Billy Bean will be appearing at Giovanni's Room (12th & Pine) on Wednesday 4/23 from 5:30 to 7 PM. This will be his only Philadelphia appearance. Hope to see fellow Outsporters there.

I just ordered his book through the Outsports link to Amazon.com last night.

Is he just signing his book or is he reading from it/doing a Q&A session?

[ April 18, 2003, 08:41 AM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

He's supp. to be doing a reading and signing books. Bring your Amazon purchased book to be autographed. I'm going to buy an extra copy to give to a friend as a birthday gift.

I won't have it in time, I assume. I bought another book and got free shipping, which takes a few days longer according to the website. But I may show up anyway.

Just want to remind all Philly outsporters that Billy Bean's booksigning is this Wednesday!

I had a thought since my copy from Amazon.com isn't going to arrive in time--is there anyone who plans to buy the book but hasn't done so yet? If so perhaps you could purchase my copy--then I can go to the bookstore signing and buy a copy to have Billy sign. I got the 30% discount from Amazon so I can pass that along, I'll pay to ship it to you and if you'd like (and if I can find it... wink )I can throw in a baseball autographed by Billy Bean when he was here (I think in 2000 or 2001) for National Coming Out Day.

Well, I went to the booksigning tonight. Got there late, thanks in part to a man causing a disturbance on the "El" (elevated train line). Ran into scottie there. Was anyone else there? Eventually I got to the front of the table with my book for Billy Bean to sign. So I asked him about the Out magazine editor Brendan Lemon and his "ballplayer boyfriend" and the rather sizable amount of opinion that Lemon fabricated the whole thing to sell magazines. Billy did not wish to say anything specific about the matter, as he had to be "sensitive" to the situation. He did agree with me that it would be a bad thing for someone to make up a story like this, but wouldn't comment specifically about it. Oh well, I guess I won't get a reporter job any time soon. But he was very polite about it. A very nice, likable guy. If he's coming to your town, go see him.

I missed you there Joe, though Scottie pointed you out as he and I were walking down the stairs. Sorry I didn't have a chance to chat but you were staring at Bean at the time and I thought it would be rude to interrupt.

I thought Bean's talk was very interesting and he seems to have grown into his spokesperson role a lot since I first heard him at an HRC meeting here in Philly a couple of years ago.

First book I've ever had signed - glad it was his.

You should've said hello--I had plenty of time to stare at him. wink