FOF #849 – Marching for Matthew Shepard
Standard Podcast [1:02:06m]:
Here's the latest in the category Politicians/Activists
11 commentsIt’s been 10 years since college student Matthew Shepard was brutally murdered in the town of Laramie, Wyoming.
How far have we come in creating laws to protect queer folks from violent crimes?
On today’s show we’ve got Wayne Besen- best known for Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a tell-all book about the deceptive practices behind ex-gay groups and Andy Thayer from the Gay Liberation Network.
Wayne will be speaking in Chicago this Saturday Sept 27th for the 10th annual Matthew Shepard March protesting the murder of Matthew Shepard and all victims of hate violence. The rally starts at 8pm on the corner of Roscoe and Halsted followed by a march through the neighborhood.
The controversial induction of Fundamentalist Radio personality James Dobson into the Museum of Broadcast Communication’s Hall of Fame has a lot of people up in arms. Why would they ask him of all people? Is this just a cry for help from antiquated institution that isn’t even relevant anymore to secure money or is something else going on here?
Check out Dump Dobson to learn how you can protest against Dobson’s inclusion into the Hall of Fame.
Is the Bush administration a shop-o-holic? The chilly reception to the 700 billion dollar bailout and a deficit out of control shows us a Republican party struggling to handle their obsession with spending. Will somebody please hire Washington a therapist or get them to find a hobby other than spending money.
Mama’s Milk Ice Cream? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are putting pressure on the Vermont Ice Cream company Ben and Jerry’s to substitute human breast milk instead of cow milk in their ice cream.
The demand comes in the wake of news reports of a Swiss Restaurant which uses cows milk in three quarters of all the dairy products it serves. How about a Moma’s Mounds blizzard sundae?
Listen to today’s show as we talk about these topics and more. What’s the big deal over celebrities in glass closets and what happens if Obama wins the U.S. Presidenital Election. Will Obama solve all our problems?
Vote baby vote- Feast of Fools.
Featured Book:
Anything But Straight: Amazon
Featured Music:
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Dap-Dippin’ With: iTunes
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FOF #844 – Let Your Freak Flag Fly Freely
Standard Podcast [59:56m]:
Get your fetish gear ready folks! Whip it up. Whooo. On today’s Feast of Fools we’ve got Demetri Moshoyannis, he’s the sexy executive director for the Folsom Street Fair, one of the largest spectator events in California.
As one of the few occasions when sadomasochistic activities are encouraged and performed in public, it attracts a considerable number of sightseers and those who enjoy the attention of onlookers as well as the hundreds of photographers and videographers.
Folsom Street Fair is part of San Francisco’s Leather week, taking place on Sunday Sept 28 in San Francisco!
Demetri talks about the how the fair went from being a neighborhood gathering to a full on freak festival and the controversy over their 2007 poster, a queer take on DaVinci’s famous “Last Supper” painting.
Fundamentalist groups called the poster an offensive take on a religious image, but why did they ignore the Simpsons’, Battle Star Gallatica’s and all the other pop icon takes on the same painting?
From time to time we take phone calls from you, our listeners. We want you to think of us as your Magic Eight Ball and ask for advice, or just to tell us what is most important to you. Our advice may not be the most sound so please let us know in the comments section. What’s your opinion?
Get out of the sun! Scientists say suntans are unsafe at any level. The same mechanism that tells a cell to get tan destroys DNA which is the first step in mutation that may lead to cancer. You’ve heard it for years but we really hope you are using sunscreen. But, on the other hand maybe the British scientists who conducted the study are just trying to justify their pale complexions.
Daniel Radcliffe’s naked American debut in Eqqus. Paul gives all the details about young Daniel’s manscaping techniques and whether he was really into his love scenes with his female costar or not. We had no idea that Daniel’s character rides bareback on a hot male actor portraying a horse. Yippee Yee ha! Giddy up and go!
All this and more on today’s gay fun show!
Featured Music:
Pussy Tourette – Pussy Tourette in Hi-Fi:
iTunes | Amazon | CD Baby
Gaye Adegbalola – Gaye Without Shame:
iTunes | Amazon
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FOF #801 – Gay Republican
Standard Podcast [54:55m]:
It’s not easy being pink, especially when you’re a gay Republican, or part of the Pink Elephant party, as I like to call it.
