• Healthcare,  Videos

    Conservative seniors organization defends Paul Ryan Medicare plan

    June 17, 2011 /

    A group calling itself the ’60 Plus Association’ is launching a TV ad in June that defends Rep. Paul Ryan’s plans to turn Medicare into a voucher system – though avoiding any of that language in a disarming 30-second spot. When I watched the ad I noticed at the end the voiceover saying future seniors will have a healthcare plan choice “just like members of Congress.” Color me skeptical. From ABC News: ABC News’ Huma Khan reports: The 60 Plus Association, a conservative seniors’ advocacy group, today launched a national television ad campaign today touting Rep. Paul Ryan’s controversial Medicare plan. “The Democrats and Obama are destroying Medicare,” said Jim Martin, chairman of the group that dubs itself as the conservative alternative to the more mainstream seniors’ lobbying group, AARP. “It’s time to put an end to their ‘mediscare’ tactics. The reality is that Medicare in its current form is going to bankrupt our nation.” The 30-second ad heavily features House Budget Committee chairman Ryan and the group will spend $1.4 billion to run the ad on national cable television and local markets in Florida and Ohio.
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  • Events,  Videos

    PBS to air documentary “Out in America”

    June 2, 2011 /

    I’m looking forward to this. We’ll be somewhere in the Caribbean but that’s what DVR is for! On Wednesday June 8, 8:00 pm eastern time, PBS will be airing a documentary titled “Out in America” that highlights different individuals and some couples as they live their out lives in different parts of the country. You can watch their trailer here (it’s set to expire June 30). “OUT in America is an uplifting collection of unique, transformative stories and inspiring personal narratives told through the lens of the country’s most prominent LGBT figures and pioneers, as well as many average, yet extraordinary, citizens from Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities. The program weaves together diverse stories – from urban and rural America, from the heartland to New England, from San Francisco to Harlem. Deeply moving and often humorous, viewers will get a glimpse of awakenings, first crushes, unlikely soul mates, intimacy and liberation. While separated by circumstance and upbringing, the film’s subjects are all united in their shared experiences of self-discovery, coming out, pride and love as well as a triumph over adversity and a true sense of belonging. Against the backdrop of historical events, each also traces their own hopes, struggles, influences and contributions towards advancements in equality and broad social change.”]]>

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  • Videos

    LIVING LEGACIES: Words of appreciation across the generations

    May 27, 2011 /

    One of my regular readers, Shannon, watched the trailer for the movie ‘Gen Silent‘ and was struck by a comment of one of the people in the film that younger people don’t know who these LGBT elders are. She suggested making a series of videos with appreciations from young people, and I said have at it! This is her video. I’m hoping there will be more, and I intend to do one of my own. Considering that it was the gay men in my life, not my father, who taught me to be a man, the least I can do is say thank you, you are remembered in the present, past and future. These will be posted here at lgbtsr.com. If you’d like to contribute contact me at lgbtsr@gmail.com. – Mark McNease]]>

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  • Videos

    Gerry Hoose, Stonewall veteran, discusses first NY Pride march and SAGE

    May 25, 2011 /

    This came over in an email from SAGE. Gerry Hoose was one of the people there that night in 1969 at the Stonewall bar. He provides a glimpse into what it was like then for LGBT people, and what we should never forget. He was also a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front – something I remember reading about in my own gay youth in Indiana when I searched for proof I wasn’t alone.]]>

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  • Videos

    Rick's Travelicious: An introduction

    May 19, 2011 /

    This is an introductory clip with Rick Rose, who’ll be writing Rick’s Travelicious for the site. Rick manages to travel about as much as anyone I’ve known (and I’ve known him since the late 1980s). I believe his energy, humor, experience as a traveler and a travel writer (Discover Wisconsin just a prime example), will add a fun and welcome element to lgbtSr.com. So here we are, saying hello from my Manhattan apartment, looking forward to the first of many of Rick’s travel postcards. You can read Rick’s bio here.]]>

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  • Interviews,  Videos

    INTERVIEW: Rev. Pat Bumgardner – MCC New York

    May 4, 2011 /

    I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my true inspirations, Rev. Pat Bumgardner from Metropolitan Community Church of New York (MCC New York). I first heard Rev. Pat on a Sunday morning fifteen or so years ago, and the power of her sermons, with their clear social justice message and their profound inclusion, which is something you feel immediately at this church, has kept me coming back ever since. She’s a safe space unto herself, and it was a privilege to get some time to talk with her.]]>

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  • Videos

    61 years and still waiting to marry

    May 4, 2011 /

    My partner Frank and I live in New York. While I’d be happy to make the short trip to Greenwich, CT, to get married, Frank’s among the many who want to wait until we can do it in the state in which we live. So . . . here’s a video making the rounds of a charming, devoted couple who’ve been together for 61 years and are still waiting for that trip to the courthouse in their home state. Governor Cuomo thinks he can make it happen, I’ll reserve judgment.]]>

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  • Events,  Videos

    'Gen Silent' documentary highlights plight of LGBT elderly

    May 3, 2011 /

    “What would you do if you were old, disabled or ill – and the person feeding you put down the spoon and explained that you are going to hell unless you change your sexual orientation? Sound absurd? According to social workers, it’s happening every day. Gen Silent is the new LGBT documentary from award-winning director and documentary filmmaker Stu Maddux (Bob and Jack’s 52-Year Adventure, Trip to Hell and Back) that asks six LGBT seniors if they will hide their lives to survive in the care system.” The above quote is from the ‘about‘ section for what promises to be a searing documentary on the plight of elderly LGBT people. This is a population largely forgotten. It’s easy to think that if we’re lucky we get old, but for LGBT seniors that luck can run out. Mistreatment, neglect, rejection and fear are forcing many of our elders to retreat back into the closet for their own safety and survival. ‘Gen Silent’ is showing at the Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival in Alberta, Canada, and is being screened in various locations around the country. I haven’t seen it yet but plan to as soon as possible. More on it when I do.]]>

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  • Cathy's Wealth of Health,  Videos

    A Wealth of Health with Cathy (introductory video)

    May 2, 2011 /

    This is an introductory video with Cathy McNease, who’ll be writing a regular column on health and well-being for those over-50 (this site’s audience). Cathy is my sister and she’s been in the field of Chinese medicine and herbology for four decades. Cathy is a nationally certified herbalist with a Diplomate in Chinese Herbology from the NCCAOM, a B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Western Michigan University and two Master Herbalist certificates from Emerson College of Herbology in Canada and East-West Course of Herbology in Santa Cruz. You can read her full biography on the left sidebar. I’m thrilled to have Cathy as a contributor to lgbtSr. She knows her stuff, and has been a trusted resource for me for many years, and a friend for life. Well, at least since I was adopted at the age of two and she rode in the car with me from Mississippi to Indiana. The journey comes full circle.]]>

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