12/9/2012 This Way Out

Program #1,288

Hosted by Greg Gordon and produced with Lucia Chappelle

"NewsWrap": A U.N. human rights committee includes sexual orientation - and for the first time gender identity – in a resolution against extrajudicial executions, but the Association of Southeast Asian Nations omits those two categories in its human rights declaration; a gay couple in Singapore challenges the nation-state's gross indecency law in court, while a Taiwan gay couple sues the capital city of Taipei for a marriage license; a U.S. federal judge upholds Nevada's state ban on civil marriage for same-gender couples because opening the institution to them might reduce the number of heterosexual couples who want to get married; there's no news as of November 30th from the U.S. Supreme Court about their disposition of Prop 8 and DOMA cases, but lesbian and gay Marylanders can begin getting marriage licenses on December 6th; the Southern Poverty Law Center sues a New Jersey-based Jewish "ex-gay therapy" business for fraud; and a woman- and gay-friendly mosque opens in Paris (written by GREG GORDON, produced by STEVE PRIDE, and reported this week by JOHNNIE TORRES and TANYA KANE-PARRY) 

 "This Way Out" "queer life and literature" commentator JANET MASON waltzes through the pages of the romantic "RHAPSODY", which she praises as the latest tour de force by Lambda award winner KG MACGREGOR (Bella Books)

 JANET MASON's own book, called "TEA LEAVES", was published by Bella Books earlier this year. GORDON WILSON offered *his* "queer life and literature" commentary about it on Melbourne's JOY 94.9, Australia's first and only full time gay & lesbian radio station – which, by the way, just celebrated its 19th birthday.  [www.bellabooks.com; www.joy.org.au]

Before "World Music" became a genre, LGBT performers were having a global impact, as evidenced by a new tribute album on the Chapter Music label compiled by AUSTRALIAN producer GUY BLACKMAN featuring trailblazing "out" gay artists from the U.K. and the U.S. "Queer Music Heritage" maestro and good friend of "This Way Out" JD DOYLE just loves the movement-marshaling melodies from "STRONG LOVE: SONGS OF GAY LIBERATION 1972-1981” (he chats with Blackman and samples "A Gay Song" by EVERYONE INVOLVED, "Strong Love" by SMOKEY, and "Gay Spirit" by CHARLIE MURPHY) [www.chaptermusic.com.au; www.queermusicheritage.com]