Category Archives: News
March for Equality 2017
Supporters of LGBT rights marched and rallied in the nation’s capital and dozens of other U.S. cities on Sunday, celebrating gains but angry over threats posed by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The centerpiece event, the Equality March in Washington, was endorsed by virtually every major national advocacy group working on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.
Activists have been embittered by the Trump administration’s rollback of federal guidance advising school districts to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice.
They also complain that Trump, who campaigned as a potential ally of gays and lesbians, has stocked his administration with foes of LGBT rights, including Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
Throngs of marchers, many thousands strong, paraded past the White House and toward the Capitol, trailing behind a giant rainbow flag near the head of the procession.
Two 15-year-old marchers, Jessica Dodge and Shekinah Aho, held hands and wore shirts that said, “Make America Gay Again.”
The Los Angeles pride parade was renamed the ResistMarch, and tens of thousands turned out in Hollywood, some carrying rainbow flags or signs reading “Love Trumps Hate.” Speakers included Mayor Eric Garcetti, U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters and Nancy Pelosi, and RuPaul, the host of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Waters led the crowd in a chant of “Impeach 45.”
“We’re going to take our country back from him,” she said. “I know that you have the strength. I know that you have the courage. And I know that each of you understand you have the power.”
Back in Washington, the activist leaders on hand included Sarah Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD, which monitors media coverage of the LGBT community.
She noted that Trump, breaking from the practice of Barack Obama, has declined to issue a proclamation in honor of Pride Month, and that the Trump administration has deleted questions about sexual orientation from planned federal surveys.
“If you look at their prioritization, we’re really low on it,” she said. “There absolutely is a resistance aspect to this march.”
READ MORE HERE
Say No To Male Circumcision
We keep this site non-pornographic. So I hope that can see this post as educational.
Most of the world is intact (not circumcised).
In the US, I believe, it has always been about the $$$. Doctors brainwashed American mothers and fathers, that it HAD TO BE DONE. And most times, insurance companies paid for it. But who really pays? THE MAN.
Circumcision removes valuable specialized erogenous tissue. Foreskin feels REALLY good. Without the foreskin, the glans becomes dried, toughened, and less sensitive. The normal slack skin gives a man and his partner an exquisite plush frictionless rolling/gliding sensation.
Luckily we can undo some of the damage with non-surgical foreskin restoration.
It’s great to undo the damage of circumcision and the benefits of foreskin restoration are awesome, but for some the real healing comes from working to end child circumcision. Activists working to protect the right of all boys, girls, and intersex children to remain intact and free of non-therapeutic forced genital cutting are called intactivists. You can help. There is lots of information HERE. And there are numerous resources HERE I encourage you to check out.
If you know someone having a baby, PLEASE, if it’s a boy, encourage them NOT TO CIRCUMCISE. Let the boy decide later. It’s his body!
Summer Travel to Palm Springs
Someone wrote us recently, “I know it’s the slow season for Palm Springs in the summer, but is it still a good place to go to? I heard a lot of the town shuts down for the summer, is this true?”
Summer’s a great time in the desert. With just a few exceptions, all the restaurants and clubs are open. Most offer summer discounts and it’s actually possible to get into them without a reservation. Weather is hot, but we’ve been having showers recently that have really cooled the place off!
You can get great rates at hotels and discount golf on courses that are normally outrageous. Just plan on doing any hiking or anything strenuous in the early morning.
Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week
Eat your way through the Coachella Valley during the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Restaurant Week, which features special offers at more than 100 area restaurants. Participating dining establishments throughout the Coachella Valley are offering three-course, prix fixe dinners priced at $26 or $38 per person (tax, beverage, and gratuity not included). Created in partnership with Palm Springs Life magazine, the annual event also includes exclusive hotel packages and special rates at area attractions and spas. www.palmspringsrestaurantweek.com
Gay Icons Tour: For about 90 minutes, in a private Jeep equipped with A/C and water, you’re treated to a brief lesson on gay, bisexual and straight (gay icon) celebrities who live or lived in Palm Springs.
Splash House
Splash House, a multi-venue pool party, is redefining how summer is celebrated in Greater Palm Springs.
