EVENT: Angie Bowie ('Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie')

Saturday, March 19 @ 1pm

ANGIE BOWIE

Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Following her appearance at TRANNYSHACK: DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE NIGHT, Angie

Bowie will be at A Different Light for a more intimate discussion of her influential part in the Bowie universe. She has written about it in her book, BACKSTAGE PASSES: LIFE ON THE WILD SIDE WITH DAVID BOWIE, which she will be signing at the event.

Angie Bowie: style icon, author, performer, counselor, former wife of David Bowie and role model for outsiders everywhere. It is widely accepted that Angie and Tony DeFries, Bowie’s legendary manager, were the two most significant influences on David’s early career.

Angie was the “It Girl” in London’s ‘In’ crowd and cultivated all that was weird and left-field. She introduced her husband to a variety of talented eccentrics who also contributed to David Bowie’s kaleidoscope of stage personas-these include his Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and Thin White Duke periods. The cultural impact of David and Angie Bowie in the 70s and beyond cannot be over-estimated.

Saturday, March 19 @ 1pm
ANGIE BOWIE

Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Marc Freden ('REALLY?!?: A Memoir By a Man Who's Not Quite Famous Enough')

Saturday, March 12 @ 4pm
MARC FREDEN
Really?!?: A Memoir by a Man Who's Not Quite Famous Enough
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

REALLY!?! is the story of privilege and purgatory…and the road traveled to both. Told as a series of uniquely witty and insightful anecdotal observations, Marc Freden quite literally travels the world, as the host of a British television series, to find out just where and who he is in the world.

The memoir takes on such lauded institutions as Hollywood, Catholicism, the British Monarchy and fame while exploring Freden’s personal vulnerability in dealing with homosexuality, depression, molestation and relationships. It’s written with his unique blend of raw, self-deprecating humor and honesty—the same winning combination that made him a true international television personality.

Since the age of 9 years old, Marc Freden has known the value of an audience. At various times he has been a dancer, an actor, writer, producer, a television reporter, host and radio personality. A veteran of 25 years of production experience, he has had his hand in everything from local news to network primetime specials, series and event television.

Audiences came to know Freden’s quick-witted personality on the syndicated series "Extra." Then during his tenure as the Hollywood correspondent for Britain’s highest rated morning television program, "GMTV," Freden broke ground as a genuine international "personality"—unique, witty, irreverent...and always entertaining.

Saturday, March 12 @ 4pm
MARC FREDEN
Really?!?: A Memoir By a Man Who's Not Quite Famous Enough
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Book Launch Party: My Uncle's Wedding

Saturday, March 5 @ 3pm
ERIC ROSS
My Uncle's Wedding
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

We're very excited to announce the official book launch party and signing event for My Uncle's Wedding! Come and meet author Eric Ross and illustrator Tracy K Greene in person and get an autographed copy of the children's book.

"My Uncle's Wedding is the sweet story of Uncle Mike and Uncle Steve's wedding as experienced through the eyes of their nephew, Andy. This children's book is the perfect gift for any child who loves a good story and especially children with gay people in their family. The author approaches the subject of same-sex marriage with a child's sensitivity and sensibility, and the beautiful illustrations are sure to be enjoyed by kids and parents alike."
- Molly McKay (National Media Director, Marriage Equality USA)

"My Uncle's Wedding" celebrates love from a young nephew's point of view of his favorite uncle's beautiful wedding. Eric Ross has written a wonderful, heartwarming and important book in today's climate -- a beautiful educational tool for children -- showing that all love is equal and good."
- Del Shores (Writer/Director, "Sordid Lives")

Saturday, March 5 @ 3pm
ERIC ROSS
My Uncle's Wedding
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Book Launch Party: American Heroes Coming Out from Behind the Badge

Saturday, February 19 @ 3pm

GREG MIRAGLIA

American Heroes Coming Out from Behind the Badge
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

It's true that society as a whole has become more accepting, but homophobia continues to be pervasive in much of the public safetyarena. Most states still do not have any employment protection against harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation. Imagine being fired from the job you love because of who you are.

