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[Sub-Series] Newsletters & Publications > Tom Neal Newsletters > Tulsa Family News
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Berlin Exhibit Looks at
Gay Victims of Nazis
by Paul Geitner, Associated Press Writer
BERLIN (AP) - Focusing attention on along-neglected
group of Nazi victims, a two-part exhibition about Gays
persecuted under the Nazis opened Sunday at museums
m Berlin and in a former concentration camp where
many of the victims were killed.
The exhibits of documents, photos, drawings and
other objects collected during 10 years ofresearchis the
largest on the subject ever mountedinGermany, project
organizers said. It documents the fate of700individuals
who suffered under the Nazis’ draconian anti-Gay laws
and tells 60 personal stories.
"We want to return to the Gay victims of the Nazis
theirnames and to show their lives, as far as possible, so
as to.at, least symbolically liberate them.from the dehumamzmg
barbarity of the Nazis,’" said Andreas
Stemweiler, project director at the Gay Museum in
Berlin, where part of the exhibit is being shown.
The other half opened at the Sachsenhausen concentration
camp, where many Gay men - labded with a
.pink triangle- ended up because of the camp’s proxim-
,ty to the capital, see Nazis, p.3
Be Counted: Effort to
Include Gays in Census
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A national campaign to
include Gays and Lesbians in Census 2000 is urging
same-sex couples to check offtheboxindicating they’re
unmarried partners.
Using e-mail, ads in Gay publications and word-ofmouth,
thecampaign is an un0fficial way to get a partial
indication of the nation’s Gay and Lesbian population,
the San Jose Mercury News reported recently. "We
want to make the point that there is such a thing as a Gay
or Lesbianfamily,’" said PaulaEttelbrick, family policy
director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
The federal government added the unmarried partners
category to the census in 1990, to recognize heterosexual
couples who live together without being married.
That year, 150,000 same-sex households were
identified. "It was a vast undercount,’" said Ann
Northrop, board member for the Institute for Gay and
Lesbian Strategic Studies.
Those involved in the so-called "Out the Census’"
campaign say that even though individual Gays and
Lesbians won’t be counted, the number of couples will
provide a partial account. And additional information
included on U.S. Census forms could provide a valuable
snapshot of the community, including income levels,
ethnicity and the number of same-sex couples raising
children.
While the campaign is getting nationwide attention,
some Gays and Lesbians are wary ofrevealing toomuch
information. Rikki Westerschulte, who is raising a
daughterwith herparmer, says sheknows many couples
who are nervous about declaring their sexual orientation
on an official government form.
The recent passage of Proposition 22, which recognizes
only marriage between a man and a woman in
California, adds to the suspicion. "You walk down the
hall at work and wonder, ’Who is it I think I can trust,
who really feels I’m immoral?’ "Westerschnlte asked.
Other couples are angry they cannot declare themselves
as married, see Census, p. 11
Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends
Tulsa’s Largest Circulation Community PaperAvailable In More Than 75 City Locations
Camme,rmeyer .To Join
Lougan s at Pr de 2000
TULSA - Last month, the organizers of Diversity Festival 2000
announced that US Olympic champion, Greg Louganis, would
serve as Grand Marshall for the° Millennium Pride Parade this
June. This month, organizers confirmed that Dr. Grethe
Cammermeyer, distiguished veteran of the United States Armed
Forces, will join Louganis as grand marshall.
Cammermeyer challenged
US anti-Gay/Lesbian policies
which forced her out of her
nursing positionin the United
States Reserve forces. Her
lifestory was madeinto a television
film produced by
Barbra Streisand, starring
Glenn Close.
Cammermeyerhas come to
Tulsa before. She spoke at
the Universi ty of Tulsa in the
spring of 1995 to an audience
of about 300 Tulsa Family
New~ writer Lauri Cooper
shown in the photo at right
interviewed Cammermeyer.
The week of Pride events begins with an interfaith worship
service to be held at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. The
Reverend Dr. Mel White, author and civil rights activist, will be
the principle speaker at this event. White will lead a workshop
also to be held at the PAC on Saturday, June 3, from 2-5pm (free)
on the principles of non-violent social change.
Lougams will speak at a black tie optional dinner to be held at
the prestigious Summi t Club on Friday, June 9th. Tickets for the
event are $75/person and there will be a VIP reception at $50/
person. These events will benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human
Rights, the parent organization of the Gay Community Center
and Oklahoma’ s oldest Lesbian and Gay non-religious organization.
Organizers anticipate that the parade will follow the sameroute
as last year,
Cooper & Cammermeyer
SoulForee in Oklahoma
Members of Soulforce in Oklahoma Marched at
the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade in January.
TULSA- Oklahoma’s oldest Gay and Lesbian organizataon is a
religious one, the congregation now know as MCC United, the
Metropolitan Community Church United. So perhaps it is fitting
that one of Oklahoma’s newest community organizations also
has religious roots. "Soulforce in Oklahoma" is part of an effort
begun by the Rev. Mel White and his spouse Gary Nixon.
Soulforce is an ecumenical network of volunteers committed
to teaching and applying the principles ofnon-violence on behalf
ofsexnal minorities. Thename derives from the workofMohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, a leader of India’s independence movement.
Soulforce or truth force is a translation of "satyagraha" a
concept Gandhi began developing as a young lawyer fighting for
racial justice in South Africa. Gandhi’s thinking greatly influenced
the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his work for civil
rights for Black Americans.
The goals of Soulforce are to end the suffering ofLesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgendered persons, to change the minds and
hearts of religious leaders whose anti-Gay campaigns lead directly
and indirectly to that suffering, to be guided by the
principles of "relentless non-violent resistance, and through this,
try to bring hope and healing to society.
In Tulsa, Soulforce was organized by individuals involved in
MCC United and the group has been holding regular meetings at
the Gay Community Services Center. see Soul, p. 7
¯
Tulsan Chosen
For HRC Board
¯ Fundraiser Audra Sommers
: To Join Marty Newman in DC
¯ TULSA - Audra Sommers, who is planning an
¯¯ AIDS benefit in Tulsa next month, has gained
national recognition
¯ forher humanrights
- efforts. Sommers
¯ has been named to
the Board of Gover-
¯ nors of the Human
¯ Rights Campaign, a
¯ 300,000-member
national organlza-
¯ tion that batdes dis-
-¯ crimination against
sexual minorities.
¯
As a board mere-
¯ ber, Audra will be
¯ responsible for re-
. cmiting, promoting
¯ awareness ofhuman rights issues in Oklahoma and
¯ serving as a liaison between Oklahoma and the
¯ national organization in Washington, DC, where ¯
she will be heading for orientation this month. "I’m
¯ really, really happy that I was appointed, to the
: Board of Governors," she said.
¯ Sommers joins Tulsan Marty Newman on the ¯
Board of Governors. Newman expressed delight
: with Sommers selection. "Audra has a ~roven
.. history of work on behalf of the commumty, and
¯ she has an enormous number of people wholook to ¯
her leadership," noted Newman. He added that
." HRC is concentrating its effolas on Tulsa at this
¯ time and he feels Sommers will add immeasurably ¯
to HRC’s strengths.
see Audra, p.3
Audra Sommers
Pentagon Admits Hate
Speech is Widespread
by Robert Burns, AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Anti-Gay speech and harassment
is commonplace in the U.S. military,
especially among young enlisted troops, according
to a Pentagon inspector general’s survey. 85% of
those surveyed said they believed that anti-Gay
comments are tolerated on their base or aboard
their ship, and 37% said they had personally witnessed
or been the target of harassment - such as
hostile gestures, graffiti or physical assault- based
on perceived homosexuality.
The survey released last month also found a
widespread belief among troops that the Clinton
administration’s so-called "don’t ask, don’t tell’"
policy on Gays in the military - which Vice President
A1 Gore says he would eliminate if he were
elected president-is not working. President Clinton
himself has said the policy, forged in 1993, is now
"’out of whack.’"
Defense Secretary William Cohen, responding
to theinspector general’ s survey results, announced
he was creating a committee of military and civilian
officials to draft a plan for measures to improve
the policy’s implementation. Cohen put the onus
on military chiefs to fix the problem. "The report
shows that military leaders must do more to make
it clear that harassment based on sexual orientation
violates military values,’" Cohen said in a memo to
the military chiefs and service secretaries.
The administration’s policy, set in law by Congress
in 1993 after a heated political battle, says
Gays and Lesbians may serve in the military so
long as they keep their sexual orientation to themselves.
Dubbed "don’t ask, don’t tell,’" the policy
still bars openly homosexual people from serving
in uniform. Although the policy was designed to
make it easier for Gays to serve, an increasing
number have been discharged in recent years.
see Pentagon, p..10
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Chasers, 4812 E. 33 712-2324
*CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial 610-5323
Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th 583-6666
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria 749-4511
Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square 744-4280
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998
*The Star, 1565 Sheridan 834-4234
*The Storm, 2182:S. Sheridan 835-2376
*Renegi~des/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main 585-3405
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial 660-0856
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd 584-1308
*The Yellow ~rick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th , 749-15.63
Ailyanced:Wi~el~Ss 8~:PCS; Digital Cellular ~: ’~ 74%1~08)
*Assoc.. in- Med. &M~ntal Health, 2325 S I Harvard 743- t000
Kent Balch & Associates, Health & Life Insurance 747-9506
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 4I 665-4580 ¯
Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 -"
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955 :
*Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665 ,"
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 ¯
*CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 :
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 "
¯Devena’s Gallery, 13Brady 587-2611 "
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 :
¯Elite Books & Videos, 821 S Sheridan 838-8503 ¯
¯Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 "
Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460 "
¯Floral Design Studio, 3404 S,~eoria 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 ¯
Learme M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 459-9349 "
Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440 "
¯Sandra J. Hi~.’.ll, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1111 "_
¯International Touts ~ 341-6866
Jacox AnimaiClinic, 2732 E. 15th 712-2750 ]
¯Jared’~ Antiques,~]602 E. 15th ~ " ~582-30i8 :
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, 319E. 3rd 584-3112 ¯
Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934 "
¯Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 664-2951 ¯
Puppy Pause II, t060 S. Mingo 838-7626 ¯
¯Thh Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor 743-4297 ",
Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101 747-5932 "
Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617 "
Teri Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-7921, 747-4746
Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749-6301 ¯
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 "
Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities "
AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579,9593
All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363
Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314
Bless The Lord at All Times ~tiristian Cdn’t~r, 2207 E~ ~5 ....583-78"15
¯B/IAG/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 583-9780
¯Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201
¯Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. &Florence
¯Churchof the RestorationUU~ !3 l~N.Greenwood 587-1314
¯Comm’~ty ofHope United Methotttst, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300
¯Communi~ Uniti{rian-Universalist~ongregati0n 749-0595
,Council Oak Men’s Chorale 748-3888
¯Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511
¯Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457
Dignity/Integrity of Tnlsa - Lesbian & Gay Catholics &
.... Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140
¯Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
¯Free Spirit Women’s Center, call for location &info: 587-4669
Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615
POB 41413, Tulsa, OK 74159
e-mail: TulsaNews@ ear~hlinlc net
Publisher + Editor:
Tom Neal
Writers + contributors:
James Chfistjohn, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche,
Lamont Lindstrom, Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers
Member of The Associated Press
Issued on or before the 1st of each month, the entire contents
of.-.thi’s publ~cati6n are protected byUS copyright 1~98 by
i~r~ ~4~ /~1~u4 and may not be reprodu~.d either in
whole orin pm:twithout 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~,~t F¢~.’. N~÷ Each reader
is entitled to 4 copies of each editaon at distribution
points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248.
Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
*Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194
Holland Hall School, 5666 E. 81 st 481.1111
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378
*House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 3210e So. Norwood
Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438~2437, 800-284-2437
*MCt~ United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral P1. 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. Box52118, 74152
R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195
*Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325
O’RYAN, support group:[<~r t8-24 LGBT young adults
O’RYAN, Jr. support.group for 14-17 LGBT youth
S.t.Aidan. s Eptseop Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425~7882
St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492:7140
*St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
*Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 583-7171
*TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225
Tulsa County Health Deparunent, 4616 E. 15 5954105
Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on.Thursdays only
743-4297
298-0827
Tulsa Okla. for HumanRights, c/o The Pride Center
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc.
*Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
*Tulsa Community College Campuses
*Tulsa Gay Community Center, 1307 E. 38, 74105
Unity Church ofChristianity, 3355 S. Jamestown
BARTLESVILLE
743-4297
749-8833
*Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353
OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
Bdtders Books & Music, 3209 NWExpressway 405-848-2667
Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-573-4907
TAHLEQUAH
Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900
*Tatdequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918-456-7900
Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-9360
NSU School of Optometry, 1001 N. Grand
HIVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for dates
: EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
":- 32utunui Bi~ceze- ~dstaurant, Hwy. 23
¯ *1ira & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main
DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St.
¯ Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St.
; MCC of the Living Spnng
¯ Geek to Go!, PC. Specialist, POB 429
Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery
; Positive Idea Marketing Plans
; Sparky’s,Hwy. 62 East
¯ White Light, 1 Center St.
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
¯ *Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134
501-253-7734
501-253-7457
501-253-6807
501-253-5445
501-253-9337
501-253-2776
501-253-5332
501-624-6646
501-253-6001
501-253-4074
417-623-4696
* is where you can f’md TFN. Not all are Gay-owned but all are Gay"friendly.
Some 600 homosexuals were killed there
between 1939 and mid-1943 alone, according
to the researchers.
The Nazi anti-Gay law,knownas "Paragraph
175,’" was directly solely against
Gay men, since the Nazis were mainly
concerned with perceived threats to their
ideal of Aryan manhood. Lesbians were
generally ignored, although some were
arrested as "asocials’" or "prostitutes.’"
Few surviving victims ever came forward
after World War II because of continning
stigmaassociated withhomosexualkty,
whicl~remained illegal in West Germfiny
~mder the sam~ Nazi law until 1969:
Tens of thousands of men were prosecuted
in those postwar years.
Historians also generally ignored the
Nazi per.s..e~..u;~n of homosexuals until
the 1980s, meaning many survivors had’
already passedaway, organizers said. Only
a handful are known to still be alive; their
stories are told in a U.S.-made documentary,"
Paragraph 175,’" whichwon awards
at film festivals in Berlin and at Sundance
this year.
Germany’s center-left government introduced
a bill last week - 55 years after
the end of the war - that would require
parliament to officially recognize and
apologize to Gay victims. It also calls on
the government to study whether a blanket
annulment should be issued for convictions
under the Nazi anti-Gay law,
under which even a glance between men
could be cause for prosecution. -
Guenter Morsch, director of tli’~
Sachsenhansen memorial, noted that protests
erupted after the first plaque dedicated
to Gay victims of the Nazis was
hung at the Dachau concentration camp
outside Munich in the 1980s. Last year,
Germany’s national Holocaust memorial
day commemorated Gay victims for the
first time with .a ceremony at
S~lchsenhansen. Events like that and the
¯ new exhibit are important, he said, be-
; cause all groups - not just those that are
¯ "politically correct’" - must be remem-
-"- bered if tolerance is to be promoted.
: About 200,000 people were interred at
Sachsenhausen between 1936 and 1945;
: including Jews, Roma, communists ",rod
¯ other political prisoners. More than 1,400
Jews were killed there, thousands more
sent off to be killed in Auschwitz. Others
were forced to work in adjacent factories.
You mayfind the Gay Museum at
www.schwulesmuseum.de
Audra, who is also a volunteer fund-
¯ raiser, is currently producing her largest
¯ event to date, a three-hourAIDS benefit at
Tulsa’s Performing Arts Center that wi’ll
~ feature Thrifty president Don Himelfarb
: as keynote speaker.
¯ ThePAC show,"Connecting the Hearts
¯ ofTulsa,"is scheduledforApri120 atTpm
¯ and will benefit Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. Fea-
¯ tured performers include Debbie ¯
Campbell, Rebecca Ungerman and
¯ children’s musical groups from All Souls
¯ Unitarian Church.
¯ The John H. Williams Theater seats
429, andAudrahopes to sellit0ut. Tickets
¯ are $10 general admission, $20 VIP seat.-
," ing, and $5 students.
¯ For more information or tickets, call
~ 832-7919. see Audra, p. 3
by Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D. :
"Unmarried Partner." That’s the U.S. ¯
Census 2000 official term for boyfriends ;
and girlfriends. It’s either that or else you "
check Husband/Wife, Roomer/Boarder, ¯
Housemate/Roommate, or Other "
Nonrelative. ¯
How should I label my live-in? I can’t ¯
call him Husband or Wife. He’s not a :
Boarder. He’s much more than a RoOm- "
mate. (TheCen~uginfbmas us tha~ Room- ¯
mates "share living quarters primarily to :
share expenses.") AndOther Nonrelative; :
although correct, is hopelessly inadequate.
So, for lack of better alternative, the boyfriend
must be an Unmarried Partner.
I am pleased to see the Census Bureau
demands, rather romantically, that the
Unmarried Partnerhave"aclose personal
relationship with Person 1" (that is, with
me). I know some Unmarried Partners °
whose onetime close personal relations :
have aged into an icy and tight-lipped co- ¯
erastence. "
The Census, as a condensed.form of "
Ameri~anculturalpresumption, thinks that :
people really ought tO be related to their -
roommates either by blood or by marriage.
Anthropologists call such presumptions
"residencerules"- expectation about
who should live with whom. There are
patrilocal and matrilocal societies where
children live with either father’s or
mother’~ people. In avunculocal situations
-the tropical Trobriand Islands -
hildren move an with mother s brothers.
Where virilocal rules arefollowed, women
reside with their new husbands. Or there
is theuxorilocal opposite: traditional Hopi
Indian grooms, for example, move’ their
belongings into their bride’g house. And
there isthe "neolocal" U.S. where all
couples should establish new, independent
households.
All these patterns describe the co-residency
of kin, and the American situation
is no different. Most of us live with relafives
as we grow up: "mothers, fathers,
sis{~s, and brothers. And most of us live
with even more relatives after we marry:
husbands, wives, sons, and daughters.
There are just two anomalous periods in
mostAmericanlife cycles when wemight
find ourselves living with non-kin (with
"Other Nonrelatives," according to Census
language). The first consists of the
few years between leaving morn and dad
behind and marriage.
This typically is the time of higher
educalionwhen young twenty-somethings
pile up in dormitories, fraternities, sororities,
and shared apartments. The second
comes with old age. We agomze over the
mor~ity of farming mom out to some
nursing home ward full of strangers.
The experience of life with non-kin and
strangers is fraught with aggravations and
difficulties. The common bathrooms,
those dirty dishes, the housemate’s woeful
taste in music. Life with mere friends
or roommates is rocky and unstable. My
nervous students busy themselves with
inventing "fictive kinship" labels for one
another. They pretend that the co-residents
in their sororities or fraternities are
"just like" their sisters and brothers. And
they watch a lot of "Friends," relying on
Hollywood to romanticize and make fun
of the peculiar experience of sharing their
toilet seats with the "Other Nonrelated."
Weare broughtup to live with relatives.
Sbared residence withkin is easier for two
reasons. We are morally obliged to forgive
the exasperations of our revolting
brothers that we would never stand from
a friend. And we ablemore easily to take
our revenge on our irksome siblings,
spouses, orchildren, unconstrainedby the
politeness conventions that govern our
relations with non-kin. Wash those dishes
or you are grounded! Pick up your filthy
socks, slob!
Gays and Lesbians are in something of
a residential quandary: many of us never
mo~e beyondthis stageof life with nonkin.
Straights leave behind theirfew years
of shared apartments and dormitories to
¯ return to new households composed of
:. kin. But since Gays and Lesbians cannot
¯ marry, officially at least, we live out our
lives with roommates, other nonrelatives,
¯ and unmarried partners.
¯ This perhaps explains some of the fra- ¯
gility ofGay households. "It’sMyWay or
the Highway!" is easier to demand when
you aren’t shouting at relatives. Many of
us havemetguys whowereperfectcouples
before they made the fatal mistake of
moving m together. And we have other
friends who are resigned to living solo.
No spare toothbrushes in theirbathrooms.
They’ve relied too often on the unkind=
hess of strangers.
Soyou snoopingFedenumerators, come
along and count me. I’m checking the
Unmarried Partner box. At the moment at
least, I’m happily living with the UP. I
realize, given American cultural patterns,
that the non-kin structure of our household
is anomalous. It will require extra
effort and forgiveness to keep it going.
Forget or forgive those badly squeezed
.toothpaste tubes. TheUPis neitherbrother
nor spouse but t still want him arodttfl"to
be counted in 2010: ,-:~:
LamontLindstrorn teaches anttfOl~lbgy
at the University of Tulsa.
Among the. survey’s key findings:
- 80% of the 71,500 members of the
Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps
surveyed said they had heard offensive
speech or jokes or derogatory names or
remarks about Gays in the past year. The
service members were not asked if they
had. participated in such behavior.
-33% said they heard it often. It was
reported most frequently in the Marine
Corps and least in the Air Force. Such
behavior was reported to be most common
among junior enlisted troops.
--Of the offensive behaviors or actions
reported as directed against Gays, offensive
speech was the most common. It was
mentioned by 89% of those who reported
witnessing or experiencing some form of
harassment. Hostile gestures were reported
by 35%; threats or intimidation by 20%;
graffiti by 15%, vandalism of personal
property by 7% and physical assault by
9%.
The survey was done on 38 U.S. military
bases and aboard 10 Navy ships and
one submarine from Jan. 24 to Feb. 11.
The spark that caused the Pentagon to
take a closer look at how the Gay policy is
being implemented - and the extent of
anti-Gay behavior in the field - was the
bludgeoning death lastJuly ofaGay Army
private, Barry Winchell, at FortCampbell,
Kentucky. His killer, a fellow Army private,
was convicted and sentenced to life
in prison.
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Mississippi House Bans
Adoptions by Gays
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi may become
the second state with a law banning homosexual
couples from adopting children, althoughlawmakers
embracing the idea say they are unaware of any cases
ofGay adoptive parents. The House approved theban
with no debate late in March, nearly a week after a
similar proposal died for lack of action. The adoption
ban was revived after an orchestrated phone call
campaign by supporters.
Only Florida has a law forbidding Gay adoptions,
but other stateshave policies that keep homosexuals
from seeking adoptions. Bill opponents and supporters
said they were unaware of adoptions in Mississippi
involving Gay couples or any couples hoping to
adopt.
Mississippi Baptists and the Tupelo-based American
Family Association had lined up in support of the
proposal. On the other side were the American Civil
Liberties Union, which has threatened alawsuit, and
homosexual groups.
"It’s ridiculous,’" said Eddie Sandifer of Jackson,
director of the Mississippi Gay and Lesbian Alliance.
"This is going to be in court. It’s just a waste of
taxpayers’ money. They know there’s going to be a
lawsuit and they’ll lose eventually.’"
House Public Health Commi ttee Chairman Bobby
Moody, D-Louisville, said, "ff it’s the right thing to
do, it doesn’t matter to me if it leads to a lawsuit or
not.’" "What constitutes a family is not a homosexual
couple,’" s~iid Moody.
The bill was approved 107-8. There could be an
attempt for a second vote. "That bill is of the assumption
that anybody who’s Gay wilt,abuse children.
That’ s not a good ~rgument. I can’tjudge one’ s moral
turpitude. I’m not qualified to do that,’" said Rep.
David Green, D-Gloster.
This is the second time in three years that Mississippi
lawmakers have gotten involved in Gay issues.
In 1997, they banned homosexual marriages. The
adoption ban was added to a bill dealing with nurse
practitioners. That proposal lets the practitioners prepare
paperwork about the physical or mental condi- -
tion of a child being put up for adoption. Now doctors
must do the paperwork.
Moody said the House vote came in response to a
public outcry. "There’s been a lot of publicity created
around the state. It gave the false impression to some
religious groups that it was happening or there was a
possibility it could happen,’" he said of adoptions by
Gay couples.
Rep. Mary Coleman, D-Jackson, said lawmakers
"’were infringing on people’s private lives.’" David
Ingebretsen, director of theACLU in Mississippi, has
said his group may sue on behalf of aGay couple if the
bill becomes law. Other states have been sued over
their adoption policies. The bill does not ban a Gay
individiml from trying to adopt a child. It goes back to
the Senate for more consideration.
PlanetOut Website and
Advocate/Out to Merge
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - PlanetOut, which caters
to Gays and Lesbians, has announced plans to acquire
Liberation Publications, the largest publisher of Gay
and Lesbian periodicals and books in the country.
Liberatiofi Publications Inc. produces the Advocate
newsmagazine and will soon own Out magazine.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The companies
describe the deal as a merger, but the Interact
company will be the dominant partner; allowing the
magazines "tO continue publishing under their own
brand names.
"You can characterize it as the AOL-Time Warner
in the Gay space,’" said Megan J. Smith,.chief executive
of PlanetOut. Her five-year-old company operates
the Web site
www.planetout.com, along with an online radio and
film service and PlanetOut TV, which airs on the site
and on Canadian television.
In 1996, the San Francisco-based site became the
first Gay-oriented enterprise to secure venture capital
funding. The company has since established parmerships
with AOL, Netscape, Yahoo! and other major
Web companies as well as made advertising agreements
with Arista Records, Virgin Adantic Airways
and Johnson & Johnson.
Liberation Publications is based in Los Angeles. It
announced Feb. 21 that it. would acquire New Yorkbased
Out Publishing Inc., the publisher of Out and
HIV+ magazines.
The Advocate, a 33-year-old bi-weekly with a
circulation of about 88,000, concentrates on news,
politics, business and medical information. Out~ a
monthly launchedin 1992, has a circulation of 115,000
and focuses on culture, entertainment, fitness and
other topics. The Gay marketis considered a prime for
Intemet players because a high percentage of Gays
and Lesbians use the Internet and because the Intemet
)rovides.a level Of anonymity.
Dr. Schlessinger’s TV
Show Draws Protesters
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Paramount Television says it
is committed to putting tough-talking Dr. Laura
Schlessinger on TV, the tough-talking protests of
hundreds of angry Dr. Laura demonstrators notwithstanding.
"Shame, shame, shame,’" more than 200
Gay civil rights protesters shouted outside Paramount
Pictures, where they demanded the studio drop plans
to put the controversial radio host on television this
fall.
Schlessinger, known to her listeners as Dr. Laura,
dispenses relationship advice onher enormously popular
radio show. She has called homosexuality a"biological
error’" and "deviant.’"
"When Paramount bought Laura Schlessinger’s
show, they bought abattle withtheGay community,’"
said Joan Garry, executive director of the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "We’re going
to do whatever it takes’" to get the ParamOunt Television
Group to abandon the syndicated show, Garry
said.
So far Paramount has stood firm. and none of the
stations signed on to air Schlessinger’s show have
backed out. In arecent statement, the studio §aidit was
committed to presenting moral and ethi’~fl issues
without "creating or contributing to an en~cfroimaent
of hurt, hate or intolerance.’"
One of the signs carried by the demonstrators read
"No More Matthew Shepards.’" a reference to the
Gay student killed in Wyoming in 1998. Also fueling
the protest is anger over the passage last month of
Proposition 22, which bans same-sex marriage in
California.
"We will do whatever it takes to keep the pressure
on. The strategies will be about advertisers and the
affiliates,’" Garry said, declining to specify whether
that meant station or sponsor boycotts.
Countering the demonstrators were about 75
Schlessinger supporters organized by Campaign for
California Families, a conservauve, nonprofit organization.
"We’re the majority Of people who pay to see
Paramount films and who tune in to Paramount television
shows. We are in support of Dr. Laura being on
the air,’" Said Cherri Gardner, a spokeswoman for the
group.
Conservatives Sue City
Over Partners Benefits
BOSTON (AP) -A conservativelaw firm is suing the
city of Cambridge, claiming that the ordinance that
allows homosexual couples to register as domestic
partners is illegal and unconstitutionhl.
"The ordinance isboth legally and morally wrong.
.. This legal action is necessary to defend marriage
and the family,’" Vincent P. McCarthy, Northeast
counsel for the Virginia-based American Center for
Law and Justice, said Tuesday in a statement.
In July, the state Suprem,e Judicial Court struck
down an executive order issued by Boston Mayor
Thomas Menino that was intended to give health
insurance coverage to Gay partners of Boston city
workers.
The ACLJ assisted the Catholic Action League in
that case and predicted another legal victory against
Cambridge. It also said it planned to file a suit against
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the city of Springfield. The Catholic Action Leagueis
also involved in the Cambridge case.
Under the Cambridge ordinance passed in 1992,
Gay couples go to City Hall and register as domestic
partners. Once registered, partners of a city or school
worker are entitled to the same health benefits as
spouses of city and school workers.
Michael Gardner, Cambridge’s personnel director,
who administers the be~lefits, said he felt the ordinance
was both legal and constitutional.
"It was our view that we should continue to follow
the ordinance passed by our legislative body,’" he
said.
The law firm, which brought the suit onbehalfof 12
Cambridge residents, attacked the ordinance on a
number of legal fronts, but one argument was the one
that succeeded in the Supreme Judicial Conrt last
year.
The SJC had rifled that the" Boston executive order
was "inconsistent’" with a decades-old state law that
granted cities the authority to provide health insurance
to workers, their spouses and dependents.
Gary Buseck, executive director of Gay and Lesbian
Advocates and Defenders, said he would be
happy if Cambridge fought the case vigorously.
But he also called on the Legislature to pass a bill
designed to grant cities and towns the power to extend
the benefits if they chose. The bill has passed the
Senate but is pending in the House, he said.
"The Legislature can put an end to all of this and
~make sure cities and towns have an option of extending
health insurance to all their employees,’" Buseck
said.
Georgia Hate Crimes
Bill Gets Final Passage
ATLA~’qTA (AP) - The Georgia Senate gave final
passage to a bill allowing stiffer penalties for hate
crimes. Gov. Roy Barnes will have to sign off on it
before it can become law. ~
The. origii~ Version of the bill specified which
types ofbigo.try warranted a hate crime, but the House
amended the: measure to be more vague. It now
mentions only.crimes motivated by "bias or preju-
Sen. Vincent D. Fort, D-Atlanta, said he would
have preferred the.originalianguage but was willing
to accept the ctian~e~.
.A jury would, declare defendants guilty of a hate
crime after they were convicted ofanother crime such
as vandalism, arson, assault or murder. The initial bill
would have allowed the judge to make that decision.
That changeprompted Sen. Clay Land, R-Columbus,
to reverse his original vote and support the measure.
~At that time,.I felt the legislation was unconstitutional
because it did not provide the accused with a
¯ jury trial,’" he said.
Under the bill, sentences and fines for misdemeanors
would be increased by half, up to the maximum
allowed, for hate crimes. Felony prison sentences
¯ would be increased byfive years up to the maximum
sentence. Defendants convicted ofhate crimes would
have to serve at least 90 percent of their sentences.
Women Lawmakers Key
To Civil Unions Win
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A greater percentage of
women than menin the Vermont House of Representatives
voted in favor of the civil unions bill that
passed in the House last week.
Female representatives approved by a wide margin
granting same-sex couples tile benefits of marriage
through civil unions while their male counterparts
turned it down. The women voted for the bill 35-9
while the men voted against it 60-41.
All but one of 32 female Democrats voted in favor
of the bill, while four of 12 Republican women voted
for it.
Although women make up relatively smaller proportions
of each caucus, more than half of the Democrats
voting yes were women, and more than a quarter
of the Republicans voting yes were women.
Rep. Anne Pugh, D-South Burlington, said female
constituents in general asked her to support the bill,
while men asked her [o oppose it.
"It may have m do with the fact that women
traditionally focus on family, and nurturing and relationships
- that women’s identity comes from connecting,’"
Pugh said.
Rep. Michael Vinton, D-C01chester, a retired state
trooper who has been outspoken in his criticisms of
anti-Gay arguments, said he bdieved women felt less
threatened by homosexuality. "For whatever reason,
I feel there’s more fear among the male gender,’"
Vinton said. "Men seem to be more crfical of people
-it’s just our species, probably.""
The trend reflects women’s greater receptiveness
to homosexuals across the country, according to national
policy experts.
"Women overwhelnfingly support Gay aud Lesbian
civil rights more than ~nen, generally speaking,’"
said Paula Ettelbrick, director ofthe National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute.
"’Women identify more because, like Gays and
Lesbians, they have not been part of the system as a
group, and theymaderstand the need and desire to be
a full citizen,’" she said. However, she said the fact
that the Vermont House had passed a civil unions bill
at all "shows that mendike everybody else have the
capacity to change on issues involving their own
communities.’"
The bill passed on a final margin of76 to 69. Voting
yes were 57 Democrats, 14 Republicans, four
Progressives mad one Independent. Voting no were 50
Republicans, 18 Democrats, and one Independent.
N.M. Christian Coalition
Files Phone Co. Benefits
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The New Mexico branch
of the Christian Coalition is accusing U S West of
abusing public trust by providing employee benefits
to homosexuals and other umnarried workers. In a
document filed with the state Public RegulationCommission,
theNew Mexico Christian Coalition says the
policy is "offensive to decent, moral subscribers who
want phone service.’"
Edward Lopez Jr., U S West’s vice president in
New Mexico, said he is disgusted to "see-this kind of
hate and intolerance’" in a state as diverse as New
Mexico. Lopez says. the policy is good business. "We
believe our work force mirrors that of our. custom-
: ers,’" he said. "We’ve better able to understand .our.
customers needs and respond to.them.’"
¯ In its one-page filing, theChristian group contends
U S West’s benefits policy promotes the spread of
¯ AIDS and other sexually transmitteddiseases. "We’re
¯ saying there’s a moral issue of unmarried people that
¯ donot deserve benefits. If there is any way to prevent
¯ that from happening, we’ll do that,’" said Mark Bur-
" ton, executive director of the Albuquerque-based
¯ group. The group, affiliated with Pat Robertson’s
Christian Coalition of America, also contends in the
¯ filing that homosexuals are prone to violence and
¯ child molestation.
¯ Linda Siegle, alobbyist for theCoalition forEquality,
called the group’s statements "ludicrous and
¯ absurd, based on every lie and stereotype perpetrated
¯ on people who are Gay.’"
About 2,500 private corporations, universities and
other organizations across the nation provide domes-
" tic partnership benefits, she said.
¯ In its Mar~h i0 filing,’ the New Mexico Christian
¯ Coalition requested the PRC investigate "the social
¯ implications of this heinous U S West policy.’" "The
partners of homosexuals .shouldn’t have the right to
¯ get benefits fromamonopoly when I have no other
choice (for servic£),’" Burton said. " "
The Public Regulation Commission currently as
investigating U S West’s customer rates. Commission
chairman Bill Pope said he couldn’t comment on
anything contained in the filing because the panel has
yet to hear the rate case.
South African Gays
May Give Blood
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) -
Gay men have a constitutional right to
donate blood, the South African Human
Rights Commission has ruled. The commission
said it was no longer Gays who
were most at risk for HIV in South Africa,
but people in their early 20s.
The commi ssiondemandedthat ablood
bank in Western Cape change its practice
of not accepting blood from homosexual
men. Western Cape Blood Transfusion
Service director Arthur Bird on Friday
said he disagreed with the decision and
was seeking legal advice.
The case came about after Andrew
Barnes, a public relations manager, responded
to an urgent plea for new donors
in the midst of a severe blood shortage last
year. A nurse at Western Cape Blood
Transfusion Service declined Barnes’
blood afterhemarked "yes’" ontheform’ s
question of whether he had had sex with a
man. Barnes had been in a r~lationship
with anothermanformore than two years.
The commission said the decision to
reject Barnes’ blood was ’~discrimination
in terms of the Constitution." It said it
would take the blood bank to court unless
it explains what changes it will make to
avoid breaching people’s constitutional
right to equality before April 3.
Teacher With AIDS
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - HIV/AIDS activist
Cathy Robinson was a teacher in
1991, living a storybook life with her
husband, pregnant with their second child.
She and her husband, Dan, went to the
doctor for what was supposed to be a
routine physical for life insurance and
learned theunimaginable: They both Were
infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
Three years later, she developed AIDS.
"My first instinct was, ’I know where
I’ve been. Where have you been?’ "
Robinson said. Then headlines flashed
through her head declaring Belle Glade -
where she had worked with children- the
AIDS capital of the state. She wondered if
she had contracted the deadly virus there.
Buttwomonths later, Robinson, 34, found
out she had contracted HIV from a man
who died from AIDS complications in
prison while doing time for raping her
July 4, 1984, at a Tallalaassee convenience
store where she worked. Privacy
laws prohibited the prison from disclosing
to Robinson that he had AIDS.
She went seven years without finding
out she had HIV. She gave it to her husband
during that time, but her children,
Garrett and Lyndsy, are HIV-free. There
is only about a 20% chance a pregnant
mother will pass onHIV to her baby. With
medicine, the chances drop to 4%.
Robinson, who also wasdiagnosed with
breast cancer two year~s ago, is coping
with her own mortality by spending the
time she has left to promote safe sex and
persuade people to get tested. Her efforts
includ~lhe NAMES Project AIDS Memoria~:
Quilt display, which is being displayed
this month in the Hollis Wellness
Center at Florida Southern College.
Robinson. travels throughout Florida
talking with students, sheriffs’ deputies
and commumty groups about HIV and
AIDS, defying stereotypes of the "typical’"
AIDS victim, as a mamed, white,
middle-class mother of two.
Laws about HIV status disclosure vary
by state. In Florida, it takes a court order
to have someone convicted of sexual assault
tested. "We don’t as a state mandate
testing, and emergency rooms don’t have
time to doit,’" Robinson said. "They (tell)
victims of sexual as sault, ’In afew weeks,
you should get tested.’ "
Assistant State Attorney Sherri
Scarborough, who handles many of the
criminal sexual assault cases in Polk
County, said state statutes allow the court
to order HIV tests of anyone accused of a
crime where bodily fluids are exchanged.
But the victim has to request the tests and
ask that the health department notify them
of the results. Scarborough said she only
remembered two cases in the past six
years when a victim wanted to have his or
her attacker tested. One whs aT0-year-old
woman. The other was a college student.
Robinson was a student at Florida State
University when she was raped. Two of
her attackers were convicted, but a third
man never was arrested. She testified in
the two trials but did not ask that her
attacker be tested because there was no
HIV test at the time. "In 1985, there was
a test. I called right away, but they said,
~Cathy, you don’t need to worry. The only
people who get HIV are Gays and drug
users,’ " she said. Meanwhile, her attacker
was being treated for AIDS in
prison.
WhenRobinson foundout she was HIVpositive,
she said she didn’t tell anyone
for amonth. Thev. two months passed, and
she was about to give bir~ to her son,
Garrett, now 8. "Three nurses refused to
give us care. One, not knowing anything
about me, assumed we decided to have
children even though we had AIDS. She
called (the Department of Children and
Families) to try to get them to take our
kids away,’" Robinson said.
ThenRobinsonmadea choice she could
never take back. She decided to talk about
her story in schools and churches to raise
public awareness. "By going public, there
was no way I could ever teach again,
which was fine,’" she said. "Then they
wiped my husband’s job out of his company.
We paid tbr groceries with credit
cards for a while... Thenwerealized they
were going to turn our lights out. We
moved in with my parents in Clewiston."
Cathy and Dan since have moved to
Fort Myers with her best friend, a nurse.
But they decided five years ago to have
Garrett and Lyndsy, 9, continue to live
with her parents, to ease the transition on
the day the~ know will come. The
Robinsons see their childrenon weekends
and holidays. They write in journals and
make tapes to record memories they want
the kids to remember.
"We knew ultimately we were going to
die,’" Cathy said. "We thought it was
importantfor them to transilion. Wenever
thought we’d still be transitioning five
years later. Our biggest fear was dying
before Lyndsy and Garr’ett were old
enough to remember us.’"
Bill Gregory, an advertising professor
at Florida Southern, fellow AIDS activist
and friend, said Cathy hves to spread the
message. But radiation therapy has made
it more difficult in recent months. Cathy
travels to Miami for radiation treatments
because she can get them free in exchange
for leading educational programs. She
puts about 1,500 miles a week on her
leased Ford Explorer traveling throughout
the state for AIDS education, stressing
safer sex and HIV testing.
"You have to be tested,’" she said. "No.
1, you don’t want others to get infected.
No. 2, they can treat you. If you are
negative, you have a chance to rethink
your activities that got you there.’"
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Are You Gay or Bisexual?
Are You Native American?../,=
Tulsa’s Two-Spirited Indian Men s
Support Group is here for you~.
¯ E~ening support group meetings
¯ Relationship workshops
¯ Short trips, outings and retreats
¯ Free HIV testing
For information call Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project
beginning at the Gay Community Center
¯ at 37th and Peoria and ending at Veterans
Park at 18th and Boulder. The parade will
begin at llam The Pride Festival will
also begin at Veterans Park at 1 lain and
will continue till about7 or8pm, finishing
off the week’s events.
TOHR organizers include Kerry Lewis
as chairperson of the overall effort. "Humanity
United for Haman Rights -Diversity
Celebration 2000," Greg
Gatewood, TOI-IR president and festival
chair,Audra Sommers,parade chair, Lynn
Moesteller, sponsor chair, Mitchell Savage,
media chair, Ktis Kohl, festival entertainmentchair
andNedBruha, incharge
of festival booths and beverages.
On June 3, Saturday, That evening also
at the PAC Doenges Theatre, the TOHR
Follies, not seen for a namber of years,
will reprise, 100 Years of Broadway with
tickets available through the PAC. Tuesday,
June 6th, an art exhibit, "United" will
open and on Thursday, June 8th, there
will be a film night. Locations and times
will be announced later.
For more information about these
events, call the Gay Community Services
Center at 743-4297 (Gays).
And while the organization has not been
in Tulsa for long, already it’s become
active and visible. Soulforce members
along withTOHR, Tul sa Oklahomans for
Haman Rights, marched in the M.L.King,
Jr. Day parade, marking the first time
openly Gay people and groups have partidipated.
And for the kick-off for this year’s Gay
Pride events, Diversity Celebration 2000,
Soulforceis bringing Mel WhiteandGary
Nixonback to Tulsafor aninterfaith workshop
and to lead a Soulforce workshop.
White and Nixon were in Tulsa several
years ago for a regional conference of
i~FLAG, Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays, held at All Souls
Unitarian Church.
Also on May 6-12, in Cleveland, Ohio,
at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Soulforce
will hold Soulforce University (SFU) SFU
is arare, one-week opportunity for people
offaith to learn and apply the principles of
nonviolence. SFU is being held in conjunction
with the world congress of the
United Methodist denomination of Chris-.
tianity, General Conference 2000 which
will also be in Cleveland, on May 2-12.
Historically, Methodists have cared
about the poor, the homeless, and the
outcast. Soulforce organizers state, "sadly,
decisions made by their [United Methodist]
General Conferences over the past
three decades have ended that tradition of
caring and made outcasts of God’s Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered
children. We hope to help end those unjust
and discriminatory policies.
For thirty-t~vo years United Methodist
leaders have debated the issue of homosexuality.
Too many of" their delegates
have ignored the historic, scientific, psychological,
pastoral and even biblical evidence
thathomosexuality is neither a sickness
nor a sin. As a result, with almost
every General Conference the U.M.C. has
hardened its anti-homosexual position.
That position leads to discrimination, snffeting,
and death.’"
Several Tulsans involved in Soulforce
will participate in the Cleveland events.
HEAR the Quilt
The NAMES Project Tulsa Area Chapter
is proud to announce the return of the
Quilt to Tulsa for a major display at the
Maxwell Convention Center December1
through 3, 2000.
The success of a major Quilt display is
dependent on volunteers from our community.
To develop interest and support
for this major World AIDS Day event, the
Tulsa Area Chapter will host a reception
on Thursday evening, April 27 at 7: 00pm
at Fellowship Congregational Church,
2900 South Harvard, Tulsa.
Please join us as we bring together the
community in preparation for "HEAR the
Quilt." We’ll have sections of the Quilt on
display and lots of information about upcoming
events Refreshments will be
served and it will be a great opportunity to
renew old friendships andmake new ones.
For more information you can contact
us at (918) 748-.~1 ll or at
TulsaQuilt@go.com
OK Spoke Club
The OK Spoke Club is begimfing its tides
again. A long ride (20 miles plus) will
begin at Ziegler Park at 7:30am on April
8th & 15th. Water and helmet are required.
A short tide (5 miles) along the Katy
Bicycle path in Sand Springs will begin at
6:30 pm on April 19th. Water and helmet
are strongly reconnnended.
At 9am, a long ride will begin at the
Pride Center, 3749 S. Peoria, rear parking
lot on April 22th. Water and helmet are
required. A short ride will leave from
there at 6:30 pm on April 26th. Water and
helmet are strongly recommended.
For more information, contact the club
at POB 9165, Tulsa, Ok 74157, or emaii
to: Okiebicycle@prodigy.net
Texas Lesbian
Conference
For 13 years now, Texas Lesbians have
presented one of the best conferences in
the US. This year’ s event, to be held at the
Renaissance Hotel, Greenway Plaza on
May 19-21 in Houston.
The conference will feature Urvashi
Vaid, former executive director of the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force,
cartoonist/cormnentator, Alison Bechdal,
creator of"Dykes to WatchOut For," poet
and author Ntozake Shange and Lesbian
comic Marga Gomez.
Andifthese were not enough of a draw,
TLC offers a variety of workshops on
legal, financial, spiritual and other issues.
TLC is awoman only event for which you
must be 18 to attend. For more information,
write POB 66012, Houston 77266.
Or "call 713-460-3435 for a registration
form. .
Living ArtSpace
New Show
Tul’sa’s contemporary art gall~ery~: Living
Ai~tSpace, now located at 308 South
Kenosha will present exhibition opening
& gallery talk by artist, John Hitchcoek,
on Thursday, April 6, 5:30-8pm.
Hitchcock invites the viewer tobecome
a participant in his installation by encouraging
them to "play games" and receive a
silk screened pnnt or an object. Using
games derived from Native American traditions,
the artist challenges the participant
to make the comparison between
traditional culture and the artwork.
Once upon a time, there was a teenager
named, for lack of a better moniker, Jim.
He was teased most of his school life for
being gay, name calling and threats of
physical violencebeing the
chief tactics deployed by
most of the other kids -the
mainstays of which were
the dreaded "jocks."
He had few friends, but
one of the few he considered
a friend happened to
be Shaun. Shatm was in
choir and on the football
team, and Jim had known
him for a few years, since
Jr High. What Jim repressed
and suppressed
was his physical and emotional
attraction for Shann.
Shaun wasn’t classically
handsome, but something
about him was incredibly
attractive to Jim. Maybe it
was just that, unlike the
other jocks, who singled
Jim out for particular torment,
Shaun always had
treated him with kindness
" ~roadway Damage’
is another little sleeper,
low budget movie that
is actually quite
wonderful...
The film is a ~ood
old-fashloned romantle
eornedy, kind of llke
the old screwballs
eomedles of the 30’s...
It’s a well-wrltten,
well-fihned, well-acted
" story that is sure to
brin~ a smile to
anyone’s face..."
and yes, even friendline,ss. This was !lJghly
unusual. Jim and Shaun s friendship~ew,
and they hung out a bit together. Jim
continued suppressing, and just enjoyed
Shaun’s company, basking in the glow of
their friendship.
At one point, they went to a film together.
Shaun sat with legs spread wide,
his leg touching Jim’ s. Wall, all Jim could
focus on throughout the film was the
sensfition of Shaun s leg against his; the
bea~from the other boy’s body flowing
in~d~s, the fact that he was really uncomfortable
due to the fact that certain feelingSwere
rising., feelings he’d been hiding
from everyone, including himself.
0~things w~re rising too, and he had
no!~deahow tohandle this. He wasn’t sure
ifShaun was doing this deliberately or by
accident. In ~_ospect, it had to be on
purpose. Shfiuns leg never left contact
wi~Jim’s tmtil the film was over. Jim
wasi:terrified.~Did he dare move, and cut
off~ie contact which he really so desperatdy
Wanted?Or should he re~pond?Was
thi~ ~test? Surely Shaun was aware of the
comments and teasing; he’d seen it happen,
To this day, Jim has no memory of
that film or what it was. Just the sensation
of Shaun’s leg and the accompanying
delight/fear.
Jim’s fervent yet deeply hidden desire
was for Shaun and he to bein love. Yet, of
course this could never be. Shaun was
straight-Jim thought. Andhe was ever so
aware of the fragility of friendship- he’d
~aot had many, ai~d would do nothing to
jeopardize this one.
One time, Shaun asked Jim to join he
and some friends for a swim. When Jim
got to Shaun’s house, he discovere~...that
the friends.~were other members of the
football team - the ones who so delighted
inmakinglife aliving hell for Jim. "Well",
he thought,"This should be ablast. NOT!"
To his surprise, they all got along. Jim did
feel incredibly out of place and utterly
self-conscious the whole time they were
around. Had to be careful not to slip up
and steal a glance at the wrong moment,
not that he could see anything without his
coke-bottle glasses anyway.
During the swim day, Shann told an
interesting story: He had entered a bar on
a certain street in. Arlington, Texas, and
thought it was a real cool place - until he
began to notice all the other patrons were
men - and looking at him. Then he left in
a hurry. You can imagine
thecomments this brought
on from the jocksters. It
was all Jim could do not to
ask WHERE. In fact,
Jim did devote a considerable
amount of time to
thoughts onhow to get the
desired information without
giving myself away,
but never could figure out
a foolproofmethod. Some
years later, Jim did go in
search of the aforementioned
place - and discovered
it was in a shopping
center with no sign age or
indications of any sort that
there was anything in the
shopping center. You had
to know where and what it
was to get there and find
the place. Interesting...
Later that day, Shaun
and I found ourselves
alone in his parent’s house. He excused
himself to take a shower, and was in there
along time. A really long time. Jim began
to wonder if he should just go home,
Shaun was in there so long. Then, out he
popped, completely nude - and Jim with
no glasses on! (He was near blind without
them.) It took a lot of control not to look
down, whichhe recalls doing anyway, for
a split second. Shaun probably caught it.
He paused, saying, "Sorry, forgot to take
my clothes i.n with me." Then went into
his room. Jim was nonplused. Here Shaun
is, withakidheknew was teased for being
Gay, exposing himself.
He spent along time inhis room, too,by
the way Jimwas certain this was all atest,
and the slightest wrong move would end
the friendship - after all, Shaun was a
good Southern Baptist boy, going to a
church that literally preached coercion to
get new members.
Yes, Jim knows better now. There were
signals being sent, Jimjust misinterpreted
them. Jim wished he hadn’t, even though
that would have ted to heartbreak. Jim
really was in love with Shaun. Last Jim
heard, Shaun was married, with kids. Sad
thing is, that all Jim had to go on were
negative images of Gayness. That’s all
that was out there in the world then. There
was no "Will and Grace", no positive
movie role models. And All he knew was
that one wrong step could end a friendship,
Or even get him beaten - or, in one
case he read about, killed.
Whichleads me to aDVD review:_"Get
Real". The story is pretty much the same
as above, withnerdy schoNboyfallingfor
upperclassmanjock. Except in the case of
"Get Real", the relationship is consummated
when schoolboy finds out that the
jockster is indeed, homoerotically inclined.
Of course, Mr. Jock is severely
suppressing, and holding on to his straight
identity with every’ fiber of his being. The
film played Tulsa for about a week in ’96
or ’97. I’m sure not everyone got to see it,
so I won’t spoil the ending. Let’s just say
schoolboy .comes out publicly and discovers
his inner strength. He’s accompanied
by a female friend, who remindedme
ofmyfriend Karin, who is now a Lesbian!
More on that later, see Amuse, p. 9
GILCREASE MUSEUM
April 29, May 5 & 7, 2000
Call 587-4811
Church of the Restoration
Unitarian Universalist
11 am, Sunday, 1314 North Greenwood, 587-1314
EUREKASPRINGS DIVERSITYCELEBRATION
-Friday, April 7
- 8:30pm to 12:30am,Dancing in the Ozark Room at the Basin Park Hotel (12 Spring
Street) with DJ Jon Caswell. Sponsored by theMCC of the Living Spring. Cover: $5 per
person. Cash Bar. Must be 21.
- 9pm to 12:30am, Karaoke at Shaw’s Tavern (37 Spring Street)
- 10pm to 2am, Breakfast at thenew Eureka House of Blues (in the basement of the x’~ :w
Orleans hotel at 63 Spring Street) or,
- 1 lpm to 2am, Breakfast at the Eureka Food Court (37 Spring Street)
Saturday, April 8
10am to Noon, Canoe float on the White River. $25 per canoe. Singles welcome- r
reservations and info, call theBeaver Dam Store at 501-253-6154.
10:30am. to Noon, Learn a littl6 of Eureka S prings’ history on a guided walking to,
the Historic District. Meet at Sweet Spnngs next to Rogue’s Manor on upper !:
Street. For further information, call 501-253-0070 or e-mail walking@nwaft.com.
- Noon to 3:30pm "Go Fly a Kite!" Weather permitting, bring your kites and your
cameras.at the beautiful Pond Mountain Lodge and Resort (two miles south on HighWay
23). For more information, contact Judy Jones at 800-583-8043.
- lpm to 2:30pro Head out to Lake Leatherwood Park (off Highway 62 West) for an
informative, guided trail hike. Get there a few minutes early and bring some water; some
walking sticks will be provided. You can also hike on your own on one of
the various trails in Eureka Springs’ "City Park". To obtain a trail map or
for further information about the park, please e-mail lthrwood@ipa.net. For
further information about the hike, call Steve at 501-253-9380 or 9384 or
e-mail gands@ipa.net.
- Please visit the unique shops and restaurants in the Eureka Springs
Diversity Cooperative. Let them know you’re here for Diversity Weekend!
- 3:30pm to 9pm,Check outThe Holein the Wall (191/2 Spring Street) forKaraokewith
Lita! Lunch and dinner will also be served. For further information, call
501-253-8361.
