0204mthiswayout.mp3 - 15M

February 4, 2008: Singapore wants image reform; trans-love reality takes on TV. Plus Spanish voters don't mind marriage equality, queer Czech couples slow to embrace civil unions, Jamaican gays attacked by home-invading mob, Israeli MP decries queer "epidemic," more news.

This Way Out #1036 Program Rundown:

Opening teases/theme music/intro continuity . . . . . . . . . . 1:05

SEGMENT #1 - "NewsWrap": Because of overwhelming public support for it, Spain's two-year-old same-gender marriage law is a non-issue in national elections set for March 9th – but that doesn't stop the Roman Catholic Church from continuing to rail against them – while less than 500 gay and lesbian couples have registered their relationships since the Czech Republic established civil unions for them in mid-2005; there's been yet another horrific homophobic attack on gay men in Jamaica, while Sydney, Australia activists rally against escalating violence in their queer neighborhood, and the late Aussie actor Heath Ledger's portrayal of a gay cowboy in "Brokeback Mountain" leads the infamous creators of the "godhatesfags" Web site to condemn his country with "godhatesaustralia.com"; a parliamentary member of Israel's religious Shas Party calls homosexuality an "epidemic" and urges passage of a bill to ban LGBT Pride marches in Jerusalem, while Human Rights Watch reports that at least 14 cross-dressers have been arrested and physically abused in Kuwait for violating a new law that bans "imitating the appearance of the opposite sex"; and in the U.S., a constitutional amendment to ban same-gender marriage "or the substantial equivalent thereof" qualifies for the November ballot in Florida, but a federal judge lifts his "hold" on the implementation of a domestic partnerships law in Oregon (written by GREG GORDON, with thanks to REX WOCKNER with BILL KELLEY, and reported this week by CHRISTOPHER GAAL and DONNA ANN WARD) [10:14] + billboard for "TransAmerican Love Story" [:05]. . . . . . . . . 10:19

SEGMENT #2 - Until recently, it was illegal to chew gum in SINGAPORE. So it's not surprising that this characteristically Asian country still has a number of serious penalties on the statue books that make life for ordinary LGBT people more challenging than it already is. An attempt last year to repeal these laws failed. Journalist CLAUDIA CRAGG, the author of a number of books on Asia, says that the days of Bugis Street, teaming with dazzling transgender darlings, are long gone. But, she reports, the government is beginning to realize that Singapore might have to do something to change its image, or lose tourist dollars to more welcoming countries in the region like Thailand and Hong Kong (with intro music from the Singapore National Anthem, and comments by ALEX AU, founder of the Singapore LGBT group People Like Us, and Dr. Gillian Koh, Senior Research Fellow at Singapore's Institute of Policy Studies). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:08

SEGMENT #3 - "TWO" CDs/subscriptions promo (voiced by LUCIA CHAPPELLE, with music by SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK). . . . . . . . . . . . . :54
[www.thiswayout.org]

SEGMENT #4 – On February 11th the U.S. queer LOGO cable channel debuts "TRANSAMERICAN LOVE STORY". This groundbreaking elimination dating show features transgender bachelorette CALPERNIA ADDAMS being wooed by eight dashing men. With the help of her trans best friend ANDREA JAMES and a parade of challenges and matchmaking dates, Calpernia whittles down her group of eligibles in hopes of finding her Prince Charming. And unlike a widely condemned "reality TV" predecessor, the suitors on this show know that she’s a male-to-female transsexual. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE sits down with Calpernia and Andrea to get the 411 on the show, the perks of reality TV, and dating in Los Angeles. . . . 8:08
[www.PrideOnScreen.com; www.logoonline.com; www.calpernia.com;
www.andreajames.com; www.deepstealth.com]

Closing Credits/continuity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:27

TOTAL PROGRAM TIME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29:01

e-mail:: TWORadio@aol.com homepage:: http://www.thiswayout.org phone:: 818-986-4106

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