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MOM’S DAY ROEMAGGEDON: That time I interviewed PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY

5/8/2022

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Mommie dearest

Even militant conservative Phyllis Schlafly admits she’s a proud mom who loves her gay son
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SCHLAFLY: “...the alliance of the gays and the abortionists, who really have nothing in common.”
By DANIEL KUSNER | May 11, 2001

Don’t expect to find Phyllis Schlafly, 76, bearing her soul at a PFLAG rally.

The ultra­conservative pro-life activist launched the Stop-ERA crusade in the ’70s and leads The Eagle Forum, a volunteer organization that favors punishing gay sex with imprisonment.

But ever since her eldest son, John Schlafly, a lawyer, was pub­licly outed in 1992, Phyllis has been an easy target for gays to ridicule.
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SCHLAFLY — THE GOP’S GAYEST LAST NAME: Phyllis and John. [Photo: PhyllisSchlafly.com]
Countless others would make a better Mother’s Day spokesperson for parents of gay children. But Phyllis Schlafly stands out as some­one who’s probably had to strongly re-exam­ine the bond between a mom and her queer kid.

In interviews with gay media, Schlafly remains an even-tempered, albeit tight-lipped subject.

Her prime agenda on the topic of motherhood mostly deals with her fierce advocacy for breastfeeding and disposable diapers.

“Paper diapers are the greatest invention that ever happened,” she beams.

Beneath her stridently anti-gay Radical Right exterior lies the undeniably warm heart of a mom with six kids and grandmother of 14 who loves her gay son no matter what.

“There’s a point when you have to let your children live their own lives when they become adults,” Schlafly says during a phone interview from the Schlafly’s St. Louis home.
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MORRISSEY SANG: “When you’re tied to your Mother's apron / No one talks about castration.” [Photo: PhyllisSchalfly.com]
And when it comes to controversies and disappointments, Schlafly says a mother’s love should overcome those difficulties.

“I have a close friend whose son was bounced from the Navy for drug use. And the Navy is real tough on drugs. This was a terri­ble affront to her husband, who had had a fine Navy career. And the Navy was so important in his life,” Schlafly explains.

“But she was going to tell the son never to come home again. And I told my friend, ‘No. No. You welcome him home.’ And she’s thanked me 1,000 times for that. And her son has turned out to be a very fine young man.”

According to Schlafly, being a strong role model is the most important thing a parent can do when their children have reached adulthood.

She admits the Schlaflys have the same problems other families experience.

“But we have no illegal drug use. Nobody smokes. We don’t have any divorce. We don’t have illegitimate preg­nancies. And we’re workaholics,” Schlafly lists.

However, there’s at least one surprise that’s come out of the closet.

And when John Schlafly was outed, it was mostly done to take Phyllis down a few pegs.

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“I didn’t have any other problem — other than the media asking nosy questions. And, of course, it was all done to embarrass me,” she explains. “This is the alliance of the gays and the abortionists, who really have nothing in common except a political alliance. So they created this national media controversy.”
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THE TEXAS ALLIANCE OF THE GAYS AND ABORTIONISTS.
“The harassment of the media is a terrible annoyance,” Schlafly continues. “They invited me on shows who would not otherwise have invited me. Because that’s all they wanted to talk about. And it was all done to embarrass me. I mean, my son doesn’t have any enemies.”

“It just made a big national news story that went on for weeks — about something that wasn’t anybody’s business,” the mom continues. “
He was deliberately outed by somebody who went around brag­ging that he didn’t believe in outing.”
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Did her son being gay change any­thing between them?

“No. He’s a wonderful young man. He’s my first born. And I love him,” she assures.

Was she ever afraid for her son being a member of the gay community?

“No. I’m not a person who’s afraid of things,” she quickly answers.

Did the fact that her son is gay ever chal­lenge her political ideology?

“No. Not really. Actually, he’s very support­ive of practically all of my work. He believes in the traditional family and most of the things I work for. We’re just a private family. And we don’t air all our personal problems out for the public. Now, I think that’s about enough of me and my son. Let’s finish this topic,” she orders.

But she did give one last piece of advice to the gay community for this Mother’s Day.

“I hope all the gays and lesbians love their mother and respect her,” she says.

