[2000] Tulsa Family News, June 2000; Volume 7, Issue 6

[2000] Tulsa Family News, June 2000; Volume 7, Issue 6

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

June 2000

James Christjohn
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legrandbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
Mary Schepers

Tom Neal/Tulsa family News

Tulsa Family News, May 2000; Volume 7, Issue 5

Image
PDF
Online text

English

newspaper
periodical

https://history.okeq.org/items/show/601

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

Methodist "community council" which did adopt the goal.
Neal suggested to council co-ordinator Marly Newman that "
TULSA-Inaneffortbothnerve-wrackingandtedious ." McDonald be asked to lead the effort because of the World’ s ¯
several Tulsans, SueKnanse, KentDoss,I~arenWeldon ." seeming preference to deal with representatives of non-Gay ¯
(and another who need to remain unnamed), were ¯ groups which advocate on behalf of Gay people rather than Gay
arrested in Cleveland with the Reverend Mel White and : people themselves. ".
191 others in acts of peaceful civil disobedience at the " In a widely distributed June 1st e-mail about the change,
recent United Methodist Church. Conference: ¯ McDonald wrote"how you will also remember that PFLAG had
The acts of civil disobedience, blocking a car park " to be very creative in the design of our signature ad for the paper "
exitfolloweddaysofnegotiationswithMethodistchnrch : as part of the PROJECT OPEN MIND Campaign"- areference ¯
leaders about the anti-Gay policies of the United Meth- " to how PFLAG under the former World policy could not use its ¯
odistChurch (UMC). The conference held in Cleveland ¯ own legal name because it included the banned words. ~.
was attended by hundreds of UMC delegates. ¯ McDonald added, "... PFLAG submitted an ad and with
The Methodist church like some other "mainline" ~ several revisions, it has been approved... The cost of the ad is "
Christian denominations has adopted policies which " approximately $500 and [it is] to run on Sunday, June 4th, in the ¯
limit participation of Lesbian and Gay persons in that ¯ Living Section. It has Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians ¯ Will Allen, Emily Sizeraore &
group. White stated, "the United Methodist Chruch has " and Gays, as well as some other statements, ’Is someone you care " Matthew Holloway are winners
ahistory of social concern [butthey haye] anti-homo- " for gay orlesbian? Issomeoneyoulovegayorlesbian?Ifso, call ¯ ofCoraraunity Hero awards.
sexual policies in place that lead to discrimination ¯ Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays’ and then it ¯
suffering, and even death." _. lists our Helpline number."
The Tulsans joined other notable civil fights leaders. ¯ McDonald also wrote, "I have no idea what the response will "
YolandaKing, theRey.Dr.JamesLawson, friendofDr. " be? I suspect some positive and some negative so theHELPLINE ¯
King, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia and others. " has been notified. If anyone is so moved to help thelocal Chapter ¯
see Arrest, p. 10 : with the cost of the ad, see World, p. 2 "
Gays Better Educated,. ForJustices+Couples, Unions. Missouri Backwoods:A
Lower Paid Than Straights " Require Creative Language ° Hotbed of Hate Groups
WASHINGTON (AP) - Men who consider themselves
"unmarried partners" of another man are better educated
on average, but make less money than heterosexual
men of the same age, according to a study that°
claims to take the most comprehensive look ever into
the lives of homosexuals in America.
Women who have female "unmarried parmers" also
tend to be more educated, but earn salaries comparable
to those ofheterosexual womenin the same age bracket,
according to the study in this month’s issue of
"Demography," the journal of the Population Association
of Americ&
"An important point that is clearly articulated is that
it illustrates the impact of anti-Gay discrimination .on
income levels," said David Smith, spokesman for the
organization Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy
group for Gays and Lesbians.
Advocates applauded what they said was the first
comprehensive study of homosexuals but cautioned
against drawing any t-nan conclusions until more research
is done.
"Demographically, this is a hard population to target
and analyze. Data on sexual orientation is not as easily
avai[dible as information on race~ gender and age," said
Seth Sanders, a study author and .an economist at the
University of Maryland.
The study looked at statistics from the 1990 Census.
~the first,count to allow people to check offthatthey lived
with:an .unmarried partner of the same sex.
see Pay, p. 11
DIRECTORY P. 2
EDITORIAL P. 3
US & WORLD NEWS P. 4
HEALTH NEWS P. 6
ENTERTAINMENT P. 8
GAY STUDIES P. 10
by Ross Sneyd, Associated Press Writer
MONTPELIER, Vt. -"And now, by the powers vested in me by
the state of Vermont, I pronounce you.. ?’ What? Partners?
Together as one? Joined as family?
Unlike marriage, there’ s no common syntax for the new world
of same-sex civil unions. Because the couples are twomen or two
women, the old fried-and-true "man and woman" or "husband
and wife" phrases don’ t quite make it.
With no rulebook and few traditions-as wall as no other state
sanctioning what willbe the equivalent of same-sex marriage and
thereby offering some guideposts - Vermont’s justices of the
peace and .couples entering civil unions are crafting their own
conventions and rituals.
There has been a lot of discussion, both lighthearted and
serious, about how to conduct a ceremony. ’q’here’ s so much
creativity in our community among Gay and Lesbian couples in
how to create outward signs of their commitment," said Mary
Hurlie, ajustice of the peace in Hinesburg who has been with her
female partner for 13 years. "But we haven’ t gotten to that level
of detail, yet."
As marriages must be "solemnized" by judges, justices of the
peace or members of the clergy, so, too, will civil unions have to
be "certified." But there aren’t any rules. The civil unions law
says only that they must be certified. There’ s no script ~,State
statute that must be followed for a marriage, either.
"Just like marriages, there aren’t any magic words," said
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz. " ’We pronounce you man
and wife, husband and wife,’ they’ rejustmade up. Youdon’ t find
them in statute."
Training sessions have been held for justices by the secretary
of state’ s office in recentweeks becauseit is almost unquestioned
that it will be to them that the primary responsibility for performing
civil umons ceremonies falls. That’ s because there are few
religious faiths that bless same-sex unions and so there won’ t be
many clergy members willing or able to certify civil tmions on
behalf of the state.
Justices of the peace have a handful of responsibilities under
state law. Most have to do with taxes and elections. A town’ s
iusdces - there are as few as fiveinsmall towns see Unions,p.ll
Humanity Unites For Human Rights
Diversity Celebration 2000t
"Diversity Celebration 2000!" is an eight-day
celebration of the human rights movement with the
goal ofuniting northeastern Oklahoma’ s Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) and
¯ GLBT-friendly communities. Tulsa Oklahotnans
for Human Rights, Inc., Oklahoma’s oldestr~rnreligious
Gay community organization released it
final schedule
which follows:
Friday,June 2nd
Diversity Celebration
2000!
will kick off at 7
pm with an Interfaith
Service led
by Rev. Mel
White at the Williams
Theatre in
the Performing
Arts Center
(PAC). Special
musical guests include
Council
Oak Men’s Chorale,
Ernestine
Holloway is notpictured. Dillard, Jessie
Scott, and the
Fourth Quarter gospel quartet. Participation by
persons with a variety of faith traditions will be
included in the program. Admission is free. An
offering will be taken, see Pride, p. 7
by Doug Johnson, Associated Press Writer
¯ GAINESVILLE, Mo. - The remote and rugged
¯ Ozark hills blanketed with dogwoods and oaks are
¯ treasured by hunters, hikers and others wanting to
¯ get away from the bustle of urban life.
." The pastoral hills are also a haven for hate
¯ groups, authorities say. Southern Missouri has
¯ drawn more than its share of religious sects and
¯
white supremacists looking for a place to hide.
¯ Last week, police arrested the Rev. Gordon
: Winrod- the leader of an anti-Semitic church ~ for
: allegedly kidnapping six of his grandchildren and
: concealing them for years at his farmhouse in the
¯ hills. The only explanation authorities offer for ¯
why the kids werekidnappedis thatWinrod thought
: theirtwo fathers wereJewish. Sheriff SteveBartlett
¯ said the youngsters had been taught by their grand-
-¯ father to distrust authorities. At one point, the
sheriff said, the children shouted at deputies, "Get
: your Jew hands off me."
: Winrod, 73, and his followers gained a reputa-
¯ tioninOzark Countyformass mailings ofliterature
: calling law enforcement officers and prosecutors
¯ "Jewdicials" - a play on the word judicial - and
¯ claiming-they cover up murders of whites. ¯
It’ s not uncommon to find that kind of sentiment
~ in some areas of the Ozarks, which straddles the
: state line between Missouri and Arkansas. Experts
¯ say the region draws hate groups and people con-
: nected to the white supremacist "Christian Iden- ¯ tity" movement.
¯. "We are richin these types of groups down in this
¯ part of the country for some reason," Highway
: Patrol Sgt. Marty Elmore said. Southwest Missouri
: is often characterized by a lack of adequate law
¯ enforcement in rural areas and lacks a tradition of
: heavy-handed local government and gun control, ¯
said Robert Flanders, former director of the Center
¯ for Ozark Studies see Hate, p. 7
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Chasers, 4812 E. 33
*CW" s, 1737 S. Memorial
*Club Cherry Bomb, 1926 E. Pine
*Club Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan
*Gold Coast Coffee House, 3509 S. Peoria
Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st
*The Star, 1565 Sheridan
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main
*TNT’ s, 2114 S. Memorial
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd
*The Yellow Brick. Road Pub, 2630- E: 1-5th.....:-
712-2324
610-5323
583-2119
835-2376
749-4511
744-4280
745-9998
834-4234
585-3405
660-0856
584-1308
--749- 1563
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Advanced Wireless & PCS, Digital Cellular 74% 1508
*Assoc. in Med, & Mental Health, 2325 S. HarYard 743-1000
*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
*Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 295-5868
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
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556
*Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503
Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 369-8555
*Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379
Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460
*Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. P~eoria 744-9595
Four Stai: Imi~ort Automotive, 9906 E. 551h PI. 610-0880
Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709
Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 808-8026
*Gloria Jean’ s Gourme( Coffee, 1758 E. 21 st 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
The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 582-8460
*Kerfs Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070
Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466
*Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha 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
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626
*The Pride Store, 1307 E. 38, 2nd floor 743-4297
Rainbowz on the River B+B, PUB 696, 74101 747-5932
Richard’ s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617
Teri Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-7921,747-4746
Scribner’ s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square 749-6301
Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-78-29
*Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558
Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard 835-5563
Fred Welch, LCSW, Counsding 743- !733
*Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan 665-2222
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis 592-0767
Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 4337, 74101 579-9593
All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363
Black& g~hite, l,nc,~,POB 1400!,Tulsa,7~4~5.9... 58%7314
Bless The Lord at All Tsmes Chnstian C~"nter, 2207 E. 6 J583-78’15
*B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. ofTulsa United Min. Ctr. 583-9780
*Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201
*C~hapman Student Ctr.,:University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence
Chureti oVth_~Rest~or~tionUU,1314N.~reeawt~od : 587-:13,14
*C~~°.U~’~’ari2UniVexsalist Congregafirn 749-0595 748 3888
,Delilw~e~i~yilotise¢:iSilS "Dela~vare .- 712-15.11
*DemOcratiC Headquarters, 3930 E: 31 742-2457
Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa - Lesbian & Gay Catholics &
Episcopalians, PUB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140
*Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
*Free Spirit Women’ s Center, call for location &info: 587-4669
Friend For A Friend, PUB 52344, 74152 747-6827
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615
PUB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159
e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net
Publisher + Editor:
Tom Neal
Writers + contributors:
James Christjohn, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche,
Lamont Lindstrom, Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers
Member of The Associated Press
Issued on or before the 1 st of each month, the entire contents
of thig publication are protected by US copyright 1998 b)
T~ /:~,~v.~ and may not be reprodu~.d (~th~r~i~a:
whole orinpart W~th0utwrittenpermission from thepublish~.