Last year’s splash-filled celebration brought in thousands of partiers looking to relax, dance and soak up the summer sun. The event, sponsored by Goldenvoice rocked Greater Palm Springs twice last summer on outdoor stages at The Saguaro Palm Springs, Hard Rock Palm Springs and Hacienda Cantina & Beach Club. Each rocking pool party included three days of live music from a distinctive line up of some of the biggest names in the SoCal dance music scene. www.splashhouse.com
Star Parties | Monthly; Palm Desert
Sponsored by the Astronomical Society of the Desert, annual Star Parties are held at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitors Center, located in Palm Desert. Telescopes and giant binoculars are provided by club members at these free events, which include a visual tour of the sky. Members point out the constellations and planets visible on the night of each star party. www.astrorx.org
Yoga Amongst the Art | Cathedral City
Art and wellness combine at these weekly yoga sessions held at the Coachella Valley Art Scene Gallery in Cathedral City. Creative types gather in the main gallery on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, while adopting yoga stretches beneath the collected artworks on display. Watch for occasional candlelit sessions. www.thecoachellavalleyartscene.com
Palm Springs Vintage Market | Palm Springs
The first Sunday of the month is rapidly becoming known as a time when collectors gather to buy—and sell—vintage merchandise at the monthly Palm Springs Vintage Market. Spend the morning browsing vintage, retro and mid-century modern merchandise in Downtown Palm Springs and then break for lunch or browse the eclectic offerings at the nearby shops and galleries. www.palmspringsvintagemarket.com
see more at Visit Greater Palm Springs
BEST PLACE TO STAY WITH THE BEST LOCATION ?? InnDulge!
Will & Grace RETURN! Sneak Peaks
NBC’s “Will & Grace” returns for a 12-episode run beginning this Fall.
But, what is more important, is THIS SHOW,
shaped public opinion, of gay people!
Throughout its eight-year run, Will & Grace earned 16 Emmy Awards and 83 nominations. All four stars each received an Emmy Award throughout the series, making it one of only three sitcoms in the award’s history to achieve this feat. In 2014 the Writers Guild of America placed the sitcom at number 94 in their list of the 101 Best Written TV series of all time.
Do You Take This Man GAY MOVIE NEWS
Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to the gay marriage drama “Do You Take This Man,” starring Anthony Rapp, Alyson Hannigan, and Jonathan Bennett.
The film had its U.S. premiere at Outfest, and went on to play the Cleveland International Film Festival, Reeling-Chicago and Out in Film: Atlanta.
Joshua Tunick directed from his own script. It’s very well done, filmed epertly, and has an amazing ensemble cast! Joshua is also producing with publicist-turned-producer Eric Kops and Dave Perkal. Breaking Glass is planning a July limited theatrical followed by a VOD/DVD release.
The story follows an intimate group of friends and family gathering at the home of two gay men — portrayed by Rapp and Bennett — to celebrate their nuptials. When the wedding hits a snag, the group helps the grooms to see that all marriages have their challenges.
Variety first reported on the project in 2015 as shooting was starting in Los Angeles, when the film was titled “Modern Love.” Thomas Dekker, Mackenzie Astin, Alona Tal, Hutchi Hancock, Marla Sokoloff, Lee Garlington (from the Magicians) and Sam Anderson also star.
“The Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality came down on the last day of filming ‘Do You Take This Man,’” said Kops. “With the recent shift in the political climate, the story is as timely as ever.”
Canada Anniversary Stamp Celebrates Gay Marriage
The Canada Post has issued a new stamp celebrating same-sex marriage.
As part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations, the agency unveiled the stamp on Tuesday at a LGBT community center in Toronto.
CTV reports:
The maple-leaf-shaped stamp shows an image of a rainbow flag and the words “marriage equality” in both French and English.
Canada Post is issuing 10 special stamps to honour key moments in Canada’s 150-year history.
It says the day in 2005 when same-sex marriage became legal across the country is one of the milestones that have shaped Canada.
The stamp will be available on June 1st, just in time for PRIDE MONTH.
Target says #TakePride
Target doubles down on ‘gay’ pride despite losses in bathroom war
Rainbow-themed merchandise reflects retail giant’s aggressive LGBT stance
Target gives the right wing a big FUCK YOU!
Despite the drastic financial blowback Target Corporation has been weathering since announcing its plan last year to allow men to enter women’s bathroom facilities, the retail giant is continuing full-speed ahead in its pursuit of LGBT social activism, all in the name of “inclusivity.”
