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Seattle Opera launches 'LGBT Nights' for three operas

2008-07-07T19:01:59Z

Source: Seattle Opera press release
Seattle -- In an initiative intended to attract diverse audience bases, Seattle Opera is launching LGBT Nights, designed especially for Seattle’s Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender community. Seattle Opera has designated one Friday performance of each of three popular operas as evenings when members of the LGBT community can gather at McCaw Hall and enjoy all that Seattle Opera has to offer.

The first three LGBT nights will take place during Aida (August 22), The Pearl Fishers (January 23), and The Marriage of Figaro (May 15).

The kickoff event on August 22 will be hosted by Seattle Opera Board of Trustees member and noted Man about Town JJ McKay and Washington State Senator Ed Murray. These events are priced at $100 per ticket and include discounted main floor orchestra seating, private intermission receptions including complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres during the first intermission and coffee and dessert during the second intermission, and free admission to "Overtures to the Opera" (regularly priced at $7.00), an informative and fast-paced pre-opera lecture.

"We are delighted to welcome friends and family from the LGBT community to three unforgettable evenings of entertainment and merriment for an affordable price," said Alvin Alexander Henry, Seattle Opera’s Director of Marketing and Communications. "Our guests will be able to socialize, make new friends, and network with other opera goers while attending performances at one of the premier opera companies. Opera is for everyone."

Tickets may be purchased in two ways—online by going to seattleopera.org/tickets or via mobile phone by going to mobile.seattleopera.org. Use the Promotion code: LGBT to purchase tickets.

For more information, visit Seattle Opera’s website at www.seattleopera.org/LGBT.

Seattle Opera's Board of Trustees dedicates the 2008/09 season to Speight Jenkins in celebration of his 25th Anniversary as General Director.

That's fierce! Christian Siriano in Seattle tomorrow

2008-06-26T04:58:34Z

Fashion and style come together for a fierce and fabulous evening tomorrow, June 26, 2008, but you'll need to have the right connections to have the chance to be dismissed as a "mess" of some kind.

In a private, invitation-only event Bravo’s Project Runway 4 winner Christian Siriano will host the "Tastemaker Cocktails" event benefiting Gay City Health Project, a multicultural gay men's health organization dedicated to preventing HIV transmission by building community, fostering communication, and nurturing self-esteem.

So if you have an in at Gay City, use your connections if you'd like to meet Christian. (Of course, one must be brave to do so, since he seems to be awfully quick to judge and one wouldn't want to be dismissed as a "**** mess" [using whatever adjective is now the thing for that descriptor].)

The fundraising event is sponsored by Basil Hayden’s Bourbon and Out Magazine Celebrate Style.

Guests will enjoy designer Basil Hayden cocktails "crafted to showcase the spirit’s fashion-forward attitude." A flawlessly designed fashion accessory inspired by the distinctive packaging of Basil Hayden and designed by the fierce-minded Siriano will be up for auction.

In addition to proceeds raised from the auction, Basil Hayden and Siriano will donate $1,000 to the Gay City Health Project cause. The affair is the finale of the Basil Hayden “Tastemaker” series, a six-event tour in Seattle that has raised $15,000 for worthy charities nationwide.

Christian Siriano, became the youngest winner in series history when he made it work up till the very end during Project Runway 4.

Siriano caters to today’s top celebrities, designing intricate fashions for style icons Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum and rapper Eve. He has appeared on various TV shows including “Ugly Betty” and debuted his collection at New York City’s 2008 Spring Fashion Week.

Eastside church presents discussion, 'Christian...and Gay?'

2008-05-02T04:57:54Z

[press release from Tolt Congregational United Church of Christ]

"Christian...and Gay?" Tolt Congregational United Church of Christ in Carnation [get directions] invites the community to a presentation on May 7, 2008, to hear a progressive Christian voice on this topic.

Pastor Stephen Haddan, who received his Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in Minnesota, will discuss “Who We Are, What We Believe, and How We Use the Bible.”

Tolt's position as a church which welcomes and affirms all people regardless of race, gender, economic status or sexual identity will also be explained.

Church youth leader Cindy Sattler notes that this presentation is especially timely with the recent valley discussions regarding the work of the Gay-Straight Alliance at Mt Si High School. “I’ve noticed that many who oppose the GSA do so by claiming the word “Christian” to describe themselves, as if being Christian explains the foundation upon which a person stakes their case. It alarms me that so many find the words “gay” and “Christian” to be mutually exclusive,” she says.

