gay issues
Gay USA: Jan. 17-23, 2012
Mitt Romney continues to lie about his beliefs and policies on LGBT issues. A new study confirms that the children of lesbian parents have a quality of life equal to that of the kids of non-gay people. Canada looked to be trying to invalidate same-sex marriages of Americans, but pulled back by the end of the week. LGBT and AIDS groups join the defense of Obamacare at the Supreme Court. James Franco tackles two more gay roles. ABC-TV cancels the transphobic "Work It." We will review Kevin Spacey in "Richard III" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theatre. The Golden Globe Awards are somewhat gay, but mostly crude.
Email this pageGay USA: Jan. 3-9, 2012
In the news this week: Hawaii and Delaware kick off the year with the commencement of civil unions for same-sex couples. Michigan's Governor signs bill banning domestic partner benefits. LGBT issues continue to make big news in the Republican presidential contest. The Catholic Cardinal of Chicago compares the LGBT Pride March to a Klan rally. The Roman Catholic Church creates a haven in the United States for gay-hating Episcopalians. Doctors without Borders challenges John & Johnson to free up some HIV drug patents so that the poor can get them in the Third World. A bio-pic on Elton John is planned by.... Elton John! Andy announces his Top-Ten Theatre lists for 2011.
Gay USA: Nov. 1-7, 2011
Our guest at the top of the hour is Bill Dobbs, veteran gay activist and civil libertarian, who will share his experiences working with Occupy Wall Street from the beginning on September 17. Bill talks about how this action has evolved and captured the imagination of the world, leading to a critical public debate on wealth disparity, politics, and fairness issues. You can learn more about the movement at www.occupywallst.org and www.nycga.net for the New York General Assembly of OWS. A gay US Airways flight attendant is found murdered in Mexico City. A high school student in Ohio is beaten for being gay and it is caught on video tape. Gay troops challenge the federal ban on recognition of their same-sex marriages. A nurse at a Dallas Veterans Administration hospital makes an outrageous and bigoted three-hour effort to dissuade a Marine veteran from being lesbian. Britain threatens to withhold some foreign aid to countries that abuse LGBT rights. A Nairobi gay bar is bombed and 12 are injured. The founder of Denmark's gay movement, Axel Axgil, dies at 96. Chaz is out on "Dancing with the Stars." Andy reviews "Children" by A.R. Gurney and "Relatively Speaking," a trio of one-act plays on Broadway by Woody Allen, Elaine May, and Ethan Coen.
Gay USA: Oct. 18-24, 2011
Frank Kameny, a father of the gay movement who coined the slogan "Gay is Good," has died at the age of 86. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The US military is sued for denying soldiers with same-sex spouses equal rights. An out lesbian is confirmed as a federal judge by the US Senate despite an attack campaign by the religious right. An AIDS memorial park is proposed for New York's Greenwich Village. Actor Zachary Quinto comes out and prompts a news anchor to come out, too. Andy reviews plays by Terrence Rattigan, Stephen Karam, and Nicky Silver, plus "the Mountaintop" about Martin Luther King, Jr..
Gay USA: August 30-Sept. 5, 2011
Our guest this week is Michael Musto, Village Voice columnist, humorist, and gossip who is out with his wonderful collection of essays, "Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back" (Vantage Point), dedicated to "everyone who is still speaking to me." Michael dishes with us about reality shows, Broadway, closeted celebrities, the continued allure of New York, the death of nightlife, and his early years as the only Italian only-child in Brooklyn. You can read him in the Village Voice in "La Dulce Musto" and online where he serves up "La Daily Must.o" Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for President, joins the crowd and signs an anti-gay marriage pledge. Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, will step down in March. A search is underway for a successor. Federal government vigorously prosecuting Dan Choi for White House protest v. DADT. An anti-gay politician in Puerto Rico resigns after being caught peddling his flesh to men on Grindr. Gay man takes over Apple Computers: Is he the most powerful gay man in America? Iranian journalist sentenced to four years and 80 lashes for interviewing gay people. Brave Reggae singer Mista Majah P makes pro-gay album and gets death threats. Chaz Bono and Carson Kressley are set to compete on "Dancing with the Stars."
