[1995] Tulsa Family News, January 15-February 14, 1995; Volume 2, Issue 2

[1995] Tulsa Family News, January 15-February 14, 1995; Volume 2, Issue 2

Politics, education, and social conversations toward Tulsa's Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities.

Tulsa Family News was a monthly newspaper; No. 1 issued December 1993-January 1994. The final issue available was published in September of 2001 (Vol. 8, Issue 9).

The newspaper brings up important, evolving topics of marriage, military, law, charity, Pride, TORH, HIV/AIDs, events, advice, politics all at the local and national level.

This document is available in searchable PDF attached. It is also available to be seen at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center with permission.

Tulsa Family News

https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24

Tom Neal

January 15-February 14, 1995

James Christjohn
Kharma Amos
Brannon Crain
Maureen Curtin
JD Jamett

Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News

Tulsa Family News, December 15, 1994-January 14, 1995; Volume 2, Issue 1

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Online text
PDF

English

newspaper
periodical

https://history.okeq.org/items/show/493

Tulsa---Oklahoma
Oklahoma---Tulsa
United States Oklahoma Tulsa
United States of America (50 states)

Serving Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Communities - Our Families of the Heart
reportervpage 3
Tulsa to "Pilot"
Prejudice
Reductio-n
Progra d Tulsa, with Atlanta
Houston, has been chosen as a
pilot locadon for Project Open
Mind. This project, sponsored
and designed by the national
organization of PFLAG, will
challenge homophobia &
heterosexism in the Tulsa
community through a multimedia
campaign.
The campaign hopes to reach
Tulsa’ s "mushy-middle" (those
neither anti-Gay or .supportive)
through a combination of radio,
TV, and print advertising/stories,
and through public forums,
speaking engagements and other
education’ programs. Tulsa’ s
PFLAG chapter will receive
media training, TV & radio
materials, and support from
national PFLAG staff.
January 15 - February 14, 1995, Volume 2, Issue 2
TU Introduces
Gay & Lesbian
Studies Course
The University of Tulsa’s
Professor Bernice Hams will
teach TU’s first Gay studies
course, Introduction to .Gay &
Lesbian Studies. This
interdisciplinary course is listed
as an English department
offering butis also one of several
classes offered as part of a multicultural
education requirement
at TU.
The structure of the course is
tripartite. The first section will
examine the historical
representation of alternative
sexualities. The second part will
address issues of gender and
sexual identity, in particular, the
nexus between economic
structureandgenderidentity.The
third portion will consider
theoretical issues, including
identity politics, AIDS theory
and reality, and the greater
complexities of race, class &
gender.
Professor Harris credits
students from the Bisexual,
Lesbian, & Gay Alliance at TU
with planting the idea for this
course with former Dean of Arts
see TU, page 11
Kelly Kirby
Reflects On Two Years
as President of TOHR
Editor’s note: this December,
TFN interviewed Kelly Kirby
who’s justfinished serving two
years as president of Tulsa
Oklahomans for Human Rights
(TOHR). TFN asked Kirby to
review that service and to share
Kelly Kirby
his perceptions of his and the
organization’s successes andthe
areas in which he’d like to have
done more.
Kirby, who is acertified public
accountant by profession,
identified a return to fiscal
solvency as the accomplishment
of which he is most proud.
Several years prior, TOHR had
see Kirby, page 9
INTERVIEW
Gay Tulsa Cop
by Tom Neal
The history of the interaction
ofpolice officers and Lesbian
and Gay Tulsans is not an
especially happy one. Members
of the communities can recall
the days ofovert harassment by
Tulsa police. You only have to
ask to hear about the police
rousting folks out of an old
downtown bar ando~dering them
to cross the street, only to arrest
thosefolksforjay-walking across
an empty street at ]am. The
consequences of arrest were
perhaps more severe then.
Names werepublished,jobs lost,
andfolks even were thrown out
oftheir homes.
However, the old adage, that
"we (Gays & Lesbians) are
everywhere" holds true inpolice
work. Tulsa Family News is
proud to share with our readers
the following interview,
presented anonymously for
reasons thatshouldbe clear, with
one of Tulsa’s Finest:
TFN: What’s it like to be a
Gay cop?
Officer: It’ s scary - not the job
itself but the prejudice in the
department, and ,in general,
see Cop, page 9
Mayor &Rights
Chief. C.all For
Gay Civil Rights
Protec.tions
by Kelly Kirby
In honor of International
Human Rights Day, the Human
Rights Commission and Human
Rights Department of the City of
Tulsa hosted a reception on
Monday, December 19, 1994.
-Addressing the gathering,
Commission Chair Eddie Faye
Gates spoke of past accomsee
Mayor, page 9
TOHRtoCreate
Community
Center
Tulsa Oklahomans forHuman
Rights (TOHR) kicked off its
new y.ear by announcing a
campmgn to create a Lesbian/
Gay Community Center at its
Jan. 3rd meeting at the Tulsa
City-County Central Library.
The meeting which was billed as
an open forum for grievances,
gripes, kudos, etc. drew about 25
persons, some old members,
some new.
The topic of the Community
see Center, page 2
Radical Right Escalates
Anti-Gay Activities
WASHINGTON - Anti-gay
forces increased their assault in
Congress, state legislatures, the
courts and other public policy
arenas during the last year, a
new report by People for the
.AmericanWay says. "Theresult
lS a political and social climate
hostile to the principles ofjustice
and fairness that safeguard every
American,"thenon-partisan civil
liberties watchdog group said in
releasingits second annual report
on political activity aimed at the
lesbian and gay rights movement
in the U.S.
The report, a compilation of
134 anti-gay moves in 37 states
see Radical Right, page 8
Oregon Anti-Gay
Forces Try Again
SALEM, Ore. - Despite being
twice rejected by voters .in the
state - mostrecentlyinNovember
- the Oregon Citizens Alliance
has once again filed papers to
begin collecting signatures for a
proposed statewide ballot
initiative to bar rain ority rights
to lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
Titled the "Minority Status &
Child Protection Act of 1996,"
the proposed ballot measure is
nearly identical to one that
see Oregon, page 11
Gays May Be Included
As ’Family’ for Leave Act
WASHINGTON - The U.S.
Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) has issued
internal regulations implementing
the federal Family Friendly
Leave Act in a way that appears
to include non-traditional relationships.
Under the Family
Friendly Leave Act, federal
workers can use sick leave to
care for a sick family member,
or for bereavement purposes.
According to theOMB, ?family"
is defined as: "Any other
individual related by blood or
affinity whose close association
with the employee is the
equivalent of a family
relationship,"
Anti-Gay Murders
Marked by Viciousness
SAN FRANCISCO - A report
released by the San Franciscobased
organization Community
United Against Violence says
that more than 150 gay men and
lesbians around the U.S. were
killed in anti-gay attacks during
the last 3 years, and that an ti-gay
murders nationally tend to
involve a greater degree of
violence that most killings.
Cooperatively researched by
some 22 anti-violence groups
see Violence, page 11
Top GOP Official Urges
Meetings with Gay Org.,.
WASHINGTON - The Washington
Times reports that Jennie
Austin, co-chair of the Republican
National Committee, sent
letters to all the Republican
members of Congress recommending
that they meetwithRich
Tafel, head of the gay-oriented
Log Cabin Republicans. In her
letter to GOP members of the
104th Congress, Austin wrote,
"I hope you and your staff will
find time to meet with Rich, if
you have not already done so,
when he calls on you at the start
of the next Congress." A
spokesperson for the Republican
National Committee said that
GOP Chairman Haley Barbour
was unaware the letters were sent
and disavowed Austin’s suggestion,
noting that she leaves
office at the end of the year.
Women Die From AIDS
Faster Than Men
MINNEAPOLIS’- Researchers
at the University of Minnesota
say a just-concluded study
indicates that women infected
with HIV have shorterlife-spans
following diagnosis than men
who are infected. The study
tracked women and men with
HiV at health facilities around
see Women, page 11
AMA Adopts New Policy
on Gays and Lesbians
WASHINGTON - The American
Medical Association has
reversed a long-standing policy
regarding homosexuals, and has
adopted a 20-page report calling
for "non-judgmental recognilion
of sexual orientation by
physicians." The policy report,
entitled "Health Care Needs of
Gay Men and Lesbians in the
U.S.," states: "All patients,
regardless of their sexual
orientation,haveafight torespect
and concern for their fives and
values. However, gay men and
lesbians face ostrac ism and
discrimination from some health
care professionals."
The new policy says that some
gays and lesbians may have
"unique mental health concerns"
butnotes thatmostoftheseissues
see AMA, page 11
More Mississippi Murder
INDIANOLA, Miss. - Activists
in Mississippi report that another
gay manhas been murdered. The
body of Stanley King, 24, was
found partly clothed several
yards from his parked car. He
had been shot twice in the back,
once in the shoulder and once in
the head, apparently at close
range. Police arrested Remus
see Murder, page 11
MILITARY
UPDATE
Steffan & Lambda Won’~
Appeal to Supreme Court
WASHINGTON - In whatactivists
say is a strategic legal
move, former U.S. Naval
Academy Midshipman Joseph
Steffan has ended his six-year
court fight to win his diploma
andcommissionas aNavy ensign
afterbeing dismissedby officials
at the Academy because he
acknowledged being gay. The
U.S. Court of Appeals dealt
Steffan’s case a serious blow in
see Steffan, page 11
AnotherAnti-Gay Military
Policy Going to Court
SEATTLE - A month after a
Navy panel recommended
dischargebecausehe’s gay, Petty
Officer 2rid Class Mark Philip
has been granted a preliminary
order and court hearing date to
contest the military’s policy of
excluding homosexuals from t
he U.S. armed forces. A U.S.
District Court judge granted the
injunction and slated a hearing
for Philips’ case for Feb. 22.
Philips tol.d superior officers he
was gay m 1993 after being
directly asked, saying he wanted
to challenge the exclusionary
policy. Phihps has worked until
now as a machinist on a
submarine.
ALL EYES ON THE ~104TH
Promising to revolutionize American
government, Republicans opened the doors of the
Capitol Building to anew House of Representatives
and Senate both dominated by the Republican
party for the first time in 40 years. Stepping up to
the rostrum for the first time on the morning of
January 3rd, new Speaker of the House Newt
Gingrich touted his Contract With America.
tS"evious statements by Gingrich, including that "it
is madness to pretend that families are anything
other than heterosexual couples," make it clear that
his Contract with America is intended to support
o~fly some Americans. Gay, lesbian and bisexual
people have learned to read between the lines of
proposed Contrac!,policies like "The Family
Reinforcement Act. and might consider~enaming
the Republican Contract a"ContractOnAmerica."
What concerns most progressive activists is not
the takeover of the House and Senate by the
Republican party per se, but rather the dominance
of an ultra-conservative faction of Senators and
Representatives. According to a recent report by
the Christian Coalition, a full 44 of the 62 new
Republican members of the House conformed to
its "pro-family, pro-life"~ agenda. Also alarming
are the number of familiar faces now chairing
powerful committees who have a long- standing
