So George Bush was elected president. Voters in 11 states approved of amendments to their constitutions prohibiting the marriages of same-sex couples. An Alabama lawmaker filed a bill that would ban any materials from state libraries that mention homosexuality. CBS and NBC rejected a television advertisement from the U
Maybe you ve got some cash left in that manbag now that your holiday shopping is finally done. Or perhaps you re still searching for that special something for your brand new mother-in-law, the woman who still refers to you as her daughter s roommate in the company of her bridge club. There s no shortage of organizatio
Target, the Minneapolis-based retail giant, could not have chosen a more apt moniker. Conservative Christian groups like Concerned Women for America, the American Family Association, and the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) have called for a boycott of Target to protest the company s decision to ban Salvation Army bell-
Legendary WBZ talk show host and AIDS activist David Brudnoy died Thursday night at Massachusetts General Hospital after a long battle with both AIDS and merkel cell carcinoma, the rare and aggressive form of skin cancer that caused his death. He was 64. Brudnoy was diagnosed with HIV in the late 1980s but went public
Fenway Community Health Center has taken its campaign against crystal meth abuse to the Web, aiming to spread the message about the drug s dangers to men in the party and play scene. Some health advocates in the gay community have taken a hard line against crystal use, most notably AIDSMeds.com founder Peter Staley, wh
If the pre-show buzz is any indication, pundits and politicos from the right and the left will have plenty to say about the 20/20 investigation into the murder of Matthew Shepard. The hour-long show, scheduled to air Nov. 26, sets out to prove that Shepard was not targeted by his killers because he was gay, but instead
When Elvedin, a 24-year-old graduate student in the Boston area, went to give blood at a local Red Cross donation center recently, he didn t come away with a good feeling and an I gave blood today sticker. He came away feeling discriminated against. There was a question on the donor questionnaire, something like Are y
Name: Stacy VanDeveer Birth date: May 6, 1967 Sign: Taurus Have you heard anything about Taurus that seems true of you? Let s see. I m passionate about ideas. Current residence: Malden, Massachusetts Ethnic roots: A nice midwestern boy. E-mail address: stacy.vandeveer@unh.edu Occupation: I m an associate professor at
The Fenway Community Health Center recently announced two new initiatives, one targeted at HIV prevention and another aimed at expanding services for Boston s transgender community. The former is a study of microbicides, HIV-killing compounds that could be included in lubricant to prevent HIV transmission during anal s
Whatever happened to Fay Wray, you ask? Why, she wound up in ARTcetera, New England s oldest and largest art benefit, which should raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the AIDS Action Committee on October 16, in our very own Cyclorama. For there s Fay - puckered but still plucky at 96 - peering out with the same
When advocates of comprehensive sex ed poured over the figures in the 2005 supplemental budget that Governor Mitt Romney signed Sept. 17, they were shocked by what they found. Tucked into the pages and pages of appropriations was one short sentence, labeled Section 140, that may imperil safer sex education in state pub
Lesbians of America, pack your bags! It s time to head to the new lesbian capitol of the world: Oklahoma! The state s new nickname will be Oklahomo! Woo-hoo! Just think of those cowgirls on the range. The classic Rogers & Hammerstein musical will take on a whole new meaning. It may at first be hard to believe that
Art lovers gathered at Shreve, Crump & Low Sept. 30 for a party for patrons of AIDS Action Committee s (AAC) biennial fundraising auction, ARTcetera. AAC s 18th ARTcetera auction, which will be held Oct. 16 at the Boston Center for the Arts/Cyclorama, will feature nearly 300 pieces of contemporary art, all donated
Marty Rouse is standing inside MassEquality s new headquarters, a sprawling eleventh-floor suite of offices with deep blue wall-to-wall carpeting that is all but empty save for a few large desks, phones and a futon couch frame. We re here, we re queer, we re not going anywhere, Rouse jokes as he gives a quick tour, tak
Women in the Grove , By Paula W. Peterson; Beacon Press, Boston; 204 pages, hardcover This collection of nine stories by Paula W. Peterson portrays the sometimes sweet, but more often sad and painful daily existence of women HIV and AIDS. Perhaps Peterson knows this kind of suffering too well. Her memoir, Penitent wit
DES MOINES, Iowa - No major party presidential nominee has ever granted the gay media an interview during the general election campaign but, on Sept. 9, U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, agreed to two separate face-to-face interviews with the gay press. One, for this newspaper and others around
