[2000] Tulsa Family News, October 2000; Volume 7, Issue 10

[2000] Tulsa Family News, October 2000; Volume 7, Issue 10

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

October 2000

James Christjohn
Karin Gregory
Barry Hensley
J.P. Legrandbouche
Lamont Lindstrom
Esther Rothblum
Mary Schepers
Hughston Walkinshaw

Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News

Tulsa Family News, September 2000; Volume 7, Issue 9

Image
PDF
Online text

English

newspaper
periodical

https://history.okeq.org/items/show/605

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

Police Censor Books at ° Gunman Shoots Six; Borders, Barnes & Noble Kills One in Virginia
¯ . ROANOKE, Virginia (AP) - A man accused of ¯ rehant$ Told to Wrap Up Art and fatally shooting another man and wounding six
"History Books, Straight Sox How-to’s " others inside the Backstreet Cafe, a Gay bar, °n the
: TULSA- Prodded by Tulsa City Councilor, Todd Huston, Tulsa " evening of Sept. 22 has been arraigned on first-
" police vice squadofficers visitedBorders Books &Music at8015 " degree murder charges.
¯ So. Yale Avenue, selected a number of books, presented them to The Commonwealth of Virginia’s Attorney
¯ store staffand suggested that they "shrinkwrap" those rifles. This " Donald Caldwell said additional charges such as
: was in response to a constituent complaint made to Huston ~ aggravated malicious wounding or malicious
: according to Charlie Jackson, Deputy Chief, Tulsa Police.
¯ wounding were possible. Malicious wounding
¯ Jackson noted that after the visit to the South Yale Borders ¯ charges carry up to 20 years in prison, whereas
¯ -~ store about which there was a citizen complaint, vice officers of " attempted murder charges carry up to 10 years.
: their own initiative went to the 2740 E. 21stSt. Borders as well " Ronald Edward Gay, 53, the man accused in the
¯
as Barnes & Noble Bookstores at 5231 E. 41st St. and 8620 E. " shootings, acted because of long-standing anger at
"rrial o! Accused o! 71stSt. wheretheywent throughthestoreselectingbooks which thejokespeoplemadeofhisl~,tname, police said.
bookstore staff say the police indicatesd they must shrinkwrap, "He admits to shootingpeople, police investigator
Gay Man’s Death Moved " store staff also said the officers stated that they were no,
° Lt. WilliamAlthoff toldTheWashingtonPost. "He
intending to arrest anyone, told us people made fun of his name... He told us
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) The first Marion County ¯ Accordingtobookstoresources,TulsapoliceSergeantCalhoun " that he was upset about that.’"
teen-ager to be tried inthemurder of aGay black man ¯ and Corporal Best of the "sex crimes" unit said that the ¯ Dznny Lee Overstreet, 43, was killed at the
willfacejurorsinRaleighCountyinNovember.Marion" shrinkwrapping was required under Oklahoma state statute, title" scene. One other victim, IrisPageWebb,41,wasin
County Circuit Court Judge Rodney Merrifield late in ¯ 21, 1040.76. This statute regulates the display of materials " critical condition after being shot in the neck.
SeptembersignedanordermovingDavidAllenParker’s ¯ "harmful to minors" and requires covering materials which ¯ According to police, Gay went to a tavern that
first-degree murder trial to the southern West Virginia : depict "... nudity, sexual contact, sexual excitement, or : night and asked directions to the nearest Gay bar,
county. A copy of the order does not set a trial date, but " sadomasochistic abuse...when thematerial orperformancelacks ’ telling people he wanted to shoot Gays. Someone
JudgeMen-ifield’ssecretarysaiditistentativelysched- : seriousliterary, scientific, medical, artistic, or political value for gavehimdirectionsandimmediatelycalledpolice,
uled for Nov. 15. Merrifield had verbally approved a ¯ minors..." with minors defined as less than 18 years ofage. ¯
whowerelookingforGaywhentheshootingreport
change of venue earlier this week after a preliminary : Typically the "shrinkwrap" requirement has been applied to " came in.
hearing that has been continued to Oct. 12. ~ sexually oriented magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse, Men, " John W. Collins, 39, was one of those wounded.
Lawyers for Parker and co-defendant Jared Wilson, ¯ etc. but not to most books. Collins told the Post that the gunfire erupted just
¯ both .17, had suggested Raleigh County as a possible ¯ Chief Jackson claims that the officers did not threaten the ¯ after he and Overstreet, a friend, hugged. Gay
venue, arguing media coverage of the murder in north- " bookstore staff with arrest but merely sought their cooperation. "stood up as I was letting go of the hug, and he was
central West Virginia has made it too difficult to find " Bookstore sources who’ ve requested to remain anonymous in. turning and he was also reaching into his black
impartial jurors. Attorney Stephen"Fitz said Monday ¯ order to protect themselves from retaliation characterized the trench coat," said Collins, who was shot in the
that Raleigh has a diverse population and probably has ¯ police visit as intimidation- particularly in light 6f the arrests of " stomach. "I saw the gun come out of his pocket...
had far less exposure to ~e case Prosecutor Richard " several sales clerks for the sale of Penthouse magazines a year or " Everything was like in a millionth of a second.’"
Bunner did not object to the move. " so ago. They noted that the officer by mentioning that they didnot " Gay left the bar after the shootings but was later
Parker and Wilson are charged with beating and ¯ intend to arrest at this time, raised the issue as a possibility and ¯ found by police about two blocks away. Officers
kickingtodeath26-year-oldacquaintanceArthur"J.R." ¯ that they felt coerced into cooperating.
" found a 9 mm pistol in a trash can near the bar.
Warren on July 4, see Trial, p.3 " see Bookstores, p. see Shooting, p.3
Local HRCEvents HRC: More Benefits Gay Center To Hold
Grand Re-opening TULSA-Local Human Rights Campaign (HRC) activ -
ists in cooperation with the national organization are
encouraging voter registration drive up fill October 13.
Those interested in registering can stop by Democratic
party headquarters, Republican party headquarters, the
offices of the League ofW0menVoters, any tag agency,
theTulsaCounty ElectionBoard (No; DenveratEdison).
Call formore information at 584.2918. HRCwouldalso
like to send voter registration volunteers to any event or ¯
organization andasks thatorganizers againcall 584.2918.
For Halloween this year, HRC is sponsoring two"
performences of Helga’ sHorribles, in "Scenes from ¯
Little Shop of Horrors" at Renegades on Sun, October ¯
29 at 3pro and again at 7pro. Tickets are $10 each and ," "Domestic partner benefits are increasingly becoming a stanproceeds
benefit HRC-Tulsa. Renegades is also a " dard business practice in corporate America," said Kim I. Mills,
sponsor and there will be a cash bar. Youmust be 21yo. " education director of the Human Rights Campaign. "Employers
Seating is limited to only 100persons at each perfor- ¯ have discovered that these benefits hdp attract and keep the best
WASHINGTON (AP) - More employers - including more than
a fifth of Fortune 500 companies - are offering health insurance
coverage to the partners of Gay employees, according to a report
by a Gay civil rights group.
The study, by the Washington-based Human Rights Campaign,
found that 3,572 companies, colleges and states and local
governments offered or have announced they would offer health
insurance covering their employees’ domestic partners. This was
up 25% from a year ago, when 2,856 employers extended such
benefits.
The findings were included in the group’ s annual "State of the
Wor,k~,lacefor Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual andTransgenderedAmericans.
¯ Law Group to Hold Hate Crimes Panel
¯ TULSA (TFN) - Tulsa Oklahomans for Human
" Rights (TOHR) will hold a Grand Opening event
¯ for the recently relocated Tulsa Gay Community
¯ Services Center on Friday, October 20 at 7pro. The
¯ new location is 2114 So. Memorial adjacent to
: longtimeLesbianbar,TNT’ s. TOHR’ s also will be
¯ holding a "garage" sale to benefit the Center on
." Saturday, Oct. 14 from 8am-noon. Donations of
¯ goods are welcome and may be dropped off at the
¯ Center before the sale.
¯ On Oct 14, TOHR will also sponsor a Feast for
Friends dinner to benefit The NAMES PROJECT.
¯ The dinner, called "Tulsa - The Center of the
Universe" will be al fresco at the downtown sculp-
¯
ture entitled, ’’The Center of the Universe" located
mance. Reservations may be guaranteed by mail to
1107 E. 19th, Tulsa,OK74120 orby credit card over the
phone. Organizers promise big drag, big hair, big voices
& big fun - ’cuz size matters!
HRC also is sponsoring an election watch party at
9pm on Tuesday, November 7 at the fabulous I.D. Bar
on Brookside at3340 S. Peoria (formerly Concessions).
There will be multiple video screens to monitor the
election returns and lots of hot music to enjoy while the
future is determined. There will be a $10 cover charge,
but that will drop to only $5 if you are wearing the "I
voted" sticker.
Lastly, HRC is always looking for new members.
Membership runs $35. Info: 584.2913.
DIRECTORY P. 2
EDITORIAL P. 3
US & WORLD NEWS P. 4
HEALTH NEWS P. 6
ENTERTAINMENT P. 8
GAY STUDIES P. 10
¯ workers, a critical consideration in the current tightjob market."
." The report called a "landmark move" the announcement in
¯ June by Big Three domestic automakers - DaimlerChrysler,
General Motors and Ford - and the United Auto- Workers that
¯
domestic-partner benefits would be offered to their more than
¯ 400,000 employees. ’’This marked the first time that virtually an
¯ entire sector of American commerce, along with its leading
¯ union, decided collectively to provide domestic partner ben-
" efits," the report said.
¯ Fortune 500 companies offering or planning to offer domestic
¯ partner benefits increased from 70 in August 1999 to 102 last ¯
month. In addition, 41 of the top 50 companies in America
¯ prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, the report
¯ said.
-" "All the signs point to private and public employers continuing
¯ to institute nondiscrimination policies and domestic partner
: benefits," the study said. However, it noted that there is nofederal
¯ law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, nor is
¯ there one in 39 states, although President Bill Clinton issued an
executive order in 1998 prohibiting such discrimination in the
¯ federal civilian work force.
¯. The number of cities and counties that prohibit discrimination
based on sexual orientation rose from 16 in 1980 to 116 in 2000.
: next to the Old U~ion Station on the pedestrian
¯ bridge. The dinner is $20 and reservations may be ¯
made by calling 743-4297. Those who just want to
¯ attend the dessert finale may go the Allan Chapman
Activity Center atthe University ofTulsaat8:30pro.
A $10 donation is requested.
