[2007] The Star Magazine, October 1, 2007; Volume 4, Issue 10

[2007] The Star Magazine, October 1, 2007; Volume 4, Issue 10

Politics, education, and social conversation over LGBTQ+ topics

The Star Magazine’s first issue began February of 2005. Before this issue was Ozarks Pride (2004) and The Ozark Star (2004). Follows is 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.

Star Media, Ltd

https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/19

Star Media, Ltd

October 01, 2007

Charles (Chaz) Ward
Victor Gorin
Greg Steele
Jeanne Flanigan
Paul Wortman
James Nimmo
Joey D.
Libby Post
Andrew Collins
Donald Pile
Ronald Blake
Ray Williams
Jack Fertig
Liz Highleyman
Devre Jackson
Michael Leach

The Star Magazine, September 1, 2007; Volume 4, Issue 9
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/213

The Star Magazine, November 1, 2007; Volume 4, issue 11
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/211

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PDF
Online text

English

magazine

https://history.okeq.org/items/show/212

Southwestern Missouri
Western Arkansas
Southeastern Kansas
Eastern Oklahoma
The United States of America (50 states)

1 (2437)
Oklahoma’s HIV/$TD Hottine
PROTECT YOURSELF
PROTECT YOUR PAR (S)
Center on Tuesdays from 6-Spin
H.O.RE. Testing
~er~s Outreach Prograr~
tn Tulsa at (9t8) 812~7045
2 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
Local and Regional O cials Featured
The New Advocate.
By Steve VanHook
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK __ Xhe new 40th Anniversary Issue
of Xhe Advocate features six gay and lesbian elected officials in an
article entitled "Great American Lives: The Trailblazers".
Oklahoma’s A! McAffrey, Arkansas’ Kathy Webb, and Alabama’s
Patricia Todd, state representatives all, are joined by Guy Padgett,
former mayor of Casper, Wyoming, State Senator and progressive
Democrat Jolie Justus of Missouri, and Dallas County Sheriff Lupe
Valdez.
The article and photos begin on Page 78 of the September 25th,
2007, issue, written by Paul Florez in NYC and Padraie Wheeler.
In an introduction to the article with the heading "Doing It For
Ourselves", the authors write:
"After decades of pounding on the walls of government, fighting
to be heard, gays and lesbians have finally secured positions inside
those walls. There are currently more than 370 openly gay elected
officials natiomvide, with at least 100 more expected to run in 2008.
Meet six trailblazers who ran as openly gay candidates and won---in
red states, no less."
The piece on McAffrey reads:
"Al McAffrey, 59, has lived a life of service. Before becoming a
legislator, he had careers in both the Navy and the Oklahoma City
Police Department. McAffrey said his sexuality wasn’t a central
issue during his race for the District 88 seat in the Oklahoma State
House, but that changed one day when he knocked on the door of
a house displaying his opponent’s sign on the front lawn. "The guy
said, ’I have only one question to ask you: Are you gay?’" recalls
McAffrey. "And I thought, Oh, shit, how am I going to answer
this? Well, I’m a pretty point-blank guy, so I said, ’Yeah, I’m gay.
Does that mean you’re not going to vote for me?’ He looked at me
and said, ’No, I am going to vote for you, because you’re honest."
"The man tood down the opponent’s sign right there and then.
Step it up to fight AIDS
By Joey De
TULSA, OK __ Lace up your walking shoes and head to Veterans
Park Sat. Oct. 6 to join the fight against MDS.
The fifteenth annual walk will step offat 9 a.m. from the park
located at 21st street and Boulder avenue. The two mile route will
take walkers along Riverside to 31st and then return to Veterans
Park.
Funds raised by the Tulsa AIDS walk go directly to supporting
Tulsa’s National AIDS Fund Americorp team. The five person team
provides prevention, testing and outreach services through out the
Tulsa community. Tulsa is one of the few cities in the country that
...........Continued page 13
wvcw.ozarksstar.com the STAR 3
STATE SENATORANDREW RICE
ANNOUNCES HIS RUN FOR U.S.
SENATE
Indigo Girls descend on Tulsa at the
Historic Cains Ballroom.
The Advocate - the oldest continuously
published U.S. gay periodical still in
existence - has chronicled the history and
culture of the LGBT community for 40
years.
Ever simply smell a wine before you taste
it? What does it smell like to you?
Check out the color too.
fl~ c,Ao T~V~-
Gay Travelers: Colorado
Out of Town: Samta Fe. NM
Dining In or OUT
Maybe it’s my age - 50 is just around
the corner (oy!). Maybe it’s because I’ve
been in a relationship since I was 18
(mind you, that means serial monogamy
F~T~ESS
Introspection can lead you to better
understand yourself and ultimately to
achieve greater happiness.
ON THE COVER: Indigo Girls
4 the STAR
STAR DISTRIBUTION:
OKLAHOMA CITY * TULSA * LAWTON * MCALESTER * ENID * LITTLE ROCK * NORTH LITTLE RODK *
FAYETTEVILLE * FT SMITH * EUREKA SPRINGS * HOT SPRINGS * BENTONVILLE * ROGERS * KANSAS
CITY * SPRINGFIELD * JOPLIN * BRANSON AREA* WICHITA * PITTSBURG * JUNCTION CITY
~.~v.ozarksstar.com
STATE SENATOR ANDREWANNOUNCES
HIS RUN FOR U.S. SENATE
By Victor Gorin
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK__ QUOTE:
"I’m humble as I go through this. I want
the people of the state to get to know me, I
want to know what their aspirations are, the
things they want to see reformed. "
Longtime LGBT ally Andrew Rice announced
through press conferences &
fundraisers that he is running for the U.S.
Senate seat currently held by James Inhofe.
Together with his wife Apple and their 2
sons, Parker & Noah, he let Oklahomans
know where he stands and why he wanted
the job.
He currently holds the seat for State Senate
District 46, elected to that position in 2006.
That seat was previous held by Bernest
Cain, who likewise was a staunch ally of the
GLBT community as well as many other
progressive causes but~ had to leave office due
to term limits.
~,~rw.ozarksstar.corn
At his press conference at the Oklahoma
State Democratic Party Headquarters, he
touched on many issues facing our country
and how he wanted to make a difference,
including global xvarming, national security,
fiscal responsibility, and a major lack of trust
Americans feel for their government.
As he puts it:
"It’s pretty remarkable the amount of
disgruntlement, and really the lack of faith
people have in government. I think they
feel a lot of anxiety not only because of the
complexities we deal with like terrorism and .
the health care crisis, but even basic good
government practices." He stressed that
his life experiences, especially his work in
an evenly divided Oklahoma State Senate
had given him the know-how of how to
work with Republicans and yet stick to his
principles.
He stated,
"Robert S. Kerr, Henry Bellmon and David
Boren had a trait in common that they were
able to find common ground and get things
done for our state when it needed to be
done. I think that’s something I can do as a
proud Democrat and know where my line
in the sand is."
Referring to skepticism some people have
due to his youth, Andrew pointed out that
Oklahoma has a long history of younger
candidates who have been elected, including
Don Nickles, who was younger than
Andrew when he was elected to the U. S.
Senate in 1980.
"The experience that we talk about with
politics, there’s a lot of that experience
I don’t want. Being beholden to special
interests, getting stuck in your ways, being
a career politician, being inflexible and not
able to see things from another viewpoint,
that’s the experience that has taken us down
the wrong road in his country. "
The incumbent, James Inhofe, was first
elected to the U.S. Senate seat in 1994 with
a special election when David Boren left the
office to take the presidency of Oklahoma
University He was re-elected to a full term
in 1996 and again in 2002. He has become
well known for extreme rightwing positions,
including opposition to gay rights, total
support our military involvement in Iraq,
opposition to any minimum wage increase
or support for organized labor, and calling
global warming "a hoax."
Andrew closed by pointing out that he
wants to give Oklahomans an option if they
want a change.
the STAR 5
Democrats Need
Negative Resuks in traq.
Dear Editor:
The national Democratic Congressional
leadership believes failure by our troops in
Iraq the central front in the War on Terror
is essential for them to win elections in
2008, and that any positive sign of progress
in Iraq is simply a "problem" for them.
Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid, driven by polls and politics, declared
"This war is lost," even before the President’s
new strategy began. Reid also has bragged,
"We’re going to pick up Senate seats as a
result of this war."
And Democrat House Majority Whip James
Ctyburn said that a positive report in September
from General Petraeus and Ambassador
to Iraq Ryan Crocker would be "a real
big problem for us (Democrats)." Meaning
the Democrats’ desire for an arbitrary troop
withdrawal and their party’s 2008 electoral
fortunes would be in jeopardy if our troops
succeed. Is it aW wonder that the new
Democratic controlled Congress has far
lower approval ratings than the President?
Let’s not forget that there are thousands of
gay and lesbian troops fighting the M Queda
terrorists in Iraq; courageously risking
their lives against a violent worldwide ideology
that has no regard for the lives of gay
people in the Middle East or any where else
in the world. These gay and lesbian soldiers
from our community are true American
heroes and deserve our unwavering patriotic
respect.
America’s national
security should not
be kicked around like
a political football
by the Far Left in
Gay America. Many
gays believe winning
the War on Terror is
vital to our country’s
national security.
It is unconscionable that Democrat leaders,
and many gay activists, are hoping for our
troops to fail so their part,i can gain a political
advantage. And it is unacceptable that
the leading Democrat presidential contenders,
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama,
both claim to support our troops yet voted
against providing them with the resources to
