[1999] Tulsa Family News, July 1999; Volume 6, Issue 7

[1999] Tulsa Family News, July 1999; Volume 6, Issue 7

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

July 1999

Jean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legrandbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
Mary Schepers
Adam West

Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News

Tulsa Family News, June 1999; Volume 6, Issue 6

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PDF
Online text

English

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https://history.okeq.org/items/show/589

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

First Gay Ambassador,
James Hormel, Sworn In
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sedate events are the norm in
the gilded confines of the State Department’s eighth
floor reception room but there can be exceptions. The
atmosphere was downright raucous on Tuesday, June
29 over a seemingly routine happening.." the swearing in
of a new ambassador. James Hormel, who is Gay, took
the oath as ambassador to Luxembourg in the presence
ofhundreds offriends whohad siipported Hormel’ s ofttroubled
nomination since it was first announced 20
months ago.
Hormel’s supporters cheered loudly as he was sworn
in as America’s first openly Gay ambassador. "What an
inered!ible privilege it is to be standing before you
today,’ said Hormel, an heir to the Audiin, Minn.-based
Hormel Foods Corp. fortune.Secretary of State
Madeleine .Albiight was there, along with Sens. Ted
Kennedy, D-Mass., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Television cameras lined the rear of the majestic State
Department hall. Normal procedure on such occasions
is to bar the press altogether.
Uncertainty had shrouded Hormel’s appointment
almost from the day he was nominated because of
opposition from a few senators, see Hormel, p. 12
30 Years After Riot, Gays
& Lesbians Take Stock
NEW YORK (AP) -~,years ago, police raids on
Gay bars were a fact oflife~ You took themfor granted
the way you took being hated for granted," says Joan
Nestle, a writer and activist who started going to,
Greenwich Village bars as a tean-ager in the 1950s~
Volunteers carried a 120footRainbowflagfrom the Community
Center to Veterans Park where Congressman Frank spoke.
2000 Attend 1st Tulsa Parade
TULSA-Tulsa’ s firstGayPrideParade was declared a sweeping
success by its organizers and by almost all who attended.
-According to The Tulsa World, more than 2000 attended the
event which featured US Congressman Barney Frank, Democrat
from MassaChusetts as grand marshall and which had more than
35 entries. Frank spoke at the traditional picnic which followed
the parade and again at a dinner that evening at the Greenwood
Cultural Center. At both events, Frank suggested that straight
Americans are not essentially bigoted but rather bdieve that they
are expected to be anti-Gay. He strongly encouraged Gay &
Lesbian citizens to become politically active.
Sponsors of the events indued Mark & Mike, Cimarron
Alliance, the Parish Church of Saint Jerome, MCC United,
Council Oak Mens Chorale, PFLAG, Bud Light, Pepsi-Cola/Dr
Pepper Bottling Co. of Tulsa, Jason Reed, The Storm, Jack
Wallace, T.W.’s A.F.A.B. Catering, Tulsa Family News and
some others. Photos of the parade andpicnicfollow on page 3.
Cath, of St. John the Divine
Hosts Stonewall 30 Service
NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, speaking on the
eve of the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall riot, urged Gays and
lesbians Saturday to bring their fight for equal fights to the ballot
box. The congressman, who was greeted with a standing ovation
ata Manhattan celebration of the 1969 incident, told the crowd
So when the patrons of a bar called the Stonewall Inn ¯
fonghtbackJune 27,1969-attackingpolice with rocks,
.bottles and fists that stmtling act of defiance became an .
instantwatershed event. Gayactivists considerit akin to
the .Montgomery bus boycott or the lunch-counter sitins
that galvanized the civil rights movement.
This lastmonth~parades andralfiesinNew York, San
Franciscoanddozens ofcities worldwidecommemorate
the Stonewall riotandmarkthreedecades ofremarkable
change.
While Gay pcople are not universally accepted - a
Time/CNN Foil last fall found that 48% of Americans
believe homosexuality is morally wrong-Lesbians and
Gay men are becoming increasingly integrated into
American society.
"We’ve made a sea change in notjust public opinion
but public policy as well:~ says Kerry Lobel, executive
director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a
lobbying groupbasedin Washington, D.C."We see that ."
in areas like civil rights, hate crimes; family issues and ¯
sodomy repeal, we have more possibility of legislative :
change than ever before."
Lobel cited Nevada, whose Legislature recendy ."
banned job discrimination see 30 Years, p. 14 .
DIRECTORWt.E’I’rERS P. 2 :
EDITORIAL P. 2 ;
US & WORLD NEWS P. 4 "
HEALTH NEWS P. 6 "
ENTERTAINMENT P. 8 .
COMMUNITY CALENDAR P. 9 .
DO-IT-YOURSELF-DYKE P. 11 ."
DYKE PSYCHE P. 12 .
GAY STUDIES P. 15
~.that the gains made by the Gay comm_u~,’,ty were substantial. But
¯ ne s~sed.~that the.struggle continues. °We have fought on our
.terms, said Frank, D-Mass., one of only three Gay members of
". Congress. ,ButI urge you to take the next step. Use our political
. ¯ power..You have to vote. Your friends have to vote."
Frank-was one of about two dozen speakers, performers and
activis~ appearing at "Stonewall 30: A Sacred Celebration."
Some. 1,500 Gays and lesbians turned out at.the Cathedral of St.
John the Divi~e for the event, which commemorated the start of
the Gay rights movement.
OnMonday,June28,the Christopher Street siteofthe Stonewall
Inn will .be Added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Angry Gays fought with police who had rousted them from the
Stonewall on June 27, 1969.
: Frank, whotookpot shots at closeted Gays in Congress and the
: -Rev. Jerry .Falwell, said that there should be no complacency
: among Gay civil rights activists. "No one should ask us to be
¯ grateful because there’s less bigotry," Frank said to rousing
cheers. "It never should have been there at all."
Therest of the ceremony,was by turns solemn andcomical. The
New York City Gay Men s Chorus sang a requiem for the late
Matthew Shepard, the Wyoming youth killed by Gay-bashers,
and a group called Lavender Light performed "We Shall
Overcome."
But actor Jay Goede did a hilarious reading of a 1969 Daily
News article on the Stonewall riot, opening with its homophobic
headline: "Homo nest raided. Queen bees are stinging mad."
Later, drag performer Miss Coco Peru - in red wig, matching
lipstick and sequined purple dr~s - stood in the pulpit with Gay
police Sgt. Edward Rodriguez. As a Gay boy growing up in the
Bronx," Miss Peru said, "I never dreamed I’d be in the world’s
largest Gothic cathedral, in the pulpit, in full drag." She smiled,
and the audience applauded.
Longtime activist Jimmy Flowers stands before
Parade Grand Marshall US Rep. Barney Frank.
Community Leadership
Meeting Called for 6/20
TULSA - Established community leaders, Marty
NewmanandDennis Neill, have called acommumty
leadership meeting for 6pro on Tuesday, July 20.
According to the letter that went out under
Newman’s and Neill’s names, the intent of the
meeting is to capitalize on the "renewed sense of
excitement and energy" that’s resulted from the
recent Pride weekend events: Tulsa’s first parade,
the annual picnic and the dinner featuring US
Congressman Barney Frank from Massachusetts.
The letter went to nearly 50 businesses and
organizations, from bars to churches inviting each
to send one representative to present their priorities,
fo seek ways better to work together, and to "work
towards building a more cohesive Gay & Lesbian
community." see Meeting, p.11
From one religibus extreme to another at the
Parade, Rev, LesliePenroseto anti-Gayprotesters,
Rev. PenroseAccepted in
UCC; l her Religi .us
i Groups Also Welcomzng
¯" TULSA- TheReverend Leslie Penrose, pastor of
: Community of Hope Base Shalom Congregation
¯ has had her request for transfer of her.ordination
: accepted by the Ecclesiastical Council of the
¯ Oklahoma Association of the United Church of
: ChrisL Penrose, _had received her ordination within
: the United Methodist Church but had been
: experiencing harassment within that denomination
¯ by anti-Gay activists because she had performed
: religious ceremonies that blessed same-gender
¯ relationships, i.e. "holy unions."
: Pem’ose, writing in Community of Hope’s
newsletter, noted that the process of being
nszderedfor transfeXincludedpreachingasermon
: and presenting several papers and then waiting for
: the vote by the council. But she also said that upon
¯ arrival, she’d been greeted with a comment from
: the Rev. Russell Bennett saying, "your name’s
," already on the cakeF’ And indeed after the "yes"
¯¯ vote, Peurose was .welcomed at a reception where
there was a cake that said,"Welcome, Leslie, to the
¯ United Church of Christ!"
: But the UCC is not the only Christian group
: trying to welcome Lesbians and see Leslie, p. 14
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine 832-1269
*Boston Willy’ s Diner, 1742 S. Boston 592-2143
Burger Sisters Restaurant, 1545 S. Sheridan 835-1207
*Empire Bar, 1516 S. Peoria 599-9512
*Full Moon Cafe, 1525 E. 15th 583-6666
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria 749-4511
*Jason’ s Dell, 15th & Peoria 599-7777
*Lola’s, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563
*Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square 744-4280
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998
*Silver Star Saloon, 1565 Sheridan 834-4234
¯ *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main 585-3405
*TNT’ s, 2114 S. Memorial 660-0856
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd 584-1308
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 747-1508
*Affinity News, 8120 E. 21 610-8510
*Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000
Kent Balch & Associates, Health & Life Insurance 747-9506
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034
*Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 665-4580
Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E 15 712-1122
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955
*Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272
*CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117
Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
~Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 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 584-0337, 712-9379
*Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595
Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E: 55th P1 610-0880
Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709
Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 808-8026
*Gloria Jean’ s Gourmet Coffee~ 1758 E. 21 st 742-1460
Leaune 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
The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 582:8460
*Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070
Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466
*Living ArtSpace, 19 E. Brady 585-1234
*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd 584-3112
Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934
*Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 664-2951
David A. Paddock, CPA, 4308 S. Peoria, Ste. 633 747-7672
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626
*Peace of Mind Bookstore, 1401 E. 15 583-1090
The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2rid floor 743-4297
Rainbowz on the River B÷B, POB 696, 74101 747-5932
Richard’ s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617
Ted Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-7921, 747-4746
*Scribner’ s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749~-6301
Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-7829
*Tickled Pink, 3340 S. Peoria 697-0017
~,Tulsa Book Exchange, 3749 S. Peoria 742-2007
*Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481,-0558
*Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard 835-5563
Fred Welch, LCSW, Couusding 743~1733
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N; Lewis 592-0767
Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593
*All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363
Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-731~4
Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815
*B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa Canterbury Ctr. 583-9780
*Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201
*Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PL & Florence
*Church oftheRestorationUU, 1314N.Greenwood 587-1314
*Community ofHope United Methodist, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595
*Council Oak Men’ s Chorale 585-COMC (2662)
*Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511
*Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457
Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics &
Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140
*Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615, POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159
o-mail: TtlLsaNews@earthlinlc net
t~8~:+l~.~9[Jsers.aol.com/TulsaNews/
l~om Neal
~/riters + contributors:
lean-Claude de Flambeauchaud
Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandboucbe, Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Adam West
Member of The Associated Press
Issued on or before the 1st of each month, the entire contents of this
~abul~ication are protected by US copyright 1998 by rJ.4~ ~:..,~
and may not be reproduced either in whole or in part witt~out
written permission from the publisher. Publication of a name or
photo does not indicate a person’s sexual orentafion. Correspondence
is assumed to be for publication unles~,ot,herwjse nqted,,r~ust
be signed & becomes the sole property of !~ t’,~.’. N~w~.
Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution
points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248.
: *Free Spirit Women’ s Center, call for location &into: 587-4669
¯ Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827
Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
-" *HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
¯
*HIV Resource Consortium, 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194
¯ *Holland Hall School, 5666 E. 81st 481-1111
HOPE, HI~ Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378
: *House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 3210e So. Norwood
¯
Interfaith AIDS Ministries 438~2437, 800-284-2437
¯ *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
¯ . NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral P1. 748-3111
: NOW, Nat’lOrg.forWomen, POB 14068,74159 365-5658
¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157
¯ *Our House, 1114 S. Quaker 584-7960
¯ PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901 ¯
*Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674
¯ Prime-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
St. Aidan’ s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882
: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140
¯ .*St. Jerome’ s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
:. *Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 583-7171
¯ 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
¯ TnlsaOkla. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 743-4297
: T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform]Leather Seekers Assoc. 838-1222
~ *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
¯ *Tulsa Community College Campuses
: *Tulsa Gay Commuaity Center, 1307E.38,74105 743-4297
¯ *OSU-Tulsa (formerly UCT, formerly Rogers U. whoever...)
." BARTLESVILLE
; *Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. JohnstOne 918-337-5353
! OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
¯ *Borders Books &Music,. 3209 NWExpres~way 405-848-2667
: *Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-573-4907
: TAHLEQUAH
: *Stonewall League; Call for information:~. ’ 918-456-7900
: *Tahlequah unltarian-UniversalistChurch " 918-456-7900
¯ *Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB t570- 918-453-9360
¯" NSU School of Optome.t~’y, 1001 N. Grand
: HIVtesting every other Tues. 5:30-8:30, call for dates
: EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
: *Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734
: *Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 501-253-7457
¯ DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 501-253-6807
¯
*Emerald Rainbow,45 &l/2 Spring St. 501-253-5445
," MCC of the Living Spring 501-253-9337
: Geek to Go!, PC Specialist; POB 429 501-253-2776
¯ Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-253-5332
¯
Positive Idea Marketing Plans 501-624-6646
¯ Sparky’s, Hwy..62 East 501-253-6001
¯ *White Light, t Center St. 501-253-4074
¯ FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS5
¯ *Edna’s, 9 S. School Ave. 501-442-2845
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
¯ : *Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-623-4696
¯ * iswhereyoucanflndTF~.NotallareGay-owaedbutallareGay-friendly.
by Tom Neal, editor &publisher
For this month, I’m going to try just to
¯ say something nice. It’ s not what comes
¯ naturally now. After almost 6 years of
¯ journalism and more than 10 years of all
but full-time, unpaid activism for civil
¯ rights for Lesbian and Gay Americans,
¯ I’ ve grown cynical. It’ s hardnotto become
¯ thatwayworkinginOklahoma andTexas ¯
- dearly not Gay-friendly environs.
:- But this last month’ s success of Pride
¯ ’99 helps to bolster that wee bit of hope
" that’s not entirely faded. And Pride ’99
: organizers deserve to behonored for their
¯ work.Severalnamesneedtobementioned
¯ particularly: Rick Martin who chaired the
¯ picnic for his second year, and Mitchell
Savage who chaired the Barney Frank
¯ dinner. Others also merit recognition:
¯ Steve Horn as TOHR president, Kerry ¯
¯ Lewis aspro-bonolegal counsd, andTim
Gillean who was honored as TOHR
," volunteer of the year, Robin Leach, and
¯ the rock, in the sense said by the Christ to ¯
Saint Peter (and graphic designer par
¯ excellence)ofthecommunitycenter,Greg
," Gatewood. There are others, no doubt,
¯ who should also be named, a host of ¯
additional volunteers, and I wish to honor
¯ -them as well.
¯ Congressman Frank was a joy to hear,
¯ an inspiration, a gentle goad to us as a ¯
commumty toovercomeourcomplacency.
: Especially in a state where Gay and
¯ Lesbian citizens effectively have no ¯
¯ politicalrepresentation,itseems ourvoices
are heard in our own government at least
: through this Congressman from
¯ Massachusetts. My hope is that his
message willbe taken to heart and that our
¯
people will get politically involved - we
: can change this state.
It’ s already happening, thanks in huge
: measure to the Cimarron Alliance’ s work
¯ at the Oklahoma Capitol, and as I have
¯ said before, in particular to Keith Smith’ s
¯ and Nancy McDonald’ s work there (yep,
¯" you did read that -nice words even for
", those with whom I’ve occasionally, or
: even frequently, disagreed).
¯ Now post-Pride, we must build on this ¯
success. There are signs this is happening.
~ Two of our most respected community
¯ leaders have called a leadership meeting
~ to see what common ground we can
: establish. This is great. It’s been tried
: before but the time wash’ t right and these
~ two have the stature to bring together
¯ those who might not otherwise meet.
¯
However, I’ll suggest that the goal of
: such organizing should not be "unity."
¯ We are a widely diverse group with class,
: race, gender, educational, age, and health
~ status differences, and recreational
¯ preferences. Unity in such a diversity is
¯ impossible, andinourpast,nationally and
locally, has frequently been "achieved"
: through a kind of Gay fascism, where
: those with dissenting views were told to
¯ conform or pay the price usually by an
: economic, gender and racial elite, i.e.
¯ rich, white guys.
: However, building consensus, through
¯¯ long hard work, by really listening to.the
diversity ofourcommunity(communities)
¯ is possible, see Pride, p~ 10
¯ Letters Policy
Tulsa Family News welcomes letters on ~ssues
~ which we’ve covered or on issues you think
¯ need to be considered. You may request that
," your name be withheld but letters must be
," signed & have phone numbers, or be hand
¯ delivered. 200 wordletters are preferred. Letters
: to other publications will be printed as is
~ appropriate.
A giantRainbowflag ends theparade at Veteran’s Park.
Cimarron Alliance may have had the most artistic float,
Al & David had the coolest bikes in the paradel
The University ofTulsa’s Bi/Lesbian/Gay/Trans Alliance
Gay-j~iendly straight supporters also marched.
Paul Barby behind Marthd Hardwick & her kazoo band..
Greg Gatewood, US Cong. Barney Frank, & BJ Medley
T.U.L.S.A. - butch guys with sweet smiles.
PFLAG’s McDonald
Hilary Kitz & son.
CSC"s Janice Nicklas
Father Walt Rockabrand
" Fabulousdiva&fundraiserAudraSommersandfriends.
Counci!OakMens ’. Chorale alsoperformed atthepicnic.
The cross ofHouse of the Holy Spirit stood in witness.
Theparadecoveredmore than a mile, Peoria to Riverside.
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Miss Gay Black Oklahoma America 1999
The University ofOklahoma’s Gay/Lesbian/Bi Alliance
¯ ,. FrustratedHousewivesplayedanexcellentsetattheend.
Lawmakers Fight Anti- ¯ agenda." - Supporters said it is a long-overdue
Gay Discrimination
WASHINGTON - Democratic and~Republican
lawmakers from New England revived efforts
last month to pass a federal law prohibiting job
discrimination against Gays. To boost the
measure’s chance of passage, lawmakers have
rewritten it to explicitly prohibit preferential
treatment of Gays, such as hiring to meet quotas
or designing affLrmative action standards to make.
up for past discrimination.
Opponents of the Employment Non-
Discrimination Act, known as ENDA, have
successfully fgught it in three previous
Congresses on the grounds that it would extend
special protections to Gays.
"ENDA will achieve equal rights - not special
.flights- for gays and lesbians," said Sen. James
J~fords, R-Vt., who plans to pass the bill out of
his Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Committee andthen try to force considerailon.by
the full.Senate. In 1996, the Senate defeated a
similar bill by one vote.
Vice President A1 Gore, campaigning in Los
Angeles at a Gay and Lesbian center, voiced
support for the legislation. "It does not confer
any special rights, but it does outlaw the kind of
discrimination that has become all too common
in our society," he Said.
The bill was introduced by Jeffords and Sens.
Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Joseph
LielJerman, D-Conn., and in the House by Reps.
Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Christopher Shays,
R=Conn. "If they’re able to get it out of the
Senate, that would create tremendous pressure
on the House," said Shays, an influential
moderate.
Shays and other ENDA supporters argue that
the bill would pass the House - if conservative
Republican 1eaders allow it to comeupfor debate
-becauseit is backedby amajority ofAmericans.
ENDA would extend basic civil rights
protections in the area of employment to cover
sexual orientation. Such protections are already
afforded to people on the basis of race, religion,
gender, national origin, age and disability.
Eleven states --California, Connecticut,
Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey;
Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, New
Hampshire and Nevada - already prohibit job
discrimination against gays.
ENDA would prohibit employers of 15 or
more, employment agencies and labor unions
from using an individual’ s sexual orientation as
the basis for employment decisions, such as
hiring, firing, promotion or compensation. The
bill would exempt the .military and religious
organizations. It would not require benefits for
workers’ same-sex partners.
Oooonents aren’t buying the argument that the
bill- ~v~n’ t confer special-rights. RobertH. Knight
of the conservative Family Research Council
said sexual orientation shouldn’t be a category
that receives federal protection from job
discrimination because it involves behavior.
Other specially protected categories, such as
race, gender and disability, do not.
"What if that person was representing a
company and it became known that that person
had wild and bizarre sexual tastes?" he asked.
"That reflects on his employer. An employer
should have the right to say,’I don’t want to have
that kind of person working for me." "
: statement in support of equality, since same-sex
¯ couples cannot marry.