- 9pm to lain; Dance to the high,energy club ttmes of DJ Jon Caswdl at Center Stage
(37 Spring Street). Must be 21. Cover: $5 per person. Sponsored by The Emerald
Rainbow, Mark E. Cook Properties and Center Street Bar & Grill.
- 9pmto 12:30am, Belt out your favorite tunes as Shaw’s Tavern (37 Spring Street) once
again hosts a Karaoke night for "family" and friends.
- 10pm to 2am, Brealffast at thenew Eureka House of Blues (in the basement of the New
Orleans hotel at 63 Spring Street) or,
- 1 lpm to 2am, Breakfast at the Eureka Food Court (37 Spring Street)
Sunday, April 9
- 2pm to 6pm, Join us again at Center Stage (37 Spring Street) for a tea dance and drag
show, with performances by the "girls from Tulsa" and music by DJ Jon
Caswell. Must be 21. Cover: $5 per person. Sponsored by The Emerald
Rainbow, Ermilio’s Restaurant and Center Street Bar & Grill.
- 7pm, MCC of the Living Spring (17 Elk Street) will hold a service. Call
501-253-9337 for information. All are welcome!
For a listing of businesses supporting this and similar events, check out
the Eureka Springs Diversity Cooperative website at www.shimaka.coln/eureka/diversity
or drop by The Emerald Rainbow at 45 1/2 Spring Street for a printed copy.
Oklahoma Repertory Theatre Opens
TULS A-Theatreleaders from twoTulsa : and the Boys" by So. African playwright
organizations, Tulsa Repertory Theatre
and Wayward Theatre Co. have joined
together to create the Oklahoma Repertory
Theatre (also known as OK REP).
Catherine Adkins, Skip suraci. Christopher
Ferguson-Long and Nathan Huntley
will serve as executive artistic director,
advisor, associate founding artistic director
and associate artistic director, respectively.
OKREP,like the companies out of
which it grows is committed to "unique,
professional theatre, children’s theatre,
arts in education and community outreach."
OK REP will open its season with the
Pulitzer Prize winning, "Master Harold
The film translates well to DVD, maintaining
the widescreen image, and with
excellent rarity. Sadly, there’s no extra
features so prevalent now in DVD releases,
such as director’s commentary,
behind the scenes documentaries, etc. It
would have been .nice to have the actor’s
recollections of the making of the film
and the affect it had on them. However,
that does not detract from the fact it’s a
well-written film with an excellent.cast
and beautiful cinematography. The only
thing that bothered one of my friends at
the .initial showing was that jock boy
Athol Fugard. The production will mn
May 11-14 and May 18-20 at Tulsa’s
Performing Arts Center Liddy Doenges
~[]aeatre at 8pm and Sundays at 2pro, and
is supported in part by grants from the
Oklahoma Arts Council and the Tulsa
Performing Arts Center Tn~st.
The play, directed by Nathan Huntley,
is that of a young man growing up and
growxng aware in 1950’s South Africa
apartheid. Tulsa actors Greg Herman, Bill
Thomas and Christopher Ferguson-Long
perform the roles. Tickets are available at
the PAC box office, 596-7111, for $12/
adults and $9/students/seniors. For more
information, call OK REP at 592-6310.
seems to come from a well-heeled family,
yet has a working class accent. I noticed
after he pointed it out, but that did not
detract from the otherwise excellent performanees
given by Ben Silverstone as
the cuteschoolboy Steven Carter, Charlotte
Britain as his friend who faints on
command, and the hunky Brad Gorton as
thejock upon anyone Wouldbe daft not to
develop a crush. Available from Wolfe
Video (www.wolfevideo.com).
Along the same lines, sort of... well,
not really, but there’s a well-done scene
that exemplifies the kind of dynamic I
wrote of regarding seeing that tmnamed
film with Shaun, is "Billy’s Hollywood
Screen Kiss." see Amuse, p. 11
by Tom Neal, editor & publisher
Some Oklahomapolitical observers have noted that the
one good thing for this state about a win by Republican
presidential candidate, George W. Bush, is that we’d get
to send the Honorable Frank Keating, Governor of Oklahoma
packing back off to DC, though others have said
Oklahoma’.s gain might be to the nation’s detriment.
"... ff it were not enough to invoke
this bigoted image ofGay people
-preying on the young, he
foflowed it with a comment about
how Gay people are among the
wealthiest Amerleans. I had
to wonder if next he’d betalklng
about how ’all Black people
have rhythm’ or ’the international
Jewish banking eonsplraey.’..."
This February, t took my’father to lunch at the Press
Club to see Keating do his song and dance. I imagine that
Keating expected a rather friendly reception- these days
the Press Club membership hardly includesany reporters
but rather mostly public relations types - good enough
people but hardly known for hard hitting .journalism.
They’re there to put a nice spin on tttings, not to get at the
truth, typically. Andyou can count on The Tulsa Worldto
report only selectively on comments made there.
Then there was Dad and me sitting right up front. And
dear Mr. "I am not descended from a Baboon" Keating*
likely did not know what he was in for. Mr. Keating
waxed eloquently about how ifwe only re-made government
to be like"’business," and not just coincidentally
turned it all over to the Republiczins, all would be great
with our state. I could nothave a~kedfor a better setup for
my question to the Governor since in Oklahoma, it’s
business leading the way in treating Lesbian and Gay
citizens, well, like equal citizens.
The question put to the Gov. was this: Oklahoma’s
leading businesses,American Airlines, the state’ s largest
private employer, K.imberly-Clark, Dollar-Thrifty Auto
Group whose CEO, Joseph Cappy was just appointed to
the State Board of Regents for Higher Education, all of
these corporations promise not to discriminate on sexual
orientation. Since "business" shows us the way, Keating
* ina recent controversy about teaching evolution in
public schools, Keating claimed he was not descended
from a baboon. The Tulsa World contested that claim.
Operat=on Montreal,. To ¯
was asked why state government was not following their
lead.
Frank’s answer was an embarrassment to the state of
Oklahoma. He said there was not a public consensus to
support treating all people fairly and had he stopped at
this, I could hardly have argued withhim.
But he went on to invoke the most shameful of stereotypes,
saying that the state government of Oklahoma
could not promise to treat Gay and Lesbian Oklahomans
fairly because "a homosexual schoolteacher might try to
’promote’ his ’lifestyle’ to elementary school students
and then the state could not discipline the teacher..."
Andif it were not enough to invoke this bigoted image
of Gay people preying on the young, he followed it with
acomment abouthow Gay people are among the wealthiest
Americans. I had to wonder if next he’d be talking
about how "all Black people have rhythm" and "the
international Jewish banking conspiracy."
I did have the opportunity to say.his allegation about
Gay "wealth" was false but not to question his premises
about promising to treat public employees fairly.
And this, of course, ignores the fact that it is almost
unimaginable that any Gay teacher would engage in
inappropriate discussions - they’re all too scared because
: they know they’ll be harassed or fired in any school
district in the state. Any inappropriate conversation by a
¯ teacher with students, whether heterosexual or homo-
" sexual, already has avenues for remedy.
I agree with Keating, Oklahoma can learn from the
: example of "business." First and foremost, Frank needs
¯ to figure out that discrimination is bad for business and
¯ badforOklahoma. "Business" has figured this out. Ameri-
" can and Dollar-Thrifty don’t go beyond the minimum
¯ federallaw r.eqmresjust because they regreatfolks. Th y
¯¯ do it because they can’t afford to lose good workers and
¯ some of those good workers ar’-e Gay.
It really shouldn’t be that hardfor Frank Keating. All
¯ he needs to do is to reframe the questionin terms to which
¯ he can relate: shall we not include Catholics in our non-
- discnmmattonlawsbecausewecouldn tfiretbemlfthey
mdocmnated our children with the Cathohclifestyle m
schools? Keating shouldknow that itwash’ t thatlong ago
: that precisely those stereotypes were common in thisstate.
After all, Keating claims to be a Christian. And as
: such, he is commanded to "treat others as he would be
¯ treated." That?s pretty straightforward. I’d bet even a
¯ "lower" primate, maybe even a baboonmight be able to ¯
figure that out. The question is can our governor?
by Dave Fleischer
Senior Fellow, Policy Institute
National Gay andLesbian Task Force
Have you ever met ahomophobe? Of course you have,
which is why you might not immediately be eager to
campaign door-to-door using the "G" word when we
need to win an election.
You might be thinking: Holy Roller, don’t a lot of
people go into rant mode the minute we say the Word
"Gay?’"
Actually, they don’t. Everywhere I’ve gone door-todoor
with teams of volunteers,-
once we explain in
plalnlanguage the issue voters
will be facing, the overwhelming
majority are on
.our side. Most of the rest are
undecided. This has been
true in Anchorage, Houston,
and Fayetteville, Arkansas;
in San Francisco, suburban
Westchester County,.in Miami
(nope, not just in South
Beach) and in both Democratic
and Republican parts
of Spokane, Washington. And that’s just the places in
1998-and 1999 that we’ve gone door-to-door in.
Sure, we start in neighborhoods wherewe believe we’ll
find many supporters. But even when we broaden to a
- diverse set of neighborhoods, 60 to 90% of the time,
voters are surprised to learn that the basic rights, of Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) people
are under attack.
"... I don’t want to tell you about
my%exllfe - but ff I’m doing
a job at my job,
should my boss be able to fire me
just because I’m Gay?"
[long pause, she says uncertainly]
"I’ve never thought about that..."
"Well, I’m Gay, and this may surprise youbut it wasn’t
a choice for me. And if I’m doing a goodjob at work, do
you think my boss should be. able to fire mejust because
I’m Gay?"
"I don’t want to hear about your sex life."
"I don’t want to tell you about my sex life--but if I’m ~
doing a goodjob atmyjob, shouldmy boss be able to fire
me just because I’m Gay?"
. [Long pause]
[She says uncertainly] "I’ve never thought about that."
"Well, that’s what you’ll, be voting on. Here’s the wording
that will be on the ballot.
Takealookatit. [Pausewhile
she reads] What do you
think?"
I didn’t make this voter a
supporter. But I did move
her from leaning against us
to someone who might be
undecided. Theconversation
took abouttwominutes. Then
I was on to the next door.
If we’ve trained our-volunteer
team well, we communicate
our key message
within the limits of the voter’s attention span. Then we
ask what they think. And they tell us.
Soinetimes their answer isn’t easy to hear (I didn’t love
Ms. Informed’s ?Gays can change"). Butifwe listen with
genuine interest, and offer a clear, honest exchange, they
return the favor. We usually-leave the door either knowing
we’ve found someone leaning toward us, or someone
who is now open to hearing more.
A...J--~"~’~A~.~,~’A,,’~ (;.... ~Vhenthe~ydo, they say somethinglike. OfcourseI Benefit uur= i i i i i i~i~..,,..; :=~-agai~i’s’t--d~sc~aination, against anybody. I like/don’t care
Localentrepreneurandmouth-about-townactivistNed about/dort’flike Gay people, but discriminationis always
Bruha will present "Operation Montreal" at The Silver
Star, 1565 So. Sheridan, at 10pm on Friday May 5th.
Brnha notes, "’this night of rare comedy and mad-cap
entertainment will aid Audra MarieSommers, an individual
among us who has selflessly impleme.nted her
.talents to l~tter the Tulsa areafor the past decade,,She has
raised money for the poor and the sick." ,
Themoney raised the evening of thi~ event wiR,be ~used
to help Payfor medications, travel and down-time trom
both of lie) jobs for the transgendered Sommers as she
recoups from surgery which will bring her physiology
into correspondence with her gender identity.
This event is called Operation Montreal because after
many years of research, Sommers has chosen worldrenowned
surgeons in Montreal. Any funds raised will
not be used for the surgery. Sommers has underwrittem
the surgery by taking a mortgage on her home.
For more information about this event, call 585-1644,
or write, "Operation Montreal" c/o Ned Bruha, P.O. Box
471282, Tulsa, OK. 74147-1282, or send e-mail to
partygram@webzone.net
wrong."
So the experience of going door-to-door is enormously
encouraging. It’s both productive for the campaign, and
also personally affirming.
This doesn’t mean that every voter is immediately
happy to see us. But as a reality check, here’s the toughest
door I’ve had so far.
Scene: a sweaty August ’98 morning in Fayetteville,
Arkansas; a white senior answers the door
..’...’.Hi, Ms. Informed?" Yes
"Hi, Ms..Informed, my name is Dave Fleischer, and
I’m with the Campaign for Human Dignity. A human
rights resolution is on the ballot - it says that here in
Fayetteville we won’t tolerate discrimination on thejob,
whether you’re a man or women, black or white, Gay or
non-Gay. What do you think about that?"
"Well, I think that if Gay people would just go to
church, they would realize it’s a choice, they don’t have
to be that way". [She went on in this vein for a minute. I
listened.]
Nobody says this work is easy. But, contrary to our
worst fears, it isn’t confrontational. It’s more like the
ordinary experience of one tiuman being talking to another
human being.
And there’s an unexpected personal benefit. If we reopen
our hearts, we are liberatedfrom a piece of internalized
self-hate and our own stereotypical thinking about
the public. It turns out that most of them are human, too
- and more open than we give them credit for being.
Most importantly, voteridentification works. SAVE
Dade in Miami has built a list of.more than 15,000 Gay -
and pro-Gay voters by having dbnversations just like
these, by going door~to-door and by talking to voters
when.they go to vote. Basic Rights Oregon beat back their
last two state-wide anti-Gay ballot measures by doing
voter idenlification on a large scale, and has a list of
125,000 voters statewide.
Sure there are closed-minded homophobes out there.
But they are far fewer and less grumpy than you’d guess
-a mere needle in a Gaystack. If we’re going to win
elections, we need to talk with everyone to find our
supporters. Factis, voters are ready tolistentous,ifwe’re
willing to listen to them. Are we?
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guys you like
The number of Gays and Lesbians in
the United States is not known because of
largely unreliable studies. Advocacy
groups often claim 10% of the population
is homosexual, basedon surveys ofsexual
behavior conducted by researcher Alfred
Kinsey taken in the 1940s. Other surveys
put the number between 4% and 6%.
Amore direct census question concerning
sexual orientation isn’t likely by the
lime the2010 census roils around. Itwould
take afederal legislation to require collection
of the data. And, advocates say, it’s a
tricky ’question. "Is sexual orientation
defined by feelings of attraction, exclusivity
or praetors?’" Norfllrop asked.
Best known for launching the career of
"Willand Grace’ s" "Jack", Sean P. Hayes,
that’s about the best thing about this film.
It’s got some good moments, but never
quite congeals into a satisfying film. Brad
Rowe, Meredith Scott Lynn, and Hayes
mmin good performances, but the rest of
the cast falls flat, as do many of the jokes.
Hayes stars as Billy, a starving artist photographer
who is the other man in an
unsatisfying relationship he settles for
because (as he. tells everyone repeatedly
in this film until youjust wantto slap him)
he CAN’T FIND A MAN.
He stumbles upon Gabriel (the immensely
appealing Brad Rowe), and instantdysfunctional
crushdevelops, in spite
of the fact (?) that Gabriel is straight.
Hilarity ensues (yawn). There’s the prerequisite
drag queen comicrelief trio, that
should never have .entered this film, because
they are rather pointless to.the plot,
content, and are really so bad they detract
from the film..Obvibusly, theyare ~aeant
to be bad, but all the ~vay t~ough the
opening.sequence~ and at se{~eral points
~(way too many) through the film, they
-..seem to just be inserted for no reason. If
they were doing something that was
plot~orthyand actually funny, itmight be
a good thing. They’re not, and basically
just fill time when the director can’t pull
his head out long enoughto actually make
a film.
This DVD comes with a commentary,
and even that - usually a high point and
asset - is utterly boring. Yes, Sean’s a
wonderful actor -now. OK, Brad was
uncomfortable with thefilm and part starting
out. (Why is never detailed, and that
was what might have been actually interesting.)
OK yes, there are lots ofhomages
to old films, most of which are obvious,
especially with the dream/musical sequences.
Overall, Billy’s a fine addition
to an avid collector ofGay film, for archival
purposes. It’s amusing once through.
But it’s a definite rental, not a keeper.
Also available from Wolfe Video.
An excellent film to have on DVD for
repeated viewings and the extras, is"Gods
and Monsters." It is a most moving and
affecting film, and the disc has lots of
goodies, along with a commentary that
actually IS interesting, adocumentary with
Clive Barker as host, interviews with the
actors, and lots oflovely details. The film,
based on Christopher Brain’s book, is a
look .at what might have happened in the
days leading to James Whale’s mysterious
death.
Whale, the director best known for the
films "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein"
in the ’30’s, was found floating
¯ in his pool fully clothed. No answers ever
¯ came out of the investigation. Sir Inn
¯
McKellan, in abravuraperformance, plays
~ Whale, the absolutely dynamic Lynn
¯¯ Redgrave plays his housekeeper and
caregiver Hannah, and the absolutely brilliantandbreathtakingly
gorgeous Br~ndan
Fraser plays a yard man that Whale be-
" friends.
: This didplay the major theatres,butjust
¯ in case, I won’t give away any more of the
." ending than I have. The performances
¯ were all top notch, with nary a misstep.
¯ The cinematography is beautiful, and the ¯
detail in sets, costumes, and styleis dead-
" on.~(No pun intended.) As an. actor, it’s
~ ~really hard.f,0rme to see a film that makes
¯¯ ~m~fo~etI m~watehing~a film. This one
did. I was surprised, as the end credits
¯ were rolling, to find I had tears runmng
: down my face. The film so engrossed me
¯ that Iwasn’t even aware when that began. ¯
It’s an interesting film on many levels,
¯ the most superficial being Whale as dirty
." old man spying on the yard man; and~the
¯ deepest being the comments on aging, ¯
and the families we surround ourselves
¯ with as that happens. The interplay of
¯ straight andGay, andfear. The betrayal of ¯
¯ the body.and time, the interplay between
youth and age, the reasons we make the
¯ choices in life that we do make., all are
." explored on many levels.
¯ It’s definitely worth viewing several
¯
times, if for nothing more than seeing the
¯ details you missed first time around. The
¯ commentary, as opposed to the useless ¯
blathering on Billy’s HSK, is insightful,
¯
informative, and frequentlylamusing.
." There’s enough mix in details of how the
¯ film was made, how attention to details
: was as important as performance, behind
¯ the scenes stories of what went on during
¯ filming, what it was like to deal with this
¯ or that to keep one quite amused.
." ~ And after watching the film go by wlth
" the commentary, especially re~ardihg the
." director’s intentions, it’s kind of a fun
¯ game to play to seehowmuch youpieked
’’up on. ~klso, some historica~ facts_ are
." thrown in, not in a dry, witless manner,
¯ but which augment the viewing Of the
: film. So, for me, it gets a definite. BUY
¯ THIS! Even if you only get the video
~ version (which may or may not have the
documentary), it’s worth it. Available at
; Wolfe Video.
"Broadway Damage" is another little
sleeper, low budget movie that is actually
quite wonderful. A romantic comedy that
actually is, as~ opposed to Billy, it stars
some very talented unknowns in a film
that is well written and leaves you feeling
good. "Nerdy Guy’~ and "Beautiful Boy"
in New York looking for"Mr. RightY BB
is always finding people bad for him, and
pursues one that is really bad news. NB is
seeking Mr Right and has a crush on BB
Enter BB’s roommate Quirk~y~rl. QG is
trying to make it inNYCon hiSrtwn, even
though daddy’s rich. He wants her to get
a job, something she’s never had to do.
She and the boys form a fun trio, and have
merry adventures in NYC.
The film is a good old-’fashioned romantic
comedy, kind oflike the old screwballs
comedies of the 30’s upon which it is
patterned. The ending’s predictable, but
the g~tting there is fun, as with most
journeys. Even if you know where you’re
going,, the trip is never the same twice,
right? It’s a well-written, well-filmed,
well-acted story that is sure to bring a
smile to anyone’s face. It should have
received wider release w~h,en it played the
film houses, but is a gem I m sharing with
you. Yep, available at Wolfe Video on
VHS and DVD.
presents
.... an eclectic mix of choral literature ranging from Baroque to Broadway,
from pop classics of the ’50s and ’60s to a bawdy sea chantey
an~J.an American Folk song featuring the Green Country Cloggers.
,Friday and Saturday, April 7 & 8, 2000 at 8pm
Williams Theatre, Tulsa Performing Arts Center
(reception following)
Tickets: PAC box office, 596-7111 in Tulsa,
1-800-364-7111 or online at www.tulsapac.com
COUNCIL oak a fellowship of gay men dedicated to musical excellence in
the performance of choral literature, providing a source of
pride, unity, and support, while presenting a positive image
for ourselves, our community, and society as a whole.
FOR MORE INFORMATION about the COUNCIL oak meN~S c~or~aLe and its parent organization,
the non-profit Vocal Pride Foundation, visit our award-winning website at www.eouneiloak.org.
Original Format
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newspaper
periodical
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[2000] Tulsa Family News, April 2000; Volume 7, Issue 4
Subject
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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.
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Tulsa Family News
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https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24
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Tom Neal
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April 2000
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James Christjohn
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legranbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
Mary Schepers
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Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News
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Tulsa Family News, March 2000; Volume 7, Issue 3
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English
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newspaper
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Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper
Tulsa---Oklahoma
Oklahoma---Tulsa
United States Oklahoma Tulsa
United States of America (50 states)
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https://history.okeq.org/items/show/599
"Operation Montreal"
2000
adoption
AIDS
AIDS Quilt
aMUSEments
arts and entertainment
Audra Sommers
Bars
Blood Donation
businesses
Census
Christian Coalition
churches
civil unions
Council Oak Men's Chorale
Diversity celebration
Dr. Grethe Cammermeyer
Dr. Laura
Gay marriage
Gay Studies
Greg Louganis
Harmonic Diversity
hate crime bill
HIV
holocaust
homophobia
Human Rights Campaign
Jim Christjohn
Karin Gregory
Lamont Lindstrom
Liberation Publications
Living ArtSpace
marriage equality
military inclusion
NAMES Project
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
OK Spoke Club
Partner Benefits
performing arts
PlanetOut Inc
Pride
Raging Lesbian
Read All About It
restaurants
Soulforce
Texas Lesbian Conference
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First Gay Ambassador,
James Hormel, Sworn In
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sedate events are the norm in
the gilded confines of the State Department’s eighth
floor reception room but there can be exceptions. The
atmosphere was downright raucous on Tuesday, June
29 over a seemingly routine happening.." the swearing in
of a new ambassador. James Hormel, who is Gay, took
the oath as ambassador to Luxembourg in the presence
ofhundreds offriends whohad siipported Hormel’ s ofttroubled
nomination since it was first announced 20
months ago.
Hormel’s supporters cheered loudly as he was sworn
in as America’s first openly Gay ambassador. "What an
inered!ible privilege it is to be standing before you
today,’ said Hormel, an heir to the Audiin, Minn.-based
Hormel Foods Corp. fortune.Secretary of State
Madeleine .Albiight was there, along with Sens. Ted
Kennedy, D-Mass., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Television cameras lined the rear of the majestic State
Department hall. Normal procedure on such occasions
is to bar the press altogether.
Uncertainty had shrouded Hormel’s appointment
almost from the day he was nominated because of
opposition from a few senators, see Hormel, p. 12
30 Years After Riot, Gays
& Lesbians Take Stock
NEW YORK (AP) -~,years ago, police raids on
Gay bars were a fact oflife~ You took themfor granted
the way you took being hated for granted," says Joan
Nestle, a writer and activist who started going to,
Greenwich Village bars as a tean-ager in the 1950s~
Volunteers carried a 120footRainbowflagfrom the Community
Center to Veterans Park where Congressman Frank spoke.
2000 Attend 1st Tulsa Parade
TULSA-Tulsa’ s firstGayPrideParade was declared a sweeping
success by its organizers and by almost all who attended.
-According to The Tulsa World, more than 2000 attended the
event which featured US Congressman Barney Frank, Democrat
from MassaChusetts as grand marshall and which had more than
35 entries. Frank spoke at the traditional picnic which followed
the parade and again at a dinner that evening at the Greenwood
Cultural Center. At both events, Frank suggested that straight
Americans are not essentially bigoted but rather bdieve that they
are expected to be anti-Gay. He strongly encouraged Gay &
Lesbian citizens to become politically active.
Sponsors of the events indued Mark & Mike, Cimarron
Alliance, the Parish Church of Saint Jerome, MCC United,
Council Oak Mens Chorale, PFLAG, Bud Light, Pepsi-Cola/Dr
Pepper Bottling Co. of Tulsa, Jason Reed, The Storm, Jack
Wallace, T.W.’s A.F.A.B. Catering, Tulsa Family News and
some others. Photos of the parade andpicnicfollow on page 3.
Cath, of St. John the Divine
Hosts Stonewall 30 Service
NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, speaking on the
eve of the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall riot, urged Gays and
lesbians Saturday to bring their fight for equal fights to the ballot
box. The congressman, who was greeted with a standing ovation
ata Manhattan celebration of the 1969 incident, told the crowd
So when the patrons of a bar called the Stonewall Inn ¯
fonghtbackJune 27,1969-attackingpolice with rocks,
.bottles and fists that stmtling act of defiance became an .
instantwatershed event. Gayactivists considerit akin to
the .Montgomery bus boycott or the lunch-counter sitins
that galvanized the civil rights movement.
This lastmonth~parades andralfiesinNew York, San
Franciscoanddozens ofcities worldwidecommemorate
the Stonewall riotandmarkthreedecades ofremarkable
change.
While Gay pcople are not universally accepted - a
Time/CNN Foil last fall found that 48% of Americans
believe homosexuality is morally wrong-Lesbians and
Gay men are becoming increasingly integrated into
American society.
"We’ve made a sea change in notjust public opinion
but public policy as well:~ says Kerry Lobel, executive
director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a
lobbying groupbasedin Washington, D.C."We see that ."
in areas like civil rights, hate crimes; family issues and ¯
sodomy repeal, we have more possibility of legislative :
change than ever before."
Lobel cited Nevada, whose Legislature recendy ."
banned job discrimination see 30 Years, p. 14 .
DIRECTORWt.E’I’rERS P. 2 :
EDITORIAL P. 2 ;
US & WORLD NEWS P. 4 "
HEALTH NEWS P. 6 "
ENTERTAINMENT P. 8 .
COMMUNITY CALENDAR P. 9 .
DO-IT-YOURSELF-DYKE P. 11 ."
DYKE PSYCHE P. 12 .
GAY STUDIES P. 15
~.that the gains made by the Gay comm_u~,’,ty were substantial. But
¯ ne s~sed.~that the.struggle continues. °We have fought on our
.terms, said Frank, D-Mass., one of only three Gay members of
". Congress. ,ButI urge you to take the next step. Use our political
. ¯ power..You have to vote. Your friends have to vote."
Frank-was one of about two dozen speakers, performers and
activis~ appearing at "Stonewall 30: A Sacred Celebration."
Some. 1,500 Gays and lesbians turned out at.the Cathedral of St.
John the Divi~e for the event, which commemorated the start of
the Gay rights movement.
OnMonday,June28,the Christopher Street siteofthe Stonewall
Inn will .be Added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Angry Gays fought with police who had rousted them from the
Stonewall on June 27, 1969.
: Frank, whotookpot shots at closeted Gays in Congress and the
: -Rev. Jerry .Falwell, said that there should be no complacency
: among Gay civil rights activists. "No one should ask us to be
¯ grateful because there’s less bigotry," Frank said to rousing
cheers. "It never should have been there at all."
Therest of the ceremony,was by turns solemn andcomical. The
New York City Gay Men s Chorus sang a requiem for the late
Matthew Shepard, the Wyoming youth killed by Gay-bashers,
and a group called Lavender Light performed "We Shall
Overcome."
But actor Jay Goede did a hilarious reading of a 1969 Daily
News article on the Stonewall riot, opening with its homophobic
headline: "Homo nest raided. Queen bees are stinging mad."
Later, drag performer Miss Coco Peru - in red wig, matching
lipstick and sequined purple dr~s - stood in the pulpit with Gay
police Sgt. Edward Rodriguez. As a Gay boy growing up in the
Bronx," Miss Peru said, "I never dreamed I’d be in the world’s
largest Gothic cathedral, in the pulpit, in full drag." She smiled,
and the audience applauded.
Longtime activist Jimmy Flowers stands before
Parade Grand Marshall US Rep. Barney Frank.
Community Leadership
Meeting Called for 6/20
TULSA - Established community leaders, Marty
NewmanandDennis Neill, have called acommumty
leadership meeting for 6pro on Tuesday, July 20.
According to the letter that went out under
Newman’s and Neill’s names, the intent of the
meeting is to capitalize on the "renewed sense of
excitement and energy" that’s resulted from the
recent Pride weekend events: Tulsa’s first parade,
the annual picnic and the dinner featuring US
Congressman Barney Frank from Massachusetts.
The letter went to nearly 50 businesses and
organizations, from bars to churches inviting each
to send one representative to present their priorities,
fo seek ways better to work together, and to "work
towards building a more cohesive Gay & Lesbian
community." see Meeting, p.11
From one religibus extreme to another at the
Parade, Rev, LesliePenroseto anti-Gayprotesters,
Rev. PenroseAccepted in
UCC; l her Religi .us
i Groups Also Welcomzng
¯" TULSA- TheReverend Leslie Penrose, pastor of
: Community of Hope Base Shalom Congregation
¯ has had her request for transfer of her.ordination
: accepted by the Ecclesiastical Council of the
¯ Oklahoma Association of the United Church of
: ChrisL Penrose, _had received her ordination within
: the United Methodist Church but had been
: experiencing harassment within that denomination
¯ by anti-Gay activists because she had performed
: religious ceremonies that blessed same-gender
¯ relationships, i.e. "holy unions."
: Pem’ose, writing in Community of Hope’s
newsletter, noted that the process of being
nszderedfor transfeXincludedpreachingasermon
: and presenting several papers and then waiting for
: the vote by the council. But she also said that upon
¯ arrival, she’d been greeted with a comment from
: the Rev. Russell Bennett saying, "your name’s
," already on the cakeF’ And indeed after the "yes"
¯¯ vote, Peurose was .welcomed at a reception where
there was a cake that said,"Welcome, Leslie, to the
¯ United Church of Christ!"
: But the UCC is not the only Christian group
: trying to welcome Lesbians and see Leslie, p. 14
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine 832-1269
*Boston Willy’ s Diner, 1742 S. Boston 592-2143
Burger Sisters Restaurant, 1545 S. Sheridan 835-1207
*Empire Bar, 1516 S. Peoria 599-9512
*Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th 583-6666
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria 749-4511
*Jason’ s Dell, 15th & Peoria 599-7777
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563
*Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square 744-4280
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998
*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
Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 747-1508
*Affinity News, 8120 E. 21 610-8510
*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
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 665-4580
Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E 15 712-1122
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955
*Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272
*CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 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
*Devena’s Gallery, 13 Brady 587-2611
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556
*Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503
*Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379
*Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 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. 21 st 742-1460
Leaune 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, 19 E. Brady 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
David A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633 747-7672
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626
*Peace of Mind Bookstore, 1401 E. 15 583-1090
The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2rid floor 743-4297
Rainbowz on the River B÷B, POB 696, 74101 747-5932
Richard’ s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617
Ted Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-7921, 747-4746
*Scribner’ s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749~-6301
Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-7829
*Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria 697-0017
~,Tulsa Book Exchange, 3749 S. Peoria 742-2007
*Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481,-0558
*Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard 835-5563
Fred Welch, LCSW, Couusding 743~1733
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N; Lewis 592-0767
Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593
*All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363
Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-731~4
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 PL & Florence
*Church oftheRestorationUU, 1314N.Greenwood 587-1314
*Community ofHope United Methodist, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595
*Council Oak Men’ s Chorale 585-COMC (2662)
*Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511
*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
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615, POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159
o-mail: TtlLsaNews@earthlinlc net
t~8~:+l~.~9[Jsers.aol.com/TulsaNews/
l~om Neal
~/riters + contributors:
lean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandboucbe, Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Adam West
Member of The Associated Press
Issued on or before the 1st of each month, the entire contents of this
~abul~ication are protected by US copyright 1998 by rJ.4~ ~:..,~
and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part witt~out
written permission from the publisher. Publication of a name or
photo does not indicate a person’s sexual orentafion. Correspondence
is assumed to be for publication unles~,ot,herwjse nqted,,r~ust
be signed & becomes the sole property of !~ t’,~.’. N~w~.
Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution
points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248.
: *Free Spirit Women’ s Center, call for location &into: 587-4669
¯ Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827
Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
-" *HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
¯
*HIV Resource Consortium, 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194
¯ *Holland Hall School, 5666 E. 81st 481-1111
HOPE, HI~ Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378
: *House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 3210e So. Norwood
¯
Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438~2437, 800-284-2437
¯ *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
¯ . NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral P1. 748-3111
: NOW, Nat’lOrg.forWomen, POB 14068,74159 365-5658
¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157
¯ *Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584-7960
¯ 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
¯ Rainbow Business Guild, POB 4106, 74159 665-5174
¯
*Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E 8 ~ 584-2325
," O’RYAN, support group for 18-24 LGBT young adults
¯ O’RYAN, Jr. support group for 14-17 LGBT youth
St. Aidan’ s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882
: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140
¯ .*St. Jerome’ s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
:. *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
¯ TnlsaOkla. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 743-4297
: T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform]Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222
~ *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
¯ *Tulsa Community College Campuses
: *Tulsa Gay Commuaity Center, 1307E.38,74105 743-4297
¯ *OSU-Tulsa (formerly UCT, formerly Rogers U. whoever...)
." BARTLESVILLE
; *Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. JohnstOne 918-337-5353
! OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
¯ *Borders Books &Music,. 3209 NWExpres~way 405-848-2667
: *Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-573-4907
: TAHLEQUAH
: *Stonewall League; Call for information:~. ’ 918-456-7900
: *Tahlequah unltarian-UniversalistChurch " 918-456-7900
¯ *Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB t570- 918-453-9360
¯" NSU School of Optome.t~’y, 1001 N. Grand
: HIVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for dates
: 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
¯ Sparky’s, Hwy..62 East 501-253-6001
¯ *White Light, t Center St. 501-253-4074
¯ FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS5
¯ *Edna’s, 9 S. School Ave. 501-442-2845
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
¯ : *Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-623-4696
¯ * iswhereyoucanflndTF~.NotallareGay-owaedbutallareGay-friendly.
by Tom Neal, editor &publisher
For this month, I’m going to try just to
¯ say something nice. It’ s not what comes
¯ naturally now. After almost 6 years of
¯ journalism and more than 10 years of all
but full-time, unpaid activism for civil
¯ rights for Lesbian and Gay Americans,
¯ I’ ve grown cynical. It’ s hardnotto become
¯ thatwayworkinginOklahoma andTexas ¯
- dearly not Gay-friendly environs.
:- But this last month’ s success of Pride
¯ ’99 helps to bolster that wee bit of hope
" that’s not entirely faded. And Pride ’99
: organizers deserve to behonored for their
¯ work.Severalnamesneedtobementioned
¯ particularly: Rick Martin who chaired the
¯ picnic for his second year, and Mitchell
Savage who chaired the Barney Frank
¯ dinner. Others also merit recognition:
¯ Steve Horn as TOHR president, Kerry ¯
¯ Lewis aspro-bonolegal counsd, andTim
Gillean who was honored as TOHR
," volunteer of the year, Robin Leach, and
¯ the rock, in the sense said by the Christ to ¯
Saint Peter (and graphic designer par
¯ excellence)ofthecommunitycenter,Greg
," Gatewood. There are others, no doubt,
¯ who should also be named, a host of ¯
additional volunteers, and I wish to honor
¯ -them as well.
¯ Congressman Frank was a joy to hear,
¯ an inspiration, a gentle goad to us as a ¯
commumty toovercomeourcomplacency.
: Especially in a state where Gay and
¯ Lesbian citizens effectively have no ¯
¯ politicalrepresentation,itseems ourvoices
are heard in our own government at least
: through this Congressman from
¯ Massachusetts. My hope is that his
message willbe taken to heart and that our
¯
people will get politically involved - we
: can change this state.
It’ s already happening, thanks in huge
: measure to the Cimarron Alliance’ s work
¯ at the Oklahoma Capitol, and as I have
¯ said before, in particular to Keith Smith’ s
¯ and Nancy McDonald’ s work there (yep,
¯" you did read that -nice words even for
", those with whom I’ve occasionally, or
: even frequently, disagreed).
¯ Now post-Pride, we must build on this ¯
success. There are signs this is happening.
~ Two of our most respected community
¯ leaders have called a leadership meeting
~ to see what common ground we can
: establish. This is great. It’s been tried
: before but the time wash’ t right and these
~ two have the stature to bring together
¯ those who might not otherwise meet.
¯
However, I’ll suggest that the goal of
: such organizing should not be "unity."
¯ We are a widely diverse group with class,
: race, gender, educational, age, and health
~ status differences, and recreational
¯ preferences. Unity in such a diversity is
¯ impossible, andinourpast,nationally and
locally, has frequently been "achieved"
: through a kind of Gay fascism, where
: those with dissenting views were told to
¯ conform or pay the price usually by an
: economic, gender and racial elite, i.e.
¯ rich, white guys.
: However, building consensus, through
¯¯ long hard work, by really listening to.the
diversity ofourcommunity(communities)
¯ is possible, see Pride, p~ 10
¯ Letters Policy
Tulsa Family News welcomes letters on ~ssues
~ which we’ve covered or on issues you think
¯ need to be considered. You may request that
," your name be withheld but letters must be
," signed & have phone numbers, or be hand
¯ delivered. 200 wordletters are preferred. Letters
: to other publications will be printed as is
~ appropriate.
A giantRainbowflag ends theparade at Veteran’s Park.
Cimarron Alliance may have had the most artistic float,
Al & David had the coolest bikes in the paradel
The University ofTulsa’s Bi/Lesbian/Gay/Trans Alliance
Gay-j~iendly straight supporters also marched.
Paul Barby behind Marthd Hardwick & her kazoo band..
Greg Gatewood, US Cong. Barney Frank, & BJ Medley
T.U.L.S.A. - butch guys with sweet smiles.
PFLAG’s McDonald
Hilary Kitz & son.
CSC"s Janice Nicklas
Father Walt Rockabrand
" Fabulousdiva&fundraiserAudraSommersandfriends.
Counci!OakMens ’. Chorale alsoperformed atthepicnic.
The cross ofHouse of the Holy Spirit stood in witness.
Theparadecoveredmore than a mile, Peoria to Riverside.
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Miss Gay Black Oklahoma America 1999
The University ofOklahoma’s Gay/Lesbian/Bi Alliance
¯ ,. FrustratedHousewivesplayedanexcellentsetattheend.
Lawmakers Fight Anti- ¯ agenda." - Supporters said it is a long-overdue
Gay Discrimination
WASHINGTON - Democratic and~Republican
lawmakers from New England revived efforts
last month to pass a federal law prohibiting job
discrimination against Gays. To boost the
measure’s chance of passage, lawmakers have
rewritten it to explicitly prohibit preferential
treatment of Gays, such as hiring to meet quotas
or designing affLrmative action standards to make.
up for past discrimination.
Opponents of the Employment Non-
Discrimination Act, known as ENDA, have
successfully fgught it in three previous
Congresses on the grounds that it would extend
special protections to Gays.
"ENDA will achieve equal rights - not special
.flights- for gays and lesbians," said Sen. James
J~fords, R-Vt., who plans to pass the bill out of
his Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee andthen try to force considerailon.by
the full.Senate. In 1996, the Senate defeated a
similar bill by one vote.
Vice President A1 Gore, campaigning in Los
Angeles at a Gay and Lesbian center, voiced
support for the legislation. "It does not confer
any special rights, but it does outlaw the kind of
discrimination that has become all too common
in our society," he Said.
The bill was introduced by Jeffords and Sens.
Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Joseph
LielJerman, D-Conn., and in the House by Reps.
Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Christopher Shays,
R=Conn. "If they’re able to get it out of the
Senate, that would create tremendous pressure
on the House," said Shays, an influential
moderate.
Shays and other ENDA supporters argue that
the bill would pass the House - if conservative
Republican 1eaders allow it to comeupfor debate
-becauseit is backedby amajority ofAmericans.
ENDA would extend basic civil rights
protections in the area of employment to cover
sexual orientation. Such protections are already
afforded to people on the basis of race, religion,
gender, national origin, age and disability.
Eleven states --California, Connecticut,
Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey;
Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, New
Hampshire and Nevada - already prohibit job
discrimination against gays.
ENDA would prohibit employers of 15 or
more, employment agencies and labor unions
from using an individual’ s sexual orientation as
the basis for employment decisions, such as
hiring, firing, promotion or compensation. The
bill would exempt the .military and religious
organizations. It would not require benefits for
workers’ same-sex partners.
Oooonents aren’t buying the argument that the
bill- ~v~n’ t confer special-rights. RobertH. Knight
of the conservative Family Research Council
said sexual orientation shouldn’t be a category
that receives federal protection from job
discrimination because it involves behavior.
Other specially protected categories, such as
race, gender and disability, do not.
"What if that person was representing a
company and it became known that that person
had wild and bizarre sexual tastes?" he asked.
"That reflects on his employer. An employer
should have the right to say,’I don’t want to have
that kind of person working for me." "
: statement in support of equality, since same-sex
¯ couples cannot marry.
¯ The list would be similar to those in about 50
: cities across the country, including Atlanta,
~ Boston and Madison. Under the measure, same-
" sex couples could pay $30 to have their names
¯" placed on the registry. They would have to be 18
." or older, live together and show some form of
: financial unity, such as a joint bank account or
~ joint ownership of a vehicle.
¯ Two years ago, the council rejected by a vote
~ of 14-3 an effort to give health and funeral leave
~ benefits to unmarriedpartners ofcity employees.
¯ However, the currentmeasureis less controversial
¯ becauselittle,ifany, taxpayermoney is involved=
Still, about 130 people came to the meelang o!
~ the council’s Judiciary and Legislation
¯ Committee. T,,h,er~ewereapplause,hisses,mut.ters
~ and "Amens during testimony for and against
~ theproposal. CaseyLepianka, whocalledhimself
~ anevangelist, told the committeethattheproposal
¯ condones Sinful behavior and would help send
same-sex couples to "the fires of hell."
¯ Bill Attewell of Milwaukee said the.registry
would make it easier for himto get benefits from
¯" his partner’s employer. "It angers me that simply
: by living my life with my partner, it becomes a
~ politicalissue," Attewell said.
If approved July 13 by the council and signed
Milwaukee May
Register Gay Couples
MILWAUKEE (AP) - A Common C6~incil
committee has approved the creation of a
voluntary city-run registry that would allow Gay
couples to formally declare their relationships.
Tile measure, which passed 3-1 over the loud
objections of Bible-quoting critics, goes to the
full council next month.
Opponents said the registry is the first step
toward carrying out a destructive "Gay-fights
Kelly Kirby, CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
a professional corporation
747-5466
4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
MCC-United
formerly Family of Faith & Greater Tulsa MCC
Joined as one body of believers¯
Come celebrate with us.
Sunday Services, 11 am
1623 North Maplewood, 838-1715
". by Mayor John O. Norquist, the registry would
¯ take effect in September.
Gore Visit.s LA Gay
CommunltyCenter
,de .N.M ! od
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Vice President AI Gore,
seeking to bolster his credentials as a unifier, ¯ " fo"rgi ~n_d_ _A~d~l-llt~
offered a forceful defense of affirmative action.
I MeG ted 6_2_3 71.e?
and paid tribute to aGay andLesbian.ommunity
center. He faced a skeptical audience at the Gay i.
1
center, where Javier Garcia :asked, !’I want to know exactly why you’rehere."Garcia saidlater Io July 26-30th, 6-8pm each night
hewas"suspicious" thatGore’sappearance was [ I 838-1715
C~ll Soon tO Enroll.
purdy political. I Gore’s tour of the center came exactly one
weekafter his rival for the Democraticpresidential
nomination, formerNew Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley,
visited it.
"I’m here to learn and to pay honor to this
~lace," Gore said, adding the Gay and Lesbian
Center of Los Angeles was helping to chang,
attitudes and abolish some .. irrationa~
discrimination thetis all toocommon."Hegranted
his only interview of the day to the Advocate, a
national Gay and Lesbian news magazine.
"Thevicepresidenthas alongtimecommitment
to bringing our country together," said Gore
spokesman Chris Lehane. "He strongly believes
that we’re much stronger as a country when all
aspects of our community work together and
come together."
Gore said he supports federal legislation that
would outlaw discrimination against
homosexuals at the workplace, and bills
criminalizing certain hate crimes.
Michelle Byler, 22, said she didnrt find Gore
convincing. "He didn’t really speak to me or say
anything to impress me," said l~yler, who said
she left the Army after acknowledging her~
homosexuality. She added that she had reef.
Bradley aweekearlier andfoundBmdleyequally.
tmimpressive.
Arkansas Sodomy
¯ Challenge Continues
: LITTLE ROCK (AP) - A group challenging the
¯ constitutionality ofArkansas’ law against s°d°my
; can continue with itscourt acdon against the
; state, the Arkansas Supreme Court-ruled. In its
¯ June 24th opinion, the court ruled against a
¯ request that the law be thrown offthe books.
¯ The court overturned a chancellor s refus to
~ grant a motion by the state attorney general’s
¯ office and the Pulaski County prosecutor to
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9413 E. 31st St.
Tulsa 74145
918-663-5934
fax: 663-5834
800-44A.-5934
¯ ~amily Owned
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Sun. Worship, 10:45 am,
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Wed. Bible Study, 7 prn
¯ note our new address
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Chris & Sharon
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2545 South Yale
Sundays at 11am
Info: 749-0595
A Welcoming
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Lesbian Affordable Daycare)
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Tulsa, Oklahoma 74155
(918) 808-8026
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¯ specificconsensual actsbetweenpersonsofthe same sex. ¯ discrimination, although the ordinance in
The court agreed with the attorney general and " Lonisvilleonlyaddressesemployment.’‘Thereis
¯ prosecutor that a chancery court lackedjurisdiction in the " a perception that all Gay and Lesbian people flee
small towns to live in big cities, and that’s not
¯ matter. However, the courtdisagreed with their argu.m,en.ts,
that a constitutional challenge must be.postponed until ¯ true," said Guess, of Zion United Church of
someoneisarrestedandchargedwithviolatingthesod°my ". Christandco_ch"aWirmeansohfothuelHdenndoertsohnFavaiernetSoScfalmeepaiogunr.
¯ statute.
The justices ordered that the case be transferred to ¯
communities of choice becauselegal protections
: ccoirncsutiittuticoonaulritty, owf ictrhimjiunarlisldawicst.ioAnny tsouchdedcecidlaerattihoen ": areino1f9fe9r4ed,Hinenbdigergseorncrietiveiss.e"ditspersonndpolicy
¯ so that it doesn’t discriminate against employe~.s could be appealed to the Supreme Court. .
¯ The suit that seven homosexual men and women filed
on the basis of sexual ofientation. However, It
¯ " applies only to people working or seeking
¯ in Pulaski County.Chantry ~?.~,,t. ~,k.,e~l., ,Ch.:an~.d~ ~; e~ployment in;cit’y governmehL " CollinsKilg°re~°ldeclarethes°dOmyiawunc°nsttmu°n ¯ Guess said Fairness Campaign officials have
¯ and to bar enforcementof the statute. . : . ¯
¯ TheLambdaLegalDefenseand,FxlucationF.lm,d.hafltsedee
. met with the four city commissioners and the
mayor to share stories of people being denied
the decision ,,Welookforwardtotlaenextstepln,tmsca:s, ¯ apartments or being turned down for.jobs. ~dade]
¯ ---the chanc~ to show that the.sodomy,law, .violate,s,,tlae . Fairness Campaign plans to present a mo
¯ p.riv.a.cy.an.d ~e,qi,u~aIlnpmrohtdeactionflraiwghvtesroStuzLaensemBanGaonldtb~eargy ¯ ordinance to the commission in August .or
¯ ArKansans......staf. - ¯ ¯ " September. Opponents are promising to defeat it
Shehad argued the case since it was filedln January 1998.
The suit said members of the group had performed and
saying thelaw would guarantee special rights ant
¯ would perform in the future,sexual ac.t.s bar~ed, by~ me_
that homosexuality is morally wrong and against
statute, and that they feared prosecuuon. ~oaomy l~
" Biblical teachings. . ,
misdemeanor under thelaw, ptmishableby up to a year in
" City Commissioner Robby Mills opposes, me
ordinance but admits it has a chance ot passing.
jail and a $1,000 fine. The suit says the law violates their
ruingdhetsr ttohperliavwacsyi,nacsewthelel asstatthueteirdfiogehstsntootepqruoahlipbriot taeccttsioonf ¯" HlitetlesatyoswtnhleikdeeHbaetnediesrspooninbdeelosso.k"iWnghayt tshhisouislsduea
¯ tha~evenourstateandfederalofficeh°lders cannot
sodomy between heterosexuals.
, : CoOunntyapPperoals,ecthuetoarttLoarnrreyy Jgeegnleeyrala’srgoufefdic,eaamnodngPuolathskeir ¯ dspeceinddemony?t"imhee wsaoidrrylaisntgwaebeoku.t"wI hwaot usltdreleitksewtoe
things, thattheirofficeswereimmunefromlawsuits, that " are going to pav,e, next and what sewer project we
: the chancery court was not the proper place to file the are going to d&
¯ lawsuit and that the law should be challenged only in ". Guess said the measure has the support of
several area congregations and church leaders,
: defense of a prosecution. " from Catholic priests to Presbyterian ministers.
: Gay Couples Covered by : Lon Oliver, senior minister at First Christian
¯ . Church, said he has been shocked by the tone of ¯ Domestic Violence Law someopponents,whohavesaidthattheordinance
" would lead to teaching homosexuality in schools
¯ TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A circuit judge has ruled Florida’s : and that Henderson would become a haven for
¯ domestic violence law covers Gay couples¯ "To hold Gays . ,’The harslmess of the rhetoric and the fear
¯ otherwise would undermine the efforts to safeguard, " has surprised us all," he said.
¯ regardless of gender, the rights of victims of domestic
¯ The Green Valley Baptist Association, which
¯ violence," Judge Ronald N. Ficarrotta wrote in his rifling, represents 30 churches andabout 14,000members
" " The ruling came in the case of David Baker who was . _themajorityoftheminHendersonCounty~has
¯ charged with violating a domestic violence restraining " adopted a resolution denouncing the ordinance.
¯ order taken out by his former partner, David Lozier, 39.
¯ Mills, the city commissioner, said that
¯ Public defenders asked the judge last week to dismiss " Henderson citizens generally do not accept the
¯ the case against Baker, saying the injunction was invalid. " homosexuallifestyle¯"Our community is apolite
¯ They maintained the judge who signed the injunction commumty that will not g. .I~O,,P,.......
’ " et in le’s face and
¯ ,,w.rongly recognized ahomosexual relationship a~ family.
" say, ’You shouldn’tbe doing that, lae sam.
. The court, in issuing, this, injuncu~on,, r,eco.~g~i~zed. a
¯ when this is brought forward, you’ll see a huge
¯ homosexual relationship as a family, which vlotates me " amountofpeoplewanting to voice their opinion."
¯ longstanding policy of ~e Flori,da, Constitution, s~tut.e~s_,
¯ The debate could go statewide. State Rep. Kathy
Legislature and courts, Baker s lawyers wrote, rmnoa - Stein,D_Lexington,hasproposedabillthatwould
¯ doesnotrecog~.’.zemarriagesbe.twee,ns,a,.m..e-,s.exp~,ar,m_~oS~ ¯ protect homosexuals, from discrimination.,s The
¯ FicarrottasaldBakerandLozter, wnouvextt°gemert . measurecouldbediscussedatnextyear General
.. seven years, sharing ahousehold andjointbank accounts,
¯ Assembly session.
¯
didlive together as family. Legislators who expanded the
¯ domestic violence law in 1991 intendedit to protect all " Namibian Court Rules ¯ meLmobzieerrshoafdaahcocuusseedhohlids,ohneetsiamideipnahrtinseorr°dfers.-trhkinghim for Lesbian Couple
andlaterharassing him wlth threatemngphone calls. I m . WINDHOEK, Namibia - Namibia’s high court
¯ very happy with the decision," he said. ¯
¯ Hillsborough County Public Defender Julinnne Holt
has ruled that Gay and Lesbian couples have
¯
saidherofficewillr,e,viewthejudge’sorderbef°redeciding
" exactly-the same fights in the country as
¯ whether to appeal. Webelieve that it’s not dear that (the
" heterosexual couples. The Namibian newspaper
" "d ..... if " said the ruling was a rebuke to often hom°ph°bic
’ " law) covers same-sex couples, she sal . the term, as
~ afnmily,"isnotdefinedinFloridala~v andthereapparently
¯ government that had sought to deny a German
are no previous cases on the issue, according to court
¯ woman a residence permit because of her
¯ " relationship with her Namibian parmer.
¯ records. In theruling, Judge Harold Levy also ruled the
¯ Small Kentucky Town May of Home Affairs must supply reasons
¯
for refusing an application for permanent : Ban Anti-Gay Bias ¯ residence.Thejudgerejectedministryatguments
¯ that the nature of the rdationship betw~m Liz ¯
HENDERSON,Ky.(AP)-WhentheLonisvilleB°ard°f " Frank, a German, and Elizabeth Khaxas, a
¯ Aldermen voted earlier this year to ban discrimination ~ Namibian, had no bearing on the application.
