Joe Openshaw, author of "Those Others" comes to Stonewall Live, Thursday, Aug 4 9PM EST

Joe Openshaw, Author of “Those Others; Navigating the Riddle of Homosexuality in 1965”, comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday August 4, 9PM EST

The year is 1965. Eighteen year old Michael, a recent high school graduate, is sent to Washington DC from rural Tennessee to find direction for his life.
He finds direction, but as he tells the Senator, “I have been pulled in a direction that I knew nothing about, and it is not where I want to go. I can’t.”

Between January 31 and February 4, 1965 a series of articles regarding homosexuality was published in The Washington Post. The articles dealt with homosexuality from many aspects, including the social, medical, psychiatric, employment, legal and religious aspects. Most likely this was the first publication in the mainstream media that presented homosexuality in what at the time could be a fair and balanced way.
Michael is forced to deal with issues regarding his sexuality, and he uses the information in the newspaper articles to further his understanding. But the misinformation of the times also leads to confusion.

Those Others is part novel and part history. It’s a window into mid-century LGBT life. The book by Joe Openshaw follows Michael, a young, all-American male from Tennessee, who is unable to get a college athletic scholarship or join the military due to his asthma. He goes to work for a family friend, now a Senator himself closeted who introduces Michael to the articles.

Join me on Thursday, August 4 9PM as Dr. Joe Openshaw comes to Stonewall Live! for an interesting interview you won’t want to miss. www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Jason Stuart, actor, comedian and author comes to Stonewall Live!, July 28 9PM EST

Join me this Thursday, July 28, 9PM EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive as I welcome Jason Stuart for what will be a memorable and hilarious show.

Star of the iconic movie, "10 Attitudes" and now the DVD, "Making to the Middle" Jason Stuart is one of our treasures and you won't want to miss this great internet radio broadcast.

To see him in action click here



Join me Thurs, July 28th, 9PM EST www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive







Jason Stuart, a gay comedian with appearances on popular shows such as It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Closer, and an upcoming cameo on HBO’s Entourage, talks with The Advocate about the role sexuality plays in comedy, how his youth as a bullied LGBT teen ultimately helped his career, and why he wants to raise children with Ricky Martin. Stuart is currently the national co-chair of the LGBT Committee for the Screen Actors’ Guild and can be seen in the upcoming thriller Home Invasion.

Alex Sanchez, acclaimed author of Young Adult LGBT books comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, June 16, 9PM EST

Alex Sanchez has blazed a trail in YA fiction with honest, fresh and matter-of-fact portrayals of American gay teenagers. His début novel Rainbow Boys (2003) was selected as a "Best Book for Young Adults" by the American Library Association. His subsequent novels have been bestowed with the Myers Outstanding Book Award (Getting It, 2006) and the Florida Book Award Gold Medal (Bait, 2009).

While attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remain a polarizing force in the adult world—California's Prop 8 and the Pentagon review of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' for example, young people increasingly accept teenagers declaring themselves gay, starting Gay/Straight Alliance clubs and attending prom with same-sex dates as benign, inspirational or even commonplace events. Accordingly, YA has changed, broadened to include an LGBT fiction niche, and seen a squall of critically-acclaimed publications such as Peter Cameron's Some Day This Pain Will Be Useful To You (2007), Brent Hartinger's Geography Club (2003) and Leanne Lieberman's Gravity (2008).

With seven books published in as many years, Sanchez stands out as a singularly steady YA voice, and his books have become a sort of anthology of the contemporary gay teen experience. Coming out, with all its internal and external challenges, is his standby theme, but his stories reach beyond into many topics – dating, divorce, AIDS scares, which have resonated for young readers, gay and non-gay, for nearly a decade. For older readers, there's the added draw of the subversive. Imagine Judy Blume with all the main characters gay and a sprinkling of non-gay characters on the periphery.

Join me Thursday, June 16 9PM EST www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

April Claxton Comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday, June 9, 9PM EST

Stonewall Live! Welcomes April Claxton, Thursday, June 9 9PM EST

April Claxton is the author of 3 books, The Movement Within: 8 Steps To Ignite The Movement Within You, The Power of Self Love: A Mini Book and the highly praised children's book Goodnight Just The Same, as well as many inspirational messages available on “The Movement Within Face Book Page” Through writing, one of her biggest passions, April encourages, inspires and motivates adults and children to discover their value and necessity of Self. She enjoys speaking to adults but her heart truly opens with her younger audiences. As a victim of childhood emotional and physical abuse, Claxton strongly believes in and promotes the power and necessity of positivity within a child’s life.

