These little-dicked Trumps killing wildlife in Africa—despicable. How do you kill an elephant and cut off its tail and feel good about that? I wish that entire family nothing but the absolute worst.
At last, David Mixner's At Home with Myself: Stories from the Hills of Turkey Hollow (Magnus Books) is available. I've had the pleasure of meeting the man, interviewing him and seeing his stage debut, and anything he writes is well worth patronizing—he's probably among the top 10 figures in LGBT history. The book was written from his remote Turkey Hollow home, where fewer distractions led to more time for Mixner's characteristically deep thought and keen observation.
If you buy the book and read it, please post back here with your thoughts.
Last night, I was honored to be invited to David Mixner's 65th birthday/book launch party for his new work At Home with Myself: Stories from the Hills of Turkey Hollow (Magnus), held at his favoriate restaurant, the Glass House Tavern on W. 47th. It was a lot of fun, with hilarious toasts by Marylouise Oates (former L.A. Times columnist and wife of Bob Shrum) and some of Mixner's best friends.
Judith Light made the final toast, as the coconut birthday cake was cut, wishing him a full return to good health.
Sen. (for now!) Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts) skipped out on the It Gets Better campaign. As David Mixner points out, it's another sign the Republicans are trying to destroy the entire concept based on its founder like liking Christianity and having a bombastic way of expressing himself. This wouldn't be the first baby Republicans tossed out with what they perceived as bathwater. It's pathetic.
Just had a great lunch with the legendary LGBT rights warrior David Mixner. What a fascinating man. Even if he wasn't from the Appalachian story-teller tradition, the content of his stories is so compelling it would be hard to turn a deaf ear. He's as smart and funny as you'd expect and is a joyful perv—so we got along like a house afire, chatting about the 2012 Republican contenders, Rock Hudson, The Real Housewives of New York and Africa. I can't wait to see his Dixon Place show on the 18th.
Legendary gay-rights advocate David Mixner was Bill Clinton's most trusted gay advisor until the president waffled on his promise to end the ban on military service for gay people, gifting the country with Don't Ask, Don't Tell. For decades, he's been a prominent voice in the struggle for our equal rights, a tough critic of our enemies as well as our fair-weather friends and an inspiration for everyone following the trail he's blazed.
During Dixon Places's 20th Annual Hot Festival on July 11th and 18th, Mixner will appear on stage in From the Front Porch: An Evening with David Mixner, a unique musical show about his life—and about ours. With Josh Zuckerman playing and singing his original songs to highlight the "chapters" of Mixner's life story, it's a can't-miss opportunity.
The July 11 show, a benefit for The Ali Forney Center, is all but sold out. But there are still cheap ($15!), good seats available for July 18, a performance the venue and the star hope will be especially appealing to the next generation of LGBT activists.
Boy Culture: What inspired this show—why did you want to tell your life story in this way?
I just returned, with my at-gunpoint cameraman José, from the 25th annual Night of a Thousand Gowns, a benefit thrown by the Imperial Court of New York to honor LGBT activist David Mixner and Princess Boy author Cheryl Kilodavis that raises cash for the Trevor Project and the Ali Forney Center.
As you know, I have done drag—I made a right camp Sam Fox. However, the Imperial Court is not bullshitting around when it comes to drag. They're a serious (and seriously regimented) org; camp was in short supply even if half the sequins on the East Coast were in the Marriott with me.
We arrived to find a larger-than-expected area for the press line. However, as guests began arriving—I'm not sure why some queens did the photo call and others didn't—it was apparent that NO print press showed up and very few online outlets, leaving me as the first person on the line. It was awkward, so we just began grabbing interviews where we could, either as attendees arrived or after they'd posed for the photographers. I was especially interested in (my new pal) Ally Sheedy, Honeymooners legend Joyce Randolph (who later received an award for which she was asked to kneel—not cool to ask of someone cruising toward 90, girls) and Carson Kressley...so of course not one of them did the carpet. Still, the people who did were quite diverse and easy to grab and I was able to chat with Joe of Joe.My.God. and more formally meet Mr. Broadway, Michael Cusumano.
Bill Cunningham (and Matthew Rettenmund) New York
I was most excited to meet and chat briefly with Bill Cunningham, the legendary octogenarian fashion shooter for The New York Times. A new documentary on him (Bill Cunningham New York) is getting lots of good press, something he seemed a bit shy about when I mentioned it. "I haven't seen it," he told me, "but I understand the filmmakers deserve a lot of praise." He remembered my name when thanking me. It was fascinating to watch him work the line; so many of the queens had no idea who he was and seemed bemused when he would hand them a pad to write down their names. (This old-school method is fail-safe, though, if you want to avoid being Miss Identified.)
Mike Ruiz of The A-List: New York and his partner Martin Berusch are supernice and supersexy each time I meet them. Ruiz noted that two more A-Listers are on the way for season two—and that the show was seeking supervillains. Super!
Don't ask—we won't tell
I grabbed Dan Choi—with a new friend, as in, a drag queen he met at the elevator, on his arm—and asked him a bit about marriage equality. He's a nice guy to talk to always. I feel like he has his regular personality—a little shy, nervously joking around—and then when he speaks about serious subjects he kicks into his activist persona. It's nice that he has a sense of humor; he needs one considering the schism in the community over whether he is our new Harvey Milk or is just milking every opportunity for attention. I don't think he's a messiah (and I don't think he thinks he is, either), and I occasionally disagree with him, but I like him and there's no denying he's had a major, grassroots impact on DADT and other gay issues. And he's hot in a suit.
As a bonus, I finally got to meet LGBT activist David Mixner, a gracious dude with a righteous sense of conviction about getting 'er done, rights-wise.
Amanda LePore walked right past me as I asked to take her picture. It felt like there was no way she didn't hear me, but she was as methodical as a glacier if a bit faster about it. It was...odd.
Ari Gold knows how to make an entrance...
...but his slaveboys know a thing or two about making an exit!
Ari Gold—who released his new single as "Sir Ari Gold" thanks to being knighted by this group last year—made an entrance that would have had Lady Gaga gagging with jealousy: He waltzed in clad in a gold Arabian number with two boyslaves on leashes. I hope he curbed them. I wish I'd seen the reaction of the gorgeous hospice dog that was in the house! (Dude brought his parents. He's one of the lucky ones who could do such a thing.)
He looked sexy in his version of drag, but it was soon back to the more traditional, can-I-pass-as-a-flamboyant-chick style of drag.