tradition ofopposmg gay-positive legi slation. Chief
among themisJesse Helms, the homophobic North
Carolina senator, who will now head the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee.
Activists can expect to spend the bulk of their
energies throughout the 104th Congress. fighting
off anti-gay legislation and funding cuts. Many
previously defeated Radical Right initiatives may
find a second wind in the 104th session. Anti-gay
amendments may appear in legislation on topics
ranging from government personnel policies to
milk subsidies. Funding may be challenged for the
Ryan White CARE Act and other AIDS research
and service appropriations, the National
Endowment of., ~the Arts for its funding of gay
positive art, and for ~chools teaching tolerance and
acceptance of all students, including gay and lesbian
youth. Unfortunately, pro-active efforts, including
movement ofpr6-gay federal legislation such as
the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, seem
unlik~lyJn such a politically conservative and
hostile environment. In addition, attacks on abortion
rights, social security ~nsurance, health care, and
new immigrants all appear likely.
Activists from all comers of the country will
need to keep up on the new hostile Congress by
lobbying their senators andrepresentatives regularly
if the voices of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people
are to be heard on Capitol Hill.
ACTION: NGLTF offers several resources to
assist you in lobbying the federal government. To
learn more about writing, calling, and visiting your
senators andrepresentatives,request Lobbying Tips
($1) from the NGLTF publication request line.
Call (202) 332-6483 ext. 3327. If you spend time
on the Internet during business hours, you can
receive urgentlegislative action alerts fromNGLTF
as news breaks on Capitol Hill. Write to:
babngltf@aol.com and type "subscribe legislative
action alert" in the subject heading. Be sure to
include your name address and telephone number
in the message.
PHELPS’. FOLLIES
Holding their "God’s Hate is Great" signs high
above their heads, minister Fred Phelps and
members of his Westboro Baptist Church (WBC)
of Topeka, Kansas were spotted recently picketing
NGLTF’s Creating ChangeConference. Inaddilion
to the activist conference, WBC members heckled
Sunday services at Mel White’s MCCCathedral of
Hope in Dallas. According to Phelps, WBC
picketed 1,560 gay and lesbian churches,
conventions, parades, and funerals in 1994
including Stonewall 25, the recent funeral ofAIDS
activist Pedro Zamora in Miami and a Kansas
speech by poet Maya Angelou. Phelps garnered
national attentionwhen he began his campaign of
picketing funerals of AIDS victims and harassing
their mourning family members.
Maya Angelou’s confrontation with Fred Phelps
led her to cancel her speech at Emporia State
University. In response, an outraged coalition of
over 70 organizations formed to create an organized
opposition to Phelp’s virulent gay-bashing. The
Network for Unity and Tolerance (NUT) is a
mulficultural group committed to "reaffirming the
traditional American values of mutual respect,
t61~rance and integrity."....
The "Reverend Church Lady" of Topeka now
distributes a weekly parody and update of WBC
activities called Church Chat. The Ch~ch Lady
faxes,Wt3C each ~eel~in!rep~ns:.~tb~C~ s~t~,gtfl~r~
hornophobic and ~,ile faxes.
ACTION: To find out more about how you can
support the efforts ofNUT, write to 8336 Sagamore
Road, Leawood, Kansas, 66206 or email:
Junemoon@fileshop.com. To download a new
unauthorized biography of Fred Phelps on America
Online, go to glcf->community organizations->file
!ibrary->NGLTF publications.
DISTRESS IN DES MOINES
School board members in Des Moines Iowa are
finding their pro-tolerance, multi-cultural
curriculum proposal under fire thanks to the efforts
of imported anti-gay activist, Bill Horn. Four of
seven school board members voiced their support
for the proposed district education plan which would
include teaching about the contributions of famous
gay, lesbian and bisexual people and discussion of
homophobic thinking and behavior. The plan met
with opposition when board members gave the
district superintendent the go ahead to begin
implementing curriculum changes. Des Moines
would become the first school district in Iowa with
specific curriculum requirements to ensure that its
schools are safe places for all its students including
gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth.
Controversy erupted when Bill Horn; spokesman
for The Report, a national Christian organization
that publishes the anti-gay Lambda Report, moved
to Des Moines to begin a campaign aimed at
dismantling the long standing school district
proposal. Horn, whose children do not attend the
Des Moines Public School District, succeeded in
gathering 3,000 protesters at a recent Des Moines
anti-gay rally and called on those present to flood
the school board with phone calls demanding
rejection of the tolerance proposal.
School board members continue to stand in strong
support of the policy but need support particularly
from activists in Iowa and in other school districts
with pro-tolerance policies. The Gay and Lesbian
Resource Center (GLRC) ofDes Moines has pitch~t
in their organizing strength to fight Horn and his
supporters. In addition to letters of support and
encouragement to the Des Moines School Board,
GLRC has suggested that activists from across the
country write letters to the editor of the Des Moines
Register in support of the board’s position on the
side of tolerance.
ACTION: Send letters of support to Jacquie
Easley, President, Des Moines School District,
1800 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA, 50309. Send
letters to the editor to The Des Moines Register, PO
Box 957, Des Moines, IA, 50309 or fax to (515)
286-2511. For more information write GLRC: PO
Box 7008, Des Moines, Ilk, 50309.
Center cont’dfrom page ]
Center campaign dominated the meeting though
serious discussions occured on issues of health and
racism.
TOHR president, Tim Gillean, promised to
schedule a series of focus groups to examine these
issues in greater depth (see calendar on page 3).
Rainbow Business Guildalmouncedits nextmeeting
on Jan. 23, 7pm at the Spaghetti Warehouse
restaurant.
TULSA
918-832-0233
POB 414(3, Tulsa
OK 74159
TulsaNews@aol.com
Publisher/Editor
Tom Neal
Asst. Editor
James Christjohn
Writers/contributors
Kharma Amos
Brannon Crain
Maureen Curtin
.SLa.ff phot.Qgr~p~h.er
JD Jamett,
FAMILY NEWS
Issued on or before the 15th of each month, the
entire contents of this publication are protected by
US copyright 1995 by Tulsa Family News and
may not be reproduced either in whole or in part
without written penmssion from the publisher.
Publication of a name or photo does not indicate
that person’s sexual orientation.
Correspondence is assumed to be for publication
unless otherwise noted and becomes the sole
property of Tulsa Family News. All
correspondence should be sent to the address
above. Each readeris entitled to one free copy of
each edition at distribution locations. Additional
- -copid~ aid avai[~ibie ~it T0~f0olery! ....
*The Alley, 3340 S. Peoria
*Bad Boys Club, 1229 S. Memorial
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
*Metropole, 1902 E. 11
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan
*Renegade, 1649 S. Main
*Rex, 6101 E. Admiral
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial
*Time n’Time Again, 1515 S. Memorial
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd
*Whittier Cafe, 416 S. Lewis
Businesses/Services
Kent Balch & Associates, Health & Life Insurance
BellAire Cleaners; 4951 S. Peoria
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 So. Peoria
Budget Window Treatments, 7116 So. Mingo, Ste. 102
*CD Warehouse, 6080 S. Sheridan
*CD Warehouse in Lincoln Plaza, 15th & Peoria
First Franklin Financial, Bob Hardy
Floral Design Studio, 3404 S Peoria, Ste. 100
*Java Dave’s, Lincoln Plaza
International Tours
Kerfs Flowers, 1635 E. 15
Major Affairs, 2014 E. 6th
*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3
*Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 P1
Phoenix Mortgage Corp.
Pounds & Francs, 1706 S. Boston
Puppy Pause II, l lth & Mingo
Royal Travel, 6927 S: Canton
*Ross Edward Salon, 1438 S. Boston
*Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square
Southwest Viatical, 4146 S. Harvard, Ste. F-5
*Tomfoolery, 1565 S. Sheridan
Westcopa Salon, Lincoln Plaza
Organizations
B/L/G Alliance, University of Tulsa.
7’44-0896
835-5083
749-1563
587-8811
834-4234
585-3405
835-1055
660-0856
664-8299
584-1308
582-2400
747-9506
743-5967
743-5272
254-2100
491-9474
587-6030
628-8745
744~9595
592-3317
341-6866
599-8070
587-8108
584-3112
664-2951
592-7700
587-8333
838-7626
496-2410
584-0337
749-6301
747-3322
832-0233
583- 1500
Interfaith AIDS Ministries
*HIV Resource Consortium, 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H-1
NAMES PROJECT, 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H-1
P-FLAG, POB 52800 74152
Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118
-Rainbow Business Guild, 4th Monday @ 7pro
Rainbow Village, POB 50403, 74150-0403
Shanti Hofline
583-9780
438-2437, 800-284-2437
749-4194
748-3111
749-4901
74.128
254-2100
599-8423
749-7898
Tulsa Oklahomans forHumanRights, (TOHR) POB 52729 74152
TOHR Gay HelpLine (Info.) 743-4297
Professionals
Associates in Medical & Mental Health, 1560 E. 21 743-1000
Jeffery A. Beal, MD,~Crinny Butler, RN, Theodore Campbell, MSW
Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1111
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
Leanne M. Gross, Financial Planning 744-0102
Kelly Kirby, CPA, POB 14011, 74159 747-5466
Jonathan & Dee Nicholas, Realtors 749-3000, 800-539-7767
Jolm,Kirk, ~Realtor 747-5800, 745-2245
Richard Reeder~ MS, Psychotherapy 581-0902, 743-4117
Religious & Educational Organizations
Bless The Lord At All Times Christian Ctr 2627B E. 11 628-0594
*Community of Hope, 1347 N. Yale 838-7232
*Family of Faith MCC, 5451-E So. Mingo 622-1441
*MCC of Greater Tulsa, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
DignitylIntegrity 298-4648
*Canterbury Ministry Center, University of Tulsa 583-9780
*Chapman Student Center, University of Tulsa
* Tulsa City/County Libraries (sometimes-depends on the censor)
*Tulsa City Hall, Cafeteria Vestibule, Ground Floor
to " reporter Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights- P.O. Box 52729 Tulsa. OK 74152
January/February 1995 Volume 15 Number i
llw. ,t;i’e¢~,s ~\7~rex~’ed elsewhere m 1 idsa I’~mMv A,i.ws are .or .ecessarih" the vie. s o1"1"( ~11R
Pe~li.s:~’iolt J.~’ gra.t~d to repri~tl i~f!~tvtlolio. ~’o~lRtmed withDt the "I’OIIR Re~rtcr p.~e alo~ ~ u tth
other item, t#kh’r the byli.e. "’stthmitled l(v
AS WE HEAD INTO 1995 L~7".T ADOPT.THIS POPULAR MOTTO.
WHEN WE.TEE A NE~’D IN OUR COMMUNITY, LET’.T MAI(E A PLAN AND "JU.TT DO IT".
WE ARE MOVINg OUICI(LY TO FORM FOCU.T gROUP.T TO BEGIN NEWPROgRAM.T, NEW OUTREACHE.T
AND TO OPEN A COMMUNITY€ENTER.
PLEA.TE TAI(E A MOMENT TO REVIEW THE CALENDAR WE’VE PRINTED FOR THE WEEg PRIOR TO
OUR NEXT MEETINg. WE NEED YOUR HELP, PICI¢ A gROUP OR TWO YOU WOULD LIKE TO
PARTICIPATE IN AND "JU.TT DO IT’: THE.TE ARE I.T.TUE.T THAT HAVE BEEN TARGETED FOR INITIAL
ACTION PER MEMBER.THIP COMMENT AT THE-JANUARY MEETINg.. WE NEED YOUR HELP AND
.TUPPORT IN FORMINg THE.TE FOCU.T gROUP£ HOPE TO .TEE YOU THER£..
Members’ Representatives
Tim Gillean - President
Tim Henry - 1st Vice President
Miriam Childers - 2rid Vice President
Aaron Martin - Secreta~’
Kelly Kirby - Treasnrer
Lynn Smith - Fund Raising
Owen - itelp Line Coordinator
Mike Sheldon - Reporter Editor
Brannon Crain - Activities Director
Wed Thurs Fri Mon Tues
Date Feb 1st Feb 2nd Feb 3rd Feb 6th Feb 7th
Issue Health Community Women’s Minority Monthly
Issues Center Issues Issues Meeting
Location 4154 So. 4619 East 4154 So. 4154 So.. 4154 So,