“Goodnight Just The Same,” is a book whose time had come to be written. There are families across the globe that no longer fit the “normal” stereotype of what a family is. This book teaches us that every family structure is “normal.” We have step-mommies and step-daddies. We have no mommies and no daddies. We also have two mommies and two daddies. Some of us only have one mommy, daddy or grandparent to raise us. No matter what the structure of your family is, it is important to note that a family is a family as long as it comes from love. It is about the feelings we feel when we go to sleep so that we have better feelings when we awake. To the moon every family is tucked in Just The Same. What people are saying: “It will help any child of any age go to bed and wake up feeling like they’re loved.”

Denny Hamann, author of "Purple Grass" comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday, June 2, 9PM EST

Denny Hamann, author, playwright and composer comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday, June 2, 9PM EST

The multi talented Denny Hamann, author of recently published “Purple Grass” will be my guest on Thursday, June 2, 9PM EST.

It is a lot harder being different than it is being like everyone else and I am sure most gay men have gone through a period of feeling that being different meant that we don’t belong. We were like lost sheep eating in a pasture with other who were all the same.
“In Purple Grass, we have a little lamb and in his flock everyone eats green grass. No one is to like, must less eat, purple grass. In fact, it was considered a sin to like purple grass. Our little lamb is an outcast and when he gets lost, he finds himself in darkness. Hamann shows we are all like that little lamb. However the lamb and gay men share something—they both know who they are and even though neither of us is accepted, we find a way to come to terms. We must both agree, though, that being different is very hard. We have to fight for what should be ours and have a hard time understanding why it is not.” –Amos Lassen

Dr. Hamann, also a veterinarian, is also the composer of several musicals that have been performed around the country. We’ll talk to him about “Dream Catcher”, the story of an 8-year-old boy living with HIV who is told he has no future. We’ll hear about his new projects as well as how he lives and works in this incredibly productive environment.

For more information on Denny Hamann please go to www.flyingpegasus.com



www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive Thurs, June 2, 9PM EST

DJ Frank Wild comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, May 26th 9PM EST

DJ Frank Wild comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, May 26 9PM EST

It seems these days, any guy or girl with a headset, mixer and an iPod can call him- or herself a DJ.

But there is more to being a star DJ than just hitting the play button on a stereo. You need to be a master in track selection, own technical skills, spark creativity, be consistent, and most important: You have to be able to pack a dance floor. Frank Wild has picked them, blasted them, packed them and had fun all the way.

Born in New York City, international DJ Frank Wild now splits his time between his home-bases of San Francisco and Berlin.

Frank's music creates an ambiance combining uplifting energy with a dark and nasty side; he's known for creating a total experience that keeps both your brain and your body moving. Club-goers in San Francisco have singled out Frank by voting him one of their city's top DJs. One of his devotees says: "Frank Wild ..... nothing but great energy pumps out of the speakers coercing me to stay on the dancefloor." For more information about Frank, please go to www.djfrankwild.com

DJ’s like Frank have become the leaders of our anthems, our voices and our energy. Come join me on Thursday, May 26th at 9PM EST as I welcome DJ Frank Wild to Stonewall Live!

www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Filmmaker Nils Taranger Comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, May 12, 9PM EST

Nils Taranger holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Film Production from the University of Central Florida, and is currently pursuing his MFA at UCF in the same field. He has written, directed, and/or produced several short films at UCF, including Broken Records, which played at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2010, and Castle Otttis, a personal coming-out documentary that played internationally.


In German Romanticism, the blue flower represents the quest for the impossible, since blue flowers are not supposed to exist.
A BLUE FLOWER is a documentary film following the lives of two individuals who are on a quest to cure their disease - one following conventional medicine, the other using alternative treatments. The film will be observational in nature, and will seek to compare and contrast the two journeys through interwoven storylines.
This is not a film about science versus quackery, or faith versus reason. This is the story of two journeys towards one hope: that a blue flower exists.

Please join me Thursday, May 12th 9PM EST as I welcome Nils Taranger to Stonewall Live! Call in with your comments of questions at 805-830-8355

Stonewall Live!: Gary Konecky, Interfaith Minister and Blogger Come...

Stonewall Live!: Gary Konecky, Interfaith Minister and Blogger Come...: "On Thursday, May 5 2011, 9PM EST Stonewall Live! Welcomes Gary Konecky for a stimulating interview on religion, gay life, and Israel. Gary..."

Gary Konecky, Interfaith Minister and Blogger Comes to Stonewall Live!

On Thursday, May 5 2011, 9PM EST Stonewall Live! Welcomes Gary Konecky for a stimulating interview on religion, gay life, and Israel. Gary is an interfaith (non-denominational) minister based in New Jersey and has written about sexual orientation and religion as well as offering ministerial services in the Newark area.

