The Brief: April 9, 2010

THE BIG CONVERSATION:

It turns out Gay Jesus won’t see the light of day after all.  Corpus Christi, a one-act production in which a gay Christ figure performs a marriage ceremony for two gay disciples, was scheduled to run at Fort Worth’s Rose Marine Theater after being cancelled at Tarleton State University last month amid a firestorm of controversy. But the production house’s Web site admits staff at the venue decided to rescind the offer late Thursday.

“The decision was reached by the Board of Directors of Artes de la Rosa to withdraw the offer of the venue, The Rose Marine Theater, which had hoped to host the 4 theatre student directors from Tarleton State University in their continued Academic Directing Theatre Projects,” cites the organization. “The Rose Marine Theater will not be hosting these 4 students and their casts at any time in the future. We appreciate the public response on both sides of this debated issue.”

The Fort Worth Weekly was the first to report the latest in the ongoing saga, and in its coverage stated, “Mark Alcala, producing director at the Rose Marine, said the board did not provide exact reasons for its decision.”

Originally written by Texan and Tony Award winner Terrence McNally, Corpus Christi was chosen by openly gay theater student John Jordan Otte as the project he would undertake for his midterm assignment. Publicity for the event drew the ire of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who said in statement last month “Every citizen is entitled to the freedom of speech, but no one should have the right to use government funds or institutions to portray acts that are morally reprehensible to the majority of Americans.”

CULLED:

• Attorney Eric Johnson is now an official member of the Texas House of Representatives. The Dallas Morning News reports that Johnson, who was the only eligible candidate on the ballot during last month’s Democratic Primary Election, was also the only person to file for the May 8 special election to replace incumbent Terri Hodge. Hodge resigned her position as the minority-majority Dallas County district’s representative after pleading guilty to federal charges in February.

• From the “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished” department comes news that a program intended to offer financial incentives to “trade up” to new appliances is instead creating a massive backlog. The Dallas Morning News, in its coverage, calls the program the “handout from Hell” after several eager participants received zilch due to congested online traffic on the program's Web site. Phone lines established to secure participants’ reservations were also jammed. State Comptroller Susan Combs demanded a review of the company charged with running the $23 million program, according to the San Antonio Express News.

MUST READ:

Allen Vaught not backing Jaime Cortes — Dallas Morning News

East Texas mailbox bomb suspect angry at government, authorities say — Fort Worth Star Telegram

US Rep. Ciro Rodriguez to visit Fort Hancock today to assess border violence — El Paso Times

Mexicans facing reduced U.S. visa limits — San Antonio Express-News

Something Stinks About the News' Position on Moving Smelly Businesses Along the Trinity — The Dallas Observer

Driven to Share — Texas Tribune