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queerVOICE
"A House Divided Against Itself Can Not Stand"
James Duggan copyright 2008
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For centuries now writers have taken literary liberties with the New Testament scripture passage "a house divided against itself can not stand." One hundred and fifty years ago, in search of a universally known figure of speech that would rouse people to the peril of the times, Abraham Lincoln made famous this phase in a speech before the Illinois Republican State Convention of 1858.
Throughout our history as a nation, this phase has been used as a call for "unity in times of crises" and in the face of adversity; it is recalled in order to remind us that we must work together in our purpose in order to realize our goals for the greater good. That was the genuine intention of our nation's Founding Parents, too!
All too often as human beings, we allow, consciously or not, our personal dislikes, displeasures and our disagreements to become wedges of division between us.
These divisions weaken our attempts to achieve our goals of full equality for all queers, for a safe and welcoming environment for queer youth to learn in, for a cure for HIV/AIDS, and for a caring and safe environment for our queer seniors.
Such divisions strip us of the strength of unity that is desperately needed in a community that is struggling to achieve our basic rights to live our lives as free and equal individuals.
At a time when, once again, thePennsylvaniaLegislator failed to pass anti-discrimination protections for its queer citizens--we need unity among ourselves.
In a time where economic troubles are hurting many of our families and while local charities see a perilous drop in donations, we need unity among ourselves.
Sadly, as we mark the 10th anniversary of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard and with the knowledge that anti-queer hate crimes continue to rise, we need unity among ourselves more than ever.
Queer students under daily attack, queer seniors struggling and alone, an increase of HIV infection amount gay men--we need unity among ourselves.
Perhaps never before during our fight for queer civil rights, we need unity among ourselves. We need to stand strongly and proudly together in our struggle for full equality.
In observance and celebration of National GLBT History Month in October may we as individuals, and we as a community, find the strength, the will, and the desire, to set aside our differences, our dislikes, and our disagreements, and unite together in the face of our adversaries, and those who wish to see us divided.
Let us each offer and receive an olive branch of peace so that we can attend to the needs of our community unified in our mission now and for the generations of queers to come.
As Lincoln continued in his speech, "the result is not doubtful. We shall not fail--if we stand firm, we shall not fail. Wise counsels may accelerate, or mistakes delay it, but, sooner or later, the victory is sure to come."
Sent your comments to james@QUEERtimes.net
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12th Street Gym |
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What it Looks Like From Here
Thom Cardwell copyright 2008 |
 Okay, I'll confess. I have a peculiar, maybe unhealthy, fascination, with Count Dracula (the real historic figure was actually Vlad the Impaler) and vampires. Now, don't get freaked out, I'm more into biting necks, then impaling bodies on stacks (we are, after all, talking about the Middle Ages, so there were pretty barbaric forms of tortures, especially for your arch enemies).
It's Halloween but Dracula and vampires has nothing historically, founded in fact or even fiction, to do with the holiday. I guess it's the bats, black cats, and very loose association with magic, and, the occult, and the fantastical that brought the two otherwise unrelated elements together.
But I digress. Getting back to Dracula, I guess that you could say that, on my darker side, he's one of my alter-egos, and I become obsessed each season with him. It is the fall season and fall, head over hells, about the Count and all the fabulous and fascinating vampire practices and legends and myths, from Transylvania, now part of modern Rumania, to Brooklyn. Yes, there are vampire stories from everywhere!
 In Philadelphia, there's a great celebration and homage paid to Dracula, the fictional character created in the world-famous timeless classic, Dracula, penned by Bram Stoker, when the Rosenbach Museum, 2010 Delancey Street, Philadelphia, hosts an annual Dracula Festival!
So, the library displays Dracula notes, October 14-November 3, showing how an Irish theater manager Bram Stoker created one of the most memorable literary characters of all time.
 Beyond that Dracula also lives, with a hands-on tour, October 8- December 10, exploring the Rosenbach's collection, from the Mystery of Edwin Drood to an original Sherlock Holmes manuscript, examining the evidence for Dracula as a novel of detection, finding out how Deadwood Dick turned sleuth, and even getting your hands on Joseph Conrad's Secret Agent.
It's about time for a new Annotated Dracula by Leslie Klinger, October 22 at 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., who examines all of the evidence, both internal and external, including contemporary travel books, scientific texts, Victorian encyclopedias, as well as Stoker's notes for the narrative and the original manuscript itself (the document is owned by a private, anonymous collector, and Klinger is one of only two researchers to have seen it in recent years).
 Vampires anyone? And how much did Bram Stoker actually know about Dracula and vampires, with another hands-on tour, October 22, 25 and 29 at 3:00 p.m0, with Dracula expert Elizabeth Miller, who recently co-annotated and transcribed Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula with Robert Eighteen-Bisang. Then there's the sixth annual Dracula Parade, a collaboration of Spiral Q Puppet Theater with and at the Rosenbach, October 25, 5:30 p.m. as the ultimate Halloween extravaganza with hordes of howling wolves, swooping bats, and larger-than-life characters from the novel Dracula will gather in front of the Rosenbach before setting out on spooky saunter around Rittenhouse Square.
