[2000] Tulsa Family News, November 2000; Volume 7, Issue 11

[2000] Tulsa Family News, November 2000; Volume 7, Issue 11

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

November 2000

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

Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News

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

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PDF
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https://history.okeq.org/items/show/606

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

Deputy Police Chief To
Speak At TOHR, Nov. 14
TULSA (TFN) - Tulsa Deputy Chief of Police Bobby
L. Busby will be the featured speaker at the Nov.
meeting of Tulsa Oldahomans for Human Rights
(TOHR) at the Gay Community Services Center at 21st
&Memorial.The meeting begins at 7:30pm. Topics for
discussion with the ChiefBusby will include expanding
Tulsa’s "diversity" training for new police recruits and
for in-service training to include sexual orientation as
wall as rate and etlmicity. Also on the agenda will be
discussion of recent police visits to local Gay and
Lesbian_nightclubs. All are invited to attend.
TOHR will also hold a new volunteer orientation on
Nov. 9th at 7pm at the Center. Center organizers also
held an openhouse for thenew facility in October. They
note that about 80 people attended the event including
a substantial number of visitors in town for a leather
event. TOHR also hosted a Feastfor,~riends dinner
with raised over $1,000 for The NAMES Project.
Hate In Vermont
BROOKFIELD, Vt. (AP) - Mark Hackett was
thunderstruck when he looked at the fence facing property
he owns on Vermont Route 14. "Exaente the Fag,"
it declared, its message clear despite the misspelling.
Hackett, who is Gay, rents the property to two families,
one of whom has been feuding with the property
owner next door on whose fence the hate message was
spray-painted. Although Hackett as landlord has been
only peripherallyinvolved in the neighborhood dispute,
its message was obvious to him.
"It’s clearly there for me to see.., the message to my
tenant was,’ Seehow yourlandlordlikes that,’ "Hackett
said. "I just think the ’Take Back Vermont’ message is
making it OK to say stuff like that. I don’t have a
problem with people voting Democratic or Republican
or supporting any candidate they want... But you start
seeing that stuff around the state and it’s not about
politics, it’s about hate."
And it is happening more and more around Vermont
in this heated and polarized campaign season. In
Burlington, the Outright Vermont office has taken to
locking its doors and taking other security precautions
after two differentmen walked into the office on Oct. 13
and threatened to kill a staff member. "The first one
basically asked her what she was going to do to eliminate
herself, then told her if she didn’t eliminate hersdf
he would," see Vermont, l~. 2
DIRECTORY P. 2
EDITORIAL P. 3
US & WORLD NEWS P. 4
HEALTH NEWS P. 6
ENTERTAINMENT P. 8
GAY STUDIES P. 10
¯ Servin Lesbian Ga Bisexual + Transg~n~er_ed ~ul__Fa~s_, ~r Fa~ili~.~ Friends
: Gays Excluded From
i Tulsa’s "Diversity"
¯ Metropolitan Ministry Lauds Local Mix
: But Sees On!y Race, Religion + Ethnicity
¯ NEWS ANALYSIS ~- When is "diversity" not diverse? Only in
¯ Tulsa where "do-gooder" organizations, like Tulsa Metropolitan
¯
Ministry (TMM), the National Conference on Community and
¯ Justice (NCCJ), and others can sin~ the praises of interfaith
¯ tolerance andunderstandingwhile excluding or ignoringLesbian
¯ and Gay Tulsans, regardless of faith.
In this case,TMMissued a"Statement in Support ofDiversity"
¯ which defines diversity only in terms of race, ethnicity and
¯ religion. TMM’s newexecutive director theRev. StephenCranford ¯
stated that he did not know if the omission was deliberate.
However, TMM staff said that the text of the statement was
written by TMM board president, Dr. Sandra Rana, who is a
leader in Tulsa’s Islamic community. Members of Tulsa’s Is-
" lamic community have made hostile remarks towards Gays on
¯
several occasions, most recently when a Muslim representative
¯ at a NCCJ Trialogue on Marriage said that his society would
¯ murder any Gay men who attempted to marry each other. Dr.
’ Rana did not respond to messages left about the "Statement in
¯ Support of Diversity".
TMMhas a history of mostly ignoring Lesbian and Gay issues
¯ with one notable exception: the support of an amendment to ¯ Oklahoma’s hate crimes statute whichTulsa Representative Don
: Ross introduced in the legislative session prior to last year’s.
¯ Radford Rader, pastor ofCollegeHill Presbyterian Church, an ¯
officially welcoming congregation of Lesbians and Gay men and
¯ member of the TMM executive board, responded that the state-
" ment was meant to address racial and ethnic diversity because of
¯ the coming of the KKK. It was written right before the incident ¯
¯ at the Jewish cemetery. Rader stated that he did not feel that the
exclusion was deliberate.
see TMM, p. 9 ¯ Gay Grandmothers Just
Want to See Grandkids
TULSA (TFN) - It’s a sad story when families get caught up in
¯
homophobia and prejudice. It’s common when couples separate
after one or the other parent realizes that they are Lesbian or Gay.
¯ And when thelegal systemgets involved, often the Gay parent ¯
loses, though around the US and evenin Oklahoma, courts cases
." are holding that Lesbians or Gay men are not ipso facto bad
¯ parents. But when grandparents are involved, it’s even more ¯
difficult because the law defers almost completely to parents.
¯ That’s where two Tulsa women, Julene and Schrie, find
¯ themselves. Both were once married to men and have children ¯
fromthose relationships.
¯ Some of those kids have no problem with their Lesbian moms.
¯ And one of them didn’t have a problem with them, when she
¯ needed free babysitting and before she was married to a man ¯
who’s areligious fundamentalists. Now the daughter and the son-
¯ in-law who says he’s the head of the house find that "it’s in the
¯ best interest of the kids" that the kids not see their grandmother
¯ or her partner who’s just as close. ¯
Legal experts hold out little hope, and even if there were
¯ grounds for a court case, judges andjuries in Oklahoma are often
¯ .not sympathetic. But this does not deter friends of the women ¯
¯ who praise them for their kindness and support to their friends and employees when they find themselves in need.
¯ The women own a local dub out on Garnett which while it is
not a Lesbian or Gay oriented venue has patron who are remark-
" able supportive of the pair.
¯ Bar employee, Tummy Peevyhouse, was particularly outspo-
¯ ken in her concern for her friends and employers, as was also a
¯ bar patron, Tommy Clown. Frustrated by the limitations offered
by the legal system, Peevyhouse’s response was if the law allows
¯ this [situation], then the law needs to be changed.
¯ Meanwhile, the grandmothers just wait and have faith that as ¯
their grandsons reach legal maturity, they will reassert them-
" selves and come to see them on their own.
HEAR the Quilt
World AIDS Day- Dec, 1
¯ Council Oak Men’s Chorale Benefit
¯ TULSA-The fifth andlargestdisplay ofTheNAMES
Project will behddat tbeTulsa Conventi,o,.n Centeron
¯ on December 1 - 3. The event entitled, HEAR The Quilt" will open with student tours during daytime
¯ hours on World AIDS Day, Friday, December 1.
The opening ceremonies for the general public for
¯
"HEAR The Quilt" will be proceeded by the tradi-
] tionalWorldAIDS Day candlelightmarch.Themarch
¯ will begin at the Courthouse Plazajust west of 5th and
¯ Denver at 6:30, Friday evening.Marchers are encour- ¯
aged to bring organizational banners andbells; candles
¯ will be provided. Parking is available at the Conven¯
tion Center garage. The march will follow a short
¯ route through downtown Tulsa and will return to the
convention center for the Quilt’s opening at 8pro.
This display of the Quilt will feature 188 sections
¯ of the Quilt, each twelvefeet square. The display will
, be free and open to the public. Organizers note that
¯
the Quilt has the power to teach, to touch hearts, and
¯ to change minds.
In conjunction with the "HEAR The Quilt" Dis-
" play, the Council Oak Men’s Chorale under the
¯ direction of Rick Fortner will perform at Hope Uni-
¯ tarian Church, 8432 South Sheridan Road, Tulsa on
: Saturday evening,December2 atT:30pm. Admission ¯
is free, with a suggested $10 donation. Proceeds will
¯ benefit the NAMES Project Tulsa Area Chapter.
There also. will be an interfaith worship service
(coordinated by Reverend Cathy Elliott, pastor of
MCC United Church) to be held at the Quilt display
¯ on Sunday, Dec. 3at 9:30am.
¯ For more information, call (918) 748-3111 or send
e-mail to info@TulsaQuilt.org ¯ Maine To Vote Again
On Gay Civi,I Rights
¯ HALLOWELL, Maine (AP) - Maine’s latest refer-
" endum on civil fights for Gay citizens resurrects
¯ familiar arguments on both sides, but this time propo-
¯ nents have polished the proposal and picked up a
¯ potentially influential ally. In wirming support from
the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, backers
have sought to buttress an exemption for religious
¯ institutions. They have also sought to counter claims
¯ that the measure would award anything special or
¯ endorse specific sexual behavior.
