Gay USA

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For the 1978 documentary film, see Gay USA (film)

Gay USA

Genre	News program
Presenter(s)	Andy Humm Ann Northrop
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Bill Bahlman Andy Humm Ann Northrop
Running time	60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Chronology
Preceded by	Pride and Progress
Links
Official website

Gay USA is a weekly one-hour news program "...devoted to in-depth coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues"^[1] on a local, state, national and international level. It is filmed in the studios of, and aired by, Manhattan Neighborhood Network in Manhattan, New York.^[2] It airs on Manhattan public access television and Free Speech TV, and is currently available via the Internet as Podcasts.^[3]

1 Current format
2 History
3 Interviews and guests
4 Gay USA Team
5 See also
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Current format

Typically, Gay USA begins with a quick introduction by hosts Andy Humm and Ann Northrop then moves into news segments as viewed from the gay perspective. Regular segments include gay news, AIDS news, and entertainment news. The anchors refer to notes kept in front of them on the table during this portion of the show. Hosts Humm and Northrop often interject their news delivery with accounts of personal experiences and "...light, snappy repartee and good-natured verbal sparring and banter."^[2] Following the news topics of the week, guests are interviewed and/or videos clips are presented for the second half of the show.

[edit] History

Northrop, Bahlman and Humm reviewing footage in the MNN production studio.

Gay USA was preceeded by Pride and Progress which first aired in 1985 on the Gay Cable Network (GCN). Independently produced and supported by GCN owner Lou Maletta, Pride and Progress was hosted by journalist/activist Andy Humm. The program covered LGBT topics, including the Democratic and Republican National Conventions from a gay perspective.^[4]^[2]

In 1996, journalist/activist Ann Northrop began co-hosting Gay USA with Humm.

Since September 2001, the show has aired on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. In 2003, Gay USA became nationally available through Free Speech TV. Podcasts of the show became available in 2006.

[edit] Interviews and guests

In addition to delivering news relevant to the LGBT community, Gay USA includes interviews of individuals regarding relevant projects, organizations or entertainment. Guests have ranged from an out-gay, and thus unemployed, priest to a gay male couple with adopted children to polictical figures and entertainers. Some of the program's notable guests have included:

Edward Albee, three time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright
Alison Bechdel, comic strip and graphic author, notably of Fun Home
Wayne Besen, gay rights advocate
Matthew Bourne, British choreographer
Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church
Justice Edwin Cameron, senior South African official
Thomas Duane, New York State Senator
Martin Duberman, historian
Marga Gomez, award winning commedian
Lesley Gore, singer and songwriter
Alan Hollinghurst, author of award winning The Line of Beauty
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, LGBT Synagogue
Scott Long, Executive Director of LGBT Rights Project, Human Rights Watch
Joseph Lovett, film maker, notably of Gay Sex in the 70s
Michael Musto, columnist
Christine Quinn, Speaker of the New York City Council
Tully Satre, youth activist
Sir Antony Sher, actor, novelist and artist
Lily Tomlin, comedian who publicly came out on the show in 2000^[5]
Tree, Stonewall Inn Bartender
Paula Vogel, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright
Kenji Yoshino, author as well as professor of intellectual life at Yale Law School

Organizations involved in LGBT rights and information dissemination have also been represented on the show by various guests. These include:

ACLU Lesbian & Gay Rights Project: Litigation Director James Esseks; Matt Coles
Equality Ride: Activists Haven Herrin & Jake Reitan
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network: Kevin Jennings
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund: Attorney Alphonso David
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force: Executive Director Matt Forman
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States: Monica Rodriguez^[6]^[7]

[edit] Gay USA Team

Frequently, the folks who work on and/or for Gay USA refer to themselves as the "Gay USA Team." In alphabetical order, the team currently consists of: