Thursday, November 27, 2008

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I AM THANKFUL THAT MIAMI BEACH HAS SEEN THE LIGHT AND FINALLY MADE THE GAY FLAG LEGAL TO FLY.
I AM THANKFUL THAT WE HAVE A NEW ADMINISTRATION COMING THAT MAY SEE THE LIGHT, IN TIME, AND ALLOW GAYS, LESBIANS AND TRANSGENDERS THE SAME CIVIL RIGHT ENJOYED BY ALL OTHER AMERICANS.
I AM THANKFUL FOR A BEAUTIFUL MIAMI BEACH SUNRISE AND HOPEFUL FOR AN EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL SUNSET

Saturday, November 15, 2008

FIGHT H8 -- MARRIAGE IS A CIVIL RIGHT






SOME PHOTOS FROM THE INSPIRING FIGHT H8 RALLY AT NEW YORK'S CITY HALL PARK, WHERE CONTRARY TO THE NEW YORK TIMES REPORT OVER 25,000 PEOPLE CAME OUT TO SUPPORT BASIC CIVIL RIGHTS FOR GAYS AND LESBIANS, 11/15/2008

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT ELECT BARAK OBAMA

 CONGRATULATIONS.  AS THE COUNTRY REJOICES IN THIS HISTORIC MOMENT, I AM PERSONALLY SADEND BY THE PASSAGE OF PROPOSITION 8 IN CALIFORNIA BANNING GAY MARRIAGE AND THE ADOPTION OF PROPOSITION 2 IN FLORIDA BANNING DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS.  YOU HAVE PROMISED TO BE OPEN MINDED, AND I ASK YOU TO RECONSIDER YOUR VIEWS ON GAY MARRIAGE.  I UNDERSTAND YOUR VIEW THAT "MARRIAGE" SHOULD BE AN ACT BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN.  I FOR ONE CAN ACCEPT THAT, AS LONG AS GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN'S HAVE THE SAME CIVIL RIGHTS AS HETEROSEXUAL ONES.  THOSE OF US, IN LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS, CAN NOT LEAVE OUR LIFE PARTNER PROPERTY WITHOUT BEING SUBJECT TO AN INHERITANCE TAX.  AND IN NEW YORK THAT CAN MEAN, FORCING THE REMAINING PARTNER TO SELL THEIR HOME, EVEN IN CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THE PROPERTY WAS PURCHASED TOGETHER.   WE ARE TAXED ON THE HEALTH BENEFITS THAT FORWARD THINKING CORPORATIONS GRANT THE DOMESTIC PARTNERS OF EMPLOYEES.  WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY, AND HAVE THEM STAY IN THE U.S, A RIGHT GRANTED TO HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES.  THESE ARE ONLY A FEW OF A LONG LIST OF BASIC CIVIL RIGHTS GAY AND LESBIAN COUPLES LACK.  THOSE OF US WHO ARE GAY, AND VOTED FOR YOU, ASK YOU TO BE OUR PRESIDENT TOO.  KEEP THE WORD "MARRIAGE" IF YOU MUST.  BUT GIVE US GLARRIAGE, OR ANY WORD THAT AFFORDS GAY AND LESBIAN CIVIL UNIONS, THE SAME RIGHTS MARRIAGE AFFORDS HETEROSEXUAL UNIONS.
YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THIS COUNTRY, AND HAVE ALREADY DONE SO,
PLEASE RETHINK YOUR SUPPORT OF GAY AND LESBIAN AMERICANS.  GIVE US GLARRIAGE.

Monday, October 6, 2008

VOTE NO ON FLORIDA'S AMENDMENT 2

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.  IF YOU CAN VOTE IN FLORIDA, PLEASE VOTE NO TO AMENDING THE STATE CONSTITUTION TO OUTLAW DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS.
THIS WOULD BAN DOMESTIC PARNER BENEFITS NOT JUST FOR GAY AND LESBIAN COUPLES BUT FOR ALL UNMARRIED PEOPLE AND FAMILIES.  WHETHER YOU ARE FOR OBAMA OR A MCCAIN FAN VOTE NO ON TWO!  

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

WHY DOES MIAMI BEACH OUTLAW THE RAINBOW FLAG

How many of you knew that the City of Miami Beach still bans the display of the gay flag.  Now as bad as this does seem, this particular Miami Beach ordinance is not intentionally homophobic, but allegedly part of the restriction on flying the flag of anything but a "Sovereign Nation"  Well excuse me but the glbt nation is way more then SOVEREIGN and its time to change these antiquated laws or get left behind by FORT LA DE DAH. Get with it Miami Beach, make this first Gay Pride on the beach, this next April 18, 2009 the Queerest Flag Flying Florida Fest of all times.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

WHAT IS EXPANDED CINEMA

NO SOONER THAN MY POST ABOUT PERFORMING BUBBLE NOW?? WITH ELA TROYANO ON OCTOBER 11, AT THE LEGENDARY STONE WAS PUBLISHED, THAT I HAVE BEEN BOMBARDED BY QUESTIONS FROM READERS CONCERNING WHAT IS "EXPANDED CINEMA".

