Bee Haven

VideoJug

2008-05-14T13:04:00.002-07:00

I found an interesting site today and I thought I would share. It's called VideoJugand their tagline is: Life explained. On film. There are films on various subject like DIY and relationships, food & drink, pets, parenting and technology to name a few. They list credentials of their experts and the films are informative and some humorous. This occupied a bunch of my free time today and I wanted to pass on the link. Give it a look, you might be as surprised as I was with what you find out.

Click here for VideoJug

Do YOU know your rights???

2008-05-05T18:48:00.005-07:00

A recent poll conducted by City University of New York’s Hunter College and reported by the Washington Blade had some startling results. Too many of us don't know our basic rights (or lack of). Following are the questions asked, how informed are YOU??

-Are same-sex marriages legal in your state?
-Does the U.S. Constitution ban same-sex marriage?
-Can gays serve openly in the U.S. military?
-Is there a federal law barring the firing of workers based on their sexual orientation?

As much as some believe the majority of us could answer these questions correctly, especially with all the political commentary surrounding the presidential candidates, apparently we can't. Maybe we aren't discussing it enough or maybe we just aren't paying attention.

We try to avoid creating a political air to this site but after seeing this article, we felt the need to share and raise awareness.

(Excerpt from The Washington Blade ):
Few gay Americans understand their basic rights, according to an analysis released this week. Based on the responses of 768 gays, lesbians and bisexuals to a national poll given in November, the analysis found that most respondents could not correctly answer four questions regarding their state and federal rights.“I think ‘ignorant’ is the right word, unfortunately,” said Pat Egan, an assistant professor of politics at New York University who is gay and helped write the analysis.

Egan said only 38 percent of poll respondents answered all four questions correctly.

“So only six in 10 lesbians, gays and bisexuals know there is no national law protecting them from employment discrimination,” he said. “Considering this has been the top priority for advocates in Washington for the past 20 years, that is pretty astounding and disappointing.”

According to the analysis, 94 percent of respondents knew whether same-sex marriage was legal in their state, 78 percent knew the U.S. Constitution does not ban same-sex marriage, 82 percent knew they could not serve openly in the military and 59 percent knew there’s no federal law that bars workers from being fired based on their sexual orientation.
~~~~

Voting matters, knowledge before voting... matters more.

Color of your mind (this one's 4 you Weyrd!)

2008-04-29T07:44:00.002-07:00

Your Mind is Blue

Of all the mind types, yours is the most mellow.

You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles.

Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Mind?

WALL-E Trailer

2008-03-06T16:07:00.002-07:00

WALL-E From Disney and Pixar looks adorable and another movie we can't wait to see. WALL-E kind of reminds me of what the offspring of Johnny 5 would be like. It has been awhile since Disney has put out a pure comedy for all ages. Great Trailer.

WALL-E Exclusive Trailer

A New Exclusive Trailer

2008-03-06T15:49:00.002-07:00

We love the fact that fan favorite Bridget McManus has been working on this film. Can't wait to see this one and even though we usually don't go to the big screen often, we will for Angelina. Enjoy!

Wanted Exclusive Trailer

Just To Keep Up

2008-02-27T15:22:00.003-07:00

Not interested in political debates but Tina Fey's "B*tches get Sh*t Done" was hysterical.

Previously UN-posted

2008-02-26T12:59:00.001-07:00

I wrote this awhile ago when looking for Mari Sangiovanni's book Welcome to Jamaica...Wish You Were Queer. I was so angry at the time, I could not post it. I am still reading the book, it's funny and warm, I like it but I cannot seem to focus long enough to finish it. Or for that matter, long enough to blog. In my previous post I talked about my current project and explained how it is consuming my time. I am sure that I made it that way. It was a smaller project but some of the responses I got from the actors encouraged me to make it larger, more spectacular. I am not sure I should have. Now I have lots, and I mean lots of unfinished posts. I need more information to complete them and that information is personal and well you can't get blood from a stone. I want to encourage readers to have more interest, more excitement and I am not sure how to do that. We have a lot of visitors but most choose to stay anonymous. They don't log in to the chat, or leave comments or even hang out long enough to answer polls. What is the secret to keeping readers interested? Surely it cannot be the mundane ramblings of the daily events in my life...That bores even me. But nevertheless what follows here is one day in my often frustrating journey. Have a wonderful day and keep the faith that my ever growing project will come to fruition soon, and you, the reader, will be pleased.

