(TIME Warp) When a Governor Came OUT; 15 Years after the McGreevey Scandal!

On the afternoon of August 12, 2004, James McGreevey coupled the announcement of his decision to resign with a public declaration of his homosexuality and an admission to having had an extramarital affair with a man, Golan Cipel, an Israeli citizen and veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces, whom McGreevey appointed New Jersey homeland security adviser. Cipel, who had joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 as Chief Information Officer at the Consulate General of Israel in New York, subsequently left the United States and returned to Israel after their affair was revealed. McGreevey was the first and, to date, the only openly gay state governor in United States history. (ed...MK met McGreevey in 2006 and found him Happy to be an Out Gay man.)

 

Since leaving the governorship, McGreevey has attended the General Theological Seminary in New York City to obtain his Master of Divinity degree, a requirement to becoming an Episcopal priest. Reports in April 2011 indicate that McGreevey's bid to be ordained was rejected.

McGreevey's life after politics, his calling as a priest and his ministry to prison inmates is covered in a 2013 HBO documentary film, Fall to Grace, directed by Alexandra Pelosi.

In July 2013, McGreevey was appointed head of Jersey City's employment training commission

(TIME-WARP) Remembering Marilyn Monroe who died 57 Years ago today!

On August 5, 1962, at 4:25 am, LAPD sergeant Jack Clemmons received a call from Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist, saying that Monroe was found dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. She was 36 years old. At the subsequent autopsy, eight milligram per cent of chloral hydrate and 4.5 milligram percent of Nembutal were found in her system, and Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroners office recorded cause of death as "acute barbiturate poisoning", resulting from a "probable suicide".

(TIME-warp) The Trail of the Versace Killer was 22 years ago this week!

One of the most gripping months ended on July 24, 1997 when former gay hustler turned serial killer,
Andrew Cunanan. Cunanan , who murdered at least five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace and Chicago tycoon Lee Miglin, during a three-month period in mid-1997. On June 12, 1997, Cunanan became the 449th fugitive to be listed by the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

In his final years, Cunanan had lived as a gay hustler, who befriended wealthy older men and spent their money (or used their credit cards) to impress acquaintances in the local gay community, such as talking about socialite events at clubs or often paying the bill at restaurants. One millionaire friend had dumped Cunanan in 1996, the prior year.

(TIME warp): Harvey Milk A True Gay Hero, BORN 88 yrs ago This Week!

Throughout modern history there have been few individuals who could honestly say that they brought about positive change in the world. This number is even fewer in gay history. Harvey Milk is one of these few. Born on May 22 1930, Harvey was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the US and possibly one of the greatest catalysts the gay rights movement has ever known.

(TIME-warp): Remembering Ellen's TV Coming OUT Party 22 years ago TODAY!

Can you believe it has been 20 years since Gays on Television were never the same again? When Ellen Degeneres' LEAD Character came out on 'Ellen' on April 30, 1997 it opened the door to more lead gay characters on television.

Talk about ballsy. Called “The Puppy Episode”, the show garnered 42 million viewers and marked the first gay leading primetime character in television history. Despite speculation that advertisers would try to pull away from the controversy, the only corporate sponsor to cancel was Chrysler, and only for the single episode.

SPECIAL: (TIME-Warp) The Controversal and Eye-Opening CBS Reports "The Homosexuals" aired 52 Yrs ago!

"The Homosexuals" is a 1967 episode of the documentary television series CBS Reports. The hour-long broadcast featured a discussion of a number of topics related to homosexuality and homosexuals. Mike Wallace anchored the episode, which aired on March 7, 1967. Although this was the first network documentary dealing with the topic of homosexuality, it was not the first televised in the United States. That was The Rejected, produced and aired in 1961 on KQED, a public television station out of San Francisco.Three years in the making, "The Homosexuals" went through two producers and multiple revisions. The episode included interviews with several gay men, psychiatrists, legal experts and cultural critics, interspersed with footage of a gay bar and a police sex sting. "The Homosexuals" garnered mixed critical response. The network received praise from some quarters and criticism from others for even airing the program. Just imagine, 2 years later, Stonewall happened and the Gay Liberation Movement began!

(Time Warp) 1989: Gays Demand Marriage Licenses in Manhattan !

In 1989, 20 gay couples backed by ACT UP marched into the marriage bureau in Manhattan demanding marriage licenses in what WCBS-TV New York called a "violent protest".

Says Thomas Stoddard of Lambda Legal Defense in the report: "Within 20 years at least half the states will permit two men or two women to get married."

(TIME-Warp) a WEEK of LOSS and RETROSPECTIVE!

