CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Partners of Bayard Rustin and Sally Ride Attend WH Award Ceremony

Bayard Rustin was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom this week, and Walter Naegle, Rustin's life partner was in attendance. The award is the nation's highest civilian award and of the 16 recipients this year (which included Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Gloria Steinem) two of them were representatives of the LGBT community, Rustin and Sally Ride. Ride's life partner Tam O'Shaughnessy also attended the ceremony.

Metro Weekly reports:

 "As the first American woman in space, Sally didn't just break the stratospheric glass ceiling, she blasted through it," Obama said of Ride. "And when she came back to Earth, she devoted her life to helping girls excel in fields like math, science and engineering. 'Young girls need to see role models,' she said, 'you can't be what you can't see.' Today, our daughters -- including Malia and Sasha -- can set their sights a little bit higher because Sally Ride showed them the way."

Ride, who became the first American woman to travel to space in 1983, died in July 2012 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Ride devoted much of her life to advancing science education and the U.S. space program.

For Rustin, who died in 1987, Obama said final recognition for his role in the civil rights movement was part of a broader struggle for equality. 

"For decades, this great leader, often at Dr. King's side, was denied his rightful place in history because he was openly gay," Obama said. "No medal can change that, but today, we honor Bayard Rustin's memory by taking our place in his march towards true equality, no matter who we are or who we love." 

Rustin was an advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., helped organize the early "freedom rides" and played a key role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington.

[...]

Naegle and O'Shaughnessy, who had never met before, were alphabetically seated next to each other during the ceremony presenting a resonant image. Both said they believed their presence as the gay partners of two Americans being awarded the nation's highest civilian honor would not go unnoticed.

"I think having Walter and me onstage for our partners sends a huge message to the world and that feels good," O'Shaughnessy said.

It's nice to see that members of the LGBT community are being recognized at the highest level, now perhaps soon we can start recognizing people before they die. People like Mary Bonauto, Larry Kramer and Phill Wilson would be on my short list of future possibilities.

CELEBRITY FRIDAY: Greg Louganis Marries Johnny Chaillot

Olympic diving medalist Greg Louganis got married last weekend to Johnny Chaillot. This is how People magazine reported the nuptials:

 Louganis, 53, married paralegal Johnny Chaillot, 52, Saturday evening at Geoffrey's in Malibu.  

 "It was amazing because I have so many people from all facets of my life here tonight and they are all here and celebrating it is all wonderful," Louganis told PEOPLE immediately following the sunset ceremony. "I already feel different. The ceremony was so reflective and representative of who we are."  

 The recent Splash coach and Chaillot began dating in 2012 after finding each other on the online dating site Match.com and became engaged almost exactly a year later on April 8.

Louganis is well-known for winning multiple Gold medals in diving for the United States, and later revealing in his 1995 autobiography Breaking the Surface that he competed and won his medal at the 1988 Olympics (in Seoul, Korea) after becoming HIV-positive. During a 1996 interview with Oprah Winfrey he discussed publicly his sexual orientation and HIV-positive status for the first time. Breaking The Surface was made into a televised movie starring Mario Lopez.

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God

FILM REVIEW: Lee Daniels' The Butler

The film  Lee Daniels' The Butler (formerly known as The Butler) has been getting a lot of attention lately because it stars the Queen of all Media, Oprah Winfrey in a very dramatic role along with Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker and a huge cast of well-known actors portraying well-known political figures. The cast includes Jane Fonda (Nancy Reagan), Alan Rickman (President Reagan), John Cusack (President Nixon), Robin Williams (President Eisenhower), James Marsden (President Kennedy), Liev Schrieber (President Johnson) and whole lot of black actors. Mariah Carey (somewhat controversially appears as a field negro who is also the Whitaker character's mother), Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette from True Blood plays Martin Luther King, Jr.) Lenny Kravitz, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terence Howard are all also in the movie.

Daniels is the first openly gay and Black man ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Directing for 2009's Precious (which won 2 Oscars, for Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay) and so his movies are bound to get more attention now.

