[1996] Tulsa Family News, November 15-December 14, 1996; Volume 3, Issue 12

[1996] Tulsa Family News, November 15-December 14, 1996; Volume 3, Issue 12

Politics, education, and social conversation 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 0f 2001 (Volume 8, Issue 9).

The newspaper brings up important, evolving topics of marriage, Pride, TOHR, HIV/AIDs, events, advice, and 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

November 15-December 14, 1996

Mac Guru
James Chirstjohn
Phyl Boler-Schmidt
Barry Hensley
Jean-Pierre Legrandbouche
Steven Scott
Gerald Miller
Lance Brittain
Kerry Lewis

Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News

Tulsa Family News, October 15-November 1, 1996; Volume 3, Issue 11

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PDF
Online text

English

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periodical

https://history.okeq.org/items/show/529

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

Serving Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual & Trans Communities
Murderer of Gay Man Gets
Second Degree Sentence
PONTIAC, Michigan (AP)- A TV talks show guest.
avoided a mandatory life prison.term for murdering a
gay admirer by convincing jurors that ’.’ambush televii"’
SayNoto Hate’
!iYes to Jobs Protections The members of Tulsa’ s Say No .,~ I-Fate Coalition have approved
¯ a statement on workplace discrimination ,that explicitly endorses
¯ fairness for all, including Gay & Lesbian citizens. The statement
: reads: "... Say.No to Hate Coalition condemns workplace discrimi-
:" nationin allits forms. Fundamental fairness dictates that all individu,
i
als,irrespectiveofrace, color,nationalorigin, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, [emphasis added] age or disability, be afforded equal
: opportunity in allof ,An~_,e,dca’s workpl,a~es.
: Itisnotaboutso-called specialrights forcertaingroups.Itisabout
evaluating each individual on his/her merit rather than making, group
¯ judgements based on ignorance and fear.
-" " Disedminationin the workplace diminishes us all. It should never
: happen, but it does. Laws are necessary to protectall ofus from such
¯ hateful and hurtful behavior, and to provide recourse in the event
i discrimination does infact occur."
¯ The Coalition is made up of the following organizations: the
: American Red Cross, Tulsa Area chapter, the Coalition of Hispanic
Organizations (COHO), theHumanRights Dept. ofthe City ofTulsa,
Intercultural Service Center, Islamic Society, Jewish Federation,
Metropolitan Urban League, NAACP, The National Conference,
Tulsa Region, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, Tulsa Oklahornans for
HumanRights (TOHR),Tulsa Police Dept. andTulsa PublieSchoolS,
The Coalition was established in 1988 and works to protect theright,
safety and fundamental freedoms see Hate, page 10
sion" was partly to blame. . -. - ~: HIVRCThreatens Lawsuit Jonathan Schmitz of second-degree murderin the 1995 ~ Attorney Kenneth Crnmp, representing the HIV Resource Consorshotgun
slaying of Scott Amedure, whoh,a~ revealed a ¯
crush on Schmitz during a taping of _the Jenny Jones -"
Show?’ Defense lawyers argued that Schrnitz, who had -"
ahistory of emotional problems, was ambush,e,~, on the :
show and pushed over the edge., JurOrs agreed. Weall -.
felt he hada def’mite mental problem ... and the show ¯ i
exacerbated that," juror Dale Carlington Said..r .
Schmitz admitted shooting Am&ttire three days after :
the two attended a taping of the show in Chicago on ¯
March 6, 1995. Defense attorneys say Schmitz,ahet,, ."
erosexual; was humiliated to. learn ids secret admirer
was a man.The humiliation, combine~[ wfthSchmitz’.
history of menta! illness, alcoholism .and a thyroid
condition rend~r~tilln incapable offorming the intent
to kill, they contended.
Dr. Michael Abramsky testified that Schmitz probably
did not intend to hurt anyonebuthimselfon the day
he shotAmedure. Abramsky, whohad examinedSchmitz
about a month after the shooting, said Schmitz’s mind
was "bombarded" by thoughts that included killing
himself and feelings of anger seeMurder, page11 :
Election News Analysis
Political analysis & commentary by Tom Neal, editor :
Based on Associated Press reports and TFN coverage. :
Therecent elections appear to maintain thestatus quo :
for Lesbian and Gay citizens. In Tulsa, State Sen. Penny :
Williams (D) won over openly anti-Gay candidate .
Brian Lehman (R) despite overfly anti-Gay campaign :
ploys. Williams’ campaign also enjoyed supportfrom a ¯
number of Lesbian and Gay activists because of her ¯
history offairness. Hercampaign did, however, tell The .
Tulsa Worm that she had never supported same-gender
marriage despite avote against an anti-marriage bill last
legislative session.
Pat Woodrum, former director of Tulsa City/County
Library System and another candidate with ahistory of "
fairness to Gay citizens, lost her race for State Senate. ¯
Her opponent, James Williamson, also attempted to stir !
up anti-G,ay sentiment but some observers think :.
Woodrum s loss more likely a reflection of running as :
a Democrat in a traditionally Republican district. ¯
In the OK House, incumbent Republican Flint "
Breckemidge who represented a midtown district with "
a significant number of Lesbian and Gay voters was ."
defeated by Mary Easley, Democrat. This might bode ¯
well for Gay citizens since Breckenddge ran a Gaybaiting
campaign against former Rep. Bruce Niemi~ "
However, Breckemidge toldTFN ofdosefamily ties to ¯
members of the Gay commtmity. Easley, when ques- :
doned about her positions on- fairness for Lesbian and
Gay citizens, claimed she just hadn’t thought about °
these things: However, her campaign literature touted ¯
her as upholding/the "conservative, family-centered, :
see Politics, page 14 "
tium, has informedTFN that the HIVRC is ’q~esitant to communicate
directly" with TFN despite earlier demands byboard pres. Nancy
McDonald for a meeting. Crump forwarded a letter from McDonald,
asking that the letter be print,e~!,.,. adding, "ifthis is done, no further
[legal] action will be taken ~..’ TFN publisher Tom Neal noted that
TFN repeatedly agreed to McDonald’ s meedng demand (and agreed
to a date which McDonald later canceled) and that TFN was happy
to publish the letter (p.2). ¯
In a separate letter, Crump noted that aTFNreporter was questioning
the United Way (which helps fund the HIVRC) about possible
ramifications of client complaints and possible open records violations.
Crump demanded thatTFNcease suchactivity. Neal responded
that "it iS~an.unfortunate-attempt to intimidate TFN from making
legitimate press inquiries?’ Dr. Jerry Nida, Commissioner of-the
Oklahoma State Dept. of Health stated the HIVRC should comply
: with the open records statutes- withholding only strictly ,,c,o,nfidential
¯" information. Andpres.,MeDonaldacknowledged to TFN s attorney
.’- that theHIVRCWas obliged to provide the re~ords. To date, however,
~ no records_have been provided.
¯ ACLU-OK To Present Dr. Joycelyn
~ Elders & Honor Nancy & Joe McDonald
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma has chosen Nancy
and Dr. Joe McDonald as their Human Rights Project award winners
alongwith longtime OKC Gay civil rights activist Bill Rogers. This
awardwill bepresentedin theGoldCrownRoomofthe Clarion Hotel,
4345No. Lincoln, at 7pm. TheACLUwill also honorPare Fleisehaker
of OKC~s Oklahoma Gazette for her work writing in defense of First
Amendment rights, choice issues and Gay &Lesbian Citizens, as well
as Michael Salem andJoel Carter, the attorneys who lead the effort to
get the City of Edmond to drop seeACLU, page 10
¯ MCC-GT Passes Financial Review
: MCC-Gxeater Tulsa has provided TFN with a copy of a letter from
¯ South Central District treasurer of the Metropolitan Community
Church (MCC). Thomas Merrill has given MCC-Greater Tulsa a
positive review of its finanCial situation with only light admonishments
about betteL.r..~eco~d~ing. Financial discrepancies that had
-concerned membe~’~hd:~kediwithTFN (v2, #12, 11-12/95) have
been resolved and ~6church has beendeared of any serious charges.
Merrill noted thati:there was no evidence ofany misappropi’iation of
funds, and bailk deposits were in order as were disbursements. He
suggested that the appearance ofmissing funds resultedfromafailure
to balance the bookkeeping records with the financial reports. He
praised e.mrent treasurer, Norman Henley. for discovering that a loan
paymen~ of $1,500 and tithe payments of $2,500 simply had not been
reported in finanCial statements. This accounted for most of the
"missing" fnn,ds. Merrill particularly remarked on deposit records for
as little as $1 which had been dropped from an offering, saying this,
was "a testament to the honesty and integrity of your leadership...
Merrill added that the church has done an excellentjob of heeding
the recommendations of aworkshop that the district provided to the
church last March. MCC-GT continues its pastoral search to replace
the Rev. Alice Jones who ledthechurch successfully for many years.
C’ENTER
!EVENTS Dana Tiger Benef,t for
¯ HOPE, RBG Meeting,
¯ Colm mu .n.ity-wide
!Potluck, V deo. Night,
i BLGTA Formal Dance,
: Primetimers & Morel
Award winning artist,
Dana Tiger, will hold
an exhibit of her work
at the Pride Center on
Sunday, Dec. 8 from
1-7 pm. Tiger who.
hails from a family of
artists will donate a
percentage from sales
to benefit HOPE, HIV
Outreach, Prevention
& Education whose offices are in the Pride
Center. Tiger is a member of the Muscogee
Nation and is of Creek]Seminole and Cherokee
descent. Her best known work honors the
strength and determination Of Native Americanw,~
men. InTulsa, BrooksideJewelryshows
Dana S Work and helped to bring this noted
artist to the Center. Tiger was to have been
joined by her sister, Lisa Tiger, who is known
for her work as-an HIV educator. Lisa Tiger
will not be able to attend but will have a video
as well as a book of essays to which she’.s
contributed available.
RainbowBusiness Guild (RBG) will have a
pizza party at theCenter for its Nov. meeting.
It will be a week earlier than usual due to
Thanksgiving - on-Nov. I9th at 7pro. All are
welcome. Dinner dues will be $S/person.
Dec. 7th, TOHR/The Pride Center will host
with HOPE, RBG, TU’s BLTGA and other
see Center, page 10
¯ World AIDS Day March
: Red Ribbon Treefest +
¯" Walk + DayWithoutArt
¯ This year’s World AIDS Day Memorial
: March and Service will be on Sunday, Dec.
¯ 1st. The marchers, organized by Interfaith
¯ AIDS Ministries,will gatheratBartlettSquare
¯ in downtown Tulsa (Sth & Main) at 5pro. The
¯ March will begin at 5:30 andwill end atTrinity
¯ Episcopal, 501 So. Cincinnati for Evensong
¯ service at 6pro. Marchers are urged to bring
¯" bells to ring during the March and will be
¯ provided candles and matches..Organizations
¯¯ are invited to bring their banners. A reception
will follow after the service. For info: 438-
¯ 2437 or 800-284-2437.
¯ see World, page 11
¯ COMING SOON!
:Our House Auction ¯
seepage 5
INSIDE EDITORIAL/LETTERS/DIRECTORY P. 2-3
¯ NEWS P. 4
HEALTH P. 7
¯" HIV/AIDS & THE LAW P. 7
¯ CALENDAR P. 9
BOOK REVIEW P, 12
¯ RESTAURANT REVIEW P. 1:3
CLASSIFIEDS P. 14
918.583.1248
fax: 583.4615
POB 4140
Tulsa, Oklahoma
74159-0140
tulnews@ionetnet
Publisher +,Editor: Tom Neal
Entertainment Writer + Mac Guru:
James Chri~tjohn
Writers + contributors:
Phyl Boler-Schmidt, Barry Hensley
Jean-Pierre Legrandbouche
Steven Scott, Gerald Miller,
Lance Brittain, Kerry Lewis
Issued on or before the 15th of each month,~the entire contents of this publication
are protected by US copyright 1~ by T~!lsa Family News and may not be
reproduced either in whole or inp~rt,i~]’fhout ~,ritten permission from the publisher.
Publication of a name or photo does not indicatethat person’s sexual orientation.
Correspondence is assumed to be for publication unless otherwise noted, must be
signed & becomesthe so!e property_of Tulsa Family News. All correspondence
should be sent to the address above, ldaeh reader is entitled to one free copy of each’
edition at distribution points. Additionalcopies are available by calling 583-1248."
Just a note of encouragementbn your articleon the HIVRC.
The concerns that have been brought up form the PLWA’s are
true and correct. Please use my name as a former landlord that
received funds from the HOPWA grant, as validation of these
clients’ concerns.
Many people know that I used my properties to house several
clients from the RC, so I do hold a lot of Credibility there. The
allegations ofmismanagement, poor perf0rmance and claims of
bias retaliation against clients are facts, These reasons played a
very large role in the decision David and I made to sell our
properties. TheRC burned a very important bridge in that arena.
We had 12 properties, 6 of which at the time Of the sdl were
housed by PLWA’s on the HOPWA program, and we would
probably most definitely still be in that arena had the RC been
more cooperative to us and more compassionate towards the
clients they represent....
