[2008] The Star Magazine, April 1, 2008; Volume 5, Issue 4

[2008] The Star Magazine, April 1, 2008; Volume 5, Issue 4

Politics, education, and social conversation over LGBTQ+ topics

The Star Magazine’s first issue began February of 2005. Before this issue was Ozarks Pride (2004) and The Ozark Star (2004). Follows is The Metro Star (2008).

This magazine discusses topics of AIDs, education, politics, local and national civil rights of the LGBT community, and advice for relationships and places to visit.

This collection is PDF searchable. Physical copies are also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission.

Star Media, Ltd

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

Star Media, Ltd

April 01, 2008

Charles (Chaz) Ward
Victor Gorin
Greg Steele
James Nimmo
Joey D.
Victor Gorin
Romeo San Vicente
Andrew Collins
Donald Pile
Ronald Blake
Ray Williams
Jack Fertig
Li Highleyman
Devre Jackson
Judy G.

The Star Magazine, March 1, 2008; Volume 5, Issue 3
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/249

The Star Magazine, May 1, 2008; Volume 5, Issue 5
https://history.okeq.org/items/show/250

Image
Online text
PDF

English

magazine

https://history.okeq.org/items/show/244

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

ESTABLISHED 2003 www.ozarksstar.com APRIL 2008
"The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation." "1 honestly think it’s the biggest threat our
nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam. They have infiltrated City Councils. They are
after your 2 year olds for indoctrination." State Representative, District 84, Sally Kern.
Compiled by Star staff
Photo: Rally at Memorial Park Oklahoma City.
¯hese sentiments expressed by State Representative
Sally Kern were taped at a Republican
gathering who had invited her to speak
on what some term the homosexual agenda.
The tape was given to the Victory Fund,
a national gay & lesbian political activist
group and placed on ¥outube, where it has
now been heard by over 1,000,000 people.
It has garnered international attention with
responses that have overwhelmed Youtube,
and to say that the lines of communication
with Ms. Kern were jammed would be a
classic understatement. Ellen Degeneres was
not surprised when she tried to contact Sally
Kern after playing the youtube video on
her show and couldn’t even leave a message.
Although the audience was obviously not in
agreement with Sally, Ellen appealed to Miss
Kern on the air, stating that she wanted to
talk to her, that she obviously had some
misinformation.
Although some responses received by Ms
Kern were supportive, the vast majority were
not, and many were threatening and are
being investigated by the Oklahoma State
Bureau of Investigation.
At a Press Conference at the Church of the
Open Arms March 11, Cimarron Alliance
President Richard Ogden, among many others,
denounced Ms. Kern’s remarks and stated
that she should apologize or be censured
by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
As he put it, "These are hateful words that
can result in hateful actions, This is about
accountability, not freedom of expression."
It was pointed out that only 3 months
earlier, Stephen Domer of Oklahoma City
was murdered because he was gay. So far
Ms. Kern has refused to apologize and the
Speaker of the House, Republican Chris
Benge ofTulsa, has stated he will not call for
Ms. Kern to be censured. However Governor
Brad Henry stated that he advised her to
"Think before you speak. Oklahomans have
love and tolerance for all people. I don’t
think this rhetoric represents Oklahoma."
P-Flag of Oklahoma has asked for a meeting
with her, but has gotten no response.
Her statement that the gay community
was a bigger threat than terrorism or Islam
drew fire from both military personnel and
Oklahoma’s Muslim community. At the
Church press conference Richard Ogden
pointed out that one of the four people on
United Airlines Flight 93 who overpowered
the hijackers who were heading the airliner
to the White House, Mark Bingham, was
gay. Another speaker at the conference, Jerre
B. Fine, a Air Force veteran, stated that
she was honored to serve her country and
that Sally Kern’s comments that gays were
a bigger threat than terrorism or Islam, and
were a cancer in the toe of society were very
hurtful on a personal level. She pointed
out that "I served my country dutifully and
honorably for 6 years of my life. We need
protection not only from outside forces
trying to destroy America, but also we need
protection from within from people like
Sally Kern."
On March 14 there was a rally at Memorial
Park featuring signs along Classen Boulevard
encouraging rush hour travelers to
honk to show opposition to Representative
Kern’s remarks. The event got extensive television
coverage, and featured many community
leaders. Most important of all was that
the responses from OKC’s commuters were
overwhelmingly supportive.
In a recent Tulsa World poll, the question
was: Would you sign the petition to have
Sally Kern removed from office?
..............Continued PAGE 5