Name: Jason Wright And are you? I try to be. Birth date: April 13, 1981. Sign: Aries Have you heard anything about Aries that seems true of you? I like challenges that I have to put a lot of thought into or ones that rely on instinct. Most of the time I rely on my gut to get me to the next decision or step. I d say tha
Gays Against Bush, an ad-hoc group of GLBT New Yorkers, made sure that some of the Republicans visiting the Big Apple had a meal they would never forget. On Aug. 31 as the Missouri delegates made their way to the Blue Smoke restaurant for dinner, they were met by a crowd of protestors holding signs with slogans like Sh
NEW YORK - The big gay story of the Republican National Convention, held here Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, was the gay Log Cabin Republicans new get-tough approach to the Republican Party. Log Cabin declared that the GOP has been hijacked by the radical right and repeatedly threatened to withhold its endorsement of George W. Bu
What becomes a legend most? If you re Eartha Kitt, the answer is simple: work. At 77, 59 years since she first entered the world of show business, Miss Kitt not only isn t slowing down, she hates the very thought of taking it easy. I m glad I m still in demand, she said in a phone interview from her home. I want to jus
Leaders from the following centers met Aug. 19 and 20 at Fenway Community Health, which serves a predominantly GLBT clientele, to discuss the community s health needs. Callen-Lorde Community Health Center: New York City s only health center focusing on the health needs of the GLBT community. Chase-Brexton Health Servic
With an eye toward preserving the right of same-sex couples to marry in the Bay State, the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus (MGLPC) Aug. 23 endorsed a slate of candidates for the state Legislature in the Sept. 14 primary and Nov. 2 general elections (see below: MGLPC endorsements for Sept. 14 primary).
The executive directors of the country s seven largest GLBT health centers met at Boston s Fenway Community Health Center on Aug. 19 and 20 to discuss health concerns facing the community, and topping the agenda was an increasingly familiar problem among many local gay men: crystal methamphetamine addiction. Stephen Bo
The 120 participants in the second annual Mass Red Ribbon Ride trekked 175 miles across Massachusetts Aug. 13 and 14 to raise funds for 18 HIV/AIDS organizations around the state. Although tropical storm warnings prompted organizers to cancel the third day of the ride, organizers report that many participants completed
Tim admits that, at least at first, the crystal was euphoric. I d be lying if I said I didn t enjoy it, he concedes. In the beginning, the drug seemed transformational. Tim, who asked that his and his lover s names be changed, had always been a little uptight about sex. Previously, he was somehow unable to totally let
Lipstick amazons. Lesbians trapped in a horror redo. And one straight guy drops his pants for a gay guy to win a girl. As wacky as all this sounds, that s just a taste of what s happening at this year s Providence Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. As a sidebar to New England s largest film festival - the Rhode Island Inte
In an effort to better address the unique health needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, more than 300 health care professionals, researchers, academics, activists and consumers will gather at Cambridge s Royal Sonesta Hotel Aug. 25-29 for the second National LGBTI Health Summit. With such top
With a record number of GLBT delegates and a handful of openly gay convention speakers, the gay community made its presence felt at the Democratic National Convention in Boston July 26-29. The 2004 convention hosted 255 openly GLBT delegates representing 48 states and three territories - including seven transgender peo
Having lived with HIV for about 17 years, Gary Pasnick considers himself lucky. That s why the 45-year-old Dorchester resident is currently training for the second annual Harbor to the Bay Ride, a one-day AIDS benefit bike ride that will have cyclists pedaling 125 miles from Boston to Provincetown - or a making a short
Researchers in Boston recently announced the results of two studies on HIV/AIDS, one focused on prevention and the other looking at drug regimens for HIV positive people. Both studies were made possible through the work of ordinary volunteers, but researchers hope their efforts will produce extraordinary results. Explo
In early 2003 health care workers at the Fenway Community Health Center were alarmed by three local cases of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, more commonly known as staph infections, in gay men and men who have sex with men(MSM). In the year and a half since those initial infections were reported, the n
A virtual who s who of GLBT community leaders gathered at the Westin Copley Place June 30 for a fundraiser for Senator John Kerry s presidential campaign, hosted by Kerry s daughter Vanessa and stepson Chris Heinz. Among the attendees were AIDS Action Committee Executive Director Rebecca Haag, political consultant Mary
