In Episode 12 "Don't Call Me Ma'am", I take a walk to the park with 19 year old Andrea who I affectionately call "the little one".  As we respond to Afterellen.com viewer letters we talk about the fear of failure, aiming for perfection, and how MOCA is selling "straight pills". Andrea talks about her first gay role model, why she isn't dating right now and the book she wants to write called, "Everything is Stupid".Oh yes, Comet and Lucia join us too...  but guess who's on the leash...Enjoy! Cathy
www.cathydebuono.com
www.myspace.com/cathydebuono

 Fresno City College's Diversity Club hosted a week long Pride Celebration this week, culminating in a Pride Festival on Friday, April 25, 2008. Many groups from Fresno had booths at the festival, including the FCC Diversity Club, Central California Alliance, United Student Pride, The Big Red Church, Imperial Dove Court, Community Link, Knights of Malta, PFLAG, and Gay Fresno. Performances included offerings from the Fresno Gay Men’s Chorus, the Imperial Dove Court, as well as personal poetry readings and speakers on topics from being the parent of an LGBT person to the issue of being transgender. Click on READ MORE to view a PHOTO GALLERY of the day’s events… 

This is the first in a series of health articles by Dr. Maninderjit Singh M.D.

What is AIDS?

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which kills or impairs cells of the immune system and progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. HIV is most commonly spread by sexual contact with an infected partner.

The term AIDS applies to the most advanced stages of an HIV infection. Official criteria for the definition of AIDS are developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is responsible for tracking the spread of AIDS in the United States . The 1993 CDC definition of AIDS includes all HIV-infected people who have fewer than 200 CD4+ T cells. (Healthy adults usually have CD4+ T-cell counts of 800 or more.) In addition, the definition includes 26 clinical conditions that affect people with advanced HIV disease.

My Vlog: "What's Your Problem?" Episode 11: "The Vlog With No Guest & No Name"
After a series of technical difficulties, scheduling conflicts and computer freezes, Episode #11"The Vlog With No Guest & No Name" features me getting some input from two 19 year old girls, a couple of new musical performances by Janet Robin (she was my guest in episode 2), and actress, Jill Bennett makes an appearance just because the camera was there...I  spend more alone time with you this time around as I respond to 4 Afterellen.com viewer letters. 
For more information on Janet Robin and her tour dates, please visit www.janetrobin.com or www.myspace.com/janetrobinmusic
Enjoy! Cathy
www.cathydebuono.com
www.myspace.com/cathydebuono 

The Dinah Shore party officially ended two weeks ago, but you can catch tons of recap, including video footage of the weekend's comedy, high jinks and coordinated chaos, at AfterEllen.com. To view the coverage, including several great stand up performances, click here: AfterEllen - Dinah Shore 2008 Recap 

Local Nashvillian and host of The Remix, a popular Christian youth show, Azariah Southworth, announced today that he has come out. Read the story here: Popular Christian Host Announces He's Gay  

Check out this hilarious comedy music video... 

The Whitest Kids U Know - Totally Gay For America 

The state of Oklahoma is starting to see the financial consequences of Sally Kern's vicious anti-gay tirade, as one company has already said they're reluctant to set up in house in the state due to her comments. Read the story here:

Anti Gay Remarks Could Cost Oklahoma Major Corporation

The Déjà Vu nightclub was the scene of a fire early Monday morning. According to the fire department, the fire was started around 6:30AM and burned a small section of wall next to the old back door to the kitchen and office, the old Cabaret entrance off Blackstone by the freeway. Damage is around 2 feet wide and 10 feet high. No evidence of any accelerant was found. It seems there may be video surveillance of those involved, more of which will be known shortly, and then released to the media. Lee Morris of Déjà Vu is emphasizing that this was not a hate crime.
Photos courtesy Dan Waterhouse.

I'll refrain from stating my opinion about the anti-christ, oops, I mean the Pope, regarding his visit this week to the United States. There will be plenty of groups, including gay activists, who will by saying enough as they protest him and the policies of the disgraced Catholic church. Click on the following link for details...

Demonstrations Await The Pope

Okay, I can't help it, but I miss this show like crazy, and I thought I'd share the latest news on the upcoming film, including (finally) a decent trailer...

Sex & The City Movie Trailer & News

Sex & The City The Movie - Official Website

Sex & The City Movie Blog

"I think everybody's got to relax on all this gay stuff." -- Bill O'Reilly,
The O'Reilly Factor, August 15, 2007

Review by Leon Velasco

Big Eden
Big Eden - TLA Video
Rated PG-13 / Director Thomas Bezucha / Starring Arye Gross / Eric Schweig

This movie is one of my favorites. It is great for those times when you feel lonesome and that you’ll never find love. This is one of those films that show that no matter what love will find you when and where you least expect it. I can watch this movie over and over and over and still give me that feeling of hope and happiness it did when I first saw it.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he will fight against a gay marriage ban initiative if it happens to make it to the ballots in November. Read the story here: 

Governor Vows To Fight Marriage Ban Initiative

Barack Obama says if elected president he won't require that his appointees to the Joint Chiefs of Staff support allowing gays to serve openly in the military. Read the story here: Obama On Gay Issues

Actress and therapist Cathy DeBuono sits with filmmaker Jane Clark & Traci Dinwiddie. Cathy was an associate producer on a film called The Touch written and directed by Jane and starring Traci, about a lesbian poet in the early 19th century by the name of Renee Vivien and her love affair with the wife of a Turkish diplomat. The three women talk about how they all came to work together on this film, the casting process, Traci's audition in particular and how Renee's battle with alcoholism and anorexia brought them all to the vlog today.

A federal judge in Maryland on Thursday ordered liens on the Westboro Baptist Church building and the Phelps-Chartered Law office. Read the story here 

The 12PM shift of the protest of the Exodus International Conference drew about 20 people here in Fresno on Saturday, April 5^th,  along with a multitude of well wishing vehicles, who honked horns in support as they passed. The conference is a gay conversion program, offering speakers and guidance about “overcoming homosexuality”. I spoke to Christa Lisbon, one of the protest organizers from Wesley Celebration , an LGBT service at Wesley United Methodist Church

Exodus Protest - Local NBC Coverage

Here are some recent letters to the editor of the Fresno Bee regarding the topic of marriage equality, which also deal with Christians and the bible, just as Exodus International winds down their first International gay conversion conference in our city...

Fresno Bee - Question Of Absolutes

One evening in late 2004, while I was at work and my wife was home, our then 27 year old son tearfully called us in California from Washington, DC and told his mother he was gay. His mother’s response was very simple and very much to the point. She said: “So?” She assured him we loved and accepted him and that the fact of his being gay wasn’t going to change that. When she asked why he was crying, he said that he knew how “disappointed we would be” that we wouldn’t have a grandchild from him. Her reply was that we had him as our son and we were lucky.

Have you ever wanted to roll up your sleeves to help defeat some of the most vile, anti-gay bigots in the nation? Are you interested in participating in a once in a lifetime experience during the 2008 election year? There is so much at stake in 2008. Voters will choose a new president, one-third of the U.S. Senate, all U.S. House members, and thousands of state legislators.  GLBT equality must be a top priority.