®MISS GAY TULSA PAGEANT April 25th 10prn. Featuring - Miss Gay Tulsa
America - Melody Micheals and Miss Gay Oklahoma Lindsey Paige.
for more information email: information@downtownplazatulsa.com
2 the STAR
vwvw.ozarksstar.com
1 DS (2437)
Recognized by Keller Williams
For outstanding achievement 2005 and 2006
R~ALTY
Chuck Breckenridge
918-706-1887
REALTOI~
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Get the STAR delivered
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12 issues only $33.95.
Send Check or Money
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www.ozarksstar.com the STAR 3
APRIL,
State News continues on page 6, 9, 11
and 23
LGBT History looks at the life ofTallulah
Bankahead, Actress Movies, TV, Stage
and Radio
World Briefs By Rex Wockner -
Wockner News Service
~DEEP ~INSIDE HOLLYWOOD
Deep Inside Hollywood, reports on new
projects for George Clooney and Simon
~WiNE
Devre Jackson reviews wines of Northem
Italy.
Beer-Battered Onion Rings from Bob
& Jim’s Care, Greycliff, Montana.
Gay Travelers: Bus Trips & Tours
Out of Town: Chicago
STAR SCENE
Snapshots from around the State.
Paparazzi on page 25
FITNESS
Introspection can lead you to better
understand yourself and ultimately to
achieve greater happiness.
ON THE COVER: Photo byVictor Gorin
4 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
Embrace the Passior o£
the Prom. Pride Prom
2008 makes comeback
to PAC
By Joey De
TULSA, OK__ When the sun sets April
19, the Tulsa Performing Arts Center will
heat up with the passion of Spain as the
University ofTulsa’s Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay
and Transgender alliance present Pride Prom
2008, "Bailamos!"
The event, which has called the PAC home
for three years, offers BLGT youth and their
friends the opportunity to celebrate the
prom season with their chosen date. ’~A lot
of BLGT youth can’t take the prom date of
their choice (to their high school’s prom),
this is an opportunity to express themselves
freely," says Steven Hulford, one of the
organization’s leaders.
For the TU-BLGTA, Pride Prom is a way
to give back to the community and make
memories for BLGTA youth, regardless
of if they are TU students or not. "We are
in or eighth year of doing this event," says
Hulford. "Each year it has grown from being
in the Great Hall of the Allen Chapman
Activity Center (a building on campus), to
what it is now."
According to Hulford, this year’s Spanish
theme was picked from a long list of ideas.
"We wanted to do something completely
different from what we had done in the
past," he says noting previous themes of
Hollywood and water. "We’re calling it
’Bailamos’ because the literal translation is
’we dance’."
At the event, Hulford says youth can expect
all the food, music and fun of a traditional
high school prom. In addition, attendees
will have access to a "Resource Row," that
will feature organizations who provide quality
services to BLGT youth.
Beginning at 7:30, the event runs until
11:00 and does not require formal dress.
"The only things we don’t allow are torn
jeans and shorts, other than that people are
welcome to dress how they feel comfortable.
People have come in formal prom attire
and have come in polo shirts and slacks,"
explains Mr. Hulford.
Tickets for Pride Prom 2008 are $10
in advance at www.myticketoffice.com
and $12 at the door. For information on
sponsorship and branding opportunities,
contact the group’s advisor, Nancy Eggen at
918.744.9182.
SOONER STATE SOFTBALL
ASSOCIATION HOLDS
OKLAHOMA CITY TOURNAMENT
Leroy Cobb & Laurie Proole MC’s at Angles
Furndraiser for Sooner State Softball
26 teams ( 21 men’s, 5 women’s) came together
at Boomtown Field and the Softball
Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City March
15-16 to enjoy the comraderie of softball
competition.
Now in its 5th year, the Sooner State Softball
Association offers the GLBT community
the opportunity to show off their skills
or learn the game among friends. According
to SSSA Commissioner Leroy Comp, it also
provides a way "to see some great softball."
The SSSA is part of the North American
Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance, a confederation
of GLBT athletic teams in both the
United States and Canada. New players are
always welcome, so if you’d like to try your
hand, call Mr.Comp and (405) 408 2533 or
e-mail him at cutupok@aol.com.
FRONT PAGE CONTINUED:
Yes: 129
No: 86
I don’t know: 6
The results of this question represent the
opinions of 221 people with the following
demographic profile:
Oklahomans: 80.5 %
Male: 127
Female: 94
In response to Kern’s statement that Eureka
Springs City Council was controlled by
gays. A press statement was issued by the
Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce and
the straight Mayor, Dani Joy:
"Since its founding in 1879, Eureka Springs
has been and remains welcoming to all visitors
and residents without regard to their
race, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability,
or national origin. It is our hope that
all people would aspire to this ideal. Because
of the timeless beauty of our architecture
and landscape, the friendliness of our citizens
and our welcoming attitude toward all
visitors, we remain a destination for people
from all walks of life. Eureka Springs will
remain a city eager to provide all visitors a
fulfilling vacation experience."
Mayor Dani Joy"
Oklahomans have spoken out, we’ve
demonstrated, protested, sent letters and
email to our elected officials, and have
gained international attention. Media from
around the world has covered the embarrassing
tirade of Rep. Kern. This international
spodight may be to our advantage.
Our activist groups have experienced an
influx of out of state contributions since the
stoW broke. We’ve gotten the attention of
national and international advocacy organizations.
We have discovered many new main
stream allies in Oklahoma. The House and
Senate leadership may allow the five hate
crimes bills currently before them to receive
full consideratioia. There is a positive side to
this degrading display of (Shame on Sally)
Most importantly we have the right to vote,
and Sally was voted into office. Come November
and in future elections know your
candidate before you mark that spot on the
ballot. It could make an important difference
in our future.
www.ozarksstar.com the STAR 5
editor
Dear Editor,
When is enough, really enough? We have
been reading and watching the national
news about Oklahoma State Rep. Sally
Kern, R-Oklahoma City, saying "gay agenda
is a greater threat to America than terrorism."
Although we do not live in Oldahoma,
we have been visiting your great state for
over 30 years. We are extremely concerned
when a public official such as an elected
State Representative makes such remarks.
¯his is really nothing short of a "hate crime"
in itselfl It is one thing for a regular citizen
of the country to make remarks such as
this but when a public official says it, then
it is obviously crossing the line. As gay and
lesbian citizens of the United States, we have
as much right as anybody else to expect full
citizenship. When people such as Ms. Kern
spews her hatred to the people of Oklahoma
it is WRONG ! It propels hatred in schools,
churches and throughout the entire community.
Many years ago we took on Anita Bryant
for her anti-homosexual drive and we won!
So, our dear brothers and sisters in Oklahoma.............
have you had enough? Gays
and Lesbians throughout the country are
fighting for their rights and each and every
individual gay and lesbian person in each
state must do their part. We cannot suggest
an action to take against Ms. Kern however
we feel very strongly that action MUST
BE TAKEN in whatever form necessary.
Whether a full stage sit-in, a recall of her
government seat in your State House or
whatever. ..... something NEEDS TO BE
DONE AND NOW~
Many years have passed since we just stood
on the sidelines and took whatever was
handed to us, and we never, want to return
to those days. We are extremely proud of the
progress that gays and lesbians have made.
Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa have a very
vibrant gay and lesbian community, much
more so than most cities around the country
their size.
OkEq Den,o.unces Rep. Sally
Kem’s Ant oGay Tirade
TULSA, OK (PR) __Oklahomans for
Equality (OkEq) deplores the sentiments
expressed by Oklahoma State Representative
Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) in a
YouTube video now generating a firestorm.
National and local media outlets are closely
covering the controversy sparked by Kern’s
claim that homosexuality is "the biggest
threat that our nation has, even more so
than terrorism or Islam."
In a triple play of intolerance, Rep. Kern offends
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) Americans, thousands of women
and men defending the United States from
terrorist attacks, and Muslims worldwide.
Yet, she remains completely unapologetic,
citing her right to freedom of speech and
claiming, "I have never endorsed or supported
any hateful action targeting individuals
on the other side of this debate and
never will."
Rep. Kern’s legislative track record belies
her remarks. In 2006, Rep. Kern sponsored
legislation that xvould have denied funding
to public libraries that refused to segregate
books addressing LGBT themes. Rep. Kern
has repeatedly used her public office to demonize
LGBT Oklahomans and to attempt