Almost Like Being in Love By Steve Kluger Perennial (an imprint of HarperCollins), trade paperback, 368 pages, $13.95 Publication Date: May 2004 Now that summer is upon us, it s only fitting that the perfect summer novel has arrived in time for some good escapist fun. But make no mistake - while Almost Like Being in L
As the chair of the Massachusetts Governor s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, the first such commission in the country, Kathleen Henry is used to working at the forefront of issues involving GLBT youth and school safety. When the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) released its State of the States
Almost Like Being in Love - By Steve Kluger, Perennial (an imprint of HarperCollins), trade paperback, 368 pages, $13.95, Publication Date: May 2004 Now that summer is upon us, it s only fitting that the perfect summer novel has arrived in time for some good escapist fun. But make no mistake - while Almost Like Being
On June 11 in Washington D.C. a collection of past and present world leaders gathered in the National Cathedral to mourn the death of former President Ronald Reagan. A few hundred miles north in Cambridge at the Old Cambridge Baptist Church a group of about 30 people came together to mourn those who they said suffered
It has been a well-known fact for at least two decades among scientists, researchers, AIDS activists and the gay man on the street that condoms save lives. Proper use of a condom remains the most effective way to prevent sexual transmission of the HIV virus - it s such old news, it s boring. But there is the real threa
Five months after it opened, Rhode Island s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community center has closed its doors, at least temporarily. The sudden closure of the center, which overlooks Interstate 195 near downtown Providence, sent groups scrambling for other meeting sites. One, the state s Campaign for Marriag
The federal Food and Drug Administration is the latest government institution to substitute a mix of societal prejudice, stereotyping and public hysteria in the place of sound scientific evidence and cool-headed judgment when it comes to policy-making. On May 20, the FDA issued new rules that prohibit any man who has h
The GLBT community of Massachusetts is on the verge of change. As a barrage of last-minute legal assaults fall by the wayside, communities around the state are preparing to end the practice of denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It will be a change for the good for Massachusetts. Our state is living up to it
AIDS has been with us for so long it s tempting to think it s over. But facing grim statistics and growing public indifference, statewide AIDS organizations revealed a new long-term collaboration to change hearts and minds, and reduce the number of HIV infections along the way. In an unprecedented collaboration, 18 AID
In February and March members of the GLBT community and their allies packed the hallways of the Mass. Statehouse during the constitutional convention to protest a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Protestors sang patriotic songs and filled the air with American and rainbow flags, urging lawmakers to blo
The young man cruising me in the popular leather bar where I live in Fort Lauderdale was not my typical type. He was handsome enough, and big and sturdy, the way I like my men. But I could tell just by looking at him that he was younger than what I usually go for. I later found out he was 28, way below my personal cut
If all goes according to plan, same-sex couples in Massachusetts will begin marrying in May. Many of them, if they haven t already done so, will begin considering more seriously whether or not to have children. While same-sex couples have been allowed to adopt for more than a decade in Massachusetts, should they opt fo
The federal government should stop practicing the special trade protectionism it has for pharmaceutical companies and allow the legal import of cheaper, generic drugs. This issue has been a point of contention for years, for Americans with all kinds of illnesses, ranging from cancer patients to people with HIV and AIDS
You might want to stock up on rice. The Supreme Judicial Court s (SJC) Nov. 18 decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health goes into effect in a little more than one month, which means same-sex couples will soon be getting legally married. But there are still some potential roadblocks to a gay May wedding seas
When the keepers of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think-tank in Washington, D.C., set out to compile 30 years worth of statistics and polling on social attitudes towards gay and lesbian marriage, they probably didn t mean to uncover just how dramatically acceptance of gays and lesbians has shifted i