And for what it’s worth, Mrs. Schlafly, most of the gay community probably wishes you a Happy Mother’s Day.
AGGIELAND & AIDS

On Nov. 19, 1987, Schlafly spoke in College Station to lecture — clip from Texas A&M’s newspaper, The Battalion.
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When you look in the audience that is in the public schools, it’s a very different audience from what we have here tonight,” Schlafly said.

“In the public schools in this country, we have minor children who are pretty much a captive audience, and it seems that over the last few years, two movements have developed,” she said.

“One point of view is that whoever has control over the school establishment can do whatever he wants to with the captive children who are at the public school,” she said.

“There is another point of view, that the child in the public school, being a minor and being a captive audience, does enjoy certain rights in that classroom that can’t be taken away,” she said.

Those rights, she said, demand that anything they are taught about acquired immune deficiency syndrome be “true, healthy, legal and constitutional.”

“There is a great effort at the present time to come into the public schools and teach what is called ‘safe sex,’ ” she said. “I would contest that the way that is taught today does not meet the four criteria.
“In fact, there is only one teaching that meets all those four tasks, and that is the teaching in regard to sex, that we should have and should promote sexual abstinence before marriage.”

Schlafly’s remarks met with applause, mainly from older members of the audience of more than 250, and hissing from others, mostly students.
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Missing Manchester

6/5/2021

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PROUD OF MANCHESTER
Great Britain's gay gateway to the Northwest comes of age

TRAVEL NOTEBOOK: August 2008
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FLY THE FLAG: During Manchester Pride, the rainbow flag waves at Town Hall in Albert Square. [Photo: Kusner]
By DANIEL KUSNER

MANCHESTER, U.K. — The English say the direction of friendly hospitality leads opposite of America's Southern charm. The further north from London, that stiff upper-lip gets more kissable. And Manchester is about 200 miles north of Britain's capital.

In pop culture, an earlier version of Manchester's reputation crashed onto America's shores in the post-punk, New Wave era. Acts like The Smiths, Morrissey, Joy Division and New Order exported a sound that had fans investigating the origins of these British talents.

​With his impeccable lyrics about unrequited queer love, Mancunian native Morrissey — the "pope of mope" himself — often depicted his hometown as a dreary wasteland choked with ash-filled skies. His Manchester was filled with working-class ruffians who taunted nancy boys on narrow, cobblestone streets.

Only ghosts of that bleak image remain.
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MANCUNIAN BLOKE: Snapped during the "Music History of Manchester" walking tour. This sharp guy, above, manually operates the locks for the Bridgewater Canal, Britain's first wholly artificial waterway. Sunny days with shirtless Mancunian blokes are rare in soggy, industrial Northern England. [Photo: Kusner.]
Instead of Morrissey's post-Dickensian condition, old industrial chimneys and gorgeous Victorian architecture now meld with yuppie-tailored loft apartments, renovated boutique hotels and sleek futuristic towers.

In 1999, a more uplifting and vivid impression of Mancunian LGBT life emerged: "Queer as Folk," the original — and undisputably superior — British version was set in Manchester.
QAF creator Russell T. Davies said there were four main characters: Stuart, Vince, Nathan and Manchester's Gay Village, which serves as home base for the UK's largest gay population outside of London.

The village bursts at the seams during the last weekend of August — when the 10-day Pride Festival takes place. 

Last weekend, Manchester wrapped its annual "gayfest." An estimated 45,000 crowded the village — home to numerous shops, restaurants, bars, pubs, clubs, a park and even a tiny bathhouse.

Manchester is usually a brief stop on a travel itinerary — when tourists rush from London en route to Liverpool, Glasgow or Edinburgh.

Truth be told, Manchester is wonderful cosmopolitan destination, but no more than a four-day visit is necessary. However during Pride, Manchester becomes a Utopian queer paradise. And since Pride is scheduled during a bank holiday, a four-day travel itinerary can easily get jam-packed. 

During Pride, the main stage music performances alone are worth the plane fare.
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ELECTION DJ: At Manchester Pride 2008, Boy George pumped his chillwave Obama-laced "Yes We Can." Click YouTube link ^^ for "Yes We Can (Pete Heller PHELA Classic Club Mix)." [Photo: Kusner.]
Postcard from Pride 2008
Manchester's "gayfest" is overwhelming.

