1 20 1 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/720496a377bccd13c6fb428da9276de3.jpg 6e3a2c10512312879ac3bf406c137ebd https://history.okeq.org/files/original/e3a834ef864d1accd5ea57b69700278e.pdf 4764679f2a18d394d6c619b8615600cc Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Friends RallyAround Accused Musician District Attorney Suspected of Bias by Tom Neal, editor &publisher Around Tulsa’ s Gay community, the reaction is one of dismay and disbelief at the allegations of indecent exposure made against musician and chorale leader, Rick Fortner. According to a Dec. 3rd Tulsa Worm story, a 16 year old man has accused Former of masturbating in front of him in a sauna of All-American Fitness Center in Broken Arrow. A spokesperson for the Broken Arrow p01icenoted that themanand Former were the only ones in the sauna. Friends and acquaintances notethat F,grmermaintains his innocence, and have stated their suplJort for Former. Mitchell Savage, spokesperson for the Council Oak Mens Chorale (COMC) for which Former is music director, said that the board of directors of the organization has voted to express its support for Former and their belief that his innocence will be established. - TheCOMCboardposition was endorsedby the group’ s general membership also. Savage added that he has been acquainted for 15 years see Fortner, p. 10 Anti-Gay Harassment Alleged in Public Schools Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends Tulsa’s Largest Circulation Community PaperAvailable In More Than 75 City Locations V rmont Marriage Victory SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) - By the time Nina Beck and " previously said he would support Gay mamage, ¯ Stacy Jolles got the news, it seemed like everyone already knew: ¯¯ The Vermont Supreme Court had issued its long-awaited ruling on Gay marriage. They had won. ¯ The court ruled unanimously that Gay and Lesbian couples in ¯ Vermont should enjoy all benefits and privileges afforded to ¯ heterosexual couples who can legally marry. It is the first court : in the nation to make such a sweeping ruling on the question. ’ But the justices split on whether it should amount to marriage. ¯ Onejustice splitfrom themajority’ s view that the state Legislature ¯ should decide whether Gays and’Lesbians should actually be ¯ allbwed to marry or shouldbe given domesticpartnership benefits ¯ equivalent to heterosexual marriage. The split was of no immediate concern to Beck and Jolles and ¯ the other two couples who sued in 1997 when their town clerks denied them marriage licenses. "It’s just fantastic this decision ¯" could come following his birth," Beck said as Jolles stood ¯ alongside her holding their month-old son Seth. The issue now will be the subject of debate before the : Legislature, which convenes on Janl 4. "I think the court has ¯ broken all barriers by dearly riding that we have a class of ¯ individuals in Vermont who are being denied their rights and I thinkit is the Legislature’ s responsibility to correct that injustice ," ¯ said Peter Shumlin, Senate president pro tern. ¯ But the question will be how. Should Vermont statutes be ¯ amended to permit two men or two women to marry? Should a ¯ domestic partners registry be established for Gay couples to ¯ record their relationships and therefore qualify for the benefits ¯ now accorded heterosexual mamed couples? ¯ "I think it’ s going to take a couple ofweeks, anyway, forpeople ¯ tounderstand what this means," said Rep. Thomas Little, chairman ¯ of the House Judiciary Committee. "Everyone wants to have a : virtually immediate informed reaction to it, but I think it takes ¯ longer than.that." : Gov. Howard Dean said same-sex marriage "makes me ¯ uncomfortable, the same as anybody else." He predicted the ¯ Legislature would comply with the court decision by enacting a ¯ domestic partners law rather than making marriage legal for : same-sex couples. House Speaker~Michael Obuchowski, who ¯ Evergreen Awards Recognize i Beal, Campbell, and Others TULSA -Allegations of anti-Gay harassment have risen at two Tulsa high schools. On two campuses, teachers contend that they and some students have been singled out for inappropriate attention. While Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) does have a nondiscrimination policywhich TPS’s attorney interprets as protecting Gay teachers, staff and students from discrimination, that policy does not explicitly ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. It "The Board is committed-to-the concept of nondiscrimination in relation to race, religion, sex, age national origin, handicap and other human differences. This policy will prevail in al matter concermng staff, students and the public." However, in the interests of protecting these teachers from possible further harassment, their names are being withheld. One teacher, who is active in a local Gay mens’ singing group, was called into his principal’ s oftrme and was shown a copy of the group’ s concert program. His participation in the group was highlighted with a - comment, -*’is -this~ legal .w’ Another teacherwhohelps, With a support group for Gay kids. had a self-identified "Christian" fundamentalist teack-zr attending support group meetings andthe teacher whodoes notidentify as Gay but as Gay-friendly felt there was an intent to identify her as Gay and therefore to threaten her job. Andatonecampus;twoyoungwomenwere suspended for a public display of affectkm. A Gay teacher and other students whb were familiar with the incident claim that the two women were not behaving with any less discretion than heterosexual students use in the same circumstances, They do claim that the administration response w~:much more harsh than for heterosexuals. However,~ TPS spokesperson, Tiffany. Bruton responded to TFN inquiries, saying that the students’ conduct was well beyond socially acceptable behavior even for heterosexuals. The students involved did not respond to TFN requests for an interview. TULSA - The 1999 Evergreen Awards recognized the work of a number of Tulsans involved in HIV/AIDS issues. Prominent among these were Dr. Jeffrey Beal and his parmer Ted Campbell for their years of service as Tulsa’s principal physician treating HIV and AIDS related illness and for Campbell’s mental health practice around those issues. The lunch ceremony was held at the offices of the Community Service Council (CSC) on Dec. 7th, and opened with a remarks Ted Campbell & Dr. Jeffrey Beal by ~chael Conley of Tulsa CARF~, Melanie Speetor of Tulsa ’County Health Dept. and John Hawk Cocke of Indian Health Services. Presenters and the recipients of the awards included many of Tulsa’ s most prominent activist/workers around HIV/AIDS care and prevention. Sharon Thoele, exeentive director of Tulsa CARES, Erie Ramirez of Planned Parenthood, Kathy Bird of RegionalAIDS Interfaith Network, Tulsa officewere afew of the presenters andrecipients included videographerAllisonCosslett, Wendy Weisberg, Audra Sommers for her fundraising work, Kay Rollins for NAMES PROJEC~ leadership, and Jeremy Simmons for prevention education. The Evergreen Awards are presented by the Tulsa AIDS Coalition which was introduced at this event by Tim Gillean and represented by CSC staffer, Janice Nicklas. : said politics might prevent that. "What I’m hearing ¯ from my colleagues is that they’re saying that ¯ domestic partnership is amorepolitically attainable situation and I think I’d have to agree with that ¯ analysis,"saidObuchowski,aDemocratlikeDean. ¯ Thoughthey were ecstatic, the three couples who sued will hold off on their celebrations until they ¯ get an opportunity actually to say their vows in a ¯ wedding ceremony. "I think the acttml celebration ¯ will be when we get married," said Stan Baker, standing withhis armaround partner Peter Harrigan. Winnie Stachelberg, Political Director with the ¯ Human Rights Campaign, one national Gay ¯ organization noted,"we are thrilled that the Vermont ¯ Supreme Court had the wisdom and courage to hand down this historic, landmark decision. There ¯ has never been a logical or justifiable reason to exclude same-sex couples from marrying, and ¯ decision validates the unfairness of exclusion. This ¯ is a tremendous victory forGay and Lesbian couples ¯ in Vermont who are now one-step closer to being ¯ considered equal in the eyes of the law." ¯ Paula Ettelbrick, attorney and Family Policy Director at the National Gay and Lesbian Task ¯: Force Policy Institute said, "the court’s decision is unique in that it commands that the state give samesex couples every benefit and protection that : currently provides to married couples." ¯ "However, bystopping short offully recognizing : the freedom to marry, the court has opened the door ¯ to complete equality but has not constitutionally ¯ guaranteed it. Now the batde progresses to the : Vermont Legislature," Ettelbrick continued. "We ¯ have the opportunity as a community to convince lawmakers to provide the full badge of citizenship ¯ by recognizing the freedom to marry." ¯ Ettelbrick noted that Vermont is a logical state to ¯ become the first see Vermont, p. 12 New Leather Contest TULSA- Ric Poston, Oklahoma Mr Leather 1999 and his partner James Murray _Mr Tulsa Leather 1997 have announced they are producing a new leather contest, Mr. Sooner State Leather. The contest will be a preliminary event to the StateTitle of "Oklahoma Mr Leather" and is open to any Oklahoma resident. This first event will be held in Oklahoma City on the weekend of April 21 - 23, 2000 and any profits from the contest will benefit the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago.. The event will provide education and information about the community, "demonstrations," opportunities for brotherhood, a brunchonSunday,andthe contestitselfon Saturday night April 22, 2000. Judges for the contest .will be Dave Rhodes, owner and editor of The Leather Journal, Terrell Brown, Oklahoma Mr Leather 2000, Oklahoma Drummer2000 (to be announcedin February 2000), and Michael Vrooman, the current International Miss Gay Rodeo and a former International Mr ~sayRodeo,MarkMalonInternational Mr. Leather, tRunnerUp-t997;and alternatejudge, Ed Smith who is an avid supportor of local and nadonal Leather and Drummer events. The contest will be held at the Habana Inn, Oklahoma’s all Gay hotel and bar complex. For reservations (be sure to mention the contest for special rates), contact the Habana Inn, 2200 Northwest39thExpressway, OklahomaCity,73112 1-800-988-2221, www.habanainn.com. For any furtherinformation about the contest, applications, and weekend packages contact: ms.oonerstatelthr@aol.com. Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *Chasers, 4812 E. 33 *CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial *Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th *Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria *The Mix, 2630 E. 15th *Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square *St. Michael’s .Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st *Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan *The Storm, 2182 S. Sheridan *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main 712-2324 610-5323 583-6666 749-4511 749-1563 744-4280 745-9998 834-4234 835-2376 585-3405 *TNT’s, 2114S..Memorial 660-0856 *Tool Box,. 1338. E, .3rd o 584-1308 Tulsa Businesses, Services, &:Pr~fe~si6nais Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 747-1508 *Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard Kent Balch & Associates, Health & Life Insurance *Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 *Barnes &Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41. Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 743-1000 : 747:9506 : 250-5034-," 665-4580 ¯ 712-1122 " 712-9955" 2 494-2665 ~ 743-5272 ¯ 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 Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan *Ross Edward Salon ,~,: 584-0337, Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main *Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st Learme M: Gross, Insurance & financial planning Mark T: Hamby,.At.tomey ¯ .. *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E Skelly *International Tours Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th_ *Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th David Kanskey, Country Club Barbering The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 *Living Al"tSpace, 19 E. Brady *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo *The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101 Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 587-2611 744-5556 838-8503 - 712-9379 592-0460 744-9595 610-0880 628-3709 808-8026 742-1460 459-9349 744-7440 745-1111 341-6866 712-2750 582-3018 747-0236 582-8460 599-8070 747-5466 585-1234 584-3112 663-5934 664-2951 838-7626 743-4297 747-5932 834-0617 834-7921,747-4746 749-6301 260-7829 481-0558 835-5563 743- 1733 665-2222 592-0767 Teri Schutt, Rex Realtors *Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square Paul Tay, Car Salesman *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan *Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis Tulsa Agencies~ Churches, Schools & Universities AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 741-0L .... 579-9593 All Sods 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 United Min. 