~ against homosexuals in the workplace, the Rev. Ben ¯ The couple has been living together for several
Guess was at city hall to celebrate. Now, Guess finds years and are ratsmg a son. Not only is thi
¯ himself involved in a similar debate in his own city of relationship recognized, but the respondents
¯ Henderson¯ A group of citizens is urging M_ayor Joan
¯ (HomeAffairs)shouldha,v,.etakenit~toa.ccx).unt,."
Hoffman and the City Commission to make it-illegal to
¯ Levy said in his ruling. I have no hesitation is
¯ discriminate in employment, housing and public saying that the long-term relationship between
¯ accommodations based on aperson’s sexual orientation.
¯
the applicants in so far as it is a universal
¯ If approved, Henderson would become the second partnership, xs recogmzeo t~y ia , wrote Levy.
MARK T. HAMBY
Attorney
Bankruptcy
&
Civil Matters
Call for More Information
1500 Nations Bank, 15 West Sixth
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119
744-744~
Fax 744-9358
OPENARMS,OPENMtNDS,OPEN
Saint Aidan
4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882
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4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381
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The Episcopal Church Welcomes You
Anonymous HIV
Tests Droppin
ATLANTA (AP) - Fewer Americans are
choosing to remain anonymous when
tested for HIV at federally funded clinics,
hospitals and prisons, according to a
government report¯ In most states, people
can get tested for the AIDS virus without
giving their names. But the number of
federally fundedanonymous tests declined
nearly 27% between 1995 and 1997, the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported recently.
"One of the reasons perhaps is that
people are beginning to see HIV as more
of a treatable condition and perhaps less
of a stigmatizing disease," RobertJanssen,
deputy director of HIV and AIDS
prevention at the CDC, said. The decline
coincides with theemergence of powerful
drugs that have allowed HIV patients to
live longer, more normal lives. Also, new
laws and regulations have been designed
to protect the confidentiality of people
who give their names when tested.
The study period alsoincludes the arrival
of the home AIDS test, which went on the
market in 1996 and gav.e people another
option for checking their HIV status
anonymously.
The CDC looked at 6.3 million HIV
tests conducted at health clinics,hospitals,
drug treatment centers and prisons.~Those
sites conduct about 15% of H~.V tests in
the United States. Federally funded HIV
tests declined8% overall,from2.5 million
tests in 1995 to 2.3 million in 1997. The
drop could reflect the wider options
available for testing and a growing
population thathasbeen tested anddoesn’t
feel the need to do it again, Janssen said.
Joycelyn Elders at
AIDSWalk Michigan
DETROIT (AP) - Former Surgeon
General Joycelyn Elders advocated the
use of condoms, commumty involvement
and needle exchange programs in
Michigan’s fight against AIDS.
Elders kicked offAIDS Walk Michigan
- Detroit, a September fund-raising event
coordinated by the Michigan Women and
AIDS Committee. The walk’s organizers,
who helped bring Elders here, said they
hope to raise community awareness of
AIDS and HIV, especially among
minorities.
In 1997, AIDS was the leading cause of
death among blacks ages 24 to 44, despite
falling AIDS death rates for the general
population, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. It was
the second leading cause of death among
Hispanics in that age group in 1996.
But Denise Stokes, a member of
President Clinton’s AIDS Advisory
Council and a speaker at aregional AIDS/
HIV conference here this week, said HIV
and AIDS do not strike limited
¯ communities. "The only requirement to
get HIV is to be human," said Ms. Stokes,
who has lived with HIV for 17 years.
Elders saidthegovernment is harming
society bynbtmaking more clean needles
a~ailable to. drug users. ~’I consider that
absolutdy abuse," Eiders: said during a
Detroitnew~ conference. Some Michigan
cities have privately funded needle
exchange programs.
Elders also highlighted the experiences
of families with mothers with AIDS. She
said thatin thepast, criteriafor diagnosing
AIDS were based on men, not women.
Thus,womenoftenreceivedlate diagnoses
and didnotreceive treatmentIn time. "We
have almost 100,000 children who have
been orphaned because of the death of
their mothers,", she said.
She urged churches and communities
to talk with young people about HIV and
AIDS, but said telling them to abstain
from sex isn’t enough. Instead, she would
make condoms available to students, many
of whom are sexually active already, she
said. "Weknow abslinence works, heaven
knows it works," Elders said. "But we are
sexual beings, and the vows of abstinence
break far more easily than do latex
condoms."
Arab World Needs
More AIDS Info
ABHA, Saudi Arabia (AP) - AIDS
specialists, health workers and
government officials wound up a threeday
conference with the ~onsensus that
information onthe deadly disease must be
more vigorously disseminated throughout
the Arab world.
Cases ofAIDS and HIV - the virus that
causes AIDS - remain relatively low in
the Middle East and North Africa region
- 19,000 adults and children in the region
were infected with the human
immunodeficiency virus in 1998,
compared with44,000 infectious in North
America and 30,000 in Western Europe.
But the disease is slowly spreading; and
nearly 500 people gathered in this
mountain resort some 1,000 kilometers
(620 miles) south of Riyadh this week to
hear the latest on how to combat the
epidemic. "The stumbling block is that
thefigures (onHIV-AIDS infections) may
not be accurate," said Dr. Fahad A1-
Rabiah, a specialist oninfecfious diseases
at King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, the
capital.
The conference, the third such gathering
held every five years, was organized by
the King Faisal Hospital and Research
Center, the World Health Organization
and the Saudi Health Ministry.
Strict social and moral codes that
prohibit premarital sex, adultery,
homosexuality and drug abuse are
effective in slowing the spread of HIV
infections in Arab and Islamic countries,
the speakers noted. But these same codes
consider discussing sex and sex education
taboo, limiting the flow of information
about the disease. WHO estimates that
there were 210,000 adults and children
with HIV or fully developed AIDS in the
Middle F_~st and North Africa region in
1998.
The conference speakers pointed out
that the number of cases will continue to
rise as more young people experiment
with sex and drugs without knowledge of
safe sex methods and other precautions.
MostHIV cases in the region are attributed
to heterosexual transmission and shared
drug needles.
Adding to the growing concern, many
Arab governments are not willing to treat
AIDS as athreatening epidemic, so testing
for HIV and medicine supplies are
inadequate.
According to ,1998WHOfigures, there
e~are~. 373 AIDS patients" in Saudi Arabia,
¯ considered the most socially and
religiously strictcountryin theArabworld.
"The figures are low, but that should not
make us become lazy (in combating
AIDS)," Dr. A1-Rabiah said. "The most
important way to fight the disease in the
kingdom now is to make people aware of
it and admit that it exists."
Timothy W. Daniel
Attorney at Law
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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.
Are You Gay or Bisexual?
Are You Native American?
Tulsals Two-Spirited Indian Men’~
Support Group is here for you!
¯ Evening support group meetings
¯ Relationship workshops
¯ Short trips, outings and retreats
¯ Free HIVtesting
For information call Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project
at 582-7225 Ext, 208 or 218
Jot,
goddesses
HairHappyHour
Tuesday& Thursday
3pm to~pm
835-5563
1247 S. Harvard, Tulsa, NearTO
He.
Stay Healthy Naturally
¯ .Wellness
Rejuvenation
Longevity
Dr, Terrance L. Sullivan
Doctor ofNaturopathy
Certified Colonic Hygenist
Certified Reflexologist
Certified Herbalist
Certified Accupressurist
provides consultations by appointment
Iridology
Hair Analysis
Herbal Supplements
Pain Control
Nutritional Analysis
4520 So, Peoria, Brookside
712-1.400
Some Less Likely to
Get HIV/AIDS Care
WASHINGTON (AP) - Minorities, the
poor and people who contracted AIDS
through drug use are less likely to get
needed care, including revolutionary new
drugs that have prolonged life for
thousands ofpeople, according to the first
national study of AIDS treatment.
The disparities were particularly acute
in 1996, when the study began, and have
improved somewhat over two years. But
the gap persisted for many groups,
including women, who are most likely to
get HIV through sex with a drug user and
are also less likely to be in treatment.
Future research will focus on the cause
of the disparities: Are certain patients
failing to seek care? Or are the attitudes
and practices of doctors and hospitals
making it harder for these patients to get
it?
"At least on an unconscious level, some
providers may have more aggressively
tried to provide these treatments to certain
patients," said Dr. Martin F. Shapiro of
the University of California at Los
Angeles, lead author of the study being
published today in the Joumal.-of the
American Medical Association (JAMA).
Shapiro also noted that the differences
in care based on insurance type and race
persisted, evenwhenresearchers took into
account such factors as how the person
contracted the virus.
This, he and others said, reflects larger
disparities in the health system that go
well beyond AIDS. "The voices of the
poor are not heard well in this country,"
Shapiro said. ’-’In the case of HIV, the
consequences of that can be quite
profound."
Overall, care improved from 1996 to
1998. At first, just 29% of ~all patients
were receiving care that met all six
standards. Thatjumped to47% two years
later.
But the care differed widely among
groups. In 1998, for instance, 88% of
whites were receiving powerful protease
inhibitors, but just 80% Of blacks were.
Similarly, 87% of men infected through
sex with other men were taking these
drugs in 1998, compared with 81% of
those infected through drug use.
Some of the gap had narrowed, but
researchers found that tread had slowed,
meaning further improvements were not
likely. While disparities in access to health
care are widespread, unlike other diseases,
mostpeople with theAIDS virus can trace
their infection to one of two sources:
homosexual men or intravenous drug
USerS.
Part of the explanation is simple
economics. People infected through
intravenous drug use, or sex with a drug
user, generally have less money, less
education and more life problems - all of
which keep them from getting effective
care. Someone who can’t pay the rent or
buy groceries or who is addicted to drugs
may find getting medical.care a low
priority. "That tends to be much more of
adown-and-outpopulationinevery way,,
said Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, who studies
racial disparities in health at Harvard
Medical School.
At the same time, the Gay commLlnity
has mobilized around the disease,
educating its members about treatment
options and the importance of getting
care. But while the AIDS epidemic hit
homosexnal men first, black~ are the
fimting growing group of victims, now
accounting for nearly half of all new
infections, making the disparities in care
even more alarming to public health
officials. There are many AIDS clinics in.
the Gay community but few that are
targeted to drug users, said Peter Lurie of
Public Citizen’s Health Research Group.
"The injection drug users are a relatively
forgotten part of this epidemic," he said.
The new research comes from the HIV
Cost and Utilization Study, the first
national data on care for people with HIV
and AIDS. Researchers identified about
231,400 American adults with HIV.who
were receiving at least some medical care
outside the militaiy or prison, in all states
except Alaska and Hawaii.
From this group, a random sample of
more than 2,000 patients was chosen for
interviews beginning in early 1996 and
againin early 1998. Researchers measured
six components of care- three relating to
use of medication and three related to use
of doctors and hospitals.
Morgues Stay Open
Longer DuetoAIDS
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - State
morgues are extending their hours to cope
with Zimbabwe’s soaring death rate,
mostly as a result ofAIDS, the main state-
. controlled newspaper reported in June.
An estimated 3,000 people now die every
week in the southern African country,
nearly 70% of them from AIDS-related
illnesses, The Herald reported.
Harare’s main hospital will now staff
its morgue around the clock and other
hospital mortuary facilities will extend
closing time by four hours to 8 p.m.,
health authorities said, according to the
newspaper. Families ofthe dead also were
being asked to remove corpses within 24
hours of death to reduce overcrowding in
morgues, the paper said.
The National AIDS Coordination
Program estimaies that more than 80,000
Zimbabweans will diefromAIDS-related
illnesses this year. The World Health
Organization says some 25% of
Zimbabwe’s 12.5 million people are
infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
Churches Helping
Support PLWAs
RALEIGH (AP) - Churches and secular
groups in one area of North Carolina are
consolidating to work together on what
they call a holistic approach for AIDS
patients. A coalition of faith-based
congregations Will consolidate with two
secular AIDS service agencies to create
the largest Triangle organization helping
people cope with the virus. Triangle is the
¯ name for the central geographical area of
North Carolina.
: Thenew entity, which still has no name
¯" or central location, will help people with
HIV or AIDS secure federal funding for
" housing, track Social Security benefits
: andfind supportgroups. Anditwillmatch
¯. clients who want spiritual help with a
chaplain or a congregation ready to help
i them. "It’s one thing to give lip service t,o,
compassion; it’s another thing to do it,
"_ said Stacy Smith, who chairs the Triangle
¯ AIDS Interfaith Network’s board of ¯
directors. "For congregations, the
: consolidation points to a way they can
: walk the walk- not just talk the talk."
¯ BeforeAIDS advocates agreedto allow
: churches to work with them, they insisted
: on two conditions: All clients would be
i treated equally no matter how they were
infected, see Health, p. ~4
by TFN Entertainment Editor
Can youbelieve that it’s nearly the year
2000? And that 1999-2000 is Broken
Arrow Playhouse’s 20th ~nniversary
season? 13APC is celebrating this
milestone with six productions: You’re a
GoodMan, CharlieBrown, Murderonthe
Nile, Greater. Tuna,
Arsenic & Old Lace,
Steel Magnolias, and
The Sound of Music.
While none of these
productions are strict-.
ly Gay plays, this is a
company doing good
work that’s always
been Gay-friendly.
Yes, it is ajourney out
of mid-town to the
wilds of Broken
Arrow (except for
those of you who live
out there anyway) but the productions
merit the journey.
Speaking of good works, Saint Louis
Bread, and .local franchise owners, Jim
and Gaynell Magers havebeen great about
supporting local charities. So when they
opened their fourth _and fifth Tulsa
locations, it ~should be little surprise that
they gave 100% (100%! ! ! !) ofthe proceeds
of their opening "dry runs" to charity.
When the Woodland Hills ,location
opened, the proceeds benefit~l Tulsa
CARES (formerly the HIV Resource
Consortium) and the Girl Scouts. The
opening ofthelocationnear Bishop Kelley
benefited Bishop Kelley. So when you
dine next at St. Louis Bread, thank them
for their community spirit - they don’t
¯ have to do it and it really helps.
St. LouisBreadBenefitfor TulsaCARES
and the Girl Scouts: co-owners Jim &
Gaynell Magers, Tulsa CARES
presidentJoeINorvetl, &J.A. Hankins,
Bishop Kelley Director ofDevelopment
: And if you’re thinking of taking in a
¯
meal at The Polo Grill, consider dining
¯ thereonJuly 6th, whenthose two fabulous
¯¯ Gay guys, financial guru,SteveD,Wright
and his buddy, Taimadge Poweil will be
: the Polo Grill’s guest chefs. It should be
great menu - you can
get a preview on
KJRH’s morning
show on July 5th.
Make your reservation
now !
Don’t forget that
Gilcrease has the
exceptional show,
Taos Artis ts and their
Patrons, 1898-1950
up through July 18th.
And opening in
August is their show
featuring extra-
. ordinary masks from Northwest Native
¯ American tribes.
¯ At theendofSeptember,THENAMES ¯
PROJECT will hold its annual Feast for
¯ Friends on 9/25 at the Tulsa Marriott
¯ Sou-them Hills. If you don’t recall, this is ¯
theeventwhereyoudine withyourfriends,
¯ casually or formally and then join all the
: other Feast supporters for dessert. The
¯ event raises funds for HIV/AIDS
¯ education and specifically to present
: portions of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
¯ The next local presentation of part of the ¯
quilt is planned for World AIDS Day,
¯ Dec. 1, 2000. Into: 748-3111. Also,
¯ Council Oak Mens Chorale has a
" performance planned for August. We’ll
: bring you more about that. Stay posted.
by the Rev. Mel White, Soulforce, Inc.
On June 26, the Huntington Library in
Pasadena, California, announced the first
publicexhibitionof the Nurembergpapers.
Signed by Adolf Hitler himself, the
original documents havebeenonfile since
they were donated by General George
Patton in 1945. Hitler decreed these brief
laws to guarantee the"racial purity" ofhis
Third Reich. They redefined the role of
Jews in Germany and opened the doors to
holocaust. "I felt like I was viewing the
first draft of the death warrant that led to
the demise of one-third of world Jewry,"
said Dr. Uri Herscher. "Once deportation
began" added UCLA professor Saul
Friedlander, "these laws determined who
would live and who would die."
The four primary paragraphs were
pnblishedin the Los Angeles Times. I was
stunned by their familiarity. The minute
.they are on display, Gary and I will be
there to see them. IhopeI won’tembarrass
him with involuntary tears. We should
publish them in every GLBT paper in the
country With the warning: It could happen
again!
Paragraph 1: Ended theright of Jews to
marry freely. Sounds like a reason to work
even harder to defeat the "Antigay
Marriage" laws.
Paragraph 2: Ended the right of Jews to
have sexual intercourse freely. Sounds
like a reason to continue our efforts to
rescind the "Sodomy’’ laws.
Paragraph3. Ended the right of Jews tO
employee or be employed freely. Sounds
like a reason to support ENDA, the
Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
. paragraph 4. Ended the right of Jews to
¯ display/serve the nation’s flag freely.
¯ Sounds like areason to seek thatpromised
¯ executive order from President Clinton to
¯" end the ban on gays in the military at last.
; While we’re celebrating all our hard-
" earned victories (and we deserve the time
¯ to celebrate), we need to remember that ¯
Berlin in the 1930s was the most gayfriendly
city in the world. How quickly
¯ life as cabaret became a nightmare of suffering and death.
¯ Too many of us believe our adversaries
¯ are ~fools who are only using us to raise
funds and mobilize volunteers. In fact
¯ they are sincere believers, determined to
¯ end our rights.
Too many of us think that it is NOT
important for us to contribute time and
¯
money to help continue our struggle for
¯ equal rights. Infactany one ofour primary
adversaries raises more money every
¯ month in part to end th.ose fi.ghts than our entire commumty raises in a year to
¯ preserve and protect them.
¯ Too many of us think the danger is
passed and that time is on the side of
¯ justice. In fact Dr. King madeit very clear.
¯ "Time is on the side of injustice."
¯ Even if Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwdl,
¯
James Dobson and the others look to you
¯ likefools who arelosingpower, their antihomosexual
rhetoric is reaching critical
mass in thehomes and churches of our
childhood. Let these documents remind
us that it could happen again. Our
¯ "Nuremberg Laws" are in place or on the ¯
ballot. All it would take is for you or for
¯ me to do nothing.
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Season subscriptions,
starting at $44ftr adults,
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~" SUNDAYS
Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Community of Hope (Welcoming), Service - 6pm, 2545 S. Yale, 585-1800
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Service - 1 lain, 2545 S. Yale, 74%0595
Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist
Service - 1 lain, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314
Metropolitan Community Church United
Service, 1 lain, 1623 North Maplewood, Info: 838-1715
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc.
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 10:45am, 3210b So. Norwood
Parish Church of St. Jerome (Evangelical Anglican Church in America)
Mass - 1 lain, 205 W. King (east of No. Denver), Info: 582-3088
University of Tulsa Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance
6:30 pm, Meets at the Canterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780
~ MONDAYS
Mixed Volleyball, Helmerich Park, 71st & Riverside, 6pm, call Shawn at 243-5190.
HIV Testing Clinic, Free & anonymous testing. No appointment required.
Walk in testing: 7-8:30pm, 834-TEST (8378) 3501 E. Admiral (east of Harvard).
HIV RapSessions at Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
7:30pm, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
2nd Mon/each mo. 6:30pm, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard
Women/Children & AIDS Committee, call for meeting date, noon, 585-5551
Council Oak Men’s Chorale, rehearsals - call for times, info: 585-COMC (2662)
~" TUESDAYS
AIDS Coalition of Tulsa, call for next meeting date. 1430 S. Boulder, 585-5551
Live And Let Live, Community of Hope United Methodist, 7:30pro, 2545 S. Yale
Multicultural AIDS Coalition, call for next meeting date.
Urban League, 240 East Apache, 584-0001
Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networking group. Info: 743-4297
PrimeTimers, mens group, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th
Coming Out Support Group (TOHR/HOPE)
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
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Service - 7pro, 3210b So. Norwood
Tulsa Native American Mens Support Group, more information, call 582-7225
TCC Gay & Lesbian Association of Students (GLAS), Call for info: 595-7632.
Lambda A-A, 7 pro, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
~= THURSDAYS
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education
Anonymous HIV Testing, Testing: 7 - 8:30pm 834-8378, 3507 E. Admiral
Oklahoma Rainbow Young Adult Network (O’RYAN)
Support/social group for 18-24’s, call Red Rock Mental Health at 584-2325
Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS, Info: 834-4194
~" FRIDAYS
Safe Haven, Young Adults Social Group, 1 st Fri/each ino. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th
~ SATURDAYS
Narcotics Anonymous, 11 pm, Community of Hope,1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800
Lambda A-A, 6 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
~’= OTHER GROUPS
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222
Gal-A-Vanting, Womens Social & Cultural Group
Call for info: Mary at 743-6740, Kathy at 322-6322, or Barb at 459-6825.
OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization. Long rides and short rides
from Zeigler Park. Long rides and short rides from Tulsa Gay Community Center.
Write for info: POB 9165, Tulsa, OK 74157
!fyour organization is not listed, please let us know, Call 583-1248 orfax 583-4615.
Reviewed by Barry Hensley
Tulsa City-County Library
One of the biggest controversies surrounding
the Gay civil rights movement
today is the act known as outing- one
person publicly identifying another,
closeted person as homosexual, against
their wishes. Although this
trend seems to be winding
down, there are still many
people, young and old, who
are unable to .identify themselves
as Losblian or Gay.
Because they ar~ not prepared
to,acknowledge their orientation,
they lead double lives to
disguisethe truthfromfriends,
families and eoworkers.
"Outing Yourself," by
Michelangelo Signorile,
recognizes the difficulty of
these situations andprovides a
step-by-step program for
making the .journey from
"Identifying Yourself" to"Not
Thinking About It at All."
Signorileoutlines 14 steps,
under six general parts which
include "Outing Yourself to
Yourself," "Outing Yourself
to Other Gay People," "Outing
Yourself to Your Straight
Friends," "Outing Yourself to Your Family,"
"Outing Yourself to Your C0workers,"
and, finally, "Coming Out Every
Day," which includes ways to help others
undertake the same journey.
Signorile examines the most difficult
steps in the first chapter, where he presents
the thoughts of other authors, including
film historian Vito Russo, who
said, "The truth will set you free, but first
it will be a pain in the neck," and Mark
Thompson, who commented, "Basically,
coming out is a death and rebirthexperience.
To come out, something has to diewhateveritwasyouthought
your were...In
asense, you’rekiiling aformer constructed
identity and creating anew one." Also in
this chapter are exercises to do whichmay
seem simplistic to some, but helpful to
others, depending on how comfortable
one is with the coming-out process.
We can create a list of shared goals,
particularly here in Oklahoma where we
have so far yet to go.
i’11 be so bold as to list afew I hope will
make the cut: continuing the work to pass
improved hate crimes protections in the
Oklahoma Legislature, asking for nondiscrimination
policies in private and
public corporations and agencies;
replacement .of elected officials who
support prejudice against Lesbians, Gay
men, Bisexuals and Transgendered
persons.
Some of this canbe the work ofjust one
individua. Rogers University, now OSUTulsa,
added~term "sexual orientation"
to its non-discrimination policy because
one.person asked them to do so. That was
me. Now had that request not been heard
by social progressives ontheRogersboard
like Nancy Feldman, Dorothy Dewitty
and SharonKing Davis, it wouldnothave
passed. But they wouldn’t have run with
that ff someone hadn’t asked. Each of us
canbring this reform effort to someaspect
of our lives.-
A. number of significant Tulsa
¯ As the journey continues, the author
¯¯ documents true experiences which reveal
the common frustrations related to-
" homophobia and the act of
: "deprogramming yoursdf" from stereo-
. types and the myths that cause lesbians
: and gays to feel out of place in a straight
S;~norlh...
presents the
thoughts of
other authors,
ineludlng
film hlstorlan
Vito Russo,
who s~;d,
’~Fhe truth
will set you
free, but
first it will be
society. In "Meeting Other
-Gay People," the reader is
reminded that today, with gay
community centers, organizations,
newspapers and computer
bulletin boards, the gay
bar is no longer the primary
gathering place. There is a list
of related books, many of
which arein thelibrary, which
should be consulted to further
explain the sometimes
complex and contradictory
feelings that many people
experience.
In "That First Talk,"
Signorile prepares readers for
the inevitable questions and
concerns that arise when
having thatimportant chatwith
parents or other family members.
He acknowledges that it
is not always wise to come out
to parents immediately.
Timing is everything, and it
may be best topostpone yourconversation.
As you get near the end of the book,
which deals with coming out at work and
helping others to come out, it is apparent
that a common thread has been woven
through chapter after chapter: maintaining
a positive approach. Regardless of
who is being addressed, people coming
out are urged to ignore negative comments
and concentrate on having a truth-"
ful, uplifting and educational conversation.
¯ Signorile has also authored "Queer in
¯ America" and numerous columnsfor na-
¯ tional periodicals.Afew years ago,hehad
: a notorious reputation for outing public
" figures, but he has mellowed consider-
" ably and this book is a patient and under-
. standing guide, free from harsh judge-
~ ments or urgings to sacrifice oneself for
"the cause."
." institutions have already made the pledge
¯ to treatGaypeoplefairlyin theworkplace:
~ our largest employer, American Airlines,
¯ Public ServiceCompany, Kimberly-Clark
_. and others. Wenee~l, to build alocal public
¯ awareness campatgn about their good
work and encturage others to follow that
: lead (like TU, for example and Home
¯ Depot to mentionanother).
: I have one last agenda item. We’ve got
: a great community center but as many
¯ know it’s got a lease that will not be
¯ renewed. Now is the time to plan for tke
: next center, one that is bigger and
: preferably owned by us. It’s certainly
¯ feasibleifalotofus withmodest incomes
: join withfew of our community members
: with not so modest resources to find a
i
buil~ng and to endowit. One community
wag s saidthatifafew of’ourcommunity’s
: wealthiest merely redirected a portion of
: their interior decorating budgets, we’d
: have a buildingpaid off and its annual
operating costs covered. I, ofcourse, don’ t
know if that’s true butwehave to ere.ate a
: vision of a better future. And while we’re
: atit, how about a Gay neighborhood too?
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: the fabric but one where we really can
: even hold hands, without fear. Imagine.
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by Mary Schepers .
Your DIYD found herself in a :
compromising situation
recently. She was hot. She was
sweaty. She was close to her
work. Polishing. Grinding.
And then it occurred to her -
"Am I being safe?" The
answer, unfortunately, was
"No." Removing rest with
power equipment requires a
minimum of personal
protective equipment (PPE) to
keep you safe. Rest assured,
Muffins, that your DIYD
promptly set her work aside,
had a cool drink of water, put
on her safety glasses, a pair of
leather gloves, a dust mask
and some earplugs. Then she
returned to her work, whioh
she brought to a very
satisfactory, and safe,
conclfision.
All too often, the important
element of working safely at
home eludes us. It’ s awkward.
It’s uncomfortable. The job
will only take a few moments,
so who needs it? Or, more
often, wejustdon’t think about
it. So this month, your DIYD
happily dons her Safety Cop
uniform to coax you ~nto
submitting to safer work
practices in your fabulous
home. Surrender, Dorothy!
First, read instructions. The
law requires s afety notices and
admonitions onmost products
fi .power tools, adhesives,
pmnts, and lawn chemicals. Follow the
safety instructions fully.
It’s a good idea to have some PPE
handy around the house for when you
need it. Make a kit and keep it sealed and
stored in a clean, dry place where you’ll
remember it. Suggested items: Dust and
mist tuasks (don’t reuse these,
Rockefeller!); latex or vinyl gloves;
earplugs (clean the reusable type after
every use. Don’t reuse disposable ones);
safety glasses and/orgoggles; work gloves
that fit.
Lawn and Garden Work: For mowing,
weed eating, grass blowing and edging,
preserve and protect them.
Too many of us think the danger is
passed and that time is on the side of
justice. Infact Dr. Kingmadeit very clear.
"Time is on the side of injustice."
Even if Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell,
James Dobson and the others look to you
like fools who arelosing power, their antihomosexual
rhetoric is reaching critical
mass in the homes andchurches of our
childhood. Let these documents remind
us that it could happen again. Our
"Nuremberg Laws" are in place or on the
ballot. All it would take is for you or for
me to do nothing. "" o
In 1997, the Rev. Dr. Mel White received
the ACLU’s National Civil Liberties
Award for applying the ’soul force’
principles of Gandhi and King to the
liberation 9fsexual minorit~’es. He ts a cofounder
of Soulforce, Inc.and the author
0fStranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and
Christian in America.
wear safety glasses to protect your eyes
from foreign objects, earplugs for your
hearing, and a dust mask if
~AII too often,
tke important
element d
workln~ safely
at home
eludes as.
It’s awkward. It’s
uncomfortable.
Thejob will
only take a few
moments, so
who needs ~t.~
Or, more Often,
we just don’t
think about it,
So thls month,
your DIYD
happily dons her
Safety Cop
uniform to coax
you into
submittln~ to
safer work
praetlees in your
fabulous home.
you are allergy prone or
asthmatic. Drinklots ofliquids
and work early if it’ s hot.
Lawn Chemicals: If using
liquids, wear long sleeves and
pants, work upwind, spray
0nly on calm days, wear latex
or vinyl gloves and safety
glasses. Most chemicals can
be absorbed through skin and
mucous membranes, andduckling,
if it will kill weeds
or ticks, think about what it
can do to you! For dry
chemicals, wear gloves, a dust
mask and safety glasses.
Shop Work: Wear your
earplugs and safety glasses.
Never disarm guards m~ant to
protect you. Don’t use worn
out blades, bits or other
components. Use a dust mask
and keep the area well
ventilated. Using a table saw?
Then use push sticks when
cutting your stock. Saw
kickbacks are truly ugly.
Refinishing and painting:
Do it outside, if at all possible.
Wear gloves, safety glasses
and possibly arespirator. Look
at less harmful options. There
are several products for
stripping and refinishing that
are more environmentally -
and human - friendly. Do not
use strippers, Solvents or
solvent based stains and
: finishes near flame sources, such as gas
¯ water heaters, oven pilot lights and
¯ furnaces. We do not want you to go Sha-
¯¯ boom, sha-boo~n. Na-na-na-na-na, etc.
Sorry. Having a retro moment.
¯
This is just an overview to get youin the
¯ habit of looking at the safety precautions
your home projects may require. Be safe,
¯
be healthy and be back for next month’ s
: column. Your DIYD wants to tell you
what to do.for a long, long time.
: meeting is to gather, learn and find ways
¯ several "possible outcomes:"
: - a commitment to regroup every six
¯ months;
- a review of our calendars for events
¯ where we might work together;
¯" - discussion of combining mailing lists
with provision for privacy of each
¯ organization’s original list;
: - discussion of a community wide
fundraising event, similar to Dallas’ Black
Tie dinner to benefit all organizations
¯
instead of competing for thee,same dollars;
¯ - consideration of aft ~fimbrell~ co¯
ordinating organization ~or these eff0~ts.
Those receiving the letter were
¯
encouraged tO alert the Organizers ~J any
¯ group not listed who should be invited.
¯ However, the contact number listed on ¯
the letter rings to a disconnected message
¯
but Newman’s no. is 582-4673.
: Editor’s note: this month’s editorial,
¯ Say Something Nice: Praise for Pride ’99,
also comments on this meeting and some
¯
possible community goals.
The letter suggests that the point of the
better to work together but also identifies
by Esther Rothblum : recommend the book Eden Built by Eyes:
What’s the first thing that comes to , TheCultureofWomen’sMusicFestivals,
mind when we think about women’s ¯ by Bonnie Morris (Alyson Press, 1999)
music.’? Many Lesbians will
recall Alix Dobkin’s album
Lavender Jane Loves
¯ Women.
I r~eq,ently spoke with Alix
and asked how she first
became a Lesbian musician.
"I was writing aboutmy own
life," she recalled, "so music
waspartofmyconsciousness
raising." Alix had been a
professional folk singer for
many-years. "I was at the
right place, at the right time,
with the right background,
doing the right thing," she
told me. She produced a
number of albums of
women’s music: Lavender
Jane Loves Women (1973),
Living WithLesbians (1976),
XXAlix (1980), These Women
(I986), YahooAustralia
(1990), andLoveandPolitics
( 1992, acompilation album). ..,
Living with Lavender Jane (1998) wa~ a
re-release ontoCDofthefirsttwoalbums.
In addition, Alix Dobkin’s Adventures in
Women’s Music (Not Just a Songbook)
was published in 1978.
I asked Alix what other music was
around for Lesbians when she first began
performing. The answer: notmuch. Robin
Tyler had produced Maxine Feldman in
1972; a 45-rpm record with two songs.
There was the Chicago Women’s
LiberationRockBandand theNew Haven
Women’s Liberation Rock Band Double
Album. And in New York, Lesbian
Feminist Liberation conducted a talent
show and recorded it - the record was
called A Few Loving Women: Lavender
Jane Loves Women was the first album of
women’s music that was distributed
internationally.
"Those days were tremendously
exciting," Alix said. "First of all, I was
writing about myself AS A LESBIAN. I
was writing the kinds of songs in which
you could not change a pronoun and have
it still make sense. In other words, you
could not change my music into
heterosexual songs. They were clearly
and openly songs about women loving
women. I realized that as long as I was
writing songs like that, I was writing
umque material. No one had ever written
that before, and even the women
depending on Lesbian audiences almost
never write about Lesbians - in fact; they
rarely mention womenF’
Even today, Alix feels that there is a
great need for Lesbians to be writing
about their lives. She has sensed at times
that women’s music has received a bad
rap, when in fact it is precisely because of
the foremothers in .women’s music that
performers like theIndigo Gifts havebeen
successful. "There is this belief that
women’s music is confined to folk music,
which it never was," said Alix. "The
negative reaction coming from many
young Lesbians is due largely to the
backlash against feminis~a. Our
communities very much reflect what is
going on in the world generally and
feminism has been dismissed, even by
women in our own communities. I would
"There is this
belief that
women s music
is confined to
folk music,
which it never
was," said Alix.
"The negative
reaction coming
from many
.young Lesbians
is due largely to
the backlash
ag.ai.nst
emlnlSm.
for an excellent overview
and more details. Women’s
music is about raising
consciousness, and most
people don’t even know
~vhat ttiat is anym0re.
Furthermore, due to budget
cuts in education, we’vealso
lost a generation that was
schooled to appreciate
music" Nevertheless, Alix
is excited by the fact that
many of her performances
these days are atuniversities,
so that she does have an
impact on young women.
After a lifetime in New
York, Alix is now living in
California. She stillperforms
around the country, and is
involved with a club that
features concerts by women
and holds and furthers our
chlture. The Director,
Barbara Price, used to co-
¯ produce the Michigan Womyn’s Music
¯ Festival. Alix is writing a column for
: Chicago Outlines and working on a book
¯ of her memoirs.
¯ Visit Alix Dobkin’s webpage at
: www.ladyslipper.org/vendors/
¯ ladyslipper/alix_dobkin.xtml To order
." Alix Dobldn’s music and music by other
¯¯ women and Lesbian musicians, contact
Ladyslipper Music, P.O. Box 3124,
¯ Durham, NC 27715, tel. 1-800-634-6044
¯ or 919-383-8773. ¯
Esther Rothblum is Prof. ofPsychology
", at the Univ. ofVermont and Editor of the
: Journal of Lesbian Studies. She can be
¯ reatz-hedatDeweyHall, Univ.ofVermont,
: Burlington, VT, email:
¯ esther.rothblum@uvm.edu.
: President Clinton broke the impasse three
¯ weeks agowhenhemadeHormel a"recess
: appointment"-amethodthatcircumvents
: the normal Senate confirmation process.
," The State Department generally shies
¯ away from partisanship, but the whiff of
politics was in the air as Albright joined
¯ Hormel, a longtime Democratic donor
¯ and activist, for the festivities and spoke
¯ on his behalf. Civil rights for Gays and ¯
Lesbians have been a high-profile theme
¯ for the Democrats as campaigning for
: next year’s election picks up steam. Vice
¯ President A1 Gorevisited aGayandlesbian
¯ centerduringacampaignvisittoCalffornia
: last week.
¯ The Traditional Values Coalition, a ¯
churchlobby thatopposedthenomination,
¯ said in a statement that the swearing in of
¯ Hormel marks "the beginning of the Gore
¯ campaign’s efforts to woo thehomosexual
: vote." Coalition members demonstrated
~ in protest outside the State Department as
¯ the ceremony was taking place.
: ’"Unis is one of those glorious days
: when thenice guy finishes first," Albright
¯, told the gathering. "Neitherrace, norcreed,
¯ nor gender nor sexual orientation should ¯
berelevant to the selection ofambassadors
; for the United States.
¯ . Said Kennedy: see Hormel, p. 13
IGTA member
Call 341.6866
International
TOUrs !ormorein ormation.
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by Lamont Lindstrom : Cook’s flagship: Kamehameha "with
A troop (or halau) of hula dancers . many ofhisattendantstookupquarterson
entertained the seminar that lamlecturing " board the ship for the Night; among them
to in Honolulu this month. Tourists ¯ is a Young Man of whom he seems very
appreciate hula dancing as sexually ." fond, which does not in the least surprise
charged exoticentertai.’nment.
The hula reminds them that
they are on vacation in
paradise, or at least the
tourisfic version of Such.
Locals, too, appreciate, hula
but for differentreasons. Hula,
like Hawaiian language,
surfing, slack key guitars,
kalua pork and lomilomi
salmon, and similar cultural
symbols, represents "Hawaiianness."
Hula dancers
celebrate their Hawaiian
identity and tla~ir links to
ancestral tradition. There.~e
twohula styles: ’auana,which
often is tourist-trash hula
which shakes to the beat of
guitar andukulele, and kahiko,
where dancers bodies move
When ,]ames
Cook’s ships
llM at the
Island of
Hawai’i in 1789,
the En~llsh were
hor~f;ed to
d~seover that
l ding
Hawai~n ehlefs
bo g n&
in addition
to
to accompany traditional chants. You
might guess that our stodgy academic
seminar was treated to the more formal,
higher status huta kahiko.
But I prefer kahiko style--I must
confess--in that the guys d~ce shiftless
in skimpy malo; orloindoths. It is certainly
easier to appreciate dance when the
performer wears little on his body.
Traditionally, only men danced hula.
¯ Although no doubt always entertaining,
hula was principally a religious ritual
meant to communicate with gods and
ancestors. Dances took place at temples
and shrines that were taboo to women.
Nowadays, hula is mostly-women’s
business though there are several popular
men’s troops that perform and compete in
regular hula festivals. Many male hula
dancers are gay as have been some noted
kumu hula (dance school teachers and
leaders). Drivenundergroundby Christian
missionary opposition in the early 19th
century, the hularetumed as a legitimate
art form in the 1880S under the patronage
of King Kalakaua. Gay dancers have long
cultivated and daborated hula and today,
a century later, huladoes very wall as both
tourist spectacle and marker of Hawaiian
cultural authenticity.
Nowadays the local words for "gay
man" that one hears most often are mahu
and "muffy," these often indicating some
degree of effemininl~y. Traditionally,
islanders also .spoke of:aikane - a word
that appears to have meant "male lover"
though today people use the word for any
dose friend.
When James Cook’s ships called at the
Big Island ofHawai’i in 1789, the English
were horrified to discover that leading
Hawaiianchiefs hadboyfriends in addition
to wives. Charles Clerke, second in
command of the expedition, wrote: every
chief "according to his rank keeps so
many women and so many young men
([aikane] as they call them) for the
amusement of his leisure hours; they talk
of this infernal practice with all"~’
indifference in the world, not do I suppose
they imagine any degree of infamy init."
Kamehameha, who would unify
Hawai’i and.become the archipelago’s
first king, also had a boyfriend. David
Samwell, ship’s surgeon, met the future
king’s lover when Kamehameha visited
us, as we have had
opportunities before of being
acquainted with a detestable
part of his Character which he
is not in the least anxious to
The Hawaiians -
shrewd observers no doubt -
asked the English if some of
the ship’s boys and young
sailors on board were the
aikane of the ship’s officers.
One might guess that a trim
ship’s boy might begin to look
rather attractive, even to the
most heterosexist officer, on
an extended two-year voyage
around the world in the dose
quarters of a small leaky ship.
Still, the English were offended
by the Hawaiians’ pointed
questions. I suspect they mostly were
mortified and embarrassed that the
Hawaiians, unlike the English, were not
anxious to conceal their homosexual
relations, nor "imagine any degree of
infamy" in them. Any officer who might
havebeenmessing witha ships’ boy would
have been desperate to keep this on the
down low.
Today, as Hawaiians ofall sorts continue
to argue the possibilities of homosexual
marriage, the aikane serves in this debate.
Some suggest that the State of HawaJ~i
should legalize gay marriage as a way of
respecting and celebrating the past and
these islands’ onetime traditions. The
"English" view of boyfriends remains
dominant, however, and aikane are still
partially in hiding. Where once Hawaiian
homosexuality was indifferent and
therefore normal, today it has become
different and thus dangerous to admit.
There are popular statues and images of
the great King Kamehameha on view in
many public places here but in none of
these does the King have his boyfriend at
his side. Nonethdess, the past lives on in
hula. As I watched the sinuous hula dancers
in their malo I could see back into a time
and place where men saw no reason to
conceal their honorable affairs with their
boyfriends.
"There was never any honorable question
abouthis qualifications tobe ambassador."
The opposition to Hormel was
¯ "irresponsibleandunacceptable," he said.
¯ Feinstein, noting that Hormel’s
¯ appointment teared the SenateForeign
~ Rdations Committee by 16-2, said he
¯ would have been approved by an
¯ overwhelming majority had the Senate
¯ voted as a whole. By tr~idition, even one
¯ senator can preventa Vote on anomination
¯ because of a personal grievance. In
Hormel’s case, his appointment was
¯ blockedby Oklahoma senator, Jim Inhofe,
who formerly represented in Oklahoma’s
¯ (mostly Tulsa) First District in the US
House. Inhofe has received national
attention for his anti-Gay views.
"In Jim’s [Hormd] appointment, I think
¯ we open a door," Feinstein said.
..)
and-AIDS education wouldcontinue, even
if it meant handing out condoms at Gay
bars. "We wanted to make sure we don’t
repeat the mistakes of the past," said
Jacquelyn Clymore, director of client.
services for AIDS Service Agency of
North Carolina.
The consolidation, which will become
official in December, will unite the AIDS
ServiceAgency of NorthCarolina, serving
Wake, Durham and Orange counties, the
AIDS Service Agency of Orange County
and theTriangleAIDS Interfaith Network,
a coalition of 60 churches and one
synagogue. The secular agencies will get
help from a crew of about 500 committed
church volunteers, many of whom feel
called to help people with AIDS.
In the early days of AIDS, Gay men
with the virus were unwelcome in many
churches, while those who had contracted
AIDS from heterosexual contact or blood
infusions were called "innocent victims."
But in recent years, many Christians and
Jews have quietly begun reaching out to
people with AIDS, acting on scriptural
commandments to love thy neighbor.
Today, HIV infection rates are- highest
among low-income African-American
men and women, many of whom
¯ contracted the virus througli heterosexual
contact or sharing needles.
It took four years of talking for the
consolidation to move forward because
this time, it was the AIDS advocates who
harbored stereotypes of religious groups.
Some feared they would bejudgmental, if
not sanctimonious. "We asked ourselves:
’What’s in the best interest of the client?’
"said Bill Brent, executive director of the
AIDS Service Agency of North Carolina
and director of the new agency. The three
groups, withbranches across the Triangle,
will consolidate their staff, apply for grants
and raise money as one.
Man3" church volunteers say they are
happy to avoid the politics of AIDS. They
don’t ask about sexual orientation or past
drug use. "We don’t even talk about that.
It’s the relationship here and now that’s
important," said Earl Wiggins, who leads
the care team at Greater St. Paul
Missionary Baptist Church in Durham.
"Love is the key component."
againstGays, andNew Hampshire, where
lawmakers repealed a 1987 law thatbarred
Gays fromadopting children or serving as
foster parents. "You can sort of pick the
state and measure progress in every state
on the legislative front," she said.
Unimaginablein 1969was the visibility
of-Gay people today in politics,
entertainment and everyday news
coverage. Think Ellen DeGeneres, k.d.
lang; Melissa Etheridge, Flton John, Ian
McKellan, Rupert Everett. Three current
members of Congress are openly Gay -
Democrats Barney Frank ofMassachusetts
and’Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and
Republican Jim K01h¢Of Arizona- as are
scores~of other.deeted officials around ’,
theS(ountry.
’:.The love that dare not speak its name
now ~on’t shut up," says TomAmmiano,
president of San Francisco’s Board of
Supervisors. In 1%9, Ammiano was a27-
year,old,, sp,,ec~_’al education teacher and
no~e,t, ’out as, a Gay man, although, he
salt. ’it wash t hard to surmise - the
wrists and everything." He subsequently
b~e a stand-up comic and a member
of die Board of Supervisors;,where three
of 11 members are openly Gay. President
of the board since November, he’s
considered a likely challenger to San
Francisco Mayor Willie Brown Jr.
The progress made by Lesbians and
Gay men has been accompanied by
setbacks as well. Eighteen states still have
sodomy laws ontheirbooks, five of which
single outhomosexual sodomy, Efforts to
include Gays in federal civil rights and
hate-crime laws have stalled. Current law
prohibits crimes based on race, color,
religion or national origin.
Recent murders of Gay men- Matthew
Shepard, a University ofWyoming student
who was beaten and tied to a fence last
October, and Billy Jack Gaither, an
Alabama textile worker who was beaten
with an ax handle mad set on fire - raised
awareness of the persistence of anti-Gay
violence. AIDS has decimated ageneration
of Gay men, and nearly 20 years into the
epidemic there is no cure.
Still, few could dispute that Lesbians
and Gay men in 1999 enjoy rights
undreamed of in 1969.
Karl Rusterholtziives in Mission Viejo,
Calif., with his partner and their twofoster
sons. They are active in their church,
where Rusterholtz and his partner
celebrated their union with a commitment
ceremony. "l would say that we’re just
pretty average," says Rusterholtz, 36, a
microbiologist. "We’ve gone to pride
marches and stuff, but it’s not our cup of
tea." Rusterholtz says he "would like to
see federal protection, that Gays and
Lesbians would not worry about losing
their jobs or losing their homes -or losing
their children." But his own experience
negotiating the foster care system inconservative
Orange County has been
"nothing but fabulous."
Margaret Blankenbiller, 21, works in a
florist’s shop inProvo, Utah. "I’d like to
be able to hold my girlfriend’s hand when
we go out to dinner and not worry about
someone slashing our tires," she says.
Still, her family is supportive and her coworkers
- many of them members of the
conservative Mormon church - treat her
Lesbianism "like it’ s pretty normal."
Nestle, who founded the Lesbian
Her’story Archives and is now 59,
remembers when being a Lesbian was
anything but normal. At one bar she
frequented, Nestle and her friends had to
line up to use the bathroom one at a time
"because we couldn’t be trusted" not to
misbehave inside together. Toilet paper
was doled out shut by sheet. "Something
in me was moving from knowing I was a
freak to saying that someday I will refuse
this moment of humiliation;’ she says.
Nestle has ;been chosen one of two
grand marshals for Sunday’s Gay pride
parade in New York. "It’ll be a very
special moment," she says. "I see it as the
largest grassroots demonstration in the
world."
Gay men into its worship life. Unity
Church of Christianity at 3355 So.
Jamestown has welcomed a new pastor,
Steve Colliday, who happens to be an
openly Gay -man. The Unity tradition has
¯ been welcoming of Lesbians and Gay
~meri for some time.
And College Hill Presbyterian Church
(CHPC) is considering becoming a"More
Light" congregati.on which is the
Presbyterian version of bein.g a
"welcoming" congregation. College Hill
close by the University of Tulsa, has a
tradition of being involved in progressive
causes.Avote is expected in afew months.
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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
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[1999] Tulsa Family News, July 1999; Volume 6, Issue 7
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
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Tulsa Family News
Source
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https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24
Publisher
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Tom Neal
Date
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July 1999
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Jean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legrandbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
Mary Schepers
Adam West
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News
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Tulsa Family News, June 1999; Volume 6, Issue 6
Format
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Image
PDF
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Language
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English
Type
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newspaper
periodical
Coverage
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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/589
'One Fool'
1999
African Americans
AIDS/HIV
AIDS/HIV research
Arkansas
arts and entertainment
attorneys
Barney Frank
Barry Hensley
Bars
Burger Sisters
businesses
Catholic Church
churches
Concessions
Council Oak Men's Chorale
Dave Fleischer
denial of service
Dick Armey
Do-It-Yourself Dyke
Dyke Psyche
Entertainment Notes
Esther Rothblum
Eureka Springs
Gay and Lesbian Affordable Daycare
gay bashing
Gay Finances in a Straight World
Gay Studies
Gregory Diggins
hate crime bill
hate crimes
HIV/AIDS bias
homophobia
James Christjohn
Kenya
Lamont Lindstrom
Maine
Mary Schepers
medical abuse
Millenium March
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Native Americans
New Haven
performing arts
Peter Berkery Jr.
Pride
Read All About It
Red Ribbon Gala
restaurants
South Africa
Swan Awards
Thailand
Tim Bliley
Tom Coburn
Tom Neal
Tulsa Family News
Tulsa Two-Spirited Indian Men's Support Group
University of Tulsa
violence
Women and AIDS Regional Conference
-
https://history.okeq.org/files/original/50bdd98677712ae3f569f32d1ff8f5a2.jpg
ce7f2c861df6f8ff8935802cdcfc58da
https://history.okeq.org/files/original/1db91b78c49a0952df18445ae40db06d.pdf
ca6cf97abbffe0a153cbfd0cca1e2111
Dublin Core
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[Sub-Series] Newsletters & Publications > Tom Neal Newsletters > Tulsa Family News
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newspaper
periodical
Text
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Texas House Passes
Hate Crimes Bill
WASHINGTON-TheTexas HouseofRepresentatives
passed a bill late in March (vote count: 83 to 61,
including the support of 9 Republicans) that would
enhance penalties for hate motivated violence directed
against a person because of their race, gender, religion
or sexual orientation. In addition to the House vote, a
new poll shows that the vast majority ofTexas residents
support hate crimes legislation...
"Reason and principle triumphed in the Texas
legislature today," said HumanRights Campaign (HRC)
Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. ’‘Texas lawmakers
took a giant step towards combating hate violence
against all residents of the state." The Human Rights
Campaign is the largest national Lesbian and Gay
political organization.
A new Scripps Howard poll for The Dallas Mormng
News revealed that 72% of Texans support hate crimes
legislation. According to the newspaper, the poll said
that the public supports the inclusion of all groups
currently included in the legislation: 81% for race; 80%
for women; 78% for religious groups; and 76% for Gay
people, see Texas, p. 14
TU Hosts Women + AIDS
Regional Conference
TULSA-The Second Regional Conference onWomen
and AIDS will be held on The University of Tulsa
campus Monday,June 14,intheAllen ChapmanActivity
Center, located at 440 South Gary Avenue.
Theconferenceis a comprebensive, one-dayprogram
to raise awareness, promote discussion and provide
opportunities for new directions in HIV prevention,
care and treatment for women. "We will gather together
in the spirit of concern for our community," says Jauice
Nicklas, Senior Planner of the Commttnity Service
Council and Conference Spokesperson.
According to Nicklas, the conference will benefit
everyone - women living with HIV and AIDS, people
whodeal with women’sissues, educators, policymakers,
youth organizations,healthand social service providers,
family members, volunteers and concern.ed citizens.
"In theArms oftheAngels," a documentary produced
by the National AIDS Fund Americorps Team Tulsa,
will open the conference at 8:30 a.m. with a look at
women and AIDS. Patty Lather, author of "Troubling
the Angels," will give the keynote address at 8:45 a.m.
In addition to a series of workshops, the conference
will feature a panel of HIV positive women who will
share their stories. Judith Billings of the President’s
Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS will give the luncheon
address. Saiadra McDonald, the founder of Outreach,
Inc., will present the closing address on "WhatWe Can
Do to Be a Force for Change."
see Women, p. 11
MJ DIRECTORY/LETTERS P. 2
EDITORIAL p. $
~I~I~. US & WORLD NEWS P. 4
HEALTH NEWS P. 6
~ ENTERTAINMENT P. 8
COMMUNITY CALENDAR P. 9
DO-IT-YOURSELF-DYKE P. 11
DYKE PSYCHE P. 12
"" GAY STUDIES P. 13
Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends
Tulsa’s Largest Circulation Community PaperAvailable In More Than 75 City Locations
Gay Businesses Open + Close
Lesbian-Owned Daycare and Gay-Owned
Restaurant Open But Concessions Closes
by Tom Neal
TULSA - Maybe it’s just spring but a couple of new Gay owned
and oriented businesses have, or are about to open this month.
Andone ofTulsa’ s most visible Gay businesses has unexpectedly
dosed.
From Lesbian Baby Boom, Comes Gay Daycare
The origin of GLAD, Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare,
reflects the frustrations of two new moms, Teresa and Joan, 33
and 32 years old, trying to find good daycare for their 4 month old
son, Joseph (Joey) while they worked.
For Teresa, the final thing that convinced her to leave her 70-
80 hour a week managerial position to start a home based
business was a conflict about getting time off when their son was
sick. But for both, there was more.
After their son was bom, they explored many alternatives for
infant care. Some options using relatives or friends just didn’t
work out. Many of the day care operations which they reviewed
just didn’t seem to be very good. And most had inflexible rules
and were very expensive, with high deposits, inflexible contracts
and schedules.
For example, many day care operations require a year round
contract with perhaps only 10 days off allowed. Any more days
off have to be paid for regardless of whether the child is at the
center or not. For these morns, one of whom is a teacher and has
the summer off, it makes no sense to pay for care year-round.