¯ The list would be similar to those in about 50
: cities across the country, including Atlanta,
~ Boston and Madison. Under the measure, same-
" sex couples could pay $30 to have their names
¯" placed on the registry. They would have to be 18
." or older, live together and show some form of
: financial unity, such as a joint bank account or
~ joint ownership of a vehicle.
¯ Two years ago, the council rejected by a vote
~ of 14-3 an effort to give health and funeral leave
~ benefits to unmarriedpartners ofcity employees.
¯ However, the currentmeasureis less controversial
¯ becauselittle,ifany, taxpayermoney is involved=
Still, about 130 people came to the meelang o!
~ the council’s Judiciary and Legislation
¯ Committee. T,,h,er~ewereapplause,hisses,mut.ters
~ and "Amens during testimony for and against
~ theproposal. CaseyLepianka, whocalledhimself
~ anevangelist, told the committeethattheproposal
¯ condones Sinful behavior and would help send
same-sex couples to "the fires of hell."
¯ Bill Attewell of Milwaukee said the.registry
would make it easier for himto get benefits from
¯" his partner’s employer. "It angers me that simply
: by living my life with my partner, it becomes a
~ politicalissue," Attewell said.
If approved July 13 by the council and signed
Milwaukee May
Register Gay Couples
MILWAUKEE (AP) - A Common C6~incil
committee has approved the creation of a
voluntary city-run registry that would allow Gay
couples to formally declare their relationships.
Tile measure, which passed 3-1 over the loud
objections of Bible-quoting critics, goes to the
full council next month.
Opponents said the registry is the first step
toward carrying out a destructive "Gay-fights
Kelly Kirby, CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
a professional corporation
747-5466
4021 S. Harvard, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
MCC-United
formerly Family of Faith & Greater Tulsa MCC
Joined as one body of believers¯
Come celebrate with us.
Sunday Services, 11 am
1623 North Maplewood, 838-1715
". by Mayor John O. Norquist, the registry would
¯ take effect in September.
Gore Visit.s LA Gay
CommunltyCenter
,de .N.M ! od
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Vice President AI Gore,
seeking to bolster his credentials as a unifier, ¯ " fo"rgi ~n_d_ _A~d~l-llt~
offered a forceful defense of affirmative action.
I MeG ted 6_2_3 71.e?
and paid tribute to aGay andLesbian.€ommunity
center. He faced a skeptical audience at the Gay i.
1
center, where Javier Garcia :asked, !’I want to know exactly why you’rehere."Garcia saidlater Io July 26-30th, 6-8pm each night
hewas"suspicious" thatGore’sappearance was [ I 838-1715
C~ll Soon tO Enroll.
purdy political. I Gore’s tour of the center came exactly one
weekafter his rival for the Democraticpresidential
nomination, formerNew Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley,
visited it.
"I’m here to learn and to pay honor to this
~lace," Gore said, adding the Gay and Lesbian
Center of Los Angeles was helping to chang,
attitudes and abolish some .. irrationa~
discrimination thetis all toocommon."Hegranted
his only interview of the day to the Advocate, a
national Gay and Lesbian news magazine.
"Thevicepresidenthas alongtimecommitment
to bringing our country together," said Gore
spokesman Chris Lehane. "He strongly believes
that we’re much stronger as a country when all
aspects of our community work together and
come together."
Gore said he supports federal legislation that
would outlaw discrimination against
homosexuals at the workplace, and bills
criminalizing certain hate crimes.
Michelle Byler, 22, said she didnrt find Gore
convincing. "He didn’t really speak to me or say
anything to impress me," said l~yler, who said
she left the Army after acknowledging her~
homosexuality. She added that she had reef.
Bradley aweekearlier andfoundBmdleyequally.
tmimpressive.
Arkansas Sodomy
¯ Challenge Continues
: LITTLE ROCK (AP) - A group challenging the
¯ constitutionality ofArkansas’ law against s°d°my
; can continue with itscourt acdon against the
; state, the Arkansas Supreme Court-ruled. In its
¯ June 24th opinion, the court ruled against a
¯ request that the law be thrown offthe books.
¯ The court overturned a chancellor s refus to
~ grant a motion by the state attorney general’s
¯ office and the Pulaski County prosecutor to
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Valley
Flowers
9413 E. 31st St.
Tulsa 74145
918-663-5934
fax: 663-5834
800-44A.-5934
¯ ~amily Owned
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OF
THE HOLY
SPIRIT
Sun. Worship, 10:45 am,
Sunday School, 9:30 am
Wed. Bible Study, 7 prn
¯ note our new address
3210b S. Norwood
:Info., call 224-4754,
Chris & Sharon
Sandra Hill
M.S.
Licensed Professional &
National Certified
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2865 E. Skelly Drive
Suite 215, 745-1111
Community
Unitarian
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Community ofHope
2545 South Yale
Sundays at 11am
Info: 749-0595
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Lesbian Affordable Daycare)
Joan & Teresa Wright
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Tulsa, Oklahoma 74155
(918) 808-8026
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¯ specificconsensual actsbetweenpersonsofthe same sex. ¯ discrimination, although the ordinance in
The court agreed with the attorney general and " Lonisvilleonlyaddressesemployment.’‘Thereis
¯ prosecutor that a chancery court lackedjurisdiction in the " a perception that all Gay and Lesbian people flee
small towns to live in big cities, and that’s not
¯ matter. However, the courtdisagreed with their argu.m,en.ts,
that a constitutional challenge must be.postponed until ¯ true," said Guess, of Zion United Church of
someoneisarrestedandchargedwithviolatingthesod°my ". Christandco_ch"aWirmeansohfothuelHdenndoertsohnFavaiernetSoScfalmeepaiogunr.
¯ statute.
The justices ordered that the case be transferred to ¯
communities of choice becauselegal protections
: ccoirncsutiittuticoonaulritty, owf ictrhimjiunarlisldawicst.ioAnny tsouchdedcecidlaerattihoen ": areino1f9fe9r4ed,Hinenbdigergseorncrietiveiss.e"ditspersonndpolicy
¯ so that it doesn’t discriminate against employe~.s could be appealed to the Supreme Court. .
¯ The suit that seven homosexual men and women filed
on the basis of sexual ofientation. However, It
¯ " applies only to people working or seeking
¯ in Pulaski County.Chantry ~?.~,,t. ~,k.,e~l., ,Ch.:an~.d~ ~; e~ployment in;cit’y governmehL " CollinsKilg°re~°ldeclarethes°dOmyiawunc°nsttmu°n ¯ Guess said Fairness Campaign officials have
¯ and to bar enforcementof the statute. . : . ¯
¯ TheLambdaLegalDefenseand,FxlucationF.lm,d.hafltsedee
. met with the four city commissioners and the
mayor to share stories of people being denied
the decision ,,Welookforwardtotlaenextstepln,tmsca:s, ¯ apartments or being turned down for.jobs. ~dade]
¯ ---the chanc~ to show that the.sodomy,law, .violate,s,,tlae . Fairness Campaign plans to present a mo
¯ p.riv.a.cy.an.d ~e,qi,u~aIlnpmrohtdeactionflraiwghvtesroStuzLaensemBanGaonldtb~eargy ¯ ordinance to the commission in August .or
¯ ArKansans......staf. - ¯ ¯ " September. Opponents are promising to defeat it
Shehad argued the case since it was filedln January 1998.
The suit said members of the group had performed and
saying thelaw would guarantee special rights ant
¯ would perform in the future,sexual ac.t.s bar~ed, by~ me_
that homosexuality is morally wrong and against
statute, and that they feared prosecuuon. ~oaomy l~
" Biblical teachings. . ,
misdemeanor under thelaw, ptmishableby up to a year in
" City Commissioner Robby Mills opposes, me
ordinance but admits it has a chance ot passing.
jail and a $1,000 fine. The suit says the law violates their
ruingdhetsr ttohperliavwacsyi,nacsewthelel asstatthueteirdfiogehstsntootepqruoahlipbriot taeccttsioonf ¯" HlitetlesatyoswtnhleikdeeHbaetnediesrspooninbdeelosso.k"iWnghayt tshhisouislsduea
¯ tha~evenourstateandfederalofficeh°lders cannot
sodomy between heterosexuals.
, : CoOunntyapPperoals,ecthuetoarttLoarnrreyy Jgeegnleeyrala’srgoufefdic,eaamnodngPuolathskeir ¯ dspeceinddemony?t"imhee wsaoidrrylaisntgwaebeoku.t"wI hwaot usltdreleitksewtoe
things, thattheirofficeswereimmunefromlawsuits, that " are going to pav,e, next and what sewer project we
: the chancery court was not the proper place to file the are going to d&
¯ lawsuit and that the law should be challenged only in ". Guess said the measure has the support of
several area congregations and church leaders,
: defense of a prosecution. " from Catholic priests to Presbyterian ministers.
: Gay Couples Covered by : Lon Oliver, senior minister at First Christian
¯ . Church, said he has been shocked by the tone of ¯ Domestic Violence Law someopponents,whohavesaidthattheordinance
" would lead to teaching homosexuality in schools
¯ TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A circuit judge has ruled Florida’s : and that Henderson would become a haven for
¯ domestic violence law covers Gay couples¯ "To hold Gays . ,’The harslmess of the rhetoric and the fear
¯ otherwise would undermine the efforts to safeguard, " has surprised us all," he said.
¯ regardless of gender, the rights of victims of domestic
¯ The Green Valley Baptist Association, which
¯ violence," Judge Ronald N. Ficarrotta wrote in his rifling, represents 30 churches andabout 14,000members
" " The ruling came in the case of David Baker who was . _themajorityoftheminHendersonCounty~has
¯ charged with violating a domestic violence restraining " adopted a resolution denouncing the ordinance.
¯ order taken out by his former partner, David Lozier, 39.
¯ Mills, the city commissioner, said that
¯ Public defenders asked the judge last week to dismiss " Henderson citizens generally do not accept the
¯ the case against Baker, saying the injunction was invalid. " homosexuallifestyle¯"Our community is apolite
¯ They maintained the judge who signed the injunction commumty that will not g. .I~O,,P,.......
’ " et in le’s face and
¯ ,,w.rongly recognized ahomosexual relationship a~ family.
" say, ’You shouldn’tbe doing that, lae sam.
. The court, in issuing, this, injuncu~on,, r,eco.~g~i~zed. a
¯ when this is brought forward, you’ll see a huge
¯ homosexual relationship as a family, which vlotates me " amountofpeoplewanting to voice their opinion."