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 748-3888 *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511 *Democratic Headquarters,3930 E. 31 742-2457 Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74!70-1475 355-3 t40 *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777 *Free SpiritWomen’ s Center, call for location &info: 587-4669 Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827 " . " Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal " " Writers + contributors: ¯ James Christjohn, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lament " Lindstrom, Bob Rounsavell, Esther Rothblum. Mary Schepers ~dember o! The AssociatedPress ........... Issued on or before the 1st of each month, the entire contents -" :of this publication are protected by :US copyright 1998 by Nta,€ and may not be repr-oduced either.in : whole orinpar~withoutwrittenpermission from thepublisher. Publicationof a name or photo does not indicate a pers0n’s . .sexual orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for : publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed’& be: " comes:the ~ole property ofT,J Eachreaaer " ~s entitled :to 4 copies of each editton 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. 81st 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 " ¯MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715 ." NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral PI. 748-3111 ¯ NOW, Nat’lOrg. for Women; POB 14068,74159 365-5658 " OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157 ¯OSU-TUlsa ° PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901 ¯ ¯Planned Parenthood~ 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674 ’ Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 .*R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195 ¯Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 " 584,2325 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 : TulsaOkla.forHumanRights,c/oThePrideCenter 743-4297 : T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827 ¯ ¯Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule ¯Tulsa Community College Campuses ," ¯TulsaGay Community Center, 1307 E. 38, 74105 743-4297 Unity Church of Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown 749-8833 BARTLESVILLE ¯ ¯Bardesville 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 : ¯ NS.U School of Optometry, 1001.N, Grand.........: HIVtesting 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 : Geekto 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 * is where you can find TFN. Not all are Gay-owned butall are Gay-friendly. 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 " It’s Elementary + more... December 22, 1999 On the heels of a tremendously successful campaign togetIt "sElementary aired on public television, we are thrilled~ to announce our new media series for kids. We are writing to you today to tell you a little about the project and to ask for yo~help: .W.e.hopeyo.u’!l eonside.rm.~king a year-end contribution toward its completion and distribution. We’ve been asked repeatedly by It’s Elementaryfans, "When are you going to make sombthing we can show to kids?"" .Finally wehave an answer -- THAT’S A. FAMILY! -- a video for elementary school children about family diversity. To learn more about THAT’S A FAMILY! and to make a donation to ensure its successful completion, please read the rest of this email, or go to: http:.//www.womedia.org/support.html on the internet. THAT’S A FAMILY! is the first video in our. long-awaited media series for children, "Respect for All." THAT’S A FAMILY! introduces children to different kinds of families, while the second and third videos~in the series center on dispelling Gay and Lesbian stereotypes and confronting anti-Gay name-calling. In THAT’S.A FAMILY! you’ll meet children’ who were adopted; are multiracial; haveparents whoare divorced; are being raised by step-parents, single morns or dads, or by grandparents and guardians. There also are children with Gay dads or Lesbian morns, and their stories are intertwined with those of the other families. THAT’S A FAMILY! is scheduled for release in the spring of 2000. It has the potential to reach hundreds of thousands of children, giving elementary schools a truly inclusive, respectful teaching tool that children will love to watch. Wehave no doubt that the long-term impact of this project will be tremendous. Giving elementary school students the opportunity to hear the words "Gay" and "Lesbian" described in a matter-of-fact way by their peers, and experience Gay and Lesbian families inthe contextofsuchanincredibly diverse group of other families, could have a profound effect on their values and behavior for the rest of their lives. To kick off this ambitious media series for children, we need your help. We need to raise additional funds to finishTHAT’S A FAMILY! this winter and to launch its distribution. Our work is not commissioned- instead we independently produceand distribute ourmediaprojects. see It’s... p. 14 Announcements Policy Tulsa Family Newswitl provide-space for holy union ceremony, marriage ceremony, birth, adoption and death announcements onaspace availablebasis. Photos are welcome, though we cannot promise placement or return them, so please send copies to Tulsa Family News, POB 4140, Tulsa 74159. Letters Policy Tulsa Family News welcomes letters on issues 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 phonenumbers, or behand delivered. 200 word letters are preferred. Letters to other publications will be re-printed as is appropriate. by Tom Neal, editor & publisher January is National Volunteer BloodDonor Month and most newspapers in the city have received press releases exhorting Tulsans to donate blood. According to Tulsa’s chapter of the American Red Cross’ communications manager, Maggie Jewell, "the winter time is a crucial time for blood donations and that many new donors are needed to help meet patient needs in local hospitals...many donors who regularly give find that they cannot during the winter months because of a cold or the flu.., the nation’ sblood supply... [is] just a few hours aheadofdemand. Asit stands today, ifeveryone stopped donating blood, our nation’s supply would disappear within only two days..." So you’d think that the Red Cross would welcome all donors. In the Red Cross" press releases, they state, "to donate, one must be 17 years or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be feeling wall the day of the donation..." What they don’t say is that ffyou are Gay, you don’ t lie about it, and you give blood, they throw your blood away - even though ALL blood is tested for HIV antibodies anyway! Anyone who’s had sex with someone of the samegender since,ifmemory serves me, 1984, is banned. To reframe a 19th century prejudice: "Irish need not apply" becomes "Faggots need not apply." The local Red Cross shrugs off responsibility, saying it’s a national policy. The national Red Cross places the blame on the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). They all know that thisis bad science. " Once one might have presumed-a tight correlation between sexual orientation/behavior and HIV status. Today, those exposed to the HIV virus can just as easily be heterosexual. Infact, one of the parts ofour population whichhas disproportionately highinfectionrates is young Mrican-Americans. Does anyone think we’d see the Red Cross or FDA saying, "Young Blacks need not apply"? The reality is that this discrimination is socially wrong as well as bad public health policy. TulsaArea Red Cross can’ t:change it by itsdf but its Board of Directors can go on record to call for a change in the policy (it wouldn’t hurt if they added a non-discrimination pohcy too). And it can stop trying to sweep this prejudice under the rug. Until it and the FDA change their policies, its press releases should read, "to donate, one must be 17 years or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be feeling well the day of the donation.., andnot be aGay or Bisexual man." by Tom Neal, editor/publisher Early on the morning of Dec. 3rd, like many others, I was shocked to see the face of a friend, someone whom. I respectandlike, inTheWorld accused ofa vcry unlikely act. Reading the article and knowing the man, my first reaction was to wonder that the charges had been brought at all. It is a classic, "he said, she said" recast as "the straight ’boy’ said, the Gay man said." According to comments made to the Tulsa World by Broken Arrow police, the only persons present at the allegedactwere RickFortner and themanwhohas accused him of lewd behavior (I say man who accused because at 16 if he were a murderer, he’d be considered an adult and 16maynotbevery wise, but it’s hardly a child in this day and age). I then wondered at possible motivations for his accuser. Was this the sick behavior of a young man struggling with his own homosexuality andprojecting his self-hatred onto another target? Or is he yet another young American man warped into mindless hatred Of men who love other men by a society whose need for some hated "other’ dates back to before the Republic was founded (let me see: we Americans havehated Indians in the East, we’ ve hated Blacks, we’ve hated Jews, we’ve hated Germans, we especially hated the Irish, we’ve hated Catholics, and Poles, and again Indians in the West, and Asians: Chinese, Japanese, Fast Indians, we’ve hated Commumsts, Socialists, Unionists, women who dared to vote -or merely not be endless baby-factories, hell, we’ ve even hated some Republicans - I personally have thought that Ronnie Reagan was one of the most profoundly and blandly evil men of our time but I digress). Former says he is innocent and I believe him as do his friends and colleagues at his work, All Souls Unitarian ChurchandinCouncil Oaks Mens Chorale whichFortner founded and leads, and I hear his family, thank God. But even when his innocence is proven, and these charges likely are shown to be shameless political opportunism by Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris, Fortuer remains victimized by the accusation. His reputation has been called into question and defending " Fortner says he is innocent and I believe him... But even when his innocence is proven, and these charges likely are shown to be shameless politlea! opportunism by Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris, Fortner remains victimized by the accusation...." himself can 0nly be costly even if the charges are without merit. So why is this haptmning? Political and other observers have known for some dme that Tulsa District Attorney Tim Harris is closely associated with right wing political extremists who call themselves "Christian." Tulsa’s DA’s earlier demonstrated their willingness to abuse the powers of the office to promote a ultra rightwing agenda when they failed to prosecute seriously the brutal hate assault against Tony Orr and Tim Beauchamp until after prim media had written about the DA’s bias, failing even to get them victim’s compensation for their medical injuries as the DA’s office does for other crime victims. Local attorney and TOHRboard member Kerry Lewis suggests that Harris is shamelessly using this accusation to appeal to the part ofhis electoratewho are rabidly prejudiced, to appear as though Hams is "fighting crime" andjust incidentally destroying Rick Fortner’s lifein the process. We can likely anticipate that much of our District Attorney’ s strategy, if they have the nerve to push such a seemingly meritless case so far, is going to be to engage in blatant legal "Gay-bashing." It will be suggested that, ipso facto, Rick’s a"homo" and therefore capable of any evil, and that any accusation by a red-blooded, all- American boy is, of course, God’s own Truth! But what’s really on trial here, is American justice itself. As has played out generation after generation, with minority after minority, the reality has been that our justice, at its best- is uneven, and more often than not is wildly unfair, favoring wealth, whiteness and heteromaleness. And all the problem is not in the DA’s office. Some Tulsa police, year after year, engage in varieties of anti- Gay bias, including breaking the very law, with no restriction nor anti-bias training from Chief Palmer nor the elected official to whom he answers, Mayor Savage. But right now, what matter is that Rick Former is treated fairly. I don’ tknow if he’ s got alegal defense fund set up but he may need it. I’d suggest that any help readers might give, be sent to the Rev. Suzanne Meyers at All Souls Unitarian Church. They’re in the book. by Dave Fleischer National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Ask voters a question - then listen to their answers - and you get what Lily Tomlin calls a "goosebump experience." Why the adrenaline rush? Because you challenge not only your cherished ideas about the voters, but also what you believe about yourself. I was reminded of this while campaigning in Carol City, an African-American, working-class Miami neighborhood. I was with a team of volunteers from SAVE Dade, the group preparing to defend their county Human Rights Ordinance. Scene: short, bald, Jewish me at.the door, talking to a voter: "The Ordinance protects all of us from discrimination, whether we’~re aman or woman, black or white, Gay or non-Gay. The newest part of the law is the part that includes Gay people. Some people want to take the law .apart and remove Gay people from it. But we think that s wrong-wethink everyone ought to be treated with dignity and respect. What do you think?" ,,W,_ith barely a pause, the voter began "My church says. ¯. Oy ray. I figured I knew where we were headed, and it wasn’t the promised land. "My church says--Jesus loves everybody. Diseriminadon is always wrong." She and I had a brief, affirming discussion. I went to door #2, said my piece, and the voter immediately began,"My church says..." I listened. "My church says homosexuality is a sin. It’s wrong. Read your Bible, and you’ll see the Lord has a plan for a better life for you." As he amplified his point of view, I was : trying to decide how quickly to exit. When he stopped : talking, we paused and looked at each other. Then I said, "Well, I’m Gay. I likemylife, and if IYm doing a goodjob ¯ at myjob, do you think my boss should be able to fire me ¯ just because I’m Gay?" ¯¯ The voter looked astonished: "Wall of course, no one should fire you for that." That started a back-and-forth ¯ that surprised both of us. Wedisagreed about why people are Gay. We agreed that discrimination against G.ays is ¯ unacceptable. After a fewminutes, as hewas prepanng to ¯ read tomefrom the Bible, I called ahalt, thanked him, and ¯ moved to the next door. : What I learned about myself was how hard itis to ask : a question and hear the answer. Both times, it only took : three words before I thought I knew what was coming. ¯ Both times, I was Wrong but I realized why asking ~¯ questions is uncomfortable.Whenwe ask a question, and really wait to hear the answer, we are not Controlling the ¯ situation. We are sharing control with the other person. American culture teaches us all to like control. To ¯ celebrate our individuality - to believe that one pe.rson ¯ can make a difference - to have it our way--is as ¯ American as a.microwaved Mcwhopper. But growing up Gay raises the stakes. Many of us realize early on that we’ re different, subject to ridicule or ¯ hurt. So we crave control as a way to protect ourselves, ¯ and to survive. We pump up our talent for isolated ¯ individual achievement, sometimes neglecting team- " building and our curiosity about others. : Our life becomes a search for refuge. To protect ¯ ourselves, we build communities and organizations ¯ designed to shelter us. Butwe thenmiss genuine, reciprocal ¯ connectionwithotherpeople, especially thosewho aren’ t just like us. Werarely ask them what they think ofus. We ¯ assume we know. ¯ When we don’ t ask real questions - like "What do you think?"