In an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, broadcast on November 24, 1973, the perennially-arrogant and equally-dimwitted WJM news anchor “Ted Baxter” listed Kaboom and Cocoa Puffs as his favorite cereal. I remember eating (and liking) Kaboom, as well… but I was a child.
June is Pride Month. Charles Silverstein was a respected author, lecturer and psychologist. In 1973, his presentation before the American Psychiatric Association led to the declassification and eventual removal of homosexuality as a mental illness from the organization’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. In 1977, he and writer Edmund White, co-authored the groundbreaking The Joy of Gay Sex. They …
June is Pride Month. Leelah Alcorn just wanted to be happy. At 14, Leelah came out to her parent as transgender. Doug and Carla Alcorn, devout followers of the Church of Christ, were mortified. They refused to accept Leelah’s identity. Leelah pressed and stood firm, despite her parent’s denial. At 16, instead of supporting Leelah’s …
This is Sabrina Ellis. Sabrina is a ridiculously talented singer-songwriter-musician-dancer-performer from Austin, Texas. They are the singer for several bands, including Sweet Spirit and A Giant Dog. While performing with their bands, they are a bundle of pure energy. Jumping, dancing, twirling, singing, writhing — non-stop! The first time I saw A Giant Dog was …
June is Pride Month. How could you not love Leslie Jordan? He was a versatile actor, singer, writer, comedian… a jack of all trades. In reality, Leslie Jordan essentially portrayed one character and that character was Leslie Jordan. As an actor, he made guest appearances in a number of television series, stealing every scene with …
June is Pride Month. Arizona-born Sue Hardesty began her budding writing career as an editor, refining books for other authors. She collaborated on her first book, a collection of recipes, punctuated by commentary on gender roles and identity, entitled The Butch Cook Book. The book was likened to the old-fashioned church-issued cookbooks, but for a …
When teenage Anna Mae Bullock was picking cotton and cleaning the houses of rich, white families in Nutbush, Tennessee, did she ever imagine that her life would end as a Swiss citizen, having won twelve Grammy Awards and enjoyed success as a singer, actress, author and internationally-known and beloved public figure?
I saw Emo Philips at a little comedy club in Philadelphia in 2009. There were four people in the audience. My son and I were seated at a tiny table for two positioned stageside and a man and a woman were at a larger table about six or so feet behind us. That’s it. There …
12-year old Bud Brisbois picked up a trumpet and his life was never the same. Mostly self-taught, he headed to Los Angeles after a brief enrollment at the University of Minnesota. Bud bounced around the LA music scene until he joined Stan Kenton’s band as lead trumpet player. He recorded ten albums as a part …