IT IS A REVOLUTIONARY MEDIUM THAT PROTESTS THE SACROSANCT NATURE OF FILM THAT IS OPINED BY BOTH MAINSTREAM AND AVANT GARDE FILM MAKERS AND CINOPHILES.  EXPANDED CINEMA, PIONEERED IN THE 1960'S BY LEGENDARY FILM MAKER JACK SMITH AND SOME OF HIS COHORTS, TRIED TO REINVENT THE FILM FOR EACH SHOWING.  RATHER THAN REPEATING THE SAME FILM OBJECT, AT EVERY SCREENING, THE INTENT OF EXPANDED CINEMA IS TO CREATE A COMPLETELY NEW ART EXPERIENCE AT EVERY SCREENING BY RECOMBINING ELEMENTS FROM THE FILM, PROJECTING NUMEROUS IMAGES--RELATED OR NOT, UTILIZING SLIDES AND OTHER PROJECTORS AND ESSENTIALLY CREATING A NEW VISUAL AND POSSIBLY AURAL EXPERIENCE WITH EACH SCREENING.

IN PART JACK'S MOTIVATION FOR DOING SO WAS THE REACTION TO HIS STILL INFAMOUS FILM "FLAMING CREATURES"--IF NO SINGLE OBJECT EXISTED IT COULD NOT BE BANNED OR CONFISCATED AND MOREOVER--NO ONE COULD "SUCK THE TRAVEL OUT OF HIM" BY TAKING THE FILM ON TOUR IN HIS PLACE. 

BUBBLE NOW?? an Expanded Cinema Performance by Uzi Parnes and Ela Troyano

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

TOWERING GENIUS--CINDY TOWER FACTORY PAINTINGS at Haven Arts Gallery in the Bronx



Cindy Tower is without a doubt THE MOST BRILLIANT AND DEDICATED ARTIST.  She is relentless and has been away teaching art in St. Louis.  But for a few days that most under appreciated genius and fabulously flawless femme fatale Cindy is back in New York presenting her amazing new oversized paintings of "The Original Armor Factory" in East St. Louis.
The show takes place at Haven Arts gallery, 50 Bruckner Blvd.  Bldg A.  Cindy Tower presides over gallery 1 and has brought along her protege Scott Lowenbaum who she has generously shared her discovery of the amazing Armor Factory with and is introducing to the New York Art Scene.  Rumor has it that he's very cute and just out of art school.  Scott's paintings and wire installation are in gallery 2.  The show opens Friday, July 25 from 5-9 and continues daily through 8/27 with hours from 12-6pm.
I'm including some photos of Cindy's work I shot during her show at my Uzi NY Gallery which is no longer in physical space.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

FAT IS THE NEW THIN

I've gotten some feed back on my first blog.  Some of you were surprised by the serious tone of my article on Glarriage and honestly, I was surprised myself to find out that there is quite a strong movement for GLarriage out west.  I was asked for some levity and "COLOR" because "after all color is what you're good at.." so for you dear readers, I will try.

So we all already know that GREEN is the new Red and the new Pink, Orange and BLACK.

But we must spread the word that FAT or Phat if you prefer is the new Thin.

...And while we're at it let's not forget to also spread the news that OLD is the new Young.
Remember if enough of us believe it it shall be so.  ...and since all of you dear readers are international trendsetters, if you spread the word, it shall be so.

SEE IT, BELIEVE and you can ACTUALIZE IT!

Photos include Ellen Stewart, Carmelita Tropicana and Manhattan borough Pres. Scott Stringer

Thursday, June 19, 2008

GIVE US GLARRIAGE

“BRAIN STUDY PROVES ‘YOU ARE BORN THAT WAY’’ declared the New York Post on June 17, 2008.  The bastion of conservative values reports that a Swedish study  published in the journal of the National Academy of Sciences has found significant correlation in the brain structure of both heterosexual women and gay men as well as heterosexual men and lesbians.

It is important to celebrate the adoption of same sex marriage in California, but there is already talk it will not last past the November election when an amendment to the California constitution will define marriage as an act by one man and one woman.

‘Being born that way’ as opposed to choosing your homosexuality should afford gay men and lesbians the same inalienable rights shared by all other U.S. citizens, including the right to create a familial and economic bond with another human.  Something most commonly referred to as MARRIAGE, or its second class substitute domestic partnership.  Domestic partnership, though well meaning, has shown to be especially economically a poor substitute for the spousal rights a couple gains by marrying.  A recent poll has shown a vast majority of this country agree that gays and lesbians should have a right to form unions with only 36% percent of the population disagreeing.  64% nearly two thirds see the need for acceptance of homosexual unions.  Yet of that only 36% are willing to let it be “marriage”.  I can accept that.  Let them keep their word.  I will be GLAD to get GLARRIED if that allowed me all the rights and responsibilities of marriage, including: inheritance rights, immigration rights, recognition by the IRS of Glairriage as equivalent to Marriage, health care rights and all the other benefits associated with Marriage.

It seems a bit ironic that all the armies of religious zealots arising to defend the defense of marriage act seem to have forgotten that historically marriage was not always an act for one man and one woman—Adam and Eve, but often times one man and several women, more like Abraham and Sarah and the concubine, and Isaac and Rachel and Rebecca  and Jacob and his four wives.  But let them keep “marriage”.  We are better off inventing our own way of being together than falling into the patriarchy’s stifling views on marriage.  Just as seizing the word “Queer” and transforming it into a positive, helped with the impetus to fight the AIDS crisis the right to GLARRY can allow for the differences that do exist in the union between a man and woman vs. two men or two women while still allowing for all the rights and privileges associated with marrying.