: TOHR will also present a National Coming Out
Day (NCOD) panel at its monthly membership
¯ meeting on Oct. 10 at 7:30pm, and at TU on
¯ Thursday, Oct. 12, the University ofTulsa College ¯
of Law Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Law Caucus will
’ sponsor a Hate Crimes Panel discussion from noon
- 2 p.m. The panel, which will be held in TU’s Moot
¯ CourtRoom of John Rogers Hall located at Fourth
¯
Place and Florence Avenue, will address the valid-
" ity of Hate Crimes legislation, opposition to the
¯ Hate Crimes Prevention Act and other topics of
". relevance. Linda Lacey, a TU college of law pro-
, fessor, will moderate.
¯ The program is free and open to the public. For
¯ more information, call Courtney Sdby at 836-
: 9107.
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Chasers, 4812 E. 33
*CW’ s, 1737 S. Memorial
*Club Cherry Bomb,. 1926 E Pine
*Club Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan
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. 15th
712-2324 :
610-5323
583-2119 :
835-2376 :
744-4280...;
745-9998 ¯
834-4234 :
585-3405 :
660-0856
584-1308
749-1563
Tulsa Businesses, ServiCeb~ & pi’ofessiohals
"Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E.-41
Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15
*Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21
*Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale
Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria
*CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria
*Cheap Thrills,.2640 E. 1 lth
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615-
POB 4140, Tulsa. OK 74159
e-mail: TulsaNews@ earthlink.net
Publisher + Editor:
Tom Neal
Writers + contributors:
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117
Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
*De,co to Disco, 3212 E. 15th
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria
*Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan
Encompass Travel, 13161H N.Memorial
Ross Edward Salon 584-0337,
Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main
Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria
Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th PI.
Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr.
Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare
*Gloria Jean’ s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st
Leanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning
Mark T. Hamby, Attorney
*Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. skelly
*International Tours
Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th
*Jared’s Antiques.. 1602 E. 15th
David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering
The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening
*Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15
Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210
*Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha ....
*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd
Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31
*Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo
*The Pride Store
Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101
Richard’s Carpet Cleaning
Teri Schutt, Rex Realtors 834-79,21,
Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square
Paul Tay, Car Salesman
*Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis
Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard
Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling
*Whereh0use Music, 5150 S. Sheridan
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis
James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Hensley, J.-P.
Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum, Mary
¯ Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw
¯
Member of The Associated Press
..... l~U~d bh’o~lsdfbre the lit of ~gcti month; th~~ritite contents
743-1000 i
250,503:4 of thi~ °publication are protected by US copyright 1998 by
665-4580 : T~,~" ~:~ N~v~ and may not be reproduced either in
712-1122 -" whole or in part without written permission from the pub-
712-9955 "
494-2665 lisher. Publicafi0n of a name or photo does not indicate a
743-5272 ~ person’ s sexual orientation. Correspondenceis assumedto be
746-0313 " for publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed &
295-5868
becomes the sole property of T~,~ /z~ N~v,~ Each
r~ader is. entitled to 4 copies of each editionat distribution
749-3620 points. Additional Copies are available by ~1"1~’583-1248.
744-5556 ¯
838-8503 " HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd. 583~-6611
369-8555 ¯ *Tulsa C.A:R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral 834,4194
712-9379 ~ Holland Hall School, 5666-E. 81 st 481-1111
592-0460 : HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Educauon 834-8378
744-9595 " *House of the Holy Spirit Minstries, 1517 S. Memorial 224-4754
610-0880 " *MCC 7United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715
628-3709 NAMES Project, 3507 E Admiral PI. 748-3111
808-8026 " NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, POB 14068, 74159 365-5658
742-1460 " OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 7415~
459-9349 :;--*OSU~Tulsa
744-7440 ..... PFI~G, POB 52800, 74~52 :;~_~.¯ 749-4901
745-1111 " *.Planned Parenthood, 1007 SYffeoria 587-7674
341-6866 ; Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152
712-2750 ; R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195
582-3018 ¯ *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 . 584-2325
747-0236 : St. Aidan’s Epis(opalChurch, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882
582-8460 " St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E:-71.st 492-7140
599-8070 ¯ St. Jerome s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
74%5466 " *Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 583-7171
585-1234 " *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225
584-3112 "- Tulsa County Health Department, 46 16 E. 15 595-4105
663-5934 ’ Confidential HIV Testing -~by appt. on Thursdays only
664-2951" Tulsa Olda. for Human Rights, c/o The Pride Center 743-4297
838-7626 : T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827
743-4297 " *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
747-5932 *Tulsa Community College Campuses
834-0617 ; " *Tulsa Gay Community Center, 1307E.38,74105 743-4297
747-4746 " Unity Church of Christianity,3355 S. Jamestown 749-8833
749-6301, ". BARTLESVILLE
260-7829 . Bartlesville PublieLibrary, 6!30 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353
481-0558 : OKLAHOMA CITY/NORMAN
835-5563 ..
743-1733 ¯ Borders Books & Music, 3209NW Expressway 405~848-2667
665~2222 "¯ Borders Books.& Music~ 300 Norman Center 405-5734907
592-0767 " TAHLEQUAH -
www.gaytulsa.org - website forTulsaGays & Lesbians
Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa; POB 4337, 74101 579-9593- ¯
All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria~ 743-2363-
Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314 "
Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207E. 6 583:7815
B/L/G/T Allian0p, univ: of Tulsa United Min: Ctr. 583~9780 ¯
Chamber of -comm~ide- Bld~:," 616 ~s. B6st6fi .... 585-1201
¯Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th Pl. & Florence -"
Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood 587-1314 "
¯Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale 747:6300
¯Community UnitarianzUniversalist Congregation 749-0595
Council O~ ~en’s Cl~6rale " 748-3888 "
¯Delawar~Playhouse;-15il S. Delaware 712-1511 ¯
¯Democratic Headquarteis, 3930 E: 31 742-2457 ¯
Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa - Lesbian & Gay Catholics & ¯
Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140 "
¯Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777 ¯
¯FrceSpirit’Women’sCenter, callforlocation&info: 587-4669 ¯
Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827 "
Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
¯ Stonewall League, call for information: - ’~i8456-7900
Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church -9t8:456-7900
Green.Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-9360
-o .NSU School of Optometry, 1001N. Grand
HIVtesfing every other Tues. 5:30:8:30~ ~tll for dates
501-253-7734
.... 50i 1253-"]4_47’
501-253-6807
501-253-5445
501-253-9337
501:253-27761
501.-253-5332
50i-624-6646
501-253-6001
501-253-4074
417-623-4696
EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
Autumn Br~,e~,ze Restaurant, Hwy. 23
Jini & Breht "S Bisttt, I73 S. Main
DeVito,’s Restaurant, 5 Center St.
Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St.
MCC of the Living Spring
Geek toGo!,PC Specialist, POB 429
Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery
Positive Idea Marketing Hans
Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East
White Light, 1 Center St.
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134
Scouting~for All Opposes the
"Scout’s Honor Act"
Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado
has introduced counter-legislation,
currently being referred to as the Scouts
Honor Act (H.B. 5306). The bill was
introduced along with twenty-three cosponsors,
on T.Uesday, Sept. 26
Accorditi~ to AFA (editor’s note:
Amerfcah "F~mily Association, a rightwing
lobbying group) Director of Governmental
Affairs PatrickTrueman,"AFA
suppo.r.ts Colorado Rep. Tancredo’s,
Scouts Honor Act, which prohibits the
¯ Useoffederal funds todiscriminate against,
investigate, or deny access to public prop-
" erty or facilities to the Boy Scouts of
¯ America. In addition, the bill says that no
entity that accepts federal funds can compel
the Boy Scouts to accept members
¯ who do not share their beliefs.’"
The Scout’s Honor Act would protect
¯ the BSAwho dearly identifies as an organization
that discriminates against gay
¯ youth and adults and atheists to not be
~ denied access to public facilities or funding.
How can-we allow our tax dollars to
¯ support an organization thatprofesses bigotry
against a segment of our society.’?
Tiffs is unthinkable and should not be
tolerated. Scouting For All asks that you
speak out LOUD to oppose this ACT!!!!
¯ Rep.Tancredofeels thatifhecangetmany
¯ more sponsors on thebill, the Houselead-
. ership may bring it to the floor for a vote.
." Encourage your congressperson not to
¯ support- the bigoted Scout’s Honor Act!
¯ ACTION NEEDED: Contact your
member of Congress immediately and
~ ask that he or she not support the Scouts
¯ Honor Act which is an Act supporting
, bigotry in our society. Contact your Representative
by calling the capitol switchboard
at (202) 225-3121.
~ Scouting For All also encourages you
; to send Rep. Tancredo a note telling him
¯ thathis actions are disgusting and support
¯ bigotry in America. He should be advocating
that the BSA discontinue its discriminatory
policy against our Gay youth
and Gay adults and also atheists. His actions
are a disgrace. Write to:
- tom.tancredo@mail.house.gov
- Scott Cozza,president, Scouting ForAll
www.scoutingforall.org
* is where you can find TFN. Notall are Gay-owned butall are Gay-friendly.
Log ~Cabin Republicans
to Bill Clinton
Thefollowing is the text ofa letterfrom
Rich Tafel, executive director ofLog Cabin
Republicans, to President Bill Clinton on
the issue offunding theAIDS Drug Assistance
Program.
September 27, 2000
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to you again on an ~ssue of
great importance to millions of Americans
-~funding for theAIDS Drug Assis-
’ tanc~ Program in theRyatr~White CARt~
Act. Since 1995, we have consistently
¯ asked your Administration to ensure that
¯ your annual budget requests reflect the
: real ne~ds in. the ADAP program; and
unfortunately your .bUdgets have fallen
drastically short each and every year, and
each year the Republican Congress! has
put millionS:ofMollars more into the pro-
, gram to ansv¢~¢~ the call. This year, your
: budget request fell short again.
¯ In your budget request for Fiscal Year
~ 2001, you asked for a $26millionincrease
~ in ADAP funding, while the projected
¯ need was higher, see Letters, p.3
Unfortunately, theneed has only increased since then.
Thanks to the enactment of an important minority OUtreach
program, spearheaded by the Congressional Black
Caucus, enrollment in the ADAP program by minority
patients has increased throughout the year. This has
given tremendous hope to so manyAmericans with HIV
that they will have access to life-savittg treatments cnrrenfly
out of reach. Overall, state and territorial AIDS
directors have reported that the projected national need
ftr ADAP will be closer to $130 million more than the
previous year. Your budget request will not cover this
additional need, and many of these new enrollees may
face lotteries, rationing or simply a closed door.