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 ofT~ ~.’. N~- Eachreader
is entitled to 4 copies of each editmn at distribution
points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248. "
Friends in Unity Social Org., PUB 8542, 74101 582-0438
HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583-6611
*Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194
Holland Hall School, 5666 E. 81st 481-1111
HOPE, HIV 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 PI. 748-3111
NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, PUB 14068;’74159 365-5658
OK Spokes Club (bicycling), PUB 9165, 74157
*OSU-Tulsa
PFLAG, PUB 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
*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, 46 16 E. 15 595-4105
Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only
Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 743-4297
T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniforn~’Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827
*Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
*Tulsa Community College Campuses
*Tulsa Gay Community Center, 1307 E. 38, 74105
Unity Church of Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown
BARTLESVILLE
Thanks be to you for that wonderful article,
"Our Governor Foot-in-Mouth
Keating"... wentto TulsaLibrary, picked
up first copy of Tulsa Family News and
began reading... Laughed out loud, and a
long overdue laugh it was, over the comments
of Mr. Keating and your"right-on
analogies." The very ideathat there should
have to be a public consensus to treat all
people fairly! What hideous stereotyping
by our governor...
[I] regret that there is no place close to
¯ ,my ho,me, w,he,r,e !,.c,gn.get your. w.onderful
", i~per. The’littl~ ~egment ,~0 ~epoi’i hate
,, ~ sigee~h 0i: virleh~e~ Call i.he Gay communit~
cent~ris so r~assuring... Loved the
~ Quilt article, unfortunately got my paper
." too lateiio go. Extended thanks.
¯ - Gay-friendly in Depew.
*Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353
OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
Borders Books & Music, 3209NW Expressway 405-848-2667
Borders Books & Music, 300 Norman Center 405-573-4907
TAHLEQUAH
Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900
*Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 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 dates
EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
Autuinn’Bre~ze Restaurant, Hwy. 23
*Jim & Brent’ s Bistro, 173 S. Main
DeVito’ s Restaurant, 5 Center St.
Emerald.R_ainbo~,4~ &l/2_Spfing,St. ~ .....
MCC of the Living Spring
Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, PUB~ 429
OldJailhouse_ Lodging, 15 Montgomery
Positive Idea Marketing Plans
Sparky’ s~ Hwy. 62 :East
White Light, 1 Center St.
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
*Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134
¯ Announcements Policy
¯ Tulsa Family News will provide space
¯ for holy union ceremony, marriage
-" ceremony, birth, adoption and death
~ announcements ona space availableb~sis.
Photos are welcome, though we cannot
promise placement or return them, so
¯ please send copies to Tulsa Family NewS,
; PUB 4140, Tulsa 74159.
¯ Letters Policy
¯ Tulsa-~amily News welcomes letters
¯ on issues which we’ve covered or
¯ issues you.think need to be consider~ed,
¯ You may request that your name be with-
: held but letters must be signed & have
¯ phone numbers, or be hand ddivered. 200
¯ word letters are preferred. Letters to o~¢r.
publicat.ions will be re-printed as ks~
appropriate. ~.~
501-253-7734
501-253,7457
: any donation wouldbe appreciated. Please
send to PFLAG, PO Box 52800, Tulsa,
¯ OK 74152. I truly believe this will ope~
the door for PFLAG as well as o~
organizations to submit ads to theT~
World. Our thanks to Joe Worley
¯ assisting us with this policy change. He
~ was very, very helpful.’"
: The World’ s anti-Gay policy is doen-
¯ mented back to the middle’80’ s when a
: Lesbian owned card, gift and book store,.
743-4297 ¯ Two’s Company, located near 31st &
749-8833 ¯ Harvard was told the World would not
¯ accept advertising for the store because ¯
the owners wanted to let readers know the
¯ target audience, i.e. Lesbians and Gay
¯ men. The owners conducted a one day
¯ picket of the World but the policy re-
. mained unchanged.
¯"
In 1993, when Tulsa Family News pub¯
lisher Tom Neal, opened a gift and card
¯ shop "tomfoolery !" at the Silver Star, the
World also refused to accept advertising,
even though the store did not trade in
eroti~ Or any other possible objectionable,~
fials, citing the same policy, .
A~,~arslaterl PFLAG, TulSa Cliap5~
ter ran afrul of the same anti-Gay po|i~¢y
501-253-6807 ¯ when it tried to run a pro-Gay civi! .rights _t
501-25_3-~5 :.. signature ad. !ntetesgngly, the
501:253:9337 : la~editsbw~ipoli’cy~’~WW~eks]~e~r,-’~te.~’~a
501-253-27"/6~. : runninffthe censrr~’FLAGa~.~a...i~)
501-253-5332, : accept~l’~ an anti-G~i~,iid from a"~Jali~0I¢~U
501-624~’6~~ ¯ of weS~side Tulsa &i~ches
501-253-600I": one of:~banned~c~ds. .
501-253-4074 : Editor’s note: for a related editorial,
¯ see page 3. The editorial was written the
417-623-4696 " earlier in the day before the news broke
¯ about the World’ s newpolicy. Hats offto
¯ Nancy McDonaldfor her work in negoti*
is where you can findTFN. Not all areGay-owned but all are Gay-friendly. ating this new policy.
by Tom Neal, editor &publisher
For being the proverbial 900 lb. gorilla of our local
media, those folks over at The Tulsa Worm sure seem to
be thin-skinned about criticism. One editor, whom I
respect greatly, took particular umbrage atmy calling our
daily, "a country-club newspaper."
I suspect ,that a good part of his irritation is that he
knows there s still truth in the charge. The Tulsa World
has made great progress in providing better coverage of
all of Tulsa, including our minority communities, - even
Gay people. But like the town it serves, it carries with it.
its parochial,.elitist and raciSt/anfi-minority phst~. And f6r
every .step forward, there s~ems tb t~ffve tO be a least one
step back. " :-
Consider this charming carto0h"0y Simpson, reproduced
here, with its somewhat sophisticated bigotry and
stereotyping. The comment of "real girls only," implying
that Gay men are somehow like women but yet are less
than women, is full ofunexaminedmisogynism. It comes
out of a hierarchy where straight men (and traditionally
straight, white men) are superior, women are lesser
creatures, and Gay men are even lower because we’re
men "who want to be women." Lesbians, of course, exist
only to populate the sexual fantasies of straight men.
To put this cartoon in the proper historical context, we
need only think back to early 20th century racist political
cartoons in which Black Americans were represented
ape-ishly and made to speak in "step’ n’ fetch it" dialogue
- or other cartoons where orthodox Jews or Japanese-
Americans were misrepresented as evil foreigners.
Ironically, Simpsonjust gets it wrong. The GirlScouts
of America are clearly on record as saying, they, unlike
the Boy Scouts, do not discriminate on tile.,.basis of sexual
orientation. The organization does use adult men as well
as women in its programs in leadership and in training
roles,: Therefore, not only would young women who are
Lesbian be welcome, adult Lesbians and Gay men could
also participate and no doubt have.
And guess what, the Girl Scouts are doing just fine.
But The Worm is not doing so well. For at least 15
years, our daily has maintained an anti-Gay .advertising
policy which bans the words: Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual.
Theyjustify this saying that they are a"family" newspaper.
Note that this ban does not apply to content of news
articles, editorials or, obviously, cartoons!
In fact, The World literally could notdo the basic work
of a newspaper, merely reporting the stories of our city,
country and world, if they censored these words.
¯ How can anyone with a shred of reasoning think that
these words ifplaced in an advertisement somehow have
an adverse impact on any family, if dearly the same
words placed in a news story right next to an ad are
acceptable.
What really is going on here is epitome of institutionalized
prejudice. The policy doesn’ t make any sense, it is
bigoted and discriminatory but no. one at The World has
the courage to say that what they’re doing is just wrong.
And in being silent, they, the reporters, editors, other
: staff, both straight and Gay, become collaborators in
¯ societal oppression. In a society which seems to have to
¯ have an "other" againstwhich to define itself,Gay people
currently occupy the place Blacks, Jews, Indians, Irish
¯ and others have had.
¯ Contrast this with an advertorial section in a recent
"Out" magazine in which The New York Times bragged
¯ about its excellent coverage of Lesbian and Gay issues,
: and its commitment to its Lesbian and Gay readers and
¯ staff. Can you seeThe World doing that? I hope to seejust
that someday. Who knows maybe next year The World
¯ which is certainly profligate with its sponsorship of ¯
public events will even join Oklahoma’ s Gay press in
¯ being a sponsor of June’ s traditional Pride events.
¯ Don’tlaugh-itjustmighthappen.Andwhynot, thead
¯ policy’s now changed, why not even more progress?
by Joe Andrew and Edward G. Rendell
After theoverwhelming turnout at the MilleniumMarch
and record participation in the recent presidential primaries,
Gays and Lesbians across the country are more
united than ever in their fight for equality and inclusion.
The Democratic Party is proud to stand with them - to
fight with them - as we all celebrate Gay and Lesbian
Pride this month.
Democrats have forged lasting relationships with the
Gay and Lesbian community by supporting common
sense issues related to basic fairness and non-discrimination
for all Americans. Unlike discriminatory and divisive
Republican figures like Pat Robertson, Gary Bauer,
and presidential candidate George W. Bush, Democrats
believe that our diversity is a source of great strength.
While getting Bush to meet with Gays and Lesbians in
his own party is like pulling teeth, A1 Gore has worked
side-by-side with openly Gay and Lesbian advisors
throughout his life. On specific policies that improve the
lives of Gay Americans like hate crimes legislation,
funding: ~or HIV/_AIDS¯ research, atii5~- :!he Empl9yment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA~;~.tli~re is no comparisonb~
tween the candidates. Gorehas supportedGays and
Lesbians~time and time again.
