World AIDS Day 2006

Some items to share in recognition of World AIDS Day:

Award-winning Getty Images photographer Brent Stirton has curated an amazing selection of photos he shot around the globe of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Capturing both hope and tragedy, Stirton shows the many faces and circumstances of those living with the disease. AOL spoke with the photographer and we've added his audio narration to each of the images. Get the story behind the photos -- like this one of a male prostitute in China -- in the photographer's own words.

Click to See and Hear 'Behind the Lens: Brent Stirton'

Over at heretv.com, the gay television network has launched a Virtual AIDS Quilt. The online quilt allows visitors to upload a photo and remembrance of loved ones lost to AIDS.

Click to See or Add to the Quilt

Metro Weekly posts the stories of four Washingtonians living with HIV:

''One person says a gay person is bad, then gay people cause AIDS. That's the thinking in some people's minds. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. It matters if you're having unprotected sex, regardless of how you identify.'' 

Clickto Read 'It Starts with Human'

Additional Links
World AIDS Day.org
Light a Candle at 'Light to Unite', where each candle lit equals $1 donated to the National AIDS Fund
Tonight on Cinemax: 'Positively Naked', '85 HIV+ Souls. No Clothes. No Apologies.'

 From Some of My Favorite Bloggers:
'Make World AIDS Day Mean Something' -- Joe.My.God
'Debunking Myths About Black Men' -- Keith Boykin
'Life is Stronger than AIDS' -- Made in Brazil
World AIDS Day TV Picks -- The Telly Nelly
'Last year I Rallied Against AIDS Fatigue' -- Queering the Apparatus
'All I Want Is a Cure and My Friends Back' -- The Republic of T

Tags: World AIDS Day, AIDS, Gay, Photos, here!,

The Art of Seduction

I took this quiz to find out what my seduction style is. It's pretty fun, though I'm a little devastated by the line "all in all, you're a decent catch" as spelled out in my results, displayed below.

Decent. DECENT???

Is there something about "Honey, we said 3:00PM Saturday, it's 3:00PM, now get in here" that isn't sexy seduction at its best? I don't get it.

Try the quiz for yourself and see if it captures the real you.

hat tip to NetGirl

 

Showcase of Lesbian DJs

My gal-pal Bambi over at Curve magazine hooked me up with some photos from a women's dance event they hosted in the Bay area a few weeks ago. Talk about hottie-hot!

Super-DJs from around the country came in for it to spin tunes, including DJ Pat Pat, DJ Olga T, DJ Gray and DJ Saratonin -- all of whom have Web sites or MySpace pages worth perusing.

My women friends always tell me there aren't enough lesbian club events or places to go, which sucks. Perhaps this will inspire other events since these photos pretty much say "this was one L of dance party!"

Click to See Photo Gallery:




To my female readers -- what is the lesbian social scene like where you live? Leave a comment here.

Oh, and after you page through the photo gallery, check out CURVE's interview with Erin Cummings, who plays the sexy 'n sweet girl-next-door on 'Dante's Cove,' seen on the here! cable network. 

"I don’t have any sexual hang-ups if that makes sense. So, for me, like I said, I live with a gay couple, it doesn’t freak me out or bother me to see twomen together or two women together. So I don’t think that it really changed me in the fact that I was already really open ... In fact, I think it made me feel more at home, because I felt like when I was working on 'Dante’s Cove,' I was living in the world as it should be. I felt like I was at home, where women could be with women and men could be with men, and women could be with men and everyone could live together in harmony ..."

 

The Gayest Thanksgiving Ever

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? Anything happen? Something someone said that stopped all dinner conversation around the table? You found your best friend's boyfriend's underwear in your husband's Jack Spade duffle bag? Or perhaps, like my friend Curly McDimple, you called Peppermint Patty the "C" word and outed two 'Peanuts' characters while watching 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'.

Everyone has a story, what's yours? Leave it in the comments.

Here's a quick round-up of my Thanksgiving weekend, spent with crazy dear friends at a remote location in the woods.


Pictured: Jeff, Scott, Kenneth, Alex, Matt

Number of Guys: Five.

Who Has Slept With Whom: Not entirely sure.

Thanksgiving Dinner, by Chef Scott:
Roasted Red Chile Pecans (5 lbs, 150,000 calories)
Split Pea Peasant Soup with homemade Rye/Pumpernickel Croutons
Free-Range Turkey with Chiles and Garlic (18 lbs, serves 5)
Fresh-Herbed Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing
Green Beans with hand-crafted Chipolte Butter (served room)
Roasted Rosemary Yams (mashed delicately)

Dessert: Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ginger, by chef Ginger Jeff

Book I Read Half Of: 'Alternatives to Sex' by Stephen McCauley. Loving it.

Famous Authors Present: One, Alex MacLennan, 'The Zookeeper'

Total Number of Naps by Group: 12

DVDs Watched, and Associated Cherries That Were Popped
It was shocking to learn our little group of urban gay 30- and 40-somethings had never seen some key films that are iconic for the gays. Of course we all relished being able to say that everyone present was still a virgin at something.