Gary’s writings range from man’s relationship with organized religion, as well as our personal relationship with G-d.

Some quotes from Gary Konecky;

“Yet, none of this has to be and I do not believe this to be the will of G-d. All too often, religion serves not to being us closer to G-d, but to drive us away from G-d. All too often, instead of being about love and hope, organized religion tries to take that love and hope away. There is nothing meaner, nothing crueler, nothing more hurtful than to take away someone's hope and to teach someone that G-d does not love them.”

“No matter who you are, there is a loving G-d who created you and who loves you. The purpose of this website is to bring you closer to your Maker, and to help you to know that the G-d who created you loves you.”

For more information on Gary visit his website http://lovingministeries.webs.com

Please join me Thursday, May 5, 2011 9PM EST at www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Ruben Rosario Film Critic comes to Stonewall Live April 28 04/28 by StonewallLive | Blog Talk Radio

Ruben Rosario Film Critic comes to Stonewall Live April 28 04/28 by StonewallLive | Blog Talk Radio

Ruben Rosario, Miami Film Critic Comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday, April 28, 9PM EST

Ruben Rosario, Thursday, April 28, 9PM EST Stonewall Live!
Love Films? In a quandry of what to see this weekend? Look no further than the words of Ruben Rosario, Miami film critic whose review appear in many South Florida papers and online reports.
Ruben, a native of Puerto Rico, has made the study of film, especially from independent sources, come alive with his reviews. He is a long time supporter of the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and his reviews can be read in the SunPost Weekly distributed in Miami and SunPostWeekly.com

Have a favorite movie to discuss with Ruben? Want to know why foreign movies are so... well foreign? We'll have our call in line open and interactive chat working on Thursday, April 28 9PM EST www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Martin Wilson, Award Winning Author of "What They Always Tell Us", Comes To Stonewall Live! Thursday, April 21, 9PM EST

Select a book at random from your bookshop's young-adult section and, if it's not a Harry Potter look-alike, chances are very, very good that it will be some take on a girl falling in love with a boy — a staple trope of YA literature. Harder to find but increasing in number, thankfully, are tales of first love among lesbians. And then there's the rarest genre of them all: love stories about two teenage boys.

What They Always Tell Us, the debut novel from Vanderbilt graduate Martin Wilson, is a welcome contribution to the final category. The romance here is wrapped in an authentic portrayal of contemporary, upper-middle-class teenage life, and in its portrait of two brothers, the novel also offers an uplifting look at the challenges to — and triumphs of — family loyalty.
Set in the author's hometown of Tuscaloosa, Ala., What They Always Tell Us opens in a bleak season for high-school junior Alex Donaldson, who drank Pine-Sol in a confused, depressed and inebriated moment at a back-to-school party and has been a pariah among his peers ever since. Alex was drifting away from his buddies — a frankly loathsome group of privileged and insensitive teens — even before the incident, but now he finds himself thoroughly cast out, the object of their whispers and mean laughter. Everybody else at school gives him a wide berth, too, including his older brother, James, a smart and popular tennis player who feels betrayed and angered by his brother's mistake.

Join me on Thursday, April 21, 9PM EST www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Jonathan D. Lovitz, star of Logo-TV's "Set Up Squad" Comes to Stonewall Live! Monday, April 11 10AM EST

(No this isn’t the SNL actor) With an extensive stage resume and Broadway chops, Jonathan D. Lovitz is now appearing on Logo –TV’s “Set Up Squad”. The reality show gives clients a crash dating makeover, transforming them from 'shabby & shy' to 'chic & confident'. Then they provide a real shot at love, breaking the ice for them in social settings. But -- what happens when our sexy "wing man” spends too much time focused on helping and finding love for others and not enough time on his own life? Find out in this highly charged reality series combining the most sizzling parts of dating shows with the juiciest elements of work place dramas. The show airs on LOGO-TV Monday nights. Check your local listings for times and dates.

Recently, Jonathan gained notoriety in the civil rights arena for gay marriage when he objected to being called for jury duty on the basis of inequality. “I raised my hand and said, ‘Since I can’t get married or adopt a child in the state of New York, I can’t possibly be an impartial judge of a citizen when I am considered a second class citizen in the eyes of the justice system.” He was dismissed from jury duty and the trend has continued with blogger Justin Luke calling for all gays to stand up for our rights and “Jury Block”.

