[1998] Tulsa Family News, January 1998; Volume 5, Issue 1

[1998] Tulsa Family News, January 1998; Volume 5, Issue 1

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

January 1998

James Christjohn
Leanne Gross
Barry Hensley
Jean-Pierre Legranbouche
Lamont Linstrom
Kerry Lobel
Judy McCormick
Joch Whetsell
The Associated Press

Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News

Tulsa Family News, December 1997; Volume 4, Issue 12b

Image
PDF
Online text

English

newspaper
periodical

https://history.okeq.org/items/show/543

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

Hawaii Court Setback for
Anti-Gay Lawmakers
HONOLULU (AP) - The state Supreme Court says
eight state lawmakers who oppose same-sex marriage
won’t be able to intervene in the court matter.. Eight
members of the state House of Representatives asked
-the high court to let themjoin the court fight on the side
of the same-sex opponents. . .
" Circuit Court Judge Kevin Chang - who ruled the
state to be in violation of the law for not allowing Gays
to legally marry-ruled against allowing the lawmakers
to join the case. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling
’Without comment on Friday.
Chang’s decision in the same-sex marriage case is
under appeal to the state Supreme Court. The high court
ruled in 1993 that denying marriage licenses to samesex
couples was unconstitutional. The court then sent
the case back to Circuit Court to allow the state a final
chance to defend its position.
Changruled against the state last year, but delayed the
Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends
Tulsa’s Largest Circulation Community PaperAvailable In More Than 75 City Locations
Local Gay Athelete Takes
World Class Skating Honors
by Tom Neal
Tulsan Marc Goohs, 1997 Pairs
Figure Roller Skating World
Champion with partner, Gari
Phillips & runners up in Finland.
TULSA - You may have
seenhim around Tulsa, perhaps
at the Silver Star, or at
a local restaurant where he
works patl-time. You’d notice
him since he’s a goodlooking
man - but who’d
q~eSs that this seemingly
et, regular guy living in
Tulsa is a world .champion
skating tide holder?
Marc Goohs, 28, with his
skating partner oftwo years,
Gari Phillips, 23, won top
honors in the Pairs Figure
Roller Skating competition
of the International World Games Association in Lahti, Finland
afew months ago. While not as widely known as the Olympic ice
skating competitions, these events are affiliated with the International
Olympic Committee (IOC). And the skating competitions
share some aspects.
Both are combinations of athletic skill and artistic style with
the couple skating together as though they were dancing and
involving overhead lifts. Goohs feels that ice skating is more like
: ballet whileroller skating is more athletic. Goohs notes that while
: roller skating does not have a great following in the US, it is very
¯ big in Latin America, and in Italy .where the sport is subsidized
: by the government. He says the sport is dominated by the US,
¯ Italians, and Germans.
_" Goohs, who’s originally from Cleveland, Ohio, has been
¯¯ skating for 20 years, 10 as apairs skater. He came toTulsa to train
with a well respected coach who lived here. However, when that
", coach up and moved, Goohs stayed on in Tulsa, and for a while
¯’Exporting Hate:
Largent "rakes Anti-Gay
Messageto Wash. State
¯
WASHINGTON STATE - According to a Nov.
¯ 5th article by Kery Murakami, of the SeatfleTimes
¯ Olympiabureau, Oklahoma’s First District (largely
¯ TulsaCounty) Congressman Steve Largent lent his
name and reputation to foes of a civil fights initia-
: tive in Washington State.
Initiative 677, which was overwhelmingly de-
, feared statewide - except in two urban counties,
¯ would have added the term"sexual orientation" to
: state civil-rights laws; which already bar work-
¯, place discrimination based on age, race, gender,
and religion. Though some Washington State cit-
¯ ies, like Seattle, already have similar ordinances,
¯ Gays have nojob protection elsewhere in the state.
¯ The measure was intentionally focused narrowly ¯
on workplace discrimination.
¯ Congressman Largent, who lived in Washinglon
: State while he played football for the Seattle
¯ Seahawks, claimed in the anti-initiative-677 ad- ¯
vertisement that sexual orientation, unlike age,
¯ race, gender, and religion, was a choice. He added
¯ giving civil-rights protections based on sexual ori¯
entation would be granting Gays "special fights."
In the ad which looked like a letter to the voters,
¯ Largent said,"I-677 isn’t about fainiess, it’s about
: special rights... 1-677 goes too far in trying to
¯ extend civil rights protections to behaviors and
¯
lifestyles that are controllable, and creates special
¯ rights for choices that some people have made in
¯ defining their sextml identity." ¯
In several Tulsa forums, Largent has made simi-
¯ lar statements that he opposes civil fights protecissuing
of marriage licenses until the appeal to the ¯ dropped out of training with the attitude that maybe he should go ¯ tions based on sexual orientation becausehe feels
stipreme Court is decided. A.ruling is expected some- : onwithhislifeandforgetskating. Butafter getting a call from the ¯ that sexual orientation is a choice as opposed to
Li-ti~ in 1998. . - . , Games Committee saying . see Goohs, page 3 : race, gender or age. see Largent, page 3
~,- ....
. , ¯ ,
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Adam is like most 2-year-olds ¯ First Performance Was at World AIDS Day Service " "1" HIV Program Di rector -quick, curious, scurrying here and there. Unlike most, " TULSA - They first came together forjust one performance and
his adoptive parents are both men - whose successful ¯
still don’.t have a name of their own, but the Gay mens ensemble ¯ TULSA - The board of Tulsa Oklahomans for
¯ that performed at this last December’s World AIDS Day Candle-
" light March.and Memorial Service at All Souls Unitarian Church
: is continuing under the direction of musician Rick Former, Jr.
Fortuer, who teaches voice at the University of Tulsa and is
: music director at Hope Unitarian Church, gathered the initial
¯ group by "word of mouth". In about 8 weeks, the ensemble
¯ learned four songs which were received with great praise from
¯ those attending the service. The initial group included singers ¯
with considerable experience, some with Follies Revue perfor-
¯ mances, others with Theatre Tulsa, and still others with strong
¯ backgrounds in church music programs.
¯ The groupis planning to start rehearsals near the endofJannary
with the goal of doing a benefit for TOHR’s HIV programs and
: the Pride Center, hopefully in March. The group has been
¯ meelang onMonday evenings and will likely continue that time. ¯
It’s hoped that the ensemble can rehearse at the Pride Center but
¯ Women Win Case for Being ¯ Called Lesbian by Pastor
¯ TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Rev. Ernest G. Bass said.he told his
¯ congregation that theirmusic director was involved in a Lesbian ¯
¯ affair to "extinguish rumors and let the healing process begin"
and that as her minister he had the right to rebuke her. But a civil
¯ jury believed otherwise and awarded the two women$340,000 in
: a slander lawsuit settled just before Christmas. Bass made the
¯ comments during an evening worship service in July 1994.
¯
The civil trial fordefendants Bass, the First United Pentecostal
¯ Church, the Oklahoma District of the United Pentecostal Church
¯ International andits superintendent, Robert D.Whalengotunder ¯
way three weeks ago, more than three years after the incident
¯
occtn-red.
¯ .: Rhonda J. Morrison andCynthia A. Gass each were awarded
¯ $20,000 for slander, $150,000 for invasion ofprivacy and $2 for
intentional infliction of emotional distress.
¯ The defense maintained that what Bass said was the truth, and
: therefore, could not be considered slander. The defense also said
Bass’ announcement should receive, see Friends, page 14
: Human Rights, Inc. (TOHR), Oklahoma’s oldest
: Lesbian and Gay non-religious commumty orgam-
¯ zation, has hired Kristi Frisbie as director of their
° HIV programs: TOHR/HOPE: HIV Outreach, Pre:
¯ vention & Education. The organization has also ¯
hired Greg Hisaw as HIV Testing Clinic Coordina-
¯ tor.
¯ - Frisbie has significant experience with HIV/ ¯
AIDS organizations having worked as a National
: AIDS Fund Americorp member and team coordi-
¯ nator. She’s worked with Whitman Walker Center
¯ in Washington, DC andhelped with the DC Needle
¯ Exchange Program. She workedwith Visiting Nurse
¯ Association’s Wellness program immediately be-
: fore joining TOHR’s programs.
¯ Greg Hisaw has been a see TOHR, page 3
¯ Bowersv. Shahar: Rights
;Case May Be Critical
: WASHINGTON (AP) - Robin Shahar believes
¯ that being a Lesbian is why she’s not working for ¯
Georgia’s attorney general, but the state’s lawyers
¯ say bias against homosexuals played no role. She
: lost thejob, they say, only after deciding to"maID"’
¯ another woman. The legal dispute, carried to the ¯
Supreme Court by Gay civil-rights groups, has
¯ historic potential. Andit already may have compli-
." cated the political aspirations of the man Shahar
¯ sued - would-be governor Mike Bowers. ¯
He was the state’s attorney general when, in
¯ 1991, he withdrew Shahar’s job offer to become a
¯ staff attorney in the Georgia Department of Law. ¯
¯ Bowers said her impending marriage would affect
public perception of his office’s dedication te en-
¯ forcing the state’s anti-sodomy law.
¯ Shahar and her partner were planning to cel-
; ebratealifelongcommitment seeBowers,page14
fight to keep their boy won the Gay movement a step
toward equality with heterosexuals, activists said after
a landmark court settlement.
The struggle began soon afterJon Holden and Michael
Galluccio began caring for Adam, then 3 months old.
On Wednesday, they won a settlement that gives Gay
and unmarried couples inNew Jersey the right tojointly
adopt children, like married couples. It only affects
children in state custody. Adam Holden Galluccio,
blond-haired with rosy cheeks, scumedbefore the news
cameras. "This is a victory about goodness and equality,"
Holdensaid.
Conservatives, already fighting efforts to legalize
same-sex marriages, were diametrically opposed. The
setdement is "a victory for homosexual activism and a
defeat for children already bruised in life and in need of
an intact, committed husband-and-wife .family," said
Robert Knight, director of cultural studies for the Family
Research Council in Washington.
"I think it’ s a sad commentary," said state Assemblywoman
Marion Creeco, Republican sponsor of a bill
banning same-sex mamage that has not yet made it to
the Assembly floor. "I think every child deserves to
grbw ,u,pwith a mother and father. It’s a very natural
thing, she said.
The agreement by New Jersey authorities came in a
class-action lawsuit broughtin June by Gay and Lesbian
families with the assistance of the American Civil
Liberties Union. Holden and Galluccio won the right to
adopt Adam on Oct. 22. see Adoption, page 14
DIRECTORY/LETTERS P. 2/3
US & WORLD NEWS P. 4
HEALTH NEWS P. 6
ENTERTAINMENT NOTES P. 8
COMMUNITY CALENDAR P, 9
BOOK REVIEW P. 10
RESTAURANT REVIEW P. 11
GAY STUDIES/ANTHROPOLOGY P. 12
CLASSIFIEDS P. 14
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine
*Boston Willy’s Diner, 1742 S. Boston
*Concessions, 3340 S. Peoria
*Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria
*Interurban Restaurant, 717 S. Houston
*Jason’s Deli, 15th & Peoria
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
*The Palate Cafe & Catering, 3324G E. 31st
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st
*Samson & Ddilah Restaurant, 10 E. Fifth
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd
*Umbertos Pizzeria, 21st west of Harvard
832-1269
592-2143
744-0896
583-6666
749-4511
585-3134
599-7777
749-1563
745-9899
745-9998
585-2221
834-4234
585-3405
660-0856
584-1308
599-9999
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 74%1508
*Affinity News, 8120 E. 21 610-8510
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
Body Piercing by Nieole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272
*CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313
Den Carlton Honda, 4141 S. Memorial 622-3636
Den Carlton Mitsubishi, 46th & Memorial 665-6595
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581~0902, 743-4117
Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700
*Daisy Exchange, E. 15th 746-0440
Tim Daniel, .Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
*Deco to Disco, 3212 E~ 15th -. 749-3620
*Devena’s Gallery, 13 Brady 587-2611
Deghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556
*Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503
*Ross Edward Salon, 2447 E. 15th 584-0337. 712-9379
*Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595
*Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st 742-1460
Leaune M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 459-9349
Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440
*Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 28~5 E. Skelly 745-1111
*International Tours 341-6866
Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 K 15th 712-2750
*Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018
David Kanskey,Country Club Barbering 747-0236
*Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 . 599-8070
Kelly Kirby, CPA, PUB 14011, 74159 747-5466
Langley Agency & Salon, 1316 E. 36th Pi. 749-5.533
Laredo Crossing, 1519 E. 15th 585-1555
*Living ArtSpace, 19 E. Brady 585-1234
*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3 584-3112
Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934
*Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 664-2951
*Novel Idea Bookstore, 51st & Harvard 747-6711
David A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633 747-7672
*Peace of Mind Bookstore, 1401 E. 15 583-1090
The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor 7434297"
Puppy Pause II, l lth & MAngo 838-7626
Rainbowz on the River B+B, PUB 696, 74101 747-5932
Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617
Scott Robison’s Prescriptions, see ad for 3 locations, 743-2351
Teri Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-7921, 747-4746
Christopher Spradling, attorney, 616 S. Main, #308 582-7748
*Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749-6301
*Sedona Health Foods, 8220 S. Harvard 481-0201
*Sophronia’s Antiques, 1515 E. 15 592-2887
*Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria 697-0017
*Trizza’s Pots, 1448 S. Delaware 743-7687
*Tulsa Book Exchange, 3749 S. Peoria 742-2007
*Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558
Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling 743-1733
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis 592-0767
Tulsa Organizations, Churches, & Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 1071, 74101-1071 579-9593
*All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363
Black & White, Inc. PUB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314
Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815
*B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa Canterbury Ctr. 583-9780
*Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201
*Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence
*CommunityofHope United Methodist, 1703 E. 2nd 585-1800
*Community Unitarian-Universahst Congregation 749-0595
*Church oftheRestoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood 587-1314
918.231.7372, fax: 583.4615, PUB 4140. Tulsa, OK 74159
e-mail: TulsaNews@ earthlink, net
wobsite: http://users.aol.com/TulsaNews/
Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal
Entertainment Diva + Mac Guru: James Christjohn
¯ Writers + contributors: Leanne Gross, Barry Hensley, Jean-Pierre
Legrandbouche. Lamont Linstrom, Kerry Lobel. Judy
McCormick. Josh Whetsell. Meml~r o! The Associated Press
¯ Issued on or before the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of this
¯ pgblieation are protected by US copyright 1997 byT~
: Nt~v, and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without
¯ written permission from the publisher. Publication of a name or
¯ photo does not indicate a person’s sexual orientation. Correspondence
is assumed to be for publication unless_otherwise noted, must
-" be signed & becomes the sole property of T~ut
¯" Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution
¯ points. Additional copies are available by calling 231-7372.