sustain their mission and keep them safe.
Respectfully submitted,
Matthew Veritas Tsien
Former Air Force Executive Officer
Low-maintenance bait
for entrapment ?
Dear Readers,
Not being one who has ever solicited anonymous,
or even well-known,
sexual liaisons in public settings, I wasn’t
aware of the Larry Craig foot-tapping dance
which seems so imitative of certain insects
that tap on leaves and stems to communicate
either territorial limits or a need for
mating. Thanks to Senator Craig America
has received a birds-and-bees nature lore lesson
hitherto known only to a relatively few
wildlife specialists.
But I do know there is a wafting of sexual
pheromones in public par~ after dark at
certain locations in Oklahoma City (OKC),
Will Rogers Park being one of them.
I recently attended a neighborhood political
event at Will Rogers Park that, after I had
helped pack up the event, found me walking
back to my car after dark at 8:30pm. I had
parked at the botanical greenhouse thinking
the event I was attending was located in that
area.
............................Continued page 15
6 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
wY~w.ozarksstar.com the STAR 7
Re~gnized by Keller Williams
For outstanding ad~levernent 2005 and 2006
Chuck Breckenddge
918-706-1887
OCTOBER 11, 1987
Gay and Lesbian March on Washington and~
ur~ting of ~he AIOS Quilt on the Na~al MS]I
OCTOBER 11, 2007
National Comir~ Out Day
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Let us promote your business in a
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the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
AFTER 25 YEARS
THE ANGLES OKC
TORCH IS
PASSED ON
OK]~AHOMA CITY, OK When A~gles
opened in Augast of 1982 it was a great
beginning that made its mark in history,
ql~e club had an tmustml beginning when
Scott Wdion applied for a gquor license
for what was presented to be "Cotton-
Eyed Joe’s,~ a country dmaee b~r. When
they opened as a gay disco named Angles,
problems quickly began.. The club and
thei~ customers were subjected to a vigorous
campaign of police harassment, with officers
frequendy raiding the club, citing them for
bogus violations, along with ~rresring customers
~md sometimes beating them as well
Angles fought baclq keeping track of the
incidents, including badge & tag numbers
as well as the police officers havolved, ~ad
threatened to sue the city. A deal was forged
with the city where Angles was awarded one
dollar in damages plus some of the legal
ll~s, and the City agreed to cease harassing
the dub and their customers. The story
made national news, and also w~s the major
story of the first issue of the Gayly Oldahom~
a in October of 1983. It £so proved to
be a major turning point, with club ovmers
of the ~ea having a good relationship with
the police, and the overall climate changhag.
Other gay bars followed as well as other
buxinesses catering to the GLBT commuuiry,
with many people remembering this
courageous stand that was a major factor
making it possible.
Throughout the 80’S and 90’s Angles became
a showcase & the In place to be, replacing
the Free Spirit as OKC’S premier gay d~nce
spot. Disco divas from that time remember
world class DJ’S including the late Michael
Tchekerades (fondly knovm as Checkers).
Angles hosted major entertainers including
Boy George, the Wcathergirls ("It’s
Rainhag Men), Dead or Alive, Jermifer
Holhday,Divine, Paul Lekakis, Gloria
Gaynor, Viola Wigs & celebrated their 19th
anniversarg with Bonnie Pointer.lt was a
memorable occasion when comedienne
Joan Rivers enjoyed a portrayal ofhersehc
performed by the late Amii Dyshea. Their
Turnabout Shows (where their employees
got in deag) benefited AIDS charities aad
becanae honored traditions for our community
Much of our local talent was bolstered as
well, including diva~ including Ghager hamar,
Raahad Erikks, and the dynamic duo
of Parr] & Tuna Melt (Tuna better known
internarionaBy as cBef Ruby Ann Boxcar
with patty her sister Donna Sue). Countless
pageants were held there, with most
of the past Miss Gay Oklahoma’s crowned
there. The club also garnered respect from
the straight community as well, gaining so
much of their patronage that Angles was
voted OKC’S Best Dance Club ha the Oklahoma
Gazette several times, as well as the
Best Gay Bar many times as well.
...............Cont~ued page 27
Love
of
Last Resort
www,ozarksstancom the STAR 9
LINDSAY PAIGE
TAKES THE CROWN
By Victor Gorin
Photo ~ Victor Gorin, Left Melody Michaels, Right Lindsay Paige
OKLAHOMA C!’YY, OK __ The iudges had the work cut out
for them they }udged the wildly talented contestants at the Copa
August 22-23, but Lindsay Paige survived the comperifion of some
of Oklahoma most talented divas to capture the title of Miss Gay
Oklahoma for 2007. Having won the distinction of I st alternate last
year, her reaction upon hearhag her name as the winner clearly was
ruth of heaven. The first alternate was Melody Michaels, a performer
well known in Oklahoma City for her shows with Kitty Bob
ALines and Ginger Lamar at the Boom. Tncy wl]l go to Memphis to
compete for the crown of Miss Gay Ainerica October 17-21.
Willa Johnson Wins Oklahoma
Count Commissioner District One.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK With the conclusion of die special
crat Willa Johnson, ~von handily wirh 54% of the vote over arch
Ms.Johnson has served on the Oklahoma City Councg for Ward
7 since 1993. In her position she acted cnnsistendy in support of
issues concerning the GLBT comnmdity, voting in support of an
ordinate prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation,
opposed banning the GLBT banners during Gay Pride Month, and
she opposed die abolition of the Oklahoma City Human Rights
Commission. She has become well k~own for her outspoken opposition
to discrimination.
10 the STAR
Oklahomans for Equality opens "Out
ofthe Closet: A T-Shirt Retrospective"
at Dennis R. Neill Equality
Center gallery
TULSA, OK (PR)__ Toe Dennis IL Negl Equahty Center art gallery
will host its monthly meet-the-artist reception from 6-9pro,
qTaursday, October 4, 2007, for the opening of its October exhibit,
"Out of the Closet". qqae show will be a retrospective of LGBT
diemed T-Shins, a private collection of former gifx-shop owner Tom
Neal, The displayed shirts, both regional aa~d international, wig
offer a gfo~apse L~to the history of the gay rights movement as seen
through T-Shirt design. The opening reception wg! be catered by
donation from Brother’s Pizza Depot.
q~e exhibit will remain up through die month of October, and can
be viewed Monday thru Saturday from 3-9pro. The Dennis K Neig
Equality Center is located ar 62I E. 4th St., in downtown Tulsa,
More info can be found of die web at okeq.org.
Tlxls monthly event is hosted by Oklahoman’s for Equality (OkEq).
OkEq seeks equal rights for Lesbian= Gay, Bisexual & Transg~nder
(LGBT) individuals and families through advocacy, education, programs,
agiances, and the operation of the Dennis R. Neifi Equality
2007 Miss America Lauren Nelson
Headlines AIDS Walk of Oklahoma
City
OKLAHOMA CI~ (PR) __ Oklahoma’s own Lauren Nelson, who
is the reigning 2007 Miss America, wi~ serve as the Grand Marshag
of the upcoming MDS xYSalk of Oklahoma City. The Walk will take
place o~ StmdaB September 30 at the Myriad Bormaical Gardens.
Registration and festivities begin at 12:30pmfoliowed by a 2:00pm
step off. There is no fee to walk in this important community event,
which builds awareness and f~nds each year for die treatment and
prevention of HIV/AIDS i~ the greater Oklahoma City area.
Southwes~ Ah-lines has generously donated two roundtrip aidine
tickets to any Southwest Airlines desrSnation in the Continental
U.S. to be raffled offat the Walk. Ra~e tickets are only $1 each
and may be purchased either at the AIDS Walk on September 30,
or by contacting Lfoda Larason at 405/570-4835. One need not be
Form your Walk team now and bring your donations to the 2007
MDS Walk of Oklahoma City. Visit www.aidswalkokc, org for
more information.
Photo by Leda Dowlearn
.s DesCend
By Leda Dowlearn
worth watching. The Girls’ -warm up
band, 3FiveHuman out ofAtlanta, was
a good rocking start. By the time they
were finished the expectant energy of
the crowd was at a ftenzy.
Then the roar, suddenly the Gifts
were there before us, guitars in motion,
singing "Pendulum Swinger"
(sure hope Hilary Clinton does adopt
this as her theme song but she’d probably
be too afraid to swing this far
left).
After that, it was song after song
after song with hardly a break in
between except to change guitars and
grab a mandolin, banjo or harmonica.
One thing I realized early on was that
the Girls were not into stage presence.
We heard a little banter about getting
lost in Tulsa, enjoying the old YMCA,
and their bassett hound on the bus but
that was about it. Perhaps in a nod to
location Amy Ray had on a western
cowgirl shirt. But overall, the Girls
were there to do their songs.
TULSA, OK __ On September 13th the Indigo Girls, icons of
the feminist folk./rock music scene, descended on Cain’s Ballroom
in Tulsa to the full-house, floor-stomping adoration of a mostly
lesbian crowd.
The day the Girls came to my part of the universe I was in a
closet (not my usual place) replacing a water heater thinking about
the amazing fact that I had tickets to finally, that day, see these two
demi-goddesses in the flesh after slavishly worshiping their musical
personas for the past twenty years. In between hot and cold water
pipes I was fantasizing about all the questions I’d love to ask them
say should we run into each other in the bathroom or something
Next step: I called Cain’s Ballroom and invoked the power of
the media to get someone’s attention and, bless their hearts, an hour
later I was talking with the Girls’ publicity" agent who said she’d
see what she could do to set something up after sound check. That
was enough for me. \VC’ater heater be damned, my partner and I
hightailed it out of Northwest Arkansas headed for Tulsa town four
hours early.
Well, the bubble burst shortly after we hit the outskirts ofTulsa
when their publicity agent had to tell me it was a no go on the
interview. I was a little too late with my request and the Girls turned