Tolt Congregational, founded in 1894, belongs to the United Church of Christ, a denomination that dates back to the Mayflower. Eleven signers of the Declaration of Independence were members of UCC predecessor bodies. The UCC was the first mainline church to ordain an African-American (1785), a woman (1853) and an openly gay pastor (1972).

The presentation will begin at 7 PM and a social time with refreshments will follow. The church is located at Hwy 203 and Morrison Street.

hattip: MtSiParents.blogspot.com

Queen City Cruise: Project Gangplank 100-day countdown

2008-05-01T21:49:00Z

Hi! I'm Bruce!

[a message from Bruce, the sunny spokesmodel for Tacky Tourist Clubs of America]
Greetings cruisers!

We hope you've had a wonderful winter and spring! (Although we, like you, had a bit of difficulty with the whole "spring" thing this year. Sure the springtime buds and flowers were there, but it has felt a whole lot like winter for the past couple of months.)

But we're confident that all this meteorological pain will be rewarded with an incredible summer. And what happens every year in summer? All together now: The Queen City Cruise!

Indeed! Summer! And the smiling, decorated Goodtime II will motor out of its dock for the Cruise exactly 100 days from now on August 9.

And this year's Cruise just happens to coincide with Seafair Saturday, so you'll have a chance to see the Blue Angels flying over in a practice run just like in the good ol' days.

Tickets go on sale LGBT Pride Saturday, June 28, exclusively on our web site.

We're really excited about all the help we're getting to make this year's Cruise the best ever.

We're delighted to welcome an athletic group of guys that we like to call the Buoys of Summer as partners and beneficiaries of this year's Cruise. They're more officially known as "Series 2008 Organizing Committee" but our version is shorter and more to the point, don't you think.

They're busy working out all of the complex details for "Northwest Quest: The 2008 NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series and ASANA Softball World Series 2008" (Whew. What a name, eh?) Thousands of gay jocks and athletic supporters will be in town for the series to be held August 22 to August 30. That's a really big deal and a lot of work, but the Buoys of Summer have agreed to take a bit of time off from organizing all those games and events to help out with the Cruise. We're honored.

We're equally happy to welcome Gay City Health Project which has signed for its maiden voyage this year as a partner and beneficiary. Since they've co-produced The Bump for years, they know how to throw a big party. (Of course, that's one that we still think of with the longer name we gave it for its first few years as a TTCA party: Things That Go BUMP in the Night.)

We also welcome back Action Northwest as a beneficiary and partner.

As always, the beneficiaries become an important part of the Cruise experience as they provide the volunteers who do much the work to make your day on the water a wholly enjoyable and outstanding experience.

We've had our mailing list at ttca.org turned off for the winter to save a bit of cash for the beneficiaries, but it's up and running again. If you haven't signed up before, do it now! (Names that were on the list before are still there. You should have gotten an email from me by now to mark the re-start.)

Members of the list get special offers, like early and late ticket-buying options, plus all the info you need to get ready for the big day on August 9. (Oh, and we don't sell, trade, or otherwise spam the list. You'll get a few emails about the Cruise per month this summer and then we'll go dark again with it all.)

Oh... and the theme? This year's party is Queen City Cruise: PROJECT GANGPLANK. There will be plenty of challenges and contests for all Cruisers, including the Buoys of Summer.

Please forward this message to any friends that you think might be interested in the Cruise and be sure to advise them to sign up for the Cruise Alert list.

Happy cruising!
Bruce

Sign petition to support Mt. Si High School's day of silence

2008-04-30T03:51:00Z

[a message from Equal Rights Washington]

Hutch v. Mount Si

On Friday April 25th students at over 7,000 schools nationwide participated in the Day of Silence to bring attention to how LGBT students and students perceived as LGBT face bullying, violence and taunts in schools simply because of who they are. Outside Mt. Si High School a leader of the anti-gay industry Ken Hutcherson organized a protest of the Day of Silence. Parents and community members supportive of the Day of Silence welcomed students in silence as they arrived to show support for LGBT students and to call for an end to bullying.

Now we ask you to sign a petition to the school administration so that they know there is strong support for the Day of Silence and that the High School must continue to address the needs of LGBT students.

