LA … land of the massive billboards but gorgeous weather. Jean and I hated to return to Chicago, not just because of the weather, but because of the endless elections. But as you read this, the final winners in the Illinois primary elections will have been decided. See Windy City Times and windycitytimes.com for details. We also were three feet from Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and others as they paraded into the HRC LA Awards. Pics soon in WCT.
LA was great. We held a script reading for Half Life, the material Catherine Crouch adapted from a novel I wrote and decided instead would be better visually. Catherine did a great job of getting it, as did the actors, ready for the crowd of nearly 100. Great response, great input, and we know it’s still just a dream! My main goal is to have something that has more permanence than the weekly gay newspapers I have been doing for 20 years—and something that doesn’t rub off on your hands!
The marriage mania continues in Chicago and around the country. The stop-start, yes-no chaos is emotionally draining for those who do believe in marriage. Our local pols don’t want to risk arrest by issuing the licenses to gays (Illinois law would also make it illegal for those getting the license). One temporary solution: Cook County Clerk David Orr could stop issuing ANY marriage licenses, in protest of the discrimination of against gays (including his Deputy Clerk, Brandon Neese). The rally last week, with gays rallying and demanding licenses, and gay pols asking for a compromise (to focus energy against the proposed U.S. amendment) was heated, but didn’t turn into a mob. Some pro-gay Dems are really in a bind, deciding which side of history they will be on.