This week we pay homage to 2 anniversaries; the 28th anniversary (July 25) of the Death of Studio 54 owner, Steve Rubell and the 27th anniversary (July 28) of the infamous 175-photo retrospective of the work of the late-Robert Mapplethorpe at the Whitney Museum in New York City.

Mapplethorpe worked primarily in the studio, particularly towards the end of his career. Common subjects include flowers, especially orchids and calla lilies, and celebrities, including Andy Warhol, Deborah Harry, Richard Gere, Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones, and Patti Smith. Smith was a longtime roommate of Mapplethorpe and a frequent subject in his photography, including a stark, iconic photograph that appears on the cover of Smith's first album, Horses.

Other work includes homoerotic and BDSM acts (including coprophagia), and classical nudes. Mapplethorpe's X Portfolio series sparked national attention in the early 1990s when it was included in The Perfect Moment, a traveling exhibition funded by National Endowment for the Arts.

(Time-WARP) Tribute to The Guiding Light moved to Television 65 yrs ago!

Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light before 1975, or simply GL) is an American television soap opera that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television history, running from 1952 until 2009, preceded by a 15-year broadcast on the radio. When combining its total run of 72 years on radio and television, Guiding Light is the second-longest running program of any kind in history, exceeded only by Music and the Spoken Word. With over 18 000 episodes produced, Guiding Light has more episodes than any program in the history of radio and television, and four times more episodes than Music and the Spoken Word.

(TIME-warp): Remembering when Gay Marriage became Legal in New England, 13 years ago this week!

Same-sex marriage is legal or has been legalized in six of the six New England states: Massachusetts became Legal on May 17, 2004, according to Wikipedia. The New England region has been noted for being the nucleus of the same-sex marriage movement in the United States with the region having among the most widespread and earliest legal support of any region. It was followed by three more states between October 2008 and June 2009. This followed Vermont being the first-in-the-nation with civil unions in 2000.

Currently, 36 states and the District of Columbia are the U.S. jurisdictions performing same-sex marriages, and California performed them for five months in mid 2008. DOMA was struck down in 2013.

(TIME-warp) Remembering Keith Haring!

Today marks what would have been artist Keith Haring’s 58th birthday. (He died at a young age due to an AIDS-related illness in 1991).Haring’s, distinct style led him to become one of the most notable artists of his generation. Happy Birthday, Keith!

As a celebration of his life, Madonna declared the first New York date of her 1991 Blond Ambition World Tour a benefit concert for Haring's memory, and donated all proceeds from her ticket sales to AIDS charities including AIDS Project Los Angeles and amfAR; the act was documented in her film Truth or Dare. Additionally, Haring's work was featured in several of Red Hot Organization's efforts to raise money for AIDS and AIDS awareness, specifically its first two albums, Red Hot + Blue and Red Hot + Dance, the latter of which used Haring's work on its cover.

By expressing concepts of birth, death, sex and war, Haring's imagery has become a widely recognized visual language of the 20th century.

(TIME Warp) The Untold Gay Story of 'Titanic' revealed 105 Yrs later!

The R.M.S. Titanic continues to remain a heartbreaking emblem of maritime history 105 years after her ill-fated maiden voyage. Now one historian is shedding new light on a considerably less-heralded segment of the tragedy: the ship's gay, or at least presumably gay, passengers.

In an OutHistory.org essay, historian James Gifford offers a scholarly survey on the private life of Archibald Willingham Butt, who served as an influential military aide to U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft prior to his death on the Titanic. Traveling with Butt was his friend Frank D. Millet, an artist who also went down with the ship (the pair, Gifford notes, was berthed separately on the ship).

OVTV: (TIME-Warp) This Week in History: Rove Vs. Wade; LBJ; Victoria; Laugh-In; Mozart!

Highlights of This Week in History: Rove vs. Wade decision; Lyndon Johnson dies; Britain's Queen Victoria dies; The Crucible debuts on Broadway; Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in premieres. Soviet troops liberate concentration camps; Paris peace accords signed, ending Vietnam war; Mozart born.

(TIME-WARP) When Liz Taylor Crashed a Wedding 35 years ago TODAY!

Luke and Laura married on November 17,1981, in a lavish ceremony officiated by the mayor of Port Charles, with hundreds of residents from Port Charles and Beecher's Corners in attendance. However, Mikkos' widow Helena Cassadine (then portrayed by Academy Award winning actress Elizabeth Taylor) arrives. She secretly places a curse on the couple during their reception, as she blames the duo for her husband's death. Later, Scott arrives. After catching Laura's bouquet, he declares he is contesting his divorce. As had occurred at Luke's aborted wedding to Jennifer, the men begin to fight. This time, Luke is the victor.