The Republican Congress has carried the ADAP program
every year, despite the failure of leadership from
your Administration. I respectfully ask again, Mr. President,
that you become an active participant inmeeting the
ADAP needs for so many Americans with HIV/AIDS,
and submit a request to Congress for an increase of $130
million for this life-saving program in your Statement of
Principles before budget negotiations end for the year.
I appreciate your urgent consideration of this issue.
- Sincerely, Rich Tafel, executive director
"It sounded like firecrackers at first," said a woman
who said she was sitting in a booth when the shooting
began. She asked not to be identified for fear she might
lose.her job. "I looked up and saw people falling to the
ground," she said. "You could feel the wind off the
bullets, they were so close."
Darlene Overstreet, Danny Overstreet’ s sister, said her
brother, who was Gay, visited the Back Street Cafe often.
He worked as a telephone operator and lived alone in a
house with his poodle. "He was a wonderful person. He
helped everybody," Darlene Overstreet said. "He just
stopped by to have a beer, that’ s all."
Members of the Washington-based National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force came to Roanoke for a candlelight
vigil after the shooting. Flowers, cards and balloons were
placed outside the bar by members of the community.
Mayor Ralph Smith saidat anews conference after the
event. ’Tm shocked and saddened by this terrible, terrible
crime .... Any time one member of our community
is hurt, we all suffer by that same hand."
¯ Censorship Through Inti midation
¯ by Tom Neal, editor &publisher
The recent visits by Tulsa police to local booksellers
raise very serious concerns about censorship, grand or
petit, direct or indirect, by our local government.
The method used is frankly ingenious in skirting First
Amendment protections as it depends on intimidation to
accomplish that which it is not legal to do otherwise.
What I mean is that even though most, if not all of the
materials which Tulsa police collected in the stores are
clearly protected under the U.S. Constitution’s First
¯¯ Amendment, by merely showing up in the stores identifying
themselves as law officers and requesting limiting
." access to these materials, Tulsa police succeeded in
¯ obtaining the collaboration ofthebooksellers. Andifthey
¯ self-censor, then thepolicenever have to prove their case, ¯
they never have to be held responsible for their probable
¯
misapplication of an Oklahoma statute.
_" Note that the police claimed they were not seeking to
.. make any arrests during these visits, see Censor, p.9
! b~AAlIl Gthororeugh the years of our nailon’ s history, the American dreamhas unfolded with a deeper meaning. Today, it is
: a mystery that Thomas Jefferson could have written the powerful and inspiring words of our Declaration of
: Independence ~. and not free his slaves. Today, it is a mystery that our founders in Philadelphia could have written the
United States Constitution ? yet not allowed women to vote. Yet America has taken the inner meaning and power of
our founding documents, and given them new life in each generation.
then nmning over him with a car to disguise his injuries
as a hit-and-rtm.
In his order changing the venue, Merrifield cited a vigil
for Warren that drew more than 500 people to the courthouse
steps days after the murder. The rally also attracted
national Gay- and civil-rights activists and an anti-Gay
group from Kansas.
News organizations .have since saturated the region
with coverage innewspapers, andonradio and television,
Merrifield said. The Dominion Post of Morgantown and
the Times-West Virginian of Fairmont have each file&
more than 25 stories, he said. "Nearly. all of these newspaper
articles have been located on the front page and, in
fact, mostofthese articles have been thelead story for that
particular day," Merrifiel~d wrot~ T.I~.~voe~ag¢ ,has con~
rained detailed infOiinafion~ about tbe.inv~ti~afion°and
clearly illustrates that many Marion County residents
"havebecome emotionally involvedin this case and have
prejudged:the defendant’s guilt," he said.
Parkerhas already confessed to beating.Warr,en~but the
judge has ~yet to d~eide:~w.hether jurors will hear that
confession.~ In his Statement-to Sheriff" s Detective C.L.
"Chip" Phillips; Parker admitted beating Warren after
discovering he had-toldrothe~ peo.p!.¢, about a sexual
relationship he claimed to have with.~Parker. Wilson told
Phillips that he went along with the beating because he
was afraid of Parker, who had threatened to beat him, too.
But defense teams argue that both boys’ confessions
were improperly obtained. They say neither was informed
of his right to an immediate juvenile detention
hearing. They also contend Phillips delayed moving the
boys from GrantTownto the courthouse sohe could dicit
the confessions. Phillips denies any wrongdoing.
NEW SUPREHES? Nationat Coming Out D~, Oct. 11 - E|ecUon Da!/, Nov. 7
COME OUTVOTING .* www.hrc.org
El HUMAN
RIGHTS
: I believe very deeply that the time has come in America to widen the circle of fairness and dignity to include our
¯ ~friends, neighbors, ct-workers, and relatives in the gay and lesbian community. I am running for President to fight for
." all the people. That is why the ideals of fairness, equal opportunity, and non-discrimination are at the very heart of my
¯ campaign for President. - ¯
In the past seven years, we have taken.great strides. We have appointed the first openly gay and lesbian people to
¯ high-ranking posts in our nation’ s history. We have made our government the largest employer in the world with a
: strong non-discriminati0n policy covetingsexual orientation. Wehave boosted funding for AIDS research, prevention,
¯ and treatment. We have created a new White House- Office of. National AIDS Policy. We fought insurance ¯
.discrimination against people with pr~--~xi~fing conditions Wehelp~lmore people with HIV-AIDS get access to health
¯ ! am.personallY very ~)roud tO have beenthe first Vice President ever to speak at a public event with a gay rights
organization. I believe it is partly because of that record and commitment that I have been endorsed by gay andlesbian
¯ leaders and civil rights organizations across this cduntry. But ]~don’ t want to rest on that record ? I want to build on it.
¯ When people filled with hate target Gaysadd Lesbi~ang, Jews;Blacks, Latinos, and Asian-Americans, it is clear that
hate Crimes are notjust like other erimes: As President, with your help, I will.lead the fight for a tough law to stiffen
the penalties for crimes~of hate
We need to do morb th battle HIV and AIDS 9 here at home and around the world..At the beginning of this.year, I
had the opportunity tO address the United-Nations Security Council about the threat that AIDS poses to the stability and
security of AfriCa and the world: As President, withy0ur help; I will lead a worldwide effort to fight HIV and AIDS.
I believe wemust takebold stepsto~give all.ourpe0p!ethe best health care in the.world. Weneed to dedicate ourselves
to provide access ,to.qua!ity heal~ coverage.to every.child and extend coverage to millions of adults by~ ~e:et~d 9f ~e
ne~t t~residenfial term. :we needtO-~,tnfinue resear~into-HIV andAIDS and ~r~;clde ad~quat~ fhh~ng fdr i~."’~ riced
to give real prescription drug benefit to senioi:sand people with disabilitie.s who are on Medicare.
Weneed a strong, enforceable Patients’ Bill of Rights because it’ s time that we take the medical decisions away from
~ the HM.O accountants and insurance company bureaucrats, and give them back to the doctors, nurses, and health care
~ professionals. Americans:deserv.e the best health care, not just the cheapest.. " .... ~ ~’. ’ ’ ~ ......
¯ We must also take strong new action to ban discrimifiation andmake sure every Americhn can re~iz~hi~.:6~ her
~. potential. As President, I will re-issue the executive order banning discrimination in the federal w0J:kfo~ce. An’d i Will
¯ fight to pass the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, which will prohibit job discrimination on the basis of sexual
¯ orientation.
In this campaign, there are real differences on these basic issues of fairness. My Republican opponen.t strongly
¯
opposes hate crimes legislation. He opposes a simple law to outlaw discrimination inhiring, firing, and promotionbased
¯ on sexual orientation, In fact, right now, in Texas and in 38 other states, you can be legally fired just because of your
: sexual orientation. If I am entrusted with the Presidency, we will fight to correct that injustice.
¯ The stakes are enormous in this election. We know what will happen if the Republicans take back the White House.
¯ And America cannot afford to go back to the neglect and divisiveness of the Bush-Quayle years.
¯ Instead, we must move forward to create the America of ~.highest ideals. That is why I need your help and your
hard work. Join withmein this campaigii~and togetherwewill win notjust vttes, but powerful new victori~s.~oi dignity
Lesbian Wins Visitations
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The Rhode Island state
Supreme Court last month recognized new rights for
Gay and Lesbian couples raising children. In a 3-2
decision, the courtruled that ConcettaDiCenzo could
not prevent her former partner Maureen Rubano from
asking the Family Court for the right to visit the son
they raised together. The decision gives de facto-"in
fact" - parents the same rights to petition for visitation
as biological and adoptive parents.
"The fact that DiCenzo not 0nly gave birth to this
child but also nurtured him from infancy does not
mean that she can arbitrarily terminate Rubano’ s de
facto parental relationship with the boy, a relationship
that DiCenzo agreed to and fostered for many
years," Justice Robert Flanders wrote in the majority
opinion. The ruling was based on state law allowing
any interested party to "bring an action to determine
the existence or nonexistence of a mother and child
relationship." The justices also noted the Family
Court has jurisdiction over cases involving the paternity
of children born out of wedlock.
Attorney Cherrie Perkins,whorepresented Rubano,
a 53-year-old professor of clinical psychiatry at the
medical school at the Unive,~sity of Massachusetts,
said her client cried when she heard of the ruling.
"She’ s now not on thin ice any more. She’ s on pretty
solid ground," Perkins said.
DiCenzo’ s attorney, Rosina Hunt, said the ease has
drained her client emotionally and financially. "The
big thing for her is she wants to keep her son in a Stable
home and she doesn’ t want to go through this," Hunt
said.
Similar cases began surfacing in courts around the
country in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and claims
by "co-parents" generally were rejected, said attorney
Mary Bonauto of Gay &’Lesbians Advocates &
Defenders of Boston, which filed a brief in support of
Rubano. Recently, however, courts in a handful of
states, including Massachusetts andNew Jersey, have
decided to recognize the legal status of non-biologi~
cal parents.
"This decision puts Rhode Island in line with the
majority of recent decisions on the topic, although
this is an issue that is still hotly contested among the
states," said Bonauto, who lead the fight to legalize
same-sex civil umons in Vermont.
Rubano and DiCenzo decided tO have a child
together while they were living in Millville, Mass.
DiCenzo underwent artificial insemination from an
anonymous sperm donor and on Dec. 15, 1991,
DiCenzo gave birth to aboy. Thecouple sent outbirth
announcements identifying them both as the child’ s
parents, and had the last name of Rubano-DiCenzo
listed onboth the birthand baptismal certificates. The
couple raised the child together for several years and
the boy called Rubano her "heart room."
