Saturday, 3 October 2009
Virulent Homophobe Behind Palin Memoir
Sarah Palin's soon-to-be-released memoir was mostly written by Lynn Vincent, a woman blogger Andrew Sullivan calls a "fanatical homophobe."
In his blog on TheAtlantic.com, Sullivan pulls quotes from pieces Vincent wrote for Christian publications that declared gay people have trampled on the constitutional rights of free speech by pushing for marriage equality. Vincent also apparently believes that in years past people routinely "brushed off fleeting thoughts of homosexual behavior," but gay activists have encouraged people to follow those thoughts with "exploration and action."
The outspoken gay blogger and pundit also takes umbrage with Jonathan Burnham, who does marketing for HarperCollins, the publisher of Palin's book, expected in spring 2010. Sullivan writes, "Jonathan Burnham -- wait for it -- is an openly gay man... As gay people prepare to march for their civil rights, Burnham, one of the more powerful gay men in New York, is preparing to capitalize on their avowed enemies. It's just money, after all."October Nightlife: Denver, CO
Mountain Excursion
Located in a "box" canyon at the base of Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs became famous in the late 1800s for the health benefits of the famous waters that are contained deep underground. Several of the grand hotels built in that era still stand, like the regal Barker House.
On a recent visit, my family and I chose two bed and breakfast inns-The Avenue Hotel and Eastholme in the Rockies. The Avenue Hotel, a boarding house built in 1886, is located in the heart of Manitou's historic district. Recently renovated back to its Victorian splendor, the B&B offers seven guest rooms. Another former boarding house built in 1885, Eastholme is a short drive away in the miniscule town of Cascade.
While strolling on Manitou Avenue, stop in and sample wine at Swirl, a wine emporium, and then head uphill to Coquette Creperie. Coquette was by far the best choice of all restaurants in town, in my opinion, as Owner Turu Fleites and her team have assembled a tremendous menu, chock full of organic ingredients. I was impressed to find Crested Butte gluten and hormone free sausage as an ingredient, so I opted for the Bada Bing-loaded with the delightful protein, fresh basil, pine nuts, and ricotta.
www.avenuehotelbandb.com
www.eastholme.com
www.swirlwineemporium.com
www.coquettecreperie.com
Photos of Manitou:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ellenceleste/2733050027/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/msweeney/2573445711/
Event
Still a transportation hub today, Denver's Union Station was first built in 1881 and underwent many transformations over the years. The Mizpah Arch welcomed guests to the Mile High City starting in 1906 and was torn down in 1931 when it was deemed a traffic hazard-with the advent of automobiles.
However, Union Station Advocates, a 501(c)(3) citizens group, will host a fundraising party entitled "A Night in Old Union Station" on Thursday, October 15 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Funds raised from the event will help resurrect a replica of the historic Mizpah Arch.
The event festivities will utilize many parts of the historic station with a corporate sponsor "raw bar" repast on the mezzanine, a speakeasy in the train departure tunnel, and conductor tickets being assigned to the Great Hall.
The celebration will culminate in the Great Hall historic reception room at the end of the evening; the hall's 65 foot high ceiling will provide for a spectacular conclusion.
For tickets, visit www.blacktie-colorado.com and visit the Denver event calendar.
www.denverunionstation.org
Union Station Photos
Fashion
Nordstrom Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Join Nordstrom and the Denver Gay Professionals organization for an informal presentation of the Fall 2009 Hugo Boss Collection for men and women. Hosted by special guest Carson Kressley, guests will enjoy cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live music, and of course, shopping.
www.denvergayprofessionals.com
www.nordstrom.com
Nightclub
Halloween weekend can't get any more horrifying (in a good way) than at Tracks Nightclub. On Friday, October 30, the venue features Drama Drag, starring Nina Flowers, the Ru Paul's Drag Race finalist. On Halloween eve, Bacardi presents Beetlejuice's Halloween Weekend 09 with special guest DJ Alyson Calagna; the first prize winner for best costume rakes in $2,000.
www.tracksdenver.com
Hotel
Formerly the American National Bank Building, this 13-story hotel has 246 guestrooms and suites and received an impressive $7 million makeover in 2008. Located near the 16th Street Mall, the Magnolia is the perfect launching pad for a spectacular evening; start out at the very retro Harry's Bar-right inside the hotel.
www.magnoliahoteldenver.com
Photos: http://www2.magnoliahotels.com/photos/Denver/index.html
Hit the Roof: Top 5 Rooftop Bars
Make the most of those last rays of summer by eking out the evenings at these first-rate open-air bars.