Harvard 4th Street Harvard Harvard Harvard
rime 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 7:00 PM 6:30 PM
TIM.
By and for but not exclusive to the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Communities.
Daytime Testing
Monday-Thursday
by Appointment
749-4194
Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights
HIV TESTING CLINIC:
FREE
ANONYMOUS
Finger Stick Method
Every Thursday Evening
7:00-8;30 p.m.
4154 S. Harvard
Suite H-1
Membership Appli.cation Q Yes l want to be a Contributing member of I-I I would like to volunteer help with:
¯ Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights.
Name Please:i~ecept pa~nent as described below: I-I Lesbian/Gay/BisexUal HelpLine
vI $10 Limited lncomeiStudent Membership I:1 HIV Counselor
Address 1-1 $20 Regular Membership vI Executive Board Member
[21 $35 Organizational/Household Membership I’-I Event Planning and Party Preparations
City State Zip I-3 $100 Sustaining Membership 121 Monthly Meeting Support
Phone (optional)
Signature
I:1 Iam~aamilyn~eivingTOHR mailings
and the Tulsa Family News
I:i I am not on the mailing list
Make check payable to Tulsa Oldahomans for
Human Rights. Donations contributed to TOHR
over set membership fees are Tax Deductible.
t
BISEXUAL, LESBIAN
AND GAY ISSUES
INFORMATION
.AND REFERRALS
743’
February Meeting:
Reptwts from all focus groups
030PM Feb 7th
4154 South Harvard
"The Gathering Place"
News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News
Tenn. Sodomy Statute
Challenge Wins One
NASHVILLE - Davidson
County Circuit Court Judge
Walter Kurtz has ruled that
private sexual behavior between
consenting adults of the same
sex is protected under the
Tennessee constitution’ s privacy
rights provisions. The ruling
came in the first stage of a court
challenge t’o the state’s samesex
sodomy law. Judge Kurtz
said private sexual behavior
cannot be prohibited simply
because it does not adhere to
....majoritarian ~morali’ty"-" and
added thatstate officials had
failed to show sufficient reason
for governmentintrusioninto the
private sexual behavior of i ts
citizens. While the ruling does
not overturn the state sodomy
statute, is does raise the state’s
burden of proving a compdling
interest. The attorney representing
the 4 homosexuals who
mounted the legal challenge to
the law said she would ask Judge
Kurtz to now declare the law
unconstitutional and to prohibit
its future enforcement,
Gay Marriages in Sweden
STOCKHOLM-The new year
got off to a bang in Sweden on
Monday when Hans Jonsson and
Sven-Olov Jansson became the
country’s first gay couple to
marry under the nation’s new
legislation permitting same-sex
couples to legally:regist er their
relationships. The ceremony
took place at the town hall in
Ostersund in central Sweden.
Local governments throughout
the country have appointed
officials to handle the same-sex
partner registrations, except
Varnamo, a conservative town
of about 16,000 some 200 miles
southeast of Stockholm, where
political opponents of the .new
marriage law convinced local
authorities not to appoint
registration officials. Gays and
lesbians in Varnamo who want
to marry will have to go before a
local magastrate to register their
relationship - at least for the time
being.
Iceland Studies Legal,
Civil Rights Changes
REYKJAVIK, Iceland - An
Iceland parliamentary
commission established to study
civil rights and social conditions
,of gays and lesbians in the
’country has recommended
~enactment of national antidiscriminztionlegislation,
alegal
partnership registration similar
to those in several Scandinavian
countries, and educational
changes about homosexuality in
thenation’s schools. A minority
on the commission, including the
2 members from the gay rights
group Samtokin 78, wanted the
commission’s recommendations
to be far more sweeping,
including making same-sex
partnerships fully equal to
marriages. The commission’s
recommendations are now being.
reviewed by government
. ministries thatwouldb~in~Ql~v~ed
in implementing ~ sugges.ted
changes.
Lesbian Kiss TV Flap
HOLLYWOOD - The Family
Defense Council, a conservative,
anti-gay organization, has
launched a campaign to pressure
NBC-TV into editing out a kiss
between 2 women in the Glenn
Close film, "Serving in Silence -
TheGrethe CammermeyerStory
," which is slated to be broadcast
in February._ The Family
Defense Council says the lesbian
kiss does not reflect "traditional
family values," and should be
cut from the TV movie. Antigay
groups around the country
have had several successes
recently in convincing television
networks to tone down, drop, or
revise same-sex kiss scenes in
the past few years by putting
pressure on advertisers to pull
commercials from gay-posilave
pr ogramming. See page 2 for
related item.
Court Says Same-Sex
Harassment Not Illegal
BALTIMORE - U.S. District
Court Judge Alexander Harvey
II has ruled that federal civil
rights laws do not prohibit same-
Sex sexual harassment. Harvey
dismissed a lawsuit by David
Hopkins, aformerBaltimoreGas
& Electric Co. worker who
charged that his male job
supervisor, Ira Swadow, had
made unwanted sexual advances
to him at work. The judge said
that while Hopkins may have
found Swadow’s behavior,
which reportedly included
questioning him about his sexlife
and staring at the man’s
crotch with a magnifying glass,
as offensive, Harvey ruled that
federal sexual harassment laws
do not apply to members of the
same gender. Swadow had
denied the incidents. Some
federal courts in other districts
have ruled that the u.S: Civil
Rights Act"~’f 1964, which
prohibits discrimination based
on sex, does in factinclude samesex
sexual harassment, while
others have agreedwithHarvey’s
logic in similar cases leaving the
issue unresolved at the lower
court level. Hopkins said he
would appeal the court ruling.
Indian Gay Conference
BOMBAY, India - Gay rights
activists from around the Indian
subcontinent had to relocate the
vast region’s first gay conference
,. ~.from, Now ,-Delhi .tot a. hidden
d0cafiofi .nea~ B0ml~ay OUt ~’of
concerns that conservative
Hindus might stir up anti-ga y
attacks. But even amidst this
somewhat tense social environment,
some 70 gay men - the
conference was not intended to
include lesbians - attended the 5-
day meeting from Bangladesh,
India, Nepal, Pakistan and the
island nation of Sri Lanka.
The principal focus of
conference goers, aside from
increased communications, was
abolition of India’s anti-gay
"carnal intercourse" law, which
.carries. penalties ofup to 10 years
m prison, and inclusion of
educational materials about
homosexuality in the country’s
history, e~pecially during the era
prior to British colonial rule.
’Playboy’ Sex Survey
CHICAGO - Playboy. maga~
zine’s International Sex Survey,
to be published in the February
issue of the popular monthly,
will show the nature of
differences in sexual behaviors
around the world - including
what impact the AIDS epidemic
has had on global sex.
According to the forthcoming
study, most men are concerned
contracting sexually transmitted
diseases.
Menworried about STDs most
in these countries: 90% in Brazil,
81% in France, 78% in Greece,
75% in the U.S., and 70% in
Japan:
Unlike a recent University of
Chicago survey of U.S. sexual
behavior, which reported that
33% of American men said they
had had more than 11 sexual
partners, the Playboy survey
found that 57% of U.S. men said
they had had 11 sexual partners.
The survey also found that
Japanese men were the most
likely to use condoms during
sex.
Aussie Anti-Gay Leader
to Complain to the UN
HOBART, Australia - Richard
Gibbs, the leader of the anti-gay
groupTasAlert, has toldreporters
that he will file a formal
complaint with the United
Nations over the recently passed
Federal Sexual Privacy Act
which he says violates international
treaties. The Sexual
Privacy Act was enacted by the
AustralianParliament earlierthis
year effectively to block
enforcement of Tasmania’s
sodomy statutes after a UN
€ommis~ion~ ruled the °isla~d-
,,state’s ~ anti-gay: laws ~ were
themselves a violation of
intemationaltreaties. Gibbs says
the Sexual Privacy Act violates
international agreements on
democratic principles.
Gay Fingertips?
CHICAGO - Doreen Kimura
and Jeffrey Hall, researchers at
the University of Western
Ontario, report in the December
x s s u e o f Behavioral
Neuroscience that the ridges in
the fingerprints may be an
indicator of homosexuality
amongmen. The unusual study,
which compared the number of
ridges on the fingertips of both
hands of 66 gay men and 182
straight men, found that a larger
portion of the homosexual men
had more ridges in their lefthand
fingerprints than in those
of their right ban d.
According to Hall and
Kimura’s study, 30% of the gay
men had more left-hand ridges
than right-hand ridges, but only
14% of the heterosexual men
showed the left-hand imbalance.
People .generally have more
ridges m their right-hand
fingerprints than their left, and
the researchers say their findings
add more fuel to the notion that
sexual orientation is fixedbefore
birth, possibly genetically, since
fingerprints are formed on the
fetus in about the 3rd month of
pregnancy. While most people
can hear slightly better in their
right ears, the researchers also
found in the same report that
some of the gay men could hear
equally well inboth ears. Hearing
in each ear is connected to the
oppositehemisphere ofthebrain,
sugges ring that some gay men
may have better transmission
between the brain’s 2
hemispheres, according to the
researchers.
Gay Couple Finally
Gets to Adopt
SEATTLE - Ross and Luis
Lopton, a gay couple in Seattle,
have formally been given
adoption rights for the 4-yearold
boy Gailen whose mother,
Megan Lueas, has been fighting
to block the adoption of the child
she surrendered in 1992. Lueas,
who was unmarried at the time
she gave birth, has since married
and gone to court to block the
adoption and regain parental
rights because~ she said she
disapproved of homosexuality.
State courts in Washington -
including the state S,upreme
Court - have consistently ruled
against Lucas’ attempts to regain
custody of the boy. Now a King
County Superior Court
commissioner has formally
signed the adoption papers,
giving the Loptons legal parental
custody of the youngster.
Magazine for Deaf Gays
SAN FRANCISCO - A new
quarterly magazine, CTN, is
ready to begin publishing in
January for deaf and hearingimpaired
lesbians, gay men and
bisexuals. Dragonsani Renteria,
editor of the publication, says
CTNis the first in the country to
aim specifically at the deaf
community. The annual
subscription rate for the
magazine is $30. For in£ormarion,
write: CTN Magazine,
PO Box 14431, San Francisco
CA 94114, or fax them at their
TTY number (415) 626-9033.
ClintonDrops .Proposed
Gay Ambassador
SAN FRANCISCO - Gay and
Democratic political leaders
were sharply critical of President
Clinton after learning that the
White House has apparendy
decided not to nominate James
Hormel, openly gay scion of the
Hormel meatfamily and amaj or
Democratic Party financial
donor, to a post as ambassador to
the island-nation of Fiji. Hormel
told reporters that he had been
informed that the administration
will not be putting his name
forward to the ambassadorship
because Sen. Jesse Helms (RN.
C.), an arch homophobe, now
heads the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. Matthew
Rothschild, chairman of the San
Francisco Democratic Party,
called: the move "an outrage"
and a "victory for bigotry." "I
Ph otography
Pager 621-5597
1635 E. 15th Street, 599-8070
Serving Tulsa’s
Lesbian & Gay Communities With Pride
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thought we elected a fighter,"
Rothschild said. "I say, take
Helms on. There’s no reason
other than a lack of guts to
abandon this nomination."
Hormel, Whose name has been
repeatedly mentioned as
Clinton’s likely choice for the
post, would have been the first
openly gay or lesbian person to
benominated to suchanoffice in