- we rely on Our past experience. No wonder that ¯ we hold onto ahigh level of paranoia. We can’ t forget the ¯ feelings we knew when we were young. We can’t miss ¯ the hostility expressed by right-wing extremists now. that ¯ we are older. ¯ But, guess what? Neither has much to do with where ¯ most Americans stand today. When we lack confidence ¯ in other people, it is no wonderwe struggle in campaigns. ¯ Ourlifeis a niche, but in elections we need50% + 1 of the ¯ participating voters on our side. ¯ It is understandably scary to put aside our past hurts to test the possibilities in the present. It’s easier to avoid person-to-person campaigning; it’s tempting instead to ¯ rely on every other possible form of communication, all of which have at least some value. But what price do we [ pay for our lack of curiosity, our unwillingness to risk : authentic exchange? Are we, without meaning to, buying ¯ intothelargerculture’stoleranceofstereotypicalthinking? ~ Who is most imperiled when it’ s a deviant act to ask a ¯ question - or to question a stereotype? Let’s rescue ¯ ourselves. Goosebumps are ours, for the asking. Dave Fleischer is a seniorfellow at the Policy Institute ofthe National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Nationwide Insurance : Allen said. Allen said much of the group’s time is Adds Partners’ Benefits:¯ teachers can ha,,v.e a tough time discussing even with COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Nationwide Insurance those~who don t have a disability. Company has just begun to offer employees a new : The Arc, formerly known as th.e .Associatio~ benefits package that will recognize same-sex : Retarded Citizens, adopt,e~,.. a posmon paper mr d0mestic partners. The plan also .will cover relatives " " year~ ago affirmin_g that. indiv]~du,~.s with m~enn~ _ including extended family members~uch as : retardationarepe°plew~tlasexualIeel.mgs’~nhee~n~} ’grandparents - roommates and unmarriedpartners ~vho live w,ith the .employees, Donna. James; [ the 7:2 million people with,,mental retardation in the Nationwide s senior vice president :of ihuman ¯ United States, s~ys people have fundamental ri,g,h,ts resources, told The Outlook, an iaiiependent [ as individuals to have privacy, love and be loved. ¯ eater Columbus Ga,c community. ~ Sfill,. Gay people with mental disabilities are often newsPaper°f,thegr.: - . . .,’.= ~,-~-’--,=-1= ¯ o,;~,~: "zed somefimesb arents,orcaretakers-the Those co,v:_cream.u..~si tt~. a:.e.,p-enaoe.n..t.o. nm. e~’~auP~..’u~ . o~,~att_ ,, em lo eeforsupp0rtorsnarelmanclalrespOn~t°mq¢ v~"v *~ a r " P Y. ........... .... . .... ’ r-All of Nationwide s 28,000 . ¯ . ¯ _ . .’. .--. ¯ wem~pthlotyheeewsaorere.klig.eib..!.e..f0rth-,ep~ lan.Byear: ly~’mber"’ ¯ ’. " W : ~lrglfllfl CoHrt to lalevle A recentForbesMagazine sur~ey, mo!€area: unmarried parmers .are €ovyr~..byh~e’~l~9.ben,efitS ~ :: ’ ROANOKE, Va. (AP)-A Virginia.appe~s court,has 10% of .the businesses with :at least zoo em~toy~.. : agreed"to review the constitutionality oI a state taw Companies that.pr0vide.same-sex P.-aFtner~e3Its .: tl~t ~nalizes oral sex between consenting adults. indtide:Lotus!.De~vd0pment Corp.,MicrosoRtsorp:, .. The.Virginia Court of Appeals agreed to ~ear. the -IBM, Walt Disney Co.,Honeywell and Xerox. ¯ ~i~s ~)f nine men convicted of soliciting sodomy ¯ " " e : from undercover police posing as Gay me~... . McCam, Forbes:Endors : The case will test alaw that some autho~taes say ~ a legitimate way to deter public sex acts. opponen ’Don’t Ask, DOn’t-Tell’- ": 0fthelawarguethatit’sanarchaicinvasionofprivacy .... .........si .that targets homosexu~,,s. The law, referred to as WASHINGTON(AP)-TheClintona~stxatto.n polieybarfing0penh0mosex.ual~sfro,m,..military~e_ ; ,crimes against nature, applies to all consenting ~vorksandshouldbepreserYed,Kepumtcancanoauate~ ’" adults, homosexual and heterosexual, who engagem " oral sex in public or private. Violating the law is a Sen. JohnMcCainanffSteveForbes s~din Decem~ber; ¯ McCain~ a former naval officer and prisoner oI war felony, plmishable ,by up to five years in prison. inVietnam, Saiahewo,~dhave sen.1.°r o,f.fieer,s,re,v]ew Those who say it s time for Virginia to join the list the p0ffcy, but ad,d,ed, I support me poncy, i oeueve of states that have abolished their alifi-sodgmy laws that it;s working. ’ ,, , " i are. encouraged that the appeals court has agr.e.e,d to On"Fox Ne~s Sunday, Forbes said: ’The military ¯ hear the case. The sodomy law also was invokedmthe is not an institution for socialengineering. It has. a ¯ case of Sharon Bottoms, a Richmond-area woman ~:ery real,role of protectingus. It... operates in very " who lost custody of her son in 1993 when ajudge said speJzial circumstance§, and theref0reapresident must " she was an linfit mother because she and her female take heed of leaders such as Gen. Powell and G.en. ¯ lo~er engaged in oral sex. Scfiwarzkopf Who s,a,y that you cannot have open inhispetitiontothe.appealscourt, Garrison said,,,the Gays in the military.. The Repu.bh,ca~,~ fro,nt-ru~n~ar~ ’ : case is not just a Gay issue, but one that affects me ri ht to 4 5 million adult Virginians to be Texas Gov George W.-Bush, also nas. enaorseu Clinton policy. " , The position of Vice President A1 Gore, a,Viemam they have a reasonable expectataon to privacy, t ne veterat~, and.his Democratic Opponent Bill Bradle~ is appeal attacks the law from several angles: that it that people who.can be firefighters, police officers ¯ violates privacy rights guaranteed by both state and andmembe~s,ofColigress shouldhaVeopenaccess to federal Constitutions; that it is based on religious .military service as wall. Gay civilrights activists who ¯ met with Clinton ¯last week said the president¯ told " them the ~’don’.t ask, dOn~t.tell’’ policy was a failure.. R.., ,rded-Gays and ¯ Lesb"ia"ns" "Find Support. NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)- For decades, the ¯ sexuality of people with mental, dis~abi!i_ti_e_s,^W_~e]~ ¯ taboo a subject that parents ann prolesslonm~ ,o~ ~ acknowledged its ..ex~stence. The disabl.ed were o~ften ¯ treatedas if they Were eternal children; immune irom desire. Bu,t as people with mental disabilities come of : age in a more accepting’atmosphere, they are’: grounds and thus violates the separation ofchurch and state; and that its potential five-year prison sentence subjects defendants to cruel find unusual punishment. Eighteen men were charged under the law-in the Roanoke Police Depfirtment;s sting. The biggest challenge for those appealing .their convictions may be convincing the appealS.court that they have legal standing to overturn a’law that affects not just them, but all adult Virgimans. In 1979 - the-last’ time a higtier state court heard a challenge of the sodomy_. law, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that a man arrested in Richmond had no such standing2 ’ Since then, several states have recoglfized that defendants arrested for alleg.ed public ~.ex acts are entitled to fight the law not just as it was applied to them, but as it potentially co~d be applied to bthers.i formerly Family of Faith & Greater Tulsa MCC Joined as one body of believers. Come celebrate with us. Sunday Services, 11 am ~aplewood, 8~18-1715 Kelly Kirby, CPA, PC Certified Public Accountant a professional corporation 747-5466 4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135 HOUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIq Sun. Worship, ~0:45 am, Sunday School, 9:30 am Wed. Bible Study, 7 prn 3210b S. Norwood, Info: 224-4754, Chris or Sharon Sandra Hill M.S. Licensed Professional & National Certified Counselor, Cel:tifled Hypnotherapist .,Psychotherapy & Clinical Consultation After Hours Appointments Available 2865 E. Skelly Drive, Suite 215,745~111 Community Unitarian UniversalL’ Congregation at Community ofHo~p~ South Yale, Sundays at llam, 749-0S9! A Welcoming.Congregation experiencing an open discussion abom relationships ¯ Mingo Valley Flowers an~’s~x ~and for Some, acknowledging that .they may Thirty years ago, all 50 states had laws that forbade be homosexual.. " f eo le witl~ " consensual oral sex. Today, Virginia is one of. 17 For the past.year, a small group’o P P : statesthat’stillhassu~halaw- ’ mental disabilities has be~n ga~hexqng ~- transported ¯ ¯ - 9413 E, 31st St., Tulsa 74145 from group home~ and independentl~ving facilities ". 918-663-5934, fax: 663:583~,1800-444-592 .byth~ircareta~ers+-to,djs~us~the~-r¢-d[c~’ue~nt°fn°~t~ : Court Bars Child o~y beingmenta~iy ~a~d~ea~i~ed, but being Gay ~or ¯ Visitation, Rights milr On a monthly basis, ~ey meet a~ a group with a : CHICAGO (AP) ~ Shelived withher Lesbian parme,r- . . advocates for:the disabled say:more’ " n . ,-., . ~nva"cy¯ .-.~.-~.-.~..,~..ri.~.r.ti.i .".~.a.t.e.l.us; .t.no.t.c.o.ve.r.e.d.u.nd.e.r.a. state law-governing Visitaaon rights. ~ne oec,slon NewHaven group:~d the meetings are niSt a dating ": service. Ratl~er;the sessions’are an opporttmity for a~. upjhue~ud.~j:~a~il~r CH’~u~ntaCn:~l~ul.~gg:eopinionii~t~d ¯segment of the populati°n that is d°ubl:y ils°)ated.t°, : th~illin0islaw.~pecifi~i~]iame~i~i~?eS.’~.~e~ : l,li-,~ , 12~21’.S~uttlCo~umbialSuRe420 ,~ ~lk oper~y about feelings, ,pressures,~ana" socm~ ¯ situations. Left.unaddressed; ~exu~iiy in.,a person :’ as.fotmerspous~sandgran.dparen ~,. -~ i ~i. ~;.’ 1~q~4-351.8 With a m~nL~i :disability can ,manifeSt itself in : to Visitation rights with children. If.is silent fin me ~’’~ inappropriate, and...s0metimes,, ,s~lf-destructive. ,ways; : issue of former same-sex p.armer~,: Child.i Family, IndividualA.,Couple Psychother~ " 2121 South Columbia, Suite 420 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114-3518 TulSa Gay Community Services Center 743-GAYS (743-4297) .6-9 pm, Sunday - Friday 12-9 prn~ Saturday, all sales benefit the Center OKLAHOMA COMMUNICATIONS Local - Long Distance Cellular -Paging 747.1508 Free Car Adaptor & Leather Case with New Cell Phone Help Celebrate A Great American Hero Join TOHR . PFLAG and Soul Force for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Monday, danuary 17 From Pine & Greenwood to the Greenwood Cultural Center Gather at9 am, Parade at 11 am KEVIN BURLESO N Keller Williams Realty 712-2252 Burleson@kw.com 2651 East 21st Street, Ste. 100, Tulsa 74114 An Independent Member Broker OPENARMS,OPENMINDS,OPENHF_AKrs i Saint Aidan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 Saint John 4200 S; Atlanta Place, 742-7381 Saint Dunstan 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Tdnity 501 S. Cincinnati-, 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You Amanda met her partner, "Helen," in 1984 when they were living in Georgia. Helen was artificially inseminated in 1993 and gave birth to a daughter that December. Amanda was involved in the preparations for the birth and helped take care of the little girl for a year and a half. The relationship ended in 1995. The next year, Helenmoved to Chicago with her daughter and has refused to allow Amanda any contact with the child since 1997, the court said. Amanda’s suitargued that even though she was not married to Helen, She Should have the same rights parents have under common law. Sawyer, an attorney for the Eainbda Legal Foundation, said a decision would be made later on. whether to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court. Helen’s attorney, Leon Finkel, noted that Illinois does not recognize common law in such cases’~ He said boyfriends, aunts and uncles and in some cases even stepparents are among those whoare not entitled to visitation rights under Illinois law. Finkel also said limiting the list was a good idea. because parents should only m special instances be forced to give up the power to determine who is allowed to visit their children. He added that while Illinois doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages, it