Thanks for all you do,

Josh Friedes
Advocacy Director
Equal Rights Washington

Sign this petition and notify:
Joel Aune
Randy Taylor

[petition at: http://eqfed.org/campaign/day_of_silence/]

"Some Like It Hot" is 3 Dollar Bill's first annual auction, May 3

2008-04-22T22:28:42Z

Three Dollar Bill Cinema is having its first annual AuctionFest!

"Some Like It HOT" is an evening of dinner, dessert, film, and fabulous auction items on Seattle's waterfront to support Three Dollar Bill Cinema.

when: May 3rd at 5:30PM
where: Bell Harbor Conference Center at Pier 66
how: Buy your tickets online or call or email the office to pay by check: auction@seattlequeerfilm.org or 206-323-4274

Auction items include:

Two Full Festival Passes plus two Opening Night tickets to the Seattle International Film Festival
VIP Tickets and camping package to the Sasquatch Music Festival
A walk-on role for a major motion picture shot in Seattle
Your own private outdoor movie party including concessions
7 night stay at Villa Rainbow, a gorgeous gay guesthouse on the island of St. Maarten (French Caribbean)
Props from Dreamgirls, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the tv show: Friday Night Lights
Fire eating lessons
Private Hot Tub party for 4
Your personal voicemail greeting recorded by Perez Hilton
Meet Sandra Bernhard plus tickets to her concert

5:30pm-doors open, silent auctions, passed appetizers followed by sit-down dinner, hosted wine, and live auction.

Get your tickets before they sell out!

Glitterbomb! falls on May 17 at CHAC

2008-04-21T14:16:27Z

[announcement from QSquared]

This is your friendly reminder that GLITTERBOMB! is fast approaching! GLITTERBOMB! is about high-energy dance music, unique experiences and is a massive glitter attack on the Seattle social scene.

The night will be hosted by Aleksa Manila and will include performances by West End Boys with special guests, SoulChilde, Miss Bebe Doll and hot music spun by DJ LA Kendall. Those looking for more can retreat to the exclusive Sparkle Lounge where you will relax to chill sounds by DJ Bret Law. The night will include many surprises and will be an amazing evening of energy, music and community!

Excessive use of body glitter is highly recommended. Super fabulous glitter costume prizes will be awarded; check website for details.

GLITTERBOMB! will take place at CHAC (Capitol Hill Arts Center) on May 17, 2008 in the main stage. Tickets are $20/$25 at the door. A limited number of Sparkle Lounge Passes are available for $35/$40 at the door. The Sparkle Lounge pass includes unlimited access to the exclusive Sparkle Lounge and gift bags for the first 50 guests.

Please check out our freshly glitterized and super sexy website: www.myspace.com/thenightshiftpresents for more information. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com and are going fast so be sure to purchase yours now!

Three Dollar Bill Cinema presents rare queer cult classic

2008-04-15T05:19:41Z

[Three Dollar Bill announcement]

Three Dollar Bill Cinema's "I Love The Nightlife!" April Film Series continues Thursday, April 17 with Some of my Best Friends Are..., presented at Northwest Film Forum at 7 pm. and followed by a post-screening party at Madison Pub.

In his book, 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men, author Alonso Duralde writes about the film, "If this unavailable on video gem ever screens anywhere near you, cancel all plans and go, go, go."

Set on Christmas Eve 1971 in a Greenwich Village gay bar, Some of my Best Friends Are... features hilarious performances from "Golden Girls'" Rue McClanahan as a rich 'fag hag,' Warhol superstar Candy Darling, "Buck Rogers'" Gil Gerard and beloved out icon Fannie Flagg.

[trailer on YouTube at the bottom of this post]

Screening attendees are invited to attend a post-party at Madison Pub, located at 1315 E. Madison Street. Drink specials will be offered to ticket holders.

Three Dollar Bill Cinema's "I Love the Nightlife!" retrospective film series focuses on the portrayal of the underground gay social scene through vintage queer film. The series concludes Thursday, April 24 with The Detective. In this 1968 film, Frank Sinatra stars as an honest but conflicted cop, tough on crime but struggling with a law enforcement establishment where racism and homophobia are the norm. While investigating the murder of a wealthy and well-connected gay man, the mystery takes a turn with surprising results.