to deny them the exact same civil liberties
she now defends so passionately. This is the
height of hypocrisy.
"OkEq firmly supports Rep. Kern’s constitutional
tight to express her viexvs, but vociferously
objects to the actions she takes to
prevent LGBT Oklahomans from attaining
justice and equality. When elected officials
use their power to defame entire categories
of people, they abuse the freedom of
speech embedded in the First Amendment
and violate their responsibility to ensure the
safety and well-being of their constituents,"
asserts Justice Waidner, OkEq Executive
Director.
So instead of just bitching and moaning and
groaning about Mrs. Kern, we wish all the
gays and lesbians in Oklahoma the best success
with this matter.
Cordially,
Donald Pile and Ray Williams
OkEq calls upon the many fair-minded
members of the Oklahoma legislature to
condemn Rep. Kern’s comments and to
pass immediately a state hate crimes law that
encompasses sexual orientation and gender
identity and expression. We ask for the
House and Senate leadership to allow the
five hate crimes bills currently before them
to receive full consideration on the floor.
6 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
www.ozarksstar.com the STAR 7
4815 S. Harvard
Gay men and lesbiansface many special tax
situations, whether single or as couples.
Proudly serving Tulsa & OKC’s GLBT communities since 1982
8 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
TULSA, OK (PR) __ Health Outreach Prevention Education, Inc.
(H.O.P.E.) celebrated its 10th anniversar~ Xgrednesday, March 12,
2008. Invited guests and honorees celebrated at the Dennis R. Nell
Fxtuality Center, a long-time community partner where H.O.P.E.’s
services began in 1996. The evening included hors d’ oeuvres and
recognized key individuals who have been instrumental in the
growth and success of the organization. "H.O.P.E. provides a vita!
service in the fight against HIV by testing those at risk and also
educating the community on safer sex practices. By virtue of their
HIV testing being free and anonymous, people at risk can more easily
know their status and help stop the transmission of HIV," stated
Stephen Eberle, advisory board and 10th Anniversary committee
member.
In recognition of H.O.P.E.’s 10th Anniversary, the following people
and organizations received recognition for the significant impact
they have had on the agency since its inception: Ms. Kristi Frisbie,
Mr. Jeremy Simmons, the Oklahoma State Department of Health
HIWSTD Division, Ms. Janie Nicklas and the Tulsa Community
AIDS Partnership Grants Committee, Tulsa CARES, Community
of Hope Church, Ms. Debi Sanditen, Dr. Damon Baker, and Oklahomans
for Equality.
Health Outreach Prevention Education (H.O.P.E.) is an independent,
not-for-profit organization that has served Tulsa and
surrounding communities since 1998. H.O.P.E. is proud to be
recognized as one of the largest and most comprehensive health
promotion facilities in Oklahoma, and is the only free, anonymous
HIV testing site in a 23-county area. H.O.P.E. also operates the
statewide HIWsexually transmitted disease (STD) resource hotline
and conducts a variety of targeted outreach efforts focusing on men,
women, and under served populations. H.O.P.E. also offers free and
low-cost Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C testing and education services.
H.O.P.E. provides a comfortable place for people to learn their
health status and can connect clients to a variety of medical and
social support services.
H.O.EE. is supported in part by the Oklahoma State Department
of Health, as well as various private foundations, including the
Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund, the Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership,
the MAC AIDS Fund, and the George B. Kaiser Family
Foundation.
Raising awareness of HIV/AIDS remains vitally important, as the
infection rate remains steady every year in the United States. Young
people and minorities are disproportionately affected, but HIV
does not discriminate. By knowing your status, you are better able
to protect yourself and others. Prevention education and testing are
keys to decreasing the stigma and infection rate of HIV. For more
information about HIV or sexually transmitted infections, call the
Oklahoma HIWSTD Resource Hotline, 1-800-535-MDS (2437).
RESERVE YOUR SPAOE HOW
Deadline Thursday IViay t 5th
Serving the Oklahoma GLBT community since 2003.
www.ozarksstar.com the STAR 9
by Liz Highteyman
Past Out, which looks at the life 0fTallulah Bankhead, Actress Movies,
TV;, Stage and Radio,
Who was Tallu]lah Bankhead?
~ecades after her heyday in the 1920s and
1930s, self-described "ambisextrous" stage and
screen star Tallulah Bankhead is as famous for
her bad-girl antics as for her acting talent.
Bankhead was born to a prominent political
family in Huntsville, Ala., on January 31, probably in !903 (the
year is subject to debate); her mother died shortly thereafter from
childbirth complications. Seeking to keep his two unruly daughters
out of trouble, her father, a U.S. Congressman, sent them to convent
schools, but these proved conducive venues for Bankhead’s first
sexual experiences with other girls.
Though plump and plain as a child, Bankhead blossomed as an adolescent;
at age 15, she won a movie magazine beauty contest with
a prize of a small film role. Chaperoned by an aunt, she took up
residence at the Mgonquin Hotel in New York City, a favored haunt
of the Broadway elite. There, Bankhead was seduced by renowned
actress Eva Le Gallienne and met Estelle Winwood, an older English
actress who would become a life-long friend and sometime lover.
Bankhead also counted among her liaisons British student Napier
Alington and jazz great Billie Holiday, but she turned down a casting
couch invitation from John Barrymore.
Breakthrough acting success eluded Banld~ead in New York, and in
1923 she moved to London on the advice of an astrologer. There,
she quickly achieved fame, especially among young working-class
women. Over the next eight years she appeared in two dozen \VC-est
End plays, which were wildly popular with fans, if not always acclaimed
by critics. Documents declassified in 2000 revealed that the
British intelligence service investigated her - groundlessly, it turned
out - for allegedly seducing a group of Eton schoolboys.
Bankhead earned considerable income, but spent profligately; by the
end of the decade, she was broke and accepted a contract offer from
Paramount Studios. In Hollywood, she hosted parties at her mansion
that were said to have "no boundaries," and she attended shindigs
at lesbian actress Alia Nazimova’s lavish Garden ofAllah estate.
An emergency hysterectomy due to advanced gonorrhea did little to
curb her omnivorous sexual appetite. "My daddy warned me about
men and booze," she famously quipped, "but he never mentioned
a word about women and cocaine." Bankhead had flings with Gary
Cooper and - allegedly - with Marlene Dieterich, but Greta Garbo
apparently spurned her advances. Upon meeting Joan Crawford,
who was then married to Douglas Fairbanks Jr., she remarked, "I’ve
had an affair with your husband. You’ll be next."
Though Bankhead often bragged about her sexual conquests, many
believed she exaggerated for the sake of publicity. Indeed, her
comments suggested that she did not particularly enjoy sex. "The
conventional position makes me claustrophobic," she once said,
"and the others give me a stiff neck or lockjaw." Regarding Bankhead’s
orientation, long-time companion Patsy Kelly - one of the
first actresses to come out as a lesbian - said it "mostly it depended
on Tallulah’s mood...When she’d get caught up with a man, she’d go
quite hetero on us."
Bankhead married once, to actor John Emery in 1937, but they
divorced four years later with no children. She then bought an estate
in West&ester County, where she lived for extended periods with
Winwood and with Kelly. She also surrounded herself with numerous
pets and her "caddies" - young men who mixed her drinks, lit
her constant cigarettes, and sometimes provided sexual services.
Follmving in her father’s footsteps, she became increasing involved
in politics, campaigning for Democratic candidates and supporting
both anti-Nazi and anti-Communist causes.
Bankhead disliked movie acting, and her larger-than-life style ~vas
better suited to the stage than the screen. After making several
unsuccessful Hollywood films, she returned to acting on Broadway
and with national touring companies, receiving critical acclaim for
her performances in The Little Foxes (1939) and The Skin of Our
Teeth (1942). Though bitterly disappointed at being passed over for
the role ofScarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, she still took
on occasional movie projects, including her most famous role as a
shipwrecked journalist in Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat (1944).
In the early 1950s, Bantdxead emceed The Big Show, a popular variety
program on NBC Radio; when radio gave way to television, she
appeared as a guest on shows such as The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
She also starred in a one-woman Las Vegas nightclub act and wrote
a best-selling autobiography. But as Bankhead aged, her
10 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
years of hard drinking and drug use caught
up with her, and she became a caricature of