me down. That was okay, though, I still had my camera, two tickets
and the evening was before us.
This was my first visit to Cain’s Ballroom but I was up on their
history after a review of their website. The feel of the place was cool,
the line at the bar was friendly and the gathering crowd was well
Okay, that was the Nirvana part
and maybe I should stop there. It was more than enough. But in
retrospect, that time of second thoughts that comes to you over coffee
at Denny’s after your ears have stopped ringing, this die hard fan
has some things to say that may or may not be more than I should
be asking of the Girls, but here it goes anyway.
Yeah, I got some great pictures and I heard some great songs.
But they were all delivered to me in one big load of too much sound
and too much rock without letting the songs that really needed to
roll just roll. Can you Girls not trust that your audience is sophisticated
enough to hear you on many levels? After all, yours is a mostly
lesbian crowd. Emotional roller coasters are no problem for us.
You can take us up and down so relax a little with that. Amy, yeah,
you’re a rocker and you’re a star. No question in my mind that many
of your songs are destined to be classics. You’re my Dylan, you’re
my Springsteen. Rock on but know we love your slow songs, too,
and I really, really wanted to hear "Three County Highway," "Nueva
Senorita," or "Moment of Forgiveness."
Emily, you’re brilliant with your lyrics and your melodies but
you look like you don’t want to be in the circus anymore. You’re
Baez, you’re Mitchell in your roots. But is it possible for Mitchell
and Springsteen to share the same stage without each doing serious
damage to the other’s genre and landing musically somewhere in
the "upper echelons of mediocrity" as you have said yourself in "You
and Me of the !0,000 Wars."
Amy is ready and willing to jump into the chaos of rock and
her songs have the energy and intensity it demands. She proved this
brilliantly in her show stopper versions of "Rock And Roll Heaven’s
...............Continued page 23
www.ozarksstar.com the STAR 11
31 iCONS SELECTED FOR
GLBT HISTORYMONTH
2007
Alexander the Great, BillieJean King, Leonardo da ~nci,
Bessie Smith, Cary Grant among Icons
PHILADELPHIA, PA __ Equality Forum, an international gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization,
announced 31 Icons to be featured during GLBT History Month
in October. ~he 31 Icons achieved success within their respective
fields of endeavor, were national heroes or advanced GLBT civil
rights.
"The GLBT community has been uniquely disadvantaged by not
being taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious
institutions," said Malcolm Lazin, Executive Director of Equality
Forum. "GLBT History Month helps teach our unacknowledged
history, provides role models and celebrates contributions made by
GLBT individuals to our country and internationally."
The Icon videos are available for free for the Web sites of nonprofit
organizations, educational institutions and corporate entities,
through the inclusion ofHTML code provided at wwv.glbtHistoryMonth.
com. The Icon video is automatically updated each day.
A free graphically-designed downloadable biography, bibliography
and other educational resources for each Icon are available at www.
glbtHistoryMonth.com. The 31 Icons from 2006 can also be found
on the Web site.
Equality Forum solicited nominations from leaders of national and
international GLBT organizations. Nominees were evaluated by
GLBT History Month Co-Chairs Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator
of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches,
and Prof. Kenji Yoshino, Deputy Dean for Intellectual Life at Yale
Law School. Equality Forum’s Board of Directors approved the final
slate of 31 Icons.
12 the STAR
Equality Forum produced 30-second biographical videos on each
Icon, which will be broadcast daily on here! and Logo television networks
throughout October, and will be streamed on major GLBT
Web sites. Comcast will air a 30-second television PSA.
Equality Forum launched GLBT History Month in 2006, and is
patterned after Black and Vgomen’s History Months. tn its initial
year, GLBT History Month reached over 500,000 individuals.
GLBT History Month 2007 Icons:
October 1: Leonard Bernstein (Composer)
October 2: Annie Leibovitz (Photographer)
October 3: Angela Davis (Civil
Rights Activist)
October 4: Alexander the Great
(Military Commander)
October 5: Billie Jean King (Athlete)
October 6: Pedro Almodovar
(Writer/Director)
October 7: Bessie Smith (Singer)
October 8: Klaus Wowereit (Politician)
October 9: Susan Sontag (Author/
Commentator)
October 10: Gore Vidal (Author)
October 11: Lily Tomlin (Actor)
October 12: Peter Gomes (Theologian)
October 13: Mary Edwards Walker (Surgeon)
October 14: Frederick II (Monarch)
October 15: Virginia Uribe (Educator)
October t 6: Frank Kameny (Gay Pioneer)
October 17: Nancy Mahon (Philanthropy
Advocate)
October 18: David Hockney (Painter)
October 19: Audre Lorde (Author)
October 20: Cary Grant (Actor)
October 21: Rende Richards (Transgender
Pioneer)
October 22: Sherry Harris (Politician)
October 23: John Maynard Keynes
(Economist)
October 24: Gertrude Stein (Author)
October 25:
Pioneer)
October 26:
tist)
October 27:
October 28:
October 29:
October 30:
October 31:
Zhou Dan (Chinese Gay
Carolyn Bertozzi (Scien-
Cole Porter (Songwriter)
John McNeill (Theologian)
Florence Nightingale (Health Care Advocate)
Billy Sipple (Hero)
Leonardo da Vinci (Artist/Inventor/Scientist)
ABOUT EQUALITY FORUM
Equality Forum is a national and international nonprofit, 501 (c)(3)
GLBT civil rights organization with an educational focus. Equality
Forum develops high-impact educational content in the form of
documentary films, history projects, innovative initiatives and the
largest annual national and international GLBT civil rights forum.
www.equalityforum.com
www.ozarksstar.com
vw,’w.ozarksstar.com
Playwright!ActorJerry
Rabus a Back OKC
with "Love OfLast
Resoi-t
If you’re a gay guy trapped for three years
done on an abandoned and deserted sex
resort, what could be better than having
the man of your dreams wash up ashore?
It’s a love story "waiting to happen.., or...
is it? That’s the whole premise of "Love of
Last Resort." Josh, played by author Jerry
Rabushka, has been living alone on an
uncharted South Pacific isle for quite some
time. No electricity, no running water, no
man for company.
How does he do it? Easy! He consults back
issues of Martha Stewart Living, follows
the instructions, and can make anything he
needs, usually in three easy steps. If you’re
lost and alone, this is a very very good thing!
Along with that, he changes personality on a
regular basis. "It hurts to admit your entire
persona has to be thrown out," he says. "But
it’s all very ’Martha.’ You just make it out of
what you got."
Matt (played by Scott Mueller) couldn’t be
any more opposite. An escapee from an "all
gay cruise," he winds up beached on Josh’s
island, pining after a man back from home,
rebuffing Josh every step of the way. ’Of
course you love me," he’ll say. "I’m the only
choice you have."
You can do some really cool stuffwhen
you’re alone on an island. You can be whoever
you want to be. You can see your island
as a prison or an opportunity. Josh uses the
island to escape; Matt isn’t sure he wants
to escape, and he isn’t sure he can love Josh
until he finds out who the "real Josh" is.
"Matt’s a perfect foil to Josh," says Scott
Mueller. "He wants to love, he wants m be
in love, but he’s afraid to give up anything
to do it. And like a lot of people, he tends to
punish the man in front ofhim for the sins
of the one who came before."
As time goes by, though, Matt becomes
more intrigued by Martha’s ingenuity
and Josh’s world of fake TV shows. Come
"watch" their interview with Gloria, a porn
star with a very descriptive last name, a gaymarriage
soap opera, and of course a bit of
fun with a pair of handcuffs.
Love OfLast Resort premiered in West
Hollywood, CA, and has since played in St.
Louis and Springfield, MO, with a production
at Tulsa’s Nightingale Theater in January
2006. For this production, Rabushka
has re-written the play with a more comedic
outlook and added several cool new songs.
"I always like coming to OKC," he says.
"We keep coming back because we have
a lot of support here and enthusiastic
responses, plus the folks at the IAO Gallery
are great!" Rabushka, with his company
Ragged Blade, of St. Louis, MO, has previously
been to the IAO with Somebody
Else’s Life, Woofl. The Road Show, and Gay
Christian, Gay Muslim, Gay Jew, which
starred nationally known gay solo artist Jade
Esteban Estrada.
Love OfLast Resort
book & music by Jerry Rabushka
starring Jerry Rabushka & Scott Nicholas
Mueller
October 12 & 13 at 8 PM
IAO Gallery www.iaogallery.org
811 North Broadway, Oklahoma City
Tickets: $!0; $5 students & seniors
for show info/reservations please call 314-
280-1035, for directions or other local info
please call IAO at 405-232-6060
for more information please visit www.
raggedbtade.com
AIDS WALK TULSA Continued
has supported a team ever since the beginning
of the National AIDS fund/Americorp
program.
According to the Janice Nicktas, the
team’s coordinator, the fimdraising goal for
this year’s event is $25,000. Nicklas says
the event is open to anybody who wishes to
participate and says that no level of support,
financial or in spirit is too small. In fact, the
organizer says that there are volunteer
portunities for those wishing to be a part of
the event, but unable to make the trek.
To register or for more information visit
www.aidswalktulsa.org. Credit cards and
cash donations are accepted.
the STAR 13
September 1967 (40 yearn ago l st month): The Mirth renamed it Advocate in 1969,
and h became the first American gay news
Advocate publishes its first issue, publication with a nationwide distribution,
off the sex ads into a separate pubfication.
In 1996, the magazine hired its first female
editor in chief, Judy Wieder,
What is the history of
qhe Advocate?
T
he Advocate - the oldest
continuously published
U.S. gay periodical still in
exfistence - has chronicled
the history and culture of
