Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

Ellen DeGeneres and the Founding Fathers

Sue — Thu, 29 May 2008 21:50:00 -0400

Craig Galik of Duquesne is not pleased. Apparently, when he tunes in to the Ellen DeGeneres show, he doesn't expect to see any lesbian claptrap. Imagine his horror when Ellen spoke about her plans to marry partner, Portia De Rossi. On television. In front of viewers. Gay stuff.

Either Craig is the only person on earth who doesn't know that Ellen is a lesbian or he is just an idiot. Actually, I'm pretty sure its the latter based on these statements:

Isn't it funny that we can talk openly about gay affairs on TV, but we cannot freely talk about Jesus.

Is this what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wanted freedom for all?

This is exactly the narrow-minded thinking that is so seductive to people lacking the capacity for original thought. Craig postulates that there is more discussion of gay issues than Jesus-flavored religious issues on television. That's simply preposterous. You can't turn on a news station without smacking into some religious advisor or another commenting on the latest political issue. We can't have a discussion on anything -- from access to healthcare to hemlines -- without contemplating what Jesus would do about it. Craig also seems to forget that entire stations devoted to Jesus flavored religions dominated the airwaves long before LOGO came churning along. It has been a long, long time since it wasn't cool to talk about Jesus on television. Exactly one day longer than there has actually been television.

What Craig is trying to do is pit any discussion of gay issues as a suppression of his religious liberties. He does it poorly and with a distinct lack of poetry, but I'm sure he got a few amens out of the PG readers. It is just amazing that Christians can somehow redefine themselves as a persecuted minority on one hand and yet force all three Presidential candidates to prove their Jesus-love in order to win the nomination. Amazing.

To answer Craig's question about the Founding Father's wanting us to talk about gay issues as freely as religious issues, I say a resounding YES. Freedom to exchange ideas was a big Founding Father priority, not the content of said ideas. See the difference, Craig? They wanted a society where you get to be a small-minded bigot and I get to love a woman without impinging on each others liberties.

If you don't want to hear about the personal life of a lesbian, stop watching a television show named after and starring a lesbian. There's nothing radical about that.

GLCC merger with Celebrate the Night: Where does this leave transwomen?

Sue — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:22:00 -0400

In the most recent GLCC newsletter, the organization announced that Celebrate the Night has become an official committee of the organization. Celebrate the Night is a variety show that benefits the GLCC.

As you may recall, CTN generated a firestorm last year by refusing to audition a transwoman and pronouncing that she was not woman enough to meet their criteria. At that point, the CTN website described the event as celebrating all women.

They've since updated it to state:

For the purpose of this event, if a person is legally recognized as
a woman or living full-time as a woman, she is a woman.

No such requirement that to be a lesbian, you must be legally recognized or living full-time as a lesbian. Which is good since there are many, many women who participate in CTN that are not 100% out of the closet and I would hate for them to feel excluded just because they aren't lesbian enough.

Well, at least if the GLCC is going to formally associate itself with an organization that openly discriminates against transwomen,things are a little more out in the open. The GLCC has historically been a little weak on transinclusion and I don't really think this is going to come as a shock to anyone. The truth is that Pittsburghers who are L, G, B and Q really have a long way to go when it comes to lifting up and including our trans brothers and sisters.

For a complete herstory on this situation, click here.

As the World Gayly Turns -- PG feature

Sue — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:24:00 -0500

Hey everybody! Something involving a c-file got all screwed up and our blog has been down for a few days. However, thanks to my trusty bloghost Geoff at Radio Left, things are shipshape again.

Today's Post-Gazette included an AP story on the current gay storyline on soap opera, As The World Turns, featuring a young gay male couple, Luke and Noah. Luke is the son of two of the most prominent families in Oakdale, Illinois - the Snyders and the Walshes. Noah is new to town, but has already distinguished himself with a homicidal military father and a long-lost mother-turned-madam. Said mother was killed by the homicidal father. Said father also tried to kill Luke, who ended up paralyzed in the process. Fast forward a few months, Luke is walking fine and enjoying mucho macho hugs with his lover boy.

What he isn't enjoying is any on-air kissin'. Fans aren't pleased and suspect that company bigwigs at Proctor and Gamble are avoiding the face to face time to appease their homobigot viewers. It is an interesting twist for a soap that has developed the most realistic and sensitive gay character in daytime history. It has been infused with soap dramatics, but Luke's coming out was handled really quite well.

[PG Spokeswoman] Tharrington laughed when asked about any behind-the-scenes debates over showing intimacy between the two men. "You wouldn't even believe," she said.

Producers are committed to telling the story of the romance, she said, adding she hoped the audience would recognize what "As the World Turns" is showing, instead of just what it isn't.

"We feel like we're doing so much right here," she said. "We're telling a story that no one else is doing. We're telling a story that has really engaged our audience."

Well, that's just bullshit. You want credit for pandering to perceived homophobia(apparently, no one is formally organizing the nuts)???? Sure the story is good, but neutering two perfectly healthy young men for the sake of being "unoffensive" is pretty darn well, offensive. As for a story noone else is telling, that's not quite true. All My Children's Bianca had a multi-year lesbian story, including a love affair with a transwoman. It was typically dramatic and had its flaws, but it certainly told a new story.

People aren't clamoring for full frontal nudity and sex scenes, after all. They just want you not to pan to the mistletoe during the kiss. P&G is just being silly.

WTAE defends transinclusive coverage

Sue — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:57:00 -0500

In this week's City Paper, WTAE defends their coverage of a story involving the river rescue of a woman who happened to be trans. They, along with just about every other local media outlet, were taken to task by local activists and allies for making the gender identity of the individual being rescued the story in lieu of the rescue itself. In WTAE's case:

Over at WTAE, Janelle Hall reported: "The waters of the Allegheny started to rise and trapped that person. Ninety minutes into the rescue, paramedics pulled a 27-year-old transgender woman to safety."

Setting aside how incredibly stilted that sounds, I fail to see why the fact that Rebecca Hare was a transwoman had any bearing on her rescue.

Here's how WTAE's Roberta Petterson responds.

We came up with a plan aimed specifically at not sensationalizing the story and we executed that plan. In hindsight, we could have done some things differently, like edit some of the soundbites with rescuers, but we felt they helped tell a more complete story. Overall, our primary concern was finding a way to tell the story without focusing on Hare's "trans-ness," to use a quote from the University of Pittsburgh professor cited in your story.

Petterson fails to explain how the fact that Rebecca is a transwoman tells a complete story. I don't believe WTAE contextualized her plight as a result of her identity as a transwoman. In fact, Petterson clearly states that they didn't even interview Rebecca. I haven't noted any follow up investigations on the plight of transwomen and transmen who are homeless in Pittsburgh. What complete story did they tell?

Each evening, the local news stations report on rescues and I have yet to see anyone identified as a "27 year old heterosexual, biological female" unless it has any direct relevance to the story. Believe me. I would notice any aberration from the "business as usual" coverage that presumes every yinzer and yinzerette in da burgh is straight as an arrow until it become sensational to drag out the stereotypical homo interviewees, ie. wealthy white gay men.

I like Roberta, but I still think WTAE dropped the ball on this story. If they had simply reported on a story about a woman trapped in rising rivers, that would be fine. The media created the story within the story. It doesn't matter how much effort you put into the decision -- Hall's report was flawed. Rather than get defensive, it would behoove them to reach out to local advocates and experts to make sure it doesn't happen again. Reach out to Persad and the GLCC and, yes, to the University of Pittsburgh professor quoted in the story (who happens to be a nationally renowned transadvocate).

Hopefully, WTAE and other local media outlets will more forward as we gear up for PrideFest and focus on providing some LGBT-positive coverage for the planned festivities. I know the temptation to highlight the stereotypes will be there, but surely a portion of the coverage could show some transpositive images as well. Here's hoping.

Media Outs Transwoman

Sue — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:14:00 -0500

In his brand spanking new blog, Slag Heap, the man called Potter critiques media coverage of the recent rescue of Rebecca Hare from being ensnared in the Allegheny River. Rebecca, who is homeless, had been staying along the riverside of the David Lawrence Convention Center and became trapped. She was rescued thanks to an astute convention center worker who heard her cries for help.

Thankfully, she was unharmed in the ordeal.

What's yet to be determined is how the ensuing media focus on her identity as a transwoman will impact her well-being. As Potter puts it:

Some reporters who covered the incident, however, were apparently still at sea.

The ensuing media hue and cry ranged from idiotic (referring to Rebecca as both a man and a woman in the same article) to the oh-so-obvious stupid (WDVE cackling about the price of a sex change versus the price of a home).

What I think Potter missed is a pretty critical point, namely that Pittsburgh media outed Rebecca Hare as a transwoman. However inadvertant, the bungling on the coverage of a story involving a person who happens to be a transwoman resulted in the entire region being informed of pretty intimate details of her life. Details that, on the face of it, have pretty much nothing to do with the story of saving a person who was living alongside the Convention Center.

Or do they?

A research study from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force indicates that LGBTQ kids -- yes, kids -- are disproportionately present among the general homeless population. It is not a big stretch to imagine that coming out to your family as trans might lead to being unwelcome in your home.

Similarly, an adult transitioning might experience unwelcomeness at the workplace or even the loss of a job in states that don't protect people based on gender identity or gender presentation. Loss of a job is a factor leading to homelessness.

An adult might experience similar unwelcomeness among family, even spouses, who aren't receptive to the news about their loved one. Loss of a support system is a factor leading to homelessness.

An adult might also cope with societal transphobia by turning to drugs and alcohol, also factors leading to homelessness.

My point is that the reasons Rebecca Hare ended up living alongside the David Lawrence Convention Center may very much indeed be connected to her identity as a transwoman, but none of the media coverage was intended to explore that connection, was it? Any follow up stories on the trans-friendliness of local homeless shelters, especially those administered by faith based organizations? Nope. We just get stupid jokes reducing gender transition to a sex change operation and comparing it with rising property rates.

What if Rebecca's family doesn't know she's living as a woman? What has happened to her since her rescue -- is she okay? Is she somewhere where she's being treated well? Is she okay with the repercussions that everyone in the tri-state area knows she is a transwoman?

One almost thinks the Post-Gazette should pick up the tab for a safe place for her to stay.

ps: I have been in touch with people that have connected with Rebecca to ask if there's anything we can do to help her. If you want to help, email me.

No longer a Vagina Monologues virgin

Sue — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:44:00 -0500

Saturday night, Ledcat and I caught a local performance of The Vagina Monologues at the City Theater. It was bloggers night. I snatched two tickets as soon as word hit the Internet. Clearly, this was the perfect occasion for Ledcat and I to see the show that pretty much defines your feminist street cred.

Overall, it was a good experience. The performers were engaging, the venue was comfortable and the crowd was energetic. They built up the tension by alternating humorous skits with soulful monologues. The piece about the use of rape in war zones was very sad. The piece that pushed the envelope involved a survivor of childhood sexual assault describing the healing she found at the age of 13 when she was "seduced" by a 24 year old woman.

That was tough and several of us chatting afterward agreed that there was just no way that was gonna fly. While you feel this empathy and appreciation that the child found solace and comfort being treated with gentleness, the fact remains that the 24 year old woman seducing a child is little better than the grown man who raped her at the tender age of 10. I was angry that the child's earlier experience made the "seduction" seem less of a violation.

You can catch the Vagina Monologues at the City Theater through Feb. 17th and if you mention "blog" when you call you can save $5.00. The number is 412-431-2489. (I learned that calling versus purchasing tickets online will save you a few extra dollars.)

After the show, we toodled up to Cambod-ican Kitchen which was packed. We caught a table in the corner and enjoyed one of favorite meals. If you like Asian food, I highly suggest you swing by sometime.

Sunday we met up with Gab Bonesso for a late breakfast at the Square Cafe. She and John McIntire have a show coming up on January 25 at the Club Cafe. We'll blog more about that later. Suffice to say that this show will be minus the clump of shlubs from her last show. Plus, one of our favorites, Jason Kirsch, will be performing.

Breakfast with Gab is a good time. She's one of the best hanger outters I know. Admittedly, I have low standards ... coffee and witty banter are my bailiwicks ... but throw in some bacon,and references to sixteen obscure bands that Ledcat loves and it is a heck of a morning.

I love The Big Bang Theory

Sue — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:29:00 -0400

I love the weirdest shows. My newest fav is CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" starring that cute little dude from Roseanne (another fabu show). It is a classic setup -- two nerdy guys and the hottie definitely unnerdy chic living next door. I expected little, but was mightily surprised at how freakin' awesome is the show.

Awesome, how? Well, there's the lesbian connection. Sara Gilbert, also of Roseanne and little sis of Melissa Gilbert, has a recurring role. Sara is a lesbian and she's really, really cute. Especially as a physics researcher wielding a violin. So that's a huge plus.

What's most engaging is the witty dialogue which reminds me of SportsNight. The writers make high falutin' science-speak ... funny. And not funny in a Revenge of the Nerds kind of way. Funny in an endearing, wry sort of way.

Here's my best example. The guys invite Penny over to watch their Superman marathon. She innocently said she didn't realize there was more than one Superman movie which makes them cringe. She asks why they like it so much. Sheldon pushes his way to the front and says "You have to suspend your disbelief ..." She interrupts "Because a man can't fly." He looks disdainfully at her and proceeds to explain the suspension of disbelief required by the scene where Superman catches Lois Lane falling from the sky ... because the laws of physics would dictate that a woman falling at that rate of speed into arms of steel would be cut to ribbons.

Does that translate in blogspeak? It is really a funny show. Mondays at 8:30 on CBS.

The lesbians say just do it.

The Awakening

Sue — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:22:00 -0400

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Gay Straight Alliances have positive impact on schools; Pittsburgh 92.9 not so much ...

Sue — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:35:00 -0400

A GLSEN study on the impact of student Gay Straight Alliances found that schools are generally less tolerant of homophobia, while LGBTQ students are less likely to hear gay slurs, more likely to perform well academically and feel safer in the classroom.

Wow, a supportive environment makes a difference for the well-being and academic progress of gay kids. Who would have thunk?

Not Gay and Beth of WLTF FM 92.9 and their parent company, Steel City Media. As I blogged last month, this morning duo allowed a caller to make a joke about a "dissing" tee shirt that read "If you aren't gay, why is your girlfriend calling me?" They ended the call and moved on. No comments repudiating a gay slur, nothing.

So, I complained using the form on the website, directed to the Program Manager. A few days later, PM Chuck Stevens told me would investigate and get back to me. The, I received an response from "Gary "

> in regard to your email...you had to be listening to someone else.

> there is no way you heard that with us. first of all, while it is

> impossible to meet the standards of every listener, i can assure you

> such a remark would not get by. if by chance you were listening to

> us, then it was taken out of context.

>

> i agree, such a remark is insensitive. it just didn't come from gary

> or beth. we value all our listeners and appreciate your input.

Huh. So, I took it out of context, even though there was "no way" it happened in the first place. I hope someone scripts this guy's witty banter, because wits are not his strong suit.