August temperatures (59°F-71°F) are an exquisite escape from Dallas' endless weeks of 105-and-above summers. Last week, rainy mornings dried into cloudy afternoons. At night, the village lanes were ideal for dancing and cooling off while a sea of gays and lesbians club hopped along the streets, which are closed to automobiles during Pride.

The village is concentrated around Canal Street: And when the first letters are blocked out, the street gets the affectionate nickname "Anal Treet." The bustling district is home to 30 or so queer taverns.

At Velvet, the walls are lined in downy burgundy drapes where guests chill to old-skool black-mama disco at cabaret tables or boogie on its wooden dance floor.

Baa Bar is a poptastic pub for the under-30 set. Company is a basement enclave for the leather and Levis crowd. Cruz attracts sporty lads — but not the shirtless, tweaking muscle queens. It's a place where butch blokes flex their nelly side on the dance floor.

With its front balcony, the three-story Manto was featured in the first episode of "Queer as Folk," a big club that serves food. Next door, Spirit is a stylish multi-level club that attracts dancers — where white boys bust pop 'n' lock moves and Irish jig steps.

Via is decorated like a traditional wine lodge: On the street level, bearded-drag act The Lillettes strip off layers of gowns to disco hits. And in Via's basement, disco bunnies hop to mashups in the dark, wooded dancehall.

Gays and lesbians mix freely in these bars, but Vanilla is where the ladies hang — a casual pub where during Pride month foursomes of lesbians sat at tables and answered five-part trivia pursuit about "The L Word."
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PARADE PIX: A muscle Mary carries the end of an enormous rainbow flag along Princess Street, left; and the Salford Ladies United Temperance Society jokingly tries to shame parade goers. [Photo: Tony Wolf.]

In 2008, Pride celebrated its 18th year. It began as a community endeavor to raise money to care for locals living with HIV. During Pride's final weekend, participants can only enter the Gay Village if they've purchased a wristband.

Proceeds from the wristbands fund Manchester's HIV charities.

This year's main-stage acts included Boy George at the turntables, Irish electronica diva Roisin Murphy, pop beauty queen Sophie Ellis-Bextor and powerhouse vocalist Angie "I'm Gonna Get You, Baby" Brown.
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MANCHESTER MUSIC: From left, Roisin Murphy, Boy George and Heather Small performed at the Pride 2008 mainstage. [Photo: Kusner.]
​Some parade entries were standouts. The SLUTS — the Salford Ladies United Temperance Society, is a group of men in old-lady drag who march with "Sodomy Stinks" signs as they spray disinfectant and try to shame parade-goers.

​But the best entries were the HIV service organizations, which featured clients proudly dancing. The HIV floats had the best sound systems and made everyone confront the fact that shame has no place at a Pride event.

On the final night of Pride, the community gathers for an HIV candlelit vigil. Thousands turn out for a poignant experience. As a surprise, Manchester homegirl Heather Small of M People sang "Proud" as the message was brought home to eradicate the stigma of HIV. Then a dazzling display of fireworks burst from the rooftops of the gay village. Manchester's HIV vigil is nothing short of awesome.

Not all of the evening Pride events take place in the village.

For circuit boys, University Challenge is arguably better than most American circuit bashes. The University of Manchester's Student Union becomes a super-club: Two buildings with four music venues are bisected by a mini amusement park — like at the end of "Grease." Even when it's raining at 1 a.m., you could ride the twirling, dizzying Xtreme or Tagada Spin. 

Another party is HMS Federation, which was held at a 1920s dancehall where shirtless muscle gods donned sailor hats and worshiped all night at the cha-cha altar.

For the kinky set, men and women can attend Manfest, which was held beneath the Manchester train station. Not far from the dance floor is a BDSM area with whipping, blindfolded electrocution and even body stretching demonstrations.
Sights
If a trip to Manchester doesn't coincide with Pride, there's still plenty to see. 

A visit to the grand Town Hall is a must. In the main building, look for a brass plaque that recognizes the Feb. 20,1988 protest. That's when 20,000 — including Ian McKellen — gathered to disapprove of Section 28, a local government act that outlawed schools from "promoting" homosexuality. ​
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U.K. DISSENT: Ian McKellen led a Feb. 20, 1988 Manchester march to protest anti-gay oppression in schools.
From the get-go, the Manchester city council opposed the legislation.