For the second year, Target is using a #TakePride hashtag on social media to promote its rainbow-themed online merchandise. The retailer’s “pride” paraphernalia include tee-shirts, swim trunks, flip-flops, headphones, iPhone cases and an assortment of other products emblazoned with LBGT logos.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2017/05/target-doubles-down-on-gay-pride-despite-losses-in-bathroom-war/#JLKbgjEzbGorSDC2.99
Tom Daley & Dustin Lance Black MARRY
GAY MARRIAGE NEWS
SO SO HAPPY for Tom Daley & Dustin Lance Black!
After that little scandal with Tom back in February…but hey, he is SO YOUNG. DLB forgave him and the couple seem happy as can be!
The fairytale wedding took place in the stunning surroundings of Bovey Castle in Dartmoor National Park.
And according to reports, there was a Romeo and Juliet theme, with Tom calling out ‘Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?’ from a balcony!
Posting the 2 pictures, above, on Instagram, Tom wrote: “On 6th May 2017, I married the love of my life, @dlanceblack ❤️ We shared the day with 120 of our closest friends and family, from Texarkana to Plymouth! Thank you to everyone who made this weekend the most special weekend of our lives!”
Donna Summer Musical
SUMMER: The Donna Summer Musical
November 7 – December 10, 2017 LaJolla Playhouse, CALIFORNIA
Songs by Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, and Others
Book by Colman Domingo, Robert Cary, and Des McAnuff
Musical Supervision by Ron Melrose
Choreographed by Sergio Trujillo
Directed by Des McAnuff
This vibrant, world-premiere musical charts the incomparable life of Donna Summer — the undisputed Queen of Disco. Playhouse Director Emeritus Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Who’s Tommy) directs this musical extravaganza, featuring more than 20 of Summer’s classic hits and electric dance in a tribute to the voice of a generation.
Donna Summer’s husband Bruce Sudano has big Broadway plans as he prepares to launch his new stage show SUMMER at La Jolla Playhouse in November. The show, based on the life of his late wife, will feature all of the disco queen’s greatest hits, with hopes taking the show the Broadway in 2018.
According to WENN, the show, directed by Jersey Boys’ Des McAnuff, will chronicle Summer’s life story using not only her most famous songs, but also some obscure ones. Most importantly, Sudano told WENN that he hopes for it to inspire and encourage young girls.
He said, “It’s a lesson for people going through struggle and who stumble and make mistakes,” he adds. “It’s gonna give them hope to overcome and succeed and carry on with their lives. It’s not about imitating Donna – Via Broadway World
No casting has yet to be announced, but it has been revealed that there will be a search for three Donnas’ to play the role portraying different segments of her career.
SIR JET aka Joel Evan Tye
SIR JET!
Singer Joel Evan Tye aka Sir JET.
The mysterious and alluring gender-bending Sir JET aka Joel Evan Tye is a popstar like no other. With his super-hero body and love for skin tight costumes and anime, he is what has been referred to as “Nick Lachey meets Ziggy Stardust.” The online article “The Boy Who Talked Like a Girl,” is the story of JET’s childhood struggle with gender anxiety that lead him to become an agoraphobic mute for almost a decade to only rediscover his voice again at age 20 and become the man you see today.
JET’s mission in life is to help people who struggle with their identity and to encourage them to find their true selves by going within like he did. In addition to being referred to as the “Madonna Crotch” by Patti Stanger when he appeared on BRAVO’s last season of Millionaire Matchmaker, JET is also a heavily sought after model, including appearing on the boxes of LASC’s first line of underwear, and modeling for Mike Ruiz’s Pretty Masculine series a total of four times.
About 5 years ago, he did an EP, a collection of songs with themes based on concepts from his book I’m Enough: How to Live Life Like a Popstar and Find Your True Self in the Process. You can get his highly popular and dance-able “Shout-out to the Lonely” on iTunes. Watch the video on YouTube.
What is a popstar?
A popstar is a person who embodies all the qualities we love: they always look their best, behave with total confidence in everything they do, and exert a sense of love to all they come in contact with. This book is about how to discover how you can become a popstar in your own right, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
I’m Enough will give you the skills to embrace everyday as a chance to express yourself while finding the beauty in everything you do and everyone you meet. If you’ve ever felt like you weren’t good enough to do the things your heart desired, if you’ve ever felt like you weren’t good enough to make friends because you were too different, or if you ever felt like you just can’t win, this book will help you see that all you need to do, is shift your perception. The material in this book is everything I have learned over the course of my life about humanity and the self, and what I could do so that little by little, everyday, I would become more and more inline with the universe and my true purpose. I’ve discovered that I am good enough to do the things I want to do, be the person I want to be, and now I want to show you how to as well.
