[1998] Tulsa Family News, February 1998; Volume 5, Issue 2

[1998] Tulsa Family News, February 1998; Volume 5, Issue 2

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

February 1998

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

Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News

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

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PDF
Online text

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https://history.okeq.org/items/show/544

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

Quiet Life Despite Lawsuit
: Serving Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Famllle~ + Friends
The National Conference ! Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
i DoesAntI-Blas Group Discriminate?
Unmarried OKCouples iAudra Sommers’ Food
May Lose Right to Adopt : Pantr~ Benefit Starts Early
OKLA~-IOMA CItY -- Unmm~ied couples would no : TULSA - Local Diva Audra Sommers is well Imown for
1o~.~have therlght to adopt .c~.d~anader Oklahoma : suc~essfal bealellt shows she organizes for area chmld~. Her
i Prime Timers’ Affair of the
: Heartto Benefit Pride Center
i Tulsa PFLAG to Host
i Regional Conference
i Doesn’t Seem to Work
HONOLULU (AP) - Thnothy McVeigh was back
at wodc at’tea" a federal judge ot’de~l the sailor
Sporkin nded from W,ash~t~,~oa~ .ti~.,t the Navy had
an upcoming Chfisa-~ party.
Oscar’s 70! Benefit for
Local AIDS Charities
TULSA - Follies R~va¢, Catholic Charities, aad
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 Deft, 15th & Peoria
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
*The Palate Cafe & Catering, 33240 E. 31st
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st
*Samson & Delilah Restaurant, 10 E. Fifth
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main
*TNT’s, 2114S. Memorial
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd
*Umbertos Pizzeria, 21st west of Harvard
832-1269
592-2143
744-0896
583-6666
749-4511
585-313~
599-7777
749-1563
745-9899
745-9998
585,2221
834-4234
585-3405
660-0856
584-130[
599-9999
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 747-1508
*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. 71 250-503z
Body Piercing by Nicole, 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
Don Carlton Honda, 4141 S. Memorial " 622-3636
Don Carton Mitsubishi, 46th & Memorial 665-6595
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902,.743-4117
Commtmity Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700
*Daisy Exchange, E. 15th 746-0440
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
*Deeo to Disco, 3212 E 15th "" 749-3620
*Devena’ s Gallery, 13 Brady .587-2611
Doghouse 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
Leanne M. Gross, Insurance &financial planning 459-9349
Mark T. Hamby, Attorney ’, ~ 744-7440
*Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1111
*International Tours 341-6866
Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th 712-2750
*Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018
David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 747-0236
*Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15. 59%8070
Kelly Kirby, CPA, PUB 14011, 74159 747-5466
Langley Agency & Salon, 1316 E. 36th P1. 749-5533
Laredo Crossing, 1519 E. 15th 585-1555
*Living ArtSpace, 19 E. Brady 585-1234
*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3 - 584-3112
Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720cE. 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 ~ 15 583-1090.
The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor : 743-4297
Puppy Pause II, llth & MAngo 838-7626
Rainbowzon the RiverB+B,POB 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. Haryard ....... 481-0201
*Sophronia’s Antiques, 1515 E. 15 592-2887
*Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria 697-0017.
*Triz~a’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 WalkTulsa, PUB 1071, 74101-1071 579~9593 ."
*All SOulS Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363 ."
Black&White, Inc. PUB 14001,Tulsa74159 587-7314 ."
Bless The Lord atAIl Times’Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 ¯
*B/L/GFF Alfta~ee, Univ. of Tulsa Canterbury Cir. 583-9780 ."
*Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S.Boston 585=1201 ."
*Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th Pl. & Florence ."
*CommunityofHopeUnitedMethodist, 1703 E.2nd 585-1800 ¯
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 ."
*Church.oftheRestomtionUU,1314N.Greenwood 587-1314 "
918.231.7372, fax: 583.4615, POB 4140~ Tulsa, OK 74159
e-maih TulsaNews@ earthlink.net
wobsite: http:/lusers.aol.com/TulsaNewsl
Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal
Entertainment Diva + Mac Guru: James Christjohn
Writers + contributors: Leanne Gross, Barry Hensley, Jean-Pierre
Legrandbouehe. Lamont Linstrom. Kerry Lobel, Judy
McCormick, Josh Whetseli, Member o! The Associated Press
Issued on or before the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of this
]~blieation are protected by US copyright 1997 by Ttdn,t ~:...~.
N,w~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 TtJ~ut ~~ta~9."" Nva,:.
Each reader is entitled to 4 eopies of each edition at dishibution
points. Additional copies are available by calling 231-7372. .
*Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-193~
*Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457
Dignity/integrity-Lesbian/Gay Catholics/Episeopal. 298-4648
*Family of Faith MCC, 5451-E So. Mingo 622-1441
*Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
*Free SpiritWomen’ s Center, call for location&info: 587-4669
Friend ForA Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827
Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
*HIT ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
*HIT Resource Consortium, 3507 E. Admiral 834 4194
HOPE (TOHR), H_IV Outreach, Prevention, Education
1307 E. 38, 2rid ft. 712-1600, HOPE/TOHR Anonymous
HIT Testing Site, Mon/Thurs. eve. 7-9pro, call 834-8378
*House of the Holy Spirit Minslaies, 3210e So. Nonvood
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’ 10rg. for Women, POB 14068,74159 365-5658
OK Spokes Club (bieyding), POB 9165, 74157
*Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584-7960
PFLAG, POB 5.2800, 74152 749-4901
*Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674
*The Pride Center, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor, 74105 743-4297
Pdme~Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 ,..
*R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195
Rainbow Business Guild, POB 4106, 74159 665-5174
*Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325
O’RYAN, support group for 18-24 LGBT young adults
O’RYAN, Jr. support group for 14-17 LGBT youth
t. Aidan s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882
St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
*Shanti Hotline & HIV/AIDS Services 749-7898
TNAAPP(Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225
Tulsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 595-4105
Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only
TulsaOkla. for Human Rights, c/o The PddeCenter 743-4297
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222
*Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
*Tulsa Commlmity College Campuses
*Rogers University (formerly UCT)
BARTLESVILLE
*BartlesvillePublic Library, 600 S: Johnstone 918-337-5353
NORMAN
*Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-573-4907
OKLAHOMA CITY
*Borders Books &Music, 3209NWExpressway 405-848-2667
501-253-7734
.501-253-7457
501-253-6807
o501-253-5445
501-253~9337 ~
" 501-253-2776
501-253-5332
501-624-6646
501-253-6001
Call for Caymans Boycott
Out & About, the Gay travd newsletter,
has called .for a boycott of the Grand
Cayman Islands following their governments,
decision to ban Gay Lesbian tourists.
Please call the Grand Cayman Islands
Tourism Office (on their dime) at
800-346-3313 and tell them what you
thinkabouttheirgovernmentturningaway
Gay tourists. Even if you weren’t planrang
on a Caribbean vacation, every call
to the Grand Cayman’s tourism board
cost themmoney, 500 calls would effectively
erasew_h,a,_,t an average couplemight
spend in a week s vacation! Explain why
you are calling andbe polite- 800 numbers
sometimes get your home address
and phone number!
Remember that a boycott is not an angry
or vengeful act, but a tool At the other
end of the telephone will be employees
and residents of the Grand Cayman Islands,
but not the person(s) directly responsible
for the ban on Gay tourism.
- Mark Haile, Los Angeles
Editor’s note: for more information on
this issue, see the News stories onpage 4.
A fifth-grader writes:
I am a fifth grade student in California. I
amdoing areportonOklahomaand would
like to ask your readers if they would be
kind enough to help me. I would like to
receive apost card withafact about Oklahomaand/
orathoughtaboutwhatit is like
to live there. I think that it will be important
in my report to hear the thoughts of
people that live in Oklahoma. The responses
will begreatly appreciated. Thank
you for your time and effort.
....Maya Cohn-Stone
¯" TAHLEQUAH ."
: *Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900 :
: *TahlequahUnitarian-UnivetsalistChurch 918-456:7900-:
: *Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453=9360 :
¯ NSU School of Optometry, 1001 N. Grand ¯ : HIVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for date ¯
: EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
: *Auttmm 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. 501-442-2845
¯ indicates a distribution point. Listed businesses are not all Gay-owned ¯
but wekome Lesbian/Gay/Bt& Traus communities. ¯
Editor’s note: any reader who wouM like
to send Maya a postcard may send it to
Maya Cohn-Stone, c/o TFN, POB 4140,
Tulsa 74159.
GLAAI~~ (~alls for Action on Ellen
ABC needs to know how much the
impact of this show has had on ~e Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender eommtmityandourfamilies
and friends. Don’t
let the voice of a radical fundamentalist
minority be the only one that ABC hears.
Let the network know how having apositive
portrayal of a Lesbian lead character
onprimetime television has affected your
life and the lives of those dose to you.
GLAAD has learned that the decision
from ABC on whether or not to renew
Ellen for another season may happen as
early as.next week. Ellen has broken precedent
after precedent by bringing
America a honest, funny and poignant
look at Ellen Morgan and in doing so, at
Lesbians and Gay men everywhere.
~ tt is essential,that the. community and
our friends rally around the television
every Wednesday and support the show.
Since she and her character emergedfrom
the closet, Ellen DeGeneres has become
an unstoppable force in figh.ling for equal
rights. Ellen has brought the real experience
of the Lesbian and Gay community
to milftons of viewers seeGLAAD,p.13
Letters Policy
Tulsa Family News wdeomes letters on
issues whichwe’ve covered or on issues
you think’fi~l to be considered. Youmay
request that your name be withheld but
letters mustbe signed&have phonenumbers,
or be hand delivered. 200 word letters
are preferred. Letters to other publications
will be printed as is appropriate.
The "Saint" + Her Sidekick
Get Their Revenge :
by Tom Neal, editor and Democrat Candidate
~for Tulsa City Council District Four "
If you all haven’t figured it out yet, one of the values ¯
whichguides this newspaper isahigh regard for the truth. "
We don’t claim that we always get it fight, but it is our ¯
goal. Unlike some in our community, we fLrmly believe ¯
that the benefits ofopendialogue and debatefar outweigh "
the friction that comes from the process. :
And toward that goal, we have, at one time or another, ¯
enraged some members of this community. We believe -"
they are mostly few in number but they are some ofour "
more ~wealthy, self-impct.rtant, and, in. a0few cases, profoundly
unethical -if not dishonest - members. These ¯
latter are the types who Seem.to believe that because of
their wealth or influence that the rest of us shouldjust go "
along with whatever they think is best. Indeed. ¯
It’s likely that this editorial will anger these folks again. ¯
Pity. Sometimes we act much like.the folks in the tale of
the emperor’s new clothes,we all know better, butwejust
pretend things are not what they are because we don’t
want to anger someone or because weavoid.conflict, etc.
All this is preamble to the question of why a Lesbian
and Gay political action committee, Cimarron Alliance
Group has refused even token support to an openly Gay.
Tulsa’city council candidate (this walter).
You just have to wonder what they were thinking?
Y.ou’d think that an organization dedicated to improving
the political conditions for Oklahoma’s Lesbian and Gay
.communities would, jump at the-chance to support a
candidatewhowash tjustafriendto our communities but
actually was one of us. A candidate whose record of
working for.fairness and equality for our communities
can rival most others in this city. Especiall,_y.why would
they hold back, when at this very_time, they ve commited
to expand into Tulsa? ~,:~
The answer lies in a few. Tulsaus who would put
persoaality over principle. Cimarron is an Oklahoma
City organization whose leadership admit that they know
littleabout Tulsa~ Theyhave dependedontheirhandful of
Tulsa members toinformthem,aboutour.city. Several of
these may be counted as our mos~ dedicated, ethical and
devoted community leaders. Unfortunately, afew are are .
equally dedicated but doenmentably unprincipled. And ¯
these latter have pursued their personal vendettas. :
But despite the pettiness of these two, the failure is on .
Cimarron’s part. The organization.behaved mostly in an ¯
unprofessional manner. It’s g~fi~ly been considered "
goodform to allow one who’s b~Seh~ hccused to respond to .
charges, if not actually to confront his/her accusers. _"
(Certainly this is acourtesy we’ve extendedin print to the :
critics of this newspaper, idcluding to the individuals to ¯
whom we refer.) Yet, Cimarron took the word of these "
people without providing an opportunity for response, :
and I suspect, without questioning the individuals as to :
any bias on their parts. .
