[2005] The Star Magazine, December 1, 2005; Volume 2, Issue 12
Title
[2005] The Star Magazine, December 1, 2005; Volume 2, Issue 12
Subject
Politics, education, and social conversation over LGBTQ+ topics
Description
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.
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
Star Media, Ltd
Source
https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/19
Publisher
Star Media, Ltd
Date
December 01, 2005
Contributor
C.D. ward
Greg Steele
Josh Aterovis
John Patrick
Matt Brooks
Steve T. Urie
L.H. Garey
Libby Post
Paula Martinac
Andrew Collins
Michael Hinzman
Jack Fertig
Liz Highleyman
Chaz
Purdy Art Co.
Nancy Wood
Greg Steele
Josh Aterovis
John Patrick
Matt Brooks
Steve T. Urie
L.H. Garey
Libby Post
Paula Martinac
Andrew Collins
Michael Hinzman
Jack Fertig
Liz Highleyman
Chaz
Purdy Art Co.
Nancy Wood
Relation
The Star Magazine, November 1, 2005; Volume 2, Issue 11
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/220
The Star Magazine, January 1, 2005; Volume 3, Issue 1
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/227
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/220
The Star Magazine, January 1, 2005; Volume 3, Issue 1
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/227
Format
Image
PDF
Online text
Online text
Language
English
Type
magazine
Identifier
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/216
Coverage
Southwest Missouri
Western Arkansas
Southeast Kansas
Eastern Oklahoma
The United States of America (50 states)
Western Arkansas
Southeast Kansas
Eastern Oklahoma
The United States of America (50 states)
Text
ur Grand Lake
L ti
iris
Scott Crow, Managing Broker .
McGraw D.avisson Stewart, Realtors
800.460.3210
Langley, Oklahoma
ScottCrow.mcgrawok.com
918.782.3211
Page 3
Sooner State Rodeo
Association (SSRA)
Announces Gifting
Ceremony.
TULSA, OK_Sooner State Rodeo
Association has scheduled a Gifting
Ceremony on Saturday, December 17th
From 10:30pm until 11 :30pm at Club
Mavericks - 822 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa,
OK. Tulsa's own IGRA Sanctioned Gay
Rodeo Association had their first TTown
Rodeo in April of 2005. It is
customary for Gay Rodeo Associations
to distribute some of the proceeds of
their rodeo to Community Organizations.
SSRA will present $4250.00 to the
following non-profit organizations in the
Tulsa area.
Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership
t0 receive a donation of $500.00 to assist
towards all of the amazing work they do
for a myriad of Tulsa's GLBT
community organizations.
Our House Too to receive a donation of
$250.00 to assist towards all of the great
work the organization does for the Tulsa
GLBT community in need. ·
Green Country AIDS Coalition to
receive a donation of $250.00 to help
support efforts toward HIV testing,
counseling and referrals for the Rural
Northeastern Oklahoma Area.
St Jerome's Parish Church to receive a
donation of $500.00 to thank them for all of
thier kind assistance to the Sooner State
Rodeo Association and to help support the
community assistance and outreach for which
St Jerome's has become known.
Pyramid Project to receive a donation of
$500.00 to help support the purchase and
rennovation of the new Tulsa Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Community
Center.
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation to receive $2250 from the
fundraising efforts of Mr. SSRA 2005
Jonathan Brown. Page 4
Erosion Media
Launches
Gay Political Blog
Brent Hartinger, 1fichael Jensen, and
Sarah W am comment on The Big
Gay "Picture.
(PRWEB) November 17, 2005 - There
are gay blogs, and there are political
blogs, but until now there hasn't been
much in the way of exclusively gay
political blogs.
That changes with the arrival of The
Big Gay Picture
(www.biggaypicrure.com), a new blog
from Erosion Media, creator of the
popular websites, AfterEllen.com,
AfterElton.com, AllGayNews.com, and
FakeGayNews.com
"Most blogs are all over the place,"
says author and activist Brent Hartinger,
one of The Big Gay Picture's three main
writers. "But we are a gay political blog.
Because we're targeted, we can be
comprehensive."
According t0 Hartinger, the blog will
feature interviews with both GLBT
leaders and opponents, ongoing
commentary, and updates on local and
national gay political news.
"We really are giving the big gay
picture!" Hartinger says.
Along with Hartinger, the blog will
feature daily postings from Sarah Warn,
editor of AfterEllen.com, and novelist
and activist Michael Jensen.
"Any blog is a reflection of the
personalities involved in writing it,"
Warn says. "And by God, we definitely
have personalityl We can be pointed,
funny, impassioned, and sarcasticsometimes
all at the same rime."
Finally, according to Jensen, Tne Big
Gay Picture is also a community forum.
"Unlike most blogs, The Big Gay
Picture allows users to prominently post
their own commentary and analysis,"
Jensen says. "We've only just debuted,
and things are already quite live~yl"
NORTH CAROLINA
BAPTISTS SEND
INTOLERANT MESSAGE
TO CONGREGANTS
'The church should be a beacon,
not a barricade,' said the Human
Rights Campaign Foundation's
Harry Knox.
WASHINGTON - The Baptist State
Convention of North Carolina sent a
message of intolerance to its churches
and congregants yesterday in passing a
resolution to expel any member church
that "knowingly affirms, approves or
endorses homosexual behavior."
"The church should be a beacon, not
a barricade," said Harry Knox, director
of the Human Rights Campaign
Foundation's religion and faith
programs. "Gay parishioners contribute
in meaningful ways to their local
churches and communities and the
convention should focus on love and
compassion, not finding ways to demean.
and marginalize the faithful."
The North Carolina Baptists' decision
comes as several other Southern Baptist
institutions have taken intolerant stances
on gay issues. This week the Georgia
Baptist Convention voted t0 sever ties to
Mercer Universitv one of the
denomination's ~!<lest and largest
educational institutions - because school
administrators refused to condemn a
student group's observance of National
Coming Out Day. Additionally in Texas,
Baptist-affiliated Bavlor Universitv
dismissed a Baylor alumnus from ~he
business school's advisorv board because
he is gay. '
"Instead of welcoming an open
dialogue, these actions are designed to cut
off any intellectuai or spirituai debate,"
said Knox. "God gave us intellect so we
would use it, no:: cut ourselves off from
those who disagree with us."
DECEMBER 2005
by Andrew Coilins
Page 6
Out of Town
W'ine-touring in this part of the state
is great fun because staff at most tasting
rooms are friendlier and more laid-back
than in touristy areas. You can typically
spend plenty of time asking questions_
about what you're sampling. The reg10n
excels in just about every common U.S.
wine varietal, but zinfandels, pinot noirs,
and chardonnays are especially notable in
these parts.
A favorite winery of gay visitors is
the slightly campy Clautiere Vineyard,
which describes its own festive tasting
room as "Edward Scissorhands meets the
Mad Hatter at the Moulin Rouge." A few
other great w-ineries in Paso include the
prestigious J. Lohr Vineyards, the hip
Justin Winery, and the intimate but
outstanding Peachy Canyon Winery,
which produces one of the top zinfandels
around.
One of the larger vineyards that's
worth a visit is SLO's Tolosa Winery,
which provides visitors with excellent
self-guided winery tours and produces
some superb pinot noirs and syrahs, too.
Also check out charming Baileyana, set
inside a ,-intage former schoolhouse and
turning out fantastic pinot noir. For
more information on specific wineries,
check out the useful websites of San Luis
Obispo Vintners (www.slowine.com)
and the Paso Robles Vintners and
Growers Association
(www.pasowine.com), both of which
provide details on wineries open for
tours as well as great dining and lodging
recommendations.
Apart from winery-hopping, one of
the great things to do in this part of
California is to drive along the gorgeous
coastline fringed by the famed Highway
1. The must-see attraction along this
stretch is Hearst Castle, the legendary
San Simeon retreat built bv media
magna~e William Randolph Hearst, who
commissioned Bay Area architect Julia
Morgan to de;ign it. Morgan
collaborated with her boss for some 25
years to build this 150-room
~o~mtaintop S'.:langri La filled with
priceless mostlv Mediterranean
antiqui .. i~s. It's ~ow operated by the
California state park system and open to
visito:s for fascinating tours.
Famous guests at the castle during its
heyday in.eluded numerous Holiywood
stars, among them Erroi Flynn, who ,vas
supposedly kicked out for brea~ng one
or two of Hearst's house rules, like those
against excessive alcohol consumption
and unmarried guests sharing a bed. It's
been speculated that the never-married
Julia Morgan (1872-1957), who designed
some 700 buildings during her life, was a
lesbian, bur very little is actually known
of her personal life. Unquestionably,
however, she's one of the nation's
premier ~ if relatively unsung architects.
If you really want to get to know the
heart and soul of San Luis Obispo, attend
the fabulous Thursday-night farmer's
market, which is much more than a mere
gathering of produce-sellers. A big chunk
of downtown's main thoroughfare,
Higuera Street, is turned into a
pedestrian zone, and local restaurants
serve up everything from delicious
bruschetta to smoky barbecue ribs. It's
really a festival of sorts, and a great time
to people-watch and mingle with both
visitors and locals.
For dining in downtown SLO, check
out the Park Restaurant for some of the
freshest and most innovate Californiastvle
cuisine in the region, or Blue for its
o~tstanding wine list and heavenly grilled
salmon. At trendy Novo, you'll find
eclectic food with Asian, Mediterranean,
and Latin American twists try the Sri
Lankan cashew-and-butternut-squash
currv or the Moroccan lamb satay with ·
min~ 'chutney. Rudolph's Coffee & Tea is
a lively and gay-popular java joint
downtown, and Metro Cafe can be
counted on for great saiads, soups, and
baked goods. Or head south of SLO to
popular, if touristy, Pismo Beach for a
feast of tasty seafood at the Cracked
Crab.
Downtown Paso Robles is set around
a lovely, shaded city square lined with
several excellent restaurants, among them
Villa Creek and Berry Hill Bistro. For
lighter fare, pop inside Odyssey World
Cafe, which serves a terrific grilled tuna
rice bowi and fantastic sandwiches, such
as baked brie over artichoke hearts with
masted almonds. Sample delicious Italian
food at Buona Tavola, which also has a
branch in downtown San Luis Obispo.
Parts of SLO County bear an awfully
strong resemblance to Northern Italy,
esoecially around the grounds of Villa
T~scana: a Tuscan-inspired \"ilia that
offers some of the most luxurious B&B
Continued page-12 Page 7
Gifts
&rlWheeler
437 E. 141st Street
Glenpool, OK 74033
,, 918.291.EARL {3275)
Serving the Tulsa Metro Area for over 21 Years with PRIDE!
CUSTOM DECORATING * HOLIDAY SPEOALS
orders by 12noon guaranteed same da-, clJ\iv"'f.
Tulsa Stonewall
Now Necessary!
TULSA, OK_As most gay men and
women living in Tulsa now know, the
Tulsa Police Department began a series of
unending assaults on the gay clubs here.
Beginning in August of this year, the
TPD have entered gay bars with the force
of Storm Troopers, assailing the rights of
gay men and women who are attempting
to enjoy what gay life there is in Tulsa.
Police have demanded identification from
individuals not remotely involved in any
illegal actions, and once they call them in
through the NCIC service, arrest anyone
with warrants and arrest a few on public
drunk charges without a breathalizer test.
I wonder how may times this happens at
the elite straight bars in Tulsa? God help
you if you were born gay and try to live
peaceable here.
On June 28, 1969 the modern gay
rights movement began in Greenwich
Village, NYC when the Stonewall gay bar
was raided and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender community decided to
revolt. The rest is history.
It is time for the disjointed gay
community in Tulsa to unite and begin to
fight for our civil rights. We need a
united front to demand from our city and
county government and Tulsa Police.
parity with other citizens and clubs, gay
or not. The Tulsa Police have achieved
what they sought to do-make gay citizens
who choose to go to gay bars, stay home,
resulting in the clubs struggling to stay
open. The Tulsa gay community is
avoiding the bars in fear of arrest for
being out and gay.
Go to any gay bar in Tulsa and yo:;
will see that business is down, the
bartenders will tell you the same thing
A common scenario is for the police to
swarm in on a bar, usually handcuff what
appears to be a person they are actua]y
hunting and then paralyze the remainder
of the patrons advising them they need to
produce their ID, stand still and not
move until told further what to do.
Further, based on what they consider
proper behavior, they will handcuff
anyone who remotely appears to be
touching another person, even when fully
clothed and begin harassing that person as
to their behavior. I personally watched as
this occurred. Two people were handcuffed
who were fully clothed and merely
talking to each other. AftC;r verbal cruel
harassment, they were un-cuffed and
allowed to leave. Why would anyone
want to go back to more of the same? Are
the police trying to push everyone back
into the alley's and parks? It would seem
that the gay community needs to ban
together to begin a determined response
when these illegal activities happen.
Maybe we should raise a clenched fist
when they arrive to signify our solidarity.
Maybe a sit in by the patrons and let
them drag us through the publicity raised
by the voluminous arrest!
Gay people of course would rather hit
their mother than be arrested and subject
to more public humiliation than is thrust
on them each day in Tulsa. The gay
community should begin to be politicaily
active in Tulsa County.
To the extent that the Tulsa Police
Department is able to continue to harass
gay people unfettered, it will not stop. To
the extent the gay community continues
to not be united, the police will win.
More effort and meetings among the bar
owners and GLBT organizations need to
become more forceful and demanding
with the powers in our city. We must
remember in this so called bible belt
mecca of Tulsa and all of Okl.ahoma. the
general public couldn't care iess about gay
rights, an aosent unified effort to secure
civil rights to foll equality, nothing wiil
change We mus: stop it. The TPD enjoy
it and nave no plans to cease. Tney are
happy we are staying home and quivering.