American Heroes Coming Out From Behind The Badge is Greg Miraglia's second book intended to show examples of how police officers, firefighters, and EMS professionals have been able to come out and be successful on the job. The stories come from across the country and tell of a very personal and courageous journey. They are intended to both inspire and educate.

Join us for the official book release and signing event at the A Different Light bookstore. Author Greg Miraglia will be joined by several of the contributing authors including Sergeant Peter Thoshinsky, EMT Jessica McGuinness and Fire Captain Brett Dunckel.

This event will include readings from the book, time to ask questions from the authors, and of course, an opportunity to get your book signed.

Saturday, February 19 @ 3pm

GREG MIRAGLIA

American Heroes Coming Out from Behind the Badge

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

Freedom to Marry Week Event: Davina Kotulski ('Love Warriors: The Rise of the Marriage Equality Movement & Why It Will Prevail')

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 @ 7:30PM
DAVINA KOTULSKI, Ph.D.
Love Warriors: The Rise of the Marriage Equality Movement & Why It Will Prevail
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Join us for a very special post-Valentine's Day, Freedom to Marry Week. Dr. Davina Kotulski, the former executive director of Marriage Equality USA, reads from her new book, Love Warriors, an exploration on the social benefits of marriage equality. Only at A Different Light.

Praise:
"Love Warriors illustrates how society is best served when all loving couples who want to settle down are all able to do so through the civil institution of marriage.” —Mark Leno, California Leader

“If you want your opinions about the most important social issue of our time based on reason and facts this book is your MUST READ.” —Don Clark, Ph.D. author, Loving Someone Gay

Kotulski and her “unlawfully wedded” wife, Molly McKay, were active in the fight against Proposition 8 and both were featured speakers at a Post Prop 8 rally at the California Capital on November 8th. Their marriage was upheld by the California State Supreme Court in May 2009. They were awarded Community Grand Marshals in the 2009 San Francisco Pride Parade and they continue to fight for marriage equality and LGBT rights world wide.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15 @ 7:30PM

DAVINA KOTULSKI, Ph.D.

Love Warriors: The Rise of the Marriage Equality Movement & Why It Will Prevail

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Paul Faraday & Haley Walsh

Tuesday, February 8 @ 7:30pm

PAUL FARADAY (The Straight Shooter) & HALEY WALSH (Foxe Tail)

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

Gay Mystery 101: Two gay mystery authors take the genre back to school in a special event at A Different Light.

Paul Faraday, The Straight Shooter:

Fresh from a summer on the beach, West Hollywood Junior Collegiate, Nate Dainty is armed with a syllabus and a hidden agenda: to meet adult film sensation and (somewhat less) dedicated calculus student, Myles Long. Myles returns Our Red-Haired Amateur Sleuth’s desire, but before their big scene, the Paragon of Porn is snatched out from under Nate by masked men in a van in a parking lot! With the help of his good pals, Beso Tangelo and Jorge Ramirez, Nate tackles the case. Soon, life as Nate and his gay friends know it takes a dangerous turn—first into the Valley (!!) and then into a bathhouse (!!!) Who holds the secret to Myles Long’s kidnapping? A jealous roommate, an aging houseboy, or a drag queen with a weakness for Vodka Martinis? The fearless and nubile Nate Dainty takes on the list of suspects with charm, willingness to disrobe, and a disarming ability that only West Hollywood’s favorite amateur detective could muster!

Haley Walsh, Foxe Tail:

This romantic mystery series follows the teaching and unwitting sleuthing career of Skyler Foxe, high school English teacher. Being gay in the most redneck county of southern California doesn’t help matters, especially when his orientation needs to be kept a secret. But that’s not the only secret he encounters. In the first novel FOXE TAIL, Skyler’s principal’s son ends up dead outside a new dance club. Does it have to do with the fact that he’s gay, or is there something more sinister afoot? Skyler and his cadre of off-the-wall but well-meaning friends—Jamie, the high-spirited webpage designer; Philip, the straight-looking coffee house owner; Rodolfo, the Latin American queen who looks like Antonio Banderas; and Skyler’s best friend Sidney, the straight female detective—join forces to find a killer. But what does this murder have to do with the shady goings on in the background of James Polk High?

