A Jolting Walk Down Memory Lane

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The winter holidays have come to an exhausted close and 2012 is upon us. The last of the Christmas cookies have been eaten and dried out spruce trees line the sidewalks waiting to be carted off. And now the attention shifts in earnest from retail frenzy to the US presidential election. Or rather who will run against Barack Obama in November. Maureen Dowd summed it up pretty well in a recent NY Times OP-Ed piece entitled The Grating Santorum, "But the whole Republican field seems ensconced in a black-and-white ’50s diorama. It’s like they’re running for president of Leave It to Beaverland."

A clever turn-of-phrase Maureen, but what if were to happen? Santorum may be the worst of the lot with his religious and family values infused anti-gay, anti-feminist, anti-black remarks but Perry, Gingrich and Romney are not far behind. If any one of them were to become president, it's not hard to imagine that many hard won victories such as the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and the strides being made in marriage equality could be wiped away or severely curtailed. And that would be just the beginning.

With high levels of economic, social, and political turmoil in evidence, the world is in need of some near-at-hand scapegoats. A minority group already feared and despised by many for their sexual practices, demands for equal rights and indifference to televised team sports, is the perfect choice, as it has often been in the past. A homophobic president, along with a few well-placed religious bodies, could make things tougher than they already are for gay people, not only in the US but around the world. It's not a pretty thought but one that must be considered.

Leave It to Beaverland may inhabit a warm and fuzzy spot in many people's memories, but I for one have no desire to journey back there in real life. And if you feel the same way, get out there and take some action to ensure that the 1950's and all its moral, social and political baggage stays where it belongs, in the past.

Close to Home

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We held our fifth (and likely final) public reading of Rights of Passage a few weeks ago. As per usual, our ensemble of 8 actors led by director Arturo Catricala were stunning. The packed house shared their views pro and con. Always so interesting to hear what resonates with one person and not the other. The true nature of art – subjective. Now it really is time to finish tinkering with the script, jump into pre-production mode and raise the money for the world premiere at NCTC next August. Only 50K more needed!

Our intense focus on stories of global LGBT equality for the play also serves as a reminder for us to keep an eye on things closer to home. Recently, I joined our YouthAware troupe to watch them perform OUTSPOKEN for about 400 teens and their teachers at Johansen High School in Modesto, CA. The play has been touring Northern California for several years to give voice to stories about adolescents grappling with identity, homophobia, religion, family, class, culture, politics and raging hormones. All that in 40 minutes followed by a 20 minute interaction with cast. The facile young actors in our troupe led by director Sara Staley delivered the goods with abundant talent and truth - the students in the audience were riveted.

Modesto is located in the Central Valley of California only about 90 minutes or so from San Francisco. Yet, fear and stigma around the differences among us reigns supreme in this region. Not just sexual orientation (although that’s a big elephant in the room) but pretty much anything that makes a person distinctive.

As I sat among the teens in the audience, it occurred to me it’s the same the world over. The questions that wrestle with understanding human nature are essentially the same and have been so for centuries. Makes you wonder if we’ll ever simply accept that we are all a part of the whole. You shouldn’t ever have to venture far from home to understand something so obvious.

Honoring Paula Ettelbrick

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Photo: Paula Ettelbrick and Ed Decker at IGLHRC headquarters in New York.

Paula Ettelbrick, a courageous leader in the queer civil rights movement, passed away on October 7, 2011 in New York at the age of 56 from cancer. I met Paula when she was the director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission as we began our research for Rights of Passage in 2008. Paula was an amazing force of nature whose tireless work on behalf of global human rights was inspirational. Many of the stories in our play are based upon people from around the world that Paula introduced us to. We are eternally grateful for her support in helping us bring the struggles and triumphs of queer and allied activists to the stage. We dedicate our final reading of the play in San Francisco on October 23, 2011 at the New Conservatory Theatre Center to her. There is no doubt in our minds that Paula is still guiding us towards the world premiere of Rights of Passage planned for August 2012.

Thank you Paula Ettelbrick for making our world a better place. Safe journey.

Melvin Dwork is a Very Desirable Man

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Don't Ask Don't Tell is within a hair's breadth of being flushed down the toilet of bad compromises. I can almost hear the gurgling water as I type this. Apparently, there are still some who walk among us, such as Senator John McCain of Arizona, who believe that an insufficient number of careers, lives and families have thus far been ruined or damaged for a policy that makes no sense. More they rumble, throw more bodies on the fire. Our military men and women of the heterosexual persuasion must be spared the corrosive gaze of their gay brothers and sisters in the mess hall, on the battlefield and of course in the shower. But this is well worn ground. The arguments, the counter arguments, the statistics, the evidence, both domestic and foreign, have been sliced and diced time and again.