Note that I never said Gary & Beth MADE the comment -- simply that they allowed it on the air and that they didn't put it into context with any comments of their own. There is no way on God's green earth they would let a comment about a dissing shirt that was racist or anti-Semitic on the air. But it is okay for a grown adult - a parent - to mock gay kids. That's the message from Gary & Beth in the morning.

I complained again to the program manager. In essence, he refused to take responsibility for the call. He claims that Beth's statement that she doesn't like those shirts is the same thing as saying that mocking LGBTQ teenagers is wrong. I don't like your shirt = picking on gay kids is wrong. I missed that in my thesaurus.

I proposed that Gary & Beth invite GLSEN onto the show to talk a little bit about the impact of intolerance in the schools. Mr. Stevens disregarded my suggestion. Shocked, are ya? WLTJ just wants me to shut up and go away. They have no intention of highlighting gay anything on their programs.

It is disappointing that Mr. Stevens didn't recognize an opportunity to undo potential harm caused under his watch. If he can't allocate one small segment to the message that all kids deserve a safe learning environment, what does that say about his station's priorities?

Gary & Beth. Homophobia in the morning.

"Take your tolerance and shove it." -- wingnuts shower the love on Jerry Lewis

Sue — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:19:00 -0400

Good grief! I've been blogging for about 20 months during which I've tackled everything from Rick Santorum's former spokesfag to annoying Republican ice cream twins. I've mocked the homophobic Ravenstahl administration. I've targeted Joey Porter, the Archbishop of Nigeria, the City Paper, Edgar Snyder, a lesbian variety show, Pride in the Streets and most major religious denominations.

Sure, I get a few comments. I even had to delete one because it was so filled with hate-rhetoric. More frequently, my comments are interesting and instructive with the occasional naysayer.

Then today, my innocuous post about Jerry Lewis -- it wasn't even very well written or thoughtful with a very low snark factor --was picked up by CNN's blog referrals and generated hundres and hundreds of visitors. It also generated a lot really small-minded homobigoted comments.

Seriously - Jerry Lewis? That's the big draw. Sigh.

Here's some related stuff.

GLAAD's Press Release

Jerry Lewis' apology. Note that Lewis does not deny that he used the word "fag." He accepts responsibility. Hmmm.

Breaking News -- Jerry Lewis uses "fag" on the air during live telethon ...

Sue — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:27:00 -0400

h/t Ms. Monongahela

I did not see this myself, primarily because I would rather gouge my eyes out with a stick than sit through 78 hours of Jerry Lewis. Instead, I went shopping.

It seems I missed quite a moment today. Jerry Lewis refers to someone in the audience as "Jesse, an illiterate fag" while the audience titters and groans.

Tabloid Baby has the story.

Jerry really went and struck a blow against allowing 81-year-old tumlers to host live telethons when, in a bit, he referred to the imaginary son of a cameraman as "the illiterate fag."

It's Old School Vegas. Way old school. Did it take a bite out of donations? No. The final tote read $63.7 million for Jerry's 42nd telethon. Last year's record was $61 million.

But it could mean that Jerry goes the way of Imus and Rather...

Because I cannot figure out how to imbed the video, go here for the clip. <And someone tutor me on how to do it, please.>

Is this an Imus moment? Your thoughts?

Pgh Lesbian Variety Show Issues Statement Regarding Trans-Discrimination

Sue — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:50:00 -0400

I should preface by saying the CTN has repeatedly ignored my requests for comment. I received this through a local queer events email list.

As we reported two weeks ago, a local woman, Jessi Seams, alleges that Celebrate the Night, a lesbian variety show in honor of National Coming Out Day, discriminated against her by refusing to allow her to audition. Jessi, a transwoman, provided email from CTN claiming she was denied because she had been an escort, an allegation Jessi denies. CTN eventually acknowledged that they refused to allow Jessi to perform because a background search on the Internet found spaces where Jessi still identified herself as male. To date, CTN has not explained why they misled Jessi about the situation and continues to state they are transfriendly.

CTN's statement as per the Queer Events List:

   We, CTN, would like to thank everyone involved in this public discussion, and those who contacted us directly, for sharing open dialogue &/or showing support.
   CTN is growing and learning, and relies on the collaboration of volunteers and community. While we believe this situation could have been handled differently, we have taken all your feedback into consideration, and feel that CTN is going to be better and stronger as a result.
   CTN has been growing each year, thanks to the dedication of our completely voluntary committee, staff and the community, which we hope to serve. Every year, we learn more, and moving forward, we intend to re-evaluate our policies for next year. We acknowledge and accept that we can not, and will not please everyone. We also, as always, encourage everyone to get involved, if not with CTN, then thru another organization that aspires to help our community.  Sincerely, CTN

I'm going to be kind here b/c I do recognize that CTN is an amateur organization.

But this doesn't say anything, does it? It doesn't even use the words "discrimination" "transgender" or "inclusion," much less "we made a mistake." Cause clearly they don't think they have and they have no intention of acknowledging or rectifying their discrimination. "We cannot and will not please everyone" pretty well sums it up.

Does it please you, dear readers, that a woman in transition was accused of being a sex worker, denied the opportunity to face her accusers and in the end, discovers it was a cover for the real discrimination?

Does it please you, dear readers, that an organization honoring all women and the coming out process blatantly disrespects the unique (aren't they all?) coming out of a sister in transition?

Does it please you, dear readers, that CTN will not clarify their policies on background checks nor confirm if they are universally conducted?

Does it please you, dear readers, that CTN has subtly implied through various email messages that Jessi's behavior was vaguely threatening throughout the process with no real specifics? Doesn't that nicely reinforce the stereotype and tap into lesbian fears that she's really a man?

Does it please you, dear readers, that CTN will review their policies for next year? If policies are discriminatory, isn't now the time to address them? How will they do so? Will they contact the Pittsburgh Transsexual Support Group or Persad for assistance in reviewing those policies?

Personally, I need a bit more to go on before I would drop $20.00 at this point.

There should be more breaking on this story today. Live from Lesbian Central ....

A Lesbian Weekend in Pgh: Edgar Snyder, Yuppies and Decapitated Jesus

Sue — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 18:48:00 -0400

UPDATE: Upon the advice of my counsel, I have deleted references to minors that may or may not be affiliated with Mr. Edgar Snyder as well as comments about the parenting skills of adults that may or may not be the parents of said minors. My apologies for assuming that the behavior of children (older than age 4) who repeatedly bump into other people and occupy counter seats, intended for other patrons, while they wait for their table might be a reflection of the parenting skills of those supervising said children. Further, I should not jump to conclusions about the parenting skills of an individual who post their children's ages and gender as well as contact information for their father on a blog. Or sent his telephone number to the blog author whom he has never met. In all seriousness, I recently attended a workshop on Internet safety for my job -- it is NEVER safe to post email addresses or telephone numbers in relation to children. I am deleting that from his comment b/c I don't want to contribute to any harm or danger to children, regardless of my opinion of their parents.

***************************************************************

This is just a general rant about my weekend. Nothing too exciting.

Friday, I stayed home and recuperated from a hard week at work. My boss resigned and moved to Texas (she left today) so I was a bit down that evening. Ledcat made homemade pizza, so that helped.

Saturday, I had to trot off to Boyce Park for our company picnic. Ledcat chose not to come with as we were fairly sure I would be the token homo at the event. We was right. It wa a nice day for a picnic. After an appropriate amount of chatting and mingling and general revelry, I had to leave when the temperature soared and it became difficult to breathe. I then faced the odious task of getting home w/o the benefit of the Parkway East, a feat that took 30 extra minutes and a detour through Verona.

We had a contractor stop by which really excited me. We visited his sister's house a few weeks ago and saw his work firsthand. Awesome! Plus, he is one of those really cool people who is just nice. Plus, the dogs liked him. Check out his band. I hope we can get him to work on our house.

Afterwards, dinner with Ledcat's Mom at Muriel's. We love this place. I had the grilled chicken over quinoa, which I discovered is an Aztec grain. Ledcat had the special, Mahi Mahi. Ledcat's Mom and her ladyfriend had mushroom ravioli. After a quick trip to say hello to our 19 month old niece (totally awesome playtime), we sent Mom and ladyfriend back to Mercer County and headed over to the cinema at the Southside Works.

So I have to stop here and admit that I was wrong. I've been dissing the Works for a year as a pretentious, yuppie-filled magnet. I went to the Cheesecake Factory one time and waited in line against my will for 1.5 hours with a broken foot (long story) only to discover that it wasn't all that and a bag of chips. So I complained and whined whenever we returned. However, this time we decided to catch Hairspray at the Works. It was cool. No crowds, no whirling lights and no hideous video games. The staff was nice and the theater was pleasantly uncrowded. John Travolta was great.

Plus, in a surreal moment, we ran into two characters from our friend Ehrrin's blog .. E-dawg and Lareese. We were at the snack bar (small popcorn, no butter and a pepsi to share). That was kinda cool.

Sunday, we slept in and then headed to the Square Cafe to break our fast. It was semi-crowded, but nothing atypical. After being seated, Ledcat points out to me that Edgar Snyder was there with a large party, including several ~~bratty kids~~ poorly behaved individuals ~~who have the horrendous social skills instilled from privileged upper-middle class over-indulged white parents~~. A few moments later, we saw why when Edgar stormed up to the manager and threw an actual hissy fit because his meal for twelve took a more than ten minutes to prepare. I almost snorted my waffle when I saw him flailing his arms. That staff were very cool and composed even as he made a complete jackass of himself.

I guess all the money in the world can't buy class. I shared the story at a nearby coffeehouse later in the day, only to have the barista confirm that he's had similar encounters with Mr. Snyder at Whole Foods. As we had to make a Whole Foods stop, I was a little scared we'd see him again. Thank goodness, he took his brood to some other post-luncheon locale

We hit up the Co-op for some yummy groceries. I wanted lentils since my friend made us a great lentil dish a few nights ago after our composting workshop. Then we hit WF where I, apparently reaching my tolerance for yuppies, almost had a breakdown in the grains section when we couldn't find basmati rice. It was awful. Someone almost ran over my foot and another person actually rammed Ledcat's cart. I really don't like WF enough to put up with that crap. I'll take Shakespeare Giant Eagle anyday of the week.

So this weekend sort of turned my world upside down. Whole Foods is off my list for the time bing until they implement some yuppie control. Southside Works is back on my list until they install video games in the lobby. I've got 897 worms living in the basement eating my rotten peaches. I'm going to try and cook lentils. And I'm seriously contemplating installing this in my backyard.

One final note. Chris Potter and his posse take us inside the world of buskers. I have to admit that I hate buskers. In theory, they are a cool, alternative form of entertainment and I certainly get that they have a right to make a living. But there's a violinist who plays in front of the Manor in Squirrel Hill. She takes up half the entrance and is very dramatic. It is all very charming in a delusional, upscale sort of way. But I hate dodging her when I come and go. A few weeks ago, it got worse when this dancing woman showed up. Not only did the completely block the entrance, but a large crowd gathered to watch. I made a few attempts to pass by, but I almost got knocked over by whirling girl. Getting into a movie theater isn't an ultimate sport. So I left. And I complained to the owner who promised me they would be more attentive to keeping the entrance clear. Great. Because that's why I went to the Southside Works this weekend. I'll go back and give it a try. Eventually. When the scars heal.

So that's my busking story. God bless 'em for trying to make a buck.

Me and McIntire talk about the Dyke March this afternoon

Sue — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:30:00 -0400

Yo yo yo ... maclesbians. OK, that worked so much better in my head. :-)

Never one to let Jim and Randy beat him on a salacious topic, John has asked me to do a segment on the upcoming 2nd Annual Dyke March today at 2:25 on 93.7, The Zone. They may have broken the story, but MacYapper has a dyke in his pocket.

It ain't gonna be the same discussion you would hear on Lynn Cullen, but the spirit of the Dyke March isn't about hiding out in safe spaces. It is about claming new spaces.

So tune in ... I have no clue where the conversation will go, but I'm sure it will be interesting.

Riveting Rosies Rock

Sue — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 21:58:00 -0400

UPDATE: See You Tube link at the end ...

******************************************************

Here's one suggestion for a perfect summer evening: spend a few balmy hours out on the patio of a local coffeehouse in the company of friends (and your lover) while you listen to some of Pittsburgh's talented chica singer-songwriters, collectively known as the Riveting Rosies.

I was feeling rather nosy

so I thought that I would go see

the most Riveting of Rosies

the stage was kind of cozy

There's more than one singer of these lyrics that keeping running through my mind.

The most I seek my music locally the closer I am to fine ...

Better keep my day job, huh?

Seven women filled the stage with more than an evening's worth of melody, harmony and memory. The Rosie's include:

Tracy Drach - after a few bars of her first song, I immediately thought of that perfect moment in the morning when you caress your first cup of coffee -- rich and strong with just a hint of cream. The kind of java that you need to drink so it can sustain you through the rest of the day. That's what I thought about. I also thought that Tracy's voice is exactly how I sound in my head when I belt out my favorite tunes.

Stacy Mates - She sang this really unique love song about hating Ohio. It worked. Here's what I noticed about Stacy -- she sang harmony on just about every song the others performed and she was really good. Good as in transforming a good song into a really great performance.

Patty Spinner - I kept thinking I knew her songs or maybe I just should know them. I wrote in my notes (yes, I carry a notepad with me to capture bloggable moments) "fuses good rhythmic guitar with interesting lyrics." She's moving away which is a pity b/c she has this whole package of good songs, good instrumentation (is that the right word?) and a good voice. Plus, she played the washboard. How cool is that?

Heather Kropf - Heather played the keyboard at the back of the stage, so she was sort of this mysterious goddess voice speaking from the midst of the Rosies. She had a really rich and polished voice. She also was incredibly gracious about lifting up her talented friends. I bought one of her CDs. I expect it to be good.

Janet Ingram - Janet had a great dress on. I know that seems like a shallow thing to observe, but I just had to put that out there. Janet was wry and funny. She writes some cool stuff, especially a great song about actually liking Pittsburgh. That alone gives her a kajillion bonus points in my book. I would love a copy of that song.

Sue Gartland - Another irrelevant note: Sue has an uncanny resumblance to my sister-in-law Candace. So I was disposed to really like her from the get go. She did not disappoint. She has a rich, charismatic voice and really delightful lyrics. She had a super fun song about fast food that really transported me right to my childhood. I was disappointed that she didn't have a CD.

And, finally, there's Eve Goodman. You may recall that we really like Eve's music. It has just been a little over a year since we met her and her also very cool significant other. We've had the good fortune to get to know them a bit which just adds to the pleasure of listening to her perform. What struck me the most last night was what a wicked guitar player she is. She played the entire evening and the other performers gave her multiple shout outs for her improvisations. She is seriously really good. Really. The other thing that struck me was how much she was enjoying herself.

