Category Archives: News and Happenings
‘The Sexual Ethicist’ Live-Format Talk Show at THE OUT NYC
Join psychotherapist and Sexual Ethicist columnist Robert Levithan at his monthly, interactive live format talk show featuring
New York Times best-selling novelist Elizabeth Flock, known for her smash hit
Me & Emma and former contributor to TIME and People magazines, in
The Study at THE OUT NYC located at 510 West 42nd Street (42nd Street between 10th and 11th Aves, Manhattan) on Monday, April 1 at 7:30 P.M.
The
forum is designed for the gay and gay-friendly crowd and invites the
audience to ask tough questions and engage in frank and sometimes
controversial dialogues on sex, sexuality and relationships as viewed
from a very sex-positive and ethically rigorous perspective.
This event is free and open to the public, RSVP’s are encouraged:
Rsvp@theouthousenyc.com.
Marriage Equality Rally Sunday March 24th, 2013
DOMA and Proposition 8.
challenge the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
and California’s Proposition 8 – are fundamentally about whether LGBT
Americans can enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities as everyone
else.
In New York, there is a march this weekend, on Sunday March 24 starting at 1 pm:
On Sunday, March 24, marriage equality
supporters will march from the historic Stonewall Inn to Washington
Square Park to express support and solidarity with those who fight for
marriage equality across the country, and especially before the Supreme
Court. At Washington Square Park, supporters will rally for freedom for
everyone—including our gay and lesbian family members, friends,
co-workers, and neighbors. The rally will feature flag dancers, singers,
and speeches.
Marriage Equality USA, GLAAD, Gay Men’s
Health Crisis, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Stonewall Democrats of
New York City, Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club of Queens, Democratic
Leadership for the 21st Century, Equality Beyond Gender, New York State
Democrats, NYC for Action, Dignity New York, Chelsea/West Village for
Change,The Bronx LGBTQ Center, Heritage Of Pride, Henrietta Hudson,The
LGBT Community Center, Manhattan Young Democrats, LAMBDA Legal, Brooklyn
Community Pride Center, Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn,
Greater NYC for change, Shelter of Peace, Congregation Beit Simchat
Torah, Camp Highlight, Democracy for New York City, NYU Law Democrats,
Democracy for America, Empire State Pride Agenda, The Queens Pride
Center, The Anti-Violence Project, AM 1600 WWRL, Imperial Court of New
York, Montclair State University LGBT Center, Middle Collegiate Church,
JQY, The Global Gender and Sexuality Project at The New School and The
Stonewall Inn are together for this one.
Dolphin In New York’s East River this Week
photo
lot of water,” said Kimberly Durham, rescue program director for the Riverhead Foundation, meaning that the dolphin was covering a lot of territory. “But he intrigues me.”
As of noon, the dolphin would swim in one direction for a couple of
minutes, then turn around and swim back, remaining in the area roughly
bounded by the East 90s of Manhattan, Randalls Island and the end of
Astoria Boulevard in Queens.
The Riverhead Foundation noted on its Facebook page:
“We
have documented four occasions of reports of cetaceans in or near the
East River since 2010. Three of those events were in February and March
timeframe. In all four events, intervention was not deemed necessary and
the animals did leave the area without further sighting reports.”
Dolphins
usually travel in groups, though, and Ms. Durham added, “a bottlenose
dolphin alone is definitely something that gives me a little bit of
concern.”
It is unusual for dolphins to swim in the waters around Manhattan, but it is not unheard of.
In 2010 there were four separate sightings.
Dolphins are used to a cleaner environment than the East River, and
the 30-billion gallons of sewage and water that the river contains may
not be good for the dolphin’s health.
“They come from very pristine waters, so it’s conceivable their
immune system may be unprotected from these pulses of bacteria,” said
Riverkeeper John lipscomb.
The mammal was spotted in the water again Thursday morning.
As of this writing, we have not heard any further updates.
New York Teacher Matthew Maleski was Fired for Using School Email for Potential Hook Ups
New York Post said last week, A former male model-turned-elementary school teacher sent out
sexually-explicit emails to potential hookups on Craigslist — but used a school email account to do so, investigators found.
