Jay Smooth on 'All Things Considered'

I've posted here before about Jay Smooth and his great video blog (aka vlog) ill Doctrine.

I was delighted to find out that he was interviewed on NPR's All Things Considered on June 29th. I missed hearing it on the broadcast but Jay has a link to it on his site

Jay Smooth: On Hip-Hop, Blogs And Race where you can read the article and listen to the 5 min 49 sec audio recording.

Jay, it was a good interview and it's good to know a little more about you.

Various and sundry

It's been a while since I posted. I have been busy (as usual) with a few extra things thrown into the mix. Summer with this city woman actually doing some gardening or having other folks do it - some for pay and some by amazing friends helping us out. The yard looks better and is better other than fixing some mistakes and getting some more mulch and then watering and weeding for the rest of the summer.

I was in the hospital Monday and Tuesday. I had been having tight chest feelings (pain) mild for a couple of weeks and then it got a little worse last Friday - not bad enough to go to the doc or hospital but I did go to our family doc Monday. He did an ekg in his office and it was a bit abnormal so he sent me to the ER for more evaluation - especially because of my risk factors. My dad died from his 3rd or 4th heart attack at 44 years old when I was 12. I have high cholesterol, diabetes, and I smoked from age 16 to 50 - among other things. The er did another ekg and blood tests and admitted me for observation and a medically induced stress test which happened on Tuesday. Great news - I passed. The docs said my heart is healthy. Yay! We don't know what is causing it but its just mild and barely noticable when its there usually, and they told me to chew a tums three times a day and see my family doc for a followup in two weeks.

Our BIG news is that Alec's new book The Backside of Nowhere has been published!

On Friday he posted on his blog:

Here's a bit of a teaser, a little scene from The Backside of Nowhere.

Read more here: Under water.

More information about this book and his others is posted on his website:
http://www.alecclayton.com/
and on our ClaytonWorks site:
http://www.claytonworks.com/Publishing/index.html

Father's Day & Pride

We are off to do the PFLAG table at Capital City Pride (here in Olympia) for the day.

Check out Alec's blog post: Surprised by a story on the web

Besen: Obama’s empty words

In "Obama’s empty words" Wayne Besen wrote:

For what seemed like forever, Democrats told us that when the big bad Republicans went away, our lives would improve. Well, the Republican nightmare is over, so why do I still feel like I’m in the middle of a political Friday the 13th movie?

Read: Obama’s empty words
by Wayne Besen, columnist, 365gay.com - 06.18.2009

Forty Years from Flashpoint Stonewall

In her blog Trans Political Vanessa Edwards Foster writes:

As the LGBT community been enrapt in Pride celebrations in numerous cities across the globe this month, there's been plenty of news that's hit the wires. Most all of it in America has centered around Don't Ask, Don't Tell (a campaign promise by President Barack Obama that has yet to be addressed) and marriage issues or the Dept. of Justice's recent amicus curiae brief filed regarding DOMA (the Defense Of Marriage Act of 1996).

Individual organizers in the GLBT community are using this anniversary and devoting media to capitalize on the event to address the recent outrages in the gay and lesbian community.

It's a notable anniversary for Pride celebrations and marches this month as it is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. That occasion was also about outrage. The folks that night had had enough of being treated like crap. No más!

"If the police came in, they were going to check your ID, rough-up some people. The drag queens always seemed to get roughed-up first." — Larry Stansbury of Capital Pride.

Today, of course, those surviving veterans of Stonewall are all near, or in their sixties or above. They still remember that night well. And though this is a milestone anniversary, there appears to be a collective yawn in this country at least in recalling our history and having these pioneers of Queer history around for the retelling.

Odd. We want to revel in this special anniversary with parades and parties and such. Yet the organizers and perhaps a sizable portion of at least the gay and lesbian community would rather just forget what this date memorializes or the people who created the flashpoint on June 28, 1969.

Included is a quote from Stonewall veteran Miss Major:

I am hoping against the reality that the gay community will get off it's ass & do the right thing by the girls that are still here from the 1969! The shit stops here. (The) riot at Stonewall – when you think about it – that was 40 years ago. If you can add, that makes us elders, ones that need the respect for what we began and for living with the bullshit they throw at at us.... WE ARE STILL HERE, DAMNIT!!!

We are not going to disappear or fade away. I have no closet to hide in – I burned the house to the ground. NO HIDING PLACES.

Vanessa continues:

We march in the Parade and point to the history of Stonewall. But simultaneously there's no sense that anyone wants to know or to remember the community's warriors or even know the history of that night.

People want to mouth the words "Stonewall" as it's become only an occasion in which to party. Unfortunately there will be no lessons learned from it. In Twitter-ese, time to bring out the Fail Whale.

Please read all of: Who Cares About The Stonewall Girls (And Guys)?
by Vanessa Edwards Foster ~ posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Cleve Jones Speaking at Utah Pride 2009

Wow this speech by Cleve Jones is amazing.

Video: How I Got To Play John Lennon's IMAGINE Piano.

Steve Schalchlin describes "how a simple Internet posting of a friend's son's death (Bill Clayton) turned into the opportunity of a lifetime, thanks to pop star George Michael and Kenny Goss, a chance to play the piano upon which John Lennon wrote the song "Imagine."

The interview is by our friend Tracey Thornton.

A special production of 'Romeo and Juliet' in Olympia

Alec and I hope to see this show and I wanted to help spread the word.

Theater Artists Olympia is pleased to present 'Romeo and Juliet' done with a fresh, intriguing perspective: the title roles are played by two young men.

The director, Chris Cantrell, has emphasized that this is not a "drag show," but a serious production. He is handling it with the utmost sensitivity and care.

We would like to reach out to those organizations that support the gay and lesbian community and tap into an often-neglected audience.
Please encourage everyone you know to support this important production.

Where: Minnaert Performing Arts Center
South Puget Sound Comm College
2011 Mottman Road SW; Olympia, WA 98512 (map)
When: June 25 - July 11 at 8:00 p.m. (Wed.-Sat.) / July 12 at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $12 at door or buyolympia.com / Pay What You Can on 7/8
Info: http://www.olytheater.com/ or 360-357-3471

If you have any questions, feel free to call Heather McMahon at 360-951-5346.
She'd be delighted to help. Thank you so much