Like a lot of people, I am aware that awareness months exist, but — with the possible exception of June as Gay Pride Month — I am not really aware of what months I should be aware of the things I’m supposed to be aware of.

So when I received an e-mail declaring May “skin cancer awareness month,” I was first inclined, as always, to promptly read-and-delete. I’ve probably gotten similar e-mails for years.

But this year, I paused. For once, what we are supposed to be aware of hit home, because in the past 12 months, I have become a cancer survivor.

The full story — including a pic and a link to an online exclusive — after the jump. 

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Two well-known (and better yet, well-liked) veterans of Dallas theater are on the move — one right out of the state.

Staying put is Lee Trull, who this week moved on to a full-time position as artistic associate with the Dallas Theater Center. Trull, who’s straight but a nice guy anyway, is an actor (”End Times,” DTC’s “A Christmas Carol”) and playwright (”Puppet Boy”) who has been one of the team that produces at Kitchen Dog Theater.

At least Lee will still be local; not so Tom Sime, the managing director of the Contemporary Theatre of Dallas and erstwhile theater critic for the Dallas Morning News. Sime, who’s gay but a nice guy anyway,  is making the big move: He’s headed for New York. Sime has always worn multiple hats in the arts, as a critic then theater manager, but also as a visual artist and playwright. His newest full-length play, “Bloodletters” (which I saw in an enjoyable staged reading last year), opens at Teatro Dallas later this summer.

We’ll have Tom around for a while longer — he’ll be with CTD until the end of the year, when Russell Dyer takes over… and I have to break another one in… 

I love Dolly Parton. I have always loved Dolly Parton. In fact, one of my greatest dreams is that someday Dolly Parton, Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin will each sing happy birthday to me.

My best friend loves Dolly Parton, too. He has seen her in concert, even once getting to stand right at the edge of the stage, so close that she smiled at him and sang to him and even invited him onstage to sing with her. (The big, mean bouncers wouldn’t let him up there, though.) He was so thrilled he still practically swoons at the very thought of that night. He has even said that when he dies, he wants to be cremated and have his ashed spread over Dollywood.

Ah, Dollywood. That’s really what I want to talk about. I just found out that “OUT at the Park,” a Tennessee version of Gay Day at Disney World, is set for June 28 this year at Dollywood, Dolly’s theme park outside Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It will, in fact, be the sixth annual “OUT at the Park” event there. This year, they are adding “OUT at Dixie Stampede,” also on June 28, and “OUT at the Water Park” on June 29 at Dolly’s Splash Country.

Organizers of these events are careful to point out that the events are neither sponsored nor sanctioned by the theme park or the water park, but are, instead, “put on by a nonprofit group for fun and fellowship.” They are also encouraging participants to wear red shirts to the park — I guess as a way of identifying each other as well as making a statement of strength and support.

I cannot even begin to describe how much I would love to go to gay day at Dollywood! I can’t, though, because it’s in June, and that is always one of our busiest months here at Dallas Voice. But you guys can go, and I think you should! Break out those red shirts and go see Dolly. And if you do see her, tell her I love her, and that my birthday is in October.

Read more about OUT at the Park here and more about Dollywood here.

The hot gay campaign topic this week has been North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley’s use of the word “pansy” yesterday in endorsing Sen. Hillary Clinton. Specifically, Easley said: “I’ve been accused of being persistent and downright aggravating, but this lady right here makes Rocky Balboa look like a pansy.”

As a Philadelphia native, I was deeply offended by this remark. Not because as a gay man I find the word pansy offensive, but because I don’t think anyone could really make Rocky look like a pansy, and I certainly don’t think someone from North Carolina has any business saying that about the Italian Stallion.

But then I got to thinking, and I stumbled across this amusing video on YouTube that appears to confirm my suspicions: Rocky really IS a pansy. The video, posted by gotodrew, is titled “ROCKY III: Spoof — More Gay than Brokeback.” Here’s the YouTube link.

I’d have to say I’m pretty much in agreement with this rather ballsy bumper sticker I saw this morning at the Race Trac on Lemmon Avenue, where I filled up this morning for almost $3.50 a gallon.

I received a press release the other day about a new study about a recent financial survey of gays and lesbians. I have to admit, I was a little surprised by the findings.

The survey was conducted online by Instinct Magazine and Dallas-based MergeMedia, and 83 percent of those responded said they felt the gay market is “a stronger financial force than ever before.”