Upper
East Side special education teacher Matthew Maleski attached pictures
of himself clad only in boxers (scandalous?) to his email responses to Craigslist’s
notorious personal ads, according to officials. Why on earth would you use the school’s email???
The fit
32-year-old teacher, who was terminated from PS 183 on Tuesday, had
formerly posed half-nude in ads for a gay social networking App called
“Hornet.”
Maleski, who started working for the Education Department in 2011, made
$56,048 a year. According to the investigation, he said he did not
intend to send the emails from the school account.
New York Historical Society Present AIDS in New York: The First Five Years
early history of the AIDS epidemic in New York City—from the first
rumors in 1981 of a “gay plague” through the ensuing period of intense
activism, clinical research, and political struggle—will be the subject
of a major new exhibition at the New-York Historical Society, AIDS in New York: The First Five Years, on view from June 7 through September 15, 2013.
With a wealth of materials drawn from New-York Historical’s archives
as well as the archives of the New York Public Library, New York
University, and the National Archive of LGBT History, the exhibition
will use artifacts including clinicians’ notes, journal entries,
diaries, letters, audio and video clips, posters, photographs,
pamphlets, and newspapers to revisit the impact of the epidemic on
personal lives and public culture in New York City and the nation.
“For those who lost partners, children, siblings, parents, and
friends, the memory of the fear and mystery that pervaded New York at
the beginning of the AIDS epidemic remains vivid,” said curator Jean S.
Ashton. “For many people today, though, these years are now a
little-understood and nearly forgotten historical period. Yet the
trajectory of HIV/AIDS changed paradigms in medicine, society, politics,
and culture in ways that are still being felt, and the disease remains
with us, affecting some 100,000 New Yorkers and more than one million
Americans today. This exhibition explores a history that we continue to
live.”
The exhibition will begin by recalling life in New York in the
pre-AIDS period, especially the exhilarating sense of artistic and
sexual freedom that followed the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which establishes
the social and political context for the earliest reports from medical
professionals of the physical decline and deaths of previously healthy
young people afflicted with diseases usually found only in the aged.
This section will feature the personal stories of the first AIDS
patients and their caretakers and give voice to the doctors who cared
for these patients. Because more than 80 percent of those infected were
homosexual males, rumors of a “gay plague” circulated. Anchor objects in
this area of the exhibition include a copy of the national medical
bulletin Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report that first mentioned the disease, the July 3, 1981 New York Times article that was the first national media story, and a variety of reports published in the gay press.
As cases of this new epidemic were discovered outside the gay
community, in heroin drug injectors, babies, and people who had had
blood transfusions, the challenges posed to researchers and those caring
for the sick intensified. Racing at once to discover the possible
cause or causes of the disease in order to contain its spread and to
alleviate the social and political impact of the growing rate of
infection and death, scientists, social workers, and members of the
affected populations and their friends struggled together to raise funds
and influence research priorities. By the middle of 1983, responses
from the community, including increasingly militant victims of the
disease, began to take shape to demand support for social services and
raise new monies for research. In New York, even more than elsewhere,
AIDS was a political issue, pitting the Mayor against a vocal
constituency that demanded action.
The second section of the exhibition will explore the impediments
that prevented any quick solution to the growing problem. An epidemic
of fear swept the city, fueled by rumors and stoked by exploitative news
coverage, as funeral directors refused to embalm the bodies of AIDS
victims, parents protested the admission of AIDS victims to public
schools, and some hospitals refused to admit people suffering from the
disease.
The third and final section traces both the progress of
research on the causes of the epidemic, the development of AIDS
philanthropy, and the growth of the anger and mistrust that would
explode after the founding of ACT-UP in 1986. On display in this section
will be slides and documents from the 1984 Park City Utah conference
where Jean-Claude Chermann, a virologist from the Nobel-Prize winning
team at the Pasteur Institute in Paris electrified the room by
presenting evidence announcing the discovery of the retrovirus which
would ultimately be identified as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV),
and would make possible the development of the first commercial test kit
for the presence of the virus (also on display).
and other philanthropic organizations, and the strengthened role of the
Gay Men’s Health Crisis, also documented here, would enable the
successful public outreach of the following decades. The gallery will
focus on the landmark New York production of Larry Kramer’s powerful
call to action, The Normal Heart, and will end with the highly publicized illness and death of movie star Rock Hudson in October, 1985.
