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https://history.okeq.org/files/original/7b2db3bb0141bb44a9712396e6267fae.jpg
cf428210d5c928a7197cd7ae2588f6a3
https://history.okeq.org/files/original/eb719a5486d2266a7dcabd074e0595c6.pdf
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
[Series] Newsletters & Publications > Ozarks Pride, Ozarks Star, Star, Metro Star Newspapers, 2004-2011
Subject
The topic of the resource
Politics, education, and social conversation over LGBTQ+ topics
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Ozarks Pride
Ozarks Star
Star
Metro Star
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2004-2011
Format
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Images
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PDF
Language
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English
Type
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magazine
Description
An account of the resource
Ozarks Pride's first issue began in January of 2004. Then follows Ozarks Pride (2004), The Star (2005), and The Metro Star (2008).
This magazine discusses topics of AIDs, education, politics, local and national civil rights of the LGBT community, and advice for relationships and places to visit.
This collection is PDF searchable. Physical copies are also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Southwest Missouri
Western Arkansas
Eastern Oklahoma
Southeast Kansas
The United States of America (50 states)
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ozarks Pride/Star Media
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
C.D. Ward
T.J. Kelly
Chaz Storm
Marion Wilson
Greg Steele
Randy Vineyard
Steve T. Urie
Chaz
Lady Bunny
Romeo San Vincente
Steve T. Urie
Donald Pile
Ray Williams
Michael Hinzman
Jack Fertig
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://history.okeq.org/items/browse?collection=19&page=1
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.
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magazine
Text
Any textual data included in the document
One million
people, including
Sarah Brown, wife
of Prime Minister
Gordon Brown,
took part in
London’s gay pride
parade July 4.
MORE on page 11
THE PREMIER SOURCE FOR G T OKLAHOMA
VOLUME 6 iSSUE 8 MetroStarN÷ws.com AUGUST 1,2009
S 0KLAHOMAAGAIN!
The crowd was about equally divided among those supporting her views
and those opposed. Those in opposition began shouting Shame on you!
repeatedly, alon~-with "Love-thy neighb6r!" -
By Victor Gorin
State Representative Sally Kern, Dis#qct 84 at the Oklahoma State Capitol, Gorin photo
$ 0,000
By Victor Gorin
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK On
Monday July 13 an emergency meeting and
press conference ofOKC Pride was hdd at
Epworth Methodist Church to deal with the
disappearance of a sum estimated to be within
the $10,000 to $15,000 range. This cash,
which was supposed to have been deposited
in the OKC Pride bank account, was derived
from contributions, T shirt sales and purchase
tickets sold on behalf of vendors. Apparendy
assumed to be deposited in OKC Pride’s
Chase Bank account by Treasurer Christine
Plante, OKC Pride Co-Chair Patti Thompson
was surprised to receive word from the bank
the following Wednesday after the Pride
Weekend that the OKC Pride account was
over $4,000 overdrawn, and thus learned that
An emergency meeting about this was
held by the Board of Directors Thursday July
9 at the Boom, and Ms. Plante was allegedly
contacted and asked to be at this meeting,
but she did not show up. Although offidally
scheduled to be at the July 13 meeting as well
Ms. Plante was again not present, and there
was no information as to her wherabouts
or situation, although a widely drculated
rumor was that she had checked herself into a
rehabilitation facility.
In her place, OKC Press Liaison Nathan
Thompson gave a report, stating that OKC
Pride had met with the Oklahoma City police
to report the incident July 10, but had no
further information. Despite the losses, at the
time of the meeting OKC Pride had paid all ~e cash money, which had been obtained their outstanding debts and had cash on hand
om about 3 ago weeks up to and including of around $2500 in 2 separate bank accounts,
the event~ hadn& be~n d~posiled ~er all J3y through assis~~ byd~h0~ from the
that time Christine Ptante had disappeared as commtmity including John Gibbons (owner
well, leaving the community wondering what of the Boom), Dan Johnson, Jack Melisa, and
wen~ wrong and who was r~sponsible. ....... ContinUed See OKC PRIDE Page-4
OYA~ktOMA CITY, OK__ Around
250 people gathered at the Oldahoma State
Capitol for State Representative Sally Kern’s
presentation of her Proclamation of Morality,
about evenly divided between supporters
and those in opposition. The prodamation,
which does not have the force of law, blamed
the economic problems of our nation due
to America "forsaldng the rich Christian
heritage upon which our nation was built"
and because "our nation has become a world
leader in promoting abortion, pornography,
same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce,
illegitimate births, child abuse and many
other forms of debauchery."
It also criticized President Obama for
signing a proclamation recognizing June as
Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride
Month while not taking a more active role
in the National Day of Prayer, although
President Obama did issue a proclamation
supporting that event as well on May 7.
Ms.Kern, a Republican who represents
District 84, has garnered international
attention for her outspoken conservative
views, particularly concerning the GLBT
community. In a speech taped at a
Republican gathering last year that later made
Youtube, she stated that the gay community
was a bigger threat "than Islam or terrorism,"
and compared gays to cancer in "one’s big
toe" in their relationship to society,
However, unlike similar gatherings in the
past, the crowd was about equally divided
among those supporting her views and those
opposed. After she had given a short speech
........... Continued See SALLY Page-4
Senate approves hatecrimes
measure
xWASHINGTON, DC (PR) The
U.S. Senate approved a bill to add sexual
orientation, gender identity and other
categories to federal hate-crimes protections.
The final vote came July 20. The bill will
soon be on its way to President Obama’s desk,
where he’ll get a chance to make good on his
promise to sign it.
This vote came on the heels of tremendous
pressure from radical right-wing groups that
used every trick in the book.
They called the bill the "Pedophile
Protection Act," among other outrageous
claims. They dismissed the barbaric hate
crime that took Matthew Shepard’s life as
a "hoax." They flooded the Senate with
hundreds of thousands of letters and calls.
The measure, which passed on a voice
vote, was attached to a defense-spending bill.
A move to remove it from that bill failed
63-28.
The House of Representatives already has
passed a similar bill.
"More than 60 senators support the
Matthew Shepard Act, legislation that will
provide police and sheriffs’ departments with
the tools and resources they need to ensure
that entire communities are not terrorized by
hate violence," said Human Rights Campaign
President Joe Solmonese.
Both Oklahoma senators fel! for the
radical right’s ploy and voted against the hate
crimes bill failing to stand up for equali~
To contact both Oklahoma Senators call
their Washington office, Sen. James ’Jim’ M.
Inhofe (202) 224-4721 and Sen. Tom A.
Coburn (202) 224-5754.
Oklahoma Weather Forecast for August 2009
Aug 1-4: Sunny, hot. Hurricane
threat in Gulf
Aug 5-10: T-storms north, hot south
Aug 11-14: Scattered T-storms,
~ seasonable
Aug 15-21: Sunny, very warm
AUg 27-31: Scattered ~-storms, warm
Avg. Temperature: 83.5° (avg. norda, 3° above south)
Precipitation: 3.5" (1" above avg.)
N~YION
This year’s OKC
Pride Grand
just love being
with my friends
in Oklahoma
City,"
Page-6
L>> BILL (Lt" N"’tON= SJPPORTS~ /AYS
Diversity
Over 150
unique Shops
and galleries,
and many
parties for your
entertainn{ent.
Page 9
WO~ZLD >> ?R~DE 2009 I PLUS -~ LIFES";YLETR~ /EL ~ AR" ~ I
Beating victim
Chad Gibson,
who now has a
life-threatening
blood clot on
his brain goes
home. Gibson
xvants the
officers to be
prosecuted..
Page 8
#INE / SCOPES
a
ease pa
rP
Everyone who completes @e s#rvey by August 31, 2009
P~ease take the survey today, and te~ year
Tremendous strides toward fa~ equality have been achieved by oar tenth,unities ever the past decade. There’s
Power in ear Pride. Power te n~ake a difference:
Gay and [esbiaa su~ey studies have opened doers (and minds) in ~ea~ing corporations aria organizations, which in turn have
rec~gn~ze~ the va~ue of the~r LGBT employees through the es~b~shment of equa~ h~dng po~c~es an~ ~omest[c pa~ner
benefits. Th~s has been a catalyst, ~ea~[ng to sweeping changes ~n pofft~cal an~ social ~nc~usJvi~.
#e~egraph~c reports a~se ~nfluence ~arket~ng ~nvest~ent. V~ua~y absent unt~ recently, we now see a ~rowing variety ef
p[eaacts an~ services represente~ ia gay ~edia, celebrating oar ai~ersity. Aas keep LGBT pubiications an~ websites
~a business, serving their co.manatees with [aaependent news and infermatbn.
~eyen~ s~p~y a@e~s~ng, though, these ce~panies support as ~n ~any ways, ~nc~a~ng sponsoring cow.unity events
Community Marketi ~
@ 200g 8~a~uni~ ~arketing, ~nc., 584 Castro St. #834, San Francisco CA 9~114 L~SA ~.Cen~n~unity~arketing~nc.cen~
August 2009
STATE REPRESENTATIVE AL
MCAFF Y CALLS FORAN
APOLOGY
By Victor Gorin
State Rep. AI~fcA~’ey and Metro Star re oorter Robin Dornet:
Gorin photo
OI~ObcLR CITY, OK __ "I complete identifi/with
the cleep faith that many Oklahomans hold dear, but I’m
appalled that MrS.Kern chose to use a state proclamation to
attack the freedom ofmany Oklahomans xvho do not share
her faith or vices." ..... ....... ......
state Reprdsentative A1 McAffrey
State Representative Al McAffrey (Democrat SHD-88) is
calling upon fellow legislator Sally Kern (Republican-SHD-
84) to rescind her proclamation and apologize for many
discrepancies and misrepresentations of facts. "To blame our
economic woes on a national moral crisis is ludicrous. Our
economic woes are a direct result of bad financial practices
and a lack of regulation on Wall Street."
He pointed out that "Mrs.Kern uses her proclamation to
accuse President Obama of not recognizing the National Day
or Prayer, that is an absolute lie. On May 7~ 2009 President
Obama proclaimed a National Day of Prayer and encouraged
all Americans to ’come together in moments of great challenge
and uncertainty to humble themselves in prayer.’ "
McAffrey stated that he found that vwo of the quotes
used attributed tO James Madison ai~d Patrick Henry were
f-abricated, appearing nowhere in the writings or records of
either man. McAffrey pointed out that anyone knmvledgeable
ofAmerican history would kamw that James Madison and
Thomas Jefferson were avid Supporters of religious freedom,
and that it was Thomas Jefferson who coined the concept
"separation of church and state" traced to a letter he wrote in
1802 to the Danbury Baptists.
McA~}ey further stated " It’s pitiable that with all the
major challenges facing our great state some of our state
leaders are more concerned in mal~ng ne~vs headlines than
making strides toward strengthening our economy, improving
our public schools, and ensuring that all OHahomans have
access to qualig; affordable and sustainable healthcare. She
owes Oklahomans of all faiths a sincere apology:"
Tulsa Bowling Tournament a
Success
By Michael xyZ Sasser
JOLTBowling Tournament group at ~dsa Eagles reception party.
Staffphoto
TULSA, OK__ GLBT sports are already on the minds
of many in the community in anticipation of the Gay Games
2010 in Cologne.
In Oklahoma, sporting gay men and women have
numerous opportunities and it seems many are taking
advantage of them.
The Tulsa Lambda Bowling League’s second annual
weekend-long July Oklahoma Lambda Tournament (JOLT)
attracted some 120 participants from around the region to
the tourney, at Andy B Riverlanes and ldcked things offwith a
registration party at the Tulsa Eagle on July 17th.
. "Most of the people xvere from Oklahoma and Texas, but
we also had people from Kansas and Missouri," said Lambda
League President Rich Blankenship. "We consider it a big
success."
Blankenship said that there were 88 participants in last
year’s tournament and that it took most of the year to raise the
funds necessary to host this year’s. Included in the fundraising
was approximately $6,000 for charity.
"gC’e really need sponsors for next year since we are
growing so much," Blankenship said.
The Lambda League’s regular season runs from Labor Day
to April, with a 12-Week summer league also available, and
the July tournament. As a member of the International Gay
Bowling Organization (South Plains Region), the Lambda
League schedules its annual national tournament so as to not
conflict with other member’s tournaments. IGBO sponsors a
national tournament every Memorial Day weekend.
"Every city about Tulsa’s size or larger with a league has a
tournament," Blankenship said.
The success ofJOLT would have been unimaginable
just a few years ago, when, Blankenship said; the group had
dwindled down to around two dozen members. Today there
are around 67 members. Some teams rotate players so that
more people can play in the Tuesday night league. Already
there is a waiting list for next year, although Blankenship said
the,,League is, trying to negotiate, for,, more. lanes.,,
We dont want to be exclusive, he sa~d. We want
everyone to get involved to be able to play."
Blankenship attributes the growth of the Lambda Leagt,ie
to the recruitment efforts of former president and this years
JOLT Director, Rick Cox.
Other sports oriented community groups are lively around
the state also. Oklahoma City supports two bowling teams,
the Sunday Twisters and Tuesday Twisters. Oklahoma City
and Tulsa support GLBT softballs leagues. Both the Sooner
State Rodeo Association (SSRA) and the Oldahoma Gay
Rodeo Association (OGRA) are members of the International
Gay Rodeo Association (tGRA). The IGRA National Finals in
Albuquerque, New Mexico are expected to draw’participation
and large spectator support from OHahoma.
For more information on the Tulsa Lambda Bowling
League, visit w~w<lambdaleague.com.
Dale Gross ~ Randy Winrow
email: route66malf@att.net
8.836.3838
METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY CHURCHES
Rev Steve T. Uric
Spirit of Christ MCC
2902 E 20th Street
Joplin, MO 64804
417-529-8480
Worship Sunday 6:00 PM
Community Meal Wednesdays at 6:00 PM
Have a God filled and Blessed DaV!
www.rnetrostarnews.corn #~>t~"oSTAR 3
others not named at the meeting. Nathan
stated that the investigation is still ongoing,
and there is a possibility the money or parr
of it may be recovered. It was also brought
up that according to the bylaws. OKC Pride
Board members could not be held liable for
this type of loss. Inquiries as to why nobody
knew why the cash had not been deposited,
or why, the bank account had not had more
oversight were not answered. Mr. Thompson
did promise that information would be put
on the OKC Pride website along with press
releases as soon as it was available
Guy Peters did suggest that in the future
that background checks be obtained for those
responsible for OKC Pride money. Male Co-
Chair Paul Thompson had suggested in the
past that these members be bonded, which
would cover losses caused by dishonest acts.
Mthough Chris Plante has not been
charged with any crime related to this
incident at this time. she was removed ftom
her Treasurer position for dereliction of duty,
the motion to do so made by Scott Jaggers
and passed unanimously. Until there is a new
Treasurer on duty- the duties of that oi~ce
would be handled by the co-chairs, currently
Paul Thompson and Latricia Olmstead.
The next meeting xvould be August 3, the
first Monday of August. During that meeting
membership in OKC Pride. which is required
to be eligible to vote in the upcoming election
~’or new o~cers and board members, could be
begun or renewed. Co-Chairs Paul Thompson
and Latricia Ohnstead announced that the7
will not be seeking re-election, nor will
Festival Coordinator T.J Mc~nsey.
A press confbrence was held following
the meeting attended by the Metro Star,
Oldahoma Gazette reporter Joe Wertz,
and Patricia Millel; the treasurer preceding
Ms.Plante,Ms. Miller, who resigned in protest
at the May" 4 meeting over what she stated
were lax and dishonest financial practices
ofOKC Pride had this to say," They are all
fteaking out over this, which I can agree, they
should be freaked out, but we slid the last
one about Miles Tompkins* under the rug. I
want to make sure this does not get slid under
the rug too. Whoever is responsible for this
should go to prison. My question is, will this
be treated like the last time?"
*Referring to a bounced check wdtten
by Miles Tompkim to Lee Burrusfor a Gala
Dinner on beha~%fOKCPride in 200g. Mr
Bu~us was reimbursed by OKCPride and
M~ Tompkim, thru an agreement with OKC
Pride, made restitution.
Drag een Bingo 2009
Bingo like your mother never played...
TULSA, OK (PRy __ This annual event
and fundraiser for Our House Too will be
held Friday, August 7th at Tulsa’s Cain’s
Ballroom. Female impersonators will welcome
you aboard the USS DQB cruise ship
for this, the fifth year, beginning at 8p.m.
and ending at t 1. There will be glamorous
costumes and prizes, a silent auction and,
of course, bingo! Female impersonators will
perform glittering numbers from cruise ship
showrooms to entertain the crowd.
isolation of people living with HIV and AIDS
in the Tulsa area. In addition to providing
monthly activities and holiday celebrations.
Our House Too offers food baskets, a toiletry
and household pantry and weeldy lunches.
Tickets for Drag Queen Bingo 2009 are $20
per person and can be purchased ar Reasor’s,
Cain’s Ballroom, Ida Red and Starship
Records.
Gay Man E]ec ed
Oklahoma County
Democratic Par v
Secretary’s O ce
By Victor Gorin
Tom Guild with well wishingfi’iend Esther
Bahierra. Gorin photo
OKLAHOMA CITY; OK__ Dr. Tom
Guild, a soon to be professor emeritus at the
University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond,
was elected July 14 to be Oklahoma Count~fis
Democratic Party Secretary. This was a special
election to fill that ot~ce which was vacated
with the resignation of the previous oI~ce
holder, Rosanne Jenny. A longtime human
¯ rights activist, Tom was a professor at UCO
for 27 years, where he taught political science
for 10 years and legal studies in the College
of Business for 17 years. He registered as
aDemocrat 5 years ago, and has since been
very active in the part), by hosting the weekly
Oklahoma County Democratic Party’s
Speakers Lunch at the Boulevard Cafeteria,
as well as other party activities. Along with
Dr. Joan Luxemburg and Keith Smith, he
co-wrote a chapter in the book ’Hn Oklahoma
I’d Never seen Before: Alternative Views of
Oklahoma Histo~ "published in 1994. Their
chapter was "Oklahoma’s Gay, Liberation
Movement," the first academic publication in
this area ever published.
Working with the Democratic Party he
will work to achieve full collective bargaining
rights and better wages and conditions for
Oklahoma’s workers, currently working on
passage of the Employee Free Choice Act,
which ,#could make it easier for workers
to unionize. He would also work for
GLBT rights and human rights in general,
working for passage of the Employment
Nondiscrimination Act ( proposed Federal
law prohibiting employment discrimination
against GLBTs) and repeal for the "Don’t ask
Don’t Tell" policy of the U.S. military.
W AT
those in opposition began shouting "Shame
on you!" repeatedly, along with "Love thy
neighbor!’while the other side simultaneously
began singing God Bless America, and later
both sides sang the national anthem. As
feelings ran high the event got very loud but
stayed peaceful. Ms.Kern did express her
view that "The people who preach tolerance
are not willing ro extend the same thing to
someone who disagrees with them. So ladies
and gentlemen, we are seeing a wonderful
illustration of intolerance."
Among those signing the petition was
Paul Blair of Edmond’s Fairview Baptist
Church, who also spoke at the rally. In spite
of the mention of divorce as being part of
our moral decline, it was likewise signed by
former State Representative Kevin Calvey, a
conservative Christian who is divorced. It was
also signed by Oklahoma City Councilman J.
Brian Waiters ( Ward 5), the lone OKC City
Council member who voted against a parade
permit for the OKC Pride Parade.
The constitutionality of the event was
questionable. As activist attorney Brittany
Novomy pointed out, "They used Capitol
grounds for this and that is an advancement
of a particular religious agenda that is
not necessarily representative of al! the
other religions or even al! the branches of
Christianity in Oklahoma. q£he LGBT caucus
of the Young Democrats canae out to stand
side by side with the ACLU to uphold the
Oklahoma Constitution (Article 2 Section
5) that clearly prohibits the use of public
property towards any sect, denomination or
system of religion." .
Brittany also gave,her angle about the
proclamation as well. q-his proclamation
suggests that the problems of our society are
bdfig caused somehow by GLBT people.
Frankly as a Young Democrat I believe
most of ourproblems are being caused by
economic problems, people not able to have
healthcare for their kids or themselves, people
filing bankruptcy because they lack healthcare
coverage. There are a host of prob!ems facing
every day Oldahomans, and I dont believe
demonizing a whole subset of Oklahomans
really accomplishes the goals of real working
Oldahomans who want to be able to feed
their families, have good healthcare, who
just want the opportunity to live their lives
in peace, and who believe in loving their
neighbor."
C.S. Thornton of the ACLU lamented,
"She ( Representative Kern) blames all
these things upon a great moral crisis, yet
nowhere does she mention greedy V&ll Street
executives or government regulators who
were asleep at the switch. The most alarming
thing about this proclamation is the level of
scapegoating that it promotes."
However, the Republican speaker of the
House, Chris Benge, does not plan to sign
the document, and State Representative Ryan
Keisel, a Democrat called the proclamation a
"divisive political stunt." State Representative
A1 McAffrey, the only openly gay member of
the legislature ( Democrat-District 88) has
asked for an apology.
There were otl-mrs that disagreed with Ms.
Kern as well. The Reverend Loyce Newton
Edwards, associate pastor of the Church of
the Open Arms UCC stated that she felt
Sally Kern was "one of the most hateful and
divisive persons in America. The right thing
is to respect people regardless ofwho they
choose to love. Homophobia is wrong, it’s
unGodlike."
300 ATTEND ENID’S
FIRST PRIDE
CELEBRATION
By Nate Bowen
Enid held their first Pride event Saturday
July 18, which was a fabtdous picnic &
festival at Meadowlake Park. Drawing over
300 people, the number in attendance set
a record for aW Oklahoma first time Pride
event. Starting offwith the Reverend J.E
Wickey of Crosswalk United Church (Enid’s
only open and affirming church), he spoke
about being gay and Christian followed by
a Q&A session. The band Blackwings gave
a great performance, followed by Stephen
Dillard-Carroll. This was followed by an
OKC speaker and activist from the Young
Democrats, Brittany Novotny.
Around 6:30 p.ra. the crowd was treated
to a drag show starring Raven Angel, Nikki
Star and Colby Richards. Booths and
vendors at the park ranged from Fulton’s
BBQ to the Garfield County Democrats.
Our House Too is a nonprofit
organization serving to elirainate the social .........Continued see ENID PRIDE page 6
4 August 2009
HoOoPoEo to Host 8th
A ual DIVAS Benefit
Concert
for people to learn their HIV status and can
connect clients to a variety of medical and
social support services. For more information
about HIV or sexually transmitted infections,
call 1-800-535-MDS (2437).
Openarms 4th Annual
Fashion Show
By Judy Gabbard
TULSA, OK (PR) __ On Sept. !2-13,
2009, Health Outreach Prevention Education
(H.O.E E.) will host DWAS 2009. at the
Tulsa Zoo. This year’s theme is DIVAS
Gone \.gild. Proceeds from the event will
help support H.O.EE. programs, such as
prevention education about HIV/AIDS,
hepatitis and other sexually transmitted
infections, the only statewide 24-hour
HIV/STD resource hotline, and the only free,
anonymous testing and counseling facility in
Oklahoma.
This year’s concert is produced by Rebecca
Ungerman, a popular Tulsa-based performer
who has graced numerous venues and events
in Tulsa, including the Oklal~oma Centennial
Celebration and the Tulsa Perfornaing Art
Center SummerStage series. The evening,
celebrated in the new H.A. Chapman Event
Lodge at the Tulsa Zoo, highlights Tulsds
diverse musical talent with local artists
covering dassic favorites. ~[hese acts come
together for this annual "one time onl~#
shm,~ and bring out their collective fans: This
year S performei:S ind~id~ Pxeb~c~ ung~rman,
Cindy Cain, Christy E. ofThe Red Alert,
Pare Wan Dyke, ~nie Ellicotr. Fiawna Forte,
John Sawyer, Darrell Christopher, Kelly
Morrison. and Janet Rutland. N~e combined
talent includes experience on Broadway,
national and international cabaret tours, and
!ocal Spot Music Awards. ~II~e evening will
also include a live and silenvauction, dancing,
hors d’oeuvres, and beverages.
The evening gala will take place on
Saturday, September 12. 7:30pm and a
no frills Sund~y matinee will take.place
September ! 3 at 4pro. Tickets may be
purchased, beginning August 1, by contacting
H.O.RE. a 918-749-TEST (8378). Tickets
are $25 and $40 for general admission
seats and $100 for individual table seats.
A table for ten is available for $1,000.
Cabaret table seats include: priority seating,
publicity, auction sneak preview, and private
reception with the performers which includes
complimentary wine and hors d’ oeuvres.
The matinee -will include the same show
and champagne, with tickets ranging from
$15-$50. Emcee for the event will be Mia
Fleming from Fox 23.
Supporters of DIVAS 2009 include
Williams, F & M Bank. The Metro Star and
The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Tulsa.
