Missouri High School Loses In Gay Prom Date Case

A Missouri high school failed this week in it's attempt to keep a male student there from bringing his boyfriend to the prom. The school initially pointed to a policy in the student handbook that said "girls invite boys, boys invite girls". But when the adept student in question, 17-year-old Stacy Dawson decided he was going to fight, he contacted the Southern Povery Law Center and they reminded the school that Stacy has some constitutional rights, per previous court rulings.

The whole story is on Queerty as the high school administrators are that site's official "Douche of The Week". I think it's great not only that Dawson can go to the prom but that he actually challenged the school publicly and won. It's a measure of how far things have come in terms of LGBT rights in just a few years. In 2005, my first novel A REALLY NICE PROM MESS was about a similar situation dealt with very differently, when the lead wants to take his b.f. to prom but does so secretly on a double date with two girls. (He's at a private school so there is not court-ordered option, and he's semi-closeted too.) Unfortunately, the secret gets out on page one and the night becomes a comedy of errors.

Fortunately for Dawson, his real world prom will be neither comic nor an error--it will just be a romantic night with his main squeeze. Cute! :)

Mani Te'o Got CATFISH-ed, Or Was It A Gay Cover-Up

Queerty and Out Sports today are reporting that there may be more to the tragic Mani Te'o fake girlfriend story than just a hoax.  After Deadspin.com shocked the sports world and broke the incredible story yesterday, Te'o and Notre Dame released statements saying the whole thing is a terrible hoax that has been played on Te'o.  It's eerily reminiscent of CATFISH, the indie doc  where a young New Yorker is taken in by a Facebook friend's web of lies and falls for a person who does not exist.  When he meets her, though, the ruse is up.  When Te'o met his love at a football game in 2009, according to his story, the ruse was just beginning. So something seems a little off here...

Out Sports claims that the Twitter account of Teo's fake girlfriend was run by a good friend of his, Roniah Tulasosopo (a fellow football player and devout Mormon). The allegation is that this was all some sort of cover for a possible affair between the two men. That seems possible if not entirely plausible (especially over the last six months when he's been living in the spotlight). But the idea of creating a tragic girlfriend story would certainly give Te'o the advantage of looking straight while actually not being straight. All this sounds much fishier than CATFISH though. And as details come out as part of an investigation into the whole thing, we'll know more. It's disappointing though to see yet another inspirational sportsman caught up in a story of deceit.

On The 43rd Anniversary Of Her Death, Is Judyism Still Relevant

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the death of gay icon and entertainer extraordinaire Judy Garland.  Over at QUEERTY today, they pose the question about whether gay worship of Judy (aka Judyism) is still relevant these days.  It's an interesting debate to read on the eve of Pride Weekend here in NYC (where it all began back in the summer of '69 with the Stonewall Riots). There is even the theory that Garlands' death just a few days before the riots added fuel to the drag queens fire that night.  


Anyway, QUEERTY asks a good question and the comments are piling up....more than 60 at last count which is a lot.  Some say Judy will always be a part of the gay cultural history while others debate the wisdom of worshipping a woman who lived such a tragic and drug addled life.  Joint the debate...and have a happy Pride!

Michael Urie Makes His Broadway Debut In HOW TO SUCCEED

Michael Urie, who starred in the original stage production of my play WTC VIEW as well as the film adaptation too, is now making the leap to Broadway.  He made his debut on the Great White Way this Tuesday, playing the role of Bud Frump in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING.  He jumps into the show along with Nick Jonas, who is taking over for Daniel Radcliffe who originated the lead in this revival.

I chatted with Michael earlier this week about his big debut and posted a short story about it on Queerty too.  Michael also sent me a link to a fun video he and Nick did about how well they've got to know each other as they've been rehearsing together all month for stepping into their roles.  So congrats to Michael for the next big step in his acting career.  Break a leg! :)

Guest Blogging On QUEERTY This Week

This week, I'm guest blogging over at the website Queerty. You can read my posts about the Oscar nominations announced this morning (yay Melissa McCarthy!), the new Snickers ad (a DYNASTY reunion), and two guys who do tag-team sessions on Grindr drunk.  All these and other stories about some movement on the gay marriage front are viewable on www.queerty.com today and tomorrow.  Then I'll be back here with more Hi-Fi Bri-ness. Thanks for checking them out!

On World AIDS Day, Looking Back 30 Years

Today is World AIDS Day, a day of remembrance of those lost to the disease and a day to educate those who are at risk.  This year's World AIDS Days is taking place in the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence of this terrible plague which devastated gay men in the 1980s, specifically here in New York.

As part of this anniversary, I have been writing a series of profiles in courage about people who have been living with HIV since that decade.  These first person accounts are being posted on Queerty; so far, two have gone up with more to come later this month.  You can read the remarkable story today of Lee Raines, who joined an ACT-UP demo the day after his diagnosis in 1989.