the LGBT commtmity for
40 yews.
Udce many of the eadiest Ametic~n gay
organizations, qqae Advocate_ was born in
Los Angeles. It began as the newsletter of
Person£ Rights in Defense’and Education
(PRIDE), a gay liberation group formed
after police raided the local Black Ca~ bar.
In the summer of 1967, Richard Mit~h (alia
Dick Michaels) - a writer for a chemical
industry journal - his lover Bill Rau (aka Bill
Rand), and Sam Winston hatched a plan to
turn the newilerter into a gay newspaper.
Dubbed the Los Angeles Advocate. it debuted
in September with a print run of 500
copies, produced at night in a print shop in
the basement ofABC Studios, where Rau
worked.
By 1968, internal dissension led to the dissolution
of PRIDE, ~nd Mitch ~rr~rged to
purchase the newspaper for $1. Initially, the
publication focused on local news, covering
police nfisconduct mad gay liberation
demonstrations. But it also added pieces on
Hoflywood celebrities a~ad columns such as
"Body Buddy" (fitness) and "Cooking with
Atmtie LOu." Short on leshi~a content, the
paper often featured scantily dad men on its
covers and included a popular personal-ad
section called "Trader Dizk?’
Mirth preferred to feature de,n-cut activists
like the Rev. Troy Perry of the Metropolitan
Cor~mauniry Church, rather than fiippie
radicals llke Morris Kight, a co-founder of
the Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front. In
a bid to make the paper more professional,
Mirth hired Rob Cole, formerly of the
Dallas Times Herald, as news editor. As gay
men and lesbians around the country began
to look tu the paper for information,
14 ~eSTAR
In 1974, Mitch sold "Die Advocate ~ millionaire
investment banker David Goodstein
for $350,000. After taking over, Goodstein
- a se[f-descrlbed "practicing capitalist"
who hated street protests and had frequent
rtm ins with movement activists - fired most
of the staff and writers, considering them
too le ft-~ving. According to one columnist,
Goodstein said he wanted the paper to appeal
to "the upwardly mobile homosexual
who has a home in the hills, drives a luxury
car, and orders alcohol by brand."
Within a year, Goodstein moved _q~e Advocate_
to the San Francisco suburb of San
Maleo and liired journalist John Preston as
editor. He adopted a magazine format and
"desle~zified" the publication by moving the
sexually explicit personal ads to the back,
and eventuafly into a pull-out section.
by Robert McQueen, formerly of the Salt
Lake Tribune. Scandalized by McQue~’s
officials came to The Advocate haadqu~rters
beefed up the paper’s cultttral coverage from
and Pat Califia’s ’%dvocate Adviser" column.
in 1984, Goodstein moved _The Advocate_
back to Southern California. Shortly before
he died of cancer the following year, he sold
it to Orange County businessman Niles
Merton. After McQueens resignat’on, he
magazine went through a series of thorttenured
editors and struggled to stay afloat.
In i990, under new ethtor Richard Rouilard,
the magazine added "lesbian" to the
masthead. Yet even as he oversaw a remm
to advocacy iournalism, Rouilard favored
splashy covers featuring attractive straight
male stars and divas such as Madonn~
gay community was flush with disposable
cash, The Advocate’s advertising revenues
rose, rescuing it from the brink of foaancial
insolvenc)~ ha 1992, with a new editor and
publisher, the magazine underwent another
redesign, this time spinning
In 2000, The Advocate’s p~ent company,
Liberation Publications Inc. (LPI) - which
had previously acquired book publisher
Alyson Publications - purchased rival gay
magazine Out, as well as HIV Plus. LH and
gay Web compmay PlanetOut announced
plans to merge, prompting critics to warn of
an impending LGBT media monopo!~ That
merger was called off, but in 2005 Planet-
Out purchased LH for $31 million.
Even as PkinetOut faced a financial crisis in
early 2007, The Advocate continued to gain
new subscribers. To celebrate its 40th anniversary,
it came out of the closet, doing away
with the "privacy wrap" that had previously
shrouded the magazine. "The Advocate’s
decision might seem like a trivial matter...
but it stands for something far greater: the
increasing acceptance and visibility of gay
people in public fife,~ wrote gay journalist
James Kirchick,
As a key public voice of the gay communi~
Toe Advocate has been a frequent tzrget
of criticism over the years. Many decried
its thi~ away ~om militant politics and its
increasing emphasis on entertainment and
lifestyle content, while others thought the
magazine was too commercial and catered
to affluent white gay men. Yet 40 yeats
after its founding, The Advocate remains
the "periodical of record" that mainstream
journalists, politicians, and business leaders
ram to for informarion about the LGBT
community.
For further reading:
Faderman, Li[fi~a, ~nd Stunt Timmons.
2006. Gay L-A. (Basic Books).
Straitmatter, Rodgar. 1995. Unspeakable:
The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press in
America (Faber & Failer).
Thompson, Mark (editor). 1994. _Long
Road to Freedom: The Advocate History
of the Gay and Lesbian Movement_ (St.
Martin’s Press).
Letters cor~tirmed from pg 6
After finding the event I realized I should
have parked by the amphitheater instead. I
didn’t want to walk back and move my car
after finally finding the event as I felt no
qualms about walking in the dark after the
event was finished.
The picnic pavilions had security lights that
came on as darkness set in and there were
utility poles with lights that came on around
the amphitheater, but as t walked back
towards the greenhouse parking lot down
by the arboretum I noticed that the street
lights, even though there are many of them
and they couldn’t ALL be malfunctioning,
were turned off--all of them.
achieve the ful! recognition of our citizenship,
then like most straights who are
observed in public sexual congress, we’ll
be given a warning and told to move on
without the victimization that comes from
Puritan policymakers.
I thank GOPer Senator Craig, a 62-year old
man from Idaho, responsible for running
several successful election campaigns, for
showing the USA what responsibility he can
be trusted with. If one is old enough for
sexual activity, one should have the responsibility
to do it in private.
James Nimmo
CHAEL SAGE
TURNS TO TULSA’S
BAMBOO LOUNGE°
It occurred to me that these lights were
turned off intentionally to encourage
the lewd sort of behavior that results in
brownie-point arrests for the police department,
fines for the city’s coffers, and humiliation
and other negative social effects for
those arrested such as job or housing loss,
and registering as a sex offender on publicly
available websites.
Is the darkness a passive policy of enticement
purposely engineered by OKC city
government? Is the darkness being used as
a low-maintenance bait for entrapment? If
the city was really interested in reducing
lewd behavior in public parks wouldn’t the
lights be on throughout the night? Xghy
weren’t al! those sensors operational?
If street lights can come on automatically in
residential neighborhoods to promote safety
shouldn’t they also be effective in public
areas where unwelcome behavior is tmown
to occur?
Shouldn’t those lights be turned on not only
to discourage alleged lewd behavior, but also
to lessen the threat of vandalism?
There were about three or four cars within a
stone’s throw of mine and as I was loading
my trunk another car pulled in and an
individual got out and walked away from
the parking lot. I could see another person
sitting in a car outlined by the flashing
burglar alarm light on the dashboard, as if
the occupant were a summer lightening bug
signaling for a mate.
I’m no fan of toilet trollers or lover’s lane
Lotharios of either orientation.
As a repressed minority in the USA and a
target of brimstone-eating Bible bangers we
gay people need to do better. When we
TMsa’s OkEq Library
Catalog now online!
TULSA, OK( OkEq E-news) ~The Nancy
& Joe McDonald Rainbow Library catalog
can now be accessed online! Visit www.librarything.
com/profile/OkEq to browse our
collection, search by keyword, read reviews
on Amazon, and more!
About the library:
Thousands ofLGBT tides and exquisite
glass art line the walls of the Nancy & Joe
McDonald Rainbow Library in the Dennis
R. Neill Equality Center. Open during
Equality Center hours (Monday through
Saturday, 3pro to 9pro), the library has
titles available for leisure reading, research,
discussion groups, and as a resource for local
students when writing on LGBT issues.
Books are available for free check-out for the
community.
A mainstay of the Equality Center since
its founding in t996, the Nancy & Joe
McDonald Rainbow Library was named in
their honor in the Spring of 1999. Nancy is
Past National President of Parents, Families
& Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG),
President of PFLAG Tulsa, has testified
before the US Congress on GLBT issues
and was the inaugural recipient of the OkEq
Lifetime Achievement Award.
Photo by: Kevin Abosch
TULSA, OK __ Direct fi’om New York
Rachael Sage will return to the Bamboo
Lounge Tulsa for an exclusive concert on
November 10th, 9 pm. Ms. Sage made her
first appearance at the Bamboo in 2005.
East Village songstress, poet and multi-media
maven Rachael Sage has been making
gutsy pop music in one form or another
since she was three years old. Her latest offering
of "lovely and literate folk-pop-rock"
(The Village Voice), THE BLISTERING
SUN, is devoted to the topics of vision, clarit};
and facing life head on.
A self-taught pianist who honed her skills
listening to her parents’ doo-wop, Broadway
and Beatles album collections, Rachael
debuted her first original material for a captive
audience of kindergarten students one
fateful afternoon before their ballet teacher
arrived and broke up the party. "When I
started," she says, " t was writing a lot of
music that sounded like Elton John - if he’d
been a nice Jewish girl from a long line of
Russian cantors." By junior high school,
Sage’s dancing abilities had landed her a
spot at the prestigious School ofAmerican
Ballet; but it was really the music she was
hearing in and out of class that intrigued her
the most.
W~.ozarksstar.COm the STAR 15

