Random Acts of Posting

YIKES! Creep me the flock out! This is Kevin Cahoon of the glam rock band Kevin Cahoon and the Ghetto Cowboy starring as the Child Catcher in Broadway's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" Here's the article/interview in the NYTimes titled From Creepy Menace to Glam Rocker.

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And speaking of Broadway shock casting, Rosie O'Donnell has been cast as Golde in "Fiddler on the Roof" opposite Harvey Fierstein as her stage hubby Tevye! According to the article "Shaking Things Up in Broadway's Shtetl", she'll be taking over the role starting September 20th! Wow! As the article said "...makes it truly an Only on Broadway moment, where two openly gay and outspoken actors will play husband and wife in a musical all about the breaking of traditions." Indeed! Or maybe more along the lines of expanding on traditions.

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Speaking of gay marriages, a friend e-mailed this article about a recent U.S. poll showing an increase in support for gay marriages, even amoungst some religious groups:

U.S. poll: Support grows for gay marriage
Jen Christensen, PlanetOut Network

[Recall that Lawrence v Texas was decided on 6.26.2003. The backlash following it has apparently waned.]

The marriage equality movement may be gaining momentum in the United States, as new poll results show an increasing number of Americans support marriage rights for gay couples -- the highest support since July 2003.

According to the new Pew Research Center for People & the Press/Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life poll, 35 percent of Americans polled were in favor of allowing gay couples to get legally married. Fifty-three percent still opposed marriage for gay couples, but that same number of people polled, 53 percent, said they wanted gay couples to have some kind of legal arrangement, such as civil unions.

"This is exactly what the right wing is afraid of," Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, said. "People have had a year of legal marriage in Massachusetts to see how ending marriage discrimination helps gay and lesbian families and hurts no one."

During 2003, Massachusetts' high court ruled that gay couples in that state could get married, which they began doing in 2004. Following that decision, 11 states passed anti-gay marriage amendments, and poll data showed a slip in support for marriage rights.

The poll also showed a slight increase in religious groups' support for marriage rights.

The poll questions were part of a broader study of national issues that may face the incoming U.S. Supreme Court nominee. Marriage rights for gay couples did not figure in the top five issues people were concerned would come before the Supreme Court. Abortion was the biggest interest, followed by the rights of imprisoned terrorists.

The poll also touched on stem cell research, religious displays in public forums, affirmative action and physician-assisted suicide.

Gay rights advocates such as Wolfson suggest these latest poll results on the marriage issue show the effectiveness of gay activism and the impact of equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.

"The long-term trend in America's civil rights discussion, including this recent rebound of public support for marriage equality, which follows the ferment and barrage of the past several months, demonstrates the power of engaging the public and showing them the reality of marriage equality, rather than right-wing rhetoric and scare tactics."
http://www.gay.com/news/election/article.html?2005/08/08/1

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And I just giggled reading the subject title of this piece of e-mail spam: "Lucy and Diane just crave to meet your ankle"