A strategic plan outline is needed
OO\V to deal \vith rhe heavy arm of the
law, so that gay people can enioy a night
out vvithout looking o ..v er their shoulder
for the handcuffs,
Page 11
Out of Town
accommodations in the region. The
stucco mansion surrounded by sunny
stone piazzas contains several airy
guestrooms with high timber-beamed
ceilings and sumptuous appointments
and from every window you see
vinevards in all directions. A superb
breakfast as well as afternoon wine and
cheese are included.
For a truly rejuvenating vacation
experience, book a stay at the gayfriendly
Sycamore Mineral Springs, a
beautifullv situated spa resort nestled
beneath d leafy hillside within easy
hiking distance of the ocean. The upscale
rooms here come in a variety of
configurations (some with kitchens and
large sitting areas), and most have private
outdoor hot tubs. But the amenities are
the real treats here: tubs bubbling with
healing mineral waters, a labyrinth path,
stunning hiking traiis, and a spa where
you can book a variety of soothing
massage, skincare, and medicinal
treatments. Be sure to enjoy a meal in die
exceptional restaurant, where you might
sample such refined fare as seared quail
with polenta, pine nuts, gorgonzola, and
pomegranates.
Another excellent lodging option,
especially if you want to be near the
coast and Hearst Castle, is Moonstone
Hotel Properties, a small but growing
group of distinctive hotels based in the
coastal community of Cambria.
Moonstone has about a half-dozen hotels
right in town as well as properties in
Monterey, Yosemite, and central
Oregon, and the company has made it a
kev focus in recent years to market
enthusiastically to the gay and lesbian
market.
The Moonstone properties in
Cambria come in a wide range of shapes
and sizes and with a few different
settings, but they share a few common
themes: attractive, upscale rooms;
grounds abundant ;ith incredibiy lush
gardens and meadows; and friendly,
easygoing staff. Several of the hotds are
pet-friendiy, too. If you want to be on a
verdant hillside above town, choose the
elegant Cambria Pines Lodge, which
consists of several outbuildings and
cabins and has one of the town's top
restaurants, known for i:s healthful,
organic-inspired cuisine. Right down
along ;:he shoreline, rhe Blue Dolphin
Inn, Sea Coast Lodge, Sea Otter Inn,
Sand Pebbles Inn, and Pelican Suites are
terrific hotels set right across from
Moonstone Beach. And if you're looking
to save a little money, choose the
economical Creekside Inn, a nicely
decorated motor lodge in the heart of
Cambria's festive village, steps from
shops and restaurants.
Wherever vou choose to stay in San
Luis Obispo County, you're close to
some of the nation's top wine-touring
and most inspired scenery. See it now
before SLO's pace quickens, and it
becomes every bit as popular as Napa
and Sonoma Countv. Fortunately, much
of the countrvside ~ this part of
California ha; been permanently
protected from development, so San Lui~
Obispo Countv will likely look every btt
as beautiful in the future as it does now.
The Little Black Book
Baiicyana (5828 Orcutt Rd., San Luis Obispo,
805-269-8200, www.bailcyana.com). Berry
Hill Bistro (1114 Pinc St .. Paso Robles, 805-
238-3929). Blue (998 Mo~tcrcy St., San Luis
Obispo, 805-783-1135). Buona Tavol:l. (943
Spring St., Paso Robles, 805-545-8000; also
1037 Montcrev St., San Luis Obispo, 805-545-
8000). Clauri;rc Vineyard (1340 Penman
Springs Rd., Paso Robics, 805-237-3789,
www.clautierc.com). Cracked Crab (7~1
Price St., Pismo Beach, 805-773-2722). J. Lohr
Vineyards (6169 Airport Rd., Paso Robles,
805-239-8900, www.jlohr.com). Justin Winery
(11680 Chimney Rock Rd., Paso Robles, 805-
237-4149 or 800-726-0049,
www.justinwinc.com). Metro Cafe (892
M.mh St., San Luis Obispo, 805-783-2022).
Moonstone Hotel Properties (800/966-6490,
www.moonsronehotcls.com/ gay). Novo (726
Higuera St., S:rn Luis Obispo, 805-543-3986).
Odyssey Worid Cafe (1214 Pine St., Paso
Robles. 805-237-75i6). Park Restaurant (1819
Osos St., San Luis Obispo, 805-545-0000J.
Peachy Canyon Winery (1480 W. Bethel Rd.,
Paso Robies, 805-239-1918, ·www.
pcachyca~yon.com). Rudolph's Coffee & Tea
(670 Higuera St., San Luis Obis?o, 805-543-
4902). San Luis Obispo Visitors &
Conference Bu:eau (805-541-8000 or 800-634-
14i 4, ww-w<.sanluisobispocoun:,y.com).
Svcamorc Mineral Sp:ings (1215 Aviia Beach
Dr., Avila Be;;.ch, 805-595-7302 or 800-234-
5831, wn.v-·~.sycamoresprings.com).
Page 12
"Is this the winter of my discontent"'
Oh yes boys and girls it is that time,
time for cards, the lists, the guest, the
gifts, family friends, food parties, events,
travel, weather, stress, guilt, anxiety, ya
ya ya!
What a workout it's become, this
month called December. Well Auntie has
the cure. Just say no to retail. Go back to
your gardening roots and work from
there. Naturally there's nothing better
than a gift of labor and love from your
own garden. Just look around, from
berries, hollies and evergreens to perennial
foliage, leaves, dried grasses and of
course HERBS. Auntie does love her
herb and heres just a couple of easy ways
to piease this holiday season.
Oils and vinegars. One way to
preserve the flavor of fresh (or store
bought) herbs is to steep them in oil or
vinegar, which may be used ror cooking.
or in salad dressings. This works well for
a number of herbs such as french tarragon,
oregano, rhyme, and lavendec
To make flavored oil, fill a clear glass
jar with sprigs or leaves of fresh herbs,
pour over a good flavoriess oil, like
sunflower and seal. Leave the jar in a
sunny spot for cwo weeks, shake or stir
every day. Strain and bottle, adding a new
sprig of the herb as identification as well
as decoration. Dried peppers, such as
banana, cyan, etc. are also great to use by
themselves or mixed with herbs. In
unusual bottles or jars with a bit of
ribbon and a hand printed label. These
make excellent gifts, hand grown and
made by you.
But don't forget about the uses of
dried herbs. Air-drying is the easiest way
of preserving most herbs.
Spread out sprigs, leaves, flowers or
seed heads in a single layer on a rack and
leave in a warm airy space to dry.
Alternatively tie sprigs in small bunches
and hang upside down in a warm, dry
but not to sunny - spot. The drying
process should take no more than 48
hours. Crush the leaves thoroughly
between your hands and store them in
airtight dark glass or ceramic containers
(clear glass will make them fade quickly.)
Using several small unique jars or
containers makes for another great gift
idea with a personal touch. Dried
rosemary, thyme, lavender and sage left
tightly bundled together create a fragrant
appeal for the most domestic of goddesses.
Let's not forget the tried and true
hostess gift that everyone enjoys. Oh yes
the poinsettia, with brilliant colors and
varieties you can't go wrong with this
proven Christmas winner. Just be careful
not to expose them to cold temperatures,
even for a few minutes or so cm possible
damage the entire plant. So lets not leave
it in the car when we stop at the bar first
for a before party pick me up, OK?
So run my little children, spread the
joy and love throughout the season, it's
time to grow so until next year, I wish
you all a merry Christmas, happy
holidays and a most harvested new year.
And don't forget.
''You can lead a hor-to-culture, but
you can't make her think.,,
Page 13
T-Town Rodeo To
Host Awards
Ceremony
Press Release:
November 21, 2005
TULSA,OK_Sooner State Rodeo
Association - Northeastern Oklahoma's
own Gay Rodeo Association, will hold a
New Year's Eve pre-party on December
31st, 2005 at the Parish Church of Saint
jerome's, 205 W. King St. in The Brady
Heights Historic District Oust north of
Downtown in Gay Brady Heights). The
event will be a Cowboy and Cowgirl
Mixer with a short Comestant
Recognition and Award Ceremony. The
Event will run from 7pm til 10pm and is
open to the public; a big part of this
event is geared toward a new
membership drive and renewing of
existing memberships. You do not have
to be a cowboy or cowgirl to be a part of
Sooner State Rodeo Association -
membership in the Sooner State Rodeo
Association in only $15.00 for an
Associate :Membership, $20.00 for a
General Membership and $25.00 for a
Commercial Memb;rship. Drop by and
meet the SSRA Posse, Have a shot of Red
Eye and some grub.
Scott Johnson, SSRA president for
2006 says, "Our focus this vear will be to
increase and develop the ro'embership
base and to organize work toward the TTown
Rodeo in 2007".
In spring of 2005 Tulsa's Sooner State
Rodeo Association put together it's first
International Gay Rodeo Association
Sanctioned Rodeo; billed as the T-Town
Rodeo it brought contestants from across
the nation and added to Tulsa's stature in
the Gay Rodeo Circuit. Plans are now in
the works for a T-Town Rodeo 2007.
You can get more information about
Sooner State Rodeo Association at
www.soonerstaterodeo.com.
109 E. Commercial Street
Springfield, Mo 65803
417-873-2225
HearTheRumors.com
Page 14
The Years Most
Anticipated
Movie Is Here
"Love Is A Force Of Nature"
Brokeback Mountain opening in
Chicago, San Francisco and New York
December 3, 2005. A raw, powerful
story of two young men, a Wyoming
ranch hand and
a rodeo cowboy,
who meet in the
summer of 1963
sheepherding in
the harsh, high
grasslands of
contemporary
Wyoming and
form an
unorthodox vet
life-long bondby
turns ecstatic,
bitter and
conflicted.
The new film
from Academy
Awardnominated
director Ang
Lee. An epic
love story set
against the
sweeping vistas
of Wyoming and
Texas,
Brokeback
Mountain tells
the story of nvo
young men a
ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy who
meet in tne summer of 1963, a~d
unexpectedly forge a iifelong connection,
one whose complications, joys and
tragedies provide a testament to the
endurance and power of l.ove.
Ennis and Jack, two cowbovs who fall in
love. As others have touch~d on, Brokeback
Mountain is so much more than merely a
"gay cowboy movie". It perfectly cap~res
what true, unbridled love is all about and this
love transcends any issues of sexualitv or
gender. "Love is a force of nature". ,
Unfortunately for many people and indeed
the protagonists of our story, society doesn't
always view it that way.
Kudos to Ang Lee who has not shied away
from the material at all. This adaptation stay;
true to the
original shore
story and the
two lead actors
fit the roles
perfectly. Ledger
and Gyllenhaal
give incredibly
strong
performances
.but the
supporting cast
shouldn't be
overiooked
work ail around
and with Mr
Ang Lee's vision
they have
created an
anything a,vay,
you are going to be 1nnv,ed b:,t this one.
Staring Heath Ledger, jake
Gyllenhaal, Anne Hatl.1a,;av. Micheiie
\~filii an1s. ~ ,
Page 15
This Is Shelter Country.
Here in our community you will find
Shelter Agent Greg Tainter. We're
proud to serve this community and
our customers. CalJ today aod ask
about our services.
Auto -Home - Life -BH-~iness
Greg W. Tainter. LUTCF
Tel:(166)M-9480
gtainlef@shelerinsur.llce.com
Healing the Family
There are some fortunate souls whom
upon coming out, find their families to '
be completely accepting and
understanding. And then there are the
rest of us. Our families panic, weep, wail,
pull away, and in some cases, outright
reject us. A few years ago, if someone
had told me that my partner and I would
one day be preparing a meal in our home
for our parents, I would have laughed.
Yet, I recently found myself in that very
situation. The journey to that point was
not an easy one for any of us.
Almost everyone in my family is a
conservative evangelical Christian.
Needless to say, when I came out, it
caused quite a stir. I viv:idiy remember
the family gathering together to prav
over me in an attempt to drive o;t these
evil influences. Yes, my family had an
exorcism to rid me of the gay demons.
Obviously, it didn't work. Next, thev
decided I should try one of the ex-gay
"ministries." They helpfolly provided me
with all kinds of information about
Exodus. I flat-out refused. Then they
suggested counseling. I agreed to that,
but only on my terms. I would not go to
a biased anti-gay Christian counselor.
That turned out to be a very good
decision since it helped me fully realize
there was nothing ',nong with me, and in
the long run, helped my family as well.
For a while after that, they backed off
My family tends to suffer from SOS,
or Severe Ostrich Syndrome. That's the
tendency to ignore something you don't
like by sticking your head in the sand
and hoping it will just go away on its
own. I've noticed many Southern
families suffer from this disorder. For a
while, I wasn't dating anyone and wasn't
really that invohred with my family, so it
became easy for them to ignore the fact
that I was gay. That changed when I
started dating Jon. When we decided to
move in together, it became impossible
to ignore. I got a call from my mother
soon after I broke the news to them. My
mother asked point-blank if Jon and I
were "lovers." I told her yes, to which
she responded that the family didn't
approve and could not condone that
"lifestyle." As calmly as I could, I told
her that I wasn't looking for their
approval and I didn't need them to
condone my choices. I went on to say
that Jon was an important part of my life
and if they wanted to continue being a
part of it as well, they would have to deal
with that. I didn't speak to them for
about a month. and then one afternoon
I got another ~all from my mother '
inviting Jon and I over for dinner.
That first night was decidedly
awkward, and it stayed that way for a
while. I refused to attend any family
function to which Jon wasn't welcome,
so there were many more uncomfortable
moments. For a while, the only people
who w:ould even speak to Jon at gettogethers
were my parents and my
younger sister. We didn't give up,
though, and gradually, more of my
siblings began to come around. It was a
slow process, and I'm .still not as close to
most of my brothers as I once was. but
we've come a long way. My paren~s have
been especially accepting as they've come
to know and love Joo.
