The Rallying Cry

Peter and I got to spend an entire weekend together this past weekend, which considering the barely intersecting work schedules that we have was a rare and precious gem of a treat. After a larger than anticipated night on Friday night where we both sank more beers than is feasible (apparently at 3am I put my foot down with a masterful "bed!", as Peter tells it), Saturday morning was understandably a bit of a slow start. A slow, headachey start.

Getting out of bed involved cajoling, bargaining and a few implied threats... and that was just me to me. There was a marriage equality rally at 1pm on Saturday and it was really important for me, for us both actually, to attend and show that it was a cause that we supported. Peter and I both believe in the concept of marriage, and I know it's not important to a lot of gay people but I think just being able to have the choice available is important.

The rally was well attended, and we were glad to have gone and added our participation to the cause, but hard to hear speakers meant that we decided to take off after trying to hear our fourth or fifth speaker. Not before we got filmed cuddling by a film crew that is, but I forgot to ask them who they were so I still don't know if we made it onto the evening news!

After the rally we walked down to Ultimo to have a swim at the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre. Unfortunately the main lap pool was really cold, so after I pushed through three quarters of a punishingly cold lap, Peter and I headed to the highly warmed kid's pool. Even though it was only part of a lap, I could tell right from the first stroke that losing the 12.2kgs I've already lost was making a huge difference. It certainly made me want to get back into swimming in a bigger way once the weather (and water) starts to take a turn for the warmer.

So after a quiet Saturday night, Peter and I spent Sunday morning at the Marrickville Organic Food Markets with my friend Judy. Veggies were bought, dumplings were eaten and coffee drunk, and Peter bought me a lovely gift of a wallhanging with a Buddhist quote on it that we then hung above my bed. Peter and Judy took to each other immediately, which I thought would be the case as they are both very special, smart and funny people.

The rest of the afternoon was spent just the two of us, having lunch, strolling through Newtown and Erskineville, and then a few beers at the latest (temporary) incarnation of my old favourite watering hole The Newtown Hotel. Or, Freaky Tiki as it is now known. On a Sunday afternoon there were just a few of us in there, some locals and some very friendly staff, and thankfully not the crowds of hipsters that the place has become (in)famous for.

Rounding off the weekend with a quiet night in, cooking dinner and watching some tv, was a perfect end to a perfect weekend. Lots of time spent just enjoying being with each other, talking, holding hands and lots and lots of laughter. Lots of laughter, and I think that's possibly the most important connection of all.

Date Nights

Peter and I are on very different work schedules, while I do a 35hr week 8.30-4 office job these days Peter's work has him on a variety of rotating shifts with quite a bit of evening work. Much of the time Peter's 'weekend' in Wednesday and Thursday, as it was this week. So last night we caught up with my friend David, who was in town for the evening from Newcastle, for dinner and some beers. David is likewise in the first flushes of a new romance, so much of last night was given over to all three of us talking excitedly about what the future holds.

On account of Peter's shifts he's often at home while I'm at work, so the day is peppered with lots of sweet text messages and emails backwards and forwards. One of his emails yesterday contained a link to a newspaper story about a feature length documentary movie showing in cinemas for one week only, starting tonight.



Kylie Minogue's "Aphrodite: Les Folies" concert. IN 3D.

Now not only can you love each sparkle, and each spangle, but you can practically reach out and touch the bouncing pecs on the dancing boys!

So I jumped online and bought tickets, and Peter and I have a date tonight with Ms Minogue (and a cinema full of very excited gay boys, no doubt).

Fashion In Motion

I love reading fashion blogs and surfing the latest looks on websites like www.style.com. While I was reading the blog Polka Dot I came across this post and this post about a parade of Yohji Yamamoto clothes held at the V&A in London as part of a series of fashion events called Fashion in Motion.


Yamamoto cast real life couples from the streets of London and visitors to the V&A, and what I love is that gay and lesbian couples were included.


Maybe fashion is trivial, and maybe you could say that this is a gimmick, but in a genre populated by impossibly tall, uniformly beautiful people, seeing a diversity of people represented on a catwalk (including gay people) is kind of a fabulous change.


It's also lovely to see relationships being celebrated. In a time when a number of places in the world are legalising gay marriage (although sadly not the country I live in), any forum for equal representation seems like further shoring up of gains being made.


It wasn't so long ago that seeing two women or two men who are a real life couple walking a catwalk holding hands, displaying their real life relationship, would have been shocking. To me it seems like the most normal thing in the world, and hopefully the more representations of equality that are portrayed in all sorts of areas of life (whether 'serious' or 'trivial') the more people might agree with me.

Check out Polka Dot's two posts I linked to above, as she has some lovely close-up shots of the actual parade that give you a good feel for it, and show some other looks from the parade. There is also a larger collection of photos on facebook here.

