19 20 669 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/106cfd279f62fea97a90e873f4c2ef19.jpg 94d8f329c885af31c0dfff66fa95dc42 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/8baefd28452dccf89146566a1afe87d1.pdf be16ca1224a3677c465dddb080fd7d50 PDF Text Text Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends Jenks Senior S.tarts Presbyterians Hold Gay/Straight Alliance Gay Spirituality Event Tulsa .Red Cross Pledges to Diversity TULSA (TFN)- In a recent interview with chief executive officer Roger Dahl, Polly B owen, chief administrati,~e officer, Melissa Ramirez, public relations officer, and new diversity co-ordinator Dannette McIntosh, the Tulsa Chapter of the American Red Cross (non-blood services) discussed their new "diversity" policy. The policy, which applies to paid staff and volunteers, recognizes explicitly "sexual orientation" as well as statuses which traditionally have legal recognition. The written policy states the intent for the "American Red Cross to be an inclusive community, free from discrimination and prejudice." The statement includes a signature line which volunteers or staff must sign. According to Dahl and McIntosh, the change is in keeping with traditional Red Cross goals~vhich strove to provide services to all based only on need. But in a recent organizational review, see Cross, p. 10 Transgendered Cop to Speak at TOHR Meeting TULSA (TFN) - On March 13, Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) will its monthly membership meeting. In addition tO a social period beginning at 6:30 with soft drinks, and organizational business at 7: 30, the meeting will feature a speaker whois opeul.y transgendered and who is an Oklahoma City police officer. The speaker is knowledgable in self-defense techniques. Other business will include budget and other announcements about this summer’s Diversity Fest and Parade. Later in the month, TOHR will host the second of the Gill Foundation fundraising seminars. Some 21 groups have joined TOHR in this training, most of whom are not Lesbian or Gay groups. They include Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Philharmonic, NARAL, the Tulsa Boys Home, Neighbors on the Line, the League of Women Voters, as well as Council Oak Men’s Chorale, HOPE, Tulsa CARES, and PFLAG. On March 24, at 7pro, TOHR wil! host a pot-luck dinner at the Center. Also, TOHR and Red Rock Behavioral Health Services are implementing two new programs. The first is a Coming Out group. This program is designed to assist persons who are in the initial stages of dealing with their sexuality. The program is open to women and men. Meetings will take place at the Community Center each Tuesday night at 7pm. see TOHR, p. 11 MJ DIRECTORY EDITORIAL US & WORLD NEWS ~ HEALTH NEWS P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 P. 6 P. 8 Z ENTERTAINMENT + MORE GAY STUDIES/RAGING LESBIAN P. 10/11 ~ JENKS, AMERICA (TFN) - When right wing Utah US Senator Orrin Hatch created an equal access bill to allow student religious groups to use public school facilities, he probably never dreamed he was also making it possible for Gay and Gay-friendly high school students to start Gay/Straight Alliances - even in conservative Oklahoma. But in Jenks, one of Tul sa’ s suburbs (which like Broken Arrow grew from a small farm town in the 60’s and 70’ s as Tulsa whites fled integration in Tulsa Public Schools), an 18 year old senior did his homework, knew the law, bucked the system, got some help and got a Gay/Straight Alliance (GSA) started. Kevin Barker said he once didn’t think he’d be the one to start a GSA. He is friends with Will Allen and Kent Doss, other young Gay activists and knew Allen had helped start a GSA at Tulsa’s Washington High. Doss encouraged Barker to take the initiative but Barker characterized himself as one who once considered the DC based Human Rights Campaign as "too radical." But as he went through his "coming out" process, opening up to his friends and school community - and generally being accepted, he reconsidered. And that’s when he started researching equal access laws, and looking at other resources. By the middle of last fall, he was ready and went to Jenks High School administrators and, not surprisingly, started to get the runaround. Perhaps school officials thought they could stall or bluff him enough that he’d give up. But Barker called for help and contacted the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network’s newest chapter in Oklahoma City. OKC GLSEN co-chair Rhouda Rudd received an e-mail from Barker and forwarded his letter to other members of the chapter. Chapter members Rob Abiera and Joe Quigley suggested that Barker contact Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR). Qnigley, one of the founding members of Oklahoma City G LS EN and a teacher of several years’ experience, also sent a list of contacts, see Jenks, p. 2 In Or Out: Effects of the Closet TULSA ~TFN) - What are the psychological effects of being in or out of the closet for GLBT’s will be the subject of the next Sou!force In Oklahoma at a Tulsa meeting on Monday, March 19th. Dr. Shirley Hunter, from Oklahoma City, who is a Licensed Professional Coun.selor and a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist, will be the guest speaker. According to Soulforce In Oklahoma, religious groups often covertly or overtly encourage Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender persons to remain silent within churches about their sexuality or risk the possibility of rejection. Many faith groups advocate a "don’t ask -.don~t tell" policy for their congregants and ministers. As a consequence, GLBT folks struggle with the decision whether or not to come out. Dr. Hunter will speak on the subject of coming out and lead a discussion for audience participation. The meeting will be from 6-8pm at the Tulsa Gay/Lesbian/ Bisexual/Transgender Services Center. The center is located at 2114 S. Memorial, Tulsa. (918-743-4297). Shirley Hunter started her private practice in psychotherapy in Oklahoma,City in 1978. The focus of her practice has been for Gays, Lesbians and their families. Dr. Hunter was instrumental in establishing the first Gay help line in Oklahoma City in the early 80’s. She was also a participant in the first homosexual hearings of the United Methodist Church, and served on the task force for homosexuality at Church of the Servant, one of the state’s largest Methodist churches. Dr. Hunter has spoken to groups throughout the stateinduding university groups, community groups, and professional groups concerning Gay, Lesbian and HIV issues. Dr. Hunter and her partner, Jan Tipton, have been together for almost 23 years, and they reside in OKC. In Tulsa, the group meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month and is a grassroots movement of GLBT and allied people, from diverse rdigious traditions who are dedicated to bringing about justice for the GLBT community. For more information visit the Soulforce National website at "www.soulforce.org" or contact local members: Karen at "karen@cwis.net", 918-4522761, Sue at "knalig@worldnet.att.net", 587-3248, or Femando at "Pandafe477@cs.com", 295-0030. TULSA (TFN) - Tulsa’s College Hill Presbyterian Church, 10ng known as the progres sive church among local congregations is sponsoring a weekend retreat for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender persons. The event called, "Re-Connecting Body and Spirit" will be on March 16-18 at the historic Presbyterian camp Dwight Mission near Muskogee. It’s billed as "A Weekend Retreat about Spirituality, Sexuality and Building Relationships to Last A Lifetime..." and features as facilitator, the Reverend Laurene M. Lafontaine. Lafontaine is an out Lesbian and an alumnae of Princeton Theological Seminary, and serves as "pulpit supply" (floating minister) for Denver area churches. Lafontaine also teaches and coaches at Saint Mary’s Academy in Englewood, Colorado. "Re-Connecting Body and Spirit" seeks to help individuals marginalized by repressive church policies around matters of sexuality. The retreat hopes to help individuals to re-connect spirituality with identity to help build an inclusive faith community. Organizers say that the retreat’will offer opportunities for worship, discussion, recreation, bonding, and alliance building. The goal is to build a church for everyone. The event will start after 6pm on Friday evening as participants arrive. That evening will be a get acquainted time with no formal programs except for a Vespers service at 10pm. Saturday will combine fellowship at meals with workshops from "Religion and Spirituality: Our Images of God," to "Discovering and Making the Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality." Sunday momingworship follows breakfast, see Retreat, p. 11 ¯ Presbyterians Vote On Anti-Gay Amendment ¯ US/TULSA (AP/TFN) -Around the United States, ¯ regional governing bodies for the Presbyterian Church, ¯ U.S.A. are voting on a measure called "Amendment O."The amendment is another product of the30-year ¯ struggle over homosexuality, that has gripped the 2.6 ¯ million-member Presbyterian church and other main¯ line Protestant denominations. The proposed amend" ment, passed by the national governing body of the ¯ denominationin2000,wouldruleoutinvoking"God’s ¯ blessing.., on any relationship that is inconsistent ¯ with" the view that people should live "in fidelity ¯ within the covenant of marriage between a man and ¯ a woman or in chasti,ty in singleness." ~ The proposed amerldment would insert an instruc~ tion in the church’s governing Book of Order that ¯ Presbyterian churches and clergy must not approve or ¯ invoke God’s blessing on any relationship but those. ¯ For some Presbyterians, that raised the specter of ¯ babies-denied baptism if born out of wedlock, or refusing marriage to couples who had lived together ~ for years. ¯ At press time, theproposed ban on same-sex unions was failing nationally, 39 to 67, according to an unofficial count on Presbyweb, one of several independent church groups posting running vote totals on ¯ the Interact. However, all sides expected the margin to tighten by the May 25 deadline. South Louisiana Presbyterians voted to reject Amendment O. The vote marked the first time that a majority of the leaders for the more than 13,000 ¯ Presbyterians in the southern part of Louisiana have granted a victory to Gay Presbyterians. It remained unclear, however, if the vote meant they approve of ¯ Gay marriage. Some commissioners of the Presbytery of South Louisiana, see Vote, p. 2 �¯ aregional grouping of 71 local Presbyterian ¯ 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants churches, said they were voting against a POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net 832-1269 "¯ national proposal to ban same-sex unions *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine ¯ 610-5323 : PubLisher + Editor: Tom Neal *CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial because it seemed incidentally to ban much ¯ 838-9792 ." *Play-Mor, 424 S. Memorial Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Kati~egory, Barry else, such as baptizing children of single 744-4280 ¯ ¯ mothers. Commissioners defeated the proPol6 Grill, 2038 Utica Square Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom,-Esther *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main 585-3405 " posal 77-63, sending their vote to headquarRothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw~ -. ¯ *St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998 " ters of the Presbyterian Church in Louis¯ ville, Ky., where the votes of the nation’s 280-1316 : Member of The Associated Press --~_~ _ *Schatzi’s, 2619 S. Memorial 834-4234 ¯ ¯ other 172 presbyteries are being tallied. *The Star, 1565 Sheridan Issued around the 1 st of each month, the entire conte~s of this 660-0856 " : The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta which *TNT’s, 2114 S. Memorial publication are protected by US copyright 2001 by Tulsa 584-1308 " *Tool Box II, 1338 E. 3rd ~represents 110 churches voted down AmendFamily News and may not be reproduced either in whole or in 835-2376 : *Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan " merit O, while its counterpart in northeast part without written permission from the publisher. Publica749-1563 ¯ *The Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th ¯ Georgia voted the other way. The 256-225 tion of a name or photo does not indicate a person’s sexual " Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals Atlanta vote agmnst the amendment came orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication ~ by paper ballot after an hour’s discussion. Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 : unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole 25O-5034 " : The Northeast Georgia Presbytery voted in Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 property of Tulsa Family News. Eachxeader is entitled to 4 665-4580 . ¯ favor of the amendment 65-61. "We had a Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 copies of each edition at distribution poi~.~:-~_712-1122 ~ very spiritual, pastorally sensitive and open Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 Additional copies are available by calling 58~3~. 712-9955 " ¯ debateeven thoughour votewas very close," *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 ¯ 494-2665 said the Rev. Keyon Meeks Jr., executive of *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 743 -5272 ", *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E.-31~-~., 742-2457 ¯ the presbytery. Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa - Lesbian & Gay Catl:~oliEs & ¯ 746-0313 Currently, according to a ruling last year *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria -- 355:T140 , Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 295-5868 " by the denomination’s highest court, minis*Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 747-7777 ters in the denomination may perform sameCherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743 -4117 ." *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard *Free Spirit Women’s Center, call for location &info: 587-4669 622-0700 sex blessing services as long as they are not Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 747-6827 " Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 " Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 582-0438 " c.o.nsidered the same as marriage ceremoFriends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 749-3620 rues. *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 834-4194 *Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral 744-5556 The Presbytery of Eastern Oklahoma is Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 834-8378 838-8503 ¯¯ HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education scheduled to vote on Amendment O, along *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMinstrie~, 1517 S. Memorial 224-4754 369-8555 with a number of other proposed amendEncompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial ¯ *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715 584-0337, 712-9379 ments on Tuesday, March 6 at John Knox Ross Edward Salon 748-3111 592-0460 ¯¯ NAMES Project, 3507 E. Adunr~tal P1. Presbyterian Church. Events Unlimited, 507 S. Mmn NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, POB 14068, 74159 365-5658 744-9595 Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. P~,o.ria ¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157 610-0880 Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. 628-3709 ¯ *OSU-Tulsa Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 749-4901 808-8026 ¯¯ PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 587-7674 *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 742-1460 TOHR’s president Kerry Lewis (who is *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st ¯ Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118.74152 ¯ 459-9349 an attorney) and the Oklahoma chapter of Learme M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 749-4195 R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network ¯ 744-7440 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney the American Civil Liberties Union pro584-2325 ¯ " vided him with legal advice on how to deal *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1111 ¯ *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 425-7882 St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cindnnati 341-6866 ¯ withresistance on the part of the principal at *International Tours ¯ St Dunstan’s E iscopal, 5635 E 71st 492-7140 712-2750 ¯ Jenks High School. Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th 582-3088 *St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3018 *Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th : Barker’s experience with his principal’s 747-0236 ¯¯ Soulforce-OK, Rt.4,#3534,Stigler74462 587-3248,452-2761 ¯ stalling might now seem funny. He was David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 583-7171 *Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 582-8460 The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening ¯ *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225 ¯ asked to give them more time, told that they 599-8070 *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 595-4105 ¯ had to talk with the school attorney who just 747-5466 ¯ Tulsa County Health Department, 4616E. 15 : happened not to be available, etc. but who Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only 585-1234 ¯¯ ¯ suddenly became much more accessible af*Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, Gay Comm. Center 743-4297 ¯ ter Barker called local mainstream media: 584-3112 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd ¯ TUL-PAC, Positive Advocacy Coalition, POB2687,Tulsa 74101 ¯ 663 -5934 Apparently shortly after receiving calls from Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 ¯ T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform]Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827 664-2951 ¯ : TV and Tulsa World reporters, inducting *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 838-7626 ¯ *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule ¯ Ch. 8’s Glenda Silvey, Barker was called Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo ¯ *Tulsa Community College Campuses 743 -4297 into the principal’s office where he received *The Pride Store ¯ 743-4297 *Tul sa Gay Commumty Center, 21 st & Memorial 747-5932 ", something that resembled an apology. Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101 749-8833 ¯ 834-0617 ¯ Unity Church of Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown However, since receiving approval for the Richard’s Carpet Cleaning ¯ ¯ group, the GSA has continued to struggle to 834-7921, 748-0224 ¯ BARTLESVILLE Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. 918-337-5353 ¯ receive equal access to school resources 260-7829 Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone Paul Tay, Car Salesman 481-0558 ¯ TAHLEQUAH ," which other groups take for granted. This *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 835-5563 ¯ 918-456-7900 : harassment ranges from the sudden enforceVenus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard Stonewall League, call for information: 743-1733 ¯ 918-456-7900 ¯ ment onrules about handing out flyers (rules Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church ¯ 665-2222 918-453-9360 that had never been enforced recently) to *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan ’ k Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 592-0767 - *Whittier News Stand, 1 N Lewis ¯ having their group announcements in the EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS school bulletin printed in miniscule type. www.gaytulsa.org website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians 501-253-7734 Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 ¯ Despite the struggle, Jenks GSA had a Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities 501-253-7457 ¯ Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main successful first meeting with 40 people at501-253-6807 AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593 ¯ DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 743-2363 501-253-5445 " tending, about 30 of whom were not Gay. ,M1 Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria ¯ And the success in Jenks appears to have 587-7314 ¯ Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 501-253-9337 : MCC of the Living Spring 583 -7815 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 ¯ Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-2776 ¯ inspired the formation of groups at Tulsa 583 -9780 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 501-253-5332 ¯¯ Rogers, Union High and in Broken Arrow. ¯ Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 585-1201 As Barker notes, if it can happen at Jenks, Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston " 501-624-6646 Positive Idea Marketing Plans ¯ then it can happen anywhere, and he stated *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence 501-253-4074 587-1314 ¯ White Light, 1 Center St. ¯ in an e-mail to his allies, "the law, and God Church of the Restoration UU; 1314 N.Greenwood JOPLIN, MISSOURI 747-6300 " was on our side for this one, and we did it!. *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale ¯ 41%623-4696 Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U 134 ¯ .do not be discouraged, the world will *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 748-3888 iswhereyoucanffmdTl~N.NotallareGay.ownedba,,a~.~o.,.,IH~my"~’~ ~ ¯ change, even if it is one person at a timeF’ Council Oak Men’s Chorale 712-1511 *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware ,.... �by Elizabeth Birch, executive director WASHINGTON (Feb.2 !) - As we begin a new political reality with Georg~W. Bush as our nation’s 43rd president and Republicans in charge of Congress and the White House for the first time in four decades, supporters of Gay equality have expressed apprehension about what this political moment portends for Gay issues. While the question remains largely unanswered, we can gain some comfort in noting that we are also living in a reality of growing public distaste for anti-Gay behavior, whether by self-righteous radio hosts or misguided office seekers. In the marketplace of ideas, anti-Gay positions are finding fewer and fewer takers - a point not lost on our new president. : ~ ¯ " ] President Bush has largely tried to ¯¯ sidestep Gay issues throughout his pub¯ lic career. When he has been pinned foit in noting we are down on issues, he mosdy tries to balance his positions by trying not to appear intolerant, yet not alienating his socially conservativebase. Hehas commendably stated he will not discriminate based on sexual orientation. However, his statements have consistently been tempered with implications that homosexuality is a private matter underscoring the inequity contrasted by heterosexuality being an obvious public matter. Despite his strategy of avoidance, President Bush has taken a few positions as governor and during, his campaign that are not Gay-supportave, most notably his support in the spring of 1999 for a law that would ban Gay people from adopting children. The public has come along way over the course of the last eight years toward support of Gay issues. When asked in 1992, by the Gallup organization whether Gays should have equal job opportunities, 71% Of those polled said "yes." By 1999, 83% said "yes." When asked by Gallup whether homosexuality should be an acceptable lifestyle, in 1992, 38% said"yes." By 1999, 52% had said"yes." In 1995, apoll conducted by Lake Snell Perry showed Independents, akey Bush constituency, when asked whether they thought Gay rights were equal rights or special rights, 41% said "equal." By 1998, that number jumped to 55%. This data underscores an increasingly supportive electorate that will provide a firm foundation on which we can build relationships with the new administration. The lessons we have learned since 1994 when Republicans took over the Senate and the House of Representatives, is that public opinion has provided us with vital leverage. Working with allies inside and outside of Congress we have been able to stop every anti-Gay legislative attack, and there were many, except one, the Defense of Marriage Act. During this period, the Employment Non Discrimination Act came within one of vote of passing the Senate and though it has yet to become law, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act passed the Senate by a wide margin and the House passed a non-binding resolution supporting the measure. Our progress does not rest with any one individtml, political party or component of government. It comes from making our case to the American people, who at the end of day, will be the final arbiters of judgment regarding our nation’s leaders. When the new President Bush nominated former Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft to be attorney general the conventional wisdom among most Gay advocates was that the President would have had a tough time picking someone anti-Gay. The fact that the attorney general can have a direct, dramatic impact on the lives of Gay people only exacerbated the apprehension surrounding the nomination. What transpired during the confirmation process was unexpected. Sen. Ashcroft felt the political need to state unequivocally under oath that he w ould not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, apositionhe never took (or had to take) until coming before the full body of public opinion represented by the entire Senate. Of course, we will judge him by his actions, not his words. After eight years of the Clinton Administration, our community, its orgamzations and leaders are looking at what lies ahead in this new, more ambiguous environment. Not all will come to the same conclusions and not all will be driven by the same priorities, but most are motivated by the goal of equality for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgendered Americans. At the Human Rights Campaign, we campaigned vigorously for A1 Gore for president. We thought he represented the best hope for our commum ty and would offer the best environment to move our issues forward. That did not come to pass. The campaign is over. It is time to govern. The new president has completed his transition from campaign to governing. So too does HRC move from campaigning to making sure the new administration governs fairly and inclusively. We will accomplish this by using political acumen, relationships with Congress, the moral imperative and the growing support of public opinion. The Washington, D.C. based Human Rights Campaign is the largest US civil rights organization focused On Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered issues. HRC engages in education and lobbying at the federal level. Call HRC-Tulsa at 582-4673. "... we can gain some com- that also living in a reality of growing public distaste for anti-Gay behavlor, whether by Christian Grantham The first time I heard songs from the Marshal Mather’s LP by tapper Eminem was on MTV. The music didn’t seem all that different from everything else the network played, and I didn’t pay too much attention. It wasn’t undl the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) publicly critiqued the album and led protests at the MTV Music Awards against the artist that I gave it another listen. The questionable content that concerned GLAAD was lyrical prose depicting violence against Gays and women. The lyrics were a perfect vehicle for the organization to demonstrate how homophobia has permeated our culture. Like a predictable, virus, the controversy acted as a host and propdled the artist’s content into the spotlight whe4e art’ s success i s often measured. The lyrical content is disturbing. But "disturbing" can describe pretty much any provocative art. What’s great about the album is F,minem’s presentation: it’s angry, it’s raw and it’s real. It’s so real, in fact, that Eminem took criticism from Gay and Lesbian leaders and publications for somehow inspiring society’s homophobia. Supporters like Madonna, Stevie Wonder and Elton John came to his defense reminding us that blaming, the artist for society’s ills cuts both ways. Who knows how many unwanted pregnancies in the 80s Madonna is responsible for, right? It wasn’t until Elton John agreed to perform with the controversial tapper at the Grammy’s that the shit hit the "fans," so to speak. by self-rlghteous radio host,- or misguided office seekers. In the marketplace of ideas, anti-Gay positions are finding fewer and fewer takers - a point not lost on our new president.. ¯." "... The lyrical content is disturbing. But "disturbing" can describe pretty much any provocative art. ~/hat’s great about the album is Emlnem’s presentation: it’s angry~ it’s raw and it’s real ..." Caught off guard, GLAAD quickly urged Elton John to live up to the standards for which he was presented GLAAD’ s Vito Russo Award the previous year for outstanding work with the Gay and Lesbian commumty. Activist Robin Tyler said in an open letter to Elton John that he was "spitting on the grave of Matthew Shepard." Gay.corn’s Michael Signorile wrote that it was "arrogant of Elton John to use his power in a way that undercuts an entire movement" unless he got a permission slip from the executive directors of the Gay and Lesbian movement. GLAAD’s Executive Director, Joan Gerry, implored Elton John to "not perform with Eminem at the Grammy Awards." Dr. Dre’s protOg6 learned from the best and rode it all the way to the bank. Gay and Lesbian attacks on tapper Eminem scapegoated the artist and a marginalized medium for society’s homophobia. The tactic was long popular with religious political extremists to blame Gays and Lesbians for everything from child molestation to broad declines of morality. Gay and Lesbian activists argued Eminem was scapegoating Gays and women inhis prose. Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! If anything, our movement s duet w~ Eminem exposes our own occasional reliance on questionable tactics. It also highlights what a willing dance parmer we make for people, such as Eminem, by rushing headlong ires giving them the attention they so desire. What’s worse m our apparent role as "art critic" is the pressure of political expectations placed on artists we ceremoniously award. Elton Johnis an entertainer who owes creative control to no one but himself. If he wishes to play the"Uncle Tom," as letters to the editor describe him, let’s pick up Elton’s depiction and talk about the Uncle Toms in our commtmi.ty. Or is this a sore spot for folks? If the duet is about homophobia in your face, let’s address what we’re doing about it and not "who should and shouldn’t artistically represent it and why." Elton John isn’t the only artist to experience this from our community. In a discussion I had on GayBC with Queer As Folk’s Executive Producer, Ron Cowen, he balked at activist demands that QAF’s story line represent diversity, as though it’s his job to be social engineer. If art reflects a less than politically correct reality, we all have short comings to address. Charles L. Mackay, LL.D, once wrote in Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds that people "think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly; and one by one." Our movement’s reaction to Eminem and Elton John show Gays and Lesbians aren’t immune to being apt hosts. Many of those who attack F.minem hide behind claims that his rap is not art and is a true confession. The last I recall we left deciding what is and isn’t art to Congressman Jesse Helms and NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Madness makes strange bedfellows of foes. I wonder what our friends must be thinking? Madonna, no stranger to the controversy herself, said in the L~A. Times that Eminem is simply’~reflecdng what s going onin society right now and That is what art ~s supposed to do." Stevie Wonder also pointed out that "art is a reflection of our society, and people don’t like to confront the realities in society." As long as Gay and Lesbian leaders dodge the"realitiesmsoc|ety ln favor of lynching homophobla smessenger, allwe refunding is an endless game of"whack the mole." I’d settle, however, for old fashion activism over playing art critic any day. In the least case, it would be great to get a heads up on when it will be Howard Stem, David Geffen or Ru Paul’s turn. William S. Burroughs, a founder of the Beat Generation, himself Gay and brought to court over the questionable content of his novels, once said "The next revolution will be iwgnOrin~ others out of existence." I have to wonder someumes if the free market of ideas ould l~ave left Eminem at the bottom had we not lifted it up as a pet example rather than focusing on society’s ills his art reflects. Enough about Eminem. Christian Grantham has a talk show on GayBC Radio Network. www.gaybc.com �School Board to Consider Advocate for Gay Kids MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Appointment of a full-time advocate for Gay.and Lesbian students is desperatdy needed in Madison to combat harassment, ignorance and indifference such students face, supporters of the proposal say. "The level of despair, the level of crisis, is often quite severe," said Michael Apple, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madi- their sexual identity, becomes public. "These issues are not easy, especially when you have children," she said. The final full session of the conference ended with a ~lea by organizers for more energetic lobbying in state legislatures on behalf of stepfamilies. "State laws give almost no lega~ recogniuon to the residential stepparent,’.’ said Margorie Engel, president of the Stepfamily Association of America. "The legal system focuses too exclusively on bloodlines." Tolerance Curriculum Criticized in Santa Fe Find out for yourself how good the Lord iS! - Ps. 34:8 Come share goodness of the Lord with our community ~Sunday Morning 11:00 AM Children’s Worshi p During Service MCC United S°~o specific job description exists yet, but a prelimiRev. Cathy Elliott, Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918)838-1715 rncctulsa@aol,con nary proposal Calls for the advocate to work with district departments to make them more inclusive and SANTA FE (AP) - A minister and a parent say the help Gay and Lesbian students with their studies and tolerance curriculum approved by the Santa Fe school probiems. The position could be filled by the end of the board for middle and high school students needs to be redone.. The school board last week approved the year pending board approval. Dr. Paul Grossberg of University Health Services curriculum, which recognizes homophobia as s~xual said a presidential task force found about one of every violence. The Project Glyph Anti-Homophobia, Prejudice-Reduction Curriculum is optional for teachers to three youth suicides involv ,e~, teen-agers struggling with tt]eir sexual orientation. It is unconscionable for use, and parents will be notified before the lessons in usas acommtmity tobesllentaboutthislssue, hesmd. case they want to excuse their children. Michdle Parker, parent of an elementary school The Madison district has similar full-time teachers at Community of Hope that work with Southeast Asian, Hispanic and Americhild, said she stopped reading the curricuium after the can Indian students. Only eight other districts in the glossary, which includes definitions for transsexual, country are known to have full-time advocates for Gay transvestite and transgender. Bisexuality and homo2$4~ South Yale, Sundays at llam, 749-0~9~ T h e sexuality are listed as normal behavior - definitions the students, according to the n A Welcoming Congregation proposal has drawn several opposing letters to area . :urriculum attributes to the American Psychiatric ,A.~snewspapers. . ~ociation. Parker said the definition of homosexumxty ~ontradicts the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. "We believe it is not a normal state of being, she sa~ . Pa~ker saidhomosexuals should be treated with respect, but that the school district should throw out the, project and start over. NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Beyond the basic complexiThe Rev. Canon Dale Coleman of the Church of the Sun. Worship, 10:45 am, Sunday School, 9:30 am ties confronting most stepfamilies, those in the mil!Holy Faith Episcopal, who has two children in the tary and those headed by same-sex couples face addiWed. Bible Study, 7 pm; Sunday Eve. Service, 6pm t~ublic schools, also said the curriculum needs " .... revisi,n,g. tional daunting challenges, experts told a U.S. confersaid A "I wouldbeall for atolerance curnculum, he ¯ ence at the end of February. 1517 S. Memorial, 628-0802, Info: 224-4754 Christian cannot support prejudice or violence against For military stepfamilies, temporary overseas dekids." However, he said Project Glyph takes "axi exployment of a spouse may leave a.stepparent alone treme position" in labeling as normal various kinds of with children who have yet to accept a new authority sexual lifestyles. Curriculum advocates say the lessons figure. Same-sex couples may have to cope withprejuare necessary because teen-agers are confronted with dices, and their children may struggle in explaiuing the derogatory slang about homosexuals and song lyrics family structure to others. The issues were raised at the about beating up homosexuals and that some students National Conference of Stepfamilies, a first-of-itsare ridiculed in school. Young Adult Support Group kind symposium bringing together experts from a The project was created by the Santa Fe Rape Crisis Outreach Program Thurs. Nights variety of fields to consider ways of improving support CentJer. Some.. ministers spoke,,out against the curricu-,, for stepfamilies. lum, feanng xt would promote ahomosexual agenda. Meet Others in a Safe Enviroment Francesca Adler-Baeder, a parent education speBut the Santa Fe Ministerial Alliance said lastApril it Call for meeting times and place: cialist affiliated with Comell University, discuss.edher stood behind the tolerance-based project. The curricuwork with the U.S. Defense Department, trying to lum covers sexual orientation and gender identity; identify the problems posed by stepfamilies in the homophobia and how it affects everyone; and how to military. About 55% of all service members are marbe an ally to people of all orientations and help stop fled, and at least one-fifth of them are estimated to be " violence. I The four school board members at the meeting in stepfamilies, she said. ¯ Anne Bernstein, a family therapist and professor at ~ supported the curriculum. Supenntendent Vero_ni.’ca .C. the University of California-Berkeley, discussed the Garcia also spoke favorably of the program, calling ~ts distinctive challenges facing same-sex couplesincases ¯ subject a "human rights issue." Mayor Larry Delgado where one of them has custody of one °r m°re children has endorsed the program, too. at the time the adults become partners. "Even more 9413 E. 31st St., Tulsa 74145 Project Glyph, part of the Santa-Fe Rape Crisis than other stepfnmilies, these fnmilies are at variance Center, first approached the board in Novemberi999 918-663-5934, fax: 663-5834, 800-4AA-5934 with the models in our dominant culture," Bemstein with its effort to make Santa Fe safe and inclusive for Family Owned & Opbrated said. "These people can fed invisible or rejected as a all youth, especially Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and family." transgender children. She said members of such families may have diffiSome Santa Fe ministers then spoke out against the culty finding the right terms foreach other; a child curriculum, fearing it would promote the homosexual ,,n~,~ht fumble for a replywhen asked by a teach,e,r,~ lobby’s agenda. But the Santa Fe Ministerial ,Alliance ~-ho is this person who picks you up from school? Trinna L. ,W. Burrows, LSWs ACSW said in a letter last April iLstood behind the tolerance..Bemstein said most of the same=sex Couples she Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy based project. The curriculum covers sexual orientaworks with are Lesbians, but she has detected particution and gender identity; homophobia and how it lar problems faced by some Gay men thrust.into affects everyone; and how to be an ally to people of all (918) 743-9559 stepfather roles. "For Gay men, being a parent is often orientations and help slop violence. not what one expected to include in one’s-life story, Project Glyph staff plan to make presentations to she said. "Being a stepparent is a very different 2121 South Columbia, Suite 420 students next week. The curriculum will be modified lifestyle." for middle school students. In a class of 30, on average, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114-3518 Bernstein said her home town of Berkeley, Califorthere are three to eight students who identify or might nia, is rdatively tolerant, but noted that some same-sex someday identify themselves as Lesbian, Gay or Bicouples with childrenin other areas fear stigmatization sexual, the curriculum states. - or possibly even losing custody of the children - if Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation Gay+Military Stepfamilies " Face Challenges OUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT The Open Arms Project 918-584-2325 Mingo Valley Flowers �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 American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette McIntosh Diversity-Co-ordinator 838-1100 G American Red Cross OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN I-tFAI~S 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 School board member Donita Sena said she was alarmed after reading the results of the district’s recent Quality of Education Survey. Only 47% of Santa Fe high school students believed students at their schools were treated equally regardless of sexual orientation, while 71% of high school staff believed students were treated equally. "The kids are saying something obviously different," Sena said. "If this curriculum is going to help teachers, we need to do it." Scottsdale.Considers Partners Health Benefits Parker became angry with the victim for telling others about a sexual relationship the two had. After drinking beer and snorting a crushed tranquilizer, Parker allegedly starting hitting Warren with his fists and stomping on him with steel-toed boots. In his statement, Wilson told investigators he participated briefly in the beating for fear Parker’s rage would turn on him. The then-17-year-olds are also accused of taking Warren’s body to a rural road and driving over him four times with a Camaro in a failed effort to stage a hit-and-run. College Claims Adequate Response to Hate Crimes SCOTI’SDALE, Ariz. (AP) - The Scottsdale City Council is considering extending health care benefits to the domestic partners of city employees, including same-sex partners. The city’s proposed health care plan’was devised in part to bolster Scottsdale’s efforts in recruiting and retaining workers in a competitiv ejob market. The number of job applications for open positions is down, as is the overall quality of candidates, said Neal Shearer, the city’s human resources administrator. "We want to eliminate whatever barriers we can that impede our ability to attract and retain the talent we need to get the job done," Shearer said. City employees have also begun requesting the benefits, and officials hope to extend the policy to avoid any perception of discrimination, he said. Eligibility requirements still are being determined. Gay civil-rights activists see Scottsdale’s benefits proposal as part of a trend, said Steve Brandwein, a board member forthe Arizona Human Rights Fund, a Gay civil-rights advocacy group. "City councils and city human resources departments are learning just like corporations are that in order to remain competitive this is very sensible business," Brandwein said. In the state, Phoenix, Tempe, and Tucson also offer benefits to domestic partners. But an attorney with a history of challenging domestic partner policies nationally said the benefits would weaken morality. "One of the strongest reasons we oppose any attempts to broaden public support for alternative lifestyles such as the (domestic partner) ordinances or city actions do, is that they really do weaken the value of marriage," said Alan Sears, president and general counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund. LYNDON, Vt. (AP) - Lyndon State College officials have denied accusations that the college is ignoring hate crimes on campus. Officials responded to claims made last week by a sophomore student who said college administrators retaliated against him because of his Web site, http://lyndonsucks.homestead.com. The site by Jacob Fortes, of Lowell, Mass., who is not Gay,accuses officials of ignoring student concerns about hate crimes, and mentions alleged hate crimes that target Gays at LSC. College President Carol Moore said Fortes made "outrageous claims." "I think we’ve done a good job and have responded quickly to some of the concerns about the homosexual climate on campus." Moore said. "We feel we have enough data to show that we have tried to set up programs to protect our Gay and Lesbian students." Moore said the school has pursued every incident of harassment that has been reported. As well, the college has increased efforts to raise awareness on the campus about Gay and Lesbian concerns, she said, including holding open forums attended for students and faculty members. Of the nearly 1,100 full-time students at LSC, about 25 arein the Gay and Lesbian Alliance, though not all are Gay or Lesbian, she said. Moore confirmed reports that a Gay student left the campus last year because he was uncomfortable. "The student felt he was in jeopardy physically and we could not guarantee round-the-clock protection for him," she said. The situation reflects society and LSC ]s not umque in dealing with these issues, Moore said. "You can educate but sometimes it just doesn’t take," she said. Suspects in Gay’s Murder To Be Clinically Evaluated Ex-United Way Staffer Attacks BSA Funding FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) - The trials of two teenagers charged in the murder of a Gay Black man from Marion County could be delayed by requests for psychiatric reviews. Special Prosecutors Scott Smith of Wheeling and Stephen Keuney of Charleston have asked Circuit Judge David Janes to have both teenagers reviewed by a psychiatrist. David Allen Parker, 18, is tentatively set to stand ,trial in Beckley on March.26, while co-defendant Jared Matthew Wilson is scheduled to appear in a Wheeling courtroom on May 29. The teen-agers are charged with first-degree murder and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of beating 26-year-old Arthur "J.R." Warren to death in Grant Town in July. Their trials are expected to last about a week. The teens have been interviewed by a psychologist, but neither has been examined by a psychiatrist, the prosecutors said in a filing with the court. Forensic psychologist Dr. William Fremouw has found both defendants mentally competent to stand trial and criminally responsible at the time of their alleged attack on Warren, according to court documents. Still, Parker’s lawyers have indicated they may pursue a diminished capacity defense. The beating of Warren began early July 4 when NEPTUNE, N:J. (AP) - A former finance director for the United Way of Monmouth County has filed a complaint to try to stop the nonprofit from funding B oy Scout troops. Maureen Glover’s complaint with the state Division of Civil Rights charges that she was subject to a hostile work environment because the agency funded the Scouts. She worked for the charitable umbrella organization from last June until she resigned in January. Glover, 45, told the Asbury Park Press of Neptune that on her first day of work, she was happy to sign an ethics code that prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, creed, age, sex or sexual orientation. Days later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts ".of America could bar Gays from leadership positions m a case that originated in Monmouth County. Glover accused her employer of violating its own ethics code. She said it was particularly distressing to find herself as finance director writing checks to the same Boy Scout council that ejected James Dale as scouunaster after learning he was Gay, an action that led to the Supreme Court case. Jim Borque, executive director of the Monmouth County United Way, said he disagreed with Glover’s charges, but declined to elaborate, citing the pending litigation. �California Men’s Syphilis Rate Rising Agency to Offer Free AIDS Drugs ATLANTA (AP) - An outbreak of syphilis in Southern California last year has provided alarming new evidence that Gay and Bisexual me~ are lowering their guard against AIDS, the government said. More than half of the syphilis cases in a four-county area during the first half of 2000 were in men who reported having had at least one male sex partner- up from 26% a year earlier. Health officials said that the numbers are a signal that Gay and Bisexual men, encouraged by news of powerfully effective drug cocktails andlonger lifespans for AIDS patients, are wonying less about HIV. Both HIV and syphilis are sexually transmitted; condoms can protect against their spread. HIV "is no longer perceived to bethe threat that it once was," said Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, which is part of the Centers for .Disease Control and Prevention. ’q’hese are very serious findings." The Southern California cases and similar outbreaks in other major cities came after the national syphilis rate dropped in 1999 to its lowest level on record. Just 6,657 cases were reported in 1999, the last year for which national figures are available, or about one case per 40,000 people. Syphilis outbreaks inmajor cities"show that the disease can make a comeback," said Ken August, spokesman for ~ California D epartment of Health S ervices. ’tit’ s important for health-care providers to ask patients about their behavior and to deliver a strong prevention message." In four California counties - Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange and Riverside- 66 of 130 syphilis cases from January to July 2000 were in Gay or Bisexual men, compared with 26 of 100 cases in the same period in 1999. Of the 66 cases in 2000, 33 reported they had had anonymous sex, and 17 said they had met sex partners in bathhouses. Only onein fivereported using acondom during his most recent sexual encounter, and two in five reported using illegal drugs. ’¢rhese men were engaging m high-risk sexual behavior," Valdiserri said. "When we see reports of increasing risk behaviors, that’s when we take action. We don’t wait till we see the spike nationally" in HIV. Thirty-four of the 66 men reported they were HIV-positive, and nine said they did not know their HIV status. "You’ve got people who are doing well on the (HIV) drugs and believe then that they don’thave to worry about infection," said John Schtinlaoff, chief of public health operations for Los Angeles County. "Some people argue that there is burnout. They get weary of being protective." The CDC recommended a search for new, innovative ways to get the safe-sex message to Gay and Bisexual men in large cities. Syphilis infections in 1999 remained concentrated in the South, with roughly one case per 22,000 people. Three-quarters of syphilis victims nationwide were black. About 300 syphilis cases were reported in 2000 in California. BOMBAY, India (AP) - An international aid agency said Friday it will distribute an anti-AIDS drug purchsed from an h~dian company free of charge in 10 countries. Doctors Without Borders - or Medecins sans Frontieres - will buy the anti-AIDS cocktail from the Indian company Cipla Ltd. "In general, where the Cipla drug will be used, it will be supplied free of cost. Wherever it is purchased by governments, it would be sold at reduced prices," Daniel Berman of the agency’s Access to Essential Medicines campaign told The Associated Press. Berman said the agency will begin distributing the drugs "over the next couple of months." On Feb. 7, Cipla offered to sell a threedrug anti-retroviral cocktail to Doctors Without Borders t’or $350 per person, per year, if the aid agency agreed to distribute it for free and took care of the legalities of importing it. Cipla also offered to sell the triple-combination therapy drugs to governments for $600 per patient instead of the $10,000 to $15,000 charged in the United States and Europe. The Bombay-based company says it could manufacture the drugs cheaply becaus e production costs are low in India and it makes the raw materials. Berman along with Madrid-based pharmacist Carmen Perez met three top Cipla officials in Bombay and said the aid agency would integrate some of the Cipla drugs into antiretroviral pilot programs in-10 countries. "We will be using these drugs in these pilot programs." He declined to name the 10 countries, but said the program had already begun in Thailand and Cameroon. Berman said drug authorities from the United States, Australia, South Africa and Germany had visited the Cipla plant and certified standards. A joint statement by Doctors Without Bordersand Cipla said: "Governments of developing countries canimmediately take advantage of the offer... This offer is available without restrictions in time, geography or quantity." The Cipla offer raised concerns Lhat patent laws may be breached in some countries. In South Africa, 42 pharmaceutical comparfies have filed a lawsuit to prevent the government from distributing generic AIDS drugs becuase it ~nay violate World Trade Organization rules. Under the WTO rules, governments can issue compulsory licenses that allow genetic drugs to be manufactured if they declare a national health emergency. The AIDS cocktail on offer consists of two 40 milligram tablets of stavudine, two 150 milligram tablets of lamivudine and two 200 milligram tablets of nevirapine. : GlaxoSmithKline of Britain developed : lamivudine, also known as Heptovir, ~ihd : Boehringer Ingelheim of Germany holds ¯ the rights to nevirapine under the name ¯" Viramune. Bristol-Myers Squibb holds the ~ international patent on siavudine. The companies have been negotiating deals with individual governments to lower prices. Boehringer recently lowered prices by 80%. GlaxoSmithKline announced that ¯ it wouldlower prices by 90% for nonprofit Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Customer_ Service Is Now Available 24 Hours .A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around-the-clock answers to your questions - and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our toll-free numbers below. o~ Clip And Save Im m m m mm mmm m I I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I f Imm mm n mm CALL 24 HOURS FOR TOLL-FREE SERVICE Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 Billing Inquiries: 1-888-216-3490 Outage Reporting: 1-888-218-3919 Servicio a Clientes: 1-888-216-3505 Preguntas Sobre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 Falta De Suministro: 1-888-218-3924 I I ! ! m I Public ServiceC0mpany of Oklahoma �No More Tithes, Offerings, or Special Gifts Until Churches End Their False Teachings Against God’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Children Make Every Sunday Your "Faithful Dissenter Sunday" SPIRITUAL VIOLENCE Consider your situation: Withholding support (for even one Sunday) will empower you and help bring truth to your church or denomination. (1) If your local congregation is not. fully welcoming~ fill in the blanks below and drop it into the offering plate. Send your donation instead to the church or organization of your choice. (2) If your congregation is fully welcoming, but your denomination is not, withhold the percentage (10% to 15%) that goes to your denomination. (3) If you have left a church that is not fully welcoming, consider a one-time return visit to drop a card in the offering plate with a note explaining why. Write a note on the back or add a letter to explain your actions-lovingly. Do lustice. See your spirit renewed and your church transformed. Let us include you on our Honor Roll of Faithful Dissenters. , Send your name or initials with a brief account to: HonorRoll@sou]force.org For centuries, anti-homosexual religious teachings have led to suicide, wasted lives,-discrimination and violence. I am withholding my gifts until God’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children are fully welcomed by this church and/or denomination. Today, I am withholding my tithe/offering/special gift (or portion thereof) from to and contributing it because it welcomes and provides serAces to ~ God’s chiMren equally.-~-~--~~ as much my moral obligation not to cooperate with evil as it is to cooperate with good."- Ga~9m This bulletin insert is provided by Soulforce as part of its "Stop Spiritual Violence" campaign. agencies - effectively matching the Cipla offer. Cipla Chairman Yusuf Hamied said he welcomed moves by multinational companies to slash prices. "Since our initial outburst, things are moving in a positive direction. That is very satisfying,"Hamied said in an interview over the phone. Merck Begins Vaccine Trials NEW YORK (AP) - Pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck & Co. has begun a small-scale human trial of a new experimental HIV vaccine, The Wall Street Journal reported at the end of February. The new vaccine has been able to prevent laboratory monkeys exposed to an extremely vindent strain of the disease from contracting it, sources close to the trials told the Journal. This has AIDS scientists watching the results of the trials very dosdy. The company would not discuss the details of the laboratory trials, but did say it began testing the vaccine in healthy, uninfected volunteers last week. The drug is not the first possible vaccine to go into human trials. At least a d~iten .other companies are currently experimenting with a possible vaccine, but scientists familiar with the Merck trials say that their drug is among the most promismg. Merck official said they were reluctant to release any details regarding the trials before making a.formal presentation at a scientific forum in April, lest publicity raise false hopes. Priest Challenges Drug Companies doesn’t expect the government to stop D’Agostino. Also, Ongeri noted, the government is expected to pass a bill in parliament next month that would allow aid agencies to legally import generic drugs. The obstacle, Ongeri said, will likely be the drug companies. "The pharmaceutical industry should rise to the occasion and drop their prices in good time before we getto a level of (political) crisis," he said. One in eight Kenyans between the ages of 15and 49 are HIV positive, Ongeri said. Providing them with the patented drugs would cost between $141 million and $167 million - more than the country’s entire annual health budget of $115 million. Cipla offered to sdl Doctors Without Borders the anti-AIDS cocktailif the group agreed to distribute it for free and took care of the legalities of importing it. The group has agreed to help D’Agostino obtain the drugs. GlaxoSmithYdine declined to comment on D’Agostino’s plan. However, in announcing the company’s earnings, GlaxoSmithKline chief executive JeanPierre Gamier said patents are not the obstacle to supplying developing countries with medicines - poverty and weak health care systems are. Requests for comment from Boehringer and Bristol-Myers Squibb were not answered. However, a Boehringer spokesman asked about Cipla earlier this month said "intellectual property rights should be protected." GlaxoSmithKline Has 13% Profit Rise LONDON (AP) - Strong sales for its respiratory, antiviral and central-nervous-system drugs helped boost GlaxoSmithKline PLC profits by 13 % last year, the company announced recently. Pretax profit for the year ending Dec. 31 was 5.33 billion pounds ($7.73 billion). The results "demonstrate that in the new company, we have underlying strength which wasn’t slowed by the long preg~ nancy pause of the merger," said CEO Jean-Pierre Gamier. Antivirals - including the company’s HIV treatments - rose 15%. Sales of the firm’s HIV drugs grew 14%. NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Expanding an international campaign to make AIDS drugs affordable in the poorest nations, an American priest who works with HIVpositive orphans in Kenya said he planned to import cheap, generic medicines from India, Importing the drugs, which are the equivalents of patented medicines, is_illegal in Kenya. However, the bigger fight for the Rev. Angelo D’Agostino could come from pharmaceutical companies who own patents on the drugs. What D’Agostino fears is a lawsuit in Kenya like the one 42 pharmaceutical companies filed in South Africa to prevent that government from distributing generic AIDS drugs. "I am sick and tired of doing JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) The U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Corp. funerals," said D’Agostino, who rims-the said Wednesday it will soon begin distribNyumbani Orphanage, home to 70 HIVuting the drug Diflucan free to HIV and positive orphans. He also treats 150 to 200 AIDS patients at government hospitals children living nearby. and clinics. Distribution of the drug will The orphanage recently received pribegin "within the next few weeks," a joint vate donations to buy drugs, but brandstatement from the health department and name medications cost $500 a month per Pfizer said. child, D’Agostino said. A generic equivaThe departr~ent removed a roadblock to lent offered by the Bombay, India-based the distribution by approving Diflucan for Cipla Ltd. would cost the orphanage $20 a the treatment of esophageal candidiasis, a month per child. fungal infection of the throat that occurs in There are legal loopholes D’Agostino could use to bring the drugs into Kenya, ¯ up_to~4-0% of AIDS patients. The drug, genetically known as Fluconazole, is albut they only provide for a small amount. ready used in South Africa as treatment for And besides, his plan to go to India, buy cryptococcal meningitis, an infection of the drugs and bring them back for his the brain that occurs in 10% of AIDS orphans seems feasible. Kenya’s minister patients. for public health, Dr. Sam Ongeri, said he Pfizer Distributing Free AIDS Drug your speci~needs! 800-559-1558 ~n~-~.NewNest.com �by Jim Christjohn, entertainment editor ¯ never look at aplastic bag again as merely Happy Spring Equinox! -Also known as ¯ abag. The cast was amazingly diverse, and Easter, takenfrom the name of a Phoenician ¯ immensely handsome andbeautiful in their goddess of fertility,Oestre or Ostara, from ¯¯ ownways. Infact, itwas ashow where one would expect a bunch of athletic dancers, whence we get the imagery of bunnies and ¯ and the people in the cast were refresheggs. The hare was an animal sacred to many goddesses, and the egg was sym- - ingly real - and hll the more beautiful for bolic of the cycles of life, ~e cosmos, as ¯ it. And it was a rousing evening, marred only by the occurrence wellas eternity. Inmany "...Well, Tannhauser was several times of prechristian cultures, people’s cell phones this was also the time certainly an event not to be not part of the act - and for the rebirth of the so- missed. Lovely voices, deeply some who amazingly, lar god, of which the symbolle sta~in~ and sets, held conversations latest was Jesus. This is while the show was gothe time many scholars and some laughable and ing on. Lovely invensay he was" actually tion, the cell phone. Alborn. So there’ s the little fabulous costumes. And that lows for intrusive rudebit of learning channel was just the audlenee! ness at an unprecinfo for the month - let Actually, Wagner’s 3+ hour edented level on a masit never be said that this sive scale. The invenlon~ ~nashln~ of teeth and column is not educator, as well as the users, tional. Christian guiltfest was should all be burnt at Well, Tannhauser a~onlzln~ in terms of plot, the stake. But that’s just was certainly an event my opinion. Apparently not to be missed. Lovely but beautiful in terms these people have not voices, deeply symbolic of the eallber of the intelligence to figstaging and sets, and ure out what the OFF talent and volee .... " some laughable and button is for; or don’t fabulous costumes. And that was just the audience! Actually, ¯ have the basic intelligence to leave the Wagner’s 3+ hour long gnashing of teeth ~ danm thing in the car, if you can’t figure and clLristian guilffest was agonizing in ¯¯ out how to work it. Cirque De Soleil (CDC), the utterly terms of plot, but beautiful in terfns of the ¯ amazing acrobatic troupe, has put some of caliber of talent and voice. its acts together with a story, and created Oh, and pity the fella that dates someone who wants to major in costume design, all ¯" "Journey Of Man," an IMAX 3D film opening in Tulsa March 9. The film folyou’ll hear about is how people look, what ¯ lows the stages of human development they wore, and why they shouldn’t wear it. It was a toss up between who was more ¯¯ from birth to maturity celebrating the husuperficial - the characters onstage or the ¯ man spirit. The film was recently honored by the Giant Screen Theatre Association one critiquing everyone else’s superfici¯ as the Best Film of 200; and if you’ve alities. I mean, who the hell cares whether a patron wore a dres s that was too big in the ¯ never.seen Cirque De Soleil, I can’t urge bosom for the equipment she had to put in ; you enough to take in this flick. You will - it? It may be it’s a dress a friend loanedher ¯ be amazed at what some of the folks can do. I look forward to seeing this film, as it since she couldn’t afford a dress of her own and she had to make do! Certainly not ¯ promises to be the next best thing to actually being at a CDC performance. worth a 30 minute diatribe on the evils of If you love tap dance and beautiful men, wearing a dress too big for your bust. Oh, and I love attending cultural events ¯ then Tap Dogs is well worth the price of in Tulsa - where the woman next to me :¯ the DVD or Video. About the same vintage as Stomp,it is a festival of percussion kept sniffing- wetly andnoisily- through¯ and music featuring tap dance, and would out the show. I cut slack for that- and her hOrrifically noisy nose-blowing-because ¯¯ be well worth seeing just to marvel and if you’re sick, you’re sick. BUT STAY ¯ what these dancers can do. And in the latest on the wonderful world HOME! However, when she started chew¯ of Nicksiana,. Stevie’s album has been ing gum with her mouth open and smackpushed back to early May alas. "Singles ing like a cannon, I’d had enough. They should start appearing on radio in April, left after the second act, I don’t know why. though, and the new album is generating .. And then there was the3 year oldbehind rave reviews. Lending voices to the album ~ us - who was incessantly noisy and irkare Sarah McLachlan, Macy Gray (that stme, simply because she could be. The should be interesting), one of the Dixie child was driving both I and my companChicks, and Sheryl Crow. I still think she ion to distraction Finally, she started smackand Melissa Etheridge should do a duet; I ing On candy - loudly, noisily, and obnoxwould be incredibly powerful. Oh well, iously. I spoke to the parents, who then had next album... a heated exchange in a foreign language. The final concert of the 2000-2001 Tulsa They too left after the second act. It is very Philharmonic Lollipops S cries will be preinteresting that an event can be so easily sented Sunday, March 18, 2001, at 2pro in eclipsed by the actions of inconsiderate the Walter Arts Center at The Holland Hall audience members. School. Maestro Edwin Outwater has Stomp, on the other hand, was a wonplanned a concert entitled "Music on the derfully engaging and humorously magi.’Move," with music depicting all forms of cal romp wherein the cast created.musac movement see Amuse, p. 9 from the most unlikely of objects. I will Timothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planning, Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appointmenls are available. �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 The University of Tulsa Bisexual/Lesbian/ Gay/Transgendered Alliance presents their Annual Film Festival Evenings on April 6 & 7 Sunday afternoon, April 8 TU Campus, 6th& Delaware Selected titles: Westler, Summer in-My Veins, High Art and more. Exact times and auditoriums to be announced in next issueand will be available at the Community Center. "Plastic Jesus" by Poppy Z. Brite reviewed by Barry Hensley What would happen if a cutting edge author wrote a fictional account of the loving, sexual relationship between Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker? I’ll bet there the record charts and the covers of : " ¯ " " teenybopper magazines as the rock group The Kydds. WhenHaroldismurderedbyroughtrade, Seth and Peyton begin their inevitable, loving, sexual relationship. A couple of years later, in 1969, would be charges of the Stonewall riots in blasphemy, calls for "...What would-happen if a New York City inboycotts against the euttlng edge author wrote a publisher and death spire S eth and Pe.yton threats to the author. fietlonal aee0unt of the loving, to wander rnto Greenwich Village, Fortunately, author sexual relationship between giving interviews rePoppy Z. Brite has vealing their relationchosen, not Elvis, but Elvis and_Colonel Tom ship. A Newsweek the Beatles to take Parker? . . . Fortunately, cover, chronicling down the lavender their love for each road, and their fans author...Brlte has chosen, other, soon follows, seem to be much not Elvis, but the Beatles..." as does a marriage more understanding, ceremony in Holsince not a peep of land. The boys have conveniently forgotprotest has been heard about this fanciful ten to tell their bandmates about all of this romance between the icons we know as and The Kydds are soon history. Fame Paul and John. proves exhausting, and Seth and Peyton Our story starts, surprise(!), with a shootsoon slip into semi,retirement until Seth’s ing on acold New York night. Seth Grealy, untimely murder. fading rock star, hits the sidewalk in a HOW different things might have been if spreading pool of blood. A woman in the Paul and John had really followed this horrified crowd recognizes him and takes path! In the author’s afterword, Brite comthe opportunity to scoop up ablood soaked ments, "I have always believed the world piece of paper, quickly running away with would be a better place today if John and the priceless souvenir. The murderer turns Paul had been lovers. Yes, I know they out to be a Christian Fundamentalist who weren’t Gay. That has nothing to do with assumed Seth was spreading AIDS. it. This is fantasy." But what an intriguing Looking back on Seth’s early years in fantasy it is t ffyou enjoy wishful thinking, rural England, we discover him jamming check out Plastic Jesus and find out what at a local club with friends, particularly might have been. guitarist Peyton Masters. They are being Check for Plastic Jesus at your local closely observed by Gay record manager library, or call 596-7966 to get a copy. Harold Loomis. Well, you guessed it! Barry Hensley is a librarian with Tulsa Under Harold’s careful guidance, the boys, City-County Library System. plus two friends, quickly rise to the top of and transportation. The concert begins at 2pm with pre-performance activities, Including a musical petting zoo and other special surprises, beginning at 1:15pro. In this gravity-defying concert, Maestro Outwater and the Tulsa Philharmonic will present music that’ s really "going places," including Leroy Anderson’s Horse and Buggy, Johann Strauss, Pleasure Train Polka, Eduard Strauss, Skater’s Waltz, and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov,s Flight of the Bumblebee. With the help of a special conductor’s assistant giving introductions to each of the orchestra’s instrument families, this concert combines the best of entertainment and education. With combined sales approaching the 300,000 mark, Robin Spielberg is one of today’s most popular and prolific contemporary pianist/composers. On March 25, 2001, she will perform what promises to be a most memorable evening Of her spellbinding compositions on the Steinway piano at The Tulsa Performing Arts Center. The evening will include Ms. Spielberg’s compelling and often humorous story-telling and feature new works from her latest CD, Dreaming of Summer. The concert will begin at 3pro Ms. Spielberg will autograph CDs and sheet music following the performance. The concert is made possible in part by a grant from the Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust Ms. Spielberg has recorded nine CDs, performed two sold-out concerts at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, toured the country an concert and has made numerous television appearances, including features/interviews and performances on "CBS-This Morning" and "LifeTime Live," and "ABC News." Spielberg’s music has also been featured on scores of radio programs, and her work in music & healing has received attention in Parenting magazine, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Robin Spielberg-will perform at Tulsa Performing Arts Center on March 25,2001 at 3pro. Tickets can be purchased by calling 918/596-7111. Tickets are $12, and $10 for seniors & students. More information on Robin Spielberg and her recordings, can be found on the world wide web at www.robinspielberg.com The 2000-2001 Tulsa Philharmonic Pops Series-continues with guest star Roger Williams on Friday, March 9, 2001, and Saturday, M~ch 10, 2001. This consummate entertainer conducts and performs on this memorable program. Performances will be presented at 8pm in the Chapman Music Hall of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Playing the music that has served as the soundtrack of three generations, Williams will tickle the ivories with such favorites as Autumn Leaves, Talk to the Animals, From a Distance, and a medley including Feelings and Chariots of Fire. �¯ studied- still demand that devotees make Gay Studies: Pilgrimage : weekly pilgrimages down to the coastal by Lament Lindstrom "Nasir," I once asked my Gay Malaysian ¯ village where the Movement is headquar¯ tered. There, these pilgrims worship at the friend, "are you ever going on the hadj?" This is the fifth pillar of Islam - the duty of ¯¯ Movement’s spiritual center, their physical presence a marker of all good Muslims to wortheir fidelity. ship in Mecca at least once " ’Naslr,’ The pilgrimage - sacred in life. "Maybe," he said, I once asked . . . ’are traveling - knots together "when I’m older. But noW" identity and place. Sacred I’m having too much fun as you ever going travd reminds us of who, a Gay pilgrim in America." on the bade’. ,. what, and why we are. Gay pilgrims came to Today’s nation-states, mind last month when I - the duty of all good which in part modeled walked down Ocean Drive Muslims to themselves on medieval in South Beach. There, up religious institutions, borahead, shining brightly in worship in Mecca at rowed rituals of pilgrimthe Miami sunshine was least once in life. age. Gianni Versace’s weddingThe U.S., for example, cake mansion sporting a ’Maybes’ he said, ’when is splattered with large modestly phallic observatory dome. And there, at the I’m older. But now I’m numbers of National Monuments and National foot of those famously once having too much fun Historic Sites that we bloodstained steps, were the as a Gay pilgrim should visit in order to Gay pilgrims fervently learn about ourselves. The snapping pictures. Some of in Amerlea.’ " Alamo, Mount Vernon, these, no doubt, were fashGettysburg, the Arizona Memorial, and ion pilgrims. But others, like me, were many more. These places are all much like there in reverence of the lingering specchurch. Any rude chatter, hoofing, or tacle of Versace’s and Cunanan’s deadly hollering will quickly attract shushing homosexual encounter. guardians, of these politically sacred pilPilgrims. The word derives from old grimage sites. Latin roots meaning "across the field" Most of these places, of course, comwhich came to refer to traveling in fol:,eigu memorate mainstream, white-bread parts. Organized religions have profited America. Still, multicultural politics have by regularizing the pilgrimage. Besides boosted the visibility, nowadays, of mithe Islamic ’hadj,’- Roman Catholic Popes nority histories. African-Americans tour beginning in 1300 have declared Jubilee the birthplace of George Washington years, inostly recently Armo Santo 2000, Carver in Diamond, Missouri. Japaneseduring which visitors to Rome may rack Americans pilgrims drive out to Tule Lake up spintual blessing points: in Modoc County, California, site of a In pre-industrial and pre-literate social WW2 internment camp. Jewish-Ameriorders, communication between religious cans visit the monument to Revolutionary leaders and followers demanded physical War financier Haym Solomon in Queens, mobility. There was no TV, no radio, no New York. Feminists pay homage at the newspapers. Instead, one had to travel to Suffragette Memorial inWashington, DC. the source to hear and see in person. LeadBut what of Gay and Lesbian pilgrims? ers of the John Frum Movement- a homeWhere might we go? grown South Pacific religion that I once the Tulsa chapter has identified a number of areas in which to improve. These range from adding more Spanish speaking staff or volunteers to help in disaster relief to a new program in development to create a diversity curriculum in area high schools to address the challenges Lesbian~and Gay young people face. The group has offered a tolerance curriculum for some time but this new program which is being developed with a local Unitarian church, and With input from Youth Services of Tulsa and PFLAG, is explicit in addressing antiGay attitudes, noted Bowen. Dahl added that the new program specifically has board support. Dahl and his colleagues expressed frustration at the negative reputation which their part of the Red Cros s has for anti-Gay bias based on the ban on blood donations by any man who has had sex with another man since 1980. Many are not awar9 that the American Red Cross Blood Services have a separate director and board even though they share their name and building. The policy is not set by the Red Cross but by the Federal Drug Admini stration (FDA) which recently reviewed the ban and reendorsed it. Gay civil rights activists have argued that a ban based on group status rather than on risk factors is biased and while might have beenappropriate in the earliest years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, is no longer good science. However, Dahl acknowledged that the Red Cross might be more active in challenging the policy, and noted that individual chapters may sponsor resolutions at their national meetings. The Tulsa chapter has a resolution addressing bias against the Jewish equivalent of the Red Cross which has yet to be accorded equal status as Muslim and other groups. Dalai indicated that the Tulsa chapter might address the blood donation restrictions issue in a similar fashion. For more information about volunteering Or American Red Cross diversity efforts, contact Dannette Mclntosh, Tulsa Area Chapter diversity coordinator, 918831-1215. Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Capital Campaign and General Fund For more information, call 665-3401 or evenings at 447-8602. COUNCIL o T )C Tulsa Oratorio Chorus KAMCHATKA Sunday, March 11, 7:30pm, $10 Holy Family Cathedral, 122 W. Eight, 748-3888 Drummers of Japan March 4 7:30 p.m. Chapman Music Hall Tulsa Performing Arts Center 3rd & Cincinnati Tickets $17.50, $27.50, $35 Call. 596-7111 Outside Tulsa: 1 800 364-7111 www.tulsapac.com presented by the Tulsa PAC Trust "Perfection n music" Boston Globe "Total brain massage" Independent on Sunday "... waves of percussive sound that seemed to turn Carnegie Hall itself into a resonant cavity ..." New York Times �IGTA member Call 341, 6866 lntem ational Tours or oreWor t o,. TULSA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY Country Club Barbering Custom Styling for Men & Women David Kauskey 3310 E. 51st, 747-0236, T,nes.-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, stud~ and fellowship. Trusting in a living, loving God, we seek to become a compassionate voice for peace and justice. Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing Our congregation welcomes all persons who respohd in trust and obedience to God’s grace in Jesus Christ, and desire to become pai-t 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 1 lam 712 S. Columbia Ave., 592-5800 (One block west of Delaware and the University of Tulsa Campus) by Karin Gregory Super Bowl Sunday is way behind us, but my heart feels like the football: kicked, stomped, beaten, thrown, punted. Oh, and abandoned. We must never forget abandoned. So abandoned that I spent Valentine’ s Day with my roommate’ s dog. And I thought the Irish had luck! Oh, right - I confused that with my father telling me that everything a Gregory touches turns to. .. to.., well, it certainly ain’t gold. After 44 years of running from love in all shapes and forms, I smacked dead into it with the arrival of a woman who, apparently, thought I was just a novelty. OK, you’re saying, "But what did the raging Lesbian expect?" With all my Gay male friends falling in and out of love as quickly as they change their clothes, you’d think I’d have learned, at least by proxy. But nooooo - I believed that women were different from men. So I plunged in with eyes wide shut, listening to a voice from God telling me things no MAN had ever said. Or maybe I just wasn’t interested enough to listen until now. She said she was a very physical person, and the woman involved with her had to love sexas much as she. Saying a silent, "Thank you, God!", I watched her beautiful eyes look back at me and all I could do (since by now my blood had rushed DOWN from my head) was to wonder, "What does she see in me?" Maybe because I’m a newbie, or maybe because I’ve been around the Gay community for so long, I have no problem showing affection. Holding hands in the open, arms around each other, kissing on a public residential street in Dallas felt, for the first time in my life, natural. When she told me she wanted me to spend a weekend with her after we’d just met a few hours before, did I balk? Hell, no! And that IS a first for me! I know it was hormonal in the beginning. When I tried to be straight for so many years, I found kissing a man to be extremely strange. At first teeth upon teeth, inadequacy on my part, as well as detachment, until it degenerated into making my grocery list in my head while his tongue was in my throat. Blech! But this! I just assumed I never got it- the fireworks, etc. That first night on the street with her, I felt the full light show, complete with thunder and earth-shattering enlightenment I should have felt about 20 years ago. I must confess that kiss was so powerful that I gave $5 to a panhandler on my way home. He probably sits at that exact corner every night waiting to catch happy Lesbians on their way home. Although I knew it was Lesbian lust, I trudged blindly ahead, not knowing or caring what the future held, but damned determined to enjoy every minute of it. And enjgy I did in October with this same woman in South Texas who spoke to me romantically. I left with a VERY healthy ego, and got a hint of what it must be like to be a straight man. I also left with the promise of another weekend the next month, this time at my place. She kept up this farce, even singing to me on my birthday. Then the phone calls stopped, emails became fewer and fewer, you know the drill. At last came the inevitable -the "Dear Jane" letter. You know that one the one that says she hopes wE’ll be friends for a long time to come. Theone that’s the very LAST message she sends. I’m sure you’ ve seen wildlife show s with the charg ing rhino who suddenly forgets the target he’s charging. Well, consider this woman a charging rhino. Or maybe I’m that forgettable. Or maybe she’s just a bitch. My astute friend Jim tells me, after I’ve called, written, and emailed to no avail, that silence is my .answer. I like that - as applied to ANYONE else but me! My Gay male roommate says, "She just wanted to get you into bed." Men - you can’t live with ’em... pass the beer nuts! Now I understand my friends who just can’t seem to get over that relationship that everyone around them knew was doomed frbm the beginning. All my "forget about him/hers" sound even emptier than they must have to my friends. You know, it hurts to remember; but it hurts more to forget. Have there been others since my experience? There’ s the older woman who bought my dining room table and chairs. She got into some financial trouble shortly afterward and I "loaned" her the same amount. She got more than that, too, one night shortly afterward. Have I heard from her since? Oh, why don’t you decide? Doesit seem that I have a sign across my forehead saying,"Horny Lesbian- Will Apparendy Do Anything For Sex. PLEASE Fold, Spindle, And Mutilate When Finished"? But even after spending my twentysixth Valentine’s Day in arow listening to Janis Ian’s "At Seventeen", I still believe in the romantic future. And in the luck of the Irish. And that there really IS a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Maybe this Gregory will be lucky enough, come St. Paddy’s Day, to believe that what she touches can turn to gold. or at least believe in love again. THAT would be lucky. Karin Gregory is a Fort Worth-based writer. organizers note that the $50 fee will cover bunk-room style lodging, meals on Saturday and Sunday breakfast but that some financial assistance is available for those for whom the fee is too much. However, they do emphasize that the deadline is March 1 lth. For more information, contact College Hill Presbyterian Church, 712 S. Columbia, Tulsa 74104, or call 592-5800. Men’s Group. This program is d~signed to assist men to learn ~t~m safe sex practices, relationships, ~dotl~erissues. Meetings will take place_~..~a~ Thursday night at 7pm. :. _ . Fri- �More Lig ht PR S B YT E R IAN S RE:CONNECTING BODY + SPIRIT March 16-18 at the historic and. beautifully wooded Dwight Mission. A Weekend Retreat about Spirituality, Sexuality and Building Relationships to Last A Lifetime... This LGBT specific event seeks to help individuals marginalized by repressive church policies around matters of sexuality. The event seeks to re-connect spirituality with identity to help build an inclusive faith community. Friday evening will be a get acquainted time. Saturday will combine fellowship at meals with workshops from "Religion and Spirituality: Our Images of God," to "Discovering and Making the Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality." Sunday morning worship follows breakfast. The $50 fee will cover bunk-room style lodging, meals on Saturday and Sunday breakfast. Financial assistance is available. The deadline is March 11th. College Hill Presbyterian Church, 712 S. Columbia, Tulsa 74104, 592-5800 � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Arkansas; Ant|- ay. Law Ru|cO ! nconst|t t|on LI~LE.ROC~ ~AP)- ~ A ~dg~~out out Gays, for ~os~u~o~ ~oug~ no-onv.~. pros~ut~.~d~~ 19.~:law, seven~ple-who s~d ¯ey w~e Gay told~€~~eyf~~ing ~nvict~~dlosing~rjo~ orprof~sio~ H~scs. ~Co~ty Circ~t Judge David ~g~d s~d ~sla~e~wh~it~~~,non~mm~ sex~ acdvid~ ~ong ~ple of ~ gend~. ~e state~~ aJ~hc~g ~t gov~t~~ int~t in~i~g~vior ~tmost of i~~wo~d findmolly~o~- ate; but Bog~d&s~. ’~€~plc of~k~~ve ~eright to le~slateon issu~ involv~g mo~s. but homosex~ is not o~y a question of mor~s," Bog~d s~d. Citing a 1~2 fromWis~. Bog~d s~d a way offife ’~t is ~d or ev~ ~afic" see So.my, p~ 2 Iowa Study: Tolerance of Gays May Be Growing IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -Thereason thatmoreAmericans are reporting homosexual encounters thana decade ago may bethe increasing tolerance of Gays and Lesbians, a University of Iowa study says. "Declining social, legal and economic sanctions against samegender sexual behavior in recent years and more positive images of Gay men and Lesbians in the media may have made it easier for people to recognize their samegender sexual interest and act on it," said Amy Buffer, the study’s author. Butler, an associate professor in the University of Iowa’ s School of Social Work, used data collected for the General Social Surveys conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Her study, published in November in the Journal of Sex Research, shows that between 1988 and 1998 the number ofwomenwhosaid theyhad a sexual encounterwith another woman in the previous year went from 0.2% of respondents to 2.8%, a 14-fold increase. For men, the number who said they had a homosexual experience jumped from 1.7% of respondents to 4.1%. Whethermorepositivemediaportrayals play arole in the increasing reports of homosexual activity is hard to determine, Butler said. For certain, the media wouldn’ t mt shows on television or produce movies that portray ~ositive Gay lives see Tolerance, p. 2 DIRECTORY P. 2 EDITORIAL. P. :3 US & woRLD, NEWS P. 4~ HEALTH NEWS P~e~ ~ ENTERTAINgE~, MORE: P~ ~ GAY STUDIE~ING L~BfAN: P~ tO/11 " Serving Lesbian, Gay; Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsens, Our Families + Friends "Embrace Diversity"_ 2001 Parade + Fesbval ". TULSA (TFN) - Oklahoma’s biggest celebration of its kind, ." Tulsa" s "Diversity Celebration", is shaping up to be the biggest ¯ to date. A full week of events, designed to educate the general ¯" public oncivil rights issues and the need for equality for the Gay/ ." Lesbian/Bisexual and Trmmgendered (GLBT) community are : planned for the city of Tulsa and the Midwest region. ¯ "Fmbrace Diversity" is Tulsa’ s"21st celebration of the beginning of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender civil rights ." movement. Begun as the Tulsa Pride Picnic in 1980, "Diversity " Celebration"has grown over the pastfew years to become oneof -" Tulsa’s largest events. The past two celebrations have garnered ~" national attentionfrom Los Angeles to New York with coverage : by PlanetOut, Genre and Curve, as well as local GLBT and : heterosexually oriented television, print and.ele.ctro~ic, media. 1999~saw Tulsa,welcome United States Rep. Barney Frank (D- : Mass..)~as,the OrandMarshal of Tulsa" s first full fledgedparade. ¯ Last y~t:, the city welcomed Greta Cammermeyer and Greg Loug~,s as they hhared their personal stories of triumph over adversi~ and whoserved as Grand Marshals for the Parade. ¯ Featured this year are allies outside the GLBT community - : the families of GLBT individuals. Traveling from across the ¯ nation,, these brave families come to Tulsa to educate and share ¯" their stories of loved ones as we honor them as Grand Marshals : of Tulsa’s 3rd GLBT Parade (Pride Parade). : TulsaOklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR), the presenting ¯ sponsor of "Diversity Celebration 2001", has released the fol- : lowing schedule of events: Saturday, June 2, 2001 TOHR Foifies 2001 Presented by TOHR ’Trom Here to Eternity"Avondale Studio & Theatre ¯ (the old Delaware Playhouse), 1511 So. Delaware Ave., 8pm see Diversity, p. 3 ¯ HIV and Young Black Gay Men ¯ by Margie Mason, Associated Press Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - In the wake of soaring HIV statistics " surrounding the nation’s Gay Black men, a panel of educators - came together at the end of March to admit their failures and : discuss strategies to help curb the rate of contraction. ¯ ’These people are coming to us to get HIV testing or to get ¯ screened for (sexually transmitted diseases)," said Lucia Torian, ¯ from the New York City Department of Health. ’They are in our " offices. They’re in our clinics. We are even counseling them. ¯ What’s going on7" ¯ Torian spoke to a packed conference room as part of. the 13th ." NationalHIV/AIDS UlxlateConference.ShesaidarecentYoung Men’ s Survey inNew York showed one in every three Blackmen ¯ sampled were HIV positive, even though they had less sexual " partners th~n white men ages 23 to 29. ¯ Torian said Gay Blackmen as a group held the highest rates of ¯ infection from 1989-1999. ’This is an incidence rate in men who " have sex with men that wehave not seen since the late 1980s.-So : we have our work cut out for us," Torian said. "’And we may be ¯ on the leading edge of the epidemic." San Francisco’s Gay Black HIV prevalence rates are compa- : rable with an estimated 54.6% of the population spanning all age : groups, said Willi McFarland from the San Francisco Depart- ¯ ment of Public Health. "It’ s an astonishing figure, and we’re not entirely sure how to ¯ answer it," he said. ’’It’s one of the highest for any group in the ¯ city." Black transgender men in San Francisco have a 60% to : 65% prevalence rate, McFarland said. ¯¯ SusanKegeles, of theUniversity ofSan Francisco’ s Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, spoke on the panel about ideas for a ¯ program to attract the troubled demographic. She heads the ¯ Mpowerment Project, hailed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the only effective intervention program for ¯ youngGay and bisexual men, which uses peer groups in various ¯ cities to,create a dialogue and. a safe place for men to talk about ¯ SeX. see African, p. lO City Human Rights Group Wants to Talk to Gays TULSA (TFN) - About seven years after record numbers of citizens attended public hearings on amending Tulsa’ s human rights ordinance to include "sexual orientation," at leastone staffperson with the City of Tulsa Human Rights Commission/Department says she wants to know the issues and concerns of Tulsa’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) community. University ofTulsaintemAngieJohann_esen, asked to do an internship for her sociology degree with the City’ s HumanRights Commlssion. Atherinstigation the’ Commission is currently developing a series of focus groups with individuals in the GLBT community. Thefocus groups will takeplace later this spring. However, before any specific dates are set, the Human Rights Commission wants~to gauge the number of persons who would be willing to participate. Johaunesen contac~ted TulsaOldahomam for Human Rights, (TOHR) and TUlsa Family News to let GLBTpeopleknow about the effort and to encourage them to participate in the focus groups. Johannesen promises that individuals’ privacy will be respected.. Johaunesen noted that one goal of the Commission was to create a resource manual of LGBT groups, similar to lists which TOHR and TFN already have developed. Another goal is to provide support to Gay students in Tulsa Public Schools some ofwhomhave contacted the Commission about harassment in schools. Those willing to participate should contact Angie Johannesen at the Human Rights Commission, 596- 7837, orby e-mail at angela-johannesen@umlsa.edu. TOHR also encourages those with any questions to contact them at 743-4297 or by e:mail at tobrl0@hotmail.com, see editorial, p. 3. Gay Man Severely Beaten In Attempted Murder MiDDLEBURG, Pa, (AP) - Two brothers were ordered to stand trial in Snyder County Court, accused of stomping and punching a man who is now in a coma; one ofthem allegedly told police that the attack was provoked by a homosexual advance. Todd J. Clinger, 18, and Troy L. Clinger, 20, both of Middleburg are charged with attempted murder in the March 6 attack on Michael Auker. Hc was then carried to his trailer, where he was found two days later in a comatose state. "Wefoundhimunconscious and bleedingfrom the head. Every bone in his face was broken," state trooper Frederick Dyroff testified in a preliminary hearing. Dyroff testified that Todd Clinger said the assault on Auker was the result ofa sexual advance byAuker. Both ofthe brothers and Auker were drinking atTodd Clinger’ s trailer prior to the incident, police said. Auker remains in what Snyder County District Attorney Mike Sholley called a "permanenvcomatose" at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Nicki Lee White, Troy Clinger’s fiance, said the brothers planned to lure Auker out to their deck so they could "beat him up, kill him." "He (Auker) was trying to cover his face," White said. "I’hat’s when Todd started stomping on him, stomping on his face?’ Bothofthe brothers’ parents face charges related tc their role following the incident. Their father, Gary Clinger~ 37, accused of helping the brothers move Auker to his-trailer, was charged with criminal trespass, burglary., and. endangering another person. Theirmother~ConnieLynnCringers40, wascharged with criminal solicitation. Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine *CW’ s, 1737 S. Memorial *Play-Mot, 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 Yellow 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, 5231 E. 41 665-4580 Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 IE. 15 712-1122 *Borders Books &Music, 2740 E. 21 . 712-9955 *Borders Books & Music, 80i5 S. Yale 494-2665 Brookside Jewelry,.4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 295-5868 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 369-8555 Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460 Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595 Four Star Import Automotive, 990,6 E. 55th P1. 610-0880 Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica S~i. 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 *Kerfs Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070 Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 747-5466 *Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha 585-1234 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd 584-3112 Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934 *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 664-2951 Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626 *The Pride Store 743-4297 Rainbowz on the River 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, Counsding 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 743-2363 "Black&White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 POB 4140. Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlinEnet Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lament Lindstrom, Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw Member of The Associated Press Issued around the 1st of each month, the entire contents of this publication are protected by US copyright 2001 by Tulsa Family News and may not be reproduced 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. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed& becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to ~4, copies of each edition at distribution point. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248, BILiG/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 583-9780 Ch~lpFri~q~,,Conunerce,.Bldg,.;,~616~.S.:B_Oston. :...585-.120! ~ :. ~Ol~,:J~h,°~u~e~gn’_lP~anM~ntg°mery - 5500~-6225]~65~ *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 :’~ 742-2457’ " "- Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & GayCatholics & , Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140 "_ *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777 ¯ *Free Spirit Women’ s Center, call for location &info: 587-4669 Friend For A Friend, 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,1517S. 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. Dlmstan’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 743-4297 TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvocacy Coalition,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, 21 st &Memorial 743-4297 Unity Church of Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown 749-8833 BARTLESVILLE Bartlesville 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 918-453-9360 EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS Autunm Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734 Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 501-253-7457 DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 50 1-253-6807 Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. 501-253-5445 MCC of the Living Spring 50 1-253-9337 Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-2776 could not be condemned just because it is ¯ different. "Perhaps it is repugnant to heterosexuals ¯ to contemplate persons of the same sex ¯ engaging privately in oral or anal sex; how- , ever, to enact a law in Arkansas which ¯ criminalizes such conductbetween consent- ¯ ing adults violates the Arkansas constitution," the judge wrote. ¯ Ruth Harlow,legal director oftheLambda ¯ Legal Defense and Education Fund in New ¯ York, whichrepresented the group, said that ¯" even though no one was prosecuted, its ¯ members did notlikebeing branded as crimi- : nals. "The law hangs over their heads and ¯ treats them like second-class citizens," she ¯ said. ’~It says it’ s illegal:when yogi do it but ¯_" not whenyourneighbordoes, as king as they ¯ are heterosexual?~- .:,~r:. ~,: ~2 Darrin-W,illiams;cNef"of staff£or Arkansas Attorney General" Mark Pryor; said the office would decide on an appeal later. The Arkansas law carried a $1,000 fine andup to a year in jail. Bogard said his opinion was not an endorsement ofhomosexuality nor a critidism. ’‘This court’ s opinion today should not in any way be deemed to condone or condemn any particular lifestyle or the moral behavior associated therewith," he said. Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah have similar laws. if the public wasn’ t willing to accept it, she said. Her study says the way Gays and Lesbians appear in the media may make some people more comfortable acting on homosexual impulses. Buffer said that thepercentage of people who reported having had these experiences is small. ’Tmnot documenting a full-blown revolution," she said. In 1988, 74.9% of respondents said that sex between two people of the same sex is always wrong. By 1998 that number had dropped to 54.6%, according to the General Social Surveys. Buffer. said the findings will have critics and supporters. The religious right, for example, might use the study to show how America has become too tolerant of homosexuality, she said. Gay and Lesbian actiV- : ists might beupsetby her suggestion that the ¯ data indicate sexuality is, at least in some : cases; cultttrally constructedrather thanbio- ¯ logically determined. ¯ Butler speculated that there may b~ sev- ~ eral reasons tolerance has increased, such as : declassifying homosexuality as a psychiat- ¯ ric diseasein the 1970s and the growth ofthe Gay Pride movement. The latter, she said, ¯ may have forced people to question their ¯ long-held beliefs. "But there is still a lot of ¯ intolerance," she said. Federal Hate Crimes Bill Reintroduced Bipartisan Bill Will Expand Federal Law to Include Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Disability; Expands Enforcement Powers WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senators Gordon " Smith (R-OR) and Edward Kennedy (DMA) with Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Congresswoman Connie Morella (R-MD) " and Democratic colleagues re-introduced ¯ federal hate crimes legislationin Congress today, advancing an important policy dis- ¯ cussion onbias-related violence across the ¯ The Local Law Enforcement Enhance- ." merit Act of 2001 is a bipartisan bill which " wo.uld extend existing federal hate crimes ¯ laws to include gender, disability, and sexual, orientation. Thebill has 51 cospon- " sors m the Senate and 180 in the House. " "A government’s first duty is topmtect ¯ and defend its citizens. Ourlaws~shoulddo ¯ that by reflegting oat.highest values, .not " by sheltering ourlowestfears~’7 said Smith. ’XDver the past several years~ .Americans have been listening with their hearts, not just their ears, and they are ready for a hate " crimes bill. I am confident that Congress ¯ will Pass legislation this year so that the ¯ potential victims of hate crimes know that the federal government is on their side." Senator Smith first sponsored.the bill ¯ with Senator Kennedy in 1999 and intro- : ducedit as an amendment to legislationin "- as voting. In addition to the newcategories, the Local Law EnforcementEnhancement Act will broaden federal jurisdiction to include hate crimes that cause death or bodily injury. The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act would give federal prosecutors the discretion, under the direction of the Attorney General, to ’prosecute violent crimes against individuals based on their actual or perceived race, color, religion, and national origin. The bill also gives power to the Attorney General to determine, on a case by case basis, wla~ther interstate.commerce was affected or involvedln violent crimes against individuals Od. the basis oftheir real or perceived gender, disability or sexual orientation, and federalize such prosecutions as well. The bill also gives the Department of Justice the ability to provide needed federal technical and financial assistance to state and local authorities upon request for local investigation or prosecution of bias-related crimes. Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, a Gay political group, noted, ’Xve applaud Senator Smith, Senator Specter, Congresswoman Morella and both 1999 and 2000. Currently;.federal law only "permits prosecution, of a hate crimeifthe crime prevents the victimfrom i C°ngresS and for our country." exercising afederallyprotectedright, suCh.,~., .. - ’~ Reception immediately following. Tickets: $15.00, At the Door: $20.00 " The Pride Store @ Tulsa GLBT Community Center; 2114 S Memorial orby calling 918.743.4297 or toll free (outside Tulsa)-at 866.335.9074 Sunday, Jund 3, 2001 Tulsa Interfaith Service Sponsored by TU BLGT Alliance Sharp Chapel, TU, 3pro Monday, June 4, 2001 Council Oak Men’s Chorale Concert Presented by Tulsa City/County.Library "Diversity in Song" Aaronson Auditorium, Central Library 3rd and Denver, 7pro Monday, June 4, 2001 Family Law Panel Presented by Tulsa City/County Library Professor Linda Lacey; TU Law School and a panel of family law experts. Helmerich Library; 91St and Yale, 7pro Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Art :Exhibit: "Embracing Art" ¯All- Souls Unitarian Church 2952 S: Peoria Avenue, 6-9pro" Thursday, June 7, 2001 . GLBT Film.Festivai Sponsored by Tulsa City/County Library ’‘Diversity in Film" Aaronson Auditorium, Central Library- 3rd and Denver, 7pro : .the Republican sponsors of thislegislation ¯ for leading a crucial policy.discussion in ¯ Friday, June 8, 2001 ¯ TOHR Diversity Gala ; .....Benefiting TOHR and Diversily Celebration 2001 ¯ "Death Be Notpr0ud" ". Speakers and Parade Grand Marshalls: : Ms. Gabi Clayton, Olympia, WA ¯ Ms. Dorothy Hajdys Ms. Nancy Rodrigues; Houston, TX Ms. Carolyn Wagner, Little Rock, AR "Community HerO" Awards presentation honoring those in the local GLBT community who educate the public through their everyday actions and lives. Tulsa Country Club, 701 N. Yukon Dr. 7pro, reception & silent auction 8pro dinner,.$100/ea. $1,000table of eight. Sponsorships available. Reserved seating available by calling 918.743.4297 or 866.335.9074 Saturday, June 9, 2001 The Pride Parade Cherry Street (15th Street) to BoSton Avenue to 18th Street to Veterans Park Start at 3pm, Hoat/marchers begin assembling at lpm. " During the first year of this publication, : in May of 1994, this newspaper covered ¯ three raucous , packed publichearings about ¯ a proposal to add sexual orientation to the ¯ City of Tulsa’s largely meaningless hu- ¯ man rights ordinance. I say meaningless because violating the : ordinance zs only a misdemeanor. Any : r_eal backing for civil rights for citizens ¯ comes from federal laws which.don’t in- " elude "sexual orientation," and therefore ¯ don’t cover Gay people. (For the record, ¯¯ they don’t cover straight people either but we’ve hardly seen that that’s a problem.) : The hearing brought out the best in .. some but the worst in many. Some who had not really seen the need for including ¯ sexual orientation saw the need just by ¯ listening to the bigotry expressed at the : meetings. ¯ Now this many years later, the City’s : Human Rights Commission/Dept. is look- " ing at these issues again, thanks it seems, ¯ solely to one TU student’ s efforts and just ¯ because she cares about justice -since ¯ she’s, as they put it, "straight but not ¯ narrow." What they’re doing is holding _. "focus groups" which is all well and good ¯ but it~ s much like writing another report as ¯ the last group who looked at these issues ¯ did back in ’93/94. It will take up time and ¯ energy but accomplish little especially ¯ since what’ s needed really hasn’ t changed. ." since’94,norhas it changedfrom theearly ¯ ’80’ s when a similar effort was attempted Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people need to have the same fund mental civil rights protections which other minorities have by law and which the majority has by dominance. This includes equal opportunity in housing and employment and benefits. This means that if landlords or home sellers cannot refuse someone because of their race or religion, they should not be allowed to do so because of sexual orientation. Ditto for job hiring, advancement and equal pay/benefits for equal work. Ditto, ditto for eqnal legal protection for spouses and families, regardless of whether these are menand women, men and men or women and women; But for it to go anywhere, it will require themayor and some city councilors to give a damn. For at least 7 years, MayOr Savage could, and has been asked to, di:rect the Tulsa Police to includemo~e than just race and religion in their "diversity" training. While rumor has it that this trivial change may soon happen, why has she waited so long? And while some city councilors know what’ s right, none have the courage to work for civil rights. They all want to wait till it’ s safe for them to vote ’~yes," fill there’s a majority. But every earlier civil rights struggle lost batdesbefore prevailing. We can’t get anywhere when our "leaders" won’t talk about our issues. Focus groups, are nice. But we already know whatis needed. Wejustneed Savage under the city commission form of gov- :. mid Watts and Williams and Turner to do eminent. -" it~. - Tom Neal,. editor & publisher Rights Bills.Go Forward in 3 .States WASHINGTON - The Human Rights "- now heads to the Senate, and Gov. Ruth Campaign (HRC) late in March praised. ¯ .Ann Minner has pledged she will sign the activists in Maryland, Delaware, and Illi- " bill if she gets the opportunity. nois for advancing bills in their respective legislatures that would prohibit discrimi~ nation based on sexual orientation. ’q’his Was aweekthat saw greatprogress due to the outstanding efforts of activists in Illinois; Maryland and Delaware," said HRC Field Director Seth Kilbourn. know it will be a tough road, but we hope thattheselegislatures will continue to stand up for equality and vote these bills into law." The Illinois House of Representatives approved ameasure that would add sexual orientation to a state law that bans diserimination against people forjobs, housing, public accommodations or credit. It now heads to the more conservative Senate. But supporters of the bill got a boost when Senate PresidentJames "Pate"Philip said he plans to givethe issue a committee " No.entries after-2:45pra hearing instead of delaying it. ’I want .to Featuring: express my gratitude to my colleagues in Entries from-across Oklahoma and the Midwest Region ComroR~ity Heroes Oklahoma’s largest Pride Flag Diversity Festival Sponsored by: .Bud Light & Eastern Oklahoma Beverages Veterans’ Park 1875 So. Boulder Ave., 3pro the Honse for their support," said Illinois’ only opehly Gay staterepresentative, Larry McKeon, (D) who sponsored the bill. "I strongly encourage the Senate leadership to allow the bill to be moved tothe Senate floor for a vote by its leaders." The Delaware House of Representafives also passed a similar bill that would ban discrimination based on real or perceived sexual orientation in employment, housing, public works contracting, public accommodations and insurance.. The bill ¯ ’~-Iopefully today brings us closer to a ¯ time when our differences are not seen as " reasons for division and strife, but as op- : portunities for educafionand celebration," ¯ said Peter Medwick, state coordinator, : Delaware ACLU Lesbian and Gay Civil ¯ Rights Project. If these bills become laws, ¯ these states wouldjoin Hawaii, California, : Vermont, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, : Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, : Massachusetts, Connecticut and Nevada ¯ as states that already outlaw this type of : discrimination. :. Marylandhas the best chance ofbecom- : ing the twelfth state to ban anti-Gay dis- , crimination. The state Senate voted for a ~ measure to prohibit discrimination based ¯ on sexual orientation in honsing, public : accommodafions and employment (see : related story, p. 5). ¯ With ctn’tinued lobbying from the Gay : civil rights group,_F_ree StateJustice, the ¯ House is also expected to pass the bill. ¯ Gov. Pan’is Glendening, amajor advocate : of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 2001, ¯ will sign the bill into law if it reaches his ¯ desk. ’q’he Senate vote makes this a his- : toric day for civil rights," said Blake : ~umphrey, __m,_,a~a,_,,_,gin~,.gdirectorofFree Srate Jnstiee, the state s Gay civil rights-lobby. : "Maryland senators listened to their con- ~ stituents and’voted to end discrimination. : In voting by such a wide margin, senators ¯ also sent amessage that bias and hate will ¯ not be tolerated in the Free State." Lutherans Don’t Kick Out Gay Friendly Church KANSAS CITY, Mo.. (AP) ~- A Lutheran church official has decided not to ejec~ a Kansas City congregation that installed a Lesbian pastor who refused to commit to a lifetime of celibacy. The pastor, Donna Simon, found out that Abiding Peace Lutheran Church will not be ejected from the membership roster of the Evangdical Lutheran.Church in America. "For now, ¯ we’ve inherited eternal life,, a jubilant Simon said. " Last October, the nearly 40 members of Abiding " Peace, a predominantly Gay church in Kansas City, ¯ chose to defy the rules of the Evangelical Lutheran Church by installing Simon. Simon’s sexual orienta- " tion was not the issue. The Evangelical Lutheran ¯ Church in America, with about 5 million members ¯ nationwide, allows Gays~and Lesbians to be ordained ". as minister~~if they pr0iiiise’lifelong celibacy. Simon, 35, refused to make sucli-apromisei Because of thhtTthe EVaii~dicdl~Eutheran~urch in, Ameri~ ¯ neveriofficially:approved~her for 6~dinafion " " ," When,o~rO~t.28~ AbidingPeace otdained her :, anyway, it Committed ~in act of "eccleSiastic disobedience." Thelast churches to ordain noncelibate Gay and Lesbian pastors - St. Francis Lutheran Church and First United.Lutheran Church, both in San Franciscowere suspended in 1990 and ejected in 1995 from the membership roster of the Lutheran Church. However, after months of contemplation and discussion, Bishop Charles Maahs, head of the Lutheran synod in Missouri and Kansas, recommended the Church be censured and admonished. That action bars Abiding Peace’s members from taking part in a select number of church committees. Abiding Peace, however, will continue to be amemberofthe greaterfamily of Lutheran Churches.- Maahs said one reason his punishment was light is that he believes it. is time to foster more discussion on the question of Gay and Lesbian pastors. ’The ELCA encourages this dialogue," Maahs said. "I know the chief purpose of their calling and ordaining this pastor is really to be in mission and ministering. The thing that is important in all of this is that they have Shown themselves to be people of good faith." Colorado Senator Praises ¯ Scouts for Being Anti-Gay DENVER (AP)-Aresolution praising the Boy Scouts that succumbed to criticism this week was unfairly branded as anti-Gay, its sponsor said. Senate Minority Leader John Andrews, R-Lakewood, let his resolution die rather than renew a fight that flared when the measure was first considered by the Senate. The resolution praised the Boy Scouts for standing up for freedom of speech when they oppo_sed Gay members. "It was framed as if it were an anti-Gay resolution," Andrews said. "It was not. All itwas doing was observing the Supreme Court has said private organizations can be private." "America has gotten very permissive about its morals and laws as far as sexuality goes," Andrews added. The commendation was part of Andrews’ resolution to create "Scouting Week in Colorado." A Minnesota United Way Cuts Off Boy Scouts WINONA, Minn. (AP) - The United Way of Greater Winona plans to cut off funding to a pair of local Boy Scout councils that refused to sign an agreement not to discriminate againstGays. PeterWalsh, the local United Way-president, said that his group won’t fund any groups thatrefuse to sign thenondiscriminationpledge. The U.S. Supreme Court last year ruled that the Boy Scouts could refuse to allow Gay leaders. Since then someUnited Way organizations have decided to stop funding their local Boy Scout councils. The Winona United Way currently funds the Gamehaven Council, basedin Rochester, and the Gate- " way Area Council, basedin LaCrosse, Wis. Duringthe ¯ currentbudgetyear, whichendsJune30,theGamehaven Council received $16,473 and theGateway AreaCoun- ¯ cil received $2,108, said Beth Forkner Moe, the United ¯ Way chapter’s executive director. Mike Diamond, executive director of the Gateway Area Council, said the local scout organizations were not free to sign. ’q’here are clauses in the agreement that go against the policies of the Boy Scouts of America nationally," he said. Richard Good, executive director of the Gamehaven Council, read from the Scouts’ official position: "We believe open homosexuals should not provide a role model for Scouts that is inconsistent with the Scout Oath and t_~w. The Boy Scouts of Americardoes not accept avowed homosexuals as members or leaders." The loss of funds will definitely be felt. Goc~!~. :said UnitedWayfunding accounts for about halftheadministrative budget for the 22 troops and 1,100 Scouts in Winona County. ¯ But for the Scout leaders, it’s a matter of principle. ’’We are a private organization with the right to maintain our own standards ofleadership and decide who is appropriate and not appropriate as adult leaders, x,n - mond said. Police InvestigateAlleged Hate Crime at URI SOLrI’H KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP) - An assault on a Gay University of Rhode Island graduate student will be investigated as a hate crime, police said. Kevin Bliven-Baker, 36, said three men confronted him after he left a campus meeting of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Society. Bliven-Baker said one of the attackers bumped.himwith his shoulder, knockinghim into a snowbank, while another called him faggot. URI President Robert Carothers.called the alleged assault "repugnant." ~ Bliven-Baker reported the March 8 confrontation to campus police this week, The Providence Journal reported. "I used to feel really safe on this campus, and ¯ I know I have to watch myself now," Bliven-Baker ¯ said. URI Police Capt. Brian Cummings said he believes the suspects were students. No arrests havebeen made. ¯ KC Synagogue Opposes Boy Scout Bias ." KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A synagogue that spon- ¯ sots one of the city’s oldest Boy Scout troops has : decided to oppose the national Boy Scouts’ ban on . Gays. The executive board at Congregation Beth Shalom in Kansas City, which sponsors Troop 61, plans to : send aletter requesting that the organization rescindits ¯ ban on Gays from its youth membership and adult leadership ranks. ’’We are inclusive; we will not discriminate," Beth Shalom Rabbi Alan Cohen said. ¯ Troop 61 Was founded in 1925 and has seen 300 of its 1,500 or so boys become Eagle Scouts, including its ." current scoutmaster, RonFredman. Fredmandisagrees ¯ with the ban on Gays, but he is not willing to disobey ¯ the national organization - a move that has cost other troops their charters. "I don._’t want to be put in a ¯ position that could.lead to the death of (Troop) 61," ¯ Fredman said. "I don’twant anything to get in the way of this troop’s mission, which is to turn boys into ~ leaders." ~ TheTroop 61 will receive a copy of the letter that the ¯ synagogueis sending to the national council. Fredman ¯ said Troop 61 leaders will prepare a response to Beth ¯ Shalom’s position. Cohen pointed out that the letter is aimed at the no-Gays policy and should not be perceived as a criticism of Troop 61. Find out for yourself how good the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 Come share the goodness of the Lord with our community . Sunday Morning 11:00 AM Children’s Worship During Service MCC United Rev. Cathy Elliott, Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-1715 mcctulsa@aol.com Community - Unitarian Uni versalist Congregation at Community oJHope 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-~.AA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy (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 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 AllliIrlI:an Red Cross American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette McIntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 Saint Aidan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 Saint John 4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 OPENARMS OPENMINDS OPEN IqFARTS Saint Dunstan 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Trinity 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You National Boy Scout leaders defend the policy, saying homosexuals are not good role models. Several groups nationwide, have since pulled sponsorship of Scout troops and barred troops from longtime meeting places and some Eagle Scouts have returned their badges in protest. Houston Chapel Ends Anti-Gay Discrimination HOUSTON (AP) - A I-Iouston chapel known as a refuge for human rights supporters has reversed a 30- year-old policy banning same-sex union ceremonies from being performed there. The Rothko Chapel was founded by philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil in 1971 as a sanctuary for people ofall faiths and those committed to human rights. About 20 wedding ceremonies are pe.,.