Jon's family, while similar in some
aspects, was a different situation. Jon was
raised as a Reformed Jew. He grew up
attending a shul with gay and lesbian
Rabbis. He had every reason to expect
his family to be accepting, and his
younger brother was from the very
beginning. When Jon came out to him,
his initial reaction was simpiv, "Okav.
Cool." Jon's mother, on the ~ther h;nd,
Continued next page Page 18
HEART TO HEART
had a harder time with the news. Her
first reaction was to rather hvstericallv
blame the fall of Greece and Rome on·
homosexuality. She refused to have
anything to do with me, and was furious
at Jon for hiding this from her.
Once again, there was no sudden change
of heart, but rather a gradual acceptance.
She lives farther away than my parents,
so we saw her less often, but when we
did see her, we were almost always
together for Jon's or her birthday,
when Jon graduated from college, etc. I
did a painting for her of her cat, who she
dearly loved. Over time, she began to ask
how I was when thev talked on the
phone. When Jon and I decided we
wanted to buy a home, she, being a real
estate agent, wanted to be involved. She
traveled back and forth several times as
we looked at homes and found one we
loved. She stayed with us at our old
house and we spent more time together.
The weekend we closed on the house and
moved in, I spent more time alone with
Jon's mom than I did with Jon. We
actually had a chance to bond.
A few weeks after we'd moved in,
Jon's mom came down for the weekend
just to see what progress we'd made.
That Saturday, my parents came over
because my dad was planning to help us
with some minor plumbing problems. As
these things have a tendency to do, the
small project turned into an entire day
spent under the sink. While Jon, my
father, and I spent the afternoon between
the kitchen and the hardware store, our
moms bonded while watching a homeimprovement
marathon on HGTV.
Later that evening, the sink fixed, Jon
and I cooked dinner for our parents. As
we all sat around the table eating and
laughing, it suddenly hit me that our
families were heaied. I had to fight back
tears as I looked around. I never would
have expected to see the scene before me.
It wasn't because of anything in
particular that we did. We didn't forcefeed
them any scientific smdies or drag
them to PFLAG meetings. That may
have worked for other families, bu: what
worked for ours was simply Jiving our
lives openly and honestly. They co;.;ldn't
help but see our love for one another and
realize that there was nothing diny or
wrong about it. Maybe it took a wi1iie.
but the wounds did heal.
This past week I was talking to my
mom about Thanksgiving plans. It's an
annual tradition for my very large family
to gather together for a huge, homecooked
meal. The past two years, Jon
and I have spent Thanksgiving with his
mom and brother since they don't have a
large family to share it with. Last time,
though, I promised my family we'd
spend the holiday with them this year.
When Mom told me no plans had been
made yet, I found myself impulsively
offering to host the family dinner at our
house. It made sense, since we have more
space than any of my other siblings that
live locally. It wasn't until after I hung
up that I wondered just what I'd gotten
myself imo. Between my three brother
and two sisters, I have nineteen nieces
and nephews - and white living room
furniture.
After I broke the news to Jon and he
calmed me down, we decided it would be
a good thing. We also decided to invite
his mom and brother, too. We don't yet
know if thev will come, but if thev do, it
'.Vill be the first time both of our families
have been together. I know it will be an
emotional and perhaps somewhat
awkward time, but I'm looking forward
to it. It will be the next step in healing
our family.
1he views expressed in this column are my
opinions only. You don't have to agree with
them. I just ask that you read them with an
open heart and mind.
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Page 19
Lesbian
Notions
by Libby Post
DECEMBER 2005
Freedom To Think
Getting a good education was always
paramount in my house. Neither of my
parents went to college, but _The New
York Times_ was daily reading, and my
brother and I were promised a college
education they could afford. That meant
going to one of the 64 State University of
New York campuses. I eventually got
both my degrees from the Universitv at
Albany; my brother received his fro~
Stony Brook and Binghamton.
Io the post-'60s college environment
that both my brother and I enjoyed,
there was open debate on mvriad issues -
debate that was fostered by ; ·
commitment to new and different ideas
respect for a broad range of opinions, '
and recognition that if we didn't learn
and grow, we would shrivel and die.
This is the way it was and still is on
many campuses, but not so at some
schools that have religious affiliations.
Schools affiliated with the Southern
Baptist Convention have made the news
regarding their reluctance to embrace
ideas outside their narrow biblical
interpretations. At Bavlor Universitv in
Waco, Texas, 25-year-~ld Matt Bass had
his full scholarship to divinity school
revoked after he came out.
When the school's student newspaper
endorsed gay marriage, Baylor's
president rebuked it. After all Bavior's
school policy states that no s~de~t
publication's editorial should "attack the
basic tenets of Christian theology or of
Christian morality'' - so much for
freedom of the student press.
After learning that 1983 graduate Tim
Smith, who is on the universitv's School
of Business advisory panel, wa; gay,
Baylor told Smith that he could no
i.onger serve and was no longer welcome.
Tb.is was after Smith personally donated
over $65,000 to the school and raised an
additional $60,000 to establish an
academic scholarship. I guess gav monev
doesn't talk at Baylor. • ·
Nor does a good cup of java. Once
Baylor learned that an Armistead Maupin
quote was on Starbucks' coffee cups as
part of the company's campaign to
highlight quotes from famous people, the
school ordered the Starbucks on campus
to get rid of all its cups.
Even if a Baptist-affiliated school wanted
to do ~e right thing and be welcoming,
the vanous state Baptist Conventions are
not above holding the schools they
support financially hostage. Recently, the
North Carolina Baptist State Convention
threatened to pull nearly $1 million in
funding to that state's Mars Hill College
if it approved Open Doors, a campus
LGBT group. Money won out - the
group was not recognized.
But the Baptists aren't alone.
An associate dean at Catholic Seton
Hall University in New Jersey was
demoted after he publicly criticized the
church's aotigay position in his local
newspaper. W. King Mott wrote a letter
to the _Newark Star-Ledger_ assailing
the church for its new policy banning gar men as priests, and for making gay
pnests scapegoats in the child sex-abuse
scandal.
His big mistake, according to the
school's dean, was identifying himself as
a Seton Hall administrator. After
working there for seven years, Mott
thought of Seton Hall as an institution of
higher learning that valued free '
expression of ideas. Unfortunately for
Mott, that freedom of thought has to be
within certain parameters - this time, the
teachings of the Catholic Church.
If you want to be a doctor and go the
New York Medical College (NYMC), a
private Catholic school affiliated with the
Archdiocese of New York and located in
Westchester, you have to tow its
religious line as well. The school revoked
the charter of its LGBT student group
after it changed its name from Student
Heip to NYMC Lesbian Gav Bisexual
and Tmosgender People in Medicine - it
said that the group wanted to "promote
the lifestyle of GLBT people, [which is]
in conflict with the standards and vaiues
of the College." A statement issued bv
Dean Dr. Ralph O'Connell said, "It ;as
clear that the organization and its leader
would advocate and promote activities
inconsistent with the· values of NYMC."
~ould those activities be teaching
Continued next page. Page 20
Lesbian Notions:
safe-sex or promoting free and unfettered
access to reproductive health care? Are
coffee cups really so subversive that they
pose a threat to Christian teachings? Is
speaking one's mind about victimizing
gays grounds for demotion?
These are all valid questions - but
ones that will never be given the full
rigor of academic discussion and debate
at Baylor, Seton Hall, Mars Hill, or
NYMC. At these campuses, the freedom
to think has been replaced with the
freedom to not think out loud.
Page 21
ut
by
Liz Highleyman
DECEMBER
2005
Summary : Past Out is a retrospective
of key moments, personalities, and
subjects in LGBT history. Each
installment brings the past to life by
exploring the diversity of the gay past
and its impact on the queer present.
Who was Harvey Milk?
Harvey Milk's shift from closeted
businessman to radical firebrand to
political insider mirrored the trajectory
~f the gay rights movement during his
hfe. Though his time in office was short
he is remembered as one of the most '
important gay icons of all time.
Milk was born May 22, 1930, in
Woodmere, Long Island. Although he
began having sexual experiences with
men in parks and theaters in his earlv
teens, he presented a conventional ,
appearance and was a popular high
school athlete. After graduating from
the New York State College for
Teachers, Milk enlisted in the Navy
during the Korean War. ·
After leaving the Navv in 1955 Milk
taught high school mathe~atics, '
coached basketball, and enjoyed a cozy
domestic life with sometime hustler Joe
Campbell (later immortalized as the
"Sugar Plum Fairy" in Lou Reed's song
"Walk on the Wild Side"l. But Milk
soon tired of teaching and its
requirement for strict secrecy about his
sexuality, and he went to w~rk as a Wall
Street financial analyst.
Possessed of both a voracious sexual
appetite and a yearning for romance,
Milk had a penchant for attractive. often
troubled men many years his iuni~r.
After his relationship with c;mpbell,
Milk took ~P w!th _young activist Craig
Rodwell. Next, he became involved
with stage manager Jack McKinley,
whointroduced him to the bohemian
Greenwich Village aiternative thea::er
crowd. Milk soon eschewed his buttoneddown
ways, adopting a hippie style and
liberal political views.
In 1972, Milk and his new lover. Scott
Smith, moved to San Francisco. where
they opened a camera shop on ·Castro
Street, in what was then a working-class
Irish neighborhood. Milk aot involved in
politics, making alliances :-ith labor
unions, seniors, and the city's Chinese
community. He formed the Castro
Village Association (a gay business
alliance) and founded the Castro Street
Fair.
Milk ran for the San Francisco Board
of Supervisors in 1973, following in the
footsteps of drag impresario Jose Sarria,
who, two decades earlier, had been the
first gay man to vie for the office.
Rejected by established gay leaders who
preferred to cultivate straight political
allies, Milk built his base on grassroots
support.
After losing that election, Milk cut off
his ponytail, traded his jeans for business
suits, and swore off marijuana and
bathhouses. Positioning himself as a
champion of neighborhoods and against
downtown deveiopers, Miik ran
unsuccessfully for supervisor again in
1975 and for state assembly the following
year. He rode the wave of militant gay
activism in the wake of Anita Brvant's
Save Our Children campaign, and: took
the lead in opposing California's failed
Briggs Initiative, which would have barred
homosexuals from ceaching in public
schools.
.Milk finally won a supervisor seat in
November 1977, becoming the first
openly gay man to win a major political
office in the Unired States. (Lesbian Elaine
Noble had been elected stat~
representative in Massachusetts in 197 4.)
Yet despite his political success, Milk's
personal and financial life was in disarrav.
He was deeply in debt and had to close his
f~linEf_ camera business. He had broken up
with ::,m1th and taken a new young iover,
Jack Lira, who was given to embarrassing
drunken scenes at public functions and
who committed suicide in 1978.
Milk's first legislative proposai was a
gay antidiscrimination ordinance, which
the supervisors passed with one dissenting
vote that of conservari;;e ex-cop Dan
\X'hite, who had been elected on
.... continued next page. Page 22
Past Out:
a traditional values platform.
Citing financial hardship, White resigned
his board seat in the fall of 1978 but
soon decided he wanted it back.' At the
urging of Milk, Mayor George Moscone
declined to reappoint White, who had
often provided the swing vote to block
progressive legislation.
On the morning of November 27,
1978, White snuck in through a side
window at Citv Hall, shot Moscone at
close range, th~n marched down the hall
and pumped five bullets into Milk.
Coming just a week after the mass suicide
of Jim Jones' People's Temple (which
had been based in San Francisco), the
assassinations threw the city into further
~u~moil. That night, thousands of people
Jomed a candlelight march from the
Castro to City Hall.
On May 21 of the following year
White was convicted on two cou~ts ~f
voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to
less than eight years in prison, after his
attorneys employed the "Twinkie
defense," arguing that he was mentallv
i~paired due to eating junk food. Th~
city's gay community exploded in rage,
shattering the windows of Citv Hall and
torching police cruisers in wh~t came to
be known as the White Night Riot. Later
that evening, the police retaliated,
invading the Castro with nightsticks
swinging. In 1984, White was released on
parole; the next year he committed
suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Having frequently received death
threats, Milk had prepared a taped will
suggesting who should succeed him
(including Harry Britt, whom new
mayor Dianne Feinstein appointed as his
replacement). "If a bullet should enter
my brain," he said in the message, "let
that bullet destroy every closet door." At
his memorial service, Milk's lesbian aide,
Anne Kronenberg, read a poem she
found in his desk: "I can be killed with
ease/ I can be cut right down/ But I
cannot fall back into mv closet .. .I am too
many/ I am all of us." ,
For further information:
Epstein, Rob, and Richard Schmeichen.
I 984. _ The Times of Harvey Milk rNew
Yorker Vuleo). · - '
Shilts, Randy. i 982. _ The 1\Jayor of Castro
Street_ (St. Martin's Press).
Page 23
Dear Uncle Mikey:
Rsk 1
Advice Column!
December 2005
Salutations Kittens, Uncle here bringing the
latest in all things Queer. Another Holiday season
is upon us, while Uncle makes ready for his annual
wet jock contest. Yes, Uncle celebrates the season
slightly different from the average Queer. You
should see my Christmas tree, it could sway several
priest at the very site. I have the twenty-five
Twinks of Christmas dawning my tree. Yes, it shall
be a very Marv Christmas this vear. Let's see what
Queer seekers · bring me this se;son.
I am not prepared again to join in my familise dysfunctional seasonal celebration. I
am not allowed to bring any one with me, as they remain homophobic. I have
decided to be on my own this year, but am feeling down, as this will be the first year
I have not been with my family during the holidays. I love them however; can not
deal with this years dysfunctional holiday bash. I am really finding myself depressed
about all of this and am not the typical depressed person. Should I just go and ignore
the fact they refuse to let me be myself. I mean it does not really matter that I am gay,
but being single during the holidays is a bummer. Any thoughts here?