I am perturbed. I am usually a patient person. I say usually because sometimes I just “want it now.” I have been an Internet user for close to 15 years now and I guess I got lazy. I do a lot of online purchasing for many products. Some health care items, gifts, clothing, novelty, collectibles, DVD’s and of course books. Amazon has become my bookseller of choice and you can find almost everything there, even used copies which for me is great as I rarely read a book twice. But lately I have noticed I read less. At least in hard copy. I must read for at least a third of my day online but cannot seem to get through my long anticipated copy of Celebrity Detox to save my life. I recently became disgusted while visiting my local library as mentioned in a previous post you can find here. Written because of the serious lack of gay and lesbian titles available to our communities youth through the library.

A library is supposed to be a community service, but one disheartening scan of our library’s less than minimal lesbian/gay section left a bit of a sting. Since most of my books etc. have been found through Amazon but today the “I want it now” monster in me said “Just go to Barnes & Noble down the street.” So I did, and got a full blown slap in the face. The GLBT section consisted of only GL and less than thirty books combined.

I was shocked. Especially considering they brag about their “large- women’s studies” section. Ha! Disgusted, I left and drove the additional eight miles to the nearest Borders.

Pleasantly surprised at the almost two hundred books available I found the one I wanted, but I was purchasing their LAST copy. Apparently I have been misguided and sheltered by the Internet world, and received a real eye opener to the truth, once I ventured “out there”. My opinion of Barnes & Noble took a nasty dive today and I thought I should share my unfortunate lesson with everyone. Better luck to you all in your quest for your desired reading material.

Update

2008-02-23T12:26:00.002-07:00

This has been a busy month and I feel bad about not having more posts. We are working on a huge project to promote some very worthy films. Soon we will be opening a new page attachment to Bee Haven called Bee Project made just for the promotion of Lesbian film making. We will be profiling over a dozen actresses/writer/directors and 3 movies at this time and the project centered around the one actress in all three endeavors. That actress is Cathy DeBuono.

Cathy has been in this business for awhile and she has branched out from being just an actress to producing and writing and photography. Cathy is a multi faceted woman and certainly worthy of promotion. And she happens to be really down to earth and sweet as well. Also a few of the other actresses are in more than one of the projects as well. Jessica Graham and Jill Bennett are in two of the films. These are some busy women, busy working on lesbian visibility in our community. Both Cathy and Jill have weekly vlogs on After Ellen and are both in the new webisodes called 3way. Jessica has been busy making one film after another. We have a lot of admiration for these women and therefore have been working hard on this new page. We are excited and hope that you will be also. Keep checking back for the opening, you won't be disappointed.

Update - Out at The Wedding

2008-01-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

The dance scene from the film Out at the Wedding starring Desi Lydic and Cathy DeBuono is available at this link. We apologize for not being able to embed the video here but it is well worth the visit to see a beautiful romantic scene. Thanks to Cathy for making this link available to us all, nice moves there Cathy!

Exes & Oh's - My Letter to LOGO

2008-01-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Opening credits for Exes & Oh's courtesy of Michelle Paradise

I like Exes & Oh's. I like the program a lot. Enough to write into LOGO and tell them I like it and I want to see more of it and ask what the status is for another season. I want Exes to be picked up so badly. Seven episodes in the first season was not enough and when you find programming you can watch more than once and not be bored with, it makes you want more. Well I wish the news were better but some will say "No news is good news" so I am fervently hoping that is the case. Here is what they had to say in their reply:

Thank you for taking the time to write to the staff at Logo and let us know how much you’re enjoying our programming. We’ve been working hard since our launch in 2005 to bring our community the very best in LGBT entertainment. In addition to the cable channel, we hope you’ll take the time to explore some really amazing content – including hours of free streaming video on our website at www.LOGOonline.com and our latest original shows now available on iTunes.

Logo is grateful for the incredible support of our LGBT community. In fact, we are now in 20 million homes, making our network one of the most successful launches in cable history. We couldn't have done it without you so please stay tuned – there are still plenty of exciting new shows and services coming soon!
At this point, we do not have any information about a 2nd Season of "Exes and Ohs." Thanks for writing in!