He explores many soul searching topics on his YouTube channel. Happiness; Depressions issues, Finding joy; Mending a broken heart, etc.
“I am a role-model for youth who are in need of a male celebrity who embodies the masculine and feminine energies they wish to express themselves. The idea is that the struggle we have with equality in our society started when somewhere along the road of life we were taught to feel unequal. I wish to help people see that the path to equality starts from within, coming to terms with the male and female energies we all possess.
Sir Jet has some idea’s and wants to get back in the studio!
Any producers out there reading this – contact him!
Get your free download of “Bend that Gender and Explode!” the tour remix exclusively at www.reverbnation.com/iamsirjet
Sir Jet SOUNDCLOUD
Facebook Page – with tons of hot and sexy images!
France Presidential Hopeful Emmanuel Marcon
Gay News Flash!
In case you haven’t heard, France is in the throes of an intense presidential campaign between two polar opposites: Emmanuel Macron, a young, pro-LGBTQ liberal, and Marine Le Pen, the antigay daughter of a Nazi sympathizer. The candidates are currently running neck and neck.
This week, Garcon, a bi-monthly magazine that caters to gay men, featured a topless Macron as the cover boy. Underneath him is the headline: “Coming out: a necessary fight.”
Reporter Tristan Barreiros, who writes for Garcon, tells Mashable that the picture was photoshopped and that the decision to run the cover story on “coming out” was meant to be ironic.
39-year-old Macron is straight but he is a longtime supporter of same-sex marriage, which is something his opponents have tried using against him. Throughout the campaign, they have accused him of being closeted, spread rumors that he was having a gay affair, and suggested he is backed by “a very wealthy gay lobby.”
Read more at QUEERTY
Jose Rivera Jr. FIND ME SOMEBODY TO LOVE
GAY MUSIC
VIDEO NEWS
LGBTQ artist Jose Rivera Jr. has put forth a visual cover of Queen’s iconic “Somebody To Love” as a message of solidarity and resistance in the Trump era.
“Every day came another story about the Drumpf Administration being anti-LGBT—and I thought, ‘Wow, they are really trying to erase us,’” Rivera Jr. explains. “But instead of getting angry, I decided to use the amazing lyrics of this song to say, ‘I’m not going anywhere. You can’t erase me when all I want is love. All we do as a community is love. And none of us are going anywhere because of your petty intolerance and hate.’
WATCH NOW
Donate to kickstart ‘LQQK’ – José’s first visual EP. http://ow.ly/NbO330aztG2
I’m A Gay Catfish – And Just Want to be Loved
Vlogger Davey Wavey put out a call for a gay “catfish” several months ago. For those unfamiliar with the term, which originated in a 2010 documentary by Nev Schulman about people who use other people’s photos to establish fake identities in order to carry on online relationships with strangers. In the documentary, and subsequent MTV series, producers seek out the catfish and out them in the company of their targets.
Wavey has posted a video of an interview with a man who confesses to being a catfish.
Writes Wavey to Towleroad: “I found him by reaching out to guys who catfish through a Facebook post. Rather than vilify these guys, my intent was to explore their motivation and logic. Overwhelmingly, many of these men told me that they feel invisible. And if they don’t catfish, they’d have no interaction with other gay men. Rather than be angry or outraged at these men for wasting our time or playing games, it may be more productive to question the role that each of us plays in making these men feel invisible.
The catfish said that he made a fake profile using the photo of a guy he’d been following on Instagram with a “gorgeous” body and face. His motivation was to get attention from men who would normally see him as invisible because he is overweight.
WATCH THE VIDEO
READ the rest at TOWLEROAD
Harvey Fierstein J Lo LGBT Youth
“I think [younger LGBTQ people] think that the big struggle was getting gay marriage passed. Young people growing up right now see Zachary Quinto or Neil Patrick Harris in major motion pictures or on television, and think it’s always been this good. I think they have no idea how we would be arrested in the streets, and kept from ever feeling normal. I grew up when people didn’t believe it when you told them Liberace was gay. Liberace!