does recognize same-sex adoptions. Had Amanda legally adopted the girl, she would have had visitation rights and the dispute would never have taken place, he said. Study Says Marriage Ban Would Hurt Children SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - At least 40,000 children living with Gay couples and 100,000 more with Gay single parents would be affected by a proposed state ban on same-sex marriages, according to a new study. Those children could feel ostracized by. society if their parents’ Unions were considered invalid, concludes the review by Michael Wald, a Stanford University law professor who specializes in public policy’s effect on children. Proposition 22 would let California recognize only marriages performed between a man and a woman. It will be voted on in March. ’q’his alleged study, which promotes homosexual marriages, is nothing more than a bogus political campaign hit piece against Proposition 22 and the institution of marriage," said Robert Glazier, a spokesman for the Yes on Proposition 22 campaign. Wald’s review used findings by the American Psychological Association and several research studies on same-sex parents. "By all reports, these families are doing very wall," Wald said. "It is different, obviously, growingup in afamily with two parents of the same sex, but children adjust to it." Studies have shown that the children of Gay parents are welladjusted and do wall in school, but often face intolerance, he said. The report drew criticism from David Orgon Coolidge, director of the Marriage Law Project atThe Catholic University ofAmerica inWashington, D.C., who called it "an attempt to mislead voters." "prop 22 is not about same-sex couples," Coolidge said in a written statement. "Prop 22 is about whether Californians will be allowed to decide for themselves how marriage will be defined in this state." Colorado Anti-Marriage Amendment Progresses DENVER (AP) - A proposed constitutional amendmentto restrict same-sexmarriages in Colorado has been approved by the .secretary of state’s office and now advances to a 30-day challenge period, ifapproved by voters, the measure would recognize only marriages between, a man and a woman and would make same-sex marriages performed in other states invalid in Colorado. Themeasure, which cleared the secretary of state’s ritle-setting board in December, will face opposition. "As a statewide agency,we are eommitted to fighting this every step of the way," said LoriAnn Girvan, executive director of Equality Colorado. "We feel that the taxpayers of Colorado don’t need another anti-Gay ballotinitiative that will re-ignite our state’s reputation as a place of intolerance." Candace McCune, an Englewood lawyer representing proponents of the measure who formed the group Coloradans for Traditional Marriage, said the measure would close a loophole in the state Constitution. The Legislaturelast year rejected an attempt by Sen. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, to pass a statute similar to the proposed amendment. Opponents oftheinitiativehave 30 days to challenge it. Ifit survives, signatures ofnearly 64,000 registered voters. W~ould have to be collected tO.l~m the ~easure off ~1i~ ~6all0t. Coloradatis- for Tradiu6nal" Marriage also withdrew a proposal to ban same-sex marriages. Hank Aaron Slams Pitcher’s Comments ATLANTA (AP)- Hall of Famer Hank Aaronjoined thebarrage ofcriticism against AtlantaBraves pitcher Johp_ Rocker, despite his apology for making derogatory comments about Gays and minorities. Aaron said he was "very sick and disgusted about the whole situation" and questioned how Rocker could continue in baseball. "I have no place in my heart for peoplewhofeel that way," the all-time home run king, who is the Braves’ senior vice president, told syndicated radio host Jay Mariotti. About 15 activists protested outside Turner Field, urging the Braves to fire Rocker for the comments, which were published i~n a recent Sports Illustrated. "There may be some room for redemption, but not as anAtlantaBrave," said Michael Langford, president of the United Youth-Adult Conference. "We encourage him to enter his resignation right now and go into an early retirement." Rocker told Sports Illustrated he would never play for a New York team because he didn’t want to ride a subway train "next to some queer with AIDS." He also bashed immigrants, saying, "I’m not a very big fan of foreigners... How the hell did they get in this country?" While driving in Atlanta during the interview, Rocker criticized Asian women: Look. Look at this idiot," he said of another driver. "I guarantee you she’s a Japanese woman. How bad are Asianwomenatdriving?" Healso calledan overweighl black teammate "a fat monkey." Rocker apologized in a ffritten statement, saying he was carried away by his "competitive zeal" against New York Mets fans. He said heis not a racist mad the comments do not reflect his true feelings. Civic groups and a member of the Atlanta city Council delivered aletter to Braves owner TedTurner and general manager John Schuerholz demanding Rocker’s immediate firing. "We would have hoped there would havebeen amore scathing condemnation of these comments," said Councilman Derrick Boazman. "This was more thanjust rhetoric. This was hate." There was no answer at Turner’ s office, and his publicist did pot return a telephone call. Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig called Rocker’s remarks "inappropriate and offensive." He said baseball is reviewing the matter and would take "appropriate action." There is precedent: Former Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott was suspended from baseball for the 1993 season for her use of racial and ethnic slurs. ¯ Pentagon .Seeks Tougher : Stand Aga,nst Harassers ¯ WASH!NGTON(AP)-The U.S. Defense Department ¯ is piessing armed services leaders to re-emphasize to ¯¯ commanders that harassment of troops based on their sexual orientation will notbe tolerated. The Pentagon : has drawn fire recently for its "don’t ask, don’t tell" : policy. Critics say an increasing number ofGay and Lesbian servicemembers arebeingharassed, contrary : to the stated policy ofpermitting them to serve so long : as they do not declare their sexual orientation. : The criticism sharpened after a court-martial in ¯ which anArmyprivate was convicted of murdering a ¯ Gay ,soldier harassed with the knowledge of his ¯ superiors. PresidentBill Clinton said earlier lastmonth ¯ that the Pentagon’s policy on Gays was "out of ¯ whack." ". see Briefs, p. 14 Older Americans With HIV Increasing HOUSTON (AP) - An aging population, life-extending treatments, and a misperception that AIDS is a disease of the young have fostered an increase in AIDS infections among older Americans, the Houston Chronicle reported recently. Nationally, about 11% of reported AIDS : cases are in people 50 or older, the newspaper reported. Seniors are the age group with the fastest-growing AIDS rates - up 22% between 1991 and 1996, compared with a 9% increase among people age 13-49, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. However, health officials warned that the increases seem dramatic because the numbers are small. A 106% increase in the number of older women infected through sex, for example, is based on an increase from 340 eases to 700 eases. "’At this point, the numbers are so small that they really have notbeen perceived as a problem," said Dr. Rose Brownridge, acting bureau chief of the Texas Department:of Health division that deals with AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. She added, however, that the issue needs further study. About 72,000 .americans age 50 and over and about 4,50(3 Texans have been. diagnosedwithAIDS. N~gneknows how many seniors are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, because not all states require HIV reporting and because older people arethought to be tested far less often than their younger counterparts. According to the CDC, slightly more than one-third of older people with AIDS are Gay or Bisexual men. About one of five was infected by using a dirty needle to inject drugs. While popular attention has been focusedon declining infection rotes among children, AIDS among seniors has been virtually ignored. That must change, said Marcia try, chief of social science research on aging at the National Institute onAging. "The pointis that society cannot ignore AIDS in that pediatric population, in the young adult population or the older population," Ms. try said. "For people living longer or getting infected at_ an older age, these people are incredibly isolated, and they may not getthe treatment they need." That is likely to change with the onslaught of baby boomers nearing retirement age, said Kathy Nokes, a New Yorknursewho works withinfected older patients and editor of a book on seniors with AIDS. "Baby boomers talk about everything, try everything, demand everything," she said. "To a 60- or 70- year-old, that’s not polite." Ironically, the drug Viagra that has allowedmanyoldermento revive dormant sex lives also has heightened concern aboutthe spread ofAIDS. "They are pretty AIDS-unaware as they venture out into the world of sexual activity," said Sara Selber, executive director of AIDS Foundation Houston. "AIDS wasn’ treally on their screen at the time they were (previously) sextmlly active." Fish Gene Key to Immune System TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A gene discovered in puffer fish - which have immune systems similar to humans - may hold secrets to learning more about diseases that affect the human immune system, such as AIDS, medical researchers say. ~esearchers doing work at St. Petersburg’s All Children’s Hospital published their findings in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an academic journal. Despite the finding, researchers do not know what the newly found gene does, said Gary Litman, the University of South qoridaimmunologistwholedthe research effort. However, they do know the gene plays amajor role in theimmune systembecause of its complex structure. In addition to the puffer fish, the ~mportant gene is found in other bony fish, including zebra fish and sharks. "The hunt is on for this gene in man," said Litman, who is working with eight other researchers in Florida and in California and Massachusetts. "Now we know where to look." Researchers are using computers .to search human DNA for the identical or similar sequence of 114,000 amino acids found in the fish DNA. There are about 3 million amino acids in the human body. Discoveries about the immune system can affectnew developments in treatments for diseases ranging from common allergies to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Litman said thenew gene mightprovide clues to an additional type of immunity that doctors might not have realized. AIDS Most Important Story HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP)- The discovery of and ongoing efforts to treat and find a cure for AIDS was the top story of the century, according to a survey of a group ofhigh school history students. The students surveyed by The Hutchinson News otherwise generally agreed with adult readers surveyed by the newspaper, but, adults gave AIDS barely a mention. ’ It had such a high impact on what they thought about their own mortality," said Susan Smith, a teacher atHutchinsonHigh School. "They didn’t think they could die, and they certainly didn’t think having sex could make them die." Lindsey Derr, 16, saidnews aboutAIDS is evenmoreimportantnow that the disease is generally understood by experts and millions of people have been identified as AIDS,positive. Jacqui Faber, 16, said a lot of people still don’t know enough about where and how to get tested. Some issues identified by students as mostimportant occurred long before their lifetimes, such as womengaining theright to vote in America. Other issues that are again xn the news, such as the Scopes "Monkey" trial pitting evolutionary theory against creationism, weren’t seen as important. Other stories that were big during their lifetimes, such as the explosion of the space shuttle Challengerandthemeltdown ¯of the Russian nuclear power plant at Cheruobyl, were neat the bottom of the high-school list. Thebombing ofPearl Harbor that led to U.S. entry into World War II, top of the general readership’ s list,was infifthplace among the students. A high-ranking story on the students’ list that ranked low among the gener~ readership was the "I Have a Dream speech given by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Talesha Brassield, a 16-year-old junior, said King’s speech was still a reminder that Americans have a lot to learn about respecting each other. "There The Second Annual Progressive Alliance Summit The State Capitol Oklahoma City Saturday Januar 15th, 2000 Join activists from many different progressive movements from across the state for skills and coalition building. Keynote Speaker: Frosty Troy The Oklahoma Observer For more information or for reservations contact Planned Parenthood in Tulsa at 918-587-7674 or Keith Smith at The Smith Group: 405-840-2219 Are You Gay or Bisexual? Are You Native American? Tulsa’s Two-Spirited Indian Men’s Support Group is 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 Dial-Up Accounts Dedicated ISDN Con nections Virtual Hosting Visit our web page wwwag~sweb.net (918) 622-4965 Internet Marketing E-Commerce Web Page Design On-Site Setu p Avail able Medical Excellence And Compassionate Since 1926. ST. JOHN.MEDICAL CENTER THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATION PRESENTS Equality Rocks Saturday, April 29, 2000 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, DC Hear Our Voices Our Vision