U.S. history.
Religious Rep. Off
Rights Commission
HONOLULU- Federal Court
Judge Harold Fong in Hawaii
has ordered that 2 Catholic and 2
Mormon church representatives
be removed from a state
commission studying the civil
rights of gays and lesbians in the
state, sayrng their appointment
as designated representatives of
their churches as a violation of
the separationofchurchAndstate.
Ironically the complaint was not
filed by gay rights activists but
by afundamentalist Catholic and
a minister of the Assembly of
God who had also challenged
the commission’s task itself. But
Judge Fong rejected that broader
challenge and also made it clear
that the governor could appoint
4 new replacementmembers - as
long as they aren’t designated
representative of an organized
religion.
Activists believe the challenge
from arch-conservative religious
leaders is only an attempt to
te.mporarily halt the commlssion’
s workwhile theymount
a more complex legalchallenge
to the commission, which is
charged with reviewing the civil
rights of gays, lesbians and
-bisexuals in Hawaii - including_
marital rights and benefits.
Gay/Lesbian Pilots Org.
WASHINGTON-The National
Gay Pilots Association (NGPA)
has officially formed as a nonprofit
national organization for
gay and lesbian aviators, aiming
to educate gays and lesbians in
.aviation aboutcivil andjob rights
Issues, safety, and serve as a
network. Ron Swanda, GNPA’s
executive director, said "The
pilot and aviation communities
are among the last to
acknowledge, much less accept,
the presence of gays and
lesbians.Y The group, which
succeeds the more informal Gay
Pilots Assn., founded in 1991,
produces a quarterly magazine
and already has more than 400
Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News Briefs News
haembers throughout the U.S.
hnd 5 other countries. The
associationincludes commercial,
corporate and general, aviation
pilots, student pilots, managers,
flight attendants and flying
enthusiasts. For membership
information, write: NGPA, Dept.
N, PO Box 27542, Washington
DC 20038-7542.
Women in Custody Fight
CONCORD, N.H. J- Joan
Comeau has filed a lawsuit in an
effort to gain partial custody of
the 4-year-old daughter of her
’ former lover, Lucinda Grondin.
Comeau’s suit claims that the
two women shared in decisions
about the girl’s birth, care and
financial support and that after
the 2 women ended their
relationship in 1991 arranged for
Comeautocontinueregularvisits
with the child. Grondin halted
the .visifihg rights earlier .this.
year, and both women are
claiming that the other is trying
to alienate the affections of the
San Francisco Bans Bias
Against Transgenders
SAN FRANCISCO - In a move
that many city officials say is
long overdue, SanFrancisco’s
supervisors have barred
discrimination against
transvestites, transsexuals and
cross-dressers. The Board of
Supervisors unanimously passed
the ordina nce prohibiting
discrimination based on "gender
identity" in the areas of
employment, housing, health
care, social services, public
accommodations, city contracts,
and.other areas with no apparem
opposition from businesses,
community organizations or eve
n reli~irus :grbupg.- "Thislegislation
adds to the
classification of persons
protected by our Human Rights
Commission and gives them the
respect they are entitled to," said
SupervisorTerence Hallinan, the
measure’s sponsor. ’"vVe have a
chauce to make history. This is a
prou d day to be a San
Franciscan." The law is similar
to a few such measures in other
cities, including Seattle and
Minneapolis, for example.
Mayor Frank Jordan is expected
to sign the measure into law by
the beginning of the year.
Bishop Cancels Union
SEATTLE - Vincent Warner,
the Episcopal Bishop of Seattle,
has stopped plans for the
marriage of 2 gay men, John
Black and Thoma~ Monalian,
that hadbeen slated to take place
at St. Mark’s Cathedral in the
city. In a statement, Bishop
Warner said, "There is
incredible, wrenching pain for
all of us in these events. How do
wehold out the hand ofwelcome
and inclusivity and yet deny the
church’s blessing? ~’As a person
who has all my life stood with
those Who are marginalized by
the church and by society," the
bishop added, "it grieves me
~deeply that I am the person who
- says "no:’~ And J.. ache ;for~ the
couple who only asked that their
care for one another, their
covenant, be witnessed and
blessed by the church."
Japanese-American
Org, Begins Gay Group
LOS ANGELES - The Los
Angeles-based civil fights group,
the Japanese American Citizens
League, has launched its first
chapter devoted to Asian and
Pacific Islander gay and lesbian
concerns. The chapter, known
as API Lambda, will also be
located in Los Angeles but will
not be restricted to membership
in the Southern Calffomiaregion.
Earlier this year, the JACL
offic!ally endorsed same-sex
marriages amid intense controversy
- the first major nongay
civil rights organization to
do so. "We want to build upon
the work that was started at the
national convention," said J.
Craig Fong, a member and
organizer of the new chapter.
"We want to energize the
organization with new
approaches to new issues and
address and advocate for other
civil rights issues as well."
Gay Superhero Comic
VANCOUVER - Mermaid
Publications, a small Canadian
comic book publisher, has
announced that it will begin
shipping copies of’X3o~Go Boy,"
a monthly gay superhero coxmc,
created by cartoonist Neil
Johnston. The superhero comic
series will feature regular
characters, including Go-Go
Boy’s boyfriend Ron Lee and
another known as the Invisible
Lesbian.
¯Sailor’s ’Wife’ Was a Man
CONCORD, Calif. -.Police in
this city east of San Francisco
revealed that the sailor’s wife
whose murder earlier in
December they began investigating
was in fact a man. "She
was a he," said Concord Officer
Joe Kreins in announcing that
the 28-year-old victim known as
Terrie Ladwig was in fact a man
also known as Larry Earl
Thompson, even though
Thompson and Navy Petty
Officer Steven Ladwig were
married lastsummer in Nevada.
Steven Ladwig had returned
from duty at sea when he
discovered the body of
Thompson at their home in
Concord On Dec. 2. Police had
- kept Thompson"s true identity
secret froni the public out of
concerns that witnesses who
weren’t aware the victim was a
man would n’t come forward if
they did. Authorities said Steven
Ladwig is not a suspect in the
killing, but Navy officials
acknowledged that they were
-.investigating the petty.officer to
see ifhe faces possible discipline
because ofhis sexual orientation.
Ladwig told police he dated
Thompson nearly 4 months
before finding out thathis partner
was a man, but denied being gay
himself. "I consider her full
female," Ladwig said. "I’m not
gay. I don’t feel that way."
Suspected Serial
KillerArraigned
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Gary
R. Bowles, who has confessed to
killing 6 gay men in Florida,
Georgia, Maryland and Virginia,
was arraigned on murder charges
in Duval County, Fla. Bowles
pleaded not guilty in the killing
ofWalter Hinton ofJacksonville.
No date for a trial has been set,
but another hearing is slated for
January. Bowles in suspected in
the murders of David Jarman of
Wheaton, Md., Milton Bradley
of Savannah, Alverson Carter Jr
of Atlanta, Albert A. Morris of
Hilliard, Fla., and Jolm Hardy
Roberts of Daytona Beach.
GayGenius Honored
MANCHESTER, England -
Alan M. Turing, the British
mathematician andgayman who
played a central role in breaking
Nazi military codes duringWorld
War II and paved the way for
basic concepts that later led to
the development of the moder n
computer, has finally been
honored in his home town of
Manchester. Michael Meacher,
Labor MP, officially opened the
Alan Turing Way in the city,
describing the Turing as "a real
local genius.’" The event
commemorated the 40th
anniversary of Turing’s death in
1954 from cyanide poisoning,
an apparent suicide.
Goldwater Honored By
Ariz. Civil Liberties Org.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - In
another surprising - and at one
time unlikely ~ recognition of
political friendships, the Arizona
Civil Liberties Union honored
former Republican presidential
nominee and ex-Senator Barry
Goldwater as its Civil Lib
ertarian of the Year. Goldwater
was selected for his support of a
woman’s right to decide
questions concerning abortion
and his outspoken opposition to
the ban on gays in the U.S. armed
forces.
"Fhe Constitution doesn’t say
anything about gays," the archconservative
Goldwater said. "It
gives us the freedom of Speech,
it gives us the freedom of
association. It gives us other
freedoms as long as the expression
of those freedoms does
not do any harm to .anybody
else. "Now that’s a great thing
to remember because I know
there are people even today that
want to question in this country
whether ornot we should be nice
to people Who are gay. I think
that we should."
Senate Not Likely to
Tackle Pentagon Ban
WASHINGTON- According
to a report in the Washington
Times, Sen. Dan .Coats (R-IN),
who will probably become
chairman of the Senate Armed
Services’ manpower & personnel
subcommittee, says he
might hold hearings on whether
the Clinton Administration is
enforcing thecompromise "don’t
ask, don’t tell" Pentagon policy
concerning homosexuals in the
armed forces. Coats told the
paper, however, that he does not
want to hold new hearings on
reinstating a blanket ban on gays
and lesbians in the military.
"I think at this point, it would
be a mistake to do that." the
Times quotes Coats as saying in
an interview. ’’There’s bipartisan,
widespread saris-faction
with the law that was written and
the regulations issued." When
President Clinton first proposed
ending the ban against Gays in
the armed forces altogether,
Coats was the GOP’s leading
opponent of the Clinton proposal
in the Senate.
P-FLAG
Parents, Friends & Family
of Lesbians & Gays
Tulsa, Oklahoma Area Chapter
POB 52800, 74152, Helpline 918-749-4901
Metro Men’s Chorus
Sat. Feb. 18, 8pm, Hope Unitarian, $10
Lesbian
or Gay
and
Republican?
Contact Tulsa
Log Cabin Republicans
care of this newspaper:
POB 4140, 74159 or at
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Health Briefs
2nd PWA Blood Heating
Study Approved by FDA
WASHINGTON - The Food &
Drug Administration has given
conditional approval to Hemocleanse
Inc. to enlarge its clinical
testing of its BioLogic-HT
apparatus, following initial study
with 6 patients earlier this year.
The machine is used to heat the
patients’ blood to destroy HIV
cells and then infuse it back into
the patients. Hemocleanse will
conduct further studies of the
effect of the heating process
under the conditional FDA
approval with 30 infected
patients. Theresults of the initial
study were encouraging and the
.expanded study will begin early
in 1995.
Researchers May
Have Found KS Virus
NEW YORK - Scientists at
Columbia University have
announced that they have found
what they believe is a new virus
that may cause Kaposi’s
sarcoma, askincancer.thatstrikes
a number of people with AIDS.
Dr. Yuan Chang and her
husband, Dr. Patrick S. Moore,
said they found that unique
sequences ofDNAwere isolated
from tissues of KS lesions taken
from patients with AIDS.
"The DNA sequences we
found contain portions ofat least
three different genes that are
unique to herpes virus," Chang
said. "The evidence strongly
Health Briefs Health Briefs Health Briefs Health
HIV, Simone ve~, thecountry’ s
health minister, opposed the
measure, telling the Assembly
that testing for the virus is already
required for blood, sperm, tissue,
organ and other donors. The
Assembly members finally
decided that the benefits that
might be gained by universal
testing did not outweigh the
possible discrimination and
invasion of the privacy of
citizens.
Estimate: 10,000 Indians
Will Die Daily by 2000
BOMBAY - The head of the
Indian Health Assn., I.S. Gilada,
has said that by the year 2000 -
just 5 years from now - an