Now there are museums, community centers and so many resources. There are plenty of books that didn’t exist before. Our history was just so sucked away from us and not allowed, and now we’re reclaiming that history. But remember, there were gays in Hitler’s army, and then all of a sudden you turn around and we’re in concentration camps. You cannot forget that. You need to know that that can happen at any moment.”—Harvey Fierstein, talking to The Hollywood Reporter
I have to agree. Many young people do not know their roots and LGBT history.
IN OTHER NEWS…..
Jennifer Lopez is set to star as Rosie in NBC’s next musical event, Bye Bye Birdie Live! with HARVEY FIERSTEIN!
Now Harvey Fierstein, who is adapting the book and lyrics for the song-and-dance show, has revealed that he is making it less ‘sexist and old-fashioned’.
The 1960 Tony-winning Broadway musical, which inspired the 1963 film, centers on married songwriter-agent Albert and his sweetheart-lover secretary Rosie.
They stage a publicity stunt for famous singer Conrad Birdie (originally based on Elvis Presely) before he’s drafted to the army.
‘I want to be true to the time it takes place but at the same time, having Rosie be Albert’s secretary whom he’s having an affair with, is a little sexist and old-fashioned,’ Harvey said in the interview published in The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday.
‘I didn’t see any reason for that. So I changed that.
‘I made them both high school teachers…He’s the English teacher who writes a song, and she’s the music teacher who says, “I’ve got a great kid with a great voice.”
‘He ends up being Conrad Birdie, who’s supposed to only take one summer off to promote the record but turns into a star,’ he added.
‘It’s been eight years and Rosie just wants to go back to their real lives. It really makes a lot more sense that way.’
The song that opens the musical, An English Teacher, will be altered to suit the new story line, and some of the scenes and songs will be re-ordered to fit live television.
J-Lo also wanted the story to highlight Rosie’s struggle as a Puerto Rican woman about to hit middle age in a relationship with a man afraid of commitment.
That plotline was in the original musical but was cut out of the 1963 film.
Harvey added: ‘Jennifer Lopez knows what she wants out of performing.’
NBC will air Bye Bye Birdie Live! in December but has yet to reveal the exact date.
Gilbert Baker Passed Away
SAD SAD DAY IN GAY HISTORY
Gilbert Baker, a self-described “gay Betsy Ross” who in 1978 hand-dyed and stitched together eight strips of vibrantly colored fabric into a rainbow flag, instantly creating an enduring international symbol of gay pride, was found dead on Friday at his home in New York City. He was only 65.
Cleve Jones, a friend and gay rights activist who confirmed the death, said that Mr. Baker had a stroke several years ago but had not been sick recently.
As the gay rights movement spread from San Francisco and New York in the 1970s, Mr. Baker was often asked by friends aware of his creative talents to make banners for protests and marches. His creations, like others during that time, often included the pink triangle, which protesters had claimed as an icon after its initial use by the Nazis to identify gay men in concentration camps during World War II.
Before a gay pride parade in 1978 in San Francisco, Harvey Milk, a city supervisor and gay rights leader who was assassinated that year, joined others in asking Mr. Baker to create an emblem to represent the movement.
Mr. Baker, with help from volunteers, filled trash cans with dye in the attic of the Gay Community Center in San Francisco and pieced together the first flags, unveiling them in the parade on June 25, 1978.
“We stood there and watched and saw the flags, and their faces lit up,” Mr. Jones said in a phone interview on Friday. “It needed no explanation. People knew immediately that it was our flag.”
The first flags had eight colors, each stripe carrying its own significance: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for peace and purple for spirit.
“A flag translates into everything, from tacky souvenirs to the names of organizations and the way that flags function,” Mr. Baker said in an interview in 2008. “I knew instantly when I saw the reaction that it was going to be something. I didn’t know what or how or — but I knew.”
In recent weeks he had finished creating 39 nine-color flags — the eight original colors, plus lavender to represent diversity — to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the first rainbow flag.
Mr. Baker refused to apply for a trademark for his creation. “It was his gift to the world,” Mr. Jones said. “He told me when the flag first went up that he knew at that moment that it was his life’s work.”
Source – NY TIMES
I never got to meet Gilbert – we had been talking the last few weeks about his lavender addition to the flag and were supposed to meet and have drinks this summer in NYC…sadly, that will never happen. But I have a piece of the 25th anniversary flag, autographed by him, hanging proudly in my home. And will cherish it, as long as I live!
