[2001] Tulsa Family News, August 2001; Volume 8, Issue 8

[2001] Tulsa Family News, August 2001; Volume 8, Issue 8

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

August 2001

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, July 2001; Volume 8, Issue 7

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PDF
Online text

English

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https://history.okeq.org/items/show/615

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

Execution Set for Killer of
Man Thought to Be Gay :
by Tim Talley, Associated Press Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma’s Court of "
Criminal Appeals has set an Aug. 30 execution date for "
Mexican national Gerardo Valdez, whose request for ¯
clemency was denied by Gov. Frank Keating. ¯
Valdez, 41, had been scheduled to die by lethal "
rejection on June 19 for the April 1, 1989, murder of 26- "
year-old Juan Trinidad Barton in Valdez’s home in
Minco, Oklahoma. But Keating granted a 30-day reprieve
to consider a recommendation by the state Par- "
don and Parole Board that his death sentence be corn- ¯
muted. ¯
Valdez met Barron in a bar where both men were :
drinking. Valdez, Barron and another man gaveled to
Valdez’s home, where Valdez accused Barron of being ¯
a homosexual and threatened to kill him. ’V-aldez shot
Barton twice in the forehead, then slit Barron’s throat "
with a large knife, seeExecUtion,p. 3 "
Park Task Force Seeks
to Treat Sex Offenders
TULSA (TFN) - After months of meetings, a group
which included police officers, sheriffs, professional
counselors, members of the Tulsa City Prosecutor’s
Office, the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office,
representatives ofTulsa Oklahomans forHuman Rights
(TOHR) and even an anthropologist from the University
of Tulsa, have issued a plan and recommendations
toaddress"misdemeanorsexual crimes" inTulsacounty.
The effort began in December 1999 when the Tulsa
Police Dept. asked the Mental Health Association in
Tulsa (MHAT) for help in addressing sexual activity in
city and county parks and other public locations. In
February 2000, MHAT began contacting various individuals
with professional interests in the problem.
The goal was to design an effective response to the
inappropriate public sexual behavior which help the
individuals who are involved while protecting the
public’s right to health and safety in public places.
The group noted that the perpetrators ofpublic sex are
mostly male andmany aremarried with families. Police
also noted that if it were thought to be an effective
deterent, many more arrests could be made than are
done.
The essence of the proposal is that those arrested for
misdemeanor sex crimes could be given suspended or
deferred sentences, would be banished from state, city
and county parks during probation, would have to
performcommunity service andmostimportantly, would
go through an approved mental health/physical health
.treatment program (at theirownexpense) to address the
issues which lead to the sex crime. Satisfactory completion
of these conditions would result in dismissed or
lesser charges.
For more information, direct questions to Michael
Brose, executive director, Mental Health Association in
i New Community Center
¯ TOHR Seeks Location Suggestions
TULSA (TFN) -~ Over 65 people, almost as mmay women as men,
attended a meeting in July at the current, rented Gay community
center at 21st & Memorial to discuss where and what a new,
~ hopefully owned, community center would be.
. The mostly white and miXed Native American group hadan
¯ age range from afew in their 20’s with most in their 30’s, 40’s,
50’s and some above.
¯ The brainstorming session generated location suggestions
from Cherry Street, the Brady District, Swan Lake neighbor-
: hood, Brady Heights neighborhood, 11th Street, Kendall Whittier
i
to 31st Street.at Highway 169 to.the old Oral Roberts University
building near Veterans Parkncar the south downtown neighborhood
of SoBo.
Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends
Community members discuss possible Center options.
And while no single notion of location emerged from the
meeting, a good picture of what people would like the building to
do, did. see Center, p. 9
Hate Crimes Seem.on Increase
Congress and BushAdministration Should
Immediately Address this Problem, Says HRC
WASHINGTON-TheHuman Rights Campaign today called on
Congress and the Bush administration to use their bully pulpits to
condemn recent outbreaks of alleged anti-Gay hate violence
across the nation.
"To remain disengaged in the face of these violent tragedies
sends the wrong message and allows dangerous hate mongers to
grossly misinterpret this silence," says HRC Executive Director
Elizabeth Birch. "We urge Congress and the administration to
publicly address this unconscionable rash of anti-Gay violence.
They should use their bully pulpits to let people know this
behavior is unacceptable and un’American."
Last weekend, in what appears to be a crime caused in largepart
by anti-Gay bias, Willie Houston, 38, was fatally shot in the
chest in Nashville, Tenn., after the alleged gunman, Lewis
Maynard Davidson III, 25, taunted him with anti-Gay epithets.
Houston hadjust finished a midnight riverboat cruise with his
fiancee, Nedra Jones, and friends when the trouble started.
Houston escorted a blind male friend by the arm into a restroom
while holding Jones’ purse.
Inside the restroom, the gunman allegedly hurled anti-Gay
insults at the friends. Hefollowed them out of the restroom, while
continuing his verbal harassment. Davidson then allegedly returned
to his car where he retrieved a gun and said, "Now what
you got to say?" before firing the weapon at Houston.
Police are searching for Davidson andhave yet to officially call
it a hate crime, saying the investigation is "still very much open."
While the victim is reportedly not Gay, Tennessee hate crime
laws cover violence basedonreal or perceived sexual orientation.
HRC is working with local law enforcement and actively following
this ease with the help of its local leadership.
On June 21, high school student Fred Martinez, Jr., 16,- who
described himself as openly Gay, transgender and "two-spirit" -
was found beaten to death in Cortez, Colo. Shaun Murphy, 18,
has been charged with second-degree murder.
see Hate, p. 7
¯ Tulsa .Hate Crime: Gay
¯ Beaten by Straight Man
TULSA (TFN) - It seemed an ordinary Thursday
evening in July for one Tulsa man who had stopped
¯¯ for a couple beers at one of Tulsa’s Gay clubs. After
all, who expects to be Tulsa s next hate crime v~ctlm.
¯ Certainly not"Joe Smith" minding his own business,
¯ going home fairly early - only a little after ten p.m.
But it turned out not to be such a quiet night for
." Smith. Leaving the club, he was followed by a driver
¯ who quickly made his hostility obvious over a num-
- ber of miles across the city.
As Smith drove on, he became increasingly con-
’ cemed and stopped at a convenience store where he
¯ ran in, yelled at the clerk to call the police and
¯ barracaded himself in the restroom. ¯
However, a locked door hardly slowed Smith’s
¯ assaillant down. Described as over 6’-4" and likely
¯ 250 pounds or more, Smith said his attacker snapped
off the door handle to the restroom and proceeded to
pound him, cracking several ribs, and slamming
¯ Smith’s face into a towel dispenser. At one point, the
¯ attacker punched Smith in the chest near the heart, in
¯ a move described as an attempted "death punch.’"
Finally Smith, himself a tall man, managed to grab
¯ his attacker’s hands and Smith succeeded in slam-
" ruing his knee into his attacker’s genitals, once or
¯ twice. Then Smith took refuge behind the counter
with the store clerk and his attacker ranfrom the store.
¯ Police soon arrived and Smith characterized their
¯ response as appropriate and supportive. While Smith
¯ and the police were discussing the attack, the phone
in the store rang and they heard the clerk saying to the
caller that the police had not shown up. After the call
¯ ended, the store clerk turned to the police, saying that
¯ the caller said he was the attacker and wasjust calling
¯ to see if the police had responded, see Attack, p. 3
¯ Same-sex Domestic
Violence Seems Higher
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Reports of domestic violence
among Gay and Lesbian couples around the
nation in2000 increased 29% from the previous year,
according to a report released in July. There were
4,048 reports, of domestic violence among Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Transgender couples nationally,
up from 3,120 in 1999, according to the National
Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.
"With this fifth annual report, we are able to stop
asking does same-sex domestic violence exist, and
start answering what we’re going to do about it," said
Shawna Virago, a program director at Community
United Against Violence.
Virago said not all reports filed with outreach
programs get investigated by police. There were 691
cases of same-sex domestic violence reported in San
Francisco last year, according to the group. Females
represented 434 of the victims in those cases, 204
victims were male, while 52 involved transgender
victims. The term transgender covers cross-dressers,
transvestites, transsexuals and those born with characteristics
of both sexes.
The reports were compiled by the National Coalition
ofAnti-Violenee Programs, an association of26
groups that advocate for victims of same-sex harassment
and violence. Much of the increase in violence
reports came from the domestic abuse program at the
Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. That program
receives funding for an outreach and education funding
which elicited more reports than previous years,
Virago said.
In Tulsa, DVIS, Domestic Violence Intervention
Services provides support to Lesbian and Gaycouples.
Shelter services, however, are limited to female and
children only. DVIS has no options for men in need.
For the DVIS 24-hour crisis line, call 585-3143.
Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants
*Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine
*CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial
*Play-Mor, 424 S. Memorial
Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square
*Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main
*St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st
*Schatzi’s, 2619 S .’Memorial
*The Star, 1565 Sheridan
*TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial
*Tool Box II, 1338 E. 3rd
*Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan
*The Ydlow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th
832-1269
610-5323
838-9792
744-4280
585-3405
745-9998
280-1316
834-4234
660-0856
584-1308
835-2376
749-1563
Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals
Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 523 1 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
665-4580
712-1122
712-9955
494-2665
743-5272
746-0313
-295-5868
Cherry St. Psychoth.erapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117
Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700
Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468_
*Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620
Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556
*Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503
Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 369-8555
Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379
Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460
Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. l~oria 744-9595
Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. 610-0880
Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709
Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 808-8026
*Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st 742-1460
Leanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 459-9349
Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440
*Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E Skelly 745-1111
*International Tours 341-6866
Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th 712-2750
*Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018 ,
David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 747-0236 ¯
The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 582-8460 :
*Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070 :
Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466 :
*Living ArtSpace~ 308 South Kenosha 585-1234 ¯
*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd 584-3112 ¯
Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934 ",
*Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 664-2951
Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626
*The Pride Store 743-4297 ~
Rainbowz on theRiver B+B, POB 696, 74101 747-5932 [
Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617 ¯
Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. 834-7921, 748-0224 "
Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-7829 "
*Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558 ,"
Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard 835-5563
Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling 743-1733
*Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan 665-2222
*Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis 592-0767
www.gaytulsa.org - website for Tulsa Gays &Lesbians
Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities
AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593
All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria
Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159
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 Cir., University of Tulsa, 5th H.
Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood
*Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale
*Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation
Council Oak Men’s Chorale
*Ddaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware
743-2363
587-7314
583-7815
583-9780
585-1201
& Florence
587-1314
747=6300
749-0595
748-3888
712-1511
918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615
POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-maih TulsaNews@earthlink.net
Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal
Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry
Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom, Esther
Rothblum, Ma~ Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw
Member of The Associated Press
Issued around the 1 st ofeach month, the entire contents of this
publication are protected by US copyright 2001 by Tulsa
Family News and may not be reproduced either in whole or in
part without written permission from the publisher. Publication
of a name or photo does not indicate a person’s sexual
orientation. Correspondence is assumed to befor publication
unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole
property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4
copier, 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
*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 PI. 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
Soulforce-OK, Rt.4,#3534, Stigler74462 587-3248,452-2761
*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, Gay Comm. Center 743-429/
TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvocacyCoalition,POB2687,Tulsa 74101
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 Churchof Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown 749-8833
BARTLESVILLE
Barflesville Public Library, 600S. Johnstone 918-337-5353
TAHLEQUAH
Stonewal[ League, call for information: 918-456-7900
Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918-456-7900
Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-9360
EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS
Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734
Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 501-253-7457
DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 501-253-6807
Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. 501-253-5445
MCC of the Living Spring 501-253-9337
Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-2776
Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-253-5332
Positive Idea Marketing Plans 501-624-6646
White Light, 1 Center St. 501-253-4074
JOPLIN, MISSOURI
Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-623-4696
* is whereyou can findTFN. Notall are Gay-owned butall are Gay.friendly.
:
Our House ison Fire
AIDS at 20
Where were on you June 5, 1981 ? Unlike
Pearl Harbor, Kennedy’s and King’ s assassinations,
the Murrah Federal Building
bombing, or the May 3 tornadoes, I doubt
many of us can remember what we were
doing the day the Centers for Disease Controlreported
its first article about a rare
parasiticlunginfection, pueumocystis carinii
pneumonia, that had struck "5 young men,
all active homosexuals." Three of the young
men tested had an inexplicable depression
of their immune function.
Twenty years later, 36 million people
worldwide are HIV positive. HIV/AIDS has
claimed the rich and the famous, the poor
and the homeless, our sisters and brothers.
In a special report in the June 11 issue of
Newsweek, reporter Sharon Begley writes,
"the disease has changed the personal as
well as the political -how we think and how
we love, what we teach our children and
what words we say in public.’"’ The emergence
of the disease first within the gay
community in the United States drew attention
to gay relationships, courage a~d compassion.
As HIV/AIDS ravages black America,
Phill Wilson of Los Angeles speaks to a
congregation and shares a story about the
time his brother accidentally set the house
on fire, and how he and his siblings were
afraid to call the Fire Department because
they did not want people to find out. "Our
house is on fire! The fire truck arrives, but
we won’t come out, because we are at’raid
the folks from next door will see that we’re
in that burning house. AIDS is a fire raging
in our community and it’s out of control!"
We’ve had hopeful moments when it appeared
a vaccine was on the horizon or
treatment s would be able to prevent the
replication of the virus while the body’s
immune system recovered and defeated {he
virus. In reality, HIV continues to spread to
about 40,000 in the US each year and millions
worldwide. The positive news about
improvedmedical treatments for HI,V/AIDS
has softened the effect of early AIDS =
DEATH" prevention messages. Yet no one
has been cured of HIV/AIDS, the medications
required to suppress the virus are ex-
Iremely expensive and has short- and longterm
effects that must be weighed along
with their benefits, and the complexities of
the illness can wear out those who are living
with HIV/AIDS and those who care for
¯ In our eleven years as an organization,
RAIN has served 663 HIV-infected indi-
" viduals, their families and caregivers. One
¯ hundred and thirty four clients are being
¯ served currently - a greater number than at ¯
any time in the past. We see the numbers
¯ increase about 10% monthly as we add new
¯ types of services to meet the needs. Thank
~ you for helping us help others and educate
: aboutHIV/AIDS as we wait and hope for an
effective vaccine and treatment that is avail¯
able for everyone.
- Pare Cross
¯ executive director
Regional AIDS Interfaith Network
by Tom Neal, publisher and editor " ¯ release faxes from the DNC, one welcoming their new
Some days ago I attended a local Democratic party ~ openly Gay and Lesbian staff members and one from
event at All Souls Unitarian Church. Nearly all the usual ." DNC chair, Terry McAuliffe talking about Democratic
party players were there, from Sally Frasier, Doug Dodd, ¯ support for ENDA, the employment non-discrimination
Gary Watts, LindaJordan, Wilbur Collins, Howard Plow- ~ act, just reintroduced again.
man, Keith McArtor, Melani Hamilton ¯ But where are Oklahoma Democrats9
and more whose names you d recogmze.... The purpose of the event was to identify the RIetpsunbollteattnmstbIultlkaet TYoellroewadDthoeg Dstiastpeaptcahrt,"y ynoeuw’dspnaepveerr, k’qno’hwe
issues thatimpact "economicdevelopment
and quality of life in Tnlsa County and the
surrounding, area." A page full of issues
was presented from education, to parks to
urban development and more.
But what was strikingly absent was any
reference to civil rights, fair employment
issues or hate crimes. Of course, being the
shy person I am about such "oversights," I
asked. I expected that this was the usual
obliviousness - that nobody thought of
that - but I was shocked to be told that
TulsaCounty Democratsjust don’twantto
deal with any "negatives." They are tired
of being beaten up about "God, guns and
Gays."
We, in contrast, are tired of being beaten
up just for being. A few days before this
meeting, a Tulsa Gay man leaving a local Gay business
was targeted at random by an angry heterosexual man. He
was followed and brutally assaulted and probably only
survived being beaten to death because, onehew~paying
attention and was able to get help, and two, he’.s a pretty
big man himself. Any number of us go to that same
business, leave alone and I know that I, at 5’-9" and 145
pounds, would have fared much worse at the hands of the
assailant who was 6’-4" and probably 2~0 pounds. I’d
probably be dead.
Ourability to go through ordinary life with areasonable
expectation of not being beaten senseless because we are
Gay, or merely thought to be Gay, is what I call a"quality
of life" issue. For that matter,.b~ing able to keep our j0bs
based on our.performance rather than our identity is also
a "’quality of life" issue. And workplace discrimination
does happen inTnlsa as formerTOHRleader Kelly Kirby
and others (including me at my other job - the one I do
when I’m not newspapering) have experienced. SO where
the hell are these Democrat yahoos coming from?
Neither Tulsanor Oklahoma Democrats have ever done
much for Gay Oklahomans (Don Ross, Maxine Homer
and Bemest Cain ofOklahomaCity being the exceptions).
No member of the Tulsa City Council nor the current and
useless mayor have done anything to address the very real
issues of Gay and Lesbian Tulsans. I don’t consider the
appointment and approval of one or two Gay people,
"enough."
Contrast Oklahoma attitudes with those of the Democratic
National Committee. I have inhand tworecent press
.Valdez and the other man took Barron’s body and burned
It. Valdez later confessed to friends and authorities. He
testified that he killed Barron because Barron propositioned
him.
Mexican officials, including President Vicente Fox,
said Valdez’s rights were denied when he was not given
access to the Mexican consulate following his arrest. The
Mexican government did not learn of Valdez’ s case until
April 19 - 11 years after he was sentenced to death.
Mexican officials said the outcome of Valdez’s trial
would have been different had he been represented by
Mexican consular officials.
KeatJng conceded the Mexican national’s rights were
violated under international law, but said that did not
affect the trial’s outcome or Valdez’s death sentence.
least we know where
we stand with them.
Democrats know
what’s the right thinS
to do - they just don’t
want to do lt.
Our money and votes
may be welcome but
otherwlse we’re
just a "negative"
for them . . ."
that there were Gay Oklahomans or issues.
And looking at the Human Rights Campaign
(HRC) website for co-sponsors of
ENDA, there are, of course, no Oklahomans
listed.
Now none ofus expect that JC Watts, or
Istook or Nickles, or Largent, or the anti-
Christ himself, Jim Inhofe, will sponsoring
a bill to treat their own Gay citizens
fairly. We may not like it but we know
where they stand.
But where is Brad Carson? Brad’s supposed
to be our friend; supposed to understand
our issues - and he certainly took our
money, Gay money (and is still asking for
it) in campaign. According to his press
boy, they couldn’t take apositiononENDA
because it hadn’t been reintroduced. But
¯
now it has and as of July 31, Brad Carson remains missing
from action.
¯ Now ourmanin Washington, Tulsa point person for the
¯ Human Rights Campaign, Marty Newman, says anything
¯ he takes to Carson, Brad signs. So this is where we see if
¯. Mr. Carson is a new Democrat, or more of the same old.