 For the literati, there's the gallery talk, Monster's Ink: The Bogeymen in Sendak's Closet, October 29, 6:00 p.m., focusing upon the creator famous for monsters, Maurice Sendak, famous for the scary and threatening creatures goes way beyond the Wild Things. Goblins, devils, giants, angels, griffins, gorgons and the odd haunted forest lurk throughout his books.
So, happy goblins, ghouls and vampires to you! I want to suck your neck!
For more information, call 215.732.1600; or visit: rosenbach.org
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Lift The Ban |
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Historic LGBT Fundraiser |
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Coming in October*
A Historic LGBT Fundraising Event with Senator Barack Obama
Join with other LGBT leaders from around the region in support of Barack Obama for President.
With Special Guest
Senator Barack Obama
Democratic Presidential Nominee
Accompanied By
Senator Robert Casey
Governor Ed Rendell
Mayor Michael Nutter
Including
PA Democratic Congressional Delegation
Joan Garry; Co-chair, Obama Campaign LGBT Finance Committee
Kevin Jennings; Co-chair, Obama Campaign LGBT Finance Committee
And other prominent elected officials
*Date and Location to be Announced
___ Donor ($1,000) ___ Host Committee ($2,500) ___ Co-Chair ($5,000)
For more information contact Malcolm Lazin @ mlazin08@gmail.com
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Gay & Lesbian Survey |
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participate in the largest LGBT Community Survey in history, and help demonstrate the growing Power in Our Pride
Join with QUEERtimes and take the survey today!
Ask your friends help make history with you; get them to take it too.
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I Wish I Had Said That: |
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It's "Gunn Control," that's Tim Gunn who we're talking about, the fashion show icon and "queer mentor" of BRAVO's Project Runway who has gathered the attention of literally million of Americans, the queer viewers included, from across the country, who stop, look and listen to fashion advice, enough so, that the master of threads now has his own hosted show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, and, on what to wear and what not to wear, is only second to queer designer and fellow runway judge, designer Michael Kors. Gun told Ro Costello (Genre, December 2007): "If you have the physique for the slimmer silhouette, do it and be confident about it. However, avoid their shrunken jacket and the shrunken pant. With the skinny suit, there's a trend where the pant stops above the ankle and everyone looks like Pee-Wee Herman."
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Young actor heart throb, Shia LaBeouf, appearing on the cover of Details (September, 2008), soon to be starring in director D. J. Caruso's "Eagle Eye," told Peter Rubin about the appearance versus reality pressure of being a celebrity, actor, sex symbol, youth cult symbol, sexual ambiguity bad boy alternative type, and all at the ripe age of 22, philosophically, said: "Every actor chooses their story at the beginning. There's this weird dichotomy of having to appear human yet to be mysterious entity in order to continue doing your craft. I need something to talk about, and then you don't have to get into deep, personal introspection."
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Celebrity icon Joan Rivers doesn't stop being her outrageous and entertaining self for a moment, even at 74, she's still working and multitasking but always enjoying it, and relishing in the fact that she's constantly attracted a gay audience, a double dynamo--sharp wit, most time an even sharper tongue, she told editors (Instinct, April 2008): "There isn't a role I wouldn't do. I am a whore. Truly. Whatever I am doing I enjoy. When I'm on the stage, I think, This is the best, best, best moment of my life. I adore it. When I'm doing a TV show, I adore it. Right now. I'm on the way to do my standup act. I adore it. When I'm writing I think you get it by now--I adore it. I just love the business. I love the energy."
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I'm Glad I Never Said That!
"Gay rights? The only rights gays have is the right to die."
A bumper sticker on Ron Owens car in Queensland where he was tired and found guilty of inciting hatred against homosexuals.
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Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation |
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Quick Takes on the Qt!
Photos From Queer Philadelphia and beyond
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RE: Thom Cardwell Roast @ Independence Welcome Center
Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008
^ Honoree Thom Cardwell joined by Mary Drinker and Janice Canfield
^ Dan McCaffery, Thom Cardwell, and Dawn Tacredi
^The Lovely Ms. Patti Klein with Honoree Thom Cardwell
^ Mark Beyerle and Perry Monastero
^ Honoree Thom Cardwell whoops it up with host Harry Giordano and roast attendee Michael Feighan
RE: Fern Kaufman for PA State Representative Event
Date: Tuesday, September 16th
^ Senatorial candidate Larry Farnese (D-1st PA) joins in support of out-candidate Fern Kaufman (D). Fern is running for State Representative for the 26th district. Be a part of the change by supporting Fern Kaufman, and other out candidates in any way you can. | |
