THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

In The American Interest Online ( July-August ) an article entitled 'The Wizards of Oz' dissects what several prominant arts groups, including the Recording Industry Association of America and the American Film Institute, say is America's Number One song: Over the Rainbow. Written by Harold Arlen ( Get Happy, I've Got the World on a String, Stormy Weather ) and E.Y. 'Yip' Harburg ( Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? ) , the song was almost left out of the movie. Sung by Dorothy ( Judy Garland ) to her dog Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz, it instantly became a classic ( although the movie didn't, at first ) and made Garland famous as a performer ( and one of the few actors able to upstage a dog ) . Rainbow became Garland's signature concert sign-off, and has been covered by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to The Smashing Pumpkins.

From the 'What's-Coming-Out-of-the-Closet?' file, The New York Times ( July 9 ) reports that The Advocate, the national gay magazine, will shed its opaque cover. The magazine polled its readers and they no longer wanted the cover ( -up ) . The Advocate is owned by PlanetOut, which plans to change how it mails its other magazines as well.

The Chicago Sun-Times ( June 17 ) has a story in its Controversy section of a mom with a problem ( or maybe it's not ) : her two-year-old son wanted to dress up as a ballerina, then he wanted pink sheets ( because he picked 'em ) and then he wanted a Snow White costume. Mom was wondering if he'd be gay or a cross-dresser or transgendered. Her sensible pediatrician told her, 'Some boys will be more interested than others in dress-up as feminine characters. This does not mean they suffer from gender confusion.' There's no need to worry: Just grab the video camera when your little guy does a turn in a fuchsia off-the-shoulder ball gown for fun. If he's a touch too macho, when he's 17 he may need it to remind him of his 'other' side.

All one can say about a book reviewed by the Chicago Tribune ( June 16 ) , Be Near Me by Andrew O'Hagan, is that the intro says the tale is about a priest accused of pedophilia. It is not such a book though, since the content of the review says the priest is drawn to teenagers. Not wonderful but not 10-year-olds. The novel may or may not be better than the review.