You’re an outsider both in gay circles and in the Republican party, a stranger in a strange land.
I’ve really been enjoying reading about Barbara Walter’s life in her tell-all memoir “Audition” where she marvels at the appeal of talk-show foil Elisabeth Hasselbeck. She’s the sexy but conservative Republican on the show who for some reason or another always stands by her man, but in this case it’s the disaster we all know as President George W Bush.
I thought it would be fun to find a gay Republican to talk to on the show, one who doesn’t fit the mold of a staunch, suit-wearing conservative. Well here he is, and did I mention that he likes to wear male style wigs when he goes out to bars.
Say hello to Marcus Haynes- make-up artist, image consultant, communications researcher and GAY REPUBLICAN. Yes, his MySpace page has a Louis Vuitton background, and yes, he loves his designer bags.
Besides talking about American politics and our dire need for Universal Health Care system, Marcus really knows his make-up and can make anyone look flawless.
I was a bit scared when he took his brush to my face, worrying he would make me look like a fierce drag queen. Nothing wrong with that, but today I wanted to look like a hot dude.
Here’s a photo of my face as Marcus puts on Christian Dior “Diorshow Brow” eyebrow gel on my face. Be gentle Marcus!
Barbie has a brand new look and it’s a dirty whore. Well, not a dirty whore but Barbie as Black Canary, the DC comic book character. Some right wing Christians are saying that she looks more like an S&M dominatrix than a superhero. You go Barbie and get your freak on because we know that Ken isn’t given it to you.
Perez Hilton is getting sued after publishing on the front of his site a homophobic email he received. Diane Wargo wrote the famous blogger and called him a “Fat Gay Pig” and is now suing him for $25 million because she lost her job after she was inundated with hate mail from Perez readers. She was on company time and used her company email address to spew her idiocy so her boss canned her.
I’m not one to publicly display people’s email addresses when they email nasty comments but I’m glad Perez did it to her. This homophobic crap has got to stop and people should be held accountable for their actions. He should sue her! And I should sue them both for having to blog about it.
We’ve got a couple of fun threads in the forums right now. The first one, Strangest thing you’ve had sex with, was started by Knicknack11 because he heard the topic on the show and became interested in what other people were into. And the other thread is So try to gross me out! started by Marc Felion. It’s pretty gross but we’re trying to keep it to hot guys that have something gross going on. It’s not for the squeamish.
Check out today’s sponsor:
Big Jones Restaurant
Contemporary Southern Cuisine
Located in the heart of Andersonville in Chicago, Illinois
Fresh homemade food made with local seasonal ingredients with contemporary coastal southern flair
Featured Music:
Hercules and Love Affiar: iTunes| MySpace | Site
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FOF #796 – Sexy Stuff
Standard Podcast [1:07:34m]:
Cute, funny, sexy and single- that’s Bradon Toussaint from Tuscon, Arizona, one of our loyal lovely listeners! He’s one a smart sexy guy.
As a microbiology student at the University of Arizona, Brandon spent much of his free time educating and demonstrating students on how to use condoms properly and raising awareness of the risks and benefits to an active sex life. Brandon’s our kind of guy!
We’re so happy to have on today’s show Brandon to talk about sexy stuff, like just how to prepare yourself for hot anal sex. This show is NOT for kids, but for adults who are looking to have a healthy, happy sex life as gay men.
Sexually transmitted diseases, how do we protect ourselves from them? How do you keep sex hot and exciting and at the same time protect yourself from catching a bug?
Brandon wrote extensively about HPV the human papilloma virus, and how it affects gay men, a disease that is usually thought about when it comes to women’s health. Why they don’t immunize all women is beyond me.
Careful how you ride that thing! Your bike might be interfering with your sex life. Studies show that prolonged riding on a bike that is not properly fitted to your body can lead to erectile dysfunction. So check your seat and bike and mind how you ride to avoid losing your willy wonder.
Thou shalt not blaspheme. Say it with me folks! Thou shalt not blaspheme. A Gay porn movie featuring Jesus coming down from the cross and having sex with his apostles has been given the OK by UK censors.