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER ICE CREAM PiE
as we~ as bars.
photo op. ~]~a~ goodness we
get a |or of space on our digital
~mera disc!
Colorado which was the
MO~ °’Homophobic." State in
the Union until very recently does
not have a lot of gay accommodations
but he~ is a list of
fine most impotent ones arotmd
the State. ElyrIas \g~stern Guest
House at t655 E. 47th Avenue in
Denver, v,xvw.irmtravels.com/
usatco/rdewgh.html Mountain
Sage Lnn, 553 ~: Etl-&orn Ave.,
Estes Park, -,~w~,~v.mountainsageinn.
coral Platte River Cabins,
16525 Pine Valley Rd.,
CoIfax Ave, Denver is a city ofwondedht restaurants all over the
dr): Like Chicago, Denver has so many to choose from i~ all ~-pes
ofmenus. Denver has lots of little communities within the city. The
arts and museums are great as well as the shopping
~e other main city in the state is Colorado Springs which just
has two bars,, Club Qat 3430 No, Academr Blvd. and the Underground
at t !0 No. Ne;~ada,~ Ave, For a city tl{at so many religious
nu s and conservatives it is a wonder that there are ant gay bars
there at all. But Colorado Springs has a great Pride Fest every )mar a~
their downtown Ciw Park.
18 the STAR ww~.ozarksstar.com
TRAV
S day, October 14, 2007
Brady Heights abuts the Brady Arts District and ties on North
Denver and North Cheyenne ~venues. The tour wilt start at !2
under twelve. Ti&ets will be available until 4pro the day of the
event and the tour ends at 5pm! Advance tict~ets are ava[ilable at
www.bradyheigrhts,org. ProCeeds will benefit community projects
the Brady Heig~hts Neighborhood Association.
patio bar,
From crab ca~es, Me:dcan E~ Rolls, Quesadilla, Barbecue
Pvibbies or Sout}xwestern Steak Salad you wilt find a fttl menu. ~lhey
have been in business over 25 years. Check out their website at:
the STAR t9
The Cowgirl restaurant is a papular andgay-fi’iendly spotfor barbecue,
burgers, beer, and blues. (Photo by Andrew Cdlins)
Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe sits at 7,000 feet above sea level, dinging to the lower
slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and offering an enchanting
blend of Rocky Mountain and high desert living. ~12ais scenic
city is politically progressive, abundant with museums and galleries,
renowned for its distinctive adobe architecture, overflowing with
sophisticated inns and restaurants, and ideal for outdoors enthusiasts.
You won’t find much in the way of gay nightlife, but if you’re
planning a romantic vacation with your significant other, Santa Fe
may just have everything else you’re seeking.
Even better, if you’re starting to think about retirement options,
northern New Mexico’s "City Different" may be worth scouting
out as a potential future home. In November 2005, RainbowVision
Properties opened a GLBT retirement community on the south
side of town, billing itself the first such full-scale endeavor of its
kind (the company has plans for additional communities in Palm
Springs, the San Francisco suburbs, and Vancouver). ~he 13-acre
compound geared toward the 50-and-over set is worth checking out
even if you’re not thinking of buying here - it’s home to the Silver
Starlight Lounge and Cabaret, which is open to the public and is
Santa Fe’s only gay nightlife option. It’s actually quite popular with
folks of all ages, especially for early evening cocktails.
20 the STAR
One of the region’s greatest lures is the fantastic, sunny weather
- Santa Fe and north-central New Mexico enjoy beautiful weather
year-round. Summer tends to be the busiest time for a Santa Fe visit
- this is opera season as well as a time when many prominent festivals
and art markets take place. But a fall or winter visit yields fewer
crowds, cool and crisp temperatures, and still plenty to see and do
- plus rates tend to be lower at hotels, which are among the priciest
in the Southwest.
Many of the city’s attractions are right in the center of town. Here
you can take a walk around the Plaza; check out the numerous
shops and cafes; admire the city’s adobe-dad Pueblo Revival, Spanish
Colonial, and Victorian buildings; or stop by the circa-1610 Palace
of the Governors, a state history museum set inside the nation’s
oldest public building. There are several museums nearby, dealing
mostly with art (such as the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, which has a
terrific restaurant).
If you’re a die-hard museum explorer, make the short drive (or
bus ride) up the Old Santa Fe Trail to Museum Hill, a complex of
outstanding cultural attractions, the highlight being the Museum of
International Folk Art. The newer Museum of Spanish Colonial Art
is another top draw. If you’d rather spend most of your time outside,
saunter up Canyon Road, a narrow, winding lane of historic adobe
bungalows containing some of the most prestigious art galleries in
the Southwest.
There’s spectacular hiking all around Santa Fe, but if you have time
for just one ramble, head to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National
Monument, which is about a 45-minute drive south of town,
toward Albuquerque. This 2-mile, moderately steep hike passes
through a narrow, dramatic box canyon and then rises up to a
lofty promontory affording panoramic views of the mountains and
mesas. The monument is named for the bizarre rock formations that
rise high out of one end of the canyon and look a bit like sandstone
tepees.
If you’re visiting between December and April, bring your skis
with you, or rent some in town. Ski Santa, which is about 15 miles
northeast of downtown, offers 44 trails of rugged, beautifully
groomed trails. If you have trouble believing New Mexico offers
much in the way ofwinter sports, consider that the ski area receives
an average of 240 inches of snox~all annually. This is a first-rate facility,
albeit not quite as famous or as demanding as Taos Ski Valley,
which is just a two-hour drive north.
However you get your exercise, whether hiking, skiing, or strolling
among art galleries, you’re sure to work up an appetite in these
parts, especially given the city’s high altitude, which can tax your
system if you’re not used to it. Fortunately, this is a city with no
shortage of terrific restaurants. Serving some of the most authentic
New Mexican fare in town, the Shed is an excellent choice. The
setting inside a 1692 adobe is ideal for sampling such local favorites
as green-chile stew with pork and potatoes, and red-chile enchiladas.
Or drop by I1 Vicino, an inexpensive, gay-friendly pizza place
serving delicious thin-crust pies topped with gourmet ingredients,
microbrewed beers, and a cheerful courtyard.
www.ozarksstar.com
A favorite spot for brunch is the fabulous Care Pasqual’s, where you
might sample buttermilk biscuits with sage-bacon graW, homemade
sausage, and poached eggs. More sophisticated and substantial fare
appears on the dinner menu - try the organic-chicken mole at dinner.
You’ll find a couple of the city’s top restaurants along charming
Canyon Road, including such high-end standouts as the Compound
and Geronimo, as well as the popular tapas option, E1 Farol. Also
specializing in smaller plates, downtown’s La Boca turns out such
exemplary fare as Moroccan-grilled shrimp with sweet-pea-basil
puree, and seared ahi tuna with Manchego-white-bean hash.
If you’ve had your fill ofNew Mexican cuisine, head to the first-rate
Kasasoba for exquisite Japanese food. And for casual, affordable,
yet creative American chow, don’t miss these two gay favorites, the
Cowgirl (great for barbecue, and with a big patio), or Harry’s Roadhouse
a short drive south of the city - not terribly far from Silver
Starlight Lounge. Harry’s is especially popular for its house-made
¯ desserts and potent margaritas.
Santa Fe abounds with appealing accommodations, including a few
gay-owned B&Bs and inns. One nice thing about B&Bs in northern
New Mexico is that they typically comprise a small compound
of casitas (adobe-style cottages) or a cluster of rooms with separate
entrances, thereby affording plenty of privacy. Among the longestrunning
and most enjoyable such properties is the lesbian-owned
Triangle Inn, which comprises nine casitas and lies about 15 miles
north of downtown. Units have lovely southwestern furnishings,
VCRs, CD stereos, and kitchenettes, and many can sleep four.
The Triangle draws mostly gay folks, whereas the other gay-owned
B&Bs in Santa Fe cater to a mixed crowd. If you’re looking to stay
in the heart of downtown, try E1 Farolito, a collection of airy casitas
with fireplaces, striking Mexican and Southwestern furniture, and
original art and photography. The Inn of the Turquoise Bear occupies
the rambling Spanish-Pueblo Revival estate ofWitter Bynner, a
gay poet and socialite of the 1920s and ’30s who threw lavish parties
here that drew the likes ofWilla Cather, Errol Flynn, W.H. Auden,
and Stephen Spender. It’s a warm and inviting inn surrounded by
secret gardens and run by friendly hosts.
Among mainstream, luxury accommodations, it’s hard to beat the
over-the-top-luxurious Inn of the Five Graces, which is in the heart
of the city center and consists of 22 opulently appointed casitas, all
done with elaborate Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Asian antiques
and decorative arts. Service here is arguably the best in town,
and guests can also enjoy lunch at the cozy on-site cafe or dinner at
the adjacent Pink Adobe, a famous old Santa Fe restaurant that the
Five Graces management bought and refurbished in summer 2007.
Another excellent upscale choice, the 57-room Inn of the Anasazi
sits steps from the Plaza, its rooms outfitted with kiva fireplaces
(common in Santa Fe, they’re shaped a bit like beehive ovens),
handwoven fabrics, organic toiletries, and four-poster beds. An ambitious
makeover in 2006 has given it a fresh look, and the hotel’s
restaurant serves some of the most creative contemporary Southwestern
fare in the state. Some additional downtown properties
worth checking out include the upscale but well-priced Inn on the
Alameda, with bright and airy rooms and a location handy for
Canyon Road gallery-hopping; and the mid-priced Inn of the Governors,
a rambling hotel two blocks from the Plaza. Many rooms
here have wood-burning fireplaces.
Whether you’re alone or with your honey, it’s always fun to end a
day of hiking or skiing with a soak in one of the outdoor hot tubs at
Ten Thousand Waves, a gay-popular Japanese-style spa in the foothills
on the east side of town. It’s a memorable spot for star-gazing.
For the ultimate away-from-it-all vacation, book an overnight stay
in one ofTen Thousand Waves’ smartly appointed luxury casitas,
and watch your stresses melt away.
~.ozarksstar.com
Charting Our Future?
Lesbian Notions, about social networking websitesfor queers.