Seasonally sad
Dearest Sad:
Kitten, you are right as many people suffer from seasonal depression during these
holiday times. It is not in any way your fault that your family can't see the errors in
their ways. You are the wonderful creature you are meant to be and it is solelv their
loss. Uncle, would advise you not to sit aro~d and allow these feelings of sadri:ess to
set in. Get invoived in the community, and create a family of your own, which will
love and support you just the way you are. Besides, isn't it about time you celebrate
the season Queer style? This too shall pass young one.
Holiday smooches-Uncle Mikey
Many people in the GLTB ~ommunity are left on their own during a season
which, in its basic form has been used to segregate our people while judging our
lifestyle and choices. This is however not the seasonal meaning and true spirit of the
season. Do not allow ignorance to leave you feeling sad, celebrate your life, ind our
community this year by joining in with others as fabulous as you. Believe me there
will be no long faces at Uncles corner this year. Tis the seaso~ of brotherly love and
Uncle has a lot of Love to go around. Christmas thongs for everyone!
Dear Uncle Mikey:
The guy I have been seeing is so bcredibiy full of himself. He is also selfish in so
many ways, while loving in others. I feel like he is truly a good guy deep·inside,
however needs reality checks, in the way he disregards my feelings. I need a way to
show him just how it feels to be disregarded. Any suggestions Guru?
Tired of being Dissed
Dearest Dissed,
Kitten, Unde knows of what you speak. Allow me to share with you just how I
handled one man, which while in my life, did not know who Uncle truly was, as he
did not see the force he was dealing with, until Uncle gave him a lesson ·in
consideration. Uncle dated him whilst in a gray area of my life. He acted as if he was
Gods gift, little did he know I was the one true Queen in the piace. So after dealing
Continued next page: · • Page '26
Ask Uncle Mikey:
with his antics, and rudeness on several
occasions, I decided it was time to give
back a little. I set up a romantic
interlude, which of course he took for
granted, thinking he was doing Uncle a
favor. Can you imagine, Uncle, please?
Poor widdle puddin did not stand a
chance. After whining and dining the
fool, it was time for the romantic
interlude to heat up. While in the midst
of our widdle physical romp, Uncle
decided he had a craving for pizza. To his
shock, Uncle hipped out a cell phone
never missing a beat, and ordered a pizza.
Never stopping mind you, after watching
his eyes, I could see his dismay in Uncles
lack of concern and interest in the event
before him. I however, being the Queen I
am took it to another level as I answered
my call waiting. Discussing a shopping
trip a friend of mine had made that day.
Needless to say, it was a most humbling
experience for the widdle one. Uncle
knew it was not his prince before him,
however wanted to s·end him back to
Queerdom humbled, and more
concerned for the next one ro call him
lover. Try it and see if it does not bring
Romeo back to earth.
Kittens, life are a series of lessons, and
teacher is in!
Well, that is about all of the time I
have this month. Kittens, celebrate the
season pride style this year, celebrating
Queer life. Reach out and touch someone
this season providing holiday Yule time
loving for all. Merry Christmas Kittens,
your forever humbled servant Uncle
Mikey and Tiddles too. See you next
year, you fabulous Queer!
Smooches uncle Mikey and Tiddies too!
Want more of Mikey? Visit Mikey's corner
at www.askunclemikey.com. Freelance
writer Michael Hinzman, joining
communities throughout Queerdom ...
with wild rice stuffing and Southern
Comfort sauce
Sauce:
1-1/2 cups brown sugar.
1/2 cup Southern Comfort.
1 cup orange juice.
1 cup pineapple juice.
1 /2 lemon squeezed.
1 / 8th teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all together and simmer for 45 min.,
then set a side.
Stuffing:
2 cups cooked wild rice.
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper.
1 large Shittake Mushroom chopped.
1 / 4th cup chopped white onion.
1 I 8th teaspoon rosemary.
:Mix all together and set a side.
Preheat oven to 375 degree- take 4 large
Quail Breast stuff each breast with a 1/2
cup of rice stuffing. Tooth pick the ends
to hold mixture in Place breast side up,
meit 3 tablespoons of butter and lightly
brush the breast. Place in a 9X12 baking
dish, lightly season with ground rosemary.
Bake for 45 minutes or until
internal temp of 165 degrees. Remove
from oven. Drizzle SC sauce on pla~e and
place Quail !.n center, remove toothpicks,
drizzle more sauce on top, garnish with a
sprig of rosemary.
Tip: Serve with Red Wine.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to ail my great
friends._________ Page 27
/
Scopes
;'Explore new ideas, Pisces!"
Ma.rs is in Taurus, which is good for
getting things done - but he's inflexible.
Now opposing Jupiter in Scorpio, he is
open to seeing the deeper effects of his
efforts, but he's still relentless. While
these planets are aspecting Uranus in
Pisces, it's a great time to consider
options and improvements in both
methods and purpose.
ARIES (March 20 - April 19): There's no
end to sexual opportunities now.
Although you're the sign that most
wants instant gratification - and there's
lots to be had - you also want something
deeper and more important. Stop, think,
and hold out for what you really want.
..
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You've
been feeling stuck lately. With a little
courage and willingness to confront your
partner, you can release that blockage
productively. Advice from friends will
prove helpful, even if it only provokes
you to think of different ideas.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): You can
get an awful lot accomplished. Just
remember that when "staying on track,"
you have to consider that the track has
some surprise twists. Be adaptable and
solicit input from anyone with more
authority, whether by position or
experience.
CANCER (lune 21 - July 22): You're
being a bit of a control queen these days.
Well ... a bit more than usual. Be open to
giving and getting suggestions - especially
getting. Don't be too fixed on your
goals; there are better possibilities for the
open-minded.
LEO (luly 23 - August 22): Be confident,
and wherever you find opposition to
your goais, consider what your
opponents have to say. They have some
good ideas that will prove helpful to you.
If you can find common ground to work
together, all the better.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22):
Never mind the "tall, dark stranger." A
stocky, ruddy stranger is more likely to
enter your life now. If you meet such a
hottie, offer verbal challenges - dares,
riddles, mysteries - to start what could
become a very intriguing affair.
LIBRA (September 23 October 22):
You're sexual dynamite now. You could
do what you want with almost anyone.
Don't let enthusiasm make you forget
what's important in life - sexually and
otherwise. Keep your head clear and
your sex safe!
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21):
You have a clear advantage over partners
and opponents. You could take ruthless
advantage, or engage them playfully,
finding creative solutions to conflict and
new opportunities for brilliant
teamwork.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 -
December 20): Problems you've been
having with work will soon clear up.
Real progress is a week or two off, but
revelations and insights now will help
you get back on track. Imagine what
your wackiest old relative would suggest.
CAPRICORN (December 21 - January
19): Sensual explorations open.up new
sexual horizons. Discussion with a
confidant should lead you through some
confusion and surprises if you are to find
any real clarity.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18):
Any money troubles can point to bigger
problems (and towards solutions as well!)
regarding how deeply engrained family
patterns may be holding you back from
your career goals. Answers don't come
easily now, but at least questions are
getting dearer.
PISCES (February 19 - March 19):
Explore new ideas and philosophies
enthusiastically. But if you try expressing
those new ideas, you'll sound like vou're
channeling Edward Said via Gracie· Allen.
If you can let having fun be more
important than being convincing, that's
not so bad.
Page 28
You can find oopf.es of the
STA.Rat these 4 atat.es
buainess & organizations.
Arkansas, Eureka Sprin&s
Diversity Pride Event - - www.diverllityprido.com
MCC Ll,-ing Spring - - - • - - - - - - - -870-253-9337
Arkansas, Fayetteville ( 479)
Condom Sense. - -418 W. Dicluon- -479-444-6228
Curry's Video - - 612 N. College Ave- 479-521-0009
Passages - - 930 N. College Ave- - - - • 479-442-5845
Arkansas, Fort Smith (479)
Club 1022 - - 1022 Dod,on Ave. - - - • 479-782-1845
Kinkead!- 1004 1/2 G.lrrison Ave- - - 479-783-9988
Arkansas, Hot Springs (501)
Jeiter11 Lounge - - 1010 E. Grand Ave - -501-624-5455
Arkansas, Little Rock (501)
Back Street- - - -1021 Jessie Rd- -- - - - -501-664-2744
Diamond State Rodeo Assoc.- - - - - www.dsra.org
Discovery- - • 1021 Jessie Rd- -- - - - - -501~666-6900
Sidetracks - - 415 Ma.in St - -N. LR- 501-244-0444
The Factory - -412 Louisiana St.- - - - - -501-372-3070
Kansas, Pittsburg (620)
River of Llfe Church - 1709 N Walnut - -11.AM
PSU-QSA.- - 1701 S. Broadway- - - - 620-231-0938
Kan1as, Wichita (316)
Club Glacier - - 2828 E. 31st South - 316-612-9331
J's Lounge - - - 513 E. Central - - - 316-262-1363
Our Fantasy- - - - • 3201 S. Hillside- - -316-682-5494
The Otheraide- -447 N. St Francis- - 316-262-7825
Shami• - - - - - - - 4000 S. Broadway- - 316-522--2028
Sidestreet Mens Bar -1106 S. Pattie- - -316-267-0324
South 40 - - - - - 3201 S. Hillside• - - -316-682-5494
Trends Bar - • - -1507 S. Pawnee- - - - - 316-262-4530
Missouri, Ava
Catus Canyon Campground - - - - - - - 417-683-9199
Missouri, Joplin (<417)
Ree's- - 716 S. Main - - - - - - 417-627-9035
MCC Spirit of Christ-2902 E 20th, - - -Sun-6pm
Missouri, Kansas City (816)
Buddies - - - - - - - 3715 Main St-· - - 816-561-2600
Club NV - - - - 220 Admiral Blvd- 816-421-NVKC
DB Warehouse- -- 1915 Main St- - - -816-471-1575
Mis5ie B'5- - • -805 W. 39th St- - - - -- - 816-561-0625
Sidestteet Bar - - -413 E. 3rd- - - - - - 816-531-1775
Sidekicks Saloon - - 3707 Main St- - 816- 931-1430
Missouri, Lampe
KOKOMO Campground - - - - - - - - - - 417-779-5084
MIDSDUR:t DICL.AHDMA
Missouri, Springfield ( 417)
The Edge- -424 Boomille Ave- - - - - --417-831-4700
GLO Comm. Ctr- -518 E. Commerical- -869-3978
Liquors & Kickers- -1109 E. Commercial.873-2225
Martha's Vineyard- 219 W Olive - - - 417-864-4572
Priscilla's - - 1918 S. Glenstoue - - - 417-881-8444
Oz Bar - 504 E. Commercial - - - - - - 417-831-9001
Ronisuz Place- - --821 College- - - - - -417-864-0036
Rumors - --1109 E. Commercial- - - - 417-873-2225
Oklahoma, McAlester
McPride- - - - POBox 1515, McAlester, OK 74502
Oklahoma, Oklahoma City (405)
Boom Room- 2807 NW 36th St- -- - - -405-601-7200
Qub Rox• - -3535 NW 39th Expwy - 405-947-2351
Cristies Toy Box- - 3126 N. May Ave - 405-946-4438
Finish Line - -2200 NW 39th Expv;y- 405-525-0730
Gmhers Restaurant-2200 NW 39Exp405-525-0730
HollywoodHotel- 3535 NW 39th Ex- 405-947-2351
Habana Inn - 2200 NW 39th Exp- 4-05-528-2221
Hi-Lo Club - - 1221 NW SOth- - - -4-05-843-1722
Jungle Reds - - - 2200 NW Expwy- - 405-524•5733
Partnet11- - - - -2805 NW 36th St - - - - 405-942-2199
Priscilla's- 615 E. Memorial - -405-755-8600
Red Rocle North-2240 NW39th St- -405-525-5165
Sisters- - - - - - 2120 NW 39th St - - - -405-521-9533
The Roclciei- - -3201 N. May Ave - - 4-05-947-9361
Topanga Grill & Bar- 3535 NW 39th-- 405-947-2351
Oklahoma, Tulsa (918)
Bamboo Lounge- 7204 E. Pine - - - 918-836-8700
Club Majestic- - 124 N. Boston - - - • 918-584-9494
Qub Maverick- - 822 S. Sheridan -918-835-3301
Dreamland Bies - 8807 E. Admiral Pl - -834-1051
Elite Boolutore --814 S. Sheridan- - - 918-838-8503
End Up Club• - - 424 S. Memorial- -918-836-2480
GLBT Comm. Ctr- -5545 E. 41st- - - 918-743-4297
Hideaway Loungc-11730 E. 11th- - -918-437-0449
Midtown- - - -319 E. 3rd- - - - - 918-584-3112
Nitc Spot - - -3007 E. Admiral Pl - - - 918-834-3007
Priscilla's - - - - - 7925 E. 41st- - - - - -918-627-4884
Priscilla's - - 5634 W. Skelly -918-446-6336
Priscilla's - - - -11344 E. 11th - - - - -- -918-438A224
Priscilla's - - - - 2333 E. 7bt - - -918-499-i 661
Renegades- - - - 1649 S. Main - 918-585-3405
Tulsa CARES- -3507 E. Admiral Pi- - 918-834-4194
Tuisa Eagle- - - - -1338 E. 3rd - 918-592-i188
TNT's - - - 2114 S. Memorial- - -918-660-0856
Uodeiguy.com - - -15 E. Brady - - - - - 918-829-0824
Whittier News S12t1d- 1 N. Lewis- 918-592-0767
Yellow-Brick-Rd- - -2630 E. 15th- - 918-293-0304
Outlets wishing to distribute FREE copies of the STAR, Page 29
contact us at 918.835.7887 9am to 4pm mon - fri or email: ozarksstar@sbcglobai.net
Page 30
f
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bltterglrl Oq•yndlaate.aom
3007 E. ADMIRAL PLACE.
TULSA, OK
TIJESDA Y'S LADIES NITE 8pm TO CLOSE
1.25 LONG NECKS
DRAGS WELCOME
918.834.3007
Open Monday-Saturday 11 am
CLOSED SUNDAY
7240 East Pine - TULSA, OK
918.836.9777
open 6am to 2pm mon - sat.