Tuesday, February 8 @ 7:30pm

PAUL FARADAY (The Straight Shooter) & HALEY WALSH (Foxe Tail)

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

EVENT BACKLIGHT: Steven Saylor ('EMPIRE: A Novel of Imperial Rome')

The New York Times bestselling author and "modern master of historical fiction" (USA Today) Steven Saylor introduces his highly-anticipated new novel EMPIRE and focuses on the heavy homosexual undertones only at A Different Light.

In the words of Steven himself, "I'd like to think EMPIRE is a Big Gay Book. The sex lives of the emperors is so wildly varied, the historian Suetonius felt obliged to point out that the oddball Claudius 'had no interest in either boys or men.' What a weirdo!

The widespread nature of homosexuality in the Roman Empire has been hinted at in previous fiction, but I think EMPIRE breaks new ground. The story of Sporus, the eunuch-wife of Nero, has never been told in a novel before. The boy was a ringer for Nero's dead wife, and Nero fell for him at first sight; eventually Sporus was castrated and led the rest of his life as a woman, making him one of history's first known transsexuals.

After two hereditary dynasties that ended in disaster, the Romans turned to emperors who produced no offspring—and obtained good government and stability at last. You might even say that EMPIRE is the story of 'how the gays saved civilization,' since it's the unapologetic boy-lovers Trajan (a military genius) and Hadrian (an artistic genius) who finally bring sanity to the Roman Empire.

Less well known is the ironic twist on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' found in Trajan's policy toward that despised minority, the Christians. Yes, a gay emperor decided it was best to tolerate the troublesome, gods-hating Christians, and even allowed them to serve in the military, as long as they weren't too flagrant with their perversity. (I couldn't make up this sort of thing.)"

EVENT BACKLIGHT: Deborah Cohler ('Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain')

Deborah Cohler ('Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain') event on Monday, September 27 at A Different Light bookstore in the Castro, San Francisco.

Citizen, Invert, Queer examines the relationship of queer sexuality to nationalism and race in England during World War I. The book argues that before WWI, British culture did not really "understand" lesbianism as an identity, but that after the war, this was a common understanding. So, I ask, how did this shift occur? The book explores how "masculine women" came to be regarded as lesbians by the 1920s, and argues that the masculine citizenship encouraged for women during the war, combined with homophobic ideas about gay men, Germans, and decadence during the war, spurred this change. The conclusion of the book suggests how my methodology might help us to understand shifts in gender and sexuality after September 11, 2001 on our own current "home front."

Deborah Cohler is associate professor of women and gender studies at San Francisco State University. She researches how war changes our ideas about sexuality, gender, race, and citizenship. In addition to Citizen, Invert, Queer she has published articles on the queer effects of war. Her new research project examines media and political representations of gender and sexuality during the War on Terror under George W. Bush.

EVENT: Daniel Allen Cox ('Krakow Melt') w/ Kevin Killian ('Impossible Princess')

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19 @ 7:30PM
DANIEL ALLEN COX
Krakow Melt
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Daniel Allen Cox reads and signs copies of his new novel, KRAKOW MELT - our October Book Club selection. Kevin Killian moderates the discussion.

Pyromaniacs fight homophobia in a Polish city where nothing is fireproof.

This second novel by Lambda Literary Award finalist Daniel Allen Cox (Shuck) is an incendiary story about two pyromaniacs who fight homophobia in Krakow, Poland, one of the fronts of the Solidarność revolution that eventually toppled the Berlin Wall in 1989. It’s 2005, and Poland is grappling with its newfound role as a member of the European Union; the country dips into moral crisis as Pope John Paul II (a Pole) approaches death while the country’s soon-to-be president makes homophobic declarations.