her former self. Many of her gay male fans
failed to take her efforts seriously, laughing
through her performance as Blanche Du-
Bois in a 1956 revival ofA Streetcar Named
Desire.
Before her death from pneumonia in 1968,
Bankhead’s final roles were intentionally
absurd, induding turns as a demented
mother in the British horror flick Fanatic
(1965) - retitled Die! Die! My Darling! in
the United States - and as the Black Widow
on the Batman television series. When producer
William Dozier explained his vision
for the latter role, she reportedly replied,
"Don’t talk to me about camp, dahling, I
invented it!"
For further reading:
Bret, David. 1997. Tallulah Bankhead:
A Scandalous Life (Robson Books).
Lobenthal, Joe. 2004. Tallulah! The
Life and Times of a Leading Lady
(HarperCollins).
McLellan, Diana. 2000. The Girls:
Sappho Goes to Hollywood (Robson
Books).
OK Mozart Festvai
Announces 24th
Season, June 13=21
TULSA, OK (PR) __ Tourism is a growing
industry in Oklahoma, and the OK
Mozart International Festival continues to
enhance dais growth by attracting visitors to
Bartlesville each June for one of the state’s
most renowned cultural events. From June
13-21, the Festival’s 24th season promises
to delight audiences from across the state
and country with an outstanding array of
concert artists and world-class musicians
and performances, ranging from classical
concerts to Jazz and everything in between.
The line-up of renowned guest artists
includes Mark O’Connor, Barry Douglas,
Anne-Marie McDermott, Frederica yon
Stade, Branford Marsalis, Peter Nero, and
Ben Vereen. Plus, the New York Theatre
Ballet is performing Sleeping Beauty.
Amici New York, the Festival’s beloved
orchestra-in-residence, returns as it has each
year since the Festival’s founding in 1985.
These musicians are soloists in their own
right and perform in many of the most prestigious
ensembles throughout the year.
Paul Neubauer, music director, returns with
his All-Star Chamber Ensemble featuring
members ofThe Chamber Music Society
of Lincoln Center. This year’s Festival will
celebrate four great American composers:
George Gershwin, Elliott Carter, Charles
Wuorinen and Joan Tower, according to
Neubauer.
"We will also have Mozart,Tchalkovsky and
Jimi Hendrix. Please join us for an exhilarating
OK Mozart Festival."
According to Scott Black, executive director,
the 2008 festival offers some positive changes,
including three series of entertainment
options for the major concerts, money-saving
ticket packages and many new and free
Showcase events. These events, usually during
non-concert hours, offer tours, historical
talks, childreffs activities, luncheons and
performances.
"The 2008 Festival marks our 24th season of
offering an internationally recognized event
that puts Northeast Oklahoma on the map
alongside larger cities that host similar summer
festivals--San Francisco, New York,
Chicago and Aspen," Black said.
Most concerts take place in the Bartlesville
Community Center concert hall, acdaimed
for its near-perfect acoustics. Inside the
Community Hall, the Moz-Art Gallery and
OKM Gift Shop provide shopping pleasure
for visitors. An exquisite on-site restaurant,
Cafd Mozart, offers delicious three-course
dinners and delightful lunches.
The all-time favorite Woolaroc Outdoor
Concert, taking place on June 20 at the
Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve,
features Amici New York with conductor’
Michael Krajewski. Nestled on the shores of
a tranquil lake, this concert under the stars
provides a relaxing, fun way to enjoy beautiful
music. When darkness falls, a spectacular
finale of fireworks lights the sky, signaling
an end to the unforgettable evening.
Season tickets and packages are available
now with general sales beginning March
3rd. To order, call 918.336.9800, visit www.
okmozart.com or in person at 500A South
Dewey, Bartlesville.
The Festival is made possible in part by the
Oklahoma Arts Council and many corporate
and individual patrons.
The OK Mozart Festival is a member of
Green Country Marketing Assn., one of 11
multi-county organizations working with
the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation
Department, the Oklahoma Travel Industry
Assn. and the other 10 multi-county
associations to promote the state tourism
industry.
Creating
Community for
People iving
with
H ViA DS
50t c (3) Non Profit Orgauization
Our House, Too offers a vadety of
activities for people who are HIV+ and
or living with AIDS to help combat the
social isolation that many of our
people live through each and everyday.
We provide a Toiletry and Household
Pantry for those who are HIV+
and or living with AIDS who cannot
afford to purchase these items for
themselves. We invite anyone who
would like to volunteer or provide financial
assistance to please contact
us by phone 918-585-9552 or e-mail
harrismmjr@yahoo.com.
www.ozarksstar.com the STAR 11
Gay arid Gray r g: Cor cerr s
SAN FRANCISCO, CA__ More than 70% of lesbian and gay and respondents over age 40 reported concerns about losing
the ability to care for themselves in a recent study conducted by Community Marketing, Inc. The majority also feared becoming
sick or disabled, being dependent on others, and outliving their savings.
When asked which resources they would rely on
for long-term financial and social care as they age,
less than 8% of respondents said they would place
significant reliance on long-term care insurance,
leaving us to wonder how prepared lesbians and
gay men are for the kinds of health issues that often
come with old age. Respondents placed the most
emphasis on:
Health care insurance: 22%
Medicare: 20%
Personal savings: 19%
Social Security: 16%
65% of respondents expect for provide care to a
partner sometime in the future, 44% for a parent,
and 34% for a friend. However, respondents were
less certain ofwho would care for them - 59% said
a partner would be there to help care for them, 29%
a friend, and 20% no one.
Research Shows Growing Old a Concernfor Many Lesbians and Gay Mot
A significant 20% of gay male and 38% of lesbian respondents
over age 40 have children Oust 4% of gay men and 12% of lesbians
reported the children to be under age 18). Sometimes it is easy forget
how many gay-boomers had children before they came out, and
some gays and lesbians will be able to rely on their children for care.
The majority of respondents have completed a Living Will and
the majority have a Power of Attorney, but less than 50% have
completed an Estate Will or set up a Living Trust. (Hospitals often
require a visiting partner to present a living~in order to enter his
or her partner’s hospital room.)
49% of respondents said they are at least fairly confident that they
would be treated with dignity and respect by medical personnel,
but 19% expressed concerns that they have little confidence in this
being the case.
Some views of retirement and old age are much more positive.
Respondents look forward to: traveling (79%), having more time
for personal interests (74°/0), and peace and relaxation (60%). In
addition, lesbians were more likely to report looking forward to
spending more time with friends and family than gay men.
DEMOGRAPHICS of this "over 40" study:
The median age is 52.
69% of respondents are male, 30% female, and 1% transgen
der. More than 96% of respondents identified as gay or lesbian.
The remainder identified their sexual orientation as bisexual,
queer or questioning.
53% of respondents reported that they are completely out.
However, 15% are somewhat or not very out.
The median respondent in all age categories reported plans to
retire at age 62. The vast majority of respondents over age 62
have already retired.
73% of respondents have a college degree.
33% of female respondents and 46% of male respondents are
single or do not live with a significant other. Lesbians are more
likely to be partnered than gay men.
The majority own single family homes.
12 the STAR www.ozarksstar.com
By’ Rex Wockner Wockner News Service
iranian fears e×ecution if sent home
Mehdi Kazemi fears he’l! be executed if the
United Kingdom forces him to return to
Iran.
Kazemi went to London to study in 2005
and Iranian officials later arrested his boyfriend,
Parham, charged him with sodomy
and executed him, according to Kazemi’s
father.
Kazemi then sought asylum in Britain but
was rejected. In 2006, he then fled to the
Netherlands, which detained him and is
nmv preparing to return him to the UK.
The UK had been planning to send Kazemi
back to Iran ~vhen he returned to
British soil but, on March 13, following
extensive media coverage and political pressure,
the Home Office agreed to review his
case one more time before forcing him to go
home.
"The Iranian authorities have found out that
I am a homosexual and they are looking for
me," Kazemi said in a recent letter to UK
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
tn a statement given to activist groups,
Kazemi elaborated: "Around [the] end of
April 2006, my uncle called me again and
informed me that my father had informed
him that the authorities had executed Parham
and that I must not return to Iran as
the authorities would do the same to me....
Parham was charged with the crime of being
homosexual and was executed."
According to Kazemi’s father, Parham
named Mehdi as his lover prior to his execution.
Leading British gay activist Peter Tatchell
commented: "The Home Office decision
