Didn’t make it to last Friday’s Drama Drag show at EXDO/Tracks? Neither did I, but friend of ELEMENT Daniel Alvarez went and was generous enough to send in some photos for me to post! In case you’re wondering why there aren’t any pics of Shannel or Akasha performing it’s because Mr. Alvarez isn’t a fan of them. (That’s one of the things I love about drag personas, they stir up strong reactions.)
It’s a busy one this weekend, especially Friday night! As usual if you have a suggestion drop us a line at tips@theDenverELEMENT.com for inclusion:
By far the most fabulous thing happening this weekend is ELEMENT’s own Homo Culture Collective Friday night from 7-9PM held at the ELEMENT studio at 950 Logan Street. This week’s topic is gay comedy and we’ll be showing a variety of sitcom funnies and stand up video clips. Homo Culture Collective is an evening of infotainment, exploring gay history, aesthetic, and art. We have created multiple options for participation. Just hang out in our studio space or get involved in one of the conversations. Regardless of how you would like to take part, we’ve made a space for you here. Please contact Corey at 720-382-5900 ext. 13 or corey@thedenverelement.com if you have any questions.
Also Friday night is the quite possibly the biggest drag event to be held in Denver as long as I’ve lived here, Nina Flowers’ Drama Drag will be hosting SEVEN, yes SEVEN other cast members from Drag Race. Doors open at 9pm which means nothing since the show rarely starts before 11:30. My advice is to head over to gay-owned Things That Glow at 8th and Santa Fe and buy a discount pre-sale ticket there to guarantee admission.
Also happening Friday night is the Angel Wings Dinner at Vail Gay Ski Week benefiting the GLBT Center Of Colorado. More info here. If you’re so inclined the Vail gay ski boys will be having a big party of some sort Saturday night as well so check their website if you’re up for it.
Friday and Saturday is the world’s largest apres-ski party on the 16th St Mall. Events include an X-Games viewing party in Skyline park, chalk art at Pavillions, and something called “Wear Your-Ski-and-Ride Clothes-to-Work-Day” Fashion Show and Contest.” More info at denver.org/apresski
Saturday afternoon/evening there’s going to be a rail jam at the Ruby Hill Rail Yard, that free snowboarding park set up by Denver Parks and Rec. If you’re wanting to enter they only take the first 120 people to arrive but it should be a good free show if you’re just going to watch. The finals (aka the best rail jammers) are from 6-7:15pm. More info here.
Utah state senator Chris Butters seems to be fixated on teh gay and has a long history of introducing legislation to make lives for teh gay more difficult and saying outrageous things about teh gay.
Butters was interviewed for the documentary film 8: The Mormon Proposition and said gays were “the greatest threat to America going down,” and adding “I believe they will destroy the foundation of the American society.”
Perhaps Butters is realizing his batshittery is coming around to bite him in the ass and is now claiming he was TRICKED, yes TRICKED by the filmmakers because one of them was wearing a BYU logo shirt and thus the entire film crew surely had to share his hatred of teh gay.
Here’s the local SLC news:
In case you’re curious why I kept spelling it “teh gay” it’s because that’s a term used to mock bigots’ fear of gay people. Urban Dictionary has some great definitions.
Our friends at the Tri County Health Department let us know that they are now offering free HPV vaccinations for guys under 27 years old. Why is this important? Great question! HPV (genital human papillomavirus) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the US and and has been associated with anal cancer, cervical cancer, and genital warts. HPV vaccine protects against 4 major types of HPV. Up until now, this vaccine was only available to the ladies.
Tri County Health Department is offering these vaccinations in collaboration with the Community College of Aurora. If you want to get your vaccine on, get yourself out to the Community College of Aurora, (CentreTech Campus, 16000 East CentreTech Parkway, Aurora, off N. Chambers and E. 1st Ave., Fine Arts Bldg. Rm 105) any of these Wednesdays 2—6 pm Feb. 3rd & 17th, March 3rd & 17th, April 14th & 28th. Or you can go through an immunization appointment at the Tri County Health Aurora office (15400 E. 14th Place in Aurora, the courthouse bldg at roughly Colfax and Chambers)
Okay. So if you want or need a free HPV vaccination, now you have a source. Be sure to let them know the guy’s from ELEMENT sent you over. For more information, call our buddy Greg at (303) 501-5663.