Tickets are $10, $9 for Three Dollar Bill Cinema members, and $32 for a series pass.

The Northwest Film Forum is located at 1515 12th Ave in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Tickets are available online from Brownpaperbag. Three Dollar Bill has more information.

Meet the Storm's Sheryl Swoopes Saturday afternoon

2008-04-11T23:50:24Z

You guys SERIOUSLY have to come down to Jillian's tomorrow and meet Sheryl Swoopes!! I know it'll be hot outside, but it'll be even hotter inside when you meet and greet The Seattle Storm's newest addition...the female Michael Jordan...SHERYL SWOOPES!!

Bring friends and family. We can accommodate up to 150 people. $10 entry fee at the door. Bring items to be signed and your cameras as well. COME ONE, COME ALL! Don't miss it!!!

Tomorrow, April 12 from 2 to 4 pm at Jillian's, 731 Westlake Ave N, on South Lake Union! [get directions]

See you there!

PrideFest08 needs your help to meet Friday deposit

2008-04-11T00:51:38Z

WE NEED YOUR HELP TODAY
We need to raise thousands today for an
important deposit to the Seattle Center tomorrow
We're working our butts off (with no pay) to make sure Seattle has a great Pride this year, but we need your help to make it happen. Tomorrow we have an important deposit to the Seattle Center (2nd of 3).

THERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO HELP:
BECOME A COMMUNITY MEMBER (benefits below)
DONATE
RENT A BOOTH
HELP BACK PRIDEFEST

To help back the event, simply send as e-mail at info@seattlepridefest.org. You can help finance a big performer or help to throw the big Saturday night men's party or help fly in one of our artists. All are important ways to help put on a great Pride.

WHY DO WE HAVE PRIDE?
Many think PrideFest is just a big party, but it's much more than that. Pride helps us remember the past, celebrate the present, and plan for the future. We give hope to thousands of people in less open communities that you can be who you are and live a healthy, happy life. It helps to acknowledge and raise money for dozens of local non-profits. It's an opportunity once a year to recognize what an amazing community we live in and how fortunate we are to live in this time. It's a chance to celebrate.

PAY $200 - BECOME A COMMUNITY MEMBER - GET STUFF:
· 2 tickets to the Saturday night Men's Party - SHAMELESS
· 2 invitations to the Pride Launch Party
· 2 invitations to the VIP lounge at Pride
· 2 Official Pride T-shirts

FUNDING PRIDEFEST
Many people think we got millions of dollars this year to put on Pride, but this money went to the Pride Foundation. The Pride Foundation is a great local non-profit that helps fund lots of LGBT programs in the Northwest, but we receive NO MONEY from the Pride Foundation. With the economy as it is this year and us working on a shoestring budget, we need the help. Pride will happen, but it won't happen without your help. MANY WHO DON'T HAVE MUCH HAVE PITCHED IN - IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA WON'T YOU CONSIDER SUPPORTING YOUR COMMUNITY THROUGH FUNDING PRIDEFEST?

'Is Gender Real?' American Heritage forum, Thursday

2008-04-10T02:15:22Z

American Heritage Series is an ongoing series of lectures and discussions that offer new perspectives on the role of African-Americans in American History. The series is sponsored by Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas.

This second installment continues to explore the history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer (LGBTQ) African-Americans but specifically focusing on transgender history.

When: Thursday, April 10
7 to 9:30 pm
Where: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
104 17th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98122
Tickets: $7 general public ($5 CDForum or SBP members)
Buy online at Brown Paper Tickets

Moderator: Chandan Reddy, Associate Professor, UW Dept. of English

Panelists:

Dean Jackson, Regional Organizer, Pride Foundation
Imani Henry, Artist, Activist, and Staff Organizer -International Action Center
Vanessa Grandberry, former Program Manager - Transgender Time (T-Time) and 4Every Man

Gender identity beyond just Male or Female and transgenderism is not new in the African-American community. To be clear, this is separate from one's sexual orientation but generally refers to someone whose gender identity or expression differs from the sex of their birth, whether they have surgery or not.

Please join the CD Forum as we provide information and discuss the contributions African-American transpeople have made to our community.

Spend the evening with history & politics? Absolutely! Immediately following the discussion enjoy food and drink specials at Osteria La Spiga - a delicious idea to wrap up the evening.

