1 20 3 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/36aba7327972b75dae0295dac95d169a.jpg b193d44609dabb5cef6d586b66040292 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/513e40cd3c75b65023730243e0d4089c.pdf 5f8ccce996b76090a422ada4399d57bd Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Execution Set for Killer of Man Thought to Be Gay : by Tim Talley, Associated Press Writer OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma’s Court of " Criminal Appeals has set an Aug. 30 execution date for " Mexican national Gerardo Valdez, whose request for ¯ clemency was denied by Gov. Frank Keating. ¯ Valdez, 41, had been scheduled to die by lethal " rejection on June 19 for the April 1, 1989, murder of 26- " year-old Juan Trinidad Barton in Valdez’s home in Minco, Oklahoma. But Keating granted a 30-day reprieve to consider a recommendation by the state Par- " don and Parole Board that his death sentence be corn- ¯ muted. ¯ Valdez met Barron in a bar where both men were : drinking. Valdez, Barron and another man gaveled to Valdez’s home, where Valdez accused Barron of being ¯ a homosexual and threatened to kill him. ’V-aldez shot Barton twice in the forehead, then slit Barron’s throat " with a large knife, seeExecUtion,p. 3 " Park Task Force Seeks to Treat Sex Offenders TULSA (TFN) - After months of meetings, a group which included police officers, sheriffs, professional counselors, members of the Tulsa City Prosecutor’s Office, the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office, representatives ofTulsa Oklahomans forHuman Rights (TOHR) and even an anthropologist from the University of Tulsa, have issued a plan and recommendations toaddress"misdemeanorsexual crimes" inTulsacounty. The effort began in December 1999 when the Tulsa Police Dept. asked the Mental Health Association in Tulsa (MHAT) for help in addressing sexual activity in city and county parks and other public locations. In February 2000, MHAT began contacting various individuals with professional interests in the problem. The goal was to design an effective response to the inappropriate public sexual behavior which help the individuals who are involved while protecting the public’s right to health and safety in public places. The group noted that the perpetrators ofpublic sex are mostly male andmany aremarried with families. Police also noted that if it were thought to be an effective deterent, many more arrests could be made than are done. The essence of the proposal is that those arrested for misdemeanor sex crimes could be given suspended or deferred sentences, would be banished from state, city and county parks during probation, would have to performcommunity service andmostimportantly, would go through an approved mental health/physical health .treatment program (at theirownexpense) to address the issues which lead to the sex crime. Satisfactory completion of these conditions would result in dismissed or lesser charges. For more information, direct questions to Michael Brose, executive director, Mental Health Association in i New Community Center ¯ TOHR Seeks Location Suggestions TULSA (TFN) -~ Over 65 people, almost as mmay women as men, attended a meeting in July at the current, rented Gay community center at 21st & Memorial to discuss where and what a new, ~ hopefully owned, community center would be. . The mostly white and miXed Native American group hadan ¯ age range from afew in their 20’s with most in their 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and some above. ¯ The brainstorming session generated location suggestions from Cherry Street, the Brady District, Swan Lake neighbor- : hood, Brady Heights neighborhood, 11th Street, Kendall Whittier i to 31st Street.at Highway 169 to.the old Oral Roberts University building near Veterans Parkncar the south downtown neighborhood of SoBo. Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends Community members discuss possible Center options. And while no single notion of location emerged from the meeting, a good picture of what people would like the building to do, did. see Center, p. 9 Hate Crimes Seem.on Increase Congress and BushAdministration Should Immediately Address this Problem, Says HRC WASHINGTON-TheHuman Rights Campaign today called on Congress and the Bush administration to use their bully pulpits to condemn recent outbreaks of alleged anti-Gay hate violence across the nation. "To remain disengaged in the face of these violent tragedies sends the wrong message and allows dangerous hate mongers to grossly misinterpret this silence," says HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "We urge Congress and the administration to publicly address this unconscionable rash of anti-Gay violence. They should use their bully pulpits to let people know this behavior is unacceptable and un’American." Last weekend, in what appears to be a crime caused in largepart by anti-Gay bias, Willie Houston, 38, was fatally shot in the chest in Nashville, Tenn., after the alleged gunman, Lewis Maynard Davidson III, 25, taunted him with anti-Gay epithets. Houston hadjust finished a midnight riverboat cruise with his fiancee, Nedra Jones, and friends when the trouble started. Houston escorted a blind male friend by the arm into a restroom while holding Jones’ purse. Inside the restroom, the gunman allegedly hurled anti-Gay insults at the friends. Hefollowed them out of the restroom, while continuing his verbal harassment. Davidson then allegedly returned to his car where he retrieved a gun and said, "Now what you got to say?" before firing the weapon at Houston. Police are searching for Davidson andhave yet to officially call it a hate crime, saying the investigation is "still very much open." While the victim is reportedly not Gay, Tennessee hate crime laws cover violence basedonreal or perceived sexual orientation. HRC is working with local law enforcement and actively following this ease with the help of its local leadership. On June 21, high school student Fred Martinez, Jr., 16,- who described himself as openly Gay, transgender and "two-spirit" - was found beaten to death in Cortez, Colo. Shaun Murphy, 18, has been charged with second-degree murder. see Hate, p. 7 ¯ Tulsa .Hate Crime: Gay ¯ Beaten by Straight Man TULSA (TFN) - It seemed an ordinary Thursday evening in July for one Tulsa man who had stopped ¯¯ for a couple beers at one of Tulsa’s Gay clubs. After all, who expects to be Tulsa s next hate crime v~ctlm. ¯ Certainly not"Joe Smith" minding his own business, ¯ going home fairly early - only a little after ten p.m. But it turned out not to be such a quiet night for ." Smith. Leaving the club, he was followed by a driver ¯ who quickly made his hostility obvious over a num- - ber of miles across the city. As Smith drove on, he became increasingly con- ’ cemed and stopped at a convenience store where he ¯ ran in, yelled at the clerk to call the police and ¯ barracaded himself in the restroom. ¯ However, a locked door hardly slowed Smith’s ¯ assaillant down. Described as over 6’-4" and likely ¯ 250 pounds or more, Smith said his attacker snapped off the door handle to the restroom and proceeded to pound him, cracking several ribs, and slamming ¯ Smith’s face into a towel dispenser. At one point, the ¯ attacker punched Smith in the chest near the heart, in ¯ a move described as an attempted "death punch.’" Finally Smith, himself a tall man, managed to grab ¯ his attacker’s hands and Smith succeeded in slam- " ruing his knee into his attacker’s genitals, once or ¯ twice. Then Smith took refuge behind the counter with the store clerk and his attacker ranfrom the store. ¯ Police soon arrived and Smith characterized their ¯ response as appropriate and supportive. While Smith ¯ and the police were discussing the attack, the phone in the store rang and they heard the clerk saying to the caller that the police had not shown up. After the call ¯ ended, the store clerk turned to the police, saying that ¯ the caller said he was the attacker and wasjust calling ¯ to see if the police had responded, see Attack, p. 3 ¯ Same-sex Domestic Violence Seems Higher SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Reports of domestic violence among Gay and Lesbian couples around the nation in2000 increased 29% from the previous year, according to a report released in July. There were 4,048 reports, of domestic violence among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender couples nationally, up from 3,120 in 1999, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. "With this fifth annual report, we are able to stop asking does same-sex domestic violence exist, and start answering what we’re going to do about it," said Shawna Virago, a program director at Community United Against Violence. Virago said not all reports filed with outreach programs get investigated by police. There were 691 cases of same-sex domestic violence reported in San Francisco last year, according to the group. Females represented 434 of the victims in those cases, 204 victims were male, while 52 involved transgender victims. The term transgender covers cross-dressers, transvestites, transsexuals and those born with characteristics of both sexes. The reports were compiled by the National Coalition ofAnti-Violenee Programs, an association of26 groups that advocate for victims of same-sex harassment and violence. Much of the increase in violence reports came from the domestic abuse program at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. That program receives funding for an outreach and education funding which elicited more reports than previous years, Virago said. In Tulsa, DVIS, Domestic Violence Intervention Services provides support to Lesbian and Gaycouples. Shelter services, however, are limited to female and children only. DVIS has no options for men in need. For the DVIS 24-hour crisis line, call 585-3143. Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine *CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial *Play-Mor, 424 S. Memorial Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main *St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st *Schatzi’s, 2619 S .’Memorial *The Star, 1565 Sheridan *TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial *Tool Box II, 1338 E. 3rd *Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan *The Ydlow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th 832-1269 610-5323 838-9792 744-4280 585-3405 745-9998 280-1316 834-4234 660-0856 584-1308 835-2376 749-1563 Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 523 1 E. 41 Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 665-4580 712-1122 712-9955 494-2665 743-5272 746-0313 -295-5868 Cherry St. Psychoth.erapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468_ *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 369-8555 Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460 Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. l~oria 744-9595 Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. 610-0880 Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709 Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 808-8026 *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st 742-1460 Leanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 459-9349 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440 *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E Skelly 745-1111 *International Tours 341-6866 Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th 712-2750 *Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018 , David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 747-0236 ¯ The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 582-8460 : *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070 : Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466 : *Living ArtSpace~ 308 South Kenosha 585-1234 ¯ *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd 584-3112 ¯ Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934 ", *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 664-2951 Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626 *The Pride Store 743-4297 ~ Rainbowz on theRiver B+B, POB 696, 74101 747-5932 [ Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617 ¯ Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. 834-7921, 748-0224 " Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-7829 " *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558 ," Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard 835-5563 Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling 743-1733 *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan 665-2222 *Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis 592-0767 www.gaytulsa.org - website for Tulsa Gays &Lesbians Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593 All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston *Chapman Student Cir., University of Tulsa, 5th H. Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation Council Oak Men’s Chorale *Ddaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 743-2363 587-7314 583-7815 583-9780 585-1201 & Florence 587-1314 747=6300 749-0595 748-3888 712-1511 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-maih TulsaNews@earthlink.net Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom, Esther Rothblum, Ma~ Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw Member of The Associated Press Issued around the 1 st ofeach month, the entire contents of this publication are protected by US copyright 2001 by Tulsa Family News and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Publication of a name or photo does not indicate a person’s sexual orientation. Correspondence is assumed to befor publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 copier, of each edition at distribution points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248. *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457 Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140 *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777 *Free SpiritWomen’ s Center, call for location &info: 587-4669 Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827 Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438 *Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194 HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378 *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMinstries,1517 S. Memorial 224-4754 *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715 NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral PI. 748-3111 NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, POB 14068, 74159 365-5658 OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157 *OSU-Tulsa PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901 *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674 Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195 *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325 St. Aidan’ s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882 St. Dtmstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140 *St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088 Soulforce-OK, Rt.4,#3534, Stigler74462 587-3248,452-2761 *Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 583-7171 *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225 Tulsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 595-4105 Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, Gay Comm. Center 743-429/ TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvocacyCoalition,POB2687,Tulsa 74101 T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827 *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule *Tulsa Community College Campuses *Tulsa Gay Community Center, 21st &Memorial 743-4297 Unity Churchof Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown 749-8833 BARTLESVILLE Barflesville Public Library, 600S. Johnstone 918-337-5353 TAHLEQUAH Stonewal[ League, call for information: 918-456-7900 Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918-456-7900 Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-9360 EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734 Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 501-253-7457 DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 501-253-6807 Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. 501-253-5445 MCC of the Living Spring 501-253-9337 Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-2776 Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-253-5332 Positive Idea Marketing Plans 501-624-6646 White Light, 1 Center St. 501-253-4074 JOPLIN, MISSOURI Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-623-4696 * is whereyou can findTFN. Notall are Gay-owned butall are Gay.friendly. : Our House ison Fire AIDS at 20 Where were on you June 5, 1981 ? Unlike Pearl Harbor, Kennedy’s and King’ s assassinations, the Murrah Federal Building bombing, or the May 3 tornadoes, I doubt many of us can remember what we were doing the day the Centers for Disease Controlreported its first article about a rare parasiticlunginfection, pueumocystis carinii pneumonia, that had struck "5 young men, all active homosexuals." Three of the young men tested had an inexplicable depression of their immune function. Twenty years later, 36 million people worldwide are HIV positive. HIV/AIDS has claimed the rich and the famous, the poor and the homeless, our sisters and brothers. In a special report in the June 11 issue of Newsweek, reporter Sharon Begley writes, "the disease has changed the personal as well as the political -how we think and how we love, what we teach our children and what words we say in public.’"’ The emergence of the disease first within the gay community in the United States drew attention to gay relationships, courage a~d compassion. As HIV/AIDS ravages black America, Phill Wilson of Los Angeles speaks to a congregation and shares a story about the time his brother accidentally set the house on fire, and how he and his siblings were afraid to call the Fire Department because they did not want people to find out. "Our house is on fire! The fire truck arrives, but we won’t come out, because we are at’raid the folks from next door will see that we’re in that burning house. AIDS is a fire raging in our community and it’s out of control!" We’ve had hopeful moments when it appeared a vaccine was on the horizon or treatment s would be able to prevent the replication of the virus while the body’s immune system recovered and defeated {he virus. In reality, HIV continues to spread to about 40,000 in the US each year and millions worldwide. The positive news about improvedmedical treatments for HI,V/AIDS has softened the effect of early AIDS = DEATH" prevention messages. Yet no one has been cured of HIV/AIDS, the medications required to suppress the virus are ex- Iremely expensive and has short- and longterm effects that must be weighed along with their benefits, and the complexities of the illness can wear out those who are living with HIV/AIDS and those who care for ¯ In our eleven years as an organization, RAIN has served 663 HIV-infected indi- " viduals, their families and caregivers. One ¯ hundred and thirty four clients are being ¯ served currently - a greater number than at ¯ any time in the past. We see the numbers ¯ increase about 10% monthly as we add new ¯ types of services to meet the needs. Thank ~ you for helping us help others and educate : aboutHIV/AIDS as we wait and hope for an effective vaccine and treatment that is avail¯ able for everyone. - Pare Cross ¯ executive director Regional AIDS Interfaith Network by Tom Neal, publisher and editor " ¯ release faxes from the DNC, one welcoming their new Some days ago I attended a local Democratic party ~ openly Gay and Lesbian staff members and one from event at All Souls Unitarian Church. Nearly all the usual ." DNC chair, Terry McAuliffe talking about Democratic party players were there, from Sally Frasier, Doug Dodd, ¯ support for ENDA, the employment non-discrimination Gary Watts, LindaJordan, Wilbur Collins, Howard Plow- ~ act, just reintroduced again. man, Keith McArtor, Melani Hamilton ¯ But where are Oklahoma Democrats9 and more whose names you d recogmze.... The purpose of the event was to identify the RIetpsunbollteattnmstbIultlkaet TYoellroewadDthoeg Dstiastpeaptcahrt,"y ynoeuw’dspnaepveerr, k’qno’hwe issues thatimpact "economicdevelopment and quality of life in Tnlsa County and the surrounding, area." A page full of issues was presented from education, to parks to urban development and more. But what was strikingly absent was any reference to civil rights, fair employment issues or hate crimes. Of course, being the shy person I am about such "oversights," I asked. I expected that this was the usual obliviousness - that nobody thought of that - but I was shocked to be told that TulsaCounty Democratsjust don’twantto deal with any "negatives." They are tired of being beaten up about "God, guns and Gays." We, in contrast, are tired of being beaten up just for being. A few days before this meeting, a Tulsa Gay man leaving a local Gay business was targeted at random by an angry heterosexual man. He was followed and brutally assaulted and probably only survived being beaten to death because, onehew~paying attention and was able to get help, and two, he’.s a pretty big man himself. Any number of us go to that same business, leave alone and I know that I, at 5’-9" and 145 pounds, would have fared much worse at the hands of the assailant who was 6’-4" and probably 2~0 pounds. I’d probably be dead. Ourability to go through ordinary life with areasonable expectation of not being beaten senseless because we are Gay, or merely thought to be Gay, is what I call a"quality of life" issue. For that matter,.b~ing able to keep our j0bs based on our.performance rather than our identity is also a "’quality of life" issue. And workplace discrimination does happen inTnlsa as formerTOHRleader Kelly Kirby and others (including me at my other job - the one I do when I’m not newspapering) have experienced. SO where the hell are these Democrat yahoos coming from? Neither Tulsanor Oklahoma Democrats have ever done much for Gay Oklahomans (Don Ross, Maxine Homer and Bemest Cain ofOklahomaCity being the exceptions). No member of the Tulsa City Council nor the current and useless mayor have done anything to address the very real issues of Gay and Lesbian Tulsans. I don’t consider the appointment and approval of one or two Gay people, "enough." Contrast Oklahoma attitudes with those of the Democratic National Committee. I have inhand tworecent press .Valdez and the other man took Barron’s body and burned It. Valdez later confessed to friends and authorities. He testified that he killed Barron because Barron propositioned him. Mexican officials, including President Vicente Fox, said Valdez’s rights were denied when he was not given access to the Mexican consulate following his arrest. The Mexican government did not learn of Valdez’ s case until April 19 - 11 years after he was sentenced to death. Mexican officials said the outcome of Valdez’s trial would have been different had he been represented by Mexican consular officials. KeatJng conceded the Mexican national’s rights were violated under international law, but said that did not affect the trial’s outcome or Valdez’s death sentence. least we know where we stand with them. Democrats know what’s the right thinS to do - they just don’t want to do lt. Our money and votes may be welcome but otherwlse we’re just a "negative" for them . . ." that there were Gay Oklahomans or issues. And looking at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) website for co-sponsors of ENDA, there are, of course, no Oklahomans listed. Now none ofus expect that JC Watts, or Istook or Nickles, or Largent, or the anti- Christ himself, Jim Inhofe, will sponsoring a bill to treat their own Gay citizens fairly. We may not like it but we know where they stand. But where is Brad Carson? Brad’s supposed to be our friend; supposed to understand our issues - and he certainly took our money, Gay money (and is still asking for it) in campaign. According to his press boy, they couldn’t take apositiononENDA because it hadn’t been reintroduced. But ¯ now it has and as of July 31, Brad Carson remains missing from action. ¯ Now ourmanin Washington, Tulsa point person for the ¯ Human Rights Campaign, Marty Newman, says anything ¯ he takes to Carson, Brad signs. So this is where we see if ¯. Mr. Carson is a new Democrat, or more of the same old. I’ve both said and written it before but while Oklahoma " Republicans say awful things about us, and sometimes do : awful things to us, it’s been Democrat majorities in both Oklahomahonses whichpass anti-Gay bills. And it’s been " Democrat majorities and often a Democrat governor ¯ who’ve failed to do anything about the harassment and ¯ discrimination which Oklahoma Lesbians and Gay men ¯ experience. That is Democrats wlio’ve made it more a ¯ crime to topple inmfimate Jewish-headstones than to- " pound the ribs and bloody the faces of Gay men. ¯ It’s not that I like the Republicans but at least we know : where we stand with them. Democrats know what’s the ¯ right thing to do- theyjust don’t want to do it. Our money : and ~otes may be welcome but otherwise we’re just a o "negative’! for them. ¯ Democrats could show leadership and could educate, responding to prejudice by appealing to universal Ameri- ¯ can values of fair treatment for all (to the question, "are you for homosexual rights?" they could say, "no, I’m for ¯ fairness for all people.") but i"nstead they run fromus and from the issues. ¯ Call me overly optimistic but I believe that they and we can do better. I think that courage and honesty might just ¯ give them a better chance of being elected. " The clerk, according to Smith, showed thepolice thecaller ," i.d. which showed the name and number of the attacker. ¯ Tulsa Police proceeded to arrest the man with Smith ¯ confirming his identity. Allegedly the attacker told TPD ¯ that he had had some sort ofdifficulty with a Gay man with ¯ whom he works and that he wanted to beat up a "fag" in ¯ response. Smith just happened to be the one he chose. : Editor’s note: "Joe Smith" is, obviously, apseudonym ¯ for themanwho was attacked used at the requestofSmith ¯ and clearly TFN also is not naming the particular club ¯ from which Smith was followed. The particulars don’t : really change the nature ofthe attack and all clubpatrons ¯ and owners would do well to use caution. And as much as TFN li’kes "breaking" a news story, it " is also troubling that none of Tulsa’s "mainstream" media have reported this incident. Such coverage helps reinforce a climate in which anti-Gay hate is tolerated. Faith Based Discrimination By HRC Executive Director, Elizabeth Birch WASHINGTON - Since George W. Bush became president, HRC has been a vigilant watchdog to see how thenew administration will handle issues of concern to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community. The current battle over President Bnsh’s faith-based initiative -including the SalvationArmy-is a critical test and sadly appears to reveal the administration’s true colors. We were stunned when we learned the administration and the Salvation Army were using our lives as bargaining chips in a secret backroom deal. And we are gravely disappointed that President Bush and Vice President Cheney sanctioned discrimination against GLBT Americans. In a vote orchestrated by the GOP leadership in the House of Representatives, they pitted important faithbased services against important civil liberties. Their actions were unnecessary, divisive and created conflict where there could have easily been consensus. The White House-backed Community Solutions Act H.R. 7 offered by Reps. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., and Tony Hall, D-Ohio passed July 19 in the House. The bill would override state and local civil rights laws by allowing religious organizations to discriminate in employment decisions and in the provision of services. The measure would effectively allow our tax dollars to be used to discriminate against us in places where state and local !aws prohibit discrimination against GLBT Americans. If it becomes law, this bill would create a situation where many GLBT Americans would be publicly subsidizing their own discrimination. The Human Rights Campaign recognizes and supports the critical work performed by many faith-based organizations. We support the principle of religaous liberty. But the bottom line is ourcountry should notfunnel tax money to groups that actively discriminate. Religious freedom and freedom from discrimination must harmoniously coexist and thrive together in a democratic society. In letters, phone calls, appeals to the grassroots and countless hours of lobbying, HRC, coalition parmers and fair-minded members of Congress gave the administration and the House Republican leadership every opportunity to fix this bill. Rep. Mark Foley, a moderate Florida Republican, and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., both prepared amendments to H.R. 7 to fix the bill. Both were rejected by the leadership. Whenthe bill reached theHouse floorJuly 18, it became crystal dear that we had succeeded in lining up enough votes to send it back to the Judiciary Committee to remove the offending language. It was then that the administration and the House Republican leadership temporarily pulled the bill in order to engage in a ferocious - and ultimately successful - effort to twist the arms of some two dozen moderate Republicans to oppose any change to the bill. The hypocrisy of the administration and the House lead- .ership on this issue is astounding. We are struck by the ~ncongruous position of"states rights" conservatives who have long trumpeted local control, only to mn roughshod overstate and-~&:al-civil rights laws. 2~eir mantra of-state and local control is thrown out the window when it comes to GLBT Americans. Moreover, it is clear the administration is attempting to accomplish through legislation what they were unable to accomplish through a regulatory deal with the Salvation Army. This battle now moves to the Senate. By ignoring pleas to fix the.bilF s shortcomings, the administration has made passage m the Senate demonstrably more difficult for itself. Because what happens in Washington does matter, we are calling on every GLBT American and those who care about us to challenge the White House to support a Senate version of this bill that does not discriminate against GLBT Americans. Call President Bush at 202- 456-1414 and tell him: "It is wrong to use federal funding - including my tax dollars - to support programs that exempt religious organizations from civil rights laws." And consider this: Thousands uponthousands ofAmericans received their notice of a tax.refund on July 19. Think about reinvesting that refund in the battle for GLBT equality. None of it happens without you. Partner of Woman Killed By Dogs Wins Ruling SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Lesbian partner of a woman mauled to death by dogs earlier this year scored a stunning court victory as ajudge allowed her wrongful death suit to proceed to trial. Judge A. James Robertson II agreed with the arguments of Sharon Smith’s attorney that California state law has created a barrier for her by not allowing same-sex couples to marry, thus precluding them-from seeking benefits available to married couples. However, the Equal Protection provision of the state Constitution prevents such exclusions, thejudgeruled. Smith’s attorney, Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, was elated with the ruling. ’‘This is a remarkable day. This is the first decision of this kind, not just in California but anywhere in the country," Minter said. "It’s a tremendous victory for Lesbian ,and Gay people in the United States." Smith s civil Suit against the dogs owners is under legal scrutiny since the Lesbian couple could not legally marry inCalifornia. T~.at puts Smith’ s status as a surviving spouse in quesuon. Smith sued Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller, the caretakers of.two large presa canario dogs that killed her partner, Diane Whipple, Jan. 26 as she stood in her apartment hallway. Minter argued that the Equal Protection provisionof the California Constitution does not permit Smith, or any large class of persons, to be excluded from rights or benefits afforded to others as shepursues her wrongful death claim. Judge Roberston agreed that the case was breaking new ground. "No case has been decided under these arguments," Robertson said. Malriage for heterosexual couples, Minter argued, is proof of a legal union. "But for same-sex couples it is no test at all," Minter said,,. "(Marriage) is not anything available to them in the first instance... There is literally nothing Sharon and Dianne could have done to formalize theirrelationship," Minter said. Smith choked back tears after the hearing and said it was an emotional moment for her. A bill addressing the issue of same-sex benefits is in motion at the state Capitol. Proposed bill AB25, sponsored by Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, passed through the Assembly with a 43-21 vote, and.is currently in Appropriations awaiting action. The bill would allow same-sex parmers to get the same health ¯ benefits, disability and unemployment coverage and retirement pensions as married men and women. No trial date has been set. Noel and Knoller did not appear and remain behind bars on charges related to the fatal attack. Knoller, who was present at the time of the attack, faces the more serious charge of seconddegree murder. _Womens Basketball Teams Seek Lesbian Fans DETROIT (AP) - Facing league-wide drops in attendance and television ratings, the Detroit Shock and other WNBA teams are hosting events with Gay and Lesbian groups in hopes of creating a loyal fan base. Detroit plays the Cleveland Rockers at The Palace on Saturday for pride night, an event coordinated with Ferndale’ s Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center. As part of the arrangement, a portion of each ticket purchased in conjunction with Affirmations will be donated back to the center, and the Shock also are providing25free tickets formembers ofAffirmations’ youth group to attend the game. A post-game tailgate party will be heldat a nearby restaurant, which has promised to donate half the proceeds to the community center. "We’re doing it to raise awareness, with the Shock organization, that their Lesbian fan base is huge," said Juli Siagkris- Seymour, director of development at Affirmations. The event is notjust motivatedby the league’ s desire to reach out to specific groups. With attendance and television ratings heading downhill, teams are looking at different ways to attract and keep fans. Mary Rogers, director of Shock promotions, said the Affirmations event is just one of several promotions team officials are using to try and boost their attendance numbers. The Shock’s relationship with the Gay and Lesbian community isn’t ne~v. Since their inception in 1998, the Shock have worked with Between The Lines, a local Gay and Lesbian magazine, and players have made charity appearances to sign autographs at pride festivals. Other teams are getting involved as wall. In May, the Los Angeles Sparks made a promotional appearance with Girl Bar, a 12,000-member Lesbian dub and’Sparks sponsor. The Miami Sol alsohaveheld public appearances for Lesbians. The Sacramento Monarchs planned a Gay pride night last weekend - the first time the team has dedicated a night to the Gay community. A pre-game concert was part of the deal, along with a Gay pride Tshirt. "Just like we’re reaching out to the swim community and the military community, we’ re reaching out to the Gay and Lesbian community," said Monarchs spokeswoman Sonja Brown. ’:Whatever we can do to add value to the experience of that particular group." Along with Detroit, the Minnesota Lynx and Phoem.’ x Mercury are adverfising in Gay and Lesbian magazanes. WNBA president Val Ackerman said the league invites everyone to come be a fan. "We’ve tried very hard to be an inclusiveleague," Ackerman said. "That’ s the beauty of basketball and the WNBA. We’re really proud of the diversity of our fans, our players and our staff. But what unifies everybody is what goes on out there (on the basketball court)." Boston Minority FirefightersAllege Bias BOSTON (AP) - Gay and minority firefighters claim racist, sexist and homophobic treatment in the department is going unchecked, causing some to fear doing their jobs. Karen Miller, who is Gay and black, said harassment by both white and black male firefighters drove her to a desk job with the department. She said that when she rushed to emergency calls at her Bostonfire station, she found broken glass inside her boots. Other times, her, oxygen mask and gloves were missing. "The incidents of racism, sexism and homophobia have never been properly dealt with by the Boston Fire Department, and the individuals that are creating the problem are more than just a few bad apples," Miller said at a news. conference. The Coalition for Firefighters’ Civil Rights, which. includes civil fights and commtmity groups and a minority firefighters association, planned to seek the help of the City Council later. Thehead of the Boston firefighters’ union dismissed the group’s, complaints. "We’ve made tremendous Strides in bringing everybody back together again,". said Jack McKelma, president of the International Association of Firefighters Local 718, the Boston firefighters’ union. "I think this is a lot of hype." But critics say the number of complaints among the 1,600 city firefighters indicates otherwise. "If there’s this much smoke there’s got to’be fire somewhere," said Joseph Provanzano, atrattorney whosefirm represents firefighters, including Miller, in employment discrimination suits. The fire department has been without a commissioner since 1999 and has been embroiled in a bitter contract dispute with Mayor Thomas Menino for two years. The minority fights group also wants Menino to search for a new fire commissioner from outside the department, and to appointacommittee to deal with the department’ s shortcomings. The city did not intend to reply to the complaints in advance of the City Council Find out for yourself how goo.d the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 Come s.hare the goodness of the Lord with our community Sunday Morning 11:00 AM 3hildren’s Worship During Service MCC United Rev. Cathy Elliott, Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918)838-1715 mcctulsa@aol.com Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Community ofHope 2545 South Yale, Sundays at llam, 749-0595 A Welcoming Congregation HOUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Sun. Worship, 10:45 am, Sunday School, 9:30 am Wed. Bible Study, 7 pm, Sunday Eve. Service, 6pm 1517 S. Memorial, 628-0802, Info: 224-4754 The Open Arms Project Young Adult Support Group Outreach Program Thurs. Nights Meet Others in a Safe Enviroment Call for meeting times and place: 918-584-2325 Mingo Valley Flowers 9413 E. 31st St., Tulsa 74145 918-663-5934, fax: 663-5834, 800-A, AA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Ghild, Family, Individual & Gouplo Psychothorapy (918) 743-9559 2121 South Columbia, Suite 420 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114-3518 The Pride Store 21st Street & Memorial Tulsa Gay Community Services Center 743-GAYS (743-4297) 6-9 pm, Sunday - Friday 12-9 pm, Saturday, all sales benefit the Center TOM NEAL BUILDING & GARDEN DESIGN 583- 1248 Red Rock Tulsa Free Confidential HIV Testing Walk- in Clinics Tues. & Thurs., 5 -8 pm at the Center, 1307 East 38th Daytime appointments available. Call for more information: 918-584-2325 G American Red Cross American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette McIntosh .Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 OPENARMS OPENMINDS OPENI-IFARFS Saint Aidan Saint Dunstan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Saint John Trinity 4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You hearing, said Carole Brennan, the mayor’s spokeswoman. The complaints have drawn the attention of Justice Department investigators, who interviewed minority firefighters in March, said Dana Johnson, an associate of Provanzano. A city-commissioned report, released !n January 2000, found the department has fallen short in some administrative areas, including recruiting minotifies and women. ’Nightline’_Show Stirs Controversy NEW YORK (AP) - A planned "Nightline" series on homosexuals’ lives has caused a furorjnst from its title alone. Since the weeklong special,"A MatterofChoice? Gay Life in America," was announced, dozens ofGays have contacted the program to complain. It prompted "Nightline" executive producerTom Bettag to post an explanation on the ABC News Web site. But he’s not changing the title of the report, tentatively scheduled for late September. Most activists believe that their sexual orientationis at least partly a matter of biology, not something they choose as a result of cultural or psychological influences. " "A Matter of Choice?’ is an easy title that piques curiosity and stirs controversy, but it does so at the expense of the people it’s profiling," said Cathy Renna of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Bettag, in his posted response, said that although many Gays believe the question has been resolved~ scientific and religious arguments remain. "It is ourjob to ask the questions that make society examine itself," he said. ABC News has gotten anti-Gay e-mails, Bettag said, including one person who wrote that if ABC talks about homosexual life, "’we hope you will make it dear that this is evil." In the series, "Nightline" will examine teen-agers struggling with their sexual identity, the experiences of people in a homosexual retirement community and the aftermath of a Gay community’s uprising after ~ hate crime in Roanoke, Va. Renna said it’s just the sort of in-depth examinatioI of homosexual life that GLAAD supports, but she’s concerned many people won’t watch it because they don’t like the rifle. "It’s just really an unfortunate decision not to reconsider this rifle," she said. City of Houston Passes Anti-Bias Law HOUSTON (AP) -Anondiscrimination law to protect Gay city employees has been revived seventeen years after it was overturned by voters in referendum. Houston City Council members passed the law, which protects employees on the basis of sexual orientation, race, gender, age and other factors. About 20 people in the audience burst into applause alter the vote. "It is something that is long overdue and years m the making," said Councilwoman Annise Parker, a Lesbian who was instrumental in getting the law passed. Mayor Lee Brown voiced his approval of the vote. "The Constitution guarantees that we all have the same opportunities, the same rights," he said to the Houston Chronicle. "As mayor, I want to make sure that I do everything in.my power to make sure that that carries out as part of city government." Parker added, though, that she had mixed feelings. She said by arguing against the. proposal, council members sent a message that even in 2001 they question whether Gays should be treated equally. The City Council voted in 1984 for a similar nondiscrimination law, but voters overturned it in a 1985 referendum. Shortly after taking office in 1998, Brown issued an executive order banning discrimination against Gay city employees. Councilman Rob Todd filed an injunction against it, and it was held up in court for years. Last month, however, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that Todd did not have the legal right to stop the executive order, which allowed the order to stand. Earlier thi s year, Brown proposed extending benefits such as health insurance to the same-sex partners of Gay city employees. He later withdrew the propo. sal, saying the council should first adopt a nondiscnnnnatlon law to protect employees who want to make use of the same-sex benefits. Brown said that he still plans to have the council vote on same-sex benefits, but he does not know when. Boston Scout Council: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell BOSTON (AP) - Officials of one of Massachusetts" largest Boy Scout councils bdieve that its new bylaw allowing Gay scoutmasters under a "don’t ask-don’t tell" policy does not violate the national ban against homosexuals. "Discussions about sexual orientation do not have a place in Scouts," Brock Bigsby, Scout executive for the Massachusetts Minuteman Council, told The Boston Globe. "The Scouts will not inquire into a person’ s sexual history, and that person will not expose their sexual orientation one way or the other." The Minuteman Council, an umbrella organization of 330 Scout troops and 18,000 boys in Greater Boston, approved the bylaw July 19. The policy also prohibits the exclusion of anyone on the basis of race or religion. No Longer A Gay Place CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Sixty years ago, residents changed the name of their street here to Gay Place to avoid confusion with a similarly named street nearbv. Now, people living on the thoroughfare near Charl~ston’s downtown want to change the name of the street because of a different type of confusion. "The word ~Gay’ isn’t like what it used to be. It’s not about being happy. It’s something different now," said Lavinia Dash, one offour residents petitioning the city to change Gay Place back to its original name of Moultrie Place. The city made the name change in 1939 because Moultrie Place intersected with Moultrie Street, causing confusion. A Mount Pleasant couple pushing to change the street’s name said they are doing it for historical, not 9olitical reasons. Daria Pyshe Smith and her husband, John, are renovating two homes on the street. She said she’s heard the chuckles when she talks about owning a home on Gay Place. "We’re grown-ups. We can handle that. It’s not a big deal," she said. "But the heritage is what we want to show. Moultrie - that’s a name that really has some meaning," Smith said. "It’s historical here. It has historic integrity to the area. Isn’t that what Charleston is based on?" The push to change Gay Place’s name saddens Warren Gress, who serves on the board of the Alliance For Full Equality, a group that supports Gay civil rights. "It really is tragic that they have to feel badly about someone presuming that because they live on Gay Hace they might be Gay," he said. "It’s sad that people have to change a name because of negative connotations that are given to a group in our society." Anti-Bias Conference Excludes Gays GENEVA (AP) - Under threat ofa U.S. boycott about an anti-Israel position, delegates from more than 100 nations began a final effort to salvage the World Conference Against Racism. Organizers had claimed to be inclusive, but one of the first acts was to exclude the International Gay and Lesbian Association from the list of accredited non-governmental organizations. The vote was 43-43 with 27 abstentions. Under conference rules ties equal no votes. Satcher Calls for Better HIV Effort LOS ANGELES (AP) - U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher told a forum Wednesday that there should be greater community and family involvement in the treatment and prevention of HIV. The event brought together scientists and community advocates to discuss ways for communities to address the impacts of HIV and AIDS. Satcher suggested the country take a more open view toward understanding human sexuality. "It’ s so difficult to get American people to talk about sex," he said. "Parents should be the primary sex educators." Satcher saidit is as importantnow as it everwasfor children to be educated about HIV and AIDS. "We feel it is important that young people be armed with information," he said. Satcher reiterated statements hemade in a report on sexual health released .last month, calling for increased sex education in schools and families and wider acceptance of Gays and Lesbians. The surgeon general’s report had engendered controversy whenitwas initially released because of its support for teaching children about condom use in addition to abstinence. President Bush has called for increased federal funding of "abstinence- ouly" sex education programs. But Satcher defended his report, saying the positions he advocated would help the country face the issues associated with HIV. "We as a nationhave not alio,.wed the best available public health science to affect our policy-making," he said. Other scientists and researchers at the forum said they were excited about the t)pportunity to discuss prevention ando~er issues with community members. After Sateher’ s keynote address, researchers and scientists took part in small-group sessions to discuss topics like "Disparities in HIV Prevention Programs for Families." "If we did our work only at universities ... wemight write some interesting papers but they would just sit on library shelves and not be of any use to people," said Dr. Steven Hyman, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. The UCLA AIDS Institute co-sponsoredthe eventwith Drew University of Medicine and NIMH. ’¢I’hose drugs and vaccines we hope for today are going to come too late, so the only weapon we have is prevention," said Dr. Irvin Chen, director of the UCLA AIDS Institute. Nigeria Using Generic HIV Drugs UNITED NATIONS (AP)- Nigeriaplans to launch the largest AIDS treatment program in Africa using cheap generic drugs on Sept. 1, a U.N. special envoy said. The 10,000 adults and 5,000 children who will receive a drug cocktail are just a tiny fraction of the more than 2.6 million Nigerians infected with the HIV virus that causes AIDS. But the Nigerian government’s commitment demonstrates that within Africa efforts are under way to tackle the epidemic that has infected about 26.5 million people across the continent, said Stephen ¯ Lewis, special envoy of Secretary-Gen- ¯ eral Kofi Annan for HIV/AIDS in Africa. : "It’s a quite extraordinary intervention, ¯ ameasure ofthepresident’ s determination ¯ thatthey maintainthelevelofthepandemic ¯¯ where it is and try to turn it back," Lewis told a press conference. ’Whey recognize : that if Nigeria fails, then much of Mrica will fail." ¯ Nigeria, which is an unlikely country, : was patched together by British ¯ colonialists. The most populous nation in : Africa with 123 million people, Nigeria ¯ combines hundreds of ethnicities and lan- ¯ guages in West Africa. ~ Botswanain southern Africa, whichhas ¯ a population of only 1.6 million, has the ¯ world’s highest rate of AIDS infections. It ¯ will launch a treatment program using : anti=retroviral drugs in early 2002,.he said. ¯ At the first U.N. conference on AIDS ¯ last month, Nigerian President Olusegun ¯ Obasanjo warned that "the prospect of : extinction ofthe entire population of a ¯ continent looms larger and larger." He ¯ called for cancellation of Africa’s debts : and international help. But he also took ¯ action himself. ¯ ¯ Obasanjo sent his health minister to Indiaafew weeks ago tonegotiatewiththe ¯ pharmaceuticalcompanyCiplaLtd.,which ¯ makes generic AIDS drugs. ¯ In February, Ciplaoffered to sell a three- " drug AIDS cocktail to nonprofit agencies ¯ for $350 a year per African patient - pro- - vided the patients weren’t charged. The ¯ company said at the time that African ¯ governments could purchase the same drugs for $600 per patient. ¯ But the Nigerian health minister was ¯ able to negotiate a $350 a year per patient ¯ deal with Cipla, Lewis said. i : dizTeheabNouigt e8r0ia%n Ogof vtheerncmoestn,tbwutillpastuiebnstis- : who receive treatment will have to pay ¯ between $7 and $8 a month, Lewis said. Nigeria intends to use a six-drug regimen for 60% of the patients and a two- " drug regimen for the other 40%, he said. ¯ The drugs are expected to have similar ¯. results, but the government will monitor and evaluate how patients cope with the ¯ different programs, which will be administered by Nigeria’ s teaching hospitals, he ¯ said. ¯ "Itis the government’ s intention on Sept. ¯ 1 tobegin aprocess ofanti-retroviral treat- - ment in Nigeria which will be at least ¯ initially larger than anywhere else on the ¯ continent," he said. : Lewis, who just returned from visits to : Zambia, Kenya, Rwandaand Nigeria, said ¯ governments a~e anxiously awaiting help ¯ from the global AIDS fund which Annan ¯ proposed. It has received $1.4 billion, but ¯ the secretary-general says it needs $7 bil- ¯ lion to $9 billion annually. : Despite financial and other obstacles, ¯ Lewis said he was "even more confident" ¯ that Africa could turn the tide on A~DS ¯ than he was before the trip. He cited "the extraordinary" degree of public aware- ¯ hess of the disease and"the quite profound ¯ determination" of leaders to tackle it. : In Kenya, parliament unanimously ¯. passed a law last month allowing the gov¯ ernment to suspend patent rights in ames of emergency, which dears the way for -" cheaper, generic AIDS drugs. The East ¯ African nation, which has 2 million adults Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Customer Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around-the-clock answers to your questions- and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer semce representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our toll-fre~ numbers below. , CALL 24 HOURS FOR ’ TOLL-FREE SERVICE I I Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 I I Billing Inquiries: 1-888-216-3490 I Outage Reporting: 1-888-218-3919 I II Servici0 a Clientes: 1-888-216-3505 ! Preguntas S0bre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 I, Falta De Suministr0:1-888-218-3924 I I ! !_ ! Public Serfiee C mpany d Old oma ! - living with the HIV virus, is expected to start importing or manufacturing antiretroviral drugs shortly, Lewis said. In Rwanda, only 500 people are receiving AIDS drugs because the $140 per month cost is half the average income for anentire year, Lewis said. ButtheRwandan government through testing, counseling and provision of some drugs to HIV-infected mothers appears to have significantly cut transmission ofthe virus to their children. The U.N. Children’s Program tested 33 children born to mothers who took part in the program and only two were HIV posifive, which is just 6%,"much, much lower than the anticipated rate," he said. Canadians Gripe About Bad Dope TORONTO (AP) - New regulations took effect in July expanding the number of Canadians allowed to use medic,at marijuana, but those eligible say the system resembles a bureaucratic maze likey to delay hundreds more from participating. The rules are part of the first system in the world that includes a governmentapproved and paid-for supply of marijuana for people suffering from terminal illnesses and chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis or severe arthritis. Patients can grow their own pot, or designate someone to grow it for them. addition, the health department is paying a Saskatchewan company to grOW govemmen. t marijuana for eligible patients use rn research. While medical marijuana advocates in the United States look at the Canadian system with envy, some users north of the border complain hurdles remain in place. "I still have to fend for myself," said Jim Bridg.es: 37, who already has government pernnsslon to use marijuana for the pain and nausea of AIDS. He automatically comes under the new regulations, but is awaiting word on how to submit a photo for the identification card legal pot smokers will have to carry. Almost 300 Canadians such as Bridges previously were exempted from federal druglaws thatmakeitacriminal offense to grow and possess marijuana. Health departmentofficials sayhundreds morehave applied, and the figure could reach the thousands. Roslyn Tremblay, a Health Canada spokeswoman, said Monday that application forms traderthenew regulations would be available "very soon," but she was unable to provide a specific date. Tojoin up, applicants must submit verifiable medical records and have a doctor’ s endorsement. Cases except for critically terminal patients require further supporting documents from another doctor. The new rules permit drug possession for the terminally ill with a prognosis of death within one year; those with symptoms associated with specific serious medical conditions; and those with other medical conditions who have statements from two doctors saying conventional treatments have not worked. Eligible patients include those with severe arthritis, cancer, HIV/ AIDS and multiple sclerosis. The government regulations meet a court-ordered deadline for Canada to create a system for terminally ill patients previously exempted from criminal marijuanalaws to have alegal way to obtain the drug. The Canadian Medical Association, whichrepresents tens of thousands of doctors, opposes the new regulations because they make physicians responsible for prescribing a substance that lacks significant clinical research onits effects. Without the cooperation ofdoctors,patients cannot get medical marijuana exemptions. Medical marijuana advocates say the real reason for the doctors’ hesitation is prejudice. Bridges mentioned one physician who saidhe doesn’ t want to be known as a "’pot doctor." In Flin Hon, Manitoba, a mining town hundreds of miles (kilometers) north of the U.S. border, Prairie Plant Systems is growing marijuana in a former copper mine under a government contract worth more than $3.5 million. It expects the first harvest this fall of marijuana that will be supplied by the government to eligible patients andused forresearch on therapeutic effects. Company head Brent Zettl employs the same techniques that were used togrow berries androses inthe tappedout mine beneath Trout Lake. Medical marijuana advocates complain the government marijuana will only have a 6% content of THC, the primary active ingredient. They say cannabis with such a low THCpercentage would be virtually useless compared to the 15% to 18%THC street pot. South of the border, eight U.S. states have taken some kind of step toward permitring the medicinal use of marijuana: California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine,Nevadaand Colorado. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled earlier this year that there is no exception in federal law for people to use marijuana, so even those with tolerant state laws could face arrest if they do. "We’re kind of envious of Canadians having the luxury of complaining about the minutiae of the program," said Chuck Thomas of the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project. ¯ UgandanAppointed to Run AIDS Fund ¯ UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary- " General Kofi Arman appointed a Ugandan ¯ minister on Monday to chair the group that ¯ will establish theglobal fund to fightAIDS and oi.her infectious diseases. ." Dr. Crispus Kiyonga,’currently a Cabi- ¯ net minister.and acting national political ~ adviser, will work between now and De- : cember to start up the fund that Aunan ¯ proposed to combat the AIDS epidemic, ¯ associate U.N. spokesman Marie Okabe ¯ said. She said the chairman of theworking ¯ group"will be crucial in bringing together ¯ the widestrange ofstakeholders in support ¯ of the fund." Kiyonga, a medical doctor, ¯ was Uganda’s health minister until last ¯ week and previously served as finance ¯ minister. ¯ Atman has called for a global fund of $7 ¯ billion to $10 billion annually to halt and ¯ start reversing the AIDS epidemic and ¯ fight malariaand tuberculosis. So far, $1.4 I ¯ billion has been pledged to the fund by ¯ ¯ governments, foundations and the private i sector. Catholic Bishops & Condoms ¯ PREFORIA, South Africa (AP) - Roman ." Catholic bishops in southern Africa denounced condoms on as an"’immoral and ¯ misguided weapon" in the fight against ¯ HIV infection but said married couples with the AIDS virus could use them in limited circumstances. The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference said "condoms may even ¯ be one of the main reasons for the spread ¯ of HIV/AIDS," according to a document ¯ released at the end of the bishops’ annual : meeting. "Apart from the possibility of condoms ¯ being faulty or wrongly used, they con- . tribute to the breaking down of self-control and mutual respect," according to the statement, readby Cardinal Wilfrid Napier ¯ at a news conference. ¯ Prevention programs should .replace ¯ condom distribution programs with ef- ¯ forts to promote abstention, Napier said. "This is God’s way. Choose life. Don’t ¯ choose the way of sin or destruction," he ¯ said. However, married couples could use ¯ condoms if one or both them was infected ¯ and they abstained from sex while the woman was ovulating, Napier said. This way, the condom would not prevent the creation of life. "This is one possibility during which the condom could be used in a morally responsible situation," Napier said ¯ The Vatican had no immediate eom- ¯ .ment. Thebishops’ views carrylittleweight without Vatican approval. ¯ In his 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vi- ¯ tae," "Of Human Life," Pope Paul VI ¯ reaffirmed the church’ s ban on contraception, a position that some governments ¯ and AIDS activists say has hindered efforts to contain the AIDS pandemic. The southern African bishops’ debate ¯ was provokedbyaproposal for the eonference to sanction condom use as part of a ¯ widerprogram to stop the spread ofHIVin Africa, where more than 25 million are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. However, the conference, which includes " bishops from South Africa, Botswana and ¯ Swaziland, rejected that measure. Bishop ¯ Kevin Dowling, who strongly backed the ¯ proposal, left the conference early. He did : not return a call from The Associated ¯ Press. ¯ Most HIV prevention programs preach ¯ abstinence and monogamy, but they pro- " .mote condoms -proven effective forhelp- ¯ mg stop HIV transmission - for those ~ unwilling to abstain from sex. ¯ The Treatment Action Campaign, an ¯ advocacy group working to get treatment ¯ for people infected with HIV, strongly ¯ condenmed the bishops’ comments as ¯ "highly irresponsible" and said condoms ¯ remained animportant coruerstone ofHIV ~ prevention. "The Catholic Church is con- ¯ fusing its religious morals with science," ¯ saidMarkHeywood, secretary ofthe group. ¯ The bishops argued condoms promoted ¯ promiscuity and hurt prevention efforts. Police had been told that Murphy had bragged to a friend that "he had beat up a HRC, along with the Four Comers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual andTransgendercommunity, is dosdy monitoring the case to ensure justice, says HRC. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) sent a representative to Colorado to help work with local media on the intricacies of this case. ’q’his escalation in brutal attacks comes at a time when Congress can pass the LocalLaw Enforcement EnhancementAct and commit this nation to stopping hate violence," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg. The 33-year-old federal statute currently used to prosecute hate violence is in need of updating with the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act. The law now does not cover hate violence based on sexual orientation, gender or disability and has an overly re~triclive element that requires that .the victim be chosen because he or she was engaged in a federally protected activity. The bill now before Congress offers a sensible approach to help combat these violent crimes. It would extend basic hate crime protections to all Americans in all communities by adding real or perceived sexual orientation, genderanddisability to the categories covered and by removing the federally-protected activity requirement. The bill would also provide federal technical and financial assistance to state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute hate crimes. In addition to the recent upswing in hate violence, a new report of alleged anti-Gay police mi sconductinTexas was brought to the attention of federal authorities. Last week, FBI officials, at HRC’s request, began an investigation of San Antonio Park Rangers for allegedly harassing and physically abusing two Canadian tourists who they referred to as "faggots" while they were allegedly beaten. "When the cop saw the Ontario license, he looked to the other three officers present and said he had "two Canadian faggots,’ "one of the victims, Joey Abbruzzese, told the Texas Triangle. "The officer asked, ’What are you fags doing in our city?’ " The article reports that the Rangers then put the friends through atraumatic episode .of extreme physical and verbal abuse, using anti-Gay slurs during repeated beatings before hauling them off to jail. In 1999, the last year for which the FBI has statistics, there were more than 4,000 reported hate crimes based on race, more than 1,400 based on religion, 1,300 based on sexual orientation, 830 based on ethnicity and 19 based on disability. Eighteen states do not include sexual orientation inits hate crimes law, and 46 states do not include gender identity. Five states have no hate crimes law at all. by Jim Christjohn, entertainment dude Hey, kiddies, it is the height of summer, Lughnasa, and stiflingly hot. And yet, your intrepid columnist is going on a pilgrimage in the midst of this heat to Texas, to an outdoor venue, to experience a visitation of the Goddess, in the guise of Stevie Nicks. Talk about dedication! Who the hell decided she should play outdoor venues in the midst of this heat wave? I would like to make a sacrifice of them. Unfortunately, good pagans eschew such behavior. And in other Stevie related news, her dance single (available at Borders, CDNow.com, and amazon.com),"Planets of the Universe" is number 4 on the Billboard dance charts. Now, isn’t it odd that I can and would bet money that none of the DJs here even know that? Much less play it? If there is a DJ in town that is in touch with the rest of the world and playing it, please, let me know. There’s a free dinner in it for you ¯¯ upon my return from the holier than thou city. Oh, no, wait: that’s Tulsa. No city can ¯ beholierthanthouthanTulsa, andit’s even ¯ got the preying hands to prove it! At any rate, faithful readers (and I know ¯ of at least 2), please request it at your ¯ favorite dancing establishment and help ¯ get Tulsa caught up with the rest of the ¯ world. ¯ And now, since yours truly has been ¯ fighting battles, such as unauthorized ¯ charges on his bank account, bank charges ¯ resulting from same, and surly customer ¯ service (can you say oxymoron?) supervi- ¯ sors atTarget, not tomention preparing for ¯ the journey to the altar of the Goddess ¯ (OK, so it’s a stage - whatever. Religion ¯ got its start as Theatre); I will now turn ¯ what’ s left ofthecohmmover to the"staff’ ¯ writer at TFN. ¯ By the way, I won those various battles. ¯ I usually do... FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The crowd at the Mad Anthony Brewing Co. grgws quiet as Bernadette Gleeson continues her poem. Around her, there are microphone stands, stools and speakers. A bass, banjo and guitar are lined up. It is open-mike night, a forum usually reservedformusici.aas practicing their craft or testing out new songs. But Gleeson does not sing or play an instrument. Her music come from the words she speaks. The piece is called "Peep Through My Blues," apoem she wrote while in London as an exchange student two years ago. Unlike a steady reading for a poetry class, Gleeson performs herpoem with the gusto of rapper Eminem. But there is none of the controversy Eminem is notorious for in her words: Gleeson expressed her "inner truths" in a poetry form she "calls "flowetry." "Flow-etry is expressing truths, enlightening minds, awareness, understanding the tight, flight rhymes," Gleeson, 23, says. Some may call it spoken word; others may say it’s rapping. But Gleeson describes her art as a form of expression that just comes naturally. "It’ s almost like I can feelit in my soul," she says. "It’s almost like a sdf-revelation type Of thing. That’s how all my flows work." Words have always been a passion for her. At 6, she was writing Mother’s.and Father’ s daypoems inherfirst-grade class. At 11, Gleeson wrote poems of gratitude to the woman who inspired her to write poetry: her sixth-grade teacher. "She taught me that the English language is there to play with," she says. Despite her love for the English language, it was not her main concern growing up: Glceson wanted to be the next Michael Jordan. "’I wanted to be ~he first woman in the NBA," she says. "I played every day and every summer. It was everything for me." Gleeson pursued her hoop dreams duringjunior high and high school, playing so often she would keep a basketball in her car. But it didn’t stop her from writing poetry. During games, she would write rhymes on her shoes. And when it came_ time to say goodbye to the high school basketball coach, there was only one way she could express her emotions - with poetry. Still focusing on a basketball career, Gleeson moved to Fort Wayne in 1996 with a basketball scholarship to Indiana University-Purdue University. The transi- -tion was hard. She was homesick and. didn’t get along with the coach. When Gleeson was dismissed from the team and lost her scholarship, she sought solace in poetry. "I was looking for a way to escape from that reality. It was somewhere I had control in my life,"-she says. For a change of scenery, she traveled abroad to study in London. There she focused on her poetry, writing about her "inner truths." She realized she was a Lesbian."’I came to terms with my sexuality," she says. And then, Gleeson found the flow. She had never stopped writing poetry, but now her words had a different purpose. Her verses were inspiredby truths she found in people and in herself. She knew "poetry" couldn’t aptly describe her spoken-word form. As she wi~s falling asleep one night, a name for her art came to her: flow-etry. "It kind of flashed at me, almost like I can feel it in my soul," she says. Returning home, Gleeson started performing her art. She performed her favorite flow, "We Are One," for the first time at the Some Like It Black Cafe in Chicago. The flow describes the chain reaction of how one good deed does good to another person. The experience left a lasting mark on her. "It was an incredible feeling - I was speakingmy traths and they were listening to me," she says. "This is my purpose; this is what I really love to do." Timothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planning, Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appoinlments are available. THE GILDED AGE Treasuresfrom the Smitbsonian American Art Museum 9 SEPTEMBER -- 4 NOVEMBER 2OO1 THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART 2727 SOUTH ROCKFORD ROAD Rebel Yell: Stories by Contemporary Southern Gay Authors Edited by Jay Quinn reviewed by Barry Hensley Tulsa City-County Library The rural South is certainly not the easiest place to grow up Gay. Many people leave their small towns as soon as possible and move to whatever metropolis is close, buttheir stories remain. Rebel Yell is a wonderful compilation of short stories about school, church, race, love, murder, family dynamics and all of the other things that make the American South so unique. It reminds us of all of those "yard-fighting, teeth-gnashing, biscuiteating, ugly-dog-raising, towel-stealing, television pr,a,ying, neverforgiving, hard-headed people back home. Among the better entries: "Happy Birthday" by David Jaffe, is a heart wrenching letter written by a young man to himself, as if his estranged mother were writing him an birthday note. Recalling cherished childhood memories, "she" prggresses to the infamous day that the boy came out to his parents. "She" reminisces: "Your old room at home’s the same. We haven’t changed a thing. Still that royal blue carpet I always called ’Hideeeous!’ Remember? I exaggerated a bit, I know, to make my point. That’s me. You know not to take all my exaggerated reactions seriously, don’t you, son? And that bright blue burlap bulletin board I sewed for youstill hangs over your desk. And all those maps you used to sit and. draw and color, all those maps of all those foreign places- Rhodesia and C~ylon and "The rural South is certainly not the easiest place to ~row up Gay. Many people ¯ leave their small towns as soon as possl]~]e and move to whatever .metropolis is close, but their stories remain." Zanzibar and Manchukuo. I never under- ¯ stood why you couldn’t draw maps.of : America. Dad and I were always suspi- ~ cious of people from those sorts of foreign ¯ countries. How can you trust someone ¯ who’s so different? Lord knows what to _" expect." ¯¯ ’¢I’hePreacher’ s Son"byGeorge Singer, includes allofthedramaimaginable; young love, gossip, religion, drugs and murder. The handsome young scoundrel, Taylor, beds just about anyone in town and finally winds up in a deadly encounter with the preacher’s son. Weall remember a Taylor type in school, a sexy troublemaker who almost always manages to come out on top. "Entertainer of the Year"byJ. E. Robinson, recalls fun dinner conversation between a conservative ¯young ¯ black man and his blind date, who turns out to be a flamboyant drag queen. ." Perhaps the best is "465 Acres" by Jay ¯ Quilm. Acreage can become such an im- ." portant and emotional issue in the South! ¯ A matriarch and her reluctant son team up ¯ to buy the adjacent acreage fromlongtime ¯ neighbors. The sons of both families, who ¯ have a history together, become the nego- ¯ tlators. Full of grand Southern family ¯ squabbles, it has an unsetding, surprise ¯ ending. ¯ The stories in Rebel Yell remind me of ¯ the recent death of legendary Mississippi ¯ author Eudora Welty. When she spoke at ¯ Tulsa’s Central library a decade ago, I ¯ was mesmerizedby herreadings. She spoke ; ofSoutherntownsandtheirsteamy, some- " times romantic and often abusive settings. ; So it is with Rebel Yell. ¯ Check for Rebel Yell (and Eudora ¯ ¯ Welty’s works) at any Tulsa City:County Library, or call 596-7966. Among the attributes mentioned were a largemeeting space, maybeaperformance space, all the space 100% accessible to all regardesss ofability, acourtyard/protected outdoor space, kitchen, library, food bank, offices for community organizations, coffee house, gift shop, elder services, youth services, kids area, lounge, archives, commtmity museum, and maybe even emergency housing, perhaps for young adults who have been kicked outby their families because they came out or for victims of domestic violence. Organizers also discussed whether the center could!should be located so that it could anchor the creation of a Gay neighborhood as is found in many cities around the-US. Organizers said ultimately the goal is to create apermanentLesbian, Gay, Bisexual ¯ andTransgendered (andfamily andfriends) ¯ community center where, in the words of ¯ Kerry Lewis, TOHR (Tulsa Oklahomans ¯ for Human Rights) president, we can be ¯ "proud to be from Tulsa and to be Gay." ¯ To date, a fundraising campaign fund ¯ has over $65,000 and looks to raise more ¯ to purchase and renovate as needed, a ¯ building for the Center. ¯ Acurrent campaigneffort says let Presi- ¯ dent Bush contribute to a Tulsa Gay com- " muuity center; specifically people are en- : couraged to contribute part or all of the ¯¯ income tax refund (which Bush got the Congress topass) scheduled to bereceived this late summer to the building fund. For more information, call the LGBT Community Center at 743-4297. by LamontLindstrom ~ ability to ferret out fellow, suspected Gays Who hasn’t been in a bar, or a bus, or a " through use of coded terms - E.g., "Are supermarket and overheard someone ¯ there any family bars around here you whose voice immediately shouted out " could recommend?" - a sort of linguistic "Gay?"That voice. YOuknow, the swishy ¯ gaydar. But everyone does this to one Harvey Firestein accent extentoranother.AndGays that actors mimic when "... Is there a Gay and Straights alike work they want to play heavyspeech eommunlty that our identities into our handed and over-the-top speechforms,playfullyuse Gay. is solid enou~l~ to language, andcreativelyin- But does anyone actu- ventnew meanings that we ally speak like this? Nor- possess in common the attach to old words and really, I mean? I have play- same ways of speahln~? phrases. ful friends who can shift in A community the So just what in particuand out of Gay-talk to tell a lar is distinctive about Gay joke or to make a point, meml~ers of which share talk?Onelinguistfoundno The accent disappears, l~nowled~e and use of difference in the speech of however, if you ask them women motorcylists, be about something serious or certain speech forms they Hell’s Angel babes or mundane-fixing the back and their implleatlons.9 Dykes on Bikes. Another porch, maybe, or their trip survey similarly was unto the dentist. But on the Does Le~hlanlcs exlst.