~rformed at the chapel eaCh.year. Thepolicy excluding Same=sexumons was imposed when it-opened as per the wishes of Domini.qiiede Menil;whodied in 1997at theageof89. The’C~ap.el’s board of directors decided thi~ monthto start all0~ving same-sex unions at the chapel. "It was" a decision of Mrs. de Menil after consultation, with different religions,’" said Nabila Drooby, former executive director of the chapel who helped recommendthe change. "It was takenby the board, too. Itwas not hers alone. But times have changed." Clarence Bagby of HoUston, a board member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said he was thrilled with the switch. Bagby had criticized the chapel know.n for opposing discrimination for banning same-sex umons. Chapel.presidentFrances Farenthold saidthe change came after a yearlong study. "It was a concern ofmine when I first heard about it," she told the Houston Chronicle in Thursday’s editions. ’’I’ve always identified with the Gay community in this city. I believe in inclusivity." Same-sex unions would be strictly ceremonial and are not recognized in Texas. Transsexual Dancers Allege Discrimination NEW YORK (AP) - Two transsexual dancers have filed a sextml discrimination suit against a trendy nightclub after they say they were fired because the club wanted to hire "real girl" dancers. Amanda Lepore and Sophia LaMar, have filed a $100,000 discrimination suit against Twilo, charging they were wrongfully terminated simply because they had once been men. "What are we supposed to have a baby while go-go dancing or something?" Lapore asked The New York Post. The two women said they were fired last February after several years working atthe club. "They’re worldclass entertainers an~d they hadneverbeenreprimanded by the club in any way," said the pair’s lawyer Tom Shanahan. The club’s lawyer, Peter Sullivan, called the suit "unfortunate," and insisted that the two. were ¯not fired as the result of discrimination. "Iqais is the place that’s probably the most sensitive to the transsexual community in New York. This is not an establishment that discriminates against Gays or transsexuals," Sullivan said. Lepore and LaMar, who work at a number of other clubs around the city, say they are pursuing the suit because "we need to protect other transsexuals." Vatican Denies Sexual Abuse of Nuns by Prtests VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican denied a report in the National Catholic Reporter that says sexual abuse of nuns by priests, especially in AIDS-ravaged Africa, is a serious problem. The article is based on five reports by senior mere- ¯ bers of women’s religious orders and a priest going ¯¯ back to 1994. The National Catholic Reporter said the reports have been discussed at top Vatican levels. ¯ Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls acknowl- ¯ edged there were isolated cases of priests sexually ¯ abusing nuns, but said the problem is "restricted to a ¯ limited geographic area." Navarro-Valls said the ¯ Vatican was working with the leaders of religious orders and he stressed the ’~aeroic" work of many priests and nuns. According to the National Catholic Reporter, priests afraid of contracting AIDS sometimes ulrn to young nuns, who are seen as "safe" sexual partners. "In a few extreme instances, according to the documentation, priests have impregnated nuns, then encouraged them to have abortions," the magazine said. In one case reported by Sister Maura O’Donohue, a physician and member of the Medical Missionary of Mary, a priest impreg~at.e~ a.~.~.t~n..,;then arr,m!ged fo~ an abortion. She died :d~ng the al~0rtion and.he 0ff~CiatedatherftmeralMkSs,. :i’ ".~ " "~ : .- Therepolt.scite&!~~ ~eN.a~ofial c.ath0!i~ Reporier also say that nuns i~h0-b~meil~eg~fifi~i ~.e. often forced to leave their.rrders, While 0ae pfieSt~.invol,~ed are allowed to contiiiue their minisixies.Th~ Vatican statement was issued after the Italian media rehashed the article. The Vatican had refused comment to the National Catholic Reporter. The National Catholic Reporter said there are no comprehensive statistics on the sexual abuse of nuns, ¯ but the "frequency and consistency of the reports... ¯ point to a problem that needs to be addressed." The reports citedby the National Catholic Reporter link the ¯ problem to cultumlattitudes toward celibacy as well as to the fear ofAIDS and to traditions of female subser- : vience. Civil Rights Bill Appro.ved by Maryland Commtttee ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Legislation to ban discrimination against Gays cleared its biggest hurdle at the end of March, winning narrow approval in a Senate committee where it had died the last two years. Gay civil rights activists, some choking back tears, embraced and shookhands in a quiet celebration of the victory they had won with strong backing from Gov. Parris Glendening, who. made the bill on~ of his top priorities this year. The 6-5 vote in the Judicial Proceedings Committee will send thebill to thefloor of the. Senate for debate. Nancy Meyer, co-chairperson of Free State Justice, which lobbied for the bill, said she is confident there are enough votes in the Senate and House of Delegates to pass it. But supporters have less than three weeks to get the proposal through the Senate,-the House Judiciary Committee and the House of Delegates. The biggest danger would be a possible filibuster in the Senate. Supporters of the bill werejust happy they had finally gotten it out of the committee. In a news conference minutes after the vote, Glendening hailed the decision as "a tremendous victory for justice and fairness and inclusion in Maryland." "We cannot legislate acceptance. We cannot wash out hatred out of cruel and callous hearts," he said. But the governor said passage of the law would protect Gays and Lesbians from discrimination on the job and in housing. Abouthalf of the people in Maryland are covered by local Gay rights laws in Baltimore city and in Howard, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties. Glendening’s bill would extend protections to the rest of the state by adding sexual orientation to a law that prohibits discrimination based on factors such as race, religion and gender. Thebill was.approved in cornmi tree afterabout three hours of discussion spread over two days. Gay Health Issues More Than AIDS ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Vickie Smith said : she was 30 before she found a gynecologist in whom she could comfortably confide that she was a Lesbian. "I certainly ~ hadn’t had anyone who didn’t, like, make ¯ aface," Smith said about thedoctors she’d -" seen before .visiting Dr. Fe Mondragon. : Often, she said, male gynecologists told her, "You don’t seem to be sexually active . . . Someone your age should be very active." " Fears of doctors giving moral lessonsor simply not understanding the mechanics of non-heterosexual practices can lead -" patients to avoid discussing intimate de- ," tails withhealth professionals, or worse, to ° steer dear of health care altogether. To help solve these problems, the Em- " pire State Pride Agenda lobbied state leg- " islators for $5 million to educate health ¯ professionals and provide support and re- ; sources for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered people. In the past three ; years, the Pride Agenda successfully lobbied for a total of about $5.5 million in state money for similar projects. "We’re ". kind of the last ones left in terms of underserved communities," said Sheila Healey, Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation program director. Between 5% and 12% of nursing students questioned in a 1998 study said they -" despised Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual : people, according to a study in the Journal : of Nursing Education. More than half of - the Black people who answered a 1999 . Kaiser Family Foundation survey said that they felt health care professionals treat ; people unfairly based on race or ethnicity ,. either very often or somewhat often. 62% of Latinos said the same thing. Mondragon, Smith’s gynecologist, does not advertise any attempt to attract Lesbians -or any specific group. One wall inher office is filled with photos of babies she’s delivered-mostly to heterosexual couples. She also has helped Lesbians start families. And Mondragondoes not ask patients to reveal their sexual habits, or lack thereof, but takes care not to assume the patient’s sexuality. ’’We don’t ask, ’Do you need contraceptives?’" said Mondragon. ’’We ask, ’Do you have a need for birth control?’ We try to eliminate any kind of assumptions." "If youbill yourselfas (providing) women’s health services," she said, ’~hy shouldn’t that include the knowl- .edge of what Lesbians do or what they need?" Pot Club At US Supreme Court vent marijuana from being given to seriously ill patients for pain relief. The cooperativd is a distribution club operating under California’s Proposition 215, the voter-approved law that allows the possession and use of marijuana for medical purposes on a doctor’s recommendation. That’s where Alcalay used to get his marijuana. But he’s had to look elsewhere since the federal government sued the cooperative and five other California pot clubs in 1998 to prevent them from distributing the drug. Afederal judge sided with the government. But last year, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court ofAppeals ruled that "medical necessity" is alegal defense. California officials, including Attorney General Bill Lockyer, argue that the state has the right to enforceqts medical marijuana law, which was approvedby voters in 1996. Distribution dubs sprang up because Proposition 215 iS~silent on how patients will get marijuana, outside of growing and harvesting it themselves. The Supreme Court is not looking directly at Proposition 215, but rather at whether medical necessity may be used as a defense against federal drug bans. It’s unclear whether *he justices will rule on that general issue or rulemorenarrowly on how lower courts have handled this case. If the court says "Yes" to the necessity defense, it could make it easier to distribute medical marijuana in California and the eight other states with similar laws - Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Maine, Nevada and Colorado. Justice Department lawyers declined to comment on the case. They have argued that allowing dubs to hand out marijuana compromises the government’s ability to enforce federal drug laws. Advocates say marijuana is a reliable and nontoxic therapy that in some cases is the only relief for suffering people. That point of view was endorsed recentlyby the Institute of Medicine. The institute, which was asked to examine the issue by the White House drug policy office, said that because the chemicals in m~ijuana ease anxiety, stimulate appetite, ease pain and reduce nausea and vomiting, they can be helpful for people undergoing chemotherapy and people with AIDS. Alcalay, a 59-year-old physician who serves as theclub’ s medical director, started using marijuana to keep down his medication after he was diagnosed with HIV in the 1980s. HIV turned into AIDS and in the mid-1990s Alcalay almost died from an intestinal illness that ran roughshod over his wedkened immune system. He credits marijuana with keeping him alive until the advent of drugs that boosted his immune system and wiped out the inteStinal bug. Alcalay didn’t make it into the book about dying. Recently, he ran into the author. "He was surprised to see me," Alcalay said. - On the Net: Oakland Cannabis Coop: http://www.rxcbe.org OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - A few years ago, an author writing about death asked ailing AIDS patient Michael Alcalay how hewas accepting, dying. "I’m not accepting it," Alcalay retorted. Alcalay is alive today~thanks.in ~part~ he believes,~.to doses of marijuana~that :heiped him j.keep hiS~,~:- 1 In 9SouthAfriCans m~eines::do~ ana~. iippetite.’~p as-lie. :,, AreHIV. Positive/" foughtthcdisease.. ~:~..... ~ :’ ~:,........ - ¯ ’ Alcalay was in the audience as~.lawyerg,~-~’ ~- PRETORIA, -Sonth Africa (AP).#.One.in~i;~ try to~convtnee :the U~.S.---,Supreme:,Court~ -:: rune South Mn~.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c.c:am ~s. HI.V-posm~e~,~e:, that federal anti-drug,laws ShOuldg’t pre~-7~ government sa~d, more than prev~ousty, / thering April 20-23. 2001 Osage Hills State Park Pow Wow Non-Talent Show Talking Circles Crafts Give-away Stomp Dance Fellowship Native Games Guest Speaker John For more information and to be put on the ailing list, call: Hawk ke -...918-382 1276 Tommy Ch sbro - 9 r . ~lob.al. " ~’is i011 local action April 11, 2001 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Allen Chapman Activity Center, The University of Tulsa Planned Parenthood of Eastern Oklahoma and Western Arkansas, Inc. and The Universi~ of Tulsa with the support of ~ Planned Parenthood" Global Pariners~ Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and-More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oldahomans for Human Rights Ca_pim) C~p~n~n4"Gene(~il~Fun~ call 665 I ’or’ev ni g at r4 7 602. thought in a country that already has the world’s largest population of infected people. In the hard-hit eastern prbvince of KwaZulu-Natal, the infection rate was greater than one in every three people, a government study said. The study conducted at 400 clinics nationwide concluded that about 4.7 million In South Africa, leading drug companies went to court this monthto blockalaw that would let South Africa both import generic drugs andmake its own. But as the West pays more attention to demands for affordable HIV drugs for sub-Saharan Africa, theimpoverished regionwithmore than two-thirds of the world’s HIV-posi- South Africans were HIV-positive as of : tiv¢ people, drug.makers simultaneously the end of 2000. Previous government " announced a rapid-fire Series of concesestimates had put the figure at 4.2 million, or one in 10. About 24.5% of women attending public postnatal clinics were infected, up from 22.4% in 1999, the study based on a sampling of 16,000 pregnant women found. Health Minister MantO Tshabalala- Msimang said the figur.e.s represented a leveling off from th~’St~iJ rise in theearly to mid- 1990s, but said the pattern ofinfection suggested that prevention efforts needed to target those who were in stable relationships and might have thought they were less vulnerable. Most HIV-positive South Africans cannot afford the drugs that could prolong their lives. Last week, President Thabo Mbeki rejected calls to declare a state of emergency to allow .the nation to import cheaper generic drugs to deal with its AIDS crisis. Declaring a state of emergency would allow South Africa to produce the generic drugs without breaking World Trade Organization rules on bypassing patent laws. Mbeki told parliament a state of emergency was not needed because South Africa has its own law permitting both importation and production of generic drugs -althoughimplementation has been stalled by a. lawsuit brought by major drug compames. Africa Fighting High Drug Costs ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) - Far from the big courtroom battle over HIV-drug patents in South Africa, the West African nation of Ivory Coast quietly imports knockoff generic HIV drugs as it has for years - without fuss, patent payments or apologies. "Believe me, I don’t care," Kassim Sidibe, director of Ivory Ctast’s AIDS program, said of patent rights. ’XDur concern is what we can do for our people," said Sidibe, who runs the national program out of a dusty concrete compound in a workifig-dass Abidjan neighborhood. "The lower the prices are for us, the better for our people." With that attitude, Ivory Coast has become one of the first African nations to negotiate at-cost deals for leading HIV drugs. And now the country has reached a new deal that is expected to bringdownthe cost of amonth’ s HIV dru~treatment from $410 this year to $88 to-$112 next year. Senegal, Rwanda and Uganda announced ." similar deals with drug makers this month. In the West, a month’s HIV treatment - wo.ul,d cost about $1 ~000....... ~ It s anexampleoftheWes~tiretheWes~ - big drngmake,are f~ci.~g(~ generics€" .’Wefeel drugm~kersshould~|kel~mfi~, mEm’opeandNorthAmerica,, stud !dibe. ¯ sions in receht weeks. ¯ Most have been price cuts for Africa, to : production cost or even below. Bristol- : Myers Squibb wenteven further last week, ¯ saying it would make its patent for the drug Zerit available in South Africa at no : cost- effectively opening the market to its ¯ generic competitors. Bristol-Myers . stressed it would stickwith the drug corn- : panies’ lawsuit in SouthAfrica, however- ] portraying the case as a broad defense of ¯ patent rights fbr all its drugs. ¯ It’s a different story in the rest.of sub- Saharan Africa, where Bristol2Myers says :- it holds no patents for its HIV drugs. So when it comes to acquiring HIV drugs there, it’s a little more like the Wild West. ° In Ivory Coast, the government gets the HIV drugs it wants by taking bids for them worldwide. When two of the bids for 2001 came back for knockoff drugs at what Ivory Coast deemed the lowest and best offer, Ivory Coast took them. The national AIDS program shipped in AZT .and stavudine from a Bombay-based generic company, Cipla Ltd., bypassing their brand-name makers, GlaxoSmith- Kline and Bristol-Myers. Bristol-Myers markets stavudine as Zerit. The result was "- a 20% savings in the average monthly therapy- down to $410 from nearly $500, said Makan Coulabily, an official with the .AIDS program. Sidibe, thenational AIDS director, didn’t bother to determine whether there were patent rights at issue or not. "We bargain until we get the minimum price," he said. Yale: Undue Profits From .AIDS Drug? ....’Not-from us; We don~t have anythingy. ~ -returned.requests for comment~. NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Some 600 researchers have signed a petition calling on Yale to help make a university-owned AIDS drug more available in developing nations. The petition drive was launched lastmonth,justafter Bristol-Myers Squibb, whichmanufacturers the drug d4T, pledged to cut the price in South Africa and not contest if generic drugs are distributed, The seeds of the protest were planted when Yale licensed the drug, known commercially as Zerit, developed on campus in 1987, to Bristol-Myers Squibb. It was a relativelycommonagreement thatallowed the university to retain the drug’s patent and receive royalties while its research was distributed to millions. In turn, the company conlrolled manufacturing and distribution strategies. "I became a scientist because I wanted to helpcreatenew cures for diseases around the world," said Fran Balamuth, a :Yale,. immtmobiologist who circulated the petition. :~’Now.Lfind ttmtiY~!,e.is:.turning results of pdblicly funded research;into., Ne_ither ¥~,no~ Bri~tol-My~s Sqifibb. by Jim Christjohn, entertainment editor "My music often unfolds like the book ¯ of my life," says Stevie Nicks. And that " being said, ’Trouble in Shangri-La," is an excellent read as well as a listen. It’ll be " nice to hear some New Stevie on the radio ¯ - and the New Stevie is fabulous! ¯ Hernew album (heardmpromo form) is ¯ a winner. Her voice is dearerand strongerthan before. "Haunting" is a word I would apply to this album as a wholeit does’~n~t S te~ile’; " ~XiSre~~d some’: d6ubi abiliii\~!~it.: o~e p~, aslCJn~iTo~n eeff~~ to work with her on some songs. Andhe said, ’~No ... You don’ tneed anyone to help you with your songs. Do it Yourself." And so she has, and done an excellent job at that. In fact, that story became a song itself, "That Made Me Stronger." Stevie does country proud i~ her ’Too Far From Texas," which I loved, though. I’m not too partial to country. DiXie Chick Natalie Maines guests on this track. Stevie couldeasily cross over, andifwise,Wamer- Reprise Records will’ capitalize on that. Another track, ~andlebnght, h circulated widely in demo form, being from the early 70’ s, and is wonderful to hear in finished form, with the.edge of experience that Stevienow has in her voice. "Bombay Sapphires," with Macy Gray guesting, is another track that has a driving beat with that lost quality of regret and lost love. "Fall From Grace" is a rocker, good for that day-after-being-dumped-angry moments. According to Stevie, it will be included On the tdur. ’~t’ s the perfect balance to ’Edge of 17,’ in terms of energy. It’ s a great song to rock out to" Lestyou thinkit all:recrimination songs, there are a couple of hopeful songs about love gone right (although no one does. anger like Stevie). ’~Love Is," a closing epiphany, with Sarah McLachlan onpiano and guitar and background vocals, is an ode to what one does for love, and that even in the brightness of theflame, thereis darkness, and vice versa. The TroubleInShangn-La albumwas started before the 1997 Fleetwood Mac "Dance" album and tour, and has been well worth thewait. It is as strong analbum as her "Belladonna,"and anequal for ’The Wild Heart." No outdated Stevie here, she has successfully reinvented herself for the new millennium. "To not grow is to die," She asserts, "ofcourse, youwantto workwithin a framework that best suits your talent and style. But you also want to continually shake things up. ’Trouble in Shangri-La" has a spare acoustic sound, and in spite of the fact there are many producers,has a sound that carries all the way through, much like a narrative. The songs stand on their own, yet work exceptionally wall ~ a collection. Noother artist seems to have that gift for writing songs that can touch on such universal themes thatonecaneasily see events in one’ s ownlife mirrored in the music and lyrics of an artist. And that is the magic of Stevie Nicks;friends for whomI’veplayedthese tracks or sent these lyrics (an’d those of past albums) are astounded by just how close they come to describing these events with amaz=~ " ing details. And that is the connection and why I have always looked ~orwardtoanew release by this artist. Fleetwood Mac is confirmed to be going back into the studio in September to record a new album after Stevie’s tour for : ’Trouble." The big question on that is ¯ whether Christine McVie can be lured out of retirement to participate. She’s quite ¯ happy puttering around her manse in En- : glandanddoesn’t wanttobebotheredwith ¯¯ musicmaking; it seems. More likely, her arthritis is.so bad that ¯ playing keyboards is simply too painful; along with the fact that she hates touring; and the attitude I noticed when The Mac : toured for the Dance album in 97. Shejust : seemed to be so bored up there, staring ¯ listlessly at the crowd and mouthing along ¯ with Stevie and Lindsey’s songs during ¯ the lead vocals. ¯ Personally, I dbethrilled,butthen, that s ¯ me. Hey, I’ll put on a blonde wig, and we ¯" sing in the same key... And I can fake the ¯ piano, with the backup keyboardists like : she had on the Dance tout. ¯ If you caught the Judy garland biopic : last month, you were lucky. The perfor- ~ mances were top notch, and the actors to a : tee were so on target with the mannerisms ~ and voices that it was downright eerie. I ¯ hadan ardent interest in Judy’ s musiclong ¯ before I knew I was supposed to. ¯ Thebestintroduction to her workcanbe : :found in the "Judy: The Complete Decca Masters"box set, well worth theprice. Her ¯ earliest works are there, along with some ¯ gems that were overlooked. Her career ¯ spanned two periods, really - the MGM ¯ years, and then the concert years. ’The ¯ London Sessions" hard to find but still in : print, is a good survey of the latter. ¯ The recently remastered "Judy At ¯ Carnegie hall" is a "must have," as the ¯ sound onit is incredible andit really is like ¯ you are there. It’s a wonderful document ¯ of the power of her live performances. ¯ During my aforementioned phase of : "Judy beforelknew I was supposed tolike ¯ her"-ness, I really only liked the MGM : stuff; the countess soundtracks to gems ¯ like ’%Vizard of Oz," see Amuse, p. 9 Stevie Nicks Mozart’s Underwritten by The John Steele Zink Foundation April 21, 27, 29, 2001 TulH I~urftcmlnl Arts Cent~r Call 587-4811 www.tulsaopera.com Timothy-W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partne)ship Planning, Personal Injury,Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appointmenl.s are available. 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, 4021 747-5466 South Harv,ard Aventi , Suite210, Tulsa 74135 "Meet Me In St. Louis,"-"Easter Parade," and so on from 1937 to 1950 or so when MGM fired her. Only after the miniseries aired have I really listened to the post MGM stuff, and discovered how good it really was. Dorothy’s voice is a bit older, but also wiser, and a bit more technically refined. For an example of this, rent "Wizard of OZ" and then watch 1954’s "A Star Is ¯ Born." Judy’ s transformationfrom child star to actress is fully evident in these two pictures. And she was vastly’underrated as an actress. For example, her performance in "The Clock" is classic, and it’ s a film that, while ab-grademelodramaoflost loves, is elevated to high art by her first, and only, non-singing dramatic performance. My friend Karin, of the "raging Lesbian" column, adds this caveat: "The only thing I would add is after the bit about ’The Clock "- you NEED to mention that she also was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for "Judgment at Nuremburg" or you’ll have queens descending from places you didn’ t think existed in Tulsa! It was an excellent performance. VERY small, but very effective." Judy was nominated for an Oscar for "A Star is Born," which she should have won, but didn’ t due to politics. As for the queens coming from places I didn’ t know existed descending upon me, well, that doesn’t really sound so bad... Listening to her music made from 1936 to 1968, I am struck by how much of it is so deceptively simple and eminently hummable. When’ s the last lime a tune on the radio had you humming along because the melody was so infectious it stayed in your head? And intelligent lyrics that sdl the song arefew and far between these days as wall. Songs like ’~Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" were and are really wall written and fun songs - to listen to and to sing. If you’ ve never heard of these songs or heard them at all, go grab a Judy Anthology - there’ s lots of them that feature the early stuff- and take a listen. You’ll be glad you did. Rumor has it that Capitol, which was her recording label from 1955 until her death, might reissue all the albums she did for them as a complete set, along with outtakes and unreleased songs. Hopefully, this will happen, while her star is again making a comeback. Its a damn shame she isn’t still here to see it. By the way, for those too young to know, the anniversary of the Stonewall. Riots, June 22, when drag queens and their friends fought back after one too many police raids and harassment occurred in New York, heralding the beginnings of contemporary activism for equal rights for Gay and Lesbian folk, happened the day of Judy Garland’s funeral. According to mythopoetic interpreta- "... No other artist seems to have that fft for writson s that can touch on such universal themes that one can easily see events in one’s own llfe m~rrorecl m the mus,e lyrles of an artist.... : tions of that days events, many linked thc ¯ two events together, even though there’ ~ ¯ no hard evidence to support it. And upon : such things are miniseries made of, and ¯ based on. ¯¯ If you get the chance to rent or buy "Broken Hearts Club," do. It’s a good ¯ addition to theGay moviecollection we all have. Featuring the ever-hunky Dean Cain "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"; and the father from "Frasier," John Mahoney; along with Andrew Keegan "10 things I Hate About You"; MattMcGrath "Boys Don’t Cry"; Mary McCo~,.mick ’a:’ri~ate Parts. :, and ¯ Nia Long "Soul Food," written and di- ¯ rected by Greg Berlanit, co-executiveproducer of "Dawson’ s Creek." : The plot, as such, is simple - a slice of ¯ life in the Gay (can’tcall it90’s anymore, ¯ what do we call it? The Gay thousands?) : 2000,withaseries ofvignettesintertwined ¯ by the theme of friendship among Gay ¯ men. ¯ We meet Dennis on the eve of his 28th ¯ birthday, who is whining about his dys- ¯ functional family of friends, indecisive as _. to whether they’re the best or worst thing ¯ that ever happened to him. ¯ There’ s Benji, the youngestgroupmem- " ¯ ber, a punk wannabe witha penchant for ¯ gym bunnies; Howie, the psych student ¯ who thinks too much andlives to little (no, ¯ that character was not based on yours ¯ truly...); Cole, the actor bunnyboy who ¯ candono wrong, lovin’emandleaving’em ¯ as fast as you can say revolving door who ¯ also "accidentally" keeps stealing every- " one else’s guy; Patrick, the cynical quip- . ster (now, that’ s based on yours tntly); and ¯ Taylor, resident drama queen (no com- " merit), who, until recently, prided himself ¯ on his long term relationship. Rounding .. out the cast is Jack, the patriarchal force of ¯ the group. ¯ Andof course, everyone ends up at each ¯ others’ throat after tragedy strikes, and with aMickey Rooney/Judy garland wrap- " up, ends up friends again. The plot, as ¯ such, is somewhat scattered, not really ¯ sure where to focus; and of course, we’re ¯ dealing with "types" here, but the actors turn in fine performances all, and the film ¯ is enjoyable and does provide afew laughs ¯ and insights. 3 & 1/2 out of 5 stars. ¯ ¯ It’s a fun film, and fairly accurate in its portrayals - we all.know people like this - ¯ Ijust wish there were morefocus. The film ¯ simply tries to come at the issues it raises ¯ from everyone’s perspective, and it left ~ me thinking that if the director and writer ¯ had chosen maybe two.or three, it would .. have been more cohesive and a tighterfilm ¯ with more intensity and character development. ." Locally The TU Gay and L~sbian Film ¯ Festival runs April 5-7, starting at 7pm on ¯ the 5th and 6th and 2pm on the 7th in the ." Business Administration Hall. Films to be shown include Salut Victor, Orlando, ¯ Westler, Homoteens, seeAmuse, p. 10 by Lamont Lindstrom Enthusiastic pornographers now flood my. m,ailbox wi0a catalogs.. (And let me pause here to thank whichever magazine sold its lnailing list.) I was picking through one ofthesefour-colorbrochures recently, eyeballing lurid blurbs for videos an.~ DVDs. "Raw" sex, seems, is a major selling point. Hot condomless pornos must either date back to an era before the HIV epidemic or are new productions that cater to a pow,e.rf,ul,, emerging s;e,.xual fetish: "oatebacking. Public healthofficials and HIV prevention workers ate anguished, although probably not surprised, to find that the prohibited has become the desired. But there ismore to the story of why barebacking, nowadays, sells pornographic videos. True enough, we often want_what others say we should not have. But our desires also reflect our worldview - or what might be called our culture’s mythic tmderstandings. Thumbing throughthat catalog,notthose fleshy photos, it was text that caught my eye. Several pithy terms have sprung quickly into use to describe unprotected sex. These same-few words appear again and again in video advertisements~ in personal adsi and_in website mission state-. merits such as for this Yahoo! Group: ’The world’s largest bareback list. THE list for menwholove their sex condom:free, guilt: ." free, hot, and spermy." Barebackers are gay men who e~tjoy .. raw, skin-to-skin, n~atural sex with other : men." So condom-free is now bareback; : it’s skin=to-skin; it’s natural; it’s raw. ¯ ~ "Skin-to-skin;" yes. And! get "natural;" and also the cleverness of ’*oarebackingy But why "’raw?" Straight away comes to mind a Classic 1960s analysis by the celebrated French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss. LevbStrauss’ ’~ntroduction to the sc~en,ce of. mythology" was published in English, in 1969, as The Rawand theCooked. Asa strncturalist, Levi-Stratus believed he could locate the essential architectural elements, underlying any cultural productionbe this marriage customs, or totemic taboos, or myth. He claimed that the human brain is.neur01ogically Structured to think in dualisms, binaries, and oppositious. We:define One thing in terms of another, and vice versa: . A principal,dualism, that I_~vi-Strauss discovered in his South American Indian myths is an opposition betweennature and Culture. Nattir~iis nature.While Culture iS anything that people create: Level-Strauss argued that htima~s think mosfly in. concrete terms rather than abstract. Outmyths : v~hile fundamentally playing with an intangible opposition between nature and culture ~ rephrasethis: abstract concern concretely as a matter of raw food versus cookedfood.Themwis natural; the cooked .. cultural-; and cookingis any sort of techno- : logical process (condoms, say) that trans- ¯ forms nature into culture. Americans share with many people ¯ around the world the symbolic predilec- "... Americans slmre with many people around the world the symbolle predileetlon for equatln~ food and body, eatln~ and havln~ sex. (Keep thls in mind next time some drunk hollers out ’Eat me!’) This sort of symbolism is ’iconic’ ... insofar as it ,naturally eehaes the realness of bodie~: Our multipurpose mouths do more than tion for equating food and body, eating and having sex. (Keep this inmindnext time some drunk hollers out "Eat me!") This sort of symbolism is "iconic" (in the language of American semioticianCharles Pierce) insofar as it naturally echoes the realness of bodies: Our multipurpose mouths do more thanjust food-processing. We use food (twinkles, chocolate; vanilla) and its qualities (hot, sweet, hunky) as alanguage in which- to talk about sex. Food is either raw or cooked and so, we imagine, is sex. Skin-to-skin sex is natural andtherefore uncooked- orraw. Condoms, conversely, cook the expejust food-proeessln~. " rience. Barebacking, also, ’ ’ is natural in that one rides ¯ the horse without a saddle (a device that ¯ cultures, or cooks the ride). The symbolic : connections, here, are even clearer in : Frenchwhereddingahorsewithn0 saddle ¯ is "monter crn," which translates as "ride - ¯ raw." Or;in an.English parallel, "to sleep ¯~ in the raw"me,arts to sleep naked- without :- any transformingpajamas. - : ’.~- ¯ Raw. sex sdls videos not only because it ¯ is forbidden and therefore guiltily tempting. It sells videos because it is natural and therefore desirable. Whichis better? Natural foods or processed foods? Sincere emotion or social pretense? The untamed forest orthe zoo? But things aren’t so simple or so one~ sided. Now which is. better? Bloody cow flesh or steak? Dank caves or cathedrals? : HIV or medicine? Humans always value ¯ culture - cooking - as much as we do : nature: Culture’s devices that transform : the world make us human. Cooking draws ¯ the line between humanity and animal : nature. This is the message that Levi- : Strauss read in his myths. ¯¯ Raw sex may be.good because it is natural, but condomed sex might similarly ." be appreciated justhxcause irishin fact, ¯ cooked - that is to say, it is refined., civi- ¯ lized, and technological. Gay men in par- : titular should appreciatethis distinction. ¯ Many. mythologies - yet another dual- " ism - position women as.natural in coun- : t.erpoint to cultured men. Raw sexis feral- ¯ rune (thatis, natural, and perhaps hetero- : sexual)while cooked sex is masculine : (cultured, homosexual). H-IV prevention ¯ efforts ~have attempted to play up the ur- ¯ bane sophistication of condoms - their ¯ colors; textures, tastes, and playful meth- ¯ ods of use. They could,no doubt, domore. ¯ Condomsl- as a mode of cooking - can : make things hotter. : Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D. teaches an- . thropology at ihe University of Tulsa. program that targets and attracts the Black ." Gay community. "Fhere’s an enormous - complacency about contracting HIV," " Kegeles said. "It’s not a big issue any- " more. People still remain healthy and ¯ strong: They think they can take two pills in the morning and two pills at night." Kegeles said the Gay black commumty hasn’t been studied sufficiently, and :it needs to be examined more closely because Gay Black men do not necessarily frequent mainstream Gay bars and other " venues. In addition, she said there’s a ¯ larger stigmaattaehedtoBlackGays. Many ¯ ~ do not even admit they have sex with other " men, Kegeles explained. Leniere Miley, assistant coordinator at the House of Latex Project in New York, ¯ said it’s important to seek out Black Gay men and educate them about the risks of " unsafe sex in a message that appeals to ¯ them. He said it’ s a toughjob that goes far beyond simply sponsoringhip-hop dances and posters depicting Black culture. ’~eople have different ways ofcommu: nicating and hearing things," Miley said. "Maybe the people in the .Black community couldn’ t hear it. Ithas to be tailored to the communities they’re going to." On the Net: www.amfar.org To report hate sp~-ch or I violence, call the Gay " Community Center: 743-4297 I Summer in my Veins, High Art, Poduck andPassion, and To My Women Friehds. The Bonnie Rideout Scottish Trio finishes outthe PerformingArtCenterTrust’ s Celtic Music Series. It should be a good ¯ time for all, especially if yon,re a fan of ¯ traditional. Celtic fiddling. April 6-7, 596- ¯ 7111. ¯ "AnAll-AmericanEvening"is theTulsa ¯ Ballet’S tribute to American choreogra- ¯ phers. Featuring the Oklahoma premiere ’of Balanchine’s "Who Cares?" with Gershwinmusic, Paul Taylor’ s ’~2ompany B"withAndrews Sisters, music,andAgnes DeMille,s "Rodeo", (usually featuring a nearly naked cowboy, but given the ads I’ ve seen for this production, it looks like no such treat is in store). April 6-8, PAC, 749-6006. For country queens, three of country’s queens will be performing April 7 at the ¯ MaxwellConventionCenter~.JanieFricke, :. Lacie J Dalton, and Juice Newton will be : a-hootin, and a-hollefin.584-2000. ¯ For queens of the Garden, it,s time for ¯ Tulsa’s Spring Garden Mart from the 13- : 14 at Tulsa Garden Center; 746-5125.- : April 19-28, Heller Theatre presents ¯ ’WitalSigus"; by Jane Martin, featuring : monologues by some of Tulsa’s most tal- :. ented actresses, 746-5065. ¯ And last but hardly least, Tulsa Opera : presents "The Marriage of Figaro" by " Mozart April 21, 27 and 29. 587-4811. IGTA member Call 341. 6866 ntern tion ToursIormoreinlormation. "TULSA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC Country Club Barbering Custom Styling for Men & Women David Kauskey 3310 E. 51st, 74%0236, T.~es.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pm Tulsa’s only .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. by Karin Gregory ¯ Do you ever feel like your life is a . Broadway play, a Hollywood movie, or a " television sitcom? Of course you do - you’re Gay! Some of you even think your " life is a 1930’s Hollywood musical, or La ¯ Boheme, or Rent, but we’re talking here ¯ about a Gay couple. No, not that kind of " couple- not the butch/femme, but the Gay man/Lesbian couple. The kind of couple ¯ that doesn’t require a lawyer if things " don’t work out. Fm in a Will And Grace " situation, but we’re both Gay. So we’d ¯ comemoreunder the heading ofthat Broad- " way play/Hollywood movie/television . sitcom, The Odd’Cmiplb’. One guess as to " which one of us is Felix! ¯ As you recall from the play/movie/TV ¯ show, Felix, the neamik, was kicked out of " his house by his wife and comes to live " with his sloppy friend, Oscar. Things were ¯ a tad different withus- Lesbian Oscar was " takeninbyGay Felix, butwewon’ tquibble over little things. Both characters had ex- ¯ spouses, and I suppose you can’t get more ¯ EX than SHE WHO MUST NOT BE." NAMED. When I first moved in, Gay " Felix had just met ’~the one." Yeah, right. When ’~he one" treated him much like I ¯ had been treated (except ’~&e one" actually communicated!), who was here to " hold him, talk him down from varioul ceilings in the apartment, and generally ¯ offer comfort and support?Lesbian Oscar " of course. " Being withGay Felix guarantees there’ s ¯ always drama in the place. Whether it deals with "the one" of the week, our dog " Roxie and her many weirdnesses, or just mundane money problems, it is NEVER a ¯ dull life. Simple problems are always " turned up twelve notches with us. If we " have a problem with the apartment corn- ° plex, we decide to move! The fact that we ¯ can’t afford to break the lease doesn’t " occur to us at the time. You have a mad " queenand apissed-offdyke on yourhands. ¯ We should have a sign above the door that ¯ reads, "Abandon logic, all ye who enter." " And I’m now walking a dog, like a true " Lesbian. Gay Felix came in one night, ¯ laughing, because the dog now lifts her ¯ leg. Who was blamed? Lesbian Oscar, " who oftenplays her favoritemusician (and " we all know who she is by this time, don’t we?) while the dog sits on the bed listen- ." ing. So when she lifted her leg when I " walked her, I praised her, calling her Me- " lissa and Butch. ¯ I have to say that I’ve never known any ¯ one person, even Felix Unger from the play/movie/TV show, to wash so much clothing. Gay Felix doesn’ townthatmany ¯ clothes, butdanm if I don’ thear the washer and dryer going on and on each night and ¯ morning. Maybe some of you Gay men : can enlighten me on this subject. I’m at a total loss. Gay Felix even remarked early ° on in our nightly, daily, aftemoonly, etc., ° clothes washings, "I never thought I’ d see ¯ bras h..a~.ging fr~o~ MYlauladry area. tsut ~ foldpanties, anddehl wlthvanous women s " :issues as best he can. " . ¯ Like Fehx Unger from the play/movie/ ¯ " TV siio v;Gay Felix t3 c3oL " does so on occasion. He makes the most seemingly plain dinners gourmet feasts. And he’s even started us on an exercise program. Gay Felix plays Mr. Motivator .to Lesbian Oscar’ s couch potato. No grass grows under a queen’s feet, I’ve come to realize. Because most Gay men believe Lesbians have no decorating taste 01mph!), the very few things I have in our living room I’ve had to fight for. My room has been a work in progress for almost three months now. But at least the boxes are off the middle of the floor. I now have carpet! I never knew since I moved in that I had carpet. And you know how important carpet i~ for Lesbians.t I couldn’t hide my sexual preference even if I wanted to. The reason? Gay Felix introduces me t0’each and every one of his friends: as "my Lesbian roommate." Another thing that’s similar to the play/ movie/TV show is that we do things together. Like going to Gay clubs in Dallas (would we go anywhere else at night?). True, Gay Felix is 24 years old as opposed tomy45 years of age, and I’msure it looks like I’m takingmy son to Gay bars. People must wonder just what kind of mother I am! I’ve seen more dnmken people in the past few months than I did when I was in my twenties and drank myself. I’ve also met more people in the Gay comlnunity of Dallas than I ever have before. Too bad they’re all drunk at the time. I have to reintroduce myselfeach time. It’ s funny to see Gay Felix at the bars. ¥ou hear various things as he walks by, like, "Oh, is he hot!"; "Girl, look at that!"; and ’Td take him home!" He’s one of the cutest men I’ve met, yet he doesn’t think so. The inevitable question about how the roommate handles the boyfriend situation comes up here as well. I’m introduced as the Lesbian Roommate (I almost think that’ s my name now), and we start talking. Imagine, a twenty-something man talking to me instead of jumping into bed right away. I don’t know if I’d do the same thing. But I think Gay Felix wants my views on the guys he brings home - a woman’ s perspective,ifyou will. Hell, we all know how easy ! am. If the guy’ s nice to me, I tell Gay Felix to keep him! And Lesbian Oscar, Mespite her best intentions, is slowly .becoming domesticated. You heard me, grrls! Some things that I would never have bothered about beforejump out atmenow. Duston theTV screen comes to mind. I wipe the kitchen counter every time I’mfinished with something in there. I now have places to put my things, and most of the time I actually manage t.o putmy things backin the proper place! If you’re wondering if a relationship like this can work, I’m telling you it can. We don’t fight, and when I do get bitchy (who, me?), Gay Fclix knows exactly what to say to snapme back and makeme lau~gh. Wouldthis work wlthjU~t tole$,anc.¢, !evel, for a ragLng Lesbian higii .~ ~ s!~yScraper. No~:~i~-iy:~y~r~" you, f~.d are like thaL Tiffs is or~e m~ I: want~0 live witli Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights presents Divers"ity ration 2 1 Saturday, June 2, 2001 TOHR Follies 2001 "From Here to Eternity" Avondale Studio & Theatre (the old Delaware Playhouse) 1511 So. Delaware Ave., 8pm Reception immediately following. Tickets: $15.00, At the Door: $20.00 The PriMe Store @ Tulsa GLBT Community Center; 2114 S Memorial or by calling ~918.743.4297 or toll free (outside Tulsa) at 866.335.9074 Sunday, June 3, 2001 Tulsa Interfaith Service Sponsored by TU BLGTAlliance, Sharp Chapel~ TU, 3pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Council Oak Men’s Chorale Concert Presented by Tulsa City/County Library "Diversity in Song" Aaronson Auditorium, Central Libmrym 3rd & Denver, 7pm Monday, June4, 2001 Family Law Panel Presented by Tulsa City/County Library Professor Linda Lacey, TU Law School and a panel of family law experts. Helmedch Library, 91st and Yale, 7pm Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Art Exhibit: "Embracing Art" All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria Avenue, 6-9pm Thursday, June 7, 2001 GLBT Film Festival Sponsored by Tulsa City/County Library Aaronson Auditorium, Central Library, 3rd and Denver, 7pm Friday, June 8, 2001 TOHR Diversity Gala Benefiting TOHR and Diversity Celebration 2001 "Death Be Not Proud" Speakers and Parade Grand Marshalls: Ms. Gabi Clayton, Olympia, WA, Ms. Dorothy Hajdys Ms. Nancy Rodrigues, Houston, TX, Ms. Carolyn Wagner, Little Rock, AR "Community. Hero" Awards presentation honoring those .in the local GLBT community. Tulsa Country Club, 701 N. Yukon Dr., 7pm, reception& silent auction, 8pm dinner, $100/ea. $1,000 table of eight. Sponsorships available. Reserved seating available by calling 918.743.4297 or 866.335.9074 Saturday, June 9, 2001 The Pride Parade Cherry Street (15th Street) to Boston Avenue to 18th Street to Veterans Park Starts at 3pm, Float/marchers begin assembling at lpm. No entries after 2:45pm Featuring:Entries from across Oklahoma and the Midwest Region Community Heroes Oklahoma’s largest Pride Flag Diversity Festival Sponsored by: Bud Light & Eastern Oklahoma Beverages Veterans’~ark, 1875 So. Boulder Ave., 3pm Featuring~Entertai:nment, Speakers, and more. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, April 2001; Volume 8, Issue 4 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, March 2001; Volume 8, Issue 4Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/611 2001 advocacy AIDS AIDS drugs arts and entertainment Boy Scouts businesses churches College Hill Presbyterian Church discrimination Elton John Eminem gay bashing Gay/Straight Alliance George W. Bush Glaxo SmithKline hate crimes HIV HIV testing Karen Gregory Lamont Lindstorm LGBT police Merck and Co. military inclusion Murder Openarms Youth Project Partner Benefits performing arts Pfizer Presbyterian Church Ragin Lesbian Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa restaurants Soulforce STDs the closet tolerance curriculum Tom Neal TU Bisexual/Lesbian/Gay/Transgendered Alliance Tulsa Family News Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights United Way https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/5baa9c52448ce50ccfea124932aaf84c.jpg 0b97203f8a546b44d0df80a622888445 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/0ae1e9698f1541cf1b53825f477d4aad.pdf 770a81a10b0d9658dd442c74d3130469 PDF Text Text Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends HIV’s Ability to Hide Thwarts Hope for Cure ¯ Tulsa Receives $50,000 GLBT :Funding Challenge Grant By Daniel Q. Haney, AP Medical Editor Will AIDS ever be cured? : receive a $50,000 challenge grant from the National I_~sbian and ¯ Gay Community Funding Parmership (NLGCFP) through the The latest research on the resourceful AIDS virus ¯ that causes the disease suggests a disheartening anTulsa Community Foundation. swer: Probably not. : The grant specifically targets Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Just a few years ago, even some of the most sober¯ Transgendered (LGBT) issues and requires matching funds from minded researchers wondered if the end of AIDS ¯ Tulsa to be raised. Longtime activist, local PFLAG founder and : former national PFLAG president;Nancy McDonald wrote the might be near. Perhaps the pills that miraculously changed H.IV from a death sentence to a chronic ¯ proposal according to Janice Nicklas, who said she assisted with infection would go the final step, they thought, even¯ the project. ¯ The funds if matched locally will be distributed on the basis of tually curing the infection by purging every trace of : a"needs assessment" done by a local steering committee. There the virus from the human body. Such talk quickly faded. The new drug cocktails, : is an initial grant of $7,500 to help prepare the needs assesment. amazing as they were, could not get rid of the virus. ¯ According to Nancy CMnnin~ham of NLGCFP, letters of support : were received from Sanford Cardin, director of the Schnstermau Evenif all signs of it vanished for years, HIV was still lurking somewhere. Inevitably it roared back by the : Foundation and Scott Zarrow, a member of a prominent business billions as soon as people stopped taking their medi: family known for its charitable work.. Per Nicklas, the grant application proposed a parmership TULSA (TFN) - For an agency which was founded in : Ever since that realization sank in, finding HIV’s some of the following organizations: Tulsa Oklahomann largemeasur¢ by TUl~’ s Gay commtmity-the ~ommu- i between for Human Rights (TOHR), Parents, Families and Friends of hiding places has been the goal of a small group of nity first and most ~ by _the HIV/AIDS pandemic, researchers. What they have learned is one of the it seems a mighty dumb move. Why would Tulsa i Lesbians and Gays 0aFLAG), Tulsa Public Schools, Youth biggest disappointments in AIDS research. C.A.R.E.S., formerly known as the HIV Resource Con- _- Services of Tulsa, the YWCA, Tulsa Area United Way and The fact that HIV is an insidious and resourceful sordum, not to ~ members of Tulsa" s Gay commu- ¯ others. It is anticipated that the effort to create a permanent parasiteis hardly a surprise. After all, AIDS researchuity, some of whom had been significant donors, to it, ". community center might benefit from this grant. The Tulsa Community Foundation is less than a few years old gas already understand in lavish detail how HIV annual fundraising event, the Red Ribbon Ball? This is : latches onto human blood cells, how it oozes inside thequesfion which anumber of individuals were asking ¯_ and was founded by oilmanand Bank of Oklahoma majority and kills them. They know the significance of every themselves and their friends after they were not invited ¯ shareholder, George Kaiser. When Kaiser started the Foundabump and crevice on the surface of the virus and how : lion, he responded in an interview with TFN, that his intention to the April 28 event held at the Williams Center. these shield it fr6m destruction. While none of the individuals were willing to be : was that the organization address the needs of Tulsa’ s LGBT But no basic AIDS discovery in recent times has publically critical of an agency whose mission they still : community, specifically saying that he Supported civil rights for proved so disturbing as the way HIV burrows in for support, several noted that they had gifts of $500 and ¯ Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals. the long haul. It has shifted the ultimate goal of AIDS However, there may be issues with the board of directors of the more to the fundraising event in recent years, and were : treatment toward something less ambitious. Since quite surprised not even to receive an invitation. One : Tulsa Commtmity Foundation. Although this grant was awarded noted that even former Tulsa CARES,.board president, ~ several months ago, Foundation staff, requested that TFN not ¯ eradicating HIV now seems so unlikely - although see HIV, p. 3 see $, p. 3 not everyone has given up Nancy McDonald, see CARES?, p.2 ¯ report this information first for a month, ¯ TULSA (1TN) - Tulsa is just one of four US commnnities to Tulsa HIV/AIDS Agency Alienates Gay Supporters World Leader Speaks on ¯ NGLTF LeaderToledo Resigns : TOHR + Pride 2001 ¯ WASHINGTON, D.C. April 20, 2001 - Elizabeth Toledo, exFight against AIDS ~ ecutive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, ¯ TULSA - Tulsa Oldahomans for Human Rights PHILADEI ~PHIA (AP) - To wage an effective global campaign against AIDS, $7 billion to $10 billion a year is needed from both governments and philanthropists, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi A nnan said. Current spending on AIDS research and prevention measures in developing countries is about $1 billion a year, Annan said at a cxmference last month. "The world has the resources to defeat this epidemic if it really wants to," he said. "But at present, there’ s a lot of confusion about how the money should be raised, where it should be directed and who can ensure that it’ s well spent." In his remarks to more than 2,000 philanthropists and business leaders during the 52nd annual conference for the Council on Foundations, Annan called on the public and private organizations to work together to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS. "We are not spending anywhere near what is needed to fight AIDS," Annan said. "It is not a choice between prevention and medicine. We need both." Aunan said national leaders and community grOups must work to support those living with AIDS and to help educate others about the disease. He said the United Nations must coordinate the batdc against the disease. His goal is that by the time delegates meet on June 25 for a session on HIV and AIDS, see Global, p. 3 DIRECTORY EDITORIAL US & WORLD NEWS HEALTH NEWS P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 P. 6 P. 8 Z ENTERTAINMENT + MORE GAY STUDIES/RAGING LESBIAN P. 10/11 : announced that she has chosen not to renew her contract and is ¯ resigning her position effective May 18. : "It has been a distinct honor to work at NGLTF and with such ¯ a talented and passionate staff," said Toledo. "I’ m confident that ¯ the Task Force will continue to provide progressiveleadership to ¯ the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender movement." ¯" Toledo, an experieneed organizer, was named executive directorin April 2000. Under her leadership, the Task Force solidified its progressive voice on a wide range of issues, expanded its training and organizing on behalf of the LGBT movement, and continued topublish cutting-edge research throughits think tank, the NGLTF Policy Institute. A thoughtful and articulate leader, Toledo regularly appeared in the national media and maintained ¯ ¯" ¯ ¯ ." ¯" a high profile of speaking engagements. Key highlights of Toledo’ s tenure at NGLTF include: ¯ - Establishing NGLTF as a nonpartisan authority on GLBT ¯ electoral issues by providing data and analysis on the GLB vote, ¯ issuing detailed reports on presidential and vice presidential candidates, convening"What’ s At Stake" forums inkey electoral ¯ ¯ states, and maintaining the acclaimed Elections 2000 website. : -Publishing three important Policy Institute reports: : "Transgender Equality: A Handbook for Activists and Policy ¯ Makers;....Outing Age: Public Policy Issue Affecting Gay, ¯ Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Elderly;" and "Redistrict: ing: A Strategy Memo." - Serving as a watchdog to the Bush White House, including launching a"W Watch" web site, organizing against certain Bush : cabinet nominees, and issuing reports on Bushfs proposed gov¯ emment-funded religion initiative, the tax plan, and school ¯ vouchers, and, ¯ - Establishing a diverse and skilled senior management team to lead NGLTF, improving its financial condition, and imple’ menting an innovative and effective membership campaign. Jerry Clark, Co-Chair of the NGLTF Board of Directors said, ~ ¯ see NGLTF, p. 2 ¯ ~ " ¯ ¯ ~ ¯ : ¯ ¯ ¯ : : ¯ : ¯ ¯ : ¯ : : ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯" ¯ ¯ ¯ , : ¯ ¯ (TOHR) will feature at its May meeting, Julie Summers and Roxann Moeller from the Tulsa Mental Health Association to make a presentation about the mental health issues for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities on Tuesday, May 8th. at 7:30pro at the Tulsa GLBT Community Center, 2114 South Memorial. Theresa Bamardfrom American Express Financial Services will also give a short overview of three upcoming f’mancial planning seminars designed fo] our commumty to be held during the month of May. .Organizers also will provide updated information on this years Pride events from Tulsa City/Count) Library programs to ongoing fundraising for a permanent community center location. On May 9th at the Center at 7pro, City of Tulsa Human Rights Dept. staff will hold a foetus group te help identify LGBT community issues. And a number of benefits are ongoing to support the Parade and Festival. Renegades will host one on May 5th as well as another on May 18 featuring a farewell performance from Kansas City dancer Doug Boyce, a great Tulsa favorite. Also, TOHR reports that more than 30 Cherry St. and Boston Ave. (SoBo) businesses have signed a letter of support for the Parade which will go from15th near Utica to Boston to 18th and Veterans Park. At the park, during the Festival after the Parade, organizers are promising great entertainment, including "men, women and drag queens." Greg Gatewood, spokesperson for TOHR board president, Kerry Lewis, confirmed arumor of vandalism at the Center last month. A box of glass jars as well as a brick was thrown through the front doors. In a bizarre touch, a "serenity" prayer was left at the scene, see TOHR, p. 7 �wasn’t even invited though she attended the event regardless. And according to a Tulsa 832-1269 CARES staff member, even Janice Nicklas ¯ 610-5323 ~ublisher + Editor: Tom Neal of the Tulsa Area United Way associated 838-9792 ¯ Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Community Service Council,who is easily 744-4280 ¯ Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche. Lament Lindstrom Esther one of Tulsa longest and most ardent 585-3405 Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw fundraisers for HIV/AIDS care and preven745-9998 tion, had to ask for an invitation. 280-1316 ¯ Member of The Associated Press While a tiny handful of prominent Gays 834-4234 : did attend the event, even those were reIssued around the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of this 660-0856 ported to be concerned, and in one case, publication are protected by US copyright 2001 by Tulsa 584-1308 ¯ furious, at the absenceof former donors. Family News and may not be reproduced either in whole or in 835:2376 Tulsa CARES board president Shannon Hall part without written permission from the publisher. Publica749-1563 expressed great concern about the percep*The Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th tion of a name or photo does not indicate a person’s sexual tion of exclusion of Gay supporters. Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication Hall explained that the event orgamzing Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard -743-1000 unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole 250-5034 was different from prior years and that the property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 665-4580 invitations were extended to those on a list Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 copies of each edition at distribution points. 712-1122 which local decorator and longtime AIDS Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248. 712-9955 ~undraiser, Charles Faudree provided. Hall *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 494-2665 suggested that the agency failed to see that *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457 743 -5272 their former list of event supporters and the Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & 746-0313 Faudree list were "merged." Hall went out *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 355-3140 Episcopalians, POB 701475, 74170-1475 295-5868 of his way to take responsibility as board *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E 1 lth 747-7777 *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard president for the negative result. Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743 -4117 *-7 tee Spirit Women’ s Center, call for location & info: 587 -4669 622-0700 However, others, while giving Hall full Community Cleaning; Kerby Baker 747-6827 Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 credibility for his effort, wondered, about 352-9504, 800-742-9468 Tim Daniel, Attorney 582-0438 749-3620 " Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 just how accidental the exclusion was, cit*Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 834-4194 744-5556 " *Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral ing the impression that over time, as Tulsa Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 834-8378 HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 838-8503 CARES has drawnmore "mainstream" fund*Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan *House of theHoly Spirit Minstries,1517 S. Memorial 224-4754 369-8555 ing and support, the agency has been perEncompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 838-1715 *MCC United, 1623 N; Maplewood ceived as distancing itself from its Gay 584-0337, 712-9379 Ross Edward Salon 748-3111 NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral PI. 592-0460 origins. This allegation has been made both Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 365-5658 NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, POB 14068, 74159 744-9595 by donors and clients. Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157 . .o-0880 Regardless of the hurt feelings, alienated Four Star Import Automotive, 99~.6 E. 55th PI. *OSU-TUlsa 628-3709 former donors, and ill will which most Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 749-4901 PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 808-8026 fundraising groups seek to avoid, word is Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 587 -7674 *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 742-1460 that this year’ s Red Ribbon Ball was a great *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 459-9349 success, raising over $100,000 from attendLeanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 7494195 R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 744-7440 ees characterized as "straight, rich people." Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 584-2325 *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 745-1111 Some who spoke with TFN, just said that *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 425-7882 St. Aidan’ s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincimmti 341-6866 while they support the fight against HIV/ *International Tours 492-7140 St. Dunstan’ s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 712-2750 AIDS even when support for that effort is Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th 582-3088 *St. Jerome’ s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3018 waning, they wonder if other groups may be *Jared’ s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th Soulforce-OK, Rt.4, # 3534, Stigler 74462 587-3248,452-2761 747-0236 more appreciative of their support. David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 583-7171 *Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 582-8460 Editor’s note: in t,~e past, Tulsa Family The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 582-7225 *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 599-8070 News has provided news coveragefor Tulsa *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 5954105 Tulsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 747-5466 CARES but has also donated advertiseKelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only 585-1234 ments both to support Tulsa CARES’ Red *Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha TulsaOkla. for Human Rights, GayComm. Center 743-4297 584-3112 Ribbon Gala and to Faudree’ s Hope Candle*Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd TUL-PAC, Positive Advocacy Coalition, POB2687,Tulsa 74101 663 -5934 lightTour. While the exclusion ofGaypeople lVlingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827 664-2951 an d media may have been accidental, TFN *Moha~vk Music, 6157 E 51 Place *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule 838-7626 urges Tulsa CARES director and staff to Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo *Tulsa Community College Campuses 743 -4297 offer letter of apology. We’ ll sure print it. *The Pride Store 743 -4297 *Tulsa Gay Community Center, 21 st & Memorial 747-5932 Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101 749-8833 Unity Church of Cliff stianity, 3355 S. Jamestown 834-0617 Richard’ s Carpet Cleaning BARTLESVILLE 834-7921, 748-0224 Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. 918-337-5353 260-7829 Barflesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone Paul Tay, Car Salesman 481-0558 "It is with great sadness and regret that we TAHLEQOAH *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 835-5563 918456-7900 accept Elizabeth’s resignation. She made Venus Salon, 1247 S.Harvard Stonewall League, call for information: 743-1733 significant strides for the Task Force. We 918-456-7900 Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 665-2222 918-453-9360 thankher for her accomplishments and dedi*Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 592-0767 cation during the last year, and we are con*Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis ¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS fident that she will continue to be a voice of www.gaytulsa.org website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians ¯ 501-253-7734 Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 progressive leadership in the movement." Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities 501-253-7457 " Jim & Brent’ s Bistro, 173 S. Main Toledo cited family responsibilities, in 501-253-6807 AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593 particular, the poor health of her mother and 743-2363 " DeVito’ s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 501-253-5445 All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 587-7314 Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. the heavy travel demands of her position as 501:253-9337 Black & White. Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 583-7815 " MCC of the Living Spring reasons for her resignation. 501-253-2776 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center. 2207 E. 6 583-9780 " Geek to Go!,~ PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-5332 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 585-1201 " Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-624-6646 Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston Positive Idea Marketing Plans & 501-253-4074 *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. Florence ¯ 587-1314 : White Light, 1 Center St. Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood 747-6300 " JOPLIN, MISSOURI *Commlmity of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale 749-0595 " Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U 134 417-623-4696 *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 748-3888 ¯ Council Oak Men’ s Chorale 712-1511 " *iswherey°ucanfindTFN’N°tallareGay’°wnedbutallareGay’friendly" *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *Bmnboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine *CW’s, 1737 S. MemOrial *Play-Mot, 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 ¯ 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 FOB 4140. Tulsa. OK 74159. e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net �¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ would make these dormant memory cells awaken and then die. The experiment seemed to go well. Doctors biopsied patents’ lymph nodes and found nothing. They grew hundreds of millions of their cells in cultures. Still nothing. Finally they stoppedall treatment and waited. Within three or four weeks, they had their answer. The virus came back in every single patient. "We are not going to be eliminating this reservoir," Fauci now says. "Whether you can measureit or not doesn’t seem to have a significant impact on the clinically rdevant phenomenon of what happens when you stop the drug." Nevertheless, scientists have learned much about how the virus hides. HIV’s primary target in the body is a kind of white blood cell known as a cd4 T helper cell. The virus infects them, hijacks their machinery so they manufacture more vims, then kills them. After they get infected, though, a few of these helper cells become memory cells. HIV has already stitched its genes into the cells’ genetic code in preparation for making more virus. But nothing happens. The cells go to sleep, virusand all. All of this happens within the first days of an HIV infection, even before the body begins to make antibodies against the vims. The number of cells involved is relatively small, perhaps 1 million scattered throughtheblood stream, the lymph glands and perhaps elsewhere. Normally, the body kills HIV-infected cells. But it misses these, because they many contend the next best thing will be somehow limning the body to control the virus, to help patients live with HIV instead of getting rid of it. Many of the insights come from the work of Dr. Robert Siliciano of Johns Hopkins University, who regularly tests the blood of about 50 Baltimore AIDS patients, measuring the virus’ s persistence ¯ ¯ despite the best treatments. "What HIV has done is tap into the most fundamental ¯ aspect of.the immune sys tern, and that is its ¯¯ immunological memory," he says. "It’s ¯ the lJerfect mechanism for the virus to ¯ ensure its survival." Perfect because the virus lies silent in- ¯¯ side cells that are programmed to do noth¯ ing but sit and wait. They are calledresting memory T cells. Their only job is to store ¯ arecord of the germs they encounter, keep- ¯ ing the body prepared for the next time it sees them. : These cells literally are the immune system’s memory, so they must survive ¯ ¯ for a long time. Otherwise we would catch the same diseases over and over. HIV lies ¯ inside these sleeping cells, dormant but ¯ dangerous. Siliciano believes this means ¯ ¯ HIV infection will last a lifetime. ¯ The memory cells do die off, but ever so slowly. At the rate he sees in his Baltimore ¯ patients, it will take 73 years for them to go ¯ away completely. He cannot imagine a way to speed up the process, certainly not : with the drugs now available or with any- ~"’look perfectly normal. ’q’he only differthing else on the horizon. ence between a latenfly infected cell and This latently infected reservoir, as sciits uninfected counterparts is a little bit of entists call it, is the single biggest obstacle HIV DNA," says Si!ician0. This silnilarity to getting rid of AIDS. "It’ s the thing that also makes the infected cells almost imkeeps us from curing this," says Dr. Roger possible to kill with any kind of targeted Pomerantz of Thomas Jefferson Univerdrugs. There is simply no easy way to sort sity in Philadelphia. out the good from the bad. Siliciano has been counting these cells None of this was obvious in 1996, the dawn of the modern age of AIDS treatin his Baltimore volunteers for five years. ment. Doctors watched AIDS patients litThe number he finds in their bodies now erally get up from their death beds after "is essentially exactly the same as they taking the newly available drug combinastarted with." Why do they die off so slowly, if at all? tions. Anything seemed possible. There are two leading theories: Their lonDr. David Ho of the Aaron Diamond gevity reflects the basic biology of memory AIDS Research Center in New York City T cells, or their supply is constantly recautiously speculated about eradicating plenished. HIV. If the drugs stopped the virus from Siliciano favors the first theory. Immuinfecting more blood cells, then the ones nological memory lasts forever. This is already loaded with virus would eventuwhy ~rmeone who catches measles in ally die off naturally, leaving the body virus free. Perhaps this would take two or childhood will remain immune to the disease into old age. Memory cells may die three years, he thought. over time, "but they also make replaceBut in late 1997, another discovery made ments by cell division. And every time a that seem lmlikely. Silieiano and two other teams independently found the virus inmemory cell divides, it faithfully reproduces the HIV that is stitched into its side memory T cells. They checked people genes. who had seemed to be free of virus for two years. Every time, they found fully potent However, the Diamond Center’s Ho copies of virus inside their memory cells. ¯ prefers the second theory. Actually, No one tmderstood then how long these ¯ memory cells are mucJa shorter lived, he cells would stay alive, although it was ¯ believes. But their supply is constantly ¯ being renewed by a continuing cycle of assumedit would almost certainly be more than a couple of years. "It was a sobering ¯ low-level infection. realization about the recalciliant nature of ¯¯ The standard drug regimens - what docthis reservoir," remembers Dr. Anthony tors call highly active antiretroviral therapy, ¯ or HAART - can reduce viral levels by Fauci, head of the National Institute of ¯ 10,000fold. Butperhaps they do not comAllergy and Infectious Diseases. The next obvious approach was to try to pletely stop the virus from infecting fresh destroy these Trojan horses. Fauci’ s team ¯: T cells. Some of these go on to become tried to "flush out the reservoir," as they ¯ infected memory cells. Thus, however put it. The idea: Intermittently feed the ¯ quickly these memory cells die, they are body interleukin- 2, a growth hormone that ¯ replaced by more. see HIV, p. 7 ¯ cases which are presented o :~ by Matthew W. Holloway Marriage is an amorphous institution, With the very conservative ~z ¯ changing in response to the demands of court at this time, there is ~~,~ society. Marriage, in some form or an- ; reaching a feasible conclusion to other, has existed in every society through- ¯ bate over homosexual marriage. Homosexuals have been out the history of man. traditionally discriminated In addition, marriage is "... when we look at against for years. This is a not a purely Christian redefining marriage, " fact. The new laws prohibconcept Marriage is largely a product of our iting homosexual couples where do same-sex society and has not always from being considered the relationships had to do with religion. exact equals of heterosexual couples are simply What relationships are fit into the picture? considered a marhate-based legislation. When we look at the riage? How do we decide That anyone could use what relationships to call a our governmental system required criteria d a marriage? Does a couple to promote hate or defame marriage, we will see really need a governmentany minority group is atroissued license to be "marciously unethical. The that homosexual fled"? United States Government marriages fulfill all of has not shown any promoThese questions have aroused many debates them, as well as many of tion of the public good at through the years. Does all in prohibiting homothe non-essentlal society decide if people are sexual marriage, and neither has any one of our mamed? Or is it to be left characteristics.. 7 fifty states. up to the people involved Therefore, they are in the union? What of polygamous and incestuous ¯ overstepping their boundaries in even promarriages? They have been ridiculed and ¯ posing legislation such as the Knight Ini¯ defamed in many societies. There are reatiative. In addition, the Supreme Court sons why polygamous and incestuous re- ¯ must step in to protect the minority from lationships do not benefit society. In some tyranny. This is the only viable solution to ways, they can actually harm a society, ¯ thecontroversy which shakes ournation to depending on the context in which they are ¯ its very foundations. The fight of the hofound. This is because of the biological ¯ mosexuals in the United States parallels problems involved in these unions. The ¯ that of the African-Americans of the government has shown sufficient reason : 1960’s. to deny these marriages. This is one of the ¯ The Civil Rights Bill of 1964 encounreasons that their employment has been tered strong resistance, but eventual! y the limited, even in those societies which see leaders of this nation realized that Africanthem as a viable alteruative. Americans are citizens, with the same rights And when we look at redefining mar- " as any other citizeu of the United States. riage, where do same-sex relationships fit ¯ Be they black, white, Hispanic, Asian, into the picture? When we look at the straight, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, male, ¯ required criteria of a marriage, we will see female, mentally challenged, handicapped, that homosexual marriages fulfill all of or any other nlinority, everyone, every them, as well as many of die non-essential citizen, every child of the United States of characteristics. America and the world deserves a voice ¯ There, what basis does the United States and a positive rol~ model. Can we not give Government have in denying marriage ¯ them this in the new nfille~mium? Let there licenses to homosexual couples? Abso- ¯ be no more Columbines. The world is tired lutely none. ¯ of hate. Matthew W. Holloway waJ a recepient If the American Government is "of the ¯ people, by the people, and for the people" of a TOHR 2000 Community Hero award then why are these marriages not recogand was a founder of a Gay/Straighl Allinized? There is no question that homoance at one of Tulsa’s high schools. This sexuals are in every way equal citizens of fall he will be attending Tulsa Community the United States. The American GovernCollege, majoring in English. ment has in place safeguards against a concept known as "tyranny of the masses". This is a relatively new problem, as it is found exclusively in one of the newest forms of government, the republic. It ocThe same request was made again a month curs when the population of the nation gets later. No official explanatio~l was proso large that any minority group trying to vided by Foundation staff.for the delay in be heard is drowned out by the din of all of accepting the grant. the other minority groups, clamoring for However, an examination of the membertheir own representation in the elected ship of the board of trustees of the Foundaassembly. tion shows at least three, members with And the United States elected assembly, documented records of engaging in antithe Congress, is one of the smallest in the Gay discrimination or supporting organiworld. This makes it very hard for any zations which engage in discrimination: minority group to receive adequate repreTulsa World pubhsher Bob Lorton, Tulsa sentation in this nation. One of the major Area United Way executive director safeguards against"tyranny ofthemasses" Kathleen Coin and one other. in this nation is the Supreme Court. One of At press time, no word had been reits major duties is to protect the Bill of ceived about when or whether Tulsa ComRights and to apply the Constitution to the mtmity Foundation will accept the grant. �Alabama House ¯ Some Vermonters Want Addresses Hate Crimes ¯ to Repeal Civil Unions Find out for yourself how good the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama House voted 45-42 last month to include sexual orientation in ." a state law that provides additional penalties for hate ¯ ¯ crimes. The vote sent the bill sponsored by Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, to the Senate, where it died ¯ last year. . Holmes said the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Alabama supports the legislation. : Reps. Allen Sanderson, Arthur Payne, and DuWayne ¯ Bridges, were among opponents who .said the bill ¯ would increase penalties for crimes against a special : group of people. "We are trying to create a special ." privileged class, Gays and Lesbians," Payne said. "If " anyone commits a crime against a Gay or Lesbian they ¯¯ are going to be punished to a greater degree than if " against another group." But Holmes said "everybody is covered" under the _" hate crime law. "Why shouldn’ t they be ~overed under ¯ it?"he said. Alabamalaw already mandates minimum ¯" prison terms that felons must serve for crimes moti- ¯ vated b_y race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity ¯ ¯ or physical or mental disability. ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ MONTPELIER, Vt.(AP) - The House Judiciary Committee voted to continue working on a bill that could eventually lead to arepeal of civil unions. The committee is one vote shy of an outfight repeal of the law that grants the rights, benefits and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples. But committee members who support repeal agreed to continue working on a bill that would offer an alternative to civil unions because it may provide their only opportunity to have an up-or-down vote on repeal on the House floor. Reciprocal partnerships are a concept conceived by Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Peg Flory that would repeal civil unions and offer such partnerships to all couples who are currently prohibited from marrying under state law. That ineludes same-sex couples, who won marriage rights and benefits through civil unions, as wall as blood relatives. Flory’ s goal with her billis to expand the number of couples who could qualify forbenefits withoutusing sexual orientation as the criterion for obtaining them. Some opponents of civil unions don’t like the strategy of supporting Flory’ s bill solely as a parliamentary maneuver. The Rev. David Stertzbach of the Vermont Defense of Marriage Committee wrote to legislators late last week warning them that such a strategy was unacceptable to his group. Stertzbach’s group was ¯ active in the elections last year. DENVER (AP) - For the eighth time in 10 years, abill "We believe Vermonters deserve (an) honest, has been killed that would have expanded Colorado’ s straightforward vote on the repeal of civil unions in hate-crimes law to incl~ade crimes based on a victim’ s committee and on the House floor without any unprinsexual orientation. ¯ cipled votes for reciprocal benefits for homosexuals The House State, Veterans and Military Affairs even as a parliamentary maneuver," he wrote. "It Committee voted 6-5 against Senate Bill 75. which ¯ would sadden me to report to voters that any conservahad passed the Senate on a 20-15"vote. The bill would tive voted for reciprocal benefits." have broadened ethnic intimidation laws that levy Among the issues with Flory’ s bill that trouble civil tougher penalties for crimes motivated by the victim’ s unions opponents is that it would require them to race, national origin or religion to include crimes support a bill that would grant rights to Gay and motivated by the victim’s real or perceived sexual ¯ Lesbian couples. ’’This bill further diminishes marorientation, gender identity, age and mental or physiriage," Haas told his committee. cal disability. Still, repeal supporters on the Judiciary.’ Commi ttee ¯ Sponsor Rep. Mark Larson, R-Cortez, trying to do not believe they have much choice if they want to counter the traditional arguments, said the proposal ¯ force a vote. Rep. Harvey Otterman, R-Topsham, said would not create special rights for certain groups of he did not like to see a bill "bottled up in committee," people, nor would it attempt to restrict free-speech ¯ so he would support Flory’s bill and then make a rights. "We are not nmning a government based on our judgment later on whether to vote for repeal if such a ownnarrow view oflife,"he said. "Itis the Legislature’ s ¯ proposal were made on the floor. ’T m going to reserve responsibility to protect its citizens, all of its citizens." the right to vote asI see fit," Otterman said. Opponents argued the law would create separate classes of people that would be treated differently, violating the constitutional guarantee of equal protection. "I would remove the entire hate-crimes law because I think everybody should be treated equally," ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Lawyers for Yeshiva Universaid Rep. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs. But victims of certain bias-motivated crimes are not sity on defended its refusal to allow Gay couples to treated equally, Larson ceantered. For example, a share student apartments, a policy two Lesbian stuperson who throws a brick with a hateful message dents contend discriminated against them on the basis attached through a Black person’s window can be of sexual orientation and marital status. Yeshiva lawyer Mark Jacoby told the state’ s highest. punished more harshly under current law than a person court that the university was well within its .rights to who does the same to a Gay person’ s window, he said. restrict use of the university-owned housing to single Proponents said the bill properly focused on the students-or married graduate students - but to deny motivation of the criminal, rather than characteristics of the victim. For example, said Deputy Denver Disunmarried heterosexual or homosexual couples the use trict Attorney Everett Engstrom, a person who kills of those apartments. "Look, we have a limited amount of student housing could be prosecuted for murder, for manslaughter or available," Jacoby told the Court of Appeals, conveyfor criminally negligent homi’cide based on his or her ing the rea,~oning of university officials. ’’We’ve acstate of mind. quired this to accommodate-students. We can accom"Hate crimes are different from ordinary crimes. modate students themselves. We’re prepared to acThey are intended to send a message, to victimize the commodate spouses and children of students and faindividual and the entire commttnity they belong to," cilitate their education. But we’ re not going to open the said Pat Steadman, representing Equal .Rights Colodoor and (accommodate) everybody who wants to rado. "The harm.from a hate crime .is larger than the bring in a buddy, or a friend, or a partner." harm to just an individual." Evan Zuckerman, assistant The lawyer arguing on behalf of the two Lesbian director of the Anti-Defamation League’s mountain studeats for the American Civil Liberties Union’s states region, said the bill was necessary to protect Lesbian & Gay Rights Project, James Esseks, coungroups of people who are being victimized based on tered that Yeshiva’ s housing policy had a "disparate certain characteristics. "We shouldn’ t let another year Colorado House Kills Hate-Crimes Amendment i NY Housing Case May ¯ Impact Civil Rights Laws .-..:.p~.wkthout acknow_}edging We re,~i.ty.,’.’, ~she said,. " . impact." on homo8e~tla!~ ............ ~ Sunday Morning 11:00 AM Children’s Worship During Service Come share the goodness of the Lord with our community MCC United Rev. Cathy Elliott. Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-17 ! 5 mcctulsa@aol.com Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Community of Hope South Yale, Sundays at llam, 749-0S95 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-~.aA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy (918) 743-c 559¯ 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 BUI~LDING & GARDEN.: DESIGN 583-1248 Red Rock Tulsa Free Confidentia!,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 American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette McIntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 American Red Cross OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN HEAI S 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 Since New York law prohibits all-male or all -female couples from getting mamed, allowing only married couples to share housing means Gay couples are unfairly barred from possibly sharing in the benefit of the cheap apartments. "This case is not about securing marriage for same-sex couples or creating new laws it’ s about enforcing laws that prohibit discrimination against those who can’t get married," Esseks said. Both state and local anti-discrimination laws may have been violated by Yeshiva’s policies, Esseks said. Thechallenge against Yeshiva’ s policy was brought by two students, Sara Levin and Maggie Jones, after their requests to live with their partners were rejected. Both Levin and Jones were offered university-owned housing for themselves alone. Both are students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which is affifiated with Yeshiva. Two lower state courts have nded for Yeshiva’ s no-unmarried-couple housing policy. The Court of Appeals is likely to hand down a written ruling in the ease by early summer. . Several groups filedfriend-of-the-court briefs in the ¯ case, including theAssociation of the Bar of New York City, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. Those briefs argue that civil rights protections for many kinds of minority groups could be weakened by upholding Yeshiva’ s housing policies. New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer also filed a brief before the court critical of Yeshiva’ s housing policy. New ACLU Leader Hispanic + Openly Gay : NEW YORK (AP) - A New York public interest ¯ attorney was named Tuesday to lead the American Civil Liberties Union, becoming the first Hispanic and : openly Gay man to do so. Anthony D. Romero, 35, ¯ currently serves as a director of the Ford Foundation’ s program for human rights and international coopera¯ tion, overseeing $90 million in grants. ¯ As the ACLU’ s executive director, he said will work ¯ ¯ ¯ : ¯ ¯ : ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ Wesleyan U. Hires Gay Studies Professor MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) - Following the lead of Yale, Wesleyan University will appoint a full-time professor to teach Gay and Lesbian studies. The posi- ¯ tion Is expected to be filled wilhin a year, and the : professor will begin teaching in the fall semester 2002, ~ Justin Harmon, a school spokesman said. ¯ ¯ The new position will be among 20 the university has created during thepast couple of years in an effort ¯ to expand its curriculum, Harmon Said. University : officials said the new professor will help develop a ¯ Gay and Lesbian studies curriculum. : The lack of Gay studies courses at Wesleyan has : drawn protests from students and faculty in recent years. Wesleyan has offered one such course per year. :¯ "I’m delighted that we’re having this position here," ¯ said Henry Abelove, one of the professors who has ¯ taught Gay studies course. "This will add substantially to the queer studies courses we can offer here." : Abelove said the new professor probably will be ¯ expected to teach two courses per semester, like other ¯ professors at Wesleyan. ¯ Earlier this month, Yale University accepted a $1 million donation from the family of Larry Kramer to help fund the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale. That decision ended four years of debate about ¯ Kramer’s desire to fund a Gay and Lesbian studies program at. Yale. Kramer,an outspoken activist for " AIDS awareness and Gay issues, initially wanted to give Yale $5 million to hire a full-time professor in the ¯¯ field. Yale rejected that offer because the university thought Gay studies was too narrow a field for a : permanent professorship. In response, Kramer had ¯ accused the university of being homophobic. ¯ Members of Wesleyan’ s Queer Alliance, a group of Lesbian and Gay students, pushed hard earlier in the ¯ spring to get the position at their school approved. In March, the alliance held a "kiss-in" demonstration in ¯ front of the admissions office. The demonstration coincided with a meeting of the university’s trustees. ¯ "We’re really pleased, although I’m almost sur- ¯ prised," said junior Phil Gentry, an alliance leader. ¯ "We tried to be optimistic, but at the same time this ¯ same proposal was turned down before..." to make the civil rights organization more prominent in local communities. He said the ACLU will continue to focus on defending religious liberty, reproductive freedom andtherights of women, minorities and Gays. "’I hope to begin my tenure as the 1 eader of thi s vitally important organization by sparking a new dialogue about the bedrock values of American democracy," he said, adding his goal is to "promote a new generation of committed civil libertarians and civil rights activists.’" The Bronx-born Romero is a graduate of Stanford Law School and Princeton University. ACLU President Nadine Strossen called Romero "an idealist, bold and creative in his vision and strategy but skeptical and realistic in his tactics." Romero will take over in September for Ira Glasser, Who is retiring after 23 years in the post. Conservative Extremists Stall Anti-Bullying Bill OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - A bill designed to stop bullying in schools has stalled in the Legislature amid opposition from Christian conservatives who say it is really a Gay-rights measure. Under the measure, school districts would have to write policies against bullying and train employees and volunteers to stop harassment. Teachers,police, Gov. Gary Lockeand Attorney General Christine Gregoire said the legislation is needed to protect picked-on kids. But the state’ s chapter of the Christian Coalition said it couldbe seen as trying to prevent some students from condemning homosexuality. Rick Forcier, director of the Christian Coalition of Washington, said the measure could lead to homosexual sensitivity training in schools. "We don’ t want to see kids beat up on and we would like to see the rules that are already in place enforced," he said. "But I think this one went well beyond what we think is necessary." The measure passed the Senate but never made it to a vote in the House Education Committee in the regular session that ended April 22. The governor has listed, it on his agenda for the 30-day special legislative sessxon now under way. Georgia County Adds Partner Benefits DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - DeKalb County commissioners have approved providing domestic 15artners of Gay county employees with medical, dental and life insurance benefits. The measure, approved by a 6-1 vote at the end of April, makes the suburban Atlanta county the first in Georgia to offer such benefits to employees. County officials estimate that about 70 employees 1% of the total - will seek the benefits, which would cost thecounty about $200,000 out of abenefits budget about $39 million a year. The city of Atlanta has been the only local government in Georgia with a domestic partner package. The private sector has been quicker to provide such benefits, said Harry Knox, director of the Gay civil rights group, the Georgia Equality Project. Four of the state’ s largest employers- BellSouth, DeltaAir Lines, Atlanta Gas Light and Coca-Cola - have done so, Knox said. �Vaccine Research : the vaccines will offer them at cut-rate in poorer countries. "ExtraordinarMaybe Overlooked :¯ prices ily complex planning is required," Berkley ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Developing a : said. "Establishingnew production capacvaccine to prevent AIDS should be given ¯ ity alone normally requires 4-5 years." top priority in the fight against the deadly virus sweeping Africa, a leading epidemiologist said. Efforts to develop a vaccine risked getting overlooked in the push to raise money to fight AIDS, said Seth ¯ Berkley, president of the New York-based ¯ NEW YORK (AP) -The debt owed by the world’ s poorest countries is a major barInternational AIDS Vaccine Initiative. However, key decisions on whether to : rier to fighting the AIDS pandemic and ¯ should be canceled immediately, activists pursue vaccine "candidates" currently in human trials may need to be made as early ¯ urged. The plea came as the World Bank and ¯ as 2002, he said. ¯ The International Monetary Fund, which Berkley spoke recently on the sidelines ¯ hold the majority of the debt, held their of a two-day African AIDS summi t hosted by Nigeria and the Organization of Afri- ¯ spring meeting in Washington. The intercan Unity. There, African lcaders signed a "¯ nadonal lending organizations have ajoint program to reduce debt but have so far declaration calling on members to aim at ¯ declined to wipe the slates clean. spending 15% of their national budgets on : "It is morally reprehensible fo( the dehealth programs, including a significant : veloped world to condnue to demand reproportion on AIDS andto provide cheap and effective drugs to treat those infected. - payment when we have a crisis on the ¯ continent of Mrica," said Njongonkulu The Vaccine Initiative- a private, nonprofit organi 7ation funded by governments, ¯ Ndugane, Archbishop of Cape Town, : South Africa. "One hundred percent canfoundations and private enterprise - has raised more than $300 million to assist : cellation is nonnegotiable." Sub-Saharan African countries spend vaccine research and create systems for ¯ $13.3.billion on debt repayment each year distributing them in the developing world. Yet Berkley estimates that the project i but need $15 billion to stop the spread of would require at least double that figure to : HIV/AIDS, according to the Global AIDS ¯ Alliance: Zambia, for example, has an give research bodies "a chance" of devel. annual debt service of $174 million, with oping vaccines by 2007. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also : $90 million of that going to the World ¯ BankandlMF. The country’ s health budannounced efforts to create a global ’~ar ¯ get is $76 million. chest" worth $7 billion to $10 billion to Jeffrey Sachs, an economist at Harvard fight AIDS. It was unclear how much ¯ : University, said that canceling debt will would be devoted to vaccine research, ¯ give countries even more money to.fight Other observers said vaccine trials could : the disease that is ravishing the continent. be "fast-tracked" in about half the time or : AIDS has killed about 22 million people less if funding in the billions was made ¯ globally, including 17million in sub~Saavailable. ¯ haran Africa. Billions of dollars have gone into the : Two separate initiatives were introduced developmentofeffectiveAIDS treatments, : in the Congress this weekwhich call on the but vaccine research has received relatively little funding. Pharmaceutical corn- : IMF and the World Bank to eliminate debt. One bill introduced by Reps. Maxine patties have viewed it as unprofitable, and~ : Waters, a California Democrat, and Spenmost AIDS activists have focused their i eer Bachus, an Alabama Repubfican, Calls efforts on finding a cure. U.S. government funding of HIV-AIDS : for 100% debt relief for the world’s poorresearch last year.topped $2billion, with : est countries. The bill introduced by Barabout $250 million going toward vaccine . bara I.~e, a California Democrat, calls for ¯ debt relief for countries heavily affected research. The rest went toward developing ¯ by HIV/AIDS. drugs to treat those with the disease. : Bono, the lead singer of the Irish rock The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation : band U2, said that part of the problem is and Western countries such as Canada and ¯ that Americans don~t understand how .the the Netherlands have also provided mil- : debt is devastating the poorest countries. lions of dollars for vaccine research. : He plans to try to raise awareness tocreate Nancy Powell,head of the U.S. delega; political pressure. tion to the African summit, said Friday : The World Bank have a program cal!ed that President Bush’ s administration would ¯ the HIPC Initiative to stem debt. Accord, spend $2.5 billion on HIV-AIDS research ¯ ing to a World Bank report, the 22 counthis year, including $480 million for "in- ¯ tries receiving somerelief have seen debt ternational HIV/AIDS assistance." She did ¯ payments go from 3.7% to 2.1% of gross not give a further breakdown. ’q’he Bush domestic product. Acti fists say the reducadministration is Africa’s partner in this : lions are negligible, especially considereffort. The United States has been the " ing the AIDS crisis. Indeed, pharmaceutiworld leader in research and assistance to : cal-compaules have drastically’reduced " batde these diseases," Powell said. ¯ the price of AIDS medications with at Ieast Researching and testing an AIDS vactwo films sellingmedicine at cost. Still, cine is only the first part of the problem, ¯¯ they are deemed to expensive. Berkley said. Getting it to those who need ¯ "HIV/AIDS is worse than the bubonic it most is another challenge. Vaccines de¯ plague," said Lee. ’q~he money used for veloped for other diseases ordinarily take ¯ debt service could be used for education, 15 years or more before they are affordresearch, a health care delivery system... able in poor countries. : It could go a long way to turning the The Vaccine Initiative hopes that pri; ¯ situation around." vate Firms involved in the production of i Power Connect. Debt Relief for PoorUrged to Fight AIDS Public Service Company of Oklahoma Customer Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Da~ Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’talways convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 .- offering around-the-clock answers to your questions - and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you: All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our tell-free numbers below. , ’ I I I I I CALL 24 HOURS FOR TOLL-FREE SERVICE. Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 Billing Inquiries: 1-888’216-3490 Outage Reporting: 1-888-218-3919 I I I I Ser~ci¢ a C]ie.t~s: 1-888-216-3505 P~t~ S¢br~ ~u Cu~.ta: 1=888-216-3491 i I I I ! ! ! ~alt~ De ~umi.istr¢: 1-888-218-3924 �The Tulsa City County Library System is proud to Embrace-Diversity honoring Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Oklahomans with the following events: Saturday, June 2. 2pro. Maxwell Park Library "Coming Out in Tulsa Area High Schools" Dr. Doug Gronberg, English teacher at Booker T. Washington High School, moderates a pane! discussion by high school students in Gay/Straight Alliances. Monday, June 4. 7pm. Central Library "Council Oak Men’ s Chorale" Monday, June 4. 7pm. Helmerich Library "Family Law Issues Affecting the Gay Community" Panel discussion with Linda Lacey, TU.College of Law, moderating. Thursday, June 7. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" Harvey Fierstein and Matthew Broderick star in "Torch Song Trilogy." Saturday, June 9. 12 Noon. Central Library "Diversity. Film Festival’" "Out of the Past" documents the struggles of Kelli Peterson, who started a Gay/ Straight alliance in her Salt Lake City school in 1996. Thursday,,, June 142 7pm. Central Library Diversity Film Festival" "Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy Award for best live-action short. "If These Walls Could Talk": Stories about Lesbian couples in three decades. "Bubbeh Lee an~d Me"= A Gay man’ s Visit with his 87 year old grandmother. t~ook Discussion: Deliver Us From Evie’ Thmsday, June 21.~lpm. Broken Arrow Library Book Discussion:"Fried Green Tomatoes" Thursday, June 21. 7pro. Brookside Library :AIDS Memorial Quilt Project Vale Bode, director of Education and Outreach for the Tulsa Area chapter of the NAMES project, discusses the AIDS Memorial Quilt ¯ Please call 596-7977 or your local branch library if you have questions or need more information. Please plan to attend. : the fight against the disease," Annan said. ¯ "It would be presumptuous of me to say ¯ how much the U.S. should pay. I hope, : considering the size of the government, ¯ that it would be substantial." : Annan’s appeal comes on the heels of a : speech to leaders gathered at the Mrican ¯ Summlt on HIV, AIDS and other infec: tious diseases. There, he outlined his.ob: jectives and urged Mriean governments to ¯ take the lead in mobilizing resources. ¯ Paul DiDonato, executive director of : Funders Concerned About AIDS, a New : York-based organization, said he was ~ pleased with Annan’s remarks. ’q’he fact ¯ that thereis this level of leadership talking ¯ about theissueis encouraging," DiDonato ¯ said. "A year ago, U.S. leaders were not : giving speeches about AIDS;now they are ¯ talking about it." "If we could stop the residual replication, what would be the persistence of the res ervoir?" Ho asks. His team has started a new experiment, code numbered 377, to f’md o u t They have come up with a new four" drug combination, a kind of superHAART, that they believe is more powerful than the standard variety. About 30 patients are taking the drugs. The goal is to stop the low-level circulation of their virus, which in turn shOuld shut off the supply of newly infected memory cells. If it works, Ho believes it could wipe out the body’s HIV-infected memory T cells in three to four years. "No one would say that once we get rid of this reservoir, we have a cure," says Ho. "We have confronted a difficult problem, but there may be others." Among the biggest of these is the worry ¯ Maybe I’m NOT more attractive with vagithat infected memory T cells are not the nal itch. Dam! I was hoping something body’s onlylongdived reservoir.of HIV. ¯ would help! The virus may linger as well in other In the past month I’ve learned who my places that are hard to check or lie beyond real friends are: those who stick with you the reach of AIDS drugs, such as the brain, : even when you’re scratching your crotch bone marrow and testes. : on a public street. OK, so that was my "It will be a daunting task to eliminate ¯ roommate, and he does need me to pay my those unknown viral reservoirs, even with : half of the rent. much more potent drugs that might come : But my friend Lindsey, who lives in a out in the near future," says Dr. Tae-Wook ¯ garrett apartment similar to that in "La Chun of the National Institute of Allergy : Boheme", has stuck withme. She just tells and Infectious Diseases. ¯ me to shut up when I talk about "the itch." This is why Chun and many AIDS re, : So I do it several times,just to piss her off. searchers now believe the best defense , My friend Jim even slept with me when against HIV may ultimately be the body’ s ’ he" visited. He didn’t have any fear that ¯ own. These doctors would like to teach the he’ d get it. WeP, dull! Of course not! And immune.system to control HIV, so people : the next possible Ms. Right hasn’trun can stop taking AIDS drugs, which have ¯ away -yet. I’ve also had several-more unpleasant and unhealthy side effects. ¯ women contact me through the Intemet. No one can say whether this is even ¯ So there’s something to say about these possible. But they already can envision a :. "women’ s things, " " after ’ all. I’ vemet other strategy: Shut down viral replication with ¯ women, kept my roommate/friend;from standard drugs. Then give vac,ines and ¯ throwing me out, slept with a man (Jim!), other boosters thatwill inteusffy the body’ s : and even had sex while keeping m~ pants natural - and up to now, failed - surveil¯ on. lance against HIV. ¯ OK, boys. You can come back nowA’m In time, they say, the immune system : f’mished taikinn about "theitch." You won’ t might learn to do the entire job alone. But : have to endur~ this next time, I promise. all bf this is unproven theory, just fike the : My rooinmate’s cowering in the corner, idea of viral eradication was five years : though. Why? After screaming at him, ago. ¯ I’ve just decided the topic ofmy next : : ¯ : a global strategy can be developed to help fight the disease. "What I propose is a Global Fund, dedieatedto the battle against HIV, AIDS and other diseases. Clearly, it must be organized in a way that corresponds to the needs of the affected countries and people," Annan said. "Each country or community receiving support from the fund would have to show that it is actually bringing results to those most at risk." Annan said there are still many legal and administrative matters to be settled before the fund is established. He would not say how much the U.S. government should contribute but urged involvement. "I hope that the U.S. government would join in making funds available and joining column - Multiple PMS Disorder and the Women Who Have Long, Drawn,Out, Heavy, Gushing, Extremely Bloody Periotis. See ya then! ¯" Since no anti-Gay language was used, Tulsa Police could not even informally ¯" classify this as ahate crime but Dept. Chief Busby did say that Tulsa Police would ¯ start using tht~parkinglot outside the Cen: ter when they stop to write their reports in : between responding to crimes. TOHR : vohmteers hope that the more visible pres¯ ence may" deter more crime. ," TOHR is also soliciting donations to ¯ pay for the door glass repair. Some dona¯ dons have been received but more are ". needed. Also TOHR has now negotiated a compromise with the Center’s landlord ¯ for a sign. see TOHR, p.9 �Oklahoma NAR~L invites you to our by Jim Christjohn, entertainment editor ¯ All I can guess is that this was donebefore ¯ The new singles from the Stevie Nicks the QAF series at a time when any funding album, "Planets of the Universe", "Every- : would have come out of pocket and any day", and "Too Far From Texas" are climb- ¯ actors would be people with no experi¯ ing the charts, although you w ouldn’ t know ence. It does provide laughs, but all uninit around here: Dallas stations are playing ¯ tentional. And it’ s kind of an embarrassed laugh, the hell out of "Planets...", but in Tulsa ¯ radio stations didn’ t even l~tw that Stevie such as one might make at a train wreck to cover up one’s horror. was releasing a new album.May lst, in spiteof The premise is a good the fact it’ s been in the idea: A Gay soap. Thank trade magazines for sevGods it’s being done wall on QAF. Anyone eral months now, and who bitches about anyshe’s been popping ~p all over the.. place. It S thing on that show should be forced to sit .w0nderful:~01iv e in such " through "WeHo Sto~in~?,rmed t0wn:~~. -APis~rently, the radio ries." Obviously, I can’t recommend spending stations are about three any money on this, and years behind the rest of the country. I think they I really hoped it would should read the Gay palive up to its billing as a per intown, so they can comedy spoof of soaps. All Icansayis,this soap keep up with what’s going on. (editor’s note: don’t clean. Or even at least with Stevie Joe Sears as Aunt Pearl Burras make suds. The "Queer as Folk" Nicks.t) The new disc is killer, and even if you soundtrack is out, and in both British and American versions. The British has two aren’t a Stevie Fan, I think you’ll like it. Amazingly, when I went to Target to nab : versions: A "highlights disc, and an exthe official release, the bin was empty! A ¯ panded import disc. Both covers are the same, it’ s only when you look at the back friend of mine said with some surprise, "Look! I guess you aren’t the only Stevie ¯ - one has around 15 tracks, the other, 35 or fan here!" I did find one, but I thought the ¯ so. The American only has one out thus ¯ far, andit’s pretty cool forboppin’ around. comment was humorous. After 7 years in this town, I’d never Nicks said she will begin a U.S. tour on June 29. The Dallas stop i.s August 3rd. ¯ madeitto theGflcreaseMuseum. A friend Plans for a new Fleetwood Mac album are ¯ from CA came to visit, andI was showing him the sights, and we stopped there, algoing ahead around September without ¯ most as an afterthought. Wow! I had no Christine McVie, though they have her ¯ idea... I thought it would be like the blessing. One of Celebrity Attractions best of- ¯¯ Philbrook, which I always thought of as a poor excuse for a museum - pretty house, ferings, "Red White and Tuna" explodes ¯ into town May 8-13 at the PAC, 596-7111. but not much to it. Gilcrease was amazing, especially since It promise to be an evening of fun and ¯ frolic with the residents of Tuna, Texas - ¯ my ~’riend was of Native American deall played~by Joe Sears and Jaston Will- " scent. He did make one commentthat was iams. If you were unfortunate enough to ¯ reallythought-provoking: in the lowerlevhave missed "Greater Tuna", and "A Tuna ¯ els are hundreds of NA artifacts, from Christmas", here’s your chance to catch ¯ peace pipes to clothing to head dresses to up with these hilarious folks. These per- : utensils and sacred objects. At one point, we stopped in front of a formances sell out fast, so grab those tick- ¯ series of clothing articles, one with what ets now! You won’t regret it. Sometimes, something comes across ¯ looked like a bullet hole through it in the your desk for review that is simply unbe- : center of the chest, with blood around it. ¯ My friend said, "this is like visiting lievable. Watching. it is like watching a train wreck: you hate yourself for it, you ¯ Auschwitz. And ten to one these items don’ t want to look, but you just have to. ¯ were not given to the museum by the original owners." "West Hollywood Stories" is one of those Point well made, in fact, many of the things. A two-set video series of a Gay ¯ soap opera out of and set in LA,its tag line ¯ objects would have been buried with the ¯ owner had they been given proper burial. is ’’These are the Gays of our lives." ¯ In many cases, I doubt also that the owner As one can imagine, this sets it up as a : had any say in he matter. comedy. Except it’ s not. It’s a wretched affair, with acting talent culled from the Yet another thing I learned was that pipes, as sacred objects, should never be bottom of the pool, and videography de¯ shown assembled unless for the purpose signed to make any amateur look good. Production values? I’m hard pressed to ¯¯ intended - to carry prayers to the spirits. Cody said that museums who are respectfind any. It looks like some high school kids got together and tried to make a "Gay " ful and do their research display the pipes ¯ in separate pieces. The Gilcrease displays Bitch Project." Think "Queer as Folk" (QAF) done re- ¯¯ were in such a manner. Philbrook, in constrast, displayed pipes ally badly with people who can’ t act. Yep, ¯ assembled, an insult to the people from it’s pretty bad. in fact, I was thinking, "With Queer as Folk, why even’do this?" ¯ whom the pipes were taken. ~ $35 per person Timothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planningl Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appointments are available. �by Barry Hensley ¯ Tulsa City-County Library This year, the Tulsa City-County Li- : brary is making a coordinated effort to : provide a variety of Diversity program- ¯ ming across Tulsa County during the month : of June. Please make plans to attend some : of these programs. A good attendance at ¯¯ these programs, and positive feedback, will ensure continued library programming dedicated to GLBT issues. The library will also have a booth, as usual, at the Diversity celebration at Veteran’ s Park on Saturday, June 9. Library programs for June include: Saturday, June 2. 2pm. Maxwell Park Library "Coming Out in Tulsa Area High Schools" Dr. Doug Gronberg, English teacher at BookerT. WashingtonHigh School, moderates a panel discussion by high school students in the Tulsa area Gay/Straight Alliances. Monday, June 4. 7pm. Central Library "Council Oak Men’s Chorale" Join us for a celebration of sound as an ensemble from the Chorale performs a. variety of vocal selections. o ooooo000. 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, Suite210, Tulsa 74135 Monday, June 4. 7pm. Helmerich Library "Family Law Issues Affecting the Gay Community’" Discussion will center around the legal . rights of same-sex couples, adoption issues and access to artificial-reproduction teclinology. Linda Lacey, professor, University of Tulsa College of Law, will moderate. Thursday, June 7. 7pro. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" Harvey Fierstein and Matthew Broderick star in "Torch Song Trilogy," which was adapted from the Tony Award winning Broadway hit. The musical numbers are a hoot, and Anne Bancroft chews the scenery nicely. Saturday, June 9. 12 Noon. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" "Out of the Past" documents the struggles of Ke]li Peterson, who started a Gay/ Straight alliance in her Salt Lake City school in 1996. Her fight became a statewide battle that brought national attention. Thursday, June 14. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" "Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy Award for best live action short. This highly acclaimed, touching, funny film addresses issues of sexual identity and compassion. "If These Walls Could Talk": Trio of stories about Lesbian couples in three different decades. "Bubbeh Lee and Me": Documents a Gay man’ s visit withhis 87 year oldgrandmother in a Florida retirement commuTuesday, June 19. 2pm. West Regional Library Book Discussion: "Deliver Us Frown Ev: This bookbe M. E. Kerr tells the ste~’; 16 year old Parr Burma,an and his fa who face some difficult times when ;,:, spreads around their small Missouri that his older sister is a Lesbian, after leaves the family farm to live with the daughter of the town’ s banker. Thursday, June 21. lpm. Broken Arrow Library Book Discussion: "Fried Green Tomatoes" This Fannie Flagg hit mixes direct and empowering confrontations with racism, sexism and ageism with the colorful and endearing language of the Depression-era South. Thursday, June 21. 7pm. Brookside Library AIDS Memorial Quilt Project Vale Bode, director of Education and Outreach for the Tulsa Area chapter of the NAMES project, discusses the AIDS morial Quilt. Please call 596-7977 or your local branch library if you have questions or need more information. Please plan to attend. Council Oak Men’s Concert May 11-13 Join the Council Oak Men’s Chorale (COMC) as it sings the works of musical pioneers in its concert "American Dreamers" at Philbrook’ s Wilson Hall, May 1113. Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 8 PM a~,d a matinee on Sunday, Mother’s Day, at 3 PM. Tickets are $15 For more information, call 748-3888. Three composers explore three centuries of the American quest for freedom. Randall Thompson, Aaron Copland and Stephen Sondheim, have created works inspired by the ideals, hopes and dreams of a nation and its people. COMC was recently honored to sing the national anthem at the Tulsa Driller’ s home game opener on Eas ter Sunday. America’ s favorite pastime was introduced by a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner performed by COMC’ s 25-male voices. For more information about Tulsa’ s premier Gay men’ s chorus visit: www.counciloak.org While it will only have abbreviations, TOHR and LGBT for Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered, Gatewood notes - it will have "lots of rainbows all over it." Funds are needed to pay for the new sign as well. ~ Gatewood adds that through the efforts of Anna Dodwell, aka, Dyke Divine, KHITS, 106.9 FM will be airing interviews with la Dyke herself, TOHR, PFLAG, Tulsa CARES, and HOPE, probably on the week beginning June 4th. Volunteers and sponsors are still needed for the Gala dinner and the Festival, so for more information, call 743-4297. �however, the chimps have us humans beat. by Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D. Because of this, perhaps, these organs are I met Scan one summer in Honolulu. Like many local guys, his ancestry was " less charged in popular culture. Fewer assorted-alittlebitHawaiian and the rest " men lose sleep over marbles instead of Asian and European- a mixture reflecting " tennis balls. Fewer scams promise testicle enlargement. the history of his island ,, . . . Humans, unllhe When it comes to meahome. Sean was tough and suring humans, sampling built like a fireplug. He had + most mammals, have and data collection have just returned home after lost the haeeulum a long been problematic. serving several years in the Still, it’s established that Marines. He spoke animathone within the penis the average length of an .edly about guns, and sports, - for unhnow’n erect human penis is beand arm-wrestling. (He tween five and six inches. beat me.) "Okay, enough evolutionary reasons. An informative website, already!" I thought. I atThe Definitive Penis Size Nonetheless, amon~ tributed Sean’ s hyper-mas("http:// Survey culine pose to the fact that primates at least, www.connection.com/ we were, at the time, sit-dickie/result.html"), humans are the man. ting in Hula’s, Waikiki’s records a somewhat longer foremost gay bar. Sean, We are lar~er than average but its sample is poor boy, was still edgy chimpanzees. And self-selected and no doubt about his sexuality. composed of those more But something more vimighty ~orillas inclined to boast. tal was at stake, Hater disSo how did humans get despite their hulh covered. I had occasion so large, ethologically once to catch Sean naked. sport penises of Sean’s speaking? Students of evoNervous, blushing, and slze: just over one inch lution generally fall back ashamed he explained he on two explanations to achad inherited the family lon~ when erect..." count for sexual dimorcurse. I looked down and phism such as penis size. Men perhaps there it was: The smallest human penis I engaged in competitive penile display to had ever seen. Scan, when excited on a threaten and cow one another, thus to good day, was perhaps an inch and a half "" establish dominance within a group. in length. Thanks to higher status, men with longer SusanBordo,thefeminist scholar,pokes penises had more children. Or. perhaps intoAmericanequataonsofmenwiththeir long peruses instead resulted trom sexual penises inThe Male Body: A New Look at selection. Women sought out better-enMen in Public and in Private (1999). She doWed men to increase their own sexual explores the effects of popnlar imagery on pleasure. our feelings about our bodies and ourHowever the human pems evolved, selves. Bordo, previously, had written people in many societies celebrate its size. about the impact of media depictions of They associate bigness with potency, aufemale beauty on women’ s perceptions of thority, and manliness. In many of the their bodies. American women suffer a island cultures of the Southwestern Pasort of collective "body image distortion’! cific, for example, men traditionally syndrome.Themajorityoverestimateshow flaunted artificially enlarged penises. On much space the body takes up. Women Talma, where I once lived, some men still believe, often incorrectly, that they are too wrap and expand the penis with plant fat. fibers and leaves and cinch this upright to Bordo suggests that men suffer a parala belt around the waist. They appear to lel body distortion syndrome. Men tend to have permanent erections. Farther to the underestimate our penises. We believe we ° west, in the central highlands of New are too small. We aren ’ t fat enough , as it " Guinea, men stick their penises into dried were. In some cases - Sean’ s perhaps- we are right. In others, however, men put " gourds of various shapes. The most strik¯ ing are three or four feet long, which are themselves in comparative disadvantage againtiedupright.Thesedongatedgourds vis-a-vis the rare, or imagined, colossal " make much more. splendid display than penises celebrated in popular culture (not " just bailing up socks in ones underwear. tomention in thousands of immodest per¯ But cnlmral celebration of male size is sonal ads). Enough of us suffer "shower " neither inevitable nor obligatory. Anyone syndrome" or "locker room phobia" to eb_rich dozens of dubious penis enlarge- "¯ - who has peeked under those grape leaves that the Victorians stuck onto Roman and ment schemes. Greek statuary will have noted marble We might turn to my physical anthro" members of only modest measure. Modpologistcolleagues for eulighteument. The humanpenisisabitofamystery, notleast " eration in all things governed classical because scientists (male, mostly) haven’ t : aesthetics. A large penis then was the sign directed much attention to this touchy ob- ¯ of wild animal, not civilized human. ject. Humans,unlikemostmammals,have : This all would be cold comfort to Sean. lost the baeeulum - a bone within the penis " A shortcoming in one area blinded him to -forunknownevolutionaryreasons-None- " the beauty of his body (although it did theless, among primates at least, humans " make him into an excellent arm wrestler). are theman. Wearelarger thanchimpan- : Sean could be, at least, king among the zees. And mighty gorilla,s - despite their " gorillas. bulk - sport penises of Sean’s size: just ¯ Lamont Lindstrom teaches anthropolover oneinchlong whenerect. With testes, : ogy at the University of Tulsa. Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Capital Campaign and General Fund For more information, call 665-3401 or evenings Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing at da.7-8602. IGTA member .Call 341.6866 International ToHrs for rnore 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-Spm �by Karin Gregory OK, boys - you might want to leave the room for this one. It’s grrl talk. And no, I DON’T mean Melissa Etheridge supposedly leading every single actress in Hollywood down the Lesbian path of corruption. By the way, has Nicole Kidman made that list yet? Sorry, silly indulgences. However, boys, you may want to stay if you now have, have ever had, or will have in the future, a Lesbian roommate. You might learn something. Granted, something you don’ t want to learn, but I can tell you that my roommate has a whole new perspective on women’s biological problems--his headis now firmly entrenchedin the sand! Yes, grrls, I’m talkingabout that lovely problem called the vaginal infection. By now, the men have dropped their papers, screaming as they run to the kitchen to find the fork that will poke out their eyes, thus hopefully getting rid of the images swidxng in their heads: So, let’s talk, shall we? How do these things get started, is what I want to know. How is it that you feel fine one day, then wake up the next in burning, itching agony? OK, so I’d fallen off the diet/exercise wagon my roommate and I started. I wasn’t drinking enough water; wasfftexercising as much as he (wall, he’s 24 for God’s sake!); and I wasn’t ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ "¯ ¯ . ¯ ¯ ¯ : ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ~ ¯ ¯ ¯ eating right. Hey, maybe I DO know how it got started! My roommate did well with it the first few days. I detailed, moment by moment, how the "fire down below" felt, all the while standing in front of him scratching like a straight man with jock itch. My roommate’s friends were OK with it for awhile also, until I kept scratching like a straight man in front of them, too. We don’t get many guests anymore. And he gave me advice about the various creams and lotions I was using. His advice was not to use more than one. I’d been using four or five at a time. I went to bed every night wet, and not in the good way. Then came the "Hostess Cupcake" pcriod. Have you ever used Mycelex 3, or Gynelotromin cream? They give you a tube of got with three long tampon-looking sticks. You pour the got into the stick and then lie down, inserting the stick. It sounds gross. The application is another story, however. All right, I guess I really DIDN’T read in the instructions that I was to masturbate while putting in the stick, but it didn’t say I couldn’t. A grrl has to have some fun! They also tell you to only use it for three nights. They know it’s addictive, I suppose. I got up after awhile (afteracigarette, actually!),andannounced to my roommate that I was now a Hostess cupcake. After shouling, "Oh...My...God!" and shoving out his friend, who was screaming, "Oh, the horror!", he slammed his door and didn’t open it until I left for ¯ " " . ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ : . ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ : ¯ : ¯ ¯ : ¯ ¯ work the next morning. I finally went to the doctor at my roommate’s pleading. This was an interesting situation. The nurse, who understands about vaginal things, asked if I used any birth control. "No," was my reply. She wroteit down and said nothing more about it. My doctor had a medical student in that day--a dentis!! He asked me about the last time I had sex. No, he didn’ t want details, just an approximate. He started to talk about condoms when I stopped him, saying that I’ d had sex with three people in the last year - "One was a man; they usually aren’t." To which he quickly said, "OK," and moved on. Then they all (nurse, medical student, doctor) converged in the tiny examination room while I spread my legs for all to see. I asked if they’d like to invite anyone else in as long as I was in this position. I’ve always found I have more audience membets when I’m,in the stirrups than when i have my mouth open for the doctor. And I’m told I have pretty teeth! I received my applause and was able to dress, when the doctor came in to ask why I didn’t use condoms. "I don’t have sex with men", was my reply. Geez, how many times do I have to come out at my doctor’s office before they get a clue? Have you ever noticed how things begin happemng when you’re at your worst? You always meet someone you haven’t seen in years when you wear your old clothes, your cap to hide the hair you didn’t wash that day, or when you’re unshaven (for those intimate old friends!). Somehow, even on the Internet, you seem more attractive when you have your period or when you have, as I did, a vaginal itch. She began emailing me, and I was struck with this feeling of awe that FINALLY I’d be meeting someone from Fort Worth (instead of talking to someone from Corpus Christi or Kansas) at the same time I had "this problem." Meet her I did, and we talked for several hours before we came back to my place. No, this was at her request. Granted, she didn’t have to twist this horny Lesbian’ s ann, but I didn’t mind her twisting other things. I know several women who are embarrassed to be naked in front of their husbands. I’ ve always had the opposite problem withmy bed partners, and this day was certainly One of the worst days to be dressed in front of her while I had a close-up of her beauty - VERY close up! So I lay there wearing my big pants (pants with no restrictions like jeans have), and felt very strange to be wearing most of my clothes. After all, I didn’ t want the next possible Ms. Right to get any kind of disease, even though I’d already been to the doctor and found that it was a simple bacterial infection taken care of with medicati< a (unfortunately, NOT the Mycelex 3 !). Now that [ think of it, even though the infection is gone, she hasn’ t suggested we come back to my place anymore. see Raging, p. 7 �Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights presents Dive’rsity rati .Saturday, June.2, 2001 TOHR Follies 2001 "From Here to Eternity" Avondale Studio & Theatre (the old Delaware Playhouse) 1511 So. Delaware Ave., 8pro Reception immediately following. Tickets: $15.00, At the Door:.-$20.00 The Pride Store @ Tulsa GLBT Community Center; 2114 S Memorial or’by calling 918.743.4297 or toll free (outside Tulsa) at 866.335.9074 Sunday, June 3, 2001 Tulsa Interfaith Service Sponsored by TU BLGT Alliance, Sharp Chapel, TU, 3pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Council Oak Men’s Chorale Concert Presented by Tulsa City/County Library "Diversity in Song" Aaronson Auditorium; Central Librarym 3rd & Denver, 7pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Family Law Panel Presented by Tulsa City/Coullty Library TU Law Professor Linda Lacey& an expert panel Helmefich Library, 91st and Yale, 7pm Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Art Exhibit: "Embracing Art" All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. PeofiaAvenue, 6-gpm Thursday, June 7~ 2001 GLBT Film Festival Sponsored by Tulsa City/County Library AaronsoriAuditofium, Central Library, 3rd and Denver, 7pro Friday, June 8, 2001 TOHR Diversity Gala Benefiting TOHR and Diversity Celebration 2001 "Death. Be Not Proud" Parents of Hate Crime Victims: Speakers and Parade Grand Marshalls: Gabi Clayton, Olympia, WA, Dorothy Hajdys Holman, Chicago~ Don Sinclair, Houston, TX, Carolyn Wagner, Fayetteville, AR "Community Hero" Awards presentation honoring those in the local GLBT community. Tulsa Country Club, 701 N. Yukon Dr., 7pm, reception & silent auction, 8pro dinner, $100/ea. $1,000 table of eight. Sponsorships available. Reserved seating available by calling 918.743.4297 or 866.335.9074 Saturday, June 9, 2001 The Pride Parade Cherry Street (15th Street) to Boston Avenue to 18th Street to Veterans Park Starts at 3pro, Float/marchers begin assembling at lpm. No entries after 2:45pm. Featuririg:Entfies from across the region Community Heroes, Oklahoma’s largest Pride Flag Diversity Festival Sponsored by: Bud Light & Eastern Oklahoma Beverages Veterans’ Park, 1875 So. Boulder Ave., 3pm Featuring Entertainment, Speakers, and more. Sunday, June 10, 2001 Women’s Tea Dance Women only dance, DJ, and live entertainment by Melanie Fry, pipe & cigar patio, unplugged music circle, and more. Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood, 3-Tpm � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Tulsa HIV/AIDS Agency Alienates Gay Supporters TULSA (TFN) - For an agency which was founded in largemeasur¢byTUl~’ s Gay commtmity-the~ommunity firstandmost~by_theHIV/AIDSpandemic, it seems a mighty dumb move. Why would Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., formerly knownas theHIV Resource Consordum, not to~members ofTulsa" s Gay commuuity, some of whom had been significant donors, to it, annual fundraising event, the Red Ribbon Ball? This is thequesfionwhichanumberof individualswereasking themselves and their friends after they were not invited to the April 28 event held at the Williams Center. While none of the individuals were willing to be publically critical of an agency whosemission they still support, several noted that they had gifts of $500 and more to the fundraising event in recent years, and were quite surprised not even to receive an invitation. One noted that even former Tulsa CARES,.board president, Nancy McDonald, see CARES?, p.2 World Leader Speaks on Fight against AIDS PHILADEI ~PHIA (AP) - To wage an effective global campaign against AIDS, $7 billion to $10 billion a year is needed from both governments and philanthropists, U.N. Secretary-General KofiAnnan said. Current spending on AIDS research and prevention measures in developing countries is about $1 billion a year, Annan said at a cxmference last month. "The world has the resources to defeat this epidemic if it really wants to," he said. "But at present, there’ s a lot of confusion abouthow the money should be raised, where it should be directed and who can ensure that it’ s well spent." In his remarks tomore than 2,000 philanthropists and business leaders during the 52nd annual conference for the Council onFoundations,Annan called on the public and private organizations to work together to fight the spread of HIV and AIDS. "We are not spending anywhere near what is needed to fight AIDS," Annan said. "It is not a choice between prevention and medicine. We need both." Aunan said national leaders and community grOups must workto supportthoseliving withAIDS and to help educate others about the disease. He said the United Nations must coordinate the batdc against the disease. His goal is thatby the time delegates meet onJune 25 for a session on HIV and AIDS, see Global, p. 3 DIRECTORY EDITORIAL US & WORLD NEWS HEALTH NEWS P. 2 P. 3 P. 4 P. 6 Z ENTERTAINMENT + MORE P. 8 GAY STUDIES/RAGING LESBIAN P. 10/11 Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends ¯ Tulsa Receives $50,000 GLBT :Funding Challenge Grant ¯ TULSA (1TN) - Tulsa is just one of four US commnnities to : receive a $50,000 challenge grantfrom the National I_~sbian and ¯¯ Gay Community Funding Parmership (NLGCFP) through the Tulsa Community Foundation. : The grant specifically targets Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and ¯ Transgendered (LGBT)issues and requires matching funds from ¯ Tulsa to be raised. Longtime activist, local PFLAG founder and : former national PFLAG president;Nancy McDonald wrote the ¯ proposal according to Janice Nicklas, who said she assisted with ¯ the project. ¯ The funds ifmatched locally will be distributed on the basis of : a"needs assessment" done by a local steering committee. There : is an initial grant of $7,500 to help prepare the needs assesment. ¯ According to NancyCMnnin~hamofNLGCFP,letters of support : were received from Sanford Cardin, director of the Schnstermau : Foundation and ScottZarrow, a member of a prominentbusiness : family known for its charitable work.. : Per Nicklas, the grant application proposed a parmership betweensomeofthefollowing organizations: TulsaOklahomann i for Human Rights (TOHR), Parents, Families and Friends of i Lesbians and Gays 0aFLAG), Tulsa Public Schools, Youth _- Services of Tulsa, the YWCA, Tulsa Area United Way and ¯ others. It is anticipated that the effort to create a permanent ". community center might benefit from this grant. : TheTulsa Community Foundation is less than a few years old ¯ and was founded by oilmanand Bank of Oklahoma majority ¯ shareholder, George Kaiser. When Kaiser started the Founda- : lion, he responded in an interview with TFN, that his intention : was that the organization address the needs of Tulsa’ s LGBT : community, specifically saying that he Supported civil rights for ¯ Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals. : However, there may be issues with the board ofdirectors ofthe : TulsaCommtmity Foundation. Although this grant was awarded ~ several months ago, Foundation staff, requested that TFN not ¯ report this information first for a month, see $, p. 3 ¯ NGLTF LeaderToledo Resigns ¯ WASHINGTON, D.C. April 20, 2001 - Elizabeth Toledo, ex- ~ ecutive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, : announced that she has chosen not to renew her contract and is ¯ resigning her position effective May 18. : "It has been a distinct honor to work at NGLTF and with such ¯ atalented and passionate staff," said Toledo. "I’m confident that ¯ theTask Force will continue to provide progressiveleadership to ¯ the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender movement." ¯" Toledo,anexperieneed organizer, was namedexecutive directorin April 2000. Underher leadership, theTask Force solidified ¯ its progressive voice on a wide range of issues, expanded its ¯" training and organizing on behalf of the LGBT movement, and ¯ continued topublish cutting-edge research throughits think tank, ¯ the NGLTF Policy Institute. A thoughtful and articulate leader, ." Toledo regularly appeared in the national media and maintained ¯" a high profile of speaking engagements. ¯ Key highlights of Toledo’ s tenure at NGLTF include: - Establishing NGLTF as a nonpartisan authority on GLBT ¯ electoral issues by providing data and analysis on the GLB vote, ¯ issuing detailed reports on presidential and vice presidential ¯ candidates, convening"What’ s At Stake" forums inkey electoral ¯ states, and maintaining the acclaimed Elections 2000 website. : -Publishing three important Policy Institute reports: : "Transgender Equality: A Handbook for Activists and Policy ¯ Makers;....Outing Age: Public Policy Issue Affecting Gay, ¯ Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Elderly;" and "Redistrict- : ing: A Strategy Memo." - Serving as a watchdog to the Bush White House, including launchinga"WWatch" web site, organizing against certainBush : cabinet nominees, and issuing reports on Bushfs proposed gov- ¯ emment-funded religion initiative, the tax plan, and school ¯¯ vouchers, and, ¯ - Establishing a diverse and skilled seniormanagement team to lead NGLTF, improving its financial condition, and imple- ’ menting an innovative and effective membership campaign. ~ Jerry Clark, Co-Chair of the NGLTF Board of Directors said, ¯ see NGLTF, p. 2 ¯ not everyone has given up - HIV’s Ability to Hide Thwarts Hope for Cure By Daniel Q. Haney, AP Medical Editor Will AIDS ever be cured? The latest research on the resourceful AIDS virus that causes the disease suggests a disheartening answer: Probably not. Just a few years ago, even some of the most soberminded researchers wondered if the end of AIDS might be near. Perhaps the pills that miraculously changed H.IV from a death sentence to a chronic infection would go the final step, they thought, eventually curing the infection by purging every trace of the virus from the human body. Such talk quickly faded. The new drug cocktails, amazing as they were, could not get rid of the virus. Evenifall signs ofit vanished for years, HIV was still lurking somewhere. Inevitably it roared back by the billions as soon as people stopped taking their medi- Ever since that realization sank in, finding HIV’s hiding places has been the goal of a small group of researchers. What they have learned is one of the biggest disappointments in AIDS research. The fact that HIV is an insidious and resourceful parasiteis hardly a surprise. After all,AIDS researchgas already understand in lavish detail how HIV latches onto human blood cells, how it oozes inside and kills them. They know the significance of every bump and crevice on the surface of the virus and how these shield it fr6m destruction. But no basic AIDS discovery in recent times has proved so disturbing as the way HIV burrows in for the long haul. It has shifted the ultimate goal ofAIDS treatment toward something less ambitious. Since eradicating HIV now seems so unlikely - although see HIV, p. 3 : TOHR + Pride 2001 ¯ TULSA - Tulsa Oldahomans for Human Rights ~ (TOHR) will feature at its May meeting, Julie Sum- " mers and Roxann Moeller from the Tulsa Mental ¯ Health Association to make a presentation about the ¯ mental health issues for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual ~ and Transgender communities on Tuesday, May 8th. ¯ at 7:30pro at the Tulsa GLBT Community Center, : 2114 South Memorial. ¯ Theresa Bamardfrom American Express Financial ¯ Services will also give a short overview of three ¯ upcoming f’mancial planning seminars designed fo] : our commumty to be held during the month of May. : .Organizers also will provide updated information ¯ on this years Pride events from Tulsa City/Count) Library programs to ongoing fundraisingfor aperma- : nent community center location. ¯ On May 9th at the Center at 7pro, City of Tulsa ¯ Human Rights Dept. staff will hold a foetus group te : help identify LGBT community issues. ¯ And a number of benefits are ongoing to support the Parade and Festival. Renegades will host one on : May 5th as well as another on May 18 featuring a : farewell performance from Kansas City dancer Doug ¯ Boyce, a great Tulsa favorite. ¯ Also, TOHR reports that more than 30 Cherry St. ¯ and Boston Ave. (SoBo) businesses have signed a ¯" letter of supportfor the Parade which will gofrom15th near Utica to Boston to 18th and Veterans Park. ¯ At the park, during the Festival after the Parade, ¯ organizers are promising great entertainment, including "men, women and drag queens." Greg Gatewood, spokesperson for TOHR board ¯ president, Kerry Lewis, confirmed arumor ofvandal- , ism at the Center last month. A box of glass jars as : well as a brick was thrown through the front doors. In ¯ a bizarre touch, a "serenity" prayer was left at the ¯ scene, see TOHR, p. 7 Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *Bmnboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine *CW’s, 1737 S. MemOrial *Play-Mot, 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 Yellow 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, 5231 E. 41 665-4580 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 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 712-1122 712-9955 494-2665 743-5272 746-0313 295-5868 581-0902, 743-4117 Community Cleaning; Kerby Baker 622-0700 Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial Ross Edward Salon Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria Four Star Import Automotive, 99~.6 E. 55th PI. Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st Leanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning Mark T. Hamby, Attorney *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly *International Tours Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th *Jared’ s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 *Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd lVlingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 *Moha~vk 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, Ellen & Co. Paul Tay, 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 749-3620 " 744-5556 " 838-8503 369-8555 584-0337, 712-9379 592-0460 744-9595 . .o-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, 748-0224 260-7829 481-0558 835-5563 743-1733 665-2222 592-0767 www.gaytulsa.org - website for TulsaGays &Lesbians Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593 ¯ 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 FOB 4140. Tulsa. OK 74159. e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net ¯ ~ublisher + Editor: Tom Neal ¯ Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry ¯ Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche. Lament Lindstrom Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw ¯ Member of The Associated Press : Issued around the 1 st of each 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 be for publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248. 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 Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood *Commlmity of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation Council Oak Men’ s Chorale *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware *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 *-7tee SpiritWomen’s Center, call forlocation&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 834-8378 224-4754 838-1715 748-3111 365-5658 HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMinstries,1517 S. Memorial *MCC United, 1623 N; Maplewood NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral PI. NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, POB 14068, 74159 OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157 *OSU-TUlsa PFLAG, POB 52800, 74152 *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria - Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 St. Aidan’ s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincimmti 749-4901 587-7674 7494195 584-2325 425-7882 St. Dunstan’ 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 5954105 Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only TulsaOkla. for Human Rights, GayComm. Center 743-4297 TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvocacy Coalition,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 Unity Church ofCliffstianity,3355 S. Jamestown BARTLESVILLE Barflesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone TAHLEQOAH Stonewall League, call for information: Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 ¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS ¯ Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734 " Jim & Brent’ s Bistro, 173 S. Main 501-253-7457 501-253-6807 743-2363 " DeVito’ s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 587-7314 Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. 501-253-5445 583-7815 " MCC of the Living Spring 501:253-9337 583-9780 " Geek to Go!,~ PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-2776 585-1201 " Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-253-5332 & Florence ¯ Positive Idea Marketing Plans 501-624-6646 587-1314 : White Light, 1 Center St. 501-253-4074 747-6300 " JOPLIN, MISSOURI 749-0595 " Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-623-4696 748-3888 ¯ 712-1511 " *iswherey°ucanfindTFN’N°tallareGay’°wnedbutallareGay’friendly" 743-4297 749-8833 918-337-5353 918456-7900 918-456-7900 918-453-9360 wasn’t even invited though she attended the event regardless. And according to a Tulsa CARES staff member, even Janice Nicklas of the Tulsa Area United Way associated Community Service Council,who is easily one of Tulsa longest and most ardent fundraisers for HIV/AIDS care and prevention, had to ask for an invitation. While a tiny handful of prominent Gays did attend the event, even those were reported to be concerned, and in one case, furious, at the absenceof former donors. TulsaCARES boardpresidentShannon Hall expressed great concern about the perception of exclusion of Gay supporters. Hall explained that the event orgamzing was different from prior years and that the invitations were extended to those on a list which local decorator and longtime AIDS ~undraiser, Charles Faudree provided. Hall suggested that the agency failed to see that their former list of event supporters and the Faudree list were "merged." Hall went out of his way to take responsibility as board president for the negative result. However, others, while giving Hall full credibility for his effort, wondered, about just how accidental the exclusion was, citing the impression that over time, as Tulsa CARES has drawnmore"mainstream" funding and support, the agency has been perceived as distancing itself from its Gay origins. This allegation has been made both by donors and clients. Regardless of the hurt feelings, alienated former donors, and ill will which most fundraising groups seek to avoid, word is that this year’ s Red Ribbon Ball was a great success, raising over $100,000 from attendees characterized as "straight, rich people." Some who spoke with TFN, just said that while they support the fight against HIV/ AIDS even when support for that effort is waning, they wonder if other groups may be more appreciative of their support. Editor’s note: in t,~e past, Tulsa Family News hasprovided news coverageforTulsa CARES but has also donated advertisements both to support Tulsa CARES’ Red Ribbon Galaandto Faudree’ sHopeCandlelightTour. While the exclusion ofGaypeople an d media may have been accidental, TFN urges Tulsa CARES director and staff to offer letter of apology. We’ ll sure print it. "It is with great sadness and regret that we accept Elizabeth’s resignation. She made significant strides for the Task Force. We thankherforheraccomplishments and dedication during the last year, and we are confident that she will continue to be a voice of progressive leadership in the movement." Toledo cited family responsibilities, in particular, the poor health of her mother and the heavy travel demands of her position as reasons for her resignation. many contend the next best thing will be somehow limning the body to control the virus, to help patients live with HIV instead of getting rid of it. Many of the insights come from the work of Dr. Robert Siliciano of Johns Hopkins University, who regularly tests the blood of about 50 Baltimore AIDS patients, measuring the virus’ s persistence despite the best treatments. "What HIV has done is tap into the most fundamental aspect of.theimmune systern,andthat is its immunological memory," he says. "It’s the lJerfect mechanism for the virus to ensure its survival." Perfect because the virus lies silent inside cells that are programmed to do nothing but sit and wait. They are calledresting memory T cells. Their only job is to store arecord ofthe germs they encounter, keeping the body prepared for the next time it sees them. These cells literally are the immune system’s memory, so they must survive for a long time. Otherwise we would catch the same diseases over and over. HIV lies inside these sleeping cells, dormant but dangerous. Siliciano believes this means HIV infection will last a lifetime. The memory cells do die off, but ever so slowly. At the rate he sees in his Baltimore patients, it will take 73 years for them to go away completely. He cannot imagine a way to speed up the process, certainly not with the drugs now available or with anything else on the horizon. This latently infected reservoir, as scientists call it, is the single biggest obstacle to getting rid of AIDS. "It’ s the thing that keeps us from curing this," says Dr. Roger Pomerantz of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. None of this was obvious in 1996, the dawn of the modern age of AIDS treatment. Doctors watched AIDS patients literally get up from their death beds after taking the newly available drug combinations. Anything seemed possible. Dr. David Ho of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York City cautiously speculated about eradicating HIV. If the drugs stopped the virus from infecting more blood cells, then the ones already loaded with virus would eventually die off naturally, leaving the body virus free. Perhaps this would take two or three years, he thought. Butin late 1997, another discoverymade that seem lmlikely. Silieiano and two other teams independently found the virus insidememory T cells. They checked people who had seemed to be free of virus for two years. Every time, they found fully potent copies of virus inside their memory cells. No one tmderstood then how long these cells would stay alive, although it was assumedit wouldalmostcertainlybemore than a couple of years. "It was a sobering realization about the recalciliant nature of this reservoir," remembers Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The next obvious approach was to try to destroy these Trojan horses. Fauci’ s team tried to "flush out the reservoir," as they put it. The idea: Intermittently feed the bodyinterleukin-2, agrowthhormone that would make these dormant memory cells awaken and then die. ¯ Theexperiment seemed to go well. Doc- ¯ tors biopsied patents’ lymph nodes and ¯¯ found nothing. They grew hundreds of millions of their cells in cultures. Still ¯ nothing. Finally they stoppedall treatment ¯ and waited. Within three or four weeks, ¯ they had their answer. The virus came ¯ back in every single patient. ¯ "We are not going to be eliminating this reservoir," Fauci now says. "Whether you ¯ can measureit or not doesn’t seem to have ¯ a significant impact on the clinically rd- ¯ evant phenomenon of what happens when ¯ you stop the drug." ¯ Nevertheless, scientists have learned ¯ much about how the virus hides. HIV’s ¯ primary target in the body is a kind of ¯ white blood cell known as a cd4 T helper ¯ cell. The virus infects them, hijacks their ¯ machinery so they manufacture more vi- ¯ ms, then kills them. ¯ After they get infected, though, a few of these helper cells become memory cells. : HIV has already stitched its genes into the cells’ genetic code in preparation formak- ¯ ingmore virus. But nothing happens. The ¯ cells go to sleep, virusand all. ¯ All of this happens within the first days ¯ of an HIV infection, even before the body ¯ begins to make antibodies against the vi- ¯ ms. The number of cells involved is rela- ¯ tively small, perhaps 1 million scattered ¯ throughtheblood stream, thelymph glands ¯ and perhaps elsewhere. Normally, the body kills HIV-infected : cells. But it misses these, because they ~"’look perfectly normal. ’q’he only difference between a latenfly infected cell and its uninfected counterparts is a little bit of HIV DNA," says Si!ician0. This silnilarity also makes the infected cells almost impossible to kill with any kind of targeted drugs. There is simply no easy way to sort out the good from the bad. Siliciano has been counting these cells in his Baltimore volunteers for five years. The number he finds in their bodies now "is essentially exactly the same as they started with." Why do they die off so slowly, if at all? There are two leading theories: Their longevity reflects the basic biology ofmemory T cells, or their supply is constantly replenished. Siliciano favors the first theory. Immunological memory lasts forever. This is why ~rmeone who catches measles in childhood will remain immune to the disease into old age. Memory cells may die over time, "but they also make replacements by cell division. And every time a memory cell divides, it faithfully reproduces the HIV that is stitched into its genes. However, the Diamond Center’s Ho ¯ prefers the second theory. Actually, ¯ memory cells are mucJa shorter lived, he ¯ believes. But their supply is constantly ¯ being renewed by a continuing cycle of ¯ low-level infection. ¯ The standard drug regimens -what doc- ¯ tors call highly active antiretroviral therapy, ¯ or HAART - can reduce viral levels by ¯ 10,000fold. Butperhaps they do not completely stop the virus from infecting fresh ¯: T cells. Some of these go on to become ¯ infected memory cells. Thus, however ¯ quickly these memory cells die, they are ¯ replaced by more. see HIV, p. 7 by Matthew W. Holloway Marriage is an amorphous institution, changing in response to the demands of society. Marriage, in some form or another, has existed in every society throughout the history of man. In addition, marriage is not a purely Christian concept Marriage is largely a product of our society and has not always had to do with religion. What relationships are considered a marriage? How do we decide what relationships to call a marriage? Does a couple really need a governmentissued license to be "marfled"? These questions have aroused many debates through the years. Does society decide if people are mamed? Or is it to be left up to the people involved in the union? What of polygamous and incestuous marriages? They have been ridiculed and defamed in many societies. There are reasons why polygamous and incestuous relationships do not benefit society. In some ways, they can actually harm a society, depending on the context in which they are found. This is because of the biological problems involved in these unions. The government has shown sufficient reason to deny these marriages. This is one of the reasons that their employment has been limited, even in those societies which see them as a viable alteruative. And when we look at redefining marriage, where do same-sex relationships fit into the picture? When we look at the required criteria of a marriage, we will see that homosexual marriages fulfill all of them, as well as many of die non-essential characteristics. There, what basis does the United States Government have in denying marriage licenses to homosexual couples? Absolutely none. If the American Government is "of the people, by the people, and for the people" then why are these marriages not recognized? There is no question that homosexuals are in every way equal citizens of the United States. The American Government has in place safeguards against a conceptknownas "tyranny ofthe masses". This is a relatively new problem, as it is found exclusively in one of the newest forms of government, the republic. It occurs when the population of the nation gets so large that any minority group trying to be heard is drowned out by the din of all of the other minority groups, clamoring for their own representation in the elected assembly. And the United States elected assembly, the Congress, is one of the smallest in the world. This makes it very hard for any minority group to receive adequate representation in this nation. One of the major safeguards against"tyranny ofthemasses" in this nation is the Supreme Court. One of its major duties is to protect the Bill of Rights and to apply the Constitution to the ¯ cases which are presented o :~ With the very conservative ~z ¯ court at this time, there is ~~,~ ; reaching a feasible conclusion to ¯ bate over homosexual marriage. Homosexuals have been "... when we look at redefining marriage, " where do same-sex relationships fit into the picture? When we look at the required criteria d a marriage, we will see that homosexual marriages fulfill all of them, as well as many of the non-essentlal characteristics.. 7 traditionally discriminated against for years. This is a fact. The new laws prohibiting homosexual couples from being considered the exact equals of heterosexual couples are simply hate-based legislation. That anyone could use our governmental system to promote hate or defame any minority group is atrociously unethical. The United States Government has not shown any promotion of the public good at all in prohibiting homosexual marriage, and neither has any one of our fifty states. Therefore, they are ¯ overstepping their boundaries in even pro- ¯ posing legislation such as the Knight Ini- ¯ tiative. In addition, the Supreme Court ¯ must step in to protect the minority from tyranny. This is the only viable solution to ¯ thecontroversy which shakes ournation to ¯ its very foundations. The fight of the ho- ¯ mosexuals in the United States parallels ¯ that of the African-Americans of the : 1960’s. ¯ The Civil Rights Bill of 1964 encountered strong resistance, but eventual! y the leaders of this nation realized that African- Americans are citizens, with the samerights " as any other citizeu of the United States. ¯ Be they black, white, Hispanic, Asian, straight, Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, male, ¯ female, mentally challenged, handicapped, or any other nlinority, everyone, every citizen, every child of the United States of America and the world deserves a voice ¯ and a positive rol~ model. Can we not give ¯ them this in the new nfille~mium? Let there ¯ be no more Columbines. The world is tired ¯ of hate. ¯ Matthew W. Holloway waJ a recepient ofa TOHR 2000 Community Hero award and was afounder ofa Gay/Straighl Alliance at one of Tulsa’s high schools. This fall he will be attending Tulsa Community College, majoring in English. The same request was made again a month later. No official explanatio~l was provided by Foundation staff.for the delay in accepting the grant. However, an examination of the membership of the board of trustees of the Foundation shows at least three, members with documented records of engaging in anti- Gay discrimination or supporting organizations which engage in discrimination: Tulsa World pubhsher Bob Lorton, Tulsa Area United Way executive director Kathleen Coin and one other. At press time, no word had been received about when or whether TulsaCommtmity Foundation will accept the grant. Alabama House Addresses Hate Crimes MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama House voted 45-42 last month to include sexual orientation in a state law that provides additional penalties for hate crimes. The vote sent the bill sponsored by Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery, to the Senate, where it died last year. Holmes said the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of Alabama supports the legislation. Reps. Allen Sanderson, Arthur Payne, andDuWayne Bridges, were among opponents who .said the bill would increase penalties for crimes against a special group of people. "We are trying to create a special privileged class, Gays and Lesbians," Payne said. "If anyone commits a crime against a Gay or Lesbian they are going to be punished to a greater degree than if against another group." But Holmes said "everybody is covered" under the hate crime law. "Why shouldn’ t they be ~overed under it?"he said. Alabamalaw already mandates minimum prison terms that felons must serve for crimes motivated b_y race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity or physical or mental disability. Colorado House Kills Hate-Crimes Amendment DENVER (AP) - For the eighth time in 10 years, abill has been killed that would have expanded Colorado’ s hate-crimes law to incl~ade crimes based on a victim’ s sexual orientation. The House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee voted 6-5 against Senate Bill 75. which had passed the Senate on a 20-15"vote. The bill would have broadened ethnic intimidation laws that levy tougher penalties for crimes motivated by the victim’ s race, national origin or religion to include crimes motivated by the victim’s real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, age and mental or physical disability. Sponsor Rep. Mark Larson, R-Cortez, trying to counter the traditional arguments, said the proposal would not create special rights for certain groups of people, nor would it attempt to restrict free-speech rights. "We are not nmning a government based on our ownnarrow view oflife,"he said. "Itis the Legislature’ s responsibility to protect its citizens, all of its citizens." Opponents argued the law would create separate classes of people that would be treated differently, violating the constitutional guarantee of equal protection. "I would remove the entire hate-crimes law because I think everybody should be treated equally," said Rep. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs. But victims of certain bias-motivated crimes are not treated equally, Larson ceantered. For example, a person who throws a brick with a hateful message attached through a Black person’s window can be punished moreharshly under current law than a person who does the same to a Gay person’ s window, he said. Proponents said the bill properly focused on the motivation of the criminal, rather than characteristics of the victim. For example, said Deputy Denver District Attorney Everett Engstrom, a person who kills could be prosecuted for murder, for manslaughter or for criminally negligent homi’cide based on his or her state of mind. "Hate crimes are different from ordinary crimes. They are intended to send a message, to victimize the individual and the entire commttnity they belong to," said Pat Steadman, representing Equal .Rights Colorado. "The harm.from a hate crime .is larger than the harm tojustan individual." Evan Zuckerman, assistant director of the Anti-Defamation League’s mountain states region, said the bill was necessary to protect groups of people who are being victimized based on certain characteristics. "We shouldn’ t let another year ¯ Some Vermonters Want to Repeal Civil Unions ¯ MONTPELIER, Vt.(AP) -The HouseJudiciary Com- ." mittee voted to continue working on a bill that could ¯¯ eventually lead to arepeal of civil unions. The committee is one vote shy of an outfight repeal of the law that ¯ grants the rights, benefits and responsibilities of mar- . riage to same-sex couples. But committee members who support repeal agreed : to continue working on a bill that would offer an ¯ alternative to civil unions because it may provide their ¯ only opportunity to have an up-or-down vote on repeal : on the House floor. Reciprocal partnerships are a ." concept conceived by Judiciary Committee Chair- " woman Peg Flory that would repeal civil unions and ¯ offer suchpartnerships to all couples who are currently ¯ prohibited from marrying under state law. That in- " eludes same-sex couples, whowonmarriagerights and _" benefits through civil unions, as wall as blood rela- ¯ tives. Flory’ s goal with her billis to expand thenumber ¯" ofcouples who could qualify forbenefits withoutusing ¯ sexual orientation as the criterion for obtaining them. ¯ Some opponents of civil unions don’t like the strat- ¯ egy of supporting Flory’ s bill solely as a parliamentary ¯ maneuver. The Rev. David Stertzbach of the Vermont ¯ Defense of Marriage Committee wrote to legislators ¯ late last week warning them that such a strategy was ¯ unacceptable to his group. Stertzbach’s group was ¯ active in the elections last year. "We believe Vermonters deserve (an) honest, straightforward vote on the repeal of civil unions in committee and on the House floor without any unprin- ¯ cipled votes for reciprocal benefits for homosexuals ¯ even as a parliamentary maneuver," he wrote. "It would sadden me to report to voters that any conservative voted for reciprocal benefits." Among the issues with Flory’ s bill that trouble civil unions opponents is that it would require them to support a bill that would grant rights to Gay and ¯ Lesbian couples. ’’This bill further diminishes marriage," Haas told his committee. ¯ Still, repeal supporters on the Judiciary.’ Commi ttee do not believe they have much choice if they want to ¯ force a vote. Rep. Harvey Otterman, R-Topsham, said ¯ he did not like to see a bill "bottled up in committee," so he would support Flory’s bill and then make a judgment later on whether to vote for repeal if such a ¯ proposal were made on the floor. ’Tmgoing to reserve the right to vote asI see fit," Otterman said. i NY Housing Case May ¯ Impact Civil Rights Laws ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Lawyers for Yeshiva University on defended its refusal to allow Gay couples to share student apartments, a policy two Lesbian students contend discriminated against them on the basis of sexual orientation and marital status. Yeshiva lawyer Mark Jacoby told the state’ s highest. court that the university was well within its .rights to restrict use of the university-owned housing to single students-or married graduate students - but to deny unmarried heterosexual or homosexual couples the use of those apartments. "Look, we have a limited amount of student housing available," Jacoby told the Court of Appeals, conveying the rea,~oning of university officials. ’’We’ve acquired this to accommodate-students. We can accommodate students themselves. We’re prepared to accommodate spouses and children of students and facilitate their education. But we’ re not going to open the door and (accommodate) everybody who wants to bring in a buddy, or a friend, or a partner." The lawyer arguing on behalf of the two Lesbian studeats for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian & Gay Rights Project, James Esseks, countered that Yeshiva’ s housing policy had a "disparate Find out for yourself how good the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 Come share the goodness of the Lord with our community ~ Sunday Morning 11:00 AM Children’s Worship During Service MCC United Rev. Cathy Elliott. Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-17 ! 5 mcctulsa@aol.com Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Community ofHope South Yale, Sundays at llam, 749-0S95 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-~.aA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy (918) 743-c 559¯ 2121 South Columbia, Suite 420 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114-3518 .-..:.p~.wkthout acknow_}edging We re,~i.ty.,’.’, ~she said,. " . impact." on homo8e~tla!~ ............ ¯ ......................................¯ ......... 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 BUI~LDING & GARDEN.: DESIGN 583-1248 Red Rock Tulsa Free Confidentia!,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 American Red Cross American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette McIntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 Saint Aidan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 Saint John 4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN HEAI S Saint Dunstan 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Trinity 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 SinceNew Yorklaw prohibits all-male or all-female couples from getting mamed, allowing only married couples to share housing means Gay couples are unfairly barred from possibly sharing in the benefit of the cheap apartments. "This case is not about securing marriage for same-sex couples or creating new laws - it’ s about enforcing laws that prohibit discrimination against those who can’t get married," Esseks said. Both state and local anti-discrimination laws mayhave been violated by Yeshiva’s policies, Esseks said. Thechallenge against Yeshiva’ s policy was brought by two students, Sara Levin and Maggie Jones, after their requests to live with their partners were rejected. Both Levin and Jones were offered university-owned housing for themselves alone. Both are students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which is affifiated with Yeshiva. Two lower state courts have nded for Yeshiva’ s no-unmarried-couple housing policy. The Court of Appeals is likely to hand down a written ruling in the ease by early summer. . Several groups filedfriend-of-the-court briefs in the ¯ case, including theAssociation ofthe Bar ofNew York City, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. Those briefs argue that civil rights protections for many kinds of minority groups could be weakened by upholding Yeshiva’ s housing policies. New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer also filed a brief before the court critical of Yeshiva’ s housing policy. Wesleyan U. Hires Gay Studies Professor MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) - Following the lead of Yale, Wesleyan University will appoint a full-time professor to teach Gay and Lesbian studies. The position Is expected to be filled wilhin a year, and the professor will begin teaching in the fall semester 2002, Justin Harmon, a school spokesman said. The new position will be among 20 the university has created during thepast couple of years in an effort to expand its curriculum, Harmon Said. University officials said the new professor will help develop a Gay and Lesbian studies curriculum. The lack of Gay studies courses at Wesleyan has drawn protests from students and faculty in recent years. Wesleyan has offered one such course per year. "I’m delighted that we’re having this position here," said Henry Abelove, one of the professors who has taught Gay studies course. "This will add substantially to the queer studies courses we can offer here." Abelove said the new professor probably will be expected to teach two courses per semester, like other professors at Wesleyan. Earlier this month, Yale University accepted a $1 million donation from the family of Larry Kramer to help fund the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies at Yale. That decision ended four years of debate about Kramer’s desire to fund a Gay and Lesbian studies program at. Yale. Kramer,an outspoken activist for AIDS awareness and Gay issues, initially wanted to give Yale $5 million to hire a full-time professor in the field. Yale rejected that offer because the university thought Gay studies was too narrow a field for a permanent professorship. In response, Kramer had accused the university of being homophobic. Members of Wesleyan’ s Queer Alliance, a group of Lesbian and Gay students, pushed hard earlier in the spring to get the position at their school approved. In March, the alliance held a "kiss-in" demonstration in front of the admissions office. The demonstration coincided with a meeting of the university’s trustees. "We’re really pleased, although I’m almost surprised," said junior Phil Gentry, an alliance leader. "We tried to be optimistic, but at the same time this same proposal was turned down before..." New ACLU Leader Hispanic + Openly Gay : NEW YORK (AP) - A New York public interest ¯ attorney was named Tuesday to lead the American Civil Liberties Union, becoming the first Hispanic and : openly Gay man to do so. Anthony D. Romero, 35, ¯ currently serves as a director of the Ford Foundation’ s ¯ program for human rights and international cooperation, overseeing $90 million in grants. ¯ As the ACLU’ s executive director, he said will work to make the civil rights organization more prominent ¯ in local communities. He said theACLU will continue to focus on defending religious liberty, reproductive ¯ freedom andtherights ofwomen, minorities and Gays. "’I hope to beginmy tenure as the 1eader of thi s vitally important organization by sparking a new dialogue ¯ about the bedrock values ofAmerican democracy," he : said, adding his goal is to "promote a new generation of committed civil libertarians and civil rights activ- ¯ ists.’" ¯ The Bronx-born Romero is a graduate of Stanford : Law School and Princeton University. ACLU Presi- ¯ dent Nadine Strossen called Romero "an idealist, bold ¯ and creative in his vision and strategy but skeptical and ¯ realistic in his tactics." Romero will take over in ¯ September for Ira Glasser, Who is retiring after 23 ¯ years in the post. Conservative Extremists Stall Anti-Bullying Bill OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - A bill designed to stop bullying in schools has stalled in the Legislature amid opposition from Christian conservatives who say it is really a Gay-rights measure. Under the measure, school ¯ districts would have to write policies against bullying : and train employees and volunteers to stop harass- ~ ment. Teachers,police, Gov. Gary Lockeand Attorney ¯ General ChristineGregoire saidthe legislationis needed ¯ to protect picked-on kids. ¯ But the state’ s chapter ofthe Christian Coalition said : it couldbe seen as trying to prevent some students from ¯ condemning homosexuality. Rick Forcier, director of : the Christian Coalition of Washington, said the mea- : sure could lead to homosexual sensitivity training in : schools. "We don’ t want to see kids beat up on and we ¯ would like to see the rules that are already in place ¯ enforced," he said. "But I think this one went well ¯ beyond what we think is necessary." The measure passed the Senate but never made it to : a vote in the House Education Committee in the ¯ regular session that ended April 22. The governor has ¯ listed, it on his agenda for the 30-day special legislative ¯ sessxon now under way. Georgia County Adds Partner Benefits ¯ DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - DeKalb County commission- " ers have approved providing domestic 15artners of Gay county employees with medical, dental and life insur- ¯ ance benefits. The measure, approved by a 6-1 vote at ¯ the end of April, makes the suburban Atlanta county : the first in Georgia to offer such benefits to employees. ¯ County officials estimate that about 70 employees - ¯ 1% of the total - will seek the benefits, which would cost thecounty about $200,000 out of abenefits budget ¯ about $39 million a year. The city of Atlanta has been the only local government in Georgia with a domestic partner package. ¯ The private sector has been quicker to provide such ¯ benefits, said Harry Knox, director of the Gay civil ¯ rights group, the Georgia Equality Project. Four of the state’ s largest employers- BellSouth, DeltaAir Lines, ¯ Atlanta Gas Light and Coca-Cola - have done so, ¯ Knox said. Vaccine Research Maybe Overlooked ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Developing a vaccine to prevent AIDS should be given top priority in the fight against the deadly virus sweeping Africa, aleading epidemiologist said. Efforts to develop a vaccine risked getting overlooked in the push to raise money to fight AIDS, said Seth Berkley, president oftheNew York-based International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. However, key decisions on whether to pursue vaccine "candidates" currently in human trials may need to be made as early as 2002, he said. Berkley spoke recently on the sidelines ofa two-day AfricanAIDS summit hosted by Nigeria and the Organization of African Unity. There, African lcaders signed a declaration calling on members to aim at spending 15% of their national budgets on health programs, including a significant proportion on AIDS andto provide cheap and effective drugs to treat those infected. The Vaccine Initiative- a private, nonprofitorgani7ationfundedbygovernments, foundations and private enterprise - has raised more than $300 million to assist vaccine research and create systems for distributing them in the developing world. Yet Berkley estimates that the project would require at least double that figure to give research bodies "a chance" of developing vaccines by 2007. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annanalso announced efforts to create a global ’~ar chest" worth $7 billion to $10 billion to fight AIDS. It was unclear how much would be devoted to vaccine research, Otherobservers said vaccine trials could be "fast-tracked" in about half the time or less if funding in the billions was made available. Billions of dollars have gone into the developmentofeffectiveAIDS treatments, but vaccine research has received relatively little funding. Pharmaceutical cornpatties have viewed it as unprofitable, and~ most AIDS activists have focused their efforts on finding a cure. U.S. governmentfunding ofHIV-AIDS research last year.topped $2billion, with about $250 million going toward vaccine research. Therestwent toward developing drugs to treat those with the disease. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation andWestern countries such as Canadaand the Netherlands have also provided millions of dollars for vaccine research. Nancy Powell,head of the U.S. delegation to the African summit, said Friday that PresidentBush’ s administrationwould spend $2.5 billion on HIV-AIDS research this year, including $480 million for "international HIV/AIDS assistance." Shedid not give a further breakdown. ’q’he Bush administration is Africa’s partner in this effort. The United States has been the world leader in research and assistance to " batde these diseases," Powell said. Researching and testing an AIDS vaccine is only the first part of the problem, Berkley said. Getting it to those who need it most is another challenge. Vaccines developed for other diseases ordinarily take 15 years or more before they are affordable in poor countries. The Vaccine Initiative hopes that pri; vate Firms involved in the production of : the vaccines will offer them at cut-rate : prices in poorer countries. "Extraordinar- ¯ ilycomplexplanning is required," Berkley : said. "Establishingnew production capac- ¯ ity alone normally requires 4-5 years." i Debt Relief for Poor- Urged to Fight AIDS ¯ NEWYORK (AP) -The debt owed by the ¯ world’ s poorest countries is a major bar- : rier to fighting the AIDS pandemic and ¯ should be canceled immediately, activists ¯ urged. ¯ The plea came as the World Bank and ¯ The International Monetary Fund, which ¯ hold the majority of the debt, held their ¯ spring meeting in Washington. The inter- " nadonal lending organizations have ajoint ¯ program to reduce debt but have so far ¯ declined to wipe the slates clean. : "It is morally reprehensible fo( the de- : veloped world to condnue to demand re- - payment when we have a crisis on the ¯ continent of Mrica," said Njongonkulu ¯ Ndugane, Archbishop of Cape Town, : South Africa. "One hundred percent can- : cellation is nonnegotiable." ¯ Sub-Saharan African countries spend $13.3.billionon debt repayment each year i but need $15 billion to stop the spread of : HIV/AIDS, according to the Global AIDS ¯ Alliance: Zambia, for example, has an . annual debt service of $174 million, with : $90 million of that going to the World ¯ BankandlMF. The country’ s health bud- ¯ get is $76 million. ¯ Jeffrey Sachs, an economist at Harvard : University, said that canceling debt will ¯ give countries even more money to.fight : the disease that is ravishing the continent. : AIDS has killed about 22 million people ¯ globally, including 17million in sub~Sa- ¯ haran Africa. : Twoseparateinitiatives wereintroduced : in theCongress this weekwhichcall onthe : IMF and the World Bank to eliminate : debt. Onebill introducedby Reps. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, and Speni eer Bachus, an Alabama Repubfican, Calls : for 100% debt relief for the world’s poor- : est countries. The bill introduced by Bar- . bara I.~e, a California Democrat, calls for ¯ debt relief for countries heavily affected ¯ byHIV/AIDS. : Bono, the lead singer of the Irish rock : band U2, said that part of the problem is ¯ that Americans don~t understand how .the : debt is devastating the poorest countries. : Heplans to try to raise awareness tocreate ; political pressure. - : The World Bank have a program cal!ed ¯ the HIPC Initiative to stem debt. Accord, ¯ ing to a World Bank report, the 22 coun- ¯ tries receiving somerelief have seen debt ¯ payments go from 3.7% to 2.1% of gross domestic product. Actifists say the reduc- : lions are negligible, especially consider- " ing the AIDS crisis. Indeed, pharmaceuti- : cal-compaules have drastically’reduced ¯ theprice ofAIDSmedications with at Ieast ¯ two films sellingmedicine at cost. Still, ¯ they are deemed to expensive. ¯ "HIV/AIDS is worse than the bubonic ¯ plague," said Lee. ’q~he money used for ¯ debt service could be used for education, research, a health care delivery system... : It could go a long way to turning the ¯ situation around." Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Customer Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Da~ Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’talways convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 .- offering around-the-clock answers to your questions - and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you: All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our tell-free numbers below. , CALL 24 HOURS FOR ’ TOLL-FREE SERVICE. II Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 I I Billing Inquiries: 1-888’216-3490 I Outage Reporting: 1-888-218-3919 I II Ser~ci¢ a C]ie.t~s: 1-888-216-3505 I P~t~ S¢br~ ~u Cu~.ta: 1=888-216-3491 iI ~alt~ De ~umi.istr¢: 1-888-218-3924 I I ! ! ! The Tulsa City County Library System is proud to Embrace-Diversity honoring Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Oklahomans with the following events: Saturday, June 2. 2pro. Maxwell Park Library "Coming Out in Tulsa Area High Schools" Dr. Doug Gronberg, English teacher at Booker T. Washington High School, moderates a pane! discussion by high school students in Gay/Straight Alliances. Monday, June 4. 7pm. Central Library "Council Oak Men’ s Chorale" Monday, June 4. 7pm. Helmerich Library "Family Law Issues Affecting the Gay Community" Panel discussion with Linda Lacey, TU.College of Law, moderating. Thursday, June 7. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" Harvey Fierstein and Matthew Broderick star in "Torch Song Trilogy." Saturday, June 9. 12 Noon. Central Library "Diversity. Film Festival’" "Out of the Past" documents the struggles of Kelli Peterson, who started a Gay/ Straight alliance in her Salt Lake City school in 1996. Thursday,,, June 142 7pm. Central Library Diversity Film Festival" "Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy Award for best live-action short. "If These Walls Could Talk": Stories about Lesbian couples in three decades. "Bubbeh Lee an~d Me"= A Gay man’ s Visit with his 87 year old grandmother. t~ook Discussion: Deliver Us From Evie’ Thmsday, June 21.~lpm. Broken Arrow Library Book Discussion:"Fried Green Tomatoes" Thursday, June 21. 7pro. Brookside Library :AIDS Memorial Quilt Project Vale Bode, director of Education and Outreach for the Tulsa Area chapter of the NAMES project, discusses the AIDS Memorial Quilt ¯Please call 596-7977 or your local branch library if you have questions or need more information. Please plan to attend. "If we could stop the residual replication, what wouldbe the persistence of the reservoir?" Ho asks. His team has started a new experiment, code numbered 377, to f’md o u t They have come up with a new four" drug combination, a kind of super- HAART, that they believe is more powerful than the standard variety. About 30 patients are taking the drugs. The goal is to stop the low-level circulation of their virus, which in turn shOuld shut off the supply of newly infected memory cells. Ifit works,Hobelieves it couldwipeout the body’s HIV-infected memory T cells in three to four years. "No one would say that once we get rid of this reservoir, we have a cure," says Ho. "We have confronted a difficult problem, but there may be others." Among the biggest of these is the worry that infected memory T cells are not the body’s onlylongdived reservoir.of HIV. The virus may linger as well in other places that are hard to check or lie beyond thereach ofAIDS drugs, such as the brain, bone marrow and testes. "It will be a daunting task to eliminate those unknown viral reservoirs, even with much more potent drugs that might come outin the near future," says Dr. Tae-Wook Chun of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. This is why Chun and many AIDS re, searchers now believe the best defense against HIV may ultimately be the body’ s own. These doctors wouldlike to teach the immune.system to control HIV, so people can stop taking AIDS drugs, which have unpleasant and unhealthy side effects. No one can say whether this is even possible. But they already can envision a strategy: Shut down viral replication with standard drugs. Then give vac,ines and otherboosters thatwill inteusffy thebody’ s natural - and up to now, failed - surveillance against HIV. In time, they say, the immune system might learn to do the entirejob alone. But all bf this is unproven theory, just fike the idea of viral eradication was five years ago. a global strategy can be developed to help fight the disease. "What I propose is a Global Fund, dedieatedto the battle against HIV, AIDS and other diseases. Clearly, it must be organized in a way that corresponds to the needs ofthe affected countries andpeople," Annan said. "Each country or community receiving support from the fund would have to show that it is actually bringing results to those most at risk." Annan said there are still many legal and administrative matters to be settled before the fund is established. He would not say how much the U.S. government should contribute but urged involvement. "I hope that the U.S. government would join in making funds available andjoining : the fight against the disease," Annan said. ¯¯ "It would be presumptuous of me to say how much the U.S. should pay. I hope, : considering the size of the government, ¯ that it would be substantial." : Annan’s appeal comes on the heels of a : speech to leaders gathered at the Mrican ¯ Summlt on HIV, AIDS and other infec- : tious diseases. There, he outlined his.ob- : jectives andurgedMrieangovernments to ¯ take the lead in mobilizing resources. ¯ Paul DiDonato, executive director of : Funders Concerned About AIDS, a New : York-based organization, said he was ~ pleased with Annan’s remarks. ’q’he fact ¯ that thereis this level of leadership talking ¯ about theissueis encouraging," DiDonato ¯ said. "A year ago, U.S. leaders were not : giving speeches aboutAIDS;now they are ¯ talking about it." ¯ MaybeI’mNOTmoreattractive with vaginal itch. Dam! I was hoping something ¯ would help! In the past month I’ve learned who my real friends are: those who stick with you : even when you’re scratching your crotch : on a public street. OK, so that was my ¯ roommate, and he does need me to paymy : half of the rent. : But my friend Lindsey, who lives in a ¯ garrett apartment similar to that in "La : Boheme", has stuck withme. Shejust tells ¯ me to shut up when I talk about "the itch." : So I do it several times,just to piss her off. , My friend Jim even slept with me when ’¯ he" visited. He didn’t have any fear that he’ d get it. WeP, dull! Of course not! And : the next possible Ms. Right hasn’trun ¯ away -yet. I’ve also had several-more ¯ women contact me through the Intemet. ¯ So there’s something to say about these :. "women’ s thi"ngs," a’fter all. I’ vemet other ¯ women, kept my roommate/friend;from ¯ throwing me out, slept with a man (Jim!), : and even had sex while keeping m~ pants ¯ on. ¯ OK, boys. You can come backnowA’m : f’mishedtaikinn about"theitch." Youwon’ t : have to endur~ this next time, I promise. : My rooinmate’s cowering in the corner, : though. Why? After screaming at him, ¯ I’ve just decided the topic ofmy next : column - Multiple PMS Disorder and the : Women Who Have Long, Drawn,Out, ¯ Heavy, Gushing, Extremely Bloody Peri- : otis. See ya then! ¯" Since no anti-Gay language was used, Tulsa Police could not even informally ¯" classify this as ahate crime but Dept. Chief Busby did say that Tulsa Police would ¯ start using tht~parkinglot outside the Cen- : ter when they stop to write their reports in : between responding to crimes. TOHR : vohmteers hopethat themore visible pres- ¯ ence may" deter more crime. ," TOHR is also soliciting donations to ¯ pay for the door glass repair. Some dona- ¯ dons have been received but more are ". needed. AlsoTOHRhas now negotiated a compromise with the Center’s landlord ¯ for a sign. see TOHR, p.9 by Jim Christjohn, entertainment editor The new singles from the Stevie Nicks album, "Planets of the Universe", "Everyday", and "TooFarFromTexas" are climbing the charts, althoughyouwouldn’ tknow it around here: Dallas stations are playing the hell out of "Planets...", but in Tulsa radio stations didn’ t evenl~tw that Stevie was releasing a new album. May lst, in spiteof the fact it’ s been in the trademagazines for several months now, and she’s been popping ~p all over the.. place. It S .w0nderful:~01ivein such " ~in~?,rmed t0wn:~~. -APis~rently, the radio stations are about three years behind the rest of the country. I think they should read the Gay paper intown, so they can keep up with what’s going on. (editor’s note: at least with Stevie Nicks.t) The new disc is killer, and even if you aren’t a Stevie Fan, I think you’ll like it. Amazingly, when I went to Target to nab the official release, the bin was empty! A friend of mine said with some surprise, "Look! I guess you aren’t the only Stevie fan here!" I did find one, but I thought the comment was humorous. Nicks said she will begin a U.S. tour on June 29. The Dallas stop i.s August 3rd. Plans for a new Fleetwood Mac album are going ahead around September without Christine McVie, though they have her blessing. One of Celebrity Attractions best offerings, "Red White and Tuna" explodes into townMay 8-13 at the PAC, 596-7111. It promise to be an evening of fun and frolic with the residents of Tuna, Texas - all played~by Joe Sears and Jaston Williams. If you were unfortunate enough to have missed "Greater Tuna", and "A Tuna Christmas", here’s your chance to catch up with these hilarious folks. These performances sell out fast, so grab those tickets now! You won’t regret it. Sometimes, something comes across your desk for review that is simply unbelievable. Watching. it is like watching a train wreck: you hate yourself for it, you don’ t want to look, but you just have to. "West Hollywood Stories" is one of those things. A two-set video series of a Gay soap opera out of and set in LA,its tag line is ’’These are the Gays of our lives." As one can imagine, this sets it up as a comedy. Except it’ s not. It’s a wretched affair, with acting talent culled from the bottom of the pool, and videography designed to make any amateur look good. Production values? I’m hard pressed to find any. It looks like some high school kids got together and tried to make a "Gay Bitch Project." Think "Queer as Folk" (QAF) done really badly with people who can’ t act. Yep, it’s pretty bad. in fact, I was thinking, "With Queer as Folk, why even’do this?" Joe Sears as Aunt Pearl Burras ¯¯ All I can guess is that this was donebefore the QAF series at a time when any funding : would have come out of pocket and any ¯ actors would be people with no experi- ¯ ence. It does provide laughs, but all unin- ¯ tentional. ¯ And it’ s kind of an embarrassed laugh, such as one might make at a train wreck to cover up one’s horror. The premise is a good idea: AGay soap. Thank Gods it’s being done wall on QAF. Anyone who bitches about anything on that show should be forced to sit through "WeHo Stories." Obviously, I can’t recommend spending any money on this, and I really hoped it would live up to its billing as a comedy spoof of soaps. All Icansayis,this soap don’t clean. Or even make suds. The "Queer as Folk" soundtrack is out, and in both British and American versions. The British has two : versions: A "highlights disc, and an ex- ¯ panded import disc. Both covers are the same, it’ s only when you look at the back ¯ - one has around 15 tracks, the other, 35 or ¯ so. The American only has one out thus ¯ far, andit’s pretty cool forboppin’ around. After 7 years in this town, I’d never ¯ madeitto theGflcreaseMuseum.Afriend ¯ from CA came to visit, andI was showing him the sights, and we stopped there, al- ¯ most as an afterthought. Wow! I had no ¯ idea... I thought it would be like the ¯ Philbrook, which I always thought of as a ¯ poor excuse for a museum - pretty house, ¯ but not much to it. ¯ Gilcrease was amazing, especially since ¯ my ~’riend was of Native American de- " scent. He did make one commentthat was ¯ reallythought-provoking: in the lowerlev- ¯ els are hundreds of NA artifacts, from ¯ peace pipes to clothing to head dresses to : utensils and sacred objects. ¯ At one point, we stopped in front of a series of clothing articles, one with what ¯ looked like a bullet hole through it in the : center of the chest, with blood around it. ¯ My friend said, "this is like visiting ¯ Auschwitz. And ten to one these items ¯ were not given to the museum by the original owners." ¯ Point well made, in fact, many of the ¯ objects would have been buried with the ¯ owner had they been given proper burial. ¯ In many cases, I doubt also that the owner : had any say in he matter. Yet another thing I learned was that pipes, as sacred objects, should never be ¯ shown assembled unless for the purpose ¯ intended - to carry prayers to the spirits. ¯ Cody said that museums who are respect- " ful and do their research display the pipes ¯ in separate pieces. The Gilcrease displays ¯ were in such a manner. ¯ ¯ Philbrook, in constrast, displayed pipes assembled, an insult to the people from ¯ whom the pipes were taken. Oklahoma NAR~L invites you to our ~ $35 per person Timothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planningl Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Drumright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appointments are available. o ooooo000. 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, Suite210, Tulsa 74135 by Barry Hensley Tulsa City-County Library This year, the Tulsa City-County Library is making a coordinated effort to provide a variety of Diversity programmingacross TulsaCounty during themonth of June. Please make plans to attendsome of these programs. A good attendance at these programs, and positive feedback, will ensure continued library programming dedicated to GLBT issues. The library will also haveabooth, as usual, at the Diversity celebration at Veteran’ s Park on Saturday, June 9. Library programs for June include: Saturday, June 2. 2pm. Maxwell Park Library "Coming OutinTulsaAreaHigh Schools" Dr. Doug Gronberg, English teacher at BookerT. WashingtonHigh School, moderates a panel discussion by high school students in the Tulsa area Gay/Straight Alliances. Monday, June 4. 7pm. Central Library "Council Oak Men’s Chorale" Join us for a celebration of sound as an ensemble from the Chorale performs a. variety of vocal selections. Monday, June 4. 7pm. Helmerich Library "Family Law Issues Affecting the Gay Community’" Discussion will center around the legal . rights of same-sex couples, adoption issues and access to artificial-reproduction teclinology. Linda Lacey, professor, University ofTulsa College ofLaw, will moderate. Thursday, June 7. 7pro. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" Harvey Fierstein andMatthew Broderick star in "Torch Song Trilogy," which was adapted from the Tony Award winning Broadway hit. The musical numbers are a hoot, and Anne Bancroft chews the scenery nicely. Saturday, June 9. 12 Noon. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" "Outofthe Past" documents the struggles of Ke]li Peterson, who started a Gay/ Straight alliance in her Salt Lake City school in 1996. Her fight became a statewidebattle that broughtnational attention. Thursday, June 14. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" "Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy Award for best live action short. This highly acclaimed, touching, funny film addresses issues of sexual identity and compassion. "If These Walls Could Talk": Trio of stories about Lesbian couples in three different decades. "Bubbeh Lee and Me": Documents a Gayman’ s visitwithhis 87 year oldgrandmother in a Florida retirement commu- Tuesday, June 19. 2pm. West Regional Library BookDiscussion: "Deliver Us Frown Ev: ¯ This bookbe M. E. Kerr tells the ste~’; : 16 year old Parr Burma,an and his fa : who face some difficult times when ;,:, ¯ spreads around their small Missouri : that his older sister is a Lesbian, after : leaves the family farm to live with the ¯¯ daughter of the town’ s banker. Thursday, June 21. lpm. Broken Arrow Library Book Discussion: "Fried Green Tomatoes" This Fannie Flagg hit mixes direct and empowering confrontations with racism, sexism and ageism with the colorful and endearing language of the Depression-era South. Thursday, June 21. 7pm. Brookside Library AIDS Memorial Quilt Project Vale Bode, director of Education and Outreach for the Tulsa Area chapter of the NAMES project, discusses the AIDS morial Quilt. Please call 596-7977 or yourlocal branch library if you have questions or need more information. Please plan to attend. Council Oak Men’s Concert May 11-13 Join the Council Oak Men’s Chorale (COMC) as it sings the works of musical pioneers in its concert "American Dreamers" at Philbrook’ s Wilson Hall, May 11- 13. Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 8 PM a~,d a matinee on Sunday, Mother’s Day, at 3 PM. Tickets are $15 For more information, call 748-3888. Three composers explore three centuries of the American quest for freedom. Randall Thompson, Aaron Copland and Stephen Sondheim, have created works inspired by the ideals, hopes and dreams of a nation and its people. COMC was recently honored to sing the national anthemat the Tulsa Driller’ s home game opener on Easter Sunday. America’ s favorite pastime was introduced by a rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner performed by COMC’ s 25-male voices. Formoreinformation about Tulsa’ s premier Gay men’ s chorus visit: www.counciloak.org While it will only have abbreviations, TOHR and LGBT for Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual andTransgendered, Gatewoodnotes - it will have "lots of rainbows all over it." Funds are needed to pay for the new sign as well. ~ Gatewood adds that through the efforts of Anna Dodwell, aka, Dyke Divine, KHITS, 106.9 FM will be airing interviews with la Dyke herself, TOHR, PFLAG, Tulsa CARES, and HOPE, probably on the week beginning June 4th. Volunteers and sponsors are still needed for the Gala dinner and the Festival, so for more information, call 743-4297. home. Sean was tough and built like a fireplug. Hehad just returned home after serving several years in the Marines. He spoke animat- .edly aboutguns, and sports, and arm-wrestling. (He beat me.) "Okay, enough already!" I thought. I attributed Sean’ s hyper-masculine pose to the fact that we were, at the time, sitting in Hula’s, Waikiki’s foremost gay bar. Sean, poor boy, was still edgy about his sexuality. But something more vital was at stake, Hater discovered. I had occasion once to catch Sean naked. Nervous, blushing, and ashamed he explained he by Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D. however, the chimps have us humans beat. I met Scan one summer in Honolulu. Because of this, perhaps, these organs are Like many local guys, his ancestry was " less charged in popular culture. Fewer assorted-alittlebitHawaiian and the rest " men lose sleep over marbles instead of Asian and European- a mixture reflecting " tennis balls. Fewer scams promise testicle ,, the history of his island enlargement. . . . Humans, unllhe When it comes to mea- + most mammals, have suring humans, sampling and data collection have lost the haeeulum - a long been problematic. hone within the penis Still, it’s established that the average length of an - for unhnow’n erect human penis is beevolutionary reasons. tween five and six inches. An informative website, Nonetheless, amon~ The Definitive Penis Size primates at least, Survey ("http:// www.connection.com/ humans are the man. -dickie/result.html"), We are lar~er than records a somewhat longer average but its sample is chimpanzees. And self-selected and no doubt mighty ~orillas - composed of those more inclined to boast. despite their hulh - So how did humans get sport penises of Sean’s so large, ethologically speaking? Students of evoslze: just over one inch lution generally fall back had inherited the family lon~ when erect..." on two explanations to accurse. I looked down and count for sexual dimorthere it was: The smallest human penis I phism such as penis size. Men perhaps had ever seen. Scan, when excited on a engaged in competitive penile display to good day, was perhaps an inch and a half threaten and cow one another, thus to in length. "" establish dominance within a group. SusanBordo,thefeminist scholar,pokes Thanks to higher status, men with longer intoAmericanequataonsofmenwiththeir penises had more children. Or. perhaps penises inThe Male Body: A New Look at long peruses instead resulted trom sexual Men in Public and in Private (1999). She selection. Women sought out better-enexplores the effects of popnlar imagery on doWed men to increase their own sexual our feelings about our bodies and our- pleasure. selves. Bordo, previously, had written However the human pems evolved, about the impact of media depictions of people in many societies celebrate its size. female beauty on women’ s perceptions of They associate bigness with potency, autheir bodies. American women suffer a thority, and manliness. In many of the sort of collective "body image distortion’! island cultures of the Southwestern Pasyndrome. Themajorityoverestimateshow cific, for example, men traditionally much space the body takes up. Women flaunted artificially enlarged penises. On believe, often incorrectly, that they are too Talma, where I once lived, some men still fat. wrap and expand the penis with plant Bordo suggests that men suffer a paral- fibers and leaves and cinch this upright to lel body distortion syndrome. Men tend to a belt around the waist. They appear to underestimate our penises. We believe we have permanent erections. Farther to the ’ h ° are too small. We aren t fat enoug , as it west, in the central highlands of New were. In some cases - Sean’ s perhaps- we " Guinea, men stick their penises into dried are right. In others, however, men put " gourds of various shapes. The most strikthemselves in comparative disadvantage ¯ ing are three or four feet long, which are vis-a-vis the rare, or imagined, colossal againtiedupright.Thesedongatedgourds penises celebrated in popular culture (not " make much more. splendid display than tomention in thousands of immodest per- " just bailing up socks in ones underwear. sonal ads). Enough of us suffer "shower ¯ But cnlmral celebration of male size is syndrome" or "locker room phobia" to " neither inevitable nor obligatory. Anyone eb_rich dozens of dubious penis enlarge- " - who has peeked under those grape leaves ment schemes. ¯ that the Victorians stuck onto Roman and We might turn to my physical anthro- Greek statuary will have noted marble pologistcolleagues for eulighteument. The " members of only modest measure. Modhumanpenisisabitofamystery, notleast " eration in all things governed classical because scientists (male, mostly) haven’ t : aesthetics. A large penis then was the sign directed much attention to this touchy ob- ¯ of wild animal, not civilized human. ject. Humans,unlikemostmammals,have : This all would be cold comfort to Sean. lost the baeeulum - abone within the penis " A shortcoming in one area blinded him to -forunknownevolutionaryreasons-None- " the beauty of his body (although it did theless, among primates at least, humans " make him into an excellent arm wrestler). are theman. Wearelarger thanchimpan- : Sean could be, at least, king among the zees. And mighty gorilla,s - despite their " gorillas. bulk - sport penises of Sean’s size: just ¯ Lamont Lindstrom teaches anthropolover oneinchlong whenerect. Withtestes, : ogy at the University of Tulsa. Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Capital Campaign and General Fund For more information, call 665-3401 or evenings at da.7-8602. Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing IGTA member .Call 341.6866 International ToHrsfor rnore 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-Spm by Karin Gregory OK, boys - you might want to leave the room for this one. It’s grrl talk. And no, I DON’T mean Melissa Etheridge supposedly leading every single actress in Hollywood down the Lesbian path of corruption. By the way, has Nicole Kidmanmade that list yet? Sorry, silly indulgences. However, boys, you may want to stay if you now have, have ever had, or will have in the future, a Lesbian roommate. You might learn something. Granted, something you don’ t want to learn, but I can tell you that my roommate has a whole new perspective on women’s biological problems-- his headis now firmly entrenchedin the sand! Yes, grrls, I’m talkingabout that lovely problem called the vaginal infection. By now, the men have dropped their papers, screaming as they run to the kitchen to find the fork that will poke out their eyes, thus hopefully getting rid of the images swidxng in their heads: So, let’s talk, shall we? How do these things get started, is what I want to know. How is it that you feel fine one day, then wake up the next in burning, itching agony? OK, so I’d fallen off the diet/exercise wagon my roommate and I started. I wasn’t drinking enough water; wasfftexercising as much as he (wall, he’s 24 for God’s sake!); and I wasn’t eating right. Hey, maybe I DO know how it got started! My roommate did well with it the first few days. I detailed, moment by moment, how the "fire down below" felt, all the while standing in front of him scratching like a straight man with jock itch. My roommate’s friends were OK with it for awhile also, until I kept scratching like a straight man in front of them, too. We don’t get many guests anymore. And he gave me advice about the various creams and lotions I was using. His advice was not to use more than one. I’d been using four ¯ or five at a time. I went to bed every night ¯¯ wet, and not in the good way. Then came the "Hostess Cupcake" pc- ¯ riod. Have you ever used Mycelex 3, or ¯" Gynelotromin cream? They give you a ¯ tube of got with three long tampon-look- . ing sticks. You pour the got into the stick ¯ and then lie down, inserting the stick. It ¯ sounds gross. The application is another ¯ story, however. All right, I guess I really : DIDN’T read in the instructions that I was ¯ to masturbate while putting in the stick, ¯ but it didn’t say I couldn’t. A grrl has to ¯ have some fun! They also tell you to only use it for three nights. They know it’s ¯ addictive, I suppose. I got up after awhile ¯ (afteracigarette, actually!),andannounced ¯ to my roommate that I was now a Hostess ~ cupcake. After shouling, "Oh...My...God!" ¯ and shoving out his friend, who was ¯ screaming, "Oh, the horror!", he slammed ¯ his door and didn’t open it until I left for ¯ work the next morning. I finally went to the doctor at my " roommate’s pleading. This was an inter- " esting situation. The nurse, who under- . stands about vaginal things, asked if I used ¯ any birth control. "No," was myreply. She ¯ wroteit down and said nothing more about ¯ it. My doctor had a medical student in that ¯ day--a dentis!! He asked me about the last time I had sex. No, he didn’ t want details, ¯ just an approximate. He started to talk : about condoms when I stopped him, say- . ing that I’ d had sex with three people in the ¯ last year - "One was a man; they usually ¯ aren’t." To which he quickly said, "OK," ¯ and moved on. ¯ Then they all (nurse, medical student, ¯ doctor) converged in the tiny examination ¯ room while I spread my legs for all to see. ¯ I asked if they’d like to invite anyone else ¯ in as long as I was in this position. I’ve ¯ always found I have more audience mem- ¯ bets when I’m,in the stirrups than when i have my mouth open for the doctor. And ¯ I’m told I have pretty teeth! I received my ¯ applause and was able to dress, when the ¯ doctor came in to ask why I didn’t use ¯ condoms. "I don’t have sex with men", : was my reply. Geez, how many times do I ¯ have to come out at my doctor’s office : before they get a clue? ¯ Have you ever noticed how things begin ¯ happemng when you’re at your worst? : You always meet someone you haven’t ¯ seen in years when you wear your old ¯ clothes, your cap to hide the hair you didn’t wash that day, or when you’re unshaven (for those intimate old friends!). Somehow, even on the Internet, you seem more attractive when you have your period or when you have, as I did, a vaginal itch. She began emailing me, and I was struck with this feeling of awe that FINALLY I’d be meeting someone from Fort Worth (instead of talking to someone from Corpus Christi or Kansas) at the same time I had "this problem." Meet her I did, and we talked for several hours before we came back to my place. No, this was at her request. Granted, she didn’t have to twist this horny Lesbian’ s ann, but I didn’t mind her twisting other things. I know several women who are embarrassed to be naked in front of their husbands. I’ ve always had the opposite problem withmy bed partners, and this day was certainly One ofthe worst days to be dressed in front of her while I had a close-up of her beauty - VERY close up! So I lay there wearing my big pants (pants with no restrictions like jeans have), and felt very strange to be wearing most of my clothes. After all, I didn’ t want the next possible Ms. Right to get any kind of disease, even though I’d already been to the doctor and found that it was a simple bacterial infection taken care of with medicati< a (unfortunately, NOT the Mycelex 3 !). Now that [ think of it, even though the infection is gone, she hasn’ t suggested we come back to my place anymore. see Raging, p. 7 Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights presents Dive’rsity rati .Saturday, June.2, 2001 TOHR Follies 2001 "From Here to Eternity" Avondale Studio & Theatre (the old Delaware Playhouse) 1511 So. Delaware Ave., 8pro Reception immediately following. Tickets: $15.00, At the Door:.-$20.00 The Pride Store @ Tulsa GLBT Community Center; 2114 S Memorial or’by calling 918.743.4297 or toll free (outside Tulsa) at 866.335.9074 Sunday, June 3, 2001 Tulsa Interfaith Service Sponsored by TU BLGT Alliance, Sharp Chapel, TU, 3pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Council Oak Men’s Chorale Concert Presented by Tulsa City/County Library "Diversity in Song" Aaronson Auditorium; Central Librarym 3rd & Denver, 7pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Family Law Panel Presented by Tulsa City/Coullty Library TU Law Professor Linda Lacey& an expert panel Helmefich Library, 91st and Yale, 7pm Tuesday, June 5, 2001 Art Exhibit: "Embracing Art" All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. PeofiaAvenue, 6-gpm Thursday, June 7~ 2001 GLBT Film Festival Sponsored by Tulsa City/County Library AaronsoriAuditofium, Central Library, 3rd and Denver, 7pro Friday, June 8, 2001 TOHR Diversity Gala Benefiting TOHR and Diversity Celebration 2001 "Death. Be Not Proud" Parents of Hate Crime Victims: Speakers and Parade Grand Marshalls: Gabi Clayton, Olympia, WA, Dorothy Hajdys Holman, Chicago~ Don Sinclair, Houston, TX, Carolyn Wagner, Fayetteville, AR "Community Hero" Awards presentation honoring those in the local GLBT community. Tulsa Country Club, 701 N. Yukon Dr., 7pm, reception & silent auction, 8pro dinner, $100/ea. $1,000 table of eight. Sponsorships available. Reserved seating available by calling 918.743.4297 or 866.335.9074 Saturday, June 9, 2001 The Pride Parade Cherry Street (15th Street) to Boston Avenue to 18th Street to Veterans Park Starts at 3pro, Float/marchers begin assembling at lpm. No entries after 2:45pm. Featuririg:Entfies from across the region Community Heroes, Oklahoma’s largest Pride Flag Diversity Festival Sponsored by: Bud Light & Eastern Oklahoma Beverages Veterans’ Park, 1875 So. Boulder Ave., 3pm Featuring Entertainment, Speakers, and more. Sunday, June 10, 2001 Women’s Tea Dance Women only dance, DJ, and live entertainment by Melanie Fry, pipe &cigar patio, unplugged music circle, and more. Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood, 3-Tpm Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, May 2001; Volume 8, Issue 5 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, April 2001; Volume 8, Issue 4 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/612 2001 AIDS AIDS vaccine American Civil Liberties Union anti-bullying arts and entertainment businesses churches civil rights civil unions Council Oak Men's Chorale Diversity celebration Gay marriage hate crimes HIV HIV testing housing Lamont Lindstorm marriage equality National Gay and Lesbian Task Force National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership Openarms Youth Project Partner Benefits Pride Pride 2001 pride Parade Raging Lesbian Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa restaurants Tulsa Community Foundation Tulsa Family News Tulsa Library Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Wesleyan University https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/db2ce62a7574cb035e8c23622f53312e.jpg ad03b1a44e315b196e9d40c096d1ec69 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/0054fb25c7f1a96b18402c6dc97fe3db.pdf 20ff4f85847fafa15d46001f65e33593 PDF Text Text ¯ Serving Gay._ Lesbian,. __j,, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families +Fji=~nd~ ..... ¯ Phelps’ Protest Raises $ Parade Route, Bigger Fest,val for Gay/Straight Students ¯ Pride 2001 F ,atures N.ew TULSA (TFN) - Making lemonade out of lemons, young and older supporters of Gay/Straight Alliances in Oklahoma and new Jenks graduate, Kevin Barker, Interfaith Service Rescheduled Minnesota ’Sodomy’ Law RUled Unconstitutional MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota’ s law that prohibits oral sex and other intimacy betweenconsenting adults is unconstitutional, a state district court judge has ruled. ~udge Delila Pierce said the law, which had been on the books since the 1800s, is unconstitutional because it violates the right of privacy guaranteed by the Minnesota Constitution. The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union (MnCLU) and the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Lesbian & Gay Rights Project had filed a lawsuit last.summer challenging the sodomy statute on behalf of a cross section of Minnesotans. Although the state court ruling should prevent the sodomy law from being enforced anywhere in Minnesota, the MnCLU is asking the court to technically classify the case as a class action. MnCLU attorney Teresa Nelson said that would lea~ "absolutely no uncertainty" see Sodomy, p.ll ¯ TULSA (TFN)- Organizers of the 2001 Pride events are working ¯ frantically to finish last minute details for the parade and festival ¯ and associated events which they believe will be better than any : before. And as happens, at least one event has been rescheduled: ¯ the Interfaith service is now at 7pr~_.on Wednesday, June 6, still ¯ at Sharp Chapel at the University of Tulsa, just off of 1 lth St. at ¯ College Ave. ¯ Greg Gatewood, spokesman for Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) notes also that the black-tie optional Gala Dinner at the Tulsa Country Club on Friday, June 8th will have dancing after the dinner as well as a silent and also brief live auction. : Tickets are still available at the Center, 743-4297. Organizers also want to emphas:ze the change in Parade ¯ location and time. It will begin at 3pm at 15th near Utica ¯ continuing along Cherry St. to Boston and along 18th to the : Festival in Veterans’ Park as in the past. see Pride, p. 9 Kevin Barker. Jenks Class of 2001, Kerry Lewis of TOHR and Karin Weldin of Soulforce at the Center. ¯ gathered at the LGBT Community Center on May 21 ¯ torespond positively to a graduation protest by Wichita ¯ ¯ anti-Gay preacher Fred Phelps and his clan. Phelps targeted Jenks High School because the school’s adminstration, after some prodding and in response to ¯ fedcral law, allowed the formation of the Gay/Straight ¯ Alliance. ¯ In a widely distributed e-mail, Barker wrote, "my : response to this is aimed to take a negative situation ¯ andmakeitapositiveone. Iloveusingkindness tokill ¯ hatred so here is what I wouldlike to do." Barker then ¯ proposed that supporters make a pledge to donate a ¯ sum for each hour that Phelps protested. The more his ¯ crew was there, the more would be raised for the ¯ Jenks GSA via the Oklahoma chapter of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network). The 2001 Diversity Festival will feature booths & entertaiment. see Jenks, p. 9 ¯ Global AIDS Goals Vermont House Tries to Debated at United Nations Revise Civil Union Legislation Gill Foundation to Give TOHR $40,000 Grant UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Delegates from over 100 ¯ ¯ countries began debating a plan recently calling for tough new targets to combat AIDS worldwide, includ- : ing the spending of up to $10 billion a year by 2005 in : developing countries. The delegates opened five days ¯ of negotiations on a declaration U.N. members are ¯ expected to approve at the General Assembly special ¯ ¯ session on HIV/AIDS in New York next month. "This is a global problem that needs global action and : a global response," said Australia’s U.N. Ambassador ¯ ¯ Penny Wensley. ’-’We know it can be done, but it cannot¯ be done unless there is a massive infusion of resources ¯ and a mobilization of political will." The draft declaration endorses the goal set last Sep-" ¯ tember by some 150 world leaders at the U.N. Millen- : nium Snmmi t of halting and starting to reverse the HIV/ ¯ AIDS epidemic by 2015. The document was drafted by ¯ Wensley and Ibra Deguene Ka, the U.N. ambassador ¯ ¯ from Senegal, who are co-chairing preparations for the ¯ U.N. meeting June 25-27. The declaration, if adopted, would commit U.N. ¯ ¯ members to meeting a series of interim targets over the ¯ next 15 years. ¯ Among these proposed targets are the following: - Governments should develop national strategies ¯ "and financing plans see Global, p. 2 by Ross Sneyd, Associated Press Writer MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont House passed a reciprocal partnership bill that would repeal civil umons even as it endorses same-sex relationships. The bill, which would confer mamage benefits on all couples who cannot otherwise marry, passed 72-69. Civil unions applied only to Gay and Lesbian couples, but the replacement reciprocal partnerships would apply to same-sex couples and to pairs of blood relatives. The debate on final passage was marked by sharp exchanges over homosexuality. Ironically, it required many people who find homosexuality morally repugnant to endorse relationships between two men and two women. "It’s difficult because it still gives the same benefits to same-sex individuals, couples as the traditional marriage couple," said Rep. Nancy Sheltra, R-Derby, one of the leading opponents of civil unions. She voted for the bill. The state S enate will get the bill next, but leaders have said they don’t intend to address it. And Gov. Howard Dean has said he would not sign any legislation changing the civil unions law. The bill accomplished some of the goals of civil unions opponents; though, because couples no longer would be required to have their unions certified by Ajudge, clergy member orjustice of the peace in the same way that marriages are solemnized. It also would require the reciprocal partnerships licenses would be issued by the Health Depa],’tment instead of by individual town clerks, as civil unions and marriages are. ¯ "We see this as a step in the right direction," said the Rev. Craig Bensen °f Camb,ri,d~e, a leader in theanti-civil uni°n gr°upTake it to the People. It s a bill that makes sense only in the world defined by B aker." Tha~’ s the 1999 Vermont Supreme Court cas e that declared Vermont s marriage statutes unconstitutional because Gay and Lesbian couples were denied the benefits that flow from marriage. To comply with the ruling, the Legislature last year adopted civil unions. That’s a legal structure that parallels mamage but remained separate and distinct, see Unions, p. 2 i TULSA (TFN)-Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) has announced that the Denver-based Gill Foundation has awarded one of its Fast Track grants to TOHR for $40,000 for operating andprogramming expenses over a three-year period. The grant also includes technical assistance support. TOHR is one of only three organizations in the nation to receive the grant. ~llae grant will help to ensure TOHR’s financial stability, increase the effectiveness of its programs, and continue its work of more than 20 years in educating the public about issues affectingTulsa’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender communities. TOHR is Oklahoma’s oldest civil rights organization dedicated to acheiving equality for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities. TOHR’ s largest program is the operation ofthe Tulsa Gay, Lesbian, Bi & Transgender Community Center, 2114 S. Memorial Road. The Gill Foundation was established in 1994 by Tim Gill, founder and former chairman and chief technology officer of Quark, Inc., a Denver-based computer software company. Tim Gill and the Gill Foundation have provided more than $21 million to hundreds of organizations and programs serving LGBT communities and people living with HIV/ AIDS. Through the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Coloradol the foundation funds Colorado nonprofits in the areas of: social justice; children, youth and families; leadership development; arts and culture and public broadcasting. In addition, the foundation operates the OutGiving Department which provides technical assistance and other resources see Gill, p. 9 �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 Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. I5th 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. H~rvard 743-1000 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E: 71 250-5034 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 665-4580 Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665 Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 295-5868 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 369-8555 Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460 Horal Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595 Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E..:55th PI. 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 plaiming 459-9349 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440 *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1-111 *International Tours 341-6866 712-2750 Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th *Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018 "David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 747-0236 The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 582-8460 599-8070 *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 747-5466 Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 *Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha 585-1234 584-3112 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934 664-2951 *Mohawk. Music, 6157 E 51 Place Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626 *The Pride Store 743-4297 747-5932 Ralnbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101 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 835-5563 Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling 743-1733 665-2222 *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan 592-0767 *Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis www gaytulsa.org website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities 579-9593 AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 743-2363 All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 587-7314 Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 583-9780. Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201 *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. & Florence 587-1314 Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300 *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 748-3888 Council Oak Men’s Chorale *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712- ~1511 918.583 1248, fax: 583.4615 POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159 o-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin.Gregory, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lament Lindstrom, Esther Rothbluml Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw Member of The Associated Press Issued around the 1st of each 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 be for publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family News. 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 Spirit Women’ 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 *HouseoftheHolySpiritMinstries,1517S. 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. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140 *St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088 Soulforce-OK, R.t.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 743-4297 ¯ TUL-PAC, Positive Advocacy Coalition, 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 7434297 -" Unity Church of Christianity, 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 918-453-9360 EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS ¯ Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734 50!-253-7457 : Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 501-253-6807 ¯ DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 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 ~rhite 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 T’~N. Not all are Gay-owned but all are Gay-friendly, to combat HIV/AIDS by 2003. The plans should involve the business sector, grassroots groups and people living with HIV/AIDS. - Countries most affected by HIV should adopt by 2003 a set of time targets to achieve the goal of reducing HIV prevalence among young men and women aged 15-24 by 25% by 2005. HIV prevalence in the same age group should be reduced by 25% worldwide by 2010. - A wide range of measures to prevent AIDS - including information and education - should be available by 2005 in all countries, taking account of "local circumstances, ethnic and cultural values." - The number of infants infected with HIV should be reduced by 20% by 2005 and by 50% by. 2010 by providing treatment to expectantmothers who are infected with the HIV virus. - By 2003, countries should develop national programs to increase the availability 9f drugs to treat HIV infections by addressmg issues such as pricing, and by 2005 they should make progress in implementing comprehensive health care programs. The proposed draft also calls for countries to initiate programs to identify groups most vulnerable to AIDS by 2003, to implement programs for AIDS orphans by 2005, and to adopt legislation by 2005 protecting the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. Last month, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for an annual war chest of $7 billion to $10 billion to fight the pandemic. The draft proposal calls for reaching this overall target incrementally by 2005, with money coming from national budgets, international donors, and private assistance. Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Peg Fiery devised reciprocal partnerships as a .way to comply with the Baker ruling but also to alter some of the moral objections to civil unions. She also argued that there are other committed, loving "family units" that deserved the same benefits that same-sex couples were granted last year. Gay and Lesbian Vermonters, though, said the bill was an insult because it sought to equate their committed relationships to those they have with a mother, sibling, aunt or uncle. The relationships are significantly different, they said. "Last year we crafted a Ve.rmo,,nt compromise and we called it civil umon, said Rep. William Lippert, DHinesburg, one of two openly Gay lawmakers. "What we have before us today is not just an expansion, as proclaimed, it in fact uhdoes that Vermont compromise called civil union. You cannot escape that." Civil unions opponents were intent on scaling back the law, if not repealing it altogether. They reluctantly decided it was impossible to repeal it outright and not provide a replacement, though, because the Supreme Court made clear it probably would grant Gay and Lesbian couples marriage licenses in the absence of an alternative. Republicans won their majority in the House largely on the strength of opposition to the civil unions law. But Democrats re" tained control of the Senate. �ties in order to battle against some outside by Matthew W. Holloway The Gay community is not a happy one. force. Homosexuals are often crippled in their The Gay community was originally oremotional stability by both the outer forces ganized after this fashion, but the homosexual battle for acceptance and equality of oppression, hate and violence; as well as the inner forces of dehas been a much longer "... If the Gay pression, doubt, self loathand harder one than that of ing and loneliness. It is the African-American eommunlty does not mainly due to this crippling community of the 1960’s. drastleally change it’s emotional legacy that hoIn order for the Gay commosexuals have developed muuity to survxve as a soimage in the next ten the well-deserved reputacial group it must be years from a eommunlty tion for drug use, mental changed from the tempounited only by a shared illness, and promiscuity. rary, constantly embattled, Thesepattems, as once was and exclusive community sexual preference to a believed, are not an unto a more functional and avoidable side effect of ho- group of people with more longer lasting model. mosexuality; they are, in If the Gay community in common, with a is not able ’to change satisfact, not due at all to the genuine uniting for~e, fact that one is a homofactorily into a more stable then there will be no real and permanent community sexual, they are more related to membership, either it will do long term permavletory in the struggle claimed or expres sod, in the nent damage to the camagainst oppression much touted but rarely depaign in this country for fined "Gay community". Gay civil rights, ff the Gay that we all share .... " One of the primary drives community does not drastically change it’s image in the next ten of people is to align themselves into communities of people. This is done for many years from a community united only by a shared sexual preference to a group of reasons, but one of the most influential reasons is to give people smaller packets people withmorein common, with a genuOf society that they can deal with, and to ine uniting force, then there will be no real organize that society so that each can unvictory in the struggle against oppression that we all share. derstand it. These communities take many forms, such as religions, governments, and We must provide a world free of the oppression to the many children who consmaller sub-social communities. stantly realize their own sexualities and In many situations these communities reach out for support. Will we be there for of people serve a shorter term purpose, them in the next ten years? Are we there such as the strength of African-American commtmity in the 1960’s. The reason for for them now? It is our duty to provide organizing very strong but temporary comthese youngpeople with a stable and happy munities such as these is to battle agmnst commtmity that they will be happy and content to join. some exterior force. It has been said that Matthew W. Holloway will attend Tulsa people is at his strongest when he is united Community College this fall, majoring tn in the face of some common evil, and this English. is true. We unite ourselves into conmmni- Our GLBT Pride week is fast approaching and many members of our GLBT community ask: "why. even get involved?" I’ll tell you why... To celebrate your own diversity as a unique individual and to be proud who you are! To unite us as a stronger community. To meet others in the community who wouldn;t meet otherwise. TO LEARN. During the month of June, I tend to come out to more people and feel better about not hiding that I am a lesbian and I am proud. Being "out" is not a requirement to attend the Pride events, so those of you who struggle with that need not won’y. I want you to consider going to at least one Pride event, you’ll be glad you did! It seems to me that people fear what they have not experienced or what.they do not understand. "Fear of the unknown" rings so true with this one. I-have found that most people have had a strong feeling for a member of the same sex at some point in their life (if they are honest enough to admit it). Whether or not they choose to labd that attraction as a sexual feeling or not has a lot to do with many factors; cultural, religious, & the comml~tity they live in. Often people do not know what to label these feelings. They mav not have any exposure to homosexualit~ except through the media, which basically portrays a homosexual as a deviant person to be feared, - or a comedian! The news does the best job of all at slapping anegative view our way. Anytime a homosexual is in the news it is because they .have been involved in some bizarre love triangle or are trying to adopt a child. In either case, the homosexual looks like a pervert, pedophile, you name it. I think that most people are either, a strong,heterosexual or a strong homosexual. Of course, this makes for very interesting "water cooler’, discussions. S ome people fall somewhere in the middle, and depending on their life circumstances, at some point act on it or not. So now you are thinking what point in all this?Actually, I will let youin on a little secret.., people, human beings, men AND women want to be loved. Some feel that can happen in a relationship with a woman and some feel that can happen in a rdationship with a man. see Divine, p. 11 stating that he wmated nothing further tc I spent a lovely evening recently at the with someone who had a selfish, sic"- ~ ~g Tulsa Philharmonic and followed that by meeting some friends at a favorite Gay disorder. Charming. watering hole and was amazed at the con"’I’ll show him," I said and I decided to versations that I overheard. "Have you lose more weight. Two weeks later I was in seenhimlately... ? Oh gift, The GAP wanting some "... In our group of six. she is packing on the new jeans but they had pounds! Must be lonely." there were four Gay men, nothing for a man with a 26 Khother one went like this: inch waist. There were two of whom I knew. We whispers among people "That Queen has more rolls than Pillsbury." And then a that I had Cancer or AIDS. were at once frightened In reality, I was fooling little later: "Ooh Mary. . and outraged that our Mother Nature and soon he looks like the Michelin partners, friends, and Gay she fought back. First my Man on a bad hair day." personality began to Fascinating. brothers could not accept change. Gone was the self At first, I dismissed this behavior as a bunch of hate- us for who we are. Give us confident, easy-going man ful queens with nothing the AIDS epidemie to I was and in my place was a frightened, obsessive, and better to do than talk, but fight or mobilize us vicious Mr. Hyde. I backed my observations actually bring up a much larger (no against hate and we’ll join out of an important promotion at work, fearing that I pun intended) issue: Why together as One, would fail I brought new are Gay men so crazed but God forbid if any definition to the term "lean about weight? of us are chunky . . . and mean." It is true that we livein an Then I rushed to the in.credibly image-condoctor one day in agony with stomach scious society where looking good is paramount, but the obsession with staying thin pains and he told me that I was suffering from malnutrition and had lesions on my is especially pervasive with Gay men. On a recent trip to Toronto, I caught the great colon. IfI continued to abuse laxatives, the film "Parting Glances", and my point was doctor said, I would indeed have a new driven home when a hefty character made Partner: a colostomy bag. And that was if the statement that "I may have co~umitted I lived. I was frightened that if my condition were exposed, I would be treated with the gay Cardinal Sin of being overweight the same disgust that my Ex displayed. So but I still have a lot to offer someone." I went to Bulimics Anonymous. Being overweight can’t be a sin, can it? In Gay society, you bet it is and the conseIn our group of six, there were four Gay quences can be devastating. men, two of whom ! knew. We were a~ once frightened and outraged that our partI recently came out of a year-long rela¯ tionship with a ~nan who was mmfiacal ners. friends, and Gay brothers could nol about weight - mine. I am a healthy 37 accept us as we are. Give us the AIDS year old man who is 5’ 11" mad a solid 180 epidemic to fight or mobilize us against pounds and I work out regularly. Like any hate and we’ll join together as One, bul person, I have been known to gain a few ¯ God forbid if any of us are chunky - then pounds afler sphtrging on some great meals. we are "dmnaged goods." I learned that bulimia is not about weight: At first, my Ex put me on display as if to say "’Look what I" ve caught," but when the it is about control. In my case, I was tryiug scale neared 190 the adoring cormnents to balm~ce a career, a relationship, graduturued nasty. "You are getting a double ate school, AND stay in shape. I was not chin!" he barked at me one morning "mad expected to gmn any weight. Sometlfing I won’t have a fat boyfriend." Ouch. Was had to give. I also lemned to share my experience with others. I leaned on three I not the same person just because I gained 7 pounds? I tried going to the gym more people: a parent, my personal trainer, and and eating less but my weight continued to a close friend - ironically all of whom are fluctuate. I told my Ex that the topic of my heterosexual. They were completely supweight was off limi ts but this did not work. portive. My trainer did get angry with me In public, he was the perfect boyfriend. In for not trusting him to help me out of this darkness and then he put his arms around private, he was critical and cold. I became frightened at losing my Partner. Then I me and held me while I cried in disbelief became bulimic. that this understanding and compassion seems virtually non-existent in the Gay It happened slowly at first. I popped a connntmity. couple of laxatives before going to bed as Fortunately, I had recovered. It was not if they were an herbal supplement. Our easy. My hair turned gray for a time and I relationship seemed to improve as I behad severe skin eruptions as I leached the came thinner. So two laxatives became chemicals out of my body. My digestive four, eight, ten... I finally quit counting. system is extremely sensitive and will When we went out, friends would comremain so for the rest of my life. But my ment on how great I looked now that my weight is stable and I am happy with my 32 waist was 29 inches and shrinking. I was inch waist. Most important, I know that I told that I looked a decade younger. People am a good person no matter what my were amazed that I could eat and drink weight and any man is lucky to have me. whatever I wanted and still lose weight. It And my Ex ? I saw him recently. He should have felt great...but if they only walked by and refused to speak to me. As knew. I looked at this man who had become a The relationship ended between Christstranger, I noticed that he had indeed put mas and New Year’ s. Upon learning of my bulimia, my Ex left a terse note on my door on some weight... - anonymous �Disciples Church Adds Partner Benefits Memorial to Gay Soldiers Dedicated. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -The 831,000-member ChrisCATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (AP) - A Gay veterans tian Church (Disciples of Christ) has become one of the group unveiled a monument to remember Gay service first mainline Protestant denominations to authorize members killed in combat. The recent ceremony was medical coverage for domestic partners of unmarried attended by veterans in tmiform, the mother of a Navy serviceman beaten to death at age 23 for being Gay, -" employees. The decision was announced by the church pension and a color guard carrying the rainbow banner that _" symbolizes Gay pride. ¯ fund, which had discussed the issue for five years and The activists who pushed for the monument in this : agreed to consider coverage if July’ s national General desert city just south of Palm Springs say it is the first ¯ Assembly approved it. But the denomination’s Genof its kind. "It’s a turn-of-the-century event," said¯" eral Board said last month the pension fund should decide, not the national meeting. The coverage, which Dennis Palt, a former Air Force staff sergeant who served in Vxemam. I had hope for this but you could " could start as soon as January, doesn’ t extend to penhave never thought this would becomea reality in the " sions. 1970s, 1980s or ’90s. It’ s fabulous." Hawaii Passes Hate Crimes Bill i¯ Group Condemns Disney Gay Days ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The president of a Christian ¯ HONOLULU (AP) - Gov. BenCayetano said that he ¯ group is asking that Disney officials denounce "Gay Days," the annual gathering of Gays and Lesbians at will sign the "hate crimes" bill passed.by this year’ s ¯ Orlando’ s theme parks. Legislature. It gives longer sentences for crimes moti¯ Martin Mawyer, president of the Forest, Va.-based vated by the victim’ s race, religion, disability, ethnicity, ~ Christian Action Network, sent a letter to Disney national origin or sexual orientation. ¯ Cayetano said while he has concerns about making ¯ chairman Michael Eisner also asking Disney officials to warn families about the event. He asked that signs be . distinctions between various kinds of victims, in this ¯ case he feels there’ s a statement tube made. He said his ¯ posted and that other visitors to be able to get refunds if they Want. "After all, these families made plans to decision was "close call" because he doesn’ t believe ¯ attend a theme park, not ahomosexual event," Mawyer Hawaii has a problem with hate crimes - yet. ¯ said in the letter. The hate crimes bill was supported by Gay and Disney and the other Orlando theme parks don’t Lesbian groups and several civil rights groups, includsponsor Gay Days but many of the week’s events, are ing the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. It was op- ¯ held on the theme park resort’s property as well as posed by the Public Defender’s Office, the Honolulu Universal Studios, SeaWofld and Tampa Bay Busch Police Department. and several religion-based groups. : Gardens. "Our policy is to be hospitable to everyone who comes to our resort, to welcome everyone as a guest SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP)-A Montgomery County ¯ and to treat everyone with respect," said Disney spokesman has adopted his Gay partner. Chief Circuit Judge " woman Rena Callahan. "Mr. Mawyer is w~elcome to visit Walt Disney World any day and we will wdcome DeLawrence Beard approved the petition of the 60year-old adopter and the 65-year-old adoptee, Beard’s : him as a guest as well." Gay Days started out as a single day in 1991 when law clerk, Tracy Silverman, confirmed. The men’s lawyer, James Shrybman, said that since " then-Orlando resident Doug Swallow and friends from the men can’t legally marry, they sought the adoption ", a Gay computer bulletin board service informally decided to get together at the Magic Kingdom. Since to guarantee family rights regarding e~.ch o,th.err s ,me.dithen, Gay Days has become a multi-day event that cal care and funeral arrangements, and to clarity c~mms starts June 1 this year. It is expected to attract as many of survivorship and inheritance Shrybman would not as 100,000 Gays and Lesbians and dozens of parties in identify the men, citing their desire for privacy. Their local clubs and venues. adoption records in court are sealed. The lawyer said the Silver Spring couple have lived together at least 32 years. Shrybman said they considered forging some sort of domestic partner contract, but felt it wouldn’t have provided the family relationship recognized by law BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Dozens of Boulder High and might not withstand challenges by other claimSchool students locked lips outside the school to proants. "They chose to proceed to have the court put its test a decision to withdraw a photo of a same-sex kiss ~mprimatur on their relationship and this is the only from the yearbook. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Straight one that was open to them," Shrybman said. The students were encouraged to kiss one another, and adoptee’s parents are both dead, he said. about 150 people turned out at the protest. It lasted Other Gay couples have attempted such adoptions, about an hour. with varying degrees of success, m recent years, said Students had claimed discrimination after the picDavid Buckel, senior staff attorney with the Lambda ture of two girls kissing w as yanked from the yearbook. Legal Defense and Education Fund, a national Gay The picture w as to be included in a feature called"First civil-rights organization based in New York. Kiss" along w;th those of heterosexual couples kissing. "’At present, same-sex couples throughout the nation Yearbook adviser Ruth Palmer said the parents of the are denied the freedom to marry, which would bring two girls would have to give permission for the photo the greatest array of protections for their family," he to run. When she didn’t hear back from them, she took said. "’When you are a couple and you can’t get the photo out. roamed, you kind of reach out for whatever alternaStudent Rachel Stanley said that decision showed a ayes there are, and it sounds like these gentlemen have double standard because photos of male-female kisses found a helpful alternative in the state of Maryla_~.d." were allowed to run without parental approval. "A lot A bill to diminate sex discrimination in mamage more needs to be done to open people’s eyes about the was introducedin the 2000 General Assembly but was problems facing kids" with different sexual backblocked in committee. Baltimore city, Takoma Park grounds, Stanley said as students behind her hugged and Montgomery County offer domestic partnership and kissed. "It has to start somewhere and maybe this benefits to their employees. is it." Man Adopts Gay Partner " Lesbian Kiss Gets Yearbook Censored Find out for yourself how good the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 Morning Come share good ness of Lord with our community 11:00 AM =hildren’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 of Hope 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, hffo: 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~dAA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Ghild, Family, Individual & Gouplo Psychotherapy (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 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 American Red Cross -Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette McIntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 83-8:1100 American Red Cross OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN I-IFARFS Saint Aidan Saint Dunstan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 .o Saint John Trinity 4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You Religious Leader Opposes Partner Benefits BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Legislation outlawing employment discrimination against Gays was defeated in the Louisiana Senate after a polite but sometimes emotional debate. "If we fail today we’ll be back again in the next session," the bill’ s sponsor, state Sen. Don Cravins, said just before the 14-21 vote against the measure. Cravins’ bill would have outlawed discrimination in hiring, firing or promoting anyone on the basis of "actual or perceived sexual orientation." Cravins said some lawmakers supported the idea but admitted to him they could not vote for it because it would cost them political support. While Senate committee debate included views from religious opponents of the bill, opposition on the floor centered around the practicality of the bill. State Sen. Bill Jones said the bill was unworkable since it created a protected class and proving someone is a member of that class would be based solely on that person’s claim. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine has begun taking steps to prohibit all state and local governments from providing domestic partnership benefits. Michael Heath filed a petition with the Secretary of State’s office to force an election on the issue. ff Heath’s petition is approved and he meets the requirements necessary to land the issue on the November 2002 ballot, voters will also decide whether or not to overturn a decision by the Portland City Council to establish a registry of same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried couples. Heath’s referendum would also prohibit the state university*system from providing benefits to the domestic partners of their employees, and would take away health insurance from the domestic parmers of employees who already have them. "We are praying and thinking about it and talking with folks who have concerns about this, about domestic partnership and the agenda of the Gay movement here in Maine and throughout the country," Heath said. The Secretary of State’s office is reviewing the petition and is expected to respond by June 4. Heath will then be able to collect signatures- he needs 42,101 - to place the question on the ballot. The state has made significant strides in recognizing stone-sex couples in recent months. Earlier this year, the State Employee Health Commission approved granting health insurance beuefits to Gay and unmarried heterosexual partners of state employees. On Monday, the Portland City Council made history by unanimously supporting the creation of a registry, which will recognizedomes tic partners as families and afford them many of the same rights and privileges as husbands and wives The university systeln and the City of Portland have offered the benefits for some time, and the ordinance City Councilors in the city approved on Monday would require any recipient of city funds to offer the benefits to employees. A bill is also in the state Legislature that would require health insurance companies to offer domestic partner benefits if they offer coverage to the spouses of plan-covered Legislature members. The measure was approved by the House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate for a final vote. Karen Gcraghty, a Portland city councilor who cosponsored the city’s ordinance, said she and others knew that Heath had filed the petition, and are taking steps to keep a ballot question from passing. "This is about denying peoples’ access to health care," she said. "This is about inequity in the workplace.’" Heath has been successful with statewide referendnms on civil rights issues for Gays. In February, 1998, voters overturned a statewide anti,discrimination law that the Legislature had passed. Last November, voters again turned down such a law. Lutheran Bishop Resigns Over Gay Ordination 583-I248 G Louisiana Senate Kills Anti-discrimination Bill LOS ANGELES (AP)- Southern California’s ranking Lutheran bishop says the church has asked him to resign for participating in last month’ s ordination of a Lesbian in Minnesota in defiance of church law. Bishop Paul W. Egertson, whose sonis Gay, said he has decided whether to comply with the request, which comes just months before his term expires Aug. 31. He was not seeking re-election. Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson asked Egertson before the ceremony to reconsider his participation, said John Brooks, a spokesman for the Chicago-based Evangelical. Lutheran Church in America. Brooks would not confirm that the bishop had asked Egertson to resign. Rev. Paul Tidemann of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church said he is not surprised by the decision. Anita Hill, the pastor who Egertson ordained, now serves at St. Paul-Reformation with Tidemann. "I think that the ELCA is doing what it feels it has to do given the policy that it has," Tidemann said. "Every: body is in a bit of a difficult spot because the church has not decided to change that policy "" Egertson, 65, became bishop of the Southern California (West) Synod in 1995. The synod includes 140 churches, 275 ministers and nearly 46,000 baptized members. Egei’tson became the church’ s first active bishop to participate in the ordination of a Lesbian when he took part in the ceremony for Hill. Egcrtson said he was conscience-bound to defy the church by joining in Hill’ s ordination. "I can no longer advocate this cause with credibility from a posihon of personal safety," Egertson wrote Anderson at the time. Some church leaders w ere concerned about Egertson when he was elected bishop in 1995 because he said he had earlier joined in blessing same-sex couples. For that reason, Egertson said, he promised in writing to resign if he ever felt he must defy church law as a matter of conscience. He said Anderson has now asked him to follow through. The Saint Paul Area Synod would not comment on Egertson because "responsibility for this matter rests with our churchwide leadership," said spokeswoman Beth Helgen. But the Saint Paul Area Synod is considering disciplinary action against St. Paul-Reformation. Bishop Mark Hanson and the Saint Paul Area Synod Council could decide to expel the congregation from the ELCA. Helgen said she expected the synod to make a decision soon, but there is no deadline for the announcement. Portland Eases Ban on Military Recruiting PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Portland school board has loosenedamilitary recrmting ban that was prompted by the military’ s "don’ t ask, don’ t tell" policy toward Gays. In a unanimous vote, the board decided teachers and counselors can refer students to recruiters offcampus only if students are told that the military prohibits Gays who disclose or act on their orientation. The decision is a compromise between Gay civilrights activists who opposed military recruitment in schools and recruiters, who said the armed forces offer opportunities for students who aren’ t college-bound. Abrams wrote the district’ s ban on military recruitment, which was put into place in 1995. The board had pushed various plans in recent weeks to give students more access to the military in school. �Powell Will Lobby for More AIDS $ KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell says his four-nation tour of Africa has pu.t human faces on the AIDS epidemic sweeping the continent, and he’ll use the experience to lobby for more U.S. aid. "I can go back and make a case in Washington of the need for more resources," Powell said. "I hope I can convey the passion of what I have seen" when he reports back to President Bush. Powell was wrapping up an African gour that also .took him to Mali, South Africa and Kenya. He was next headed to Budapest, Hungary, for NATO meetings. The secretary visited AIDS outreach . centers in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, and Kampala, the Ugandan capital. He said he was deeply moved by heating the experiences of AIDS victims in both places, and watching Africans trying to come to grips with the disease ttL~ough song, dance and skits. "You don’t really get a full appreciation until you see the people who are sla’icken," Powell said. In Nairobi, Patricia Ochieng, 33, told Powell it had been nearly 10 years since she’d tested positive with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Since then, both her 4year-old son and her husband have died of the disease, she said, and"I kept dying day by day. All my dreams were gone." The Bush administration announced earlier this month it was contributing an ilfitial $200 million to a global $7 billion fund to combat AIDS. That’s on top of about $460 million the United States had earlier committed to fighting AIDS. In Kampala, Powell announced $50 million in aid over five years to help Uganda expand a prevention program. The programhas sharpl) cut Uganda s HIV-AIDS rate from nearly 30% to about 10%. On his travels through Africa, Powell has said repeatedly that he would work to get additional U.S. support for AIDS prevention, research and trealanent programs. "Even though there are wars in other parts of the world, even though there’s a crisis in the Middle. East, even though people are dying in these conflicts around the world, there’s no war more serious, there’s no war causing more death or destruction, there’s no war on the face Of the earth that is more grave than the war in sub-Saharan Africa against HIV-AIDS," he said. More than 25 million people on the continent are infected with HIV. Teens Want Complete Sex Info CHICAGO (AP) - Take a look at some of the spicy novds aimed at readers as young as 12. Tune in any number of TV shows popular with young viewers and try finding the characters who haven’t had sex. Ever hear the "Thong Song" or the recent No. 1 "It Wasn’t Me," a tune about a couple getting caught "banging on the bathroom floor"? Many dementary school students have. Officially - from President George W. Bush on down - young people are being told to just say ’no’ to sex. Yet they are bombarded with images that, they say, make the mantra difficult to take seriously. Frustrated with mixed messages, many teens say the)’ would make better choices for themselves if they had more information about sex - and less hype. "How can you expect teens to be abstinent when all they see is sex?" asks DeVoia Stewart, 16. "It’s a little hypocritical." Through the 1990s, biennial surveys from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Preventionfound fewer high school students saying they had had sexual intercourse - from just over 54.1% in 1991 to 49.9% in 1999. The number of teen-age mothers giving birth also dropped, although there are still about a million teen pregnancies each year. But health officials say sexually transmitted diseases are a big concern for teens - among them HIV, chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea and human papilloma virus, which can develop into cervical cancer. They also say that, instead of intercourse, some teens are having other kinds of sexual contact, like oral sex, that can easily spread disease. The statistics have only heightened the debate about what to tell young people about sex, even among young people themselves. "In my school, there are people who adamantly preach about waiting for sex, and there are also people who love to recount their own racy experiences," says Alessa Thomas, 16. For adults, part of the debate is whether to distribute condoms and other forms of birth control to teens. This spring, Planned Parenthood distributed "prom Survival Kits," including condoms, to students in Minneapolis and other cities. About the same time, a health board in northern Kentucky decided to change its sex .education curriculum to "abstinence only," seeing any talk of safer sex or condom distribution as lessons in "how to." "We’re talking about young people who can’t remember to bring their homework to school or set their alarm dock and yet we want them to remember to use a condom every time they engage in sexual intercourse?" says Addia Wuchner, who oversees the board’s haman sexuality committee. But many young people say they should be trusted to handle more information the more, the better. Christopher Batu, 20, agrees that abstinence education is important, but he still wishes he had known more about "the reality of what could happen" because of sex when he was younger. He says "sex isn’ t evil," but it carries a load of responsibility with it. The hunger for accurate, frank informa~ tion has prompted some teens to educate themselves. Some efforts are official, including SEX, ETC., a sexuality and health newsletter and Web site sponsored by Rutgers University that is written by teens for teens. Other teens say they get their information from sources such as drDrew.com, a health Web site for 14- to 24-year-olds that answers questions ranging from "What is considered safe sex?" to "What can I do to help my boyfriend last longer during sex ?" Thomas says she doesn’t go to adults because "I am afraid they will judge me." Still, a report released this month shows that many young people want more infor- Tulsa A R E S p r e s e n t Hair Ball 2001 Juty 14, 8pro, PAC’sWestby Pavilion & LaFortune Studio, $80 donation. Call Rebecca at 884-4194 On the 20th Anniversary of AIDS, the AIDS Coalition of Tulsa presents a Town Hall Meeting June 5th, 2pm Topics: Update on the Epidemic, Janice Nicklas Testing Positive, Living with HIV, Tommy Chesbro Knowing Your HIV Status, Ebony Skillens Diversity In New HIV Cases, Kristi Frisbie HIV Treatment in Tulsa, Damon Baker, DO, & Don Eberly Care Needs of PLWAs, Sharon Thoele How Tulsans Can Help, Janice Nicklas Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder �The Tulsa City County Library System is proud to Embrace Diverst honoring Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Oklahomans with the following events: Saturday, June 2. 2pm. Maxwell Park Library "Coming Out in Tulsa Area High Schools" Dr. Doug Gronberg, English teacher at Booker T. Washington High School, moderates a panel discussion by high school students in Gay/Straight Alliances. Monday, June 4. 7pm. Central Library "Council Oak Men’s Chorale" Monday, June 4. 7pm. Helmerich Library "Family Law Issues Affecting the Gay COmmuaity" Panel discussion with IJnda Lacey, TU College of Law, moderating. Thursday, June 7. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" Harvey.Fierstein and Matthew Broderick star in "Torch Song Trilogy." Saturday, June 9. 12 Noon. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" "Out Of the Past" documents the struggles of Kelli Peterson, who started a Gay’/ Straight alliance in her Salt Lake City school in 1996. Thursday, June 14. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" ’°Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy Award for best live action short. "If These Walls Could Talk": Stories about Lesbian couples in three deeades. "Bubbeh .Lee and Me": A Gay man’s visit with his 87 year old grandmother. Tuesday, June 19.2pm. West Regional Library Book Discussion: "Deliver Us From Evie" Thursday, June 21. lpm. Broken Arrow Library Book Disa~ssion:"Fried Green Tomatoes" Thursday, June 21. 7pm. Brookside Library AIDS Memorial Quilt Project Vale Bode, director of Education and Outreach for the Tulsa Area chapter of the NAMES project, discusses the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Please call 596-7977 or your local branch library if you have questions or need more information. Please plan to attend. " marion from adults about sex. The survey of 12- to 17-year-olds by the f kaiser Family Foundation found that 48% wanted more information about sexual health from their doctor and 42% from their health class teachers. A third wanted more discussxons with their parents. "This is difficuh stuff to talk to your kids about, but you have to do it - kids want you to do it," says Margaret Anderson, a senior program manager for the Academy for Educational Development, a nonprofit group that uses fe,~Ieta]and private fuhding to help-community organizations develop sex education and other programs. Jonathan Olinger, 18, agrees. He says that his parents’ first talk with him about sex was awkward but that it _opened the door to other questions. "We listen to our parents a lot more than they realize," he says. Glaxo Lowering AIDS Drugs Costs NAIROBI,- Kenya (AP)~_-. Glaxo SmithKline will expand a program tod-e-liver low-cost AIDS drugs in Kenya to include -aid organizations andl~ge employee health programs, the marketing director in Kenya said at the end of May. Dr. William Kiarie said the company’s drugs would be offered at a no-profit price, 90% cheaper than the retail price charged in North America and Europe. Glaxo Kenya already Offers the drugs at the discounted pnee to government hospitals. "It is not a new program, it is just new in the way it is being implemented," Kiarie said. "What we are talking about is implementing the price reductions and expanding that to more groups of people." Glaxo, along with other multinational pharmaceutical companies, has come under increasing pressure to lower the prices of antiretroviral drugs that treat HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. More than 26 million people in Africa have HIV, but most live on less than $1 a day. Glaxo’s discount will bring the price of treatment down to $2 a day, Kiarie said. Only about 1,000 of the 2.1 million Kenyans infected with HIV are being treated with antiretrovirals now, Kiarie said. But even at the lower price, this number will only expand to between 20,000 and 30,000, he added. "As an industry, we have to lower the prices," Kiarie Said. "But this will not be enough. If we want a significant increase in access to antiretroviral drugs, we have to look for other funding and infrastructure buildup." Kiarie refused to discuss specific drugs or what the exact prices would be. Indra Van Gisbergen, an attorney working with the Kenyan CoalitiOn for Access to Essential Medicines, said the offer was nothing that hadn’t been promised by the pharmaceutical companies before and that the lack of details was disturbing. "Glaxo is misleading the public on the -prices by hiding all the conditions that come with the price," Van Gisbergen said. "In order to get those pnces you have to sign a contract that hasa very funny paragraph about agreeing with the company." Van Gisbergensaid Glaxo has refused to show AIDS activists copies of the con- tract, but she had obtained one copy. She said Glaxo’s announcement was timed to influence a bill in Kenya’s parliament that would allow the government to override patents and allow the importation of lowpriced, generic AIDS drugs. "This announeement should not be used as an’ excuse not to pass the bill and allow generic drugs into Kenya," Van Gisbergen said. HIV Clinic Targets Rural Poor GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) - qlae fight against HIV disease is being stepped up in Greenwood, Leflore County and the rest of the Delta. To Dr. Hamza O. Brimah of Greenwood, director of the program, it’s about time. "I have a growing base of padents who are living with HIV," said Brimah, 40. "Back in 1997, when the Magnolia Medical Clinic opened, we had barely 10 patients. Today, we’ve seen almost 200." A $1 million grant provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be spread over three years and provide primary care services for !owincome individuals living with HIV, he said. Called the Magnoli~ Medical Clinic/ Greenwood Leflore Hospital HIV Program, the project covers a nine-county region that runs west to Washington County, south to Holmes County and north to Coahoma County. The grant has two goals, Brimah said. The first is to improve the quality of care provided to the HIV patient. One way is to upgrade patient referrals to other primarycare services, such as dental care, mental health care and women’s health care.The other is improving access to care. "We realize that there are still many people who are not in care," Brimah said. For every person living with HIV, he said, there are nine or 10 who aren’t aware that they have it. "What we’re trying to do is encourage people to get tested, to access care by being able to provide them with transportation and to pay for their clinic visits," Brimati said. Testing and treatments, if necessary, are provided at no cost for low-income individuals. Treatment for AIDS and HIV has improved significantly over the past five years. "In the past, there used to be complex regimens, which meant several pills that had lots of side effects that differ from the more recent treatment options," Brimah said. One improvement is a new pill that has to be taken only twice a day. "That’s a long way from the time when patients had to take upwards of 30 pills a day," Brimah said. "The cost has remained about the Average treatment costs for HIV patients are around $1,000 per month. Drugs also have been developed that can reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to baby. "We encourage all pregnant women to get HIV tested," Brimah said. "It is possible to reduce the chances that the baby will be born with HIV disease." AIDS and HIV cases have leveled off nationwide, but the number of rural cases has risen slightly, Brimah said. �likdy to be good despite this description. by TFN staff ¯ Again call 596-2525. James Christjohn, TFN’s most excel¯ Put on your radar Tulsa’s annual lent entertainment editor, is taking much ¯ needed time off for good behavior (editor’s ¯ SummerStage Festival which will present note: is that what that’s called now?). He ¯ a number of plays during July and into early August. Call the PAC at 596-2525 or is gearing up for the Stevie Nicks tour. The log on to www.tulpac.com high priestess of rock and roll STEVIE Now over at Philbrook, they’re not comNICKS will embark on an extensive con- ¯ ing up daisies and dancert tour this summer delions in the lawn. In with an itinerary that fact, the museum has will take her across the won an award from United States. Briggs and Stratton Nicks will perfonfi (yes, that’s right, the material from her new lawn mower engine CD TROUBLE IN manufactorers) for havSHANGRI-LA which ing one of the top ten entered the Billboard lawns in the US. Others albtun charts at No. 5 who’ve won the award and has remained a Top include Graceland, the 2Ohit for the last three Alamo, and this year, weeks. She" will also the Biltmore Estate and cover material from her the Hemingway Home previous solo albums as in Key West. All the well as her hits as a work at Philbrook is member of Fleetwood done by only four Philbrook’ s award winning lawns. Mac. people according to Billboard Magazine ¯ grounds supervisor, Ralph Bendel. hailed Nicks’ new album as "this years And one of Tulsa’ s summer traditions is comeback equivalent to Carlos Santana ¯ and her strongest material since her land- ¯ film and theatre on the lawn at Philbrook. Keep reading this column for further inmark Bdla Donna." Check local venues . for on sale dates and ticket prices. ¯ formauon. Also at Philbrook is a show opening The tour dates are as follows, being the ¯ closest to Tulsa She gets: August 3 Dallas, ¯ June 10 of the glass artistry of West Coas! TX Smirnoff Music Center; August 4 ¯ artist William Morris. Morris’ work is Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell ¯ reflective of his interest in archeology and ancient pagan cultures. Morris lives near Pavilion; August 28 Banner Springs, KS Seattle where he was master glassblower Sandstone Amphitheatre; August 29 St. to world renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Louis, MO Riverport Amphitheatre. Morris’ work is in the collections of the But meanwhile in Tulsa, there’s things Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre happening. From June 6th to July 1, Light Opera Oklahoma (LOOK) will be prov!d- ¯ and the Victoria and Albert Museum in ing the best in light, summer entertmn- ¯ London as well as the Los Angeles County ment with, as always, some Gilbert & ¯ Museum. Philbrook is at 2727 S. Rockford Rd., is Sullivan, the Mikado, Herbert’s Naughty ¯ open Tues. - Sat. 10-5pm, Sun. 11-Spin Marietta and Lerner & Lowe’s My Fair Lady, based, of course on George Bernard ¯¯ and till 8pm on Thurs. Admission at the grounds, Museum Shop and la Villa resShaw’s Pygmalion. ¯ taurant is alway free and more information LOOK is also presenting a one woman ¯ is available at www.philbrook.org "Carmen" which feature Julie Goell as a Don’t" forget that Tulsa CiU-County cleaning lady who entertains hersdf by ". Library is presenting a variety of Diversity ¯ performing scenes from the Bizet opera. ¯ programnfing during the month of June. And Broadway and film .veteran Lynette Central Library will host the Council Bennett will reprise the career of Jeanette ¯ McDonald in a show Bennett wrote. For ¯ Oak Men’ s Chorale on Monday, June 4 at times and dates on all these performance, ¯ 7pro. The Chorale will perform a variety of vocal selections. call 583-5398 or see their website: www. ¯ On Thursday, June 7 at 7pm, Central webtek.com/gilbertsullivan ¯ Down at the Performing Arts Center, ¯ will begifl its "Diversity Film. Festival" American Theatre Company will close ¯ with Harvey Fierstein and Matthew Broderickin"Torch Song Trilogy," which their season with Wit, the riveting tale of ¯ was adapted from the Tony Award winDr. Vivian Bearing, a professor of 17th century English poet John Donne. Bearing . ning Broadway hit. The musical numbers has cancer and the play addresses her ¯ are a hoot, and Anne Bancroft chews the struggle with the disease and is full of : scenery nicely. ¯ Next will be "Out of the Past" docuallusions to Donne’s work. Tulsa theatre ¯ veteran Lisa Wilson stars in the, produc- ¯ menting the struggles of Kelli Peterson, tion directed by Ken Spence. Call the ¯ who started a Gay/Straight alliance in her ¯ Salt Lake City school in 1996. Her fight PAC, 596-2525, for times and prices. Also there. Theatre Tulsa will present ¯ became a statewide battle that brought the Cotton Patch Gospel which recounts ¯ national attention. This film is scheduled for Saturday, June 9 at 12 Noon. the life and times of Jesus Christ as set in Thursday, June 14 (7pm) will see the hills of Georgia. It’s been character- " "Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy ized as "a story for intellectuals who are ¯ short. This closet hillbillies..." This, of course, de- ¯ Award for best live action see arts, p. 9 highly acclaimed, scribe~ so many that we know... This is Bernsen Foundation For Tickets Call Kendall Theatre The University of Tulsa Matinees: 2:00 Evenings: Thursday & Friday 7:30, Saturday 8:00 (918) 583-5398 Tirnothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planning, Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-8OO-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East 3roadway, Drumright, Oklahoma weekend and evening appoinlmenls are available. �Viewpoint: Study ¢: Gay to Straight Bias ¯ touching, funny film addresses issues of sexual identity and compassion and, "If These Wails Could Taik" a trio of stories about Lesbian couples in three different decades. The last film that evening will be "Bubbeh Lee and Me": about a Gay man’ s visit with his 87 year old grandmother in a Florida retirement community. Please call 596-7977 or your local branch library if you have questions or need more information. GLSEN is the sponsor of Student Pride USA, the organization that helped me to get our Gay Straight Alliance started, and GLSEN in Oklahoma provided assistance to Barker as well. Phelps, aiso a disbarred attorney, did not attend the protest himself but members of his congregation, most of whom are also related to him did picket near Orai Roberts University’s Mabee Center. Barker, in remarks made to supporters at the Center, noted that in response to ’the protest a number of his classmates, many unknown to him, offered .him words of support and encouragement. Barker aiso notedthat as a fundraiser the incident was highly successful, raising several thousand dollars for Gay/Straight student organizing in Oklahoma. 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 to supportthe conmaunities it serves. The Gill Foundation and OutGiving Department are headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado is based in Colorado Springs. The Festival will feature booths with pride merchandise, food, beverages as well as a variety of entertainment, from singers to femaieimpersonators,maybe a comedian, grrrl bands, the Council Oak Mens Choraie and "surprises." The opemng ceremonies for the Festivai will be held at 4:30pm. The Festivai is scheduled to continue until dark. Tulsa Transit shuttles will begin at noon at Veterans’ Park to take people to several stops aiong the parade route. Volunteers are encouraged to help carry the 120 foot long rainbow flag, Oklahoma’ s largest. Entries into the parade are still possible but the entry fee has now gone to $50, profit and non-profit alike. At the Gaia Dinner, TOHR will present its Community Hero awards to four individuals as well as recognize some of the organization’ s donors, and the TOHR Volunteer of the Year. And on June 16th, Borders Books & Music will have aTOHR benefit day where a percentage of purchases will be donated by the store to TOHR. Cail the Center at 743-4297 for more information. by Wayne Besen The Human Rights Campaign What do John Paulk, Jeremy Marks Wade Richards have in conm~on ? ~I were ail high profile"ex-Gays" who c:~ v. out of the closet in the past year - c: Paulk’s case, was photographed at a ~ y bar in Washington. If there is one kn~:. fact about "ex-Gays," it is that one camaot aiways take their stories of "change" at face vaiue. In light of the double lives of prominent "ex-Gays," it seems questionable to conduct a"scientific" study on whether people can "change" their sexual orientation - if it is based solely on their testimonies. Yet this is exactly what psychologist Dr. Robert Spitzer did. Moreover, many of his 200 subjects wereinvolved upon the referral of several virulently anti-Gay political groups. The most obvious flaw in Spitzer’ s study was the clear role played by these groups. The "ex-Gay" ministries referred 43% of the subjl~cts to Spitzer. The anti-Gay National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuaiity referred 23%. "His sampling method was totally inadequate," Dr. Lawrence Hartmann, a professor at Harvard and alongtime researcher on homosexuality told Newsday. A year ago, the Human Rights Campaign urged Spitzer in a letter to use objective physical measures in determining whether his subjects were still attracted to the same sex. Why did he decline? Spitzer and others claim that the new study shows that sexuai orientation in "highly motivated" people may be changeable. But the results show quite the opposite. Even though study participants were a hand-selected sample of activists - with 78% having spoken out publicly about ~onver~ion therapy - only .17% of the men and 55% of the women characterized themselves as 100% heterosexual after at least five years of therapy. Additionaily, 56% of the men and 18% of the women still said they fantasized about the same sex. Anti-Gay activists have long claimed that tens of thousands of people have gone from Gay to straight. But after a review of the most "’successful" 200 cases, it is clear that the failure rate of conversion therapy is high. This is why Spitzer acknowledged having "great difficulty" in finding nonreligious therapists able to refer clients whom had successfully changed their sexual orientation. Another study by Ariel Shidlo and Michael Schroeder, represents a more realistic picture of conversion therapy efforts. TheNew York psychologists studied 202 subjects who tried to change their sexual orientation, and found that 97% failed to change in any meaningful way. And of the 3% who claimed to have fully changed, all but one work as "conversion" counselors. Until society is free from anti-Gay prejudice, people will feel compelled or be coerced into attempting to change. While new research on this controversial subject is welcome, Spitzer’s study does not further enhance the current debate. It only offers a view that is long on right-wing influence and short of objective data. �can life. by Lamont Lindstrom Accounts of Kentucky-fried rats, for Here is a childhood memory: I am riding example, are plentiful: couple goes to fastthe bus to school - fifth grade, I think. I’m food chicken joint, drives through, buys a relaxed, looking about here-and-there: At bucket, and chows down. Wife says, "Gee other kids, out the window, at myself rehoney, my chicken tastes fleeted in the window, and funny !" Husband turns on - oh my god! - I’m wearlight and both are shocked ing a yellow shirt! And it’s complicated and often to see that Wife has chewed Queersday! Thursday, that cruel kid culture furl of through hunk of rat, tail is. I can’t anymore rememstill hangs from the breadber all the indignities, but beliefs, rltuals, and ing. Couple rushes io lawfriends and enemies used regulations... Many yer and sues chicken joint hands and tongues to reprifor XXXX dollars. mand me for breaking one focused on appearance. A pervasive feature of of the sacred rules of schoolyard society: Only Woe was he, or she, who contemporary American life is that we eat food queers would wear yellow failed to monitor the cooked by strangers (and on Thursday. body... It is an easy poorly paid strangers, at We followed a complicated and often cruel kid guess that playground that). The rat story, and many similar, reflect and culture full of beliefs, ritutaboos refleet children’s express the anxieties that als, and regulations. These rules starkly delineated the attempts to grapple with fast food engenders. Similarly, stories of normal from the abnormal, the acceptable from the gender... [trying to fit] poodles in the macrowave forbidden. Many focused ourselves into an adult shadow worries about technology we neither underon appearance. Boys cross world of maseuline stand nor completely contheir legs at the knee, gifts trol: old lady who on rainy at the ankle. Boys carry and feminine...’" days dries her toy poodle in books at the side, girls her oven gets new microwave as a gift. cuddled in front. Boys do not stand with Next time dog gets wet she pops it into the hands on hips akimbo. Woe was he, or she, microwave. Poodle explodes. who failed to monitor the body. Computer virus hoaxes, or stories of Schoolyard surveillance was. painstakpeople having cybersex with someone who ing if sometimes quirky. Be cai~ful not to mrus out to be Mom or Dad, reflect similar wear a shirt with a little loop in the middle alarms about complex technology. of tim shoulders. Playground police’would Many Americans also are worried and rip off these fruit-loops just as they did the disquieted by homosexuality. Not surprisfagtags on Polo shirts. And when I made it ingly, their anxiety has sparked a genre of to high school, the heavy question was Gay-themed urban legends. But notably, which ear to pierce. Boys who pierced there are not that many of these. their right ears were likely fags. Left, we Snopes.com archives ouly five, and all all knew, was right. date back several decades or more. The Folklorists have recorded many similar hoary legend of the horrified college stuelements of kid lore around America. dent puzzled by rectal pain who discovers Queersday still exists, although the day in his roommate has been drugging him question differs from place to place, as.. nightly to have his way with hirn can be does the tabooed color (yellow or green in traced back, in one form or another, to the some towns, and redin others) Itis aneasy 1880s. guess that playground taboos reflect Also decades old is the legend of the children’s attempts to grapple with genrock star (Elton John, David Bowie, Mick der. All of us experienced the challenge of Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi, Li’l Kim, Britney fitting ourselves into an adult world of Spears, etc. etc.) who is rushed to hospital masculine and feminine. We had to be after collapsing on stage to have [insert boys or gifts. Anything in-between was your number here] gallons of semen to(~ upsetting to contemplate. It could impumped from stomach. ply that those vital categories, male and Three other Gay-themed legends were female, weren’t as solid as we needed to all first collected back in the 1980s: (!) believe they were. Rather than doubt our Guy goes home with woman who, playcategories, we witch-hunted fags and dykes fully it seems, ties him up. But then Batman - failed boys and inadequate gifts. (or other masked person) emerges from Folklorists al so collect elaborated, adult closet to leap his bones; (2) a movie will versions of schoolyard culture Jan -soon be released portraying Jesus as Gay; Brunvand, for one, has published a series and, perhaps the most notorious, (3) closof collections of urban legends. These are eted cdebrity has trouble with his gerbil. stories, presented as the truth, that circuBut several newer legends have surlate by word-of-mouth and, increasingly, faced that reflect fear of AIDS: AIDS over the Internet. (Several excellent Mary or AIDS Harry - the trick who websites, including www.urbandisappears after writing "welcome to the legends.corn and www.snopes2.com, track world of AIDS" on your bathroom mirror; new legends and also maintain story arand stories of AIDS-infected needles left chives.) sticking out of theater seats or public teleJust as playground folklore reflects kids’ phone change return slots. gender anxieties, we can suppose that urWe can hope that the decline of Gayban legends similarly express areas of themed urban legends see Studies, p. 11 ambiguity and disquiet in everyday Ameri- Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Capital Campaign and General Fund - For more information, call 665-3401 or evenings rl)_,1122_ Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing at 447-8602. IGTA member Call 341.6866 International TO ~,i ~ formoreinformation. ~ TULSACOUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY Country Club Barbering Custom Styling for Men & Women David Kauskey 3310 E. 51st, 747-0236, Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pro �Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Customer Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days AWeek. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 offering around-the-clock answers to your questions - and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our toll-free numbers below. ~ Clip And Save I I I I I I I II I CALL 24 HOURS FOR TOLL-FREE SERVICE ! Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 ! ! Billing Inquiries: 1-888-216-3490 Outage Reporting: 1-888-218-3919 ! ! i I I I I I ! I I I I I Servicio a Clientes: 1-888-216-3505 Preguntas Sobre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 Falta De Suministro: 1-888-218-3924 ! Public Service Company of Oklahoma ! I NOW... you are thinking, no way.., itis about sex. Thanks to the media, we tend to be an incredibly sexual society. Well okay, sexuality has some to do with it too, but it is only an expression of the feeling of acceptance and security they feel in the relationship. What kind of behavior should be "socially acceptable" for GLBT people? Or better yet, what would the heterosexual society find acceptable behavior? "MEN will refrain from hugging, kissing, or holding hands in public; firm handshakes only. WOMEN will be permitted to hug, and to kiss each other on the cheek. ANY public expression of sexual or romantic interest in members of the same gender will be unacceptable. WOMEN will shop in the Women’s Department at Sears; men in the Men’s Department. EACH woman will find a man to live with, change her last name to match his, and maintain their home. CHILDREN will be optional, but encouraged." So, how many heterosexuals do YOU know that follow this .code of conduct? So if we all acted that way, they’d love us.. yeah right. Whoever believes that, I would strongly suggest to get out of your "CandyLand" world of beliefs. But what’ s so great about their rules that we should be asking for permission to assimilate? Rules, if they are not clear should be questioned and changed, if need be. Those rules say that men must be Men and women must be Women (and children are the property of biological parents). They say that everyone should conform to a standard code of conduct, dress, and even beliefs. People who don’t conform may (or may not) be tolerated, but will never be treated like equals. As for sex.. the rules are both silly and oppressive, and they’re observed with such hypocrisy it isn’t funny. Can we say Neanderthal...? I’m positive that these social standards, right out of?Father Knows Best," refers to are a limiting set of nfles: this is acceptable, that is not. But for me, one of the benefits of being Lesbian AND outspoken has been that it made me question those rules.., and ultimately reject those that didn’t make sense. Don’t ask me to go back to them; I’d rather go forward. Rather than a rigid rule book, why don’t we instead outline something positive to aspire to? After all, if we must negotiate, I’d rather do it from a position of strength. .. of pride in the example we have to offer, not one of shame and embarrassment. Here is my revised, socially accepting behavior for EVERYONE: "WE will accept others, regardless of the way they look, dress, talk, or act. WE will support people’ s right to do whatever they want in their bedrooms, regardless of whether we want to do it ourselves. WE will be honest about who we are, rather than pretending to be what others want us to be. WE will let people believe things we don’t bdieve, and express opinions we don’t share. WE will never negotiate away the righ( to be whoever we are." PS: Go visit a nursing home and make a friend... STOP the abuse and neglect of the elderly. that the law cannot be enforced statewide. "This is a good day for privacy and fairness in Minnesota," said Charles Samuelson, executive director of the MnCLU. "By inviting the governmentinto every bedroom in the state, this law was dearly unconstitutional - which is why the court struck it down." Gov. Jesse Ventura agreed, his spokesman said. "It’s consistent with the governor’s philosophy that there are some things the government has no business making laws about," said John Wodele. "He sees this as a welcome decision." Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Mirmeapolis, has tried unsucessfully more than once to repeal the provision through legislative channels. She had a bill ready again this year, but never introduced it because she was waiting to see the outcome of the court case. "I obviously thinkit is terrific," Kahn said of the ruling. "I always thought that law was unconstitutional." Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council, disagreed. "This is another case of blatant judicial activism where a judge decides to make the law rather than interpret it," Prichard said. He said the issue should be decided by the Legislature. Matt Coles, director of the ACLU’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, says 35 states, including Minnesota, have had their sodomy laws either repealed by legislatures or struck down by the courts. In 1961, all 50 states had sodomy laws on the books. "One more down, 15 to go," Coles said after hearing about ’the Minnesota j.udge’s decision. "We absolutely are gomg to stay with it." Minnesota’s taw prohibits oral and anal sex between any adults, including married couples and disabled people who cannot engage in any other form of intimacy. Penalties include up to a year in jail and up to $3,000 in fines. For years, efforts to repeal the law in the state Legislature were unsuccessful. Although sodomy laws are rarely enforced, Coles says they can be used against proponents of domestic partners ordinances and other issues sought by Gays and Les- bians. ’The people who want to keep the (sodomy) law on the book, there’ s a method to their madness," Coles said. "The existence of these laws are used to generally delegitimize Gays and Lesbians in public debate." indicates dissipation of public anxieties about homosexuality - the gradual mainstreaming of Gay. But wait! Have you heard about-Yahoo! shutting down the porno sites? Have you heard that Rock Hudson and Jim Nabors were married? �lsa Oklahomans for Human Rights presents Diversi-ty 2001 Celeb ti Saturday, June 2, 2001 TOHR Follies 2001 "Hollywood TimeWarp" ~..:Avondale Studio & Theatre (the old Delaware Playhouse) 1511 So. Delaware Ave., 8pm Reception immediately following. Tickets: $15.00, At the Door: $20.00 The Pride Store @ Tulsa GLBT Community Center; 2114 S Memorial or by calling 918.743.4297 or toll free (outside Tulsa) at 866.335.9074 Wednesday, June 6, 2001 Tulsa Interfaith Service Sponsored by TU BLGT Alliance, Sharp Chapel, TU, 3pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Council Oak Men s Chorale Concert. Presented by Tulsa City/County Library "Diversity in Song" Aaronson Auditorium, Central Librarym 3rd.& Denver, 7pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Family Law Panel Presented by Tulsa City/County Library Law Professor Linda Lacey& an expert panel Helmerich Library, 91st and Yale, 7pm Tuesday, June 5, 2001 APt Exhibit: ,"Embracing Art" IAll Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria Avenue, 6-gpm Thursday, June 7, 2001 GLBT Film Festival Sponsored by Tulsa City/County Library AaronsonAuditofium, Central Library, 3rd and Denver, 7pm Friday, June 8, 2001 TOHR Diversity Gala Benefiting TOHR and Diversity Celebration 2001 "Embrace Diversity" Parents of Hate Crime Victims: Speakers and Parade Grand Marshalls: Gabi Clayton, Olympia, WA, Dorothy Holman, Chicago, Don Sinclair, Houston, TX, Carolyn Wagner, Fayetteville, AR "Community Hero" Awards presentation honoring those in the local GLBT community. Tulsa Country Club, 701 N. Yukon Dr., 7pm, reception & silent auction, 8pm dinner, $100/ea. $1,000 table of eight. Sponsorships available. Reserved seating available by calling 918.743.4297 or 866.335.9074 Saturday, June 9, 2001 The Pride Parade Cherry Street (15th Street) to Boston Avenue to 18th Street to Veterans .Park Stags at 3pm, Float/marchers begin assembling at lpm. No entries after 2:45pro Featuring:Entries from across the region Community Heroes, Oklahoma’s largest Pride Flag Diversity Festival Sponsored by: Bud Light & Eastern Oklahoma Beverages Veterans’ Park, 1875 So. Boulder Ave., 3pm Featuring Entertainment, Speakers, and¯ more. Sunday, June 10, 2001 Women’s Tea Dance Women only dance, DJ, and live entertainment by Melanie Fry, pipe & cigar patio, unplugged music circle, and more. Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood, 3-Tpm � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Minnesota ’Sodomy’ Law RUled Unconstitutional MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota’ s law thatprohibits oral sex and other intimacy betweenconsenting adults is unconstitutional, a state district courtjudge has ruled. ~udgeDelila Pierce said the law, which had been on the books since the 1800s, is unconstitutional because it violates the right of privacy guaranteed by the Minnesota Constitution. The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union (MnCLU) and the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Lesbian & Gay Rights Project had filed a lawsuit last.summer challenging the sodomy statute on behalf of a cross section of Minnesotans. Although the state court ruling should prevent the sodomy law from being enforced anywhere in Minnesota, the MnCLU is asking the court to technically classify the case as a class action. MnCLU attorney Teresa Nelson said that would lea~ "absolutely no uncertainty" see Sodomy, p.ll Global AIDS Goals Debated at United Nations UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Delegates from over 100 countries began debating a plan recently calling for tough new targets to combat AIDS worldwide, including the spending of up to $10 billion a year by 2005 in developing countries. The delegates opened five days of negotiations on a declaration U.N. members are expected to approve at the General Assembly special session on HIV/AIDS in New York next month. "This is a global problem that needs global actionand a global response," said Australia’s U.N. Ambassador Penny Wensley. ’-’We know it can be done, but it cannotbe done unless there is a massive infusion of resources and a mobilization of political will." The draft declaration endorses the goal set last Sep-" tember by some 150 world leaders at the U.N. Millennium Snmmit ofhalting and starting toreverse the HIV/ AIDS epidemic by 2015. The document was drafted by Wensley and Ibra Deguene Ka, the U.N. ambassador from Senegal, who are co-chairing preparations for the U.N. meeting June 25-27. The declaration, if adopted, would commit U.N. members to meeting a series of interim targets over the next 15 years. Among these proposed targets are the following: - Governments should develop national strategies "and financing plans see Global, p. 2 ¯ Pride 2001 F ,atures N.ew Parade Route, Bigger Fest,val Interfaith Service Rescheduled ¯¯ TULSA (TFN)-Organizers of the 2001 Pride events areworking frantically to finish last minute details for the parade and festival ¯ and associated events which they believe will be better than any : before. And as happens, at least one event has been rescheduled: ¯ the Interfaith service is now at 7pr~_.on Wednesday, June 6, still ¯ at Sharp Chapel at the University of Tulsa, just off of 1 lth St. at ¯ College Ave. ¯ Greg Gatewood, spokesman forTulsaOklahomans forHuman Rights (TOHR) notes also that the black-tie optional Gala Dinner at the Tulsa Country Club on Friday, June 8th will have dancing after the dinner as well as a silent and also brief live auction. : Tickets are still available at the Center, 743-4297. ¯ Organizers also want to emphas:ze the change in Parade location and time. It will begin at 3pm at 15th near Utica ¯ continuing along Cherry St. to Boston and along 18th to the : Festival in Veterans’ Park as in the past. see Pride, p. 9 SGe.rvin.gaL.esyb.ian..,.___j,, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families +Fji=~nd~ ¯ Phelps’ Protest Raises $ for Gay/Straight Students The 2001 Diversity Festival will feature booths & entertaiment. ¯ Vermont House Tries to Revise Civil Union Legislation ¯ by Ross Sneyd, Associated Press Writer ¯ MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The Vermont House passed a recip- : rocal partnership bill that would repeal civil umons even as it : endorses same-sex relationships. The bill, which would confer ¯ mamage benefits on all couples who cannot otherwise marry, ¯ passed 72-69. Civil unions applied only to Gay and Lesbian ¯ couples, but the replacement reciprocal partnerships would ap- ¯ ply to same-sex couples and to pairs of blood relatives. : The debate on final passage was marked by sharp exchanges ¯ over homosexuality. Ironically, it required many people who ¯ find homosexuality morally repugnant to endorse relationships ¯ between two men and two women. "It’s difficult because it still ¯ gives the same benefits to same-sex individuals, couples as the ¯ traditional marriage couple," said Rep. Nancy Sheltra, R-Derby, : one of the leading opponents of civil unions. She voted for the ¯ bill. ¯ The state Senate will get thebill next, but leaders have said they ¯ don’t intend to address it. And Gov. Howard Dean has said he ¯ would not sign any legislation changing the civil unions law. ¯ The bill accomplished some of the goals of civil unions ¯ opponents; though,because couples no longerwouldbe required ¯ ¯ tohave theirunions certified byAjudge, clergymember orjustice of the peace in the same way that marriages are solemnized. It ¯ also would require the reciprocal partnerships licenses would be ¯ issued by the Health Depa],’tment instead of by individual town ¯ clerks, as civil unions and marriages are. "We see this as a step in the right direction," said the Rev. Craig i Bensen °fCamb,ri,d~e, a leader in theanti-civil uni°n gr°upTake it to the People. It s a bill that makes sense only in the world definedbyBaker." Tha~’ s the 1999 Vermont Supreme Court case that declared Vermont s marriage statutes unconstitutional becauseGay and Lesbian couples were denied the benefits that flow from marriage. To comply with the ruling, the Legislature last year adopted civil unions. That’s a legal structure that parallels mamage but remained separate and distinct, see Unions, p. 2 ¯ TULSA (TFN) - Making lemonade out of lemons, young and older supporters ofGay/Straight Alliances in Oklahoma and new Jenks graduate, Kevin Barker, ¯ ¯ gathered at the LGBT Community Center onMay 21 torespondpositively to a graduationprotestbyWichita ¯ anti-Gay preacher Fred Phelps and his clan. Phelps ¯ targeted Jenks High School because the school’s adminstration, after someprodding andin response to ¯ fedcral law, allowed the formation of the Gay/Straight ¯ Alliance. ¯ In a widely distributed e-mail, Barker wrote, "my : response to this is aimed to take a negative situation ¯ andmakeitapositiveone. Iloveusingkindness tokill ¯ hatred so here is what I wouldlike to do." Barker then ¯ proposed that supporters make a pledge to donate a ¯ sum for each hour that Phelps protested. The more his ¯ crew was there, the more would be raised for the ¯ Jenks GSA via the Oklahoma chapter of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network). see Jenks, p. 9 Gill Foundation to Give TOHR $40,000 Grant Kevin Barker. Jenks Class of 2001, Kerry Lewis of TOHR and Karin Weldin ofSoulforce at the Center. TULSA (TFN)-TulsaOklahomans forHumanRights (TOHR) has announced that the Denver-based Gill Foundation has awarded one of its Fast Track grants toTOHRfor $40,000 for operating andprogramming expenses over a three-year period. The grant also includes technical assistance support. TOHR is one of only three organizations in the nation to receive the grant. ~llae grant will help to ensure TOHR’s financial stability, increase the effectiveness of its programs, and continue its work of more than 20 years in educating the public about issues affectingTulsa’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual &Transgender communities. TOHR is Oklahoma’s oldest civil rights organization dedicated to acheiving equality for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities. TOHR’s largest program is the operation ofthe Tulsa Gay, Lesbian, Bi &Transgender Community Center, 2114 S. Memorial Road. The Gill Foundation was established in 1994 by Tim Gill, founder and former chairman and chief technology officer of Quark, Inc., a Denver-based computer software company. Tim Gill and the Gill Foundation have provided more than $21 million to hundreds of organizations and programs serving LGBT communities and people living with HIV/ AIDS. Through the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Coloradol the foundation funds Colorado nonprofits in the areas of: social justice; children, youth and families; leadership development; arts and culture and public broadcasting. In addition, the foundation operates the OutGiving Department which provides technical assistance and other resources see Gill, p. 9 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 Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. I5th 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. H~rvard 743-1000 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E: 71 250-5034 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 665-4580 Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665 Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 295-5868 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 369-8555 Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460 Horal Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595 Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E..:55th PI. 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 plaiming 459-9349 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440 *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1-111 *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 Ralnbowz on the River 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 743-2363 Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 583-9780. Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201 *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. & Florence Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood 587-1314 *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300 *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 Council Oak Men’s Chorale 748-3888 *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712- ~1511 918.583 1248, fax: 583.4615 POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159 o-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin.Gregory, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lament Lindstrom, Esther Rothbluml Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw Member of The Associated Press Issued around the 1st of each 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 be for publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family News. 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 Spirit Women’ 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 *HouseoftheHolySpiritMinstries,1517S. 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. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 492-7140 *St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 582-3088 Soulforce-OK, R.t.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 743-4297 TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvocacy Coalition, 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 7434297 Unity Churchof Christianity, 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 918-453-9360 EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734 Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 50!-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 ~rhite 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 T’~N. Not all are Gay-owned but all are Gay-friendly, to combat HIV/AIDS by 2003. The plans should involve thebusiness sector, grassroots groups and people living with HIV/AIDS. - Countries most affected by HIV should adopt by 2003 a set oftime targets to achieve the goal of reducing HIV prevalence among young men and women aged 15-24 by 25% by 2005. HIV prevalence in the same age group should be reducedby 25% worldwide by 2010. - A wide range of measures to prevent AIDS - including information and education - should be available by 2005 in all countries, taking account of "local circumstances, ethnic and cultural values." - The number of infants infected with HIV should be reduced by 20% by 2005 and by 50% by. 2010 by providing treatment to expectantmothers who are infected with the HIV virus. - By 2003, countries should develop national programs to increase the availability 9f drugs to treat HIV infections by addressmg issues such as pricing, and by 2005 they shouldmakeprogress in implementing comprehensive health care programs. Theproposed draft also calls for countries to initiate programs to identify groups most vulnerable to AIDS by 2003, to implement programs for AIDS orphans by 2005, and to adopt legislation by 2005 protecting the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. Last month, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for an annual war chest of $7 billion to $10 billion to fight the pandemic. The draft proposal calls for reaching this overall target incrementally by 2005, with money coming from national budgets, international donors, and private assistance. Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Peg Fiery devised reciprocal partnerships as a ¯ .way to comply with the Baker ruling but ." also to alter some of the moral objections to ¯¯ civil unions. She also argued that there are other committed, loving "family units" that ¯ deserved the same benefits that same-sex "_ couples were granted last year. ¯ Gay and Lesbian Vermonters, though, ¯ said the bill was an insult because it sought -" to equate their committed relationships to : those they have with a mother, sibling, aunt .. or uncle. The relationships are significantly ¯ different, they said. "Last year we crafted a ¯ Ve.rmo,,nt compromise and we called it civil ¯ umon, said Rep. William Lippert, D- ¯ Hinesburg, one of two openly Gay lawmak- ¯ ers. "What we have before us today is not just an expansion, as proclaimed, it in fact ¯ uhdoes that Vermont compromise called civil union. You cannot escape that." : Civil unions opponents were intent on ¯ scaling back the law, if not repealing it ¯ altogether. They reluctantly decided it was impossible to repeal it outright and not provide a replacement, though, because the SupremeCourtmadeclear itprobably would ¯ grant Gay and Lesbian couples marriage licenses in the absence of an alternative. : Republicans won their majority in the House largely on the strength of opposition to the civil unions law. But Democrats re- " tained control of the Senate. by Matthew W. Holloway The Gay community is not a happy one. Homosexuals are often crippled in their emotional stability byboth the outer forces of oppression, hate and violence; as well as the inner forces of depression, doubt, self loathing and loneliness. It is mainly due to this crippling emotional legacy that homosexuals have developed the well-deserved reputation for drug use, mental illness, and promiscuity. Thesepattems, as once was believed, are not an unavoidable side effect ofhomosexuality; they are, in fact, not due at all to the fact that one is a homosexual, they are more related to membership, either claimed orexpressod, in the much touted but rarely defined "Gay community". Oneofthe primary drives of people is to align themselves into communities of people. This is done for many reasons, but one of the most influential reasons is to give people smaller packets Of society that they can deal with, and to organize that society so that each can understand it. These communities take many forms, such as religions, governments, and smaller sub-social communities. In many situations these communities of people serve a shorter term purpose, such as the strength of African-American commtmity in the 1960’s. The reason for organizing very strong but temporary communities such as these is to battle agmnst some exterior force. It has been said that people is at his strongest when he is united in the face of some common evil, and this is true. We unite ourselves into conmmnities in order to battle against some outside force. The Gay community was originally organized after this fashion, but the homosexual battle for acceptance and equality "... If the Gay eommunlty does not drastleally change it’s image in the next ten years from a eommunlty united only by a shared sexual preference to a group of people with more in common, with a genuine uniting for~e, then there will be no real vletory in the struggle against oppression that we all share...." has been a much longer and harder one than that of the African-American community of the 1960’s. In order for the Gay commuuity to survxve as a social group it must be changed from the temporary, constantly embattled, and exclusive community to a more functional and longer lasting model. If the Gay community is not able ’to change satisfactorily into a more stable and permanentcommunity it will do long term permanent damage to the campaign in this country for Gay civil rights, ff the Gay community does not drastically change it’s image in the next ten years from a community united only by a shared sexual preference to a group of people withmoreincommon, with a genuine uniting force, then there will be no real victory in the struggle against oppression that we all share. We must provide a world free of the oppression to the many children who constantly realize their own sexualities and reach out for support. Will we be there for them in the next ten years? Are we there for them now? It is our duty to provide these youngpeople with a stable and happy commtmity that they will be happy and content to join. Matthew W. Holloway will attend Tulsa Community College this fall, majoring tn English. Our GLBT Pride week is fast approaching and many members of ourGLBT community ask: "why. even get involved?" I’ll tell you why... To celebrate your own diversity as a unique individual and to be proud who you are! To unite us as a stronger community. To meet others in the community who wouldn;t meet otherwise. TO LEARN. During themonthofJune, I tend to come out to more people and feel better about not hiding that I am a lesbian and I am proud. Being "out" is not a requirement to attend the Pride events, so those of you who struggle with that need not won’y. I want you to consider going to at least one Pride event, you’ll be glad you did! It seems tomethat people fear what they have not experienced or what.they do not understand. "Fear of the unknown" rings so true with this one. I-have found that most people have had a strong feeling for a member of the same sex at some point in their life (if they are honest enough to admit it). Whether or not they choose to labd that attraction as a sexual feeling or not has a lot to do with many factors; cultural, religious, & the comml~tity they live in. Often people do not know what to label these feelings. They mav not have any exposure to homosexualit~ except through the media, which basically portrays a homosexual as a deviant person to be feared, - or a comedian! The news does the best job of all at slapping anegative view our way. Anytime a homosexual is in thenews it is because they .have been involved in some bizarre love triangle or are trying to adopt a child. In either case, the homosexual looks like a pervert, pedophile, you name it. I think thatmost people are either, a strong,heterosexual or a strong homosexual. Of course, this makes for very interesting "water cooler’, discussions. Somepeople fall somewherein the middle, and depending on their life circumstances, at some point act on it or not. So now you are thinking what point in all this?Actually, I will let youin on a little secret.., people, humanbeings, menAND women want to be loved. Some feel that can happen in a relationship with awoman and some feel that can happen in a rdationship with a man. see Divine, p. 11 I spent a lovely evening recently at the Tulsa Philharmonic and followed that by meeting some friends at a favorite Gay watering hole and was amazed at the conversations that I overheard. "Have you seenhimlately... ? Oh gift, she is packing on the pounds! Must be lonely." Khother one went like this: "ThatQueenhas morerolls than Pillsbury." And then a little later: "Ooh Mary. . he looks like the Michelin Man on a bad hair day." Fascinating. At first, I dismissed this behavioras abunchofhateful queens with nothing better to do than talk, but my observations actually bring up a much larger (no pun intended) issue: Why are Gay men so crazed about weight? It is true that welivein an in.credibly image-conscious society where looking good is paramount, but the obsession with staying thin is especially pervasive with Gay men. On a recent trip to Toronto, I caught the great film "Parting Glances", and my point was driven home when a hefty character made the statement that "I may have co~umitted the gay Cardinal Sin of being overweight but I still have a lot to offer someone." Being overweight can’t be a sin, can it? In Gay society, you bet it is and the consequences can be devastating. I recently came out of a year-long rela- ¯tionship with a ~nan who was mmfiacal about weight - mine. I am a healthy 37 year old man who is 5’ 11" mad a solid 180 pounds and I work out regularly. Like any person, I have been known to gain a few ¯ pounds afler sphtrging on some great meals. At first, my Ex put me on display as if to say "’Look what I" ve caught," but when the scale neared 190 the adoring cormnents turued nasty. "You are getting a double chin!" he barked at me one morning "mad I won’t have a fat boyfriend." Ouch. Was I not the same personjust because I gained 7 pounds? I tried going to the gym more and eating less but my weight continued to fluctuate. I told my Ex that the topic ofmy weight was offlimi ts but this did not work. In public, he was the perfect boyfriend. In private, he was critical and cold. I became frightened at losing my Partner. Then I became bulimic. It happened slowly at first. I popped a couple of laxatives before going to bed as if they were an herbal supplement. Our relationship seemed to improve as I became thinner. So two laxatives became four, eight, ten... I finally quit counting. When we went out, friends would comment on how great I looked now that my waist was 29 inches and shrinking. I was told that I looked a decade younger. People were amazed that I could eat and drink whatever I wanted and still lose weight. It should have felt great...but if they only knew. The relationship ended between Christmas and New Year’ s. Upon learning ofmy bulimia, my Ex left a terse note onmy door "... In our group of six. there were four Gay men, two of whom I knew. We were at once frightened and outraged that our partners, friends, and Gay brothers could not accept us for who we are. Give us the AIDS epidemie to fight or mobilize us against hate and we’ll join together as One, but God forbid if any of us are chunky . . . stating that he wmated nothing further tc with someone who had a selfish, sic"- ~ ~g disorder. Charming. "’I’ll show him," I said and I decided to losemore weight. Two weeks later I was in The GAP wanting some new jeans but they had nothing for aman with a 26 inch waist. There were whispers among people that I had Cancer or AIDS. In reality, I was fooling Mother Nature and soon she fought back. First my personality began to change. Gone was the self confident, easy-going man I was and in my place was afrightened, obsessive, and vicious Mr. Hyde. I backed out of an important promotion at work, fearing that I would fail I brought new definition to the term "lean and mean." Then I rushed to the doctor one day in agony with stomach pains and he told me that I was suffering from malnutrition and had lesions on my colon. IfI continued to abuse laxatives, the doctor said, I would indeed have a new Partner: a colostomy bag. And that was if I lived. I was frightened that if my condition were exposed, I would be treated with the same disgust that my Ex displayed. So I went to Bulimics Anonymous. In our group of six, there were four Gay men, two of whom ! knew. We were a~ once frightened and outraged that our partners. friends, and Gay brothers could nol accept us as we are. Give us the AIDS epidemic to fight or mobilize us against hate and we’ll join together as One, bul God forbid if any of us are chunky - then we are "dmnaged goods." I learned that bulimia is not about weight: it is about control. In my case, I was tryiug to balm~ce a career, a relationship, graduate school, AND stay in shape. I was not expected to gmn any weight. Sometlfing had to give. I also lemned to share my experience with others. I leaned on three people: a parent, my personal trainer, and a close friend - ironically all of whom are heterosexual. They were completely supportive. My trainer did get angry with me for not trusting him to help me out of this darkness and then he put his arms around me and held me while I cried in disbelief that this understanding and compassion seems virtually non-existent in the Gay connntmity. Fortunately, I had recovered. It was not easy. My hair turned gray for a time and I had severe skin eruptions as I leached the chemicals out of my body. My digestive system is extremely sensitive and will remain so for the rest of my life. But my weight is stable and I amhappy withmy 32 inch waist. Most important, I know that I am a good person no matter what my weight and any man is lucky to have me. And my Ex ? I saw him recently. He walked by and refused to speak to me. As I looked at this man who had become a stranger, I noticed that he had indeed put on some weight... - anonymous Memorial to Gay Soldiers Dedicated. CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (AP) - A Gay veterans group unveiled a monument to remember Gay service members killed in combat. The recent ceremony was attended by veterans in tmiform, the mother of a Navy serviceman beaten to death at age 23 for being Gay, -" and a color guard carrying the rainbow banner that _" symbolizes Gay pride. ¯ The activists who pushed for the monument in this : desert city just south of Palm Springs say it is the first ¯ of its kind. "It’s a turn-of-the-century event," said¯" Dennis Palt, a former Air Force staff sergeant who served in Vxemam. I had hope for this but you could " have never thought this would becomea reality in the " 1970s, 1980s or ’90s. It’ s fabulous." Hawaii Passes Hate Crimes Bill HONOLULU (AP) - Gov. BenCayetano said that he will sign the "hate crimes" bill passed.by this year’ s Legislature. It gives longer sentences for crimes motivated by the victim’ s race, religion, disability, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation. Cayetano said while he has concerns about making distinctions between various kinds of victims, in this casehefeels there’ s a statement tube made. He said his decision was "close call" because he doesn’ t believe Hawaii has a problem with hate crimes - yet. The hate crimes bill was supported by Gay and Lesbian groups and several civil rights groups, including the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. It was opposed by the Public Defender’s Office, the Honolulu Police Department. and several religion-based groups. Disciples Church Adds Partner Benefits Man Adopts Gay Partner " SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP)-A Montgomery County ¯ man has adopted his Gay partner. Chief Circuit Judge " DeLawrence Beard approved the petition of the 60- year-old adopter and the 65-year-old adoptee, Beard’s : law clerk, Tracy Silverman, confirmed. The men’s lawyer, James Shrybman, said that since " the men can’t legally marry, they sought the adoption ", to guaranteefamily rights regarding e~.ch o,th.err s ,me.dical care andfuneral arrangements, and to clarity c~mms of survivorship and inheritance Shrybman would not identify the men, citing their desire for privacy. Their adoption records in court are sealed. The lawyer said the Silver Spring couple have lived together at least 32 years. Shrybman said they considered forging some sort of domestic partner contract, but felt it wouldn’t have provided the family relationship recognized by law and might not withstand challenges by other claimants. "They chose to proceed to have the court put its ~mprimatur on their relationship and this is the only one that was open to them," Shrybman said. The adoptee’s parents are both dead, he said. Other Gay couples have attempted such adoptions, with varying degrees of success, m recent years, said David Buckel, senior staff attorney with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a national Gay civil-rights organization based in New York. "’At present, same-sex couples throughout the nation are denied the freedom to marry, which would bring the greatest array of protections for their family," he said. "’When you are a couple and you can’t get roamed, you kind of reach out for whatever alternaayes there are, and it sounds like these gentlemen have found a helpful alternative in the state of Maryla_~.d." A bill to diminate sex discrimination in mamage was introducedin the 2000 General Assembly but was blocked in committee. Baltimore city, Takoma Park and Montgomery County offer domestic partnership benefits to their employees. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -The 831,000-member Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has become one of the first mainline Protestant denominations to authorize medical coverage for domestic partners of unmarried employees. The decision was announced by the church pension fund, which had discussed the issue for five years and agreed to consider coverage if July’ s national General Assembly approved it. But the denomination’s General Board said last month the pension fund should decide, not the national meeting. The coverage, which could start as soon as January, doesn’ t extend to pensions. Group Condemns i Disney Gay Days ¯ ¯ ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The president of a Christian group is asking that Disney officials denounce "Gay ¯ Days," the annual gathering of Gays and Lesbians at ¯ Orlando’ s theme parks. ¯ Martin Mawyer, president of the Forest, Va.-based ~ Christian Action Network, sent a letter to Disney ¯ chairman Michael Eisner also asking Disney officials ¯ to warn families about the event. He asked that signs be . ¯ posted and that other visitors to be able to get refunds ¯ if they Want. "After all, these families made plans to ¯ attend a theme park, not ahomosexual event," Mawyer ¯ said in the letter. Disney and the other Orlando theme parks don’t sponsor Gay Days but many of the week’s events, are ¯ held on the theme park resort’s property as well as : Universal Studios, SeaWofld and Tampa Bay Busch Gardens. "Our policy is to be hospitable to everyone who comes to our resort, to welcome everyone as a guest and to treat everyone with respect," said Disney spokeswoman Rena Callahan. "Mr. Mawyer is w~elcome to visit Walt Disney World any day and we will wdcome him as a guest as well." Gay Days started out as a single day in 1991 when then-Orlando resident Doug Swallow and friends from a Gay computer bulletin board service informally decided to get together at the Magic Kingdom. Since then, Gay Days has become a multi-day event that starts June 1 this year. It is expected to attract as many as 100,000 Gays and Lesbians and dozens of parties in local clubs and venues. Find out for yourself how good the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 Come share good ness of Lord with our community € Morning 11:00 AM =hildren’s Worship During Service MCC United Rev. Cathy Elliott, Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918)838-1715 mcctulsa@aol.com Lesbian Kiss Gets Yearbook Censored BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Dozens of Boulder High School students locked lips outside the school to protest a decision to withdraw a photo of a same-sex kiss from the yearbook. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Straight students were encouraged to kiss one another, and about 150 people turned out at the protest. It lasted about an hour. Students had claimed discrimination after the picture of two girls kissing was yankedfrom the yearbook. The picturewas to be included in a feature called"First Kiss" along w;th those ofheterosexual couples kissing. Yearbook adviser Ruth Palmer said the parents of the two girls would have to give permission for the photo to run. When she didn’t hear back from them, she took the photo out. Student Rachel Stanley said that decision showed a double standard because photos of male-female kisses were allowed to run without parental approval. "A lot more needs to be done to open people’s eyes about the problems facing kids" with different sexual backgrounds, Stanley said as students behind her hugged and kissed. "It has to start somewhere and maybe this is it." 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, hffo: 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~dAA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Ghild, Family, Individual & Gouplo Psychotherapy (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-I248 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 83-8:1100 Saint Aidan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 Saint John 4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 OPENARMS .o OPEN MINDS OPEN I-IFARFS Saint Dunstan 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Trinity 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You Louisiana Senate Kills Anti-discrimination Bill BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Legislation outlawing employment discrimination against Gays was defeated in the Louisiana Senate after a polite but sometimes emotional debate. "If we fail today we’ll be back again in the next session," the bill’ s sponsor, state Sen. Don Cravins, said just before the 14-21 vote against the measure. Cravins’ bill would have outlawed discrimination in hiring, firing or promoting anyone on the basis of "actual or perceived sexual orientation." Cravins said some lawmakers supported the idea but admitted to him they could not vote for it because it would cost them political support. While Senate committee debate included views from religious opponents of the bill, opposition on the floor centered around the practicality of the bill. State Sen. Bill Jones said the bill was unworkable since it created a protected class and proving someone is a member of that class would be based solely on that person’s claim. Lutheran Bishop Resigns Over Gay Ordination LOS ANGELES (AP)- Southern California’s ranking Lutheran bishop says the church has asked him to resign for participating in last month’ s ordination of a Lesbian in Minnesota in defiance of church law. Bishop Paul W. Egertson, whose sonis Gay, said he has decided whether to comply with the request, which comesjust months before his term expires Aug. 31. He was not seeking re-election. Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson asked Egertson before the ceremony to reconsiderhis participation, said John Brooks, a spokesman for the Chicago- based Evangelical. Lutheran Church in America. Brooks would not confirm that the bishop had asked Egertson to resign. Rev. Paul Tidemann of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church said he is not surprised by the decision. Anita Hill, the pastor who Egertson ordained, now serves at St. Paul-Reformation with Tidemann. "I think that the ELCA is doing what it feels it has to do given the policy that it has," Tidemann said. "Every: body is in a bit of a difficult spot because the church has not decided to change that policy "" Egertson, 65, became bishop of the Southern California (West) Synod in 1995. The synod includes 140 churches, 275 ministers and nearly 46,000 baptized members. Egei’tson became the church’ s first active bishop to participate in the ordination of a Lesbian when he took part in the ceremony for Hill. Egcrtson said he was conscience-bound to defy the church by joining in Hill’ s ordination. "I can no longer advocate this cause with credibility from a posihon of personal safety," Egertson wrote Anderson at the time. Somechurch leaders were concerned aboutEgertson whenhe was elected bishop in 1995 because he said he had earlier joined in blessing same-sex couples. For that reason, Egertson said, he promised in writing to resign if he ever felt he must defy church law as a matter ofconscience. He said Anderson has now asked him to follow through. The Saint Paul Area Synod would not comment on Egertson because "responsibility for this matter rests with our churchwide leadership," said spokeswoman Beth Helgen. But the Saint Paul Area Synod is considering disciplinary action against St. Paul-Reformation. Bishop Mark Hanson and the Saint Paul Area Synod Council could decide to expel the congregation from the ELCA. Helgen said she expected the synod to make a decision soon, but there is no deadline for the announcement. Religious Leader Opposes Partner Benefits PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine has begun taking steps to prohibit all state and local governments from providing domestic partnership benefits. Michael Heath filed a petition with the Secretary of State’s office to force an election on the issue. ff Heath’s petition is approved and he meets the requirements necessary to land the issue on the November 2002 ballot, voters will also decide whether or not to overturn a decision by the Portland City Council to establish a registry of same-sex and opposite-sex unmarried couples. Heath’s referendum would also prohibit the state university*system from providing benefits to the domestic partners of their employees, and would take away health insurance from the domestic parmers of employees who already have them. "We are praying and thinking about it and talking with folks who have concerns about this, about domestic partnership and the agenda of the Gay movement here in Maineand throughout the country," Heath said. The Secretary of State’s office is reviewing the petition and is expected to respond by June 4. Heath will then be able to collect signatures- he needs 42,101 - to place the question on the ballot. The state has made significant strides in recognizing stone-sex couples in recent months. Earlier this year, the State Employee Health Commission approved granting health insurance beuefits to Gay and unmarried heterosexual partners of state employees. On Monday, the Portland City Council made history by unanimously supporting the creation of a registry, which will recognizedomes tic partners as families and afford them many of the same rights and privileges as husbands and wives The university systeln and the City of Portland have offered the benefits for some time, and the ordinance City Councilors in the city approved on Monday would require any recipient of city funds to offer the benefits to employees. A bill is also in the state Legislature that would require health insurance companies to offer domestic partner benefits if they offer coverage to the spouses of plan-covered Legislature members. The measure was approved by the House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate for a final vote. Karen Gcraghty, a Portland city councilor who cosponsored the city’s ordinance, said she and others knew that Heath had filed the petition, and are taking steps to keep a ballot question from passing. "This is about denying peoples’ access to health care," she said. "This is about inequity in the workplace.’" Heath has been successful with statewide referendnms oncivil rights issues for Gays. In February, 1998, voters overturned a statewide anti,discrimination law that the Legislaturehad passed. Last November, voters again turned down such a law. Portland Eases Ban on Military Recruiting PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Portland school board has loosenedamilitary recrmting ban that was prompted by the military’ s "don’ t ask, don’ t tell" policy toward Gays. In a unanimous vote, the board decided teachers and counselors can refer students to recruiters offcampus only if students are told that the military prohibits Gays who disclose or act on their orientation. The decision is a compromise between Gay civilrights activists who opposed military recruitment in schools and recruiters, who said the armed forces offer opportunities for students who aren’ t college-bound. Abrams wrote the district’ s ban on military recruitment, which was put into place in 1995. The board had pushed various plans in recent weeks to give students more access to the military in school. Powell Will Lobby for More AIDS $ KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell says his four-nation tour of Africa has pu.t human faces on the AIDS epidemic sweeping the continent, and he’ll use the experience to lobby for more U.S. aid. "I can go back and make a case in Washington of the need for more resources," Powell said. "I hope I can convey the passion of what I have seen" when he reports back to President Bush. Powell was wrapping up an African gour that also .tookhim to Mali, South Africa and Kenya. He was next headed to Budapest, Hungary, for NATO meetings. The secretary visited AIDS outreach . centers in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, and Kampala, the Ugandan capital. He said he was deeply moved by heating the experiences of AIDS victims in both places, and watching Africans trying to come to grips with the disease ttL~ough song, dance and skits. "You don’t really get a full appreciation until you see the people who are sla’icken," Powell said. In Nairobi, Patricia Ochieng, 33, told Powell it had been nearly 10 years since she’d tested positive with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Since then, both her 4- year-old son and her husband have died of the disease, she said, and"I kept dying day by day. All my dreams were gone." The Bush administration announced earlier this month it was contributing an ilfitial $200 million to a global $7 billion fund to combat AIDS. That’s on top of about $460 million the United States had earlier committed to fighting AIDS. In Kampala, Powell announced $50 millionin aid over five years to helpUganda expand a prevention program. The programhas sharpl) cut Uganda s HIV-AIDS rate from nearly 30% to about 10%. On his travels through Africa, Powell has said repeatedly that he would work to get additional U.S. support for AIDS prevention, research and trealanent programs. "Even though there are wars in other parts of the world, even though there’s a crisis in the Middle. East, even though people are dying in these conflicts around the world, there’s no war more serious, there’s no war causing more death or destruction, there’s no war on the face Of the earth that is more grave than the war in sub-Saharan Africa against HIV-AIDS," he said. More than 25 million people on the continent are infected with HIV. Teens Want Complete Sex Info CHICAGO (AP) - Take a look at some of the spicy novds aimed at readers as young as 12. Tune in any number of TV shows popular with young viewers and try finding the characters who haven’t had sex. Ever hear the "Thong Song" or the recent No. 1 "It Wasn’t Me," a tune about a couple getting caught "banging on the bathroomfloor"?Many dementary school students have. Officially - from President George W. Bush on down - young people are being told to just say ’no’ to sex. Yet they are bombarded with images that, they say, make the mantra difficult to take seriously. Frustrated with mixed messages, many teens say the)’ would make better choices for themselves if they had more information about sex - and less hype. "How can you expect teens to be abstinent when all they see is sex?" asks DeVoia Stewart, 16. "It’s a little hypocritical." Through the 1990s, biennial surveys from the federal Centers for Disease Control andPreventionfound fewerhigh school students saying they had had sexual intercourse - from just over 54.1% in 1991 to 49.9% in 1999. The number of teen-age mothers giving birthalso dropped, although there are still about a million teen pregnancies each year. But health officials say sexually transmitted diseases are a big concern for teens - among them HIV, chlamydia, herpes, gonorrhea and human papilloma virus, which can develop into cervical cancer. They also say that, instead of intercourse, someteens are having otherkinds ofsexual contact, like oral sex, that can easily spread disease. The statistics have only heightened the debate about what to tell young people about sex, evenamongyoungpeople themselves. "In my school, there are people who adamantly preach about waiting for sex, and there are also people who love to recount their own racy experiences," says Alessa Thomas, 16. For adults, part of the debate is whether to distribute condoms and other forms of birth control to teens. This spring, Planned Parenthood distributed "prom Survival Kits," including condoms, to students in Minneapolis and other cities. About the same time, a health board in northern Kentucky decided to change its sex .education curriculum to "abstinence only," seeing any talk of safer sex or condom distribution as lessons in "how to." "We’re talking about young people who can’t remember to bring their homework to school or set their alarm dock - and yet we want them to remember to use acondomevery time they engage in sexual intercourse?" says Addia Wuchner, who oversees the board’s haman sexuality committee. But many young people say they should be trusted to handle more information - the more, the better. Christopher Batu, 20, agrees that abstinence education is important, but he still wishes he had knownmore about "the reality of what could happen" because of sex when he was younger. He says "sex isn’ t evil," but it carries a load of responsibility with it. The hunger for accurate, frank informa~ tion has prompted some teens to educate themselves. Some efforts are official, including SEX, ETC., a sexuality and health newsletter and Web site sponsored by Rutgers University that is written by teens for teens. Other teens say they get their information from sources such as drDrew.com, a healthWeb sitefor 14- to 24-year-olds that answers questions ranging from "What is considered safe sex?" to "What can I do to helpmyboyfriend last longer during sex?" Thomas says she doesn’t go to adults because "I am afraid they will judge me." Still, a report released this month shows that many young people want more infor- Tulsa A R E S p r e s e n t Hair Ball 2001 Juty 14, 8pro, PAC’sWestby Pavilion & LaFortune Studio, $80 donation. Call Rebecca at 884-4194 On the 20th Anniversary of AIDS, the AIDS Coalition of Tulsa presents a Town Hall Meeting June 5th, 2pm Topics: Update on the Epidemic, Janice Nicklas Testing Positive, Living with HIV, Tommy Chesbro Knowing Your HIV Status, Ebony Skillens Diversity In New HIV Cases, Kristi Frisbie HIV Treatment in Tulsa, Damon Baker, DO, & Don Eberly Care Needs of PLWAs, Sharon Thoele How Tulsans Can Help, Janice Nicklas Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder The Tulsa City County Library System is proud to Embrace Diverst honoring Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered Oklahomans with the following events: Saturday, June 2. 2pm. Maxwell Park Library "Coming Out in Tulsa Area High Schools" Dr. Doug Gronberg, English teacher at Booker T. Washington High School, moderates a panel discussion by high school students in Gay/Straight Alliances. Monday, June 4. 7pm. Central Library "Council Oak Men’s Chorale" Monday, June 4. 7pm. Helmerich Library "Family Law Issues Affecting the Gay COmmuaity" Panel discussion with IJnda Lacey, TU College of Law, moderating. Thursday, June 7. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" Harvey.Fierstein and Matthew Broderick star in "Torch Song Trilogy." Saturday, June 9. 12 Noon. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" "Out Of the Past" documents the struggles of Kelli Peterson, who started a Gay’/ Straight alliance in her Salt Lake City school in 1996. Thursday, June 14. 7pm. Central Library "Diversity Film Festival" ’°Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy Award for best live action short. "If These Walls Could Talk": Stories about Lesbian couples in three deeades. "Bubbeh .Lee and Me": A Gay man’s visit with his 87 year old grandmother. Tuesday, June 19.2pm. West Regional Library Book Discussion: "Deliver Us From Evie" Thursday, June 21. lpm. Broken Arrow Library Book Disa~ssion:"Fried Green Tomatoes" Thursday, June 21. 7pm. Brookside Library AIDS Memorial Quilt Project Vale Bode, director of Education and Outreach for the Tulsa Area chapter of the NAMES project, discusses the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Please call 596-7977 or your local branch library if you have questions or need more information. Please plan to attend. " marion from adults about sex. The survey of 12- to 17-year-olds by the fkaiser Family Foundation found that48% wanted more information about sexual health from their doctor and 42% from their health class teachers. A third wanted more discussxons with their parents. "This is difficuh stuffto talk to yourkids about, but youhave to do it-kids want you to doit," says Margaret Anderson, a senior program manager for the Academy for Educational Development, a nonprofit group that uses fe,~Ieta]and privatefuhding to help-community organizations develop sex education and other programs. Jonathan Olinger, 18, agrees. He says that his parents’ first talk with him about sex was awkward but that it _opened the door to other questions. "We listen to our parents a lot more than they realize," he says. Glaxo Lowering AIDS Drugs Costs NAIROBI,- Kenya (AP)~_-. Glaxo SmithKline will expand a program tod-e-- liver low-cost AIDS drugs in Kenya to include -aid organizations andl~ge employee health programs, the marketing director in Kenya said at the end of May. Dr. William Kiarie said the company’s drugs would be offered at a no-profit price, 90% cheaper than the retail price charged in North America and Europe. Glaxo Kenya already Offers the drugs at the discounted pnee to government hospitals. "It is not a new program, it is just new in the way it is being implemented," Kiarie said. "What we are talking about is implementing the price reductions and expanding that to more groups of people." Glaxo, along with other multinational pharmaceutical companies, has come under increasing pressure to lower the prices of antiretroviral drugs that treat HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. More than 26 million people in Africa have HIV, but most live on less than $1 a day. Glaxo’s discount will bring the price of treatment down to $2 a day, Kiarie said. Only about 1,000 of the 2.1 million Kenyans infected with HIV are being treated with antiretrovirals now, Kiarie said. But even at the lower price, this numberwill only expand to between 20,000 and 30,000, he added. "As an industry, we have to lower the prices," Kiarie Said. "But this will not be enough. If we want a significant increase in access to antiretroviral drugs, we have to look for other funding and infrastructure buildup." Kiarie refused to discuss specific drugs or what the exact prices would be. Indra Van Gisbergen, an attorney working with the Kenyan CoalitiOn for Access to Essential Medicines, said the offer was nothing that hadn’t been promised by the pharmaceutical companies before and that the lack of details was disturbing. "Glaxo is misleading the public on the -prices by hiding all the conditions that come with the price," Van Gisbergen said. "In order to get those pnces you have to sign a contract that hasa very funny paragraph about agreeing with the company." Van Gisbergensaid Glaxo has refused to show AIDS activists copies of the contract, but she had obtained one copy. She said Glaxo’s announcement was timed to influence a bill in Kenya’s parliament that would allow the government to override patents and allow the importation of lowpriced, generic AIDS drugs. "This announeement should not be used as an’ excuse not to pass the bill and allow generic drugs into Kenya," Van Gisbergen said. HIV Clinic Targets Rural Poor GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) - qlae fight against HIV disease is being stepped up in Greenwood, Leflore County and the rest of the Delta. To Dr. Hamza O. Brimah of Greenwood, director of the program, it’s about time. "I have a growing base of padents who are living with HIV," said Brimah, 40. "Back in 1997, when the Magnolia Medical Clinic opened, we had barely 10 patients. Today, we’ve seen almost 200." A $1 million grant provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be spread over three years and provide primary care services for !owincome individuals living with HIV, he said. Called the Magnoli~ Medical Clinic/ Greenwood Leflore Hospital HIV Program, the project covers a nine-county region that runs west to Washington County, south to Holmes County and north to Coahoma County. The grant has two goals, Brimah said. The first is to improve the quality of care provided to the HIV patient. One way is to upgrade patient referrals to other primarycare services, such as dental care, mental health care and women’s health care.- The other is improving access to care. "Werealize that there are still many people who are not in care," Brimah said. For every person living with HIV, he said, there are nine or 10 who aren’t aware that they have it. "What we’re trying to do is encourage people to get tested, to access care by being able to provide them with transportation and to pay for their clinic visits," Brimati said. Testing and treatments, if necessary, are provided at no cost for low-income individuals. Treatment for AIDS and HIV has improved significantly over the past five years. "In the past, there used to be complex regimens, which meant several pills that had lots of side effects that differ from the more recent treatment options," Brimah said. One improvement is a new pill that has to be taken only twice a day. "That’s a long way from the time when patients had to take upwards of 30 pills a day," Brimah said. "The cost has remained about the Average treatment costs for HIV patients are around $1,000 per month. Drugs also have been developed that can reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to baby. "We encourage all pregnant women to get HIV tested," Brimah said. "It is possible to reduce the chances that the baby will be born with HIV disease." AIDS and HIV cases have leveled off nationwide, but the number of rural cases has risen slightly, Brimah said. by TFN staff James Christjohn, TFN’s most excellent entertainment editor, is taking much needed time offforgoodbehavior (editor’s note: is that what that’s called now?). He is gearing upfor the Stevie Nicks tour. The high priestess of rock and roll STEVIE NICKS will embark on an extensive concert tour this summer with an itinerary that will take her across the United States. Nicks will perfonfi material from her new CD TROUBLE IN SHANGRI-LA which entered the Billboard albtun charts at No. 5 and has remained a Top 2Ohit for the last three weeks. She" will also cover material from her previous solo albums as well as her hits as a member of Fleetwood Mac. Billboard Magazine hailed Nicks’ new album as "this years comeback equivalent to Carlos Santana and her strongest material since her landmark Bdla Donna." Check local venues for on sale dates and ticket prices. The tour dates are as follows, being the closest to Tulsa She gets: August 3 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Center; August 4 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion; August 28 Banner Springs, KS Sandstone Amphitheatre; August 29 St. Louis, MO Riverport Amphitheatre. - But meanwhile in Tulsa, there’s things happening. From June 6th to July 1, Light Opera Oklahoma (LOOK) will be prov!ding the best in light, summer entertmnment with, as always, some Gilbert & Sullivan, the Mikado, Herbert’s Naughty Marietta and Lerner & Lowe’s My Fair Lady, based, of course on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. LOOK is also presenting a one woman "Carmen" which feature Julie Goell as a cleaning lady who entertains hersdf by performing scenes from the Bizet opera. And Broadway and film .veteran Lynette Bennett will reprise the career of Jeanette McDonald in a show Bennett wrote. For times and dates on all these performance, call 583-5398 or see their website: www. webtek.com/gilbertsullivan Down at the Performing Arts Center, American Theatre Company will close their season with Wit, the riveting tale of Dr. Vivian Bearing, a professor of 17th century English poetJohn Donne. Bearing has cancer and the play addresses her struggle with the disease and is full of allusions to Donne’s work. Tulsa theatre veteran Lisa Wilson stars in the, production directed by Ken Spence. Call the PAC, 596-2525, for times and prices. Also there. Theatre Tulsa will present the Cotton Patch Gospel which recounts the life and times of Jesus Christ as set in the hills of Georgia. It’s been characterized as "a story for intellectuals who are closet hillbillies..." This, of course, describe~ so many that we know... This is Philbrook’s award winning lawns. likdy to be good despite this description. ¯ Again call 596-2525. ¯¯ Put on your radar Tulsa’s annual SummerStage Festival which will present ¯ a number of plays during July and into ¯ early August. Call thePAC at 596-2525 or log on to www.tulpac.com ¯ Now over at Philbrook, they’re notcoming up daisies and dandelions in the lawn. In fact, the museum has won an award from Briggs and Stratton (yes, that’s right, the lawn mower engine manufactorers) for having one of the top ten lawns in the US. Others who’ve won the award include Graceland, the Alamo, and this year, the Biltmore Estate and the Hemingway Home in Key West. All the work at Philbrook is done by only four people according to ¯ grounds supervisor, Ralph Bendel. ¯ And one ofTulsa’ s summer traditions is film and theatre on the lawn at Philbrook. ¯ Keep reading this column for further in- ¯. formauon. Also at Philbrook is a show opening ¯ June 10 of the glass artistry of West Coas! ¯ artist William Morris. Morris’ work is ¯ reflective of his interest in archeology and ¯ ancient pagan cultures. Morris lives near Seattle where he was master glassblower to world renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Morris’ work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre and the Victoria and Albert Museum in ¯ London as well as theLos Angeles County ¯ Museum. ¯ Philbrook is at 2727 S. Rockford Rd., is ¯ open Tues. - Sat. 10-5pm, Sun. 11-Spin ¯ and till 8pm on Thurs. Admission at the ¯ grounds, Museum Shop and la Villa res- ¯ taurant is alway free and more information ¯ is available at www.philbrook.org ". Don’t" forget that Tulsa CiU-County ¯ Library is presenting a variety of Diversity ¯ programnfing during the month of June. ¯ Central Library will host the Council Oak Men’ s Chorale on Monday, June 4 at ¯ 7pro. The Chorale will perform a variety ¯ of vocal selections. ¯ On Thursday, June 7 at 7pm, Central ¯ will begifl its "Diversity Film. Festival" ¯ with Harvey Fierstein and Matthew ¯ Broderickin"TorchSongTrilogy," which ¯ was adapted from the Tony Award win- . ning Broadway hit. The musical numbers ¯ are a hoot, and Anne Bancroft chews the : scenery nicely. ¯ Next will be "Out of the Past" docu- ¯ menting the struggles of Kelli Peterson, ¯ who started a Gay/Straight alliance in her ¯ Salt Lake City school in 1996. Her fight ¯ became a statewide battle that brought ¯ national attention. This film is scheduled ¯ for Saturday, June 9 at 12 Noon. Thursday, June 14 (7pm) will see " "Trevor": Winner of the 1994 Academy ¯ Award for best live action short. This ¯ highly acclaimed, see arts, p. 9 Bernsen Foundation For Tickets Call (918) 583-5398 Kendall Theatre The University of Tulsa Matinees: 2:00 Evenings: Thursday & Friday 7:30, Saturday 8:00 Tirnothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planning, Personal Injury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-8OO-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East 3roadway, Drumright, Oklahoma weekend and evening appoinlmenls are available. 