The movie is based on (or inspired by) a real story that is quite extraordinary. The story in question is the life of Eugene Allen, who served as a butler in the White House for seven Presidential administrations. In Danny Strong's screenplay he is called "Cecil Gaines" and played by Whitaker, while Oprah plays his boozy, adulterous wife Gloria. He has two sons Louis (played by David Oyelowo) and Charlie (played by Elijah Kelley) and the film's main action is the depiction of important American historical events starting in about 1960 and their impact on the Gaines family.

The film depicts a gripping version of important events in civil rights history: the lunch counter sit-ins, the freedom riders, the national guard enforcing school desegregation orders, Black Panther movement, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and President Kennedy, among others. The film is enthralling because it shows you these well-known events from the perspective of the ultimate insider by following Cecil as he works inside the White House serving the Presidents who were involved at the time.

One key thread in the film is the strategic debate between the people who felt it was necessary to but their bodies on the line to force change (represented by Cecil's son Louis) and those who wanted change but who did not feel like their individual efforts would be enough to cause the change to happen (as represented by Cecil). The film shows Cecil opposing Louis' desire to get involved in the civil rights movement as well as Louis' evolution from non-violent protester in college to Black Power militant to permanent agitator against the status quo and eventual establishment politician (as an elected Congressperson). The other  main thread in the film is the relationship between Gloria and Cecil. Cecil works very long hours in the White House and at first Gloria is proud that he is working for the First Family but eventually she becomes jealous and bitter because she believes that he cares more about that family than his own. She also drinks a fair amount and as the kids grow up and leave the house the relationship between Cecil and Gloria becomes more central to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed Lee Daniels' The Butler quite a lot and thus understand why it has become a box-office hit, especially with the big 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington happening this week.


Title: Lee Daniels' The Butler.
Director: Lee Daniels.
Running Time: 2 hours, 6 minutes.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for some violence and disturbing images, language, sexual material, thematic elements and smoking.
Release Date: August 16, 2013.
Viewing Date: August 20, 2013.

Writing: B.
Acting: A.
Visuals: A-.
Impact: A+.

Overall Grade: A-/B+ (3.50/4.0).

Obama Awards Two (Dead) LGBT Heroes the Medal of Freedom

The Congressional Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor. Today the White House announced that it was awarding the Medal to two openly LGBT heroes of mine, Bayard Rustin and Sally Ride.

Sally Ride (posthumous)Sally Ride was the first American female astronaut to travel to space.  As a role model to generations of young women, she advocated passionately for science education, stood up for racial and gender equality in the classroom, and taught students from every background that there are no limits to what they can accomplish.  Dr. Ride also served in several administrations as an advisor on space exploration. Bayard Rustin (posthumous)Bayard Rustin was an unyielding activist for civil rights, dignity, and equality for all.  An advisor to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., he promoted nonviolent resistance, participated in one of the first Freedom Rides, organized the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and fought tirelessly for marginalized communities at home and abroad.  As an openly gay African American, Mr. Rustin stood at the intersection of several of the fights for equal rights. 

This is the 50th anniversary of the Executive Order signed by President John F.Kennedy establishing the award. There are other luminaries on the list that you may recognize (like Oprah Winfrey).

Celebrity Friday: Mariah Carey Plays A Field Negro in The Butler

This photo of Mariah Carey playing a slave working in the fields in openly gay director Lee Daniels' latest movie, The Butler, is causing a stir on Twitter and other social media online. Carey and Daniels have worked together before, in the Oscar-winning (and controversial) Precious, for example, where again Mariah played against her  image as a diva, to good reviews. The Butler is about the story of Eugene Allen, who was a butler in the White House serving 8 presidents of the United States.

Actually, I am happy about the controversy because it alerted me to the existence of the film, which has a jaw-dropping cast including Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Forest Whitaker, Terence Howard, John Cusack, Vanessa Redgrave, Robin Williams, Melissa Leo and many more. It also has a pretty strong trailer:


This looks like it might be a must-see next Fall!