¯ longstanding policy of ~e Flori,da, Constitution, s~tut.e~s_,
¯ The debate could go statewide. State Rep. Kathy
Legislature and courts, Baker s lawyers wrote, rmnoa - Stein,D_Lexington,hasproposedabillthatwould
¯ doesnotrecog~.’.zemarriagesbe.twee,ns,a,.m..e-,s.exp~,ar,m_~oS~ ¯ protect homosexuals, from discrimination.,s The
¯ FicarrottasaldBakerandLozter, wnouvextt°gemert . measurecouldbediscussedatnextyear General
.. seven years, sharing ahousehold andjointbank accounts,
¯ Assembly session.
¯
didlive together as family. Legislators who expanded the
¯ domestic violence law in 1991 intendedit to protect all " Namibian Court Rules ¯ meLmobzieerrshoafdaahcocuusseedhohlids,ohneetsiamideipnahrtinseorr°dfers.-trhkinghim for Lesbian Couple
andlaterharassing him wlth threatemngphone calls. I m . WINDHOEK, Namibia - Namibia’s high court
¯ very happy with the decision," he said. ¯
¯ Hillsborough County Public Defender Julinnne Holt
has ruled that Gay and Lesbian couples have
¯
saidherofficewillr,e,viewthejudge’sorderbef°redeciding
" exactly-the same fights in the country as
¯ whether to appeal. Webelieve that it’s not dear that (the
" heterosexual couples. The Namibian newspaper
" "d ..... if " said the ruling was a rebuke to often hom°ph°bic
’ " law) covers same-sex couples, she sal . the term, as
~ afnmily,"isnotdefinedinFloridala~v andthereapparently
¯ government that had sought to deny a German
are no previous cases on the issue, according to court
¯ woman a residence permit because of her
¯ " relationship with her Namibian parmer.
¯ records. In theruling, Judge Harold Levy also ruled the
¯ Small Kentucky Town May of Home Affairs must supply reasons
¯
for refusing an application for permanent : Ban Anti-Gay Bias ¯ residence.Thejudgerejectedministryatguments
¯ that the nature of the rdationship betw~m Liz ¯
HENDERSON,Ky.(AP)-WhentheLonisvilleB°ard°f " Frank, a German, and Elizabeth Khaxas, a
¯ Aldermen voted earlier this year to ban discrimination ~ Namibian, had no bearing on the application.
~ against homosexuals in the workplace, the Rev. Ben ¯ The couple has been living together for several
Guess was at city hall to celebrate. Now, Guess finds years and are ratsmg a son. Not only is thi
¯ himself involved in a similar debate in his own city of relationship recognized, but the respondents
¯ Henderson¯ A group of citizens is urging M_ayor Joan
¯ (HomeAffairs)shouldha,v,.etakenit~toa.ccx).unt,."
Hoffman and the City Commission to make it-illegal to
¯ Levy said in his ruling. I have no hesitation is
¯ discriminate in employment, housing and public saying that the long-term relationship between
¯ accommodations based on aperson’s sexual orientation.
¯
the applicants in so far as it is a universal
¯ If approved, Henderson would become the second partnership, xs recogmzeo t~y ia , wrote Levy.
MARK T. HAMBY
Attorney
Bankruptcy
&
Civil Matters
Call for More Information
1500 Nations Bank, 15 West Sixth
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74119
744-744~
Fax 744-9358
OPENARMS,OPENMtNDS,OPEN
Saint Aidan
4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882
Saint John
4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381
Saint Dunstan
5635 East 71st. 492-7140
Trinity
501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128
The Episcopal Church Welcomes You
Anonymous HIV
Tests Droppin
ATLANTA (AP) - Fewer Americans are
choosing to remain anonymous when
tested for HIV at federally funded clinics,
hospitals and prisons, according to a
government report¯ In most states, people
can get tested for the AIDS virus without
giving their names. But the number of
federally fundedanonymous tests declined
nearly 27% between 1995 and 1997, the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported recently.
"One of the reasons perhaps is that
people are beginning to see HIV as more
of a treatable condition and perhaps less
of a stigmatizing disease," RobertJanssen,
deputy director of HIV and AIDS
prevention at the CDC, said. The decline
coincides with theemergence of powerful
drugs that have allowed HIV patients to
live longer, more normal lives. Also, new
laws and regulations have been designed
to protect the confidentiality of people
who give their names when tested.
The study period alsoincludes the arrival
of the home AIDS test, which went on the
market in 1996 and gav.e people another
option for checking their HIV status
anonymously.
The CDC looked at 6.3 million HIV
tests conducted at health clinics,hospitals,
drug treatment centers and prisons.~Those
sites conduct about 15% of H~.V tests in
the United States. Federally funded HIV
tests declined8% overall,from2.5 million
tests in 1995 to 2.3 million in 1997. The
drop could reflect the wider options
available for testing and a growing
population thathasbeen tested anddoesn’t
feel the need to do it again, Janssen said.
Joycelyn Elders at
AIDSWalk Michigan
DETROIT (AP) - Former Surgeon
General Joycelyn Elders advocated the
use of condoms, commumty involvement
and needle exchange programs in
Michigan’s fight against AIDS.
Elders kicked offAIDS Walk Michigan
- Detroit, a September fund-raising event
coordinated by the Michigan Women and
AIDS Committee. The walk’s organizers,
who helped bring Elders here, said they
hope to raise community awareness of
AIDS and HIV, especially among
minorities.
In 1997, AIDS was the leading cause of
death among blacks ages 24 to 44, despite
falling AIDS death rates for the general
population, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. It was
the second leading cause of death among
Hispanics in that age group in 1996.
But Denise Stokes, a member of
President Clinton’s AIDS Advisory
Council and a speaker at aregional AIDS/
HIV conference here this week, said HIV
and AIDS do not strike limited
¯ communities. "The only requirement to
get HIV is to be human," said Ms. Stokes,
who has lived with HIV for 17 years.
Elders saidthegovernment is harming
society bynbtmaking more clean needles
a~ailable to. drug users. ~’I consider that
absolutdy abuse," Eiders: said during a
Detroitnew~ conference. Some Michigan
cities have privately funded needle
exchange programs.
Elders also highlighted the experiences
of families with mothers with AIDS. She
said thatin thepast, criteriafor diagnosing
AIDS were based on men, not women.
Thus,womenoftenreceivedlate diagnoses
and didnotreceive treatmentIn time. "We
have almost 100,000 children who have
been orphaned because of the death of
their mothers,", she said.
She urged churches and communities
to talk with young people about HIV and
AIDS, but said telling them to abstain
from sex isn’t enough. Instead, she would
make condoms available to students, many
of whom are sexually active already, she
said. "Weknow abslinence works, heaven
knows it works," Elders said. "But we are
sexual beings, and the vows of abstinence
break far more easily than do latex
condoms."
Arab World Needs
More AIDS Info
ABHA, Saudi Arabia (AP) - AIDS
specialists, health workers and
government officials wound up a threeday
conference with the ~onsensus that
information onthe deadly disease must be
more vigorously disseminated throughout
the Arab world.
Cases ofAIDS and HIV - the virus that
causes AIDS - remain relatively low in
the Middle East and North Africa region
- 19,000 adults and children in the region
were infected with the human
immunodeficiency virus in 1998,
compared with44,000 infectious in North
America and 30,000 in Western Europe.
But the disease is slowly spreading; and
nearly 500 people gathered in this
mountain resort some 1,000 kilometers
(620 miles) south of Riyadh this week to
hear the latest on how to combat the
epidemic. "The stumbling block is that
thefigures (onHIV-AIDS infections) may
not be accurate," said Dr. Fahad A1-
Rabiah, a specialist oninfecfious diseases
at King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, the
capital.
The conference, the third such gathering
held every five years, was organized by
the King Faisal Hospital and Research
Center, the World Health Organization
and the Saudi Health Ministry.
Strict social and moral codes that
prohibit premarital sex, adultery,
homosexuality and drug abuse are
effective in slowing the spread of HIV
infections in Arab and Islamic countries,
the speakers noted. But these same codes
consider discussing sex and sex education
taboo, limiting the flow of information
about the disease. WHO estimates that
there were 210,000 adults and children
with HIV or fully developed AIDS in the
Middle F_~st and North Africa region in
1998.
The conference speakers pointed out
that the number of cases will continue to
rise as more young people experiment
with sex and drugs without knowledge of
safe sex methods and other precautions.
MostHIV cases in the region are attributed
to heterosexual transmission and shared
drug needles.
Adding to the growing concern, many
Arab governments are not willing to treat
AIDS as athreatening epidemic, so testing
for HIV and medicine supplies are
inadequate.
According to ,1998WHOfigures, there
e~are~. 373 AIDS patients" in Saudi Arabia,
¯ considered the most socially and
religiously strictcountryin theArabworld.
"The figures are low, but that should not
make us become lazy (in combating
AIDS)," Dr. A1-Rabiah said. "The most
important way to fight the disease in the
kingdom now is to make people aware of
it and admit that it exists."
Timothy W. Daniel
Attorney at Law
An Attorney who will fight for
justice & equality for
Gays & Lesbians
Domestic Partnership Planning,
Personal Injury,
Criminal Law & Bankruptcy
1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504
128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma
Weekend and evening appointmenls are available.
Are You Gay or Bisexual?
Are You Native American?
Tulsals Two-Spirited Indian Men’~
Support Group is here for you!
¯ Evening support group meetings
¯ Relationship workshops
¯ Short trips, outings and retreats
¯ Free HIVtesting
For information call Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project
at 582-7225 Ext, 208 or 218
Jot,
goddesses
HairHappyHour
Tuesday& Thursday
3pm to~pm
835-5563
1247 S. Harvard, Tulsa, NearTO
He.
Stay Healthy Naturally
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Dr, Terrance L. Sullivan
Doctor ofNaturopathy
Certified Colonic Hygenist
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provides consultations by appointment
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4520 So, Peoria, Brookside
712-1.400
Some Less Likely to
Get HIV/AIDS Care
WASHINGTON (AP) - Minorities, the
poor and people who contracted AIDS
through drug use are less likely to get
needed care, including revolutionary new
drugs that have prolonged life for
thousands ofpeople, according to the first
national study of AIDS treatment.
The disparities were particularly acute
in 1996, when the study began, and have
improved somewhat over two years. But
the gap persisted for many groups,
including women, who are most likely to
get HIV through sex with a drug user and
are also less likely to be in treatment.
Future research will focus on the cause
of the disparities: Are certain patients
failing to seek care? Or are the attitudes
and practices of doctors and hospitals
making it harder for these patients to get
it?