Sometimes having your head in the clouds is a good thing. For overseas sky sipping, we adore 64th-floor Sky Bar at restaurant Sirocco, on top of the Lebua Hotel, Bangkok -- at 65 stories above the chaotic streets below, it’s the rooftop bar with the most altitude; London’s 1.5-acre, Alhambra, English Woodland, and Tudor-themed Roof Gardens on chic Kensington High Street; and Sky Lounge, Hotel Continentale, Florence, which perches atop of the Medieval Torre de Consorti and overlooks the Ponte Vecchio and the river Arno. Nearer home, as summer canters to a close, we’re planning on topping off our night at one of our five favorite North American rooftop bars.
The sky’s the limit at this lofty, 14,000-square-foot, two-level lounge with its enticing fresh fruit martini list and its breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline. Nightlife impresario Steven Greenberg (of Roxy and Paramount fame) has created this tropically themed, palm-confettied oasis above Fifth Avenue, a steamy addition to his rooftop roster, which also includes the gay-adored lounge that crowns The Gansevoort Hotel and the slick boite atop the Library Hotel. When the sun has gone, the palms have been packed up and sent off for a seasonal sojourn in Florida, and winter is on its way, the roof is still the place to go: sit under high-powered heaters sipping something hot and steamy in an oversized red robe.
Revel in the indoor and outdoor sections of The Roof with its toasty fire pits, handcrafted cocktails, and an Italian-inspired small-plate menu. Situated between the theater district and the river and 27 stories up, the 7,000-square-foot Roof is Chicago’s first rooftop restaurant. For those who crave a truly daring dinner, book “The Hang Over,” a suspended, glass-enclosed table for eight that will make you gulp: it dangles 27 stories above the city streets.
You’ll be closer to the stars in more ways than one at Toronto’s hipster palace in West Queen West -- or Queer West, as the city’s second gayborhood is sometimes called. The Drake is the slick face of the area and its celebrity-magnet Sky Yard is open year-round, amply equipped with day beds, pillow-laden banquettes, and a backdrop of films projected on the wall. Summer’s addition of a Taco and Tequila Shack gives yet more reason to sashay above street level. Taco Tuesdays provide bargain brews and shots.
For an almost all-gay al fresco experience, head up to Top of the Park, the seventh-floor lounge that basks above Park Manor Suites, a gay-popular address in the heart of Hillcrest’s gay goings on. The crowd skews young and gay and is at its most vivacious on Fridays during the gayborhood’s weekly bar tour. Hit the high notes for happy hour from 5 p.m. till 10 p.m.
Blue Sunset’s go-go boys and drag shows provide decorative distraction from the glorious ocean views. Call in for two-for-one drink specials at the rooftop resto-bar and watch the sun sink into the Pacific before heading off to other homo hot spots nearby.
The Gayest Cartoon Characters
The Peculiar Purple Pie Man of Porcupine Peak
As if being a mustachioed berry-obsessed villain with an accent and a penchant for baking pies while wearing leggings weren't gay enough, The Peculiar Purple Pie Man of Porcupine Peak upped the homo ante by regularly performing a tap dance while exclaiming "Yah-tah-tah-tah-tah-tah-tah-tah,tah-tah-tah-tah! Cha!"
Vanity Smurf
With a pink flower bedecking his cap and a mirror perpetually in hand, this frequently "misundersmurfed smurf" will dutifully talk fashion with his best girlfriend but let’s face it: he's generally just besmurfed with himself.
Klaus Vorstein
Limp-wristed, be-scarfed, and impeccably manicured, the chipmunk’s effete enemy has an expressed fondness for Pierre Cardin socks and tends to let his bossy sister call the shots.
Carmen Sandiego
Whip-smart and librarian-hot in her fierce red trench coat, this international villain’s wanderlust isn't the only lusty thing about her.
Snagglepuss
Look at her!
Stewie
Family Guy's surly talking baby is officially out of the closet. Not as if we didn't know already. His proclivity for cross-dressing, high drama, not to mention the mother of Oedipal complexes was proof enough.
Donatello
The purple-clad Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is not just into partying and eating pizza like his compatriots. He likes art and finding the intellectual solution to problems. The turtles were named after great renaissance artists, but with Donatello's aesthetic tendencies, he might as well have been named Georgia O'keefe.
Captain Planet
Tights? Check. Abs? Check. Fag hag? Check. Scary gay face? Check.