Raising awareness of HIV and other
sexually transmitted infections remains vitally
important. Young people and minorities are
disproportionately affected, but HIV does not
discriminate. By Imowing your status, you
are better able to protect yourself and others.
Prevention education and testing are keys to
decreasing the stigma and infection rate of
HIV. H.O.EE. provides a comfortable place
"First l ursday" Art
Opening and ey ibit
with Creations from
Local Artist - Nicholas
K. Clark
TULSA, OK (PR) __ Continuing
the monthly showcase of local artists at
the Equality Center (621 E. 4th Street in
downtown Tulsa), Oldahomans for Equality
(OkEq) will feature Tulsa Artist Nicholas K.
Clark with an opening show and reception
on Thursday, August 6th from 6-9pm and
continuing throughout the month ofAugust.
Nicholas’ work is a direct reflection of his
optimistic personality. From vivid oranges to
metallic silvers highlighted by passionate reds,
his art displays a mastery of color that cannot
be taught. His mediums vary from acrylics
to oils and focus on creating depth through
layering and application of rich texture. Nic’s
~vorks fall into three categories: contemporary
figure studies, pop art and expressionistic
co!or studies. "I pull nay inspiration from
fashion and music and I love working with
figures because they are al~vays so challenging
- the detail of a hand. the curves of a body
and the. capturing of natural movement and
expresslolt.
7~rn GilA.an Former Channd23 Reporter
Marianly Mendez andMiss OYP 2009: Alizay
Kardashian Judy G. photo
TULSA, OK Openarms Youth Project
Center, located at 2015 Sm,th Lakewood
Ave., Tulsa, OK, presented their 4th Annual
fashion show fund raiser on July 10 and was
a great success. Organizers Tim Gillean and
Jerrid Horton reported that the proceeds will
help continue the support of local GLBT
youth ofTulsa and surrounding area.
The nights title was ReFashionista.
Sports and formal wear were purchased and
redesigned for a splendid runway show.
The evenings host, xvas Kristin Dickerson
from KTUL, channel 8. Area talent added
spice to the evening along with tasty hors
d’oeuvres, wine and soft drinks. "Ihe silent
auction ~vas an exciting array ofitems that
were purchased by those in attendance.
Funds are still needed to support the
youth needs at Openarms. An), donation is
appreciated.
For more infbrmation call 918.838.7104.
www.metrostarnews.com ~®t~’oSTAR 5
AtJeanne Ma6e~ Champs
French connection
~sampled wines3~om all over the world.
I’m in this photo with nay partner
Lamont. For my birthday present, he
sent for me to join him in France where
he was a visiting professor in Marseille at
the University of Provence¯ ! was really
impressed with the wines of Provence, Cotes
du Rhone. Languedoc and Bordeauex.
The trip took on a different focus when
we traveled to Bordeaux for VinExpo, the "
international wine tasting event. We’re in
this photo with long time wine colleague
Gary Vance who caught a £1st train from
Paris to meet up with us. This was a huge 5
day/40 thousand people wine tasting event
with hundreds of wine makers & marketing
reps. ~aere was just no way to meet all
the wine raakers and taste as much as we
wanted.In this article, I’m highlighting some
of the grape varietals from the parts of
Atxendees included not just the GLBT
community, but fiunilies as well coming to
enjoy the fun and fellowship. The following
Sunday there was a forum held to discuss the
France that we visited. These are affordable
finds and the wines are in Oklahoma.
Brief history of the grapes
grown in these regions
Malbec grapes tend to have an inky
dark color and robust tannins. Long
known as one ofthe six grapes allowed
in the blend of red Bordeaux wine, the
French plantations~ofMalbec are now
found primarily in Cahors where the
Appellation Control4e regulations for
C~hors require a minimtiin content of
70% It is increasin ly ~elebrated as an
Argentine varietal wine and is being
gr~vn around the world.
The northern part of the Rh6ne
Valley; in France, remains one of the
undisputed reference points for the
~;rOdUction of wines made with the
ah grape. ~-he best examples of
varietal Syrah, are the ones produced with
the appellations Hermitage, C6te-R6tie,
Comas, St-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage.
\Vgines produced in these areas have strong
fruit aromas, a good acidity, dry body and an
appreciable mineral taste.
Grenache is the dominant variety in
most Southern Rh6ne wines, especially in
Chfiteauneuf-du-Pape where it is typically
over 80% of the blend. It is generally spicy,
berry-flavoured and soft on the palate. In
Australia it is typically blended in "GSM"
blends with Syrah and Mourv~dre. Grenache
is also used .to make ros~ wines in France and
grmvn. The majority" of French Viogniers
are sold as Vin de Pays in the Languedoc. In
the Rhone wine region, the grape is often
blended with Roussanne, Marsanne and
Grenache blanc.
Mr. D’s 1/2 case
Red Bicyclette Syrah/Granche Rose ’07
(Languedoc)
Black Beret Grenache/Syrah Rouge ’05
(Languedoc)
Coussergues Viognier ’08 (Languedoc)
Beauv~gnac Sauv,gnon Blanc 08
(Languedoc)
Chateau Trocard Montrepos Merlot ’06
(Bordeaux)
Jean-Luc Colombo L~s Abeilles Cotes
du Rhone Blanc ’07/Viognier & Grenache
Blanc
Clos la Coutale Malbec (Cahors) ’06
And as always, I say go to your favorite wine
shop, ask questions and purcha~se a bottle or
t~vo. Share some food & wine with friends
and check this out for yourself¯
This writer is one ofthe managers at the Grand
Vin wine shop at Utica Square. He also bar tends
and hosts wine & food events around town known
as the Wine Enthusiasts ofTulsa.
Viognier [vee-oh-nay] wines are well-known
for their floral aromas, due to terpenes, which
are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines.
There are also many other powerful flower
and fruit aromas which can be perceived in
these wines depending on where they were
&affVohmteets Top Row Ka~e, John, Jesse, Brandon DJ Star, TJ, Kathy,
Angd A4ishalle,Bmndon "KoolAid’; bottom rowJamie Lisa Nate
future goals of Enid’s GLBTQA community,
but most of the discussion centered on
how great the Enid Pride Festival was and
the fun they had. That evening Crosswalk
United Church
hosted a showing
of "Prayers
for Bobby", a
landmark film
portraying
the true story
of a mother
who could not
accept her sods
homosexuality,
who became an
activist for gay
rights following
his suicide.
General consensus
was that the event
was not just a
historic first,
but a wonderful
occasion to be
celebrated every
year from now
on.
www.Foodand~Hne.com
ww~:~ikioedia.or~
www.2he~’VorldI4q~eI~ne.com
ww~:Epicurious.com
TULSA BALLET TO
PERFORM IN NEWYORK
CITY
Oklal~oma Governor Brad Henry and Tulsa Mayor
Kathy Taylor will attend Tulsa Ballet’s debut at the
Joyce Theater August 10 - 15. Special Big Apple
Preview Night in Tulsa on August 6 at Studio K
TULSA, OK (PR) It has been 25 years
since the Tulsa Ballet has performed in New
York City. This summer the company will
make its long awaited return to the Big Apple
for its debut at the Joyce Theater August 10
-15.
Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor, Governor Brad
Henry and First Lady Kim Henry are among
local and national dignitaries who will attend
the opening night performance and Patron
Gala on Monday, August 10 at the Joyce
Theater, located in the heart of Manhattads
Chelsea neighborhood. Tulsa Ballet will
give seven performances with special events
planned throughout the week fbr patrons and
supporters ofTulsa Ballet.
The company will present a program.
featuring Elite Syncopations by Kenneth
MacMillan, Por vos Muero by Nacho Duato
and This is Your Life by Young Soon Hue.
This is Your Life was commissioned by Tulsa
Ballet in 2008 and has since been performed
by the Aalto Theater in Essen, Germany and
the National Ballet of Ankara, Turkey.
....Continued see BALLET page 22
OKC Pride 2009: You be
the change
By Robin Dorner
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK The end of
June brought proud celebration to Oklahoma
City with the annual gay pride event.
year’s event was a huge success with more
than ! 5,000 people attending the festivities.
The party began on Friday evening at the
NW 39th Street Strip near Penn with the
first annual "Friday Night Block Part’);’.
The festival began Saturday morning and
continued through Sunday, the parade began
around 5 pm.
This year the OKC Pride Grand Marshal
was attthor andTV personality Ruby Ann
Boxcar. "I just love being with my friends
in Oklahoma City," Boxcar told the Metro
Star. "Anywhere there is a trailer park I feel
like I’ve got family!" Boxcar is known as the
Diva of the Double-Wide, a highly successful
entertainer and author who got her start in
Oklahoma City and is recognized in the US
and abroad.
Guests from across the city and state
came to join in the festivities in Midtown
Oklahoma City. "I am here because I am
bisexual, proud and I like the scene," said
18 year old Ruth Leila Blailock. "It’s a
celebration of diversity really."
"We are here today because we are
members of the Diversity Business
Association (DBA)," said Shawn Adkison,
JD of the Fortune Law Center in Midtown.
Adkison and his firm have been members of
DBA, the Oklahoma City LGBT business
organization, for more than three years. "We
think it is important ~o ne~ork together;
promote our business organizations as ~vell
as diversity in general," adds Adkison. "It is
a good thing to show our support for DBA,
Oklahoma and the U.S. You know, these
kinds of events are not permitted in every
country."
The mission ofOKC Pride, Inc. is
to stage a highly visible forum for the
organizations which serve the community
both nationally, regionally, and locally;
decrease external homophobia by generating
maximum media coverage to the reality
of our community; and diminish internal
homophobia by presenting organizational
and individual role models. Additionally, the
Board of Directors believe that as a civil rights
movement, gays and lesbians need an annual
forum where individually and collectively
they can consider where they have been,
where they are now and what direction they
need to set.
Several large corporations p,,articipated
in the festival and the parade. I think it is
just important that we embrace people with
different backgrounds and, quite frankly, it
helps our company," said Wesley Seymour
frown the Frito-Lay company. "We have a
philosophy; bring your whole self to work
and that is one reason I like working for
Fnto-Lay; Seymour has worked for the
company as a District Sales Manager for three
years.
National and local companies supt~orted
the event as corporate sponsors as well as
many local sponsors. There were also several
local churches represented, bike riding
clubs, entertainers, The Oklahoma City
Peace House and much more. For more
information about Pride OKC, contact www.
okcpride.org.
August2009
6
www,metrostarnews.com 7
Wockner News Service
Fort Worth beating
victim, Chad Gibson
goes home
Fort Worth police and agentsfi’om the Texas
Alcoholic Beverage Commission raided a gay
barJune 28 -- the 40th anniversary ofthe
Stonewall Riots -- and roughed up several
patrons, inckding Chad Gibson, who now
has a life-threatening blood clot on his brain.
Gibson wants the officers m beprose~ted. Photo
WFAA-TVscreen capmre
Chad Gibson has been released from the
hospital but still is in danger from a blood
clot on his brain that reportedly could break
loose and kill him.
Gibson allegedly was beat up by cops
during a June 28 raid of the Rainbow Lounge
in Fort Worth, Tex; Wimesses say officers
stami:ned his head into a ~vall, then into the
floor. ~¢¢o Other patrons ~dso were injured in
the raid -- one has broken ribs and one has a
broken thumb.
June 28 was the 40th anniversary of the
Stonewall Riots that kickstarted the modern
gay-rights movement.
¯ne violent raid -- purported to be merely
one of the state’s routine checks of bars to be
sure no one is too drunk -- brought heaW
condemnation from gay leaders, newspaper
columnists, bloggers, politicians and others.
It also received extensive national news
not lip service. I will meet with you
wherever you want to meet. I will go to your
restaurants, your house, we can eat barbecue,
whatever you want to do. But ~ve’ve got to
talk."
Gibson, for his part, wants the raiding
officers to be,~rosecuted and the city to halt
its "cover-up.
"You used excessive force and that’s why
I got hurt," Gibson told \~rFAA-TV. "~ey
have blamed it on me, that I was drunk,
(that) I fell and hit my head, I groped the
officer, I did this, I did that. You know ,vhat?
No. Accept responsibility."
In an interview with KTVT Gibson
added: "I was rubbed into the concrete.... I’m
just appalled that they took it to the level that
they did.... They need to accept responsibility
for what they did."
Obama invites 300
GLBT leaders to White
House for Stonewa 140
President Barack Obama -- under heavy
fire for talking the talk but not walking the
walk on numerous gay-rights promises -- had
300 GLBT leaders over to the White House
on June 29 to celebrate the 40th anniversary
of the Stonevcall Riots, which, in 1969, jumpstarted
the modern gay-rights movement.
"I know that many in this room don’t
believe that progress has come fast enough,
and I understand that," Obama said. "It’s not
for me to tell you to be patient, any more
than it was for othem to counsel patience to
African Americans who were petitioning for
equal rights a half-c~ntury ago. But I say this:
We have made progress and we will make
more. And I want you to know that I expect
and hope to be judged not by words, not by
promises I’ve made, but by the promises that
nay administration keeps."
Obama also defended his decision not
to issue an order stopping the military’s
expulsions of openly gay members,
suggesting, again, that such an approach
wouldu’t work out in the long run.
"As commander in chief in a time of war,
I do have a responsibility to see that this
change is adnainistered in a practical way
and a way that takes over the long term,"
he said. "That’s why I’ve asked the secretary
of defense and the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staffto develop a plan for how to
thoroughly implement a repeal. I know that
every day that passes without a resolution
is a deep disappointment to those men and
women who continue to be discharged under
this policy -- patriots who often possess
critical language skills and years of training
and who’ve served this country well. But
what I hope is that these cases underscore
the urgency of reversing this policy not just
because it’s the right thing to do, but because
it is essential for our national security."
coverage.
. Both the Fort Worth Police Department
and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission, which joined in the raid,
have launched interna! investigations of
the incident. The results of the city police’s
investigation will be reviewed by federal
authorities, Mayor Mike Moncrief has
promised.
Apart from the raid itselfl the most
controvers!al aspect Of the incident has
been Police ChiefJeff Halstead’s assertions
that Gibson groped one of the officers
and that other patrons made what the
Police Department called "sexually explicit
movements" toward uniformed officers --
claims that bar patrons and gay leaders have
called preposterous and "lies."
"You’re touched and advanced in
certain ways by people inside the bar, that’s
offensive," Ha!stead said shortly after the raid.
"I’m happy with the restraint used when they
were contacted like that."
After facing ridicule for those improbable
assertions, Halstead has since adopted a more
conciliatory tone, telling gay people at a
public meeting: "We’ve got to work together.
Be patient, and you wil! see that this is just
8 August 2009
77 members o£ Congress
ask Obama to suspend
As national gay leaders continue to beat
up on President Barack Obama for moving
too slowly- on his myriad campaign promises
to tile GLBT community, 77 members of
Congress have written to the president asldng
him ro immediately suspend en[brcement of
the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy pending its
repe,,a~! by Congress.
Tile letter outlines a new, two-step repeal
plan which begins with a request that the
president ’direct the Armed Services nor to
initiate any invesrigarion of service personnel
to determine their sexual orientation, and
that [he] instruct them to disregard thirdparty
accusations that do not allege violations
of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,’"
said the Palm Center, a think tank at the
University of California, Santa Barbara, that
has focused extensively on the militaw’s ban
on open gays.
~°The letter signals renewed efforts to
stop gay discharges immediately while repeal
legislation moves through Congress at a
slower pace," the center said.
On June 23, Obama rejected the proposal.
The White House said: "President Obama
remains committed to a legislative repeal of
Don’t Ask, Dofft Tel!, xvhich he believes will
provide a durable and lasting solution to this
issue. He welcomes the commitment of these
members to seeing Congress take action."
Episcopal Church OKs
gay- clergy, bishops
7he Anglican Communion has been deeply
mired in gay angst since the Episcopal Diocese
oflVew Hampshire consecrated openly gay and
partnered V. Gene Robinson as its bishop in
2003. GLAADphoto
The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops
and House of Deputies declared in mid-July
that open gays and lesbians --celibate or
not -- call serve as priests and bishops in the
church.
At thee church’s triennial general
convention, held in Ana~heim, Calif., July
8-17, bishops voted for the policy 99-45 and
deputies voted for it 155-40. Deputies who
are clergy voted 77-19 and lay deputies voted
78-21.
The move may well lead to a full rupture
between the Episcopal Church and the
worldwide Anglican Communion, which
has been deeply mired in gay angst since
the Episcopal Diocese ofNew Hampshire
V. Gene Robinson as its bishop in 2003.
Tile Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of
Anglicanism.
"The Anaheim move was seen as. in
essence, a flip-off by the Americans of the
Anglican hierarchy and Anglican provinces
in Africa and South America that strongly
opposed Robinson’s consecration.
De facto international Anglican leader
Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury,
England, had urged delegates,to the U.S.
convention not to make any decisions in
the co,~ing days that could push us further
apart. He later said he regretted that the
convention had done just that with its gayclergy
decision.
Delegates also voted to allow local
dioceses to bless same-sex marriages and civil
unions if they want to, and launched a project
m creare official liturgies for the blessings.
Gay Pordand mayor
cleared in Breedlove
affair
There is no credible evidence that Sam
Adams, the gay mayor of Portland, Ore.,
had inappropriate sexual contact with Beau
Breedlove before Breedlove turned 18,
Oregon Attorney General John Kroger said
June 22.
Adams, 45, and Breedlove, 22, have
acknowledged having sex in 2005 after
Breedlove’s 18th birthday, but Breedlove
also had claimed the pair passionately made
our prior to his reaching file age of consent,
which Adams denied.
"There are serious questions about the
credibility of Breedlove’s account, dueto
his prior inconsistent statements, the lack
of corroborating witnesses or evidence, his
attempt to gain personally from matters
related to his involvement with Adams and
his prior criminal record," Kroger concluded.
"There is insufficient evidence to charge,
let alone convict, Adams with illegal sexual
contact with a minor."
The attorney general’s office interviewed
57 people and sifted through Adams’ and
Breedlove’s e-mails and text messages in
arriving at its conclusion.
Breedlove later posed for the gay porn
magazine Unzippea~ In 2006, he pleaded
guilty to felony 2nd degree theft in a case that
involved $750 worth of clothes ftom a Macy’s
store in Haxvaii.
The revelation of the brief affair nearly
ended Adams’ career earlier this year, in part
because he had lied about it when asked
about it during the mayoral campaign, stating
that it never happened.
Summer Diversi y ’09
Eureka Springs.
Augus 7-9
~ DOMESTICATE
Say "I DO" and register your love with a
Domestic Partner Certificate
One day these certificates will be highly
sought after collector items on E-bay.
Tile Courthouse is closed Saturday and
Sunday...City Clerk’s office is in the City
Hall, lower level of the Western Carrol
Count), Courthouse, 44 S. Main.
Office hours are 9:30 AM - 12 Noon and
1:30 to 4:40 PM.
® YARDS AND YARDS OF YARD SALES
Money Tight? Pennies on the dollar: Tile
Eureka yards sales are a top stop for the
bargain hunter and antique queens. Tile 15~n
annual Eureka Yards and Yards ofYard Sales.
Friday and Saturday 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
Find locator maps at shops and restaurants.
Sponsored by the Greater Eureka Springs
Chamber of Commerce.
~ HEY GIRLS... LET’S iVlAKE
HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE SMORES!
THEN GO SNIPE HUNTING!
Camping for Summer Diversity has become
an annual event for many. Stay dose to title
City and book your weekend with the gay
friendly Kettle Campground. (479) 253-
9100, 4119 E. Van Buren.
° DIVA SHOP!
Over 150 unique shops and galleries. Be sure
and shop the Sponsors of Eureka Pride--aBens
Door, Mountain Eclectic, Fusion Squared,
Byrds Eye View, Antique Affaire, Tile Tourist
Shop, the Inn Convenience Store, Eureka
Scents. Avery and Special DW DISCOUNT
from Tinmaker & Glitz, 69 S. Main.
~ MIX & MINGLE
The Pizza Sluts are hosting their second
Diversity Welcome Mixer. The Pizza Bar, 13
N. Main, Friday, 6-8 PM. $5.95 pizza buffet.
Beer specials. All ages admitted. Come feel
the ~varmth...feel, touch, hug, squeeze, grope,
claw, whip...Mix and mingle with the locals
and visitors from around the globe. Free City
p~arking after 6 PM.
ERIC HIMAN DISCOVERS EUREKA
Henri’s Just One More. 19 1A Spring Street.
Friday Night Only! 9 PM. Eric goes solo with
his first Eureka acoustical performance.
® CHER SOME TIKI LOVE
~e always popular Glam-aphonic,
E lectronic, Disco Babee, Tiki Torch Dance
Party! 75 S. Main Street. Homo to the
exotic, diverse crowd of celebrities, beauties,
rock stars, dance divas, and some good ole
fashioned Str8t Bait! Cher and Cher Alike to
perform LIVE on Saturday. Shmv times will
be posted.
MORTUARY SERVICE, =¢
o SPEED DIAL YOUR GAY SPIRITS
~Exrot Speed reads with Mistress Lynne. Yes,
speed readings --Lynne will do a 10 card
reading for 10 buclcs. Just takes a few minutes
as opposed to the full deck 30 minute
reading. Lynne uses Gay, and Lesbian ~Tarot
cards for amazing GAY readings. DaBen’s
Door, 45 1/2 Spring Street, across from Jack’s
Place.
~ NEW DELHI
Friday & Saturday live music 6:30 9:30
PM. 2 North Main. Al! ages are welcome at
the New Delhi. Atmosphere aplenty. If you
never dined at the New Delhi, you really
should.
~ START YOUR ENGINES: SUMMER
DRAG RACES
Eureka Live’s Duck Tape Divas will host
Drag Racing Friday & Saturday 9PM. Special
Guest performer Drag King Billy Badass and
the Amazing Magic of the Tinman. 34 North
Main, Underground
FATZ 59 CLASSIC ROCK AT JACK’S
PLACE
37 Spring Street, Friday and Saturday, 9 PM
Midnight. High Octane Jell-O-Shots for a
Buck!!!Legendary ’HANDSOME LEE’ On
The Door. It’s all happenin’ between Center
and Spring.
o HARDWARE AT THE YARD
Lumberyard, 105 East Van Buren, The Yard
has yet to disclose what they have in store.
Whatever it is, they always find some way to
celebrate!!
EXORCISE THE HANGOVER
DEMONS
You want crazy? We’ll give ya crazy! A
Diversity Breakfast you will never forget.
Play" Name That Tung’ With Sandy at the
Smokehouse Cafd, 580 West Van Buren,
Saturday & Sunday, 8:30 A.M tol l:30ish,
biscuits as big as your head. WIN Fabulous
Prizes. Highly Recomended.
o RAMPANT STREET SEX!
Not really: Just some amusement for the
tourist and to annoy the fundies.
The Summer Diversity Public Display Of
Affection Photo Shoot..12 noon, Basin
Park band shell, downtown. A G-rated
opportunity to smooch your sweetie-or the
perfect stranger-for posterity. Eureka Pride
has treats to pass out for the first to come,
first to get. Park Music Stylings, ! 2 - 2 PM
Jones Van Jones, 2-4 PM 2 - 4 Cletus Got
Shot, 4-6PM 4 - 6 The HillBenders.
OPEN ARMS SPIRITUALITY
Saturday.Discussion on the spiritual path
of the Sufis with Sufi Master: Don Kitz at
Eureka Springs Library Annex 2 - 4 PM
Sunday Discussion on the spiritual path of
Wicca with Wiccan Priest: Tymythy Aieran at
Eureka Springs Library Annex 1 - 3PM
...... Continued See EUREY,~k Page-20
~wcvv.metrostarnews.com #~®t~°oSTAR 9
N
Wockner News Service
gay sex ban struck down
GLBTs decriminalized
17% of
Following an @t-year court battle, India’s Delhi High Court legalizedgay sextidy 2 in aforcefid
andpoetic ruling that had GLBTactivists ~ying in the courtroom. Marchersprotested the sodomy
ban at lastyear’s Delhi gay prideparade. Wockner Newsphoto by Sonali Gulati
Following an eight-year court battle,
India’s Delhi High Court legalized gay sex
July 2 in a forceful and poetic ruling that had
GLBT activists crying in the courtroom.
The ruling took effect immediately --
nationally -- and will remain in effect unless
the Supreme Court reverses it. Several major
Western media outlets erroneously reported
July 2 that the ruling only applied in New
Delhi.
The court decision "read dowff’ Section
377 of the Indian Pena! Code so that it no
longer applies to the activities of consenting
adults. The section bans "carnal intercourse
against the order of nature ,vith any man,
woman or animal" under penalty of 10 years
to life in prison.
The court smashed 377’s application
to gay people in myriad ways, finding
it violated a constitutional guarantee of
equality under the law, a constitutional
ban on discrimination based on sex, and
constitutional promises of personal liberty
and protection of life.
