​Toast to Life gala helps Micki Garrison stock the Nutrition Center’s shelves

​BY DANIEL KUSNER

Tucked behind Crossroads Market, Bookstore and Cafe is the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it entrance for the Nutrition Center, the Resource Center of Dallas’ food-assistance program for people living with HIV.

The Nutrition Center’s supervisor is Micki Garrison, one Dallas’ most devoted transgender activists.

While the Center’s doorway is strategically bland (they can only provide groceries to those who qualify), Garrison is tall, outgoing and her personality sparkles.

At the Nutrition Center (which used to be call the AIDS Food Pantry) about 1,000 clients stock up on groceries each week. That’s at least 1,000 loaves of bread, 1,000 gallons of milk, thousands of apples, peppers, bags of organic lettuce … It’s a lot of food. 

To qualify, clients living with HIV have to earn roughly under $25,000 annually. And when they’re trying to keep up with medical expenses, insurance deductibles and sometimes
hospitals bills, every bit helps.

Garrison’s background is extensive and fabulous: architecture, the U.S. military, sound engineering, construction management and parenthood.

Helping clients stock up on food is only one of her duties. She’s more focused on grant writing, negotiating with suppliers and making sure the center is meeting compliance standards — skills she developed while running a lightning protection business that mostly contracted with military bases.

But as HIV medications have greatly improved, AIDS is appearing more and more like a treatable disease — like diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

“Ryan White Funding is being slashed, which is why the Waxahachie food pantry has closed and why the Fort Worth pantry recently lost a large portion of their funding,” Garrison says.

On Saturday, the eighth annual Toast to Life gala will be held at Neiman Marcus. The shindig is a food-lover’s feast, and there’s a silent auction.

Garrison’s says approximately 20 percent of the Nutrition Center’s annual budget comes directly from money raised at Toast to Life.

While food donations are always welcomed at the Nutrition Center, Garrison says her negotiation skills can stretch money much further than the average grocery shopper’s buying
power.

Friday, March 16, 2007

By Daniel. Kusner
​
She's one of the sweetest performers to ever join the ranks of "Saturday Night Live."  

And when I tell Julia Sweeney that I really enjoy some parts of the 1994 box-office and critical bomb, "It's Pat," she says, "Bless your heart." 

A former accountant who became a professional comedian, Sweeney created the androgynous character Pat Riely when she was a member of the Groundling Theater.

In 1998, she followed "It's Pat" with "God Said Ha!" a one-woman show that found laughter in the face of cancer.

Now she's unearthed the funny side of examining God's nonexistence. 

But first, back to "God Said Ha!"

Shortly after Julia moved into her two-bedroom bungalow in Hollywood, her younger brother Mike was diagnosed with lymphoma.

First, Mike moved in. And then the Sweeney parents moved in.

And amid the dysfunctional-family chaos, Julia was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. 

Director Quentin Tarantino translated the stage version of "God Said Ha" into film.

As much as the story is about Julia, it's also about Mike, who ultimately lost his battle.

And while Julia was the eldest of the five Sweeney kids, the way she described Mike, it was unclear if he was gay or not. 

Was Mike gay?

"Yes. He was," Sweeney says from her home in Los Angeles. 

She encouraged Mike to come out to the Sweeney parents. But while creating "God Said Ha!" the big sister protected Mike's privacy.

"The family didn't really know it. And it doesn't really matter anymore. I only kept that secret ... Well, I didn't keep it secret. I just didn't put it in the show, because Mike wasn't open about it. And out of respect for him ... 
"We used to argue about it all the time. All the Sweeney kids knew," she continues. "But Mike said... Oh, this is going to make me cry....  Mike said, "'When I'm in a long-term relationship with someone I love, then I will tell Mom and Dad.'"

Mike wasn't your typical Cher-loving gay dude. He liked the Crash Test Dummies. And during chemo treatments, he usually wore his "Reservoir Dogs" T-shirt. 

"And then he died. So he never got that person," Julia says. 

Now she's learning about the coming out process from a different closet. Because Julia Sweeney is an atheist. 

Earlier this year, her new one-woman show, "Letting Go of God" was independently released on CD ($19.95, JuliaSweeney.com). And coincidentally, on May 5 the show will be taped for a film version during its run at the Renberg Theater at the Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles.

In her signature wholesomeness, Sweeney chronicles her journey to the land of the non-believers.

As devout Catholic, she idolized nuns who taught at her all-girl high school in Spokane, Wash. She loved "The Flying Nun," "The Singing Nun" and Audrey Hepburn in "A Nun's Story." 

Like most Catholics, Sweeney was inculcated with Vatican-administered rituals. And like most Catholics, she grew up not as a literalist but as an interpreter of the Bible. 

"And I was never a fan of the pope," she remembers.

But one afternoon, some young Mormon missionaries rang her doorbell and asked if she "believed" in God's love. That question became the pea under her spiritual mattress. The Mormon boys' dedication to God inspired Sweeney to rededicate her faith. So she joined a Bible Study class. 