Sponsored by CDForum. Co-sponsored by Seattle Black Pride

Seattle Pride accepting parade registrations, donations, nominations

2008-04-09T02:53:55Z

Seattle -- Seattle celebrates Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) pride with a variety of events throughout June, culminating in the annual Seattle Pride Parade. The Seattle Pride® Parade will take place on Sunday June 29th at 11:00 am on 4th Avenue in the heart of downtown Seattle, which will bring in visitors from across
Washington and elsewhere.

Seattle Out and Proud (SOaP) sponsors and produces the annual Seattle Pride Parade to commemorate three nights of civil unrest known as the Stonewall riots. These riots occurred in late June 1969 in response to official harassment by the New York and are considered the birth of the movement for equal rights and liberation for gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender people. Many communities in the U.S. and around the world hold Pride celebrations in June in memory of Stonewall.

Applications to register for the parade are now online at the Seattle Pride website (there will be no printed applications). The interest to be in the parade is very high. Be sure to get you application in ASAP to get a spot in the world famous parade! Be sure to review all the rules and regulations carefully before submitting your application.

Please note the Seattle Pride Parade Director has the right to remove any Parade participant for non-compliance with any of the rules stated. If you wish to enter the parade on your motorcycle as part of the Dykes on Bikes® you must follow specific instructions as registration is unique to this group of participants.

Check out the rules page for more info.

The theme this year is OUT For Change! Use this theme to guide your Pride Parade expression. Think fabulous! It's up to you to help make this memorable. We want you to have an outstanding Parade experience. This is a celebration about passions, discovery, support, encouragement and just being OUT and PROUD.

Awards for exceptional Pride Parade entries will be presented. Entries are encouraged to display their identity through a variety of visual media such as signs, banners both in front of and to the sides of the entry, balloons, flags or T-shirts so that judges and spectators can easily identify the entry.

Grand Marshal Nominations. The SOaP Board of Directors is still looking for 2008 Grand Marshal Nominations. Grand Marshals positions are among the highest honor bestowed by Seattle's LGBT community. Nominees are selected based on their commitment and contributions to the community. There are four Grand Marshal Positions available -one male and one female; an Honorary Grand Marshal; and an Honorary Grand Marshal - Organization.

To nominate an individual or organization, please email us at info@seattlepride.org and tell us in 300 words or less, why this nominee should be chosen as a 2008 Seattle Pride Parade Grand Marshal. Also, please include any significant activities and
accomplishments of the nominee.

We are pleased to announce the following Parade Announcers: Peggy Platt, Sylvia O'Stayformore, and Erik Sandoval (NorthWest Cable News)

Sponsors. Check out the businesses that support our community! We urge you to patronize our sponsors and to let them know you are PROUD that they care about Seattle Pride! We are proud to announce our sponsors for this years Seattle Pride Parade, they are: Pacific Medical Centers, Coffman Legal PLLC., GroupDyne.com, Buca di Beppo, CruiseyT.com, PFLAG. It's not too late to sponsor the Seattle Pride® Parade. To discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact Cindy
Baccetti, Principal, Baccetti Inc., at sponsorship@seattlepride.org.

DONATE & WIN !! We Need Your Help! In 2007 it cost a total of $31,000 to put on the parade alone. Every person who donates $50.00 or more between now and June 15th will be entered into a drawing. You can win hotel stays, trips to Victoria aboard the Clipper or dinner at a local restaurant.

For information on Seattle PrideFest at the Seattle Center, please visit our partner site at www.seattlepridefest.org.

For more information regarding the Seattle Pride® Parade, please visit our website at www.seattlepride.org, call the Pride office at 206-322-9561 or e-mail us at info@seattlepride.org.

Grants available for academic research on LGBT issues

2008-04-08T00:28:01Z

The Williams Institute’s Small Research Grants program is designed to encourage new empirical research focused on the LGBT population.

The Williams Institute advances sexual orientation law and public policy through rigorous, independent research and scholarship, and disseminates it to judges, legislators, policymakers, media and the public. A national think tank at UCLA Law, the Williams Institute produces high quality research with real-world relevance.

Applicants for research grants from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, including social sciences like economics, sociology, demography, social psychology, law, and public policy are encouraged to apply. This initiative is designed to promote two important goals:

Fostering sound empirical analyses focused on the LGBT population
Developing better understanding of the need for and impact of public policies that affect the LGBT population

Proposals should address both goals. Another important objective of this funding is to encourage new scholars to pursue research topics in this area. As such, advanced-level graduate students are strongly encouraged to apply. Similarly, more senior scholars interested in expanding their research agenda to include LGBT-related issues are welcome.

