Clamour & News
from Underbridge
Pride Month 2008
The Kentuckiana Pride
Festival was off and run-
ning on June 20th, 2008
with the annual Pride
Parade. Progressive
Pathways Fellowship
participated in the pa-
rade. It was our biggest
Progressive Pathways Fellowship in the 2008 Louisville Gay
Pride Parade.
Tango Bravo
Clamour Underbridge for August from The Letter
It takes pig-headed deter-
mination and a lot of junk
science to perpetrate the
fantasy that Christians of
any variety are a perse-
cuted minority in the
USA. The hue and cry
are usually raised when
“turn or burn” fringe sects
and best year yet. Eleven
people arrived to march
with us. This picture was
taken by the folks at Rule
the City since we were all
in the parade.
After the parade we de-
cided to look around at
are hindered in their
drive to establish their
brand of religion as the
law of the land or their
coercive proselytizing
gets obstructed or chal-
lenged. Here in Ken-
tucky we have no short-
age of “proselytize and
the Friday Night Fest on
the Belvedere. There
were performances by
The Confessional and
Josh Zuckerman. I think August 1, 2008
the favorite vendor of the
evening was the Adopt a
Please note that:
Kitty group with the gi-
ant pink cage. While Father Jim is co-
The day of the festival pastor of Progressive
Pathways Fellowship in
was hot and included
Louisville his opinions
performances by Voices,
and any opinions and
City of Refuge, Mad
information found in
Camp Cabaret, Robbie
Clamour Underbridge or
Bartlett, Gregory Doug-
Clamour & News from
las, Tracy Rice and Eric Underbridge are those
Himan. DJ Mike & the of Father Jim or other
Divas of Drag brought the writers as they appear.
evening to a close. They do not usually rep-
According to the Pride resent the official policy
Festival committee the of the church.
estimated crowd for Fri-
day was 2000. Saturday
there were 4500. That’s a
Inside this issue:
record and over 1000
more folks than 2007.
Pride 1
Tango Bravo 1
What’s Up with Book 3
Chat
Another top ten list of 3
establish” groups. One gay books
loud and outspoken fac-
tion is set up as a sham Thank yous 4
museum. It seems a god
of some form or another
told them that The Flint-
stones actually happened.
My favorite, an especially
wacky group, is critical of
Page 2 Clamour & News from Underbridge

Clamour Underbridge from The Letter

Part two
selected research at state universities ond, it’s important to quash relentlessly because Tango’s story isn’t true. It’s
in the Commonwealth. Funny how any facts that undermine the “flat because Tango’s story is natural. The
none of their “expert staff” have qualifi- earth and Flintstones” mentality. Flat Earthers and Know-Nothings don’t
cations or credentials in the fields they Here’s where we meet Tango. Tango like those parts of nature that profane
are quick to loathe. They also tend not has two dads. And she’s a penguin. their junk science and upset their faux
to read the studies they don’t like nor Victorian sensibilities.
And Tango Makes Three is a children’s
do their off-the-wall critiques make an
book by Justin Richardson and Peter There really is no good reason to let
appearance in anything resembling a
Parnell. It dares to report that two them get away with it. Christianity, in
peer reviewed journal or a professional
male penguins in New York’s Central its various flavors and hues, is not be-
organization’s conference. Culture war-
Park Zoo hatched an egg and raised the ing persecuted in Kentucky or any
riors just don’t have time for all that.
chick that emerged. That’s it. No other state of the Union. Velociraptors
When you are absolutely convinced
“male bodied drag queens” or “leather didn’t mow down anyone that looks
nothing worth knowing exists outside
clad sexual predators” appear. A lav- remotely like Barney Rubble at any
your religious dogma then your motiva-
ishly illustrated children’s book about time in the past. Same sex play, at-
tion to know is a bit stunted. Hurtling
three penguins in the zoo is the most tachment, bonding and the rearing of
head-long into the 19th century these
challenged book in the USA according cute little off-spring is natural and con-
groups are satisfied that the earth is
to the American Library Association. spicuous in the animal kingdom. Let-
flat, the sun circles us inside a crystal
This is the second year in a row that ting the Flat Earthers and Know-
dome above the waters in the sky and
Richardson and Parnell’s book has that Nothings prevail drags all of us back
dinosaurs walked the earth with our
dubious honor. Tango has been the into the bad old days of established
uppity great-grandparents.
prey of bogus controversy in schools religions, coercive proselytizing and
What do determined groups of Know- and public library branches from sea to snake oil chicanery. Don’t take my
Nothings and Flat Earthers do to win shining sea. None of this is happening word for it. Look it up.
converts to their junk science and con-
torted theology? First, it’s important to
pretend to be persecuted when bogus
“findings” or practices come to light.
Everybody pulls for the underdog. Sec-

You are invited to any and all services of

Progressive Pathways Fellowship.

Our studio and education center is at

208 1/2 Mellwood Arts and
Entertainment Center
1860 Mellwood Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40206

Visit our website for more information,

maps and directions.