Last time around, the Catholic church sat out the
¯ dection debate, saying it could not support a law
¯ enacted by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Angus
¯ .King because of ambiguities in its language. The
¯ enacted measure was repealed in February 1998
¯ before it ever took effect by a rare "people’s veto"
¯ referendum vote. The outcomein that special election
: was 51% for repeal and 49% against.
~ This time, with numerous other matters on state
¯ ballots expected to produce a bigger voter turnout,
¯ approval of Question 6 would again expand the ¯
Maine Human Rights Act. The proposal would in-
" dude the category of"sexual orientation" in a list of
¯ groups protected against discrimination in the areas
¯ of employment, housing or access to public accom- ¯
modations and the extension of credit. The new
version, however, approved by the Legislature and
signed by the governor in April, is more limited than
the repealed law. "We’ve repeatedly said work needs
to be done to clean up the language," says Catholic
diocesan spokesman Marc Mutty. "And we did that."
Besides the religious exemption, the new version
specifies thatno change in affirmative action requirements
is intended and see Maine, p.3
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
712-2324
610-5323
583-2119
835-2376
744-4280
745-9998
*The Star, 1565 Shelida~, 834-4234 ~
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, i649 S~. M~in 585,3405
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial §~920836
*Tool Box, 1338 E. 3rd
~
1584-1308
*The Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41
Body Piercing by Nieole, 2722 E. 15
*Border~ 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. llth
Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis
Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468
743-1000
250-5034
665-4580
712-1122
712-9955
494-2665
743 -5272
746-0313
295-5868
581-0902, 743-4117
622-0700
749-3620
744-5556
838-8503
369-8555
712-9379
592-0460
744-9595
610-0880
628-3709
808-8026
742-1460
459-9349
744-7440
745-1111
341-6866
712-2750
582-3018
747-0236
582-8460
599-8070
747-5466
585-1234
584-3112
663-5934
664-2951
838-7626
743-4297
747-5932
834-0617
834-7921, 747-4746
749-6301
260-7829
481-0558
835-5563
743-1733
665-2222
592-0767
*Deco to Disco; 3212 E. 151h
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. 551h P1.
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 planniug
Mark T. Hamby, Attorney
*Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly
*International Tours
Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 151h
*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
Scribner’s Bookstore, 1942 Utica Square
PaulTay, Car Salesman
*Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis
Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard
Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling
*Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615
FOB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159. e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net
Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal
Writers + eontributom: James Christjohn. Karin Gregory, Barry
Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche. Lament Lindstrom. Esther
Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw
Mem~ber of The Associated Press.. ~ _ ~ ~ ,
Issued 0ffor,befot~ th6 1 ~t of~ each month,~entire contents
Of this publicatioxi are protected by US 6opyright 1998 by
To/.~/:k~,,~ N~and may not be~ptoduce~ eitherin whole
or in part without written permission from the publisher.
Publication of a name or photo does not indicate a person’s
sexual orientation. ~orrespondence is assumed to be for
"pi~blication unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes
the sole property of TM-€~/c¢,,,,~... Nv~,. Each reader is
entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution
points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248.
¯ *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457
Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa - Lesbian & Gay Catholics &
¯ Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140
¯ *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777
¯ *Free SpiritWomen’s Center, call for location&info: 587-4669 ¯
Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827
¯ Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438
HIV ER Center, 4138 Chas. Page Blvd, 583-6611
¯ *Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194
HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378
¯ *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMinstries,1517 S. Memorial 224-4754
¯ *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715 ¯
NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral P1. 748-3111
¯
NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, POB 14068, 74159 365-5658
¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157
¯ *OSU-Tulsa ¯
PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901
¯ *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674
¯ Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152
¯ R.A:I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 749-4195 ¯
*Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325
: St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882
¯
St. Dtmstan’,s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140
¯ *St. Jerome s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088
*Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 583-7171
¯ *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225
~ Tulsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 595-4105
¯ Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only ¯ Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, c!o The Pride Center 743-4297
: T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827
¯ *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule
; *Tulsa Community College Campuses
¯ *Tulsa Gay Community Center, 21st & Memorial 743-4297
¯ Unity Church ofChristianity,3355 S. Jamestown 749-8833
.. BARTLESVILLE
¯ Barflesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353
¯ TAHLEQUAH
: Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900
¯ Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918-456-7900
¯ Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-936~3
¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
www.gaytulsa~.org - website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians : Autumn Br~,eeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734
T,,t~ ^~-~.A~=~~ Cha;-bh~i; ~:chOOIS&~. Universities "- Jim &Brent s Bistro 173 S. Main 501-253~7457
A!~r~ ~Xrr~t+~,~~r~tT~ 7’h~:~ [-’ ~ ’~ ~ ~ :~ "~~-95~....~eVito~s’R~S~L -5 Ce~ter~ St.’’ t. ~ ..... ,. ,: 1, ~ ~,1-~53~
~1 So~sU~Ch~ch, 2952 S. Peofia 743-2363 : ¯~dR~nbow, 45 ~!~ Spnng ’St: .....5.01.2.5.3 ~5
Black & ~te, ~c. ~B 1~01, T~sa 74159 5~-7314 ¯ MCC of ~e ~ving Spring 501-253-9337
Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6
B/.L/G/T-Alliance, Univ, of Tulsa United Min. Ctr.
Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston
*Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1.
Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood
*Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation
Council Oak Men’s Chorale
*Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware
583-7815
583-9780
585-1201
& Florence
587-1314
747-6300
749-0595
748-3888
712-1511
Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253~2776
Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-253-5332
Positive Idea Marketing Plans ....... 501-624-6646
Sparky’s, Hwy. 62 East 501-253-6001
White Light, 1 Center St. 501-253-4074
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-623-4696
* is where you can find TFN. Not all are Gay-owned butall are Gay-friendly.
said Keith Elston, executive director of the
group dedicated to Gay and Lesbian youth.
"The other one was much more blunt that he
was going to ’kill fags.’ "
Burlington police are investigating the
incidents, but there have beenno arrests and
cOauretffUiglhatbVoeurtmtro~nntgh.at9s pbregcvoidme~e .msauf.ec.hty mt°oir.tes
staff, volunteers and especially its clients.
From tasteless bumper stickers to graffiti
on highway pavement, it’s apparently become
socially acceptable in the political
climate of 2000 to use derogatory terms for
Gays and Lesbians that once were considered
epithets. There have been scattered but
persistent reports at schools across the state
about anti-Gay incidents and harassment.
On the pavement of the road approaching
the Champlain Bridge near Fort~i~conderoga
inNew Yorksomeonerecently spray-painted
in large white letters "FAGS," with arrows
pointing over the bridge into Vermont.
"How much more explicit can you be
about creating an aura of fear for day-to-day
life?" said Lynne Bond, a psychology professor
at the University of Vermont who has
studied Gay and Lesbian issues.
Vermont’s new civil unions law, granting
most of the rights and benefits of marriage
to same-sex couples, clearly has prompted a
broad public discussion about the lives of
Gays and Lesbians. There are deeply held
beliefs about the morality - or some would
say immorality - of homosexuality. But
before the civil unions debate, those beliefs
were rarely expressed in langnage that’s so
offensive to Gays and Lesbians.
"It seems to me that some people, have
broken out of the social constraints of civility
that I think people were honoring during
thelegislativeprocess," said BethRobinson,
the Middlebury attorney who argued the
lawsuit that led to civil unions.
People who oppose civil unions say
they’ve been unfairly maligned becausejust
they don’t agree with the law. They complain
that they’ve been described as bigots,
hate-mongerers and homophobes. They say
that their ’Take Back Vermont’ signs and
other political placards havebeen knocked
over, defaced with Gay symbols and stolen.
"I think there have been ugly incidents on
both sides," Republican gubernatorial candidate
Ruth Dwyersaid atadebatein Lyndon
Center last week.
Still, it once was eousidered ill-mannered
at best to use such terms as fag and dyke aad
queer in civil conversation. The anger over
civil unions appears to have erased that
unwritten rule in Vermont, at least for the
time being. And that makes many Gay and
Lesbian Vermonters feel as if they’re under
attack, even if it’s a small minority of civil
union opponents who:are behind the hate.
~ : ~ ~P~@I’O~6*~[re~, frimtrated lthat
1 didn-t~get ~d~* ~ivil ~iOrls bill killed
Legislature, some of them have taken it.
upon themselves to link an ominous, mystical
Gay agenda to the civil union bill,"
- Elston.said. ’,’They’ve.been-falsely suggest~
ing that there s something in the civil unions
bill that requires the teaching of homosexuality
in schools. They’ve been foolishly
suggesting that Outfight teaches homosexuality
in the schools, that we’re distributing
pornography." see Vermont, p.3
World Watch:
News Not Covered in Our Daily
by Tom Neal, editor/gadfly/publisher
It’s old fashioned to place as much import on a daily
newspaper but then as a newspaper publisher and editor
of now seven years, I am somewhat committed to the
concept. Unlike the internet, radio and television, those
more ephemeral of media, the printed word, even on acid
filled newsprint leaves a legacy, a picture of where we are
and where we were, in a way that is more accessible and
probably more permanent.
