Hot Sheet: Our Antibullying Hero

THEATER: United Solo Theater Festival
The third annual festival of one-person performances opens in New York City Thursday -- National Coming Out Day, which is appropriate, given the many LGBT-themed pieces in the fest. Some of these are The Bronx Queen (pictured above), Joe Gulla's show about growing up gay in that tough New York borough; Death in Venice in First Person, Rory Lance's take on Thomas Mann's classic homoerotic novel; Growing Pains, in which Nathan James dissects stereotypes of black men in hip-hop culture; and To Carry On ... A Tribute to the Life and Music of Laura Nyro, with Mimi Cohen portraying the iconic lesbian singer-songwriter and the people in her life, including manager David Geffen. The fest runs through November 18; click here for the full schedule.

EVENT: Legacy Walk Dedication
In Chicago, National Coming Out Day will be marked by the dedication of the Legacy Walk, billed as the world's only outdoor museum celebrating LGBT notables from around the world. A series of plaques commemorating those who have contributed to our history are going up on a section of Halsted Street, one of the gayest strips in the Windy City; the 18 initial honorees include Jane Addams, James Baldwin, Barbara Jordan, Frida Kahlo, Harvey Milk, Bayard Rustin, and Oscar Wilde. More will be added each year to the project, the brainchild of Chicago activist Victor Salvo. There will be a series of dedication-related events Thursday; for more information go to LegacyProjectChicago.org.

MUSIC: Heart, Fanatic
The Wilson sisters, a.k.a. Heart, are back with Fanatic, their 14th studio album. The 10 cuts include "Dear Old America" and "Walkin' Good," featuring Sarah McLachlan. Out now on Legacy Recordings.

DVD: Funkytown / Lifestyles / Boys for Sale
If you're old enough to remember 1976, when the clothes had more spandex and V-necks, you'll love director Daniel Roby's Genie Award-winning disco-era drama Funkytown (Wolfe Video), which debuted on DVD this week. Set in Montreal in the 1970s, gay screenwriter Steve Galluccio's film follows the king of disco, an ingenue, a desperate music producer, and a man with a secret life -- all juggling the changes in sex, freedom, and sobriety that came with the era that introduced us to excess as the norm. There's plenty of gay and bisexual action among the cast, but sexy Justin Chatwin (Steve from Showtime's hit series Shameless) as Tito, a closeted thug with gay-bashing friends, is magnetic. Shop, watch the trailer, or see a clip or two. $19.95, WolfeVideo.com

Lifestyles: A Cultural Look at Gay Male Sexuality Vol. 1 features three films, including the legendary Taxi Zum Klo, Frank Ripploh's 1981 queer film classic about a gay schoolteacher with a double life who spends a great deal of his time hooking up with other men in public bathrooms. It was widely considered the first mainstream gay film, albeit with risque content. In addition, the upbeat doc Kink Crusaders goes inside the International Mr. Leather Competition, while the third flick in the set, Uncle Bob, looks at the life of Robert Opel, a gay activist who streaked through the 46th Academy Awards, became famous, then was murdered in 1979. (BreakingGlassPictures.com)

Meanwhile, Boys for Sale Vol. 1 offers three different looks at sex workers: Rent Boys (filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim's frank and empathetic look at the historic causes and lasting effects of Berlin's hustler trade), All Boys (a revealing documentary about Eastern Europe's adult film history), and Men for Sale (which unflinchingly documents the lives of 11 sex workers over the course of one year). (BreakingGlassPictures.com)

EVENT: Dan Savage, Ben Cohen, and Kyle Dean Massey on Bullying
The brainy Dan Savage, the brawny Ben Cohen, and the charming Kyle Dean Massey of Broadway's Wicked will converge for one night to talk about how to stop bullying in a discussion moderated by Entertainment Weekly's Jess Cagle. Prior to the panel, the cast of Wicked will perform a piece from the show. A portion of the proceeds from the event, to be held Thursday at New York City's Gershwin Theatre, will be donated to the It Gets Better Project and the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation. For more information visit StandUpItGetsBetterWicked.eventbrite.com.

TV BONUS: If you can't get enough Dan Savage, check out the second installment of MTV and Logo's It Gets Better special, which airs Tuesday at 11 p.m.

MUSIC: Cher Lloyd, Sticks & Stones
There's a new Cher in town, and this one has a last name: Cher Lloyd, the winner of the U.K. X Factor. Like the legend, the younger Cher is striking and raven-haired. She's also a big star in her native land and ready to explode here. Her album Sticks & Stones is out now.

ART: "Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years"
New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art gives Andy Warhol far more than 15 minutes with its exhibition of his work alongside that of artists influenced by him. The show "juxtaposes prime examples of Warhol's paintings, sculpture, and films with those by other artists who in key ways reinterpret, respond, or react to his groundbreaking work," notes the museum's website. Besides Warhol himself, LGBT artists featured include Keith Haring, David Hockney, Glenn Ligon, Kalup Linzy, and Catherine Opie. The show opened last month and continues through December 31.

MUSIC: Release Me, Barbra Streisand
This collection of 11 songs comes from previously unreleased material that the superstar recorded during her storied career. Among the more anticipated is "Home," her soaring, up-tempo take on the anthem from the musical The Wiz.Listen to our copy. The album is available Tuesday.

BOOK: Gaga Feminism by J. Jack Halberstam
Not only is Lady Gaga a preeminent figure in music, style, activism, and technology, but noted feminist scholar J. Jack Halberstam sees Ms. Germanotta as the symbol of a new stage in feminism, in which gay families and straight alike people defy society's boring normality. Halberstam's latest is a smart, funny, engaging must-read for burgeoning feminists, second-wavers, and everyone in between.

MUSIC: Mika, Origin of Love
The third studio album from the out pop-tune-maker keeps the upbeat view of life and love that keeps you dancing around the living room. "Celebrate," featuring N.E.R.D.'s Pharell Williams, is the first American single --watch the video for it below. Show the Beirut-born beauty some love and download it today. He heads to the States for a concert tour that arrives in New York October 15, and watch for the album October 16.