~ able to locate any formal other hand, there is my Or how about differences in the converbuddy Errol. Errol is a lo- sations of a group of Auscal Harvey. He seems to Gayese?... " tralian Lesbian and Straight have got his needle perma- friends. Scholar Arnold nently stuck in the Gay-talk groove. Zwicky has suggested that any deviation Sociolinguistics (the study of language ¯ from normal American masculine speakas behavior) has gone far to map out vari- . ing style-in whichever direction-may be ous "speech communities" the members " heard as "Gay." This presumes that.there of which share a number of language fea- ¯ is not; in fact, one standardized Gay accent tures and styles. Some of these communi- " - a common Gay way of talking. ties are ethnic (e.g., the speakers of Black " Yet, how about my bud Errol? He’s English,a.k.a. African-AmericanVemacu- latched onto something recognizable. Evlar English or Ebonics); some are geo- ery time he opens his mouth his speech graphic (regional dialects where " says Gay. Or so,moe telemarketer calls one California’ s"father"becomes New York’ s . day and you say qla~t boy is Gay !" There "fada"); some are vocational (lawyers’ ¯ must beafixedset ofphoneticfeatures and legalese); someareage-linked(youthstyles " intonational qualities out there that Gays such as the dearly-departed Valley Girl " and Straights alike recognize as homowhine). And sociolinguistic Deborah sexual, or at least gay-ish. Taunen has made aheap ofmoney writing ¯ No linguist, however, as far as I know books about ~’genderlect." She claims that ’. has provided an adequate phonetic and AmOrican men and women employ differ- " prosadic description of this style. Yet, we ent speech styles and, as a consequence, ¯ all know it when we hear it. The folk are often misunderstand one another. ¯ ahead-of linguists here: They describe the But how about Gays? Is there a Gay ° style as "lisping" or "sissy" or "you talk speech community that is solid enough to ¯ like a girl!" Here’s one folk description of .possess in common the same ways of " Gay-talk that I’ve lifted.off the Internet: speaking? A community the members of ¯ "It’s a certain melody or lilt to the voice.. which share knowledge and use of certain ¯ . some syllables are drawn out longer than speechformsandtheirimplications?Does " is usual. Wou could compare it (in its Lesbianics exist? Or how about Gayese? exaggerated form) to the Bette Davis ren- If there is such a Gay speech commu- " dition of the Word "Daaaahling!" I’d say nity,how does this include amix of the all- that about 75% of open gays show some the-way out, the halfway out, the closeted, " sign of "the accent." !’ve heard it all over men-who-have-sex-withmenbutdenyGay " thiscountryandinEurope-I’mbeginning identity, and so forth? Do Lesbians corn- . to think it’s genetic." pose a separate speech commumty? Do Of course"~t’ s n"ot geneti"c. My suspi" ci"on Bisexuals? How about transsexuals? Fur, " is that Gay-talk consists of a fairly small thermore, setting up a Gay speech corn- ° set of stereotypical, mostly intonational munityunav0idablyestablishesaStraight ¯ patterns.Actorsandjokestersshiftintothe one as well. If these two speech communi- style to cue Gayness, just as they shift into ties indeed exist, the boundaries separat- " similarly limited and convention styles to ing them would have to be exceedingly ° cue Chinese, orBostonBrahman, orTrailer porous. ¯ Trash Okie. A few of us (Errol) have A number of scholars hunting down " borrowed these linguistic conventions and Gay speech styles have published their " made them our own-it is a way of talking work in the collection Queerly Phrased: ¯ that definitely says Gay. Most of us, how- Language, Gender, and Sexuality (edited ¯ ever, either ignore this hackneyed style or byAnnaLiviaandKiraHalt). All presume ¯ merely shift into it occasionally when to have identified distinctly Gay ways of " messing about. speaking yet many of the conversational Daaaahling my Aaaahss! features they celebrate as Gay are, in fact, ¯ Lamont Lindstrom teaches anthropolintegral to human conversation no matter ¯ ogy at the University of Tulsa, and can be who is talking. One author notes our Gay " reached at lamontl0@yahoo.com Kelly Kirby, CPA, PC Certified Public Accountant a professional corporation Lesbians and Gay men face many special tax situations whether single or as couples. Electronic filing is available for faster refunds. 747-5466 4021 South Harvard Avenue, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135 |GTA member Call 341.6866 International Toursfor more information. TULSA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY Country Club Barbering Custom Styling for Men & Women David Kauskey 3310 E. 51st, 747-0236, Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm College Hill Presbyterian Church In response to God’s Love, College Hill Presbyterian Church is a community of God’s people called to tell others the Gospel of Jesus Christ through worship, service, and evangelism. To nurture our faith, we gather for worship, prayer, study and fellowship. Trusting in a living, loving God, we seek to become a compassionate voice for peace and justice. Our congregation welcomes all persons who respond in trust and obedience to God’s grace in Jesus Christ, and desire to become part of the membership and ministry of Christ’s church. Membership is open to all people regardless of race, ethnic origin, worldly condition, marital status, or sexual orientation. Sunday Worship, 11am 712 S. Columbia Ave., 592-5800 (One block west of Delaware and the University of Tulsa Campus) by Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) invites individuals, businesses and organizations to attend a media seminar with GLAAD The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Saturday, August 25th. 10 - 3pm at the LGBT Community Center, 21st & Memorial Featuring Regan Rhine GLAAD Education & Outreach Director For info., call 743-GAYS (743-4297) ENDA Reintroduced; HRC, PFLAG and Log Cabin Repu.blicans Comment WASHINGTON, DC-Apacked hearing i the leadership of a growing group of Reroom was the setting for the reintroduction : publicanHouse and Senatemembers workof the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) on July 31. All eight lead cosponsors of ENDA - Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Arlen Specter (R-PA), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), and Jim Jeffords (I-VT)and Representatives Christopher Shays (R-CT), Barney Frank (DMA), Mark Foley (R-FL) and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) - were on hand to demonstrate their strong support for this legislation. Joining the congressional champions to discuss the importance of this measure for thebusiness community was GaryFaTzino, the Vice President of Hewlett-Paekard, one of the leaders of corporate America who have endorsed ENDA. Despite some hard fought gains on the local and state level, it remains perfectly legal to fire a person based on their real or perceived sexual orientation in 38 states. ENDA would enact a federal standard of non-discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation. Far too often, it is said incorrectly that discrimination does not exist in the workplace for Gays and Lesbians. To combat this misconception, HRC has published Documenting Discrimination, which outlines many cases from across the country of anti-Gay discrimination. Support for this legislation continues to grow with 181 cosponsors in the House and 42 cosponsors in the Senate - more than ever before. For a complete list of cosponsors, please click on http:// www.hrc.org/is sues/federal_leg/enda/ cosponsors 107.asp. This level of congressional support is due in part to the nearly 30,000 faxes that were sent by constituents from HRC’s Online Action Center. Kirsten Kingdon, PFLAG Executive Director, said, ’‘Today marks another year that we speak out on behalf of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender workers and ask Congress to pass ENDA. It also marks another year that GLBT workers have been threatened, harassed and fired because there arenofederal laws to protect them. This is common sense legislation - it’s about fairness, equal opportunity and the right to work without fear ofretaliation because of your sexual orientation." A Gallup Poll in June showed that85% of Americans support equal rights in terms of job opportunities. ThePFLAGBoardofDirectors recently passed a Public Policy Statement which supports ENDA, but advocates for the inclusion of Transgender protections in thelegislation. Thestatementreads, "Many employees are discriminated against because of their gender presentation in the workplace, not necessarily their sexual orientation. Any and all discrimination is immoral and unconscionable, andwelook to our elected officials to set the example and the law so all people are treated with dignity and opportunity. And the nation’s largest Gay Republican organization applauded the reintroduction ofthe EmploymentNon-Discrimination Act (ENDA) this week, and hailed : ing to ensure that sexual orientation is ." removed as a factor in employment in the ¯¯ United States. "We applaud the leadership of the Re- " publican sponsors of ENDA, especially ¯ thenew Republican sponsors, and welook : forward to working together toward the : important goal of ensuring that sexual : orientation is nolonger afactorin employ- . merit in our country," said Kevin Ivers, ¯ Director of Public Affairs of Log Cabin : Republicans. ¯ "Together, we share a common goal ¯ with avastmajority oftheAmericanpeople ’ - merit should be the sole criterion ofhow ¯ people arejudgedinthe workplace: Sexual ~ orientation should not be a factor in em- ¯ ployment." ¯" "For all of us who strongly support the ¯ importantand achievable goals thatENDA ¯ represents, it is more important than ever ; to work cooperatively across party lines ¯ with the Senate, House and the Bush Ad- : ministration to enact federal legislation," ¯ Ivers said." ¯ The original GOP sponsors ofE~DA in ¯ the 107thCongress are Senator Arlen Spec- ¯ ter (PA), Congressman Christopher Shays ." (CT), Senator Lincoln Chafee (RI), Con- : gressman Mark Foley (FL), Congressman ¯ JimKolbe (AZ), CongressmanSteve Horn : (CA), Congresswoman Deborah Pryce ~ (OH), Congresswoman Connie Morella ¯ (MD), Congresswoman Sue Kelly (NY), ¯ Congresswoman Judy Biggert (IL), Con- : gressman JimGreenwood (PA), Congress- ¯ man Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ), Con- : -gresswoman Nancy Johnson (Cq’), Con- " gressman Sherwood Boehlert (NY), Con- ¯" gressman Jim Leach (I.A), Congressman Ben Gilman (NY) and Congressman ¯ _Wayne G-ilchrest (MD). ¯ Joining as an original Senate sponsor is : Senator Gordon Smith (OR), who LCR ¯ endorsed in his 1996 Senate campaign. ¯ Joining as original House sponsors were ¯ threefreshmenGOPmembers-Congress- .- man Mark Kirk (IL), Congressman Mike ¯ Ferguson (NJ) and Congressman Rob : Simmons (CT), all of whom LCR en- : dorsed in 2000. ¯ ENDA would make it an unlawful era- ¯ ployment practice to discriminate on the : basis of sexual orientationinhiring, firing, ¯ training or providing employment oppor- ¯ tunity. It contains exemptions for reli- : gious organizations, themilitary, andbusi- ¯ nesses with fewer than 15 employees, and : prohibits affirmative action, preferential ¯ treatment, quotas, disparate impact claims ¯ and EEOC statistical collection on the _" basis of sexual orientation. The bill provides remedies largely in line with Title : VII 0f the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and ¯ also states that same-sex partner benefits ¯ are not mandated by ENDA. ¯ LCR has been involved with and has ¯ supported theENDAeffort, since the origi- ¯ nal drafting in 1994, and the legislation ¯ has steadily gained Republican support as ¯ modifications have been added. A previ- : ous version of ENDA failed in the Senate ¯ by one vote in 1996. September 4-9, 2001 Tulsa Country Club Call 1-877-583-9925 for tickets and information HOTt~" Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, August 2001; Volume 8, Issue 8 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource Tulsa Family News was a monthly newspaper; No. 1 issued December 1993-January 1994. The final issue available was published in September 0f 2001 (Volume 8, Issue 9). The newspaper brings up important, evolving topics of marriage, Pride, TOHR, HIV/AIDs, events, advice, and politics all at the local and national level. This document is available in searchable PDF attached. It is also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, July 2001; Volume 8, Issue 7 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/615 "Nightline" AIDS anti-bias conference anti-bias law Bishops Boston Boy Scouts businesses Canada Charleston churches Community Center condoms Council Oak Men's Chorale David Satcher domestic violence Employment Non Discrimination Act execution firefighters Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation gay bashing hate crime HIV testing HIV treatment Houston medical marijuana Openarms Youth Project PFLAG Poetry Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa religion Republican Party restaurants sex offenders South Africa Southern Literature Stevie Nicks Tulsa County Democratic Party Tulsa Family News Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Uganda women's basketball https://history.okeq.org/files/original/00a27df3ffb0f3bf81572025f75e03ba.jpg f4de08ca2fcf7d4eb1c09b6111f72661 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/cbf92171ba4351737aecd93fad05450b.pdf c5ac2469af2aa462772669014bb06fc5 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Text Any textual data included in the document Hawaii Court Setback for Anti-Gay Lawmakers HONOLULU (AP) - The state Supreme Court says eight state lawmakers who oppose same-sex marriage won’t be able to intervene in the court matter.. Eight members of the state House of Representatives asked -the high court to let themjoin the court fight on the side of the same-sex opponents. . . " Circuit Court Judge Kevin Chang - who ruled the state to be in violation of the law for not allowing Gays to legally marry-ruled against allowing the lawmakers to join the case. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling ’Without comment on Friday. Chang’s decision in the same-sex marriage case is under appeal to the state Supreme Court. The high court ruled in 1993 that denying marriage licenses to samesex couples was unconstitutional. The court then sent the case back to Circuit Court to allow the state a final chance to defend its position. Changruled against the state last year, but delayed the Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends Tulsa’s Largest Circulation Community PaperAvailable In More Than 75 City Locations Local Gay Athelete Takes World Class Skating Honors by Tom Neal Tulsan Marc Goohs, 1997 Pairs Figure Roller Skating World Champion with partner, Gari Phillips & runners up in Finland. TULSA - You may have seenhim around Tulsa, perhaps at the Silver Star, or at a local restaurant where he works patl-time. You’d notice him since he’s a goodlooking man - but who’d q~eSs that this seemingly et, regular guy living in Tulsa is a world .champion skating tide holder? Marc Goohs, 28, with his skating partner oftwo years, Gari Phillips, 23, won top honors in the Pairs Figure Roller Skating competition of the International World Games Association in Lahti, Finland afew months ago. While not as widely known as the Olympic ice skating competitions, these events are affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). And the skating competitions share some aspects. Both are combinations of athletic skill and artistic style with the couple skating together as though they were dancing and involving overhead lifts. Goohs feels that ice skating is more like : ballet whileroller skating is more athletic. Goohs notes that while : roller skating does not have a great following in the US, it is very ¯ big in Latin America, and in Italy .where the sport is subsidized : by the government. He says the sport is dominated by the US, ¯ Italians, and Germans. _" Goohs, who’s originally from Cleveland, Ohio, has been ¯¯ skating for 20 years, 10 as apairs skater. He came toTulsa to train with a well respected coach who lived here. However, when that ", coach up and moved, Goohs stayed on in Tulsa, and for a while ¯’Exporting Hate: Largent "rakes Anti-Gay Messageto Wash. State ¯ WASHINGTON STATE - According to a Nov. ¯ 5th article by Kery Murakami, of the SeatfleTimes ¯ Olympiabureau, Oklahoma’s First District (largely ¯ TulsaCounty) Congressman Steve Largent lent his name and reputation to foes of a civil fights initia- : tive in Washington State. Initiative 677, which was overwhelmingly de- , feared statewide - except in two urban counties, ¯ would have added the term"sexual orientation" to : state civil-rights laws; which already bar work- ¯, place discrimination based on age, race, gender, and religion. Though some Washington State cit- ¯ ies, like Seattle, already have similar ordinances, ¯ Gays have nojob protection elsewhere in the state. ¯ The measure was intentionally focused narrowly ¯ on workplace discrimination. ¯ Congressman Largent, who lived in Washinglon : State while he played football for the Seattle ¯ Seahawks, claimed in the anti-initiative-677 ad- ¯ vertisement that sexual orientation, unlike age, ¯ race, gender, and religion, was a choice. He added ¯ giving civil-rights protections based on sexual ori¯ entation would be granting Gays "special fights." In the ad which looked like a letter to the voters, ¯ Largent said,"I-677 isn’t about fainiess, it’s about : special rights... 1-677 goes too far in trying to ¯ extend civil rights protections to behaviors and ¯ lifestyles that are controllable, and creates special ¯ rights for choices that some people have made in ¯ defining their sextml identity." ¯ In several Tulsa forums, Largent has made simi- ¯ lar statements that he opposes civil fights protecissuing of marriage licenses until the appeal to the ¯ dropped out of training with the attitude that maybe he should go ¯ tions based on sexual orientation becausehe feels stipreme Court is decided. A.ruling is expected some- : onwithhislifeandforgetskating. Butafter getting a call from the ¯ that sexual orientation is a choice as opposed to Li-ti~ in 1998. . - . , Games Committee saying . see Goohs, page 3 : race, gender or age. see Largent, page 3 ~,- .... . , ¯ , NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Adam is like most 2-year-olds ¯ First Performance Was at World AIDS Day Service " "1" HIV Program Di rector -quick, curious, scurrying here and there. Unlike most, " TULSA - They first came together forjust one performance and his adoptive parents are both men - whose successful ¯ still don’.t have a name of their own, but the Gay mens ensemble ¯ TULSA - The board of Tulsa Oklahomans for ¯ that performed at this last December’s World AIDS Day Candle- " light March.and Memorial Service at All Souls Unitarian Church : is continuing under the direction of musician Rick Former, Jr. Fortuer, who teaches voice at the University of Tulsa and is : music director at Hope Unitarian Church, gathered the initial ¯ group by "word of mouth". In about 8 weeks, the ensemble ¯ learned four songs which were received with great praise from ¯ those attending the service. The initial group included singers ¯ with considerable experience, some with Follies Revue perfor- ¯ mances, others with Theatre Tulsa, and still others with strong ¯ backgrounds in church music programs. ¯ The groupis planning to start rehearsals near the endofJannary with the goal of doing a benefit for TOHR’s HIV programs and : the Pride Center, hopefully in March. The group has been ¯ meelang onMonday evenings and will likely continue that time. ¯ It’s hoped that the ensemble can rehearse at the Pride Center but ¯ Women Win Case for Being ¯ Called Lesbian by Pastor ¯ TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Rev. Ernest G. Bass said.he told his ¯ congregation that theirmusic director was involved in a Lesbian ¯ ¯ affair to "extinguish rumors and let the healing process begin" and that as her minister he had the right to rebuke her. But a civil ¯ jury believed otherwise and awarded the two women$340,000 in : a slander lawsuit settled just before Christmas. Bass made the ¯ comments during an evening worship service in July 1994. ¯ The civil trial fordefendants Bass, the First United Pentecostal ¯ Church, the Oklahoma District of the United Pentecostal Church ¯ International andits superintendent, Robert D.Whalengotunder ¯ way three weeks ago, more than three years after the incident ¯ occtn-red. ¯ .: Rhonda J. Morrison andCynthia A. Gass each were awarded ¯ $20,000 for slander, $150,000 for invasion ofprivacy and $2 for intentional infliction of emotional distress. ¯ The defense maintained that what Bass said was the truth, and : therefore, could not be considered slander. The defense also said Bass’ announcement should receive, see Friends, page 14 : Human Rights, Inc. (TOHR), Oklahoma’s oldest : Lesbian and Gay non-religious commumty orgam- ¯ zation, has hired Kristi Frisbie as director of their ° HIV programs: TOHR/HOPE: HIV Outreach, Pre: ¯ vention & Education. The organization has also ¯ hired Greg Hisaw as HIV Testing Clinic Coordina- ¯ tor. ¯ - Frisbie has significant experience with HIV/ ¯ AIDS organizations having worked as a National : AIDS Fund Americorp member and team coordi- ¯ nator. She’s worked with Whitman Walker Center ¯ in Washington, DC andhelped with the DC Needle ¯ Exchange Program. She workedwith Visiting Nurse ¯ Association’s Wellness program immediately be- : fore joining TOHR’s programs. ¯ Greg Hisaw has been a see TOHR, page 3 ¯ Bowersv. Shahar: Rights ;Case May Be Critical : WASHINGTON (AP) - Robin Shahar believes ¯ that being a Lesbian is why she’s not working for ¯ Georgia’s attorney general, but the state’s lawyers ¯ say bias against homosexuals played no role. She : lost thejob, they say, only after deciding to"maID"’ ¯ another woman. The legal dispute, carried to the ¯ Supreme Court by Gay civil-rights groups, has ¯ historic potential. Andit already may have compli- ." cated the political aspirations of the man Shahar ¯ sued - would-be governor Mike Bowers. ¯ He was the state’s attorney general when, in ¯ 1991, he withdrew Shahar’s job offer to become a ¯ staff attorney in the Georgia Department of Law. ¯ ¯ Bowers said her impending marriage would affect public perception of his office’s dedication te en- ¯ forcing the state’s anti-sodomy law. ¯ Shahar and her partner were planning to cel- ; ebratealifelongcommitment seeBowers,page14 fight to keep their boy won the Gay movement a step toward equality with heterosexuals, activists said after a landmark court settlement. The struggle began soon afterJon Holden and Michael Galluccio began caring for Adam, then 3 months old. On Wednesday, they won a settlement that gives Gay and unmarried couples inNew Jersey the right tojointly adopt children, like married couples. It only affects children in state custody. Adam Holden Galluccio, blond-haired with rosy cheeks, scumedbefore the news cameras. "This is a victory about goodness and equality," Holdensaid. Conservatives, already fighting efforts to legalize same-sex marriages, were diametrically opposed. The setdement is "a victory for homosexual activism and a defeat for children already bruised in life and in need of an intact, committed husband-and-wife .family," said Robert Knight, director of cultural studies for the Family Research Council in Washington. "I think it’ s a sad commentary," said state Assemblywoman Marion Creeco, Republican sponsor of a bill banning same-sex mamage that has not yet made it to the Assembly floor. "I think every child deserves to grbw ,u,pwith a mother and father. It’s a very natural thing, she said. The agreement by New Jersey authorities came in a class-action lawsuit broughtin June by Gay and Lesbian families with the assistance of the American Civil Liberties Union. Holden and Galluccio won the right to adopt Adam on Oct. 22. see Adoption, page 14 DIRECTORY/LETTERS P. 2/3 US & WORLD NEWS P. 4 HEALTH NEWS P. 6 ENTERTAINMENT NOTES P. 8 COMMUNITY CALENDAR P, 9 BOOK REVIEW P. 10 RESTAURANT REVIEW P. 11 GAY STUDIES/ANTHROPOLOGY P. 12 CLASSIFIEDS P. 14 Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine *Boston Willy’s Diner, 1742 S. Boston *Concessions, 3340 S. Peoria *Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th *Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria *Interurban Restaurant, 717 S. Houston *Jason’s Deli, 15th & Peoria *Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th *The Palate Cafe & Catering, 3324G E. 31st *St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st *Samson & Ddilah Restaurant, 10 E. Fifth *Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main *TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial *Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd *Umbertos Pizzeria, 21st west of Harvard 832-1269 592-2143 744-0896 583-6666 749-4511 585-3134 599-7777 749-1563 745-9899 745-9998 585-2221 834-4234 585-3405 660-0856 584-1308 599-9999 Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 74%1508 *Affinity News, 8120 E. 21 610-8510 Dennis C. Arnold, Realtor 746-4620 *Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 Kent Balch & Associates, Health & Life Insurance 747-9506 *Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034 Body Piercing by Nieole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955 Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 Den Carlton Honda, 4141 S. Memorial 622-3636 Den Carlton Mitsubishi, 46th & Memorial 665-6595 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581~0902, 743-4117 Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 *Daisy Exchange, E. 15th 746-0440 Tim Daniel, .Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 *Deco to Disco, 3212 E~ 15th -. 749-3620 *Devena’s Gallery, 13 Brady 587-2611 Deghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 *Ross Edward Salon, 2447 E. 15th 584-0337. 712-9379 *Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595 *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st 742-1460 Leaune M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 459-9349 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440 *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 28~5 E. Skelly 745-1111 *International Tours 341-6866 Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 K 15th 712-2750 *Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018 David Kanskey,Country Club Barbering 747-0236 *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 . 599-8070 Kelly Kirby, CPA, PUB 14011, 74159 747-5466 Langley Agency & Salon, 1316 E. 36th Pi. 749-5.533 Laredo Crossing, 1519 E. 15th 585-1555 *Living ArtSpace, 19 E. Brady 585-1234 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3 584-3112 Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934 *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 664-2951 *Novel Idea Bookstore, 51st & Harvard 747-6711 David A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633 747-7672 *Peace of Mind Bookstore, 1401 E. 15 583-1090 The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor 7434297" Puppy Pause II, l lth & MAngo 838-7626 Rainbowz on the River B+B, PUB 696, 74101 747-5932 Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617 Scott Robison’s Prescriptions, see ad for 3 locations, 743-2351 Teri Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-7921, 747-4746 Christopher Spradling, attorney, 616 S. Main, #308 582-7748 *Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749-6301 *Sedona Health Foods, 8220 S. Harvard 481-0201 *Sophronia’s Antiques, 1515 E. 15 592-2887 *Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria 697-0017 *Trizza’s Pots, 1448 S. Delaware 743-7687 *Tulsa Book Exchange, 3749 S. Peoria 742-2007 *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558 Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling 743-1733 *Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis 592-0767 Tulsa Organizations, Churches, & Universities AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 1071, 74101-1071 579-9593 *All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363 Black & White, Inc. PUB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 *B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa Canterbury Ctr. 583-9780 *Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201 *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence *CommunityofHope United Methodist, 1703 E. 2nd 585-1800 *Community Unitarian-Universahst Congregation 749-0595 *Church oftheRestoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood 587-1314 918.231.7372, fax: 583.4615, PUB 4140. Tulsa, OK 74159 e-mail: TulsaNews@ earthlink, net wobsite: http://users.aol.com/TulsaNews/ Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal Entertainment Diva + Mac Guru: James Christjohn ¯ Writers + contributors: Leanne Gross, Barry Hensley, Jean-Pierre Legrandbouche. Lamont Linstrom, Kerry Lobel. Judy McCormick. Josh Whetsell. Meml~r o! The Associated Press ¯ Issued on or before the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of this ¯ pgblieation are protected by US copyright 1997 byT~ : Nt~v, and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without ¯ written permission from the publisher. Publication of a name or ¯ photo does not indicate a person’s sexual orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication unless_otherwise noted, must -" be signed & becomes the sole property of T~ut ¯" Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution ¯ points. Additional copies are available by calling 231-7372. ¯ *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1932 ¯ *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457 : Dignity/Integrity-Lesbian/Gay Catholics/Episcopal. 298-4648 ¯ *Family of FaithMCC, 5451-ESo. Mingo 622-1441 ¯ *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777 ¯ *Free SpiritWomen’s Center, call for location&info: 587-4669 ¯¯ Friend For A Friend, PUB 52344, 74152 747-6827 Friends in Unity Social Org., PUB 8542, 74101 582-0438 .’ *HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611 : *HIV Resource Consortium, 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194 : HOPE (TOHR), HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education .. 1307 E. 38, 2nd ft. 712-1600, HOPE/TOHR Anonymous ¯ HIV Testing Site, Mon/Thurs. eve. 7-9pro, call 834-8378 ; *House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 3210e So. Norwood ¯ Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438-2437, 800-284-2437 ¯ *MCC of Greater Tulsa, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715 NAMES PROJECT, 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H- 1 748-3111 ; NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, PUB 14068, 74159 365-5658 ¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), PUB 9165, 74157 ¯ *Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584’-7960 ’_ PFLAG, PUB 52800, 74152 7494901 ," *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674 ¯ *The Pride Center, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor, 74105 7434297 "- Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 ¯ *R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network .749-4195 ¯ Rainbow Business.Guild, PUB 4106, 74159 665-5174 ¯" *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325 -" O’RYAN, s.upport group for 18-24 LGBT young adults ." O’RYAN, Jr. support group for 14-17 LGBT youth ¯ St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cineiunati 425-7882 ¯ St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088 i *Shanti Hothne & tIIV/AIDS Services 749-7898 ¯ TNAAPP(Native Amedcan men), Indian Health Care 582-7225 ¯ Tulsa County Health Department, 4616E. 15 5954105 ¯ Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only ¯ Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 7434297 ~ T.U.LS.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222 ¯Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule i *Tnlsa Community College Campuses ¯ *Rogers University (formerly UCT) : BARTLESVILLE ; *Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353 : NORMAN ¯. *Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-5734907 ¯ OKLAHOMA CITY ¯ *Borders Books &Music, 3209NWExpressway 405-848-2667 ¯ TAHLEQUAH ." *Stonewall League, call for information: 918456-7900 ¯ *Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918456-7900 ¯ *Green Country AIDS Coalition, PUB 1570 918453-9360 -" NSU School of Optometry, 1001 N. Grand ¯ HIVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for date ¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS ." *Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 : *Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main ¯ DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. : *Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. ¯ MCC of the Living Spring ¯ Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 ¯ Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery ¯ Positive Idea Marketing Plans ¯ Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East ¯ FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS ¯ *Edna’s, 9 S. School Ave. 501-253-7734 501-253-7457 50 1-253-6807 501-253-5445 501-253-9337 501-253-2776 501-253-5332 501-624-66216 501-253-6001 501-442-2845 indicates a distribution point. Listed businesses are not all Gay-owned but welcome Lesbian/Gay/Bi & Trans communities. Carbon Copy: The Tulsa World Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights, Oklahoma’s oldest non-religious Gay & Lesbian organization wishes to applaud our Mayor (and the National Conference for its letter supporting her) for her courageous stand on the issue of religious displays on public buildings. As members of a community still denied basic civil rights and the right to live by the dictates of our faith traditions - usually, by those claiming to be "Christian", we recognize the.need.for the separation of church and state. Tul sa’s public : buildings should not display the symbols ¯ of a single faith - even if it is the faith of ¯ the majority of those who work within. ¯ Likewise, Tulsa’s government should not ¯ promote the religious views of our elected ¯ leaders, even if they claim that amajority ¯ of Tulsans support those views. ¯ This is not only constitutionally cot- ¯" feet; it is the epitome of "treating your neighbor as you would be treated" - a ¯ tenet at the heart of Christian belief. As : most ofour directors are indeed Christian, : we do not oppose the expressions of that :¯ .ifnaicthh,uwrcehseism, ipnlypsraivyakteeebputshinemessoenshiofmtheesy, ." choose and in your hearts, but respect : your neighbors whose beliefs are differ- . ent. - The Board ofDirectors, TOHR ACTION ALERT : : : : : : URGE LAWMAKERS TO GET TOUGH ON HATE CRIMES, COSPONSOR THE HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT ,, (S.1529/H.R. 3081) from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 emzil: sloan.wiesen@hrc.org WWW: http://www.hrc.org Call on Congress to pass important bipartisan crime measure to include Semad Orientation, Gender and Disability in existingfederal laws targeting biasmotivatedviolence. Your lawmakers need to hear your support for an important piece of crime legislation that was recently introduced in Congress. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) would protect Americam from most violent hate crimes based on their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender and disability. The HCPA was introduced on Nov. 13 in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and in the House of Representatives by Reps. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., and Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. According to the FBI, hate crimes committed because of an individual’s sexual orientation arealready the thirdmostcommon type of bias crime - and they are on the rise. The National Coalition of Anti- Violence Programs see Hate, page 13 Letters Policy Tulsa Family News welcomes letters on issues which we’ve covered or on issues you think need to be considered. Youmay request that your name be withheld but letters must be signed&have phone numbers, or be hand delivered. 200 word letters are preferred. Letters to other publications will be printed as is appropriate. Pictured are the staff of Tulsa OklahOmans for Human .RightsHtV Programs: -Johnnie Eilerts and Jeremy S~mmOns who do Gay rnens and group and community outreach, Kristi Frisbie, thenew director oftheprograms which are called HOPE: H1V Outreach Prevention and Education, andGreg Hisaw, Testing Clinic Coordinator. However, when local activists have pointed out to Largent that religious views are also choices and yet citizens enjoy civil rights protections based on their religious status, Largent has just made statements to the effect of "that’s religion, that’s different." When Lesbian and Gay citizens challenged about his "special rights" rhetoric at a town hall meeting held at the Bixby Public Library, noting that protections based on "sexual orientation" would also protect heterosexuals, Largent failed to respond directly to that claim. A spokesperson for Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR), Oklahoma’s oltlest Lesbian and Gay non-rdigious community organization, expressed dismay at Largent’s’comments and that he got involved in the affairs of another state. ~"Apparently;_our Congressman is not satisfied attackin_ g his own Lesbian and Ga_y constituents but feels the need to export this hate~:to.his .former state. We believe Steve,kn.o.ws very well~ fliat hisb,omments about ’special fights a~efalsebuti.