I’ve both said and written it before but while Oklahoma
" Republicans say awful things about us, and sometimes do
: awful things to us, it’s been Democrat majorities in both
Oklahomahonses whichpass anti-Gay bills. And it’s been
" Democrat majorities and often a Democrat governor
¯
who’ve failed to do anything about the harassment and
¯ discrimination which Oklahoma Lesbians and Gay men
¯ experience. That is Democrats wlio’ve made it more a ¯
crime to topple inmfimate Jewish-headstones than to-
" pound the ribs and bloody the faces of Gay men.
¯ It’s not that I like the Republicans but at least we know
: where we stand with them. Democrats know what’s the
¯ right thing to do- theyjust don’t want to do it. Our money
: and ~otes may be welcome but otherwise we’re just a
o "negative’! for them.
¯ Democrats could show leadership and could educate,
responding to prejudice by appealing to universal Ameri-
¯ can values of fair treatment for all (to the question, "are
you for homosexual rights?" they could say, "no, I’m for
¯ fairness for all people.") but i"nstead they run fromus and
from the issues.
¯ Call me overly optimistic but I believe that they and we
can do better. I think that courage and honesty might just
¯ give them a better chance of being elected.
" The clerk, according to Smith, showed thepolice thecaller
," i.d. which showed the name and number of the attacker.
¯ Tulsa Police proceeded to arrest the man with Smith
¯
confirming his identity. Allegedly the attacker told TPD
¯ that he had had some sort ofdifficulty with a Gay man with
¯ whom he works and that he wanted to beat up a "fag" in
¯
response. Smith just happened to be the one he chose.
: Editor’s note: "Joe Smith" is, obviously, apseudonym
¯ for themanwho was attacked used at the requestofSmith ¯
and clearly TFN also is not naming the particular club
¯
from which Smith was followed. The particulars don’t
: really change the nature ofthe attack and all clubpatrons
¯ and owners would do well to use caution.
And as much as TFN li’kes "breaking" a news story, it
" is also troubling that none of Tulsa’s "mainstream"
media have reported this incident. Such coverage helps
reinforce a climate in which anti-Gay hate is tolerated.
Faith Based Discrimination
By HRC Executive Director, Elizabeth Birch
WASHINGTON - Since George W. Bush became
president, HRC has been a vigilant watchdog to see how
thenew administration will handle issues of concern to the
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community. The
current battle over President Bnsh’s faith-based initiative
-including the SalvationArmy-is a critical test and sadly
appears to reveal the administration’s true colors.
We were stunned when we learned the administration
and the Salvation Army were using our lives as bargaining
chips in a secret backroom deal. And we are gravely
disappointed that President Bush and Vice President
Cheney sanctioned discrimination against GLBT Americans.
In a vote orchestrated by the GOP leadership in the
House of Representatives, they pitted important faithbased
services against important civil liberties. Their
actions were unnecessary, divisive and created conflict
where there could have easily been consensus.
The White House-backed Community Solutions Act
H.R. 7 offered by Reps. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., and Tony
Hall, D-Ohio passed July 19 in the House. The bill would
override state and local civil rights laws by allowing
religious organizations to discriminate in employment
decisions and in the provision of services. The measure
would effectively allow our tax dollars to be used to
discriminate against us in places where state and local
!aws prohibit discrimination against GLBT Americans. If
it becomes law, this bill would create a situation where
many GLBT Americans would be publicly subsidizing
their own discrimination.
The Human Rights Campaign recognizes and supports
the critical work performed by many faith-based organizations.
We support the principle of religaous liberty. But
the bottom line is ourcountry should notfunnel tax money
to groups that actively discriminate. Religious freedom
and freedom from discrimination must harmoniously coexist
and thrive together in a democratic society.
In letters, phone calls, appeals to the grassroots and
countless hours of lobbying, HRC, coalition parmers and
fair-minded members of Congress gave the administration
and the House Republican leadership every opportunity
to fix this bill. Rep. Mark Foley, a moderate Florida
Republican, and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., both prepared
amendments to H.R. 7 to fix the bill. Both were
rejected by the leadership.
Whenthe bill reached theHouse floorJuly 18, it became
crystal dear that we had succeeded in lining up enough
votes to send it back to the Judiciary Committee to remove
the offending language. It was then that the administration
and the House Republican leadership temporarily pulled
the bill in order to engage in a ferocious - and ultimately
successful - effort to twist the arms of some two dozen
moderate Republicans to oppose any change to the bill.
The hypocrisy of the administration and the House lead-
.ership on this issue is astounding. We are struck by the
~ncongruous position of"states rights" conservatives who
have long trumpeted local control, only to mn roughshod
overstate and-~&:al-civil rights laws. 2~eir mantra of-state
and local control is thrown out the window when it comes
to GLBT Americans. Moreover, it is clear the administration
is attempting to accomplish through legislation what
they were unable to accomplish through a regulatory deal
with the Salvation Army.
This battle now moves to the Senate. By ignoring pleas
to fix the.bilF s shortcomings, the administration has made
passage m the Senate demonstrably more difficult for
itself. Because what happens in Washington does matter,
we are calling on every GLBT American and those who
care about us to challenge the White House to support a
Senate version of this bill that does not discriminate
against GLBT Americans. Call President Bush at 202-
456-1414 and tell him: "It is wrong to use federal funding
- including my tax dollars - to support programs that
exempt religious organizations from civil rights laws."
And consider this: Thousands uponthousands ofAmericans
received their notice of a tax.refund on July 19. Think
about reinvesting that refund in the battle for GLBT
equality. None of it happens without you.
Partner of Woman Killed
By Dogs Wins Ruling
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Lesbian partner of a
woman mauled to death by dogs earlier this year
scored a stunning court victory as ajudge allowed her
wrongful death suit to proceed to trial. Judge A. James
Robertson II agreed with the arguments of Sharon
Smith’s attorney that California state law has created
a barrier for her by not allowing same-sex couples to
marry, thus precluding them-from seeking benefits
available to married couples.
However, the Equal Protection provision of the state
Constitution prevents such exclusions, thejudgeruled.
Smith’s attorney, Shannon Minter of the National
Center for Lesbian Rights, was elated with the ruling.
’‘This is a remarkable day. This is the first decision
of this kind, not just in California but anywhere in the
country," Minter said. "It’s a tremendous victory for
Lesbian ,and Gay people in the United States."
Smith s civil Suit against the dogs owners is under
legal scrutiny since the Lesbian couple could not
legally marry inCalifornia. T~.at puts Smith’ s status as
a surviving spouse in quesuon. Smith sued Robert
Noel and Marjorie Knoller, the caretakers of.two large
presa canario dogs that killed her partner, Diane
Whipple, Jan. 26 as she stood in her apartment hallway.
Minter argued that the Equal Protection provisionof
the California Constitution does not permit Smith, or
any large class of persons, to be excluded from rights
or benefits afforded to others as shepursues her wrongful
death claim. Judge Roberston agreed that the case
was breaking new ground. "No case has been decided
under these arguments," Robertson said.
Malriage for heterosexual couples, Minter argued,
is proof of a legal union. "But for same-sex couples it
is no test at all," Minter said,,. "(Marriage) is not
anything available to them in the first instance...
There is literally nothing Sharon and Dianne could
have done to formalize theirrelationship," Minter said.
Smith choked back tears after the hearing and said it
was an emotional moment for her.
A bill addressing the issue of same-sex benefits is in
motion at the state Capitol. Proposed bill AB25, sponsored
by Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, passed
through the Assembly with a 43-21 vote, and.is currently
in Appropriations awaiting action. The bill
would allow same-sex parmers to get the same health
¯ benefits, disability and unemployment coverage and
retirement pensions as married men and women.
No trial date has been set. Noel and Knoller did not
appear and remain behind bars on charges related to
the fatal attack. Knoller, who was present at the time of
the attack, faces the more serious charge of seconddegree
murder.
_Womens Basketball
Teams Seek Lesbian Fans
DETROIT (AP) - Facing league-wide drops in attendance
and television ratings, the Detroit Shock and
other WNBA teams are hosting events with Gay and
Lesbian groups in hopes of creating a loyal fan base.
Detroit plays the Cleveland Rockers at The Palace
on Saturday for pride night, an event coordinated with
Ferndale’ s Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community
Center. As part of the arrangement, a portion of each
ticket purchased in conjunction with Affirmations will
be donated back to the center, and the Shock also are
providing25free tickets formembers ofAffirmations’
youth group to attend the game.
A post-game tailgate party will be heldat a nearby
restaurant, which has promised to donate half the
proceeds to the community center. "We’re doing it to
raise awareness, with the Shock organization, that
their Lesbian fan base is huge," said Juli Siagkris-
Seymour, director of development at Affirmations.
The event is notjust motivatedby the league’ s desire
to reach out to specific groups. With attendance and
television ratings heading downhill, teams are looking
at different ways to attract and keep fans. Mary Rogers,
director of Shock promotions, said the Affirmations
event is just one of several promotions team officials
are using to try and boost their attendance numbers.
The Shock’s relationship with the Gay and Lesbian
community isn’t ne~v. Since their inception in 1998,
the Shock have worked with Between The Lines, a
local Gay and Lesbian magazine, and players have
made charity appearances to sign autographs at pride
festivals.
Other teams are getting involved as wall.
In May, the Los Angeles Sparks made a promotional
appearance with Girl Bar, a 12,000-member Lesbian
dub and’Sparks sponsor. The Miami Sol alsohaveheld
public appearances for Lesbians.
The Sacramento Monarchs planned a Gay pride
night last weekend - the first time the team has dedicated
a night to the Gay community. A pre-game
concert was part of the deal, along with a Gay pride Tshirt.
"Just like we’re reaching out to the swim community
and the military community, we’ re reaching out to
the Gay and Lesbian community," said Monarchs
spokeswoman Sonja Brown. ’:Whatever we can do to
add value to the experience of that particular group."