¯ *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1932
¯ *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457
: Dignity/Integrity-Lesbian/Gay Catholics/Episcopal. 298-4648
¯ *Family of FaithMCC, 5451-ESo. Mingo 622-1441
¯ *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
¯ *Free SpiritWomen’s Center, call for location&info: 587-4669
¯¯ Friend For A Friend, PUB 52344, 74152 747-6827
Friends in Unity Social Org., PUB 8542, 74101 582-0438
.’ *HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
: *HIV Resource Consortium, 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194
: HOPE (TOHR), HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education
.. 1307 E. 38, 2nd ft. 712-1600, HOPE/TOHR Anonymous
¯ HIV Testing Site, Mon/Thurs. eve. 7-9pro, call 834-8378
; *House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 3210e So. Norwood
¯ Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438-2437, 800-284-2437
¯ *MCC of Greater Tulsa, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
NAMES PROJECT, 4154 S. Harvard, Ste. H- 1 748-3111
; NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, PUB 14068, 74159 365-5658
¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), PUB 9165, 74157 ¯
*Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584’-7960
’_ PFLAG, PUB 52800, 74152 7494901
," *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674
¯ *The Pride Center, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor, 74105 7434297
"- Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152
¯ *R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network .749-4195
¯ Rainbow Business.Guild, PUB 4106, 74159 665-5174
¯" *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325
-" O’RYAN, s.upport group for 18-24 LGBT young adults
." O’RYAN, Jr. support group for 14-17 LGBT youth
¯ St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cineiunati 425-7882 ¯
St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
i *Shanti Hothne & tIIV/AIDS Services 749-7898
¯ TNAAPP(Native Amedcan men), Indian Health Care 582-7225
¯ Tulsa County Health Department, 4616E. 15 5954105
¯ Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only
¯ Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 7434297
~ T.U.LS.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222
¯Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule i *Tnlsa Community College Campuses
¯ *Rogers University (formerly UCT)
: BARTLESVILLE
; *Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353
: NORMAN
¯. *Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-5734907
¯
OKLAHOMA CITY
¯ *Borders Books &Music, 3209NWExpressway 405-848-2667
¯ TAHLEQUAH
." *Stonewall League, call for information: 918456-7900
¯ *Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918456-7900
¯ *Green Country AIDS Coalition, PUB 1570 918453-9360
-" NSU School of Optometry, 1001 N. Grand
¯ HIVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for date
¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
." *Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23
: *Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main
¯ DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St.
: *Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St.
¯ MCC of the Living Spring
¯ Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429
¯ Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery ¯
Positive Idea Marketing Plans
¯ Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East
¯ FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS
¯ *Edna’s, 9 S. School Ave.
501-253-7734
501-253-7457
50 1-253-6807
501-253-5445
501-253-9337
501-253-2776
501-253-5332
501-624-66216
501-253-6001
501-442-2845
indicates a distribution point. Listed businesses are not all Gay-owned
but welcome Lesbian/Gay/Bi & Trans communities.
Carbon Copy: The Tulsa World
Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights,
Oklahoma’s oldest non-religious Gay &
Lesbian organization wishes to applaud
our Mayor (and the National Conference
for its letter supporting her) for her courageous
stand on the issue of religious displays
on public buildings.
As members of a community still denied
basic civil rights and the right to live
by the dictates of our faith traditions -
usually, by those claiming to be "Christian",
we recognize the.need.for the separation
of church and state. Tul sa’s public
: buildings should not display the symbols
¯ of a single faith - even if it is the faith of ¯
the majority of those who work within.
¯ Likewise, Tulsa’s government should not
¯ promote the religious views of our elected
¯ leaders, even if they claim that amajority ¯
of Tulsans support those views.
¯ This is not only constitutionally cot-
¯" feet; it is the epitome of "treating your
neighbor as you would be treated" - a
¯ tenet at the heart of Christian belief. As
: most ofour directors are indeed Christian,
: we do not oppose the expressions of that
:¯ .ifnaicthh,uwrcehseism, ipnlypsraivyakteeebputshinemessoenshiofmtheesy,
." choose and in your hearts, but respect
: your neighbors whose beliefs are differ-
. ent. - The Board ofDirectors, TOHR
ACTION ALERT
:
:
:
:
:
:
URGE LAWMAKERS TO GET
TOUGH ON HATE CRIMES,
COSPONSOR THE HATE
CRIMES PREVENTION ACT
,, (S.1529/H.R. 3081)
from the
Human Rights Campaign
1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
emzil: sloan.wiesen@hrc.org
WWW: http://www.hrc.org
Call on Congress to pass important
bipartisan crime measure to include
Semad Orientation, Gender and Disability
in existingfederal laws targeting biasmotivatedviolence.
Your lawmakers need
to hear your support for an important
piece of crime legislation that was recently
introduced in Congress.
The Hate Crimes Prevention Act
(HCPA) would protect Americam from
most violent hate crimes based on their
real or perceived sexual orientation, gender
and disability. The HCPA was introduced
on Nov. 13 in the U.S. Senate by
Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Edward
M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and in the House
of Representatives by Reps. Bill
McCollum, R-Fla., and Charles Schumer,
D-N.Y.
According to the FBI, hate crimes committed
because of an individual’s sexual
orientation arealready the thirdmostcommon
type of bias crime - and they are on
the rise. The National Coalition of Anti-
Violence Programs see Hate, page 13
Letters Policy
Tulsa Family News welcomes letters on
issues which we’ve covered or on issues
you think need to be considered. Youmay
request that your name be withheld but
letters must be signed&have phone numbers,
or be hand delivered. 200 word letters
are preferred. Letters to other publications
will be printed as is appropriate.
Pictured are the staff of Tulsa OklahOmans for Human
.RightsHtV Programs: -Johnnie Eilerts and Jeremy
S~mmOns who do Gay rnens and group and community
outreach, Kristi Frisbie, thenew director oftheprograms
which are called HOPE: H1V Outreach Prevention and
Education, andGreg Hisaw, Testing Clinic Coordinator.
However, when local activists have pointed out to
Largent that religious views are also choices and yet
citizens enjoy civil rights protections based on their
religious status, Largent has just made statements to the
effect of "that’s religion, that’s different." When Lesbian
and Gay citizens challenged about his "special rights"
rhetoric at a town hall meeting held at the Bixby Public
Library, noting that protections based on "sexual orientation"
would also protect heterosexuals, Largent failed to
respond directly to that claim.
A spokesperson for Tulsa Oklahomans for Human
Rights (TOHR), Oklahoma’s oltlest Lesbian and Gay
non-rdigious community organization, expressed dismay
at Largent’s’comments and that he got involved in
the affairs of another state.
~"Apparently;_our Congressman is not satisfied attackin_
g his own Lesbian and Ga_y constituents but feels the
need to export this hate~:to.his .former state. We believe
Steve,kn.o.ws very well~ fliat hisb,omments about ’special
fights a~efalsebuti.~t~h~ is deliberatelybearing ’false
witness’ to promote his extreme Right-wing religious/
political, views - that hardly seems to be the conduct of
someone who claims-to.be ’Christian’."
Gay organizers of Initiative 677 also noted that a gun
control initiative on the ballot probably hurt the civil
rights measure. Again according to the Seattle Times,
Lori Jinkins, board president of the Gaycivil-rights group
Hands Off Washington, said umque political forces
worked against the measure. She noted that the National
Rifle Association spent more than $2 million against
Initiative 676, the gun control measure. Gun-fights advocates
according to a Seattle Times Washington Poll were
overwhelmingly opposed to the Gay civil-rights measure.
"Guns clearly brought out the ’no’ votes," Jinkins
said.
Jinkins also noted that many people believe that job
discrimination is already barred. In the Times poll, a
sizable number saidthey opposed the initiative because
they thought Gays are already protected by civil,rights
law. "Our early polling showed that 30 percent thought it
was already illegal in the state, and our biggest challenge
has been getting the word out that it i sn’t illegal," Jinkins
said.
Gay community organizers had hoped the_initiative
would be the best opportunity to gain civil rights protections.
Although a Newsweek po!l last y~ar’ f0und’that’
most people do not support Gays being allowed to live
anywhere they please, two-thirds said their sexual onenmtiQn
shguldn’t interfere_ with their ability to make a
living.
Therefore, Gay civil-rights advocates, tired 0f fighting
off attacks from the Radical Right, and heartened by
national polls showing support for. anti-discrimination
laws for Gays when it comes to employment, went ahead
with the $750,000 initiative campmgn.
However, The SeattleTimes poll also found that a large
number agreed with 1-677’s opponents’ argument that
sexual orientation was different from race, age, gender or
religion.
Robert Larimer, spokesman for a coalition of conservative
groups who opposed the initiative, said to the
Times that the defeat of the initiative would fuel the
passage in the Legislature next year of a law barfing Gay
marriages. "When you see a margin this big, it’s sending
¯ Father Rick Hollingsworth, the Right Reverend Craig
: Bettendorf, Presiding Bishop.of the Evangelical Angli-
¯ can Church in America, Father Jim Lehman of Holy
¯. Family Parish in Las Cruces, NM and Deacon Deb
¯ Starnes celebrated the Consecration and Dedication of
the new building of the Parish Church ofSaint Jerome.
a powerful message to the Legislature that they should
continue to refuse bestowing special status for sexual
behavior," Larimer said. "It should encourage the Legislature
to once again pass ’defense of marriage’ legislation,"
he said. "Andit should send a couple of strong signs
to our governor that he should not veto it."
Gov. Gary Locke, a vocal supporter of 1-677, had
angered conservatives earlier this year by vetoing a Gaymamage
prohibition.
The initiative’s defeat creates a stalemate over Gay
civil-rights in the state. Initiative drives in 1994 and 1995
to restrict civil-rights protections for Gays, bar teaching
about homosexuality in schools and prohibit Lesbian-and
Gay couples from adopting children failed to garner
enough signatures even to make the ballot.
Steve Liggett ofLiving Arts of Tulsa is joined by Nancy
McDonald; national prestden~ of’PFLAG, artist’Robert
Hernandez, Ken Youngbloodand his morn’at the Love
Makes A Family exhibit, sponsored by Eiving Arts,
PFLAG and Rainbow Business Guild. December was
dedicated to Lesbian & Gay art, artists and tssues,
at Six Flags, and maybe makejust a little money. Unlike
ice skaters who can retire wealthy, roller skaters often
barely cover their costs. Andjust as much, Goohs andhis
partner wouldn’t mind getting a little recognition here in
Tulsaand nearby - after all how many World Champions
do we have here?
it needs to get a loan or donation ofa piano that’s in good
¯ shape in order to meet there. Otherwise the group will
¯ meet at Hope Unitarian Church.
The group will have an organizational meeting on
¯ January 19 at 7 pm in the Neal-Padgett Hall of the Pride
¯ Center, 1307 East 38th Street, 2rid flotr. Formal audi-
¯" tions are not required but those interested should call
¯ Fortaer at 585-8595 for an informal interview prior to the
19th.
reputations with their peers and feel that each will brin:g
significant skills to the organization.
And at the December meeting of the orgamzation,
longtime volunteer Steve Horn was elected President of
the Board. He is joined by Dennis Arnold, Tim Darnel.,
Robert Hill, Jonathan Stanley and Tom Neal.
TOHR/HOPEprovides Tulsa with its principal anonymous
HIV testing site at the HIV Resource Consortium.
TOHR/HOPE staff members also do targeted outreach
forHIV prevention in several programs. TOHR, a 501 (c)3
tax-exempt, non-political organization, also provides the
Pride Center, Tulsa’s community center for Lesbian,
Gay, Bi, and Transgendered persons, our families and
friends. The Pride Center is located at 1307 E. 38th Street,
2nd floor. For more information, call 712-1600, 9-5pm,
.M-F, or 743-4297, 6-10pm, M-Sat.
that Goohs and Phillips had qualified for a competition "
based on an earlier performance in Mar del Plata, Argen- "
tim in December 1996, Goohs and Phillips.were back in ¯
training. Goohs says they had no costumes, no music, no ¯
routine and he was out of shape but in a matter of weeks ¯
- a ftacti’on 6f the normal time required, they got thing~ :’
together, and "just for grins" skated a national competiuon
in Florida where they got 3rd place for their short ¯
program, andwon first place much to their surprise for "
their long program; ~
This is what qualified them to go to Finland to represent
the US. He says that at 28, he’s getting to the end of a "
career in competitive skating - as you get older, it’s just ]
harder to keep in shape and to recover from injuries. He ¯
never dreamed though that he’d be ending his skating
with a gold medal. ¯
When asked about being Gay in the sport, he smiles and
says that there are many Gays in the sport but not so many -
in the pairs skating that he does. He says that it’s pretty ¯
hard work and his observation is that the Gay guys want ¯
to do more glamorous stuff- not the physically demand- ¯
ing lifting of a partner. .