In 1996, the pair split up and DiCenzo, now 43,
moved to Cumberland. The next year, the two signed
a Family Court consent order that granted Rubano
permanent visitation rights on a periodic basis. In
exchange Rubano waived "any claim or cause of
action she has or may have to recognition as a parent
of the minor child." But then DiCenzo, believing
Rubano’ s visits were "disruptive and confusing" to
theboy, told Rubano thatno further visitations would
be permitted.
Rubano appealed to Family Court, asking a judge
to enforce the earlier order. DiCenzo argued the
Family Court lackedjurisdiction to eater the order in
the first place. The Family Court, unsure how to
proceed, requested that the Supreme Court rule on the
case. Perkins believes the decision clears the way for
the Family Court to allow visitation.
Hunt expressed coneeru that the finding may pave
the way for third party parent claims from grandpareats,
ex-boyfriends and others. The General Assembly
may want to consider changing the law, she said.
But Perkins said she sees the ruling as a boon to
both Gays and heterosexuals. "You could be
somebody’ s second wife or husband and essentially
raise their children and if you got divorced, you could
haveno rights," Perkins said. "We think that the court
was actually looking for a way to redress alot ofholes
in the law because’ families are changing over time
and this was maybe the ease to do it."
Idaho PFLAG Chapter
Make Case for Inclusion
SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) --The area’ s Parents and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays chapter will make its
proposal tojoin the town’ s list of credible commtmity
organizations. The organization hosted the ACLUsponsored
slide show and talk, "The Gay Life in
Idaho: Idaho’ s Little T01d History," created by Alan
Virta, head of the Boise State University library’s
special collections. "It’ s amazing what you find here
and there in the official records," he s aid. "S ometimes
trial transcripts give a lot of information."
Virta’s 45-minute show includes Idaho’s reaction
to the 1895 Oscar Wilde trial in London - the playwright
was charged with homosexuality -and the
1955 boys ofBoise scandal, a homosexual witchhum.
Parents Jim and Barbara Hansen started the
Sandpoint Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
They say that, so far, they have not been the targets of
harassment in an area of Idaho typically known for its
conservatism. "I find this a very open-minded community,"
Jim Hansen said. "There’s more suppoyt,
strokes, affirmations here than I ever thought possible.
That keeps me going.’"
Michigan College Offers
Partner Benefits
MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) - Northern Michigan
University faculty members have ratified a three-year
contract that gives them 3.5% annual pay increases
and same-sex domestic partner health benefits. The
contract for the Northern Michigan chapter of the
American Association of University Professors was
ratified by a 159-33 vote, The Mining Journal reported.
The union has about 290 members.
The university’ s board of control is to consider the
agreement Oc~ 6. Other changes include retirement
contributions of 15.64% of annual salary, and extension
of health insurance benefits to same-sex domesuc
partners.
Gay Games 2002:
Anyone Can Compete
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -For those who’ ve dreamed
of competing in the Olympics but failed to meet the
athletic requirements, there’ s still hope: they can sign
up for the Sydney 2002 Gay Games. The event is open
to everyone. "There is no minimum standard required
to participate," Game Gibson, chief executive officer
of the Sydney Gay Games, noted. "No one is excluded,
regardless of gender, sextmlity, race or physical
ability."
Organizers expect the two-week event, which includes
a weeklong cultural.festival and opens Oct. 25,
2002, to attract over 14,000 participants from at least
78 countries. There are more than 10,000 athletes
¯ competing in the Olympics.
Gibson also said the Gay Games, whiCh will attract
mostly Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual competitors,
have found their biggest sponsor. San Francisco-
based Gay.com, an online supplier of services
to the homosexual community, has entered into a $1.5
million agreement to be the event’ s official. Internet
media sponsor,.he said.
The competition, which will run from Nov..3 to
Nov. 9, 2002, has 31 sports; some with a distinctive
Australian flavor, chairwoman Colette Steer said,
including netball and touch rugby. Butother sports on
the agenda include Olympic events such as badminton,
baseball, athletics, field hockey, tennis, swimming
and volleyball.
The sports will be held in two main zones - Olympic
Park and around Sydney Harbor. As well as the
official sports, the sixth edition of the Gay Games will
feature exhibition events such as surfing and surf
lifesaving, dragon boat racing and what organizers
are calling "mind games" - ehes s, bridge, backgammon
and mahjong.
Steer played softball in the 1998 Gay Games in
Amsterdam. She recalled with emotion waving he,r
"little pink flag, as one does" ~t the Gay Games
opening ceremony. The Gay Games are "an opportunity
to celebratewhatweare.., and to enjoy ourselves
a
United in
God’s Love
MCC.United
Sunday Worship Reverend Cathy Elliot
11:00 am Pastor
1623 N. Maplewood 918/838-1715
Community
Unitarian Universalist
Congregation
at Community ofHope
2545 South Yale, Sundays at llam, 749-0595
A Welcoming Congregation
HOUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Sun. Worship, 10:45 am, SundaySchool, 9:30 am
Wed. Bible Study, 7 pm, Sunday Eve. Servic~ 6pm
1517 S. Memorial, 628-0802, Info: 224-4754
Sandra Hill M.s.
Licensed Professional & National Certified
Counselor, Certified Hypnotherapist
Psychotherapy & Clinical Consultation
After Hours Appointments Available
2865 E. Skelly Drive, Suite 215,745-1111
The Open Arms Project
Young Adult Support Group
Outreach Program Thurs. Nights
Meet Others in a Safe Enviroment
Call for meeting times and place:
918-584-2325
Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW
Ghild, Family, Individual & Gouple Psychotherapy
(918) 743-9559
2121 South Columbia, Suite 420
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114-3518
The Pride Store
1307 E. 38th, 2nd floor
.Tulsa Gay Community Services Center
743-GAYS (743-4297)
6-9 prn, Sunday - Friday
12-9pm, Saturday, all sales benefit the Center
Kelly Kirby, CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
a professional corporation
747-5466
4021 South Harvard Avenue, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
TOM NEAL
BUILDING & GARDEN
DESIGN
583- 1248
Red Rock Tulsa
Free Confidential HIV Testing
Walk-in Clinics
Tues. & Thurs., 5 -8 pm
at the Center, 1307 East 38th
Daytime appointments available.
Call for more information:
918-584-2325
KIN WILKS Independent Consultant for
357-1757
in~a matter of hours
o~P~-N~RMS,OPENMINDS,OPENHF_At~
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4045 N. ~incinnati. 425-7882
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4200 S. Atlanta Plabe. 742-7381
Saint Dunstar~
5635 East 71st, 492-7140
Trinity
501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128
The Episcopal Church Welcomes You
in that fiee and open--and tolerant environment,"
Gibson said.
Over 15,000 people competed in the Amsterdam
Gay Games. The first Gay Games were held in 1982
in San Francisco. Organizers said the influx of nearly
35,000 visitors to Sydney for the games and festival
will injectabout $55millioninto the region’ s economy.
On the Net: www.Gaygamesvi.org.au
Gov. Ventura to Offer
Partner Benefits
ST. PAUL (AP) - If his administration moves forward
with a plan to provide benefits for domestic
partners of state employees, Gov. Jesse Venturawould
demand proof of a committed relationship, he said in
September.
"There will be documentation signed; there will be
contractual things that will go on between these
people," Ventura said. "It’s not like a fly-by-night
relationship, where, ’Gee I met someone in the bar
and now I’m going to make them a domestic partner
for a week and a half.’ "
Few other details emerged about the possible extension
of health and insurance benefits to domestic
partners, a still-in-the-works proposal Venture’ s ad..
ministration disclosed recently.
Employee Relations Commissioner Julien Carter
said if the proposal is confined to same-sex couples
only, he expects it to affect about 1% of the state’s
53,000-member workforce, or 530 employees. It’s
not clear if heterosexual domestic partners would be
covered. "There are a series of decisions to be made
and that definition of domestic partner is one of
them," said Ventura’ s spokesman, John Wodele.
If heterosexuals are included, Carter said his
department’s best estimate is that 3% of employees
would take advantage of that arrangement. "We just
don’ tknow for sure what the best planning number is,
but it seems to be in (he ballpark," he said.
Ventura stressed during his weekly radio show that
the state needs to do something to stay competitive
with the private sector: Both are fighting to attract
new employees in a tight labor market. "What are
they going to pick?" Ventura said of prospective
hires. "They" re going to pick the company that gives
them the best benefits, the best working conditions.
That’ s what this issue is greatly about."
Even before Venmra’s staff finalized the plan,
conservative lawmakers discounted its chances. "I
don’t think it’s going to fly," said state Rep. Tony
Kielkucki, R-Lester Prairie. "He’ s got more support
for unicameral than he has for this one." An effort
failed this year to get a constitutional amendment On
the ballot for a one,house Legislature.
Vermont, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington. and Massachusetts
offer benefits to domestic partners, according
to OutFront Minnesota, an advocacy group
for Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.
Fort Worth city council mulls ban on Gay bias
FORT WORTH-, Texas (AP) - For the third time in
eight years, a measure that would protect sexual
orientation under Fort Worth’s anti-discrimination
law is being discussed by.members of thecity council.
The current drive to add sexual orientation is
being led by Councilman Chuck Silcox; a conservative
Republican who ended discussions of a similar
proposal in January 1999.
Under the proposal,. Gays and .-Lesbians would be
added to the list of protected cl~S in Fort Worth’ s
anti-discrimination ordinance. The list already indudes
race, creed, color, religion, gender, disability,
national origin and family status. City officials said
violation of the anti-discrimination ordinance is a
.nfisdemeanor.
!n recent editio~as of the For/~’orth Star-Tdegram.
Sitcox said his posit~o,? on tee issue changed after
was approached by a Fort \Vor{h man who lost Ms job
after .his employer discovered he was Gay "I didn"
realize we had the kind of problems out there that we
do," Silcox said. "I doff t like the idea t~hat people are
losingjobs over this. Anytime there is discrimination,
we need to draw the line."
Nebraska Amendmentto
Outlaw Gay Marriages
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP) - The chief supporter and an
opponent of a state ban on same-sex marriages predicted
extremely different outcomes if the proposed
constitutional amendment is approved by voters in
November. The predictions varied from prohibiting
homosexual couples from adopting children to outlawing
all business partnerships between two people
of the same sex.
Initiative 416 would define marriage in Nebraska
as a relationship between only a man and wo~nan, and
prohibit any "civil union, domestic partnership or
other similar same-sex relationship."
At a sometimes-heated fonun before the state’s
daily newspaper editors, an opponent of the measure
argued that it is poorly written and threatens the
legality of all relationships between two people of the
same sex, such as business partnerships,joint ownerships
and contractual agreements. "Passage of the
amendment will lead to years of litigation that will be
costly to the state and its taxpayers," said Linda
Richenberg of Nebraska Advocate for Justice and
Equality.