All the best, Your Friends at Logo

******************************************************************************

I hope we hear more soon. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Brunch With Bridget

2008-01-27T23:32:00.000-07:00

Okay folks, I am breathless from laughing. If you are not watching Brunch with Bridget on After Ellen then you are missing out! Bridget McManus, an out comedienne, has her own weekly vlog on Sunday mornings and for the last 3 weeks previous has had me in stitches but this weeks episode was by far the best! Bridget's guests this week were Senior Writer and Director of Special Projects at After Ellen, Karman Kregloe and Jill Bennett, actress and entertainment professional. The vlog had it all, truth or dare, pajama exchange, hickeys, furry love/making out, a little canine massage, tattoos (Guess Who's?)and a corset. As the above picture shows, a good time was had by all and to wrap it all up, a righteous pillow fight. There was comedic chemistry among these three and they found a way to cater to us all. The only thing this vlog left me wanting for was MORE. Tune in each week on Sunday to see who Bridget has in her bed and what is on her mind. I cannot wait!

Special acknowledgement goes out to Baby Bridget and Winston, Bridget's handsome roommate. For Bridget's comedy clips visit our Boredom Busters page.

What's Your Problem?

2008-01-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

Well we have some spectacular news to bring you. We all know that AfterEllen.com brings us entertainment in a variety of forms from television recaps and political updates to comedy vlogs and community forums. Now there is a new feature and we here at Bee Haven are 100% behind this one. The out and established actress Cathy DeBuono's got a new video blog called What's YOUR Problem? While Cathy is an actor, she also holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and has several years of experience as a therapist. And now she's here to talk about our problems, fears and darkest demons — we can ask questions of Cathy in the comment section or even keep our questions under wraps in a private message to Cathy herself. And just a side note - from personal experience (grins), Cathy responds to her messages!

I don't want to give too much about Cathy away right now as we at Bee Haven will be promoting not one but two upcoming movies in which the actress will be starring. Very soon we hope that Cathy and her co-stars will allow us to gather questions for our very own Q&A with them about the movies And Then Came Lola and Tremble & Spark. The producers and or directors on both projects have given us the go ahead and we are readying our material as this goes to post. And don't forget the recently promoted Out at the Wedding as well. Cathy has been very busy and that makes us all happy.

OK, now don't forget Cathy's vlogs air on Thursdays and this week in her very first episode, "Three Lesbians, One Camera and a Bottle of Champagne," Cathy mixes it up with filmmaker JD Disalvatore (Eating Out 2, Shelter, Gay Propaganda) and radio talk show co host and producer Doria Biddle (The Frank DeCaro Show on Sirius Satellite OUT-Q 109). It's a blast and truly informative. Cathy handles herself with grace and gives us insight into do's and don'ts on the subject of behavior in public. Tune in, you won't be sorry.

A View Behind The L Word

2008-01-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

L Word creator and executive producer Ilene Chaiken tells it like it is. Ilene gives a little insight into the way season 5 is going to go and some of the story lines that the characters will be visiting. I love that Ilene is so up close and personal with the viewers. Not only are viewers encouraged to sign up on Our Chart but Ilene has a blog of her own there and pod casts with and without the actresses from the L Word cast. If you are a fan, this site is a must see along with the many other blogs there and downloads for the viewers like special webisodes and sneak previews of the upcoming episodes.

To quote from Ilene's New Years message "I’m pretty sure season 5 is the sexiest, funniest, cleverest, most romantic and most consummate season of The L Word, to date. Just how I feel about it…

We will be unveiling a slew of new content, original programming, social networking functionality and design improvements over the course of the next three months.

Ask me which season 5 story line I’m most excited about. ( You can email her here.)

Despite my enthusiasm, we are open to criticism of The L Word season 5. Let us know what you think, keep the pressure on and keep your support high and hot so that we get to do a season 6 that’s better still.

It’s been a great process for us, working with all of you – interesting, provocative, challenging – and we’re looking forward to hearing back from you with your further analysis of the results.

Happy New Year from Our Chart and The L Word."

You can get your fill of the L Word for sure by visiting the site here.

Courtney Thorne-Smith Has a Baby Boy

2008-01-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

(AP) Courtney Thorne-Smith attends the ABC primetime preview, in a May 18, 2004 photo.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Courtney Thorne-Smith has given birth to a baby boy, the actress' publicist said Sunday.

"The parents are thrilled, and the baby is healthy, well and beautiful," publicist Karen Samfilippo said.
Thorne-Smith delivered the baby - her first - at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Friday, Samfilippo said. The father is Thorne-Smith's husband Roger Fishman, a media consultant. The couple named the boy Jacob Emerson Fishman.

"It's such an amazing moment for both of us," Smith has said of her pregnancy. "We both sort of had to say, I don't know if this is going to happen for me. The fact it's happening is just astounding!"