The Dating Game

I have a real live, genuine, card carrying date on Wednesday night. Drinks. Dinner. Maybe even a show (or show and tell, perhaps).

Last night I was in the mood to go out, so after the usual round of texting with friends I agreed to meet up with some of them at the bears drinks hosted by the Harbour City Bears at The Oxford. No exact plans were made, so I arrived reasonably early and was happy to chug a few drinks, see who was out and about, and watch a rather unsettling and eccentric mix of Jackass and gay muscle porn that was playing on the big screens.

Various groups of friends drifted in, and I hung out with them, moving from group to group and getting introduced to their other friends in the process. Maybe the crowd was drawing dawn the moon, but there was certainly a fun energy out and about last night. At one point I circled back to my friends John and Mark, and they were chatting to (read: flirting with) a very cute guy who was inside chatting to us, while his girlfriend was having a smoke out on the little smoking balcony. And that's where things started to get interesting.

No he wasn't exactly straight, but yes he mostly liked girls. His girlfriend was very cool with that. He liked sex with guys when he liked them as people, but no he didn't label himself as bisexual. And he was an outrageous flirt, even opening his jeans at one point to prove he wasn't wearing any underwear (long story about the buying of underwear).

Fast forward a while, and a few beverages later, and I'm standing out in the smoker's area chatting to him, his girlfriend, and some of his friends. All of whom are fun, but really quite drunk. Anyway, one of the group was a blond guy, who like me was way more sober than the rest (I later discovered he wasn't drinking at all) who as it turned out had only met them all tonight as well. Like me he had been drawn into the curious event horizon of Cute Guy and his circle. Lots of conversation later, and as Cute Guy and his girlfriend descend into a relationship crisis that proves that maybe even the most understanding of girlfriends has her limits (for both drama and alcohol I suspect), blondie and I exchanged phone numbers and headed our separate ways.

And then he sent me a text today, and we spoke on the phone, and we have a date on Wednesday night. He seemed very sweet and nice, and it will be nice to have a conversation and get to know each other without the rage and tears (yes it got to that) of the not-bisexuals swirling around us.

Joy

ME AT NINE, PERFORMING TO MADONNA IN SUMMER '91! from Robert Jeffrey on Vimeo.

I could (and have) watched this video over and over. Such joy and self expression!

This goes some way towards lifting the sadness I feel about Kirk Murphy and the so called sissy boy experiment. [Anderson Cooper's story on Kirk can be watched here and here.]

I'm Mad About The Boy

I know it's stupid...


...to be mad about the boy.


I'm so ashamed of it...


...but must admit...


...the sleepless nights I've had...


...about the boy.

[Don't forget, click the pic to enbiggen it.]

Maths Is Hard

Contracorriente

Yesterday afternoon my friends John, Mark and David, and myself, headed off to Circular Quay (almost under the shadow of the Opera House) to the Sydney film festival. John had organised tickets for us to see the gay themed movie Contracorriente aka "Undertow" from Peru. [Official site]

Wow. What a beautiful film! I can't recommend it highly enough. The film maker Javier Fuentes-León (um, woof!) spoke briefly before the film, and then stayed for a short Q&A session after the film, which really added to my enjoyment of it.

I found it really interesting to hear him speak about the realities of making a film about a gay love story in a deeply religious Catholic country like Peru. About keeping some of the plot lines until the end of the shoot, out of concern for the sensibilities of the local villagers. Many of whom were extras on the film. He also pointed out that although some people clearly disapproved of the developing story, many were actually quite accepting and the economic realities of the work the film brought to the village were such that nobody interfered with the production.

The story is primarily about the love affair between the closeted married bisexual Miguel, a local village fisherman who is only about a week away from being a father, and an artist called Santiago who has a summer house in the village. Santiago has a long history with the villagers, although he is still clearly an outsider. Partly because he is less concerned about hiding the fact that he is gay, something he only appears to be doing to try and protect Miguel. The action takes place within a few weeks, but it's clear that Miguel and Santiago have been lovers for a while at least.



What really makes the film is the performances. Wow. The chemistry between the two male leads (Manola Cardona and Cristian Mercado) is natural and really lovely to see. You have absolutely no problem believing that these are two men who love each other, even though the constraints on Miguel's upbringing and situation make it hard for him to admit it (although his actions express it more clearly than he probably knows). It's not just about the sex, there is support and love there. All the actors turn in fantastic performances, including Tatiana Astengo as Miguel's wife Mariela.

There is a plot turn (which I won't give away here) which takes the film in an unexpected direction, but it works beautifully. It tests the love between the two men, and makes Miguel face some hard truths about his situation. Ultimately the film is optomistic and positive.

...and I think I'm a little bit in love with Manolo Cardona who plays Santiago.



Those eyes.

[Updated: There is a new review of the film over at After Elton, but proceed with caution because it hints at spoilers.]