Also included in the exhibition is a panel from the AIDS quilt
memorializing Roger Gail Lyon, an early victim of the epidemic whose
plea that he not die of “red tape” articulated the frustration of the
AIDs community.
The years documented in AIDS in New York: The First Five Years
preceded the founding of ACT-UP, whose commitment to activism and
dramatic achievements will be illustrated in an exhibition at the New
York Public Library entitled
Generous support for AIDS in New York: The First Five Years is provided, in part, by Ford Foundation and by The New York Community Trust.
KAZAKY at XL March 30th, 2013 Secret Mission Tour
These guys are so sexy and so hot! I want to have sex with each of them!!
Christine Quinn…A Gay Mayer for New York City?
A Lesbian Mayor? Long seen as a leading contender, City Council Speaker Christine
Quinn formally launched Sunday what she hopes will be a history-making
mayoral bid.
A veteran of city politics, Quinn would be a groundbreaking mayor
across two personal dimensions: She would be the first female and first
openly gay mayor to lead the nation’s largest city.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released last week, 37 percent of Democratic voters favor Quinn, meaning she’s closing in on the coveted 40 percent mark needed to avoid a run-off primary.
In other good news for Quinn, 78 percent of New York City voters are
either “comfortable” or “enthusiastic” about the prospect of an openly
gay New York City mayor.
In fact, more New Yorkers are in favor of a gay mayor than they are
with a business executive running the city. Only 57 percent of New
Yorkers in the poll said they were “comfortable” or “enthusiastic” about
the prospect of another Bloomberg-like candidate.
Rawhide: Iconic Gay Bar in New York will Close
The rent goes up…
New York gay bar Rawhide is expected to close its doors by the end of the month.
Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York
blog reports that the leather bar’s landlord will raise the rent from
$15,000 to $27,000, effectively pricing the establishment out of its
Chelsea location at Eighth Avenue and 21st Street. The last day of
operation will be March 31.
As Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York and Towleroad both
point out, New York City mayoral hopeful Christine Quinn spoke fondly
of the establishment, which opened in 1978, as part of a recent New York magazine profile.
Sci-Fi to Sondheim, Geeks, Nerds and More at QUEER NOT COOL March 9th
It’s HERE Again!
NOT COOL was a #1 Time Out New York “Critic’s Pick”
credits have included “The Tonight Show”, “Today”, “Late Night with
Jimmy Fallon”, “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams”, “Comedy Central
Presents”, Logo’s “The Click List” and the critically acclaimed web
shows “The Outs” and “It Gets Betterish”.
featured at 2012’s New York Comic Con.
nerds and their fanboys and girls unite in this monthly late night
series as comedians, musicians, dancers, and performance artists
exploring all things geeky, nerdy, and obsessive, from sci-fi to
Sondheim. Forget the closet, get out of your mother’s basement!
a comic book scribe who has written for “The Amazing Spider-Man,” “The
Hulk” and his own graphic novel “Cowboys & Aliens”. Rob will chat
with Fred about creating a queer comic book, working on treasured brands
and seeing his graphic novel up on the big screen while Vampire Cowboys
will present a sneak preview of “Geek!”.
Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
David Mixners Equality Vigil in New Yorks Time Square March 24th
IN case you have been under a rock in recent years, author, political strategist, civil rights activist and public affairs adviser David Mixner blogs on his passions: progressive politics,
foreign policy, LGBT rights and wildlife advocacy.
family and friends. For two days on that week, the United States
Supreme Court is hearing arguments on both the DOMA and Proposition 8
cases. Rarely has a time called for dignified reflections and ‘giving
witness’ to the moment.
