After a long renovation and some difficult obstacles, the North Tower Circle Bar & Nightclub will re-open for business this Friday, October 3^rd at 7PM. The Circle was forced to shut its doors in September of 2005, when it was destroyed by arson, one of a series of fires set throughout the neighborhood.

The North Tower Circle is an historic Fresno LGBT nightclub which first opened its doors more than 25 years ago. The Circle will be open 7 days a week from 7PM-2AM, with a new staff and a live DJ Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The club has a large, circular main room with an expanded dance floor, with pool tables and two bars, serving the main club as well as the outdoor patio.  Theme nights and specials are in the works, and may include a Latin Night and a Women’s Night, and will be announced later.

Everyone associated has worked long and hard to re-open the nightclub, and are proud to once again be a destination for Fresno and the Central Valley. They look forward to serving the community.

The North Tower Circle is located at 2777 N Maroa Avenue, at the railroad tracks. Click on this link for directions: Mapquest - North Tower Circle Telephone: 559-229-4188.  Visit the North Tower Circle My Space Page

LAWN BOY

Author: Paul Lisicky

A Novel

Review By:  Leon Velasco

I thought it was wonderfully written. In some scenes I could actually remember finding myself in the same predicaments. Some cases you’d find yourself laughing out loud and rooting for; “The Lawn Boy,” then finding yourself anxious to see what happens next.

The writer did a great job. I don’t want to give it away too much, but,  haven’t you found that you’ve moved in with a lover only to find, you feel out of place because nothing is yours except for; your clothes in his drawers. Now add your estranged, non-supportive parents and a lover almost three times your age, with a pinch of mischievous revenge. Put it all in a pot, mix well and you get….”LAWN BOY. I didn’t want to put the book down.

The movement to pass Proposition 8 in order to overturn the legality of same sex marriage in California, has launched its first television ad. Seems it's not enough to appeal to those who for whatever crazy reason, think gay marriage is a "threat", but the ad spews three blatant lies. It asserts that Prop 8 will create gay sex education in schools (FALSE), that churches could lose their tax exempt status (FALSE, churches aren't even required to perform gay marriages if they don't want to. Remember, in America, marriage is a CIVIL act, not a religious one) and that people may get sued for personal beliefs (FALSE).

If you enter into any discussion with someone in support of Prop 8, know that the Proposition is very simple and has one result and one result only if passed. It will amend the California State Constitution to state that marriage is only between a man and a woman, thereby ending the current legality of same sex marriage in the state. 

Watch the video HERE

I might just be a sucker for sexy political pundits, but I have a huge crush on Rachel Maddow. This TV show host, and still popular radio personality, is keepin’ up with the big boys with the new Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Taking the number six spot, Maddow’s show is number one at MSNBC, beating out Olbermann and even Larry King! Click read more to find out why Rachel Maddow is the progressive media’s next mainstream star.

 

The GLAAD organization has recently reported an increase in LGBT characters on scripted network television this season, which marks an all-time high. Click Here to read more about how, surprisingly, Fox was awarded most-improved, and now has the most LGBT characters of the rated networks.

Barack Obama recently sat down with Philadelphia Gay News for an exclusive interview. Click Here to read the interview or Click Here to hear the interview with Obama talking about all things gay.

NO!  You’re kidding! A celebrity with a huge, obsessed (and highly delusional) following, couldn’t possibly be coming clean…but yes, Clay Aiken, the big ol’ American Idol queen who not only wouldn’t admit it, but condemned journalists who addressed it, has finally COME OUT OF THE CLOSET. Now that he has a child, he’s decided to admit just how gay he is. Let’s hope he addresses his tragic wardrobe and bizarre philosophies. If this one isn’t a Michael Jackson in training, I don’t know who is. Clay says “I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things”, even though he was perfectly comfortable lying about his own identity, which clearly he was ashamed of. Read the story HERE. 

And Lindsay Lohan publically confirms her relationship with Samantha Ronson. Read the story HERE

Steven Spielberg and wife Kate Capshaw have followed Brad Pitt as the latest big-name donors to join the fight to defeat California's Proposition 8, the initiative to ban same-sex marriage. The Spielbergs have cut a $100,000 check for the fight, as did Pitt last week. Read the story HERE

Watch the first Vote No On Prop 8 Television Commercial.