BUSHII~PPOSES HATE CRIMES BILLS ~ ~ ~ .t~, ,’~ ,. ¯ .. ~" . -
A.c~,r,~ng to the.Le’~fJ~an/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas
(L(~."~R~.~)~,~.m.~re than 2,~ hate crimes were reported to
th~’Fe~Departmen~6fPublic safetybetween 1992 and
19971 ~i~(eefi percem~ere hate cfim~s motivated by the
victim’s sexual orien~ation~ making Gays ’and Lesbians
the second most-targeted group of hate crime victims in
Texas.
Given this fact, George W. Bush still opposed provisions
in the James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act that would
have included protections for Gays.and Lesbians from
hate crimes. The bill would have mandated stiffer penalties
for cases in which victims of violence are targeted
because of their race, gender, or sexual orientation. His
spokesman said that Bush "does not support special
¯ rights based on sexual orientation."
¯ Special rights? Where is the leadership? Bush wants ¯
the world to believe that he is a compassionate, but
." apparently his compassion does not extend to all the
citizens of Texas.
¯ "... We need leaders llke AI Gore
: who will speak out against
¯ homophobla and prejudlee in a fight
: to maintain elvll justice and equality.
¯ Through his aetlons and
i
the aetlons of hls party, it is clear that
¯ George W. Bush is not that leader...
As we celebrate Gay and Lesbian Pride,
: Democrats pledge our support and
¯ eontlnued work to promote
¯" requal opp~rtufilty and ndn-dlserimlnatlon
¯ for a strong and united America.
As a Party, we embrace these ideals
because we believe that
no American should be left behind..."
Democrats, on the other hand, have begun to wage an
all-out campaign against hate crimes in America. We
have also endorsed and fought for civil rights legislation
that would protect Gay and Lesbian Americans from
¯ discrimination.
A1 Gore has been a tireless advocate for passage of the
: Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), calling on Con-
." gress to come together in one voice on this issue. HCPA
¯ would expand the definition of hate crimes to include
: those based on sexual orientation, gender or disability
¯ and allow for the prosecution of those crimes under
federal law.
¯ Democratic leaders have walked the walk in the fight
¯ ; against hate in America. We are the party of inclusion
¯ because wehavejudgedandwill continue tojudgepeople
~ based on the content of their character.
: BUSH: SILENT ON HIV/AIDS
: Bush’s silence on HIV/AIDS as governor is simply
¯ deafening. Despite the fact that almost 10,000 Texans
: have died ofAIDS under his watch, Bush has never taken
¯ a publicpolicy position on the epidemic. In fact, he never
¯ even publicly used the word"AIDS" in office.When the ¯
Children Uniting Nations Chairperson Daphna Ziman
¯ asked US governors for assistance regarding the AIDS
¯ epidemic in Africa, forty-nine governors responded to
¯ her urgent personal letter and only one governor ignored ¯ the plea: George W. Bush. In December 1999, Bush also
: received a failing grade on Lambda Legal Defense and
¯ Education Fund’s (LLDEF) World AIDS Day Report
¯ Card.
:. ,Since the beginning of the Adminislxaf!on, President
Clinton and Vice President Gore have proven their com-
-¯ mitment to fight for AIDS research again and again.
During the last seven years, the Ryan White CARE Act
¯ ha~ seen funding ,increases of more than 292 percent in
° funds fo~ medicationsfserving low-inb.6_’me in~lividuals.
¯ Overall fundingforAIDS~relatedprograms has increased
by more than 122 percent during thisAdministration.
¯ A1 Gore has been on the front lines of fighting the
¯ epidemic. Recently, he announced an Administration
¯ initiative to commit more than $100 million to fight the
worldwide AIDS crisis and increased funding for re-
" search, care andprevention. Weneed a leader that has put
: a great deal of thought on this vital issue.
: BUSH: AGAINST ENDA
." As governor, Bush opposed employment protection
¯ for Gays and Lesbians. He refused to adopt an Adminis-
: tration non-discrimination policy that includes sexual
¯ orientation. see Demos, p. 7
Candian Supreme Co,,urt
Holds for Pro-Gay Ruling
OTTAWA (AP) -The Supreme Courthas rejected an
Ontario government request to re’clew a landmark
decision on Gay civil rights. The Attorney General
for Ontario had asked for a rehearing of theM and H
case, referring to a Lesbian couple whose breakeup
almost a decade ago triggered a dispute over assets.
The case began when one of the women in the case,
known only as M, found she couldn’t sue her ex’-
partnerHwhen their relationship ended. Mthen went
to court to have the spouse law struck down.
The high court ruled in an 8-1 decision that the
definition of spouse in Ontario’s family law was
unconstitutional because it discriminated on the basis
of sexual orientation. Theruling last yearwas specific
to Ontario, but legal experts said other provincial
governments and Ottawa had few options but to
amend their lawsor face having them struck down in
similar battles. The House ofCommons passed legislation
to bring federal legislationinto lineandOntario
grudgingly amended its laws but still launched a bid
for a rehearing before the Supreme Court.
The two Toronto women, who had bought a home
and started an ad agency together, settled the money
dispute out of court long before their case wound its
way to the country’ s highest court.
Presbyterian Court
Rulings Are Gay-friendly
!AP)-The Presbyterian Church’ s highest court ruled
~n May that local congregations have the right to
conduct religious ceremonies celebrating Gay unions
that stop short of marriage. The d~ision by the 16-
member court is binding unless the General Assembly
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) overrides it.
The case, one of three on Gay issues argued before
the tribunal, stemmed from a same-sex ceremony
performed in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. The Northeast regional
church court ruled that ceremonies of "holy
union" for same-sex couples may be conducted ifit is
made clear they are not marriages. The high conrt
agreed, though it instructed regional church bodies to
make a clearer distinction between marriages and
"blessing services."
A second case before the high court involved a
homosexual candidate for the ministry who said he
did not intend to remain celibate, even though church
rules require clergy to observe either "fidelity in
marriage" or"chastity in singleness." In that case~ the
Northeast regional court decided that he could continue
as a candidate, and that his "manner of life"
could be evaluated prior to ordination. Again, the
high church concurred. It said the denomination’s
standards of fidelity and chastity are to be applied at
the point that a person is azonsidered.for ordination,
not during, candidacy~
Freda ~ar~dn,~r~ and Clifton Kirkpatrick, the two
national leaders Of the 2.6 million-member denomination:~
headquartered in :Louisvil!,e, Ky., said in a
~ecent i~astoral letter that the 0aurt s decisions real-
:firm. churchpolicy of disallowing Gay-marriages and
the.ordinatiOn Of’s(xua~ly active Gays., Theseissues
will Surface again when.the General Assembly.meets
in Long Beach,:Calif., fromJune 24 to July 1. Among
legislation to be considered: a proposal to ban samesex
marriage.
Utah High School Club
For Gay Issues Meets
SALT LAKECITY (AP) - Five years after the debate
over Gay school clubs began in Utah, East High
School students on Wednesday held the state’ s first
school-sanctioned club meeting to discuss current
events from a Gay and Lesbian perspective.
The PRISM Club - People Respecting Important
Social Movements - meeting featured Laura Gray, a
Salt Lake City attorney involved in Gay-rights issues.
.About45 students attended. Students said they talked
about the historical, legal and religious significance
of marriage and the current restrictions barring Gays
and Lesbians from forming such unions.
The district barred news media from the. meeting,
claiming it was for students only. However, district
personnel attended, along with an attorney for the
Utah chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU is representing East High juniors Jessi
Cohen and Margaret Hinckley, who in April filed a
federal-court suit claiming the district violated their
First Amendment rights to free speech by rejecting
PRISM as an academic club. The district banned all
nonacademic clubs in 1996, a year after East High
students tried to form a Gay and Lesbian support
group. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell issued a
temporary restraining order against the district last
month, forcing it to temporarily acknowledgePRISM
as a legitimate club pending the outcome of the
students’ lawsuit.
The meeting was "definitely a win," said East High
senior Ivy Fox, whounsuccessfully sued the districtin
1998 over the ban. "It’ s such a good feding to see all
your hard work pay off." Sophomore Evan Done
attended the club meeting, but didn’ t think the discussion
was appropriate. "It is an important step for the
Gay community that needed to be taken," he said, but
"I don’ t really think it has a place in school."
PRISM advertised the meeting with fliers and during
regular school announcements over the school
intercom. Some of the fliers were destroyed and some
students posted "straight pride" fliers, which showed
two connecting male symbols and two connecting
female symbols that were crossed out.
Three Receive First
Shepard Scholarships
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Three Gay and Lesbian
high school students were awardedfull tuition to Iowa
state universities under a new scholarship named for
slain Gay student Matthew Shepard.
The scholarships, worth approximately $25,000
each over four years, were presented Tuesday to
Galen W. Newton, Jessica M. Brackett and Paul N
Wharmel. The scholarships include tuition, books and
fees at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University
or University of Northern Iowa.
The scholarship program was announced in March
by Gov. Tom Vilsack and the mother of Matthew
Shepard. theWyoming college student who was beaten
to death by two men. Police said the attack was
motivated in part because Shepard was Gay.
The scholarships are awarded to Gay students based
on academic achievement, financial need and community
service, Vilsack said. Brackettcredited Vilsack
for trying to provide greater civil rights to Gay Iowans.
"He’ s really pushing for rights for everybody
andI thinkhewill be ourmain strength during thenext
four to six years," Brackett said. "I think he’s going to
push for progress."
Newton said he.plans to remain.active inGay rights
.’. issues whilein college. He said the Scholarship is abig
encouragement. "People are beingawarded for being
courageou_s,".he s-aid. ¯ -
Funding for the scholarships.~omes from a chari-
.tablefoundation establishedbyprominentDes Moines
businessman Rich F...y~.~haner..An’rpe~l.y Gay RepubS
lican, Eychanermad~ an unsuccessi~ui bid for the U.S~.
.House in 1984, but’lost :in the~.
Vatican Increases
Attack on World Pride
ROME (AP) - A top Italian cardinal weighed in
against a major Gay gathering scheduledin Rome in
July, stepping up a campaignto move the event
elsewhere. "What we are asking is not at this time and
not in Rome," said Cardinal Camillo Ruini, president
of the Italian Conference ofRoman Catholic Bishops.
World Gay Pride Roma 2000 is expected to draw
hundreds of thousands of Gay and Lesbian participants
for a week starting July I. The Vatican has
opposed the city’ s plans to host the gathering, saying
it is out of keeping with the church’ s Holy Year that
has been drawing millions of pilgrims to Rome.