Looking ahead, Goohs says he’d like to teach skating °
or do some theme show skating like at Disney World or ¯
ALBANY- Amid-level appealsCiSUrt denial amarrittge
license to a gay couple from itli~iea, i’eCently, cifng
technical flaws in their argument. -.......
The state Appellate Division said Hxillip and Toshav
Storrs erred in not including the state Department of
Health, which has jurisdiction over marriage licenses, in
their lawsuit. The Storrs had filedth~ff~elaim againstthe
Ithaca city clerk, who said sh~ Was prohibited by state
agency guidelines from issuing them a license.
"In our view, (the Storrs) are essentially challenging
the authority of (the Health Department) ’ to issue such
directives, the validity of those directives and its author-
~ty over the issuance of marriage licenses," the fivememberjudicial
panel wrote in a d~cision handed down
Christmas Eve. "We therefore conclude that (the agency)
was a necessary part of this action."
The Storrs said they would consult with their attorney
before deciding whether to appeMto a~kigher court, or
bring suit against the health department: "We’re not
surprised, and we certainly are not disappointed, because
we haven’t heard no yet," said Toshav Storrs.
Mariette Geldenhuys, who represented the city clerk’s
office, said the ruling "affirmed the city~s position.""The
city is constrained by the directives of the Health Department,"
Geldenhuys said. "This places the focus on the
real issue, between the (Stprrs) and the Health Department."
- -
Same-sex marriage is a volatile issue that state courts
only in Hawaii, Vermont and Alaska have wrangled with.
Hawaii’s decision to recognize gay and lesbian marriages
sparked debate in Congress as to whether other states
have to recognize it as well.
phillip, 38, and Toshav, 36 (who was formerly a Tulsa
resident), applied to the Ithaca city clerk’s office for a
marriage license two years ago. Toshav changed his last
name from Greene after the couple went through a
commitment ceremony in 1995~
Ithaca’s Common Council passed a resolution urging
the state to allow same-sex marriages, but city attorneys
ultimately determined Ithacahad no authority to issue the
license.
The Storrs then launched their lawsuit, asking for the
right to marry or to allow the Ithaca city clerk’s office to
evaluate the license application without taking into account
the state directive.
longtime volunteer with TOHR’s Testing Clinic and also
did testing f0rthe Tulsa Count)’ Health DepL The_ board
Colorado Commission
Examing Couples Rights
DENVER (AP) - A state commission looking at the
rights and responsibilities of same-sex couples won’t
meet a March 1 deadline to issue its findings. The
Commission on Rights and Responsibilities of Same-
Sex Relations has met twice since Gov Roy Romer
appointed its 16 members in September. More meetings
are set for January and February, but public
hearings won’t be held until March 4.
The commissionis charged with compiling areport
comparing the-legal and economic fights, responsibilities
and benefitS of same-sex couples and married
couples. ’%Ve’re only just a little bit beyond the
beginning org~zation in trying to identify tasks arid
processes," said state Rep. Gloria Leyba,D=Denver,
a committee member.
The commission is headed by Bishop William J.
Winterrowd of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado.
Othermembers include Catholic Archbishop Charles
J. Chaput; Rabbi Steven Foster of Denver; Wade
Buchanan, director of the CO Office of Energy Conservation;
Shirley O. Harris, former state personnel
director; and Paul Klinge of US West Media Groups.
Sen. Ken ArnOld, R-Westminster, and state Rep.
Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, sponsored a bill
earlier this year that sought to strengthen Colorado’s
ban on same-sex ~marriages. The measure passed but
was vetoed by Romer; who appointed the commission
without naming Arnold or Musgrave. "You can
dictate the outcome of a committee’s decision by the
people youappointto the commit,t,ee, and it looks like
that’s a predetermined outcome, Arnold said.
"It’s an important commission," said Sue Anderson,
executive director of Equality.Colorado, a Gay
fights organization in Denver. "It’s the first time
there’s been a formal government-sanctioned body
looking at Gay issues at all. "The nature of families is
changing," Andersonadded. "It’s important to examine
what does that mean, for individuals in the relationships,
the children, for property issues, inheritanee,
survivorship fights."
Leyba said the commission will look at "what
barriers may be created by existing law" to same-sex
partnerships. While the commismon is unlikely to
propose a law for the legislative session that begins
Jan. 7, she said, "If we determine there are statutory
barriers, legislation could be something down the
road."
Expanded Anti-Bias Law
CONCORD,.N:H. (AP) -A new law that grew out of
years of contentious debate is expected to generate
onlya trickle of action. Starting Jan. 1, New
Hampshire’ s "civil fights law will protectGays injobs,
housing and public places like restaurants and hotels.
But the state Human Rights Commission, which
will-handle complaints under the law, does not expect
to be bombarded with calls. "I don’t expect there are
going to be high number of complaints filed," commission
Director Raymond Perry said. "It’s still going
to be very difficult to be Gay in New Hampshire.
It was clear from the hearings that many people
remain prejudl.’~~"
Perry predicts his office will handle three to five
complaints in 1998 from people who believe they
have been discfiminated againstonthebasis of sexual
orientation. Tharis a drop in the bucket compared to
the 250 to 300;complaints filed by people charging
discrimination based on race, religion and other protected
statuses.
That doesn’t’mean the law. won’t, make-a ~difference:
It will,but 16y. producing peace of.mind rather
than complaintg, Sa~d Marcus ~Iurn, a law professor at
Franklin Pierce Law School who is Gay. ’~It’s not so
much that there is such agreat n.u~a.b.~r of landlords
and bosseswho a~e 0na~witch hunt, it. s that any time
you heara ~tory aboutthat you think, ’Next time it
could be me,’ "he said. "Now, the law is clear, and
we’ve got a pretty conservative but fair state organ~.-
zation-theHumanRights Commission-thatconsctentiously
does its job."
The law will have a significant impact among
public school teachers and state employees, be said.
"It’s never been real clear in the past whether you
were safe in your teacher tenure or state employee
¯
status if you were Gay or Lesbian," he said. "Now
they can rest easy because it’s very plain in the law.
A lot of worry hanging over people will lessen. I
suspect that will be the biggest effect."
Gov. Jeanne Shaheen signed the bill in June. Earlier
attempts to include Gays in the civil rights law
failed due to pressure from then-Gov. Steve Merrill,
who said it wasn’t needed, and the Catholic Church.
This lime, the Roman Catholic Diocese ofManchester
helped shape the language, which includes a
statement that "New Hampshire does not intend to
¯ promote or endorse any sexual lifestyle other than the
¯ traditional mamage-based family." Once the church
¯ endorsed the bill, "that started the ball rolling down
¯ hill at a pretty good clip," said Rep. Bill McCann, the
; bill;s main sponsor.
¯ .He said Bishop Leo O’Neil, who died last month,
¯¯ was concerned about the bill’s effect on schoolchildren.
McCann, a Democrat from Dover, said he was
¯
abletopersuadeO’Neil that school boards wouldstill
¯ be able to discipline teachers who act inappropriately
¯ regardless of their sexual orientation. "ff you have a ¯
heterosexual teacher who is openly carrying on with
¯
two or three different people, that’s something a
¯ school board would look at. The same is true of Gay
¯ people," McCann said. ¯
Opponents say the law sanctions sin and asks
¯ people to embrace homosexuality as socially accept-
; able. "I don’t believe in adding a new classification
¯ outside of the realm of things you have no control
; over," said Rep.. Gary Daniels, R-Milford. "In cases
¯ of race, color or creed, you don’t have control over
¯ that, and those are constitutional. It wasn’t right inmy
: mind to raise sexual orientation to a constitutional
: level,"
: New Hampshire is among 11 states that have en-
¯ Acted similar laws. Maine voters will decide on Feb.
: 10 whether to keep their civil fights law for Gay
¯ citizens. The law was enacted in June and signed by
~ the governor, but opponents collected signatures to
¯ force the referendum.
i Canadian ProvinceAdds
Civil Rights Protections
: ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland (AP)- The legislature
in the eastern province of Newfoundlandhas voted to
¯ include sexual orientation in its human rights code.
¯ The vote leaves Alberta and Prince Edward Island as
: the only Canadian provinces that don’t extend protec-
¯ tion to Gays and Lesbians.
i .The Newfoundland human rights code will now
: prohibit discrimination against Gays in areas such as
employment, housing and access to establishments
¯ and. services. Some pension plans are excluded from
: the amendment in accordance with the federal In-
. come Tax Act, which defines aspouse as someone of
¯
the opposite sex. NewfoundlandPremier BrianTobin
¯ had promised to amend the human rights code when
¯ he was elected in February 1996.
i Salt Lake City Adds
¯ Employment Protections
¯ SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The City Council has
: voted 5-2 to approve an ordinance protecting Gay city
employees from discrimination. Oneopponent, Coun¯
cilman Bryce Jolley, said the law will be repealed in
January by’the new council. "If you choose to pass
this, it will be for two weeks only," he said Tuesday.
’q’his vote will be symbolic. This ordinance will be
¯
Co"Uficil inembers’ Tom Godfrey, Mary Mark~ Lee
¯ Martinez, JoanneMilner and Deeda Seed voted for
¯ thenewlaw. Jolley~andCotthcilmanKeithChfist’elsen
opposed the 0rdjnancei:~ottfrey, M~rk andlM~nez
¯ are lame ’ ducks. They ~vill be. repiaced by carl~ton
¯ Christensea, Tom Roganand Roger Thomps0"~;
¯ CarltonChristensen saidhewould support Jolley’s
efforts to repeal the ordinance. Rogan supports the
¯ new law. Thompson would not say what he thinks
¯ abo~t the issue.
¯ Salt lake City is the first Utah municipality to ¯
adopt such an ordinance. Salt Lake County and the
: University of Utah have similar policies. Many busi-
¯ nesses have similar protections.
W~ayyour constant love be tt~ us, Lord as weput our hqOe tnyou2- Ps. 33:21
nited ln.God’s Love
~
10ve with us each Sunday at 10:45 am.
Children Are Always Welcome!
Metr Folitan Community
1623 N. Naplewo~l Gremer Tulsa /
Christopher Spradling
Attorney at Law
General practice, including wills,
estate planning & domestic partnerships
616 S, Main St, Office (918) 582-7748
Suite 308 Pager (918) 690-0644
Tulsa, OK 74119 Fax (918) 582-2444
who
will the person
is still paying
too;.mu~h for
life insurance,
please call
Ken Balch &Asso¢ia%es
918-747-9506
Rev. Sherry Hilliard
Interim Pastor
Sunday
Choir practice, 4pm
Worship, 5pm
Wednesday
Midweek Service,6:30pm
Thursday
Codependency Support
Group, 7:30pm
5451-ES. Min~o, 622-1441
JACOXANIMAI CLINIC
Family’s Pet Physicmn -
DR. MALCOLM JACOX
M - F 7:30 - 7, Sat 9 -1
2732 East 15th Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74104
tel: 712-2750, fax: 712-2760
Now Featuring Dog Grooming, Mon. - Fri.
ADVANCED
WIRELESS & PCS
Mark Bizjack, Digital Cellular Service
747-1508
The V in the Pride Center
Pride.
Open at 4-6, Wednesdays Store 2-6, Saturday,
,Gifts ¯ Cards ¯ Pride Merchandise
¯ On the web at http://members.aol.com/T~saPridefindex.html
Going Out of
Business
But
We’re Not Gone Yet!
Brookside
Jewelry
4649 S. Peoria
Corner of48th & Peoria
743-52721 9:30-5pm, M-F
Country
Club
Barbering
Custom Styling
for Men &
Women
David
Kauskey
3310 E 51st"
747-0236
Tues.-Fri.
8-5:30
Sat. 8-5pm
Parish
Church
of
St. Jerome
An Inclusive Zlng~can Communtty
Beginning November 30, 1997
Holy Eucharist - Sundays at 11:00AM
205 West K~g
in Tulsa’s Historic Brady Heislats
Th~ R~-v. Fath~~Holl"~,,~-~tth, Pastor
TI~ Rev. Ddobie Statues, Desctm
O18)~
Evangelical Anglican Church in America
THE
DOG
HOUSE
ON
BROOKSIDE
Bakery Treats
Pet Supplies
Salon, Bed &
Breakfast
3311 S. Peoria
744-5556
Two hours ofvitriolicpublic debatepreceded the
council’s vote, More than 30 residents argued for
andagainst thenew law~ Gay city residents pleaded
with council members to approve the ordinance
that protects city employees from job discrimination
based on their race, color, national origin, sex,
religion, age, sexual orientation or disability. They
say it’s a matter of fairness and equity.
University of Utah Law School professor Terry
Kogan said he is grateful the university has a
similar nondiscrimination policy that protects him
fromjob discrimination. "My life would be miserable
if I hg.d hanging over my head the worry that
my superiors could fire me based solely on my
sexual orientation, something totally unrelated to
my job performance," Kogan said.
Employment attorney Erik Stringberg urged
adoption of the taw and cited the case of two Utah
Lesbians dismissed from their jobs when their
sexual orientation was discovered. "Employees are
repeatedly and regularly fh’ed from their jobs becauseofsexual
orientation"," Stn’nqgbe’rghsai"id.s"
proposed ordinance would not give any special
rights to Gay employees. It would merely ensure
that employees are given a fair chance and are not
discriminated against based on something that has
nothing to do with their job performance."
Others at the meeting disagreed. Some claimed a
parental right to know if Gay city employees might
have contact with their children. Some argued the
law was giving Gay city employees special protections
not afforded other workers.