Not acknowledging the importance of those hearings in our lives is
unacceptable. All over America at sunset either on Sunday March 24 or
Monday, March 25 there will be vigils, visits to Congressional offices
and editorial boards, LGBT couples seeking marriage licenses and even
some getting arrested.
Show up and be counted somewhere in America. Just do it.
On Sunday evening (March 24) at 7:00PM, I will be taking a candle to Times Square – the window to the world and standing silently for one hour to give witness.
I will be standing behind the half price ticket booth. There will be
no speeches (although music is always welcomed) and no anger.
Have zero idea if it will be just me standing alone with my candle or just me and a few friends.
However, I am inviting you to come and stand with me to give witness
to the nation and the world how important that week will be for LGBT
American obtaining freedom and equality.
If the spirit moves you and you in New York City come on down to
Times Square with your candle, your determination to fully equal and
spend an hour with me.
Much love and peace.”
See YOU on March 24th at 7pm in TIMES SQUARE!
TIME SQUARE Social Big Gay Networking Party March 5th
TheMenEvent people are hosting their TIME SQUARE SOCIAL BIG GAY NETWORKING PARTY on Tuesday March 5th.
Kitchen, Boxers HK on 9th Ave. Expect to meet lots of other gay
professionals (or professional gays – wink), make new friendships, win
stuff, and enjoy drink specials! Everyone wears a name tag, but instead
of putting your name, you put your occupation (cuz it’s a networking
party, silly). they are also color-coded so you know who is single (in
case that is on your agenda).
Regularly attended by hundreds of great guys, this is the one monthly event you dare not miss.
Featuring:
* No Cover
* Drink Specials
* Hundreds of Amazing Guys
* Meet Celebs
* Door Prizes: Be one of the first attendees to check into the party and you could win movie passes!
Gay Couple to Film Movie about Abandoned Baby on the Subway
Imagine seeing an abandoned baby laying in a subway station?!
warmed hearts around the web last Thursday, when it published the
first-person account of a gay couple who found a day-old infant in a
subway station, took the baby home, and ended up adopting and raising
the boy.
Screenwriter Peter Mercurio opens his story, FOUND, with a scene
from his wedding to his husband Danny, a social worker, last July,
noting that their son, Kevin, was proudly standing beside his dads as
they tied the knot. But the story began 12 years earlier, writes
Mercurio.
Danny Stewart found the baby boy in a New York City subway station in
August 2000, according to The New York Times. He has described how he
found what he believed to be a doll abandoned on a stairway in a subway
station. However, upon closer inspection he realized it was a living
breathing baby boy.
“Danny called me that day, frantic,” recounts Mercurio.
“‘I found a baby!’ he shouted. ‘I called 911, but I don’t think they
believed me. No one’s coming. I don’t want to leave the baby alone. Get
down here and flag down a police car or something.’ By nature Danny is a
remarkably calm person, so when I felt his heart pounding through the
phone line, I knew I had to run.”
“When I got to the A/C/E subway exit on Eighth Avenue,
Danny was still there, waiting for help to arrive. The baby, who had
been left on the ground in a corner behind the turnstiles, was
light-brown skinned and quiet, probably about a day old, wrapped in an
oversize black sweatshirt.
Later that year, the future of the baby was being discussed in court,
and Stewart was asked to appear to testify about the circumstances of
finding the baby.
However, as proceedings continued the judge suddenly asked, “Would you be interested in adopting this baby?”
Even
though Stewart was put on the spot and had not asked his partner, he
replied in the affirmative to the judge. Later he would tell Mercurio
about what he had agreed to, and his partner was initially furious about
not being consulted about such a decision.
However, the couple
soon realized that this could be their only chance to adopt a baby
together, and they agreed to push forward to adopt the baby boy.
In
an amazing twist, the couple was authorized and given custody of the
child with just 36 hours notice, and they were living together before Christmas that year.
The
couple renamed the boy Kevin – he was initially named “Baby ACE” as he
was found at a subway station connecting the A, C and E lines.
Twelve years later, in 2011, the couple decided to participate in a wedding ceremony after gay marriage
was legalized in New York state. The couple contacted the judge who had
granted them custody of Kevin more than a decade before, asking her to
officiate their wedding – to which she immediately agreed.