While I know a lot of people will be uncomfortable with the Lamb of God doing it with his followers, the site does have some interesting things to say about how the church sexualized the image of Christ during the Renaissance. Now, the film acts as though it is just carrying on the tradition and deems to further sexualize Jesus by putting him in a porn. I wonder just how close this movie hopes to get to the Horn of Salvation?
Turning up the gay all the way to 11- Feast of Fools.
Check out today’s sponsor:
Gay, Sexy, Healthy- Lifelube.org
Your “big tent” guide to gay men’s health,
from sex and drugs to Faeries and Bears
Your friendly concierge for all that’s gay, sexy and healthy.
Featured Music:
Nick Granato – Outside The Lines: iTunes | CD Baby | Site
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FOF #792 – Sex on the Superhighway
Standard Podcast:
How do you get off and have a good time on the internet superhighway without a fender bender?
On today’s show we have the recording of the live forum that Marc Felion and I, Fausto Fernós, moderated at the Center on Halsted last month. The forum was developed and sponsored by our friends at Lifelube to figure out how to have fun and be safe while looking for sex or love online. This forum featured three great experts on how the internet is changing our sexuality.
First, Stephan Adelson, former general manager of Manhunt, a hook up site for men seeking sex with men. He was part of the team that introduced the idea of displaying one’s HIV status in online personal profiles.
Stephan currently works as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Internet Intervention Incorporated. He also works as an internet consultant on privacy issues and recently developed National Guidelines for Internet Interventions (PDF).
Second, Beau Gratzer, director of HIV and STD prevention at Howard Brown Health Center. Beau oversees many sexual health programs including those targeted to gay men online in Chicago.
Beau served on the National Coalition of STD Directors’ expert advisory committee that recently published the “Internet Interventions Guidelines” which provide guidance to health departments and community organizations providing HIV/STI related health information and programs online
And Third, Doctor Brian Mustanski, Assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Brian is among the first to study how gay, lesbian and bisexual people interact online.
He developed one of the first online studies of gay lesbian and bisexual people. The majority of his work focuses on the development of “sexual minority” people and how the Internet affects us. He is also working on a study on the health and development of LGBT youth.
Listen as we talk about looking for sex and love online, the mysterious bug chasers, internet addiction and the the hunting instinct,
We also take questions from the fabulous people who attended this very fun and informative questions from the audience.
You can also read a blow by blow account of the forum at Michael Lehet’s blog, “What’s A Boy To Do.” Thank you Michael!
Check out today’s sponsor:
Gay, Sexy, Health- Lifelube.org
Your “big tent” guide to gay men’s health,
from sex and drugs to Faeries and Bears
Your friendly concierge for all that’s gay, sexy and healthy.
Featured Music:
Mystechs – Escape from Planet Love: iTunes | Site
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FOF #734 – Reverend Straight
Standard Podcast:
The Rev. Charles Straight was there when it happened. In the eighties he was a phlebotomist as the AIDS crisis exploded, when it was still called GRID or Gay Related Immune Disorder.
Today he’s the assistant pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church and preaches about how we must address our fear of gays when dealing with HIV and AIDS. For over 25 years he’s worked in AIDS activism to drive forward people’s perception of disease as a natural occurrence that must be dealt with directly and not as a punishment from God.
As board member of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago he helps guide the organization in focusing their efforts in the fight against AIDS.
As the host of Probation Challenge Radio he works to help keep at-risk folks out of jail. Did I mention he has five adopted kids? Rev. Straight is very comfortable wearing many hats.
Listen as we ask the Reverend how do preachers decide what to say every Sunday? Is the process similar to blogging or is there something more to it? Do you always need to pull Biblical quotes to back up what you’re saying?
I’ve always wondered about the concept of a “Black Jesus.” You might have seen paintings of the physical Christian manifestation of God as a black man but what does it really mean? Is this for real or just a beautiful metaphor? And do Asian Christians have a Asian Jesus or Latinos have a Hispanic Jesus?
Listen to the show to find out.
Bringing you the holy spirit in large, non-lethal doses- Feast of Fools.
Featured Music:
Tom Goss – Rise: iTunes | CD Baby | Site
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FOF #717 – A Stunning Woman
Standard Podcast [45:03m]:
Brace yourself, you’re about to get a stunning!
Calpernia Addams, the Peabody Prize winning writer, actress and activist, best known on the Feast of Fools for her single “Stunning” joins us today to talk about the genesis of that fabulous dance song.
