THIS WAY OUT : THE INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN RADIO MAGAZINE, PROGRAM NO. 729 (March 18, 2002)
THIS WAY OUT the international gay & lesbian radio magazine Program #729. (hosted this week by Greg Gordon and produced with Lucia Chappelle) Program I.D. #02-F72-00011 Rosie's broadcast outing boosts the Florida adoption rights battle; The gay gallows humor of Oscar-winner Alan Ball is found "6 Feet Under"; A Senator's parliamentary slander against a gay High Court judge rocks Australia, Egypt pursues anti-gay prosecutions with a vengeance, Zimbabwe queers are resigned to Mugabe's reelection, U.S. federal funds exclude most gay and lesbian 9/11 victims, and other global GLBT news * In NewsWrap: Liberal Party Senator from New South Wales Bill Heffernan's use of "parliamentary privilege" on the legislative floor to hurl criminal accusations at Australia's openly-gay High Court Judge Michael Kirby rocks politics "Down Under"... the "Damanhour 5" are the latest group of gay men in Egypt to receive 3-years-hard-labor prison sentences for "debauchery"... gays & lesbians have resigned themselves to a fifth presidential term for Robert Mugabe, one of the world's most virulently-outspoken homophobes, following questionable elections in Zimbabwe... final U.S. guidelines for compensation for family victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will likely exclude most gay & lesbian domestic partners because of the federal government's reliance on individual state laws to determine eligibility... the Kansas State Supreme Court voids transwoman J'Noel Gardiner's marriage to a man in a high-profile inheritance case... and other GLBT news from around the world [written by CINDY FRIEDMAN and anchored by CHRISTOPHER GAAL & CINDY FRIEDMAN].(about 10:30) * An especially queer TV week was capped by daytime TV talk show diva and comedic actress ROSIE O'DONNELL's broadcasting the fact that she's a lesbian on ABC-TV's DIANE SAWYER-hosted "PrimeTime Thursday" news magazine. O'Donnell discusses being a lesbian parent and what motivated her to "officially" come out in these brief excerpts from the 2-hour telecast, subtitled "Rosie's Story: For The Sake of The Children". Also included are comments by STEVEN LOFTON & ROGER CROTEAU, whose lawsuit against the state of Florida spurred O'Donnell to action, and Florida Representative RANDY BALL, who defends the state's anti-queer adoption law.(about 4:30) * Undertakers are not the only people who are hooked on the HBO cable series "SIX FEET UNDER". The show's first season ratings surpassed those of both the cable network's highly-acclaimed "The Sopranos" and "Sex in the City", and the outlook for the second season, which began this month, is promising -- if you can say that about a series set in a funeral home. "Six Feet Under" was created and is executive-produced (and often written) by Oscar-winning "American Beauty" screenwriter ALAN BALL, and some of the show's quirky characters are as gay as he is. When Ball sat down for a chat with psychologist, actor and activist CHARLEY LANG, the conversation included analysis of the unique appeal of the hit show, and Ball's own coming out adventures.(about 11:30)