~t~h~ is deliberatelybearing ’false witness’ to promote his extreme Right-wing religious/ political, views - that hardly seems to be the conduct of someone who claims-to.be ’Christian’." Gay organizers of Initiative 677 also noted that a gun control initiative on the ballot probably hurt the civil rights measure. Again according to the Seattle Times, Lori Jinkins, board president of the Gaycivil-rights group Hands Off Washington, said umque political forces worked against the measure. She noted that the National Rifle Association spent more than $2 million against Initiative 676, the gun control measure. Gun-fights advocates according to a Seattle Times Washington Poll were overwhelmingly opposed to the Gay civil-rights measure. "Guns clearly brought out the ’no’ votes," Jinkins said. Jinkins also noted that many people believe that job discrimination is already barred. In the Times poll, a sizable number saidthey opposed the initiative because they thought Gays are already protected by civil,rights law. "Our early polling showed that 30 percent thought it was already illegal in the state, and our biggest challenge has been getting the word out that it i sn’t illegal," Jinkins said. Gay community organizers had hoped the_initiative would be the best opportunity to gain civil rights protections. Although a Newsweek po!l last y~ar’ f0und’that’ most people do not support Gays being allowed to live anywhere they please, two-thirds said their sexual onenmtiQn shguldn’t interfere_ with their ability to make a living. Therefore, Gay civil-rights advocates, tired 0f fighting off attacks from the Radical Right, and heartened by national polls showing support for. anti-discrimination laws for Gays when it comes to employment, went ahead with the $750,000 initiative campmgn. However, The SeattleTimes poll also found that a large number agreed with 1-677’s opponents’ argument that sexual orientation was different from race, age, gender or religion. Robert Larimer, spokesman for a coalition of conservative groups who opposed the initiative, said to the Times that the defeat of the initiative would fuel the passage in the Legislature next year of a law barfing Gay marriages. "When you see a margin this big, it’s sending ¯ Father Rick Hollingsworth, the Right Reverend Craig : Bettendorf, Presiding Bishop.of the Evangelical Angli- ¯ can Church in America, Father Jim Lehman of Holy ¯. Family Parish in Las Cruces, NM and Deacon Deb ¯ Starnes celebrated the Consecration and Dedication of the new building of the Parish Church ofSaint Jerome. a powerful message to the Legislature that they should continue to refuse bestowing special status for sexual behavior," Larimer said. "It should encourage the Legislature to once again pass ’defense of marriage’ legislation," he said. "Andit should send a couple of strong signs to our governor that he should not veto it." Gov. Gary Locke, a vocal supporter of 1-677, had angered conservatives earlier this year by vetoing a Gaymamage prohibition. The initiative’s defeat creates a stalemate over Gay civil-rights in the state. Initiative drives in 1994 and 1995 to restrict civil-rights protections for Gays, bar teaching about homosexuality in schools and prohibit Lesbian-and Gay couples from adopting children failed to garner enough signatures even to make the ballot. Steve Liggett ofLiving Arts of Tulsa is joined by Nancy McDonald; national prestden~ of’PFLAG, artist’Robert Hernandez, Ken Youngbloodand his morn’at the Love Makes A Family exhibit, sponsored by Eiving Arts, PFLAG and Rainbow Business Guild. December was dedicated to Lesbian & Gay art, artists and tssues, at Six Flags, and maybe makejust a little money. Unlike ice skaters who can retire wealthy, roller skaters often barely cover their costs. Andjust as much, Goohs andhis partner wouldn’t mind getting a little recognition here in Tulsaand nearby - after all how many World Champions do we have here? it needs to get a loan or donation ofa piano that’s in good ¯ shape in order to meet there. Otherwise the group will ¯ meet at Hope Unitarian Church. The group will have an organizational meeting on ¯ January 19 at 7 pm in the Neal-Padgett Hall of the Pride ¯ Center, 1307 East 38th Street, 2rid flotr. Formal audi- ¯" tions are not required but those interested should call ¯ Fortaer at 585-8595 for an informal interview prior to the 19th. reputations with their peers and feel that each will brin:g significant skills to the organization. And at the December meeting of the orgamzation, longtime volunteer Steve Horn was elected President of the Board. He is joined by Dennis Arnold, Tim Darnel., Robert Hill, Jonathan Stanley and Tom Neal. TOHR/HOPEprovides Tulsa with its principal anonymous HIV testing site at the HIV Resource Consortium. TOHR/HOPE staff members also do targeted outreach forHIV prevention in several programs. TOHR, a 501 (c)3 tax-exempt, non-political organization, also provides the Pride Center, Tulsa’s community center for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgendered persons, our families and friends. The Pride Center is located at 1307 E. 38th Street, 2nd floor. For more information, call 712-1600, 9-5pm, .M-F, or 743-4297, 6-10pm, M-Sat. that Goohs and Phillips had qualified for a competition " based on an earlier performance in Mar del Plata, Argen- " tim in December 1996, Goohs and Phillips.were back in ¯ training. Goohs says they had no costumes, no music, no ¯ routine and he was out of shape but in a matter of weeks ¯ - a ftacti’on 6f the normal time required, they got thing~ :’ together, and "just for grins" skated a national competiuon in Florida where they got 3rd place for their short ¯ program, andwon first place much to their surprise for " their long program; ~ This is what qualified them to go to Finland to represent the US. He says that at 28, he’s getting to the end of a " career in competitive skating - as you get older, it’s just ] harder to keep in shape and to recover from injuries. He ¯ never dreamed though that he’d be ending his skating with a gold medal. ¯ When asked about being Gay in the sport, he smiles and says that there are many Gays in the sport but not so many - in the pairs skating that he does. He says that it’s pretty ¯ hard work and his observation is that the Gay guys want ¯ to do more glamorous stuff- not the physically demand- ¯ ing lifting of a partner. . Looking ahead, Goohs says he’d like to teach skating ° or do some theme show skating like at Disney World or ¯ ALBANY- Amid-level appealsCiSUrt denial amarrittge license to a gay couple from itli~iea, i’eCently, cifng technical flaws in their argument. -....... The state Appellate Division said Hxillip and Toshav Storrs erred in not including the state Department of Health, which has jurisdiction over marriage licenses, in their lawsuit. The Storrs had filedth~ff~elaim againstthe Ithaca city clerk, who said sh~ Was prohibited by state agency guidelines from issuing them a license. "In our view, (the Storrs) are essentially challenging the authority of (the Health Department) ’ to issue such directives, the validity of those directives and its author- ~ty over the issuance of marriage licenses," the fivememberjudicial panel wrote in a d~cision handed down Christmas Eve. "We therefore conclude that (the agency) was a necessary part of this action." The Storrs said they would consult with their attorney before deciding whether to appeMto a~kigher court, or bring suit against the health department: "We’re not surprised, and we certainly are not disappointed, because we haven’t heard no yet," said Toshav Storrs. Mariette Geldenhuys, who represented the city clerk’s office, said the ruling "affirmed the city~s position.""The city is constrained by the directives of the Health Department," Geldenhuys said. "This places the focus on the real issue, between the (Stprrs) and the Health Department." - - Same-sex marriage is a volatile issue that state courts only in Hawaii, Vermont and Alaska have wrangled with. Hawaii’s decision to recognize gay and lesbian marriages sparked debate in Congress as to whether other states have to recognize it as well. phillip, 38, and Toshav, 36 (who was formerly a Tulsa resident), applied to the Ithaca city clerk’s office for a marriage license two years ago. Toshav changed his last name from Greene after the couple went through a commitment ceremony in 1995~ Ithaca’s Common Council passed a resolution urging the state to allow same-sex marriages, but city attorneys ultimately determined Ithacahad no authority to issue the license. The Storrs then launched their lawsuit, asking for the right to marry or to allow the Ithaca city clerk’s office to evaluate the license application without taking into account the state directive. longtime volunteer with TOHR’s Testing Clinic and also did testing f0rthe Tulsa Count)’ Health DepL The_ board Colorado Commission Examing Couples Rights DENVER (AP) - A state commission looking at the rights and responsibilities of same-sex couples won’t meet a March 1 deadline to issue its findings. The Commission on Rights and Responsibilities of Same- Sex Relations has met twice since Gov Roy Romer appointed its 16 members in September. More meetings are set for January and February, but public hearings won’t be held until March 4. The commissionis charged with compiling areport comparing the-legal and economic fights, responsibilities and benefitS of same-sex couples and married couples. ’%Ve’re only just a little bit beyond the beginning org~zation in trying to identify tasks arid processes," said state Rep. Gloria Leyba,D=Denver, a committee member. The commission is headed by Bishop William J. Winterrowd of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. Othermembers include Catholic Archbishop Charles J. Chaput; Rabbi Steven Foster of Denver; Wade Buchanan, director of the CO Office of Energy Conservation; Shirley O. Harris, former state personnel director; and Paul Klinge of US West Media Groups. Sen. Ken ArnOld, R-Westminster, and state Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, sponsored a bill earlier this year that sought to strengthen Colorado’s ban on same-sex ~marriages. The measure passed but was vetoed by Romer; who appointed the commission without naming Arnold or Musgrave. "You can dictate the outcome of a committee’s decision by the people youappointto the commit,t,ee, and it looks like that’s a predetermined outcome, Arnold said. "It’s an important commission," said Sue Anderson, executive director of Equality.Colorado, a Gay fights organization in Denver. "It’s the first time there’s been a formal government-sanctioned body looking at Gay issues at all. "The nature of families is changing," Andersonadded. "It’s important to examine what does that mean, for individuals in the relationships, the children, for property issues, inheritanee, survivorship fights." Leyba said the commission will look at "what barriers may be created by existing law" to same-sex partnerships. While the commismon is unlikely to propose a law for the legislative session that begins Jan. 7, she said, "If we determine there are statutory barriers, legislation could be something down the road." Expanded Anti-Bias Law CONCORD,.N:H. (AP) -A new law that grew out of years of contentious debate is expected to generate onlya trickle of action. Starting Jan. 1, New Hampshire’ s "civil fights law will protectGays injobs, housing and public places like restaurants and hotels. But the state Human Rights Commission, which will-handle complaints under the law, does not expect to be bombarded with calls. "I don’t expect there are going to be high number of complaints filed," commission Director Raymond Perry said. "It’s still going to be very difficult to be Gay in New Hampshire. It was clear from the hearings that many people remain prejudl.’~~" Perry predicts his office will handle three to five complaints in 1998 from people who believe they have been discfiminated againstonthebasis of sexual orientation. Tharis a drop in the bucket compared to the 250 to 300;complaints filed by people charging discrimination based on race, religion and other protected statuses. That doesn’t’mean the law. won’t, make-a ~difference: It will,but 16y. producing peace of.mind rather than complaintg, Sa~d Marcus ~Iurn, a law professor at Franklin Pierce Law School who is Gay. ’~It’s not so much that there is such agreat n.u~a.b.~r of landlords and bosseswho a~e 0na~witch hunt, it. s that any time you heara ~tory aboutthat you think, ’Next time it could be me,’ "he said. "Now, the law is clear, and we’ve got a pretty conservative but fair state organ~.- zation-theHumanRights Commission-thatconsctentiously does its job." The law will have a significant impact among public school teachers and state employees, be said. "It’s never been real clear in the past whether you were safe in your teacher tenure or state employee ¯ status if you were Gay or Lesbian," he said. "Now they can rest easy because it’s very plain in the law. A lot of worry hanging over people will lessen. I suspect that will be the biggest effect." Gov. Jeanne Shaheen signed the bill in June. Earlier attempts to include Gays in the civil rights law failed due to pressure from then-Gov. Steve Merrill, who said it wasn’t needed, and the Catholic Church. This lime, the Roman Catholic Diocese ofManchester helped shape the language, which includes a statement that "New Hampshire does not intend to ¯ promote or endorse any sexual lifestyle other than the ¯ traditional mamage-based family." Once the church ¯ endorsed the bill, "that started the ball rolling down ¯ hill at a pretty good clip," said Rep. Bill McCann, the ; bill;s main sponsor. ¯ .He said Bishop Leo O’Neil, who died last month, ¯¯ was concerned about the bill’s effect on schoolchildren. McCann, a Democrat from Dover, said he was ¯ abletopersuadeO’Neil that school boards wouldstill ¯ be able to discipline teachers who act inappropriately ¯ regardless of their sexual orientation. "ff you have a ¯ heterosexual teacher who is openly carrying on with ¯ two or three different people, that’s something a ¯ school board would look at. The same is true of Gay ¯ people," McCann said. ¯ Opponents say the law sanctions sin and asks ¯ people to embrace homosexuality as socially accept- ; able. "I don’t believe in adding a new classification ¯ outside of the realm of things you have no control ; over," said Rep.. Gary Daniels, R-Milford. "In cases ¯ of race, color or creed, you don’t have control over ¯ that, and those are constitutional. It wasn’t right inmy : mind to raise sexual orientation to a constitutional : level," : New Hampshire is among 11 states that have en- ¯ Acted similar laws. Maine voters will decide on Feb. : 10 whether to keep their civil fights law for Gay ¯ citizens. The law was enacted in June and signed by ~ the governor, but opponents collected signatures to ¯ force the referendum. i Canadian ProvinceAdds Civil Rights Protections : ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland (AP)- The legislature in the eastern province of Newfoundlandhas voted to ¯ include sexual orientation in its human rights code. ¯ The vote leaves Alberta and Prince Edward Island as : the only Canadian provinces that don’t extend protec- ¯ tion to Gays and Lesbians. i .The Newfoundland human rights code will now : prohibit discrimination against Gays in areas such as employment, housing and access to establishments ¯ and. services. Some pension plans are excluded from : the amendment in accordance with the federal In- . come Tax Act, which defines aspouse as someone of ¯ the opposite sex. NewfoundlandPremier BrianTobin ¯ had promised to amend the human rights code when ¯ he was elected in February 1996. i Salt Lake City Adds ¯ Employment Protections ¯ SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The City Council has : voted 5-2 to approve an ordinance protecting Gay city employees from discrimination. Oneopponent, Coun¯ cilman Bryce Jolley, said the law will be repealed in January by’the new council. "If you choose to pass this, it will be for two weeks only," he said Tuesday. ’q’his vote will be symbolic. This ordinance will be ¯ Co"Uficil inembers’ Tom Godfrey, Mary Mark~ Lee ¯ Martinez, JoanneMilner and Deeda Seed voted for ¯ thenewlaw. Jolley~andCotthcilmanKeithChfist’elsen opposed the 0rdjnancei:~ottfrey, M~rk andlM~nez ¯ are lame ’ ducks. They ~vill be. repiaced by carl~ton ¯ Christensea, Tom Roganand Roger Thomps0"~; ¯ CarltonChristensen saidhewould support Jolley’s efforts to repeal the ordinance. Rogan supports the ¯ new law. Thompson would not say what he thinks ¯ abo~t the issue. ¯ Salt lake City is the first Utah municipality to ¯ adopt such an ordinance. Salt Lake County and the : University of Utah have similar policies. Many busi- ¯ nesses have similar protections. W~ayyour constant love be tt~ us, Lord as weput our hqOe tnyou2- Ps. 33:21 nited ln.God’s Love ~ 10ve with us each Sunday at 10:45 am. Children Are Always Welcome! Metr Folitan Community 1623 N. Naplewo~l Gremer Tulsa / Christopher Spradling Attorney at Law General practice, including wills, estate planning & domestic partnerships 616 S, Main St, Office (918) 582-7748 Suite 308 Pager (918) 690-0644 Tulsa, OK 74119 Fax (918) 582-2444 who will the person is still paying too;.mu~h for life insurance, please call Ken Balch &Asso¢ia%es 918-747-9506 Rev. Sherry Hilliard Interim Pastor Sunday Choir practice, 4pm Worship, 5pm Wednesday Midweek Service,6:30pm Thursday Codependency Support Group, 7:30pm 5451-ES. Min~o, 622-1441 JACOXANIMAI CLINIC Family’s Pet Physicmn - DR. MALCOLM JACOX M - F 7:30 - 7, Sat 9 -1 2732 East 15th Street Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104 tel: 712-2750, fax: 712-2760 Now Featuring Dog Grooming, Mon. - Fri. ADVANCED WIRELESS & PCS Mark Bizjack, Digital Cellular Service 747-1508 The V in the Pride Center Pride. Open at 4-6, Wednesdays Store 2-6, Saturday, ,Gifts ¯ Cards ¯ Pride Merchandise ¯ On the web at http://members.aol.com/T~saPridefindex.html Going Out of Business But We’re Not Gone Yet! Brookside Jewelry 4649 S. Peoria Corner of48th & Peoria 743-52721 9:30-5pm, M-F Country Club Barbering Custom Styling for Men & Women David Kauskey 3310 E 51st" 747-0236 Tues.-Fri. 8-5:30 Sat. 8-5pm Parish Church of St. Jerome An Inclusive Zlng~can Communtty Beginning November 30, 1997 Holy Eucharist - Sundays at 11:00AM 205 West K~g in Tulsa’s Historic Brady Heislats Th~ R~-v. Fath~~Holl"~,,~-~tth, Pastor TI~ Rev. Ddobie Statues, Desctm O18)~ Evangelical Anglican Church in America THE DOG HOUSE ON BROOKSIDE Bakery Treats Pet Supplies Salon, Bed & Breakfast 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 Two hours ofvitriolicpublic debatepreceded the council’s vote, More than 30 residents argued for andagainst thenew law~ Gay city residents pleaded with council members to approve the ordinance that protects city employees from job discrimination based on their race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, sexual orientation or disability. They say it’s a matter of fairness and equity. University of Utah Law School professor Terry Kogan said he is grateful the university has a similar nondiscrimination policy that protects him fromjob discrimination. "My life would be miserable if I hg.d hanging over my head the worry that my superiors could fire me based solely on my sexual orientation, something totally unrelated to my job performance," Kogan said. Employment attorney Erik Stringberg urged adoption of the taw and cited the case of two Utah Lesbians dismissed from their jobs when their sexual orientation was discovered. "Employees are repeatedly and regularly fh’ed from their jobs becauseofsexual orientation"," Stn’nqgbe’rghsai"id.s" proposed ordinance would not give any special rights to Gay employees. It would merely ensure that employees are given a fair chance and are not discriminated against based on something that has nothing to do with their job performance." Others at the meeting disagreed. Some claimed a parental right to know if Gay city employees might have contact with their children. Some argued the law was giving Gay city employees special protections not afforded other workers. A few attorneys contended the city ordinance was too vague. Some said the law could be extended to include all businesses in the city. Other speakers raised religious arguments against the ordinance. "Homosexuality is a perversion," said U. instructor Brian Fetzer. "It "always will be an abomination before God." i Ex-Scout Still Appealing ¯ HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) - Kicking James Dale ¯ out of the Boy Scouts because heis Gay violates the : state’s anti-discriminationlaw, attorneys saidinan ¯ appeal to reinstate the former assistant scoutmas- ¯ ter. "We want an end to this discriminatory policy," : attorney Evan Wolfson said of the Boy Scouts of ." America’s 80-year-old practice of barring homo- . sexuals. Wolfson argued Dale’s case beforea three- ¯ judge state Appellate Division panel of Superior : Courtjudges. Thejudges didnotimmediately rule. : Dale earned30 merit badges, seven achievement ¯ honors and other awards, and was an Eagle Scout ¯ during his 12 years as a Scout. He was expelled in : 1990 alter the Boy Scouts learnedhe was Gay from : a newspaper article. He sued the organization in a : 1992 and a Monmouth County judge ruled in the ¯ Scouts’ favor in 1995, calling homosexuality "a : serious moral wrong." ¯ Dale’s attorneys claim the Boy Scouts policy ¯ violates New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law, "- which was expanded in 1992 to prohibit most ¯ organizations from discriminating on the basis of : sexual, orientation. In his argument, Wolfson noted : that the Scouts’ commitment to being "morally ¯ straight"-never mentions sexual 0iientation. The ¯ Scouts, he says, stand for "teaching boys, team- . work, se!f-reliance, courage, torespect the rights of ¯ all people." . ." A national spokesmzn for thail~ Scouts says ¯ the organization’s stand on homosexuality is crucial to its mission. ’q’his is a ~0,~aional policy that’s ¯ the proposal in August the legislature intended to protect women and childrenfrom abuse and protect a traditional family unit. Philpot said he is open to .. the possibility of providing protection to homo- . sexual victims of domestic violence if Gays prove ¯ there is a problem. Gau l~.t~Hn|l~Q [~l~lt .P.~ : ve~simple,"~dGreggS~e~ds.¢,~eBoyS~uts "3 ~~’~ "~"~$~ : of ~efi~ have long mught’~’~ues held by ~ ¯ " . .- " ¯ , " ~ ........... s~fing f~es.. ~’A ~r~0~’.who.~en a es i " _ " - ¯ .nomos~x~ nzesty~e ~N~OR~T, Ky.-(Ap) - A CO~ ofApes : Values." ~g ~at says dom~fic viol~ orders may be Dfle, now 27 ~d worMng at ob~n~by one mem~r of a s~e-sex ~uple who " public relafiom fi~, w~ts to~reinsure. "~scrimination goes against everything I learnedinmy ; 1,2 years of Scouting," Dale said in..a press release ." issued by his attorneys. "I want the Boy Scouts of ¯ America to give back what I earned and allow me .- to continue to serve." Despite the national policy, ¯ the Boy Scouts’ San Francisco-area chapter last ; year adopted a more lenient "don’t ask, don’t tell" ¯ policy toward Gays. ¯ Ellen Honored byACLU ¯ BEVERLY HILLS,Calif. (AP)- Ellen DeGeneres ¯ never wanted to be a spokeswoman for Gay rights, ~ but that’s exactly what happened after she publicly disclosed her sexual orientation. "I just got to the ." place where I didn’t want to live my life feeling ¯ ashamed, and thankGodthat I don’t have to do that ." anymore," she said Sunday at a dinner where she ¯ was honoredbytheAmericanCivil Liberties Union of Southern California. : "From the beginning, I said that I didn’t want to .. become a spokesman for Gay rights. But here I ¯ am," she said. DeGeneres said her ABC sitcom ¯ "Ellen" serves an important function in trying to ." remove the stigma attached to Gays and Lesbians. ¯ "But there’s still a lot more to do," she said. ¯ ’q’here’s a warning label on my show sending a ¯ message that there is something wrong with me." ". DeGeneres has beenfighting withABC executives ¯ in an effort to.,~emove the parental guidance warn- " hlgs at the beginning of her show. : TheACLU gave her its Bill of Rights Award for : advancing" the cause of Gay rights 100-fold" by ¯ announcing her sexual orientation on the April 14 ¯ issue of Time magazine and later appeared on the : groundbreaking "Ellen" episode. The ACLU Bill ¯ of Rights Award commemorates the ratification of : the Bill of Rights in December 1791. Funds raised ¯ at the annual dinner support the ACLU’s legal ¯ battles, advocacy and public education programs. faces abuse from the other could inflame legislative debate on the topic. One state’ ~enator has already proposed a change in thelaw to prohibit the issuance of domestic violence orders to members of a same-sex couple. The appellate decision reversed a Fayette Circuit Court ruling, which had taken the position that the law applies only to a married couple or a heterosexual couple. Judge David Buckingham of Murray, who wrote the majority decision, said the statute applies to couples engaged in an intimate relationship and would not apply to roommates. ’q’he language of the statute is unambiguous, even though it is gender- neutral and does not specifically include or specifically exclude same-sex couples from its scope," Buckingham wrote. ’€I’he General Assembly has not given preferential treatment to samesex couples or homosexuals; rather it has provided for equal treatment under the law for same-sex or homosexual victims of domestic violence." .Judge Joseph Huddleston of Bowling Green joined Buckingham’s opinion. Judge Rick Johnson of Mayfield dissented. He said the legislature intendedto allow domestic violence orders forcouples that are composedof members of the opposite sex. The statute now allows "any family member or member ofan unmarried couple" to petition a court for a domestic violence order to refrain from any contact with the partner. It has generally been applied to nnmarried couples who live together, formerly lived together or havea child in common. It also covers spouses and some other relatives. According to the court case, John W. Ireland and Blake Allen Davis were homosexual males living together in an intimate relationship. Ireland sought a protective order, alleging he had been abused by Davis. Sen. Tim Philpot, R-Lexington, has proposed a revision that would add to the definition of an unmarried couple, limiting that category to people "of opposite sex." philpot said prior to a heating on Denver Needle Exchange Program DENVER (AP)-Hopingto slow Denver’ s growing number of HIV and A{DS cases, the City Council has approved a.controversial needle-exchange program that would allow drug users to trade used syringes for new ones. The exchange program, which was approved Monday on an 8-3 vote, cannot go into effectwithout the authorization ofthe state legislature. Lawmakerslast session killed a bill to ~nodify .Colorado’s drug paraphernalia lacy. Despite the uphill battle; progr,a,in proponent~ saidiris a.neces~ary step’to preventing spreaff of-HIV and AIDS: An. estimated 10.5percent of Denver’s AIDS cases in 1996 were attributed to intravenous drug use. ’Tnis is a public health issue," councilwoman Happy Hayes said. "The goal is tO decrease the spread of infectious and deadly diseases. I see no evidence that it will increase drug use." Councilman ~Ed,~Thomas, a former Denver police offi~ jofixed~ Susan Bames- Gelt andTed Hackworthas the dissenting voters. "We’re taking a giant lehp of faith with people invo{~ed in heroin and injection devices, T,homas stud. There s not absolute proof that a needle-exchange program ... is successful." Mayor Wellin~gt0ii Webb, who initially opposed the needle program, changed his position out of concern for the gro,,wing number of children infected with HIV throughtbeirmothers. UnderWebb’ s proposal, the city’s department of environmental health would register, inspect and monitor any needle-exchange program. Denver would join "75 other U.S. cities ,with such a program. Boulder has a personal needle-exch~ mge program in which individtmls receive dean needles for used ones, but it is not recognized by authorities and is generally .regarded as illegal. "It just doesn’t make sense," Denver police officer Kirk Miller said ofneedle-exchange programs. "Let’s do some outreach and education first before we give a drug user the equipment to commit a felony." Call For HIV Case Reporting by Name SEATTLE (AP) - The first U.S. decline in new AIDS eases is increasing support for a proposal that was once almost too controversial to discuss: identifying and monitonng everyone who tests positive for the virus that causes the disease. Such a shift, now gaining momentum at the state and federal level, would mark a turnaround in public health policy. In Washington state, public health officials now track only full-blown AIDS cases. Underthenew proposal, they would monitor, by name, everyone who tests positive forHIV, thehumanimmunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, and try to notify their sexual or needle-sharing partners that they have been exposed and may be infected. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking all states to consider the policy change. Now thatnew AIDS:drugs are keeping people with .HIV healthier longer, thereby leading to a atop in full-blownAIDS cases, such a change would enable authorities to get more HIV-positive people on the drugs sooner. "We need to keep our policies in line withthenew scientific evidence that early notification saves lives," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, director of the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. "Names reporting is the best way for us to keep track of the epidemic and to make sure individuals andinfected partners have this information," he said. The change would also mean that epidemiologists could for the first time enlist traditional .public-health strategies in the battle against AIDS. For years, the stigma of a disease that primarily infected gay men and injected-drug abusers was so great that officials, at the insistence of the gay community, relied on nontraditional methods such as anonymous testing and treatment. Thirty states already record the names of people who have tested positive for HIV. InWashington state, for example, reporting by name begins when the patient has clinically defined AIDS - an AIDS-related infection or other symptom, or an immune system weakened to below a certain level. Names reporting has long been used to helpcontain and combat other dangerous infectious diseases. The state monitors 54 such ailments including measles; tuberculosis, whooping cough, certain types of hepatitis and several sexually transmitted diseases, Now some health authorities say it’s time to add HIV to the list. They want the freedom to attack AIDS with the traditional tools of public health: routine testing of large segments of the population, names reporting of those who test HIV positive, and notification of people who may have been infected so that they can get tested for HIV and seek treatment if necessary. .The CDC considers names reporting of HIV the only accurate way to "track the front end of the epidemic," said Judith Billings, Washington state’s former top school offici’,d and a member of the President’s Advisory Council on HIVAIDS. Billings, who stepped down from her stat~ post after disclosing her own AIDS diagnosis last year, also leads a subcommittee of the Governor’s Advisory Council on HIV-AIDS. The group has held five public hearings on HIV names reporting and will report its findings to Gov. Gary Locke next month. Early intervention allows health authorities te stretch limited AIDS-prevention resources, Billings said. But, as a person with AIDS, she said she understands concerns that it could lead to discrimination in housing, employment and medical care. "There are plenty of people who went through 10, 12, 15 years of discrimination who are very concerned," Billings said. "And we all know too well that there are somepretty innovative (computer) hackers." Citing such concerns, the Seattle-based Northwest AIDS Foundation is opposing the proposed change in policy. "We think HIV surveillance is important, but we think there needs to be an alternative to a name-based system," said Steven Johnson, the foundation’s public policy director and a member of the governor’s advisory council. The alternative could be some sort of unique identifier or code numbers that enable officials to track the epidemic without raising patient fears of disclosure, Johnson sai& "The CDC hasn’t come down with a definitive position on what they want from the states," he said. "It’s unclear if the CDC will ask states to comply with the name-based system or let states do their own surveillance." The new push for names reporting fol- Free & Anonymous Finger Stick Method By &for, but not exclusive to the Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Communities. Mon. & Thurs., 7-9 pm, Daytime testing Mon-Thurs. by appt. H O P E HIV Outreach, Preve6tion&Educaiion part of Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights HIVPrevention Programs 834-TEST (8378), 3507 E. Admiral Place Cherry Street Psychotherapy Associates 1515 S. Lewis (918)-743-4117 ¯ Certified in EMDR Treatment ¯ Certified in Hypnotherapy ¯ Traditional Psychotherapy Leah Hunt, MSW * Our Fees Are Negotiable * Serving a Diverse Community Richard Reeder, MS Jeffrey A, Beal, MD Stephen Peake, MD Ted Campbell, LCSW Specialized in HIV Care Providing Comprehensive Primary Care Medicine and Psychotherapeutic Services we are currently enrolling participants in HIV/AIDS investigational drug trials. Call us and ask for Drug Study to see if you qualify. 2325 South Harvard, Suite 600, Tulsa 74114 Monday - Friday 9:30-4:30 pro, 743-1000 will the person who is still paying too much for health insurance please call Kent Balch & Associates 918-747-9506 What to get someone who already has everything: a gift certificate for a relaxing, therapeutic MASSAGE. SALON WESTCOPA Lincoln Plaza 1310 E. 15th, 583-1500 Medical Excellence And mpas. slonate, : i S.. nce 1926. ST. JOHN MEDICAL CENTER l]l t rcn ¢ar n rapms ---~-,-- T.W. Stewart, L.M.T., R.Hy., Sifu, Reiki Master -- 832-8105 -- Compassionate CJtotLsttc. a teattng 4 ,PHYSICAL INTEGRATION THERAPY ,CRYSTAL PATH REIKI ,REIKI THERAPY ,HYPNOTHERAPY ,REFLEXOLOGY ,POLARITY THERAPY ,TAI CHI QUAN LESSONS Pride Center Tai Chi Quan Classes Forming! Call if interested in joining this class. Gift Certificates available for all Services by Request¯ lows some rare good news in the AIDS epidemic. Combination-drug therapies - especially a new class of drugs known as i’pr.otease inhibitors"-have shownprom- 1se m many patients. In September, the CDC reported the first U.S. drop in new AIDS cases. In 1996, 56,730 Americans were diagnosed with AIDS, down 6 percent from the 60,620 new cases reported in 1995. At the same time, AIDS deaths declined 23 percent, from 50,140 to 38,780. The new anti-AIDS drugs are expensive and don’t work for everyone, but supporters of names reporting say .the latest developments are encouraging enough to warrant re-examining public policy. "We can?t tell you what proportion of people who have HIV infection are on effective drugs - or what proportion of those people are even in care systems - because we have no idea who they are," said Dr. BobWood, AIDS-control officer for the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health. ’qf you want to answer those very important questions, we need to have the data," he said. To Wood and others in the field, public health officials are negligent if they do anything less than seek out the disease and eradicate it. For them, that means notifying an HIV-positive person’s sexual partners, because "if you leave it to the person, it doesn’t happen," Wood said. HIV Warning For UK Soldiers : Sustiva, a trademark name of DuPont : Merck, is expected to be filed with the : Food and Drug Administration next year. : The access program allows companies ¯ to get the drug to patients in need who : have few other choices while it is being considered by the FDA. Once the drug is : licensed and marketed, the free access : program would end. In the program, : Sustiva must be used in combination with ¯ and initiated at the same time asat least one other marketed or investigational ¯ antiretroviral drug which the patient :has : not taken previously. Patients would only : be eligible if their, current ~regimen’ and ¯ drug cocktaiIs are not effective. ¯ Preliminary data indicates that Sustiva ¯. can significantly reduce viral loads and improve healthy cell counts when used : with other drugs, the company said. Pa- : tients andphysicians may call 1-800-998- : 6854 for more information on the pro- : gram. ! Chinese Hood : Bettor AIDSlnfo, ! BEIJING (AP) - Many doctors in China : need a crash course in treating AIDS, a : survey shows. It found that nearly 60 ¯ percent of doctors in eight Chinese cities : mistakenly believed that AIDS could be : transmitted by sharing bowls and chop- : sticks, the Beijing Youth Daily newspaperreportedWednesday. Thesurveyfound : that more than 70 percent of ordinary ¯" people held the same view. It also found : that one in three people surveyed and one ¯ in six doctors-mistakenly thought AIDS LONDON (AP) - Commanders at : conldbetransmittedthroughahandshake. Britain’s largest military base have ad- : The survey was conducted in Beijing, Shanghai-and-six..other..cities~by~tl~7~C~h~.