Here is an excerpt from the press release:

Even in the current economic climate, relatively few gay Americans say they’ll significantly slow purchases of big-ticket items like high-definition televisions, computers and cars.

“This research proves what smart brands already know,” said Dawn Meifert, MergeMedia Group’s chief executive officer. “Gay and lesbian purchasing power cannot be ignored.”

The press release said that “industry estimates” put gay and lesbian “buying power” at about $780 billion for 2008, and that gays and lesbians are about twice as likely as straights to have an income of more than $250,000 and hold a financial portfolio of more than $1 million.

In this survey, only 5 percent of the about 500 people who responded in March said they felt they were more vulnerable to a recession than straights.

Now, I know Dawn Meifert, and I am not questioning her survey results. But I do have one question: How many of those 500 folks who responded were parents of teen or pre-teen boys? You know, that strange creature who can eat their weight in food about every other day, who manage to tear holes in the knees of their jeans within 48 hours of purchase, and who need new shoes every other month?

How ever many such parents may have been in that group of respondents, I hope none of them were in that non-recession-proof 5 percent. Because I know from experience that even a six-figure income may not be enough to keep up with the needs of growing kids!

That’s what Out & Equal DFW, North Texas’ arm of a group devoted to GLBT community in the workplace, wants to know. Specifically, the organization is interested in compiling a list of local employee resource groups, or ERGs. If your company has one, you can send the contact information to O&E’s local chair, Ron Ausemus, at RNAusemus@aol.com.

The Human Rights Campaign today released a list of 14 candidates the organization is endorsing in 2008 U.S. Senate races. Noticeably absent from the list is Democrat Rick Noriega (pictured above), who’s running against Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Noriega has been endorsed by Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, and Cornyn scored a 0 out of 100 on HRC’s most recent congressional scorecard.

According to HRC, today’s list isn’t final and the organization will continue to add endorsements, including those for U.S. House, as the election season progresses.

UPDATE: HRC is under fire for not endorsing openly gay candidate Jim Neal in North Carolina and gay-friendly candidate Tom Allen in Maine. To read more, go here or here.

Margaret Cho’s show was North Texas’ gayest event last night. Her “Beautiful” tour stopped at Nokia in Grand Prairie.
Here are some tidbits:
She talked about filming her upcoming reality show, “Where my mom and I will be doing some ignunt shit.” One episode will be about anal bleaching and having a white anus: “How did it get dark down there? Because that’s where the sun don’t shine?”
On Britney Spears: “Handcuffed to a gurney — oh, girl. I’ve been there … The Zen of partying is to stick to one drug at a time … Like marijuana? I don’t even consider it a drug. To me, it’s a vegetable.”
On Paris Hilton: “In the future, we’ll be able to understand her. Paris is like a crop circle.”
On crotch shots and the downfall of celebrities: “Don’t let the paparazzi take pictures of your pussy. It steals the pussy’s soul.”
On “Project Runway”: “Whenever I see Michael Kors, my asshole just slams shut — Clang! — not that it’s open all the time. It’s just that Michael Kors is so critical. And he uses so much self-tanner — he’s like a bitchy tangerine.”
Comparing former New Jersey Governor James McGreevey to Rick Perry. “Why did [McGreevey] have to resign? Because a gay man can’t be a governor? Do you guys still have that gay governor here in Texas? Governor Richard Perry? He’s such a fag — with his boyfriend and that haircut.”
On “Miss Larry Craig” “His stance was so wide, he was giving us ballet second position.” “But he won’t come out. He’s like a sorry old queen without a piano bar.”
On John McCain: “He’s such an old bitch — he don’t make jizz. He makes glue.”
On Internet hunting: “Nothing is sadder than cruising for dick on Craigslist. It’s like the PennySaver.”

The worst thing about being a pet-person is when people know you’re a pet-person.  I might as well walk around with a sign on my chest that says “sucker.” Our editor knows better than to let me see our Pet of the Week ahead of time — she knows I’d have most of them adopted before the issue hits the stands.

But Dawn Meifert and Philomena Aceto aren’t so kind. Both of them e-mailed me the same flyer for a beautiful dog who needs a home. That’s just mean. Someone, please save me from myself!  I can’t get a girl dog right now! She’s 2, friendly (non-aggressive) and plainly adorable. Call 214-327-2007 if you can adopt.