By Daniel A. Kusner Dec. 12, 2005
​
A tragedy about lost opportunity, repression, finding love and never letting it go, “Brokeback Mountain” is a powerful drama. And the momentum behind the film builds on a day-to-day basis.

Critics groups in Boston, Los Angeles and New York recently named the gay cowboy drama as the year’s best film. And on Tuesday, it dominated the Golden Globes with seven nominations, including one for best screenplay, written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana.

A lifelong Texan, McMurtry is the Pulitzer-winner who created “The Last Picture Show,” “Lonesome Dove,” “Hud” and “Terms of Endearment.” A few hours after the Golden Globe nominations were announced, McMurtry conducted phone interviews while in Austin.

Based on Annie Proulx’s 1997 near-perfect short story, “Brokeback” is about the doomed bond between two men who fall in love while herding sheep together. It’s also partially set in the Lone Star State.

Just as the film’s marketing campaign was gearing up, Texas was hit with two historical anti-gay blows: the overwhelming victory of a state amendment to ban same-sex marriages and Governor Rick Perry essentially telling gay soldiers returning from Iraq that — instead of Texas — they should consider a more “lenient” state to settle down.

POSTSCRIPT: A one-time exclusive... 

KUSNER: Press conference apologies are so en vogue. 
It seems you and Kathy Griffin have much in common this year. 
If your bestie gal pal — let’s say Ann Coulter — tearfully crossed some controversial line in the sand, would you call her up and express your public support?
Or would you dare denounce (and probably abandon) her ... like Anderson Cooper?
MILO YIANNOPOULOS:  If you ever compare me to Kathy Griffin again, you’re dead to me. 
I’ll forgive you this time because I love Texas. 
The difference of course is that I apologized for being wrong, while Kathy Griffin did a weepy fake apology to try to save her career. 
Ann Coulter is always attacked for the truths she tells, she isn’t insane like Kathy Griffin and the rest of the unhinged looney left in Hollywood. 
Just look at Johnny Depp! 
Everyone should know I would stand with Ann both publicly and privately. 
Anderson Cooper may be mostly unhinged, but he is smart enough to disassociate from a ginger harpy holding the President’s head in effigy like some kind of ugly and unfunny ISIS hag.

KUSNER: Speaking of Kathy Griffin — and being all “dangerous” and outrageous and fond of American free speech — is it okay for people to recreate her infamous art project for 2017 Halloween costumes?
Or will Milo be clutching his pearls at such a thought?
MILO YIANNOPOULOS: Kathy Griffin costumes should be a hot item this year, she’s mortifying even without the fake severed head.
Of course Kathy hasn’t bargained on the young mischief-makers of the new right, who are likely to dress up holding severed Kathy heads moreso than recreating her Trump pose. 
I only clutch my pearls when my boyfriend gets rough… in fact I’d be fine with Halloween costumes involved severed Milo heads, as long as I look really hot and the sunglasses are accurate.

The ebony mistress of soul Erykah Badu was in Oak Lawn on Monday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate tho opening of the new Tower Records.

Resplendent in enormously jeweled rings and one of her signature chapeaus, the Dallas-based singer gra­ciously signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans. 

The Grammy-award winning vocalist took a moment to express a kind message of love and peace to her queer devotees. 

"Be who you are forever and ever.
And just hold onto yourself.
Because a lot of times, that's the only thing we have to hold onto," Badu said.  
"I thank all my gay fans for their support.
Just continue to send the love to me — but mainly to each other.
​Peace." 

Badu is up against celebrated diva Lauren Hill for two awards at this year's Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Album.

When asked if she's going to let Hill {who has 10 nominations) walk away with all the awards, Badu said, "Oh, that's okay if she wins them. Because she's my sister."

— Daniel Kusner

(Photo: Daniel Kusner. Badu at Oak Lawn's Tower Records. )

Dear Daniel
This is a picture of my sister Amy with her nose taped up. 
Pretty, isn’t she.
Thanks for taking the time to interview me the other day.
I’ve probably done at least 60 of them so far on this tour, but I really enjoyed talking to you. 
They were good questions.
Thanks again
David Sedaris.

Sent from Boston, June 25, 2000.

“You’ll forgive me for saying this. But only a gay periodical in Dallas would publish an automobile guide. However, I loathe cars and have plenty of evil things to say,” Lypsinka cackles about the topic at hand.

When it comes to cars, John Epperson — the architect behind the enchanting, supernatural seductress, Lypsinka — knows what he’s talking about.

Growing up in a small town in Mississippi, at 14 Epperson had his learner’s permit, could change his own oil and got busted by his parents for sneaking into a drive-in movie to catch "The Killing of Sister George," which, at that time, was an X-rated feature. But the drive-in was where he got to see many of his favorite films ("Myra Breckenridge," "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," "Rosemary’s Baby," "A Clockwork Orange").