Thorne-Smith, 40, is known for roles in several TV shows including "Melrose Place,""Ally McBeal" and "According to Jim." Thorne-Smith has also written Outside In: a novel whose story delivers a Hollywood novel about a failed movie actress who finds new life as the star of a nighttime soap called Generations. But character Kate Keyes-Morgan's life, glamorous on the outside, is still less than perfect. This put-upon heroine has issues with weight and self-worth, and an overly controlling manager/husband to please.

A long time fan of Courtney's, I wish her continued success and all the joys that come with motherhood.

Salt Lake City Mayor Proposes Domestic Partnership Registry

2008-01-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

(Salt Lake City, Utah) Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker is wasting no time making good on a campaign promise. In his first official action as mayor he has proposed a domestic partner registry for same-sex couples and for opposite-sex couples who cannot or chose not to marry.

The measure will be voted on by city council on January 22. Despite being the home to the Mormon Church and in one of the nation's most conservative states, Salt Lake tends to lean left and a majority on city council say they will support the plan.

A number of councilors worked on the wording of the ordinance with Becker to make sure it complies with Utah's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

Registered couples also would have visitation rights at city hospitals when a partner is ill and it would give partners family rights at facilities operated by the city.

For complete article visit 365Gay.com

We commend Mayor Becker for his efforts to thwart the amendment banning same-sex marriage by trying to pass a domestic partnership legislation. And it is hard to believe with all the children waiting to be adopted that yet another state official is trying to ban gay adoption, shame on you, Sen. Chris Buttars (R). It is not everything but it is enough to secure a couples right to hospital visitation and family benefits for city employees. We hope he is successful and will cross our fingers on January 22nd. Kudos, one step ahead for our friends in Salt Lake City towards equality.

Out at The Wedding - More Vids

2008-01-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Cathy DeBuono, we have another video from the movie Out at The Wedding! I am so looking forward to this movie. And according to the latest video blogged on Cathy's My Space page, Cathy is quite the dancer as well. Here is the first one:

We are working on the dance video, please check back.

Lesbian love scene is part of Zionist plot

2008-01-08T00:08:00.001-07:00

Scholars call for arrest of filmmaker, actresses and greater censorship of film. The Lesbians are coming! The Lesbians are coming!
When I see things like this it makes me very glad to be lesbian in a free country! Please read the article, it is short but tragic.

read more digg story

Woman

2008-01-07T13:39:00.000-07:00

Star of First Show for Gay and Lesbian Families Sets Sail on R Family Vacations Cruise

2008-01-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

“Dottie” of Dottie’s Magic Pockets to Appear on R Family Vacations Spring Cruise LOS ANGELES, December 5, 2007 – Production company Pink Pea announced that the star of Dottie’s Magic Pockets - the first children’s program for kids in gay and lesbian families – will appear on the R Family Vacations Cruise to the Mexican Riviera, March 15-22, 2008.

(Dottie's opening credits )

Dottie is a wacky and playful woman whose house seems suddenly empty when her partner, May, leaves to take their son, Ollie, for his first day of school. To cheer up his mom, Ollie gives her a gift: a sweater with huge, dotted pockets.

When Dottie reaches into the sweater's pockets, she pulls out handfuls of magic glitter! She sprinkles the glitter around and -- voila! -- her living room is transformed into a zany funhouse filled with a gaggle of new friends to keep her company during the day, including: James the Flower, Randal the Beaver, Motilda the Mouse, Uncanny the Singing Can, and Wally the Wall.

Excitable, sweet, and silly, Dottie is also a patient and devoted mom and friend who enjoys playing with her magical playmates as she helps them solve their problems.

(The "doing the flower" song from Dottie's first DVD)

Tammy Stoner is CEO of Pink Pea, the company that created Dottie's Magic Pockets. Her own son was the inspiration for the show -- Stoner raises him with the help of her ex-partner, Beth.

TAMMY STONER: By about 2-and-a-half, we'd say "Well, Mom and Momma and Oliver are going out" or whatever, and he would actually replace one of our names with Dad. He had started asking for videos of two mommies -- and after I did hours and hours of research on the Internet, I realized there literally was no programming available for him at that time.

There are roughly two million American households with same-sex parents. That number grows every year as gay families choose to raise children. You'd think that companies would be salivating at the thought of a clearly defined, growing market, but they're not.