A splash of sadness seems to hit the air whenever a bartender hollers Last call. But in seven short weeks, last call at Dyke Night will take on a new and lasting sadness. That s because Dyke Night organizer Kristen Porter recently announced she will close shop on Thursday, April 29. No more $2 tall PBRs. No more tricky
For HIV/AIDS service providers around the Bay State, an already difficult year just got worse. On March 1 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Boston would receive about $14.8 million in federal grant money to provide primary care and other services for low-income people living with HIV
LEAVING METROPOLIS WOLFE VIDEO With campy characters, superhero references and a soap opera plot about a married man torn between his wife and a male lover, Leaving Metropolis should have had a fun, over-the-top aspect. Instead the drama, written and directed by Brad Fraser, aims for a serious intensity that makes it u
A crowd of more than 60 people gathered at the South End s Harriet Tubman House Feb. 26 for a community forum entitled Same-Sex Marriage and the Black Church. Despite its title, the discussion was wide ranging as audience members peppered panelists - state Rep. Byron Rushing, Northeastern University Law Professor Taylo
Augusten Burroughs monumentally acclaimed Running With Scissors ended with Burroughs leaving his loony surrogate family in Northampton, Massachusetts and striking out to New York City. Dry: A Memoir (St. Martin s Press) picks up the narrative of his singular life, but concentrates on his battle with the bottle, a war w
Since 2001 AIDS service organizations in Massachusetts have watched their state funding shrink with the release of every annual state budget. Lawmakers on Beacon Hill have already begun debating the budget for Fiscal Year 2005, and once again AIDS funding is poised to take a hit. Governor Romney released his FY 05 budg
Boston may not be hosting the Gay Games any time in the near future, but from March 26-28 the Boston area will become the hub for GLBT athletes as the Gay and Lesbian Athletics Foundation (GLAF) holds its second annual conference at the MIT campus. Last year s event, which GLAF said drew an estimated 200-300 attendees,
The Nov. 18 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) decision in Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health, which declared the state s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, put the Bay State at the epicenter of the national debate over gay marriage. Yet the effects of the decision are reverberating nationwide. In the pas
Members of the local African-American community are questioning the involvement of the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston (BMA), an influential advocate for the needs of Boston s black community, in efforts to outlaw gay marriage. The BMA is listed as a member organization of the Coalition for Marriage, an um
President George W. Bush continued to offer limited support for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in his Jan. 21 State of the Union address, drawing criticism from gay rights organizations and a mixed reaction from religious conservatives. A strong America must also value the institution of marriage, Bush
The gay community lost an important legislative advocate when Cheryl Jacques vacated her state Senate seat earlier this month to lead the Human Rights Campaign, the nation s largest political organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. But as the legislature readies to confront the same-sex marria
Rhode Island GLBT people at last have a home they can call their own. The state s first GLBT community center will officially open its doors on Jan. 10, nearly three years after plans were first unveiled. The center occupies the first floor of India Point Place, a building that once housed a furniture store on Ge
It s been hailed as the Gay Summer of 2003, and with good reason. Bikini-clad beachgoers barely had tan lines before Canada legalized gay marriage, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Texas anti-gay sodomy law; the nation s largest employer, Wal-Mart, adopted a gay-inclusive employment nondiscrimination policy, and the
In 1982, Rudy Kikel was ready to blow this town. I was going to go to New York because I thought that there s more sex there, I d be closer to my family and I d be closer to the lit crowd, he recalls during a recent interview at his South End home. As fate would have it, Sasha Alyson was looking to start a local gay ne
When Gary Buseck says I ve got GLAD in my blood, he s not kidding. Buseck has been involved in various capacities with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders since 1979, spending the last six years as its executive director. So it s not surprising when he says he s finding it very hard to leave. In January Buseck star
The marking of AIDS Action Committee s twentieth anniversary this year is a bittersweet occasion for Larry Kessler, who said he never could have imagined that the AIDS epidemic would last two decades. What surprises me is that we are still here, said Kessler. When we started meeting to form the Aids Action Committee ev
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