Throughout the city center, the sidewalks are lined in rainbow mosaic tiles, which is part of the Out in the Past tour, a trail the follows 200- years of Manchester's LGBT history 

Stops include the Midland Hotel where Noel Coward first met Ivor Novello, and the Alan Turing Memorial, which celebrates the life of the WWII code breaker and his contributions to the development of the modem computer
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WARTIME DADDY: lan Turing — the gay man who led code breakers — is now recognized as a math hero.
Log Cabin Republicans might be startled if they come across an enormous statue of Abe Lincoln. The monument marks Lincoln's thanks to Manchester's cotton workers who supported the fight against slavery.

The Urbis Exhibition Center is a neo-modern four-story museum that's free. A panel near the lift quotes Morrissey's "Suffer Little Children," "Manchester, so much to answer for." 

Current exhibits include "My First Pride," a small photo show that captures achievements in dignity.

Also at the Urbis, the career of a gay Mancunian native is chronicled in "Matthew Williamson: 10 Years in Fashion." Exotic and experimental, the fashion designer's work fiercely rebels against Manchester's often-foggy grey palette. Williamson's first runway show, at London Fashion Week 1997, featured Kate Moss and Helena Christianson. Williamson has also designed for Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and Sienna Miller.

Also on exhibit, is Paul Harfleet's "The Pansy Project," which examines homophobia and public spaces. Between 2003 and 2005, Harfleet revisited places where he experienced homophobic abuse. Once there, he planted pansies — tiny, delicate flowers struggling to survive. An example is a photograph of a freshly planted violet flower with velvety petals on a muddy cobbled-street titled "Fuck off and die, Faggots!" taken at Tottenham Court Road in London.
​German architect Daniel Libeskind's The Imperial War Museum is a futuristic building that reflects the serious nature of a collection based on global conflict. In an abstract way Libeskind explodes Planet Earth into three broken fragments, which are then reshaped to form the building's trippy design. 
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MILITARY MIGHT The Imperial War Museum chronicles the futility of global conflict and includes a Military Pride exhibition that highlights out service personnel like Army craftsman Richard Cann, pictured.
​Currently on display is a "Military Pride" exhibit — a chronological 40-year map that traces the personal experiences of gay and lesbian service personnel, changing laws and evolving social attitudes.
Food
To enjoy Great Britain's cuisine, you need good recommendations. Or else you might find yourself in a pub staring at menu with offerings like kidney pudding, medium-rare venison, "faggots" (a.k.a. savory duck parts) or salted ox tongue. 

But Manchester has lots of hip eateries.

For a swank experience, check out Ithaca, an ultra-modern four-story parlor of bling. 
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BLING PARLOR : Chow where Posh Spice eats swanky sashimi in Manchester.
A Norse goddess made of disco-ball mirrors greets guests at one of Manchester's newest restaurants, which serves tasty sushi and sashimi and has a distinct nightclub vibe. Recent diners include Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, and Victoria and David Beckham. Almost every inch of the decor is black glass and ebony fabric with eye-popping silver glitter and gleaming steel.

In the the newly refurbished ABode Hotel, Michael Caines offers two eating experiences: the informal street-level Cafe & Bar and the shmancy lower-level restaurant, which serves
modern Euro tapas-style dishes: Pan-fried foie gras with orange braised chicory, caramelised walnuts and home-cured beef bresoala and marinated veggies

For modem Italian cuisine — chicken-chillipizzas and Cajun pasta — Albert's Shed is the location of an old lockkeepers cottage in the Castlefield canal basin.

To re-invent the ultimate Patsy and Edina "Ab Fab" experience, go to the bustling brassiere on the second floor at Harvey Nichols. Kylie Minogue was a recent guest at the cocktail bar, which is the epitome of cutting edge design and has the best views overlooking Exchange Square. The service at Harvey Nick's restaurant is flawless, and the menu has classic ingredients like terrine of ham hock, parsley and sweet garlic, combined with European influences like French-style braised rabbit leg with Meaux mustard.
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CHILL WITH THE LIKES OF CHURCHILL: Room's old-skool vibe mixes saucy Béarnais pork with a contempo menu.
Hip, retro and delicious, Room is near Manchester's fashion-design district. The menu is a mix of contemporary and the antique: starters like beans-on-toast and grilled rare-breed pork with Béarnaise sauce. With its soaring ceilings and wooden spiral staircase, walking into Room is like stepping back into time with an ultra-lounge backbeat: Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a regular at this old Reform Club, which dates back to 1871. And Room was where Kylie Minogue brought her staff on last year's comeback tour
Stay
A two-minute walk from Piccadilly Train Station, ABode Manchester opened in March 2008. About three blocks from the Gay Village, the 62-room boutique hotel recently underwent a multi-million dollar transformation. It still retains the period character of its original purpose — a Victorian cotton merchant's warehouse. Rooms start at $230 per night with complimentary WiFi.
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ACCOMMODATION: Modernly refurbished and convenient to the Gay Village, the ABode Manchester opened in March 2008 and retains the character of a Victorian cotton merchant's warehouse.
Transit
Instead of jetting to London, you can fly directly to Manchester.

