From the ‘Haven’t-Those-Critters-Got-Enough-Problems?’ file, The Chicago Tribune (Apr. 30) reports that cute little Knut, the orphan polar bear raised by human keepers in Germany, is a lonely adolescent who now ‘cries out’ for company. He’s too big (at 350 lbs.) to play with his former ‘parents,’ visitors don’t come to see him and—gasp!—the whole experience may have turned him gay. And he won’t be old enough to visit a bear bar for at least 15 more years.
From the ‘Here’s-the-Rest-of-the-Story’ file, The New York Times (April 25) gives a B+ review of the new opera ‘Our Town,’ which is adapted from Thornton Wilder’s play and which features music by Ned Rorem. Someone could’ve mentioned that Wilder & Rorem were both gay, but didn’t. We know Wilder was gay because one of his flings, Chicagoan Samuel Steward (writer, tattoo artist AKA Phil Andros), was indiscreet enough to mention Gertrude Stein had introduced them, whereupon they had a grand old time under the covers. Rorem, of course, has been writing about his (high) cultural life and about his (low) romantic life for 40 years or so.
From the ‘Whose-Tongue-in-Whose-Cheek’ file, The New York Times Magazine (Apr. 27) has a cover article, ‘Young Gay Rites,’ which gives the movie-star treatment both in (sparkley-teeth & fan-friendly) photos and complimentary prose to some of the young gay men on the East Coast who were able to legally marry in the last several years. The article’s writer, Benoit Denizet-Lewis (who is the same age and sexuality as his subjects) reports that while thousands of middle-aged gays married in Massachusetts, so did a considerable number of people in their late 20s —exactly like their heterosexual counterparts. The jury’s still out on how these marriages will work out: There are no statistics kept on gay divorces & separations. In the meantime, there seems to be a minimum of differences between gay & straight attitudes in these early marriages.
From the ‘Let’s-Keep-This-Straight’ file, The New York Times (Apr. 28) says the ex-mayor of Providence, R.I., a Mr. Cianci, is now out of prison (corruption, etc.), and is now on his own radio show criticizing the new mayor, David N. Cicilline—who, among other things (reformer, hard-nosed) is gay. Mr. Cianci, while playing ‘I’ve Got a Crush on You,’ says Mr. Cilline is much too good a friend with his new (straight?) police chief. This could get interesting if you could remember which one is which. (Thankfully, the police chief is named Esserman.)
From the ‘Boldly-Going’ file, The New York Times (Apr. 11) informs us that, fortunately, the reality show ‘Secret Talents of the Stars’ was canceled, so that we don’t have to listen to (you thought he was Japanese-American but that was a cover for being gay) George Takei sing country & western. Captain Kirk & Spock are still shuddering.