2007 Austin Gay Pride
|
At 10, Fringe still features plenty of queer performance
Hundreds of avant-garde artists will gather in the City of Brotherly Love to perform in the annual Philly Fringe and Live Arts Festival, a two-in-one venue for raw performance art (Fringe) and work a little more cooked (Live Arts). The event, in its 10th year, runs through Sept. 16. Founded in 1997, the festivals were created to provide a home to dance performance, spoken word, theater and other art forms straying too far from the mainstream. And while the events have gained sponsorship and mainstream appeal over the years, they remain true to their independent spirit by defying convention and welcoming underground artists who raise skeptical eyebrows elsewhere. A host of GLBT performers are presenting work in the Fringe and Live Arts Festival, but no need to thumb through the splashy booklet.
Atlanta Black Pride board member points fingers at AIDS groups
A week before Atlanta's Black Gay Pride is set to begin, a pride board member blasted city AIDS groups for not doing enough to curb infection among African-American gay men. In an angry e-mail to the Southern Voice newspaper, gay pride board member Greg Smith accused Atlanta AIDS organizations of not spending enough money to combat the disease. "The African-American AIDS issue is so trendy now," Smith wrote. AIDS groups, he said "talk HIV case data, advocate for funds, then get the money and do nothing...." Organizations "that give $50 or have millions and give $1,000 should be ashamed of themselves," he added. Smith, who didn't name specific AIDS organization in his e-mail, also blasted the groups for not financially assisting In the Life Atlanta, the organizer of Black Gay Pride, in putting the pride event together.
|