However, if they don’t, they take the risk that no place will be
available in the fall again.
Furthermore, Joan and Teresa also were concerned about
raisxng their son in an enviroment wherehe will not be mistreated
because he has two morns. And they know that they are not the
only Gay parents who have these concerns. At some of the day
care centers they inspected they were asked, "where’s the father"
and were received with not very well disguised hostility. They
say that they’ve sometimes felt they had~o say they were"sisters"
in order to be treated fairly.
So finally, after thoroughly researching state requirements,
theyjust decided tO start their owndaycare in their cozy midtown
bungalow, see Businesses, p. 14
Red Ribbon Gala + SwanAwards
TULSA, Okla. (AP/TFN) - Some members of Tnlsa’s Gay
community say they were pleased Chastity Bono visited this
weekend because the author has helped mainstream Americans
become more tolerant. "Just by her coming to Tulsa, it means a
great deal to us. It helps people to come together," said Nancy
McDonald, who recently was national president of Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).
Bono was the keynote speaker Saturday night, April 17th at the
Red Ribbon Ball, an annual black-tie gala that benefits Tnlsa
CARES, the Center forAIDS Resources, Educationand Support.
The event attracted more than 250 to the Downtown Doubletree.
Bono, the Openly Lesbian daughter ofSonnyandCher, formerly
served as the entertainment media director of the Gay & Lesbian
Alliance’Against Defamation. She was involved in controversy
for suggesting that the television show of Lesbian comedian,
Ellen Degeneres, was "too Gay." Bono, 30, spent part of the day
autographing copies of her book "Family Outing," which details
how she and others revealed their sexual orientation to their
families.
Also, at the Gala, the co-sponsoring organization, the Tulsa
Chapter of PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians &
Gays presented their annual Swan awards. Among those honored
were State Rep. DOn Ross, the Revs. Leslie Penrose and Gary
Blaine, The Tulsa World, represented by editorial board writer
David Averill, and PFLAG board member Tim Gillean.
The award to Gillean was met with consternation by two
former TOHR presidents attending the Gala,’Deb Starnes and
Tom Neal, as PFLAG credited him as ’~he founder" of the
Community Center. Both noted that Gillean helped start the
Center, particularly doing early fundraising but that after he was
voted out as TOHRpresident, he had dropped his member at the
time when the building was found and leased. "No single person
can claim the Center; Kelly Kirby was president when we began,
Tim certainly did a great deal but Deb Statues, Midge Elliott and
I sweated blood to get that building open, walls tomdown and the
place painted. Tim’s done enough other work that PFLAG
doesn’t have to rip anyone off to honor him," said Neal.
PFLAG president and Swan award presenter, Jan Allen, stated
that she was not aware of the history of the Center and that
PFLAG had not intended to slight any of the Center’s organizers.
Pride ’99 Shaping Up:
Picnic, Parade & More
US Rep. Frank to be Grand Marshall of
First Tulsa Parade + Community
Unitarians Host First Gay UU Pastor
TULSA - Tulsa’s Pride ’99
organizers have confirmed that
openly Gay US Congressman,
Barney Frank of Massachusetts
not only will attend this year’s
June 12th event but will serve as
grand marshall of Tulsa’s very
first Lesbian/Gay pride parade.
The parade will begin at 10 am at Tulsa’s Gay
Community Services Center at 38th & Peoria and
will go north on Peoria to 31st Street. From there it
will go west to Riverside Drive and will continue
north to Veterans (Boulder) Park, the site of the
Picnic as it was last year. The principle sponsors for
this year’s event are Bud Light and MCC United.
The picnic will be from noon until 5pm again. Bud
Light will be providing a large tent to provide some
shelter from the sun as wall the sound system.
Local drag diva Kris Kohl is organizing
entertainment. These range from a local band, an
appearance by the Council Oaks Mens Chorale,
various female impersonators and titleholders, and
more. Refreshments as always will be free.
Congressman Frank will also be the guest of
honorat adinner Saturday evening at the Greenwood
Cultural Center at 322 No. Greenwood near the
OSU-Tnlsa campus. Thedinner will be hosted
joindy byTOHR/Tulsa’s Gay Community Services
Center and by the Cimarron Alliance, Oklahoma’s
Gay and Lesbian political action committee.
Cocktails begin at 7pm and dinner will be at 8.
Dinner and a cash bar cocktail pre-party will be
$50/person anddinner and a complimentary cocktail
reception with Congressman Frank will be $125/
person, see Frank, p. 3
"One Fool" Play Coming
To Eureka Springs, AR
EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. - As part of the May
Festival of the Arts, OneFool, a one-woman, oneactplay
will bepresentedTuesday andWednesday,
May25-26, 8 p.m. at Center Stage (on Spring Street
m the downtown Historic Distric0. The play,
featuring Orlando improv-actress, Catherine
Goodison, was written by Terry Baum and will be
directed by Lewis Routh. ’One Fool is a riotously
funny play about a woman’s search for the ’one
love’ withwhomshe canlive forever," says director
Routh. ’‘This wild odyssey takes her across the
world and into your heart."
Catherine Goodison began her acting career in
1994 under the direction ofLewis Routhin the play
BarDykes, where she played the role ofabig butch.
She and Routh have worked together on several
projects since that time, including the 1994showing
ofOneFool in Orlando. Goodison, whosecomedic
talenthas foundits way tomany ofFlorida’s stages,
including the famed Fringe Festival, has been a
featured performer with Act Out Theatre and the
Improvabilities comedy troupe. As part of the
troupe, her most memorable roles include Lucy in
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and the roles
of the Nanny and the school teacher in Baby With
The Bath Water, both plays directed by Routh.
Playwright Terry Bantu is the founder of Lilith,
the San Francisco Women’s Theater, and was its
artistic director from 1975 to 1980. During that
time, sheco-wroteand/ordirectedeveryproduction.
Moonlighting, which she directed and co-wrote,
toured Europe to great acclaim in 1979. Baum
wrote Dos Lesbos with Carolyn Myers, which ran
for two years in San Francisco and was nominated
for several awards. She has created two other onewoman
shows, Ego Trip and Immediate Family,
both ofwhich were publishedinPlaces, Please, the
first anthology of Lesbian plays.
see Play, p. 14
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine
*Boston Willy’s Diner, 1742 S. Boston
Burger Sisters Restaurant, 1545 S. Sheridan
*Empire Bar, 1516 S. Peoria
*Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria
*Jason’s Deli, 15th & Peoria
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
*Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E 31st
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial
832-1269
592-2143
835-1207
599-9512
583-6666
749-4511
599-7777
749-1563
744-4280
745-9998
834-4234
585-3405
660-0856
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd - 584:1308
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 747-1508
*Affinity News, 8120 E. 21 610-8510
*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
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 665-4580
Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E 21 712-9955
*Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272
*CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 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
*Devena’s Gallery, 13 Brady 587-2611
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556
*Elite Books& Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503
*Ross Edward Salon .~,. 584-0337, 712-9379
*Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 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
I.eaune 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
*Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070
Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466
*Living ArtSpace, 19 E. Brady 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
David A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633 747-7672
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626
*Peace of Mind Bookstore, 1401 E 15 583-1090
The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor 743-4297
Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101 747-5932
Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617
Ted Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-7921,747-4746
*Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749-6301
Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-7829
*Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria 697-0017
*Tulsa Book Exchange, 3749 S. Peoria 742-2007
*TulSa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558
*Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard 835-5563
Fred Welch, LCSW, Counsding 743-1733
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis 592-0767
Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & ,Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593
*All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363
Black & White, Inc. POB 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
*ChurchoftheRestorationUU, 1314N.Greenwood 587-1314
*Community ofHopeUnited Methodist, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595
*Council Oak Men’s Chorale 585-COMC (2662)
*Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511
*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
: 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615, POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159
¯ e-mail: TulsaNews@ earthlinlc net
website: http://us6rs, aol.com/Tul saNews/
¯
Publisher + Editor:
¯ Tom Neal
¯ Writers + contributors:
¯ James Christjohn, Jean-Claude de Flambeauehaud
¯ Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Adam West
¯
Member of The Associated Press
¯ issued on or before the 1st of each month, the entire contents of this
¯ - p~blication are protected by US copyright 1998 by TJ.~ ~:...~,~.
¯ Ntw,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. Correspon-.
¯ dence is assumed to be for publication unless otherwise noted,_r~ust
be signed & becomes the sole property of T~
¯ Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution
~ points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248.
¯
Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827 ¯ Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
¯° *HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
¯ *HIV Resource Consortium, 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194
*Holland Hall School, 5666 E. 81st 481-1111
¯ HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378
HIV Testing, Mon/Thurs. 7-9pm, daytime by appt. only
¯ *House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 3210e So. Norwood
Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438-2437, 800-284-2437
¯ *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
¯ NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admi.’ral P1. 748-3111 ¯
¯ NOW, Nat’IOrg forWomen, POB 14068,74159 365-5658
OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157
: *Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584-7960
¯ PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901
: *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674
: *The Pride Center, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor, 74105 743-4297
¯ Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152
*R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195
". Rainbow Business Guild, POB 4106, 74159 665-5174
¯ *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325
¯ O’RYAN, support group for 18-24 LGBT young adults
¯ O’RYAN, Jr. support group for 14-17 LGBT youth
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
: *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, c/o The Pride Center .743-4297
¯
T.U.LS.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222
¯ *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
¯ *Tulsa Community College Campuses ¯
*OSU-Tulsa (formerly UCT, formerly Rogers U. whoever...)
" BARTLESVILLE
*Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. John.stone 918-337-5353
OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
¯ *Borders Books &Music, 3209 NWExpressway 405-848-2667
*Borders Books & Music, 300 Nolanan Center 405-573-4907
¯ TAHLEQUAH
¯
*Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900
¯ *Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church. 918-456-7900
¯ *Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-9360
: NSU School of Optometry, 1001 N. Grand
: HIVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for dates ¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
¯ *Autnmn 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
¯ Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East 501-253-6001
¯ *White Light, 1 Center St. 501-253-4074
¯ FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS5
¯ *Edna’s, 9 S. School Ave. 501-442-2845
: JOPLIN, MISSOURI
¯ *Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-6232696
¯ * iswhereyoucanfindTFN.NotallareGay.ownedbutallareGay-friendly.
NGLTF Leader :Resigns
From Millennium March
It is with great regret that I resign as a
member of the Board of Directors of the
Millennium March on Washington,
effective immediately.
The reasons for my resignation stem
from three basic issues, which have¯
continued to grow over time. First, I have
significant political disagreements with
the March call and planning, which ha~’e
not been addressed. Secondly, I have
grown increasingly skeptical of the value
of this event for the Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT)
movement at this time. And finally, I
cannot endorse certain decisions made by
theBoard. Although I have great trust and
affection for each of you individually, it
does not assuage my concerns and
questions. I now believe I will be most
helpful to thecommunityfrom outside the
Board.
Since the initial call for the March,
grassroots activists have consistently
challenged us as national leaders. Their
concerns address the credibility and
legitimacy of the March and they have
demandedanopening of the Marchprocess
for greater discussion. Thequestions have
been on whether to march, what agenda to
march for, and how best to use the
tremendous platform and visibility that
such marches provide.
Despitemypolitical disagreements with
the call and process, I agreed to serve on
the March Board, believing my
participation could change the course of
the process. I also felt that as a
representative of the oldest national
political organization, and one of the few
explicitly progressive national GLBT
groups,myvoice was needed in theMarch
planning process. I stated at the time that
I wouldremain onthe Board as long as my.
presence represented the best interests of
Task Force members, our constituents,
and the movement as a whole.
Since I joined the Board, my
participation has been challenged by
members and activists with whom we
have deep andlongstanding relationships.
Individuals from all perspectives have
intensively engaged me, the Task Force
staff, and our Board. I took their concerns
to heart and carried them in my work on
the March Board. During my tenure, I
voted in the minority on key resolutions
on personnel issues, the naming of the
March, andthebroadening of theplanning
effort to allow more people a seat at the
table. I helped lead the successful effort to
ensure that funds raised by the March
would go to statewide organizations,
people of color organizations and other
constituents underrepresented in our
movement. However, the Board has
¯ largely ignored the fundamental issues
that lead me into become involved: why
we should march, the agenda, and the
involvement of the entire GLBT
commnnity. I cannot serve onaBoard that
will not open itself to greater input and
see Letters, p. 3
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 mustbe signed&have phonenumbers,
or be hand delivered. 200 word letters
are preferred. Letters to other publications
will be printed as is appropriate.
Talking with people inthe community, I was relieved to
learn that I was hardly the only one who was disappointed
with the celebrated Chastity Bono. Ms. Bono was "the
keynote speaker" at the recent Red Ribbon Gala benefiting
Tulsa CARES, our local co-ordinating organization for
HIV/AIDS services. The dinner was nice enough and the
attendance was about double that of last year’s inaugural
event. The organizers dearly deserve praise for their efforts.
But Ms. Bono was, to be kind, unimpressive, both as a
speaker and at her book signing at Tnlsa’s Gay Community
Services Center. To a number of observers at the Center, it
appeared that Ms. Bono had little interest in being there.
At the dinner, shefredy admitted that she’dmadenoeffort
to prepare any.remarks -and that degree of preparation
showed. Two things saved her performance. First, it was
mercifully short, and second, she did have a good, if
scatological, anecdote aboutconfronting the Rev. FredPhelps
of "godhatesfags" infamy in Topeka at a booksigning.
Her appearance may indeed have helped the event.
Attendance at the Red Ribbon Gala was about double but
then that might have happened just from being the second
year for the event. Her appearance does raise questions,
though, about America’s preocuppation with celebrity and
notoriety. AftermeetingMs. Bono, it’ s hard not to regard her
as a vcryho-hum ’~vonderbread dyke" (as one ofmy Lesbian
friends put it) who but for the accident of her birth would
hardly be getting a second hearing,!et alone a book contract.
Ms. Bono’s elevation seems to exemplify the worstAm~rican
tendency to Value notoriety over any shred of content.
But what really raises some concern about her appearance
was learning that despite her having reduced her appearance
feeby one-half, it still cost almost $10,000 for her irresistible
charms. Oursou~,,ce indicates thatMs. Bononormally charges
$15,000 for her appearances" but that du~ to her friendship
with the daughter of PFLAG’s Nancy McDonald, Bono
reduced it to only $7,500, plus expenses, of course.
This is what many wouM call a damnfine racket.
One wouldhope that the organizers came up with aspecial
donor to take on these expenses andno harm was-done to the
genuine financial needs of Tulsa CARES. And no doubt
organizers will argue that it wonld not have been nearly as
successful without her appearance.
But all I can think of is how much medicine or food that
$10,000 might have bought for persons living with AIDS -
Hello, the peop!e, this is supposed to be all about?
Maybe that $10k s money that would not have come into
this effort except for supporting Ms. Bono in the fashion to
which she’s become accustomed. But then, maybe, just
maybe, it could have been given to care-giving, and surely,
there are speakers, ones who actually prepare their remarks
andwhohave something worth saying, who’d speakfor, say,
only two or three thousand. Makes you wonder, don’t it?
- Tom Ne.al, editor &publisher
Several special ’levels. of participation in the event are
available with,the most cxdflsiCe being the Platinum table
($2500), whichincludes six seats at a table with Congressman
Frank. There will be only one Platinum table. Also Offered
is the Gold level, a table with 8 seats and an invitation to the
cocktail party with the Congressman ($1500), a SilVer level
($250) which is two seats and cocktails, and a Bronze level
($500), a table for 8 and the .cash bar cocktail party. For
tickets or for more information, call 743-4297.
Also, Sunday morning Congressman Frank will probably
be attending an interfaith prayer breakfast. Details for that
event will be announced soon.
Also in honor of Lesbian and Gay Pride, Community
Unitarian Universalist Cohgtegation (cuuc) has invited
the:Rev. DougStrong.of Community UU Church ~h ~iano~
T~xas to be guest minister attheir Sunday, May 16th, 1 lain
service. After the service, all are invited to’join CUUC and
Community of Hope ~for a potluck picnic cookout.~ The
service and picnic .will be at Community of Hope Church,
2545 So..Yale where CUUC meets regularly. Guests are
encouraged to bring both lawn chairs and food to share or t6
cook.
TheRev. Strong is a 6th generationUnitaftan-Universalist
and an openl~ Gay. man who has served congregations in
Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia, California, Wisconsin and
Arizona. Mr. Strong was the first openly Gay man to be
called to serve as a pastorAn the history of the Unitarian-
Universalism f~iith. Thiswas in 1980 inAugusta, Maine.-
by Tom Neal
Editor & Publisher
The Tulsa WorMreally is gettmg better. Whileit’s not
of the quality of TheDallas Morning News or other such
papers,itis shedding someofits moreparochial qualities.
Ofcourse, since the state’s only other major daily is The
Oklahoman, now officially recognized as
the worst paper an the United States as
¯¯ Oklahomans have long known, it’s never
been hard for The World to look better.
¯
More investigative journalism is being
¯ allowed at The World. So instead of just
¯ supporting the status quo, an elected ¯
official like Dist. 4 City Councilor Anna
¯
Falling is being held accountable for her
¯ liberal spending of public dollars on
¯ "working" vacations or for possible
" conflicts of interest she may have had
¯ when her spouse was applying for public
¯ monies which theCouncil would have to
¯ approve.
¯ This last month, The Wormalso printed
¯ a week series of in,depth stories about
¯ Tnlsa’s Latino communities. This series
is similar to ones doneaboutTulsa s Black
¯ communities. All this is very well and
¯ good. Tulsa’s "establishment," our
¯ wealthy, our influential have long taken
¯
advantage of Tulsa’s minority com-
" munities without sharing the benefits,
; without sharing the decision-making
¯ process,-most often not acknowledging
¯
even the existence of our communities.
¯ The fact that The WorM, the ultimate
¯ establishment mou~piece of Tiflsa, the
: country club paper par excellence, is now
¯ willing to acknowledge the existence of
Latino, Black, Indian and Asian
commlmil~es is.progress.
But the real proof of The World’s
commitmenttojournalistic fundamentals,
i.e. covering the community as it is. rather
advertise my gift shop, tomfoolery! which now has
The Tulsa World
really is Settln$
better. While it’s not
of the quality of
The Dallas
Morrdn¢ News
or other such
papers, it is sheddln$
some of its more
paroehlaJ qualities.
Of course, slnee the
state’s only other
major daily is
Tl~e Oldal~oman,
now offleially
reeoSnlzed as the
worst paper in the
United States as
Oklahomans have
lon$ known,
it’s never been hard
for
The World
to look better.
than as its ownership wants to present it, will come
when The World does a similar piece on Tulsa’s Gay,
Lesbian, Bi and Transgendered’communities.
¯ Ironically, more than five years ago, Worldreporters
¯ were set to do such a series. I discussed aspects of the
¯ proposalwithTulsaWorldreporters,JanetPearsonand
¯ David Fallis. The proposal was killed by-then executive
¯ editor, Bob Haring. And while I believe Joe Worley, ¯
current executive editor, is fundamentally a fair person,
¯
in general, and in particular towards.Gay people, it
¯ appears that he is constrained by the prejudices of the
¯ paper’s ownership.
¯ The Tulsa World’s owners and top business
¯ management are responsible for the newspaper’s many
¯
year’ s oldandquite official anti-Gay advertisingpolicies.
: I first encountered these policies in the middle 80’s
when a Lesbian businesswoman tried to advertise her
Gay oriented book and gift shop. I later encountered the
exact same policy almost 10 years laterwhen I tried to
: scrutiny from the communities we claim to represent.
¯ ° Thesecondreasonformyresiguationisthatlcontinue
: to doubt the value of this March at this time. I honor the
¯ valueofour previous nafi6nal Marches andacknowledge
them as having been political turning points in the lives
of many current leaders and activists. However, the
effectiveness of sflCh dn enormous commiimeiit ofiJme
and resources at a moment when more and more energy
is demanded of the GLBT movement at the state and
local level is questionable. Nothing so dramatically
reinforced this as the success of Equality Begins at
Home.
’Held one month ago and sponsored by the Federation
of LGBT Statewide Political Organizations and the
Task Force, EBAH was supported by national and local
groups, including the March Board. It demonstrated the
incrediblepowerofinveslinginstate and localmovement
building. It also exemplified the real possibilities for
political advancement of GLBT equality in eyery state~
Morefavorable bills wereintroducedin state legislatures,
transmuted into The Pride Store at Tulsa’s Gay
Community Center.
The World’s anti-Gay policy stung PFLAG, Parents,
Families andFriends ofLesbians andGays, morerecently
when the orgamzation placed an advertisement
supporting fair treatment for Lesbians and
Gays but was not allowed to spell out their
full legal name because, of course, it
includes the forbidden word: "gay".
In contrast, The Worm accepted an
advertisement from West Tulsa churches
attacking Gay people but The ~VorM
allowed the churches to use the word
"gay"! It’s bad enough that they have the
bigoted policy but worse that they enforce
it selectively.
And it only adds injury to insult that The
World, counter to the pohcies of the best
media corporations in the country, has no
non-discrimination policy that includes
"sexual orientation" to protect the Lesbian
and Gay reporters and staff. Nor has the
corporation seen fit to provide equal pay
for equal work by providing benefits for
the families of Lesbian and Gay workers.
In a day when health care is so expensive
and benefits become a significant part of
the "total employment package", this is no
little issue.
But maybe it shouldn’t be too surprising
that The Worm doesn’t recognize the
families of their Gay workers since part-0f
TheWorld’s anti-Gay policy also includes
arefusal to print engagement, anniversary
or tmion announcements for Gay and
Lesbian couples. Several years ago, v~fien
I asked Joe Worley about thi~ discriminatory
policy, he responded by asking
if all I had to do each day was to dreamup
hard questions for The Tulsa World. The
answer to thatis "no"but the issue remains.
Would The WorMban such ads frominterracial couples?
Those relationships were once not recognized as legal,
in many states.
All this might not be that surprising for a corporation
which has barely integrated its newsroom racially, and
which was cited for (and settled) an EEOC (Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission) complaint for
racist hiring practices (this according to their own
pages). It still doesn’t make it right.
So while we are making progress with The World,
they really have a still some way to go. And as daily
newspapers struggle to retain their relevancy in an
increasingly media-diverse culture, organizations like
The World will have to lose their country-club
narrowness, with its largely useless and clearly
pretentious regular columns devoted to who attended
what soiree, and their outdated view of how-minority
Tulsans, Gay as well as racial and religious groups, are
to be treated, and look at our world as it really is.
more allies were reached and involved, more media
¯
coverage was generated in every state on GLBT issues
than had ever been achieved at the state level. Because
¯ . of its overwhelming success, the campaign is likely to
¯ be repeated in years to come, perhaps even annually.
"" The National Gay and Lesbiafi Task Fbrce has
¯ committedthevastmajorityofitsresources to deepening
¯ and growing political power in every state. The time I
have spent on the March Boardhas taken awayfrommy
¯ °iniportani work ~t( ~he state and i~tl level. I need to
¯ concentrate my energies on. NGLTF’s efforts to build
this state-by-state movement and on advocating for our
¯ grassroots constituents at the national level This is the
¯ heart and soul Of our work and it requires us to have the
¯ courage of our convictions. ¯
Finally as a Board member, I have had personal
¯
financial responsibility and liability for the non-profit
¯ corporation producing the March. I am concerned that
¯ theMarch is notmoving forward in a strategicmanner. ¯
I am also concerned that neither the Boardmembers nor
] our GLBT community have full access to information
] about March management and finances.
¯ see Letters, p. 10
Arkansans Challenge:
Gay Foster Care Ban l
LITFLE ROCK (AP) - Six people are suing the
state, seeking to overturn a state policy that bans ,
Gays from serving as foster parents. TheArkansas :
Child Welfare Agency Review Board approved ¯
the banlast month. It also prevents heterosexuals
from serving as foster parents, if a homosexual
lives in their home. "This prohibition imposes a
significantburden on (the plaintiffs’).., intimate,
highly personal relationships with their partners,
as they will not be allowed to serve as foster
parents unless,they terminate those intimate
relationships," says the lawsuitfiled in Pulaski
County Chancery Court:
Department .of Human Services spokesman
Joe Quinn said the state expected the issue to go
to court. "I don’t think there was ever much
doubt," he said. The state averages 2,600 foster
children daily in about 700 homes, Quinn said.
He said the state doesn’t keep track of how many
foster parents are homosexuals.
Board memberWandaGooden said before the
ban was approved that it was "my strong
conviction that children thrive best in two-parent
homes where there is a father and mother." Ms.
Gooden said thenew rulewonld not significantly
reduce thenumberoffoster families in Arkansas.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are two
Eureka Springs men who adopted children ages
6 and 2 and want to be foster parents; two Little
Rock men who want to serve as foster parents; a
Fayetteville woman who wants,,to be a foster
parent and a Fayetteville man who has a
homosexual son living at home.
Fewer But More
Vicious Attacks
BOSTON (AP) - The number of hate cnmes
against Gays in Massachusetts dropped last year,
but the attacks thatdidhappenweremore vicious,
according to state figures. There was a36% drop
in the number of hate crimes against Gays and
Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders reported
to policeandother organizations, said theFenway
Community Health Center in Boston. But there
was a 13%increase in attacks that caused serious
injury, and a 5% increase in attacks with a
weapon.
Nationally, the number of hate crimes against
Gays was down 4%last year from 1997, but
cases of violence increased 12%. The National
Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs said 33
Gay men and women were, killed in hatemotivated
attacks last year, twice the number in
1997. The coalition said two of those killed were
in Boston, but police said they were not certain
those killings were hate crimes.
Friends said a27-year-oldGay man committed
suicide last October, about one year after two
men beat him in Boston’s South End and carved
an "F" on his shoulder with a knife. "Let’S not be
fooled by the numbers" showing a decrease in
hate crimes, said Attorney GEneral Thomas
Reilly. "I see a very frightening increase in
violence.’" ¯
David Shannon of the Fenway center’s
Violence Recovery Program said that since the
killing in October of a Gay college student in
Laramie,Wyo., "therehas been ahigher visibility
of hate crimes against Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals
and Transgenders." "There has also been
increased targeting and violence," he said.
Dentist Refuses to
Treat Lesbian
FRANKLIN, N.H. (AP) - Tricia Thompson had
been going to the same dentist for two years. Dr.
Jay Roper had done her fillings and cleanings
and repatred cracked teeth. He s always bee
nice," she said. Or he was until two weeks ago,
when Thompson came in for a root canal and
Roperquestionedherabouthersexual orientation.
After learning she was a Lesbian, he refused to
treat her and told her to leave his office, she told
the Concord Monitor.
Katharine Daley, executive director of the
state Human Rights Commission, said for a
dentist to refuse to treat someone because,of their
sexual orientauon is illega! in New Hampshire.
Thompson said she may file a civil rights
complaint against Roper. ~f the commission finds
he i!legally discriminated against her, he could
be fined up to $10,000 and ordered to pay
compensatory damages.
Thompson said when she first signed up as
Roper’s patient, she put a former partner’s name
on the"spouse" lineofher registrationform. The
name was clearly a woman’s. About a month
ago, when Thompson went "ln with a bad
toothache, she was asked to fill out a new card,
~he said. She put down the name of her new
partner; they had performed a commitment
ceremony in February. Roper then told her she
needed a root canal, put in a temporary filling and
told her to returnMarch 23. By the time she came
back, accompaniedby her partner, the temporary
filling had come out and her tooth was in pain.
Before taking herinto his office, Roper heldup
the registration card she’d filled out and told her
he had questions about it, she said. Thompson
and her partner said Roper asked whether
Thompson’s "spouse" was the woman with her.
She said yes. He asked whether she had been
married to her previous partner, then divorced
and remarried. When she said yes, he asked if she
had a marriage license.
She said she asked him, "What business is it of
yours?" He shot. back, "Do you have AIDS or
something?" she said. She said she didn’t, but
she also told him she did not like his questions.
Roper shook his head, told her, "I.don’t believe
in it," and insisted he had the right to refuse
anyone treatment, she said. Roper then put her
file, her registration card and chart on the counter
and told her to take it and leave the office.
Thompson said she reminded him she had
been his patient for years. But he said he hadn’t
previously realized thatherpartner was awoman,
she said. "Basically, he kicked me out of his
office and said have a nice life," Thompson said.
’He didn’t even ask me how my tooth was."
Roper confirmed that he denied Thompson
treatment: ’qZor my own personal reasons, yes,’’
he told the Monitor. ’~ecause ofmyownpersonal
philosophy, yes." Asked what his philosophy
was, Roper replied, "I’hat stays in the office."
Asked ifhe routinely informed patients about his
philosophy, he responded, "What philosophy?"
Roper said he told Thompson she could file a
complaint with the state dental board if she was
unhaplSy withhis decision. TheAmerican Dental
Association’s "Principles of Ethics," which
governNew Hampshire dentists, say they cannot
refuse to treat patients on the basis of race, creed,
color, sex or national origin. It does not mention
sexual preference, but does say, ’‘The dentist’s
primary obligations include dealing wi~ people
justly and delivering dental care without
prejudice." A spokesman at ADA headquarters
said the issue of withholding treatment because
ofa patient’s sexual preference had ne~er come "
up before.
However, New Hampshire law is dear, Daley
-" said. In New Hampshire, health providers are
: considered a "public accomodation;" and equal
¯. access to public accomodations for Gays and
¯ Lesbians is protected by state law, she said.
¯ Gay Priest Being
:: Considered As Bishop
¯ WEARE, N.H.(AP) - The Rev. Canon Gene
". Robinson again is a finalist for bishop and if he
~ becomes the spiritual leader of the Diocese of
¯ Rochester, N.Y., he will be the first openly Gay
: bishop in the 2.5 million-member Episcopal
: Church of America~
¯ Robinson oneoffive nominees from a field of
¯ 86 applicants for the bishopric, was cited by the
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74-7-5466
4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
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A Voicefor
Freedom & Tolerance
search committee for his spirituality and outspokenness.
The committee said his sexual orientation is irrelevant.
"I’m hoping it doesn’t become a big issue," said Janet
Farnsworth, president of the Diocese of Rochester’s
Standing Committee. "We wanted a person who would
lead us spiritually and a person who was willing to speak
out on social issues. We wanted someone who would be
apastorto all our clergy and theirfamilies andhe’ s known
for his work in clergy wellness," she told The Concord
Monitor.
Robinson, assistant to Bishop Douglas Theuner of the
Diocese of New Hampshire and a priest for 25 years,
finished third last year in his bid to become bishop of the
Diocese of Newark, N.J. "As honored as I felt to be
nominated in Newark, I’m overwhelmed at the privilege
of being nominated in a diocese like Rochester and the
courage they have shown in nominating me," he said.
"The way I can help Gay and Lesbian people the most is
by being a good bishop, not a Gay bishop," he said.
Buthis sexuality will be alightningrodfor some. Atthe
international level, the church has taken a strong stand
against homosexuality. A majority of Anglican bishops
at the Lambeth Conference of Bishops in England last
year declared homosexuality contrary to scripture. While
that group has no authority over the Episcopal Church -
the Anglican communion in the United States, it has
pressured American bishops to conform.
Thatpressure alsocomesfromwithin. Theconservative
Episcopalians United takeissue with Robinson, believing
homosexuality sinful. The group worries his dection
could cause rifts in the church. ’’We expect a higher
standard of our leaders than our members," said its board
chairman, the Rev. Sandy Greene of Christ Church in
Denver, Colo., who supports ministries that encourage
peopl9 to renounce their homosexuality.
Robinson was married with two children when he
acknowledged he was Gayin 1986. Henow lives with his
partner, Mark Andrew. In early June, he and2Madrew will
meet with voting delegates throughout the diocese. On
June 19, the diocese’s clergy and three lay people from
each of the 54 congregations will vote on a candidate,
who needs a simple majority from both groups to win.
Should Robinson be elected, he faces an even bigger
hurdle. To be ordained bishop, he must be "consented to"
by a simple majority of the nation’s Episcopal bishops as
wall as standing committees, comprised of laity and
clergy. The church went through a similar controversy in
1994 when it elected the first female bishop, Barbara
Harris of the Diocese of Massachusetts. Yet it hasn’t
rejected a bishop electedby adiocese since thelate 1800s.
James DeKovan, rejected twice, now is a church saint.
New Haven Police
Targeting Gays
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Police here admit they are
targeting bJacks, Hispanics, women, Gays and Lesbians
- not as suspects, but as candidates to join the force. At a
time when images of police brutality have been seared
into the American psyche, the New Haven Police
Department is recruiting the very people who have often
been seen as their victims. The department began its
campaignrecently, printing advertisements in alternative
publications and distributing fliers to inner city
organizations, churches, and a commumty center for
Gays and Lesbians. The fliers say, "I want you" in bold
letters and feature photographs of minority and women
officers. ’’We wantpopulations thathave beentraditionally
underserved by police and underrepresented in police
departments," said Kay D. Codish, director of training
and education.
Similar recnfitment drives have had mixed results in
San Francisco, Boston and elsewhere, said Penny
Harrington, director of the National Center forWomen&
Policing in Los Angeles and former chief of the Portland,
Ore., police department. "A lot of women and minorities
do not see policing as a place for them. In the media, on
television, they’re frequently shown in subsidiary roles,"
Harrington said. "If an agency is serious, they have to go
out and target."
Hubert Williams, director of the Police Foundation, a
Washington, D.C.-based research organization, said
mistrust of police in some minority communities has
reached crisis proportions because of "racial profiling,"
allegations that police make traffic stops and detain
people based on race. "In order for the police officers to
dotheirjob, they musthavepublic support," saidWilliams,
f6rmer director of police in. Newark, N.J. "You have
" populations that see the police in hostile ways, that
they’re not there to protect and to serve, but to control and
¯ oppress."
." James Mclver of the National Orgamzation of Black
Law Enforcement Executives in Alexandria. Va., said
¯¯ studies show thatapolice force that reflects the community
it serves demographically is less likely to have accusations
¯ of police brutality lodged against it. He pointed to two
¯ recent cases inNew York City. Four police officers have ¯
¯ been charged in the fatal shooting ofAmadou Diallo, an unarmed West African, and four other city officers are
¯ charged with sodomizing a Haitian suspect.
¯ According to the U.S. Justice Department Bureau of ¯
Statistics, there are about664,000 full-timepolice officers
¯ in the country. At the municipal level, the latest figures
: available show that roughly 11% are black, 6% are
¯ Hispanic, and about 9% are women. The federal
¯" government does not keep track of officers’ sexual
"orientation. New Haven’s 447-member department
¯ already is diverse compared to national statistics, with
¯ 39% being minorities and 16% female. ¯
In a newspaper editorial earlier this month, Police
¯ ChiefMelvinWearingsaid thereis noquotaandminorities
¯ don’t get extra points on their applications just for being ¯
who they are. "Our goal is simply to increase the number
¯
of applicants from those groups that, in the past, have not
¯ presented themselves for consideration in substantial
¯ numbers," he said.
¯ However, police union officials have questioned the recruitment effort and some have said they fear white
¯ male candidates will feel unwelcome to apply for the 40
¯ job openings. "Ifyoustartencouraging one certaingroup, ¯
others might feel slighted. We would like to see an open
¯ recnfitment. The key is that tlmy be qualified,’7 said Frank
¯ Lombardi, vice president of the local union. Most, if not
¯ all, police departments say they are "’equal opportunity
¯ employers,"butCodishbelieves lawenforcement agencies must go further by advertising in unlikely places such as
women’s health clinics and day care centers.
Catholics Attack Boston
Partners Benefits
BOSTON (AP) - City paramedic Kay Schmidt works
¯ hardand thinks she deserves healthinsurance benefits for
¯ her familyjust like any other city worker. Butthe Catholic
Action League of Massachusetts says its members don’t
¯ want the city to subsidize Lesbian relationships like ¯ Schmidt’s. The Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments
¯ in the Catholic Action League’s challenge to the city’s
¯ domestic parmer policy. The court’s ruling could affect
¯ Boston and other communities that offer benefits for
¯ domestic partners. Springfield, Northampton, Brookline
¯ and Cambridge also provide domestic partner benefits.
¯ Thequestionbefore the state’ s highest courtwaswhether
Boston had the authority to extendhealth benefits to those
¯ not stipulated by state law. "Providing these health
¯" insurance benefits complements the state law, it certainly
¯ doesn’t defeat its purposes," said Jennifer Levi, of the
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, who argued
¯ before the court on behalf of Schmidt.
¯ Vincent McCarthy, representing the Catholic Action
¯ League of Massachusetts, said the city needed to get
permissionfromthe Legislature, but failed last year when
¯ Gov. Patti Cellucci vetoed the measure. Mayor Thomas
." Menino then signedanexecutive orderputting themeasure
¯ into effect. ’"What they’re trying to do now is an end run
¯
around the Legislature," McCarthy told the court.
¯ McCarthy, counsel for the American Center for Law
¯ and Justice, whichdescribes itsdf as a.nonprofit pro-
" family organization, said the city’s executive order was
¯ legally and morally wrong. "It encourages heterosexual
: and homosexuals to form what, in essence, are common
¯ law relationships which are illegal in Massachusetts, ¯
without the responsibilities of marriage, and really
¯ discourages people from getting married as well,"
¯ McCarthy said. The SJC took the arguments under
¯ advisement.
." Boston defines domestic partners as two people, of at
¯ least 18 years of age, who are not married, but who share
¯ living expenses so that one assumes responsibility for the ¯
¯ welfare of the other. It is not limited to Gay couples.
Schmidt, speaking outside the courthouse with her
¯ partner Diane Pullen and their 8-month-old daughter,
¯ said she was not looking for special privileges as a
: Lesbian, but the benefits her co-workers enjoy. She said
¯ they decided Pullen would stay home with the baby and
¯
their 7-year-old child. They said it was perfect timing
: when the city began offering health benefits for domestic
¯ partners in November. Were they to lose that benefit, the
¯
two women said Pullen would likely have to return to
¯ work and the two would pay for day care for the baby.
Responding to those critical of their"lifestyle," Schmidt
¯
said, "We are two parents rinsing two children. I work,
: we’re a family. There’s no way anybody can deny we’re
a family. And why shouldn’t we have affordable health
insurance like any other family, like your family?"
¯ Federal Hate Crimes Bill Uncertain
¯ WASHINGTON (AP) - Legislation that would broaden
¯ the federal hate crimes law by including offenses based
¯ on sexual orientation faces an uncertain future despite ¯
President Clinton’s call forlawmakers to pass it this year.
: A similar bill, which Clinton also pushed, died in the last
¯ Congress. Neither the House nor the Senate or any of the
¯ appropriatecommittees voted onit. TheWhite Houseand
¯ other supporters hope public outrage over recent well-
" publicized hate crimes will help advance the measure tbis
¯ time around.
: But opposition, however, appears so strong that a lead
¯ sponsor, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., doubts whether
" Congress will approveit. "Wehave to face the reality that
¯ it’ s a very tough sell," Specter, a former local prosecutor,
¯ said in a recent interview. "After a while you can develop
¯ a majority (of votes)but I think we’re a long way from it."
¯ Senate Judiciary Committee hearings are expected later
this month.
At a recent White House ceremony, Clinton said
¯ Congress should pass the bill this year and "send a
: message to ourselves and to the world that we are going
into 21st century determined to preach and to practice
what is right."
The Hate Crimes Prevention Act would add disability,
gender and sexual orientation to federal anti-bias laws
andmakeit easierfor the Justice Department to inveslagate
¯
and prosecute such offenses. Current law prohibits crimes
¯ based on race, color, religion or national origin. Eight
¯ state have no hate crimes laws. Laws in 21 states cover ¯
sexual orientation, 22 state laws include gender and 21
¯ cover disability.
¯ Richard Socarides, Clinton’s civil rights adviser, said
¯ the White House was more optamistic this time because ¯
of public sentiment over the killings and the upcoming
¯ Senate hearings ,The signs are better than ever before,"
¯ he said.
¯ David Smith, spokesman for the Human Rights
Campaign, a Gay and Lesbian political advocacy group,
¯ cited a Gallup poll, conducted in mid-Febrnary, that
¯ found that 70% of the public favors having a hate crimes
: law in their state. ’’We would be very happy for there to
¯
be no need for this legislation," he said.
¯ Some opponents believe federal Intervention is
¯ unnecessary, because states already are prosecuting ¯
¯ allegations of hate crimes, and discriminatory. Social
conservatives,meanwhile, view thebill as creating speci~d
¯ protections for Gays. "By including hate crimes
: enhancement for some groups, the message is that the
¯ government cares more about those victims than other
¯ people," said Robert H. Knight, senior director for cultural
¯ studies at the conservative Family Research council.
¯ Among the recent hate-crime cases:
- In Texas, white supremacist John William King was
: sentenced to death in February for dragging James Byrd
; Jr., who was black, to his death behind a pickup truck in
;
June 1998. Two other men await trial in the slaying.
¯ - In Wyoming, Russell Henderson, one of two young
¯ men charged in the beating death of Matthew Shepard, a
¯ Gay college student, pleaded guilty Monday to murder
.. andwas se~itencedtotwoconsecudvelifetermsinprison.
¯ - In Alabama, two menface murder charges in the Feb.
¯ 19 killing of Billy Jack Gaither, who was Gay. Police say
¯ he was beaten with an ax handle and burned to death
because he allegedly made a pass at one of the men.
Coburn Calls For "¯ bMealiceGveusffieh,ew, htoohoa, disdecdiedaedd.toSboecowmheena
HIV ProgramAudits "- "medi missiona ,"touredthedis°ase- infested areas of western Kenya 12 years
OKLAHOMA C1TY (AP) - Questions " ago, sheunderstoodhow muchits residents
about spending pmctices and other aspects " were suffering. 1,,was appalled at what,
of federal AIDS/HIV programs have . they didn’t have, said the 75-year-old
prompted U.S. Rep. TomCobumand two plastic surgeonfromNew City,New York.
Republican colleagues to request an audit ¯ She returned home and founded the
of those programs. " Society for Hospital and Resources
Coburn, a practicing physician from Exchange to improve health care for
Oklahoma, House Majority Leader Dick
Armey of Texas and Commerce
Committee Chairman Tom Bliley of "
Virgima sent a letter requesting the audit "
to the General Accounting Office on ¯
Tuesday. They question spending ¯
practices and other aspects of the
programs.
"X2ongress has a moral obligation to
those suffering with AIDS/HIV to ensure
thatthenearly$9bilfion directed to federal
AIDS programs is s,p,ent for purpos.~ for
this it is intended, Coburn said m a
prepared statement. "Over the past five
years I have encountered too many
instances where federal AIDS/HIV funds
have been misused."
In addition to requesting any evidence
on misuse Of federal AIDS funds, the
letter requests a report on whether
disparities existinAIDS funding regarding
race or gender, what criteria are used to
determineAIDS Drug AssistancePro.gra~.
distributions and whether tkose criteria
favor any particular region, and
information regarding compliance with
federal laws within the programs..
Other requests madein theletterinclude
information on how much money fromfederal
AIDS programs is used to pay for
overhead and other non-care related
activities rather than on direct treatment
of patients.
Black Men 7x More " passioninitandputssomuchenergyint°
it, that probably impressed me more than
Likely For AIDS " anything," Violante said.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Public " Violanteesdmatedhehadtrainedabout
health officials are sounding an alarm, for
Alabamablack males,whoare seventtmes
more likely than white males (o contract
the virus that causes AIDS. The,
Department of Public Health, which held
a news conference last month to discuss
the problem, said the spread of the disease
has reachedcrisis proportions amongblack
men.
The dan,g,er .lies in the f.ac,t that. m~any
blacksdon tknow they areimected, they
might believe the disease is still one of
homosexual white males, said Jane
Cheeks, AIDS director at the state Health
Department. A former public health
worker in Jefferson County, Ms. Cheeks
recalled working with the first people i,n
Birminghamto be affectedby HIV, which
causes AIDS. Most were homosexual
white males.
Thediseaseis now strikingmoreheax[ily
among blac.k.la.e.te.lu.~ezx-uals ¯ "We’re seeing
this as aleading causeofdeathfor African-
American males ages 25 to 44, and that’ s
got to stop," she said. She said the state
has spen{ $1.6 million On HIV/AIDS
education programs since 1993, but more
must be done. "It’s not working," she
said. "Weneed to join commumty efforts
to address this at a local level."
HIV Fight in Kenya
KISUMU, Kenya (AP) - Dr. Martha
,’Bobby"MacGuffiehas knownpain.Two
of her sons died of the AIDS they
contractedfromblood transfusions. Their
older brother, crushed by the deaths,
disappeared into a haze of drugs. She
¯ westemKenyaby sta_,aing clinics, donating
medical equipment and educating
residents how to avoid disease. Kenya’s
government provides little medical care
for many rural districts, leaving private
groups like SHAREto care,f0r the _ps~o.pl,e.
Inrecognition ofSHARE s work, Lion s
¯ Club International named MacGnffie its
1998 Humanitarian of theYear, anhonor
¯ previously given to Mother Teresa and
¯ Jimmy Carter. The award comes with a
$200,000 grant.
¯ On a recent trip, she and other SHARE
¯ volunteersfromNewYorktreatedpatients
and sprinkled donations throughout
" Nyanza province, about 160 miles (250
". kms) west of the capital, Nairobi. They
¯ gave money to expand a local hospital.
¯ They paid the school fees for AIDS
orphans. They donated drugs to treat
¯
children wit.h, disfiguring Birkitts
Lvmphoma. "It s a greater need here than
~.,h....l~e" said Eleanore Schafer, a
N’~e~v~’~]t~y’;o~ial worker who set. up
¯ SHARE’s program for sponsoring
orphans.
~ David Violante, a paramedic from
¯
Wallkill, New York, was on his fifth visit
¯ to train Kenyans in emergency medical ¯
¯ techniques. HemetMacGuffie nine years
when she taught a course for his
¯ paramedics class, andthree years later she
¯ persuadedhimand threeotherparamedics
¯ to visit Kenya. "She just has so much
¯
500 local paramedics and brought over
hundreds of thousands of doll.ars worth of
] donated backboards, stretchers, cervical
¯ collars and other trauma equipment.
MacGuffiehas spent millions here, she
~ said, wheedling donations from drug
¯. companies, civic groups and corporations.
¯ Shehas raised.tens of thousands ofdollars ¯ from her Rockland County neighbors and
¯ collected single dollars fromchildren she ¯
lectured to at schools. She remains
determined to continue working inKenya
¯ as tong as Americans support her.
¯, Editor’s Note: SHARE, c/o Martha
MacGuffie, 591 S. Mountain Rd., New
City, New York. USA, 10956.
Dentist Settles
HIV Bias Lawsuit
BOSTON (AP) -A dentist and his office
manager will pay a combined $60,000 for
allegedly committing Medic~’,"dfr,aud and
discriminating against people who were
HIV-positive, the attorney general’s office
said. Dr. Guillermo Recinos, 38, and
Yolanda Jereidini, 46, were sued in civil
¯ court in October 1998 by the attorney
¯ general’s office. They were accused of
~ violating federal discrimination laws by
¯
refusing to treat patients who were HIV-
¯
positive.
¯ They also allegedly told employees not ¯
¯ to take patients who wereHIV-positive at
their clinic in the city’s Jamaica Plain
¯ neighborhood. When one dentist in the
¯ office took a patient who was HIVpositive,
Recinos andJereidinididn’tgive
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/
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the dentist an assistant, and forced him to
clean his own instruments, Attorney
General Tom Reilly’s office said.
Recinos was also accused by Reilly’s
office of engaging in Medicaid fraud
between September 1994 and December
1998. He was accused of misrepresenting
his services, billing for services that
weren’t reimbursable through Medicaid
and engaging in duplicate billing.
Recinos and Jereidini have denied the
allegations and, inreaching the settlement,
did not admit wrongdoing. Their clinic
~emains open. The partners will split a
$20,000fmeapprovedby SuffolkSuperior
Court judge Diane Kottmyer in the
discrimination case. An $11,550 portion
of the fine will be distributed to 77
Medicare recipients in payments of $150
each. The remaining $8,450 will be
donated to the Battered Children and
Women’s program at the Elizabeth Stone
House in Jamaica Plain. Under the terms
ofthe Medicaidfraud settlementapproved
by Kottmyer, Recinos alone will pay
$40,000 in civil penalties and restitution.
So. African Women
Criticize Govt.
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) -
Women’s groups criticized the South
African government Thursday for failing
to provide medical treatment they say
could help prevent victims of rape from
contracting the AIDS virus from their
attackers.
The activists are demanding the
government provide rape victims with a
three-drug cocktail of AZT, 3TC and a
protease inhibitor Crixovan. The threedrug
cocktail is available for $820 on the
¯ private market, which represents five
¯ months of wages for an average South
¯ African.
¯¯ The Centers for Disease Control and
¯ Prevention in Atlanta recommends the
three-drug therapyforhealthcare workers
¯ who have been exposed to HIV through
¯ contaminated needles because some ¯
studies have found AZT alone has
prevented themfromcontracting the virus.
"The state has removed the death
¯ sentence" for crime, said Johannesburg
: journalist Charlene Smith. "Now we are
: asking them to remove the death sentence
¯ for rape survivors." Smith, who wrote
¯ recently about being raped and her ¯
attempts afterward to obtainAIDS-related
¯ medical treatment, spoke at a news
conference sponsoredby women’s groups
: who represent rape victims.
: Doctors and others have also
¯ complained about a decision by South
¯ Africa’s Health Ministry last year to shut ¯
¯ down pilot projects to treat HIV-positive expectant mothers in the last month of
: pregnancy with AZT, which reportedly
can reduceby half the transmission rate of
: HIV to newborns.
¯ A womanin South Africa is three times
¯ morelikely to be raped than in the United
¯ States, and South African men are much
: more likely to be infected with HIV, the
¯ virus that causes AIDS, said Nthabiseng
Mogale, head of People Opposed to
WomenAbuse. SouthAfricanwomenare
: entitled to treatment as a human right,
¯ Mogale said.
¯ One in eight South African adults is ¯
infected with HIV. The rate is tWice that
." for pregnant women, the government has
said. Police say about 65,000 women and
¯ girls are assaultedevery year, but activists
insist the number is much higher.
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I P Medical Excellence. Compassionate Care
¯ Botswana, South Africa’s wealthier
" neighbor to the north, has introduced free
¯ AZT treatment for infants born to HIV-
¯ positive mothers, said Vicki Ehrich ¯
spokeswomanfor Glaxo Wellcome, which
¯ produces AZT.
Glaxo Wellcome wants to supply the
¯ South African government with the drug
¯ for $65 perbirth, orone-third ofits market
¯ price. But the government says that’s too
: expensive. ’°We cannot afford this type of
intervention," said Khangelani
¯ Hlongwane, spokesman for the South
¯ African Health Ministry.
¯ Physicians at state-rim hospitals have ¯
clashed with the government on theissue.
¯ ’oWe’re trying to convincethegovernment
¯ that it’s actually cost effective," said Dr.
¯ Avy Violari, a pediatrician at Chris Hani
: Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto.
." The United Nations AIDS program
¯ estimates that about 600,000 HIV ¯
¯ infections are spread during childbirth
worldwide, butnofigures for SouthAfrica
." were available. Transmission of HIV
¯ through sexual assault has been less ¯
studied, partlybecause rape and AIDS are
¯ not as widespreadin Europeand the United
: States, wheremostresearchis carried out,
¯ Smith said.
:$ for HIV Falling
Behind Its Spread
¯ GENEVA (AP) - Spending by donor
: countries to combat AIDS in developing
~ countries is failing to keep pace with the
¯ spreadofthe disease, now infecting nearly
¯ 6 millionpeople worldwide each year, the
¯ United Nations said recently.
¯ "it is alarming that AIDS is expanding
three times faster than the funding to
control it," said Dr. Peter Piot, executive
director of UNAIDS, the Joint U.N.
Program on HIV/AIDS. Piot called on
industrialized nations to do more to fight
the disease in developing countries.
The agency said wealthy countries’
support for the global fight against AIDS
IS being vastly outpacedby the epldennc,
which has infected47 million people over
the past two decades. That figure includes
those who have already died from the
disease and those hying with HIV, the
AIDS-causing virus.
Funding to fight AIDS in developing
countries was $273 million in 1997, less
than double the $165 million spent in
1990, it said. During the same period, the
number of people living with HIV around
the worldmore than tripled to 30.3 million
from 9.8 million.
UNAIDS said a study by the Harvard
University School of Public Health found
the United States was "by far the largest
tnbutor to the lnternat~onal campaign,
giving $135.2 million-in 1997. But it said
that other countries ranked higher when
their contributions weremeasured against
the size of their economies. Norway gave
$93 for each $1 million ofits gross national
product; the Netherlands gave $92.
Denmark was third at $52 per 1 million of
its gross national product, followed by
Swedenat $49. Australiagave $31, Canada
$21, Britain $19, Belgium $18, United
States $17, Finland $10, Switzerland and
Germany $6 and Japan $2.
Industrialized countries are spending
less than 1% of their development aid on
the fight against AIDS, according to
UNAIDS. ’oWeighed against the global
catastrophe of the AIDS epidemic, the
level of spending for HIV prevention
around the world is minimal," Piot said.
He said in order for any aid to benefit
¯ developing countries, more money needs
to be given to fight AIDS.
UNAIDS says 95% of the people living
¯ with the AIDS virus are in developing
¯ countries, most of them in Africa. ¯
Agency officials said developing
." countries are also contributing to the
¯ campaign against AIDS. The study ¯
showed domestic spending varied from a
low of 8% in the Caribbean and 9% in
¯ Africa to 57% in Asia, 67% in Latin
America and 79% in Eastern Europe.
¯ Economics Making
:HIV Fight Harder
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Asia’s
economic crisis is worsening Thailand’s
¯ AIDS crisis, experts said, predicting that
¯ more than 100,000 Thai children will be
." orphaned by the disease by the end of the
¯ year 2000.