The amendment would simply prohibit same-sex
marriages from being recognized by the state, said
Guyla Mills, chairwoman of the Defense of Marriage
Amendment Committee, which collected more than
the required 105,000 signatures to put the question on
the ballot. Mills said many constitutional lawyers
have reviewed the ballot language and say it is clear
on its intent. "This amendment is not about taking
rights away from anybody. It is about protecting the
time-honored tradition of marriage," Mills said.
Under the measure, homosexual couples - including
someone who works for state government or the
University of Nebraska system would be prevented
from sharing state insurance benefits. It also would
prevent Gay and Lesbians from adopting children.
She said it will not impact the insurance providers in
the state or the insurance policies of private businesses
and corporations.
Richenberg argued that if voters approve the ban.
Nebraska will earn a reputalaon as a hostile place to
work and live, prompting an exodus of ho~nosexuals
and their families who have been productive members
of the state’ s work force. "We don’ t want to see
anyone leave the state because of this," Mills said.
"Wejust don’ t think a minority ofpeople should have
the right to redefine marriage for everybody."
Mills pointed out several times that both of the
state’s senate candidates, Republican Don Stenberg
and Democrat Ben Nelson, plan to vote in support of
the same-sex marriage ban.
Richenberg said the amendment is unnecessary in
a conservative state like Nebraska, where there is not
a push to legalize same-sex unions. "A vote against
416 is not going to legalize same-sex marriages," she
said. "Same-sex marriages do not exist in Nebraska,
and there will be no change."
The forum was sponsored by the Nebraska Associated
Press Association.
Lesbian Denied Right to
. Legally Change Name
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - A Lesbian who wanted to
hyphenate her na03e to in.cldde ’that of hbr longume
partner i’s @pealing the decision of a judge who said
a name change would create the impression the two
women were married. The American Civil Liberties
Umon of New Jersey has appealed Superior Court
Judge Anthony J. Iuliani’s decision ~o deny Jill
Bacharach’s application ’ to change her name. At a
hearing m Augus|o !uliani deniext fi~e Cedar Grove
woman’ s petiti-’,~, sayi~g he feared it wo~d create the
appem’a~m~ that she and imr female ,~artner were
roamed, said ACLU staff{" attorney J.C. :~Nver. Sam.esex
uNons ~z,: not !egaily recogxfizcd in ~iew Jersa y
arid in every state except. Vermont.
"I have ~ever expecied this sort of discrimination
from a court of taw’y said Bacharach, 32.
Salver said the judge’ s concern about the appearance
of a same-sex union is an improper basis to deny
a name change. . . see Name, p. 7
Not EnoUgh Dollars : m~nt in emergency rooms, wbich is more
For Homeless Sick " expensive than standard care. Emergency
rooms also don’ t offer AIDS patients the
NEW YORK (AP) - They carry their
life’ s possessions on withering backs and
hide death within their broken bodies.
Some spent anentirelifetimeonthe streets, ¯
searching for a home under a molding
cardboardboxin atrash-strewn alleyway. ¯
Others are teens who ran from something ¯
but stumbled into a life far worse; they "
trade sex for a night in a bed. Still more "
believe their luck has run out after re- ¯
centlylosingjobs,apartments and friends,. "
But every day, a small handful of the ¯
thousands of homeless men and women
living with AIDS in New York City make ¯
a tremendous effort rarely taken by their
brethren. They seek help. They fight for ¯
life, no matter the inevitable future.
Scientists haven’ t cured HIV or AIDS,
but their powerful .drug concoctions that
keep people alive longer create a curious "
problem. Public and non-profit agencies
already struggle to pay for their existing
cases. Now they wonder: How can we "
possibly help the new people infected "
with the virus?
"Today, people think the ePidemic is ¯
over," said Gina Quattrochi, the president "
of the National AIDS Housing Coalition "
andtheexecutivedirectoratBaileyHouse, :
a private center in Greenwich Village ¯
helping homeless AIDS survivors. "The ¯
reality is people are living much ~nger, "
but the vast majority are disabled.
Currently, Congress is debating next ¯
year’ s budget. Advocates like.Quattrochi "
requested increasing the $232 million
budgetby $60 million- and were worried ¯
when President Clinton proposed upping "
it to just $260 million. Disappointment "
has turned to fear because Senate leaders ".
don’ twantto increase the appropriation at ¯
all.
"It’s thin. We have to get it up," said "
U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., a longtime
supporter of homeless _&IDS services
who pushed the House to propose "
increasing funds to $250 million. "This
country i" s ro"m"ng i"n mortey." ¯
Expending millions of dollars .for AID.S- "
exclusive assistance meets resistance m .
every case. ’qqaere has always been pres- ¯
surefrom thefarright to portray itfor drug
addicts and queers," Quattrochi said, adding
that others question the need to fund
specific AIDS housing when so much
housing is already available.
Quattrochi says only half of Bailey
House’s residents are Gay or Lesbian.
She noted that at least 450,000 Americans
with AIDS nee~l, housing, and that’s a
conservative estimate because some
haven’t learned they have the illness or
are mentally ill andmay neverknow. New
York, the city that served 1,200 homeless
people with AIDS in 1988, now assists
more than 27,000. That total is steadily
increasing as it has for the past few years,
said Ruth Reinecke, a spokeswoman for
the city’ s Division of AIDS Services.
A Brooklyn federal judge’s decision
earlier this week shows the city apparently
hash’ t adjusted wall to the surging
numbers. The judge, who slammed the
Division of AIDS Services for "chronically
and systematically" delaying or terminating
assistance, ordered the agency
placed under federal oversight for three
years. The city plans to appeal the decision.
Quattrochi says if members of Congress
wouldlook at operations like Bailey
House, they’ d understand why advocates
plead for more money. The alternative,
she says, is that health care costs will soar
when homeless AIDS patients seek treatcounseling
that could hdp decrease the
spread of HIV.
Bailey House, one of many nonprofit
groups that assist the city in serving the
homeless AIDS population, started when
the virus was first identified and it was
still consideredby many as homosexuals’
punishment from God. The 6 1/2-story
building, set m the primest of real estate
along the Hudson River, nurtured homeless
AIDS survivors.
In 1995, Bailey House added a vocational
studies program because clients
lived longer thanks to the drug cocktails
and weren’t interested in just wasting
away. Three years later, Bailey House
opened the program to anyone with AIDS
living in New York. "I wanted to do
something productive with my life," said
Sean Ransom, 31, who contracted the
virus in the late 1980s and sought help
four years ago. "I didn’ t want to... take
my reeds and wait to die."
Those medications - a triple combination
of drugs - have doubledthe average
time it takes for the HIV infection to
developinto AIDS, said ProfesssorAlvaro
Munoz of Johns Hopkins University’s
School of Public Health. They also increased
the average survival time ofAIDS
sufferers from 18 months to six years.
In the late 1980s, residents in Bailey
House stayed an average of three months,
and their stay almost always ended at a
funeral home. These days, they stay abont
three years, if not longer. !¢lany walk out
on their own, often to Bailey House-assisted
apartments.
Beyond treatment, stable housing is
crucial to every patients’ health, Quattrochi
says. Two-thirds of AIDS patients cite
housing as a top priority,just below medical
treatment. Living on a friend’ s couch
or moving between shelters, patients find
~t difficult and tiring to get continual care;
the effort weakens the body and strengthens
the disease - a deadly duo. Patients
also must live with failing organs, and
need refrigerators to keep their medicine
effective.
Stable housing becomes a primal urge,
Quattrochi says. "Let me put it this way,
what I always ask people is, ’Where do
you want to be when you have the flu?’"
she said. "You want- to be at home."
These problems becomeremote when a
homeless person wakes up after a night
under crumbled, urine-stained newspapers.
Medications? It’ s doubtful they have
any. It’ s often little better in city-run shel-
¯ ters.
Derryck, who declined to g~ve his last
¯" name, lived in emergency housing offi-
".. cially called Single Room Occupancy
: Units, but known by residents as bare-
." boned welfare hotels. He could touch all
¯ four walls from the middle of his cubicle.
"- Occupants shared a single bathroom, and
he shudders when remembering the filth.
¯ Prostitutes, drugs, loan sharking, he re-
: calls, this placewas amodernday Sodom
: and Gomorrah.’And Derryck, who is 50,
¯
concedes he was lucky to live the,re.
"There s even a lack of bad housing, he
¯ said glumly.
¯ But Derryck found his way to Bailey
: House. Now hecansitonhisbedinhis 85-
¯ square-foot home, with its view of the ¯
Hudson River, watch TV, grab a snack -
or his medications -from h~s mini-fridge,
_" or use his personal bathroom. "It works
¯ for me,"he said with a grin as smoothjazz
~ sauntered out of his stereo’s speakers.
: Behind him hung posters of singer
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~, series of Seminars given by
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Tuesday, September 5th and Tuesday, October 10th
Retirement Explore Your Options
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Tuesday, September 19th
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Tuesday, October 24th
Please R.S.V.P.
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TULSA
TECHNOLOGY Si IOWCASE
AN EVENT OFTHETULSA METRO CHAMBER 12.000
Interested in finding business solutions?
Looking for business connections?
Then plan to attend the
Tulsa Business & Technology
Showcase 2000
A comprehensive exposition dedicated to the needs of Tulsa’s
business community, featuring 250 exhibit booths, Business After
Hours, Power Networking~ ..Seminars ~conduc~ed by businessbuilding
professionals and renowned luncheon speakers, a silent
auction, door prizes, a car giveaway, and much, much more!
Thursday & Friday, October 19 & 20
Tulsa Convention Center
TULSA METRO CHAMBER
Info: 560-0298
Sponsored by Tulsa Auto Collection, Media sponsors include KJRH TV2
Clear Channel Communication and the Tulsa World
Power
Connect.
Public Service Company of Oklahoma
Customer Service Is Now Avai|able 24
Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week.
These days, traditional 8-5 business hours
aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it
easier than ever for you to contact us.
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questions - and better access to service.
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about your monthly electric bill.
Or.report a power outage. Or
arrange to have your
power turned on or
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trained, friendly and
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BobMarley and a pink flamingo. Beyond
that, the window looked out onto the water.
As he spoke, a sailboat sliced through
gusty winds as it cruised south heading
out into the open bay.
HIV Prevention Ad
Banned from TV
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A set of television
ads that depict bare-chested men
and a male-to-female transgender delivenng
an HIV prevention message have
been pulled from daytime TVat a Bay
Area station. Rather than run the 30-second
ad during afternoon talk shows, KGO
Channel 7 offered to run the ads - which
encourage HIV-positive men and women
to practice safe sex and be honest with
partners about their status - after 10 p.m.
so that fewer children would see them. A
Better World, the San Francisco advertising
agency that purchased the spot, chose
the original time frame because researchers
have discovered 3 and 4 p.m. shows
are popular with Gay men.