TRUMP will NOT Protect Federal LGBT workers
LGBT NEWS FLASH
President Trump has flip-flopped once again on his promise to protect LGBT workers who work for federal contractors from workplace discrimination. – I am so tired of this shit talker – when can we impeach him???
Trump signed an order on Monday revoking protections signed into law by President Obama in 2014. Obama signed an executive order banning LGBT discrimination among federal contractors; he concurrently signed an order requiring contracted businesses prove they’re complying with federal laws and executive orders. President Trump rescinded the latter order, making it much more difficult to know whether a business has committed to ending LGBT bias in hiring, firing, and promotions.
Lambda Legal condemned Trump’s actions, saying, “This administration has made it extremely difficult to enforce these federal laws as applied to federal contractors.” “It’s sending a message to these companies,” said Camilla Taylor, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, “…that the federal government simply doesn’t care whether or not they violate the law.”
Read more at ADVOCATE
TRANSGENDER Category at TINDER
Tinder’s founder, Sean Rad, announced that since GLAAD worked with Tinder to make the platform trans-inclusive, Tinder has matched over 250,000 trans users. That’s a huge number and shows that transgender inclusion really works.
When Tinder released its “More Genders” update last November, it sent a strong message to tens of millions of people that trans people were welcome at Tinder.
It’s particularly important that this news came out at an event in Texas, where the message is sorely needed — Texas is currently considering a law, SB6, that would codify discrimination against trans people.
From working with companies like Tinder and the cast of Transparent, to fighting back against SB6 and the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back protections for trans kids, GLAAD is fighting on the front lines to accelerate acceptance for trans people. Today, we’re asking you to be a part of that work.
Your contribution of just $25 is an important way for you to voice your support for all trans people — and to make an unequivocal statement that all of us deserve nothing less than full acceptance:
| Derrick, donate $25 |
Thank you for being one of GLAAD’s best supporters. We can’t do this without you.
Classic Gay Film MAURICE Restored
The 4K Restoration and 30th Anniversary Re-release of
The Merchant Ivory Production of
MAURICE
Directed by James Ivory
Produced by Ismail Merchant
Based upon the novel by E.M. Forster
In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, the landmark 1987 production Maurice returns with a sparkling presentation that befits its status as one of the finest films ever made by the exalted Merchant Ivory Productions, as well as being one of the most respected and popular mainstream gay-themed films of its day.
Cohen Media Group, which has acquired a 30-film library of movies directed and produced by the James Ivory-Ismail Merchant filmmaking team, proudly presents Maurice in a brand new 4K scan and restoration from the original camera negative and magnetic soundtrack, and featuring a new 5.1 audio mix from the stereo 35mm mags, all approved by director James Ivory.
Written in 1914 by E.M. Forster, Maurice was the second of his novels to be adapted by Merchant Ivory (following 1986’s A Room with a View). First published in 1971, a year after Forster’s death, the novel takes on a subject that no major bildungsroman (or, loosely, “coming of age novel”) in the genre had ever addressed: the problem of coming of age as a homosexual in a restrictive society.
Maurice was co-written for the screen by director James Ivory and first-time feature writer Kit Hesketh-Harvey (marking a rare instance that Ivory did not collaborate with his usual writing partner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala). Hesketh-Harvey, who is best known as a musical performer, composer and translator, was a Cambridge graduate and thus familiar with the novel’s milieu.
Starring James Wilby (Maurice) and Hugh Grant (Clive) as two Cambridge undergraduates who fall in love, the film Maurice is set amidst the hypocritical homoerotic subculture of the English university in Forster’s time. In an environment in which any reference to ” the unspeakable vice of the Greeks” is omitted, and any overture toward a physical relationship between men might be punishable by law, Maurice and Clive struggle to come to terms with their own feelings toward each other and toward a repressive community.
After their friend Lord Risley (Mark Tandy) is arrested and sentenced to six months of hard labor after soliciting sex from a soldier, Clive abandons his forbidden love and marries a young woman. Maurice, however, struggles with questions of his identity and self-confidence, seeking the help of a hypnotist (Ben Kingsley) to rid himself of his undeniable urges.
But while staying with Clive and his shallow wife, Anne (Phoebe Nicholls), Maurice attracts the attention of Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves), the under-gamekeeper. Alec then leaves his family in order to stay with Maurice, whom he tells, “Now we shan’t never be parted.”