Furthermore, repeated inquiries made to several indi- "
viduals in the organization about getting support were .
simply left unanswered for two months. Only after sev- ¯
eral calls.to officers about this lack ofresponsiveness, did "
the organization change its .behavior.
In all political races, there are questions of "viability",
that is, is this a candidate who really has a chance of
getting elected. And one of the key issues of viability is
getting funding. This is a challenge for all candidates but
especially for minority and non-establishment ones.
Indeed Cimarron officers say they have an obligation
to be thefirst to support-their own if only because no one -
else may at first. They cite their support for a Lesbian in
an Oklahoma City area race who was not deemed to have
a chance but whom they supported because they felt the
obligation to help their own.
But inTulsa;it seems therules are different. Andagain,
apparently, ordinary manners are lacking. After making
a trip to OKC to discuss the campaign with Cimarron’s
"pick" committee, you’d think at least the courtesy of a
phonecall toinformacandidateoftheirdecision, whether
in favoror opposed, wouldhayebeen in order. We’re still
wailing.
Cimarron will notbecome a credible organizationuntil
it puts principles before personalities and until operal~s
professionally. And as for the "saint" and her sidekick,
many in Tulsa appreciate the good you have done but are
on to your shenanigans. We don’t like how you operate.
For us, the end does not ultimately justify the means.
Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights board members
and staffheld a goal-setting andplanning retreat at the
Episcopal Conference Grounds near Lake Fort Gibson.
¯ by Kerry Lobel, executive director ¯
¯. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ¯
¯ Right now I’m really missing noted futurist Jeanne
-" Dixon. Jeanne, now deceased, used to make sweeping ¯
: predictions about the intimate lives of celebrities as well ¯
¯ as events that would shape the year to come. While I’ll
miss her predictions, we don’t have to predict the future
: to shape it. Weneed only to look to some ofthe events that ¯
ended 1997 for proof.
¯¯ In November, President Clinton’s Hate Crimes Sum- "
mit brought together 200 leaders from around the country ¯
¯ In.an effort to wage acampaign against bias violence. The "
¯ summit ended nearly a ten year effort by groups like the "
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Anti- :
-" Defamation League to bring hate crimes to national ."
." recognition. This historic moment was rooted in longterm
work and commitment. ¯
¯ In December, a judge ruled that two gay men may
i jointly adopt a child in-their care. The judge recoguize~i ."
¯ their commitment to their relationship and to th~ child.
¯ We need only to look to the hundreds of thousands of ¯
Gay, Les~an, Bisexual and Transgendered couples and,
single l~tr~nts ~t have raised"childrefioveith~ last 40 .
i years. Politicallyandculturallytheseparentshavemoved,
our society forward, resulting in this moment. ¯
When a Hawaii Court rules on same-gender marriage "
sore.eti,me early this year, it will very possibly change our.:
"society s view of same=gender marriage forever. The
courage of.the Hawaii marriage plaintiffs, the hard work ¯
of Hawaii organizers hround sovereignty and Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgendered issues, the dedication ."
ofthe legal staff at Lambda Legal Defeuse and Education :
Fund, and efforts by hundreds oflocal, state and national ¯
organizations lay the foundation for the ruling. :
When Maine voters go to the polls in February, it will :
be to hold onto their civil rights bill. Maine activists have ¯
already beat back a discriminatory ballot measure. That :
winning-coalition resulted in a bill passed by the state "
legislature in 1997 that banned discrimination based on "_
sexual orientation. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans- ¯
gendered activists and their allies have steadily trans- "
Friday, Febmaly 6,1998
7:00p.m- 9:00p.m.
Please join us for lhis very special evening to discuss the upcoming Tulsa
Cily Council elections and to learn more about lhe Cimarron Alliance Group.
For More Informalion 10 R.S.V.P Please Call (918) 743-4354.
Some Rainbow Business Guild members gather atone o
heorgantzat~on s lastevents. Co-prestdentDenntsArnoh
says the group’s ne~t’meeting will be in Mitrcli.
formed the Maine landscape but the Right-wing conservatives
wofi’t give up. Neither will the Mainers.
In every city and in every town, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
.and Trausgendered people are creating change and shaping
Our history. Most of them do not think of themselves
as more remarkable or more talented than their friends or
neighbors. And in truth, they’re not.
But they do feel called - called on to right a wrong, to
tell a truth instead of an omission or lie, and to act instead
of stand by. For some it is to come to visibility to friends,
family or colleagues. To others it is to interrupt a
homophobi.cjoke or comment or to advocate for changes
in their companies policies or practices. And for still
others, it is to pass anti-discrimination laws in their town
or state. These combined efforts have fundamentally
changed society as we know it.
Most every American feels like they know a Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgendered person. Face it,
Ellen and the over 20 gay characters .on television and
several film characters have helpedwith this effort.
Politicians courttheGLBT voters. AS the Victory Fund
will attest, tee?reincreasingly becoming electedof~cials..
We need only look to the Congressional campaigns of
Christine Kehoe, Tammy Baldwin and Margarethe
Cammermeyer to realize that we have the capacity to
make public policy in entirely new forums.
’More and more laws benefiting the Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgenderedcommunity are being introduced
in state legislatures. The Federation of Statewide
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trausgendered Political Organizations,
coordinated by the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force, is an unprecedented gathering of statewide
groups led by a dynamic executivecommittee.
An energized and mobilized Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgendered community that works to build coalitions
with other communities is an unstoppable force for
change. We don’t need Jeanne Dixon or the futurists, to
predict our future.
With each of our actions now, we write the list of
accomplishments for our movement in 1998, 1999 and
the next decade.
no hope and no sense of family for any child, especially
one who desperately needs it. "And while there are many
fine single parents out there, the best situation for: any
child- especially an adopted.one- is a two-parent, stable
and loving home."
Rep. Pope told Tulsa Family News that despite "the
aberrant and deviantlifestyles ofhomosexuals" the target
of the bill was not adoption by Gay couples. When
questioned about whether high rate of divorce might
indicate that marriage was no guarantee of "stability,"
Pope agreed but suggested that statistically married
couples were still more "stable." Pope also stated that the
idea for this .bill came from Gov. Keating’s staff at a
recent leadership conference.
Pope suggested single-parent families are ill-equipped
to cope with myriad social and emotional problems such
as poverty,juvenile crime, teen-age suicide, alcoholism,
drug abuse, etc."We need to guarantee more for adopted
children," he asserted. Lawmakers will begin considering
Pope’s legislation when the 1998 session begins
Monday, Feb. 2.
Mixed Reception for
Lesbian & Gay Travelers
(AP) - American Airlines has five sales representafives
specifically marketing to Gay travelers, but the
carrier won’ t extend health benefits to Gay employees’
domestic partners.
St. Maarten is trying to attract Gay visitors to its
sandy beaches, while its Caribbean neighbor, Grand
Cayman, refused to allow a cruise ship carrying Gay
passengers to dock for the day.
Sought after for their tourist dollars, Gay and
Lesbian travelers find that in some circles they are
still shunned. For.instance, Sandals, which runs.lO
couples-0nly resorts in Jamaica and other Caribbean
islands, only allows heterosexual couples as a matter
of policy.
"I constantly remind myself where we’ ve come
andhow fast we’ ve come as a community," said John
d’ Alessandro, president of the International Gay and
Lesbian Travel Association. "We are no longer illegal.
The question of Us being’ sick’ has gone away
completely. But the fact is people grew up in an
environment where we’ re not an accepted crowd.
Today we are, but it’ s going to take people some
time."
The Cayman Islands this month refused to allow a
cruise ship chartered for about 850 Gay men to make
’a one-day stop in port, saying "careful research and
priorexperience has led us to conclude that we cannot
count on the group to uphold the standards of appropriate
behavior."
In contrast, the island of St. Maarten in the Netherlands
Antilles welcomes Gay travelers and will be
advertising, this year in Out magazine. "We’re lookingat
various niche markets and one of those niche
markets would be the homosexual market," said
ReginaLaBega, director ofmarketing for St. Maarten.
"They do have the discretionary income, and they
spend, and we haven’ t had any problems with homosexuals
- or any other group - coming to theisland."
The IGLTA estimates that Gay and Lesbians account
for nearly 10 percent of the $200 billion that
Americans Spend annually on business and leisure
travel. With that sort of spending power, the travel
industry has increasingly put out the welcome matfor
homosexual travelers.One result is that the IGLTA,
founded in 1983 with 25 tour operators and travel
agentmembers, reached about 600 members by 1992
and today boasts nearly 1,400 members, including
the Avis and National car rental chains, the philadelphiaConvention
and Visitor’s Bureau, the Australia
tourism council, and most of the major U.S. airlines,
with the exception of Delta.and TWA.
"In the last five years, major tourism organizations
and countries have come to realize the dollar value Of
the Gay market," said David Alport, publisher of the
Gay travd newsletter OUt & About. ’¢rhere’s no
question that tourism is an economically driven segment
of the business-world."
But even while courting the niche market, some
companies still wrestle with their own issues involving
Gay employees. American Airlines added five
employees to its 100-person marketing department to
focus soldy on the Gay community. The airline is an
active member of the IGLTA, has added sexual
orientation to its nondiscrimination policy, allows
group discounts for people traveling to Gay and
Lesbian conventions and donates money to orgamzations
important in the Gay community.
Despite the marketing effort that brings in about
$150 millioninnew revenue annually, the airline still
doesn’t extend spousal travel privileges and pension
programs to partners of Gay employees. In fact, no
U.S.-based airline does.
’q~here’ s some measure ofhypocrisy, butin r,e~lity,
all progress is made one step at a time," Alport said.
Five years ago, none of the airlines allowed a Gay
person to sign up their partner for a lounge dub
program or transfer a frequent flier award to a significant
other. Many of the airlines have since changed
those policies. "American may not offer every sort of
benefit for its Gay employees, but they are doing so
much more than the vast majority of compames out
there," Alport said. "Sometimes, recognizing the
value of your employees is the last step a company
will take."
Out & About, which has 10,000 subscribers, recently
rated several airlines on their Gay-friendliness.
Only the foreign-based British _Airways and
Virgin Atlantic scored an ’A,’ and even they don’t
offerhealth and insurance benefits to Gay employees.
Indeed, American and United Airlines - the only U.S.
airline to advertise in a national Gay magazine with
its "United with pride" ads -joined a lawsuit filed on
behalf of 25 airlines last year that sought to block a
San Francisco law that would force airlines that fly
into the city into adopting domestic partner.plans.
American spokeswomanAndreaRadar doesn’ t see
that as a dichotomy. The Gay-friendly marketing
campaign and the lack ofdomestic benefits are "two
entirely different issues," she said.
The lawsuit is "a broader issue of what a city can tell
an airline to do in terms of how it operates," Redar
said.
As for why American - and the other U.S. carriers
- don’ t follow some major companies like American
Express Co. and the Walt Disney Co. in offering
domestic partner benefits, Radar said it has been
proposedby the airlines Gay and Lesbian employees’
group and was "being studied."
There is no doubt that companies that appear Gayfriendly
set themselves up for criticism by conservafives.
SouthernBaptistleaders have asked thechurch’ s
15 million members to boycott Disney, in part because
of the domesticbenefits and other Gay-friendly
policies.
American gets it from both sides. "We have been
criticized by some family organizations for marketing
to Gay and Lesbian groups and by Gay and
Lesbian employees who would clearly like this matter
to move more quickly," Radar said. "If both Sides
are complaining.., you’ ve probably got it right," she
added.
And certainly, with some doors still closed, Gay
travelers are grateful for the recognition they have
been getting from the travel industry. "Every consumer
is viewed by people selling to it as just that, a
consumer. If someone recognizes my value as a
consumer and that’s the first step to recognizing my
value as a person, then I’ll accept that," Alport said.
"Often the dollar is the way that people are heard."
Gay Kids at CA Capitol
SACRAMENTO (AP) - About 200 Gay youths ralliedWednesday
at the state Capitol to demandproteetions
against harassment of homosexual or bisexual
students at school.