You are to be commended for your article, and I support you
100%!!!! - Russell Langley-Stumpff, Tulsa
¯ October 28 1996
¯¯ In respouse to the article appearmg in theTulsa Family News,
Oct. 15, v. 3, no. 11, tiffed "PLWA’s Indict HIVRC, Care
: Organization May Bein Violation ofOK Statutes", the Board of
¯" Directors ofthe I-I!V Resource C0nsorfittm are deeplyconcerned
¯ and.distressed at the accusation.
: We are a Not for Profit Organization chartered by the-Olda-
: homaCorporationCommission. Weadhere to the articulation of
¯ the mission of our organization. We receive funding from the
¯ United :Way, the Federal Government which dispenses funds
: through the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the State
: Housing Authorityand private donations. Because we are. a
¯ recipient of federal monies through the competitive grant pro-
: cess, weare bound by the guidelines as articulated by each grant.
¯ Wemustreport to the granting sources on a regular basis. Weare
." subject to scheduled and non-scheduled on site inspection and
¯ audit ofour records to determine our adherence to all federal and ¯
state guidelines, see McDonald, page 8
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine 832-1269
*Concessions, 3340 S. Peoria 744-0896
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria 749-4511
*Ground Floor Cafe, 51st & Harvard 749-5678
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan 834-4234
*Samson & Ddilah, 10 E. Fifth 585-2221
*Renegades/Rainbow Room¯ 1649 S. Main 585,3405
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial 660=0856
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd 584-1308
*Interurban Restaurant, 717 S. Houston 585-3134
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Dennis C. Arnold, Realtor 746-4620
*Assoc. in Med.& Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000
Kent Balch & Associates, Health & life Insurance 747-9506
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 So. Peoria 743-5272
*Creative Collection, 1521 E. 15 592-1521
Cherry Street Psychotherapy Associates
1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117
Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
*Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 13th 749-3620
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556
Don Carlton Mitsubishi, 46th & Memorial 665-6595
Don Carlton Honda, 4141 S. Memorial -622-3636
¯ Kellie J. Watts, attorney 493-1959
¯ Fred Welch, Lcsw, Counsding 743-1733
¯ Tulsa Organizations, Churches, & Universities
¯ AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 1071, 74101-1071 579-9593 ¯
¯ Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 583-7314
*Bless The Lord... Christian Center, 2627b E. 11 628-0594
¯ *B/L/G Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa Canterbury Ctr. 583-9780
¯ *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence
"- *CommunityofHopeUnitedMethodist, 1703 E. 2rid 585-1800
: Commmlity Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595
: Dignity/Integrity-LesbianlGayCatholics/Episcopal. 298-4648
¯ *Family of Faith MCC, 5451-E So. Mingo 622-1441
: *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
." *Free SpiritWomens Center, call for location&info: 587-4669
: Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827
¯ Friends in Unity Social Org. (African-American mens group)
¯" POB 8542, 74101, call c/o TOHR @ 742-2927
¯
Indian Health Care, Save the Nati6n 584-4983
: Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438-2437, 800-284-2437
¯ *MCC of Greater Tulsa, 1623 N..Maplewood 838-1715
~ *H!V Resource Ctr., 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H- 1 749-4194
¯ NAMES PROJECT, 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H- 1 748-3111
¯ *Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584-7960
¯ PFLAG ,POB 52800, 74152 749-4901
: *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 58%7674
¯ Prime=Timers, P.O_. Box 52118, 74152 583=1410
¯ *R.A I N, Regional AIDS Interfaith Network
¯ Raihbow ~3usiness’Guiid, POB 4106;74159
: I have been reading your paper since it
: first started. You have done a very good
: job presenting the news and expanding
¯ coverage. ITm glad to see your progress.
: After reading your last editorial per-
: taining to the HIV Resource Consortium
: (HIVRC), I wanted to letyonknow that
¯ you are doing a big service for PWA’s
: who have no where else to turn.
¯ Since Ihavehadalittle experience with
: both PWA’s and a Consortiumin’Kan.~as
:-City, MO, I feel’ this is important. For
: .theHIVRCtofunctionitneeds twothings:
:: clients andmoney. If they .don’t’have
¯ enough ofeither; they are out ofbusiness.
: Maybe the HIVRC needs to be dissolved
: and another organization set up that will
¯ not be "afraid" to let the public read the
: minutes. Also, maybe too much money is
being spent l~mning the HIVRC. If the
ConSortium has nothing to hide they
should be glad there is someone like you
who is interested enough to help the
PWA’s.
Keep up the good work. This organization
should be held accountable.
- Cheryl Lenhart, Tulsa
749-4195 .:
665-5174 :
*lqite Books & Videos, 821 S: Sheridan . 838-8503 " St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, 38~1 S. Peoria, 646-7116
,
Express Pools & Spas; 6310 S. Peoria - 743-9994 : Shhnti H0tlin~ & HIV/AIDS Siei’vices "
Foxlinx, Computer Consultation = - . _ 690-297J¢ " " TulsaOkl~ for Hmnan Rights., POB.2687, 74101
¯ EearmeM. Gross; Financial Pl,nningi, : ,~i ,::, ,-,,~44~0)02 i ~.T.,-~--h~i,’~i.~s’.,l}3~ ~:-~,.,
Mark T. Hamby, Attom~y>. :;..-~,.:...,:--, ... :: ,.,744-.7.~44~,. ~ ,T,~;E.~,£.A,).:~,s,~.~...~,,t~a.~:t~,~e,r,~ee~Kers a,ss~oc. ~-t,
*SandraJ Hill MS."Ps~,dhotherafv "2865 E Skellv 745-1111 . *’l:UlS~~:ty nan,-tmletcna vesuome, G-roun(lrloor
Imaginations lincoln Plaza- 15th & Peoria. - 58~ ,t606 -. Tulsa. Commumty College, Metro & HE Campuses .
*International To.urs- - " " . ¯ ’ .’ - -341-6866 .... Univ’er~:ty Ceiater at Tulsa
JDImages;Photography. : " " :621-5597:: ::’:-:.-. :-.: EUREKA SPRINGS
Ken’s.Flowers, 1635 E: 15 599-8070 : Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy 23 SOuth 501-253-7734
Kelly Kirby, CPA, POB 14011, 74159
Lonp-Garou, 2747 E. 15 .
~Ann Macomber, Realtor Associate
*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3 - - -
Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c.E~ 31St
*Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51-P1
*Novel Idea Bookstore~ 51st &Harvard
David:A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633-
Pet Pride, Dog & Cat-Grooming
Puppy Pause II, llth & Mingo
*Ross Edward Salon, 1438 S. Boston
*Scribner’ s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square
?
~ " *Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173-S. Main
¯ DeVito’~Restaurant, 5Center St.
¯Emerald Rainbow, 45 &1/2 Spring St.
¯ G~k to G0!,.PC Specialist, POB 429
: King’ s Hi:Way;96 KingsHighway,Hwy. 62W
MCC of the living Spring
-" MeClung Realtors
: Positive Idea Marketing Plans
Rock Cottage Gardens 501-253-8659, 800,624,6646
: Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East 501-253-6001
¯ The Woods, 50 Wall St. 501-253-8281
: OKLAHOMA CITY
¯ Face Beautiful Day Spa, 7108-D2 N.Western 405-840-3223
Beaver Dam Store, l/2mi. N. of DamHwy. 187 501:253-6154
501-253,7457
501-253:6807
501-253-5445
501-253-2776
800-231-1442
501~253-9337
501-253-9682
501-253-2401
747-5466
742-1992
671-2010
584-3112
663-5934
664-2951
747,6711
747-7672
584-7554
838-7626
584-0337
749-6301
Scott Robison’s Prescriptions, see ad for 3 locations 743-2351
Southwest Viatical 747-3322, 800-305-6384
Thomas Chiropractic, 4138 S. Harvard, Ste. C-1 742-8868
Thanks for Printing the Truth
Thank you for printing the truth as you
heard it or observed it. I am speaking
about the HIVRC an the various complaints
leveled against them. I. am also
sorry to say that I will not reveal my name
and it is not because I am irresponsible in
what I say, but I recognize very clearly
who is in control of the AIDS Service an
thus, funding in Tulsa. I am concerned¯
about repercussions.
I would encourage you not to stop your
investigation. I think that the clients that
have the more need are often the ones at
the Resource Center that no one wants to
handle. As you know, clients are not always
physically attractive with good hygiene
and wonderful personalities, some
are drug abusers, some are dirty, some do
not have any social skills, and some live
on the street and some have serious mental
health problems. However, they are
still deserving ofhelp. Ifthe mental health
centers stopped seeing the mentally ill
because hey did notmake sense then what
would be the purpose of heir existence?
Therefore, the Resource Center needs to
be sensitive toe people who are really
downandoutandnot always easy to help.
The must stop intimidating their clients.
I was extremely bothered by the secretive
nature Of their finances. Anyone
knows who works in non-profit agencies
’that all Of those records should be readily
available to people.-There should be no
-reason to hide that information - unless,
they are hiding it because their_ costs are
extremely high and the hours of service,
units of ~ervice, or numbers Of clients are
solow that most people would question
Why.they have-arOund halfa million dollar
budget- and still are saying they d0n’t
:. have .enough money. They ha*e much
: more than most otherAIDS service orga-
: nizations and they control, pretty much,
¯ all oftheUnitedWayfunds,TCAPfunds,
¯ and state funds. Perhaps Saint McDonald
: lias something to do with that since she
¯ " als0 serves on the board of the Commu-
: nity Service Council, which is an arm of
the United Way. see HIVRC, page 13
5
by Tom Neal, publisher/editor :
A handful of people arerather upset :right now. Last -
month this newspaper published an-article relating the
complaints of some people living with AIDS (PLWA? s) "
against the I-IIV Resource Consortium (I-IIVRC) and ¯
added complaints of this newspaper about the agency’ s ¯
lack of cooperation, The article highlighted the concerns ¯
of some HIVRC clients,, the response the HIVRC’d]rec- H I V i: R: C . :
torand also noted that the Board of " " ::
agency appeared to bein viola-. ~o. ¯
don of a~ Oklahoma state law. l.)~reetors " . .: :
The latter is the requirement President:
that an agency supportedsub- Nane
stantially with public monies
abide by open meetingsand .~.teL)onam,~
open records statutes. Accord- Viee-presl"dents:
ing to TFN, attor.ney and. also t~_~"re-~ ~~aunaIer"s " mylayman sreadingofthelaw, o. r~ ¯ .
theagencyshouldprovidemin- 0~, L,,an -
utes of its meetings when re- Phnhet, MD
quested. To date, the HIVRC
has been asked for meeting
minutes repeatedly since the
latter part of July and has yet to
provide them now more than
three months later.
Wehave reproduced several
letters from the president ofthe
organization, her close friends
and associates, and the
HIVRC’ s attorney. Readers can
seefor themselves several strategies
for both excusing the
agency~ s failure to comply with
the law and for attempting to
shift "blame from the agency,
its staff and its boardof directors,
to this newspaper.
Most of it is just pure silliness
and irresponsibility. The
law appears to compel the
HIVRC to provide its minutes
SecretarT:
.Tommy Chesbro
Rib Helmerleb
Caroline Abbott
Geo r e Bdlke
Michael Esliek
Jeffry Johnson
Erie Ramlrez
Gene Reid
Steve Reynolds
Charles Se~.er
Suzy Stard~eld
MaybelleWallaee
Jack Welsh
Ned Zink
when requested. The law does not specify that the entity
requesting the minutes must speak to any specific person
in the agency’ s hierarchy: Internal communications are
usually the responsibility of the agency.
The following is what this newspaper did in requesting
minutes: Sharon Thoele is the primary legal representative
of the agency in conducting it~ day to day business.
Thoele signs checks, and TFN understands, hires and
fires staff, etc. For the purposes of state open records
requests, Thoele is clearly an appropriate legal representative
for the organization.
Thoele received several requests from TFN for copies
of the minutes. These requests weremade first directly to
Sharon’s administrative assistance, Susie Stanford, beginning
in late July/early August. The first request was
ignored for several weeks. The second request was answered
with a message (given by Stanford) that Thoele
said that TFN could not have the minutes, and that we.
should talk with Charles Seeger who was described as
their attorney. During that conversation, TFN requested
a list of the board of directors from Stanford which was
taxed to TFN. This is so far the only document delivered
as requested.
¯ Editors note: this letter was.sent to the H1VRC With
copies specifically designated to Sharon Thoele & TFN.
This is the first ofmany letters thatwehope will let you
know how we the clients are feeling; In hopes that things
get better at the Consortium for all involved...
There are anumberofus that see but donot say, and yet
there are those of us who do and get SH1T. We don’tneed
the stress ofhaviffg to run all over town to try and find the
help you are responsible for giving...You put yourself in
the position of wanting to help, so stop the fighting and
start the helping... I was broughtup that "ifyou do it right
thefirsttimeyoudon’ thaye to doit over... Oncein a while
we can understand but each and every month...If you
don’t want to help the[n] don’t hinder us!!!