estimated 10,000 Indians will die
daily from AIDS or AIDSrelatedillnesses.
Gilada said that
1 of every 100 pregnant women
at prenatal clinics in Bombay
now tests HIV-positive - thesame
infection rate as prostitutes in
the city in 1986. "India will need
6 times as many hospital beds as
it has today to manage just the
AIDS eases," he said.
New AIDS Program
Leader at UN
NEW YORK- Dr. Peter Plot, a
Belgian physician, has been
named head of a new agency to
combine theAIDS-fightingwork
of 6 United Nations agencies.
Plot has been the organizer of
several international AIDS
conferences and the associate
director of the World Health
guggests that these DNA
sequences belong toanewherpes
sequence, but additional tests are
needed to con firm it."
Researchers around the world
have been trying for some time
to discover if KS is caused by
some infectious agent.
FDA OKs HIV Saliva Test
WASHINGTON - The Food &
Drug Administration has gaven
the OK for Epitope Inc. to begin
marketing the first HIV test that
uses saliva instead of blood to
detect the virus. The test, known
as OraSure, is alS0 the first
to bdapproved for diagn6~iS Of
disease using saliva. The test
detects anti-bodies to HIV, not
the virusitself, whichis notfound
in saliva. Some health experts
believe a saliva test for HIV
would increase the number of
people finding out if they were
exposed to the virus.
The FDA said it approved the
oral test because it had been
shown to give false negatives in
only t or 2 of every 100 people
who are actually infected, and
false positives mjust 2 of every
100 uninfected individuals. The
test is not for home use and can
only be used under the
supervision of a physician.
France Rejects
Universal HIV Testing
PARIS - The French Assembly
has voted down a proposal that
would have involved eventually
testing all French citizens for
Organizat.ion’s world AIDS
program since 1992. The new
AIDS program, which will be
headquartered in Geneva, will
include the work currently done
by WHO, UNICEF, UNESCO,
the UN Development Program,
the UN Population Fund and the
World Bank.
Duchess Had HIV Tests
LISBON - The former Sarah
Ferguson, the Duchess of York
and estranged wife of Britain’ s
Prince Andrew, told the Lisbon
dai!y.,ne,.wspaper _Diar~o de
Noticias that she was tested 3
times for HIV - once before
marrying the prince and once
eachbefore gettingpregnant with
her 2 daughters.
"People must be more open
about the disease," the duchess
told the paper. "It seems to me
that the slogan ’The treatment
for AIDS is education’ would be.
appropriate." The duchess was
in the country to help a local
AIDS charity.
AIDS Theory Disputed
CHICAGO - A series of articles
in the highly respected journal
Science has outlined a 3-month
investigation into claims by
controversial University of
California virologist Dr. Peter
Duesberg that drug use, not the
HIV virus, is the cause ofAIDS.
The reports found that
Duesberg has been promoting
his theories for anumber of years
and has acquired a number of
followers, but that his ideas are
Briefs Health
not widely accepted among his
fellow scientists. Studying recent
research on AIDS among hemo
-philiacs, spread of the epidemic
in Thailand, and on the side
effects of illegal drug use, the
researchers concluded that there
is increasing evidence for the
causal relationship between HIV
and AIDS, but do not support
Duesberg’ s theories.
Lawsuit Over Canceled
Insurance Policy
MIAMI-Allan Terl, an attorney
who is HIV-positive, has sued
the Ohio-based Universal
Guaranty Life insurance
company, charging the firm sold
life insurance policies to people
with AIDS and other serious
illnesses and then dropped their
policies when their medical
condition was discovered.
Terl’s suit claims an agent sold
him- a policy that required no
physical examination or medical
questions about HIV, but that
after completing the application
and sending his first payment,
Universal Guaranty Life wrote
him claiming that the insurance
agent who sold the policy was
unlicensed in Florida and had
been soliciting policies
fraudulently.
Universal Guaranty offered to
refund his premium with an
additional $1,000 if he would
surrender the policy. Ted has
refused to surrender the policy
and wants the insurance
see Health Briefs, page 8
Jeffrey A. Beal, MD
Ted Campbell, LCSW
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Specialized in HIV Care
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Health Briefs
continuedfrom page 7.
company to be forced to honor
the contract. The agent is, in
fact, a licensed insurance agent
in Florida.
Ex Nursing Aide Sues
Hospital over HIV Tattoo
PHILADELPHIA - John
Baldetta, a former nursing aide,
has suedthe Harborview Medical
Center because officials there
fired him for showing a tattoo on
his forearm that reads: "HIV
POSITIVE," and because he
discussed AIDS with patients at
the facility.
Baldetta claims that the
hospital violated federal laws,
including the Americans With
Disabilities Act, as well as his
constitutional rights of free
speech.
The medical center fired
Baldetta in January 1993 when
he refused to keep the tattoo
covered and would not stop
telling patients who asked about
AIDS issues. Hospital officials
said Baldetta could impede the
recovery of some patients who
might worry about contracting
HIV from him. Baldetta said he
had a right-to display his tattoo
and he never discussed AIDS
unless asked by patients.
HUD May Eliminate
AIDS Housing Program
WASHINGTON°:- The federal
Housing & Urbafi:Development
Dept. may eliminate a major
AIDS housing subsidy program
Health Briefs Health Briefs Health Briefs Health
in a cost-cutting restructuring
effort. The HOPWA (Housing
Opportunities for People With
AIDS) is administered by HUD,
where Secretary Henry Cisneros
had asked the program get $225
million for fiscal 1996. Instead
the Office of Management &
Budget rejected the proposal and
has put forward the
reorganization plan that would
phase out the housing program
over a 5-year period.
Ryan White CARE Act
May Face Cuts
WASHINGTON ~- AIDS
activists, already shaken by
reports that the Clinton
Administration may dismantle
funds forhousingforpeople with
HIV andAIDS, are increasingly
worried now over reports that
the new Republican congressional
majority may also gut the
Ryan White CARE Act when it
expxres in September 1995.
Since the Nov. 8 elections put
theGOPincontrol ofbothhouses
of Congress, several newspapers
have reported that the new
Republican majority has
discussed various federal
funding cuts, including the Ryan
White program.
The act authorizes federal
funds to cities that are hardest hit
by the epidemic, and accounts
for hundreds of millions of
federal dollars currently going
to 42 metropolitan areas in the
U.S.
With budget-conscious Republicans
no~’iii"6ontrol of both
the House and the Senate, some
activists say the Ryan White
CAREAct is atemptingprogram
for theGOPbecause it is now the
2rid largest domestic ’discretionary
funding program,
surpassed only by the federal
Head Start program.
WHO: 1 Million ’Official’
Cases of AIDS Globally
GENEVA - The World Health
Organization says the official
number of AIDS cases globally
has. now’ surpass’ed the’ onemillion
mark. WHOafinounced
that as of Dec. 31, 1994,
governments around the world
had reported 1,025,073 AIDS
cases since they started keeping
records of the epidemic in 1980.
WHO officials said, however,
that the actual numbers
worldwide were closer to 4.5
million because of underreporting
in developing
countries. According to WHO,
more than 70% of all the global
AIDS cases are in Africa; some
9% are in the U.S.; another9%in
the rest of the Americas; 6% in
Asia; and some4% in Europe.
HIV Infectiousness
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -
Researchers at the University of
Michigan report that infected
individuals are most contagious
during the first 2 months after
their initial HIV infection, the
sameperiodoftime during which
they are least able to tel 1 they’ve
beeeninfeeted. According to the
study, infected individuals could
transmit the virus in up to a third
oftheir sexual contacts withother
people. After .this highly
infectious 60-day period, HIV
becomes far. less virulent, and
the researchers found that after
the initia 12-m0nth period the
chances of transmitting the virus
were only 3 in 1,000 contacts
according to the study published
in the Journal of Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
The researchers noted that the
vies againbecomes more
transmissible later when the
individual develops full-blow
AIDS, but does not become as
infectious as during the initial 2
month period.
Dating Magazine for
HIV-Positive Individuals
SEATTLE - Taking note of
changes in the AIDS epidemic
in this country, anew publication
aimed at socially active people
infected with HIV has been
launched.
The Positive Planetis subtitled
"The Global HIV Dating
Magazine and HIV Treatment.
Catalogue," and offers free
personals ads as part of the
subscription price ".to help
positives find dating partners in
a way that feels normal,"
according to a statement issued
by the publishers. Positive Planet
also features resources ;aimed at
Briefs Health
helping subscribers findproducts
and services around the world
dealing with HIV. Contact the
magazine for subscription/
membership information or gift
certificates for friends at: The
Positive Planet, 323 Broadway
Ave. East, #1205, Seattle WA
98102, or call (206) 233-7998
(fax: (206) 329-6091) or send
email to hivdates@cyberquest.
corn for details.
Right frompage8
and the District of Columbia
between 1993 and 1994, focuses
on "activity that institutionalizes
hostility" toward gay men and
lesbians, not on actual violence
or harassment of individuals.
Included in the report’s
"incidents"were statewide ballot
measures, state and federal
legislative battles, court rulings,
local ordinances, school-related
activitieS, arts censorship, and
other public policy activities.
.The prominence of gay. rights
issues in public debate since
President Clinton initiated a
move to end the ban on gays and
lesbians in-the military has led
both to more public acceptance
of gays and to "a strong backlash
that has played out in the public
arena," the report concludes.
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" Request- ForProposals ..... "
The Department of Central Ser’cices - Central Purchasing Division,
Oklahoma State Department ofHealth’s HIV/STD Service are soliciting
proposals for the April 1, 1995 through March 31, 1996 contact year
from public nstitutions; private, non-profit; community-based
organizations; and drug treatment centers serving individualsat high
risk for HIV infections in the TUlsa metropolitan area and/or rural
eastern Oklahoma. For a copy fo the request for proposal (RFP), call
or send a letter of interest to:
Department of Central Services
Central Purchasing Division
104 State Capitol Building, Rm. B4
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-2110
Timothy W. Daniel
Attorney at Law
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Estate Planning, Adoptions,
Personal Injury, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy
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1’800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504
128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma
Weekend and evening appointments are available.
towards Gays. I’d rather face a
lunatic with a gun than deal with
the prejudice of the department.
Oneoptionisjustto lie, topretend
not to be Gay but that’ s notme-
I don’ t like to be that way.
TFN: What would be the
consequences of "coming out"?
What kind of response would
you get? How would you be
treated?
Officer: [My fear is that] they
may not back me, come to my
aid in a confrontation, which
wouldjeopardize my life. Some
officers might also harass and
even threaten me. I know it
happens: I’ ve heard officers say
that they would not work with
someoneorwouldnotbackthem.