"At least on an unconscious level, some
providers may have more aggressively
tried to provide these treatments to certain
patients," said Dr. Martin F. Shapiro of
the University of California at Los
Angeles, lead author of the study being
published today in the Joumal.-of the
American Medical Association (JAMA).
Shapiro also noted that the differences
in care based on insurance type and race
persisted, evenwhenresearchers took into
account such factors as how the person
contracted the virus.
This, he and others said, reflects larger
disparities in the health system that go
well beyond AIDS. "The voices of the
poor are not heard well in this country,"
Shapiro said. ’-’In the case of HIV, the
consequences of that can be quite
profound."
Overall, care improved from 1996 to
1998. At first, just 29% of ~all patients
were receiving care that met all six
standards. Thatjumped to47% two years
later.
But the care differed widely among
groups. In 1998, for instance, 88% of
whites were receiving powerful protease
inhibitors, but just 80% Of blacks were.
Similarly, 87% of men infected through
sex with other men were taking these
drugs in 1998, compared with 81% of
those infected through drug use.
Some of the gap had narrowed, but
researchers found that tread had slowed,
meaning further improvements were not
likely. While disparities in access to health
care are widespread, unlike other diseases,
mostpeople with theAIDS virus can trace
their infection to one of two sources:
homosexual men or intravenous drug
USerS.
Part of the explanation is simple
economics. People infected through
intravenous drug use, or sex with a drug
user, generally have less money, less
education and more life problems - all of
which keep them from getting effective
care. Someone who can’t pay the rent or
buy groceries or who is addicted to drugs
may find getting medical.care a low
priority. "That tends to be much more of
adown-and-outpopulationinevery way,,
said Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, who studies
racial disparities in health at Harvard
Medical School.
At the same time, the Gay commLlnity
has mobilized around the disease,
educating its members about treatment
options and the importance of getting
care. But while the AIDS epidemic hit
homosexnal men first, black~ are the
fimting growing group of victims, now
accounting for nearly half of all new
infections, making the disparities in care
even more alarming to public health
officials. There are many AIDS clinics in.
the Gay community but few that are
targeted to drug users, said Peter Lurie of
Public Citizen’s Health Research Group.
"The injection drug users are a relatively
forgotten part of this epidemic," he said.
The new research comes from the HIV
Cost and Utilization Study, the first
national data on care for people with HIV
and AIDS. Researchers identified about
231,400 American adults with HIV.who
were receiving at least some medical care
outside the militaiy or prison, in all states
except Alaska and Hawaii.
From this group, a random sample of
more than 2,000 patients was chosen for
interviews beginning in early 1996 and
againin early 1998. Researchers measured
six components of care- three relating to
use of medication and three related to use
of doctors and hospitals.
Morgues Stay Open
Longer DuetoAIDS
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - State
morgues are extending their hours to cope
with Zimbabwe’s soaring death rate,
mostly as a result ofAIDS, the main state-
. controlled newspaper reported in June.
An estimated 3,000 people now die every
week in the southern African country,
nearly 70% of them from AIDS-related
illnesses, The Herald reported.
Harare’s main hospital will now staff
its morgue around the clock and other
hospital mortuary facilities will extend
closing time by four hours to 8 p.m.,
health authorities said, according to the
newspaper. Families ofthe dead also were
being asked to remove corpses within 24
hours of death to reduce overcrowding in
morgues, the paper said.
The National AIDS Coordination
Program estimaies that more than 80,000
Zimbabweans will diefromAIDS-related
illnesses this year. The World Health
Organization says some 25% of
Zimbabwe’s 12.5 million people are
infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
Churches Helping
Support PLWAs
RALEIGH (AP) - Churches and secular
groups in one area of North Carolina are
consolidating to work together on what
they call a holistic approach for AIDS
patients. A coalition of faith-based
congregations Will consolidate with two
secular AIDS service agencies to create
the largest Triangle organization helping
people cope with the virus. Triangle is the
¯ name for the central geographical area of
North Carolina.
: Thenew entity, which still has no name
¯" or central location, will help people with
HIV or AIDS secure federal funding for
" housing, track Social Security benefits
: andfind supportgroups. Anditwillmatch
¯. clients who want spiritual help with a
chaplain or a congregation ready to help
i them. "It’s one thing to give lip service t,o,
compassion; it’s another thing to do it,
"_ said Stacy Smith, who chairs the Triangle
¯ AIDS Interfaith Network’s board of ¯
directors. "For congregations, the
: consolidation points to a way they can
: walk the walk- not just talk the talk."
¯ BeforeAIDS advocates agreedto allow
: churches to work with them, they insisted
: on two conditions: All clients would be
i treated equally no matter how they were
infected, see Health, p. ~4
by TFN Entertainment Editor
Can youbelieve that it’s nearly the year
2000? And that 1999-2000 is Broken
Arrow Playhouse’s 20th ~nniversary
season? 13APC is celebrating this
milestone with six productions: You’re a
GoodMan, CharlieBrown, Murderonthe
Nile, Greater. Tuna,
Arsenic & Old Lace,
Steel Magnolias, and
The Sound of Music.
While none of these
productions are strict-.
ly Gay plays, this is a
company doing good
work that’s always
been Gay-friendly.
Yes, it is ajourney out
of mid-town to the
wilds of Broken
Arrow (except for
those of you who live
out there anyway) but the productions
merit the journey.
Speaking of good works, Saint Louis
Bread, and .local franchise owners, Jim
and Gaynell Magers havebeen great about
supporting local charities. So when they
opened their fourth _and fifth Tulsa
locations, it ~should be little surprise that
they gave 100% (100%! ! ! !) ofthe proceeds
of their opening "dry runs" to charity.
When the Woodland Hills ,location
opened, the proceeds benefit~l Tulsa
CARES (formerly the HIV Resource
Consortium) and the Girl Scouts. The
opening ofthelocationnear Bishop Kelley
benefited Bishop Kelley. So when you
dine next at St. Louis Bread, thank them
for their community spirit - they don’t
¯ have to do it and it really helps.
St. LouisBreadBenefitfor TulsaCARES
and the Girl Scouts: co-owners Jim &
Gaynell Magers, Tulsa CARES
presidentJoeINorvetl, &J.A. Hankins,
Bishop Kelley Director ofDevelopment
: And if you’re thinking of taking in a
¯
meal at The Polo Grill, consider dining
¯ thereonJuly 6th, whenthose two fabulous
¯¯ Gay guys, financial guru,SteveD,Wright
and his buddy, Taimadge Poweil will be
: the Polo Grill’s guest chefs. It should be
great menu - you can
get a preview on
KJRH’s morning
show on July 5th.
Make your reservation
now !
Don’t forget that
Gilcrease has the
exceptional show,
Taos Artis ts and their
Patrons, 1898-1950
up through July 18th.
And opening in
August is their show
featuring extra-
. ordinary masks from Northwest Native
¯ American tribes.
¯ At theendofSeptember,THENAMES ¯
PROJECT will hold its annual Feast for
¯ Friends on 9/25 at the Tulsa Marriott
¯ Sou-them Hills. If you don’t recall, this is ¯
theeventwhereyoudine withyourfriends,
¯ casually or formally and then join all the
: other Feast supporters for dessert. The
¯ event raises funds for HIV/AIDS
¯ education and specifically to present
: portions of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
¯ The next local presentation of part of the ¯
quilt is planned for World AIDS Day,
¯ Dec. 1, 2000. Into: 748-3111. Also,
¯ Council Oak Mens Chorale has a
" performance planned for August. We’ll
: bring you more about that. Stay posted.
by the Rev. Mel White, Soulforce, Inc.
On June 26, the Huntington Library in
Pasadena, California, announced the first
publicexhibitionof the Nurembergpapers.
Signed by Adolf Hitler himself, the
original documents havebeenonfile since
they were donated by General George
Patton in 1945. Hitler decreed these brief
laws to guarantee the"racial purity" ofhis
Third Reich. They redefined the role of
Jews in Germany and opened the doors to
holocaust. "I felt like I was viewing the
first draft of the death warrant that led to
the demise of one-third of world Jewry,"
said Dr. Uri Herscher. "Once deportation
began" added UCLA professor Saul
Friedlander, "these laws determined who
would live and who would die."
The four primary paragraphs were
pnblishedin the Los Angeles Times. I was
stunned by their familiarity. The minute
.they are on display, Gary and I will be
there to see them. IhopeI won’tembarrass
him with involuntary tears. We should
publish them in every GLBT paper in the
country With the warning: It could happen
again!
Paragraph 1: Ended theright of Jews to
marry freely. Sounds like a reason to work
even harder to defeat the "Antigay
Marriage" laws.
Paragraph 2: Ended the right of Jews to
have sexual intercourse freely. Sounds
like a reason to continue our efforts to
rescind the "Sodomy’’ laws.
Paragraph3. Ended the right of Jews tO
employee or be employed freely. Sounds
like a reason to support ENDA, the
Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
. paragraph 4. Ended the right of Jews to
¯ display/serve the nation’s flag freely.
¯ Sounds like areason to seek thatpromised
¯ executive order from President Clinton to
¯" end the ban on gays in the military at last.
; While we’re celebrating all our hard-
" earned victories (and we deserve the time
¯ to celebrate), we need to remember that ¯
Berlin in the 1930s was the most gayfriendly
city in the world. How quickly
¯ life as cabaret became a nightmare of suffering and death.
¯ Too many of us believe our adversaries
¯ are ~fools who are only using us to raise
funds and mobilize volunteers. In fact
¯ they are sincere believers, determined to
¯ end our rights.
Too many of us think that it is NOT
important for us to contribute time and
¯
money to help continue our struggle for
¯ equal rights. Infactany one ofour primary
adversaries raises more money every
¯ month in part to end th.ose fi.ghts than our entire commumty raises in a year to
¯ preserve and protect them.
¯ Too many of us think the danger is
passed and that time is on the side of
¯ justice. In fact Dr. King madeit very clear.
¯ "Time is on the side of injustice."
¯ Even if Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwdl,
¯
James Dobson and the others look to you
¯ likefools who arelosingpower, their antihomosexual
rhetoric is reaching critical
mass in thehomes and churches of our
childhood. Let these documents remind
us that it could happen again. Our
¯ "Nuremberg Laws" are in place or on the ¯
ballot. All it would take is for you or for
¯ me to do nothing.
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1999-2000 season brochure
Season subscriptions,
starting at $44ftr adults,
are now on SALE!