All proposals must be received by May 1, 2008 and awards will be announced by May 20, 2008. Projects should be completed by June 30, 2009.

Examples of topics appropriate for funding include:

Demographics and socio-economic characteristics of the LGBT population, including same-sex couples, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, and youth;
Issues related to GLB families, with a particular interest in children raised by GLB parents;
Economic impacts of LGBT-related rights and legislation;
Use, impact, and evaluation of anti-discrimination statutes, hate crimes statutes, safe schools legislation, civil union, domestic partnership, and marriage legislation, domestic partnership benefits, and legal recognition of parenting rights for LGBT people or same-sex couples;
Size, demographics, and socio-economic characteristics of the Transgender population;
Voting patterns and behavior of LGBT population; and
Analysis of public opinion data regarding LGBT rights.

We anticipate funding five to six projects with a suggested total budget for individual projects in the range of $1,000 to $5,000. Funds can provide both salary support and costs associated with acquiring and analyzing new or existing data sources. Proposals that are part of larger research initiatives are also welcome. We unfortunately cannot provide funding for indirect costs or overhead. Requests for travel funding should be limited to travel that is needed to carry out the research project.

Details about the application requirements can be obtained from the Williams Institute website.

Early registration deadline near for Q-Spring retreat

2008-04-07T22:00:11Z

Hi everyone,

It's the Q-guys giving you an update on Q-Spring. A couple of weeks ago a bunch of us went out to Vashon Island to check out the conference center again and give the workshop leaders a chance to get to know one another better. It was a gorgeous spring morning and we realized just how fun it was going to be doing this event. Those of you who have already signed up are going to have a blast.

[see background info in Qblog]

The deadline for early registration (April 9) is fast approaching. We still have space and scholarship funds available (thank you to everyone who have been so generous in donating to the scholarship fund so far).

The Q-guys were discussing the weekend the other night and we pretty much agreed that the Q-Springers (the attendees of Q-Spring) of 2008 will be a special group; this will be the group that sets the course for all future Q-Springs. Imagine years from now being the ones in the group who get to say "I was at the first Q-Spring in 2008". Everyone around you will find you very erotic.

Still not sure if you want to go? Check out our website again www.qspringmen.org. We've made a couple of changes to it that we think better describe the weekend.

Don't forget that like all Q-Squared events, we partly rely on you to spread the word about Q-Spring. If you have already signed up, pick up the phone and ask a friend if he is going. That way you can both have twice the fun.

Hope to see you all on Friday May, 9 for the launch of the very first Q-Spring.

Sincerely,

The Q-Guys

Ann Bannon arriving in Seattle, Weds., to sing with SWC

2008-04-07T18:08:00Z

By Miryam Gordon

Ann Bannon is arriving Wednesday to rehearse her readings, which she will perform in the Seattle Women’s Chorus performances of April 12 (8pm) and 13 (2pm) at Meany Hall on the UW campus. She will talk about her books and the times and the repression. The Chorus will sing original music to illustrate some of those ideas. This is a historic opportunity for Lesbians to hear about a very recent past that has only been overcome within the last ten to fifteen years. Then Cris Williamson will take over the second half and sing some of your favorites with and without the Chorus. You won’t want to miss it!!!!

Women who found Beebo Brinker and her friends, who read the “secret code” and understood that Ann Bannon’s books were about lesbians, also felt heard and understood and less alone. They felt like there was someone out there who was like them. They were able to find community, and hope. But before the books, there was a young woman named Ann who was struggling to understand her own inner feelings and didn’t have much to hang on to. She, like many in her decade, felt compelled to marry and expected to have the typical house, two kids and a yard.

I asked Ann how she found herself able to write her books, while being closeted and confused and even self-hating as feeling wrong and bad. How did she find her way to creating her art and what sustained her in that journey? Ann graced me with her story and comments about the upcoming concert.

Ann’s words:

Especially for younger women, this concert is important. Some are very well informed, but a lot of are obsessed with what’s happening right now and are not aware of all the hopes and ups and downs of those who proceeded them. There was the women’s movement, but lesbian pulps were on the scene 15 or 20 years before that. There’s a lot to share and it’s wonderful that the SWC is going to present something, particularly using music to tell the story!