Along with Detroit, the Minnesota Lynx and Phoem.’
x Mercury are adverfising in Gay and Lesbian magazanes.
WNBA president Val Ackerman said the league
invites everyone to come be a fan. "We’ve tried very
hard to be an inclusiveleague," Ackerman said. "That’ s
the beauty of basketball and the WNBA. We’re really
proud of the diversity of our fans, our players and our
staff. But what unifies everybody is what goes on out
there (on the basketball court)."
Boston Minority
FirefightersAllege Bias
BOSTON (AP) - Gay and minority firefighters claim
racist, sexist and homophobic treatment in the department
is going unchecked, causing some to fear doing
their jobs.
Karen Miller, who is Gay and black, said harassment
by both white and black male firefighters drove her to
a desk job with the department. She said that when she
rushed to emergency calls at her Bostonfire station, she
found broken glass inside her boots. Other times, her,
oxygen mask and gloves were missing.
"The incidents of racism, sexism and homophobia
have never been properly dealt with by the Boston Fire
Department, and the individuals that are creating the
problem are more than just a few bad apples," Miller
said at a news. conference.
The Coalition for Firefighters’ Civil Rights, which.
includes civil fights and commtmity groups and a
minority firefighters association, planned to seek the
help of the City Council later.
Thehead of the Boston firefighters’ union dismissed
the group’s, complaints. "We’ve made tremendous
Strides in bringing everybody back together again,".
said Jack McKelma, president of the International
Association of Firefighters Local 718, the Boston
firefighters’ union. "I think this is a lot of hype."
But critics say the number of complaints among the
1,600 city firefighters indicates otherwise. "If there’s
this much smoke there’s got to’be fire somewhere,"
said Joseph Provanzano, atrattorney whosefirm represents
firefighters, including Miller, in employment
discrimination suits.
The fire department has been without a commissioner
since 1999 and has been embroiled in a bitter
contract dispute with Mayor Thomas Menino for two
years. The minority fights group also wants Menino to
search for a new fire commissioner from outside the
department, and to appointacommittee to deal with the
department’ s shortcomings. The city did not intend to
reply to the complaints in advance of the City Council
Find out for yourself how goo.d the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8
Come s.hare the
goodness of the
Lord with our
community
Sunday Morning
11:00 AM
3hildren’s Worship
During Service
MCC United
Rev. Cathy Elliott, Pastor
1623 N. Maplewood (918)838-1715 mcctulsa@aol.com
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, Sunday School, 9:30 am
Wed. Bible Study, 7 pm, Sunday Eve. Service, 6pm
1517 S. Memorial, 628-0802, Info: 224-4754
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
Mingo Valley Flowers
9413 E. 31st St., Tulsa 74145
918-663-5934, fax: 663-5834, 800-A, AA-5934
Family Owned & Operated
Trinna L W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW
Ghild, Family, Individual & Gouplo Psychothorapy
(918) 743-9559
2121 South Columbia, Suite 420
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114-3518
The Pride Store
21st Street & Memorial
Tulsa Gay Community Services Center
743-GAYS (743-4297)
6-9 pm, Sunday - Friday
12-9 pm, Saturday, all sales benefit the Center
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
G
American Red Cross
American Red Cross
Tulsa Area Chapter
10151 East Eleventh
Tulsa 74128
Dannette McIntosh
.Diversity Co-ordinator
838-1100
OPENARMS
OPENMINDS
OPENI-IFARFS
Saint Aidan Saint Dunstan
4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 5635 East 71st, 492-7140
Saint John Trinity
4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128
The Episcopal Church Welcomes You
hearing, said Carole Brennan, the mayor’s spokeswoman.
The complaints have drawn the attention of Justice
Department investigators, who interviewed minority
firefighters in March, said Dana Johnson, an associate
of Provanzano. A city-commissioned report, released
!n January 2000, found the department has fallen short
in some administrative areas, including recruiting minotifies
and women.
’Nightline’_Show Stirs
Controversy
NEW YORK (AP) - A planned "Nightline" series on
homosexuals’ lives has caused a furorjnst from its title
alone. Since the weeklong special,"A MatterofChoice?
Gay Life in America," was announced, dozens ofGays
have contacted the program to complain. It prompted
"Nightline" executive producerTom Bettag to post an
explanation on the ABC News Web site. But he’s not
changing the title of the report, tentatively scheduled
for late September.
Most activists believe that their sexual orientationis
at least partly a matter of biology, not something they
choose as a result of cultural or psychological influences.
" "A Matter of Choice?’ is an easy title that
piques curiosity and stirs controversy, but it does so at
the expense of the people it’s profiling," said Cathy
Renna of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Bettag, in his posted response, said that although
many Gays believe the question has been resolved~
scientific and religious arguments remain. "It is ourjob
to ask the questions that make society examine itself,"
he said. ABC News has gotten anti-Gay e-mails,
Bettag said, including one person who wrote that if
ABC talks about homosexual life, "’we hope you will
make it dear that this is evil."
In the series, "Nightline" will examine teen-agers
struggling with their sexual identity, the experiences
of people in a homosexual retirement community and
the aftermath of a Gay community’s uprising after ~
hate crime in Roanoke, Va.
Renna said it’s just the sort of in-depth examinatioI
of homosexual life that GLAAD supports, but she’s
concerned many people won’t watch it because they
don’t like the rifle. "It’s just really an unfortunate
decision not to reconsider this rifle," she said.
City of Houston Passes
Anti-Bias Law
HOUSTON (AP) -Anondiscrimination law to protect
Gay city employees has been revived seventeen years
after it was overturned by voters in referendum. Houston
City Council members passed the law, which
protects employees on the basis of sexual orientation,
race, gender, age and other factors.
About 20 people in the audience burst into applause
alter the vote. "It is something that is long overdue and
years m the making," said Councilwoman Annise
Parker, a Lesbian who was instrumental in getting the
law passed.
Mayor Lee Brown voiced his approval of the vote.
"The Constitution guarantees that we all have the same
opportunities, the same rights," he said to the Houston
Chronicle. "As mayor, I want to make sure that I do
everything in.my power to make sure that that carries
out as part of city government."
Parker added, though, that she had mixed feelings.
She said by arguing against the. proposal, council
members sent a message that even in 2001 they question
whether Gays should be treated equally. The City
Council voted in 1984 for a similar nondiscrimination
law, but voters overturned it in a 1985 referendum.
Shortly after taking office in 1998, Brown issued an
executive order banning discrimination against Gay
city employees. Councilman Rob Todd filed an injunction
against it, and it was held up in court for years.
Last month, however, the Texas Supreme Court ruled
that Todd did not have the legal right to stop the
executive order, which allowed the order to stand.
Earlier thi s year, Brown proposed extending benefits
such as health insurance to the same-sex partners
of Gay city employees. He later withdrew the propo.
sal, saying the council should first adopt a nondiscnnnnatlon
law to protect employees who want to
make use of the same-sex benefits.
Brown said that he still plans to have the council vote
on same-sex benefits, but he does not know when.
Boston Scout Council:
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
BOSTON (AP) - Officials of one of Massachusetts"
largest Boy Scout councils bdieve that its new bylaw
allowing Gay scoutmasters under a "don’t ask-don’t
tell" policy does not violate the national ban against
homosexuals.
"Discussions about sexual orientation do not have a
place in Scouts," Brock Bigsby, Scout executive for
the Massachusetts Minuteman Council, told The Boston
Globe. "The Scouts will not inquire into a person’ s
sexual history, and that person will not expose their
sexual orientation one way or the other." The Minuteman
Council, an umbrella organization of 330 Scout
troops and 18,000 boys in Greater Boston, approved
the bylaw July 19. The policy also prohibits the exclusion
of anyone on the basis of race or religion.
No Longer A Gay Place
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Sixty years ago, residents
changed the name of their street here to Gay
Place to avoid confusion with a similarly named street
nearbv. Now, people living on the thoroughfare near
Charl~ston’s downtown want to change the name of
the street because of a different type of confusion.
"The word ~Gay’ isn’t like what it used to be. It’s not
about being happy. It’s something different now," said
Lavinia Dash, one offour residents petitioning the city
to change Gay Place back to its original name of
Moultrie Place. The city made the name change in
1939 because Moultrie Place intersected with Moultrie
Street, causing confusion.
A Mount Pleasant couple pushing to change the
street’s name said they are doing it for historical, not
9olitical reasons. Daria Pyshe Smith and her husband,
John, are renovating two homes on the street. She said
she’s heard the chuckles when she talks about owning
a home on Gay Place. "We’re grown-ups. We can
handle that. It’s not a big deal," she said.
"But the heritage is what we want to show. Moultrie
- that’s a name that really has some meaning," Smith
said. "It’s historical here. It has historic integrity to the
area. Isn’t that what Charleston is based on?"
The push to change Gay Place’s name saddens
Warren Gress, who serves on the board of the Alliance
For Full Equality, a group that supports Gay civil
rights. "It really is tragic that they have to feel badly
about someone presuming that because they live on
Gay Hace they might be Gay," he said. "It’s sad that
people have to change a name because of negative
connotations that are given to a group in our society."
Anti-Bias Conference
Excludes Gays
GENEVA (AP) - Under threat ofa U.S. boycott about
an anti-Israel position, delegates from more than 100
nations began a final effort to salvage the World
Conference Against Racism. Organizers had claimed
to be inclusive, but one of the first acts was to exclude
the International Gay and Lesbian Association from
the list of accredited non-governmental organizations.
The vote was 43-43 with 27 abstentions. Under conference
rules ties equal no votes.