’q’here are no state policies that make our schools
accountable to the needs of Lesbian, Gay, bisexual,
and trans-gendered youth. We demand that the state
Legislature work to stop the violence and harassment
that queer youth face," said Ellen McCormick of
LIFE Lobby, which sponsored-the event.
The youths participated in a noon rally and other
events that were part of the group’s third annual
YouthLobby Day. Organizers said this year’s agenda
was shaped by students’ stories of harassment and by
defeat last year of a bill aimed at protecting students
against discrimination in public schools on the basis
of their sexual orientation.
Themeasure was authored by Assemblywoman
Sheila Kuehl, a Santa Monica Democrat who was the
state’s first openly Gay legislator. Kuehl said that if
lawmakers truly listened to students’ stories, they
would "not in good conscience be able to deny them
equal protection." Assemblywoman Carole Migden,
a SanFrancisco Democrat who is another openly Gay
legislator, addressed the rally, telling youths she is
supportive of their cause.
Activists also said they were seeking allocation of
state funds for training teachers, counselors and other
school staff about harassment and violence prevention,
crisis intervention, conflict resolution, and Gay
issues. In addition, the group requested allocation of
money for research on violence and harassment in
California’s schools and the needs of Gay youth.
Activists claimed Gay youths are almost two times
more likely than their peers to have been in a fight,
more than four limes more likely to have skipped
school because of feeling unsafe, more than twice as
likely to have been threatened or injured with a
weaponat school andnearly four times morelikely to
have attempted suicide.
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Gays at TX Prom OK
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Same-sex couples who
were forbidden from attending a high school prom
will be allowed to go following a challenge by two
female homosexual students. The two students at
Marshall HighSchool askedprincipal JohnBordano
last week if same-sex parmers could attend the
senior prom together. They were told only opposite-
sex partners were allowed to attend.
"Thereis alargeGay communityat Marshall and
it really hurt me," Katherine Stanfield, 17, one of
the students who challenged the rule, was quoted
as saying in Wednesday’s San Antonio Express-
News. "Wehave rightsjustlike everyone else," she
said. "Gays and Lesbians aren’t heterosexuals, but
they should have rights, too."
The policy of selling couple tickets for dates of
the opposite sex came about after the school had a
problem with groups of boys going to the prom and
flirting with thefemale dates ofotherboys, Bordano
said. School officials also worried about gang
activity if large groups attended the function together.
Inresponse to the girls’ complaints,Bordanomet
Tuesday with the student leaders - the presidents of
the senior and junior classes, the student council
president and editors of the school newspaper - to
get their input.
-They agreed each senior should be allowed to
. buy two tickets and take whomever they choose to
the dance. "We never had an intention to discriminate
against anybody," Bordano said. "We talked
about it and we’re going to do something about it
now." Chris Duke, editor-in-chief of the student
newspaper the Rampage, said the new policy also
is good for students who don’t have prom dates.
"People who wouldn’t normally go because they
didn’t have dates could go," Duke said. "Every
senior who wants to go can buy two tickets."
Bordano said if he receives complaints from
parents about same-sex couples attending, he can’t
help it. ’q’hat’s society as it is," the principal said.
’q2mse kids don’t feel uncomfortable with it and
they’re the leaders of our campus."
Ellen’s Mom on TV:
Support Your Kids!
WASHINGTON(AP) -Every motherlikes to brag
about her children. Ellen DeGeneres’ mother is
getting to do it on national television. Betty
DeGeneres stars in a 30-second television adurging
parents to offer loving support to their Gay
children.
"Hello; myname is Betty DeGeneres andmy kid
is the greatest. You know her. She’s Ellen - and
she’s Gay," Mrs. DeGeneres says in the public
service announcement as she and a group of children
build a huge American flag out of red, white
andblueboxes. "For too long, GayAmericans have
suffered discrimination," she says. "As long as our
sons and daughters are excluded from the basic
protection of law, we must share that burden- as a
family."
Ellen DeGeneres made a splash onher television
Show, "Ellen," in an episode in which her character
declared she was Gay. Mrs. DeGeneres, 67, made
the commercial as part of her duties as a spokeswomanfor
theHumanRights Campaign,oneof the
nation’s largest Gay political groups.
Mrs. DeGeneres will be in Portland, Maine,
Saturday to support Gay rights in advance of the
Feb. 10 referendum trying to block the state’s antidiscrimination
law. She said she is enjoying the
job, and believes her appearances and the "Ellen"
episode have helped parents accept their Gay childrenmorewholeheartedly.
’Tmhearingfrom young
people - especially since Ellen’s coming out episode-
that their parents are more accepting," Mrs.
DeGeneres said. ’q~hey’re seeing a positive image.
for the first time instead of all this negativity," she
said.
Elizabeth Birch, the group’s executive director,
said, "Gay people report that one of the most
wrenching things in their lives, among all the things
they have to confront, is being honest and open
¯ with their own family members... So, what Betty
¯
brings to this is this compassionate voice coupled
: withcommon seuse why everyone should embrace
¯ thorGayandLesbian children," BirchsaidWednes-
: day.
: The 30-second spot will be distributed to televi-
¯¯ sion stations nationwide, HRC spokesman David
Smith said. It will include special coding that will
: allow the group to track where and how often it is
¯ aired.
:i
DAto Fight Hate Crimes
¯ NEWORT.F.ANS (AP)- Louisiana’s Gay commu-
: nity has found a powerful ally to lobby the state’s
," district attorneys and push proposed legislation.
: Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick
¯ saidTuesday he will convene a task force ofleaders
: from the New Orleans Gay and Lesbian commu-
: nity and top city officials.
: In a press release, Conuick also committed to
¯ hdp.ing Gay groups lobby the Louisiana District
¯ Attorneys Association and help find sponsors for
: proposed legislation arising from the task force
¯ meetings. "My office stands for the fair and equal
¯ treatment of all our citizens, regardless of their
: race, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion or ha-
¯ tional origin," Connick saidin therelease. Connick
¯ also pledged to continue sensitivity training for his
: staffers.
¯ The task force- including Police Superintendent
: Richard Pennington, the mayor’s office and other
¯ officials of the justice system - will meet Feb. 12.
: That meeting will discuss the constitutionality of
¯ the crime against nature state law. Homosexual
¯ groups contend the law has been used by some law
¯ enforcement ageneies to discriminate againstGays ¯
and Lesbians. Connick saidrecentpassage ofanew
¯ state law calling for stiffer penalties for crimes
¯ motivated by a victim’s race or sexual preference, ¯
knownas hate crimes, indicate statewideinterestin
: the issue.
Lesbian Moms Fight
Each Other for Daughter
¯ DENTON, Texas (AP) - A jury will decide next
¯ week on a custody battle between two womenover
", a 5-year-old girl, and its verdict could set a Texas
: precedent. Sharon Banghman, 38, became preg-
: nant with the child by artificial insemination. Her
¯ former lover, 37-year-old Sylvia Benavides, 37,
: took part in the conception. The couple raised the
¯ girl for four years before separating in November
: 1996. Now, each woman claims rights to the girl.
¯ Ms. Baughman is asking.Judge Phillip Vick to
: take visitationrights from Ms. Benavides. Ms.
: Benavides, in ram, is asking for full custody of the
¯ child. If the woman who loses the case appeals to a ¯
¯ higher court - which is likely - the appellate decision will make Texas case law. It would be the
~ only case law in any state that addresses the issues
¯ of the lawsuit.
: Appellate bourts in two other states have sent
: similar cases back to state judges who denied
~ standing to bring a custody suit to the female
: partner of the birth mother.
¯ Attorneys brought several witnesses who de-
: scribed the women’s lifestyles, friends and the kind
: of care each gave the child. Friends testified that
¯ Ms. Benavides was a good parent and the child
: called her "Morn." Ellen Pesserillo, Ms.
: Banghman’s attorney, brought wituesses who told
: of Ms. Benavides’ hostility to outsiders, her vio-
¯ lence and their fears that she would run away with
: the little girl.
:i
Pastor Fights for Gays
." LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The suspended pastor at
¯ First United Methodist Church in Omaha said he
¯ wants to get back in the pulpit, but he will continue
: fighting for the right to perform marriage-like
¯ ceremonies for homosexuals. "It’s not possible for
; me to work on reconciliation (with members of the
¯ church) while I’m not connected with the congre-
¯ gation," see News, page 15
Monkey Study
Shows Promise
NEWYORK(AP) - Monkeys got unusually
mild infections from a cousin of the
AIDS virus after scientists gave some of
their blood cells a geue ,to interfere with
the virus’ reproduction. Thefindings lend
support to the idea of treating HIV-infected
peoplewith such gene therapy. The
monkeys studied were infected with the
simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV.
Those treated with the gene therapy
showed much less virus in their bodies
and f~r less damage to their lymph nodes.
¯ They also showed no drop in their blood
counts ofdiseasc-fightingCD4cells, while
untreated ~nimals showed a steep decline.
The inserted gene bloeked chemical
"orders" issued by two SIV. genes to infected
cells. With those orders stymied,
the virus couldn’treproduce. So the treated
cells became "a dead end for that virus,"
said Richard Morgan, an author of the
study inthe February issue of thejournal
Nature Medicine. He is aresearcher at the
National HumanGenome Research Institute,
part of the National Institutes of
Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Researchers treated three rhesus
macaques. They drew blood from the animals,
inserted the gene into CD4 cells,
and returned them. A week later, the
animals were deliberately infected with
SIV. At that time, only about 2 percent to
10 percent of CD4 cells in the treated
animals’ blood carried the therapeutic
gene. But that was enough to dampen the
infection.
Morgan speculated that those relativdy
few cells may have proved especially
attractive to SIV because they had been
"activated:’ or turned on to fight germs,
during the treatment. SIVprefers to infect
activated ceils. The treated ceilsmayhave
acted like sponges, taking in virus but not
alloWing it to make any progeny to get
back out again, Morgan suggested.
Dr. Gary Nabel of the University of
Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor,
Michigan, who is also studying gene
therapyforHIV infection, calledthemonkey
work encouraging. But he cautioned
that the implication for human therapy
isn’t clear.
Anti-AIDS Gene
May Help Infants
CHICAGO (AP) - A gene mutation that
slows the progression of AIDS in adults
also helps newborns fend off AIDS-related
illnesses if they hav_e caught HIV
from their mothers before or during birth,
a new study found.
"It doesn’t mean that they will not be
infected, but there is a significant delay in
the appearance of clinicaland biological
symptoms," said Dr. Michdi-e Misrahi
in a telephone interview Monday from
Paris, where she is a professor of biochemistry
and molecular biology at the
Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche
Medicale. The mutation, which
occurs on a gene called CCRS, is believed
to be absent in blacks and Asians but
present in 10 percent to 15 percent of
Caucasians, Misrahi said.
In the study, HIV-infected newborns
with themutation stayedillness-freemuch
longer than infants who lacked the mutation,
the researchers reported in today’s
issue of The Journal of the American
Medical Association~ By age 8; only 11%
of HIV-infected babies with the mutation
had suffered serious AIDS-related mala-
¯ dies, such as severe bacterial illnesses,
¯ compared with49% ofbabies who lacked
: the mutation, the researchers said.
¯ The finding will have no immediate
: impact on preventing or treating AIDS,
: but it co.uld help scientists develop new
¯ ".d~ugs to combine with antiviral medi-
¯ ctnes in an effort to prevent or kill HIV
-" infectioninnewborns, theresearchers said.
¯ Such a treatment would help all races
: because it would give them the biological
¯ advantage now afforded only by the gene
¯ mutation, a U.S. researcher said.
: In the United States, about 500 babies
: ofHIV-infectedmother~ hrcborn with the
: virus each year. In developing ~,ountries
¯ the rateis more than 300,000 a year and is
: still increasing. Without treatment, more
: than 25 percent of HIV-positive mothers
: will pass the disease to their ncwborus.
¯ With current-anti-viral drugs, the rate is
: about 8 percent.
: An expert with the National Cancer
¯ Institute said the French study is the first
¯ to show that a geue mutation can slow
: HIV-disease progression in newborns as
: well as in adults. "It looks like the effect
: could actually be a little stronger in these
¯ children," said Dr. Thomas R. O’Brien, a
." senior researcher and viral epidemiolo-
¯ gist who was not involved in the work.