For the New Millennium IsAWorld Where Peopl.e Can Live With Hope, Equality and Safety. Join Melissa Etheridge, Ellen Degeneres, Anne Heche and a Host of other Stars as They Rock. the New Millennium and Take a Stand for a Safer, BetterWorld for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People Everywhere. Tickets on Sale at 800..551.SEAT or www.ticketmaster.com are still people that believe people have to think the same, look the same and believe the same things," Talesha said. Thais Protest US Drug Monopoly BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Some 120 Thai activists and HIV-AIDS patients camped Wednesday outside the Health Ministry demanding an end to a U.S. pharmaceutical monopoly thatmakes antiviral drugs too expensive for most in Thailand. They want theThai government to enforce a patent act to legalize local manufacture of Didanosine or DDI, a medicine that suppresses the deadly HIV virus in a patient’s blood, delaying the onset of AIDS. Few. of the more than 1 million HIV postive individuals in Thailand, a country of 62 million people, can afford drugs such as DDI and AZT, imported to Thailandfromoverseas,mainlyfromU.S. manufacturers. DDI,manufacturedby U.S. ftrmBristol- Myers Squibb, is sold at50 baht ($1.25) a tablet in Thai hospitals. Patients need at least fourtablets aday, costingin all about 6,000 baht-10,000 baht ($160-250) a month. A Thai office worker earns about 4,400 baht($110) amonth. Thedrugprice would be halved if Thailand produce it locally. Last month, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the Nobel Peace Prize-winnlngemergency healthcare group, said U.S. trade pressure has made proper health care for H!V/ AIDS patients nnaffordable in Thailand and other less developed countries. Activists said access to DDI, used by around 5% of people living with HIV in 1997, declined over the past two years due to Thailand’s economic recession. Since theHIV epidemicbeganin the early 1990s, more than 260,000 Thais have contracted full-blown AIDS. ’q’he government has full legislation to enforce the act butit fears the U.S. will be angry andit mightlead to trade sanctions," said Paisal Tan-ud, spokesmanoftheThai Network For People Living With HIVAIDS. The activists plan to camp outside the ministly in Bangkok until they get an answer from the government. Earlier this year, campaigners succeeded in demanding local manufacture of Diflu.can, a drug used to treat cryptococcat memngitis, a fungal infection of the brain which occurs in HIV-AIDS patients. The government has allowed two local pharmaceutical compames to produce the drug, originally manufactured by the U.S. drug company Pfizer. Girl + Grandmother Tell Their Story WOODBRIDGE, Va. - When Annisha Wilbum was 4 years old, she went to live with her grandmother, Valerie Reeder- Bey, who is HIV-positive. Reeder-Bey knew she had to talk about her condition with her granddaughter. The hard part was finding a way to do it without frightening her or delving into uncomfortable details. "I was living in fear that anything could happen," said Reeder-Bey,46,wholives inWoodbridge. "I wanted to tell her. I just really had to find the way without being graphic." She started by jotting down things that Annisha shouldn’tworry about: "It’ s okay to hug," she wrote. "It’s okay to hold hands." As the girl got older, she started making her own contributions to the list. ¯ Talking on the telephone with her : grandmother was OK, Annisha pointed ¯ out, or going rollerblading together. ¯ Thus was born "My Grandma Has : AIDS: Annisha’s Story," a 14-page ¯ illustrated children’s book that was ¯ published this year by a pharmaceutical " ¯ company and distributed at the U.S. Conference on AIDS in Denver and a World AIDS Day commemoration in ¯ Boston. "- Annisha and her grandmotherare both ¯ listed as authors, but thebookis writtenin ¯¯ Annisha’s voice. "Hi. My name is Annisha. This is a story about my grandma," the book begins. "She is real : special to me. Mygrandmaisjustlikeany ¯ other grandma. My grandma has AIDS." The book goes on to describe the various things they do together. "I know that ifmy friendhas AIDS, I cannotcatch itbybeing ~ their friend," Annisha says in the book. ~ Reeder-Bey, who also lives with her ¯ husband, Tommy, is excited about the : book’s distributionandhopes parents will ¯" use it to introduce the subject of AIDS to i¯ tHheeairvcehniilndrVenie.wS,haeniosnaplrsoofitthtehafotpurnodveirdeosf : health counseling and support groups for ¯ people living with AIDS. "I would love ¯ forit to be in ev,,e~y household. That’s ~e ultimate dream,’ she said. "Even if it s ¯ not in every household, I want everyone ~ to know about it." : The road to "My Grandma Has-AIDS: ¯ Annisha’s Story"was along one. It began ¯ ¯ whenReeder-Beywent toherownmother, looking for solace after she learned she ¯" was HIV-positive. Reeder-Bey said she ¯ spent 22 years as an alcoholic and drug ¯ addict. Her mother could not accept the : diagnosis and sent her daughter away, she : said: "I forgive my mother now, but then, ¯ I couldn’t take it," she recalled. ¯ Six years later, Reeder-Beywas alcohol- . and drug-free andembarking onanew life ¯ as an AIDS activist and drug counselor. ¯ Then her daughter, who has had her own : struggles with addiction, asked her to take in Annisha. "Wehad already spent a lot of ." time together," Reeder-Bey said of ¯ Annisha. "She just became a part of my : life." When Annisha was 6, Reeder-Bey ¯ thought the two of them had a book worth ¯ sharing. She went to several well-known : children’s book publishers, who told her ¯ that the subject matter was inappropriate ¯ or didn’t fit their needs. ¯ Butthebookdidcatch the eye ofofficials ." at Agouron Pharmaceuticals, a La Jolla, ." Calif.-based company that makes the ." AIDS drug Viracept, and Agouron ¯ published it. Agouron has an active : outreachprogramthatfocuses particularly ¯" on minority communities, and the book ¯ worked well with that program, said Joy ¯ Schmitt, a company spokeswoman. : Reeder-Bey also made sure that Prince ¯ WilliamCounty school administrators got : a copy of"Annisha’s Story." Annishais a ¯ third-grader at Featherstone Elementary. ¯ Agouron said it plans to distribute the ~ book at otherAIDS conferences, with the ¯ authors’ permission. In the meantime, ¯ Reeder-Bey is a one-woman distribution ¯ machine, bringing books to her doctor’s ¯ office, to work, to wherever she thinks ¯ someone would pick one up. "I want : people to open up and start talking to kids : about it. Kids want you to be open with : them," Reeder-Bey said. ¯ And Annisha said she plans to keep ¯ writing. She has advice for other would- ~ be authors: "I think they should write ¯ what’s in their imagination, and write : what’sin their heart." Happy New Year and Century to " hit Broadway, running for 2 years. This everyone! "If you’re with me, next year : ground breaking drama about 9 Gay men willbe... The perfect year!" Sorry, Petula ¯ gathering for a birthday party with catty, left a little Norma Desmond behind. (The ¯ emotionally trying results spawned a film line is from a song that features ~ -by William Friedldn (who went on to prominentlyinthemusical, direct "the Exorcist", and "Sunset Boulevard".) Actually, there were afew days I couldn’ t tell the two apart. What, me catty? I don’t know what you mean. . . (Eyes bat iunocenfly. Well, as close as I can get... Shaddup! Stop snickering amongst yoursdves!) January at the PAC: Ben E. King performs with the Tulsa philharmonic the 7 &8. The armchair traveler goes to France on the 10; and the All State Music Festival happens onthe 15. "Gaelic Storm," the Irish band that played in the 3rd class steerage section of the Titanic appears at the PACJanuary 19 &20. Leo danced a jig to their tunes in the film. Latin music is played by Scarles, Allen and River on the 22, and a concurrent concert hapl~L’ns with Janina Fialkowska at the piano. On the 23, Das Puppenspeil (I love that name!) puppet theatre performs with the Philharmonic, and the month closes with "Buddy," the Buddy Holly musical from the 25 through the 30. "Crossing Delancy" opens on the 28. More info on these artists to come. If ~ou lust can’t wait, you can always call e f~iendly folks at the PAC ticket office at 596-7111. Forthose abitmoreventuresome, Dallas seems to be the place of interest in upcoming months. GeorgeWinstonplays Majestic Theatre Jan 7; and for those who recall a rather large member of the Rocky Horror Picture Show cast, Meat Loaf performs at McFarlin Auditorium Jan 16. My, they’re really bringing in the class acts now, aren’t they? For the more modem crown, Counting Crows plays the Bronco bowl Jan 25, and Beck plays there Jail 26. Kids in the Hall, the all male cross dressing comedy troupe of some fame in the mid-90’s plays the Bronco bowl Feb 3. The Pretenders, with opening act "Gay Dad", perform at the Bronco Bowl Feb 6. The Chieftains, for those who like their Irish music Irish, are at the Fort Worth Bass Performance Hall Feb 6. Back in Dallas, Diana Krall plays the Majestic Theatre Feb 18. And for those into boy bands, Backstreet Boys (almost has-beenS) are at Reunion Arena March3-4. For themorefolksy set, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are playing Reunion Arena March 7th. For thosepining for somedecent theatre - and I know many of you are, even if you don’t attend it- Mort Crowley’ s seminal work, "The Boys in the Band", runs through January 29 at the Fort Worth Theatre (817-921-5300). It rated a full page storyin theFortWorthStarTelegram. Apparently, Fort Worth has become a progressive town, in that one of its oldest and mostprestigious theatres has started a series of Gay plays called the "Labor of Love" series. They have sold out. Hello, Theatre Tulsa! "Boys" opened in April 1968, and was one of’the first, if not the first, Gay play to "Sorcerer") and nnhinged the closet door that held Gay theater locked inside and blew it down the hallway. . FortWorthTheatrehas already produced two shows this season thathad to do with some aspect of homosexuality: "Seducing Sally" and "The SantalandDiaries". Folks, this is a city nicknamed "Cowtown". Hello? It’ s about the size of Tulsa. They have 3 theatres there that are unafraid to try something new -CircleTheatre, Stage West, and now, the most staid of the Fort Worth Theatres. We have Heller, and : sometimes TU, and the quality of theatre ¯ in this town is very hit and miss. I know : that’ll tick some folks off, but it’s true. ¯ And more often than not, it’s missing. : Let’s work on that, shall we? I mean, ¯ Cowtown, really! Tickets are $10 - $12 dollars, and a ¯ percentage of ticket sales goes to AIDS ~ Resources of Rural Texas. And from the : pics of the cast, it looks like it would be a ¯ handsome evening, indeed. Thanks to : Mark Lowry of the Fort Worth Star Telegram for some of the info used in this : tern. Usually, when I write of an album wherein the songs, music and lyrics, tend to eerily reflect events in my own time space, it’ s a safe bet that I’m writing about Stevie Nicks. Shejust does thht sort thing. I got walloped this last week by an album my best friend Karin (who’ s straight, by the way) mademelisten to. She started off by saying some of the songs reminded her of me and one of my last major romantic entanglements. Then she started playing it, and I was just about knocked out of the car. The album is by an artist I never gave much ~hought to, except to wish that I’ d never hear the phrase "I Wanna Come Over" again. Yes, I was ~,valloped by a Lesbian MdissaEtheridge slat~stalbum, "Breakdown" (an ironic rifle, given the album’ s previously stated significance) is a treasure trove of powerful lyrics and dynamite music. The song "Stronger Than Me" is one of the ones my best friend Karin related to : my experience from her viewpoint. The ~ lyrics are dark and intense, and the music ; echoes their intent. "I don’t know how : you can take it / invest your heart and then ¯ youbreakit / I don’ tknow how youcan set : it free / you must be stronger than me" : certainly sums up my somewhat ¯ overoptimistic romantic enthusiasms according to Karin. "Breakdown" is a power ballad about a ~ love gone so wrong one has left, but the ¯ other p~rson keeps pulling you back like ~ a pit of quicksand. "I’m coming to your ~ breakdowntonight.""Enough ofMe" was ¯ another sock to the stomach in its eerie : capturing of what the last year of my last ; majorrelationship was like. see Jirn,p. 14 The Tulsa Phiharmonicpresents pianist Janina Fialkowska the third concert in the, Masterworks Series Saturday, January 22, 8pm Tulsa Performing-Arts Center Debussy, Prelude a l’apres midi d’une faune Grieg, Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16 Wagner, selections from Der Ring des Nibelungen Tickets: 747-PHIL or 596-7111 earles, Allen & Rive.ra URBANTULSA THE KERR FOUNDATION, INC. FOUNDERS AND ASSOCIATES, INC. "cO IJ/IELLIAS cao~oea~v:VAL CANIPAROLIw~€:FREOEIIIC CHOPIN Long before multi-million dollar book deals - were the fashion, Alexandre Dumas’ son (yes, the "The Three Musketeers" author) converted his torrid:turned-terminal love affair into a best seller. From there, composer Guiseppe Verdi adapted the story for opera (hello, "La Traviata"). Today, choreographer Val Canipamli finished the iob of turning "La Traviata" into dance. Using drama, not melodrama. For understatement underscored. A full-length love story. "You don’t have to knew ballet to love ballet. You just have to try it." -- MARCE£LO ARGELJNI ARTISTIC DIRECTOI~ " FRIDAY 8 PI~EBRUARY 11 SATURDAY B PMFEBRUARY 12 SUNDAY 3 PMFEBRUARY 13 SEASON SPONSORS: ABC Music Order tickets by calling The Tulsa BaJlet Ticket Offica: 749-600| 4512 S. Peoria Ava. , Tulsa, OK 74105-4563 ¯ VisH GILCREASE MUSE I~" 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 - 11am, 2545 S. Yale, 749-0595 (Welcoming) Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist Service - 1 lain, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314 Metropolitan Community Church United Service, llam, 1623 North Maplew00d, 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 - 1lain, 205 W. King (east of N. Denver), Info: 582-3088 Unity. Church of Christianity Services: 9:15 & 11:00 am, 3355 S. Jamestown,749-8833 University of Tulsa Bisexual/Lesbian/Gayfrransgendercd Alliance 6:30 pm, Meets at the United Ministry Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780 ~’ 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 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: 748-3888. I~" TUESDAYSAIDS 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 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, 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, 1 st Fri/each mo. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th I~" 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. t~= OTHER GROUPS T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 298-0827 Gal-A-Vanting, Womens Social & Cultural Group Call for info: Kathy at 322-6322, or Barb at 459-6825. OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization. Long rides & short rides from Zeigler Park. Long & short tides from Tulsa Gay Community Center. Write for info: POB 9165, Tulsa, OK 74157 Mixed Volleyball, non-active in winter, call Shawn at 243-5190 for spring activities. Ifyour organization is not listed, please let us know. Call 583-1248 orfax 583-4615. reviewed by Barry Hensley Tulsa City-County Library Here are a couple of new books at the library that you shouldn’t miss! A few years ago, author Rik Isensee wrote an eulighteningbookforGay men, rifled "Reclaiming Your Life: The Gay Man’s Guide to Love, Self-Acceptance and Trust." He’s back with a new winner for those of us in our, ahem, late thirties (and on up), "Are You Ready?" The time has come for the community to understand that Gay life doesn’t end simply because you remember Watergilte. This book helps you learn to celebraie i the positive things about aging (flexibility, " greater "One d Isensee’s primary tasks is to help Gay males reach closure with a youtlt~l identity¯ The key to this is learning to stop living for the moment¯ For a ¯ reclaim youthful ambitions. This tendency : can be compared to the stage of ¯¯ ’bargaining’ in grief reactions. If only I’d just work harder, exercise more, go to ¯ bars, get a facelift, get a tattoo- I’ll be all ¯ right." One of the suggested steps toward stabilizing your life is to get in a long term relationship. Just because it didn’t work whenyouwereyoungand foolish doesn’t mean it won’t work now! There is a good section that provides some basic guidance toward finding a rdationship, including "what are you looking for?," "distinguish _between desirables.and necessary qualities," and variety of reasons, "be open to men who " don’tfityouinsual type." we are living longer. _There are alsosomegood tolerances, self ann " 1- .... ¯.... " ~ d nav" ate neell to remmn acceptance) an lgate~_____-~_~. the negatives (dis-eti~ vital and involved. over physical aging, d i s i 11Usi onm e n t,--It Is very Important examples of how depressio,and lethargy). One of Isensee’s to-not waste time primary tasks is to help re]ivln6 - Gay males reach closure with a youthful identity, the past.. The key to this is learning to stoplivingfor themoment. Fora variety of re~ons~ we are living long~-and need to remain vital and involved. It is very important to not waste time reliving the past. As Isensee explains, "During this uncertain time, when we’ ve lost our way, there may be a sense of not having accomplished anything. Itmay be difficult to remember earlier goals or to ascribe any significance to them. It’s also hard to imagine what else we would like to do. Rather than tolerating the anxiety of not knowing, some men are tempted to make up for lost time - through some radical change for its own sake, or a mad dash to with Former and does not believe the accusation to be credible. Attorney Kerry Lewis, who is also a board member of Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights suggested that anti-Gay bias and political opportunism on the part of Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris and his staff may be behind this accusation. Lewis noted that such a case would have appeal for Republican Harris whose voter bast is tied to religious extremist elements in the Republican Party. Lewis also said that given the level of anti-Gay prejudice in the area’s jury pool; Harris maybecalculating thatheneednotactually prove Former guilty, that is that merely being a Gay man accused by a younger man will be taken as proof of guilt in a legal system. that is hostile to minority citizens. DrumwrightattorneyTimDaniel whose practice~has’included defending Gaymen relationships change over the years. No, thesethi~gs are not easy, but the hard work will pay off in. the end! Another new book is, ’q’he Book of Gay and Lesbian Quotations." This is a fun compilation of quotes by Gays and ¯ Lesbians; and Gay-friendly peopleas well, ¯ from ancient times to the present. It is a ." simple reference book broken down into ¯ broad subjects: solitude, morality, hope, ¯ etc. : Some of the better quotes are: "a waist ¯ is terrible thing to mind," "anyone who ¯ says that softball is a boring game to . watch isn’t looking at the right things!," : and "the only way of getting dd of temptation is to yield to it." This is a super : book for one liners. : Check for these and other fun books at ¯ your local branch library, or call the ¯ Readers ServicesdepartmentattheCentral : Library at 596-7966. : who say they were entrapped by Tulsa ¯ Police, believes that the Tulsa County ¯ DistrictAttorney uses anti-Gay bias in the legal system to plea bargain cases, : knowing that accused Gay men, even if ¯ they are not guilty, or even if the police ¯ engaged in illegal conduct themselves in ¯ order to make an arrest, will accept a ~ "deal" rather than risk having a hostile ¯ jury and even more serious charges and ¯ punishment. : Anti-Gay hate crime victims, Tony Orr ¯ &TimBeauchamp, also have pointed out ¯ that Hams’ office failed to assist them in : getting normal compensation for their : medical expenses due to the assault on ¯ them, and that the DA’s office did not ¯ even prosecute seriously their assailants ¯ until after The Tulsa World wrote a story : about the DA’s inaction. ¯ Fortner did return a call to TulsaFami!y : Newsbutonadviceofhis attorney declined ; to comment onthe allegations. Calls to : Former’s attorney were not returned. January April July October December Even Out Your Monthly Electric Bills. At PSO, we know that changing weather conditions throughout the year can cause your monthly electric bills to rise and fall dramafieally. Which can make it hard to tflan your ¯household budget. That’s why~ ~ourAverage Monthly Payment plan, could be your_budgeting solution. Wata~you imy about the same each month, because it’s based on your gnevious 12 months.usage. That makes budgeting a breeze. And best of all ifs free. AMPis just one of several ttem~ole payment o~ons PSO offers you. For more a day. Or sign up forAMPon our P- 9 PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY OF OKLAHOMA A Central and South West Company Holland Hall SCHOOL PRIMARY SCHOOL TOURS (AGE 3- GRADE 3) MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL TOURS (GRADES 4- I I) MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOL TESTING (GRADES 4- II) PRIMARY SCHOOL TESTING (KINDERGARTEN- GRADE I) To reserve your place, please Call the Admission Office at 481=111.1; extension 251. 5666 E. 81st Street ~ Between Yale & Sheridan ~ Tulsa ~ www.hollandhall.org Holland Hall admits qualified students without regard to race, sex. religion, national or ethnic omgm, or p~.sical disabili~.. 800-559-1558 ~.NewNest.com The new Patti Johnsqq Wilson YWCA wi, be opening February 2000 Fitness Center Aerobics Aquatic Programs Licensed Child Care Our Proffress Le s! by Mary Schepers . - I will respect electrical energy and will TFNdo-it-yourself-dyke extraordinaire ¯ notwireanyfixture, outletorswitch’hot." The holidays are over, the mistletoe " - I resolve to keep saw blades sharp and delightfullynsed, abusedandrefused.The ¯ clean. I will unplug power saws before long nights and short days of winter seem ¯ removing the blade. to stretch on forever. It is - I resolve to use trendy the time to dreamoffuture projects that will not be started until spring time comes. And it is time for making all of those godawful New Year’s resolutions that endurebutfor a mere matter of days. Why not combine home projects with good intentions andmake some resolutions you’ll actually keep? Inall modesty, and with absolutely no sense of overstepping boundaries, your DIYD gently offers her own suggestions for your approval and implementatzon. Considerityourblueprint for a millennium of satisfying home projects. Or consider it your DIYD telling you what to do - again. And always. Why should this century be any different than the. last? You love it, ducklings, you know you do! Now, repeat after me - I resolve to always work safely! I will read and follow direction~ and will not by-pass guards or safety devices. I will use personal protection (safety glasses, earplugs, etc.), and ask for help if I need it. -I will measure twice (minimum!) and cut once. Woodis expensive and screwing up makesmecranky and unbearable. Let’ s avoid that this year. -I will not swear to the extent and/or noise level that the dog or cat needs deep therapy. -I will always involve my partner (if applicable) inhome repair and decoration decisions. Even if they say they "don’t care" - trust me, cupcake, theydo! - I resolve to take good care of my tools. I will keep them clean, organized and in good repair. I will thereby not waste precious project time obsessing about the mystery location of the screwdriver or paint roller. - I resolve not to treat any ofmy partner’ s questions as stupid - no matter how glaringly obvious the answer or solution. - Iwill not loan out tools I care about to people who abuse them or do not return them, I will acknowledge my emotional/ psychological bond with my tools, especially thoserequiring apower supply, - I will buy that leather tool bdtas soon as I can. And I will use it (silk boxers optional). - I resolve to always set my ladder up on a stable, even surface and to havesomeone watching out for me nearby. That especially applies if I am on the roof. The dog does not count as my ’safety buddy.’ -I resolve to overcome my fear and loathing of spiders and slugs long enough to enter the crawl space and make that minorplumbingrepair to thebathtub drain. Other-wise, I will overcome my aversion to paying a plumber to do the same. "In all modesty, and with absolutely no sense of overstepping boundaries, your DIYD gently offers her suggestions for your approval . . . Consider it your blueprint for a millennium of satisfying home projects. Or consider it your DIYD telling you what to do - again. And always. Why should this century be any different than the last?" colors and designs in my home sparingly, remembering fullyhow appalled I was by the ’50’s Peptopink bathroom walls, tile and tub. I am leaving a legacy! (this does not apply if you wish vengeance on your heirs) - I will always get three quotes for any contract labor, as well as references. - I resolve to be more respectful for the people wor.king atmylocal home repatr palace, even thal patronizing boob in plumbing. Fantasize about replumbing his fixtures, butdon’tactually threaten to do it this time. -I resolve to buy very good paint brushes and keep them clean and properly stored for a lifetime of painting pleasure. -I will not tell friends, family or relative strangers how they screwed up their latest project and what I wouldhavedonebetter. Do give them a stack ofDIYD columns as a form of gentle guidance. - I resolve to do one project this year, no matter how small, to improve the aesthetics, efficiency or value ofmyhome. - I resolve tomakemy DIYD that cocktail - a Manhattan with two cherries - as a small token of the gratitude I bear her for enlightening my life and improving my home! And your DIYD resolves to be back next month to help you make good on some of these intentions. PS: Your DIYD doesn’ t waste precious energy tying cherry stems into knots with her tongue when it is better applied to practical projects! ¯ By the time ~this song played, I was ¯ becoming a fan. So much so, I bought the CD If ’ , : you ve been depressed, and couldn t ¯ explain how debilitating a state it really ¯ can be, "Into The Dark" is one of those ¯¯ songs you play for people to make them understand what the dark night of the soul ¯ is all about. One ofthemore powerful and dark songs on thi~ album, it leaves you ." haunted. It’ s a ditty about going "into the ¯ soullinto the heart/into the dark", and : realizing that one’s been spinning one’s wheels keeping a dead relationship alive, ¯ not that Iwouldknowanythingabout that. "There was tire/therewas death/there was ¯ lyingonyourbreath/Itumedaway/Iwould ¯ pretend/but the fire never ends/I’ve been ¯ here sleeping all these years. " _" Lest you think it’s all doom a~ad gloom, : JulieCypher, Melissa’s longtimepartner, ¯ requested a more upbeat song for fear her to recognize same-sex civil marriage. It was thefirst state to offer domesticpartner benefits to state workers, one of the first states to recognize second-parent adoptions and one ofthe first states to ban. discriminationbasedonsexual orientation. -The Mormon church, which has campaigned.