However, there are others who
are not afraid of doing theirjobs
who would back me or anyone,
regardless of their personal
feelings. There are those who
know me and know I’d come to
their aid....
I feel many officers are very
prejudiced. I think that they
would have a hard time dealing
with openly Gay officers.
Recently, I overheard some
officers saying that these people
[Gays] are bad, evil, gross, and
disgusting....
However, there seems to be a
slightly different attitude toward
Lesbians among Tulsa police.
I’ d guess that there are about 70-
90 female Tulsa officers, a few
of whom are Lesbians. I think
the male officers believe that
Lesbian cops are more apt to ~elp in a fight than "straight"
emale ones. Certainly the
"straight" male cops are aware
that there are Lesbians on the
force and don’ tseem.to have the
same objections that they would
seem to have to Gay cops. They
think that there aren’ t any Gay
cops....
I know some bias comes from
the fact that we mostly deal with
"bad" people. Officers don’t
know "good" Gay people, only
people in trouble2 It’ S the same
with Blacks or Jews or any other
minority. You can’ tlump people
into some category, though a lot
of-officers do assume if ~one
member of a minority is bad,all
are. Itis easy for cops to develop
a lot of prejudice but to do this
job working with so many
different people, you .should not
be prejudiced.
TFN: What if anything does the
department do to deal with
officers’ prejudice?
Officer: At the Police Academy,
there’s some "sensitivity"
training. It’ s a recent program
and many Officers opposed it.
It’ s limited to issues of race and
ethnicity. Homosexuality seems
to be taboo unless mentioned in
:a bad sense. Nothing’s taught
about it. It was mentioned just
once in the context~ of sexual
harassment. The response from
one participant was, ~’we would
hope there’ s no homosexuals in
our midst."
TFN: Do you think no.t including
it is aproblem?
Officer: Yes. The majority of
officers who talk about it
[homosexuality!,,,~ayit’ s wrong
or immoral; it ~ chosen. For
example at an "in-servic.e"
training (periodic re-training
provided to current officers as
opposed to new recruits), there
was an officer who wore an anti-
-Gay t-shirt (During in-service
training officers wear street
clothes2) That officer would not
havewornat-shirt that was racist,
even if he is [racist]. He knows
he v(ould get in trouble.
Management takes racism
seriously. Officers get days off
~avcitihstobuet.hpaavyiaonr.d.reprimands for
TFNi Are the anti-Gay
comments as bad as the racist
ones?
Officer: Yes, forexample, I heard
an officer say, "they’re [Gays]
so screwed up in the head, they
should all get a gun, shoot
themselves in the head and get it
over with."
TFN: Do you think that Lesbian
& Gay issues should be added to
academyandin-service training?
Officer: Yes, but I believe it
would be hard to do; there are so
many who are so prejudiced, and
who are so set in their ways.
Some it might help - the ones
who are more open-minded.
Officers need to be reminded
that they are not here to force(all
citizens) to share the officers’
belief.
TFN: Do you thinkmanagement
would support adding Lesbian
&Gay issues to academy and in-
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service training?
Officer: Managementseems only
to be looking out for themselves.
They’re politically motivated. It
[reducing and-Gay prejudice]
would need support from all
levels, from supervisors all the
way up to the Chief and the
Mayor. That’s what it took with
issues of racism in the
department. My observation is
that Chief Palmer is a closeminded
person coming from
religion [an anti-Gay religious.
viewpoint].
TFN: What do you think about
the proposed Human Right
¯ Ordinance?
Officer: Ihope itpasses. I believe
it would give Lesbian and Gay
officers more of a leg to stand on.
It would be a confidence booster
to be able to be oneself, not to
have to pretend.
Right now there’s no
protection from being fired for
being Gay, though I think the
department would be wise
enough to look for other things
to cover the firing -petty stuff.If
you were fired for being Gay and
you were bold enough to raise
the issue, they’ d deny it.
1" dlike to talk toMayorSavage
about what it’ s like to bea Gay
officer and about the need forjob
protections. I’ve heard that the
Mayor said no city employee’s
ever approached her about anti-
Gay problems and that’s why
she’s not sure about supporting
the non-discrimination proposal.
I’d like to talk with her about it
but I’m afraid of what would
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& DEE NICHOLAS
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THIS IS THEIR SCHEDULE!
happen to me. Again; I’d rather
face a guy with ~ gun than be
exposed to the prejudice in the
department.
TFN: What do you think about
the undercover vice operations
targeting male/male sex in public
parks?
Officer: How often do straight
people get arrested for sex in
parks while Gays get cited or
arrested? At most straight people
get written up for curfew
violations. The difference is due
toprejudice [anti-Gayprejudice].
TFN: We’ ve done some stories
where citizens claim that police
officers solicited sexual
overtures in sting operations, and
later lied in court. Do you .flfink
officers would perjure
themselves?
Officer: Yes,incourt somemight
say that those officers have no
reason to lie and should be
believed. Somebody might ask,
"what is their motive for lying?"
The motive is the officers’
prejudice againsthomosexuality.
!, know officers sometimes do
creative paperwork’ so acharge
will stick. I also know officers
and prosecutors knowingly
_misapply laws, for example,
using laws intended for crimes.
of violence but applying them to
consensual acts. Many times
these charges stick because the
citizen charged fears to fight
them. Tire officers and
prosecutors do thisbasedon their
[anti-Gay] p~ejudice:.that often
comes fro.re, their!eligious
see Co..E, page 12
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by Beverly Haney ofMCC-Greater Tulsa writings. In other texts, Paul takes StOiC
The first text in the New Testament that terminology and completely mangles it.
-mentions homosexuality is found in This does not suggest that Paul is against
Roman, Ch. 1 v. 26 & 27: ~Ior this reason Stoic philosophy, but it suggests that he
God gave them up to degrading passions, did not really understand it. Paul was a
their women exchanged natural Jew at heart and it seems that he was using
intercourse for unnatural and in the same popular terminology to attract the attention
way also the men, giving up natural of the Romans to whom he was writing.
intercourse with women, were consumed He is trying to identify himself to them to
with passion for one another, men get them to listen. This is comparable to a
committed shameless acts with men and preacher today using phrases from a rock
received in their ow.n persons the due song to get the attention of teenagers.
penalty for their error?’~)erse 26 is said to Trying to figure out what Patti really
refer to lesbianism and verse 27 to male means is not easy to explain. InGalatians.
homosexuality andalsO to argue that I-IIV 2:15, he talks of those who are Jews :by
is the punishment. ~,;~ nature (physen) but it is translated "Jerks
First, we need to understand what the by birth." In Romans 2:27, he speaks of
Apostle Paul (the-author of the text) means those who are Gentiles by nature, but the
by natural and unna.tural. literal translation reads
TheworkthePauluseshere ."ff to act para ’hmcircumcisedbynature"
for unnatural is para
physin.Physisisthe(’_rreek p!ly$~/l is immoral,
butitistranslatedas’"those
who are physically
work for nature anpara uncircumcised." It is
usually means~’bes~des, tl~en Paul is obvious here that whether
morethan, overand above, sa~ll~ thai: what a man acts like a Jew or
or beyond, understands Jewish law or
Some scholars believe God I:~d was whether a man is
thatparaphysin does mean circumcised has nothing to
unnatural or contrary to immoral.., do with the laws of nature
nature in the abstract sense or Immorality.
of nature and the laws of nature. Para Again, in I Corinthians 11:14~ Paul
physin was used in Stoic philosophy - a writes "Does not nature (physis) itself
popular philosophy in the Roman Empire teach you that if a man wears long hair, it
during Paul’s day. Stoic philosophy is degrading to him?" It was the custom of
insisted that all.~ngs were governed by Paul’s day to wear short hair - so to him,
lawsofnamreat~thathumanscandiscem natural mean what was characteristic,
that law. Virtu¢£consisted of living by consistent, ordinary, standard, expected
reason and hOt,by the laws of nature, and regular
When it came t0~sex, the Stoic believed The study of Paul’s use. of the Greek
that procreationWas the only purpose for wordparaphysin clearly shows that there
sex and anything else violates nature, is no ethical condenmation. If you are not
Anything that violates nature was convinced, there is further evidence. In
eonsideredparaphysin or mmamral. It is Romans 11:24, Paul describes how God
believed that Paul was aware of-the grafted the Gentil.es intoehe olive tree that
terminology, is the Jews. As Paul understands it, God-
There are a few other examples of Stoic acted para physin. If to act paraphysin is
terminology in Paul’s writings but there is immoral, then Paul is saying that what
no indication that Paul even clearly God did was immoral - which is absurd.
understood the technical meaning of the Once again, we can conclude that Paul
terminology, also, Paul believed that Christ means no moral condemnation of
was coming back any day and he is never homosexuality.
con6emed with procreation in any of his To be continued.
Responsible Roommate wanted
South Tulsa area, NON-SMOKER, GWM’s have room to rent in large 3-bedroom
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Bless The Lord At All Times
CHRISTIAN CENTER
With,Bishop Nathaniel Thurman,~
~..Will Celebrate Its 2nd Anniversary
Sunday, Jan. 29,3:30 pm
Sunday School, 9:45 Tues. Minister’s Class, 7:30
Sunday, Service, 11 am Wed. Choir Rehearsal, 7 pm
2627-B East Hth, 583-7815, messages, Eddie Cook, pastor
Because everyone has a right to be blessed by God!
Nursing Facility
Adds HIV/AIDS Unit
Mohawk Care Center has added a 20
bedunitdedicated to serving persons living
with AIDS. The unit which is open to
PWA’s with T-cell counts of 200 or below
is commited to providing health care in a
supportive and sensitive manner.
Spokesperson Mary Durant said that the
facilities are not fancy but are comfortable
and that accomodations for special needs
of PWA’s such as smaller but more
frequent meals and IV treatments have
been arranged. All thee staff have
volunteered for this unit ~d have.gone
through specialized in-service, training.
For m0re~mf0:~ical142&1355 or~write to
Mohawk Care Center, 3910 Park Road,
Tulsa 74115.
Religion Notes
Bless The Lord At All Times Christian
Center announces the celebration of its
second anniversary to be held January 29,
at 3:30 pm. The Reverend Nathaniel
Thurman, Bishop will attend.
The Rev. Nancy Horvath will preach at
Family of Faith Metropolitan Community
Church on Sunday,.Jannary 22, llam.
Horvath is the pastor of Joie de Vivre
MCC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is
said to be a particulary fine speaker.
The Metropolitan Community Church
of Greater Tulsa will welcome the Rev.
Joan Wakeford on Feb. 15-19. Ms.
Wakeford, ordained as a MCC pastor,
heads the independent Joan Wakeford
Ministries based in Austin, Tx. Ms.
Wakeford will shareherrecentexperiences
with Lesbian & Gay Christians in South
Africa, her native land. For more
information, call 838-1715.
Do You Like to Blow?
Tulsans interested in joining a Statewide
Marching Band for this June’s Gay
Pride Parade are encouraged to call 838-
2121. The organizers are not professional
musicians (most have not played since