to deport Mehdi back to Iran is shameful
and reckless.... Gay men in Iran are hanged
from public cranes using the barbari method
of slow strangulation."
Tatchell said the UK government is "callous
and more interested in cutting asylum
numbers than in ensuring a fair, just and
compassionate asylum system."
Britain’s Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association
also has taken up Kazemi’s cause,
saying that "deporting gay and lesbian
people to Iran is akin to deporting Jews back
to Nazi Germany."
Meanwhile, The Independent reported
March 7 that an Iranian lesbian who fled to
Britain after her girlfriend was arrested and
sentenced to death by stoning also is at risk
of being sent home.
Pegaah Emambakhsh, 40, issued a statement
March 6 saying: "I will never, never go back.
If I do I know I will die."
Emambakhsh’s asylum claim was rebuffed
by the Court ofAppeal in February. She
now plans to ask the High Court to review
the case.
Iran is known to have executed several teens
and men accused of engaging in sodomy, although
in nearly all the cases that have been
publicized in recent years the individuals
were accused of other crimes as well, such
as rape.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human
Rights Commission has said it suspects that
other charges often are tacked onto sodomy
cases to prevent the public outrage that
would accompany executions carried out
solely for the crime of consensual adult
gay sex. The group also has said it believes
executions solely for gay sex are taking place
.out of the public eye.
"Our suspicions [are] that their current
practice really is to rid society of lesbians
and gay men," the organization said last
year.
Human Rights Watch, on the other hand,
has said it cannot fully document
any executions in Iran in recent years carried
out solely for the crime of consensual
adult gay sex.
Last September, during a speech at Columbia
University in New York City, Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was
asked about the nation’s treatment of gay
people.
He responded: "We in Iran -- we in Iran,
firstly, we don’t have hamjensbaz [a derogatory
term for homosexuals meaning people
with loose morals who chase people of the
same gender for sexual pleasure] like you
have in your country. In our country, there
is no such a thing. In Iran, such a thing
does not -- in Iran, in Iran, absolutely such
a thing doe not exist as a phenomenon. I
don’t know who told you otherwise."
ILGA conference canceled
The International Lesbian and Gay Association
has canceled its 24th World Conference
which was to take place in Quebec City,
Canada, May 14 to 18.
"A recent site visit] confirmed the impressions
of the current lack of preparedness
at this late date and the lack of funding
necessary for the conference to take place,"
ILGA’s board co-chairs said in a statement.
The primary lo.cal organizer was the Coalition
gale et lesbienne du Qudbec.
ILGA did not reschedule the conference but
did put out "a formal call for new proposals
from ILGA member organizations for hosting
the world conference later this year." It
gave interested parties less than a month to
submit proposals.
The board said any local organizer must take
on partial responsibility for paying for the
gathering.
"ILGA does not have the capacity to fully
fund the conference," the co-chairs said.
"The local hosts have in the past fundraised
for resources, especially to bring scholars
from the Global South."
ILGA is a 30-year-old federation of more
than 600 GLBT organizations and
associated members, such as city governments,
from 90 countries.
............Continued PAGE 27
w~w.ozarksstar.com the STAR 13
Deep ~nside Hol!~,wooeL repora¢ on newprojeHrsjbr
George Cloon~ and Simon Callow.
Until he crossed over to the PG-13 Law
and Order SVU, Chris Metoni was most
notorious for gay sex scenes ~uad fullfrontal
nudity OZ. And now Meloni is
set,t,’o become even more family-friendl):
He 1! star in Gym Teacher: Th~ Movie ~o{
Nickelodeon £s a down’on’his-luck coaCh
wing
Clooney Is Fantastic Mr. Fox
2?~hat’s the connection bevween the Coen Brothers’ ment -
dark, violent No Country for Old Men and the upcoming
animated family feature Xhe Fantastic Mr.
Fox? Besides Coen collaborator George Ctooney in
the starring voice role, that would be gay superproducer
Scott Rudin, the man whose recent Oscar
acceptance speech included a loving thank you to
his ~artner (which was then s~rangely excised from
the A~demyk o~cial transcript). Rudin tends to go
where the hits are, ~d this ~es Anderson-directed,
Ctooney and Care Blanchett-voiced feature, abou~ a
quick-witted fox and three unpleasant
f~rmers t~,in~ to do
him in, looks like a sure!re
holiday hit..~d in this
instance, hohday means
Christmas of 2009. But
not to worD~ C!ooney
has Burn ~ter Read
in~ {the next
one from the
Coens) arriv
ing during the
interim.
dinated
thi.,
be a
art teacher Mr.
sircom,
will
a obsessive
~he movie
Black
about a
with~ the film
and this time with
(slightly)
~,.u,.ll, a dark drama about a woman
with a compulsive need to pull out her
own hair one strand at k tirile (sounds
like Todd Haynes’ Safei but Creepier),
~vill star not 0nly the legendary ~ren
Black (Nashvillei but also musician
Rickie Lee Jones. No word yet on
when the movie will be, ready for an
audience, but ifArcher~ firs~ f?ature
is any indication, ir will be one ~at
audiences wofft soon forget.
American audiences remember him best
as the joy~ttlly ~a.)[ heat attack victim who
put the "funerN in Four XWeddings and a
Funeral. BUt now gay" Brit character actor
Simon Callow gets his own wedding, ,
even if it is something of an odd one. Hes
starring in the recen@ wrapped Chemical
We~lding, about a shy p;cofessor who
manages to bring legendary occult figure
Aleister Crowl~ back to life. And if that
plot weren’t oddball enough, there’s the
~lm’s line e" it was co-written by Bruce fig.
Dickinson, a name metal fans will know
as the teader of the hugely successful
rockers Iron Maiden. ~e sure-to-be-destined-
for-cult-status film is due for release
later this year. No ~v,ord yet on whether
Or not Iron Maidens songs will hog the
soundtrack spotlight.
George Clooney
www.ozarksstar.com
A few years backl I had the opportunity to Piemonte is also known fol~ its Gorgonvisit
friends in northern Italy. We spent our zola, Castelmagn0, (a local blue Cheese),
time in the Piedmont region in a small town zabaione, vinegar, d~e and ri¢otto dishes;
called Alba. Piedmont, in Italian, means at wild game, and braised meat dishes, such
the foot of the mountain, as Bollito Mist0, a sf[ew of four to five different
meats.
~uhe main grape grown there is the distinished
Nebbiolo, which is the base for the Milan, the large city of Lombardia, is
med Barolo, Barbaresco and Gattinara the namesake ~ ~ilanese; meaning tO
(Barbera and Dolcetto) among others. Also dip food, usualt -iin pieces of meat, into
popular is Barbera from Alba & Asti. Baro- beaten eggS, tl br~adcrumbs, and then
los are dch, rose-scented wines, robust Saut~ it in butte .ombardiais also well
and tannic, capable of (and often requiring) known for its ri( ~nd dsotto dishes, cream
long aging. Ur~fortunat~ly they are often sauces~ post rn c~eese course, Use of
prohibitively expensive. Barbaresco, made saffron~ pumpki aVi01i, (tortelli di zucca),
to be drunk earlier than Barolos, can be asparag;Js~ ~au ge,freshwater fish and
the more affordable choice, panett(~ne.
Another Piedmont creation that achieved The Veneto is atso an important w ne
worldwide fame is the Vermouth, which region, highlighted by So&re, Bardolino;
was first created by Benedetto Carpano Pr~secco, (sparkling wine), Valpolioella
in his wine shop n~ar the Tudn Stock and the flagship Ar~rone.
Exchange. The classic American Martini
cocktail takes its name from the most Veneto~ being on the ~aSt, naturally
known Italian producer of dry vermouth, braces deligl~ts from the sea. All kinds of
Martini & Rossi. seafood ar~ relished here. But the Veneto
is quite diverse culinadly speaking. It is
Piedmont was one of the first Italian also renowned for its v~getables~ grains
regions to embrace the industrial revolu- and meat as welt. Risot{o, especially from
tion and in 1899 the automotive giant Fiat Vialone Nano rice, and polenta are staples.
(Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) was Common Vegetables include winter ¯
established there, squash, radicchio, asparagus, beans, and
other legumes.
I thought rd shed some light on the wines
from this part of the wodd. You can always Friuli, the north-eastern most region of
dig deeper by checking out my reference Italy is hallmarked by Austrian; Hungarian,
links. Slovenian and Croatian influences. These
include but are not limited to Viennese.
Reds
Moccagatta Barbaresco 1999, 2000
Produttori Del Barbaresco 1999, 2000
Poderi Colla Pinot Noir 2006
Farnese Montepulciano 2006
Whites
Bongiovanni Arneis 2006
Masi/Masianco Pino Grigio/Verduzzo
2006
Marchetti Verdicchio 2006
And as always, I say go to your favorite
wine shop, ask questions and purchase
a bottle or two. Share some food &
wine with friends and check this out for
yourself.
Mr. D also hosts wine & food events
known in town as the Wine Enthusiasts
of Tulsa.
References include: WineSpectator.com
FoodandWine.com
Wikipedia.org
WineCountry.it
Masi.it
Farnese-vini.com
allrecipes.com/Howto/Italian-Wine-Country-
Piedmont
._~tww.ozark~star.co_~.....................

