensitive topic, and I immediately felt pressured to write something that was candid but not disrespectful to the LGBT community,” Ho explains on the Fresh Ink website. “I wanted to write something that would make me cry just like the stunning It’s Time advertisement for marriage equality, something that would resonate with people no matter what their sexuality.”

—from gay.net

Rudy de la Mor Dies at 73

Irvine, CA — Chicago (and worldwide) cabaret favorite, Rudy de la Mor, died at Kaiser Hospital in Irvine, Calif. on March 5. Rudy played to packed houses at Gentry for more than 20 years. He was 73.

Craig D. Goldsmith, a fellow entertainer, posted on Facebook, "A great many tears will be shed for the loss that we feel right now. A great amount of joy must also be spread to have known someone so special! Also to know that his was a life well lived and lived well!"

A classically trained pianist, de la Mor was a child prodigy who performed with the Orange County Symphony Orchestra and the Denver Symphony Orchestra. He was discovered by the late vaudeville a, film and television star, Jimmy Durante. As Durante's protégé, de la Mor became close friends with a number of stars of the era, such as Martha Raye, Alice Faye, Christine Jorgenson and others.

It was Martha Raye who was the impetus for the outrageous hats and sequined attire that became his trademark. After catching one of de la Mor's early sets as a cabaret performer, she suggested that he focus on the comedic aspects of his act.

"What's more, she suggested that I wear some of the curtains my mother might have had and change hats all night long," de la Mor reported on his website.

He was known for his interaction with his audience and had the phenomenal ability to remember the name of everybody in the room in which he was performing. He was a favorite in LGBT clubs and performed on a number of straight and gay cruises. He had planned to take part on a cruise March 9.

On Feb. 5, he posted on his official Facebook page, "To all my dear friends: Thank you all so much for your kindness and support as I slowly recover from my illness. Your thoughts and prayers have given me strength and encouragement. I shall see you soon!! Woooosh! Love Rudy."

-Rick Karlin

UPDATE: Rudy de la Mor, died at Kaiser Hospital in Irvine, Calif., not at a New Orange Hills facility in Orange, Calif. as previously reported.

This is Courage

Kenneth Faried, the 23-year-old, 6'8" forward for The Denver Nuggets basketball team, nickname "Manimal," may intimidate on the court. But off the court, he's a same-sex marriage advocate, supporting his two moms. 

Faried recently sat down with his mothers to speak out on behalf of civil unions in a video, uploaded by advocacy group OneColorado, an organization working to protect equality for LGBT Coloradans and their families. 

"I support civil union, because it gives people - gays and lesbians - the right to make decisions on their own," says Faried in the video. "If they want to get married and let them choose who they want to be with."

Mario Lopez loses bet and takes a run for it

Super Mario lost his Super Bowl bet last Sunday and as a consequence he had to take a lap at the Los Angeles Grove. Mario Lopez, perpetual host and at age 39, a walking or in this case running example of either good genes or super diligent diet and workouts.

Reporting this story on KTLA, channel 5 in Los Angeles, all the reporters got a chuckle, but it was weatherman Henry DiCarlo who seemed the most uncomfortable as he alluded to a "sock" in Mr. Lopez' bright purple underwear. The segment ended with Mr, DiCarlo literally mumbling, "I'm just a guy...".

Grow up Henry.

Trippy

‘Smash,’ Frank Ocean and Oprah Winfrey get GLAAD Media Award nods

NEW YORK, N.Y.—GLAAD has named the film Cloud Atlas, AMC’s reality show Small Town Security, and The New Yorker magazine among its nominees for the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation announced on Wednesday 120 nominees in English-language categories and 33 nominees in Spanish-language categories.

Other nominees include the NBC shows Smash and The New Normal, Frank Ocean for his Channel Orange album, the magazine People en Espanol, and Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka.

The awards are meant to recognize and honour media for outstanding images of the gay and lesbian community. The winners will be announced March 16 in New York and at ceremonies in April and May in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

via www.thestar.com

Andrej Pejic in Elle: fashion's love affair with a boy who looks like a girl

Could it be that the fashion industry is becoming more diverse? Last week saw androgynous womenswear model Andrej Pejic grace the cover of a mainstream fashion magazine for the first time.

Pejic, according to the Serbian edition of Elle, is the ‘boy who shook the fashion world’ – a young man who, when dressed head to toe in John Paul Gaultier and strutting down a catwalk, or posing poutily from the glossy pages of a magazine, happens to look like an extraordinarily pretty girl. Indeed, Pejic embodies all the qualities model scouts look for – litheness, height, and something unique and extraordinary. In this case, it's long blonde hair, cut-glass cheekbones and come-to-bed eyes.

Yet Pejic is also clearly a man. No attempts are made to conceal his wide jaw and his Adam’s apple as he poses in women’s clothing, tiptoeing along the gender binary and flirting with either side. In an industry as homogenised as fashion, he has been seen as a breath of fresh air.