, Youallneedto gettheacttogether see PWA, page !2
TFN talked witti attomey(andi~ehi~iSlSens, board mem- : McDonald-of an important request. It also seems less
bet) Charle~ Seege,r and requested copies Of the mi.’nutes. ¯ likely that attorney a~d board member Seeger would fail
Seeger saidhe di.dn.t think that there was anything to hide " to do so. And another board member said hedid raise the
in the minutes but thatsince they were a private non- " issue at a board meeting that took place prior to the
profit~ he di-d not feel that they wer9 compelled toprovid~ ¯ publication of our last issue.
them and thereforg, the ,HIVRC would not ,make the ¯ Regardless; the point is that now the agency has the
minutes available.- - : opportunitytoprovethatitdoesindeedhaveonlythebest
TFN informed Seeg~.that we_understood fr,om our : interests .of its .clients at. hea~.,It .el.aims ~at it.has had
attorney that the ag¢ne-y ~as subject fo Oklah0mii s o~en~ " g0odandltS and~eviews. That being thecase~theHWRC
recordsstatutesandevengavehim’the~s~.~tute~citati~ns,: .:. shouldha~;e.’nd pr0bidm:~ng’t~0g~’andits flnancial
Seeger failed to return at least two sub~equen! callsTr0m :" statements a.vailablefor public_ review along with all
TFN andfailed to respond to aletterfromTFN sattomey. ; other records that donotinvolve Strict client or employee
-: " Board president Nancy McDonald claims that.she Was ¯ confidentiality issues.
¯ completely unaware of these ~eq~u..e,sts. She also is at- ¯ Itcanprovethatitisreallythemodelvogramitdaims
temptingt0 excuse the agency Lg failure to comply with " to be by actively responding to the complaints of those
¯. the law by contending that 0nly a request made to her " clients bra~e enough to confront the agency..It Can begin
~ directly is valid, This is pa~t of.the attempt Of the agency ¯ to address its internal communications Issues which
to shift blame for its failures to this newspaper. ¯ .include allegations of breaches of client confidentiality.
¯ However, Seegernever saidtoTFNthatarequestmfst " ~ For example, I am aware ofone suCh]ncidentbecause
" be made tOboard president McDonald. TFN also called I br6tight it to Thoele’ sattention’ directly. I could have
¯ board member Tommy Chesbro and asked if he could written abom it but I chose to let them try to fix the
: help get the’ minutes: Chesbro was sympathetic, but "- problem instead. Hopefully, it is fixed, but the employee
¯
referred questions back to executive dir.ector Tlioele. " who was accused still works for the agency. Others
Our contention is that a request made to the executive " involvedin HIV care in Tulsa say that there are ongoing
; director, the primary day-to-day legal representative for problems of this sort. ¯
the HIVRC is more than adequate notice to.the agency. Other issues include allegations by other HIV service
¯ This newspaper went above and beyond duty to speak : providers that instead of working as a model of organizaalso
with board members Seeger and board secretary " donal cooperation, the HIVRC has become the bully in
¯ Chesbro. the service provider arena- better at sucking up HIV care
~ Again, it is not the responsibility of this newspaper to dollars and better at adding staff than at actually provid-
: fix the internal communications failures of the HIVRC- " ing care. Other agencies tell tales that imply that person-
" ifindeedthatistheproblem.Itwouldseemthatexecutive alities and political connections play more of a role in
¯ director, Sharon Thode, who’ s paid slightly more than how agencies interact and how dollars are awarded than
" $30,000 annually, should be capable of getting amessage " do the real needs of the clients.
¯ toherboardandpresidentaboutafaidyimportantmatter. And isn’t that who we all should really care about?
. Interestingly, several former HIVRC board members " Why is it that so little of the discussion seems to be
¯ told TFN since the HIVRC story was published that ¯ concerned with the clients? That’s where Tulsa Family
¯
during their tenure, the HIVRC had the following proce- " News beganmore than eightmonths ago- by listening to
¯ dures’. earlier boards had been told by.an attorney that " those to who claim the HIVRC mistreated them. Most of
¯ they werenot subject to the Oklahoma Open meedngs and " them say they tried to work with the agency and were not
: records acts, but nevertheless those boards had set a : only rebuffed, but some were treated’in ways that added
¯
policy of operating as though they were. For example, the " to their stress and may have worsened their health.
¯ organization posts its meeting times publicly in advance
¯ in accordance with the law. The question then becomes
¯ this: if the HIVRC’s standard, operating p01icy was to
¯ honor the law (even if they contend they weren’t subject
¯ to it), why did they not honor the open records act when
¯ .TFN asked for minutes?
¯" What we have argued is that if the agency has nothing
¯ to hide, then sharing the minutes shOuld never have been
~ a problem. For comparison, TFN talked with several
¯ executive directors Of other non-profits, some HIV re-
: lated and others not. Each of these Said that if .they were
¯ asked for minutes, they would provide.them promptly.
¯ One person in another city, who formerly ran an agency ¯
that is dosdy comparable to the HIVRC in mission and
: structure, said he would simply have photocopied the
¯ minutes and turned them over.
¯ Some observers of this situation have suggested that ¯
they find it tmlikely that McDonald was unaware of the
request but likely directed Tiioele and Seeger to "stonewall"
the request. This newspaper has no proof of such
contentious. However, given the seemingly dose working
relationship betweenMeDonald and ~noele, whom
McDonaldrecently helped to honorwith aSWANaward~
it seems rather surprising thatThoele wouldfail to inform
How can I convey my. disappointment in your article
questioning the HIV Resource Center [sic]? Professional
journalism covers both sides ofcontroversialissues. Why
were HIVRC client & staff responses not reported?Why
did not younot share with your readers any results ofyour
3.5 hour interview with director Sharon Thoele?
[editor’s note: the PLWA’s who spoke with us are
HIVRC clients, and last we checked, Sharon Thoele was
still on the HIVRC staff. TFN reported that part of
Thoele’s comments that were relevant to the original
complaints by PLWA’s.]
Was your article questioning one program, three programs
or the agency overall? The issues and considerations
behind all AIDS and non-AIDS social services are
ind.,e~l complex.. , .
One sources related what I hope isjust a rumor with no
merit. After TFN’ s interview with Thoele, she’ s alleged
to have expressed anger that I did not reveal who my
sources were. Let’ s hope that herintentwas good and that
that information would have been used to fix the problems.
However, the fear by some clients of retaliation
surely doesn’ t stem iust from paranoia.
The point of all this is not to besmirch the reputations
of the staff or the board of the HIVRC. I hope all involved
have only the best intentions and have done the best they
can with limited resources. And there is no doubt that
there are not adequate funds for the need..However, point
of public oversight is that the best possible management
and ~tre should be prox;ided within the res.trictions of
those limited resources. The questions are: is management
up to the task; is it possible that the agency has
.grown beyond the skills of those leading it; is itmaximizmg
the benefit to its clients; is the board willing to follow
both the spirit and~the letter of the law?
The answer to all these may well be yes. But those of
us whose tax dollars or United Way contributions substantially
fund this agency have the right to. expect the
HIVRC’ s full cooperation and disclostire.
It hash’ t happened Yetbut hopefully it will soon.
Concerning your lead story tiffed"PLWA’s Indict HIV
RC... once again I find an outright assault in print against
an organization that has served as a model nationwide in
the administration of HIV/AIDS care and resources.
While it is easy to understand that every agency cannot
please each client 100% of the time.I am concerned that
each client is treated with dignity and respect. In my
professional dealings with theHIV Resource Consortium
I have found a group of compassionate and caring individuals,
staff and volunteers dedicated to delivering service
efficiently and effectivdy for very little or no pay.
[editor’s note: director Thoele ispaidover $30k which
is more than many ordinary people make.]
While you stated in your artidethat you conducted a 3
see Phillips, page 8 " 1/2 hour interview see Gillean,page 11
St. Rights Group Forms-
BURLEY, Idaho (AP) - If gay rights come under fire
in the 1997 Idaho Legislature, Schuyler Enochs will
be there to stop it. Enochs, of!Caldwell, was jolted
into working for gay and lesbian rights after watching
his gay son Karl die of AIDS in 1994. Now he is cochairman
of Idaho for Basic Rights, which is forming
to block possible anti-gay rights legislatiofi from the
Heyburn-based Idaho Citizens Alliance.
The Idaho Citizens Alliance plans to file two bills
by the end of. November~ executive director Kelly
Johatmsen said. One would prohibit public schOols
from promoting the
ers couldnot counsd gay students, offer Some kinds
of diversity training or take classes on dealing with.
sexual Orientation. The other measure would prohibff
the use of tax dollars to promote the homosexuallifestyle.-
That means .students at¯ publicly funded
colleges ~ould not prod.uce plays favorable to gays
and lesbians, and libraries could not p~urehase mat.e.--
rials about gays and lesbians
"In our school we don’ t promote dr~gsJwe don~;.t
promote alcohoLase-..~?~It~s detrime~a.t~l~ .~o-th~ir
health;"qohannsen said?!Statistieally~ iT:theyengage ~
in the homosexual lifestyl~ they~ 11 die lOto. 15 years
younger than they would if they.were a smoker."
Enochs scoffed at the ideathat schools canpromote.
sexuality. "You can’. t teach it: You’re born thatway~’!.
he said.:"What’ s wrong with counseling people.that
are homosexual?. Their suicide rote is very high. They
need help. They need counseling. They need to understand
it isn’t.unnatural. It’~s natural, for them.’r
Enochs saidignorance is his group’ s biggest obstacle. -
"People just don’t understand that a certain percentage
ofyour population is gay or lesbian and they have
: turned custody of two young boys to their homo-
. sexual father on Tuesday, ruling there was no evi-
¯" deuce he exposed them to "improper influences" by
." living with a male lover. The NC Cohrt of Appeals
’ overturned a lower court _,..~.’~gthat had transferred
: the boys from Frederick S’~th to his former wife.
¯ Smith woncustody of the boys, ages 8 and 11, after
: heandhis wife divorced in Califomia in 1991. Under
¯ the lower court decision, however, they.have been
" living with their mother, Carol Ptiiliam, in Kansas._
: Pulliam’s attorney, Phillip Jackson~ said .the ruling
: wouldbe appealed to the state Supr.eme Court. Hedid
: noLknow if.the.children would, be retiimed from
¯ ~sas i~nme~liatelyl Smi~ alidhis sbns lived with
: his grandmother in H~nderson Cty. from i991-94.
¯ But in 1994, the grandmother moved Out and his
¯ Iover, Ti~Tipton, moved, i,n. Pulliam said the change
: in Smith s living, arrangements justified giving her
: exclusi,~e ,custody bflthe children,~
: A’ Henderson Cty, ~ .c6,Ui-t agT-eed,, finding ihat’,the.
:_ chil~en,were ~Xposed to ~’~t and imprbper ififlu-
¯ ences~’ that could’.xlamAge: them dmotionally and-
:. social!y~ ,.~a,t finding-was.’b~.d~0n nothi!zg more.
¯ ~ titan 0~ifii’0ii,.A~s~c~ Jfi~gd. Edward Greend
:" wrote for a~’-ji~dke~p~i’i~i
: this c~s~e, thee is no evidehee that-the’c.onduct huh or
: likdy WlUha~;e a ddeteri0us effec(0fi ~echild~n,"
¯ i Greene ~vrote2 Smith~.who coachedhis sons’ tee-ball
"~ andbaseball teams,,said h,~ hadhopedhis ease Would
i not get mUch attehtion.- Mo~t.p~op.!e’drn’ ~ r~lize
I’mgay,"hd sai~l.. "Emworried.. ~61 die,,reperdussiohs
for ~e kids.at school and me a.t work.. -
i CO school DebatesGay
¯ NewspapersStories
no choice, no choice at all," he~ said. Johannsen said :
her group already has lawmakers ready to support the : COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Nearly three:
1997 legislation. . : dozen gay rightsadvocates spoke out at a school
boardmeeting Wednesday night in support of a high
L,. i € " i.date : school newspaper story about teen-age homosexual- euls,a.lv....-.n.. : ity: The:~article~ tided "Finding True Love," was
Calls for-Killing Gays: writtenby Mary Margaret NusSbaum, editor-in-’chief
of Palmer High Sel~ool’ S monthly newspaper The
PUYALLUP, Wash, (AP) =,A legislative candidate Le~;er. The O~t. 24 article describes the problems
who outraged many PuyallupHigh School students.
with his inflammatory remarks about gays and integration
may end up being a good lesson in the basics
of democracy and free speech.
Mark.Downey, a, PgpuliSt. Party candidate for.the
25th District ofstate House, Position 1:-, was invitedto
speak at the school-sponsored, forum but startled
students with his intolerant message. He used quotes
from the Bible to say homosexuals Shouldbe killed,
and he called multi-cul.tural integration a cancer.
"He Said something to the effect that Communists,
homosexualsand nonwhites should not be allowed to
hold public office," said Matthew Oren,,18. "It was a
shoeking thing." Downey contends he ~as contributing
to. the marketplace of ideas, Ben.Allison, 17; sM,d
that- as a blackp+rson he was offended by Downey s
remarks, but he wash’, t sure that Downey should ha~e
been banned fromthe forum, "I think he hadaright to
come because if he hadn’.t come, no one wouldknow
his views;" Allison said./’I was close to hitting him,
though."
Downey’.s fellow¯ candidates~ Democrat Luanne
Green and Republican JoyceMcDon~d, also were
surprised.by hi~ comments. Gre~n’sai;d ~he"thofight"
MeDonald might,grab,the microphone~away, from
Downey."’I said; ’Let it go. The-kids needto under~
stand that these people are out there,’ " Green said.
Vice Principal Barbara Pope agreed. "I really believe
that he should have been~there," Pope said. "To me,
the issue is what are we exposingour kids to. I think
we expose and then we talk before and afterwards
with them."