~~ least two HIV-positive women had a se- nese Academy for Preventive Medicine, ties of sexual affairs with soldiers. The two women had been having sex with soldiers based at Catterick gamson in Yorkshire, 210 miles north of London, Col. Nell Donaldson said in a special order. The women "are believed to be liberal with their affections, particularly to soldiers, and are not averse to indulging in casual sex, often unprotected," Donaldson said in the statement issued Tuesday. The Sun tabloid newspaper said that more than 100 men had asked for AIDS tests after the announcement and speculated that the women may have been deliberately trying to infect soldiers. The Ministry of Defense did not say whether any of the soldiers tested had the HIV virus. Sustiva Drug Program Expands WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)-The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co. is making the drug Sustiva available to more HIV-infected patients. Under the broader Sustiva Expanded Access Program, patients who have had less than 400 CD4 cells per millimeter will qualify for free doses of the drug, which must be taken with other protease inhibitors. The old access program was designed for patients with less than 50 CD~ cells per millimeter - meaning the patient’s condition was much more severe, said Sandra Kingsberry, a spokeswoman for the company. DuPontMerck, ajoint venturebetween Merck &Co. and DuPont Co., expanded its access program one month ahead of schedule because of an increased supply of the drug. A new drug application for the newspaper reported. It did not give details about how the survey was conducted or any percen~ge of error. AIDS is spread through intravenous drug use, sexual contact, blood and breast milk.. China has 7,253 official cases of HIV infection, but experts say the real figure could be as high as 200,000. Fighting AIDS in Black Communities LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)-Two statewide groups are joining together in an effort to slow the rapidly increasing surge ofAIDS and HIV infection in Kentucky’s black communities. Representatives from the NAACPand the Kentucky Department of Public Health said at a news conference Friday that they’re planning a series of workshops, health fairs and other events around the state next year to provide information about AIDS and alert blacks to the growing threat. "If we don’t address this issue now, there will be no .tomorrow," said Anna Davis-Nail, representing the WIN (Women in the NAACP) Auxiliary of the Kentucky Conference of NAACP Branches. "We must take a stand to make a change in our own community." Davis-Nail said that, as a part of the plan, organizers want to create a core group of at least 150 blacks fromdifferent backgrounds who would spread the word aboutAIDS in black comm~lnities around the state. The group would consist of 50 young people, 25 ministers, 25 people with AIDS and 50 commtmity .leaders, she said. Blacks make up about 7 percent of Kentucky’s population, but they count for about 30 percent of new HIV infections in the state. by James Christjohn, TFN bon vivant Well ,jokers, chokers, and smokers, it’s timeforyet another wonder-columnfilled with wit, intelligence, and bad jokes aplenty. Before I forget: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Worth a trip to Dallas (from which environs I’ve just returned), Cirque De Soleil’s production of Quidam arrives there on Feb 11. If you have never seen orheard ofthis troupe from Canada, run to Blockbuster and rent their videos. The acro-aerobatits are incredible, the hunks amazingly beautiful, the womendivine, and the music (performed live at the shows, and available on CD at Best Buy) simply breathtaking. I’ve been a good boy, Santa, can I have next year’.s present just a tad early...? This troupe, particularly m the Salt~mabanco video, puts on a very homoerotic display of two women on trapeze and twomenin gymnastic feats that have to been seen to really be appreciated. The whole thing’s a circus of surreality. IfyoumissedTU’s production of Falsettos, you missed the best production I have seen since, arrivinginTulsa4years ago. The acting, singing, and choreography were as near to perfect as you can get and still be off-Broadway (-way off Broadway). The cast put on a professional show, and I was utterly absorbed into the action onstage. The cast had obviously workedhard on this show, and I know this is a show they’ve been wanting to do since 1995. Andsuch voices! Falsettos is difficult musically, and these folks made it look so easy! Falsettos tells the story of Marvin (Gabriel Washam) who, in the first act, has come out to and left his family - his exwife, Trina (Ashleigh Siegfried), their son Jason (Simon Plohocky), and also tells of relationship with his lover, Whizzer (Joel Sutliffe). The dynamics of all these relationships are For those who ~,ike their art visual, Philbrook Museum will be exhlbltln~ the -work of J,M.W. Turner, "the ~reatest of landscape palnter~" from London, February 8- Ap~l 1~. Thls exhibit ~ll be the sole world,de venue - imagine, here in little old Tulsd ~ More seriously, Turner is eonsldered the ~r~test British ~inter of the 19th e~nt~r~ ~n~ one of the monum~tal fi~ures of ~estern ~intln~. This ~ pleee exhibit draws on the holdln~s of three ~r~t Bdtlsh eolleetlons, the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Unlve~ity of London’s Courtauld Institute Gallery." The curator is Richard To--send of Philbr~k who ls also the author of the exhibit ~talo~ue that ~ll f~ture es~ys by To--send, and dlstln~ulshed Turner spedallsts. played out with help from Marvin’s psychiatrist, Mendel (Jonathan Scott Chin) who has a few-disorders of his own to explore. In short, Marvin wants it all - he wants to keep his relationship with his family and his lover. 1"hus is the scene set for some really hilarious and poignant songs, and of course, points about acceptance and what constitutes a family nowadays. The first act ends with Whizzer leaving Marvin, and Trina deciding that she, too, needs tofindherownwayinlife. Sheends up with the psychiatrist. The second act begins a couple of years later - it’s time for Jason’s Bar Mitzvah, and Trina and Marvin are having a terrible time planning it. They are at odds over everything. Jasonjust wants to disappear, and Mendel ends up trying .all of the psychology heknows tokeep ruffled feathers from flying. Or is it fur? Anyway, Whizzerappears onthe scene at Jason’s invitation just in time to provide some more complications. And, as such things do happen, Whizzer and Marvin rekindle the flames. This come just as the Lesbians next door, Doctor Charlotte (Elizabeth Haley) and her spouse, caterer Cordelia (Jeni Martin) arereading about a strange new disease affecting Gay men. Thus the scene is set for Whizzer’s future. He -has AIDs. As the Bar Mitzvah draws nigh, he weakens and becomes sickerand sicker. The day of the Bar Mitzvah, he is in hospital, and Jason, disgusted with the arguing adults around him,. decides to have the Bar Ivlitzvah in the hospital room so Whizzer can be there. The show was profoundly moving, and I was gratified to seemany members of the community in the audience - a large one, considering it was the final performance, and a matinee. Tom had seen the original off-Broadway production of Falsettoland (which comprised the second act of Falsettos) and proclaimed this TU production as good. I feel safe in saying there wasn’t a dry eye in the house - literally. The actors in this production were excellent- Gabriel Washamhadjust the right amount of neuroses and pathos in Marvin to keep the character real. Joel Sutliffe was absolutely perfect (and handsome) as Whizzer - again, not too bitchy, but enough edge to make the relationship between Whizzer and ¯ Marvinreal withoutbeing utterly depress- 2 ing. I received many an elbow jab to the ¯ ribs by Tom after his character made a ¯ bitchy remark - I don’t know why. ¯¯ Eleven year-old Simon Plohocky can- nothaveenoughgoodthings written about ¯ him. He displayed an amazing depth with ¯ Jason that is a hard thing to achieve, ¯ especially with very young actors. This is no fluff musical, and Jason is a pivotal ¯ character. The original Broadway cast of ¯ March of the Falsettos (the first act) lea- ¯ tured seeFalsettos,page 10 FEBRUARY 8 T PHILBROOK Your window on the world Tickets on sale now at Carson Attractions, 58t-2000 Kelly Kirby CPA, PC Certified Public Accountant a professional corporation Lesbians and Gay menface many special tax situations whether single or as couples. Start thinking about getting 1997 returns done. Call us to see how we can help. Electronicfiling is available forfaster refunds. 747-5466 4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135 VoiceMail Caller ID Free First Incoming Minute Message Alert/ Pager Oklahoma and Kansas Toll Free Detailed Billing Call Hold/ Call Waiting The Plaza 8112 S Lewis 298-2747 Promonade Mall 4107 SYale 663-5404 Woodland. Hills Mall 7021 S Memorial 252-5850 Corporate Sales 523-8600 Get more from life~ Call 918-742-1971 or Toll Free 1-8OO-559-1558 Tulsa & Nationwide Relocat~oa Real Estate Service~ JOHN RACAN-C~,C~, LICENSED REALTOR® ANOn. CtaNa~ONE-L~CEN4ED A~SI~TANT® with Riverside Redty. Inc.. Realtors a~- SUNDAYS Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815 Community of Hope (United Methodist), Service - 6pm, 1703 E. 2nd, 585-1800 Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation Service - 1 lain, 1703 E. 2nd, 749-0595 Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist Service - 1 lam, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314 Family of Faith Metropolitan Community Church Service, 5pro, 5451-E S. Mingo, 622-1441 House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Sunday School, 9:45am, Service - 10:45am, 3210e So. Norwood Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Tulsa Service, 10:45am, 1623 North Maplewood, Info: 838-i715 Parish Church-of St. Jerome (Evangelical Anglican Church in America) Mass - 1 lam, 205 _W. King (east of No. Denver), Info: 582-3088 University of Tulsa Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance Sundays at 6:30 pro, Meets at the Omterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780 ~" MONDAYS HIV Testing Clinic, Free & anonymous testing. No appointment required. Walk in testing: 7-8:30pm Results: 7-gpm, Info: 834-TEST (8378) HIV Rap Sessions at Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center 7:30pm, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815 PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays 2nd Mow’each mo. 6:30pm, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard Gay & Lesbian Book Discussion Group, Borders Bookstore 1st Mon/ea. mo., 7:30pm, 2740 E. 21st, 712-9955 Mixed Volleyball, on hold for winter, call 587-6557 for info. Monday Night Football, 8pm, Pride Center, Renfro Room, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft. a~. TUESDAYS HIV+ Support Group, HIV Resource Consortium 1:30 pm Shanti-Tulsa, Inc. HIV/AIDS Support Group, and Friends & Family HIV/AIDS~ Support Group - 7 pm, Locations, call: 749-7898 Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networking group, Info: 665-5174 PrimeTimers, mens group, 11/18, 7:30 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th Coming Out Support Group (TOHR/HOPE) Alternating Tuesdays, 6 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th, info: 743-4297 ~ WEDNESDAYS Bless The Lord At All Times Christian Center Prayer & Bible Study, 7:30 pm 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815 Family Of Faith MCC Praise/Prayer-6:30pm, 5451-E S. Mingo. 622-1441 House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Service - 7pm, 3210e So. Norwood Tulsa Native American Mens Support Group For more information, call 582-7225, John at ext. 218, or Tommy at ext. 208 TCC Gay & Lesbian Association of Students (GLAS), Call for info: 595-7632. Lambda A-A, 7 pm, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft. Ellen Watch Party, 8:30pm, Pride Center, Renfro Room, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft. g~" THURSDAYS HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education Anonymous HIV Testing, Testing: 7 - 8:30pm, Results: 7 - 9pm, Info: 834-8378 Oklahoma Rainbow Young Adult Network (O’RYAN) Support/social group for 18-24’s, call Red Rock Mental Health at 584-2325 Tulsa Family Chorale, Weekly practice - 9:30pm, Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th From Our Hearts to Our House, I lpm, 3rd Thurs/each mo. Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS, Info: 834-4194 ~" FRIDAYS SafeHaven, Young Adults Social Group, 1 st Fri/each mo. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th Community Coffee House, varying dates, 7 pro, Pride Center, Info: 743-4297 ~ SATURDAYS Narcotics Anonymous, 11 pm, Community of Hope,1703 E. 2nd, Intb: 585-1800 Lambda A-A, 6 pm, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd fl. ~" OTHER GROUPS T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222 Womens Supper Club, Call for info: 584:2978 OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization. Long and short rides. All tides start at Ziegler Park Recreation Center, 3903 W. 4th St. Members get access to the Club’s hot line for updates on rides. Info: POB 9165, Tulsa 74157 Ifyour orgamzation is not listed, please let us know. Call orfax 583-4615. IGTA member Call 341.68~6/ ~: .... .: intornational Tours more information. Damron Guides Magazines for All Interests Movie Sales & Rentals Adult Gifts and Sensual Novelties Leather Accessories & Lingerie Cards & Calendars by 10% Home of the 21st St. Social Board Open 24 hours a day i~Gay owned & operated 8i20 East 21 st 610-8510 (21st+Memorial acrossfrom Albertsons) Gay Owned, Operated & Rainbow Proud ~ " -! Gav Mecca of the Oz~ks- .... Beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas Eureka’s Old Jailhouse Historic Lodging in the Heart of Eureka Springs 50! 253-5332 15 Montgomery (comer of Mountain & Main) Outside Hot Tub 748.5304 THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART 9 What’s happening in the. community? What services are available? Looking for a Rainbow Sticker or Community Newspapers? Need a Coming Out Support Group? Need to get tested for HIV? Want to get involved -and help? Call 743-GAYS (743-4297) Your Community Center the Pride Center 1307 E. 38th at Peoria 2rid floor Lookfor the Rainbow Flag on the root by Jean-Pierre La Grandbouche TFN restaurant reviewer One of the best kept secrets of Tulsa’s beautiful people has been a quiet little bistro in a faux-Tudor strip center near Southern Hills Golf and Country Club. Yet, that bistro has been the Site of a lot of excitement in the local culinary world since they reopened in November after extensive redecorating and remodeling; .... - , - Cardigan s, An American Bistro, at 5800 South Lewis, now boasts a revised menu and a fresh, new look, while still retaining a clubby, comfortable feel. Diners who haven’t been to Cardigan’s in the past couple of months won’t recognize the place, which now features tall wainscotting in a deep, mahogany. color, surmounted with crisply painted walls in a soothing, basil green shade. Dramatic, large Italian and New York deco-era posters decorate the walls. The designers have been successful in updating the look, while still giving the rooms a cozy, lived-in feel that looks as if it has been there for years. Waiters wear solidblack wing-collar shirts with blue jeans and waist-to-floor white aprons, while busboys wear black polo-style shirts with their jeans. . .... During our"~¢~riV 9isW~~ Cardigan’ s for this review, we were somewhat disconcerted at the wait to be greeted at the door by anyone connected with the staff. However, once the maitre d’ materialized, we were warmly greeted and promptly escorted to a prime table. During tiffs dinner, we were privileged to be the guest of the doyen of Tulsa’s artistic musical community, who is a frequent diner at Cardigan’s, so our" reception was more probably a result of his patronage and renown than a usual reaction to dinner guests. The new menus are quite adventuresome. While making a more than adequate bow to the standard cliche foods of the typical Oklahoma-Texas popular eatery, the Cardigan concept includes its own flair with items like the cheeseburger with Gouda cheese and caramelized onions and the ten5ne incorporating fetaand cream cheeses with the ubiquitous sundried tomatoes. Items from the Mexican, Italian, and Chinese repertoire are included, plus a few things from Santa Fe, New Orleans, and the New York delicatessen, making categorization of this eclectic smorgasbord difficult. But, with such a broad variety, practically everyone can find at least Onefavorite item on themenu, and in all price ranges from pricey entrees to economical pizzas and sandwiches. Avariety of salads are available both as side salads and as main course salads, including a classic Caesar, hot dressed spinach, Greek, and Cobb, with prices from $2.25 to $6.50. French onion soup in a daily standard, and, on the night of our visit, the soup of the day was New gland style clam chowder (cup. $1.95, Cardlgan’s An American Bistro 5800 S. Lewis Amblanee: Dressy casual Prices: Expensive Payment: All major plastle accepted Non-smoking seetlon: Yes ............Alcohol: ,- Full bar and wine llst Rating: A llst ¯ bowl $2.95). Weopted for the clam chow- : der, and, while it was a tasty soup, it was ¯ rather more of a clam-flavored potato ¯ soup than a seafood chowder. While our waiter, rather ineptly, was ¯ uneducated as to the evening’s specials and their preparations, we, nonetheless, ¯ opted to order the chef’s fish of,the day, ¯ whichwas apecan~encrustedfiletofChilcan blue-nosed sea bass ($17.95). Sea,bass i~. a large, flak~, White fish, an66u~!~rge~ thick slab Was very"tiicely cookedthroughout, th6ughwe found the ground pecan crust to have an ever-so7s!ighfly scorched taste. The pecan-encrusting conceptis ago&tone, though, and would probably beperfectona thinnerpiece of fish. The one thing we didn’t like about the fiSh ~,~ ’the very sweet blueberry sauce that was ladled over th~ Serving-- we would .mUch. rather have preferred the sauce on the side. Our host chose the medallions of beef tenderloin ($14.50). Several-medallions were presented, cooked correctly to the requested degree of doneness, and were covered in a marsala sauce, which our companion termed, "ten5- bly ordinary." Both entrees were accompanied by mashed potatoes and a winter vegetable saute. 7~e did. notice that everything -~e elam chowder, the medallions, the mashed potatoes - were garnished the same way, with a rather unimaginative scattering of chopped parsley. After our waiter convinced us to try the lemon custard meringue pie ($3.25) for des- " sert, he later had to come back to report ¯ that the kitchen was out of lemon pie. We ¯ were not amused. In lieu of the pie, we ¯ decided upon the fresh vanilla bean flan ($3.50). Flan, of course, is h delicate egg ¯ custard, and in this case, we were very ¯ pleasandy surprised and interested to be ¯ served a thick, almost cheesy, custard that ¯ was quite good. ¯ Our dinner companion had the black Russian cake ($3.25). Wewere expecting ¯ something perhaps Kahlua-flavored, re- " calling the black Russian cocktail made : with vodka and Kahlua, a coffee liqueur. ¯ Instead, a several slices of afudgey choco- ¯ late tube cake with chocolate icing served on a bed of decorated whipped cream and ¯ cocoa arrived, and neither we nor the waiter (ourhero, who was moving quickly ¯ toward an e~ght percent tip) could explain ¯ why the cake bore the "black Russian" ¯ moniker. ¯ Now, whileweare being abit cridcal on ¯ the finer points of execution of our re- " view-night meal, wedon’t want to give an : overall negativeimpression ofCardigan’s. ¯ Yes, the kitchen could use abitmore flare ¯ in their saucings and presentations, but ." the basic food underneath is generally ¯ good and a fair value for themoney,when ¯ comparedto similar establishments in this : region. And, while our waiter was inex- : cusably inept and insuffieiendy ~rained, ¯ he was friendly and didn’t actually give : badservice, seeCardigan’s,page 12 Gays & Religion by Lamont Lindstrom I lived for a couple of years in a village on an isolated island in what today is the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. I was at one time the only American on this island until a Catholic priest arrived from the U.S. He had been assigned to a mission station about three miles walk away from mcoea,sffdmoew. TniffaslownagsPa~rreoBcokby. (Up until then, all priests serving the Catholic mission had been French-speaking l~res.) P~re Bob was hospitable and engaging; he was also vigilantly taken care of by a gaggle of Italian nuns, and he had laid in a fine supply ofwine and whiskey. P~re Bob was interested in island culture and language and he often joined localmenandboys whogathered at dark village clearings each evening to prepare and drink kava, the Pacific’s traditional drug substance. Kava ordinarily has light depressant, mood-levding effects, something like valium. It wasn’t long before teen-aged boys were whispering to me that P~re Bob, everyone zoned out on kava, would sometimes feel them up. The boys ~weren’.t upset about this; they just giggled at the p&e’s sexual eccentrictty. It came to me then that the connections between religion and sexuality a~e .long and twisted in human history. Whaf~v_er one believes about the supernatural, the problem in all religions is one of access and commlmication. Who controis the flow of messages back and forth between humans and the gods? Specialist mediators, operate in most religions as supernatural guides, as did Pdre Bob, in his own way, onmyisland. Many cultures presume Gays and Lesbians to bridge fundamental gender categories. Religious systems have often built, metaphorically, on this positional intermediacy of Gays and Lesbians. Homosexuals (however culturally conceived),who themselves are in between gender categories are effective religious mediators linking humans and the gods. Mohave Indian cross-dressers, for example, traditionally, often were powerful shaman; they cured sickness by contacting the world of the spirits. Crossdressers in India, the hijras, similarly possess powerful abilities to bless and to curse based on their dose links to the Mother Goddess. (Anyone interested in hijras, afew ofwhomare hermaphrodites and some of whom ritually emasculate themselves, mighthavealookatmyfriend Serena Nanda’s book Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras ofIndia (1990).) Anthropologist Weston La Barre once suggested that original human religion everywhere was shamanistic and therefore relatively egalitarian. Although people might turn to part-time specialist shamans to diagnose and cure disease and for other sorts of assistance with the supernatural, everyone had the capacity and the right to contact his or her own ancestors or other family spirits. With the development of agriculture, though, religion and social life in general became much more hierarchical. When the great religions - the religions of the book - : appeared in human history, they quickly ¯ acquired an official monopoly on spiri- : tual mediation. Priesthoods, notably, ¯ emerged and gained control of tallking to ¯ the gods. ¯ Organized priesthoods may have se- ¯ cured the function of mediating with spit- ¯ its but they have not escaped issues of : sexuality and religious function. The Ro- ¯ man Catholic Church, for example, particularly since the 12th century has symbolically remarked the powers of its priestly mediatorsthrough an elaboration of celibacy. But some of the same sorts of people whose intermediate sexuality once would have led them to take up the spiritual quests of the shaman nowadays become clergy within religton organizations that are hostile to homosexuality. Nonetheless, some of the best priests and pastors, at least in my experience, are Lesbian or Gay. In this, they maintain a wide-spread; cross-cultural tradition of great antiquity. My friend William now studies in a semanary in the eastern United States. He is a monk on his way to the priesthood. He loves men and, I should also tell you, he is super cute: I worry about William. Sometimes I suspect h’e has thrown himself into a celi~ ¯ bate church as a means to control a per- " sonal sexuality thatdiscomforts and vexes -" him. Marriage~t0~tbe chu~ehmean~ never having to go on a date. "This is dangerous ¯ overkill," I pleadwith him: "Can’t you ," become a priest after you are old and ¯ ugly?" But part of me knows he is realizing a ¯ primal humancultural pattern. Those who ¯ find themselves in between male and fe- : male also move easily between earth and ¯ heaven. William’s retreat to the monastery might be a loss to the Gay bars - that mundane world of the flesh - but it is a gain for the realm of the spirit. I am glad that the messenger .who helps carry my prayers up to the .gods is so beautiful. Lamont Linstrom teaches anthropology at the Uttiversity of Tulsa. I worry about . William. Sometimes I snspect he has thrown himself into a eellbate ehnreh as a means to control a personal sexuality that dlseomforts and vexes him. Marriage to the church means never having to "go on a date. However, at Cardigan’s prices,~we have to demand at least better training of the wait staff. The place is fun, though. And, a broad rangeofgenerations patronize Cardigan’ s for dinner, possibly skewed a bit toward the more mature parties, though that may be more a factor of economics and neighborhood. A whole other crowd frequents the bar, where watching televised sports and smoking cigars seems to be a highlight. Cardigan’s bears careful watching. Already, a very popular and most adequate place to eat, with just a little effort and polish, they could become one of the top dinner destinations in Tulsa. Will they make it? We hope so. Editor’s note: sometimes tart, other times saucy, M. LaGrandboucheprovides Tulsa with its most honest restaurant reviews. Ergo, his column has attracted a following among Tulsa ’finest chefs. St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant & Club Featuring . Steaks, Seafood, Chicken, Pasta, Soups,~ Espresso, and Chalkboard Speciaties Monday- Thursday 11am- 10pm. Friday- Saturday llarn- 11pm 3324-L East 31st Northeast side of Ranch Acres 745-9998 Established 1960 I Saint Aidan’s 4045 NO. Cincinnati, 425-7882 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You Puppy Pause II Allanna Davenport Professional All ’~ Breed Grooming 1060-N South Mingo Tulsa 74128 ~, 838-7626 See the Eyewear "Stars Celebrities" WeQr Oliver Peoples, Gaultier, Mikli, Matsuda, etc. Cool, Unique & Exclusive Eyewear Found Nowhere Else ~n Eastern Oklahoma VISIONS 6837 S. MEMORIAL 254-1611 CHARITY TRADE-IN $75 ,,o ] Trade in your old glasses & we will donate them to the needy, plus give you [ $75 off the purchase of a new pair (Must include 2 yr. Warranty Anti- Reflective High Index Vision Lens & L Frame). Restrictions apply. .~1 r!7_,117_2 Tulsa’s only professional bodypiercing Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist 11 amSunday Service 1314 N. Greenwood 587-1314 Timothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planning, Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742.9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening, appointmenls are available. Record b to Ads documents more than 2,500 reported incidents in 19%, representing a 6 percent increase over the previous year - while overall instances of violent crime are on the decline. Yet - unlike bias crimes based on religi. on, race, color and national origin-hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender and disability are not against federal law. Therefore, until the HCPA is enacted, they cannot be.investigated and prosecuted by th~ Justice Depat:lm~nt the way other hate crimes are currently combated. When Americans are assaulted merely because of their orientation, gender or disability, the law should be as tough on their assailants as it currently is tough on criminals who attack based on racial or religious bias. The HCPA has the support of President Clinton, the Department of Justice and a bipartisan group of lead sponsors in Congress - but it needs your support ff it is to become the law of the land. Act Now Urge your U.S. senators and representative to cosponsor the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which would include hate crimes based on sexual orientation, gender and disability among the bias crimes that the federal government can investigate and prosecute. Explain that when Americans are targeted for hate violence becauseoftheiractual orperceived sexual orientation, gender or disability, they should be included in the basic protection of existing federal laws that are tough on ; Clergy Candidate Gaining Tolerance ¯¯ KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -When gay divinity school student Thomas Brown ¯ was ordained a deacon during a ceremony ¯ last June, two Episcopal priests rose to ¯ object. But Brown was undaunted. The ¯ 27-year-old recently graduated from di- ¯ vinity school and plans to return to Epis- ¯ copal Church of Christ the King in Janu- : ary to be ordained asa priest. ¯ Brown, formerly of Kalamazoo, says ¯ people in his hometown parish have been : les~ openly critical of hima~ tim~ has : passed.BrOwnnowlivesinCalifomiabut ¯ frequently returns to the Kalamazoo area. ¯ "Of course, in the wake of my ordina- ¯ tion, people knew who I was. If they ¯ didn’t already know me, they were able to ¯ figure out, ’That is the homosexual’," ¯ Brown told the Kalamazoo Gazette in a ¯ recent story. ¯ "But I was touched by how welcoming ¯ many people were.... I think that’s a ¯ tribute to the Episcopal Church in West- " ern Michigan and Bishop Edward Lee for " helping us maintain that type of unity." ¯ AfterBrownis ordainedapriest, he will ¯ be eligible to lead a parish of his own. ¯ Rightnow,heis the directorofalumni and ¯ church relations at the Church Divinity ¯ ¯ Sehool of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif., and a part-rime clergy associate at the : Church of St. John the Evangelist in San : Francisco. ¯ "I feel called to my work at the semi- " nary and my work at St. John the Evange- ¯ list," Brown said. "I aspire to serve a : parish full-time in the next one to two hate crimes. Refer to the HCPA by its full ." years." name -and bill m bet" S 1529 in the " Still, there are some in the church who In Tulsa, call Steve Largent, Don NicHes and Jim Inhofe. Even better would be a letter faxed up.to DC. US Representative Steve Largent v: 749-0014, f: 749-0781, DC v:202-225-2211, DCf: 202-225-9178 The local office just refersyou up to DC for any real discussion. Amy is the staffer for this issue. She said a letter would be even better than just the call. Senator Don Nickles v: 581-7651, (the local office can transfer youup to DC withno long distance cost to you), f: 581-7195, DC f: 202-224-6008 Staff contact: Ryan Leonard Senator Jim Inhofe, v: 748-5111 Call Congress through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Ifyouare not sure who your senators and representative are, just ask the switchboard operator. You can:also send electronic messages to Congress through HRC’s Website at http://www.hrc.org. Write to Congress through the U.S. mail as well. Include your name and address, and s~nd your politely worded letter to: The Honorable U:S. Senate Washington, DC 20510 The Honorable U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Human Rights Campaign i~ the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members all over the United States. Tojoin, call 800-777-4723. ¯ Raymond Bierlin, one of two priests who ¯ stood to object When Brown became a : deacon in June, said he plans toaitend ¯" Brown’s ordination into the priesthood. ¯ ’q~ere will be an objection to his ordina- ¯ tion," Bierlin said. : Brown said he feels people like Bierlin : are the exception. "I feel like I have been ¯ received really well," he said. ¯ Brown grew up in the Upper Peninsula and graduated from Western Michigan ." University in 1992. After his graduation, ¯ he worked in the Kalamazoo area for two ," years as a teacher atPlainwell High School ." and as an educator and trainer for Planned : Parenthood of South Central Michigan. ¯ The Episcopal Church of Christ the ¯ King sponsored Brown when he entered the Church Divinity School of the Pacific ¯ in 1994. : Dist. 4 City Council ¯ Race Update : TULSA- CandidateforTulsaCityCoun- ¯ cil District4and Tulsa Family News publisher, Tom Neal, has announced the for- .’ marion of a campaign organization. ¯ Peter W. Athens has agreed to serve as ,,: campaign treasurer, and a campaign ac- ¯ count has been.0pened. A number of do- : nationshave~been received from b0C,h ¯ Lesbian and Gay supporters and non-Gay ¯ ones as well. Individuals who Wish to ¯ contribute may send any donations to ! Friends of Tom’Neal, attn~ PeterW. Atli~ ." ens, POB 4140, Tulsa, OK74159. To get ¯ involved in the campaign, call 583-4615. ¯ Two other Democratic candidates have : declared their intention to run at press ¯ time. Dennis Dowell, a Native American ¯ and neighborhood activist, and Gary ¯ Boyle, an attorney with the Williams Cos. 1; lllllll II I I i 1!11 It lilR In,about half the states, including New Jersey, each individual in aGay or unmarried relationship could adopt a child, but the "second-parent" adoption required an additional petition, taking more time and money. Florida and New Hampshire bar adoptions by Gay and Lesbians. The rest allow individual adoption by Gays and have not been tested for second-parent adoptions by a Gay partner, said Micha,el .A~S~ a.,~:.t~.f att0i-h~y with the ACLU s _ Lesbi~/afid.Ga~)iRiglitS Project; ":Ui~der’the setflem~n(~New J~sey must scrap its policy barring joint adoption of its wards by Gay or unmarried couples. "The settlementguarantees that all couples seeking adoptions will be judged only by their ability to love and support a child," said Lenora M. Lapidus, legal director of the state ACLU. The .state may deny consent only by appl)iing the same standards it applies to married couples, including "consideratlons such as the stability of the prospective adoptive couple’s relationship," the settlement Said. In addition, it allows any Gay or unmarried couple who believe they are denied joint adoption based on marital status or sexual orientation to ask a state judge to enforce the decree and award them legal tees. ActiViSfssaid the settlement will put more f0hter children in permanent homes. Wendi Patella, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Youth and Family Services,. said.the agency now has custody of. about 100 ~htldren who are eligible for adopt&on. In_1996, 687 children in the agency’~ care were adopted, she said. The agencY.said there are currently 15 unmarried couples seeking to adopt children in state custody.. Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Franei’~co.;estimated there are 8 million to 13 millionchildren being raised by Gay or Lesbian parents in the United States. "ecclesiastical immunity" under the First Amer~dment of the U.S. Constitution. Accorcling to testimony,Ms. Morrison’s husband, Steve Martens, went to talk with Bass _about sexual problems within the marriage..Bass reportedly quizzed Martens about whether his wife was a Lesbian. Martens, who was also a licensed minister, went back to Bass to ask for permissitn from the Church to get a divorce- because he thought his wife was having an affair with another woman, according to testimony. B~s reportedly told Martens that he had t6 get proof about the affair before a divorce could be sanctioned by the church. Otherwise, Martens’ minister’s license could be in jeopardy. Martens hired a private detective to tap phones and use video surveillance and later confronted his wife, who reportedly confessed to a Lesbian affair. But on the witness stand, Ms. Morrison said she has never confessed to a Lesbian affair. Both women have said they are only platonic friends and that they believe homosexuality is wrong. A number of defendants, including Martens and other church members who spread the allegations, settled out of court before the case went to trial. to each other xn,a religions ceremony, even though Shahar, who later got work as alawyer for the city of Atlanta, says she knew the ceremony carried no legal significance. Her lawsuit said Bowers violated her constitutional rights of association and equal protection. Bowers’ name already is attached to the Supreme Court’s most important Gayrights ruling, a 1986 decision called Bowers vs. Hardwick in which he successfully defended Georgia’s anti-sodomy law. Consenting adults have no constitutional right to engage in homosexual conduct, the nation’s highest court ruled by a 5-4 vote then. Bowers, who this year resigned to pursue the Republican nomination for governor in 1998, has since had to admit he was involved in an extramarital affair that lasted more than a decade. Adultery, like sodomy, is a crime in Georgia. Asked if he had been hypocritical in Shahar’s case, Bowers said, "In a moral sense, yes. But legally, I do not believe there was any choice with the Shahar case but to do that. Did that make me a moral hypocrite? Yes." Nevertheless, Bowers’ decision to withdraw Shahar’s job offer has been upheld in court. A federal trial judge ruled that Shahar’s rdationship with herparmer was a "constitutionally protected intimate association" but concluded that Bowers had not acted unlawfully. The entire 1 lth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed last May, voting 8-4 that Bowers had not violatedany of Shahar’s rights. The appeals court judged Bowers’ action after assuming - only for the sake of argument - that Sl~iflaar had some constitutional right to be intimately assooated with another woman. The appeals court went:on to say, however, it was reasOfiable tobelieve that Lesbians who .............................. in illegal homosexual rdations. Its decision added: "We cannot say that Georgia’ s attorney general is dearly wrong to worry that reasonable people - inside and outside,,~,e Law Department - in Georgia could think along these same lines." Suchassumptions, the appeals court said, could affect public confidence in the attomey general’s office. But three dissenting judges said that should not matter. "It is important to note that catering to private prejudice is not a legitimate governmentinterest," they said. In her Supreme Court appeal, Shahar’s lawyers contendthat Bowers’ action "rests on irrational prejudice toward Gay people." But Georgia’s lawyers say his action was based on Shahar’s "holding herself out as married to another woman, and was not precipitated by some generalized animus against homosexuals." If the Supreme. Court agrees to study Shahar’s appeal, it will decide who’s fight. .FUSO - Friends in Unity Social Organization, Inc. FUSO is a community based organization not-for-profit 501 (c)3 agency providing services to African- American males + females who are infected with HIV/AIDS in the Tulsa community. FUSO also hel~s individuals find other agencies that provide HIV/AIDS services. 