From the ‘People-Who-Live-in-Glass-Houses-Shouldn’t-Have-Tricks’ file, The Chicago Tribune (May 6) reports that architect Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House in Connecticut has been opened to the public. The house, basically a sleek glass box, is totally see-through, which might’ve made things difficult because Mr. Johnson was gay and had lots of male friends. ‘The private Johnson led a rich and varied amorous life with men in the guest quarters nearby,’ according to the article. The guest quarters had virtually no windows (and were full of kitsch).
Cindy Chupack, a writer and producer of Sex and the City, had an essay in The New York Times (May 6) about getting a ‘get’ for her ex-husband and herself. Chupack was remarrying and a ‘get’ is a sort of ritual Jewish divorce certificate that would make future children legitimate. Her ex was gay and she found herself angry at the three rabbis officiating because they did not care for the ex or his new husband or their children. ‘And then I thought about how this ridiculous judgmental tribunal is what my ex-husband faces every day … and how hard it must have been for him to overcome that judgment in order to be honest with
me and himself,’ the article states. The essay is adapted from the anthology ‘Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys.’
Want to spend the rest of your days with like-minded folk? Niche retirement spots are the big news for the I’m-Over-It-All set. The New York Times (April 6) tells of places for nudists, neopagans, toxin-free livers, anarchists and, yes, gays and lesbians: Rainbow Vision runs retirement communities in Santa Fe, N.M., and Palm Springs, Calif. One new resident reported he danced with every man and woman at a two-steppin’ get-together. An estimate of gay demographics states that 2.3 million homosexuals 55 and over are in the U.S. One new feeling for those who move to these places—being a member of the majority population.
The Big Gay Sketch Show just made its debut on Logo, MTV Network’s gay- and lesbian-themed cable channel, according to The New York Times (April 22). One of the show’s first skits was a parody of The Honeymooners in which Alice Kramden receives her wish, ‘a new black-and-white TV set with rabbit ears.’ She gets an African-American transvestite in a white satin gown with bunny ears. Brian Graden, the president of Logo, says ‘We know our culture better than anyone. We’re going to be the joke-tellers this time.’