This new and irregularly published column, like much
ofthis newspaper’s coverage, intends to bring to attention
things which otherwise might not get addressed.
Andwhile our daily newspaper, The Tulsa Worldis not
the worst newspaper in America, it does have some
foibles, some journalistic lapses which stem from its
parochial circumstances: a privately owned, smaller town
paper with a historically greater emphasis on coverage of
wealthy whites, rather than minority citizens and issues.
It’s better than it used to be but...
We are in the height of the United Way campaagn, and
as in years past, The Tulsa World is a major supporter of
TulsaAreaUnitedWay (TAUW). This is notintrinsically
a bad thing. TAUW does do much good for many. But
TAUW also funds organizations which engage in discnminatory
practices and itself may discriminate. There
are ongoing questions about the true percentage of funds
which go to services rather than administration.
Onemight think that The Wormwouldat least look into
these issues. But year after year, The World’s coverage of
United Way is a public relations flakmeister’s dream,
with shamelesslypromotional stories aboutTAUWfunded
agencies which nm during the United Way fundraising
campaign.
Canwedoubt thatifTAUWwere funding’~penly racist
or anti-semitic agencies that The World would write
about it? Despite claims of separation between the newsroom,
and advertising and ownership, The Worm has a
clear conflict of interest between its promotion of United
Way and its commitment to good journalism.
The World will change when they know that their
readers like you andme find their practices unacceptable.
Not to pickonJoe Worley, executive editor butultimately
he’s responsible for the decision to coddle Tulsa Area
United Way and its bad mannered (and in one case,
clearly lncohapetent) management. Joe’s ntunber is published
on page A-2 everyday. Let him know when The
World’s doing a good job of covering Lesbian and Gay
issues (overall, they’re doing better these days) but also
let him know what’s not working too.
’In the current, embittered political atmosphere, it is
difficult to counter such arguments. And so it feeds on
itself and results in slogans that once would have been
considered epithets being painted on a neighbor’s fence.
Although it’s unpleasant for many Vermonters, regardless
of their homosexuality, people who have been
involved said they will continue speaking out. "You have
to just keep on.telfing the truth, over and over again,"
El~n ~akl. !’Everyti~n~,thCy ~ylie~ ~a~bgut you,’yqq l~av¢
t~ exp0~e. ~em ~s [i~e~ on~!,Y0q ~aYq ~to ~t~lil,th~ .tnifl~
people hear that message."
"They Don’t Want Civil Rights, They Want Special Rights"
Early this morning, before I was really awake, or maybe
late last night drowsing with the television on, the history
channel was showing footage about the struggle Black
Americans had to end legal segregation. This part ofrecent
American history is a particular interest of mine but this
was mostly things I’d heard or seen before. But then there
was an image that caught my attention, one I’d never seen
before.
An old black and white image showed a white Southerner
marching with a placard Saying, "They don’t want
civil rights, they want SPECIAL rights!" And here I
thought that particular carnard wg~ newly minted to
mischaracterize the desire of Lesbian and Gay persons to
live our lives relatively unmolested, with a some semblance
of the same opportunities which non-Gay citizens
enjoy.
Perhaps I should not have been surprised. In the fight
over whether Lesbian and Gay Americans should serve
openly in defense of our country, almost word-for-word
rhetoric was trotted out to oppose Gays as was used to
oppose racial integration of the US military.
Prejudice, like taxes and death, is, it seems, fundamental
to the human condition, with Americans, like others,
occasionally transcending our biases. After many shameful
years of oppression, Americahas slowly set aside some
of its racism. But different prejudices, seeing a void, have
come forward.
In response, we can do several things. Many simply seek
to live their own lives, quietly, avoiding harassment as best
as possible. Others speak out as best they can. But all who
are citizens can vote, and after the election, can contact
those who are supposed to be representing us.
Of course, in Oklahoma, this is often an exercise in
frustration. Our elected federal leaders are nearly all dedicated
to attacking or restricting the rights of Lesbian-and
Gay citizens - and their staff are usually rude and arrogant.
But not to hold them accountable is to let them
assume that all agree with their prejudice.
Needless-to-say, in this election, if you are reading this
before Nov. 7th, please consider the difference between
the Republicans and the Democrats. As bad as the Democrats
may be in Oklahoma, on a national level, that party
has clearly talked and walked the talk. Positions for fair
treatment of Lesbian and Gay citizens are in the Democratic
platform and have been honored in action by the
national party, not perfectly, but under Clinton and Gore,
more than ever before.
Bush and the Republicans may have moderated some of
their anti-Gay, neo-nazi rhetoric (though not the Oklahoma
party) but this is the party which brought us years of
indifference to the HIV/AIDS crisis under Reagan, as well
as a documented hostility to addressing anti-Gay hate
crimes, let alone civil rights issues like employment, fair
housing, military service, legal recognition, of our relationships
and families, etc.
It’s not that I especially like Gore, or that Bush isn’t an
idiot, it’s just that given the choice, we have no choice.
This guy will be making the next Supreme Court appointments.
And decisions which have been crucial to our lives
(like Bowers v. Hardwick which said that straight oral sex
is constitutionally protected but the same act for Gays can
be a felony crime, Dale v. the Boy Scouts of America,
Colorado’s Amendment 2) have all been mostly narrowly
decided cases. Another Scalia, or Clarence Thomas, the
type of choices we’ve seen from Republican presidents,
would not bode us well.
Vote like your life depends on it- in many ways, it does.
-Tom Neal, editor & pubisher
that there would .be no. requirement for employers to
provide benefits for the partners of Gay and Lesbian
workers.
"The diocese has never been opposed to any of the
proposals," Mutty says. But he says changes this year not
only made it possible for the church to sign on as an
advocate, but were also aimed at making the measure
acceptable to a majority of people statewide.
Michael Heath of the Christian Civic League of Maine,
a leader of one of the major groups opposing the measure,
says the shift from neutrality to advocacy by the Catholic
diocese was a major setback. The prospect of a busy
balloting day is also a concern for opponents, he says. "If
there’ s a big turnout of voters, then a lot of sort ofimpulsive
voters are going to be there," Heath says, fretting that those
unfamiliar with details of the proposal may not appreciate
its impact.
Heath says the morality of homosexuality remains central
to the debate and that conferring rights with this
proposal could lead to further Gay demands. "It lays the
foundation for a lot of other things," Heath says.
Observers on both sides suggest much of the Maine
electorate appears-to have grown weary of the issue, which
in one form or another has occupied debate on public
policy for at least two decades. In 1992, the first local Gay
fights law was passed by the Portland City Council. Three
w.gr~s later, Maine~ vot.,¢,r~,~rejected a proposal to prevent
municipal and other government bodies.in the state from
passing laws barring anti-Gay discrimination.
In 1997, after years of legislative warring, a state civil
rights law was enacted. But just months later, the people’s
veto vote forced by opponents repealed that. "It was very
close the last time it went around. I know there’s been a lot
of work on both sides," says bakery worker Sara Wagner
in Hallowell. "I hope it passes." In a brief, streetside
interview, Wagner said her awareness of discrimination
facedby people sheknew ofmade the ballot questionmore
than an abstract matter of principle. "It has real life implications,"
she said.
Heath, in contrast, maintains the proponents’ claims of
acturd discrimination are specious. "It’s obviously not
widespread," he says.
Earlier this month, in response tO an inquiry by one of
the referendum bill’s leading legislative champions, Attorney
General Andrew Ketterer advised that ~at least the
threat of discrimination is real under existing statutes.
"The federal and state law, as currently written and interpreted
by the courts, do not prohibit the denial or termination
of employment, the denial of credit, the denial of
public acco~nmodation or the denial of housing because of
sexual orientation," Ketterer wrote.
The most recent campaign finance reports show that
supporters from the Maine Coalition for Equal Rights,
now known as YES on 6, reported donations of nearly
$260,000 and expenditures of $240,000.
The Christian Action League collected $37,500, but is
also opposing proposals on video gambling and doctorassisted
suicide. According to a recent poll by the Portland
research firm Critical Insights Inc., respondents favored
the referendum by 59% to 29%, with 11% undecided.
Question 6 on Maine’s ballot asks:
"Do you favor ratifying the action of the 119th
Legislature whereby it passed an act extending to all
citizens regardless of their sexual orientation the
same basic rights to protection against discrimination
now guaranteed to citizens on the basis of race, color,
religion, sex or national origin in the areas of employment,
housing, public~acco.ram~datipa~.a~d~cr~edi[ .and
where th~ a~t expregs’ly~s~te~
confers legislative approval Of, or sp~,i~ d’gtig tb;
any person or group of persons?"