American Airlines offers a daily nonstop flight to Manchester from Chicago's O'Hare Airport that departs at 5:35 
p.m., arriving the following morning.

American also flies from London's Heathrow back to Chicago. 

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Keep in mind that American Airlines flies to O'Hare from both Love Field and D-FW. Trains from London's Euston Station travel directly to Manchester; the trip takes about three hours.
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RIP: 'Election' sadness

1/14/2021

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In ’99, I spoke with then-badass-teen Jessica Campbell, who played Tammy Metzler — a Ross Perot-like lesbian in the holds-up-very-well comedy "Election."

Campbell's unexpected death at 38 was just announced.
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DALLAS VOICE MAY 28, 1999
Depicting an adolescent dyke

Actress Jessica Campbell on the challenges of playing a thoughtful and sensitive teenage lesbian in Election

By DANIEL KUSNER 

An enormous number of recently released films depict the lives of high schoolers: Varsity Blues, Cruel Intentions, She's All That, Go, Jawbreaker, Rushmore, etc. 

But Election, starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, has one character that'll leave queer moviegoers thrilled when leaving the theater.

Jessica Campbell plays Tammy Metzler, a rebellious teenager who challenges her brother in the race for school president when she finds out he's dating her ex-girlfriend. 

Campbell, who was only 14 years old when she accepted the role, says she was uneasy about playing an adolescent dyke at first.

"I didn't know if I could do it. Because it was so beyond anything I've ever done — especially the whole lesbian thing," she says. "I live in a neighborhood where it isn't completely okay yet if you're gay. So even just to play a gay person kind of scared me."

Playing a lesbian became an easier decision when Campbell realized that her's was the most honorable character in the film.

"Once I read through the script, I realized that she was really the most stable, thoughtful, sensitve person in the whole thing. She's the closest one to a good person. So that made it okay," says Campbell.

Election is based on a novel by Tom Perrotta. ​
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American novelist Thomas R. Perrotta's Election was published by Berkley (Jan. 1, 1998), 208 pp., $16. paper.

The story was inspired by two events: the 1992 Presidential Election campaign and an incident where a conservative high school principal in the South invalidated a prom-queen election because the winner was pregnant.

Perrotta found the 1992 election intriguing because of third-party candidate Ross Perot — a "wild card" who gained attention by attacking the entire system as fraudulent. So Perrotta evoked a similar outsider, third-party candidacy with the lesbian character Tammy.

Campbell says that her personality is altogether different from the rebellious Tammy — another factor that made the part challenging. 

In one scene, the candidates deliver speeches.

When it's Tammy's turn, she asks the audience of students, "Who cares about this stupid election?"



​"In reality, I'm really not that kind of person at all — I try to follow the rules," says Campbell. "I'm kind of a goody two-shoes. So just the thought of standing up and making that kind of speech in front of teachers and other peers was completely different from the kind of person I am."

Campbell got her start when she began taking acting classes in the second grade. 
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She quickly won the attention of a talent agent in her hometown of St. Louis and was cast in the lead role of the telefilm In the Best Interest of the Children, starring opposite Sarah Jessica Parker and Sally Struthers.

When asked what her family thought about her portraying a somewhat befuddled lesbian, Campbell says her mom encouraged her to accept the role.

"She was really excited about it. She really didn't care that the character was a lesbian; she was just worried about how I would take it," says Campbell. "My mom said something like, 'It would be good to do this. But if you're uncomfortable with it or feel like you may regret it later, then don't do it.'"

When her character Tammy first graces the screen, she's in a very intimate moment with her girlfriend, Lisa.