However, KGOleaders say that the ads
clash with afternoon viewer expectations.
"With a Rosie (O’ Dounell) episod,°, with
’NSYNC, or another pop culture guest on
it, it would be a little eyepopping for a
commercial like this to show up," said
David Metz, director of programming
services at KGO.
Les Pappas, president of the agency.,
called KGO’s decision homophobic.
"We’ ve done the research to find out what
our target audience is watching, and
they’ re watching Rosie and Oprah. We
don’t want to be relegated or banished
until after 10 p.m.," Pappas said.
ABetterWorldcreated the $345,000 ad
campaign for the city’ s health department
after a study last month that fond the rate
of HIV infection among Gay men in San
Francisco is climbing at an alarming rate.
New HIV infections in the city increased
form 498 in 1997 to 790 last year, according
to the Health Department study.
NYC Loses Case
Over AIDS Care
NEW YORK (AP) - A federal judge has
ruled the city mistreated poor people with
AIDS by subjecting them to bureaucratic
mismanagement and delays in housing,
health and other benefits. In his ruling,
U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson said
officials violated theAmericans with Disabilities
Act by "chronically and system.-
atically failing to.provide (AIDS patients)
with meaningful access to critical subsistence
benefits and services." Hecalled the
consequences "devastating."
The opinion stems from a class-action
lawsuit filed in federal court on behalf of
25,000 plaintiffs dtywide whohaveAIDS
or other HIV-related illnesses.
Johnson’s ruling detailed testimony -
heard earlier this year at a bench trial - by
plaintiffs who described getting the rtmaround
from the Division for AIDS Services
for months, if not years. The judge
appointed a federal magistrate to monitor
the agency over the next three years.
Michael Hess, the city’ s counsel, criticized
the ruling and promised an appeal.
"Very frankly, I think it’ s very flawed,"
Hess said, adding that thejudge’ s opinion
was "very poorly done and contains a lot
of errors that I hope will be corrected."
Hess said Johnson relied on informauon
that was more than five years old.
Statistics cited by Johnson showed that in
one out Of three cases, the city failed to
meetits own30-day deadline for responding
to requests for services. He ordered
the city to comply. The ruling was the
latest in which Housing Works has succeeded
in forcing Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani’ s administration to overhaul portions
of its policies.
In 1999, U.S. District Judge Allen
Schwartz found that city officials had
acted with "retaliatory intent" against the
nonprofit group, which has been a relentless
critic of Giuliani’ s policies on AIDS.
Vatican Officials:
Still Noto Condoms
VATICAN CITY (AP) - A Vatican official
said recently that two American Jesuits
have distorted church positions b,,y suggesting
that the Vatiean has become more
tolerant" about the distribution of condoms
to fight AIDS. Monsignor Jacques
Suaudeau said the Vatican stance hasn’ t
changed, although the church must not be
seen as indifferent to AIDS sufferers and
the battle to stop the disease’ s spread.
Some in the church have been seeking a
softening in the position of the Vatican,
which has been accused by some governments
of hindering the AIDS battle.
Writing in the Sept. 23 issue of
"America," a Jesuit magazine, the authors
pointed to an April article written by
Suaudeauin the Vaticannewspaper. They
said it contained important signals: That
while some individual bishops have repudiated
local HIV prevention programs
that include the distribution of condoms,
"the Roman curia is more tolerant on the
matter."
The article was written by the Revs.
John Fuller, an associate professor of
medicine at Boston University School of
Medicine, and James Keenan, professor
ofmoral theology atWestonJesuit School
of Theology in Cambridge, Mass.
Suaudeau called the article a"pretext to
relaunch the argument." "This is a manipulation.
It is blown up and exaggerated,"
he told The Associated Press. In his
article, Suaudeau endorsed sexual abstinence
and chastity as the methods to prevent
AIDS, citing church programs to
promote that.
Suaudeau’ s article went on to say that
the use of condoms in Thailand "had
particularly good results for these people
with regard to the prevention of sexually
transmitted diseases. It said the use of
condoms in those circumstances "is actually
a ’lesser evil’" but then added that "it
cannot be proposed as a model ofhumanization
and development."
Suaudeau said he wrote the article to
show the Vatican was not indifferent to
the AIDS problem.
Easier Access to
Needles in NM
SANTA FE (AP) - State health officials
want to change New Mexico’ s Controlled
Substances Act to state that pharmacists
who prbvide syringes to intravenous-di’ug
users are not guilty of distributing drug
paraphernalia. State officials say the
change would help combat the spread of
infectious diseases like HIV and Hepatitis
B and C. The Pharmacy Board decided to
back the change, which would need to be
passed by the Legislature and signed by
Gov. Gary Johnson. In 1997, Johnson
signed into law the Harm Reduction Act
that made New Mexico the second state in
the nation to create a state-funded needleexchange
progran~ for drug users.
by Jim Christjohn, entertainment editor ." homoerotically tinged moments, and it
Happy Samhain! (pronounced "sow- ¯ features Amanda Bearse playing Straight.
eft’- it’ s Gaelic) We turn in the wheel of " (She was the next door neighbor on"Martheyearto
theseasonofthethinning ofthe ¯ lied With Children", who came out a few
veils, when people all over the word felt ¯ years back.) Roddy McDowell is fabuthe
shifts that marked th~ time of honor- " lous as an inept bachelor vampire hunter
ing th.eir ancestors. " - One wonders why he never married -
Samhain in pagan Celtic Britain, was a .* "nudge, nudge, wink, wink." The charactime
forhonoring the spirits of those that " ter, I mean. And Stephen Geoffreys turns
have passed on, as in a touching perwell
as the day of - .I love vampire Elms, and f0rmance as the
the dead in Spain " " lonelyoutcastwho
andMexico.Itwas ~]alS is tlae ]~est tlme of year. gets seduced by
an important boll- Chris Sarandon’ s
day all over the Of course, ~t’s even l~etter ff ever-so-handpre-
Christian some vampire.
world, enough so ~t~s a darl~, w~indy, stormy Ue’s another one
that when the that could show up
Church took over, ni~lat w~tla t:launder craslaln~ outside my winthey
renameditAll dow any time. It’ s
Hallow’s Eve and and l~htnln~ flash~n~ and.., a fun film, and
All Saints Day. It - worth the cost.
shrunk from a oh~ sorry~ ~ett~n~ a bit caught Available on
three day festival, DVD.
to a one day cel- up ~n the deser~ptlon.
For those that
ebration. In
Storms do that to me.
like Tom Cruise
Amelica, it was " " with fangs (he retrivialized
into
w]aere was I? fusedtodothekiss
Halloween. So, with Antonio
just for old times’
O1~ yes, vampires and film. Banderas - was
sake, take a mo- " " this due to his inment
that day to "’" security with his
remember those loved ones who have own sexuality since it was inthe script?),
passed on. "Interview With The Vampire" has been
I love vampire films, and thisis thebest rereleased on DVD with new documentime
of year. Of course, it’ s even bet{er if tary footage and a few other extras thrown
it’sadark, windy, stormy night with thtm- " iu. Brad Pitt plays Lestat, and the now
der crashing and lightning flashing and. quite grown up Kirsten Dunst turned in a
¯ oh, sorry, getting a bit caught up in the stellar performance as an adult trapped in
description. Storms do that to me.. a child’ s body. Good for the moody vetowhere
was I? Oh, yes, vampires and film. pire types.
One of the best verslons of the Dracnla For fans of the original Hammer
legend, although the critics ripped it to Dracnlas, there are two on DVD: Dracnla,
shreds, is the 1979 Frank Langella fea- Prince of Darkness, the first sequel with
ture. Langella’ s Drac would be welcome ChristopherLee, after"HorrorofDracula"
to show up outside my window anytime (unavailable on DVD - dammit!); and
and suck anything he wanted. The film, Satanic Rites of Dracula, which was the
directed by John Badham, also stars Kate last Hammer Dracula with Chris I~e. It
Nelligan and Laurence Olivier in his last was a rather inept handling of putting
film performance. While there are times Drac in what was them "modem" times
thepacingtrudgesabitslowly, overallthe (1973). Only for those diehr~;d
film is one of the lnshest productions of "I)racufans". who can’t stand to have
the legend I’ve seen, even though it is completecollections.Still,it’safunromp,
based more on the play than the actual and the costumes are well worthlaughing
book. That didn’ t really bother me, picky at. Did people really wear that then? LOL
purist that I am, and the Dracula in this The only one with any style was Drac, in
filmhas quiteadry sense of humor that is timeless black and long cloak. Dracula,
easy to miss if you ares’ t prone to catch- ~" PrinceofDarkness, atleastkepthiminthe
ing it. It is widely available on DVD, and " 1800’ s, although Lee is left with little to
although the print they used to transfer . do but hiss and look menacing. Still, it’ s a
from is prone to noise (specks where the ¯ much better picture, and a fun romp.
film has started to come off the magnetic " Wemer Herzog’ s remake of Nosferatu
strip it’ s on), it is still a great atmospheric " is available, but unless you want to be
thrill for the buck. bored to tears with Drac’ s eternal anguish
Stay away from Coppola’s version, . over killingthings, pass. It really is
thoug]~ ~t~ s b!9ody awful and really sucks " "DraculaNeeds Prozac"., and Klaus Kinski
- i’n a b~id’Wa~ (Pun intendedl) is So wtfiny in the part, that youjust wanna
Nosferatu, the first Dracula film ever slap him after 5 minut,e~s. And talk about
made, and regarded as a masterpiece of ° pace.., those 2 hours-seem like 2 days.
th~Germanexpressionisticcinema,isalso Again, only for the hardcore collector,
a~lable,.meticuloi~sly restored, and with although afterhearing so much about it, it
a.~gry interesting commentary on DVD. was nice to finally see it. Or not. Always
-?irected by F.W: Murnau, ,an openly spoken of as a "classic," it m~es me
ga~ director, the homoerotic ~ndertones wonder wlm decides what w~il be deemed
~ake fi~ walt worth having, or at least, aclassic andjt~st how hard they need robe
renting. Re-scored wifia the original or- hit upside the head with the inteliigencc
chestra~:ion, it is a fascinating ,ook at d_m stick.
Nstory. Produ~din !92~.,itacmNiyholds If 3 ou re m the moodfor something in
tap wel! today, a more literary vein, I czm heartily recom-.