The ruling is chock-full of soaring
statements in support of India’s GLBT
population, including:
* "The critninalisation of homosexuality
condemns in perpetuity a sizable section of
society and forces them to live their lives
in {he shadow of harassment, exploitation,
humiliation, cruel and degrading treatment at
the hands of the law enforcement machinery.
... Section 377 IPC grossly violates their right
to privacy and liberty embodied in Article
21 insofar as it criminalises consensual sexual
acts between adults in private."
* "Section 377 IPC targets the
homosexual community as a class and
is motivated by an animus towards this
vulnerable class of people.... It has no
other purpose than to criminalise conduct
which fails to conform vdth the moral or
religious views of a section of society. Tile
discrimination severely affects the rights and
interests of homosexuals and deeply impairs
their dignity."
* "When everything associated with
homosexuality is treated as bent, queer,
repugnant, the whole gay and lesbian
community is marked with deviance and
perversity.... The result is that a significant
group of the population is, because of
its sexual non-conformity, persecuted,
marginalised and turned in on itself."
* "We hold that sexual orientation
is a ground analogous to sex and that
discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation is not permitted by Article 15 ....
A provision of law branding one section of
people as criminal based wholly on the State’s
moral disapproval of that class goes counter
to the equality guaranteed under Articles 14
and 15 under any standard of review."
.... [R]ight to personal liberty’ and ’right
to equality’ are fundamental human rights.
which belong to individuals simply by virtue
of their humanity: ... A Bill of Rights does
not ’confer’ fundamental human rights. It
confirms their existence and accords them
protection."
"~ "Indian Constitutional laxv does not
permit the statutory criminal law to be held
captive by the popular misconceptions ofwho
the LGBTs are. It cannot be forgotten that
discrimination is antithesis of equality and
that it is the recognition of equality which
will foster the dignity of every individual....
We declare that Section 377 IPC, insofar it
criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in
private, is violative of Articles 21, 14 and t5
of the Constitution."
What happens next?
The national government could appeal
the ruling to India’s Supreme Court, though
that is considered unlikely; the national
government could both accept the ruling
and use it as ammo to introduce a bill in
Parliament to duplicate the ruling in national
law; and/or anti-gay parties to the lawsuit
could appeal to the Supreme Court.
But until such time as the Supreme Court
overturns the Delhi ruling, India’s GLBTs
-- who comprise more than 17 percent of all
GLBT people on the planet -- are no longer
criminals. India has a population of nearly
1.2 billion people.
The erroneous reports that the ruling did
not apply outside ofNew Delhi appeared in
The New York Times, The Washington Post,
the Los Angeles Times, on the Associated
Press ~vire and elsewhere. (For correct
information, see bit.ly/WeX,vO and bit.
ly/7su4o.)
"Every major media outlet in the ~vorld
got this wrong because they don’t understand
how the Indian courts work," said journalist
Vikram Doctor of India’s Queer Media
Collective. "It will apply nationally until
somebody challenges that at the Supreme
Court, which is where this case is going to
end up anyway."
In most common-law court systems,
including India’s in this case, the decision of
an appellate court binds lower courts within
its territorial iurisdiction and also is the ’last’
word on the subject nationally unless a court
of equa! authority elsewhere makes a contrary
decision or the supreme court reverses the
decision. An appellate decision also binds the
parties in the case (which include the Indian
government in this case) r~gardless ofwhere
they are in the country.
Meanwhile, gay pride parades were
staged in four Indian cities June 27-28
-- New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and
Bhubaneshwar.
At least 2,000 people marched in New
Delhi. Marches are still to come in Mumbai
and Kolkata.
300 march in Sofia
Around 300 people marched in the
second gay pride parade in Sofia, Bulgaria, on
June 27, twice as many as last year.
Police and private security officers, hired
by pride organizers, protected the marchers
to prevent a recurrence of last year’s violence,
when sldnheads and right-wing extremists
attacked the parade with bottles, rocks, eggs,
firecrackers, smoke bombs and Molotov
cocktails, resulting in 80 arrests.
This ),ear’s march, which traveled from the
National Palace of Culture~to the Red House
debate club, encountered nothing more
serious than some booing.
Organizers called for a law to bail anti-gay
discrimination in employment.
Liza does Paris Pride
Singer andgay icon Liza Minnelli danced on a
float in Paris’gayprideparadeflme 2Z To her
left.: Gay Paris Mayor Bertrand DelanM. Photo
by Nikolai Alekseev
Singer and gay icon Liza Minnelli danced
on a float in Paris’ gay pride parade June 27.
Minnelli is the daughter of gay icon Judy
Garland, whose death five days before the
Stonewall Riots 40 years ago is thought to
have contributed to the foul mood of the gays
who decided to fight back against the police
raid of the Stonewall Inn.
"Freedom," Minnelli shouted from the
float. About 700,000 people took part in the
festivities.
"We knew that she (Minnelli) had a
concert this evening in Paris but when
her agent told us that she could come, we
thought it was a joke," Pride spokesman
Philippe Castel mid Agence France-Presse.
Berlin also held Pride on June 27. About
550,000 people turned out, reports said.
Gay pride goes well in
Jerusalem, for a change
About 2,000 people marched in
Jerusalem’s gay pride parade June 25 without
incident, but for one tossed egg.
Previous years’ marches have been met
with violent protests, stabbings and the arrest
of a man carrying a bomb.
Police protection was reduced this year, to
a mere 1,600 officers.
No matter who you are o
are on life’s journey,
-Re~ere~d Dr. K~hy
3131 hi. Pennsylvania,Oklaho 405.525.9555
10 ~>{~’oSTAR August 2009
New group forms to help
gay refugees
A new organization in San Francisco aims
to help GLBT refugees ~vho are fleeing sexual
or gender-based violence in their native lands.
Only through raising consdousness of
LGBT refugee issues to governments, refugee
organizations, communities and the media,
will help come to these individuals, who are
among the most persecuted people in the
world today," the Organization for Refuge,
Asylum & Migration said in a statement.
The group provides free legal counsel
for GLBT refugees who have escaped their
home countries, and it will conduct ’\videranging
international advocacy to advance the
protection of all LGBT refugees and asylum
seekers."
"LGBT refugees often fall through the
cracks of the international refugee regime,"
said Executive Director Neil Grungras.
"They have escaped systematic hatred and
violence at home, and their LGBT identity
brings serious new threats to their safety
and protection in countries of first asylum.
MaW live in a toxic mix of destitution and
desperation.
"The recent surge in homophobic violence
in Iraq has shone a spodight on the painful
truths we’re dealing with first-hand in the
Middle East. LGBTs are the most persecuted
people in many regions of the world today.
For every reported execution, there are
likely tens of judicially or family-sanctioned
murders."
In recent months, several Iraqigays have
been shot to death by militias and anti-~ay
family or tribe members; Some have h~dtheir
anuses glued shut by deah squadsi arid there
have been allegaions of executions by the
government.
Reports in April said gay men were being
captured and their anuses superglued with
something called "American gum," after
which they were being forced to ingest a
diarrhea-causing substance and sometimes
died.
Scott Long, director of Human Rights
Watch’s LGBT Rights Division, visited Iraq
in April and "collected several accounts" of
the practice, which reportedly can be seen in
mobile-phone videos that have been passed
around inside the country.
Massive abuses are taking ~lace ~
Baghdad, and apparently in other cities in
the center and south," Long said. "XWe may
never know the full sweep and scope of the
killings so far, amid a pervasive insecurity
that brutalizes innumerable people and
devastates multiple communities, but we ate
,d°ing everything we,.,.can to,, determine and
ctocument accountability.
Poles hate same-sex
Seventy-five percent of Poles oppose
legalization of same-sex marriage and 87
percent say gay couples shouldn’t be allowed
{o adopt chi]’dren, a Gt~ Polonia poll has
found.
~e poll is the latest example of the wide
gulf on _~ay acceptance that separates Western
Europe ~rom the European nations that used
to be part of the Communist bloc.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Europe in
Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and
Sweden -- and most other Western European
nations have civil-union laws for gay couples.
Saudis arrest 67 crossdressers
Police arrested 67 mostly Filipino men for
wearing women’s clothing June 13 in Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia.
The roundup took place at a private
residence during a Philippines Independence
Day party.
The men were charged with imitating
women and possessing alcohol.
Similar arrests in the past have led to
imprisonment and floggings.
"If the police in Saudi Arabia can arrest
people simply because they don’t like their
clothes, no one is safe," said Human Rights
Watch researcher Rasha Moumneh. "Arresting
and charging people simply because the police
decide that their appearance is unacceptable
strikes at the heart of human freedom."
Ukraine bans Briino
Sacha Baron Cohen’s new gay flick Br~ino
has been banned in Ukraine for alleged
immorality, obscenity and impropriety.
The Culture Ministry said it was
displeased with the movie’s "artistically
unjustified" gay-sex scenes, obscene language,
nudity, graphic homosexuality, sadisra and
anti-soc.ial behavior.
In the U.S., the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation also has dissed the film.
"The filmmakers wanted to use satire to
highlight and challenge homophobia," said
GLAM) President Jarrett Barrios. "But their
film also reinforces troubling attitudes about
gay people in ways that run counter to the
intentions ofthe filmmal~ers.
"The movie repeatedly builds entire scenes
around stock stereotypes and situations that
make gay people and families the butt of
crude jokes. I can’t help but think of all the
teenage kids already getting bullied, beat
up and ridiculed for being -- or for being
thought to be -- gay. For these kids, this
movie will give their tormentors one more
word in the anti-gay lexicon of slurs: Br~no."
Some gay bloggers and Facebook users
who have seen the film say GLAAD is
humorless and needs to find its funnybone
-- a charge the group occasionally has
encountered before.
Group says GLBT
activists targeted after
Honduran coup
~he International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission on July 17
condemned "the recent murder and arbitrary
arrests of... LGBT activists in Honduras."
"IGLHRC has learned that these human
rights abuses have occurred as a direct result
of the military coup on June 28 ... which
ousted that country’s democratically elected
government," the group said.
A transgender activist xvas shot dead June
29 a block from the gay community center in
the city of San Pedro Sula, IGLHRC said.
"Local activists in Honduras claim she
was killed by military police patrolling the
streets," the organization reported.
Five other GLBT activists -- Hdctor
Licona, Donny Reyes, Patrick Pav6n, Claudia
......Continued see HONDURAS page 20
I million & prime minister’s wife at London Pride
One million people, including Sarah Brown, wife of
Prime Mimster Gordon Brown, took part m Londons
gaypridepamdeJuly 4. ScotsGayph~to
One million people and Sarah Brown,
xvife of Prime Minister Gordon BroWn, took
part in Londoffs gay pride parade Jnly 4.
Mrs. Brown carried a red, white and pink
Union Jack flag.
Members of the military marched in
uniform, as did firefighters and a contingent
from British Airways.
Prior to the march, Mr. Brown met with
organizers at his residence and said theUnited
Kingdom has made "massive strides"
in the march toward gay equality.
Marriage is almost the last thing on the
agenda for British GLBTs. An existing civilpartnership
law grants registered same-sex
couples all the rights of marriage.
Noted gay activist Peter Tatchell carried
a sign in the parade that read: "Gordon &
Sarah can marry, gays can’t. End the ban on
gay marriage." He wore a T-shirt that said
"Homo Libertd, Egatitd, Sexualit&"
1 million at Madrid Pride, 35,000 at Barcelona
Pride
About 35,000people marched in Barcelona’sfirst large-scale gayprideparadeJune 28. Photo by Yves Bohic
A million people turned out for Madrid’s
gay pride parade July 4.
With same-sex marriage already legal and
little left to fight for, organizers put forth the
theme of greater freedom for GLBT young
people in schools.
In Barcelona, about 35,000 people
marched June 28. It was the city’s first largescale
pride parade. The procession began at
Plaga de la Universitat and ended at Plaga
d’Espanya.
www.metrostarnews.com ~®t~oSTAR 11
p t the °°gay"
in Christian,
12 ~;~STAR August 2009
AUGUST TH 2009
H O M A
~ENTER TO WIN
BANTA
www.metrostamews.com ~etroSTAR 13
14 #~troSTAR August 2009
We have found Heaven and it is
BOOTHBA¥ HARBOR, MAINE
by Donald Pile and Ray Williams
Photo: From a room with a viw~ Topside Inn
Onour recent 4 week driving trip to
the east coast we visited a lot of cities, towns
and villages and had a wonderful time at
each of them. All were fun, interesting and
exciting to visit however our stay in Boothbay
Harbor, Maine was "beyond fabulous"! We
first checked into the Topside Inn. It is
located on the tallest hill in the city and was
a 19th century sea captain’s home. They also
have guest cottages to the side of the main
house. They have a total of 21 guest rooms.
The owners, Brian Lamb and Ed McDermott
have mvned the Inn for several years and they
certainly know how to do everything PJGHT
!!!!! The views of the harbol; ships, seals,
birds and the flora and fauna from the Inn
are absolutely incredible! ~le view from our
room looking out into the harbor was just
like a movie set! This truly was Heaven! All
guest rooms have their own private in-suite
bathrooms, cable TV and dial-out telephone.
King, queen, or two beds are available. All
rooms include hair dryers, irons and ironing
boards.
Brealdqast is something that is a "DO
NOT MISS". A fabulously scruraptious si~-
down breal’~ast is served every morning in the
breakfast room which overloolcs the bay.
It iust doesn’t get any better! We me~ a lot
of wonderful gnests from all over the country
while staying there. Many guests return
time and time again because of the great way
that Brian and Ed makes all of their guests
feel a~ home. Everything about this Inn is
perfect! The owners should open a school for
innkeepers on the right w~ay to run an hm.
And did we mention the incredible views that
we had from our room at the Iun? There’s the
sunrise and the famous footbridge over the
inner harbor, to the lighthouses, islands, out
to sea, aud the western sunset. Their website
is: http://www.topsideinn.com/and their toll
free phone is 1-888-633-5404 or you can
emait them at info@topsideinn.com.
Downtown Boothbay is just a couple
of blocks down the hill and it is filled ~vith
quaint restaurants, galleries, shops and the
the waterfront piers. You can take excursion
boat trips ranging from an hour cruise to a
full day at sea. Visit the Historical Society
in Boothbay Harbor and the Museum in
Southport to learn about ice cutting and ship
building in days gone by. See the handiwork
of local boat yards, which continue the
tradition in
state-of-the art
materials, and keep
aliv~ their heritage
ofworld-class boat
builders. Watch
the lobstermen
tend their traps,
or put to sea for
a close enconnter
with a barnacleencrusted
whale.
Actually, Boothbay
Harbor has been
around since the
1700’S when it was
a fishing village
and shipbuilding
center. By 1900
over 500 vessels
had been built in
the region.
Tl~e first morning we visited the Botanical
Gardens which was a real treat. Check it
out at va*av.mainegardens.org. It is New
England’s largest botanical garden on 248
waterfront acres with beautiful gardens,
waterfront trails, sculpture and much, more.
Enjoy collections of roses, native plants,
rhododendrons and thousands of other
perennials, ornamental trees, shrubs and
spring bulbs. It is a ,vonderful walldng tour
and you can either take a guided tour on visit
it by yourself. They are open 9 to 5 everyday
and all year long.
No trip to Boothbay Harbor would
be complete without taking a Schooner
Eastwind cruise. Herb and Doris Smith have
built six schooners and have sailed around the
world t~vice with their children. They
offer a 2 V2 hour cruise in the harbor where
you can visit several small islands, birds,
seals and other sea life and a lighthouse.
They have 3 or 4 cruises everyday. Call
207.633.6598 to make a reservation. This
is the finest Schooner cruise that we have
ever taken. Herb and Doris really enjoy
telling people about their travels and explains
everything about the Schooner. This is the
only cruise to take!
And now, the best of the best when it
comes to dining. In our travels from coast
to coast we have never had such a fabulous
dining experience as we had our last night in
-Boothbay Harbor. Ports of Italy is a family
owned and operated restaurant. Chef Davide
Rossi and his wife Christa are the owners.
We used taste buds that we have not used in
years! We are NOT talking spaghetti and
meatballs here, but a full range of northern
Italian cuisine that is mouth-watering
tasty. Between courses be sure and try their
Intermezzo to cleanse your palette with the
fabulously, delicious Lemon Sorbet and Vodka
Slush. Just be sure and save room for some
of the wonderful desserts. Their website is
www.portsofitaly.com. As we said, in all of
our travels, this is the finest dining experience
that we have ever had! We had a 7 course
meal that night and everything that we had
was "beyond" fabulous and we know that we
will never, ever have a dining experience so
grand as this one. That is, until we return to
Boothbay Harbor again. Boothbay Harbor
is a wonderful place to spend a week or two
and just relax, enjoy the sights and sounds
of the area. Forget going to the Red Door
for a complete rejuvenation ofyourself.
Instead iusr go to Boothbay Harbor, and
don’t forget to stay at the wonderful Topside
Inn. Owners Brian and Ed are the best of
the best. For more information go to ,vww.
boothbayharbor.com.
Always remember to have fun ,vhen
traveling, meet new people and talk to
everyone!
UCAN, INC TO
FOCUS ON HIV/
AIDS PR£VENTION
By Victor Gorin
Reverend Loyce Newton Edwards ofChurch of
the Open Arms UCC. Gorin photo
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK In 2008
UCAN Inc. ( United Church of Christ
MDS/HIV Network) was formed under the
Health and Wholeness Ministry of the United
Church of Christ to establish a program
for people of faith to address the issues of
HIV/MDS. This will feature a special focus
on HIV prevention.
Among 8 members of UCAN’s Board
of Directors, one is the Reverend Loyce
Newton-Edwards of UCC’s Church of the
Open Arms in Oklahoma City, and another
is the Reverend Leslie Penrose ofTulsa’s
Community of Hope UCC Church. States
Reverend Loyce, " I’m excited about this
new ministry because through the United
Church of Christ we can work vdth local
community partners to develop HIVIMDS
programs, including a focus on prevention.
\Ve want to do something positive, to expand
our territory of ministry to include a specific
outreach to those infected and affected by
HIV/MDS. "
UCAN has applied for a grant from
the Federal Center for Disease Control which
would be over 2 million dollars, but as of
press time it has nor yet been approved. This
outreach would bring needed services to
people in need wherever UCC churches are
located, throughout the United States and
abroad.
www.metrostarnews.com }~®{~’oSTAR 15
@Club 209, Tulsa @ The Ledo, Oklahoma City @ Tulsa Eagle, Tulsa
@ Finishline, Oklahoma City @Angles, Oklahoma City @ The End Up, Tulsa
18, August 2009
ARE YOU WONDERIN WHEI
EVERYONE ItAS BEEN LATELY?
Open Every Day 4pro to 2am
836 - 09q 5
Monda.y
Friends and Family @ 6pm
Dancers @ 10pm
Tuesday
$0.50 Draught Beer Night
Dancers @ 10pm
Wednesday
Pool Tournament @ 8pm
Dancers @ 10pm
Thursday
Bin" Bingo with E-Lyra St. James @ 7pm
Dancers @ 10pm
Friday
Dancers @ 10pm
Saturday
Dancers@ 10pm
Sunday
Free Pool All Day
DanCers
Open Every Day at 2pro
{9"!8} 437 -0449
Monday
Movie Madness - Showtimes 7pm and lOpm
Tuesday
Drama Lite- All the Gay, Half the Drama
Wednesday
A Night in Vegas Drag Show @ 10pm
Thursday
$0.50 Draught Beer Night
Friday
Cabaret Night @ 8pm
Saturday
Big Gay Dating Game w/Daphne Rio @ 10pm
Sunday
Disco Night @ 9pm
The Hideaway Tropical Lounge becomes
the World’s Smallest Disco
ww~v.metrostarnews.com @etroSTAR 19
By Camper English
q-he Mixer Mix-up
Much as I love the name, I can’t bring
myself to consume what the kids today are
calling the Skinny Bitch. This cocktail is
usually made with a flavored vodka, Diet
Coke. and a squeeze of lime. My issue with
the drink doesfft involve the liquor, but with
the artificially flavored and sweetened soda.
But the Skinny Bitch is not really a drink
focused on the Coke: it’s a drink focused
on the Diet. Also focusing on the diet is a
really they may as well be swilling cola.
Now that I’m a fully functioning cocktail
snob, I don’t drink the tonic water, sodas and
juices that come out of the cocktail squirter
in bars at all. I like fresh juices and mixers
without artificial sweeteners - and it turns out
these typically have less calories than do the
sugared-up cranberry juice and sodas you’ll
get in most bars anyway. At home. you can
buy high quality mixers with natural and
organic sweeteners for your cocktails: Out at
the clubs though, you probably won’t have
that option, so you can opt for diet soda or
soda water as mixers. Or better yet, opt for
that sugar-laden Apple-Cosmo-Choco~Tini at
the bar. and then spend the night worldng off
writer named
Teresa Marie
Howes, who
wrote a whole
book on diet
drinks this year
called Skinnydnis.
Most of the
recipes in the
book cut calories
in cocktails by
adjusting the
amounts of
liqueurs and
mixers. ,as distilled
spirits like gin and
vodka all have
about the same -~
number of calories
per volume. Her
drinks call for
light or diet iuices
and sodas, and
flavored water
and other mixers
instead of sugar- ~ ~:~ ~
laden liqueurs in ~_o~
recipes. She makes
crab/placements
like swapping out the orange liqueur in a
Margarita with light orange juice and Sweet
’N Low.
those calories on the dancefloor.
Camper English is a cacktails and spirits
writer andImblisher ofAlc~mics.com
Census Bureau will
count married gay
couples as married
The U.S Census Bureau said June
19 it will count married gay couples as
married in the 2010 census.
The prior plan had been to retabulate
such couples as "unmarried partners," an
existing census-form category, because of
the federal ban on recognition of samesex
marriages.
Gay activists, as part of their recent
broadside against President Barack
Obama’s inaction on gay issues, had
srepped up their criticism of the plan to
skew the data.
Gay marriage is legal in three states
and wil! be legal in five, six or raore by
the time of the census.
One set of mixers that are often mixed
tip are soda water and tonic water. They,
both have water in the name so you can
understand the confusion, but the two
are vastly different liquids. Soda water is
carbonated water, and mixes well with
vodka. (Gin not so much.l Tonic water pairs
well with more spirits, and is consumed in
different countries with vodka, gin, rum.
tequila, and even Port wine.
But tonic began as a tonic - a medicine
used to prevent and cure malaria. It gets its
flavor from the very bitter quinine that was
once harvested from the bark of the cinchona
tree, niclmamed the "fever tree" as it cured
the malarial fever. To make the powdered
bark palatable, explorers and soldiers in
mosquito-intense countries around the world
added sugar to the solution. Later, gin was
added and the G&T was born. Hooray for
medicine!
The important thing to note in that last
paragraph is the use of sugar. Its presence
(or more commonly, the presence of high
fi’ucmse corn syrup) in drinks means it has
those calories you’ve been trying to avoid.
Many people think they’re sipping a diet
drink when they choose tonic water, but
TABC says Texas bar
raid was a big mistake
By Rex Wockner
The head of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission told the gay newspaper Dallas
Voice on July 16 that his officers committed
multiple "clear violations" of agency policy
when they and local police raided the gay bar
Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth on June 28,
the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
The violent raid put patron Chad Gibson
in a hospital intensive-care unit with bleeding
on his brain. Two other patrons sustained
lesser injuries and several patrons were
arrested for the crime of having drunk too
much.
"I don’t think you have to dig very deep to
figure out that TABC has violated some of
their policies," Alan Steen said. "XTqe know
that and I apologize for that.... It’s real dear
that however it is that ~ve were doing business
that night is not the typical TABC."
"You can read (our) policy and you can
figure out really quickly, TABC shotfldn’t have
even been there," he said. "If our guys would
have followed the damn policy, we wouldn’t
even have been there.... We don’t participate
in those kinds of inspections when there’s
not probable cause or reasonable suspicion or
some public safety matter to be inspected."
* THREE IMPROMPTU POOL PARTEAZE
ON TAP FOR SATURDA~
The guests of the TRADEWINDS, home of
the "HIDDEN POOL" are welcome to host
their own s~vim party. Invite your friends
over for an impromptu after dark ........dip
in the pool Reserve your Tradewinds themed
room nmv by calling David or Terry (479)
253-9774, request the Summer Diversity
Weekend rate.
Land O Nod aka:The Pink Palace, POOL
PART~. Guests are welcorne to invite their
new friends, old friends, and even the Xfriends
over for a swim... No glass...Plenty of
towels...Pool honrs will be extended until 12
midnight... Toll Free: 1-800-526-3263 Local
Phone: (479) 253-6262. Rooms as low as
59.00 a night...mffst request DW rate.