-against Gay marriage in Vermont, Hawaii and California, issued a brief statement repeating its position and ¯ saying,"As the legislative process moves forward, The ChUrch of Jesus Cqh-’ist of Latter-day Saints urges the citizens of Vermont and their elected representatives to protect the uniqueness and sanctity of traditional marriage and to preserve the family ~ the basic unit of society." Next Door In New Hampshire A statelawmakeris trying to make sure Gay New Hampshire couples do riot take advantage of the Vermont ruling. Rep. Gary Torressen, R-Center Harbor, says he was disappointed by the decision that Gay couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections as husbands and wives. Torressen said he filed., his bill, which would prevent New Hampshire from recognizing same-sex marriages contracted out of state, in anticipation of the Vermont court’s decision. The Legislature repealed a ban on Gay foster parents and Gay adoptions. The state also has a law that protects Gays and Lesbiansfrom discrimination in housing, employmentand access topublicfacilities. State Sen. Rick Trombly, a Boscawen Democrat who is Gay, said New Hampshire shouldgo further and set upits own domestic partnership system. Rep. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth, has filed a bill that would extend medical benefits to domestic partners, andrecently, trustees for the state university system approved domestic partner benefits for employees. But Gays and Lesbians still lackfull acess to the samehealthinsurance, disability benefits, tax breaks and inheritance protections that married couples enjoy. Trombly believes New Hampshire lawmakers would support a domestic partnership system as a fundamental affirmation of equal rights. But he does not believe they would support Gay marriage, because many believe heterosexual marriage has a religious significance. State Sen. Pat Krueger, a conservative Republican from Manchester, said Tuesday she had Gay friends whose lives were complicated by their lack of legal protections, and she would consider supporting domestic partnerships. A spokeswoman for Gov. Jeanne Shaheen said the governorremains opposed to Gay marriage. Spokeswoman Pamela Walsh declined:comment on Shaheen’ s .view of domesticpartnership.legislation, sayingit was premature. Excerpts from the Supreme Court decision on marriages: Maythe stateofVermontexclude samesex couples from the benefits and protections that its laws provide to opposite-sex married couples? That is the fundamental question we address in this appeal, aquestionthatthecourtwellknows arouses deeply-felt religious, moral, and political beliefs. Our constitutional responsibility to consider the legal merits of issues properly before us provides no exception for the controversial case. The issue before the court, moreover, does not turnon the religious-or moral debate over ¯ inlimate same-sex relationships, butrather ¯ on the statutory and constitutionai basis for the exclusion of same-sex couples : from the secular benefits and protections : offered married couples. ¯ We conclude that under the Common Benefits Clause of the Vermont Constitution, which, in pertinent part, e,ads, that government ~s, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, ¯¯ protection, and security of the people,. ¯ nation, or community, and not for the particular emolument or advantage ofany i single person, family, or set of persons, ¯ who are a part only of that community," plaintiffs may not be deprived of the : statutory benefits andprotections afforded ¯ persons of the opposite sex who choose to ~ marry. We hold that the state is ¯ constitutionally required to extend to ¯ same-sex couples the common benefits : and protections that flow from marriage under Vermont law. ". (and) ¯ While the laws relating to marriage ¯ have undergone many changes during the ¯ last century, largely toward the goal of ¯ equalizing the status of husbands and ¯ wives, the benefits of marriage have not ¯ diminished in value. On the contrary, the ¯ =benefits and protections incident to a : marriagelicense under Vermontlaw have : never been greater. ¯ (andfrom Justice Denise Johnson) ¯ This case is undoubtedly one of the ¯ most controversial ever to come before ¯ this court. Newspaper, radio andtelevision ¯ media have disclosed widespread public ¯ interest in its outcome, as well as the full ¯ spectrum of opinion as to what that ¯ outcome should be and what its ¯ ramifications may be for our society as a ¯ whole. ¯ .One line of opinion contends that this is ¯ an issue that ought to be decided only by ¯ the most broadly democratic of our ¯ governmental institutions, theLegislature; ¯ and thatthe small group ofmenandwomen : comprising this court has no business deciding an issue of such enormous ¯ moment. : For better or worse, however, this is ¯ simply not So. This case came before us ¯ because citizens of the state invoked their ¯ ¯ constitutional right to seekredress through the judicial process of a perceived ¯ deprivation under state law. The Vermont ¯ Constitution does not permit the courts to decline to adjudicate a matter because its ¯ subject is controverslal, or because the ¯ outcome may be deeply offense to the Strongly held beliefs of many of our ¯ citizens. ¯ We do not have, as does the Supreme ¯ Court of the United States, certiorari -’ jurisdiction, which allows thatcourt, inits ¯ sole discretion, to decline to hear almost ¯ any case. To the contrary, if a case has ¯ been brought before us, and if the ¯ established procedures have been ¯ followed, as they were here, we must hear ¯ and decide it. : Moreover, we must decide the case on ¯ legal grounds. However much history, : sociology, religious belief, personal ¯ experienceor other considerations may ¯ inform our individual or collective : deliberations, we must decide this case, ¯ and all cases, on the basis of our ¯ understanding of the law, and the law ¯ alone. ¯" Thismustbethe trueandconstant effort ¯ of every member of the judiciary. That ¯ effort, needless to say, is not a guarantee ¯ of infallibility, nor even an assurance of ¯ wisdom. It is, however, the fulfillment of .. our pledge of office. 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 310,East First Street Massage Therapy Services ¯ / Edgar O. Cruz, L.M.T.| Pager: 918-889-5255 Voice Mail: 918-697-9282 Lic. #C4133 Want to get involved? Need to get tested for HIV? Need a Coming Out Support Group? Call 743-GAYS (4297) Tulsa Gay Community Services Center 1307 E. 38th at Peoria, 2nd floor Country Club Barbering Custom Styling for Men & Women David Kauskey 3310 E. 51st, 747-0236 Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pro IGTA member Call 341, 6866 International Toursformoreinformation. A UTHENTIC FRESH 1TALIAN RAINBOW CUSINE TROUT OfEureka Springs ,Voted Number One in Arkansas! (SOD 253-6807 Closed Wednesday Center Street, Eureka Springs, AR 72632 Red Rock Tulsa O’RYAN Oklahoma Rainbow ¯ Young Adult Network . Outreach Program Thurs. Nights Meet Others in a Safe Enviroment Call for meeting times and place: 918-584-2325. TOM NEAL BUILDING & GARDEN DESIGN 58:3- 1248 by Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D. ¯ into gender patterns as soon as they are One of my students owns 189 pairs of ~ born, wrapping them in blue or pink athletic shoes. Not quite Imelda Marcos, ~ blankets. Walk into any toy store and you butgettingthere.Anthonyisjust20years ¯ knowwhenyou’veenteredthegirls’aisle. old and already he is a sophisticated ¯ Everything suddenly has turned pink. collector. Collecting things is oddly ¯ Several of my friends with young sons importantformany ofus. I have other friends who accumulate Native American artifacts. And books. And jazz vinyl recordings. And Cacti. And uniforms. Most of us collect some-thing evenif this is only string or a draw full Of condoms. Our houses are museums. One ofmy professors saved sheets of toilet paper from bathrooms around the world. Me, I have.a stupendous collection of refrigerator magnets. We buy stuff; we give it away; we receive it; andwe curateit: Think of all those shoeboxes lined UP in Anthony’s bedroom. Things, clearly,are important for reasons beyond the utilitarian. Evenwearing themevery second until the day he dies, Anthony will never use up all his Shoes. He buys themto ownandnot particularly to wear. They helpmake sense ofwhom he is - or at least who he thinks he wants to be. Because ofthiS, ormaybe it’s their smell(they give him a buzz. Having just survived the holiday season, we know the pleasures and pains of stuff. Did you get what you want for the holidays? Did you make a list? Did you check it twice? Everyone grumbles about the materialism of a onetime religious celebration. But complain away, I sure had a lot of desperate company last month when I went foraging for things in the bleak shopping expanses of Walmart. "We slot our ehildren into gender patterns as soon as they are born, wrapping them in blue or pink blankets. Walk into any toy store and you know when you’ve entered the girls’ aisle... Several of my friends w~th young sons complain that it is difficult to find gender-neutral toys. ’One two-year old boy loves to play with brooms and vacuunl cleaners. His morn, of course, has to go to the girlS’ side to find toy household eleanlng equipment. And, worse, the kid likes to play with dolls. His father nervously protests his son’s babydoll games. " Je~z! Can’t you buy the boy atru~k?" This connection Of stuff and identity is characteristically American. We learn early on to~ define ourselves in terms of things, We_+play a:game with children called "favorites." Weinsist that kids tell us their favorite"color~ music, television show, make of car,.or ice-cream. Evenif complain that it is difficult to find gender-neutral toys: One two-ye~ old boy loves to play with. brooms and vacuum cleaners. His ~m0m+ of course, has to go to the girls’ side to find toy household cleaning equipment. And, worse, the kid likes to play with dolls. His father nervously protests his son’s. babydoll games. Jeez! Can’t you buy the boy a truck? This paternal nervousness signals the symbolic strength of the connections we draw between things and identity, ff doll equals girl, thenboy-whoplays -with-doll equals girlish, perhaps even Gay. Our use of particular things sends messages, accurate or not, aboutwho. we might be. We know that both men and women need to.practice nurturing. Butthe doll-loving boy, like the toy gun-toting girl, violates the cultural code of consumption that attributes gender to things. And, who knows? Maybe the Kid really just likes dolls. Or maybe he has already figured out our consumption code and he likes dolls on purpose in order to Send dad a message. My daughters, too’old for dolls, and also,too old for Pokemon, this year wrote Gameboy camera on their Christmas lists. They didn’ t seem worried about the name. Why Gameboy and not Gamegirl? In hierarchical systems, it is easier to "ups,h,ift" than "dowm Shifi. Gifts wear pants. Not .too many boys wear ¯ dresses. Women become d0ctors; not too ¯ many mendreamaboutbecominganurse. " Except, perhaps+ some of those sweet, ¯ doff-loving boys of course ~When I was a kid, Barbie dolls didn’t :~ last long in my neighborhood. We’ d steal ¯ themfromour sisters .and use thbm cruelly. we aetuallyhave,nofavorites-~ this question ¯ They,w~ould.’be J..gan of Arc atthe stake, puslies~s tomeasureandsztuateoursel~es: . andWor~.~ If ~eh~d any ~ense, w~ W~~d svi_thin the w0dd of goods.. So goes .,".ha’ve,ca~-~f~illyst6i?&l them away intheig American.inff!~iduality:;~and.so..goe~rour..: ." boxes to’become’rich by selling them to _economy:as well....... ~ , - ....... " ........ ., today’s fanatic Barbie ¢_ollectors: I can Favorites make less senseintta.ditional~ ~ recommend a great website with-pictures societies where individuality is ,muted~ ." of.Ken, from 1961 to 2000: Check out and where the range of goods is.litfiited. ¯ www.manbehindthedoll.com. This guy But even in ¯simpler societies,¯ things: ." ~ really likes,his boy dol|s.J’m suggesting differentiate gender.. Women wear : to Anthony thathe build a similar Shrine differentarticles of clothing than do men~ : to his boy shoes :’ . z They oftent~s~different tO~Is~ The)~ may .~ Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.’D,~ ~teaChes noteatihesamefoods~.W,eslotourchi.’l.dren. "- anthropology, at .t:he.