Satcher Calls for
Better HIV Effort
LOS ANGELES (AP) - U.S. Surgeon
General David Satcher told a forum
Wednesday that there should be greater
community and family involvement in the
treatment and prevention of HIV.
The event brought together scientists
and community advocates to discuss ways
for communities to address the impacts of
HIV and AIDS. Satcher suggested the
country take a more open view toward
understanding human sexuality.
"It’ s so difficult to get American people
to talk about sex," he said. "Parents should
be the primary sex educators." Satcher
saidit is as importantnow as it everwasfor
children to be educated about HIV and
AIDS. "We feel it is important that young
people be armed with information," he
said.
Satcher reiterated statements hemade in
a report on sexual health released .last
month, calling for increased sex education
in schools and families and wider acceptance
of Gays and Lesbians.
The surgeon general’s report had engendered
controversy whenitwas initially
released because of its support for teaching
children about condom use in addition
to abstinence. President Bush has called
for increased federal funding of "abstinence-
ouly" sex education programs.
But Satcher defended his report, saying
the positions he advocated would help the
country face the issues associated with
HIV. "We as a nationhave not alio,.wed the
best available public health science to affect
our policy-making," he said.
Other scientists and researchers at the
forum said they were excited about the
t)pportunity to discuss prevention ando~er
issues with community members. After
Sateher’ s keynote address, researchers and
scientists took part in small-group sessions
to discuss topics like "Disparities in
HIV Prevention Programs for Families."
"If we did our work only at universities
... wemight write some interesting papers
but they would just sit on library shelves
and not be of any use to people," said Dr.
Steven Hyman, director of the National
Institute of Mental Health. The UCLA
AIDS Institute co-sponsoredthe eventwith
Drew University of Medicine and NIMH.
’¢I’hose drugs and vaccines we hope for
today are going to come too late, so the
only weapon we have is prevention," said
Dr. Irvin Chen, director of the UCLA
AIDS Institute.
Nigeria Using
Generic HIV Drugs
UNITED NATIONS (AP)- Nigeriaplans
to launch the largest AIDS treatment program
in Africa using cheap generic drugs
on Sept. 1, a U.N. special envoy said.
The 10,000 adults and 5,000 children
who will receive a drug cocktail are just a
tiny fraction of the more than 2.6 million
Nigerians infected with the HIV virus that
causes AIDS.
But the Nigerian government’s commitment
demonstrates that within Africa
efforts are under way to tackle the epidemic
that has infected about 26.5 million
people across the continent, said Stephen
¯
Lewis, special envoy of Secretary-Gen-
¯ eral Kofi Annan for HIV/AIDS in Africa.
: "It’s a quite extraordinary intervention,
¯ ameasure ofthepresident’ s determination
¯ thatthey maintainthelevelofthepandemic
¯¯ where it is and try to turn it back," Lewis
told a press conference. ’Whey recognize
: that if Nigeria fails, then much of Mrica
will fail."
¯ Nigeria, which is an unlikely country,
: was patched together by British
¯ colonialists. The most populous nation in
: Africa with 123 million people, Nigeria
¯ combines hundreds of ethnicities and lan-
¯ guages in West Africa.
~ Botswanain southern Africa, whichhas
¯ a population of only 1.6 million, has the ¯
world’s highest rate of AIDS infections. It
¯ will launch a treatment program using
: anti=retroviral drugs in early 2002,.he said.
¯ At the first U.N. conference on AIDS
¯ last month, Nigerian President Olusegun
¯ Obasanjo warned that "the prospect of
: extinction ofthe entire population of a
¯ continent looms larger and larger." He ¯
called for cancellation of Africa’s debts
: and international help. But he also took
¯ action himself. ¯
¯ Obasanjo sent his health minister to Indiaafew weeks ago tonegotiatewiththe
¯ pharmaceuticalcompanyCiplaLtd.,which
¯ makes generic AIDS drugs. ¯
In February, Ciplaoffered to sell a three-
" drug AIDS cocktail to nonprofit agencies
¯ for $350 a year per African patient - pro-
- vided the patients weren’t charged. The
¯ company said at the time that African
¯ governments could purchase the same
drugs for $600 per patient.
¯ But the Nigerian health minister was ¯
able to negotiate a $350 a year per patient
¯ deal with Cipla, Lewis said.
i : dizTeheabNouigt e8r0ia%n Ogof vtheerncmoestn,tbwutillpastuiebnstis-
: who receive treatment will have to pay
¯ between $7 and $8 a month, Lewis said.
Nigeria intends to use a six-drug regimen
for 60% of the patients and a two-
" drug regimen for the other 40%, he said.
¯ The drugs are expected to have similar
¯. results, but the government will monitor
and evaluate how patients cope with the
¯ different programs, which will be administered
by Nigeria’ s teaching hospitals, he
¯ said. ¯
"Itis the government’ s intention on Sept.
¯ 1 tobegin aprocess ofanti-retroviral treat-
- ment in Nigeria which will be at least
¯ initially larger than anywhere else on the ¯
continent," he said.
: Lewis, who just returned from visits to
: Zambia, Kenya, Rwandaand Nigeria, said
¯ governments a~e anxiously awaiting help
¯ from the global AIDS fund which Annan
¯ proposed. It has received $1.4 billion, but
¯ the secretary-general says it needs $7 bil- ¯
lion to $9 billion annually.
: Despite financial and other obstacles,
¯ Lewis said he was "even more confident"
¯ that Africa could turn the tide on A~DS
¯ than he was before the trip. He cited "the
extraordinary" degree of public aware-
¯ hess of the disease and"the quite profound
¯ determination" of leaders to tackle it.
: In Kenya, parliament unanimously
¯. passed a law last month allowing the gov¯
ernment to suspend patent rights in ames
of emergency, which dears the way for
-" cheaper, generic AIDS drugs. The East
¯ African nation, which has 2 million adults
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living with the HIV virus, is expected to
start importing or manufacturing antiretroviral
drugs shortly, Lewis said.
In Rwanda, only 500 people are receiving
AIDS drugs because the $140 per
month cost is half the average income for
anentire year, Lewis said. ButtheRwandan
government through testing, counseling
and provision of some drugs to HIV-infected
mothers appears to have significantly
cut transmission ofthe virus to their
children.
The U.N. Children’s Program tested 33
children born to mothers who took part in
the program and only two were HIV posifive,
which is just 6%,"much, much lower
than the anticipated rate," he said.
Canadians Gripe
About Bad Dope
TORONTO (AP) - New regulations took
effect in July expanding the number of
Canadians allowed to use medic,at marijuana,
but those eligible say the system
resembles a bureaucratic maze likey to
delay hundreds more from participating.
The rules are part of the first system in
the world that includes a governmentapproved
and paid-for supply of marijuana
for people suffering from terminal
illnesses and chronic conditions such as
multiple sclerosis or severe arthritis.
Patients can grow their own pot, or
designate someone to grow it for them.
addition, the health department is paying a
Saskatchewan company to grOW govemmen.
t marijuana for eligible patients
use rn research.
While medical marijuana advocates in
the United States look at the Canadian
system with envy, some users north of the
border complain hurdles remain in place.
"I still have to fend for myself," said Jim
Bridg.es: 37, who already has government
pernnsslon to use marijuana for the pain
and nausea of AIDS. He automatically
comes under the new regulations, but is
awaiting word on how to submit a photo
for the identification card legal pot smokers
will have to carry.
Almost 300 Canadians such as Bridges
previously were exempted from federal
druglaws thatmakeitacriminal offense to
grow and possess marijuana. Health departmentofficials
sayhundreds morehave
applied, and the figure could reach the
thousands.
Roslyn Tremblay, a Health Canada
spokeswoman, said Monday that application
forms traderthenew regulations would
be available "very soon," but she was
unable to provide a specific date.
Tojoin up, applicants must submit verifiable
medical records and have a doctor’ s
endorsement. Cases except for critically
terminal patients require further supporting
documents from another doctor.
The new rules permit drug possession
for the terminally ill with a prognosis of
death within one year; those with symptoms
associated with specific serious medical
conditions; and those with other medical
conditions who have statements from
two doctors saying conventional treatments
have not worked. Eligible patients include
those with severe arthritis, cancer, HIV/
AIDS and multiple sclerosis.
The government regulations meet a
court-ordered deadline for Canada to create
a system for terminally ill patients
previously exempted from criminal marijuanalaws
to have alegal way to obtain the
drug.
The Canadian Medical Association,
whichrepresents tens of thousands of doctors,
opposes the new regulations because
they make physicians responsible for prescribing
a substance that lacks significant
clinical research onits effects. Without the
cooperation ofdoctors,patients cannot get
medical marijuana exemptions.
Medical marijuana advocates say the
real reason for the doctors’ hesitation is
prejudice. Bridges mentioned one physician
who saidhe doesn’ t want to be known
as a "’pot doctor."
In Flin Hon, Manitoba, a mining town
hundreds of miles (kilometers) north of
the U.S. border, Prairie Plant Systems is
growing marijuana in a former copper
mine under a government contract worth
more than $3.5 million. It expects the first
harvest this fall of marijuana that will be
supplied by the government to eligible
patients andused forresearch on therapeutic
effects. Company head Brent Zettl
employs the same techniques that were
used togrow berries androses inthe tappedout
mine beneath Trout Lake.
Medical marijuana advocates complain
the government marijuana will only have
a 6% content of THC, the primary active
ingredient. They say cannabis with such a
low THCpercentage would be virtually
useless compared to the 15% to 18%THC
street pot.
South of the border, eight U.S. states
have taken some kind of step toward permitring
the medicinal use of marijuana:
California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska,
Hawaii, Maine,Nevadaand Colorado. The
U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled earlier
this year that there is no exception in
federal law for people to use marijuana, so
even those with tolerant state laws could
face arrest if they do.