Breakfast & Lunch
HIDEAWAY
11730 E. 11th - Tulsa, OK
918.437.0449
4pm to 2am
Monday.
Page 31
L ti
iris
Scott Crow, Managing Broker .
McGraw D.avisson Stewart, Realtors
800.460.3210
Langley, Oklahoma
ScottCrow.mcgrawok.com
918.782.3211
Page 3
Sooner State Rodeo
Association (SSRA)
Announces Gifting
Ceremony.
TULSA, OK_Sooner State Rodeo
Association has scheduled a Gifting
Ceremony on Saturday, December 17th
From 10:30pm until 11 :30pm at Club
Mavericks - 822 S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa,
OK. Tulsa's own IGRA Sanctioned Gay
Rodeo Association had their first TTown
Rodeo in April of 2005. It is
customary for Gay Rodeo Associations
to distribute some of the proceeds of
their rodeo to Community Organizations.
SSRA will present $4250.00 to the
following non-profit organizations in the
Tulsa area.
Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership
t0 receive a donation of $500.00 to assist
towards all of the amazing work they do
for a myriad of Tulsa's GLBT
community organizations.
Our House Too to receive a donation of
$250.00 to assist towards all of the great
work the organization does for the Tulsa
GLBT community in need. ·
Green Country AIDS Coalition to
receive a donation of $250.00 to help
support efforts toward HIV testing,
counseling and referrals for the Rural
Northeastern Oklahoma Area.
St Jerome's Parish Church to receive a
donation of $500.00 to thank them for all of
thier kind assistance to the Sooner State
Rodeo Association and to help support the
community assistance and outreach for which
St Jerome's has become known.
Pyramid Project to receive a donation of
$500.00 to help support the purchase and
rennovation of the new Tulsa Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender Community
Center.
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation to receive $2250 from the
fundraising efforts of Mr. SSRA 2005
Jonathan Brown. Page 4
Erosion Media
Launches
Gay Political Blog
Brent Hartinger, 1fichael Jensen, and
Sarah W am comment on The Big
Gay "Picture.
(PRWEB) November 17, 2005 - There
are gay blogs, and there are political
blogs, but until now there hasn't been
much in the way of exclusively gay
political blogs.
That changes with the arrival of The
Big Gay Picture
(www.biggaypicrure.com), a new blog
from Erosion Media, creator of the
popular websites, AfterEllen.com,
AfterElton.com, AllGayNews.com, and
FakeGayNews.com
"Most blogs are all over the place,"
says author and activist Brent Hartinger,
one of The Big Gay Picture's three main
writers. "But we are a gay political blog.
Because we're targeted, we can be
comprehensive."
According t0 Hartinger, the blog will
feature interviews with both GLBT
leaders and opponents, ongoing
commentary, and updates on local and
national gay political news.
"We really are giving the big gay
picture!" Hartinger says.
Along with Hartinger, the blog will
feature daily postings from Sarah Warn,
editor of AfterEllen.com, and novelist
and activist Michael Jensen.
"Any blog is a reflection of the
personalities involved in writing it,"
Warn says. "And by God, we definitely
have personalityl We can be pointed,
funny, impassioned, and sarcasticsometimes
all at the same rime."
Finally, according to Jensen, Tne Big
Gay Picture is also a community forum.
"Unlike most blogs, The Big Gay
Picture allows users to prominently post
their own commentary and analysis,"
Jensen says. "We've only just debuted,
and things are already quite live~yl"
NORTH CAROLINA
BAPTISTS SEND
INTOLERANT MESSAGE
TO CONGREGANTS
'The church should be a beacon,
not a barricade,' said the Human
Rights Campaign Foundation's
Harry Knox.
WASHINGTON - The Baptist State
Convention of North Carolina sent a
message of intolerance to its churches
and congregants yesterday in passing a
resolution to expel any member church
that "knowingly affirms, approves or
endorses homosexual behavior."
"The church should be a beacon, not
a barricade," said Harry Knox, director
of the Human Rights Campaign
Foundation's religion and faith
programs. "Gay parishioners contribute
in meaningful ways to their local
churches and communities and the
convention should focus on love and
compassion, not finding ways to demean.
and marginalize the faithful."
The North Carolina Baptists' decision
comes as several other Southern Baptist
institutions have taken intolerant stances
on gay issues. This week the Georgia
Baptist Convention voted t0 sever ties to
Mercer Universitv one of the
denomination's ~!<lest and largest
educational institutions - because school
administrators refused to condemn a
student group's observance of National
Coming Out Day. Additionally in Texas,
Baptist-affiliated Bavlor Universitv
dismissed a Baylor alumnus from ~he
business school's advisorv board because
he is gay. '
"Instead of welcoming an open
dialogue, these actions are designed to cut
off any intellectuai or spirituai debate,"
said Knox. "God gave us intellect so we
would use it, no:: cut ourselves off from
those who disagree with us."
DECEMBER 2005
by Andrew Coilins
Page 6
Out of Town
W'ine-touring in this part of the state
is great fun because staff at most tasting
rooms are friendlier and more laid-back
than in touristy areas. You can typically
spend plenty of time asking questions_
about what you're sampling. The reg10n
excels in just about every common U.S.
wine varietal, but zinfandels, pinot noirs,
and chardonnays are especially notable in
these parts.
A favorite winery of gay visitors is
the slightly campy Clautiere Vineyard,
which describes its own festive tasting
room as "Edward Scissorhands meets the
Mad Hatter at the Moulin Rouge." A few
other great w-ineries in Paso include the
prestigious J. Lohr Vineyards, the hip
Justin Winery, and the intimate but
outstanding Peachy Canyon Winery,
which produces one of the top zinfandels
around.
One of the larger vineyards that's
worth a visit is SLO's Tolosa Winery,
which provides visitors with excellent
self-guided winery tours and produces
some superb pinot noirs and syrahs, too.
Also check out charming Baileyana, set
inside a ,-intage former schoolhouse and
turning out fantastic pinot noir. For
more information on specific wineries,
check out the useful websites of San Luis
Obispo Vintners (www.slowine.com)
and the Paso Robles Vintners and
Growers Association
(www.pasowine.com), both of which
provide details on wineries open for
tours as well as great dining and lodging
recommendations.
Apart from winery-hopping, one of
the great things to do in this part of
California is to drive along the gorgeous
coastline fringed by the famed Highway
1. The must-see attraction along this
stretch is Hearst Castle, the legendary
San Simeon retreat built bv media
magna~e William Randolph Hearst, who
commissioned Bay Area architect Julia
Morgan to de;ign it. Morgan
collaborated with her boss for some 25
years to build this 150-room
~o~mtaintop S'.:langri La filled with
priceless mostlv Mediterranean
antiqui .. i~s. It's ~ow operated by the
California state park system and open to
visito:s for fascinating tours.
Famous guests at the castle during its
heyday in.eluded numerous Holiywood
stars, among them Erroi Flynn, who ,vas
supposedly kicked out for brea~ng one
or two of Hearst's house rules, like those
against excessive alcohol consumption
and unmarried guests sharing a bed. It's
been speculated that the never-married
Julia Morgan (1872-1957), who designed
some 700 buildings during her life, was a
lesbian, bur very little is actually known
of her personal life. Unquestionably,
however, she's one of the nation's
premier ~ if relatively unsung architects.
If you really want to get to know the
heart and soul of San Luis Obispo, attend
the fabulous Thursday-night farmer's
market, which is much more than a mere
gathering of produce-sellers. A big chunk
of downtown's main thoroughfare,
Higuera Street, is turned into a
pedestrian zone, and local restaurants
serve up everything from delicious
bruschetta to smoky barbecue ribs. It's
really a festival of sorts, and a great time
to people-watch and mingle with both
visitors and locals.
For dining in downtown SLO, check
out the Park Restaurant for some of the
freshest and most innovate Californiastvle
cuisine in the region, or Blue for its
o~tstanding wine list and heavenly grilled
salmon. At trendy Novo, you'll find
eclectic food with Asian, Mediterranean,
and Latin American twists try the Sri
Lankan cashew-and-butternut-squash
currv or the Moroccan lamb satay with ·
min~ 'chutney. Rudolph's Coffee & Tea is
a lively and gay-popular java joint
downtown, and Metro Cafe can be
counted on for great saiads, soups, and
baked goods. Or head south of SLO to
popular, if touristy, Pismo Beach for a
feast of tasty seafood at the Cracked
Crab.
Downtown Paso Robles is set around
a lovely, shaded city square lined with
several excellent restaurants, among them
Villa Creek and Berry Hill Bistro. For
lighter fare, pop inside Odyssey World
Cafe, which serves a terrific grilled tuna
rice bowi and fantastic sandwiches, such
as baked brie over artichoke hearts with
masted almonds. Sample delicious Italian
food at Buona Tavola, which also has a
branch in downtown San Luis Obispo.
Parts of SLO County bear an awfully
strong resemblance to Northern Italy,
esoecially around the grounds of Villa
T~scana: a Tuscan-inspired \"ilia that
offers some of the most luxurious B&B
Continued page-12 Page 7
Gifts
&rlWheeler
437 E. 141st Street
Glenpool, OK 74033
,, 918.291.EARL {3275)
Serving the Tulsa Metro Area for over 21 Years with PRIDE!
CUSTOM DECORATING * HOLIDAY SPEOALS
orders by 12noon guaranteed same da-, clJ\iv"'f.
Tulsa Stonewall
Now Necessary!
TULSA, OK_As most gay men and
women living in Tulsa now know, the
Tulsa Police Department began a series of
unending assaults on the gay clubs here.
Beginning in August of this year, the
TPD have entered gay bars with the force
of Storm Troopers, assailing the rights of
gay men and women who are attempting
to enjoy what gay life there is in Tulsa.
Police have demanded identification from
individuals not remotely involved in any
illegal actions, and once they call them in
through the NCIC service, arrest anyone
with warrants and arrest a few on public
drunk charges without a breathalizer test.
I wonder how may times this happens at
the elite straight bars in Tulsa? God help
you if you were born gay and try to live
peaceable here.
On June 28, 1969 the modern gay
rights movement began in Greenwich
Village, NYC when the Stonewall gay bar
was raided and the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender community decided to
revolt. The rest is history.
It is time for the disjointed gay
community in Tulsa to unite and begin to
fight for our civil rights. We need a
united front to demand from our city and
county government and Tulsa Police.
parity with other citizens and clubs, gay
or not. The Tulsa Police have achieved
what they sought to do-make gay citizens
who choose to go to gay bars, stay home,
resulting in the clubs struggling to stay
open. The Tulsa gay community is
avoiding the bars in fear of arrest for
being out and gay.
Go to any gay bar in Tulsa and yo:;
will see that business is down, the
bartenders will tell you the same thing
A common scenario is for the police to
swarm in on a bar, usually handcuff what
appears to be a person they are actua]y
hunting and then paralyze the remainder
of the patrons advising them they need to
produce their ID, stand still and not
move until told further what to do.
Further, based on what they consider
proper behavior, they will handcuff
anyone who remotely appears to be
touching another person, even when fully
clothed and begin harassing that person as
to their behavior. I personally watched as
this occurred. Two people were handcuffed
who were fully clothed and merely
talking to each other. AftC;r verbal cruel
harassment, they were un-cuffed and
allowed to leave. Why would anyone
want to go back to more of the same? Are
the police trying to push everyone back
into the alley's and parks? It would seem
that the gay community needs to ban
together to begin a determined response
when these illegal activities happen.
Maybe we should raise a clenched fist
when they arrive to signify our solidarity.
Maybe a sit in by the patrons and let
them drag us through the publicity raised
by the voluminous arrest!
Gay people of course would rather hit
their mother than be arrested and subject
to more public humiliation than is thrust
on them each day in Tulsa. The gay
community should begin to be politicaily
active in Tulsa County.
To the extent that the Tulsa Police
Department is able to continue to harass
gay people unfettered, it will not stop. To
the extent the gay community continues
to not be united, the police will win.
More effort and meetings among the bar
owners and GLBT organizations need to
become more forceful and demanding
with the powers in our city. We must
remember in this so called bible belt
mecca of Tulsa and all of Okl.ahoma. the
general public couldn't care iess about gay
rights, an aosent unified effort to secure
civil rights to foll equality, nothing wiil
change We mus: stop it. The TPD enjoy
it and nave no plans to cease. Tney are
happy we are staying home and quivering.
A strategic plan outline is needed
OO\V to deal \vith rhe heavy arm of the
law, so that gay people can enioy a night
out vvithout looking o ..v er their shoulder
for the handcuffs,
Page 11
Out of Town
accommodations in the region. The
stucco mansion surrounded by sunny
stone piazzas contains several airy
guestrooms with high timber-beamed
ceilings and sumptuous appointments
and from every window you see
vinevards in all directions. A superb
breakfast as well as afternoon wine and
cheese are included.
For a truly rejuvenating vacation
experience, book a stay at the gayfriendly
Sycamore Mineral Springs, a
beautifullv situated spa resort nestled
beneath d leafy hillside within easy
hiking distance of the ocean. The upscale
rooms here come in a variety of
configurations (some with kitchens and
large sitting areas), and most have private
outdoor hot tubs. But the amenities are
the real treats here: tubs bubbling with
healing mineral waters, a labyrinth path,
stunning hiking traiis, and a spa where
you can book a variety of soothing
massage, skincare, and medicinal
treatments. Be sure to enjoy a meal in die
exceptional restaurant, where you might
sample such refined fare as seared quail
with polenta, pine nuts, gorgonzola, and
pomegranates.