Some opponents fear the event will turn into a
demonstration against Pope John Paul II, who has
defended the Vatican’ s condemnation of homosexual
acts. "I don’ t believe it is by chance that they selected
Rome this year," Ruilfi said.
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After Hours Appointments Available
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In another development, the Gay civil-lights group
ArciGay called for the resignation ofPremier Giuliano
Amatoforhi s remarks before parlianlent earlier in the
week.. Amato said that "unfoftnnately" the Gay Pride
week week must be allowed to be held because of
constitutional protection for public gatherings.
Gays Losing Supporter
ST. PAUL (AP) - State Sen. Allan Spear, who is
retiring after 28 years, will probably be remembered
for work that took "probably less than 10% of my
time" - his advocacy of rights and protections for
Gays and Lesbians. "Nobody can get elected and
adequatelyserve a constituency on Gay,~ssues alone,:
Spear said..",But it’s important to have people for
whom Gay i~su~s are a~hi.gh priority." . "
Spear became the first openly Gay legislator in
Mimlesota- and one of only two in the nation - when
he acknowledged his homosexuality in 1974. His
retirement at the end of this year will likely leave just
one openly Gay legislator: Rep. Karen Clark, DFLMinneapolis.
Scott Dibble, who is running for a
House seat in Minneapolis, is also Gay, but there
would be no openly Gay senators.
Spear believes ~t is important for Gay people to
have legislative representation. "It helps a lot to have
someone come from the Gay community who can
speak from the inside," said Spear, DFL-Minneapolis.
"You need someone who can talk about what it’ s
like growing up Gay, or coming out, or what it’ s like
to deal with a partner who you feel is your spouse, but
society won’ t recognize as your spouse. Other people
can sp,,eak out on those issues, but it isn’ t quite the
sanle,
Ann DeGroot, executive director of the Gay political
action group OutFront Minnesota, said part of
Spear’s legacy will be other legislators who can.
advocate for Gay rights, whether they’re Gay or not.
"Of course we’ re going to miss Allan," she said. "We
haven’t had a session without him yet. "But we’ve
worked with other people so much, other leaders who
are supporters, we know we can count on them.?’
Gay.& Lesbian Parents
TroUbled by State Law
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Chris and Mike Croghan-
Miller are like other parents, caring and proud. They
videotaped their son’ s birth, took time off from work
when he was born, and in the weeks before, had an
announcement party, a baby shower, painted the
"baby room" and spent days with a ~erious case of
"the butterflies." But there is one difference some say
makes them unfit parents - they’re Gay.
Advocates argue that the bottom line is a good
home for the child that meets the requirements set by
the state. "We don’t care whether they’ re married,
single or Gay," said Carolyn Amett, contract attorney
"for Adoptions ofKentucky. "We don’ t discriminate."
Kentucky Youth Advocates’ director Debra Miller
said the concern should be "that any child is adopted
by parents who have the emotional and social support
necessary to be good parents. We don’t think that
there’s anything constitutional that makes a Gay or
Lesbian parent unable to do that. Noris there anything
that guarantees that heterosexual folk can be good
parents."
The Croghan-Mil!er.family is part ofaboom~~t~e
numbe~ Of Gays ~d Les~iafls ~fi~osin~’to’becSth~e
parents, according to the San Diego-based Family
Pride Coalition. Though state officials and private
adoption agencies in Kentucky don’ t keep any estimates
on how many Gay men or Lesbian~ have
adopted here, the San Diego group claims 15,000
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered families
as members, including dozens in Louisville. ¯
And across the nation, cases of adoption and custody
issues involving Gays and Lesbians have become
increasingly visible. Mostrecently, Mississippi
joined Florida and Utah in banning adoptions by
Gays, despite arguments that it is an unconstitutional
violation of due process and privacy rights.
The Cabinet for Families and Children has recently
proposed changes that would "make our systemmore
accepting to a broad variety of families," said Mike
Jennings, a cabinet spokesman. But the change is not
being made specifically out of consideration for Gay
and Lesbian couples.
Gay Teens Face
Harassment & Isolation
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (AP) - During her junior and
senior years in high school Lilith visited the hospital
seven times for severe depression, self-mutilation
and thoughts of suicide. She was trying to destroy
hersdf, she said. Destroy the thing within her that was
making her different from her classmates.
Lilith is Gay and, during her early teen years, the
thought of being a Lesbian "practically .disguste0,".
her. ~he denied it, ran from it, ti-ied to erie it’f~om.!,i~ ~
soul!, but her affeeti0n for bilker ffomenw~ beCrn{i~
impossible to ignor~ Lilith ~ Who, f0( pi-i~acy #~aI- i
sons, chose a fictitious name for this story - is now 20,
a full-time college student and a self-assured Lesbian
woman. But, she says, her high school years were
rough.
Like many Gay youth, Lilith suffered through
harassment and lack of acceptance, feelings of isolation,
and self-imposed silence. Gay teens are twice as
likely as heterosexual youth to seriously consider
suicide because they feel adrift in an unsupportive
world.
Overall, the nonheterosexual population (Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgendered) is 5-10%, said
Brad Becker, executive director of the Gay &Lesbian
National Hotline. High school percentages are likely
the same, but surveys are skewed because most teens
are not comfortable answering gender-preference
questions. In addition, many have yet to figure out
their sexuality, he said. "They may not be identified
as Gay,, said Becker. "They know something is
different but have yet to pinpoint their sexuality.".
"Teens begin feeling their sexuality around the age
of 13," said Linnea Bailey, a Lancaster psychologist
who specializes in Gay and Lesbian issues. "So much
of being a teen is exploring sexuality. If they realize
they are not part of the norm, it can be frightening.
They know that those who are different get picked
on." Gay and Lesbian youth commonly struggle with
self-esteem issues and may withdraw from family
and friends. They often skip school and may eventually
drop out in search of an accepting peer group. If
they do come out and continue in school, they risk
being harassed or beaten by those with differing
bdiefs.
In an average school day, says the Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network, the typical Gay teen will
hear 26 anti-Gay remarks. And, one in six Gay youths
are beaten so badly they seek medical attention. "The
last acceptable form of overt prejudice is against
Gays," Bailey said. "It’s still extremely bad in the
public school systems."
Most Gay teens wait to come out until they are in
college or the work world. There tends to be greater
diversity and less peer pressure. "Often it’ s the first
time they are away from home and family," said
Anthony Lascoskie Jr., coordinator of the Lesbian
Gay Bisexual Allies at Franklin & Marshall Colleg_e
and .treasurer of the Pink Triangle Coalition. "They
can be Gay at school and straight at home." Boys
typically come out at age 18; gifts, 23.
Julian, a 19-year-old Millersville student, came out
the summer before his junior year of high school by
writing a letter to a trusted faculty member. During
his junior year he began telling his friends. J~ian.said
most of his friends were OK with his sexuality, but
some faded away. And although there were no physical
attacks, there were plenty of verbal attacks.
- Bailey said~lack of- peer suPport is.the, one of the
worst koadblbcks for ~ay teer~sl During a time When
support is most important, there is typically very
little. "Imagine dating as a Gay teen-ager," she said.
"If you break up with a same-sex partner, there’ s no
support. Who do you go to to talk about it? There is so
much loneliness and isolation."
Black Church To
Fight AIDS Harder
TUSKEGEE, Ala. (AP) - Black ~hurch
leaders, trying to overcome policy differences
in their efforts to combat AIDS~
have gathered in Tuskegee to try to put
together a plan of action. More than 300
bishops, pastors, priests and laymen from
across the nation and as far away as Africa
tookpart the lastweek inMay in theAIDS
Conference for Black Churches at
Tuskegee University.
Black churches have been Slow to take
onAIDS because of the stigma associated
with frank discussion of sex, drugs and
homosexuality in church, church leaders
said. There is also disagreement over issues
such as the distribution of condoms
and needle-exchange programs. "This
hesitationis killing our people," U.S. Surgeon
General David Satcher told the conference
in a videotaped statement.
Blacks accounted for 45% of all AIDS
cases reported in the United States in
1998, according to federal data. Africa is
home to 23.3 million of the world’ s 33.6
million infected people, said Dr. Helene
Gayle, head of the AIDS center at the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Within a decade, she said, there will
be 40 million orphans in Africa because
of the disease.
Church leaders and AIDS experts said
their efforts likely will focus ottxeaching
teens and young adults. The Rev. Calvin
Butts III, president of the Council of
Churches of the City of New York, said
churches must teach sex education. "Un~
less we learn to talk about it, we’re not
going to solve the problem of AIDS," he
said. "You can’t be hypocritical about
this, because it’ s killing us." Other leaders
said churches should boost outreach efforts
in jails and prisons. Nearly one-fifth
of people who are HIV-positive will be
incarcerated at some point in their lives,
according to CDC data.
Pernessa Seele, founder ofThe Balm in
Gilead Inc., the organization that sponsored
the conference, said church leaders
must provide better counseling and care
to people with AIDS. "Church folk are
Gay folk, they are.., straight folk. We’re
all family," she said. "But some people
justdon’ tgetit. We’ ve got to tear down all
these barriers."
AIDS Vaccine to
Be Tested in Haiti
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Vanderbilt
University Medical Center will work with
the nation of Haiti to test a vaccine for
AIDS. The research hospital is seeking
150 local volunteers for testing in Nashville
this summer. Tests begin in Haiti in
the fall.
.’,~It’~s:important-for,the.science of vaccine
development to embrace the developing
world, where most of the AIDS
burden is now," said Dr. Barney S. GrahamofVanderbilt~
s AIDS Vaccine Evaluation’Unit.
"We’re veery excited about
workilig with Haiti."
Vanderbiltis 0neof five medical centerg
in °be:United States testing a vaccine
based on a virus which ca°mot reproduce
in mammals - the canary pox virus. Scientist
splice genes for inactive HIV proteins
into the canary pox virus, and inject
it into the volunteers. If it works, the
vaccine will stimulate the body’ s immune
defenses into action, including the production
of a white Mood cell that can
dispose of HIV-infected cells to prevent it
from spreading inthe body.
"It’ s not a perfect vaccine, but it is the
best candidate we have now," said Dr.
Peter F. Wright, also of Vanderbilt. Side
affects of the vaccine can include mild
fever and mnsde soreness. There is no
chance of getting infected with HIV, Graham
said. "We’ re not at all worried about
safety," Graham said.
Vanderbilt’ s research is supported by
an annllal grant of $2 million from the
.federal govemmentwhichis goodthrough
2005. If this year’s tests are successful,
large-scale trials will be done in 2001.