Click HERE

The theater company involved in the original research of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, and in the interviews of the townspeople of Laramie, Wyoming, which resulted in “The Laramie Project”, are conducting new interviews to examine what has changed in the last decade. Read the story by clicking on the following link: Laramie Killing Given Epilogue A Decade Later and watch a slide show regarding Shepard's murder as well as subsequent events and updates on the town of Laramie and its citizens by clicking here: Revisiting Laramie - Slide Show 

Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt announced on Wednesday he's donating $100,000 to fight Proposition 8, the November ballot initiative that could ban same-sex marriage in the state. The Los Angeles Times reports that Pitt's contribution is the largest anti-Prop. 8 donation donated by a celebrity. Read the story HERE…

“We all walk in different shoes,” states Kenneth Cole in his current advertising campaign, which celebrates individuals who choose to redefine the roles society gives them in order to be themselves.

What makes Nina Poon, one of Cole’s latest faces, extraordinary is neither her fame nor her celebrity nor her beauty, but the fact that she’s a 30-something illustrator–who happens to be a transgender woman. Born in 1975 in Saigon, the oldest son of traditional Chinese parents, Poon immigrated with her family in 1978 to Florida, and soon realized that her body didn’t match her gender. It was a battle between her anatomy and her gender.

Now, an applauded illustrator and artist, Poon and her boyfriend Robert Jason appear in Kenneth Cole ads, sharing Poon’s journey and battle as a transgender woman in American society. The ad campaign also features Sharon Blynn (ovarian cancer survivor), Matisyahu (Hasidic Jew and reggae artist), Kenosha Robinson (african american with albinism) and Jay Bakker (punk evangelist).

Click the following link for more… Kenneth Cole - We All Walk In Different Shoes

Congratulations to Ellen Degeneres, not only for being just married, but also for landing a new deal with CoverGirl. She will be the face of the new make-up line for this brand-name cosmetic corporation. It has been reported that CoverGirl will be dishing out over $1 million for Ellen to use her smiling face to market their new line. Ellen will be joining famous CoverGirls like Christie Brinkley, Faith Hill, Queen Latifah, Rihanna, and Drew Barrymore. It is very awesome that Ellen, an out lesbian, will be the face of a major company like CoverGirl. This perfect-skinned woman had really been a fantastic model for women and girls as a famous out lesbian in the media. She has really paved the way towards acceptance, not just in celeb-world, but from everyone. Again, Congrats to this easy, breezy, LezzyGirl!

I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.  (From The Huffington Post: To continue reading, Click HERE )

“I didn’t decide to run for President to start a national crusade for the political reforms I believed in or to run a campaign as if it were some grand act of patriotism. In truth, I wanted to be President because it had become my ambition to be President. I was sixty two years old when I made the decision and I thought it was my one shot at the prize.” John McCain (Excerpt from his book, “Worth Fighting For: A Memoir” 2002)

UPDATED ON SEPT 12 - MORE ON SECOND PAGE

After a major Sarah Palin media love fest last week, things have begun to focus on the unprecedented lies being spread by the McCain-Palin ticket. It’s quite something to see unprecedented lying being spewed by the Republican ticket after 8 years of the most dishonest and anti-American administration in our history. Calling McCain and Palin liars is not a matter of opinion, it’s a matter of fact that anyone with an internet connection can look up. 

There are two truly astounding and bewildering facts about John McCain and his campaign. First is this self declared “maverick” has done a complete 360 on all the principals which allowed him that honor. Something remarkable happened, something quite provable and clear for anyone who can research and think.  McCain, in a nosedive of a campaign, morphed into someone else, coming out with a platform more to the right than GW. In order to become President, McCain reversed everything he stood for and went after the Republican base, a group of Americans so afraid of evolution and truth, that they simply deny it, both literally and figuratively.

 

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome made a speech recently regarding how important it is for all Californians to come together to defeat Proposition 8 in November. Newsome notes that this is a close race at this point, and in order to make history for all LGBT Americans, all our involvement in this election and this Proposition and it’s campaign is crucial. You can view the video of Gavin Newsome, as well as make a donation to the cause of defeating Proposition 8 HERE

Gus Van Sant's latest film, "Milk", due out in November, tells the story of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk. Sean Penn plays the lead. Milk was assassinated after being elected. The film costars James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsh and Diego Luna. Watch the trailer HERE Learn more about a great LGBT hero, Harvey Milk, HERE