1. Now and a Zen: There are several sites that cater to Buddhism as practiced in the community. One of the most comprehensive sites is the San Francisco-based Gay Buddhist Fellowship ( www.gaybuddhist.org/followindex.html ) .
One of the more fascinating aspects concerns Buddhism and homosexuality, in which it's stated that same-sex loving doesn't count as misconduct ( which is hardly a revelation in my book ) and that Buddha was certainly aware of gayness during his time. ( And I'm not reading anything into that ... . ) Also, check out the Gay Buddhist Pen Pal Club ( clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gaybuddhistpenpalclub ) and Mystical Women ( http://www.crosswinds.net/~campross/womyn.html ) , which explores Buddhism from a feminist perspective.
2. Strike up the band! You saw the Freedom Band at the Pride Parade and now you can find out about all of the groups at the Lakeside Pride Musical Ensemble site ( http://home.uchicago.edu/~jabeeler/lpfb.html ) . There's interesting info about each band: concert, marching, jazz, small ensembles, and a hoped-for orchestra. Also, find out how you can make donations or even purchase the newest CD, Beyond the Stars. ( By the way, I love the name of swing combo's name: Swing-a-Ding-Ding. )
I'm at turn_it_up@hotmail.com .