¯¯ "But it’s only a single study, so it’s hard to
know whether that will prove to be the
¯ case," he added in a telephone interview
: Monday.
¯ Two otheT types ofgenemutations have ¯
been shown to be protective in varying
¯ degrees in adults, and more may exist, he
¯ said. The study included data from 52
¯ French medical centers on 512 newborns ¯
born to HIV-infected mothers between
¯ 1983 and 1996. Some 276 of the new-
; barns were infected, researchers said.
Insurer Accused of
HIV Discrimination
¯ CHICAGO (AP) - Mutual of Omaha In-
¯ surance Co. was sued Wedesday for al-
: legedly placing illegal limits on HIV-
: related health-eare coverage. The lawsuit
¯ contends such caps violate the Americans
-" with Disabilities Act and the Illinois Insurance
Code.
¯ Lambda Legal Defense and Education
: Fund and the AIDS Legal Council of
: Chicago filed their suit in U.S. District
¯. Court on behalf of two HIV-positive Chi-
¯ cago-area men, whosenames were kept ¯
secret. "Mutual of Omaha caps HIV-re-
: lated care at a fraction of the amount
¯ allowed for other illnesses or conditions.
¯ This discrimination severely limits ac- ¯
cess to standard, lifesaving therapies and
¯. is illegal," said Heather C. Sawyer, an
¯ attorney for Lambda.
¯ Mutual spokesman Jim Nolan said the
: company hadnot yet seen the suit, andhad
¯ no comment.
¯ Lambda and the council said one of the ¯
men’s policy caps his lifetime benefits for
¯
HIV-related conditions at $25,000 and
: the other man has a $100,000 cap. The
¯ statement said this was in contrast to $1 ¯
million cap that Muttml of Omaha would
: allow they needed care for other medical
: conditions.. The lawsuit claims the caps
¯ have forced the men to consider going ¯
without therapies that could prolong their
¯ lives. The lawsuit seeks an end to such
¯ limits. It also seeks to have the men corn-
¯ pensated for any damages they have suf-
: feted but does not specify an amount.
¯ Lambda is a New York-based national
¯ organizationthat works for the civil rights
of Gays and people with HIV and AIDS.
: Wash. St. Tracking
: Not Needed for HIV
: OLYMPIA (AP) - Health experts say
¯ Washington state can accurately monitor
¯ the spread of the AIDS virus without
: using thenames ofthose whoare infected.
¯ Instead, they are recommending a system
¯ using some type of unique identifier code
: for each person’ who tests positive for
¯ HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. °
." Advisers to Gay. Gary Locke say this
¯ alternative wouldallow health officials to
i cpoeollpelcet,sar_ig~hattsetodaptraivwacityhiomutdtchornefaitdeennintig-
: ality. Members of a governor’s advisory
." council voted Tuesday for an alternative
¯ to a name-based system. The vote fol-
¯ lowed months of sometimes contentious
." public hearings about whether health of-
: ficials should change their methods, of
¯ fighting-the disease. Currently, the state
: tracks AIDS patients by name but does
: not require people who test positive for
¯ HIV to provide their names.
¯ Improvements in AIDS-resistant drugs
¯ and the first drop in new AIDS cases,
." however, haveled many health experts to
: call for a name-based system to track
¯ everyone who tests positive for HIV.
¯ Advocates said it would present a better
:, picture of the epidemic and thus would
¯ allow health officials toreachmorepeople
¯ who may-have.been infected with HIV.
¯ Opponents arguedthatfewerpeople would
: seek testing and treatment for the virus
¯¯ unless their anonymity were guaranteed.
The Governor’s Advisory Council on
¯ HIV-AIDS met at a hotel in SeaTac on
." Tuesday. Within a few days they plan to
¯ present two things to Locke: A report that
¯ includes informationonboth name-based
¯ and identifier systems, and a letter that
¯ includes the council’s preference.
The council voted 14-4 in favor of a
: system that does not use people’s names.
¯ One member did not vote. Locke has not
¯ yet indicated which system he wants state
¯ health officials to pursue, policy adviser
." Duane Thurman said. ’q’he spirit of the
." meeting this morning emphasizes that
¯ there’s not one right answer," Thurman
: said. "It’s a very difficult issue."
¯" State Health Secretary Bruce Miyahara
; urged the council torecommendanAIDS-
¯ tracking system that includes names.
¯ While acknowledging security concerns,
; he said health experts should be allowed
¯ to reevaluate their strategies to keep up
¯ with the epidemic. "It’s part of the matur-
¯ ing of this disease," he said. "At this point
: in time, we feel names reporting is a
¯ legitimate issue to put on the table."
¯ As public policy director of the North-
" west AIDS Foundation, Steve Johnson
¯ helped lead the fight for an alternative to
¯ a system that uses names. Most people
¯ who testified at public hearings said they
." wouldn’t get tested for HIV if they knew
; their names would be used, he said. "It’s
¯ time to explore the major components of
¯ how a unique-identifier system would be
; established," Johnson said.
¯ Such a system would probably include
¯ age, gender, race, county of residence,
: andinformahon abouthow apersonmight
_" have been exposed to HIV, he said.
¯ Johnson, whoplannedtomeetwithLocke
¯ on Wednesday, said he would restate the
¯ Northwest AIDS Foundation’s opposi-
." tion to aname-based system. He also said
¯ health officials - not legislators shonld
¯ address the issue.
: Council Chairman Jack Jourden diS-
: agreed with Johnson, but he noted the
¯ council’s report provides Locke with a
: wide range.of opinions, see page 7
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Even though I min the minority, I don t
feel I lost anything because there was a
series of hearings around the state.., to
allow inputby infected and affected communities,"
he said. "The governor will
benefitfrom that input, so the council- as
a. conduit of information - did its job,"
Jourden said.
Dr. Bob Wood, AIDS control officer
for the Seattle-King County Department
of Public Health, said using names to
monitor AIDS helps authorities track the
epidemic more acourately. "If public
health can’t get the names, we can’t be
proactive," he said. "We have to .wait for
people to come to us."
Nearly 30 states have name-based HIV
reporfing,.and two - Maryland and Texas
- use umque identifiers. The national
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recently reported on the Maryland
and Texas experiments with unique idendriers.
The account noted several prob-
Jems, including incomplete codes, difficulty
in conducting follow-up on specific
cases and the absence of behavioral risk
data. "A lot of labs either didn’t have the
data to make up the unique code, or they
didn’t do it right," Wood said.
Johnson criticized the report, however,
saying the CDC had not invested enough
money to help make sure an anonymous
tracking system could be effective.
Fewer HIV
Infections in SF
,SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The number
ofnew HIV infectious has dropped during
the past rive years, and a smaller percentage
of Gay. and bise:~ual men are living
with the disease, the city’s health department
says.
The Consensus Report on HIV Preva- ¯
lence report, issued Tuesday, estimates ."
that there will be 500 new HIV infections "
in 1998, two-thirds of them among Gay
and bisexual men. The last report - pub- ¯
lished in 1992 - estimated 1,000 new ,
infections per year, 650 of them among
Gay and bisexual men. ¯
The current report also found that 30
percent of the city’s estimated 43,100 "
Gay and bisexual men are HIV-positive, ¯
down from 43 percent in the 1992 report.
"The new (report) shows that Gay and .
bisexual men’s efforts to change our be-
¯ -.HIV reports until recently. They worried
¯ that fear about breaches of confidentiality
would deter people from getting tested
: hnd receiving early treatment.
." But the consensus appears to be shifting
in support of reporting. Successful
; new drug treatments are reducing AIDS
i deaths and delaying for years the onset of
. AIDS-relatedillnesses. Whilethisisgreat
¯ news for HIV patients, it means knowl-
: edge of the epidemic’s extent lags many
," years behind the actual spread of the in-
" fection.
: Public health officials ~want,to know
: where H!V, the virus that causes AIDS,is
: prevalent in Alaska- in which segments
¯ of the population, andin which regions so
: they can target spending on prevention.
: "We’re getting a picture of the epidemic
: many y.ears ago and where the infection
¯ was going then," said Noel Rea, a public
: health specialist with the state’s AIDS
" program. "We need to know who are the
." most at-riskpopulations and who needs to
: be targeted now." State officials also are
¯ concernedthatdecliningnumbers ofAIDS
deaths might make people think the disease
has been curbed, when in fact it
continues to spread.
Twenty-eight states have changed their
policies in recent years to require HIV
reporting for adults. The states with the
largest incidence of HIV infection, including
New York and California, have
not changed their policies but are reconsidering
them.
HIV reporting would require changing
state regulations. That’s been recommendedby
the state Department ofHealth
and Social Services, said Rea. After a
review by state lawyers, the proposal will
be openfor public comment with possible
adoption this summer, he said.
The head of an Anchorage group that
works with some 250 H’IV-positive patients
says she is tom about the idea. It’s
important to get a better picture of the
disease’s patterns, said Andrea Nenzel,
executive director of the Alaskan AIDS
Assistance Association. But at the same
time, she said, the lack of sympathy towardpeople
withHIVinAnchorage, compared
with some other cities, could discoura,
ge testing. "In this commtmity,
there s still a very high level of discrimination
and ostracizing that goes on,"
Nenzel said.
haviorhavepaid off," saidDanWohlfeiler,
spokesman for the STOP AIDS Project. San F.raneiseo: HIV "The epidemicis not over, however, and we want to make sure that we don’t lose Trackln _reposed
any of the ground that we’ve won."i SANFRANCISCO(AP)-Doctors should
Thereport, basedonaMay 1997 survey report all patients with HIV, notjust those
of local AIDS experts, said the improve- with full-blown AIDS, a new report sugments
were mainly the result of more ¯
gests. That might be the only reliable way
accurate information on at-risk popula-.
tions, better prevention efforts and AIDS
deaths.
Alaska Considers
Names Reporting
ANCHORAGE (AP) - Reversing a
longstanding policy, state officials want
to start requiring health care workers to
report all cases of HIV infection to the
state Division of Public Health.
Currently, only the names of patients
with full-blownAIDS must bereported to
public health ofricials. Those names are
kept confidential, and the retxn~ are used
by the state to chart the spread of the
infectious disease just as it tracks other
sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis.
Many health care professionals
around the nation had opposed requiring
to track the course of the disease, experts
say. That finding was presented at a San
Francisco AIDS summit convened by
Mayor Willie Brown.
. The report’s authors emphasize that the
identities of the HIV patients would be
encoded to prevent discrimination. But
reporting HIV cases may help track the
disease’ s development, concludes the 175-
page evaluation of the city’s AIDS. programs
by anexpert panel. "Changes in the
.epidemichaveledmanypeople to express
increasing concern that existing AIDS
surveillance efforts are becoming outdated~
Because new treatments are slowing
progression of disease, these people
are not being reported," the report says.
U.S. doctors have been required to reportAIDS
cases to publichealth officials,
but there has been no similar order to
report patients see Health, page 15
by James Christjohn, entertainment diva ¯
Happy Valentine’s Day! - for those
who celebrate it. For the others whofeel it
is a cardmaker’ s/choc;o,~latier’ s/jeweler’ s ¯
excuse to make tOnso bucks, ignore the
previous message. Ditto to the many
spouses/lovebirds whose mates always ¯
forget/ignore the whole thing anyway.
LIKE MINE, for
instance. (editor’s
note: is thissupposed
to be a subtle hint?)
Well, it’ s become a
sort of tradition to
guess how many
days/weeks/months
after Valentines/
BirthdaylYule I will
get an acknowledgement
the day
has passed. Or
wheth¢~ there wasa day to begin with...
I really can’ t complain, he did give me a :
nice dinner for the birthday, even if he ¯
didn’ t know how old I was -and that can "
be a eood thingI (Only if he’ s subtracting, ¯
tho .) Although Valenune s this year ts
questionable - I read in The Tulsa World :
that my spouse was single. Hmmm. The
spouse is always the last to-know...
Well, rye ranted on long enough, I
suppose I have to write an actual column
now. I’ dlove to say thatTheManhattan
Transfershow wa~ wonderful, but I honestly
don’ t know. And I was there! Neither
Tom nor I could hear the group over
the orchestra! It was most dishearteningwe
are both of the firm opinion that whoever
was mixing sound was utterly deaf or
reading a magazine during the show. Or
listening to the radio; they certainly
weren’t paying attention to the vocalists.