But others have questioned whether his success represents the scourge of female body fascism brought to its logical conclusion. Has fashion’s seeming rejection of female tits and arse meant that the only body now able to fit into the sample sizes isn’t a woman’s at all, but that of a (much less inconveniently lumpy) man? The problem with this line of argument, however, is that the correlation of mounds of doughy flesh with femininity is problematic, as we all know. Not all women have ‘curves’, after all.

Meanwhile, there are those who have argued that fashion’s preoccupation with the ‘un-feminine’ body shape is down to its being dominated by gay men who apparently want all women to look like little boys, a theory that has more than a whiff of homophobia about it and fatally ignores the huge participation of women within the industry. The message that we’re hearing is that the fashion industry says women’s bodies are always supposed to look like something else, perhaps anything else, other than ‘naturally female’. It’s a tempting conclusion - but the problems with its logic are glaringly inherent.

Read entire story at:

via www.newstatesman.com

When we dance, angels will run and hide their wings

Poor quality video shot in Shanghai gay bar, late December 2012.

Apt Title: New Magazine

Finally! Someone just outright said it: F*cking Young. We love anything with a handwritten logo, and this one is perfect. Of course this is not American, much to risque for this gun-toting culture. This is a magazine born in Barcelona with a first issue on the edge of birth. It’s a celebration of youth, a way of life, an attitude and inquisitiveness.  The press release tells us: "There are no age, city or country limits – we can all feel young, we never stop." So true. If we can get them to send a review copy, we will do just that. For now, stay F ing young!

Fucking Young! began as an inspirational platform focusing on youthful aesthetics derived from manly hemispheres. Our freedom allowed us to merge established with emerging artists, thus aiding the latter reaching their own public. A synergy that owed most to a passion for the arts has since grown to a state where not only do we promote content created by others, moreover we sponsor and collaborate in birthing such work.

To find out more about the magazine head here

isOh My! West Hollywood Voted Most Promiscuous City

West Hollywood gay men who are hoping for a commitment-free hookup have an extra-special reason to celebrate, as their city has been named the most promiscuous U.S. destination in a new poll.

SeekingArrangement.com, which bills itself as the world's largest "sugar daddy" dating website, polled 11,000 of its active gay members on how many join dating websites with casual sex as their main motivation. West Hollywood took the top spot based on how many gay male members responded to having 10 or more sexual partners in the course of a year, followed by Washington, D.C. and San Francisco in second and third place, respectively.

“According to our study, more gay males utilize online dating for ‘hooking up’ compared to heterosexual males," the site's founder Brandon Wade said in a statement. "While there is always potential to fall in love, online dating makes it very easy to find singles who are similarly looking for something less serious.”

 

SOURCE

The Way We Were

Chicago, Illinois - As gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals became more visible in the 1950s and 1960s, the mainstream media perpetuated the attitude that they were mentally ill and morally depraved queers, freaks, degenerates, perverts, misfits, and even threats to national security. In many cities, the police raided gay bars, harassing and arresting patrons.

 

Community-based gay newsletters and newspapers emerged to counteract the distorted view of non-heterosexuals and to support the rising gay-rights movement. They addressed gay issues, formed a sense of unity, announced demonstrations, and tracked the progress of legal and political action.

 

Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America, edited and co-written by Tracy Baim, publisher of Chicago's gay publication Windy City Times, is a comprehensive overview of the past, present, and future of gay print media. Baim uses essays, interviews, and hundreds of news clips and images from both mainstream and early gay publications to describe the critical role of the gay press. Award-winning historian John D'Emilio provided the book's foreword.

 

The book is available here

Today is World's AIDS Day

Voters approve same-sex marriage for the first time - CNN.com

(CNN) -- In a historic turnaround, the ballot box is showing America's shifting attitudes about same-sex marriage. After gay marriage rights died at the polls dozens of times in the past, on Tuesday they passed in at least two states.

via www.cnn.com

Many gays view reality TV as a powerful ally

"Redneck Island" hardly sounds like a welcoming place for a gay man. But Adam Freeman, a Nashville hairstylist who came out of the closet four years ago, shipped out to CMT's reality show this year for several weeks, finishing unscathed and in second place.

via www.latimes.com

Meet Hunter

Our friends at fantastics magazine have unearthed one of our favorite models. With the improbable name of Hunter Trevelyan Wyndham, Hunter is a a photographer, illustrator, graphic designer and graduate from the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara—he is also ridiculously sexy. A native of Oregon, Mr. Wyndham now lives in Hawaii. If he looks familiar that is because for years now there is a series of nudes floating about that reveal he has changed little over the years. Our thanks to fantastics for a wonderful editorial!

Positive Frontiers

LA's Frontiers magazine has recently added an online publication to its website. Positive Frontiers is “an innovative, online experience that explores issues of lifestyle, culture and wellness as related to HIV,” according to the website's publishers.

Facebook, Tumblr and other tech companies to go purple with GLAAD on #SpiritDay

via www.glaad.org

Television Show "In the Life" to end

New York, NY -After 20 years in production, In The Life Media (ITLM) announced that December 2012 will mark the last broadcast of IN THE LIFE. Though legally dissolving the organization is a process that will continue into 2013, all regular ITLM operations will conclude with the final broadcast.

