Links: Black Gays Onscreen; Gay Retirees

Increasing our visibility

by j. brotherlove

Dirty Laundry Opens In Theaters

Writer-Director Maurice Jamal (The Ski Trip) happily announces his new film, Dirty Laundry starring Rockmond Dunbar, Loretta Devine, Jenifer Lewis and a host of others will open in New York, Washington, DC, Atlanta & Baltimore on December 7, 2007 and then nationwide on December 28:

As you all know, this film was a huge labor of love. As an artist, I have always wanted to tell stories that reflect a human experience. Dirty Laundry is such a film. Funny, touching and raw….the film strikes a cord because of it’s honest portrayal of a family in transition.

The film has had numerous sold-out screenings to positive reviews including Oprah’s BFF Gayle King (Editor-At-Large, O Magazine) who proclaimed “this is a very important story that has never been told before.”

Depressed Housing Market Worries Gay Retiree Community

The depressed housing market is having an unusual effect at RainbowVision, a gay retirement community in the New Mexico desert. With half of the community’s units up for rent or for sale, residents are worried their community (80 percent gay) could be ruined by an influx of straight people if owners get desperate to offload their homes and sell regardless of sexual orientation. One resident was quoted as saying:

"It does not matter how friendly they are," one resident explains. "If straight people are in the majority, it’s different. It’s not what we came here for. It’s not where we want to live out the rest of our lives."

Of course, unit owners are free to sell to whomever they wish since New Mexico outlaws housing discrimination based on sexuality. Diversity cuts both ways.

The Closet Launches Email Campaign

The makers of the independent, black gay DVD series The Closet have launched an e-mail campaign to convince program directors at HBO, Showtime, A&E, F/X and Bravo know there’s a demand for "the positive images of characters and entertaining drama of The CLOSET on their network/cable system."

Hollywood and the media are uncomfortable displaying images of openly gay masculine Black male couples. They have shown us EVERYTHING else except openly gay masculine Black men. WHY is that??

There’s a host of "why’s", of course. Just look at how the popular Logo series Noah’s Arc got dropped from television. To add your support for The Closet, click here to fill out the short form and then click the “Send This Message” button.

I’m curious as to why so many of the condos at RainbowVision are up for sale. If it’s only been open a year and it’s a retirement community I’m trying to figure out what demographic would be trying to flip their condos so quickly.

In a related but not entirely similar vein did you see the article in the NY Times about Aging Gays? Articles like that send my head spinning and then I usually stick it in the sand and pretend B and I are never going to get old or sick. Le sigh.

OMG, Renae Ogletree is quoted in that article (the one whose proposed new roommate called her a man)! I remember her from my Chicago days.

Sorry to say Michelle, that day will come for all of us when we’ll have to make tough decisions about aging.

It’s best we get the kinks worked out as soon as we can. I’ve always imagined myself in some sort of black gay Golden Girls situation - hehe.

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