Oren, who was a student panelist for the debate,
described a sttmned silence in the auditorium for the
first 10 seconds ofDowney’ s closing statement. That
silence quickly turned to screaming and booing that
nearly drowned out the-candidate’s remarks. Students
and teachers talked about the free speech issues
in classes following the forum.
Gay Dad Can Keep Kids
RAT.F.TGH, N.C. (AP) - A state appeals court re-
: teens face in coming to terms with their homosexual-
¯ ity. An accompanying commentary by another stu-
: dent supported same=sex marriages.
¯ The articles brought a protest from ¯Will Perkins, chairman of ColrradO’frr Family Values, the ~roup
¯ thatatith0redCol0rhflo’s~anti-gayfightsAmeiidmcnt
~ 2/Which was struck d0wnin May bythe’U.S. ,Supreme
Court. Perkins did not attend the meeting. The
¯ controversy over.the a~ti~les led.District 11 school
board t6 add a discussion of its student publication
policy tO its tegular meeting Wednesday.
: About 35 people ~p0ke about the articles, with all
~ but one praising thenewspaper. Gerda Fletcher, .the
¯ mother of a gay son; snide"Freedom of speech must
never, ever "be suppressed." Sixteen-year-old Brad
: Balof saidhehopes the articles ~vill make otlierS.more
¯ accepting .of gay-teens. "I’might n6t’have as hard
~ time growmg up as I thoughtI wotlld," he said.
¯ Superintendent Kenneth Buruley i said the- district ¯
needs a deare~r,.publicafions policy that does not
: violate:the state S smdelit-.free-.pressd’aW~ one_of the
¯ most liberal in. the nadon. He said the district is "~ cons’ulfing an att_0me~y. :tb:mak~ ~,~ure’ any at,tqmptg to
;. defixie,:,~ ~611ey d~n’i g0.t06, ~:st~iel,aW S_a.YS ~it
. a student-Wtitteii firtidemugt-nb~t beobs~ie:~ libelous,
likely to caus~ a dis.t.drbatice]ffthe s6hool dayoi
: lack educationalmerit.
¯ Newspaperadviser Vince Puzick saidNussbaum’ ,S,
: article met those Criteria."’I encouraged her to do it,’
: he said ofNussbaum. ’T d do the same article again?’
Nussbaum also defended the article before the board.
¯ She SaidThe Lever tries to avoid filling a stereotypi:
: cal niche" by publishing stories on controversial
¯ topics such as gtmcontrol. School officials didnot set
: a date for deciding the student publications policy
: issue.
i CA Bar Urges Benefits ¯ SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The State Baris urging ¯
Califomialaw firms to offer health benefits to same-
: sex couples and take other steps against discrimina-
¯ tionbasedonsexualorientation. ’Thisisthefirststate
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bar association that’s taken a step like this," Los
Angeles attorney Wayne Braveman, chairman of the
bar’ s Committee on Sexual Orientation Discrimination,
said Wednesday.
A state law that took 9~f,~..in 1993 prohibited
employmentdiscriminatioi] agaiJ~sthomosexuals. The
bar adopted a rule in March 1994 that subjected
lawyers and firms to potential disciplinary action for
discriminating on the base of mce,-sex, sexual orientation
or several other categories in hiring employees
or selecting clients.
On another front, the state Judicial Council has
begun a study of treatment of gays and lesbians in the
court system, as lawyers, diehts, witnesses, employees
and jurors. Previous studies have focused on
women and racial minorities.
But the bar’ s Board of Governors decided in August
that further step,s were needed after getting a
reportfromBmveman s committee on the climate for
homosexuals in the legal l community. The report
relied heavily on a 1994 study by the LosAngeles
County Bar Association that found’inStanceS of dis--
erimination in hiring, workplace ea~ironment, as:
siguments, evaluation, pay and prom6ti0n. ¯
The Los Angeles study said 58percent ofgay male
lawyers and 68 percent oflesbians "surveyed reported
that they had experienced or seen dis~-rimination
against homosexual attorneys: Despite the 1993 ban
on’ emplo~mentdis~imination, one unnamed legal
employer was quoted in the LoS Angeles survey as
saying, "We are not interested in lawyers with this
type of disability." About 15 percent of all lawyers
questioned in therandom survey said their employers
discriminated in hiring, 15 percent said their clients
did notwantto workwith gay lawyers, and 66 percent
reported anti-gay comments or jokes .at work, the
report said.
In 1991, before passage of the state law and attorney
disciplinary rule, a State .Bar study of 14.300
randomly chosen Californialawyers found economic
disparities between homosexuals and heterosexuals.
For example, gays and lesbians with 10 years of law
practice were only two-thirds as likely to be partners
in their In’ms, or to make over $100,000 a year, as
heterosexuals.
The resolution passed this August by the bar’s
governing board calls on law firms to adopt, implement
and publicize anti-discrimination policies in
recruitment, hiring, assignments, pay and promotious.
Firms should also maintain a supportive atmosphere
rather than onein which gays felt compelled to
remain in the closet, the board said.
In addition, the board called on law firms to adopt
"benefit packages with the same sets of benefits for
all employees." Those would include insurance for
same-sex partners on the same basis as married
couples, in addition to parenting leave, sick leave
caretaking and bereavement leave and relocation
benefits. Firms were encouraged to invite same-sex
partners to social events when spouses were als0
invited. Earlier this year, the bar included domesticpartner
benefits in its health package available to
California attorneys.
Gay Unionsto be Blessed
PHILADELPHIA (AP) = A month after Pennsylv.ania
passed a law banning same sex mhrriages ,’ ~
state’ s Episcopal Diocese has voted to create ablessing
for gay and lesbian relationships.
At the diocesan convention Saturday, clergy delegates
voted 101-43 and lay delegates voted 75-53 to
develop "a rite or rites for the blessing of committed
relationships between persons of the same sex." The
PennsylvaniaDioceseplans tourge thenational churcl~
to do the same. The combined 176-96 vote "was a
surprise to me," said Bishop Allen Bartlett, who had
expected a closer margin.
The 65,000-member diocese, which has 163 parishes
and missions in Philadelphia and four surrounding
Counties, will submit the approved resolution to
the national governing convention in Philadelphia
next year. If the General~ Convention approves, the
church’s Standing Liturgical Commission will be
asked to devise an appropriaterite.
Such a blessing would have no legal standing
unless a state legislature chose to recognize it. That
¯ appears unlikely in Pennsylvania. In October, Gov.
¯¯ TomRidge signedlegislationbanning gaymarriages.
The Rev. Ruth L. Kirk, who co-submitted the
: resolution, said Christian moral codes cannot be
¯ devdoped purdy on the moral codes of the first
century. "As I said at the convention: Can God do a
: new thing? And can God use the church to do a new
¯ thing? For centtLdes we have condemned gays and
¯ lesbians. It is time to support committed, loving
: relationships."
¯ DenverWorkers.Benefits
i DENVER (AP) - City officials say only 48 city
: workers signed up their gay partners for health ben-
. efits by this week’s deadline, far fewer than oppo-
¯ nents ofthenew programpredicted. The City Council
: voted overwhelmingly in September to offer the
¯ benefits to partners of gay employees. Open enroll-
: ment for the program ended at 5 p.m. Thursday.. ’Tm
: a little surprised,"said Fred :rjmmerman, director of
: the city’s Career Service Authority. "I.thought it
¯ wonld be higher." " -, ¯ ¯
¯
Opponents of the benefits’extension had predicted
i themove wouldlead toa huge increase in health care
¯ costs’. With48 signing up, the city"s insurance premiums
for eligible workers, which total about $12
¯
million ayear, willincrease by $80,000. Timmerman
: said the actual number of .enrollees shows those
¯ predictions were overestimated. "We never had any
¯ fear about it,"he said. Timmerman said he expected ¯
at.least I percent of the 8,500 eligible employees to
: signupfor theprogram..The48 whodidrepresentless
¯ than 0.6 percent.
i Presbyterian Church
: Leader Urges Cease-Fire
: GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) -The top elected official
¯ of the Presbyterian.Church (USA) says church lead-
! ers shonld declare a cease-fire in disputes overhomo-
: sexuality that he says threaten to divide the denomi-
¯ nation. "We do not agree at all about what the Bible
¯ means onthisissue," saidJolmBuchananofChicago,
¯ elected moderator of the 3 million-member denomi-
: nation this year. "The question becomes for me: ’Can
¯
we find some way to live with that diversity or must
¯ we resolve the issue in a way.., that divides us?’ "he
¯ said. Buchanan spoke Tuesday to members of the ¯
¯ Foothills Presbytery, which represents 21,000 merebers
in 65 Upstate churches.
¯" In the coming months, presbyteries nationwide
¯ will vote on whether to amend the church’ s constitu¯
tion to require thatministers be faithful in amarriage between a man and a woman or live in chastity if
single: The church already has a policy statement that
bars practicing gays from ordination, but its Book of
: Order does not include such a restriction. Buchanan
: said Presbyterians tradifonally interpret passages in
¯ context with the whole Bible and through debate
within the church. "Everybody knows that ff you are
: - willing to simply pick-things out of the text you can
." pretty much f’md justification for whatever position
¯ you want to take on any given issue," he said.
:
¯ RI .Police Welcome Gays
: PROVIDENCEi R.L (AP).- The Rhode Island State
: Police have been trumpeting a recruitment drive that
¯ seeks to diversify the 193-member force, which in-
: eludes 14 women, 12 blacks and one Hispanic. For
¯
thefirsttime, arecruitmentad appearedin this month’ s
¯ edition of Options, a newsletter for gays andlesbians
¯ published in Providence. It’ s bdieved to be a novel
¯ step for a state police force.
~ ’‘This is a first that I know of," said Boston Police
¯ Sgt. Norman Hill, president of the New England
¯ chapter of the. Gay Officers Action League. ’‘They ¯
deserve a pat on the back. They should definitely be
: acknowledged for their progressiveness." "Really?"
¯ replied San Francisco Police Officer Phil Fleck when
¯ told of the ad. "That’ s proactive for Rhode Island," ¯
¯ said Fleck, liaison to the department for the Golden
State Peace Officers Association, an organization of
¯ gay and lesbian officers. ’’That’s very positive for
them to do this thing."
Southwest - ca+l
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With your written permission, we gather medical and
insurance records with which to determine your policy’s
value. Then, a settlenmt offer is presented to you. You
may always decline the offer with no obligation whatsoever.
Should you accept the offer, payment is made
directly to you. Youpay nothing else on your policy, andyou
owe us nothing.
IS VIATICATING MY
POLICY THE RIGHT
CHOICE FOR ME?
Many factors influence whether viaticating your life
insurance is the best financial alternative available for
you. Southwest Viatical can discuss all ofthefactors with
you and your family in person, in detail and can recommend
an experienced Certified Financial Planner to assist
you in planning the best outcome from your unique
financial situation.
HOW IS SOUTHWEST
VIATICAL DIFFERENT?
Today, many companies offer viatical settlements,
doing business only by bulk advertising and 1-800 numbers.
They transfer your insurance and medical records
by mail, and do business from another state.
At Southwest Viatical, we believe you should be assured
of complete confidentiality and the best possible
service by working with us in person, face-to-face. We
are involved on a community level, and are responsible
directly to our local commtmity.
By working with you in person, but at the same time
having access to nationwide financial resources, we are
able to deliver the best value on your policy available
today. And because of our established resources, we. can
deliver a settlement in less than a third the time other
companies take by mail, typically in fewer than 30 days,
We’ll do what it takes
to find the best solution for you.
Kelly Kirby
Oklahoma Representative
4021 South Harvard, Suite 210
Tulsa, OK 74135
800-305-6384
918-747-3320
Free & Anonymous
Finger Stick Method
By &for, but not exclusive to the
Lesbian, Gay~ &Bisexual Communities.
Monday & Thursday evenings, 7-9 pm
Daytime testing, Mon-Thurs by appointment.
H P E" HIV Outreach, Prevention & Education
formerly TOHR HIV Prevention Programs
742-2927
4158 South Harvard, Suite E-2
. 2 doors east of theHIV Resource Consortium
Look for our banner on testing nights.
SCOTT
ROBISON’S
PRESCRIPTIONS
Serving Tulsan’s
Since 194 7
Major credit cards
In-store charges or
Direct insurance billing
for your convenience!
3 locations to serve you:
Hillcrest
PhysiciaWs Building
1145 So. Utica
582-7144
Utica Square Area
1560 East 21st, Ste. 104
743-2351
The Plaza
8146-D South Lewis
299,1790
New Blood Safety
Product Developed
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Scientists at
the Ol~lfil~tma MedicalResearch Foundation
have developed a patented new use
for a drug that should eliminate the threat
of AIDS in blood transfusions and might
be effective in treating HIV-infected patients.
The foundation received a U.S.
patent Tuesday for a process to introduce
Methylene Blue into bags used to collect
and store blood donations, Dr. William G.
Thurman, president of the private, nonprofit
foundation, said Wednesday.
"It is our hope that the drug will be as
useful in clinical disease as it is in preventing
the disease by putting it in the
bags used to collect blood," Thurman
said. The Daily Oklahoman reported
Thursday in a copyright story that the
insti~te deyeloped the use that canrender
die AIDS virus i]iaet~ve in human blood,
making it safe for use in transfusions.