Alvin & Charlie are hosting a PRIVATE
MEN ONLY POOL PARTY at their private
residence. MUST drop by the Byrds Eye
View, 36 North Main or Contact EurekaPride
Sponsors Alvin & Charlie for an invitation
and details. Toll Free: 888 210-8401
° STRADDLE THIS...
For those who enjoy the thrill of wrapping
your legs around a tornado of pounding
pistons, THE DIVERITY BIKER’S
OZARKS FUN RUN’ Sat. August 8, 11 AM,
Planers Parking Lot Hwy 23 N. (Main St.)
and Hwy. 62. This ride will require a helmet.
Also, bring a bathing suit, ifyou want to take
a dip. There will be a lunch stop during the
ride.
~ NOWWE’RE HUNGR~q
FREE GOURMET BUFFET & ARTIST
RECEPTION at the new Dreamweaver
Gallery, 184 N. Main. Gallery owners David
artd Melanie go top chef with a full dinner
buffet. Drop by for a culinary adventure,
art, and meet their featured guest, art
photographer Matt Johnson. Check out all
the Eureka art during the "2ND Saturday
~Gallery Stroll~,’ on Saturday from 3-8 PM.
SHAYdN NOT STIRRED!
Henri’s Just One More. 19 V2 Spring Street.
Saturday Night Karaoke Dance Party with
DJ’S Shakin" not Stirred.
IMPORTA_NT REMINDER- BE
COOL, BE SEEN, BE SAFE: avoid those
Diversity buzz-killers like getting a DUI or
trying to find a parking place downtown.
Eureka Springs Limousine. $5.00 point to
point. Call 479-363-6055 for your PICK-UP!
Cervantes and Lizeth iivila -- were arrested,
detained and beaten June 29 in Tegucigalpa,
the capital, IGLHRC said.
"Nae arrests occurred while the activists
were participating in a demonstration
in support of the democratically elected
government," the group said.
The five activists are well-known GLBT
leaders.
"The recent coup in Honduras is an illegal
assault on democracy that violates the rights
of all Honduran citizens, including those ,vho
identify as LGBT," said IGLHRC Executive
Director Cary Alan Johnson. "We especially
deplore the vicious murder and arbitrary
arrests ofLGBT people in the wake of this
crisis."
20 August2009
by Jack Fertig August 2009
"Keep it light, Sagittarius"
Mercury in Leo trine to Eris provokes
bold partisan assertions. There’s
healthy room for that, but it can go
overboard. Mercury then opposes
Jupiter, Neptune and Chiron in
Aquarius. leading through confusion,
perhaps to improvement in ideals and
philosophy. "You stand a better chance
of improving yourself, not othe rs.
ARIES (Narch 20-Apri~ 19): Culture
clash can give you a better sense of
who you are and who you’re not, but
that will be challenged again when you
reassess political ideals. Confusion and
change are necessary steps to growth.
Just walk through it.
TAURUS (Apri~ 20 - Nay 20): Pride
in home and family can clash with
honesty about sameness. Ask yourself
the hard questions that have never
been answered. "Your insights could
lead to reconsidering career goals. New
answers there would also be helpful!
GEN~NI~ (Nay 21- June 20): Your
brilliant ideas can be very helpful in
political long-range planning, but they
wil~ start up arguments over principles,
A real world approach may be needed
to get idealist notions down to earth, but
grounding will not come easily.
CANCER (June 21o Ju~y 22): Know
your worth and hang out with the
right people in your profession, those
whose level you should be at. Strutting
you~ Stuff in the Sack - maybe some
exhibitionism?, can open up new
channels for fantasy and exploration.
LEO (July 23 -August 22): The
simplest observation can quickly
become an ideological or academic
thesis. That could be good, clarifying
your own sense of where you stand. In
relationships, however, your position
may baffle you. Enjoy the mystery; it
won’t last long.
V~RGO (August 23 - September
22): That buzz in your brain, perhaps
about mortality or sexual identity, could
prove enlightening. See where it leads.
Worries about health should motivate
you to better exercise and hygiene.
(There’s always room for improvement!)
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22):
Playful banter with friends can lead you
into a situation, pushing you to take
sides, or you mig ht be able to negotiate
a common ground between opposing
camps. Solutions may defy logic.
Creativity and intuition serve much
better!
SCORPIO (October 23 - November
21}: You can make an effective gobetween
for colleagues and bosses.
Being clear about which side you’re
on will make you more effective. Your
focus on career can be a distraction
from problems at home. Your distraction
could even be the problem.
SAGITTAR~US (November 22
- December 20): You need a forum for
your opinion. Keep it light and playful
and more people will listen. Appeal to
emotions more than logic. Sticking to
ideals and principles may be safer than
citations that you’re "reasonably sure"
of.
CAPRICORN (December 21 -
January 19): Leaning on your
own ethnic identity, or your ethnic
preferences, can help you strut your hot
stuff. Sexual preference for a certain
skin color may be racist, or not. It’s all in
the context and attitude. Checking your
own couldn’t hurt.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February
18): Arguments with your partner are
inflamed by a sense of competition.
Remember, you’re on the same side!
Together you can be unbeatable. Selfdoubt
can be a good thing if it leads you
to better answers.
HSCES (February 19 - Narch 19): If
you must argue with colleagues, make
sure it’s about something important;
remember you’re ultimately on the
same team. Is it really something at
work that’s bothering you? Take time
out, and meditate to find the real
problem.
Community for
People living
HW/A DS
A 50’! c (3) Non Profit Organization
Our House, Too offers a variety of
activities for people who are HIV+ and
or living with AIDS to help combat the
social isolation that many of our
people live through each and everyday.
We provide a Toiletry and Household
Pantry for those who are HIV+
and or living with AIDS who cannot
afford to purchase these items for
themselves. We invite anyone who
would like to volunteer or provide financial
assistance to please contact
us by phone 918-585-9552 or e-rnail
ourhousetoo9865@sbcglobal.net
Across
1
12 3
4
33
58 }59 60
Island of Diamond Head Beach
Come-on after following a gay guy?
6 7 8
~
9 10 11
’12 !13
15 !
~
16
~ 39 40
~
DovTI3
t Figure skater Doug
2 Nuts 0fa tall one
3 It’s deep in a movie title
4 Hall ’Universi~
5 ~tflavor for gin
6 Shining examples
7 Prefix with physics
8 ~]ite~ A Boys Own
9 Frank of the House
10 Jaclde~ designer
1t Liza, to Lorna
12 Sept. follower
13 Month in Madrid
2l Dish nanie
22 Not in the pink
25 Antigay prejudice, e.g.
26 Phil of folk music
27 Home ofth~ Buckeyes
30 Be under the weather
32 Yellow-bri& way
nd_
45 Day before saying "~GIF"
~7 Halfofa pair 0fballs
Solution page 23
evidence
59 Way cool
60 Hydrocarbon su~x
w~vw.metrostarnews.com ~’ ~troSTAR 21
Another artistic aspect ofTulsa Ballet is its
commitment to create art in Oklahoma and export
it to the world. With this concept in mind, the
compaW built Studio K: a 300 seat, $6 million
theater, dedicated to the creation of new art.
This Is Your Life vcas among the first works to be
presented in the new theater. Created loosely on
the concept of the 1950’s television show that bore
the same name, this work merges drama, humor,
acting and stunning dancing to tell the stoW of its
characters.
Tulsa Ballet will perform according to the
fi~llowing schedule at The Joyce ~neater in
New’~%rk City from August 10 - 15: Monday
- \Vednesday at 7:30 pro, Tnursday- Saturday
at 8pm and Sunday- at 2pro. Tickets for these
performances are $19; $29; $39 and can be
arranged by calling JoyceCharge a 212-242-0800 "
or online at "~mv.joyce.org. NOTE: Ticket prices
are subject to change. %e Joyce Theater is located
at 175 Eighth Avenue at I9th Street in Chelsea.
If you can’t make the trip to see the company
in New York, Tulsa Ballet is hosting a Big Apple
Preview- Night in Tulsa on N~ursday, August 6 at
Studio K, 1212 East 45th Place. Tickets are still
available for this special event featuring a wine
and hor d’ouevres reception at 6:30 pm followed
by the performance at 7:00 pm. Tne evening will
culminate with champagne and desserts on stage
with the compan> Tickets can be purchased by
contacting Amy Miller, Director of Development
at (918) 392-5933.
The 2009-20 I0 Tulsa Ballet Season begins
in October with the Oklahoma premiere of Ben
Stevensoffs spectacular production of Dracula
that will be performed in Tulsa and Oklahoma
City during the Halloween season. Subscription
packages are on sale now and can be ordered by
calling the Tulsa Ballet box office at (918) 749-
6407. For more information about Tulsa Ballet,
please visit ~.~xvw.tutsaballetaorg.
New Rainbow Sweater
............................................................................w~,w~thega)mar{oonsite.corn
by Greg Fox
SCANDINAVIAN
Webs#e - wvs~c.kylecornics.com E-Mail- KylesBnB@~ol.com
22 fi%t~"oSTAR August 2009
t-LABANA INN
2200 iNg/39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-528-2221
www.habanainn.com
KELLY IGRBY, CPA
4815 S. HARVARD, SUITE 424
Tulsa, OK * 918-747-5466
Certified Public Accountant
ROUTE 66 ANTIQUE MALL
4624 E. 1 lth Street
Tulsa OK
918-836-3838
VALERIE W]LLIFORD
625 N.W. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK
405-226-8585
NATH_AN BLACK
PRIMERICA 10820 E. 45th #305
Tulsa, OK
918-615-8177
nblack.rnv39@prinaerica.com
OKC MORTUARY
2415-C N. WALNUT AVE.
Oklahoma City, OK
800-913:1310
A2qGLES
21 st
Oklahoma
vr~#.anglesclub.com ..............
BAMBOO LOUNGE
7204 E. PINE
Tt~sa, OK
918-836-8700
www.bambooloungetulsa.com
CLUB 209
209 N. BOULDER
Tulsa, OK
918-584-9944
CLUB MAJESTIC
124 N. BOSTON
Tulsa, OK
918-584-9494
www.ctubmajestictulsa.com
FINISHLINE
2200 >FW 39TH EXPRESSX~TAY
Oldahoma City, OK
405-525-2900
wvcw.habanainn.com
THE COPA
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
w~w.habanainn.com
HIDEAWAY LOUNGE
11730 E. 11TH
~I~Isa, OK
918-437-0449
Open Sun thru Sat 2pro to 2am
THE END UP
5336 E. ADMIRAL PLACE
~Asa, OK
918-836-0915
Open 7 days a week 2pro to 2am
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
w#w.habanainn.com
TULSA EAGLE
1338 E. 3RD
Tulsa, OK
918-592-1188
Open 7days week 2pm to 2am
CHURCH of the OPEN ARMS
3131 N. PENN,
OKC, OK 405-525-9555
Service Sunday 10:45 AM
HOPE TESTING CLINIC
3540 E. 31st
Tulsa, OK
800-535-2437
Oldahoma’s HIV/STD Hotline
SPIRIT OF CHRIST MCC
2902 E. 20TH STREET,
Joplin, MO * 479-529-8480
Service Sunday 6pro
MCC UNITED
1623 N. Maplewood, Tulsa, OK
918-838-1715
www.mcctulsa.org
OY~AEIOMANS for EQUALITY
621 Ei 4d~ Street
Tulsa, OK 74120
918-743-4297
wv~aokeq.org
OUR HOUSE, TOO
203 N. Negates Ave
Tulsa, OK741~7 :
918-585-9552
IGRA
Aurora, CO
www.igra.com
202-957-6187
JUDY G. PHOTO’S
Tulsa, OK
judygphotos@sbcglobal.net
918-743-8636
ARMANDO AMOR
Keller Williams Realty
1624 SW 122nd
Oldahoma City, OK 73170
405-473-6870
CENTURY 21 GOLD CASTLE
3627 NWEXPRESS\gAy"
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-840-2106
vc~w¢.c21 goldcastle.com
CHUCK BRECKENRIDGE
Keller Williams Realty
Tulsa, OK
918-706-1887
GUSHER’S RESTAURANT
2200 NW 39TH FA’~PRESSW’AY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
Located inside Habana Inn
THE KITCHEN
2218 NW" 39th
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
Located inside the BOOM
THE MARI~ET PLACE ON 39th
2235 N.W. 39th
°
oming Out
Armando Amor
Phone: 405-473-6870
Fax: 405-691.2708
THE
K~TCHEIN
2218 NW 39th
, : Oklahoma City, OKC 7311’,~
Open Tues.-Sun 12
Noon to 11PM. Featuring
Chef Susie Lopez.
BUY GI Joe Action Figures
(12" size Only)
Located inside the "BOOM"
Oklahoma City, OK
405-528-5555
NOW OPEN !!in iae
Marketplace on 39th
Eureka Springs, AR
www.eurelcasprings.org
KING OF MASSAGE
In or Out Calls
Oklahoma City, OK
405-882-6127
THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE
In Calls Only, NWOKC
405-822-7378
nwokcmassageguy@aol.cim
nformation
Ca[[ 8-549-8090
based.
send resume
t~etro Star
PO Box 581718
Tulsa, OK 74158
Start building a business
today to supplement your
income in case of layoff.
High potential commissions.
A
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2" square for as little as 539 per
~ issue.
Email: srarnews@
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Call Robin @
405-590-2871
Excellent instruction.
Set your own hours.
Call NATHAN BLACK
918-615-8177
SAVE & FILL YOUR PIGGY
WWW.METROSTARNEWS.COM
Chuck 8reckenridge
Wl~ether buying or selling
1’11 work hard for you.
w4w~.metrostarnews.com ~letroSTAR 23
300 San Pedro NE, Albuquerque
for ~n
The Demented
Divas
in Totally Plowed
From Truckers to
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Parks to Dollywood,
the Divas Poke Fun
at the Most
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Sandy Vee Anderson
in a Tribute to
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See the Award Winning,
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from Las "Vegas legends
in Concert and CMT,
MTV, and VHI.
vvww.mypromoreei.com/
sandy_anderson.html
Sheraton A~buquerque Uptown
Call 800-252-7772 ~onday - Friday, 8 a.~. - 5 p.m. (MS~
for the ~ntem~t~on~ Gay Ro~eo ~ssoc~t~o~ R~te of $85/n~g~t
August2009
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
[2009] Metro Star Magazine, August 1, 2009; Volume 6, Issue 8
Subject
The topic of the resource
Politics, education, and social conversation over LGBTQ+ topics
Description
An account of the resource
The Metro Star’s first issue began in August of 2008. Before this issue was Ozarks Pride (2004), The Ozark’s Star (2004), and The Star (2005).
This magazine discusses topics of AIDs, education, politics, local and national civil rights of the LGBT community, and advice for relationships and places to visit.
This collection is PDF searchable. Physical copies are also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Star Media, Ltd
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Star Media. Ltd
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
August 1, 2009
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Image
Online text
PDF
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
magazine
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Greg Steele
James Nimmo
Jeane Flanigan
Victor Gorin
Rex Wockner
Gerald Libonati
Michael W. Sasser
Robin Dorner,-Townsend
Romeo San Vicente
Andrew Collins
Donald Pile
Ray Williams
Jack Fertig
Devre Jackson
Victor Gorin
Judy G.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Southwest Missouri
West Arkansas
Southeast Kansas
Eastern Oklahoma
The United States of America (50 states)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/19
Relation
A related resource
The Metro Star Magazine, July 1, 2009; Volume 6, Issue 7
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/133
The Metro Star Magazine, December 1, 2009; Volume 6, Issue 12
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/130
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/129
adoption
Al McAffrey
art
ballet
bar raid
Bingo
bowling tournament
Christine Plante
church
cocktail chatter
Comics
cross dressers
DADT
Democratic party
dining
Dr. Tom Guild
Drag Queen
Enid
Eureka Springs
fashion
First Thursday
gay sex ban
H.O.P.E
hate crimes
India
international news
Kyle's Bed and Breakfast
Metro scene
National news
Nicholas K. Clark
Obama
OKC pride
Oklahoma News
Portland
Pride celebration
Qscopes
Sally Kern
same sex marriage
snap shots
stage
Stonewall
TABC
travel
Ukraine
violence
World Gay Rodeo finals
-
https://history.okeq.org/files/original/2e2a9a8c933dbbbc21c3c4cdc0a83571.jpg
c0285f15bddb2569e69f41fde420d855
https://history.okeq.org/files/original/b96238e6cb780c76b436d590e485edff.pdf
f3af744a4fdff9fad5baa5b8f88f0d77
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
[Series] Newsletters & Publications > Ozarks Pride, Ozarks Star, Star, Metro Star Newspapers, 2004-2011
Subject
The topic of the resource
Politics, education, and social conversation over LGBTQ+ topics
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Ozarks Pride
Ozarks Star
Star
Metro Star
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2004-2011
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Images
Online texts
PDF
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
magazine
Description
An account of the resource
Ozarks Pride's first issue began in January of 2004. Then follows Ozarks Pride (2004), The Star (2005), and The Metro Star (2008).
This magazine discusses topics of AIDs, education, politics, local and national civil rights of the LGBT community, and advice for relationships and places to visit.
This collection is PDF searchable. Physical copies are also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Southwest Missouri
Western Arkansas
Eastern Oklahoma
Southeast Kansas
The United States of America (50 states)
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Ozarks Pride/Star Media
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
C.D. Ward
T.J. Kelly
Chaz Storm
Marion Wilson
Greg Steele
Randy Vineyard
Steve T. Urie
Chaz
Lady Bunny
Romeo San Vincente
Steve T. Urie
Donald Pile
Ray Williams
Michael Hinzman
Jack Fertig
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://history.okeq.org/items/browse?collection=19&page=1
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
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magazine
Text
Any textual data included in the document
Oldahoma City’s Robin
Dorner oins Metro
Star team. She not only
brings her talent and
enthusiasm, but also
expertise gained from
overall life experience and
reporting. Seepage 5
3.corn THE PREMIER SOURCE FOR GLBT OKLAHOMA JULY 1,2009
TSUNAMI SLAMS OBAMA
by Rex Wockmer
not health coverage, which he said june 17 is not within his
power. That’s the good news -- all of it.
What hasn’t he done? Anything about Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell, anything about the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),
anything about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
He’s done nothing about any of the stuff he promised the
gays before they rushed to the polls en masse last November
to make sure he won that election.
And, then, Mr. Obama’s Justice Deparmxent filed a
briefJune 1 ! in a federal same-sex marriage case that used
nearly eveW nasty homophobic argument in the book to
argue against letting gays get married. That was the straw
that broke the camel’s back and unleashed a flood of harsh
criticism from gay VIPs.
"I hold this administration to a higher standard than this
brief," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese
wrote to Obama. "In the course of your campaign, I became
convinced -- and I still want to believe -- that you do, too....
This brief should not be good enough for you, The question
is;Mr. President-- do you bdieve that it’s
)bama. dec~des 22 which~not necessary ~ i
, ~ . to file a brief. It’s a horrific and hideous attack on LGBT
:. .......
[one thats good. He ~ssued
Americans."
and he extended a few
spousal benefits ~ ~d~ employees’ Same’sex partners -- National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director
sick leave and long-term care insur~ce; for example, but
Kate Kendell on her Facebook page: "The filing by the
............ Continued See GAY TSUNAMI Page-24
Pro ect Pride Foundation
Director Under Investigation For
Fraud
By Victor Gorin
OKLAMOMA CIT~; OK__ On May 16, Robert
Jordan Chiles was dected to a position on the Oklahoma
State Democratic Party’s Central Committee as part of the
Affirmative Action Committee. Ivan Holmes, previous chair
of the Oklahoma State Democratic Party stated to the Metro
Star, "Robert ovces the party for tickets he purchased for the
luncheon at the State Convention along with advertising in
the program. He said he would pay that immediately
and he hasn’t as ofyet, so vce will pursue this issue." If he
doesn’t resign his position, party officials are ready to begin
impeachment proceedings.
In May Mr. Chiles placed an advertisement in the Metro
Star which ran in the June 2009 isme; soliciting funds for
his Project Pride Foundation, presented as an organization
working to advance GLBT rights and hdp people living with
HIV. This advertisement was paid for with a check that was
returned unpaid by his bank. Mr. Chiles was given numerous
opportunities by phone and email to cover the check with no
results. It has since been turned over to the Oldahoma County
District Attorney for collection and possible prosecution.
........... Continued See PROJECT PRIDE Page-17
T lsa Pride Se s New
By Michael \~ Sasser
TULSA, OK__Tt~a Pride’s Diversity Festival and Pride
Parade engaged a record number of participants on June 6th,
both in terms of spectators and participants.
"I think it exceeded expectations," said Oldahomans for
Equality President Toby Jenkins. "We were worried whether
the format and schedule might scare people or would be
comfortable for people to participate in. Our Pioneer
Breakfast far, far exceeded expectations. N~e police tell us
there were 23,000 people at the festival which is the largest
single-day attendance for an event we have ever had."
Jenkins said the festival also included over 70 vendors and
booths, twice the number as last year; and there vcere three
times the number of parade entries as last year.
"The parade yeas larger, there were more floats and more
groups," If there was a down side, it ~vas that in the nev¢ event
format debuting this year, there were fewer spectators along
the parade route.
........... Continued See TULSA PRIDE Page-6
LOCAL>> 9 YO GRAND MARSHALL I NATIONAL >> NO SUPPONF FOR DADT I WORLD >> 50,000 2gF EURO PRIDE I PLUS >> LIFESTYLE TRAVEL I ~’FS I WINE I DINING
July 2009
2
A good time
By Robin Domer-Townsend
OGRA [)~ddent RTint Wied}n, Robin Dornerphoto
OKLk(HOMA CI~/, OK Every ),ear as Memorial
Day weekend rolls around, the Oklahoma Gay Rodeo is held
in Oklahoma City. Their goal as a social organizarion is to
host an annual-gay rodeo in Oklahoma City, assist in western
related events and contribute to charitable organizations. This
year~ motto is. ’~A Bucking Good Time."
The mission ofOGRA (Oklahoma Gay Rodeo
Association) is to act as a non-profit organization, to perform
charitable duties for the surrounding area through fundraisers,
rodeo performances, etc., for any particular charitable
organization the general membership of the association shall
choose.
"Xhat is the main goal of]OGRA; to raise money for
charity," said Klint Wieden, OGRA President. "Each year we
give primarily to two different charities ~vhich provide services
to those living with HIV or AIDS." This year’s beneficiaries
of the event are Other Options/Friends Food Pantry and
RAIN Oklahoma. Each of these organizations will receive a
charitable contribution from OGRA once the dollar amount
for donation has been calculated. "Usually it is around $3,500
for each organization," adds Wieden.
"Wieden grew up on a big ranch in north~vest Oklahoma
on thousands of acres. His family raised cattle, ran horses
and performed all general ranching duties and his family
was always involved in the rodeo. "I also love doing charity
work. It is a necessary thing," he adds. "I enjoy the causes xve
stand for at OGRA and bringing the two together; rodeo and
chariw, well, it’s a great thing for me."
OGP,A is a nonprofit organization and member of the
International Gay ;Rodeo Association, Inc. (IGRA) which is
comprised of 28 state/provincial associations throughout the
United States and Canada. The purpose for organizing OGRA
was to prov;ide a harmonious enviromnent for those interested
in the western lifestyle to express themselves through rodeo,
dance and other £~mity social activities barring al! prejudices
related to sex, nation~ origin, sexual orientation, religion, race
or any other prejudices. Overall, the IGRA has raised millions
ofdoltars ~br charities across the country.
Next year is a very big year for the OGRA as they will
celebrate their 25th anniversary. "Even more is in store for
next year’s event," furthers Wieden. "We will have a special
limited edition designer ’trophy buckle’ made. Each of the 25
buckles will be numbered and sold to raise even more money
for the charities ,are help."
Wieden and the board of the OGRA wish to thank all of
their sponsors and volunteers, but offer a special thanks to
Premium Beers of Oklahoma and the Copa/Finish Line which
each contributed more than $10,000 this ),ear. For more
information about OGRA please visit www.ogra.net.
Diversity Business
Assodates; proud to do
in OKC
By Robin Dorner-Townsend
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Since 2004, the Diversity
Business Association (DBA) has been a "proud’ organization
representing many businesses and prot)ssions in the
Oklahoma City metro area. As an organization primarily for
gay and gay-friendly businesses, DBA is a diverse group; thus
the name "Diversity Business Association."
DBA is not an organization iust for the gay, lesbian.
bisexual or transgender (GLBT} community. It is an open
minded, diverse group of individuals from all walks of life.
"Why not do business with people who want to do business
with you?", is their organizational motto. With nearly 150
members, the Diversity Business Association does mean
business.
"DBA has become Oklahoma City’s fastest growing GLBT
organization and with good reason," says Monty Milburm
President ofDBA. "We offer a casual yet business oriented
environment for our members to connect with and do
business with people that want to do business with them. It is
these connections that help all of us succeed in good and bad
times."