Smithers
The Simpson's Smithers - Mr. Burn's assistant - is an out and proud gay cartoon man.
As Only a Mother Knows
Judy Shepard publishes her memoirs.
Although Judy Shepard is portrayed in The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later (An Epilogue), she’s never seen the original play in its entirety (she watched only parts of it when it was performed as part of a fund-raiser for the Matthew Shepard Foundation on what would have been Matt’s 30th birthday).
It’s not that she doesn’t like the show -- she has the highest praise for Moisés Kaufman and his company and is incredibly grateful for their part in helping to create and maintain her son’s legacy. It’s just that Shepard’s a private person who tries to be as emotionally guarded as possible. She doesn’t like people to see her cry, and although she appreciates the sentiment, sympathy makes her uncomfortable. She’s made thousands of speeches in support of gay rights but always does so without going there -- without dwelling on the circumstances of her son’s murder, without picturing him tied to the fence outside Laramie (she’s still never visited the site), and without recalling the nightmare week between the phone call alerting her and her husband, Dennis, of Matt’s attack and the snowy afternoon when they were finally able to lay him to rest. Watching The Laramie Project, in her mind, wouldn’t only require her to go there but to do so in front of others.
But as private as Shepard is, she’s also determined that people know her son’s and her family’s real story. Where The Laramie Project gives an accurate representation of the town and its residents, every attempt by others to portray the Shepard family -- including the 2002 TV movie The Matthew Shepard Story -- misses the mark, Shepard says. That’s why she decided to write the memoir The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed (Hudson Street Press), which went on sale in September. Without question, the book (on which I worked with her as a writing partner) required that Shepard go there. But in doing so, it freed her to tell her family’s real story -- about a 21-year-old gay man who encountered more obstacles than most in his pursuit of adulthood and about his parents and brother, who were devastated by his murder, dumbfounded by the ensuing media attention, and determined to fight ignorance and intolerance with education.
Shepard equates the many speeches she’s given over the years to walking over hot coals. That’s because when she’s faced with specific questions about Matthew, she usually races over the answers so she doesn’t get burned by her emotions. But in The Meaning of Matthew she is candid, sharing intimate details of her relationship with her son. Many of her anecdotes are about the sort of things that seem insignificant in the rush of everyday life -- an argument here, a scuffle or two there. But as Shepard very powerfully explains, it’s the smallest things that sometimes become the most important -- and the most telling -- when life as you know it stops mid-step.
A River Ran Through It
Valencia, Spain, dazzles with a mash-up of Old World charm and New World architecture, tied neatly by a long ribbon of unrivaled downtown green space.
The spanish have a saying, De lo perdido, saca lo que puedas: Literally, from what’s lost, extract what you can. Make the best of a bad situation. So after a devastating 1957 flood took the lives of dozens in Valencia and left the city center submerged under eight feet of water, locals cleaned up, dug deep, and took the adage to heart. They diverted the very path of the Turia River, by which their beloved city had grown for centuries, and along its former watercourse created one of the world’s most impressive civic spaces, a work still in progress that’s part gorgeous parkland, part futuristic culture complex, and all a living testament to a 21st-century Valencia that’s completely reborn -- and still on the rise. While it won’t eclipse the big gay centers of Spain -- Madrid, Barcelona, and Sitges -- Valencia is becoming increasingly popular with travelers who have had their fill of gay beaches and raucous clubbing and nightlife.
The city’s inspired municipal remolding hasn’t been hurt an iota by the fact that one of the world’s most prominent modern architects, Santiago Calatrava, is a proud native. Calatrava, who’s also designed such notable stateside projects as the Milwaukee Art Museum and the in-progress World Trade Center PATH Station, was the visionary behind the gleaming City of Arts and Sciences at the east end of the old Turia River route. So far, the Jetsons-esque enclave includes a science museum, Europe’s largest oceanographic aquarium, an eyeball-shaped IMAX theater, and most recently a 14-story, 400,000-square-foot city opera house and cultural center, already world-acclaimed and set to start its fall season October 31 with Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens.
Continuing westward, the ingenious Valencianos have converted the rich former riverbed into Turia Gardens, a glorious six-mile, 550-acre stretch of city park with areas for every conceivable outdoor pursuit, including bike lanes, running tracks, soccer fields, a skateboarding zone, and even a giant chessboard. At its far west end you’ll find the massive new Bioparc, a fantastic next-generation open-air zoo with different climatized habitats for its more than 4,000 animals, representing more than 250 species.
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