¯ Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai,
¯ opening Thailand’s annualNationalAIDS
¯ Seminar, told hundreds ofresearchers and
¯ health workers that the government will
¯ scrimp to findnow-scarce funding to keep
the AIDS epidemic under control.
¯ But Wirut Poolcharoen, a Health
." Ministry official, acknowledged that
¯ Thailand’s government does not know ¯
how to cope with an expected explosion
¯ in the number ofAIDS orphans. Most are
taken care of by their grandparents or
other family members. "The number of
¯ orphans whose parents die of AIDS will
¯ double by the end ofthe year 2000,"Wirnt
¯ said. "The government does not yet know ¯
how to carry such a huge burden to ensure
¯ the well-being of these children."
¯" Statisticians at Mahidol University
released a report showing that in 1997, the
¯ year that recession struck Thailand and
: much of Southeast Asia, the country had
34,349 AIDS orphans, about a quarter of
them under age five. By the end of 2000,
¯
the report predicts the total figure will be
¯ 116,508childrenorphanedbyAIDS,with
30,845 of them under five¯
Acquiredimmunedeficiency syndrome
¯
claimed 51,000 lives in Thailand in 1997
alone, according to research presented by
¯ Bangkok’s prestigious Chulalongkorn
University. Death figures were not
¯ available for 1998. "It takes years for
~ p.eople to realize they have contracted the
¯ virus, and its consequences are thereby
affecting quality of life of their family
¯ members and of society as a whole,"Wirnt
said.
¯ In the early years after AIDS was
discovered, Thailand refused to
¯ acknowledge it had a single case of the
disease, fearing damage to the lucrative
¯ prostitution industry that is a mainstay both of tourism and the sex lives of many
¯ Thai men. A change of attitude coupled
¯ with aggressive condom distribution and ¯
¯ education programs brought the epidemic
somewhatundercontrolbythemid_ 1990s,
¯ but the gains are eroding due to cuts in the
¯ health budget in ’the recession-era
economy. The government’s spending on
¯ AIDS pre~iention has fallen about 25% to
¯ 1.4 billion baht ($39 miillion) Since 1997.
¯ Thailandneeds toprepareitselftohandle ¯
the social and economic consequences of
: AIDS and the HIV virus that leads to it,
¯ said Supachai Kunarattanapruek, an
¯ adviser to the Health Ministry.
Though Thailand spends little on long-
: term care for AIDS sufferers, the country
will pay a high price for the loss of
¯ economically active people, experts said.
About two-thirds of the country’s AIDS
¯ sufferers are 25-39 years old, their prime
¯ working years.
It’s the end of the season but things are ¯ relationship between the artist and patron,
hardly slowing down. Tulsa Opera will ¯ and includes the museum’s patron,
end its season with our favorite opera, " Thomas Gilcrease who with John D.
Mozart’s Magic Flute. Performances are : Rockefeller, Jr. was a patron of artist
May 1,6 &8 at 8pm, except onThursday, ¯ JosephHenry Sharp. Formoreinformation
the6thandare or directions
in the Chap- Designer Showcase to the
man Music museum, call
Hall. This 596-2700 or
work, in visit the
German with website at
translations www~
shown above T u 1 s a
the stage, has Philharmonic
not been seen will wrap up It
in Tulsa in Chamber
more thanl0 Classics
years and the season with
cast looks to pieces by
be excellent. Bizet, Ravel
It is, of course and Haydn on
a fairy tale, May 7th at the
complete with Waiters Arts
an evil queen, 319 East 21st Street Center at
and of course, Holland Hail
we can all relate to that, can’t we? Don’t " School. Three local Episcopal choirs are
miss it. ¯ featured, Saint John’s, Saint Dtmstan’s
Switchinggearsfromtheartstoreligion, ¯ and Trinity’s. For tickets and moreinfo.,
those radical, free thinking, wild eyed " call 747-7445.
liberals, those Presbyterians are going to ¯ Also, check out the Philharmonic’s
havethenationalconferencefortheMore ¯ DesignerShowcaseat319East21stStreet.
Light Presbyterians (the official,ly Gay- : It’s a great way to see what the latest in
friendly ones) in Oklahoma’City at " high "foofI3"’ and decorating is and to
OklahomaCityUniversity’sAngieSmith ," support a great organizatxon. This is the
Memorial Chapel, NW 23rd and 26th year for the showcase and the 50th
Blackwelder, onMay21-23. Theprogram : year for the Philharmonic. Tickets are $10
begins with a dinner and worship service ¯ and it’s open Tues. to Sat. from 10-4pro
at 6pm on Friday. Workshops are : and Thurs. from l0-8pm, Sundays l-4pm
scheduledfrom8amto 10pmonSaturday ¯ but don’t get ther after 3pm or 7pm on
and Sunday will be devoted to a"ministry ¯ Thurs. if you want to get in. FYI, no
of presence." Speakers include Chris ¯
cameras and it’s not handicapped
Glaser, Janie Spahr, Scott Anderson and accessible.
more.Info:JohnMcNeese,405-848-2819 " Finally ourregular entertaiment writer
or john33 @ix.netcom.com , shares the following with credit to "News
Moving to the arts but still with a " oftheWeird"andofcourse, Rolling Stone:
religious theme, Philbrook Museum opens : "Prominent ’Christian’ radical right
an Italian Old Masters drawing exhibit in psychologist Patti Cameron told Rolling
May.TheexhibitfeaturesworksbyCrespi, Stone magazine that he feared Gay sex
Luti, Cambiaso andCantafiniandTiepolo would supplant heterosexual sex unless a
and will hang from May 9 to Sept. 12. vigilant society repressed it. ’Marital sex
Philbrook is at 2727 Rockford Rd. tends toward the boring,’ he said.
Gilcrease Museum continues to ’Generally, it doesn’t deliver the kind of
eelebrateits50thanniversarywithashow sheer sexual pleasure that homosexual
opening on May 16th. ’q’aos Artists and sex does.’ ’If all one seeks is an orgasm,’
Their Patrons,1898 -1950" was organized he said, ’the evidence is that men do a
by the Snite Museum at Notre Dame U. betterjobonmen, andwomenonwomen.’
but draws on the collections at the Metro- ’Homosexuality,’ he said, ’seems too
politan, the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa powerful to resist.’ "
Fe, the Harwood Museum of the Amazing. Time to set up more
University of New Mex-ico in Taos, recruitment stations. With publicity like
Chicago’s Art Institute and more. The this,ourplantorulethewofldwillproceed
show parti-cularly explores the much faster... - TFN editors
TOHR & Cimarron Alliance
present
A Black Tie Optional Dinner
with
US Congressman
Barney Frank
4th District, Massachusetts
Saturday, June 12, 1999
Greenwood Cultural Center
322 North Greenwood
Dinner and cash bar cocktails: $50
Dinner and cocktails with the Congressman: $125
Information: 743-4297
1
WORKIHG CLASS HEROES.IMAGES FROM THE POPULAR CULTURE
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
410 W. Boyd
The University of OklaSoma
TULSA-TheCouncil OakMen’s Chorale
will present it’s spring concert "MUSIC"
to be held on May 7 and 8, 1999, at All
Soul’s Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria.
Concerts on both evenings will begin at 7
PM.
Advance tickets are available from The
Pride Store, chorale members or by
contacting the COMC Ticket Office at
585-COMC. Tickets will alsobeavailable
atthedoor. Tickets areS 10.00andadvance
purchase is recommended due to sdl-out
audiences at previous events.
The program will feature a variety, of
musicfrom"Swell the Full Chorus"by G.
F. Handel, to 60’s sensation’q’umArotmd,
Look at Me". "Our audiences have come
to expect the Standard choral repertoire
¯ with an occasional twist of humor that
¯ only the men of Council Oak can do so
¯ eloquently.., trust me, concert-goers will
not be disappointed," said Rick Former,
¯ Jr., Artistic Director.
¯ Recently, members of Council Oak
Men’s Chorale performed on the floor of
¯ the Oklahoma State House of
¯ Representatives as a lobbying effort for
¯ passage of House Bill 1211. The work
performed there, ’Wile Voice," was an
¯ original composition by chorale member
: Greg Davis, and will also be given its
¯ concert premiere on May 7 & 8.
-" . Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy an
¯ evening of beautiful and exciting music
¯ performed by Tulsa’s all-male chorus, ¯
Council Oak Men’s Chorale.
Jg t,
goddesses
fIaJrttappyHour
Tuesday&Thursday
3pm toSpm
835-5563
1247 Si Harvard, Tulsa, NearTO
PRIDE ’99 "PRIDEFUL PAST... POWERFUL FUTURE!
TULSA’S FIRST ANNUAL
PARADE W/GRAND MARSHALL REP. BARNEY FRANK (D)
BEGINS@ 10:00 AM @ 38th & PEORIA
ENDING AT VETERANS PARK
TULSA’S EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL
PICNIC VETERANS PARK: -NOON - 5:00
JUNE 12th PRESENTED BY: TULSA OKLAHOMANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
SPONSORED BY: BUD LIGHT & MCC UNITED
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 918-743-4297
Sing Out, Sing Out,
Wherever You Are!
Our voices comfort those in pain
Our voices combat oppression
Our voices educate the ignorant
Our voices inspire
Our voices win freedom
The Council Oak Men’s
Chorale is a dedicated
group of gay men
united to present a
positive image
for ourselves,
our community
and society as a whole
through excellence in
the performance
of choral music.
Open Rehearsal Monday, May 17, 7 PM
Hope Unitarian Church
-For information on becoming a member
call (918) 585-COMC
Now it is time for our voices to be heard.
~= SUNDAYS
Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Community of Hope (Welcoming), Service - 6pro, 2545 S. Yale, 585-1800
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Service - llam, 2545 S. Yale, 749-0595
Church of the Restorhtion Unitarian Universalist
Service - 11am, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314
Metropolitan Community Church United
Service, llam, 1023 North Maplewood, Info: 838-1715
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc.
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 10:45am, 3210b So. Norwood
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 BisexuaULesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance
6:30 pm, Meets at the Canterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780
Council Oak Men’s Chorale, rehearsals at 5pro, Info: 585-COMC (2662)
~ MONDAYS
Mixed Volleyball, Helmerich Park, 71st & Riverside, 6pm, call Shawn at 243-5190.
I!IV Testing Clinic, Free & anonymous tesdng. No appointment required.
Walk in testing: 7-8:30pm, 834-TEST (8378) 3501 E. Admiral (east of Harvard)
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 Mon/each mo. 6:30pm, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard
Women/Children & AIDS Committee, call for meeting date, noon, 585-5551
~ TUESDAYS
AIDS Coalition of Tulsa, call for next meeting date~ 1430 S. Boulder, 585-5551
Live And Let Live, Community of Hope United Methodist, 7:30pro, 2545 S. Yale
Multienltural AIDS Coalition, call for next meeting date.
Urban League, 240 East Apache, 584-0001
Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networking group. Info: 743-4297
PrimeTimers, mens group, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th
Coming Out Support Group (TOHR/HOPE)
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
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Service - 7pro, 3210b So. Norwood
Tulsa Native American Mens Support Group, more information, call 582-7225
TCC Gay & Lesbian Association of Students (GLAS), Call for info: 595-7632.
Lambda A-A, 7 pro, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd fl
~= THURSDAYS
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education
Anonymous HIT Testing, Testing: 7 - 8:30pm 834-8378, 3507 E. Admiral
Oklahoma Rainbow Young Adult Network (O’RYAN)
Support/social group for 18-24’s, call Red Rock Mental Health at 584-2325
Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS, Info: 834-4194
~= FRIDAYS
SafeHaven, Young Adults Social Group, tst Fri/each mo. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th
~ SATURDAYS
Narcotics Anonymous, 11 pm, Community of Hope, 1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800
Lambda A-A, 6 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd fl.
~P OTHER GROUPS
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222
Gal-A-Vanting, Womens Social & Cultural Group
Call for info: Mary at 743-6740, Kathy at 322-6322, or Barb at 459-6825.
OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization.
Long and short rides. Write for info: PUB 9165, Tulsa, OK 74157
Ifyour organization is not listed, please let us know. Call 583-1248 orfax 583-4615.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Reviewed b2 Barry Hensley
Tulsa City-County Library
Major publishers are finally beginning
to recognize the importance of lavender
money! Thepopular series ofJ. K. Lasser’s
financial guides now includes Gay and
Lesbian topics, and none too
soon. It is often mentioned, by
political friends andfoes alike,
that Gays and Lesbians have a
lot of expendable income.
Here is a book to help you
put together a rosy financial
future, regardless ofhow much
money you’re making right
now.
Through aseries of charts
and sample worksheets, you’ll
learnhow toprepareforbuying
a house, starting a business,
saving for a vacation and, yes,
retirement. Although many
people share similar financial
goals, Lesbians and Gay men
need to approach the topic
differently than straight
¯ people. The most obvious
concerns are the legal barriers
that prevent Gay andLesbian
couples from participating in
the financial benefits of
.marriage. In addition, most
rnsurance and benefit
programs do not yet include
same sex couples.
Although some people are
not planning to retire, some of
us are! There~sagoodchapteronpreparing
for retirement. (Hint: As youalready know,
the earlier you start, the easier it will be.)
The scary part of this is estimating how
long you’ll live after retirement, and how
much income you will need. The charts to
determine these figures are fairy simple,
I can no longer accept the personal risk
my participation on the Board requires. I
hope that my colleagues, many of whom
are working very hard and responsibly,
will push for information and
accountability in the planning process.
In dosing, I want to assure you that the-
Task Force will be visible at the
Millennium March on Washington to
encourage Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and
Transgendered people from around the
country to continue their work through
state andlocal organizing. They will come
to Washington to experience thepower of
gathering in their nation’s capital, to feel
strength in numbers, and to create a show
of force for the GLBT community. We
will be persistent in our efforts to ensure
that the energy and momentum of the
March cames to local communities. The
fmancial commitments madebythe March
.Board to organizations dedicated to
statewide organizingand people of color
organizing could:be the finest legacy the
March will leave to our movement.
If significant changes are made in the
March planning and organizing, the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
will gladly considerrejoining theplanning
efforts for the Millennium March on
Washington. In the meantime, we will
advocate for the inclusibn of our entire
community in the March process and for
the linking ofour agenda to those of other
movements for social justice. We hope
¯ although you will need to check with the
¯ Social Security Administration to
¯ determine your probable Social Security
¯¯ benefits during retirement.When youplug
the numbers in, you’ll probably be
¯ horrified toseehow muchmoney, adjusted
¯ for inflation, you will need for a
Although many
similar f’inanelal
goals, Lesbians
and Gay men
need to
approael~ t]ae
topic dffIerently
tha. straiSht
~ple. The
most
concerns are
l~al
that prevent
Gay and
L~blan
"~ouvl~ from
~rtlei~tln$
the flnanelal
benefit~ .o~
marriage.
comfortable retirement. Start
saving right now !
Achieving your financial
goals is never easy, and rarely
fun. There is a chapter on
investing money in mutual
funds, stocks,moneymarkets,
etc., thatis sure to please all of
you business majors and
numbercrunchers. For therest
of us, however, it is
astonishingly boring, but
necessary reading.
Different insurance situations
(life, property, auto,
disability) are also addressed,
as is the inevitable topic of
estate planning. As difficult as
it may be, it is necessary for
every individual to have a
valid, up to date will. The
possible legal disputes that
arisefrompoorestate planning
canquickly wipe out any assets
you may have built. Don’t let
it happen to you, or your
significant other!
Although the topic is never
muchfun, it is vitally important
that everyone, regardless of
orientation, age or marital
: status, address their financial planning
needs. This is a good, basic book to help
you start thinking about the unthinkable.
." Cheek for this title and others on similar
¯ topics at your local library, or call the
Readers Services departmentatthe Central
~ Library at 596-7966.
: theseissues will be reflected in the March
: planning and agenda.
¯ - Kerry Lobel, Executive Director
¯
MaineTown Passes
Rights Protections
¯ FALMOUTH, Maine (AP) - The Town
¯ Council has unammously adopted an
¯ ordinance that bars discrimination based
¯ on sexual orientation, but a conservative
¯ activists says he will try to overturn the
: decision in a June referendum. The 7-0
¯ vote followed remarks by speakers on
¯ both sides of the civil-rights issue.
¯ Mark Finks, a leader of the opposition,
: vowed to continue a petition campaign
¯ that would seek to overulrn the ordinance ¯
in a June election.
¯ Councilor Jacob Manheimer said he
¯ wouldnot be intimidated by Finks’ threat. ¯
"Let’s adopt the ordinance, but put it
¯ squarely to the people if they want to
¯ repeah"t,"he stu" d. CouncM" orJohnHobson
¯ said the vehemence of the ordinance’s
¯ opponents convinced him the law was
." necessary. Councilor Dolores Vail told
." the crowd ofnearly 50people that she has
¯ a grown Gay son who straggled with his
¯ identity as a teen-ager. She said shehoped
¯ the ordinance will help families accept
." Gay members and stop "people beating
¯ upontheirchildrenanddisowuing them."
¯ The ordinance prohibits discrimination
." based.on sexual orientation in areas of
¯ employment, housing, credit, education
¯ and public accommodations.
Red Rock Tulsa
Free Confidential
HIV Testing
Walk-in Clinics
Tuesday Testing, 5 -8 pm
Pride Center, 1307 East 38th
Wednesday Testing, 5-8 pm
Red Rock, 1724 East 8th
Daytime appointments available.
Call for more information:
918-584-2325
Church
of the Restoration
Unitarian Universalist
11 am, Sunday
1314 North Greenwood
587-1314
We’knowyou’re
going to love this[
Restaurant & Cabaret
3 i0 East First Street
918-599-9949
Massage Therapy Services
~’~~Il~Ed’gar O. Cruz, L.M.T.
¯ ¯ Pager: 918-889-5255
Voice Mail: 918-697-9282
Lic. #C4133
News
Better Than
Ever, Pride
Merchandise,
Magazines &
More
610-8510
8120 East 21 st
(21 st+Memorial,
next to Boot City)
We buy back good
used adult magazines.
Country Club
Barbering
Custom Styling
for Men & Women
David Kauskey
3310 E. 51st, 747-0236
Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm
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 appointments are available.
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by Mary Schepers, Do-It-Yoursdf-Dyke
EditoJ"s note: last month the Do-It-
Yourself-Dyke advised us on refurbishing
your kitchen cabinets. This column looking
at updating your kitchen counters.
Now that you’ ve gotten ),our cupboards
in the kitchen all spruced up, it’s amazing
how, well. dingy the counter
tops look now. And the sink
looks about as stained as
Redneck Bubba’s teeth, what
there are of them. That’s the
down-side of a drawn out,
stage by stage renovation -
until you’re finished, youjust
have to putup with it. Hm, that
sounds like a straight girl’s
commentary on sex, but we
just won’t go there.
Instead, we’ll go to the old
drawing board and look at our
options for counter tops. As
usual, it will be time to review
the budget and sharpen the old
pencil when it comes down to
making your choice. The
constraints of this column
don’t allow me to teach you
about installing prelaminated
counter tops or tiling, but
fortunately, there are several
large home improvement
stores who will help you out
with classes and videos, so for
the skilled and intrepid, your
¯ options- and savings- will be
greater. And strictly from an
aesthetic view point, there are
usually lots of other ’Tamily" there, so
happy cruising. Honey, they don’t call it
"Homo" Depot for nothin’.The DIYD
blushes to admit that more than tool lust
carries her thither on a regular basis.
But yourDIYD digresses. Yes, you can
call in Surface Doctor or a resurfacing
company of that ilk, butby the time it’ s all
said and done, you might just as wall pay
for a new surface. Of course, check it out
anyway, but please review your options
before buying.Dating should be the same
way, but hopefully, you’ll show a bit
more discipline - if you’re the impetuous
sort. So that leaves you with the option of
removing the oldcounter top andreplacing
it with prdaminated counters, or tiling
over the old laminate, if it is only ugly but
not warped or popping up. You can also
remove the old counter top, replace the
surface and tile from scratch, but why
don’t we save that kind of labor for later?
The easiest optionmaybe replacing the
counter tops. If you have a relatively
uncomplicated lay out, with counters no
more than 10 foot long at a run, then you
can go and buy the counter top from a
largehomeimprovement store. Some will
do themitercut and cutouts for sink,range
or whatever; others won’t, but can
recommend someone who will do two
miters [one comer] and a sink cutout for
about $40,whichisn’tbad:Itis remarkably
easy to install these counters yourself if
YcoachOUhave a simple L, and the store will
youonwhatto do. The backsplashes
come pre-rolled inmost cases, so you can
finish them off with a smart little bead of
caulk.
If your counter top layout is more
complicated or longer, you will have to
have the counter tops custom made, and
possibly even installed by a contractoI
butthat will bepartof yourreview process.
: Tiling over is an option if the counter is
¯ basically sound - the base must be
: absolutely sound and solid to work.
: Darlings, I know some of us prefer to be
more loose and fluid, but save that
viewpoint for the finer things in life. Once
again, yourhomeimprove-ment store will
bemore than happy to help out And strletly
from an
aesthetle v~ew
point, there are
usually lots of
other "fatally"
there, so
happy erulsln~.
Honey, they
don’t call it
"Homo" Depot
for nothln’.
The DIYD
blushes to
admit that
more than tool
lust earrles her
tldther on a
regular basis.
with classes, advice and other
resources - they want to sell
you the materials, remember?
Keep in mind when buying
the tile that if you go with
lower-end, cheaper tiles fethe
most part and then use the
horrendously expensive
accent tiles, the job will be
more economical overall, and
quite attractive, to boot. You
will be applying a thinset
mortar, then your tiles and
then grouting the next day.
Consider using a darker grout,
or avoid white all together,
because darlings,itjustdoesn’, t
age well, even after sealing
the grout. And if you tile, you
will seal the grout, won’t you?
The DIYD does not tolerate
whining from those who
choose not to follow her sage
wisdom. The DIYD cannot
recommend highly enough
that you buy a long level and
using it for setting up your
lines. Also, lay out the tiles
dry and see if a little
rearranging of the cross lines
, won’t make for an easier job. Sometimes
¯ working off of true center is not best,
: especially if you’re cutting tiny pieces of
file.
¯ Realizing she hasn’t been of much
: practical help at all, the DIYD wishes you
: a fond bon voyage on your trip to the
¯ home improvement center until she
: astounds and amazes youagainnextmonth
: when she has you on your knees on the
floor. The mere thought of it makes her
¯ purr with anticipation...
:
¯" Hispanic and Native American Women
¯
Speak Out; Expanding Clinical Trials and
¯ Treatment Research for Women; Special
¯ Issues for Children in Families Affected
¯" by HIV/AIDS; The lank Between HIV
Infection, Violence Against Women,
¯ Homelessness and Substance Abuse; and
~ HIV Programs for Women: A Fdnder’s
¯ Perspective. ’This conference will allow
~ us a chance to look at the progress thathas
~ been made over the years, and the
¯ challenges which still confront us when
~ dealing with women and AIDS," says
¯ Nicklas.
¯ Conferenceregistrationfeeis $35before
¯¯ May 20 or $40 after May 20. The fee for
the luncheon only is $15. Special student
," rates are available. Seating is limited.
¯ Some confidential scholarships for
¯" housing, transportation and conference
fees are availableforHIV positivewomen.
¯ Call 585-5551 ext. 231 to receive an
¯ application. Arespiteroom and child eare
¯ are available for HIV positive women. ¯ Formore information or to register, call
¯ 585-5551.
Workshop topics will include: Breaking
the Silence - White, Mrican American,
by Esther Rothblum. Ph.D. . Research begins to happen when the
There has been some speculation about : governmentputs funds behindit, andright
whether Lesbians are at higher or lower ¯ now the Institute of Medicine of the
riskforbreastcaneerthanareheterosexual : National Academy of Science has
women. Buttherehasbeenlittleresearch. ;. publishedareportOnLesbianhcalthwhich
Now Dr. Deborah Bowen, a
psychologist at the Fred
Hutchin~nCancerResearch
Center and a member of the
Lesbian Health Research
¯ Institute, is conducting
researchonbreastcancerthat
includes Lesbians.
"Five years ago, this was
guess-work; there was no
data," shetoldme in a recent
interview. "At my Cancer
Center, we do a lot of
research about the causes of
breast cancer and how to
prevent breast cancer. There
are many experts on breast
cancer, so I had a lot of
colleagues I could talk to
about my ideas about
Lesbians andbreast cancer."
In talking with Lesbians,
Dr. Bowen realized that the
commonperception was that
breast cancer was more
frequent among Lesbians
and that perception was
frightening to Lesbians. As
a scientist, she knew there
was no proof yet one way or
the other. "That’s when I
beganthinking thatwecould
make some in-roads into
this," she said, "either by
collecting new data on
Lesbians or else by including questions
about sexual orientation into existing
studies." Dr. Bowen has done both - she
has written research grants to fund studies
specifically onLesbians andbreast cancer
and also begun to examine sexual
orientationin somelarge-scale community
surveys on hundreds of thousands of
women.
"Thebiggestriskfactorforgetting breast
cancer is being a woman," Dr. Bowen
said, "and the second biggest risk factor is
age. Even though we hear a lot about
younger women getting breast cancer, it
is really a disease of older women. And
the problem is that very few people have
studied older women who are past
menopause. So wedon’ t evenknow much
about breast cancer in womenin general."
Other risk factors for breast cancer are
having a family history of breast cancer.
"Having a close or even a distant relative
who has had breast cancer is now known
to ~put women at higher risk for breast
c~._cer, but we don’t know much about
why this is so," Dr. Bowen continued.
"Much of the research has focused on
women Who have multiple relatives with
breast cancer~ but that only accounts for
abOut 4% of all women. What about the
womanwhohada great-atmtMatildawho
had breast cancer? How does Aunt
Matilda’ s breast cancer transfer to her?"
Cancer researchers are also. beginning
to learn more about environmental
exposures, "the toxins, chemicals, and
maybe even the radiation that we
experience, some ofit naturally occurring
and some it put there by technology" as
Dr. Bowen described it, "but we don’t
how andwedon’ tknow whenthe exposure
to these environmental factors has to occur
inorder tobecomeariskforbreastcancer."
The theory goes
that ff Lesbians
have a harder
tlme finding
affordable and
affirmative
cheek-ups,
then they may he
less likely to have
mammo~rams
or to interact with
a health provider
in a Way that
would help with
early diagnosis.
So it may be that
Lesbians aren’t at
hi’her risk for
breast eaneer, just
that Lesbians
don’t get good
health eare . . .
will stimulate research on
Lesbian health issues. Dr.
Bowen said: "It’ s expensive
to do this kind of research.
You have to have lots of
money to call up 20,000
women, and with breast
cancer you have to call a lot
of women in order to reach
somewhohave thedisease."
Dr. Bowen’s research team
now asks about sexual
orientation inboth paper and
pencil surveys and in
telephone interviews. They
ask this in two ways - by
asking about identity (do
women identify as
heterosexual, bisexual,
Lesbian, or other) and also
by asking about sexual
behavior. "ffwe only ask the
former, we lose women who
have sex with women but
don’t identify as Lesbian,
and .if we just ask about
sexual behavior we lose
womenwho are notcurrently
sexually active," she
explained.
Dr. Bowen thinks there
are two camps of thoughts in
the Lesbian community
about breast cancer. ,One
has to do with reproductive
¯ factors. FewerLesbians have children than
¯ do heterosexual women. The ’fewer’ can
¯ range from about 36% to about 60% of
Lesbians whohave had children. Whereas
¯¯ with heterosexual women it’s actually
quitehigh-between 80-90% of all women
¯ havehad children. Nothaving had children
: or having had children late aright be a
¯ factor in developing breast cancer.
¯ Pregnancy might cease certain hormones
¯ that are linked to the development of
¯ breast cancer."
~ "The other camp of thought has to do
¯
with access to reliable, good, open, access
¯ to health care," Dr. Bowen said, "and
¯ Lesbians may not have such access. We ¯
know that if cancer is caught at a later
¯ stage when it has had more chance to
¯ growandspreadtootherpartsofthebody,
¯ it’ s harder to treat and can’t be treated as
~ wall. The theory goes that if Lesbians
: have a harder time finding affordable and
," affirmative check-ups, then they may be
¯ less likely to have m~mmograms or to ¯
interact with a health provider in a way
¯ that wouldhelp with early diagnosis. Soit
¯ may be that Lesbians arCh’ t at higher risk ¯
for breast cancer, just that Lesbians don’t
¯
get good health care and are likely to be
¯ diagnosed with breast cancer at a later
¯ stage when it is harder to treat."
¯" I asked Dr. Bowen what she would
¯ reconamend that health care professionals
¯ do to increase the comfort of Lesbian
¯ patients. Her suggestions: "The person
: who comes to a doctor has to trust that
¯ doctor and she has to feel comfortable
¯ bringing scary problems to that doctor.
¯ And I’m hypothesizing that one of the
~ problems bringing up sexual orientation
: in a health care setting is that you aright
¯ feel okay saying you have a cold or a
: stomach ache, see Psyche, p. 13
IGTA
Calmlem3b4er1.686’6[ .~~.~~
International
ToursSormoreinSormation.
Red Rock Tulsa
O’RYAN
Oklahoma Rainbow
Young Adult Network
Outreach Program Thurs. Nights
Meet Others in a Sa)e Enviroment
Call for meeting times and place:
918-584-2325
AUTHENTIC FRESH
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1307 E. 38th, 2nd floor
in the Pride Center, 743-4297
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all sales benefit the Pride Center
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Tulsa Locations:
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3733 S. Memorial, 6600344
1216 S. Harvard, 587-1778
Sapulpa Location:
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by Lamont Lindstrom. Ph.D. ¯ romantic attraction and love is indeed an
Ahinad is looking for a boyfriend in " alien idea in societies where families
Califoruia.RaisedinPakistaninawealthy,
¯ originateonlythrougharrangedmamages.
rural farnilv he immigrated to the US a ¯ Like Parivaraj’s Gay schoolboys,
few years Ego. Ahinad telephones home " Ahrnad, some-how, has also learned to
regularly to talk with his desire a boyfriend. Sex on the
parents and sisters. He misses
his family but he’s not going
back. His parents expect him
to marry and if he returns to
Pakistan he knows he ..would
find tfimself quickly caught up
in an arranged mamage with
some woman selected by his
father. So he remains in San
Francisco, despite his homesickness,
hoping to arrange his
ownmamage- but withaman.
Ahmad’ s problem is shared
by the characters of a recently
publishednovel that deals with
Gay lifein India, P. Parivaraj’ s
~restern stories
of romantic
love, and the
emergence of a
separate Gay
identity are
powerful
notions that
have spread
Oobally.
Shiva and Arun. In this book, a group of
Hindu and Muslim schoolboys face
difficult challenges related to their
homosexuality. They can only be honest
with each other about their desires that
they hide from family and even their
closest friends.
After leaving school, one is fired when
his boss discovers his sexual orientation.
All of them are pressured by family to
marry and have children. One is rejected
by his father when he refusesto do so.
Another gives in and is only able to have
awkwardsex withhis new wifeby thinking
-. of his boyfriend. He soon kills himsdf.
Marriage has failed to quell his
homosexual desire.
I discussed Shiva and Arun with a Gay
colleague who has lived in India. Based
on his experience (some of thi.s rather
intimate), .my colleague argued that the
novel’ s tragic suicide is unbelievable. He
has met hundreds of happily married
homosexual Indian men who juggle
parallel lives with wife and children in
public, and discrete sexual encounters with
men in private. Almost all Indian and
Pakistani men - whether they desire
womenormen- marry without complaint
as the normal, human thing to do. Those
who want sex withmen can easily pick up
partners by cruisi,ng in appropriate places.
Stephen Murray s 1997 book, Islamic
Homosexualities, describes street corners
in Karachi where men drive by to find
dates.
I asked Ahmad why he just didn’t give
in and go home, make his dad happy by
getting married, and find an occasional
lover on the highway roundabouts. He
replied gloomily that he couldn’ t do this.
He wants instead to live as what he really
is, a Gay man. He is exiled in California,
torn between family duties and personal
desire.
Shiva andArun taps into this sentiment
- a model of Gayness that is recently
"diffusing" (as anthropologists put this)
from West to East. Parivaraj seemingly
rejects the conclusion that Indians have
borrowed Western patterns of sexuality.
None of his characters identifies himself
as"Gav,." Pather, they are "menwho love
men." Still,he clearlyhas adoptedWestern
concepts of individuality and romantic
love. Two of his boys manage to find
happiness in the end. They fall in love,
leave their families, and move in with
their boyfriends to establish at least quasipublic
homosexual households.
The notion of long-term household
relations between two men founded in
corner before going home to
wife and kids is no longer
good enough. .
Previously, in many
societies, even if you were a
man-loving-man, there was
no obvious alternative to what
¯ all men did. You accepted the
woman that your parents
arranged for you and you
served your family by
fathering children.
In future, however,
there may be more and more
Ahmads who are unwilling to
go along with traditional
¯ " expectations. Western stories of romantic
: love and the emergence of a separate Gay
¯
identity are powerful notions that have
¯ spread globally.
, When one of Parivaraj’s young men
breaks with his parents by confessing that
¯ he loves men, they think he must be a ¯
transvestite prostitute -the only local
¯ gender category they have available to try
¯¯ tounderstandhim. Buthe snot. Although
¯ hemay not call it thus, he has adopted the Western identity "Gay" that is
: fundamentally defined by a romantic
¯ desire for boyfriends. ¯ Those ofus who celebrate individuality
¯ andlovemight applaud Abroad’ s coura.ge
¯ at defying his father, abandoning his
mother and sisters, and casting himself
: into Gay-dating hell - that horribly lonely
¯ search for romance.
¯ In my more paranoid moments, ¯
however, I worry about the recent
¯ proliferation and spread ofall sorts ofnew
social identities, including "Gay." The
¯ global economic system in large part
depends on the cultivationof multiple and
¯ splintered identities that serve-as niche
¯ markets for its goods.
: So, in addition to all the foods, and
¯
clothing, and furniture, and art, andmusic
¯ that Ahmad seems to need to buy in order
¯ to demonstrate his Gayness, I pray thathe
can manage to snag a boyfriend. But he
: already knows that they can cost a lot.
¯ Lamont Lindstrom is a professor of
¯ anthropology at the University of Tulsa. ¯
However, this semester he is teaching at
"~ the University ofCalifornia, in Berkeley.
¯ but not that you want the provider to feel
your breast, for example. Lesbians might
also worry that the provider might force
them to use high-tech solutions for their
¯ problem when they would prefer to begin
¯ with alternative solutions. Lesbians often
¯ have good reason got to trust ’the system’
¯ and right now the solutions we have for
¯ breast cancer have to with technology,
: such as chemotherapy, radiation, or
¯ surgery." She also recommends that
¯ Lesbians look for open, trustworthy
¯ providers if these exist’ in their
¯ communities.
: Esther Rothblum is Professor of
Psychology at the University of Vermont
i and Editor Of the Journal of Lesbian
: Studies.ShecanbereachedatJohnDewey
: Hall, UniversityofVermont, Burlington,
: VT, email: esther.rothblum@uvm.edu.
If the hate crimes bill passes the Senate,
where it has been in committee, it will
¯come before Bush who can either veto it
or sign it into law.
"Wehope the state Senate and Governor
Bush will follow the leadoftheHouseand
the people of Texas and pass hate crimes
legislation," said Birch.
At aWashington press conference last
month, family members of twohate crimes
victims announced their supportforfederal
and state hate crimes legislation. Both
Judy Shepard, mother of University of
Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, and
Darrell Verrett, nephew of Jasper, Texas
resident James Byrd Jr., urged Bush to
pass the Texas legislation.
As reported in The Dallas Morning
News, in 1997 - the most recent year for
available statistics-360 hate crimes were
reported in Texas. The Department of
Public Safety reported that 167 crimes
were directed againstAfrican-Americans;
64 against Gays and Lesbians; 22 against
Hispamcs; and 21 against Jews.
Theeffort to pass hate crimes legislation
is led by Dianne Hardy Garcia, executive
director of the Lesbian and .Gay Rights
Lobby of Texas and state Rep. Senfronia
Thompson, D~Texas, Chair, Judicial
Affairs Committee.
’q~he incredible leadership of Dianne
Hardy Garcia and Representative
SenfroniaThompsonhas madeit po,s.sible
for the House to-take this great stride
forward," said Birch. ’q’his is a textbook
example of how effective engagement in
thepolitical process throughlobbying and
education can have a significant societal
impact. Today, millions ofTexans are one
step closer to receiving protection from
hate violence."
Only 21 states have hate crimes laws
that include sexual orientation and eight
s.tates havenohate crimes laws. Nationally,
since 1981, hate crimes have nearly
doubled. In 1997 - the FBI’s most recent
reporting period-race-related hate crimes
were byfarthemostcommon,representing
nearly60% ofall cases. Hate crimes based
on religion represented 15% of all cases.
And hate crimes against Gay, lesbian and
bisexual Americans increased by 8% - or
about 14% of all hate crimes reported.
The Scripps Howardpoll of 1,003 adults
was conducted by telephone, March 30-
April 17. It has amargin of error ofplus or
minus 3 percentage points.
The home can hold up to 6 or 7 kids from
infants to older, and is filled with plenty, of
toys. and a nice, little backyard for play.
The operation will belicensed andbonded,
and one of the morns is qualified to work
with special education and hearing
impaired children. And in a very 90’s
touch, they are considering adding an
internet camerawhichwouldallow parents
who have web access at work to log into
a web site and checkon~ their kids!.
GLAD, Ga)~. & ~bian-Daycare ~il1
als0 ~b~a [~t[¢: 1:~§~ ;expensi.ve~ than~
comparable:qUality opera.tions. The
~riollgrcahmar.gwehi$c1h0i0s dpueer two eoepkenvemrsidu-sMtahye
$125phis which Teresa andJoan found to
be more common. And they are willing to
provide evening and weekend care by
special arrangement. GLAD,’s orgamzers
will be having a special garage sale on
May7th&8thto help kickofftheprogram.
For more information, call 808-8026.
Good Food, Good Service,
No Anti-Gay Attitude
Tulsa’s neverhad that many choices for
late night dining but now, with Burger
Sisters,just opened the last week ofApril,
Tulsa’s Gay community not only can get
good food but be treated right in the
process..
John Rothrock and Steve Walley,
owners of the Silver Star, just down the
way in the same shopping center, have
opened a "comfortable, clean" restaurant.
Rothrock notes that the restaurant
welcomes all, Gays, straights, young and
old but especially, it will be a place where
Gay people can be free and comfortable to
hold hands or to come in late from the
clubs in drag or leather and not be hassled.
In other words, straight people are
welcome - as long as they behave
themselves !
Rothrock notes, "it’s time for Gays to
grasp the respect we’ve earned.., not tO
be ashamed..." and he adds, "when you
eat here, you don’t have to hide who you
are.
Burger Sisters, which opens at 6am
offers a typical, "downhome" breakfasts,
hamburgers, fries, salads as wall as a daily
dinner special. Monday to Thursday, the
cafe will be open till 10pro. OnFriday and
saturday, they’ll stay open till 4am and
Sunday, the hours will be 10am - 3pro (all
subject to some change, after all they’ve
been open only a few days when this goes
to press). At this point, the cafe accepts
only cash, no credit cards but their prices
are very reasonable. Burger Sisters is
located at 1545 So. Sheridan, just north a
few doors from the Silver Star. Tel: 835-
1207.
Four Years They’re There,
One Night They’re Gone
According to some of their now exstaff,
Concessions, for more than four
years one of Tulsa’s largest dance clubs
closed precipitously the last Saturday of
April. Andindeed, the business signs have
been removed from the building.
One local bar observer said that rumors
in the club crowd suggested that the
business was plagued by legal costs
associated with an ongoing lawsuit. A
member of the former bar staff stated that
they were givenjust one hour notice of the
loss of their jobs.
Other members of the Gay community
suggest that the owners of Oklahoma
City’s Angles have been said to be trying
to expand their operation into Tulsa for a
number ofmonths. Theirnames also have
been mentioned as possible buyers of
Concessions’ equipment or lease.
However, other real estate watchers
wonder if the gentrification of Brookside
may result in that space being leased to
other uses.
Under the direction of Lewis Routh,
OneFoolis fast-paced and wildly original.
Though Lesbian-themed, the play
humorously and aptly demonstrates the
.. universality of every person’s quest for
~ the perfect love.
¯ Decidedly ’ adult-oriented; admission
¯ will be limited to those 21 years and older.
$10 per person at the door, with all
: proceeds benefiting the Eureka Springs
¯ Diversity Celebration being held Nov. 5- ¯
7,1999.
¯ For further information, please contact
: the show’s producers, The Emerald
¯ Rainbow, at 501-253-5445.
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’if19632
OPEN, SUBMISSIVE, AND
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1601bs, brown/brown-eyes, very
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(Elk City) ~12514
WANT TO EAT MY DESSERT
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~10176
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(Weewoca) ff10117
BODY WORSHIP GWM, into
body worship, looking for a WM,
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(Tulsa) ’~10314
FUN AND ROMANTIC Looking
for a romantic WM, 18-35,who
likes movies, ball games, video
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for a one-night stand with a very
muscular, well-endowed top: If
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~13401
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’~12785
MUSCLE MAN WANTED 65-
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~10006
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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
[1999] Tulsa Family News, May 1999; Volume 6, Issue 5
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
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Tulsa Family News
Source
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https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Tom Neal
Date
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May 1999
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
James Christjohn
Jean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legrandbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
Mary Schepers
Adam West
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Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News
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Tulsa Family News, April 1999; Volume 6, Issue 4
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Image
PDF
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Language
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English
Type
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newspaper
periodical
Coverage
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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/587
'One Fool'
1999
African Americans
AIDS/HIV
AIDS/HIV research
Arkansas
arts and entertainment
attorneys
Barney Frank
Barry Hensley
Bars
Burger Sisters
businesses
Catholic Church
churches
Concessions
Council Oak Men's Chorale
Dave Fleischer
denial of service
Dick Armey
Do-It-Yourself Dyke
Dyke Psyche
Entertainment Notes
Esther Rothblum
Eureka Springs
Gay and Lesbian Affordable Daycare
gay bashing
Gay Finances in a Straight World
Gay Studies
Gregory Diggins
hate crime bill
hate crimes
HIV/AIDS bias
homophobia
James Christjohn
Kenya
Lamont Lindstrom
Maine
Mary Schepers
medical abuse
Millenium March
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Native Americans
New Haven
performing arts
Peter Berkery Jr.
Pride
Read All About It
Red Ribbon Gala
restaurants
South Africa
Swan Awards
Thailand
Tim Bliley
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Tulsa Family News
Tulsa Two-Spirited Indian Men's Support Group
University of Tulsa
violence
Women and AIDS Regional Conference
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Call To Action!
Tues., M.arch 2, 8-5
HB 1211 Lobby D.ay
at OK State Capitol
TULSA - State and local community organizers led in
Tulsa by former national Parents, Families and Friends
of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) president, Nancy
McDonald, have called for an emergency lobby day at
the State Capitol on Tues., March 2 in support of HB
1211 amending Oklahoma’s "hate crime" statute.
At the Capitol, Keith Smith, a lobbyist with the
OklahomaACLU and Sierra Club is help~g to coordinate
lobbying. Keith can be reached through Peggy
Leininger in State Senator Bemest Cain’s office. Keith
may also be reached at 405-840-2219 and by e-mail at
OKSmith@aol.com.
Mrs. McDonald has noted that parents are particularly
effective in reaching state legislators. M.C.
Smothermon, who recently ran for US Congress is
herself the mother of a hate crime victim and is encouraging
any parents who’may wish to come to the Capitol
to contact her at 405-340-7015. see Lobby, p. 3
Despite Murder, Wyoming
Rejects Hate Crime Bill
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Four months after Gay
college student Matthew Shepard was beaten to death,
amove to pass hate crimes legislation in Wyoming was
killed in committee. Wyoming is one nine states without
bias crimes laws, and lawmakers have rejected
similar measures four times since 1995.
After Shepard’s death, calls for a bias crimes law
increased - Republican Gov. Jim Geringer for the first
time supported it. Geringer said that he was disappointed
the legislation did not reach the Senate floor for
debate, but he added that no law can change how people
think about each other. Twomeasures died in the Senate
Judiciary Committee. Both would have increased the
maximum fine for a felony by up to $5,000 and raised
themaximumprison term by up to five years if prosecutors
could prove the crime was motivated by bias.
State Sen. John Schiffer, the Judiciary chairman, said
he hoped supporters of bias crime legislation would
come back in future sessions with legislation that would
have broader support. Opponents said they objected to
listing motivating factors, such as race, religion and
sexual orientation, saying the bills offered special protection
to certain groups. Others said no new laws are
needed, just strict enforcement of existing measures.
Wende Barker, state coordinator for theWyoming
Bias Crimes Coalition, said she was disappointed but
not surprised and planned to try to push for such laws
again next year.
MJ DIRECTORY/LETTERS P, 2
EDITORIAL p, $ ~ US & WORLD NEWS P. 4
HEALTH NEWS P. 6
Z~
COMMUNITY CALENDAR P. 9
BOOK REVIEW P. 10
DO-IT-YOURSELF-DYKE P. 11
DYKE PSYCHE/GAY STUDIES P. 12
mm CLASSIFIEDS + WEERWOLF P. 13
--
Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tuisans, Our Families + Friends
Tulsa’s Largest Circulation Community PaperAvailable In More Than 75 City Locations
Oklahoma HouseCommittee
Approves Hate Crime Bill
by Tim Talley & Tom Neal
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP/TFN) - A proposal to add sexual
orientation to the list of hate crimes in Oklahoma is being
criticized by opponents who question whether it will deter anti-
Gay assaults.House Bill 1211 would add sexual orientationto the
list of groups in the state’s hate ~wimes law, which already
includes race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin and disability.
"I think we’re going in the wrong direction," Ken Wood,
executive director of the Oklahoma Christian Coalition, said
Wednesday after the House Judicial Committee voted 5-3 for HB
1211 y Rep. Don Ross, D-Tulsa. I think xt creates an inequality
of justice. This elevates particular groups to a higher status,"
Wood said.
Keith Smith, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties
Union, said the measure is supported by many Oklahoma religious
organizations. The bill’s passage by the House committee
says "violence and hatred against certain groups is unacceptable,"
Smith said. But passage by the full Legislature "will be an
uphill battle," he said.
Opponents attacked the measure for "endorsing Gay lifestyles."
’¢l~ais is more about having a homosexual lifestyle as a normal
lifestyle in contravention of 6,000 years of history," Rep. Bill
Graves, R-OKC, said. "It goes against the Christian religion."
Ross saidthe bill is a response to the beating death of Matthew
Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming who was pistolwhipped,
robbed and lashed to a fence in October. Police said
Shepard was attacked, in part, because he was homosexual.
’q’hey thought you were dangerous because you were different,"
Ross said as he read from a letter that Ross said he wrote to
Shepard’s spirit. "You didn’t parade your lifestyle," Ross said.
"Matthew, you were still in the closet.""I’m sorry for the misfits
in our society," said Ross, who closed debate by recmng the
Lord’s Prayer.
.Critics, including Rep. Ray Vaughn, R-Edmond, said the hate
crimes law has not stopped race- and religion-based attacks.
"How would it be effective in stopping hate crimes against ;
. homosexuals?’"Vaughn said. "r(seems to me we’~e creating "a :
special class of Oklahoma citizens. We’re all entitled to the same ¯
respect." see HB 1211, p. 3
Methodist Anti-Gay Marriage
Witchhunt Reaches Oklahoma
TULSA - Tulsa United Methodist pastor, the Reverend Leslie
Peurose of Community of Hope, has had formal charges brought ¯
against her for signing a statement of support for the Holy Union "
ceremony between two California women, Ellie Charlton and ¯
Jeanne Barnett in Sacramento on January 16, 1999. ¯
Penrose, along with the Rev. Susan Ross ofPerkins, Oklahoma
¯ signeddocumentsofsupportfortheceremonylistingtheirnames ¯
: asas"officiantsinabsentia."Nearly80Methodistelergypartici_ ¯
.. pated in the widely publicized service to support the couple and "
¯ toprotestreeentdecisionsoftheUnitedMethodistChurchtoban ¯
-" its clergy from officiating or performing such services or from ¯
¯ such services from being held in Methodist owned facilities. ¯
¯ Boyce Bowden, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Conference, "
United Methodist Church, acknowledged that charges had been "
," brought against Penrose but refused to provide any further
¯" information characterizing the issue as a "personnel issue" and
¯ therefore subject to employment confidentiality rules. Bowden
did notmention charges brought against Ross. The Rev. Peurose
." was unable to comment officially.
¯ However, the charges were brought against Peurose and Ross ¯
¯ by Jake P. Barker of First United MethOdist Church of Eufaula
Barker is apparently tied to anti-Gay elements in the Methodist
." Church and copies of his complaint, as well as official responses
¯ have appeared verbatim on the website of "The Confessing
¯ Movement" (http://shell.surfsouth.com/~jwarrene/news/
ok_disobey2.html)
"_ So while the Oklahoma Conference office and Oklahoma
¯ Bishop Blake has no comment, the full text of the Conferenee’s
¯ response to Barker is available on the intemet.
¯ The heart of the response of Conference’s response is that
¯ participation in a banned same-gender union or relationship
¯ blessing requires the clergy to be physically present. Therefore ¯
the signatures of Penrose and Ross constitute only a permissible
¯ expression of their opinion rather than a violation of Methodist
ophne. Theletterwas signedby Paul Bowles, Tulsa District
Superintendent, and Grayson Lucky, Stillwater District Superintendent,
see Methodists, p. 3
Chastity Bono to Speak
atApril Red Ribbon Gala
TULSA- Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. (Center for AIDS Resources,
Education and Support), formerly known
as the HIV Resource Consortium, will hold its
second annual fundraising dinner; the Red Ribbon
Gala on Saturday, April 17th at 7:30 at the Downtown
Doubletree Hotel. The event will feature a
keynote address by Chastity Bono, author and
Lesbian and Gay media activist. Bono’s address
will emphasize the need for compassion and broad
community support in the fight against AIDS.
Proceeds from the event will support Tulsa
C.A.R.E.S. which is the principal care-giving consortium
for people living with HIV and AIDS in
northeastern Oklahoma. More than 500 clients
receive food, counseling, housing, medical prescription
assistance from the agency. Bono’s participation
in the Gala is co-sponsored by the Tulsa
Chapter of PFLAG.
Bono will also attend a booksigning in the early
afternoon (time tba) on April 17 at the Tulsa Gay
Community Services Center to benefit the Center.
Also on April 17, local divaAudra Sommers will
present Benefit 99, A Connection ofLove from 6-
8pm at the Parish Church of St. Jerome, 205 West
King. Featured artists include Ernestine Dillard,
Gregory Hyde, Link Filion, Rebecca Ungerman,
Jonathan Brown and the Council Oak Men’s Chorale.
Tickets are $25. Info: 836-5447.
Vandal Invades Center
Verbally Abuses Volunteer + Trashes Hail
TULSA - Late last month, aman entered the Tulsa
Gay Community Services Center, formerly known
as The Pride Center, shouting obsenities at the
volunteer, Shawn, who was staffing The Pride
Store that evening: The man, a white male was
described as being just over 6 foot tall and about
230 pounds with military style short red hair and a
full beard and mustache.
Shawn stated that the intruder stormed in the
store, waving a Pride flag that he’d grabbed from a
display near the stairs. She Said his message was
essentially, "how dare you f--king faggots come to
my town, you need to get the f--k out"and "I know
what you look like; I’ll be back to finish what I
started." Shawn then coolly asked him whether he
felt better now and then the intruder stormed down
the hall breaking a framed print and a floor lamp.
Shawn called 911 while the intruder was breaking
things in the hall. Tulsa Police responded
promptly and Shawn said the officers were very
professional and supportive but are not classifying
the incident as a hate crime:
Normally, Center volunteers workin teams; however,
the other volunteer had stepped out to bring
back fast food for dinner. Center board members
have begun fundraising to purchase a surveillance
system for the Center in response to the assault. ¯
Prime Timers to H.old
Gay Center Fundra,ser
¯ TULSA -The Tulsa Area Prime Timers, a local
: mens group, will hold its annual silent auction on
¯ Saturday, March 13 from 5-9pmin the Neal-Padgett
: Hall of the newly renamed Tulsa Gay Community
: Services Center, formerly known as The Pride
¯ Center. The event is held to raise funds for the
¯ Community Center and features a variety of ob-
¯ jeets from art, to collectables and even to services.
¯ Tulsa Area Prime Timers is the local chapter of
an international mens organization. Originally the
¯ group restricted membership to men 40 and above
and their partners. Now the organization is open to
¯ men 21 and above. For more information about the
¯ silent auction or Prime Timers or to donate an item
for the auction, call 627-2359.