Tune in Monday, April 11, 10AM EST when we talk to actor, model, singer and newly minted civil rights activist Jonathan D. Lovitz on Stonewall Live! For more information about Jonathan visit his website at www.jonathandlovitz.com

Emmanuel Ray, Great Britain's New "IT" Boy comes to Stonewall Live!! Thursday, April 14th

Join me on Thursday, April 14th, 4PM EST (US) 9PM (UK time) when Emmanuel Ray comes to Stonewall Live! From the streets of Sri Lanka to the salons of Mayfair Emmanuel Ray’s story will captivate you from the first moment you hear him.

Presenter & journalist Emmanuel Ray focuses on fashion, arts, culture and entertainment and was named Britain's First It Boy by the BBC, he is also known as The Working Socialite.

Emmanuel Ray has presented for the World Fashion Channel, was credited the best presenter to report on fashion by Fashion TV's UK Country Head Amanda Rudin and named the Godfather of the Fashion Industry by Hello Magazine's Emily Johnston. His ability to stand up for, defend and help those who're being used and abused in the industry and his interest in helping and promoting up & coming talent in the industry is what prompted Emily to allocate him this accolade!

Emmanuel's story of going from being a child growing up in extreme poverty in war-torn Sri Lanka to becoming a London socialite and style icon is the subject of a documentary film to be made by British film director Nirpal Bhogal. The young Emmanuel grew up in the slums and shanty towns in the outskirts of Colombo, while attending school with a scholarship, looking after his siblings and selling snacks on the beach. He was spotted by a German photographer who took pictures of him to be featured in an exhibition focused on the beauty of youth. A rather risqué photo shoot (for which Emmanuel is alleged to have forged his birth certificate!) with Russian photographer Alex Bego. The rest is history!

This will be the radio show’s first international interview and BlogTalk Radio makes it happen world wide in real time.

Diary of an It Boy, Emmanuel Ray's sassy new column is being tipped as London's answer to Sex & The City and appears in various publications both print and on line. From celebrity gossip to London life, the glittering social scene to his very own complicated life, Emmanuel Ray laid it all bare (which is nothing new to him, if the pictures from the latter part of his modeling career are anything to go by!) and did a tell-all interview on Trevor Blackman's Hot Seat on Break London Radio in March '11.

Honest and outspoken, he accepted his life was a drug orgy and alcohol ridden cess pit before he met model & designer fragrance promoter Marcel Nagajek and fell in love. The latter forced him to turn his life around, successfully battle his addiction and work towards his goal, which he has now achieved. Emmanuel Ray has been homeless twice and has attempted suicide 3 times. This does not count the 4 other near death experieces he's had and one thinks that this boy was put on earth for a reason. To entertain us, of course!

Emmanuel Ray's thirst for success and hunger for perfection keeps him going. The flamboyant socialite was offered his show on the spot, during his Break London interview. Radio producer Trevor Blackman is said to have been impressed by his charisma and on air presence and Emmanuel Ray denies swearing and yelling at a journalist who suggestively asked what he had to do to get the show!
(photo credit Robert Player)

Eva Kraus comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday, April 7th 9PM EST

"I am the girl that no one ever saw. I am the girl that lied to myself for decades. I am the girl that only a few have come to know and appreciate. I am the girl with good friends and family yet who is on a journey alone. I am the girl with love in my heart that sometimes is broken with pain. I am the girl who is loyal, compassionate and commited. I am the girl with so much to give and few to give it to.. I am the girl that is tired of the daily struggles of being true to herself. I am the girl that still remains unseen for all that she is.
I have many blessings in a sister I couldn't be closer with. I have a daughter who has become my best friend I am the proudest grandparent of a beautiful 5 year old girl.
So after all of this, I am ok."



Eva Kraus is a 52 year-old woman with a male past. She spent the first 47 years of her life as the father of three grown daughters, serving 12 years in the U.S. military and climbing the corporate ladder in the finance business to become a senior executive in the automotive lending business. Since her transition, Eva found a second career in the beauty industry as an aesthetician and manicurist. She is in the process of starting up her own cosmetics and day spa business. Eva lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts with her partner of 2 years. I found Eva on Facebook where her ‘Notes’ have been attracting attention with laughs and raised eyebrows. Entries such as “Somebody is one pissed off Trans Chick!” that deals with her online conversation with a gay male who doesn’t quite ‘get it’ yet. Tune in and you will hear more about that rant! Besides working on her job making the world even more beautiful, she an active member of SpeakOut Boston, a LGBT speaker’s bureau that goes to schools, businesses, churches to tell our personal stories and answer questions. This will be a frank discussion (Not Safe For Work NSFW) so grab a drink, kick off your shoes and tune in on Thursday, April 7th, 9PM EST when Eva Kraus comes to Stonewall Live!