¯ Okla. Reps. = Total Zeros
: Not that it should come as any surprise to anyone, but
¯ the Human Rights Campaign, HRC, reports in their
¯¯ scorecard for the 106thCongress thatOklahoma’s Representatives
and our Senators, Largent, Cobum, Watkins,
¯
Watts, Istook, Lucas, Nickles and Inhofe received total
¯ zeros on 10 questions about legislation of concern to Gay
¯ citizens. This is why voting matters, friends. - TFN
Scouts Fire Gay Man
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - A Boy Scout
executive was stripped of his Eagle Scout status and
fired by the Boy Scouts of America National Council
10 days after he publicly admitted he is Gay, his
attorney said. Len Lanzi, Boy Scouts Los Padres
Council executive director, worked for the scouting
organization 14 years before he was terminated by
mail.
"We plan to pursue all legal remedies available to
him," said Lanzi’s attorney, Steven Serratori, whose
Century City firm specializes in employment law "I
think it’s fair to say that everybody is surprised at the
arrogance of the Boy Scouts," Serratori said. "To think
in this day and age that they think they can fire
someone based on their sexual orientation..." A U.S.
Supreme Court rnling last summer upholding the Boy
Scouts" right to exclude Gay members does not apply
to its employees, the lawyer said.
Lanzi, whose territory includes Santa Barbara and
SanLuis Obispo counties, is believed to be the highestranking
Boy Scout executive to publicly acknowledge
his homosexuality since the Supreme Court ruling in
June.
Los Padres Boy Scout boardmembers told the Santa
Barbara News-Press their options were limited because
of the national council’s policy on Gays. "We
could contradict the national Boy Scout policy, and
possibly risk the whole council being decommissioned,
orwecan go along with firing him," said Karl Eberhard
a member of the Los Padres Boy Scouts board. "I
maintain that the whole thing is completely idiotic," he
added.
Neighbors Don’t Mind
Alabama Ga " Nudists
WAVERLY, Ala. (AP) -h grovel road winds through
John Bales’ wilderness resort. It looks like any of the
paths leading to huntinglodge_s wherecountless Southern
men spend weekends this time of year. Then, you
come to the sign: "Clothing optional area."
This isn’t your ordinary, out-of-the-way spot in the
woods of east Alabama. Bales owns Black Bear Camp,
a 33-acre resort catering to Gay men who enjoy nature
au naturel.
Black Bear Camp isn’t for hunting. It’ s for socializing.
The clientele tends to be Gay men best described
as the rugged type: Many have beards and bellies and
would rather sit around the lodge watching football on
TV than go to a Gay bar. "Probably more than 50% of
our customers are married or divorced with kids,"
Bales said. "’We don’t get the flamboyant type."
There were rumblings when another clothing-optional
campground for Gay men opened near the south
Alabama town of Geneva a couple of years ago. A
Lesbian-operated retreat where guests wear clothes,
Camp Sister Spirit, drew heated protests in 1993 after
opening in rural Mississippi.
But Bales hasn’t heard any complaints from surrounding
Lee County or nearby Waverly, a town of
" h
160 people, many,of them elderly. I know my ne.l.g .-
bors. They know I mGay, and they know I opened ttus
place," he said. "There hasn’t been a problem with it."
Many residents don’t know the camp exists: Bales
doe’Sn’t adverd~ locally, and there are no signs indicatinglthat
a dbfhing-opti0nal resort for Gays is just
off busy U.S. 280. But people who do know about the
camp don’t seem concerned about what’s going on in
the woods north of Auburn. "If that’ s what turns them
on, let ’em go on," said Waverly town clerk DeLene
Cawley. "If I belonged to a nudist colony that’s where
I’d want to be."
A leader of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Alabama
isn’t surprised by the lack of controversy. "As
long as there’s no loud music and people keep to
themselves I wouldn’t think people would have a
problem with it," said David White.
Bales, a 57-year-old math professor at Tuskegee
University, didn’t set out to get into the clothingoptional
resort business. He began buying land around
Little Loblockee Creek in 1982 and began building
1ears later with plans for the camp to provide a source
of income when he retires in 2009.
There’s bunk space for 24 in the 3,600-square-foot
lodge, whichhas a tin roof and all the comforts ofhome
plus some: Internet access, satellite TV, a hot tub and
an above-ground swimming pool with deck. Bales has
had as many as 30 customers on a weekend, but the
more typical crowd is six or seven.
"It was not my original intention to be clothingoptional,"
he said. "But shortly after I opened, I began
to get inquiries from clothing-optional groups asking
whether that was allowed. "It didn’t take me long to
realize that the remoteness and seclusion of the camp
made than a natural option and a good niche market to
enter."
With prices ranging from $8 for daytmae guests to
$40 a night for double occupancy bunks, Bales hopes
to break even this year as far as operating costs go. He
weeds out the occasional unannounced visitor just
looking for a good time. "No one wants to come down
here and have people who are looking at naked guys
and propositioning them for sex," he said. "That will
drive away my business.’"
Journalist Group Calls
For Partner Benefits
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Society of Professional
Journalists approved a resolution calling for
news organizations to provide benefits for domestic
parmers of their Gay and Lesbian employees. .
The measure was opposed by some SPJ members
who said the professional organization should not get
involved in employment matters such as benefits.
Delegates approved the resolution by a margin of 85 to
36 at SPJ’s national convention.
Sally Lehlman, SPJ’s diversity chair, said the resolution
would ensure that Gay and Lesbian journalists
are not treated "like second class citizens in the newsroom."
"It’s not about employment from our perspecfive.
It’ s about fairness and accuracy in content, which
emerges in part from fairness in the newsroom," she
said.
Mark Scarp, an editorial writer for the Scottsdale
(Ariz.) Tribune, and member of SPJ’s executive committee,
said the group should follow its precedent of
leaving employment issues up to unions. "I personally
support domestic partner benefits but I believe it qualifies
as an employer-employee relations issue," Scarp
said. "We’re a professional association and I felt it
wasn’t appropriate for us to make a determination on
such an issue."
A few years ago, SPJ comuussioned a survey on
reporters’ salaries, but would not get into trying to
persuade employers to improve pay, Scarp said.
Gay Couple Get
Abducted Child Back
CATHEDRAL CITY, California (AP) - A 10-yearold
boy abducted by his grandfather who accused the
child’s caretakers of promoting a Gay lifestyle has
been returned to the couple. Miguel Washington was
surrendered to authorilies by relatives in Pennsylvania
and returned to the home ofhis uncle, Paul Washington
Jr., and Timothy Forrester. "Right now he’s really
happy to be home," Washington Jr. said. "We’re absolutely
elated. Our family is united again."
An attorney for Paul Washington Sr. and Sandra
Washington, Mignel’s grandparents and Washington
Jr.’s parents, said his clients intend to pursue custody.
"My clients don’t feel that’s the best home for him,"
said attorney Bill Hence Jr. "I’m very disappointed in
the agencies that were supposed to be protecting the
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Outreach Program Thurs. Nights
Meet Others in a Safe Enviroment
Call for meeting times and place:
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fights of the child." A hearing was scheduled for
December.
Miguel was born to Angelena Washington, the
younger Washington’s mentally disabled sister, who
was impregnated while living in an assisted-care facility,
family members said. At the time, family members
informally agreed to have him raised by Washington
Jr., a hardware store salesman, and Forrester, a teacher.
Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Tex
Ritter said his office had not decided if charges will be
filed in the abduction. The elder Washington picked up
Miguel for an overnight fishing trip on Oct. 6 andnever
brought him back, Washington Jr. said.
Instead, Washington and For/ester received a letter
from a Los Angeles law firm Oct. 7 stating that Miguel
had been removed from their home and accusing the
pair of "actively promoting or influencing a Gay
lifestyle for the minor." The letter cited Miguel’s
participation in ballet and "Gay art class" instead of
baseball as one reason for the boy’s removal.
Germany Ready to
Recognize Gay Partners
BERLIN (AP)-Germany’s governing coalition wants
to pass a law giving equal legal status to Gay couples
early in November, politicians stated. Leaders from
the Social Democratic and Greens parties said they
plan to have the Bundestag, the lower house of parliament,
approve the bill Nov. I0.
Conservatives, however, control a majority in the
upper house of parliament and have criticized the law.
To get around their opposition that could scuttle the
bill, lawmakers laid out a plan Friday to divide the
legislation into two parts.
The government majority in parliament would pass
administrative regulations creating the legal frameworkforGay
couples without the upper house’ s agreement.
However, the upper house will still be called on
to approve lifting the disadvantages to Gays contained
in labor and tax codes.