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine
*Boston Willy’s Diner, 1742 S. Boston
*Concessions, 3340 S. Peoria
*Empire Bar, 1516 S. Peoria
*Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria
*Interurban Restaurant, 717 S. Houston
*Jason’s Dell, 15th & Peoria
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
*Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd
832-1269
592-2143
744-0896
599-9512
583-6666
749-4511
585-3134
599-7777
749-1563
744-4280
745-9998
834-4234
585-3405
660-0856
584-1308
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 747-1508
*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 Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955
*Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272
*CD Warehouse, 3807c.S. Peoria 746-0313
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 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
*Devena’s Gallery, 13 Brady 587-2611
Doghouse on Brookside, 331LS. 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
Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709
*Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st 742-1460
Learme 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
*Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070
Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466
*Living ArtSpace, 19 E. Brady 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
Novel Idea Bookstore, 51st & Harvard 747-6711
David A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633
747-7672
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626
*Peace of Mind Bookstore, 1401 E. 15 583-1090
The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor -
743-4297
Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101
747-5932
Richard’ s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617
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
Paul Tay, Car Salesman
260-7829
*Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria
697-0017
0 *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 Agencies, Churches, Schools & ,Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101
579-9593
*All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria
743-2363
Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159
587-73.14
"-Bl~ss 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
*ChurchoftheRestorationUU, 1314N.Greenwood 587-1314
*Community ofHope United Methodist, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595
*Council Oak Men’s Chorale ~ 585-COMC (2662)
*Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511
*Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31
742-2457
_Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa-Lesbian & Gay Catholics &
Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140
*Fellowship Congre,g. Church, 2900 S. Harvard
747-7777
*Free SpiritWomen s Center, call forlocation &info: 587-4669
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615, POB 4140. Tulsa. OK 74159
e-mail: TulsaNews@ earthlink net
website: http://users.aol.com/TulsaNewsl
Publisher + Editor:
Tom Real
Writers + contributors:
James Christjohn, Jean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lament Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Adam West
Member of The Associated Press
Issued on or before the 1st of each month, the entire contents of this
~4blicaantidonmaaryenportobteecrteedprboyduUcSedcoepityhreirgihnt w19h9o8leboyrTin~partFw.i.~thou.t
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~ot,herwjse n.o~ted,,r~ust
be signed & becomes the sole property of
Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution
points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248.
.~riend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827
Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
*HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
*HIV Resource Consortium, 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194 "
*Holland Hall School, 5666 E. 81st 481-1111
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378
HIV Testing, Men/Thurs. 7-9pm, daytime by appt. only
*House of the Holy Spirit Nfinstries, 3210e So. Norwood
Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438-2437, 800-284-2437
*MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
NAMES Project, 3507 E Admiral P1. 748-3111
NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, POB 14068, 74159 365-5658
OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157
*Our House, I 114 S. Quaker 584-7960
PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901
*Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674
*The Pride Center, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor, 74105 743-4297
Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152
*R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195
Rainbow Business Guild, POB 4106, 74159 665-5174
*Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325
O’RYAN, support group for 18-24 LGBT young adults
O’RYAN, Jr. support group for 14-17 LGBT youth
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 4045 N Cincinnati 425-7882
*St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140
*St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
*Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 583-7171
TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225
Tnlsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 595-4105
Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only
Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 743-4297
~f.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222
*Tulsa City Hall; Ground Floor Vestibule
*Tulsa Columunity College Campuses
*Rogers University (formerly UCT)
BARTLESVILLE
*Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353
OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
*Borders Books &Music, 3209 NWExpressway 405-848-2667
*Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-573-4907
TAHLEQUAH
: *Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900
.. *Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church
918-456-7900
*Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-9360
¯
NSU School of Optometry, 1001 N. Grand
!tlVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for dates
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
¯ *White Light, 1 Center St.
¯ FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS5
¯ *Edna’s, 9 S. School Ave.
i
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
." *Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134
501-253-7734
501-253-7457
501-253-6807 -
501-253-5445
501-253-9337
5131-253-2776
501-253-5332
501-624-6646
501-253-6001
501-253-4074
501-442-2845
417-623-4696
* is where you canfind TFN. Notall areGay-owned but all are Gay.friendly.
Carbon Copy
Mary Easely, Member
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Dear Mrs. Easely,
As a man who happens to have been a
victim of hate crimes based on sexual
orientation, I would urge you to support
house Bill 1211, simply because it’s the
right thing to do. You may or may not
agree with certain issues surrounding the
subject, but surely you can realize that to
be killed or maimed simply because of
what others perceive you to be is wrong.
We need a means to combat that sort of
behavior in this city, and this bill is an
~mportant step in addressing that.
Since moving to this state in 1993, I
have been verbally attacked withepithets
ranging from "faggot" to "f***ing queer"
while simply-walking down the street
with a friend. We were doing nothing
untoward, simply walking and talking.
~nat has happened several times - unprovoked
attacks.
In another instance, I was nearly forced
off a highway by a carfnl of kids yelling
anti-Gay slurs. It is not hard to imagine
that, considering the Mathew Shepard
case, I was lucky.
In school, I was the victim of several
assaults due to the fact I was perceived as
being Gay - long before I knew I was. I
have never been one to carry flags and
.proclaim my sexual orientation with a
bullhorn in a parade, so these attacks,
especially here in Tulsa, were a surprise -
and an unpleasant reminder of a very
difficult childhood.
I know several men who were physically
attacked, even as recently as this
year, in settings - urban neighborhoods,
daylight - that were surprisxng and upsetting
- and undeserved. If the bill passes,
then we can begin to effectively works
towards eradicating, or limiting this sort
of unacceptable violence.
Please help this bill make it through. Be
a part of the history that promoted a positive,
better; peaceful world, not a part of
history that ignored the hatred in this
world and allowed it free reign.
- name witheld by request, Tulsa
cc: Don Ross
Talking points for HB1211
It’ s not about "special rights ;"it’ s about
¯ stopping violence - Oklahoma’s current
laws arenotprotecting citizens adequately.
Many crimes, such as murder,vary the
penalties depending on the motive of the
perpetrator. A stronger hate crimes law is
no different.
No Oklahomans should fear violence
because of who they are. Hate crimes are
a form of terrorism: Hate crimes are intended
to frighten and silence not only the
actual victims, but all members of the
targeted group. Perpetrators ofhatecrimes
seek to "make examples" of their victims.
Oklahomans recognize the importance
¯ ofstanding strongagainstthosewhowonld
spread fear through violence.
Points provided by Gay Community
Services Center Advocacy Committee.
-:
¯" Letters. Policy
". Tulsa Family News welcomes letters on
: issues which we’ve covered or on issues
¯. youthinkneedtobeeonsidered.Youmay
¯ request that your name be withheld but
¯ letters mustbe signed&have phonenum-
: bers, or be hand delivered. 200 word leti
ters are preferred. Letters to other publications
will be printed as is appropriate.
However, as of press time, Barker had already posted on
the internet a further letter of complaint to the Oklahoma
Conference pursuing charges and a church trial against "
Penrose and Ross. In fact, a lay observer of these proceedings
alleged that Barker’ s complaints were being seen on the
internet for wide public viewing prior to even being received "
at the Oklahoma Conference and before Ross and Penrose "
even knew they were being accused. ¯
The text of the letter follows with only the deletion of the
charges against Ross. Those allegations are identical to
th0ge made against Peurose.
Reverend Paul Bowles and Reverend Grayson Lucky
Re: Reverend Susan Ross and Rev. Leslie Penrose
It is obvious we disagree in your comment "we can only
interpret their signatures as expressions ofpersonal opinion".
I believe thatyou err in this conclusion. In this case the
aforementioned clergy (Ross & Penrose) did infact violate
the statedposition ofthe Social Principles regarding same
sex unions as defined by the Social Principles, which as you
know, have been declared, in this instance, as having the
force of law, by the Judicial Council. By engaging in a
defiant challenge to the statedposition ofThe United Methodist
Church they have more than indicated their willingness
and ability to violate the covenant entered into at the
time of their ordination.
This breaking ofcovenant was evidenced by thefollowing
method:
1. Attaching or causing to be attached their names and
professional titles to a document containing a list of indii
viduals engaged in a behaviorprohibited by a ruling ofthe
Judicial Council.
In addition to myprevious complaints, which still stand, I
am nowfiling these additional complaints againstRev. Ross
and Rev. Penrose:
Reverend Penrose: Allegation: 1. BOD Parag. 2624f:
"dissenination [dissemination] of doctrines contrary to
the established standard.ofdoctrine of the Church"
Rev. Penrose did, on or about January 16th, 1999 attach
or caused to be attached, her name andprofessional title to
a documentin supportofsame sex unions, this is in violation
of Paragraph 3043, quoted in part, "since the practice of "
homosexuality isgncompatible with Christian teaching..." °
and Paragraph 65g "... Although we do not condone the ¯
practice ofhomosexuality andconsider thispractice incom- °
patible with Christian teaching.., ". this action expressed,
diseminated [disseminated] and otherwise revealed to the ¯
church that her doctrines were contrary to the currently ¯
stated doctrine as Contained in the Book OfDiscipline and "
Social Principles. ¯
2. BOD Parag. 2624g: "Relationships or behavior that ¯
undermines the ministry ofanother pastor" ¯
Rev. Penrose did, on or about January 16th, 1999 attach "
or cause to be attached her name andprofessional title to a "
document that encourages breaking the ordination covenant
as defined by Paragraph 2624b. By her behavior she
undermined and renderedfor naught the teaching offellow "
United Methodistpastors seeking to befaithful to the disCi- ¯
pline ofThe United Methodist Church and their ordination ¯
covenant. :
These two clergy have defiantly and unrepentantly vio- "-
lated their vows of ordina~on. 1 am insisting that they be ¯
disciplined appropriately. Ifyou as the district superinten- ¯
dents are unable or unwilling to discipline these two clergy :
persons then I have no other recourse than to demand a ¯
church trial before ajury as defined by the BOD. ¯
Sincerely, Jake Barker
Rt. 4 Box 951A Eufaula, OK 74432
co: Bishop Bruce Blake "
Although the Rev. Peurose declined to comment, lay
individuals associated with Commtmity of Hope noted that
these charges were not unexpected, especially after the
Oklahoma Conference forced the Rev: Kathy McCally of
Oklahoma City to leave the denomination. Ms. McCally ~:
transferred her ordination to the United Church of Christ --"
(UCC), the only "mainline" Christian denomination that~
ordains openly Lesbian and Gay persons. ¯
Furthermore, Oklahoma Bishop Bruce Blake was one of
the leaders in the effort to "criminalize" Methodist clergy
who perform same-gender unions. Prior to his efforts, the
restriction on such ceremonieswas a part of the Methodist
Social Discipline, seen as guidance to the thinking of the
Churchbut notchurch law. Now those who dissentfrom this
view can be charged and prosecutedfor alleged violations as
is happening with the Revs. Peurose and Ross.
¯ See associated editorial, this page.
¯ A few weeks ago, a local woman wrote The Tulsa
World to protest a recent article about Lesbian and Gay
issues featuring PFLAG. She challenged a statement
claiming that her part of the Church, the Methodists,
was one of several Christian groups that have official
positions in support of civil rights for Gay people.
She is, ofcourse, wrong.
Twenty-seven years ago, in 1972, the United Meth¯
odist General Conference adopted a statement saying,
"homosexuals no less than heterosexuals are persons of
: sacred worth... [and] we insist that all persons are
¯ entitledto have their human and civil rights ensured."
¯ Her ignorance is not entirely the lady’s fault. The
Church, Methodist and other parts, in Oklahoma and
¯ many other places, have done little to honor this civil
¯ rights commitment, or to affirm the sacred worth ofGay
¯ and Lesbian persons.
For example, every year, the OklahomaHouse passes
¯ bills clearly attacking the fundamental civil rights of
¯ Lesbian and Gay Oklahomans. Yet not once since this
¯ newspaperbegan publishinghas theOklahomaConfer- ¯
ence of the United Methodist Church ever raised its
¯ voice against these state-sponsored assaults.
¯
. That is not only our recollectionbut also thebegrudg-
¯ lng recollection of Bryce Bowden, communications
¯ directorand spokesmanfor theOklahomaUuited Meth-
~ odistConference. Notoncehas the Conference (OUMC)
¯ ever taken any proactive step towards supporting civil ¯
rights protections. Rumor is, however, that the OC may
¯ be supporting HB 1211, the "hate crimes" amendment.
: Twenty-sevenyearslater, that, atleast, wouldbeastart.
¯ However; while the OUMC has failed to honor this
longstanding civil rights commitment, no less than the
." Bishop of the Oklahoma Conference, Bruce Blake, led
." the efforts to turn the "guidance" of the Methodist
¯ Social Principles which opposed same-gender union
¯ ceremonies into prosecutable church law. It is this new
¯ law under which Tulsa pastor, the Reverend Leslie
¯ Peurose, is accused of wrongdoing. ¯
The actions of United Methodists indicate leadership
that seeks to punish those few brave Methodists who
would treat Lesbians and Gay men as equal human
beings. It is leadership that has not even tried to "ensure
human and civil fights" but worse hash’ t even bothered
to tell its general membfrship that they indeed have an
obligation to work for such civil rights.
" To judge fi:om their actions, their hollow rhetoric of
"loving the ’sinner’ and hating the ’sin,’ " should be
replaced with "we hate you people," and "we hate that
you make us confront the hypocrisy of our words and
actions." No, it’ s not in keeping with "Christian values"
and it makes them very uncomfortable but it sure looks
like the truth.
But to doso would require that these good Methodists
view themselves as less than righteous people - which
ain’t gging to happen. For me, I sometimes think I’d
rather deal with an honest Klansman than some of these
,,ood people. You might despise what the Klansman
values but at least you know his words and actions are
going to be consistent. With "good Christian folk," you
just never know.
- Tom Neal, editor/publisher
If you cannot go to Oklahoma City, you can write
your legislator at the following address:
The Honorable (then name of Representative)
¯ Eureka Springs Plans April
Diversity Celebration
¯ Featuring aQuiltdisplay, Dancing + Kite-Flying
EUREKA SPRINGS, AR - They’re doing it again in
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and you’re invited! The
¯ - fourth Diversity Celebration Weekend is scheduled for
¯ April 9-11, and several new events will make this the
biggest and best yet.
¯ Withgreat pride and respect, the Celebration organizers
are bringing three sections (24 panels) of the AIDS
: Quilt to Eureka Springs. After an opening ceremony on
Thursday evening, April 8, the quilt will be on display
at the Unitarian Clmrch Friday and Saturday, with the
closing ceremony and folding of the quilt taking place
at the .Sunday morning Unitarian service.
Friday night, the Celebration will kick off with a
" dance from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. in the Ozark Room
of the Basin Park Hotel hosted by MCC of the Living
Spring. On Saturday, you can walk the streets of this
¯ quaint village on a guided historic tour or hike on your
own in the spring air at Lake Leatherwood. If you have
a great kite that needs a workout, "Go Fly a Kite" at,
Pond Mountain Lodge from 4:30-7:30 p.m. And in the
afternoon, when you’re ready to slow down a bit for a
light bite to eat and some great coffee, head down to
Mud St. Espresso Cafe for continuous music by local
and visiting Gay/Lesbian/friendly artists.
Now remember when you really wanted to take your
boyfriend or girlfriend to your prom, but you had to
settle for an opposite sex date or stay home? Well, on
Saturday night from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Ballroom
atop the Basin Park Hotel, you can bring whomever you
like to the "Pro~n of Your Dreams." Break out the
corsages and boutonnieres and dance to the music of DJ
Jon Caswcll. And be sure to capture this special moment
on film with the prom photographer. (Formal attire is
encouraged, but not required.) Or if you’re looking for
more of a club atmosphere, Center Street South will be
jumping with live entertainment frown 10pro- 2an~.
Sunday, you’ll have time to sleep in and catch some
brunch before the weekend wraps up with the Tea
Dance and Drag Show at Center S tage from 2-6 p.m. Jon
will spin tunes, and the Girls from Tnlsa will delight all
with their terrific performances.
That’s it in a nutshell. For a schedule of activities and
events, or to find a list of Gay-owned or friendly
businesses, check out the Eureka Springs Diversity
Cooperative and Celebration website at
www.shimaka.com/eureka/diversity, call The Emerald
Rainbow at (501) 253-5445 or e-mail emrain@ipa.net.
Make your reservations now!
Attorney General Drew Edmondson said the legislation
provides harsher punishment for individuals whose
attacks are based on who or what their victim is.
Edmondson also cited studies by medical and psychological
groups while stating that homosexuals "are
made to have the orientation they have."
Graves said sodomy is illegal in the state and questioned
whether Edmondson was trying .to legitimize
"Gay lifestyles." "I’m not talking about lifestyle. I’m
not talking about activity," Graves said. "We don’t
expect them to be arrested for what they are." Graves, a
frequent critic of Gays and Lesbians who has authored
many bills targeting homosexuals, revealed during debate
that windows in cars drivenby himand hi s son have
been shattered and his dog poisoned. He said he also has
Room (insert Representatives office number)
2300 N. Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105-4808.
To find the name of your legislator, you may call the
Tulsa County Election Board (or your county election
board) at 596-5780. If you give them the address at
which you are registered to vote, they will give you the
¯ names of your representatives. Also if you are not
registered to vote or have moved, they can assist yon in
¯ getting registered to vote.
: To speak with your representative or their assistants,
¯ call 800-522-8502 for the Oklahoma House of Repre-
¯ sentatives and ask for your representative’s office.
¯ Editor’s note: a special thanks to Ned Bruha of
¯ TOHR/Tulsa Gay Community Services Center’s Advo-
¯ cacy committeeforsomeofthe information listedabove.
: received obscene phone calls,.,"I can’t prove who did it,
_. whether homosexuals did it, Graves said.
¯ The bill now goes to the full House for debate.
¯" Lobby
i depends
like your life
on it- it does.
Say No to Hate Violence
Call, write, fax, or e-mail your support for
Oklahoma House Bill 1211
Call the House for your representative: 800-522-850:
Anti-Marriage Bill Moves
Forward in Colorado
DENVER (AP) -Thelatest effort to ensure Colorado
does not have to recognize gay and lesbian marriages
legalized elsewhere was approved by the Senate and
sent to the House of Representatives.
Other states havepassed similar laws as pre-emptive
strikes against efforts to legalize same-sex marriages.
Challenges to laws restricting marriage between a
man and a woman are pending in Hawaii, Alaska and
Vermont.
Senate Bill 159 would reaffirm the law defining
marriage as a licensed union between one man and
one woman. Even more important to proponents is
the section saying gay and lesbian marriages legalized
by other states would not be valid in Colorado.
This is the third try by Sen. Marilyn Musgrave, RFort
Morgan, to get a bill passed. Past measures were
vetoed by former Gov. Roy Romer. But Gov. Bill
Owens, who took office in January, has said he would
support the legislation.
Musgrave and others fear that if other states allow
same-sex marriages, Colorado would have to honor
the umons unless the state is specifically barred from
doing so.
States have traditionally recognized marriages performed
in other states. The so-called full faith and
credit clause of the U.S. Constitution directs states to
respect each others’ laws.
Congress also adopted a law allowing states to
ignore same-sex marriages legalized elsewhere. Opponents
predict the state and federal laws eventually
will be overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Lesbian-Film
Controversial in India
BOMBAY, India (AP)-Theater owners who want to
screen a controversial film about lesbian love can
have police protection if they think they need it,
Bombay’s right-wing government said last month.
"I don’t think security will be necessary, but if they
ask for police protection it will be provided,"
Maharashtra Chief Minister Narayan Rane told reporters
a week after censors cleared the film "Fire"
without any cuts.
Rane’s 81~v 8ena had sent small groups of violent
protestersinto theaters into the Maharashtracapital of
Bombay and the national capital of New Ddhi to
disrupt screenings of "Fire" last year. Frightened
theater owners pulled the film, though it continued
showing to packed houses elsewhere in India. Shiv
Sena protesters had said the film, which explores the
sexual relationship of two women caught in unhappy
marriages, was an affront to India’s centuries-old
Hindu culture.
In an attempt to defuse the controversy after the
violence in Bombay and New Delhi, the government
sent "Fire" back to censors who must vet every film
shown in India and who had already passed "Fire."
Last week, the Bombay-based censor reiterated no
cuts were necessary.
With renewed approval from the censor, the film
will be screened in 17 theaters all over Bombay,
distributor Balkrishna Shroff stated.
Liberal California City
Supports Tinky Winky
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) - A city famous for radical
politics is drumming up power to the purple with a
resolution backing Tinky Winky, the children’s TV
character attacked by the Rev. Jerry Falwell as a
purse-toting symbol of Gay pride.
"We take umbrage at the threat to personal style
and choices implicit in Mr. Falwell’s designation of
Tinky Winky as an inappropriate role model," dedares
the resolution, expected to be passed by the
City Council tonight. "Long live Tinky Winky and
long live freedom from self-righteousness!"
Councilwoman Polly Armstrong, who is sponsoring
the resolution, said she wanted tO make a point
and have some fun in a city known for taking stands
on everything from nuclear proliferation (against) to
human rights in Burma (for). "We jump on every
good cause in Berkeley and I thought what fun to do
one we could laugh at. Of course there is a very
serious subtext to the humor and that is that when you
see bigotry and self-righteonsness out there you really
need to stand up to it even when it’s absurd," she
said.
A spokeswoman for Falwell did not rettm~ a telephone
call from The Associated Press Monday. But
the president of Itsy Bitsy Entertainment Co., which
licenses the Teletubbies in the United States, did have
a response: Leave Tinky Winky alone.
Kenn Viselman said lie appreciates the show of
support, but he doesn’t think political statements of
any stripe have a place in the gentle world of
Teletubbies. "He’s not Gay. He’s not straight. He’s
ust a character in a children’ s series," Visdman said.
Tinky Winky turbulence began earlier this month
with an article in the National Liberty Journal, edited
and published by Falwell, calling Tinky Winky a
homosexual role model. "He is purple - the Gaypride
color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle
- the Gay-pride symbol," the story said, also noting
that Tinky Winky carries a purse (actually his magic
bag, show spokesmen point out).
Tinky Winky is one of the four stars ofTeletubbies,
a British show aimed at toddlers. The Teletubbies, a
bit like brightly colored oversized teddy bears with
benign baby faces, have antennas of sorts sprouting
from their fuzzy heads and television screens in their
tummies. They spend their days mainly dancing,
playing (falling down is a favorite pastime) and
watching short videos showing real children engaged
in various pursuits.
Lousiana Anti-Sex
Law Struck Down
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A state appeals court has
struck down a 194-year-old Louisiana law that made
oral and anal sex a felony, saying the law violated the
privacy rights ofconsenting adults. The decision adds
to the growing listof U.S. states thathave struckdown
sodomy laws based on rights to privacy granted in
state constitutions.
The Louisiana court on reversed the 1996conviction
of Mitchell E. Smith. He had been accused of
raping a woman but found guilty under the state’s
"crimes against nature" statute only of having her
perform oral sex. "There canbenodoubt that the right
of consenting adults to engage in private non-commercial
sexual activity, free from governmental interference,
is protected by the privacy clause of the
Louisiana Constitution," the court held. Courts in
Georgia, Kentucky, Montana and Tennessee previously
had reached the same conclusion in interpreting
their respective state constitutions and striking down
sodomy laws.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court held in 1986 in a
Georgia case that consenting adults have no federal
¯ constitutional right to private homosexual conduct,
activists have turned to individual state constitutions
to find protection from the sodomy laws. The U.S.
¯ Constitution does not mention the word "privacy,"
but the Supreme Court since 1965 has recognized that
such a right predates the 1787 document itself. However,
many state constitutions expressly grant a right
to privacy.
¯ Suzanne Goldberg, senior staff attorney with the
l_ambda Legal Defense Fund in New York City, was
¯ jubilant about the decision. "These-laws have no
: legitimate purpose and that’s what courts are starting
¯ to recognize," she said. ’°The government should not
¯
be in the business of policing private sexual behav-
~ ior." The decision will be appealed, said prosecutor
¯ Tim McElroy.
: New Mexico May Ban
¯ Same Gender Marriages
: SANTA FE (AP)-A New Mexico Senate committee
: recently approved legislation that outlaws Gay mar-
" riages and penalizes anyone who performs them. The
¯ bill passed the Senate PublicAffairs Committee on a ¯
vote of 5-3. It goes to the Judiciary Committee. It
¯ defines marriage as a contract between"one man and
¯ one woman"and says a same-sex marriage wouldnot
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be recognized in New Mexico even if it were valid
elsewhere. Anyone who performed a same-sex marriage
ceremony could be fined $50, under the legislatiorL
Supporters said New Mexico should join 29 other
states that have passed similar bills: Its opponents said
itwas unnecessary, unconstitutional andpunitive. "This
bill was notbom out of fear and ignorance... Tbis bill
simply defines what a marriage is," replied its sponsor,
Sen. Leonard Lee Rawson, R-Las Cruces.
Mass. Religious Leaders
Support Gay Marriage
BOSTON (AP) - Carmen DeBenedictis is safe sleeping
in the arms of either of her two daddies. But the parents
of the newly adopted 6-week-old feel less secure about
the family situation.
That’s because, as a Gay couple, Don Picard and
Robert DeBenedictis aren’t legally married. And there
are lawmakers on Beacon Hill who want to keep it that
way. "It’s strange. Carmen is our next of kin, but we’re
not next of kin to each other," Picard said. The unconventional
Medford family attended a rally at the Statehouse
where dozens of religious leaders called for the
state to recognize same-sex marriages.
About 150 religious leaders have signed a declaration
of support for the right of Gays to marry. The group
includes Jews, Quakers, Baptists, Episcopalians, Unitarians,
Catholics and others. "The most fundamental
human right, after the necessities of food clOthing and
shelter, is the right to affection and the supportive love
of another person," the declaration begins.
But the movement faces opposition on Beacon Hill.
"I am not for Gay marriages," Gov. Paul Cellucci
bluntly declared recently. Rep. John Rogers, D:
Norwood, .is drafting a bill that would more clearly
define marriage in Massachusetts. The language in the
bill wouldrequire that a marriagebe between amanand
a woman, thereby prohibiting same-sex couples to
malty.
So far, Hawaii is the only state where Gay marriages
havebeenupheld in the courts. ButCongress responded
withthe Defense of Marriage Actin 1996, which denied
federal recognition of Gay marriage and allowed states
to ignore the unions of Gay couples married in other
states. So far, 29 states have banned homosexual marriage.
Tile Massachusetts religious leaders said they would
fight to make sure Gay marriages performed legally in
other states are recognized here. The declaration presented
by clergy compares the ban on Gay marriages to
previous bans on interracial marriages and laws prohibiting
blacks to marry.
Many of the ministers said they perform Gay marriage
ceremonies. "I am deeply troubled that...I as a
clergyman see the marriages that I officiate at are not
being legally recognized by this commonwealth," said
Rabbi Howard Berman.
Picard and DeBenedictis said they were united in a
spiritual ceremony. But a legal ceremony would give
them peace of mind. They said they face the same
obstacles as other Gay couples who want to be legally
married: spousal insurance benefits and being considered
next of kin if the other is injured or dies. "It’s
strange that the state is excited we are adopting a baby
but they are resisting letting us get married," Picard
said.
Gays Protest Anti-Gay
Immigration Policies
NEW YORK (AP) - A Gay and Lesbian group protested
U.S. immigration policies, saying the govemment
discriminates against same-sex couples when
granting visas to foreigners. "Love knows no borders,"
dozens of protesters chanted behind police barricades
outside the Immigration and Naturalization Service in
lower Manhattan.
The demonstration was organized by the Lesbian and
Gay Immigration Rights Task Force, a New Yorkbased
advocacy group. The group claims green cards
are routinely granted to heterosexual foreigners who
marry U.S. citizens, while same-sex applicants are
rejected.
"We often face an excruciating choice - our parmers
can either live an ocean apart or stay surreptitiously
in the U.S. without proper papers and under threat
of deportation," said Carl Goodman, an American
whose partner is Peruvian.
"I love an alien," said a sign hoisted by one
protester, and another man with an Australian
partner held up a red placard asking, "Can my
husband come over and stay?"
The INS called the protest misguided. "This is
not an immigration issue," said spokesman Russ
Bergeron. He said it’s a question of"the invalidity
of same-sex marriage under existing U.S. law. Any
person who is legally married has the right to file a
petition for their spouse to immigrate."
At least 10,000 Gay couples are affected, said
task force attorney SuTanne Goldberg. The task
force wants Congress to establish a special category
- such as a legally registered partnership -
that would qualify a foreigner with a longtime
partner to live in the United States, Goldberg said.
Ten countries recognize same-sex relationships for
the purposes of immigration, including Canada,
Britain and Austr~ia.
Ariz. Gov. to Legislature
Issues, Not Bedrooms
PHOENIX (AP) - Gov. Jane Hull wants lawmakers
to give more attention to matters of import and
less to bedroom issues such as medical benefits for
Gays. "I may morallyfeel one way, but I do not
believe that I need to pass laws to putmy beliefs on
the record," Mrs. Hull, a former House speaker,
said during her radio talk show.
Mrs..Hull had been asked about a bill (HB2524)
that would bar the state and universities from
extending medical benefits to "domestic partners"
of homosexuals. Cities and towns could extend
those benefits only if doing so were approved by
voters. Tucson and Pima County are the only two
government employers that offer domestic partners
benefits in Arizona. The bill sponsored by
Rep. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, led to a heated and
personal exchange in the House last week as the bill
passed the Government Reform Committee narrowly.
Such efforts are an inappropriate expenditure of
lawmakers’ time and energy, and they should not
be limiting what benefits cities and towns may
provide, Mrs. Hull said. "I wish that we could get
down to talking about what’s really important,"she
said. "We ought to be looking at state responsibilities,
not worrying about what goes on in cities and
counties and towns and bedrooms. The legislators
are there to worry about the future of the state of
Arizona and I would prefer that that’s what they
did."
Johnson said she was disappointed with the
governor’s remarks and will continue to push her
bib despite seeing little likelihood it will pass.
Lawmakers do have a role in laws dealing with
morality, especially when public tax dollars and
activities barred by Arizona law are involved, she
said. "I feel we’re here to support the nuclear
family,"Johnson said. "I don’ t think our tax money
should be used to subvert the nuclear family."
New Zealand Lesbian
to Pay Child Support
HAMILTON, New Zealand (AP) - A Lesbian
recently gaveup her legal fight against paying child
support after a High Court ruling. The former
Hamilton woman, who lives in Wellington, will
have to make child support payments to her former
partner after the High Court upheld an earlier
Hamilton Family Court ruling. The High Court
judges did not comment on whether same-sex
marriages should be recognized in law.
The Family Court had stated she must pay child
support for the children she helped bring up. The
landmark decision has wide-ranging implications
for other same-sex relationships and those where
the adults in parental roles have no biological link
to their children. The women’s names and details
have been suppressed, as are those of the children.
Common Chemical.
May Help Block HIV i
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP)-A substance found ¯
in many shampoos and toothpastes might :
hold the key to stopping the spread of :
sexually-transmitted viruses that cause ¯
AIDS, genital herpes and genital warts, :
researchers from the Pennsylvania State ."
University and two other institutions said . ¯
on Thursday.
The discovery that sodium dodecyl sulfate,
or SDS, can kill such viruses, could
have major worldwide public_health implications,
said lead researcher Mary K.
Howett, professor of microbiology and
immunology at Penn State’s Milton S.
Hershey Medical Center.
Shewasjoinedin the studybyresearchers
from the University of Pennsylvania
and BiosynInc., aPhiladelphia-basedbiotechnology
research and development
company. The group published its findings
in the February issue of the journal
Antimicrobial Agents andChemotherapy.
"This is potentially very exciting,"
Daniel Malamud, professor of biochemistry
at Penn, told The Patriot~News in
Harrisburg. "We have to remember that
these are studies in the test tube and in
animal models. There.have been many
promising drugs in the laboratory thatjust
don’t make it to the marketplace because
humans are different."
Humantrials ofSDS couldbegin within
a year, Ms. Howett said, and within two to
five years could lead to the dc.velopment
of inexpensive over-the-counter products
that women could apply intravaginally
prior to intercourse to protect themselves
or their sexual partners from infection.
The research, conducted the past two
years, was funded through the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
and the Jake Gittlen Cancer Research
Institute. Researchers have applied
for a patent on the discovery, Ms. Howett
said. Such a product, if approved, easily
could be used in creams, gels; foams and
ointments or applied to condoms, sponges
or other types of contraceptives.
In addition to potentially curbing the
spread of AIDS, use of the substance
could stop the spread of the-human
papillomaviruses, orHPV, thatcause genital
warts.
Such warts can turn to cervical and
uterine cancer, which cause 5,000 deaths
among women in the United States each
year and 250,000 deaths annually around
the globe. Cervical cancer is the No. 1
cause of cancer-related deaths in women
in developing nations.
HPVs afflict one out of four women. In
addition to being a potential source of
cancer, they can cause physical lesions
and emotional stress.
Alkyl sulfates, the family of chemicals
to which SDS belongs, are found in high
concentrations inmosttoothpastes, shampoos
and skin product. That could bode
well for the product as it moves toward
possible approval by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration.
Genetic Testing For
AIDS Treatment
CHICAGO (AP) - Deciphering the genetic
code of each patient’s AIDS virus
appears to help doctors tailor treatments
to improve the chance of thwarting HIV’s
dogged ability to develop resistance.
One of the elements that makes HIV
such a difficult foe is the sloppy way it
makes copies of itself. Each new version
is slightly different from its predecessor.
Mutant forms quickly arise through randomgenetic
changes that are able to resist
the most powerful drugs.
In recent months, doctors have increasingly
turned to individual resistance testing.
A study released recently shows this
pays off: Analyzing patients’ viruses for
genetic signs of resistance seems to improve
treatment outcomes.
Estimates vary, but perhaps 30% to
60% of all people taking the AIDS drug
cocktails are considered treatment failures,
because HIV can still be found in
their blood. Either their virus never disappeared
completely or it rebounded.
Without the tests, doctors often must
rely on trial and error to put together fresh
combinations of medicines. Coming up
with these strategies, sometimes called
salvagetherapy, is an increasingly important
part of long-term AIDS care.
"It’s clear the test helps you choose
more active drugs for patients who are
failing therapy," said the study’s director,
Dr. John Baxter of Cooper Hospital in
Camden, N.J. He presented the latest data
Thursday at the 6th Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.
- Dr. Douglas Richman of the University
of California, San Diego, estamated that
as many as two dozen of these tests are
now on the market, although they have
received little testing to make sure they do
any good. "Personally, I think it’s premature,"
he said.
In Baxter’s study, financed by the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, doctors performed genetic
analysis on the viruses of 78 patients who
had failed treatment, while a comparison
group of 75 received their usual care.
The test analyzed viral genes that produce
two essential proteins- protease and
reverse transcriptase. Both of these proteins
are targets Of standard AIDS drugs.
When the genes become mutated, they
produce forms of these proteins that elude
the effects of the medicines.
After analyzing the tests and determining
the specificmutations in eachpatient’ s
virus, Baxter and two other virologists
then made treatment suggestions to the
patients’ doctors.
The doctors precisely followed the virologists"
advice only about half the time,
although 83% said the information influenced
their treatment decisions.
At the study’s start, median viral levels
were 28,000 copies per milhliter ofblood.
All were switched to new drug regimens,
but those whose viruses were tested did
much better. Their viral levels dropped to
815, compared to 7,950in the comparison
group. After eight weeks, half of those in
the test group had no measurable virus in
their blood, compared with one-quarter of
the other patients.
Baxter said the testing may be useful to
¯ tailor first-time treatment for those who
¯¯ are newly infected with HIV. This could
become especially important if viruses
¯ thatareimmunetomultiple drugs become
¯ more widespread, as many fear.
AFrench study, conductedby Dr. Pierre
Dellamoniea of University Hospital Cen-
¯
tet in Nice, was released at an AIDS
¯ conference in Glasgow, Scotland in No-
- vember. It produced similar results using
." agenetictestdevelopedby VisibleGenet-
¯ ics Inc.
Stopping Treatment
to Stop AIDS?
CHICAGO (AP)-The tentativeresults of
a small human experiment offer a glimmer
of possibility that the body’s own
Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. in association with PFLAG presents
Chastity Bono
at the 2nd Annual
Red Ribbon Ball
Saturday, April 17th
7:30pro, dinner + entertainment, tickets
begin at $75/person/all proceeds benefit
Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., Information 834-4194
INTRODUCING OUR NEW ASSOCIATE!
John Serrot, MSW
/EAH HUNT, MSW
Cherry Street
Psychotherapy
Associates
1515 S. Lewis
(918) 743-4117
JUDY SEYMOUR, CADC JOHN SERROT, MSW
Serving a Diverse Community
Are You Gay or Bisexual?
Are You Native America. n?/
rulsa’s Two:Spirited Indian Men’s
Support Group ~s here for you!
¯ Evening support group meetings
¯ Relationship workshops
¯ Short trips, outings and retreats
¯ Free HIV testing
For information call Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project
at 582-7225 Ext. 208 or 218
r
Providing
Physical,
Occupational &
Speech Therapy
in the Tulsa
Community since
-199/4.
Orthopedic and Work InJuries are our
specialty. Most ins ,r.ance accepted.
Appointments made 8 a.m..to 7 p.m. M-F.
Call us today at 58g-1233.
Medkal
Excellence And
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ST. JOHN MEDICAL CENTER
defense system can be trained to hold
down the AIDS virus.
The clearly risky approach attempts to
mimic the success of the much-talkedabout
"Berlin patient," a newly infected
German man who stopped and started
AIDS therapy and eventually quit it entirely,
only to discover that his virus had
inexplicably disappeared. Hehas remained
free ofHIV for two years,
"I don’t see why others cannot become ¯
the Berlin patient," said Dr. Franco Loft,
head of the Research Institute for Genetic
and Human Therapy at Georgetown University
in Washington.
Lori’s team is one of a few exploring
the idea that it may be possible to wean
people away from the demanding regimen
of AIDS medicines without actually
curing them of their infections. Lori presented
his findings at the 6th Conference
on Retrovirnses and Opportunistic Infections.
Some physicians are skeptical. They
fear AIDS patients who learn ofthese
attempts will stop taking the drugs on
their own-withpotentially deadly consequences.
"My concern is that this will be
overplayed," said Dr. Robert Schooley of
the University of Colorado, a conference
orgamzer. "It sounds good to patients.
Who wouldn’t want to stop treatment?
But the real question is whether you can
change the immune response. I worry
pataents will stop therapy. Whenever that
happens, inmyexperience, the vims comes
roaring back.’"
Loft calls the approach stop and go. The
idea: Treat people with standard AIDS
drugs until all signs of HIV vanish from
the bloodstream. Withhold the medicines
until the virus returns. Then give the drugs
again, Keep repeating the cycle until eventually
the virus never comes back,
It probably won’t be eradicated entirely,
so the theory goes, but the body’s
immune defenses will be able to keel~ it
from the explosive growth that is HIV’s
killing trademark.
Loft has tried the approach so far on
three patients. While it’s still too soon to
know whether it will work, Loft finds the
first few weeks’ results promising. The
interval before the virus returns is lengthening.
Furthermore, he said that in more
aggressive experiments on monkeys, the
only practical nonhuman substitute for
AIDS research, the approach seems to
keep the virus at bay for good. The next
step is amuchlarger study involving40 to
80 patients, he said.
Dr. Bruce Walker is conducting similar
early-stage experiments on patients at
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
"We really don’t have any data yet to
suggest that this (stopping and starting
therapy) is something we should be doing,"
he said.
"I would not put one of my patients on
this," said Dr. Roger Pomerantz of Thomas
Jefferson University in Philadelphia,
"Peoplehave talked about this, but it’s the
first time I’ve seen anyone have the guts
to try it."
In Loft’s study, three patients took a
combination of the drugs DDI,
hydroxyurea and indlnavir. The first time
.they stopped treatment, the virus returned
m one week. Doctors treated them again
and stopped. This time the virus stayed
awayfor21/2weeks. Againdoetors started .
and stopped the drugs. The virus disap- _"
peared for six to eight weeks. ."
No one knows how long this will go on ¯
or whether eventually these cycles will
put the virus into permanent retreat.
Glaxo Wellcome
Tries Combo Drugs
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.
(AP) - Glaxo Wellcome is developing
new treatments for AIDS that combine
existing drugs into one-dosage medications.
The world’s second-largest drug
company is in the final stage of development
of a drug that would fuse Ziagen, a
new AIDS drug that won Food and Drug
Administration approval in December,
with Epivir, or 3TC, and Retrovir, or
AZT.
Glaxo Wellcome - based in the United
Kingdom but with U.S. headquarters in
North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park
- expects to submit an application for
marketing approval to the FDA later this
year.
The combination follows the footsteps
ofGlaxo’ s Combivir, a"cocktail therapy",
that allows patients to take a variety of
drugs in prescribed combinations.
Combivir, which combined3TCandAZT
into one pill, posted $443 million in worldwide
sales in 1998, including $325 million
in the United States. Glaxo is already
the leading producer of AIDS drugs.
No Extra Criminal
Charges for Spitter
WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) -A man who
allegedly spit intentionally into an open
knuckle wound on a police officer and
then told the officer he was HIV-posifive
has tested negative for the virus that causes
AIDS, authorities say. Prosecutors said
Dusfin L. Clower, 18,’wouldn’t face additional
charges because of the spitting incident.
The decision was made after a courtordered
test determined Clower wasn’t
HIV-positive. Clower appeared before
Associate District Judge ]~inson Barefoot
to present the preliminary blood test results
from the state Department of Health.
Clower was arrested following a fight
in a restaurant parking lot in Woodward
on Jan. 17. He struggledwith Officer Matt
.Lehenbaur and allegedly intentionally spit
into the split-open knuckle. Lehenbaur
said in an affidavit that Clower told him
after he spit on him that he was HIVpositive.
Clower still faces felony charges of
assault and battery on a police officer and
attempting to escape custody.
AIDS Ride Nets
Only 15% to Charity
DALLAS (AP) - Of $3 million in donations
to the Tanqueray Texas AIDS Ride
last year, 85% went toward expenses,
organizers confirm. The costs included
office space, advertising and the $280,000
fee of the for-profit producer, Pallotta
Teamworks of Los Angeles, The Dallas
Morning News reported. The 15%, or
$450,000, that went to beneficiaries was
far below both projections and industry
standards for such activities.i
Chris Cole, national director of
Pallotta’s AIDS rides, said Pallotta generally
projects that it will return about 50%
of proceeds to participating charities, as it
projected in Texas last year and has delivered
elsewhere. Even that rate is unimpressive
to Daniel Borochoff, president
of the National Institute of Philanthropy.
He urges a minimum of 65%.
Producers of the 575-mile jaunt are
promising to cut expenses and attractmore
participants so that the second-year event,
set for next October, is more successful.
Les Ballets Trockadero ¯ January is an exhibit, Symbols of Faith ¯
and Belief, Art of the Native American de Monte Carlo : Church. The show features paintings,
Dancing the fine line between high art ¯ drawings, photographs, objects and conandhighcamp,
Les Ballets Trockadero de ¯ temporary art from the Native American
Monte Carlo have delighted
audiences
around the world. In
parodies of famous
classical works, from
Swan Lake to Giselle,
and of the choreography
oflsadora Duncan,
George Balanchine,
and Martha Graham,
they offer performances
which both
dance afficionados and
complete dance novices
enLjoeys.Trockaderos began
in 1974 and have
performedin dancefestivals
from New York,
Spoleto, Italy, Vienna,
Paris to the Nether-..
lands. Their tours have
taken them across the
US, Europe, South
America andrepeatedly
across Japan.
And while the repertoire
and casts of Les
Trockaderos may
change, the .original
concept remains constant:
acompany ofprofessional
male dancers
performing the full
range ofballetandmodern
dance repertoire.
The humorous sight of
male bodies delicately
balancing in toe shoes
as swans, sylphs and
water sprites delight,
amuse and still serve
Les Trockaderos original
purpose: to being
the pleasure of dance
to the widest possible
audience.
For tickets or more
information, call 596-
7111. Outside Tulsa,
call 800-364-7111 or
online contact,
www.tulspac.com
Now open at the City
of Tulsa’s Gilcrease
Museum, are two exceptional,
if divergent,
exhibits. Opening in
Tr ;kade
Les Ballets Trockadero
de Monte Carlo, March 16 only
Norman Rockwell: An American
Portrait at Gilcrease, 2/19-5/2
Alphonse Mucha, the Spirit of
Art Nouveau, 4/25 - 6/20
Churchtraditions. The
Native American
Church developed in
the late 1870’s with a
ritual basedon the consumption
of peyote
cactus. For thousands
of American Indian
people, theChurchhas
provided the spiritual
and social basis for
meaningful lives amid
the disruptions and dislocations
of 20th century
life. Grounded in
older tribal religions
from the plains region,
the Churchwas thef’Lrst
native religious movement
organized and
dessiminated on the
model of western
Christian denominations.
Just opening
at the end of February,
is a different aspect
of America: Norman
Rockwell: An
American Portrait.
This exhibitfeatures all
332 magazine covers
the artist didfor the Saturday
Evening Post
overaperiodfrom 1916
to 1963. Even as
Rockwell helped preserveAmericanmyths,
he recreated them and
made them new for following
generations.
After you’ve seen Les
Trockaderos de Monte
Carlo do their Swan
Lake, don’t you think
you ought to see Tulsa
Ballet do the original?
You have that chance,
April 9-11. Call 749-
6006 for tickets.
Also March 6, 11 &
13, Tulsa Opera will
present Dialogues of
the Carmelites, starring
the Metropolitan
Opera’s Rosalind Elias.
Call 587-4811 for tickets
and information.
T. U. L. S. A. Hosts Review + Fundraiser
The Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers
Association (T.U.L.S.A.) will host the
second annual charity fundraising event
called"After the Leather, the GreatLeather
Campout" on Friday, March 19. Making
special guest appearances will be ahost of
Tulsa and Oklahoma City entertainers
and tifle-holders from numerous pageants
and contests.
The event, which organizers hope will
be a ongoing effort, will take place at the
Silver Star Saloon, beginning promptly at
10pm and will benefit three local charities:
Our House, Tulsa C.A.R.E.S. Food
Chain and the Tulsa Gay Community
Services Center, formerly known as The
Pride Center.
Also this year a silent auction will take
place beginning at 9pm. The regular auction
will offer autographed portraits of
Patti LaBelle, Cher, Susan Lucci, Rosie
0’Donnell, Troy Aikman, Reba McIntire,
Travis Tritt, George Straight, Robin Williams,
Michael J. Fox, Diana Ross, Hulk
Hogan, Alec Balwin, Bruce Willis and
others.
A highlight of the auction will be an
autographed CD of Sir Elton John.
T.U.L.S.A. officers hope that this year’s
¯event will outperform last year’s which
raised Over $2500 for charity.
For any additional information, please
call Randall at 1-918-762- 3212, or contactT.
U.L.S.A, atPostOffice Box 33076,
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74102 or
www.tulsaleather.com
NORMAN ROCKWELL:
An American Portrait
May 2, 1999
3 Performances Only!
April 9-11
Tulsa Performing Arts Center
Sponsored by
Bank of Oklahoma and the Tulsa World
TICKERS NOW ON SALE! _
1998-1999 SEASON BROCHURES CALL
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
March 16 at 8 p,m.
Chapman
Music Hall
TULSA
PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER
Tickets
$10-$30
Dancing the fine line between high art and high camp, Les Bdllets
Trockadero de Monte Carlo delights audiences around the world.
~- Les Bal ets Trockadero is the world’s foremost all-male comic ballet
company.
Sponsored in part by:
OKLAHOMA
THE POWER OF CONVICTION AND DRAMA
~ SUNDAYS
Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Community of ttope (United Methodis0, Service - 6pm, 2545 S. Yale, 585-1800
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Service - 1 lain, 2545 S. Yale, 749-0595
Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist
Service - 1lain, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314
Metropolitan Community Church United (formerly Family of Faith & MCCGT)
Service, 1 lain, 1623 North Maplewood, Info: 838-1715
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc.
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 10:45am, 3210b So. Norwood
Parish Church of St. Jerome (Evangelical AnglicanChurch in America)
Mass - 11am, 205 W. King (east of No. Denver), Info: 582-3088
University of Tulsa Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance
6:30 pro, Meets at the Canterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780
Council Oak Men’s Chorale, rehearsals at 5pro, Info: 585-COMC (2662)
~ MONDAYS
HIV Testing Clinic, Free & anonymous testing. No appointment required.
Walk in testing: 7-8:30pm, 834-TEST (8378) 3501 E. Admiral (east of Harvard)
HIV Rap Sessions at Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
7:30pro, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
2rid Mon/each too. 6:30pro, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard
Women/Children & AIDS Committee, call for meeting date, noon, 585-5551
~ TUESDAYS
AIDS Coalition of Tulsa, call for next meeting date. 1430 S. Boulder, 585-5551
Live And Let Live, Community of Hope United Methodi st, 7:30pro, 2545 S. Yale
Multicultural AIDS Coalition, call for next meeting date.
Urban League, 240 East Apache, 584-0001
Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networkang group.
Meets typically the last Tuesday of each month. Info: 743-4297
PrimeTimers, mens group, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th
Coming Out Support Group (TOHR/HOPE)
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
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Service - 7pro, 3210b So. Norwood
Tulsa Native American Mens Support Group, more infommtion, call 582-7225
TCC Gay & Lesbian Association of Students (GLAS), Call for info: 595-7632.
Lambda A-A, 7 pro, 1307 E. 38th, 2rid ft.
~ THURSDAYS
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education
Anonymous HIV Testing, Testing: 7 - 8:30pm 834-8378, 3507 E. Admiral
Oklahoma Rainbow Young Adult Network (O’RYAN)
Support/social group for 18-24’s, call Red Rock Mental Health at 584-2325
Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS, Info: 834-4194
~" FRIDAYS
SafeHaven, Young Adults Social Group, I st Fri/each mo. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th
~= SATURDAYS
Narcotics Anonymous, 11 pm, Community of Hope,1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800
Lambda A-A, 6 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
~= OTHER GROUPS
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222
Gal-A-Vanting, Womens Social & Cultural Group, Call for info: Mary at 743-6740,
Kathy at 322-6322, or Barb at 459-6825.
OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization. ItLfO: POB 9165, Tulsa 74157,
Short rides, 6:30pro, Long rides, 7am. Meet at Zeigler Park, 3903 West 4th. Pride
Rides from the Pride Center, 3749 S. Peoria. Write for winter schedule.
Ifyour orgamzation is not listed, please let us know. Call 583-1248 orfax 583-4615.
reviewed by Barry Hensley . sister andpulls out a shotgun to finish him
Tulsa City-County Library . off. As he jumps into his pickup, never to
What happens when a Gay male couple ¯ be seen again, he yells back to his wife,"a
moves from New York City to
Aiken, South Carolina to re- "Some merctmnts,
man can only take so much
temptation!"
store a post civil war man- it seemed, couldn’t The religious aspect of rural
sion?Almostanythingyoucan sell a pael~ of South Carolina was an eye
¯ imagine! Subtitled "A Resto- cigarettes.., opener for this sophisticated,
rationComedy," this true story
wltl~out invol~in~
urban Gay couple. Aiken is a
is a wonderful memoir of two town that wears Christianity
guys determined to restore a t]~e deity. Jesus on its sleeve, "Some metdilapidated
work of art. was not only t]~elr chants,itseemed, couldn’tsell
After searching across the savlor, ]ae was a pack of cigarettes , rent a
country forjust the right piece tl~elr ~nanclal video, or launder a shirt withof
property, the guys decided
advlser..,
out invoking the deity. Jesus
that Joye was just the chat- was not only their savior, he
lenge they needed. Built by Tl~ey call tlds was their financial adviserand
robber baron William "talzln~ tl~e Lord’s marketing consultant." They
Whitney,Joyecottagehasover name in ~aln." call this ".tak~,ng the Lord’s
60 rooms, 146 windows and name in gain.
128 doors¯ After being abandoned for " After three years of agonizing renovaover
a decade, every room needed exten- - tion, Joye Cottage was finally ready for a
sive work, and the house quickly became " grand opening. It came in the format of a
a "money pit" and a "handyman special " ball, not unlike the kind Mr. Whitney
from Hell¯" ¯ gave earlier in the century. After all they
. We meet a tapestry of colorful charac- went through, the bookends with the guys
ters who populate the lazy town of Aiken. " setting their sights on a 120 room housein
Bubba, a construction engineer, took the Massachusetts!
guys on an early tour of their unrestor.ed The subject of their being Gay rarely
masterpiece. His comments along the way : arises, and the locals simply refer to them
offer a glimpse into the culture of Aiken. " as "the boys¯" However, their campy re-
As they pass the remains of a frog in the ¯ marks throughout the book remindus that
basement, Bubbaexclaims"wherethere’s " they are constantly aware that Aiken is an
frogs, there’s water!" In a effort to get " unusual setting for these longtime corncopies
of keys made, Steve encounters a " panions. The authors have written several
sweet lady in a hardware store who takes ¯ books together, and their masterpiece is
up his afternoon by elaborately detailing " the Pulitzer Prize winner and National
the exploits of her fourteen grandchil- " Book Award finalist, "Jackson Pollock".
dren. This ain’t New York! : Their writing style is fun and witty¯ After
Then, there’s a gardener, Ron, who ¯ your read this book, the idea of enclosing
explains to the guys how women keep " the screened porch won’t seem as intimicoming
on to him, but his religious beliefs " dating.
and family responsibilities keep him on ¯ Check for this title at your branch lithe
straight andnarrow. That is, of course ¯ brary, or call the Readers Services departuntil
his wife catches him in bed with her . ment at Central Library.at 596-7966.
by Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D.
Corey wants to go home to Pine Bluff,
Arkansas. At the moment, he is living
with an aunt in Oakland. He makes a bit a
money as an impresario, running a stable
of male strippers and also stripping occasionally
himself.
I met Corey at Oakland’s one African-
Americangay bar during one ofhis shows.
Hewas kept busy picking uphis strippers’
tips as they dropped these onto the floor.
A wise precaution, I thought. The bar’s
neighborhood was none too good. Who
knows how many quick-fingered drunks
in need ofarefill mighthelp themselves to
a stray bill or two peeking out from gstring
or sock?
Deflecting a hustle, I nonetheless gave
Corey afide home to his aunt’s house on
Fruitvale Ave. We chatted about his two
children,mychildren, Arkansas andOklahoma,
his girlfriends, problems in California,
and his dream of opening a club in
Hne Bluff featuring the music tapes and
CDs he has collected.
