Did somebody say the “D” word?

As a new member of the Oakland Board, I hadn’t yet experienced the perception problem that is associated with the drag genre; it wasn’t part of my context, until recently. I stopped at a few businesses in the community seeking donations for the Fabulous Chinese Auction that is a part of our annual How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas fundraiser, and at one place, the business owner’s reaction was so disproportionately mean that it truly shocked me. As I was driving away, I realized, “Oh, it must be the drag thing.”

I was 18 when I saw my first drag queen. I was visiting a friend whose family had relocated to the New Orleans suburb of Metarie , Louisiana. Kate took me into the French quarter where we listened to the street musicians and drank hurricanes and as night crept over the quarter, the air became more naughty and festive. I rounded the corner and saw three amazingly tall and glamorous women  walking along the street in some of the highest heels I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t help but stop and stare. Having been raised in the typical American homogenous, heterosexual family, I had no context for gender-bending.

It’s no surprise then that that night in New Orleans, I was stunned still when I nearly ran into these enormous, glittered, stunning women who strutted so confidently down the narrow street, clearing the way with their very presence and calling out “Hey Sugar.” I must have been a sight, too, 18 years old and clearly, clearly out of my element. One of the women stopped. She was pink from top to bottom, curly pink wig, pink teddy, pink toe nails, pink eye shadow. She bent over me, ran an courser-than-I- expected palm down my cheek and whispered, “Such a beauty, cher, do you like our city?” I nodded my response. She smiled into my eyes, and returned to her companions. I watched the women as they continued down the street with exaggerated swinging hips, and there was something different about these women.  Kate leaned over and whispered in my ear “those were men.”

Drag isn’t new. Men have been performing as women, as any high school sophomore knows, since the days of Shakespeare. Drag is not merely playing dress up. Drag is an art form, and the best drag queens will take the audience’s disbelief and tease it, like my pink friend, in a way that engages and entices.

Perhaps this is why the “Fundraising is a Drag” events at the Oakland Center for the Arts, are the hugely popular sell-out shows that they are. Curious? You still have time to get tickets for the premiere holiday show of the season, How the Drag Queen Stole Christmas. Click the link for the official press release, show dates and details. Tickets are going fast.

This is important!

 

Anyone who has ever had a family member fall very ill knows how our world gets reduced to a single focus: the life of our loved one. Recently, a local young woman, Lindsey Hosking, suffered a brain aneurism and is fighting hard to hold on. Lindsey is only 24, and many of us have seen her working the counter at Cedar’s. Like many young people in our community, Lindsey doesn’t have health coverage.

There isn’t much we can do to help Lindsey and her family, but there is something. This Sunday, November 30, Cedar’s will host a benefit for Lindsey to help with the family’s growing medical expenses. The benefit begins at 7:00, and all proceeds from the restaurant, bar, and Chinese Auction will go to the Hosking family. So stop in, even for an hour, buy a drink, listen to some great local bands, and unwind after a weekend of visiting and shopping. It costs us very little as individuals, but our efforts combined could truly help relieve some of this family’s hardship.

The jig is up

Today, I spent an hour in the rain outside the Lambros courthouse downtown, participating in a National Day of Protest against California’s Proposition 8 (aka Prop H8), which took away the right of gay couples to marry. I stood among a mixed group, gay, straight, lebsian, bi-sexual, and thought about how easy it was for me, as a married, heterosexual woman. I get to call myself an ally, don’t even make my own sign, and earn credit as an advocate for social justice. I stood among brave people who don’t hide who they are, despite difficulty, discrimination, and perhaps even danger. I stood and thought of how unbrave it is of me to maintain a “secret identity” blog so that I won’t have to accept the consequences if my words offend. The jig is up.

Where I Live

This is where I live…in Boardman, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown, in a neighborhood surrounding West Blvd. Elementary school.

This area sprung up in the early 1950s as mill workers were moving their families away from the crowded conditions of city mill housing. This neighborhood has always been decidedly working class. The homes are modest ranches and colonials.

My street Golfview Ave., connects with a three mile paved bike/hike trail in Mill Creek Park, and the street gets its name from park’s golf course.

 

The homes on my street were built before the term “sprawl” was part of our lexicon, and the lots on this street are giant by suburban standands.

Mine is 75 feet by 390 feet and ends with a small section of woods. We bought our house for the lot. Jim and I both grew up with lots of space to run, trees to climb, forts to build (and to raid), and we wanted the same for our children. When we watched our daugher Miranda, then not quite two, run the length of yard and back again, and we knew we were home.

