SEPTEMBER 4, 1998 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 13

OFF THE RECORD ■ ON THE SCREEN

Questions about her lesbian role rankled Ally Sheedy

by John Graves

I found the September issue of the lesbian magazine Curve to be one of the best ever. This "Special Music Issue" not only features profiles of up and coming performers, it updates readers on what is going on with some of the pioneers in the field, all with a very lesbian point of view.

Actress Renee O'Connor, who plays Xena's partner Gabrielle, and bisexual High Art star Ally Sheedy are the subjects of feature interviews in the issue.

The monogamously married Sheedy, who has a lesbian mother and has said she often finds more women attractive than men, said her Curve interview was much better than past interviews by straight women, straight men and even gay men.

Sheedy said that when those interviewers have asked her about playing a lesbian role, she found the way the question was posed to be offensive and insulting. She said straight men prefer to think kissing a woman would be difficult because it isn't a man. Straight women, she said, are "terrified," saying things like, "Oh my God, how did you get yourself into that... mode?"

Sheedy found the interview by a gay man for Out magazine to be particularly offensive, saying he seemed to be "making a joke of lesbian sex" as if he was saying, “Well, obviously they're not getting any satisfaction, because the penis is absent.”

"The two of them, the gay man and the straight guy, should actually be writing the same articles because they're coming from a very similar point of view," Sheedy told the Curve interviewer.

This music issue of Curve also profiles up-and-coming lesbians and brings readers up to date on what pioneering lesbian artists of the past are doing. It also includes "Look Who's Talking," a new “quotables" column that this writer thinks is better than the "Buzz File" column in the Advocate. Coupled with book, music, theater and film reviews that really focus on lesbigay artists and themes, and the lesbian gossip column, "Lesbofile: Rumors From the Lesbian Nation," Curve is one of our most entertaining magazines.

Not a drag king, a drag pharaoh

The Queen Who Would be King, one of a series of programs on the great pharaohs of ancient Egypt airing on the Learning Chan`nel, tells the story of Queen Hatshepsut, who dressed and ruled one of the most powerful countries in the ancient world as a king. A pleasant late-night surprise

Dorothy Allison read excerpts from her semi-autobiographical novel Bastard Out of Carolina, and talked of her life and salvation as a lesbian mother on a special highlighting the works of women authors which aired late at night on Cleveland's PBS outlet, WVIZ Channel 25 recently.

Check out the late-night, unscheduled programming on Channel 25 and you might see some other worthwhile shows, like the two excellent documentaries on the history of women's baseball and softball and another on women rodeo stars.

Speaking of softball, ESPN-2 airs a Women's Professional Fast Pitch Softball game Mondays at 7:30 pm repeating Wednesdays at 1 am.

In a cultural vein

"George of the Jugular: Ten Stupid Questions for Boy George," is a tongue-in-cheek interview with the Culture Club frontman in the August 21, fall movie preview issue of Entertainment Weekly.

Coming to theaters

There are several movies of interest coming up. In September, look for The Brandon Teena Story, the tragically true story of a teenage girl who lived as a man in Nebraska until she was raped and murdered when some of her friends found out her secret. Also, the comedy Just Write, starring openly

gay Ellen co-star Jeremy Piven.

Gay British actor Sir Ian McKellen costars in the movie Apt Pupil in October. In December, Ellen DeGeneres co-stars as a detective in Goodbye Lover while her wife, Anne Heche, reprises Janet Leigh's role in gay director Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho. Bisexual actress Angelina Jolie costars in Dancing About Architecture, which also opens in December.

Straight for life?

"Gay for Life? Going straight: The Uproar Over Sexual 'Conversion" "on the cover of the August 17 edition of Newsweek introduced an eight-page series of articles on the controversy brought on by the recent ads by Christian conservatives offering to "cure" lesbians and gays. This bone-headed, bigoted "theory" has, thankfully, been generally discredited by the medical community as well as the lesbigay community.

Pryor in lesbian role

Comedian Richard Pryor's daughter, actress Rain Pryor, plays Jackie, a peppy Latina lesbian junkie in recovery on Rude

Awakening, a new comedy series airing on Showtime. Asked if people identified her with her role, Rain Pryor told TV Guide, "Now a lot of people are convinced I am a lesbian. But I know who I am. So let people think what they want."

