It’s no surprise to me that the two causes I am most passionate about, HIV and addiction -- the two issues that drive my activism -- are both things that my older brother, Richard “Dick” King, cared about first. He showed me the way. May 16th marked the third annual “National Honor Our LGBT Elders [...]
Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto and Jim Parsons star in Broadway's "The Boys in the Band." (Ramona Rosales) Most of playwright Mart Crowley’s bitchy zingers hit their target in the first-ever Broadway production of his 1968 play, The Boys in the Band, that much should be noted. The starry cast, composed of [...]
Torres, second from left, with St Vincent's staff in 1992. The article appeared in New York Magazine in 2008. I remember it quite distinctly. Titled “Another AIDS Casualty” and written by David France, the profile of once-famous New York AIDS physician Dr. Ramon “Gabriel” Torres was a heart-wrenching read. The story outlined a [...]
Mike Signorile has been sharing uncomfortable truths – or, at least, gay culture as he sees it – for a few decades now. I might know something about that. So, it was a pleasure to return to his radio show, now on Sirius XM Channel 127, to discuss my essay for POZ Magazine, “The Truth [...]
It began with a death and a lingering question. After a friend – an advocate who knew what to do to stay alive – died of an AIDS-related cause a few months ago, I was left wondering why. Together with other deaths in the news of people “unexpectedly” dying the same way, it felt like [...]
Theater students at Stoneman Douglas High School with their cache of signed Broadway posters. As a longtime fan of the work of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), the charity that has laser-focused their time and resources on the impact of HIV on New York’s theatrical community, I was incredibly moved by their recent [...]
Edgar Ramirez as Gianni Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace (Jeff Daly/FX) In a new interview, Brad Simpson, a producer of the FX series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, has expressed regret for recent comments that appeared to dismiss modern HIV stigma. Charles Sanchez interviewed Simpson for a piece [...]
Oh, to be a Hollywood producer. High-powered meetings and mimosas. Swimming pools. Movie stars. And as far as the eye can see, not a single person living with HIV experiencing stigma. That’s the candy-colored scenario presented by Brad Simpson, one of the executive producers of the FX series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni [...]
The cast of the original stage production and film version of The Boys in the Band. When I was 15 years old in the mid-1970s, I couldn't wait to attend a local community theater production of The Boys in the Band. I was intrigued by the play's dark and mysterious reputation, and had [...]
Javier Muñoz, Roberta Kaplan, Waheedah Shabazz-El, Nelson Vergel, and David Furnish would all make excellent replacements for disgraced AmFAR Board Chair Kenneth Cole. The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) has been rocked by a scandal this year that involves shoe fashion maven Kenneth Cole, who serves as amfAR Board Chair, and amfAR [...]