Director Alexander Payne (Citizen Ruth) wanted to make sure the scene came across just right.

"Actually Frankie [Ingrassia, who played Lisa] and I were stressing out about it. Because they saved it for the very last scene to film. We were kind of freaking out when Alexander posed us in this really close position. But after the first scene, we got over it. And it really wasn't much more than hanging out with my cousin or doing something like that," she explains. "It took a lot of takes because Alexander was like, 'More tender. More loving. I'm not convinced.' It wasn't until the fifth or sixth take that he finally decided that we got the right feeling. It took a while."

Campbell admits that, at first, she was worried her classmates would harass her about playing a lesbian. She says she only has one gay friend, but many of her friends are bisexual. 

Playing a lesbian, however, has actually made her more appealing to the boys at her school, she says.

"I haven't been getting teased at all. In fact, the guys — and this is kind of sick — the guys all get off on it," Campbell laughs. "They're like, 'Oh, my God! You kissed a girl?' I'm getting more attention from guys now than I ever have in the past. I can't believe I was ever nervous about it." 
POST-SCRIPT
Jessica Campbell's "Election" screen partner — actress Frankie Ingrassia (who plays Lisa) — let me know that a Jessica Campbell Memorial GoFundMe is up to help Jessica's 10-year-old son, Oliver.
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On Dec. 29, 2020, Jessica suddenly and unexpectedly passed away, leaving behind her 10-year-old son, Oliver.
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BIG D's HATE-DATE: October 24.

10/29/2020

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Dallas'  H8 anniversary
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CITY OF HATE: On Oct. 24, 2020, @flawwsome1 posted a painted 卐 sign near Reunion Tower; On Oct. 24, 1963, Ambassador Stevens was assaulted with a "Down with U.N." picket sign at Dallas’ Memorial Auditorium Theater.

​On Oct. 24, 1963,  ​Dallas' 'City of Hate' nickname was coined.

That's when Cora Lacy Frederickson assaulted Ambassador Adlai Stevenson at Dallas’ Memorial Auditorium Theater.

Cora Frederickson inspired my "Breakfast at Neiman's" photoshoot for "214 Trans4m." 

Raised in Tulip, Texas, Lulamae Barnes then married Doc. Golightly and emerged as "Holly."

But Neiman Marcus inspired Dallasites to Texas-sized greatness. 
"City of Hate" notes, from 214 Trans4m: "Breakfast at Neiman's.'

Perhaps Dallas’ reputation for “pretentiousness” can be traced back to the oil-boom years. 

That’s when shifting class mobility was especially pronounced — back when, women possessed deep insecurities with being “right.” Or at least in being “not wrong.” 

Wearing the wrong hat or gloves with a suit was a disaster. 

But Neiman Marcus offered confidence by instructing wives about what to wear to a tea and how to cater a dinner for six for her husband’s boss. 

However, frustrations combined with insecurity can incite anger and the desire to lash out. 

Let’s not forget the Dallas myth of the compulsive right-wing woman... 

Cora Lacy Frederickson was an insurance executive’s wife and a prominent figure in downtown lunch clubs. 

On Oct. 24, 1963, Mrs. Frederickson assaulted U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson at Dallas’ Memorial Auditorium Theater. Stevenson first approached a screaming Mrs. Frederickson merely to ask her about the source of her anger. In response, she struck the ambassador over the head with her “Down with U.N.” picket sign. 

Mrs. Frederickson was arrested, but Stevenson didn’t press charges.
HISTORY REPEATING

​Coincidentally, on Oct. 24 2020,  twitter's Amy Gruesome @flawwsome1 published a photo that went viral.

A swastica was discovered in Dallas near Reunion Tower, on Dallas city garage.
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Local and federal law enforcement are investigating after a large swastika was painted atop an abandoned city of Dallas parking garage and could be seen from Reunion Tower.
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STRUCK DOWN: That time I met Jeff Stryker

5/9/2020

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STRIKE A POSE: Yours Truly, left, and porn god Jeff Stryker at Dallas' New Fine Arts bookstore.
Kate Moss and Jeff Stryker are like identical cousins.

Silence preserves their photogenic success.

Marie Claire magazine introduced Moss’ best quotes with, “She doesn’t speak very often but when she does it's amazing.”

Netflix's literary documentary “Circus of Books” names Jeff Stryker as gay erotica’s ultimate superstar. 