And since we were in the balcony this.
time, I couldn’t cheat and read lips to.
figure out the lyrics. They looked good - "
from an aerial view, anyway. The people "
below must have been able to hear, from ¯
their response, but all one could hear in ¯
the balcony were the three people who "
very noisily unwrapped their candy and "
the orchestra. One candy-sucker was so ¯
annoying that when I asked the usher if
tossing such folk over the balcony would
be bad form, she responded, "No, I think ."
it’ s agood idea. I’ll help !"TomandI were ¯
so discouraged at all of this we almostleft"
before the end of the show - which is "
usually an utter no-no in my book, as it’s "
rude to the performers and rude to the
people around you. It was a very disappointing
evening.
Fortunately, I can say that if you see
Sarah McLachlan in Oklahoma City at ¯
the Civic Center Music Hall on March 17, "
you likely will ha~;e no problem hearing "
her angelic voice soaring over theinstruments.
She is one of my favorite artists, -
and I can tell youfromexperience that she "
isworth any effortyou go to to get tickets.
I saw her as she was beginnin_"g. to, .make. a ".
name for herself, and thought she amaze.
thebig time,andshehas, evenifyoudon’t
hear her on the radio here in the cuttingedge
town of Tulsa. And yes, that was ¯
meant with as much sarcasm as I could
muster. Hopefully, that will .clym~.e. ~h.~ "
made a cameo appearance on~eJan./m ¯
Scott Fraser still life at Philbrook
works of art not to be missed, available
everywhere. Cheek outMohawk Music,
who carries some of her hard to f’fnd stuff.
"Surfacing" is h~rmostrecenteffort. Catch
her now, she won’ t be back this way for
some’time. And tickets went on sale Jan
17, so get the orders in now because she
sells out wherever she goes.
Andmy other
favorite Diva, the
ever lovely Stevie
Nicks, will be having
a banner year.
Enchanted, a box set
comprised of three
CDs .one greatest
hits (yes, I know, we
had "Timespace:
Greatest Hits" in
1991 - gofignre),and
another of movie
soundtrack songs (from Twister, Against
All Odds, Heavy Metal) and the third
unreleased songs and hopefully some of
the demos that are floating around in
various bad states of recording quality.
Then a sorin~ (?~ tour to support that
~or~, and~-ane~vl’y~eeorded albumin fall.
Now, knowing how, ahem, flexible
Stevie’ s timetable can be on these affairs,
the only thing I canreport withcertainty is
thebox set. The tour is supposedly set, but
until a more comprehensive announcement
is made, I will not be holding my
breath. And many fans waited up to. two
years after the origin_~.street date of Street
Angel to get that CD into our colleclaons.
Even so, to quote Stevie, I Can’ t Wait..
And neither can Tom, I"m sure.
Broken Arrow Community Playhouse
presents the Owl and the Pussycat,
Feb. 6-15. A romantic comedy about the
relationship between a shy bookworm
and an outrageous hooker, the show features
the talents of Kevin Barrentine and
Melinda M. Davis. Reservations can be
made by calling 258-0077.
Phflbrook Museum of Art presents a
display of Scott Fraser Paintings through
Mar. 15. Fraser paints very striking real
life, mixing ~bjects with.a ,touch .of .the
surreal, like’ floating sticks , a pamUng
of sticks gathered in Scotlandlevitating in
midair. Quite frankly, 1 .normall,y,f~!nd,
still-lifts rather boring, buthis worKt zlna
intriguing. Check it ouL
Philbrook is.also theONLY worldwide
venue thathas the pleasure of showing the
~ "JNIW Turner Watercolors fromLon-
¯ . don" exhibit Feb. 8- April 12. Tickets are
available at Carson Attractions outlets or
by calling 584-2000. The show spans the
entire career of British Romantic Painter
JosephMallardWilliamTurner, andkicks
off the "Year of Europe" exhibitions, advance
ticketpurchases arerecommended,
as tickets available at the door will be
limited.
If you want to learn more about Turner,
and also about Thomas Moran whose
work will be seen at Gilcrease, a
Chautauqua-stylereinactmentofbothartists
will be presented-at the Waiters Art
Center at Holland Hall School on Tues.,
Feb. 17th at 7pro, .and in the Oilcrease
Museum Auditorium on Sun., March 1 at
1:30. DavidBrownofLondon’sTateGal-
PHILBROOK Your window on the world
Tickets on sale now at ~arson Attratlions. 584-2000
TOM NEAL D mocrat City Council District Four
For our city:
~ End Sales Tax on groceries!
~ Common Sense Redevelopment - No more Tulsa Projects
¯ .Neighborhood-based Recyclin~ Program with Mini
Recycling Centers at Schools.
¯ Real public transit - reduce impact of traffic on our
neighborhoods, provide transit options for young & old.
For our district:
¯ Quarterly District/Councilor meetings at Dist. 4 schools.
¯ Neighborhood Preservation - balance business develop
-ment with homeowners rights.
¯ Safety- Neighborhood, based polic.ing:, .
¯ Replant curbside trees ~ improve street lighting.
30 Dancers. 48 Musicians. I00 Singers. You’ll need a score card for our cast of dozens. Carl
Oqffs powerful music and the overpowering feelings of love and passion it evokes make
Carmina Burana a must-see ballet. Add a huge chorus from Tulsa. Stillwater and
Bartlesville and a full orchestra, andyou have one impressive spectacle -- and an overwhelming
Oklahoma premiere. Tarantella pays tribute ro the Company’s artistic co-founder, Roman
Jasinski. His cho~’eography explores the rhythms and music of Naples, Italy.
Carmina Burana, Friday & Saturday~ Fel~uary 13 & !4, 8pro
Sunday, February 15, 3pm
For Tickets, call: Tulsa Ballet Ticket Office 749-6006
or the PAC: 1~800-364-7111, 5967111; Carson Attractions: 58z1~2000
All shows at the Performing Arts Center, 3rd & Cincinnati
1/2 Season Tickets at 1/2 Prica! Now availaMe.
Two performances remain. Tickets start at just $16 for aduit~
Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Community ofHope (United Methodist), Service - 6pro, 1703 E. 2nd, 585-1800
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Service - 11am, 1700 E. 2nd, 749-0595
Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist
Service - 11am, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314
Family of Faith Metropolitan Community Church
Service - 5pm, Childrens MinisaT -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: 838-1715
Parish Church of St. Jerome (Evangelical Anglican Church in America)
Mass - 11am, 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 Canterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780
~ MONDAYS
AIDS Walk Planning Meeting, 2/16, 5pm, Resonance, 1609 S. Elwood
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
7:30pro, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
2nd Mon/each mo. 6:30pm, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard
Gay & Lesbian Book Discussion Group, Borders Bookstore
1st Mon/e~ too., 7:30pro, 2740 E. 21st, 712-9955
Mixed Volleyball, on hold for winter, call 587-6557 for info.
Monday Night Football, 8pro, Pride Center, Renfro Room, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
Women/Children & AIDS Committee, 2/2, noon, United Way Bldg. 1430 S. Boulder
~TUESDAYS
AIDS Coalition of Tulsa, 2/10, noon, United WayBldg. 1430 S. Boulder
HIV+ Support Group, HIV Resource Consortium 1:30pro
3507 E. Admiral (east of Harvard), Info: Wanda @ 834-4194
Multicultural AIDS Coalition, 2/3, 12:30pro, Urb~m League, 240 East Apache
Shanti-Tulsa, Inc, HIV/AIDS Support Group, and Friends & Family HIV/AIDS
Support Group - 7 pro, Locations, call: 627-2525
Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networking group, Info: 665-5174
PrhneTimers, mens group, 3rd Tues/each too., 7pro, 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 - 7pro, 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 pro, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
Ellen Watch Party, 8:30pro, Pride Center, Renfro Room, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
~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 Fanfily Chorale, Weekly practice - 9:30pro, Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th
From Our Hearts to Our House, 1 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 AdultsSocial Group, 1st Fri/eachmo. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E, 38th
Community Coffee House, varying dates, 7pm~ Pride Center, Info: 743-4297..
~SATURDAYS
.Nurtmks Anonymous, 11 pro, Commlltlity of Hope,1703 E. 2nd, Info:.585-1800
Lambda A-A, 6 pm, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th~ 2nd ft.
~OTHER GROUPS
T.U.L.S.A. Tuba Unlform&Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222 ~ ~
WomemSupper Club, Call fo~ info: 584-2978
OK Sp0ke:Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike.Or~ni~,’i~ I~fo: POB 9165, Tulsa 74157
Ifydl~LOr~l~ZatJotl b’tlofl~d, ~etose l#.t IM l~tow, Call Ot~583,4615,
Read All About It
reviewed by Barry Hensley
Tulsa City-County Library
Despite the pontifications of some of
ourpofitical andreligions leaders, the fact
remains that lesbian, gay, and
bisexual youth have very few
positive role models in our
culture. Isolation and fear, at
this already confusing time of
life, are the standard feelings.
In The Shared Heart, these
emotions are turned around
and result in positive, life-affirming
narratives.
Combiningbeautiful blackand-
white photographs with
the coming out stories of forty
American young people, this
is an inspiring book. Each
youth gets a full page to explain
their situation and history.
The facing page has a
large photo with a hand written
caption. It’s an interesting
andeffectivelayout. Theyouth
come from every walk of life
and include a wide spectrum
of cultures, races and genders.
One Asian-American explains
her frustration that, in
her native culture, "gayness
was seen as a western problem. There was
no one with whom to share my experiences.
When I finally/met other gay, lesbian,
andbisexual peoplewho also shared
similarethniebackgrounds, itwas incredible."
Many of the young people discuss
going to the library and looking up inforin
particular from the Ute tribe, and was
commissionedfromDavid Carlsonby the
Utah Opera. The Tulsa performance will
have some changes in the libretto and
score but these are for character and musical
development notto adapt the workto
an Oklahoma tribal setting, according to
Tulsa Opera General Director, Carol
Crawford.
The story of Dreamkeepers is that of a
contemporary Ute Indian woman caught
between her tribal culture and heritage,
and that ofthe Anglo society in which she
works as an attorney. Like many great
opera’s, the heart of the work is a love
story. The cast is, as we have come to
expect under Maestra Crawford, talented
anddistinguished: Singers Ashley Putnam,
Rosalind Elias, Jake Gardner, Antonio
Nagore will be directed by Albert
Takazauckas.
The University of Tulsa Theatre Department
is presenting the Tony Award
winning play, DancingAtLughnasa, set
in 1936 Ireland. (By the way, Lughaasa is
pronounced "loo-nuh-saw" with the accent
in the middle.) The play is about
freedom and escaping the shackles of
society - something ourparticular subeulrare
can readily identify with. The freedom
comes with music and that is also
mirroredin theGay culture. Ifitis as good
as Falsettos was, ~’Daneing.. ." shouldprovide
an evening of excellententertainment
and thought It even has something
for thepaganfolk in the audience! (Lughnasa
is the pre-christian harvest festival
As the
photographer,
Adam Mastoon,
daserlbes his
subjects:
"Together
they tell a
eolleetlve story
of the courageous
journey from
silence to
expression
and from
isolation to
freedom.
They are heroes
for our tlme
and role models
for us allo.."
marion whichmade themrealize that they
were not alone.
Parents, of course, get a heavy dose of
bothpraise and condemnation. Onelucky
young man; shown with his parents, expresses
his thanks to his "dad
and morn everyday of my life
for showingme what reaHove
and a real family are." Atthe
opposite end, another guy, an
openly gay senior in high
school who was electedjunior
and seniorclass president, says
that his parents "have warned
that if I confirm my sexuality
as anything other than heterosexual,
I will be disowned."
Due to these types ofsituations,
it is not surprising that
many of the stories have early
thoughts of suicide. However,
most of the youth have found
enough supporttocomeacross
as confident and proud.
As the photographer, Adam
Mastoon, describes his subjects:
’q~ogether they tell acol~
lective story ofthe courageous
journey from silence to expression
and from isolation to
freedom. They are heroes for
our time and role models for
us all..."
This is truly a beautiful and exciting.
book that gives some hope for the future.
Check for The Shared Heart at your local
branch library; or call the Readers Services
department at the Central Library at
596-7966.
of Ireland.) Reservations can be made by
calling 631-2567. Tickets are $2 - $7.