On a more personal level, a recent story has surfaced that brings to light the courage and perseverance of a man who wasn't going to have his life ruined by injustice. It's been almost 70 years since Melvin Dwork was discharged from the US Navy, at the height of World War II, for being gay and was given a discharge of 'undesirable'. “I resented that word ‘undesirable,’” said Dwork. "That word really stuck in my craw. To me it was a terrible insult. It had to be righted. It’s really worse than ‘dishonorable.’ I think it was the worst word they could have used.”

Because of the nature of that discharge Dwork, now 89 years old and a successful interior designer, was denied medical care and GI benefits. According to Aaron Belkin, an expert on gays in the U.S. military at UCLA, about 100,000 troops were discharged between World War II and 1993 for being gay and lost their benefits as a result. But Dwork fought this injustice for decades and it finally brought results. Last month the Navy, in its wisdom, notified the former corpsman that his discharge will be changed to 'honorable' and his benefits will be reinstated. "In the interest of justice," they said. And not only that, the Board for Corrections of Naval Records said it would reinstate Dwork’s benefits retroactively.

But this silver lining does have its down side. Once Dwork's records were unsealed he was able to determine who it was that turned him in all those years ago; his boyfriend at the time. To be officially labeled undesirable and outed by your own boyfriend, it doesn't get much worse than that. But to turn the situation around, move on with your life and ultimately succeed? Now that makes Melvin Dwork a very desirable man!

Thanks to an article by Steve Benen in the Washington Monthly for information on Melvin Dwork.

Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Roosters, martinis and nibbling fish

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Mosque and Hindu Temple at Lake Bratan, Bali

Each morning the crowing roosters and the delicate chiming of temple bells meant only one thing; we weren't in San Francisco, but 10,000 miles away on the tiny island of Bali. The smells of incense and frangipani merge with the fragrance of stale garbage; mangy dogs lap up the rice from tiny offerings laid at almost every doorway. Hindu deities share the diminutive volcano dotted landscape with mosques where the call to prayer is broadcast daily and hordes of Australian tourists visit spas where for a small fee tiny fish nibble the dead skin from their feet.

It was all a delicious distraction and the perfect place to put together what we are optimistically calling the close-to-final draft of Rights of Passage. Sharp words, at times, floated in the perfumed air but by the end of the day, martini in hand, things would always look up. I recently read a quote by the late playwright Romulus Linney: "Human beings have three basic drives, my dear: eating, sex and rewriting other people's plays. Stick to your guns." Good advice, but sometimes, I've learned, my guns aren't worth sticking to and something better can be made.

We also had the great luck to spend time with our dear friend Susan who lives in Phnom Penh. She joined us in Bali for a few days of spa treatments, hiking and shopping. We took a day off from writing for a day trip to Lake Bratan to see the iconic temple built out into the lake. It was a big religious holiday and the place was filled with happy families enjoying the beautiful weather and the lake breezes.

So now we're back to reality, such as it is, and planning for another staged reading of the play in October.

Interviewing Human Rights Activist Peter Tatchell in London

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The way to fast forward a memorable interview is to spill tea all over your guest. That is a sure way to sear the event into memory and a very good way to stain clothing. Human rights activist Peter Tatchell managed great composure as he ran for a towel to dry himself off with me trailing behind offering profuse apologies. Thankfully, he did not flee the scene all together and we were able to spend the better part of an afternoon talking.

I’ve long wanted to meet this amazing man who for decades has fought for equality around the globe www.petertatchell.net often at great peril to himself. It is widely known that he has suffered more than his share of harassment and physical assaults as a result of his work.

The purpose of this interview was to not only hear his first hand accounts but also to assist me in finding the voice of the “activist” character in our play. I felt that our conversation might just shed a light of authenticity to that part of our story.

As we talked about the play and Peter’s extensive human right’s work , I was most struck by his soft spoken and patient nature. This was a man with vast knowledge whose persistence was powerful but not overbearing. I could understand his staying power and commitment to a movement that had journeyed far but still had miles to go. Peter is pressing ever forward with lessons from the past using them as levers to ignite change ahead.

Regions around the planet find themselves at different places on the path towards equality. Success depends upon geography, economics, customs, and politics. All of this is driven by those with the courage and imagination to lead. People like Peter. People like us. People all over the world who understand who they are and are willing to stand proud.

It is an honor to know Peter Tatchell and the many others whose stories we tell in Rights of Passage.

Anti-Gay Bill Off The Table For Now!

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The media has reported that Uganda's parliament adjourned without debating a controversial bill which includes the death penalty for some homosexual acts.
First introduced in 2009, the bill could still be brought up when the new parliament meets later this year. The basics are: Homosexual acts are already illegal in Uganda but the bill would increase the penalty for those convicted to life in prison. Those found guilty of "aggravated homosexuality" - defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a "serial offender" - would face the death penalty. Anyone failing to report to the authorities a person they knew to be homosexual would also be liable to prosecution. (Excerpted from www.bbc.co.uk)