~University of Tulsa, We dedicate an enormous mount of resources to outreach, networking, building allies and forging ties with advocacy, educational and religious organizations. Even when distribution goes well, though, it hardly covers our costs. To do this kind of media work, we rely on outside support from our friends who share our goals and understand the unique role films like IT’ S ELEMENTARY and THAT’S A FAMILY!canplayinprevenfingprejudice and violence. Pleasehelp us keep thehugemomentum IT’S ELEMENTARY generated going strong. Help us welcome the millennium by getting THAT’S A FAMILY! out of our editing room and into elementary school classrooms all across the country. Please send your tax-deductible donations toWomen’ s Educational Media, 2180 Bryant Street, Suite 203, San Francisco,CA94110. Orgo to this interuet address to makea secure on-line donation with your visa or mastercard: http://www.womedia.org/support.html Donations of any size will be of great help. With warm regards and deep appreciation for your generous support, - Debra Chasnoffand Helen S. Cohen Producers P.S. We are honored to let you know that IT’S ELEMENTARY just won the 1999 Multicultural Education Media Award,givenby th6National Association for Multicultural Education (N.A.M.E.). Weknow this award -- the first N.A.M.E. has ever given to anything Gay-related will help us build even better alliances with educators who are committed to addressing diversity !ssues. Please help ustoday to get THAT S A FAMILY! out where it can be put to good use. Women’s Educational Media 2180 Bryant Sreet Suite 203 San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 641-4616, (415) 641-4632 fax Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said thatRudyde Leon, the under secretary of defense for personnel, and Douglas Dw0rkin, the acting general counsel,raised the matter in a Dec. 18 memorandum to service leaders. "It is important that the leadership of each of the services issue a strong statement to the field that harassment~of service members for any reason, to include alleged or perceived homosexuality, will not be tolerated," according to thememo,releasedThursday by the Defense Department. Bacon said it had not been made sufficiently clear to commanders that a service member’ s complaint about being harassed for alleged homosexuality is not grotmds forinvestigating the complainant. Instead it should be the basis for investigating the harassers, he said. image would be one see Jim, p. 14 of a liorrible drago,n,, given the tone of the oth~"rdationship songs. Melissa asked her~f,"How much do I love Juiie? I love her~uchthat I would want to die in her ar~ Quite a wonderful thing to say aboi~.’ anyone’s lover, male or female. "S!O~p" was the answer to the question, a lovely song about getting away from the noise ofthe world and snuggling into your ¯¯ lover’s arms and listening to him/her breathing, and feeling trusting and ¯ comfortable enough with another person : to be able to sleep. It’s a lovely song of ¯ quiet comfort. ¯ And then there’s issues of equality. : "Truth of the Heart"is a wonderful ballad ¯ to the truth that "We all begin this race at : the start" and about how "deep down : inside we’re all the same / try not tojudge ¯ someone / and never shame." Partnered ¯ for almost 11 years now, the two have two ¯ children of their own. Melissa wrote this ¯ song to explain to their children about ¯ how to deal with life. Words to live by. In : "MamaI’m Strange", thejoys of growing ¯ up Gay - or just different - is artfully : explored, with just the fight amountof ¯ angst to remind us where we came from ¯ and how hard the struggle could be at ¯ times~ ¯ The single most striking song is called : "S~carecrow", and it’s about Matthew ¯ Sheppard. She said she hadlots of trouble ," w~riting that because here she was also ¯ writing ’’Truth of the Heart" as well and ¯ felt she couldn’t be writing about people : being good in one song and denounce ¯ them in another. So the end of the song is ". her way of forgiving (but not forgetting) ¯ the second attacker (I think he was going ¯ to trial or prison at that time). It has to be : heard to be experienced. If you aren’t ¯ crying and angry after hearing it, you’re ¯ dead. ¯ There are two versions of this CD, one ¯ of which is already hard to find. It has ¯ three extra songs, "Touch and Go", : "Cherry Avenue" (where she mentions the name of one-of the Lesbian bars in ¯ which she sang for about 4 years before being discovered -Que Sera), and "My ¯ Beloved", and is released in a cardboard ¯" case. The regular version has 11 songs in theusual plasticjewel box; Whichincludes : the lovely ode tounrequitedlove, ’"’Angels ¯ Will Fall". That’ s the one most folks are ¯ going to be familiar with at this point. ¯ For you men out there: I know that in ¯ some-minds, there’s a big chasm between ¯ Gay men and Lesbians, and this extends ¯ to performer preferences. I’ve heard the ¯ nasty comments - from both sides. All I ¯ can say is, get over your prejudices, and ¯ get this CD. It’s well worth it, and ¯ incredible in its beauty and reflection of ¯ life. And, Melissa, you have a new fan. Thank you Karin, for your contributions ¯ to widening my musical horizons and the infolmation contained in the above article ¯ about the backgrbund of the songs. Seems ¯ ironic that I’ mbeing tutoredinGay culture ¯ and musical icons by a straight woman, ¯ but suchis life. I feel like I shouldknow all ¯ this alrcady! ." There’s a few things Karin said that I ¯ think bear repeating, for both Melissa ¯ fans, and more importandy, for us all: "I ¯ am so happy that I could bring a singer ¯ into your life who writes and sings from ¯ ¯ the heart. VH1 is rertmmng her "Behind the Music" next week, and I’m going to tape it for you You’ll like it. It’ s the only ¯ oneI veseenwheretheartmtlsn thit~hing ¯ about something. Someofthemjustwhine ¯ endlessly. ’I love Shania Twain, but her ¯ BTM special was one endless bitch and ¯ whine. ¯ Stevie Nicks doesn’t bitch, but she’s : had such lousy things happen, to her, by : her own hand, that it just sounds so ¯ depressing. You know Melissa has been ¯ depressed, butthere’s somuchshedoesn’t ¯ say. I saw John Mellencamp’s BTM ¯ (Behind the Music), I’ve sc~en Cherts ¯ dozens of times, along with Madonna’ s, and Melissa’ s just seems so upbeat that Timothy Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fightfor 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. SprinL Sprint PCS" The C ear Alternative to Cellular Sprint PCS" Select Retailer $99.95 New Sprint PCS Phone -25.00 Less instore rebate $74.95 Net cost Buy any Sprint PCS Phone and get $25 off!’ Everyone is approved! All Sprint PCS service plans include.~ ¯ Free Voicemail, Free Caller ID ¯ Free Call Waiting ¯ Free 3 way calling , No activation fee ¯ No contract required ¯ 100% Sprint PCS Nationwide Neb,vork. Tulsa Locations: 2001 S. Garnett, 437-2dd~. 3733S. Memorial, 66003zl4 1216 S. Harvard, 587-1778 Sapulpa Location: ,109 N. Mission, 227-2322 Meet Local .Guys for Hot Ti @Origin. 18+. Additional features from personal ads see Jim, p. 15 she seems to have had a great life. Like I said before, growing up Gay anywhere, I know from you, is awful, but growing up Gay in Leavenworth, Kaus~ must be the pits. She doesn’t make much of anything depressing. I was veryimpressed. Thanks for the remark to the Gay men to listen to Lesbians. I think they shodd each take heed of that. And remember, she’s the only one I know of getting the word out to the .mainstream crowd. P,e~,,ple like her so much that they tend to. forget" (or tryto ...forget) that she’s Gay. She doesn’t let them. ("Someone’s spitting blood/face downinthe dirt/someone’ s thinking about ~ a gun/to try and stop the hurt/someone drew conclusious/on the wail of destiny/ someone’s getting louder/and that someone would be me.") That should be importanttous ail."- Miss KarinGregory. And I agree. Janis Ianis performing Saturday March 4 in Dallas, TX at a club called Uncle Caivin’s with Buddy Mondlock. And ladies, as aiways, if you have something to contribute or would like to see in this column, please let me know care ofTFN, or email me at tfnentritr@aol.com. I wouldn’ twantto disappointthe diehard readers of this column, so now it’s time for... The Stevie Nicks mention. She has a featured track on the new Sheryl Crow and FriendsCDand video. The song is the venerable Gold Dust Woman, and she’s never sounded better! The CD’ s out now, video to follow. Sarah. McLachlan, Chrissie Hynde, the Dixie Chicks and others aiso sing with Sheryl. And Stevie still has a few shows left to do in Las Vegas at the house of Blues this month. Hernew album, first duein October oflast year, now set for sometime this year, maybe, is being produced by one of the better known producers of hip hop and rap. I’d mention the name, but I caff t rememberit. Shery! Crow was producing, which wouldhavemadefor an interesting aibum - she did the excellent jobs of producing the Stevie songs forthe Practical Magic soundtrack. Stevie and rap... That will be interesting as well, aithough I fear for different ~easous. We shall see.., or hear. The ever handsome pianist Jim Brickman performed at the PAC on December 10, 1999, along with the very talented John Trones and the beautiful Anne Cochran. The show was lovely, an eveningofromance and seasonal favorites, and as Mr. Brickman described the evening, much like a gathering of friends round the piano. Okay, if the friends had areally large living room, and reaily good - moodlighting. Andamplifiers. Thegroup .i did a swell job ofmaking a cavern into an intimate cabaret. Mx. Brickman has a charming sense ofhumor and intelligence .to complementhis goodlooks. (Evenbetter m person and up close. I love my job...) He seemed very relaxed, and it was like meeting an old friend for the first dine. His playing can certainly set amood, from exuberant to melancholy and romantic all at the same time; and has a warmth to it thatis reminiscentof spending the evening with a loved one by a fire. Or, if you’ re .single, as I am, curledup in a comforter with a good book and cup, of cocoa. Now that weknow how I spendmy evenings... What? Have I said too much? Mr. Brickman is a prolific songwriter as well, setting words to music that is lovely : to hear and unabashedly sentimental in feeling. : Anne Cochran, who met Mr. Brickman ¯ inhigh school, where they formed aband, : has one of the most incredible voices I’ve : heard. And her phrasing with a song is : immaculate. Shecaptured thewarmthand joy of the compositions she performed withexpertease, andhas alovely, energetic yet relaxed stage presence that also added to the ambiance of the evening. She has a new CD out called "Lucky Girl’_’, which I would highly recommend for a gift based on whatI heard that evening. Iwould have one in my hot little hands right now had they not been sold out. She isa name you might be familiar with, she has had a top ¯ 5 hit with Jim Bfickman on the song : -"After All These Years" which has been : reed by skater Rosalyun:Summers, both : live and recorded. It was also the song ¯ used on the final episode of "Home : Improvement", andshe will be featured in :- the Lifetime television speciai"A Golden Moment". Definitely worth checking out. You can order her CD at www.AnneCochran.com. John Trones (pronounced ~tro-ness’), who is as nice and gorgeous as he is .talented (what a voice! whata smile! what a chest! what a pleasant man!), was a delight to listen to as well. With a million dollar smile that shines like a searchlight, and a voice that has incrediblerange and expressiOn,hejoined Anne on several numbers and had some lovely solos. His singing soared through the Chapman theatre and could melt the most hardened heart. He has an aibum of standards and ballads out called "Forward", which I was able to snag and most definitely would make a great Valentine’s girlie for the special man on your list. He can melt the ice off the fiorth Pole with that voice, and his phrasing and reading of the standards is right on target. A pity he’s in Minneapolis, I would love to see more of him. He does Cabaret there at Blanche’s, and has performed in a number of Gay plays, listed on his web site, www.JohnTrones.com, which is worth a look. You can also order his CD there. After listening to several review CDs of dubious quality sent to TFN, put out by Gay artists of dubious talent, attempting to sing standards and not succeeding very well at anything other than murdering the music, I am glad to say that his would be the one I would, and did, purchase. They were joined by Tracy Silverman on electric violin, and he did quite an interesting variationonthe Beade’ s"Here Comes The Sun". His playing added an interesting embellishment to Mr. Brickman’s piano. I will say he had the most lovely and LONG hair I’ ve seen on aman in along time. He has an album out on Windham Hill records. If you get the chance to catch any or all of these artists should they make a return appearance, DO SO! You won’t regret it. Just make sure you have a date, and one that won’t stand you up. I was looking forward to Peter Buffett’ s "Spirit: A Journey in Dance, Drum, and Song"aunique blend of Native American and contemporary music, dance, and storytelling, to have been held January 3 and 4th, 2000 at the Brady Theatre. According to the latest info, ail spring dates have been put onhold. According to my sources, a late spring tour is in the plans. James Christjohn serves as TFN Entertainment editor with emphasis on the performing arts. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2000] Tulsa Family News, January 2000; Volume 7, Issue 1 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource Tulsa Family News was a monthly newspaper; No. 1 issued December 1993-January 1994. The final issue available was published in September 0f 2001 (Volume 8, Issue 9). The newspaper brings up important, evolving topics of marriage, Pride, TOHR, HIV/AIDs, events, advice, and politics all at the local and national level. This document is available in searchable PDF attached. It is also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Bob Rounsavell Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, December 1999; Volume 6, Issue 12 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/596 2000 AIDS AIDS drugs AIDS research aMUSEments arts and entertainment Bars Blood Donation bullying businesses children churches Department of Defense Do-It-Yourself Dyke Domestic Partner Benefits Don't Ask Don't Tell Dr. Jeffrey Beal Evergreen Awards Gay marriage Gay Studies HIV homophobia homphobia It's Elementary Jim Christjohn John McCain Karin Gregory Lamont Lindstrom Leather marriage equality Mary Schepers mental disabilities military military inclusion Mr. Sooner State Leather NAMES Project Nationwide Insurance Oklahoma Mr. Leather performing arts Raging Lesbian Read All About It Red Cross restaurants Ric Poston Rick Fortner Rik Isensee sexual assault sodomy laws Steve Forbes Ted Campbell That's A Family Tom Neal Tulsa Family News Tulsa Public Schools Vemont Vermont visitation rights