:Russia Too Poor to
Fight AIDS CriSis
MOSCOW (AP)- Registered HIV cases
in Russia are snowballing and the cashstrapped
government is too poor to confront
the health crisis, a senior health
official said in May. "That means people
will simply die without treatment," said
VadimPokrovsky, thehead ofthe Federal
AIDS Prevention Center.
Last year, 18,140 new cases of infection
with HIV - the virus that causes
¯ MDS - were registered; that’s dose to
half of all the HIV cases registered in
Russia since 1987. Pokrovsky told anews
conference that at least a two-fold increase
is expected this year, and that the
registered number of cases are likely only
one-fifth to one-tenth of the real number.
’q’hat means that the real number of HIV
cases may reach 300,000-400,000 by the
~.nd of this year. By 2005 we may have
about 1 million cases, under an optimistic
scenario," he said.
Intravenous drug users aecountformost
of the new HIV cases, but the virus is
rapidly spreading through sexual contacts,
Pokrovsky said. "In some regions around
Moscow up to 5% of all young people
have AIDS," he said. "According to other
estimates, up to 15% of Moscow prostitutes
are infected with HIV."
The relatively small number of officially
registered HIV cases has prompted
a negligent attitude in the government,
which has been slow to earmark funds for
combatting the disease. Officials have
sometimes hampered privately funded
AIDS prevention efforts. TV ads and billboards
promoting the use of condoms
have disappeared after authorities complained
they were harming public morals,
¯ Pokrovsky said.
Currently, only therelatively rich Mos-
¯ cow city governmentcan fully pay the bill
¯ for treating AIDS patients, while other
¯ regions provide only a fracdon of funds
¯ needed to pay for expensive treatment.
According to Pokrovsky, a modern
¯ course of treatment for AIDS comes only
¯ a fraction cheaper than in the West, be-
¯ causemostdrugs areimported. Suchtreat-
¯ ment costs about $10,000 per patient, he
’ ~aid,~ a hefty sum a’or ~the.economicalIy
¯ struggling nation. "The nmnber of pa-
¯ dents will be so high, that only few of
¯ them will get treatment," he said. "No
¯ more than 10% of the patients may count
¯ on receiving treatment." ¯
OK AIDS Network
ADAP, the AIDS Drug Assistance Pro-
. gram is working but is severely
¯ underfunded. OKAIDS Netis asking that
¯ the following legislators be asked to sup-
, port more funding in the next session.
Write: Senators Stratton Tayltr, Ben
¯ Robinson, Angela Monson, Cal Hobson,
¯ Enoch Kelly Haney and Representatives
¯ Loyd Benson, and Bob Weaver at State
Capitol, 2300 No. Lincoln,OKC730105.
Timothy W. Daniel
Attorney at Law
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Personal Injury,
Criminal Law & Bankruptcy
1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504
128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma
Weekend and evening appoinlmenls are available.
Tulsa City County Library System
is proud to support
Humanity Unites for
Human Ri£!hts
Diversity Celebration 2000
and presents
Not All Fruits are Oranges:
the Roots, Branches & Produce of
the Gay & Lesbian Literary Grove
by
Dr. T. Alan Culpepper, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor.ofEnglish~ Rogers State University
Tuesday, June 13, 7pm,
Aaronson Auditorium, Central Library
Look for the Library Booth at the Millenium Festival
and check with Central Library for books and videos of
interest to Gay & Lesbian readers, families and friends.
when i dare
to be powerful -
to use my strength
in the service
of my vision,
then itbe Qm
tmpo ant
whether i am
afraid.
¯..audre Iorde
please oin
)Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights
in welcoming
/
/
Dr. Margarethe Cammermeyer
and
Mr. Greg Louganis
as guest speakers
,--of.the
"Humanity Unites for Human Rights"
0 "DIVERSITY CELEBRATION 20001"
black-tie (optional)
benefit dinner and silent auction
Friday, June 9, 2000
The Summit Club
6th & Boulder
Tulsa, Oklahoma
(free parking in Bank of America tower)
VIP Reception; 7:00 PM / $50 per person
Reception: 7:00 PM
Silent Auction: 7:00 -- 9:00 PM
_ Dinner:,8:00 PM/,$75 per person
$550 / table of eight
- ~:~ $750 /.table of eight & VIP reception
for ticket information,
please see enclosure
I
at Southwest Missouri State University in
Sptingfield.
"When I think of Ozark County, I always
think ofhow the sheriff did not have
a car until 1937," he said. "The rivers
weren’t bridged and there was no real
road system developed." Outlaws looking
for cover in the backwoods - including
such notorious villains as Bonnie and
Clyde and Jesse James - were drawn to
the area for those reasons, Flanders said.
Religious~based groups, typically those
who shun the doctrines of mainstream
churches, appreciate the quietandreserved
nature of fellow Ozarkers. ’’There is a
long tradition in the hills that you live and
let live, no matterhow weird the beliefs of
your neighbors might be," Flanders said.
Both Springfield and Bransonhave seen
national and regional supremacy conventions
in the last year. In February, some
225 people gathered in Branson for the
third annual convention of the Identity
group Songs for His People.
"You’ re tight in the middle of the Bible
Belt, which plays an important role in the
culture there," said Devin Burghart of the
Chicag0-based Identity watchdog group,
Center for New Commlmity.
’‘These guys come strolling along singing
songs andholding Bibles, which allows
them a certain degree of legitimacy
in the area. But behind it all is still the
same message of hate and intolerance,"
he said. Christian Identity espouses white
Anglo-Saxon virtues and calls Jews, racial
minorities and Gays enemies of God.
S6memembers believe in death sentences
for those who violate "’God’ s law."
In August, Identity follower Buford
Furrow Jr. allegedly killed a Filipino-
American postal worker and wounded
five others after opemng fire on a Jewish
day-care center in Los Angeles. A month
earlier, two brothers-also Identity adherents
- allegedly killed a Gay couple in
California and set fire to several synagogues.
Through the 1980s, the Identity movement
became associated with other extremist
groups, including The Order, the
Ku Klux Klan and The Covenant, the
Sword, and the Arm of the Lord, or CSA.
Many residents here say they have felt
intimidated by supremacist groups like
CSA and Winrod’ s church. Most define
to be interviewed or ask not to be identified
for fear of retaliation.
"These guys would wear fatigues and
walkinto thepostoffice withguns swapped
to their waists," said Tim Morgan, owner
of a marina in Pontiac, a town of fewer
than 300 not far from Gainesville. "They
were intimidating because they were so
military-looking."
Winrod’ s church, called Our Savior’ s,
consisted-mostly~ ofhi~ adult ehilO*en,
their families and a few other followers.
The sheriff said he began distributing his
racist mailings to every county resident.
"People Wouldcall and Complainabout
it, but there is nothing we could do- he
hadFirstAmendmenttights ," Bartlett said.
"We could only keep an eye on him."
Now, Winrod is accused along with
two ofhis childrenofabducting his grandchildren
from their North Dakota hometowns
in 1994 and 1995. Their mothers
are M.ready serving ptison terms for kidnapping.
At ~ pretrial court, appearance Thursday,
Wiurod said he did not have an attorney
The court has givenhim until June 13
to either retain counsel or waive his tight
to representation. A preliminary hearing
on the case was set for June 21.
Authorities fear the Wiurod case will
attract attention from other affiliated
groups. ’‘There are groups like this all
over the country, peoplewhomaybearen’ t.
closely affiliated with one another but
who share similar beliefs, and they decide
they want to come and get involved in
these situations," Said Elmore, the highway
patrol sergeant. "We don’ t want that
to happen this time."
On the Net:
Southern Poverty Law Center:
http://www.splcenter.org ~
Center for New Community:
http://www.newcomm.org
Yet again, he dismissed these basic protecdons
as "special tights ." In addition, he
has sided with the extreme wing of his
Party and refused to endorse the Fmployment
Non-Discrimination Act (F_aNDA).
ENDA wouldput an end to discrimination
against Gay men and Lesbians in the
workplace - discrimination that is currenfly
legal in 39 states. AI Gore and the
Democratic Party have fought vigorously
for ENDA because we believe in the tight
of every American to bejudged on his or
her merits and abilities, and to be allowed
to contribute to society without facing
discrimination on the basis of sexual ori_-_
entation.
As President, AI Gore also would continue
President Clinton’ s Executive Order
prohibiting discrimination based on.
sexual orientation in the federal civilian
workforce. Facing aRepublican challenge
to the Executive Order, Clinton and Gore
worked with Representative Barney Frank
and other fair-minded Members of Congress
to defeat the Republicans’ and-Gay
amendment with the support of over 90
percent of Congressional Democratsl
We need leaders likeAl Gore who will
speak out against homophobia and prejudice
in afight to maintain civil justice and
equality. Through his actions and the actions
ofhis party,it is clear thatGeorgeW.
Bush is not that leader. There is every
indication that he would make no room
forGays and Lesbians inhis WhiteHouse.
As we celebrate Gay and Lesbian Pride,
Democrats pledge our support and continued
work to promote equal~opportunity
and non-discrimination for a strong and
umted America. As a Party, we embrace
these ideals because we believe that no
.aanetican should be left behind.
An interpreter for the deaf will be provided.
- The Rev. Mel.White heads, Soulforce,
Inc., anon-profitorganization thatruns an
ecumenical network of volunteers committed
to the teachings and applying the
principles of nonviolent civil .disobedience
on behalf of sexual minorities. Rev.
White has relendessly devoted his life to
heal the wounds caused by: the anti-Gay
rhetoric and to enter into dialogue with
the faith organizations that perpetuate
hatred and violence toward sexual minotifies.
In the past year, Rev. White has
led "direct actions" with Rev. Jerry
Falwell, the trial of Rev. Jimmy Creech,
and most recently, the General Assembly
of the United Methodist Church.
Shortly after visiting Tulsa, Rev. White
will lead a delegation see Pride,p. 8~
Pr
by Jim Christjohn, mac guru & more
Brachetti is coming! No, it’ s not apiece
of toast with herbs and tomatoes on it, it’ s
Arturo Brachetti, the quick-change artist.
Think "Greater Tuna" meets Robin Williams
while doing David Copperfield’s
act.
GreaterTuna had two guys doing quick
changes to create ,the ,22 characters of,a
small mythi.cal town; Artur9 is one man
crearii~g 88characters during the course
of an evening ~-grom cowboys to geishas
and barmaids to
Royal Mounties,
he is a very charmlng
man - and
handsome as well.
He speaks at least
three languages
fluently, and has a
mischievous sense
of humor rivaling
yours truly.
Described as
Versace on hyper
speed, Brachetti
changes costumes
at lightning fast
speed, transforming
into more than
80 characters and
giving life to le-
"... Deserlbed as Versaee on
hyper speed, Braehettl changes
costumes at lightning fast speed,
transforming into more than 80
characters and giving llfe to
legions of personalities.