Eva Kraus comes to Stonewall Live! Thursday, April 7th 9PM EST

"I am the girl that no one ever saw. I am the girl that lied to myself for decades. I am the girl that only a few have come to know and appreciate. I am the girl with good friends and family yet who is on a journey alone. I am the girl with love in my heart that sometimes is broken with pain. I am the girl who is loyal, compassionate and commited. I am the girl with so much to give and few to give it to.. I am the girl that is tired of the daily struggles of being true to herself. I am the girl that still remains unseen for all that she is.
I have many blessings in a sister I couldn't be closer with. I have a daughter who has become my best friend I am the proudest grandparent of a beautiful 5 year old girl.
So after all of this, I am ok."



Eva Kraus is a 52 year-old woman with a male past. She spent the first 47 years of her life as the father of three grown daughters, serving 12 years in the U.S. military and climbing the corporate ladder in the finance business to become a senior executive in the automotive lending business. Since her transition, Eva found a second career in the beauty industry as an aesthetician and manicurist. She is in the process of starting up her own cosmetics and day spa business. Eva lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts with her partner of 2 years. I found Eva on Facebook where her ‘Notes’ have been attracting attention with laughs and raised eyebrows. Entries such as “Somebody is one pissed off Trans Chick!” that deals with her online conversation with a gay male who doesn’t quite ‘get it’ yet. Tune in and you will hear more about that rant! Besides working on her job making the world even more beautiful, she an active member of SpeakOut Boston, a LGBT speaker’s bureau that goes to schools, businesses, churches to tell our personal stories and answer questions. This will be a frank discussion (Not Safe For Work NSFW) so grab a drink, kick off your shoes and tune in on Thursday, April 7th, 9PM EST when Eva Kraus comes to Stonewall Live!

Join me Sunday Night as I broadcast "Voices of Pride" from Pridefest 2011, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 9PM EST March 13th

I'll be walking around Pridefest 2011 this Saturday and Sunday, Mar 12 and 13th from noon to 3 PM to record impresstions of "Voices of Pride". Pridefest takes place every early spring in Ft. Lauderdale and this year will be at Jaco Pastorius Park, 4000 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park, FL.

I'll rebroadcast the edited interviews on Sunday Night, March 13th 9PM EST on

Stop me, Come by the Stonewall Library Museum Archive Booth and tell me your impressions of Pridefest.

www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Reichen Lehmkuhl, author of "Here's What We'll Say, Growing up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force Academy" Thurs March 10, 9PM EST

"Here's What We'll Say" is a book, based on a true
story, exposing a culture of hatred, division,
humiliation, and death at our United States Service
Academies. Read about a group of young men
and women who found themselves forced into the
reality of living among a secret underground
society, by the age of 18. Find out why and how
cadets who are attending your United States
Service academies are coping with the continued
ban on the open and honest military service of gay
people.

Why did Reichen have "Here's what we'll say"
inscribed on the inside of his air force academy
class ring? Why did numerous others do the
same?

Each and every day, your tax dollars fund the
operations of the United States Air Force
Academy; training young men and women to join
the most elite fighting force in the world: your
United States Air Force. Those same tax dollars
are thrown away on a daily basis with the ruthless
hunting and expulsion of young people who have
trained and served honorably. Cadets who
actually make it through the Air Force Academy
succeed through a training program that they may
have once thought impossible to complete.

Read the gripping, revolutionary, and shocking
story of a group of cadets who faced struggles far
beyond that of following orders and making it,
safely, to graduation day.

Join me on Thursday, March 10, 2011 @9PM EST
www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Brian Katcher, Winner of Stonewall Book award for Youth for "Almost Perfect" comes to Stonewall Live! March 3, 9PM EST

Winner of the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.
Almost Perfect was listed by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2010.
A Capitol Choice Noteworthy Book for 2010
A Lambda Award nominee, 2010
A 2011 TAYSHASH (Texas) Reading List Book


After a painful breakup with the only girl he ever loved, senior Logan Witherspoon is gun-shy when it comes to romance. New girl Sage, however, makes him reconsider, even though she makes it clear early on that she can’t offer anything more than friendship, and even though her parents keep her under strange and severe strictures. When Logan and Sage find their attraction rising, she tells him her secret: she was born male. Katcher, author of Playing With Matches, manages a delicate balance here: Sage is utterly credible and utterly sympathetic, but so are Logan’s shock and reservations. His narration explores the emotional issues—does this mean he’s gay? Can he face his small Missouri town if people know?—while the story conveys the daunting details of Sage’s everyday realities, such as going to great lengths to avoid showing her driver’s license, which classifies her as male. Though the book is programmatic at times and gives Logan too much responsibility for Sage’s well-being and identity, this is a solid, reality-based exploration of transgender issues and the possibly insurmountable task of facing them as a teenager in a small town. While transgender readers will find support here, the book’s focus on a bystander broadens the book’s credence, and the message of acceptance is thoughtfully conveyed.