My only wish would have been for the performers to reconstruct an unexpected song, much like Mary Chapin Carpenter and friends during their "Singer-Songwriter" tour a few years ago. I think her group did a folk take on a boy band song. As I was composing this, Blondie comes on the radio. I'd love to hear Dreaming or maybe I Love Rock and Roll or even I Wanna Be Sedated. Maybe I'm weird, but I think it would be fun. (Please no Beatle songs. Thank you.)

It was a really nice evening. The weather was great. The crowd was mellow. Yes, there were a few less than perfect moments. The menu was really limited which was a bummer because we had to get there super early to get a seat. The opening act (Prickly Pear?) was just so-so, but drew this really large group of people with toddlers and preschoolers. It was like a conference of yuppies with poor parenting skills. The kids were cute, but unruly. Their parents were not so cute, especially those who were actually pouting because they couldn't find a seat. One woman plopped her toddler down on the pathway between the kitchen and the patio, taking umbrage when the chef politely asked her to move. Jesus.

Plus, this is the second venue we've been to where the hummus is not accompanied by pita or anything crispy. Just veggies. Ironically, the Quiet Storm (veggie heaven) does serve pita. What's up with that?

The Riveting Rosie's are definitely worth an evening of your time. Or two. You'll have a good time. And you'll support local music. Do it.

UPDATE: I found an excerpt of the Mary Chapin Carpenter Singer/Songwriters Tour. And, yes, it includes a few moments of their rendition of "I Want It That Way." So without further ado ...

Non-Live Blogging: Luke really knows how to throw a party

Sue — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:56:00 -0400

This afternoon, I thought it might be interesting to live blog an event that the Mayor actually attends. Something critical and groundbreaking, perhaps even newsworthy. Like, say perhaps, a "garden" party to celebrate his single-handed reclamation of a porn palace for the good citizens of Pittsburgh. <insert applause>

So off we toddled to West Park for the 4 PM kick-off time. We were promised live music and refreshments, plus entertainment. After snagging a primo parking spot on Arch Street, we thought things were going to be groovy and we were really looking forward to seeing the theater.

Unfortunately, Luke's partying aptitude requires a heavy dose of yinzerettes and Iron City, because this was just ... sad.

See, the party was across the street from the Garden Theater. But ... we weren't allowed to go in because there was a performance scheduled for later that evening. The nice lady keeping the homeless people away from the refreshment stand told us that we could save $2.00 on admission to the show. She also told us that the garden party was from 1 - 4 PM (it was 4:15 at the time) and refreshments would be served at 5 PM. So, perhaps she wasn't the most reliable of reporters.

This is where I stop the narrative. Why would you throw a party to celebrate reclaiming a theater and not let people see it? What the hell? Instead, I got to see 20 photos of the glory days and argue with a fussy gay man that, no I was not spending time at the Garden in 1974, because I was three years old and dealing with a curfew. Thus, I could not authentically sign his Garden Theater memory book. He seemed pissed.

So we milled around with the yuppies for awhile and fended off the overly eager Citi-Parks employees handing out programs, as well as some frightening giant puppet people. There were a few artsy vendors. I think someone drew a giant circle of protection in chalk around the whole affair to ward off people who don't pay property taxes. <am I being too mean? Ledcat thinks that, yes, I am.>

Meanwhile, I thirsted. The food lady told me that there were two whole coolers of beverages, but none for me. I had to wait until after the Mayor spoke. Cause if you throw a summer party and invite the entire Northside, why provide beverages to slake their thirst? Make 'em wait! I suppose I could trot down to the corner store ... oh wait, this is the Northside. The corner store is 17 blocks away. Darn.

My thirst got the best of me. So we trotted back to Arch Street with plans to head to see our niece and get a glass of water to boot. With ice. On the way, we passed a car with tags that read "Ms. Tonya" and a bumper stickers proclaiming "African-Americans for Kerry/Edwards" so I presume my City Council Rep was there. Good for her.

I hope she brought a bottle of water.

Truth be told, I wasn't really going to live blog. I brought my trusty notepad and several pens. I even wrote some stuff down until I was accosted by yet another puppet person and decided to flee for the relative sanctity of Perry Hilltop. I did make time to stop and tell all the locals (taxpayers and otherwise) that dinner was on at 5 PM sharp.

This was a silly little event designed for self-congratulations and the never-ceasing Mayoral commitment to throw us off the important issues. Who throws a party and doesn't let you see the inside of the building? If my tax dollars built the damn barn, get the friggin giant puppet the hell out of the way and let me see what I have bought.

Maybe they should just send the giant puppets to City Council meetings and leave Luke to do the really important stuff ...

City Paper on PrideFest or not

Sue — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:44:00 -0400

The CP sent Jared Trent Stonesifer to cover Pride. In this article, he discussed the evening block party (Pride in the Streets), the Awareness March, the Pride Theatrer Festival and the Warhol exhibit on queer black life in the 30's and 40's.

Notice anything missing?

Yep, he forgot to cover the actual festival (PrideFest). The space filler between the march and the block party. Big stage, dozens of vendors, throngs of people numbering in the thousands. People with kids making crafts. People with lovers making out. Gay people EVERYWHERE.

Granted, I myself said it was a nice event, but relatively uneventful. Still, I did mention it. Not so much Mr. Stonesifer. What's up with that?

Here's a great example of why focusing on the block party alone does not do justice to our community. You get folks like this:

Partners Keith Parker and Bob Paraschak called Pittsburgh's gay community "horrible and unorganized," a label that people like Schneck are trying to get rid of by hosting larger and more organized events like Pride in the Street. "It's a 'don't ask, don't tell' mentality in Pittsburgh," Paraschak said. "It's not that people here aren't open; they just don't participate."

Wow. Keith and Bob are pretty harsh. Even I don't go that far. And it is patently not true. PrideFest is a huge event and very well organized, primarily because it is coordinated by the Gay & Lesbian Community Center. An organization much lacking in horribleness. Then there's the film festival, the assorted sports leagues, the health providers, the queer arts scene ... the list of well-organized, cool events is pretty lengthy. Last time I checked, lots of people were participating in those events. So my quibble here is with Keith and Bob.

Or this

Mack feels that a close-minded attitude is still prevalent in Pittsburgh, but events like Pride in the Street are providing a brighter future for the gay community in the city.

"Pittsburgh pride grew up tonight," Mack said. "Parties like this stimulate people to come out of their closet and celebrate. This is a great party, and hopefully it will get better every year."

That's really sad. A block party provides a brighter future? What about PrideFest? What about ... ah, shucks. Why bother? People quoted in this article aren't attending Steel City Stonewall Meetings. They aren't volunteering with GLENDA. They aren't bowling or square dancing. They go to bars. So a giant bar in the middle of Liberty Avenue complete with Bruce Villance in the middle square is their idea of progress. Sigh. It is too sad to even get worked up about any longer.

It was a lackluster article. I miss Marty Levine.

ps: the article does quote this blog. It doesn't really make sense since I wrote specifically about the festival and the article didn't mention the festival, but what can you do ...

We're headed for PrideFest this weekend (and FLUX, too)

Sue — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:40:00 -0400

PrideFest. Our annual celebration of our community pride. Saturday, June 16, 2007. Riverfront Park on the North Shore. The march kicks off at 12 PM. The festival itself begins at 1 PM. We like to watch the march at the beginning (5th and Ross) and then hop in the car to drive down to the North Shore.

Visit the official PrideFest website for more details. I will warn you that it's really wordy and texty, but after a few peruses you'll get the gist of it all. Apparently, they ran out of bullet points at the GLCC. :-)

I always enjoy PrideFest because I like visiting the vendors, eating a hot dog and catching a squat while visiting with old friends. I like the entertainment. I simply like being surrounded by thousands of gay people. I hope a lot of people turn out. In fact, I expect a good turnout. It may only be a giant party, but it is proof positive of just how significant the LGBT community is.