At a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people were virtually invisible in media, ITLM became the first to bring real stories, struggles and issues about the LGBT experience into living rooms across the country through its public television show, IN THE LIFE.

Beginning as a variety show in 1992, IN THE LIFE evolved into its current newsmagazine format throughout the years, becoming the most honored and respected source for LGBT journalism along the way. In addressing difficult, critical issues, the show regularly gives voice to marginalized individuals, profiles unsung heroes of the LGBT movement and documents its most historic moments. It was the first major, national media outlet to expose the alarmingly high rates of homelessness among LGBT youth, epidemic rates of suicide among LGBT children who are bullied and the discrimination of transgender individuals in the workplace.

"ITLM has had the extraordinary privilege and responsibility of being the only newsmagazine to reflect the diversity of the LGBT communities, daring to tell stories other media outlets - both mainstream and LGBT - did not touch," said ITLM Interim Executive Director Ellen Carton.

Much has changed since IN THE LIFE first premiered. LGBT people now figure prominently in television news and media. A majority of Americans, including the President, now support marriage equality. Studies show that visibility is the driving force behind this rapid shift in cultural attitudes toward the LGBT community. "As the media organization that pioneered LGBT visibility on television," says ITLM Co-Chair Jayne Sherman, "we believe ITLM played a significant role in this historic progress."

ITLM is coming to an end, but its vision is not. The organization will pass the baton onto communities, networks and individuals in the form of an online hub featuring thousands of hours of incomparable and never-before seen ITLM footage. Users will view, share and build on the archive with their own stories, using the power of open source, interactive technology to create a new wave of compelling LGBT media that will break down barriers to lasting social and political justice.

ITLM has entered into conversations with other organizations with the potential, passion and infrastructure to create and lead this project.

"Creating high quality, in-depth journalism is expensive, but digital technologies provide a new way forward," said Board Co-Chair Henry van Ameringen. "I am immeasurably proud of our legacy and the critical role we’ve played in the movement. We are committed to preserving our invaluable archive chronicling the evolution of LGBT rights in America with an online product that will continue to advance equality in new and innovative ways."

For twenty years, In The Life Media has been a leading media organization for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement. One of the nation’s most honored and influential LGBT groups, In The Life Media creates social and political change by examining issues critical to LGBT individuals and providing audiences with powerful ways to advance equality within, and beyond, their communities.

Produced by In The Life Media, the Emmy-nominated series, IN THE LIFE, was the first-and remains the only-LGBT newsmagazine on public television. IN THE LIFE is a two-time Emmy Award nominee, a Lambda Legal Liberty Award honoree, a Seigenthaler Award recipient from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and a Ribbon of Hope Award recipient from The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: www.ITLMedia.org.

Now you may be wondering who that lovely creature is in the photo. We did too, because he isn't mentioned in the article other than a caption which refers to him as "voice-over artist" for the show. It does seem an odd way to report the demise of the pretty good television show, but, eh, media. Anyway, that is the multi-talented Triple Edwards, who is an artist, singer, model, actor and....

"He's a Top, I'm a Bottom" song from Web Therapy

Oh dear, recording from a television set is so 90's, but it will have to do until a better version is made available.

Mike Huckabee: Keeping Gays Out Of Boy Scouts Will Protect Boys From Abuse

Damn, conservatives are an interesting bunch. Sticking to a long-held, mythical idea that pedophiles are lurking in the ranks of the Boy Scouts, wanna be, Mick Huckabee seems to ignore the real magnets for boy lust: the Catholic Church and football coaches:

Though the Boy Scouts of America has not yet explained what conclusions led it to reaffirm that discriminating against gay scouts and leaders was “absolutely the best policy” for its organization, plenty of conservatives have made clear which fallacious anti-gay myth they believe motivated the decision. On his radio show yesterday, Mike Huckabee spelled out in no uncertain terms that he believes the policy is “right” because it protects boys from abuse. He welcomed a call from a listener who had been abused by his scout leader, and Huckabee agreed that part of the definition of “homosexual” is molesting children: story coninues here

Child Star

The Advocate Endorses Obama in Surprise Move

The press release begins: "It has been decades since The Advocate, the world’s leading gay news source, has made a presidential endorsement. The president’s statement on May 9 of this year, unequivocally in favor of marriage equality, along with his record on LGBT rights, has distinguished Barack Obama for the ages and has made it clear that he is a transformational leader and our best choice for president."

While the endorsement of Obama is not surprising, it is surprising that the Advocate did not endorse him earlier.

Better late than never.

The choice of an illustrated cover, Obama-as-emancipator is curious. While the gay community can certainly claim injustices and intolerance, the last time we looked, we were not particularly enslaved, and the whole thing is a bit premature.

"Homosexuality is an enigma"

Oh girl, how things have changed! A few notes about this torrid documentary narrated by the late Mike Wallace, who seems to be enjoying himself a little too much. The psychiatrist in this film is Charles W. Socarides, who was an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, physician, educator, and author. He spent his life claiming to have the "cure" for homosexuality, which apparently did work very well for his own family as his son, Richard, a highly public Democratic political strategist and commentator, is openly gay.