JERRY MCHUGH: It's a market that has hardly been touched.
Jerry McHugh is senior research director for Community Marketing, a consulting group for gays and lesbians. He says gay men have been on marketers' radars for years. But lesbians haven't, and most gay parents are women. The median income of those families who have children is about $80,000. They have some money to spend, it's a well educated group of people, they're looking for products that speak to them in identifying their own unique characteristics.

If business hasn't paid much attention to same-sex-headed families, the media seems to have actively avoided them. Sure, there's plenty of gay-friendly programming out there, like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Will and Grace.

But in 2005, when PBS tried to air a show that included a family with two moms, activists forced PBS to pull the episode. Pink Pea's Tammy Stoner recognizes that gay parenting is still a sensitive issue. She's only selling DVDs of Dottie's Magic Pockets over the Web, and she's not pitching to the networks -- yet.

We wish Tammy Stoner much success in getting this program widely distributed. If you have lesbian friends raising young children please consider these dvd's as educational and entertaining gifts.

Excerpts from http://www.dottiesmagicpockets.com/ and http://marketplace.publicradio.org/

Gay Opinion Blog: Huckabee: 'I Don't Know' If People Are 'Born' Gay, But It's a 'Choice' to Act Gay [VIDEO]

2008-01-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Gay Opinion Blog: Huckabee: 'I Don't Know' If People Are 'Born' Gay, But It's a 'Choice' to Act Gay [VIDEO] Click for full article.

We make it a practice to not discuss our polital views in public as it is cause for conflict so WE won't dicuss it. Here is the video and the link to the article for those who wish to take a look.

Feeding The Desire

2007-12-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Out at The Wedding - Movie Preview

2007-12-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

This feature film is a romantic comedy cocktail with a splash of southern comfort and a twist. The film is directed by award-winning director Lee Friedlander and written by
Paula Goldberg. Principal cast includes: Andrea Marcellus, Desi Lydic, Charlie Schlatter, Mike Farrell, Mink Stole, Reginald VelJohnson, Cathy DeBuono and Mystro Clark.

Transplanted Southerner, Alex Houston (Andrea Marcellus), has found life as a successful wine importer in Manhattan to be a pretty fabulous life. Laughs come in spades from her best gay pal since childhood, Jonathan (Charlie Schlatter) and love is found in the package of Dana (Mystro Clark), a dreamy bi-racial airline pilot. When he unexpectedly proposes to her the day she’s to leave town for her sister’s wedding, life gets complicated. Having assumed her southern family would never accept her ethnic boyfriend, she’s never told them he exists. In turn, she’s led Dana to believe her entire family is dead. Now, don’t judge her too harshly, it was sort of a mix up that turned into genocide. Making an excuse to leave town, she takes Jonathan as her date to the wedding and figures once she gets through the weekend, she’ll come clean to everyone.

Once back in South Carolina, it’s a minefield of emotion as she deals with her distant father (Mike Farrell), her overly exuberant sister Jeannie (Desi Lydic) and all the relatives and friends of her past who can’t believe she’s still single. Especially curious is Alex’s dim high school sweetheart who misunderstands a conversation with Jonathan and starts spreading a rumor at the reception that she’s gay. When an inebriated Alex gives a thinly veiled speech about her interracial relationship at the wedding, everyone mistakenly thinks it’s a big coming out speech. After unsuccessfully trying to set everyone straight so to speak, her right wing family has a decidedly left wing response and the lie actually brings them all closer.

As the two sisters build a relationship they’ve never been able to cultivate before, Alex can’t bring herself to fess up she’s straight. When Jeannie comes back from her honeymoon and wants to come to New York and meet Alex’s lesbian love “Dana,” Jonathan comes up with an idea to “hire” a girlfriend. That’s when things really start to get complicated!
Out At The Wedding is about relationships. It’s about the thin line between trust and truth and the incredible comic lengths we go to avoid both. But essentially the film is a love story between two sisters, who desperately want to be friends, but only know how to be family.

Out At The Wedding Trailer

Upcoming Screenings:
Jan 11, 2008 7:30P
PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Palm Springs, California5
Jan 12, 2008 1:00P
Palm Springs International Film Festival Palm Springs, California5

For more information, go to http://www.outatthewedding.com/.

Wanted - Coming in 2008

2007-12-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

Angelina Jolie. What is left to say. Mmmmmm.