“Stunning” came out one of the episodes from her brand new reality tv series “Transamerican Love Story” a revolutionary elimination dating show featuring Calpernia as a trans woman searching for romance from a small group of handsome men.
The version we play on the show was remixed by Robbie D. We had the pleasure of hanging with Robbie D. at Idapolooza music festival in Tennessee in 2001 and Marc got to paint his ass blue!
Calpernia’s reality show is like The Bachelorette but with a fabulous trannie as the prize. You get to see an inside look at the men who are attracted to transsexual women and what it will take to win her heart. We recommend buying the season pass on the iTunes Music store, that way you’ll get every episode as it’s released each week, much like this podcast!
Life hasn’t always been stunning for Calpernia.
Calpernia was thrust into the public spotlight in 1999 when her lover, Pvt. Barry Winchell was harassed and murdered by his fellow soldiers after rumors of their relationship circulated around the base.
A controversial New York Times article titled “An Inconvenient Woman” portrayed GLBT groups as trying to qualify their relationship as “homosexual” in order to draw attention to the problems with the U.S. Military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy banning lesbians, trans, gays and bi folks from serving their country.
Because of this intense life-changing event, Calpernia decided to become an activist for more positive media portrayals of transsexual women.
She participated in the production of “Soldier’s Girl” as an on set consultant to keep the story true to her experience. The film won several awards and featured Lee Pace from Pushing Daisies as Calpernia.
Join Kennidi Monroe, Marc Felion and me Fausto Fernós as we talk with Cali about her friendship with web-designer Andrea James, dealing with unpopular contestants and Calpernia’s list of stupid questions not to ask a Trannie. Of course, we asked her anyway, well not really.
Don’t miss the last part of the show where Calpernia teaches me how to force feminize my voice. I sound almost as stunning as she does!
This is the podcast that uses the voice you want to use- Feast of Fools.
Featured TV Show:
Transamerican Love Story
Starring Calpernia Addams
Produced by World of Wonder
Get it on iTunes
Featured Music:
Calpernia Adams – Stunning – Robbie D Remix: MySpace | Site
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FOF #700 – A Friend in Need
Standard Podcast [59:39m]:
What is life like for gay teens in America today? Although we’ve made incredible gains in the past decade in bringing about social gains, political and religious acceptance still drag far behind.
Ten years ago three filmmakers aired on HBO a dark comedy short called “Trevor” about a teenage boy who attempts suicide when he realizes he’s gay.
The producers of “Trevor” looked for a national hotline to cater to any queer and questioning youth who might have some concerns after finding something of themselves in the short film. After a short search, they were surprised to find that there wasn’t any such service available so they started The Trevor Project, which is the now the nation’s premier 24-hour hotline for gay, lesbian, trans, bi, and questioning youth in crisis.
1-866-4-U-TREVOR (1-866-488-7386).
Listen on as we talk to Charles Robbins, the Executive director for the Trevor Project about why gay teens more than ever at risk for suicide, how to find allies in your neck of the woods and why Hollywood A-list celebrities love this cause.
Making the world a better place one podcast at time- Feast of Fools.
Featured Movie:
Trevor (1994)
Starring: Brett Barsky, Judy Kain. Director: Peggy Rajski.
Get it now on iTunes for $0.99!
Or order the DVD on Amazon
Yes, this is our 700th show! To celebrate this landmark as we go into our 4th year of podcast and celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Feast of Fools, we’re offering these brand new, firecracker red t-shirts. These gorgeous limited-run t-shirts are printed on 100% combed cotton on American Apparel t-shirts.
The explosive design is inspired by our fascination with lolcats and sci-fi robots. I CAN HAZ PODCAST T-SHIRT? Yes you can.
Price: $40
FOF #690 – Shirley Phelps: An Unlikely Champion
Standard Podcast [1:08:18m]:
Shirley Phelps’ God is angry at you. Why? Because you are gay or you accept gay people.
Shirley Phelps is the spokesperson, matriarch and part-time lawyer for the controversial Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, Kansas.
Gay folks have known about them for years since they first protested at the funeral of slain gay college student Matthew Shepard. Since then, they have garnered international attention for their protests of military servicemen’s funerals saying it’s “God’s vengeance upon America’s acceptance of homosexuals.” They are known as “America’s Most Hated Family.”