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 touching, funny film addresses issues of sexual identity and compassion and, "If These Wails Could Taik" a trio of stories about Lesbian couples in three different decades. The last film that evening will be "Bubbeh Lee and Me": about a Gay man’ s visit with his 87 year old grandmother in a Florida retirement community. Pleasecall 596-7977 or yourlocal branch library if you have questions or need more information. GLSEN is the sponsor of Student Pride USA, the organization that helped me to get our Gay Straight Alliance started, and GLSEN in Oklahoma provided assistance to Barker as well. Phelps, aiso adisbarred attorney, didnot attend the protest himself but members of his congregation, most of whom are also related to him did picket near Orai Roberts University’s Mabee Center. Barker, in remarks made to supporters at the Center, noted that in response to ’the protest a number of his classmates, many unknown to him, offered .him words of support and encouragement. Barker aiso notedthat as afundraiser the incident was highly successful, raising several thousand dollars for Gay/Straight student organizing in Oklahoma. to supportthe conmaunities it serves. The Gill Foundation and OutGiving Department are headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The Gay and Lesbian Fundfor Colorado is based in Colorado Springs. The Festival will feature booths with pride merchandise, food, beverages as well as a variety of entertainment, from singers to femaieimpersonators,maybe a comedian, grrrl bands, the Council Oak Mens Choraie and "surprises." The opemng ceremonies for the Festivai will be held at 4:30pm. The Festivai is scheduled to continue until dark. Tulsa Transit shuttles will begin at noon at Veterans’ Park to take people to several stops aiong the parade route. Volunteers are encouraged to help carry the 120 foot long rainbow flag, Oklahoma’ s largest. Entries into the parade are still possible but the entry fee has now gone to $50, profit and non-profit alike. At the Gaia Dinner, TOHR will present its Community Hero awards to four individuals as well as recognize some of the organization’ s donors, and the TOHR Volunteer of the Year. And on June 16th, Borders Books & Music will haveaTOHRbenefit day where a percentage of purchases will be donated by the store to TOHR. Cail the Center at 743-4297 for more information. Viewpoint: Study ¢: Gay to Straight Bias ¯ by Wayne Besen The Human Rights Campaign What do John Paulk, Jeremy Marks Wade Richards have in conm~on ? ~I were ail high profile"ex-Gays" who c:~ v. out of the closet in the past year - c: Paulk’s case, was photographed at a ~ y bar in Washington. If there is one kn~:. fact about "ex-Gays," it is that one camaot aiways take their stories of "change" at face vaiue. In light of the double lives of prominent "ex-Gays," it seems questionable to conduct a"scientific" study on whetherpeople can "change" their sexual orientation - if it is based solely on their testimonies. Yet this is exactly what psychologist Dr. Robert Spitzer did. Moreover, many ofhis 200 subjects wereinvolvedupon the referral of several virulently anti-Gay political groups. Themostobvious flaw in Spitzer’ s study was the clear role played by these groups. The "ex-Gay" ministries referred 43% of the subjl~cts to Spitzer. The anti-Gay National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuaiity referred 23%. "His sampling method was totally inadequate," Dr. Lawrence Hartmann, a professorat Harvard and alongtime researcher on homosexuality told Newsday. A year ago, the Human Rights Campaign urged Spitzer in a letter to use objective physical measures in determining whether his subjects were still attracted to the same sex. Why did he decline? Spitzer and others claim that the new study shows that sexuai orientation in "highly motivated" people may be changeable. But the results show quite the opposite. Even though study participants were a hand-selected sample of activists - with 78% having spoken out publicly about ~onver~ion therapy - only .17% of the men and55%ofthe womencharacterized themselves as 100% heterosexual after at least five years of therapy. Additionaily, 56% of the men and 18% of the women still said they fantasized about the same sex. Anti-Gay activists have long claimed that tens of thousands of people have gone from Gay to straight. But after a review of the most "’successful" 200 cases, it is clear that the failure rate of conversion therapy is high. This is why Spitzer acknowledged having "great difficulty" in finding nonreligious therapists able to refer clients whom had successfully changed their sexual orientation. Another study by Ariel Shidlo and Michael Schroeder, represents a more realistic picture of conversion therapy efforts. TheNew York psychologists studied 202 subjects who tried to change their sexual orientation, and found that 97% failed to change in any meaningful way. And of the 3% who claimed to have fully changed, all but one work as "conversion" counselors. Until society is freefrom anti-Gay prejudice, people will feel compelled or be coerced into attempting to change. While new research on this controversial subject is welcome, Spitzer’s study does not further enhance the current debate. It only offers a view that is long on right-wing influence and short of objective data. by Lamont Lindstrom Here is a childhoodmemory: Iamriding the bus to school - fifth grade, I think. I’m relaxed, looking about here-and-there: At other kids, out the window, at myself refleeted in the window, and - oh my god! - I’m wearing a yellow shirt! And it’s Queersday! Thursday, that is. I can’t anymore remember all the indignities, but friends and enemies used hands and tongues to reprimand me for breaking one of the sacred rules of schoolyard society: Only queers would wear yellow on Thursday. We followed a complicated and often cruel kid culture full of beliefs, rituals, and regulations. These rules starkly delineated the normal from the abnormal, the acceptable from the forbidden. Many focused on appearance. Boys cross their legs at the knee, gifts at the ankle. Boys carry books at the side, girls complicated and often cruel kid culture furl of beliefs, rltuals, and regulations... Many focused on appearance. Woe was he, or she, who failed to monitor the body... It is an easy guess that playground taboos refleet children’s attempts to grapple with gender... [trying to fit] ourselves into an adult world of maseuline and feminine...’" cuddled in front. Boys do not stand with hands on hips akimbo. Woe was he, or she, who failed to monitor the body. Schoolyard surveillance was. painstaking if sometimes quirky. Be cai~ful not to wear a shirt with a little loop in the middle of tim shoulders. Playground police’would rip off these fruit-loops just as they did the fagtags on Polo shirts. And when I made it to high school, the heavy question was which ear to pierce. Boys who pierced their right ears were likely fags. Left, we all knew, was right. Folklorists have recorded many similar elements of kid lore around America. Queersday still exists, although the day in question differs from place to place, as.. does the tabooed color (yellow or green in some towns, and redin others) Itis aneasy guess that playground taboos reflect children’s attempts to grapple with gender. All of us experienced the challenge of fitting ourselves into an adult world of masculine and feminine. We had to be boys or gifts. Anything in-between was to(~ upsetting to contemplate. It could imply that those vital categories, male and female, weren’t as solid as we needed to believe they were. Rather than doubt our categories, we witch-huntedfags and dykes - failed boys and inadequate gifts. Folklorists al so collect elaborated, adult versions of schoolyard culture Jan Brunvand, for one, has published a series of collections of urban legends. These are stories, presented as the truth, that circulate by word-of-mouth and, increasingly, over the Internet. (Several excellent websites, including www.urbanlegends. corn andwww.snopes2.com, track new legends and also maintain story archives.) Just as playgroundfolklorereflects kids’ gender anxieties, we can suppose that urban legends similarly express areas of ambiguity and disquiet in everyday American life. Accounts of Kentucky-fried rats, for example, are plentiful: couple goes to fastfood chicken joint, drives through, buys a bucket, and chows down. Wife says, "Gee honey, my chicken tastes funny !" Husband turns on light and both are shocked to see thatWifehas chewed through hunk of rat, tail still hangs from the breading. Couple rushes io lawyer and sues chicken joint for XXXX dollars. A pervasive feature of contemporary American life is that we eat food cooked by strangers (and poorly paid strangers, at that). The rat story, and many similar, reflect and express the anxieties that fast food engenders. Similarly, stories of poodles in the macrowave shadow worries about technology we neither understand nor completely control: old lady who on rainy days dries her toy poodle in her oven gets new microwave as a gift. Next time dog gets wet she pops it into the microwave. Poodle explodes. Computer virus hoaxes, or stories of people having cybersex with someone who mrus out to beMom or Dad, reflect similar alarms about complex technology. Many Americans also are worried and disquieted by homosexuality. Not surprisingly, their anxiety has sparked a genre of Gay-themed urban legends. But notably, there are not that many of these. Snopes.com archives ouly five, and all date back several decades or more. The hoary legend of the horrified college student puzzled by rectal pain who discovers his roommate has been drugging him nightly to have his way with hirn can be traced back, in one form or another, to the 1880s. Also decades old is the legend of the rock star (Elton John, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Jon Bon Jovi, Li’l Kim, Britney Spears, etc. etc.) who is rushed to hospital after collapsing on stage to have [insert your number here] gallons of semen pumped from stomach. Three other Gay-themed legends were all first collected back in the 1980s: (!) Guy goes home with woman who, playfully it seems, ties him up. But then Batman (or other masked person) emerges from closet to leap his bones; (2) a movie will -soon be released portraying Jesus as Gay; and, perhaps the most notorious, (3) closeted cdebrity has trouble with his gerbil. But several newer legends have surfaced that reflect fear of AIDS: AIDS Mary or AIDS Harry - the trick who disappears after writing "welcome to the world ofAIDS" on your bathroom mirror; and stories of AIDS-infected needles left sticking out of theater seats or public telephone change return slots. We can hope that the decline of Gaythemed urban legends see Studies, p. 11 Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Capital Campaign and General Fund - For more information, call 665-3401 or evenings at 447-8602. rl)_,1122_ Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing IGTA member Call 341.6866 International TO~,i~formoreinformation. ~TULSACOUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY Country Club Barbering Custom Styling for Men & Women David Kauskey 3310 E. 51st, 747-0236, Tues.-Fri., 8-5:30, Sat. 8-5pro Power Connect. 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ANY public expression of sexual or romantic interest in members of the same gender will be unacceptable. WOMEN will shop in the Women’s Department at Sears; men in the Men’s Department. EACH woman will find aman to live with, change her last name to match his, and maintain their home. CHILDREN will be optional, but encouraged." So, how many heterosexuals do YOU know that follow this .code of conduct? So if we all acted that way, they’d love us.. yeah right. Whoever believes that, I would strongly suggest to get out of your "CandyLand" world of beliefs. But what’ s so great about their rules that we should be asking for permission to assimilate? Rules, if they are not clear should be questioned and changed, if need be. Those rules say that men must be Men and womenmust be Women (and children are the property of biological parents). They say that everyone should conform to a standard code of conduct, dress, and even beliefs. People who don’t conform may (or may not) be tolerated, but will never be treated like equals. As for sex.. the rules are both silly and oppressive, and they’re observed with such hypocrisy it isn’t funny. Can we say Neanderthal...? I’m positive that these social standards, right out of?Father Knows Best," refers to are a limiting set of nfles: this is acceptable, that is not. But for me, one of the benefits ofbeing LesbianAND outspoken has been that it made me question those rules.., and ultimately reject those that didn’t make sense. Don’t ask me to go back to them; I’d rather go forward. Rather than a rigid rule book, why don’t we instead outline something positive to aspire to? After all, if we must negotiate, I’d rather do it from a position of strength. .. of pride in the example we have to offer, not one of shame and embarrassment. Here is my revised, socially accepting behavior for EVERYONE: "WE will accept others, regardless of the way they look, dress, talk, or act. WE will support people’ s right to do whatever they want in their bedrooms, regardless of whether we want to do it ourselves. WEwill be honest about who we are, rather than pretending to be what others want us to be.WEwill let people believe things we don’t bdieve, and express opinions we don’t share. WE will never negotiate away the righ( to be whoever we are." PS: Go visit a nursing home and make a friend... STOP the abuse and neglect of the elderly. that the law cannot be enforced statewide. "This is a good day for privacy and fairness in Minnesota," said Charles Samuelson, executive director of the MnCLU. "By inviting the governmentinto every bedroom in the state, this law was dearly unconstitutional - which is why the court struck it down." Gov. Jesse Ventura agreed, his spokesman said. "It’s consistent with the governor’s philosophy that there are some things the government has no business making laws about," said John Wodele. "He sees this as a welcome decision." Rep. Phyllis Kahn, DFL-Mirmeapolis, has tried unsucessfully more than once to repeal the provision through legislative channels. She had a bill ready again this year, but never introduced it because she was waiting to see the outcome of the court case. "I obviously thinkit is terrific," Kahn said of the ruling. "I always thought that law was unconstitutional." Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council, disagreed. "This is another case of blatant judicial activism where a judge decides to make the law rather than interpret it," Prichard said. He said the issue should be decided by the Legislature. Matt Coles, director of the ACLU’s Lesbian and Gay Rights Project, says 35 states, including Minnesota, havehad their sodomy laws either repealed by legislatures or struck down by the courts. In 1961, all 50 states had sodomy laws on the books. "One more down, 15 to go," Coles said after hearing about ’the Minnesota j.udge’s decision. "We absolutely are gomg to stay with it." Minnesota’s taw prohibits oral and anal sex between any adults, including married couples and disabled people who cannot engage in any other form of intimacy. Penalties include up to a year injail and up to $3,000 in fines. For years, efforts to repeal the law in the state Legislature were unsuccessful. Although sodomy laws are rarely enforced, Coles says they can be used against proponents ofdomesticpartners ordinances and other issues sought by Gays and Les- - bians. ’The people who want to keep the (sodomy) law onthe book, there’ s amethod to their madness," Coles said. "The existence of these laws are used to generally delegitimize Gays and Lesbians in public debate." indicates dissipation of public anxieties about homosexuality - the gradual mainstreaming of Gay. But wait! Have you heard about-Yahoo! shutting down the porno sites? Have you heard that Rock Hudson and Jim Nabors were married? lsa Oklahomans for Human Rights presents Celeb Diversi-ty ti 2001 Saturday, June 2, 2001 TOHR Follies 2001 "Hollywood TimeWarp" ~..:Avondale Studio & Theatre (the old Delaware Playhouse) 1511 So. Delaware Ave., 8pm Reception immediately following. Tickets: $15.00, At the Door: $20.00 The Pride Store @ Tulsa GLBT Community Center; 2114 S Memorial or by calling 918.743.4297 or toll free (outside Tulsa) at 866.335.9074 Wednesday, June 6, 2001 Tulsa Interfaith Service Sponsored by TU BLGT Alliance, Sharp Chapel, TU, 3pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Council Oak Men s Chorale Concert. Presented by Tulsa City/County Library "Diversity in Song" Aaronson Auditorium, Central Librarym 3rd.& Denver, 7pm Monday, June 4, 2001 Family Law Panel Presented by Tulsa City/County Library Law Professor Linda Lacey& an expert panel Helmerich Library, 91st and Yale, 7pm Tuesday, June 5, 2001 APt Exhibit: ,"Embracing Art" IAll Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria Avenue, 6-gpm Thursday, June 7, 2001 GLBT Film Festival Sponsored by Tulsa City/County Library AaronsonAuditofium, Central Library, 3rd and Denver, 7pm Friday, June 8, 2001 TOHR Diversity Gala Benefiting TOHR and Diversity Celebration 2001 "Embrace Diversity" Parents of Hate Crime Victims: Speakers and Parade Grand Marshalls: Gabi Clayton, Olympia, WA, Dorothy Holman, Chicago, Don Sinclair, Houston, TX, Carolyn Wagner, Fayetteville, AR "Community Hero" Awards presentation honoring those in the local GLBT community. Tulsa Country Club, 701 N. Yukon Dr., 7pm, reception & silent auction, 8pm dinner, $100/ea. $1,000 table of eight. Sponsorships available. Reserved seating available by calling 918.743.4297 or 866.335.9074 Saturday, June 9, 2001 The Pride Parade Cherry Street (15th Street) to Boston Avenue to 18th Street to Veterans .Park Stags at 3pm, Float/marchers begin assembling at lpm. No entries after 2:45pro Featuring:Entries from across the region Community Heroes, Oklahoma’s largest Pride Flag Diversity Festival Sponsored by: Bud Light & Eastern Oklahoma Beverages Veterans’ Park, 1875 So. Boulder Ave., 3pm Featuring Entertainment, Speakers, and¯ more. Sunday, June 10, 2001 Women’s Tea Dance Women only dance, DJ, and live entertainment by Melanie Fry, pipe & cigar patio, unplugged music circle, and more. Greenwood Cultural Center, 322 N. Greenwood, 3-Tpm Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, June 2001; Volume 8, Issue 6 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Scheppers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, May 2001; Volume 8, Issue 5 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/613 2001 adult adoption AIDS AIDS Colin Powell AIDS drugs anti-discrimination bill arts and entertainment bias bullying businesses censorship Christianity churches civil unions Disciples Church Disney Diversity celebration Dyke Divine Fred Phelps gay veterans Gill Foundation Glaxo SmithKline grants Hair Ball hate crimes bill health HIV HIV testing Lutheran Church military military inclusion military recruiting Openarms Youth Project outreach Partner Benefits Pride 2001 pride Parade Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa restaurants sex education sodomy laws testing Tulsa CARES Tulsa City County Library Tulsa Family News Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rigts Westboro Baptist Church https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/88f80168e33808ae4edef3440c0952c8.jpg 51d0603c1901386d92dfa1e15ce61811 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/0f6cffda4fae053c8f9105e94b7420b5.pdf 082442d5723e9f3a97a2689ddfc3d1bf PDF Text Text ~Serving ~Lesbian’ ,.,=,.Gay’ ~~,Bisexual =~+ T~ansgend~red¯ ~ Tulsans, O0r.. r__ammesFamili + Friends" =mo ’ Everywhere.. NYC, ng¯ -’¯ D vers!ty :¯ _Pride Tulsa Pride Parade & Festival i San Francmco + Omahti SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A Lesbian motorcade, ¯ which included topless riders waving rainbow flags, ¯ faux nuns, clowns and brides, rode down the street, : kicking off the city’s 31st Annual Pride Parade and ¯ Celebration. Tulsa PLWA Sues Jail For Withholding Medicines TULSA (TFN) - Early in June, the Stipe Law Firm notified the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority, that it was suing the authority on behalf of Daniel McClure..McClure, a person living with AIDS (PLWA) was arrested on June 12, 2000 and booked into the Tulsa Jail. Per the notice of tort claim letter, and statements made to TFN while being held at the jail, McClure was denied access to his medicines as well as to timely medical care despite repeated requests. Because a number of HIV treatments have strict regimens, failure to take the drugs at the prescribed tim~" can result in seriously greater illness. The letter filed by the Sfipe Law Firm alleges that "negligence of the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority" has lead to a faster progressirn of McClute’ s disease, "a.worsening of l~s medical condition and emotional distress." The.claim is for in .excess of Parade. +Festival 2001 ¯ ¯ An estimated 1 million people cheered as the group ¯ of Dykes on Bikes roared their motorcycles on Sun¯ day late in June and led floats of. drag queens, city officials, community groups and marching bands to ." the Civic Center plaza, where the celebration, lasted ¯ all day. For Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders ¯ attending, the parade helped to create an atmosphere ." of acceptance and celebration. It’s also an opportu¯ nity to educate people about, their community. The ¯ parade is California’s largest public event and has . ¯ become one of the’world’s best known Gay pride The 2001 Diversity Festival willfeature booths & entertaiment. ¯ celebrations. "Thi s is a great opporthnity to raise the visibility of ¯ the Gay community," said city Supervisor Mark ¯ Lent, who is’ openly Gay and served as one the ¯ p ade s five marshals. S,a~,, Francisco has ,always been a leader in Gay rights but nationwide, I m still ¯ a second-class citizen," Lent said. The parade is an ¯ opportunity to help oti~ers understand that Gay issues ¯ are everyone’s issues, he said. The celebration also has became a forum to address ,,: the impact of AIDS on the community.over the past ¯ two decades. "I’m a survivor of the disease," said David Lyons, an Oaldand resident who has not mis s ed ¯ a parade since ! 98 l: "Tiff s is a great chance to educate .you~..g_African-Ameri ,¢,~,~,,Gay people. We can’ t think ’ itself. G " " bymanywhohavefoughtfor ay rights. Everybody did the hard work," she said. ’~Now, there are so many non-Gay people who.come and bring th(ir children: This to me means acceptance. It gives me a sense of belonging.’" This year’s event featured several new additions and promised more diversity than ever, plus a more family friendly environment, organizers said. Cecilia Chung, Gay Pride Parade president, estimated 1 million people attended Sunday’s celebration. . But the drag queens in sequined dresses and feathers along with the young, buff men wearing tight shorts were a bit too much ~or some tourists who got caught in the middle of the celebration "It’s enlightening," said Sally Christenson, 48. "I was naive. I never thought people would expose themselves to this extent. You don’t see this in Minnesota." U.S, Census Sh.ows More Gay TULSA ~FFN) - It was a part new event and part old event. The 2001 Pride celebrations, organized by Tulsa Okla,.omans for Human Rights (TOHR) had a new ¯ WASHINGTON (AP/TFN)- U.S. census figures released at the paraae route, alarger festival in the old sit~ and some o ¯ end of last month for five states continue to show a dramatic the_same old protesters. The parade featured even more : increase in the.number of households that comprise same-se~ church floats anda shorterlength going along Cherry St. " partners but most likely still undercount the actual number due to from Utica to Veterans Park. But true to prior years, a " co,n,~,finued anti~.Gay bias, the Hum.an Rights Campaign said. handful of fundamentalist Christians mostly peacefully ¯ ~ nese newngures continue to show a national trend where protested along the route. The protesters included some record number of people are willing to acknowledge living in a of .the anti-Gay Fred Phelps cult of Topeka, Kansas. household with "a same-sex partner," said David M. Smith. The night before the parade and festival, the Tulsa HRC’s communications director and senior strategist. "While Country Club’w.as the site of a gala fundraising dinner. " the census data suggest incredible progress, we believe thi And while the event may have been slightly " census continues to undercount same-sex partners because many underattended, it was rinsed more funds than any prior people are still not comfortable disclosingi~ a federal survey that sort of event. Community Hero awardee, Rick Martil they are in a same-sex relationship. And despite an educational used a spirited auction style to solicit funds from attend: " effort by HRC and other, groups, not all respondents were aware ees to match a $5,000 commitment from TOHR supof the census question. porter Mark Bouney. NOt only was the match made but " s___T~_.e ~ensns ~B,urean released da.ta today for Alabama, Misdue to the generosity of Williitms Cos. DiVersity Direc¯ o un, ~xansas, r~ew York and Ohio. New York reported the tor Eric Watson, Who attended with his wife, over " largest number of same-sex households with 46,490, a 238% $20,000 wasraised. The attendence of Mr. Watson on ¯ increase from the 1990 census. Ohio reported the next largest behalf of Williams was a first for any major Tulsa ." tiumber with 18,937 same-sex.households, a 401% increase. corporation as was their $5,000 donation. " Missouri ranked third with 9,428, a 388% increase. Alabama TOHR will be ho!ding their monthly meeting on July " reported 8,109 same-sex honseholds, a 659% increase. And 10 at 7pro at the LGBT Center and solicits feedback on Kansas reported 3,973~ a 514% increas~ the Pride events fl~e. TOHR members also attended ." ’.q’he census data have important social implications because the Okla. City parade, carrying the 120’ rainbow flag. Americans will become acutely aware that Gay and Lesbian Couples; More Figures to Come IJJ DIRECTORY E DITORIAL/PRI DE.15HOTOS ~ US & WORLD NEWS HEALTH NEWS P, 2 P, 3 P, 4 P, 6 P, 8 GAY STUDIES/RAGING LESBIAN P, 10/11 ENTERTAINMENT + MORE families are numerous and face discrin~natory barriers in terms Of pubhc " pohcy, " " stud " Smith. ’ "As more of these families become visible in their communities, people will work to end the unfair " treatment andlegal discrimination they often face." Census figures released also show that the number of same-sex " unmarried partners in rural areas have. increased slightly. The most substantial change was in Missouri, where 7,095, (75%) same-sex unmarried households are in urban areas while 2,333 (25%) arein rural areas. This marks a significant change from the 1990 census when only 11% (1,711) of same sex unmarried households were in rural parts of the state see Census, p. 9 However in Minneapolis... MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -An estimated 200,000 people gathered in Loring Park inMinneapolis to celebrate Gay pride. "It’s the one weekend of the year where people can be themselves and not have tO worry," said TBiw~i N~.n.al~, One of the organizers ofl~e 29th annual in t~mes ~ay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Pride Festival. While likely a little less flamboyant than the event in San Francisco, the turnout in Miuneapolis showed that statem,,e.n,t above by Sally Christenson isn’t quite accurate. It s a fun time," said Jolene K,o,stohryz, who stud she attends the festival every.year. You get to see a whole bunch of different kinds Of people." " " And in Omaha, OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The city’s 17th a.~uualGay Pride parade drew hundreds of participants and watchers as it snaked through 12 downtown blocks. The " theme for the parade was "Phoenix Rising," which " organizers said was a reference to the movement’s " renewed efforts after last year’ s passage of Initiative 416. see Pride; p, 5 �Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *~amboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine 832-1269 610~5323 838-9792 744-4280 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNew.s.@earthlink.net Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal *Play-Mor, 424 S. Memorial Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindst¢om,Esther *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main 585-3405 Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw *St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998 ~Schatzi’ s, 2619 S. Memorial 280-1316 Member of The Associated Press *The Star, 1565 Sheridan 834:4234 Issued around the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of.this *TNT’ s, 2114 S. Memorial 660-0856 publication are protected by US copyright-2001 by Tulsa *Tool Box II, 1338 E. 3rd 584-1308 Family News and may notbe reproduced either in whole or in *Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan 835-2376 part without written permission from the publisher. Publica*The Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563 tion of a name or photo does not indicate a person’ S sexual Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication Assoc. inMed. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034 property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 665-4580 copies of each edition at distribution points. BodyPiercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 Additional copies are avail-able by calling 583~1248: 712-9955 *Borders Books. & Music, 2740 E. 21 494-2665 *Borders B.ooks & Music, 801~ S. Yale Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 ¯¯ *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457 Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & 746-0313 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria ¯ Episcopalians; POB 701475, 74170-1475 *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 295-5868 355-3140 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 : *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747:7777 622-0700 ¯¯ *FreeSpirit Women’ s Center, call for location &info: 587-4669 Commuuity Cleaning, Kerby Baker Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 Friend For A Friend, POB 52344, 74152 747-6827 -*Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 ¯ Friends in Unity Social Org., POB 8542, 74101 582-0438 Doghouse on Bro0kside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 ¯ *Tulsa C.A.R:E.S, 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 834-8378 838-8503 ¯¯ HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Me~ofial *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMinstries,1517 S. Memorial 224-4754 369-8555 Ross Edward Salon 838-1715 584-0337, 712-9379 ¯ *MCC United~ 1623. N. Maplewood 592-0460 ¯ NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral P1. 748-3111 Events Unlimited~ 507 S, Main_ ~ Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595 : NOW, Nat’l Org for Women, POB 14068, 74159 365-5658 ¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157 Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. 610-0880 Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709 ¯ *OSU-TUlsa G~y & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 749-4901 808-8026 ¯ PFLA-G; POB: 52800, 74152 *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S..Peoria 587-7674 742-1460 *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st ¯ Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 Leanne M. Gross,-Insurance &financial planning 459-9349 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 749-4195 744-7440. ¯ R.A:I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 584-2325 *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865-E. Skelly 745-1111 ¯¯ *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 St. Aidan’ S Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882 341-6866 *International Tours 712-2750 : St.Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71St 492-7140 Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732.E. 15th 582-3088 *Jared’ s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018 : *St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 747-0236 ¯¯ Soulforce-OK, Rt.4,#3534,Stigler74462 587-3248,452-2761 David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering *Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder 582-8460 583-7171 The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening ¯ *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225 *Ken’ s .:Flowers, 1635 E. 15 599-8070 Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 595-4105 .747-5466 ¯¯ Tulsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only *Li,~ing ArtSpace, 308 Soffth Kenosha 585-1234 ¯ Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights,.Gay Comm. Center 743-4297 584-3112 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E. 31 663-5934 " TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvoeacy Coalition, POB2687,TUlsa 74101 664~2951 ¯ T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827 *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 838-7626 : .-*Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule ¯ 743-4297 *Tulsa Community College Campuses *The Pride Store ¯ *Tulsa Gay Commtmity Center, 2Ist & Memorial 743-4297 747-5932, Rainbowz on the River B+B, POB 696, 74101 749-8833 834-0617 ¯ Unity Church of Christianity,3355 S. Jamestown ;’Richard’s Carpet Cleaning Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. 834-7921,748-0224 ¯ BARTLESVILLE Paul Tay, Car Salesman 260-7829 Barflesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-337-5353 *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558 ~ TAHLEQUAH 835-5563 ¯ Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard Stonewall League, call for information: 918-456-7900 Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling 743-1733 ¯ Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church .918-456-7900 665-2222 *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan Green Country AIDS Coalition, POB 1570 918-453-9360 592-0767 *Whittier News Stand, 1 N... Lewis www.gaytulsa.org website for Tulsa Gays &Lesbians ¯¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734 Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities 501-253-7457 . " Jim & Brent’.s, Bistro, 173 S. Main 579-9593 AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 501-253-6807 743-2363 .. DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria ¯ Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. 501-253-5445 587-7314 Black & White, Inc: POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 ¯ o 501-253-9337 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 ¯ MCC of the Living Spring Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-2776 583-9780 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 501-253-5332 Chaml~r of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201 ¯ Old Jallhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-624-6646 *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. & Florence ¯ Positive Idea Marketing Plans White Light, 1 Center St. 501-253-4074 587-1.314 Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood ¯ 747-6300 *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale JOPLIN, MISSOURI *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 ¯ Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 417-623-4696 748-3888 Council Oak Men’s Chorale 712-1511 : ~ is where youcan find TFN. Not all are Gay-owned but all are Gay- friendly. *Delaware Playh_ouse, 1511 S. Delaware Council Oaks Men’s Chorale As a Gay Dad, I recently experienced a wonderful first. During the TOHR coordi: ~ J~ation of Tulsa Gay Pride week celebration, : my younger son, his cousin and a high ¯ school peer of theirs attended their first ever ¯ " gay related function. Since divorcing and ¯ coming out five years .ago, this is the first time one of my children has attended a gay : function. Of the varied venues offered dur: ing the 2001 Tulsa Gay Pride week, we chose to attend the Council Oak Men’s ¯ Chorale mini concert held Monday evening. at the central library. ¯ This was the first time my son and his ¯ friends had been exposed to the Gay com" muuity in such "large numbers", for high ¯ school "kids" accustomed to the top 10 rock/ ¯ pop/rap tunes, the concert repertoire was a ¯ - bit austere, however, I am pleased to say ¯ these urban kids, left the concert with a new ¯ refreshing positive attitude and respect to" ward the Gay .community at large. As a ¯ compliment, FII tell you that the most re. peated comment was... "these guys are ¯ gay?" Fortunately, as we all began to openly ¯ talk during the eveni~ig many typical worn ,¯ out"stereotypes and myths" were dispelled. Thank you Council Oak guys for your ¯ hard work and continued efforts to be a ¯ positive force and professional face on be-¯ half of .our community. You’ ve helped in part to make a great difference in the con: tinuing relationship with my son. I am honored to consider Council Oak Chorale as ¯ being part of "my extended family". ¯ - Milton-Nunley, Tulsa ¯ : ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ." : ,¯ Oklahoma City Removes Gay Banners Despite Permit The Gay Pride banners which ~Tere hung on light poles at the north end of Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City cost the spon\ soring organizations $11,000. Their design. was approved in advance by the City of Oklahoma City. The legal permit to hang them extended through July 7. For the City to remove the banners ten days before the permit expired is a blatant <~xample of discrimination against the gay and lesbian organizations which followed procedures and incurred great expense to have the banners ¯ professionally produced and placed on the ." poles. ¯ "No News is Good News" - Oklahoma : City’ s Gay Rights March and Pride Parade ¯ on Sunday afternoon, June 24, included a ¯ festival beforehand in Memorial Park, with ¯ booths, tables, live music, and refreshments ¯ - and a huge street party afterwards. Some ¯ 7,000 to 10,000 participants and supporters ." took part in. the events, which were well ¯ organized; peaceful, and celebrative. That " the events were poorly reported by the local ." news media - or not covered at all - repre¯ . sents more disc.rimination against homo. ¯ sexuals. : Gays and Lesbians struggle to find their ¯ place in a society where, religious leaders, ¯ editorial writers, parents, and teachers judge i" them, condemn them, and vilify them for ¯ who they are. Gay teenagers commit suicide ." in far higher percentages than do hetero¯ sexual, teenagers. : see Letters, p. 11 �by Tom Neal Oklahoma Today, the official magazine of the State of Oklahoma, just released their July/August issue which features Tulsa. But is it a rather peculiar Tulsa. Just as once the majoritywhite culture refused to acknowledge racial minorities, creating a whites only image, Oklahomt~ Today(OT) has shown Tulsa as "straights only ." Now we should give them a very little credit. They did get a few black folks in the issue and actually even ones who are wall regarded in the black community in,~tead of Tulsa’ s white leadership’ s favorite "acceptable" blacks. But journalists, at least when they really do theirjob, are supposed to reflect reality. And the reality is that there are Lesbian and Gay people in Tulsa: we exist. ~ Oklahoma’s oldest Lesbian and Gay organihations are here: the oldest, the Metropolitan Community Church United, renamed but still extant, and Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR), which runs the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center, And this publication has been around nearly eightyears. It would have taken very little to mention the community center, or to identify, just as was done for Tulsa blacks, one or another community leader, or mention a community publication-as was done of, obviously, The World, but also, The Oklahoma Eagle and that waste of newsprint, the prejudiced and anti-Gay Urban Tulsa. ’What’ s baffling about Oklahoma’Today’s failure (~t its heart, simply to tell the truth about our city) isthat after a conversation ] had with its editor Louisa McCune about four years ago, OT ran a mention of the first or second Pride March (before the first parade). McCune knows that we exist. But perhaps the problem doesn’t lie there. Oklahoma Today publisher Joan Henderson’s response to my coneems was that when OT featured Oklahoma City some issues back, they proudly ignored OKC’ s LGBT community also. Later in the conversation, she variously suggested that they could not write about us because they give OT to 4th graders and theycan’ t write "about sex," thattheir readers are all about 62 years old and they don’ t even want to read about blacks or Indians, and that they’re a state magazine .and if we have a problem with what Oklahoma Today’s doing, we can just talk to her Republican boss, Gov. Fr~tk K.eating, Lt. Gov~ Mary Fallin, and Tourism and Recreataon Executive Director Jane Jayroe. Of course, I-wouldn’t waste my breath tr~ing to talk with the ethically bd’uddled Keating et al, but I do think it will be quite interesting to talk with members of the legislature see Today, p. 8 �Official Refuses to Perform Gay Marriages ¯ chief policy-making body of the Presbyterian Church ¯ " (U.S:A.) voted to relmmmend lifting a ban on ordaining homosexual clergy. The measure must still be ratified over the next year LEEUWARDEN, Netherlands (AP) - A civil servant by .a majority Of the ~hurch’s 173 presbyteries, or who has refused to officiate Gay marriages could be fired by the city, officials said last month. Nynke regional legislatures. That will be harder to achieve and, besides,. Hawley cannot endure any=longer the Yxinga-Boomgaardt can only save herpart-time job if stress of living in two worlds. she signs a contract agreeing to wed same-sex couples ’T ve had a lot of personal, emotional and health at city hall, municipal authorities in Leeuwarden said. struggles, and I just realized I could not live in the Same-sex mamages were legalxzed in April, makcloset anymore," said Hawley, 42, who led the Genesee ing the Netherlands the first country to grant Gay couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, inValley Presbytery, which represents 73 congregations cluding ~e right to adopt children. "In this job she has in the Rochester region_ in western New York. "I knew I had to get more open with my sexuality if I was going the obligation to enforce the law, and under Dutch law to recover. There’ s been a lot of pain in terms of being Gay couples have equal rights," said Jan van der Hoek, a spokesman for the city, about 100 kilometers (60 silent when I personally ~’elt I s.hould have been sw.aking." miles) north of Amsterdam. If she refuses, the.spokesman said, her contract will be .terminated in SeptemHawley did not plan to have his departure from the ber. church coincide with the emotional debate in Louisville, Ky., where the General Assembly of thenafion’ s Eringa-Boomgaardt refused to wed fwo Gay couples . sixthlargest Protestant denomination voted 317-208 m over the past three months, saying she is principally favor of ordination of Gays attd Lesbians. opposed to same-sex marriages. The couples are still What his decision will do is allow him to speak more waiting to be married. "This is about the battle betWeen equality and my forcefully on an issue that several mainline Protestant denominations, notably the Episcopal Church and right to have conscientious objections," EringaUnited Methodist Church, have struggled with in reBoomgaardt told the Trouw daily newspaper.. cent years. "I feel~badly in a way that I haven."t been more outspoken but that’ s part of the problem with the closet - it’s not safe to," he-said. "But now I can tall people how destructive it was to try to live that life and quietly serve." COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A man with a history of Hawley, who grew up in Montrose, Pa., and studi _e,d.,. desecrating the Gay-pride flag is one of two people atthe Jesuit-run University of Scranton~ said he didn t charged with burning the baiaher during a parade. realize he was Gay when he was ordained in 1983. He Police charged Charles Spingola, 45, and Thomas ¯ figured it out in 1995 after years of turmoil. Meyer, 47, both of Newark, with open buming, a firstAlthough he was not in a relationship,Hawley said degree misdemeanor punishable by as. much as six : he constantly feared losing his job. He might have months in jail. . ¯ battled to keep it now, he said, but knew that conservaA state appeals court last week upheld Spingola’s fives in the presbytery would have pushed for his conviction on criminal damage charges for tearing ¯ removal. "That’ s the fight that I didnotpersonally want down:aGay-pride flag that was flying at the Statehouse ¯ to take," said Hawley, who plans a new career in two:years -ago a~ a’similar parade. " . teaching. ’-’The only way I can be honest and comfortPolice said Spingolaand Meyer setfire to arainbow-" able about myself is to come out and to resign. It’ s a colored flag they had been carrying as the last march- . ¯ matter.of integrity." ers in the Columbus Pride Parade passed the State- ¯ At last year’s General Assembly meeting, Hawley house. Police Sgt. Michael Piccininni said Spingola said he was forced to listen quietly as conservatives had burned another Gay-pride flag about 21/2 hours argued against inclusion Of Gays in the leadership of a earlier outside Broad Street United Methodist Church, church that has a~ many as 3.6 million members. The where a Gay-oriented service took place before the ¯ remarks were not~"hateful so much as ignorant," he parade. ¯ said. The push to remove the ban on Gay clergy from Piccininni said Spingola was given a waming, but ¯ the church’ s constitution "would mean-the church has returned later during the parade with a new flag and a made a really radical shift, and I’ m not sure that ithas,’~ small container 0f gasoline. he added. Andrea Critchet, head of parade security, said she was splashed with gasoline after approaching Spingola and Meyer near the S tatehouseand telling them to keep away from parade participants. ’°We were there to protect him, to-keep the crowd away from him," Cfitchet said. "He said, ’You’ re all gonna burn in hell,’ : MONTREAL (AP) - A Canadian bank is refusing to and he flipped it (the flag) up on me.". Cfitchet was ¯¯ open an account for a coalition of conservative and religious.groups that opposes MontreaV s bid to host ~checked by paramedics for burning in her’throat but was not injured. ¯ the2006GayGames.Montrealis competingwiththree Teresa Spingola, 46, said her husband and her two ¯ U.S. cities- Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles - to host the Gay Games, which typically draw 24,000 sons, 12 and 16, intended to burn the nylon flag, but didn’ t expect the scuffle or arrests that followed. "It’ s :’ athletes and 200,000 spectators. -The No ’C- ommittee2006 was formed in April after legal to bum the American flag. We thought it’ s OK to : bum the queer flag," she said. She said that last.year, ¯ -Montreal announced its. bid. The. committee’s memthe family burned a Gay flag at the same intersection : bers indudethe Christian Heritage Party and the Cam~ ¯ paign Life Coalition for Quebec. The Rev. Daniel without incident. Cormier, who heads the committee, said the group ¯ fears visiting athletes could spread the HIV virus that ¯ leads to AIDS. A Royal Bank spokesman-confirmed the No Committee 2006 was denied a bank account for donations ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - In hi’s .t8th year as a ¯ for supporters. "We refuse to support or oppose di.sPresbyterian minister, the Rev. Bill Hawley realized ¯ criminatory activities of ~any kind," said bank spokeshe could nolonger keep his sexual orientation a secret. -’. "man Raymond Chouinard. ¯ By revealing that he’s Gay, Hawley also decided his : Cormier called the bank’ s refusal discriminatory. He only real choice was to quit the church. ¯ said at a news conference Friday that his group would His resignation took effect June 15, the same day the ~ : Gay-Pride Flag Burners Arrested Find out for yourself how good the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 Come share the goodness of the Lord with our community ~ Sunday Morning 11:00 AMChildren’s Worship During Service MCC United Rev. Cathy Elliott. Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-! 715 mcctulsa@aol.com Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Community "of Hope 2545 South Yale, Sundays at 1 lam, 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 Bank Refuses Account to Anti-Gay Group Presbyterian Pastor Comes Out, Resigns Mingo Valley Flowers 9413 E: 31st St., Tulsa 74145 918-663-5934, fax: 663-5834, 800.~AA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Ghild, Family, Individual 8, Gouplo Psycholhorapy (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- 12.48 Red Rock Tulsa Free Confidential HIV Testing ,Walk=in Clinics " " Tues. & Thurs., 5 -8 prn at the Cenfer, 1307 East 38th ~ : "~ Daytime appointments, available. Call for more inf6rmation: 918-584-2325 e I i v b American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette Mcintosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN IqFARFS Saint Aidan Saint Dtmstan 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 take the case to court or the Quebec Human Rights. : A magistrate had said the state did not have enough Commission. : evidence to support the aggravated kidnapping charge. ¯ But the Supreme Court disagreed, saying though the facts are in dispute, there is enough evidence to argue them in court. East Ohio Methodists Oppose Anti-Gay Stance LAKESIDE, Ohio (AP) - A group of United Methodist ministers and parishioners from the East Ohio " Conference is preparing for another attack on th~ " hurch s anti-Gay doctrine. The initiative banning same-sex marriages passed Thirty United Methodist ministers in the regional by 70% to 30% last November. "We’re going to be group joined dozens of church members in signing the " here and we’ re going to stay around. You better accept "East Ohio Declaration," whichopposes the doctrine’ s " us," said Tom Aeschlimann, one of the event’ s orgaanti-Gay stance, andwill begin a series of discussions mzers. For the first time the parade had a grand in September aimed at the issue. The United:Methodist marshal, Scott Winkler, a native of Loomi s who is an church has more than 9 million members worldwide . insurance agent in Omaha. ¯ most are in the United States. New York City Event Rivals SF One During its national quadrennial meeting in Cleve- ¯ NEW YORK (AP) - Three dozen Gay couples celland last summer, about 1,000 church leaders voted 2- ¯ 1. to uphold the church’ s stance on Gays. The doctrine . ebrated their same-sex partnerships to kick off New states that homosexuality is incompatible with ~aris- ¯ York City’ s 32nd annum Gay pride parade, a Celebratian teaching; that no sexually-activehomosexual rain- ¯ tion of flamboyant costumes and floats. "We’d like to isters should be ordained; and that same-sex mamages ¯ be recognized as a couple," said Sheneen Ellis, wearing awhite veil and mini-dress decorated with tiny red will. not be honored. rhinestones, as she stood with her partner, Alona Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton - who oversees the ¯ Hartnett, dressed in white ~lacks and jacket. 192,000-member East Ohio Conference - planned a ¯ They were surrounded by their five children as two series of discussions in preparation for revisiting the " issue when the United. Methodist Church meeots again " ministers and a rabbi blessed them ifi a ceremony Sunday at the entrance to Central Park just before the in Pittsburgh in 2004. Two representatives from each of the 12 East Ohio : Heritage of Pride parade. "Two mothers are better than having only one,", read Methodist districts will attend a September 22 prelimi- ." nary meeting. One representative will sent to support . a sign carried by one of the children, 10-year-old existing church doctrine, the other to argue for change. ¯ Calhea Johnson. "I love mommy and mommy." The parade included Lesbians on motorcycles, a Those delegates plus 40 other church officials will air ¯ rainbow arch of balloons and a top-down convertible their views and be traine3l to organize similar meetings . carrying veterans of the 1969 Stonewall riots, in which around the state. ¯ . _ _ " pa.tronsofaGaybarinG-reenwichVillagefoughtback ThomasTavl0rofBrockville aretir .... , : " .r euNnmsterwno ¯ a--’n-" ¯ "" .. .............. gm stapouceram ..... , , ,~:. - -s " ¯ ~,~ u,~. oz~tto1, a Vzmt. ,-.v~u n we corot just sit flown and talk and agree that we are not of one mind about this," that would represent progress for the church; Taylor said. Church leaders who signed the East Ohio Declaration said they have no intenfi.on of defying the church’ s rules on Gays, and doubt that it will cause schism. A Methodist minister could be disciplined for performing a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple, but Taylor said he knows of no same-sex couples in the East .Ohi,o Conference that are seeking a Methodist mamage. years to a colorful pageant drawing hundreds of thou ¯ sands of participants and spectators, and has been replicated in’cities around the world. . ¯ Paris-, Berlin, Chicago and Atlanta In Europe, Pads and Berlin celebrated Gay pride on ¯ Saturday .with rollicking parades. At the center of the : festivities were the cities’ mayors, both openly Gay. In Chicago, organizers expected approximately " 350,000 to attend what has become one of the largest -" parades in the city. hi Atlanta, thousands of people, including several mayoral candidates, participated in the city’ s 31 st Gay Pride celebration, which wrapped up with a parade along the City’s main artery, Peachtree Street. "Events ¯ ¯ like this help increase our visibility and help to let p.eo.ple k~,,o,w that Gay people do exist, that we’re not clevlants, Benson Cohen said. "We don’ t just exist in" the shadows." The New York marriag, ceremonies were not le! gaily binding but served as ~i rallying point for activists who would like to see samp-sex couples accorded the same legal rights as.heteros.exual couples. New York City’s domestic partnership law gives : public employees who are same-sex couples the same ." health benefits as married couples, along with privi- Men, Parents Accused of i Abducting Lesbian " SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah Supre~m~ourt decided to allow two Jordanian men to be tried~for aggravated kidnapping in the alleged abduction and beating of their sister in October 1999. The ’woman’s mother and father also are charged in the alleged attack. Prosecutors say brothers Iehab Hawatmeh and Shaher Hawatmeh, their father, Jami] Hawatmeh, and their mother, Wedad Hawatmeh, kidnapped and beat 23year-oldMuna Hawatmeh when they discovered she was a Lesbian. The woman said she agreed to-return to ~ Jordan as a way to stop the beatings. The next morning, " .the family was driving her to the airport from their : home in Sandy when her partner spotted them and ¯ called police. The family agreed to take the woman to " the Sandy police station, and a doctor later found " bruises on her arms and legs. ¯ The four are charged with simple kidnapping, which " cames a sentence of up to 15 years. But Assistant " Attorney General Fred Voros argued that the defen- " dants’ alleged use of weapons and threats warrants the aggravated kidnapping charge, which carries a life sentence. leges such as visiting rights in city institutions like hospitals and jails. ~ Vermont is the only state that offers Gay couples the option o.f civil unions, which give them the ~ame rights as mamed couples. Legislation to legalize homosexual unions has been introduced in New York state but has never passed. " �Gay Health Ads Pulled in. NYC : Red Cross, both lost partners mAIDS and are HIV-positive. : both People-from all walks of life with HIV and AIDS traveled from every continent to NEW YORK (AP) - Local officials condemned-the city and an ad agency tmde~- ¯ share their stories in moviiag testimonials city contract for pulling apublic service ad ¯ that drew an audience of government offithat promoted a free health line f0~Gays ’ cials, AIDS experts and U.N. SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annam from s,everal bus stopsin the Bronx. Patinya Noyphon, a petite Thai wOman "It is outrageous thal when .new HIV infection rates are soaring, especially " with a sweet smile and soft brown hair, among men of color, that a responsible ad " found out shewas HIV-positive when her like ~this, intended to confront this health ¯ husband died of AIDS in 1996. Her story moved many to tears Tliesday as she recrisis, is censored by the city and by Infinity Outdoor,’.’ said state Sen. Tom Duane. : - counted the shock of learning her husband had the disease and that he left her with the "It is the height of irresponsibility on the city’ s part and the height of hypocrisy on ¯ virus. Ini997; she joined a network of AIDS the part of Outdoor, the company behind patients that began counseling others with the Howard Stem show, to call this ad " inappropriate or indecent," Duane added. ° the vires thin more than~36 million people " are living with. That network has grown Infinity Outdoor is the advertising cominto an international movement of people pany that maintains the city’ s bus shelters._ Its parent, Infinity Broadcasting, airs the " living with HIV/AIDS and Tuesday they formed a partnership with the Red Cross to sometimes-raunchy Howard Stem radio bring mo,re infected people into caregiving show. City Councilwoman Christine Qninn ¯ roles. ’~"~e active participation.of those living said New York City "should be doing with HIV/AID-S is absolutely vital," Annan everything in its power tO heighten public awareness of the epidemic and to educate ¯ ; told a room of over 200 people gathered to those at risk about steps they can take to :hear HIV positive advocates speak out. Annan, who h’as-made AIDS a personal S" protect themsel V e. The ad, paid for by the Bronx Lesbian ¯ -crusade, said the alliance "sends a power-..and Gay Health Resource C0ilsortium, ¯ ful message to decision-makers, and to society as ~ whole, about the importance showed two men, one with his arm around of tackling stigma .and discrimination." the other~ above a caption that read, "I’m Many attending the session, part ofa not Gay, but sometimes I have sex, with three-day U.N. conference on HIV/AIDS, other.guys," and included a number for the openly talked about shame and discrimihealth line. nation. "We are not viruses," said Adam Infinity Outdoor initially approved the P0well, a member of the Norwegian delcontent of the ads.But company spokes~ egation to the conference, who is HIV man Dana McClintock said a significant positive: "We are humanity," he said. number Of complaints were rdceived,speOthers ’used the opportunity to mourn cifically about the reference to sex. "Makloved Ones and encourage those infected ing these decisions is tough;’ McClintock said. "It’s a,gray area. It’s not black and ¯ to continue fighting. Chiturumani, an AIDS Counselor in her white, it’ s doing our best to ~strike a bal-. ¯ nau,~e Zimbabwe, lost her husbandto the ance between First Amendment rights and.. ¯ pandemic last year. She also lost her community concerns." But LisaWinters, founder of the consor- ¯ brother, a nephew, a brother and sister-intium, said the original was "not at all an " law and numerous cousins- 22 relatives in all since 1994 - all taken by AIDS. offensive ad." "There are ads for ’Sex and Over 20 years, Arnold, director of interthe City’ up all over the place,~Lshe said. national relations for the American Red "What’s wrong with these posters?" She Cross, lost more than 100 friends, includhas said the ads featuring the two men ing his 10ngtime partner, to AIDS, Despite were intended to reach men in the Bronx vastly different backgrounds, a fatal dis¯ who do not identify themselves as Gay. " ease has madethem instant friends. "It’s The city’ s Department of Transportaan immediate bonding; Arnold sat . He tion owns the shelters, and Commissioner ¯ said that "Josephine is living my past," Iris Weinshall supported~ the company’s decision to pull the ad. "This poster was ¯ noting that the disease detected among totally inappropriate, and we applaud. the : Gay men in the United States in the 1980s contractor fortaking it down," she said. ¯ is now ravaging whole communities in "We feel,that good taste can supersede the ¯ Africa. "Chiturumani said reaching out to others First Amendment."_ ¯ with AIDS has helped her live with the The same ads featuring the two men also ¯ virus. ’~’It makes me belieVe that tomorrow are displayed inside city buses, and have , not been pulled. Bus ads are controlled by ¯ there will be someone out there who will TDI Worldwide, another company owned : care for me," she said. bY Infinity Broadcasting. People.with HIV Share Stories UNITED NATIONS CAP)-DavidBrooks .Arnold, a ~65-year-old grandfather from Washington; D.C., and Josephine Chiturttmam, a 42-year old mother of four from Zimbabwe, have more in common than they expected. They both w0rk for the In Africa, Stigma Prevails : : : : ¯ ¯ "- BAMAKO, Mali (AP)- Long years after becoming the first in hisSahara nation to publicly acknowledge carrying the AIDS virus, Mamadou Barry is still fighting the samebattleas0n Day One. Themissionis "convincing people thatAIDS exists," says Barry, who in 1994feltcompelledtoleave his family business after he revealed that The Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around:the-clock answers to your questions - and better.access co service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power ~urned on or - off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you. 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In household after household, the shame blocks testing and tr_eatment and even the simplest known preventative measures, such as condoms. In Mall’s capital, Bamako, a foreign publication’s report this month that the death of a promruent Malian official had been due to AIDS angered many, in and out of government. Prime Minister Mande Sidibe"wentinto a rage," one aide related, speaking on condition of anonymity. Countrywide, the near unanimous response was that it was wrong to dirty the name of an illustrious dead man. In all of Africa, the top official to admit to having AIDS is Edwin Cameron, a judge on South Africa’s Constitutional Court. But Cameron is white, openly Gay and able to afford treatment.- in all, not someone to whom the average infected African would look as a model. AIDS is "considered a disease of people of bad morals, of the ill-bred," said Dr. Allou Sylla, director of a Bamako center that tests the few who dare to find out whether they have AIDS. In the general absence of testing, often the only rough confirmation that a~madO~ w0mmi died of AIDS comes when a spouse follows them in death one or two years later.Overwhelmingly, the tendency is to blame the diarrhea, the rashes, thehorrifying’ wasting away on witchcraft. Sorcerers and faith-healers flourish. AIDS treatment, meanwhile, remains a rarity, ,affordable only to a few thousand among the 26 million living with HIV across the continent. Even those who fall ill with diseases that bring AIDS-like symptoms, such as tuberculosis with its weight loss, are shunned, Often losing their jobs. In polygamous African societies, AIDS is spread mainly by sex between men and women. It is also spread by contaminat&t blood and by unsterilized blades - used interchangeably and communally for tribal rituals, circumcisions andbarbering. AIDS hit hard from the start among prostitutes, who literally line the streets in some African cities. That contributed to the enduring Stigma. In Mali, Aminate Nana Kasse is among those closely following the news out of the U.N. AIDS eonferencein New York. Nana Kasse was infected with HIV by her husband, who has since died. Nana Kasse has a dream, a distant one, for Africa - that every government will require HIV tests ing for couples before they marry. ’"No African wife would dare _demand of her husband that he wear a Condom, let alone suggest that.he take a test," Nana Kasse said. With mandatory tests, "at least One would know who she’s marrying," the widow said. Mall this year became one of 10 African countries to enter deals with Western drug- companies for low’cost HIV drugs - although in poorAfrica dying without care will remain the norm. for millions. There are other signs of hope, coming only when local powers acknowledge and accept the fight against AIDS. An example is in Senegal, where Islamic imams preach the prevealtion message in their Friday sermons at the country’ s mosques. "People are starting more and more to believe in iL" said Sylla, the clinic director in Bamako. Still; no family in Mali wants it said in the. community that they have a relative infected with HIV in their midst. "I .knew that it was for the. best," says Barry, explaining his decision to sever ties with his family after discovering he had the AIDS virus. Now in his 40s, he still lives estranged from them. "I believe I was taking- from them a"decision that the faroi! y, sooner or later, w ould have been obliged to take." he said. The Joint U.N.-Program on HIV/AIDS has said that "while East Asia and the Pacific region still appear to be holding HIV at bay, the recent steep rise in sexually transmitted infections in China and tile vast transmigration of pcople- spurred by economic growth - could unleash an epidemic.." " Outlining China’ s five-year plan to cut new HIV infections, Zhang said people will be urged to take preventative measures against the disease, "... for instance to develop a healthy lifestyle, without so many sex partners, and secondly without drug using. We advocate m ,a~i,’tal sex. we discourage extramarital sex. Zhang called on pharmaceutical companies to reduce the cos t of the drug "cocktail" that has proven effective in treating HIV and AIDS because the current cost"is unimaginable for the peasants and citizens.’" About 200 Chinese afflicted with the virus are currently taking part in a trial using free drugs, he said. Shao said China has the capability of making ’cheap drugs to treat HIV and AIDS because it produces UN1TED NATIONS (AP) -.More than many of the chemicals used in the medica600,000 people in China are estimated to ." tions, "but the drug is only one ring of the be infected with the AIDS virus and the : whole chain of treatment." number is increasing by 30% annually, ¯ He said China is preparing a comprep.rimarily because of an upsurge in infec- ¯ hensive treatment program, from health tlons among intravenous, drug users, . care infrastructure and well-trained docChina’ s health minister said. .tors and nurses to drugs, laboratory testing Although the prevalence of the HIV and monitoring. virus and AIDS is still low -just 0.5% of ~ Though China is starting to confront its China’ s 1.27 billion population- the govAIDS Crisis, the government still harasses ernment has launched a five-year plan to ; activists seeking to draw attention to the reduce the-ingrease ~rom 3Q% 5o 10% -. problem - especially when doing so unannually,’Zhang Wenkang toId Tl~e Assocovers government negligence. ciated Press. Last month, Chinese officials ref.used.to The plan calls f0r including AIDS awareissue a passport to retired physician Dr. ness in the sex edUcation curriculum for ¯ Gao Yaojie to accept the Jonathan Mann !.5-year-01ds, prevention messages from " Award from the Global Health Council at leading actors, condom vending machines : a ceremony in Washington, D.C., attended and education programs at all leadership ¯ by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. levels. Impro ced treatment- including the -. Gao,74, has publicized the spread of AIDS possibility of cheap drugs - is also part of among poor farmers in central China, the plan, Zhang said in an interview after " blamed on an unsanitary, blood-buying addressing the first U.N. General Assem- ~ industry. She said officials accused her of bly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. ¯ helping "anti-China forces." Five years ago,. about 40% of China~s " Contacted at her home in Henan HIV cases were the result of the illegal : province’s capital, 7Jaengzhou, Gao said selling of blood, primarily..in rural areas ¯ officials have told her patients to seyer ties where dirty needles were often used, he with her, saying she had been arrested. said. Following a gove.rp_ment crackdown " People who have visited her at home have on illegal blood-buying, the percentage of : been detained and officials have blocked HIV cases from tainted blood has dropped her from distributing donated medicine to 4 to 6%. and cash to AIDS victims, she said. Gao About 70% of current HIV cases are the has published her own report about AIDS result of intravenous drug use, Zhang said. in China and plans to distribute tt free to Another 10% are infected through heteropatients, health institutions and the media. sexual or homosexual relations and a smaller percentage from mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Professor Shao Yiming, deputy director of China’ s National Center for AIDS Prevention and Control, explained that the NEW YORK (AP) - Eastern Europe and numbers are just estimates. As. a developthe former Soviet Union,- which already have the world’ s fastest rising rates of new lng country China can.dnly do limited AIDS testing and people in rural areas HIV/AIDS infections, are headed for a often,don’t recognize the HIV virus, he " large-scale" epidemic unless anti-AIDS said. .programs go into full swing now, specialZhang said the estimate of more than : lsts on the region have warned. 600,000 HIV sufferers was made by epi- " The numbers are still small compared demiologists based on the actual number " with Africa, where 26 million people ore of reported HIV cases - 23,905 at the end ¯ infected with HIV, the virus that causes of March. At that time, there were also956 " AIDS, but they are climbing fast. The AIDS patients and 537 confirmed deaths, : United Nations ~stimates that the number 600K in China Have AIDS Virus Eastern Europe/ Russia Hit By AIDS of infected people:in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe has skyrocketed from 30,000 in 1995 to 700,000 as of last year. Ethan Nadelmann of the Lindesmith Center/Drug Policy Foundation said the region "leads the world in the connectioN’ between AIDS and intravenous drug use, with 80% of HIV infections linked to drug abuse. Nadelman moderated the panel discussion "preventing an Epidemic" among doctors, heads of rehabilitation programs, politicians and researchers. Their meeting was organized by the Open Society Institute, a charitable foundation active throughout the region, and coincided with the three-day United Nations’ Special Ses= sion on AIDS. Sergey Kovalev, a member of the Russian Parliament and longtime human rights activist, said his country has answered the increase in intravenous drug use with repressive measures that drive users underground, rather than toward medical care. Their sharing Of hypodermic needles has spread HIV, especially among the young. Kovalev said his government is not likely to budge from that approach unless it is p~essured to do so by Western nations. Prison populations have swelled, with corresponding increases in drug use among inmates and in diseases such as tuberculosis that prey on HIV-infected people. Although there once was comprehensive health care throughout the region, today those systems have crumbled and there is virtually no treatment offered for people infected with HIV. Paul Farmer, a Harvard Medical School professor who leads AIDS programs m Russia and Haiti, .said politicians in the regi0I~ and internationally wil.l avoid tacklingthe potential AIDS epidemic on their own. To change that simalaon, he said, - health professionals and activists need to unite to establish fwo ’things: a comprehensive plan for research, pre~,enfion, treatment and care for orphans; and pilot programs_ that show how the work can be accomplished. "All they need is division in our ranks to say,’ No, i t can’ t be done ,’" he warned. "The search for excuses not to do this is almost criminal." .Konstanfin Lezhentsev, who helped establish Ukraine’ s first AIDS treatment program through Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, said the aim of his group is to have"an effecfi ve tool for speaking with the government" about the urgency Of every patient’s right to treatment. A woman on the panel who asked to be called only by her first nmne, Irina, spoke of issues that go beyond government policy: disci’iminafion against those with HIV. In her first public declaration that she is infected with HIV, Irina described how She became a drug addict, despite coming from aloving family, studying at a university, etc. She thought all her troubles were over when she completed a drag rehabilitaft on program, but soon she found out that she was HIV-posifive. HIV-infected people are shunned by family and afraid to go to doctors, she said. Even people she had helped through drug programs deserted her. �by Jim Christjohn, entertainment editor ment jn theatre is taking place July 11-14 "Planets of the Universe", the first single with Tulsa Experimental theatre’s prooff Stevie Nicks’ .new album "Trouble in duction of",The dkDistance Between Bod¯ Shangri La" is scheduled for release to Ies Grows Greater Every Day:" Call stores on July 3rd. The single will include. Summerstage for tix at 596-7111. several club remixes. It should be good, - "Always, Patsy Cline," an allegedly true the song itself is great, and hopefully, for story about a fan’s relationship with the the first time since 1986’ s "I Can’ t Wait", singer is brought to you by American fans will be able to go to Theatre Company July the clubs and dance t6 a 12-211 Featuring the "The Haunted Castle Stevie song. It would be music of-the great lady, niceif the clubs in Tulsa opens its doors July 4th: .ax are available by callare wise enough to get a ing 596-7111/ Hmm, Johnny inherits a haunted clue and play it rather anyone else experiencthan the mixes they usuing drjh vu? Anyone castle in EnOland (isn’t ally spin. else got that number that where they all are?) One club version is memorized? 11 minutes long and "Love Letters," a writand ~oes to claim his contains lyrics cut from ing exercise that became the album version. inheritance. It’s a whole a romance and then a The tour should be play, is offered up July lott~a troubleafter that, as interesting in that La 12-21 by the CenterDiva Nicks is ~bandonstage Players, and once the devil seems to think ing the "Stevie Nicks/ more tix are available at he’s the rightful owner. Fleetwo~d Mac Great- say it with me - 596est Hits’ package,-in " ~ 71’1,1. which only’ one or two new ~ongs were ¯ Adrian Zmed, 80 s heartthrob best thrown in, and adding 5 new songs to the known for wrestling with William Shatner set,includingsomeol~lersongsneverdone on that cop show he was in (Adrian was in concert. She stops August 3rd in Dallas, hot, Adam not) and who showed his magand tickets are going fast., nificen_t abs in the 80’ s tour of"Godspell", Melissa Etheridge plays Will Rogers comes to Tulsa to play in "Big" - and oh coliseum in Fort Worth September 10th ~e puns I could make endlessly here. He and 1 lth, for which tickets go on sale July is rather a tall man... And very broad 7th. Karin, the .Raging Lesbian, reports-it shouldered, actually. Anyway, back to the will.be two dates with just Melissa and her column at hand- no, don’ t go there, either. guitar. Sounds like a~ intimate evening, Anyh.oo, the musical that flopped on Broadwhich would be.great. The RL reports it is " way is now suitable for touring produccalled the ’,’Live and Alone Tour’’, as op- ’ taons and Theater Arts is bringing it to posed to the dead and en masse tour; RL town July 13-22 at the Van Trease Perintroduced me to her music, much like I - forming Arts Center for Education introduced her to Stevie’ s. (Read: "Forced ¯ (PLEASE get a shorter name!) at 595it down her throat until she knew every ¯ 7777. At least it’ s a different phone numsong by heart!") Fortunately, m3’ enthusi- - bet. asm for Stevie took (asevidencedby find-Tulsa CARES presents "Hairball 2001, ing a Stevie cassette I KNEW.I hadn’t an event to raise bucks to combat AIDS g~ en her, and forced her to fess up that and raise awareness (and hair) in Tulsa. If she, indeed~ had bought it- and loved it.), you canget it up- the hair, I should say, to as did hers for Meli~sa clarify for the more gutterminded among Interestingly enough, if ybu play the thereadership - and, if you can’ t get it up, track"I Miss You" from Stevie’ s "Trouble for hair raising fun, call 834-4194 ~0r tix to in Shangfi" La" and.then play "Enough of the Tulsa CARES hair ball, er, hair (raisMe" from Melissa’ S"Breakdown", you’ll ing)°ball. And have a ball, at the ball. Oh, find it’ s almost the same song - same chord I think this column has just descended to a progressions, same guitar. Who influenced whole new level, and it ain’t up. who? John Shanks, Melissa’s producer, For the folks still reading after that last produced some of Stevie’ s album, but not ¯" bit who are into women, Shadia Dahlal that track. Interesting... ." ("Hello, dahling!" she says to thekids) and There’ s a new Imax 3-D movie coming, ¯ her Purple Roses of Cairo dance troupe and it’s sure to bring a bit of Halloween : swing into town July 26-29 to writhe and into summer. "The Haunted Castle opens ¯ swing hips for your delight. "Passage to a its doors July 4th. Johnnyinherits ahaunted : world of dark-eyed women, mysterious caste in England (isff t that where they all ¯ customs,veils,incenseanddrums."Hmm, are?) and goes to claim his inheritance. It’ s I know a couple of Lesbians that would a whole lotta trouble after that, as the devil ¯ like to explore those mysteries, I bet. seems to think he’ s the rightful Owner. The ¯ And on the lighter side, Theater Pops Imax Corp0fation actually tried to launch ¯ weighs in with ,Bash" July 26-August 5. ¯ an effort to ban this film due to its graphic "Bash" is acollection of 3 one act plays content, entreating theatre owners not to ." about people capable of unspeakable acts show iLHow much of that is true and how : of evil and complexity. much hype I don’t know, but it did make ¯ Nothing like a dose of Complex "evil to ¯ for an interesting press release. And it get the brai,’,n working. Better than coffee. looks like it would be a fun film to check : Bi~lledas a portraitofhowdarkthehuman out, especially for horror buffs.A new way : spirit can become," which I think I discov, to get a chill in the heat of summer. : ered all too well from grade school on On the local front, an.intriguing experi- ¯ through high school. American Theatre Co. presents. July-12-21 John H. Williams Theater Performing Arts Center For tickets and information, call 596-7111 or 800-364-7111 www.tulpac.com Timothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for-Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planning, Pers0nalInjury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Di’umright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appointmenls are available. �Holland Hall A SCHOOL THAT HAS iTS ACT TOGETHER Holland Hall ranks first in the city of Tulsa and second in the state for average ACT scores. And, our seniors, Class of 2001, have received acceptances to colleges that include Brown, Colorado College, Georgetown, Harvard. MIT, Tufts, Tulane," University of Michigan, Vanderbilt and Yale. Laboratory work engages students in the new 18,000-square-foot Duenner Family Science, Mathematics and Technology Center. ~ P reSchool through G’i~tde 12 (918} 481-1111, ext. 251 and 89% (220) were from urban areas. the folks who provide the funding that Jackson County, including Kansas City, Gov. Frank administers to Oklahoma Today. While our legislature’s no model of " had the largest count of same-sex couples, progressive thinking, there are a few sena- ¯ 1,723. But when the 1,463 same-gender couples tors and representatives who.believe that ¯ even Gay Oklahomans deserve tobe treated - ¯ in No. 2-ranking St. Louis County were added to the 1,297 from the city of St. fairly - and who know that Oklahoma Louis, No. 3 on the list, the total of 2,760 Today is funded with our tax dollars too. Last but not least, I should note that this ¯ mtranked Jackson County. For Elizabeth Radford and Marlssa Pace problem of invisible Gay people i~ not of St. Louis, describing themselves as a new. We saw the same problem with the couple on their Census paperwork "’just "homo-free" Tulsa Centennial. And intercame easily because it’s who we are and estingly enough some of the same players we are comfortable withit," said Pace, 32, retum~ a chemist. If one could bring "disbarment" proRadford, a 34-year-old social worker, ceedings againsta professor as you can said she and Pace took the step last year of against a negligent attorney, then OU prohaving a marriage ceremony performed fessor of letters Danney Goble, Ph.D. by clergy during a party attended by about should have his credentials revoked for 70 friends and relatives in St. Louis. deliberately suppressing the history, of Gay In Ohio, 16,244 (88%) same-sex unTulsans in his Centennial book. married households are in urban areas, Some might excuse this as an oversight while 2,288 (12%) are in rural areas, acbut within a day after Goble received the cording to the census data. This marksa contract to write the Centennial history~ I slight change from .the 1990 census when called him and gave him names and phone only 9% (336) of same-sex unmarried numbers of several individuals who could households were in rural parts of the state speak about the last 30 years of Tulsa’s and 91% (3,441) were in urban areas. Gay history. Goble never even bothered to In Alabama 5,778 (71%) same-sex .uncall any of these people and .yet claimed mamed households are in urban areas, his book was more reflective of the history while 2,331 (29%)are in rural areas. of Tulsa’ s minority communities. In1990, only 25% (262) of same-sex unHad he called and found the information married households were in rural parts of lacking, the omission might be justified. the state and 76% (807) were in urban Instead we just have plain and simple areas. bigotry. Also noteworthy is the recogni: In Kansas, the census figures showed tion OT gives to Sharon King Davis who that 2,544 (64%) same-sex unmarried was chair of Tulsa’s bigoted Centennial households are in urban areas, while 1,429 effort. Davis, is both a staunch Baptist but (36%) areinrural areas. In 1990;only 29% also a major Democratic Party leader. (185) of same-sex ufimarried households Of course, Oklahoma Democrats, mostly were in rural parts of the state and 71% want to pretend that there are no Gay (462) were in urban areas. people here except for when national Mike Silverman, 28, a computer softDemocratic groups require that they m, ware e~glneer, and his partner of more elude us, oh, and when they need money,. than five yearL Dave Greenbaum, recently like certain former governor or current returned from Vermont, where they had a congressman who both received or asked civil union ceremony. Lawrence is home for major donations from "rich Gays" of the University of Kansas, and Silverman Of course, some will argue who cares said it’ s the only city in the state with an about Oklahoma Today? The only people anti-discrimination ordinance protecting who read it are 62 year old white bigots Gay men and Lesbians. (and at least this 43 year old editor). But In New York, 43,529 (94%) same-sex the way we as a community are represented in the media is crucial to our sur- ¯ tmmarried households are in urban areas, vival and progress. When we are misrep- ;¯ while 2,961 (6%) are in rural areas. In the resented, prejudices remain and help cre- ¯ last census, only 4% (561) of:same-sex tmmarried households were in rural parts ate an environment where hatred, assault of the state and 96% (13,187) were m and even murder can flourish. When we are rendered invisible, in effect, told we ¯ urban areas. Men with a male partner accounted for are not even worthy of acknowledgement, ¯ 15,016 households, and female couples Oklahoma Todayhelps reinforcea climate ¯ made up 1’0,890 households, in 2000. The of intolerance. ¯ Rendering minorities invisible is a.mil-~ ¯ census also confirms that enclaves of Gays are concentrated in the Manhattan neighlennia old technique. Those who conquered eradicated the language, the culture of " borhoods of Chelseaandthe’vVestVillage. Data on other states will be released in those defeated. In America, history was ¯ ~ batches through mid-August, according to written as that of white men, whether or ¯ census officials. The Human Pdghts Camnot it really was until quite recently. In Tulsa, all notices of the 1921 Race " paign (HRC), the largest national Lesbian ~md Gay political organization, is working Riot were torn out of the archives, and this was not taught in~ any Tulsa public or ~ with the Urban Institute, a Washington, ¯ D.C. think tank specializing in statistical private school w.ell into the ’90’ s. And of course, in Oklahoma today, we : analysis, to analyze same-sex partner ¯ household data. HRClobbies Congress; see that there are no Gay people. ¯ provides camp.aign support and educates ¯ .thepublic to ensurethat LGBT Americans ¯ can be open and safe at home and at work �Tulsa Oklahomans for ~7 Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D. scarce and hard to find. Basically, one had Last month some 970 guns, several bales ¯ to write or draw or photograph it onesdf, of marijuana, and forty or so boxes of : or else somehow acquire obscure special pornography went up in smoke The Tulsa editions and art prints mostly published in Police Department used fire to spnng- ¯ Europe. B y mid century, however, Ameri2 clean its evidence lockers can enterprise and know"... Pornography of items it didn’t want to how had at last brought auction back to the com9nly exlsts in soeiet~es graphic pornography home munity. Thank goodnessto the masses. Arvin began where sexuality, or we are now thus secured buying and collecting the against these three mennew muscle magazines, and aspects thereof, is aces to society:, weapons, also films of nude wresrepressed and drugs, and dirty pictures. fling and the like. A novel The day the lurid glosstechnology, 8ram film and inhibited. ies went into the furnaces, the home movie projector Pornography’s I happened to be reading (perhaps Arvin borrowed Barry Werth’s recent bioghis from Smith College secrecy and raphy The Scarlet Profesalso boosted its classrooms?), sor: Newton Arvin- A Litthe mass market for pom erary Life Shattered by conslderahle charm. -productions.- We’ve reScandal. cently experienced similar One may imagine, Arvin was an ennnent technological boosts with literary critic and profesthe VCR, .DVD, and the however, some sexual sor of English at Smith (in Intemet. ecology...- past or Northampton, MA), 0neof Pornography, actually, the Ivy-league’s "Seven as an idea is rather recent. future-where .all Sister" colleges for women. The word, a fancy madefacets of sex His books on Nathaniel - are up Greek term meaning Hawthbm, Walt Whitman, simply mundane and, "writing about harlots," ~ind Herman Melville (the first appeared around 1850 as a eonsec~uenee, later of which won~the Naor so. Victorian archaeotional Book Award) helped logical excavations of Ropornography is create the canon of 19th man Pompeii and unthlnhahl-e... " century American literaHerculaneum had uncovture, loved or cursed by ered shocking sexual imtoday’s English majors. Literature made agery in murals, mosaics, and decorative Arvin, and literature -of a sort also household objects. These artifacts were destroyed him. Arvin was arrested,~fined, quickly.squirreled awayin secret museum institutionalized,, mad forced to retire for caches but they inspired a fierce interest, a possessing Gay pornography. fascination only partly disguised by Born at the turn of the century, Arvin "’pornography’ s" net-Greek facade.of powas-shy, short, balding, and: often delite, scientific objecfiyity. Terminological pressed. He hdd married and divorced in alternatives similarly have historically his early 30’ s but only slowly and partially shallow roots. Obscene is a Latin worst reconciled himself emotionally to his hothat originally meant ominous or illmosexuality. He progressed through a omened; and smut an Old English word number of short-lived relationships with meamng sooty or smudged. younger men, some of whom he recruited Pornography only exists in societies as English instructors. (In thgse days, sleep: Where sexuality, or aspects thereof, is reing with the boss could be a more obvious pressed and inhibited. Pornography’s serequirement of one’ s job.) crecy and salaciousness ftiel its considerTruman Capote, a young writer Arvin able charm. One may imagine, however, met at an artist colony, dated Arvin for two some sexual ecology - past or .future years, and dedicated to him his first novel, where all facets -of sex are simply munOther Voices, Other Rooms. To Arvin’s dane and, as a consequence, pornography credit, he kept in touch with many of his is unthinkable. lovers years after they had parted. But not in Massachusetts in 1960, on the In his 50’s, Arvin discovered nearby cusp of the Eisenhower and Kennedy adSpringfield’s several Gay bars, cruising ministrations. Wily politicians then witch-New York City bathhouses (the Everard), hunted pornographers and-their customand also skin magazines. Arvin’ s renewed ers, building careers on burning dirty picsexual adventuresomenes s partly reflected tures. A new federal law, passed in July an increasing loneliness of late middle age 1960, had made it illegal to send pornobut also the sudden appearance in New graphic material through the mail or to York City newsstands of accessible Gay otherwise distribute this. Arvin and his pornography. In the 1950s, pioneer porcircle of Gay. friends met occasionally to nographers such as Sam Roth and also trade magazines and films and to show off Bob Mizer, in the guise of the Athletic new items in their collections. But postal Model Guild, began publishing pictures of inspectors got busy tracking down pore mostly naked (apart from a posing strap or mailings-and, on September 2, 1960, three two) young men. Thom Fitzgerald’s repolice officers pounded on Arvin’ s door. cent video Beefcake documents the hisThey seized his films and magazines and toryof the muscle maga~i,’nes that led to, Arvin too. Terrified, he ratted on Ms Gay Arvin’s downfall such as Grecian GuiM friends and colleagues two of whom, along Piciorial, MANual, and Trim. with Arvin, were convicted and lost their Before the 1950s, Gay pornography was teaching positions, see Studies, p. 11 Human Rights (TOHR) invites individuals, businesses and organizations to a Community-Wide Meeting: A Permanent Location for the Community Center saladousness furl Thurs., July 26th 6:30, meet & greet, program at 7pm_ LGBT Community Center, 21st & Memorial Discussion Topics: Where? How Big? As Focus for New Neighborhood? For info,, call 743-GAYS (743-4297) IGTA member Call 341. 6866 Intorn tion l ~To u rS formoreinformation. 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 �Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights. Capital Campaign and General Fund For more information, call 665-3401 or evenings at A.A.7-8602. Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing 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 by Karin Gregory are not easy to find; that once you find one, You know when it hitS, don’t you? Ev- " you hold on for dear life. But then I have to cry word she utters is golden, no matter ¯ think about that and realize that too much how crude; every look she gives, you want .- too soon will run off Miss Interested-Into capture on film to replay; every phone ° Me. message she sends, you save mad listen to " Some people say she’ s using me. Others on your loneliest days(and especially ¯ say that she just needs time. Hell, she’ s had nights!). You’re the homiest Lesbian in . at least two years! Gay Felix, who’s been town, yet when you think of HER, you " around her more than others, told me the ¯ don’t think of the next time you’ll have ¯ other day, "Karin, she’s called you, insex, just how good it feels to be with her, ° vited you over, initiated sex--I’ d be happy!" whether for an hour or a whole night, " He’s a man--what else did you expect? waking up with her the next morning. You . I’m also remembering a line from a want to learn her, be a part of her, and fuse o musical, for which mosrof you Gay men your two soulsinto one. You writehideous ~ would be proud. Around the end of ’~The purple prose in the second person that ¯ Music Man", when the townspeople dissome poor folks in Tulsa will read (well, ¯ cover that "Professor" Harold Hill is a con maybe not after this paragraph!). : man, they run after him with tar and feathWhen-you’re with her, you’re on an " enng in mind. Marian the Librarian’ s little emotional high, blocking out everyone ¯ brother, Winthrop, tells Hill to run away. around but the two of you. An hour after " Hill says he can’ t. He. looks at Marian and she’s left, you’re still high. Somewhere " declares,"For t_he first time in my life; I got between the second and third hour, how- ¯ my foot caught in the door.’" ever, your emotions sink so fast and so low Marian, if you’re out there, think of my that you don’t think you can live until you " foot and how it must hurt being stuck in see her again. When you hear from her, " your door for so long. Think of "that stake you sound like the silliest schoolgirl who . twisting through my heart. Know that this ever lived. She’s the only woman who salesman won’ t be making any more house makes you nervous because you can’ ttalk calls for a long time. Aren’t exes a bitch? to her like other women. You have to be " honest. Her bluntness and honesty make you want to be a better person, not only for " her, but for yourself. Yoi~’re feeling emotions you never thou.ght you had. Dare you Arvin’s collection of soft, nudie guy question? Analyze? Categorize every feel- .: imagery, lugged imo court as evidence, ing? Then put a label on those feelings? ¯ undoubtedly was subsequently burned. Can it be <gasp!> love? HELP! Arvin died two years after his trial, in Why do I need help? why don’ t I just sit " 1963. back and enjoy the ride like most couples? ¯ Forty years later, it is quaint, one could For the first time in my life, I’m ready for ¯ say, that the state still strikes matches to that "R" word. She’s beautiful, talented, " protect us from the perils of pornography. creative, interested in me. So what’s the ¯ But it may be alosing battle, particularly in problem? Miss Interested-In-Me has only Oklahoma. The more sexual repression, one flaw--the same flaw that haunts many the more pornography. It’ s maybe no acciGay couples--the dreaded_EX! Yup, I’min " dent that Tulsa spelled backwards, as ~vlove with a woman who’ s stillinlove with ¯ eryone knows, is A SLUT. her ex. Before you start calling me all ° Lamont Lindstrom teaches anthropolkinds of stupid, I knew about the ex before ° ogy ht the University o[Tulsa, and can be I met Miss Interested-In-Me in person. I reached at lamont 10@yahoo.com just didn’ t know, nor did she, the extent of ° those feelings. Now you can call me all " kinds of stupid! I walked into this trap. " I even met Ms. X once at my,.., my,. .. my .... whatever’s house. Gay Felix and " It is time for society tO recognize that I liked her very much. No, she couldn’t be " Gays and Lesbians are a responsible mirude, crude, and vulgar, could she? She " nority facing unjust discrimination and couldn’t be evil and have a wart on her ¯ mistreatment by the majority - just like nose. Oh, no! Remember, we’re talking ." every other minority which has struggled Gregory luck here. She and "my girl" are " for justice a~.d equal treatment in America. - even best friends. OUCH! And Ms. X " - Nathaniel Batchelder, Director likes me. I found out about that when Miss ° The Peace House, Oklahoma City Interested-In-Me and I spent aparticularly soulful night together.. "She likes you," : she said. "She. likes how attentive you are ." to me." ¯ It occurred to me to say, "Well, it’ s nice " In statements to TFN, McClure noted to get the first wife’s permission,’" but I " that repeated efforts to discuss and resolve thought better of it. If this woman has ¯ these issues with Tulsa Comity commis, taught me anything, it’ s to think before I ; Sioner John Selph, a Democrat and with speak--a first for me. I’ ve also learned that " Tulsa Mayor Susan Savage, also a Demo: it’s easy to live with a stake through your " crat, both of whom are represented on the heart. It’s just when that stake is twisted ¯ Criminal Justice Authority, have been rearound that you think you won’t ever be " buffed to date. able to breathe again. She also tells me I’m " McClure also issued a written challenge .anincredible person to listen to her and not " to Savage and the county commissioners to run. I’dlike to say that incredible people to meet with him to resole these issues. �present.s I JuIy 14, 8pm, PAC’sWestby Pavilion ~ LaFortune Studio, $80 donation. Call Rebecca at 834-4194 � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Tulsa PLWA Sues Jail For Withholding Medicines TULSA (TFN) - Early in June, the Stipe Law Firm notified the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority, that it was suing the authority on behalf of Daniel McClure..McClure, aperson living with AIDS (PLWA) was arrested onJune 12, 2000 andbookedinto the Tulsa Jail. Per the notice of tort claim letter, and statements made to TFN while being held at thejail, McClure was denied access to his medicines as well as to timely medical care despite repeated requests. Because anumber of HIV treatments have strict regimens, failure to take the drugs at the prescribed tim~" can result in seriously greater illness. The letter filed by the Sfipe Law Firm alleges that "negligence of the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority" has lead to a faster progressirn of McClute’ s disease, "a.worsening of l~s medical condition and emotional distress." The.claim is for in .excess of Parade. +Festival 2001 TULSA ~FFN) - It was a part new event and part old event. The 2001 Pride celebrations, organized by Tulsa Okla,.omans for Human Rights (TOHR) had a new paraae route, alarger festival in the old sit~ and some o the_same old protesters. The parade featured even more : church floats anda shorterlength going along Cherry St. " from Utica to Veterans Park. But true to prior years, a " handful offundamentalist Christians mostly peacefully ¯ protested along the route. The protesters included some of .the anti-Gay Fred Phelps cult of Topeka, Kansas. The night before the parade and festival, the Tulsa Country Club’w.as the site of a gala fundraising dinner. " And while the event may have been slightly " underattended, it was rinsed more funds than any prior sort of event. Community Hero awardee, Rick Martil used a spirited auction style to solicit funds from attend: " ees to match a $5,000 commitment from TOHR supporter Mark Bouney. NOt only was the match made but " due to the generosity of Williitms Cos. DiVersity Director Eric Watson, Who attended with his wife, over " $20,000 wasraised. The attendence of Mr. Watson on ¯ behalf of Williams was a first for any major Tulsa ." corporation as was their $5,000 donation. " TOHR will be ho!ding their monthly meeting onJuly " 10 at 7pro at the LGBT Center and solicits feedback on the Pride events fl~e. TOHR members also attended ." the Okla. City parade, carrying the 120’ rainbow flag. IJJ DIRECTORY ~ EDITORIAL/PRI DE.15HOTOS US & WORLD NEWS HEALTH NEWS ENTERTAINMENT + MORE P, 8 GAY STUDIES/RAGING LESBIAN P, 10/11 P, 2 " P, 3 P, 4 " P, 6 ~Serving ~Lesbian’ ,.,=,.Gay’ ~~,Bisexual=T~~ans+gend~r~ed¯ Tulsans, O0r.. r__ammesFamili + Friends" =mo ng¯ -D ’ve¯rs!ty :¯ _P’ ride Everywhere.. NYC, Tulsa Pride Parade & Festival i San Francmco + Omahti ¯ SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A Lesbian motorcade, which included topless riders waving rainbow flags, ¯ faux nuns, clowns and brides, rode down the street, : kicking off the city’s 31st Annual Pride Parade and ¯ Celebration. ¯ An estimated 1 million people cheered as the group ¯ of Dykes on Bikes roared their motorcycles on Sun¯ day late in June and led floats of. drag queens, city officials, community groups and marching bands to ." the Civic Center plaza, where the celebration, lasted ¯ all day. For Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders ¯ attending, the parade helped to create an atmosphere ." of acceptance and celebration. It’s also an opportu- ¯ nity to educate people about, their community. The ¯ parade is California’s largest public event and has . ¯ become one of the’world’s best known Gay pride ¯ celebrations. ¯ "Thi s is a great opporthnity to raise the visibility of the Gay community," said city Supervisor Mark ¯ Lent, who is’ openly Gay and served as one the ¯ p ade s five marshals. S,a~,, Francisco has ,always been a leader in Gay rights but nationwide, I m still ¯ a second-class citizen," Lent said. The parade is an ¯ opportunity to help oti~ers understand that Gay issues ¯ are everyone’s issues, he said. The celebration also has became aforum to address ,,: the impact of AIDS on the community.over the past ¯ two decades. "I’m a survivor of the disease," said David Lyons, an Oaldandresident whohas not missed ¯ aparade since !98l: "Tiffs is a great chance to educate .you~..g_African-Ameri,¢~, ,~,,Gay people. We can’ t think ’ itself. The 2001 Diversity Festival willfeature booths & entertaiment. ¯ U.S, Census Sh.ows More Gay Couples; More Figures to Come ¯ WASHINGTON (AP/TFN)- U.S. census figures released at the ¯ end of last month for five states continue to show a dramatic increase in the.number of households that comprise same-se~ partners but most likely still undercount the actual number due to co,n,~,finued anti~.Gay bias, the Hum.an Rights Campaign said. ~ nese newngures continue to show a national trend where record number of people are willing to acknowledge living in a household with "a same-sex partner," said David M. Smith. HRC’s communications director and senior strategist. "While the census data suggest incredible progress, we believe thi census continues to undercount same-sex partners because many people are still not comfortable disclosingi~ a federal survey that they are in a same-sex relationship. And despite an educational effort by HRC and other, groups, not all respondents were aware of the census question. - s___T~_.e ~ensns ~B,urean released da.ta today for Alabama, Mis- ¯ oun, ~xansas, r~ew York and Ohio. New York reported the largest number of same-sex households with 46,490, a 238% increase from the 1990 census. Ohio reported the next largest tiumber with 18,937 same-sex.households, a 401% increase. Missouri ranked third with 9,428, a 388% increase. Alabama reported 8,109 same-sex honseholds, a 659% increase. And Kansas reported 3,973~ a 514% increas~ ’.q’he census data have important social implications because Americans will become acutely aware that Gay and Lesbian families are numerous and face discrin~natory barriers in terms Ofpubh"c poh"cy," stu" d Smi’ th. "Asmore of these families become visible in their communities, people will work to end the unfair treatment andlegal discrimination they often face." " Census figures released also show that the number of same-sex " unmarried partners in rural areas have. increased slightly. The most substantial change was in Missouri, where 7,095, (75%) " same-sex unmarried households are in urban areas while 2,333 " (25%) arein rural areas. This marks a significant change from the " 1990 census when only 11% (1,711) of same sex unmarried households were in rural parts of the state see Census, p. 9 G " " bymanywhohavefoughtfor ay rights. Everybody did the hard work," she said. ’~Now, there are so many non-Gay people who.come and bring th(ir children: This to me means acceptance. It gives me a sense of belonging.’" This year’s event featured several new additions and promised more diversity than ever, plus a more family friendly environment, organizers said. Cecilia Chung, Gay Pride Parade president, estimated 1 million people attended Sunday’s celebration. . But the drag queens in sequined dresses and feathers along with the young, buff men wearing tight shorts were a bit too much ~or some tourists who got caught in the middle of the celebration "It’s enlightening," said Sally Christenson, 48. "I was naive. I never thought people would expose themselves to this extent. You don’t see this in Minnesota." However in Minneapolis... MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Anestimated 200,000 people gathered in Loring Park inMinneapolis to celebrate Gay pride. "It’s the one weekend of the year where people can be themselves and not have tO worry," said TBiw~i N~.n.al~, One ofthe organizers ofl~e 29th annual in t~mes ~ay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Pride Festival. While likely a little less flamboyant than the event in San Francisco, the turnout in Miuneapolis showed that statem,,e.n,t above by Sally Christenson isn’t quite accurate. It s a fun time," said Jolene K,o,stohryz, who stud she attends the festival every.year. You get to see a whole bunch of different kinds Of people." And in Omaha, OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The city’s 17th a.~uualGay Prideparadedrew hundreds ofparticipants and watchers as it snaked through 12 downtown blocks. The theme for the parade was "Phoenix Rising," which organizers said was a reference to the movement’s renewed efforts after last year’ s passage of Initiative 416. see Pride; p, 5 Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants *~amboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine *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 Yellow 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. inMed. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034 Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 665-4580 BodyPiercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 *Borders Books. & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955 *Borders B.ooks & Music, 801~ S. Yale 494-2665 Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth 295-5868 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 Commuuity Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 Tim Daniel, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 -*Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 Doghouse on Bro0kside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Me~ofial 369-8555 Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 Events Unlimited~ 507 S, Main_ ~ 592-0460 Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595 Four Star Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. 610-0880 Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709 G~y & 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 *Li,~ing ArtSpace, 308 Soffth 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 the River 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 743-2363 Black & White, Inc: POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 583-9780 Chaml~r of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201 *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. & Florence Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood 587-1.314 *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300 *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 Council Oak Men’s Chorale 748-3888 *Delaware Playh_ouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNew.s.@earthlink.net Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindst¢om,Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw Member of The Associated Press Issued around the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of.this publication are protected by US copyright-2001 by Tulsa Family News and may notbe 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 be for publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution points. Additional copies are avail-able 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 ¯ *FreeSpiritWomen’ 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 P1. 748-3111 : NOW, Nat’l Org forWomen, POB 14068, 74159 365-5658 ¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), POB 9165, 74157 ¯ *OSU-TUlsa ¯ PFLA-G; 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.Dunstan’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 743-4297 " TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvoeacy Coalition, 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 Commtmity Center, 2Ist & Memorial 743-4297 ¯ Unity Church of Christianity,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 918-453-9360 ¯ 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 o 501-253-9337 ¯ Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 501-253-2776 ¯ Old Jallhouse 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 where youcan find TFN. Not all are Gay-owned but all are Gay-friendly. Council Oaks Men’s Chorale As a Gay Dad, I recently experienced a wonderful first. During the TOHR coordi: ~ J~ation of Tulsa Gay Pride week celebration, : my younger son, his cousin and a high ¯ school peer of theirs attended their first ever ¯ " gay related function. Since divorcing and ¯ coming out five years .ago, this is the first time one of my children has attended a gay : function. Of the varied venues offered dur- : ing the 2001 Tulsa Gay Pride week, we chose to attend the Council Oak Men’s ¯ Chorale mini concert heldMonday evening. at the central library. ¯ This was the first time my son and his ¯ friends had been exposed to the Gay com- " muuity in such "large numbers", for high ¯ school "kids" accustomed to the top 10 rock/ ¯ pop/rap tunes, the concert repertoire was a ¯ - bit austere, however, I am pleased to say ¯ these urban kids, left the concert with a new ¯ refreshing positive attitude and respect to- " ward the Gay .community at large. As a ¯ compliment, FII tell you that the most re- . peated comment was... "these guys are ¯ gay?" Fortunately, as we all began to openly ¯ talk during the eveni~ig many typical worn ¯, out"stereotypes andmyths"were dispelled. Thank you Council Oak guys for your ¯ hard work and continued efforts to be a ¯ positive force and professional face on be- -¯ half of .our community. You’ ve helped in part to make a great difference in the con- : tinuing relationship with my son. I am honored to consider Council Oak Chorale as ¯ being part of "my extended family". ¯ - Milton-Nunley, Tulsa ¯ Oklahoma City Removes : Gay Banners Despite Permit ¯ The Gay Pride banners which ~Tere hung ¯ on light poles at the north end of Classen ¯ Boulevard in Oklahoma City cost the spon\ ¯ soring organizations $11,000. Their design. ¯ was approved in advance by the City of ¯ Oklahoma City. The legal permit to hang ¯ them extended through July 7. For the City ¯ to remove the banners ten days before the ." permit expired is a blatant <~xample of dis- : crimination against the gay and lesbian or- ,¯ ganizations which followed procedures and incurred great expense to have the banners ¯ professionally produced and placed on the ." poles. ¯ "No News is Good News" - Oklahoma : City’ s Gay Rights March and Pride Parade ¯ on Sunday afternoon, June 24, included a ¯ festival beforehand in Memorial Park, with ¯ booths, tables, livemusic, and refreshments ¯ - and a huge street party afterwards. Some ¯ 7,000 to 10,000 participants and supporters ." took part in. the events, which were well ¯ organized; peaceful, and celebrative. That " the events were poorly reported by the local ." news media - or not covered at all - repre- ¯ . sents more disc.rimination against homo- . ¯ sexuals. : Gays and Lesbians struggle to find their ¯ place in a society where, religious leaders, ¯ editorial writers, parents, and teachersjudge i" them, condemn them, and vilify them for ¯ who they are. Gay teenagers commit suicide ." in far higher percentages than do hetero- ¯ sexual, teenagers. : see Letters, p. 11 by Tom Neal Oklahoma Today, the official magazine of the State of Oklahoma, just released their July/August issue which features Tulsa. But is it a rather peculiar Tulsa. Just as once the majoritywhite culture refused to acknowledge racial minorities, creating a whites only image, Oklahomt~ Today(OT)has shownTulsaas "straights only." Now we should give them a very little credit. They did get a few black folks in the issue and actually even ones who are wall regarded in the black community in,~tead of Tulsa’ s white leadership’ s favorite "acceptable" blacks. Butjournalists, at least when they really do theirjob, are supposed to reflect reality. And the reality is that there are Lesbian and Gay people in Tulsa: we exist. ~ Oklahoma’s oldest Lesbian and Gay organihations are here: the oldest, the Metropolitan Community Church United, renamed but still extant, and Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR), which runs the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center, And this publication has been around nearly eightyears. It would have taken very little to mention the community center, or to identify, just as was done for Tulsa blacks, one or another community leader, or mention a community publication- as was done of, obviously, The World, but also, The Oklahoma Eagle and that waste of newsprint, the prejudiced and anti-Gay Urban Tulsa. ’What’ s baffling about Oklahoma’Today’s failure (~t its heart, simply to tell the truth about our city) isthat after a conversation ] had with its editor Louisa McCune about four years ago, OT ran a mention of the first or second Pride March (before the first parade). McCune knows that we exist. But perhaps the problem doesn’t lie there. Oklahoma Today publisher Joan Henderson’s response to my coneems was that when OT featured Oklahoma City some issues back, they proudly ignored OKC’ s LGBT community also. Later in the conversation, she variously suggested that they could not write about us because they give OT to 4th graders and theycan’ t write "about sex," thattheir readers are all about 62 years old and they don’ t even want to read about blacks or Indians, and that they’re a state magazine .and if we have a problem with what Oklahoma Today’s doing, wecanjust talk to her Republican boss, Gov. Fr~tk K.eating, Lt. Gov~ Mary Fallin, and Tourism and Recreataon Executive Director Jane Jayroe. Of course, I-wouldn’t waste my breath tr~ing to talk with the ethically bd’uddled Keating et al, but I do think it will be quite interesting to talk with members of the legislature - see Today, p. 8 Official Refuses to Perform Gay Marriages LEEUWARDEN, Netherlands (AP) - A civil servant who has refused to officiate Gay marriages could be fired by the city, officials said last month. Nynke Yxinga-Boomgaardt can only save herpart-time job if she signs a contract agreeing to wed same-sex couples at city hall, municipal authorities in Leeuwarden said. Same-sex mamages were legalxzed in April, making the Netherlands the first country to grant Gay couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, including ~e right to adopt children. "In this job she has the obligation to enforce the law, and under Dutch law Gay couples have equal rights," said Jan van der Hoek, a spokesman for the city, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Amsterdam. If she refuses, the.spokesman said, her contract will be .terminated in September. Eringa-Boomgaardt refused to wed fwo Gay couples over the past three months, saying she is principally opposed to same-sex marriages. The couples are still waiting to be married. "This is about the battle betWeen equality and my right to have conscientious objections," Eringa- Boomgaardt told the Trouw daily newspaper.. Gay-Pride Flag Burners Arrested COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A man with a history of desecrating the Gay-pride flag is one of two people charged with burning the baiaher during a parade. Police charged Charles Spingola, 45, and Thomas Meyer, 47, both of Newark, with open buming, a firstdegree misdemeanor punishable by as. much as six months in jail. . A state appeals court last week upheld Spingola’s conviction on criminal damage charges for tearing down:aGay-prideflag thatwas flying at the Statehouse two:years -ago a~ a’similar parade. " . Police said Spingolaand Meyer setfire to arainbow-" colored flag they had been carrying as the last marchers in the Columbus Pride Parade passed the Statehouse. Police Sgt. Michael Piccininni said Spingola had burned another Gay-pride flag about 21/2 hours earlier outside Broad Street United Methodist Church, where a Gay-oriented service took place before the parade. Piccininni said Spingola was given a waming, but returned later during the parade with a new flag and a small container 0f gasoline. Andrea Critchet, head of parade security, said she was splashed with gasoline after approaching Spingola andMeyernear the Statehouseand telling themto keep away from parade participants. ’°We were there to protect him, to-keep the crowd away from him," Cfitchet said. "He said, ’You’ re all gonnaburn in hell,’ and he flipped it (the flag) up on me.". Cfitchet was ~checked by paramedics for burning in her’throat but was not injured. Teresa Spingola, 46, said her husband and her two sons, 12 and 16, intended to burn the nylon flag, but didn’ t expect the scuffle or arrests that followed. "It’ s legal to bum the American flag. We thought it’ s OK to bum the queer flag," she said. She said that last.year, the family burned a Gay flag at the same intersection without incident. Presbyterian Pastor Comes Out, Resigns ¯ chief policy-making body of the Presbyterian Church ¯ " (U.S:A.) voted to relmmmend lifting a ban on ordaining homosexual clergy. The measure must still be ratified over the next year by .a majority Of the ~hurch’s 173 presbyteries, or regional legislatures. That will be harder to achieve and, besides,. Hawley cannot endure any=longer the stress of living in two worlds. ’T ve had a lot of personal, emotional and health struggles, and I just realized I could not live in the closet anymore," said Hawley, 42, who led the Genesee Valley Presbytery, which represents 73 congregations in the Rochester region_ in western NewYork. "I knew I had to get more open with my sexuality if I was going to recover. There’ s been a lot of pain in terms of being silent when I personally ~’elt I s.hould have been sw.aking." Hawley did not plan to have his departure from the church coincide with the emotional debate in Louisville, Ky., where the General Assembly of thenafion’ s . sixthlargest Protestant denomination voted 317-208m favor of ordination of Gays attd Lesbians. What his decision will do is allow him to speak more forcefully on an issue that several mainline Protestant denominations, notably the Episcopal Church and United Methodist Church, have struggled with in recent years. "I feel~badly in a way that I haven."t been more outspoken but that’ s part of the problem with the closet - it’s not safe to," he-said. "But now I can tall people how destructive it was to try to live that life and quietly serve." Hawley, who grew up in Montrose, Pa., and studi_e,d.,. atthe Jesuit-run University of Scranton~ said he didn t realize he was Gay when he was ordained in 1983. He ¯ figured it out in 1995 after years of turmoil. Although he was not in a relationship,Hawley said : he constantly feared losing his job. He might have ¯ battled to keep it now, he said, but knew that conserva- ¯ fives in the presbytery would have pushed for his removal. "That’ s the fight that I didnotpersonally want ¯ to take," said Hawley, who plans a new career in teaching. ’-’The only way I can be honest and comfortable about myself is to come out and to resign. It’ s a . ¯ matter.of integrity." ¯ At last year’s General Assembly meeting, Hawley said he was forced to listen quietly as conservatives argued against inclusion Of Gays in the leadership of a church that has a~ many as 3.6 million members. The ¯ remarks were not~"hateful so much as ignorant," he ¯ said. The push to remove the ban on Gay clergy from ¯ the church’ s constitution "would mean-the church has made a really radical shift, and I’mnot sure that ithas,’~ he added. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) - In hi’s .t8th year as a ¯ Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Bill Hawley realized ¯ he could nolonger keep his sexual orientation a secret. -’. ¯By revealing that he’s Gay, Hawley also decided his : only real choice was to quit the church. ¯ His resignation took effect June 15, the same day the ~ : Bank Refuses Account to Anti-Gay Group : MONTREAL (AP) - A Canadian bank is refusing to ¯ open an account for a coalition of conservative and ¯ religious.groups that opposes MontreaV s bid to host ¯ the2006GayGames.Montrealis competingwiththree ¯ U.S. cities- Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles - to host the Gay Games, which typically draw 24,000 :’ athletes and 200,000 spectators. : -The No ’C-ommittee2006 was formed in April after ¯ -Montreal announced its. bid. The. committee’s mem- : bers indudethe Christian Heritage Party and the Cam~ ¯ paign Life Coalition for Quebec. The Rev. Daniel Cormier, who heads the committee, said the group ¯ fears visiting athletes could spread the HIV virus that ¯ leads to AIDS. A Royal Bank spokesman-confirmed the No Committee 2006 was denied a bank account for donations for supporters. "We refuse to support or oppose di.scriminatory activities of ~any kind," said bank spokes- "man Raymond Chouinard. Cormier called thebank’ s refusal discriminatory. He said at a news conference Friday that his group would Find out for yourself how good the Lord is! - Ps. 34:8 Come share the goodness of the Lord with our community ~ Sunday Morning 11:00 AMChildren’s Worship During Service MCC United Rev. Cathy Elliott. Pastor 1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-! 715 mcctulsa@aol.com Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Community "ofHope 2545 South Yale, Sundays at 1 lam, 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.