Based upon Mark Miller's explosive graphic novel series and helmed by stunning visualist director Timur Bekmambetov -- creator of the most successful Russian film franchise in history, the Night Watch series-- Wanted tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, the world will be introduced to a hero for a new generation: Wesley Gibson. 25-year-old Wes (James McAvoy) was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut. Until he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie). After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits him into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his father's death by unlocking his dormant powers. As she teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes discovers this team lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: carry out the death orders given by fate itself. With wickedly brilliant tutors-- including the fraternity's enigmatic leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman)-- Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one can ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny. From www.imdb.com.

Moment of Silence for a Literary Pioneer

2007-12-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

Jane Rule, a prominent Canadian writer whose first novel, "Desert of the Heart," is considered a landmark work of lesbian fiction, died Nov. 27 at her home on Galiano Island in British Columbia. She was 76.
The cause was complications of liver cancer, said Deborah Windsor, executive director of the Writers' Union of Canada.

A major literary figure in Canada, Ms. Rule wrote seven novels as well as short stories and nonfiction. But it was for "Desert of the Heart" that she remained best known. Published by Macmillan in 1964, the book appeared five years before the Stonewall uprising, at a time when lesbians were all but invisible in mainstream letters. It told the story of a woman who goes to Reno, Nev., for a divorce and there finds love with a dynamic younger woman.
Ms. Rule's other books, some of which also centered on lesbian themes, include the novels "This Is Not for You," "Against the Season" and "After the Fire"; the story collection "Theme for Diverse Instruments"; and a volume of criticism, "Lesbian Images."
Jane Vance Rule was born March 28, 1931, in Plainfield, N.J., and grew up in the Midwest and California. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Mills College in 1952. In 1954 she joined the faculty of the Concord Academy, a private school in Massachusetts. There she met Helen Sonthoff, a fellow faculty member who became her life partner. They settled in Vancouver in 1956.
Sonthoff died in 2000, at 83. Information on other survivors could not be confirmed.
Ms. Rule, who became a Canadian citizen in the 1960s, was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 1998 and the Order of Canada last year.

Over the years, her opposition to government censorship of gay and lesbian books made her highly visible in Canada. She did not, however, support same-sex marriage, which was legalized there in 2005.
"To be forced back into the heterosexual cage of coupledom is not a step forward but a step back into state-imposed definitions of relationship," she wrote in BC Bookworld, a Canadian trade periodical, in 2001.
****This article appeared on page C - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle****

--Moment of silence--But... we have to say something at the loss of one of the first lesbian authors.

Desert of the Heart was one of the first books Web read as a teenager and it gave her something tangible to relate to, at a difficult time for her as it is for most teens. We are saddened at the loss of such a great writer for our community. Thank you Jane Rule for your creativity and persistence. R.I.P.

Reading lesbian novels and short stories have always been a source of "normalcy" in an unaccepting world. TV and movies have come a long way in adding to that feeling of belonging. However, a recent search of our public library, which happens to be only 2 blocks from the High school, has a minimal assortment of lesbian fiction. Its very distressing to consider that to acquire a book of that genre you need to alert the staff and have your selection sent from the Phoenix library. Not something a teenage girl is apt to do. There just aren't enough books and not enough access for our young people. Those stories might be the only way they can quietly escape, feel normal and not feel alone. Going to have to write a letter to that library and bring it to their attention I think.

Please continue to read, encouraging new authors to get their stories out there for us to share and appreciate.
And again.. we mourn the loss...

Arizona considers offering domestic partner benefits to state employees

2007-12-11T23:42:00.001-07:00

An Arizona paper reports that the state may start offering benefits to the partners of its employees. Arizona is close to offering health and other benefits to domestic partners of state employees, both gay and straight, according to a story in The Arizona Republic.

The change in policy, supported by Governor Janet Napolitano, would apply to about 65,000 current employees of the state government and public universities, as well as about 9,000 retirees covered by the state's health plan."It's something that most of the other private corporations and large cities are doing, and it's time state government started doing it," Tim Nelson, general counsel to the governor, told The Arizona Republic. "It's something the governor believes strongly is the right thing to do."State Department of Administration Director Bill Bell filed the proposal for domestic partner benefits on November 7 with the Secretary of State's Office. It was published Friday along with the secretary of state's registry of proposed rules.

Citizens are likely to have less than 30 days to comment on the proposed change, after which a hearing will be scheduled. The governor's six-member Regulatory Review Council will make the final decision on the plan.Arizona Senate majority leader Thayer Verschoor, a Republican, described the plan as a "slippery slope" toward government acceptance on variations of traditional marriage."I think it's going to be met with a lot of resistance," he told The Arizona Republic.