ACLU Trying Bias
Reduction Program
ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia is one of three states
chosen by the American Civil Liberties Union to pilot
a program to educate teachers about bullying of Gay
and Lesbian students.
The ACLU says students who identify themselves
as Gay are more than four times as likely to suffer
bullying than heterosexual students. Gary Weber, legal
director of the Georgia ACLU, said Gay students
also have higher rates of absenteeism and suicide. The
program will use panels - including a Gay student,
perhaps a parent of a Gay student, a school administrator
or classroom teacher and an attorney - to explain
the legal liabilities schools face if they ignore harassment.
TheACLU will begin contacting schools in November
to schedule traimng sessions. Districts that refuse
the training may be called by an ACLU attorney to
briefly explain legal liabilities. Kentucky and Indiana
are the other two pilot states. No date has been set for
expanding theprogram, which was developed in northern
California, to other states, ACLU spokesman Eric
Ferrero said.
Big .Brothers, Big Sisters
Bans Gay Volunteers
OWENSBORO, Ky (AP) - The local chapter of Big
Brothers-Big Sisters, which links children with adult
mentors, will no longer allow Gays to participate in the
program. The board voted 10-9 to bar openly Gay
volunteers following a closed-door meeting.
Board members had raised concerns about health
issues and fear that it would create confusion among
childr+n over sexual orientation matters, said Sue
Krampe, executive director. The debate on whether to
conunue to allow Gays to mentor children surfaced
recently after Brian Combs, a case manager and minister
at Christ View Christian Church, quit after learning
a homosexual was a mentor in the program.
The board was deadlocked in a vote earlier this
month. Combs had been the only person to raise a
complaint prior to the first vote. But since then, the
agency has fielded 18 telephone calls in opposition to
allowing Gays in the program, Krampe said.
Volunteers had been asked their sexual orientation
during the initial screening process and parents were
allowed to veto amatela based on their answers.
Nationally, only a "handful" of the 500 chapters of
the American Big Brothers-Big Sisters prohibits homosexuals~
from mentoring children, Krampe said.
Each local chapter can set ~ts ownpolicies on the issue.
she said.
Newspaper Chain to
Offer Partner Benefits
GRANDRAPIDS, Mich. (AP)- Six of the eight Booth
newspapers in Michigan will offer benefits to partners
of Gay employees starting in January. The papers that
will offer the benefits are The Ann Arbor News. The
Bay City Times, The Flint Journal, The Jackson Citizen
Patriot, the Kalamazoo Gazette and The Saginaw
News. The eight Booth newspapers are owned by
Advance Publications, based in New York.
George Arwady, publisher of the Kalamazoo paper,
said the new benefits were "pretty well accepted" by
employees. "It’ s a matter of equitable treatment for our
employees," Arwady said. "We have not made a big
deal out of it, mad it’s not a big deal."
Margaret DeRitter, an editor at the Gazette, said she
was pleased by the amaouncement. "I wasn’t aware of
employees internally pushing for.it," said DeRitter,
who is Gay and a 12-year employee of the paper. "I
thought it was great the company would do this without
any prompting from the staff. It says they value all
of their employees and want to be fair and equitable."
Mother of Slain Soldier
Appeals Army Decision
WASHINGTON (AP)-The mother of a FortCampbell
soldier who was murdered in iris barracks is seeking to
overturn the denial of her $1.8 million wrongful death
claim against the Army Kutteles sent an appeal of the
Sept. 27 decision by the military to Army Secretary
Louis Caldera. Kutteles, of Kansas City, Mo., said
fellow soldiers believed Winchell was Gay and harassed
him for months before he was beaten to death
with a baseball bat while sleeping in his cot July 5,
1999 at a post in Kentucky. The Army knew about the
harassment but did nothing to stop it, she said.
Pvt. Calvin Glover of Sulphur, Okla., was sentenced
to life in prison for murdering Winchell. Another
soldier was given a 12 1/2-year sentence for lying to
investigators. The Army inspector general issued a
report in July on Winchell’s murder.
The report found evidence of low morale mad anti-
Gay behavior among members of Winchell’s unit, D
Company, 2nd Battalion of the 502nd Infantry Regiment.
It concluded, however, that the chain of command
at Fort Campbell responded,a:ppropriately with
respect to enforcing the Pentagon S policy of permitting
Gays to serve in the military so long as they keep
their sexual orientation private.
Kutteles says should Caldera side with her, the
Army wouldbe taking full responsibility for Winchell’s
death. "We have to do this for our son’s sake. He died,
and I want his death to be meaningful," she said. "I
want other mothers and fathers not to have to go
through this."
Easier-to-Swallow
Anti-AIDS Pills
WASHINGTON (AP).- The government
approved a new easier-to-use version of a
standard AIDS drug that may ease patient
complaints that the medicine is too hard to
swallow. The drug is ddI, often used in the
multi-drug cocktails that AIDS patients
take to fight the virus. Until now, patients
havehad to chew, or dissolve in water, two
large, bitter-tasting ddI pills twice a day.
Those pills also frequently were blamed
for diarrheaand other gastrointestinal side
effects.
The Food and Drug Administration approved
a once-a-day capsule version of
ddI. Swallowing the capsule, to be sold
under the brandname Videx F_C, means no
nasty taste problem. An FDA spokeswoman
said thenew ddI may cause fewer
dangerous interactions with other medications
that AIDS patients take, because the
capsule does not contain abuffering ingredient
used in thechewable version.
Also, manufacturer Bristol-Myers
Squibb contends a special coating on the
new version means it may cause fewer
gastrointestinal side effects. Although
Bristol-Myers never ddirecdy compared the
old and new ddI to prove that, the FDA
said getting rid of that old buffering ingredient
may indeed help.
Bristol-Myers did notreveal whenVidex
EC would begin.selling, or if it would cost
the same as the old version,-,.
Researchers & Drug
Co. Dispute Results
CHICAGO (AP)-A study suggesting that
a vaccine-like AIDS treatment is ineffective
has provoked a public dispute between
the manufacturer that paid for much
of the study and doctors who say the company
tried to squelch their research.
The study’s conclusions, published in a
recent Journal of the American Medical
Association, echo doubts aboutHIV- 1 Immunogen
that were expressed several years
ago by advisers to the U.S~ Food and Drug
Administration. The results suggest that
when added to the drug regimen for HIVinfectedpatients,
HIV-11mmunogenfailed "
to reduce the risk of devdopingfull-blown ¯
AIDS. The drug cames the brand name ..
Remune. ¯
Immune Response Corp., the drug’s "
manufacturer, contends that researchers "
omitted favorable data and skewed the
results. The company entereda fairly com- .
mon arbitration process during which it "
tried to produce "a more balanced manu- :
script," said Dr. Ronald Moss, the ¯
company’s vice president of medical and "
scientific affairs. Instead, the researchers "
~~:.~¥i~lated daeir~eonttaomalagreement and i
r. 1~blish~in~oinpletefindings;Moss ~aid.~ ....
"It seems like tabloid journalism that "
lAMA would not investigate this further" "
before publishing, Moss said,
HIV-1 Immunogea was developed by ."
the late Dr. Jonas Salk, who created the ."
first polio vaccine. It was developed be- ."
fore powerful "drug cocktails" including ¯
protease inhibitors became standard HIV :
treatment, and Immune Response says :
subjects’ use of such drugs affected the :
findings in the JAMA study. ".
Dr. James Kahn of the University of
California at San Francisco, the smdy’s
lead author, said the company withheld
important data and then tried to suppress
publication.
The company denies both claims. In an
arbitration complaint last month, Immune
Response also demanded $7 million to
; 10 millionfrom Kahn and the tmiversity,
claiming dissemination of the negative
findings caused,it financia], harm, university
attorney :Christopher Patti said. The
university contends Kahn was-allowed to
publ.ish the results.
The study of2,527 patients inthe United
States found that Remune did boost levels
ofinfection-fighting white blood cells, but
the authors questi,o....n~fl whether the effect
was clinically significant.
JAMA editor Dr. Catherine DeAngelis
defended thejournal’s decision to publish.
’q’his study stands on its own scientific
merit," she said. "It was peer-reviewed as
~uch." In a JA1V[A editorial, she said the
dispute illustrates what can happen when
disagreement erupts between researchers
and a funding sponsor who "has a proprietary
interest in the findings."
Moss said the study was published without
the consent of some of the researchers.
The company and one of the dissenting
researchers, Dr. John Turner of Graduate
Hospital in Philadelphia, drafted a letter
Monday to DeAngelis, decrying publication
of a manuscript that contains "incomplete
and inaccurate information." The
final manuscript contains "some major
statistical flaws," said Turner, who believes
HIV-1 lmmunogen can slow disease
progression. "ff I were HIV-positive,
I would batter down any door necessary to
get it, period," Turner said.