More anti-gay ads

The anti-gay Christian conservatives are at it again! Just a few weeks after a series of full-page ads appeared in USA Today and other newspapers across the country offering to "cure" homosexuality, the Family Life division of the conservative Campus Crusade for Christ ran its ad, this time endorsing the anti-gay and anti-woman positions written into the official statement of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Thanks, Afi-Odelia

Speaking of newspapers, here's an overdue thanks to Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Afi-Odelia E. Scruggs, who is consistently gay friendly and gay-affirming in her column. She often teaches her readers acceptance, respect and love for

our community by using examples from our lives. Most recently, on August 21 she profiled openly-gay Rev. David Bahr, pastor of Archwood United Church of Christ, as a counterpoint to the religious right's "gays should change" ad campaign.

Honk for the rainbow

Finally, we seem to have forgotten that once fairly common practice of honking, waving or otherwise saying Hi! to each other when we recognize a fellow traveler by the lesbigay decal on their car. Why don't we get back to that friendly and courteous little custom. Like many of us at this time of year, I am going travelling for a little end of summer vacation, and a friendly greeting from one of our brothers and sisters on the road certainly perks up the trip especially in the South!

John Graves is the producer and host of Gaywaves, a lesbian-gay public affairs show on Cleveland's WRUW 91.1 FM Fridays at 7 pm. Dave Haskell, Jim McGrattan and Kim Jones also contributed to this column.

Unbounded love to be topic of workshop

by Doreen Cudnik

Cleveland-Author David Deida will explain how to live as unbounded love with the freedom of spiritual openness— whether single or in a relationship, straight or gay—in his workshop “The Path of Sexual Spirituality” on Saturday, September 12, at 5:00 p.m., as part of the Whole Life Expo at the I-X Center in Cleveland.

Deida, whose new book The Way of the Superior Man is now in stores, is widely acclaimed as a "teacher's teacher" by leaders in the fields of sacred sexuality, women's spirituality and the men's movement.

The Whole Life Expo is a national event focusing on natural health, personal growth, spirituality and global

change. The event, which takes place September 11-13, will also feature inspirational author and lecturer Wayne Dyer (author of the classic book Your Erroneous Zones), best-selling author and guru Deepak Chopra and over 250 exhibits, plus natural food dining.

People living with HIV, and others with compromised immune systems will benefit from the large number of exhibits and workshops dealing with organic foods, holistic health alternatives and other activities aimed at strengthening the body's natural immune system.

Tickets are available at 800-5513976 or at Borders Books in Strongsville, Beachwood, North Canton, Westlake, Fairlawn and North Olmsted; Delphic Books in Cleveland Heights; and Gentle Winds in Columbus.

•ROBERT KIRBY

T'S THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER, AND FOR SOME, THE BOREDOM IS AS THICK AS THE HEAT.

SIGH WHATTYA SAY WE CHECK OUT. THE MOVIE LISTINGS OR SOMETHING?

HMPH.DREW MUST BE IN SEVENTH HEAVEN THEN.

HMM...HAVE YOU SEEN THAT NEW GAY FLICK?"BILLY" SOMETHING? THE ADVOCATE LOVED IT.

NAH, HE'S BEEN ACTING ALL SAD AGAIN LATELY....LOCKING HIMSELF IN HIS ROOM WITH HIS NOTEBOOK AND MOPING AROUND.. I WONDER ARE ALL WRITERS AS WEIRD

AS HIM....

JEEZ,T HOPE

NOT

THE ADVOCATE? GEE, THERE'S AN ENDORSEMENT!

ROB, I'M GETTING SICK OF HEARING YOU DOGGING ON HIM ALL THE TIME. HE IS MY BOYFRIEND, AFTER ALL

HEE HEE! GOTCHA! BUT I DON'T REALLY WANNA SIT THROUGH A MOVIE ANYWAY.

I'M SORRY.. I JUST... HE'S So..".

I JUST DON'T GET WHAT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN YOU TWO COULD BE.

DO YOU.. LOVE HIM?

LOVE HIM? LIKE, IN WHAT WAY?

David Deida

BY ROBERT KIRBY

WELL, WHATTYA WANNA DO THEN?

EANWHILE...

FOR REAL? ACTUALLY, ALLI REALLY WANNA DO THESE DAYS IS FUCK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE... IT'S THAT SUMMER HEAT THING HAPPENING, I GUESS..

FIRE

DOWN

BELOW

WHY AM I NEVER HAPPY? WHY DO THE PEOPLE I LOVE ALWAYS LEAVE? WHY AM I NEVER SUCCESSFUL AT ANYTHING? WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?'

WELL, FIVE DAYS AND

EIGHT NOTEBOOKS OF BITTER SELF-PITY SEEM TO HAVE DONE THE TRICK....

TO GETURN TO THE I GUESS I'M READY LAND OF THE LIVING..NOT TO MENTION NATHAN'S

WAITING ARMS..!

http://www.