Radek, a bisexual artist and a practitioner of the extreme urban sport parkour, is convinced that fire is the great stabilizer. While creating miniature replicas of the world’s great infernos—Chicago 1871, San Francisco 1906, London 1666—he meets Dorota, a literature student and budding pyromaniac. Driven by rage, sexual curiosity for one another, and Pink Floyd, they buck Church, government, and the LGBT community to find sexual freedom, escaping their enemies by scaling the crumbling walls and ideas of the city.

Provocative and unnerving, Krakow Melt is at once a love letter and a fiery call to arms.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19 @ 7:30PM
DANIEL ALLEN COX
Krakow Melt
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Steven Saylor ('Empire: A Novel of Imperial Rome')

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11 @ 7:30PM
STEVEN SAYLOR
Empire: A Novel of Imperial Rome
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

The New York Times bestselling author and "modern master of historical fiction" (USA Today) Steven Saylor introduces his highly-anticipated new novel EMPIRE and focuses on the heavy homosexual undertones only at A Different Light.

In the words of Steven himself, "I'd like to think EMPIRE is a Big Gay Book. The sex lives of the emperors is so wildly varied, the historian Suetonius felt obliged to point out that the oddball Claudius 'had no interest in either boys or men.' What a weirdo!

The widespread nature of homosexuality in the Roman Empire has been hinted at in previous fiction, but I think EMPIRE breaks new ground. The story of Sporus, the eunuch-wife of Nero, has never been told in a novel before. The boy was a ringer for Nero's dead wife, and Nero fell for him at first sight; eventually Sporus was castrated and led the rest of his life as a woman, making him one of history's first known transsexuals.

After two hereditary dynasties that ended in disaster, the Romans turned to emperors who produced no offspring—and obtained good government and stability at last. You might even say that EMPIRE is the story of 'how the gays saved civilization,' since it's the unapologetic boy-lovers Trajan (a military genius) and Hadrian (an artistic genius) who finally bring sanity to the Roman Empire.

Less well known is the ironic twist on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' found in Trajan's policy toward that despised minority, the Christians. Yes, a gay emperor decided it was best to tolerate the troublesome, gods-hating Christians, and even allowed them to serve in the military, as long as they weren't too flagrant with their perversity. (I couldn't make up this sort of thing.)"

MONDAY, OCTOBER 11 @ 7:30PM
STEVEN SAYLOR
Empire: A Novel of Imperial Rome
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

Event: Dr. Jallen Rix ('Ex-Gay, No Way: Survival & Recovery from Religious Abuse')

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 @ 7:30PM
Dr. JALLEN RIX
Ex-Gay, No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

"The Ex-gay Movement is stripped naked, and through an abundance of snapshots we get to see its vulnerability and cover-ups. These perspectives are mounted together with Jallen’s moving story telling and in-depth research. The naming of religious abuse, the dispelling of sex-phobic myths, the raw emotion of personal experience make this a great resource for pastors and counselors; yet possibly the greatest accomplishment of this book is that it brings the reader to a conclusion – a motive and means for recovery without feeling forced to accept or abandon."
-- Paul Whiting, International advocate, writer and pastor

"Dr. Rix has exposed reparative therapy in a way never seen before. He clearly compares the features of the ex-gay movement with the damaging and cultic aspects of hyper-religiosity. The similarities are so numerous that, at times, there simply is no difference between the two."
-- Professor of Sexology, Dean of Students, Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, San Francisco, California

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7 @ 7:30PM
Dr. JALLEN RIX
Ex-Gay, No Way: Survival and Recovery from Religious Abuse
Free and Open to the Public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Deborah Cohler ('Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain')

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 @ 7:30PM

DEBORAH COHLER

Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain

Free and Open to the Public

Facebook RSVP

Citizen, Invert, Queer examines the relationship of queer sexuality to nationalism and race in England during World War I. The book argues that before WWI, British culture did not really "understand" lesbianism as an identity, but that after the war, this was a common understanding. So, I ask, how did this shift occur? The book explores how "masculine women" came to be regarded as lesbians by the 1920s, and argues that the masculine citizenship encouraged for women during the war, combined with homophobic ideas about gay men, Germans, and decadence during the war, spurred this change. The conclusion of the book suggests how my methodology might help us to understand shifts in gender and sexuality after September 11, 2001 on our own current "home front."