Each month, usually two business connection meetings are
held where members meet to network and exchange business
cards, ideas, and get together for fun events also. There are
luncheons, educational meetings and after hour mixers which
bring the group together for people ~vho want t6 do business
with like-minded people.
Membership fees for DBA are some of the best in this
area for an organization of its ~nd. An individual business
membership is $49 per year and corporate memberships (for
up to 10 people) are $450. Unlike most organizations, DBA
has a student or ’social’ membership f)e for $25 per year. N~is
allows the businesses in the area who are gay or gay-friendly to
benefit from like-minded people seeking to do business with
this diverse group.
The goal of DBA is to be a positive organization in the
GLBT community and the Oklahoma City community as
a whole. DBA will have a booth at the upcoming Gay Pride
events to be held at Memorial Park in Oklahoma City on June
27th & 28th and invites everyone to come and visit to see
what they are all about.
"I would like to encourage you to visit often, check out
our calendar and consider joining. We encourage positive
competition and celebrate each member’s success," adds
Milburn. "t am proud to serve as President of such a fine
organization. We really do mean business."
For more information about DBA, please email them at
contact@dbametro.org or visit vvw~.dbametro.org. It is best to
use Internet Explorer when visiting this site.
Impressive Youth Leads Tulsa’s
Gay Pride Parade
By Judy Gabbard
Noah Blatt GrandMarshall ~dsa Pride Parade. Judy G. photo
TULSA, OK The Grand Marshal! ofTulsds Annual
Pride Parade xvas not a celebrity or an individual with a crown
of jewels: this Grand Marshall was a nine year old young man
named Noah Blatt. Noah Blatt is a perfect example ofwhat
the words "Diversity" and "Acceptance" represent in the
contin~l struggle of gay rights.
Told to me by a representative of Oldahomans [br
Equality, Noah Blatt first came m the attention of the
committee members at Tulsa’s Equality Center, when
he hand delivered a letter and a donation. In the letter,
Noah explained that as an assignment he was to chose an
organization that he rahought was making a difference, His
mission was to acknowledge that organization and donate
to its support. Noah has continued to contribute part of his
weekly allowance in support ofTulsa’s Equality Center.
Toby Jenkins, Tulsa’s Equality committee President, said,
that when it came time to select the Grand Marshall for the
Pride Parade, no other individual was as deserving as Noah
Blatt.
Noah’s revelation, revealed in his letter, that xvhen same
sex couples love each other and want to marry, there shotdd
be no one allowed to stand in their way. Simple truth uttered
from one so young shows that the continuing struggle for gay
rights is making an impact on public opinion.
In a short interview with Noah Blatt, I met a gentle young
man with a view of the world that maW lose when they grow
up. Noah is determined to hang on to his beliefs and make
his opinions known. Noah’s room and dad are hard working,
well educated parents who have a!lo~ved their child to develop
his own views of human behavior.
Mr and Mrs Blatt support their young son’s ideas and
know that it takes only one person to start a movement
towards human rights.
Noah was introduced to the public at the Pride Festival
held at Centennial Park, located at 6th and Peoria, and
severalo awards were bestowed upon him. The greatest prize
was a view into the future possibilities of our youth. The
importance of bestowing understanding, love, guidance and
attention to our younger population was made evident in such
a small package, Noah Blatt.
www.rnetrostarnews.com ~®troSTAR 3
UDGE RULES IN KEITH
KIMMEL’S FAVOR
ON HIS I’M GAY LICENSE
PLATE
By Victor Gotin
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK On April 6 Keith KimmeL
like maW other Ol-dahomans since 1967, applied for a
personalized license plate for his !992 Dodge pickup truck.
However. he ran into an obstacle because his message
was ’TM GAY". His request was denied. Kathy Green, a
supervisor in the Motor Vehicle Division, stated that his
request was denied due to a Oklahoma Tax Commission Rule
710:60-3-150 (d) which states "No license plate will be issued
-which may be offensive to the general public." However, she
did not state why she deemed that his message fit into that
category.
Mr. Kimmel appealed this decision, and his case was heard
by Administrative Law Judge Jay Harrington in Oklahoma
City on May 7. A favorable ruling, in which Judge Harrington
recommended that Keith be allowed his I’M GAY plate, was
released on June 18, jttst a week before Gay" Pride celebrations
ldcked off in Oklahoma City.
Attorney Brittany M. Novomy, who represented him on
this case had this statement, "This decision is an indication
that we do still live in a society that respects the rule of law,
and when we feel our civil rights have been violated we know
we can turn to our legal system to remedy the situation. I
believe it is also a signal that despite its national reputation,
Oldahoma has outstanding women and men in the legal
profession who put the law ahead of old prejudices."
The Oklahoma Tax Commission may accept or reject
this recommendation. Talking with Mr.Kimmel he stated,
"I think the judge reviewed the case carefully,, made a good
decision and I hope the commission will do the right thing
and let me have nay plate." If the Oklahoma Tax Commission
doesfft fol!ow- through and allow his plate he plans to pursue
additional legal action.
BillyJackson and Michael[ Friday
ioined their lives together
By Victor Gorin
Bil{rJackson &Michael Friday at their Holy[ Union wid~ t/.,eir
.iF[ends Luq andMidn@t. Godn photo
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK __ Billy Jackson and Michael
Friday joined their lives together Sunday, June 14 in Norman
at Thunderbird Chapel. Lovers of the country lifestyle, both
are active in OGRA, Michael as the mernbership chair and
Billy who is running for Mr. O.G.R~k. next year. Tney are
setding down together on the outskirts of Noble where
Michael, as a member of the Orchid Society, will be able to
pursue his hobby. The Holy Union was offidated by Pastor
Neill Spurgin of Exp~:essions Community Fellowship, where
both Billy and Michael are members. Let’s wish them a
wonderful life together.
Annual Hot Young Hollywood
Party to benefit R.A.I.N.
Oklahoma August 7
Angles to host annual Hot Young Hollywood PaW to benefit
RAIN Oklahoma. Oklahoma CiF’ HIVNon-profit agent/.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (PR) __ August 7 2009
N~e Hot Young Holly~vood Party is an annual fundraiser for
RAIN Oklahoma, acting as a spotlight for local GLBT owned
& friendly businesses. RAIN Oklahoma will be honoring four
Oklahomans for their outstanding leadership and activism.
The event will be a fun filled evening with fashion
shmvs from well-known designers such as Cadillac Cowboy;
Nicole Moan, GLAMNERD, Riot Rockett and Debauchery
Clothing, plus live performances from Oklahoma City;s own
Eric Bramble and others. Definitely an event not to be missed!
Rafiqe ticket sales provided much of the $2500 raised at
last year’s party. I~mt year sponsor donated items included a
necklace donated by Mitchener & Farrand Jewelers, a "makeover"
prize package .from Velvet Monkey Inc., dinner for two
at 1492, and a Marc-by-Marc Jacobs bag among many other
items.
For the RAIN Leadership Award, campus GLBT groups
made nominations from OCU, UCO, OU, OSU OKC AND
UT as well as the GLBT group of DELL and the Cimarron
Alliance Foundation. The goal of our nominees is to increase
the quality of life for all Oklahomans.
RAIN Oklahoma is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit agency,
depending on private donations and the support of the
community to continue providing high quality of services.
RAIN Oklahoma offers a wide array of services from free HIV
testing and counseling, community outreach projects, Ryan
White Case Management, ADVANTAGE Medicaid waiver
services & Transitional Housing. RAIN Oklahoma’s
mission is to compassionately serve indMduals and
communities impacted by HIV/AIDS through
education, volunteerism and coordinated access to
healthcare & support services.
We accept all donations; Gift Certificates, Checlcs,
Merchandise and/or services. Donors will be recognized
in the program.
For additional information on The Hot Young
Holbavood Party, please contact the Hot Young
Holl)wcood Committee:
Contact:
Kendet R. Powers, CTR Agent
RAIN Oklahoma
405/204/7767
kpowers@rainoklahom.org
Vicld Banta
Vicki Banta the Partyoligist
405/850/6817
Xfbanta@aol.com
Kai R. Dameron
Rain Oldahoma, CTR Coordinator
405/232/2437 xt 123
KaiDameron@hotmail.com
Giving back: MAC Cosmetics
’Viva Glam’ line supports HIV!
AIDS organizations
By Robin Dorner-Townsend
Inf!’ont ofthe Iguana Lounge in Automobile Alley in downtown
Oklahoma Ci~, the 3¢IAC cosmetics staffin Oklahoma City show
their support in theform of"a big check"for Other Options and
Friends Food Pantry. Thefundraising event "51 Toast to Life"
was heldfor the non-profit organization at The Iguana Lounge
in April The Iguana showed its support ofthe Other Options
organization by undenvHting the charitable event.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Since 1989, Other
Options has been on the forefront of prevention, education,
and assistance of those in need who are living ~vith HIV
(Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Autoimmune
Deficiency Syndrome). The organization was Formed as anonprofit
whose missi6n" included al! services which hdp persons
living with the disease but currently their primary focus is that
of food services, nutrition and education.
Mary Arbuckle, Director of Other Options works to
assist the clients they serve, organizes donations and among
many other taslcs, she also writes grant applications for the
organization. "It’s a .....Continued see MAC page 24
July 2009
4
Leather Camp Vwill
be running in Wichita
gg~IICHITA, KS (PR) __ August 14
- 16, 2009. Early bird registration is active
until July" 21st at a rate of $75.00. After July
21st, the package cost xvill be $85.00. The
Clarion Hotel will hots the event with a room
rate of $79.00 per night. Rooms need to be
booked directly through the hotel. Ask for
the WOOLF rate to get the discount.
~qere are lots of great classes for this years
event. Presenters include ~qaipmaster Bob
and Bootpig, Graydancer, Sir Olivier and pup
sparlg~, Mason and Michelle. In addition, we
will be having our Central Hains Regional
contests for Central Plains LeatherSirlboy and
CommunivA Bootblack as well as our loc~
WOOLF contests for Mr. and Ms. WOOLF
and Kansas boy/girl. All of the contests
will be judged by International LeatherSir
2009, Sir Raul, International Leatherboy
2009, boy bill, Central Plains LeatherSir
2009, Master Sam Sampson, Central Plains
Leatherboy 2009, pup sparkle, Central
Plains Community Bootblack 2009, boy
blu, Great Plains Leatherboy 2008, boy mike
and Rev. Jackie Carter of the Metropolitan
Community Church ofWichita. The
weekend ~vill be emceed by Tom Stice.
For more information and to register for the
weekend and book your hotel room, please
visit www.wichitaleatherpride.com.
Robin DornerJoins Metro Star Staff
Robin Dorner-Tmvnsend. Staff photo
OKLAI-IOMA CITY. OK Already
well kmown in Oklahoma City and beyond as
a fun loving reporter and activist. Ms. Dorner
Born in Wichita, she graduated from
Kansas Newman College in that same
city to become a Registered Nurse. She
moved to Oklahoma City in 1983 when
jobs for RNs were plentiful. She worked
in various positions as a dialysis nurse,
in home health and hospice settings,
and case management. She is a happily
married heterosexual, celebrating 15
years together with Ken Townsend,
her soulmate who is in the oil & gas
business.
In 2004 she earned a Bachelor’s
Degree in Health administration,
followed by a Master’s Degree in
Business Administration in 2006.
After this milestone, seeking a different
direction, she branched out into
journalism with the City" Sentinel.
broadening their horizons when she
covered many events of the GLBT
community. She first became involved
with our community during the !990s
when she volunteered as a nurse for
the Triangle Association vdth D~:Larry
Prater. who operated a free AIDS
clinic. Relating ~o that experience she
stated that "I loved it, not only as a nurse
but also from the love, camaraderie and
acceptance I found in the gay community."
Her involvement in the community grew,
and she later became a boai~d member of
has just joined the Metro Star team. She will the Cimarron Alliance Foundation. She is a
be repo~ting local news and ~ents and wil! former board member and current member of
handle OK~’~C ad sales al6nFwithRikGOdbev Diversity Bttsiness Association of Oklahoma
and Victor Gorin. She is also an accomplished City, and is her husband Ken. She does
~h0togr~pher. She n0{ 0hly brings 1{~} taleh{ vohmteer work for Other OptiOns, and looks
~nd enthusiasm, but alSO ~ert~e gained forward to working with the Metro Star. We
f om oCe llife ep0mng welcome her a oard .
the City Sentinel ( fbrmeriy the Mid City
Advocate).
www:metrostarnews.com &~et~’oSTAR 5
Dont Shop - Adop
By Michael ~{~. Sasser
Tulsa author Clara Nipper. Press photo
TULSA, OK __ Tulsa author Clara
Nipper never read mysteries, thrillers or true
crime books, so when - on a dare from her
partner - she set out to write in the genre,
they set the mood and picked up the stylized
approach by camping out in their home.
lowering the air conditioning and watching
classic noir films such as Double Indemnity,
Laura and the more-modern Body Heat.
"They were terrific," said Nipper. "I took
some inspiration from them."
Nine months in the writing, Nipper
completed her first novel, the stylish Femme
Noi~; a tide that aptly describes both the book
and the innovative genre of lesbian literature.
"I was writing "chick stories’ and my
partner told me that since that wasn’t ,going
an?~vhere I should try something new,
Nipper said.
So, Nipper crafted a character that was
the "total opposite" of her. "She is tall and
lean, black and bald, and a total womanizer
- a slut. I wondered if I could wrire an entire
book about her. And, I thought, yes I could."
The rest is now history. Femme Noir is
being published by Bold Stroke Books.
In the book, Nora Delaney is Nipper’s
protagonist. The hard-boiled, hypersexualized
womanizing college basketball
coach chases the case of her murdered exlover
from LA to Tulsa only to be waylayed
by a gorgeous, gin-swilling skirt who has
information as well as an appetite for women
like Nora.
The book contains classic noir elements
and Nora is cut from the same cloth as many
classic, troubled genre protagonists - except
that she is a woman. Hailed by maw for its
unique and interesting voice, the book is also
sexually graphic and unapologetic.
"’gq~en my father got a copy of the book.
I wrote in it ’please don’t read this’." Nipper
said. "I hope he hasn’t.
Tulsa native Nipper is veU much unlike
her lead character.
"I was straight most of my life," said the
Tulsa CountT Courthouse clerk. "I was always
open with sexuality and thought that if it felt
good, do it. I’ve only had t-wo girlfriends in
nay life. My first girlfriend was the one who
said "you should try this’ and I said ’sure, let’s
give ir a try.’ It was tumultuous except for the
sex tbr the next two years. I have been with
nay current partner for 13 years."
Nipper had been "spiritually" a writer her
entire life, from the time she xvrote a short
story in grade school that a teacher insisted
on turning into a slide show.
"The best advice I ever got was to write
one page a day and after a year, you ~voutd
have 365 pages," Nipper said. "qhe road
to publishing has been rocky, but my
publisher now is terrific. They do so much to
support authors and offer opportunities and
guidance."
Femme Noir’s sequel, I4dss of Noir,
is already under contract. It’s set in New
Orleans and will continue to stretch the
parameters ofsexuat representation.
"I’ve already shocke,~,! and appalled some
lesbmns, N~pper stud. I th~nk that means
am on the right track."
For more information on Nipper and
Femme Noir, visit www.claranipper.com.
"Most people waited for the parade at
[Centennial Park], and it was packed there".
A shuttle system taking parade-path
spectators to the park might be one thing
added for future Pride festivals. For the most
part, though, the new event structure was
very much a success.
"The fireworks, the ferris wheel and the
concert were all huge successes." Jenkins said.
Jenkins noticed a few things in particular
this year. Employees of Spaghetti Warehouse
on Brady Street came out to cheer ~or the
parade. At Centennial Park. the crowd
included a notable number of straight couples
and individuals, including maW attending
their first-ever Pride event with or without a
GBLT relative or friend.
"I thought, ’Wo~v. ~vhen did it become
cool to go to Pride?" "-We also had a tot
of seniors there. One mother said she
was impressed at how family-friendly the
environment was. I wish I could say that was
something we tried to do. but it’s just a sign
of the evolution of the community."
Police commented on how busy the Kid
Zone was with approximately 700 children of
GLBT families and straight participants.
This year’s n~w policy against ice chests
and bringing in outside food and beverages
also worked out. Jenkins said no one had to
go to the hospital and police told him that
for the first time there was no one who they
considered acting publicly drunk to the point
of being a nuisance.
Vendors also told Jenkins they had done
well at the event. Jenkins hopes that means it
will be possible to continue expansion of the
event in the future with more participants.
Although the parade route saw the typical
number of protestors, there was only one
notable at the festival itself.
Annie Bryce drove an hour to attend her
first Tulsa Pride event.
"I was very impressed at how nice it was
and, really, how nice the people were - men,
women, gay and straight even," she said.
Cashen" Stewart attended the Pride
Festival, largely for the parade, He thinks the
eve,n,t could still be improved.
I think there should be a bit more things
to do at Pnde that are more mteracuve, he
said.
lenkins said that other smaller cities
aro{md Oldahoma also having Pride events,
such as Enid for the first time ever in July, is
evidence of empowerment.
"People are feeling safe enough to have
festivals - that’s a good sign."
No matter who you are o
are on life’s iourney,
-Reverend ~r. K~hy
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July 2009
6
So, ust What is the True
Definition-ofMarriage ?
by James Nimmo
OY._LM-IOMA CITY. OK As a semiprofessional
musician I provided music at the
same-gender marriage recently of two friends
of mine, the latest ceremony of uncountable
services I’ve played, t’rn also a committed
atheist and rather hard-boiled when it comes
to asking [or divine intervention, as well
as the invention of skT-oriented deities for
whatever reason. I support everyone’s private
pursuit of their interests in accordance with
the First Amendment as long as infringement
of my own legally supported rights isn’t
involved.
There was no doubt of the sincerity of the
participants in this religious ceremony. There
were prayers, vestments, and liturgy common
to any other Christian denomination
marriage ceremony. Had you been
blindfolded and dropped into this touchingly
simple outdoor service, uncoached and
uninformed, you would not have been able to
distinguish this wedding from the thousands
being conducted in the rest of the country on
any Saturday afternoon.
Jaded as I am about religion, I did get a
little misty-eyed when the minister spoke-of
the hands being held by the two grooms. As
these ceremonies of commitment go the hope
is always for a devoted and determined future
of mutual and exclusive support through a
lifetime of as many years o?iife as our genetic
desdny wil1 give us. He described these hands
as they are now. young and strong brushing
away ~ears of joy and sorrow, touching in
moments of intimacy, and when old and
wrinkled they’ will sti!l be the hands we want
touching us in times of need.
~ view myself as a married man wittl a
partner of 32 years, and 1 can identi~! with
the sentiments and intentions the minister
outlined in his .;ermon. By what fiat of
bigoted ignorance can anyone deny me and
millions of other gay and Lesbian Americans
this legaI right of marriage just because
the gender of the two people is the same,
choosing to share their bounty and their
concerns for as long as they’re able, be it one
year or hopefully- a long lifetime? How is that
any different from what opposite-gendered
people choose to do?
To answer my own title, I think marriage
is the ability of two responsible people
committed to each othm; with a seriousness
of purpose, for as long as they are able to
hones@ maintain the relationship, with or
without the imprimatur of religion.
At one time I was a proponent of
going nicker the recognition of our gay/
Iesbian equality one right at a time. But
at approximately 1,400 indMdual rights
bestowed with a completed marriage
license, there arefft enough years for
even Methuselah to see the success of the
movement. I now see that only a dedicated
Federal lawsuit, such as the one being
brought by Ted Olson and David Boles (
http://tiwurl.com/q6hvip ), will give us
the trne definition of marriage we gay and
Lesbian citizens need to live our lives with the
choice so casually enjoyed by straights.
~.metrostamews.com
Politics M es for
Strange Bedfellows
by James Nimmo
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK It’s pretty
exciting to be a gay/lesbian activist these days.
Our civil rights movement has been focused
on California which has been performing
a line dance with basically the lovers of
romance and civil rights in one line and the
haters of diversity and inclusion in another.
With the survival of Prop-Hate in
California in late May there are now thirty
states that prohibit same-gender marriage
by constitutional amendment; thirty-seven
prohibit it by statute. Some states even went
double-dipping in their vehemence against
gays and lesbians with both.
But on the sunny side, as of this writing,
there are five states that allow same-sex
marriage with three states promoting samegender
unions. ( http:lhinyurt.comlmq8fev )
I’m not too hot with arithmetic but even
I can tell there is some overlapping of statutes
and amendments with a minority of states
still sitting on the sidelines, waiting and
waiting.
Waiting for what? Maybe the same thing
I’ve been waiting for. A team of lawyers,
financial supporters, and plaintiffs willing
to put this momentous issue into it’s proper
frame: Shall the United States continue
with this jurisprudence crazy, quilt of rich
progressive action and tawdry, shortsighted
discrimination or blanket the country with
one legal rtding that allows all adults to make
their own decisions for their future regardless
of gender, religion, or geographic location?
That’s where the odd bedfellows Ted
Olson and David Boles come in. These two
lawyers, fmnous for being on opposing sides
of the Bush v. Gore Supreme Court case that
by a one-vote margin put the Bush/Cheney
ticket in the White House have filed a
Federal lawsuit to place an injunction on the
California Supreme Court decision upholding
the anti-marriage equality amendment lmown
as Proposition 8.7heir plan is to carry this
lawsuit up the chain of Federal courts to
the US Supreme Court if necessary in order
to have a definitive ruling as to whether
or not same-gendered people are covered
under the 14th Amendment of the Federal
Constitution, specifically the clause that all
citizens are entided to the full protection of
the laws. ( http://tinyurt.com/dypxfp )
Many of the main stream civil rights and
gay/lesbian advocacy organizations ( The
American Civi! Liberties Union, Lambda
Legal, the National Center for Lesbian
Rights, Freedom to Marry, Gay & Lesbian
Advocates & Defenders, the Human Rights
Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force, the Equality Federation, and the
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
are aghast at the audacity of this plan
sponsored by the American Foundation for
Equal Rights. ( http:/Itinyurl.comlld6a2w )
I’m no legal eagle but I’m literate, folio~w
the news, and can reason, tn addition, my
partner and I were among 12 other plaintiffs
in the attempt by Oklahoma’s chapter of the
ACLU to derail the 2004 Okie version of
Prop. 8, known as State Question 71 ! that
passed with a 70+% majority vote.
The legal strategy being used by the
As t see it, ~here are two important
precedents (an important aspect of
jurisprudence? from the Supremes that
recognize our gay/lesbian citizenship. They
are: Lawrence v. Texas ( http://tinyurl.
com/br2tj t that eliminated sodomy laws
by overturning Bowers v. Hardwick (http://
tinyurl.com/jus3e ), and the Romer v. Evans
decision overturning Colorado’s infamous
Amendment 2 dewing gay/lesbian citizens
protection of state laws( http://tinyurl.
com/49m9er ) wherein Justice Kennedy
famously wrote that "[Amendment 2] is at
once too narrow and too broad. It identifies
persons by a single trait and then denies them
protection across the board. The resulting
disqualification of a class of persons from die
right to seek specific protection from the law
is unprecedented in our iurisprudence."
Let me add that Justice Kennedy is
the famous "swing vote" on many Court
decisions that are decided by a single vote.
Though there have been changes in the names
of the j ustices over the years, the legal balance
of the Court is still the same: four living in
the 18th century, four in the 21st century,
with one bridge between them.
If politics makes for strange bedfellows
and change is die buzz word for this political
season, then I think it’s time to change
the sheets. As these two well experienced
attorneys have wedded dlemselves to marriage
equality, I wish them a happy honeymoon.
Live long and prosper, Olson and Boles!
Joplin First Pride in
over ten years
JOPHN. MO (PR) In January of this
year Rev. Steve Urie of Spirit of Christ MCC
asked for volunteers to h~ad up a committee
commissioned with the task of planning and
bringing together Joplin’s first Pride Event in
over ten years. Out of that was born Joplin:
Out & About, a collaborative committee
made up of people from Spirit of Christ
MCC, AT&T and other GLBT groups and
members from the community. A target date
was set and the planning began.
¯homas, Joanna, Darrell, Jeff, Heath,
Shauna and Shea with the intermittent help
of others handled the tough iob of keeping it
all together.
Tne final result was several events through
the week including a Karaoke Night, Movie
Night and finally Joplin’s Out & About Event
in the park.
Just ten years ago you would find law
enforcement setting traps to catch men in the
park cruising. This year with la~v enforcement
patrols protecting the event; the community
celebrated with groups from Springfield,
Galena, Tulsa, the greater Joplin area and as
far away as NWArkansa~s, Weir and Topetca,
Kansas taking pride and respect to a new
high level for the community. Private and
non-profit vendors started signing on as did
other local groups including UCC Family
Fellowship, Joplin Gays Yahoo Group, Joplin’s
GLBT Corporate Center, the support group
fi-om AT&T, Planned Parenthood, PROMO,
the Pla-Mor Lounge and APO’s local and
Springfield’s offices. The Metro Star played
an important part in providing sponsorship
and coverage of the event. The Topet~
Transgendered Alliance was represented by
Steve/Lila & spouse Joy also members of
MCC Topeka. Entertainment was provided
by a band as well drag queens from Joplin
and Springfield. The Gto Center from
Springfield, MO showed up in support of
the Event, helped with Sponsorship and
provided information about their services. We
thank everyone who sponsored, supported,
participated and just plain attended this
event.