Biochemist Dr. Robert A. Fioyd saidhe
also believes low doses of Methylene
Bluemightbe effectiVein destroyingHIV
or reducing the amount of virus in people
withAIDS orwhoareHIV~positive. Floyd
said OMRFhopes to conduct clinical tri=
als with Methylene Blue in the near future.
The medication-Methylene Blue also
has been used to treat bipolar:disorder, or
manic depression, and as an antidote to
carbon monoxide poisoning. Floyd said
various dosages of Methylene Blue have
been studied extensively in humans with
no side eff~ts or toxicity levels have been
found. Thurman said putting Methylene
Btueinbloodtrausfusions andbloodproducts
should not significantly add to their
cost.
NY Doctors Can’t
Discriminate
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Doctors-in private
practice ca~ be charged under state
humanrights laws withdiscfiminationfor
allegedly denying medical coverage to
people they suspect ofhavingAIDS, New
Estate Planning:
Revocable Trusts
Everyone, regardless of their HIV stares,
should take the time to plan their
estates to ensure that their wishes are
fulfilledregarding thedispositionofproperty,
financial management, and health
care decisions. Because of the possible
physical and mental incapacity, persons
with HIV are encouraged to take steps as
soon as possible to maintain as much
control as possible over their futures. One
of the options is a Revocable Trust.
ARevocableTrustis an estate planning
document created by a person (usually
called the "settlor") to transfer property
into a trust. The trustmay make the settlor
the sole beneficiary of the trust during
until the settlor dies. Atrustee is named to
manage the property while the setflor is
alive and who distributes the property
when the settlor dies. The setflor may
amend the trust at any time.
When the settlor dies, the property is
distributed according to the terms of the
trust, and any property in the trust will
avoid probate when the settlor dies. Be
aware, however, arevocable trust will not
save aay taxes since th~.trus~t l~’,qL~e..~..~ will
York’s highest court ruled today. The
¯ Court of Appeals decided 4-3 that denlists’
offices are"places ofpublic accom-
-" modation" and it reinstated discriminalionjudgments
against two dentists made
¯’ by the state Division of Human Rights.
: The three dissenting judges said their
-" four colleagues weremakingnew law and
¯ that the decision would saddle the Divi-
¯ sion of Human Rights with claims the
: Legislature did not intend it to have.
: The court ruling came in two similar
¯ cases stemmiug from what patients said
¯¯ was denial of treatment by Dr. Dennis
Cahill ofBay Shore and Dr. LloydLasser
" of Newburgh. In ruling in the patients’
favor, the Human Rights Division had
: said private dentist offices are "places of
: publicaccommodation" within themean-
" ing ofthelaw whichprohibits dlscrimina-
: lion on the basis of gender, race, religion,
medical condition or o.ther factors.
ThalidOmide for
AIDS Care
¯ WASHINGTON (AP) - Thalidomide,
¯ whichbecametheworld’smost infamous
¯" drug after causing thousands of horrific
¯ birth defects more than30 years ago,may
¯ soon be sold in the United States - per-
~ haps as early as next year.
¯ While the drug shows promise in fight-
¯" ing someAIDS-related disorders, leprosy
¯ and other devastating diseases, the Food
: and Drug Administralion already is taking
steps to protect women who could
bear children with no limbs or tiny flip-
" per-like arms and legs after taking just
¯ one pill in early pregnancy.
: .Thalidomide, once sold in 48 countries
¯ as a sleeping pill and morning sickness
¯
cure, was banned worldwidein 1962 after
¯ some 12,000 babies were born with miss-
¯. ing or malformed limbs, serious facial
deformities and defective o~gaus.
¯ It was never sold in the United States,
¯ because FDA scientist Frances Kelsey ¯
uncovered signs of toxicity that its manu-
: facturerhaddenied. Butlast week, Kelsey,
: now in her 80s and still at the FDA, heard
¯ see.Health, page 10
: beincludedinthe setflor’ s estatefor estate
¯ tax purposes.
¯ Arevocable trust is anespecially useful ¯
¯ document for a person who is presently
capable ofmanaging his.or her affairs but
¯ who anticipates becoming incapacitated
: in the future. A revocable trust can aid in
¯ planningforincapacitybyhelping toavoid
." the expense, embarrassment and diffi-
¯ culty in seeking a court appointment of a ¯
guardian or conservator in the event of
." incapacity. If all of the setflor’s assets are
¯ placed in the revocable trust, then upon
¯" the setflor’s incapacity, the trustee can
¯ take over management of the trust assets
¯ for the settlor’ s benefit.
¯ There are both advantages and disad-
: vantages to the revocable trust. A revocable
trust is more expensive and difficult
¯ to ere,ate and administer than a Last Will
: and Testament. However, its advantages
". include flexibility, avoidance of probate,
¯ continuity of management of assets. Be-
. cause it is unnecessary to publicly file the
: trust document in court, the trust arrange-
" mentremaius private. The property distri-
: bution may be more protected from chal-
¯ lenge than if by Will.
recoguizableboardmembers? Itis hardto
find good board members for any organization
and assaults like this make this task
even harder.
Devalued the work of employees, volunteers
and supporters of the Resource
Center. The HIV Resource Center is a
national model because of broad based
community support. Your incomplete articlemay
havejeopardized volunteer support,
f’mancial support and the level of
client services. (I hope this will not be
true.)
Is an example of behaviors you have
’written and spoken about working ag~nst
-- infighting in the commuility and using.
the press to present one ’side of.an zssue_-,
and to capriciously defame Others.
Showed divisiveness within the gay
community at a most inopportune time --
the opening of the pride center [sic], the
elections, the fall funding cycle during a
time of social service cutbacks; and the
appointment of Tulsan Nancy McDonald
as national president of PFLAG.
I have spent time, money and energy
building community within the gay community
and building bridges within our
larger community. I am joined in this by
manypeoplelocally andnationwide. Your
behavior ofprinting this incomplete, vituperative
article undermined the work we
do.
You owe an apology to your readers
and to the straight and gay community in
which you live. I suggest that TFN has a
responsibility to cover issues objectively,
thoroughly and to work with an editorial
board [editor’s note: emphasis added]
before going to press. Withyour visibility
comjes [sic] a high levd of accountability.
TFN has the ability to become a community-
building tool. Without an apology
and a logic~dly written contusion to
this article how will anyone in good conscience
trustTFN as this city’s gay paper
of record? - Rick Phillips
Editor’s response: First, a thank you to
Mr. Phillipsfor editing his letter to amore
conciseform. Secondly, Mr.Phillipsseems
to confuse ourwriting aboutallegedproblems
with the HIVResource Consortium
for being responsible for creating them.
He should know that the HIVRC’S staff,
and ultimately, its board members are
responsiblefor any actions thatmay dam-.
issue, our story on Nancy_. McDonald’s
selection asPFLAGnational boardpresident:
Howevbr, we dsahave;an obligait
~hen :we
local
restaurant owner, but he doesn’t seem to
like it when we run a story he deems
"embarrassing’" to his other friends.
Finally, we are amused at Mr. Phillips
suggestion that this newspaper work with
an editorial board. Thisdesirefor a board
of censors appears to originate several
yearsago withMcDonaldandTim Gillean
when Gillean was TOHR president. It
appears that they don ’t welcome an inde=
pendentpress which cannotbecompletely
controlled by those whofeel that theirs is
the "right vision and methods" for the
well-being ofTulsa’sLGBTcommunities.
As we’ve written before, consensus, and
the resulting unity, is built through open
and honest dialogue , not imposed.
Kelly Kirby rightly pointed out to the
would be censors that they had no plac~
telling TFNwhatto write. Ifthis newspaper
needs to have a board ~elling us what
not to write, then certainly there are those
in this city who see the need to closely
supervise Mr. Phillips, Mr. Gillean and
Mrs. McDonald as well.
We have had favorable inspections and
audits as to the compliance with each
grant reviewed. We also have a yearly
audit that is contracted to and conducted
with an outside audit firm: this firm is
accountable to the Board of Directors.
Our meeting notices are posted and
advertisedin theAIDS Coalitionnewsletterwhichis
distributedby theCommtmity
Service Council; this newsletter reaches
the communities most affected by the
services of the HIV Resource Consortium.
Notices are also posted at.the Resource
Center [sic]. The meetings of the
Board of Directors have been open and
will continue to be open to any persons
wanting to attend. The only occasions we
have closed theBoardmeetings havebeen
to act on personnel matters; this would
include annual evaluation of the Exec.
Director’s performance, and any grievance
by staff or by clients which require
Board investigation and action. [emphasis
added]
In reviewing, the meeting attendance
records which~nclude the M~mbers of the
Board as well as visitors, Ida not find
your name listed:as having ever attended
age the agency. ¯ ameeting of the Board of Directors.
Thirdly, since some board members : Aslunderstandit, yourequestedcopies
mayfeel that they were unfairly singled i of the minutes of the Board of Directors
out, "weare hap~y to clarify ofu!.~lO~ :: and weretoid!torequest them _fr,om the,~
gize. Those who were listdd doho~ hav~ ’ .:~ .Presiden~ of the Board. [editor.s note:l.
hny greater responsibility for any prob- : exec. director Thoele and administrative
lems that may exist at tl~e ’HIVR~. Ulti- . assistant Stanford directed TFN to speak
mately, responsibility falls on al..1 these ". withboardmember andattorney, Charles
people equally. We have published the ¯ Seger, which we did.] At no time have I
complete board list on page 3, so that " received arequest from you.for copies of
readers can know who’s responsible. . : the minutes either verbally or in written
Regarding community building, etc. no ¯ correspondence. [editor’s note: this is not
doubt, Mr. Phillips has done many good : true. Beside multiple requests via Thoele,
works as he proclaims, but he ishardly ". Seger, etc., on Sunday, Oct. 20 (well bedone
in these efforts This newsfiaper, ~ : fore this letter of 10/28) at a Tulsansfor
and many others, have done equal cam- . Equality event tn ~.ont of-two others,
munity building work - much’of it not ... McDonald directecl an acrimonious tipubliclyproclaimed.
.~. i radetowardthiseditorinwhichshemade
Mr.Phillips recently has been reported . it qu{t_e clear that she was well aware of
to savthatifherananbwstgal~er, hdwould ¯ TFN s request .for minutes. TFN made it
orin~ "oni~ositive" arti’cl~s: ~would ". clear that we still expected the HIVRC to
~ke for ~mat propaganda, but hardly ". make available the minutes. Also. this reperforms
the role ofnews reporang, We : quest has been ,m_ade to the H.IVI~.C’s
inour community~for example; in:or~rlast., ¯ not been r~ceivedd.see MeDonala~p, li
HITSUBISH!
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-Timothy W. Daniel
Attorney at Law
An Attorney who will fight for
justice & Equality for
Gays &Lesbians
Domestic Partnership Planning,
Personal Injury,
Criminal Law & Bankruptcy
1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504
128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma
Weekend and evening appointments are available.
SUNDAYS
Bless the Lord At All
Times Christian Center
Sunday School, 9:45 am
Worship Service, 11 am
2627b East 1 lth 583-7815
Community ofHope
(United Methodist)
Worship Service, 6 pm
1703 E. 2nd, 585-1800
Family of Faith
Metro. Comm. Church
Adult Sunday School, 9:15
Worship Service, 11 am
5451-ES. Mingo, 622-1441
Metro. Comm. Church
of Greater Tulsa
Worship Service, 10:45am
1623 N. Maplewood
Info: 838-1715
Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay
Alliance - Univ. of Tulsa
6:30 pm at Canterbury
5th & Evanston, 583-9780
¯ MONDAYS ¯
¯ HIV Testing Clinic -
¯ Fre~ & anonymous testing "
¯ using fingerstick method. "
¯ No appointment required. -
¯ Walk in testing: 7-8:30 pm :
Results hours: 7-9 pm .
Info: 742-2927
PFLAG Family AIDS
Support Group
2nd Mon. of month
6:30 pm, 4154 S. Harvard
Info: 7494901
OTHER GROUPS
The Technicians, Leather
org., Info c/o 621-5597
¯ T.U.L.S,4. Tulsa Uniform
¯ & Leather Seekers Assoc.
Info: 838-1222
Gay & Lesbian Sttutent
Association
TCC Southeast Campus,
Info: 631-7632
SWAN-Single Women’s
Activity Network
Call 832-2121
TUESDAYS " WEDNESDAYS
HIV+ Support Group ¯ Bless The Lord At All
HIV Resource Consortium " Times Christian Center
1:30 pm " Prayer & Bible Study
4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H-1 : 7:30 pm 2627-B East llth
Info: Wanda @ 7494194
Shanti-2~ulsa, Inc.
. HIV/AIDS Support Group
& also,
Friends & Family
¯¯ HIV/AIDS Support Group
7 pro, call for location:
¯ 749-7898
Alternative Skating
8:30 - 11 pm, 241-2282
$4, Sand Springs Skate
Grief Group
: Butler/Stumpff Funeral
: Home
¯ 2103 E. 3rd St.
" Call for time: 587-7~
Call 583-7815 for info,
Family Of Faith MCC
Praise & Prayer 6:30 pm
Choir Practice 7:30 pm
5451-E South Mingo.
Call 622-1441 for info.