Bake Sale

I had a lovely afternoon this afternoon. I hied off to the Bake Off fundraiser for the AIDS charity The Bobby Goldsmith Foundation with my friend Judy, her son David and David's friend Kai. The BGF Bake Off is a long standing tradition, a bake sale on steroids (so to speak), where intricate cake creations compete for prizes and are then auctioned off for extraordinarily generous donations.

Festive decor in the Paddington Town Hall.


A cake creation.


Anyone for a sticky date?


One of my favourite drag queens, the clearly insane Joyce Maynge.


Quiet please, there's a lady on stage.


GaGa phones it in.


Another of the cake creations, Christiano!

I hadn't been to the Bake Off for a few years and it was a hoot, even though it lacks some of the crazy wildness of the early days. (For example, years and years ago I remember a certain German Mr Leather in backless chaps applying liberal amounts of canned whipped cream to his anatomy, and selling licks for charity. A bad time to be lactose intolerant.)

It was a nice mild afternoon but by the time we left the venue it was sigh dark, cold raining again. After negotiating our way through the crowds leaving the nearby football grounds, I stopped by at my regular Sunday afternoon watering hole to see if any of my friends decided to go for a drink. Not surprisingly it was quiet as few souls braved the rain and cold to go out for a beer, so I caught a cab home for a nice quiet night in by the heater.

It's A Sign Of The Times

Martha Stewart "Weddings" magazine covers their first gay wedding. No fanfare, just the same sort of coverage they give to any other wedding.

The two boys have put up their own wedding album here, and there are some really sweet pics. Awww. I need to find me a husband.

First Class, All The Way

Awww, bless. Matthew Mitcham on the Pam Ann show!

Mitcham on the Pam Ann Show
Uploaded by 1dobiedc. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

"Lachlan likes this one." Oh sweet Jebus, we all like the look of that one, honey.

Birthday Weekend: In Review

Who knew that 45 was the fun one? Seriously. I had an absolute blast this birthday!

Friday night I met Mikey (TLE) & Evan, David, Brad and Christopher for cocktails and dinner at the Japanese fusion restaurant Uchi Lounge. Two of my favourite things are lychees and alcohol, so I had to start the night with a nomsworthy Lychee-tini. Lychee sake, gin, a splash of lychee syrup and one of the luscious pearlescent fruits to garnish. Yum.

We settled on a banquet, and the food (and wine!) just seemed to keep coming in an endless stream of delights. The eggplant with a sweet/savoury miso and parmesan dressing sounds like it shouldn't be, but it was heaven! Miso! And Parmesan! Crazy talk.

Numerous courses and four bottles of wine later, we poured/rolled ourselves out the door into the night. Being that well fed, with little distended round bellies all, the only logical thing seemed to be to make our way to the Flinders Hotel for the Harbour City Bears night. Some of my no stamina soft cock friends fellow diners decided to call it a night, but the rest of use headed off to the Teddy Bears Drink-nic.

You're in for a big surprise, at least that's the hope we always hold for it.

It was one of those busy but sociable nights that stick in your memory. New people met, old friends bumped into, good times had. Completely sleep deprived but happy, I had breakfast the next morning with David and a new friend Deen. Coffee, a plate of hang-over cure greasiness, sunglasses, sunshine and good company. Perhaps a little too much coffee, as any possibility of an afternoon nanna nap fled in the face of an over-caffeinated buzz. It was ok though as I had a quiet night in on Saturday, and a fairly lazy Sunday also. Nice.

So, one of the good ones, and big thanks to the boys for such a great night.

Kish Me You Fool!

In the past couple of years soap operas worldwide have discovered The Gays and The Lesbitarians. Out, happy, conflicted, closeted, the whole gamut. Naturally the course of gay and lesbian love stories are convoluted and tortuous. Let's face it, without it there would be no 'opera' in Soap Opera right?

They're all at it! Germany has my faves Christian & Olli, as well as Deniz & Roman. In fact Christian & Olli's "Verbotan Liebe" soap opera is brimming with poofs, dykes and those questioning. You can't move for someone kissing someone else of the same gender. Hurrah! Catalonia, Spain, The Netherlands... even the good ole U S of A, it's an international festival of The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name! Youtube is brimming with gay men and their followers who post clips of the couples, their names 'Brangelina-ised' to monikers like Chrolli (or Ollian), DeRo or Nuke.

Now on the US soap "One Life To Live" we have "Kish", Oliver Fish and Kyle Lewis. As it turns out closeted policeman Oliver and out bad-boy Kyle were lovers in college. A relationship that Oliver tries to forget and Kyle is still very much living. Conflict! I have to say, despite all the soap opera craziness the relationship aspect has been well written, and the actors are giving their scenes their all.