His show is a multl-medla
~xtravaganza, eomblnlng
comedy, tousle, magle, and video
in a unique collage of aetlng,
storytelling, stunts
and earleature . . ."
gions of personalities. His show is a multimedia
extravaganza, combining comedy,
music, magic, and video in a unique collage
of acting, storytelling, stunts and
caricature. He is the winner of the 2000
Moliere Award (the French "Tony"
award), and a delightfully impish fellow.
Add a little Cirque De Soleil t~ that
mixture above, too.
I had the chance to speak with him
before one of his sold out shows in Paris,
France. A U.S. tour is planned for 2001,
buthis first stop for a very limited engagement,
is here in Tulsa. Whenasked, "Why
Tulsa?" he responded, "Well, you have to
start somewhere!" He spoke of it being
the "center of the United States" and as
such, a good place to begin.
tie spoke of the Italian art of"transformation"
as not having been seen in thirty
years. It had its origins in the 17th century
as an offshoot of the commedia del’ artr.
According to Brachetti, Giovanni
Gabrielli was the originator of "transformarion,"
performing all the characters of
the commedia del’ arte single-handedly,
changing masks and characters all byhimself.
I asked him what prompted him to create
such a show-, and his response was that
he was doing some add-on acts for a
production of "Midsummer Night’s
Dream" (French pr~oductions often thro,w_
extra scenes ifffor fun), which led to him
creating a one man show in which he
played all the parts, an embryonic version
of his current two hour plus show, for an
arts festival.
A later version of the show, largely
autobiographical, opened in June ’99 in
Montreal. Selling outevery night, he eventually
took the show to Paris. There was
no advertising budget, and the first week,
they had to find people just to sit in the
audience. After that first week, however,
word of mouth started and the show exploded.
Brachetti would like audiences to leave
the show different from when they entered.
He said that the show speaks to the
eight year old child witltin all of us. In the
dip of the show, s beginning, shown at the
press conference, it begins with a mysterious
masked man removing his mask to
reveal yet another mask underneath, continuing
for some time.
Just that brief dip spoke to me of the
fact that we all wear so many masks from
day to day, ,to the point where the real
personbecomes buried over ume. It s.eems
to me, that his show is about removing the
masks of adulthood so that We can free the
child trapped within, (but then agaifi, I’ m0
a psychology major,
and can read
deep insight into
anything).
I will say that
sequence is very
powerful, and can
only imagine what
therest ofthe show
must be like.
Brachetti hopes to
restore the wonder
of the world as
seen from the eyes
of kids. He alternated
as he spoke,
from well-educated
adult to impish
child.
He’ll eventually
play S_an Francisco (the costumes will
go over big there) and New York, as well
as Chicago. Brachetti arrives in Tulsa at
thePAC courtesy ofCelebrity Attractions
August 6-13 and to OKCat the Rose State
Performing Arts Theater august 15-21.
Tickets can be had by calling 596-7111.
I don. t know if he’ s Gay, but I will tell
you now, the costumes that Brachetti designed
and created rival any elaborate
Bette Midler/Cher/Drag Queen extravaganza.
Did I mention he’ s cute, designs a
meanfrock, inhis mid thirties (he’ s cagey
about his age) and single? Me first, guys !
For’those Goddess worshipers out there,
I am pleased to announce Goddess: Tulsa
Artists’ Coalition Women’ s Show 2000,
sponsored by TAC and The University of
Tulsa School of Art. It features Goddessthemed
artwork, and the exhibit goes up
June 8 and runs through July 7th. The
opening is from 5-8pm June 8, and the
regular gallery .hours are 9am-4:30pm
Mon. - Thurs. and 9am-noon Friday. The
gallery is in TU’ s Alexander Hogue Gallery
at 5th Street and College Avenue.
Andfor those wondering, Stevie Nicks,
new album "Trouble In Shangri-La" is on
permanent delay, as usual Apparently,
there are troublein the Shangri-La recording
studio in which she’ s been working
with a revolving doorful of producers
.since ,!997. Have fun at the Diversity.
Celebrations, ~_nd be safe! ’ ¯
We’ ve seen it before. The horror of the
ship’ s sinking never quitemadeit onstage.
You’ re more bothered by the horror of
having paid to see this show. The songs,
for the most part, are mawkishly written,
stealing from everyone imaginable - Gilbert
and Sullivan, Lloyd Webber,
Sondheim. Few original ideas are in the
music, which is a pity. This is portrayed as
homage, but basically, it seems Yeston
just couldn’t come up with anything on
his own. Want something better? Wait for
Rent later this summer.
Are You Gay or Bisexual?
Are You Native American?
Tulsa’s Two-Spirited Indian Men s ~/k~
Support Group is here for you! ,-~/~.~/
¯ Evening support group meetings
¯ Relationship workshops
¯ Short trips, outings and retreats
¯ Free HIV testing
For information call Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project
Call JOHN RAGAN, the friendly, caring real estate agent who understands
your special needs! 918-583-2125 800-559-1558 wrvw.NewNest.com
of Soulforce members on a direct action
to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church U.S.A. as they debate the
inclusion of Gays and Lesbians in that
denomination.
Organizational sponsors include:
Soulforce in Oklahoma (presenting sponsor)
TulsaOklahomans forHumanRights
(presenting sponsor) Community ofHope
Church,CommimityUnitarian/UniversalistCongregationDignity/
IntegrityofTulsa
FellowshipCongregational Church, Green
Country Society of Friends (Quakers),
Metropolitan Community Church United
(MCC), Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays in Tulsa (PFLAGTulsa),
Parish Church of St. Jerome, Regional
AIDS Interfaith Network of Oklahoma
(RAIN-OK), and Volunteers in
Action Committee of All Soul’s Unitarian
Church as wall as others.
Soulforce Workshop
Saturday, June 3rd
A SoulforceWorkshop led by Rev. Md
White will be held at the Charles Norman
Studio at the Performing Arts Center at 2
pro. Rev. White and his partner, Gary
Nixon, will provide training in the principles
of M.K. Gandhi and Martin Luther
King, Jr. as part of the non-violence justice
movement. The workshop will last
until 5 p.m. Admissionis free.
TOHR Follies 2000
Saturday, June 3rd
¯he bawdy humor and sentimental
songs of theTOHRFollies returns at 8 pm
at the Doenges Theatre, PAC. Join a host
of performers and singers celebrate your
favorite show tunes from a "100 years of
Broadway." Elaborate productions from
the timeless works of Rodgers &
Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome
Kern, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Charlie
Smalls will entertain you. A Reception
will follow in the Charles Norman Studio
with catering provided by Curt & Marj’ s.
Admission is $15 each. Tickets will be
sold through the Performing Arts Center
Ticket Office beginning around May 3rd.
Call the PAC for ticket information at
596.7111 .or 800.364.7111 or buy your
tickets online at www.tulsapac.com.
Entertainers: Sedackeiry Taylor
Alexander, Johnny Cronin, Domoniqne
Daniels, Veronica De,core, Vivian
MINI-MOVIE FESTIVAL
Thursday, June 8th
AMini-Movie Festival will run throughout
the day on a 60" screen at the Tulsa
Gay Community Services Center. The
Community Center is located on the corner
of 38th and Peoria (above Boulevards).
Popcorn and refreshments will be
available. Admission is free. Schedule:
1:00 pro, Lilies
3:00 pm, Beautiful Thing
5:00 pm, It’ s In The Water
7:00 pro, Broadway Damage
9:00 pm, Everything Relative
Black Tie Benefit
Friday, June 9th
TOHR offers the opportunity to meet
Margarethe Cammermeyer and Greg
Louganis at a VIP Reception at7pmin the
Grille Room at The Summit Club on the
31 st floor. The Summi t Club is located in
the Bank of America Building at 15 West
6th Street. Free parking available in the
building. Admission is $50. An Open
Reception and Silent Auction will begin
at 7 pm at The Summit Club on the 31st
floor. All proceeds will benefit TOHR’ s
fight for GLBT equality in this region.
The Benefit Dinner begins at 8 pm at
The Summit Club on the 30th floor. Guest
speakers are Margarethe Cammermeyer
and Greg Louganis. Please joinTOHR in
presenting its wall-deserved "Community
Hero" awards to three high school
students who have shown extraordinary
courage in dealing with their sexuality:
Will Allen, Emily Sisemore, and Matthew
Holloway. An interpreter for the
deaf will be provided.
Tickets are available for the VIP Reception
and the Benefit Dinner by "calling
743.4297, or by mailing ticket requests to
TOHR, P.O. Box 2687, Tulsa, OK74101,
or by dropping by the Center on the corner
of38th and Peoria between 6 pm and 9 pm
Sundays through Friday and Noon to 9
pm on Saturday.
Millennium Pride Parade
Saturday, June 10th
The Millennium Pride Parade will beffin
at 11 am at the Tulsa Gay Community
Services Center at 38th and Peoria. Grethe
Cammermeyer and Greg Louganis will
serve as Co-Grand Marshals. Organizers
claim it will be bigger and more colorful
than before. The Parade will follow the
same route as last year from the Center to
Veteran’ S Park at 18tk and Main.
Deveroe ::.Fontaine, Green ~Country Drop-offpoints are set along the Parade
~Oogg,e.rs, DanHale, Miitthew Holloway, Routethis year. Buses!shuttles will begin
~H~’l.~a’..~s Horribles, KriS Kohl~.CeCe.. ~ ~mn’mg at 8!30 a;m, Please park your
¯~roi,x,~taRichards,Tabith9Tayl0r,--: veliid~ at Veteran s Park and catch ~e
T~aT Neill, ’Victoria Turelie,:R~becea . bu~ofShtittleonthenorthsideofVeteran s
U.ngermah,.ahd Komona Wannaliiya, -.’Park. --’There is no charge to ride the bus/
All events tke!d at the Performing Arts
Center are fundedin part b~r a grant-from
the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trnst.
uNIi"ED - An Art Exhibit
Tuesday, June 6th
An Art Exhibit entitled "United" will
have an opening reception at the Recep-
!ion Hall of All Soul’ s Unitarian Church
beginning at 6 pm. Wine and soft drinks
~vill be available. Hors d’ oeurves will be
fPrereO.VAideldl bSyouTlsWUCnaittaerriinang.CAhdumrcihssiios nloiscated
at 2952 South Peoria.
Artists: Otto Decker, John Duvall, Jody
Ellison, Dana Gilpin, P.S. Gordon David
Halpern, Isaac Harper, Ken Johnston,
Elizabeth Joyner, Kraig Kallenberger, C.
LynnMallett, KathleenPendergrass, Mary
Schepers; Kelley Vandiver, David
Vamecky & others.
shu..tt!e.