~AA-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Ghild, Family, Individual 8, Gouplo Psycholhorapy (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- 12.48 Red Rock Tulsa Free Confidential HIV Testing ,Walk=in Clinics " " ~ : "~ Tues. & Thurs., 5 -8 prn at the Cenfer, 1307 East 38th Daytime appointments, available. Call for more inf6rmation: 918-584-2325 e i I v b American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette Mcintosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 Saint Aidan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 Saint John 4200 S. Atlanta Place. 742-7381 OPENARMS OPENMINDS OPEN IqFARFS Saint Dtmstan 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Trinity 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 The. EpiscOpal Church Welcomes You take the case to court or the Quebec Human Rights. Commission. East Ohio Methodists Oppose Anti-Gay Stance LAKESIDE, Ohio (AP) - A group of United Methodist ministers and parishioners from the East Ohio " Conference is preparing for another attack on th~ " hurch s anti-Gay doctrine. Thirty United Methodist ministers in the regional groupjoined dozens of church members in signing the " "East Ohio Declaration," whichopposes the doctrine’ s " anti-Gay stance, andwill begin a series of discussions in September aimed at the issue. The United:Methodist church has more than 9 million members worldwide . most are in the United States. ¯ During its national quadrennial meeting in Cleve- ¯ land last summer, about 1,000 church leaders voted 2- ¯ 1. to uphold the church’ s stance on Gays. The doctrine . states that homosexuality is incompatible with ~aris- ¯ tian teaching; thatno sexually-activehomosexual rain- ¯ isters should be ordained; and that same-sex mamages ¯ will. not be honored. Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton - who oversees the ¯ 192,000-member East Ohio Conference - planned a ¯ series of discussions in preparation for revisiting the " issue when the United. Methodist Church meeots again " in Pittsburgh in 2004. Two representatives from each of the 12 East Ohio : Methodist districts will attend a September 22 prelimi- ." nary meeting. One representative will sent to support . existing church doctrine, the other to argue for change. ¯ Those delegates plus 40 other church officials will air ¯ their views and be traine3l to organize similar meetings . around the state. : A magistrate had said the state did not have enough : evidence to support the aggravated kidnapping charge. ¯ But the Supreme Court disagreed, saying though the facts are in dispute, there is enough evidence to argue them in court. us," said Tom Aeschlimann, one of the event’ s orgamzers. For the first time the parade had a grand marshal, Scott Winkler, a native of Loomi s who is an insurance agent in Omaha. New York City Event Rivals SF One NEW YORK (AP) - Three dozen Gay couples celebrated their same-sex partnerships to kick off New York City’ s 32nd annum Gay pride parade, a Celebration of flamboyant costumes and floats. "We’d like to be recognized as a couple," said Sheneen Ellis, wearing awhite veil and mini-dress decorated with tiny red rhinestones, as she stood with her partner, Alona Hartnett, dressed in white ~lacks and jacket. They were surrounded by their five children as two ministers and a rabbi blessed them ifi a ceremony Sunday at the entrance to Central Park just before the Heritage of Pride parade. "Two mothers are better than having only one,", read a sign carried by one of the children, 10-year-old Calhea Johnson. "I love mommy and mommy." The parade included Lesbians on motorcycles, a rainbow arch of balloons and a top-down convertible carrying veterans of the 1969 Stonewall riots, in which The initiative banning same-sex marriages passed by 70% to 30% last November. "We’re going to be here and we’ re going to stay around. You better accept ThomasTavl0rofBrockville aretir....¯ . _ _ " pa.tronsofaGaybarinG-reenwichVillagefoughtback " : " .r . , euNnmsterwno ¯ - -s " . .............. ag--m’n-s"tapou""ceram..... , , ,~:. ¯ ¯ ~,~ u,~. oz~tto1, a Vzmt. ,-.v~u n we corot just sit flown years to a colorful pageant drawing hundreds of thou and talk and agree that we are not of one mind about this," that would represent progress for the church; Taylor said. Church leaders who signed the East Ohio Declaration said they have no intenfi.on ofdefying the church’ s rules on Gays, and doubt that it will cause schism. A Methodist minister could be disciplined for perform- : ing a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple, but " Taylor said he knows of no same-sex couples in the East .Ohi,o Conference that are seeking a Methodist -" mamage. Men, Parents Accused of i Abducting Lesbian " SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah Supre~m~ourt decided to allow two Jordanian men to be tried~for aggravated kidnapping in the alleged abduction and beating of their sister in October 1999. The ’woman’s mother and father also are charged in the alleged attack. Prosecutors saybrothers IehabHawatmehand Shaher Hawatmeh, their father, Jami] Hawatmeh, and their : mother, Wedad Hawatmeh, kidnapped and beat 23- ." year-oldMuna Hawatmeh when they discovered she was a Lesbian. The woman said she agreed to-return to ~ Jordan as away to stop the beatings. Thenext morning, " .the family was driving her to the airport from their : home in Sandy when her partner spotted them and ¯ called police. The family agreed to take the woman to " the Sandy police station, and a doctor later found " bruises on her arms and legs. ¯ Thefour are charged with simple kidnapping, which " cames a sentence of up to 15 years. But Assistant " Attorney General Fred Voros argued that the defen- " dants’ alleged use of weapons and threats warrants the aggravated kidnapping charge, which carries a life sentence. ¯ sands of participants and spectators, and has been replicated in’cities around the world. . ¯ Paris-, Berlin, Chicago and Atlanta In Europe, Pads and Berlin celebrated Gay pride on ¯ Saturday .with rollicking parades. At the center of the festivities were the cities’ mayors, both openly Gay. In Chicago, organizers expected approximately 350,000 to attend what has become one of the largest parades in the city. hi Atlanta, thousands of people, including several mayoral candidates, participated in the city’ s 31 st Gay Pride celebration, which wrapped up with a parade along the City’s main artery, Peachtree Street. "Events ¯ like this help increase our visibility and help to let ¯ p.eo.ple k~,,o,w that Gay people do exist, that we’re not clevlants, Benson Cohen said. "We don’ tjust exist in- " the shadows." The New York marriag, ceremonies were not le- ! gaily binding but served as ~i rallying point for activists who would like to see samp-sex couples accorded the same legal rights as.heteros.exual couples. New York City’s domestic partnership law gives public employees who are same-sex couples the same health benefits as married couples, along with privileges such as visiting rights in city institutions like hospitals and jails. ~ Vermont is the only state that offers Gay couples the option o.f civil unions, which give them the ~ame rights as mamed couples. Legislation to legalize homosexual unions has been introduced in New York state but has never passed. Gay Health Ads : Pulled in. NYC : NEW YORK (AP) - Local officials condemned- the city and an ad agency tmde~- ¯ city contract for pulling apublic service ad ¯ that promoted a free health line f0~Gays ’ from s,everal bus stopsin the Bronx. "It is outrageous thal when .new HIV infection rates are soaring, especially " among men of color, that a responsible ad " like ~this, intended to confront this health ¯ crisis, is censored by the city and by Infinity Outdoor,’.’ said state Sen. Tom Duane. : "It is the height of irresponsibility on the city’ s part and the height of hypocrisy on ¯ the part of Outdoor, the company behind the Howard Stem show, to call this ad " inappropriate or indecent," Duane added. ° Infinity Outdoor is the advertising company that maintains the city’ s bus shelters._ Its parent, Infinity Broadcasting, airs the " sometimes-raunchy Howard Stem radio show. City Councilwoman Christine Qninn said New York City "should be doing everything in its power tO heighten public awareness of the epidemic and to educate those at risk about steps they can take to protect themselVeS." The ad, paid for by the Bronx Lesbian -..and Gay Health Resource C0ilsortium, showed two men, one with his arm around the other~ above a caption that read, "I’m not Gay, but sometimes I have sex, with other.guys," and included a numberfor the health line. Infinity Outdoor initially approved the content of the ads.But company spokes~ man Dana McClintock said a significant number Of complaints were rdceived,specifically about the reference to sex. "Making these decisions is tough;’ McClintock said. "It’s a,gray area. It’s not black and white, it’ s doing our best to ~strike a bal-. ance between First Amendment rights and.. community concerns." ButLisaWinters, founder of the consortium, said the original was "not at all an offensive ad." "There are ads for ’Sex and the City’ up all over the place,~Lshe said. "What’s wrong with these posters?" She has said the ads featuring the two men were intended to reach men in the Bronx ¯ who do not identify themselves as Gay. The city’ s Department of Transportation owns the shelters, and Commissioner Iris Weinshall supported~ the company’s decision to pull the ad. "This poster was totally inappropriate, and we applaud. the contractor fortaking it down," she said. "We feel,that good taste can supersede the First Amendment."_ The same ads featuring the two menalso are displayed inside city buses, and have , not been pulled. Bus ads are controlled by TDI Worldwide, another company owned bY Infinity Broadcasting. People.with HIV Share Stories UNITEDNATIONS CAP)-DavidBrooks .Arnold, a ~65-year-old grandfather from Washington; D.C., and Josephine Chiturttmam, a 42-year old mother of four from Zimbabwe, have more in common than they expected. They both w0rkfor the Red Cross, both lost partners mAIDS and both are HIV-positive. People-from all walks of life with HIV andAIDS traveledfromevery continent to share their stories in moviiag testimonials that drew an audience of government officials, AIDS experts and U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annam Patinya Noyphon, a petite Thai wOman with a sweet smile and soft brown hair, found out shewas HIV-positive when her husband died of AIDS in 1996. Her story moved many to tears Tliesday as she re- - counted the shock of learning her husband had the disease and that he left her with the virus. Ini997; she joined a network of AIDS patients that began counseling others with the vires thinmore than~36 million people " are living with. That network has grown into an international movement of people living with HIV/AIDS and Tuesday they formed a partnership with the Red Cross to bring mo,re infectedpeople into caregiving ¯ roles. ’~"~e active participation.of those living with HIV/AID-S is absolutely vital," Annan ¯ ; told a room of over 200 people gathered to :hear HIV positive advocates speak out. Annan, who h’as-made AIDS a personal ¯ -crusade, said the alliance "sends a powerful message to decision-makers, and to ¯ society as ~ whole, about the importance of tackling stigma .and discrimination." Many attending the session, part ofa three-day U.N. conference on HIV/AIDS, openly talked about shame and discrimination. "We are not viruses," said Adam P0well, a member of the Norwegian delegation to the conference, who is HIV positive: "We are humanity," he said. Others ’used the opportunity to mourn loved Ones and encourage those infected ¯ to continue fighting. Chiturumani, an AIDS Counselor in her ¯ nau,~e Zimbabwe, lost her husbandto the ¯ pandemic last year. She also lost her ¯ brother, a nephew, a brother and sister-in- " law and numerous cousins- 22 relatives in all since 1994 - all taken by AIDS. Over 20 years, Arnold, director of international relations for the American Red Cross, lost more than 100 friends, including his 10ngtimepartner, to AIDS, Despite vastly different backgrounds, a fatal dis- " ease has madethem instant friends. "It’s an immediate bonding; Arnold sat . He ¯ said that "Josephine is living my past," ¯ noting that the disease detected among : Gay men in the United States in the 1980s ¯ is now ravaging whole communities in ¯ Africa. "- Chiturumani said reaching out to others ¯ with AIDS has helped her live with the ¯ virus. ’~’It makes me belieVe that tomorrow ¯ there will be someone out there who will : care for me," she said. In Africa, Stigma Prevails BAMAKO, Mali (AP)- Long years after : becoming the first in hisSahara nation to : publicly acknowledge carrying the AIDS : virus, Mamadou Barry is still fighting the : samebattleas0n Day One. Themissionis ¯ "convincing people thatAIDS exists," says ¯ Barry, whoin 1994feltcompelledtoleave "- his family business after he revealed that The Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around:the-clock answers to your questions - and better.access co service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power ~urned on or - off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every-day, To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed . our toll-free numbers below. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I CALL 24 HOURS FOR TOLL-FREE SERVICE o~Clil~ And Save I I I I Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 Billing In.quir:iesi 1-888-216-3490 Outage Rep0~ing: 1-888-218-3919 Servicio a Clien~es: 1-888-216-3505 Preguntas Sobre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 ~alta De Suminis~r0:1-888-218-3924 Public Service Company of Oklahoma I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I he had tested positive for HIV: In apandemic that stigmatizes as it kills, AIDS in Africa today, remains a disease that leaves many of its.victims choosing a quiet death overthe proSpecfof a life of pfiblic shame. In government after government, reluctan~ c~,to co~icede that Africans are dying of what s seenas aWes.terndegeneracyhelps keep impoverished countries decades behind the West in confronting the disease. In household after household, the shame blocks testing and tr_eatment and even the simplest known preventative measures, such as condoms. In Mall’s capital, Bamako, a foreign publication’s report this month that the death of a promruent Malian official had been due to AIDS angered many, in and out of government. PrimeMinisterMandeSidibe"wentinto a rage," one aide related, speaking on condition of anonymity. Countrywide, the near unanimous response was that it was wrong to dirty the name of an illustrious dead man. In all of Africa, the top official to admit to having AIDS is Edwin Cameron, a judge on South Africa’s Constitutional Court. But Cameron is white, openly Gay and able to afford treatment.- in all, not someone to whom the average infected African would look as a model. AIDS is "considered a disease ofpeople of bad morals, of the ill-bred," said Dr. Allou Sylla, director of a Bamako center that tests the few who dare to find out whether they have AIDS. In the general absence of testing, often the only rough confirmation that a~madO~ w0mmi died of AIDS comes when a spouse follows them in death one or two years later.- Overwhelmingly, the tendency is to blame the diarrhea, the rashes, thehorrifying’ wasting away on witchcraft. Sorcerers andfaith-healers flourish. AIDS treatment, meanwhile, remains a rarity, ,affordable only to a few thousand among the 26 million living with HIV across the continent. Even thosewhofall ill with diseases that bring AIDS-like symptoms, such as tuberculosis with its weight loss, are shunned, Often losing their jobs. In polygamous African societies, AIDS is spread mainly by sex between men and women. It is also spread by contaminat&t blood and by unsterilized blades - used interchangeably andcommunally for tribal rituals, circumcisions andbarbering. AIDS hit hard from the start among prostitutes, who literally line the streets in some African cities. That contributed to the enduring Stigma. In Mali, Aminate Nana Kasse is among those closely following the news out of the U.N. AIDS eonferenceinNewYork. Nana Kasse was infected with HIV by her husband, who has since died. Nana Kasse has a dream, a distant one, for Africa - that every government will require HIV tests ing for couples before they marry. ’"No African wife would dare _demand of her husband that he wear a Condom, let alone suggest that.he take a test," Nana Kasse said. With mandatory tests, "at least One would know who she’s marrying," the widow said. Mall this year became one of 10 African countries to enter deals with Western drugcompanies for low’cost HIV drugs - although in poorAfrica dying without care will remain the norm. for millions. There are other signs of hope, coming only when local powers acknowledge and accept the fight against AIDS. An example is in Senegal, where Islamic imams preach the prevealtion message in their Friday sermons at the country’ s mosques. "People are starting more and more to believe in iL" said Sylla, the clinic director in Bamako. Still; no family in Mali wants it said in the. community that they have a relative infected with HIV in their midst. "I .knew that it was for the. best," says Barry, explaining his decision to sever ties with his family after discovering he had the AIDS virus. Now in his 40s, he still lives estrangedfrom them. "I believe I was taking- from them a"decision that the faroi! y, soonerorlater,wouldhavebeen obliged to take." 600K in China Have AIDS Virus UN1TED NATIONS (AP) -.More than 600,000 people in China are estimated to ." be infected with the AIDS virus and the : number is increasing by 30% annually, ¯ p.rimarily because of an upsurge in infec- ¯ tlons among intravenous, drug users, . China’ s health minister said. Although the prevalence of the HIV virus and AIDS is still low -just 0.5% of ~ China’ s 1.27 billion population- the government has launched a five-year plan to ; reduce the-ingrease ~rom 3Q% 5o 10% -. annually,’Zhang Wenkang toId Tl~e Associated Press. Theplan calls f0r includingAIDS awareness in the sex edUcation curriculum for ¯ !.5-year-01ds, prevention messages from " leading actors, condom vending machines : and education programs at all leadership ¯ levels. Impro ced treatment- including the -. possibility of cheap drugs - is also part of the plan, Zhang said in an interview after " addressing the first U.N. General Assem- ~ bly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. ¯ Five years ago,. about 40% of China~s " HIV cases were the result of the illegal : selling of blood, primarily..in rural areas ¯ where dirty needles were often used, he said. Following a gove.rp_ment crackdown " on illegal blood-buying, the percentage of : HIV cases from tainted blood has dropped to 4 to 6%. About70% of current HIV cases are the result ofintravenous drug use, Zhang said. Another 10% are infected through heterosexual or homosexual relations and a smaller percentage from mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Professor Shao Yiming, deputy director of China’ s National Center for AIDS Prevention and Control, explained that the numbers are just estimates. As. a developlng country China can.dnly do limited AIDS testing and people in rural areas often,don’t recognize the HIV virus, he " said. Zhang said the estimate of more than : 600,000 HIV sufferers was made by epi- " demiologists based on the actual number " of reported HIV cases - 23,905 at the end ¯ of March. At that time, there were also956 " AIDS patients and 537 confirmed deaths, : he said. The Joint U.N.-Program on HIV/AIDS has said that "while East Asia and the Pacific region still appear to be holding HIV at bay, the recent steep rise in sexually transmitted infections in China and tile vast transmigration ofpcople- spurred by economic growth - could unleash an epidemic.." " Outlining China’ s five-year plan to cut new HIV infections, Zhang said people will be urged to take preventative measures against the disease, "... for instance to develop a healthy lifestyle, without so many sex partners, and secondly without drug using. We advocate m,a~i,’tal sex. we discourage extramarital sex. Zhang called on pharmaceutical companies toreduce the cost of the drug "cocktail" that has proven effective in treating HIV and AIDS because the current cost"is unimaginable for the peasants and citizens.’" About 200 Chinese afflicted with the virus are currently taking part in a trial using free drugs, he said. Shao said China has the capability of making ’cheap drugs to treat HIV and AIDS because it produces many of the chemicals used in the medications, "but the drug is only one ring of the whole chain of treatment." He said China is preparing a comprehensive treatment program, from health care infrastructure and well-trained doc- .tors and nurses to drugs, laboratory testing and monitoring. Though China is starting to confront its AIDS Crisis, the government still harasses activists seeking to draw attention to the problem - especially when doing so uncovers government negligence. Last month, Chinese officials ref.used.to issue a passport to retired physician Dr. Gao Yaojie to accept the Jonathan Mann Award from the Global Health Council at aceremonyin Washington, D.C., attended by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Gao,74, has publicized the spread ofAIDS among poor farmers in central China, blamed on an unsanitary, blood-buying industry. She said officials accused her of helping "anti-China forces." Contacted at her home in Henan province’s capital, 7Jaengzhou, Gao said officials have told her patients to seyer ties with her, saying she had been arrested. People who have visited her at home have been detained and officials have blocked her from distributing donated medicine and cash to AIDS victims, she said. Gao has published her own report about AIDS in China and plans to distribute tt free to patients, health institutions and the media. Eastern Europe/ Russia Hit By AIDS NEW YORK (AP) - Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union,- which already have the world’ s fastest rising rates ofnew HIV/AIDS infections, are headed for a large-scale" epidemic unless anti-AIDS .programs go into full swing now, speciallsts on the region have warned. The numbers are still small compared with Africa, where 26 million people ore infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, but they are climbing fast. The United Nations ~stimates that the number of infected people:in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe has skyrocketed from 30,000 in 1995 to 700,000 as of last year. Ethan Nadelmann of the Lindesmith Center/Drug Policy Foundation said the region "leads the world in the connectioN’ between AIDS and intravenous drug use, with80% of HIV infections linked to drug abuse. Nadelman moderated the panel discussion "preventing an Epidemic" among doctors, heads of rehabilitation programs, politicians and researchers. Their meeting was organized by the Open Society Institute, a charitablefoundation active throughout the region, and coincided with the three-day United Nations’ Special Ses= sion on AIDS. Sergey Kovalev, a member of the Russian Parliamentandlongtimehumanrights activist, said his country has answered the increase in intravenous drug use with repressive measures that drive users underground, rather than toward medical care. Their sharing Of hypodermic needles has spread HIV, especially among the young. Kovalev said his government is not likely to budge from that approach unless it is p~essured to do so by Western nations. Prison populations have swelled, with correspondingincreases in drug useamong inmates and in diseases such as tuberculosis that prey on HIV-infected people. Although there once was comprehensive health care throughout the region, today those systems have crumbled and there is virtually no treatment offered for people infected with HIV. Paul Farmer, a Harvard Medical School professor who leads AIDS programs m Russia and Haiti, .said politicians in the regi0I~ and internationally wil.l avoid tacklingthe potential AIDS epidemic on their own. To change that simalaon, he said, - health professionals and activists need to unite to establish fwo ’things: a comprehensive plan for research, pre~,enfion, treatment and care for orphans; and pilot programs_ that show how the work can be accomplished. "All they need is division in our ranks to say,’ No, i t can’ t be done,’" he warned. "The search for excuses not to do this is almost criminal." .Konstanfin Lezhentsev, who helped establish Ukraine’ s firstAIDS treatmentprogram through Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders, said the aim ofhis group is to have"aneffecfive tool for speaking with the government" about the urgency Of every patient’s right to treatment. A woman on the panel who asked to be called only by her first nmne, Irina, spoke of issues that go beyond government policy: disci’iminafion against those with HIV. Inherfirst public declaration that she is infected with HIV, Irina described how She became a drug addict, despite coming from aloving family, studying at a university, etc. She thought all her troubles were over when she completed a drag rehabilitaftonprogram, but soon she found out that she was HIV-posifive. HIV-infected people are shunned by family and afraid to go to doctors, she said. Even people she had helped through drug programs deserted her. by Jim Christjohn, entertainment editor "Planets of the Universe", the first single off Stevie Nicks’ .new album "Trouble in ¯ Shangri La" is scheduled for release to stores on July 3rd. The single will include. several club remixes. It should be good, the song itself is great, and hopefully, for the first time since 1986’ s "I Can’ t Wait", fans will be able to go to the clubs and dance t6 a Stevie song. It would be niceifthe clubs in Tulsa are wise enough to get a clue and play it rather than the mixes they usually spin. One club version is 11 minutes long and contains lyrics cut from the album version. The tour should be interesting in that La Diva Nicks is ~bandoning the "Stevie Nicks/ ment jn theatre is taking place July 11-14 with Tulsa Experimental theatre’s production of",The dkDistance Between Bod- Ies Grows Greater Every Day:" Call Summerstage for tix at 596-7111. - "Always, Patsy Cline," an allegedly true story about a fan’s relationship with the singer is brought to you by American "The Haunted Castle opens its doors July 4th: Johnny inherits a haunted castle in EnOland (isn’t that where they all are?) and ~oes to claim his inheritance. It’s a whole lott~a troubleafter that, as the devil seems to think Theatre Company July 12-211 Featuring the music of-the great lady, .ax are available by calling 596-7111/ Hmm, anyone else experiencing drjh vu? Anyone else got that number memorized? "Love Letters," a writing exercise thatbecame a romance and then a play, is offered up July 12-21 by the Centerstage Players, and once more tix are available at Fleetwo~d Mac Great- he’s the rightful owner. - say it with me - 596- est Hits’ package,-in " ~ 71’1,1. which only’ one or two new ~ongs were ¯ Adrian Zmed, 80 s heartthrob best thrown in, and adding 5 new songs to the known for wrestling with William Shatner set,includingsomeol~lersongsneverdone on that cop show he was in (Adrian was in concert. She stops August 3rd in Dallas, hot, Adam not) and who showed his magand tickets are going fast., nificen_t abs in the 80’ s tour of"Godspell", Melissa Etheridge plays Will Rogers coliseum in Fort Worth September 10th and 1 lth, for which tickets go on sale July 7th. Karin, the .Raging Lesbian, reports-it will.be two dates withjust Melissa and her guitar. Sounds like a~ intimate evening, which would be.great. The RLreports it is called the ’,’Live and Alone Tour’’, as opposed to the dead and en masse tour; RL introduced me to her music, much like I introduced her to Stevie’ s. (Read: "Forced it down her throat until she knew every song by heart!") Fortunately, m3’ enthusiasm for Stevie took (asevidencedby find-- ing a Stevie cassette I KNEW.I hadn’t g~ en her, and forced her to fess up that she, indeed~ had bought it- and loved it.), as did hers for Meli~sa Interestingly enough, if ybu play the track"I Miss You" from Stevie’ s "Trouble in Shangfi" La" and.then play "Enough of Me" from Melissa’ S"Breakdown", you’ll find it’ s almost the same song - same chord progressions, sameguitar. Whoinfluenced who? John Shanks, Melissa’s producer, produced some of Stevie’ s album, but not that track. Interesting... There’ s a new Imax 3-D movie coming, and it’s sure to bring a bit of Halloween into summer. "The Haunted Castle opens its doors July 4th. Johnnyinherits ahaunted caste in England (isff t that where they all are?) and goes to claim his inheritance. It’ s a whole lotta trouble after that, as the devil seems to thinkhe’ s the rightful Owner. The Imax Corp0fation actually tried to launch an effort to ban this film due to its graphic content, entreating theatre owners not to show iLHow much of that is true and how much hype I don’t know, but it did make for an interesting press release. And it looks like it would be a fun film to check out, especially forhorror buffs.A new way to get a chill in the heat of summer. On the local front, an.intriguing expericomes to Tulsa to play in "Big" - and oh ~e puns I could make endlessly here. He is rather a tall man... And very broad shouldered, actually. Anyway, back to the column at hand-no, don’ t go there, either. Anyh.oo, themusical that flopped onBroad- " way is now suitable for touring produc- ’ taons and Theater Arts is bringing it to town July 13-22 at the Van Trease Per- ¯ - forming Arts Center for Education (PLEASE get a shorter name!) at 595- ¯ 7777. At least it’ s a different phone num- - bet. Tulsa CARES presents "Hairball 2001, an event to raise bucks to combat AIDS and raise awareness (and hair) in Tulsa. If you canget it up- the hair, I should say, to clarify for the more gutterminded among thereadership - and, if you can’ t get it up, for hair raising fun, call 834-4194 ~0r tix to the Tulsa CARES hair ball, er, hair (raising)° ball. And have a ball, at the ball. Oh, I think this column has just descended to a whole new level, and it ain’t up. For the folks still reading after that last ¯" bit who are into women, Shadia Dahlal ." ("Hello, dahling!" she says to thekids) and ¯ her Purple Roses of Cairo dance troupe : swing into town July 26-29 to writhe and ¯ swing hips for your delight. "Passage to a : world of dark-eyed women, mysterious ¯ customs,veils,incenseanddrums."Hmm, ¯ I know a couple of Lesbians that would like to explore those mysteries, I bet. ¯ And on the lighter side, Theater Pops ¯ weighs in with ,Bash" July 26-August 5. ¯ "Bash" is acollection of 3 one act plays ." about people capable of unspeakable acts : of evil and complexity. ¯ Nothing like a dose of Complex "evil to ¯ get the brai,’,n working. Better than coffee. : Bi~lledas a portraitofhowdarkthehuman : spirit can become," which I think I discov, : ered all too well from grade school on ¯ through high school. American Theatre Co. presents. July-12-21 John H. Williams Theater Performing Arts Center For tickets and information, call 596-7111 or 800-364-7111 www.tulpac.com Timothy W. Daniel Attorney at Law An Attorney who will fight for justice & equality for-Gays & Lesbians Domestic Partnership Planning, Pers0nalInjury, Criminal Law & Bankruptcy 1-800-742-9468 or 918-352-9504 128 East Broadway, Di’umright, Oklahoma Weekend and evening appointmenls are available. Holland Hall A SCHOOL THAT HAS iTS ACT TOGETHER Holland Hall ranks first in the city of Tulsa and second in the state for average ACT scores. And, our seniors, Class of 2001, have received acceptances to colleges that include Brown, Colorado College, Georgetown, Harvard. MIT, Tufts, Tulane," University of Michigan, Vanderbilt and Yale. Laboratory work engages students in the new 18,000-square-foot Duenner Family Science, Mathematics and Technology Center. ~PreSchool through G’i~tde 12 (918} 481-1111, ext. 251 the folks who provide the funding that Gov. Frank administers to Oklahoma Today. While our legislature’s no model of " progressive thinking, there are a few sena- ¯ tors and representatives who.believe that ¯ evenGayOklahomans deserve tobe treated - ¯ fairly - and who know that Oklahoma Today is funded with our tax dollars too. Last but not least, I should note that this ¯ problem of invisible Gay people i~ not new. We saw the same problem with the "homo-free" Tulsa Centennial. Andinterestingly enough some of the same players retum~ If one could bring "disbarment" proceedings againsta professor as you can against a negligent attorney, thenOU professor of letters Danney Goble, Ph.D. should have his credentials revoked for deliberately suppressing the history, ofGay Tulsans in his Centennial book. Some might excuse this as an oversight but within a day after Goble received the contract to write the Centennial history~ I called him and gave him names and phone numbers of several individuals who could speak about the last 30 years of Tulsa’s Gay history. Goblenever even bothered to call any of these people and .yet claimed his book was more reflective of the history of Tulsa’ s minority communities. Hadhe called and found the information lacking, the omission might be justified. Instead we just have plain and simple bigotry. Also noteworthy is the recogni: tion OT gives to Sharon King Davis who was chair of Tulsa’s bigoted Centennial effort. Davis, is both a staunch Baptist but also a major Democratic Party leader. Ofcourse, OklahomaDemocrats, mostly want to pretend that there are no Gay people here except for when national Democratic groups require that they m, elude us, oh, and when they need money,. like certain former governor or current congressman who both received or asked for major donations from "rich Gays" Of course, some will argue who cares about Oklahoma Today? The only people who read it are 62 year old white bigots (and at least this 43 year old editor). But the way we as a community are represented in the media is crucial to our survival and progress. When we are misrepresented, prejudices remain and help create an environment where hatred, assault and even murder can flourish. When we are rendered invisible, in effect, told we are not even worthy of acknowledgement, Oklahoma Todayhelps reinforcea climate of intolerance. Rendering minorities invisible is a.mil-~ lenniaold technique. Those whoconquered eradicated the language, the culture of those defeated. In America, history was written as that of white men, whether or not it really was until quite recently. In Tulsa, all notices of the 1921 Race Riot were torn out of the archives, and this was not taught in~ any Tulsa public or private school w.ell into the ’90’ s. And of course, in Oklahoma today, we see that there are no Gay people. and 89% (220) were from urban areas. Jackson County, including Kansas City, had the largest count of same-sex couples, 1,723. But whenthe 1,463 same-gender couples in No. 2-ranking St. Louis County were added to the 1,297 from the city of St. Louis, No. 3 on the list, the total of 2,760 mtranked Jackson County. For Elizabeth Radford and Marlssa Pace of St. Louis, describing themselves as a couple on their Census paperwork "’just came easily because it’s who we are and we are comfortable withit," said Pace, 32, a chemist. Radford, a 34-year-old social worker, said she and Pace took the step last year of having a marriage ceremony performed by clergy during a party attended by about 70 friends and relatives in St. Louis. In Ohio, 16,244 (88%) same-sex unmarried households are in urban areas, while 2,288 (12%) are in rural areas, according to the census data. This marksa slight change from .the 1990 census when only 9% (336) of same-sex unmarried households were in rural parts of the state and 91% (3,441) were in urban areas. In Alabama 5,778 (71%) same-sex .unmamed households are in urban areas, while 2,331 (29%)are in rural areas. In1990, only 25% (262) of same-sex unmarried households were in rural parts of the state and 76% (807) were in urban areas. In Kansas, the census figures showed that 2,544 (64%) same-sex unmarried households are in urban areas, while 1,429 (36%) areinrural areas. In 1990;only 29% (185) of same-sex ufimarried households were in rural parts of the state and 71% (462) were in urban areas. Mike Silverman, 28, a computer software e~glneer, and his partner of more than five yearL Dave Greenbaum, recently returned from Vermont, where they had a civil union ceremony. Lawrence is home of the University ofKansas, and Silverman said it’ s the only city in the state with an anti-discrimination ordinance protecting Gay men and Lesbians. In New York, 43,529 (94%) same-sex ¯ tmmarried households are in urban areas, ; while 2,961 (6%) are in rural areas. In the ¯ last census, only 4% (561) of:same-sex ¯ tmmarried households were in rural parts of the state and 96% (13,187) were m ¯ urban areas. Men with a male partner accounted for ¯ 15,016 households, and female couples ¯ made up 1’0,890 households, in 2000. The ¯ census also confirms that enclaves ofGays ¯ are concentrated in the Manhattan neigh- " borhoods of Chelseaandthe’vVestVillage. ¯ Data on other states will be released in ~ batches through mid-August, according to ¯ census officials. The Human Pdghts Cam- " paign (HRC), the largest national Lesbian ~md Gay political organization, is working ~ with the Urban Institute, a Washington, ¯ D.C. think tank specializing in statistical : analysis, to analyze same-sex partner ¯ household data. HRClobbies Congress; ¯ provides camp.aign support and educates ¯ .thepublic to ensurethat LGBT Americans ¯ can be open and safe at home and at work ~7 Lamont Lindstrom, Ph.D. Lastmonth some970 guns, several bales of marijuana, and forty or so boxes of pornography went up in smoke The Tulsa Police Department used fire clean its evidence lockers of items it didn’t want to auction back to the community. Thank goodnesswe are now thus secured against these three menaces to society:, weapons, drugs, and dirty pictures. The day the lurid glossies went into the furnaces, I happened to be reading Barry Werth’s recent biography The Scarlet Professor: Newton Arvin- A Literary Life Shattered by Scandal. Arvin was an ennnent literary critic and professor of English at Smith (in Northampton, MA), 0neof the Ivy-league’s "Seven Sister" colleges for women. His books on Nathaniel Hawthbm, Walt Whitman, ~ind Herman Melville (the later of which won~the National BookAward) helped create the canon of 19th century American literature, loved or cursed by today’s English majors. Literature made Arvin, and literature -of a sort also destroyed him. Arvin was arrested,~fined, institutionalized,, mad forced to retire for possessing Gay pornography. Born at the turn of the century, Arvin was-shy, short, balding, and: often depressed. He hdd married and divorced in his early 30’ s but only slowly and partially reconciled himself emotionally to his homosexuality. He progressed through a number of short-lived relationships with younger men, some of whom he recruited as English instructors. (In thgse days, sleep: ing with the boss could be a more obvious requirement of one’ s job.) Truman Capote, a young writer Arvin met at an artist colony, dated Arvin for two years, and dedicated to him his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms. To Arvin’s credit, he kept in touch with many of his lovers years after they had parted. In his 50’s, Arvin discovered nearby Springfield’s several Gay bars, cruising New York City bathhouses (the Everard), and also skin magazines. Arvin’ s renewed sexual adventuresomeness partly reflected an increasing loneliness of late middle age but also the sudden appearance in New York City newsstands of accessible Gay pornography. In the 1950s, pioneer pornographers such as Sam Roth and also Bob Mizer, in the guise of the Athletic Model Guild, began publishing pictures of mostly naked (apart from a posing strap or two) young men. Thom Fitzgerald’s recent video Beefcake documents the historyof the muscle maga~i,’nes that led to, Arvin’s downfall such as Grecian GuiM Piciorial, MANual, and Trim. Before the 1950s, Gaypornography was to spnng- "... Pornography 9nly exlsts in soeiet~es where sexuality, or aspects thereof, is repressed and inhibited. Pornography’s secrecy and saladousness furl its conslderahle charm. One may imagine, however, some sexual ecology...- past or future-where .all facets of se- x are simply mundane and, as a eonsec~uenee, pornography is unthlnhahl-e... " scarce and hard to find. Basically, one had ¯ to write or draw or photograph it onesdf, : or else somehow acquire obscure special ¯ editions and art prints mostly published in Europe. By midcentury, however, Ameri2 can enterprise and knowhow had at last brought graphicpornography home to the masses. Arvin began buying and collecting the new musclemagazines, and also films of nude wresfling and the like. A novel technology, 8ram film and the home movie projector (perhaps Arvin borrowed his from Smith College classrooms?), also boosted the mass market for pom -productions.- We’ve recently experienced similar technological boosts with the VCR, .DVD, and the Intemet. Pornography, actually, as an idea is rather recent. The word, a fancy madeup Greek term meaning "writing about harlots," first appeared around 1850 or so. Victorian archaeological excavations of Roman Pompeii and Herculaneum had uncovered shocking sexual imagery in murals, mosaics, and decorative household objects. These artifacts were quickly.squirreled awayin secret museum caches but they inspired a fierce interest, a fascination only partly disguised by "’pornography’ s" net-Greek facade.of polite, scientific objecfiyity. Terminological alternatives similarly have historically shallow roots. Obscene is a Latin worst that originally meant ominous or illomened; and smut an Old English word meamng sooty or smudged. Pornography only exists in societies Where sexuality, or aspects thereof, is repressed and inhibited. Pornography’s secrecy and salaciousness ftiel its considerable charm. One may imagine, however, some sexual ecology - past or .future - where all facets -of sex are simply mundane and, as a consequence, pornography is unthinkable. But not in Massachusetts in 1960, on the cusp of the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Wily politicians then witch-- hunted pornographers and-their customers, building careers on burning dirty pictures. A new federal law, passed in July 1960, had made it illegal to send pornographic material through the mail or to otherwise distribute this. Arvin and his circle of Gay. friends met occasionally to trade magazines and films and to show off new items in their collections. But postal inspectors got busy tracking down pore mailings-and, on September 2, 1960, three police officers pounded on Arvin’ s door. They seized his films and magazines and Arvin too. Terrified, he ratted on Ms Gay friends and colleagues two ofwhom, along with Arvin, were convicted and lost their teaching positions, see Studies, p. 11 Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) invites individuals, businesses and organizations to a Community-Wide Meeting: A Permanent Location for the Community Center Thurs., July 26th 6:30, meet & greet, program at 7pm_ LGBT Community Center, 21st & Memorial Discussion Topics: Where? How Big? As Focus for New Neighborhood? For info,, call 743-GAYS (743-4297) IGTA member Call 341. 6866 Intorn tion l ~TourS formoreinformation. 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 Want to save Money and Help Build a Community Center? Switch to Rainbow Communications Long Distance and More, 10% of Revenues Will Benefit Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights. Capital Campaign and General Fund For more information, call 665-3401 or evenings at A.A.7-8602. Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing 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 by Karin Gregory You know when it hitS, don’t you? Ev- " cry word she utters is golden, no matter ¯ how crude; every look she gives, you want .- to capture on film to replay; every phone ° message she sends, you save mad listen to " on your loneliest days(and especially ¯ nights!). You’re the homiest Lesbian in . town, yet when you think of HER, you " ¯ don’t think of the next time you’ll have ¯ sex, just how good it feels to be with her, ° whether for an hour or a whole night, " waking up with her the next morning. You . want to learn her, be a part of her, and fuse o yourtwo soulsinto one. Youwritehideous ~ purple prose in the second person that ¯ some poor folks in Tulsa will read (well, ¯ maybe not after this paragraph!). : When-you’re with her, you’re on an " emotional high, blocking out everyone ¯ around but the two of you. An hour after " she’s left, you’re still high. Somewhere " between the second and third hour, how- ¯ ever, your emotions sink so fast and so low that you don’t think you can live until you " see her again. When you hear from her, " you sound like the silliest schoolgirl who . ever lived. She’s the only woman who makes you nervous because you can’ ttalk to her like other women. You have to be " honest. Her bluntness and honesty make you want to be a better person, not only for " her, but for yourself. Yoi~’re feeling emotions you never thou.ght you had. Dare you question? Analyze? Categorize every feel- .: ing? Then put a label on those feelings? ¯ Can it be <gasp!> love? HELP! Why do I need help?why don’ t Ijust sit " back and enjoy the ride like most couples? ¯ For the first time in my life, I’m ready for ¯ that "R" word. She’s beautiful, talented, " creative, interested in me. So what’s the ¯ problem? Miss Interested-In-Me has only one flaw--the same flaw that haunts many Gay couples--the dreaded_EX! Yup, I’min " love with a woman who’ s stillinlove with ¯ her ex. Before you start calling me all ° kinds of stupid, I knew about the ex before ° I met Miss Interested-In-Me in person. I just didn’ t know, nor did she, the extent of ° those feelings. Now you can call me all " kinds of stupid! I walked into this trap. " I even met Ms. X once at my,.., my,. .. my.... whatever’s house. Gay Felix and " I liked her very much. No, she couldn’t be " rude, crude, and vulgar, could she? She " couldn’t be evil and have a wart on her ¯ nose. Oh, no! Remember, we’re talking ." Gregory luck here. She and "my girl" are " - even best friends. OUCH! And Ms. X " likes me. I found out about that when Miss ° Interested-In-Me and I spent aparticularly soulful night together.. "She likes you," : she said. "She. likes how attentive you are ." to me." ¯ It occurred to me to say, "Well, it’ s nice " to get the first wife’s permission,’" but I " thought better of it. If this woman has ¯ taught me anything, it’ s to think before I ; speak--a first for me. I’ ve also learned that " it’s easy to live with a stake through your " heart. It’s just when that stake is twisted ¯ around that you think you won’t ever be " able to breathe again. She also tells me I’m " .anincredible person to listen to her and not " to run. I’dlike to say that incredible people are not easy to find; that once you find one, you hold on for dear life. But then I have to think about that and realize that too much too soon will run off Miss Interested-In- Me. Some people say she’ s using me. Others say that shejust needs time. Hell, she’ s had at least two years! Gay Felix, who’s been around her more than others, told me the other day, "Karin, she’s called you, invited you over, initiated sex--I’ dbe happy!" He’s a man--what else did you expect? I’m also remembering a line from a musical, for which mosrof you Gay men would be proud. Around the end of ’~The Music Man", when the townspeople discover that "Professor" Harold Hill is a con man, they run after him with tar and feathenng in mind. Marian the Librarian’ s little brother, Winthrop, tells Hill to run away. Hill says he can’ t. He. looks at Marian and declares,"For t_he first time in my life; I got my foot caught in the door.’" Marian, if you’re out there, think of my foot and how it must hurt being stuck in your door for so long. Think of "that stake twisting through my heart. Know that this salesman won’ t bemaking any morehouse calls for a long time. Aren’t exes a bitch? Arvin’s collection of soft, nudie guy imagery, lugged imo court as evidence, undoubtedly was subsequently burned. Arvin died two years after his trial, in 1963. Forty years later, it is quaint, one could say, that the state still strikes matches to protect us from the perils of pornography. Butitmaybe alosing battle, particularly in Oklahoma. The more sexual repression, themorepornography. It’ s maybe no accident that Tulsa spelled backwards, as ~veryone knows, is A SLUT. Lamont Lindstrom teaches anthropology ht the University o[Tulsa, and can be reached at lamont10@yahoo.com It is time for society tO recognize that Gays and Lesbians are a responsible minority facing unjust discrimination and mistreatment by the majority - just like every other minority which has struggled forjustice a~.d equal treatment inAmerica. - Nathaniel Batchelder, Director The Peace House, Oklahoma City In statements to TFN, McClure noted that repeated efforts to discuss and resolve these issues with Tulsa Comity commis, Sioner John Selph, a Democrat and with Tulsa Mayor Susan Savage, also a Demo: crat, both of whom are represented on the Criminal Justice Authority, have been rebuffed to date. McClure also issued a written challenge to Savage and the county commissioners to meet with him to resole these issues. present.s I JuIy 14, 8pm, PAC’sWestby Pavilion ~ LaFortune Studio, $80 donation. Call Rebecca at 834-4194 Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, July 2001; Volume 8, Issue 7 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohns Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, June 2001; Volume 8, Issue 7 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/614 2001 AIDS arts Atlanta Berlin businesses censorship Census Chicago China churches Council Oak Men's Chorale Diversity celebration Eastern Europe entertainment flag burning gay clergy Hair Ball hate crimes HIV HIV testing kidnapping Netherlands New York City Ohio Omaha Openarms Youth Project Paris police abuse pornography Pride pride Parade Raging Lesbian Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa restaurants Russia San Francisco stigma Tulsa CARES Tulsa County Jail Tulsa Family News United Methodist Church https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/36aba7327972b75dae0295dac95d169a.jpg b193d44609dabb5cef6d586b66040292 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/513e40cd3c75b65023730243e0d4089c.pdf 5f8ccce996b76090a422ada4399d57bd PDF Text Text Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friends ¯ i New Community Center ¯ Tulsa .Hate Crime: Gay ¯ TOHR Seeks Location Suggestions Beaten by Straight Man 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 neighborhood, Brady Heights neighborhood, 11th Street, Kendall Whittier to 31st Street.at Highway 169 to.the old Oral Roberts University building near Veterans Parkncar the south downtown neighborhood of SoBo. 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 ran from 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 was just calling ¯ to see if the police had responded, see Attack, p. 3 ~ . ¯ ¯ : i 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 26year-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 Pardon and Parole Board that his death sentence be cornmuted. 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 of Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) and even an anthropologist from the University of Tulsa, have issued a plan and recommendations to addres s"misdemeanor sexual crimes" in Tulsa county. 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 of public sex are mostly male and many are married 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 perform community service andmostimportantly, would go through an approved mental health/physical health .treatment program (at their own expense) 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 " " ¯ ¯ " " " ¯ ¯ : 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- The Human 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 had just 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. He followed 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 and have 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 based on real 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 Same-sex Domestic Violence Seems Higher SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Reports of domestic violence among Gay and Lesbian couples around the nation in 2000 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 of Anti-Violenee Programs, an association of 26 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 Gay couples. 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. �918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants POB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-maih TulsaNews@earthlink.net 832-1269 *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine 610-5323 Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal *CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial 838-9792 Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry *Play-Mor, 424 S. 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Lewis EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS www.gaytulsa.org website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians 501-253-7734 Autumn Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities 501-253-7457 Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main AIDS Walk Tulsa, POB 4337, 74101 579-9593 501-253-6807 DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 743-2363 All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 501-253-5445 Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. 587-7314 Black & White, Inc. POB 14001, Tulsa 74159 501-253-9337 MCC of the Living Spring Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 501-253-2776 Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, POB 429 583 -9780 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 501-253 -5332 Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 585-1201 Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 501-624-6646 Positive Idea Marketing Plans & Florence *Chapman Student Cir., University of Tulsa, 5th H. 501-253-4074 White Light, 1 Center St. 587-1314 Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood JOPLIN, MISSOURI 747=6300 *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale 417-623-4696 749-0595 Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 748-3888 Council Oak Men’s Chorale * is where you can find TFN. Not all are Gay-owned but all are Gay.friendly. 712-1511 *Ddaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 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 improved medical 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 exIremely 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 �Faith Based Discrimination ¯ 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, Linda Jordan, 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 .... It s not ttmt I llke To read the state party newspaper, ’q’he The purpose of the event was to identify the Republleans but at Yellow Dog Dispatch," you’d never know by Tom Neal, publisher and editor issues that impact "economic development that there were Gay Oklahomans or issues. and quality of life in Tnlsa County and the least we know where And looking at the Human Rights Camsurrounding, area." A page full of issues paign (HRC) website for co-sponsors of we stand with them. was presented from education, to parks to ENDA, there are, of course, no Oklahourban development and more. Democrats know mans listed. But what was strikingly absent was any Now none of us expect that JC Watts, or reference to civil rights, fair employment what’s the right thinS Istook or Nickles, or Largent, or the antiissues or hate crimes. Of course, being the to do - they just don’t Christ himself, Jim Inhofe, will sponsorshy person I am about such "oversights," I ing a bill to treat their own Gay citizens want to do lt. asked. I expected that this was the usual fairly. We may not like it but we know obliviousness - that nobody thought of Our money and votes where they stand. that - but I was shocked to be told that But where is Brad Carson? Brad’s supmay be welcome but Tulsa County Democrats just don’t want to posed to be our friend; supposed to underdeal with any "negatives." They are tired stand our issues - and he certainly took our otherwlse we’re of being beaten up about "God, guns and money, Gay money (and is still asking for just a "negative" Gays." it) in campaign. According to his press We, in contrast, are tired of being beaten boy, they couldn’t take aposition onENDA for them . . ." up just for being. A few days before this because it hadn’t been reintroduced. But meeting, a Tulsa Gay man leaving a local Gay business ¯ now it has and as of July 31, Brad Carson remains missing was targeted at random by an angry heterosexual man. He from action. was followed and brutally assaulted and probably only ¯ Now our man in Washington, Tulsa point person for the survived being beaten to death because, one he w~ paying ¯ Human Rights Campaign, Marty Newman, says anything attention and was able to get help, and two, he’.s a pretty ¯ he takes to Carson, Brad signs. So this is where we see if big man himself. Any number of us go to that same ¯. Mr. Carson is a new Democrat, or more of the same old. business, leave alone and I know that I, at 5’-9" and 145 I’ve both said and written it before but while Oklahoma pounds, would have fared much worse at the hands of the " Republicans say awful things about us, and sometimes do assailant who was 6’-4" and probably 2~0 pounds. I’d : awful things to us, it’s been Democrat majorities in both probably be dead. Oklahoma honses which pass anti-Gay bills. And it’s been Our ability to go through ordinary life with areasonable " Democrat majorities and often a Democrat governor expectation of not being beaten senseless because we are ¯ who’ve failed to do anything about the harassment and Gay, or merely thought to be Gay, is what I call a"quality ¯ discrimination which Oklahoma Lesbians and Gay men of life" issue. For that matter,.b~ing able to keep our j0bs ¯ experience. That is Democrats wlio’ve made it more a based on our.performance rather than our identity is also ¯ crime to topple inmfimate Jewish-headstones than toa "’quality of life" issue. And workplace discrimination " pound the ribs and bloody the faces of Gay men. does happen inTnlsa as former TOHR leader Kelly Kirby ¯ It’s not that I like the Republicans but at least we know and others (including me at my other job - the one I do where we stand with them. Democrats know what’s the when I’m not newspapering) have experienced. SO where :¯ right thing to do- they just don’t want to do it. Our money the hell are these Democrat yahoos coming from? : and ~otes may be welcome but otherwise we’re just a Neither Tulsa nor Oklahoma Democrats have ever done "negative’! for them. much for Gay Oklahomans (Don Ross, Maxine Homer o Democrats could show leadership and could educate, and Bemest Cain of Oklahoma City being the exceptions). ¯ responding to prejudice by appealing to universal AmeriNo member of the Tulsa City Council nor the current and can values of fair treatment for all (to the question, "are ¯ useless mayor have done anything to address the very real you for homosexual rights?" they could say, "no, I’m for issues of Gay and Lesbian Tulsans. I don’t consider the " fairness for all people. ") but instead they run from us and appointment and approval of one or two Gay people, ¯ from the issues. "enough." ¯ Call me overly optimistic but I believe that they and we Contrast Oklahoma attitudes with those of the Democan do better. I think that courage and honesty might just cratic National Committee. I have in hand two recent press ¯ give them a better chance of being elected. .Valdez and the other man took Barron’s body and burned " The clerk, according to Smith, showed thepolice thecaller It. Valdez later confessed to friends and authorities. He ," i.d. which showed the name and number of the attacker. testified that he killed Barron because Barron proposi- ¯ Tulsa Police proceeded to arrest the man with Smith ¯ tioned him. confirming his identity. Allegedly the attacker told TPD Mexican officials, including President Vicente Fox, ¯ that he had had some sort of difficulty with a Gay man with said Valdez’s rights were denied when he was not given ¯ whom he works and that he wanted to beat up a "fag" in access to the Mexican consulate following his arrest. The ¯ response. Smith just happened to be the one he chose. Mexican government did not learn of Valdez’ s case until Editor’s note: "Joe Smith" is, obviously, apseudonym : April 19 - 11 years after he was sentenced to death. ¯ for the manwho was attacked used at the request ofSmith Mexican officials said the outcome of Valdez’s trial ¯ and clearly TFN also is not naming the particular club would have been different had he been represented by ¯ from which Smith was followed. The particulars don’t Mexican consular officials. : really change the nature of the attack and all clubpatrons KeatJng conceded the Mexican national’s rights were and owners would do well to use caution. violated under international law, but said that did not ¯ And as much as TFN li’kes "breaking" a news story, it affect the trial’s outcome or Valdez’s death sentence. " 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. By HRC Executive Director, Elizabeth Birch WASHINGTON - Since George W. Bush became president, HRC has been a vigilant watchdog to see how the new 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 Salvation Army- 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 our country should not funnel 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. When the bill reached the House floor July 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 202456-1414 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 upon thousands of Americans 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 a judge 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 in California. 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 provision of the California Constitution does not permit Smith, or any large class of persons, to be excluded from rights or benefits afforded to others as she pursues 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 their relationship," 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 providing 25 free tickets for members of Affirmations’ 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 SiagkrisSeymour, 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 also have held 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 inclusive league," 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 Boston fire 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. The head 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 whose firm 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 appoint a commi ttee 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 Sunday Morning 11:00 AM 3hildren’s Worship Come s.hare the goodness of the Lord with our community 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 �hearing, said Carole Brennan, the mayor’s spokes- 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 OPEN MINDS OPEN I-IFARFS Saint Aidan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 Saint Dunstan 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Saint John Trinity 4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You woman. 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 Matter of Choice? Gay Life in America," was announced, dozens of Gays have contacted the program to complain. It prompted "Nightline" executive producer Tom 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) - A nondiscrimination 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 in- junction 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 of four 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 important now as it ever was for 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 he made 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 when it was initiall y 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 and o~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 ... we might 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. ¯ Lewis, special envoy of Secretary-Gen¯ eral Kofi Annan for HIV/AIDS in Africa. "It’s a quite extraordinary intervention, : ¯ ameasure of the president’ 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. Botswana in southern Africa, which has ~ ¯ 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. The Nigerian government will subsidize about 80% Of the cost, but patients : 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 bilUNITED NATIONS (AP)- Nigeriaplans ¯ lion to $9 billion annually. to launch the largest AIDS treatment pro- : Despite financial and other obstacles, gram in Africa using cheap generic drugs ¯ Lewis said he was "even more confident" on Sept. 1, a U.N. special envoy said. ¯ that Africa could turn the tide on A~DS The 10,000 adults and 5,000 children ¯ than he was before the trip. He cited "the who will receive a drug cocktail are just a extraordinary" degree of public awaretiny fraction of the more than 2.6 million hess of the disease and"the quite profound Nigerians infected with the HIV virus that ¯¯ determination" of leaders to tackle it. causes AIDS. : In Kenya, parliament unanimously But the Nigerian government’s com- ¯. passed a law last month allowing the govmitment demonstrates that within Africa ernment to suspend patent rights in ames efforts are under way to tackle the epi- ¯ of emergency, which dears the way for demic that has infected about 26.5 million -" cheaper, generic AIDS drugs. The East people across the continent, said Stephen ¯ African nation, which has 2 million adults Nigeria Using Generic HIV Drugs Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Customer Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around-the-clock answers to your questions- and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer semce representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed i : our toll-fre~ numbers below. , ’ I I I CALL 24 HOURS FOR TOLL-FREE SERVICE Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 I Billing Inquiries: 1-888-216-3490 I I I Outage Reporting: 1-888-218-3919 I Servici0 a Clientes: 1-888-216-3505 ! Preguntas S0bre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 , Falta De Suministr0:1-888-218-3924 I I I ! !_ !! Public Serfiee C mpany d Old oma - �I 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 an entire year, Lewis said. But the Rwandan government through testing, counseling and provision of some drugs to HIV-infected mothers appears to have significantly cut transmission of the 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. court-ordered deadline for Canada to cre- ¯ billion has been pledged to the fund by ¯ ate a system for terminally ill patients governments, foundations and the private i previously exempted from criminal mari- ¯ sector. juanalaws to have alegal way to obtain the drug. Police had been told that Murphy had The Canadian Medical Association, bragged to a friend that "he had beat up a which represents tens of thousands of doctors, opposes the new regulations because HRC, along with the Four Comers Lesthey make physicians responsible for pre- ¯ PREFORIA, South Africa (AP) - Roman bian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender comscribing a substance that lacks significant ." Catholic bishops in southern Africa demunity, is dosdy monitoring the case to nounced condoms on as an"’immoral and clinical research onits effects. Without the ensure justice, says HRC. The Gay and cooperation of doctors,patients cannot get ¯ misguided weapon" in the fight against Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation HIV infection but said married couples medical marijuana exemptions. ¯ (GLAAD) sent a representative to Colowith the AIDS virus could use them in Medical marijuana advocates say the rado to help work with local media on the limited circumstances. real reason for the doctors’ hesitation is intricacies of this case. The Southern African Catholic Bishprejudice. Bridges mentioned one physi’q’his escalation in brutal attacks comes ops’ Conference said "condoms may even cian who said he doesn’ t want to be known ¯ at a time when Congress can pass the be one of the main reasons for the spread as a "’pot doctor." Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act In Flin Hon, Manitoba, a mining town ¯ of HIV/AIDS," according to a document and commit this nation to stopping hate ¯ released at the end of the bishops’ annual hundreds of miles (kilometers) north of violence," said HRC Political Director the U.S. border, Prairie Plant Systems is : meeting. Winnie Stachelberg. The 33-year-old fed"Apart from the possibility of condoms growing marijuana in a former copper ¯ eral statute currently used to prosecute being faulty or wrongly used, they conmine under a government contract worth hate violence is in need of updating with . tribute to the breaking down of self-conmore than $3.5 million. It expects the first the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement trol and mutual respect," according to the harvest this fall of marijuana that will be Act. The law now does not cover hate statement, read by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier supplied by the government to eligible violence based on sexual orientation, gen¯ at a news conference. patients and used for research on therapeuder or disability and has an overly re~tric¯ Prevention programs should .replace tic effects. Company head Brent Zettl live element that requires that .the victim employs the same techniques that were ¯ condom distribution programs with efbe chosen because he or she was engaged forts to promote abstention, Napier said. used to grow berries and roses in the tapped- ¯ in a federally protected activity. "This is God’s way. Choose life. Don’t out mine beneath Trout Lake. The bill now before Congress offers a ¯ choose the way of sin or destruction," he Medical marijuana advocates complain sensible approach to help combat these the government marijuana will only have ¯ said. violent crimes. It would extend basic hate However, married couples could use a 6% content of THC, the primary active crime protections to all Americans in all ¯ condoms if one or both them was infected ingredient. They say cannabis with such a communities by adding real or perceived ¯ and they abstained from sex while the low THCpercentage would be virtually sexual orientation, gender anddisability to woman was ovulating, Napier said. This useless compared to the 15% to 18%THC the categories covered and by removing way, the condom would not prevent the street pot. the federally-protected activity requirecreation of life. "This is one possibility South of the border, eight U.S. states ment. The bill would also provide federal during which the condom could be used in have taken some kind of step toward pertechnical and financial assistance to state a morally responsible situation," Napier mitring the medicinal use of marijuana: and local law enforcement agencies to said California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, investigate and prosecute hate crimes. The Vatican had no immediate eomHawaii, Maine, Nevada and Colorado. The ¯ In addition to the recent upswing in hate U.S. Supreme Court, however, ruled ear- ¯ .ment. Thebishops’ views carrylittleweight violence, a new report of alleged anti-Gay without Vatican approval. lier this year that there is no exception in police mi s conduct in Texas w as brought to In his 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vifederal law for people to use marijuana, so ¯ the attention of federal authorities. Last ¯ tae," "Of Human Life," Pope Paul VI even those with tolerant state laws could week, FBI officials, at HRC’s request, ¯ reaffirmed the church’ s ban on contracepface arrest if they do. began an investigation of San Antonio tion, a position that some governments "We’re kind of envious of Canadians Park Rangers for allegedly harassing and ¯ and AIDS activists say has hindered efhaving the luxury of complaining about physically abusing two Canadian tourists forts to contain the AIDS pandemic. the minutiae of the program," said Chuck who they referred to as "faggots" while The southern African bishops’ debate Thomas of the Washington-based Mari- ¯ they were allegedly beaten. "When the was provokedbyaproposal for the eonferjuana Policy Project. cop saw the Ontario license, he looked to ence to sanction condom use as part of a the other three officers present and said he ¯ wider program to stop the spread of HIVin had "two Canadian faggots,’ "one of the Africa, where more than 25 million are victims, Joey Abbruzzese, told the Texas infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Triangle. "The officer asked, ’What are However, the conference, which includes you fags doing in our city?’ " UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary- " bishops from South Africa, Botswana and The article reports that the Rangers then General Kofi Arman appointed a Ugandan ¯ Swaziland, rejected that measure. Bishop put the friends through atraumatic episode minister on Monday to chair the group that ¯ Kevin Dowling, who strongly backed the .of extreme physical and verbal abuse, uswill establish the global fund to fight AIDS ¯ proposal, left the conference early. He did ing anti-Gay slurs during repeated beatand oi.her infectious diseases. : not return a call from The Associated ings before hauling them off to jail. Dr. Crispus Kiyonga,’currently a Cabi- ¯ Press. In 1999, the last year for which the FBI net minister.and acting national political ¯¯ Most HIV prevention programs preach has statistics, there were more than 4,000 adviser, will work between now and Deabstinence and monogamy, but they proreported hate crimes based on race, more cember to start up the fund that Aunan " .mote condoms - proven effective for helpthan 1,400 based on religion, 1,300 based proposed to combat the AIDS epidemic, ¯ mg stop HIV transmission - for those on sexual orientation, 830 based on associate U.N. spokesman Marie Okabe ~ unwilling to abstain from sex. ethnicity and 19 based on disability. Eighsaid. She said the chairman of theworking ¯ The Treatment Action Campaign, an teen states do not include sexual orientagroup"will be crucial in bringing together ¯ advocacy group working to get treatment tion inits hate crimes law, and 46 states do the widest range of stakeholders in support ¯ for people infected with HIV, strongly not include gender identity. Five states of the fund." Kiyonga, a medical doctor, ¯¯ condenmed the bishops’ comments as have no hate crimes law at all. was Uganda’s health minister until last "highly irresponsible" and said condoms week and previously served as finance ¯ remained animportant coruerstone of HIV minister. ~ prevention. "The Catholic Church is conAtman has called for a global fund of $7 ¯ fusing its religious morals with science," ¯ billion to $10 billion annually to halt and saidMarkHeywood, secretary of the group. start reversing the AIDS epidemic and ¯ The bishops argued condoms promoted fight malariaand tuberculosis. So far, $1.4 ¯ promiscuity and hurt prevention efforts. Catholic Bishops & Condoms 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 drug laws that make it a criminal offense to grow and possess marijuana. Health department officials say hundreds more have applied, and the figure could reach the thousands. ¯ Roslyn Tremblay, a Health Canada " spokeswoman, said Monday that applica- ¯ tion forms trader the new regulations would ¯ be available "very soon," but she was unable to provide a specific date. ." To join up, applicants must submit veri- ¯ fiable medical records and have a doctor’ s ~ endorsement. Cases except for critically : terminal patients require further support- ¯ ¯ ing documents from another doctor. ¯ The new rules permit drug possession ¯ for the terminally ill with a prognosis of death within one year; those with symp- ¯ toms associated with specific serious medi- ¯ cal conditions; and those with other medi- ¯ cal 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 ¯ ¯ UgandanAppointed to Run AIDS Fund �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 pil- ¯ grimage in the midst of this heat to Texas, ¯ to an outdoor venue, to experience a visi- ¯ tation 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 Bill- ¯¯ board 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?) supervisors 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 of the cohmm over 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 reserved for musici.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," a poem she wrote while in London as an exchange student two years ago. Unlike a steady reading for a poetry class, Gleeson performs her poem 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 day poems in her first-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 during junior 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 inspired by 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 speaking my 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. �Rebel Yell: THE GILDED AGE Treasures from the Smitbsonian American Art Museum 9 SEPTEMBER -- 4 NOVEMBER 2OO1 THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART 2727 SOUTH ROCKFORD ROAD Zanzibar and Manchukuo. I never understood why you couldn’t draw maps.of Stories by Contemporary America. Dad and I were always suspiSouthern Gay Authors cious of people from those sorts of foreign Edited by Jay Quinn countries. How can you trust someone reviewed by Barry Hensley who’s so different? Lord knows what to Tulsa City-County Library _" expect." The rural South is certainly not the easi- ¯ ’¢I’he Preacher’ s Son" by George Singer, ¯ includes allofthedramaimaginable; young est place to grow up Gay. Many people leave their small towns love, gossip, religion, as soon as possible and drugs and murder. The "The rural South is handsome young move to whatever metropolis is close, but their scoundrel, Taylor, beds certainly not the easijust about anyone in stories remain. town and finally winds Rebel Yell is a wonest place to ~row up derful compilation of up in a deadly encounGay. Many people ¯ ter with the preacher’s short stories about son. We all remember a school, church, race, love, murder, family leave their small towns Taylor type in school, a dynamics and all of the sexy troublemaker who as soon as possl]~]e and almost always manages other things that make the American South so to come out on top. move to whatever unique. "Entertainer of the Year"by J. E. Robinson, It reminds us of all of .metropolis is close, but recalls fun dinner conthose "yard-fighting, their stories remain." teeth-gnashing, biscuitversation between a conservative ¯young eating, ugly-dog-raising, towel-stealing, television pr,a,ying, ¯ black man and his blind date, who turns out to be a flamboyant drag queen. never forgiving, hard-headed people back ." Perhaps the best is "465 Acres" by Jay home. ¯ Quilm. Acreage can become such an imAmong the better entries: "Happy Birthday" by David Jaffe, is a ." portant and emotional issue in the South! heart wrenching letter written by a young ¯ A matriarch and her reluctant son team up man to himself, as if his estranged mother ¯¯ to buy the adjacent acreage from longtime were writing him an birthday note. Recallneighbors. The sons of both families, who ing cherished childhood memories, "she" ¯ have a history together, become the negoprggresses to the infamous day that the ¯ tlators. Full of grand Southern family boy came out to his parents. "She" remi- ¯ squabbles, it has an unsetding, surprise ¯ ending. nisces: "Your old room at home’s the The stories in Rebel Yell remind me of same. We haven’t changed a thing. Still ¯ that royal blue carpet I always called ¯¯ the recent death of legendary Mississippi author Eudora Welty. When she spoke at ’Hideeeous!’ Remember? I exaggerated a ¯ bit, I know, to make my point. That’s me. Tulsa’s Central library a decade ago, I You know not to take all my exaggerated ¯ was mesmerizedby herreadings. She spoke reactions seriously, don’t you, son? And ; ofSoutherntownsandtheirsteamy, somethat bright blue burlap bulletin board I " times romantic and often abusive settings. sewed for youstill hangs over your desk. ; So it is with Rebel Yell. And all those maps you used to sit and. ¯¯ Check for Rebel Yell (and Eudora draw and color, all those maps of all those Welty’s works) at any Tulsa City:County ¯ Library, or call 596-7966. foreign places- Rhodesia and C~ylon and Among the attributes mentioned were a large meeting space, maybe a performance space, all the space 100% accessible to all regard esss of ability, a courtyard/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 out by 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 a permanent Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual ¯ : ~ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ " : ¯ ¯ and Transgendered (and family and friends) 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. A current campaign effort says let President Bush contribute to a Tulsa Gay commuuity center; specifically people are encouraged 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. �Kelly Kirby, CPA, PC 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 heavyour identities into our speech eommunlty that handed and over-the-top speechforms,playfullyuse Gay. is solid enou~l~ to language, andcreativelyinBut does anyone actuventnew meanings that we possess in common the ally speak like this? Norattach to old words and really, I mean? I have playsame ways of speahln~? phrases. ful friends who can shift in So just what in particuA community the and 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, difference in the speech of l~nowled~e and use 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 Dykes on Bikes. Another and their implleatlons.9 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 differences in the converOr how about buddy Errol. Errol is a losations of a group of Australian Lesbian and Straight cal Harvey. He seems to Gayese?... " have got his needle permafriends. 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-AmericanVemaculatched onto something recognizable. Evlar English or Ebonics); some are geoery 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 of money 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 ¯ ahead-of linguists here: They describe the often misunderstand one another. 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 renIf there is such a Gay speech commu- " dition of the Word "Daaaahling!" I’d say nity,how does this include amix of the allthat 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." " My suspicion " " Of course"~t ’ s not " genetic. pose a separate speech commumty? Do 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 communistyle 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 ¯ Trash Okie. A few of us (Errol) have porous. 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, howLanguage, 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 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 Tours for 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 �ENDA Reintroduced; HRC, PFLAG and Log Cabin Repu.blicans Comment College Hill Presbyterian Church WASHINGTON, DC- A packed hearing i the leadership of a growing group of Reroom was the setting for the reintroduction : publicanHouse and Senate members work- 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 by 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) 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) of 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 Gary FaTzino, 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:// w ww.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 are no federal laws to protect them. This is common sense legislation it’s about fairness, equal opportunity and the right to work without fear of retaliation because of your sexual orientation." A Gallup Poll in June showed that 85% of Americans support equal rights in terms of job opportunities. The PFLAG Board of Directors recently passed a Public Policy Statement which supports ENDA, but advocates for the inclusion of Transgender protections in the legislation. The statement reads, "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, and we look 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 of the Employment Non-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 a vast majority of the American people ’ - merit should be the sole criterion of how ¯ people arejudgedin the workplace: Sexual ~ orientation should not be a factor in em¯ ployment." ¯" "For all of us who strongly support the ¯ important and achievable goals that ENDA ¯ 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 of E~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), Congressman Steve Horn : (CA), Congresswoman Deborah Pryce ~ (OH), Congresswoman Connie Morella ¯ (MD), Congresswoman Sue Kelly (NY), ¯ Congresswoman Judy Biggert (IL), Con: gressman Jim Greenwood (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 the ENDA effort, 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 HOTt~" � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 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 Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Customer Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around-the-clock answers to your questions- and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange to have your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer semce representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our toll-fre~ numbers below. , CALL 24 HOURS FOR ’ TOLL-FREE SERVICE I I Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 I I Billing Inquiries: 1-888-216-3490 I Outage Reporting: 1-888-218-3919 I II Servici0 a Clientes: 1-888-216-3505 ! Preguntas S0bre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 I, Falta De Suministr0:1-888-218-3924 I I ! !_ ! Public Serfiee C mpany d Old oma ! - 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 HOTt~" Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, August 2001; Volume 8, Issue 8 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, July 2001; Volume 8, Issue 7 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/615 "Nightline" AIDS anti-bias conference anti-bias law Bishops Boston Boy Scouts businesses Canada Charleston churches Community Center condoms Council Oak Men's Chorale David Satcher domestic violence Employment Non Discrimination Act execution firefighters Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation gay bashing hate crime HIV testing HIV treatment Houston medical marijuana Openarms Youth Project PFLAG Poetry Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa religion Republican Party restaurants sex offenders South Africa Southern Literature Stevie Nicks Tulsa County Democratic Party Tulsa Family News Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Uganda women's basketball https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/ca740745b3399226fd6c8d7e770a44e2.jpg 119dfe938806a81283fc6659f7c47478 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/2f021f5f242b922e87e885333e07d696.pdf 869c9f2511afb42525b63e33cc6dde50 PDF Text Text ~ Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Our Families + Friend~ :9th Annual Feast For Friends i Was Death Sentence : And Other Community Events i Based onAnti-Gay Bias? ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ TULSA (TFN) - September is shaping up as a mostly quiet : OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A federal appeals court month with only The NAMES Project Tulsa Area Chapter’s ¯ upheld the death sentence of an Oklahoma death row annual Feast for Friends as a major event on Saturday, the 29th. ¯ inmate convicted of killing four people during a 1984 The event features private dinners at homes as wall as larger " bank robbery. dinners sponsored by community organizations and churches " The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver where contributions are encouraged to support The NAMES ~ split 2-1 in upholding Jay Wesley Neill’s death sen" Project Tulsa Area Chapter’s programs. ¯ tenceforthemurdersduringtherobberyofaGeronimo ¯ After each dinner, guests gather for dessert at the Great Hall of " bank. The dissenting judge, Carlos Lucero of Alamosa, ¯ the Allan Chapman Activity Center at the University of Tulsa, " Colo., said the penalty phase of Neill’s trial was not ¯ 5th Street and Gary Avenue, from 8:30 till 10:30. There will be ¯ fair because Comanche County District Attorney : a silent auction, entertainment, information about The NAMES : Robert Schulte repeatedly told jurors that Neill was a ¯ Project and portions of the Quilt as well. " homosexual. ¯ To register a dinner, call The NAMES Project Tulsa Area ¯ ’The prosecutor’s blatant homophobic hate mon¯ gering at sentencing has no pl~,,cein the courtrooms of a civilized society, and Neill s (original) appellate ¯ ¯ connsd’s failure to raise the issue.., constitutes clear ~ and plain prejudicial neglect," Lucero wrote. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)- City officials willconsider : ¯ Schulte, of Lawton, said he presented evidence ¯ regulating advertising messages on bus-stop benches about Neill’s homo,sexuality because it was .relevant ¯ and .on. banners flying from city-owned light poles after " to how he and his co-defendant used some. of the receiving numerous complaints about a Gay-pride flag. ¯ : $17,000 they stole. ’‘i do not recall emphasizing or A new law that will be brought before the City ¯ ¯ calling for _th~,,,t penalty because of his homosexual ¯ Council would allow only messages that would "pro- " relationships, he said. "It was because of the gruemote or celebrate the city, its civic institutions, or public " ~ some nature of the crime." His statements about activities or events in the city of Oklahoma City." This ¯ efll s homosexuahty came m 1992 at a retrial. The could prohibit messages promoting prayer, voting or " ¯ first conviction was overturned because the two dedrug-abuse prevention. Oklahoma City has 1,240 ban- " " fendants were not tried separately. her locations that are available for use by community -." ¯ The appellate judges who formed the majority, groups to promote activities. ¯ ~ Deanell R. Tacha of Lawrence, Kan. and Bobby Mayor Kirk Humphreys and City Manager Jim Couch ° ¯ Baldock of Roswell, N.M., concluded that none of sought the new law after the city spar~ed controversy ." The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Fair Grounds. " Neill’s claims of misconduct by Schulte have merit. ¯ earlier this year when it took down, triton put back up, ¯ 27-p.ag,es decision for "were the six-state court, Chapter at 748-3111 or e-mail to info@TulsaQuilt.org Admis- : Theyissued saying that aSchulte comments relevant to banners promoting Gay pride. The banners, paid for by the Cimarron Alliance Foundation, drew numerous ¯ sion to the dessert extravaganzais free for dinner hosts and quests ¯ both the (prosecution’s) case and Neill’s defense see Feast, p. 8 " theory." complaints at City Hall. see Censor, p. 2 " and others are welcome OKC Sets Up Censorship : Because of Gay Banners ¯ Murderer Now Claims "Homosexual Panic’" ¯ Gay Tulsan In Military Exhibit " Agmn a Hope ForVaccine ." Poem of Kicked Out Sailor in Smithsonian Show " ATLANTA (AP) - The scientists trying to create a OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A Mexican citizen on ." WASHINGTON (AP) - A Smithsonlan Institution exhibit on " vaccine to prevent AIDS suddenly seem optimistic, Oklahoma’s deathrow is seeking anew trial after a state ¯ submarines includes apoem by asailor who was kicked out of the " even bullish, words that have not been heard much in ¯ Navy for being Gay. "It’s kind of like a validation of my service," " this perennially gloomy field. For the first time, many psychiatrist recanted his testimony, saying new infor¯ mation shows Gerardo Valdez suffered from brain said Tim Beauchamp, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who lives in ] researchers appear confident a vaccine is possible. ¯ damage, paranoia and "homosexual panic" when he ¯ Washington. ’’I was considering the Navy as a career." More than anything else, the monkeys are respon: Beauchamp, a yeoman who served in the Navy for more than : sible for the change in attitude. Scientists have long killed another man in 1989. Psychiatrist Cecil F: Mynatt said it is now his conclu- ¯ four years, wrote "Sub Sailor’s Views on ’Glasnost’ "in Decem- " used monkeys to test theories about AIDS treatment sion that Valdez was unable to control his own behavior ~ ber 1987 on board the USS Henry Clay, a nuclear submarine " and prevention. But in two decades of trying, they ¯ could not concoct a vaccine that would safely protect or was "temporarily insane" when Valdez killed Juan patrolling the North Atlantic. ¯ Barron. "Mr. Valdez suffers from paranoia, specifically The poem is part of the exhibit "Fast Attacks & Boomers: : a monkey from dying of AIDS. Until now. triggered in this instance by homosexual panic," Mynatt ¯ Submarines in the Cold War" at the National Museum of Ameri- ¯ blond, Now4-year-old there are monkeys Godot, handsome, macaque like living in thealevel 2 biosaid. "Additionally, he is brain damaged and was under can History. A copy of it is displayed.on a sailor’s bunk in a part : hazard containment facility at the Yerkes Regional the influence of alcohol." ." of the exhibit dealing with daily life on a submarine, Mynatt had previously testified that Valdez was com- ." Harkeuing back to the days of the Cold War, thepoemindudes " Primate Research Center on the leafy fringes of petent to stand trial. He said he changed his mind after lines like, "Reagan and Gorbacliev back and forth volley while : Emory University. Just over a year ago, Godot got a reviewing information provided by Valdez’s attorney, Nancy and Ralsa put on their best. Capitalist!Commuuist - " big dose of SHIV, an especially nasty lab-made amalgam of HIV and SIV, the human and monkey including opinions of two neurophsychologists and a Political’folly! What does it matter? It’s East against West." medical report. Eight months after writing the poem, Beauchamp, now 36, ~ versions of the AIDS virus. Ordinarily, he would be received an honorable discharge from the Navy after his superidead in six to eight months. Attorney Robert Nance is asking for a new trial based n a recent deeision by the International Court of Justice ~,di’seovered, he’ was Gay. Before his discharge, Beauchamp " , A~.yone entering Godot’s living space must dress at deplored the 1999 execution in Arizona of German oeen awaraea a Good Conduct Medal, a Sea Service Ribbon n.eao to toe in protective clothing, because SHIV brothers Walter and Karl LaGrand. The court held that and a letter of commendation. ~ cxrculates in his bloodstream. But his curious, alert the brothers were denied their rights underinternational ’The fact that such a committed and rule-bound serviceman ~ .stare at visitors peeking through a window shows he law to access thor consul after their arrest. Nance said was kicked out of the Navy for no other reason than being Gay ." ~s outwardly unscathed. Godot is infected but otberthe world court s decision prevents domestic proceillustrates the stupidity and,wastefulness of our current policy wise healthy. dural rules from interferin~ with judicial review of toward Gays in the military, saidRep. BameyFrank, D-Massa_ " Sevenmonthsbeforehewasinfected, Godotgotan cases involving international law violations. 7 experimental new AIDS vaccine, see Vaccine, p. 2 chusetts, an openly Gay member of Congress. The application was filed with the Oklahoma Court of When Beanchamp was in the military, homosexuals were " Criminal Appeals, on the same day Amnesty Internaprohibited from serving. Under the current "don’t ask, don’ t tell,, ¯ Ill DIRECTORY tional officials and other death penalty foes renewed P. 2 policy, homosexuals can serve so long as they do not engage in : their demand that Gov. Frank Keating commute Valdez’s ~ EDITORIAL P. 3 homosexual conduct or state their sexual preference. : sentence. ¯ ~ US & WORLD NEWS Beauchamp, who has worked since his discharge as a computer P. 4 -. Keating has granted two stays, while rejecting Fox’~ ¯ systems analyst and a writer, said he’d forgotten about the poem : ~ HEALTH NEWS P. 6 ¯ request and a parole board recommendation of clemuntil he came across it in an old notebook from his days as a ¯ ency for Valdez, 41. Keating granted a second 30-day P. 8 Z ENTERTAINMENT + MORE submariner. It was included in the exhibit after Beauchamp’s ; stay for Valdez, see Valdez, p.2 ¯ partner brought it to the attention of the curator. ~ GAY STUDIES/R. LESBIAN P. 10/11 ¯ ~h ¯ . . . �Besides promoting pride, they featured a ¯ torch with a rainbow flame over the 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 Tulsa Clubs& Restaurants FOB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net 832-1269 ¯ foundation’s name. *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine ¯ 610-5323 Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal *CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial The city’s staff granted a permit for ¯ Cimarron Alliance banners to be put on 44 838-9792 Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry *Play-Mor, 424 S. Memorial 744-4280 Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom, Esther Polo Grill, 2038 Utica SCluare : poles. City leaders decided to take the ban585-3405 *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw . hers down after receiving complaints, but ¯ they had to put them backup after attorneys *St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998 280-1316 ¯ representing the alliance threatened to sue. Member of The Associated Press *Schatzi’s, 2619 S: Memorial 834-4234 : Bill Rogers, an attorney and a member of *The Star, 1565 Sheridan Issued around the 1st of each month, the entire contents of this 660-0856 *TNT’s, 2114S. Memorial ", the Cimarron Alliance, said the banners publication are protected by US copyright 2001 by Tulsa ¯ were legally protected free speech. ’The 584-1308 *Tool Box II, 1338 E. 3rd Family News and may not be reproduced either in whole or in 835-2376 ¯ city has provided a forum for speech and it *Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan part without written permission from the publisher. Publica*The Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563 ¯ must not prohibit speech unless there is a tion of a name or photo does not indicate a person’s sexual Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals ~ compelling governmental interest in doing ’ orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication ¯ so," he said "It would be very difficult to Assoc. in-Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole ¯ demonstrate such an interest in these cirBarnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034 property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 665-4580 ,* cumstances." Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 5231 E. 41 copies of each edition at distribution points. 712-1122 Humphreys contends the banners go be’, Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248. ¯ yond the concept of public speech because 712-9955 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 ¯ the city requires.groups who want to use the 494-2665 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale ¯ Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & 743 -5272 poles to provide the banners and to pay for Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 355-3140 ¯ their installation and removal. He said many Episcopalians, PUB 701475, 74170-1475 746-0313 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 747-7777 *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 295-5868 advertisers choose not to carry certain rues*Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth *Free Spirit Women’s Center, call for location & info: 587-4669 "- sages, and that Oklahoma City can, too. Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 58120902, 743 -4117 747-6827 ¯ Friend For A Friend, PUB 52344, 74152 622-0700 The city has not responded to the alliance’ s Community Clearfing, Kerby Baker 582-0438 Friends in Unity Social Org., PUB 8542, 74101 request to hang banners on city poles for 352-9504, 800-742-9468 " ¯ Tim Daniel, Attorney 834-4194 749-3620 " *Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral Gay and Lesbian History Month, which *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 834-8378 HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 744-5556 . " takes places in October, Rogers said. The Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 838-8503 ¯ *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMingtries,1517S. Memorial 224-4754 : group’s earlier banners finally came down *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-1715 369-8555 " *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood in mid-July after the time the alliance had Encompass .Travel, 13161H N..,~/I.emorial 748-3111 ¯¯ reserved for them ran out. NAMES Project, 3507 E Admiral PI. 584-0337, 712-9379 " Ross Edward Salon 365-5658 592-0460," NOW, Nat’I Org. for Women, PUB 14068, 74159 Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main OK Spokes Club (bicycling), PUB 9165, 74157 744-9595 Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 610-0880 " *OSU-Tulsa Four S~ar Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. 749-4901 628-3709 ¯ PFI_AG, POB 52800, 74152 Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 587-7674 ¯ while saying he had not changed his mind *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 808-8026 : Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 627-2359 Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 742-1460 ¯ that the execution should go forward. *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet. Coffee, 1758 E. 21 st 749-4195 Keating has apologized for a violation of 459-9349 " R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network Leanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning 584-2325 ¯ the article of the Vienna Convention that 744-7440 ~ *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 425-7882 : guarantees foreign nationals, upon arrest, *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1111 ¯ St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 492-7140 St. Dunstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 341-6866 " the right to contact their country’s consul. *International Tours 582-3088 ~ Keating said that did not change Valdez’s *St. Jerome’s Parish Church, 205 W. King 712-2750 " Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th 582-3018 " Soulforce-OK, Rt.4,# 3534, Stigler 74462 587-3248,452-2761 ¯ guilt the slaying. *Jared’s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 583-7171 ; An Amnesty International report said all 747-0236 ¯ *Tulsa Area United Way, 1430 S. Boulder David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 582-7225 15 foreign nationals executed in the U:S. *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-8460 " ¯ The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 595-4105 since 1993 were denied theright to consular 599-8070 " Tulsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 Confidential H_IV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only ¯ access. 747-5466 ¯ Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 Valdez admits killing Barron after Barron 585-1234 ¯ Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, Gay Comm. Center 743-4297 ¯, *Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha made advances toward him in abar. Valdez - 584-3112 " TUL-PAC, Positive Advocacy Coalition, POB2687,Tulsa 74101 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd 298-0827 ~ took Barron home, forced him to strip, and 663-5934 " T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform/Leather Seekers Assoc. ¯ Mingo Valley Flowers, 9720c E 31 *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule shot him twice in the head before burning 664-2951," *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place ¯ his body. *Tulsa Community College Campuses 838-7626 Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo 7434297 743-4297 " *Tulsa Gay Community Center, 21 st & Memorial *The Pride Store 749-8833 Unity Church of Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown 747-5932 ¯ Rainbowz on the River B+B, PUB 696,74101 BARTLESVILLE 834-0617 ~ Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 918-33%5353 834-7921, 748-0224 ¯ Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. one experts hope will be the model for a shot 481-0558 " ¯ TAHLEQUAH *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis to control the worldwide epidemic. 835-5563 ¯ 918-456-7900 Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard Stonewall League, call for information:. Two other variations of the same ap743-1733 918-456-7900 Fred Welch, LCSW, Counseling Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church proach have been tested on monkeys at 665-2222 918-453-9360 Green Country AIDS Coalition, PUB 1570 *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan Harvard Medical School and Merck & Co. *Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis 592-0767 EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS ," with similar results. The Merck vaccine is www.gaytulsa.org website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians 501-253-7734 " already in first-stage human testing, and the Autunm Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7457 -" Yerkes and Harvard versions should start Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & O niversities Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main 579-9593 501-253-6807 AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 4337, 74101 : within six months. DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 743-2363 501-253-5445 ¯ All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria Vaccine discovery has been a notoriously Emerald RainbOw, 45 &l/2 Spring St. 587-7314 501-363-9203 ~ discouraging area of AIDS research, clouded Black & White, Inc..PUB 14001, Tulsa 74159 Heart of the Hills B&B, 5 Summit St. 501-253-9337 ~ by doubts that such a thing is even scientifiBless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 MCC of the Living Spring 583 -9780 501-253-2776 ¯" cally thinkable. Butoverthepastyear, thanks B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, PUB 429 585-1201 501-253 -5332 ¯ to this impressive series of monkey experiChamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-624-6646 " ments, many researchers have grown up*Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. & Florence Positive Idea Marketing Plans 587-1314 501-253-4074 :beat. Church of the Restoratio~ UU, 1314 N.Greenwood White Light, 1 Center St. 747-6300 *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale An AIDS vaccine is still no sure bet, they JOPLIN, MISSOURI *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 , " say. But many believe they are at least on a 417-623-4696 Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U134 748-3888 Council Oak Men’s Chorale ¯ rational path toward finding one. 712-1511 *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware : The chances of success? "Ve~. _good," * is where you can find TFN. Not all are Ga_y-ownedbut allare Gay-friendly. 742-2457 *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 �cells by the billions, taking over their machinery, forcing them to build new copies of the virus and obliterating then~ - ~ in theprocess. Eventually, though, the killer cells awaken ." ’ and destroy most 6f the infected cells before they can " predicts Dr. Harriet Robinson, who oversaw experiments : release more virusl Virus levels fall and then level off. : !n~volving~eca Q.odor an,d _a__~t. 80 .... other, monkeys...Wl~.y? .: In the years that follow, stalemate. the war is nearly a . . . us~ ot me mo,nKey,s: she says. ~re are not all tlmt , The body produces new hel cells almost as mckl as dif~ __ . . . per . .. q . y ~~erm.en~unk2~Yns; _ ~. ,., , : ~e-v.~..rams,~.em. ~ut ,g~.,,d.ually;, their levels slide too by Tom Neal, publisher/editor : Well,maybe. You’ve got to figure that The Tulsa World " has to love The Dail Okl " " " . . y .ahoman, its sister rag in Olda:homaC.ity. After all, anything The World does, nomatter m~, m,~l~w u ~.~ Lrom monkeys ls Key. anaa : Iar._ _A_t tl~s point, .vtr~.s kilh,n~..arugs can restore the : ho..w ~ss- .ix?or a~_d.pro.vm~al it might be, is going to be ~veOf~ ~.anlong sclen,ttsts. So,,me, wonder ft. these . bal,,~ance; butoth_e~wise theresultls AIDS and dentla.., betterthantimtot wlmthasbeendeelaredAmericaYsworst ~ .: ~ ~gtvenmega~aoses oi lao-~’ownvlri~: , . lne new :¢aceines are desi~.,ned tostart .the .ot~min~ .... news~aoer-Tbatbein,,.~id it’l~tillru~ %unt ...................au ;.,~a,,,~,~o~,~ _ t_ --__,_ __~~ ¯ ~S-’-~’s,":"~7:"~,’=~°~’ki~’g’,,mb°th_m_.°~,m,~eyan,.,um~n~ i ~emnv~ne ~e~u~_~_s ~ts_~n_,m_ s ce.,ns, aert~.~aat.oranea)~t, the . ,_ mtvuut¢unt:s..mmonkeys, me vaccme seems to munt ¯ tilts le. too-. . attack. Maybe ....it wl!l in,, ~, , ,.¯ . : ~Sudde~l. Ythere~sasensef°r.thefirst:ttmcthatperhaps : Wns mc a.y, f we hel -7 .World f bl :. So ,here homd we sm in this our muem:towerieveL.. -~y. oomg reaanvety su0tle,thmgs .’-- (besides TFN tn our modest way and Lordknows,..we’re du ", ~thefirstho.urs~ to w_ee.ks of infection, wethinkwe : certainly a David to their Goliath)? . .can havea, dramatic pay~off m allowing the body’s own : ’ We’re notreallypickingon them- someone’sgot toffy ~mmuneres nseoverthelonehanltocontalnthisv’rzl , tokeen mfecuon , sa ......... . criticize . y.s Le~twn. , , , . esO. and it ShOt" as ¯ though The World doesnt , . .... Instead~ofdyingfromAIDS, vac~nated people who get :. , everyone else in theireditorialpages. " ,, . ,, for decades or even a :, , My’favorite waste of newsprint is our local "society, ¯~.mv,~.~.,.,_~.,,,~.~uymm~_" 0t mr:. r~tv epl~mmlc, says.., -menme. ires como atso slow ~ svread of,the disease; . column the wo k¢~-l~ rmrvaro s L~r.Norman Letvm. ’~low there is an.absolute ¯ because when virus levels are low. ~ie are much les~ : but wonde~ ff M~V~i ~o%~’~t ~’a’~’~’~r~e’~ ....v and all stampede to get these technologies into humans and ask : likely to pass .on HIV. s .bLt t : liv,o,w!th vi ,s ¯ ofthe rest of us, a whole lotof trouble ffinstead of listing the question: Can we-translate these monkey findings into : Details of the vaccines developed by Yerkes, Harvard ~ all the people who attend Tulsa events, she would simply the human situation?" ¯ and Merck differ, but all involve the same strategy: First :. say that all the usual people were there - since it is the Researchers hope to know soon whether these expericome injections of several HIV genes, which are taken in : same-cast of criminals in column after colunm That mental shots launch the same early immune system deby muscle cells that use them as blueprints to make viral : would that reduce her column to a size .appropriate to its fenses seem in vaccinated monkeys. This would be an proteins. Next comes an immune system booster, such as ¯ usual level of content, as well as saving someone the encouraging hint of the vaccine’s eventual power. Some a smallpox virus that has been rebuilt to carry some of the ¯ trouble of typing in all those names, over and over. answers could be offered at an international AIDS vaccine HIV genes. The ultimate goal is still a vaccine that will ¯ Actually, as much as I hate to admit it, I find Ms. conference in early September.. block HIV infection. But in the meantime, many believe Walker’s colulnn somewhat useful, if vulgar. In a town as .. However, vaccine development is frustratingly slow. wide use of the latest vaccines could reduce spread of th~ ¯ screwed up and elitist/racist/homophobic as Tulsa is, it Even if all goes flawlessly, Robinson estimates it will be disease, especially in parts of the world where it is ramnever hurts to know who among Tnlsa’s "social elite" is 2905before large-scale experiments begin with her vacpant. Experts believe a vaccine is the only thing tlmt will ¯ in bed with each other, figuratively speaking. one. Learning whether it truly prevents AIDS will take tame an epidemic that has already killed 20 million people ¯ Top World editor Joe Worley took umbrage about TFN ¯ another two years. Many estimate these vaccines are still and infects 15,000 more daily. calling The Worm a country club newspaper some years a decade or more away. Dr. Gary Nabel, director of the National Institutes of " back. My response is just read Ms. Walker’s column, see So with clear answers so far off, is all’this optimism Health’s Vaccine Research Center, says that even if the ¯ how much space it regularly commands and try to argue realistic? ’~I ask myself whether it is justified based on the first versions are only modestly effective, tinkering will ¯ with me. Imagine if The Worm devoted as much space to science," says Dr.. Peggy Johnston, assistant director for probably make them better. ’"vVe’ll start with a Model T ¯ international news regularly as they do to Ms. Walker! AIDS vaccines at the National Institute of Allergy and and hope to get to a Mercedes fast." Another interesting aspect of Tulsa Worm "reporting" Infectious Diseases. "And my conclusion is yes." While much of the attention is on novel strategies, a is the flagrant disregard for professional ethics in some One reason is that scientists have lowered the bar. Until more traditional vaccine is already in final-stage testing. cases. Recently The World published an article about a now, all useful vaccines prevented infections. However, The AIDSVax, developed by VaxGen, has been given to ~¯ new image/fundraising campaign~oyq~ulsa~ s most pron~ithe human immune system cannot mm back an HIV 7,900 volunteers in North America, Europe and Thailand ¯ nent non-profit organization. The only problem was that infection, and no one knows how to make a vaccine that The vaccine is made from the outer wrapper of the AIDS the information in the article had/has yet to be released to accomplishes something the human body cannot do for virus and is intended to trigger antibodies to prevent ¯ the public. The "reporter" was privy to the information itself. ¯ infection. Many AIDS experts are skepti ,c01, because the because s/he serves on an advisory committee for the nonSo thenew vaccines are designed to accomplish the next approach has been disappointing in monkeys, and some " profit and took theinformation direcdy out ofanonpublic best thing- train the immune defenses to hold an infection early volunteers contracted HIV after being vaccinated. meeting without permission. Even first year journalism in Check without preventing it entirely. However, VaxGen’s president, Dr. Donald Francis, ¯ students would recognize that this was obtained and used "For a long time, people assumed that the only success¯ says more promising data from chimp experiments sugimproperly - and The World reporter who did this should fnl vaccine would completely prevent infection," says Dr. gest it has as good a chance as any other approach, ¯ know better. Robert Schooley of the University of Colorado. ’The new Researchers will take their first look at the results in ¯ But part of the incestuous nature of Tulsais that the nonstudies suggest that a vaccine might also have a moderab November, but unless it proves surprisingly effective, the " profit will likely tolerate just about anything The World ing influence on the disease process itself." experiment will condnue until at least the end of next year. ¯ does because The World donates so very many dollars a Scientists agree that blocking an infection requires the Next in development is an Aventis Pasteur vaccine. It ." year. Given this compromised financial relationship, it’s production, of powerful antibodies. This is how standard consists of a canarypox virus engineered to carry HIV little surprise that this non-profit only gets promotional vaccines work: They show the immune system a protein genes, followed by a boost with AIDSVax. The Walter ¯ newscoverage from The WorM. And incompetence at the that is unique to the germ. If the bug ever gets into the Reed Army Institute of Research plans to start testing on ¯ helm of this non-profit has been covered up for years by all body, the defenses will blaze back with antibodies that 16,000 volunteers in Thailand next summer. ¯ of Tnlsa’s news outlets. latch onto the protein, blocking the germ and destroyingit. Even ifaaone of these works out, other ideas are in the ¯ But shoddy journalism should hardly be a surprise to HIV, however, is a moving target. It mutates so fast that development pipeline. The National Institute of Allergy ¯ thosewho’vebeenrcading The World’sreligioncoverage it constantly changes the proteins on its surface. So a and Infectious Diseases, the biggest vaccine backer, is ¯ for some months. The first clue that The WorMhas thrown vaccine that triggers an attack against one strain of HIV financing two dozen different possible vaccines. ¯ journalistic balance out Joe Worley’s window onto Main may be powerless against another. Furthermore, the virus Still, a few dozen healthy monkeys like Godot do not ¯ Street is that World religion "reporter" Bill Sherman covers its surface with sugar, which hides its proteins from prove an AIDS vaccine is on the horizon. Some in the field ¯ allegedly is a "Promise-Keeper". antibodies. worry that the wishforonehas dissolved~bealthy scientific Being a member of this rightwing, misogyuistic and When all of this became clear in the 1990s, scientists skepticism. ¯ anti-Gay organization would be considered radically corn_ went back to basics. How is it, they asked, that people ¯ "We tend to swing from momentous lows to momenpromised as a journalist by most news organizations but often live with HIV for eight or 10 years before falling sick tous highs in the AIDS field," says Dr. Mark Mulligan of ¯ not at The WorM, apparently. with AIDS? And why do some never seem to get ill at all? " the University of Alabama at Birmingham. ’’We may be in ¯ Since Sherman took over the religion post, stories about The answer turns out to be another line of defense ¯ an Alan Greenspan time of irrational exuberance, because ¯ evangelical and fundamentalist groups have dominated against germs, the killer cells. Unlike antibodies, which " we need this so desperately." guard against free-floating microbes, the killer cells recognize infected cells and destroy them. HIV’s favorite target is a blood cell called the helper cell. This complicates matters enormously, since one of the hel.per cells’ most important jobs is nourishing and managing the killer cells. In the first days of aninfection, HIV burrows into helper " ¯ " : " Worm coverage while newsworthy stories coming out of other moreprogressive traditions.have been ignored. And : Tulsa’s moderate and progressive religious leaders have ¯ given up hope for fair coverage from The World. ¯ But at TFN, we always hold out hope for redemption, ¯ and note that Sherman is asking for stories about miracles. ¯ Here, we’re just hoping for fair and accurate reporting from The World. Now that would be a miracle, indeed. ¯ �Newspaper, Chain Offers Partner Benefits ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Gannett Co., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, will soon offer full medical benefits to same-sex partners who live together, the company announced. The company also will offer benefits to unmarried domestic partners of the opposite sex. The benefits for partners will become available in Janua~ 2002. To be eligible, partners must first have had a 12-month relationship. They must also sign an affidavit that declares there is financial dependence between them. Gannett spokeswoman Tara Connell said there have been several requests from empl,oyees for equal coverage for domestic partners. "We ve been looking at it for years," Connell said. She said the company’s rapid growth last year slowed the process of revamping the benefits. Gannett employs about 53,400 people at 98 newspapers in the United States. The company also owns about 23 television stations. Unlike married couples of the opposite sex, an employee claiming the benefits will still have to pay taxes on the amount used to insure his or her partner. The IRS does not extend tax exemptions for medical benefits to domestic partners. Gannett’s decision was hailed by Gay and Lesbian groups. ’q~o stay competitive you have to provide good benefits," said Sherry Boschert, a board member of The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. "It just makes good business sense." ends there is no specific legQ, right allowing a person to claim a share of property. A significant and growing proportion of couples living together in Western Australia have no access to the Family Court if their relationship ends," McGinty said. "Instead, they must argue their case before the Supreme Court, resorting to principles of equity that can be expensive, time consuming, public and uncertain." McGinty said the legislation, which will be introduced in Parliament this week, would also ensure all de factor couples can ask for alimony, just as married couples can. The legislation comes after Prime Minister John Howard said that he would not support homosexual weddings and that same-sex couples should not have the same legal status as married couples. Teens Held in Gay Killing Cincinnati Schools Address Anti-Gay Attacks CINCINNATI (AP) - Public, school students who xntimidate others because of sexual orientation or disability can be suspended or expelled. The board of education voted 6-1 to add those two provisions to the Cincinnati Public Schools’ discipline policy. Board lawyer John Concannon said principals and assistant principals were trained to pr.operly enforce the new policy during in-service sessxons two weeks ago. Mindy Sandfort, a spokeswoman for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, urged the board to teach educators how to recognize, prevent and discipline harassment based on sexual identity, which is not explicitly mentioned in the new policy. ’q~eachers need to understand the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation and how to deal with the harassment that comes with both situations," she said. Concannon said he believes gender identity is covered under the current policy. The policy applies to serious incidents of harassment, intimidation or threatening, he said. It does not apply to incidents that involve free speech rights. If a student says, "I’m opposed to homosexuality because God says homosexuality is a sin," it is not a violation of the policy, Concannon said. Australian Gay Partners . To Be Recognized PERTH, Australia (AP) -De facto partnerships, including homosexual relationships, will be recognized in the same way as marriages under new propertyrights legislation to be introduced in a state parliament. Western Australia state Attorney General Jim McGinty said the legislatiqn would allow those heterosexual and same-sex couples whose relationships .are recognized by the state to have property disputes settled through the Family Court rather than having to go to the Supreme Court. Australia has a vibrant and vocal Gay community. Sydney each year plays host to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, one of the largest international Gay pride - festivals. Under Australian law, when a de facto relationship . WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A beating and arson that killed a 58-year-old Wichita man began with him making sexual advances to two teen-agers now charged with killing him, witnesses said. The co-defendants - 18year-old Zachary Steward and 17-year-old Brandon Boone - blamed each other for repeatedly striking Marcell Eads on his head, according to testimony presented at a preliminary hearing. District Court Judge Joseph Bribiesca ruled there was enough evidence to charge the two with firstdegree murder, aggravated arson, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery. The judge also ruled that Boone, 16 when the crimes occurred, would be tried as an adult. Innocent pleas have been entered for both men. Trial was set for Oct. 8. Early the morning of June 29, firefighters found the body of Eads on the floor of his smoldering home. Although Eads was beaten severely, it was the fire that killed him, Deputy Coroner Jaime Oeberst said. Eads was burned over 60% to 70% of his body and inhaled smoke that left alethal level of carbon monoxide in his blood, he said. Testimony showed that sex and sexual orientation appeared to be key factors in the motive. Police Det~tive Blake Mumma said Steward gave a statement m which he said that Eads had made sexual advances toward him and Boone - prompting Boone to start beating Eads with a broomstick, and later with the end of a table and a rock. Steward also admitted to striking Eads, Mumma said. According to Steward’s statement to police, the two teens returned to Eads’ house and Boone started the fire. Eads, a hairstylist, was openly Gay, said neighbor Zusan Livingston. She said Eads told her he was having an affair with Steward. Steward and his father had come to Eads for haircuts. Steward grew up in Riverside,, several blocks west of F_ads’ bungalow. Rachel Mroczkow sk, Boone’ s 15-year-old girlfriend, testified she heard Steward say the night of the killing that he was angry because he had gone to a man’ s house andthe man,had grabbed the area around his genitals and propositioned him. She said Steward used a slur to .describe the man and said he wanted Boone to go with him to beatthe man and steal things from his home. Under Kansas law, if it can be shown that someone was a crime victim because of his sexual orientation, a judge can use that to justify a harsher sentence. US Women Wed In Netherlands PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (AP) - Two women from Provincetown were married last month in the Netherlands, but it is unclear whether their marriage will be legally recognized in Massachusetts. Heather Wishik and Susan Donegan said they will not fight for their overseas mamage to be legal in Massachusetts, but Gay civil fights advocates predict state courts may soon be forced to confront the issue of same-sex couples who marry or are joined in a civil union out of state or overseas. MCC United MetropolRan Coctmltardgy C~urch United is a cor-,gre~jaUon of the Univer~a~ Fellowship of Metropcdita~ Community ~hurcl~,s Sunday Morning Traditional 11:00 AM Sharing the ~oodness of the Lord with our community.