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~" SUNDAYS
Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 11 am, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
Community of Hope (Welcoming), Service - 6pm, 2545 S. Yale, 585-1800
Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Service - 1 lain, 2545 S. Yale, 74%0595
Church of the Restoration Unitarian Universalist
Service - 1 lain, 1314 No. Greenwood, 587-1314
Metropolitan Community Church United
Service, 1 lain, 1623 North Maplewood, Info: 838-1715
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc.
Sunday School - 9:45am, Service - 10:45am, 3210b So. Norwood
Parish Church of St. Jerome (Evangelical Anglican Church in America)
Mass - 1 lain, 205 W. King (east of No. Denver), Info: 582-3088
University of Tulsa Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance
6:30 pm, Meets at the Canterbury Ctr., 5th & Evanston, 583-9780
~ MONDAYS
Mixed Volleyball, Helmerich Park, 71st & Riverside, 6pm, call Shawn at 243-5190.
HIV Testing Clinic, Free & anonymous testing. No appointment required.
Walk in testing: 7-8:30pm, 834-TEST (8378) 3501 E. Admiral (east of Harvard).
HIV RapSessions at Bless the Lord At All Times Christian Center
7:30pm, 2207 E. 6th, 583-7815
PFLAG, Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
2nd Mon/each mo. 6:30pm, Fellowship Congregational Church, 2900 S. Harvard
Women/Children & AIDS Committee, call for meeting date, noon, 585-5551
Council Oak Men’s Chorale, rehearsals - call for times, info: 585-COMC (2662)
~" TUESDAYS
AIDS Coalition of Tulsa, call for next meeting date. 1430 S. Boulder, 585-5551
Live And Let Live, Community of Hope United Methodist, 7:30pro, 2545 S. Yale
Multicultural AIDS Coalition, call for next meeting date.
Urban League, 240 East Apache, 584-0001
Rainbow Business Guild, Business & prof. networking group. Info: 743-4297
PrimeTimers, mens group, Pride Center, 1307 E. 38th
Coming Out Support Group (TOHR/HOPE)
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
House of the Holy Spirit Ministries, Inc. Service - 7pro, 3210b So. Norwood
Tulsa Native American Mens Support Group, more information, call 582-7225
TCC Gay & Lesbian Association of Students (GLAS), Call for info: 595-7632.
Lambda A-A, 7 pro, 1307 E. 38th, 2nd ft.
~= THURSDAYS
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education
Anonymous HIV Testing, Testing: 7 - 8:30pm 834-8378, 3507 E. Admiral
Oklahoma Rainbow Young Adult Network (O’RYAN)
Support/social group for 18-24’s, call Red Rock Mental Health at 584-2325
Substance Abuse Support Group for persons with HIV/AIDS, Info: 834-4194
~" FRIDAYS
Safe Haven, Young Adults Social Group, 1 st Fri/each ino. 8pm, Pride Ctr., 1307 E. 38th
~ SATURDAYS
Narcotics Anonymous, 11 pm, Community 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. Tulsa Uniform & Leather Seekers Association, info: 838-1222
Gal-A-Vanting, Womens Social & Cultural Group
Call for info: Mary at 743-6740, Kathy at 322-6322, or Barb at 459-6825.
OK Spoke Club, Gay & Lesbian Bike Organization. Long rides and short rides
from Zeigler Park. Long rides and short rides from Tulsa Gay Community Center.
Write for info: POB 9165, Tulsa, OK 74157
!fyour organization is not listed, please let us know, Call 583-1248 orfax 583-4615.
Reviewed by Barry Hensley
Tulsa City-County Library
One of the biggest controversies surrounding
the Gay civil rights movement
today is the act known as outing- one
person publicly identifying another,
closeted person as homosexual, against
their wishes. Although this
trend seems to be winding
down, there are still many
people, young and old, who
are unable to .identify themselves
as Losblian or Gay.
Because they ar~ not prepared
to,acknowledge their orientation,
they lead double lives to
disguisethe truthfromfriends,
families and eoworkers.
"Outing Yourself," by
Michelangelo Signorile,
recognizes the difficulty of
these situations andprovides a
step-by-step program for
making the .journey from
"Identifying Yourself" to"Not
Thinking About It at All."
Signorileoutlines 14 steps,
under six general parts which
include "Outing Yourself to
Yourself," "Outing Yourself
to Other Gay People," "Outing
Yourself to Your Straight
Friends," "Outing Yourself to Your Family,"
"Outing Yourself to Your C0workers,"
and, finally, "Coming Out Every
Day," which includes ways to help others
undertake the same journey.
Signorile examines the most difficult
steps in the first chapter, where he presents
the thoughts of other authors, including
film historian Vito Russo, who
said, "The truth will set you free, but first
it will be a pain in the neck," and Mark
Thompson, who commented, "Basically,
coming out is a death and rebirthexperience.
To come out, something has to diewhateveritwasyouthought
your were...In
asense, you’rekiiling aformer constructed
identity and creating anew one." Also in
this chapter are exercises to do whichmay
seem simplistic to some, but helpful to
others, depending on how comfortable
one is with the coming-out process.
We can create a list of shared goals,
particularly here in Oklahoma where we
have so far yet to go.
i’11 be so bold as to list afew I hope will
make the cut: continuing the work to pass
improved hate crimes protections in the
Oklahoma Legislature, asking for nondiscrimination
policies in private and
public corporations and agencies;
replacement .of elected officials who
support prejudice against Lesbians, Gay
men, Bisexuals and Transgendered
persons.
Some of this canbe the work ofjust one
individua. Rogers University, now OSUTulsa,
added~€term "sexual orientation"
to its non-discrimination policy because
one.person asked them to do so. That was
me. Now had that request not been heard
by social progressives ontheRogersboard
like Nancy Feldman, Dorothy Dewitty
and SharonKing Davis, it wouldnothave
passed. But they wouldn’t have run with
that ff someone hadn’t asked. Each of us
canbring this reform effort to someaspect
of our lives.-
A. number of significant Tulsa
¯ As the journey continues, the author
¯¯ documents true experiences which reveal
the common frustrations related to-
" homophobia and the act of
: "deprogramming yoursdf" from stereo-
. types and the myths that cause lesbians
: and gays to feel out of place in a straight
S;~norlh...
presents the
thoughts of
other authors,
ineludlng
film hlstorlan
Vito Russo,
who s~;d,
’~Fhe truth
will set you
free, but
first it will be
society. In "Meeting Other
-Gay People," the reader is
reminded that today, with gay
community centers, organizations,
newspapers and computer
bulletin boards, the gay
bar is no longer the primary
gathering place. There is a list
of related books, many of
which arein thelibrary, which
should be consulted to further
explain the sometimes
complex and contradictory
feelings that many people
experience.
In "That First Talk,"
Signorile prepares readers for
the inevitable questions and
concerns that arise when
having thatimportant chatwith
parents or other family members.
He acknowledges that it
is not always wise to come out
to parents immediately.
Timing is everything, and it
may be best topostpone yourconversation.
As you get near the end of the book,
which deals with coming out at work and
helping others to come out, it is apparent
that a common thread has been woven
through chapter after chapter: maintaining
a positive approach. Regardless of
who is being addressed, people coming
out are urged to ignore negative comments
and concentrate on having a truth-"
ful, uplifting and educational conversation.
¯ Signorile has also authored "Queer in
¯ America" and numerous columnsfor na-
¯ tional periodicals.Afew years ago,hehad
: a notorious reputation for outing public
" figures, but he has mellowed consider-
" ably and this book is a patient and under-
. standing guide, free from harsh judge-
~ ments or urgings to sacrifice oneself for
"the cause."
." institutions have already made the pledge
¯ to treatGaypeoplefairlyin theworkplace:
~ our largest employer, American Airlines,
¯ Public ServiceCompany, Kimberly-Clark
_. and others. Wenee~l, to build alocal public
¯ awareness campatgn about their good
work and encturage others to follow that
: lead (like TU, for example and Home
¯ Depot to mentionanother).
: I have one last agenda item. We’ve got
: a great community center but as many
¯ know it’s got a lease that will not be
¯ renewed. Now is the time to plan for tke
: next center, one that is bigger and
: preferably owned by us. It’s certainly
¯ feasibleifalotofus withmodest incomes
: join withfew of our community members
: with not so modest resources to find a
i
buil~ng and to endowit. One community
wag s saidthatifafew of’ourcommunity’s
: wealthiest merely redirected a portion of
: their interior decorating budgets, we’d
: have a buildingpaid off and its annual
operating costs covered. I, ofcourse, don’ t
know if that’s true butwehave to ere.ate a
: vision of a better future. And while we’re
: atit, how about a Gay neighborhood too?
¯ Not just a midtown where we’re part of
: the fabric but one where we really can
: even hold hands, without fear. Imagine.
Red Rock Tulsa
Free Confidential
HIV Testing
Walk-in Clinics
Tuesday Testing, 5-8 pm
Pride Center, 1307 East 38th
Wednesday Testing, 5-8 pm
Red Rock, 1724 East 8th
Daytime appointments available.
Call for more information:
918-584-2325
Church
of the Restoration
Unitarian Universalist
11 am, Sunday
1314 North Greenwood
587-1314
We,knowyou’re
going to love this[
Restaurant& Cabaret
310 East First Street
918-599-9949
Massage Therapy Services
¯
~~I~Ed’gar O. Cruz, L.M.T.
¯ Pager: 918-889-5255
Voice Mail: 918-697-9282
News
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Tulsa Locations:
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by Mary Schepers .
Your DIYD found herself in a :
compromising situation
recently. She was hot. She was
sweaty. She was close to her
work. Polishing. Grinding.
And then it occurred to her -
"Am I being safe?" The
answer, unfortunately, was
"No." Removing rest with
power equipment requires a
minimum of personal
protective equipment (PPE) to
keep you safe. Rest assured,
Muffins, that your DIYD
promptly set her work aside,
had a cool drink of water, put
on her safety glasses, a pair of
leather gloves, a dust mask
and some earplugs. Then she
returned to her work, whioh
she brought to a very
satisfactory, and safe,
conclfision.
All too often, the important
element of working safely at
home eludes us. It’ s awkward.
It’s uncomfortable. The job
will only take a few moments,
so who needs it? Or, more
often, wejustdon’t think about
it. So this month, your DIYD
happily dons her Safety Cop
uniform to coax you ~nto
submitting to safer work
practices in your fabulous
home. Surrender, Dorothy!
First, read instructions. The
law requires s afety notices and
admonitions onmost products
fi .power tools, adhesives,
pmnts, and lawn chemicals. Follow the
safety instructions fully.