Doctors Org. Cites
Conflicts of Interest
CHICAGO (AP) - A funny thing happened
to Dr. Jerome Kassirer at a recent
lecture to medical students about financial
conflicts of interest for doctors: It turned
out the free buffet was provided by amajor
drug company. Kassirer had a blunt message:
Medical schools and training programs
"must teach that there is no free
lunch. No free dinner. Or textbooks. Or
even a ballpoint pen."
From freebies for medical students to
research funding that can taint study results
to the growing practice of marketing
prescription medicine direcdy to consumers,
drug_companies have a growing and
sometimes unseemly influence on doctors,
according to articles, studies and editorials
published recently in the Journal of
the American Medical Association.
The relationship between research and
indus~try appears to beunde.r growing scm-
’ fihy~The edit6fof, the:New’ E~tgl~tnd Journal
of Medicine wrote an extraordinary
critique in May, saying scien.ce_ is being~
compromised by the growing influence ot
induslry money. That same month, the
Harvard Medical School said it would not
ease its conflict of interest standards, considered
the toughest in the nation, and
Dean Joseph B. Martin called for a national
dialogue on the issue.
Most experts agree that research needs
industry dollars. The top 10 pharmaceuti-
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Saturday, November 11, 10 - 6pm
2727 East 56th Street
743-6740
Oklaiaorna NAI,L.\I... covdia!iv ~.t~,v~v~ v,ott
to a chocolate and champa~r~~ ~ete in
support of abortion and reprt~d~ctive
rights in Oklahoma
Celebrating 27 Years of Choice
Sunday, November 12, 2000. 1:3(.1 - 3:30 p.m.
:"~’° fob~heldat Resonat~~e - " ~
Champagne, Coffee, Chocolates
$25 per ~ndividual
[’lea.~ R.S.V.P. to the NARAL L)ffice: 4.4-9585
cal companies spent nearly $23 billion on : days, washing the condoms with water
clinical research last year- more than the ¯ and soap afteruse. Researchers will check
nearly $18 billion provided by the Na- : the condoms for rips or tears and examine
tional Institutes of Health, JAMA editor ." the participants to make sure that’reuse
Dr. Catherine DeAngelis said. ¯ doesn’t cause rashes or irritations.
The problem is when researchers have " "In terms of the whole spectrum of birth
f’mancial interests in companies funding " control, it’s not the best," Said Barbara
their work. DeAngelis said such research ¯ Lea-Kruger, spokeswoman for the Viris
lower in quality and more likely to " ginia Department of Health’s HIV/AIDS
report findings favorable to the company, division."Butifwe’retalkingaboutwomen
One study found ,that. 7,6 percent of the : who don’t have access to other forms of
faculty researchers at the University of ¯ birth control and who come from a culture
California at San Francisco~aad personal " wheremenareless willing touseacondom,
financial ties to their drug company sport- " it’s a Viable alternative."
sorslastyear.Mostwereshort-termspeak- :
ing engagements or consulting agreements Seniors & HIV/AIDS with minimal payments. ¯
State and federal-guidelines require re- CANTON, Ohio (AP) - Older people
searchers to disclose certain financial ties, . sometimes have an awkward approach to
and a UCSF policy prohibits faculty in- ¯ sexual issues that puts them at risk for
volvedinindustry-sponsoredresearchfrom " HIV, health counselors say.
receiving any compensationfrom the corn- " SusanJ. McCollum, who teaches people
pany during the study. 50 and older about the risks of contracting
Elizabeth Boyd and Lisa Bert, with HIV, said older people must be aware of
UCSF’s Institute for Health Policy Stud- the risks. "It’s dangerous for any group of
ies, said a campus committee "worked to people to think they’re immune," said
accommodateallbutthemostovertlycon- McCollum, a counselor for Planned Parflicting
relationships in the interest of en- enthood ofStark County.
couraging its faculty, and, presumably, According to the U.S. Centers for Disencouraging
future outside investment in ease Control and Prevention, the number
the university." of older people becoming infected is in-
The authors suggested that financial ties creasing. An estimated 10.9 percent, of
may be more prevalent at other universi- men with HIV and 9.4 percent of women
ties with less stringent policies. A 1998- with HIV are 50 and older.
2000 study of 89 major universities found "People that age have not grown up with
that only 17-19%- had specific limits or condoms, like people who are in their
prohibitions on relationships with indus- 20s," McCollum said. "For a woman in
try. While most had co~fflict of interest her 60s to talk to a man about condoms..
policies, the3, were not as effective be- ." McCollum also said it’s an awkward
cause they don’t spell what is prohibited, adjustmentforpeoplewhoarenewly single
the authors said. after having been in along-term marriage
Dr. Jordan Cohen, president of the As- or relationship. "Women4Oandolderdon’t
sociation of Americau Medica! Colleges, want to grow old alone," McColhma told
announced that the group is forming a task The Repository for a story published Sunforce
to investigate conflicts of interest dav."They’reputtingthemselvesoutthere,
and reach a consensus on what types of but they don’t know enough, or they’re not
relationships with drug companies should able to talk about condoms. It puts them at
be allowed, a real disadvantage."
Around the world, an estimated 85,000
Women’s Corldo[~
women, middle-age and older, have been
infected with HIV. McCollum has had
May Help HIV Fight young women come for HIV testing who
want her to talk to their mothers about
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A condom for risky sexual behavior.
women that never quite caught on in the KimJackson, spekeswomanfortheOhio
United States is being studied to see if AIDS Coalition, said that while her group
reusing it can make it more economical does not offer educational programs speand
help fight AIDS in developing coun- eifieally targeting seniors, older people do
tries. The United Nations AIDS program participate. "We have a general education
has been distributing the Reality Female program for people of all ages," Jackson
Condom to women in areas such as sub- said. "We are seeing more people that age
Saharan Africa, which has been-devas- attending our programs. We had several
tated by AIDS. people in their 70s at our last program."
The key to providing female condoms, Bonnie Bolitho, executive director of
which retail for $2 to $3 apiece, to poor " Planned Parenthood of Stark County, said
women is making them affordable, said ; many older people have the incorrect idea
Dr. Susan A. Ballagh, the clinical trial’s thatHIV-AIDS is a "homosexual" disprincipal
investigator~ ..-~ :. ~ ; :;~ .ease~~ thatit aff~ts O~[y yo~mgtpeople.
~;- -TheChicago-basedF.emal¢H~althCom~ i :. "rl~ere~.s tl~tse~e~that :~It-cot~’’~t"~pen’ to
pan~,theproduct’ssolemannfaclurer, sells ~ me,"’ she said. "You’re talking about of
the condoms to international family plan- ¯ group of people who have been monoganing
agencies for as little as 70 cents a , mous for most of their lives. Now, they’re
piece. ; at a different stage of life. Some haven’t
But women’s condoms could be even ¯ put a lot of thought into how it (HIV)
more economical if they were reused. Re- ¯ affects them."
searchers at Eastern Virginia Medical " According to Bolitho, "It’s the age-old,
School arerecntiting 80 couples to test the ; overarchiugproblemoftalkingaboutsexu_
condoms. Half the couples will use the ¯ ality, and it’s plain old-fashioned denial.
condom once. The other couples each will ; Denial is one of our great enemies."
use a single condom five times over 15 ~
by Jim Christjohn, entertaiment editor ] child out once in a while. I wasn’t expect-
Hey folks, welcome to the time of the ¯ ing a great movie, but it surprised me. The
year when we celebrate the fact that the " filmis well acted - hard to find in a movie
Indians helped the
pilgrims onlyto be
thanked with
slaughter and removal
from ancestral
lands. Go
America!
The first thanksgiving
was basically
afour day celebration/
party
wherein the Native
Americans provided
the food, fun,
and games. It really
wasn’t about
religion at all, as the
lore surrounding it
wouldhave youbelieve.
Anditwasn’t
too long after that
whentheEuropean
invaders started
getting a bit greedy for the profits land
conld bring from new immigrants, and so,
in the name of- God, "took" the land from
the Natives. Oh, and there was a religious
aspect to it, once the "pilgrims" figured
out how to work the land from the Natives
and didn’t need them anymore..,,It was
either convert or die for the heathen Nafives.
Ah, the things the don’t tell you in
school - or church.
On to more cheerier thoughts - I drug
my curmudgeonly editor to afilm recently.
(Well, OK, he wanted to go, too, and
hasn’t been terribly curmudgeonly lately.)
We saw "The Little Vampire." OK, now
stop laughing. It’s good to let the inner
li...We saw
"The Little Vampire."
OK, now stop laughing.
It’s good to let the inner
child out once in a while.
I wasn’t expeetlng a great
movie, but it surprised me.
The film is well acted -
hard to find in a movie
starring children;
well written;
and superbly filmed... "
starting children;
well written; and
superbly filmed.
And it had something
for everyone
- it didn’t "talk
down" to kids, nor
did it avoid being
funny in an adult
way.