Mercurio, a playwright, is now turning their story into a new film called “Found.”
Read More at Advocate and Christian Post
New York Clamps Down on Nude Sun Bathing
NO MORE NUDITY on Fire Island beaches??
Well yes, and no.
A decades-long tradition of nude
sunbathing on Fire Island beaches is coming to an end this summer: Fire
Island National Seashore authorities have announced plans to enforce
long-standing laws banning the practice…
…Koschmann also said some social media sites carry invitations to meet for public sex on the beach.
The fact that public nudity is illegal in
New York was another compelling reason to change the policy, since FINS
maintains joint jurisdiction with the state, she said. The ban also
will be enforced at four other Fire Island beaches where nude sunbathing
is known to take place — including the tract of land in front of
Sailors Haven, from Point O’ Woods to Cherry Grove.
UPDATE – According to NEXT Magazine,
Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove not affected by National Parks public nudity ban.
“Community beaches—including those in front of the Pines and Cherry Grove—will not be affected by this.” READ MORE AT NEXT
Can New Yorkers Really be Offended By Gay Artists? Ask MoMa
I find this kind of crazy – and insulting.
Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern notes some troublesome closeting by the Museum of Modern Art:
The Museum of Modern Art currently has on
display a wonderful, compact installation titled simply “Johns and
Rauschenberg.” Featuring art culled from the museum’s permanent
collection, “Johns and Rauschenberg” focuses on works painted by each
artist during the mid to late 1950s, using Robert Rauschenberg’s
recently acquired Canyon as a centerpiece.
The introductory placard
describes the two artists as being “in dialogue with one another,”
explaining how their works from this period led the way “beyond Abstract
Expressionism” and toward Pop Art. At the heart of the installation is
the relationship between the two men, an intensely collaborative yet
highly competitive connection which pushed each artist toward his own
artistic triumph.
It’s a nice narrative, as far as it goes. But
it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns were
lovers during this six-year period of collaboration, and their
relationship had a profound impact on their art.
Stern thinks the MoMa is concerned about offending its patrons. Seriously? Isn’t New York one of the most progressive, accepting cities in the US??? Meanwhile, everyone seems to be toeing their line:
In an attempt to justify this re-closing
of the artistic closet, MoMA’s press office first informed me that Johns
and Rauschenberg “wish to be described” as just friends.
(Rauschenberg
died in 2008; Johns is 82.) When I asked whether the artists
specifically requested such a label, the museum’s representative walked
back the claim, instead stating that they “have been referred to that
way [as friends, that is] historically,” but the rep would not say
whether the artists themselves insisted on the “friends” phrasing.
Neither would the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, which officially had
“no reply” to the question, or the Matthew Marks Gallery, Johns’ dealer,
which failed to respond to repeated inquiries.
Anderson Cooper Honored in New York March 16, by GLAAD
Anderson Cooper will be honored by GLAAD with Vito Russo Award, on March 16th, in New York City.
wide range of subjects includes the bullying of LGBT youth, families
supporting their transgender children, and the dangers of the so-called
“ex-gay conversion therapy.” For his coverage of issues relevant to the
LGBT community, Anderson Cooper has received seven GLAAD Media Award
nominations, and has been awarded the trophy three times.
“By
sharing his own experiences as a gay man, Anderson has reminded millions
of Americans that LGBT people are part of their everyday lives and an
integral part of our cultural fabric,” said GLAAD President Herndon
Graddick. “He continues to raise the bar and set a new standard for
journalists everywhere, and I’m proud to call him a friend.”
Queen of Queens Gay Comedy March 14
the snides (and bitchy asides) of March! This month, the queens come in
like lions at this acclaimed monthly LGBT comedy show, starring
headliner Veronica Mosey from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and
Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham.”
Also throwing shade will be
Chris Doucette (listed among the Advocate’s “Best of LGBT Comedy”),
Joanne Filan (Here-TV’s “Hot Gay Comics”) and special guest Eddie
Sarfaty (Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend,” Logo’s “Wisecrack”).