Cinema is the essence of Lypsinka.

Epperson is a undeniable film historian who scholarly discourses about early RKO movies to glam-a-thon campy delights like "Showgirls."

He avoids nearly every television program (“I don’t watch anything with commercials, except for 'Saturday Night Live.'”), but his immersion in all-things-Hollywood is impressive.

And in Lypsinka’s imaginary world, her car’s vanity mirror is bathed with klieg lights.

Epperson admits that he has mixed emotions about cars. When he lived with his family in Mississippi, he had to depend a car in order to get around.

“But I’m totally self-absorbed. And taking care of a car is like taking care of a child,” he complains. “I even resent having to put gas in the tank.”

When he decided to move from away home to pursue a career in entertainment, he knew it meant relocating to either L.A. or New York.

“So I chose New York because you don’t need car. And it’s an enormous relief not to have one,” he huffs.

But traveling is a big part of Lypsinka’s life. Currently, she’s touring her latest show, "Lypsinka: The Boxed Set," around the country. For this interview, Lypsinka is on the phone in Los Angeles.

“And when I’m in L.A., I rent a car,” she says. “If I ever lived here, I don’t think I’d buy one — I’d rent one because then, if the thing breaks down, you’re not responsible for it. You can call the rental company and say, ‘The thing fell apart. Get me another one!’”

The drag performer (“I find the use of the term ‘drag queen’ derogatory — like ‘nigger’ or ‘faggot.’ So ‘drag performer’ sounds more politically correct, if you don’t mind”) is currently tooling around in a rented, silver Buick Regal.

“My friends from Houston came to visit me and laughed at my car. I didn’t pick it myself. I’m just happy that it has power windows, air conditioning, a CD player and a tape player,” he says. “However, I will not drive a little Geo Metro — that little tin can on wheels — it just feels too dangerous.”

When she’s motoring in her rental, she relishes exploring country roads with the stereo on full-blast cranking out early Barbra Streisand hits.

“So you see, like everything else in life, I’m a contradiction. And I have contradictory feelings about cars,” she admits.

She knows that a guy can look like a supreme dream machine if he’s in the right car.

“I’ve made friends with Morrissey, the singer. And he drove up here the other day in a black BMW convertible. And I must say he looked very dashing. He has black hair, and I’m into color coordination. The black hair matched the car and probably matched his mood. He looked great in that car,” Lypsinka swoons.

And when it comes to vintage cars, Lypsinka reaches into her Obscure Film Knowledge file and whips out her grease-monkey smarts.

When choosing a mechanic, she looks for a man who resembles Catherine Deneuve’s dreamboat mechanic in "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" (1964).

Of course, when hiring a chauffeur she prefers the Max von Mayerling-type (played by Erich von Stroheim in "Sunset Boulevard").

“Norma Desmond’s leopard skin-lined car was an Isotta Fraschini. ‘Cost me $28,000. All handmade,’” she mimics with vampy Gloria Swanson-like precision. “Max gets that old bus off its blocks, and they go to Paramount Studios who want to rent it for a Bing Crosby road movie. She drives up to the gate, and she goes ‘Jonesy! You there, Jonesy.’ I also think Isotta Fraschini would make for a great drag name.”

All this talk of vintage cars leads Lypsinka on a dissertation about a classic Bugatti connected to the first lady of modern dance, Isadora Duncan.

“Vanessa Redgrave starred in the film version of Isadora's life. Her performance is unbelievable — the best thing she ever did. Anyway, in the movie she keeps seeing this sexy guy driving a Bugatti — she doesn’t know his name Every time she sees him drive by, she screams, ‘Bugatti!’ Finally she meets him at a party, and she gets in his Bugatti and they drive away. And her scarf, which she’s famous for, her long scarf gets caught in spokes of the wheels and chokes her to death.”

As for Lypsinka’s driving skills, she claims she’s an expert driver and especially talented parallel parker.

“I’m also a musician. I worked at American Ballet Theaters and was a rehearsal pianist for 13 years before my career took off. Musicians are very mathematical, and parking is basically geometry. Once you’ve figured it out, it’s just done like a mathematical equation,” she boasts.

What’s inside Lypsinka’s glovebox?

“A tube of Chanel lipstick, insurance papers, a Valium and a gun!” she shrills.

And if she was in a drag race, she imagines she’d be decked out in some "Fast and Furious" ensemble, à la Thierry Mugler.

“Thierry’s usually dressed in clothes that look like racing-car clothes. And since he’s designed stuff for me before, I think I would go to him and have something custom-made,” she says.

Before she finishes the interview, Lypsinka wants to make sure she hasn’t offended any readers with her jabs at the automobile industry.

“I certainly don’t want to stop any car lovers from coming to my show if I ever make it to Dallas. And I know that if I ever get there, I’m going to want to rent a really nice car.”