A few attorneys contended the city ordinance
was too vague. Some said the law could be extended
to include all businesses in the city. Other
speakers raised religious arguments against the
ordinance. "Homosexuality is a perversion," said
U. instructor Brian Fetzer. "It "always will be an
abomination before God."
i Ex-Scout Still Appealing
¯ HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) - Kicking James Dale ¯
out of the Boy Scouts because heis Gay violates the
: state’s anti-discriminationlaw, attorneys saidinan
¯ appeal to reinstate the former assistant scoutmas-
¯ ter. "We want an end to this discriminatory policy,"
: attorney Evan Wolfson said of the Boy Scouts of
." America’s 80-year-old practice of barring homo-
. sexuals. Wolfson argued Dale’s case beforea three-
¯ judge state Appellate Division panel of Superior
: Courtjudges. Thejudges didnotimmediately rule.
: Dale earned30 merit badges, seven achievement
¯ honors and other awards, and was an Eagle Scout ¯
during his 12 years as a Scout. He was expelled in
: 1990 alter the Boy Scouts learnedhe was Gay from
: a newspaper article. He sued the organization in a
: 1992 and a Monmouth County judge ruled in the
¯ Scouts’ favor in 1995, calling homosexuality "a
: serious moral wrong."
¯ Dale’s attorneys claim the Boy Scouts policy
¯ violates New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law,
"- which was expanded in 1992 to prohibit most
¯ organizations from discriminating on the basis of
: sexual, orientation. In his argument, Wolfson noted
: that the Scouts’ commitment to being "morally
¯ straight"-never mentions sexual 0iientation. The
¯ Scouts, he says, stand for "teaching boys, team-
. work, se!f-reliance, courage, torespect the rights of
¯ all people." .
." A national spokesmzn for thail~ Scouts says
¯ the organization’s stand on homosexuality is crucial
to its mission. ’q’his is a ~0,~aional policy that’s
¯ the proposal in August the legislature intended to
protect women and childrenfrom abuse and protect
a traditional family unit. Philpot said he is open to
.. the possibility of providing protection to homo-
. sexual victims of domestic violence if Gays prove
¯ there is a problem.
Gau l~.t~Hn|l~Q [~l~lt .P.~ : ve~simple,"~dGreggS~e~ds.¢,~eBoyS~uts
"3 ~~’~ "~"~$~ : of ~efi~ have long mught’~’~ues held by
~ ¯ " . .- " ¯ , " ~ ........... s~fing f~es.. ~’A ~r~0~’.who.~en a es i "
_ " - ¯ .nomos~x~ nzesty~e
~N~OR~T, Ky.-(Ap) - A CO~ ofApes : Values."
~g ~at says dom~fic viol~ orders may be Dfle, now 27 ~d worMng at
ob~n~by one mem~r of a s~e-sex ~uple who " public relafiom fi~, w~ts to~reinsure. "~scrimination
goes against everything I learnedinmy
; 1,2 years of Scouting," Dale said in..a press release
." issued by his attorneys. "I want the Boy Scouts of
¯ America to give back what I earned and allow me
.- to continue to serve." Despite the national policy,
¯ the Boy Scouts’ San Francisco-area chapter last
; year adopted a more lenient "don’t ask, don’t tell"
¯ policy toward Gays.
¯ Ellen Honored byACLU
¯
BEVERLY HILLS,Calif. (AP)- Ellen DeGeneres
¯ never wanted to be a spokeswoman for Gay rights,
~ but that’s exactly what happened after she publicly
disclosed her sexual orientation. "I just got to the
." place where I didn’t want to live my life feeling
¯ ashamed, and thankGodthat I don’t have to do that
." anymore," she said Sunday at a dinner where she
¯ was honoredbytheAmericanCivil Liberties Union
of Southern California.
: "From the beginning, I said that I didn’t want to
.. become a spokesman for Gay rights. But here I
¯ am," she said. DeGeneres said her ABC sitcom ¯
"Ellen" serves an important function in trying to
." remove the stigma attached to Gays and Lesbians.
¯ "But there’s still a lot more to do," she said. ¯
’q’here’s a warning label on my show sending a
¯ message that there is something wrong with me."
". DeGeneres has beenfighting withABC executives
¯ in an effort to.,~emove the parental guidance warn-
" hlgs at the beginning of her show.
: TheACLU gave her its Bill of Rights Award for
: advancing" the cause of Gay rights 100-fold" by
¯ announcing her sexual orientation on the April 14 ¯
issue of Time magazine and later appeared on the
: groundbreaking "Ellen" episode. The ACLU Bill
¯ of Rights Award commemorates the ratification of
: the Bill of Rights in December 1791. Funds raised
¯
at the annual dinner support the ACLU’s legal
¯ battles, advocacy and public education programs.
faces abuse from the other could inflame legislative
debate on the topic. One state’ ~enator has
already proposed a change in thelaw to prohibit the
issuance of domestic violence orders to members
of a same-sex couple. The appellate decision reversed
a Fayette Circuit Court ruling, which had
taken the position that the law applies only to a
married couple or a heterosexual couple.
Judge David Buckingham of Murray, who wrote
the majority decision, said the statute applies to
couples engaged in an intimate relationship and
would not apply to roommates. ’q’he language of
the statute is unambiguous, even though it is gender-
neutral and does not specifically include or
specifically exclude same-sex couples from its
scope," Buckingham wrote. ’€I’he General Assembly
has not given preferential treatment to samesex
couples or homosexuals; rather it has provided
for equal treatment under the law for same-sex or
homosexual victims of domestic violence."
.Judge Joseph Huddleston of Bowling Green
joined Buckingham’s opinion. Judge Rick Johnson
of Mayfield dissented. He said the legislature intendedto
allow domestic violence orders forcouples
that are composedof members of the opposite sex.
The statute now allows "any family member or
member ofan unmarried couple" to petition a court
for a domestic violence order to refrain from any
contact with the partner. It has generally been
applied to nnmarried couples who live together,
formerly lived together or havea child in common.
It also covers spouses and some other relatives.
According to the court case, John W. Ireland and
Blake Allen Davis were homosexual males living
together in an intimate relationship. Ireland sought
a protective order, alleging he had been abused by
Davis.
Sen. Tim Philpot, R-Lexington, has proposed a
revision that would add to the definition of an
unmarried couple, limiting that category to people
"of opposite sex." philpot said prior to a heating on
Denver Needle
Exchange Program
DENVER (AP)-Hopingto slow Denver’ s
growing number of HIV and A{DS cases,
the City Council has approved a.controversial
needle-exchange program that
would allow drug users to trade used
syringes for new ones.
The exchange program, which was approved
Monday on an 8-3 vote, cannot go
into effectwithout the authorization ofthe
state legislature. Lawmakerslast session
killed a bill to ~nodify .Colorado’s drug
paraphernalia lacy.
Despite the uphill battle; progr,a,in proponent~
saidiris a.neces~ary step’to preventing
spreaff of-HIV and AIDS: An.
estimated 10.5percent of Denver’s AIDS
cases in 1996 were attributed to intravenous
drug use. ’Tnis is a public health
issue," councilwoman Happy Hayes said.
"The goal is tO decrease the spread of
infectious and deadly diseases. I see no
evidence that it will increase drug use."
Councilman ~Ed,~Thomas, a former Denver
police offi~ jofixed~ Susan Bames-
Gelt andTed Hackworthas the dissenting
voters. "We’re taking a giant lehp of faith
with people invo{~ed in heroin and injection
devices, T,homas stud. There s not
absolute proof that a needle-exchange
program ... is successful."
Mayor Wellin~gt0ii Webb, who initially
opposed the needle program, changed his
position out of concern for the gro,,wing
number of children infected with HIV
throughtbeirmothers. UnderWebb’ s proposal,
the city’s department of environmental
health would register, inspect and
monitor any needle-exchange program.
Denver would join "75 other U.S. cities
,with such a program.
Boulder has a personal needle-exch~
mge program in which individtmls receive
dean needles for used ones, but it is
not recognized by authorities and is generally
.regarded as illegal. "It just doesn’t
make sense," Denver police officer Kirk
Miller said ofneedle-exchange programs.
"Let’s do some outreach and education
first before we give a drug user the equipment
to commit a felony."
Call For HIV Case
Reporting by Name
SEATTLE (AP) - The first U.S. decline
in new AIDS eases is increasing support
for a proposal that was once almost too
controversial to discuss: identifying and
monitonng everyone who tests positive
for the virus that causes the disease. Such
a shift, now gaining momentum at the
state and federal level, would mark a
turnaround in public health policy.
In Washington state, public health officials
now track only full-blown AIDS
cases. Underthenew proposal, they would
monitor, by name, everyone who tests
positive forHIV, thehumanimmunodeficiency
virus that causes AIDS, and try to
notify their sexual or needle-sharing partners
that they have been exposed and may
be infected.
The federal Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention is asking all states to
consider the policy change. Now thatnew
AIDS:drugs are keeping people with .HIV
healthier longer, thereby leading to a atop
in full-blownAIDS cases, such a change
would enable authorities to get more
HIV-positive people on the drugs sooner.
"We need to keep our policies in line
withthenew scientific evidence that early
notification saves lives," said Dr. Alonzo
Plough, director of the Seattle-King
County Department of Public Health.
"Names reporting is the best way for us to
keep track of the epidemic and to make
sure individuals andinfected partners have
this information," he said.
The change would also mean that epidemiologists
could for the first time enlist
traditional .public-health strategies in the
battle against AIDS. For years, the stigma
of a disease that primarily infected gay
men and injected-drug abusers was so
great that officials, at the insistence of the
gay community, relied on nontraditional
methods such as anonymous testing and
treatment.
Thirty states already record the names
of people who have tested positive for
HIV. InWashington state, for example,
reporting by name begins when the patient
has clinically defined AIDS - an
AIDS-related infection or other symptom,
or an immune system weakened to
below a certain level.
Names reporting has long been used to
helpcontain and combat other dangerous
infectious diseases. The state monitors 54
such ailments including measles; tuberculosis,
whooping cough, certain types of
hepatitis and several sexually transmitted
diseases,
Now some health authorities say it’s
time to add HIV to the list. They want the
freedom to attack AIDS with the traditional
tools of public health: routine testing
of large segments of the population,
names reporting of those who test HIV
positive, and notification of people who
may have been infected so that they can
get tested for HIV and seek treatment if
necessary.
.The CDC considers names reporting of
HIV the only accurate way to "track the
front end of the epidemic," said Judith
Billings, Washington state’s former top
school offici’,d and a member of the
President’s Advisory Council on HIVAIDS.
Billings, who stepped down from her
stat~ post after disclosing her own AIDS
diagnosis last year, also leads a subcommittee
of the Governor’s Advisory Council
on HIV-AIDS. The group has held five
public hearings on HIV names reporting
and will report its findings to Gov. Gary
Locke next month.
Early intervention allows health authorities
te stretch limited AIDS-prevention
resources, Billings said. But, as a
person with AIDS, she said she understands
concerns that it could lead to discrimination
in housing, employment and
medical care. "There are plenty of people
who went through 10, 12, 15 years of
discrimination who are very concerned,"
Billings said. "And we all know too well
that there are somepretty innovative (computer)
hackers."
Citing such concerns, the Seattle-based
Northwest AIDS Foundation is opposing
the proposed change in policy. "We think
HIV surveillance is important, but we
think there needs to be an alternative to a
name-based system," said Steven Johnson,
the foundation’s public policy director
and a member of the governor’s advisory
council.
The alternative could be some sort of
unique identifier or code numbers that
enable officials to track the epidemic without
raising patient fears of disclosure,
Johnson sai& "The CDC hasn’t come
down with a definitive position on what
they want from the states," he said. "It’s
unclear if the CDC will ask states to
comply with the name-based system or let
states do their own surveillance."
The new push for names reporting fol-
Free & Anonymous Finger Stick Method
By &for, but not exclusive to the Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Communities.
Mon. & Thurs., 7-9 pm, Daytime testing Mon-Thurs. by appt.
H O P E
HIV Outreach, Preve6tion&Educaiion
part of Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights HIVPrevention Programs
834-TEST (8378), 3507 E. Admiral Place
Cherry Street
Psychotherapy Associates
1515 S. Lewis
(918)-743-4117
¯ Certified in EMDR Treatment
¯ Certified in Hypnotherapy
¯ Traditional Psychotherapy
Leah Hunt, MSW
* Our Fees Are Negotiable *
Serving a Diverse Community
Richard Reeder, MS
Jeffrey A, Beal, MD
Stephen Peake, MD
Ted Campbell, LCSW
Specialized in
HIV Care
Providing
Comprehensive
Primary Care Medicine
and Psychotherapeutic
Services
we are currently enrolling
participants in HIV/AIDS
investigational drug trials.
Call us and ask for
Drug Study to see
if you qualify.
2325 South Harvard,
Suite 600, Tulsa 74114
Monday - Friday
9:30-4:30 pro, 743-1000
will the
person who is
still paying
too much for
health
insurance
please call
Kent Balch &
Associates
918-747-9506
What to get someone who already
has everything: a gift certificate
for a relaxing, therapeutic
MASSAGE.
SALON
WESTCOPA
Lincoln Plaza
1310 E. 15th, 583-1500
Medical
Excellence And
mpas. slonate,
:
i S.. nce
1926.
ST. JOHN MEDICAL CENTER
l]l t rcn ¢ar n rapms
---~-,-- T.W. Stewart, L.M.T., R.Hy., Sifu, Reiki Master
-- 832-8105 --
Compassionate CJtotLsttc. a teattng
4
,PHYSICAL INTEGRATION THERAPY
,CRYSTAL PATH REIKI
,REIKI THERAPY ,HYPNOTHERAPY
,REFLEXOLOGY ,POLARITY THERAPY
,TAI CHI QUAN LESSONS
Pride Center Tai Chi Quan Classes Forming!
Call if interested in joining this class.
Gift Certificates available for all
Services by Request¯
lows some rare good news in the AIDS
epidemic. Combination-drug therapies -
especially a new class of drugs known as
i’pr.otease inhibitors"-have shownprom-
1se m many patients.