Only the Phelps clan didn’t show up. However the planned pro-marriage-equality protesters did show up. This in the Boulder Daily Camera:
Hundreds of University of Colorado students gathered around the Dalton Trumbo Fountain on Monday night in a show of support for gay rights.
The demonstration came before a same-sex marriage debate on the CU campus organized by the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought.
[snip]
The students waved banners, sang and carried flowers intended for picketers from the Westboro Baptist Church led by Fred Phelps. But members of the Kansas church — who, according to the church’s Web site, were going to protest against gay rights outside the debate venue — were nowhere to be found.
[snip]
Pastor Phelps’ daughter and Westboro church member Shirley Phelps-Roper said she didn’t know why the protest didn’t happen as planned. A call to a member of the Westboro “team” in Colorado wasn’t returned.
bears have been all the rage at the ELEMENT studio these past few weeks. the topic came up at our Body Image conversation last week, one of our own discovered the site bears i’m jealous of, and we generally love watching bear force 1videos whenever we need inspiration. here’s a little bear to brighten up your day.
Now Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is saying he expects the president to address “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the speech, CBS News Capitol Hill producer John Nolen reports.
Levin said he didn’t know what or how much the president would say on the topic.
The senator, who originally wanted to hold hearings on the policy in January, said the White House and Pentagon asked him to hold off until after the State of the Union address.
“We were told by the Pentagon that they expected the president to say something in the State of the Union on it,” he said.
Position #1: This option suggests that the President could announce a new administration-driven strategy which delivers significant change. Under this calculus, there will not be any votes in the House or Senate on repeal in 2010. The judgment is that it is too difficult for many moderates and this likely means that repeal will not be included in the Defense Authorization base bill from the Pentagon. Instead, President Obama would announce executive and administrative actions to significantly alter “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2010. This would likely include additional discretion by the Secretary of Defense to change the implementation of the policy and reduce discharges.
Position #2: The President may offer a more resolute legislative strategy. He could announce that with the support of Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen, he will include repeal language in the Defense Authorization bill coming over shortly from the Pentagon to House and Senate committees. It is also possible that he could endorse long-mentioned stand-alone legislation in the Senate to match efforts in the House. This position would represent significant, but likely incremental, change. Repeal legislation faces hurdles to passage in 2010, but the President will have taken a major step forward with the base bill inclusion.
Position #3: The White House may decide to only mention “don’t ask, don’t tell” in passing or announce support from military leaders without an affirmative strategy put forward. This would represent the least embraced of the three potential options.
Unfortunately I never met the man so I can’t write passionately about him but he touched the lives of other staffers here at ELEMENT so he deserves mention.
Update: A memorial service has been announced for Friday, January 29, 2010 at 1PM – The Little Ivy Chapel – Fairmont Mortuary- 430 South Quebec. In lieu of flowers Jim’s partner Terry has asked donations be made to Project Angel Heart in his memory.
On Friday, February 5th, we are welcoming the second local gay artist into our studio gallery. For one night only, give into a world of fantasy characters.
Denver Artist Tony Labadie takes over the ELEMENT studio
Friday, February 5th ~ 5-8pm
Each piece is a work of photo-manipulation…blending man and animal, and offering a glimpse into the “dark, unbridled side of male sexuality.” See some explicit examples of his work below. And come to the Reception to meet the artist and see much more of his collection.
Tonight the Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought is holding another installment of it’s “Great Debate” series at CU Boulder with tonight’s topic being gay marriage equality or as Fred Phelps calls it, “fag marriage.”
Representing the side of bigotry in the debate is Maggie Gallagher from NOM who oddly enough is herself in an anti-Biblical tradition marriage.
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
But I promised this post was about the Phelps clan, they’re offended that CU Boulder and the “priests who rape boys” (the Catholics, their words, not mine) are even having a debate. From the Phelps’ press release:
The question on the table: “Should the government recognize same-sex marriage?” Better question: “Do you fools really think this is a question up for debate?” Best question: “Has it even occurred to you that having this debate (& its inevitable endorsement of abominable same-sex marriage & the societal institution of same) will be the final straw in bringing your Noah’s-Flood-like destruction?”
Feel free to soak in more of the batshittery here with the full press release in PDF format here.