For those seekiv.g .lus~ a fun romp mend "Desrnond", by Ulysses Deitz. A
through vampire fi.hn!,’md with fang-in- weL writtensagaofamodemvampinthe
cheek, there s l~ngm Night", about a Anne Rice tradition, this one does not shy
vampireandhisghoul, who happens to be away from the fact that, yes indeed, the
male. They have a couple of lovely vamps are Gay. see Jim, p. 9
Tuesday, November 7
Election Day
HRC WATCH PARTY
Because win or lose, it’s good to be among friends
9 PM
3340 South Peoria, Tulsa, OK
Must be 21 - Cash Bar
HRC envisions an America where lesbian and
gay people are ensured of their basic equal rights.
You can help us do our work by joining us for
either or both of these events (or by joining
HRC - it’s just $35, call 584~2913 or email
hrctulsaoklahoma@aol.com).
HUMAN
RIGHTS
CAMPAIGN~
TULSA
Sunday, October 29th 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Helga’s Horribles
Present scenes from
"The Little Shop of Horrors"
!7th & Main, Tulsa, OK
Limited Seating
Call 584-~913 for reservations
Must be 21 - Cash Bar
A survey of books which Tulsa police
required to be shrinkwrapped in Borders’
October 14
8:00 pm
Friday
O~tober 20
21st St. location turned up at least 20
wrapped tifles over half of which were
Gay and Lesbian interest books, the other
half being mostly how-to sex guides for
heterosexuals. Among the Gay rifles were
serious art monographs on the mid-century
photographer, George Platt Lynes,
controversial photographer Robert
Mapplethorpe, and photographer David
LaChappelle. Also chosen were history
books like "Who’s a Pretty Boy Then?
150 Years of Gay Life in Pictures" and
"Nothing But the Girl, The Blatant Lesbian
Image" and "Gay Planet, All Things
for All Gay Men." Only one title of all
those wrapped, an art book by Tom of
Finland, appeared possibly to meet the
standard for shrinkwrapping.
The police move has raised alarm in
local ACLU (American Civil Liberties
Union) activists andGay community leaders.
William Hinkle, attorney, PFLAG
and ACLU activist responded to the police
actions, saying "[they] can’t d,~ that.
¯. absolutely [not]." Hinkle further characterized
the law as "blunt instrument,"
that if indeed the books were in violation
of an Oklahoma statute, then an arrest
should have been made. Kerry Lewis,
v?’g president of TOHR (Tulsa Oklaho~
mans for Human Rights) and an attorney
with a prominent Tulsa finn, called the
police actions "really kind of scary" and
indicated that TOHR was very interested
in the impact of this action. Lewis noted
thafthere appeared to be some other actions
on the part of Tulsa police, a recent
i.d.-check in a Tulsa club, that raised
concern about a resurgence of anti-Gay
harassment by Tulsa police.
Other issues:
Police Chief Ron Palmer stated that he
did not issue the order for this action. Nor
did Mayor Susan Savage know of the
incident. City standards do restrict city
councilors (legislative branch) from directing
city employees to-perform actions.
City councilor Gary Watts said that
the mayor and chief of police have given
permission for city councilors to talk directly
to majors and deputy chiefs but that
had he had a similar complaint he would
have told the constituent to call the police
directly. Watts said if a city councilor
gave an order to the police, it was wrong,
and if the officer took the order, it was
doubly wrong.
Corporate spokespeople for both Borderand
Barnes &Noble responded. Sandy
Spears, district manager for Barnes &
Noble said they follow state and local
ordinances but we don’t censor..." Borders
representatives in a conference call
claimed that they have a"dear dedication
to the First Amendment but they are also
conscious of the community they’re in."
Borders representatives claimed they have
always shrinkwrapped some books and
that some come that way from the printers.
(All of the Gay rifles TFN examined
had locally applied bar code tags under
the shrinkwrap indicating that these had
not originally been wrapped.
Borders representatives also claim that
any customer can remove shrinkwrap in
order to view a book but also acknowledged
that they post no signs to let customers
know about that option. They also
acknowledged that to some customers the
presence ofthe shrinkwrap was intimidating
- that it appeared to send a message
that the materials were illicit.
seeming concern about Gay patrons.
Tulsa County District Attorney Tim
Harris stated that he had not been consuited
before this action commenting that
he’ s often seen as acting in coordination
with this,sort of action but had not done
so. Borders spokespeople indicated that
they will send their regional management
to visit Tulsa stores sometime in the next
few weeks to review the situation.
See editorial: Censorship Throug,;~ Intimidation,
p. 3
No dancing around the subject here. And
it’ s a compelling story as well, with style
and wit. One of my favorites.
John Peyton Cooke’ s "Out for Blood"
is another excellent book with wall-written
characters and a fun romp through
vampland. It’ s worth hunting for in used
bookstores or garage sales, since it’ s unfortanately
out of print.
There are two anthologies out that are
worth the reading - the stories are hit and
miss, but there’ s more hits than misses, so
it’s worth the time - "Brothers of the
Night", and "Sons of Darkness", edited
by Michael Rowe and Thomas Roche.
The covers are awful, but it just goes to
prove the saying,"You can’ tjudge a book,
etc." I’d say about 95% of the stories are
excellent, which makes the 5% bearable.
And there’s something for everyone. I
usually don’ t care much for anthologies,
but these are worth picking up. Stay away
from"Vampires Anonymous". That’ s the
worst piece of dreck I’ ve read in many a
year of reading vampire fiction. That’ s it
for the "Things that go boink in the night
section." I mean, bump, yeah, bump!
Still, ifyouknow of anyone with a cape
And there’ s something for everyone. !
usually don’ t care much for anthologies,
but these are worth picking up. Stay away
from"Vampires Anonymous". That’ s the
worst piece of dreck I’ ve read in many a
year of reading vampire fiction. That’ s it
for the "Things that go boink in the night
section." I mean, bump, yeah, bump!
Still, ifyou know of anyone with a cape
feti sh, hates daylight, and has been around
200 years but only looks 30-something, is
allergic to garlic, and has a really good
immune system, send him to me... being
bitten can be fun, and the neck is one of
my favorite e-zones...
But by merely talking about the possibility
of arrests, they clearly raise that as
threat if the bookstore staff doesn’t do
what the police suggest/demand.
Also, troubling is the role of TulSa City
Councilor Todd Huston. While Chief
Palmer claims that Huston did not violate
city standards by contacting city staff
because he did not "order" them to take a
particular action (councilors are not permitted
to direct city staff but are required
to go through the executive branch, i.e.
the mayor or chief or deputy chiefs). But
any casual observer will see thatcomment
by an elected official to mid-level officers
is more likely to be heeded than the complaint
of an ordinary citizen.
And given the scandal related to former
city councilor Anna Falling about orders
given to city employees, Huston should
have gone through the chain of command
of the mayor or at least the chief ofpolice.
Surely then more consideration would
have been given to the dubious constitutionality
of this action, see Censor, p. 10
by Lamont Lindstrom
Last week my friend Henry heard a
thud. Henry was hanging out at his new
boyfriend’s apartment in San Francisco
when something big
crashed upstairs. "It’ s that
annoying yobbo in the
third floor apartment at it
again," or so they thought.
Henry’s boyfriend explained
that no one in the
building.liked the guy. He
was catty and manipulative-
the Richard Hatch of
the apartmentbuilding. No
boyfriends ever knocked
on his door.
Three days later an ambulance
arrived. Theparamedics
carried down a
body from the third floor.
Unlike TV’ s Survivor, the
neighbor was the first to
go, not the last. He had
been lying deadjust above
Henry’ s head for several
days. Luckily, San Francisco
weather can be cool,
even in September.
The ambulance drove
off but Henry still felt creepy. The guy
upstairs was no more butstill a presen,.~
remained. A few days later, Henry was
bending over working in the garden at the
back of the building. Suddenly he shivered.
It felt like someone was watching
him. He looked up quickly at the blank
window of the third floor apartment. Was
somebody still there?Was that aface? His
boyfriend’ s mother, too, got goosebumps
in the garage when she walked by the dead
guy’ s car. The bitter queen, it seems, was
now a ghostly voyeur.
Henry isn’ t thrilled to spend the night at
ahaunted apartment house, even one with
Gay ghosts. Death has been no stranger to
the Gay community, especially since the
early 1980s, andmany ofus are hauntedin
one way or another. Still, lurking spirits
who cling to home can be annoying (even
if good apartments are hard to .find in San
Francisco). Luckily, Henry’ s boyfriend
had already made plans to move. The
ghost can keep the place.
My friends on Tauna - a South Pacific
island I once haunted mysdf- were similarly
nervous about ghosts. Folks there
are prone to stumble across spirits at any
moment. Even though people mostly run
into the ghosts of dead loved ones (morn,
dad, grandpa), they aren’ t toohappy about
these encounters. If the dead are making
themselves known, there must be a reason.
Ghosts can help you. But they can
also hurt you too, especially if they are
I didn’ t meet a~y~Gay:gh~osts imTamaa
but there is a rather tricky Bisexual spirit
living on the island: the dreaded and seductive
Nakwa. People have sex with
ghosts. What we think are "wet dreams,"
Islanders ~+piaiii akOff~~akwa ~ptrit
sneaking ~tb bai With :thdm~. A mail: (a
straight on~ atl~ast)!~s that he is
having sex With ti ~tiful:w0man ~ but
it’ s actually the ~iiOst Onlypretending to
be a woman. Perfidious Nakwa steals the
dreamer’ s semen and then changes its sex
from female to male. It next creeps into
the bed ofa sleeping woman, appearing as
ahandsomeguy. Ithas sex with the sleeper
and impregnates her with sperm stolen
from its previous victim. Such ghostly
pregnancies can be deadly. The woman
"...Anthropologist
Sherry Ortner,
drawln~ on the
Freneh feminist
Simone Beauvoir,
~,~nee proposed that
’Man is to Culture as
Woman is to
Nature.’ Ortner was
seekln~ a reason for
why, almost everywhere,
people value
what men do more
than they value what
women do..."
¯ may die unless her false pregnancy is
~ diagnosed and treated by local healers.
," Ghosts you meet while awake can also
¯ make trouble._ One day a young woman
named Risi just vanished.
Her family panicked. Nobody
disappears in this intimate
society where everyone
always knows everyone
else’ s business. We
rushed to the graveyard
and blew triton shell trumpets
loudly to put-the spirit
world on nouce:
buuuuuuu! Village theory
was that the girl’s grandmother,
who had died the
previous year, had come
back to fetch Risi to keep
her company in "the other
side" - the world of the
spirits.
Four days later a somewhatbedraggled
Risi wandered
back into the village.