That evening, a block party has been planned on Liberty Avenue. We were tempted to go for the kitsch of seeing Tiffany perform, but the prospect of hanging amidst a large group of streetsy drunken gay people isn't really appealing.

Thank goodness for FLUX which is being held downtown on Saturday evening. We went to FLUX in Braddock and it was really nifty. Performance art, installations, music, cool usage of spaces, interesting people and a really lively vibe. For $10, you get all that. It is at 610 Smithfield Street above Brooks Brother. Be there!

I miss the days when we had a PrideMonth with workshops and discussions and pancake breakfasts and all that wonderful stuff. It was great. Perhaps someday ...

Purse Totin' Tinky Winky Gay - Again?

Sue — Wed, 30 May 2007 09:32:00 -0400

Oh those wacky Polish children's rights watchers .... always a day behind and a dollar short. Remeber back in 1999 when Jerry Falwell deemed Teletubbie Tinky Winky a homo because he carried a purse (TW is the purple one)? Now Ewa Sowinski is on the same bandwagon. Well, she way until apparently someone reminder her of 1999 so she's off again.

"I noticed that he has a purse, but I didn't realize he's a boy. At first I thought that must be a bother for him," Sowinska told the magazine in an interview her office approved before publication. "Later I learned that there could be some hidden homosexual undertones."

Sowinska is a member of the League of Polish Families party, which is militantly anti-gay rights and anti-abortion. The party is a junior member in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Spokespeople from Sowinska's office have confirmed that they will not ask psychologists to examine the character.

Kacszynski has famously said, ""It's not in the interests of any society to increase the number of homosexuals, that's obvious."

I have a recurring dream that my father and I are on a long highway and we see a bridge that says "This way to Poland" and another exit that says "This way to France." For some reason, I always want to go to Poland. My father goes to France anyway. For the record, as a lesbian and a woman, I'd much rather go to France. Thank goodness for my Dad.

Gay man with local roots named associate helm of Three Rivers Arts Festival

Sue — Sun, 27 May 2007 08:58:00 -0400

From today's Post-Gazette, I learned that the Three Rivers Arts Festival has recruited a talented young gay man as the associated director. His name is Chris Taylor, he's from Penn Hills and he describes himself as "single and looking for a domestic partner." Love that.

Taylor recently earned an M.A. in administration and policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since his last year of graduate school, he'd been director of community and cultural programs for the Center on Halsted, a Chicago gay and lesbian community organization.

Always nice when there is a bit of good gay news in the paper. Welcome back to Pittsburgh, Chris.

Kennywood De-Gays Pirate Show, Pleads For Homos to Stop Calling

Sue — Mon, 21 May 2007 21:35:00 -0400

Queers 1, Kennywood 0.

As we reported last week, Kennywood, the bastion of local family fun, was producing a pirate themed show that featured homophobic content ... lispy voice, gay kissing panic, you know the drill. In response to a complaint, Kennywood General Manager Jerome Gibis said he didn't find the content offensive and wasn't going to change the content without more complaints.

Intrepid Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force employee, Mary Hawk, brought the issue to the attention of Pittsburgh's gay community via email. Word spread like wildfire. And the complaints commenced. No numbers are available, but apparently the threshhold for "a lot" was surpassed by Saturday afternoon.

Mary received a call from Mr. Gibis, informing her that the offensive lines were removed. She shared the good news by email:

"I wanted to let you know that I just got a
call from Jerome Gibis at Kennywood, who said they had removed the
remarks we were concerned about from the dive show. Apparently, he
got quite a few phone calls yesterday and today. Thank you all for
forwarding the message, and to those of you who made calls."

Local queer advocate Ehrrin Keenan, owner the queer-events email list, got involved and sent me a transcript of her telephone conversation with Mr. Gibis:

> JG:  Hi, I'm returning your call regarding your concern with the
> content of our of our shows.
> EK:  Yes, hello.  Thank you for calling.
> JG:  Can I ask how you heard about this?
> EK:  Sure.  I received an email that was forwarded from an email that
> Mary Hawk sent out to her co-workers after her conversation with you
> about the homophobic content in the "Pirates of Kenny Cove" show.
> JG:  Yeah, I guess Mary told a lot of people.
> EK:  Yep.  And, lots of other people told their friends, and friends
> of friends, etc.  You told Mary that you required "additional
> comments" before you'd consider removing that content from the
> show.  I, and many others, wanted to make sure you received the
> comments you needed.
> JG:  Well, it really was only about three words.  I mean, it's
> entertainment, and everyone has a different idea about what's
> funny, so we can't change everything just because one person
> doesn't like it

.> EK:  I think Mary explain pretty thoroughly that it had nothing to do
> with whether she "liked it" or not.  It had to do with a particular
> scene that was homophobia parading as comedy.  She also explained
> exactly why it was offensive, and who it could harm, and how it could
> harm them.
> JG:  Well, everyone has a different idea of what's funny.
> EK:  Indeed.  Some people find homophobia funny.  Some people find
> racism funny, too, but we generally recognize that those things
> aren't acceptable, and in fact, can be very, very harmful.
> JG:  We removed it, so that was all I was calling to say.> So, yeah.  He didn't remove it because it was the right thing to
> do, or because he saw the point when someone brought it up to him,
> but because he got too many calls and emails and wanted it to stop

I wonder if Jerome listened to Don Imus? Because he comes across like an ignorant oaf. I mean seriously, dude, how can you not recognize that a prancing, lisping gay pirate offering to perform mouth mouth resucitation is homophobic? The whole point of the "joke" is to mock homosexuals. I fail to see how a man bright enough to run an amusement park could miss that point. Obviously, Kennywood needs to work on their cultural sensitivity training. Or their management training.

Ehrrin makes an excellent point about the motivation for the change -- nothing to do with righting a wrong or addressing homophobia. Rather, it was simply a matter of appearsing a vocal minority. Kennywood doesn't give a damn about inciting gay bashing; they just want the homos to stop calling.

Nonetheless, the queer community should be very proud of this small success. Stamping out offensive language that could potentially harm our children (and the children of straight folks) is an important thing and kudos to everyone who took the time to make those phone calls.

Good job, gay people!

The Trib on Pittsburgh Lesbian Scene - Huh?

Sue — Sat, 19 May 2007 11:02:00 -0400

OK, this just strikes me as weird. The Tribune-Review sent a reporter to OUTrageous Bingo to do a story on the lack of a lesbian scene in Pittsburgh. "Lesbian scene" should always be read as "no lesbians bars," but we'll get to that in a moment.

OUTrageous Bingo is a mixed event - gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered men and women, old people, young people, etc. Why not send a reporter to an actual lesbian event (or a queer women's event) where it more likely you'll find a diverse group of people who are a little plugged in and can say with some authority what's missing?

Anyway, I personally get really tired of people moaning that there is no lesbian bar in Pittsburgh. Good grief. Of all the types of lesbian-friendly places I can conceive, one covered in smoke soot and encouraging women to consume alcohol is not high on my list of lesbian friendly ideals. I could take us on a little trip down the wonderful world of lesbian health to see the disproportionate impacts of alchol abuse and nicotine addiction in the lesbian community, but I'll restrain myself. It always strikes me as ironic that women who so enthusiastically support the ESTHER project, a lesbian health project, are the ones complaining about the bar situation.