Stryker visited Big D in the early aughts. And New Fine Arts bookstore on Mockingbird Lane promised me a meeting with him.

My thirst was unquenchable — especially since Stryker penetrated country music with his anal anthem, “Pop You in the Pooper." 



Stryker's Dallas opportunity window was tighter than a virgin pooper.

When Stryker stood up to shake my hand, I said, “No matter how many times I ask to interview you, my requests are never granted."

With Jack Nicholson-like swagger, Stryker smiled, nodded and said, “That’s right.”

Polaroid froze our split-second appointment.

Stryker's elusiveness rivals J.D. Salinger.

In 2013, a podcast duo had much better luck than me.

The Rialto Report's April Hall and Laura Helen Marks did a fine job coaxing Stryker from isolation. 
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Head for Bill's

1/12/2020

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RIP, BILL WISENER (screengrab of whistle from "Bills Records — Documentary Short.”
In 2007, Out magazine asked me to pick Big D's next "gayborhood."

I chose The Cedars and named Bill's as a main attraction.

Bill (1945-2020) was a lifelong bachelor who still wasn't ready to be described as "gay" in a media article. (Also, Bill was once bashed with a baseball bat.)

Editors cut my double-entendre explanation of the "Head for Bill's" slogan.

But a tastefully queer shoutout survived. 

"Dallas' best secondhand music store, Bill's moved to The Cedars in February. Legendary proprietor Bill Wisener keeps the age of vinyl alive with aisles of LPs, though the disorganization of the CD bins can turn into a time-sucking scavenger hunt. Don't look for price tags either: Just ask Bill how much. Cute guys always strike the best bargains on imports, bootlegs, ginormous posters, and vintage T-shirts." 


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Dallas daredevil inspires Supreme Court arguments for LGBT employment equality ​

10/3/2019

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5 YEARS AGO: Don Zarda died Oct 3, 2014 in a BASE-jumping accident. But his EEOC case goes before SCOTUS next week.
On Tuesday, our Supreme Court will hear about a skydiving instructor who was fired for disclosing his sexual identity. ​
After filing an EEOC complaint, that skydiver, Don Zarda, died Oct 3, 2014 while testing his wing-suited mettle in a BASE-jumping accident. 

However, the specific work-related incident dates back to 2010. 

That’s when Don — a former Dallasite — was in New York.

Don was conducting a tandem jump with a female client. To put the woman’s mind at ease — about the coziness of jumping two-to-one — Don revealed that he enjoyed intimacy with men. Like his partner, Dallas businessman Bill Moore. 


After that jump, a complaint was filed against Don. And the employer, Altitude Express, placed Don on suspension. 

While returning to face the ultimate decision, Don recorded the exchange, which y’all can listen to on YouTube. 
​During that seven-minute recording, Don repeatedly requests video of the controversial tandem jump.

At first, Don’s former coworkers dodge and evade the request.

However, Don’s lawyer, Gregory Antollino, discovered a copy.

One thing’s for sure, Don’s not the drama queen in this story.

The female client looks pretty dang happy when she smiles beside Don for a group shot after her feet land safely on the ground. ​​(By the way, it was the female client's boyfriend who complained about Don's sexual identity...)
Texas' legal experts predict that gender discrimination will soon encompass protections for LGBTQ employees.

Like Texas Lawyer magazine's brilliant Mike Maslanka, who anticipates a wonderful outcome — even during a Trump Administration.
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Enjoy resting, Chad Holt — Austin's rolling stone

8/18/2019

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SOUTH BY SIXTH STREET: Holt, left, and Kusner spread the word about Texas' print chronicles.
A few months ago in South Austin, I co-hosted a sports podcast with Chad Holt and his son. 

Chad commented on the game with both his head and the microphone resting on a bed pillow.

Chad never left his bed. Instead of whining about feeling sick, Chad acted as if his mattress was a La-Z-Boy recliner.

The studio was filled with neatly stacked piles of newspapers.

Chad published Whoopsy! magazine.
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SPREAD CHAD'S WORD: Click photo for a PDF of Whoopsy! The column "OFFSIDES WITH CHAD HOLT: The Butthole Prophecies" contains an eternal message.
Whoopsy! was like Austin’s gonzo version of Rolling Stone. And Chad was its Hunter S. Thompson.