The
entire evening will be hosted by Adam Sank — from NBC’s “Last Comic
Standing” and Sirius-XM OutQ — whom Edge New York calls “one of the
city’s most celebrated gay comedy kings.”
Laughing Devil Comedy Club | 4738 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City (Queens)
Subway: 7 Train to Vernon-Jackson
New York International Auto Show March 29-April 7, 2013
Mark your calendars, the New York International Auto Show will be back at the Jacob Javits Center from March 29 – April 7, 2013 and there will be some of the hottest cars and trucks ever seen all under one roof. That means more sneak peeks, more brand new ’13 & ’14 production models and more concept vehicles than ever before.
In 1900, the New York International Automobile Show became North
America’s first automotive exhibition. For over one hundred years,
through depression, war, boom-time, oil crisis, recession and growth, it
has continued its pioneering tradition of bringing new and innovative
ideas to a national and world stage. In the last decade, the Show has
boosted the number of new vehicle announcements, broken attendance
figures, and increased media attention to extraordinary levels.
Combined with the City’s energy, and the fact that metro New York is one of the nation’s largest markets for new car and truck sales, the Show is now one of the most important automotive events in the world. 1000+ vehicles.
Chevrolet has smartly – and finally – done away with the round
quad taillights and replaced them with much more reminiscent of the
current Camaro.
front brakes and Magnetic Ride Control, its handcrafted interior adds
the finishing touch on a brilliantly executed fusion of luxury and
sport.
With sleek styling rivaling Cadillac’s own CTS coupe and luxury features you might not find in comparable plug-ins, the 2014 CadillacELR aims for the best of both worlds. Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Maysexplains that the new ELR uses an electric motor and a small
turbocharged four-cylinder engine; the combination is good for 35 miles
of electric-only range and 300 miles of total range.
Broadway stars Nick Adams, Ashley Brown, Jessica Rush and Michael James Scott at XL March 11
Broadway stars Nick Adams, Ashley Brown, Jessica Rush and Michael James Scott will appear in a special one night only benefit production of Jason Robert Brown’s SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD on Monday, March 11 at 7PM at XL Cabaret (512 West 42nd St). Directed by two-time Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun, a portion of the proceeds from the evening will be donated to The Performing Arts Project. Nick Adams says, “To be able to give back to the next generation of artists is something I’m grateful to be a part of.”
Jason Robert Brown’s SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is a
series of songs, connected by the theme “the moment of decision.” The
show employs four performers who do not play the same characters
throughout the show, but have consistently developing character arcs.
Composer Jason Robert Brown has said of his show, “It’s
about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a
choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.”
Space is limited as its an intimate venue! GET TICKETS NOW!
Labrador retrievers Number One, Bump the Yorkshire Terrier Down to Number 5
Say it isn’t so! Labrador retrievers pawed their way to the top as the city’s most
popular purebred in 2012, grabbing the No. 1 spot from Yorkshire
terriers.
Yorkies, which have been top dog since 2009, slipped to fifth on the list, said the American Kennel Club.
Yorkies are made for New York City! Small and compact. How the hell can you have a huge dog in the city?? Sure, we have lots of lots of dog parks, but most people live in small-ish dwellings, and a big dog takes up a lot of space.
I am still all for the Yorkshire Terrier. So read my dog blog dammit! (LOL)
TINY APARTMENTS = Next Big Thing in Real Estate
In response to skyrocketing rents in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a challenge to the city’s best architects: to design a space no bigger than 350 square feet into a comfortable and affordable micro-apartment. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk reports.
New Yorkers are famous for their teeny apartments, but a new trend in
dwelling seeks to transform those tiny spaces into big assets. They’re
called “micro apartments,” and they make a few hundred square feet feel
like over a thousand.
Fold-away beds, moveable walls, and coffee
tables that expand to seat 10 for dinner are just a few of the clever
touches that transform these shoe boxes into veritable mini-mansions.
“The
main idea is to get double, triple, quadruple use from every space,”
Graham Hill, founder of the sustainable living site TreeHugger.com and
the design company Life Edited, told Fair Companies in a video interview.