Cozume|
Join our gay and lesbian group aboard Carnival Conquest~ as we
set sail from Galveston and call on the beautiful ports in Montego
Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. There is no better way to
celebrate Halloween than aboard a funship with Gayribbean
Cruises. We offer: Our fantastic Halloween Costume Party,
Nightly Mixers and SO MUCH MORE ! Book eedy and save. Ask
how to receive $75 shipboard credit!
call for complete details. Ratea aad =valhbiRty axe ~ubjec¢ to change without noti€e. "Ihis is not an alLgay cruise. Ship ~try: Panama
For information & Reservations
www.GayribbeanCruises.com
NCarnrval.
by Donald Pile and Ray Williams
Actually a bus trip isn’t all that bad, especially when you are
traveling with other fun people. Although ,ve have never taken a
bus trip across the country (and dofft think that we ever would) we
have a lot of friends who have and enjoyed it greatly. We have taken
several "day bus trips" from San Francisco, Las Vegas and on the
east coast and all of them were quite interesting. From Las Vegas we
took the bus trip to Hoover Dam and to the smaller casino cities of
Laughlin. These bus trips were extremely inexpensive in that they
drop you offat a couple of casinos and assume that you will gamble
a lot. Most of them even throw in flee lunch and dinner and drinks.
Sometimes they even thro~v in an afternoon show. Most all of the
people that go to Las Vegas are truly a different breed and aren’t
interested in taking bus tours and we have found that the ones who
do are more enjoyable and interesting to talk with.
In San Francisco it is just so much easier taking a bus trip to
either the Wine Country or down to Carmel and Monterey and
Pebble Beach. They drop you off right in the center of town and
pick you up at the same location a couple of hours later. You certainly
don’t have any parking problems as when you drive there, and
a bus trip to the Wine Country gives you a much better opportunity
to taste all the different wines without having to worry about a DUI
while drive back to San Francisco.
On the east coast we have taken "day bus trips" in Boston, New
York City, Washington, D. C. and Philadelphia. Being such historical
cities this is a great way to really get to see everything. Parking
in large cities is such a challenge and the buses seem to always have
their own parking areas close to whatever attraction you are going.
Even smaller cities like Savannah, Georgia offers extremely interesting
bus tours around the city.
But if you’re really up to it, then take a bus tour all across the
country. They stop every evening at the designation lodging facility
and you’re on your own until the next morning. You don’t have
to dine or socialize with anybody other than your own choosing.
Check out your local Sunday newspapers in the travel section and
they usually have ads for these bus tours. Small towns that have
casino gambling are always having specials. We have seen ads where
you pay $50.00 up front for a 5 day bus tour which includes your
traveling, hotels, food and drinks and shows! Plus, you get the
$50.00 back in gaming money at the casino. You can’t stay at home
that cheap!
Some people enjoy taking bus trips down to Mexico which
certainly saves the hassle of driving your own automobile across the
border and you certainly are in a position to feel safer. Most bus
companies are regulated rather stringently, and especially when driving
to Mexico you need to feel safe.
.....................Continued page 27
18 th÷$TAR www.ozarksstar.com
INTERNATIONAL GAY &
LESBIAN TRAVEL ASSOCIATION
and FUNMAPS,
COM
By Donald Pile and Kay Williams
IGLTA is the world’s leading travel trade
association committed to gro,ving and enhancing
its member’s gay and lesbian tourism
business through education, promotion
and networking. You can search, contact
and utilize their members around the world
for all your travel needs. Whether you are
looking for a gay travel business in your
local city/town or a tour around the world,
their members understand your travel needs.
By going to their website, www.iglta.com
you can search through their entire database
of gay and straight IGLTA members to find
just what you are looking for.
Founded in 1983 with 25 founding
members, the International Gay and
Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) is today
a 1000 plus member strong and growing
organization of gay, lesbian and community
friendly travel professionals. IGLTA members
represent both retailers and suppliers as
well as travel columnists like ourselves. They
represent travel agencies, tour operators,
resorts, hotels, motels, Bed and Breakfasts,
airlines, cruise lines, car rental companies,
local tourist offices, regional and national
tourist boards and the travel media.
John Tanze!l is the Executive Director
and their international headquarters is located
at 915 Middle River Drive, Suite #306,
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304. Their toll-free
telephone number is: 1-800-448-8550.
In May 2008, IGLTA will take Sin City
by storm! From April 30 until May 4, 2008,
Las Vegas will host the Annual Convention
of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel
Association. The host hotel is the Flamingo.
That website is: http://www.iglta.orglconvention/
and that website is your one stop
shop. Here is where you will find updates,
registration information, hotel and air information
as well as anything else you could
possibly want to learn about this one of a
kind event. Among the many workshops
that will be taking place are: Vegas Adventures,
How to Buy/Sell Unique Destinations,
How to Access the Gay and Lesbian
Market, Internet Marketing, L World - Why
Lesbians may be your best customers, Gay
Comfort Hotel Programs, Marketing Strategies
for Staying Competitive in the Gay &
Lesbian Tourism Market, Unique destinations
for Gay & Lesbian Travel, Teaming Up
with Gay and Lesbian Events, Guerilla Marketing
and Hotel/Bed and Breakfast trends.
Legendary author Armistead Maupin will be
our keynote speaker for the event. There will
also be a National Trade Show in conjunction
with the Convention.
Anxong the many National sponsors of
the IGLTA are:Airlines, Las Vegas Convention
& Visitors Center, MGM-MIRAGE,
Canada Tourism Commission, Wyndam
Hotels and Resorts, HARRAH’S, AIG Travel
Insurance, Alamo Car Rentals, National
Car Rentals, American Airlines, Continental
Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines,
Macy’s Department Stores, Ottawa Tourism
Center, Marriott Hotels and Resorts
and this is only a portion of the national
sponsors.
If you go to their website you can check
out their list of activities and the calendar of
events. They list over a dozen every month
all around the ~vorld. OutWest Global
Adventures is one of our favorites. Check
out their website at www.outwestadventures.
com. or email them at: info@outwestadventures.
corn and their phone number is
800-743-0458. They schedules all over the
world.
FUNMAPS.com is the leading authority
for gays and lesbians visiting anywhere
in the United States and Canada. They have
yearly "funmap brochures" on all of the
major cites in the country. They have been
publishing their brochures for over 25 years.
Alan Beck is the publisher and lives in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida. We were fortunate to
be his guests at his lovely estate there. His
life-partner Nick is a wonderful person and
they had a house guest, Norma from the
Northeast who was a delight. Alan is one of
the most charming gentlemen that we have
ever met. The brochures feature accommodations,
restaurants/cafes, night life and
shopping. Their funmaps brochures also
feature a "places to see" page and great maps
of each city so that you can find your way
around easily.
They have brochures on the following
cities: Asbury Park, Atlanta, Atlantic City,
Austin, Baltimore, Banff/Jasper, Boston,
Brooklyn, Calgary, Chicago, Columbus,
Dallas, Denver, Edmonton, Fire Island, Ft.
Lauderdale, Halifax, Houston, Jacksonville,
Key West, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, Long
Island, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Miami
and Miami Beach, Minneapolis, Montreal,
Myrtle Beach, Napa Valley, New Hope,
New Orleans, New York City, Niagara,
Okanagan Valley, Orange County, Orlando,
Palm Springs, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh,
Portland, Providence, Provincetown,
Quebec City, Rehoboth Beach, Sacramento,
San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco,
Saskatoon, Seattle, Sonoma County/Russian
River, South Dakota, St. Petersburg, Tampa,
Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Washington
D.C., Whistler and Wilton Manors.
Hopefully in the near future they will come
out with a funmap brochure for Missouri
featuring Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia,
Springfield and Joplin.
Funmap brochures can be picked up
free at hundreds of bars around the country
and you can also check them out on
line at www.funmaps.com. Their maps are
the most circulated gay publication in the
world, with 3.5 million users every year.
www.ozarksstar.corn ~heSTAR t9
Matsuya serves excellent sushi and Japanese fare, including such
knock-’out starters as deep-fried chicl~en wings and whitefish with
smelt roe. Although many imitators have opened nearby, Mia Francesca
remains the best place in the neighborhood for sophisticated
but simple Northern Italian fare. You could survive solely- on the
flaky, freshly baked cinnanmn rolls that accompany every" meat at