582-0438 POB 8542, Tulsa, OK 74101 but he has been the one to take the heat for coming out and breaking the silence. Yes, he is scheduled to appear. Tix available at Carson Attractions locations and you can charge by phone at 584-2000, or online at: WWVC.CARSONTIX.COM. And should we all organize (giggle) a group (guffaw) of 20 or more, discounts are available at 254-1069. Of course, I’ve watched people try to organize a ~,oupof 5 people with little success, so that s wh~: the notion provokes some amusement. And if you’re in the mood for some jazz, Manhattan Transfer will be with the TulsaPhilharmonic at the PAC, January 9 & 10. For tix, call 747-7445. For those who like their art visual, The Philbrook Museum will be exhibiting the work ofJ.M.W. Turner, "the greatest of landscape painters" with watercolors From LondonMuseums February 8- April 12. This exhibit will be the sole wordwide venue - imagine, here in little old Tulsa! More seriously, Turner xs considered the greatest British painter of the 19th century, and one of the monumental figures of Western painting. This 42 piece exhibit draws on the holdings of three great British collections, the Tate Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Umversity of London’s Courtauld Institute Gallery. The curator is Richard Townsend of Philbrook who is also the author of the exhibit catalogue that will feature essays by Townsend, and distinguished Turner specialists. This exhibit is the kick-off event of Philbrook’s Year of Europe to be followed by exhibits from the National Mu- ~" scum of Art of Romania and the Hillwood Museum. This extravaganza is subsidized by generous contributions from Tulsa corporations, family foundations and individuals. Tulsa Family News is proud to be one of The Year of Europe mediapartners, along with KJRH, Oasis 92.1, The Oklahoma Eagle, NPR@89.5, KMOD, Oklahoma Family and others. A Thomas Moran exhibition will also beheld February 8 - May 10 at Gilcrease Museum. Moran was highly influenced by J.M.W. Turner, and this exhibit is the first retrospecfiye of the late 19th century artist. The National Gallery organized the exhibit with assistance from Gilcrease Museum which has the largest single collection ofMoran works, some 2500pieces. Moran, British born but raised in Philadelphia became perhaps best known for his paintings of Yellowstone. It was his sketches which helped influence members of Congress to enact legislation making Yellowstone the first national park. Heller Theatre presents Jitterbug Waltz, a fihn-noire style play about a nightclub owner and her relationship with her father, rnnnmg Jan 22-31. Call 746- 5065 for info. And if you’re in the mood for improvisational comedy, attend Laughing MatterImprovat HellerJanuary9. Viva Flamenco! dances its way into the PAC Jan 17. 596-7111. Well, folks, it looks like that is what the new year’s first month is offering up for fun. If anyone knows of events that need to be noted here, please let me know by faxing or calling 583-4615. Have a safe New Year’s celebration and a great year! How To Do It: First 30 words are $10. Each additional word is 25 cents. You may bring additional attention to your ad: Bold Headline - $1 Ad in capital letters - $1 Ad in bold capital letters - $2 Ad in box - $2 Ad reversed - $3 Tear sheet mailed - $2 Blind Post Office Box - $5 Please type or print your ad Count the no. of words. (A word is a group of letters or numbers separated by a space.) Send your ad & payment to POB 4140, Tulsa. OK 74159 with your name, address, tel. numbers (for us only). Ads will run in the next issue after received. TFN reserves the right to edit or refuse any ad. No refunds. Tulsa Based, Nationwide Company Needs: Associate Programmer Programmer Programmer/Analyst - Five years experience preferred All positions require Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science Send resumes to: Post Office Box 1531 Broken Arrow, OK 74013-1531 Looking for Life Mate Tulsa GWIVI Christian, 40, Br/Hzl, 5’-3", 2001bs., Stocky. Fun Loving, Outgoing, Sensitive, Passionate, Versitile, Like Country Living, Seeking GWM 30-50 for Life Mate. Write to: Rt.8, Box 796, Tulsa, OK 74126 Sister Pairs Needed for Study of Adult Sisters University.professor is looking for volunteers to complete a survey about how thive lives of adult sisters are similar or different. Contact: E. Rothblum, Box 252, John Dewey Hall, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, 802-656-4156. Wanted: Gay Men Who Can Open Their Mouths Wide - and make beautiful music! Gay Mens Chorus forming with regular rehearsal schedule beginning soon. Call 585-8595 for more information. Cat Graphics Prod, Friendly, personal service Wecustom design, print, from your design and for musicians, we follow through with a P.R./booking service! We print stationary, bumper stickers, j-cards, business cards, flyers, etc. Our rates range from $1 to $5 per individual item. We will also barter, but only if preapproved! Call 627-5301, ask for Marylyn or Morrigana. Call The 900 number to respond to a~ls. browse unlisted ads. or retrieve messages. Only $1.99 per minute~ 1 8+. Customer Service: 41 5~281-31 83 I love hooking up with dark complected, Black a,n,d Hispanic men, with hairy bodies. I m a good looking, very well built, White male, in my mid 30’s, 6’1, 1951bs, with short, dark, Red hair, Green eyes, and a smooth, sculpted body. (Broken Arrow) ~9692 THINK PLAY I like all kinds of word play and want to meet guys, 18,to 45, who have some creative ideas. I m a go~,, looking, 30 year old, White male, 5 9, . 1501bs. I’m well built and prefer the same. (Fort Smith) ~8308 NORMAL, COUNTRY BOY I guess I’m a normal country boy at heart. Thi.s, attractive, well built, White male, 5 8, 160lbs, likes going to the gym, running, cooking, eatin,,g, fishing, and doing other outdoor stuff. I m waiting to meet someone to spend some special times with. (Ft. Gibson) ~!0384 TONED BUT TIMID Attractive, Gay, White male, 38, 5’9, 1721bs, with Brown hair, Hazel eyes, a mustache, goatee, and well defined body, is HIV positive but very healthy. I’m shy, sincere, and masculine. I d hke to meeta good look ng, Gay or B~ malel 20 to 45, who’s versatile, who has an above average intelligence, for c~sual fun..Body hair €~nd facia| hair are plusses. IFt. Smithl ~r8893 COMPLIMENT MY SPACE Athletic, 40 year old, Bi male, wants to meet other guys interested in making the scene. You must be masculine and mean. (Tulsa) ~9879 GO FOR iT Attractive, ill, White male, 34, 6’1, 1701bs, with Brown hair and Blue ~e~,S, seeks masculine, fit guys, in their 20 s and early 30’s, for hot times. (Tulsa) ~9687 THAT HERE’S HOW 1 ) To respond to these: ads & browse others Call: 1-900-786-4865 2) To record your FREE Tulsa Family Personal ad Call:, 1-800-546-MENN (We II print, it here) BLUE COLLAR ~B~SINESS This Gay, This smooth I’M IN THE MOOD I’m in the mood White male, 45, 5 10, 2201bs, with light, bodied, Gay, White male, 31,5’9, to have a good time. This nice looking, Brown hair and,Green eyes, seeks a blue 1451bs, with Red hair and Green eyes, 20 year old, White male, 5’9, 1451bs, collar type who s down to ea~, caring, seeks a masculine guy, who.has a hairy seeks friends to hang out with. A and enjoys sports and the outdoors. I want body. (Tulsa) ~7153 relationship is pos~ible after some to h,.ave a one on one relationship. I time. (Tulsa) =7257 don t drink or do drugs, but I do smoke cigarettes. (Henrietta) ~9661 BULLSEYE AIM I’m looking for F,E,ED ME TALK I’m easy to look at, friendship and fun with other guys in the area. Ifm a 33 year old, White 6 2, 1801bs, with light, Brown hair and Blue eyes. I’m open minded, into male, 5’10, 1651bs, with Brown hair, different scenes, and hungry for Blue eyes, and a mustache. I like conversation and companionship, listening to music, going out, playing darts, and bowling, among other (Inverness) ~7993 ~ things. (Tulsa) e7007 SHOW ME AROUND Brand, spanking new to the area. This Bi White SPEND THE DAY WITH ME I’m male, 24, would like to meet someone to an attractive, ,43 year old, White show me around. If you’re a Bi or Gay, male, 6’2, 2151bs. I’d like to meet a White male, 1B to 24, take me on o guy to spend time with. I’m into guided tour. Smoke and drug free, movies, ~oin~. out to dinner, running, please. (Port St. Lucie} ~4889 cycling, oowling, dancing, spending quiet times at home, and whatever ON THE UP AND UP Handsome, our imaginations can conceive of. Gay, Seminole Indian, 27, 5’6, 1301bs, (Tulsa) ~6538 seeks an honest, trustworthy person, 27 to 35/who shares my interests in CLOSET HANGER Young, Gay movies, music, and dancing, for male, 20, seeks long term friendship ead ng to a long term relationship with a straight acting relationship. I don’t smoke and am a year old, Gay, White male, 5’10, " man, 18 to 24. Like me, you are also social drinker. (Sti!lwell) "e9241 1551bs, into light music, blues, bike in the closet. I love music, quality time nd,n I m nm n with friends, watching movies, or TIMID IN TULSA This fr end y, butshy, " " g,p~" .g.te "s, hiki g,.and . , . ~ ..... Tu sa~ 36 5’10 iB01bs wonts to camping. I d like to meet anolher Gay, s~mp~y hanging €~ur ana nawng run. . . ~’7,’ ’ ’, ...., ...... White male,25 to 40 with s milar So, let’-s hang OUtrjn the Closet . . - NEW DUDE IN TOWN well built, ~8381 STRONG, SILENT TYPE My name is athletic, Black male, 28, 6’3, 169~bs, with BOOT STAMPER This. race, average Michael. I’m from Tulsa. I’m a man of ~bort, Black hair, Brown .eyes, and good guy, is looking for the rig,h,t person to few words, looking to meet single men. -looks, is new to town and seeks a have a relationship with. I m a White If you qualify, give me a call. (Tulsa) masculine, am’active, White male. 21 to male, 5’9, 2101bs, with Brown hair, "e5282 - 28, to hang out with. (Tulsa) ~10147 Brawn eyes, and average looks. I’d like to share romantic evenings, walks along TRANSGENERATION LIFE I’m a NOT A BEDHOPPER I’m not interested Riverside Drive, a,n,d going out for an Transgendered, Bisexual male. I’m in jumping in bed, right off the bat. I’dlike occasional drink. I m also interested in seeking a Gay or Bisexual, to start a friendship and see where things Transgender male, between the ages of bingo and country and western dancing. go. I’m an attractive, lithe guy, 5’4, (Tulsa) ~7833 25 to 35, for relationship or |351bs, with short, Brownhair, B ue eyes, friendship. (Tulsa) ~!471 and a nice tan. I’m into most sports, JUST LIKE A WOMAN Masculine, especially basketball, and working out at White male, 37, seeks a feminine guy, TULSA TRAINEE Very inexperienced, Ihe gym. (Tulsa) ~’9336 maybe ,,even a crossdresser, to be my White male, 5’9, 1601bs, with Blond " friend. I m especially interested in a hair and Blue eyes, seeks a Bi male, or MAKE IT FEEL GOOD I’m a Blond, Transsexual, pre-op or post-op. (Tulsa) a couple with a,Bi male, to show me hairy; tanned, good looking, White male, ’~’7568 how it’s done. I m most interested in 33, 6 1, 1801bs, with a goatee. I want deep conversation right now but may some good times on the phone or in " GYMNAST BUILD I’m a dancer and want to expand my horizons later. person. (T01sa) ~8674 ~ gymnast, so you can imagine what a (Tulsa) ~479S nice body I have. I’m a White male, 5’2, " This fun loving very outgoing and fun loving. I’m looking NEW IN TULSA This very White male, 5’8, 1451bs, with B ack hair for someone to get to knowfor a sex~, good looking, Italian male, new and Brown eyes, loves doing everything, possible relationship. (Tulsa) ~7401 tothe area, has heard that cowboys Call me and have a great night. (Tulsa) can be very hot. ~8380 PRETTY STRAIGHT This masculine, GOOD TIM~E, CHARLEY This fun loving, Straight male, 31, doesn’t have much (Tulsa) White male, 5 8, 1451bs, with Brown hair expenence with men but wants to reap ~4571 some of the benefits of the Gay lifestyle. and Blue eyes, seeks buddies to hang out with. I’m seeking friends and a Le~’s do some stuff. (Tulsa) ~7449 SMOOTH AND HAIRY Nice relationship. (Tulsa) ~7260 FRIENDLY ROUNDUP ~utgoing, looking, White male, 40, 6ft, with Blond hair, Blue eyes, and a smooth, TROPICAL ISLAND Very active, 30 friendly, White male, 35, 5 10, with muscular, swimmer’s build, seeks a ~ear old, White male, into the outdoors, Brown hair and eyes, seeks other nice hairy guy for good times, laughs, and, guys for friendship and fun. (Tulsa) hiking, biking, and sunbathing, seeks a I hope, a long term relationship. I distinguished-gentleman, 30 to 45, who ~4304 enjoy camping, swimming, dancing, has similar interests. I work for a major DOING TIME I’m looking for another cooking, playi-ng cards with friends, airline and would love to whisk you away Black man to spend time with and get to and a whole lot more. [Tulsa) on a ~opical trip. (Tulsa) ~7553 know. (Tulsa) ~7247 ~4309 BASEUNE OF THE BLUES I’m a 39 NO PRESSURE This feminine, Bi, White f~ale, 5’4,115ibm, wilb Brown hair and Blue morn. I like to go out, but I also enjoy staying i.n, watch’.rag a ~eo. I’m into Ihe ~uJdoo~. r ~’t smo~ b~ I hme a drink occasional,. (Saline) u9470 ~1115 I’m a Lesl~m wdler ~:md movies, ond have a k~ oF ~. (Tulsa) ~709S ~SI’AI~ OF~This vey. f~minine, ~mls Io hoak up wilh o~her Bi, or Bi curious (Tulso) ~7030 I!~~L,~ Y.o~ng., inde~enck~t, Black k~de, 21 ,lik~s Io wc~k and ~ove o good. time. I’d lil~ to get to know other wamyn in fne area. (Tu~) ~6289 G~I"a.~T.ogel~. wilh anolher roman is v/nat rm after. This Gay.., White ~a]e, 34, 5’6, wi~ C~ive skin, ~rk hair card Tulsa) e$14S To record your FREE Personal ad Call: 1-800-546-MENN (We’ll print it here) record, listen & respond to ads FREE! Simple and direct. Find the man you need by listening to hot ads. Tulsa 918-592-5959 Oklahoma City use access code.. 2105 www.confidentialconnection.com Just $2.49 per minute for certain optional features. 18+. Movo Media, Inc. do~s not prescreen callers and takes no responsibility for personal meetings. 800-825-1598 © 1997 Movo Media, Inc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1998] Tulsa Family News, January 1998; Volume 5, Issue 1 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource Tulsa Family News was a monthly newspaper; No. 1 issued December 1993-January 1994. The final issue available was published in September 0f 2001 (Volume 8, Issue 9). The newspaper brings up important, evolving topics of marriage, Pride, TOHR, HIV/AIDs, events, advice, and politics all at the local and national level. This document is available in searchable PDF attached. It is also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 1998 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Leanne Gross Barry Hensley Jean-Pierre Legranbouche Lamont Linstrom Kerry Lobel Judy McCormick Joch Whetsell The Associated Press Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, December 1997; Volume 4, Issue 12b Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/543 1998 Adam West adoption African Americans AIDS/HIV education AIDS/HIV reporting AIDS/HIV research American Civil Liberties Union anti-bias law arts and entertainment attorneys Barry Hensley Bars Bowers v. Shahar Boy Scouts businesses churches civil rights Dave Fleischer Do-It-Yourself Dyke Domestic Partner Benefits domestic violence Dyke Psyche employment discrimination employment protection Entertainment Notes Esther Rothblum gay clergy Gay Studies hate crimes Hate Crimes Prevention Act homophobia HOPE Human Rights Campaign James Christjohn Kristi Frisbie Lamont Lindstrom lawsuits Marc Goohs Mary Schepers National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Native Americans needle exchange Partner Benefits performing arts Read All About It religion restaurants Steve Largent Tom Neal Tulsa Family News Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Tulsa Two-Spirited Indian Men's Support Group https://history.okeq.org/files/original/7e4e3de336a4bbcf9382dafe22ffde84.jpg d8ca9e64f785eb8b997685cfeb9ac2ec https://history.okeq.org/files/original/ef5cfef0d3712cb5765afd9d1efee517.pdf c00e3b1e5e0f0613854186859c77a5c1 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Serving Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Communities - Our Families of the Heart February 15 - March 14, 1996, Volume 3, Issue 3 National News Clinton Slams HIV+ Military Discharges WASHINGTON - The Clinton administration has announced that it believes the HIV discharge provision in the $265 billion Defense Department’s 1996 authorization defense authorzafion bill is unconstitutional and has ordered the Justice Department not to defend the provision. That provision, written by arch-conservalave Rep. Bob Dornan, R-Calif., would discharge within sxx months, regardless see Clinton, page 3 Anti-Marriage Bills ExplodeAround US PIERRE, S.D.- Sparked by the likelihood that state courts in Hawaii will soon declare same-sex mamage legal there, a rapidly growing number of state legislatures throughout the country have started arush to outlaw gay and lesbian marriages from being recognized locally, even if they should be legal elsewhere in the U.S. Legislatures in at least 18 states: AL, AK, CA, CO, GA, HI, ID, IL, IA, MO, N19I; RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, WA, WI - had various versions of"gay miscegenation" proposals before thein at press tame. In Virginia, where same-sex marriages are already forbidden by state law, under pressure from Radical Right Gov. George F. Allen, the Virginia Housing DevelopmentAuthority has reversed a 1994 policy and now effectively prohibits mmaamed or gay and lesbian couples from getting see Marriage, page 3 Gay Morn Appeals Custody DecisiOn PENSACOLA, Fla. - Mary Ward has appealed an August ruling that ordered her 11-year-old daughter be given over to the custody of the child’s father, who was convicted of killing his first wife.The decision last year by state Circuit Court Judge JosephTarbuck stunnedmany when he ruled in favor of John Ward, the girl’s father, who served 9 years in prison for killing his first wife during an argument over custody of their daughter. In deciding against Mary Ward, Tarbuck ruled see Morn, page 3 Tennessee Sodomy Law Thrown Out KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ~ The Tennessee Court of Appeals has ruled unanimously that the state’s anti-gay sodomy statute is unconstitutional. In overturning the state law the court ruled that the right to privacy includes "the fight of the plaintiffs to engage in consensual, private, non-commercial sexual conduct" that were none of the state’s business because they involve "intimate questions of personal and family concern." State officials gave no immediate indication of whether they would appeal the ruling to the state supreme court or not, but most rights advocates expect an appeal. FUSO: Friends in Unity Social Organization Tulsa’s organization forAfrican-American Gay men ~s expanding its efforts to meet both social and health needs of their immediate community, and the larger one. Over the past year they’ve established a RAIN team, which has its first client, and which may be the only all African-Amencan team in Oklahoma. Its leadership also is working on the non-profit’s tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service so that they can actively seek grant funding to provide HIV education and care. Ultimately they would like to provide case management, peer education, information and referra! services, HIV testing and counseling, health and nutrition, and substance abuse counseling and a food bank in North Tulsa. Over this last year, FUSO has donated canned goods to Our House, made a gift to the victims of theOKCbombing They v e helped to represent Tulsa African-A~eri ¯ cans by sending representatives to Hoist ing the Bamwr. the state HIV AIDS con. ference in OKC addressing issnes of people of color and also participated in the statewide HIV/AIDS conference held last summer at the Doubletree Hotel, Warren Place. Its members marched in the "95 Tulsa AIDS Walk and the World AIDS Day March held at University of Tulsa. Derrick Davis, who is one of FUSO’s officers, has been nominated to be cochair of the Multi-Cultttral AIDS Coalition. FUSO also is participating in the planning of the Women and AIDS conference that will be tleld in April. Last Labor Day, FUSO held a successful Labor Day Weekend event with guests see FUSO, page 10 Vicious Pink, In the Red? OKC-owned Store Closes Vicious Pink, a Gay-oriented gift store owned by Anthony Klatt of Oklahoma City has closed after barely 6 months. The store located in Concessions at 3340 So. Peoria opened with ambitious plans and claims of being the largest such establishment in the state. Kirk Glines, one of the owners of Concessions, indicated that he and his partner Terry Kerns will reopen the shop themselves, possibly by March 1st. Klatt also opened a shop, Dusty Roads, in the Silver Star Saloon. Star owner, John Rothrock could not say whether Dusty Roads was still in business, noting that it was closed without explanation for a week recently and had not been dependably open. Tulsa Man Seeks Relief From Threats A 31-year 01d Tulsa man’s been driven from one home, has had to send his children away for their safety, has had other members of his family threatened and may have to flee his new apartment, all because he’s living with AIDS. Roscoe Pilant, who goes by the nickname, JR,just wants to be left alone to hve, and to work when he can. However, despite having swastikas and death threats marked on his door and threats to murder him left on his answering machine, Tulsa Police initially were hardly cooperative. And as a result of his complaint, investigation by legalaid attorneys have discovered that the Oklahoma S tate Bureau of Investigations might have been violating the OK hate crimes statute by not keeping statistics on hate crimes directed toward any disabled persons, including those living with AIDS. Pilant says his troubles began when he had to take a HIV related medical absence from work. After he returned, he feels that his employer, a national finn, fired him becauseof his HIV status. After the finn was contacted by Oklahoma Legal Aid attorney Darlene Shadid andwas informed that discrimination based on HIV’AIDS status is illegal under federal law, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), he returned to work. And then the harassment began. see Threats, page 2 Lesbian & Gay Domestic Violence Two police officers from Tulsa area police departments spoke to the members and guests of Tulsa Oklahomans for Hnman Rights (TOHR) about do~nestic violence issues, both within and out the LesbianGay con~nunities. Both officers who are 10 year plus veterans work pmnanly on domestic violence (hereafter abbreviated as DV). Each gave profoundly sobering statistics on the extent of DV. For example, they noted that 50% of US women ~vi!l be DV violence victims, that wom_en are at a 9 times higher risk of injury in their homes than they are on the street, and that every 15 seconds a women is beaten in her own home. The officers outlined some of the social psycholoNcal dynamics of DV noting the stages of the syndrome and gave details of legal opti’ons and other resources to help victims and to identify abusers. The officers who had dealt with Lesbian/ Gay DV issues bemoaned the lack of research in this area but noted that the causes are similar to those of DV for heterosexuals. They suggested that 30% of Lesbian/Gay relationships have some DV problems but they suspected that these cases tended to be underreported because the criminal justice system rmnains homophobic. They also stated that Lesbian relationships appear to be more physically violent than those of Gay or Bi men. Also, Gay men may not report DV when it happens because the general perception is that DV ouly happens to women and often the agencies that deal with DV are not well equipped to help men. Saks 5th Avenue to Show AIDS Quilt DKNY Fashion Fundraiser-2/29 Tulsa’s Saks Fifth Avenue will display 10 sections of The NAMES PROJECT AIDS Memorial Quilt on February 21 to March 1st. Saks Fifth Avenue is the first corporation to spensor a multi-site display with 45 Saks Fifth Avenue stores and 60ff5th’s outlet centers showing memorial panels that are geographically specific to the store’s site. Later this year, the panels displayed in Tulsa will join the nearly 32,000 panels now in the Quilt. The Columbus Day weekend (Oct. 12-13) display on the Capitol Mall in Washington, DC will be the first time in four years that the Quilt has b~en seen in its entirety as it has grown so large. All fifty US states are represented as well as 39 other countries. Panels made by Saks Fifth Avenue associates from across the US will be exhibited in New YorkCity in August before going to Washington. On February 29~ Saks Fifth Avenue, Tulsa will present a DKNY Fashion extravaganza, Give My Regards to Donna, to benefit the Hope Candlelight Tonr. A silent auction and fashion show, featuring local celebrities, will unveil DKNY’s spring collection and be Tulsa’ s exclusive launch of DKNYfor Men. A few models are Debbie Campbell, I.J. Gannam, Aleksandr Lunev, Beth Reng,’d, Kevin Steincross, Mike Jones and Sonya Colberg Nanc3 Renberg, Charles & Francie Faudree. Hope Candlelight Tour benefits St. Joseph Residence and RAIN, the Regional .-kIDS Interfaith Network INSIDE-] EDITORIAL P. 2 DIRECTORY P. 2 NEWS BRIEFS P. 4 HEALTH BRIEFS P. 6 CALENDAR P. 9 EUREKA PAGE P. 11 Music for Life John McCarthy and Beverly Stanley, chairing the Walk for Ltfe committee, have zumounced that a "Blues" Festival will kick off tiff s 3’ear’ s series of events for the fourth annual Walk for Life Campaign. Mark Snider, renowned Tulsa musician, has organized an outstanding evening of the "Blues" featuring local musicians. The event will be held at the Sunset Grill, 3410 South Peoria on Tuesday, March 12. The admission donation of $5 will include two raffle tickets for items donated by the Blue Rose Cafe, the Doubletree at Warren Place, and the Celebrity Club, to nmne a few. K-MOD Radio and Budweiser will join the Sunset Grill as hosts and Paine Webber and Roche Laboratories are patron sponsors. This event is the first of several plam~ed to raise funds for Tulsa area HIV/AIDS support agencies. Other events include an art show in June and ajazz festival in July, and the 4th Walkfor Life to be at Riverside Park on October 12. Proceeds from the 1995 Walk went to 12 Tulsa community HIV/AIDS related non-profit age~l~ies. 918.583. 1248 P(~. 4140 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74159-0140 TulsaNews@aol.com Publisher/Editor Issued on or before the 15th of each month, the entire contents Of Tom Neat this publication are protected by US copyright 1996 by Tulsa Family Assistant Editor News and mav not be reproduced either in whole or in part withot{t James Christjohn written permission from the publisher. Publication of a name or Writers/contributors photo does not indicate that person’s sexual orientation. Phyl Boler-Schmidt Correspondence is assumed to be for publication unless otherwise Barry Hensley noted¯ must be signed & becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family Pat Morehead News. All correspondence should be sent to the address above. Eaci~ Staff Photographer reader is entitled to one free copy of each edition at distribution JD Jamett points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248. Using Gays as the scapegoat for the demise of the family is; reprehensible nonsense.. Unfortunately,, in order, to get in good with.Pat Robertson’ s Christian Coalition, Republican presidential candidates are all too willing.to go along with the lie that Gay people are somehow, a.threat.to.thefamilv. Wqaoles~le divorce among heterosexuals doe; the real damage. With a 50% divorce rate. adultery, abused women, financial conditions that require both parents to leave children home alone, abandoned and abused children and so forth, it doesn"t take much effort to see that heterosexuals have succeeded quite well in crippling the family without any he!p:from Gays and Lesbians. -~- J.J. Stogsdill, Broken Arrow I recently had the distinct pleasure Of being one of the stops along District 6 City Councilor. Art Justiss" campaign tour. I felt like I shouldn’t be the ordy one who has the advantage of "knowing how Mr. Justiss feels about Gay rights in Tulsa before I cast nay vote in the up-coming elections for City Council. My partner and I asked Mr. Justiss about the status of the Human Rights Depar.~nent (Committee on Sexual Orientation Discrimination) Proposal to the City of Tulsa. Mr. Justiss said that he would never put such a thing on the City Council agenda and he felt :quite confident that no other councillor would either. When questioned about why he was too afraid to even consider a proposal from one of the city’s own commissxons. Mr. Justiss admitted that he didn’t want to "’take the heat.’" He told us that to put something like the current proposal on the agenda would be political suicide. Of course, he added that he wouldn’t discriminate on the basis of "’race, color or sexual preference," but he felt protections for Gays against discrirmnation had no place in city government. Mr. Justiss’ visit to our home was a reminder to him that .there are Lesbians alive and living in Tulsa, OK and a reminder to us that we can’t vote for a representative who will only entertain ~ssues and concerns that are popular. - Kharma R. Amos . Many of the threats were specific in saying that if he returned to work he would die. Pilant feels his privacy was deliberately compromised by co-workers who posted his unlisted number counter to his request. When Pilant first reported the phone messages and the graffiti on his door, Tulsa police did not even send out an officer. Calls to the Mayor’s Action hotline were also unhelpful. However, after intervention by community-activist Nancy McDonald, li~ing up to her appellation "Saint McDonald", Tulsa police were more responsive and took more thorough reports. Pilant also nbted that Claudette Peterson, director of Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights’ (TOHR) HIV Testing Clinic was helpful in getting him assistance as was former TOHR president, Kelly Kirby, through whose contact, KJRH, Ch. 2 became aware of Pilant’ s dilemma and reported on by Phvl Boler-Schmidt ,:~ .A t~ureka. Spri_ngs man i.s dead. A 17-year-old Who admitted to the "killing has not been charged. And, the whole event is shrouded in mystery. This is what we -know. The "killing o~curr~d at a ~popular local lake park where the young mau was helping his; ~andmotlXe~- cSaretake th~ i-esort for the Winter. It happened at night. The dead man, in his forties and -knownby his friends to be a closeted gay man. was shot at point blank range in the face with a shotgtm. The young man did not have the gun at his immediate disposal, but had to go to another room, locate the gun, find the shells, load the weapon, then return to the place where he shot and killed the victim. The young man has said that he awoke with a start to find the he was being sprayed with ejaculate as the older man was masturbating all over him. He says he killed the man in self-defense. There aren’t many Queers in these parts who are buying that story. The police have been silent. The ~oroner’s report is not due out of Little Rock for a few weeks. No arrest has been made, no charges filed. It is minored that the dead man was found completely nude though there is no official word on this. I have decided not to publish any names here so as not to interfere with what the police are calling an ongoing investigation. Since there have been no public statements made regarding the case, I am giving law enforcement authorities the benefit of the doubt that they will continue to investigate this case. and if the facts warrant it, an arrest will be made. The benefit of the doubt. For now. I’ve spoken with a number of Gays mad Lesbians about tiffs issue. No one is taking it lightly. There is some fear that, if the case is swept under the carpet, and the young man is not charged, it will send a signal that it is okay to kill Queers because no one will do anything at~out it. I remain hopeful though skeptical. The facts that we DO "know are alarming. Even if the young man’s story is true, how could it possibly be grounds for murder’? Semen in these circumstances is not a deadly weapon, certainly not enough justification for murder. Most assuredly not - if he was free enough to leave, mad chose to go to another room, find a shotgun, load it, and return to the scene. Justhow frightened for his life could the young man have been? see Murder, page 3 it. Attomey Darlene Shadid said she was told by sources in OSBI and the Tulsa DA’s office that a decision had been made, apparently informally at a seminar in the past couple of years, not to consider persons living with AIDS to be disabled, despite federal law on the matter. Later, Shadid determined that OSBI appeared not to be keeping any statistics on hate crimes based on any disability of any kind. In response toTFN, Tim Hams ofthe Tulsa District Attorney’s office indicated that their office would enforce the Oklahoma hate crime statute as it applied to disability and noted thatnew DALaFortune has participated in the Say No to Hate Coalition for some time. Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI), Dwade Langley said that they would keep statistics on hate crimes based on disability but that they were entirely dependent on the local law enforcement agencies to report the incidents to them. Meanwhile, JR Pilant hopes that he can return to a quiet life with his children and family sal’e from hate and intimidation. Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine 832-1269 *Barraccuda’s, 2405 E. Admiral 582-4340 *Concessions, 3340 S. Peoria 744-0896 *Ground Zero, 311 E. 7th 585-5622 *Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563 *Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan 834-4234 *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main 585-3405 *TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial 660-0856 *Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd 584-1308 Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals Derails C..Arnold, Realtor 746-4620 *Assoc. in Medical & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 ¯ Kent Balch & Associates, Health~& Life Insurance ~ :*Barnes & NobLeBooksellers,-8620 E. 71 747-9506 . ~ 250-6034 " Brookside Jewelry, 4649 So. Pec~ria . 743-5272 ¯ Creative Collection, 1521 E. 15 592-1521 ¯ Cherry St. Psychotherapy Assoc. i~)5S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 ¯ Tim Daniel, Attorney ~ ~ 352-9504, .800,742-9468 DAnnques, 1508E 15th 592-5356 i *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 ¯ Don CarltOn Mitsubishi, 4423 S. Memorial 665-6595 ~ *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 i Express Pools & Spas, 6310 S. Peoria 743-9994 ; Fidelity Home Health Care, Inc. Coweta 486-1174 ¯ Foxlinx, Computer Consultation 690-2974 Leanne M. Gross, Financial Plarming 744-0102 *Sandra J. Hill;MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1111 *Imaginations, Lincoln Plaza, 15th & Peoria 584-4606 *International Tours 341-6866 JD Images, Photo~aphy 621-5597 ; Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070 Kelly Kirby, CPA, POB 14011, 74159 747-5466 Loup-Garou, 2747 E. 15 742-1992 Lean Ann Macomber, Realtor Associate 671-2010 Massoud’s Je~vlery, The Farm, 51st & Sheridm] 663-4884 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3 584-3112 Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31st 663-5934 *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 P1 664-2951 David A. Paddock, CPA,-4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633 747-7672 Puppy Pause II, llth & Mingo 838-7626 *Ross Edward Salon, 1438 S. Boston 584-0337 *Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749-6301 Scott Robison’s Prescriptions, see ad for 3 locations 743-2351 Southwest Viatical, 4146 S. Harvard, Ste. F-5 747-.3322 Thomas Chiropractic Clinic, 4138 S. Harvard, Ste. C- 1 742-8868 Kellie J. Watts, attorney 493-1959 Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling 743-1733 Tulsa Organizations, Churches, & Universities *Agape’ Christian Fellowship, 21st& Sheridan 599-7688 *Bless The Lord At All Times Christian Ctr. 2627B E. 11 628-0594 *BiLiG Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa Canterbury Ctr. 583-9780 *Chapman Student Center, University of T{tlsa *Community of Hope (United Methodist), 1703 E. 2nd 585-1800 Dignity!Integrity (Lesbian/Gay Catholics &Episcopalians) 298-4648 *Family of Faith MCC, 5451-E So. Mingo 622-1441 *Free Spirit Lesbian Center call for location &info: 587-4669 Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827 Friends in Unity (African-Amer. men), POB 8542, 74101 425-4905 Indian Health Care, Save the Nation 584-4983 Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438-2437, 800-284-2437 *MCC of Greater Tulsa, 1623 N. Maplewood ." 