I couldn’t quite conceptualize this when they had the idea for this and Brenda and Eric (Chorus members who have composed the original music) have done a marvelous job with this huge process. I’m very impressed and excited and it will be fun to participate in it.

I’m older than Cris (Williamson), but she came in at a time when there was a great deal of turmoil and we didn’t have very much (support), if you think about it. In the 50s and 60s, we didn’t have women’s bookstores, we didn’t have community centers, there was very little in entertainment and even those successful gay celebrities were very fearful to let people know of their sexual orientation. People could lose marriages and children. What we had back then were the bars and the pulp paperbacks and it was really in the late 60s and 70s that women (in the feminist movement) began to join us and bit by bit the lesbians could begin to think of themselves as a community.

I was kind of spurred into action by reading the first original lesbian pulp paperback by Vin Packer (the pseudonym of Marijane Meaker), called Spring Fire. There were mostly hardbacks and some hardbacks were then printed in paper covers. The original paperbacks were different. Paperbacks became an economical way to get books to the troops in WWII, so that gave paperbacks a boost, and in the early 50s people began to write original books in paperbacks, so you had sci fi, cowboys, romance, mysteries, and the lesbian pulps crept in and we were all side by side in the drugstore. They were distributed not through bookstores which were hardcover distributors, but in popular venues that people dropped into. We knew as we were writing that paperbacks were intended to be ephemeral literature and were intended to be thrown away, which people did. I began to find them on drugstore shelves in the mid 50s, newsstands, bus stations, everyone had them. They were distributed universally.

I had always won awards for writing. When I found Spring Fire, I thought, “I could write something like that,” and decided I wanted to write a lesbian love story, but I also wanted to write something to show my mother. It was important to have my mother’s respect. I know she loved me and was proud of me, but I didn’t want to cover a subject that had so much opprobrium attached to it. That’s why I (initially) put the two women in the back of the book. I knew I was camouflaging; I knew what I wanted to write about. I didn’t know when I was first writing if I would ever get a reading at a hardcover publisher.

I think I had known from childhood that I was not one of the gals in the same way that my childhood friends dreamed of marriage and children and domestic tasks. I wasn’t like that at all and I remember feeling as if I were a spy sometimes at a birthday party or in the classroom. I looked like everybody else but I wasn’t feeling like everyone else. Finding the lesbian books in the 1950s gave me a kind of direction and inspiration that I could write this too. By that time, I was married.

I felt that I could “pass” that I could do it; that there was no option of embarrassing or humiliating my family. And I found a nice guy, he wanted to get married, we got married and everyone else was doing it and I felt, “this is how it works.” The world, especially for women in the 50s, was very constrained in the traditional model. Women had their place in the home and it was only as I found those books that I began to realize that other women were bravely living their lives more honestly and coming to grips with their feelings. I didn’t think I’d be able to join them (by coming out). I took my marriage seriously. My children had to come first. My mother had soldiered thru a bad marriage, her mother had done that, and you just put one foot in front of the other, and I think I convinced myself that I could live in my imagination.

They (the stories) let me imagine myself in the life I thought I could not have and became a kind of a love letter to women. I can’t go live in Greenwich Village, but I can visit and learn about it, and I can put my nose up to the glass and look in. I can do it, in part, by writing stories about women living the life that was just beyond my reach.

I was living in Philadelphia, so it wasn’t hard to get to New York by train, about an hour and a half, to Penn Station. A part of this story is that the author of Spring Fire, Marijane Meaker, invited me to New York. I had written this novel and commenced corresponding with her, and asking advice about how to get published. To my great surprise, she wrote back and said, “If you can come up to New York, I will introduce you to my editor,” which was miraculous. It was fantastic.

I had a great struggle to get my husband to agree to this; his idea was that I was a sheltered flower and didn’t know how to take care of myself and couldn’t just be let out of the house by myself. He knew I was writing, but didn’t really care what about. He just thought it was a wasted effort but didn’t want to hurt my feelings. I found out there was an all women’s hotel in New York which Marijane Meaker had told me about. So I asked, “Wouldn’t it be ok if I stay at the women’s hotel?” “Fine. That would be ok. You can go as long as you stay at the women’s hotel.”

