Rich Words On Frank Rich's Birthday

I am a fan of Frank Rich & his writings. His memoir- Ghost Light is one of my favorite books about the theatre. I was lucky to see him in 2008 in a conversation with Stephen Sondheim at the Newmark Theatre in Portland, What an evening! I always looked forward to his theatre reviews, even when I disagreed with his assertions & I treasure his Op-Ed pieces in the NY Times. What he says today about the Gay Rights Movement & the history of Stonewall is beautifully written & important. He is a reminder of how our straight allies make a very real difference in our struggle.

Frank Rich is a treasure. Is it really possible that he didn't know one single out person while he was at Harvard? I think this Op-Ed is a timely reminder of how much work is still to be done & that Forty Years Later: Still Second Class Americans.

For the first time, a majority of Americans (52 percent) believe “gays & lesbians should have a constitutional right to get married", according to a recent CNN poll.

Rich: "None of this means that full equality for gay Americans is a done deal. Even if it were, that would be scant consolation to the latest minority groups to enter the pantheon of American scapegoats, Hispanic immigrants and Muslims. We are still a young, imperfect, unfinished country. As a young black man working as a nurse in a 1980s AIDS clinic memorably says in 'Angels in America' by Tony Kushner:  “The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word ‘free’ to a note so high nobody can reach it.”

Rich left the NY Times this spring, after 31 years, where he was the lead Theatre Critic until 1994 when he became an Op-Ed columnist. He is now with my favorite publication- New York Magazine. Happy Birthday, Mr Rich!