Another excellent lodging option,
especially if you want to be near the
coast and Hearst Castle, is Moonstone
Hotel Properties, a small but growing
group of distinctive hotels based in the
coastal community of Cambria.
Moonstone has about a half-dozen hotels
right in town as well as properties in
Monterey, Yosemite, and central
Oregon, and the company has made it a
kev focus in recent years to market
enthusiastically to the gay and lesbian
market.
The Moonstone properties in
Cambria come in a wide range of shapes
and sizes and with a few different
settings, but they share a few common
themes: attractive, upscale rooms;
grounds abundant ;ith incredibiy lush
gardens and meadows; and friendly,
easygoing staff. Several of the hotds are
pet-friendiy, too. If you want to be on a
verdant hillside above town, choose the
elegant Cambria Pines Lodge, which
consists of several outbuildings and
cabins and has one of the town's top
restaurants, known for i:s healthful,
organic-inspired cuisine. Right down
along ;:he shoreline, rhe Blue Dolphin
Inn, Sea Coast Lodge, Sea Otter Inn,
Sand Pebbles Inn, and Pelican Suites are
terrific hotels set right across from
Moonstone Beach. And if you're looking
to save a little money, choose the
economical Creekside Inn, a nicely
decorated motor lodge in the heart of
Cambria's festive village, steps from
shops and restaurants.
Wherever vou choose to stay in San
Luis Obispo County, you're close to
some of the nation's top wine-touring
and most inspired scenery. See it now
before SLO's pace quickens, and it
becomes every bit as popular as Napa
and Sonoma Countv. Fortunately, much
of the countrvside ~ this part of
California ha; been permanently
protected from development, so San Lui~
Obispo Countv will likely look every btt
as beautiful in the future as it does now.
The Little Black Book
Baiicyana (5828 Orcutt Rd., San Luis Obispo,
805-269-8200, www.bailcyana.com). Berry
Hill Bistro (1114 Pinc St .. Paso Robles, 805-
238-3929). Blue (998 Mo~tcrcy St., San Luis
Obispo, 805-783-1135). Buona Tavol:l. (943
Spring St., Paso Robles, 805-545-8000; also
1037 Montcrev St., San Luis Obispo, 805-545-
8000). Clauri;rc Vineyard (1340 Penman
Springs Rd., Paso Robics, 805-237-3789,
www.clautierc.com). Cracked Crab (7~1
Price St., Pismo Beach, 805-773-2722). J. Lohr
Vineyards (6169 Airport Rd., Paso Robles,
805-239-8900, www.jlohr.com). Justin Winery
(11680 Chimney Rock Rd., Paso Robles, 805-
237-4149 or 800-726-0049,
www.justinwinc.com). Metro Cafe (892
M.mh St., San Luis Obispo, 805-783-2022).
Moonstone Hotel Properties (800/966-6490,
www.moonsronehotcls.com/ gay). Novo (726
Higuera St., S:rn Luis Obispo, 805-543-3986).
Odyssey Worid Cafe (1214 Pine St., Paso
Robles. 805-237-75i6). Park Restaurant (1819
Osos St., San Luis Obispo, 805-545-0000J.
Peachy Canyon Winery (1480 W. Bethel Rd.,
Paso Robies, 805-239-1918, ·www.
pcachyca~yon.com). Rudolph's Coffee & Tea
(670 Higuera St., San Luis Obis?o, 805-543-
4902). San Luis Obispo Visitors &
Conference Bu:eau (805-541-8000 or 800-634-
14i 4, ww-w<.sanluisobispocoun:,y.com).
Svcamorc Mineral Sp:ings (1215 Aviia Beach
Dr., Avila Be;;.ch, 805-595-7302 or 800-234-
5831, wn.v-·~.sycamoresprings.com).
Page 12
"Is this the winter of my discontent"'
Oh yes boys and girls it is that time,
time for cards, the lists, the guest, the
gifts, family friends, food parties, events,
travel, weather, stress, guilt, anxiety, ya
ya ya!
What a workout it's become, this
month called December. Well Auntie has
the cure. Just say no to retail. Go back to
your gardening roots and work from
there. Naturally there's nothing better
than a gift of labor and love from your
own garden. Just look around, from
berries, hollies and evergreens to perennial
foliage, leaves, dried grasses and of
course HERBS. Auntie does love her
herb and heres just a couple of easy ways
to piease this holiday season.
Oils and vinegars. One way to
preserve the flavor of fresh (or store
bought) herbs is to steep them in oil or
vinegar, which may be used ror cooking.
or in salad dressings. This works well for
a number of herbs such as french tarragon,
oregano, rhyme, and lavendec
To make flavored oil, fill a clear glass
jar with sprigs or leaves of fresh herbs,
pour over a good flavoriess oil, like
sunflower and seal. Leave the jar in a
sunny spot for cwo weeks, shake or stir
every day. Strain and bottle, adding a new
sprig of the herb as identification as well
as decoration. Dried peppers, such as
banana, cyan, etc. are also great to use by
themselves or mixed with herbs. In
unusual bottles or jars with a bit of
ribbon and a hand printed label. These
make excellent gifts, hand grown and
made by you.
But don't forget about the uses of
dried herbs. Air-drying is the easiest way
of preserving most herbs.
Spread out sprigs, leaves, flowers or
seed heads in a single layer on a rack and
leave in a warm airy space to dry.
Alternatively tie sprigs in small bunches
and hang upside down in a warm, dry
but not to sunny - spot. The drying
process should take no more than 48
hours. Crush the leaves thoroughly
between your hands and store them in
airtight dark glass or ceramic containers
(clear glass will make them fade quickly.)
Using several small unique jars or
containers makes for another great gift
idea with a personal touch. Dried
rosemary, thyme, lavender and sage left
tightly bundled together create a fragrant
appeal for the most domestic of goddesses.
Let's not forget the tried and true
hostess gift that everyone enjoys. Oh yes
the poinsettia, with brilliant colors and
varieties you can't go wrong with this
proven Christmas winner. Just be careful
not to expose them to cold temperatures,
even for a few minutes or so cm possible
damage the entire plant. So lets not leave
it in the car when we stop at the bar first
for a before party pick me up, OK?
So run my little children, spread the
joy and love throughout the season, it's
time to grow so until next year, I wish
you all a merry Christmas, happy
holidays and a most harvested new year.
And don't forget.
''You can lead a hor-to-culture, but
you can't make her think.,,
Page 13
T-Town Rodeo To
Host Awards
Ceremony
Press Release:
November 21, 2005
TULSA,OK_Sooner State Rodeo
Association - Northeastern Oklahoma's
own Gay Rodeo Association, will hold a
New Year's Eve pre-party on December
31st, 2005 at the Parish Church of Saint
jerome's, 205 W. King St. in The Brady
Heights Historic District Oust north of
Downtown in Gay Brady Heights). The
event will be a Cowboy and Cowgirl
Mixer with a short Comestant
Recognition and Award Ceremony. The
Event will run from 7pm til 10pm and is
open to the public; a big part of this
event is geared toward a new
membership drive and renewing of
existing memberships. You do not have
to be a cowboy or cowgirl to be a part of
Sooner State Rodeo Association -
membership in the Sooner State Rodeo
Association in only $15.00 for an
Associate :Membership, $20.00 for a
General Membership and $25.00 for a
Commercial Memb;rship. Drop by and
meet the SSRA Posse, Have a shot of Red
Eye and some grub.
Scott Johnson, SSRA president for
2006 says, "Our focus this vear will be to
increase and develop the ro'embership
base and to organize work toward the TTown
Rodeo in 2007".
In spring of 2005 Tulsa's Sooner State
Rodeo Association put together it's first
International Gay Rodeo Association
Sanctioned Rodeo; billed as the T-Town
Rodeo it brought contestants from across
the nation and added to Tulsa's stature in
the Gay Rodeo Circuit. Plans are now in
the works for a T-Town Rodeo 2007.
You can get more information about
Sooner State Rodeo Association at
www.soonerstaterodeo.com.
109 E. Commercial Street
Springfield, Mo 65803
417-873-2225
HearTheRumors.com
Page 14
The Years Most
Anticipated
Movie Is Here
"Love Is A Force Of Nature"
Brokeback Mountain opening in
Chicago, San Francisco and New York
December 3, 2005. A raw, powerful
story of two young men, a Wyoming
ranch hand and
a rodeo cowboy,
who meet in the
summer of 1963
sheepherding in
the harsh, high
grasslands of
contemporary
Wyoming and
form an
unorthodox vet
life-long bondby
turns ecstatic,
bitter and
conflicted.
The new film
from Academy
Awardnominated
director Ang
Lee. An epic
love story set
against the
sweeping vistas
of Wyoming and
Texas,
Brokeback
Mountain tells
the story of nvo
young men a
ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy who
meet in tne summer of 1963, a~d
unexpectedly forge a iifelong connection,
one whose complications, joys and
tragedies provide a testament to the
endurance and power of l.ove.
Ennis and Jack, two cowbovs who fall in
love. As others have touch~d on, Brokeback
Mountain is so much more than merely a
"gay cowboy movie". It perfectly cap~res
what true, unbridled love is all about and this
love transcends any issues of sexualitv or
gender. "Love is a force of nature". ,
Unfortunately for many people and indeed
the protagonists of our story, society doesn't
always view it that way.
Kudos to Ang Lee who has not shied away
from the material at all. This adaptation stay;
true to the
original shore
story and the
two lead actors
fit the roles
perfectly. Ledger
and Gyllenhaal
give incredibly
strong
performances
.but the
supporting cast
shouldn't be
overiooked
work ail around
and with Mr
Ang Lee's vision
they have
created an
anything a,vay,
you are going to be 1nnv,ed b:,t this one.
Staring Heath Ledger, jake
Gyllenhaal, Anne Hatl.1a,;av. Micheiie
\~filii an1s. ~ ,
Page 15
This Is Shelter Country.
Here in our community you will find
Shelter Agent Greg Tainter. We're
proud to serve this community and
our customers. CalJ today aod ask
about our services.
Auto -Home - Life -BH-~iness
Greg W. Tainter. LUTCF
Tel:(166)M-9480
gtainlef@shelerinsur.llce.com
Healing the Family
There are some fortunate souls whom
upon coming out, find their families to '
be completely accepting and
understanding. And then there are the
rest of us. Our families panic, weep, wail,
pull away, and in some cases, outright
reject us. A few years ago, if someone
had told me that my partner and I would
one day be preparing a meal in our home
for our parents, I would have laughed.
Yet, I recently found myself in that very
situation. The journey to that point was
not an easy one for any of us.
Almost everyone in my family is a
conservative evangelical Christian.
Needless to say, when I came out, it
caused quite a stir. I viv:idiy remember
the family gathering together to prav
over me in an attempt to drive o;t these
evil influences. Yes, my family had an
exorcism to rid me of the gay demons.
Obviously, it didn't work. Next, thev
decided I should try one of the ex-gay
"ministries." They helpfolly provided me
with all kinds of information about
Exodus. I flat-out refused. Then they
suggested counseling. I agreed to that,
but only on my terms. I would not go to
a biased anti-gay Christian counselor.
That turned out to be a very good
decision since it helped me fully realize
there was nothing ',nong with me, and in
the long run, helped my family as well.
For a while after that, they backed off
My family tends to suffer from SOS,
or Severe Ostrich Syndrome. That's the
tendency to ignore something you don't
like by sticking your head in the sand
and hoping it will just go away on its
own. I've noticed many Southern
families suffer from this disorder. For a
while, I wasn't dating anyone and wasn't
really that invohred with my family, so it
became easy for them to ignore the fact
that I was gay. That changed when I
started dating Jon. When we decided to
move in together, it became impossible
to ignore. I got a call from my mother
soon after I broke the news to them. My
mother asked point-blank if Jon and I
were "lovers." I told her yes, to which
she responded that the family didn't
approve and could not condone that
"lifestyle." As calmly as I could, I told
her that I wasn't looking for their
approval and I didn't need them to
condone my choices. I went on to say
that Jon was an important part of my life
and if they wanted to continue being a
part of it as well, they would have to deal
with that. I didn't speak to them for
about a month. and then one afternoon
I got another ~all from my mother '
inviting Jon and I over for dinner.
That first night was decidedly
awkward, and it stayed that way for a
while. I refused to attend any family
function to which Jon wasn't welcome,
so there were many more uncomfortable
moments. For a while, the only people
who w:ould even speak to Jon at gettogethers
were my parents and my
younger sister. We didn't give up,
though, and gradually, more of my
siblings began to come around. It was a
slow process, and I'm .still not as close to
most of my brothers as I once was. but
we've come a long way. My paren~s have
been especially accepting as they've come
to know and love Joo.
Jon's family, while similar in some
aspects, was a different situation. Jon was
raised as a Reformed Jew. He grew up
attending a shul with gay and lesbian
Rabbis. He had every reason to expect
his family to be accepting, and his
younger brother was from the very
beginning. When Jon came out to him,
his initial reaction was simpiv, "Okav.
Cool." Jon's mother, on the ~ther h;nd,
Continued next page Page 18
HEART TO HEART
had a harder time with the news. Her
first reaction was to rather hvstericallv
blame the fall of Greece and Rome on·
homosexuality. She refused to have
anything to do with me, and was furious
at Jon for hiding this from her.
Once again, there was no sudden change
of heart, but rather a gradual acceptance.
She lives farther away than my parents,
so we saw her less often, but when we
did see her, we were almost always
together for Jon's or her birthday,
when Jon graduated from college, etc. I
did a painting for her of her cat, who she
dearly loved. Over time, she began to ask
how I was when thev talked on the
phone. When Jon and I decided we
wanted to buy a home, she, being a real
estate agent, wanted to be involved. She
traveled back and forth several times as
we looked at homes and found one we
loved. She stayed with us at our old
house and we spent more time together.