Rev. Steve Urie &long time partner Heath with
festival voluntee~ Staffphoto
Held in Joplin’s McClellan Park June 13th
and with over 250 people from the GLBTQ
community this was a success for our
community. Friends, family supporters and
the straight community including children
and some well behaved canines came together
to show that we can be one community that
we can work together, play together and
respect each other. From Gay Bingo to the
sale of Pride Jewelry, entertainment ro fbod.
free HIV testing to information, and with
MC Brandon everyone had a great time. In
addition several boxes of food were donated
t~br APO clients through the Angel Food
Ministries program.
Lots ofentertainment, & good lookingguys and
gab atjoplin Pide Yestiva~ Staffphoto
We would like to thank Naomas for
his dedication and tenacity in keeping it
together; Joanna for gathering equipment,
supplies, support mad being one foot soldier
you couldn’t top, Darrell for writing the
first GLBT Joplin History Booklet, Jeff
for putting the boolde.t togethm; Heath
for cooking his heart out and all the
volunteers that brought it together. With the
encouragement of the community at large
already pouring in this may have been Joplin’s
first Pride event in recent history but clearly
won’t be its last.
Wockner News Service
New Hampshire legalizes
same-sex marriage
New Hampshire legalized same-sex
marriage June 3 when Gov. John Lynch
signed three bills, including one that had
cleared the Legislature just an hour eadier.
3-he bills open marriage to same-sex
couples starting Jan. 1 and protect certain
rights of religious organizations, associations
and societies that oppose gay marriage.
"Today is a historic day for all Granite
Staters," said Mo B~ley, executive director
of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry
Coalition. "We applaud Gov. Lynch, (House)
Speaker (Terie) Norelli, (Senate) President
(Sylvia) Larsen and the leadership of the
General Court (legislature) for making sure
that all loving, committed couples have the
freedom to marry. Today, our shared values of
individual liberty, freedom and fairness have
been upheld:"
The final bill, tsveaking religious
protections, passed the Senate 14-10 and
th.e House 198-I76. Lynch had required
tile additional language as a condition of his
agreeing to let gays marry.
In announcing his support for same-sex
marriage on May 14, Lynch said: "At its
core, (this bill) simply changes the term ’civil
union’ to ’civil marriage.’ Given the cultural,
historical and religious significance of the
word marriage, this is a rneaningfu! change.
I have heard, and I understand, the very real
feelings of same-sex couples that a separate
system is not an equal system. That a civiI law
that differentiates between their committed
relationships and those of heterosexual
couples undermines both their dignity and
the legitimacy of their families."
Tl~e measures signed into law will repea!
the state’s civil-union law effective Jan. 1,
2011, and prohibit any new civil unions after
Jan. 1, 2010.
Same-sex marriage is legal in five other
U.S. states: Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Iowa, Vermont (starting in September)
and Maine (starting in Septembe0. Nlere
also are 18,000 same-sex couples legally
married nnder California law, though no
more will be allowed to marry until voters
repeal Proposition 8, the state constitutional
amendment passed last November, or until
the U.S. Supreme Court strikes it down Or it
is blocked by comx injunction. Gay groups
are planning a ballot initiative to delete
Prop 8, and a federal lawsuit has been filed
charging that Prop 8 violates the due-process
and equal-protection clauses of the U.S.
Constitution. The lawsuit also says Prop 8
relegates gays and lesbians to second-class
citizenship and discriminates based on gender
and sexual orientation. It further seeks an
injunction allowing same-sex marriage to
resttme in California pending resolution of
the case.
Hi ary Clinton issues
pride month statement
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a
Gay Pride month statement June 1.
She wrote: "Forty years ago this month,
the gay rights movement began with the
Stonewall riots in New York City; as gays and
lesbians demanded an end to the persecution
they had long endured. Now, after decades
of hard work, the fight has grown into a
global movement to achieve a world in which
al! people live free from violence and fear,
regardless of their sexual orientation or gender
identity.
"In honor of Gay and Lesbian
Pride Month and on behalf of the State
Department, I extend our appreciation to the
global LGBT community for its coui’age and
determination during the past 40 years, and I
offer our support for the significant work that
still lies ahead.
"At the State Department and throughout
the Administration, we are grateflal for
our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
employees in Washington and around
the world. They and their families make
many sacrifices to serve our nation. Wneir
contributions are vital to our efforts to
establish stability, prosperity and peace
worldwide.
"Human rights arc_- at the heart of those
efforts. Gays and lesbians in many parts of
the world live under constant threat of arrest,
violence, even torture. The persecution of
gays and lesbians is a violation ofhuman
rights and an affront to human decency,
and it must end. As Secretary of State, I
will advance a comprehensive human rights
agenda that includes the elimination of
violence and discrimination against people
based on sexual orientation or gender
identity.
"N~ough the road to full equality ibr
LGBT Aalaericans is long, the example set by
those fighting for equal rights in the United
States gives hope to men and women around
the world who yearn for a better future for
themselves and their loved ones[
"This June, let us recommit ourselves to
achieving a world in ~vhich all people can live
in safety and freedom, no matter who they
are or ~vhom they love."
Clinton also is preparing to grant spousal
benefits and protections to diplomats’ gay
partners, she said in a recent letter to the
group Gays and Lesbians in Foreign ~aqZairs
Agencies.
The pack,age will include medical and
emergency evacuation, travel reimbursement,
shipment of household effects, use of U.S.
government medical facilities abroad, isstlance
of diplomatic passports, visa assistance, and
security and language training.
Not included are health insurance,
retirement benefits and certain other perks.
Nevada Legislat e
overrides governor’s veto
ofpartnership bill
Nevada’s Senate and Assembly on May 30
and 31 overrode Gov. Jim Gibbons’ May 25
veto of a domestic-partnership bill.
Tne new la~¢ extends to same- and
opposite-sex registered domestic parmers
nearly all state-level rights and obligations of
marriage.
The override came without a vote to spare
in both the Senate (14-7) and the Assembly
(28-!4). In the Senate, 10 Democrats and
four Republicans voted for tile override, and
five Republicans and two Democrats voted
against it.
Gibbons had claimed the bill ran afoul
of a 2002 state constitutional amendment
that defines marriage as between a man and
a woman. He also argued that gay couples
could go sign private contracts if they
desired the protections of marriage for their
relationship.
"The significance here is it literally equates
’domestic partner’ with ’spouse’ under
Nevada state la**;" Michael Ginsburg of the
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
told Las Vegas correspondent Steve Friess.
"You have the flail force of the law behind you
nox~: When you’re in the hospital, forced to
ma~e decisions for your partner, all you have
to say is, ’This is nay spouse,’ and that carries
tremendous weight."
.am Lambert
Photo: American Idol runner up Adam Lambert
Who kalew? American Idol sensation and first
runner-up Adam Lambert is a homosexual.
"I don’t think it should be a surprise for
anyone to hear that I’m gay," Lambert told
Rolling Stone June 9. "I’ve been living in Los
Angeles for eight years as a gay man. I’ve been
at clubs drunk malting out with somebody in
the corner."
"Right after the finale, I almost started talldng
about it to the reporters, but I thought, ’I’m
going to wait for Rolling Stone, that wil!
be cooler,’" he said. "I didfft want tile Clay ’
Aiken thing and the celebrity-magazine
bullshit. I need to be able to explain myself in
context.
’Tin proud ofmy sexuality. I embrace it. It’s
just another part of me."
Lambert noted, however: "I’m trying to be a
singer, not a civil rights leader."
July 2009
State Dept. to give gay
couples spousal benefits
U.S. Secreta,y of&am HillaO, Clinton
is prepari,g to grant spousal ben~ts and
protections m diglomau’gay gartne,s. Photo by
Rex l)~ckner
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
is preparing to grant spousal benefits and
protections to diplomats’ gay partners, she
said in a recent letter to the group Gays and
Lesbians in Foreign M~airs Agencies.
"Like all families, our Foreign Service
t~milies come in different configurations; all
are part of the common fiabric of our post
communities abroad," Clinton wrote. "The
department will provide these benefits for
both opposite-sex and same-sex partners
because it is the righ~ thing to do’
~Ihe benefits will indude medical and
emergency evacuation, travel reimbursement,
shipment ofhousehoid effects, use of U.S.
government medical facilities abroad, issuance
of diplomatic passports, visa assistance, and
security and ,language training.
NOt induded in the package are health
insurance, retirement benefits and certain
other perks.
"This is a remedy that is long overdue,"
said Human Rights Campaign President
Joe Solmonese, "For too many years, LGBT
Foreign Service officers have been forced to
choose between serving their country and
protecting their families."
Dick Cheney endorses
same-sex marriage
Former Vice President Dick Cheney came
out in support of same-sex marriage June 1
more clearly than he has in the past.
Asked about the issue at the National
Press Club, Cheney responded: "I think
freedom means freedom for everyone. And,
as many ofyou know, one ofmy daughters is
gay, and it’s something that we’ve lived with
for a long time in our family. I think people
ought to be free to enter into any kind of
union they wish, any kind of arrangement
they wish. The question of~vhether or not
there ought to be a federal statute that
governs this, I don’t support. I do believe
that historically the way marriage has been
regulated is at the state level -- ~his has always
been a state issue -- and ~ think that’s the
way ff ough~ to be handled ~oday, that is.
on a state-by-aa~c basis. D~ffbrem ;tares
make d~ff~t’ren~ decision But [ don’t haw
prob{cm with that ~ think people ought to
get a shot at d~at. And they do a~ present."
Cheney has made very similar comments
before, but they did not go quite as far.
In 2004, for example, he said: "I believe
today that freedom does mean freedom for
everybody. People ought to be free to choose
any arrangement they want. It’s really no
one else’s business. ~nat’s a separate question
from the issue of whether or not government
should sanction or approve or give some
sort of authorization, if you will, to these
relationships. Traditionally, that’s been an
issue for the states. States have regulated
marriage, ifyou will. That would be my
preference. In effect, what’s happened is that
in recent months, especially in Massachusetts,
but also in California, but in Massachusetts
we had the Massachusetts Supreme Court
direct the state of-- the legislature of
Massachusetts to modify their constitution to
allow gay marriage. And the fact is that the
president felt that it was important to make
it clear that that’s the wrong ~vay to go, as
far as he’s concerned. Now, he sets the policy
for this administration, and I support the
president."
Americans do not
support ’Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell’
Americans overwhelmingly want to see
the military’s "Don’t Ask, Do~t Tell" ban on
open gays repealed, a new Gallup poll has
found.
Sixty-nine percent told pollsters it’s time
for the ban to go -- including 58 percent of
Republicans, 58 percent of self-described
co~iservatives and 60 percent 0fwee~y
churchgoers.
Eighty-sLx percent of liberals oppose the
DADT policy, along with 82 percent of
Democrats and 78 percent of people between
age 18 and 29.
Even people over age 65 (60 percent),
Southerners (57 percent) and people who
didn’t finish high school (57 percent) said it’s
time to dump the ban.
Said Gallup: "President Barack Obama
will be well-positioned to forge ahead with his
campaign promise to end the military ban on
openly gay service members."
Gallup polled 1,105 adults nationwide
between May 7 and 10. The organization
said it was 95 percent confident that the
maximum margin of sampling error was plus
or minus 3 percentage points.
CALIFORNIA HIV EMERGENCY
Schwarzenegger, Legislature may slash HIV funding
Gay and HIVadvocates rallied at *~e state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., on time i 0 against
draconian cuts in HIVfi~ndingproposed by Gov. Arnold Schwar~enegger and under consideration
by the Legislature. Wockner Newsphoto by Charlie Peer/Ou~vord Magazine
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
has proposed, and the California Legislature
is considering, draconian cuts to all types of
HIV-related funding in the nea>bankrupt
state.
In the worst-case scenario, which is still
not off the table, slashes to the AIDS Drug
Assistance Program could result in thousands
of Californians who make less than $41,600
per year losing access to the statelprovided
drugs that suppress HIV and keep them dive.
In the apparent best,case scenario, not all
HIV drugs would be available via ADAP and
patients would have to pay part of the cost 0f
the ones they could geta That is problematic
because some HIVvposirive people have
developed resistance to some HIV drugs, and
need access to the full arsenal of therapies to
stay alive.
Further, the current plan apparendy
completely eliminates state funding for the
tests that determine if a patient is responding
to treatment -- such tests as CD4 counts,
viral-load measurement and drug-resistance
monitoring.
These tests are essentially mandatory in -
HIV treatmm~t. Doctors use them so they
can change a nonresponsive patient’s drug
combination to another combo that works in
that patient -- before the patient’s immune
system breaks down further and the patient
develops a life-threatening opportunistic
infection............
The current plan apparently also
dramatically ~lashes handing for education,
prevention, counseling and testing programs.
Some 35,000 working- and middleclass
Californians who don’t make enough
money to pay for their own treatment could
be adversely or dangerously affected by the
possible cuts to ADAP and elimination of
monitoring testing.
Gay and HIV advocates have strongly
denounced the budget proposals, and a
large rally was held at the state Capitol in
Sacramento on June 10.
Lesbian couple marries
on Indian reservation
A lesbian couple married on the Coquille
Indian reservation in Coos Bay, Ore., May
24. It was believed to be the first such
marriage in the U.S.
~ae Coqui!te tribe passed a la~v legalizing
same-sex marriage more than a year ago, but
it just now took effect.
Kitzen Branting, 26, and Jeni Branting,
28, tied the knot in the tribe’s meeting hall.
Their marriage will not be recognized by
the state of Oregon, but will be legal on the
property of the tribe, which is a sovereign ~
nation.
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Wockner News Service
50,000 at EuroPride
Some 50,000people ~rned outfor the EuroPrideparade, hem in Zurich this year on June
~ Photo by Nikolai Alekseev, GayRussta.ru
Some 50,000 people turned out for the
EuroPrkle parade, hdd in Zurich this year
on June 6.
Openly lesbian Zurich Mayor Corine
Mauch joined in.
Next year, the parade ventures behind
the former Iron Curtain to Warsaw -- a city
that as recently- as 2005 tried to ban pride,
only to be later rebuffed by the European
Court of Human Pdghts.
Meanwhile, Rom& gay pride parade
dr~ more than 100,000 participants June
13~ with a demand fbr legalization of
same-sex marriage and equa! rights for gay
couples.
Some 1,500 people marched in Warsaw
on June 13, also demanding legalization
of same-sex partnerships. "l-he parade, on
central Marszalkowska Street, attracted fewer
than !00 counterprotesters, who shouted
anti-gay vitriol.
Five hundred people marched in Zagreb,
Croatia, on June t3. Police kept about
50 snarling anti-gays from disrupting the
parade.
20,000 march
Tel Av v
Around 20,000 people joined Tel Aviv’s
! lth gay pride parade June 12.
The march ended with a beach ’~edding"
of five gay" couples. Same-sex marriage is not
legal in Israel.
Some top rabbis had urged Prime
Minister Beniamin Netanydau m try to ban
the parade. They called it an abomination.
A few religious right-wingers picketed
the march, which was paid for by the city
government.
’Tel Aviv is more secular than Jerusalem,
where the pride parade routinely leads large
numbers of religious folks ~o wail and gnash.
Last year’s parade in Jerusalem featured
3,000 naarchers and 2,000 cops to protect
them. They walked al! of @ur blocks.
~n 2007, the Jerusalem parade traveled
about 500 meters before ultra-Orthodox
protesters shut it down, despite the presence
orS,000 police o@cers. Prior to the parade,
police arrested a man with a bomb. The postparade
rally was canceled because striking
firefighters refused to provide a required
firetruck.
In 2005, a counterdemontrator stabbed
three marchers at Jerusalem’s marcia and later
was convicted of attempted murder. ~ae
victims’ iniuries were not serious.
Moscow gays want to
picket Obama
Moscow Pride founder Nikolai Mekseev
says members of his group will attempt to
stage a picket in favor of same-sex marriage at
the U.S. Embassy on July 7 during President
Bara& Obama’s visit.
It is unlikely the activists will receive city
permission to do so. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has
banned pride parades for the past four years
and sent riot police to aggressively arrest those
who ignored the bans.
Luzl~ov has called gay parades
"demonic," "satanic" and "weapons of mass
destruction." He also has said the bans are for
gays own good so that "radical Christians"
don’t have a chance to "kill them."
Mekseev is hopet~fl that he’ll be able to
pull off the picket regardless because "the
presidential media pack wilt be in town."
Mayor Luz ov lashes
out at gays
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has again
lashed out at gays, calling them "homos" and
calling gay pride parades "demonic."
Appearing on a TV program June 2,
Luzhkov reportedly said: "Niere are two
reasons gay pride parades are unacceptable in
Moscow: First and foremost, public morality
.does not accept such parades, public morality
does nor accept those homos."
Secondly, he said: "If they gather together,
assuming they are allowed to hold a parade,
other people will simply kill them. ~here
are radical Christians in Moscow who stand
strongly against such demonic manifestations,
as they say.
"There were attempts made (in May’) to
hold the gay parade during the Eurovision
Song Contest in Moscova We had to isolate
about 19 radical Christians who intended to
attack those homos.’
On May, 16, riot police broke up an
attempt to stage the fourth annual gay
pride parade in Moscov~; arresting up to 80
participants, including gay leader N@olai
Ale~eev, British gay leader Peter %tchell and
Chicago gay activist Andy Thayen
Luzhkov previously has called gay pride
parades "satanic" and "weapons of mass
destruction," and has o@cially banned them
each ),ear.
Lithuanian Parliament
votes ’no promo
homo’ law
Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas,
approved a measure on first reading June
4 that bans references to homosexuality in
schools and in public information that can be
visible to children. Tne bill still has to dear a
final vote.
The tally was 57-2 with 8 abstentions.
Many MPs missed the vote.
Amnesty International said the "Law
on the Protection of Minors Against the
Detrimental Effect of Public Information’~
would classify "homosexuality alongside
issues such as ... the display of a dead or
cruelly mutilated body of a person, and
information that arouses fear or horror, or
encourages self-mutilatisn or suicide."
Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty’s Europe
and Central Asia program director, said the
proposed law "denies the right to freedom of
expression and deprives students’ access to the
support and protection they may need."
China sees its first gay
pride week
China saw" its first-ever gay pride week
June 7-14 in Shanghai.
Events included movies, plays, art
exhibits, panel discussions, swimming and
badminton competitions, and a big party,
thouglx at least one play" and one film were
ordered canceled by authorities.
Some 500 people attended a barbecue/
drag shiny/fashion show/hot-body contest on
June 13.
Organizers decided against holding a
parade, saying it iust didn’t seem to be legally
possible, according to China Daily:
"Shanghai Pride is a community-building
exercise," co-organizer Tiffany Lemay told
the English-lang~aage paper. "We hope
to raise awareness of issues surrounding
homosexuality, raise the visibility of the
gay community, help people within our
community to come out, and build bridges
between the gay and straight communities."
Northern Irish LGBs
report high level ofhate
Twenty-one percent of gay and bisexual
men and I8 percent of lesbian and bisexual
women iri Northern Ireland say they\,e been
the victim of a homophobic hate crime or
incident in the past three years.
The figure comes fi’om a survey of I,t43
LGB people catrried out by the Rainbow
Project with funding from the Police Service
of Northern Ireland.
Tne study found that 64 percent of such
incidents were not reported to police and 30
percent resulted in physical injui3:
ebec to 1attach
strategy against
homophobia
Quebec Justice Minister Kathleen Well
has announced the Canadian province will
implement a comprehensive strategy against
homophobia before the end of the year.
She broke the news at a May I7 rally
marking the International Day Against
Homophobia (IDAHO).
"We see it as a major step forward here
since doing so, Quebec will ackmowledge
officially that homophobia -- and not
homosexuality -- is a social problem and
take action, instead of passively banning
discrimination, said Magazine ]~tre Editor
Andrd Gagnon.
"As far as I know, it will be the first
government in the world to adopt such
a strategy that will cover all its spheres of
intervention," he said.
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Ruling: English adoption agencies
cannot discriminate
The Charities Commission of England and Wales ruled
June 2 that adoption agencies cannot discriminate against gay
couples.
The commission cited the Equality Act (Sexual
Orientationl Regulations 2007, which ban discrimination
based on sexual orientation.
Violation of the law would lead to a loss of charity status
and public funding.
The ruling came in a case involving the Catholic Care
charity in Leeds, which wanted to amend its official statement
of objectives with the commission to exclude consideration of
gay couples.
Denmark is not gay nirvana
Denmarlq the first nation in the world to legalize gay
partnerships, in 1989, still has a problem with homophobia.
Eighteen percent of GLBT people in Copenhagen and
8 percent in other parts of the country say they’ve been
discriminated against based on their sexual orientation in
the past year, according to a report from the Center for
Alternative Social Analysis.
GLBT people between ages 16 and 29 reported more
problems than older people.
A total of 3,400 homophobic incidents were reported to
police in 2008, the study said.
A report in the Politiken newspaper said gay businesses
also have been targeted.
Copenhageds oldest gay ba~; Centralhiornet. had rocks
thrown through its windows six times in 2008. Patrons also
have been bombed with eggs through the bar’s open door.
Australian prison OKs gay
con}ugal visits
Xhe Alexander Maconochie prison in Australia’s Capital
Territory has decided to let gay inmates receive conjugal visits
six times a year.
The policy applies to prisoners who are ~vell-behaved and
whose partner is not also incarcerated at the facility.
Reports said that the state of Victoria. where Melbourne is
located, is the only other place in Australia where gay inmates
can have sex dates with their partners.
Bosnian churches oppose antidiscrimination
bill
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Interreligious Council is
opposing a.bill to ban discrimination based on sexual
orientation, claiming it will lead to legalization of same-sex
marriage.
The measure has passed first reading in the House of
Representatives.
A national law banning discrimination based on sexual
orientation is a requirement for any nation that wants its
citizens to be able to travel within the European Union
without obtaining a visa.
Nae Interreligious Council is composed of representatives
of the nation’s Roman Catholics, Muslims, Jews and
Orthodox Christians.
Balkanlnsight.com said it is unttsual for the council "to
agree on any concrete actions and (it) often has been blocked
by internal boycotts."
.Gay marriage campaign launched
m Portugal
The Movement for Equality in Access to Civil Marriage
launched on May 31 in Lisbon, Portugal.
More than 1,000 people signed onto the campaign,
including politicians, well-known actors, pop singers and
businesspeople, and Nobel Prize winner Josd Saramago, who
was honored for literature in 1998.
The campaign’s manifesto, which nmv can be signed by
anyone in Portugal, states, in part: "Equal access to civil
marriage is a matter of justice that deserves the support of all
people who oppose homophobia and discrimination.... We
citizens who believe in equal rights, dignity and recognition
for all of us -- for our families, friends and colleagues -- join
our voices to express our support for equality.
"We call this change necessary, fair and urgent because we
know that the current situation of inequality divides society
between those who are included and those who are excluded,
between persons who are inside and marginalized persons....
We now have an opportunity to end one of the last unjustified
(instances of) discrimination written in our law."
Peru gay police ban less stringent
than reported
Peruvian Interior Minister Mercedes Cabanillas says recent
news reports that gays have been banned from being police
officers were not quite right.
Mid-May reports said cops who have sex with people of
the same sex would be banned because they cause scandal and
denigrate the police’s image.
But Cabanillas says the new law, which took effect May
12, will only ban gay cops if their gay-related public behavior
is scandalous or damages the image of the institution.
She said the ministry has no desire to "get in anyone’s bed"
and that officials only wish to target unseemly, embarrassing
or scandalous occurrences or attitudes related to sexual
orientation that happen in the public sphere.
Gay groups said the taw is problematic and discriminatory
either way because ir seems to suggest that certain public
expressions of homosexuality are more likely ro run afoul of
the law than similar public expressions of heterosexuality.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights
Commission and Movimiento Homosexual de Lima have
launched a letter-~vriting campaign to Peru’s public defender,
=’asldng her to file an Action of Unconstitutionality with the
Constitutional Court to cl!allenge the so-called ’offense’ of
same-sex relations and its associated penalty."
"We write to express our concern over Law 29356, vchich
establishes a new disciplinary code for the Peruvian police,
and stipulates in Article 34 that it is a serious offense to ’have
sex with people of the same gender that causes scandal or
undermines corporate image,’" a sample letter says in part.