The film is
’~’:~-m~bout a young
Americanboy who
moves to England
due to his father’s
business. HE’s
miserable,being an
outsider - and
picked on at school,
in particularby two
twins. It certainly
broughtback some
memories in that
respect. I knew a pair of twins who were
the scourge of Hurst Junior high, and it
was kind of like watching a flashback -
except with better accents. Anyway, our
hero has a fixation with men in capes -
sound familiar? (Hint: Read last month’s
column.)
And Io and behold, he meets a boy
vampire, and they form a close friendship.
This results in many misadventures, including
foiling a would be vampire hunter
and the aforementioned bullies. I highly
recommend seeing this film, because it’s a
fun ride, entertaining, while putting forth
some good-thoughts. A lot of care andlove
went into this film, and it shows.
GIFTS
OF THE
S£ASON!
COUNCIL OAK
MEN’S CHORALE
ALL SOULS UNITARIAN
Tmditionalists,ofcourse, abhorthat each " Choralewillperform.AndonDec.9,there
year December holidays begin earlier and " will be a gala dinner in the Great Hall,
earlier. Christmas in September isincreas- ¯ Chaired by friends to the community,
ingly a reality. Catherine Seger
But one of the
local traditions
which we don’t
mind seeing early
nearly so much is
Philbrook
Museum’s annual
holiday celebration
and exhibition,
Home for the Holidays.
The event
kicks off with the
Festival of Trees.
T,he ~Fe~sfival
tures trees,
wreaths, and more
by local artists, designers
and school
children. The event
is chaired by Lou
Hodgson and caterer
Mark Lackey
is artist liaison.
At the museum members’ opening on
Dec. 2 at noon, the Council Oak Men’s
and Hillary Kitz.
And of course, local
A-listers,
Talmadge Po-well
and Steve Wright
are helping out by
chairing the Patron
Party and
Treeview.
The featured artistforHomefor
the
Holidays is Lisa
Regan of the GardenDevaSculpture
Co. Regan, whose
work is seen
through out Tulsa’ s
gardens, has been
shown in Better
Homes and Gardens,
shows her
work at Mayfest.
Her commemorative ornament, shown
" above, .is an aluminum tree with bead
¯ accents.
E[ecUon Day, Nov. 7
Who Will Pick the
NEW SUPREHES?
Decisions we make at the ballot box will resonate for
decades, including the make-up of the Supreme
Court. Our choice: continue the path of progress or
take a sharp U-turn back to the anti-glbt politics of
the ’80s. We need your voice for our jobs, for our
families, for our lives.
HUMAN
RIGHTS
CAMPAIGN
COME OUT VOTING ¯ www.hrc.org
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 ~the:se~ ev~t..s~ (or by jgining
~HRC - ’ ii~’~ !j~ :i~3-" ~i ~li !~8~[2913 €;r emaii
hrctulsaoHahoma@ aol.com).
HUMAN
RIGHTS
CAMPAIGN~
by Tom Neal, editor/publisher
Although the National Conference for Community and Justice claims to be an anti-hate
group, for at least the last 4-5 years this anti-bias organi~tion has activdy discriminated
against Gay & Lesbian Tulsans as well as failing to speak out when Gay & Lesbian
Tulsans were targets of physical violence as well as recipients of legislative and other
attacks on their civil rights.
At their Trialogue on Marriage, hosted by Boston Avenue Methodist Church (a church
which has been host to several events at which Lesbian and Gay Tuls’ans were attacked
or excluded), Trialogue organizer Mr. Levson, then cantor of Temple Israel, stated that
JOI g
0 II B
HATE
he and other NCCJ organizers deliberately excluded same gender mamage from
discussionbecauseitwouldhave been"too controversial." This was done despite thefacts
that the issue could not have been more prominent in public discussion because of court
cases in Hawaii, and even though the issue is still in debate in many Christian denominations
and in several Jewish organizations.
NCCJ has repeated been asked to reform their actions: to add openly Gay or Lesbian
persons to their board of directors, to speak out on legislative issues, to live what they say
they are about.
To date, they have refused to do so, preferring to raise substantial sums from Tulsa
"society" events such as honoring Bob Lorton, owner ofThe Tulsa World for his "human
rights" work despite the fact that The World for at least 15 years had documented anti-
Gay business practices which they publicly defended and despite The Wordls
acknowledgement of racist hiring practices in their newsroom in response to an EEOC
complaint.
Some Gay community observers, however,
wonderhow it is that the hate groups,
like the KKK, don’t manage to forget
Lesbians and Gay men including them in
their hate rhetoric, but the folks who supposedly
are "allies" manage only to hear
the KKK’s racist and anti-Sem~itic comments.
Groups who endorsed the "Statement in
Support of Diversity" include a number
who have been supportive of Lesbians and
Gay men. These include: Community of
Hope, All Souls, Hope and Community
Unitarians, Fellowship Congregatxonal
¯ Church- UCC, Jewish Federation ofTulsa
and even the Metropolitan Community
¯ Church United (MCC). Calls to All Souls,
MCC-United, and Fellowship Congrega-
¯ tional were not returned. Perry Simons,
¯ executive director of Jewish Federation
¯ said that organization does not discrimi-
: hate on sexual orientation.
¯ In contrast, Father Rick Hollingsworth,
¯ oftheParishChurchofSaintJeromewrote
¯ a letter in protest of the the "Statement in
¯ Support of Diversity"
¯ In it, he notes that, "The Parish Church
,¯ of St Jerome is certainly in support of
celebrating and supporting the wonderful
¯ diversity, which surrounds us in our beau-
" tiful city... I am concerned however that
¯ the statement on diversity see TMM,p. 10
Name Games by Michael Craft
Reviewed by Barry Hensley
Tulsa City-County Library
It takes a speci~ talent to pull off a
murdermystery novel andone ofthebetter
Gay mystery series, Mark
Manning mysteries by
Michael Craft, has a clever
new entry, Name Games.
Delving into an unlikely
topic, the world of minia-
.tures, Craft has created a
fun, although not particularly
suspenseful mystery.
Set in rural Wisconsin,
main character Mark Manning
is now the publisher of
the local newspaper and
leading a very open and out
life with a longlime partner,
while raising a neglected
nephew. The big
news in town is the upcoming
Midwest Miniatures
Society Exhibition, which
attracts enthusiasts worldwide.
Two of the most
prominent figures in this
little underworld, Carroll
Cantrell and Bruno
Herisson , who happen to
be arch rivals, are being
"...Anthropologist
Sherry Ortner,
drawing on the
French feminist
Simone Beauvolr,
once proposed that
’Man is to CultUre as
Woman is to
Nature.’ Ortner was
seeking a reason for
why, almost everywhere,
people value
what men do more
than they value what
women do.. ¯ "
homophobic District Attorney, Harley
Kaiser, and a New Age feminist, Miriam
Westerman, who is somehow convinced
that Gay pom"hurts women." Add to this,
the nephew, Thad, trying outfor the school
play and Mark’s lover,
Nell, who is trying to decide
whether to move his
architectural practice to the
small town from Chicago.
When Cantrell (who has
man3, health problems) is
discovered murdered, the
exhibitionis turned upside
down and things really get
uncomfortable when the
Sheriff becomes the primary
suspect. Manning,
aided by his sleuths at the
newspaper, set out to clear
the Sheriff.
The characters inName
Games are nicely drawn,
if a bit stereotypical ]]ae
town, Dumont, is remarkably
(and a bit unrealistically)
progressive and unconcerned
about the iGay
influence~ ofManning and
his cohorts. (Could there
really be a town like this in
today’s America?)
flown in. Grace Lord, a sweet little old
lady,is hosting and coordinating the ev~nt.
The Sheriff, Doug Pierce, a closeted Gay
man, is in the midst of a reelection bid
while dealing with a pornography trial
involving "dirty book stores" on the edge
of town. The trial is being pushed by the
is not as broad as it should be. This is
evidenced I believe by the omission of
Sexual Orientation as part of that diversity
in the statement.
Gay and Lesbian persons are an integral
part of Tulsa’s rich diversity which When
joined together with other forms of diversity
create community. When Rabbi Marc
Fitzerman was speaking this last Sunday
at the rededication, He was very dear,
’Those whohate Jews, usually hate Catholics,
Those who hate Catholics usually
hate Gay and Lesbian people...’
As a Pastor of a Parish which primarily
serves the Gay and Lesbian community
and as a religious leader who is openly
Gay, I am unable to sign the document
without the inclusion of Sexual Orienta-
The obligatory sex scenes are really just
¯¯ uninspired dream sequences, and leave a
little too much to the imagination. The
¯ mystery is a fun and exciting ride, but it is
¯ certainly nothing special. In fact, this ¯
novice mystery reader managed to figure
] our whodunit long before the end of the
¯ for Human Rights (TOHR) said that the
lack of inclusiveness raised concerns and
~ would likely be addressed in upcoming
: organizational meetings for a formal response.