Corey claimed that only oneofthe eight
guys who had bared all that evening was
gay. Yeah, right... I’m thinking. Actually,
I am wondering about the psychology
of straight-identified youngmen who
are willing to be transformed into objects
of homosexual desire for a thongful of
dollars. Or perhaps it’s sociology, not
¯ psychology- stripping being a quick way
: for the youthful, urban poor to make a few
¯ extra bucks. But it’s not just money.
¯ There’s something ,deeper than simple
¯ poverty thatmakes so-called straightboys
find satisfaction, and perhaps even pleasure,
in the desiring gaze of other men.
¯ Andmost of these were oldermen- the
bar’s clientele running a little long in the
¯ tooth. And why were we there? We, with
¯ those slippery dollar bills?
¯ Here, we need anthropology, not Sociology.
Cross-culturally, stripping is asso-
¯ ciated withrepression of sexuality and the
¯ human body. Salaciousness is impossible ¯
withoutguilty,hiddenbodies.Inthetradi-
¯ tional Arab word, harem and purdah and
: female gowns and veils go along with
¯ belly dancing and other lubricious dis-
: plays where those women get unveiled.
: The body has long been a problem in
¯ America, too. Your great-grandma put
: ruffs on her piano’s ruddy naked legs;
¯ your great-grandpa referred to his cocks
." as "roosters." But by the 1920s, strict
: taboos onbodydisplayhad erodedenough
¯ so that people didn’t have to wear their
: longjohns at thebeach any longer,women
: lost their corsets, and Vaudeville per-
: formers baredincreasingamounts offlesh.
¯ And now the cultural descendants of
: Gypsy Rose Lee perform every Monday
: night see Anthro, p. 13
Red Rock Tulsa
Free Confidential
HIV Testing
Walk-in Clinics
Tuesday Testing, 5 -8 pm
Pride Center, 1307 East 38th
Wednesday Testing, 5-8 pm
Red Rock, 1724 East 8th
Daytime appointments available.
Call for more information:
918-584-2325
Church
of the Restoration
Unitarian Universalist
11 am, Sunday
1314 North Greenwood
587-1314
News
Better Than
Ever, Pride
Merchandise,
Magazines &
More
610-8510
8120 East 21st
(2 lst+Memodal,
next to Boot City)
We buy back good
used adult magazines,
We knowyou’re
going to love this!
Restaurant & Cabaret
jf~rso~rt~*tD~ ~*
310 East First Street
9 ! 8-599-9949
Massage Therapy ServiCes
Edgar O. Cruz, L.M.T.
Pager: 918-889-5255
Voice Mail: 918-697-9282
Lic. #C4133
Country Club
Barbering
Custom Styling
for Men & Women
David Kauskey
3310 E. 51st, 747-0236
Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm
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
1-800-742-9 68 or 918-352-9504
128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma
Weekend and evening appointments are available.
Kelly Kirby CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
a professional corporation
It’s time to start on those 1998 taxes!
As you know, Lesbians and Gay men
face many special tax situations
: whether single or ascouples.
We can help!
Elect~0nicfiling is available for faster refunds.
747-5466
4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
Editors note: Mary is still on sabatical
this month butpromises thatshe will have
a new columnfor the April issue.
by Mary Schepers
Toilets - Liberace thought them
unglamorous, Edmund White finds them
seductive, and most of the straight men I
work with find them an inspirational device
(well, they say they go in there to
think deep thoughts, and it takes sooo
long...). But the Do It Yourself Dyke,
quite prosaically, sees only an afternoon
project that isn’t as daunting as people
make it out to be.
And no small wonder that toilet repairs
seem so mysterious - anything a plumber
values so highly mustbe awfully complex
and arcane. The DIYD merely replies
"Poop-ola!" A friend of mine said her
toilet ran all the time and that it was going
to cost $50.00 to have it repaired, so she
ought to just go ahead and buy a new one.
Well, for about $7.00 and a half hour of
time and with some of those tools you
rushed out and bought after my last column,
you can have a quiet, efficient toilet
¯ Now, that’s something to contemplate!
The plumbing section at Homo Depot
or Builder’s Queer or any other hardware
store Will have a universal repair kit that
includes afloat and a rubber stopper. Yes,
these are the mysterious working parts of
the toilet. You may now be nonplused.
Don’t worry that the float doesn’t look
like the one in your tank - you know, the
copper rod with the little floaty thing
attached. That was, quite honesty, called
the "ball cock", so if I say your ball cock
is dripping, don~t take it pei:sonally. They
are a thing of the past, at least as far as
plumbing is concerned. This should be all
that you need, but it does prompt me to a
standard warning - anytime you work on
your plumbing, you may need to make
extra trips for other parts you didn’t think
you’d need. That’s because pipe fittings
do rust, and those nice little chrome water
cut-offvalves under the tankhave abitchy
way of just twisting off when you try to
shut them off. But that isn’t always the
case, so dick your heels together three
times and wish real hard.
The first step is to get your tools together.
You’ll need an adjustable crescent
wrench and a pair of channel lock pliers,
and it doesn’t hurt to have a pipe wrench
on hand, either. If you don’t have these
tools or the task is too daunting already,
find a handy dyke, buy her some beer and
cook her something fabulous and turn her
loose. It’ll still be cheaper than the
plumber. Have some paper towels or rags
ready, because the toilet will leak, sometime
and somewhere. Next, turn off the
water. Most of the time, there is that
chrome shut off valve under the tank and
running into the wall. It probably hasn’t
been moved in years, so expect some
resistance (kind ofremindsme ofan ex...);
you might have to wrap a rag around the
handle and use your channel locks - genfl!!
- and turn the handle counter-dockwiseuntil
itcloses completely. Ifitdoesn’t
turn or, more likely, the handle twists off
but the valve doesn’t move, grab your
keys and head for the hardware store - but
we’ll address that in a little while.
Assuming youhave successfully dosed
the valve, flush the toilet to drain the tank
and mop up the water remaining in the
bottom ofthe tank. This will also get those
nasty deposits out of the bottom that can
cause problems later, so that’s a plus.
Undip the little hose that empties into that
tube in the center of the tank, remove the
ball cock (ifyou have one) or float assembly,
and then comes the fun part: removing
the vertical water supply line into your
tank. This is attached to the float assembly.
You have to loosen a threaded collar
on the bottom of the tank directly under
that vertical inlet tube. Use your channel
locks and remember that you’re working
upside down and that it will unscrew the
opposite of what you’d normally expect.
Well, it’ s still counterclockwise to loosen,
but only if you’re on your head. This is the
time you’ll appreciate whether or not your
toidy is in a tight spot or not. The cussing
is directly proportionate to the amount of
workspace you have. Welcome to
Plumber’s World.Take the collar off, remove
the vertical water supply tube and
mop up the water on the floor. Replace it
with the new float device and tighten the
collar over the bottom. It will have a new
rnbber or plastic tube that you clip onto
the outlet pipe - pretty much opposite ofthe
removal. You may have to adjust that
’~Fea enp"at the top of the float so youcan
put tlae toilet lid back on, but that’s simply
accomplishedby twisting itup or down as
needed. You can also control the water
levd this way, but don’t get too chintzy
with the water supply, or you’ll regret it.
Reattach the water supply from the shutoff
up to the tank and you’re ready for the
next step.
Now, remove the old rubber stopper
that’s attached to the handle. Take the
little chain loose and then remove the
flapper - it usually is attached to the stem
of the outlet tube by a couple of little
rubber or plastic ears and comes off easily.
The rubber on the flapper can be kind
of slimy, so use a rag to hold it when
you’re taking it off. Replace it with the
new flapper in the kit just the opposite of
how youremovedit. Thelittle chain needs
a bit of slack, but not too much or it winds
around the lever from the handle and the
water will still run and annoy the hell out
of you.
There are pretty good instructions on
the package, complete with illustrations,
so don’t fed too confused. However, the
first kit I used forgot to tell.me about that
locking collar on the bottom of the tank,
and was I one frustrated lezzie until I
figured it out! If you’re still uncomfortable
doing this job but are determined to
learn, find someone patient enough to
coach you while youdo the work. It’s a
great way to learn this stuff.
If youhave trouble with the shut offyou
have two options - yell for help or replace
it yoursdf. This is where the pipe wrench
come in handy. You have to be able to
shut the water off at the curb; the valve for
yourmain water supply is in themeterbox
by the curb and the bar on top of the valve
needs to be turned 180 degrees to shut it
off. You can use a large wrench, but you
can buy a device called a water key that
makes it easier; it has a long hand, which
is nice if your meter box is full of questionable
water. They 0nly costabout $8.00
and are priceless when you really need
them, so consider investing in one.
After turning off the water, flush the
toilet. If it fills back up, the main water
isn’t offand you’ll have to try again. If the
water is off, put some rags under the
valve, grasp the pipe going into the wall
with a pipe wrench and turn the collar of
the valve see DIYD, p.13
by Esther Rothblum . ¯
Recently a number of books have been "
published about the Lesbian identity or ¯
femalerelationships ofprominent women ¯
who lived in earlier historical periods. "
.Mary Eichbauer was living
in Paris when she became
aware that much of the work
of Natalie Barney (1876-
1972) hadnever before been
published in English. She
receivedpermission to translate
some of Bamey’s writing
and to find an English
audience for this work.
Eichbauer" described
Natalie Bamey’s life and
work to mein a recent correspondence:
"Inherlastbook,
Souvenirs Indiscrets (Indiscreet
Memories), Natalie
says that shehad always felt
drawn to women, from her
earliest days. In the first
chapter, ’Renre Vivien,’ she
describes an intense crush
she.had on a beautiful young cousin, how "
she loved to be close to her and comfort ¯
her (the young woman was pining for :
some young beau). Natalie fell in loee "
with a school friend when she was six- "
teen, at a time when her family lived in ¯
Washington, D,C. and she was being :
courted for her beauty (and her father’s "
money) by more than a few young men. ¯
She and her friend Eva Palmer (heiress to ¯
abiscuitfortune) spent a summer together :
in Bar Harborpla~ngnaked in the woods "
at nymph (Eva) and shepherd (Natalie).
Afterthatsummer, theirrespectablefanfi: ¯
lies made sure they were placed in sepa- ."
rate boarding schools. :
"Ironically, her father’s own egotism ¯
flna!!ygaveBamey the chance sheneeded :
to begin her preferred way of life. Albert :
Barney was so eager to get back to his ¯
beloved London (which Natalie always "
thought of as a male city, as opposed to
Paris, whichwas ruledby women), and so
bored with the business of parenting, that
heleft Natalie staying at a boarding house
under scant supervision, supposing her to .
be occupied, with shopping and ’fittings’ ¯
for a gown intended for her Washington :
’debut.’ Instead, Natalie visited Carmen, :
an artist’s model who had posed for her ¯
mother. The beautiful Carmen welcomed :
Natalie into her bed (Natalie’s first time) "
and educated her in some of the ways of ¯
the world. (According to Jean Chalon, ¯
Natalie wasn’t quite sure that she could
make love to a woman without getting "
pregnant!) She walked home from her "
first meeting with Carmen repeating to ¯
herself, spellbound: ’I have a mistress, I "
have a mistress.’ ¯
"Next, she fell madly in love with one ¯
Liane de Pougy, a celebrated courtesan.
Liane took Natalie for a ride in her car- [
riage through the Bois de Boulogne, and "
their affair was launched. Later, Liane ¯
wrote Idylle.Sap,.hique ( ~apphic ldyll), a "
novelabouther Flossie, thefirstofmany
literary tributes that wouldbe dedicated tO
Barney over the years (Ren~e Vivien, ¯
Djuna Barnes, Radclyffe Hall and Lucie "
Delarue-Mardrus wrote novels featuring :
Barney as a character, and quite a bit of [
poetry was dedicated to her). Bamey’s ¯
father never forgave her for causing such °
a scandal backhome. In fact, he boughtup :
Natalie’s affair
with Vivlen was
tempestuous and
involved frequent
.separations.
Although they loved
each other dearly,
they were essentially
incompatible... She
and Barney are
hurled not far from
¯ inch other inthe
Passy Cemetery...
all the copies of Liane’s book he could
find, along with the printing plates, and
had them destroyed. Too late - the book
had already been circulated widely.
"The greatestpassion ofBamey’s youth,
however, was Ren~e Vivien
(born Pauline Tam), like
herself, an expatriate in Paris
(Tam was born in England).
The first chapter of Souvenirs
Indiscrets describes
their affair in detail. Natalie’ s
affair with Vivien was tempestuous
and involved frequent
separations. Although
they loved each otherdearly,
they were essentially incompatible.
Natalie refused to
pass upany chance for pleasure
that came her way, and
so Ren~e eventually left her
for another woman. In the
end, Ren~e died young, a
victim of anorexia and alcoholism.
She and Barney are
buried not far from each
other in the Passy Cemetery in Paris."
As Barney says in Souvenirs: "Our opposed
natures contrived to make us suffer
at each Other’ s hands for a long time. This
resulted for her in a fertile inspiration and
formyselfin aninstructive defeat. Unable
to live with her or without her, I do not
know which was most painful: our dangerona
meetings, our separations, or our
attempts at infidelity. Like so many other
lovers, wehad still more of those ’terrible
adieus one goes back on’ and those exalt-
.’ ing reunions that did not last. Apart, but
irresistibly attracted to each other, only to
lose each other once again, our persistent
love endured all the phases of a fatal
attraction that perhaps only death could
end. I still loved Ren~e, but with a vanquished
love, enslaved by the circumstances
that she had allowed to have their
¯ way with us... (Souvenirs Indiscrets)"
~ Eichbauer states: "Natalie’s .life was
¯ more important to her than her writing.
: She described the procxss of writing a
: book as one of cleaning out her desk
¯ drawers. Her writingis seldom sustained;
she expressed herself in sharp lightningbolts
of intelligence. In her introduction
to Souvenirs, she says, ’If too little of the
love I invoke appears in this book, it is
because I have better spent it elsewhere.
Here there remain only fragments.’"
Because of the importance of her salon,
Barney is mentioned, at least in passing,
in most accounts ofAmerican expatriates
in Paris. Here are the books by and about
Barney that Eichbauer recommends and
that are most readily available:
Natalie Barney. Adventures oftheMind.
Tr. John Spaulding Gatton. New York:
New York University Press, 1992.
Natalie Barney. The One Who is Legion,
or A.D. ’s Afterlife.
1930; Orono, Me.: U of Maine, National
Poetry Foundation, 1987.
Natalie Barney. A Perilous Advantage:
: The Best ofNatalie Clifford Barney. Ed-
; ited and translated by Anna Livia. Introduction
by Karla Jay. Norwich, Vt.: New
Victoria Pub., 1992. Karla Jay.
The Amazon and the Page: Natalie
Clifford Barney and Rende Vivien.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
1988.
see Barney, p. !3
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Call 341. 6866
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in tawdry Oakland gay bars. ~
We maintain enough taboo] on nudity
for strippers to make a living. The flesh
still titillates. Salacious gazingatunclothed
bodies remains an American form of
sexual pleasure. But there are (or were
until recently) somehumancultures where
people have escaped the kinkiness of
modesty. No one wears clothing or, if
they do, it’s for reasons of comfort. No
Peeping Toms, no hidden videocams in
restrooms, no voyeurs, no exhibitionists,
no pornography, no one works to snatch
an illicit glimpse at this or that body part.
The body, sexually, is a bore in places
whereit is never hidden- where exposure
causes neither guilt nor shame nor desire.
Or rather, body touch and smell may be
sexualized but nevermere looking, where
nudity is the norm.
The details ofmodesty and display vary
from one culture to another. Many have
commented on American fixation on the
female breast. Who knows if it’s childrearing
customs, our relations with mom,
or our marital relations that have supercharged
theAmerican breast, the epitome
being Barbie’s big and pointy boobs.
In much of the South Pacific, women’s
breasts traditionally were neither erogenous
nor hidden. Male desire focused
instead on meaty thighs. I’ve walked by
many bare-breasted women who modestly
busy themselves smoothing down
their grass-skirts.
On Tanna, where I lived for amunber of
years, tmditionalmale dress consisted simply
of a "penis-wrapper." Men wrapped
theirpenes in leaves and fixed these upright
to a barkcloth belt. Penis-wrappers
had disappeared for years until a roving
photographer from National Geographic
passed through the island one year and
convinced a number of guys to strip back
down into penis-wrappers to make his
South Sea photos appear more authentic
to his Americanviewers. Since then, some
ofthesemenhavemaintained the wrapper
as a political statement of their
traditionality vis-ii-vis their Christian
neighbors.
Nearly all malebody parts onTannaare
boring, and never eroticized. No one, certaiuly,
would toss dollars bills around to
catch a glimpse ofmale belly or butt. The
glans penis is the only body part that men
are ashamed to display. As soon as boys
are circumcised (between ages of5 and 10
or so) they begin covering themselves -
and uncircumcised boys are teased merci-
: lessly should their glans peek out of their
." foreskins. Stripping as a profession has
¯ little futurein much of the world.
¯ In Oakland, though, those flying dol-
." lars are sending Corey home to Arkansas.
Lamont Lindstrom is a Visiting Prof.of
". Anthropology at the Univ. of Cal~ornia,-
¯ Berkeley, during Spring Term, 1999
(lamont@yana.qal.berkeley.edu)
Mary Eichbauer lives and writes in northern
California. Her annotated translation
¯ of Bamey’s "Rente Vivien"’ will appear
¯ in a forthcoming issue of The Journal of
Lesbian Studies.
¯ EstherRothblum is Prof. ofPsychology
¯ at the Univ. ofVermont andEditor ofI’he
¯ Journal of Lesbian Studies. She can be ¯
reached at John Dewey Hall, Univ. of
". Vermont, Burlington, VT, email:
¯ esther.rothblum@uvm.edu.
: with a crescent wrench. If the parts are
¯ rusted together, you can have a real wres-
: fling match. Once the val~ce is off, remove
¯ the tube from the valve from
¯ the bottom of the toilet with the crescent
¯
wrench. Take everything to the hardware
¯ store, handittothehapless clerkinplumb-
¯ ing and tell them you want "this". Go
¯
ahead and get a new water inlet hose -
¯ you’ll be sorry later if you don’t. Also
¯ pick up a roll of the Teflon tape they sell
¯ m plumbing. Check out and cuss some
: more, because this is costing more than
¯ the replacement kit, but remember that
¯ theplumber would be charging youlabor,
¯ and that hurts.
¯
Back at home, wrap a couple of turns of
¯ Teflon tape clockwise around the threads
on the pipe sticking out of the wall. Use
your wrenches again to attach the shut-off
valve snuggly in place; wrap the threaded
end on the valve with Teflon tape and
attach the water inlet hose. Rule of thumb
in plumbing - if it’s threaded, use Teflon
tape on it. This helps give a good seal and
also makes it a lot easier if you have to
remove these parts again in the future.
Now you can proceed with your toilet
repairs as above. Once everything is attached
and snug, turn your water back on
and admire your handiwork!
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[1999] Tulsa Family News, March 1999; Volume 6, Issue 3
Subject
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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.
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Tulsa Family News
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https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24
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Tom Neal
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March 1999
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James Christjohn
Jean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legrandbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
Mary Schepers
Adam West
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Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News
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Tulsa Family News, February 1999; Volume 6, Issue 2
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Gays in the Military Update
More "Gays" Leaving US Armed Forces
WASHINGTON (AP) -TheAir Force andArmyreport
sharp increases in the number of troops discharged for
homosexuality, and officials believe many are discontented
non-Gay recruits looking for a way out. In
releasing the figures, the Defense Department said it
was satisfied with its "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy on
homosexuality in the services. It asserted that the 1998
dischargenumbers "align" with those ofprevious years,
even though they reached an 11-year high.
A watchdog group, the Servicemembers Legal Defense
Fund, said the’figures were fresh evidence that
Gays still are being mistreated in the 1.4-million-member
active-duty military. "Commanders are still asking,
pursuing and harassing people," said Dixon Osbum, the
group’s co-executive director. ,,,~
The "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy, adopted in 1994, is
supposed to allow Gays to serve if they keep their sexual
orientation private. It punishes those who engage in
homosexual acts or take actions that call attention to
their orientation. But critics accuse the services of
hunting down Gays and driving them out of the service.
If a service member voluntarily states his or her
homosexuality, discharge is automatic.. In the.case oLa
recruit still in basic (raining, av0iuniary declaration of
homosexuality means an admjuistrative discharge that
does not carry a bad-conduct stigma. Under the Pentagon
policy there are three grounds for discharge: if a
service member voluntarily states that he or she is Gay;
if someone is determined to have engaged in a homosee
Military, p. 3
Maryland Judge Throws
Out Sodomy Law
BALTIMORE (AP) - A judge who rtded Baltimore’s
80-year-old anti-sodomy law does not apply to consensual
acts has expanded the ruling to include anal as well
as oral sex. The ruling by Circuit Judge Richard T.
Rombto settles a 1997 clas s-action suit by theAmerican
Civil Liberties Union. "This is saying the government
will not intrude in the bedroom," said Dwight Sullivan,
a staff counsel for the ACLU’s Maryland chapter,
which sued on behalf of several Gay men and Lesbians.
State officials, who did not object to tLe ACLU’s
efforts, said the ruling was largely symbolic because
few if any state residents have been prosecuted for
sodomy. ACLU officials, however, said the existence
of the law posed a threat to privacy rights and left
homosexuals vidnerable to job discrimination and unfair
attacks in child custody cases.
Thirty-one states have rep.ealed anti-sodomy laws,
while 17 still have them on the books, including Virgiuia.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a Georgia case
in 1986 that anti-sodomy laws are constitutional.
In 1990, the Maryland Court Of Appeals ruied the law
could not be used to prosecute consentual, nonpublic
acts of oral sex, see Maryland, p. 14
DIRECTORY/LETTERS P. 2
EDITORIAL P. 3
US & WORLD NEWS P. 4
HEALTH NEWS P; 6
COMMUNITY CAL ENDAR P. 9
BOOK REVIEW P. 10
DO-IT-YOURSELF-DYK E P, 11
DYKE PSYCHE P. 12
CLASSIFIEDS + WEERWOLF P. 14
ST~ervin~g Lesb[ian~, Gay,~Bisex_ual +nT~ranPsa_gl~eenrdAevraeidlabTluelIsnaMnso,reOTuhraFna7m5iClieis +LoFcraietinodnss
Hate Crimes Amendment Has
A Chance in OK Legislature
TMM - Metropolitan Ministry Endorses Amendment
TULSA/OKLAHOMA CITY - Those who knew Matthew
Shepard say that he would have wished that some good come out
of evil. And it appears that, in Oklahoma at least, some good
might come out of the horror of his murder. That at least is the
conclusion drawn by some commumty activists who see the new
willingness of Oklahoma political leaders to address hate crimes
based on actual or perceived sexual orientation.
Speaking anonymously, one clergy participantinTulsa Metropolitan
Ministry, an influential local interfaith organization,
indicated that Shepard’s murder is what helped shake the organization
out of its unwillingness to address the concerns of Lesbians
and Gay men. As she put it, they could no longer remain
silent.
And moving amazingly fast for such a diverse group, TMM
adopted as one of its legislative goals for this 1999 session, the
amendment of Oklahoma’s Malicious Intimidation Statute, otherwiseknown
as the Hate Crimes law. In fact, abill (HB 1211) for
this amendment has been introduced by Tulsa legislator, Don
Ross. HB 1211 has a companion bill introduced in the Oklahoma
Senate by Sen. Ben Brown, and Democratic party rumors have it
that Speaker of the House, Loyd Benson has committed to
support the bill. Oklahoma Attorney G~neral Drew Edmondson
already has committed publicly to supporting this amendment as
has former Tulsa County District Attorney see Hate.p. 13
Activists kick off Eq~mlity Begins at Home at fall conference.
Thousands to Go to Capitols
First Ever National Week ofAction for Equality
WASHINGTON, DC - January 25, 1999 - In the 30th aunivers.
ary year of the S tonewall rebellion- the birth of the modern Gay
rights movement - thousands of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and
Transgender people will launch an unprecedented national week
of action for equality. Equality Begins at Home, slated for the
week of March 21 - 27, is a major initiative to push state
lawmakers to support a platform of equality.
Planning for these by local activists is well under way. In
Oklahoma, Paul Thompson, of the Oklahoma Gay & Lesbian
Political Caucus is co-ordinating the Oklahoma event at the State
Capitol on Saturday, March 27. Paid can be reached at email:
Gayoglpc@flash.net, or 405-791-0202. Tulsa Oklahomans for
Human Rights (TOHR) is working to help organize Tidsans to
go.
From Montana to Maine, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and
Transgender people will come out and speak up in simultaneous
events nationwide, most ofwhich will take place at state capitols.
These actions will, mnong other things, build support for laws
that counter hate violence, ban employment discrimination,
provide for safe schools for all students, ensure.the right to adopt
and become foster parents, and address health issues including
HIV/AIDS.
Equality Begins at Home is coordinated by the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force .and organized by the Federation of
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Statewide Political
Organizations. As part of its coordinating efforts, the Task Force
provided Federation member groups $5,000 each to support their
Equality Begins at Home organizing efforts and hired a national
coordinator for the event. Dozens of national organizations have
signed on in support of this week of action.
"Equality Begins at Home is not an end point but a beginning
point. We are going to make our statewide organizations stronger,
mobilize more people, register more voters, and demand
greater accountability from our state legislators and policy makers,"
stated Kerry Lobel, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
executive director, see EBAH, p..13
Pride CenterAnnounces
OneRecruitShortofa ToasterMembers
Drive and Gay Legal Rights Program
TULSA - How do you feel about winning a very
stylish toaster or toaster oven? That’s what Pride
Center organizers want to know. They’re hoping
that these possibilities will motivate you to join
Tulsa’s Gay & Lesbian community center, the
Pride Center and to persuade as many of your
friends, family and acquaintances to do the same.
Pride Center volunteers have organized a membership
drive from Feb. 1 to March 31 that was
inspired by Lesbian comedian, Ellen Degeneres,
and they’re offering prizes for "recruiting" new
community center members. Center spokesman,
Greg Gatewood stated that any current or new
member will receive "a toaster accessory" (what is
that???) for bringing in five new members. Ten
new members will win you a sleek new bagelcapable
toaster. And if you get 25 new memberships,
you’ll get, not just a toaster, but a toasteroven!
However, the grand prize is airfare to an exotic
seaside location so you can toast yourself in the
tropical sun. Sound good? To win this you need to
get at least 50 new memberships though the winner
will be the person who gets the most memberships
of 50 ormo~e by March 31 st. Tojoin or to get more
information, call the Center at 743-GAYS (4297).
Beginning in Feb. specifically Feb. 18 at 7:30,
the Oklahoma Lesbian and Gay Law Association
will begin a series of free legal seminars for Lesbians
and Gay men. These seminars are set up as
informal discussions drawing on the skills of attorneys
who specialize in areas of interest to the
community. Tulsa attorney Camille Quiun will
lead the first discussion on estate planning. The
discussion will be geared toward both couples and
individuals. Again for more information, call the
Center at 743-GAYS (4297)..
Other evenfs a( the ~enter include a Mardi Gras
costume party on Feb. 13 with dancing to music by
"Grandmaster DJ Tim."
see Center, p. 14
GaI-A-Vanting
TULSA - More than fourteen women met recently
to plan monthly events for "Gal-A-Vanting, Ms.
Adventures for Women." Gal-A-Vanting is a social
and cultural organization for Lesbian women.
The group seeks to provide social, cultural and selfexploration
opportunities for women as wall as a
venue for meeting and for developing a sense of
The organization was the brainchild of two
friends, Mary (also known as the Do-It-Yourself
Dyke) and Joan, who decided that there was not
enough for women to do in the Tulsa area and who,
also, were tired ofdriving to Arkansas for women’s
activities. They believed there would be enough
interest in the Tulsa community to create an organization
to provide activities here.
Approximately 20 women have attended each of
the activities hosted by Gal-A-Vanting in the past
four months. There are now more than 65 women’s
names on the mailing list. The organization has
hosted a number of events, a "women and the arts
evening" which featured poetry and various artist’s
work, a dance, a drumming circle and a movie
night.
Monthly activities are planned for the second
Samr.day ev.e.mng of each month. Also, community
service acttvltles, such as adopting a mile of road
for clean up or working with the elderly are also
planned, see Gal, p. 14
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine
*Boston Willy’s Diner, 1742 S. Boston
*Concessions, 3340 S. Peoria
*Empire Bar, 1516 S. Peoria
*Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria
*Interurban Restanrant,717 S. Houston
*Jason’s Deli, 15th & Peoria
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
*Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd
832-1269
592-2143
744-0896
599-9512
583-6666
749-4511
585-3134
599-7777
¯ 749-1563
744-4280
745-9998
834-4234
585-3405
660-0856
584-1308
Tulsa Busine.~q~s, $¢ntiees,.& Professionals
Advanced Wirdess & PCS, Digital Cellular 747-1508
*Affinity News, 8120 E. 21 610-8510
Dennis C. Arnold, Realtor 746-4620
*Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000
Kent Baler & Associates, Health & Life Insurance 747-9506
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034
Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955
*Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272
*CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902,743-41!7
Community Cle,qning, Kerby Baker 622-0700
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
*Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620
*Devena’ s Gallery, 13 Brady 587-2611
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556
*Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sherid~ii 838-8503
*Ross Edward Salon, 2447 E. 15th 584-0337, 712-9379
*Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595
Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709
*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-I111
*International Tours 341-6866
Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 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, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466
*Living ArtSpace, 19 E. Brady 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
Novel Idea Bookstore, 51st & Harvard 747-6711
David A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633 747-7672
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626
*Peace of Mind Bookstore, 1401 E. 15 583-1090
The Pride Store, 1300 E. 38, 2nd floor 743-4297,
Rainbowzon the River B+B, PUB 696, 74101 747-5932
Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617
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
Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-7829
*Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria 697-0017
*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 Agencies, Churches, Schools & universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 4337, 74101 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 Cir. 583-9780
*Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201
*Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence
*Churchofthe RestorationUU, 1314N.Greenwood 587-1314
*Community ofHope United Methodist, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595
*Council Oak Men’s Chorale 585-COMC (2662)
*Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511
*Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457
Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics &
Episcopa]ians, PUB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140
*FellowshiiS-Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
*FreeSpiritWomen’s Center, call for locati"on&m’ fo: 587-4669
." 918.583.1248, fax: 583.46 15, POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159
¯ e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink_ net
¯ website: http://users.aol.com/TulsaNews/
~ Publisher + Editor:
¯ Tom Neal
¯ Writers + contributors:
¯ James Christjohn, Jean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
¯ Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Adam West
¯
Memtmr of The Associated Press
¯ Issued on or before the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of this
¯ Lg~blication are protected by US copyright 1998 byT~
. N~,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. Correspon¯
dence is assumed to be for publication unless otherwise noted, must
¯ _be signed & becomes the sole property of T~,,~ {::~.’. Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution
." points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248.
¯
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
*Holland Hall School, 5666 E. 81st 481-1111
¯ HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, EducatioN. 834-8378
¯ HIV Testing, Mon/Thurs. 7-9pm, daytime by appt. only ¯
¯ *House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 3210e So. Norwood
Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438-2,437, 800-284-2437
¯ *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
¯ NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral PI. 748-3111 ¯
NOW, Nat’lOrg. forWomen, POB 14068,7"4159 365-5658 ¯
OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157
: *Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584-7960
¯ PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901 ¯
*Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674 ¯
*The Pride Center, 1307 E. 38, 2rid floor, 74105 743-4297
¯ Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152
¯ *R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 7494195 ¯
Rainbow Business Guild, PUB 4106, 74159 665-5174
¯ *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325
O’RYAN, support group for 18-24 LGBT young adults
¯ O’RYAN, Jr. support group for 14-17 LGBT youth
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 4045 N: Cincinnati 425-7882
¯ *St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140
*St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
*Tulsa Area UnitedWay, 1430 S. Boulder 583-7171 ¯
TNAAPP(Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225
¯ Tulsa County Health DepartmenL 4616 E. 15 595-4105
¯ Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only ¯
Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 743-4297
" T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222
¯ *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
¯ *Tulsa Community College Campuses ¯
¯ *Rogers University (formerly UCT)
BARTLESVILLE
"° *Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Jotmstone 918-337-5353
¯
¯ OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
*Borders Books &Music, 3209 NWExpressway 405-848-2667
¯
*Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-5734907
¯
TAHLEQUAH
¯
*Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900
¯ *TahIequah Unitarian-UniversalistChurch 918-456-7900
*Green Country AIDS Coalition, PUB 1570 918-453-9360
¯ NSU School of Optometry, 1001 N. Grand
: HlVtestingeveryother Tues. 5:30-8:30; call for dates
¯
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, PUB 429 501-253-2776
¯ Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-253-5332 ¯
Positive Idea Marketing Plans 501~624-6646
¯ Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East 501-253-6001
¯ *White Light, 1 Center St. 501-253-4074
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS5
*Edna’s, 9 S. School Ave. 501-442-2845
¯ JOPLIN, MISSOURI
*Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 41%623-4696
* is where you can find TFN. Notall are Gay-owned but all are Gay-friendly.
Carbon Copy
KMOD Gay Bashing?
¯ Dear Phil and Brent,
¯ As a regular listener of your show, I am ¯
concerned about the words of intolerance
¯ directed toward theGay community. Your
¯ Thursday shows seem especially filled
¯ with the promotion of hate as an acceptable
behavior. Being reasonable people,
; and I assume residents of the Tulsa com-
-¯ mumty, I cannot understand your continued
promotion of hate towards a large
¯ segment of-the Tulsa community. Hate
¯ speech equals hate crimes- aproven fact.
: Your success as morning show hosts
¯ can only mean that there are a great num-
" ber ofpeople listening. The words youuse
¯ can drastically change the world of those
¯ who listen. Your words could be respon-
- sible for the next bashing or killing of a
Gay person. Is this a responsibility you
_" are ready to accept and bear for the re-
, mainder of your life?
¯ I, as you by now expect, will no longer
¯ be tuning into your show, and will encour-
¯ age my friends and acquaintances to turn
¯ the dial as well. After all, you are "the
¯ rainbow station." The rainbow has been
: mmedinto aflag. That flag represents the
¯ pride of the Gay community.
¯ I wouldhope thatKMODwouldchoose
¯ not to continue the verbal assault on our
¯ Gay citizens. I would offer that two orga-
¯ nizations I belong to, teach tolerance
; classes, and perhapsKMOD would liketo
have some of this information. Your re-
" quest may be directed to me, or to the
¯ organizations directly.
- Ned T. Bruha, Tulsa
¯ ce: TOHR
PFLAG
Great Issue
Thelatest edition [January] ofTFN was
really a great issue. Thanks for the important
work that you do. Keep it up. Our
communityneeds it. This recentissue was
a great example of the kind of quality our
community is capable of. Anyone can be
proud with that kind ofleadership. Bravo.
And thanks.
- M.S. Tulsa
In Memorium
WASHINGTON - The Human Rights
Campaign mourned the death of activist
John Thomas, 51, who died on January
20.
Mr. Thomas served on the HRC Board
from 1982 to 1985 andplayedamajorpart
in HRC’s expansion in the Dallas area.
His contributions withHRCincludedhelping
start the Dallas Black-Tie Dinner
Committee. He helped found numerous
organizations including the Gay & Lesbian
Victory Fund.
Additionally, Mr. Thomas was former
executive director.of the Foundation for
HumanUnderstandingandthe Dallas Gay
& Lesbian Community Center, now
known as the John Thomas Gay & Lesbian
Community Center.
Letters Policy
Tulsa Family News welcomes letters on
issues which we’ve covered or on issues
you think need tobe considered. Youmay
request that your name be withheld but
letters mustbe signed&have phone numbers,
or be hand delivered. 200 word letters
are preferred. Letters to other publications
will be printed as is appropriate.
sexual act; and in the case of same-sex marriage.
"In virtually every self-initiated disclosure, the second
statement made is, ’I’d also like to be discharged,"’ said
David Smith, a spokesman at Randolph Air Force Base,
Texas. He said this led officials to conclude that a growing
number of recruits are using a Gay declaration to get out.
Smith said commanders are legally prohibited from ques-
.tioning Air Forcemembers about such voluntary statements.
"You kind of have to take them at their word,".he said.
T’jae Gibson, anAir Force spokeswoman at the Pentagon,
said an official review of discharges and personnel policies
at Lacklandlast year found that most instructors and trainees
there believed the acknowledgments ofhomosexuality were
made to cut short an enlistment. Armyofficials said they "also
suspect many Gay discharges in their service involve soldiers
looking for a quick way out, but they do not consider
the trend to be a major source of worry.
Supreme Court Lets Military Policy Stand
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court once again left
intact the military’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy today,
rejecting a challenge by two former servicemen discharged
after declaring their, homosexuality. The court, without
comment, turned away arguments by the men that the policy
is based on prejudice agaiust homosexuals and violates their
free-speech rights. This action, while not a definitive ruling,
marked the fifth time in recent years that the highest court
has rejected efforts to invalidate the policy. Every federal
appeals court that has considered the issue has upheld the
policy.
This appeal was filed by National Guard 1st Lt. Andrew
Holmes ofSacramento, Calif.,andNavy Lt. Richard Watson.
Holmes declared his homosexuality to. his commanding
officer in 1993. Watson was serving in Bremerton, Wash.,in
October 1994 when he submitted a written statement to his
commanding officer that said, "’I have a homosexual orientation."
Both men were discharged and sued in federal
courts. A judge in San Francisco ruled for Holmes and
declared the military policy unconstitutional. But ajudge in
Seattle ruled against Watson. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals combined the cases andupheldthe "don"t ask, don’t
tell" policy.
US Law Professors Fight .Military Policy
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Hundreds of law professors are
joining the fight to get Gays and Lesbians an equal place in
the U.S. armed forces. The battlefield is a 1996 law thatlets
the government take all federal student aid from schools
which refuse to let military recruiters on campus. Scores of
universities had barred recruiters to protest the "don’t ask,
don’t tell" policy, but let them back after President Clinton
signed the law by former U.S. Rep. Gerald Solomon.
"If we had a recruiter who said, ’We won’t hire anyone
who’s black,’ there’s no doubt about us kicking them off
campus," said David V. Chavkin, director and associate
professor at American University’s Washington College of
Law. "The notion that we should treat discrimination
against our Gay and Lesbian and bisexual and trans~gender
students as different is an outrage. The law school agreed in
1997 to let military recruiters return after attorneys decided
that not only its 1,200 students, but all of the university’s
undergraduates could lose their federal aid, including lowinterest
loans and work-study money.
At the meeting, Chavkin was working a~ a table set up
outside the Association of American Law Schools’ biggest
meeting rooms to sign up people willing to work for repeal
of the law. When theAALS meeting ends, organizers hoped
to have 100 law schools represented.
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who plans to lead the
repeal fight, thinks the law is very vulnerable, said Alan
Minuskin, a Boston College Law School professor. At one
point, 138 campusesbarred military recnfiters. By late 1997;.
the list had dwindled to 18. 17 were in Connecticut, where
the policy against discrimination was part of state law. The
federal law applies to all colleges and universities. The
repeal push is starting in law schools because most either
have longstanding rules of their own against discrimination
or belong to the AALS, which had a rule since 1990 against
dealing with any organization that discriminates. It changed
that rule last year, under protest, because of the Solomon
Amendment.
EdwinJ. Butterfoss, deah andprofessor oflaw at Hamline
University in St. Paul, Minn., said, "...we have a lot more
work to do. It [the Solomon law] undermines a law school!s
ability to enforce its own policies - not by attacking the
schools, but they’re attacking the students."
¯ The Associated Press
AtMartin LutherKing Day parades and prayer break-
, fasts, in their offices and in homes, many Blacks said
¯ they have a particular stake in the impeachment trial of
s~dent Clinton- the best thing thathas happened for
¯¯ Blacks in a long time."
"If Clinton is removed from "Dr. Kin~ ¯ office, that’s a slap in the face would be ¯ forBlack America," said Mikel
¯ Holt, editor of the Milwaukee suspect Of the ¯
¯ CommunityJournal, a Black impeael~ment newspaper. ’.’That’s inessence,
derailing the civil fights free- process l~eeause
¯¯ domtrain." he would be
Clinton has long enjoyed
¯ Black support, both from the suspect of tl~e
¯ public and in Congress, be¯
cause he socializes and prays impeaclters,"
¯ with Black people, appoints the Rev. Jesse
¯ them to high positions and un- Jackson said ¯ derstands the struggle of rac-
¯ ism, Black leaders said. a~ter a
: " As the trial entered its secondweek,
some summonedthe breal~ast
: name and message of the slain l~onorin~
¯ civil rights leader in Clinton’s
¯ defense - saying the two men in C]~iea~o.
¯ shared a common dream of Jackson
¯ equality, specffleally
¯ "Dr. King would be suspect
¯ of the impeachment process mentioned
~ because he would be suspect
¯ of the impeachers," the Rev. Senate ¯
JesseJacksonsaidafterabreak- 1MIajorlty leader
¯
fasthonoringKinginChicago. Trent Loft... ¯ Jackson specifically men-
, tioned Senate Majority leader reee_ntly linked.
¯
Trent Lott,who was recently
: linked by his uncle to an ultra- . . . to an ultra-
: conservatl/ve group accused of conservative
¯ promoting white supremacy. ~roup accused
i Lwoastt adfefniliieadteldaswt iwtheethkethgartouhpe of promo~in~
¯ and said he is opposed to rac:
ismand white supremacy. white
: Richard Bailey a historian supremacy¯
¯ and author from Montgomery,
Alabama, said he too was suspect of some of Clinton’s
: critics. "I think (Blacks) are most uncomfortable with
: the way matters are being handled and with the key
¯ players," he said. ¯
¯ "If the conservativepeoplewho are trying to impeach
the president come into power, it will be a tumbaek of
¯ the dock for Afro-Americans," said Edward Lewis Jr.,
i president of the NAACP for Idaho, Nevada and Uiah.
¯ Any current alternative to Clinton could be worse
," said Vicki Washington, director of Equal Opportunity
¯ and Diversity at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Extension
¯ in Madison, Wis. "Of all of our presidents in the recent
¯ past, Clinton seems to be more in tune with the impact
¯ of historic discrimination and how it continues to have
¯ bothapolitical and economic impact onAfriean Ameri_
.. cans and other people of color today," Washington said.
¯ To some, the impeachment itself is being driven by
- :~ fear of-minority power. "My question is, are they real[
hounding him for his personal transgressions, or (to
punish) him for making his administration the most
i
diverse that the country’s ever known? That, to me,
seems the undeit0ne," said Victoria Mares Hershey,
¯ first vice president of the NAACP in Portland, Maine.
Nan Stovall, another NAACP member from Port-
" land, said Clinton is "the best thing that has happened
: for Blacks in a long time," she said.
¯ Via the Internet
¯ Q - What do Howdy Doodie, the Muppets and Steve
Largent have in common?
: A - They all have cute faces with painted-on grins,
¯ empty heads and someone else’s hand up their ass
¯ making their mouths move.
Too vulgar, but too, too funny not to print. What’s
"- dangerous about Largent is that he’s .not stupid at
all.We don’t dispute the hand business though. - TN
by Tom Neal. editor &publisher
As a child, I learned much to my amazement that
some families actually tried to avoid discussing controversial
topics, especially at dimmer. Not mine. When
friends wonder about my interest in discussing ethics
and politics, all I need to do is to invite them to dinner
and.turn my father loose on them. They’ll never wonder
agmn. Note that I regard this familial inheritance of
debate and discussion as a wonderful, wonderful legacy
but it is, perhaps, an acquired taste. I share this bit of
personal history in order to put the following in context.
Since May, I’ve been.arguing at my family’s Sunday
night dinners that Bill Clinton, based merely on the
appearance of inappropriate conduct (that old lawyerly
standard), shouldresign. That is, ifhe were a gentleman.
Of course, we all know that if he had ever been a
gentleman, or even were vaguely acqtminted with the
notion, he wouldn’t be in this nasty PaulaJMonica/
Gennifer/whatever mess in the first place.
But regardless of Bill’s spectacular lapses in judgment,
many Gays and Lesbians, both of color and those
with less color, are going to understand the sentiments
of the adjacent editorial.
If the ultra conservatives, "wing-nuts" as Tul sa Republican
mayoral wanna-be, Terry Simonson, characterized
them, get completely back into power, it will be
a turning back the clock for Gay and Lesbian Americans
as well as for African Americans.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott not only is dosdy
tied to ultra racist organizations like the Concerned
Citizens Council but has had his anti-Gay views well
documented. And I suspect that the ccc is just about as
anti-Gay as it is racist. And while Lott is now denying
that he shares the CCC’s racist and white supremacy
views, he’s not bothering to deny his heterosexist supremacy
stances. Clearly, we Gay folks really haven’t
gotten as far along in the fight for equality as non-Gay
Blacks.
I think it is safe to sa$ that the folks who hate Clinton
because he treats Blacks more fairly than any previous
president, also hate him because he’s treated Gay folks
more fairly than any other too.
Granted his record’s not perfect. He reneged on his
promise to end our military’s ban on Gay soldiers. And
his talk about AIDS is better than his walk has been
much of the time. But he’s appointed more openly Gay
individuals to significant governmental positions than
ever before and he’s used his executive power to ban
discrimination in civilian parts of our government.
And look who’s out to get him: the slimiest of the
slime: Bob Barr, Newt Gingrich, Helen Chenowith,
Bob Livingston (something of a gentleman at least for
resigning), and Henry Hyde, adulterers, fornicators and
hypocrites all.
Note also that all of these folks were big, big supporters
of the Defense of Marriage Act that banned samegender
marriages, if and when they should happen. Let
me see, when did cheating on your spouse become part
of supporting "traditional" marriage? Bill, of course,
also signed this patently unconstitutional law.
Andone hears from time to time a runaor or two about
our saintly First District representative, Steve Largent.
One wonders what he’d say about his sex life under
oath. After all, even if he’s been utterly faithful to his
spouse, he was a great college athletic star and who
hasn’t heard of a fomieating football player? Maybe at
Brigham Young, and then only maybe. Last I checked,
fornication was still illegal in Oklahoma though it is
hardly one of our frequently enforced laws.
However, I do have to give Henry Hyde some credit
for redefining the notion of"youthful indiscretion." Mr.
Hyde cheated onhis wife at the age of 41. This 41 yearold
editor is delighted to learn that anything I do at this
point in my life still has some hope of being declared a
"youthful indiscretion."
I do digress. The bottom line: I don’t like Bill,’s
dishonesty, but I don’t like the behavior of most of the
Congress. I don’t like Congress’ "witch hunt." The $50
million Stair spent could have bought a whole lot of
drugs or food or housing to keep people living with
AIDS alive, or done any number of genuinely worthy
things for our country.
Maybe we could just impeach them all.
Hormel Renominated
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Clinton has renominated
James Hormel as ambassador to Luxembourg,
and a White House official said Tuesday the
administration hopes "fairness will prevail" in the
new Congress so he can be approved for thejob. The
Senate last year refused to vote on the nomination of
Hormel after several conservative Republicans accused
him of promoting homosexual views: The
White House accused lawmakers of prejudice.
Hormel, who is Gay, was appro,ced by the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, but Senate Majority
Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., didn’ t allow his nomination
to come to the floor in the face of scattered GOP
objections. White House spokesperson, Barry Toiv
said Hormel was among a number of.renominations
Clinton submitted to the new Congress, which began
its work this month. If approved, Hormel wonld be
the first openly Gay U.S. envoy.
Chiistian right groups had’attacked Hormel, a
vocal supporter of Gay rights and AIDS causes, over
his sponsorship ofaGay and Lesbian center at the San
Francisco Public Library that bears his name. Republican
critics called some of the material obscene and
feared Hormel might promote a "Gay agenda" as
ambassador to the tiny European nation.
Hormel must go through the entire nomination
process again, including approval at the committee
level before a Senate vote.
Florida County May Add
Partner Benefits
FORTLAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)-Broward County
may be on its way to extending to domestic parmers
of county employees the same ,benefits that married
couples now receive. A proposed ordinance would
provide medical coverage to Gay, Lesbian and unmarried
partners of county employees to the same
extentas other employees and allow unmarriedcouples
to legally register as domestic partners. The measure
also would require contractors that handle at least
S50,000 in business with the county to offer health
benefits to partners of their own workers.
If adopted later this year, Broward would join one
other Florida county, more than 100 other state and
local governments across the country and some corpora.
tions that have given similar allowances to domestic
partners.
Some business owners in Broward, Florida’s secon&
largest county, object to being told how to run
their companies. However, the commission, which
has already 6utlawed discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation, appears receptive to the proposal.
CornmissionCha~rwoman Ilene Lieberman said she
supports most sections of the ordinance but had
doubts about imposing the mandate on private comparties
that do business with the county,
County attorneys said the proposal may conflict
with the state’s broad Defense of Marriage Act, the
1997 law that says same-sex marriages are not recognized
in Florida. Supporters said domestic partnerships
are not identical to marriages and the county’ s
proposal says nothing about child custody, divorce,
inheritance or other rights held by spouses.
Robin Bodiford and Dean Trantalis, two lawyers
and Gay civil rights activists, prepared the proposal
with the Lambda Legal Defense Fund, a national Gay
and Lesbian group.
In Florida, the Monroe County Commission agreed
in February 1998 to allow county workers to share
Lheir employee benefits with their domestic partners.
In Miami-Dade County, the state’ s largest county, the
commission approved an ordinance last month barfing
discrimination of homosextmls in the workplace
and housing.
Holocaust Coverup
Uncovered
ATLANTA (AP) - Material about Nazi persecution
of homosexuals, edited out of a teachers’ guide about
the Holocaust, will be sent to Georgia schools in a
separate letter.
The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust, which
had previously deemed the material too sexually
graphic for fifth- and sixth-grade students, agreed to
the change after a meeting with civil rights activists.
It was too late to reprint the guides, which were to be
mailed out to schools across the state by this week.
lut the commission decided to send the deleted
material to schools in a separate letter. Harry Knox,
director of the Georgia Equality Project, a civil rights
group said the new mailing also will include four
extra teachers’ guides from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum in Washington.
The 15-member Holocaust comrmssion, fornted in
1986, is a state agency. It objected to passages in the
92-page guide "Triangles, Badges, & Stars: Remembering
the Mosaic of Victims of the Holocaust." Gay
civil rights groups were upset when the commission
asked a law firm sponsonng the gnides to delete the
material. The law firm reluctandy agreed and removed
the passages from the Georgia version of the
guide. Versions of the guide were’also produced for
teachers in California and Florida.
HOmosexuals are mentioned in at least four places
in the 6,000 copies printed for Georgia middle school
and high school teachers, said SylviaWygoda, director
and chairwoman of the Holocaust commission.
Vice chairman Alex Gross said commission members
wanted only a few objectionable words removed,
not entire paragraphs.
Here are the para~aphs on Nazi treatment of homosexual
Holocanst victims which the GeorgiaCom:
unssion on the Holocaust asked to be deleted:
"German male homosexuals were targeted and
arrested because they would not breed the master
race: they were an affront to the Nazi macho image."
"’The doors of the third (cattle) car open and the
homosexuals spill forth, males only, because as
Hirnmler concluded, ’Lesbians can give birth.’ The
taunting jeers, and blows of the guards stun the men.
They will stay a night and then be rerouted to
Sachsenhausen mad Buchenwald to be with their
kind. The pink triangle they will soon wear is a result
of ajudgment that they have broken Article 175A, by
sexual act, by kissing, by embracing, by fantasy and
thought. Some will be given an opp_ortunity to recant
by successfully completing sexual activity with a
woman in the camp brothel. Most others will find
themselves tormented from all sides as they struggle
to avoid being assaulted, raped, worked and beaten to
death."
Right-Winger Seeks to
Ban Gay Student Clubs
PHOENIX (AP) - A group of conservative Republican
lawmakers is backing a bill that would ban
support groups for homosexual students from public
school grounds.
The measm’e would require school districts to ban
any student orgamzation that promotes a specific
sexual orientation, sexual activity or any kind of
criminal activity, t’We don’ t allow Playboy clubs on
,c,~tmpus to promote heterosexuality," said Rep. Linda
Gray, R-Glendale, one of the bill’s backers. "Why
should we have Gay clubs to promote homosexuality."
A 3-year-old Gay student group at Desert View
High School in the Suunyside Unified School District
has not caused any problems, said Alan Storm, the
district’s director of student services. The group’s
five members have helped educate students, teachers
and others about discrimination, Storm said. "There
arCh’ t even discussions about sex," Storm said. Storm
added the bill was a bad idea because it jeopardizes
federal funding for schools. Thefederal Equal Access
Actrequires school s to allow all extracurricular groups
to use their facilities. Backers of the federal law said
it was meant to keep schools from banning meetings
of Bible-study and other Christian groups.
Gay Teen Sues Hospital
Over ’Outing’
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Gay Bradford County
teen-ager who attempted suicide last February is
suing the hospital that treated him, claiming news of
his sexual orientation was leaked by an employee,
Cindy Smith, and eventually spread to his high school.
Smith could not be reached by press time, but Troy
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Community Hospital president Mark Webster issued a
statement denying the allegations.
Greg Congdon, 18 and a former football player and
wrestler, said the disclosure made him an instant pariah,
forcing him to forego his senior year at Troy High-
School and study at home by himself.
Congdon’ s lawyer, Jeffrey P. Osmond of Towanda,
said he believes the suit to be the first of its kind in
Pennsylvania. ’‘This has been a springboard for a bunch
of health-care providers in the area to doubly safeguard
their policies so that this doesn’t happen to them,;;
Osmond said.
Congdon said he realized he was Gay about a month
before the suicide attempt. He told no one, terrified of
the consequences of coming out to his parents and to a
rural, conservative community. Severely depressed,
Congdon ingested 33 Tylenols in the early morning
hours of Feb. 1, 1998, went to school, and took 10 more.