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 1987 (during the height of the AIDS crisis), where Ivory was awarded a Silver Lion as Best Director, sharing the prize with Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi for his film Long Live the Lady!. James Wilby and Hugh Grant were jointly awarded Best Actor, and composer Richard Robbins received the Golden Osella prize for his score. The film also received an Academy Award® nomination (Best Costume Design, Jenny Beavan & John Bright) for the 60th Academy Awards®
Thirty years on, Maurice remains a wonderfully mounted and outstandingly acted period drama, its themes of repression, dignity, compromise and love in the face of persecution still are as relevant today as they were in the 1980s and, indeed, as they were when E.M. Forster penned his novel more than a century ago.
Formed in 2008 by Charles S. Cohen, an executive producer of Frozen River which garnered two Academy Award nominations, the Cohen Media Group (CMG) is a theatrical film production company that has been steadily developing into a dynamic, positive force within the film industry. The Cohen Media Group’s intent is to produce and distribute select films throughout North America annually, allowing the CMG team to devote their best efforts toward each unique film’s fullest potential. With a strong dedication to quality movies and a highly motivated and talented support team of professionals, the Cohen Media Group looks forward to a long future as part of the film industry’s distinguished horizon.
FEUD: Bette and Joan MARCH 5th
FEUD: Bette and Joan
Premieres Sunday, March 5th on FX
FEUD: Bette and Joan, the first installment of the new FX anthology series from Ryan Murphy, tells the story of the legendary rivalry between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during their collaboration on the Academy Award®-nominated thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and well after the cameras stopped rolling. The series explores how the two women endured ageism, sexism, and misogyny while struggling to hang on to success and fame in the twilight of their careers.
In addition to Academy Award® winners Lange and Sarandon, the cast includes Alfred Molina as the film’s director Robert Aldrich, Stanley Tucci as studio titan Jack Warner, Judy Davis as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, Jackie Hoffman as Crawford’s housekeeper Mamacita, and Alison Wright as Aldrich’s assistant Pauline.
Notable guest stars include Dominic Burgess as Crawford and Davis’ co-star Victor Buono, Catherine Zeta-Jones as film star Olivia de Havilland, Sarah Paulson as Geraldine Page, Kathy Bates as Joan Blondell and Kiernan Shipka as B.D., Bette Davis’ daughter.
Ryan Murphy serves as Executive Producer along with Executive Producers Dede Gardner of Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, Tim Minear and Alexis Martin Woodall. The series is produced by Fox 21 Television Studios
Cast: Jessica Lange “Joan Crawford”, Susan Sarandon “Bette Davis”, Stanley Tucci “Jack Warner”, Alfred Molina “Robert Aldrich”, Judy Davis “Hedda Hopper”, Jackie Hoffman “Mamacita”, Alison Wright “Pauline”
Directed by: Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear
Written by: Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear
Social info:
Official site: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/feud
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeudFX/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FeudFX
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feudfx/
#FeudFX
New Film Looks at Immigration Issues and Love
OFFICIAL FILM TRAILER RELEASED for “EN ALGUN LUGAR”
The official video trailer has been released by Iconoclast for the motion picture “En Algun Lugar” (A Place to Be), which stars Nelson Rodriguez (Pride Films and Plays, Easy Abby) as Abel, and Andrew Saenz (Chicago PD, Sirens) as Diego, and written and directed by award winning filmmaker Tadeo Garcia (On the Downlow, Under Covers).
“En Algun Lugar” follows the relationship between Abel & Diego, from Chicago to Mexico.
When tragedy strikes and Diego’s undocumented immigration status is revealed, their love and sacrifice is put to the test through uncertain times that will affect their relationship. Set against the foundation of a broken U.S. immigration system, “En Algun Lugar” sheds light on the mantra of love overcomes all and love knows no borders.
Alongside Nelson Rodriguez and Andrew Saenz the cast includes Jessie Prez as Braulio, Ian Tranberg as Stephen, Sandra Marquez as Lilly, Charin Alvarez as Rita and Erica Cruz Hernandez as Carolina. Other cast include J.J. Romero, Caitlin Jackson, Blaine Thomas Childers, Enrique Guzman, Juan Martinez, Artemio Gonzalez, Carolyn Hoerdemann, Mickey O’Sullivan, Nick Mikula, Zach Livingston, Will Clinger, Diego Sanchez, Michael J. Sanow, Ayssette Munoz, Chris Acevedo, Matt Nikkila, Carmen Cenko, Daniel Hansen, Cole Reed, Frank Menolascino, Davon Suttles, Jon Jackson, Alex Knoll, Mike Hynek, Richard Cotovsky, Rudy Galvan, Diego Colon, Lane Flores, Cole McMillan and Caitlin Boho.