Heller Theatre offer us Laughing Mat-
¯ter Improv on Feb. 27. Tickets are $3
with areservation (746-5065) or $4 walkin.
That’s a pretty good value entertainment-
wise - and with audience participation
to boot! Heller also presents Ancient
Hi~tory, about the various stages of a
couple’s relationship, Feb. 12-21.
One of Tulsa’s younger but upcoming
performing troupes, TheWayward Theatre
Company will present Blood Knot
by noted South African playwright, Athol
Fugard on Feb. 18 - March 8. First produced
in 1961, the play about two brothers,
one white-skinned, the other blackskinned,
addresses the larger issues of
race. Call 596-.1475 for info. This spring,
Wayward will mount Paula Vogel’s fantasy
comedy The Baltimore Waltz about
"ATD - a fatal new malady with a high
risk factor, for elementary school teachers."
Full of erotic jokes, movie kitsch &
medical nightmare, look for it in April.
Last but not least, and perfect for
Valentine’s, is Tulsa Ballet’s Carmina
Burana. With, as they breathlessly note,
30 dancers, 48 musicians, and 100 singers,
the premiere should be spectacular. If
you haven’t been to the ballet lately, you
hot only have been missing some fabulous
bodies (indeed) but more interesting
dancing than Tulsa has seen in years.
Highly recommended. Carmina Burana
will be at the PAC on Feb. 13, 14 at 8pro
and on Feb. 15 at 2pro. The program also
features Tarantella by company cofounder
Roman Jasinski. Info: 749-6006.
VoiceMail
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The Tulsa Philharmonic Masterworks V
James Westwater, photochoreographer, Feb, 21, PAC 8pm
Featuring multi-image
photochoreography on 3 ~liant screens
set to adaptations of mus,c by ~
Barber and Copeland. _
For tickets, call 747-7445 " I U L S A PHIUIA~ONIC
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747-5466
4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
by Jean-Pierre La Grandbouche
TFN restaurant reviewer
Every year about this time, we get the
ge to eat Oriental foods. No doubt, this
s our contribution to help the Asian community
celebrate the lunar new year.
Amongst the Vietnamese people, the new
year celebration is called Tet, and it fell
the last few days of January this year.
For our Tet Observance, we sought out
the long popular Tulsa restaurant,
Ri L8 (pronounced like
the English word, "relay"),
located in midtown near 31St
and Yale. The Ri-L8 family
has been pleasing the palates
of local diners for nearly
twenty years with their traditional
Vietnamese family recipes,
and was probably the first
strictly Vietnamese establishment
in town.
After visiting so many Oriental
restaurants which boast
enormous menus filled with
doZens of meal choices, the
Ri-L~ selection at first strikes
us as spare, but this small family
operation has wisely chosen
to concentrate on a few,
well-made dishes, rather than
over taxing the kitchen with
too many recipes. Everything
is freshly made to order, and
that freshness has always
shined through on every visit
we,ve made, regardless of the
time of day.
One of our favorite starters
is a bi~ steaming bowl ofPho-
- pho is the Vietnamese word
for soup--and Ri-l_~,s Special
Beef Soup ($2.49) is particu-
!arly f’me. A dear, fragrant
broth is studded with an assortment
of vegetables,
noodles, and thinly sliced
pieces ofbeef, andhas anodd,
but appealing, slightly sweet
taste. A similar chicken pho is
also available. Soups are an
important component of Vietnamese
cuisine, and we often
see patrons order a large bowl
ofpho,making soup theircomplete
meal.
In a similar vein, but with
substantially more meat is the
special Hiosin Beef ($7.98),
which is a hearty serving of the tender, ¯
simmered beef. Asian seasonings have ¯
long been an art we have been unable to :
tell what it is that give the Vietnamese ¯
beef soups their interesting taste.
Another popular dish is Bdn Ch~ Gib "
($5.98), which is a large serving of Viet- "
namese noodles topped with green veg- ¯
etables, sprouts, slices ofbeef, and pieces
of chopped egg rolls, served in a large ¯
bowl with a small amount of broth, gar- °
nished withchoppedpeanuts, and accom- ¯
panied by a small bowl 0f piquant fish "
sauce. It’s a very filling dish, and Viet- ¯
namese noodles are quike unlike Italian ¯
pasta or American egg noodles. For an :
additional 81 cents, the deluxe bdn chit "
gibincludes chicken, shrimp, and chopped "
shrimppotatoes.. ¯
Over adozen chicken-based entrees are :
featured on the menu. While many corn- :
binations are reminiscent of Chinese cul- :
sine, we try to stay with the more tradi- ¯
tional Vietnamese flavorings. Chicken :
Lemon Grass ($7.95) gets its tangy flavor :
: from the blades of lemon grass. The
¯" ChickenSesamese ($7.19).features chunks
¯ of chicken battered and rolled in sesame
: seeds. Diced ChickeninSweetChili Sauce
: ($7.19) illustrates the Vietnamese taste
¯ for sweet spicy sauces that pack a power-
: ful fiery wang. On our Tet visit, we se-
¯ letted the Hot Ginger Chicken ($7.19),
: which was a nice melange of traditional
¯ vegetables with succulent bits of white
RLLe
and Family
Vietnamese
Restaurant
3206 So. Yale
Hours.-
11 to 9:30
Mon. -Thurs.
until 10 p.m,
Frl. & Sat.
closed Sundays.
Payment:
Cash, Visa,
Mastercard,
American
Express.
No checks.
Prices:
Moderate
Amldance:
Casual
Smoking
Seetlon: Se~parate
rooms, but
ventilation could
stand
improvement
Alcohol: only
Oklahoma beer
Ratlng: A
meatin alightsauce, seasoned
with long julienne slivers of
fresh ginger root, a goodly
amount of garlic, and enough
hot pepper to make a serious
impression on the back of the
tongue. It was a delicious en-
Our dining companion, who
has been spending alotoftime
recently amongst liberal
Democratic politicians, opted
for the vegetarianroute. There
!s a large selection of vegetartan
entrees on the menu, and
most combinations are indicated
as being available both
with tofu and with beancurd.
Now, those who have done
vegetarian cooking know that
"tofu" is the Japanese word
for beancurd, so one might
ask whether or not this was
some sort ofredundancy, kind
of like the pretentious American
restaurants that feature
"shrimp scampi" on their
menus. But, here at Ri-L~, the
distinction is made made with
pieces ofdeep-friedbeancurd,
and the "bean-curd" entrees
are not fried. Our friend’s tofu
entreewas sldllfullymade, and
the tofu pieces were not
overfried to a state of toughness,
as we have experienced
at several other establishments,
but had just enough
"tooth".to add a new dimension
to the taste experience.
A lot of Tulsaus have discovered
the delicious and filling
dish of Oriental pasta
known as "lo-mein," and are
chagrined to find the most expensivelo-
mein prices in town
here at Ri-L~--even more expensive
than at the pricey Fifteenth
Street Wok on Cherry
Street--at $9.98 per order. The lo-mein
here is, indeed, ddicious, and the orders
are enormous, truly enough to make complete
meals for two persons. With that in
mind, the lo-mein then becomes an affordable
concept. If ordering for one only,
be prepared to take home a doggie bag.
And, of course, no trip to a Vietnamese
restaurant would be complete without a
glass of Vietnamese coffee ($1.85) at the
dose of the meal. This delicious drink is
made with a special individual drip coffee
maker, mixed with sweetened condensed
milk, and served on the rocks.
Service is efficient and friendly, and we
think much of the staff must be from the
same family. Most all speak English
intelligibly. On a recent visit, our waitress
was also watching two small children
in the dining room.
There is no greater testimonial as to a
restaurant than a long tenure, and Ri I_~
has never disappointed us. Drop by and
try it. Southside diners may want to visit
the branch Ri-/_~ location at 4932 E. 91 st.
by Lamont Lindstrom : all evil European ma~ters and innocent
I rived for two years in one of the last ¯ native boys. There were interesting, and
colonies in the world. It was the late : easily expected, sexualrolereversals. An
1970s. The colony was the "Condo- ¯ Englishlinguistofmyaeqnaintance, there
minium" of the New Hebrides (or Les ¯ to study, the New Hebrides’ many lan-
Nouvelles-He’brides), which was unique ". guages, was infamous for his parties
in colonial history for having two admin- : wherein he managed to entertain entire
istrativepowers,GreatBritainandFrance. : squadrous of the colony’s fledgling new
Needless to say, the two colonial mzsters ¯ army. These sexual reversals of pofitical
engaged in frequent vicious inequality are not uncomdispute;
not much effective the New Hebrid~ m0n: "Iaminehargeinpubgovernment
took place; and ... was unique in lie, but I surrender myself to
thelocal joke was to rename colonial kistory for you in bed; I may be the
this island archipelago the civilized European but I de-
"Pandemonium" oftheNew lmvln$ two sire you, the savage other, to
Hebrides. For some years in a~]mlnlstratlve subdue me."
the 1920s, so goes the story, powers, Great The politics of sex are ofthe
British insisted on driv- ten strangein today’s former
ing on the left while the Britain anti France colonies.Someofthisqueer-
French demanded to drive ... the local iohe hess no doubt results from
on the right along the (luck- was to rename this people’s desire to address
ily) few kilometers of dirt the wounds of colonialism
road that the colony then iS]anti arcltlpelago by having theirformermasboasted,
the "Pantiemonlum" ters. I once spent a few days
In 1980,theNewHebrides ... For some years in Port Moresby, the capital
at last became an indepenin
the 1920s, so
ofPapuaNew Ouineawhich
dent nation and changed its had been an Australian
nametoVanuatu. Thepeople goes the story, the colony up until 1975.
of this archipelago are hand- British ~nslsteti on One evening, I was fiercesome,
dark-slduned South tirivlng on the le~t ly hounded around the hotel
Pacific Islanders, most of by a local guy who clearly
whomstill have an economi- while the French had his eyeuponmyperson,
cally poor, although cultur- demanded to tirive seeking to reverse, sexually,
ally rich, life as farmers and ’-- on the right . . . onetime colonialist power
fishermen, relations. "No way," I told
In recent times, around academia at " him. "You go find some dinkum Australeast,
plentyofeverythingis"post":post- ¯ lian to have your way with. Me, I’m
modernism, post-strucmralism, and-an- ¯ obliged instead to throw my American
othernewar~a-"post-colonial"studies.-" bodyintothetaskofrectifyingthehistori-
New writing about colonialism has fo- " cal injuries and social residues of U.S.
cused on trying to understand the texture slavery."
of power relations that existed between " If politics is always sexual, so is sex
(mostly) EaropeanmasterS and their vari- : always political. Sometimes having sex
ous subject peoples. One of the most in- ¯ with a person just confirms and deepens
terestingofthesebooksisRobertYoung’s " already existing relations of inequality;
Colonial Desire: Hybridity in Theory, : but sometimes sex, at least temporarily,
Culture, and Race (1995). This explains : can reverse and weaken such inequality.
the colonialist’s political will to rule by : Althoughmostofthewofldhasnowadays
seeing how this overlapped with sexual ¯ emergedfromthecolonialistemandjoined
desire. It uses the inequality inherent in : the United Nations as sundry independent
Western genderrelations to rethink broad : states, cross-cultural sex still remains a
structures of political power. It explores : charged political issue. Anyone who goes
how colonialism was always sexualized., on one of those sex tours to Thailand, as
Westemdesireforthe"other"-thenative " adverfised in the pages of The Advocate
,subject- typically worked to masculinize ¯ and Out magazines, can get a flavor of all
the ruler and feminize the ruled. Political : of the personal and social complications
relations of domination spilled, at least " of the bygone days of colonialism.
symbolically, into island bedrooms. S/M : I’m all for.using one’s body to underand
B/D sexinherenfly was inthe colonial _" mine hurtful power structures, and histoair.
TheFrenchwriterOustaveFlaubert’s ¯ riesofdomination, through the disruptive
19th century sex-tour of Egypt is a good : capacities of sex. But this business of
example of this. : cross-cultural tricking is always a tricky
InVanuatu, theBritishandFrenchpartly ¯ business.
conceivedofthemselvesandoftheirrela- : Lamont Linstrom teaches anthropoldons
with local people in metaphoric, .~ ogyatthe University of Tulsa.