(TIME-Warp) Remembering the 31st anniversary of the guardianship case of Kowalski vs. Thompson!

Sharon Kowalski lived with her lesbian partner, Karen Thompson, in St. Cloud, Minnesota for about four years. Though Kowalski's parents were not aware of the relationship at the time, the couple had exchanged rings and named one another as insurance policy beneficiaries. On November 13, 1983, Kowalski suffered severe brain injuries in an automobile accident involving a drunk driver. The injuries left Kowalski with permanent physical disabilities, requiring her to remain in a wheelchair, and the mental capacity of a four to six year-old child.

Both Thompson and Sharon Kowalski's father, Donald Kowalski, petitioned to be named Sharon Kowalski's legal guardian in March 1984. With the understanding that she would have visitation rights, Thompson agreed that Donald Kowalski would be named Sharon Kowalski's guardian. The court's guardianship order, however, gave Donald complete control over visitation.

On July 25, 1985, Donald immediately cut off Thompson's visitation rights and moved Sharon from a nursing home near Thompson's home to one further away. Thompson appealed the order, but the appellate court affirmed the order initially, citing testimony by Sharon's family and nursing home staff that Sharon seemed depressed and sad after her visits with Thompson and postulating that it would be in Kowalski's best interest to discontinue visitation with Thompson.

(Time WARP) the GATE turns 79 and Remembering Robin Gibb!

Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to Marin County. It is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the modern Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The Frommers travel guide considers the Golden Gate Bridge "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world. The project was finished by April 1937, $1.3 million under budget.

The bridge was visualized in such film classics as Vertigo, Star Trek IV and  View to a Kill.

The bridge-opening celebration began on May 27, 1937 and lasted for one week. The day before vehicle traffic was allowed, 200,000 people crossed by foot and roller skate. On opening day, Mayor Angelo Rossi and other officials rode the ferry to Marin, then crossed the bridge in a motorcade past three ceremonial "barriers", the last a blockade of beauty queens who required Joseph Strauss to present the bridge to the Highway District before allowing him to pass. An official song, "There's a Silver Moon on the Golden Gate", was chosen to commemorate the event. Strauss wrote a poem that is now on the Golden Gate Bridge entitled "The Mighty Task is Done." The next day, President Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, D.C. signaling the official start of vehicle traffic over the Bridge at noon. When the celebration got out of hand, the SFPD had a small riot in the uptown Polk Gulch area. Weeks of civil and cultural activities called "the Fiesta" followed. A statue of Strauss was moved in 1955 to a site near the bridge.

(Time Warp) THREE YEARS LATER: Same-sex couples now account for 1 in 6 Washington weddings!

Jane  and her partner of 37 years, Pete-e , hold the very first same-sex marriage
 license  issued in King County on December 6, 2012. (Photo: THE SEATTLE TIMES)

This week was the Three-year anniversary of Washington’s same-sex marriage law. To mark the occasion, the state Department of Health has released marriage statistics gathered from the date the law took effect — Dec. 6, 2012 — through the end of September, date of most recent available numbers.

In that time, 7,071 gay couples tied the knot. That’s 17 percent of the total 42,408 new marriages, or one out of six.

(Blank on Blank) Kurt Vonnegut on Man-Eating Lampreys!

"Nothing means anything" - Kurt Vonnegut on November 8, 1970

From the Pacifica Radio Archives

Hear the full, unedited interview plus see Vonnegut's art work, learn secrets of Slaughterhouse-Five, and more nuggets of Vonnegut here: http://blankonblank.org/kurt-vonnegut

In November 1970, Kurt Vonnegut walked into a class room at NYU. He was a guest speaker that day. He’d prepared some handwritten notes on what he wanted to say: there were his thoughts on the art of writing, his childhood, the death of his parents. He jumped from topic to topic as he shuffled through his papers. Sometimes his voice trailed off. He delivered punchlines with perfect timing. The class roared. Listening to this tape, we get to be flies on the wall that day. So take a seat, but your book bag down and enjoy. Here’s Kurt Vonnegut

(SPECIAL) How We Got Gay?

How We Got Gay | Discovery Channel HD Documentary 2015

Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_l59...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HdDocs

(Blank on Blank) Grace Kelly on JFK!

"He turned to me suddenly and asked: 'Is that a Givenchy you're wearing?' And I said, 'why how clever of you, Mr. President. However did you know?'"
- Grace Kelly

Interview by Paul Gallico / JFK Archives
June 19, 1965
Palace of the Principality, Monaco
Reel-to-reel