From School Library Journal, December, 2009 edition
A small-town Missouri boy’s world is rocked when he falls for the new girl at school, and she eventually confesses that she is a biological male. Logan’s world is small, as is his mind at first, but throughout the book he grows to accept and love Sage for who-not what-she is. This remarkable book takes a hard look at the difficulties and pain experienced by young male-to-female transsexuals from an easily relatable perspective, as Julie Ann Peters did in Luna. Logan is a conservative 18-year-old Everyman whose generic voice isn’t-and doesn’t need to be-anything special; although readers follow his growth; it is Sage’s story that is truly important. A remarkably “clean” book dealing with sexuality and identity, this is neither preachy nor didactic while directly challenging prejudice and intolerance. With realistic characters and situations, it is a first purchase for all high school collections, and could easily be given to middle school readers who are undaunted by its length.

Join me on Thurs, March 3 9PM EST at as I welcome Brian Katcher for what I know will be a fantastic interview. www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Brian Katcher, Winner of Stonewall Book award for Youth for "Almost Perfect" comes to Stonewall Live! March 3, 9PM EST

Winner of the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.
Almost Perfect was listed by the American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2010.
A Capitol Choice Noteworthy Book for 2010
A Lambda Award nominee, 2010
A 2011 TAYSHASH (Texas) Reading List Book


After a painful breakup with the only girl he ever loved, senior Logan Witherspoon is gun-shy when it comes to romance. New girl Sage, however, makes him reconsider, even though she makes it clear early on that she can’t offer anything more than friendship, and even though her parents keep her under strange and severe strictures. When Logan and Sage find their attraction rising, she tells him her secret: she was born male. Katcher, author of Playing With Matches, manages a delicate balance here: Sage is utterly credible and utterly sympathetic, but so are Logan’s shock and reservations. His narration explores the emotional issues—does this mean he’s gay? Can he face his small Missouri town if people know?—while the story conveys the daunting details of Sage’s everyday realities, such as going to great lengths to avoid showing her driver’s license, which classifies her as male. Though the book is programmatic at times and gives Logan too much responsibility for Sage’s well-being and identity, this is a solid, reality-based exploration of transgender issues and the possibly insurmountable task of facing them as a teenager in a small town. While transgender readers will find support here, the book’s focus on a bystander broadens the book’s credence, and the message of acceptance is thoughtfully conveyed.

From School Library Journal, December, 2009 edition
A small-town Missouri boy’s world is rocked when he falls for the new girl at school, and she eventually confesses that she is a biological male. Logan’s world is small, as is his mind at first, but throughout the book he grows to accept and love Sage for who-not what-she is. This remarkable book takes a hard look at the difficulties and pain experienced by young male-to-female transsexuals from an easily relatable perspective, as Julie Ann Peters did in Luna. Logan is a conservative 18-year-old Everyman whose generic voice isn’t-and doesn’t need to be-anything special; although readers follow his growth; it is Sage’s story that is truly important. A remarkably “clean” book dealing with sexuality and identity, this is neither preachy nor didactic while directly challenging prejudice and intolerance. With realistic characters and situations, it is a first purchase for all high school collections, and could easily be given to middle school readers who are undaunted by its length.

Join me on Thurs, March 3 9PM EST at as I welcome Brian Katcher for what I know will be a fantastic interview.

Sean Strub, social justice activist and founder of POZ magazine comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs February 24th @9PM

The man who in 1991 was one of the AIDS activist that put a condom over then-US Senator Jesse Helms’ suburban Washington, DC home will be my guest next Thurs, February 24th. While this is probably not Sean Strub’s most noted life achievement, it is one that demonstrates the dedication and creativity.

Sean Strub is a longtime social justice activist, the founder of POZ Magazine (poz.com) and senior advisor to the Center for HIV Law & Policy's Positive Justice Project (hivlawandpolicy.com), combating HIV criminalization. Strub has been living with HIV for more than 30 years and serves on the board of directors of the North American regional affiliate of the Global Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS (GNP+). He has been particularly outspoken in his promotion of the people with HIV empowerment movement, advocating for better education about and access to post-exposure prophylaxis and combating HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

He is also the founder of several other magazines and websites, besides POZ magazine. POZ en Español, (for people impacted by HIV/AIDS), Mamm (for women impacted by breast cancer), Real Health (an African-American health magazine) and Milford Magazine (a regional title distributed in the Delaware River Highlands area of northeast Pennsylvania).