In September, the CDC reported the
first U.S. drop in new AIDS cases. In
1996, 56,730 Americans were diagnosed
with AIDS, down 6 percent from the
60,620 new cases reported in 1995. At the
same time, AIDS deaths declined 23 percent,
from 50,140 to 38,780.
The new anti-AIDS drugs are expensive
and don’t work for everyone, but
supporters of names reporting say .the
latest developments are encouraging
enough to warrant re-examining public
policy.
"We can?t tell you what proportion of
people who have HIV infection are on
effective drugs - or what proportion of
those people are even in care systems -
because we have no idea who they are,"
said Dr. BobWood, AIDS-control officer
for the Seattle-King County Department
of Public Health. ’qf you want to answer
those very important questions, we need
to have the data," he said.
To Wood and others in the field, public
health officials are negligent if they do
anything less than seek out the disease
and eradicate it. For them, that means
notifying an HIV-positive person’s sexual
partners, because "if you leave it to the
person, it doesn’t happen," Wood said.
HIV Warning For
UK Soldiers
: Sustiva, a trademark name of DuPont
: Merck, is expected to be filed with the
: Food and Drug Administration next year.
: The access program allows companies
¯ to get the drug to patients in need who
: have few other choices while it is being
considered by the FDA. Once the drug is
: licensed and marketed, the free access
: program would end. In the program,
: Sustiva must be used in combination with
¯ and initiated at the same time asat least
one other marketed or investigational
¯ antiretroviral drug which the patient :has
: not taken previously. Patients would only
: be eligible if their, current ~regimen’ and
¯ drug cocktaiIs are not effective. ¯
Preliminary data indicates that Sustiva
¯. can significantly reduce viral loads and
improve healthy cell counts when used
: with other drugs, the company said. Pa-
: tients andphysicians may call 1-800-998-
: 6854 for more information on the pro-
: gram.
! Chinese Hood
: Bettor AIDSlnfo,
! BEIJING (AP) - Many doctors in China
: need a crash course in treating AIDS, a
: survey shows. It found that nearly 60
¯ percent of doctors in eight Chinese cities
: mistakenly believed that AIDS could be
: transmitted by sharing bowls and chop-
: sticks, the Beijing Youth Daily newspaperreportedWednesday.
Thesurveyfound
: that more than 70 percent of ordinary
¯" people held the same view. It also found
: that one in three people surveyed and one
¯ in six doctors-mistakenly thought AIDS
LONDON (AP) - Commanders at : conldbetransmittedthroughahandshake.
Britain’s largest military base have ad- : The survey was conducted in Beijing,
Shanghai-and-six..other..cities~by~tl~7~C~h~.~~
least two HIV-positive women had a se- nese Academy for Preventive Medicine,
ties of sexual affairs with soldiers. The
two women had been having sex with
soldiers based at Catterick gamson in
Yorkshire, 210 miles north of London,
Col. Nell Donaldson said in a special
order.
The women "are believed to be liberal
with their affections, particularly to soldiers,
and are not averse to indulging in
casual sex, often unprotected," Donaldson
said in the statement issued Tuesday.
The Sun tabloid newspaper said that
more than 100 men had asked for AIDS
tests after the announcement and speculated
that the women may have been deliberately
trying to infect soldiers. The
Ministry of Defense did not say whether
any of the soldiers tested had the HIV
virus.
Sustiva Drug
Program Expands
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)-The DuPont
Merck Pharmaceutical Co. is making the
drug Sustiva available to more HIV-infected
patients. Under the broader Sustiva
Expanded Access Program, patients who
have had less than 400 CD4 cells per
millimeter will qualify for free doses of
the drug, which must be taken with other
protease inhibitors.
The old access program was designed
for patients with less than 50 CD~ cells
per millimeter - meaning the patient’s
condition was much more severe, said
Sandra Kingsberry, a spokeswoman for
the company.
DuPontMerck, ajoint venturebetween
Merck &Co. and DuPont Co., expanded
its access program one month ahead of
schedule because of an increased supply
of the drug. A new drug application for
the newspaper reported. It did not give
details about how the survey was conducted
or any percen~ge of error.
AIDS is spread through intravenous
drug use, sexual contact, blood and breast
milk.. China has 7,253 official cases of
HIV infection, but experts say the real
figure could be as high as 200,000.
Fighting AIDS in
Black Communities
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)-Two statewide
groups are joining together in an effort to
slow the rapidly increasing surge ofAIDS
and HIV infection in Kentucky’s black
communities. Representatives from the
NAACPand the Kentucky Department of
Public Health said at a news conference
Friday that they’re planning a series of
workshops, health fairs and other events
around the state next year to provide information
about AIDS and alert blacks to
the growing threat.
"If we don’t address this issue now,
there will be no .tomorrow," said Anna
Davis-Nail, representing the WIN
(Women in the NAACP) Auxiliary of the
Kentucky Conference of NAACP
Branches. "We must take a stand to make
a change in our own community."
Davis-Nail said that, as a part of the
plan, organizers want to create a core
group of at least 150 blacks fromdifferent
backgrounds who would spread the word
aboutAIDS in black comm~lnities around
the state. The group would consist of 50
young people, 25 ministers, 25 people
with AIDS and 50 commtmity .leaders,
she said. Blacks make up about 7 percent
of Kentucky’s population, but they
count for about 30 percent of new HIV
infections in the state.
by James Christjohn, TFN bon vivant
Well ,jokers, chokers, and smokers, it’s
timeforyet another wonder-columnfilled
with wit, intelligence, and bad jokes
aplenty. Before I forget:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Worth a trip to Dallas (from which
environs I’ve just returned), Cirque De
Soleil’s production of
Quidam arrives there on
Feb 11. If you have never
seen orheard ofthis troupe
from Canada, run to
Blockbuster and rent their
videos. The acro-aerobatits
are incredible, the
hunks amazingly beautiful,
the womendivine, and
the music (performed live
at the shows, and available
on CD at Best Buy)
simply breathtaking.
I’ve been a good boy,
Santa, can I have next
year’.s present just a tad
early...? This troupe, particularly
m the
Salt~mabanco video, puts
on a very homoerotic display
of two women on trapeze
and twomenin gymnastic
feats that have to
been seen to really be appreciated.
The whole
thing’s a circus of
surreality.
IfyoumissedTU’s production
of Falsettos, you
missed the best production
I have seen since, arrivinginTulsa4years
ago.
The acting, singing, and
choreography were as near
to perfect as you can get
and still be off-Broadway
(-way off Broadway).
The cast put on a professional
show, and I was utterly
absorbed into the action
onstage. The cast had
obviously workedhard on
this show, and I know this
is a show they’ve been
wanting to do since 1995.
Andsuch voices! Falsettos
is difficult musically,
and these folks made it
look so easy!
Falsettos tells the story
of Marvin (Gabriel
Washam) who, in the first
act, has come out to and
left his family - his exwife,
Trina (Ashleigh
Siegfried), their son Jason
(Simon Plohocky), and
also tells of relationship
with his lover, Whizzer
(Joel Sutliffe).
The dynamics of all
these relationships are
For those who ~,ike
their art visual,
Philbrook Museum
will be exhlbltln~ the
-work of
J,M.W. Turner,
"the ~reatest of landscape
palnter~" from
London, February 8-
Ap~l 1~.
Thls exhibit ~ll be
the sole world,de
venue - imagine, here
in little old Tulsd
~ More seriously,
Turner is eonsldered
the ~r~test British
~inter of the 19th
e~nt~r~ ~n~ one
of the monum~tal
fi~ures of ~estern
~intln~. This ~
pleee exhibit draws on
the holdln~s of three
~r~t Bdtlsh eolleetlons,
the Tate
Gallery, the Victoria
and Albert Museum
and the Unlve~ity of
London’s Courtauld
Institute Gallery."
The curator is Richard
To--send of
Philbr~k who ls also
the author of the
exhibit ~talo~ue that
~ll f~ture es~ys by
To--send, and
dlstln~ulshed Turner
spedallsts.
played out with help from Marvin’s psychiatrist,
Mendel (Jonathan Scott Chin)
who has a few-disorders of his own to
explore.
In short, Marvin wants it all - he wants
to keep his relationship with his family
and his lover. 1"hus is the scene set for
some really hilarious and poignant songs,
and of course, points about acceptance
and what constitutes a family nowadays.
The first act ends with Whizzer leaving
Marvin, and Trina deciding that she, too,
needs tofindherownwayinlife. Sheends
up with the psychiatrist.
The second act begins a couple of years
later - it’s time for Jason’s Bar Mitzvah,
and Trina and Marvin are having a terrible
time planning it. They are at odds over
everything. Jasonjust wants to disappear,
and Mendel ends up trying .all of the
psychology heknows tokeep ruffled feathers
from flying. Or is it
fur? Anyway,
Whizzerappears onthe
scene at Jason’s invitation
just in time to provide
some more complications.
And, as such
things do happen,
Whizzer and Marvin rekindle
the flames. This
come just as the Lesbians
next door, Doctor
Charlotte (Elizabeth
Haley) and her spouse,
caterer Cordelia (Jeni
Martin) arereading about
a strange new disease affecting
Gay men.
Thus the scene is set
for Whizzer’s future. He
-has AIDs. As the Bar
Mitzvah draws nigh, he
weakens and becomes
sickerand sicker. The day
of the Bar Mitzvah, he is
in hospital, and Jason,
disgusted with the arguing
adults around him,.
decides to have the Bar
Ivlitzvah in the hospital
room so Whizzer can be
there.
The show was profoundly
moving, and I
was gratified to seemany
members of the community
in the audience - a
large one, considering it
was the final performance,
and a matinee.
Tom had seen the original
off-Broadway production
of Falsettoland
(which comprised the
second act of Falsettos)
and proclaimed this TU
production as good. I feel
safe in saying there
wasn’t a dry eye in the
house - literally.
The actors in this production
were excellent-
Gabriel Washamhadjust
the right amount of neuroses
and pathos in
Marvin to keep the character
real. Joel Sutliffe
was absolutely perfect
(and handsome) as
Whizzer - again, not too
bitchy, but enough edge
to make the relationship
between Whizzer and
¯ Marvinreal withoutbeing utterly depress-
2 ing. I received many an elbow jab to the
¯
ribs by Tom after his character made a
¯ bitchy remark - I don’t know why.
¯¯ Eleven year-old Simon Plohocky can- nothaveenoughgoodthings written about
¯ him. He displayed an amazing depth with
¯ Jason that is a hard thing to achieve,
¯ especially with very young actors. This is
no fluff musical, and Jason is a pivotal
¯ character. The original Broadway cast of
¯ March of the Falsettos (the first act) lea- ¯
tured seeFalsettos,page 10
FEBRUARY 8 T
PHILBROOK
Your window on the world
Tickets on sale now at Carson Attractions, 58t-2000
Kelly Kirby CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
a professional corporation
Lesbians and Gay menface many special
tax situations whether single or as couples.
Start thinking about getting 1997 returns
done. Call us to see how we can help.
Electronicfiling is available forfaster
refunds.
747-5466
4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
VoiceMail
Caller ID
Free First
Incoming Minute
Message Alert/
Pager
Oklahoma and Kansas
Toll Free
Detailed Billing
Call Hold/
Call Waiting
The Plaza 8112 S Lewis 298-2747
Promonade Mall 4107 SYale 663-5404
Woodland. Hills Mall 7021 S Memorial 252-5850
Corporate Sales 523-8600 Get more from life~
Call 918-742-1971
or Toll Free 1-8OO-559-1558
Tulsa & Nationwide Relocat~oa
Real Estate Service~
JOHN RACAN-C~,C~, LICENSED REALTOR®
ANOn. CtaNa~ONE-L~CEN4ED A~SI~TANT®
with Riverside Redty. Inc.. Realtors
a~- SUNDAYS
Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Community of Hope (United Methodist), Service - 6pm, 1703 E. 2nd, 585-1800
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Service - 1 lain, 1703 E. 2nd, 749-0595
Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist
Service - 1 lam, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314
Family of Faith Metropolitan Community Church
Service, 5pro, 5451-E S. Mingo, 622-1441
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc.
Sunday School, 9:45am, Service - 10:45am, 3210e So. Norwood
Metropolitan Community Church of Greater Tulsa
Service, 10:45am, 1623 North Maplewood, Info: 838-i715
Parish Church-of St. Jerome (Evangelical Anglican Church in America)
Mass - 1 lam, 205 _W. King (east of No. Denver), Info: 582-3088
University of Tulsa Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance
Sundays at 6:30 pro, Meets at the Omterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780
~" MONDAYS
HIV Testing Clinic, Free & anonymous testing. No appointment required.
Walk in testing: 7-8:30pm Results: 7-gpm, Info: 834-TEST (8378)
HIV Rap Sessions at Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
7:30pm, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
2nd Mow’each mo. 6:30pm, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard
Gay & Lesbian Book Discussion Group, Borders Bookstore
1st Mon/ea. mo., 7:30pm, 2740 E. 21st, 712-9955
Mixed Volleyball, on hold for winter, call 587-6557 for info.
Monday Night Football, 8pm, Pride Center, Renfro Room, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
a~. TUESDAYS
HIV+ Support Group, HIV Resource Consortium 1:30 pm
Shanti-Tulsa, Inc. HIV/AIDS Support Group, and Friends & Family HIV/AIDS~
Support Group - 7 pm, Locations, call: 749-7898
Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networking group, Info: 665-5174
PrimeTimers, mens group, 11/18, 7:30 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th
Coming Out Support Group (TOHR/HOPE)
Alternating Tuesdays, 6 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th, info: 743-4297
~ WEDNESDAYS
Bless The Lord At All Times Christian Center
Prayer & Bible Study, 7:30 pm 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Family Of Faith MCC Praise/Prayer-6:30pm, 5451-E S. Mingo. 622-1441
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Service - 7pm, 3210e So. Norwood
Tulsa Native American Mens Support Group
For more information, call 582-7225, John at ext. 218, or Tommy at ext. 208
TCC Gay & Lesbian Association of Students (GLAS), Call for info: 595-7632.