"We’re kind of envious of Canadians
having the luxury of complaining about
the minutiae of the program," said Chuck
Thomas of the Washington-based Marijuana
Policy Project.
¯ UgandanAppointed
to Run AIDS Fund
¯ UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-
" General Kofi Arman appointed a Ugandan
¯ minister on Monday to chair the group that
¯ will establish theglobal fund to fightAIDS
and oi.her infectious diseases.
." Dr. Crispus Kiyonga,’currently a Cabi-
¯ net minister.and acting national political
~ adviser, will work between now and De-
: cember to start up the fund that Aunan
¯ proposed to combat the AIDS epidemic,
¯ associate U.N. spokesman Marie Okabe ¯
said. She said the chairman of theworking
¯ group"will be crucial in bringing together
¯ the widestrange ofstakeholders in support
¯ of the fund." Kiyonga, a medical doctor,
¯ was Uganda’s health minister until last
¯ week and previously served as finance
¯ minister.
¯ Atman has called for a global fund of $7 ¯
billion to $10 billion annually to halt and
¯ start reversing the AIDS epidemic and
¯ fight malariaand tuberculosis. So far, $1.4
I
¯ billion has been pledged to the fund by ¯
¯ governments, foundations and the private i
sector.
Catholic Bishops
& Condoms
¯ PREFORIA, South Africa (AP) - Roman
." Catholic bishops in southern Africa denounced
condoms on as an"’immoral and
¯ misguided weapon" in the fight against
¯ HIV infection but said married couples
with the AIDS virus could use them in
limited circumstances.
The Southern African Catholic Bishops’
Conference said "condoms may even
¯ be one of the main reasons for the spread
¯ of HIV/AIDS," according to a document
¯ released at the end of the bishops’ annual
: meeting.
"Apart from the possibility of condoms
¯ being faulty or wrongly used, they con-
. tribute to the breaking down of self-control
and mutual respect," according to the
statement, readby Cardinal Wilfrid Napier
¯ at a news conference.
¯ Prevention programs should .replace
¯ condom distribution programs with ef-
¯ forts to promote abstention, Napier said.
"This is God’s way. Choose life. Don’t
¯ choose the way of sin or destruction," he
¯ said.
However, married couples could use
¯ condoms if one or both them was infected
¯ and they abstained from sex while the
woman was ovulating, Napier said. This
way, the condom would not prevent the
creation of life. "This is one possibility
during which the condom could be used in
a morally responsible situation," Napier
said
¯ The Vatican had no immediate eom-
¯ .ment. Thebishops’ views carrylittleweight
without Vatican approval.
¯ In his 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vi-
¯ tae," "Of Human Life," Pope Paul VI
¯ reaffirmed the church’ s ban on contraception,
a position that some governments
¯ and AIDS activists say has hindered efforts
to contain the AIDS pandemic.
The southern African bishops’ debate
¯ was provokedbyaproposal for the eonference
to sanction condom use as part of a
¯ widerprogram to stop the spread ofHIVin
Africa, where more than 25 million are
infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
However, the conference, which includes
" bishops from South Africa, Botswana and
¯ Swaziland, rejected that measure. Bishop
¯ Kevin Dowling, who strongly backed the
¯ proposal, left the conference early. He did
: not return a call from The Associated
¯ Press.
¯ Most HIV prevention programs preach ¯
abstinence and monogamy, but they pro-
" .mote condoms -proven effective forhelp-
¯ mg stop HIV transmission - for those
~ unwilling to abstain from sex.
¯ The Treatment Action Campaign, an ¯ advocacy group working to get treatment
¯ for people infected with HIV, strongly
¯ condenmed the bishops’ comments as ¯
"highly irresponsible" and said condoms
¯ remained animportant coruerstone ofHIV
~ prevention. "The Catholic Church is con-
¯ fusing its religious morals with science," ¯
saidMarkHeywood, secretary ofthe group.
¯ The bishops argued condoms promoted
¯ promiscuity and hurt prevention efforts.
Police had been told that Murphy had
bragged to a friend that "he had beat up a
HRC, along with the Four Comers Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual andTransgendercommunity,
is dosdy monitoring the case to
ensure justice, says HRC. The Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD) sent a representative to Colorado
to help work with local media on the
intricacies of this case.
’q’his escalation in brutal attacks comes
at a time when Congress can pass the
LocalLaw Enforcement EnhancementAct
and commit this nation to stopping hate
violence," said HRC Political Director
Winnie Stachelberg. The 33-year-old federal
statute currently used to prosecute
hate violence is in need of updating with
the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement
Act. The law now does not cover hate
violence based on sexual orientation, gender
or disability and has an overly re~triclive
element that requires that .the victim
be chosen because he or she was engaged
in a federally protected activity.
The bill now before Congress offers a
sensible approach to help combat these
violent crimes. It would extend basic hate
crime protections to all Americans in all
communities by adding real or perceived
sexual orientation, genderanddisability to
the categories covered and by removing
the federally-protected activity requirement.
The bill would also provide federal
technical and financial assistance to state
and local law enforcement agencies to
investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
In addition to the recent upswing in hate
violence, a new report of alleged anti-Gay
police mi sconductinTexas was brought to
the attention of federal authorities. Last
week, FBI officials, at HRC’s request,
began an investigation of San Antonio
Park Rangers for allegedly harassing and
physically abusing two Canadian tourists
who they referred to as "faggots" while
they were allegedly beaten. "When the
cop saw the Ontario license, he looked to
the other three officers present and said he
had "two Canadian faggots,’ "one of the
victims, Joey Abbruzzese, told the Texas
Triangle. "The officer asked, ’What are
you fags doing in our city?’ "
The article reports that the Rangers then
put the friends through atraumatic episode
.of extreme physical and verbal abuse, using
anti-Gay slurs during repeated beatings
before hauling them off to jail.
In 1999, the last year for which the FBI
has statistics, there were more than 4,000
reported hate crimes based on race, more
than 1,400 based on religion, 1,300 based
on sexual orientation, 830 based on
ethnicity and 19 based on disability. Eighteen
states do not include sexual orientation
inits hate crimes law, and 46 states do
not include gender identity. Five states
have no hate crimes law at all.
by Jim Christjohn, entertainment dude
Hey, kiddies, it is the height of summer,
Lughnasa, and stiflingly hot. And yet,
your intrepid columnist is going on a pilgrimage
in the midst of this heat to Texas,
to an outdoor venue, to experience a visitation
of the Goddess, in the guise of
Stevie Nicks. Talk about dedication! Who
the hell decided she should play outdoor
venues in the midst of this heat wave? I
would like to make a sacrifice of them.
Unfortunately, good pagans eschew such
behavior.
And in other Stevie related news, her
dance single (available at Borders,
CDNow.com, and amazon.com),"Planets
of the Universe" is number 4 on the Billboard
dance charts.
Now, isn’t it odd that I can and would
bet money that none of the DJs here even
know that? Much less play it? If there is a
DJ in town that is in touch with the rest of
the world and playing it, please, let me
know. There’s a free dinner in it for you
¯¯ upon my return from the holier than thou
city. Oh, no, wait: that’s Tulsa. No city can
¯ beholierthanthouthanTulsa, andit’s even
¯ got the preying hands to prove it!
At any rate, faithful readers (and I know
¯
of at least 2), please request it at your
¯ favorite dancing establishment and help
¯ get Tulsa caught up with the rest of the ¯
world.
¯ And now, since yours truly has been
¯ fighting battles, such as unauthorized
¯ charges on his bank account, bank charges ¯
resulting from same, and surly customer
¯ service (can you say oxymoron?) supervi-
¯ sors atTarget, not tomention preparing for
¯ the journey to the altar of the Goddess ¯
(OK, so it’s a stage - whatever. Religion
¯ got its start as Theatre); I will now turn
¯ what’ s left ofthecohmmover to the"staff’
¯ writer at TFN. ¯
By the way, I won those various battles.
¯ I usually do...
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The crowd at the
Mad Anthony Brewing Co. grgws quiet as
Bernadette Gleeson continues her poem.
Around her, there are microphone stands,
stools and speakers. A bass, banjo and
guitar are lined up. It is open-mike night, a
forum usually reservedformusici.aas practicing
their craft or testing out new songs.
But Gleeson does not sing or play an
instrument. Her music come from the
words she speaks.
The piece is called "Peep Through My
Blues," apoem she wrote while in London
as an exchange student two years ago.
Unlike a steady reading for a poetry class,
Gleeson performs herpoem with the gusto
of rapper Eminem. But there is none of the
controversy Eminem is notorious for in
her words: Gleeson expressed her "inner
truths" in a poetry form she "calls "flowetry."
"Flow-etry is expressing truths, enlightening
minds, awareness, understanding
the tight, flight rhymes," Gleeson, 23,
says.
Some may call it spoken word; others
may say it’s rapping. But Gleeson describes
her art as a form of expression that
just comes naturally. "It’ s almost like I can
feelit in my soul," she says. "It’s almost
like a sdf-revelation type Of thing. That’s
how all my flows work."
Words have always been a passion for
her. At 6, she was writing Mother’s.and
Father’ s daypoems inherfirst-grade class.
At 11, Gleeson wrote poems of gratitude
to the woman who inspired her to write
poetry: her sixth-grade teacher.
"She taught me that the English language
is there to play with," she says.
Despite her love for the English language,
it was not her main concern growing
up: Glceson wanted to be the next
Michael Jordan.
"’I wanted to be ~he first woman in the
NBA," she says. "I played every day and
every summer. It was everything for me."