Maybe it’s my age - 50 is just around the
corner (oy!). Maybe it’s because I’ve been in
a relationship since I was 18 (mind you, that
means serial monogamy with four different
women). Maybe it’s because I spend a lot of
time on the Web at work.
Whatever the reason, I’ve not spent too
much time on any social networking site
- lesbian, gay, or straight.
Well, a recent study shows I’m alone! According
to a January 2007 Harris Interactive/
Witeck-Combs poll, gays, lesbians, and
bisexuals use social networking sites more
than straight people do. You can find us
at MySpace 33 percent of the time we’re
online, and at Facebook or Friendster 11
percent.
But these aren’t sites just for us, and, as we
all know, we like to go to places just for us,
both in real time and in virtual worlds. At
least four social networking sites specifically
catering to the LGBT community launched
this year - Glee, Olivia.com/connect, Socialbutter,
and OurChart. Then there are these
sites specifically for gay men (the names say
it all) - Bigjock, Manjam, and Lovetastic.
~urselves. On OurChart, you can connect
yourself via friendships and relationships
~o the wide world encompassing all these
people and more."
L Word executive producer Ilene Chaiken
is OurChart’s CEO, and her partners in the
~enture are Jennifer Beals, who plays Bette,
Kate Moennig, who plays Shane, and, not
~urprisingly, Leisha Hailey, who portrays the
~oncept s ong,nator, M~ce.
~Recendy, I had the chance to chat with Lisa
~Parrish, whose blog, "The Hookup," appears
~laily on the site. She explained how it all
~wor-ks.
"! love it," said Parrish.
"It’s really fun
to be part of a community.
I do my blog
three times a day. The
first thing i do after
it goes live overnight
is...check to see what
people are saying..
Now for us dykes who watch The L Word,
we know where OurChart.com comes from.
In the show’s first season, the engaging,
alt-radio DJ and sometimes over-the-top
lover ofwhomever she’s with, Mice, started
an online chart to track the "relationships"
- from one-night stands to the U-Haul on
the second dates - of herself and her circle
of friends and acquaintances. Over the past
four seasons, it has been an on-again/offagain
plot line, exploding - or perhaps I
should say crashing - in season four, because
of the exploits of lesbian sexual predator
Poppy.
Anyway, some of the girls in front and in
back of the camera at The L Word decided
to bring the chart into our lives 24/7 by
launching OurChart.com, a social networking
site just for us. According to a description
on the site, "us" includes "lesbians,
dykes, queer girls, gay women, high femmes,
butches, drag kings, bois, transwomen, and
transmen - however we define
22 the STAR
You sign up and create your own profile,
and then your own chart by adding friends.
The chart is, of course, digitally created with
your photo at the center, which is then connected
visually and virtually with photos of
your friends.
"I love it," said Parrish. "It’s really fun to be
part of a community. I do my blog three
times a day. The first thing I do after it goes
live overnight is...check to see what people
are saying...OurChart is a fun way of giving
people a chance to meet each other, mingle,
and talk about things they have in common."
Parrish told me a heartwarming story about
a woman in the States who wrote in to Our-
Chart about her grandmother. It seems that
Grandma lived in Germany, and the writer
had lost touch. She asked if it was possible
for anyone in the area to check up on her
grandmother’s whereabouts. Someone did.
It wasn’t a happy ending - Grandma had
died several years before, but at least the
woman had some closure.
OurChart is also bringing some original
Web-based programraing to a computer
screen near you. It has recently launched a
shiny called Girl Trash, which, according to
Parrish, is a "lesbian pulp-fiction-style noir
thriller." It is a series of short Web-isodes
of an L.A. girl gang careening through the
seedier side of the city.
Not necessarily my cinematic - albeit on a
very small screen - choice, but it is written
and directed by veteran L Word and movie
director Angela Robinson. She also brought
us D.E.B.S. and Herbie: Fully Loaded.
Like it or not, Girl Trash shows us what is so
great about the Web - the ability to create,
be seen and scrutinized, and create again.
But getting back to OurChart’s chart, Parrish
told me, "One of the key differences
about OurChart is that it’s about friends,
networking, colleagues...not about people
who slept together."
Damn! But don’t despair. Parrish explained
they’re adding a feature called "Friends+"
that can chart anything from a fling to being
involved for 10 years to being lifelong
partners.
"It’s really important to point out that
friends won’t be able to be added to
"Friends+" without the individual’s permission,"
said Parrish. "You couldn’t say
you slept with Leisha Halley without her
permission."
Does Mice ask permission?
www.ozarksstar.com
INDIGO GIRLS Continued
Gate" and "Tether." Amy, when you’re playing
solo with a tight back up band (3Five-
Human came back out and did a great job
rocking with the Girls) let it rip. But Amy,
from one southern girl to another, hold off:
on the tabasco when Emily is with you and
pass that Girl a little honey.
Okay, while I am at it, here’s another
request: please use your position up there on
stage to tell us something of your take on
reality and world events. I know we can get
on your website (wv~w.indigogirls.com) and
read your notes and watch your podcasts
and that is great. Few performers have as
much interaction as that with their fans. But
the live stage is a powerful medium in and
of itself for communication and transforming
the world.
Now back to my original pondering.
Do I demand too much of two brilliant
musicians who seem to be conveying to
their audience that they just want to sing
their songs and play their music with no
intellectual interaction with their audience
or each other about any of it? I don’t know.
I wanted to hear from them outside their
lyrics, brilliant as they are. I wanted to hear
the big picture of what is going on in the
world as they see it. I mean, I can hardly
afford to get off the farm once a year. I need
to hear from someone who sees it all. What
is their take on it all? \gho do they endorse
for 2008? What do they want from us?
What is the revolution of the next 10 years?
Should transgendered women be allowed
in at Michigan? Do their songs ever end up
meaning more to them than they meant to
say in the first place? Are they ever confused
by their own lyrics? Is the Goddess channeling
through them? Have we truly already
been saved Emily? And finally, maybe every
lesbian in Georgia knows the answer to this
one but I am in the dark: were you two ever
girlfriends?
It doesn’t really matter on that last one.
I know from their songs that they have a
real love for each other and I know from
the fact that I have every CD they ever
recorded that I love them and that they will
have my devotion forever. Sing on, play on,
and know you are on your way to rock and
roll Heaven and you take us there with you
but please, Girls, as long as you’re live on
stage and we are live in the audience, open
up a little and talk to us about it all. We’re
listening.
Divas pack the
for HOPE
By Joey De
TULSA, OK __ Nobody likes a diva,
but for Tulsa based H.O.RE. testing clinic,
there are several Divas that they can’t help
but love.
For the sixth year, several ofTulsa’s
greatest performers, led by Queen Diva Rebecca
Ungerman, came together to produce
HOPE’s largest annual fundraiser "Divas
Live."
Held at the Tulsa Performing Arts
Center, this year’s event shattered previous
records. "In our budget, we have to raise
around $80,000 that is not subsidized by
grant funds. This year, ’Divas’ will conservatively
be around $50,000 of that," says Kate
Neary-Pounds, HOPE’s Executive Director
(Exact totals for the evening were not available
at the time of the interview). "These
funds literally go to keep the doors open."
Neary- Pounds explains that the event is
critical because the organization does not
receive funds from groups such as United
\ray.
"In 2006 the Department of Health had
a massive funding cut and programs such
as our quick tests and 24 hour STD hotline
were in jeopardy. Fortunately, we received
a grant from the George Kaiser Family
Foundation to keep the hotline open, but
the funds from the show go to help pay for
everything else," Neary-Pounds explains.
Ungerman, who has been involved with
the show for several years is ovetwhelmed
by the public’s response and embracement
of the event. "We have had to turn people
away at the door the last two years. It’s great.
I remember the first year we did it and we
were excited that we raised $1,200 and
could buy desks," Ungerman explains.
A large contributor to the evening’s
success has been the healthy growth of the
auctions. "We grossed $25,000 from our
auctions. A large part of that is the addition
ofJay Litchfield to the formula. We’re very
lucky to have him on board."
Ungerman says that they are looking at
ways to expand the event, but not sure what
form it will take. "The PAC has been wonderful
to us all these years, but have to look
at how we are going to change and grow.
We don’t have a clue what those changes
are going to look like yet, but this is a year
round planning process."
If you xvoald like more information
about HOPE’s services or to make a contribution,
visit their xvebsite at www.hopetesting.
org or ca~ 749-TEST.
HRC Coming Out Kits
NOW-AVAILABLE for
National Coming Out
Day 2007.
Get ready to "Talk About It" on
October 11, NCOD!
The theme for National Coming Out Day
2007 will be Talk About It, continuing the
slogan and branding that the national program
has been building since 2005.
National Coming Out Day is a time to
celebrate openness and honesty whether you
came out 20 minutes ago, or 20 years ago
this is a time for all Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
Transgender and Straight supportive people
to Talk About It with friends, family and
coworkers.
Coming Out Day Kits include:
Resource Guides to Coming Out
Straight Guides to GLBT Americans
Transgender Coming Out Guides
Poster, Balloons and HRC Stickers
And everything else you’ll need to celebrate
living openly!
To order your kit, please visit:
www.hrc.org/comingoutkits
This year will also mark an important hallmark
as National Coming Out Day, falls on
the 20th anniversary of the 1987 Gay and
Lesbian March on Washington, and the unfurling
of the MDS Quilt on the National
Mall. The very first National Coming Out
Day was celebrated a year to the day later as
a way of continuing the spirit of openness,
honesty and visibility that the March and
the MDS Quilt presentation inspired.
www,ozarksstar.com The STAR 23