It’s a good idea to have some PPE
handy around the house for when you
need it. Make a kit and keep it sealed and
stored in a clean, dry place where you’ll
remember it. Suggested items: Dust and
mist tuasks (don’t reuse these,
Rockefeller!); latex or vinyl gloves;
earplugs (clean the reusable type after
every use. Don’t reuse disposable ones);
safety glasses and/orgoggles; work gloves
that fit.
Lawn and Garden Work: For mowing,
weed eating, grass blowing and edging,
preserve and protect them.
Too many of us think the danger is
passed and that time is on the side of
justice. Infact Dr. Kingmadeit very clear.
"Time is on the side of injustice."
Even if Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell,
James Dobson and the others look to you
like fools who arelosing power, their antihomosexual
rhetoric is reaching critical
mass in the homes andchurches of our
childhood. Let these documents remind
us that it could happen again. Our
"Nuremberg Laws" are in place or on the
ballot. All it would take is for you or for
me to do nothing. "" o
In 1997, the Rev. Dr. Mel White received
the ACLU’s National Civil Liberties
Award for applying the ’soul force’
principles of Gandhi and King to the
liberation 9fsexual minorit~’es. He ts a cofounder
of Soulforce, Inc.and the author
0fStranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and
Christian in America.
wear safety glasses to protect your eyes
from foreign objects, earplugs for your
hearing, and a dust mask if
~AII too often,
tke important
element d
workln~ safely
at home
eludes as.
It’s awkward. It’s
uncomfortable.
Thejob will
only take a few
moments, so
who needs ~t.~
Or, more Often,
we just don’t
think about it,
So thls month,
your DIYD
happily dons her
Safety Cop
uniform to coax
you into
submittln~ to
safer work
praetlees in your
fabulous home.
you are allergy prone or
asthmatic. Drinklots ofliquids
and work early if it’ s hot.
Lawn Chemicals: If using
liquids, wear long sleeves and
pants, work upwind, spray
0nly on calm days, wear latex
or vinyl gloves and safety
glasses. Most chemicals can
be absorbed through skin and
mucous membranes, andduckling,
if it will kill weeds
or ticks, think about what it
can do to you! For dry
chemicals, wear gloves, a dust
mask and safety glasses.
Shop Work: Wear your
earplugs and safety glasses.
Never disarm guards m~ant to
protect you. Don’t use worn
out blades, bits or other
components. Use a dust mask
and keep the area well
ventilated. Using a table saw?
Then use push sticks when
cutting your stock. Saw
kickbacks are truly ugly.
Refinishing and painting:
Do it outside, if at all possible.
Wear gloves, safety glasses
and possibly arespirator. Look
at less harmful options. There
are several products for
stripping and refinishing that
are more environmentally -
and human - friendly. Do not
use strippers, Solvents or
solvent based stains and
: finishes near flame sources, such as gas
¯ water heaters, oven pilot lights and
¯ furnaces. We do not want you to go Sha-
¯¯ boom, sha-boo~n. Na-na-na-na-na, etc.
Sorry. Having a retro moment.
¯
This is just an overview to get youin the
¯ habit of looking at the safety precautions
your home projects may require. Be safe,
¯
be healthy and be back for next month’ s
: column. Your DIYD wants to tell you
what to do.for a long, long time.
: meeting is to gather, learn and find ways
¯ several "possible outcomes:"
: - a commitment to regroup every six
¯ months;
- a review of our calendars for events
¯ where we might work together;
¯" - discussion of combining mailing lists
with provision for privacy of each
¯ organization’s original list;
: - discussion of a community wide
fundraising event, similar to Dallas’ Black
Tie dinner to benefit all organizations
¯
instead of competing for thee,same dollars;
¯ - consideration of aft ~fimbrell~ co¯
ordinating organization ~or these eff0~ts.
Those receiving the letter were
¯
encouraged tO alert the Organizers ~J any
¯ group not listed who should be invited.
¯ However, the contact number listed on ¯
the letter rings to a disconnected message
¯
but Newman’s no. is 582-4673.
: Editor’s note: this month’s editorial,
¯ Say Something Nice: Praise for Pride ’99,
also comments on this meeting and some
¯
possible community goals.
The letter suggests that the point of the
better to work together but also identifies
by Esther Rothblum : recommend the book Eden Built by Eyes:
What’s the first thing that comes to , TheCultureofWomen’sMusicFestivals,
mind when we think about women’s ¯ by Bonnie Morris (Alyson Press, 1999)
music.’? Many Lesbians will
recall Alix Dobkin’s album
Lavender Jane Loves
¯ Women.
I r~eq,ently spoke with Alix
and asked how she first
became a Lesbian musician.
"I was writing aboutmy own
life," she recalled, "so music
waspartofmyconsciousness
raising." Alix had been a
professional folk singer for
many-years. "I was at the
right place, at the right time,
with the right background,
doing the right thing," she
told me. She produced a
number of albums of
women’s music: Lavender
Jane Loves Women (1973),
Living WithLesbians (1976),
XXAlix (1980), These Women
(I986), YahooAustralia
(1990), andLoveandPolitics
( 1992, acompilation album). ..,
Living with Lavender Jane (1998) wa~ a
re-release ontoCDofthefirsttwoalbums.
In addition, Alix Dobkin’s Adventures in
Women’s Music (Not Just a Songbook)
was published in 1978.
I asked Alix what other music was
around for Lesbians when she first began
performing. The answer: notmuch. Robin
Tyler had produced Maxine Feldman in
1972; a 45-rpm record with two songs.
There was the Chicago Women’s
LiberationRockBandand theNew Haven
Women’s Liberation Rock Band Double
Album. And in New York, Lesbian
Feminist Liberation conducted a talent
show and recorded it - the record was
called A Few Loving Women: Lavender
Jane Loves Women was the first album of
women’s music that was distributed
internationally.
"Those days were tremendously
exciting," Alix said. "First of all, I was
writing about myself AS A LESBIAN. I
was writing the kinds of songs in which
you could not change a pronoun and have
it still make sense. In other words, you
could not change my music into
heterosexual songs. They were clearly
and openly songs about women loving
women. I realized that as long as I was
writing songs like that, I was writing
umque material. No one had ever written
that before, and even the women
depending on Lesbian audiences almost
never write about Lesbians - in fact; they
rarely mention womenF’
Even today, Alix feels that there is a
great need for Lesbians to be writing
about their lives. She has sensed at times
that women’s music has received a bad
rap, when in fact it is precisely because of
the foremothers in .women’s music that
performers like theIndigo Gifts havebeen
successful. "There is this belief that
women’s music is confined to folk music,
which it never was," said Alix. "The
negative reaction coming from many
young Lesbians is due largely to the
backlash against feminis~a. Our
communities very much reflect what is
going on in the world generally and
feminism has been dismissed, even by
women in our own communities. I would
"There is this
belief that
women s music
is confined to
folk music,
which it never
was," said Alix.
"The negative
reaction coming
from many
.young Lesbians
is due largely to
the backlash
ag.ai.nst
emlnlSm.
for an excellent overview
and more details. Women’s
music is about raising
consciousness, and most
people don’t even know
~vhat ttiat is anym0re.
Furthermore, due to budget
cuts in education, we’vealso
lost a generation that was
schooled to appreciate
music" Nevertheless, Alix
is excited by the fact that
many of her performances
these days are atuniversities,
so that she does have an
impact on young women.
After a lifetime in New
York, Alix is now living in
California. She stillperforms
around the country, and is
involved with a club that
features concerts by women
and holds and furthers our
chlture. The Director,
Barbara Price, used to co-
¯ produce the Michigan Womyn’s Music
¯ Festival. Alix is writing a column for
: Chicago Outlines and working on a book
¯ of her memoirs.
¯ Visit Alix Dobkin’s webpage at
: www.ladyslipper.org/vendors/
¯ ladyslipper/alix_dobkin.xtml To order
." Alix Dobldn’s music and music by other
¯¯ women and Lesbian musicians, contact
Ladyslipper Music, P.O. Box 3124,
¯ Durham, NC 27715, tel. 1-800-634-6044
¯ or 919-383-8773. ¯
Esther Rothblum is Prof. ofPsychology
", at the Univ. ofVermont and Editor of the
: Journal of Lesbian Studies. She can be
¯ reatz-hedatDeweyHall, Univ.ofVermont,
: Burlington, VT, email:
¯ esther.rothblum@uvm.edu.
: President Clinton broke the impasse three
¯ weeks agowhenhemadeHormel a"recess
: appointment"-amethodthatcircumvents
: the normal Senate confirmation process.
," The State Department generally shies
¯ away from partisanship, but the whiff of
politics was in the air as Albright joined
¯ Hormel, a longtime Democratic donor
¯ and activist, for the festivities and spoke
¯ on his behalf. Civil rights for Gays and ¯
Lesbians have been a high-profile theme
¯ for the Democrats as campaigning for
: next year’s election picks up steam. Vice
¯ President A1 Gorevisited aGayandlesbian
¯ centerduringacampaignvisittoCalffornia
: last week.
¯ The Traditional Values Coalition, a ¯
churchlobby thatopposedthenomination,
¯ said in a statement that the swearing in of
¯ Hormel marks "the beginning of the Gore
¯ campaign’s efforts to woo thehomosexual
: vote." Coalition members demonstrated
~ in protest outside the State Department as
¯ the ceremony was taking place.
: ’"Unis is one of those glorious days
: when thenice guy finishes first," Albright
¯, told the gathering. "Neitherrace, norcreed,
¯ nor gender nor sexual orientation should ¯
berelevant to the selection ofambassadors
; for the United States.
¯ . Said Kennedy: see Hormel, p. 13
IGTA member
Call 341.6866
International
TOUrs !ormorein ormation.
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by Lamont Lindstrom : Cook’s flagship: Kamehameha "with
A troop (or halau) of hula dancers . many ofhisattendantstookupquarterson
entertained the seminar that lamlecturing " board the ship for the Night; among them
to in Honolulu this month. Tourists ¯ is a Young Man of whom he seems very
appreciate hula dancing as sexually ." fond, which does not in the least surprise
charged exoticentertai.’nment.
The hula reminds them that
they are on vacation in
paradise, or at least the
tourisfic version of Such.
Locals, too, appreciate, hula
but for differentreasons. Hula,
like Hawaiian language,
surfing, slack key guitars,
kalua pork and lomilomi
salmon, and similar cultural
symbols, represents "Hawaiianness."