POZ magazine is widely distributed in the gay and straight community and has been a voice of reason and honesty when the stigma of HIV/AIDS created outspoken fear and irrational behavior from schoolyards to the White House. His voice, through the magazine was the shining beacon for those infected and affected by the virus. Rarely does one man have that effect on an issue.

Please join me Thursday, February 24 @9PM EST when Sean Strub comes to Stonewall Live! www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Thursday, February 17th 9PM EST Justin Spring, author of "Secret Historian, The Life And Times of Sam Steward" comes to Stonewall Live!

What do Gertrude Stein, International Mr. Leather, Alfred Kinsey, Rudolf Valentino, and the birth of Gay Erotica have in common? They were all deeply influenced by a man named Sam Steward and next Thurs, Feb 17th we'll talk with Justin Spring, his biographer. Professor, Tattoo Artist, Sexual Renegade... Sam Steward 9PM EST 2/17/11 www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Drawn from the secret, never-before-seen diaries, journals, and sexual records of the novelist, poet, and university professor Samuel M. Steward, Secret Historian is a sensational reconstruction of one of the more extraordinary hidden lives of the twentieth century. An intimate friend of Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and Thornton Wilder, Steward maintained a secret sex life from childhood on, and documented these experiences in brilliantly vivid (and often very funny) detail. Justin Spring’s latest book, “Secret Historian, the Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade” is a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a Finalist for the 2010 National Book Award, a Top 10 Biography of the Year on Amazon, an American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book for 2011, and a Top 10 Book of the Year in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Thurs, Feb 10th, Chris Glaser, LGBT theologian, author and role model comes to Stonewall Live!

"Too Often We Postpone Life, As If There Is No Deadline" Chris Glaser offers a new expression of his embodied, here-and-now, spirituality—his twelfth book, The Final Deadline: What Death Has Taught Me About Life. "Death forces us back on life, as a shut door forces us to find another passageway, a roadblock prompts us to take a detour, or a great loss encourages us to savor what remains."

As a writer, Chris Glaser experiences deadlines as friendly reminders that something has to be accomplished by a given time. He views death as the final deadline, one that insists we "get it" or "get it done" – whatever "it is" – during our lifetimes. Glaser depicts Death as an inscrutable Zen master ready to teach us, a spiritual director eager to inspire us, a soul-friend reminding us that our life spans have sacred worth. Movingly, he recounts the deaths that have shaped his soul, opening readers' hearts to their own discoveries facing The Final Deadline. Chris was also Grand Marshall at Atlanta Gay Pride 2009.

Chris Glaser, after graduation from Yale Divinity School in 1977, was a pioneer in queer activism in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., seeking ordination as an openly gay man. This has led him to a variety of parish and campus ministries, and to a writing and speaking career that has produced twelve books and taken him to hundreds of campuses, congregations, LGBT centers, and AIDS groups. Part of his impetus was his awareness of "The Final Deadline"--death--and so comes his latest book by that title, subtitled "What Death Has Taught Me About Life."

Join me Thursday, February 10th, 2011 as Chris Glaser visits “Stonewall Live!” 9PM EST www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Gale Chester Whittington, Author of "Beyond Normal, The Birth of Gay Pride" comes to Stonewall Live!

(Photo of Gale Chester Whittington that caused the uproar that led to first demonstrations in San Francisco.)

On Thurs, February 3, 9PM EST we'll talk with Gale Chester Whittington, one of the pioneers of the Gay Pride movement. The author wrote this book to set the record straight, because little about the 1969 militant gay movement in the San Francisco Bay Area has been detailed in print. While many brave activists have contributed to the cause before and since, a close look shows how the militant side of gay liberation actually began within the bowels of San Francisco a few months before the New York Stonewall uprising. For his work he was nicknamed, "Gale the Liberator."

The concept of coming out en masse as a way to enlighten and change the world was born in the hilly streets of the City by the Bay and championed by Gale Whittington and Leo Laurence, co-founders of the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF). Indeed, this book shows how a handful of fiery West Coast gay guerrillas fanned the sparks that helped inspire participants at Stonewall to stand and fight openly for their rights, thereby passing along a torch that would ignite the movement to liberate gays and enlighten heterosexuals around the world. Through the eyes of a true gay pioneer, the touching memoir shows how indeed "It Gets Better" with time.

This revealing autobiography also contains over 45 vintage photos and excerpts from ground-breaking articles about the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transsexual (GLBT) Revolution of 1969.

Join us Thursday February 3, @ 9PM EST on BlogTalk Radio, www.blogtalkradio.com/StonewallLive

Spencer Lord, author of "The Brain Mechanic" comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, Jan 27th 9PM EST

Join me next week when I interview Spencer Lord, Author of "The Brain Mechanic"

Spencer Lord is an amazing author, motivator, and role model for our time. He worked for Mother Teresa in Calcutta after attending the University of Chicago. In 2008 he founded The Hyperagency where he created the cognitive exercises presented in "The Brain Mechanic."