"This law is a clear violation of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and the Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights -- both of which have been signed by Peru. This
regressive law also violates the Andean Charter, a regional
treaty ratified by Peru in 2002.... Finally, Law 29356
is inconsistent with human rights principles that are
already, codified in Peruvian law. On December 1, 2004,
a new Constitutional Procedures Code, approved by
Parliament, modified constitutional procedures to recognize
discrimination based on sexual orientation."
Australian benefits agency
recognizes gay de facto couples
Centrelink, the Australian government’s social-benefits
agency, will treat gay de facto couples as married for benefits
purposes starting July 1.
While the move increases equality, it also will result in
a loss of benefits for some coupled gays, who previously
qualified based on their individual income.
Centrelink assistance encompasses such things as health
care, prescription drugs., unemployment payments, disaster
aid,,rent subsidies, aid to single parents and a wide range of
other benefits and welfare programs.
"From 1 July 2009 changes to legislation wilt mean that
customers who are in a same-sex de facto relationship will be
recognised as partnered for Centrelink and Family Assistance
Office purposes," says the agenc)?s Web site. "All customers
who are assessed as being a member of a couple will have their
rate of payment calculated iri the same way."
Colombian policeman added to
partner’s health insurance
The Board of Health of Colombia’s National Police
granted health-insurance benefits to the partner of a gay
officer May 14.
The extension of coverage to Fabifin Mauricio
Chibcha Romero followed a January ruling by the nation’s
Constitutional Court that granted marital rights to commonlaw
same-sex couples in areas that indude civil service,
contracts ~vith the government, housing protection and
assistance, immigration, social security, death indemnification,
and criminal noninctimination.
~Pne activist group Colombia Diversa said the ruling
encompassed all the "civil, political, social, economic, criminal
and immigration rights ... of a common-law union, minus
adoption."
Chibcha also gained access to police housing subsidies and
vacation dubs.
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w,,~w.rnetrostarnews.com ~,tr®STAR 11
Viognier [vee-oh-nay]
For those who haven’t experienced
Viognier, the first glass is quite a revelation.
This wine will embody al! Or some of the
following: honeysuckle, citrus blossoms,
t~,chee, ripe melon, freshly picked.peaches
6r apricots and ripe pear. Winemaker Craig
Williams, from Josep~ ~nhe~s Vin~;a,~s, s~s
Viognier contains floral compounds called
~Terpens. Tl~ey are also found in Muscat and
Pdesling. So, think of the most aromatic
Muscat or Riesling you’ve ever encountered,
then concentrate it and you have Viognier.
The majoriV of French Viogniers are
sold as Vin de Pays in the Languedoc. In the
Rl~one wine region, the grape is o~en blended
with Roussanne, Marsanne and Grenache
blanc. In the Northern part of Rhone, the
grape is sometimes blended with Chardonnay.
Since the late 1980s, plantings ofViognier
in the United States and Cagada have
increased dramat,ically. The Rhone R~angers
of the mid 1980 s help spark the increased
interest in Viognier in California and now
Californigs Central Coast is the leading
producer.
Looking some good summerwtt te wines. > ~ Marcheregiono~:~yand~ to
monm, we are art a ou- < fthe}lord
most widet l~ted white
wpicNly Sauvignon blanc ~ Macab~o. Xg Mar&etti~07 it~~ ~" *~ ,~.
,..... ?~ P ~ , [, desiunated "Rueda V?rdejo must contaifi Fazi,B; t~gli~ ~007 Italy >::~
wine grape, veraemo is cl~slHeo as a noble o - ....
or classic grape. On the PortuDtese mainland,
85% Verdejo, and are oAen 100% Verde’o....... *..........
it is recommended in the DAO region and
Verdejo winm are aromatic, often ~oA . ~d[as ~wws, Isay go to your favorite wing/~
and Rdl-bodied. %ey can be somewhat ~k questions ~d purchase a bottle or
with the production of white port. Some
Portuguese locales call this Gouveio. The
Godello grape grown in northwest Spain is
believed to be the same variety as Verdelho.
%e grape has been successful in the vineyards
ofAustralia, particularly the Hunter \~lley
region, Langhorne Creek and the Swan
Xga!le?: Australian versions of Verdelho are
noted for their intense flavors vdth hints of
lime and honeysuclde. California is producing
more of this varietal as ,sell.
St. Amant 2006 California
Marquis Philips 2007 Australia
Verdejo [ver-day-ho]
This is a variety of wine grape that has long
been grown in the Rueda winegrowing region
of Spain. The grape originated in North
Africa, and was spread to Rueda in about
the 1 lth Century. For most of this time
Verdejo was generally used to make a strongly
oxidized, Sherry-like wine, In the 1970s the
reminiscent of Sauvignon blanc
warm climate.
Gar~i Grande 2007 Spain
Marquis de Riscal 2007 Spain
: Share some food& wine with friendd
a~d ehe~k this out for yourself.
,Vouv~ay[vooh-~ay]
’,Wines fi’om the French
to the east ofTours are made in
range of styles fi-om the Chenin
Vintages in the Loire are variable,
best years Vouvray can produce
very long-lived white wines.
It turns out that most chenin blanc
1970s what most
generic, alcoholic" "
by corporations
consumed in
rather than wine
chenin blanc is
exhibiting a nutty,
Pichot 2007
Nais writer is one ofthe managers at the Grand
Vin wine shop at Utica Square. He also bar tends
and hosts wine & food events around town known
as the Wine Enthusiasts ofTulsa.
indude:
/ www. la~neSpecta-
Verdicchio
months recipe courtesy of:
Crab
Ingredients
1 Cup Mayonnaise
4 Eggs
1 V2 Cup Japanese Breadcrumbs
2 T Granulated Garlic
2 T Onion Powder
2 - I lb Cans Jumbo Lump Crab Meat
(Indonesian or Philippine)
2 - 1 lb Cans Bacldin Crab Meat
(indonesian or Philippine)
Preparation:
Mix first 5 ingredients together by hand.
Drain Crab meat cans ofwater. Fold in
Baclcfin crab meat first and then gently fold
in jumbo lump crab meat being careful
not to break up the lumps. If mixrure
is too wet. add 1A cup more ofJapanese
Breadcrumbs. Mixture should barely
hold together. DO NOT PU/T .~NY
ADDITIONAL SEASONINGS OR TOO
MUCH BRREADCRUMBS IN! The
drizzle on top of the crab cakes will give ir
all of the seasoning it will need.
Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat
with half an 20 inch of corn oil. Once the
mixture is made, take a 4 ounce scoop and
pack in the crab cake mixture. Carefully
place the flat side of the crab cake down
in the oil for approximately ! - 2 minutes
until golden brmvn. Place the crab cake on
a pre-greased baking sheet, fried side up.
These can now be held for up to 5 days in
the refrigerator or finished offin the oven
immediately;
DRIZZLE INGREDIENTS (BAY MAYO)
1 Cup Mayonnaise
2 T Old Bay
Dash ofGranulated Garlic
% Cup Heavy Cream
the ba~
12 July 2009
Big-screen beckons Nell Patrick Harris
xYvq~ite hosting this year’s Tony Axvards, Nell Patrick Harris
joked about his second-class status as a "TV guy." But he’s
atready proven he’s hilarious on the big screen in the Harold
& Kumar movies, so now that second-tier status is about to
change with two new film projects on the horizon. Harris
has joined the cast of Beastly, the new film from gay director
Daniel Barnz (Phoebe in Wonderland) that Romeo’s already
reported on here, but the How I Met Your Mother star wilt
also be playing a lead role in The Best and the Brightest.
Harris plays a husband - way to break that gay-actor-curse
NPH - from Ddaware whose wife goes bananas about social
status when they move to New York City and try to get their
kid into an elite kindergarten. Amy Sedaris, John ~
and Kate Mulgrew al~0 star in ~he latter;
hit theaters before the end of 20!0.
How to make a monster musicaJ
More and more movies are being made from poptflar
childhood toys, from dolls (Kit Kittredge: An American
Girl) to action figures (Transformers) tO even board games
(Clue). But now we’re getting a movie musical based on a toy
that doesn’t even exist yet and will presumably be marketed
alongside the film itself. Gay super-producers Craig Zadan
and Nell Meron are reuniting with Hairspray composerlyricist
Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott gc’ittman to make
an original screen musical around an as-yet-unnamed Mattel
monster toy. Every~daing’s being kept very much on the
hush-hush, but the one thing that’s been revealed is that the
property will "add a fresh twist to monster lore." No word
yet on when this new musical will go into production, but
Romeo bets five bucks that if the movie and the toy do well,
an eventual Broadway adaptation is inevitable. And TV
show. And more toys. And sequels. And ...
Jake Gyllenhaal andAnne Hathaway Focus Features photo
Brokeback spouses reunite
Granted, the romance between Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in
Brokeback Mountain was a tragic one involving the closet and deception and
death, but these actors are determined to give it another go in a movie where he
won’t be playing a gay cowboy. Love and Other Drugs will feature Gyllenhaal
as a pharmaceutical sales rep for Pfizer during the time when a revolutionary
litde blue pill was hitting the market (the film is based on the book Hard Sell:
Tne Evolution ofa Viagra Salesman) while Hathaway will play a woman with
Parldnson’s with whom he begins a relationship after they meet on a sales
call. Ed Zwick (Glor~ Defiance) is set to direct, with Shooting set to happen
possibly as early as this fall. A movie about Viagra may make audiences stand at
attention, but if the film lasts more than four hours, please, call your doctor.
Romeo San PTcente hopes the monster-toy musical will be like the Dra~dapuppet rock operaj~om
_ForgettingSarah Marshall_, complete withfull-fl’ontal male nudity. He can be reached care of
thispublication or at DeeplnsideHollywOod@qsyndicate.com.
~LSA, 0g (PR). Continuing
the m0fithl9 ShOwcase of local artists a
the Equality Center (621 E. 4th Street in
Downtown Tulsa ~ right next to Living Arts
(Ok )
will feature Tulsa Artist Michael Cooper with
an opening show and reception on Thursday,
July 2nd from 6-gpm and continuing
throughout the month ofJuly.
Michael Cooper is an emerging artist
in the Oldahoma scene, specializing
in journalistic art, music, and portrait
photography. In 2008 he joined Urban Tulsa
Weekly as a staff photographer and has seen
his work published in notable other Okie
publications, induding Oklahoma Gazzette
and Oklahoma Today Magazine. In his own
words, "I have two eyes and one lens, and
they battle each other for experiences daily.
The way I see it - few people get to live their
passion, and being an artist is mine. I’m just
trying this road of exploration out, and I
hope you’re there along for the ride".
www.metrostarnews.corn gg{<~{:a~oSTA,R 13
MCC United ~°~"-~~o’~°" 918-838-171~
Metropolitan Community Chu~h
put tb
Chr°
y Church
14 ;~÷troSTAR July 2009
www.metrostamews.com ~÷troSTAR 15
PHILADELPHIA, PA
"As in one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the country"
by Donald Pile and Ray Williams
[)how: Gables Bed andBreakfizst
Visiting Philadelphia for the first time
-was certainly, a very exciting and interesting
time for us. We knew ahead of time al!
about the historical things to see and do but
had no idea what else to expect. We first
checked into The Gables Bed and Break~st
which has been owned for the past 16 years
by ~rren Cederholm and Don Caskey.
Located in the University part of the city, it is
a grand old Victoria home full of wonderful
antiques from top to bottom. ~e house has
a "wrap around" porch for guests to sit and
have drinlcs and snacks or just to view the
sights and sounds of the area. Each room is
beautifully decorated in antiques. A full, and
we do mean FULL sit down breakfast in the
~orma! dining room is served each morning.
XYge are not talking doughnuts and coflree but
a fail sit down brealNast. This was a perfect
way to talk with the other guests to find out
what others did the day" be~bre or were going
to do that day. "While there we met guests
from California, Alabama and all over. Many
of the guests alwws stay there when visiting
Philadelphia. Warren and Don are graciotts
hosts and. al%r 16 years of taking guests into
their lovely home, they seem to have been
able to do it the right way< Another great
thing about staying at The Gables is that the
trolley system runs right in front of their
house and you can take it downtown in just
minutes, and it runs about every 20 minutes
a!l day 10ng. The), have ample off-street
parking behind their house which is a big
plus.
To begin your day, take the trolley
downtown. From that point you can take
another bus or ,valk south to the famous
historical district of Philadelphia and visit
all the places there. No trip to Philadelphia
would be complete without visiting the
Liberty Bell and the other historical places
that are located within a few blocks of there.
Philadelphia is proud of their art museums as
well they, should be. ~-he Philadelphia
Museum of Art is a first class museum and
is a MUST for anyon& visit to the cits: A
few blocks away is the Rodin Museum which
houses more Rodin sculptors any~vhere except
for Paris. There are maW other museums to
visit also.
Ofcourse every visitor to Philadelphia
must try one of their famous Philly
Cheesesteak sandwiches for lunch. There
are a lot of gay bars in the ’~gayborhood"
area of the city which is iust a few blocks
west of downtmvn and easily ~vithin ~valking
distance from the public transportation.
Knock was our very favorite bar there. It is
what a gay bar should be all about....... A
clean bar where the owner/management/staff
is super friendly; wl~ere the customers are
super friendl> where you can walk in and
really enioy yourself, located righ~ on the
corner of Locust St. and I2th Street. They
also have an excellent res~urant located in
the bar. ~Pnis is one of the finest restaurants
in the city ~vith fine white linen tablecloths
and napkins on every table. Jim the Maitre
’d is extremely professional. The servers are
very professional. They have a huge menu
offering the very finest of cuisine. Owned by
Bill Wood, this bar/restaurant is extremely
popular with both people ~vho live in the city
as ~vell as travelers.
We were fortunate during our stay to
see the Broadway pla}~ Grey Gardens which
is about the life of the aunt and cousin of
Jackie Kennedy- Onassis. They lived in a 24
room house in the Hamptons on Long Island
but were extremely poor and let their house
run down something horrible. Mother and
daughter loved (and hated) each other but
were bound to live with each other until the
mother finally died. There was a movie made
about their lives and HBO came out with
another movie a couple of months ago. Both
live theatre as well as the visua! arts are a huge
makeup in Philadelphia.
You could easily spend a whole ~veek
in this beautiful city and still not see
everything. The architecture is unbelievably
tremendous. On weekends, the Penn Landing
downtown is full of vendors and local
artists. Philadelphia is certainly a city that is
welcoming gay travelers with open arms.
There are just a handful of cities that you
must visit in the country and Philadelphia is
certainly" on our short list. Most cities you
still need a car to travel around however not
in this city. They have such a great public
transportation system and is extremely safe
and clean. Why can’t all cities do this?
For more information on Philadelphia,
visit: www.gablesbb.com and they are
located at 4520 Chester Avenue. Phone:
215.662. ! 918. ?dso visit w~v<ka~ockphilly.
COLT1
Another great website to visit
is: http://www.gophita.com/c/your_
philadelphia/14/diverse_philadelphia/287/
gay~friendly_philadelphia/4.html and wwcw.
gayphiladelphia.com
On a personal note, we want to thank
Bruce Yelk, Director of Human Resources
& Gay Marketing, Greater Philadelphia
Tourism marketing Corportation and to our
friend Buster Stevens who hosted a wonderful
dinner for us xvhile we were visiting.
Photo: Famous Liber~_y Bell Philadelphia, PA
Always remember to have fun when traveling,
meet new people and talk to everyone!
Wayne Fuller reported on gossipboy.com, an
Oklahoma internet news service focused on
the GLBT community, that Mr. Chiles had
been convicted of Obtaining Money by False
Pretenses in McClain County in 2006, for
which he received a 2 year deferred sentence
now completed. Since then a warrant for
his arrest was issued for the same offense
in Pontotoc County, which was in effect
when he was elected to his Democratic Party
position.
Robert Chiles, Director &Founder ofPrject
Pride Foundation ofOklahoma. Gorin photo
On June 8, represented by attorney Gordon
Melson, he appeared in court in Pontotoc
Count-5: An agreement was reached ~vith
the warrant withdrawn, and Robert ~vould
have until August 27 to make restitution to
the parties involved.
On June 3, when cast members from the
national tour of "The Drowsy Chaperone"
did a benefit at Tulsa’s Renegades Club for
Until There’s a Cure, an organization helping
those with HIV. Mr. Chiles presented them
with a large check payable to that organization.
It likewise would not clear his bank.
Mr. Chiles had been contacted by that
organization and he promised them a cashier~
check which was not received as of press time.
Following this, Mr. Chiles had asked the
Red Ribbon Revue, a monthly benefit show
performed at Renegades, to do a benefit for
his Foundation. In a statement to gossipboy.
corn Renegades entertainer Tabitha Taylor
stated, "I’m glad this was caught before we
did a fundraiser with the name attached."
www.metrostamews.com ~÷{~oSTAR 17
18 July 2009
,~.metrostarnews.com ~®~°~STAR t9
By Camper English
Crafting the Cosmopolitan
~he Cosmopolitan is one tasty
cocktail and probably most popular drink
created in the last 30 years, but it is not
magically original. The recipe calls for lemon
vodka, lime iuice, orange liqueur, and a splash
of cranberry for color. Minus the cranberry,
the drink follows the formula of spirit plus
lime plus orange liqueur. If that spirit is
tequila, that’s a Margarita. If it’s unflavored
vodka, that’s a Kamikaze.
In fact. the prevailing theory on the
creation of the Cosmopolitan is that it ,vas a
spin-offofthe Kamikaze created by a Miami
bartender
named Cheryl
Cook in 1985
or !986.
She said the
Cosmo is. ~
"Merely a ~
Kamikaze
with Absolut
Citron and
a splash of
cranberry
juice."
But her
version called
for Rose’s lime
juice, a bottled
lime juice
that’s a poor
substimte
for freshsqueezed,
and triple
sec, which
usually refers to the low-end orange liqueurs
that are poor substitutes for Cointreau. These
items are often served at high-volume bars
that want to save money on (admittedly
pricey) orange liqueur and don’t want their
bartenders taldng the time to squeeze limes
for each drink.
But I find the Cosmo-to be intolerable
~vithout them. So too did Toby Cecchini, a
New York bartender credited with finessing
the drink into its best form. Someone told
Cecchini about the drink, but in their version
it was made with unflavored vodka, Rose’s
lime, and the red-colored syrup grenadine.
He liked the look of the drink - soft pink and
served in a Martini glass - and experinaented
~vith ingredients to make the flavor match the
fashion. In the end, his version came out just
like Cheryl Cook’s version, but with better
ingredients.
This version caught on like wildfire
in New York. causing Cecchini and other
bartenders to make them by the thousands.
In the era of bottled sour mix and vermouthflee
Martinis. this drink seerned highmaintenance
enough for Cecchini to call
them "labor-intensive pink monstrosities."
~e trick to making a good pink
monstrosity; even if you have the proper
ingredients, is getting the ratio of them. right.
Apparently this is a problem for bartenders
~oo - i’ve had Cosmopolitans i~ every shade
from c!¢ar to deep red. When I make them at
borne, I’m ~o~- laz/to Ioot up ~[~e recipe so I
}ust ake ir ,,~ ingredient ar a vitae: ~ couo~e
ounces of Charon a smat~ splash of Cointreau.
and a large quantity of’lime.
(I like them tart.) I make mine in keeping
,vith Cheryl Cook’s original instructions
of ~jttst enough cranberry to make it oh so
pretty in pink."
That’s my starting point, anyway. One
thing I’ve learned making this drink is that
cranberry juice, like slimming black clothing,
hides many sins. Even if you get the initial
ratios of liquor and juice all wrong, or have to
resort to bottled lime )uice and bottom-shelf
triple sec, you can always make a drinkable
version of this drink. Just keep adding
cranberry until it’s good.
Vodka, Now Available in Juniper Flavor
I like to think of"bathtub gift" as
"Martinis by the poo!." but that’s not where
the expression originated. It came about
during Prohibition xvhen people would
"make" their own gin by adding mail-order
juniper flavoring to lowquality
alcohol to help mask its
awfulness. 2the weird tiring is, gin
cocktails were awfully popular
back then.
Today it is still legal to make
gin this way- not in the bathtub.
but by adding juniper oil and
other flavors to a neutral spirit
like vodka. Thankftdly, most of
the gins with which we’re familiar
don’t do it like that. Gin usually
starts with high-proof neutral
spirit made from grains like corn,
wheat, and rye. The gin distiller
then selects a range of botanicals
or botanical oils to infuse into the
spirit, then redistills everything
together.
There are many different
distilling methods gin makers
employ, but this is probably only
interesting to folks like me ~vho
spend our spare time hanging out
in distilleries on vacation. More interesting
are the types of botanicals that go in to gin.
Traditional brands like Beefeater, Plymouth,
and Tanqueray contain many ingredients like
citrus peels, coriander, cinnamon, and cassia
bark. Newer gins on the market like Bombay
Sapphire, Hendrick’s, and Martin Miller’s also
include things like lavender, ginseng, rose,
and green tea. All gins, by definition, must
contain jtmiper (berries that smell like pine
trees) as a dominant flavor, but the newer
ones tend to put less of it in.
While vodka lovers and gin lovers are
usually different sorts of people (though
I find versatility provides more options in
the bedroom and the liquor cabinet)~ when
it comes right down to it gin is really just
juniper-flavored vodka. Ifyou’ve got vodka
drinkers over for cocktails and you only
have gin left, just tell them their drinks are
made with "botanical vodka." If you’re in
the opposite situation, tell them the vodka is
"diet gin." Lying to your guests is the most
entertaining part of entertaining them.
The combination and concentration
of the juniper, spices, citrus, and other
botanicals is what gives each gin its unique
flavor and makes it a better or worse fit for
different cocktails. Some modern gins are
so very citrusy and floral that they can be
too perfumey for a Martini. (Hey, this drink
smells like grandma!} On the other hand.
when you add an intensely juniper-heaW
gin ro a Gimlet or other mild cockt ills.
s~metimes all you ~aste b rhe juniper. (Hey,
this drink smells like where ~ ~andma is
buried!~
2O
The trick is finding the right fit for each
gin fqr your mouth. I prefer the old-style
gins in a Martini, Aviation, Pink Gin, and
Negroni. With the more-floral, less-juniper
gins I like the Salty Dog, Gimlet, White Lady,
and Vesper.
But I find that no matter what kind of gin
you have in the house you can always add it
to tonic water and it will taste just fine. Tonic
is the mixer that swings both ways.
Camper English is a cocktails andspirits
writer andpublisher ofAlcademics.com.
Miss Gay Oklahoma
2009 Crowned in OKC
By Victor Gorin
Left: 2008 Miss Gay Oklahoma Adrienne
Fischer, 1st altetmam Samantha West, Shantd
l~£andalay &Miss Gay America Victoria
DePaula. Gorin Photo
worked their hearts out, hoping to be the next
Miss Gay Oklahoma. Emceed by former Miss
Gay America 2006 Nicole Dubois & former
Miss Gay Oklahoma 2005 Pure Chocolate
(as Steven), it got wild Saturday night as it
wound down to 5 finalists with their friends
cheering on their favorites.
That fun fabulous contest came to a
conclusion on Saturday night June 13 when
Shantel Mandalay finally won the title of Miss
Gay Oklahoma America after many years
of pursuing that dream. A proud 3rd grade
teacher who also coaches Special Olympics,
Miss Mandalay and her entourage wowed the
audience with a fast stepping dance routine
to the C&W classic "The Devi! went down to
Georgia" that brought the house down.
It was also an emotional time for the
current reigning Miss Gay Oklahoma
Adrienne Fischer when she passed on her
tide, joining many other former Miss Gay
Oklahomas who were there for the occasion.
Together with 1st alternate Samantha \Vest.
Shantel will be eligible to compete in the
national Miss Gay America competition to
be held this year in St.Louis October 28.-
November 1.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK It was a
festive weekend June 11-13 at Angles in
Oklahoma City when once again the girls
lIGHT
BILENT AUCTION- AND RAFFLES
Dd. IKEY TURNS UP THE WITH OlSDg ALL NIGHT
~:mSTAR July 2009
~’#~W.metrostamews.com
@ Angles, Oklahoma City
@ OGRA Pool Party, OKC
@Club Majestic, Tulsa
@Club 209, Tulsa
Photo’s by Victor G. & Judy G.
@ Bamboo Lounge, Tulsa
@ The Copa Oklahoma City
@ The Ledo, Oklahoma City
@ Finishlinel Oklahoma City
@ OGRA Rodeo, OKC
Tulsa Pride 09 Parade
@ Tulsa Eagle, Tulsa
@ Tulsa Pride 09 Parade
www.metrostarnews.com , <,STAR 23
Oban~a administration defending DOMA
is shocking and unsetding. Clearly, our selfdescribed
’fierce advocate’ needs significant
additional pushing and pressure from all of
US."
Popular blogger John Aravosis: "A
Democratic president of the United States of
i~erica, in the year 2009. and an African-
B~nerican child of inter-racial parents no less,
gave his la~wers the go ahead ro compare
our marriages to incest on the same day that
42 years ago the Supreme Court ruled in
[ais parents’ favor in Loving v. Virginia....
