'I'M TRANSGENDERED, I'm out, I have AIDS, and I married a woman—it's a blithering miracle that I'm even working.' — Chicago actor Alexandra Billings in a feature article in The Advocate, in advance of the New York debut of her autobiographical one-woman show Before I Disappear, at the Producers Club April 23-27. She also stars in the TV version of the hit film Romy and Michele, but an airdate is not set.
'PARTNERS who are gay become completely invisible. [They] can't even acknowledge what they're going through to anyone outside their closest circle of friends.' — Sharra Greer of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network to The Advocate April 29, about gays in the military.
'CIVILIAN partners 'may not seek legal counsel at the JAG office, they cannot seek grief counseling from a chaplain when their partner is injured or killed, and they cannot use the benefits of reduced prices at the PX and commissary.'' — The Advocate's e-mail from Daniel, president of Gay and Lesbian Service Members for Equality, a group of active-duty personnel seeking a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
'We have a president for whom English is a second language. He's like, 'We have to get rid of dictators,' but he's pretty much one himself.' — Comedian Robin Williams, quoted at sfgate.com, March 31.
'He's had enough heartbreak and loneliness. It's been five years. Let's have some hot man-on-man action for this guy.' — Scott Seomin, entertainment media director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, on Will & Grace's Will Truman, to the San Francisco Chronicle, March 30.
'I didn't really have a problem there [with the explicit sex scenes] because I had a really good comfort level with Michelle [Clunie] and we supported each other that way. Plus, I've got to say that I've done a few sex scenes with men before and it's actually much less harrowing with women. I guess because—well, of course, there's a familiarity, a certain common knowledge because you're the same sex; but it's not as nerve-wracking or tough.' — Thea Gill, Lindsay on Queer As Folk, to the Sydney, Australia, gay newspaper SX, Feb. 27.
'Yeah, I get love letters. Maybe I should think about it more in terms of what it means, but I find nothing strange about it. I think it's great if people think I'm gay, because that means I'm doing my job well. I like the fact that I'm straight and I'm playing a gay character, because I think that there is something in there that breaks down the walls between gays and straights. It's important for people to integrate everyone into one community, so there are no labels.' — Michelle Clunie, Melanie on Queer As Folk, to Gay.com, March 26.
New York's Page 6 had an interesting piece April 6 about the new magazine Radar, by Maer Roshan: 'Roshan, the editorial director of Tina Brown's Talk when it bit the dust last year, also takes heterosexual Dan Peres to task for putting out a 'fey' men's magazine that seems to be aimed squarely at guys who are on the other side of the great sexual divide. 'Let's Get One Thing Straight: Dan Peres, editor-in-chief of Details, is not gay. But his magazine sure seems to be. Call him a professional fag stag (the title of a December 2002 piece on homo-lovin' heteros),' Radar says about Peres in its up front 'Fresh Intelligence' gossip page. The piece also takes Peres to task for a recent cut line on a feature story about Phone Booth star Colin Farrell. 'Have You had Sex with Colin Farrell Yet?' ... Peres is already counterpunching—or should we say slapping—back. 'What is Maer getting his panties in a twist about?' says Peres. 'Details is a magazine for men—all men. I'm not going to get caught up in a whole butcher-than-thou stand-off with the cookie-cutter men's magazines. Those other books are squeamish about running stories with any gay content; Details isn't. So, what's the big deal?''
'BUT REALLY, kids, it ain't exactly a cover story for The Advocate.' — Liz Smith on the Barbara Walters kissing session with Julianne Moore, for her Oscar special (which aired after the Oscars because of the war).