FESTIVAL
Saturday, June 10th
The Millennium Pride Festival (formerly
the Picnic) will begin at 11 am at
Veteran’s Park. There will be dose to
fifty booths, as well as food vendors, beer
and soft drinks, and lots of activities.
Margarethe Cammermeyer and Greg
Louganis will give the opening remarks.
TOHR’ s "Community Hero" awards will
be given to three courageous local teenagers:
Will Alien, Matthew Holloway, and
Emily Sisemore. Entertainment go on all
afternoon and into the evening. A sixteenteam
volleyball tournament will run
throughout the day on three volleyball
courts. There is also a Celebrity Dunk
Tank with Audra Sommers, Dyke Divine
and David from gay.tulsa.org, Tom Neal
ofTulsa Family News, Marty Newmanof
the Human Rights Campaign, and more.
by James Christjohn ~ ¯
I’m not sure which is the greater trag- "
edy: the sinking of the ship and its aftermath
- or the creation and execution of "
this musical. Don’t get me wrong, the "
performances were OK, for the most part,
some were excellent, and there were afew
songs thatmade the show somewhatworth
the time it took to watch it. But it was a
remarkable example of how easy it is to
get Tony Awards these days.
At the time this disaster (the musical)
struck, it was the only original American
musical offering on Broadway. Everything
else was Lloyd Webber (i.e., English)
or French. So, to get a Tony, you
need to: 1. merely be American; 2. write a
musical: 3. base it on something historical,
but only superficially. Take known
names and make up cartoonish characters
to go with them; 5. even if what you write
is unfocused and mediocre, if there are no
other Americans writing musicals, you’ll
get a Tony.
If you’ re wanting a mildly entertaining
evening with some really bad staging,
scenery, and costumes that dwarf the set,
and NO historical accuracy (other than
the fact_the ship sank), by all means waste
your money.
The show itself is historically inaccurate
to the point of sheer ridiculousness.
That wouldn’ t be such a peeve with me if
the marketing weren’ t hyping it as being
historically accurate, claiming the "story
is told truthfully" and that "historical accuracy
of Titanic (the musical) makes it
an ideal show for parents to share with
school age children." Only if the parents
wish to point out how inaccurate the marketing
can be and musicals hyped as historically
accurate aren’ t. And it wouldn’ t
be so bad if the actual stories - as told in
the transcripts of the inquiries, easily come
by in paperback form - were as dramatic
as you can get. The), didn’ t need to ~nake
up half of what the,’,’ did.
Thorn Sesma, who portrays Thomas
Andrews, the Titanic’s Designer, sang
like he had a mouthful of marbles. He
seemed to have a speech impediment,
making it hard to understand what he was
saying. And youknow, if you’ re on stage,
evenifyouaremic’ d,DON’TMUMBLE.
This was.,rampant during the evening....
One man, whose Iin~s throdghout
song ~ere "Not a ibit not .a aide
¯ repeated ad.~auseum, s~,t~a,.d..ed~!jke"Noti!’:
: bitch, not a,iittl~ bitch. ~ I ldd.you noti..
Marcus ~:Ch.a,it, who" played, stoker ."
Fredefiek.~.~tt,. ~d"a ,:bi~athless fali
setto q0altty-that .s~ded:lik¢ .an
ment ~betw.’.,e~n MiChael ~Ct~w.ford,aniti.~
Andy Gibb. Even though he Was nile d tO
the hilt (as all were), y.oo, coul~l understand
him at times, due to his breathless
"Phantom of the Opera/Michael
Crawford’~ style of singing. His vibrato
was annoying as well, distracting from
one of the most powerful songs in the
show. When he whispers, you can’ t hear
him, when he belts, he reveals a glorious
voice, a wonderful tenor.
Timothy A. Fitzgerald, as Fleet, the
lookout spotting the iceberg, has the most
wonderful voice, perfect for the song "No
Moon", arguably the best song in the
show, and the most haunting. Lyrically,
it’s one of the better moments, and
Fitzgeraldhandles it withgrace andbeauty,
which he has plenty of in terms of stage
presence. Pity the authors did away with
the other lookout (one of those little inaccuracies);
"No Moon" would have been
awesome as a duet.
The standout performances were the
three Kates, immigrants in steerage revealing
their dreams of a new life
America. Meiissa Bell, Kristi Barber,
Kate Jetmore were excellent in the"
gest roles in the play. They had the
successful song in the show in term
revealing character and furtheriv
story, revealing the hopes and dre:
the immigrants of the time.
TomGamblin, in my opinion the su c,
gest male actor, was an excdlent foil and
future husband as Jim Farrell, who Kate
Murphy decides will be her husband. It is
their story which is the most effective in a
show that tries to tell the story from too
many perspectives. It was their characters
I actually cared for, and it was their moments
that worked in an otherwise dismal
script.
Theragtime song,"Autumn," and afew
other songs were memorable for their
melodies. That’ s about all that can be said
for them. The book, well, I say keep a
couple of lines that were humorous, and
start over. I was disappointed. It seemed
like an inventive premise, and one which
could havemade history entertaining. The
staging was weak, particularl y when the
iceberg was sighted by the one lookout.
The set did tilt at the end (like we’ ve never
seen that before), but the set was mosdy
made up of very inaccurately drawn and
painted drops that looked like something
out of a high school production. After
Jekyll and Hyde’s detailed lab, Beauty
and the Beast’s castles and villages,
Titanic’ s drop-heavy scenery was a bit of
a letdown.
On Broadway, the show had a three
levd set, making several of the numbers
quite different. Here we were treated to
awkwardly stage numbers, wlfich basically
left the cast walking in circles representing
different levels and areas of the
ship, which ended up quite muddled ~n
terms of telling who was where on the
ship. At one point, as characters were
stepping in and out and around, it became
quite ridiculous. The tableau, which was
originally to have shown the ship striking
the iceberg, was nothing more than a very
small model of the ship, withlights, pulled
across the stage - no ice in sight. The
model boat, lit up :with Chxistmas lights,
being pulled across the stage was quite
humorous. And the promisedcollision
tableau, hyped beforetheshow opened on
Broadway, is still missing. . .
I really liked the cheesy and totally
hilarious flame effect of the boiler room
furnaces. This little .bit of very Obvious
whitedothbeing blownupwards by afan,
not even dose to the scale of what the
flames in those boilers must have been
like. Now I’m quite willing to suspend
disbelief, but this went far beyond what
could be expected. It looked like these big
burly men were shoveling coal onto bic
lighters. Iwas rolling withlaughter. Yeston
also says "themusic is the scenery." Well,
ithas to be, since apparently they couldn’ t
afford paint or artists from the look of it.
The drops seemed to come in at the wrong
scenes, particularly in the opening. I understand
theatre is representational by
nature, but here we’ re dealing with a very
famous boat.
The problem with the show is that it
tries to tell too many stories, and because
of that, it’ s hard to really care about any of
the characters, who are portrayed as caricatures
anyway. At the end, youjust don’ t
care. OK, the set rises at one end on
hydraulics, see Titanic, p. 8
by Lamont ]~indstrom, Ph.D.
Vexillology. There’s an arcane word "
for you. It means the "study of flags." :
Thousands of rainbow flags are soon to ¯
wave as we enter the season
of Gay Pride celebration.
Gay flags, like Gay
Pride, are fairly recent inventions.
Gilbert Baker
sewed up the first rainbow
flag for the 1978 Gay Freedom
Celebration in San
Francisco.
Over the past two decades,
Freedom has made_
way for Pride and the rainbow
flag has lost some
stripes. Baker’s original
creationboasted~eight colors,
each of which represented
a fine ideal: orange
is healing; yellow the sun;
green is nature and blue
art: indigomeansharmony
while violet stands for
spirit: redis life and, last
butnotleast,pink symbol-
.1zes sex.
Pink went first. A company
Baker approached to
produce his flag commerdally
couldn’t locate any
pink nylon.
And the next year, when the San Francisco
parade committee adopted the flag
as a symbol, symmetry required yet another
reduction. The parade decorator demanded
that the route feature three colors
on the left and another three colors on the
right. Indigo disappeared. In its short lifetime,
the rainbow flag has lost both sex
and harmon.y. Something of a .parable,
perhaps, of modem Gay life.
Archaeologists have dug up flag-like
symbols from civilizations in both Old
World and New. Humans, from our beginmngs,
have imagined a variety of symbolic
objects to represent social groups.
Anthropologists call a symbol that stands
for a group a "totem."
Today’ s flag clearly derives from these
original totems..In many societies, animals
are the preeminent totemic figure,
andanimal totems surviveinto thepresent.
Small town businesspersons divide up
into coteries of Elks, Lions, and Moose.
Andthink ofthe Britishlion, orthe American
eagle, or the Canadian loon, or the
California bear. And don’ t forget the Gay
bear. These totems decorate our flags and
our money.
A variety of things besides animals
symbolize groups. The rainbow is an archetypal
totem that we share with Austra=
lianAboriginal bands amongvarious other
peoples around the world..Rainbows are
syi~b01ic~dl~ p~tentl~0~ in nature and in
a number of religious traditions. Some
folks complain about aGay appropriation
of the_rainbow., tote.m~ just ~as some old
ftohgeieW~?ogrdri.p~ea~ythtohtmthee~y :’~mnerroy io6rfilgiveerluys,.,’e
othdS,~i~, hav~ ebbed rainbows ineluding
Jesse Jackson’s coalition, the
Uuivei~ity 6f Hawai~i’s football team,
and the US Army’ s 42nd Division. I acquired
one of my rainbow flags from an
innocent straight friend who bought it
planning to display his.concerns for the
environment.
~/tere is no end of social and psycho-
- logical theory that attempts to explain
why we dream up totems to represent our
groups. A century ago, the pioneer soci-
Because flags stand
for group, Gays had
no need for a flag
until we conceived of
ourselves ~1~ ~t
eolleetlve --or a
¯ eommumty as
some of us llke to say.
Baker’s needlework
in 1978 signified
the transformation
of homosexuality
from a psyckologleal
condition to a
political identity.
ologist Emile Durkheim remarked that
totems are sacred just because they stand
for the group. Our human societies exist
before any one of us is born, and they will
continue after we die. Society,
thus, is "supernatural."
We make into a god
what has shaped us and
what sustains us as individuals.
But it’s hard to
grasp concepts so abstract.
Instead, wefocus our feelings
and .affiliations upon
the totem - the sacred being
whosematerial formis
the flag.
We are good at creating
solidarities - only human
groups_ often define
themselves largely by opposing
themselves to some
other. We pledge allegiance
tO ourown totem as
a symbol ofourselves. And
we express distaste for our
enemies by despoiling
their flags, as Palestiuians,
Israelis, and members of
various high school bands
are wont to do.