= Wednesday EvenJn, Contemporary 7:00 PM Rev. Cathy Elliott, Pastor "1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-1715 mcctulsa@aoLcotn Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Community of Hope 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, lnfo: 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.A,A.-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy (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 Heart of the Hills Bed & Breakfast 5 Summit, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 501 - 363 - 9203 Come Stay Us for the Next Diversi~. Celebration, Nov. 2 - 4 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 i v e I r American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter~ 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette Mclntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 American Red Cross OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN I-IFAI~S 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 A lawsuit recently filed in Suffolk Superior Court challenges the rights of same-sex couples to marry in Massachusetts. Five’months ago, the Netherlands became the first country to allow same-sex marriage. "For us, our Dutch marriage is simply that - it’s a Dutch marriage entered into for very personal reasons," Donegan said. "We did not get married as a political or legal challenge to Massachusetts or to the United States." Mary Bonauto, staff attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, said she had not yet seen couples married in the Nefherlands or joined in civil union in Vermont go to court in Massachusetts to extend the legal recognition. But Bonauto said she has seen same-sex couples who went to Vermont for a civil union return to Massachusetts and successfully negotiate employee benefits with employers or family rates with clubs. "It’s evolving in its own way," she said. ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ : ¯ ¯ European Scouts Do Accept Gays ¯ During the last European Conference of Scouts and [gift] Guides, at the initiative of the Belgian delegation a resolution was approved not to consider homosexuality as a discriminatory factor, neither inside nor outside scouting. This resolution was a reaction by Belgium to the recent troubles with the Boy Scouts of America regarding the exclusion of gay members, on account of which Steven Spielberg, among others, resigned from the organization. The European Conference of Scouts and Guides, which took place from 7 - 12 July in Prague, was attended by more than 400 representatives from throughout Europe. Belgian delegates represented the five Belgian scouts and guides organizations, which have around 150,000 members. Scouting and Guiding is active in 41 European countries, with approximately 3.5 million boys and gifts participating. Worldwide the organization counts around 35 million scouts and guides in 216 countries, and the Jamboree, to be held next year in Thailand, is its most eye-catching international initiative. The Belgian proposal to avoid discrimination based on sexual preference opened with the charter of fundamental rights of the child adopted by the European. Union in Nice in December 2000. Further, the amendment pointed out evolutions in present day society and the fact that scouting and guiding always follow the tendencies of youth culture, put to the test of the principles of the movement. Following this it was stated that ’l~olebis" (the Belgian abbreviation for Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals) are to be universally accepted within European society and that this cannot be used as an exclusionary criterion by national (scouting) federations. The Belgian proposal was approved by a large majority of the conference representatives. Turkey, Greece, Romania, Portugal, Cyprus, and Malta voted against the initiative. The five Belgian "scouts and guides organizahons (VVKSM, FOS, FCS, GCB, and SGP) hope that the approval of this resolution will have an impact on other regions of the world. The American observer at the conference was "not really happy" with the result [of the vote on the initiative]. However, news is trickling out that the scouting movement in the United States is.coming under pressure from, among others, gigantic sponsors such as Levis and Coca Cola, to revise its policy against Gays. ¯ ¯ : . ¯ ¯ . ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ : ¯ : : ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯. : Supreme Court has ruled. The 8-1 decision will likely stretch beyond the city’s borders. Other cities, including Seattle, and the state have similar policies, along withlocal governmentsinatleastfourotherstates.The policy allows domestic partners, including same-sex partners, to receive health insurance benefits. It also allows employees to use theii sick leave to care for partners or partners’ children. Vancouver resident Roni Heinsma challenged the policy soon after it was adopted in 1998, arguing that the city was creating akind of mini-marriage in violation of the state law against same-sex marriage. But the justices agreed with the city’s argument that regulation of employee benefits is alocal matter. ’’We conclude that the city’s recognition of domestic partnershipis limited and that the program does not unconstitutionally interfere with the Legislature’s ability to regulate familial relationships on a statewide level," Justice Susan Owens wrote for the majority. Heinsma’s challenge was argued by the Northstar Legal Center, a conservative nonprofit law firm m Fairfax, Va., which challenged the city’s argnment that the benefits were necessary to recruit and retain good workers. ’The city or county that enacts this is saying that we do not agree with the state Legislature’s decision to ban same-sex marriage," said Jordan Lorence, the Northstar attorney who argued the case. ’q-his isn’t based on need, it’s based on a political agenda." Similar polices in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and Broward County, Fla., have been upheld by other state supreme courts, Lorence said. Policies in Minneapolis, Boston, and Arlington County, Va., were struck down. Courts are still considering cases in Philadelphia and Montgomery County, Maryland. "Every time we get domestic partner benefits like this, the fight wing swoops in and raises some kind of challenge," said Pat Logue, senior counsel for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a Gay civil fightsgroup. "I think the courts recognize that domestic partnership is not marriage." In Washington, King County and the cities of Seattic, Olympia and Tumwater have similar policies. The Public Employees Benefits Board approved a similar policy for state workers last year at Gov. Gary Locke’s request. Since Vancouver’s policy was initiated in 1998, about 30 domestic partnerships have been registered and approved. The city paid more than $20,000 to cover the cost of the policy in 1998. "A lot of private businesses have similar policies," said Ted Gathe, Vancouver’s city attorney. "It was felt by the city that recruiting and retaining employees is important, and this was one of the benefits that should be included in our package." ¯ Gay Friendly Governor i To Run for US Senate : NEWBURY, N.H. (AP) - Democratic Gov. Jeanne ¯ Shaheen, New Hampshire’s first female governor and ¯ the first to openly support abortion fights, took the first official step toward running for Senate. Shaheen, a ¯ social liberal and fiscal conservative, filed papers ." creating an exploratory committee for a run for the seat ¯ now held by conservative Republican incumbent Bob ¯ Smith. ¯ Shaheen has signed bills protecting Gay civil rights in housing, jobs and public accommodations and re. pealing a ban on Gay adoptions. "Democrats, independents and Republicans all have ¯ told me that they want a U.S. senator who will be a ¯ champion for them in Washington and take action on the real problems they face," Shaheen said in a state" merit. Democrats have held a 50-49-1 advantage in the ¯ Senate since Jim Jeffords of Vermont switched from OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The city of Vancouver can ¯ the GOP to independent in June. Shaheen said she keep providing health benefits to domestic partners of ¯ won’t officially decide whether to run until next year. Gay and Lesbian city employees, the Washington _" She is serving her third two-year term as governor. Washington State Court Upholds Partner Benefits �So. Africa to Provide Free AIDS Drug JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) The government made a verbal agreement with a German drug company to accept a key AIDS drug for free in pilot projects aimed at reducing the number of babies born with HIV,company officials released recently. The deal to provide free nevirapine for the prevention of motherto- child transmission of HIV at pilot projects in the country was tentatively accepted, said Kevin McKenna, technical director of B oehringer-Ingelheim in South Africa. The.company made the offer of free Nevirapine to more than 100 developing countries last year, provided it was part of a properly managed, comprehensive mother-to-child Transmission prevention program. The government had been criticized for not taking up the offer. AIDS activists and doctors sued the government demanding the immediate administration of nevirapine nationwide. About 200 babies are born with HIV every day in South .africa and the drug could slash that number in half. By refusing to make nevirapine widely available to HIV-infected pregnant women, the government is denying women .and children ¯ their constitutional rights to health care, the suit filed in the Pretoria High Court claimed. The government, which is reviewing the suit, says it stands by its policy of first distributing nevirapine on a small scale ¯ through pilot programs to test its effects~ Young So. Africans Speak of AIDS CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - In a steady voice, 16-year-old Jabu tells how her father raped her repeatedly, infecting her with the HIV virus. Once too scared to speak out, she encouraged others to fight anti-AIDS discrimination in South Africa at the first national meeting of children who are either infected or who have relatives with the virus. An estimated 4.7 million South Africans, about 11% of the population, are infected with HIV. The country has 700~000 AIDS orphans. Those infected are often stigmatized by a society who considers it a shameful illness, Infected children at the meeting spoke of being shunned by their peers, abandoned by their own families and even blamed by health care workers for contracting the virus. Jabu, who asked to be identified only by her first name, encouraged the young people to speak out. ’%’ou don’t have to keep quiet," Jabu told the group of about 90 children. The children, aged seven to 18, gathered from across the country in this coastal city and read anonymous testimonials out loud. Participants told of having to leave school to care for their infected siblings. Rejected by their families, others spoke of having to support themselves by collect" cattle. "My rd a’ firewood ¯ lng and tending fives discriminate between me and their children," wrote one of the children in a testimonial. "It’s like I am a slave." Monene, 14, lost her mother to the dis- ease. She said she frequently goes hungry and does not have proper clothes to wear. Monene, who asked to be identified only by her first name, urged the government to build more orphanages. "If they don’t do that, what are we going to become in the future?" she asked. The South African government has been ambasted for an inconsistent policy on combatting AIDS and for refusing to provide anti-retroviral drugs through the public health system. At the meeting, Dr. Nono Simelela, who heads the health department’s AIDS program, told the children the government was doing the best it could. "It’s dear that a~ore resources as going to be needed," Simelela said. "As far as humanly possible, we are responding to these challenges, (but) the processes are slow." Partners agree to joint ownership of patents for first AIDS vaccine specifically designed for Africa NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Three partners developing and testing the first HIV/AIDS vaccine specifically designed for an African strain of the disease have agreed to joint ownership of the drug’s patents. The three-year agreement settles one of the hurdles that had earlier threatened to delay testing the vaccine to combat the viral strain most common in eastern Africa: Kenyan trials of the vaccine started several months later than expected, partly because of wrangling over ownership and patent rights. ’q~nis was a delicate matter, requiring a lot of patience and compromise from all parties," said Francis Gichaga, vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi. Gichaga and Seth Berkley, president of the New York-based International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, signed the agreementin Nairobi. Britain’ s Medical Research Council signed it in England earlier last month. ’q~he task force was guided by the principle of.fairness, equal partnership and need to equitably apportion credit and any revenues that may accrue from this project," Gichaga said. The groups have been working since November 1998 to develop a double vac, cine, basing much of their research on prostitutes from a Nairobi slum who appear to be immune to the HIV virus that causes AIDS. The first component is a simple_DNA vaccine that delivers the genetic information on HIV. The second component, known as MVA~ is a vaccine that delivers the same genetic information but uses a weakened smallpox virus to carry it to the cells. The DNA vaccine is in its first phase of testing on both Kenyans and Britons. Tests of the MVA vaccine are being conducted in England and are expected to begin in Kenya in September or October, said G_ilbert Camathan, project manager at the vaccine initiative, which is funding the research. Trials combining the components are expected to begin later this year in Britain and in early 2002 in Kenya, Camathan said. There is no HIV virus in the injections. The safety tests will determine whether they have any toxic effects. Once the combination vaccine has proven safe, it will be Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around-the-clock answers to your questions - and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange tohave your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our toll-free numbers below. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I C .L HOU FOR TOLL-FREE SER CE Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 Billing Inquiries: 1-888-216-3490 Ou~ge Repo~g: 1-888-218-3919 Servicio a Clientes: 1-888-216-3505 Preguntas Sobre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 Falta De Suministro: 1-888-218-3924 Public Service Company of Oklahoma i, I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I �tested to see if it actually wards off AIDS. The process is expected to take several years. Berkley will sign an agreement with the Uganda Vaccine Research Institute soon that will pave the way for testing there of an orally administered version of the vaccine, Camathan told The Associated Press. Tests so far have "not only been safe, but also generated surprisingly good immune responses," Berkley said. Africa, the world’s poorest continent, is ground zero in the fight against HIV/AIDS. More than 24 million Africans live with the vires but most cannot afford expensive drugs designed to slow its effects. Health officials estimate that more than 2.6 million Kenyans alOne have HIV/AIDS, and 700 more are infected each day. Other vaccines-target strains prevalent in Europe and North America. AIDS Activist Sees Less Harassment 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 appointments are available. reversed itself and announced it was sending a team of health officials to open a clinic in the worst-hit village, Wenlou. More recently, a vice minister of health said an April survey of 1,645 Wenlou villagers found that 318 - or 19% - were HIV-positive. Among villagers who sold blood, an even larger proportion were infected - 244 out of 568, or 43 % Officials are now examining blood supplies in all hospitals and donor centers in Henan, the Health Ministry’s newspaperHealth News - said Friday. Police also are searching for illegal blood-buyers, known as "bloodheads," and government officials who helped them, it said. "It’s a good start that the government is beginning to acknowledge this problem and take action against it," Gao said. ’’I am not sure how effective the crackdown will be or if the problem will just reappear after the campaign is over, but at least it’s much better than before when the officials did nothing at all." Brazil Strips Patent On AIDS Drug SHANGHAI, China (AP) - The threatening phone calls and summons by angry officials are over. Government leaders who once shunned her now smile and say hello ¯ RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP)-Brazil’s in public. The reversal represents a victory : decision to disregard patent protections of sorts for Gao Yaojie, aretired gynecolo- ¯ and begin manufacturing a genetic vergist who publicized the spread of AIDS ¯’ sion of a powerful anti-AIDS drug could through illegal blood buying in rural vil- ¯ open the way for other developing counlages in the central Chinese province of ." tries to follow suit, experts said in August. ¯ I-Ienan. Brazil has become the first country to ¯ After years of official attempts to constrip the patent on an anti-AIDS medicaceal the deadly outbreak, the government ¯ tion. Health Minister Jose Serra said govis acknowledging that hundreds of villag- ¯¯ ernment laboratories would begin manuers are infected and that dozens have alfacturing Nelf’mavir, an anti-AIDS drug ready died. ¯ made by the Roche group and sold under Gao said a deputy governor of Henan ¯ the trade name Viracept. Serra justified even went out of his way last week to greet ¯ the move, saying six months of negotiaher at an art exhibition. The government ¯ tions with Roche failed to lower the drug’s still hasn’t broken down and told Gao she ¯ price sufficiently for Brazil to be able to was right. But it has stopped treating her as ~ distribute the drug free of charge to all in if she were trying to reveal state secrets, ¯ need. Brazil, has the highest number of Gao, 74, told The Associated Press by : AIDS victimsin Latin America, with about telephone. ’‘itrs so quiet now," she said. ¯ 203,000 people with the disease. "A couple of months ago, I was getting ¯ Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Cenphone calls from government officials al- ¯ ter for Economic Policy and Research, a most every day." : Washington-based think tank, hailed Gao stumbled onto the hidden epidemic ¯ Brazil’s decision and said it could prompt in 1996, when one of her patients tested ¯ other countries to do the same. "I think positive for the virus that causes AIDS. ¯ you’regoing to see more developing counGao was able to link the infection to an ¯ tries resisting these attempts to enforce the illegal blood-buying industry in rural ¯ U.S. patent law all over the world. Very Henan. Since the 1980s, collectors had ." often, this is the ease: When one country been paying villagers for their blood, ex- ¯ challenges these laws, the U.S. backs tracting the valuable plasma and then rein- ¯ down," he said. Weisbrot points to U.S. jecting what was left back into donors’ ¯ decisions to back away from attempts at veins. Donated blood was often pooled ¯ stricter patent enforcement on AIDS drugs ¯ together, facilitating Transmission of HIV. in South Africa and Brazil. ¯ Gao printed more than 300,000 flyers The law also contains clauses that allow and 100,000 booklets to warn the villagers ¯ patents to be stripped in cases of national about the danger. She also paid for the ¯ emergency or when the company has been treatment of infected children. She said ~ judged to employ abusive pricing. Serra she has spent more than $25,000 of her ~ used the abusive pricing clause in justifyown money over the last five years. Health ." ing this move. officials at first ignored her and then grew Roche spokesman Daniel Piller said the hostile as her efforts drew Chinese and : company was not expecting Brazil’s latest foreign media attention, she said. _" move. "We were surprised to hear the In May, officials at the hospital where ¯° news from the Brazilian government. We she had worked in Zhengzhou, Henan’s really think the government of Brazil ~s capital, blocked her application for a pass- ~ really committed to combatting this dreadport to visit the United States to accept an ." ful disease, andin ourpoint of view, we are award for anti-AIDS activism. Officials ¯ stillinnegotiations withthe Health Minisaccused her of collaborating with "anti- ." try," Piller said by telephone from the Chinese foreign organizations," she said. ¯ company’s headquarters in Switzerland. But this month:the government abruptly �This year’s New Genre Festival, Octo~ ¯ cal. On the physical level, the artist reher 3-7,-2001, will present a diverse range " minds us that we can consciously hold our of artists, many of whom cross disciplin- " breath and halt the automatic process of ary lines to create exciting new art works.. ¯ breathing for a short period of time until These works push the limits of traditional " the body revolts and reasserts control. The media while incorporating the new media " act of breathing creates a dynamic intermadepossiblebytoday’s technology. New ¯ face between our exterior and interior environments. Genre Festival is a program of Living Arts On Thursday, Oct. 4, Willy Le Maitre & of Tulsa. Eric Rosenzveig will present "The ApThis year the following art venues have ¯ chosen to collaborate on promoting corn ¯ pearance Machine"- a live video installation which begins in New York City with temporary art in Tulsa: Living ArtSpace, Nightingale Theatre, Philbrook Museum " the collection of trash from the streets. The of Art, SoBo 2, TulsaModem Art Center, ¯ garbage starring in the drama is manipulated, analyzed, videotaped and then Tulsa Performing Arts Center Trust, Tulsa Pror~e~ ¯ le, University of Tulsa School of " streamed in realtime over the internet diArt, Utica Square " rectly to the Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall, University of Tulsa, 2935 E Since 1969, Living Arts of Tulsa has been steadfast inits mission of"presenting ¯ 5th St. It opens from 5-Tpm and continues and devdoping contemporary artforms in " through October 25. Eric Rosenzveig also Tulsa." Living Arts is interested in newly " will give a talk at TU about the work and other artworks using new technologies at evolving ideas and concepts, and in sharingits interests with the community through " 6pro. Chris Wildrick of ’~2funBasTards" from creative workshops, performances, exhi- " bitions, films/videos, demonstrations of ", Madison, Wisconsin will perform Local Reality Test: Temporal Continuity Test, current art, lectures, related educational an out-of-theater performance by walking activxties and research. Living Arts has two principal goals: 1) ¯ around Tulsa from 9-5pm asking people what timeitis. He will then check this time to bring Outside artists and works to Tulsa against his watch, marking down the difwho are pushing their media to its limit ference in minutes and his location. He and, 2) to present opportunities and. chalwill also check times fOund on public lenges for local artists to develop and docks. Throughout the day he will accupresent new, exploratory works,which are mulate avast amount of data regarding the not normally seen in Tulsa. discrepancies between time and space m ’~3rrrl Power" Elizabeth.Whitney is one Tulsa. of this year’s emcees and she will be A ground-breaking new program of the making several appearances throughout New Genre Festival this year, the Perforthe festival: Thursday at the Performance mance Open allows for several short perOpen; Friday at Die Audio Gruppe - 8pro formance artworks by artists from Tulsa andat A.K.A. - 10pro; and Saturday at Jos4 and around the country to be seen at one Torres Tama - 8pm. venue, The Nightingale Theatre, 1416 E Grrrls: Subversive Performances of 4th St 8:00pm $8. ($6. students) on ThursFemininity Utilizing multiple perso_~,ae day, Oct. 4. (Rizzo - tough girl, Barbie, Miss FlizaThe amazing Berlin-based multimedia beth, Bridesmaid, and Ethyl), Elizabeth art group, Die Audio Gruppe,build electroWhitney leads us through many aspects of acoustic clothing and then perform using stereo typed women today - only with a them. Studio Performances at the Tulsa twist! Performing Arts Center, Doenges ThencSis the other of this year’ s emcees and ater, 2rid. & Cincinnati, 8:00pm.$12. ($6. they will be making several appearances/ students) Friday/Saturday, Oct. 5/6. Resperformances throughout the festival: ervations are required through the PAC at Thursday at the Performance Open - 8pm; 596-7111 or www.tnlsapac.com. Friday at Jos4 Torres Tama- 10pro SaturA workshop will be offered, "Making day at Die Audio Gruppe - 8pro Electro-acoustic Clothing" with inventor he5 had its .begin~,~,n,gs as a band. AlBen0it Manbrey on Monday, Oct. 1, ways "very theatrical for a rock group, it 7:00pro at Living ArtSpaee. wasn’t until the dialmmer quit that the Also on "Oct. 5/6, Living Arts will remaining band members decided to ditch feature ’qm Exile Close to the Equator the gigs and dive into theatrical Personal Stories of Universal Truths in a experimentaion. Utilizing various disciSearch for the "American Dream." In this plines, technology and whatever else they autobiographical verbal and visual coican find, nc5 strives to incorporate the l lage, performance artist Jos~ Tortes Tama energy of a rock concert into their perfor: returns to Tulsa with a work that combines mances. On Wednesday, Oct. 3, 5-Spin will fea- : personal stories and incantations withdrature ’q’he Culture of Breath," an interac- ~ matic movement and visual tableaus. ¯ Moving rapidly from poetic drama to the tive computer projection insthllation by Chicago Art Institute Professor of New ¯ hilariously absurd, he creates a dynamic piece that explores the immigrant experiMediaTiffany Holmes which investigates ence and rites-of-passage in urban Amerithe physiological, the biological, and the ] can culture. ~psychological aspects of breathing. The New Genre Festival also will offer It opens at Living ArtSpace, 308 S ¯ Kenosha. The installation continues on : anumber more events. For moreinformadisplay through October 25. The act of ¯¯ tion, call 918-585-1234 or check out: breathing is presented as a series of visual ¯ www.livingarts.org. Living Arts of Tulsa is located at 308 S Kenosha. layers: physical, biotic, and psychologi- It’s too expensive." You can subscribe to Tulsa Opera’s entire season for as little as $13 per opera. That’s cheaper than a ballgame and at that price you can even bring a date. ]’re sure to score. Herland Fall Retreat September 14-16 Roman Nose State Park Featuring entertainers Mary N Bright Mary Catherine Reynolds, -Kristall Bright and Nancy Nesser Herland, 2312 NW 39th Oklahoma City, www.herlandsister.org �Hungry for Atlantic Herring or ¯ mother, takes him on a journey that inA Prince in a Shetland? : eludes a cast of ordinary but uncommon by Deborah J. Hunter ¯ people. His thoughts turn from Atlantic If you like Stephen McCauley (Object ¯ herring, "These are fish that travel inlarge ofMy Affection, Easy Way Out, Man ofthe " schools and reproduce as casually as I House and True Enough) you’ll love Louis untangle phone cords," to other species, Bayard. I read Bayard’s two novels, En- " "Cowbirds have been on mindlately. They "dangered Species (2001) and Fool’s Er- ¯ are brown-headed creatures that decline rand (1999) back to back. I get hungry for : the honor of building nests and instead lay" good writing with peculiar characters that ¯ eggs in thenests of other birds. Some birds happen to be Gay. pick up on the ruse, but Bayard gives us both most will happily incu"... Like MeCauley, in a feast of storytelling bate the new eggs as about thirty-something one of their own." Bayard gently Nick Broome who hasIn Fool’s Errand, urges toward parentbashes stereotypes Patrick Beaton learns to hoodandPatrick Beaton hate naps and learns to who is in search of love Seth. He thinks - "Prince Charming" or in Seth is helping him find of people this case "Prince Shetthemanin the cranberry land." Shetland sweater. He ’like you and me’ Like McCauley, thinks their days spent Bayard gently bashes in the parking lots of "(and some not stereotypes in favor of discount stores and their people "like you and so like anyone I nights spent in bars are me" (and some not so in search of a "Scottish like anyone I have ever have ever met)..." Prince" who Patrick met) that are trying to barely met on~ sleepy make alife that on most daysdoesn’t seen ¯ afternoon in someone’s den. the least bit-"altemative." ¯" That Seth is the ex-boyfriend of Patrick’ s Nick Broome’s experience with sperm ¯ ex-boyfriend, Alex only adds to the flavor banks and finding out his own motility ¯ of the stew, as does the long visit from ¯ rates are hilarious. Thephysiclan s assisPatrick’ s bi-polar father who ends up mar~ tant.., leads me down along hallway with ¯ rying his best friend Marianne. shell-colored carpet...She hands me three : Fool’s Errand is a long book and the medium-size glass vials, a box of Kleenex ¯ yearning for love is there under the escaand a back issue of Pro Wrestling maga- ¯ pades and in every day. Like Endangered zine." He evolves from wanting to propa- ¯ Species, the search is what gives life its gate to wanting to parent. His search for a ¯ substance, the finding is what helps bring ¯ ¯ Lesbian co-parem, or finally, a surrogate life’s meaning. in favor THE GILDED AGE Treasures from the Smitbsonian American Art Museum 9 SEPTEMBER -- 4 NOVEMBER 2OO1 THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART 2727 SOUTH ROCKFORD ROAD : ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ." ¯ ¯ ¯ and other equality issues such as domestic partnership. Prior, HRC had issued $114,000 in but are asked to donate $10 at the door. Equality Fund grants and also gave $5,000 Earlierin September, Tulsa Oklahomans to the Federation of Statewide Political for Human Rights (TOHR) will kick off Advocacy Organizations. These grants the planning for Diversity Celebration 2002 helped to fund essential state house lobby from 5:30 to 7pm on Thursday, Sept. 6th at work, such as Maryland’s non-discrimiRenegades in the Rainbow Room. The nation and Texas’ hate crimes bills. public is welcome and for more informaOthers receiving grants include: tion, call 743-4297, or e-mail to ." Texas’ Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby community@tohr.org ¯ which got a $5,000 grant to support their Looking forward to the end of October, ¯ lobby program, including to continue to TOHR will be hosting a Rocky Horror ." defeat attempted bans on same-sex marMasquerade Ball featuring Helga’s . riage and civil unions and to advance their Horribles to benefit the Pyramid Project ¯ safe schools initiative. (the-ftm.draising effort for a permanent ¯ Unity Utah will receive $4,000 to lobby commumty center) at the Downtown ." the Salt Lake City Council to codify an Doubletree on the 27th. More details will ¯ existing mayoral executive order which be available in October. ¯ prohibits discrimination in city employ" ment based on sexual orientation. This HRC Announces Grant to ¯ local project is an important first poliltical Oklahoma Group ...step for this organization, and also is an WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) made announced ¯ important first step towards state level decisions about its first round of Equality : advocacy. Vermonters for Civil Unions LegislaFund grants to Gay state lobbying groups ¯: tive Defense Fund is getting $5,000 for in 10 states. ¯ lobbying and polling efforts to keep the Amoung these grants (totaling $47,000) is one to Oklahoma’s Cimarron Alliance ¯ legislature from denigrating the legal stares of civil unions as a marriage-equivaFoundation of $4,000 to conduct the first ¯ lent. poll in Oklahoma to guidedevelopment of : A number of other organizations also public outreach messages, with special ¯ received grants or are still under consideremphasis on hate crimes, discrimination ¯ ation for aid. �¯ by Lamont Lindstrom Creator of the universe has sown a very Well, kind of. I was a Boy Scout. The : important fluid. This fluid is the most years, 1965 - 1970; the place, Martinez, : wonderful material in all the physical CA,Troopl81.And, nowadays, I amGay. ¯ world. Some parts of it f’md their way into ButwhenI was a ldd; I had yet to hear any : theblood, andthroughthebloodgivetone oftheearlynotesbftoday’s - ~ -~ : to the muscles, power-to~ elaborated language of -":-. ~;~outs havealways~- thebrain, and : strength to . Gayness and;eve~ii,~-Ihad, - ]md ~ex and aender ~ " the nerves:. This fluid"isthe : I probably ,wouldn thave - ........ ¯ ~’~ -sex fluid ’Am habit ldentifiedmyselfwlth.lt. A ¯ mind; An explleit ~l ....whichaboyhas that causes . GayBoyScout,backthen,.. o[ the o~,anJ=atloi~ is to this fluid robe discharged wasanthinkable.Wenever .. ~ .’ . ,. " ’ ¯ from the body tends-to . turn boys into men ~.~ :’weaken his $[rength,"to " once "sniggered at.: the double entendre, so obvi- men-o[ a imrt-leu]ar tTl~, makehimlessabletoresist disease :. ~to yield:means ~ous today, in thefinal.lin,~e dmt I~. I w~’t alone of theBoy Scout oath: ’I-to Sacrifice strengthS,and promise .... to keepmyself my Troop. Several power and m~liness. physically strong, mentally Jeez, we ~ought. Could scout mates a|so ~rew awake and morally we even survive our teens.’? into Gayness. Many straight." Scoutmasterly duties,~ The Boy Scouts of parents, I’m sure, prayed given Boy Scout dogma, America, backed by five included the regulation of tlmt scouting would U.S. Supreme Court Jusboyish sexuality and this toughen up their tices, have recently aftask could be approached firmed their legal right to withall shades of interest. I worrisome sons .... " discharge Gay Scoutmas.... spent part of four s||mmers ters and perhaps also (although this is less ¯¯ at Wolfboro, a camp in the Sierra Nevada. clear) boys who affirm ahomosexual idenOar leaders trooped us up river to "Baretity. The Gay community andbeyondhave " Ass Slide" and ordered to take off our condemned this invidious policy as harm- ,. clothes and slide down shallow, mossy ful, But theScouts, clearly, are in a dicey ¯ river rapids. On one 50-mile hike, buckposition. We might try to understand, al- " naked Scoutmaster Bob chased five of us though not necessarily sympathetically, ¯ boys, equally buck-naked, squealing the orgardzati0n’s problems in ha,vigating ¯ through the woods because we refused to the dangerous American cultural ~hoals of ¯ hop into the icy aver. childhood and sex. Innocent male hi-jinks, of course. But ¯ The Boy Scouts have always had sex ¯ some of this past must inform the Boy ¯ and gender in mind. An explicit goal of the Scouts’ present sexual bad conscious. Itis organization is to turn boys into men - ¯ sweet irony,’as many have noted (e.g., see men of a particular type, that is. I wasn’t ¯ Tim Neal’s biography The B oy-Man), that alone in my Troop. Several of my scout ¯ -the founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Robmates also ~ew into Gayness. Many par- . eft Baden-Powell, was obsessed with eats, I’m sure, prayed that scouting would ¯ "boyology," had a 30 year relation with a ¯ younger man, K~uneth McLaren- whom toughen up their worrisome sons. The Boy Scouts, !ike the Marines, Little ¯ he called The Boy - and adored watching League sports, and certain small fundahis lithesome Scouts swim nude. mentalist Christian colleges, are a last re- ¯ Postmodem theorists warn that the past sort of desperate parents hoping to make a (life-long male friend) is often misunderman out of one. My fellow Scouts ranged " stood in contemporary terms (Gay). Still, from the ambitiously normal to hopeless Baden-Powell and some of his Scoutmastwinks (although we didn’t have that word ter successors clearly appreciated boys in back then either): The proto-gangbangers ¯ complicated ways. at my school, who wouldn’t be caught ¯ Pricking this Boy Scout bad conscious, dead in the Boy Scouts, weren’t fooled by ¯ Americais currently on the warpath against our organized protestations of masculinany sort of child sexuality; When I was a ity. All those silly (if sometimes still sur- ¯ kid, we had never heard of the term sexual prisingly useful) ropes and knots. harassment let alone sexual abuse. These Although Troop 181 had no language of ¯¯ notions, like Gay, had yet to hit Martiuez. Gayness, this does not mean that there In that heyday of the miniskirt, my 7th were no sexual frissons - a sexuality that, ¯ grade Algebra teacher used to force those in an all-male organization, is at least by ¯ 12-year old gifts who wore the shortest default homosexual. Such currents surely ¯¯ minis to sit in the front row of his class so feed the organization’s recent touchiness he could gawk up their skirts. (He also about Gayness. ¯ used to hang troublesome boys out his I remember friends giggling over the ¯ second-story window by the scruffs of Boy Scout Handbook’s warnings against their neck.) Today? Run, don’t walk, to masturbation. When I got my first Handyour nearest hungry lawyer. book I eagerly sought out those paragraphs. ¯ The reasons for America’s recent childThe Handbook, subsequently, wo~tld be * sex pamc are complex, reflecting, probsomewhat liberalized. My 1960’ s edition, " ably, parental guilt about working morns however, hadn’t progressed much beyond ¯ and about divorce. Nowadays, with suspithese 1927 admonitions published under ¯ cious parents and enterprising lawyers all the subtitle ’~onservation" (which, in the o¯ around, the BOy Scouts have their backs to 1970’s, would acquire a more ecological, the wall. You can see why they mightnot less Taoist gignificance): "In the body of ¯ want to get in bed with us Gays. We every boy who has reached his teens; the ¯ remindthemoftoomuch, seeScout, p.11 KellyKirby, 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 IGTA member ~~ Call 341.6866 International TOH~ formoreinformation. 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. 8-5pro �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 evangdism. 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) Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing On September 3oth, something brand new is hitting the Tulsa scene! Soulful Sundown is an alternative worship experience that celebrates the mystery and wonder of life, within a non-dogmatic context. Soulful Sundown combines live music, inspirational readings., video, and audience participation to create an experience that moves, challenges, transforms and connects people to e~tch other and the ~¢orld. Soulful Sundo.wn happens at All Souls Unitarian Church at 5:3oPM on Sundays starting September 3oth and continuing through the rest of the year. All people are welcome! All Souls Unitarian Church 2952 S. Peoria, 743-2363. Karma just bit me in the ass! Here I was, pining for something I thought I’d never have, when lo and behold, a woman told me she was in love with me. Of course this was three hours after meeting he_r, so you can imagine how frightened I was, thinking I’ d run into Psycho Lesbian From Hell. Remember Miss No-Longer-InterestedIn-Me? Well, she stir isn’t. But that’s not the point. Miss No-Longer-Interested-InMe and I reached an agreement and have done what many Lesbian couples do (or non-couples, in this case) and become friends. I know what you’re saying. ’Raging Lesbian, this is just a way to get to see her!" I could tell you how much we click on a friendship level; how much we value that friendship; how much we respect each other, etc. OK- it’s a way to get to see her! I never knew how she felt because no one’s ever said those three little words to me. I found out how she felt the other weekend when I heard them whispered into my ear. You need to know rightnow thatinternet acquaintances should be a slow process. No need to rush into meeting her after writing to her once or twice. She might turn into a Karin, and you might become a Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me. The other weekend was my first date since Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me told me that, well, she was no longer interested in me. It was the first time since May that I even thought of trying to move on. I didn’t realize I’d meet Miss U-Haul Lesbian. My experiences since coming out have been with users until I met Miss No-LongerInterested-In-Me. This explains why she’s making yet another starring role in the column. Her honesty disarmed me and made me realize I hadn’t been honest with the most important person in my life--me¯ How could I be honest with her, or anyone else,.for that matter? Timing tndy sucks sometimes. Had I met Miss U-Haul,. fallen for her, learned my lesson, then met Miss No-LongerInterested-In-Me, perhaps... No, I won’t go there. We fill our lives with so many ’~vhat-ifs" and "if onlys" that we don’t see the people in front of us. The person in front of me now is a woman who would do anything for me. Scary, huh? But don’t we look for this all our lives? Here is it, staring me in the face, and I’m feeling very different than I did in April¯ I feel like Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me. I let my new-found "friend" in on what was happening. She told me never to say anything to Miss U-Haul I didn’t mean. Wise advice which I learned from her through first-hand experience. I’ve told Miss U-Haul about my recent history, and I also let her know that I don’t think I can realm her feelings. She says I will. Umm, no, I don’t think so. What’ s she like? Besides living in outer Dallas and dres sing in men’ s clothing (well, somewhat), she’s kind, caring, and listens to my every word¯ Where I was almost a non-entity with Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me, I am a"Diamond" to Miss UHaul. In fact, that’s her name for me. So what is my problem? I didn’t feel that "something"; that immediate feeling that Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me was looking for with "us". I always thought you grew into it. But she’s right. The spark, if you will, just isn’t there. I can wish for it all I want, but Miss U-Haul doesn’t do it for me. Yes, I HAVE become Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me, with a vengeance! And yet I still see Miss U-Haul. Why? My immediate response? No one’s cared for me this much, or treated me this wall since .... ever. Certainly not since I’ve become active in this life. I shouldn’t let that sway me, or confuse Miss U-Haul. Above all, I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want anyone to feel what I have the past few months - hurt, lonely, confused, desperate, despairing, you get the drill. And yet, I don’t see.any other way. As I perceive it, Miss No-Longer-InterestedIn-Me had three choices: A. Hurt me; B. Hurt me; C. Hurt me; D. All of the above. That she chose D for a triple shot of hurt annoys me, but what can you do? Try NOT to repeat her pattern. It really doesn’t help that the townspeople where Miss U-Haul lives dre telling her that I may be "I’he One." I’ve already let her in on my Love-OMeter¯ You know, the thing that lets you comprehend, unequivocally, that you’re in love? A friend asked me about a month ago, what I would have told my mother if Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me and I had a different experience: in other words, if she returned my feelings. "I would say, ’Mother, this is Miss Interested-In-Me. We’ re in love.’" My friend asked what I would do after my mother fainted. Oh please. She knows. Even MY mother can’t be THAT naive! I guess what I’m trying to say is that until that woman comes along again (IF she ever comes along again) who makes me want to come out to my family, then it ain’t love. Sure, I may love being with her, talking to her, and heating how wonderful I am. The sex may be great (yes, Horny Lesbian strikes again!), but the feding’s not there. Does that make me a terrible person? I think not. I certainly hope not. I told Gay Felix one night, after Miss UHaul let me know (as have so many others) that Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me used me, that only the two people in that relationship truly understand what went on between them. Miss No-Longer-Interested-in-Me didn’t use me. Being in her shoes now, I honestly believe that. Only She and I comprehend the feelings and the loss¯ I’m sure Miss U-Haul’s neighbors and friends will one day say that I used her. I hope she understands a simple truth - I met a wonderful woman whose feelings I can’t return. As Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me said recently, ’q’here are a billion reasons why someone would fall inlove withyou." Unfortunately, I’m afraid I’ll be saying the same thing soon to Miss U-Haul. Love, no matter which side you’re on, is often the most difficult and most agonizing feeling in the world. - by Karin Gregory Gregory is a Ft. Worth based writer. �The NAMES Project Tulsa Area Chapter 3507 East Admiral Place Tulsa, OK. 74115-8211 (918) 748-3111 www.TulsaQuilt.org MEMORIAL Feast with Friends® in TV Land Saturday, September 29, 2001 Following the individual Dinner Parties, join us for the Dessert Extravaganza 8:30 to 10:30 PM Allan Chapman Activity Center, University of Tulsa, 5th and Gary, Admission js free for Dinner Hosts and their guests; others may attend for a $10.00 donation at the door � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document :9th Annual Feast For Friends i Was Death Sentence : And Other Community Events i Based onAnti-Gay Bias? ¯ ¯ TULSA (TFN) - September is shaping up as a mostly quiet : OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A federal appeals court month with only The NAMES Project Tulsa Area Chapter’s ¯ upheld the death sentence of an Oklahoma death row ¯ annual Feast for Friends as amajor event on Saturday, the 29th. ¯ inmate convicted ofkilling four people during a 1984 ¯ The event features private dinners at homes as wall as larger " bank robbery. ¯ dinners sponsored by community organizations and churches " The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ¯ where contributions are encouraged to support The NAMES ~ split 2-1 in upholding Jay Wesley Neill’s death sen- " Project Tulsa Area Chapter’s programs. ¯ tenceforthemurdersduringtherobberyofaGeronimo ¯ After each dinner, guests gather for dessert at theGreat Hall of " bank. Thedissentingjudge,Carlos LuceroofAlamosa, ¯ the Allan Chapman Activity Center at the University of Tulsa, " Colo., said the penalty phase of Neill’s trial was not ¯ 5th Street and Gary Avenue, from 8:30 till 10:30. There will be ¯ fair because Comanche County District Attorney : a silent auction, entertainment, information about The NAMES : Robert Schulte repeatedly toldjurors that Neill was a ¯ Project and portions of the Quilt as well. " homosexual. ¯ To register a dinner, call The NAMES Project Tulsa Area ¯ ’The prosecutor’s blatant homophobic hate mon- ¯ gering at sentencing has no pl~,,cein the courtrooms of ¯ a civilized society, and Neill s (original) appellate ¯ connsd’s failure to raise the issue.., constitutes clear ~ and plain prejudicial neglect," Lucero wrote. ¯ Schulte, of Lawton, said he presented evidence ¯ ¯ about Neill’s homo,sexuality because it was .relevant to how he and his co-defendant used some. of the : $17,000 they stole. ’‘i do not recall emphasizing or ¯ calling for _th~,,,t penalty because of his homosexual ¯ relationships, he said. "It was because of the grue- ~ some nature of the crime." His statements about efll s homosexuahty came m 1992 at a retrial. The ¯ first conviction was overturned because the two de- " fendants were not tried separately. ¯ The appellate judges who formed the majority, ~ Deanell R. Tacha of Lawrence, Kan. and Bobby ¯ Baldock of Roswell, N.M., concluded that none of The NAMES ProjectAIDS Memorial Quilt at the Fair Grounds. " Neill’s claims of misconduct by Schulte have merit. ¯ Chapter at 748-3111 or e-mail to info@TulsaQuilt.org Admis- : Tsahyeiynigsstuheadt aS2c7h-upl.ateg,es dceocmismioennftosr "thweesriex-rsetlaetveacnoturtto, sion to the dessert extravaganzais free for dinnerhosts and quests ¯ both the (prosecution’s) case and Neill’s defense and others are welcome see Feast, p. 8 " theory." ¯ Gay Tulsan In Military Exhibit " Agmn a Hope ForVaccine ." Poem of Kicked Out Sailor in Smithsonian Show " ATLANTA (AP) - The scientists trying to create a ." WASHINGTON (AP) - A Smithsonlan Institution exhibit on " vaccine to prevent AIDS suddenly seem optimistic, ¯ submarines includes apoemby asailorwhowas kicked out of the " even bullish, words that have not been heard much in ¯ Navy for being Gay. "It’s kind oflike a validation ofmy service," " this perennially gloomy field. For the first time, many ¯ said Tim Beauchamp, a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who lives in ] researchers appear confident a vaccine is possible. ¯ Washington. ’’I was considering the Navy as a career." ¯ More than anything else, the monkeys are respon- : Beauchamp, a yeoman who served in the Navy for more than : sible for the change in attitude. Scientists have long ¯ four years, wrote "Sub Sailor’s Views on ’Glasnost’ "in Decem- " used monkeys to test theories about AIDS treatment ~¯ ber 1987 on board the USS Henry Clay, a nuclear submarine " and prevention. But in two decades of trying, they patrolling the North Atlantic. could not concoct a vaccine that would safely protect ¯ The poem is part of the exhibit "Fast Attacks & Boomers: : a monkey from dying of AIDS. Until now. ¯ Submarines in theColdWar" at theNational MuseumofAmeri- ¯ bloNnodw, 4t-hyeeraer-aorledmmoanckaeqyuselliikveinGgoidnotth,ealehvaenlds2obmioe-, can History. A copy of it is displayed.on a sailor’s bunk in a part : ." of the exhibit dealing with daily life on a submarine, hazard containment facility at the Yerkes Regional ." Harkeuing back to the days of the ColdWar, thepoemindudes " Primate Research Center on the leafy fringes of lines like, "Reagan and Gorbacliev back and forth volley while : Emory University. Just over a year ago, Godot got a Nancy and Ralsa put on their best. Capitalist!Commuuist - " big dose of SHIV, an especially nasty lab-made Political’folly! What does it matter? It’s East against West." amalgam of HIV and SIV, the human and monkey Eight months after writing the poem, Beauchamp, now 36, ~ versions of the AIDS virus. Ordinarily, he would be received an honorable discharge from the Navy after his superi- dead in six to eight months. ~,di’seovered,he’ was Gay. Before his discharge, Beauchamp " , A~.yone entering Godot’s living space must dress oeen awaraea a Good Conduct Medal, a Sea Service Ribbon n.eao to toe in protective clothing, because SHIV and a letter of commendation. ~ cxrculates in his bloodstream. But his curious, alert ’The fact that such a committed and rule-bound serviceman ~ .stare at visitors peeking through a window shows he was kicked out of the Navy for no other reason than being Gay ." ~s outwardly unscathed. Godot is infected but otberillustrates the stupidity and,wastefulness of our current policy wise healthy. toward Gays in the military, saidRep. BameyFrank, D-Massa_ " Sevenmonthsbeforehewasinfected, Godotgotan chusetts, an openly Gay member of Congress. 7 experimental new AIDS vaccine, see Vaccine, p. 2 When Beanchamp was in the military, homosexuals were " prohibited fromserving. Under the current "don’t ask, don’ t tell,, ¯ Ill DIRECTORY P. 2 policy, homosexuals can serve so long as they do not engage in : homosexual conduct or state their sexual preference. ~ EDITORIAL P. 3 : ~ US & WORLD NEWS P. 4 Beauchamp, whohas worked since his discharge as a computer -. systems analyst and a writer, said he’d forgotten about the poem : ~ HEALTH NEWS P. 6 until he came across it in an old notebook from his days as a ¯ submariner. It was included in the exhibit after Beauchamp’s ; Z ENTERTAINMENT + MORE P. 8 partner brought it to the attention of the curator. ¯ ~ GAY STUDIES/R. LESBIAN P. 10/11 OKC Sets Up Censorship : Because of Gay Banners ¯ OKLAHOMACITY (AP)- City officials willconsider : regulating advertising messages on bus-stop benches and .on. banners flying from city-owned light poles after " receiving numerous complaints about a Gay-pride flag. ¯ A new law that will be brought before the City ¯ Council would allow only messages that would "pro- " mote or celebrate the city, its civic institutions, orpublic " activities or events in the city of Oklahoma City." This ¯ could prohibit messages promoting prayer, voting or " drug-abuse prevention. Oklahoma City has 1,240 ban- " her locations that are available for use by community -." groups to promote activities. ¯ MayorKirkHumphreys and City ManagerJim Couch ° sought the new law after the city spar~ed controversy ." earlier this year when it took down, triton put back up, ¯ banners promoting Gay pride. The banners, paid for by the Cimarron Alliance Foundation, drew numerous ¯ complaints at City Hall. see Censor, p. 2 " Murderer Now Claims "Homosexual Panic’" OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A Mexican citizen on Oklahoma’s deathrow is seeking anew trial after a state psychiatrist recanted his testimony, saying new information shows Gerardo Valdez suffered from brain damage, paranoia and "homosexual panic" when he killed another man in 1989. Psychiatrist Cecil F: Mynatt said it is now his conclusion that Valdez was unable to control his ownbehavior or was "temporarily insane" when Valdez killed Juan Barron. "Mr. Valdez suffers fromparanoia, specifically triggeredin this instance by homosexual panic," Mynatt said. "Additionally, he is brain damaged and was under the influence of alcohol." Mynatthadpreviously testified that Valdez was competent to stand trial. He said he changed his mind after reviewing information provided by Valdez’s attorney, including opinions of two neurophsychologists and a medical report. Attorney Robert Nance is asking for anew trial based ~hn arecent deeisionby the International Court ofJustice at deplored the 1999 execution in Arizona ofGerman brothers Walter and Karl LaGrand. The court held that the brothers were denied their rights underinternational law to access thor consul after their arrest. Nance said the world court s decision prevents domestic procedural rules from interferin~ with judicial review of cases involving international law violations. The applicationwas filed with theOklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, on the same day Amnesty International officials and other death penalty foes renewed theirdemandthatGov. FrankKeating commute Valdez’s sentence. Keating has granted two stays, while rejecting Fox’~ request and a parole board recommendation of clemency for Valdez, 41. Keating granted a second 30-day stay for Valdez, see Valdez, p.2 ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ . . . Tulsa Clubs& Restaurants *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine *CW’s, 1737 S. Memorial *Play-Mor, 424 S. Memorial Polo Grill, 2038 Utica SCluare *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, 2114S. Memorial *Tool Box II, 1338 E. 3rd *Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan 832-1269 610-5323 838-9792 744-4280 585-3405 745-9998 280-1316 834-4234 660-0856 584-1308 835-2376 *The Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th 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, 5231 E. 41 Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E. 1 lth Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 665-4580 712-1122 712-9955 494-2665 743-5272 746-0313 295-5868 58120902, 743-4117 Community Clearfing, 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..,~/I.emorial 369-8555 " Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 " Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460," Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria 744-9595 Four S~ar Import Automotive, 9906 E. 55th P1. 610-0880 " Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709 ¯ Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 808-8026 : *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet. Coffee, 1758 E. 21 st 742-1460 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 the River B+B, PUB 696,74101 747-5932 ¯ Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617 ~ Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. 834-7921, 748-0224 ¯ *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 & O niversities AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 4337, 74101 579-9593 All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363 Black & White, Inc..PUB 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 Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th P1. Church of the Restoratio~ 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 *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 587-7314 583-7815 583-9780 585-1201 & Florence 587-1314 747-6300 749-0595 748-3888 712-1511 742-2457 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 FOB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom, Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw Member of The Associated Press Issued around the 1st of each 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 be for publication unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 copies of each edition at distribution points. Additional copies are available by calling 583-1248. Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & Episcopalians, PUB 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, PUB 52344, 74152 747-6827 Friends in Unity Social Org., PUB 8542, 74101 582-0438 *Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E. Admiral 834-4194 HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378 *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMingtries,1517S. Memorial 224-4754 *MCC United, 1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715 NAMES Project, 3507 E Admiral PI. 748-3111 NOW, Nat’I Org. for Women, PUB 14068, 74159 365-5658 OK Spokes Club (bicycling), PUB 9165, 74157 *OSU-Tulsa PFI_AG, POB 52800, 74152 749-4901 *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674 Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 627-2359 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. Dunstan’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 H_IV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, Gay Comm. Center 743-4297 TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvocacy Coalition, 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, 21 st &Memorial 7434297 Unity ChurchofChristianity, 3355 S. Jamestown 749-8833 BARTLESVILLE Bartlesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone 918-33%5353 TAHLEQUAH Stonewall League, call for information:. 918-456-7900 Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918-456-7900 Green Country AIDS Coalition, PUB 1570 918-453-9360 EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS Autunm 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 Heart of the Hills B&B, 5 Summit St. 501-363-9203 MCC of the Living Spring 501-253-9337 Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, PUB 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 where you canfindTFN. Notall are Ga_y-ownedbutallare Gay-friendly. ¯ torch with a rainbow flame over the ¯¯ foundation’s name. The city’s staff granted a permit for ¯ Cimarron Alliance banners to be put on 44 : poles. City leaders decided to take the ban- . hers down after receiving complaints, but ¯ they had to put them backup after attorneys ¯ representing the alliance threatened to sue. : Bill Rogers, an attorney and a member of ", the Cimarron Alliance, said the banners ¯ were legally protected free speech. ’The ¯ city has provided a forum for speech and it ¯ must not prohibit speech unless there is a ~ compelling governmental interest in doing ’ ¯ so," he said "It would be very difficult to ¯ demonstrate such an interest in these cir- ,* cumstances." ’, Humphreys contends the banners go be- ¯ yond the concept of public speech because ¯ the city requires.groups who want to use the ¯ poles to provide the banners and to pay for ¯ their installation and removal. He said many advertisers choose not to carry certain rues- "- sages, and that Oklahoma City can, too. ¯ The city has notrespondedto the alliance’ s ¯ request to hang banners on city poles for Gay and Lesbian History Month, which takes places in October, Rogers said. The : group’s earlier banners finally came down ¯ in mid-July after the time the alliance had ¯ reserved for them ran out. Besides promoting pride, they featured a ¯ while saying he had not changed his mind ¯ that the execution should go forward. ¯ Keating has apologized for a violation of the article of the Vienna Convention that : guarantees foreign nationals, upon arrest, the right to contact their country’s consul. ~ Keating said that did not change Valdez’s ¯ guilt the slaying. ; An Amnesty International report said all ¯ 15 foreign nationals executed in the U:S. since 1993 were denied theright to consular ¯ access. ¯, Valdez admits killing Barron after Barron made advances toward him in abar. Valdez ~ took Barron home, forced him to strip, and ¯ shot him twice in the head before burning ¯ his body. ¯ one experts hopewill be themodel for a shot to control the worldwide epidemic. Two other variations of the same approach have been tested on monkeys at Harvard Medical School and Merck & Co. ," with similar results. The Merck vaccine is " already in first-stage human testing, and the -" Yerkes and Harvard versions should start : within six months. ¯ Vaccine discovery has been a notoriously ~ discouraging areaofAIDS research, clouded ~ by doubts that such a thing is even scientifi- ¯" cally thinkable. Butoverthepastyear, thanks ¯ to this impressive series of monkey experi- " ments, many researchers have grown up- :beat. An AIDS vaccine is still no sure bet, they ," say. But many believe they are at least on a ¯ rational path toward finding one. : The chances of success? "Ve~. _good," cells by the billions, taking over their machinery, forcing them tobuildnew copies ofthevirus and obliterating then~ - ~ in theprocess. Eventually, though, the killer cells awaken ." ’ and destroy most 6f the infected cells before they can " : release more virusl Virus levels fall and then level off. : by Tom Neal, publisher/editor !n~volving~eca Q.odor an,d _a__~t. 80..o.th.er, monkeys...Wl~.y? .: In the years that fsollotw,athelwear ismnearlyaa t.e.. : Well,maybe. You’ve got tofigure that The TulsaWorld . us~ ot me mo,nKey,s: she says. ~re are not all tlmt , The body produces new hel cells almost as mckl as " has to love The Dail Okl " " " dif~ __ . . . per . .. q . y . . y .ahoman, its sister rag in Olda- ~~erm.en~unk2~Yns; _ ~. ,., , : ~e-v.~..rams,~.em. ~ut ,g~.,,d.ually;, their levels slide too :homaC.ity. After all, anything The World does, nomatter m~, m,~l~w u ~.~ Lrom monkeys ls Key. anaa : Iar._ _A_t tl~s point, .vtr~.s kilh,n~..arugs can restore the : ho..w ~ss-.ix?or a~_d.pro.vm~al it might be, is going to be ~veOf~~.anlong sclen,ttsts. So,,me,wonder ft. these . bal,,~ance; butoth_e~wise theresultls AIDS and dentla.., betterthantimtot wlmthasbeendeelaredAmericaYsworst ~ .:~~gtvenmega~aoses oi lao-~’ownvlri~: , . lne new :¢aceines are desi~.,ned tostart .the .ot~min~ .... news~aoer-Tbatbein,,.~id it’l~tillru~ %unt Wns mc a.y, f we hel -7 .World f bl :. So ,here homdwesmin this our ...................au ;.,~a,,,~,~o~,~ _ t_ --___,_~~ ¯ muem:towerieveL.. -~y. oomg reaanvety su0tle,thmgs .’-- (besides TFNtn ourmodest way and Lordknows,..we’re ~S-’-~’s,":"~7:"~,’=~°~’ki~’g’,,mb°th_m_.°~,m,~eyan,.,um~n~ i du ", ~thefirstho.urs~ to w_ee.ks of infection, wethinkwe : certainly a David to their Goliath)? . ~emnv~ne~e~u~_~_s ~ts_~n_,m_s ce.,ns, aert~.~aat.oranea)~t,the . .can havea, dramatic pay~off m allowing the body’s own : ’ We’renotreallypickingon them- someone’sgot toffy ,_ mtvuut¢unt:s..mmonkeys, mevaccme seems to munt ¯ ~mmuneres nseoverthelonehanltocontalnthisv’rzl , tokeen tilt.s attack. M.a.yb.e.itwl!l in,,~,le. too-. ¯ mfecuon sa ......... " ¯ . - . , ,. , . y.s Le~twn. , , . .... , , . esO. and it ShOt as though The World doesnt criticize : ~Sudde~l.Ythere~sasensef°r.thefirst:ttmcthatperhaps : Instead~ofdyingfromAIDS, vac~nated peoplewhoget :. , everyone else in theireditorialpages. " ,, . ,, - s .bLt t : liv,o,w!th vi ,s for decades or even a :, , My’favorite waste of newsprint is our local "society, ¯~.mv,~.~.,.,_~.,,,~.~uymm~_" 0t mr:. r~tv epl~mmlc, says.., -menme. ires como atso slow ~€ svread of,the disease; . column the wo k¢~-l~ rmrvaro s L~r.Norman Letvm. ’~low there is an.absolute ¯ because when virus levels are low. ~ie are much les~ : but wonde~ ff M~V~i~o%~’~t ~’a’~’~’~r~e’~ ....v and all predicts Dr. Harriet Robinson, who oversaw experiments stampede to get these technologies into humans and ask : likely to pass .on HIV. ¯ ofthe rest of us, a whole lotof trouble ffinstead of listing the question: Can we-translate these monkey findings into : the human situation?" ¯ and Merck differ, but all involve the same strategy: First Researchers hope to know soon whether these experimental shots launch the same early immune system defenses seem in vaccinated monkeys. This would be an encouraging hint of the vaccine’s eventual power. Some answers could beoffered at an international AIDS vaccine conference in early September.. However, vaccine development is frustratingly slow. Even if all goes flawlessly, Robinson estimates it will be 2905before large-scale experiments begin with her vacone. Learning whether it truly prevents AIDS will take another two years. Many estimate these vaccines are still a decade or more away. So with clear answers so far off, is all’this optimism realistic? ’~I ask myself whether it is justified based on the science," says Dr.. Peggy Johnston, assistant director for AIDS vaccines at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "And my conclusion is yes." One reason is that scientists have lowered the bar. Until now, all useful vaccines prevented infections. However, the human immune system cannot mm back an HIV infection, and no one knows how to make a vaccine that accomplishes something the human body cannot do for itself. So thenew vaccines are designed to accomplish thenext best thing- train theimmune defenses to hold an infection in Check without preventing it entirely. "For a long time, people assumed that the only successfnl vaccine would completely prevent infection," says Dr. Robert Schooley of the University of Colorado. ’The new studies suggest that a vaccine might also have a moderab ing influence on the disease process itself." Scientists agree that blocking an infection requires the production, of powerful antibodies. This is how standard vaccines work: They show the immune system a protein that is unique to the germ. If the bug ever gets into the body, the defenses will blaze back with antibodies that latch onto the protein, blocking the germ and destroyingit. HIV, however, is amoving target. It mutates so fast that it constantly changes the proteins on its surface. So a vaccine that triggers an attack against one strain of HIV may be powerless against another. Furthermore, the virus covers its surface with sugar, whichhides its proteins from antibodies. When all of this became clear in the 1990s, scientists went back to basics. How is it, they asked, that people often live with HIV for eight or 10 years beforefalling sick with AIDS? And why do some never seem to get ill at all? " The answer turns out to be another line of defense ¯ against germs, the killer cells. Unlike antibodies, which " guard against free-floating microbes, the killer cells rec- " ognize infected cells and destroy them. ¯ HIV’s favorite target is a blood cell called the helper " cell. This complicates matters enormously, since one of the hel.per cells’ most important jobs is nourishing and : managing the killer cells. In the first days ofaninfection, HIV burrows into helper " Details of the vaccines developed by Yerkes, Harvard come injections of several HIV genes, which are taken in by muscle cells that use them as blueprints to make viral proteins. Next comes an immune system booster, such as a smallpox virus that has been rebuilt to carry some of the HIV genes. The ultimate goal is still a vaccine that will block HIV infection. But in the meantime, many believe wide use of the latest vaccines could reduce spread of th~ disease, especially in parts of the world where it is rampant. Experts believe a vaccine is the only thing tlmt will tame an epidemic that has already killed 20 million people and infects 15,000 more daily. Dr. Gary Nabel, director of the National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Center, says that even if the first versions are only modestly effective, tinkering will probably make them better. ’"vVe’ll start with a Model T and hope to get to a Mercedes fast." While much of the attention is on novel strategies, a more traditional vaccine is already in final-stage testing. The AIDSVax, developed by VaxGen, has been given to 7,900 volunteers in North America, Europe and Thailand The vaccine is made from the outer wrapper ofthe AIDS virus and is intended to trigger antibodies to prevent infection. Many AIDS experts are skepti,c01, because the approach has been disappointing in monkeys, and some early volunteers contracted HIV after being vaccinated. However, VaxGen’s president, Dr. Donald Francis, says more promising data from chimp experiments suggest it has as good a chance as any other approach, Researchers will take their first look at the results in November, but unless it proves surprisingly effective, the experiment will condnue until at least the end ofnext year. Next in development is an Aventis Pasteur vaccine. It consists of a canarypox virus engineered to carry HIV genes, followed by a boost with AIDSVax. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research plans to start testing on 16,000 volunteers in Thailand next summer. Even ifaaone of these works out, other ideas are in the development pipeline. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the biggest vaccine backer, is financing two dozen different possible vaccines. Still, a few dozen healthy monkeys like Godot do not prove anAIDS vaccine is on the horizon. Somein the field worry that the wishforonehas dissolved~bealthy scientific skepticism. "We tend to swing from momentous lows to momentous highs in the AIDS field," says Dr. Mark Mulligan of the University ofAlabama at Birmingham. ’’Wemaybe in an Alan Greenspan time ofirrational exuberance, because we need this so desperately." ~ all the people who attend Tulsa events, she would simply :. say that all the usual people were there - since it is the : same-cast of criminals in column after colunm That : would that reduce her column to a size .appropriate to its ¯ usual level of content, as well as saving someone the ¯ trouble of typing in all those names, over and over. ¯ Actually, as much as I hate to admit it, I find Ms. .. Walker’s colulnn somewhat useful, if vulgar. In a town as ¯ screwed up and elitist/racist/homophobic as Tulsa is, it never hurts to know who among Tnlsa’s "social elite" is ¯ in bed with each other, figuratively speaking. ¯ Top World editor JoeWorley took umbrage about TFN ¯ calling The Worm a country club newspaper some years " back. My response is just read Ms. Walker’s column, see ¯ how much space it regularly commands and try to argue ¯ with me. Imagine if The Worm devoted as much space to ¯ international news regularly as they do to Ms. Walker! Another interesting aspect of Tulsa Worm "reporting" is the flagrant disregard for professional ethics in some ~ cases. Recently The World published an article about a ¯ new image/fundraising campaign~oyq~ulsa~ s most pron~i- ¯ nent non-profit organization. The only problem was that the information in the article had/has yet to be released to ¯ the public. The "reporter" was privy to the information ¯ because s/he serves on an advisory committee for the non- " profit and took theinformation direcdy out ofanonpublic meeting without permission. Even first year journalism ¯ students would recognize that this was obtained and used ¯ improperly - and The World reporter who did this should ¯ know better. ¯ But part of the incestuous nature ofTulsais that the non- " profit will likely tolerate just about anything The World ¯ does because The World donates so very many dollars a ." year. Given this compromised financial relationship, it’s little surprise that this non-profit only gets promotional ¯ newscoverage from The WorM. And incompetence at the ¯ helm of this non-profit has been covered up for years by all ¯ of Tnlsa’s news outlets. ¯ But shoddy journalism should hardly be a surprise to ¯ thosewho’vebeenrcading The World’sreligioncoverage ¯ for some months. Thefirst clue that The WorMhas thrown ¯ journalistic balance out JoeWorley’s window onto Main ¯ Street is that World religion "reporter" Bill Sherman ¯ allegedly is a "Promise-Keeper". Being a member of this rightwing, misogyuistic and ¯ anti-Gay organizationwouldbe consideredradicallycorn_ ¯ promised as a journalist by most news organizations but ¯ not at The WorM, apparently. ¯ Since Sherman took over the religion post, stories about ¯ evangelical and fundamentalist groups have dominated ¯ Wormcoverage while newsworthy stories coming out of other moreprogressive traditions.have been ignored. And : Tulsa’s moderate and progressive religious leaders have ¯ given up hope for fair coverage from The World. ¯ But at TFN, we always hold out hope for redemption, ¯ and note that Shermanis asking for stories aboutmiracles. ¯ Here, we’re just hoping for fair and accurate reporting from The World. Now that would be a miracle, indeed. Newspaper, Chain Offers Partner Benefits ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Gannett Co., the nation’s largest newspaper publisher, will soon offer full medical benefits to same-sex partners who live together, the company announced. The company also will offer benefits to unmarried domestic partners of the opposite sex. The benefits for partners will become available inJanua~ 2002. Tobeeligible, partners mustfirst havehad a 12-month relationship. They mustalso sign an affidavit that declares there is financial dependence between them. Gannett spokeswomanTara Connell said there have been several requests from empl,oyees for equal coverage for domestic partners. "We ve been looking at it for years," Connell said. She said the company’s rapid growth last year slowed the process of revamping the benefits. Gannett employs about 53,400 people at 98 newspapers in the United States. The company also owns about 23 television stations. Unlike married couples of the opposite sex, an employee claiming the benefits will still have to pay taxes on the amount used to insure his or her partner. The IRS does not extend tax exemptions for medical benefits to domestic partners. Gannett’s decision was hailed by Gay and Lesbian groups. ’q~o stay competitive youhave to provide good benefits," said Sherry Boschert, a board member of The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. "It just makes good business sense." Cincinnati Schools AddressAnti-Gay Attacks CINCINNATI (AP) - Public,school students who xntimidate others because of sexual orientation or disability can be suspended or expelled. The board of education voted 6-1 to add those two provisions to the Cincinnati Public Schools’ discipline policy. Board lawyer John Concannon said principals and assistant principals were trained to pr.operly enforce the new policy during in-service sessxons two weeks ago. Mindy Sandfort, a spokeswoman for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, urged the board to teach educators how to recognize, prevent and discipline harassment based on sexual identity, which is not explicitly mentioned in the new policy. ’q~eachers need to understand the difference between gender identity and sexual orientationandhow to deal withthe harassment that comes with both situations," she said. Concannon said he believes gender identity is covered under the current policy. The policy applies to serious incidents ofharassment, intimidation or threatening, he said. It does not apply to incidents that involve free speech rights. If a student says, "I’m opposed to homosexuality because God says homosexuality is a sin," it is not a violation of the policy, Concannon said. Australian Gay Partners . To Be Recognized . PERTH, Australia (AP) -De facto partnerships, including homosexual relationships, will be recognized in the same way as marriages under new propertyrights legislation to be introduced in a state parliament. Western Australia state Attorney General Jim McGinty said the legislatiqnwouldallow thoseheterosexual and same-sex couples whose relationships .are recognized by the state to have property disputes settled through the Family Court rather than having to go to the Supreme Court. Australia has a vibrant and vocal Gay community. Sydney each year plays host to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, one of the largest international Gay pride - festivals. Under Australian law, when a de facto relationship ends there is no specific legQ, right allowing a person to claim a share of property. A significant and growing proportion of couples living together in Western Australia have no access to the Family Court if their relationship ends," McGinty said. "Instead, they must argue their case before the Supreme Court, resorting to principles of equity that can be expensive, time consuming, public and uncertain." McGinty said the legislation, which will be introduced in Parliament this week, would also ensure all de factor couples can ask for alimony, just as married couples can. The legislation comes after Prime Minister John Howard said that he would not support homosexual weddings and that same-sex couples should not have the same legal status as married couples. Teens Held in Gay Killing WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -Abeating and arson that killed a 58-year-old Wichita man began with him making sexual advances to two teen-agers now charged with killing him, witnesses said. The co-defendants - 18- year-old Zachary Steward and 17-year-old Brandon Boone - blamed each other for repeatedly striking Marcell Eads on his head, according to testimony presented at a preliminary hearing. District Court Judge Joseph Bribiesca ruled there was enough evidence to charge the two with firstdegree murder, aggravated arson, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery. The judge also ruled that Boone, 16 when the crimes occurred, would be tried as an adult. Innocent pleas have been entered for both men. Trial was set for Oct. 8. Early the morning of June 29, firefighters found the body of Eads on the floor of his smoldering home. Although Eads was beaten severely, it was the fire that killed him, Deputy Coroner Jaime Oeberst said. Eads was burned over 60% to 70% of his body and inhaled smoke that left alethal level of carbon monoxide in his blood, he said. Testimony showed that sex and sexual orientation appeared to be key factors in the motive. Police Det~- tive Blake Mumma said Steward gave a statement m which he said that Eads had made sexual advances toward him and Boone - prompting Boone to start beating Eads with a broomstick, and later with the end of a table and a rock. Steward also admitted to striking Eads, Mumma said. According to Steward’s statement to police, the two teens returned to Eads’ house and Boone started the fire. Eads, a hairstylist, was openly Gay, said neighbor Zusan Livingston. She said Eads toldherhewas having an affair with Steward. Steward and his father had come to Eads for haircuts. Steward grew up in Riverside,, several blocks west of F_ads’ bungalow. Rachel Mroczkowsk, Boone’ s 15-year-old girlfriend, testified she heard Steward say the night of the killing that he was angry because he had gone to aman’s house andthe man,had grabbed the area around his genitals and propositioned him. She said Steward used a slur to .describe the man and said he wanted Boone to go with him to beatthe man and steal things from his home. Under Kansas law, if it can be shown that someone was a crime victim because of his sexual orientation, a judge can use that to justify a harsher sentence. US Women Wed In Netherlands PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (AP) - Two women from Provincetown were married last month in the Netherlands, but it is unclear whether their marriage will be legally recognized in Massachusetts. Heather Wishik and Susan Donegan said they will not fight for their overseas mamage to be legal in Massachusetts, but Gay civil fights advocates predict state courts may soon be forced to confront the issue of same-sex couples who marry or are joined in a civil union out of state or overseas. MCC United MetropolRan Coctmltardgy C~urch United is a cor-,gre~jaUon ofthe Univer~a~ Fellowship of Metropcdita~ Community ~hurcl~,s Sharing the ~oodness of the Lord with our community.= Sunday Morning Traditional 11:00 AM Wednesday EvenJn, Contemporary 7:00 PM Rev. Cathy Elliott, Pastor "1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-1715 mcctulsa@aoLcotn 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, lnfo: 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.A,A.-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy (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 Heart of the Hills Bed & Breakfast 5 Summit, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 501 - 363 - 9203 Come Stay Us for the Next Diversi~. Celebration, Nov. 2 - 4 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 e i I v r American Red Cross American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter~ 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette Mclntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN I-IFAI~S Saint Aidan 4045 N. Cincinnati, 425-7882 Saint John 4200 S. Atlanta Place, 742-7381 Saint Dunstan 5635 East 71st, 492-7140 Trinity 501 S. Cincinnati, 582-4128 The Episcopal Church Welcomes You A lawsuit recently filed in Suffolk Superior Court challenges the rights of same-sex couples to marry in Massachusetts. Five’months ago, the Netherlands became the first country to allow same-sex marriage. "For us, our Dutch marriage is simply that - it’s a Dutch marriage entered into for very personal reasons," Donegan said. "We did not get married as a political or legal challenge to Massachusetts or to the United States." Mary Bonauto, staff attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, said she had not yet seen couples married in the Nefherlands or joined in civil union in Vermont go to court in Massachusetts to extend the legal recognition. But Bonauto said she has seen same-sex couples who went to Vermont for a civil union return to Massachusetts and successfully negotiate employee benefits with employers or family rates with clubs. "It’s evolving in its own way," she said. European Scouts Do Accept Gays During the last European Conference of Scouts and [gift] Guides, at the initiative of the Belgian delegation a resolution was approved not to consider homosexuality as a discriminatory factor, neither inside nor outside scouting. This resolution was a reaction by Belgium to the recent troubles with the Boy Scouts of America regarding the exclusion of gay members, on account of which Steven Spielberg, among others, resigned from the organization. The European Conference of Scouts and Guides, which took place from 7 - 12 July in Prague, was attended by more than 400 representatives from throughout Europe. Belgian delegates represented the five Belgian scouts and guides organizations, which have around 150,000 members. Scouting and Guiding is active in 41 European countries, with approximately 3.5 million boys and gifts participating. Worldwide the organization counts around 35 million scouts and guides in 216 countries, and the Jamboree, to be held next year in Thailand, is its most eye-catching international initiative. The Belgian proposal to avoid discrimination based on sexual preference opened with the charter of fundamental rights of the child adopted by the European. Unionin Nice in December 2000. Further, the amendment pointed out evolutions in present day society and the fact that scouting and guiding always follow the tendencies of youth culture, put to the test of the principles of the movement. Following this it was stated that ’l~olebis" (the Belgian abbreviation for Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals) are to be universally accepted within European society and that this cannot be used as an exclusionary criterion by national (scouting) federations. The Belgian proposal was approved by a large majority of the conference representatives. Turkey, Greece, Romania, Portugal, Cyprus, and Malta voted against the initiative. The five Belgian "scouts and guides organizahons (VVKSM, FOS, FCS, GCB, and SGP) hope that the approval of this resolution will have an impact on other regions of the world. The American observer at the conference was "not really happy" with the result [of the vote on the initiative]. However, news is trickling out that the scouting movement in the United States is.coming under pressure from, among others, gigantic sponsors such as Levis and Coca Cola, to revise its policy against Gays. Washington State Court Upholds Partner Benefits OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The city of Vancouver can keep providing health benefits to domestic partners of Gay and Lesbian city employees, the Washington ¯ Supreme Court has ruled. The 8-1 decision will likely ¯ stretch beyond the city’s borders. Other cities, includ- ¯ ing Seattle, and the state have similar policies, along ¯ withlocal governmentsinatleastfourotherstates.The ¯ policy allows domestic partners, including same-sex : partners, to receive health insurance benefits. It also ¯ allows employees to use theii sick leave to care for ¯ partners or partners’ children. Vancouver resident Roni Heinsma challenged the ¯ policy soon after it was adopted in 1998, arguing that : the city was creating akind of mini-marriage in viola- . tion of the state law against same-sex marriage. But thejustices agreed with the city’s argument that ¯ regulation of employee benefits is alocal matter. ’’We ¯ conclude that the city’s recognition of domestic part- . nershipis limited and that the program does not uncon- ¯ stitutionally interfere with the Legislature’s ability to ¯ regulate familial relationships on a statewide level," ¯ Justice Susan Owens wrote for the majority. Heinsma’s challenge was argued by the Northstar ¯ Legal Center, a conservative nonprofit law firm m Fairfax, Va., which challenged the city’s argnment that the benefits were necessary to recruit and retain good workers. ’The city or county that enacts this is ¯ saying that we do not agree with the state Legislature’s decision to ban same-sex marriage," said Jordan Lorence, the Northstar attorney who argued the case. ¯ ’q-his isn’t based on need, it’s based on a political ¯ agenda." Similar polices in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver and Broward County, Fla., have been upheld by other state supreme courts, Lorence said. Policies in Minneapo- ¯ lis, Boston, and Arlington County, Va., were struck ¯ down. Courts are still considering cases in Philadel- ¯ phia and Montgomery County, Maryland. ¯ "Every time we get domestic partner benefits like ¯ this, the fight wing swoops in and raises some kind of challenge," said Pat Logue, senior counsel for the ¯ Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a Gay civil fightsgroup. "I think the courts recognize that : domestic partnership is not marriage." ¯ In Washington, King County and the cities of Seattic, Olympia and Tumwater have similar policies. : The Public Employees Benefits Board approved a : similar policy for state workers last year at Gov. Gary Locke’s request. ¯ Since Vancouver’s policy was initiated in 1998, ¯ about 30 domestic partnerships have been registered and approved. The city paid more than $20,000 to ¯ cover the cost of the policy in 1998. "A lot of private ¯ businesses have similar policies," said Ted Gathe, ¯ Vancouver’s city attorney. "It was felt by the city that ¯. recruiting and retaining employees is important, and this was one of the benefits that should be included in : our package." ¯ Gay Friendly Governor i To Run for US Senate : NEWBURY, N.H. (AP) - Democratic Gov. Jeanne ¯ Shaheen, New Hampshire’s first female governor and ¯ the first to openly support abortionfights, took the first official step toward running for Senate. Shaheen, a ¯ social liberal and fiscal conservative, filed papers ." creating an exploratory committee for a run for the seat ¯ now held by conservative Republican incumbent Bob ¯ Smith. ¯ Shaheen has signed bills protecting Gay civil rights in housing, jobs and public accommodations and re- . pealing a ban on Gay adoptions. ¯ "Democrats, independents and Republicans all have told me that they want a U.S. senator who will be a ¯ champion for them in Washington and take action on the real problems they face," Shaheen said in a state- " merit. Democrats have held a 50-49-1 advantage in the ¯ Senate since Jim Jeffords of Vermont switched from ¯ the GOP to independent in June. Shaheen said she ¯ won’t officially decide whether to run until next year. _" She is serving her third two-year term as governor. So. Africato Provide Free AIDS Drug JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - The governmentmade a verbal agreement with a German drug company to accept a key AIDS drug for free in pilot projects aimed at reducing the number of babies born withHIV,company officials released recently. The deal to provide free nevirapine for the prevention of motherto- child transmission of HIV at pilot projects in the country was tentatively accepted, said Kevin McKenna, technical director ofBoehringer-Ingelheimin South Africa. The.company made the offer of free Nevirapine to more than 100 developing countries last year, provided it was part of a properly managed, comprehensive mother-to-child Transmission prevention program. The government had been criticized for not taking up the offer. AIDS activists and doctors sued the government demanding the immediate administration of nevirapine nationwide. About 200 babies are born with HIV every day in South .africa and the drug could slash that number in half. By refusing to make nevirapine widely available to HIV-infected pregnant women, the government is denying women .and children ¯ their constitutional rights to health care, the suit filed in the Pretoria High Court claimed. The government, which is reviewing the suit, says it stands by its policy of first distributing nevirapine on a small scale ¯ through pilot programs to test its effects~ Young So. Africans Speak of AIDS CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - In a steady voice, 16-year-old Jabu tells how her father raped her repeatedly, infecting her with the HIV virus. Once too scared to speak out, she encouraged others to fight anti-AIDS discrimination in South Africa at the first national meeting of children who are either infected or who have relatives with the virus. An estimated 4.7 million South Africans, about 11% of the population, are infected with HIV. The country has 700~000 AIDS orphans. Those infected are often stigmatized by a society who considers it a shameful illness, Infected children at the meeting spoke of being shunnedby theirpeers,abandonedby their own families and even blamed by health care workers for contracting the virus. Jabu, who asked to be identified only by her first name, encouraged the young people to speak out. ’%’ou don’t have to keep quiet," Jabu told the group of about 90 children. The children, aged seven to 18, gathered from across the country in this coastal city and read anonymous testimonials out loud. Participants told of having to leave school to care for their infected siblings. Rejected by their families, others spoke of having to support themselves by collectl’ ng fi¯ rewood and tendi"ng cattle. "My rdafives discriminate between me and their children," wrote one of the children in a testimonial. "It’s like I am a slave." Monene, 14, lost her mother to the disease. She said she frequently goes hungry and does not have proper clothes to wear. Monene, who asked to be identified only by her firstname, urged the government to build more orphanages. "If they don’t do that, what are we going to become in the future?" she asked. TheSouthAfrican governmenthasbeen ambasted for an inconsistent policy on combatting AIDS and for refusing to provide anti-retroviral drugs through the public health system. At the meeting, Dr. Nono Simelela, who heads the health department’s AIDS program, told the children the government was doing the best it could. "It’s dear that a~ore resources as going to be needed," Simelela said. "As far as humanly possible, we are responding to these challenges, (but) the processes are slow." Partners agree to joint ownership of patents for first AIDS vaccine specifically designed for Africa NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Three partners developing and testing thefirstHIV/AIDS vaccine specifically designed for an African strain of the disease have agreed to joint ownership of the drug’s patents. The three-year agreement settles one of the hurdles that had earlier threatened to delay testing the vaccine to combat the viral strain most common in eastern Africa: Kenyan trials of the vaccine started several months later than expected, partly because of wrangling over ownership and patent rights. ’q~nis was a delicate matter, requiring a lot of patience and compromise from all parties," said Francis Gichaga, vice chancellor of theUniversity ofNairobi. Gichaga and Seth Berkley, president of the New York-based International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, signed the agreementin Nairobi. Britain’ s Medical Research Council signed it in England earlier last month. ’q~he task force was guided by the principle of.fairness, equal partnership and need to equitably apportion credit and any revenues that may accrue from this project," Gichaga said. The groups have been working since November 1998 to develop a double vac, cine, basing much of their research on prostitutes from a Nairobi slum who appear to be immune to the HIV virus that causes AIDS. The first component is a simple_DNA vaccine that delivers the genetic information on HIV. The second component, known as MVA~ is a vaccine that delivers the same genetic information but uses a weakened smallpox virus to carry it to the cells. The DNA vaccine is in its first phase of testingonbothKenyans andBritons. Tests of the MVA vaccine are being conducted in England and are expected to begin in Kenya in September or October, said G_ilbert Camathan, project manager at the vaccine initiative, which is funding the research. Trials combining the components are expected to begin later this year in Britain and in early 2002 in Kenya, Camathan said. There is no HIV virus in the injections. The safety tests will determine whether they have any toxic effects. Once the combination vaccine has proven safe, it will be Power Connect. Public Service Company of Oklahoma Service Is Now Available 24 Hours A Day, Seven Days A Week. These days, traditional 8-5 business hours aren’t always convenient. So PSO has made it easier than ever for you to contact us. Our Customer Service Center operates 24/7 - offering around-the-clock answers to your questions - and better access to service. Now it’s easier for you to inquire about your monthly electric bill. Or report a power outage. Or arrange tohave your power turned on or off. Our professionally trained, friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives are standing by to serve you. All day, every day. To provide faster response to your needs, we have listed our toll-free numbers below. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I C .L HOU FOR i, TOLL-FREE SER CE Customer Services: 1-888-216-3523 Billing Inquiries: 1-888-216-3490 Ou~ge Repo~g: 1-888-218-3919 Servicio a Clientes: 1-888-216-3505 Preguntas Sobre su Cuenta: 1-888-216-3491 Falta De Suministro: 1-888-218-3924 Public Service Company of Oklahoma I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 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 appointments are available. tested to see if it actually wards off AIDS. The process is expected to take several years. Berkley will sign an agreement with the Uganda Vaccine Research Institute soon that will pave the way for testing there of an orally administered version of the vaccine, CamathantoldTheAssociated Press. Tests so far have "not only been safe, but also generated surprisingly good immune responses," Berkley said. Africa, the world’s poorest continent, is ground zero in the fightagainstHIV/AIDS. More than 24 million Africans live with the vires butmost cannot afford expensive drugs designed to slow its effects. Health officials estimate that more than 2.6 million Kenyans alOne have HIV/AIDS, and 700 more are infected each day. Other vaccines-target strains prevalent in Europe and North America. AIDS Activist Sees Less Harassment SHANGHAI, China (AP) - The threatening phone calls and summons by angry officials areover. Governmentleaders who once shunned her now smile and say hello inpublic. Thereversal represents a victory ofsorts forGao Yaojie, aretired gynecologist who publicized the spread of AIDS through illegal blood buying in rural villages in the central Chinese province of I-Ienan. After years of official attempts to conceal the deadly outbreak, the government is acknowledging that hundreds of villagers are infected and that dozens have already died. Gao said a deputy governor of Henan even went out ofhis way last week to greet her at an art exhibition. The government still hasn’t broken down and told Gao she was right. Butithas stopped treating her as if she were trying to reveal state secrets, Gao, 74, told The Associated Press by telephone. ’‘itrs so quiet now," she said. "A couple of months ago, I was getting phone calls from government officials almost every day." Gao stumbled onto the hidden epidemic in 1996, when one of her patients tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. Gao was able to link the infection to an illegal blood-buying industry in rural Henan. Since the 1980s, collectors had been paying villagers for their blood, extracting the valuable plasmaand then reinjecting what was left back into donors’ veins. Donated blood was often pooled together, facilitating Transmission ofHIV. Gao printed more than 300,000 flyers and 100,000 booklets to warn the villagers about the danger. She also paid for the treatment of infected children. She said she has spent more than $25,000 of her ownmoney over thelastfive years. Health officials at first ignored her and then grew hostile as her efforts drew Chinese and foreign media attention, she said. In May, officials at the hospital where she had worked in Zhengzhou, Henan’s capital, blocked her application for a passport to visit the United States to accept an award for anti-AIDS activism. Officials accused her of collaborating with "anti- Chinese foreign organizations," she said. Butthis month:the governmentabruptly reversed itselfand announced it was sending a team of health officials to open a clinic in the worst-hit village, Wenlou. More recently, a vice minister of health said an April survey of 1,645 Wenlou villagers found that 318 - or 19% - were HIV-positive. Among villagers who sold blood, an even larger proportion were infected - 244 out of 568, or 43% Officials are now examining blood supplies in all hospitals and donor centers in Henan, the Health Ministry’s newspaper- Health News - said Friday. Police also are searching for illegal blood-buyers, known as "bloodheads," and government officials who helped them, it said. "It’s a good start that the government is beginning to acknowledge this problem and take action against it," Gao said. ’’I am not sure how effective the crackdown will be or if theproblem will just reappear after the campaign is over, but at least it’s much better than before when the officials did nothing at all." Brazil Strips Patent On AIDS Drug ¯ RIO DEJANEIRO, Brazil (AP)-Brazil’s : decision to disregard patent protections ¯ and begin manufacturing a genetic ver- ¯’ sion of a powerful anti-AIDS drug could ¯ open the way for other developing coun- ." tries to follow suit, experts said in August. ¯¯ Brazil has become the first country to strip the patent on an anti-AIDS medica- ¯ tion. Health Minister Jose Serra said gov- ¯ ernment laboratories would begin manu- ¯ facturing Nelf’mavir, an anti-AIDS drug ¯ made by the Roche group and sold under ¯ the trade name Viracept. Serra justified ¯ the move, saying six months of negotia- ¯ tions with Roche failed to lower the drug’s ¯ price sufficiently for Brazil to be able to ~ distribute the drug free of charge to all in ¯ need. Brazil, has the highest number of : AIDS victimsin Latin America, with about ¯ 203,000 people with the disease. ¯ Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Cen- ¯ ter for Economic Policy and Research, a : Washington-based think tank, hailed ¯ Brazil’s decision and said it could prompt ¯ other countries to do the same. "I think ¯ you’regoing to seemoredeveloping coun- ¯ tries resisting these attempts to enforce the ¯ U.S. patent law all over the world. Very ." often, this is the ease: When one country ¯ challenges these laws, the U.S. backs ¯ down," he said. Weisbrot points to U.S. ¯ decisions to back away from attempts at ¯ stricterpatent enforcementonAIDS drugs ¯ in South Africa and Brazil. ¯ The law also contains clauses that allow ¯ patents to be stripped in cases of national ¯ emergency or when the company has been ~ judged to employ abusive pricing. Serra ~ used the abusive pricing clause in justify- ." ing this move. Roche spokesman Daniel Piller said the : company was not expecting Brazil’s latest _" move. "We were surprised to hear the ¯° news from the Brazilian government. We really think the government of Brazil ~s ~ really committed to combatting this dread- ." ful disease, andin ourpoint ofview, we are ¯ stillinnegotiations withthe Health Minis- ." try," Piller said by telephone from the ¯ company’s headquarters in Switzerland. This year’s New Genre Festival, Octo~ ¯ her 3-7,-2001, will present a diverse range " of artists, many of whom cross disciplin- " ary lines to create exciting new art works.. ¯ These works push the limits of traditional " media while incorporating the new media " madepossiblebytoday’s technology. New ¯ Genre Festival is a program ofLiving Arts of Tulsa. This year the following art venues have ¯ chosen to collaborate on promoting corn ¯ temporary art in Tulsa: Living ArtSpace, Nightingale Theatre, Philbrook Museum " of Art, SoBo 2, TulsaModem Art Center, ¯ Tulsa Performing Arts CenterTrust, Tulsa Pror~e~ ¯ le, University of Tulsa School of " Art, Utica Square " Since 1969, Living Arts of Tulsa has been steadfast inits mission of"presenting ¯ and devdoping contemporary artforms in " Tulsa." Living Arts is interested in newly " evolving ideas and concepts, and in sharingits interests withthe communitythrough " creative workshops, performances, exhi- " bitions, films/videos, demonstrations of ", current art, lectures, related educational activxties and research. Living Arts has two principal goals: 1) ¯ to bring Outside artists and works to Tulsa who are pushing their media to its limit and, 2) to present opportunities and. challenges for local artists to develop and present new, exploratory works,which are not normally seen in Tulsa. ’~3rrrl Power" Elizabeth.Whitney is one of this year’s emcees and she will be making several appearances throughout the festival: Thursday at the Performance Open; Friday at Die Audio Gruppe - 8pro andatA.K.A. - 10pro; and Saturday atJos4 Torres Tama - 8pm. Grrrls: Subversive Performances of Femininity Utilizing multiple perso_~,ae (Rizzo - tough girl, Barbie, Miss Flizabeth, Bridesmaid, and Ethyl), Elizabeth Whitney leads us through many aspects of stereo typed women today - only with a twist! ncSis theotherof this year’ s emcees and they will be making several appearances/ performances throughout the festival: Thursday at the Performance Open - 8pm; Friday at Jos4 Torres Tama- 10pro Saturday at Die Audio Gruppe - 8pro he5 had its .begin~,~,n,gs as a band. Always "very theatrical for a rock group, it wasn’t until the dialmmer quit that the remaining band members decided to ditch the gigs and dive into theatrical experimentaion. Utilizing various disciplines, technology and whatever else they can find, nc5 strives to incorporate the energy of a rock concert into their performances. On Wednesday, Oct. 3, 5-Spin will feature ’q’he Culture of Breath," an interactive computer projection insthllation by Chicago Art Institute Professor of New MediaTiffany Holmes whichinvestigates the physiological, the biological, and the ~psychological aspects of breathing. It opens at Living ArtSpace, 308 S Kenosha. The installation continues on display through October 25. The act of breathing is presented as a series of visual layers: physical, biotic, and psychological. On the physical level, the artist reminds us that we can consciously hold our breath and halt the automatic process of breathing for a short period of time until the body revolts and reasserts control. The act of breathing creates a dynamic interface between our exterior and interior environments. OnThursday, Oct. 4, Willy Le Maitre& Eric Rosenzveig will present "The Appearance Machine"- a live video installation which begins in New York City with the collection of trashfrom the streets. The garbage starring in the drama is manipulated, analyzed, videotaped and then streamed in realtime over the internet directly to the Alexandre Hogue Gallery, Phillips Hall, University of Tulsa, 2935 E 5th St. It opens from 5-Tpm and continues through October 25. Eric Rosenzveig also will give a talk at TU about the work and other artworks using new technologies at 6pro. Chris Wildrick of ’~2funBasTards" from Madison, Wisconsin will perform Local Reality Test: Temporal Continuity Test, an out-of-theater performance by walking around Tulsa from 9-5pm asking people what timeitis. He will then check this time against his watch, marking down the difference in minutes and his location. He will also check times fOund on public docks. Throughout the day he will accumulate avast amount of data regarding the discrepancies between time and space m Tulsa. A ground-breaking new program of the New Genre Festival this year, the Performance Open allows for several short performance artworks by artists from Tulsa and around the country to be seen at one venue, The Nightingale Theatre, 1416 E 4th St8:00pm $8. ($6. students) onThursday, Oct. 4. The amazing Berlin-based multimedia artgroup, DieAudioGruppe,buildelectroacoustic clothing and then perform using them. Studio Performances at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Doenges Theater, 2rid. & Cincinnati, 8:00pm.$12. ($6. students) Friday/Saturday, Oct. 5/6. Reservations are required through the PAC at 596-7111 or www.tnlsapac.com. A workshop will be offered, "Making Electro-acoustic Clothing" with inventor Ben0it Manbrey on Monday, Oct. 1, 7:00pro at Living ArtSpaee. Also on "Oct. 5/6, Living Arts will feature ’qm Exile Close to the Equator - Personal Stories of Universal Truths in a Search for the "American Dream." In this autobiographical verbal and visual coil lage, performance artist Jos~ Tortes Tama : returns to Tulsawith awork that combines : personal stories and incantations withdra- ~ matic movement and visual tableaus. ¯ Moving rapidly from poetic drama to the hilariously absurd, he creates a dynamic ¯ piece that explores the immigrant experience and rites-of-passage in urban Ameri- ] can culture. ¯ The New Genre Festival also will offer : anumber more events. For moreinforma- ¯¯ tion, call 918-585-1234 or check out: www.livingarts.org. Living Arts of Tulsa ¯ is located at 308 S Kenosha. It’s too expensive." You can subscribe to Tulsa Opera’s entire season for as little as $13 per opera. That’s cheaper than a ballgame and at that price you can even bring a date. ]’re sure to score. Herland Fall Retreat September 14-16 Roman Nose State Park Featuring entertainers Mary N Bright Mary Catherine Reynolds, -Kristall Bright and Nancy Nesser Herland, 2312 NW 39th Oklahoma City, www.herlandsister.org THE GILDED AGE Treasuresfrom the Smitbsonian American Art Museum 9 SEPTEMBER -- 4 NOVEMBER 2OO1 THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART 2727 SOUTH ROCKFORD ROAD Hungry for Atlantic Herring or A Prince in a Shetland? by Deborah J. Hunter If you like Stephen McCauley (Object ofMyAffection, Easy Way Out, Man ofthe Houseand TrueEnough) you’ll love Louis Bayard. I read Bayard’s two novels, En- "dangered Species (2001) and Fool’s Errand (1999) back to back. I get hungry for good writing with peculiar characters that happen to be Gay. Bayard gives us both in a feast of storytelling about thirty-something Nick Broome who hasurges toward parenthoodandPatrick Beaton who is in search of - "PrinceCharming"orin this case "Prince Shetland." Like McCauley, Bayard gently bashes stereotypes in favor of people "like you and me" (and some not so like anyone I have ever met) that are trying to make alife that on most daysdoesn’t seen the least bit-"altemative." Nick Broome’s experience with sperm banks and finding out his own motility rates are hilarious. Thephysiclan s assistant.., leads me down along hallway with shell-colored carpet...She hands me three medium-size glass vials, abox ofKleenex and a back issue of Pro Wrestling magazine." He evolves from wanting to propagate to wanting to parent. His search for a ¯Lesbian co-parem, or finally, a surrogate but are asked to donate $10 at the door. Earlierin September,TulsaOklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) will kick off theplanningfor Diversity Celebration2002 from 5:30 to7pmonThursday, Sept. 6th at Renegades in the Rainbow Room. The public is welcome and for more information, call 743-4297, or e-mail to community@tohr.org Looking forward to the end of October, TOHR will be hosting a Rocky Horror Masquerade Ball featuring Helga’s Horribles to benefit the Pyramid Project (the-ftm.draising effort for a permanent commumty center) at the Downtown Doubletree on the 27th. More details will be available in October. HRC Announces Grant to Oklahoma Group WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) madeannounced decisions about its first round of Equality Fund grants to Gay state lobbying groups in 10 states. Amoung these grants (totaling $47,000) is one to Oklahoma’s Cimarron Alliance Foundation of $4,000 to conduct the first poll in Oklahoma to guidedevelopment of public outreach messages, with special emphasis on hate crimes, discrimination "... Like MeCauley, Bayard gently bashes stereotypes in favor of people ’like you and me’ "(and some not so like anyone I have ever met)..." ¯ mother, takes him on a journey that in- : eludes a cast of ordinary but uncommon ¯ people. His thoughts turn from Atlantic ¯ herring, "These are fish that travel inlarge " schools and reproduce as casually as I untangle phone cords," to other species, " "Cowbirds have beenonmindlately. They ¯ are brown-headed creatures that decline : the honor of building nests and instead lay" ¯ eggs in thenests of other birds. Some birds pick up on the ruse, but most will happily incubate the new eggs as one of their own." In Fool’s Errand, Patrick Beaton learns to hate naps and learns to love Seth. He thinks Seth is helping him find themaninthe cranberry Shetland sweater. He thinks their days spent in the parking lots of discount stores and their nights spent in bars are in search of a "Scottish Prince" who Patrick barely met on~ sleepy ¯ afternoon in someone’s den. ¯" That Seth is the ex-boyfriendofPatrick’ s ¯ ex-boyfriend, Alex only adds to the flavor ¯¯ of the stew, as does the long visit from Patrick’ s bi-polar father who ends up mar~ ¯ rying his best friend Marianne. : Fool’s Errand is a long book and the ¯ yearning for love is there under the esca- ¯ pades and in every day. Like Endangered ¯ Species, the search is what gives life its ¯ substance, the finding is what helps bring ¯ life’s meaning. : and other equality issues such as domestic ¯ partnership. ¯ Prior, HRC had issued $114,000 in ¯ Equality Fundgrants and also gave $5,000 ¯ to the Federation of Statewide Political ¯ Advocacy Organizations. These grants ." helped to fund essential state house lobby ¯ work, such as Maryland’s non-discrimi- ¯ nation and Texas’ hate crimes bills. ¯ Others receiving grants include: ." Texas’ Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby ¯ which got a $5,000 grant to support their ¯ lobby program, including to continue to ." defeat attempted bans on same-sex mar- .¯ riage and civil unions and to advance their safe schools initiative. ¯ Unity Utah will receive $4,000 to lobby ." the Salt Lake City Council to codify an ¯ existing mayoral executive order which ¯ prohibits discrimination in city employ- " ment based on sexual orientation. This ¯ local project is an important first poliltical ...step for this organization, and also is an ¯ important first step towards state level : advocacy. ¯ Vermonters for Civil Unions Legisla- : tive Defense Fund is getting $5,000 for ¯ lobbying and polling efforts to keep the ¯ legislature from denigrating the legal stares of civil unions as a marriage-equiva- ¯ lent. : A number of other organizations also ¯ received grants or are still under consider- ¯ ation for aid. ¯ Creator of the universe has sown a very Well, kind of. I was a Boy Scout. The : important fluid. This fluid is the most years, 1965 - 1970; the place, Martinez, : wonderful material in all the physical CA,Troopl81.And,nowadays, I amGay. ¯ world. Some parts of it f’md their way into ButwhenI was a ldd; I had yet to hear any : theblood, andthroughthebloodgivetone oftheearlynotesbftoday’s - ~ -~ : to the muscles, power-to~ elaborated language of -":-. ~;~outs havealways~- thebrain, and : strength to . Gayness and;eve~ii,~-Ihad, - ]md ~ex and aender ~ " the nerves:. This fluid"isthe : I probably ,wouldn thave - ........