Hula dancers
celebrate their Hawaiian
identity and tla~ir links to
ancestral tradition. There.~e
twohula styles: ’auana,which
often is tourist-trash hula
which shakes to the beat of
guitar andukulele, and kahiko,
where dancers bodies move
When ,]ames
Cook’s ships
llM at the
Island of
Hawai’i in 1789,
the En~llsh were
hor~f;ed to
d~seover that
l ding
Hawai~n ehlefs
bo g n&
in addition
to
to accompany traditional chants. You
might guess that our stodgy academic
seminar was treated to the more formal,
higher status huta kahiko.
But I prefer kahiko style--I must
confess--in that the guys d~ce shiftless
in skimpy malo; orloindoths. It is certainly
easier to appreciate dance when the
performer wears little on his body.
Traditionally, only men danced hula.
¯ Although no doubt always entertaining,
hula was principally a religious ritual
meant to communicate with gods and
ancestors. Dances took place at temples
and shrines that were taboo to women.
Nowadays, hula is mostly-women’s
business though there are several popular
men’s troops that perform and compete in
regular hula festivals. Many male hula
dancers are gay as have been some noted
kumu hula (dance school teachers and
leaders). Drivenundergroundby Christian
missionary opposition in the early 19th
century, the hularetumed as a legitimate
art form in the 1880S under the patronage
of King Kalakaua. Gay dancers have long
cultivated and daborated hula and today,
a century later, huladoes very wall as both
tourist spectacle and marker of Hawaiian
cultural authenticity.
Nowadays the local words for "gay
man" that one hears most often are mahu
and "muffy," these often indicating some
degree of effemininl~y. Traditionally,
islanders also .spoke of:aikane - a word
that appears to have meant "male lover"
though today people use the word for any
dose friend.
When James Cook’s ships called at the
Big Island ofHawai’i in 1789, the English
were horrified to discover that leading
Hawaiianchiefs hadboyfriends in addition
to wives. Charles Clerke, second in
command of the expedition, wrote: every
chief "according to his rank keeps so
many women and so many young men
([aikane] as they call them) for the
amusement of his leisure hours; they talk
of this infernal practice with all"~’
indifference in the world, not do I suppose
they imagine any degree of infamy init."
Kamehameha, who would unify
Hawai’i and.become the archipelago’s
first king, also had a boyfriend. David
Samwell, ship’s surgeon, met the future
king’s lover when Kamehameha visited
us, as we have had
opportunities before of being
acquainted with a detestable
part of his Character which he
is not in the least anxious to
The Hawaiians -
shrewd observers no doubt -
asked the English if some of
the ship’s boys and young
sailors on board were the
aikane of the ship’s officers.
One might guess that a trim
ship’s boy might begin to look
rather attractive, even to the
most heterosexist officer, on
an extended two-year voyage
around the world in the dose
quarters of a small leaky ship.
Still, the English were offended
by the Hawaiians’ pointed
questions. I suspect they mostly were
mortified and embarrassed that the
Hawaiians, unlike the English, were not
anxious to conceal their homosexual
relations, nor "imagine any degree of
infamy" in them. Any officer who might
havebeenmessing witha ships’ boy would
have been desperate to keep this on the
down low.
Today, as Hawaiians ofall sorts continue
to argue the possibilities of homosexual
marriage, the aikane serves in this debate.
Some suggest that the State of HawaJ~i
should legalize gay marriage as a way of
respecting and celebrating the past and
these islands’ onetime traditions. The
"English" view of boyfriends remains
dominant, however, and aikane are still
partially in hiding. Where once Hawaiian
homosexuality was indifferent and
therefore normal, today it has become
different and thus dangerous to admit.
There are popular statues and images of
the great King Kamehameha on view in
many public places here but in none of
these does the King have his boyfriend at
his side. Nonethdess, the past lives on in
hula. As I watched the sinuous hula dancers
in their malo I could see back into a time
and place where men saw no reason to
conceal their honorable affairs with their
boyfriends.
"There was never any honorable question
abouthis qualifications tobe ambassador."
The opposition to Hormel was
¯ "irresponsibleandunacceptable," he said.
¯ Feinstein, noting that Hormel’s
¯ appointment teared the SenateForeign
~ Rdations Committee by 16-2, said he
¯ would have been approved by an
¯ overwhelming majority had the Senate
¯ voted as a whole. By tr~idition, even one
¯ senator can preventa Vote on anomination
¯ because of a personal grievance. In
Hormel’s case, his appointment was
¯ blockedby Oklahoma senator, Jim Inhofe,
who formerly represented in Oklahoma’s
¯ (mostly Tulsa) First District in the US
House. Inhofe has received national
attention for his anti-Gay views.
"In Jim’s [Hormd] appointment, I think
¯ we open a door," Feinstein said.
..)
and-AIDS education wouldcontinue, even
if it meant handing out condoms at Gay
bars. "We wanted to make sure we don’t
repeat the mistakes of the past," said
Jacquelyn Clymore, director of client.
services for AIDS Service Agency of
North Carolina.
The consolidation, which will become
official in December, will unite the AIDS
ServiceAgency of NorthCarolina, serving
Wake, Durham and Orange counties, the
AIDS Service Agency of Orange County
and theTriangleAIDS Interfaith Network,
a coalition of 60 churches and one
synagogue. The secular agencies will get
help from a crew of about 500 committed
church volunteers, many of whom feel
called to help people with AIDS.
In the early days of AIDS, Gay men
with the virus were unwelcome in many
churches, while those who had contracted
AIDS from heterosexual contact or blood
infusions were called "innocent victims."
But in recent years, many Christians and
Jews have quietly begun reaching out to
people with AIDS, acting on scriptural
commandments to love thy neighbor.
Today, HIV infection rates are- highest
among low-income African-American
men and women, many of whom
¯ contracted the virus througli heterosexual
contact or sharing needles.
It took four years of talking for the
consolidation to move forward because
this time, it was the AIDS advocates who
harbored stereotypes of religious groups.
Some feared they would bejudgmental, if
not sanctimonious. "We asked ourselves:
’What’s in the best interest of the client?’
"said Bill Brent, executive director of the
AIDS Service Agency of North Carolina
and director of the new agency. The three
groups, withbranches across the Triangle,
will consolidate their staff, apply for grants
and raise money as one.
Man3" church volunteers say they are
happy to avoid the politics of AIDS. They
don’t ask about sexual orientation or past
drug use. "We don’t even talk about that.
It’s the relationship here and now that’s
important," said Earl Wiggins, who leads
the care team at Greater St. Paul
Missionary Baptist Church in Durham.
"Love is the key component."
againstGays, andNew Hampshire, where
lawmakers repealed a 1987 law thatbarred
Gays fromadopting children or serving as
foster parents. "You can sort of pick the
state and measure progress in every state
on the legislative front," she said.
Unimaginablein 1969was the visibility
of-Gay people today in politics,
entertainment and everyday news
coverage. Think Ellen DeGeneres, k.d.
lang; Melissa Etheridge, Flton John, Ian
McKellan, Rupert Everett. Three current
members of Congress are openly Gay -
Democrats Barney Frank ofMassachusetts
and’Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and
Republican Jim K01h¢Of Arizona- as are
scores~of other.deeted officials around ’,
theS(ountry.
’:.The love that dare not speak its name
now ~on’t shut up," says TomAmmiano,
president of San Francisco’s Board of
Supervisors. In 1%9, Ammiano was a27-
year,old,, sp,,ec~_’al education teacher and
no~e,t, ’out as, a Gay man, although, he
salt. ’it wash t hard to surmise - the
wrists and everything." He subsequently
b~e a stand-up comic and a member
of die Board of Supervisors;,where three
of 11 members are openly Gay. President
of the board since November, he’s
considered a likely challenger to San
Francisco Mayor Willie Brown Jr.
The progress made by Lesbians and
Gay men has been accompanied by
setbacks as well. Eighteen states still have
sodomy laws ontheirbooks, five of which
single outhomosexual sodomy, Efforts to
include Gays in federal civil rights and
hate-crime laws have stalled. Current law
prohibits crimes based on race, color,
religion or national origin.
Recent murders of Gay men- Matthew
Shepard, a University ofWyoming student
who was beaten and tied to a fence last
October, and Billy Jack Gaither, an
Alabama textile worker who was beaten
with an ax handle mad set on fire - raised
awareness of the persistence of anti-Gay
violence. AIDS has decimated ageneration
of Gay men, and nearly 20 years into the
epidemic there is no cure.
Still, few could dispute that Lesbians
and Gay men in 1999 enjoy rights
undreamed of in 1969.
Karl Rusterholtziives in Mission Viejo,
Calif., with his partner and their twofoster
sons. They are active in their church,
where Rusterholtz and his partner
celebrated their union with a commitment
ceremony. "l would say that we’re just
pretty average," says Rusterholtz, 36, a
microbiologist. "We’ve gone to pride
marches and stuff, but it’s not our cup of
tea." Rusterholtz says he "would like to
see federal protection, that Gays and
Lesbians would not worry about losing
their jobs or losing their homes -or losing
their children." But his own experience
negotiating the foster care system inconservative
Orange County has been
"nothing but fabulous."
Margaret Blankenbiller, 21, works in a
florist’s shop inProvo, Utah. "I’d like to
be able to hold my girlfriend’s hand when
we go out to dinner and not worry about
someone slashing our tires," she says.
Still, her family is supportive and her coworkers
- many of them members of the
conservative Mormon church - treat her
Lesbianism "like it’ s pretty normal."
Nestle, who founded the Lesbian
Her’story Archives and is now 59,
remembers when being a Lesbian was
anything but normal. At one bar she
frequented, Nestle and her friends had to
line up to use the bathroom one at a time
"because we couldn’t be trusted" not to
misbehave inside together. Toilet paper
was doled out shut by sheet. "Something
in me was moving from knowing I was a
freak to saying that someday I will refuse
this moment of humiliation;’ she says.
Nestle has ;been chosen one of two
grand marshals for Sunday’s Gay pride
parade in New York. "It’ll be a very
special moment," she says. "I see it as the
largest grassroots demonstration in the
world."
Gay men into its worship life. Unity
Church of Christianity at 3355 So.
Jamestown has welcomed a new pastor,
Steve Colliday, who happens to be an
openly Gay -man. The Unity tradition has
¯ been welcoming of Lesbians and Gay
~meri for some time.
And College Hill Presbyterian Church
(CHPC) is considering becoming a"More
Light" congregati.on which is the
Presbyterian version of bein.g a
"welcoming" congregation. College Hill
close by the University of Tulsa, has a
tradition of being involved in progressive
causes.Avote is expected in afew months.
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