TNAAPP
Tulsa Native American
AIDS Prevention Project
Support group
for Gay & Bi Native
American Men, 6 pm
at Community of Hope
1703 E. 2nd
582-7225 or
584 4983
: THURSDAYS
Co-Dependency
Support Group
: 7:30, Family of Faith MCC
: 5451-ES. Mingo, 622-1441
: HOPE
: HIV Outreach,
¯ Prevention, Education
: Anonymous HIV Testing
¯ Walkin testing: 7 ~ 8:30 pm
: Results hours: 7 - 9 pm
¯ Info: 742-2927
¯ Tulsa Family Chorale
¯ Weekly practi~e, 9~30 pm ¯
Lola’s 2630E. 15~
: PFLAG Family AIDS
¯ Support Group
1st & 3rd Thursdays
¯ 4154 S. Harvard, 749-4901
Alternatives
Weekly social events for
LGBT men & women, 7 pm
Info: 646-5503
Substance Abuse
Support Group
for persons with HIV/AIDS
4154 S. Harvard, Ste. G
3-4:30 pm
Info: 7494194
¯ FRIDAYS
Safe Haven
¯ Young Adults Social Group
¯ 8pm, 1st Fri. of each mo.
¯ Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th
: SATURDAYS
." Mixed Yolleyball for
: Fun & Competition
¯ Helmerich Park, 2 pm ¯
71st & Riverside
: Info: 587-6557
St. Jerome’s Church
: Mass, 6 pm, Garden Chapel
¯ 3841 S. Peoria
: Info: Father Rick, 742-6227
: Narcotics Anonymous
¯ Meets weeny at 11 pm
¯ Confidential support for
recovering addicts.
." Community of Hope
: 1703 E. 2nd, Info: 585-1800
¯ NAMES Project
: AIDS Memorial Quilt
¯ Sewing Bees, 3rd Sat. of
¯ each month: 748-3111
¯ low:income people who have the virus
that causes AiDS that it,will sdect 75 of
¯ them to receive drngs to fight the disease.
doctors explainthalidomide’ suniqueabil2 i The health department will pick the 75 in
.FUNERALS JUST
ity to inl~bit a substance that can spur . alottery onNov.27,andawardcachupto
NEVER SEEMED
jmrmme-related diseases like lupus, lep- " $10,000 for the costly medications. RIGHT FOR MY FAMILY=.
rosy and certain AIDS ailments. Thalido- ¯ Those eligible for-the lottery do not
midealso stops bloodvessel growth-o.ne : receive Medicaid assistance, do not have THE CREMATION
reason for the birth defects ~ making ~t a 1 privateimuranceoreamlessthan$14319 SOCIETY WAS CREATED
possible future treatment for cancer and ¯ ayear. Sdectious willbemade from each FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME.
the incurable macular-deg~eneration ..that’ : part of Missouri reader a formula.that
blinds the elderly. " takesinto account themorbidity ratefrom
Early next year, Andrulis Inc. of : AIDS in each area of the state. ~ ~
Beltsville, Maryland, will seek approval ¯ The drngswhenUsed separately arenot
for thalidomide to treat the excruciating " effective because the virus quickly builds
ulcers that afflict AIDS patients. Then, : up a resistance. Mixing the drugs may We enjoy being ourselves. A funeral seems .ostentatious
Cdgene also will seek I~rmission to sdl " change AIDS from a fatal illness to a and Can cost a lot of money. A simple, dignified . "
thalidomideto the 150,000 AIDS patients ¯ chronic illness like diabetes, some doesuffering
from wasting, orsevere Weight " tors say. But the medicine is expensive -
cremation just seems to fit our lifestyle. .. (;rematm"n" tety® B~rthdefects aren t the 0iil~’nsk..Tha- " js there are individuals ~ that. do not now. ~
lidomide a~so ,can severely’damage pa- ¯ ha4e,aecessto.thesemedications andthese ~.
tients’ nerve cells, causing a p~ul, in~ i medications need to be accessible,, sat Of Oklahoma .
curable condition called p~ripheral . John Hubbs, chief Of- the health
neuropathy.
-
~
¯ department’sHIV/AIDScare.ButHubbs .... 2103 East Third, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104-1842
Still, AIDS patients are clamoring.f~r : said the state cannot afford tobuy the 918-599-7337 or toll-free, 800-994-7337
thalidomide. Take the AIDS-related ul- : medicine for everybody who needs it~ or visit us on the Internet at
eers, so painful that some patients starve : DarrenWethers,aphysicianinSt, Louis,
rather than swallow over the raw tissue. ¯ said the plan is unfair. Wethers, who rehttp://
www.eremation.org/oklahoma/oklahoma-html_______
Studies indicate thalidomide healed the " cently spoke at an AIDS co_nf~en~,’.m For Free Literature, Without Cost or Obligation,
sores injust 10 days, said James Learned : "Columbia, said the lottery is a puouc
" ~
of the PWA Health Group in New York, " health insult" because it puts "patients in
Mail this coupon today[
whichlast year provided thalidomide un- ¯ competition for medi,,cines that they all
derground until the FDA allowed more : rightfully qualify for. "As much as we
Please contact me. I would like to learn more about
patients to use it in research programs: : wouldlike to provide access t,o, al~l~of~_.em,
your special final expense program.
¯ ,..,: we just realistically can t do that, Name: - Age:
Rural AIDS Care : .ubbssaid. ¯ Address:
GREENVILLE, N:C. (AP) ~- Doctorssay i
people affected withHIV in easternNorth ¯
City; St. &Zip:.
Carolina0ften haVe little choice bm to" ’~ Telephone:
live from medical emergency to emer- " community organizations, a comm.unit.~-
gency. That’s because thereare few doe- wide holiday potluck. Chose your hol~-
tors and dentists in rural areas who are day,beitChrisilnas,Hanukkah,KwaanTa _~......~ .......
willing to care for patients, who often " or Yule, but bring a side dish to this
__ mwursetcderiviveeclaoren.g- distances tio urban arleas "" pboeltlpurcokvibduefdfe.ttP" lSea°sftedRrioSnVksPatnodDmeebabtie at Butler-Storm
East Carolina, the University 6f North ~ 712-.!600.. Later that evening, BI~.TA
Carolina and Duke medical schools an- " will have its end of year Formal (actually
n°uncedM°ndaythattheywillw0rkt°::m°sdysemi~f°rmalbutfeelfreet°g°all gethertostre~mlinecareforHIV-infected out if you want to) from 9-2am. $2/per- Funera Home
Medicaid patients who live in rural east- : son. All wdcome. Alcohol &smoke-free.
ern North Carolina- The three schools " Prime Timers will start meeting at the
received a five-year, $2 million federal ¯ CenterbeginninginDecember.Thismeetgrant
to track patients in53 eastern coun- : ing will be Sunday, Dec. 8th from 4-6pro Cemetery - Funeral Home - Crematory
ties. The goal is provide one organization " (in Jan. the group will go back to firstSun.
that will follow all Medicaid-eligible, " of the mo.)~ Also Tulsa’s young adult
¯ HIV-infected adult patients to make sure ¯ see Center, page 12 At Butler-Stumpff Funeral Home, you and your family
their needs are met. The researchers will " will be treated withdignity, compassion, andpride- Whether
begin enrolling about 600 Medicaid pa- ;
tients next fall. Eventually, researchers " it is your given or chosen family who needs our services,
expect to enroll about 1500 people in 53 .
eastern counties. " s.ectarian symbols from its city seal. you can be who and what you are, and you will not be
"ButyouthrowHIVontopofit, andthe " Some Tulsa board members of the
remoteness of ... where people live in : ACLU include Barbara Santee, and Bill
discriminated against.
rural eastern North Carolina, it does not ¯ Hinkle, , - We offer our exclusive $2820, complete funeral plan, no
lend for seeldng treatment or main~tai.n!n.g i Dr. Joycelyn Elders~ former Surgeon
treatment because of the obstacles that . General of the United States under Presiadded
costs. If you have a policy some-where else, you can
yo,’ll encounter," the patient says inona ¯ dent Clinton, will give the evening’s ad- transfer your policy to us, andmay be due a cash refund if
videotape. The Centers for Disease C - dress. The event is $50/person. For more
trol and Prevention has identifi.ed the ~ info. leave a message at 405-524-8511. you paid more for what you have now.
southeastern United States as an tmpor- .
tant epicenter for the spread,of~0i0nf.0% ¯ Our journey through life should be done with pride;
tion, with about 126 peopte in xuu,
infected,includingthosewithactiveAIDS- :
shouldn’t our journey through death be.done with pride as
In 1995, the national rate of HIV infec- : well? For more information, please call 918-587-7000 for
tion, including active AIDS, was 27.2 in. of all our citi.zeus. Kelly Kirby serves as
100,000. In other areas of the country, TOHRrepresentadvetotheCoalifonand
HIV is concentrated in urban areas. But :¯ sweorvrkessbayscocou-scehuasiurs. wSiitnhceeacthherepCroeasleintitoan- _ all of your pre-need arrangements.
many of these new I-IIV-infected people . tive taking proposals back to his or her (insurance policies are available with no health questions as~.d)
areliving in Southern rural communities, ¯
where there are no coordinated care pro- ;
organization for approval, this decision
grams, the researchers said.
¯ representsnow the positionof each orga- 2103 East Third
; nization. Kirby noted that this statement
¯ which is inclusive of sexual oriention, Tulsa Oklahoma 74104
AIDS Drugs Lottery : represents ongoing "behind-the-scenes" 918-587-7000
COLUMBIA, Me. (AP)- Thee Missouri : coalitionbuilding~nsdsapplauded~C°a-
D.~p~.et.X.t,~[,Health.has,gqtified 2,6397/,,i litionfo,r,taldng.thi~ s. tep, , .".’.’ ....... , , ,, .
"
~ ..........~ ~’-.... ,’,"~ ,’,’/’"’
A DiNiNq PIFAsURE
COCONUT BEER BATTERED SHRIMP PRIME RIB
FRESH CLAMS VEGIE STIR FRY COQUILE ST. JAQUES
MAHI-MAHI RACKOF LAMB CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE
O O O O ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ O O O 0.O O O O O O O
¯
-¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
¯
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"~¢ith dii’ector Sharon Thoele, we the public
received only the benefit of one paragraph
containing five sentences. Once
agam we (your readers) were subjected to
the TFN editor’s personal vendetta
As you continued your attack, you said
that you had requested and been refuse~
theminutes from theboardmeetings. Any
person who works with nonprofit agencies
is aware that to receive minutes fron
an organization their request must be forwarded
to the president. I personally contacted
the president of the HIVRC board
only to learn that.the editor ofTFN nev~
requested the minutes._Why continue to
attack someone on unfounded reasons’
~ ¯
, [ ditor s note: as aperson with experience
with non-profit boards, as a chairperson,
a member and-an employee, this
notion that a request is only valid ifmade .
to McDonaldhas no basis in law or common
practice. Gillean ought to be condemning
Thoele, Stanford, orSeegerfor
failing to forward the request, ifindeed
they didfail to do so.]
As a grand finale to your tabloid piece
you suggested that perhaps board members
could be freed and evenjailed. Men-
. tioning only five of the total board members
sound like.some sort of personal
attack on your chosen five. What about
the other members of the board? What
kind ofjournalismis this? I cannot understand
what benefit it is to our community
to attack the very people who are giving
their precious time an [sic] energy as
volunteers to create a better community
for all ofus. Why should anongay person ".
be willing to give their time and money to
our community when they are attacked i
personally and threatened by your publi- ¯
cation? Why indeed should a gayperson ¯
volunteer and be subjected to this kind of "
attack? ¯
[Editor’s note: board members shouM i
understand When they acCeptpublicposi- ¯
tions that they will have to be accountable ".
for the agency which they supervise, i
Gillean might also read the OKstatutes.] .
I would like to say to the people who
were attacked by this article that I appre- i
eiate all you do. Please don’t stop now. To "
the individuals who feel they have been :
mistreated by the organization, there are ¯
much better ways than through the tab- "
loids. ¯
[Editor’s note: several oJ those who ¯
spoke to TFN did so only after repeated "
efforts to work with the HIVRC.] ".
The editor at TFN must issue an apol- :
ogy to the five board members attacked
and to the readers for not completing i
proper research before publishing your :
article. -Timothy E. Gillean ¯
Editor’s note: just after receiving this ".
letter byfax on Oct. 28th, IcalledGillean
to givehim theopportunity to clarify in his i
own words, his close ties to HIVRCboard
president McDonald. I left a message
with his assistant, Brian, asking Gillean
to call TFN. To date, he has not done so.
Readem may want to consider thefol- :
lowing~ Several years ago, Gillean proposed
a board ofcensor-sfor TFN. Later i
when TFN ran an editorial he and ¯
McDonald did not like, "Gillean used his ¯
position as TOHR president to retaliate ".
against TFN, to the detriment of TOHR. "
After his bid for a 2nd term as TOHR ".
presidentfaildd, hejoined thePFLAG & :
Community Service Council boards, or- ¯
ganizations with which McDonald is "
closely associated and allegedly at :
McDonald’s behest.
The minutes are available for review to
¯ anyone, attending-theBoard Meeting;and
: to anyone requesting copies through .the
: appropriate channels. If copies are re-
. quested-the individual must pay for the i co.p.ies as we attempt to be good stewards
ot the monies available tous.