Tadeo Garcia’s provocative and intimate tale of love and fear of the unknown comes to life in a never before seen cinematic perspective produced by Aric S. Jackson (www.aricjackson.com) and Michael J. Sanow (Under Covers, Blood Brothers). Featuring the people, culture, dynamic geography and architecture of both Jalpa, Zacatecas; MEX and Chicago, Illinois; USA, the wonder of Tadeo Garcia’s story has captivated those involved both in front and behind the camera. The producers stress this would not be possible without the talents of cinematographer Charlie Garcia, production designer Pablo Ponce, casting director Stephanie Diaz, costume designer Freddy Rocha, makeup artists Lilien Harvey and Ruby Ortiz, and music from Los Pecados and The Pinto Bean.
The producers of the film also announce the release of “behind-the-scenes” photos and video clips via the film’s official website at www.enalgunlugarmovie.com and its social media profiles (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) showing the cast and crew during the production of “En Algun Lugar.”
En Algun Lugar aims for a mid-2017 release.
The new trailer can be viewed at www.enalgunlugarmovie.com/trailer .
Gavin Grimm Transgender Case goes to Supreme Court
There was nothing remarkable about Gavin Grimm’s first trip to the boys’ bathroom at Gloucester High School. It was a little more than a month into his sophomore year, when the transgender teenager had begun quietly reintroducing himself to the student body as a boy.
Grimm had used men’s restrooms at restaurants, stores and the local amusement park, and using the boys’ bathroom at his school felt like “the natural progression of things,” he said. Just like cutting his hair short, just like wearing baggy pants and graphic T-shirts, just like beginning testosterone shots. He started using the boys’ bathroom shortly after he got word from Principal Nate Collins that it would be okay.
But that decision to use the boys’ bathroom one fall day in 2014 clashed with this town’s sensibilities and led to an acrimonious public debate. Now, Grimm’s case has made this quiet, out-of-the-way community in Virginia’s Tidewater region the unlikely center of the national debate over how public schools should accommodate transgender students.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday it will hear a school board’s appeal of a lower court decision affirming transgender students’ access to facilities appropriate for their gender identity — and if it lets that decision stand, it will be a major victory for transgender rights relating to students.
After Donald Trump‘s election, there was some question about whether the court would uphold last October’s decision to hear the case of transgender teen Gavin Grimm, who is suing his Virginia high school for the right to use the restroom and locker room that corresponds with his gender.
The justices are scheduled to hear the case on March 28 and Grimm is preparing for the spotlight. Grimm was initially allowed to use the boys’ restroom at his high school, but after receiving complaints, the school board adopted a policy requiring students to use the restroom that corresponds with their sex assigned at birth or be segregated to a single-stall restroom.
His case drew headlines as it advanced from remarks before the school board to federal courts. That’s because it’s not just Grimm’s life on the line. The Supreme Court’s ruling could settle, one way or another, the debate over whether transgender people should be regarded as the gender they say they are, and allowed equal access to public spaces like restrooms, for years to come.
LGBTQ March on Washington 2017
Drawing inspiration from last weekend’s Women’s March on Washington, a gay activist in New York City has announced plans for the National Pride March, a “mass” LGBT protest at the nation’s capital on June 11, 2017.
David Bruinooge, 42, of Brooklyn, N.Y., announced the plan on Facebook and created an event page for those interested in keeping up with the protest’s progress.
“We urge all supporters, friends, and family to descend on DC for the Pride 2017 weekend (June 8-11th) to make sure our voices are heard,” part of the post reads.
The march will coincide with Capital Pride, DC’s annual pride celebration, and organizers hope to draw big numbers to send a clear message to Washington’s powered elite that LGBTQ rights are not to be threatened.
The last major LGBT protest in DC was the National Equality March in 2009, which called for full equality for LGBTQ people in all matters of civil law, in all 50 states. At that time, only five states had legal same-sex marriage. It drew participants in the hundreds of thousands.
