Prof. Tim Miller, a professor of acting at the University of California - Los Angeles, gave a lecture/performance to a packed house in Shapiro Theater Last Monday that challenged students' conceptions of life as a gay man and raised awareness of the main injustices that homosexuals currently face. More than just a graduate acting professor, Miller is a touring actor and advocate for gay rights. He has been published numerous times, his first major print release being Body Blows. Miller is currently on the Us tour where he showcases his love of musicals and his views on gay rights in America.

Miller began the show with a short performance. Miller used the performance as a way of describing the adversities that gays face in America. In order to impregnate the "dyke" ovum, he had to swim past homophobic football players, the religious right, and President Bush.

Miller progressed into his speech on the state of gay marriage in America. He has been working on Permanent Partners Immigration Act, which would give foreign-born, same-sex partners of U.S. citizenship the same immigration rights granted to legal spouses of heterosexual Americans. The bill would affect approximately 100,000 homosexual couples, specifically Miller himself. Miller has been in a long-term relationship with an Australian named Alistair who has recently been pulled away from Miller because of his immigration status.

Launching into another performance about his early childhood, Miller performed a skit that revolved around himself and his best friend Scott walking to school together. They used to walk past the same house everyday on their way to school, and, one day, Scott told Miller that he was going to live in that house on for the rest of his life with the girl he had a crush on.

Miller, who had a crush on Scott, told him that he was going to live with him in that house for the rest of their lives, and Scott did not respond kindly. Scott shoved Miller to the ground and pummelled him until he finally took it back.

But Miller had found a loophole.

Miller had crossed his fingers when he said it. So after Scott walked away Miller held his hands up screaming, "I'll never take it back, I'll never take it back!"

Miller continued to talk about politics and the recent work that has been going on in the state legislatures, specifically in Massachusetts. He applauded the Massachusetts state courts for implementing such an "obvious" ruling to allow gay marriage. Miller then travelled back to the early 90's and went on to discuss the problems he faced with the National Endowment for the Arts, when his funding was pulled by Republican senators.

"President Bush the first had to offer the religious right something, since they essentially helped to get him elected," said Miller. "So they offered up me."

In 1990, Miller was a solo performer working under the NEA Solo Performer Fellowship. At the urging of Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), Miller, Karen Finley, John Fleck and Holly Hughes (known as the NEA 4) successfully sued the federal government with the help of the ACLU.

The NEA 4 was triumphant at the district-level when Judge Wallace Tashima of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals deemed that the decency standard was unconstitutional and decided the NEA 4 should be reimbursed and order the government to play all legal costs.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court struck down the decision in 1998 stating, "[the decency clause] neither inherently interferes with First Amendment rights nor violates constitutional vagueness principles." In the 8-1 decision, only Justice David Hackett Souter voted to uphold the ruling stating "[the decency clause was] substantially overbroad and carries with it a significant power to chill artistic production and display."

Miller concluded his lecture with a story about a Montana pride festival where Miller and many other were harassed by bigots in a pick up truck. In this performance, he told of a bottle of Colt 45 being hurled at him. As the blood dripped down his forehead, his only thought was "please just leave the guns on the rack in the car."

Miller is currently on tour right now performing about musical theater and how the art affects the gay identity, incorporating stories from his personal life and his political views about gay rights.