'The Way We Were' starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.
(Cherries popped: 3) (Number of times I've seen it: 50+*)

'Call Me Madam' starring Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor and Vera-Ellen. Hysterical and very fun.
(Cherries popped: 3)

'My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies' hosted by Julie Andrews. Kick-ass performances by too many divas to mention. Kick-ass, I tell you!
(Cherries popped: 2)

'Company: Original Cast Album' -- an amazing, heart-pounding** documentary about the making of Sondheim's masterpiece cast recording. You wouldn't believe how many takes Elaine Stritch required in order to nail 'The Ladies Who Lunch.' 
(Cherries popped: 2)

'Valley of the Dolls' starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Sharon Tate
(Cherries popped: an astounding 5)
Note: The new special edition 'Valley of the Dolls' DVD features the gayest and most fabulous bonus commentary ever with 'Gotta Get off this Merry-Go-Round: Sex, Dolls and Showtunes,' a 49-minute documentary. Bruce Vilanch, Michael Musto, Alonso Duralde, Ted Casablanca and Barbara Parkins herself go deep into why this movie is so beloved by the gays. A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

What We Missed the Most: The rest of the fellas who usually join us.

Most Memorable Moments
1. Sitting in the sun in shorts in near-70 degree weather in late November, three days in a row, with rolling hills and black walnut orchards as far as the eye could see.
2. Everyone dancing in the kitchen to the entire 'Priscilla Queen of the Desert' album, with random lip-syncing.
3. No visits to the Emergency Room. No broken bones like last year.

Number of Times We Said, "Gawwwd, we love this": Lost count.


Special thanks to our pal John for lending us his lovely, lovely cabin for the fifth year in a row.


* No, I'm not kidding
** If you're hugely homosexual

 

'Ask a Gay Man' Is Real, Bitches! (Says Gay Man)

I recently wrote about William Sledd, the 23-year-old gay guy from Kentucky whose 'Ask a Gay Man' videos happen to be this season's runaway YouTube hit. As I said then, some people wonder if he's a viral marketing plant for The GAP (for whom he works) -- a made-up character à la LonelyGirl15 -- or if he's really just a young gay man who likes to give fashion advice to the needy.

In a poll on this blog, 48 percent of readers say he's phoney, that his shtick is a sales gimmick:



C'mon, people, William is the real deal. He's an adorable, fabulously gay young man -- with a viewpoint. Even Nina Garcia would have to agree. My arch-nemesis, the puckish Dan Renzi shared his take with me this weekend: "The brilliance of William is that he talks about shopping at Express For Men like it's some big fashion insider's secret. And he really means it. I love it."

William Sledd responds to the "phoney" rumors in a follow-up video, addressing whether or not he's really gay (duh!), gets paid by The GAP or not (he wishes!), and why he talks the way he does (it's just who he is). Most importantly, he outlines his credentials for doling out fashion tips. For that, you have to click:

'The Truth About William Sledd'

My Gay Gratitude List

Here are some random thoughts about the people and things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving. Feel free to share yours in the comments.

-- My husband, he makes me laugh everyday and, after 18 years, still hugs and kisses me every time I walk in the door. (That sounds like a little thing; it's not)

-- My family, my friends, for their unconditional love, general smart-assery and for making me laugh at myself

-- People who read Worth Repeating, you don't even know how much I appreciate that you take the time to stop by and read what's here; and thanks, too, to my colleagues for allowing me to write a big gay blog on AOL

-- My docs and physical therapists for pulling, stretching and manipulating me back together after breaking my arm LAST Thanksgiving

-- People who work to promote peace and justice

-- The mid-term elections and the balance it brings back to our government

-- Neil Patrick Harris, Lance, T.R. Knight, Michelle Rodriguez and all the celebs who have come out this year, even if it wasn't always on their timetable

-- The New Jersey Supreme Court for saying that gay relationships are equal to straight ones

-- 'Brothers and Sisters' on ABC, for treating its gay characters like normal people which is a rarity on network TV (see 'The Class')

-- Mike Jones, for his bravery in exposing hypocrisy in fundamentalist Christianity, and Lane Hudson, for exposing hypocrisy and cover-up on Capitol Hill

-- My comfort stuff: coffee, cashmere, my iPod, the Duplex Diner, and good moisturizers

-- Wentworth Miller, Chris Meloni and Patrick Dempsey, for giving me a rich fantasy life

-- And, of course, Borat for showing how loving and tolerant Americans are, and for introducing the lime-colored body-thong for men, which is super hot

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I probably won't be posting again until Monday. Off to a cabin in the woods with friends, an annual tradition that involves lots of cooking, musical theater on DVD, Cosmos, group facials and fireside girl talk. I hope your holiday is spent in a similarly loving environment.

 

Your Gay Guide to Black Friday

You know that $687 billion that the gay community supposedly has to spend in the coming year? Well, you can make a statement in the way you spend all that money by supporting businesses that believe in equality for gay, lesbian, bi and trans people.

HRC just released 'Buying for Equality,' a new guide listing hundreds of popular American brands ranked on their company’s GLBT inclusiveness, and broken down into easily distinguishable purchasing categories.

Check it out, download it, keep a copy handy for the next time you hit the mall, fill up the tank or plan your next vacation.