Lambda A-A, 7 pm, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
Ellen Watch Party, 8:30pm, Pride Center, Renfro Room, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
g~" THURSDAYS
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education
Anonymous HIV Testing, Testing: 7 - 8:30pm, Results: 7 - 9pm, Info: 834-8378
Oklahoma Rainbow Young Adult Network (O’RYAN)
Support/social group for 18-24’s, call Red Rock Mental Health at 584-2325
Tulsa Family Chorale, Weekly practice - 9:30pm, Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
From Our Hearts to Our House, I lpm, 3rd Thurs/each mo. Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS, Info: 834-4194
~" FRIDAYS
SafeHaven, Young Adults Social Group, 1 st Fri/each mo. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th
Community Coffee House, varying dates, 7 pro, Pride Center, Info: 743-4297
~ SATURDAYS
Narcotics Anonymous, 11 pm, Community of Hope,1703 E. 2nd, Intb: 585-1800
Lambda A-A, 6 pm, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd fl.
~" OTHER GROUPS
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222
Womens Supper Club, Call for info: 584:2978
OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization. Long and short rides. All tides
start at Ziegler Park Recreation Center, 3903 W. 4th St. Members get access to the
Club’s hot line for updates on rides. Info: POB 9165, Tulsa 74157
Ifyour orgamzation is not listed, please let us know. Call orfax 583-4615.
IGTA member
Call 341.68~6/ ~: .... .:
intornational
Tours more information.
Damron Guides
Magazines for All Interests
Movie Sales & Rentals
Adult Gifts and Sensual Novelties
Leather Accessories & Lingerie
Cards & Calendars by 10%
Home of the 21st St. Social Board
Open 24 hours a day
i~Gay owned & operated
8i20 East 21 st
610-8510
(21st+Memorial acrossfrom Albertsons)
Gay Owned, Operated &
Rainbow Proud
~ " -! Gav Mecca of the Oz~ks- ....
Beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka’s
Old
Jailhouse
Historic
Lodging in the
Heart of
Eureka Springs
50!
253-5332
15 Montgomery
(comer of
Mountain &
Main)
Outside
Hot Tub
748.5304
THE PHILBROOK
MUSEUM OF ART
9
What’s happening in
the. community?
What services
are available?
Looking for a Rainbow
Sticker or
Community
Newspapers?
Need a Coming Out
Support Group?
Need to get tested
for HIV?
Want to get involved
-and help?
Call 743-GAYS
(743-4297)
Your
Community Center
the Pride Center
1307 E. 38th at Peoria
2rid floor
Lookfor the Rainbow
Flag on the root
by Jean-Pierre La Grandbouche
TFN restaurant reviewer
One of the best kept secrets of Tulsa’s
beautiful people has been a quiet little
bistro in a faux-Tudor strip center near
Southern Hills Golf and Country Club.
Yet, that bistro has been the Site of a lot of
excitement in the local culinary world
since they reopened in November after
extensive redecorating and
remodeling; .... - , -
Cardigan s, An American
Bistro, at 5800 South Lewis,
now boasts a revised menu
and a fresh, new look, while
still retaining a clubby, comfortable
feel. Diners who
haven’t been to Cardigan’s in
the past couple of months
won’t recognize the place,
which now features tall wainscotting
in a deep, mahogany.
color, surmounted with crisply
painted walls in a soothing,
basil green shade. Dramatic,
large Italian and New York
deco-era posters decorate the
walls.
The designers have been
successful in updating the
look, while still giving the
rooms a cozy, lived-in feel that
looks as if it has been there for
years. Waiters wear solidblack
wing-collar shirts with blue
jeans and waist-to-floor white
aprons, while busboys wear
black polo-style shirts with
their jeans. . ....
During our"~¢~riV 9isW~~
Cardigan’ s for this review, we
were somewhat disconcerted
at the wait to be greeted at the
door by anyone connected with
the staff. However, once the
maitre d’ materialized, we
were warmly greeted and
promptly escorted to a prime
table. During tiffs dinner, we were privileged
to be the guest of the doyen of
Tulsa’s artistic musical community, who
is a frequent diner at Cardigan’s, so our"
reception was more probably a result of
his patronage and renown than a usual
reaction to dinner guests.
The new menus are quite adventuresome.
While making a more than adequate
bow to the standard cliche foods of
the typical Oklahoma-Texas popular eatery,
the Cardigan concept includes its
own flair with items like the cheeseburger
with Gouda cheese and caramelized onions
and the ten5ne incorporating fetaand
cream cheeses with the ubiquitous sundried
tomatoes.
Items from the Mexican, Italian, and
Chinese repertoire are included, plus a
few things from Santa Fe, New Orleans,
and the New York delicatessen, making
categorization of this eclectic smorgasbord
difficult. But, with such a broad
variety, practically everyone can find at
least Onefavorite item on themenu, and in
all price ranges from pricey entrees to
economical pizzas and sandwiches.
Avariety of salads are available both as
side salads and as main course salads,
including a classic Caesar, hot dressed
spinach, Greek, and Cobb, with prices
from $2.25 to $6.50. French onion soup in
a daily standard, and, on the night of our
visit, the soup of the day was New
gland style clam chowder (cup. $1.95,
Cardlgan’s
An
American
Bistro
5800 S. Lewis
Amblanee:
Dressy casual
Prices:
Expensive
Payment:
All major
plastle accepted
Non-smoking
seetlon: Yes
............Alcohol: ,-
Full bar and
wine llst
Rating:
A llst
¯ bowl $2.95). Weopted for the clam chow-
: der, and, while it was a tasty soup, it was
¯ rather more of a clam-flavored potato
¯
soup than a seafood chowder.
While our waiter, rather ineptly, was
¯ uneducated as to the evening’s specials
and their preparations, we, nonetheless,
¯ opted to order the chef’s fish of,the day,
¯ whichwas apecan~encrustedfiletofChilcan
blue-nosed sea bass
($17.95). Sea,bass i~. a large,
flak~, White fish, an66u~!~rge~
thick slab Was very"tiicely
cookedthroughout, th6ughwe
found the ground pecan crust
to have an ever-so7s!ighfly
scorched taste. The pecan-encrusting
conceptis ago&tone,
though, and would probably
beperfectona thinnerpiece of
fish. The one thing we didn’t
like about the fiSh ~,~ ’the
very sweet blueberry sauce
that was ladled over th~ Serving--
we would .mUch. rather
have preferred the sauce on
the side.
Our host chose the medallions
of beef tenderloin
($14.50). Several-medallions
were presented, cooked correctly
to the requested degree
of doneness, and were covered
in a marsala sauce, which
our companion termed, "ten5-
bly ordinary." Both entrees
were accompanied by mashed
potatoes and a winter vegetable
saute. 7~e did. notice
that everything -~e elam
chowder, the medallions, the
mashed potatoes - were garnished
the same way, with a
rather unimaginative scattering
of chopped parsley.
After our waiter convinced
us to try the lemon custard
meringue pie ($3.25) for des-
" sert, he later had to come back to report
¯ that the kitchen was out of lemon pie. We
¯ were not amused. In lieu of the pie, we
¯ decided upon the fresh vanilla bean flan
($3.50). Flan, of course, is h delicate egg
¯ custard, and in this case, we were very
¯ pleasandy surprised and interested to be
¯ served a thick, almost cheesy, custard that
¯ was quite good.
¯ Our dinner companion had the black
Russian cake ($3.25). Wewere expecting
¯
something perhaps Kahlua-flavored, re-
" calling the black Russian cocktail made
: with vodka and Kahlua, a coffee liqueur.
¯ Instead, a several slices of afudgey choco-
¯
late tube cake with chocolate icing served
on a bed of decorated whipped cream and
¯ cocoa arrived, and neither we nor the
waiter (ourhero, who was moving quickly
¯
toward an e~ght percent tip) could explain
¯ why the cake bore the "black Russian"
¯ moniker. ¯
Now, whileweare being abit cridcal on
¯
the finer points of execution of our re-
" view-night meal, wedon’t want to give an
: overall negativeimpression ofCardigan’s.
¯ Yes, the kitchen could use abitmore flare
¯
in their saucings and presentations, but
." the basic food underneath is generally
¯ good and a fair value for themoney,when ¯
comparedto similar establishments in this
: region. And, while our waiter was inex-
: cusably inept and insuffieiendy ~rained,
¯ he was friendly and didn’t actually give
: badservice, seeCardigan’s,page 12
Gays & Religion
by Lamont Lindstrom
I lived for a couple of years in a village
on an isolated island in what today is the
South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. I was at
one time the only American on this island
until a Catholic priest arrived from the
U.S. He had been assigned to a mission
station about three miles walk away from
mcoea,sffdmoew. TniffaslownagsPa~rreoBcokby.
(Up until then, all priests
serving the Catholic mission
had been French-speaking
l~res.) P~re Bob was hospitable
and engaging; he was
also vigilantly taken care of
by a gaggle of Italian nuns,
and he had laid in a fine
supply ofwine and whiskey.
P~re Bob was interested
in island culture and language
and he often joined
localmenandboys whogathered
at dark village clearings
each evening to prepare and
drink kava, the Pacific’s traditional
drug substance.
Kava ordinarily has light
depressant, mood-levding
effects, something like
valium. It wasn’t long before
teen-aged boys were
whispering to me that P~re
Bob, everyone zoned out on
kava, would sometimes feel them up. The
boys ~weren’.t upset about this; they just
giggled at the p&e’s sexual eccentrictty.
It came to me then that the connections
between religion and sexuality a~e .long
and twisted in human history.
Whaf~v_er one believes about the supernatural,
the problem in all religions is one
of access and commlmication. Who controis
the flow of messages back and forth
between humans and the gods? Specialist
mediators, operate in most religions as
supernatural guides, as did Pdre Bob, in
his own way, onmyisland. Many cultures
presume Gays and Lesbians to bridge
fundamental gender categories. Religious
systems have often built, metaphorically,
on this positional intermediacy of Gays
and Lesbians. Homosexuals (however
culturally conceived),who themselves are
in between gender categories are effective
religious mediators linking humans
and the gods. Mohave Indian cross-dressers,
for example, traditionally, often were
powerful shaman; they cured sickness by
contacting the world of the spirits. Crossdressers
in India, the hijras, similarly possess
powerful abilities to bless and to
curse based on their dose links to the
Mother Goddess. (Anyone interested in
hijras, afew ofwhomare hermaphrodites
and some of whom ritually emasculate
themselves, mighthavealookatmyfriend
Serena Nanda’s book Neither Man Nor
Woman: The Hijras ofIndia (1990).)
Anthropologist Weston La Barre once
suggested that original human religion
everywhere was shamanistic and therefore
relatively egalitarian. Although
people might turn to part-time specialist
shamans to diagnose and cure disease and
for other sorts of assistance with the supernatural,
everyone had the capacity and
the right to contact his or her own ancestors
or other family spirits. With the development
of agriculture, though, religion
and social life in general became
much more hierarchical. When the great
religions - the religions of the book -
: appeared in human history, they quickly
¯ acquired an official monopoly on spiri-
: tual mediation. Priesthoods, notably,
¯ emerged and gained control of tallking to
¯ the gods.
¯ Organized priesthoods may have se-
¯ cured the function of mediating with spit-
¯ its but they have not escaped issues of
: sexuality and religious function. The Ro-
¯ man Catholic Church, for
example, particularly since
the 12th century has symbolically
remarked the powers
of its priestly mediatorsthrough
an elaboration of
celibacy. But some of the
same sorts of people whose
intermediate sexuality once
would have led them to take
up the spiritual quests of the
shaman nowadays become
clergy within religton organizations
that are hostile to
homosexuality. Nonetheless,
some of the best priests
and pastors, at least in my
experience, are Lesbian or
Gay. In this, they maintain a
wide-spread; cross-cultural
tradition of great antiquity.
My friend William now
studies in a semanary in the
eastern United States. He is
a monk on his way to the
priesthood. He loves men
and, I should also tell you, he is super cute:
I worry about William. Sometimes I
suspect h’e has thrown himself into a celi~
¯ bate church as a means to control a per-
" sonal sexuality thatdiscomforts and vexes
-" him. Marriage~t0~tbe chu~ehmean~ never
having to go on a date. "This is dangerous
¯
overkill," I pleadwith him: "Can’t you
," become a priest after you are old and
¯ ugly?"
But part of me knows he is realizing a
¯ primal humancultural pattern. Those who
¯ find themselves in between male and fe-
: male also move easily between earth and
¯ heaven. William’s retreat to the monastery
might be a loss to the Gay bars - that
mundane world of the flesh - but it is a
gain for the realm of the spirit. I am glad
that the messenger .who helps carry my
prayers up to the .gods is so beautiful.
Lamont Linstrom teaches anthropology
at the Uttiversity of Tulsa.
I worry about
. William. Sometimes
I snspect
he has thrown
himself into a
eellbate ehnreh
as a means to
control a personal
sexuality
that dlseomforts
and vexes him.
Marriage to the
church means
never having to
"go on a date.
However, at Cardigan’s prices,~we have
to demand at least better training of the
wait staff.
The place is fun, though. And, a broad
rangeofgenerations patronize Cardigan’ s
for dinner, possibly skewed a bit toward
the more mature parties, though that may
be more a factor of economics and neighborhood.
A whole other crowd frequents
the bar, where watching televised sports
and smoking cigars seems to be a highlight.
Cardigan’s bears careful watching. Already,
a very popular and most adequate
place to eat, with just a little effort and
polish, they could become one of the top
dinner destinations in Tulsa. Will they
make it? We hope so.
Editor’s note: sometimes tart, other
times saucy, M. LaGrandboucheprovides
Tulsa with its most honest restaurant reviews.