838-1715 *HIV Resource Consortium, 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H-1 749-4194 NAMES PROJECT, 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H-1 748-3111 PFLAG , POB 52800 74152 749-4901 Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118 74104 R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195 Rainbow Business Guild, POB 4106, 74159 665-5174 *Shanti Hotline 749-7898 Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Right~ (TOHR) POB 52729 74152 TOHR Gay HelpLine (Info.) 743-4297 Tool Box Technicians, 1338 E. 3rd 584-1308 T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uuiform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222 *Tulsa City Hall, Cafeteria Vestibule, Ground Floor *University Center at Tulsa Beaver Dam Store, i/2 mi. N. of Dam on Hwy. 187 501-253-6154 *Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 501-253-7457 DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 501-253-6807 *Emerald Rainbow, 45&1/2 Spring St. 501-253-5445 King’s Hi-Way, 96 Kings Highway, Hwy. 62W 800-231-1442 *MCC of the Living Spring 501-253-9337 McClung Realtors 501-253-%82 Rock Cottage Gardens 501-253-8659 800-624-6646 Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East 501-253-600i The Woods, 50 Wall St. 501-253-8281 home loans through the state housing agency itself. The new definition.of a household adopted by the VHDA states that a "single-family loan can be made to more than one person only if all such persons ... are related by blood, marriage or adoption or by legal custodial relationship." Albert Eisenberg, one of theVHDA commissioners, disagreed loudly with the change. "It is bigoted nonsense elevated to formal state policy," Eisenberg said of the new policy, which he said may lead to ~xpensive legal court challenges as well as possible trouble with federal housing agencies that underwrite most of the loans the Virgima agency makes. Most of the state’s real estate organizations opposed thenew definition, as did gay rights groups and the ACLU, which said the change would "inspire lawyers to look for loopholes." In addition to Gov. Allen’s backing, the rule change was also supported by the Virginia Family Foundation and Concemed Women for America, which argued thatonly "traditional" families should be given economic benefits from the state agency. However in Nebraska, an exception to the "stop-the-wedding" frenzy has come Nebraska where state Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha has introduced a measure that would amend Nebraska law to let gays and lesbians legally marry in the Cornhusker State. Chambers acknovCl-- edges that his proposal, LB1260, probably won’t win approval on its first pass through the state legislature, but he says he’s determined and won’t give tip. ’q’his is an issue related to civil rights mad civil liberties that can’t be dodged by political bodies,"-he says. "It has an impact on so many people." And in San Francisco, its Board of Supervisors created a "civil ceremony to solemnize" same-sex domestic parmerships under the aegis of the county clerk’s office, the city official who also perfolans civil wedding ceremonies for heterosexual couples. The measure, which would extend no benefits beyond its symbolic ceremony, is believed to be the first time any govenfing body has moved to create a civil rite to acknowledge same-sex umons. A board committee quic"kly approved the measure mad sent it on to the full board. Five of the board’s 11 members are cosponsors of the ceremony. The county clerk’s office has estimated that adding the ceremony would probably increase the number of registered partners by 2 or 3 times. And with a $30 fee for the ceremony itself, the clerk’s office also esti- : mated the proposed rite could add close to ¯¯ $50,000 to the city’s coffers. Back in Hawaii, Gov. Ben Cayetano ¯ has .suggested that the way for the state to extricate itself from the ongoing controversy of same-sex marriages is for the ¯ state to stop giving marriage licenses to anyone and just offer domestic partnerships to gay and non-gay couples instead. ¯ ’The institution ofmarriage shouldbe left to the church," Cayetano is quoted as saying in a report in the Honolulu Adver- ¯ tiser. ’q’he government needs to explore its role in marriages. The government : should not be in the role of sanctifying marriages. That’s when they nminto problems." State Senate leaders quickly said they didn’t think the legislature was likely to go along with Cayetano’s idea to pull the plug on marriage. While legal experts say .th.ey haveno idea if a state could even stop ~ssuing marriage licenses, they do agree that the most important benefits of legal marriage are derived from the federal government in the form of income taxes, Social Security benefits, and pensionregulations - all ofwhich depend on state legal definitions of a mamage. Gay/Bisexual Indian Men Retreat The Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project (TNAAPP) is sponsoring two free weekend camping retreats (Feb. 23-35 and June 7-9) to enhance cultural awareness and HIV!AIDS awareness. The retreat will include workshops addressing HIV AIDS, self-esteem, safer sex negotiation skills and cultural and traditional values - all presented in a safe envlroment. For a CONFIDEN~HAL application, call B-rima or Keetoo~vala. at 918-582-7225. Open Arms Open Minds Open Hearts Saint Aidan’s 4045 No. Cincinnati. 425-7882 Saint John’s 4200 So. Atlanta Pl.. 742-7381 Trinity 501 So. Cincinnati. 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You Wednesday, March 13 ....... s 5ob wi//ia,; s xbeat e x.[sa verfor. i 0 arts ce..t "WiMjoyfaldan~ music and ~xquitite ~.efledfive airs... The exci~ng sound of tradi~onal attd .~ 20th century Ireland." -- The New York Times ~’ Tickets: $12 Call 596-7111 oftheir ability to serve in the armed forces, the 1,049 HIV-positiveU.S. service members and immediately cut off all health care benefits to their dependents. Half these service members are married and, on average, they have served in the military for a decade, according to the Pentagon. Nearly 20 percent of them are officers. Clinton legal counsel, Jack Quinn, told reporters in making the announcement that "the President has determined that this provision is .unconstitutional and he has therefore directed the Attorney General not to defend it in court." The Pentagon, Gay & Lesbian civil rights advocates, AIDS activists and a number of members of Congress oppose the provision. But President Clinton signed the appropriations measure because it is vital to the country’s defense needs, in spite of the Dornan provision. A measure has also been introduced by Sens. William Cohen (R-Maine) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) to repeal the Dornan provision. A similar bill to overturn the measure was introduced in the Houseby Reps. PeterTorkildsen, R-Mass., Jane Harman, D-Calif., Connie Morella, R-Md., and Ron Dellums, D-Calif. Elizabeth Birch, head of the Human Rights Campaign, applauded the \Kqaite House announcement. "We asked him [Clinton] to put the full force of his administration behind overturning it and he has done just that," she said. "This is precisely the kind ofleadership we expect from Bill Clinton." Winnie Stachelberg, HRC’s senior health policy advocate, said, "q’hat [the Dornan provision] ~ as one of the meanest. most vindictive measures to come out of the 104th Congress, and we will do everything in our power to ensure,, repeal of that discmninatorv measure, The repeal bill is expected to have broad bipartisan support in both honses, Stachelberg said, noting that Georgia Sen. Sam Numa, ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has called the HIV expulsion measure "pmfitive." Dornan and otherGOPextremists added the HIV provision to the House version of the defense authorization, but it was not in the Senate bill. When the two versions went to a House-Senate conference committee for reconciliation, House Republicans made sure this discriminatory measure became part of the final bill, Stachelberg said. Currently, service members with the virus that causes AIDS may serve their country as long as they can perform their duties, but they are not deployed overseas. The same policy is applied to service members who have other chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease or cancer. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. that the daughter "should be given the opportunity and the option to live in a non-lesbian world." One new witness slated to testify in the appeal will be Michelle Mclr£nes, 25, the daughter of John Ward and the wife he "killed. During a television interview am~onncing that she ~vould testify, McInnes said her father also tried to molest her ~vhen she was 14 3ears old. This reporter does not claim to be a legal scholar, bnt from what I do kaaow, the evidence points toward premeditated mnrder, even if the provocation the young man talked about happened in exactly the way he said it did. I, for one, donbt the story, but I also doubt there is any way to disprove it. What will the offici~s cal[ it’? Murder? Justifiable homicide? A -killing in self-defense? A hate crone? Stay tuned. I’ll keep you posted. Sunday Services 11:00 am ¯ Wednesday Services 6:30 pm, 7:30 pm Choir Practice ° Thurs. 7:30 pm Codependency Support Group To do justice, love mercy & to walk humbly with our God... Micah 6:8 5451-E South Mingo Tulsa, OK 74146 . (918) 622-1441 Worship Service, 10:30 am Sheridan Center, Suite H 21st & Sheridan 599-7688 News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Survey: Less Opposition to Homosexuality WAbH., D.C. - According to the annual survey of college freshmen around the country by the University of California, the nation’s students continue to have less objection to same-sex relationships. The survey, conducted under the aegis of the American Council on Education and given to more than 300,000 freshmen entering some 641 colleges and universities in the U.S, fouud that o~fly about 31% of the students this year believed that homosexuality ~s wrong and should be forbidden. That figure is the lowest reported since the survey started in 1987 when53% said they disapproved of gay and lesbian relationships. Fed. Court Topples Alabama Anti-Gay Law MONTGOMERY, Ala. - U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson has declared a 1992 state law prohibiting state agencies frown using public funds in direct or indirect support of gay and lesbian orgamzations as unconstitutional. The law was quickly passed by. the state legislature and signed into law after officials at Auburn University g~ve recognition to a gay student group on the campus. Lawmakers had argued that because sodtroy is illegal in Alabama, no state funds should be used to support-the "’gay lifestyle." Judge Thompson, however, ruled that the law was simply an attempt to restrict discussion at public schools, an illegal restriction of free speech. ’Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Hearing Begins SFATTLE - The attorueys representing Navy Lt. Richard Watson, called the military’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy on gays and lesbians in the armed forces"the height ofhypocrisy," arguing in federal court that it was an unconstitutional invasion of privacy. Watson, a 34-yearold officer who was training to eventually captain one of the Navy’s nuclear-powered submafines, has said he told his commandingofficer he is gay to avoid the possibility of being blackmailed as his naval career advanced. He continues to serve in the Navy wlfile his case, one of several like it, is in the federal courts. Canadian Censorhsip Case: Mixed Ruling VANCOUVER - The British Columbia Supreme Court has handed down a utixed ruling in the case of the Little Sister’s BookStore, a gay and lesbian shop that had charged Canadian Customs officials with unconstitutional censorship. The provincial high court declared that Customs officials had in fact used their power to seize published materials counng into the countU in ways that violated the nation’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Customs officials have seized, and sometimes destroyed, hundreds of gay m~d lesbian books and magazines ordered by Little Sister’s, maiulv from UTS. publishers, claiming the materials violated Canadian pornography laws. The court ruled that the Customs actions "’in large part.., are die arbitrary and improper consequence of a~ inadequate mad flawed admimstration of the legislation.’" It also ruled that the incidents involving Little Sister’s were isolated episodes, but constituted a"~ave systemic problem." The most d~sappointing part of the court ruling, said Janine Fuller of Little Sisters, was the justices’ failure to declare the statute that gives Customs officials the authority to seize materials as unconstitutional. Fuller called the failure of the court to overturn die Customs legislation "disappointing" and said the store would be appealing that part of the ruling, but that she was otherwise pleased with the rest of the high court’s ruling. "Ttfis decision is a complete vindication of thc gay aud lesbian conmmmty and the lives of its people mid for that we celebrate die decision," she said. "It has been a long, hard climb. We haven’t quite reached the smmnit but we’re dimm closc. We are colffident that we will succeed at the Court of Appeal." Cincinnati Bias Costs City $35 Million CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the cit\"s Convention & Visitors Bureau says it has lost some $35 million in tourist and convention income because of an anti-gay measure approved by voters in 1993 to repeal an earlier anti-bias measure that included gays mid lesbians. The visitors bureau report had been requested by the city council and cited 10 ~arger national organizations, including die A~nerican Library Association. that specifically mentioued the repealed rights measure as their reason for not holding conventions in the city. Catholic Bishops Speak Upfor Gays in Zimbabwe HAt~kRE, Zimbabwe - Gays and lesbians in Zimbabwe have gotten some limited support from an unexpected source when the country’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a pastoral letter denouncing attacks against homosexuals. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who is a Catholic, sparked an international flap last year when he refused to allow a gay rights organization in the country to operate a booth at an interuational book fair in the nation’s capital, calling homosexuals"sodomists mid sexual perverts" who ,are "’worse than dogs and pigs." He followed up later by saying the gays and lesbians have "no rights" in Zimbabwe and threatened to imprison homosexuals. Although the Catholic Church considers homosextmlity a "disorder" that should be dealt with as sucll, the Bishops Coifference letter condemned what it "called "’any attempts toinstitute a witchhunt or hate campaign" against homosexuals. "It is therefore not right for anyone, induding govenunent, to harass, persecute or torture people simply because they are known to have this indination,’" the Bishops’ Co~fference letter said. Anti-Bias Measure for CA Students Dies SACtL~kMENTO, Calif. - AB 1001, a proposed measure in the ¯ Califonfia legislature to bar discrimination because of sexual orientation in the state’s public schools and universities, failed by an 8-7 vote in the Assembly’s education colurnittee. The measure, introduced by Assemblywoman Sheila Kuehl (DFa~ cino), has languished in the committee since April 1995 when it failed to pass on a first reading there. The vote against sending the bill to the full Assembly was along party lines. Utah Wants to Stop School Gay Group SALT LAKE CITY - According to a report in the Deseret News, the Utah State Board of Education has told state officials to find "all available ~neans" to control the kinds ofnon-curriculum dubs that are formed at public schools in the state.The move is aimed at preventing a gay and lesbian student club from being formed at East High School in the state’s capital city. C. Grant Hurst, who introduced the directive, told the newspaperit wasn’t specifically about the gay dub at the high school and said he was concerned the current legal situation could allow net-Nazi groups to be formed at public schools in Utah. Hurst admitted, however, that he had gotten"numerous" phone calls opposed to the gay club and none about possible net-Nazi dubs forming.. The board’s resolution speaks only about the"formation of any organizations, in schools, that may create a disruptive or unsafe atmosphere for children or that may attract or entice children tomake decisions tllat could have a long-term negative impact on their lives." The Utah attorney general’s office told educators late last year in a letter that federal law and court rulings mandate that scllool clubs have to be treated equally no matter how potentially controversial. The board’s own attorney late in 1995 said the only way the state could keep the gay dub at East High from forming would be for all clubs to be prohinted, stop receiving federal education funds entirely,.or to ask Congress to repeal the Equal Access Act. Rally Against Blocking Gay School Clubs In Utah SALT LAKE CITY - Hundreds of gay rights activists, including the parents of gay mid lesbian teens, rallied outside the state Capitol to protest a move by conservative lawmakers who have said the state should not allow gay and lesbian student groups in public schools, even if Dan Du Vall / Owner BROOKSIDE JEWELRY South Peoria 743-$272 Corner of 48th & Peoria 9:30 - 5, Mon. - Fri. Open Saturdays thru holidays! P AII’ERSON REALTORS" LEA ANN MACOMBER Realtor Associate Mobile: 671-2010 2642 E. 21st Street ¯ Suite !70 ¯ Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114 Off: 918-749-8374 ¯ Res: 918-582-7672 ° Fax: 918-747-1795 David A. Paddock, CPA, MT "Utmost Confidence Assured" 4308 S. Peoria, Suite 633 Tulsa, OK 74105 logo here Call for an appc (918) 747-7672 Computer Analysis Consultation Rich Fox P.O. Box 52708 Tulsa, OK 74152-0708 Pager: (918)690-2974 News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News the state has to refuse a $100 million education grant from the federal government or even bar all student groups. Kelli Peterson, the East High School student who asked to organize the gay and lesbian campus club, told the cheering crowd she didn’t try to start the group to advocate homosexuality or to recruit heterosexual classmates into a "homosexual lifestyle." In.stead, she said, "I started this group to end the misery and isolation of being gay in high school." Utah legisli~tors held a secret meeting earlier in the week with the state school superintendent, the commissioner of higher education and members of the Utah Attorney General’s office, reportedly to discuss legal methods to prevent gay clubs from being formed at schools in the state. But Senate President Lane Beattie dismissed the protest as a tempest in a teapot. "The infermarion given them was in error," he said. "It [the secret meeting] wasnot an anti-gay, anti-lesbian meeting. The meeting was not held to discuss issues they tlfink we discussed.’~ Beatrie said that lawmakers at the meeting were not anti-gay bnt were anti-immorality. "That includes heterosexual immorality as well as homosexual iunnorality. We m’e not going to allow immorality to be taught or encouraged in our public education system. Period." But rights activists point out that a measure that has not yet been printed for public review - SB 246 - would"prohibit schools from supporting illegal conduct" and may well mimic an Alabmna state law barring publicly supported schools from supporting any orgmfizarion that advocates illegal activities. That Alabmna measure was specifically aimed at preventing state colleges from allowing gay and lesbian student groups on campus because sodomy is illegal in Alabama, as it is in Utah. The Alabamameasure, however, was recently declared unconstitutional by a federal court. Episcopal Bishop Faces Heresy Trial WILMINGTON, Del. -Theheresy trial of retired Episcopal Bishop Alter Righter for ordainingan openly gay priest is slated to start before a panel of 9 bishops Feb. 27, only the second such heresy proceeding in the history of the church although the bishops who brought the charges against Righter say it won’t be the last. Righter, the retired bishop of Iowa, ordained- Barry Stopfel as a deacon in 1990. At the rime Stopfel not only acknowledged that he is gay, but also that he had been living with his male partner throughout his seminary studies. The 10 bishops who brought the charges against Righter say bishops in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington may also be charged With heresy for similar ordinations if the ecclesiastical court finds Righter guilty. TX Radical Right Wants No Gays In Library SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Antigay flmdamentalists have tried - so far without success - to keep the Unity Foundation, an organization that’s working on plans to open a lesbian and gay community center in this SouthTexas ¯ city, fromholding mmeetings in the city’s pubhc library. Organizers of the anri-gay group have protested outside the library and city hall, and say that homosexuals shouldn’t be permitted to use ~ public facilities because sodomy ¯ is illegal under state law. But so far the anti-gay protests have been small and failed to draw wide support, while a number of mainstream religious leaders have vocally backed the Unity Foundation’ s rights both to meet at the library and to work on the community center. San Francisco Police: A ’Commanding’ Lesbian SAN FRANCISCO- As part of sweeping changes from top to bottom being instituted by newly elected Mayor Willie Brown in San Francisco, Melinda Pengel has become perhaps the highest ranking openly gay police officer in any major U.S. police e force. Pengel, who was in the first class of women cadets to join the SFPD in 1975 and iu 1994 became one of the department’s highest ranking officers when she was awarded her captain’s bars, has now been made a commander on the force of some 2,000 officers. Colnmander Pengel, 41, was named to hernew rank by Brown’s handpicked Police Chief Fred Lau. The rank of commander is below only the chief and deputy chief officials. Among her new duties, Pengel will oversee the department’s pohcing efforts on the city’s trouble-plagued public transportation system. Pengel said of the promotion, "It’s not just for me; it’s for .the other women in the department too. We’re moving into a nmv era, and I get to be a part of that." Virginia ’Diversity’ Billboard Covered Up CHRISTIANBURG, Va. - A billboard erected recently in the downtown area of this small community of some 11,000 people west of Roanoke, proclaiming simply that "Diversity Enriches,’" has been covered over by the owners of the billboard after callers threatened to damage the finn’ s property. The billboard was paid for by an informal group known as Gay & Straight Citizens of Southwest Virginia with the help of the local chapter of PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians And Gays), and went up January 18. Aside from the simple phrase, "’Diversity Enriches," the only other print on the rainbow billboard was the much smaller sponsorship tag for Gay & Straight Citizens of Southwest Virginia, which paid $450 for having its sign up for a month. But after au article with a photo of the billboard appeared in the local newspaper, Frank Amburn, manager of the lo’cal office of Outdoor East, the company that owns the billboard space, says his office was flooded with calls complaining about the sign, including several from people who threatened to destroy other billboards owned by the advertising finn. At that point, Amburn decided to cover up the billboard out of fear for his company’s property. The ad agency’ is refunding the money paid for the billboard space. Forbes’ Gay Views Become a Political Issue DES MOINES, iowa- Dmnonstrating once again - for better or f6r worse - that gay fights can no longer be separated from uational politics, Republicau pres. hopefuls have increasingly tried to derail the unexpectedly surging candidacy of multi-~nillionaire Steve Forbes by portraying him as "’pro-ga.v.’" In Iowa iu Jan., state cmnpaign officials who were supporting Sen. Phil Grannn’s bid, told reporters that Forbes supports allowing gays m~d lesbim~s to serve in the U.S. military under the current "’don’t ask, d’on’t tell’" compromise policy. Recently, Forbes was asked ifhe was in favor of allowing same-sex marriages. Although clearly uncomfortable with the question, Forbes responded," Compassion is not approval. There should be special fights for none, equal rights for all." Brits Expected to Keep Anti-Gay Military Policy LONDON" - London ucwspapers have reported that British defense lmnistry officials remmn opposed to ending the ban on gays and lesbians in the nation’ s armed forces. Several newspapers reported that Michael Portillo, the defense ~mnister, will announce sometime in Feb. the findings of a ministry review of the policy excluding homosexuals in the military, but several ministry officials have atready said the review found no reason to change the policy. If the govenunent keeps the current policy there will almost certainly be a legal challenge before ihe European Court of fluman Rights, where 4 discharged gay and lesbian service members have already’ applied for a review of their case. The uational gay rights group Stonewall has also applied for pervm ssign to appeal the policy to the House of Lords, Britain’s highest court of appeal. Gay arit to Play Wilde LONDON - Openly’ gay British comic actor Stephen Fry, perhaps best known to American audiences for his portrayal of the erudite and condescending butler in the BBC,’PBS "Wooster and Jeeves,’" says his next role will be starnng in a film bio-pic of 19th century playwright, wit mad ben vivant , Oscar Wilde. Wilde was finprisoned in 1895 for a sodomy statute violation. KELLY KIRB Y Certified Public Accountant Lesbians & Gays face many special tax situations whether single or as couples. We are proud to serve our communities with sensitive & timely information. 747-5466, POB 14011, Tulsa 74159 20TH 32]3 E, ]5th St, Tulsa, Ok 74] 04 (9] 8) 749-3620 ~cu~e.~calCatholic Church ¯.m,, ,eeeet,i;nngg! .a,t Erie ~aarrddeennCC~fiaajpoee[f :Mass Saturday evenings at 6:oo "1Tie :Rev. ~atfier 7Lic£~ "3foffingsworth, Pm:t~rr Pallet" (918) 646-7t16 ".Residence (ghq) 742-7~22 A PERMANENT SOLUTION Permanent Hair Removal Carol Anwar, RE, CPE Lic. By Okla. St. Med. Bd. 488-0786 Near 71st & Lewis Call for info. or an appt. with free consultation. Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Tulsa Where God Uplifts All People Sunday Service, 10:45 am Wednesday Service, 6:30 pm Home Cell Groups, 2nd & 4th Sun. 1623 No. Maplewood, 838-1715 Drug Combo Treats Eye Disease WASHINGTON - According to a report. in the Archives ofOphthalmology, a daily injecteddose of 2 drugs - foscarnet and ganciclovir - is a more effective way to combat the blinding AIDS-related eye disease cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis than either of the drugs used alone. Patients in the research who were given one or the other but not both drugs had recurring CMV retinilis infections in a month or two of starting the therapy. But patients in the study who were given both drugs were able to keep it under.control for 4. months or longer. Just Say No School Programs WASHINGTON" - Part of the massive welfare overhaul confessional Republicans have proposed in this year’s ongoing budget battle includes $75 millionin federal funds for state schools to each students the "gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity" outside marnage. The abstinence pro~am proposal would provide money for schools to teach youngsters that complete abstinence is the oulv certmn wav to avoid unwanted pregnancies and sex~ally transmitted diseases such as AIDS. Ignoring gays and lesbians ~vho cannot legally marry in this country, the language of"ihe G~)P proposal states: "A mutually faithful monogmnous relationship in the context of mamage is the expected standard of human sexual activity" mad that sex outside marnage "’is likely to have laarmful p~ychological and physical effects." Gay Medical Journal NEWYORK-The Gay &Lesbian Medical Assn. has announced plans to begin publishing what it says will be the first science journal devoted to medical issues faced byhomosexuals. Thejournal, which as yet has not been given a name, will focus on publishing findings in research on AIDS and HIV, mental health issues, breast cancer and other medical issues. FDA OK Sought for AIDS Drug STOCKHOLM - The U.S.-Swedish drug manufacturer Pharmica & Upjohn has released preliminary data on ,still-incomplete clinical trials of its drug Delavirdine (also -known as Rescriptor) because early results hold so much promise, the firm sa vs. Hoping that the early results will help get faster approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for the drug, Pharmica & Upjotm said Delavirdine appears to help some patients infected with HIV stave off developing full-blown AIDS. The firm said that preliminary data from its ongoing tests with the drug indicate that patients receiving Delavirdine had been able to lower the amount ofHIV in their blood system by at least 68% for as long as 60 w~eks. Some 3,500 patients have been participating so far. Infants Shed HIV Completely LONDON - According to researchers reporUng in the medical journal Lancet, nine infants who were infected with HIV bv their mothers at birth have fended off tl~e virus. Only a few such reports of HIV relnisston have ever been reported, an~ those have beeu received with some skepticism. But the uew findings - which come from Italy, Belgium m~d Swedeu : may not be so easiix disufissed. Of some 264 babies who were born HIV-positive, the research team found nine who subsequently became free of the virus. In seven cases, both HIV tests used went from positive to negative during the course of the study; in the other two, the virus was detected even though the antibody tests indicated that the baby was not infected. 2 Different AIDS Epidemics NEW DELHI - Max Essex of the Harvard AIDS Institute said at a conference on infectious diseases that increasingly there are 2 different AIDS epidemics globally - one in the Western industrial nations, which is slowing, and another in Afr ica and Asia, which is continuing to Wow with noend in sight. Essex told the conference that the 2 epidemics are spread by different strains of HIV- 1, and that the B and E strains of the virus behave differently. Unpublished research by Essex and his team at the Harvard institute, he said, indicates that subtype E is more efficient at infecting cells in the female reproductive tract, so is more readily transmitted during heterosexual sex. The E subtype is largel y found in Africa and the Indian subcontinent. But, Essex said, the viral subtype that is largely responsible for the AIDS epidemic in Europe and North America - subtype B - targets different body cells and seems more prone to being passed on during anal sex, perhaps explaining its predominance among gay men. Essex noted that in the West, about 2 million people are infected and that that number appears to have leveled off. But, he said, there are an estimated 15 to 20 million cases in Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and that number apparently is continuing to grow unchecked. "RELIEF FROM PAIN" THOMAS CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC DR. REX M. THOMAS DR. SHIRLEY A. THOMAS FREE CON~(.LTATION PROFESSIONAL SERVICE NO NEEDLES ACUPUNTURE NECK & BACK PAIN CHRONIC PAIN ASSURED PRIVACY NUTRITION COUNSELING HEADACHES CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME 4138 S. HARVARD. SUITE C-1 TULS& OK 74135 (918) 742-8868 Free & Anonymous Finger Stick Method By & for, but not exclusive to the Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Communities. Monday & Thursday evenings: 7-8:30 pm for testing, 7-9 pm for results. Daytime testing, Mon-Thurs by appointment. TOHR Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights 742-2927 4158 South Harvard, Suite E-2 2 doors east of the HIV Resource Consortium Look for our banner on testing nights. Intimacy for Gay & Bisexual Men A 10 WEEK THERAPEUTIC GROUP EXPERIENCE The focus of the group will be the introduction of a cognitive behavioral group model for examining intimacy and .barriers to intimate relationships among gay and bisexual men. This approach is skill-based, and builds upon the strengths of group members while promoting growth at intrapersonal, interpersonal and community levels. Facilitated by Richard Reeder, M.S. When: Monday evenings, 7:00 - 9:00 P.M. Beginning March 4, 1996 Concluding May 6, 1996 Cost: $25.00 per session or $200.00 advance registration Where: Cherry Street Psychotherapy Associates 1515 South Lewis Tulsa, OK 74104 FOR INTAKE APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL 743-4117 THE GROUP WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS. A QUALITY LIF ALTERNATIVE WHAT IS VIATICATION? Viatication is the process d~rough which a person living with an terminal illness can receive a cash payment from flae face value of their insurance policy. WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR A VIATICAL SETTLEMENT? Generally, to be eligible for a viatica1 settlement you must have a documentable terminal illness, and life insurance coverage in either an individual term, whole life, or a group policy. HOW MUCH IS MY POLICY WORTH? The value of your life insurance policy in a viatical settlement is determined by the specifics of your policy and your unique medical situation. Not every policy is suitable for viaticanon, but settlement offers typically range from 60% to 90% of a policy’s face value, depending on the specifics of your policy and medical history. HOW DOES A SETTLEMENT WORK? With your written penmssion, we gather medical and xnsurance records with which to determine your policy’s value. Then. a settlemnt offer is presented to you. You may always decline the offer with no obligation whatsoever. Should you accept the offer, payment is made directl y to you. You pay nothing else on your poli(y, and you owe us nothing. IS VIATICATING MY POLICY THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR ME? Man?,’ factors influence whether vxaticadng 3’our life insurance is the best financial alternative available for you. Southwest Viatical can discuss all of the factors with you and 3our family in person, in detail and can recommend an experienced Certified Financial Planner to asnst you in plmming the best outcome from 3our umque financial situation. HOW IS SOUTHWEST VIATICAL DIFFERENT? Today, many compames offer viatical settlements, doing business only by bulk advertising and 1-8,00 numbers. They transfer your insurance and medical records by mail. and do business from another state. At Southwest Viatical. we believe you should be assured of complete confidentiality and the best possible service by working with us in person, face-to-face. We are involved on a commumtv level, and are responsible directly to our local community. By working with you in person, but at the same time having access to nationwide financial resources, we are able to deliver the best value on your policy available today. And because of our established resources, we can deliver a settlement in less than a third the time other companies take by mail, typically in fe~ver than 30 days. We’ll do what it takes to find the best solution for you. Southwest Home Office Dailas, Texas 800-559-4790 Kelly Kirby Oklahoma Representative POB 14011 Tulsa, OK 74159-1011 918-747-3320 AT! EN !iON! r I i I I ANNOUNCING A RETREAT GAY/BISEXUAL/vkE N! WHO: Sponsore~ by TNAAPP WHAT: Weekend Retreat for Gay/Bisexual Native American Men WHEN: February 23-25, 1996 WHERE: For More information Caii Today 582-7225, Extension 21~ IT’S FREE! IT’S FUN! SIC;IV UP TOgAY! FOR t NAME: ADDRESS: CITY: TELEPHONE: STATE: Zl P: II I I I dUT ON DOTTED LINE & ,MAIL TO: TNAAPP, 915 SOUTH CINCINNATI, TULSA, OK 74ff9-2000 YES! i AM INTERESTED IN COMING TO THE RETREAT II "TULSA FAMILY NEWS COMMUNITY CA EN’I R SUNDAYS MONDAYS Agape’ Christian ¯ HIV Testing Fellowship TOHR Clinic Worship Service, 10:30 am : Free & anonymous testing Sheridan Center, Suite H 21st & Sheridan, 599-7688 Bl~ss the Lord At All Times Christian Center Sunday School, 9:45 am Worship Service, 11 am 2627b East 1 lth 583-7815 Community of Hope (United Methodist) Worship Service, 6 pm 1703 E. 2nd, 585-1800 Family of Faith Metro. Comm. Church Adult Sunday School, 9:15 : Worship Service, 11 am 5451-E South Mingo. Info: 622-1441 Metro. Comm; Church of Greater Tulsa Worship Service, 10:45am 1623 N. Maplewood Info: 838-1715 Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay Alliance - Univ. of Tulsa 6:30 pm at Canterbury 5th & Evanston,’ 583-9780 using fingerstick method. No appointment required. Walk in testing: 7-8:30 pm Results hours: 7-9 pm Info: 742-2927 Lambda Bowling League Sheridan Lanes 8:45 pm 3121 S. Sheridan PFLAG Family AIDS Support Group 2nd Monday of month, 6:30 pm 4154 S. Harvard Info: 749-4901 OTHER GROUPS : Tool Box Technicians, : Leather org., Info c/o The Too1 Box: 584-1308 T.U.L.S.A. Ti~sa Uniform ¯ & Leather Seekers Assoc. Info: 838-1222 ~ The Banned, OK Gay Band Practice weekly in OKC Info: 838-2121 TUESDAYS HIV+ Support Group HIV Resource Consortium 1:30 pm 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H-1 Info: Wanda @ 749-4194 WEDNESDAYS Authority OfThe Believer Bible Study, 7 pm MCC of Greater Tulsa 1623 N. Maplewood Info: 838-1715 Shanti-Tulsa, Inc. Bless The Lord At All HIV/AIDS Support Group : Times Christian Center .& Friends & Family HIV/AIDS Support Group 7 pm, call for location: 749-7898 Community of Hope Grief Group, 6 pm 1703 E. 2nd, 585-1800 Womens Grief Group sponsored by Community of Hope 6pm, Butler/Stumpff Funeral Home 2103 E. 3rd St. Info: 585-1800 ¯ Prayer & Bible Study 7:30 pm 2627-B East 1 lth Call 583-7815 for info. Family Of Faith MCC Praise & Prayer 6:30 pm Choir Practice 7:30 pm 5451-E South Mingo. Call 622-1441 for info. Community of Hope (United Methodist) Service for Peace, 6:30 pm Bible Study, 7 pm 1703 E. 2nd, 585-1800 TNAAPP Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project Support group for Gay & Bi Native American Men, 6 pm at Community of Hope 1703 E. 2nd 582-7225 or 584-4983 THURSDAYS 16-Step Empowerment Group For Women Community of Hope 1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800 Co-Dependency Support Group . 