No Shame

This morning I’m feeling, admittedly a little gloaty over the Obama win. Give me a break. I supported both Gore and Kerry, so I deserve this one. However, this morning when I left my house to go to the grocery store at 8:30 I noticed something peculiar. The McCain signs in my neighborhood were gone, including the two in a friend’s yard a couple of blocks away. I’ve driven the same route to the store a couple times a week for months now, and about four weeks ago, the number of political signs started to peak. I’d estimate that there were seven or eight houses with McCain signs; one of these houses had five or six signs in the yard.

Now, 8:30 am is pretty early, and I got this mental image of defeated voters skulking out into their yards in the middle of the night and removing their signs. I know the feeling. I felt it in 2000 and 2004. I’d like to say something to these voters that no one ever said to me.

There is no shame in participating vigorously in the process, even if your candidate doesn’t win. There is no shame in measuring a candidate’s voting record, words, deeds, affiliations, carefully against your own values and making an informed choice. There is no shame in it. If you supported a candidate who you truly thought was the best person to run our country, regardless of the outcome, you should be proud. You are among the best of us.

If you didn’t spend the last several difficult weeks shouting “terrorist” and “socialist” and emphazing the Hussein in Barack Hussein Obama, if you didn’t repeat lies and engage in slander, if you didn’t post a hateful billboard, if you didn’t shoot teenagers, if you conducted yourself reasonably, if you made the choices that reflected your values and cast your ballot, you are a patriot.

The electoral numbers tend to skew our perceptions, and the fact is, many, many Americans believe that John McCain was the man for the job. An even greater number believe he is a good man who bravely served in a way that many of us, including me, are terrified to even think about. There is no shame.

 

(To recycle your political signs, take them behind the South Side Annex on Market St., and the Green Team will pick them up.)

New! Youngstown Art blog

Jason Van Hoose, local artist and Oakland Center for the Arts Board member announces Youngstown Art, a new blog to feature the works of local artists. The blog provides links to artists’ personal/individual blogs. Jason also plans to write about local artists who are currently showing or who will be showing soon. Learn about artists whose work is currently on display in the Oakland’s Star Gallery: James Pernotto, Michelle Orostin, and William Youngman. Get your ticket to Night of the Living Dead (opening tonight) and have the opportunity to view some of this extraordinary work.

Fabulous and [way] under 40!

Brooke with Harper

If you know Brooke Slanina, you already know how fabulous she is, and to prove it, Brooke as has just been nominated for a 40 under 40 award. These awards are set aside for young professionals who choose to stay in Youngstown and try to make it a better place. Hundreds of applicants are reviewed for the awards, then the list is narrowed to 40 nominees, and then a single winner is chosen.

Brooke embodies the Pro Yo spirit in her many volunteer endeavors including her work as the President of the Board at the Oakland Center for the Arts and with the First Night Board. She’s also active with YACTA, Opera Western Reserve, Grey to Green, Youngstown Rocks the Arts, and more that I’m sure I’m missing.

When I think of the word “unflappable,” I think of Brooke. Obstacles that might stop the rest of us don’t distract her from her work. Call her and she’s there to help; her energy is inspiring. I’m proud to call Brooke a colleague and a friend (yep, glory by association, I’ll take it).

Congratulations, Brooke! You deserve it.

Stage Fright: a classic, a tribute, and lots of fun in between

Last night was the third Stage Fright at the Oakland Center for the Arts. The night started with what else…zombies (If you haven’t been paying attention, the O’s zombies have been all over town recently). Stage goers were treated to a good old-fashioned zombie fight…a preview of next weekend’s opening of Night of the Living Dead, based on George Romero’s cult classic and adapted by Morton Grisly. The scene was a real teaser with its fabulous retro feel and sneaky zombies (who would have thought zombies could sneak so well?).*

Other Stage Fright performances included Stage regulars Don singing his original Oakland song and Jim Jordan reading his irreverant political poetry. Robert Dennick Joki treated us to “Why God” from Miss Saigon, a song that to me seemed weirdly timely considering our current involvement in Iraq and our national concern with honoring our warriors. And of course, we can’t forget Ric Panning and Matt Liller with another of their over-the-edge sketches, this one combining allusions to weird sexual acts (two scoops of raisins) with commentary on the current economic crisis.

Musical acts featured singer and guitarist Chazz Sutton (see him as the lead in NOTLD), Shay, who played bass and sang a couple of original tunes and a cover of the Police’s “Every Little Thing,” which for me was a pleasant surprise. The unusual Rocco gave us what can only be described as performance art meets song meets poetry meets amplifier (think Maureen in the film Rent, but with without the motorcycle).