high school) but intend to have fun and
make a big noise!
V~ rlI~J--I~y1 cont’dfrom page 1
received abequestfromamember’s estate.
This enabled the organization to expand
its services buttheorganizationhad slipped
into a habit of deficit spending. During his
tenure, TOHR returned to non-deficit
spending.
Kirby is also proud of the role TOHR
has taken in representing the Lesbian,
Gay & Bisexual communities to city
government, and especially to the non-
Gaymedia; TOHRrepresentatives brought
.concerns of anti-Gay violence andother
issues tO city/community police
committees. TOHR also participated in a
State of Oklahoma conference conducted
by thegovernor’s office at the direction of
the state legislature. TOHR was the lead
organization that called a "town hall"
meeting to respond to anti,Gay state
legislation in the winter of 1993.
Kirby noted that he wished that he &
TOHR could have done more coalition
building with other minority communities
and also, within the. Lesbian,-Gay &
Bisexual communities.
His visionfor whatTulsa’s communities
need includes: non-discrimination
legislation protecting persons on the basis
of their affectional orientation and hate
crimes legislation at the state level. Kirby
notes thatneitherwill be easy to getpassed.
Kirby as a member of the "Say No to
Hate" coalition observed that the Tulsa
Police Department has been effective in
reducing hate crimes based on .race and
religion once the state statute was passed.
He thinks Tulsa police could have similar
success with Gay:related hate crimes.
TOHR is the only entity, private or
public, which tracks anti-Gay job and
housing discrimination in Tulsa. Kirby
who is now Self-employed was himself
was fired -an experience which motivated
him to activism. In fact, hebecameTOHR
president almost exactly one year after his
firing. He recognizes that it may take
years to ge~ non-discrimination legislation
passed by the city or the state but h6 has
faith in the power of education to change
minds and attitudes
Ultimately, Kirby hopes for an
integration of Lesbians and Gay men into
the larger society. He looks toward a day
see Kirby, page 11
¯ Sunday Services ! 1:00 am ¯ Wednesdays 6:30 pm Potluck
7:00 pm Bible Study ¯ 8:00 pm Choir Practice
To do justice, love mercy & to walk with God... Micah
I
humbly our 6:8
5451-E S. Mingo ¯ Tulsa, OK 74146 . (918) 622-1441
1623 N. Maplewood
Tulsa, OK 74115
Metropolitan. Community
Church of Greaver Tulsa
Where GOd..Up!ifl~ Alt~Peopl~
Sunday service, 10:45 am
Wednesday service, 6:30 pm
Home Cell Groups,
2rid & 4th Sundays, 6:00 pm
Phone:
(918) 838-1715
Paul Williams, Joel Wright, Burge Worsham, Ross Fletcher.Notpictured: Iva Crossland
Ross Edward Salon is Committed to
"total quality." This philosophy which is
cu_stomer-driven is not yet usually in the
salon business in Tulsa. Ross Edward
Salon is a non-gratuity salon, perhaps the
first inOklahomaand emphasizes ongoing
education for its designers. This, along
with its use of Aveda total body care
products and a computer database, help
provide a level of service that tailored to
the client’s needs. The salon has several
special events planned. Info: 584-0337.
TU cont’dfrom page 1
& Sciences, Kermit Hall. She notes that
Gay & Lesbian studies are fairly well
established at universities on the. east &
west coasts. Yale created its Lesbian/Gay
research center in 1986 and Prof: Harris
recalls that the first Lesbian/Gay Studies
dept. was established in 1988. She
emphasized ~that the course is not a
"political vehicle" but will be conducted
as a serious educational investigation.
a,ruy cont’dfrom page 10
when Lgsbians and Gaymendon’thave to
be ghettoized but can still maintain their
identity.
Kirby’s enjoyed the volunteer job of
TOHR president. It’s been stressful but
not to the point of burnout. Fie won’t miss
some of the admini strative headaches but
he doesn’ t see himself as being less active,
noting that he’s continuing on the TOFIR
board as its treasurer.
Nor is he really reducing his overall
level of activism. At the beginning of
continue the sort of work he did asTOHR
president, trying to make the world more
tolerant of Lesbian and Gay lives. He
notes that it took him 20 years to be able
to walk back into the church of his youth
with his head held high, saying "this is
who I am." He declares it shouldn’t have
takeno 20 -years. He’s working to see that
it’s better for those who follow him.
The stress :relieving
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AMA cont’dfrorn page 1
ar~"duemore to a sense of alienation in an
unaccepting environment."
Benjamin Schatz, executive director of
the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association,
which has lobbied the AMA for year to
change its pohcy, said "I really believe
that the truth won out more than politics,
but I don’ t think we would have made the
progress th at we made if we hadn’t been
progressively promoting ourperspective."
The American Psychiatric Assn.
removed homosexuality from its
diagnostic manual in 1974, followed by
the American Psychological Assn. the
following ye~..........
Steffan° cont’dfrom page 1
Noveniber when it ruled.7-3 that the Navy
acted properly in dismissing Steffan just
six weeks before he was scheduled to
graduatefrom the Naval Academyin 1987.
The decision now by Steffan and the
attorneys representing him not to appeal
that ruling means it will be a year or more
before any of the challenges to the
Pentagon’s anti-gay policy can come
before the U.S. Supreme Court. But on
the heels of the appeals court ruling just a
few months ago, Steffan and his attorneys
with the Lambda Legal Defense Fund
said a discharge challenge under the new
"don’t ask, don’t, tell" Pentagon policy
may be legally more defensible than one
such as his a gainst the previous blanket
ban. Steffan called it a "difficult and
emotional decision" not to appeal the case
to the Supreme Court after so many years
fighting the legal battle. Fie said, however,
that the challenges to the new policy faced
a better chance of winning before the high
court.
Murder cont’dfrompage 1
Wilson, a 17-year-old, just hours after
King’s body was discovered. According
to reports, Wilson told police he and King
had driven around together for afew hours
when King parked, pointed a gun to the
youth’s head and demanded sex. Wilson
says he then grabbed the gun and shot
King 4 times.
Women cont’dfrom page 1
the country and found that I-IIV-infected
women were 33% more likely to die than
men during the same timeperiod. The
researchers found no medical reason for
the difference in survival rates, but the
scientists said it may be that women wait
longer to seek medical treatment. The
study Was the largest and longest to
examine differences in survival rates. It
was also one of the most representative,
with 50% of the subjects being black or
Hispanic and 20% being women.
Qregon cont’dfrom page 1
Oregon voters narrowly rejected in the
Nov. 8election. Theballotproposal would
bar all public agencies from recognizing
sexual behavior as a civil rights classification,
prohibits spending public funds
on anything that shows homosextmlity in
.a positive manner, would prevent
recognition of same:sex.couples or
partners benefits, and would restrict other
areas of public policy based on sexual
orientation.
Kent Balch
& Assodates
Self-employed?
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Health & Life
Insurance O_uo tes
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PSYCHOTHERAPY
ASSOCI.ATES
Eating Disorders Co-Dependency Issues
Same Sex RelationshiPS Trauma Recovery
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1515 South Lewis
Tulsa, OK
(918)-~43-4117
(918)-581-0902
a Diverse Community
FAMILY, FINANCES
Financial consultant, Leanne Gross
Retirement Plans
Start saving now It’s never to late to
at least save a few dollars for retirement.
Kelly Green, 31, never thought about
saving for retirement or investing until
she watched her mother become disabled.
No longer able or.wanting tO work. "I
began to wonder how I was going to pay
for my retirement." So Kelly, an office
worker, consulted a financialplanner. The
consultant convinced Ms. Green, the ouly
way to ensure there would be enough
money for her later years was to start
saving NOW.
The amount you save will depend on
your current assets, income and what you
want to financially accomplish, money
managers say. Individuals should save
about ten percent of net income ( income
before taxes ). Financial planners also
recommend taking maximum advantage
of your employer retirement plans. These
plans offer pre-tax deductions and, in
some cases, company matching of dollars.
However, if saving more than ten percent
of your income is impossible,.reduce your
debt and place as many dollars into
retirement/saving plan as you can.
There are many factors to consider whdi~
picking an investment avenue for your
retirement / savings -your risk level, time
horizon, dollar amount, interest rate, tax
consequedce to mention a few.
For example : The more time you have
to save; the less ( dollar amount per-check
) you will have to conla’ibute to reach your
goal.
Present age 35 25
Planned retire
-ment age 65 65
Inflation rate 5% 5%
Desired monthly income
at retirement .
$1,200 :-$1,200
Income to age 87 87
Growth rate/
Interest rate 10% 10%
Taxable
(taxed each year on interest growth)
$379/mo. 251/mo.
Tax Deferred (not taxed until withdrawn)
$296/mo. 167/mo.
Pre - Tax (saved before taxed, like
retirement plan at work )
$322/mo. 176/mo.
What a difference a few years and taxes
make! Let’s look at what a percentage
points and compounding interest will do
for you.
Years of Growth
$10,000 Compounded at:
6% 10%
5 $13,382 $16,110
10 $17,908 $25,940
15 $23.966 $41,770
20 $32,071 $67,270
30 $57,435 $174,490
40 $102,857 $452,590
In other words, in a period 8 times
longer - (40 years rather than 5 years ) the
investment result at 10% is 28 times
.....greater growth ( $452,590 divided by
$16,110).
Avenues for savings may be depending
on risk ( Risk = The degree of uncertainly
associated with something happening, or
a situation in which there is exposure to
possible loss ):
High Risk Potential
High Reward Potential
$
Art
Metals
Options
Speculative
Investment Real ~state
Growth Stocks & Mutual Funds
Variable Life Ins. & Annuities
Growth
Residence .G.N.M.A.. Retirement Plans~.~
Corporate Bonds Municipal Bonds
Govt. Bonds
Secure
Savings T-Bills Fixed Annuities
Money Market
Traditional Life Insurance (cash values)
Foundation
Low Risk Potential
Low Reward Potential
I know this sounds confusing and
difficult ; however, don’t let that stop you
from making one of the most important
decisions in your life.
Help is available!
!.~’OIJ from page 9
beliefs.
TFN: We know that doing this interview
is a big step for you. Why did you decide
to do it?
Officer: I’d like to serve as a role model
for the community, not only for our youth
but for people my age and older as well.
People are surprised to find a Gay cop,
especially in the Bible Belt.
It would help too with the stress of
hiding, the worries of being a Gay police
officer. Eventually, I think people in the
department will know. I’d be happier if I
could be open and conld speak out.
Also, it would improve the relationship
between the community and the
department. I’ve been on some domestic
dispute calls where it was a Lesbian or
Gay couple. On one, an officer made rude
comments to other officers about the
Situation. It was deliberately loud enough
to be heard by everyone: This officer said
these people are all messed up, screwed
up in the head, and deserve everything
they get. After,the officerleft, Iwas able
to help. I didn t come out but said that I
have Gay friends andI was able to smooth
over the situation some.
TFN: Any final comments?
Officer: Tolerance needs to be taught.
Officers shouldn’t abuse their power to
impose their personal morality on others.
Morality is a matter of perspective. As it’s