--We LOVE Janet Napolitano! Why shouldn't we have benefits?? Its still ends up being money in the pocket of the insurance companies. Where some aren't even carrying insurance because of the expense. And why do they even care?? Really! The way things are now there are probably a lot of people on Government funded insurance programs that wouldn't be if they were on their partner's insurance. So, see? Better all around. You go Janet!

Great! Now they will think a drug will FIX us.. I don't wanna be fixed.

2007-12-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

Study Finds Gay Gene in Fruit Flies.

Researchers in Chicago have discovered a gene that identifies homosexuality in fruit flies, which can be turned on and off with drugs. David Featherstone, a biologist at University of Illinois, said that while humans have a similar gene, it has yet to be determined whether that gene has any effect on same-sex attractions in humans.
Researchers have found that fruit flies with a mutated "gender-blind" gene are bisexual. The flies cannot tell the difference between male and female pheromones, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The mutation strengthens synapses, causing the flies to overreact to the pheromones. This causes the fruit flies to be attracted to both males and females.
"The [gender-blind] mutant males treated other males exactly the same way normal male flies would treat a female," Featherstone said in the article. "They even attempted copulation."
The study tested the hypothesis by giving the bisexual fruit flies drugs that weakened their synapses. Within hours the flies engaged exclusively in heterosexual activity. The group also gave heterosexual flies drugs that strengthened their synapses, causing them to be attracted to both male and female flies. (The Advocate)

--Ok, I don't how you feel about this tidbit of scientific info, but I am not thrilled. Imagining teenagers taken to a Dr. to have them "fixed" is not an appealing visual. Regardless of a "mutated gene" as they put it, (I prefer to think of it as an "enlightened gene") you still don't choose who you fall in love with.
And before they get too carried away with this discovery...let me just ask this: What kind of scientist spends his days staring endlessly through a camera (probably attachd to a microscope) to catch fruit flies "doing the dirty"??? AND... we already know that some animals engage in bi-sexual behavior and now even the insects are doing it! So, maybe they should realize we arent as "abnormal" as they would like to think. Next, they could decide that the gene that is responsible for red hair is abnormal and eliminate it from the "gene pool" too. AND--I hope our tax dollars aren't paying for this insane research! It would be time and money better spent if they were looking for the gene responsible for being a slob or laziness or chauvanism! Then the world really would be a better place. Just my two cents.

Mad Money - Coming Jan. 18th 2008

2007-12-10T21:18:00.003-07:00

Mad Money - Trailer
Video sent by moviemax1

The official trailer for Mad Money, a comedy about three ordinary women who form an unlikely friendship and decide to do something extraordinary—rob one of the most secure banks in the world! The three female employees have the crime of their lives when they devise a master scheme to steal money about to be destroyed! Starring Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton, and Ted Danson. Written by Oscar winner Callie Khouri, who also wrote Thelma and Louise. For more info, visit: Mad Money Movie Site .

Movie Review - The Gymnast

2007-12-01T23:50:00.000-07:00

When life turns upside down. Look up.

A film about hanging on... and letting go.

The two leading stars (Dreya Weber and Addie Yungmee) are aerial artists, who find an unexpected attraction within the fabric of the art. Beautifully directed and very well written. Believable and fun to watch these two make it look easy because "its what they do". A story of self realization, on more than one level and finding your own happiness...with a few twists.

The Thomas Chronicals

2007-11-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

PING (pĭng) v. - an abrupt shift in long-held attitudes and beliefs, the result of which is usually contradictory to a person’s history, which also suggests an instability of mind, characterized by hysteria and wild accusations.

I believe I have been Pinged.

Lesbian Sex Scenes

2007-11-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Gemma Atkinson needed a stiff drink before filming lesbian sex scenes

Hollywood actress Gemma Atkinson has revealed that she had taken a stiff drink before filming the raunchy sex scene for the movie Boogie Woogie, in which she plays an lesbian artist.
Gemma has been casted alongside Ray Winstone’s daughter Jaime.
Atikson said that she had to perform a full on lesbian sex scene with Jaime. “I had to do a scene with Jaime - a full-on lesbian session - and we’d literally met an hour earlier, the Daily Mail quoted her, as saying.