:
:
and love diversity. We have many reli¯
gions, many nationalities, many cultures
here, and we’re taught to respect them.
¯ When the hell ~s someone going to respect
¯ us for our diversity? If you want to do
: something to help, there’s a number to
¯ call, and an ever popular website to visit.
¯ It’s the Human Rights Campaign Founda-
¯ uon, 800-498-0382, or www.hrc.org. ¯
When we stand up and show people that
¯
we do exist, especially in great numbers,
¯ then things are going to happen. Or, as
¯ Melissa Etheridge said, "when you free
uon as-part Of that .,diu~si.ty..._,: i ¯ " your mind, a rockin’ jam will follow." If
Our people have~J~en, the Unfox~:unate .:, we can each one of us find one person, or
victims of bigotry, prejudice and hate ¯ child, to reach, then we’ve taken the first
crimes for centuries, including the holocaust.
To not speak openly about these
issues promotes the silence, which has
imprisoned Gay and Lesbian children of
God for far too long."
Father Hollingsworth toldTulsa Family
News that he read his letter to his congregation
and that the response has been overwhelmingly
supportive of his position.
Greg Gatewood of Tulsa Oklahomans
¯ steps in stopping fascism. Hitler ended up ¯
in a bunker, having shot his wife and
¯ sticking the guninhis mouthbefore shoot-
" ing. I think many Other fascists (read
¯ fundamentalists) forget that fact. Hatred
¯
turns inward, but not before the hater has
¯ devastatingly hurt others. Something that
¯ shouldbetaughtinEVERY SundaySchool
-" class. And please remember one thing:
: VOTE!!!!!!!
Timothy W. Daniel
Attorney at Law
An Attorney who will fight for justice
& equality for Gays & Lesbians
Domestic Partnership Planning,
Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy
1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504
128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma
Weekend and evening appoinlments are available.
Are You Gay or Bisexual?
Are You Native American?
Support Group is here:f0r yotJ!:~’ " ~’~’~.~" ~-’-"
¯ Evening support group meetings
¯ Relationship workshops
¯ Short trips, outings and retreats
¯ Free HlVtesting
For information call Tulsa Native American AIDS Prevention Project
918.588.1900, x4275 or x4276
-International
Fresh Start
Seeking men & women to help with
expansion in the area. Must be independent,
goal-oriented, have a great attitude
and excellent people skills.
Call 663:5323.
Country Club Barbering
Custom Styling for Men & Women
David Kauskey
3310 E. 51st, 747-0236,~ues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm
ody
TI- ,ll
Tulsa’s only
professional
body-piercing
- College Hill
Presbyterian Church
In response to God’s Love,
College Hill Presbyterian Church
is a commtmity of God’s people
called to tell others the
Gospel of Jesus Christ
through worship,
servzce, 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
voi~ for peace andjustice.
Our congregation.welcomes all
persons who respond in trust and
obedience to God’s grace
in Jesus Christ, and desire to become
part of the membership and ministry
of Christ’s church.
M~a~~s!~.9~ ~-:,Opt: ~-.~i!...~9,Pl..~.
regardless of race, .ethnic origin,
worldly condition, marital status, or
sexual orientation.
Sunday Worship. 1 lam
712 S. Columbia Ave., 592-5800
(One block west of Delaware and the
University of Tulsa Campus)
by Karin Gregory
"Man Shot in Local Gay Bar", "TeenagerAssaulted
Because Suspects Believed
HimGay","’We Don’t Have Hate Crimes
in Brown County’".
Seems everywhere you look now, there
are hate crimes against the G/L/B/T com-
~’munity, or-alleged hate
"!crimes~ or people denying
;hate crimes exist. There
are even those very few Who
deny homosexuality exis ts,
and I believe our Dishonorable
George W. Bush to
beamong them (I don’t~ve
up a chance to let you all
know you MUST vote November
7).
Interesting news about
the teenager. Not that it
doesn’t happen at every
.school, but the school
where this took place is the
same one from which our
disti9,guished arts and entertainment
editor .graduated.
Back in those days,
we didn’t have hate crimes. Wall, we did,
but we didn’t call them that. Boys who
were Gayjust had to be beaten up and take
it "like a man", or they had to develop
those queen-like attitudes of death that
would scare any quarterback into his tiny,
homophobic, neanderthal area of his body
called a mind.
One of my friends, the one who thinks
we’re all going to hell, says all Crimes like
murder, assault, rape, etc. are hate crimes.
I disagree. There are certainly crimes of
passion. There are premeditated crimes.
There are even assaults with deadly weapons
with intent to kill. But they are for a
purpose - to either get rid of someone so
disturbing to you (like a wife, husband,
mother-in-law), or to get money to buy
drugs, cigarettes, or "fabulous" outfits.
The people committing these crimes may
hate the person AT THAT TIME, but not
always. In other words, the criminals
aren’t their own self-proclaimed Adoif
Hitlers, who have decided to take all logic
and reason and bury them, sending us back
into theDarkAges. But thereAREpeople
who are self-proclaimed Hirers, whether
they want to believe it or not, spreading
NOT the words of Jesus, but the words of
hate to a nation.
Maybe they weren’t the ones who beat
up Matthew Shepard and lefthim to die, or
the ones who had a direct hand in James
Byrd’s death, or the people who raped
BrandonTeena, only to shoothim to death
repeatedly, later. But they had a hand in
each one of these deaths. For eachone
you-reading:this..fight now, there are at
least 20 (at least in Texas and Oklahoma)
ignorant people who believe that homosexuality
isn’t something you’re born with.
That you can change if you want to. That
you’ve chosen to be laughed at, beaten up,
fired from your job, ostracized from your
families. These are the people who have
raised the suspects in the above headlines.
They’ve "carefully taught" their children
to, as the "South Pacific" song goes, "hate
-"...Bach in those days,
we didn’t have hate
crimes. Well, we did, but
we didn’t call them that.
Boys who were Gay just
had to be beaten up and
take it "llke a man", or
they had to develop those
queen-llke attitudes of
death that would scare
any quarterback into his
tiny, homophoble,
neanderthal area of his
body eafled a mind...."
all the people their relatives hfite." Many
of them, of course, in the name of Jesus.
Stealing a line from an old Woody Allen
movie,"ifJesus came down and saw what
was going on in his name, he’d never stop
throwing up."
If you’ve read my columns from the
beginning (and I thank
BOTHofyou,by the way!),
you know I’m a fledgling,
coming out only after everyone
else has not only
blazed the trail for me, but
made that trail a four lane
highway! So no, I’ve
NEVER experienced what
most of you have in your
"out" lives. I still think I
can walkhandinhand with
a woman in public, or kiss
her on a residential street
in Dallas (and have!), and
not receive any flack from
it. But I taught public
school for eight years, ten
years toomany, and Iknow
whatkids say to each other,
not caring that their words hurt. More
importantly, I’ve heard teachers and other
school staff go on the attack against gays,
saying that the Bible doesn’t condone it.
We’ve had this discussion before, but I
just want to let you know that your childrenmay
be being taughtbyahomophobic
teacher. And believe me, teachers still do
have influence on children. So children
are taught to hate another child because
that child may be different. Obviously, if
I can look through a gay newspaper and
pick out,just by going through one quarter
of it, three separate stories on hate crimes,
there’s a problem. One that needs to be
addressed. Well, it’s been addressed, but
many ar~turning their heads. While crime
is rampant on the streets, and hate crimes
against the G/L/B/T community has skyrocketed,
thelegislature still cools its heels
over this issue.
It shouldn’t have to take television to
fire me up, but watching highlights from
the "Equality Rocks" concert onVH-1 did
it for me. During the evening, the parents
of several hate crime victims, Matthew
Shepard’s parents and James Byrd’s parents
among them, gave a small speech that
had the more than 45,000 audience crying
openly. Then Melissa Etheridge, herself
not able to contain tears, sang her song
about. Matthew Shepard, "Scarecrow."
How can people, after watching that,
still believe that these boys should have
died? How can anyone hate a group of
people just because they .are different?
How can they facethemselve~inthemom- *.
ing,-knowin~ thav they~ce*contril~me~.., in
ANY way, to these deaths? How many
times can we turn away and do nothing?
We have a revolution going on in this
country. Most people don’t want to believe
it. They’d rather dose their doors.
Hell, so would I, but I can see the revolution
coming even stronger than before.
.The one consistent thing thatI was taught
mschool about the United States is that we
are a melting pot see Lesbian, p.lO
Healing
VROJECT
AIDS Memorial ~.uilt ~
wareness"
World AIDS Day Candlelight Memorial March
Friday, December 1st, 6:30pm
Tulsa Civic Center Plaza, 5th & Denver
The NAMES Project Quilt Opening, 8pm
This advertisement is donated by Tulsa Family News. TFN appreciates the opportunity to support this showing of the Quilt, and The NAMES Project.

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