7:30, Family of Faith MCC 5451-E S. Mingo, 622-144 1 HIV TestingTOHRClinic Walk in testing: 7 - 8:30 pm Results hours: 7 - 9 pm Info: 742-2927 Tulsa Family Chorale Weekly practice, 9:30 pm Lola’s 2630 E. 15th PFLAG Family AIDS Support Group 1st & 3rd Thursdays 4154 S. Harvard, 749-4901 Alternatives Weekly social events for LGBT men & women, 7 pm Info: 646-5503 Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV’AIDS 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. G 3-4:30 pm, Info: 749-4194 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16 Community ofHope Movie Night & Discussion: A River Runs Through It 6:30 pm, 1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17 Family ofFaith MCC Reclaim & Recovery Workshop: Forgiveness 9-3 pm, 5451-E S. Mingo, Info: 622-1441 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18 Community ofHope Companioning Celebration 2 pm, 1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21 St. Jerome’s. Catholic Church (ECC) Fat Tuesday Party Ash Wednesday Service Info: page Father Rick at 646-7116 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22 Alternatives Social Groap - Dinner 7pm, Golden Corral, 71St & Mingo Info: 646-5503 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24 Shanti Mardi Gr~ Ball, 8-midnight Natl. Guard Armory, Fairgrounds " Info: 749-7898 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29 Alternatives Leap Year Party 7pm, Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine Info: 646-5503 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27 Rainbow Business Guild 7 pm, Full Moon Care, Cherry Street Dinner Meeting with speaker. Info: 665-5174 ." FRIDAY, MARCH 1 ¯ Community ofHope ¯ Movie Night & Discassion: Priest : 6:30 pm, 1703 E. 2nd, hffo: 585-1800 OF Safe Haven, a free, non-political, nonreligious, non-recovery-oriented social gathering for LGBT voimg adults. 18-30 : Family of Faith MC~, 8 - rmdnight 5451-E S. Mingo, Info: 622-1441 SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Rosary at St. Jerome’s Catholic Charch The Garden Chapel, 3841 S. Peoria Info: page Father Rick at .636-7116 TUESDAY, MARCH 5 Tulsa Oklahomansfor Haman Rights Community Meeting, 7 pm Chapman Activity Ctr., Univ. of Tulsa 5th St. west of Harvard, Info: 743-4297 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 Marsha Stevens Concert presented by Agape Christian Fellowship 7 pm, All Soul’s Unitarian, 2952 S. Peoria Info: 599-7688 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 NewLGBTPolitical Groap, I st Meeting 7 pm, Martin East Regional Library 2601 So. Garnett SATURDAY, MARCH 9 Dignityllntegrity Meeting Lesbian/Gay Catholics & Episcopalians 5 pm, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church 5635 E. 71st, Info: POB 701044, 74170 SATURDAY, MARCH 16 Gaylapalooza, 8 pm Tulsa Performing Arts Center 110 E. Second, Info: 596-7111 SATURDAYS St. Jerome’s Ecumenical Catholic Church Mass, 6 pm Garden Chapel 3841 S. Peoria Info: Father Rick at 742-7122 Narcotics Anonymous Meets weekly at l 1 pm Confidential support for recovering addicts. Community of Hope 1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800 NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt Sewing Bees 3rd Sat. of each month Info: 748-3111 OTHER GROUPS Gay & Lesbian Sttulent Association - TJC Southeast Can~pus, Info: 631-7632 SWAN-Single Women’s Activity Network Call 832-2121 TOHR Helpline Daily 8-10 pm For info. or to vohlntecr: 743-GAYS SCOTT ROBISON’S PRESCRIPTIONS ,Serving Tulsan’s Since 1947 Major credit cards In-store charges or Direct insurance billing for your convenience! 3 locations to serve you: Hillcrest Physician’s Building 1145 So. Utica 743-2351 Utica Square Area 1560 East 21st, Ste. 104 743-2351 The Plaza 8146-D South Lewis 299-1790 Reviewed by Barry Hensley Tulsa City-County Library This entertaining anthology combines essays, personal narratives and poetry regarding the multitude of rites and phases of lesbian life. Coming from the position that the lives of lesbians are, in many ways, very unlike the lives of heterosexual women or gay men, Dyke Life ~ves an inside perspective of lesbian marriage, parenting, stereotypes and lesbians in corporate America, among 0{her topics. There are five parts to Dyke Life: 1) Relating to Others, 2) Relating to Each Other, 3) Sex and Gender Identity, 4)The Public World, and 5) The Lesbian Body. Each section includes several entries by both well-known and obscure lesbian writers. Some of the better-known authors include JoAnn Lonlan, Del Martin, Leslea Newman and Rutt~&im Robson, all of whom have other books available in the library. The entry rifled "outing and the Politics of the Closet," by Victoria Brownworth, is an entertaining examination of the social circumstances which make the outing of women a difficult and sensitive proposition. "Creating Lesbian Families," by Heather Conrad and Kate Colwell shows the challenges and controversies surrounding lesbian parenting. One of the more unusual entries is by Hon. PanlaJ. Hepner, who is a judge on the New York State Family Court. Her entry is titled, "Oy Veh, t’he Judge on the Bench is a Dyke!’" Another valuable entry is by Jeanne Adleman, member of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC), who contributes, "We Never Promised You Role Models." One of the best things about this book is the extensive bibliographical information that many entries contain. Often, not only books and magazines are cited, but organizarions as well, complete with address, fax and phone numbers. For aninteresting and enlightening treat, check,out Dyke Life. This and other books on similar topics are available at Tulsa City-County Libraries. Please call your local branch library or the Central Library Readers Services Department at 596-7966, for more information. traveling from around the region to participate in a picnic mad other festivities. Particular thanks went the support FUSO received from METSAS, Metropolitan Tulsa Substance Abuse Services.. On Feb. 15-19 , FUSO members are joining with members of Brother to Brother, an Oklahoma City organization, to attend the 9th Annual National Black Lesbian & Gay Conference, taking place in Dallas, titled, Black Lesbians and Gqvs: Continuing the Struggle. FUSO meets the 1st Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm at Rudisill North Regional Library, 1520 No. Hartford, 596- 7280. The meetings and membership are open to those 18 and above. presents in concert March 6th, 7prn In Her All Souls Unitarian Church Auditorium 2952 South Peoria For more information, call Agape" Christian Fellowship at 599-7688 Tul~sa’s only Gay-owned Funera~ Home Butfer-Stumpff Funera¢ Home gg Crematory ~103 /3ast Tftird~ 587-7000 Complete Services Available. For Example, Only $2820 for Casket with Complete Service. Includes: Quality Steel Sealer Casket in one of four colors, Standard Single Lawn Crypt, Service at your church or in our chapel, Hearse, Family Limousine, Pallbearers Limousine, Thank You Cards, Register Book, Memorial Folders, Visitation, Embalming, Hairdressing, Cosmetic Services, All Professional Services. If you have a prearrangement elsewhere, and paid too much, transfer your policy and you may be eligible for a cash refund. Wasfiin~Iton Memorial~ Gardens 4300 East 91st Street South Special Offer! Burial Space for Just $200, pre-construction. by Phyl Boler-Schmidt An excitement has erupted in Eureka Springs, and you’ll find j.’ust about everyone talking about it - gay, straight, businessman, minister, lodging owner, photographer, realtor, even computer geek. Okay, especially computer geek! So, what’s :the fuss? ~ureka now has a whole lot of information available on the Internet and WorldWide Web. Most of it has just popped up, seemingly out of nowhere, in the last month. And, where is it coming from? Who would spend a lot of time promoting Eureka Springs? Positive Idea Marketing Plans (PIMP, for short) is the source of all the hubbub, and not surprisingly, PIMP is a family-owned and operated company. Jan and Kim Ridenour own PIMP, and they. have put their company in literal overdrive on this new project since the year began. You probably remember Jan and Kim. They are the soon-tobe- former owners of The EmeraldRainbow, andKim frequently writes the astrology column for Tulsa Family News, PIMP (among other things) owns its own Web domain, and the Ridenours have been processing and publishing pages on that domain (PIMPS.corn). Everything imaginable is available with the click of a mouse, mad new pages are being added daily. Just what is available for Eureka on the Web? As of this writing (you never know what else will be there by the time we are published and distributed)~ you can access pages about the town of Eureka, complete with gorgeous photographs, and there is also a page about the Ozark region. When you first see the pictures, some may seem familiar. That’s because many of the pictures are from the collection of Susan Storch, master photographer. Susan is responsible for many of the photos that appear on .postcards for Eureka and the reg~oni And Susan’s shop, The Imagery also has a page on the Web, complete with more samples of her work. There is a page for Weddings and Holy Unions and how to set up the honeymoon of your dreams right here in the Ozarks. A standard wedding page also exists (you know, standard - one boy, ,one girl), complete with more photos. Pond Mountain, a favorite bed and breakfast inn, has a page complete with details on lodging, wedding setups, honeymoons, and breathtaking photos. Two local realtor~ are represented in the Enreka pages: Century 21 Woodland Real Estate, a partly family-owned operation, and McClung Realty, a regular advertiser in these pages. For those of you that were fortunate to stop in and visit The Emerald Rainbow in the past year, you may have met Alice P(ig) Bailey. Alice now has her own page on the information superhighway, and even has an advice column. Stay tuned for pig astrology. There are a number offamilyspecific sites as well. In addition to the weddings and holy unions page, there is a site for g/l/b/t retreats, Our Worm Magazine is published on line, and Guru to Go, Kim’s astrology.page, is there too. So, I guess you could call tiffs Queer Eureka OnLine too. Local weather forecasts are easy to access, and there is a feature site of the week as well. Yahoo, one of the premiere Internet search engines can be acces sed, and you can download the latest in browser software. I know of several more pages that are in the making, and there are listings of pages that are due to be available soon. The Eureka pages continue to grow in number every time I look at the WorldWi’de Web. But, it doesn’t stop with Eureka Springs. The Internet and the Web are national and international communications systems. I+inks tO related sites can be found ~dl over the PIMP pages, and other companies that aren’t specific to Eureka Springs have an opportunity to get on the PIMP bandwagon too. If you have never had the opportunity to browse around the Web, it is a thrill you will not easily forget. Once a person realizes how easy ~t is to access an entire world of information with the click of a mouse, the task of looking things up in a phone book, a dictionary, or an encyclopedia becomes downright mundane. For those of you who are already on line: if you haven’t used thatWebbrowser that came with your signup package, give it a try. You’ll never look at a compute.r screenin quite the same way again. And, if you want a first place to look, use this address: http://www.pimps.com/ For you experienced Web browsers out there, go to the address above, then put it on a bookmark. New pages are being added all the time. Follow all the links on that front page, and you could easily spend a couple of hours just looking at what is available in and near Eureka Springs, and especially what is available that isfamily-specific If you don’t have a computer, or hive one and have not vet made the leap to cyberspace, n~w is the time. An entire world of information, resources, new friends, business contacts, and just plain fun is to be had. Since I’m your basic computer geek, this has been an especi,’dly exciting time for me. I have watched as numerous people have accessed the Web for the first time, and I gotta tell you, it’s an amazing thing to see thc excitement in the eyes of someone who has just discovered the answer to his or her dreams. If you don’t have access to the Interuet, find a friend who does. Buy the beer and bribe your friend into showing you how to access cyberspace. If you do have access, point your browser to the address given above. You can also reach PIMP by e-mail at emerald@intellinet.com. If you aren’t on line, or if youjust want to talk to a real live human, call 501-253-2401. Be brave. Step out. You’ll be glad you did! Georgia Ragsdale, who has filmed a movie, "’Never Met Picasso, soon to be released, with co-star Margot Kidder. Their shows have been sellouts wherever they’ve played. Tickets for this "Doh’t-miss"onc of a -kind show are available at the PAC and Carson Attractions, for S15.50 to $18.50. The show has one performance at 8 pm Saturday, March 16th Mark your calendars now, because this is one show yon won’t want to miss out on, and it’s the first of its kind in Tulsa. That’s progress ! O000000000000000000 ¯¯ A Friendly Place to Stay ¯ ¯¯ KING’S HI-WAY ¯¯ INN ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ 96 Kings Highway, Hwy. 62 W Eureka Springs, AR 72632 (501) 253-7311 1-800-231-1442 Jerry A. Wilson, owner ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ MCC of the Living Spring ...a community of friends... Rev. Kermie Wohlenhaus Pastor We welcome you to attend! Services held Sunday evenings at 6 PM 17"Elk Street (at the Unitarian Church) Eureka Springs, AR 72632 501-253 -9337 ¯ "T ¯ p ~ . 501-253-9682 (days) OR 501-253-8969 (evenings) Offerings include: Bed & Breakfast Inns, Victorian Homes, Hotels/Motels, Commercial Properties/Businesses, Quiet Country Estates, & much more. McClung Realty, Inc. has catered to the diverse G/L/B/TG community in Eureka .Springsfor over 20 years. Call or write for a listing brochure. Or better yet, stop in, and we’ll show you around. We specialize in creative financing. EUREKA SPRINGS "Jim & Brent have opened the ultimate intimate local eatery. A special, eclectic dining experience..." Stop by our house for a taste of local flavor. Dine outside on the patio & porch or ill our three beautiful dining rooms. Fine food at an affordable price. Green & Yellow Night FAMILY NIGHT Private Dinner Party, lstThurs, ofEach Month 6pm - Midnight, Dine, Drink & Relax Among Friends Featuring Jim & Gwendolyn’s Select Dinner Entrees & Brent’s Superb Desserts "With Family In Mind" Gay-owned, Operated & Rainbow Proud 20% of all proceeds will go to the support of family causes D OUT- OF-THIS-WORLD PERFORMANCE AT A OWN-TO-EARTH PRICE ’96 3"000GT ~.MITSUBISHI The New Thinking in Automoo~les ",$27,497 Family Finances by Leanne Gross Happy New Year Everyone!! The only problem with the new year - is now we have to pay the taxes for last year. Here’s some thoughts on how to help you decrease some of your taxableincome and help get the new year off to a great start. * For the individual Your 401K plan at work is the best way to.stash retirment dollars and this will lower your taxable income. You can also open an Individual Retirment Account (I.R.A.); however, if you have a retirment plan at work, there will not be much room, if any, to deduct your I.R.A. If you do not have a retirment plan at your place of employment, try opening an I.R.A. at your bank or with a financial consultant. * If you are self-employed or a small company employer of25 or less employees, you may ~ualify for the Simplified Employee Pension plan (SEP) A SEP provides an employer with a simplified way to make contributions to an employee’s Individual Retirement Account or Individual Retirement Annuity. 1. Employer contributions are made directly to SEP-IRAs set up for each employee with a bank, insurance company or other qualified financial institution. 2. Employer contributions are tax deductible. 3. Contributions are not taxed currently to the employee. 4. Earnings accumulate income tax-deferred. ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS 1. ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION. No annual contribution is required. If a contribution is made, the allocation must be the same percentage for each eligible employee. 2.INDIVIDUALLIMITS.The allocation of employer contributions to a participant’ s account may not exceed the lesser of 15% of compensation or $22,500. For the selfemployed, these values are reduced to 13.0435% and $19,565. 3. TIME OF CONTRIBUTION. Contributions can be made until the due date (plus extensions) of the employer’s return. 4. VESTING. Vesting must always be 100%. 5. ADDITIONAL IRAs. Additional IRAs are permitted if the combination meets overall ItLa~ limits. 6. WHO MAY PARTICIPATE? Any employee who is at least 21 and has performed "service" in at lehst 3 of the last 5 calendar years must be permitted to participate under the SEP, unless her total compensation is less than $400 for the ye.ar. 7. INVESTMENT OF PLAN ASSETS. Plan assets can be invested in most eqmty products or debt instruments, but may not be invested in life insurance, "hard" assets, or collectibles (except for U.S. gold and silver coins). Participants direct the funds coutributed on their behalf. 8. WITH~DRAWALS. Participants may withdraw or cash-out at anytilne. However, Timothy W. Daniel Attorne3’ at Law Know Your Rights! Estale Planning, Adoptions, Personal Injury, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy & Workers Compensation 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appointments are available. Join 30,000 friends and family on Saturday, June lst! All day at the Magic Kingdom - all night at Pleasure Island Wide variety of packages a~,ailable, & Southwest now flies to Orlando! Fares as low as $408 for two - limited number of seats. Call early to lock in these prices! Call 341.6866 International Tours for more information. Need a gift idea? Gift certificates are available for air travel, cruises & many other travel needs. IGTA member. Cherry Street Psychotherapy Associates 1515 South Lewis Are you lookingfor a relaxed, amicable, private atmosphere for therapy? Our office provides a level of confidentiality and comfort that enhances teh therapeutic process. For further information, call 743-4117 Leah Hunt, MSW Judy Seymour-Taylor, CADC Della Blackburn, CADC Richard Fleeder, MS Serving a Diverse Community withdrawals are subject to immediate taxation. Prior to age 59 1/2, there is an additional 10% excise tax, unless such distributions are made over the life expectancy of the IRA owner or joint life expectancy of the owner and a designated beneficiary or because of death or disability. Once the annuity format is chosen, it cannot be modified until the later of 5 years or age 59 1/2 is reached, without a penalty. I. ADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYER 1. Contributions are tax deductible. 2. Contributions and costs are totally flexible. 3. Reporting is very minimal -- no IRS or Dept. of Labor forms. 4. The plan is easy to understand by the employees. 5. The plan is easy to set up by merely completing IRS Form 5305-SEP*. 6. There is little or no administrative expense. II. ADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYEES 1. Annual contributions are not taxed to the participant. 2. Earnings on the account are not currently taxed. 3. Participants have the right to direct investments. 4. Participants can also have a regular deductible IRA, if the combined accounts meet overall IRA requirements. 5. Funds can be withdrawn at any time; e.g., in the event of an emergency, although there will be penalties if the participant is not yet 59 1/2, unless the participant is deceased or disabled, or a special annui.ty pay out (of substantially equal payments) is chosen. III. DISADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYER 1. Contributions must be made for part-time and seasonal employees. 2. Employees can withdraw the funds as fast as they are put into the account. 3. Employees are always 100% vested -- there are no forfeitures to reduce employer contributions. 4. Employees control investments. 5. Allocation methods which reduce employer costs may not be used. IV. DISADVANTAGES TO EMPLOYEES 1. There is no guarantee as to future benefits 2. Investment risks rest on the participant. 3. There is no assurance as to the frequency and amount of employer contributions. 4. Special lump-sum tax treatment of distributions is not available. 5. No tax-free disability pay out is available. 6. There are no forfeitures to be reallocated 7. Life insurance funding is not’available. 8. Cannot contribute over the 15% limit (compared to a 25% limit permitted tinder Qualified Defined Contribution Plans). 9. Bankruptcy protection from creditors is uot afforded. Pres. Clinton said during his "’S tate of the l’nion’" address, your retirement program is going to be up to us. Talk to your employer. T,*~ke a look at your own plan. Today! ! "" My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there." Charles F. Kettering Photos, JD Jamett, 621-5597 mmmmmmmmmmmmmnmmmmmm 2405 E. Adrnira ¯ ¯ in Historic "_ Whittier Square "_ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ 582-4340,! People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. Leanne Gross Retirement planning, Life, health & income insurance, & investment placing. 744-0102 Mention this ad to receive free initial consultation. Making Sense If you missed it the first time, don’t miss it this time. Making Sense: Innovative and challenging: A program that only TOHR could bring you. Making Sense Program begins February 20. Call T©HR for more information and to enroll. Ask for Jason. 743.4297 by Jean-Pierre It’s 2 a.m., the bars have closed, and you’re hungry. Where in Tulsa can you go’? The restaurants revxewed here are open all night and have table service. Clearly, the unquestionable winner in the all-night category has to be the Village Inn chain. While service quality varies a bit from store to store, it is generally reasonably prompt, and, as long as you. d.on’t have any special requests or instructions, reasonably efficient. Breakfast is.Village Inn’s forte. They " are Particularly known for theirextremely fluffy omelettes, made so by a quick whirl in the blender before cooking. Otherpopular breakfasts are the several varieties of "skillets", which feature diced potatoes, a meat, and onions and other vegetables, all sauteed together, and then topped with eggs to order and a sauce or gravy ofsome sort. Of course, you can also get sandwiches and regular diner food. We particularly like the Cobb salad, of mosdy iceberg lettuce, but topped with aplethora ofother tasty items like bleu cheese, fresh bacon, grilled chicken breast, an~ diced avocados. Be sure and ask if the avocados are ripe, since we were served hard and tasteless avocados on several occassions. Those of you not counting fat grams will no doubt be quite favorably impressed by the double cheeseburger, f~aturing two j’ulcv hamburger patties, grilled onions, ba0o~ ~trips, cheese, & thousand island dressing. Our biggest complaint with the Village Im] chain is that the3 close at midnight on Sunday and Monday nights. On those unfortunate nights, the default choice has to be Kettle. We are sorry to report that the corporate Kettle entity was recently purchased by Denny’s. None of the employees in any of the local stores are able to tell us whether ornot there will be any change in the restaurant’s Policies , orif the Kettle stores will become Dermy’s. Kettle’s food is pretty standard and generic fare. They also do a better job on dinner entrees than most of their competitors, but even so, none meet the excruciatingly high Jean-Pierre standards. Denny’s is the traditional American allnightrestaurant, andis the standard against which other competitors are measured. Fortunately for those competitors, the local Denny’s don’t meet the old Denny’s standard. Over the last three months, we made twovisits each to three ofthe local Deuny’s stores. In each case, the service was unacceptably slow. Twice we heard patrons at other tables get almost violently loud with their server over delays, wrong orders, and poor food. The most frequent problem we encountered was cold .food. Runner up was overcooked food. To make all of. this worse, Denny’s famous budgetsaver "Grand Slam"brealffast is not served during the midnight to 6 a.m period. Frequent road-trippers will no doubt be familiar with the Waffle House chain. Small and unpretentious, Waffle House can serve a decent and cheap breakfast. Unfortunately we found that food quality vanes greatly from store to store. All Waffle Houses have wmtresses that call their customers "Hon." It’s a tradition. But, what realh scares us at Waffle House is the fa~t tl~at your short-order cook works in full view.’Some thin2s are probably better left unsaid. Waffle House has an All You Can Eat special for $4.59, slightly higher during the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. period, that is worth yourmoney and probably the best way for you to eat. The signature food is the pecan waffle, which appears hot off the iron golden brown, fragrant, and filled with pieces of pecan throughout the batter. We’ve never yet had a bad pecan waffle at a Waffle House. Other items are not so lucky. The grits we were served were a congealed mass of got bathed in some type of yellow oi!y substance we took to be melted margarine. Three ’local" restaurants exist Unfortunately, with no nadonal standards to meet, all three have definite short-comings, and we tend to avoid them. They are Mama Lou’s, Perry’s, and Kelly’s. So, as you can see, goodreaders,Tulsa’a late night dining scene Is not paricularly condusive to the gourmet experience. We do, however, have to ~ve honorable mentlons to the Whataburger and Tact Cabana chains. The food at Tact Cabana is pretty good, although not as good as what we’ve had at their San Antonio stores. Also, a favorite spot we had to mention is the Country Ketde/Texaco truck stop way out east of town on 1-44. Technically, it’s in Catoosa city limits, but just across the highway is sti]l within Tulsa city limits. Ourrecommendation?Hone vou~ gourmet skills at home for your friends. Eat before ten o’clock. Move to New York. Otherwise, head to a Village Inn, maybe eat at Tact Cabana, or try your luck with a gamble at one of the other restaurants. by James Christjohn ¯ If you missed the last two concerts in the Celtic Music series at the PAC, you : missed some great entertainment! Celtic music is the great-grandperson of bluegrass and country, yet has a quality all its ¯ own. Haunting and celebratory, often at the same time, it is great music to dis- , cover, or if you already have, to explore. ¯ Coming up is the third and final (sadly) ; concert of the Celtic Music Series, the ¯ Cassidys, 5musical Irish brothers (hate to be in the middle of one of their family ¯ spats!),atthePAC nMarch 13. They ve ¯ played for two Presidents, and filled Ra¯ dio City Music & Carnegie Halls. This will be their Tulsa debut. For info and ¯ tickets, call the PAC ticket office at 596- : 7111. And doit soon, because these shows ¯ usually pack the house! ¯ For an amusing evening, don’t miss ¯ Broken Arrow Community Playhouse’s ¯ production of"the Lion in Winter. This is ¯ the last weekend to catch it; Friday & ¯ Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. ¯ Catch the kiss in the second act - it’s quite a show stopper! (Not to mention the numerous pacemakers planted throughout ¯ the audience!) For info, call 258-0077. ¯ Well, I haven’t seen any ghosts lately, ¯ but I’ve been haunted by a Phantom. Yes, he looms large on the horizon... Oh, never ¯ mind, that’s not him, just my shadow! I ¯ really must stick to that diet more stricdy. ¯ Where was I? Oh, yeah, Phantom. THE ¯ Phantom, of Opera fame, is arriving the ¯ 22nd, and will haunt the PAC until March 23 - they’ve added a week. According to my info. The Phantom himself, Thomas The Biggest GayAnd Lesbian Comedy Event EVE / SATURDAY MARCH 16 8:00 PM _~/~ Gay Stand-U p Comics Perform in g I¢|VIFI The Gay Come~y Jam "Fr~,l, m" T~Jr~ From HDO Gay Stand-Up Comedy Nationally Recognized And Acclaimed Gay And Lesbian Headliners As Featured On HBO And The Advocate Magazine With Spedal Guest: BOB |/~11"1.1 GEORGIA RAGSD ALE From HBO’s The Rrst Openly C~y Comedian "Women Aloud" To Appear On The Tonight .Show Tickels A vailable At" The Tulsa Performing Arts Center Theatre Box Office And All Carson Attractions Ticket Locations 110 East Second Street For Ticket/Show information. (9 1 8) $ 9 6-7 1 I 1 Advance Ticket Purchase Recommended Jmnes O’Leary (Another Celtic influ- ordering a cheap seat! ence!), comes straight.... Let me rephrase There are Phantom performances set that. He hails directly from the Broadway aside for visual and heanngimpaired folks: production itself! If his name seems fa- An audio-described performance for the miliar, check the liner notes on the origi- " visually impaired is scheduled for March hal cast recording of Miss Saigon. He’s 16that2pm;andasignedperformancefor also featured on the soon to be released international symphonic recording of Miss Saigon as well. No skimping on this show. After all, they have rebuilt part of the theatre just for the chandelier. So use lots o’ hair spray, build up the chandelierproof bouffant, and call the PAC at 596- 7111 for tickets (going fast, I hear). If you want to have a gay old time and scare people enmasse, groups of 20 or more can call 254-1069 for group tickets. Tickets run from $16.50 to $61.50. Interesti0g juxtaposition ofnumbers, eh? Heaven hdp you if you’re dyslexic & think you’re the hearing impaired is scheduled for March 17th at 2pm. I am pleased to announce that Gaylapalooza is coming to Tulsa for one night only, March 16, at the PAC. Gaylapalooza is an evening featuring four acclaimed openly Gay comics: Scott Kennedy and Kevin Maye, co-stars of the ’~3ay Comedy Jam, and appearances on HBO’s Comedy Channel; Bob Smith, the first gay comic ever to have his Own HBO special and ~the first and only openly gay comic to appear on the Tonight Show; and see Comtc, page 11 How To Do It First 30 words are $10. Each additional word is 25 cents. You .may bring additional attention to your ad with: Bold Headline - $1 Ad in capital letters - $1 Ad in bold capital letters - $2 Ad in box - $2 Ad reversed - $3 Tear sheet mailed - $2 Blind Post Office Box - $5 Please type or print your ad. received. Count th~ number of words. TFN reserves (A word for our purposes is a the right to edit group ofletters or numbers sepa- or refuse any rated by a space.) ad. No refunds. Large Corner Let 3 Bdrm. Home in need of Major repairs. Appraised at 20 K+ All offers considcrcd. Call 622-1441. Send your ad & payment to POB. 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159 with your name, complete address, day & eve. numbers (for our records only). Ads will run in the next issue after they are ¯ [] ¯ Keyboardist ¯ ¯ Needed ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ Sunday am and [] ¯ Wednes.day pm ¯ ¯ " ¯ Call ~- ¯ Fanfi.ly of-Faitli M(?~ " ~ ¯¯ t6 inqtfire. ¯ " 622L1441L’ ¯ THAT PHONE! HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: 1 ) To respond to these ads & browse others Call: 1-900-786-4865 2) To record your FREE Tulsa Family Personal ad Call: 1-800-546-MENN (We’ll print it here) 3) To pick-up messages from your existing ad Call: the 900 number & Press the star key (,) Due to our large volume of calls if you can’t get thru, simp y try your call later. 900 blocked? Try 1-800-863-9200. VISAiMC.. Questions Call: 1-415-281-3183 ALOT MORE THAN CURIOUS. Bi HM, military, attractive, 32, some experience, seeks others for fun and friendship. Please leave a message. (Lawton) ~18853 Recording your ad: Figure out what you want to say before calling in. Write down what you want to say. Keep it short and simple. Just describe yourself and what you’re looking for Our computerized system will walk you through the rest. Have a pen ready to write down your box number. GOOD aLE’ BOY. GWM, 135, 5’5", blonde hair, hazel eyes, 35, varied interests, seek GWM’s, 18-40, for friendship and more. Please leave a message. (Manford) e25103 NOW AND THEN. GWM, 6’1", 190, brown hair, green eyes, seeks others for occasional encounters. Please leave a message (Muskogee) ~32992 ANYONE HOME?. GWM, big guy, seeks others for fun in the sun Leave a message and we’ll go from there. (Oklahoma City) ~47984 BIG AND FULL OF FUN. GWM, 5’11", red hair, blue eyes, heavy set and fun, new to area., very passive, seeks other men for pleasure and more. Give me a call! (Oklahoma City) e47707 BI YOU A COCKTAIL. Bi WM, professional, seeks discreet, fun and safe action Leave a message soon. (Oklahoma Cityl ~47841 YOUNG LOVE. GWM, 19, alot of interests, seeks others, under 25, for relationship possibilities. No one night stands,-please! (Oklahoma City) ~47711 MAN TO MAN. GWM76’5", 210, hairy chest, taltoos, pierced, seeks others, 21-45, for discreet male to male activities in my home. Call me soon. (Oklahoma City) ~47731 BI AND BI. Bi WM, late 40% seeks other Bi guys in the local area. Leave a message. (Oklahoma City) ~47209 ARE WE A MATCH?. GWM, 5’11", 160, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks local guys for friendship and possibly more. Please respond and I will answer as soon as I get your message. (Oklahoma City) ~34851 LOOKING FOR INSTRUCTION. GWM, seeks others for guidance and experience in " this lifestyle. All calls will be answered. (Oklaho~na City) ~39411 TULSA TWO STEP. GWM, 26, 5’7", 145, good looking and in shape, seeks others, 18- 27, for friendship and fun. Please leave a message. (lulsa) ~17238 FANTASY ISLAND. GWM, 41,5’11", 180, black hair, brown eyes, seeks others, local and 18-42, into foniasies, for fun and more. Please leave a message. (Oklahoma City) n34286 WILLING TO LEARN. GWM, 31,6’, blonde hair, brown eyes, new to this life, seeks others to teach me more. Please leave a message. (Oklahoma City) ~33975 SOUTHERN NIGHTS. GWM, 22, 250 Ibs, 5’6", looking for all local studs who are interes~l in friendship, relationship, life and laughter. If this sounds like you, leave me a message for an immediate reply. (Oklahoma City) ~47265 COWBOYS WANTED!. GWM, 5’8", brown hair and eyes, 21, seeks other males, good looking and well built cowboys preferred, for friendship and more. Please leave a message. (Oklahoma City) ~23376 NEW TO THIS. GWM, 27, 155, brown hair, hazel eyes, newly divorced and inexperienced, seeks others for experience and friendship. Please leave a message. (Oklahoma City) ~17465 ANNE RICE AND NIBBLING. GWM 2, 5 10 , blonde hair, hazel eyes, me&urn build, seeks others for friendship and relationship. (Oklahoma City) e1879~ 81G GUY. GWM, 18, 5’10", 240, seeks others for friendship and more. Please leave a message. (Oklahoma City) el 8863 COUNTRY STUD PUPS SOUGHT. GWM, 5’10", 1,50, brown hair and blue eyes, good looking, seeks young males for fun and good times. Please leave a message. (Oklahoma City) ~ 16604 BUDDY TO BUDDY. GWM, 25, tall and in good shape, good looking, masculine and inexperienced, smoke/drug/disease fre~, into sports, movies and all outdoor activities, seeks buddies, 20’s-30’s, to share my life and interests with. A close friendship is my goal. Please respond. (Tulsa) ~34529 NIGHTS IN BLACK LEATHER. GWM, Secretary of Tulsa Technicians, seeks other men who are hairy, ’stoched, bearded and masculine, to teach me more about Leather and all that it implies. I want to know all there is! (Tulsa) ~34324 DECENT MEN ONLY. GWM, 6’, 175, good looking and in shape, seeks others with same qualities. Leave a message. (Tulsa) ~4.7744 BAR FLIES BE GONEI. GWM, 28, 5’9", 155, good looking, straight acting, into all out door activities, smoker and social drinker, seeks others, 21-30, for fun, friendship and possibly more. Bar flies need no~" respond. (Tulsa) ~e42991 NO ONE NITERS HERE. GWM, 18, seeks others, 18-21, for fun, friendship and possible relationship. Please leave a message. (Tulsa) ~ 11953 DO YOU WANT TO HAVE FUN?. GWM, 6’1", 165, blonde hair, tanned and hairy, seeks others for one on one or phone fun. Please leave a message. (Tulsa) ~33414 DISCREETLY YOURS. GWM seeks straight actina and masculine GWM’s for friends. Pleas~ leave me a message. Firemen, policemen and military a plus. (Tulsa) ~ 13775 TEACH ME TONIGHT. Bi Curious WM, 28, brown hair, blue eyes, 6’, 160, very good shape, very inexperiericed, seeks very straight acting and Discreet men for first time pleasures. Please leave a message. (Tulsa) ~r!8134 LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCE. Bi Curious Married WM, very a~active, good body, 6’1", 180, blonde hair, blue eyes, seeks other white males for first time experience. Please leave a message. No need to be Discreet. (Tulsa) ~ 16302 GIRL TALK. Bi Curious WF, 5’11",165, 24, blonde hair, hazel eyes, variety of interests, out doors woman, Seeks Bi WF’s or Curious WF’s, for friendship, exploration 6nd maybe more. Leave a message. (Oklahoma) ~26249 LET’S LEARN TOGETHER¯ Extremely Bi Curious WF, new to this life,. 22, ~’all and full figured; seeks same ~or le~rning experiences. Please leave a message (Oklahoma City) e27073 SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. GWF, 31, seeks other females for fun, romance and more. Please leave a message. (Tulsa) ~27256 Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1996] Tulsa Family News, February 15-March 14, 1996; Volume 3, Issue 3 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource Tulsa Family News was a monthly newspaper; No. 1 issued December 1993-January 1994. The final issue available was published in September 0f 2001 (Volume 8, Issue 9). The newspaper brings up important, evolving topics of marriage, Pride, TOHR, HIV/AIDs, events, advice, and politics all at the local and national level. This document is available in searchable PDF attached. It is also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 15-March 14, 1996 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Phyl Boler-Schmit Barry Hensley Pat Morehead JD Jamett Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/507 Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, January 15-February 14, 1996; Volume 3, Issue 2 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 African Americans AIDS/HIV AIDS/HIV discrimination AIDS/HIV drugs AIDS/HIV research arts and entertainment attorneys Barry Hensley Bars Bill Clinton businesses censorship churches custody Darly Jay Dave Fleischer domestic violence Don't Ask Don't Tell estate planning Eureka Springs FUSO gay panic harassment Health Briefs heresy homophobia James Christjohn Jean-Pierre Legrandbouche Leanne Gross marriage Murder Native Americans performing arts Phyl Boler-Schmidt RAIN restaurants schools sex education Shanti sodomy laws Stephen Fry That's Entertainment! threats Tom Neal Tulsa Family News Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Tulsa Oklahoomans for Human Rights viatication