: We .are deeply distressed by the article
: .aP.peanng in the Tulsa Family News and
mvzte you to attend our next Board meeti
ing, scheduled for Thurs. Nov. 21 atnoon
¯ at the HIV Resource Center [sic]. If you
: wishtorequestinformationfromtheBoard
: of Directors regarding minutes or other
: appropriate public information, I forward
_- to receiving your request. Thank you
¯ We are asking you as Editor of Tulsa
: Family News to print this letter in its
: -entirety next edition of your newspaper.
.,~ Nancy McDonald, President
toward Amedure.
However, ifJonathan Schmitz was able
to-form the intent to commit suicide, he
also would have been able to form the
intent to commit murder, a psychologist
testified Tuesday. Dr. Carol Holden was
called as a rebuttal witness by the prosecution.
Oakland County assistant prosecutor
Roman Kalytiak pointed out that
Schmltz never referred to suieide during
hiss911, call or during police questioning.
x ne jury fotmd that Schmitz, 26, acted
without premeditation and did notcommitfirst-
degreemurder. Hecouldgetanywhere
from eight years to life in prison
with the possibility of parole when he is
sentenced Dec. 4. First-degree murder
carries no hope of parole.
The segmentofthe "JennyJones Show"
was never aired but was played for the
jury. In it, Am~_ur_e,,outlined fantasies of
Sehraitz involving whipped cream and
~champagne~" Schmitz reacted withanembarrassed
smile butno apparent anger. He
turned away when Amedure put an arm
around him and tried to kiss him. "I’m
definitelyaheterosexual, Iguess youcould
say," Schmitz said.
The 1996 RedRibbonHoliday: Treefest
and Gallery Walk will showcase holiday
trees and other holiday items. These will
be sold at auction to raise funds for Interfaith
AIDS Ministries which provides
spiritual~ emotional, andpractical support
for those whose lives are touched by HIV
andAIDS.This year’s format will include
an "official opening," in the Brady Arts
Gallery District, Thursday, Nov. 21 from
6-9 pro. More viewing hours will be on
Nov. 22-23, and pick-up of trees will take
place on Nov. 24th.
PhilbrookMuseumwill shroudits Rodin
sculpture ofAdam on Dec. 1 in honor of
Ds..ema3ya" Wpriothfeosustz.Aonrat.ls"aCnoduanrttlseuspspaorrtitsetrss,hmavuedied..,
from AIDS. Wecan.only guess at
how many works of art will be denied to
us by this disease that respects neither
people nor creativity," noted Richard
Townsend, Hardman Curator of European
and American Art.
3
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Reviewed by Barry Hensley :
The id~ that the gay rights movement
is foreverjoined to "leftist" politics gets a :
thorough trashing in Brace Ba,w,er’s n.e.w ¯
compilation, "Beyond Queer.’ At this
point in history, some centrist, and fight
of center, authors are proposing a new ¯
approach to winning the battle for gay ¯
rights. Their perception is that, histori- "
cally, the movement has tried to claim
"victim" status, and that this will not be a
successful strategyfor winningfull equality
for gay and lesbian Americans.
Editor Bawer is well known, having
written eight books, including the provocative"
A Place at th~ Table." Here: he
has compiled forty essays by a variety of
authors, including former New Republic
editor Andrew Sullivan, San Francisco
Chronicle correspondent Carolyn
Lochhcad and heterosexual Chicago Tribune
columnist Stephen Chapman. Describing
the authors,Bawer states "though
many of us have been tagged in the gay
press as ’gay conservatives,’ few of us
wouldbe consideredconservativeby anyone-
who objectively examined our politics;
we variously call ourselves liberals,
moderates, libertarians and
communitarians- or we eschew such labels
Stogether as increasingly irrelevant
iff a post-ideological era."
Bawer’ s intent is to present an alternative
to what he sees as a radical, in-yourface
activism. Bawer initially cites "an
episode of ’The Charlie Rose Show’ devoted
to the twenty-fifth anniversary of
the Stonewall riots, (when) the radical
lesbian activist Donna Minkowitz told
me: ’We don’t want a place at the tablewe
want to turn the table over.’ That line
pretty well sums up the attitude of many
leftist gay activists toward both ’the system’
and gays who seek to work within
it."
In essay after essay, the authors explain
their positions with rifles like "Why Outsupport
group will be at the Center earlier
that afternoon.
Last but not least is video night at the
Center. The inaugural video will be
Wigstockto be shown on Sat. Dec. 14th at
9pro in the Renfro Room. Popcorn and
pop will be available. It’s free (though
donations are acceptedforthe Center) and
three of Tulsa’ s most fabulous drag divas
may appear: Christina, Dolly Love and
grand diva, Sensuous. January’s video
night should be the 2rid Sat. also. Call to
RSVP with Debbie at 712-1600:
On Nov. 2rid, the Pride Center held a
grand opening with about 70 people attending.
TOHR/Pride Center president
Deb Statues held a brief presentation of
certificates to recognize thosewhohelped
with the Center. More than 50 individuals
were honored, in particular, Kelly Kirby
and Tim Gillean, former TOHR presidents,
and now-closed Agape Christian
Fellowship for its donation of chairs and
tables. Statues also announced the decision
to name the rooms in the Center.
The lounge/library was named the
Pfimetimers Loungeinrecognilionoftheir
generous support of the Pride Center. The
largest single gift came from this group.
ing Doesn’t Work," "Sleeping with the
Enemy" and ’!Here Comes the Groom: A
(Conservative) Case for Gay Marriage."
In,"A Gay Right Agenda," author John
Berresford’ s conservative response to his
liberals friends’ stance is %..I amas much
in favor or basic civil rights for gays as
they are. Where we differ is in the need
for group-based remedies and in perceiving
ourselves as victims whose main recourse
shouldbe coercion by the government."
Berresford’s answer is to "come
out whenever it is reasonably safe. The
best way to explode the myths about us is
for.each of us to become known as .just
anotherhumanbeing with~esameneeds,
goals and drives as other human beings -
: except is a single respect that poses no
: threat to anyone else." He also believes
¯ that ’-’we should lobby for the right to
: marry. Domestic-partnershipslegislation
¯ makes us an officially sanctioned class of
¯ oddities and freaks."
: Thethreatof_be,,,ing seen simply as "oddi-
¯ des and freaks is the thought behind
: Bawer’ s rifle. Insteadofbeing"acclaimed
¯ by a minority of gay ,,p~.~ple as ,a,,suppos,~
edlyaffirmativelabel, theworo queer,
". to Bawer, is "not so much to be homo-
: sexual as it is to be a socially marginal
¯ rebel, defined primarily by his or her
: sexuality, who is perpetually andintdnsi-
: cally at odds with the political and cul-
: rural establishment."
¯ Can these ideas bring the gay right hnd
: left together toward acommon goal? Can
: Bawer’s "we’re just like you" approach
¯ alone actually win the hearts of straight
: Americans? What about the wide variety
: ofpeoplein the gay/lesbian/transgendered
: community whomaynotmeetthe squeaky
¯ clean image Bawer promotes, but who
: still s_eek equality under the law? COuld
: the answer, perhaps, lie somewhere be-
: tween Bruce Bawer and Queer Nation?
¯ Check with your local branch library
: for "Beyond Queer," or call the Readers
:- Services, Central Library at 596-7966.
The small conference room was named
the Stariott Conference Roomin honor of
Midge Elliott and Deb Statues. The me-
: dium size room was named the Renfro
¯ Room in honor of the late RF Renfro, a
: leader of FUSO, the Friends in Unity
: Social Organizationand anHIV educator
¯ who worked with TOHR/HOPE.
: The largest room was to be named in
¯ honor of two individuals who provided
:- signifi.cant "sweat equity’, in tearing out
: tffo plaster&lath walls .to make the room
¯ and in honor of one of those two who’s
¯ donatedmuch of the furniture that s in the
: Center. Thelatter manpreferred not to be
¯¯ recognized but asked that the room be
named in honor of Pat Padgett, a PFLAG
¯
activist. Therefore, that room is now the
¯ Neal-Padgett Hall in recognition of gifts
¯ that made the Pride Center possible.
¯ or let someone else run the show...You
: can care with out being cold, get things
: done right and.get on with it please!!!
¯ It seems to us that everyone is just out
: for themselves, but after seeing and hear-
" ing firsthandweknow why...It is the only
," way we have of getting your attention...
¯ Thank you for Your Time
- PWA Tulsa/N. E. Oklahoma
Jeffrey A. Beal, MD
Ted Campbell, LCSW
Specialized in HIV Care
Providing Comprehensive Primary Care
Medicine and Psychotherapeutic Services
We have many insurance provider affiliations
- ifyou belong to an insurance program
that does not list us as providers,
call us and we will apply.
2325 South Harvard, Suite 600, Tulsa 74114
Monday - Friday, 9:30-4:30 pm, 743-1000
Are-You Bored?
Are You Gay or Bisexual?
Are You Native American?
] TNAAPP is Here to Help! f
Evening Meetings. Are Held Every
Wednesday in Tulsa
Call 582-7225 Ext. 208
For information on meeting time & place
Meet others and be part of a
supportive social group!
* Bakery Treats
* Bed & Breakfast (boarding)
* Salon
* Pet Supplies: Science Diet, IAMS, Nutro Dog Food
THE
DOG HOUSE
BROOKSIDE
3311 S. Peoria, 744-5556
Saint Aidan’s
4045 No. Cincinnati. 425-7882
The Episcopal Church
Welcomes You
Winter Gayla ’97
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
February 14 ~- 17
Beach Party with DJ
Winter Pride Parade Festival
Boat Party on the Jungle Queen
and SWAirlines nowflies there!
Aspen Gay Ski Week
Fine Skiing & Festive Parties
January 25 - February !
IGTA member
Call 341. 6866
International
Tours:ormoreinformation.
by Jean-Pierre, TFNFo~d Critic : will order a full combo for each two
We all have that "special" friend visit- ¯ people at our table, and then an extra
ing from out-of-town -- you know, the : pound of shrimp. The combo itself can
prissy queen who is the finicky Miss ¯ also be ordered in any ratio of crab to
Manners sort-whoneeds anintroduction ¯ shrimp to crawfish. Sometimes wewill
to thereal lifein Tulsa. And, we’vefound " also order sides of coleslaw or cornbread
just the perfect place, to’
Boilln~ .P.o~
sticks. A word of warntake
that friend. Caju~ ing. The combo is avail=
Ther6 is a special res- 19-01 So. Me~orlal able either mild or hot.
tanrantinTulsawhereone Hour.: The mild is quite warm.
can suck head and pinch The hot is fiery. And the
tail with abandon, where 11 - 10 Sun. -Thurs. crab boil permeates evone
can eat with one’s tll 11, Frl. and Sat. erything, even the potafingers,
and where one
Cuisine: ’toes and comon the cob.
can bejust as downhome So, keepplenty of iced
and comfortableas pos= Cajun se~ood tea on hand, or maybea
sible(~l wh~l,e f~iing .... .Dress:,"Very casual : - pitche~:ofbeer($4.75)~to
isasmaliplacefitihecor- _ . l-’aym~e..nt: ;. This is not an elegant
her ofi2th and Memorial. Major credit cards, white table cloth restauin
a rather run-down and no e]aeel~s rant, and the staff makes
~derilict Strip mall. This is
~,SmoklI
no pretense in that dire,ca
very laid back, genuine ~.: tion. Sometimes one has
white trash-cookin’ kind x’~on-smokin~
of place; full of atmo- seetlon, l~ut smoky
a warm and friendly
waiter or waitress, and
sphere mid bayou boys Alcohol: II.9-Z i~eer Sometimes one has the
and giftsfrom all walks of feeling that itis that waitlife.
Decoratedwithtaste- & wine cooler" only
tess’ time of the month:
ful tape-patched, red vi: Ratln~: A llst But, the staff is usually
nyl seating in each of the quite congenial and enformica:
topped booths, and with black " tertaining.
vei~et art alid posters adorning the classic ¯ The one main area needing improve-
1960’s panelling on the walls, the noise " ment here is the housekeeping. While the
and aroma of the kitchen greet patrons as ¯ grungey feel ofthe diningroommaybe an
they enter, and there is no doial~t in’one’s ¯ attempt to recreate the authentic dirt of a
minduponenteringtheestablishmentthat " backwater Cajun swamp dive, theycould
this is a seafood restaurant. ~ at least clean the restrooms and make sure
Menus are presented printed on paper ¯ that supplies are stocked and fixtures
placemats. Lots of fun things appear on . working. On ourlast visit, themechanical
the menu, like ’q’asty Fried Shark Bites" " towel was broken and filthy, and the toilet
for$1.50,CajunDogfor$3.95,jambalaya : was running constantly. The finger bowls
" for.S2.75, red beans and rice for $2.75, ¯ aren’tquiteenoughforthefastidiousdiner
blaCken~dchi~k’strlp,’a for $6.50, ablack- " to cle~tip~ so the trip tothe tinyrestrooms
ened fib-ey~ :s~ak ~0r $9.95, arid even "
alligator for $8.95 But, nobody ever gets ¯ For those so inclined, the Boiling Pot
those things. : features their house band on Saturday
People come to the Boiling Pot for the " nights, whichplays aloudmix of country,
Combo. The combo ($1~95) is a big pot ¯ bluegrass, andcountry rock, and packsin
of shrimp, crawfish, crab, sausage, new ¯ the crowds.
potatoes, quartered onions, and half ears : ~ The Cajun Boiling Potis where a group
of corn on the cob which is boiled in a " of:frie~ids caugo for a casual good time.
spicy crab boil and served~ Well, sort of
served. It’ sdumped onthe table.CMtop of ing roffd~. No, this isn t aft elegant place~’
a big sheet of butcher paper. As soon as: btit it’s n~t supposed to be. And, while it’
the ~ood co0!s~enough :to handle, one " doesn’tappearas cleanas we’dprefer, in
di~es in to shell the shl~mp, pinch the tails ¯ the dozens Of times we’ve eaten there,.
offthecrawfish, su~kthejuices Out of the : we’ve never gotten food poisoning cerheads,
d_nd squirt i~etchffp containers of " tain~noted Tulsa four diamond hotel rescocktail
sauce all 0~er ~e place: When " taurants): The important thing is that if
one’s hands get suffibienfly messy; a!arge one likes boiled shrimp, the foodis great.