The weekend we closed on the house and
moved in, I spent more time alone with
Jon's mom than I did with Jon. We
actually had a chance to bond.
A few weeks after we'd moved in,
Jon's mom came down for the weekend
just to see what progress we'd made.
That Saturday, my parents came over
because my dad was planning to help us
with some minor plumbing problems. As
these things have a tendency to do, the
small project turned into an entire day
spent under the sink. While Jon, my
father, and I spent the afternoon between
the kitchen and the hardware store, our
moms bonded while watching a homeimprovement
marathon on HGTV.
Later that evening, the sink fixed, Jon
and I cooked dinner for our parents. As
we all sat around the table eating and
laughing, it suddenly hit me that our
families were heaied. I had to fight back
tears as I looked around. I never would
have expected to see the scene before me.
It wasn't because of anything in
particular that we did. We didn't forcefeed
them any scientific smdies or drag
them to PFLAG meetings. That may
have worked for other families, bu: what
worked for ours was simply Jiving our
lives openly and honestly. They co;.;ldn't
help but see our love for one another and
realize that there was nothing diny or
wrong about it. Maybe it took a wi1iie.
but the wounds did heal.
This past week I was talking to my
mom about Thanksgiving plans. It's an
annual tradition for my very large family
to gather together for a huge, homecooked
meal. The past two years, Jon
and I have spent Thanksgiving with his
mom and brother since they don't have a
large family to share it with. Last time,
though, I promised my family we'd
spend the holiday with them this year.
When Mom told me no plans had been
made yet, I found myself impulsively
offering to host the family dinner at our
house. It made sense, since we have more
space than any of my other siblings that
live locally. It wasn't until after I hung
up that I wondered just what I'd gotten
myself imo. Between my three brother
and two sisters, I have nineteen nieces
and nephews - and white living room
furniture.
After I broke the news to Jon and he
calmed me down, we decided it would be
a good thing. We also decided to invite
his mom and brother, too. We don't yet
know if thev will come, but if thev do, it
'.Vill be the first time both of our families
have been together. I know it will be an
emotional and perhaps somewhat
awkward time, but I'm looking forward
to it. It will be the next step in healing
our family.
1he views expressed in this column are my
opinions only. You don't have to agree with
them. I just ask that you read them with an
open heart and mind.
FREE HIVTESTING,
NO NEEDLES I
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MCC SPONSORS
Testing the last Sunday of
each month between 5PM and 6PM.
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PO Box 4711
Joplin, Mo 64803
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Your Invited to our Communitv
Dinne: _Every ~ed. 6pm just $4.00.
No one 1s turned away.
Page 19
Lesbian
Notions
by Libby Post
DECEMBER 2005
Freedom To Think
Getting a good education was always
paramount in my house. Neither of my
parents went to college, but _The New
York Times_ was daily reading, and my
brother and I were promised a college
education they could afford. That meant
going to one of the 64 State University of
New York campuses. I eventually got
both my degrees from the Universitv at
Albany; my brother received his fro~
Stony Brook and Binghamton.
Io the post-'60s college environment
that both my brother and I enjoyed,
there was open debate on mvriad issues -
debate that was fostered by ; ·
commitment to new and different ideas
respect for a broad range of opinions, '
and recognition that if we didn't learn
and grow, we would shrivel and die.
This is the way it was and still is on
many campuses, but not so at some
schools that have religious affiliations.
Schools affiliated with the Southern
Baptist Convention have made the news
regarding their reluctance to embrace
ideas outside their narrow biblical
interpretations. At Bavlor Universitv in
Waco, Texas, 25-year-~ld Matt Bass had
his full scholarship to divinity school
revoked after he came out.
When the school's student newspaper
endorsed gay marriage, Baylor's
president rebuked it. After all Bavior's
school policy states that no s~de~t
publication's editorial should "attack the
basic tenets of Christian theology or of
Christian morality'' - so much for
freedom of the student press.
After learning that 1983 graduate Tim
Smith, who is on the universitv's School
of Business advisory panel, wa; gay,
Baylor told Smith that he could no
i.onger serve and was no longer welcome.
Tb.is was after Smith personally donated
over $65,000 to the school and raised an
additional $60,000 to establish an
academic scholarship. I guess gav monev
doesn't talk at Baylor. • ·
Nor does a good cup of java. Once
Baylor learned that an Armistead Maupin
quote was on Starbucks' coffee cups as
part of the company's campaign to
highlight quotes from famous people, the
school ordered the Starbucks on campus
to get rid of all its cups.
Even if a Baptist-affiliated school wanted
to do ~e right thing and be welcoming,
the vanous state Baptist Conventions are
not above holding the schools they
support financially hostage. Recently, the
North Carolina Baptist State Convention
threatened to pull nearly $1 million in
funding to that state's Mars Hill College
if it approved Open Doors, a campus
LGBT group. Money won out - the
group was not recognized.
But the Baptists aren't alone.
An associate dean at Catholic Seton
Hall University in New Jersey was
demoted after he publicly criticized the
church's aotigay position in his local
newspaper. W. King Mott wrote a letter
to the _Newark Star-Ledger_ assailing
the church for its new policy banning gar men as priests, and for making gay
pnests scapegoats in the child sex-abuse
scandal.
His big mistake, according to the
school's dean, was identifying himself as
a Seton Hall administrator. After
working there for seven years, Mott
thought of Seton Hall as an institution of
higher learning that valued free '
expression of ideas. Unfortunately for
Mott, that freedom of thought has to be
within certain parameters - this time, the
teachings of the Catholic Church.
If you want to be a doctor and go the
New York Medical College (NYMC), a
private Catholic school affiliated with the
Archdiocese of New York and located in
Westchester, you have to tow its
religious line as well. The school revoked
the charter of its LGBT student group
after it changed its name from Student
Heip to NYMC Lesbian Gav Bisexual
and Tmosgender People in Medicine - it
said that the group wanted to "promote
the lifestyle of GLBT people, [which is]
in conflict with the standards and vaiues
of the College." A statement issued bv
Dean Dr. Ralph O'Connell said, "It ;as
clear that the organization and its leader
would advocate and promote activities
inconsistent with the· values of NYMC."
~ould those activities be teaching
Continued next page. Page 20
Lesbian Notions:
safe-sex or promoting free and unfettered
access to reproductive health care? Are
coffee cups really so subversive that they
pose a threat to Christian teachings? Is
speaking one's mind about victimizing
gays grounds for demotion?
These are all valid questions - but
ones that will never be given the full
rigor of academic discussion and debate
at Baylor, Seton Hall, Mars Hill, or
NYMC. At these campuses, the freedom
to think has been replaced with the
freedom to not think out loud.
Page 21
ut
by
Liz Highleyman
DECEMBER
2005
Summary : Past Out is a retrospective
of key moments, personalities, and
subjects in LGBT history. Each
installment brings the past to life by
exploring the diversity of the gay past
and its impact on the queer present.
Who was Harvey Milk?
Harvey Milk's shift from closeted
businessman to radical firebrand to
political insider mirrored the trajectory
~f the gay rights movement during his
hfe. Though his time in office was short
he is remembered as one of the most '
important gay icons of all time.
Milk was born May 22, 1930, in
Woodmere, Long Island. Although he
began having sexual experiences with
men in parks and theaters in his earlv
teens, he presented a conventional ,
appearance and was a popular high
school athlete. After graduating from
the New York State College for
Teachers, Milk enlisted in the Navy
during the Korean War. ·
After leaving the Navv in 1955 Milk
taught high school mathe~atics, '
coached basketball, and enjoyed a cozy
domestic life with sometime hustler Joe
Campbell (later immortalized as the
"Sugar Plum Fairy" in Lou Reed's song
"Walk on the Wild Side"l. But Milk
soon tired of teaching and its
requirement for strict secrecy about his
sexuality, and he went to w~rk as a Wall
Street financial analyst.
Possessed of both a voracious sexual
appetite and a yearning for romance,
Milk had a penchant for attractive. often
troubled men many years his iuni~r.
After his relationship with c;mpbell,
Milk took ~P w!th _young activist Craig
Rodwell. Next, he became involved
with stage manager Jack McKinley,
whointroduced him to the bohemian
Greenwich Village aiternative thea::er
crowd. Milk soon eschewed his buttoneddown
ways, adopting a hippie style and
liberal political views.
In 1972, Milk and his new lover. Scott
Smith, moved to San Francisco. where
they opened a camera shop on ·Castro
Street, in what was then a working-class
Irish neighborhood. Milk aot involved in
politics, making alliances :-ith labor
unions, seniors, and the city's Chinese
community. He formed the Castro
Village Association (a gay business
alliance) and founded the Castro Street
Fair.
Milk ran for the San Francisco Board
of Supervisors in 1973, following in the
footsteps of drag impresario Jose Sarria,
who, two decades earlier, had been the
first gay man to vie for the office.
Rejected by established gay leaders who
preferred to cultivate straight political
allies, Milk built his base on grassroots
support.
After losing that election, Milk cut off
his ponytail, traded his jeans for business
suits, and swore off marijuana and
bathhouses. Positioning himself as a
champion of neighborhoods and against
downtown deveiopers, Miik ran
unsuccessfully for supervisor again in
1975 and for state assembly the following
year. He rode the wave of militant gay
activism in the wake of Anita Brvant's
Save Our Children campaign, and: took
the lead in opposing California's failed
Briggs Initiative, which would have barred
homosexuals from ceaching in public
schools.
.Milk finally won a supervisor seat in
November 1977, becoming the first
openly gay man to win a major political
office in the Unired States. (Lesbian Elaine
Noble had been elected stat~
representative in Massachusetts in 197 4.)
Yet despite his political success, Milk's
personal and financial life was in disarrav.
He was deeply in debt and had to close his
f~linEf_ camera business. He had broken up
with ::,m1th and taken a new young iover,
Jack Lira, who was given to embarrassing
drunken scenes at public functions and
who committed suicide in 1978.
Milk's first legislative proposai was a
gay antidiscrimination ordinance, which
the supervisors passed with one dissenting
vote that of conservari;;e ex-cop Dan
\X'hite, who had been elected on
.... continued next page. Page 22
Past Out:
a traditional values platform.
Citing financial hardship, White resigned
his board seat in the fall of 1978 but
soon decided he wanted it back.' At the
urging of Milk, Mayor George Moscone
declined to reappoint White, who had
often provided the swing vote to block
progressive legislation.
On the morning of November 27,
1978, White snuck in through a side
window at Citv Hall, shot Moscone at
close range, th~n marched down the hall
and pumped five bullets into Milk.
Coming just a week after the mass suicide
of Jim Jones' People's Temple (which
had been based in San Francisco), the
assassinations threw the city into further
~u~moil. That night, thousands of people
Jomed a candlelight march from the
Castro to City Hall.
On May 21 of the following year
White was convicted on two cou~ts ~f
voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to
less than eight years in prison, after his
attorneys employed the "Twinkie
defense," arguing that he was mentallv
i~paired due to eating junk food. Th~
city's gay community exploded in rage,
shattering the windows of Citv Hall and
torching police cruisers in wh~t came to
be known as the White Night Riot. Later
that evening, the police retaliated,
invading the Castro with nightsticks
swinging. In 1984, White was released on
parole; the next year he committed
suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Having frequently received death
threats, Milk had prepared a taped will
suggesting who should succeed him
(including Harry Britt, whom new
mayor Dianne Feinstein appointed as his
replacement). "If a bullet should enter
my brain," he said in the message, "let
that bullet destroy every closet door." At
his memorial service, Milk's lesbian aide,
Anne Kronenberg, read a poem she
found in his desk: "I can be killed with
ease/ I can be cut right down/ But I
cannot fall back into mv closet .. .I am too
many/ I am all of us." ,
For further information:
Epstein, Rob, and Richard Schmeichen.
I 984. _ The Times of Harvey Milk rNew
Yorker Vuleo). · - '
Shilts, Randy. i 982. _ The 1\Jayor of Castro
Street_ (St. Martin's Press).
Page 23
Dear Uncle Mikey:
Rsk 1
Advice Column!
December 2005
Salutations Kittens, Uncle here bringing the
latest in all things Queer. Another Holiday season
is upon us, while Uncle makes ready for his annual
wet jock contest. Yes, Uncle celebrates the season
slightly different from the average Queer. You
should see my Christmas tree, it could sway several
priest at the very site. I have the twenty-five
Twinks of Christmas dawning my tree. Yes, it shall
be a very Marv Christmas this vear. Let's see what
Queer seekers · bring me this se;son.
I am not prepared again to join in my familise dysfunctional seasonal celebration. I
am not allowed to bring any one with me, as they remain homophobic. I have
decided to be on my own this year, but am feeling down, as this will be the first year
I have not been with my family during the holidays. I love them however; can not
deal with this years dysfunctional holiday bash. I am really finding myself depressed
about all of this and am not the typical depressed person. Should I just go and ignore
the fact they refuse to let me be myself. I mean it does not really matter that I am gay,
but being single during the holidays is a bummer. Any thoughts here?
Seasonally sad
Dearest Sad:
Kitten, you are right as many people suffer from seasonal depression during these
holiday times. It is not in any way your fault that your family can't see the errors in
their ways. You are the wonderful creature you are meant to be and it is solelv their
loss. Uncle, would advise you not to sit aro~d and allow these feelings of sadri:ess to
set in. Get invoived in the community, and create a family of your own, which will
love and support you just the way you are. Besides, isn't it about time you celebrate
the season Queer style? This too shall pass young one.
Holiday smooches-Uncle Mikey
Many people in the GLTB ~ommunity are left on their own during a season
which, in its basic form has been used to segregate our people while judging our
lifestyle and choices. This is however not the seasonal meaning and true spirit of the
season. Do not allow ignorance to leave you feeling sad, celebrate your life, ind our
community this year by joining in with others as fabulous as you. Believe me there
will be no long faces at Uncles corner this year. Tis the seaso~ of brotherly love and
Uncle has a lot of Love to go around. Christmas thongs for everyone!