Ergo, his column has attracted a
following among Tulsa ’finest chefs.
St. Michael’s
Alley
Restaurant
&
Club
Featuring .
Steaks, Seafood,
Chicken, Pasta,
Soups,~ Espresso,
and Chalkboard
Speciaties
Monday- Thursday
11am- 10pm.
Friday- Saturday
llarn- 11pm
3324-L East 31st
Northeast side of
Ranch Acres
745-9998
Established 1960
I Saint Aidan’s
4045 NO. Cincinnati, 425-7882
The Episcopal Church
Welcomes You
Puppy Pause II
Allanna Davenport
Professional All ’~
Breed Grooming
1060-N South Mingo
Tulsa 74128 ~,
838-7626
See the Eyewear
"Stars Celebrities"
WeQr
Oliver Peoples,
Gaultier, Mikli, Matsuda, etc.
Cool, Unique & Exclusive
Eyewear
Found Nowhere Else
~n Eastern Oklahoma
VISIONS
6837 S. MEMORIAL
254-1611
CHARITY TRADE-IN $75 ,,o ]
Trade in your old glasses & we will
donate them to the needy, plus give you [
$75 off the purchase of a new pair
(Must include 2 yr. Warranty Anti-
Reflective High Index Vision Lens &
L Frame). Restrictions apply. .~1
r!7_,117_2
Tulsa’s only professional
bodypiercing
Church of the
Restoration
Unitarian
Universalist
11 amSunday Service
1314 N. Greenwood
587-1314
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, appointmenls are available.
Record b
to Ads
documents more than 2,500 reported incidents
in 19%, representing a 6 percent
increase over the previous year - while
overall instances of violent crime are on
the decline.
Yet - unlike bias crimes based on religi.
on, race, color and national origin-hate
crimes based on sexual orientation, gender
and disability are not against federal
law. Therefore, until the HCPA is enacted,
they cannot be.investigated and
prosecuted by th~ Justice Depat:lm~nt the
way other hate crimes are currently combated.
When Americans are assaulted
merely because of their orientation, gender
or disability, the law should be as
tough on their assailants as it currently is
tough on criminals who attack based on
racial or religious bias.
The HCPA has the support of President
Clinton, the Department of Justice and a
bipartisan group of lead sponsors in Congress
- but it needs your support ff it is to
become the law of the land.
Act Now
Urge your U.S. senators and representative
to cosponsor the Hate Crimes Prevention
Act, which would include hate
crimes based on sexual orientation, gender
and disability among the bias crimes
that the federal government can investigate
and prosecute. Explain that when
Americans are targeted for hate violence
becauseoftheiractual orperceived sexual
orientation, gender or disability, they
should be included in the basic protection
of existing federal laws that are tough on
; Clergy Candidate
Gaining Tolerance
¯¯ KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -When gay
divinity school student Thomas Brown
¯ was ordained a deacon during a ceremony
¯ last June, two Episcopal priests rose to ¯
object. But Brown was undaunted. The
¯ 27-year-old recently graduated from di-
¯ vinity school and plans to return to Epis-
¯ copal Church of Christ the King in Janu-
: ary to be ordained asa priest.
¯ Brown, formerly of Kalamazoo, says
¯ people in his hometown parish have been
: les~ openly critical of hima~ tim~ has
: passed.BrOwnnowlivesinCalifomiabut
¯ frequently returns to the Kalamazoo area.
¯ "Of course, in the wake of my ordina- ¯
tion, people knew who I was. If they
¯ didn’t already know me, they were able to
¯ figure out, ’That is the homosexual’,"
¯ Brown told the Kalamazoo Gazette in a
¯ recent story.
¯ "But I was touched by how welcoming
¯ many people were.... I think that’s a
¯ tribute to the Episcopal Church in West-
" ern Michigan and Bishop Edward Lee for
" helping us maintain that type of unity."
¯ AfterBrownis ordainedapriest, he will
¯ be eligible to lead a parish of his own. ¯
Rightnow,heis the directorofalumni and
¯ church relations at the Church Divinity ¯
¯ Sehool of the Pacific in Berkeley, Calif.,
and a part-rime clergy associate at the
: Church of St. John the Evangelist in San
: Francisco.
¯ "I feel called to my work at the semi-
" nary and my work at St. John the Evange-
¯ list," Brown said. "I aspire to serve a
: parish full-time in the next one to two
hate crimes. Refer to the HCPA by its full ." years."
name -and bill m bet" S 1529 in the " Still, there are some in the church who
In Tulsa, call Steve Largent, Don NicHes
and Jim Inhofe. Even better would be a
letter faxed up.to DC.
US Representative Steve Largent
v: 749-0014, f: 749-0781,
DC v:202-225-2211, DCf: 202-225-9178
The local office just refersyou up to DC
for any real discussion. Amy is the staffer
for this issue. She said a letter would be
even better than just the call.
Senator Don Nickles
v: 581-7651, (the local office can transfer
youup to DC withno long distance cost to
you), f: 581-7195, DC f: 202-224-6008
Staff contact: Ryan Leonard
Senator Jim Inhofe, v: 748-5111
Call Congress through the Capitol
Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Ifyouare
not sure who your senators and representative
are, just ask the switchboard operator.
You can:also send electronic messages
to Congress through HRC’s Website at
http://www.hrc.org. Write to Congress
through the U.S. mail as well. Include
your name and address, and s~nd your
politely worded letter to:
The Honorable
U:S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Human Rights Campaign i~ the
largest national lesbian and gay political
organization, with members all over the
United States. Tojoin, call 800-777-4723.
¯ Raymond Bierlin, one of two priests who
¯ stood to object When Brown became a
: deacon in June, said he plans toaitend
¯" Brown’s ordination into the priesthood.
¯ ’q~ere will be an objection to his ordina-
¯ tion," Bierlin said.
: Brown said he feels people like Bierlin
: are the exception. "I feel like I have been
¯ received really well," he said.
¯ Brown grew up in the Upper Peninsula
and graduated from Western Michigan
." University in 1992. After his graduation,
¯ he worked in the Kalamazoo area for two
," years as a teacher atPlainwell High School
." and as an educator and trainer for Planned
: Parenthood of South Central Michigan.
¯ The Episcopal Church of Christ the ¯
King sponsored Brown when he entered
the Church Divinity School of the Pacific
¯ in 1994.
: Dist. 4 City Council
¯ Race Update
: TULSA- CandidateforTulsaCityCoun-
¯ cil District4and Tulsa Family News publisher,
Tom Neal, has announced the for-
.’ marion of a campaign organization.
¯ Peter W. Athens has agreed to serve as
,,: campaign treasurer, and a campaign ac-
¯ count has been.0pened. A number of do-
: nationshave~been received from b0C,h
¯ Lesbian and Gay supporters and non-Gay
¯ ones as well. Individuals who Wish to ¯
contribute may send any donations to
! Friends of Tom’Neal, attn~ PeterW. Atli~
." ens, POB 4140, Tulsa, OK74159. To get
¯ involved in the campaign, call 583-4615.
¯ Two other Democratic candidates have
: declared their intention to run at press
¯ time. Dennis Dowell, a Native American
¯ and neighborhood activist, and Gary
¯
Boyle, an attorney with the Williams Cos.
1;
lllllll II I I i 1!11 It lilR
In,about half the states, including New
Jersey, each individual in aGay or unmarried
relationship could adopt a child, but
the "second-parent" adoption required an
additional petition, taking more time and
money. Florida and New Hampshire bar
adoptions by Gay and Lesbians. The rest
allow individual adoption by Gays and
have not been tested for second-parent
adoptions by a Gay partner, said Micha,el
.A~S~ a.,~:.t~.f att0i-h~y with the ACLU s
_ Lesbi~/afid.Ga~)iRiglitS Project;
":Ui~der’the setflem~n(~New J~sey must
scrap its policy barring joint adoption of
its wards by Gay or unmarried couples.
"The settlementguarantees that all couples
seeking adoptions will be judged only by
their ability to love and support a child,"
said Lenora M. Lapidus, legal director of
the state ACLU.
The .state may deny consent only by
appl)iing the same standards it applies to
married couples, including "consideratlons
such as the stability of the prospective
adoptive couple’s relationship," the
settlement Said.
In addition, it allows any Gay or unmarried
couple who believe they are denied
joint adoption based on marital status or
sexual orientation to ask a state judge to
enforce the decree and award them legal
tees.
ActiViSfssaid the settlement will put
more f0hter children in permanent homes.
Wendi Patella, a spokeswoman for the
state Division of Youth and Family Services,.
said.the agency now has custody of.
about 100 ~htldren who are eligible for
adopt&on. In_1996, 687 children in the
agency’~ care were adopted, she said. The
agencY.said there are currently 15 unmarried
couples seeking to adopt children in
state custody..
Kate Kendell, executive director of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights in San
Franei’~co.;estimated there are 8 million to
13 millionchildren being raised by Gay or
Lesbian parents in the United States.
"ecclesiastical immunity" under the First
Amer~dment of the U.S. Constitution.
Accorcling to testimony,Ms. Morrison’s
husband, Steve Martens, went to talk with
Bass _about sexual problems within the
marriage..Bass reportedly quizzed Martens
about whether his wife was a Lesbian.
Martens, who was also a licensed
minister, went back to Bass to ask for
permissitn from the Church to get a divorce-
because he thought his wife was
having an affair with another woman,
according to testimony.
B~s reportedly told Martens that he
had t6 get proof about the affair before a
divorce could be sanctioned by the church.
Otherwise, Martens’ minister’s license
could be in jeopardy. Martens hired a
private detective to tap phones and use
video surveillance and later confronted
his wife, who reportedly confessed to a
Lesbian affair.
But on the witness stand, Ms. Morrison
said she has never confessed to a Lesbian
affair. Both women have said they are
only platonic friends and that they believe
homosexuality is wrong.
A number of defendants, including
Martens and other church members who
spread the allegations, settled out of court
before the case went to trial.
to each other xn,a religions ceremony,
even though Shahar, who later got work
as alawyer for the city of Atlanta, says she
knew the ceremony carried no legal significance.
Her lawsuit said Bowers violated
her constitutional rights of association
and equal protection.
Bowers’ name already is attached to the
Supreme Court’s most important Gayrights
ruling, a 1986 decision called Bowers
vs. Hardwick in which he successfully
defended Georgia’s anti-sodomy law.
Consenting adults have no constitutional
right to engage in homosexual conduct,
the nation’s highest court ruled by a 5-4
vote then.
Bowers, who this year resigned to pursue
the Republican nomination for governor
in 1998, has since had to admit he was
involved in an extramarital affair that
lasted more than a decade. Adultery, like
sodomy, is a crime in Georgia.
Asked if he had been hypocritical in
Shahar’s case, Bowers said, "In a moral
sense, yes. But legally, I do not believe
there was any choice with the Shahar case
but to do that. Did that make me a moral
hypocrite? Yes."
Nevertheless, Bowers’ decision to withdraw
Shahar’s job offer has been upheld
in court. A federal trial judge ruled that
Shahar’s rdationship with herparmer was
a "constitutionally protected intimate association"
but concluded that Bowers had
not acted unlawfully.
The entire 1 lth U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals agreed last May, voting 8-4 that
Bowers had not violatedany of Shahar’s
rights. The appeals court judged Bowers’
action after assuming - only for the sake
of argument - that Sl~iflaar had some constitutional
right to be intimately assooated
with another woman. The appeals
court went:on to say, however, it was
reasOfiable tobelieve that Lesbians who
..............................
in illegal homosexual rdations.
Its decision added: "We cannot say that
Georgia’ s attorney general is dearly wrong
to worry that reasonable people - inside
and outside,,~,e Law Department - in
Georgia could think along these same
lines." Suchassumptions, the appeals court
said, could affect public confidence in the
attomey general’s office.
But three dissenting judges said that
should not matter. "It is important to note
that catering to private prejudice is not a
legitimate governmentinterest," they said.
In her Supreme Court appeal, Shahar’s
lawyers contendthat Bowers’ action "rests
on irrational prejudice toward Gay
people." But Georgia’s lawyers say his
action was based on Shahar’s "holding
herself out as married to another woman,
and was not precipitated by some generalized
animus against homosexuals." If the
Supreme. Court agrees to study Shahar’s
appeal, it will decide who’s fight.
.FUSO - Friends in Unity
Social Organization, Inc.
FUSO is a community based
organization not-for-profit 501 (c)3
agency providing services to African-
American males + females who are
infected with HIV/AIDS in the Tulsa
community. FUSO also hel~s
individuals find other agencies that
provide HIV/AIDS services.
582-0438
POB 8542, Tulsa, OK 74101
but he has been the one to take the heat for
coming out and breaking the silence. Yes,
he is scheduled to appear. Tix available at
Carson Attractions locations and you can
charge by phone at
584-2000, or online at:
WWVC.CARSONTIX.COM.
And should we all organize (giggle) a
group (guffaw) of 20 or more, discounts
are available at 254-1069. Of course, I’ve
watched people try to organize a ~,oupof
5 people with little success, so that s wh~:
the notion provokes some amusement.
And if you’re in the mood for some
jazz, Manhattan Transfer will be with
the TulsaPhilharmonic at the PAC, January
9 & 10. For tix, call 747-7445.
For those who like their art visual, The
Philbrook Museum will be exhibiting
the work ofJ.M.W. Turner, "the greatest
of landscape painters" with watercolors
From LondonMuseums February 8- April
12. This exhibit will be the sole wordwide
venue - imagine, here in little old
Tulsa!
More seriously, Turner xs considered
the greatest British painter of the 19th
century, and one of the monumental figures
of Western painting. This 42 piece
exhibit draws on the holdings of three
great British collections, the Tate Gallery,
the Victoria and Albert Museum and the
Umversity of London’s Courtauld Institute
Gallery. The curator is Richard
Townsend of Philbrook who is also the
author of the exhibit catalogue that will
feature essays by Townsend, and distinguished
Turner specialists.