’r611 of ii~pdr.’~tbw~l~:.6~ th~ thblesefV~ ~S : And; Wli~it’ ~ore can on~ ask from a
nhp.ki~ ~O;~ffe ~n&ifibn .thai ~e’y: don’i: dt~vilh:bm~~urant than t6 liitve great
use silverware. Until one has had the : food atinexpe~nsive i~rices?.
Boiling Pot experience, it is difficult to ¯ Go suck somehead and pinch some tail.
imagine how fun and how good the peel ."
and eat can be.
Theproprietors bringregular shipments
of seafoodup from the GulfofMexico, so i
the shrimp and crawfish are fresh and ."
firm. The crab, though, seems to have " McDonald get by with falsifying her rebeen
shipped on ice or frozen, since the ." sume when she worked for the Tulsa
shells lack the crispness of never-frozen ¯ Public Schools because she did so many
crab. The crawfish, of. course, is 0nly ; nice things and worked so hard. I guess it
available in season, which is December _" meansitisallri.’ghttobedishonestaslong
through June, but those little underwater as your cause is good. Is it really?
carrioneatershaveneverbeenhighonour ." People get hurt when they get in her
list of gourmet delicacies. We prefer the : way. That seems very unfair. Can the
shrimp, which is some of the best and : media [mainstream media] help you with
most economical shrimpin Tulsa, at only., these efforts? Thank you for being there
$8.95 a pound. ¯ for these clients!
On a typical Boiling Pot excursion, we : - name withheld by request
It is also interesting that they let Nancy
Politics ~om~,age 1
values" ofher district as well as atestimonial
from her church, a well~known con-.
servative Baptist congregation.
TFN wonders how Easley could not
have consideredGayissues whentheGaybaiting
of Penny Williams and Pat
Woodrum was front page news in The
TulsaWorld and Gay issues have figured
prominently in the national news formost
of this year? Easley may be one reminder
that OklahomaDemocrats are sometimes
not ,any more respectful ofthe rights Of
Oklah6maGay CitiZens thanRepublicans..
In state races in Hawaii, same-sex marriage
became a major issue leaving lawmakers
who favored gay marriage skirmishing
for support. Voters removed a
good number of those legislators from
office. This might mean that a constitutional
amendment which would overturn
a positive court decision for same-gender
marriage may get through the legislature,
In So. California, anti-Gay US Rep.
Bob Doman appeared to have lost to his
Democrat Loretta Sanchez. Doman attacked
Sanchez as "another Catholic for
abortion and sodomy rights." Throughout
his career, Dornan has attacked Gay
Americans, as well as people with AIDS.
¯ Finally, the fact that the next Supreme
Court appointments will be.made by
Clinton, rather than Dole should be of
some comfort to Lesbian & Gay citizens.
How To Do It
First 30 words are $10. Each additional
word is 25 cents. You may bring
additional attention to your ad:
Bold Headline - $1
Ad in capital letters - $1
Ad in bold capital letters - $2
Ad in box - $2 Ad reversed - $3
Tear sheet mailed - $2
Blind Post Office Box - $5
Please type or print, your ad. Count the
no :of Words. (A w0rdis a gr0hp of lett6rs
or numbers .separated:by%a, sp~ce.) Send
your ad & payment to POB 4140, Tulsa,
OK 74159 with your name, address, tel.
numbers (for us only). Ads will run in the
next issue after received. TFN reserves the
right to edit or refuse any ad. No refunds.
Healthy - Discreet
Big, muscular, athletic, handsome HIVGWM
seeks law enforcement type for
friendship/possible relationship. No users,
losers or abusers. Boxholder, P.O.
Box 33153, Tulsa, OK 74153
¯ Housemate Wanted
¯ Roomate wantedto share house near ~lst
& Yale, laundry & kitchen privileges in-
" cluded. $300 all bills paid..Professional
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¯ neat & clean.
: Contact: D. Young 746-0331.
Cherry Street Psychotherapy Associates"N
~15 S. Lewis " (918)-743-4117 ’
Serving a Diverse Community -
INFORMING THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL
Complete gay-friendly resources and
lawyers, therapists, travel.servicez
Help lines & HIV/AiDS resources.
ENDERED COMMUNITY SINCE 1973
bars, bookstores, dentisls, doctors,
Organizations, Media, Religious groups,
& City. Index & fast access phone list.
publications; mail order companies, etc.,
and Provinces.
CT, OC, DE, ME, MD,
AL, AR, AZ; DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, KS, KY, [
(212)
Find us at A
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MS, NM, NO, OK, SC, TN, TX~ ~,~\~U~. Virgin Is. & Puerto Rico.
a setf-addressed stamped
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and fun. (Tulsa) =14845
BEHIND CLOSE DOORS I’m a
32year old Gay White male, 5’7,
1851bs, Brown hair, beard,
mustache. I would like to meet
other men 26 to 45 who are into
fantasy play behind closed doors.
Blue collar men are a plus. (Tulsa)
= 12977
BLACK ON BLACK I’m a 28 year
old Black male new to the area. I’m in
search of a Black man who is
masculine, Caring, gentle, and into
having a good ti~ne. (Tulsa]
=14146
OPEN WIDE I’m 27 years old,
5’7,1451bs, good looking and in
good shape. I’m looking’for fun.
= 13952
COME SEE ABOUT ME I’m a Gay
White male, 6fi, 1651bs, Brown hair,
Blue eyes. I seek guys 21 to 35 toget
to know and have a good time wi~.
(Tulsa) =2291
STUCK IN TRAFFIC? I’m 43 years
old and I’m in good shape. Iseek
men 30 to 45 who are Gay, Bi, or Bi
curious. The traffic is so bad you
need something tO pass the time wh e
itcleors up (Tulsa) =9170
SHY GUY I’m 6’1, 15011~s, Black~ "
hair,.Brown eyes, 23 years old:/likesports~
playing the sa~, music, jazz. If
you are interes.ted in meeting me
please call. (Tulsa) =12824
OF THE DARK PERSUASION I’m
5’7, 1601bs, of the dark p.ersuasion. I
have 3 dogs. I love to w61k, 10ve
music, cooldng, the outdoors, and life
in general. I’m hopin.q to meet men
who want to date. (Tulsa) =! 0937
YOUNG STUDENT I’m new here
and would like to meet some new .quys.
I’m 5’6, Brown hair, Brown eyes, :~1
years old, in Ihe closet~ conservative,
student. I really like military guys. Check
me out. (Tulsa) =11841
THE FLOWER OF OUR SECRET I’m
a cute Bi White Transvestite, 30’s, 5’3,
1301bs. I seek a 30 plus married or Bi
stocky and masculine I~rofessional for a
discreet relationship. (Tulsa) =11846
GENTLEMEN START
YOUR ENGINES I’m 40 yeors old
and I would like to meet someone
around my age. Call me. (Tulsa)
=8234
BIG MAN I’m 20 years old.
I would like to meet guys 18 Jo 25. I’m
6’6, 2751bs, Blond I~air, Blue eyes,
very masculine. Call me. (Tulsa)
=8668
PLAYMATES WANTED
for discreet
LOOKING TO MEET NEW
FRIENDS I’m 6’4, 1951bs, Gay Wh te
male. I love country, and western,-
running, fishing, hiking, outdoor
sports, etc. If you want a friend and
someone to talk to call me~ (Tulsa)
=i !865
REACH OUT AND TOUCH ME I’m
6’1, 1701bs. Blond hair, Green eyes,
tan, hairy..
~ (Tulsa) =8406
NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMO
m B~ cunous and ~nto cross dressers,
TransVestites, Transsexuals, and B&D.
Call me. (Tulsa) =8871
, hairy
(Tulsa) =8677
LOOKING FOR FRIENDSHIP I’m
28 years old, 2001bs, 6’2. I’m looking
for friendship and a possible
relationship. I’m new at this and I’m
looking for*friends. Call me. [Tulsa)
=5023
OUT AND ABOUT I’m a
Gay White male, 5’9, 1351bs,
Blond hair, Green eyes. I’m looking
for someone 18 to 25 who is clean
cut. I enjoy movies, music, dancing
and going out. Call me. (Tulsa)
=6297
RELATIONSHIP ON MY MIND
I’m 24 yeors old, 6fl, 1911bs, good
looking, Brown h,,air, Brown eye.s,
swimmers build. I m very masculine
and clean cut. I lik,e, camping, fishing,
hiking and sports. I m looking for
someone 18 to 23 for a relationship.
(Tulsa) =6605
ENJOY UFE I have Brown hair,
Brown eyes, hairy chest. I’m 5’11,
33 yeors 01d~ HIV positive, living
positively. I enjoy movies,
country music, two stepping and dance
music. I’m looking for an honest and
sincere guy. Call me. (Tulsa) =7137
FUN, FUN, FUN I’~ a Gay White
male, 30 yeors old, 5 9, !,751bs,
Brown hair, Green eyes m ooking
fora cleon shaven guy 18 to 35 for
LET THIS COWBOY RIDE I’m a 32 some hot fun. Call me. (Tulsa) "
~eor 01d Gay White male, 6fi, 1621bs, =7251
town hair, Blue eyes. I would like to -
meet a man 25 to 35. If you want a TALL, COOL ONE I’m 20 years old,
good time call me. (Tulsa) = ! 0886 6’6, Blond hair, Blue eyes. I would like
~ to meet some other young men 18 to
UKE A VlRGIN,I want to give the a 25 who are Bi,~or Straight. If you
male thin.q a try. I ve never I~een with are interested pleose call m~. (Tulsa)
a guy be~re and I’m reol curious. Call =7843
me. (Tulsa) =~! 0452
BI CURIOUS I’m 45 yeors old and
YOUNG PUPS WANTED ’m a 21- I’m Bi curious. ’m new at this and k nd
yeor old BiWhite cowba,y/6ft, 1971bs, of shy. I’m looking for otherBi curious
Brown hair, Brown eyes. I m seek ng guys or maybe agood teacher to
Gay or Bi men 18 to 23 in my areo. experiment with. Call me. (Tulsa)
Call me. (Tulsa) =10526 =7929
LET’S MEET SOON I’m a White AGGRESSIVE MAN WANTED I’m
~m~le. I’m drug and alcohol free. I’m 6’1,1651bs, Brown hair, Blue eyes,
6 2, 1901bs, I~rown hair, beord, straight actingGay White male. I seek
mustache. I love the outdoors. (Tulsa) a man 19 to 30 to get together ~Vith.
=8171 Call me. (Tulsa) =4374
VERY CUTE SMILE I’m
an attractive Gay White male,
6fi, 1451bs, darl~ hair, Green
eyes, medium build, versat le,
very cute smile. I seekattractive.
Gay White males 18 to 36 for
friendship and possible relationship.
You must be outgoing. (Tulsa)
=4639
NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA
m 25 ye..ars old, Gay White male,
6’r2,~2101bs, Brown I~air, Blue
.eye.s. I like movies, music and long
walks. I would like to meet a sincere
Gay male in my area for a discreet
long term relationship. Call me.
(TuEa) =I 188
MOVING LARGE OBJECTS
I’m 48 year old Bi curious male
looking for teachers
Call me. (Tulsa)
=3314~
YOUNG STUD PUPPY
I’m 19 years old, Black curly
,h,air, Blue eyes, 6fi,,1651bs.
I m very outgoing. I m looking
for friends. Call me. (Tulsa)
=33419
PHONE FUN I’m into
phone conversation. Call me.
I~m 6 1, 1701bs, Blond hair, Green
eyes, good looking. (Tulsa)
=34497
To respond, browse or
check your messages, call:
1-900,786-4865
$1.99/Min. 18+
DISCREET ’ CONFIDENTIAL ’ EASY
To record your FREE Personal ad Call: 1-800-546-MENN (We’ll print it here)
Attent.ion!
Announcing a Retreat for Gay/Bisexual Men!
Who: Sponsored by TNAAPP
What: Weekend Retreat for,Gay/Bis.exualMen
of Native American Descent
V~hen: January 10- 12, 199.7 (Friday- Sunday)
~ Where: For More. Information Call Today ....
918 582 7225, Extension 208
t t Be Part of a
Supportive S~:ial Group !
I~1 Yes! ! am interested in coming to the TIVAAPP retreat
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Telephone:
Cut on Dotted Line #z Hail to:
TI~P, 915 South Cincinnati, Tulsa, OK 74119.2000

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