Kish has rapidly become a love quadrangle. Kyle has been rejected and has taken up with Nick. Oliver is dating a beard his girlfriend Layla, and of course really wants to be with Kyle. Likewise Kyle really wants to be with Oliver. Drama ensues. What is very interesting is the high percentage of out gay actors playing these roles. As the rather lovely slab of beef in a uniform Oliver, Scott Evans is an out gay actor, as is Broadway fave Nick Rodriguez who plays Nick. Brett Claywell is straight, but as evidenced in this interview on After Elton is a very cool guy, and he really brings a believability to Kyle.

Youtubers final81 and bombayhighway have been recapping the love story/dramady in clips if you want to catch up on the story so far. Now, someone call Officer Fish... because I've been a very, very bad boy!

[Updated: Oh, duh. It wasn't until I just read this interview with the boys in Out that I realised cutie pie Scott Evans is mega hottie Chris Evans's real-life gay brother. The family resemblance (ie: hotness) is certainly there. Apparently their mother is even getting in on the act soon and playing Officer Fish's mother on the show!]

Tango: The Dance Of Love (That Dare Not Speak It's Name)

Augusto Balizano y Miguel Moyano from Buenos Aires.


"The Cellblock Tango" (from "Chicago"), The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles


The very sensual Lalo & Luis in Tokyo.


More of the amazing Lalo & Luis.


From the film "Tango". Black Vs white. Good Vs evil. Top Vs bottom, probably.

Christian Heterosexual Marriage: Explained!

I know that my knowledge of Bible-based Christian heterosexual marriage is somewhat lacking, so it's brilliant that Mrs Betty Bowers (America's Best Christian) has created a primer for us homo heathens:

(No offence intended to any Christian readers, but let's face it those that quote small parts of the Bible to justify why gays can't marry are making themselves prime targets.)

Wesley!

When I was a teenager I was a big fan of the original 70s Sid & Marty Krofft tv show The Land Of The Lost. The Land Of The Lost had a lot going for it, not least of all 'Will' in the form of teen heart throb actor Wesley Eure, and his mandatory 3 undone button shirt:



So I was really pleasantly surprised to see an interview with Wesley on the gay media site After Elton. Yup, Wesley's gay! It's an interesting article and speaks volumes about how times have changed in Hollywood in many ways. The gossip in me relished snippets like the fact that he was Richard Chamberlain's boyfriend at one time, and even while he was so young and playing Wesley on The Land Of The Lost he had a serious boyfriend. The gold chain he wore on the show was a gift from his boyfriend.



Sadly it seems that the Kroffts and the makers of the new movie have treated the cast of the original tv show rather shabbily, cutting their cameos from the movie, not inviting them to walk the red carpet, or in the case of Kathy Coleman (Holly) not inviting them at all. I'm not that motivated to see the movie because it has become a Will Ferrell comedy vehicle, something very different from the action adventure intentions of the original.

Check out Wesley's website and his blog. He had a longer career than I realised, and especially in the interview and on his blog he comes across as a nice guy. And the crush object of a whole generation of gay men too, it would seem!

Give Me Your Hand My Love, And I Will Give You Mine

Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth.
~Benjamin Disraeli

Occupation: Towel Boy (Volunteer)

I just got home from a fun night at my local leather bar Manacle. (See, this is what unemployment looks like. It looks like big, semi-drunken nights out on a Wednesday.) Tonight was the Grand Final of the all male jelly wrestling, and my dreams were finally realised. I was picked out of the crowd as a Towel Boy! Towel Boy duties include; handing bottled water to the contestant between bouts, towelling off the contestant between bouts, pats and short words or encouragement, more extremely diligent towelling of the contestant, and trying to answer questions of the host in an entertaining manner.  ("What do you do?" "Um, I was retrenched last week." ...*crickets*...) Fortunately my particular contestant was an extremely buff African American contestant visiting from San Francisco, so frankly the diligent towelling was no hardship.  None!

Oh yeah, I also helped shine the latex suit of one of the hosts... but that's a different post entirely.

In The Arms Of The Forces

I say old bean, give us a cuddle. There's a good chap.

Parody Is Easy When The Targets Are Dumb People

I've heard lots of comment on the interwebs about the National Organisation for Marriage (NOM) ad against gay marriage, but until I saw the Colbert Report clip below I hadn't actually seen the original. OMG, it's almost a parody of itself it's so dumb. In my book they should have worked in a twister and Dorothy Gale's house into the storm mix... the gays' love of Judy and vintage musicals can cause twisters!



Cautionary tale! Anyhoo watch the Colbert clip below for a snippet of the original and a very funny parody of it.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Colbert Coalition's Anti-Gay Marriage Ad
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage Commercial

Jane Lynch (love her!) and the good folks at Funny or Die have made their own satirical version too, with the help of some familiar faces:

A Gaythering Storm from Jane Lynch

Meanwhile, does anyone have an umbrella?