the hallowed Swedish diner Ann Sather, which has several gay-popular
locations.
Chicago Diner,
and serves
that
A swank, smoke-free lounge known for its colorful cocktails and
slick crowd, Minibar opened somewhat recently and has become a
favorite affer~work spot. A circuit-boy favorite on weekends, Circuit
pulses with a feverish tate-ni~t dance crowd even at midweek,
when Latin nights are a hit. °l~ne stylish Berlin disco draws a decidedly
fiankier and more alternative crowd than most of the preppy
haunts in Lakeview. Nearby Spin is an eclectic gay club with an alla~
es crowd and fun dance music. Charlie’s brinas in fans ofcountry-
~ffestern music, while the Gentry on Halsted is ~ Boystown branch
ofdowntowffsppoular piano bar, favored for happy hour and later
for live cabaret. Leather-and-Levi’s types cruise the Cell Block.
Steamworks Chicago is a popular, clean, well-run sauna - it’s one of
the nicest such facilities in the country.
cheese, and a ranow-smoky sauce.
One of the most talked-ab0ut new eateries in the
area, Anteprima turns out superb modern Italian
fare and has a wan’. dining room with pressed-tin
ceilings and a s~.~ded patio in back. Don’t pass up
the grilled quail marinated in honey with balsan~ic
vinegar and pancetta. A lively and atmospheric
bistro with a decidedly queer following, Tomboy
serves tempting fare like pan-seared duck with crimini
mushrooms mid a port glaze, T’S is a friendly,
gay-popular restaurant and bar - it s a favorite lesbian
date spot, known for healthful American food.
~hste of Heaven Baker), is a great pick for delectable
breakfasts and lunches, plus iCresh-baked snacks
throughout the day - the flied-egg sandwiches
and peaches-and-cream French toast are favorites in the morning.
Ano~er wonderful spot to satisfy your sugar fix is Sweet Occasions,
which serves some of the thickest and richest ice cream in the city,
plus fantast,c cupcakes, cherry cobbler, and homemade fudge. It’s
hard not to love this old-fashioned parlor with ice-cream sundaes
named for the seven deadly sins. The "Lust" (a chipotle brownie
topped with cinnamon ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and
red hots) may leave you lusting t~br another trip to these two charming
Chicago neighborhoods.....
www.ozarksstar.com {5eSTAR 21
our entire lives! "17hey were crispy,
tender and extremely delicious. We
naturally had to get their recipe to
share with our readers. After lunch
we had some of their home-made
apple pie which was great, but not
as great as the onion rings.
If you’re ever in that part of the
country, be sure and stop by and
dine there. They have no phone,
no address with just a small sign
in front but you can’t miss it as it
is the only restaurant in town. We
asked our waitress who owned the
restaurant and she said, "Bob &
Jim’. She had ,vorked there for over
3 years and had never met them.
Rather strange, but as long as they
make extraordinary onion rings, we
don’t care.
BOB &IIM’S CAFE
Greydiff, Montana
So, when you’r traveling, you
never know what you might find.
Sometimes it turns out good and
sometimes it turns out bad, but just
keep on "truckin".
We love to dine at fine restaurants around the country but
sometimes we hit upon a little diner that looks as though it is just
the "perfect" place to stop. Last fall on our driving trip back from
Seattle, Washington we were driving thru Montana around noonish
and we were both getting hungry so we decided to pull into
the next to~vn and get something to eat. Lo and behold the next
town in Montana was Greycliff, a town of about 450 people (if you
count the two of us). Really not much there except it is right on the
Interstate. When we walked into the only restaurant in town, they
KNEW that we were not from their fair town, or even that we were
from Montana! All eyes were upon us. The last time that anyone
in the restaurant had ever seen that many diamond rings was when
they went to their local Walmart! We were the only ones there that
didn’t wear cowboy hats, blue jeans, cowboy boots or bib overalls.
We really thought about turning right around and walking back to
our auto, but decided to stay.
Our waitress was rather like Flo from the TV series, ALICE with
a rather shrieking voice but pleasant. We had been dining for the
past two weeks on west coast seafood so decided to try something
a little more middle American so we ordered a chicken flied steak
lunch. Our waitress, whose real name was Minnie May suggested
that we also order the onion rings which she said were the best in
the entire State of Montana. We almost didn’t order them but she
kept insisting so ~ve did. To our pleasant surprise, they were some of
the finest onion rings that we have ever had in
Let us promote your business in a
UNIQUE & DIVERSE market. Call
STAR ADVERTISING today.
22 th~STAR www.ozarksstar.com
XANDER,
CAPTURES MR
GAY US ofA MI 2008
TITLE AT ANGLES
By Victor Gorin
Winners Xander & 1 st runnerup Owen
McCord
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK __ A new facet
of pageantry was introduced to Oklahoma
when the first contest for male impersonation
was held in Oklahoma City March
12-15. q-he national competition for this
new division of the US ofA system, Mr
Gay US ofA, concluded at Angles with
the crowning ofXander ofTennessee with
1st alternate Owen McCord ofAtlanta,
Georgia.
This new contest is owned by the first Mr.
Gay US ofA MI, the famous Gage Gatlin
and his partner Brenda Quayle. Mr.Gatlin
wowed the audience with a style that even
made some gay men swoon, talent garnered
from years of experience beginning in
Jacksonville, Florida. Gage and Brenda have
made their home in Tulsa, having begun this
contest in August of this year. Mr.Gatlin
has gone into retirement, however he will
still perform for large charity events. They
are looking forward to next year’s contest,
which will feature contestants winning preliminary
or regional contests, of which there
are already 10 planned.
OkJahomans for Equa] -
ity opens new exhibit
featuring artist Amie
Montedoro at the Dennis
R. Neill Equality
Center
TULSA, OK (PR) __ The Dennis R. Neill
Equality Center art gallery will
host its monthly First Thursday meet-theartist
reception from 6-9pm, Thursday,
April 3, 2008, for the opening of it’s April
exhibit, paintings by Amie Montedoro.
Montedoro’s art is a refreshing look at the
beauty ofwomen who have taken
charge of their own sexuality. The feminine
form, as the perfect balance between
the sacred and the profane, embodies the
duplicity that is woman; as Madonna,
as Whore. The eldest daughter of accomplished
architect and educator Richard
Montedoro (Norman, Ok.), Amie has been
taught from a young age the importance of
self expression. A tactile artist, Amie prefers
to create her art not with brushes or tools;
rather she uses her fingers to apply all but
the most intricate of details and finishing
touches. From concept to creation, Amie
uses traditional techniques along with the
relationship garnered from having her hands
actually create the form and emotion of
women who are sexually comfortable,
capable, and liberated.
The exhibit will remain up through the
month ofApril, and can be viewed Monday
thru Saturday from 3-gpm. The Dennis R.
Neill Equality Center is located at 621
E. 4th St., in downtown Ttflsa. More info
can be found on the web at okeq.org.
This monthly event is hosted by Oklahoman’s
for Equality (OkEq). OkEq seeks
equal rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual &
Transgender (LGBT) individuals and
families through advocacy, education, programs,
alliances, and the operation of
the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center.
Kern Responds to
Activist Criticisms
OKI~A_HOMA CITY, OK (PR) __State
Rep. Sally Kern (R-Oklahoma City) issued
the following statement in response to the
criticisms of homosexual activists who have
objected to a recent speech she gave on their
efforts to promote their agenda at both the
federal and state level.
"To put this simply, as a Christian I believe
homosexuality is not moral. Obviously, you
have the right as an American to choose that
lifestyle, but I also have the right to express
my views and my fellow Oklahomans have
the right to debate these issues.
"In recent years homosexual activists have
begun to aggressively promote their agenda
through the political process, often providing
substantial financing to candidates who
agree with their views, including many
running for state legislative races. National
publications such as Time, The Atlantic and
USA Today have noted that trend. That
is their right, just as it is my right to voice
opposition to their agenda, which I have
been asked to do at several public forums in
recent months. That’s what democracy is all
about. It appears some homosexual activists
believe only one group is allowed a voice in
this debate. I disagree.
’~k vigorous debate on an issue is not ’hate
speech’ - it’s free speech. I have made clear
my opposition to the agenda of homosexual
activists, but I have never endorsed
or supported any hateful action targeting
individuals on the other side of this debate
and never will. The fact that many gay rights
activists claim anyone opposing their agenda
is engaging in ’hate speech’ says more about
them than me.
"Most Oklahomans are socially conservative
and believe marriage is a sacred institution,
the union of one man and one woman, and
that the traditional family is worth protecting
and preserving. When I campaigned for
office, I promised my constituents to stand
up for those values, and I do not apologize
for keeping my word."
~wvw.ozarksstar.com theSTAR 23