Oprah Interview With Jason Collins Sunday 730pm EDT

Jason Collins, the newly out gay basketball player, his twin brother Jarron Collins, and their parents will be interviewed on Oprah's Next Chapter this Sunday on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) at 730pm EDT.

Here's a short promo blurb about the show (which is expanded to 90 minutes):

Collins, his twin brother Jarron and several other members of their family will discuss his decision to come out as the first openly gay active male athlete in one of the four major American professional sports. The wide-ranging conversation touches on issues like the global response to Collins' announcement and his hope that coming out will increase dialogue about tolerance and equality for homosexuals in (among other places) the African American community.

It should be great. I'll be in the air at the time but will try to watch it (after I see the new Game of Thrones Episode 6 "The Climb")!

Celebrity Friday: Bobbi Kristina Named Whitney's Heir

Whitney Houston's will has become public, and unsurprisingly, her 19-year-old daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, is named as the main beneficiary.

As for the estate, all Houston's money, furniture, clothing, personal effects, jewelry and cars go to her only child. The money is to be put in a trust until the 19-year-old turns 21, with more coming to her at age 25 and the balance at age 30, according to "Inside Edition," which obtained the 19-page document.

Her mother's untimely death at age 48 on Saturday February 11th, the day before the Grammy Awards, shocked the world and sent Bobbi Kristina to the hospital for observation. The cause of Whitney Houston's death has still not been announced, although multiple pill bottles for prescription medications were found in the hotel room of the Beverly Hills Hilton where she died.

Bobbi Kristina and other close relatives of Whitney Houston will appear in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on OWN this Sunday March 11th discussing the aftermath of her mother's death.

Oprah's Endorsement Worth A Million Votes For Obama

Kevin Drum has an interesting post about an article which attempts to quantify the impact of Oprah Winfrey's early endorsement of Barack Obama during the Democratic presidential primary campaign. Economist Professors at the University of Maryland Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore in their paper "The Role of Celebrity Endorsements in Politics:
Oprah, Obama, and the 2008 Democratic Primary" (pdf), the authors assert that Oprah's early endorsement resulted in approximately 1 million votes for Obama.

Candidates in major political contests are commonly endorsed by other politicians, interest groups and celebrities. Prior to the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, Barack Obama was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, a celebrity with a proven track record of influencing her fans’ commercial decisions. In this paper, we use geographic differences in subscriptions to O! – The Oprah Magazine and the sale of books Winfrey recommended as part of Oprah's Book Club to assess whether her endorsement affected the Primary outcomes. We find her endorsement had a positive effect on the votes Obama received, increased the overall voter participation rate, and increased the number of contributions received by
Obama. No connection is found between the measures of Oprah's influence and Obama's success in previous elections, nor with underlying local political preferences. Our results suggest that Winfrey’s endorsement was responsible for approximately 1,000,000 additional votes for Obama.

The Power of O, indeed!

First Lady of California Endorses Obama

A couple of days after her husband endorsed John McCain, Maria Shriver appeared at rally on Sunday afternoon at UCLA with Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy and Michelle Obama and endorsed Barack Obama's presidential campaign, saying:

"If Barack Obama was a state he'd be California," Shriver said, drawing roars from the crowd. "I mean, think about it: diverse, open, smart, independent, oppose tradition, innovative, inspiring, dreamer, leader."

Keith Boykin Quoted Dissing Oprah

Oh my! Black gay blogger Keith "I love Oprah Winfrey" Boykin but was quoted in Tuesday's New York Times business section ("Beyond Books: Oprah Winfrey’s Seal of Approval Goes Presidential") discounting the impact of Queen of All Media's endorsement of Barack Obama for president on Larry King's show on CNN:

Keith Boykin, a frequent commentator on CNN who was a classmate of Mr. Obama at Harvard Law School and worked in the Clinton White House, said Ms. Winfrey’s endorsement did not mean Mr. Obama was a shoo-in for president. “Oprah was behind the movie ‘Beloved,’ and it was a flop, so it’s not true that everything she touches turns to gold,” he said.

Well, first of all Keith is correct. Beloved was a hot mess. But do you really want to be quoted in the New York Times dissing a billionaire?