Chad gracefully shifted opposing topics — like connecting Ann Coulter’s horse-face to an argument about evolution.    

Over the past year, Chad and I hung together in Austin. Probably three times. 

He wasn’t always bedridden. 

We sweated it out while walking from Adam Reposa’s law office near the Texas Capitol over to Sarah Weddington's nearby leadership center and then downhill to the Colorado River. That's where we downed hot coffee while Chad inhaled home-rolled cigarettes. 

On Sixth Street, we chowed on burgers at The Jackalope. That's where we snapped a selfie, above, as we vied for the affections of our favorite Texan, web-design goddess Beth Sams.

During the recent “Sports Karaoke” episode, one of the fellow podcasters cracked an off-the-cuff joke about the “need” for printed media. I raised an objection with the authority of a Texan defending the Bill of Rights. 

Chad and I fist bumped. 

When I wrote about biking through Austin, I consulted with Mr. Badass himself. 

Here’s what Chad said. 
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“Parents who pedal around on the street with their kids in those deathtraps attached to the back of their bike belong in fucking prison.” — CHAD HOLT, editor-publisher of Whoopsy! magazine and subject of the documentary “Total Badass.” (Photo: Truitt Ray, 2015.)
ONE LAST THING

During one of our recent walks, Chad expressed his sincere respect for Louis Black, founding publisher of The Austin Chronicle.

Chad and Black's SXSW festival have a storied history that's stitched into the documentary "Total Badass," which is worth watching.

Rest in power, Chad. 
(Whoopsy daisy.)
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ANSWERED PRAYERS: Drag artistry influences library storytime

7/13/2019

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THE LIBRARY IS OPEN! From left, Dallas royalty Jenna Skyy (aka Joe Hoselton) and Cassie Nova (aka James Love) introduce Dallas to a world that loves literature. PHOTOS: Bryan Amann.
This afternoon, two of my favorite muses Jenna Skyy and Cassie Nova lend their interpretive artistry to "Tall Tales and High Heels," a storytime event at Grauwyler Park Branch Library.

How did I find out?

A group of Catholics sent a press release saying they've organized a "Rosary Protest." 

The group is called Tradition, Family and Property. Their website is ReturnToOrder.org. 

Why protest?

TFP states, "Because the Drag Queen Story Time for 3 to 6 year-olds is a serious offense against God and scandalizes children."

The release continues, "Whatever happened to the time when the protection of children's innocence was a non-negotiable social norm? 
Even rough men watched their language and mannerisms when children or ladies were around.
Vulgarity, bad habits and vice were concealed so as to not destroy the innocence of a child."


Well, Dallas. Look for yourselves. 

Witness Jenna in super-heroine action at last year's story time at J. Eric Jonsson Library, named after the brilliant founder of Texas Instruments — a company that could see into the future. 
TO ATTEND
Grauwyler Park Branch Library,  
2146 Gilford St., Dallas, Texas 75235
Saturday: July 13 at 12:30 p.m. 


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VICE News deftly explores differences between Oak Cliff and Oak Lawn in the wake of Muhlaysia Booker murder

6/2/2019

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On Friday, “VICE News Tonight” requested my footage of a wounded Muhlaysia Booker speaking shortly after her attack and just before she was discovered murdered. 
​

The skillfully produced “Civil Rights” segment aired that same day for a 7:30 p.m. broadcast. 

VICE’s immigration correspondent David Noriega visits Big D. The story begins with stomach-churning clips of Muhlaysia being savagely beaten. 

Then there’s my footage. 
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You can hear my voice chanting Muhlaysia's name along with others. I'm happy Muhlaysia got to hear that support while she was still alive. 

I'm also elated with Noriega's work.

With a touch that reminds me of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," VICE's news-team explores the geographic and socio-economic separations between Dallas' "uppity" Oak Lawn gayborhood and East Oak Cliff — the location where the viral footage first emerged. 

Muhlaysia's friend Meiko Hicks describes how Muhlaysia suffered from intense PTSD after the first attack. And how Big D's unspoken "no-snitch" policy mostly hovers over Dallas' Southern side.

However, the footage of Muhlaysia's casket being rapturously marched out of Cathedral of Hope last week is just ... gorgeous. 

VICE ends the segment with a sharp cut. Leaving viewers wanting more. It’s unresolved — exactly like Muhlaysia's quest to seek to justice.
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