Oh, the Zumanity.Thank you for your informative article about Johan and Patrick from the Vegas show Zumanity ["Cirque du So Gay," November 11]. I had the good fortune to see the show on its second night of performances and have to say it was fantastic. The pair's performance was, in my opinion, the highlight of the show--very erotic and athletic yet tender and hypnotic hypnotic /hyp·not·ic/ (hip-not´ik) 1. inducing sleep. 2. an agent that induces sleep. 3. pertaining to or of the nature of hypnosis or hypnotism. at the same time. The kiss at the end seemed to be a natural end to a stunning dance of love between the two men. The audience, from the looks on their faces, had mixed reactions. A man behind me made some homophobic ho·mo·pho·bi·a n. 1. Fear of or contempt for lesbians and gay men. 2. Behavior based on such a feeling. [homo(sexual) + -phobia. remark about the kiss being disgusting. Others stood and cheered. But nobody who saw the show could walk out without realizing they had just seen a remarkable and groundbreaking production. Cheers to Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity. I highly recommend it! Steven Nalian, Phoenix, Ariz. I was shocked and disgusted to see your November 11 cover. It seems highly unlikely that your staff would not be aware of the Matthew Cusick v. Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun") is an entertainment empire based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier. lawsuit, filed by Lambda Legal Lambda Legal (Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund) is a United States civil rights organization that focuses on gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Defense and Education Fund last July. In April my friend Matthew Cusick allegedly fell victim to HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. discrimination by his then-employer, Cirque du Soleil. When he was asked (during a routine physical for the international performing troupe) if he had anything else he wasted to share with the sports medicine sports medicine, branch of medicine concerned with physical fitness and with the treatment and prevention of injuries and other disorders related to sports. Knee, leg, back, and shoulder injuries; stiffness and pain in joints; tendinitis; "tennis elbow"; and staff, he replied, "Yes, I am HIV-positive." Even though two physicians (hired by Cirque du Soleil) had deemed Matthew to be in "excellent health and physical shape" and he was "cleared for full participation" by them, Cirque du Soleil chose to fire him--just days before he was due to make his first appearance. Is Cirque du Soleil really the type of organization you should be patronizing? After all, it could be your job tomorrow, or mine. You have allowed Cirque du Soleil the opportunity to use a gay national magazine to fend off the very justified negative impact it has been receiving. Aaron E. Baldwin, San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , Calif. |
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