It is pretty clear
Durkheim was right about
that sacredness. We have
¯ fervent Congressmen in Washington each
¯ year in a frenzy to outlaw sinful desecra-
¯ tions of the American flag.
¯ Perversely, some South Caroliniansjus-
¯ tifyofficial display oftherebel Confeder- ¯
ate flag as mere historical commemora-
¯ tion. But everyone knows that echoes of
¯ their antebellum religion are also at work ¯
here.
Because flags stand for group, Gays
¯ had no need for a flag until we conceiv~l ¯
of ourselves as a collective - or a "com-
" mlmity" as some of us like to say. Baker’ s
; needlework in 1978 signified the trans-
. formation of homosexuality from a psychological
condition to a political iden-
Since this time, we have put into play
various other symbols, including pink and
black triangles borrowedfrom Nazi prison
wear, theLambdacharacterfrom the Greek
alphabet, and the red ribbon.
Of these, the rainbow stretches the farthest.
I have seen rainbow flags unfurled
in Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Den-.
mark, andbeyond. Theflag’ s global spread
testifies to the rise of a transnational gay
community. Think of this as flags parade
b~this summer. Long may the rainbows
wave on our totem poles.
Lament Lindstrom teaches anthropology
at the University oJ Tulsa.
The protesters wre joined by the Rev.
Bishop C. Joseph Sprague from No. Illinois.
Local architect and activist Sue
Knause noted that the police were "fabulous"
with some officers stopping to have
their photos taken with some of the more
famous arrestees. And their jddge, she
adds, said, "keep up the good work -I
stand with you today."
While the protests did not change the
policies, organizers have promised that
1,000 arrestees at the next conference. A
principal orgamzer of this action was
Tulsan Karen Weldon. Info. contact
Soulforce at the Gay Community Center.
to benefit Saint Joseph Residence +
Regional AIDS Interfaith Network
Saturday, June 3rd, 10-5, +_ Sunday, June 4th, 1-5
$10 donation at the door or in advance.
David Daniel, 1603 S. Carson
Wiley Parsons, 1601 S. Carson
Monty + Jane Butts, 240 E. Woodward Blvd.
Brett + Maricarolyn Swab, 2112 So Norfolk Ave..
Dr. Robert & Dena Hudson, 2707 S. Rockford Rd.
Tickets for this tour may be obtained at each home.
For more information; call Charles Faudree, Inc: at 747-9706.
METROPOLITAN TULSA
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
salutes
Humanity Unites for
Human Ri$lhts
Millennium Pride 2000
and
honors Tulsa’s
Lesbian and Gay .’.,.
Chamber of Commerce members
for their leadership on
business, civil rights and health issues
in the Tulsa community.,
To join MTCC, call 585-1201.
IGTA member
Call 341.6866
]. X,otuerSr onrmaot ,i,no. on maol ,on.
Massage Therapy Services
Edgar O. Cruz, L.M.T.
Pager: 918-889-5255
Voice Mail: 918-697-9282
Lic. #C4133
CountryClub Barbering
Custom Styling for Men & Women
David Kauskey
3310 E, 51st, 747-0236, Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm
Tulsa’s only
body-piercing
Poweful
Images:
portrayals of
Native America
GilcreaseMuseum
1400 Gilcrease Museum Road
5 9 6 2 7 0 0
and as many as 15 in larger communities
- sit as the board of civil authority to
certify yoter checklists or to hear tax appeals.
They also have the option of officiating
atweddingceremonies. Beginning July 1,
they’ll also have the authority to officiate
at civil unions. The one catch is if they do
one, they’ 11 have to doboth. That’ s enough
to prompt some justices to quit the marriage
business because they oppose the
civil unions law.
Experts, such as lawyer and former
Deputy Secretary of State Paul Gillies,
who have been guiding justices through
thenew responsibilities, say that’ s fine, so
long as they don’t discriminate. Under
Vermont’s non-discrimination laws, if
justices perform weddings for heterosexual
couples, they may not refuse to
perform civil unions ceremonies just because
those couples are homosexuals.
Some justices have put out the word
that they’re happy to officiate at civil
unions ceremonies. "I feel they deserve
it," said Huntington justice Don Dresser,
who has officiated at two weddings. "It’ s
thelaw and I’mcomfortable with it. I have
a lot of Gay friends... I’m going to treat
everyone the same."
Some Gays and Lesbians who happen
to be justices say they’re excited that
they’ll be able to officiate at civil unions
ceremonies. ’Tmexcited. I’mso thrilled,"
Hurlie said. "This is really an honor to
certify civil unions for folks."
So, now, what’ s left is to determinejust
what ceremonies should be. The short
answer is that whatever is done for a
Wedding would work for a civil union.
"’The big question was, "What do .you sa.y
at the end?’ ’I hereby .. what?’ "" Gillies
said. "We suggested:’ I hereby certify this
civil union.’"
Markowitz said her office did not want
to dictate the words, but she recognized
they would carry emotional weight. "The
justice has to say sonaething that shows
the imprimatur of the state is making the
union official, whether it’ s a marriage or
a civil union," Markowitz said. "The most
straightforward, kind of sticking to the
law pronouncement would be: ’I now
certify your civil union.’ Really, that’s
what a person is doing."
There are some traditions to follow,
though. There have beena few religious
faiths, for example, who bless same-sex
relationships. The Unitarian Universalist
Society is one. The Rev. Brendan Hadash
of the St. Johnsbury Unitarian church, for
example, estimates he’ s performed probably
20 opposite-sex marriages and about
an equal number of same-sex commitment
ceremonies over the years.
He’ s developed a series of phrases and
uses the one that the couple finds most
comfortable. "I usually pronounce that
use: "I recognizeyouas spirituallyunited,"
or "You are now joined as wife and wife,
which I find a little odd. Others are "You
arejoined as spouses, partuers, iovers~" or
"I declare that you are now.united inlove,
that you are duly wed."
With the civil unions law, though, he’ 11
be adding one phrase to his blessings. "At
the end of the service I used to always
make a point of saying, ’By the power
vested in me by my denomination, I declare
you...’ "Hadash said. "Now I can
say ’by.the power vested in me by the
church - and the state.’ "
It also culled data from two other academic
studies that studied the Gay and
Lesbian population: the National Health
and Social Life Survey and the General
Social Survey.
Starting with the 1990 C~nsus, respondents
living with a person of the same sex
had the option ofchecking off "unmarried
partner" in the section that asks for the
relationship between people. Other options
included "husband/wife," "roomer/
boarder," "housemate/roommate" or
"other nonrelative."
The study said that among men aged
25-34 living with amale parmer, 29% had
at least a college degree, and 13% a graduate
degree, compared with 13% and 4%
for men with female parmers.
However, within the same age group,
men with a college degree and a female
partner had mean earnings of $29,162 a
year, compared with $28,618 for samesex
unmarried partnered men with a college
degree. For those with graduate de-
~4ees, the discrepancy grew to nearly
,000 - $36,072 to $32,465.
Of men aged 35-44 with unmarried
partners of the same sex, 32% graduated
from college, and 24% had a graduate
degree, compared with 13% and 7% for
males with a female partner.
Within the same age bracket, males
with college degrees and same-sex partners
had mean earnings of $36,054 per
year, compared with $38,629 for those
with female partners.
The same discrepancies were not found
among Lesbians, Sanders said. For instance,
women aged 35-44 with college
degrees and with a same-sex partner had
mean earmngs of $28,387, while those
with a male partner had mean earnings of
$28,734; of those with graduate degrees
in the same age range, the figures were
$34,427 for women with same-sex partners,
and $34,295 for those with male
partners.
Sanders shied away from saying it was
definitive proof of discrimination against
Gays. He instead suggested one reason
may be that Gays tend to enter more fields
that offer lower salaries. The study also
found that 22% of Lesbian couples living
together have children, compared to 5%
of Gay couples living together. Sanders
said that may show that Gay couples have
less pressure to get higher-paying jobs.
"This is the tip of the iceberg in terms of
finding out who the Gay and Lesbian
community is," said PaulaEttelbrick, family
policy director ofthe National Gay and
LesbianTaskForce. "Whatthey also point
out it is the clear problem ofhow to define
what it is to be Gay or Lesbian."
OK Spoke Club
TheOK Spoke Club is beginning its rides
again. A long ride (20 miles plus) will
begin, atZiegler Park at 7:30am’on June
3rd & 24th. Length and destination to be
determined at the ride. Water and helmet
". are required.
¯ A short ride(5 miles) along the Katy
’: Bicydep~in Saii.d)SiJfings will beginat
. 6:30pmonJuneT~atid21s’t. Wateriand
¯ helmet~ate ~tr0ngly r~mmelided...: ¯ :
Af6:30plh, a short fide will begin at the
Pride Cent~L 3749 S. Peoria, rea~ parking
¯
lotonJune24th. Waterandhelmetstrongly
¯ recommended.
¯ Info: POB 9165, Tulsa, Ok 74157,
¯ email: Okiebicycle@prodigy.net
] www.geocities.com/westhollywood/pa-
¯ rade/3301
Humanity Unites
for Human R lhts
Diversit Celebration 2000
Grand Marshalls for the Millennium Pride Parade
Dr. Grethe Cammermever
Oistin~luished Veteran of the United States Armed Forces
Gre~! Lou~lanis
US O!~mpie Champion
Pride Week Events
Interfaith Worship Service
Performing Arts Center, Williams Theatre
Speaker: the Reverend Dr. Mel White
Friday, June 2, from 7pro (free)
Interfaith Soulforce Workshop
Performing Arts Center, Norman Studio
Led by the Reverend Dr. Mel White
Saturday, June 8, 2 - 5pro (free)
Humanity Unites For Human Rights
Black Tie Optional Dinner
Speakers:
Greg Louganis and Grethe Cammermeyer
Summit Club, 7pro reception, Bpm dinner
Friday, June 9th, $75 person
Benefiting Tulsa Oklahomans for Human
Rights, the parent organization of the
Gay Community Center
TOHR Follies: 1OO Years of Broadway
Performing Arts Center, Ooenges Theatre
Saturday, June 8, 8pm, $15
United Art Exhibit, Opening Reception
All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 So. Peoria
Tuesday, June 6, 6 - 8pro
Millennium Parade 2000
Saturday, JunelQ, llam
From the Gay Community Center to
Veterans Park at 18th and Boulder
Pride Festival, Veterans Park, llam - 8pro
Free shuttle from Veterans Park to Parade.
Mini-Film Festival
Tulsa Gay Community Services Center
Thursday, June 8, z~ - till it’s over...
For more information about these events,
call 7~8-~297 (Gays).

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