Gleeson pursued her hoop dreams duringjunior
high and high school, playing so
often she would keep a basketball in her
car. But it didn’t stop her from writing
poetry. During games, she would write
rhymes on her shoes. And when it came_
time to say goodbye to the high school
basketball coach, there was only one way
she could express her emotions - with
poetry.
Still focusing on a basketball career,
Gleeson moved to Fort Wayne in 1996
with a basketball scholarship to Indiana
University-Purdue University. The transi-
-tion was hard. She was homesick and.
didn’t get along with the coach.
When Gleeson was dismissed from the
team and lost her scholarship, she sought
solace in poetry.
"I was looking for a way to escape from
that reality. It was somewhere I had control
in my life,"-she says.
For a change of scenery, she traveled
abroad to study in London. There she
focused on her poetry, writing about her
"inner truths." She realized she was a
Lesbian."’I came to terms with my sexuality,"
she says.
And then, Gleeson found the flow. She
had never stopped writing poetry, but now
her words had a different purpose. Her
verses were inspiredby truths she found in
people and in herself. She knew "poetry"
couldn’t aptly describe her spoken-word
form. As she wi~s falling asleep one night,
a name for her art came to her: flow-etry.
"It kind of flashed at me, almost like I can
feel it in my soul," she says.
Returning home, Gleeson started performing
her art. She performed her favorite
flow, "We Are One," for the first time
at the Some Like It Black Cafe in Chicago.
The flow describes the chain reaction of
how one good deed does good to another
person. The experience left a lasting mark
on her.
"It was an incredible feeling - I was
speakingmy traths and they were listening
to me," she says. "This is my purpose; this
is what I really love to do."
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.
THE GILDED AGE
Treasuresfrom the Smitbsonian American Art Museum
9 SEPTEMBER -- 4 NOVEMBER 2OO1
THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART
2727 SOUTH ROCKFORD ROAD
Rebel Yell:
Stories by Contemporary
Southern Gay Authors
Edited by Jay Quinn
reviewed by Barry Hensley
Tulsa City-County Library
The rural South is certainly not the easiest
place to grow up Gay. Many people
leave their small towns
as soon as possible and
move to whatever metropolis
is close, buttheir
stories remain.
Rebel Yell is a wonderful
compilation of
short stories about
school, church, race,
love, murder, family
dynamics and all of the
other things that make
the American South so
unique.
It reminds us of all of
those "yard-fighting,
teeth-gnashing, biscuiteating,
ugly-dog-raising,
towel-stealing, television pr,a,ying,
neverforgiving, hard-headed people back
home.
Among the better entries:
"Happy Birthday" by David Jaffe, is a
heart wrenching letter written by a young
man to himself, as if his estranged mother
were writing him an birthday note. Recalling
cherished childhood memories, "she"
prggresses to the infamous day that the
boy came out to his parents. "She" reminisces:
"Your old room at home’s the
same. We haven’t changed a thing. Still
that royal blue carpet I always called
’Hideeeous!’ Remember? I exaggerated a
bit, I know, to make my point. That’s me.
You know not to take all my exaggerated
reactions seriously, don’t you, son? And
that bright blue burlap bulletin board I
sewed for youstill hangs over your desk.
And all those maps you used to sit and.
draw and color, all those maps of all those
foreign places- Rhodesia and C~ylon and
"The rural South is
certainly not the easiest
place to ~row up
Gay. Many people ¯
leave their small towns
as soon as possl]~]e and
move to whatever
.metropolis is close, but
their stories remain."
Zanzibar and Manchukuo. I never under-
¯ stood why you couldn’t draw maps.of
: America. Dad and I were always suspi-
~ cious of people from those sorts of foreign
¯ countries. How can you trust someone
¯
who’s so different? Lord knows what to
_" expect."
¯¯ ’¢I’hePreacher’ s Son"byGeorge Singer,
includes allofthedramaimaginable; young
love, gossip, religion,
drugs and murder. The
handsome young
scoundrel, Taylor, beds
just about anyone in
town and finally winds
up in a deadly encounter
with the preacher’s
son. Weall remember a
Taylor type in school, a
sexy troublemaker who
almost always manages
to come out on top.
"Entertainer of the
Year"byJ. E. Robinson,
recalls fun dinner conversation
between a
conservative ¯young
¯ black man and his blind date, who turns
out to be a flamboyant drag queen.
." Perhaps the best is "465 Acres" by Jay
¯ Quilm. Acreage can become such an im-
." portant and emotional issue in the South!
¯ A matriarch and her reluctant son team up
¯ to buy the adjacent acreage fromlongtime ¯
neighbors. The sons of both families, who
¯ have a history together, become the nego-
¯ tlators. Full of grand Southern family
¯ squabbles, it has an unsetding, surprise
¯ ending.
¯ The stories in Rebel Yell remind me of
¯ the recent death of legendary Mississippi ¯
author Eudora Welty. When she spoke at
¯ Tulsa’s Central library a decade ago, I
¯ was mesmerizedby herreadings. She spoke
; ofSoutherntownsandtheirsteamy, some-
" times romantic and often abusive settings.
; So it is with Rebel Yell.
¯ Check for Rebel Yell (and Eudora ¯
¯ Welty’s works) at any Tulsa City:County
Library, or call 596-7966.
Among the attributes mentioned were a
largemeeting space, maybeaperformance
space, all the space 100% accessible to all
regardesss ofability, acourtyard/protected
outdoor space, kitchen, library, food bank,
offices for community organizations, coffee
house, gift shop, elder services, youth
services, kids area, lounge, archives, commtmity
museum, and maybe even emergency
housing, perhaps for young adults
who have been kicked outby their families
because they came out or for victims of
domestic violence.
Organizers also discussed whether the
center could!should be located so that it
could anchor the creation of a Gay neighborhood
as is found in many cities around
the-US.
Organizers said ultimately the goal is to
create apermanentLesbian, Gay, Bisexual
¯ andTransgendered (andfamily andfriends)
¯ community center where, in the words of
¯ Kerry Lewis, TOHR (Tulsa Oklahomans
¯ for Human Rights) president, we can be ¯
"proud to be from Tulsa and to be Gay."
¯ To date, a fundraising campaign fund
¯ has over $65,000 and looks to raise more
¯ to purchase and renovate as needed, a
¯ building for the Center.
¯ Acurrent campaigneffort says let Presi- ¯
dent Bush contribute to a Tulsa Gay com-
" muuity center; specifically people are en-
: couraged to contribute part or all of the
¯¯ income tax refund (which Bush got the
Congress topass) scheduled to bereceived
this late summer to the building fund.
For more information, call the LGBT
Community Center at 743-4297.
by LamontLindstrom ~ ability to ferret out fellow, suspected Gays
Who hasn’t been in a bar, or a bus, or a " through use of coded terms - E.g., "Are
supermarket and overheard someone ¯ there any family bars around here you
whose voice immediately shouted out " could recommend?" - a sort of linguistic
"Gay?"That voice. YOuknow, the swishy ¯ gaydar. But everyone does this to one
Harvey Firestein accent extentoranother.AndGays
that actors mimic when "... Is there a Gay and Straights alike work
they want to play heavyspeech
eommunlty that our identities into our
handed and over-the-top speechforms,playfullyuse
Gay. is solid enou~l~ to language, andcreativelyin-
But does anyone actu- ventnew meanings that we
ally speak like this? Nor- possess in common the
attach to old words and
really, I mean? I have play- same ways of speahln~? phrases.
ful friends who can shift in A community the
So just what in particuand
out of Gay-talk to tell a lar is distinctive about Gay
joke or to make a point, meml~ers of which share talk?Onelinguistfoundno
The accent disappears,
l~nowled~e and use of
difference in the speech of
however, if you ask them women motorcylists, be
about something serious or certain speech forms they Hell’s Angel babes or
mundane-fixing the back
and their implleatlons.9
Dykes on Bikes. Another
porch, maybe, or their trip survey similarly was unto
the dentist. But on the Does Le~hlanlcs exlst.~ able to locate any formal
other hand, there is my Or how about differences in the converbuddy
Errol. Errol is a lo- sations of a group of Auscal
Harvey. He seems to Gayese?... " tralian Lesbian and Straight
have got his needle perma- friends. Scholar Arnold
nently stuck in the Gay-talk groove. Zwicky has suggested that any deviation
Sociolinguistics (the study of language ¯ from normal American masculine speakas
behavior) has gone far to map out vari- . ing style-in whichever direction-may be
ous "speech communities" the members " heard as "Gay." This presumes that.there
of which share a number of language fea- ¯ is not; in fact, one standardized Gay accent
tures and styles. Some of these communi- " - a common Gay way of talking.
ties are ethnic (e.g., the speakers of Black " Yet, how about my bud Errol? He’s
English,a.k.a. African-AmericanVemacu- latched onto something recognizable. Evlar
English or Ebonics); some are geo- ery time he opens his mouth his speech
graphic (regional dialects where " says Gay. Or so,moe telemarketer calls one
California’ s"father"becomes New York’ s . day and you say qla~t boy is Gay !" There
"fada"); some are vocational (lawyers’ ¯ must beafixedset ofphoneticfeatures and
legalese); someareage-linked(youthstyles " intonational qualities out there that Gays
such as the dearly-departed Valley Girl " and Straights alike recognize as homowhine).
And sociolinguistic Deborah sexual, or at least gay-ish.