Deborah Cohler is associate professor of women and gender studies at San Francisco State University. She researches how war changes our ideas about sexuality, gender, race, and citizenship. In addition to Citizen, Invert, Queer she has published articles on the queer effects of war. Her new research project examines media and political representations of gender and sexuality during the War on Terror under George W. Bush.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 @ 7:30PM

DEBORAH COHLER

Citizen, Invert, Queer: Lesbianism & War in Early 20th Century Britain

Free and Open to the Public

Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Jeff Commings ('Odd Man Out: True Stories of a Gay Black Swimmer')

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 @ 4pm

JEFF COMMINGS

Odd Man Out: True Stories of a Gay Black Swimmer

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

ODD MAN OUT: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY is the first book to tell the true story of a gay African-American swimmer. Jeff Commings was the first African-American to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Festival, but he spent all of his teenage years and most of his 20s afraid to live openly as a gay man. Though he was a member of several USA Swimming national teams and competed in two Olympic Trials, his fear of rejection from those he loved and respected severely affected his life socially and athletically.

In his book, Commings reveals intimate details of his life, many of which have never been made public. But this book is much more than the story of a man’s journey to discover his place in a world he feared would shun him. It’s also the story of a black swimmer who rose to elite status when he saw very few on pool decks with his skin color.

Commings takes us on a rollercoaster ride through more than 30 years of triumph, sorrow and love. Equally heartbreaking and funny, this book is an uncompromising portrait of one man’s quest to fit in on his own terms. It tests readers of all walks of life to look inwardly and reflect on their own fears and insecurities.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 @ 4pm

JEFF COMMINGS

Odd Man Out: True Stories of a Gay Black Swimmer

Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

DORE ALLEY EVENT: Alex Ironrod (author of the Leather Masters & slaves trilogy)

JULY 22 @ 7:30pm
ALEX IRONROD
Submission, Domination & Obsession (Leather Masters & slaves trilogy)
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

Come celebrate Dore Alley, up our alley! British Leatherman Alex Ironrod is semi-retired from the scene, but he continues to write scorching hot BDSM erotic fiction.

Obsession is Ironrod's latest novel and the final segment of the Leather Masters & slaves trilogy about Tarquin and Paul and their adventures in today's Leather world in LA, Palm Springs and England. It's a penetrating look at the dynamics of man-to-man sexual relationships, always evolving and diversifying, of Masters and slaves, friends and enemies, and provides a powerful and dramatic conclusion to the three BDSM novels - Submission, Domination and now Obsession.

JULY 22 @ 7:30pm
ALEX IRONROD
Submission, Domination & Obsession (Leather Masters & slaves trilogy)
Free and open to the public
Facebook RSVP

EVENT: Steven Reigns (author of 'Inheritance')

JULY 3 @ 4pm
STEVEN REIGNS
Inheritance
Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP

"Steven Reigns's graceful, plainspoken lyrics describe the shape of one gay life at the beginning of this new century, a time of uncertainty, transformation, and hope. To read his book is to meet a man alert to his times and the textures of the lives around him, a community observed with tenderness, wit and pleasure."
-- Mark Doty, author of Dog Years and Fire to Fire

Steven Reigns is a Los Angeles-based poet and educator. His newest collection, Inheritance, came out in 2010 by Lethe Press. After earning a degree in Creative Writing at the University of South Florida, he published his début poetry collection, Your Dead Body is My Welcome Mat, in 2001. A two-time recipient of The Los Angeles County’s Department of Cultural Affairs' Artist in Residency Grant, Reigns organized and taught the first-ever autobiography poetry workshop for GLBT seniors and edited an anthology of their writings, My Life is Poetry. Visit him at www.stevenreigns.com.

JULY 3 @ 4pm
STEVEN REIGNS
Inheritance
Free and open to the public

Facebook RSVP