Dear Uncle Mikey:
The guy I have been seeing is so bcredibiy full of himself. He is also selfish in so
many ways, while loving in others. I feel like he is truly a good guy deep·inside,
however needs reality checks, in the way he disregards my feelings. I need a way to
show him just how it feels to be disregarded. Any suggestions Guru?
Tired of being Dissed
Dearest Dissed,
Kitten, Unde knows of what you speak. Allow me to share with you just how I
handled one man, which while in my life, did not know who Uncle truly was, as he
did not see the force he was dealing with, until Uncle gave him a lesson ·in
consideration. Uncle dated him whilst in a gray area of my life. He acted as if he was
Gods gift, little did he know I was the one true Queen in the piace. So after dealing
Continued next page: · • Page '26
Ask Uncle Mikey:
with his antics, and rudeness on several
occasions, I decided it was time to give
back a little. I set up a romantic
interlude, which of course he took for
granted, thinking he was doing Uncle a
favor. Can you imagine, Uncle, please?
Poor widdle puddin did not stand a
chance. After whining and dining the
fool, it was time for the romantic
interlude to heat up. While in the midst
of our widdle physical romp, Uncle
decided he had a craving for pizza. To his
shock, Uncle hipped out a cell phone
never missing a beat, and ordered a pizza.
Never stopping mind you, after watching
his eyes, I could see his dismay in Uncles
lack of concern and interest in the event
before him. I however, being the Queen I
am took it to another level as I answered
my call waiting. Discussing a shopping
trip a friend of mine had made that day.
Needless to say, it was a most humbling
experience for the widdle one. Uncle
knew it was not his prince before him,
however wanted to s·end him back to
Queerdom humbled, and more
concerned for the next one ro call him
lover. Try it and see if it does not bring
Romeo back to earth.
Kittens, life are a series of lessons, and
teacher is in!
Well, that is about all of the time I
have this month. Kittens, celebrate the
season pride style this year, celebrating
Queer life. Reach out and touch someone
this season providing holiday Yule time
loving for all. Merry Christmas Kittens,
your forever humbled servant Uncle
Mikey and Tiddles too. See you next
year, you fabulous Queer!
Smooches uncle Mikey and Tiddies too!
Want more of Mikey? Visit Mikey's corner
at www.askunclemikey.com. Freelance
writer Michael Hinzman, joining
communities throughout Queerdom ...
with wild rice stuffing and Southern
Comfort sauce
Sauce:
1-1/2 cups brown sugar.
1/2 cup Southern Comfort.
1 cup orange juice.
1 cup pineapple juice.
1 /2 lemon squeezed.
1 / 8th teaspoon cinnamon
Mix all together and simmer for 45 min.,
then set a side.
Stuffing:
2 cups cooked wild rice.
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper.
1 large Shittake Mushroom chopped.
1 / 4th cup chopped white onion.
1 I 8th teaspoon rosemary.
:Mix all together and set a side.
Preheat oven to 375 degree- take 4 large
Quail Breast stuff each breast with a 1/2
cup of rice stuffing. Tooth pick the ends
to hold mixture in Place breast side up,
meit 3 tablespoons of butter and lightly
brush the breast. Place in a 9X12 baking
dish, lightly season with ground rosemary.
Bake for 45 minutes or until
internal temp of 165 degrees. Remove
from oven. Drizzle SC sauce on pla~e and
place Quail !.n center, remove toothpicks,
drizzle more sauce on top, garnish with a
sprig of rosemary.
Tip: Serve with Red Wine.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to ail my great
friends._________ Page 27
/
Scopes
;'Explore new ideas, Pisces!"
Ma.rs is in Taurus, which is good for
getting things done - but he's inflexible.
Now opposing Jupiter in Scorpio, he is
open to seeing the deeper effects of his
efforts, but he's still relentless. While
these planets are aspecting Uranus in
Pisces, it's a great time to consider
options and improvements in both
methods and purpose.
ARIES (March 20 - April 19): There's no
end to sexual opportunities now.
Although you're the sign that most
wants instant gratification - and there's
lots to be had - you also want something
deeper and more important. Stop, think,
and hold out for what you really want.
..
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You've
been feeling stuck lately. With a little
courage and willingness to confront your
partner, you can release that blockage
productively. Advice from friends will
prove helpful, even if it only provokes
you to think of different ideas.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): You can
get an awful lot accomplished. Just
remember that when "staying on track,"
you have to consider that the track has
some surprise twists. Be adaptable and
solicit input from anyone with more
authority, whether by position or
experience.
CANCER (lune 21 - July 22): You're
being a bit of a control queen these days.
Well ... a bit more than usual. Be open to
giving and getting suggestions - especially
getting. Don't be too fixed on your
goals; there are better possibilities for the
open-minded.
LEO (luly 23 - August 22): Be confident,
and wherever you find opposition to
your goais, consider what your
opponents have to say. They have some
good ideas that will prove helpful to you.
If you can find common ground to work
together, all the better.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22):
Never mind the "tall, dark stranger." A
stocky, ruddy stranger is more likely to
enter your life now. If you meet such a
hottie, offer verbal challenges - dares,
riddles, mysteries - to start what could
become a very intriguing affair.
LIBRA (September 23 October 22):
You're sexual dynamite now. You could
do what you want with almost anyone.
Don't let enthusiasm make you forget
what's important in life - sexually and
otherwise. Keep your head clear and
your sex safe!
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21):
You have a clear advantage over partners
and opponents. You could take ruthless
advantage, or engage them playfully,
finding creative solutions to conflict and
new opportunities for brilliant
teamwork.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 -
December 20): Problems you've been
having with work will soon clear up.
Real progress is a week or two off, but
revelations and insights now will help
you get back on track. Imagine what
your wackiest old relative would suggest.
CAPRICORN (December 21 - January
19): Sensual explorations open.up new
sexual horizons. Discussion with a
confidant should lead you through some
confusion and surprises if you are to find
any real clarity.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18):
Any money troubles can point to bigger
problems (and towards solutions as well!)
regarding how deeply engrained family
patterns may be holding you back from
your career goals. Answers don't come
easily now, but at least questions are
getting dearer.
PISCES (February 19 - March 19):
Explore new ideas and philosophies
enthusiastically. But if you try expressing
those new ideas, you'll sound like vou're
channeling Edward Said via Gracie· Allen.
If you can let having fun be more
important than being convincing, that's
not so bad.
Page 28
You can find oopf.es of the
STA.Rat these 4 atat.es
buainess & organizations.
Arkansas, Eureka Sprin&s
Diversity Pride Event - - www.diverllityprido.com
MCC Ll,-ing Spring - - - • - - - - - - - -870-253-9337
Arkansas, Fayetteville ( 479)
Condom Sense. - -418 W. Dicluon- -479-444-6228
Curry's Video - - 612 N. College Ave- 479-521-0009
Passages - - 930 N. College Ave- - - - • 479-442-5845
Arkansas, Fort Smith (479)
Club 1022 - - 1022 Dod,on Ave. - - - • 479-782-1845
Kinkead!- 1004 1/2 G.lrrison Ave- - - 479-783-9988
Arkansas, Hot Springs (501)
Jeiter11 Lounge - - 1010 E. Grand Ave - -501-624-5455
Arkansas, Little Rock (501)
Back Street- - - -1021 Jessie Rd- -- - - - -501-664-2744
Diamond State Rodeo Assoc.- - - - - www.dsra.org
Discovery- - • 1021 Jessie Rd- -- - - - - -501~666-6900
Sidetracks - - 415 Ma.in St - -N. LR- 501-244-0444
The Factory - -412 Louisiana St.- - - - - -501-372-3070
Kansas, Pittsburg (620)
River of Llfe Church - 1709 N Walnut - -11.AM
PSU-QSA.- - 1701 S. Broadway- - - - 620-231-0938
Kan1as, Wichita (316)
Club Glacier - - 2828 E. 31st South - 316-612-9331
J's Lounge - - - 513 E. Central - - - 316-262-1363
Our Fantasy- - - - • 3201 S. Hillside- - -316-682-5494
The Otheraide- -447 N. St Francis- - 316-262-7825
Shami• - - - - - - - 4000 S. Broadway- - 316-522--2028
Sidestreet Mens Bar -1106 S. Pattie- - -316-267-0324
South 40 - - - - - 3201 S. Hillside• - - -316-682-5494
Trends Bar - • - -1507 S. Pawnee- - - - - 316-262-4530
Missouri, Ava
Catus Canyon Campground - - - - - - - 417-683-9199
Missouri, Joplin (<417)
Ree's- - 716 S. Main - - - - - - 417-627-9035
MCC Spirit of Christ-2902 E 20th, - - -Sun-6pm
Missouri, Kansas City (816)
Buddies - - - - - - - 3715 Main St-· - - 816-561-2600
Club NV - - - - 220 Admiral Blvd- 816-421-NVKC
DB Warehouse- -- 1915 Main St- - - -816-471-1575
Mis5ie B'5- - • -805 W. 39th St- - - - -- - 816-561-0625
Sidestteet Bar - - -413 E. 3rd- - - - - - 816-531-1775
Sidekicks Saloon - - 3707 Main St- - 816- 931-1430
Missouri, Lampe
KOKOMO Campground - - - - - - - - - - 417-779-5084
MIDSDUR:t DICL.AHDMA
Missouri, Springfield ( 417)
The Edge- -424 Boomille Ave- - - - - --417-831-4700
GLO Comm. Ctr- -518 E. Commerical- -869-3978
Liquors & Kickers- -1109 E. Commercial.873-2225
Martha's Vineyard- 219 W Olive - - - 417-864-4572
Priscilla's - - 1918 S. Glenstoue - - - 417-881-8444
Oz Bar - 504 E. Commercial - - - - - - 417-831-9001
Ronisuz Place- - --821 College- - - - - -417-864-0036
Rumors - --1109 E. Commercial- - - - 417-873-2225
Oklahoma, McAlester
McPride- - - - POBox 1515, McAlester, OK 74502
Oklahoma, Oklahoma City (405)
Boom Room- 2807 NW 36th St- -- - - -405-601-7200
Qub Rox• - -3535 NW 39th Expwy - 405-947-2351
Cristies Toy Box- - 3126 N. May Ave - 405-946-4438
Finish Line - -2200 NW 39th Expv;y- 405-525-0730
Gmhers Restaurant-2200 NW 39Exp405-525-0730
HollywoodHotel- 3535 NW 39th Ex- 405-947-2351
Habana Inn - 2200 NW 39th Exp- 4-05-528-2221
Hi-Lo Club - - 1221 NW SOth- - - -4-05-843-1722
Jungle Reds - - - 2200 NW Expwy- - 405-524•5733
Partnet11- - - - -2805 NW 36th St - - - - 405-942-2199
Priscilla's- 615 E. Memorial - -405-755-8600
Red Rocle North-2240 NW39th St- -405-525-5165
Sisters- - - - - - 2120 NW 39th St - - - -405-521-9533
The Roclciei- - -3201 N. May Ave - - 4-05-947-9361
Topanga Grill & Bar- 3535 NW 39th-- 405-947-2351
Oklahoma, Tulsa (918)
Bamboo Lounge- 7204 E. Pine - - - 918-836-8700
Club Majestic- - 124 N. Boston - - - • 918-584-9494
Qub Maverick- - 822 S. Sheridan -918-835-3301
Dreamland Bies - 8807 E. Admiral Pl - -834-1051
Elite Boolutore --814 S. Sheridan- - - 918-838-8503
End Up Club• - - 424 S. Memorial- -918-836-2480
GLBT Comm. Ctr- -5545 E. 41st- - - 918-743-4297
Hideaway Loungc-11730 E. 11th- - -918-437-0449
Midtown- - - -319 E. 3rd- - - - - 918-584-3112
Nitc Spot - - -3007 E. Admiral Pl - - - 918-834-3007
Priscilla's - - - - - 7925 E. 41st- - - - - -918-627-4884
Priscilla's - - 5634 W. Skelly -918-446-6336
Priscilla's - - - -11344 E. 11th - - - - -- -918-438A224
Priscilla's - - - - 2333 E. 7bt - - -918-499-i 661
Renegades- - - - 1649 S. Main - 918-585-3405
Tulsa CARES- -3507 E. Admiral Pi- - 918-834-4194
Tuisa Eagle- - - - -1338 E. 3rd - 918-592-i188
TNT's - - - 2114 S. Memorial- - -918-660-0856
Uodeiguy.com - - -15 E. Brady - - - - - 918-829-0824
Whittier News S12t1d- 1 N. Lewis- 918-592-0767
Yellow-Brick-Rd- - -2630 E. 15th- - 918-293-0304
Outlets wishing to distribute FREE copies of the STAR, Page 29
contact us at 918.835.7887 9am to 4pm mon - fri or email: ozarksstar@sbcglobai.net
Page 30
f
I
bltterglrl Oq•yndlaate.aom
3007 E. ADMIRAL PLACE.
TULSA, OK
TIJESDA Y'S LADIES NITE 8pm TO CLOSE
1.25 LONG NECKS
DRAGS WELCOME
918.834.3007
Open Monday-Saturday 11 am
CLOSED SUNDAY
7240 East Pine - TULSA, OK
918.836.9777
open 6am to 2pm mon - sat.
Breakfast & Lunch
HIDEAWAY
11730 E. 11th - Tulsa, OK
918.437.0449
4pm to 2am
Monday.
Page 31
Original Format
magazine
Files
Citation
Star Media, Ltd, “[2005] The Star Magazine, December 1, 2005; Volume 2, Issue 12,” OKEQ History Project, accessed October 9, 2024, https://history.okeq.org/items/show/216.