This exhibit is the kick-off event of
Philbrook’s Year of Europe to be followed
by exhibits from the National Mu- ~"
scum of Art of Romania and the Hillwood
Museum.
This extravaganza is subsidized by generous
contributions from Tulsa corporations,
family foundations and individuals.
Tulsa Family News is proud to be one of
The Year of Europe mediapartners, along
with KJRH, Oasis 92.1, The Oklahoma
Eagle, NPR@89.5, KMOD, Oklahoma
Family and others.
A Thomas Moran exhibition will also
beheld February 8 - May 10 at Gilcrease
Museum. Moran was highly influenced
by J.M.W. Turner, and this exhibit is the
first retrospecfiye of the late 19th century
artist. The National Gallery organized the
exhibit with assistance from Gilcrease
Museum which has the largest single collection
ofMoran works, some 2500pieces.
Moran, British born but raised in Philadelphia
became perhaps best known for
his paintings of Yellowstone. It was his
sketches which helped influence members
of Congress to enact legislation making
Yellowstone the first national park.
Heller Theatre presents Jitterbug
Waltz, a fihn-noire style play about a
nightclub owner and her relationship with
her father, rnnnmg Jan 22-31. Call 746-
5065 for info. And if you’re in the mood
for improvisational comedy, attend
Laughing MatterImprovat HellerJanuary9.
Viva Flamenco! dances its way into
the PAC Jan 17. 596-7111.
Well, folks, it looks like that is what the
new year’s first month is offering up for
fun. If anyone knows of events that need
to be noted here, please let me know by
faxing or calling 583-4615. Have a safe
New Year’s celebration and a great year!
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 word is a group of letters
or numbers separated by a space.) 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.
Tulsa Based, Nationwide
Company Needs:
Associate Programmer
Programmer
Programmer/Analyst - Five years
experience preferred
All positions require Bachelor’s
degree in Computer Science
Send resumes to:
Post Office Box 1531
Broken Arrow, OK 74013-1531
Looking for Life Mate
Tulsa GWIVI Christian, 40, Br/Hzl,
5’-3", 2001bs., Stocky. Fun Loving,
Outgoing, Sensitive, Passionate,
Versitile, Like Country Living, Seeking
GWM 30-50 for Life Mate. Write to:
Rt.8, Box 796, Tulsa, OK 74126
Sister Pairs Needed for
Study of Adult Sisters
University.professor is looking for
volunteers to complete a survey about
how thive lives of adult sisters are
similar or different. Contact: E.
Rothblum, Box 252, John Dewey Hall,
University of Vermont,
Burlington, VT 05405, 802-656-4156.
Wanted: Gay Men Who Can
Open Their Mouths Wide
- and make beautiful music!
Gay Mens Chorus forming
with regular rehearsal schedule
beginning soon. Call 585-8595
for more information.
Cat Graphics Prod,
Friendly, personal service
Wecustom design, print, from your
design and for musicians, we follow
through with a P.R./booking service!
We print stationary, bumper stickers,
j-cards, business cards, flyers,
etc.
Our rates range from $1 to $5 per
individual item. We will also barter,
but only if preapproved!
Call 627-5301, ask for Marylyn or
Morrigana.
Call The 900 number to respond to a~ls. browse unlisted ads. or retrieve messages. Only $1.99 per minute~ 1 8+. Customer Service: 41 5~281-31 83
I love hooking
up with dark complected, Black a,n,d
Hispanic men, with hairy bodies. I m a
good looking, very well built, White male,
in my mid 30’s, 6’1, 1951bs, with short,
dark, Red hair, Green eyes, and a smooth,
sculpted body. (Broken Arrow) ~9692
THINK PLAY I like all kinds of word play
and want to meet guys, 18,to 45, who
have some creative ideas. I m a go~,,
looking, 30 year old, White male, 5 9, .
1501bs. I’m well built and prefer the same.
(Fort Smith) ~8308
NORMAL, COUNTRY BOY I guess I’m
a normal country boy at heart. Thi.s,
attractive, well built, White male, 5 8,
160lbs, likes going to the gym, running,
cooking, eatin,,g, fishing, and doing other
outdoor stuff. I m waiting to meet someone
to spend some special times with. (Ft.
Gibson) ~!0384
TONED BUT TIMID Attractive, Gay,
White male, 38, 5’9, 1721bs, with Brown
hair, Hazel eyes, a mustache, goatee, and
well defined body, is HIV positive but very
healthy. I’m shy, sincere, and masculine.
I d hke to meeta good look ng, Gay or B~
malel 20 to 45, who’s versatile, who has
an above average intelligence, for c~sual
fun..Body hair €~nd facia| hair are plusses.
IFt. Smithl ~r8893
COMPLIMENT MY SPACE Athletic, 40
year old, Bi male, wants to meet other
guys interested in making the scene. You
must be masculine and mean. (Tulsa)
~9879
GO FOR iT Attractive, ill, White male,
34, 6’1, 1701bs, with Brown hair and Blue
~e~,S, seeks masculine, fit guys, in their
20 s and early 30’s, for hot times. (Tulsa)
~9687
THAT
HERE’S HOW
1 ) To respond to these:
ads & browse others
Call: 1-900-786-4865
2) To record your FREE
Tulsa Family Personal ad
Call:, 1-800-546-MENN
(We II print, it here)
BLUE COLLAR ~B~SINESS This Gay, This smooth I’M IN THE MOOD I’m in the mood
White male, 45, 5 10, 2201bs, with light, bodied, Gay, White male, 31,5’9, to have a good time. This nice looking,
Brown hair and,Green eyes, seeks a blue 1451bs, with Red hair and Green eyes, 20 year old, White male, 5’9, 1451bs,
collar type who s down to ea~, caring, seeks a masculine guy, who.has a hairy seeks friends to hang out with. A
and enjoys sports and the outdoors. I want body. (Tulsa) ~7153 relationship is pos~ible after some
to h,.ave a one on one relationship. I time. (Tulsa) =7257
don t drink or do drugs, but I do smoke
cigarettes. (Henrietta) ~9661 BULLSEYE AIM I’m looking for
F,E,ED ME TALK I’m easy to look at,
friendship and fun with other guys in
the area. Ifm a 33 year old, White
6 2, 1801bs, with light, Brown hair and
Blue eyes. I’m open minded, into male, 5’10, 1651bs, with Brown hair,
different scenes, and hungry for
Blue eyes, and a mustache. I like
conversation and companionship, listening to music, going out, playing
darts, and bowling, among other
(Inverness) ~7993
~
things. (Tulsa) e7007
SHOW ME AROUND Brand,
spanking new to the area. This Bi White SPEND THE DAY WITH ME I’m
male, 24, would like to meet someone to
an attractive, ,43 year old, White
show me around. If you’re a Bi or Gay, male, 6’2, 2151bs. I’d like to meet a
White male, 1B to 24, take me on o guy to spend time with. I’m into
guided tour. Smoke and drug free, movies, ~oin~. out to dinner, running,
please. (Port St. Lucie} ~4889 cycling, oowling, dancing, spending
quiet times at home, and whatever
ON THE UP AND UP Handsome, our imaginations can conceive of.
Gay, Seminole Indian, 27, 5’6, 1301bs, (Tulsa) ~6538
seeks an honest, trustworthy person, 27
to 35/who shares my interests in CLOSET HANGER Young, Gay
movies, music, and dancing, for male, 20, seeks long term
friendship ead ng to a long term relationship with a straight acting
relationship. I don’t smoke and am a year old, Gay, White male, 5’10, " man, 18 to 24. Like me, you are also
social drinker. (Sti!lwell) "e9241 1551bs, into light music, blues, bike in the closet. I love music, quality time
nd,n I m nm n with friends, watching movies, or
TIMID IN TULSA This fr end y, butshy, " " g,p~" .g.te "s, hiki g,.and . , . ~ .....
Tu sa~ 36 5’10 iB01bs wonts to camping. I d like to meet anolher Gay, s~mp~y hanging €~ur ana nawng run.
. . ~’7,’ ’ ’, ...., ...... White male,25 to 40 with s milar So, let’-s hang OUtrjn the Closet . . -
NEW DUDE IN TOWN well built,
~8381 STRONG, SILENT TYPE My name is
athletic, Black male, 28, 6’3, 169~bs, with BOOT STAMPER This. race, average Michael. I’m from Tulsa. I’m a man of
~bort, Black hair, Brown .eyes, and good guy, is looking for the rig,h,t person to few words, looking to meet single men.
-looks, is new to town and seeks a have a relationship with. I m a White If you qualify, give me a call. (Tulsa)
masculine, am’active, White male. 21 to male, 5’9, 2101bs, with Brown hair, "e5282
- 28, to hang out with. (Tulsa) ~10147 Brawn eyes, and average looks. I’d like
to share romantic evenings, walks along TRANSGENERATION LIFE I’m a
NOT A BEDHOPPER I’m not interested Riverside Drive, a,n,d going out for an
Transgendered, Bisexual male. I’m
in jumping in bed, right off the bat. I’dlike occasional drink. I m also interested in
seeking a Gay or Bisexual,
to start a friendship and see where things Transgender male, between the ages of
bingo and country and western dancing.
go. I’m an attractive, lithe guy, 5’4, (Tulsa) ~7833
25 to 35, for relationship or
|351bs, with short, Brownhair, B ue eyes, friendship. (Tulsa) ~!471
and a nice tan. I’m into most sports, JUST LIKE A WOMAN Masculine,
especially basketball, and working out at White male, 37, seeks a feminine guy, TULSA TRAINEE Very inexperienced,
Ihe gym. (Tulsa) ~’9336 maybe ,,even a crossdresser, to be my White male, 5’9, 1601bs, with Blond
" friend. I m especially interested in a hair and Blue eyes, seeks a Bi male, or
MAKE IT FEEL GOOD I’m a Blond, Transsexual, pre-op or post-op. (Tulsa) a couple with a,Bi male, to show me
hairy; tanned, good looking, White male, ’~’7568 how it’s done. I m most interested in
33, 6 1, 1801bs, with a goatee. I want deep conversation right now but may
some good times on the phone or in " GYMNAST BUILD I’m a dancer and want to expand my horizons later.
person. (T01sa) ~8674 ~ gymnast, so you can imagine what a (Tulsa) ~479S
nice body I have. I’m a White male, 5’2,
" This fun loving very outgoing and fun loving. I’m looking NEW IN TULSA This very
White male, 5’8, 1451bs, with B ack hair for someone to get to knowfor a sex~, good looking, Italian male, new
and Brown eyes, loves doing everything,
possible relationship. (Tulsa) ~7401 tothe area, has heard that cowboys
Call me and have a great night. (Tulsa) can be very hot.
~8380 PRETTY STRAIGHT This masculine,
GOOD TIM~E, CHARLEY This fun loving,
Straight male, 31, doesn’t have much (Tulsa)
White male, 5 8, 1451bs, with Brown hair expenence with men but wants to reap ~4571
some of the benefits of the Gay lifestyle.
and Blue eyes, seeks buddies to hang out
with. I’m seeking friends and a Le~’s do some stuff. (Tulsa) ~7449 SMOOTH AND HAIRY Nice
relationship. (Tulsa) ~7260 FRIENDLY ROUNDUP ~utgoing,
looking, White male, 40, 6ft, with
Blond hair, Blue eyes, and a smooth,
TROPICAL ISLAND Very active, 30
friendly, White male, 35, 5 10, with
muscular, swimmer’s build, seeks a
~ear old, White male, into the outdoors,
Brown hair and eyes, seeks other nice
hairy guy for good times, laughs, and,
guys for friendship and fun. (Tulsa)
hiking, biking, and sunbathing, seeks a I hope, a long term relationship. I
distinguished-gentleman, 30 to 45, who ~4304
enjoy camping, swimming, dancing,
has similar interests. I work for a major DOING TIME I’m looking for another cooking, playi-ng cards with friends,
airline and would love to whisk you away Black man to spend time with and get to and a whole lot more. [Tulsa)
on a ~opical trip. (Tulsa) ~7553 know. (Tulsa) ~7247 ~4309
BASEUNE OF THE BLUES I’m a 39
NO PRESSURE This feminine, Bi, White
f~ale, 5’4,115ibm, wilb Brown hair and Blue
morn. I like to go out, but I also enjoy staying
i.n, watch’.rag a ~eo. I’m into Ihe ~uJdoo~. r
~’t smo~ b~ I hme a drink occasional,.
(Saline) u9470
~1115 I’m a Lesl~m wdler ~:md
movies, ond have a k~ oF ~. (Tulsa) ~709S
~SI’AI~ OF~This vey. f~minine,
~mls Io hoak up wilh o~her Bi, or Bi curious
(Tulso) ~7030
I!~~L,~ Y.o~ng.,
inde~enck~t, Black k~de, 21 ,lik~s Io wc~k
and ~ove o good. time. I’d lil~ to get to know
other wamyn in fne area. (Tu~) ~6289
G~I"a.~T.ogel~. wilh anolher
roman is v/nat rm after. This Gay.., White
~a]e, 34, 5’6, wi~ C~ive skin, ~rk hair card
Tulsa) e$14S
To record your FREE Personal ad Call: 1-800-546-MENN (We’ll print it here)
record,
listen &
respond
to ads
FREE!
Simple and direct.
Find the man you need by
listening to hot ads.
Tulsa
918-592-5959
Oklahoma City
use access
code.. 2105
www.confidentialconnection.com
Just $2.49 per minute for certain optional features. 18+. Movo Media, Inc. do~s not prescreen callers and takes no responsibility for personal meetings. 800-825-1598 © 1997 Movo Media, Inc

newspaper
periodical