“In the film we meet in a club and go home and have sex. So we had a few shots of vodka, closed the set and just did it. We did it in one take with two cameras. “I asked to keep my bottoms on and the director let me so that was cool. When it came to the kissing, he basically said: ‘I just want you to go for it because the more you do it the more happy it’s going to be’ she added. However, Jaime said she was more at ease doing the scene with Gemma than she was with her male co-stars. As both the stars had met for the first time they were comfortable filming the intimate scenes. “We’d only met about an hour earlier but we both said that if we knew each other already it wouldn’t be right, she added. When I got home I felt a bit abused - I got straight into a bath,” she added. (ANI)

New to ABC, Cashmere Mafia - Coming in January

2007-11-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

Four ambitious, sexy women who have been best friends since business school, Mia, Zoe, Juliet and Caitlin, try to have it all. They aren't just powerful and intelligent as singular executive sensations in a man's world; they've bonded into a formidable unit A female "boys' club" -- to support and counsel each other through good times and bad. How better to climb up the corporate ladder than with your buddies at your side? Set in glamorous New York City, where titans of media, finance, advertising and publishing reside, these driven women, who daily share their relatable and relevant problems dealing with both the boardroom and bedroom, combine their smarts, wit and humor to deal with personal and professional misfortunes and stunning triumphs. Whether it's coping with rocky marriages, fending off scheming colleagues or just trying to find themselves in the midst of chaotic lives, these compelling women use their valuable friendship to keep centered.

Ever since Mia Mason (Lucy Liu) was a young girl, all she ever wanted to do was win. Now as a sexy, competitive woman in the publishing field, that drive to be first has intensified, even pitting her against her fiancé for a key position. What price will she have to pay to stay on top of the mountain?

Zoe Burden (Frances O'Connor), an investment banker with a handsome, loving, work-at-home architect husband, Eric (Julian Ovenden), and two small children, seems to be the prototype for the woman who has it all. The couple face their 24-7 waltz of balancing full-time work and the challenge of being good parents with good humor, but the wheels may be coming off the cart, forcing Zoe to re-evaluate her life.

For Juliet Draper (Miranda Otto), the Chief Operating Officer of a major hotel chain, appearances come first -- no matter what's going on behind closed doors. And she will have to work overtime to keep up the façade of a perfect life with her philandering husband, Davis (Peter Hermann), and her rebellious 14-year-old daughter. Juliet decides on a unique method of payback for Davis' indiscretions and simultaneously, in a bold move, must decide to drop her public image to step out in the world.

Caitlin Dowd (Bonnie Somerville) is a top marketing executive for a cosmetics firm. Like the other women, she is excelling professionally, but she's still discovering who she is personally and sexually. She's worked hard to get ahead, but still counts on her street smarts to keep her there, while her sense of humor and a sweet wackiness makes her all the more attractive. In the pilot, Somerville's character, Caitlin Dowd, a cosmetics industry VP (pictured above on the far left), unexpectedly finds herself falling for — and getting involved with — another woman at work.

In the pilot, Caitlin finds herself inexplicably attracted to a woman she hires named Alicia, who is described as "37, British, with a striking physical beauty made all the more appealing by a disarmingly scattered, un-self-conscious air. Men want to be with her, women want to be like her." (No word yet on who has been cast in this role.) Caitlin finds herself flustered and nervous whenever she's around Alicia, from the very first time she interviews her, and working with her becomes increasingly difficult. Caitlin eventually brings it up with her three best friends over lunch, telling them, "It's like someone waved a wand and the sun came out and my libido made a surprise guest appearance, and I wanted to book a week in Paris right then and there." But Caitlin can't quite bring herself to tell her friends she's talking about a woman, so she lets them assume she has a crush on a male co-worker.

It will be great to see how this character deals with discovering her sexuality and further how the character develops as the relationship blooms with her co-worker. Can't wait!

"Cashmere Mafia" stars Lucy Liu ("Ally McBeal," "Charlie's Angels") as Mia, Frances O'Connor ("A.I. Artificial Intelligence," "Mansfield Park") as Zoe, Miranda Otto ("Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Starter Wife") as Juliet, Bonnie Somerville ("NYPD Blue," "Kitchen Confidential") as Caitlin, Peter Hermann ("Law & Order: SVU," "United 93") as Davis and Julian Ovenden ("Related," "Butley" on Broadway) as Eric.

Quotes

2007-11-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

i'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure.

i make mistakes.

i am out of control and at times, hard to handle.

but if you can't handle me at my worst,
YOU SURE AS HELL DON'T DESERVE ME AT MY BEST

-Marilyn Monroe