¯sexualized terms along these lines. AI- :
It’o Here! close attention at that time, there was also
a lot of real.sex going on. This enlivened o
rela|ious amongthesmall, expatriate commt~
ity and also between Europeans and l s. : Children’s Ministry
As one might expect, much sex took "
place between expatriates and their ser- ¯
vant haosgel ("house girls" in Bislama, : Sunday’ s at 5 pm
the country’s Pidgin ~aglish) or, notably, :
their haosboe 0aouseboys). The post-colonial
approach to colonialism as a reflex ¯
of sexual desire has mostly focused on -"
heterosexuality, ignoring afarmoreinteresting
(for some of us anyway) homosexual
desire between colonial masters ¯
and their male subjects
In the New Hebrides, though, it wasn’t ."
748.5304
THE PHILBROOK
MUSEUM OF ART
9
What’ s happening in
the community?
What services
are. available7
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
2nd floor
Lookfor the Rainbow
Flag on the roof]
IGTA member
Call 341. 6866
Internationa
Tours/ormorein/orrnation.
Rainbow
Business
Guild
upcoming meeting
in Mareh.
In~o./RSVP: 665-5174
POB 4106, Tulsa 74159
Ga.v O~aaed, Operated &
Rainbow Proud
Gay Mecea of the Ozarks
Beautiful Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Eureka’s
Old
Jailhouse
Historic
Lodging in the
Heart of
Eureka Springs
501
253-5332
15 Montgomery
(comer of
Mountain &
Main)
Outside
Hot Tub
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 appoinlments are available.
Church of the
Restoration
Unitarian
Universalist
11 amSunday Service
1314 N. Greenwood
587-1314
Puppy Pause II
Allanna Davenport
Professional All ~
Breed Grooming
1060-N South Mingo
Tulsa 74128
838-7626
Massage Therapy Services
Edgar O. Cruz,L.M.T.
Pager: 918-741-6206
Voice Mai1:+918-697:9282
Lic. #C4133
St. Michael’s
Alley
Restaurant
&
Club
Featuring
Steaks, SeafiSod,
Chicken, Pasta,
Soups, Espresso,
and Chalkboard
Speciaties
Monday - Thursday
+ llam-,10pm
Friday- Saturday
llam- llpm
3324-L East 31st
NE side of RanCh Acres
745-9998
Established 1960
Saint Aidan’s
4045 No. Cincinnati, 425-7882
The Episcopal Church
Welcomes You "
by Mary Schepers ¯ gadgets and tools, though only on a mod-
Welcome to my workshoo; I’m Mary
the
, -a, ¯ est scale, unless some hardware mega-
Do-It-Yourself Dyke (DYID). And " giant wants to sponsor a try-out (hint,
no, this is not a sexual self-help column. ¯ hint, Homo Depot and Builder’s Queer).
The DIYD believes that whatever you do " Hm, I could use some Pergo flooring, or
with your tool belt in the privacy of your " perhaps a new drill motor...
home is strictly a personal
matter. We will deal Speaking of tools - and This column is designed you can always get me to
for theseasoned repair person
as well as the interested
novice who has been stuck
one time too many with expensive
labor charges for
simplehome or auto repairs.
The DIYD understands that
beginning most projects is
much scarier than actually
doing them, and you may be
amazed to learn that most of
it is not rocket science. Get
things level and squared and
you’re halfway there.
W.e will deal with specific
projects, general repairs, and
- my favorite! - TOOLS.
Myfriend Donna said that
the real reason I bought a
house was so I could buy
more tools. She’s right, of
course, but my Handyman
Special was a good excuse
for the investment in lots of
tools. Confession: I’m still adding items.
I am open to the question and answer
format, so send’emin! Write tomein care
of this publication. I also welcome solutions
from others in the reading audience
I’ll bereviewingnew products, teclmiquesl
with specific
projects, general
repairs,
and - my
favorite! -
TOOLS¯
My friend
Donna said
that the real
reason I bought
a house Was SO
I could buy
more tools.
She’~ right,
of course . . .
speak of tools - I was in
Sears at 21st and Yale and
they’re having an incredible
clearance sale as they prepare
to move into their new
building. Lots of great bargains,
but you’ll want to
hurry in and check things
outbefore they are too picked
over.
AndI spotted at least three
Lesbians while I was there,
so life is truly rich. While
yOu’re there, ask a sales rep
to sign youupfor the Craftsman
Club, which will entitle
you to great monthly savings
throughout the year. It
costs nothing tojoin. I saved
a bundle on home paint this
summer.
And that reminds me of
projects again, so dust off
yourTo-Do list, roll up your
sleeves and let’s get started.
: We could get lots of things done together
this year. And, by the way, that tool belt is
¯ a great investment, whatever the use you
¯ put it to.
", Do-It:Yourself-DykeMarySchepers is
¯ a localpoet and handy-woman.
and said it regrets disclosing to a Navy
investigator the identity of a senior sailor
now facing dismissal from the service as
a homosexual. ’q’his was a case ofhuman
error under very unusual circumstances,"
AOL Inc. said in a one-page statement.
While criticizing the Navy for the way it
sought the information, AOL said of it,.
disclosure: ’q’his dearly should not have
happened, and we regret it."
McVeigh, 36, who is no relation to the
man with the same name who was sen-
.tenced to diefor theOklahomaCity bombrag,
said he is happy to be returning to the
Navy to continue his 17-year career.
’¢Fhere’s uncertainty," he said. "I don’t
know what I’ll be doing. They don’tknow
what I’ll be doing. But I’m happy. I’m
fight in this case."
The Navy went too far in pursuing
allegations of homosexuality against a
senior sailor and surreptitiously obtaining
key evidence against him from a computer
online service, the judge ruled. "In
these days of ’big brother,, where through
technology and otherwise the privacy interests
oflndividuals from all walks oflife
are being ignored or marginalized, it is
imperative that statutes explicitly protecting
these rights be strictly observed,"
Sporkin wrote. "This court finds that the
Navy has. gone too far."
Though not the final word in the case,
the decision represents a sharp rebuke of
the Navy, both for its enforcement of the
military policy on homosexuality and for
the intrusiveness of its investigation. It
promises to reverberate beyond the military
to all government agencies that might
want to bolster investigations by demand-
: ing information from online computer
¯ services.
: MeVeigh is suing the Navy for violat-
¯ ing federal law in trying to force an end to
" his career. He can remain in the Navy
¯ pending final outcome of the case, which
¯ Sporkin said was likely togoin the sailor’s
¯ favor.
¯ "Although McVeigh did not publicly
: announcehissexual orientation, the Navy
: nonetheless impermissibly embarked on
¯ a search and touting’ mission," Sp0rkin
: wrote.
: Attorney Christopher Wolf, who ar-
¯ gued for McVeigh in court, called ¯
S.porkin’s ruling "a milestone" for online
: privacy and for defining the Gays-in-the-
¯ , h.ta~y. policy, q’hejudge knew a w~tch
aunt when he saw one," Wolf said. "What
: this case means is that when the govern-
" meat violates electronic privacy laws, it
¯ should not be allowed to use the fruits of
¯ its violation againstlaw-abiding citizens.,’
in a landmark fashion.
Every Thursday GLAAD produces
Ellen Watch, an e-mailed list of the previ-
-." ous nights sponsors. E-mail
." glaad@glaad.org to be added to the grow-
." ing list.
¯ Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President,
." ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los
: Angles, CA, feedback form: http://
¯ www.abe.eom/vvoice/Viewcons 1.html;
¯" Michael Eisner, Chairman & David
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¯ Walt Disney Company, 500 South Buena
Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521, Fax:
: (818) 560.1930,E-mail via: WWW: http:/
¯" /www.disney.com/Mail.
Weaver and Smith have joint custody of
the kids~ who range inage from 4 to 12,
with their ex-husbands.
"My boy (who is 10) has struggled a
little bit. We talk about it," said Weaver.
"With our kids, the fathers are real involved
with them.Wework well with our
ex-husbands in raising them. We never
fought with our husbands. I don’t .want to
underestimate the effects of divorce, but
it’s not as traumatic as it could be.
’ffhe biggest change for us came when
we moved in together. Nothing has been
as traumatic as that, trying to todd our
families together," Weaver said.
And this is a family that has experienced
its share of traumatic changes. The
public revelation last fall that she is Gay
hurled Weaver, a Spanish Fork High psychology
teacher, into the center of a raging
controversy in this conservative community.
In October, she filed a civil lawsuit
against Nebo School District, contending
it violated her civil rights of free speech
when it told her she could not discuss her
sexual orientation with anyone inside or
outside of the classroom:
The longtime volleyball coach who
guided Spanish Fork to four state championships
was:relieved of her coaching du,
ties before the current school year. One
group, led by attorney Matthew Hilton
sued Weaver for alleged misconduct with
her players. Last month, a group of
Weaver’s formervolleyball players called
a press cotfference to.refute the charges.
The district, meanwhile, is vigorously
defending itself against her suit, which
will likely go to trial.
"What bothers meis I’m not Wendy
Weaver ,,a~,y more. I’m ’the LeSbian
teacher,’ Weaver said. "It’s not who I
am. I’m a teacher, a mother, and I was a
coach.. But being Gay is my identifying
factor. "The real issue in my suit was that
the government told me what I could and
could not say," she said. ’ffhe Gay issue
hasbecomethefocal point, butit shouldn’t
be."
While Weaver and Smith try to shield
their children from the publicity as much
as possible, they don’thide their lifestyle.
Instead, they. talk about it openly. ’q’he
kids have adjusted really well. They’re
too youngtobehassled at school,"Weaver
said.
For Weaver and Smith, though, the
public debate has taken its toll¯ "We’ll
take a long drive or. long walk and cry a
few tears," said Smith, who works as a
real estate appraiser from home and taltes
care ofthe childrenwhenWeaveris teaching.
Smith also officiates high school and
college basketball, volleyball and softball
games.
Still, both Weaver and Smith say they
have heard more from supporters than
from opponents who want the schooldistrict
to fire Weaver. "There’s no open
persecution," saidSmith. "Noangryphone
calls, no vandalism. No one’s thrown
snow-balls at us."
Weaver said she has had support from
SpanishForkresidents whomaynot agree
withher lifestyle. "This community is not
like theparents group. Mostbelieve this is
my private life. They judge me for how
they interact with me."
Weaver never dreamed she’d become
embroiled in a controversy that would
attract national attention. For years~ she
said, she battled her feelings. She and her
ex-husband, Gary, who is also.employed
by theNebo District, were seen as amodel
: conple. They welcomed foster children
¯ into theirhome and servedin the commn-
: nity. The Weavers were nominated for
: Family of the Year Award in Salem sev-
¯ eral years ago.
: Whenthecoupledivorced after 15 years
." of marriage, rumors about Weaver’s
: lifestyle arose but didn’t become public
¯ untillast summer when a student who was
: trying to decide if she should play on the
." team askedWeaverpoint-blankifshewas
¯ Gay. Weaver says she told the truth. Not
: long afterthat, thedistrictinformedherof
: the decision to let her go as coach. "I
: wasn’t going to lie about the relationship.
: These kids are 16, 17, 18 years old~ Tell-
. ing them it’s none of their business is
¯ Weaver denies the allegations from
¯¯ some former students that she promoted Lesbianism among athletes. "I pride my-
" self in that I was a coach who played
¯ according to who was best. I played the
¯ best athletes. I didn’t play Gays over non-
" Gays," she said.
¯ Smith says she can relate to those who
¯ are opposed to Weaver. "Six, seven years
¯ ago I probably wouldn’t have gotten in-
" volvedmyself," she said. "I was raised the
: same way these people were raised....
¯ told my morn about eight years ago ¯
¯ wished these peoplewouldjust stayin the closet. I understand their fears, and their
¯ ignorance. That’s the premise they baseit
¯ on, that you can make someone be Gay. ¯
¯ You can’t. They’re operating on a bias they’ve been taught from birth.
: Weaver said shedoesn’t regret the de-
, cisions she’s made. "I would tell .this girl
: again the truth and I wouldfile thelawsuit
: again. I still feel that what the school
: district did to me is wrong.. I feel pretty
¯ OK with where I am."