~here will not be a lot of thinking involved
in today’s health and fitness column.
I have been advised by my colleague Jebediah
to make this an easy and happy "thing"
to read. He also wants to help you look
forward to your hard exercising routines.
Jebedial~ is a first grader at Grover Cleveland
Elementary and he came ui~ with the theme
for this week’s fitness incentive. Jebby, as he
is called by his contemporaries, wants you to
grab a pen and paper and write a positive or
happy word each time you finish a workout
or exercise routine. Keep it in a place you
can see every day. He thinks that people will
be excited about working out if they know
there will be a compilation of fun and happy
words they can look at after the hard work.
I like the concept and I have been given permission
to use it. The Rocky Road Baskin
Robbins double scoop cone consulting fee
was well worth the advice from Jebby.
Here are some of my recent happy thoughts
Peter Pan ....
HAPPY
SMILING
GOOD
WELL
REFR£SHED
FANTASTIC
YES
SUNSHINE
AWESOME
COOL
26 the STAR
WOW
EXCELLENT
FINE
THANKS
NICE
GLOWING
BRILLIANT
SUPER
SMASHING
PRETTY
BRIGHT
GORGEOUS
BEAMING
HANDSOME
BEAUTIFUL
FIT
DELICIOUS
REJUVENATED
GREAT
ALIVE
JOY
PEACEFUL
SERENE
I am already looking forward to tomorrow’s
happy consonant and vowel combination.
It is the little things in life that can help
us all get by and can help you with your
health and fitness regimens. Keep it simple
Simon.....or rather Jebby!
This bit of health and fitness advice brought
to you by the guy who has been kid-tested
and mother approved. That guy is Ron
Blake and he can be unearthed at www.
goblakefitness.com.
VERY WELL.
2. LET
AND
MINUTE.
4. STRMN IN 2 CHILLED
MARTINI GLASSES.
5. TOP WITH ATEASPOON OF
WHIPPED CREAM AND
CINNAMON STICK.
6. CUDDLE UP "WITH SO,LEONE
SPECIAL AND EN|OY.
HAPPY HALLOWE
wwa,.ozarksstar.com
ANGLES OKC Continued
As times changed and business declined, the
club began operating only on weekends, and
later opened monthly for special events. After
being on the market for several months,
the dub was sold to Nick Post, owner of the
bars of the Habana Inn ( Copa, Finishline
Ledo & Gushers Restaurant).
Preceding the sale was a farewell party
August 25 followed by a tea dance the next
day for partiers who had made Angles what
it was, before the club passed into a new
destiny.
Interview xgrith The New
Owner ofAngles, Nick Post.
Victor: Well, finally now is it is done deal
right?
Post: It’s a done deal. We had inspections,
licenses, which had all cleared by September
1.
Victor: You now own Angles, the building,
the business & the name?
Post: Yes, and the website too, and the
phone number is the same.
Victor: What spurred your interest in wanting
acquire Angles?
Nick: Well two months ago I’d have probably
said I didn’t have any interest in acquiring
it. It just happened all of the sudden,
when a customer had heard Scott (Wilson)
was interested in selling Angles and I ought
to check into it. I met with him, made a
dea!, signed a contact, and the deal closed.
Victor: Business had been slow at Angles for
a long time before it closed. How do you
feel you can avoid the problems they had, to
build the business back up?
Nick: In the beginning we’re probably only
going to be open on Fridays and Saturdays.
I want Angles to find its own niche, I’m not
looking for Angles to take business from the
Copa or the Finishline. I want it so people
can walk back and forth, not have to stand
in line.
Angles will be different than the Copa, but
we’re not yet sure what that will be. By the
first of the year we hope we’l! know ~vhat
niche it should have. Copa will continue
to have shows, it’s set up to be a showbar,
although Angles may handle large pageants
or special events.
wvwv.ozarksstar.com
Victor: So when wil! Angles have their
grand re-opening?
Nick: We’re not certain yet, but it will be
before Halloween.
Victor: You’ve been in the bar business quite
a while. When did you first acquire the
Copa, along with the Finishline, Ledo and
Gushers Restaurant?
Nick: It was October of 2007 when I
bought them from Lee Burrus. They were
already successful, but I think their continued
success is largely due to the tremendous
staff we have. We have over 40 people working
hard here, changing things, bringing in
new ideas, keep it different all the time. I
think that’s the biggest factor in our success.
Victor: Out of sheer curiosity, what did you
do before you wound up in the bar business?
Nick: I was in real estate from the time I
was 19 years old. I started working with
Abide, and when Truman Miller sold Abide
I went ,vith him into commercial development.
I then did mergers and acquisitions
with Charles Bazzzarian. When he went
to prison I was out of a job, so Lee Burrus
offered me one here. Although we thought
it would be temporary, I worked for Lee for
6 years. I had never been in the bar business,
or ever thought I would be.
Victor: That’s quite a change. How did you
adapt? That is about as much like an apple
and an orange as you can get.
Nick: I think it’s easier to go from a conventional
job to the bar business than it would
be the other xvay around. I started in the
office, started managing on Mondays, later
on weekends, and it ~vent from there.
Victor: Do you anticipate much straight
patronage?
Nick: Straight people have always been welcome
in my bars if they act right. Our goal
is to let people know that they are welcome,
but in our gays clubs they are on our turfi
Victor: How have you handled the many
rumors about the change?
Nick: Well there have been many, but one
rumor we can put to rest is that the purchase
ofAngles has nothing to do with my
other bars or the Habana Inn. I still have
many years left on my lease at the Habana,
and the Seikels (Habana’s owners) have no
interest in selling the hotel. The only change
will be that people can walk back and forth
and enjoy both places.
I’m truly excited about what we can offer
with the Habana and the 39tb Street
Strip, and I think Scott and Donny set the
standards for the clubs on the Strip, and I’m
proud to be there. I also recognize that they
helped make possible what we have now,
when I actually had a call from a captain of
the police department for this area, asking
if there had been any trouble from police
officers, were they professional cordial, etc.
I was glad to be able to tell them that they
do act correctly, and they know we run good
clubs here.
Victor: Well we wish you success in carrying