Taunen has made aheap ofmoney writing ¯ No linguist, however, as far as I know
books about ~’genderlect." She claims that ’. has provided an adequate phonetic and
AmOrican men and women employ differ- " prosadic description of this style. Yet, we
ent speech styles and, as a consequence, ¯ all know it when we hear it. The folk are
often misunderstand one another. ¯ ahead-of linguists here: They describe the
But how about Gays? Is there a Gay ° style as "lisping" or "sissy" or "you talk
speech community that is solid enough to ¯ like a girl!" Here’s one folk description of
.possess in common the same ways of " Gay-talk that I’ve lifted.off the Internet:
speaking? A community the members of ¯ "It’s a certain melody or lilt to the voice..
which share knowledge and use of certain ¯ . some syllables are drawn out longer than
speechformsandtheirimplications?Does " is usual. Wou could compare it (in its
Lesbianics exist? Or how about Gayese? exaggerated form) to the Bette Davis ren-
If there is such a Gay speech commu- " dition of the Word "Daaaahling!" I’d say
nity,how does this include amix of the all- that about 75% of open gays show some
the-way out, the halfway out, the closeted, " sign of "the accent." !’ve heard it all over
men-who-have-sex-withmenbutdenyGay " thiscountryandinEurope-I’mbeginning
identity, and so forth? Do Lesbians corn- . to think it’s genetic."
pose a separate speech commumty? Do Of course"~t’ s n"ot geneti"c. My suspi" ci"on
Bisexuals? How about transsexuals? Fur, " is that Gay-talk consists of a fairly small
thermore, setting up a Gay speech corn- ° set of stereotypical, mostly intonational
munityunav0idablyestablishesaStraight ¯ patterns.Actorsandjokestersshiftintothe
one as well. If these two speech communi- style to cue Gayness, just as they shift into
ties indeed exist, the boundaries separat- " similarly limited and convention styles to
ing them would have to be exceedingly ° cue Chinese, orBostonBrahman, orTrailer
porous. ¯ Trash Okie. A few of us (Errol) have
A number of scholars hunting down " borrowed these linguistic conventions and
Gay speech styles have published their " made them our own-it is a way of talking
work in the collection Queerly Phrased: ¯ that definitely says Gay. Most of us, how-
Language, Gender, and Sexuality (edited ¯ ever, either ignore this hackneyed style or
byAnnaLiviaandKiraHalt). All presume ¯ merely shift into it occasionally when
to have identified distinctly Gay ways of " messing about.
speaking yet many of the conversational Daaaahling my Aaaahss!
features they celebrate as Gay are, in fact, ¯ Lamont Lindstrom teaches anthropolintegral
to human conversation no matter ¯ ogy at the University of Tulsa, and can be
who is talking. One author notes our Gay " reached at lamontl0@yahoo.com
Kelly Kirby, CPA, PC
Certified Public Accountant
a professional corporation
Lesbians and Gay men face many special
tax situations whether single or as couples.
Electronic filing is available for faster refunds.
747-5466
4021 South Harvard Avenue, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135
|GTA member
Call 341.6866
International
Toursfor more information.
TULSA COUNTY
DEMOCRATIC
PARTY
Country Club Barbering
Custom Styling for Men & Women
David Kauskey
3310 E. 51st, 747-0236, Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm
College Hill
Presbyterian Church
In response to God’s Love,
College Hill Presbyterian Church
is a community of God’s people
called to tell 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 desire to become
part of the membership and ministry
of Christ’s church.
Membership is open to all people
regardless of race, ethnic origin,
worldly condition, marital status, or
sexual orientation.
Sunday Worship, 11am
712 S. Columbia Ave., 592-5800
(One block west of Delaware and the
University of Tulsa Campus)
by
Tulsa’s only
professional
body-piercing
Tulsa Oklahomans for
Human Rights
(TOHR) invites individuals, businesses and
organizations to attend a media seminar with
GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation
Saturday, August 25th.
10 - 3pm at the LGBT Community Center,
21st & Memorial
Featuring
Regan Rhine
GLAAD Education & Outreach Director
For info., call 743-GAYS (743-4297)
ENDA Reintroduced; HRC, PFLAG and
Log Cabin Repu.blicans Comment
WASHINGTON, DC-Apacked hearing i the leadership of a growing group of Reroom
was the setting for the reintroduction : publicanHouse and Senatemembers workof
the Employment Non Discrimination
Act (ENDA) on July 31. All eight lead
cosponsors of ENDA - Senators Edward
Kennedy (D-MA), Arlen Specter (R-PA),
Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), and Jim
Jeffords (I-VT)and Representatives Christopher
Shays (R-CT), Barney Frank (DMA),
Mark Foley (R-FL) and Ellen
Tauscher (D-CA) - were on hand to demonstrate
their strong support for this legislation.
Joining the congressional champions to
discuss the importance of this measure for
thebusiness community was GaryFaTzino,
the Vice President of Hewlett-Paekard,
one of the leaders of corporate America
who have endorsed ENDA.
Despite some hard fought gains on the
local and state level, it remains perfectly
legal to fire a person based on their real or
perceived sexual orientation in 38 states.
ENDA would enact a federal standard of
non-discrimination in the workplace based
on sexual orientation. Far too often, it is
said incorrectly that discrimination does
not exist in the workplace for Gays and
Lesbians. To combat this misconception,
HRC has published Documenting Discrimination,
which outlines many cases
from across the country of anti-Gay discrimination.
Support for this legislation continues to
grow with 181 cosponsors in the House
and 42 cosponsors in the Senate - more
than ever before. For a complete list of
cosponsors, please click on http://
www.hrc.org/is sues/federal_leg/enda/
cosponsors 107.asp. This level of congressional
support is due in part to the nearly
30,000 faxes that were sent by constituents
from HRC’s Online Action Center.
Kirsten Kingdon, PFLAG Executive
Director, said, ’‘Today marks another year
that we speak out on behalf of Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgender workers
and ask Congress to pass ENDA. It also
marks another year that GLBT workers
have been threatened, harassed and fired
because there arenofederal laws to protect
them. This is common sense legislation -
it’s about fairness, equal opportunity and
the right to work without fear ofretaliation
because of your sexual orientation."
A Gallup Poll in June showed that85%
of Americans support equal rights in terms
of job opportunities.
ThePFLAGBoardofDirectors recently
passed a Public Policy Statement which
supports ENDA, but advocates for the
inclusion of Transgender protections in
thelegislation. Thestatementreads, "Many
employees are discriminated against because
of their gender presentation in the
workplace, not necessarily their sexual
orientation. Any and all discrimination is
immoral and unconscionable, andwelook
to our elected officials to set the example
and the law so all people are treated with
dignity and opportunity.
And the nation’s largest Gay Republican
organization applauded the reintroduction
ofthe EmploymentNon-Discrimination
Act (ENDA) this week, and hailed
: ing to ensure that sexual orientation is
." removed as a factor in employment in the
¯¯ United States.
"We applaud the leadership of the Re-
" publican sponsors of ENDA, especially
¯ thenew Republican sponsors, and welook
: forward to working together toward the
: important goal of ensuring that sexual
: orientation is nolonger afactorin employ-
. merit in our country," said Kevin Ivers,
¯ Director of Public Affairs of Log Cabin
: Republicans.
¯ "Together, we share a common goal
¯ with avastmajority oftheAmericanpeople
’ - merit should be the sole criterion ofhow
¯ people arejudgedinthe workplace: Sexual
~ orientation should not be a factor in em-
¯ ployment."
¯" "For all of us who strongly support the
¯ importantand achievable goals thatENDA
¯ represents, it is more important than ever
; to work cooperatively across party lines
¯ with the Senate, House and the Bush Ad-
: ministration to enact federal legislation,"
¯ Ivers said." ¯
The original GOP sponsors ofE~DA in
¯
the 107thCongress are Senator Arlen Spec-
¯ ter (PA), Congressman Christopher Shays
." (CT), Senator Lincoln Chafee (RI), Con-
: gressman Mark Foley (FL), Congressman
¯ JimKolbe (AZ), CongressmanSteve Horn
: (CA), Congresswoman Deborah Pryce
~ (OH), Congresswoman Connie Morella
¯ (MD), Congresswoman Sue Kelly (NY),
¯
Congresswoman Judy Biggert (IL), Con-
: gressman JimGreenwood (PA), Congress-
¯ man Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ), Con-
: -gresswoman Nancy Johnson (Cq’), Con-
" gressman Sherwood Boehlert (NY), Con-
¯" gressman Jim Leach (I.A), Congressman
Ben Gilman (NY) and Congressman
¯ _Wayne G-ilchrest (MD).
¯ Joining as an original Senate sponsor is
: Senator Gordon Smith (OR), who LCR
¯ endorsed in his 1996 Senate campaign. ¯
Joining as original House sponsors were
¯ threefreshmenGOPmembers-Congress-
.- man Mark Kirk (IL), Congressman Mike
¯ Ferguson (NJ) and Congressman Rob
: Simmons (CT), all of whom LCR en-
: dorsed in 2000.
¯ ENDA would make it an unlawful era- ¯
ployment practice to discriminate on the
: basis of sexual orientationinhiring, firing,
¯ training or providing employment oppor-
¯ tunity. It contains exemptions for reli-
: gious organizations, themilitary, andbusi-
¯ nesses with fewer than 15 employees, and
: prohibits affirmative action, preferential
¯ treatment, quotas, disparate impact claims ¯
and EEOC statistical collection on the
_" basis of sexual orientation. The bill provides
remedies largely in line with Title
: VII 0f the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and
¯
also states that same-sex partner benefits
¯ are not mandated by ENDA.
¯ LCR has been involved with and has ¯
supported theENDAeffort, since the origi-
¯
nal drafting in 1994, and the legislation
¯ has steadily gained Republican support as
¯ modifications have been added. A previ-
: ous version of ENDA failed in the Senate
¯ by one vote in 1996.
September 4-9, 2001
Tulsa Country Club
Call 1-877-583-9925
for tickets and information
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