I promised that I would do so. I was very intrigued with New York, but I was at pains to make it sound as safe as possible and got him to go along with it, but as it happened I spent a lot of that visit at Marijane’s apartment. She did introduce me to her editor in chief at Gold Medal Books, her publisher. This was in early 1956.

I didn’t have children, yet, but children were very much in our plans and I knew that was coming. On the other hand, I was desperate to write and took my manuscript and met the editor and he read it in a couple of days out of friendship for Marijane, whose book had sold many copies and made him a lot of money. He gave me back the book and said, “Well, it’s not a very good book, BUT…” I thought the “but” was hopeful. He said, “I think we could make it work. You’ve written a college romance, but the real story is the relationship with two women.” It was a book about things like the spring carnival and frat boys and it was everybody’s first novel. What the editor immediately recognized was it was a lesbian love story trying to burst out of a conventional novel.

The two girls that I kind of stashed in the corner and tried to downplay were the heart of the story. So the editor told me to go home and cut the length of the book in half, and tell the story of the two young women who were sorority sisters. I did that, and in the meantime, I went several times to New York to see Marijane and learn my way around Greenwich Village.

After about a month and a half, I brought the manuscript back to the editor. It took me about a month and a half to perform the surgery on it and reorient it to the two girls. Again, he read it right away, and accepted it without changing a word. You have to bear in mind that I had spent the previous 6 to 8 months on the book. I was inspired, I worked all day every day and did nothing else. And that became Odd Girl Out.

(What did you tell your husband during this time period?)

I told my husband as little as I could, but he knew I was corresponding with a New York writer. He’s still living, and last fall we got together for coffee and he told me the only book he’s ever read was Odd Girl Out years after it was published, but by that time we had two little kids and I was acting like a “normal person,” (to him) so he dismissed it (the fact of the book). He said, “I think you write pretty good dialogue.”

Sometimes, people don’t want to know things. He liked his life, he did love me and the kids. I, meanwhile, would have qualified for an Oscar by putting up a good front and I figured, “I made this choice and I’m going to stay and take care of my children until they were young adults.” And I did. And as soon as I could, I left (the marriage).

I will talk a little about this and what the world was like back then during my comments in the Chorus concerts. (Note: Ann will not be at the Bellingham concert.)

(During this period of writing, you must have had some experiences that would help you write about it.)

I did have some connections (secret relationships) but nothing that would qualify as a romance. As soon as the divorce was final, I felt free to open up my life a little. I really did my living in the pages of those books. I also had other (emotional) outlets all through the years and I was doing introductions and essays of the (5) books as they came out. It was a case of protecting my children, and my mother was still alive and handled the whole situation very gingerly. So, I really think I did it the way my family needed me to do it.

You can do the “armchair research,” where you go through what everyone else wrote and then write something, or the other kind is the “field work” dissertation, where you pack your bag and do urban sociology and interview people and do (yourself) what you’re going to write about. Odd Girl Out was my armchair dissertation, and I Am A Woman (book #2) was my field work dissertation. (I have to say that people laugh at those titles, and the covers, but the editor came up with all my titles. I had nothing to do with that.)

I was able to get up to New York frequently, and knew the map and made friendships so I quickly became familiar with the scene. Men across the country also were reading these pulps as a first validation of who they were, what people were wearing, how to fit in, how to get around, it was one of the functions of lesbian pulp, the gay mens pulp came in a little later, in the 60s.

People (today) don’t think about it this way: Way back then, when we were young, we had internalized a lot of that toxic belief about the lesbian community and we felt that we ourselves were infected with it. It was hard to think in terms of stepping out of your own life to look back at the way you were behaving and others were behaving toward you and realize how utterly baseless it was (that toxicity). I saw what very good people there were in the world who were gay and lesbian and doing very good things.

You have to understand that to be a gay person, at that time, was an illegal identity. If you were caught holding hands with someone of the same sex, if you were a woman wearing more than three pieces of male clothing, if you were caught in a lesbian bar, you went to jail. The medical establishment, your parents, the government, everyone you know, is telling you this (gayness) is a terrible thing and it’s a failure of will. There was no one who could talk to you to tell you that all of what they were saying is horsepucky.

To get more information about the concerts, Ann Bannon, or get tickets, go to www.flyinghouse.org /swc/vfss/