The Phelps family plans to protest at “Brokeback Mountain” actor Heath Ledger’s memorial services. They are even planning a protest outside the red carpet at this years Academy Awards! Gee, I wonder what Shirley will wear? Will her gown match her “God Hates Fags” sign?
[Editor's note: This interview was conducted before Heath Ledger died.]
Shirley Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church presents TWO choices for America: ONE, imprison and then execute the gays because that’s what the Bible says or TWO, give gays all the same rights that every other American enjoys.
Shirley states that you don’t get to base your discrimination against gays on the Bible’s morality if you don’t have the the determination to back it up. Which to reiterate is imprisonment and then death. There is no soft line stance. It’s black or white.
Which one are you going to choose? Which one is your mother, brother, sister or father going to choose? Ask them, see what kind of answer you get.
Because of this, they might be the “most important GLBT activists since Stonewall” according to Out Magazine columnist Josh Kilmer Purcell. He feels so strongly about them that he started a brand new website: PhagsforPhelps.com.
From Josh’s website phagsforphelps.com:
Stealth homophobes across America have been able to hide for too long behind cuddly phrases like: “love the sinner, hate the sin,” and “separate but equal,” and “tolerance.” GLBT Americans are tired of being “tolerated.” We want to be respected and embraced as true equals, not “loved” as “sinners.
Listen as Shirley Phelps meets Josh Kilmer-Purcell for the very first time on a special Feast of Fools Double Date!
Why do a lot of gay people and Christian fundamentalists hate the pope AND President George W. Bush just for different reasons, why prayers should be best kept to yourself, why you shouldn’t get too close Cheney’s daughter, are leprechauns gay or not and why we are all depraved?
The podcast that is full of it, and by it we mean the Holy Spirit et al- Feast of Fools.
Featured Music:
Tom Goss – Rise: CD Baby | Site | iTUNES
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FOF #654 – Word Warriors
Standard Podcast [45:58m]:
Like Cher said one time: “words are like weapons, they wound sometimes” and boy, was she right! So right in fact that there is a new book on the market called “Word Warriors,” a collection of interviews, essays and poems by 35 of the most influential female spoken word artists of today. It’s gonna make you think.
Alix Olson, the rock star of Slam Poetry just finished editing “Word Warriors” which Indigo girls’ Amy Ray describes as a treasure and a long time coming. Through verse, these women speak out against the loss of political rights, rape, sexism, discrimination and other topics. It is an engrossing read.
As a young, green kid, Alix got her start at the famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City. She shares with us that if she hadn’t been so young and inexperienced she might never have gotten up on that stage. As it turned out, she was so good they invited her to be on their team and they won the National Slam Poetry Competition. Don’t let fear stand in your way of your dreams.
As an artist and activist, Alix wants to help people get in touch with their deep feelings. Right now she feels she can accomplish this with writing, but we can so see her entering politics in the future. Heaven knows America needs a lesbian Slam Poet Václav Havel to lead us into some sort of Velvet revolution.
Andrea Gibson, one of those 35 featured artists in the book joins on the show as well. She is a member of the prestigious Bull Horn Collective, a group of 30 of the world’s highest ranking slam poets. We chat with Andrea about her writing, her process and her gender queer identity.
Alix and Andrea both give us a demonstration of their slam poet style. It’s wonderful to hear these amazing performers speak the powerful words they wrote. It is always a pleasure to be with artist of this caliber.
Listen as we talk with Alix and Andrea about feminism and inclusivity, the future of the queer civil rights movement, why poets spell their names and pronouns in lower case letters and why everyone should fight the binary on the internet!
A big thanks to Kathy Bergquist from Women and Children First Bookstore in Andersonville for putting us in contact with Alix.
See you there!
World of Chocolate: Sweet Dreams
AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s highly anticipated annual holiday fundraising event
Thursday, November 29, 5:30-9 p.m.
Get your tickets now!
The gay talk show that fights the good fight- Feast of Fools.
Featured Book
Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution
Edited by Alix Olson
(with foreword by Eve Ensler)
Buy it on Amazon
Featured Music:
Rachael Sage – Blistering Sun: Amazon | Site
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