:Son ConViCted of
: Killing Dad’s Lover ¯ YADKINVILLE, N.C. (AP) -Ason who
¯ had been embarrassed since age 13 about
_" his father’ s homosexuality was convicted
¯ of shooting his dad’s lover to death and
. blinding his father. Jerry Mac Matthews
," Jr., 36, could get the death penalty in the
¯ 1996 attack.
¯ Matthews Shot and wounded his 60-
," year-old father and killed 45-year-old
," Everette Lee Kerley as the two men sat in
¯ a car pfirked outside a restaurant.
¯ The elder Matthews had had a 25-year ¯ relationship with Kerley. The son was
¯ was foundgui!tyWednesday ofmurderas
¯ wall as assault with intent to kill.
¯ Pyschologist Jerry Noble testified that
," the younger Matthews once idolized his
¯ - father but became disillusioned at 13,
¯ when his parents divorced and his father
¯ told him he was homosexual.
¯ Noble said Matthews felt ashamed and
: "feared that one day he may become h0-
¯ mosexual himself."
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and [xial hair are plusses.(Ft.Smith)
~8593~ ~ .
BELLS ON MY TOES I’m a Whit~
male into crossdressin~ and painting
my toenails. I love gelhng my toenai’l’s
and every~n,ing else, suc[ed on. If
you’re in the area and turned on, call
me. I’m 35, with Blond hair and Blue
eyes. (Tahlequah) ~11743
ENOUGH DAYDREAMING I’ve
always considered myself Straight,
but k~tely I haven’t b~en able to stop
thinki.ng about sex with another man.
I need someone Straight acting
~isc~et, healthy, and-drug fre~. I’m a
~leaking, pretty well ~uilt, Single,
White male, 29, 6It, 1901bs, with
Brawn hair and Green eyes. (Grand
Lake) e12004
HEAD OFFICE Professional
businessman, 6’1,2151bs, into
dancing, meeting new pepple, and
having~n, wanls to hook up with
some new friends. (Tahlequah)
el 139B
BURNING LOVE I’m a good
looking, White male, 22, 6fi,
1401bs, with Brown hair and
eyes.I’d like to meet other guys to
date. I’m very hot. (Tulsa)
~11917
BLUE COLLAR BUSINESS This
Gay, White male, 45, 5’10,
2201bs, with light, Brown hair and
Green eyes, seeks a blue collar
lypa who’s down to earth, caring,
and enjoys sports and the
outdoors. I want to have a one on
one relationship. I don’t drink or
do drugs, but fdo smoke
cigarettes. (Hefirietta) ~9661
FAST BUDDY Friendly, 36 year
old, White male, 5’10, t601bs,
with Brown hair, Brown eyes, and
a great mind, seeks friends to ¯
hang out with: (Tulsa) ~! 1860
FEED ME TALK I’m easy to look
at, 6’2, 1801bs, with light, Brown
hai~:and Blue eyes. i’m o~ea
minded, into different sce’nes, and
hungry for Conversation and
companionship (Inverness)
~7993
ON THE UP AND UP
Handsome, .Gay, Seminole Indian,
27, 5’6, 1301Bs, seeks an honest,
trustworthy person, 27 to 35, who
shares m~, interests in movies,
music~bnd dancing, for friendship
leading to a long t,e.rm
relationship. I don t smoke and am
a ~ocial drinker~ (Stillwell)
~9~41
THINK NEW I like all kinds of
new-thingvand want to meet guys,
18 to 45, who have some creative
ideas. I’m a good looking, 30 year
old, White n~le, 5’9, 15"01bs. I’m
well built and prefer the same.
(Fort Smith) ~8308
FLY,.FLY AWAY This good ~
Io0k(~gi 30 year old, Gay, Wh te
male, into the outdoors, hiking,
biking, and sunbathing, seeks a
distinguished gentleman, 38 to 45,
with similar interests. I work for a
malor aidine and would love to
take you away somewhere. ITulsa)
~! 1349
THE WOMAN IN ME I’m a 40
year old, White, Transgender
male, seeking a tall, d~minant
male, for friendship. Age and race
are unimportant. I m very, very
domestic, and extremely feminine.
I enjoy pleasing a man in every
way and I need someone who can
respond to the woman in me.
(Tulsa) ~t 11330
IN THE AIR Clean shaven,
attractive, drug free, White male,
35, with Brown hair and Blue eyes,
seeks other .quys, for friendship
and a passiE;le long term
relationship. I en oy quiet
evenings, anything outdoors,
dancing, and hanging out with
friends. (Tulsa) e11015
MY EVENING ROUTINE Most
evenings, I kick back, open a nice
beer, watch some Iv, and start
massaging myself. I’d love to meet
someone to share my routine with.
(Tulsa) el 1041
RUNNING AROUND Very
out.cioing, fun Iovin~l, 19 year old,
~h’~te male, 6ft, l~’51bs, with
Black hair and Blue eyes, seeks
other g.uys for friendship or a long
term relationship. (Tulsa)
~ i 0572
NO P~SSURE l~is feminine Bi, White
fumale, 5’4,115b wi~n ~l~ir and
Blue eye~, seekso~feminine Bi female
hieMship or more. Ilike to go ~, ,,but I also
.enjoy s~ing in, v,atching a video. I m
Ifie outdoors. I don’t sm~e but I have a
drink occasbndly. (Sdina) ~)470
MJDWEST lIES I’m a L~ian wriler and
oumali~ who’s lied to Ihe mldv~t ~. a
,/nile.i’m intended in meeting
wi~ v~nom to discuss liten~re and the
(Tulsa) ei0163
NEW TO THI SNOW This 20)rear ok]
he~ frun ,~. Lauderdo~. I~t me~ many
C-ay and Bi womyn yet, but am anxious to
~ke some ’.ft~s. IF~erwo~ benvee~
18 and 30, d any race. Some of my
idere~ indude ~le~ading, rnov~, and
going to parks. (Tulsa) =10181
lifomia and~d some f~ends to
~h0w me what Oklahoma is aft ab0ut. I
¯joy music, dancing, sf~.ts., going outb
~, and good peq~ to shor~ it a~ with.
~Tulso) ,,96Sl "
BLOI~E ANDBI AJtrad~, Ei White
~naJe 6~t w~ BJondehair ~sano~
Bi ~[e, ~,~ li~ to~.n’yl go out
da.ncing, see movi~, and~a lot of fun.
(Tulsa) ~7095
NE’W STAll OF MIND Thls v.~ .
[eminine, Bi curious, White ~maJel newto
~area, ~nts to hook up witch o~,,r Bi or
Bi c.ur~,s womyn, for fun. Let’s get to know
eachother, fl’ulso) e7030
To reconl),ourFREE Call: )0.546- ENN (We’ll here)
I
the Rev. Jimmy Creech said Wednesday.
Last week, Nebraska Bishop Joel
Martinez extended Creech’s suspension
at least until a committee investigating
Creech’s officiating at a Lesbian-union
ceremony completes its work. Creech performed
the Lesbian "covenanting" ceremony
on Sept. 16, after Martinez told
himnotto. Creech saidhefelt the church’s
prohibitionon such unions was "discriminatory
and unjust" and "because I felt it
was my responsibility as a pastor to sup
port the couple."
The names of the Lesbian couple, who
came to Creech in April requesting the
ceremony, have not been made public.
The issue has divided the 1,900-member
church and galvanized United Methodists
across the state and around the country.
Church member Mel Semrad, who was
head of the .finance committee when
Creech was hired, said he believes most
members welcome people regardless of
sexual orientation. "But we also believe
we should follow the guidelines of the
General Conference" that prohibit sexual
unions, he said.
If the investigation determines .Creech "~
acted wrongly, either in violation of the
church’s rules orbecause he failed to obey
Martinez’ order, Creech said he is ready
to appeal to the United MethodistJudicial
Council, which acts as asupreme courtfor
the denomination. Creech saidhebelieves
a statement in the church’s Social Principles
adopted in 1996 that prohibits homosexual
unionceremonies is contrary to
the biblical .teachings of Christ.
Creech performed more than a dozen
such ceremonies for Gay and Lesbian
couptes while a pastor at FairmontUnited
Methodist Church in Raleigh, N.C. All
those ceremonies occurred several years
before the 1996 General Conference of
the UMC passed the ban, be’said.
Creech said he and his wife, Chris
Weedy, married in 1992 in a courthouse
marriage ceremony followed by a
convenant ceremony in the church that
did not include marriage vows as a statement
of solidarity to what homosexuals
face. "We did it to be in solidarity with
GaymenandLesbians who are denied the
righttohave their relationship recognized
as legal," he said.
In part because of his activism on Gay
issues,Creechlosthis position atFairmont
UMC, was unemployed for six months,
then served as a social lobbyist for the
North Carolina Council of Churches for
five years before coming to Nebraska.
Marriage Case to
Goto VT High Court
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The issue of
Seine-gender marriages is going to the
state-Supreme Court. Three Chittenden
County same-gender couples filed an appeal
Thursday of a December Superior
Courtruling dismissingalawsuitin which
they sought the right to mzrry.
Judge Linda Levitt had agreed with the
couples on several areas, but disagreed on
the overriding issue. "While all of the
(couples’).arguments claiming the.state’s
publie purpose is invalid are clear and
sensible, none is persuasive enough for
this Court to determine that the Legislature
is unjustified in using the marriage
statutes to further the link between procreation
and child rearing," Levitt s~id.
Three couples - Start Baker and Peter
Harrigan of Shelbume, Nina Beck and
who carry the AIDS virus but do not have
full-blownAIDS. The policy of San Francisco
has been that there shouldno reports
of HIV tests without the explicit consent
of the patient.
But this has made it tough to track
where the virus is spreading, what risk
factors lead to infections, and where to
target treatment and prevention. Because
of improved treatments, fewer and fewer
HIV-infected people actually progress to
AIDS, so they remain unreported.
The panel explicitly rejected reporting
names, instead proposing a system that
uses crypticcodes, basedonunique"identifiers"
- numbers or letters corresponding
to an individual. This would protect
privacy andminimizefear ofAIDS-based
discrimination, the panel said.
Several AIDS and civil rights groups
have dropped their resistance to HIV reporting,
includingthe S,an FranciscoAIDS
Foundation; GayMen s Hcalth Crisis, the
nation’s largest service provider; AIDS
Action, a national group representing
2,500 commtmity providers ofAIDS services;
theAmericanCivil Liberties Union;
and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education
Fund.
The panel also insisted that all HIV
testing be voluntary,not required. To better
detect chznging trends inthe epidemic,
the city should seek a way to offer free or
low-cost AIDS tests, according to the
report.
The summit also addressed treatment,
employment, prevention, housing and
funding. More than 100 experts, led by
Drs. Marcus Conant and Thomas Coates
of the University of California, San Francisco,
formed subcommittees to study the
issues and makeformal recommendations
to the mayor. Brown has vowed to.implement
¯e recommendations through his
newly created Mayor’s AIDS Leadership
Forum and the appointment of a seniorlevel
staff person in his office.
AIDS Increases In
Older Americans
ATLANTA (AP) - New AIDS cases rose
morethan twice as fast among those over
50 than among younger adults between
1991. and 1996, suggesting that older
people aren’t protecting themselves
against the disease.
The-Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said 6,400 AIDS cases were
diagnosed in the United States among
people at least 50 years oldin 1996, a22%
increase from 1991. Cases for the 13-to-
49 age group rose 9% in the same period,
to 50,300. The center recently reported
that 12 - 15% of the AIDS cases in Arizona
are people over 55.
The CDC said most older adults who
gotAIDS in theearly days ofthe epidemic
probably contracteditfromatsintedblood
transfnsion. Now,moreare being infected
byunprotected sex andbyinjecting drugs.
’q’hese are older.adults who are engag~
ing in some risky behaviors because they
don’t perceive themselves to be at risk,"
Dr. Kimberly Holding of the CDC said
Thursday. AmongOlderwomen, thenumber
of new AIDS cases linked to unprotected
sex more than doubled between
1991 and 1996-from340 to 700. In older
men, that increase was almost as sharp,
from 360 to 700. New cases among older
men who inject drugs jumped 53%, from
850 to 1,300. Among older women, the
increase was 75%, from 160 to 280.
record
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