We meet on Sundays at 5:30 p.m for infor-

mal worship and discussion.

Book Chat meets on Tuesdays (beginning

August 26) at 6:15 p.m.
Father Jim at the Pride Parade.
www.progressivepathways.org
Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 3

What’s up with Book Chat?

We’ve been reading The Beverly Malibu
by Katherine V. Forrest. Our last day
with Detective Kate Delafield and the
wild and wacky inhabitants of the Bev-
erly Malibu was July 30th.
Beginning Wednesday August 6 at 6:15
p.m. we take up The Llangollen Ladies
by Mary Gordon.
Lady Eleanor Butler (1739-1829) and The
Honourable Sarah Ponsonby (1755-1831)
were two upper-class Anglo-Irish
women whose relationship scandalised
and fascinated their contemporaries.
The Ladies are interesting today as an
example of historical lesbianism or
romantic friendship.
We’ll be reading The Llangollen Ladies
on Wednesday August 6, August 13,
August 20 and Tuesday August 26.
In September there are two books being
considered. Both of them are biogra-
phies of my favorite historical queen of
England—Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four
Kings by Amy Kelly and
Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Allison
Weir.
Have an opinion? Which would you
prefer and do you have other sugges-
tions for Book Chat? A portrait of the Ladies of Llangol-
len painted by Lady Leighton in
1813.

Another top ten list of gay books from the

Clamour Underbridge Blog
http://clamourunderbridge.typepad.com/clamour_underbridge/

I admit it freely. I've never read Shameless by Paul Burston. A visit to Mr. Burston's website, however, gives blurb and re-
view information. It looks like an interesting read. I may pick it up.

But that's not the subject at hand. Mr. Burston has come out with a top ten list of gay books. I just love top ten lists. Go to
the Guardian for the article but here are the relevant details.

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891)

Jimmy says yawn. Wiki info. Have you ever actually read "Dorian Gray" and not just watched bad movies of the week? I
love Uncle Oscar and he paid the price for the rest of us but he was ever so avant garde for the Victorians! Victorian literature
is a tough sell in the 21st century market.

2. Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet (1943)

Maybe. He toned it down to get a publisher in the 40s. Wiki here. Another death by tuberculosis in a garret. Don't apart-
ment buildings in France have second floor walk-ups?

3. City of Night by John Rechy (1963). I've never heard of this one and it's not in The Gay and Lesbian Literary Companion
(Malinowski) and the Wiki is pretty bare. He also wrote a vampire book with magic. Is he the inspiration for Dante's Cove
and the Lair?

4. Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin (1978). I have to say that I agree. Wiki here. "Tales" was new and exciting when I
left Bugtussle and moved to the Not Actually a Big City But We Try Real Hard. Read it. If you're a gentleman of a certain
age you have to read Maupin to figure out what you missed by staying in the Bible Belt.

5. Dancer From The Dance by Andrew Holleran (1978). My reading group picked this one up a few months ago. We had a
grand time trying to find "Gatsby" parallels and motifs because one of the lit profs told me they were there. Another guy book
 Another Top Ten List of Gay Books continued from Page 3

that queers of all persuasions should

10. Two Gentlemen Sharing by William
spend a couple of hours with. Wiki
Corlett (1997). He wrote gay stuff?
here.
This is the guy that wrote Magician's
House. Well, bust my buttons. I'll
6. A Boy's Own Story by Edmund White
have to look this one up as well. The
(1982). I'm a little tired of coming out
reviews all say things like "gay slap-
stories. Everybody has one. However,
stick." I never get broad humor and
some nut job with a baseball bat tried
farce. I'm missing one of those essen-
to beat the faggotry out of his son last
tial humor circuits that make slipping
Friday. Info here. So read "Boy's Own
on banana peels and hitting people
Story." Remind yourself what it's like
with pies funny.
to live in real fear of the people that are
supposed to love you. Wiki here.

7. Queens by Pickles (1984). What?

Who? Is this even in print any more?
Mary Poppins is com-
8. Flesh And Blood by Michael Cun-
ningham (1995) not A Home at the End
ing to Book Chat in
of the World? What's up with that? December 2008.
Read Michael Cunningham's Wiki for
details.
Stay Tuned!
9. Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas (1997).
Don't know Tsiolkas. Loaded was
made into a movie. I might have to do
some follow up. Info here.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the congregation, clergy, friends and family of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist
Church. http://www.tvuuc.org/

Visit the UU main site at http://www.uua.org/ for information on how to help.

A big thank you to The Letter for supporting

Progressive Pathways Fellowship and Clam- Clamour Underbridge
our Underbridge.
a bastion in defiance of the jealous god, an outpost of refuge for the
Thanks Dave!
Queandom. This is a gay, lesbian, queer and questioning space. Be
Visit The Letter at welcome and beware. Abusers and miscreants will be fed to the troll.

http://www.theletteronline.com/index.html http://clamourunderbridge.typepad.com/