on what the Pmgles has always been, and
will mean in the future.
Creating
Community for
People living
with
HW/A DS
A 501 c (3) Non Profit Organization
Our House, Too offers a vadety 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-mail
hardsmmjr@yahoo.com.
the STAR 27
Even sweetness and light can be excessive. With
the Sun and Venus in a long, difficult aspect - and
in each other’s signs - overdoing the good stuff
comes way too easily and can leave us feeling
sunburned and saccharine.
ARIES (~,~arch 2(} -Apri~ 19): Does your partner want to
take the lead or to follow? Baby does want to play, but may
be a pushy bottom. (There’s another kind?) Be very clear
about who’s really running the show, especially if it’s not
stated.
TAURUS (Apri~ 20 - ~aay 20): Be very careful of your diet,
especially your sugar intake. If there’s any diabetes in your
family, get yourself checked out. Resist the urge to decorate,
or look at what’s behind it. Is it a distraction from more
figurative "housecleaning"?
GEM~Ni (~lay 21 - Jmle 29): Write, paint, compose your
heart out. It’s all dreck, even if your friends tell you it’s fabulous.
They’re just being nice. Later on, when your critical
faculties return, something good could come out of all the
fertilizer you’re excreting now.
CANCER (June 2t - Ju~y 22): Sure, you want your home
to be utterly gorgeous. Risking the rent or mortgage by
spending a wad on decoration is a bit counterproductive.
Get creative with what you have, or raise money selling off
old clutter.
LEO (Ju~y 23 - August 22): You could easily be too charming,
tempting others to doubt your sincerity. Just be your
natural, sweet self. That’s already a lot for many people
to handle! Cultivate modesty, and remember: The flower
charms the bee without effort.
WRGO (August 23 - September 22): Being helpful with
your insight and suggestions seems a charming idea to
you, but others may find it meddlesome. Ask if you can
offer help before you actually do. Better yet, put yourself in
their shoes, and invite critical support.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22}: Your political talents
are already working overtime for you. It would be much too
easy to overplay your hand. Sit back, pay attention, and
move lightly. Before you offer anything, let them want it!
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Your instincts are
better than good for making connections with superiors at
work or getting on the right side of any authority figure. In
fact, you may be a bit overenthusiastic and pushy. Where’s
that discreet, subtle Scorpion we love so well?
28 the STAR
SAGITTARIUS/November 22 - December 20}: Your
friends know how outspoken you are, and how you love
to argue - excuse me - "exchange new ideas." Your current
enthusiasm will charm some people and scare others
off. You may want to be careful about whom you push into
either category.
CAPRICORN (December 21 - January t9): You are
now exuding pure sexuality. Horny, jaded, or anywhere in
between, you are radiating sex. At work, that can cause
trouble. Do your best to sublimate that energy and/or enjoy
it in the appropriate time and place.
AQUARIUS (January 29 - February !8}: You want adventure,
but not solo. You and your partner want different
things, but are too eager to appease each other, and that
satisfies nobody. Find a common ground where you can
both be a little selfish and have a great time.
P~SCES (February 19 - ~aarch 19): You don’t need to
show off or work on your erotic expertise - but why pass up
the fun? Finding eager partners is not a problem. Limiting
yourself to an appropriate partner may be!
METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY CHURCHES
Rev Steve T. U~ie
Spiri ol Chris tViCC
2g02 E 20th Street
Joplin, MO 64804
417-529-8480
Worship Saturdays at 10:00 AM
Community Meal Wednesdays at 6:00 PM
MCC of the Living Spring
17 Elk Street
Eureka Springs, AR 72632
479-253-9337
Worship Sundays at 6:00 PM
Have a God filled and BleSSed DaV!
www.ozarksstar.com
HABANA INN
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-528-2221
www.habanainn.com
KELLY KIRBY, CPA
4815 S. HARVARD, SUITE 424
Tulsa, OK * 918-747-5466
Certified Public Accountant
CENTURY 21 GOLD CASTLE
3627 NW EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-840-2106
~wcw.c21 goldcastle.com
CHUCK BRECKENRIDGE
Keller Williams Realty
Tulsa, OK
918-706-1887
GAY BRADY HEIGHTS-Tulsa
New and Historic Homes for Sale
and Rent For Info:
www.gaybradyheightstulsa.com
GUSHER’S Pd~STAURANT
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
Located inside Habana Inn
ANGLES
2117 NW 39th St.
Oklahoma City, OK
www.anglesclub.com
BAMBOO LOUNGE
7204 E. PINE
Tulsa, OK
918-836-8700
www.bambooloungetulsa.com
CLUB MAJESTIC
124 N. BOSTON
Tulsa, OK
918-584-9494
www.clubmajestictulsa.com
FINISHLINE
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
www.habanainn.com
THE COPA
2200 N~V 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
www.habanainn.com
THE LEDO
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESS\rAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
www.habanainn.com
TNT’S
2114 S. MEMORIAL DR.
Tulsa, OK
918-660-056
Open Wed- Fri 6pm, Sat 8pm
DIVERSITY CHRISTIAN CNTR
211 S. Garnett
Tulsa, OK 74128
wvcw.realacceptance.com
HERLAND SISTER’S
2312 N~V 39th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-521-9696
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 Saturday 9:30 AM
MCC of the LIVING SPRING
17 Elk Street
Eureka Springs, AR 72632
479-253-9337
Worship Sundays 6pm
NWARKANSAS GLBT CENTER
Bentonville/Rogers
888-391-9222
W~W~.NWAGLBTCC.ORG
DIVERSITY PRIDE EVENTS
479-253-2555
Eureka Springs, AR
www.diversitypride.com
Want the STAR delivered to your home or business?
12 issues for $29.95 will be mailed in a sealed
envelope the 1st of each month. Complete the form
below and send with a check or moneyorder to:
¯ne STAR
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(Single Copies $3.00 per issue)
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Start Date:
www.ozarksstar.corn
Keller Williams Realty
Chuck Breckenridge
Whether buying or selling
I’ll work hard for you.
NWArkansas GLBT
Communig- Center
"Linking Together as One"
For more information:
888-391-9222
WWW.NWAGLBTCC.ORG
30 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
mad~ and sc{ence And
more an iu yot~r-k
www.ozarksstar.com the STAR 31
;:’ I:he rr, sg

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