Now that I got that off my chest, I have to say that the women profiled in the story made some excellent points about many projects and events being dominated by gay men, the small group of the same people who show up for everything, etc. And it is interesting how the younger women are picking up the mantle to get new kinds of things with an old twist organized. Sarah Claire, for example, organizes dance parties at the smoke free Ava Lounge in East Liberty. Cool. Ehrrin Keenan organizes lesbian book club and game nights. Very cool. Kat and Rowan got the potluck up and running smoothly. Awesome. We need to keep that kind of initiative flowing.

Now see Ledcat and I would do all of those things. Except we haven't. Because life gets in the way. Maybe part of the issue is that women have pretty full plates so a once a month or once every other month outing to a lesbian-centric event is enough. Maybe we've integrated as lesbians into society enough that our social needs can be filled outside of a lesbian bar.

Maybe its no longer about retreating to a lesbian-centric space as claiming our own spaces as lesbian-centric. Isn't that what we've been struggling for all these years? I'm not saying we don't need lesbian oriented places. But maybe they aren't bars. Maybe it's the fact that I can walk into Cafe Beleza on teh Northside, holding Ledcat's hand and call her honey without thinking twice about it. Or maybe that we can go out to dinner at the Square Cafe, staffed mainly by lesbians, and do the same thing. Or fly a rainbow windsock on my porch on a street with one other gay couple. Or that I have her picture on my desk at work.

Maybe this is an opportunity to generate a new sense of space and community.

To be fair, the article missed some pretty big things, namely the Dyke March and Celebrate the Night. It missed the queer performance events and the queer arts scene almost completely. It completely missed the Burghosphere.

It also missed the ongoing tension between gay men and lesbians over power and control of LGBTQ resources. This dynamic is at play whether its bar owners complaining about lesbians who drink water all night or the debate about the misanthropic content of drag queen shows.

The sidebar article sums up why this piece was not a hallmark step forward for the lesbians in Pittsburgh. The editor helpfully included a list of contact information for the events described in the main story, which is especially good for those lesbians in the hinterlands that aren't sure how to go about finding these resources. Kudos to the Trib. However, the title of that sidebar? Where the girls are.

'nuff said.

Kennywood Unfurls Homophobic Gay Pirate Show

Sue — Sat, 19 May 2007 10:02:00 -0400

An email message has been circulating the Internet for the past 24 hours, claiming that the newest entertainment at Kennywood has homophobic content and asking the community complain about it. I've been unsuccessful in contacting the individual, an employee of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, but have received several copies of the message from credible leaders in the LGBT community who obviously know this woman enough to put their name behind her story. Thus, I've opted to go ahead and post about the rumor.

According to her email, she recently visited Kennywood and caught the newest dive show performance:

>>   I was at the dive show, which this year is pirate-themed.  The
>> scenario is that the captain of the pirate crew is drowning, but
> his
>> crew members reject the idea of giving him mouth-to-mouth
>> resuscitation.  However, one of the crew members runs up, gives a
>> swishy flip of his wrist, and says in a lispy voice, "I'll do
> it,
>> sweetie!"  To this, the Master of Ceremonies replies, "Hey, hey,
>> we'll have none of that here!"  How homophobic and unnecessary.

Typical stupied homophobic humor. You would think after Johnny Depp's performance as a fey pirate, they would have enough sense to use a little wink, wink swish to make their gay references. Fortunately, they are stupid enough to be blatant which means they got caught. A ha!

The author took action and contacted Kennywood management.

>>   After a couple of calls to Kennywood, I finally got a call back
>> from the general manager, who said that he didn't pick up on
> the
>> content as being offensive, in fact didn't even think about it
>> until he got my message and then went to see the show again.  He
>> basically said he was not concerned about it, and generally they
>> don't change show content until they get numerous complaints.
> As
>> such, is going to leave the show as it is.  (I could tell he thinks
>> I'm crazy, which I may be, but not about this.)

Thus, content is not offensive unless they get a critical mass of complaints. Then it is still not offensive, but might cost money so they'll consider pulling it. Overall, things ain't gonna change at Kennywood if people don't complain.

The rumors that Kennywood is not gay-friendly have been circulating for years. I've had very credible LGBTQ community members share stories about management resistance to a "Gay Day" at Kennywood. Apparently, we are welcome to come spend our money as long as we aren't too flamboyantly gay. That's reserved for the pirates. However, when Ledcat and I are in line, we notice dozens of homos, coupled and not. None, to my knowledge, have attempted to convert the innocent children running amok without parental supervision -- if anyone should be banned from Kennywood, it is children dumped by their parents for 8 hours and a few $20 bills.

And make no mistake about it -- the kids know we are gay. They aren't stupid. They see gay people at school, on television, in the movies and on the Internet. They probably know the coded gay behaviors better than most gays. Kennywood isn't protecting them from anything other than lessons in tolerance.

So now throw a gay pirate into the mix. How original! Why not take a group of sugar hyped unsupervised teenagers and infuse a little gay-panic into the mix? Cause the kid they all pick on for being a sissy -- he's probably somewhere in the park, maybe with his kid sister. And when they track him down, will the pirates come to his rescue? Will the sweeper chicks use their pans to defend him? Will anyone even care as long as he doesn't bleed in front of Kiddieland?

Our on the scene correspondent has a few more thoughts:

>>   I then pointed out to him that a majority of our local population
>> may not find these comments offensive, but that this doesn't
> make
>> it right to continue it.  I also said that many individuals who are
>
>> indeed offended by it may not be able voice their concerns, for
> fear
>> of having to identify themselves as gay and or being perceived as
>> gay.  I also said that the young, gay teen who is watching the show
>
>> and is hurt by those comments, will certainly not complain to
>> management.  I further encouraged him to do the right thing for the
>> voices that can't express themselves.  However, he said he is
>> going to leave the show as it is unless he gets any additional
>> comments.

Amen, sister. He's being a stupid homophobic ass.

The general manager of Kennywood is Jerome Gibas. I left a message asking for a comment. No response thus far.

Please pick up the phone and let Kennywood know this is unacceptable. It is stupid pandering to the latent homophobia in their audience and just absurd content for kids to view. Family friendly my ass. Why not hoist a giant Rosie O'Donnell balloon and let kids go to town with paint ball guns?

The park phone number is 412-461-0500. You will need to select Guest Relations
from the menu and ask to speak with Jerome.

Funny Man

Sue — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 20:07:00 -0400

New York based comedian Victor Varnado is hysterical. Check out this Village Voice article to see for yourselves. He occasionally rolls into town courtesy of local comedian Gab Bonesso.

******************************************************

Disclosure and update: Ledcat told me I wasn't being completely honest about this post. We saw Victor a few weeks ago when he came to town for the anniversary tour we had caught the year before. I introduced myself to him. He gave me the limp, damp handshake and barely mouthed "nice to meet you" before sighing deeply and turning away to talk with his friends. I was pissed. Ledcat was more compassionate and assumed that he has an on-stage and off-stage switch. I still say if someone shows up to see you perform, pays for it and learns that because of a screw-up on your end they have to wait an entire hour ... you could at least PRETEND to interact with them. Acting. Its called acting. I fake being interested in people all the time. At work. At family gatherings. Its called acting.

Thus, Victor is funny but not very well-mannered. It does matter.

***********************************************************

Buffy Sing-A-Long This Friday -- How Very Gay!

Sue — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:31:00 -0400

PrideFest 2007 Entertainment Lineup Announced

Sue — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:22:00 -0400

Well, I got one out of seven right. LOL. Sarah Claire will be part of the 2007 PrideFest Entertainment lineup. Another local fav that I forgot to put in my list is Tracy Drach.