It wasn’t grandmother,
so it turned out,
but rather a handsome
ghost she didn’ trecognize.
¯ He grabbed her by the arm
and pulled her off deep into the forest -
¯ highup on the mountainside where people
¯ ordinarily are afraid to walk. Risi admit-
" ted that she had "cooked" for the spirit.
¯ Her folks immediately suspected that she
¯ and the ghost had had sex. When a girl ¯
¯ cooks for aguy, she’ slikely offeringmore
than just yams and taro.
¯ Somehow Risi managed to escape and
¯ find her way back home. Her family was
¯ going to have to be on guard the next few
¯ months to make sure that Risi hadn’t
¯ come home with a spirit child in her
¯ Womb. ¯
That was her story at least, and none
¯ doubted it - except me, just a little, but
¯ only becauseI’veneverrunintoanyhorny ¯
¯ ghosts myself. But when Henry told me
about his Gay ghost, I wondered if per-
" haps randiness is why the spirit refuses tO
¯ leave the building. The guy. got no saris-
" faction while aliVe; he now haunts lzs
¯ luckier neighbors ~ staring, for example,
," at Henry’s handsomebehind. Maybe
¯ Henry should ask the ghost out on a date. ¯
Hall6ween would be perfect.
Last but hardly least is the failure of the
bookstores to defend First Amendment
protections. What is most troubling was
the corporate response which was not to
reassure Gay & Lesbian customers that
our books will not be wrapped but which
was to defend their fight to shrinkwrap
books. Wrapping books, even if you can
open them (if you knOW to ask)C-sends a
message that some subjects a~ebad. It
isn’ t grand censorship in theformofmaking
the materials unavailable but it is petit
censorship and it is still objectionable~
This may seem a small issue - after ,all
it’ s just a bit of shrinkwrap -but this is
how rights are lost, through a slow process
of erosion. Citizens might want to
contact their councilors and demand that
we keep our police officers out of the
bookstores (and who knows what next,
our libraries?) and out on the streets.
Timothy .W. Daniel
Attorney at Law
An Attorney who will fight for
justice & equality for
Gays & Lesbians
Domestic Partnership Planning,
Personal Injury,
Criminal Law & Bankruptcy
1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504
128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma
Weekend and evening appointmenls are available.
Are You Gay. or Bisex.ual?
Are YOU Native Amer|can?.
Tulsa’s Two-Spirited Indian Me¢n’s _ /
~uEpvpeonrtinGgrosuupppisorhtgerreoufoprmyoeue,tings ~j ’-
¯ Relationship workshops ~!~
¯ Short trips, outings and retreats
¯ Free H V testing
For information callTulsaNative American AIDS Prevention Project
IGTA member
Call 341.6866
nternationa
Toursformoreinformation.
Massage Therapy Services
Edgar O. Cruz, L.M.T.
Pager: 918-889-5255
Voice Mail: 918-697-9282
Lic. #C4133
Country Club Barbering
Custom Styling for Men & Women
David Kauskey
3310 E. 51st, 747-0236, Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm
:T]ulsa !s on!y
professional
body-piercing
College Hill
Presbyterian
Church
In response to God’ s Love,
College Hill Presbyterian Church
is a community of God’ s people
called to tall others the
Gospel of Jesus Christ
through worship,
service, and evangelism.
To nurture our faith, we gather for
worship, prayer,
study and fellowship.
Trusting in a living; loving God,
we seek to become a compassionate
voice for peace and justice.
Our congregation welcomes all
persons Who respond in trust and
obedience to God’s grace
in Jesus Christ,
"and d~sire to become part.lof tlie~
membership and ministry
of Christ’ s church.
Membership is open to all people
regardle..~s of race, ethnic origin,
worldly dondition,madtal statuS, or
, ’i, s~xual orientation.
Sunday Worship 11am
712 S. Columbia Ave., 592-5800
(One block west of Delaware and
the University of Tulsa Campus)
by Karin Gregory ;
By now votes are tallied and the facts ¯
speak for themselves: Dr. Laura ."
Schlessinger’ s television talk show, after ¯
being on air only three weeks, is going ;
into hiatus for "retooling."
Doesn’ t that mean a major
make-over? It does in my
vocabulary. It also means
"trouble.’"
This is probably-due
more to the fact that Dr.
Laura’s show is BORING
instead of controversial,
and has also landed dead
last in ratings among talk
shows on television (and
among many other shows
as well). However, I figure
that the people .over at
stopdrlaura.com are giving
themselves a pat on the
back for a job well done
since their first two protests,
in Chicago and Dallas
back in April, made the public more
aware of this woman’ s dangerous rantings.
These two major city demonstrations
weren’t the last, and August 26, Austin,
Texas held a protest outsideits CBS affiliate
station, KEYE-TV, "The Eye of Austi..".
The protest was organized chiefly by
stopdrlauraanstin.com. How do I know
this? I was on the front lines. Having
broken my footjust a week earlier, I went
down to march (as best I could) with other
Gay/lesbian/straight concerned citizens
who didn’t want the show to air at its
scheduled 4 pm ttme slot. Their reason?
CbJldren at home, many without parental
supervision, would watch Dr. Laura and
receive her message, thus ensuring that
homophobia stays alive and dangerous in
Texas. Every Fundamentalist Baptist is
ensuring that as we speak. We don’ t need
more help from a television talk show
wannabe.
Meeting with the assistant of
stopdrlaura.com, Andy Thayer, was an
experience. He’ s been to most of the Dr.
Laura protests in most of the states in the
country. That’ s lots of traveling. When I
heard there would be about one hundred
protesters, I was exhilarated and stopped
thinking about the pain inmy footandmy
hideous lack of sleep from the night before.
But as 11 am approached, it was
obvious there would only be about30--35
participants in this protest. The demonstmtionoutside
the television stationlasted
approximately anhour, alongafairlykigh
traffic areain Austin. Mostcars that drove
by included sympathizers, those agaiast
the Dr. Laura talk show.
Weheard from a local Christian miaister
who had recently officiated at the
funeral of a Gay boy killed in a bashing.
He said that for a week after the funeral he
listened to a local Christian radio station
and heard endless Gay bashing from the
"Christians." He made the point that not
only should weblame Dr. Laurafor spreading
hatred about Gays, and this radio
station, but we should ultimately look to
ourselves to see what .we could do to
prevent this abysmal crime from happening
again. Withonly35protesters present,
it looked like the rest of the Gay/Lesbian]
Bisexual/Transgendered community of
Austin just didn’t care. Do you care? Do
you have what it takes to stand on a street
corner and protest? Sure you do. That’s
the easy part. The difficulty comes in our
everyday lives when we continually hide
"...Do you have what it
takes to stand on a street
corner and protest~
Sure you do.
That’s the easy part.
The dlffieulty comes in
our everyday lives when
we eontlnuaily hide who
we are, or when we just
want someone else to take
up the cause because it’s
become too dlffieult
beatin, our heads aCalnst
that wall.. 7
who we are, or when we just want someone
else to take up the cause: because it’ s
become too difficult beating our heads
against that wall. Having that door
slammed in our face. Being turned down
for thatjob. Tryingto reach
a community that should
understand one another,
but instead tries to fight
forMs/her space and keeps
others out. Only when we
stand united will anyone
take us seriously. Look
what that’s done for the
religious right. They have
a whole damn political
party on their side. Join
the battle for yourselves
and your partners. As they
sing in Les Miserables,
"This is the music of a
people who will not be
slaves again." Join in the
crusade. You won’ t know
what you’ re missing until
you do.
¯ Lesbian couples break up; separate--It
was bound to happen, you say. It couldn’ t
" last forever, especially in Hollywood.
: Well, one couple breaks up ("I could have
¯ seen that coming from day one") and one
¯
couple separates ("This was out of left
." field"). The former quote could be said of
¯ the break up of the three and a half year ¯
relationship ofEllen DeGeneres andAnne
; Heche. Umm, not too surprising. In fact,
¯ since thenews was armounced1as tmonth,
tabloids have announced the reasons for
¯ the breakup: Ellen Finds Anne in Bed
¯ With Another Woman; Ellen Finds Anne
¯ in Bed With Another Man; Ellen’s Ex
Pregnant. I-Immm, why doesn’t ELLEN
¯ get any action? The day the couple an-
. nouncedtheirbreakup, A~tme Heche"sup-
¯ posedly" went for a drive in very sunny, ¯
hot weather with the top down on the
¯ convertible. Not too swift for someone
: SO fair skinned. Later, after "suppos-
¯ edly" suffering heat stroke,Anneknocked
¯
on a stranger’s door and began talking
." about God and spaceships. Ellen, if you
¯ were theonewhokickedherout, all Ihave ¯
tosayis: Waytogo, Grrl!
; More surprising was the. separation of
; rock star Melissa Etheridge and ten year
¯ partnerJulieCypher. Again, anotherpress
." announcement.Whatisitaboutthesefour
¯ women that makes them tell all to the
¯ world? In this case, Etheridge and Cypher
¯ split on extremely amicable terms, even
; buying two separate houses next d~or to
;- one another, so their children won t feel
the separation. They will still have their
¯ two mommies beside them. Well, that’ s a ¯ way to do divorce all right, especially
¯ withchildreninvolved.However, theway
¯ Melissaimmortalizes her andJulie’ s fights ¯
into her songs, I can’ t wait for Melissa’ s
¯ next album, already being recorded.
¯ Can anything be learned from these ¯
separations?Well,if you’re a Witty come-
" dielme, don’ t get involved with a flalse. If
¯ you have one of the strongest pers0nali-
," ties on the planet, then maybe you
¯ shouldn’tgetinvolvedwiththeotherstron- ¯
gest personaiiiy on the planeL in other
¯ words, You can "come to:my windoff"
¯ because ’Tmthe only one",b~tyoubett~
not be"stronger thmi me" or I n~ighthave
¯
a "breakdown."
¯ Gregory, a former schoolteacher and
¯ journalist is based in Ft. Worth. Her cur¯
rent theme song appears to beJillSobule ’s
"I Kissed a Girl."
Walk for Life 2000
8th Annual
Tul,sa AIDS Walk
Saturday, Oct. 7, 9:30am
Veteran’s Park, 21st & Boulder
For more information, call 585-5551.
Donations will be increased by 50% with
matching dollars through the generosity of
the Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Walk is
sponsored by the Community Service
Council, and will benefit the Tulsa Community
AIDS Partnership (TCAP).
The Walk is an all volunteer effort and there
are no administrative costs.
Tulsa Family News is proud to donate this advertisement in support of the Walk
and the Tulsa Community AIDS Partnership (TCAP)

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