been said before, hate and prejudice are
not "family values."
Tell them
you saw it here.
Thanks!
MORE
New CDs $10.99-11.99
pre-owne,d. CDs $7.99-8.99
W.ell give you $4.80
TOt your used Cds
by Barry Hensley
Circulation Department Supervisor
Tulsa City-County Library
Growing Up Gay/Growing Up Lesbian:
A Literary Anthology
Edited by Bennett L. Singer
One of the most difficult decisions for
any gay male or lesbian is when, and
whether to, come out to friends, family
and co-workers. Growing Up Gay/
Growing Up Lesbian contains 55 essays,
short stories, poems,
letters and excerpts from
novels and autobiographies,
dealing with the
coming out process. The
authors range from
famous adults (Dave
Kopay, Martina Navratilova
and Rita Mae
Brown) to anonymous
teenagers. Some of the
selections are taken from
previously published
works, while others
appear for the first time.
The autkors range
from famous adults
(Dave Kopay,
Martlna
Navratflova and
Rha Mae Brown) to
anonymous
teenagers.
There is something here for everyone!
Regardless of your sexual identity, race,
cultural background or age, there will be
an entry with which you can identify.
The book is broken down into four
sections:
1) Self-Discovery: Dealing with the
complicated exploration of sexual
awakening, this section focuses on that
mysterious time, whether in high school
or later in adulthood, when we all must
face ourfeelings, be honestwith ourselves,
and figure out whowe are. Few people,
however, are able to recall this process
with as much humor as Quentin Crisp,
whose entry is a highlight.
2) Friendships/Relationships: How did
you deal with your first crush? Early
experiences are chronicled here, with all
of the excitement, fear, frustration and, in
some cases, guilt intact.
3) Family: or, "No, Mother, it’s not
your fault." Parents and siblings have a
varie.ty of reactions .to a family member’s
cormng out. Jesse Monteagudo’s horror
story, "GrowingUpGay in Little Havana,"
should put into perspective the situations
of those who are not of his culture. It
could be worse, folks.
4) Facing the World: This final section
deals with how the various authors have
spoken the truth to teachers, classmates,
the basketball team and,
inJoseph Steffan’s timely
e~itry, his commanding
bffi~~
This book is ideal for
anyone struggling with
their sexual identity.
There is humor, comfort
and logic, page after page.
There is also an excellent
bibliography and information
regarding national
organizations and hotlines.
Check Tulsa City-
County Library’ s catalog
for this book and other titles in the
bibliography, or call Central Library’s
Reader’s Services department at 596-
7966.
Some other recent library additions of
interest include:
*Am I Blue: Coming Out From The
Silence (A collection of short stories for
young adults)
*My American History: Lesbian And
Gay Life During The Reagan/Bush Years
(by S arah S chulman)
*Two Teenagers In Twenty: Writing By
Gay And Lesbian Youth (Edited by Ann
H-eron)
*Becoming Visible: A Reader In Gay
And Lesbian History For High School
And College Students
*Penguin Book Of Gay Short Stories
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Bear Club in OKC
A phenomenon spreading in gay
-.,America is the bear club. It’ s now made its
way to OklahomaCity. Bears are generally
considered huskier and hairier men. But
members say the club is not only for bears
but also for folks who love them.
RED EARTH BEARS is the name of
the new club formed here. People
interested in starting the club met for the
first time Sunday, December 11 in
Oklahoma City and decided on the name.
The meeting also featured a potluck feast.
Even the 25 bears in attendance couldn’ t
come close to eating all of it.
The name was chosen from a field of19
possibilities. Bear club members asked
for name suggestions on the intemet and
received replies from Maine to Seattle.
Suggestions included the Buroks, 144-135
Bears, Panhandlin’ Bears, Boomer Bear~,
Sooner Bears, Okie Bears, and Prairie
B~ars; however,, the winning name came
from one of the bears attending the
December 11 meeting. Folks attending
the meeting preferred the club stay with a
social agenda that will include at least a
once a month gathering. On January 7,
Red Earth Bears ate dinner together at the
Buckboard in OKC’ s Bunkhouse.
Officers are Ray Lambert- President,
Loren States - Vice President, Bruce Clark
- Treasurer, andJerome Scheer- Secretary.
Ddues ~vere set at $10/aunually. Currently,
about 50 folks are on the mailing list. The
first issue of the newsletter will be mailed
in late December or early January. If you
want to correspond with the club orbecome
a member you can write Red Earth Bears,
POBox 57561, OKC, OK 73157-7561 or
send e-mail to alanokc@aol.com or to
jerome@telepath.com or telephone 405-
732:9808.
Tulsa Prime Timers
Start your New Year off with a ’"oang!’"
by joining Prime Timers, a social group
for Gay and Bisexual men over the age of
40. The next meeting will be on Sun. Feb.
5th at 4pm at the the Gathering Place,
4154 So. Harvard. Dick Reader, a
psychotherapist with an exclusively Gay
& Lesbian practice, will speak about
"Coupling and Dating in the 90’ s."
Other Prime Timers activities have
included a Christmas holiday party,
holiday light tour of Honor Heights Park
in Muskogee, dinner at Pepper’s and a
Twelfth Night Celebration at River Parks.
A sub-group is forming of a~piring
gourmets. OnFeb: 11-12,Tulsaarea Prime
Timers will join members from Dallas
and Austin for a weekend in Dallas.
For more information, call: 437-2878
or write: TAPT, POB 52118, Tulsa, OK
74152-0118.
BAR
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Friday, Jan. 20th, Benefit
for Miss Silver Star, Sadie Brooks
(918) 834-4234 / 1565 S. Sheridan -Thl~a, OK
Wed - Sun 7 pm - 2 am / Mon - Tues Closed
Midwest City LOOKING FOR
LOVE| Steve, new to area,
Iookin for Iovel. pref sinabv
GW~etw 18-25, 6’3, 25,
brn/hzl, smokers pref, like
Dungeons and Dragons, Bars, int
Iv a message- ~20023
Oklahoma City FONZIE
LOOKALIKE: 46, 179, 5’10,
work out 3x wk, brn/grn look like
the fonz, like to meet a TV or TS
for lunch dinner fun, for pass long
rel want a tel with a TV oi" TS-
~21102
GRAB THAT PHONE!
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
1 ) To respond to these
ads & browse others
Call: 1-900-786-4865
2) To record your FREE
Tulsa Family Personal ad
Calk 1-800-546-MENN
(We’ll print it here)
3) To pick-up messages
from your existing ad
Call: the 900 number &
Press the star key (*)
Questions Call: 1-415-281-3183
Oklahoma City EVERY
TUESDAY: 36, 6’1, 175, 33w,
like to meet 18-25 inexp a plus,
int Iv a message, in Oklahoma
City every Tuesday- ~19287
Stillwater BRAD GWM 26, 5’9
175 bm/bJu, wide vat of int,
looking for guys in my area-
~18818
Tblsa DINNER DATE: Nick, 26,
int are swimming, horseback
riding,shopping dinner and
movies, int in meeting nice people
178 brn/blu Iv a message-
=17815
Tulsa FRIENDSHIP/FUi~I: Tom,
25, 6’2; 250,.hzl, brn, looking for
men, 20-30 masc gdlkg, for
friendsh ip fun and. pass ,
relationship if this sounds good Iv
a message- ~18048
Tulsa FIT AND FURRY: Jerry
,GWM mid 40s, phys fit, 5’5,
160, hairy, iso GWM for g,r~at
times, Iv a message and ~;e II get
together- ~18764
Tulsa LONG BLONDE HAIR:
Jonathan, 19 6’5, tall and slender,
long bind hair, greyish ~reen eyes,
iso someone, 18-25 to dance,
have fun pass rel with- ~19144
Tulsa FUN AND FRIENDSHIP:
Tom, 25, 6’2 250, brn/hzl, iso
fun friendship and pass more in
the area, Iv amessage- ~19290
Tulsa DISCREET FUN: Cute bi
cd, 35 5’3 135 iso aggr stocky
male for discreet fun ~19566
Norman OKLAHOMA
UNIVERSITY Adam, 22, go to
OU 6’2 200 34 w brn/brn iso
someone 21-45, if ur int give me
a call- e15608
OK HEALTHY BODYBUILDER:
6’2, 213, bodybuilder, like music
prof~l iso male-20-40, like
staying at home, like non
smokers- healthy- ~16439
OK FOOTBALL PLAYER:
Rodn.e.y 18 6’2 215, sandy
blnd/Brn like to play football,
sports, like music-lille to swime16467
OK CLEAN FUN: James, latin
mole, iso GWM 18~21 for clean
fun give me a call- ~16423 .
OK PAT 22 145, blu/blnde, iso
the same around the same age,
not really exp, if u like, Iv a
message- ~17403
Oklahoma City BEAR SEEKS
SAME: Bill, WM bear 33 6’2
230, brn/grn, into western
leather ancl boots seeking same
from 28-40 for pass rel-~15624
Oklahoma City LOVING AND
LASTING: Wayne, 47, hea..vy
builtl Ikg for younger who will
care as ~nuch for me as for them,
want a loving long lasting rel- int
give me a call ~15635
Oklahoma City STEVEN 33,
brn/grn, enjoy hearing from
an)~one- ~15744 ,
Oklahoma City PARTY WITH A
BEAR: Sam~ 44, hairy chest and
back iso someone to go t.o gay
parties with me, Iookin.q for 25-
35 smooth chested, ant] enjoy
this- ~16011
Stillwater COUPLE OF
HOT GUYS-GWMC
23 & 24, 5’10, 170,
135, both bm/brn
semi students @ OSU
Ikg 4 SWM 21-27
couples 2 4:
entertainment in the
ai’ea dancing, dinners,
movies, having a gd
time, like have alot
of fun, like to meet
~14388
Tulsa COUNTRY
BOY: John, out in
the country iso
someone nice
perhaps int, 36 6’3
160, just enjoy
having fun, ~15589
Tulsa THE
FRENCH CHEF:
GWM young, red hair, brn 5’7
165, CD likes to cook and please-
Ikg for Mr. Right CD 18-26
~16052
Tulsa TAKIN’ IT EASY: Alan,
just laying back and takin it
easy,lbol~ing for someone to get
together ....
give mea call ~16188
Tulsa LONG BLONDE HAIR:
Jim, GWM 29, 5’11 185 long
bind/green silent type, into
Recording your ad:
Figure out what you want to say
before calling in Write down what
!ou want to say. Keep it short and
simple. Just describe yourself and
what you’re looking For. Our
computerized system will walk you
through the rest. Have a pen ready to
write down your box number.
partying, secure ~uys~ Iv me some
info 0n yourself,like computers,
camping, music and video-
~16235
Tulsa LET’S TALK: George,~’,
185, 27, ~rivate person prof I iso
18-29, re~ni~:e looking, avg, int
in talking, with pe0pl~ and seeing
what happens- ~16882
Tulsa SPORTS FAN: Josh, masc
pr.of~J, 29 6~ J~rn/hazel, 160 iso
other men 18~-25 in the area
discreet and masc, sports, my
porsche, football games, tennis,
waterski, iso sincere friendship or
pass rel- ~16930
OK GO FOR IT!, GWM 30:5’9
155, work out looking for other
18-25 Smooth and slim, movies
dinner quiet walks, beach travel,
love to spoil someone- ~12902
OK T-BIRD, Tom, 21, attr, 6’2,
brn/brn natural curly, looking for
someone to talk to, be friends
with, whatever happens- ~13073
OK BEN, Ben 36 WM bind/6’2
190 bi WM looking for the best of
both worlds, ifu understand what
I’m saying give me a ca11-
~13894
OK LOOKING FOR A LOVER,
JOHN 36: (+)looking for
someone 20~27 gdlkg, and
wanting a lover- ¢14315
OK IF IT FEE~S GOOD-, Tom,
21, brn~brn 6 1, down to earth
honest, into anything that is fun
and feels good,
me a call; ~14463
OK ROMANTIC, 5’9, WM 160,
looking for a friend, romance
movies, compat, cook, quiet eves
@ home, massages, int give me a
call, ~13532
Oklahoma City
Chad, 28 GWM
~13220
Oklahoma City.. FURR YOU:,
5’9, 160, brn~hzl, must athl built
hairy chest give me a call-
~13532
Oklahoma City GM 36, gdklg 6’
175, 32w in tile city, prefer.my
age or younger for good times-
~13712
Oklat~oma City BI TV, Hi baby
Carolyn bi subm tv iso GBM for
some fun- ~15186
Oklahoma City LIKES ’EM
BUTCH-, Felix 22, 6’1,189, iso
someone of same standards a
little taller, fun, likes to go out,
enjoys life, 18-25, and with sim
int pref a guy on the butch side,
love to stay home and watch rv,
love romance- ~15240
Stillwater OKLAHOMA STATE
STUDENTS, currently.a student
here at OK State, 5’9 155, Ikg for
someone interested in having a
good time, 18-30- ~13094
1-800-326-MEET
0.976-LESB
1995 Miss Gay Oklahoma USA Pageant
Sunday, January 29, 9pm, $5 cover
" :flr~p=in’s welcome or
call ~or an appointment,
no tranquilizers, & senior dlseounts.
Owner Rie Banks-Riemar
1541 South Sheridan, 834-2838
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Mon. - Sat.-8 - 6pm, Evenings by appt.
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