By Ronald Blake
Bythe time you read this, the Academy
Awards gadabouts will be looking forward
to next year’s red carpet faux pas. You will
likely have listened ad nauseam to the incessant
prattling of that sham fashion critic
Joan Rivers. You will probably be joining
the droves of lemmings to rent the Oscar
winning movies at the corner Blockbuster.
I will now beseech your participation for
my health version of the body’s Academy
Awards. I promise to shut up when the
music starts to play.
The winner for best editing goes to the
reticular activating system, or the RAS as it
is known to the medical snobs, q-his system
was responsible for filtering all the unnecessary
dreck that made its way to your brain
during the past year. It decided what was
important for you to pay attention to. It
concluded that 99% of the sensory input
that approached your cerebral cortex was to
be ignored. Without this RAS, you would
likely have been bombarded with an overload
of drab detail all around you. The kind
of overload you would experience while on
the drug LSD, which does temporarily disable
the RAS.
The winner for best supporting role goes
to the diaphragm. This veteran provided
enough action and drama for five hysterical
queens. It was capable of providing sufficient
pressure change in your thoracic cavity
to send blood soaring happily back to the
heart on many an occasion. It has so ardently
allowed you to give that much needed
extra push while grunting and groaning on
the toilet. It was even so
chivalrous to accompany you to the health
club and save you from muscle tears during
your heavy lifting exercises.
The best makeup award is presented to the
circulatory system for its presentation of the
numerous bruises that you displayed to the
world. These hematomas are more than just
clotted blood masses and it is long overdue
that the Academy finally recognizes these
purveyors of black and blue marks. They
maintained their iridescent beauty until the
body naturally reabsorbed the escaped blood
that clotted just beneath the skin’s surface.
The best leading role goes to the lungs. This
organ is usually secondary to the perennial
favorites such as the heart, brain, or the
stomach. This year the voters spoke and
showed the world that nobody puts the
lungs in a corner. This tour de force has provided
the heart with all its oxygen which in
turn has provided the properly conditioned
blood for your brain’s processing of your
impure thoughts and the stomach’s digesting
of those roast beef sandwiches ladled with
horsey sauce.
The best director goes to the adrenaline.
This litde behemoth was responsible for
preparing all your body parts for that
fight or flight reaction when you came
face to face with that curmudgeonly pit
bull in the park. Audience members cheered
furiously when you chose the flight version
and outpaced the Hound of the Baskervilles
and then leapt that six foot brick wall to
the safety of those hydrangea bushes on the
other side. Only a capable director could
cajole you out of your slothful ways to
negotiate that feat.
There were many nonainees for great body
parts and their exciting roles. With all due
respect to the aforementioned winners, the
body does function as a whole and winning
team. Keep learning about your anatomy
and physiology. This knowledge is what will
keep you healthy and prepare you for the
recipient of the lifetime achievement award.
This column is brought to you by that
guy who frequendy and sophomorically
ordered Whopper sandwiches while in the
McDonald’s drive-throughs in his carefree
youth. That guy is Ron Blake and he can be
castigated at www.goblakefimess.com.
26 theSTAR www.ozarksstar.com
GAY TRAVELERS:
Almost al! the bus tours allow their passengers
to take their own food with them
and ifyou are careful and not out in the
open about it, you can take your own liquor
for a 5 o’clock drink or two. We know several
people who have taken a bus tour from
California to Alaska and they all say that it
was splendid. Buses nowadays are not like
yesterday. They are all extremely comfortable
with air-cushioned suspension. They of
course all have restrooms on board and they
make frequent stops for dining and shopping.
On the longer tours they usually have
a host/hostess traveling with you to answer
any and all questions. Sometimes in one’s
life it just makes more sense to take a bus
tour rather than driving your own automobile.
If this is something that might be in
your future plans we highly suggest that perhaps
you might start offwith just a day trip
and see how you like it and then progress to
a longer one. There are a lot of single people
taking these bus tours so for the single
people out there, you don’t need to feel
alone when traveling. We have made good
acquaintances on our day tours that we took
several years ago and still keep in touch with
them. Bus tours are not for everybody but
perhaps it might be something to look into
for your future travel plans.
And speaking of Las Vegas, "Gay Days
& Nights Las Vegas" is coming up July
3rd thru the 6th. This wil! be their 2nd
year of presenting the Gay Days & Nights.
Presenting sponsor Cirque du Soleil will
be featuring special events and discounts
throughout the Gay Days & Nights July
3-6, to showcase their Las Vegas productions.
Attendees of Gay Days & Nights Las
Vegas will have an opportunity to see any or
all of the shows combined with invitationonly
special events, drawings and incentives
planned for each night including LOVE at
Mirage, KA at MGM Grand, ZUMANITY
at New-York Hote! & Casino and Mystere
at Treasure Island. PARIS Hotel & Casino
is the host accommodations and you can
check them out at Parislasvegas.com. For
more information check their website at
http://www.gaydaysandnights.com/. Also
when going to Las Vegas be sure and check
out http://www.lasvegaspride.org/.
Always remember to have fun when traveling,
meet new people and talk to everyone!
British gays f~ght b{ood ban
A new British group called Bloodban is
seeking to overturn the nation’s ban on
blood donation by non-celibate gay men,
the BBC reported March 7.
Organizers are circulating a petition that
they plan to deliver to Prime Minister Gordon
Brown.
The National Blood Service believes gay
men are too high-risk because of the short
gap between one’s getting infected with
HIV and when the virus can be detected by
a blood test.
Bloodban says people should be excluded
based on their lifestyle, not because of their
membership in a particular social group.
~e activists propose that gay men be
banned as donors only if they have
had unprotected sex in the past 18 months.
israeli bashers sent to prison
Four Jerusalem gay-bashers were sent to
prison for two to eight years March 6 by the
Tel Aviv District Court, Ynetnews reported.
Typically, the bashers used a decoy cruiser
to pick up men seeking sex with men at Tel
Aviv’s old central bus station. Once in the
victim’s car, the decoy would direct him to
another location where the other bashers
joined in beating, stripping and robbing the
victim.
Two other men have been indicted for
nearly identical crimes at Jerusalem’s central
bus station. In one case, one of the bashers
bit off a portion of one victim’s ear, Ynet
said.
Netherlands plans legalization of
park sex
It will no longer be illegal to have sex in
Amsterdam’s Vondel Park under regulations
set to take effect later this year, De Telegraaf
reported March 7.
"Why should we try to maintain something
that is actually impossible to maintain,
which also causes little bother for others
and, for a certain group, actually signifies
much pleasure?" asked Oud-Zuid district
Alderman Paul van Grieken.
People having sex in the park xvill be
expected to do so only after dark and out
of public viexv. They also must not leave
condoms lying about.
Meanxvhile, the police institute’s National
Diversity Expertise Center is advising other
cities to follow Amsterdam’s lead. It said
legalizing park sex would help protect gay
men from queer-bashers.
The Amsterdam branch of the Dutch national
gay group COC (now knoxvn only
by its formal initials) xvelcomed the nexvs.
"Cruising is something belonging to all
times and banning it does not work anyway,"
said chairman Dennis Boutkan. "They
do it surreptitiously and mostly without
others being annoyed by it. By agreeing on
rules of behavior, safety can be increased."
Spanish gay-marriage PIVt wins reelection
Spanish voters re-elected Prime Minister
Josd Luis Rodrlguez Zapatero on March
9, apparently unperturbed that he made
Spain one of only six nations that grant gay
couples access to full marriage.
Zapatero’s Socialist party took 43.7 percent
of the vote, besting the conservative Popular
Party, which grabbed 40.1 percent.
Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, South
Africa and the U.S. state of Massachusetts
also have opened up ordinary marriage to
same-sex couples.
SGYrdneff. GLBT Mardi
as Picks Gayest Song
Ever.
S~qDNEY, AU __ ABBA’s Dancing Queen,
which has been ranked by visitors to
Australia’s SameSame.com.au website as the
gayest song of all time in a list compiled to
celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Sydney
Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
The Village People’s YMCA came in
second, followed by Gloria Gaynor’s I Will
Survive.
"The list was compi]ed in the lead-up to
the 30th Anniversary of Sydney’s Gay and
Lesbian Mardi Gras to look back on the
catalogue of popular music to decide which
of them are truly worthy to be labelled a
camp classic," SameSame.com.au said.
~,wvw.ozarksstar.com th÷STAR 27
by Jack Fertig April 2008
"Recharge your batteries, Taurus!"
Venus entering Aries provides a challenging spark to the
profound re-evaluations of responsibility being raised by
Pluto and Saturn. Be patient, take the long view, and rise to
the challenge of seeing how your impulses can be harnessed
to deep and necessary changes.
ARIES (March 20 -April 19): Venus is in your sign, and it’s
a great time for a makeover. Looking good professionally
is more important than just looking gorgeous, so freshen up
your work as well as your appearance. Looking good in lieu
of accomplishment will fool no one.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Allow yourself time to be
alone. Recharge your batteries; take time to think about
important issues, to organize hobbies or crafts, or to look
more critically at some of your creative efforts. When you
need fresh air, do some volunteer work.
GEMINi (May 21 - June.20): Throwing yourself into some
community efforts will bdng you to unanticipated challenges.
You can overcome them, but will have to re-evaluate
how you network with others, and how you support and use
community structures.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Making useful connections
may feel cynical. The truth is, you tend to be a little too
romantic and shouldn’t be shy about basing relationships
on something practical. Focus your urge to edit on yourself;
others rarely appreciate it.
LEO (July 23 .- August 22): You’re suddenly impatient to
make your mark in a new territory. Stop and think. Rather
than wasting this energy in some egoistic indulgence, you
can apply your skills to present your most valued ideas and
talents.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): Be bold and daring.
Traits you’ve experienced as liabilities can prove very
advantageous if you try playing with them - perhaps in dark,
subversive ways. Erotic role play can unlock power where
you thought you were weak.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Nice people can
argue nicely. Assert your points respectfully and hear your
partner - or your opponent - out. Be open to new perspectives
on cherished traditions. Some long-accepted history
als0 needs a fresh look.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): You’re itching to
make some much-needed innovations at work. As good
as. your ideas are, be sure to discuss any plans with colleagues,
and not just for diplomacy’s sake. You can learn
from their ideas and improve upon your own improvements.
28 theSTAR
SAG~TTAR~US (November 22 o December 20): You could
accomplish a great deal, earning fame and fortune. The
creative impulse that should feed such progress is more
likely to be a distraction. Harnessing that power productively
is challenging. Don’t give in to impulse. Structure and
discipline are now your best bet.
CAPRICORN (December 21 -January 19): Suddenly
focusing on what you value about your home and tribe, you
can become very assertive and defensive. Try to take a longer
view, asserting the value of your clan as part of a larger
community or humanity, not distinct from it.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): To become even
more comfortable with your deepest, most private feelings
about sex and/or death, you need to challenge yourself to
examine these most irrational mysteries with some logic.
Find someone with whom you can discuss your secret feelings.
PISCES (February 19 - March 19): The fault is probably
not with your partner and friends, but in what you imagine
- wrongly - to be their chief assets. Try to see what they
offer and what you offer to them in a new light, one that will
improve all your relationships.
METROPOLITAN
COMMUNITY CHURCHES
Rev Steve 3". Urie
Spirit of Christ MCC
2902 E 20th Street
Joplin, MO 64804
417-529-8480
Worship Saturdays at 10:00 AM
Community Meal Wednesdays at 6:00 PM
MCC of the Living Spring
17 Elk Street
Eureka Spdngs, AR 72632
479-253-9337
Worship Sundays at 6:00 PM
Have a God filled and BleSSed Day!
www.ozarksstar.com
tis÷ s Support those who support us,
DOWNTOWN PLAZA ofTULSA
17 \Vest 7th Street
Tulsa, OK
918-585-5898
www.downtownplazatulsa.com
HABANA INN
2200 bD,v4 39TH F~XPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-528-2221
www.habanainn.com
KELLY KIRBY, CPA
4815 S. HARVARD, SUITE 424
Tulsa, OK * 918-747-5466
Certified Public Accountant
SUSAN HARTMAN
Independent Broker
Oklahoma and Arkansas
918-698-2977
susanlhartman@gmail.com
ANGLES
2117 NW 39th St.
Oklahoma City, OK
x~vw.anglesclub.com
BkaMBOO LOUNGE
7204 E. PINE
Tulsa, OK
918-836-8700
www.bambooloungetulsa.com
CLUB MAJESTIC
124 N. BOSTON
Tulsa, OK
918-584-9494
www.clubmajestictulsa.com
FINISHLINE
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
www.habanainn.com
THE COPA
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESS\VgAy
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
v~vw.habanainn.com
THE LEDO
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
www.habanainn.com
DIVERSITY CHRISTIAN CNTR
211 S. Garnett
Tulsa, OK 74128
v~vw.realacceptance.com
OUR HOUSE, TOO
203 N. Nogales Ave
Tulsa, OK 74127
918-585-9552
HOPE TESTING CLINIC
3540 E. 31st
Tulsa, OK
800-535-2437
Oklahoma’s HIV/STD Hotline
SPIRIT OF CHRIST MCC
2902 E. 20TH STREET,
Joplin, MO * 479-529-8480
Service Saturday 9:30 AM
MCC of the HVING SPRING
17 Elk Street
Eureka Springs, AR 72632
479-253-9337
Worship Sundays 6pm
OPENARMS YOUTH PROJECT
2015 -B S. Lakewood
Tulsa, OK 74112
918-838-7104
www. openarmsproject.org
JUDY G. PHOTO’S
Tulsa, OK
judygphoms@sbcglobal.net
918-743-8636
CENTURY 21 GOLD CASTLE
3627 NW EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
405-840-2106
www.c2 lgoldcastle.com
CHUCK BRECKENRIDGE
Keller Williams Realty
Tulsa, OK
918-706-1887
GAY BRADY HEIGHTS-Tulsa
New and Historic Homes for Sale
and Rent For Info:
www.gaybradyheightstulsa.com
GUSHER’S RESTAURMNT
2200 NW 39TH EXPRESSWAY
Oklahoma City, OK
405-525-0730
Located inside Habana Inn
GAYRIBBEAN CRUISES
www.gayribbeancruises.com
877-560-8318
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Whether buying or selling
I’ll work hard for you.
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