Here's the rest of the lineup and it looks rather interesting ... a little reggae/ska, a little folk music and a comedian from the national scene.

Dreams of Hope

Cindy Shaffer (organizer of Celebrate the Night)

Sasha - Miss Pittsburgh 2007

Renaissance City Choir

The Flow Band - what's better on a June afternoon than some reggae by the river?

Eric Himan - a Pittsburgh boy done good on the national scene

The comedian is Poppy Champlin who is billed as the lovechild of Ellen Degeneres and Dennis Leary. Hmm. Her website looks interesting, but I'm still torn. Tapping into local talent seems really important to building community, but tapping into national names is also important into building the event which builds community. Decisions, decisions.

Overall, I'm looking forward to PrideFest. That evening there's a sort of street festival planned (I think by the Tavern Guild). Whole bunch of behind the scenes rumors floating around about that which I am investigating. Apparently, they are bringing in Bruce Villanch and Tiffany (yes, the mall princess of the 80's).

I don't think an alcohol laced street festival is my personal style, but at least its something ...and hopefully, there will be the 2nd Annual Dyke March Friday before PrideFest.

I can't believe PrideFest is only two months away.

Dennis Miller Listeners -- Smart AND Sassy?

Sue — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:16:00 -0400

My favorite headline of recent days ...

Dennis Miller leads a pack of hosts pining for a fan base that's young, smart, sassy and male

Not sure how many yinzers want to be chalked up as sassy males, but you never know. I've been wrong about these things before.

Has anyone listened to the Zone? Thoughts? Comments? I do have to point out that I made my break into Pittsburgh radio on the original The Zone 98.7 out of Charleroi. I was on the sister AM station but occasionally sat in for a segment or two. I digress.

I can't listen to McIntire's show b/c I'm at work and would get fired for hoo-haa discussions on my radio. Plus Thom Hartmann is on during that time slot and I LOVE Thom Hartmann -- just picked up his new book at the library. So in a sick sort of way the hoo-haa debate makes me choice easy. LOL. I'm not gonna listen to Dennis Miller. I did tune in to hear Scott Paulsen talk with Tom Sokoloski -- that was an interesting segment.

Inquiring lesbians want to know if The Zone brings out the sassy in its listeners. That's something we'd have to investigate.

My Wish List for PrideFest Entertainment 2007

Sue — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 06:30:00 -0500

Pittsburgh is fortunate to have a talented pool of queer and queer-friendly performance artists, some of whom I have met over the past year. They include singer-songwriters, spoken word artists, comedians, poets, rappers, puppeteers, and so forth.

PrideFest is the annual community celebration of all things queer (or gay) and includes a chunk of stage time dedicated to performances. Among the usual suspects are the Renaissance City Choirs (men and women) and a slew of drag queens as well as some other amateur artists.

See the disconnect? What I'm wondering is why this whole group of talented professional and semi-professional queer artists are not on the PrideFest performing schedule? I know the budget doesn't allow for bringing in a huge name, but given that some of our homegrown talent have performed around the country it would seem worthwhile to give them a shot at headlining. Or at least allocating a slot or two. To be fair, I have to wonder why the artists haven't pursued it themselves more aggressively. As most of them seem to perform at every other queer benefit in the region, it doesn't make sense.

My gut tells me that this is a mini-front for some of the internal culture wars in the queer/gay community. PrideFest is this odd fusion of mainstream family-friendly festivalishness (lemonade, non-profit vendors, children's areas) atmosphere with the retro shout out to the drag queens. The queer arts movement is less focused on assimilating into mainstream heteroculture and more in tune with queer identity.

PrideFest should be the venue where these disparate trends find, at least for one day, a common ground in celebrating all aspects of our community. There's small movements on either side --- the Pride parade is now an awareness march. Its not earthshattering but it does shake off some of the complacency of the white upper middle class gays who aren't always attuned to those outside their realms of privilege. Just as seeing lots of gay couples with babies and toddlers enjoying an afternoon of family fun reminds this lesbian of how much progress has been made at shifting the heteronormative standards of "family."

The arts would be a powerful venue to explore the intersection of these two seemingly disparate communities.

So I've begun compiling a list of all the local performers I would like to see at PrideFest. It is on the right hand side of this blog, with links to their assorted websites and myspace pages. It is not comprehensive by any means. Check out their sites and see what they have to offer. In my opinion, they have something meaningful to say to the entire gay/queer community.

Let them entertain us.

If you'd like to volunteer for the PrideFest committee, clink on the icon above for more information.

Meliss and Tammy at the Oscars

Sue — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 10:56:00 -0500

Ellen was funny. Too bad we had to sit through 750 tribute and homage videos, not to mention a sound effects choir. B-O-R-I-N-G. I would rather listen to all the flaming fashion critics screech their way through the entire red carpet line, including the men, than sit through that again. Word of advice -- let the entertainers entertain. Nobody cares about the sound effects choir. I'm sure they get union scale and benefit from a job well done. No one puts me up on stage in a social workers choir and I expect the same consideration from you. The only montage I want to see is the dead people. That's okay even if you feel bad for the people who get weak applause.

Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly sang something. We could barely hear the words except for "Tonight I'm taking Helen Mirren and an Oscar home." Jack Black should just stick with being the sidekick. Like John C. Reilly who is actually very good at it and I'm sure has a nice career. Jack Black is just annoying. His only redeeming quality is that he knows Sarah Silverman.

Al Gore was awesome. People seemed to think he might actually announce. At the Oscars. Sad little people. You give Al no credit for a sense of humor. He was awesome. I guess its okay for the Oscars to be political about the environment. I thought his comment about the Oscars being as green as possible was ridiculous b/c it was so not true. But what are you gonna do -- he's Al Gore and he's not running for President.

Abigail Breslin was very charming. Penelope Cruz was smoking in her big furry dress. Beyonce more than held her own singings with J. Hud. Helen Mirren looked delicious. I don't know what the hell happened to Cameron Diaz's hair or why a giant Christmas ribbon attacked Nicole Kidman, but overall it made for entertaining fare. Plus, we got to hang out with our niece for a few hours who was very charming in her monkey pajamas and Zoe slippers. A nice bedtime toddler ensemble.

I saved the best for last. Melissa and Tammy. They looked great. Melissa won an Oscar. Ellen hosted Rock on famous lesbians, rock on.

Pittsburgh music you won't want to miss

Sue — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:20:00 -0500

Its a brrrrryyyy cold week here in da 'burgh. Being firmly ensconced on the couch with some illness of indeterminate origin, I don't have much in the way of excitement or cool tidings to share with you. My supervisor actually sent me home from work. It was just like elementary school without the call for my mom to come pick me up.

Some cool things did catch my eye ....

You can catch our friend and awesome performer Eve Goodman live in a couple of venues this week. Tomorrow (1/24) at the Backstage Bar at Theatre Square downtown and Friday (1/26) at Aldo Coffee Company in Mt. Lebanon. We've been to Aldo Coffee Company and its a fun trendy little spot right in the heart of Mt. Lebanon. Literally, in the midst of a neighborhood! You'll love it and you'll love Eve's music. Its a great evening out for you and your friends (and affordable -- coffee plus tips). Check out Eve's website for information on her music. She's luminous (and very funny)!

Thursday 1/25 check out the Art From Chaos Music Series at Modern Formations Gallery in Garfield. This regular series held monthly on the last Thursday will feature Nashville singer/songwriter Amelia White with Pittsburgh artists Bill Eberle and Autumn Ayres as her opening acts. We love Bill and Autumn!

Something for every night of the week to satisfy your music cravings. What could be better than a cup of coffee, a snug window seat and great local music?

Check it aht!