We demand our rights, and we expect this
president, who promised them in exchange
[or millions of our votes and millions of
our donations, to deliver. And so help me
God, we will continue to hold this president
accountable for his broken promises and his
betrayals]"
Lambda Lega!’s Legal Director Jon
Davidson: "X~at they need to be asked
is why they gratuitously went out of their
-way ~o make the outrageous arguments
they unnecessarily included such as that
DOM2~ does not discriminate based on
sexual orientation or that the right ar issue
is not marriage but an unestablished rigi~t
~o ’same-sex marriage or
that DOMA is somehow
iustified in order to protect
taxpayers ~;ho don’t want
their tax do!lars used
ro suppor~ lesbian and
gay couples iwhile it~
apparently fine to make
lesbians and gay men pay
the same rm,:es but be
&nied the benefits provided
heterosexual couples) .... I
am seething mad."
Top Clinton aide
R5chard Socarides: "It had
such a buckshot approach
ro it, a veritable kitchen
sink of anti-gay legal theories, that it seemed
expressly designed to inflict maximal damage
ro our rights. Instead of malting nuanced
arguments which took into account the
president’s oi?-stated support for repealing
DO1VLA -- a law he has called ’abhorrent’ --
the brief seemed to embrace DOMA and all
its horrific consequences,"
Equality California Executive Director
Geoff Kors: "We ... call on President Obama
m order the Justice Department ro file a
supplemental brief reversing its position and
instead urging the repeal of DOMA."
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Executive Director Rea Carey: "The malicious
and outrageous arguments and language
used in the Department ofJustice’s marriage
brief is only serving to inflame and malign
the humanity of same-sex couples and our
families."
Gay writer Dan Savage: "If this shit is
’fierce advocacy,’ Mr. President, we’ll take
benign neglect.7
CBS News: "The anger from gay rights
advocates toward President Obama is starting
to boil over."
~!~e Wall Street Journal called Sotmonese’s
letter to Obama "scathing."
The New York Times editorialized: "The
Obama administration, which came to office
promising to protect gay rights but so far has
nor done much, actually struck a blow" for the
other side last week.... If the administration
does feel compelled to defend (DOMA), it
should do so in a less hurtful wa~: ... There
writer Dan
/ Savage: "If ’\
dais shit is ’fierce
advocacy; Mr.
President, we’ll
take benign /
\... neglect."
was no need to resort to specious arguments
and inflammatory language to impugn samesex
marriage as an institution."
Plans apparently are shaping up for a
gay March on Washington in October,
spearheaded, it appears, by veteran activist
Cleve Jones, the man who created the
NAMES Proiect AIDS Memorial O~ilt."The
President is in serious danger of motivating
a huge mass of gay people to stream into
\Ygashington for the simple ioy of standing in
front of the White House and giving him a
piece of their minds," wrote syndicated gay
columnist \gayne Besen.
"For what seemed Iike forever, Democrats
told us that when the big bad Republicans
went away, our lives would improve," Besen
said. "XN~ell, the Republican nightmare is over,
so why do I still feel like I’m in the middle of
a political Friday the 13th movie? ... As far
as I’m concerned, if the donkeys can’t detiv(r
now, they can Idss my ass."
On June 17, when Obama "delivered"
to federal employees a smattering of spousal
benefits, via issuance of a "memorandum," he
did again denounce DOblA.
"I think we all have to acknowledge this
is only one step," the president said.
the steps we have not yet t~en is to repeal the
Defense of Marriage Act. I
believe it’s discriminatory,
I think it interferes ,vith
states’ rights, and we will
work with Congress ro
overturn it. \rUe’re gor more
work to do to ensure that
government treats all its
citizens equally, to figh~
iniustice and intolerance in
all its forms, and to bring
about that more perfect
union. I’m committed
to these efforts, and I
pledge to work tirelessly
on behalf of these issues in
the months and years to
come.-
Obama also expressed support for the
Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations
Act.
"Under current law, we cannot provide
same-sex couples with the full range of
benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married
couples," he said. "That’s why I’m proud
to announce rny support for the Domestic
Partners Benefits and Obligations Act, crucial
legislation that will guarantee these rights
for all federal employees. I want to thank
Rep. Tammy Baldwin, who is behind me
somewhere -- there she is, right there -- for
her tireless leadership on this bill and in the
broader struggle for equality. I want to thank
Sen. Joe Lieberman -- Joe is here -- as well
as Susan Collins for championing this bill
in the Senate, and Rep. Barney Frank for his
leadership on this and so many other issues."
Sounds good, but gay activists ~veren’t
impressed. They want action.
"We commend President Obama ana his
administration for taking this beginning step
to level the playing field but we look forward
to working with him to repeal the Defense of
Marriage Act, overturn ’Dofft Ask, Don’t Tell’
and guarantee the entire American worl6brce
is free from discrimination," said HRC’s
Solmonese.
The Associated Press said, "His (Obama’s)
critics -- and there were many -- saw
Wednesday’s incremental move to expand gay
rights as litde more than pandering to a
reliably Democratic voting bloc."
Lamb& Legal Executive Director
Kevin Cathcart: "While ending any of
the discrimination against gay and lesbian
federal employees is a welcome step, today’s
... announcement falls far short of our hopes
and expectations. President Obama dearly
understands how important it is for people
to have health insurance coverage ro protect
their loved ones and this plan does not
provide that. Lambda Legal is representing
Karen Golinsldi, a federal employee who
works for the judicial branch and who is
seeking health insurance coverage for her
same-sex spouse. A federal judge has already
issued an administrative decision in that
matter, concluding that, within the existing
roles, the federal government can choose
to provide health insurance for same-sex
partners. Vie think they should.... The day is
long past for incomplete, piecemeal fixes that
leave hard-worldng families uninsured and
struggling."
People For the American W’ay President
Michael B. Keegan: "Today’s presidential
memorandum is a very small step in the right
direction, but it’s a token, and tokens are no
longer enough. DOMA stands in the way of
real progress for same-sex couples nmv denied
federal recognition and protection, and its
repeal is tong overdue. President Obama has a
unique ability to provide the moral leadership
to ensure that all Americans are treated
equally under the law. but so far he has failed
to exercise it. We urge the president to live
up to his own rhetoric about being a ’fierce
advocate’ fbr gay and lesbian Americans.
Taking action on his pledge to repeal DOMA
would be ~vorthy of the vision that he held
out to Americans during his campaign
NGLTF’s Carey: "This presidential
memorandum today will extend some
selected protections to the same-sex partners
and families of federal employees.... This
memo is one building block toward full
equality, and much more remains to be done
in order for the administration to live up to
the promises of equality the president made
as a candidate on the campaign trail.... We
also call on the president to take additional
steps that will have a positive impact on our
health, our livelihoods and our families’ safety
that do not require legislative action. These
include reversing the standing policy of the
U.S. Census Bureau to manually un-marry
any same-sex couple who lawfully states they
are married on the 2010 census, extending
employment protections to federal employees
based on gender identity, and reversing the
regulations that continue to throw roadblocks
in the way of HIV-positive individuals who
want to travel to this country."
NCLR’s Kendell: "The policy announced
today by the president committing to a
federal ~vorkplace free from discrimination is
a step in the right direction but inadequate
and long overdue. It leaves out millions
ofAmerieans who do not work for the
federal government and fails to include key
benefits including health insurance. When
running for office, then candidate Obama
called equality for LGBT people a ’moral
imperative.’ We will continue to demand
this administration live up to the president’s
promise of achieving ’full equality for the
millions ofLGBT people in this country.’"
The language is strong and the front is
unified. Nae White House clearly is listening,
but when will our "fierce advocate" act?
Writing on his house.gov Web site June
16, gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polls, D-Colo., said:
"I am a proud Democrat, as are many in the
LGBT community, and I believe we must
hold our leaders accountable. The Obama
Administration made a HUGE mistalte in the
DOMA brief. If they keep malting mistakes
like this. they risktosing the support of the
GLBT community forever, although I do
not believe we are at that point yet. President
Obama needs to honor his promise ro repeal
this ... hateful and divisive law. As the New
York Times editorialized yesterday, ’busy
calendars and political expediency are no
excuse for malting one group of Americans
wait any longer for equal rights.’"
labor of love really," said Arbuckle. "We ate
like a family here." The organization serves
men, women and children. "XWe have about
30-40 children who may be infected or have
parents who are," adds Arbuclde.
Recently, Arbuckle submitted a grant
application to the }v’La,C-AIDS Fund which
is an organization established in 1994 that
globally supports all persons lMng with
HIV/AIDS. "It is a passion for our company
and our staff," said Armando Ortiz, MAC
Retail Manager at Penn Square Mall. "We
refer to this as the heart and soul ofMAC
Cosmetics. MAC stands for Make-up, Art
and Cosmetics.
"Our Viva-Glam program is where the
monies come from," adds Ortiz. "We give
back 100% of the selling price back to the
community. This program is really something
we embrace in our company." MAC
Cosmetics has been in business since I984
and has donated over $t35 million dollars to
date through the MAC-AIDS Fund.
Other Options has changed some over
the years and now focuses primarily on their
Friends Food Pantry. "The other services are
provided so well by other organizations in the
city that we focus on the nutritional program
now," said Mary Arbuckle, Director of the
Other Options organization. "\ge work well
together with RAIN Oklahoma, the OU
Infectious Disease Clinic, and other local
organizations so our clients can ger all the
hdp they need and so there is less duplication
of services."
Friends Food Pantry is exclusive to the
HIV and MDS community. Clients come to
the srore to shop each week. "We give them
a shopping cart and let them select their own
items, which is different than most food
banks," adds Arbuckle. "We want to empower
their mind; we don’t want them to feel like
it’s a charity." Arbuckle says they plan ro
spend the majority of the MAC-AIDS grant
on their Boost program, which provides the
high-prorein Boost drink to those in most
need of the nutritional supplement.
Donations to Other Options are always
~velcomed and appreciated. For more
information about Other Options or the
Friends Food Pantry, please call (405) 946-
8577.
by Jack Fertig July 2009
"Pay attention, Cancer!"
Saturn square Mercury would normally
bring out everyone’s inner critic, but
with Saturn in Virgo and Mercury in
Gemini, bitchy outbursts are to be
expected. If you’re feeling brilliant, write
it down and think twice before saying
it aloud. Take a long view and look for
opportunities for self-improvement,
ARIES (March 20 - Apri~ 19): Stay
focused on work. Any personal remarks,
especially about colleagues, are sure
to get you into trouble. Your critical
analyses and recommendations for
improvement are probably a bit off the
mark, but at least they show you’re
paying attention.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Avoid
gambling and investments in any
game play strictly for funsies. Focus on
developing skill at your sport or hobby.
That’s an uphill slog, too, but something
that’s just fun now can have practical
value down the road.
GEMiNi {May 21- June 20): If you get
any criticism from family or roommates,
thank them for sharing and think about
what they say. There may be something
to it. Responding in kind will only start
an a~ui argument.
CANCER (June 21~- July 22): Pay
attention where you’re walking or
driving. Distractions inside your own
head can cause awful accidents. Be
aware of your surroundings, and you
can find better ways to bang up against
someone.
LEO (Ju~y 23 - August 22): You’re
inclined to be very critical of someone’s
political values, so why not focus on
your own? In this era of diminishing
resources, we all need to step back
and re-think things. Brainstorming
with friends will help you update your
perspective.
VlRGO (August 23 - September 22)
The sharp edge of your wit is very
much in evidence. Keep it focused
on practical matters and attention to
your own health and well-being. When
tempted to speak of others, make extra
effort to keep it kind and constructive.
L~B~ (September 23 - October
22): There’s always room for selfimprovement,
but don’t beat yourself up
with your faults, which you’re now likely
to exaggerate anyway. A creative focus
for your inner critic could help you to be
more realistic.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November
21): As your brain races around sex,
you may want to look beyond simple
gratification. That has its time and
place, but think seriously about your
relationships and what you’d want to be
doing - and with whom - in 20 years.
SAG!TTARIUS (November 22
- December 20): You will get into
arguments. Stay focused, principled
and respectful. The way you press
your point can earn you a great deal
of respect. Stay clear on details and
graciously accept correction when it’s
appropriate.
CAPRICORN (December 21
- January 19): Take it slow and easy.
Pay attention to details and you’ll have
fewer accidents and arguments at
work. Sex seems a great release for
stress, but is it really? Focus on what’s
important at work and at play.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February
18): You may be losing yourself helping
others, and fun may feel more like work.
An analytic approach to techniques of
craft, sport and/or pleasure reconciles
the latter. Being ruthless and selfish for
a bit is now good for you.
PISCES (February 19 - March
19): Domestic criticisms are nearly
inevitable. Being self-critical will help
keep you out of arguments, but give
yourself credit as well as blame. Your
partner’s shortcomings on that score
are highlighted because of your focus.
If you must say something, be kind and
gentle!
Community for
People iving
with
H R/!A DS
A 50’f c (3) Non t rofit Or~nizadon
Our House, Too offers a variety of
activities for people who are HIV+ and
or living with AIDS to help combat the
social isolation that many of our
people live through each and everyda~:
We provide a Toiletry and Household
Pantry for those "who are HIV+
and or living with AIDS who cannot
afford to purchase these items for
themselves. We invite anyone who
would like to volunteer or provide financial
assistance to please contact
us by phone 918-585-9552 or e-mail
ourhousetoo9865@sbcglobat.net
112 3 4
~5 6 7 8 9 ~10111213
14
~ 15
17 18 19
66 67 68
69 70 7I
43 Ausmas capital( to Aust ~ans
~ ’Watcha~Liberg~ game h~re
18 Irritating : ,
50 of Seventeefi :
52 :l~i~---~"s home Stat~ (abgr:};
~3 cone Out ~nthe b~a~h
5~ ~Evbr~tt S Monkey Zetterland
58 E~d of the a~eadline ~
52 Adult filly
69 %v0some
70 Second name in cross-dressing
7! Doest" own
31
33 Prefix with
35 In the sack
38 "Lead into temptation"
39 Casey J0n~s, e.g.
40 GOt excited ,
41 Hollinghurst s 7~e Swimming~Pool
42 Edmontons province
45 Many a place near Aspen
46 Ball {vh£ckers, in Ping-Pong
47 U-turn from SSW ~9 Gate design,
1 C. Marlowes tongue
55 Golfer Sam
57 Overhand stroke, for Mauresmo
59 It gets spilled at wild parties
60 Beat it
61 Peruvian native
65 Quit, with "out"
Solution page 26
We :welcome ~[etters fro ers. Shorter letters are more likely to be printed, as are those
that addreks ohly a Singte topiC, Letters are subject to editing for lefigt|i and clarity. In-
ClYde your hO~ addr~s} an~ ~,~time phone fiumber fo~-~;efifidatiDm Send l{~rs to the
4ditor~ pFe ly:~ ii (~iam£ws@sl;cglobal.ndt)~ Le{ters als~ may be mailed (Metro
Stem P~ Box 5~i 7’18, TulSa, IOK 7~ 158)
~wcw.metrostarnews.com ;~8÷troSTAR 25
Stage Performance To
Benefit C arron Alliance
OK~AI-IOMA CITY, OK (PR) __ lheatre
lovers are invited to attend an upcoming
performance of a Carpenter Square Theatre
production with proceeds benefiting the Cimarron
Alliance Foundation.
Carpenter Square’s Thursday, July 2, production
of"The Little Dog Laughed" will benefit Cimarron
and cimarronAP,TS! The show begins at 7:30
p.m. Tickets, at a discount, are $15 and can be
purchased £nline at: CAF
Carpenter Square provides the following
synopsis of tl~e show: Mitchell Green is a handsome
young movie actor who is on the verge of major
stardom. His agent can’t seem to keep him in
the closet due to his "slight recurring case of
homosexuality." And as if that’s not enough, he falls
in love with his most recent "rent boy" and wants
to announce it to the world. Helping him navigate
Holl.~;~vood’s choppy waters, his shark of an agent
Diane does everything she can to keep him away
~?om the rent boy and the rent boy’s girlfriend
(wait, the rent boy has a girlfriend?), but it’s not
smooth sailing.
Ticket sales are limited to 200, so buy )!our
rickets early!
Jamie Fo~
Jul 9, 2009 at BOK Center
Ticket Prices: $69.75 and $59.75
"l~is summer heats tip with a tour from one of the
Imrtest artists to move fi:om the big screen to the
stage. Jamie Foxx begins a summer tour in July and
makes Tulsa one of the first stops.
eridm Idols Live
Jul 24, 2009 at BOK Center Tulsa
Tickets Prices: $69.50, $55.50, $40.50
Fans ofAmerica’s #1 show will once again have the
chance to catch their favorite "Idols" performing
live in concert, as the top 10 contestants from
American Idol season 8 hit the road in the highly
anticipated summer tour.
Aerosmith
Ju130, 2009 at BOK Center
AEROSMITH
with ZZ TOP
July 30 @ 7:30pro
Ticket Prices: $129.50, $89.50, $49.50
~EROSMITH--STEVEN TYLER (vocals), JOE
PERRY (guitar), BP4\D ~WHITFORD (guitar),
TOM HAMILTON (bass) and JOEY KP,a~_MER
(drums)--made history last year when Activision
released Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, marldng the
first music-based game built around the legendary
music of Aerosraith.
Kdth Urban
Aug 7, 2009 at BOK Center @ 8:00pm
Keith Urban with Sugarland
Ticket Prices: $77, $47 and $20
Grammy Award winner Keith Urban, one of the
industry’s raost explosive and critic~dly hailed live
acts, will be stopping at the BOK Center on Friday,
August 7th fi~r his "Escape Together ~otld Tour"
together with KC Masterpiece° and Kings~rd°
featuring multi-platinum superstars Sugarland.
Webs#e- www.kylecomics.com E-Mail- KylesBnB@aol,com
bi~er gir!
2{3 @~:{:~oSTAR July 2009
Support those who support us. Their
A
HABANA INN
2200 NW 39TH ~KESSWAY
Oldakoma City, OK
405-528-2221
wsvw.habanainn.com
KELLY KIRBY, CPA
48 I5 S. I-DYRVARD, SUITE 424
Tulsa, OK * 918-747-5466
Certified Public Accountant
ROUTE 66 ANTIQUE MALL
4624 E. ! lth Street
Tulsa OK
918-836-3838
VALERIE WILLIFORD
625 N.W. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK
405-226-8585
CONFIDENTIAL CAP~ &
CONSULTATION-OKC
405-326-9652
NATIa~q BLACK
PRIMEP£CA 10820 E. 45th #305
Tulsa. OK
918-615-8177
nblack.rn#39@primerica.com
OKC MORTUARY
2415-C N. "WALNUT AVE.
Olda~oma City, OK
80B-9!3-t310
GARY CORNETT
FUTUPJTY FIRST IN S.
Tulsa. OK
918-688-!360
ads allow us to distribute your community news FREE to you.
THE LEDO
2200 NW 39TH E~RESSWAY
Oklalloma City, OK
405-525-0730
www.habanainn.com
TULSA EAGLE
1338 E. 3RD
Tulsa, OK
918-592-1188
Open 7days week 2pm to 2am
CHURCH of the OPEN ARMS
3131 N. PENN,
OKC, OK 405-525-9555
Service Sunday 10:45 AM
HOPE TESTING CLINIC
3540 E. 31st
Tulsa, OK
800-535-2437
Oklahoma’s HIV/STD Hotline
SPIRIT OF CHRIST MCC
2902 E. 20TH STREET,
Joplin, MO * 479-529-8480
Service Sunday 6pm
MCC UNITED
1623 N. Maplewood, Tulsa, OK
918-838-1715
www.nlcctulsa.org
RFAL:ESTATE:
ARMANDO AMOR
Keller Williams Realty
1624 SW !22nd
Oklahoma City, OK 73170
405-473-6870
CENTURY 21 GOLD CASTLE
3627 IxYgg EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-840-2106
www.c21 goldcasde.com
CHUCK BRECKENRIDGE
Keller Williams Realty
Tulsa, OK
918-706-1887
CINDY LOLLIS
Castle Finders Realty
Owasso, OK 74055
918-697-7406
OKZAHOMANS for EQUALITY
621 E. 4th Street
Tulsa, OK 74120
918-743-4297
www.okeq.org
OUR HOUSE, TOO
203 N: Nogales Ave
Tulsa, OK 74127
918-585-9552
~NG OF MASSAGE
In or Out Calls
Oklahoma City, OK
405-882-6127
THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE
In Calls Only, N\V OKC
405-822-7378
nwokcmassageguy@aol.cim
ANGLES
2 ! 17 N~V 39th St.
Oklahoma City, OK JUDY G. PHOTO’S
wvw:angtesdub.com Tulsa. OK
judygphotos@sbcglobal.net
BAMBOO LOUNGE 918-743-8636
7204 E. PINE
GUSHER’S RESTAURANT
2200 N~V 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oldahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
Located inside Habana Inn
THE KITCHEN
2218 NW 39th
Oklahoma City; OK 73112
Located inside the BOOM
THE MARKET PLACE ON 39th
2235 N.W. 39th
Oklah0maCity. OK
405-528-5555
TRA
EURE~ SPRINGS CVB
Eureka Springs, AR
www.eurekasprings.org
Cindy Lolli~
Castle Finders, LLC
Real Estate & Property Management
Owasso, OK 74055
918-697-7406
Armando Amor
Phone: 405-473-6870
Fax: 405-691-2708
BUY GI Joe Action Figures
(12" size Only)
THE
KITCHEN
2218 NW 39th
Oklahoma City, OKC 73112
(405) 801-7200
Open Tues.-Sun 12
Noon ~o 11PM. Featuring
Chef Susie Lopez.
Located inside the "BOOM"
Call
Therapeutic
By licensed professional for Physical
Rehabilitation.
NW OKO near Penn Square
In-Calls only
(405) 822#378
nwokcmassageguy@aol.corn
Tulsa. OK
918-836-8700
~a~vw.bambooloungetulsa.com
CLUB 209
209 N. BOULDER
%lsa, OK
918-584-9944
CLUB MAJESTIC
!24 N. BOSTON
Tulsa, OK
9!8-584-9494
FINISHLINE
~oo NW 59TH EXPreSSWaY
Oklahoma Civ, OK
405-525-2900
~l=,v.habanainn.cona
THE COPA
2200 NW 39TH E~SSWAY
O~om~ Cit~ OK
405-525-0730
x~m,w.habanainn.com
Start building a business
today to supplement your"
income in case of layoff.
High potential commissions.
Excellent instruction.
Set your own hours.
Call NATHAN BLACK
Chuck Breckenridge
Whether buying or selling
I’ll work hard for you.
www.metrostarnews.com ~÷troSTAR 27
28 July 2009
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
[2009] Metro Star Magazine, July 1, 2009; Volume 6, Issue 7
Subject
The topic of the resource
Politics, education, and social conversation over LGBTQ+ topics
Description
An account of the resource
The Metro Star’s first issue began in August of 2008. Before this issue was Ozarks Pride (2004), The Ozark’s Star (2004), and The Star (2005).
This magazine discusses topics of AIDs, education, politics, local and national civil rights of the LGBT community, and advice for relationships and places to visit.
This collection is PDF searchable. Physical copies are also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Star Media, Ltd
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Star Media, Ltd
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
July 1, 2009
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Image
Online text
PDF
Language
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English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
magazine
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Chaz Ward
Victor Gorin
Greg Steele
James Nimmo
Jeanne Flanigan
Rex Wockner
Gerald Libonati
Michael W. Sasser
Robin Dorner-Townsend
Romeo San Vicente
Andrew Collins
Donald Pile
Ray Williams
Jack Fertig
Devre Jackson
Judy G.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Southwest Missouri
West Arkansas
Southeast Kansas
Eastern Oklahoma
The United States of America (50 states)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/19
Relation
A related resource
The Metro Star Magazine, April 1, 2009; Volume 6, Issue 4
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/128
The Metro Star Magazine, August 1, 2009; Volume 6, Issue 8
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/129
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/133
Adam Lambert
adoption
California HIV
church
Clara Nipper
cocktail chatter
Comics
commentary
crossword puzzle
Dick Cheney
dining
discrimination
Diversity Business Association
domestic-partnership bill
Don't Ask
Don't Tell
First Thursday
gay police ban
Hillary Clinton
homophobia
international news
Joplin pride
June 2009
Keith Kimmel
Kyle's Bed and Breakfast
legalization of same sex marriage
lesbian Noir
License Plate
MAC cosmetics
Michael Cooper
Miss Gay
National news
Obama
Oklahoma City Rodeo
Oklahoma News
Other Options
Pride Month
pride Parade
Qscopes
R.A.I.N.
Robin Dorner
snap shots
spousal benefits and protection
stage
Star Scene
The Metro Star
travel
Tulsa
Tulsa Pride's Diversity Festival