Now with "The Brain Mechanic," Spencer Lord delivers a concise, entertaining, and easy-to-use handbook that demystifies Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). First, the reader learns "Emotional Algebra," which lies at the heart of the Cognitive Model. The author then presents customizable mental exercises, which allow people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the life-changing benefits of CBT.

Here is what people have to say about "The Brain Mechanic"....


"A good brain mechanic is hard to find. Usually you wind up in a chop shop. And the replacement parts are inferior. Spencer Lord has changed all that. He offers a one-stop service and you're out and running smooth before lunch. This may sound glib, but you'll feel the same way when you realize how simple it is and how stupid you were not to have realized it before you drove into that wall."
—Bruce Vilanch: comedy writer for the Academy Awards, and multiple Emmy winner

A 'must-read.' I feel brighter and better having read it!"
—Carole Bayer Sager: singer, painter, Oscar & Emmy-winning songwriter

Concise, accessible, and indescribably powerful."
—David Geffen: cofounder of Dreamworks SKG

And personally, after reading this book I can now drive all the way to Miami on I-95 without one blowup!!! amazing stuff. You can read it in 2 hours and it WILL change your life.

Join me at 9PM EST on Jan 27,2011 at www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

This Thursday, Jan 20th 9PM, E. Robert Dunn, Author of "Echelon's End"

Join me at blogtalk radio, www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive when E. Robert Dunn comes to Stonewall Live! Thurs, January 20 9PM

E. Robert Dunn began writing at the age of 14 and continued through his higher education in the Southeast where he currently resides. In addition to penning the science fiction series “Echelon’s End”, E. Robert has also written two off-Broadway plays, “LipSync” and “A Dragged Out Haunting”, and penned a local play entitled “VOiCES”. Just last year, E. Robert was a contributing writer to the online STAR TREK: Odyssey’s Season One Finale webisode [featured in STARLOG Magazine, January 2008, “Beyond Hidden Frontiers”, p.89]. Besides being a produced playwright and published author, E. Robert has had articles printed in local newspapers as well as medical newsletters. He has also graced many a stage by his given name: Eston Dunn.

Next week on Stonewall Live! Spencer Lord

Thank you Brock for being a great first guest on Stonewall Live!
Good to know paper books aren't dead (completely) since I have a houseful.
Join me next week when I interview Spencer Lord, Author of "The Brain Mechanic"


A good brain mechanic is hard to find. Usually you wind up in a chop shop. And the replacement parts are inferior. Spencer Lord has changed all that. He offers a one-stop service and you're out and running smooth before lunch. This may sound glib, but you'll feel the same way when you realize how simple it is and how stupid you were not to have realized it before you drove into that wall."
—Bruce Vilanch: comedy writer for the Academy Awards, and multiple Emmy winner

A 'must-read.' I feel brighter and better having read it!"
—Carole Bayer Sager: singer, painter, Oscar & Emmy-winning songwriter

Concise, accessible, and indescribably powerful."
—David Geffen: cofounder of Dreamworks SKG

And personally, after reading this book I can now drive all the way to Miami on I-95 without one blowup!!! amazing stuff. You can read it in 2 hours and it WILL change your life.

Join me at 9PM EST on Jan 20,2011 at www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewalllive

Spencer Lord on Stonewall Live! Jan 20 @9 PM

Author of "The Brain Mechanic", a quick and easy way to tune up the mind and maximize emotional health, in two hours. Spencer Lord worked for Mother Teresa in Calcutta after attending the University of Chicago. In 2008 he founded The Hyperagency where he created the cognitive exercises presented in "The Brain Mechanic." "Concise, accessible, and indescribably powerful." —David Geffen: cofounder of Dreamworks SKG

Welcome to Stonewall Live!

My name is Nate Klarfeld and I am the producer and Host of a new blogtalk radio show...Stonewall Live!! bringing you the best in Gay and Lesbian book, film and media talk each week on BlogTalk Radio.
Our shows can be accessed at www.blogtalkradio.com/StonewallLive  If you are an author, actor, filmmaker, blogger, or media wonk, please contact me at StonewallLive@gmail.com and I'll schedule a show with you.

I'll be exploring the many ways "Our Story" has been told and will be told in the future.

Until then watch for updates on Facebook at Stonewall Live,in the iTunes store under podcasts, Stonewall Live, Twitter @StonewallLive and sign up for reminders on our link www.blogtalkradio.com/stonewallLive

Telling our story...

Nate Klarfeld