Gay USA: Aug. 23-29, 2011
In the news this week: A teen in Waterloo, Iowa is taunted as gay and stomped to death. The Obama administration puts on hold the deportation of those here illegally if they pose no threat-a category that will include many foreign born gay partners, but what about singles? Civil unions are off to a slow start in Rhode Island. Republican lawyers defending DOMA cote charlatans and bigots to make their case. Tammy Baldwin leads poll in Democratic primary for US Senate in Wisconsin as Russ Feingold announces that he is not running. One of Michele Bachman's lead organizers has a shady past in Uganda. New study says male bisexuality is... REAL. A Florida teacher is suspended for speaking out against same-sex marriage on Facebook. A big Chilean lesbian rights case goes to the Inter-American Court in Latin America. Country star Chely Wright marries her partner in Connecticut.
Gay USA: Aug. 16-22, 2011
In the news this week: A lesbian activist dies at the Indiana State Fair catastrophe and Marion County refuses to release her remains to her partner, citing DOMA. Who is the most anti-gay candidate for the Republican nomination for President? It’s a tough contest. The end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell on September 20 could be undone by a new administration because the new law does not mandate that gays and lesbians can serve openly, it only permits the President and military to allow it. President Obama bans human rights violators from entering the United States including those who persecute gay people. An anti-gay male state senator in Indiana gets in a whole heap of trouble when he tries to hire a young man for sex. The anti-gay National Organization for Marriage is ordered by the First Circuit to disclose its donors under laws in Rhode Island and Maine. A big win for transgendered prisoners in Wisconsin. The crackdown on gay people in Cameroon continues with more men being arrested just for being gay. A male gay activist in Cuba has a very public wedding with a man-to-woman transsexual. We'll show you the big celebration. Throat cancers due to HPV shoot up. New York City finally decides to institute mandatory sex education in its schools and reinstate condom lessons. Andy reviews theatre in New York and London where out gay Antony Sher is starring in a late Arthur Miller play and Jude Law in an early Eugene O’Neill. Andy's London reviews will appear at www.gaycitynews.com in a day or two.
Gay USA: July 5-11, 2011
First of all, since we taped this week's show on Tuesday, the stay allowing the enforcement of Don't Ask, Don't Tell was lifted in federal court, meaning DADT is not being enforced at the moment. This is in the lawsuit brought by the Log Cabin Republicans. The certification required to lift the ban on gays and lesbians in the military was close anyway, but this decision builds on the new stance of the Obama administration that discrimination against LGBT people requires heightened scrutiny. IT IS STILL NOT SAFE TO COME OUT IN THE MILITARY. The stay could be reinstated by a higher court. And the decision could still be appealed. We'll have more on NEXT week's show. You can read more now on the website of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network at: http://www.sldn.org/.
Gay USA June 28-July 4, 2011
New York State opens marriage to same-sex couples, and jubilation ensues all Pride weekend. Our guest is NYS Assembly Member Daniel J. O'Donnell (D-Uptown Manhattan) who guided the bill through the Assembly four times. In New Jersey, a lawsuit to win same-sex marriage will be filed in a state that now has civil unions that have not proven equal. In Maine, LGBT advocates and their allies plan a referendum to legalize same-sex marriages. President Obama raises big LGBT money but stops short of supporting same-sex marriage. Pride marches around the country are buoyed by the NY marriage win--but are marred by a gay bar raid in NYC, anti-gay vandalism in Chicago and a horrible accidental death in the LA march. West coast lesbian pioneer Jean Harris dies at 66. Census data shows many, many more same-sex couples reporting. A San Diego Catholic church cancels funeral for prominent gay businessman. Brazil judge okays same-sex marriage.
Gay USA: Jan. 22-Jan. 28, 2010
The federal case against Proposition 8 is well underway, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the proceedings can't be televised; a look back at President Barack Obama's first year in office on LGBT rights and AIDS issues; a report no LGBT relief efforts in Haiti; and an update on the draconian Ugandan bill against gay rights in that country. "Gay USA" is a weekly news-hour, offering comprehensive news and analysis by and about the LGBTQ community, lively repartee between hosts Ann Northrop and Andy Humm and interviews with special guests. Produced at Manhattan Neighborhood Network, "Gay USA" airs several times a week on Free Speech TV. Each week's complete episode is streamed on www.freespeech.org and is available as an RSS feed.
