As usual, gay writer Dan Savage tells it straight. Let’s rephrase that. Savage takes on the Christian right over their takes on Brokeback Mountain and The End of the Spear (wherein a main character is played by a gay actor) in The NY Times (2/10). Calling actor Chad Allen a gay activist Savage observes is ‘… a term evangelicals apply to any homosexual who isn’t a gay doormat.’ Savage says the right is ticked because the Brokeback story shows that millions of dollars spent in the ‘ex-gay’ cause is for naught. ‘Evangelical Christians seem sincere in their desire to help build healthy, lasting marriages. Well, if that’s their goal, encouraging gay men to enter into straight marriages is a peculiar strategy. Every straight marriage that includes a gay husband is one Web-browser-history check away from an ugly divorce.’
The Chicago Tribune (2/10) sends a little love note to Frank Galati’s production of ‘Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein,’ in which the lesbian writer’s words have been joined in music to celebrate her love of partner Alice B. Toklas. It is currently being performed at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. (Be warned: Stein is not into clear communication. There’s no Aristotelian plot here.)
Shall we change species? The Chicago Tribune (2/19) quotes primotologist Frans De Waal on one of humanity’s closest relatives, the bonobo, a subspecies of chimp. Unlike regular chimps who kill, make war and fight just like people, the bonobos use their universal bisexuality to solve virtually all conflicts. When two strange groups of bonobos see each other for the first time, they scream a lot, the adult females have sex, the adult males have sex, and then everybody has sex. No killing, ever. Hmmm.
The New York Times (2/12) dissects in little tiny pieces the whys and wherefores of The L Word’s bad girl Shane. Shane’s psychology and inability to stay faithful to girlfriend Carmen has made her the favorite of legions of fans. One wonders whether the occasional evangelical who tunes in would root for fidelity or divorce.
Zachie Achmat, the leading AIDS activist from South Africa, is profiled in the Chicago Tribune (1/29). Achmat was boycotting AIDS drugs to force his government to pay for drugs for poor people. He was dying as a result. Getting Nelson Mandela on his side partly turned the country around and thousands of people are still alive who would not have been. He is still a thorn in the government’s side. The health minister of the country, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, touts garlic and lemon as a natural remedy for the disease. Achmat and his new boyfriend are planning a ‘Denialist’s Cookbook’ featuring lemon-and-garlic recipes.