Congdon told the treating physician at Troy Community
Hospital that he tried to kill himself because he was
Gay.
Thelawsuit alleges that Smith- the mother of one of
Congdon’s football teammates -examined Congdon’s
medical records and then told "third persons" that he
was Gay.
Returning to school later, "Everybody just stared at
me,". he said. "I’d get approached by several students
and they would say, ’We heard you’re a faggot, is that
true?’ I would just say, ’Believe whatever you want,’
because I was afraid I’d get beat up." Congdon left
school less than a month after returning.
Troy High School Principal Bob Grantier said he did
not know Congdon was being harassed. "If that was
reported, which it was not, it would have been dealt
with. Bottom line," he said.
Congdon expects to take his high-school equivalency
exam in the summer and attend college next fall as a
criminal justice major. Congdon’s story was featured
last month in an ESPN documentary on Gay athletes.
He also wrote about his experience for a San Francisco-
based magazine for Gay teen-agers. "I’m being
very public with it to raise awareness. We do have a
problem in today’s society and there is hate out there
toward us and other ethnic and religious backgrounds,"
he said. "Something has to be done."
Maryland Governor
Offers Anti-Bias Bill
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Gov. Parris Glendening,
prompted by memories of a brother who died of AIDS
after hiding his homosexuality throughout a long military
career, will sponsor legislation this y~ar to ban
discrimination against Gays and Lesbians. Glendening
has endorsed similar legislation in the past, but this year
it will be part of his official administration legislative
package. His bill would add sexual orientation to a law
that already bans discrimination in housing and em-
.ployment because of sex, age, race and religion.
Kathleen Nieberding-Ryan, who has lobbied for the
bill the past few years, said the governor’ s decision to
make it part of his program "will help break down some
of our barriers." "I’ve worked on this bill for a long
time," said Ms. Nieberding-Ryan, lobbyist for MarylandNOWand
former lobbyist for the Free State Justice
Campaign, an organization representing Gays and Lesbians.
"Each year we’ ve inched closer and closer, but
could not secure the one or two votes needed for
passage," she said.
Richard Dowling, head of the Maryland Catholic
Conference, said the church has opposed the bill in the
past and probabl y will do so again. "In our tradition,
discrimination against any person in regard to basic
human fights is a sin," Dowling said. He said that
includes people whose sexual orientation is homosexual,
"but orientation and practice are not the same.’"
"Whether intended or not, this legislation would have
.the eff~t oflegitimating homosexual practice, and that,
m our view, is something government Should not do,"
Dowling said.
Glendening said it was difficult for his brother to live
with the knowledge that his’ career in the Air Force
would be ruined if his homosexuality had been discovered.
"No one should be in fear of their job, no matter
what their occupation, because of their sexual orientation,"
he said.
But ~fracy Conaty, communications director for the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washing-
, ton, said discrimination "is a fact of life for many
Gay and Lesbian people." "This law is needed
¯ because it is still legal in the state of Maryland to
; fire somebody simply because they are Gay, Lesbian,
bi-sexual or trans-gendered," she said. "Gov.
Glendening is showing real leadership, in not only
recognizing that fact but addressing it," Ms. Conaty
: said.
:¯¯ Anti-Bias Vote May.Lead to Voter Retaliation
¯ CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - City Commis-
: sioner Nancy Evans knows there mightbefallout at
¯ the voting booth after the City Council decided to ¯ offer protection to homosexuals under the Cedar
¯ Rapids civil rights ordinance. The City Council
¯ ,~oted 3-2 early to make the addition, protecting
¯ homosexuals from discrimination in education,
: honsing, credit, employment and public accommo-
¯ dation.
¯ "This could very well cost an election. I under-
. stand that,’" Evans said. "But cost is not what’s
¯ important. If I believe this stands for intolerance, if
I believe this is injustice, then I have an affirmative
¯ duty toact,nomatterwhatitcosts." Evans and Dale
Toddboth mentioned the Novemberelections when
¯ they discussed their votes in favor of the ordinance.
Mayor Lee Clancey joined them in the majority.
¯ Commissioners Don Thomas and Ole Munson
¯ voted against the change. The Rev. Larry Johnson,
¯ a spokesman for conservative Christiar~s in Cedar
: Rapids, saidhewill try to rally political support for
¯ a new set of candidates. Johnson said, "This thing is very offensive to a lot of people. We want to
¯ investigate to see what we can come up with as far
¯ as overturning this."
Anti-Gay Adoption
Law Reconsidered ¯
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Elizabeth Janeway and
¯ her husband wanted to become foster parents, but
: said they couldn’ t stomach the state’ s ban on Gay
¯ adoptive and foster parents. When they applied in
1991, the state asked them if they had any homo-
" sexuals in their family, Mrs. Janeway told a House
¯ committee. "I felt sick answering the question,"
i She said. "Not sick because we have a Gay son and
¯ a Lesbian daughter, but because of what the ques-
¯ tion implied about our children."
¯ Rep. Raymond Buckley, D-Manchester, wants
¯ that to end. Hehas sponsored a bill to repeal a 1987
¯
law that bans Gays and Lesbians from adopting and
¯ serving as foster parents. "This law was enacted
¯ during a time of great fear," Buckley said. "Thank-
" fully, we know much more today than we did a
¯ decade ago." The ban was passed at "the height of
." the season of hate," he said. New Hampshire is one
¯ of only two states with such restrictions; Floridais
: the other.
¯ A crowd of more than 80 doctors, ministers,
foster parents, Gay civil fights activists and others
¯ gathered to urge the committee to send the bill to
the House for a vote.
: Buckley blames the passage of the ban on fears
¯ fed by the surge of AIDS during the 1980s and
mistaken belief that homosexual parents would
molest their adopted or foster children. During the
legislative debate in 1987, one supporter of the ban
argued that Gay people wanted to "raise their own
meat" to sexually molest. "This law was enacted
despite the lack of a single complaint, not one shred
¯ of evidence, without a single incident of concern,"
¯ Buckley said.
¯ Thelaw also requires heterosexual couples wish-
. ing to adopt or be foster parents to sign a form
stating no adult in the household is homosexual.
~ "This law does more thanmerely prohibit Gays and
¯ Lesbians from adopting or serving as foster parents,"
Buckley said. "It intrudes into the homes of
¯ heterosexual couples as well."
¯ Buckley would not say whether he thought the ¯
bill was likely to pass, only that he hopes the
: Legislature has progressed since the original mea-
¯ sure passed.
Dr. ML King Would
Have Fought AIDS
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Martin Luther King
Jr. did not live to see the scourge ofAIDS,
but ifhe had, he would have been a leader
in the battle against the disease, health
care experts and religious leaders believe.
"Of course he would have been out
there talking about AIDS and advocating
programs to help stop the spread Of HIV ,"
said the Rev Lionel Starkes, an HIVi
AIDS counselor for the Clark County
Health District. Starkes was a member of
a panel that discussed the subject "AIDS:
WhatWouldBe Dr. King’ s Involvement?"
The panel was part of activities in observance
of the national holiday honoring
King’s birthday.
Ulysess Palrose, HIV/AIDS care coordinator
for Sierra Health Services, said
that nationwide, the number of people
dying from AIDS has declined, as have
the number of people infected with HIV.
But the number of blacks contracting the
vires has increased.
’Tmnot an expert on Dr. Martin Luther
King, and I don’ tknow all thereis to know
aboutAIDS, but all I doknow tellsme that
he would be a drum major" in the fight
against HIV, particularly in regard to the
African American commumty, Palrose
said.
According to national statistics, 43 percent
ofnew HIV/AIDSpatients are black.
Blacks constitute about 13 perccgt of the
population. More than 50 percent of all
babies and women infected with HIV are
’black.
Scientist Develops
New HIV Treatment
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -A University
of Kentucky (UK) scientist holds patents
on two new methods for treating AIDS
and cancer with drugs that have been
around for years. Trials of the cancer
therapy are at least two years away, but
the AIDS therapy could be tested on human
patients later this year in South Af-
Dr. Vincent Gallicchio, a cell biologist
and associate dean of research in UK’s
College of Allied Health Professions, developed
and patented the AIDS treatment
independently.
Gallicchio came up with the cancer
therapy in partnership with Milton Yatvin,
professor of radiation oncology at the
Oregon Health Science Center. They
jointly hold the patent on this treatment.
In combatting AIDS, Gallicchio proposes
a combination ofAZT or DDI- two
anti-viral drugs now prescribed for the
disease - and lithium, a drug used for
decades to treat manic depression. Research
has shown that lithium, in addition
to its beneficial effects on mental illness,
stimulates the human immune system.
AIDS kills people by destroying their
immunity. Therefore, Gallicchio thinks
that an AZT-lithium "cocktail" might stabilize
AIDS patients by charging up their
immune systems.
Gallicchio and Yatvin plan to attack
cancer with a new kind of drug-delivery
system, putting standard chemotherapy
agents inside naturally occurring human
immune cells called "macrophages."
Theoretically, the macrophages would
carry thehighly toxic chemotherapy drugs
directly to the site of the cancer, leaving
healthy tissue unharmed.
Lithiumwas first suggestedformedical
use 50 years ago, and approved by the
FDA for use in manic depressive patients
about 1970. "We’ re sort of the first to put
two and two together," said Gallicchio
who, in addition to his UKpost, heads the
International Society for Lithium Research,
a.scientific group devoted to learning
more about the drug.
One reason lithium’ s potential in AIDS
hash’ t been researched before, Gallicchio
said, is economics. Lithium is cheap. So,
there’ s been little economic incentive for
pharmaceutical finns to explore its potential
in AIDS because profits wouldn’t be
great. Lithium’s toxicity also has been
problem, but Gallieehio says that’s been
solved.
Gallicchio plans to test his idea in South
Africa, where selected AIDS patients will
be given his lithium cocktail. South Africa
was chosen as the test site, he said,
because its AIDS incidence rate is one of
the world’s highest.
In battling cancer, Gallicchio and his
pamier,Yatvin, envision a system in which
.powerful drugs would zip straight to the
site of the disease, like homing pigeons,
ignoring healthy tissue. To achieve that,
they would use macrophages.
Macrophages are large immune cells,
which are manufactured in the bone marrow
and then migrate to the body’ s orgaus.
Each organ has its own macrophage,
and each macrophage somehow
knows which organ it is assigned to. A
liver macrophage knows it’ s supposed to
go to the liver; a brain macrophage knows
it’ s supposed to travel to the brain, and so
on.
Gallicchio and Yatvin propose to use
this macrophage "homing instinct."To
treat, say, liver cancer, you could pm
chemotherapy drugs inside liver macrophages,
whichthen would carry them straight
to the cancer.
The plan would be to grow macrophages
in an artificial environment, combine
them with cancer drugs, then deliver
the mixture into cancer patients intravenously.
But Gallicchio says it will be
about two years before trials in humans.
First, researchers mustprove the approach
works in animals, and that it poses no
hazards to patients.
Charity to Help
Children with AIDS
tCAMPALA, Uganda (AP)-Funds raised
by Rotary International will pay for
projects devoted to children affected by
polio and AIDS-related diseases, the
organization’s president said recently.
Speaking to reporters before the opening
of Rotary’ s International Summit on Africa,
James Lacy of Cookeville, Tenn.,
said the organization would also fund
facilities that offer corrective plastic surgery
and finance micro-credit facilities,
job training and educational programs.
More than 400 Rotary members from
23 nations have gathered for the three-day
conference opened by Prime Minister
KintuMusoke, whoread a statement from
President Yoweri Museveni. "I’m glad
¯ that President Lacy has chosen poverty as
¯ the main theme of the conference,"
¯ Museveni said in his statement. "Poverty
: is a great problem in Africa, andwehope
; you will offer practical solutions to it."
¯ Lacy, 68, said Rotary’s efforts would
: focus this yearonchildren and their health.
: "I came here to see the problems faced by
: children and to see exactly where we can
¯ help," he said.
: Rotary has committed more than $313
: million since 1985 to the goal of eradicat-
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Appointments m,,ade 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. M-F.
Call us today at 58-1233.
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ST. JOHN MEDICAL CENTER
I ~ M~dical Excellence ¯ Coml~ssiomt~ Care
ing polio worldwide. The organization
said more than 80 million children under
the age of five have received oral polio
vaccine as part of the vaccination program
in sub-Saran Africa.
HIV+ Soldier Guilty
of Assault by Sex
ABERDEEN, Md. (AP) - An HIV-posifive
Army private from New York City
was sentenced to three years in military
prison after pleading guilty to aggravated
assault for having unprotected sex.
Gerland Squires, 21, also will receive a
bad-conduct discharge from the Army
and forfeit all pay and benefits. Her rank
was immediately reduced from private
first class to private.
After a 1997 blood test revealed Ms.
Squires had HIV, her commander at Aberdeen
Proving Ground ordered her to use
condoms and tell her sexual partners that
she carried the AIDS virus. But Ms.
Squires did not tell eight men she was
HIV-positive and had unprotected sex
with four of them, prosecutors said. She
told a ninth man she had the virus but did
not insist he use a condom. None of the
ninemen- six enlisted and three civilians
- has tested positive for the virus.
Ms. Squires,cryingonthe witness stand,
told jurors she had sex to escape her fear
and confusion about having HIV and
passing it on to-her daughter, who is now
9 months old. She said she feared rejeclion
if she told her sex partners she has
HIV.
Aberdeen Proving Ground, about 40
miles north of Baltimore, was the site of
the biggest sex scandal in U.S. mililary
history in 1997. Twelve drill instructors
were accused of forcing female subordinates
to have sex. One instructor was
cleared, and the remaining 11 either were
convicted or re’signed.
India’s Challenge:
AIDS Treatment
NEW DELHI, India (AP) - On paper at
least, India is ready to cope with the consequences
of increasing AIDS cases. It
hopes to avoid being overwhelmed by not
just the disease, but byfear and ignorance.
P.L. Joshi, deputy director of the
government’s National AIDS Control
Organization, confidently fingers a thick,
plastic-bound sheaf of tables and prose
that detail how nearly 1 million medical
workers, from hospital janitors to surgeons,
will be trained to care for AIDS
patients. But Joshi acknowledges the training
has barely begun, and those patients
today face being alined away by hospitals
or, when they are admitted, find that doctors
and nurses refuse even to touch them.
"’There is an element of fear," Joshi
said. "People think that if they handle
these patients, they will get the disease.
Discrimination can only be taken care of
by a strong training program."
Experts say India’s nearly 1 billion
people are in only the early stages of an
AIDS epidemic that already has swept
over Europe and America and decimated
Africa, where in some places a quarter of
the population is infected with the AIDS
virus.
.Joshi and his colleagues in India’ s campmgn
against AIDS have focused on education
and prevention, hoping to keep the
infection rate down. Now they acknowledg.
e they also must face the challenge of
canng for people with full-blown AIDS
and those infected with the virus.
The World Bank predicts that already
snuggling medical systems in developing
countries like India will be so swamped
by AIDS it will be impossible for people
with other diseases to get care.
India’ s government estimates 5 million
people, less than 1% of Indians, are infected
with the AIDS virus. That is considered
low by many experts because it is
based on very limited testing, but even
that figuremeans one of the world’ s poorest
countries has more infected people
than any other nation.
The estimate of infected Indians has
increased steadily from 2.5 million in
1996, spreading mainly through heterosexual
sex into the general public from
high-risk groups like prostitutes and intravenous
drug users. Joshi’s agency says
the number of full-blown AIDS cases has
soared from six in 1986 to 3,167 in 1996
to around 5,000 in 1998.
Knowledge about the disease is lacking
amongmostIndians,including health professionals.
Four years ago, India’ s largest
and most prestigious hospital, the All-
India Institute of Medical Sciences, surveyedits
morethan7,000 employees about
AIDS. Dr. Bir Singh, head ofAIDS training
at the institute, said he found many
staffmembers did not follow even simple
procedures like using needles properly to
ensure they did not prick themselves with
tips contaminated with a patient’s blood.
Worse, Singh found doctors and nurses
infected with the prejudices about AIDS
that are common in the rest of India. A
disease linked to sex and drugs in this
conservative society is deeply shameful,
and those infected with the virus are often
treated as if they deserve to die.
"The moment it becomes known that a
person on a ward is HIV-positive, fear
engulfs the ward. That fear is still rampant.
That shows theignorance among the
medical community," he said. "If the time
comes, God forbid, when one in four
patients is HIV+, what will we do?"
Sahara, a private residential drug treatment
program supported by international
aid groups, already faces that problem.
Director Neville Selhore estimates a third.
of the 120-130 recovering drug addicts
living at Sahara’s house in south New
Delhi are infected. "In 1990, a lot of the
people here started to fall ill," said
Selhore’ s wife and co-director, Elizabeth.
They soon learned the increasing cases of
tuberculosis and shingles pointed to the
spread of the AIDS virus and took on the
task of treating that as well as addiction.
Over the years, the Selhores have developed
a matter-of-factness about AIDS
that would be striking anywhere. The
couple and their young sons live at Sahara
along with the recovering addicts. The
boys "know about the disease, and they’ re
cool," Selhore said. "They see how we
deal with it. They know there are onlv so
many ways it can be transmitted."
At the 16-bed clinic that Sahara opened
earlier this year, attendants pat patients’
hair or help them walk with casual affection.
They counsel the patients not to
share medications like ointment, to use
condoms, to stay healthy.
Pop music plays in the background.
With books and board games on a shelf in
a room that doubles as parlor and nurse’ s
office, the atmosphere is that of an unusually
calm and orderly college dorm. The
message is simple: People with the AIDS
v~rus can live a normal life if they are
armedwithinformation. "Weteachpeople
to take care of themselves. Because how
many people can the government and
orgamzations like this take care of?"
Tulsa is blessed with quite afew excel- " eration just hasn’t seemed to work.
lent arts organizations
good fortune of this
newspaper to-be able to
work with most of
them. Tulsa Family
News was honored especially
to have been a
media sponsor for
Philbrook’s Year of
Europe in 1998. We’ve
also had the pleasure of
working with
Gilcrease, the Philharmonic,
Tulsa Ballet,
Tulsa Opera and again
the Tulsa Performing
Arts Center Trust
(TPACT).
All of these orgamzations
recognize that,
stereotypes not withstanding,
Tulsa’s Lesbian
and Gay commuand
it’s been the "
Philbrook’s new Beads exhibit
promises to be interesting
Villain no. 1: American Theatre Company.
Repeated calls to
Kitty Roberts have resulted
in no response.
Ms. Roberts apparently
thinksTheTulsaWorld
reaches everyone with
whom she needs to
bother. I mean if someone
calls repeatedly to
say they’ll give you
some free press if you
only will send a press
release, ’why not?
Surely this is not a case
of bias since a prominent
member of this
company is aGay man.
Perhaps once they
couldnothave afforded
the extra stamps but in
these days of faxes and
e-mail, what gives?
nities do support the arts, perhaps even
beyond our numbers. As the lovely
Camille Sartain, formerly ofTPACT and
now working at Gilcrease has stated, it
just doesn’t make sense for arts organizations
not to reach out to the Gaycommu-
So itmakes you wonder about the folks
who just don’t seem to get it! Ani]’they
mostly seem to be theater types, amazingly
enough. Tulsa Family News continues
to have difficulty with several organizations
whom,we will name in hope that
we .might shame them into treating Gay
people fairly. It doesn’t seem that it could
hurt since politely asking for their coop-
¯ Villain no. 2: Theatre Tulsa! run by a
¯¯ wall-known Gay man whom you can see
at Renegades’ pool tables regularly. Re-
" peated visits in person have not persuaded
these folks to share info. about their per-
" formances. Now some with more wicked
¯ tongues than I might say that no self-
" respecting Gay would want to see some of
the ponderous theatrical warhorses this
¯ company produces- still tastes do vary in
¯ ourcommtmity. Notealso, thateveaacall
." toTFboard president Dan Call stillhasn’t
¯¯ moved the mountain.
Villain no. 3: Celebrity Attractions. We
¯ save the worst for last.
¯ see Celebrity, p. 13
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo
March 16 at 8 p.m,
Chapman
Music Hall
TULSA
PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER
Tickets
$1 O-$30
Dancing the fine line between hiqh art and high camp, Les Ballets
Trockadero de Monte Carlo delights audiences around the world.
~ Les Ballets Trockadero is the world’s foremost all,male comic ballet
company.
Sponsored in part by:
OKLAHOMA
,Join us. For a
of 2Oth century classics.
CELEBRATE THE 20TH CENTURY WITH THREE CONTEMPORARY BALLETS, ALL
CHOREOGI~&PHED BY MODERN [3AY DANCE MAVENS. FROM KURT JOOSS’ BRI LLIANT CLASSIC
TO NACHO DUATO’S CURRENT HIT. MOV[MENT ON THE CUTTING EDGE. BODIES IN ACTION.
BOTH ARTISTICALLY AND ATHLETICALLY. DANCE IN PURSUIT OF WHAT’S NEXT. MUCH TO
THE DELIGHT OF OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS.
THE GREEN TABLE. THE MORE THINGS CHANGE. THE MORE WAR STAYS THE SAME.
WHAT HAPPENED TO GIVING PEACE A CHANCE! CHOREOGRAPHY BY KURT !OOSS.
JARD! TANCAT. FIFTEEN MINUTES AND BARE FEET MA] CHANGE THE WAY YOU
THINK OF BALI_ET. FOP, EVER. CHOREOGt~PHY BY NACHO DUATO.
EQUINOXE. EYE CANDh: A ..AMI LER OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHAPES THE HUMAN
BODY CAN MAKE IN DANCE. CHOREOGRAI H¥ BY JAMES CANFIELD.
FRIDAY 8 PM FEBRUARY 5 / SATURDAY 8 PM FEBRUARY 6 / SUNDAY 3 PM FEBRUARY 7
TUESDAY 8 PM FEBRUARY 9 ! SERETEAN CENTER. OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, STILLWATER
TULSA BALLET TICKET OFFICE: 749-6006 / PAC: 1-800-364-711J OR 596-7111 / CARSON ATTRACTIONS: 584-2000
WWW.WEBTEK.COM/TULSABALLET / TICKETS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AT TULSA TIX LOCATIONS IN TULSA. BROKEN ARROW AND OTHER
LOCATIONS IN THE METROPOLITAN AREA. / ALL PERFORMANCES AT TULSA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 3RDANDCtNCINNATI
,a~ [,/~A~.,i ........ KCFM£~94.1
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. , ,~/~Pamily ~A __ ~ TRUST (:OMI}ANY
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Kelly Kirby CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
a professional corporation
It’s time to start on those 1998 taxes!
As you know,Lesbians and Gay men
face many special tax situations
whether single or as couples.
We can help!
Electronic filing is a’~ilable for faster refunds.
747-5466
4021 S. Harvard, Suite 21.0, Tulsa 74135
Sing Out, Sing Out,
Wherever You Are!
couNciL oak
Our voices comfort those in pain
Our voices combat oppression
Our voices educate the ignorant
Our voices inspire
Our voices win freedom
The Council Oak
Men’s Chorale
is a dedicated group of
gay men united to present
a positive image
for ourselves,
our community
and society as a whole
through excellence
in the performance
of choral music.
i For information on becoming a member
call (918) 585-COMC
Now it is time for our voices to be heard.
~= SUNDAYS
Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Community ofHope (United Methodist), Service - 6pm; 2545 S. Yale, 585-1800
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Service - 1 lam, 2545 S. Yale, 749-0595
Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist
Service - 1 lam, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314
Metropolitan Community Church United (formerly Family of Faith & MCCGT)
Service, 1 lam, 1623 North Maplewood, Info: 838-1715
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc.
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 10:45am, 3210b So. Norwood
Parish Church of St. Jerome (Evangelical Anglican Church in America)
Mass - 11am, 205 W. King (east of No. Denver), Info: 582-3088
University of Tulsa BisexuaULesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance
6:30 pm, Meets at the Canterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780
Council Oak Men’s Chorale, rehearsals at 5pm, Info: 585-COMC (2662)
~ MONDAYS
HIV Testing Clinic, Free & anonymous testing. No appointment required.
Walk in testing: %8:30pm, 834-TEST (8378) 3501 E. Admiral (east of Harvard)
HIV Rap Sessions at Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
7:30pro, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
2nd Mon/each mo. 6:30pm, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard
Women/Children & AIDS Committee, call for meeting date, noon~ 585-5551
I~ TUESDAYS
AIDS Coalition of Tulsa, call for next meeting date. 1430 S. Boulder, 585-5551
Live And Let Live, Community of Hope United Methodist, 7:30pro, 2545 S. Yale.
Multicultural AIDS Coalition, call for next meeting date.
Urban League, 240 East Apache, 584-0001
Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networking group.
Meets typically the last Tuesday of each month. Info: 743-4297
PrimeTimers, mens group, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th
Coming Out Support Group (TOHR/HOPE)
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
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Service - 7pm, 3210b So. Norwood
Tulsa Native American Mens Support Group, more information, call 582-7225
TCC Gay & Lesbian Association of Students (GLAS), Call for info: 595-7632.
Lambda A-A, 7 pm, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
~" THURSDAYS
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education
Anonymous HIV Testing, Testing: 7 - 8:30pm 834-8378, 3507 E. Admiral
Oklahoma Rainbow Young Adult Network (O’RYAN)
Support/social group for 18-24’s, callRed Rock Mental Health at 584-2325
Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS, Info: 834-4194
~ FRIDAYS
Safe Haven, Young Adults Social Group, 1 st Fri/eachmo. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th
~ SATURDAYS
Narcotics Anonymous, 11 pm, Community of Hope,1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800
Lambda A-A, 6 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd fl.
~ OTHER GROUPS
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222
Gal-A-Vanting, Womens Social & Cultural Group, Call for info: Mary at 743-6740,
Kathy at 322-6322, or Barb at 459-6825.
OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization. Info: POB 9165, Tulsa 74157,
Short rides, 6:30pm, Long rides, 7am. Meet at Zeigler Park, 3903 West 4th. Pride
Rides from the Pride Center, 3749 S. Peoria. Write for winter schedule.
Ifyour orgamzation is not listed, please let us know. Call 583-1248 orfax 583-4615.
by Adam West
Toby Sligh is one of those characters,
heroes really, who comes along only once
a generation or so. Like Ishmael or Pip or
Hamlet, he brings out all of
0urfears anddreams andhopes
and desires. Don’t get me
wrong, Daniel Vilmure, the
author of Toby’s Lie is not yet
a Melville or Dickens. He’s
nowhere near Shakespeare.
But when this promising
young author decided to make
a worthwhile character, he really
overshot his mark.
Toby is in love with Ia~., the
one-eyed rich kid that has the
"most popular" spot at their
Jesuit-run Catholic school.
Toby wants to take Ian to the
prom. This causes quite a stir,
which gets Toby even more
confusedthanhis mothermoving
out of the house for mysterious reasons.
It confuses him morethan the beautiful
Latin priest who may or may not be the
child molester ofyoungToby’s dreams. It
confuses him more than his theoretically
drug-dealing best friend. It confuses him
almost as much as his relationship with
the AIDS-stricken priest that’]ae visits at
lan’s behest in the local hospital.
Toby’s life gets thrown around in a
whirlwindofstrangefriends, strangerfamily
and familiar strangers. It is how Toby
¯grows tofignreeverything out, andaceept
the strangeness, that makes him a hero.
And make no mistake - to the young
people growing up Gay in this world
l’oby Sligh should be a hero.
What struck me most about Toby’s Lie
was the fact that it’s a cleverly disguised
AIDS novel. Don~t be put off. We’ve all
had enough of our emotions beingjerked
around by badly written, overly soap opera-
ish, ’woe-is-me’ plays, movies, books,
articles, poems, and television specials.
But we should not become disinterested
by a work that truly captures what AIDS
has done to our community (by ’community’
I mean Earth, not the local ’ghetto’).
This problem is not over, and Toby’s
Lie reminds us of that. Finally, an author
reminds us, touches us, in a way that
provokes thought instead of stifling it.
]’oby’s problems are many. He’s bombarded
onall sides by the schemes and lies
of everyone he knows. He’s not innocent.
But he is honest.., in a way that few of us
are ever tndy so: Toby is willing to say
what he fears. And in the end when the
fear ofAIDS piles on top of all the others,
l’oby greets it with true courage.
What Toby’s Lie tinally brings us is a
unique novel in Gay literature. Vilmure
has not succumbed to the need to whine
that our supposed classics (like E.M.
Forster, Edmund White or Andrew
Ric Poston, OklahomaMr. Leather will
host a multi-family garage sale to help
with his titleholder travel fund.
This event will be held in Jenks at 420
West Eighth .on Saturday and Sunday,
Feb. 20-21, from 7am to dark. Donations
of furniture, clothes, magazines, etc. will
be accepted and can be picked up by
calling 299-6442.
Tol~ Sli~h is one
of those
~lmracters,
heroes really,
~ho come alon~
only once a
~eneratlon or so.
Like Ishmael or
Pip or Hamlet, he
brin~s out. all of
our fea~s and
dreams and hopes
and desires.
Holleran) have. Vilmure is aware of the
dangers Of being Gay and being young.
He’s aware of everything that scares us.
However, unlikemostofus who are afraid,
this author faces the fear with
introspection and grace and
dignity. Toby does not run
away fromhis fears in the end,
and that is what saves his life.
This is a coming of age novel,
but Toby grows up like most
of us do not - Toby learns to
stand up for himself. This is a
quality that is sadly lacking in
the Gay community, no matter
how many snappy queens
you know.
I’d like to digress a little
here, soforgivemeinadvance.
This is after all my last review
for you (I’m moving to New
York!). Do you remember
Blaxploitation?Thosehorren-
¯
dous movies, books and television shows
¯¯ (Yes, Shaftwasjustas awful as Blacula!)
that poured onto the market when enter-
." tainment moguls realized that Black
¯ people liked TVtoo?
¯ I’d like to send you a warning. Beware
¯¯ of Queer-ploitation. The signs of its arrival
arehere (was In andOutor To Wong
¯ Foo really for us, even if they were much
¯ loftier than Blacula?). I came across it
¯ most recently when I started a book for
¯ this very review. The book is called Eye ¯
Contact and it is a mystery with a Gay
¯ protagonist. After my years of schooling
¯ and intelligent discourse about literature, ¯
Icouldonly thinkofonewordthatsummed
¯ up this book: stupid.
¯" Don’t be fooled by the attractive half-
¯. nakedman on the cover- his picure is not worth the price. Or the support a purchase
¯ shows to the publisher who would put out
: a badly-written, ill-conceived novel, just
¯ because they discovered Gay people read
¯
tOO.
¯ Be careful what you buy. Just because a
: book has a Gay protagonist, does not
¯ mean it is good to buy. Don’t let them
¯ think they can sell us Good Times when
¯ we could be purchasing Will and Grace.
¯ Buy Toby’s Lie or Blue Coyote (reviewed ¯
last month), rather than something that
¯ has a pretty chest on the cover and no
muscle inside.
¯ Thank you for reading my reviews and
take care of us.
¯ Adam West is no longer a resident of
¯ Tulsa or Oklahoma, having relocated the
¯ Batcave to the state of New York. He ¯
practically has no credentials, and he
¯ certainly no longer has ajob.
¯ Editor’s note: Tulsa Family News would ¯
like to thank Adamfor his work as a book
¯ reviewer and to wish him good luck and
¯ much warmth as he moves to the frozen
northland.s.
¯
Poston, as Oklahoma Mr. Leather, has
¯ traveled to 14 community events in the
¯ last H weeks. He’sbeentotheDistrictof ¯
¯ Columbia twice, San Francisco and the
Mid:Atlantic redon. Poston wants corn-
¯ munity members to know that he is avail-
: abletoassistinbenefitsandalsohasgiven
¯ seminars on Gay family structurerecently
¯ to Red Rock and to PFLAG. He will be
¯ going to IML, Intemational Mr. Leather
¯ inMay, hoping to continue theOklahoma ¯
tradition of Leather leadership.
748.5304
THE PHILBROOK
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Tues.-Fri., 8-5:.30, Sat: 8-5pm
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Domestic Partnership Planning,
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Weekend and evening appointments are available.
AMERICAN MODERN
A comprehensive retrospective of one
of the most important American artists of the
early modern period.
410W. Boyd Street, Norman, OK 405/325-3272, Free Admission, Museum Store
Organized by the Frederick R.Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and
made possible with the assistance of OAC, the NAHC HoteLrMotel Tax and the NEA.
Editor’s note: our DIYD expert is in an " try a few out, as there is some slight
alternative universe this month, at least . variation even within a similarlot ofhamaccording
to her answering machine. She ~ mers.
promises to return to earlh orbit with a o A tape measure is handy to have as
new column next month. In the meantime, well, since accurate measurements help
we repeat this useful column from last ensure successful projects. My advice is
March. to buynothing less than
by Mary Schepers Everyone al6 ft and preferably a
Everyone needs a needs a t0oll~it. 25 ft. There is a meatoolkit.
Our editor suring tape called the
laughs lasciviously and Our editor laughs "’E-Z Rule" that not
offers his own sugges- laselvlously and only has the cry.ptic
dons, which I won’t hashmarksbetweenthe
dignify by repeating, o~ers ]~is own inches but also the ac-
Whether your ambisuggestions,
whleh I tual measurement in
tions extend no further number (i.e. 1/8, 1/2,
than installing mini- won’t dignify 5/8,etc.)foraquickand
blinds, or whether it easy fix on just where
involves "project fan- by repeating, you are. I confess that,
tasies" on a regular ba- Wl~etber your prior to owning an E-Z
sis, some basic tools Rule, I sometimes had
should bc standard in ambitions extend no to count out the hash
any home. ~urtl~er than marks to verify my
To begin with; a few measurement, ttome
of the DIYD’s basic installing mlni-bllnds, repairs don’t have to
rules: first, buy the best
- or wl~etl~er it involves be that painful - oh,
tools you can afford, memories of Sister
Trust me on this one; it "project fantasies" Mary Agnes’ s math
does make adifference, class!Always try to use
and it’s a worthwhile on a regular basis, the measuring tool
maxim to follow, even some basic tools each time; this is really
if you must occasion- critical ff you are meaally
resort to layaway should, be standard suring things that need
ordelayedgratffieation, i~i any borne, to fit together, as I
Second, honor your found out to my distools
and save yoursdfalot offrustration: may inmy early handy-dyke days. Seems
keep your tools together and organized, there there’s always some variation even
They deserve b~tter than to be chucked with something as standard as measureunceremoniously
into your standardjunk ment. Of course, size queens have known
drawer, or under the seat of your car, or - this for years.
horrors! - propping up a potted plant. A few wrenches are also he~udy to have
Third, think about the tasks you do most about. My recommendations: one pair of
often and- buy the necessary tools first, normal pliers; one pair of slip joint phers
A screwdriver set is almost a given. If (channel locks); and one pair of adjustyoudon’t
thinkitis essential tohavemore able locking pliers (vise grips). This is a
than just one, used indiscriminately for bare minimum. If you are going to get
everything, please bear with me. Bare serious about home repairs, I’d also sugminimum,
four screwdrivers: large and gest a small set of combination box end/
small each of a fiat blade and a Phillips open end wrenches in the standard (not
head (cross shaped) screwdriver. Myself, metric) size, a pair of needle nose pliers,
I like four.of each type as a minimum, some wire cutters (aka, "Dykes" -Inn),
frommonstroustominute;mosttaskswill and at least one pipe wrench. However,
fall somewhere in the middle, but its great the bare minimum will take care of most
to have the extremes (no, not the Supremes) basic jobs.
on hand when you need them. Referring back to Rule no. 2, do your-
Using the proper type .and size screw- self and your tools a favor and keep them
driver helps prevent the frustration of together.I’mnotjustbeingabitanalhere;
cam-out (or"wallerin’ out", as I was raised I’m still looking for tools I used to rehab
to say) when you are halfway finished my house. Suggestions: a tool drawer in
driving a screw and can neither go further the house; a peg board with hooks in the
nor back it out. When selecting screw- garage; a plastic bucket or trays with
drivers, it is easy to ignore Rule no. 1: handles or a gatemouth bag. The there’s
Darlings, don’t do it! Cheap drivers bend, my favorite, the tool brit. I always keep a
break and lose head integrity, which also ¯ hammer, a couple of screwdrivers, ameacontributes
to cam-out. You didn’t save : suring tape and a small pair of vise grips
much money if you blow through a set of : in mine, along with a carpenter’ s pencil. I
screwdriverseveryyear.Finally,useyour ¯ can just grab that little darling and get
drivers to drive screws only. They are
° started on any basic tasks right away. It
neither cold chisels noricepicks norham- ¯ also holds the nails, screw, drill bits, etc.
mers. that I’ll be using specific to that task.
A proper hammer should also be in ° Tins brings me to a cautionary tale. My
your basic tool box anyway. There are all " friend C. was on a ladder nailing some
sortsofhammers-finishing,framiug,ball ¯ sidingrecenfly;shecarfiedhernailsinthe
peen, etc. If you only have one hammer, ¯ time-honored yet dangerous method -
make it acarpenter’s hammer. It candrive " between her lips. She and the ladder took
or pull nails, nudge a stubborn board into " a tumble, a nail went down her throat,
place, even demolish that tacky Pepto ¯ resulting in a $3500 trip to the ER. In that
pinktile tub surround. Once again, review ¯ Light, a tool belt is also very economical.
Rule no. 1. A cheap hammer will beat you If this st0ry doesn’ t convince of the merits
like a stepchild if you useit for any length ¯ of a tool belt, please consider its aesthetof
time. A hammer should feel well-bal- ¯ ics: a tool belt has a certain butchly charm
anced in your hand and comfortable to : that almost defies description. Just ask the
grip. Stanley makes a good hamm,er, but " men and women who know.
by Esther Rothblum ¯ publishers. One publisher said they had
Irecentlyhadaconversation~vithElana : too many Jews on their list already!"
Dykewomon about her latest book Be- " When Elana was doing a reading of a
yond the Pale, a novd about the lives of ¯ section of the book, an editor who hap-
RussianJewishLesbianswhoimmigrated " pened to be in the audience knew of antoNorthAmericanattheturn
"~rhen I was 12 or
other woman who was
of the century. Elana searching for Lesbian mate-
Dykewomontmsalwaysbro- 18,I tried tol~ll rial to adapt for her
ken new ground. Her book myself. I was one of storytelling performances.
Riverfinger Womanwas one "My
of the first Lesbian novels, those statistics of
section was then dramatized,"
Elana told me. "I
Beyond the Pale won the adolescent Les[rians saw this woman, Helen
1998 Lambda Literary
who attempt su~elde.
Mintz, performing it once
Award for Lesbian fiction, and I was floored. It’ s amaz-
I asked her how she be- "~hen I was . ing to see someone act your
came a writer. "I was always institutionali~d, work. She performed it in
writing. I was a writing Vancouver where the edichild,"
she said."When I was I realked tlmt tors of Press Gang Publish-
12 or 13, I tried to kill my- writers didn’t kave ers heard it and wrote to me
self. I was one of those statistics
of adolescent Lesbi- to be 0endered in the
askingmeif they could consider
publishing the book."
ans who at[empt suicide, same way that 01rls As Elana continued
WhenI was institutionalized, -. and boys did. work on the book, shehad to
I realized that writers didn’ t researchmany aspects oflife
have to be gendered in the same way that at the turn of the century. "I had toread the
. girls and boys did. That is, I could choose really dry stuff," she said, "like the history
to be neither a traditional girl nor boy; I of the grain trade in Odessa. I couldn’t go
could be a writer." Elana.found that she to Russia, so I was looking for descripcould
be eccentric and free in that m.le as tions of streets and figuring outwhat daily
a writer, life was like. My girlfriend Susan
In college at the California Institute of Levenkind is a librarian and she was very
Arts, Elanamet anumber of experimental good at finding tbings out for me. I would
poets and became active in Gay libera- read a book and then use their bibliogration.
One of her teachers knew someone phy as a starting point. I learnedhow to be
in publishing. ’¢Fhis was 1971, and they an historian." A friend gave her a book
were starting a slightly pornographic se- about the Women’ s Trade Union League,
ties for housewives to cash in on the new which turned out be quite a Lesbian orgafeminist
sexuality," Elana remembered, nization. She went to labor libraries, and
laughing, "and told me to write up my even looked up the transportation system
experiences. I wrote the first third of the in New York City at the turn of the cenbook
in !8 straight hours. I wanted to tury.
write a Lesbian novel with a happy end- At book readings, Elana prefers seeing."
But the publisher said it was not tlons of her book that describe the powhat
they were looking for. groins in Russia. "I also like to read the
By this time Elana had moved to the sectionsthathavealittlesexinthem,"she
women’ s community in Northampton, said. For example, when Chava and Rose
Massachusetts. The feminist publisher fall in love:
Daughters Inc. had sent flyers around "Rose leaned towards me, put her hand
townand afriendrecommended thatElana on my cheek to turn my face so we could
send her book to thatnew company. They see each other... ’So if you want to and I
accepted Riverfinger Woman whichcame want to, who starts?’
out in print in 1974, one year after they I pulled the tenement air down to the
published Rubyfruit Jungle. The Naiad bottom of my lungs. This was harder than
Press reprint of Riverfinger Woman con- goingout on strike. I moved my lips onto
eludes with an essay detailing Elana’s Rose’ s. Together. We had been lying in
process in getting this book published, bed together for more than two years.
Elana went on to publish three more ¯ Careful.Cousins. Leftside, rightside, I’m
books before her current novel. They Will worn out, me too, goodnight.
KnowMeByMy Teeth was a colleclion of No, I changed my mind as the kissshort
stories which she self-published in engulfed our faces and my hands found
1976. She also published abook ofpoems the soft flesh of her shoulders and pressed
entitled Fragments From Lesbos. In 1995 her close. This was easier than going on
Onlywomen Press published her book of strike. This was easier than anything."
poems Nothing Will BE As Sweet As The The response from readers has been
Taste. Elana also had a long stint as an wonderful. ’T ve gotten lots ofletters sayeditor
of the feminist periodical Sihister ing ’This is my grandmother’s Story’ or
Wisdom. ’now I understand my history’ or hetero-
Beyond the Pale began over ten years sexualwomenintheir70s or80s wholove
ago as a poem. After she had written that this story," said Elana.
poem, Elana felt that there was a longer . The "Lammies" (Lambda Literary
story there. "So I started to think who ¯ Awards) are to Lesbian writing what the
these two women would be and who their ¯ Oscars are to Hollywood. Elana’ s award
familieswouldbe, whatwouldmakethem " for Lesbian fiction is the eqnivalent of the
migrate. I started to read old books about " best actress award in the Oscars. She was
travellors in Russia at the turn of the : awarded the most recent Lammy for Lescentury.
The depths of the anti-Semitism ¯ bian fiction.
in these books was stnnning to me." For further information, contact Elana
"I wrote what became the midwife’s " Dykewomon at dyke@sfsu.edu. Beyond
story, and decided this could be a novel. ¯ the Pale was published in 1997 by Press
When the first half of the book was done, " Gang Publishers, 225 East 17th Ave.,
I got someunencouraging responses from " Vancouver, B.C. VSV IA6, Canada.
IGTA member
Call 341.6866
International
Toursformoreinformation.
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The
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1307 E. 38th, 2nd floor
in the Pride Center, 743-4297
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4045 No. Cincinnati, 425-7882
Saint Dunstan
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The Episcopal Church
Welcomes You
"It is this organizing at the state level that
will ultimately counter the hostility and
gridlock we have come to know from our
nation’s capital," she added.
Never before in the history of the Gay
rights movement has there been a coordinated
political campaxgn of actions in all
50 states as well as the District of Columbia
and Puerto Rico. Equality Begins at
Homerepresents anew phase of the movement
- a focus on state orgamzing and
legislatures. The vast majority of debates
and decisions about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
and Transgender equality occur in
state legislatures. Equality Begins atHome
will bolster the infrastructure of the Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, andTransgendermovement
within the states - where the heart of
the struggle for equality lies - and lead to
greater success in the overall struggle for
equality.
Each state organization will develop
events to highlight priority issues:
* In California, activists will focus on
defeating an anti-Gay ballot measure to
be put before voters next year. Events will
include a rally and youth lobby day.
* In New Hampshire, activists will hold
a rally at the state capitol to focus attention
on the need to repeal a state law
banning Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and
Transgender people from adopting children.
* In Nebraska, organizers will target
workplace discrimination. They will hold
a lobby day and circulate a "Workplace
Fairness Petition" to business owners
Early on, Tulsa Family News was’told not
to expect fair treatment from this operation
due to the religious prejudices of the
owner, Larry Payton. And true to that
warning, Payton never has taken Tulsa’s
Gay community seriously as part of his
market.
They do send out press releases sometimes
but at least on one occasion only
after the deadlines for every monthly pul~-
lication had passed. There’s not much
point in writing about this sort of event
two weeks after it’s over.
It would be one thing if their decisions
were made on serious business rationale
such as reach of a publication or the cost
for a particular market segment. But
Payton openly admits that he is motivated
by religion; that is, as a Southern Baptist
he feels it’s his religious duty to discriminate
against Gay readers. Now what was
it that Jesus said? Love your neighbor as
yourself, wasn’t it? Is that how he would
want to be treated?
Note, however, that he doesn’t hesitate
to use Gays when it is to his advantage,
say, like many of the people with whom
he does business: the actors, the theatrical
companies, even a member of his own
staff.
The one time he advertised with this
newspaper for The Phantom ofthe Opera
was because we contacted The Phantom
company who -~magine, were mostly
Gay men. It seems they thought reaching
out to us was a good idea.
Oh well, don’t look to see info. about
these companies anytime soonif wejudge
from past performance. But we always
hold out hope for redemption, that these
hard hearts might be softened.
Meanwhile don’t miss the new shows
at Philbrook. Drop by Gilcrease too when
throughout the state.
"The battleground for equality has
moved to the states, and so have we," said
Paula Ettelbrick, Equality Begins atHome
national coordinator. "We are throwing
down the gauntlet and demanding that
state officials resist the right wing’s efforts
to deny us our basic fights as citizens,"
Ettelbrick added. Equality Begins
at Home is part of a campaign to counter
the growing muscle of the right wing and
its anti-Gay attacks. In the last few years,
the right has passed dozens of anti-Gay
laws in dozens of states.
In addition, 1998 was one of the most
vicious years in recent memory. Senate
Majority Leader Trent Lott likened homosexuality
to kleptomania and sex addiction.
Congress introduced a number of
mean-spirited anti-Gay measures. Rightwing
groups launched a major advertising
campaign attacking Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
and Transgender people. In addition,
voters approved anti-Gay ballot
measures in Alaska; Hawaii; Fayetteville,
Arkansas; Fort Collins, Colorado; and
Ognnquit, Maine
"Our demands are simple and in line
with basic American values: the right to
be safe, to have a family, to hold ajob, and
to participate fully as citizens. It’ s exactly
what every American wants anddeserves,"
said Gina Reiss, co-chair of the Federation
of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender Statewide Political Orgamzations
and executive director of New
Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition.
For a calendar of events for Equality
Beg ins atHome, please view our web site
at http://www.equalitybeginsathome.org
Note also that February will be quite the
month for dance with the Tulsa Ballet
seemingly getter better with ev cry performance
(2/5-7 The Green Table. Equinoxe
and Jardi Tancat) and Les Ballets
Trockadero de Monte Carlo in for just
one, mind you, just one fabulous "men in
tights" performanceon March 16th. Don’t
miss it! - TFN entertainment editor
Bill Laforttme. In Republican circles, it’s
said that Gov. Frank Keating has suggested
that he would not oppose the
amendment.
Also the following bills were introduced
in the Oklahoma House:
HB1224- An Act relating to children;
amending 10 O.S. Supp. 1998, Section
7503-1.1, which relates to eligibility to
adopt a child; making persons in certain
cohabitation relationship ineligible to
adopt a child. Author - Pope, Tim.
HB 1707 - An Act relating to children:
amending 10 O.S. Supp. 1998, Section
7503-1.1, which relates to eligibility to
adopt; prohibiting certain persons from
adopting children. Author - Graves, Bill
HB 1314 - An Act relating to the Oklahoma
Department of Libraries; mandating
certain policies related to identification
and separation of sexually explicit
materials. Author - Graves, Bill
HB 1703 - An Act relating to state government;
prohibiting certain discrimanation;.
Authors - Graves, Bill
HB 1703 - An Act relating to state government;
prohibiting certain discrimination;
to any individual ol group on the
basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or
national operation in public employment,
education, or contracting.
Author - Graves, Bill
Plans for 1999 include a creative arts
night in .February both for the artistically
inclined and the not so artistically indined,
a bingo night in March, dance
lessons in February, a Sadie Hawkins
dance in May, a camping and float trip in
June, a spirituality and healing arts night
in July, a Casino night in August, a,.weekend
in Eureka Springs in October, movie
night in November, and a hiatus in December
(since so much else is going on
anyway) and then in January 2000, a progressive
potluck dinner. Additionally the
group has planned a Memorial Day alternative
picnic and softball game for May.
"We tried to create a wide diversity of
ideas and activities knowingthat not every
one enjoys the same kind of things,"
said Joan. "It was also suggested to have
mid-month bike rides, walking groups,
bowling nights and other sports related
activities ."
Joan added, "we hope to attract singles,
couples and break down some of the barriers
womenhave for attending. All of our
activities have a small fee to help offset
printing and postage and site rental costs.
We are also planning fund raisers for
different organizations."
To learn more about Gal-A-Vanting or
to get the mailing list, call Mary at 743-
6740, Kathy at 322-6322, or Barb at 459-
6825.
but specifically shielded only heterosexual,
and nothomosexual, activity. The
decision prompted protests by Gay civil
rights activists, who said the ruling denied
them eq]aal rights. The Court of Appeals
also was silent on anal sex, which
remained illegal for everyone in the state.
The ACLU asked Rombro to declare
the law unconstitutional, but the judge
instead ruled the Court of Appeals’ decision
on oral sex should extend to homosexual
activity as well. In the final ruling,
Rombro agreed that private, consensual
anal sex also cannot be prosecuted under
the law.
AlthoughACLU leaders had originally
planned to lobby the Maryland General
Assembly to rescind or amend the old
law, Sullivan said the organization is now
satisfied with the judge’s ruling. Andrew
H. Baida, an assistant attorney general,
said state officials want to keep the old
law to help prosecute cases of sexual
.assault,prostitution or sex inpublicplaces.
Center spokesman, Greg, adds that the
Center also is hosting regular Pride Dances
every other Saturday at 8pro. The Center
¯¯ now has a pool table to supplement the ping-pong and foosball tables it had be-
" fore.
Also, Centerlegal counsel, Kerry Lewis,
¯
shared that the board of directors of Tulsa
: Oklahomans for Human Rights, the par-
¯ ent organization of the Pride Center, had
: responded to the eviction notice of the
: Center’s landlord.
¯ - Without delving into the legal partieu- ¯
larities, the board responded to the notice
: saying that the Centerwas withinits rights
¯ under thelaw to post its signs and that the
¯ landlordhadWrongfully terminated their ¯
lease. The gist of the matter, according to
¯ Lewis is that all rights go to the tenant
: unless specifically restricted by the landlord.
¯ Lewis stated too that the landlord and
¯
his attorney had failed to show up at a
: meeting that was scheduled to try to re-
. solve the conflict.
: Lewis added that the landlord had been
: asked to respond in a timely fashion, or
: else, the board would seek legal redress
¯ for the damages already suffered by the
: Center.
¯ Editor’s note: TFN will provide our
¯ readers an update to this conflict in our
¯ March issue.
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rolaUonshlp. (Tulsa) "n’20889
VERY NOT LESBIAN Very sensual GBF,
22, looking for a delicious F. who loves cuddling,
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HOT AND BOTHERED 18-year-old Single
Female, into dancing. Seeks someone to
go out and have lun with (Clairemore)
~16797
TAKE A CHANCE Attractive Single
Female. 32. soft butch, educated. Seeks
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and share a bottle ol wine. (Tulsa) ~’16454
SPEND TIME WITH ME 22-year-old GWF,
into movies end the mall. Seeks someone,
under 35, to spend time with and get to
know for a possible long-term relationship,
(Tulsa) ~15257
DOING THINGS I’m a GBF, 25 who likes
the outdoors, hiking, movies and long
walks, rm looking lot a SGWF, full figured,
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(Mc..aJester) ’B’10109
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looking for a special Female that is single
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at home end spending time wit~ you, so
please give me a call. (McAlester) ~’18184
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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
[1999] Tulsa Family News, February 1999; Volume 6, Issue 2
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
February 1999
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
James Christjohn
JEan-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legrandbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
MAry Scepers
Adam West
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News
Relation
A related resource
Tulsa Family News, January 1999; Volume 6, Issue 1
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/584
1999
adoption
AIDS/HIV
AIDS/HIV laws
AIDS/HIV research
anti-bias law
arts and entertainment
attorneys
Barry Hensley
Bars
businesses
children
churches
civil rights
Comic Strips
Dave Fleischer
Do-It-Yourself Dyke
Don't Ask Don't Tell
Dyke Psyche
Entertainment Notes
Equality Begins at Home
Esther Rothblum
Gal-A-Vanting
Gay-Straight Alliance
hate crime bill
holocaust
homophobia
Human Rights Campaign
James Christjohn
James Hormel
KMOD
Mary Schepers
military
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Week of Action for Equality
Native Americans
Oklahoma Mr. Leather
One Recruit Short of a Toaster
Partner Benefits
performing arts
Pride Center
Read All About It
restaurants
Ric Poston
sodomy laws
Tom Neal
Tulsa Family News
Tulsa Gay Community Services Center
Tulsa Two-Spirited Indian Men's Support Group