Under Mormon Pressure, Utah Pride Disinvites JoeMyGod As Grand Marshal

By Tony Adams

A gay travel website announced that Utah Pride would have two grand marshals for its 2013 Pride celebration: out gay soccer player, David Testo and gay activist/megablogger Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod.com. While researching an article for the 2013 annual Pride magazine, I noticed that Utah Pride made no mention of Jervis in its announcement of Testo as grand marshal. I contacted Valerie Larabee, Executive Director of Utah Pride Center, for an explanation. She did not mince words in her expression of disappointment about the deliberate disinvitation of Jervis.

Larabee began her explanation by grounding the disinvitation within the context of a community in which the Mormons hold much power. When I asked her how that power could possibly influence decisions made by a gay pride organization, she explained that there are two groups of Utah gays who come from the Mormon tradition: those who broke away from it wholeheartedly and those who are trying to somehow remain reconciled with their Mormon heritage even though it denigrates the essential elements of their lives and works energetically to deny them equality. (I assured her that Mormon gays are not alone in those descriptions. The same division may be applied to gays in other religions.) Larabee explained that one young gay man who is on the board of directors of her organization fought against having Jervis as grand marshal. He put forth, as motivation for his demand that the invitation be revoked, his contention that JoeMyGod.com is an insult to Mormons and that he was concerned about his Mormon friends.

Macbeth

The National Theater of Scotland's production of "Macbeth" at Ethel Barrymore Theatre, May 20, 2013

Posted by Mondschein

Alan Cumming returns to the Great White Way, reprising his one-man production of the Scottish Play following last summer's visit during the Lincoln Center Festival.

Under the direction of Once director John Tiffany and Andrew Goldberg, it's another riff on Marat/Sade with inmates putting on the play.  Mr. Cumming appears to have arrived after an undisclosed traumatic event, bloodied and confused.  His caretakers (Jenny Sterlin and Brendan Titley) tend his wounds, collect his clothes and tissue from a cheek swab and under his fingernails.  It's something of a next step compared to the 2008 Broadway revival with Patrick Stewart perhaps, but I'm equally unconvinced of this concept as well.

A Rally In NYC Tonight Calls For An End To Violence Against Gays

Sotto 13 For Italian Tapas And Pizza In The West Village

Rushing about town, we had one of those New York days packed with parades and food festivals and community gardens in Spring bloom. The zigzagging finally and mercifully ended with dinner at just the right restaurant for two weary flâneurs.

Sotto 13 opened last Thanksgiving and has acquired a huge following for its weekend brunches featuring NYC's first ever do-it-yourself prosecco bar, but I was curious to see what their chef (previously with Cipriani) delivers in the evening.

The dinner menu is well focused: pizza, salad and an array of small tapas-style plates that are made savory with good use of sea salt and pungent cheeses. We selected six tapas plates and didn't regret any of them. I was particularly delighted with the Burrata and Roasted Peppers in Basil Oil. Burrata—served fresh—is a white Italian cheese confection with an exterior of mozzarella containing a cream center. Like a maiden calling out to suitors, burrata seeks flavor and color. The red and yellow peppers and the generous shredded basil supplied both. The Fig Jam, Prosciutto and Gorgonzola Crostini delivered the anticipated argument of sweet and salty. I let my husband scoop up the last one on the plate only because the Grilled Octopus with Fingerling Potato, Pesto, Scallions and Capers had arrived. Using pesto on octopus is something I would not have thought of. I can't wait to try this at home. The capers and scallions sharpened the composition perfectly.

We shared two desserts and they were heavenly: the chocolate ganache and the pear strudel.

The chairs were comfortable, the decibels humane, the table arrangement gracious, the decor refined and understated, the atmosphere casually elegant and the service attentive but never intrusive—allegro ma non troppo—which is not easy to achieve when you are delivering plates of tapas. For us, the six dishes and dessert were plenty, but all around us, others were receiving intriguing pizzas that will be tried when next we visit.

Sotto13 is at 140 W13th Street. Make reservations. 212 647 1001

Free Summer Movies in NYC

Here is the list with dates and locations.

Central Park Lilacs