Returning acts included lovely ballerinas Natalia and Emma who danced to music from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic, Psycho, Kerri the poet with her odd and mesmerizing blend of shockingly raw and beautifullly unusual verse. Rebecca performed a unique stand up routine focusing on her various self-diagnosed psychological disorders. Tim Malone ended the show with a poetry reading.

All in all, Stage Fright was the best five dollar ticket in town. You really can’t see entertainment like this anywhere else, and the spontaneity of the exchange between performers and audience are what separates the Stage from scripted (or big-budget Hollywood entertainment). And speaking of spontaneity, the Stage’s ever-hilarious emcee Brooke Slanina, decked out as Cleopatra in a Robert Dennick Joki original design, brought her distinctive way of introducing acts (and then some) with delightful little quips like “that was in the 60s. Women weren’t strong then…It’s fun to reflect.”

Still, the night couldn’t have passed without of few words of tribute and memorial to Rick Pirko, the YSU Astronomy professor who died suddenly of a heart attack last week. Ray Beiersdorfer, who collaborated with Rick on “Dr Ray’s Side Show of Science,” placed his bed of nails, cinder block, and sledge hammer on the stage as a reminder of Rick, and while the night was great fun, Stage goers felt his absence.

*NOTLD is the ticket to have this season, and there are plenty of performances: October 24, 25, 30, 31, and November 1 at 8 pm and October 26 at 2 pm. Two special midnight performances have been announced for October 31 and November 1. Audience members in costume will receive a $5 discount for shows on October 31 and November 1.  Ticket prices are $15 for adults, $10 for students, and $12 for seniors. The Oakland accepts cash or checks only. Reservations can be made by calling 330.746.0404 and leaving a message. For more information, visit myspace.com/oaklandcenter.

Halloween Starts Early in the Yo

We’re kicking off Halloween in the Yo this weekend on Thursday Night with Stage Fright at the Oakland Center for the Arts, October’s edition of our monthly open mic night. This time, performers in costume get in free. The guys who brought us Rock and Roll Jesus are rumored to have a new skit ready to go, and we’ll also see previews from Night of the Living Dead, which opens at the Oakland next weekend. Call for reservations at 330-746-0404; this is a HOT ticket!

Then on Friday night, the Children’s Museum of the Valley is hosting its Spooktacular, the area’s premiere adults only Halloween event. On Saturday, the CMV will hold its annual Trick-or-Treat Carnival for kids from noon till 5:oo (members can get in at 11:00). The FREE carnival includes not only trick-or-treating (look for me passing out candy at the Oakland booth) but also bounce-a-rounds, live bat and owl demos, magic shows, storytelling, food, and music.

Did I mention the zombie walk? There will be Night of the Living Dead zombies downtown at 2:00 on Saturday.

We’re just getting started folks. With this kind of action this early, the Yo’s Halloween season will be a blast.

Local Groups Support “Coming Out As an Ally”

A coalition of local groups encourages “Coming Out as an Ally” during National Coming Out Week, October 5 through 12. Offered throughout the week are events designed to dispel myths about gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people, and to raise awareness about GLBT rights, culminating in a candlelight vigil to observe the tenth anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s murder.

Events include:

• October 6 & 7: Informational tables in YSU’s Kilcawley Center
• October 8: Two showings of the film For the Bible Tells Me So, in Kilcawley Center’s Presidential Suites from 12-3 p.m. and at the First Unitarian Universalist Church on Elm St. from 6-9 p.m. A panel discussion with local religious leaders will follow each showing of the film.
• October 9: Denim Day. Members of the GLBT community and allies wear denim in a show of unity.
• October 9: Two showings of The Laramie Project, in Kilcawley Center’s Presidential Suites from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., and in its Gallery from 5-8 p.m. A discussion session will follow each showing of the film.
• October 10: Two showings of the documentary Freeheld in Kilcawley Center’s Gallery at 12 p.m. and at the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 6 p.m.
• October 10: A Night “Out” at Utopia Video Night Club at 10 p.m.
• October 12: Candlelight vigil honoring Matthew Shepard at 6 p.m. on the steps of the First Unitarian Universalist Church. A dessert pot luck will follow the vigil.

All events co-sponsored by YSUnity (YSU’s gay-straight alliance), Mahoning Valley Pride Center, Youngstown PFLAG (Parents, Friends & Families of Lesbians and Gays), Utopia Video Night Club, and the First Unitarian Universalist Church.

The Laramie Project is also being sponsored by YSU’s Department of Campus Recreation and Student Programming.

 For more information, check out our website www.mvprideweek.com or contact Brian Wells at bpwells@ysu.edu or at 330-941-2308.