¯ ~’~ -sex fluid ’Am habit ldentifiedmyselfwlth.lt.A ¯ mind; An explleit~l ....whichaboyhas thatcauses . GayBoyScout,backthen,.. o[ the o~,anJ=atloi~ is to this fluid robe discharged wasanthinkable.Wenever .. ~ .’ . ,. " ’ ¯ from the body tends-to . once "sniggered at.: the turn boys into men ~.~ :’weaken his $[rength,"to " double entendre, so obvi- men-o[ a imrt-leu]ar tTl~, makehimlessabletoresist by Lamont Lindstrom ~ous today, in thefinal.lin,~e dmt I~. I w~’t alone of theBoy Scout oath: ’I-- promise .... to keepmyself my Troop. Several physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight." The Boy Scouts of America, backed by five U.S. Supreme Court Justices, have recently affirmed their legal right to scout mates a|so ~rew into Gayness. Many parents, I’m sure, prayed tlmt scouting would toughen up their worrisome sons.... " disease :. ~to yield:means to Sacrifice strengthS,and power and m~liness. Jeez,we~ought. Could we even survive our teens.’? Scoutmasterly duties,~ given Boy Scout dogma, included the regulation of boyish sexuality and this task could be approached withall shades ofinterest. I discharge Gay Scoutmasters and perhaps also (although this is less clear) boys who affirm ahomosexual identity. The Gay community andbeyondhave condemned this invidious policy as harmful, But theScouts, clearly, are in a dicey position. We might try to understand, although not necessarily sympathetically, the orgardzati0n’s problems in ha,vigating the dangerous American cultural ~hoals of childhood and sex. The Boy Scouts have always had sex and gender in mind. An explicit goal of the organization is to turn boys into men - men of a particular type, that is. I wasn’t alone in my Troop. Several of my scout mates also ~ew into Gayness. Many pareats, I’m sure, prayed that scouting would toughen up their worrisome sons. The Boy Scouts, !ike the Marines, Little League sports, and certain small fundamentalist Christian colleges, are a last resort of desperate parents hoping to make a man out of one. My fellow Scouts ranged from the ambitiously normal to hopeless twinks (although we didn’t have that word back then either): The proto-gangbangers at my school, who wouldn’t be caught dead in the Boy Scouts, weren’t fooled by our organized protestations of masculinity. All those silly (if sometimes still surprisingly useful) ropes and knots. AlthoughTroop 181 hadno language of Gayness, this does not mean that there were no sexual frissons - a sexuality that, in an all-male organization, is at least by default homosexual. Such currents surely feed the organization’s recent touchiness about Gayness. I remember friends giggling over the Boy Scout Handbook’s warnings against masturbation. When I got my first HandbookIeagerly soughtoutthoseparagraphs. The Handbook, subsequently, wo~tld be somewhat liberalized. My 1960’ s edition, however, hadn’t progressed much beyond these 1927 admonitions published under the subtitle ’~onservation" (which, in the 1970’s, would acquire a more ecological, less Taoist gignificance): "In the body of every boy who has reached his teens; the .... spent part of four s||mmers ¯¯ atWolfboro, a camp in the Sierra Nevada. Oar leaders trooped us up river to "Bare- " Ass Slide" and ordered to take off our ,. clothes and slide down shallow, mossy ¯ river rapids. On one 50-mile hike, buck- " naked Scoutmaster Bob chased five of us ¯ boys, equally buck-naked, squealing ¯ through the woods because we refused to ¯ hop into the icy aver. ¯ Innocent male hi-jinks, of course. But ¯ some of this past must inform the Boy ¯ Scouts’ present sexual bad conscious. Itis ¯ sweet irony,’as many have noted (e.g., see ¯ Tim Neal’s biography The Boy-Man), that ¯ -the founder of the Boy Scouts, Lord Rob- . eft Baden-Powell, was obsessed with ¯ "boyology," had a 30 year relation with a ¯ younger man, K~uneth McLaren- whom ¯ he called The Boy - and adored watching his lithesome Scouts swim nude. ¯ Postmodem theorists warn that the past (life-long male friend) is often misunder- " stood in contemporary terms (Gay). Still, Baden-Powell and some of his Scoutmaster successors clearly appreciated boys in ¯ complicated ways. ¯ Pricking this Boy Scout bad conscious, ¯ Americais currently onthe warpath against any sort of child sexuality; When I was a ¯ kid, we had never heard of the term sexual harassment let alone sexual abuse. These ¯ notions, like Gay, had yet to hit Martiuez. ¯ In that heyday of the miniskirt, my 7th ¯ grade Algebra teacher used to force those ¯ 12-year old gifts who wore the shortest ¯ minis to sit in the front row of his class so ¯ he could gawk up their skirts. (He also ¯ used to hang troublesome boys out his ¯ second-story window by the scruffs of their neck.) Today? Run, don’t walk, to your nearest hungry lawyer. ¯ Thereasons for America’s recent child- * sex pamc are complex, reflecting, prob- " ably, parental guilt about working morns ¯ and about divorce. Nowadays, with suspi- ¯ cious parents and enterprising lawyers all ¯o around, theBOy Scouts have their backs to the wall. You can see why they mightnot ¯ want to get in bed with us Gays. We ¯ remindthemoftoomuch, seeScout,p.11 KellyKirby, 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 IGTA member ~~ Call 341.6866 International TOH~formoreinformation. 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. 8-5pro 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 evangdism. 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) Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing On September 3oth, something brand new is hitting the Tulsa scene! Soulful Sundown is an alternative worship experience that celebrates the mystery and wonder of life, within a non-dogmatic context. Soulful Sundown combines live music, inspirational readings., video, and audience participation to create an experience that moves, challenges, transforms and connects people to e~tch other and the ~¢orld. Soulful Sundo.wn happens at All Souls Unitarian Church at 5:3oPM on Sundays starting September 3oth and continuing through the rest of the year. All people are welcome! All Souls Unitarian Church 2952 S. Peoria, 743-2363. Karmajust bitmein the ass! Here I was, pining for something I thought I’d never have, when lo and behold, a woman told me she was in love with me. Ofcourse this was three hours after meeting he_r, so you can imagine how frightened I was, thinking I’druninto Psycho LesbianFrom Hell. RememberMiss No-Longer-Interested- In-Me? Well, she stir isn’t. But that’s not the point. Miss No-Longer-Interested-In- Me and I reached an agreement and have done what many Lesbian couples do (or non-couples, in this case) and become friends. I know what you’re saying. ’Raging Lesbian, this is just a way to get to see her!" I could tell you how much we click on a friendship level; how much we value that friendship; how much werespect each other, etc. OK- it’s a way to get to see her! I never knew how she felt because no one’s ever said those three little words to me. I found out how she felt the other weekend when I heard them whispered into my ear. Youneed toknow rightnow thatinternet acquaintances should be a slow process. No need to rush into meeting her after writing to her once or twice. She might turn into a Karin, and you might become a Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me. The other weekend was my first date since Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me told me that, well, she was no longer interested in me. It was the first time sinceMay that I even thought of trying to move on. I didn’t realize I’d meet Miss U-Haul Lesbian. My experiences since coming out have been with users until I met Miss No-Longer- Interested-In-Me. This explains why she’s making yet another starring role in the column. Her honesty disarmed me and made me realize I hadn’t been honest with the most important person in my life--me¯ How could I be honest with her, or anyone else,.for that matter? Timing tndy sucks sometimes. Had I met Miss U-Haul,. fallen for her, learned my lesson, then met Miss No-Longer- Interested-In-Me, perhaps... No, I won’t go there. We fill our lives with so many ’~vhat-ifs" and "if onlys" that we don’t see the people in front of us. The person in front of me now is a woman who would do anything for me. Scary, huh? But don’t we look for this all our lives? Here is it, staringmein the face, and I’m feeling very different than I did in April¯ I feel like Miss No-Longer-Interested- In-Me. I let my new-found "friend" in on what was happening. She told me never to say anything to Miss U-Haul I didn’t mean. Wise advice which I learned from her through first-hand experience. I’ve told Miss U-Haul aboutmy recent history, and I also let her know that I don’t think I can realm her feelings. She says I will. Umm, no, I don’t think so. What’ s she like? Besides living in outer Dallas anddressinginmen’ s clothing (well, somewhat), she’s kind, caring, and listens to my every word¯ Where I was almost a non-entity with Miss No-Longer-Interested- In-Me, Iama"Diamond" to Miss UHaul. In fact, that’s her name for me. So what is myproblem? I didn’tfeel that "something"; that immediate feeling that Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me was looking for with "us". I always thought you grew into it. But she’s right. The spark, if you will, just isn’t there. I can wish for it all I want, but Miss U-Haul doesn’t do itfor me. Yes, I HAVEbecome Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me, with a vengeance! And yet I still see Miss U-Haul. Why? My immediate response? No one’s cared for me this much, or treated me this wall since.... ever. Certainly not since I’ve become active in this life. I shouldn’t let that sway me, or confuse Miss U-Haul. Above all, I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want anyone to feel what I have the past few months - hurt, lonely, confused, desperate, despairing, you get the drill. And yet, I don’t see.any other way. As I perceive it, Miss No-Longer-Interested- In-Me had three choices: A. Hurt me; B. Hurt me; C. Hurt me; D. All of the above. That she chose D for a triple shot of hurt annoys me, but whatcan you do? Try NOT to repeat her pattern. It really doesn’t help that the townspeople where Miss U-Haul lives dre telling her that I may be "I’he One." I’ve already let her in on my Love-OMeter ¯ You know, the thing that lets you comprehend, unequivocally, that you’re in love? A friend asked me about a month ago, what I would have told my mother if Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me and I had a different experience: in other words, if she returned my feelings. "I would say, ’Mother, this is Miss Interested- In-Me. We’reinlove.’"Myfriend asked what I would do after my mother fainted. Oh please. She knows. Even MY mother can’t be THAT naive! I guess what I’m trying to say is that until that woman comes along again (IF she ever comes along again) who makes me want to come out to my family, then it ain’t love. Sure, I may love being with her, talking to her, and heating how wonderful I am. The sex may be great (yes, Horny Lesbian strikes again!), but the feding’s not there. Does that make me a terrible person? I think not. I certainly hope not. I told Gay Felix one night, after Miss UHaul letmeknow (as have so many others) that Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me used me, that only the two people in that relationship truly understand what went on between them. Miss No-Longer-Interested- in-Me didn’t use me. Being in her shoes now, I honestly believe that. Only She and I comprehend the feelings and the loss¯ I’m sure Miss U-Haul’s neighbors and friends will one day say that I used her. I hope she understands a simple truth - I met a wonderful woman whose feelings I can’t return. As Miss No-Longer-Interested-In-Me said recently, ’q’here are a billion reasons why someone wouldfall inlove withyou." Unfortunately, I’m afraid I’ll be saying the same thing soon to Miss U-Haul. Love, no matter which side you’re on, is often the most difficult and most agonizing feeling in the world. - by Karin Gregory Gregory is a Ft. Worth based writer. The NAMES Project Tulsa Area Chapter 3507 East Admiral Place Tulsa, OK. 74115-8211 (918) 748-3111 www.TulsaQuilt.org MEMORIAL Feast with Friends® in TVLand Saturday, September 29, 2001 Following the individual Dinner Parties, join us for the Dessert Extravaganza 8:30 to 10:30 PM Allan Chapman Activity Center, University of Tulsa, 5th and Gary, Admission js free for Dinner Hosts and their guests; others may attend for a $10.00 donation at the door Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, September 2001; Volume 8, Issue 9 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Chrsitjohn Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, August 2001; Volume 8, Issue 9 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/616 AIDS AIDS treatment AIDS vaccine Australia Boy Scouts Brazil bullying businesses censorship churches Cincinnati death penalty discrimination Domestic Partnership European Conference of Scouts and Guides Feast for Friends Feast with Friends Gannet Co. gay bashing gay panic HIV testing homosexual panic Human Rights Campaign Jeanne Shaheen Louis Bayard military Murder NAMES Project Netherlands New Genre Festival Oklahoma City Openarms Youth Project Partner Benefits Raging Lesbian Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa restaurants Shanghai South Africa the AIDS Quilt Tulsa Family News Washington https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/5b3ec3af4a36fc21000b89d0f9966a3b.jpg 028d77afa9ecb28698e13d3d0a4bb33a https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/1f0650f00365da9e19c5717761490826.pdf 8aff83534c77c1b4740f4abdbee6f703 PDF Text Text Serving:Lesbian, .Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Out’Families.+ Friends i Male on Male Rape at Webster i TOHR Drops State Bank i Some Speculate Whether Anti-Gay Bias at Issue ¯ TULSA, Okla. (AP)- Two 14:year-old football players accused ¯ of raping a teammate with a broom handle won’t be tried as : adults, prosecutors said. The Tulsa County District Attorney’s ." Office filed rape by instrumentation charges in juvenile court ¯ against the Webster High School students. ¯ The boys are accused of forcing a 14-year-old freshman : football player to a school locker room floor and raping him with ¯. a broom handle Sept. 21. An hour later, the students allegedly _. spanked the same boy with a weight belt and pelted his genitals with traffic cones. Students said no affults were in the locker room ¯ when the alleged rape occurred. Tulsa Police spokesman Lucky Lamons responded that police ~ detectives claim there was no anti-Gay verbal abuse which could ¯ indicate that this assault had aspects of a hate crime. However, ¯ several longtime community activists from TOHR and PFLAG Bin Laden Joins Anti-Gay i speculated that the assault may have ties to issues of actual or sexual orientation. Officer Lamons noted that detecTerrorist on Wanted List ¯¯ perceived tives feel one of the motives may have been that victim was small. WASHINGTON, D.C. - Osama bin Laden isn’ t the only terrorist bombing suspect on the FBI’ s Ten Most Wanted list. Right here at home, the bureau is still hunting for Eric Robert Rudolph in connection with the 1996 Olympics bombing and other crimes. And some of the parallels are striking: both are trained soldiers and survivalists, accused of killing to further extreme religious and political beliefs. Both have eluded capture for years among sympathetic souls in mountainous terrain, despite a huge price on their heads. For nearly four years, agents have combed the sawtooth ridges of western North Carolina for Rudolph, an Army veteran and sometime carpenter charged with four bombings, including fatal blasts at the Atlanta Games and at an Alabama abortion clinic. Rudolph was last seen in the area in July 1998 after stealing supplies from a health store.owner. His truck had been spotted there early that year. see Terror, p. 2 :¯ ¯ : : ¯ ¯ : ¯ : : : ¯ ¯ i ¯ ¯" : The accused have been released from a juvenile shelter on bail. Their case will remain in the juvenile system, where the focus is on rehabilitation rather than punishment, said Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Nightingale. She said the district attorney’s office will not seek adult certification for the teens. Prosecutors considered the boys’ sophistication and maturity, their record and history, the likelihood of rehabilitation in the juvenile systern, and the prospects for protection of the public, she said. Fourteen student-athletes were suspended after the incident, and Webster’ s ninth-grade football season has been canceled. Five students received the maximum penalty allowed under the school district’ s code of conduct - suspension for the rest of the academic year. They also were banned from ever participating in school sports in the district. The other nine students got five-day or 10,day suspensions. Superintendent David Sawyer warned coaches and school district employees this week not to tolerate or ignore hazing and bullying; i overAnti-Bias Policy : TULSA (TFN)-TulsaOklahomaus forHuman Rights ." (TOHR) recently transfered its business from State Bank and BancOne to Bank of Oklahoma because of : BOk has an dear non-discrimination policy which ¯ includes "sexual orientation." ." Under the direction of the organization’ s treasurer, Angela Bruce, letters were written to TOHR’ s former i bank, informing them of the reason for the change. ¯ According to TOHR spokesman, Greg Gatewood, ¯ the move was really about doing business with those : who support the community_ and not doing business ¯ with those who do not. Gatewoodnoted that the funds : were not an enormous amount but should have been ¯. enough to get the institution’ s attention. ¯ Bank of Oklahoma instituted a non-discrimination ¯ policy which includes "sexual orientation" a couple i of years ago, and is the only bank in Tulsa which has ¯ included the Lesbian and Gay community in’ its : marketing outreach. State Bank’s president Don ¯ Walker was not available for comment at press time. Candidate for US Congress at TOHR ¯ On Tuesday, NOvember 13, Democratic candidate ¯ : for Oklahoma’s First Congressional District, Dong : Dodd will speak at the Community Center at 21st and ¯ Memorial at 7pro. TOHR organizers note that Cathy : Keating, one of three Republican candidates has also : been invited to meet with TOHR and the community. : Keating, unlike many Oklahoma Republicans, has ¯ stated that her campaign will exclude no one and : while announcing her candidacy at the Tulsa Press ¯ Club, Mrs. Keating noted that she was not very ¯ familiarwiththeconcemsofLesbianandGayTulsans, ~ but she is willing to educate herself. And Dodd has ¯ stated publicly his opposition to a constitutional ¯ amendment to ban same gender marriages. Iowa Rights Group Says ¯ Rocky Horror Benefit, Oct. 27 : Slow Come, Quick Go (TFN) - Tulsa’ s downtown Doubletree Hotel will host Add Sexual Orientation ¯: TULSA a new Halloween gala event which will benefit Tulsa Oklaho- i KS County Gives, Now May Drop Benefits DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) "The Iowa Civil Rights Commission is recommending that the state’s civil rights law specifically prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The commission voted 6-1 in September to recommend that the Legislature add sexual orientation to the wording of the law, marking the first time it has gone on record backing that step. Commission member Alicia Claypool said the move makes sense, because there’s strong evidence of discrimination. Republican legislative leaders have opposed the step, saying the inclusion of Gays in the law gives them special treatment. A commission subcommittee that studied the proposal said the state is facing a looming shortage of workers and diversity is one way tO attract new people to the state. "If we are to grow and remain a vital and productive state, we must create a current and future work force that is stable, wall-educated and sees Iowa as a viable place in which to grow up, live and work," said a subcommittee memo. The commission’ s recommendation likely will spark a renewed round of debate over an issue that’ s been around for years. The state’s civil rights law protects people from discrimination in employment, housing and lending based on age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, physical disability, or familial status: Backers long have said that Gays and Lesbians face discrimination as well and that sexual orientation should be added to the list. The Legislature specifically rejected that step because Republicans did not want to approve a measure they said gave special protection to Gays. Gov. Tom Vilsack issued an executive order in 1999 that also would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in state hiring, but legislative leaders successfully argued see Iowa, p.2 ¯ mans for Human Rights (TOHR) and the Pyramid Project - the ¯ capital campaign to purchase a permanent community center. ¯ Helga’ s Horfibles will perform live their version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show beginning at 8:15, featuring Helga, Animal, ¯ Peaches Lennox, Anita Richards, Shirley Nott, Scott, Brenda " Lynn Stewart, Patti, Crystal Meth and Johnny Cronin, all di; rected by Timothy Snapp. " After the show, the Time Warp Masquerade Ball will go till midnight. Costumes are en,co.uraged, ID is required and tickets ¯" are $25 in advance (at Ken s Flowers, Salon 41, the Pride Store ¯ at the Center and on line at www.Pyramidproject.org) or $30 at ¯: the door. VIP tickets and tables are available. The event will offer .. a cash bar, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, party pies, valet . parking and a dj. ¯ : Mr. Oklahoma Leather to Aid TOHRKulsa CARES ¯ ¯ The Mr. Oklahoma Leather contest which will be held at CW" s ¯ : on Oct. 19-21 will benefit TOHR/the Community Center and ¯ ¯ Tulsa C.ARES. For more information, call CW" s at 610-5323. : Other Community News : ¯¯ On Saturday, Oct. 13, PFLAG is having a Come Out and Fly ¯ ¯ Your Kite event in honor of National Coming Out Day (NCOD) ¯ ¯ at a local park. Call PFLAG at 749-4901 for more information: ¯ ¯ : . Annual AIDS Walk, Oct. 6, 9:00am ¯ ¯ Saturday, Oct. 6, Tulsa AIDS Walk 2001 will begin and end at ¯ Veterans Park at 21st and Boulder (site of the annual Diversity : ." Festival). Funds raised at the event help TCAP, the Tulsa Com- ¯ "¯ munity AIDS Partnership (TCAP). All funds will be increased by 50% with matching dollars from the Elton John AIDS Founda¯ tion. TCAP helps to fund the following groups: RAIN, the ¯ Regional AIDS Interfaith Network, Tulsa CARES, the American ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ : ¯ : ¯" ¯° ¯" ¯ Red Cross, Red Rock Behavioral Health Services and HOPE Testing Clinic. The Walk is now eight years old and has raised : thousands of dollars for direct care and education/prevention for : HIV/AIDS. It is an all volunteer effort which has no administra_ : ¯ tive costs For more information, call 585-5551 ¯ WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Sedgwick County’s new insurance benefits for unmarried domestic partners may not last more than a week. County commissioners appear to have the votes to overturn County Manager William Buchanan’ s decision to offer employees the option of extending their health coverage to gay or straight partners. Employees were told of their option to cover domestic parthers in a packet of materials outlining insurance plans for 2002. Commissioners put the item on their agenda after receiving numerous phone calls and e-mails from constituents who say the policy gives official sanetion to "sinful" unions. Commissioner Tim Norton said he originally was willing to defer to Buchanan and the county’ s human resources staff. But now, he said, he would probably vote to rescind the policy because that’s what residents have toldhim they want. "I don’ t know that this is the right time, or the right place, for us to be stepping out and taking a leadership role on a social issue like this," he said. Commissioners Carolyn McGiun and Ben Sciortino said last week that they oppose the policy because they think the county’s health benefits should be reserved for employees and their immediate families only. see-Wichita, p.]O DIRECTORY EDITORIAL US & WORLD NEWS HEALTH NEWS Z ENTERTAINMENT+ MORE ~ GAYSTUDIES --- ---- P. 10/~1 ~ �Tulsa Clubs & Restaurants ¯ 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 *Bamboo Lounge, 7204 E. Pine PUB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net 832-1269 ." *CW’ s, 1737 S. Memorial 610-5323 ; Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal *Play-Mor, 424 S. Memorial 838-9792 ¯ Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square 744-4280 ." Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom, Esther *Renegades/Rainbow Room, 1649 S. Main 585-3405 Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw *St. Michael’s Alley Restaurant, 3324-L E. 31st 745-9998 *Schatzi’ s, 2619 S. Memorial 280-1316 ." Member o! The Associated Press *The Star, 1565 Sheridan 834-4234 ¯ Issued around the 1 st of each month, the entire contents of this *TNT’ s, 2114 S. Memorial 660-0856 publication are protected by US copyright 2001 by Tulsa *Tool Box I!, 1338 E. 3rd 584-1308 ¯ Family News and may not be reproduced either in whole or in *Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan 835-2376 ¯¯ part without written permission from the publisher. Publica*The Yellow Brick Road Pub, 2630 E. 15th 749-1563 .lion of a name or photo does not indicate a person’ s sexual Tulsa Businesses, Services, & Professionals ¯ orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication Assoc. in Med. & Mental Health, 2325 S. Harvard 743-1000 unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole ¯ Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 8620 E. 71 250-5034 property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 : Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 523 1 E. 41 665-4580 ¯ copies of each edition at distribution points. Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 ¯ Additional copies are available by Calling 583-1248. *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665 Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 : Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 : Episcopalians, PUB 701475, 74170-1475 355-3140 ¯ *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E 1 lth 295-5868 *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 ." *Free Spirit Women’ s Center,call forlocation &info: 587-4669 Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 ¯¯ Friend For A Friend, PUB 52344, 74152 747-6827 Tim Danid, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 Friends in Unity Social Org., PUB 8542, 74101 582-0438 ¯ *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th 749-3620 *Tulsa C.A.R.E.S., 3507 E..Admiral 834-4194 Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria 744-5556 ." HOPE, HIV Outreach, Prevention, Education 834-8378 *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan 838-8503 ¯¯ *HouseoftheHoly SpiritMinstries,1517 S. Memorial 224-4754 Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial 369-8555 *MCC United,-1623 N. Maplewood 838-1715 Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, 712-9379 ¯ NAMES Project, 3507 E. Admiral P1. 748-3111 Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main 592-0460 ¯¯ NOW, Nat’l Org. for Women, PUB 14068, 74159 365-5658 Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria OK Spokes Club (bicycling), PUB 9165, 74157 744-9595 ¯ Four Star Import Automotive, 9906~E. 55th H. *OSU-Tulsa 610-0880 Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. 628-3709 ¯ PFLAG, PUB 52800, 74152 749-4901 Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare 808-8026 ¯ *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674 *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st 742-1460 Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 627-2359 ¯ Leanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning R.A.I.N., Regional AIDS Interfaith Network 459-9349 749-4195 Mark T. Hamby, Attorney 744-7440 ¯ *Red Rock Mental Center, 1724 E. 8 584-2325 *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly 745-1111 ¯ St. Aidan’ s Episcopal Church, 4045 N. Cincinnati 425-7882 ¯ *International Tours St. Dlmstan’s Episcopal, 5635 E. 71st 341-6866 492-7140 ¯ 712-2750 *St. Jerome’ s Parish Church, 205 W. King Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th 582-3088 *Jared’ s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th 582-3018 ; Soulforce-OK, Rt.4,#3534,Stigler74462 587-3248,452-2761 747-0236 ¯ *TulsaArea United Way, 1430 S Boulder David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering 583-7171 The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening 582-8460 " *TNAAPP (Native American men), Indian Health Care 582-7225 599-8070 ¯ Tulsa County Health Department, 4616 E. 15 595-4105 *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 Confidential HIV Testing - by appt. on Thursdays only 747-5466 ¯¯ Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 585-1234 Tulsa Okla. for Human Rights, Gay Comm. Center 743-4297 *Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha ¯ TUL-PAC, Positive Advocacy Coalition, POB2687,Tulsa 74101 584-3112 *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd 663 -5934 ¯ T.U.L.S.A. Tulsa Uniform]Leather Seekers Assoc. 298-0827 Mingo Valley ~Flowers, 9720c E. 31 *Tulsa City Hall, Ground Floor Vestibule 664-2951 *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place 838-7626 ¯. *Tulsa Community College Campuses Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo ¯ *Tulsa Gay Community Center, 21st & Memorial 743 -4297 743-4297 *The Pride Store 747-5932 ¯ Unity Church of Christianity, 3355 S. Jamestown Rainbowz on the River B+B, PUB 696, 74101 749-8833 Richard’s Carpet Cleaning 834-0617 : BARTLESVILLE 834-7921,748-0224 Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. 918-337-5353 ¯" Bardesville Public Library, 600 S. Johnstone *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis 481-0558 TAHLEQUAH 835-5563 Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard 918-456-7900 743-1733 ¯.¯ Stonewall League, call for information: Fred Welch, LCSW, Counsding Tahlequah Unitarian-Universalist Church 918-456-7900 665-2222 *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan ¯ Green Country AIDS Coalition, PUB 1570 918-453-9360 592-0767 *Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis www.gaytulsa.org website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians ¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS ¯ Autunm Breeze Restaurant, Hwy. 23 501-253-7734 Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities 501-253-7457 579-9593 ¯¯ Jim & Brent’s Bistro, 173 S. Main AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 4337, 74101 501-253-6807 DeVito’s Restaurant, 5 Center St. 743-2363 All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 501-253-5445 ¯ 587-7314 ¯ Emerald Rainbow, 45 &l/2 Spring St. Black & White, Inc. PUB 14001, Tulsa 74159 501-363-9203 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 ¯ Heart of the Hills B&B, 5 Summit St. 501-253-9337 ¯ 583-9780 ." MCC of the Living Spring B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 501-253-2776 ¯¯ 585-1201 : Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, PUB 429 Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 501-253-5332 .Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence ¯ 501-624-6646 587-1314 ¯ Positive Idea Marketing Hans Church of the Restoration UU, 1314 N.Greenwood ¯ 501-253-4074 747-6300 : White Light, 1 Center St. *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale ¯ ¯ *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 JOPLIN, MISSOURI ¯ ¯ 748-3888 Coundl Oak Men’ s Chorale Spirit of Christ MCC, 2639 E. 32, Ste. U 134 417-623-4696 ¯ 712-1511 *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware ¯" 742-2457 : * is where you can find TFN. Not allare Gay-owned but allare Gay.friendly. *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 Authorities say they also ran across some of his camping sites and found garbage or buried debris connected to him. Now, a task force coordinating the Rudolph search has dwindled from 200 agents to just afew. "No question that the focus right now for the immediate need of agents for time and resources" is to investigate last week’ s terror attacks, said Patrick Crosby, a spokes~ man for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta. But Crosby added: "Nobody’ s dropping anything on Rudolph or the investigation." Rudolph, for whose capture an award of $1 million has been offered, is believed to adhere to Christian Identity, a white supremacist religion that is rabidly anti-Gay, antiSemitic and anti-foreigner. Sdme of the four bombs Rudolph was charged with planting included messages from the shadowy "Army of God." Western North Carolina has long had a reputation as a haven forright-wing extremists. Many there mocked the government’ s inability to find Rudolph with bloodhounds, infrared-equipped helicopters and space-age motion detectors- and some said they would hide him if asked. Bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi who helped push the Soviets out of Afghanistan, has likewise become an almost mythic figure in Islamic militant circles. His protectors have not been swayed by a $5 million bounty. "These are both men who are pursuing their personally received messages, supposedly from God, and who are ruthless as a result," said Mark Potok, who tracks domestic terrorists for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala. "presumably, there’s a litde more national will involved in the bin Laden case," he says. ’¢Fhis is a sdckin the eye of America in away that the Rudolph attacks really were not." in court that he had exceeded his authority. Vilsack challenged lawmakers to take that step on their own, but the issue hash’ t been debated since the legal battle. Republican legislative leaders have refused to bring the measure up for debate. Subcommittee members said the numbers alone argue for protecting Gays and Lesbians, because estimates are that up to 4% of the state’ s population is Gay, roughly 114,500 people. That’ s a larger population than the 2.8% of the state that is Hispanic and2.1% African-American population, they said. i Cummins Ends ¯ Support for Scouts COLUMBUS, Ind. - Heavy engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. almonnced Sept. 18 it plans to stop sponsoring an event that raises money for the Boy Scouts of America because of the organization’ s ban on Gays serving as troop leaders, according to The Associated Press. Cnmmin s has been a major donor to scouting programs, in Indiana’s Bartholomew County. seeScouts, p.11 �by Rich Tafel ¯ have a clear enemy today, that is absolutely bent on our " Everything in America has changed since the attacks of ¯¯ collective destruction, who brutalizes women, murders : Gays and sees a free society as the world’ s greatest evil. ¯¯ September 11,2001. While.Americans return to work and Now is not the time to attack the President. This will be their daily lives, Washington-based special interest groups : ¯ the hardest for groups whose fundraising has depended on : are struggling to figureout where to go from here. The Sierra Club, which earlier this year saw an increase ¯ demonizing him, but next time they do it, we all~eed to ask ¯ them to refrain. That doesn’t mean we cannot disagree in fundraising fromils attacks onnewly-inaugurated President George W. Bush, has sent a memo to their leading ¯¯ with President Bush or abrogate the freedoms we are truly ¯" members instructing them to stop bashing the president. fighting to defend, but as fellow Americans we have a " Other groups preparing to spend millions on ad campaigns : common moral duty to rekindle-a tone of respect for the : to fight the "lfckbox" budget wars have gone silent. ¯ office of the presidency, and for the burden on the man ¯ ¯ who sits there today. Democrats and Republicans are working together. : " Gay organizations are not sure how to respond. The ¯ debate in Washington. now revolves around a central "Gay organizations are not sure how question - do Gay groups move ahead with the "old" agenda items? Do they put Gay-specific issues on hold? to respond. The debate in Or, do they rise to meet the new challenges fa,c.ing Gay Washington now revolves around a Americans in this new period, even ifthey don t fit what -these groups have long argued was "the Gay agenda"? central question - do Gay groups move To me what has ehangedmost since September 11 is the ¯ rubric for debate. Throughout the years, Gay activists : ahead with the old" aCenda items? ¯ have relied on a paradigm of "victimization" to formulate ¯ Do they put Gay-speciflc issues on hold? their agenda for advancing our community’ sinterests. A divergence of reality began to take place, where our : Or, do they rise to meet the new political leaders argued our lives were getting worse and : challenges facing Gay Americans worse while, in reality, we were gaining greater accep¯ tance. In the end, Gay.politics became dominated by a in this new period, even ff they don’t fit "virtual victimization, with our own sogiety full of en: ¯ emies oppressing us. Obscured by this paradigm was the what these groups have long argued ¯ reality that, while we still have barriers to dear, life for was "the Gay agenda’S." Gay Americans has never been better. : ¯ The "virtual victimization" paradigm may have fit the time. But there was a cost. Gay Americans who bought New, more pressing issues have come to the forefront ¯ into this paradigm were left to believe that the power to and need our attention. Gay couples and families have ¯ live life on their own terms 4s outside their control. been ripped apart in the attacks. We must be vigilant in "Virtual victims’" become increasingly alienated from ensuring that those left behind are not cut off from survi- ¯ society, more inward-driven, and less connected to a sense vor benefits and legal rights that they deserve. We as a ¯¯ of personal responsibility about how their lives tnm out. community should take notice of the vital importance of ¯ We’ 11 look back on the 1990’ s with an almost embarrasspartner benefits and responsibilities in light of this tragedy ing realization of just how self-absorbed we were. The and ensure we have provided for our loved ones should ¯ ¯ same Gay community whose political leaders demanded anything happen to us. ¯ employment anti-discrimination laws and hate crime proDonating blood surfaced as an issue in the days after the tections was travding on RSVP cruises, packing ware- ¯ attacks. The Red Cross policy on donating bloodis dearly ¯ ¯ house circuit parties, and filling black-tie dinner halls to out of date and harmful in how absolute its exclusion of ¯ ¯ hear keynote addresses from Hollywood celebrities. Gay men has been since the 1980’s. The only response ¯ ¯ If the attack on September 11 shocked our nation back ¯¯ from Gay leaders thus far is still ringing of victimization, ¯ to reality, it might do the same for the Gay movement. At or has just been silence for fear of raising an issue that LEF’s July leadership conference, entitled "Redefining : makes us all sound selfish. However, there is a "united we stand" approach to ¯ the Gay Agenda," syndicated columnist Hasting Wyman ¯ ¯ made an observation about why Vice President AI Gore, ¯¯ giving blood. Again, sad as it is, there will likely be need ¯ the 2000 Democratic nominee for President, didn’t do for more blood before this war is over. We should respectbetter among Gay voters even though he supported what " fully, without fanfare and action alerts, approach the Red ¯ was knows as the Gay agenda: "... I think this raises an ~ Cross and explain that Gay men would like to hdp the interesting question and I say a question, not a conclusion. ¯ effort. While we do understand that Gay men are more : ¯ ...A lot of the Gay agenda, while it may be right or it may likely to be HIV positive then the general public, we ¯ be wrong, it’s not terribly relevant to the average Gay ¯ should not confuse sexual orientation with health status, person." : and the policy should be consistent in its approach to ¯ Hastings is right, and as we examine what is real and ¯ sexual behavior. For instance, heterosexuals with mul- ¯ relevant in our lives after September 11. Now is the time ¯ . tiple partners are not screened out in the same way as a Gay ¯ ¯ to reject the "virtual victim" paradigm and, maybe for the ¯ man who has had sex once since 1977. ¯ first lime ever, think of ourselves as fellow Americans, ; During times of war, scapegoats are often sought out in united with the rest of the nation, confronting a common ¯ every society. Will Gays and Lesbians become targets of : enemy. I think Gays and Lesbians get this, even if our ¯ greater hate crime activity? I doubt it. But I do believe that : leadership doesn’ t. One thing is clear as I walk through the : Arab Americans or anyonelooking like them will be. The ¯ Gay neighborhoods of Washington, where the American ¯ greatest weapon against intolerance is educating our- ¯ flag is draped from hundreds of windows, and as I read of " selves, so we should be role models. ¯ a conservative Republican Senator eulogizing Mark ¯ In the "united we stand" paradigm, we can explain to the : Bingham as an American hero who save the U.S. Capitol, public that we know what it is like to be judged, discrimi- ¯ ¯ Gays and Lesbians are part of the greatness of America hated against and even physically beaten because of who ¯ and they know it. : we are. Though we know many Islamicleaders in America ¯ What unique role can Gays and Lesbians play as we : have shown little tolerance for Gays and Lesbians, we as ¯ ¯ unite against the terrorists? First, Gay and Lesbian leaders ¯ a community love and respect our fellow Americaus under ¯ can stop the incessant negative backbiting against Presiattack. We support them and their civil rights, so that we ¯ dent Bush and his administration. Like every other Ameri- : never again make the mistake of how we treated Japanese ¯ can, we need him to succeed in this mission. Throw away ¯ Americans in World War II. ¯ ¯ those "He’ s Not My President" t-shirts. Gay organization ¯ The overall paradigm of the Gay civil rights movement ¯ leaders need to stop referring to him as the "enemy" - we must change, see Change, p.ll ¯ Welcome to Our Reality by Tom Neal, editor & publisher Hate crimes have been much on my mind in these weeks since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. This horror has brought out the best in so many Americans but it has also brought out the worst in a few. Some of those few have used this mad event as an excuse to express their prejudices, theirracism, their antiimmigrant bigotry, and their homophobia, around the country as well as here in Tulsa. In Tulsa, we’ ve seen the beating of a Pakistani man and apparently, according to Barbara Moore of the AsianAmerican Society, others who are perceived as "foreign" have been harassed. No one in th.e Gay communities has missed the shameless opportunism of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, perhaps the greatest disgraces to contemporary Christendom, at trying to incite violence against Lesbians and Gay Americans and others in the wake of the terrorist attack. My comment to our Muslim and Asian sisters and brothers is welcome to our reality of violence, prejudice and hatredin Tulsa. What you’re experiencing as, new has been our ongoing reality. What you’re experiencing as a new sensation of lack of safety has long been our experiBut while attacks on you are decried by Tulsa’ s profoundly hypocritical "do-good" organizations: NCCJ, Jewish Federation, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, Tulsa Interfaith Alliance, those same groups have been shamefully silent when Gay men were brutally beaten like the Tulsa Pakistani man. It’ s not that they didn’ t know that the attacks happened. Tim Beauchamp and Tony Orr’ s beating on Brookside a few years ago was well reportedin this newspaper as well as in The World. Beauchamp and Orrlater testified before the US House of Representatives about their beating, a fact also reported by The WorM. I personally told Nancy Day of NCCJ of the most recent beating of a Gay man which this newspaper reportedin our August issue. But neither Ms. Day nor NCCJ, nor any other of these organizations has felt it incumbent to express for Gay Tulsans what they fall over themselves to do for Muslim Tulsans. Clearly the message here is that NCCJ, Jewish Federation, and possibly TMM and Tulsa Interfaith Alliance do not consider the attacks on Gay Tulsans to rise to the same level of concern as the attacks on other minorities. Or if perhaps their values are slightly more humane, then they are cynically utterly unwilling to expend any of their effort or "capital" in acting upon them. As horrible as it to contemplate, for some time I have been convinced that the only thing that would get these groups off dead center would be for Tlffsa to have our own Matthew Shepard murdered- as much as I pray that such will never happen. What is it about this city that it is so profoundly morally bankrupt that only the veritible cruxcifiction of an iunocent might, and only_ might, move them to acknowledge the right of Lesbian and Gay Tulsans to live unassaulted and with even a fractiOi~ of the civil rights and other legal protections other residents, including other minorities, take for granted? Indeed I am glad to see that attacks against Muslim and others are condemned. I also am glad to see new networks formed to address hate crimes but I am deeply troubled that this new effort, again, starts by excluding Gay and Lesbian Tulsans and describes hate crimes only as race, religion and ethnicity when those who hate, attack race, ethnicity, rdigion and sexual orientation equally, and sometimes us first. The latest Tulsa anti-hate crime network did invite our Nancy McDonald, PFLAG founder, butit’ s not at all dear that she was invitedinher role as a more acceptable proxy for Gay folk but rather in her role as new co-convertor of the Say No to Hate Coalition. see Hate, p. 10 �Czechs Seek Partners Recognition ." ." ¯ : : ¯ ¯ ¯ PRAGUE, .Czech Republic (AP) - Czech Gays and Lesbians soon could become the first in a former communist country to be allowed to register their partnerships. Prime Minister Milts Zeman’ s Cabinet has thrown its support behind a draft law granting Gays equal rights with the rest of the population. And ¯ backers of the legislation say they’ ve never had a better ¯ ¯ chance for passage of the measure. The bill gives Gay and Lesbian couples the same _" fights as those of heterosexual ones in areas such as ¯¯ inheritance and health insurance. Couples would be ¯ allowed to seal their partnerships at local government : offices, and severing a union would require a court- : approved divorce. The draft, approved by the Cabinet, ¯¯ however; bars couples from adopting children. Legislation that would allow homosexual unions ¯ already has been turned down twice by the Czech : parliament, in 1997 and 1999. But this time will be ¯ ¯ different, Gay activists say. "Public opinion has changed," said Jiri Hromada, an activist. "Any deputy ¯ ¯ should listen to that." ¯ A May survey by the state-sponsored CVVM polling agency said only 33 % of those polled opposed such a law, compared to 42% in 1999. The margin of error was 3%, To pass, supporters of the law need only a simple majority in the 200-seat chamber. Since the ruling party holds 74 seats, supporters say they only need just over two dozen votes to make the measure pass. Several other European nations already extend legal fights to same-sex partners. Denmark granted legal rights in 1989, a move followed later by other countries, including Sweden and the Netherlands. Germany recently began to allow Gay couples to register their unions, and in the United States, Vermont became the first state to recognize same-sex unions last year. The Czech Republic would be the first post-communist country, however, to approve such a measure. Most post-communist societies, burdened with massive economic troubles, have largely neglected such social questions. Opponents are bracing for a fight. The Roman Catholic Church, which has long opposed such unions, sponsored a petition to pressure the parliament to reject the measure. Petition organizer Josef Zeman of the Brat-based group National Center for Family says 72,000 have already signed. Some 2.7 million people in the Czech Republic say they are Roman Catholic: "It will have an irreversible impact on those young people who still are not clear about their sexual orientation,’" Zeman warned. The draft law should be discussed in the lower ch~amber, the House of Deputies, by the end of this year. Cleveland United Way Drops-Boy Scouts ¯ CLEVELAND (AP) - The Clevdand chapter of the United Way has decided to stop funding traditional ¯" Boy Scouts programs that discriminate against Gays. ¯ The money will instead go to Boy-Scout-affiliated ~ programs such as Learning for Life, a program that : does not prohibit Gay menfrom being leaders. ¯ -. Earlier this month, United Way Services of Greater ¯ Cleveland shifted $268,000 in Boy Scout donations to : the Learning for Life program, said Mike Benz, presi- ¯ dent Of the local United Way organization. The pro- ¯ gram will be taught in Cleveland, Bedford and Lakewood public schools and teaches children to apply ¯ classroom lessons in their everyday life. ¯ Last year, the United Way Services gave about . $90,000 of its Boy Scout donation to Learning for Life. ¯ This year, the group considered cutting support to the ." Boy Scouts entirely but decided instead to shift all of ¯ its donation to ~ng for Life. Susan Lewis, spokeswoman for the Greater Cleveland Council for the Boy Scouts of America, said shifting the money to a Boy Scout-affiliated program was a good compromise. She said her chapter will try to shift around other donor money to make up for losing the United Way funding, which accounts for about 14% of t!~ir budget. Nearly 50 United Ways across the country and a dozen corporations have quit giving money to Boy Scouts of America since ihe U.S. Supreme Court last year upheld the Scouts’ right to reject homosexual leaders. Jan Cline, an Eagle Scout and associate director of the Lesbian Gay Community Service Center in Cleveland, said he wanted United Ways to stop funding the Boy Scouts altogether until they stop discriminating. "If I give to United Way, I don’ t want one cent to go to Boy Scouts," Cline said. "There’ s no better place for boys tolearn citizenship, personal fitness and camping skills. But by enforcing a membership standard that teaches young Gay men their feelings are second-class, they’re teaching bigotry and discrimination." None of the Northeast Ohio United Way organizations,including Uuited Way Services of Greater Cleveland, has employment policies that prohibit discrimination against Gays. Finland Recognizes Same Gender Partners HELSINKI, Finland (AP) - Lawmakers passed a goveminent proposal recently that makes Gay partnerships legally binding but stops short of letting Gay couples adopt children or use the same surname. The bill, which comes into force next year, was approved 99 to 84, with 17 abstentions or absentees. The new law says Finns who are at least 18 can register a same-sex union in a civil ceremony comparable to matrimony. It also give~ Gay couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples when inheriting each other’ s property and in cases of divorce. The Finnish Lesbian and Gay AsSociation welcomed the law but said it wished it went further. ’q’his at long last gives Gay couples the rights they deserve," said Rainer Hiltunen, the association’s secretary-general. "But it’ s a compromise, and we are disappointed that it doesn’ t secure the rights of chil&en in a Gay marriage because they can only be registered to one parent." The Finnish Evangdical Lutheran Church, to which 85% of the 5.2 million population belongs, has opposed giving Gay partners the same rights as married couples. However, Archbishop Jukka Paarma has said that the legal position of homosexual and Lesbian couples should be improved. The new law is in line with similar legislation in the other Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, where Gay partnerships have been legalized. Denmark and Iceland permit adoptions by Gay couples in certain circumstances. Houston Partner Benefits Up for Vote HOUSTON (AP) - Houston, voters in November will consider whether the city should offer health and other benefits to same-sex parmers of its employees. The Houston City Council approved for the Nov. 6 ballot a referendum that, if passed,-would prohibit the city from providing same-sex benefits. The city doesn’t offer thosebenefits now, but had been considering changing its benefits policy to include them. The council approved the ballot addition by a 9-5 vote after City Secretary AnnaRnssell validated enough signatures on petitions to call for a vote. Petitioner Dave Wilson, who,opposes offering same-sex benefits, led an effort to gather 21,028 signatures on those petitions. City law requires 20~000 valid signatures from registered voters in Houston to force a vote on a change to the city charter. "1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-1715 mcctu/saOaoLcom Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Community of Hope 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, 6prn 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, 800-44d-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy (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 Heart of the Hills Bed & Breakfast 5 Summit, Eurel~a Springs, Arkansas 501 - 363 - 9203 Come Stay Us for the Next Diversity Celebration, Nov. 2 - 4 Red Rock Tulsa Free Confidential HIV Testing Walk-in Cgtnics Tues. & Thurs., 5 -8 pm at the Center, 1307 East 38th Daytime appointments available. Call for more information: 918-584-2325 d i Ame.rlcan Red Cross American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette Mclntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN HEARTS 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 CouncilwrmanAnniseP~rker, thecity"srnly openly ;" issues raised on appeal do not merit’fotther consider: Gay elected official, voted against adding the referen- ¯¯ ation because theplay has already been performed. Six sold-out performances took place Aug. 10 to 18 in a dum to the ballot, claiming that Russell missed errors or irregularities on !, 101 signatures. Mayor Lee Brown ¯ theater on the university’ s Fort Wayne campus. Opponents led by former Republican gubernatorial said he intends to oppose the referendum and that ¯ authorities should investigate any possible fraud. Har- : candidate John Price had argued that staging the play ris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said his ¯ on the grounds of a state university_violated the constioffice would investigate if a complaint is fried. Wilson : tutional separation of church and state. Attorney S tephen R. Pennell represented the universaid he knew of no problems with the petitions or ¯ ¯ sity in thelawsuit. He said school leaders were pleased signatures. Houston voters in 1985 nullified a nondiscrimina- ¯ by the court’ s action. "The play has been performed, so tion ordinance approved by the council. Earlier this ¯¯ there is no longer any relief the court could grant that would be effective in any way, so the point is moot," year, the council approved.a similar ordinance protect¯ Pennell told The Journal Gazette. ing Gays and Lesbians from discrimination, and the The same appeals court ruled Aug. 7 in favor of Nov. 6 referendum does not address the ordinance. Gay Adoption Considered In Nebraska LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - As the state Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that could decide if Gay couples have the right to adopt children, groups on both sides are weighing in on the dispute. The high court is to hear the case next week of a Lincoln Lesbian who wants her lover to be able to adopt her 3-year-old boy. The case already has generated so-called "friend of the court" briefs from scores of organizations, including: theAmerican Psychological Association; the Family Research Institute; the Alliance for Children’s Rights; The National Organization for Women; the National Adoption Center; and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. The Nebraska Catholic Conference, the Family Research Council, the Nonpartisan Family Coalition and Family First also have weighed in. The boy, called "Luke" in court papers, was born to "B.P," in 1997 through artificial inseminataon. The boy has lived with his mother and her lover, "A.E.," since birth. The two women were joined in a commitment ceremony in 1995, according to court records. Such ceremonies are not recognized as marriages in Nebraska, where voters last year approved a measure to keep same-sex marriages from being legally recogB.P. already has custody of her 9-year-old son from a previous marriage. While Nebraska law contains no specific provision prohibiting adoptions by Gay couples, Deputy Attorney General Steve Grasz said does not mean it is legal. He also said A.E. has no legal rights to adopt the child, even though she has helped raise him. "Such caregivers, unlike parents, possess no substantive liberty interest in the child," he said in briefs filed in the case. "No fundamental constitutional right has been accorded in the law to individuals such as foster parents, grandparents, caregivers or ’partners’ of parents even though they have a deep emotional attachment to the child." Amy Miller, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, dismissed those arguments. "The state’ s bias is based on its discomfort with A.E. and B.P.’ s relationship, but is irrelevant asthe real issue is Luke’ s interests," she said. "The law only inquires into the best interests of the child to be adopted. Court Rejects Gag on Play ¯ allowing "Corpus Christi" to be performed while the ¯ appeal was pending. The decision upheld a July ruling ¯ by U.S. District Judge William C. Lee, who said : issuing a preliminary inJunction against the production ¯ would cause more harm than allowing the play to : proceed. ¯ Patricia Corbat of Fort Wayne, one of the three ¯ plaintiffs participating in the appeal, was not sure ¯ whether there are any other ways to pursue the com. plaint. ¯° She said the S ept. 11 terrorist attacks put the churchstate relationship in a new perspective. "We don’t ¯ allow prayer in government at all, but all of a sudden ¯ everyone in government is praying," Corbat told the ¯ newspaper. "I just think that, all of a sudden, we’re : trying to get back in God’ s graces.’" Maine City OKs Civil Rights Bill BANGOR, Maine (AP) - Bangor became the 1 lth ¯ Maine city to enact a Gay civil rights ordinance when ¯ the city council approved the law by a lopsided vote. ¯ The law, approved by an 8-1 vote, bars discrimination ¯ based on sexual orientation in housing, public accom¯ modations, credit, education and employment. It is ." similar to measures that have been enacted by the ¯ Legislature, but overturned by Maine voters. The Bangor council’s passage came a week after a ¯ ¯ three-hour public hearing on the measure. Supporters ¯ said such a law is long overdue 17 years after a Gay youth named Charlie Howard died after being thrown i off a downtown Bangor bridge by three local teen" agers. But opponents cited religious objections, and said it ¯ ¯ is an unneeded extension of the Maine Human Rights ¯ Act that_ should be decided by voters. Some asserted ¯ that the-law confers special rights on a specific group. Maine voters last November turned down a law that ¯ would have outlawed discrimination based on sexual ¯ orientation. Similar bills had been rejected by the : Legislature for two decades until 1997, when a mea¯ sure was enacted and signed by Gov. Angus King. ¯ Voters repealed it in 1998, and lawmakers responded ¯ by sending a new bill back to referendum. ~ While the state’ s voters repealed the Gay civil rights ¯ question in 2000, a majority of voters in Bangor ¯ favored the state law. After Monday night’s council ¯ vote, about two dozen spectators broke into applause. ¯ "Equal rights and equal dignity are not special rights," ¯ said Councilor Joe Baldacci, who sponsored the pro" posal with Councilor Judy Vardamis. An opponent, Bangor Baptist Church Pastor Jerry : ¯ Mick, said he believed a planned effort to repeal the ¯ ordinance could be successful. ¯ Challenges to Gay civil rights laws in other Maine : cities have had mixed results. In 1992, Portland voters FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block a controversial student play, ruling that the issue is moot since the play has already been performed. The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago last week rejected the complaint filed by opponents of the play "Corpus Christi" who accused Indiana University-Purdue Uni- ¯ rejected a proposal to overturn the city’s Gay civil versity of using taxpayer money to support an attack on ", rights ordinance. But Lewiston voters repealed their Christianity. : city’ s ordinance a year later. The play featured a Gay, Christ-like character named Joshua and 12 other male characters, most of whom had the names of Christ’s disciples. In a one-page order issued Sept. 19, the court said the �Los kn0olos May Host 2006 Games LOS ANGELES (AP) - A nonprofit group will send a delegation to SouthAfricanext month to lobby for the city to host the 2006 Gay Games, an Olympics-styl_e~l. event~that draws Gay and Lesbian athletes trom around the world. Los Angeles faces three other finalists - Chicago, Atlanta and Montreal - in its bid to host the games, which have been held every four years since 1982: As many as 15,000 competitors take part in the games, drawing upward of 250,000 spectators. The Federation of Gay Games will begin the selection process in Johannesburg, South Africa on Oct. 21, with the winning city announced four days later. The Gay Games include more than 30 sports, from aerobics to sailing to wrestling. The event was founded by Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell after enduring jokes and harassment on the sports circuit. The two-weekGay Games VII wouldbe the largest single event inLos Angeles in the next five years, according to the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau. The games could generate as much as $400 million for the city. San Francisco has played host to two previous games. Los Angeles has bid on the games, but has never been selected. LOs Angeles als0 is seeking to host the 2012 summer Olympic Games. Tt{~’summer Olympiad previously was held in the city in 1932 and 1984. Members of the nonprofit Los Angeles 2006 Inc. group that is seeking to draw the Gay Games said many Olympic venues would be used during the event. ment would prevent the city from providing employee benefits to Gay couples. City attorneys say the policy does not mention sexual orientation and therefore may not be voided if the amendment passes. So far, "very few" of about 900 city employees have applied for same-sex benefits, said City Attorney Robert Cinabro. Kalamazoo is among three cities in Michigan and 17 communities nationwide that will vote on Gay civil rights measures in November. Huntington Woods and Traverse City also are voting on human rights measures. "The whole country will be watching the three communities in Michigan," said ;can Kosofsky, director of policy and victim services for the Triangle Foundation, a Detroit-based Gay civil rights organization. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C., last week announced it will give $10,000 to Kalamazoo Against Discrimination. Meanwhile, American Family Association is supporting Kalamazoo Citizens Voting Yes For Equal Rights Not Special Rights, which is promoting the proposal. That group has about 50 volunteers, about half of whom live outside the city, the Kalamazoo Gazette said Sunday. Among them is the group’ s spokesman, Kalamazoo County Commissioner Jack Hoogendyk Jr. of Portage. "I have interest because I work in the city," Hoogendyk said. "Most people rig,h,t now have no clue what the issues are. Massachusetts May Add Benefits BOSTON (AP) - Gay, Lesbian and unmarried state workers would be able to get health insurance for their domestic partners under a bill approved by a key state Senate committee late in September. The bill, approved by the Senate Ways and paign is under way here in the campaign MeansCommittee, would also let cities over an anti-Gay civil rights proposal on and towns decide to offer domestic parmer the Nov. 6 city ballot. Both sides pledge to benefits as a local option. keep debate civil. But city voters could A domestic partner is defined by .the bill ¯ face an onslaught of door-to-door cam- ¯ as someone of the same or opposite sex paigns, yard signs, telephone polls, radio ¯ who shares financialresponsibilities and a talk show forums and church debate. ¯ home with a state employee. They must "We feel there is a great deal of dis- ¯ crimination in the impetus to getting this ¯ also say that they are in a relationship of "mutual support, care and commitment" ballot initiative. It just r’eally stinks," said and plan to live together indefinitely. Robert Dempsey, campaign manager for : The Senate has approved two similar the group fighting the proposal. : bills in recent yb,ars. None became law. "I It has been more than a year since City ¯ approach it as a matter of basic fairness," Manager Pat DiGiovatmi enacted a policy ¯ said Senate President Thomas Birmingallowing Gay city employees to cover ¯ their parmers under health insurance. Op- ¯ ham, D-Chelsea. The full Senate is scheduled to vote on ponents immediately moved to put before ¯ the bill soon. It is also expected to vote on voters a broadly worded charter amend¯" bills that would allow Cambridge and ment that bans the city from adopting any ¯ Brookline to extend domesticpartner benordinances or policies that give special to their employees. preference based on sexual orientation. " efits Opponents of domestic partner benefits "We plan to explain to people why this is ¯ say they places homosexual relationships a bad amendment," said Dempsey, of : on the same level as heterosexual marKalamazoo Against Discrimination. They also say that giving nnmar" The Michigan branch of the Tupelo, "¯ riages. ried heterosexual couples the same benMiss.-based American Family Association is aiding the group seeking the "¯ efits as married couples weakens theinstitution of marriage. Kalamazoo Gays-rights b~a. The group’ s ¯ In 1998, the Legislature passed a bill Michigan president said he is hopeful for "- allowing Boston to provide the benefits ¯ its passage because the public is returning known as a"home rule petition" - but the to spirituality. "Churches are full. People ¯ bill was vetoed by former Gov. Paul are returning to a faith in.God," said Gary Cdlucci. It is unclear whether the charter amend- Michigan City to Vote Against Gays Conne . �: ¯ HIV ACtiViStS Educate Online ¯ Kelly Kirb.y, CPA, 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 SOuth Harvard Avenue, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135 ~AMI (AP) - Lighted by the blue glow ¯" of a portable computer, Marc Cohen is ¯ blazing a new trail in AIDS awareness. He : logs on to the Intemet, surfs into a busy chat room and uses his screen name ¯ hivoutreachmiami@aol.com- to answer ¯ questions aboutAIDS, hepatitis and other ¯ sexually transmitted diseases. "Awareness Alert," he types in bold ¯ letters. "Miami is now secondinthenation ¯ for syphilis infection. Wilton Manors has ¯ had an outbreak, too. STDand HIV screen, ings can be done free of charge." "We are not the sex police," said Cohen, ¯ president of the United Foundation for¯ AIDS, a South Beach-based group-that offers counseling; HIV screening and ¯ therapy to people with the AIDS virus that ¯ causes AIDS. ¯ With the AIDS epidemic in its third ¯ decade, Cohen and a cadre of national ¯ AIDS prevention advocates are invading : chat rooms to get the attention of those ¯ most at risk of HIV infection. It’ s an ap: proach that counselors and health Officials ¯ from San Francisco to South Beach be¯ lieve is working. Finding new ways to reach the (principal) at-risk groups - de" fined as young Gay and Bisexual men, ¯ especially blacks - has been a focus of ¯ AIDS awarenes~ conferences. ¯ As chat-room counselors, they answer" questions about HIV, hepatitis and syphi¯ lis that many would feel uncomfortable ¯ asking in person or on the phone. The ¯ Internet provides anonymity. "We treat it ~ as an opportunity for in-depth individual education," said Joseph Interrante, execu¯ tive director of Tennessee’ s Nashville CARES, an AIDS organization with staff ¯ members dispensing information in chat ¯ rooms. "The education actually becomes ¯ an online counseling session." ¯ Increasingly, warnings andAIDS statis¯ tics have fallen on the deaf ears of a ¯ younger, more reckless generation, health officials say. This summer, the U.S. Cen¯ ters for Disease Control and Prevention ¯ reported that among young men who have ¯ sex with other men, 4.4% - about 1 in 25 ¯ - get HIV. That’ s the same infection rate : asin the 1980s, before AIDS prevention ¯ methods andresearchtookroot. In Florida, ¯ blacks accounted for almost six of every : 10 new cases of HIV infection in the past ¯ four years. : Another trend: syphilis outbreaks in ¯ Wilton Manors, South Beach and Liberty -" City. Health officials say thegrowing num," bers are a signal mean thatGay and Bi: sexual men are encouraged by news of ¯ powerfully effective drug cocktails and longer life spans and are less worried about ", HIV infection. ¯ "The old modds do not work," said Jeff ¯ Wilkinson of the South Beach AIDS ¯ Project, where staff members cruise chat : rooms as sobequest @aol.com. They an¯ swer questions and ask others to share ¯ what they learn. "The more the pebble hits ¯ the pond, the more it ripples out." ¯ Cohen says he spends at least 25 hours a ¯ week online as hivoutreachmiami on : America Online. His online profile gives ¯ information about syphilis, how itis trans" mitted sexually., symptoms and telephone numbers to call for testing. He logs on in the afternoon and during peak chatting times, after 7 p.m. till until as late as 2 a.m. Since Cohen started the online campaign in June, he has seen the number of people who ask for HIV tests grow from a handful to a dozen or more a night. He takes their phone numbers, calls them and walks them through explains the process. He is training two volunteers to help. "So much that went on in bathhouses and public parks now takes place in chat rooms, where people meet to engage in unsafe sex from the comfort of their living room,’" Cohen said. "It’s opening a tremendous dialogue in this town." Some Blood Donors Get Surprise RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Shocked by the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York, thousands have lined up the past two weeks to give blood. Now, some of those donors are the ones asking for help. Because many people are donating blood for the first time, more people have learned that they have viral diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis and even AIDS. Since the mid-1980S, blood has been tested for viral diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis, andprospective donors have been screened for risky behavior such as intravenous drug use. Now, with so many more people learning they are infected, disease hoflines have experienced an increase in calls from donors seeking help. "They’re really panic-stricken. They have no idea what it means," said Thelma King Thiel, chairman of Hepatitis Foundation International. More than 22,000 units of blood have been donated in the Carolinas blood services region of the American Red Cross since Sept. 11, spokeswoman Debbie Estes said. The organization collected twice as much blood as normal the week of the attacks and donations are running about 20% to 30% more than usual every day, Estes said. Offices are staffed 24 hours a day and donors have been asked to make appointments for later this fall. Since the attacks, more than 330,000 people nationally have donated blood to the American Red Cross, said Dr. Peter Page, senior medical officer for the Red Cross. The Red Cross, which supplies about half the blood in the country, was collecting two to three times more blood than normal the week after the attack and about 11/2 times more last week. Just over 1% of donors test positive for infections, Page said. Onein 20,000 wholeblood donors to the American Association of Blood Banks will test positive for anti- bodies to HIV, said Sara Foer, spokeswoman for the American Association of Blood Banks in Maryland. One in 2,500 will test positive for hepatitis B and one in 500 for hepatitis C, she said. But Thiel says it may be good for donors to find out they are infected. ’’The tests and screens in tiff s blood drive are a good thing for them," Thiel said. "Otherwise they may go blissfully on their way not knowing ~ey are infected, spreading the disease. �." streets of London and take him to the by TFN entertainment editor Tulsa’ s Theatre Arts will present Lionel ¯ master pickpocket, Fagin. That training Bart’ s"Oliver!" outin the country atTulsa ~ quickly lands Oliver in jail, where he is Community College’ s PACE Theatre at " rescuedby Mr. Brownlow,arich old gentle81st Street and Highway 169 from De- [ man who takes the boy into his home. Meanwhile, Fagin and his cohorts - Bill cember 14th - 22nd. The production will ¯¯ Sikes and Nancy - fearful of being inbe directed by Jon Grodeski of NYC and will star as "Fagin," Jamie Farr wall [ criminated by thelad, plot his kidnapping. Nancy abducts him but known for playing then is overcome with "Klinger"in television’ s "...Tulsa guilt and attempts his M.A.S.H. series. Family News return to Brownlow. Tulsa Family News is Suspecting her kind delighted to note that is delighted to (and traitorous) intenTFN writer and former tions, Sikes kills Nancy. entertainment editor, note that TFN He grabs Oliver but is James Christjotm, has writer and former foiled by the amval of been cast in the characthe police Finally, ter of"Mr. Sowerberry ," entertainment editor, Oliver is safely returned the undertaker that James Christjohn, has to the arms of his beneOliver is sold to before factor, who proves to he ends up in London as been east in the be his own grandfather. Fagin’s prot~g6 pickOliver! (the pocket. character.., of the name shortened for And on December undertaker..." Broadway) became a 6th, Theatre Arts will part of the musical s tage host "An Evening With ¯ repertoire in 1960, written in total by the ~Iamie Farr," at the PACE at 7pm, where the actor will speak about his life and ¯¯ multitalented Lionel Bart, who crafted the book, the music and the lyrics. With Ron career, and take audience questions. Please call 595-777 for ticket information. ¯ Moody. as Fagin and Georgia Brown as Charles Dickens’ novel,"OliverTwist," ¯ Nancy, Oliver! opened in London on June is the basis for Lionel Bart’ s musical Oliver! :¯ 30, 1960,and ran until September 9, 1966, foratotal of 2,618 performances - making Dickens began the novel as a magazine serial that ran in a London.monthly for ¯ it the longest-running musical in British more than two years beginning in 1837. Its ¯¯ theatre. This production marks Christjohn’ s repopularity was so great that Dickens rushed it to completion for publication - in three " turn to the stage after a long absence. volumes ~-in 1838. Still, the serial contin- ¯¯ "There w as a point that I thought the talent, ued to run for more than six months after ¯ the gift, the ability hadleft me. So I shut. the dooronthatdream."Ironically,thatdream the publication of the book. Some well¯ began as a young boy, when he was taken known songs from the show include "Where Is Love," "Consider Yourself," ¯¯ to his first live production- a performance of "Oliver!" at Theatre Under The Stars "Who Will Buy," "As Long as He Needs ; (TUTS), in Houston, Texas. Christjoha Me," and many others. ¯ notes, "I remember seeing the little boy The story of Oliver Twist begins in. a seedy workhouse where he and the other ¯ singing "Where Is Love," and identifying orphans are kept by Mr. Bumble and ; completdy. I also was filled with wonder Widow Comey. When Oliver asks for ¯ at’the ’magic’ of seeing London appear more food, Bumble is enraged and decides ; when they sang ’Who Will Buy?’, and to sdl the boy. Mr. Sowerberry, the under- ¯¯ seeing the city literally fly in from left, right, andabove. Andlknew then I wanted taker, buys him, but Oliver is terrified of ¯ to be a l~art of that, to help make the magic the man and his coffins and runs away. TheArtful Dodger andhis gang of young ¯ happen. And I wanted the applause that kid was getting!" Info: 595-7777. street thieves find Oliver woandering the Tulsa’ s Performing .Mas Center Trust ¯¯ celebrates its 25th znniversary season with ¯ a number of great performers. At the end of October, on the 30th, the usually staid ¯ and fairly stodgy Chapman Music Hall ." ." will host nothing less than a circus! Quebec’ s Cirque Eloize (that’ s said,"el- was") and the Tulsa Philharmonic will ¯¯ combine classical music with circus spectacular: aerials, haru~s work,and feats of ¯ strength (and I’m sure men and women in ." fights,, could Lesbians and Gay men want " ¯ anything more.’?). ¯ Cirque Eloize began in 1993 as part of the "Cirque Nouveau" movement that : sprung from Quebec. Seven then recent ¯ graduates of Montreal’ s National Circus : School began the company which drew on ¯ the Eurotx~tn, animal-free style of circus combining theater, music and dance. Cirque Eloize quickly gained acclaim forits acrobatics, and choreography. After touring Canada and the US, then in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland, Cirque Eloize garnered rave reviews from London’ s Sunday Times, "... hauntingly heart-catching.., conjur[ing] up the spirit of a medieval fair..." and from The Scotsman in Edinburgh, "pure dead billliant.., this is circus with atmosphere, poetry, humor and above all, hear~..." The music ranges from RimskiKorsakov, Sibelius, Grieg, Saint-Sachs, Rachmaninov and more. This is a don’ t miss performance. Call 596-7111 or800364-7111 for information or tickets. The Twilight of the Golds What happens when a young couple finds thru’ genetic testing that their unborn child might be Gay and how their conflict about whether to keep the child affects the young mother’s Gay brother¯ Oct. 26th- Nov. 4th Broken Arrow Community Playhouse Only 1,487 miles off Broadway In the Main Place, 1800 South Main 258-0077 for tickets and info. �THE GILDED AGE Treasures from the Smitbsonian American Art.MuSeum SEPTEMBER -- 4 .NOVEMBER 200I SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - For a while, character is a transsexual woman who entertainer Ha Ri-soo seemed to be everyworks as an express delivery worker by where: in a film, in a music video, in ads day and moonlights as a singer. The movie for makeup and wedding gowns. Televititle alludes to the bleached blond look that sion talk shows couldn’ t get enough of the some young South Koreans adopt to be sex symbol and her sensual dances. People rebellious. gabbed about her at home and on thestreet, "I chose the fi~m because I went through in offices and coffee shops. a lot and I wa~ed to look back on those No wonder. Ha, 26, is a transsexual. days," Ha s~d. "I wanted to break the While sex change operations are old stereotype of transsexuals - the demurenews from the United States to Thailand, ness and extreme weakness with which they’re a novelty in they are often porSouth Korea, where trayed." Confucian ideals of illHa’s autobiography, ial piety and a maleoperations are old ~’From Adam to Eve," dominated hierarchy are also failed to make the strong. So it was star- news from the United best sdler list. fling when Ha surged to She got her sexStates to Thailand, thetopofSouth Korea’ s change operation seventertainment industry eral years ago in Japan, they’re a novelty in this year. where she studied hair"I think the society styling. While in high South Korea, where and cnlture is changing school, she had taken in Korea and it should Confucian ideals of female hormone injecchange," Ha said in an tions and was exempted filial piety and a interview at a beauty from mill tary service on salon, her hair in curlers of "mental illmah-domlnated hier- grounds as makeup artists ness." dabbedher face with lipSouth Korean archy are strong°. 2 stick, eyeliner and powmen must serve 26 der. "Transsexuals haven’t killed or months in the armed forces, a precau¯ cheated anyone. Why should they be mis- ¯¯ tion in the event of conflict with commutreated when they haven’ t done anything nist North Korea. ’¢Fhink about it: What ¯ wrong to others?" She said. would happen to the. military’ s discipline Many South Koreans agree, but their ¯ if a man with breasts went into the milifascination with Ha reflects .as much pru- ~ tary?" Ha said, laughing. rience as tolerance for the maverick. In a ¯ Her sex change was tough on her family, country where women flock to clinics for ¯ particularly in a society that covets male ¯ offspring. Ha said she played with dolls as cosmetic surgery, Ha fits right in. "I think she is popular because of her ¯ a child, and her frustrated father eventucharm and looks,, said Jeon Dong-ki, a ¯ ally accepted her femininity. male university student. "It doesn’ t.mean Ha’ s career took off in January with a ¯ that people’ s prejudices against Gays and television ad for cosmetics, but it’s untranssexuals have changed as wall." ." dearhowlong she’ 11 stay in thepubliceye. Ha’ s overheated presence in pop culture ¯ Some religious leaders have denounced ¯ has cooled some recently, and she’s had her. "It makes me angry that the media is mixed success. She appeared in "Ydlow -." trying to make something ’abnormal’ apHair 2," a movie about people on society’ s ¯ pear normal," said Lee I-Iee-ja, a 58-yearfringes that failed at the box office. Her old housewife. Saturday, October 20, the historic town of Medicine Park will host the first annual Drum Fest. Organizers hope to attractmore than 800 drummers to this eventin hope of breaking the current Guirmess Book of World Records. Medicine Park is located at the main entry to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, the second most visited wildlife refuge in the country - hosting almost 2 million annual visitors. The community has a rich and colorful history. Originally founded on July 4th, 1908- Medicine Park was Oklahoma’s first planned tourism resort, THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART 2727 SOUTH ROCKFORD ROAD Medicine Park was once the "playground" of the state’s rich, famous and notorious. Folks would come to town for the weekend and leave their "work-a-day" world, troubles and reputations behind them. Outlaws and horsethieves mixed with noted politicians and businessmen, families and socialites. The pages of the ¯ town’s colorful history are filled with the ¯ -likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Will Rogers, ¯ Wiley Post, Frank Phillips, Bob Wills, A1 ¯ Capone, Col. Jack Abernathy, Lil Hardin, Bonny & Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Les ¯ Brown, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and ¯ countless others. : Ok Spoke Bike Rides All these rides begin at Ziegler Recre¯ ¯ ation Park, 3903 West Fourth Street, at the ¯ parking lot. All rides are open to GLBT ¯ people and those who are Gayffriendly. ¯ OnOct. 6andOct. 13,there will bea20¯ 25 mile rides beginning at 7:30am, helmet ¯ and water bottle required. Later on the 6th, ¯ there is also 5 mile ride along the Sand ¯ Springs Trail beginning at 2pro. And on ¯ Oct. 13, therewillbea5mileridealongthe ¯ Arkansas River Trail starting at 2pro. For more information, contact Okiebicycle@prodigy.net, or write to POB ¯ 9165, Tulsa 7~157. �Timothy W. Daniel by LamontLindstrom : the not-unhappy looking bin Laden. The Internet slowed to a crawl on Sep- ¯ Whether F.rnpire State Building as phaltember 1 lth. People crowded the system ¯ lus, or middle finger as phallus, these folk with messages and postings about that : imagesconceivemale-on-maleintercourse day’ s death and destruction. We turned to ¯ as appropriate revenge. Osama-"screws" America; we screw him email,chatrooms,lists,dis- ,, ¯ . . equations d sex right back. cussion groups and clubs These representations of to discuss, mourn, be anand vlolenee are so skyscraper as phallus (or gry or be reflective about dildo) are no metaphorical the attacks: The older mefamiliar, so accident. Beyond the dia - newspapers, teledeaths of 6500 innocents, embedded in our phones, radio, television some of ,amaerica’s rage still carry the bulk of our language and certainly stems from this words andimagery. But the symbolism. Osama’s hiInternet further speeds and culture, as to be jacked planes ftrst appeared spreads national (and into circumcise both the ternational) conversation, unremarkable. But mighty shafts of the WTC, intensifying this exchange. we should remark slicing into their heads. But .. And exchange still conthen, ~brribly, the towers tinues. Since September them, at least collapsed completely and 1 lth, I have been collectNew York, and America, ing folk-produced images occasionally. suffered an awful castrathat respond to the attacks. These, like the Interuet’ s First, if we can think tion. Actually, the WTC had bothersome chain letters it we can do it - this already lost its Big Man and bad jokes, are still claims. Since 1998,the tallbouncing from site to site, is anthropology’s est buildings in the world person to person. Computer are the twin Petronas Towmessage about the imaging software (Photoers in KualaLumpur, Mashop and the like) and the power of cultural laysia. Their edifice is bigWWW facilitate this outger than our edifice. But burst of creative reaction. understandings to luckily, New York has in Years ago, one of my anthropology professors, shape behavior..." hand a backup tool - the Empire State Building U.C. Berkeley folklorist ¯ (once again the tallest in the city) - that, Alan Dundes, along with Carl Pagter pubsymbolically, can stick it to Osama. lished a collection of Urban Folklore from ¯ Mass murderers need be brought to justhe Paperwork Empire (1975). Such "paper folklore" consisted of joke letters, ¯ tice, but what does it mean when we represent justice (or perhaps revenge) as homomemos, cartoons, drawings, and the like that people produced and circulated using " sexual anal intercourse? The penis, more an earlier technology -the office copy ¯ than a tool , becomes awcapon. Andsexual machine: As soon as photocopiers became ". intercourse, .rather than an act of love, ¯ becomes one of rape or war. I penetrate a standard business appliance, people copied and recopied joke memos and cartoons ¯ you, and thereby I dominate you. These equations of sex and violence are that spread from office to office, and cu- ~ ¯ so familiar, so embedded in our language bicle to cubicle. Today, the Internet, like the photocopy machine, spreads our re- ¯ and culture, as to be unremarkable. But we ¯ should remark them, at least occasionally. sponses to the everyday world, and to ¯ First, if we can think it we can do it - this tragic national events. Much of the attack-related folklore ¯"¯ is anthropology’ s message about the power of cultural understandings to shape behavflooding the Internet is patriotic, affirming the goodness and the spirit of Ainerica. Images of U.S. flags, pictures of candles and ribbons, uplifting poems, and recycled Canadian newspaper columns lauding American generosity probably filled your email boxes, as they did mine. Other imagery, less warm-hearted, portrays anger and revenge. Two of the folk images that ended up in my email box particularly caught my eye. Both strum American cultural chords that blur violence with sex. The first depicts a reconstructed World Trade Center. Instead of the Twin Towers, however, this features five towers in a row, like fingers. The middle tower sticks up highest into the air. This folk image rebuilds the WTC as "the bird," flipping off m~icious Osama bin Laden and his terrorists. The second image is ruder. In this "jpg," Osama’ s turbaned head is superimposed on a nude, muscular body that bends forward. Coming in behind is the Fxnpire State Building. Its pointy tower sodomizes ¯ ¯ ¯ ". : ¯ : : ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ . " : ¯ : ¯ : lOt. Currently, two 14-year-old boys are in custody here in Tulsa. They, along with other members of their freshman football " team, anally raped one of their young teammates with a broom handle in their high ~chool locker room. This is Tulsa’s teenaged version of the Abner Louima case. New York cops likewise wielded broom as dildo to prove their manliness. (The Empire State Building, presumably, was unavailable.) Our folk fantasies of homosexual rape are far more likely to be realized here in America than in Afghani- 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 appointments are available: IOTA member Call341. 6866 International TourSio, mo,e nio on. TULSA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY start. Second, all those "sex = war," and "peuis = weapon," metaphors are dangerously slippery. What, exactly, are we saying when we admit a desire to sodomize Osama? Where does violent hatred end and erotic desire begin? Dildos also are toys, and sex (of whatever sort) is play more often than it is aggression. Are we then to pleasure Osama to death? 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 w.orship~ 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. Tulsa’s only professional Sunday Worship, 1 lam 712 S. Columbia Ave., 592-5800 (One block west of Delaware and the University of Tulsa Campus) body-piercing Soulful Sundown combines live music, inspirational readings, video, and audience articipation to create a rand new experience. ~ Soulful Sundown is an alternative worship experience that celebrates the mystery and wonder of life, without telling you what to believe. happens at All Souls Unitarian Church at 5:3oPM on Sundays. Join us. on Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 3oth. All people are welcome! All Souls Unitarian Church z95z S. Peoria, 743-z363 And it’s only 20 years now that our oldest community organization, indeed Oklahoma’ s oldest non-religious community non-profit, Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights, TOHR, has been around. Any one want to bet how many more years it will be until these groups figure out that we exist? It is in the end this: you are either part of the solution, or you are part of the problem. And Tul sais filled with those who are not part of the solution. ~Ihey are our mayor and most of our city councilors: certainly they are Tulsa’ s business elite: the Chamber of Commerce staff and board and especially some of Tulsa Area United Way’ s board and staff for whom I have little doubt that Dante notes a special place in hell; and they are TU’s unrepentent bigot president and those prominent Tulsans who selectedhim despitehis documented prejudice. And it will take all these individuals deciding that they are going to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem for Tulsa ever to be that which it hopes to be. In the meantime, I hope that Muslim Tulsans will be safe and if God really moves their hearts that Tulsa Muslims might actually take their horrible experience as being this moment’s America’s hated "other" and will try to be do for Gay and Lesbian Americans that what they would have done for themselves. Average Gays and Lesbians feel much more in me with the American people in the spirit of "united we stand." For those weaned on identity politics, it will be hard to verbalize or imagine an America where they can speak from a "united we stand" perspective, but this new period will require it. We still have challenges as Gay Americans, but the terrorist agenda of America’ s enemies is far more dangerous to Gay Americans than anything we face within our own society. These terrorists have come to our country to murder us, and hope to eradicate our way of life in all its forms. The Taliban of Afghanistan, who is harboring these terrorists, believe that homosexuality is a crime punishable by a sadistic death, which is meted out with pride in their society. More than ever, we should welcome the chance to serve in defense of liberty. We should document carefully the success of Gay soldiers. This act of patriotism, of the willingness to die for our country, is precisely why the current military policy is wrong. Our determination will be hugely educational to an American public who views our motives on this issue with suspicion. We will demonstrate with action the moral absurdity of the old policy and it will cave-in under that moral weight. Steve May, the hero who fought the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy and won, is on message now. He said recently that it is an obligation of every Gay servicemember to accept the country’ s call to serve. United we stand today, and the military’ s policy on Gays has divided us as Americans. We now can look at new, real heroes. I’m g!ad Mark Bingham was such a strong man m body and soul. He took brave action with a small group of men and women who answered the call of service in that moment of crisis, sacrificing their lives to save maybe thousands of others to thwart the murderous actions of those who want to destroy our country. Can we find a maturity and resolve inside ourselves that we have neglected for so long, and defiaonstrate that unity means equality? Surely, as we look squarely at our enemies, and see the face of brutality and hatred that stares back at all of us, that hates freedom and liberty in any form and would annihilate Gays and Lesbians at the first opportunity, the answers to these questions become dear. Buchanan has said that he approved the domestic partner policy in order to keep the county competitive in recruiting and retaining the best employees possible. He was not required to get the commissioners’ approval beforehand, although he did discuss it with them. Domestic partner benefits are common among many of Wichita’ s major employers, such as Boeing Co. Such benefits also are routinely offered by government agencies on both coasts. However, in a stretch of the country from the Mississippi River to Arizona, domestic partner benefits are offered by local governments in only four metropolitan areas: Denver; Albuquerque; Austin, Texas; and Iowa City, Iowa. "Nationwide, it’ s been going on for a good while," Norton said. "But in the Midwest, we’re probably a little far up on the curve. Whether you call it Midwest values or Moral Majority or whatever you call it, I think that’ s what you have to deal with in the Midwest." Commissioner Tom Winters said last week that he would back Buchanan’ s action because it was within the manager’s area of responsibility to make such changes. Commissioner Betsy Gwin said Monday that she initially saw the policy as a business decision to make the county a more attractive employer and to "show some sort of compassionate understanding for all people." Now, she said She is undecided after receiving about 50 phone calls and e-mails, all but one in opposition to the policy. One event raises about 4.4% of the annual budget for the Hoosier Trails Council. A Boy Scouts spokesman told The Republic that scouting programs in the county may have to be scaled back if they cannot find a replacement for Cummins’ funding. But a company statement said that the en.gine, manufacturer’s executives were revzewmg their contributions to reflect the corporation’ s values. This was not the first time the company has confronted criticism regarding its policies. Last year, Cummins’ decision to extend partner benefits to employees’ same- and oppositesex partners was met with anger by some employees and shareholders. �Helga’ Horribles present the Rocky Horror Pictu re Show followed by the Time Warp Ball Saturday, October 27 8pm midnight Doubletree Hotel Downtown 616 West Seventh � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Bin Laden Joins Anti-Gay Terrorist on Wanted List WASHINGTON, D.C. - Osama bin Laden isn’ t the only terrorist bombing suspect on the FBI’ s Ten Most Wanted list. Right here at home, the bureau is still hunting for Eric Robert Rudolph in connection with the 1996 Olympics bombing and other crimes. And some of the parallels are striking: both are trained soldiers and survivalists, accused of killing to further extreme religious and political beliefs. Both have eluded capture for years among sympathetic souls in mountainous terrain, despite a huge price on their heads. For nearly four years, agents have combed the sawtooth ridges ofwestern North Carolinafor Rudolph, an Army veteran and sometime carpenter charged with four bombings, including fatal blasts at the Atlanta Games and at an Alabama abortion clinic. Rudolph was last seen in the area in July 1998 after stealing supplies from a health store.owner. His truck had been spotted there early that year. see Terror, p. 2 Iowa Rights Group Says Add Sexual Orientation DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) "The Iowa Civil Rights Commission is recommending that the state’s civil rights law specifically prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The commission voted 6-1 in September to recommend that the Legislature add sexual orientation to the wording of the law, marking the first time it has gone on record backing that step. Commission member Alicia Claypool said the move makes sense, because there’s strong evidence of discrimination. Republican legislative leaders have opposed the step, saying the inclusion of Gays in the law gives them special treatment. A commission subcommittee that studied the proposal said the state is facing a looming shortage of workers and diversity is one way tO attract new people to the state. "If we are to grow and remain a vital and productive state, we must create a current and future workforce that is stable, wall-educated and sees Iowa as a viable place in which to grow up, live and work," said a subcommittee memo. The commission’ s recommendation likely will spark a renewed round of debate over an issue that’ s been around for years. The state’s civil rights law protects people from discrimination in employment, housing and lending based on age, color, creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sex, physical disability, or familial status: Backers long have said that Gays and Lesbians face discrimination as well andthat sexual orientation should be added to the list. The Legislature specifically rejected that step because Republicans did not want to approve a measure they said gave special protection to Gays. Gov. Tom Vilsack issued an executive order in 1999 that also would have banned discrimination based Serving:Lesbian, .Gay, Bisexual + Transgendered Tulsans, Out’Families.+ Friends i Male on Male Rape at Webster i Some Speculate Whether Anti-Gay Bias at Issue ¯¯ TULSA, Okla. (AP)-Two 14:year-old football players accused of raping a teammate with a broom handle won’t be tried as : adults, prosecutors said. The Tulsa County District Attorney’s ." Office filed rape by instrumentation charges in juvenile court ¯ against theWebster High School students. ¯ The boys are accused of forcing a 14-year-old freshman : football player to a school locker room floor and raping him with ¯. a broom handle Sept. 21. An hour later, the students allegedly _. spanked the same boy with a weight belt and pelted his genitals with traffic cones. Students said no affults were in the locker room ¯ when the alleged rape occurred. ~ Tulsa Police spokesman Lucky Lamons responded that police ¯ detectives claimtherewas no anti-Gay verbal abusewhich could indicate that this assault had aspects of a hate crime. However, ¯ several longtime community activists from TOHR and PFLAG i speculated that the assault may have ties to issues of actual or ¯ perceived sexual orientation. Officer Lamons noted that detec- ¯ tives feel one ofthe motives may have been that victim was small. ¯: The accused have been releasedfrom ajuvenile shelter on bail. ¯ Their case will remain in thejuvenile system, where the focus is : on rehabilitation rather than punishment, said Assistant District : Attorney Rebecca Nightingale. She said the district attorney’s ¯ office will not seek adult certification for the teens. Prosecutors ¯ considered the boys’ sophistication and maturity, their record : and history, the likelihood of rehabilitation in the juvenile sys- ¯ tern, and the prospects for protection of the public, she said. : Fourteen student-athletes were suspended after the incident, : and Webster’ s ninth-grade football season has been canceled. : Five students received the maximum penalty allowed under ¯ the school district’ s code of conduct - suspension for the rest of ¯ the academic year. They also were banned from ever participati ing in school sports in the district. The other nine students got ¯ five-day or 10,day suspensions. ¯" Superintendent David Sawyer warned coaches and school district employees this week not to tolerate or ignore hazing and : bullying; i TOHR Drops State Bank i overAnti-Bias Policy : TULSA (TFN)-TulsaOklahomaus forHumanRights ." (TOHR) recently transfered its business from State Bank and BancOne to Bank of Oklahoma because of : BOk has an dear non-discrimination policy which ¯ includes "sexual orientation." ." Under the direction of the organization’ s treasurer, AngelaBruce, letters were written toTOHR’ s former i bank, informing them of the reason for the change. ¯ According to TOHR spokesman, Greg Gatewood, ¯ the move was really about doing business with those : who support thecommunity_ and not doing business ¯ with those who do not. Gatewoodnoted that the funds : were not an enormous amount but should have been ¯. enough to get the institution’ s attention. ¯ Bank ofOklahoma instituted a non-discrimination ¯ policy which includes "sexual orientation" a couple i of years ago, and is the only bank in Tulsa which has ¯ included the Lesbian and Gay community in’ its : marketing outreach. State Bank’s president Don ¯ Walker was not available for comment at press time. ¯ Candidate for US Congress at TOHR ¯ On Tuesday, NOvember 13, Democratic candidate : for Oklahoma’s First Congressional District, Dong : Dodd will speak at the Community Center at 21st and ¯ Memorial at 7pro. TOHR organizers note that Cathy : Keating, one of three Republican candidates has also : been invited to meet withTOHRand the community. : Keating, unlike many Oklahoma Republicans, has ¯ stated that her campaign will exclude no one and : while announcing her candidacy at the Tulsa Press ¯ Club, Mrs. Keating noted that she was not very ¯ familiarwiththeconcemsofLesbianandGayTulsans, ~ but she is willing to educate herself. And Dodd has ¯ stated publicly his opposition to a constitutional ¯ amendment to ban same gender marriages. : Slow Come, Quick Go i KS County Gives, Now May Drop Benefits ¯ WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Sedgwick County’s new ¯ insurance benefits for unmarried domestic partners ¯ may not last more than a week. ¯ County commissioners appear to have the votes to overturn County Manager William Buchanan’ s deci- " sion to offer employees the option of extending their ; health coverage to gay or straight partners. Employ- " ees were told of their option to cover domestic part- "¯ hers in apacket ofmaterials outlininginsuranceplans ¯ for 2002. Commissioners put the item on their agenda after ¯: receiving numerous phone calls and e-mails from .. constituents who say the policy gives official sane- . tion to "sinful" unions. ¯ Commissioner Tim Norton said he originally was ¯ willing to defer to Buchanan and the county’ s human ¯ resources staff. But now, he said, he would probably ¯ vote to rescind the policy because that’s what resi- : dents have toldhim they want. "I don’ t know that this : is the right time, or the right place, for us to be ¯ stepping out and taking a leadership role on a social ¯ issue like this," he said. ¯ Commissioners Carolyn McGiunandBen Sciortino : said last week that they oppose the policy because ¯ they think the county’s health benefits should be : reserved for employees and their immediate families ¯ only. see-Wichita, p.]O DIRECTORY EDITORIAL US & WORLD NEWS Z ENTERTAINMENT+ MORE ¯ Rocky Horror Benefit, Oct. 27 ¯ TULSA (TFN) - Tulsa’ s downtown Doubletree Hotel will host : a new Halloween gala event which will benefit Tulsa Oklaho- ¯ mans for Human Rights (TOHR) and the Pyramid Project - the ¯ capital campaign to purchase a permanent community center. ¯ Helga’ s Horfibles will perform live their version of the Rocky ¯ Horror Picture Show beginning at 8:15, featuringHelga,Animal, ¯ Peaches Lennox, Anita Richards, Shirley Nott, Scott, Brenda ¯ Lynn Stewart, Patti, Crystal Meth and Johnny Cronin, all di- ¯ rected by Timothy Snapp. : After the show, the Time Warp Masquerade Ball will go till ¯ midnight. Costumes are en,co.uraged, ID is required and tickets : are $25 in advance (at Ken s Flowers, Salon 41, the Pride Store ¯" at the Center and on line at www.Pyramidproject.org) or $30 at ¯° the door. VIP tickets and tables are available. The event will offer ¯" a cash bar, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, party pies, valet parking and a dj. : Mr. Oklahoma Leather to Aid TOHRKulsa CARES ¯ The Mr. Oklahoma Leather contest which will be held atCW" s : on Oct. 19-21 will benefit TOHR/the Community Center and ¯ Tulsa C.ARES. For more information, call CW" s at 610-5323. ¯ Other Community News ¯ On Saturday, Oct. 13, PFLAG is having a Come Out and Fly ¯ Your Kite event in honor of National Coming Out Day (NCOD) ¯ at a local park. Call PFLAG at 749-4901 for more information: ¯ . Annual AIDS Walk, Oct. 6, 9:00am ¯ Saturday, Oct. 6, TulsaAIDSWalk 2001 will begin and end at ¯ Veterans Park at 21st and Boulder (site of the annual Diversity ." Festival). Funds raised at the event help TCAP, the Tulsa Com- ¯" munityAIDS Partnership (TCAP). All funds will be increasedby ¯ 50% withmatching dollars from the Elton John AIDS Foundation. TCAP helps to fund the following groups: RAIN, the ¯ Regional AIDS Interfaith Network, Tulsa CARES, theAmerican ¯ Red Cross, Red Rock Behavioral Health Services and HOPE Testing Clinic. The Walk is now eight years old and has raised : thousands of dollars for direct care and education/prevention for HEALTH NEWS on sexual orientation in state hiring, but legislative : HIV/AIDS. It is an all volunteer effort which has no administra_ : ~ GAYSTUDIES P. 10/~1 leaders successfully argued see Iowa, p.2 ¯ tive costs For more information, call 585-5551 ¯ --- ---- ~ 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 I!, 1338 E. 3rd *Vortex, 2182 S. Sheridan *The Yellow 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. 41 665-4580 Body Piercing by Nicole, 2722 E. 15 712-1122 *Borders Books & Music, 2740 E. 21 712-9955 *Borders Books & Music, 8015 S. Yale 494-2665 Brookside Jewelry, 4649 S. Peoria 743-5272 *CD Warehouse, 3807c S. Peoria 746-0313 *Cheap Thrills, 2640 E 1 lth 295-5868 Cherry St. Psychotherapy, 1515 S. Lewis 581-0902, 743-4117 Community Cleaning, Kerby Baker 622-0700 Tim Danid, Attorney 352-9504, 800-742-9468 *Deco to Disco, 3212 E. 15th Doghouse on Brookside, 3311 S. Peoria *Elite Books & Videos, 821 S. Sheridan Encompass Travel, 13161H N. Memorial Ross Edward Salon 584-0337, Events Unlimited, 507 S. Main Floral Design Studio, 3404 S. Peoria Four Star Import Automotive, 9906~E. 55th H. Cathy Furlong, Ph.D., 1980 Utica Sq. Med. Ctr. Gay & Lesbian Affordable Daycare *Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee, 1758 E. 21st Leanne M. Gross, Insurance & financial planning Mark T. Hamby, Attorney *Sandra J. Hill, MS, Psychotherapy, 2865 E. Skelly *International Tours Jacox Animal Clinic, 2732 E. 15th *Jared’ s Antiques, 1602 E. 15th David Kauskey, Country Club Barbering The Keepers, Housekeeping & Gardening *Ken’s Flowers, 1635 E. 15 Kelly Kirby, CPA, 4021 S. Harvard, #210 *Living ArtSpace, 308 South Kenosha *Midtown Theater, 319 E. 3rd Mingo Valley ~Flowers, 9720c E. 31 *Mohawk Music, 6157 E 51 Place Puppy Pause II, 1060 S. Mingo *The Pride Store Rainbowz on the River B+B, PUB 696, 74101 Richard’s Carpet Cleaning Teri Schutt, Ellen & Co. *Tulsa Comedy Club, 6906 S. Lewis Venus Salon, 1247 S. Harvard Fred Welch, LCSW, Counsding *Wherehouse Music, 5150 S. Sheridan *Whittier News Stand, 1 N. Lewis www.gaytulsa.org - website for Tulsa Gays & Lesbians Tulsa Agencies, Churches, Schools & Universities AIDS Walk Tulsa, PUB 4337, 74101 579-9593 All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria 743-2363 Black & White, Inc. PUB 14001, Tulsa 74159 587-7314 Bless The Lord at All Times Christian Center, 2207 E. 6 583-7815 B/L/G/T Alliance, Univ. of Tulsa United Min. Ctr. 583-9780 Chamber of Commerce Bldg., 616 S. Boston 585-1201 *Chapman Student Ctr., University of Tulsa, 5th PI. & Florence Church of the Restoration UU, 1314N.Greenwood 587-1314 *Community of Hope Church, 2545 S. Yale 747-6300 *Community Unitarian-Universalist Congregation 749-0595 Coundl Oak Men’ s Chorale 748-3888 *Delaware Playhouse, 1511 S. Delaware 712-1511 *Democratic Headquarters, 3930 E. 31 742-2457 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 834-7921,748-0224 481-0558 835-5563 743-1733 665-2222 592-0767 ¯ 918.583.1248, fax: 583.4615 ." PUB 4140, Tulsa, OK 74159, e-mail: TulsaNews@earthlink.net ; Publisher + Editor: Tom Neal ¯ Writers + contributors: James Christjohn, Karin Gregory, Barry ." Hensley, J.-P. Legrandbouche, Lamont Lindstrom, Esther Rothblum, Mary Schepers, Hughston Walkinshaw ." Member o! 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 andmay not be reproduced either in whole or in ¯ part without written permission from the publisher. Publica- .- lion of a name or photo does not indicate a person’ s sexual ¯ orientation. Correspondence is assumed to be for publication ¯ unless otherwise noted, must be signed & becomes the sole : property of Tulsa Family News. Each reader is entitled to 4 ¯ copies of each edition at distribution points. ¯ Additional copies are available by Calling 583-1248. : Dignity/Integrity of Tulsa- Lesbian & Gay Catholics & : Episcopalians, PUB 701475, 74170-1475 ¯ 355-3140 *Fellowship Congreg. Church, 2900 S. Harvard 747-7777 ." *Free SpiritWomen’ s Center,call forlocation &info: 587-4669 ¯ Friend For A Friend, PUB 52344, 74152 747-6827 ¯ Friends inUnity Social Org., PUB 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 P1. 748-3111 ¯ NOW, Nat’l Org. forWomen, PUB 14068, 74159 365-5658 ¯ OK Spokes Club (bicycling), PUB 9165, 74157 ¯ *OSU-Tulsa ¯ PFLAG, PUB 52800, 74152 749-4901 ¯ *Planned Parenthood, 1007 S. Peoria 587-7674 Prime-Timers, P.O. Box 52118, 74152 627-2359 ¯ 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. Dlmstan’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 ¯ *TulsaArea 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 ¯ ¯ TulsaOkla. for Human Rights, Gay Comm. Center 743-4297 TUL-PAC, PositiveAdvocacy Coalition, 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 ¯" Bardesville 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, PUB 1570 918-453-9360 ¯ EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS ¯ Autunm 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 ¯ Heart of the Hills B&B, 5 Summit St. 501-363-9203 ." MCC of the Living Spring 501-253-9337 : Geek to Go!, PC Specialist, PUB 429 501-253-2776 .- Old Jailhouse Lodging, 15 Montgomery 501-253-5332 ¯ Positive Idea Marketing Hans 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 canfindTFN. NotallareGay-owned butallare Gay.friendly. Authorities say they also ran across some of his camping sites and found garbage or buried debris connected to him. Now,a taskforce coordinating the Rudolph search has dwindled from 200 agents to just afew. "No question that the focus rightnow for the immediate need of agents for time and resources" is to investigate last week’ s terror attacks, said Patrick Crosby, a spokes~ man for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta. But Crosby added: "Nobody’ s dropping anything on Rudolph or the investigation." Rudolph, for whose capture an award of $1 million has been offered, is believed to adhere to Christian Identity, a white supremacist religion that is rabidly anti-Gay, anti- Semitic and anti-foreigner. Sdme of the four bombs Rudolph was charged with planting included messages from the shadowy"Army of God." Western North Carolina has long had a reputation as ahavenforright-wing extremists. Many there mocked the government’ s inability to find Rudolph with bloodhounds, infrared-equippedhelicopters and space-age motion detectors- and some said they would hide him if asked. Bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi who helped push the Soviets out of Afghanistan, has likewise become an almost mythic figure in Islamic militant circles. His protectors have not been swayed by a $5 million bounty. "These are both men who are pursuing their personally received messages, supposedly from God, and who are ruthless as a result," said Mark Potok, who tracks domestic terrorists for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala. "presumably, there’s a litde more national will involved in the bin Laden case," he says. ’¢Fhis is a sdckin the eye ofAmerica inaway that the Rudolph attacks really were not." i Cummins Ends ¯ Support for Scouts in court that he had exceeded his authority. Vilsack challenged lawmakers to take that step on their own, but the issue hash’ t been debated since the legal battle. Republican legislative leaders have refused to bring the measure up for debate. Subcommittee members said the numbers alone argue for protecting Gays and Lesbians, because estimates are that up to 4% of the state’ s population is Gay, roughly 114,500 people. That’ s a larger population than the 2.8% of the state that is Hispanic and2.1% African-Americanpopulation, they said. ¯ COLUMBUS, Ind. - Heavy engine manu- ¯ facturer Cummins Inc. almonnced Sept. 18 ¯ it plans to stop sponsoring an event that ¯ raises money for the Boy Scouts ofAmerica ¯ because of the organization’ s ban on Gays ¯ serving as troop leaders, according to The ¯ Associated Press. ¯ Cnmmins has beenamajor donor to scout- ¯ ing programs, in Indiana’s Bartholomew ¯" County. seeScouts,p.11 by Rich Tafel Everything in America has changed since the attacks of September 11,2001. While.Americans return to work and theirdaily lives, Washington-based special interest groups are struggling to figureout where to go from here. The Sierra Club, which earlier this year saw an increase infundraising fromils attacks onnewly-inaugurated President George W. Bush, has sent a memo to their leading members instructing them to stop bashing the president. Other groups preparing to spend millions onad campaigns to fight the "lfckbox" budget wars have gone silent. Democrats and Republicans are working together. Gay organizations are not sure how to respond. The debate in Washington. now revolves around a central question - do Gay groups move ahead with the "old" agenda items? Dothey put Gay-specific issues on hold? Or, do they rise to meet the new challenges fa,c.ing Gay Americans in this new period, even ifthey don t fit what -these groups have long argued was "the Gay agenda"? Tome whathas ehangedmost since September 11 is the rubric for debate. Throughout the years, Gay activists have relied on a paradigm of "victimization" to formulate their agenda for advancing our community’ sinterests. A divergence of reality began to take place, where our political leaders argued our lives were getting worse and worse while, in reality, we were gaining greater acceptance. In the end, Gay.politics became dominated by a "virtual victimization, with our own sogiety full of enemies oppressing us. Obscured by this paradigm was the reality that, while we still have barriers to dear, life for Gay Americans has never been better. The "virtual victimization" paradigm may have fit the time. But there was a cost. Gay Americans who bought into this paradigm were left to believe that the power to live life on their own terms 4s outside their control. "Virtual victims’" become increasingly alienated from society, moreinward-driven, and less connected to a sense of personal responsibility about how their lives tnm out. We’ 11 look back on the 1990’ s with an almost embarrassing realization of just how self-absorbed we were. The same Gay community whose political leaders demanded employment anti-discrimination laws and hate crime protections was travding on RSVP cruises, packing warehouse circuit parties, and filling black-tie dinner halls to hear keynote addresses from Hollywood celebrities. If the attack on September 11 shocked our nation back to reality, it might do the same for the Gay movement. At LEF’s July leadership conference, entitled "Redefining the Gay Agenda," syndicated columnist Hasting Wyman made an observation about why Vice President AI Gore, the 2000 Democratic nominee for President, didn’t do better among Gay voters even though he supported what was knows as the Gay agenda: "... I think this raises an interesting question and I say a question, not a conclusion. ...A lot of the Gay agenda, while it may be right or it may be wrong, it’s not terribly relevant to the average Gay person." Hastings is right, and as we examine what is real and relevant in our lives after September 11. Now is the time to reject the "virtual victim" paradigm and, maybe for the first lime ever, think of ourselves as fellow Americans, united with the rest of the nation, confronting a common enemy. I think Gays and Lesbians get this, even if our leadership doesn’ t. One thing is clear as I walk through the Gay neighborhoods of Washington, where the American flag is draped from hundreds of windows, and as I read of a conservative Republican Senator eulogizing Mark Bingham as an American hero who save the U.S. Capitol, Gays and Lesbians are part of the greatness of America and they know it. What unique role can Gays and Lesbians play as we unite against the terrorists? First, Gay and Lesbian leaders can stop the incessant negative backbiting against President Bushand his administration. Like every other American, we need him to succeed in this mission. Throw away those "He’ s Not My President" t-shirts. Gay organization leaders need to stop referring to him as the "enemy" - we ¯ have a clear enemy today, that is absolutely bent on our ¯¯ collective destruction, who brutalizes women, murders Gays and sees a free society as the world’ s greatest evil. : Now is not the time to attack the President. This will be ¯ the hardest for groups whosefundraising has depended on ¯ demonizing him, butnext time they doit,weall~eed to ask ¯ them to refrain. That doesn’t mean we cannot disagree ¯ with President Bush or abrogate the freedoms we are truly ¯ fighting to defend, but as fellow Americans we have a : common moral duty to rekindle-a tone of respect for the ¯ office of the presidency, and for the burden on the man ¯ who sits there today. "Gay organizations are not sure how to respond. The debate in Washington now revolves around a central question - do Gay groups move ahead with the old" aCenda items? Do they put Gay-speciflc issues on hold? Or, do they rise to meet the new challenges facing Gay Americans in this new period, even ff they don’t fit what these groups have long argued was "the Gay agenda’S." New, more pressing issues have come to the forefront and need our attention. Gay couples and families have been ripped apart in the attacks. We must be vigilant in ensuring that those left behind are not cut off from survivor benefits and legal rights that they deserve. We as a community should take notice of the vital importance of partner benefits andresponsibilities in light of this tragedy and ensure we have provided for our loved ones should anything happen to us. Donating blood surfaced as an issuein the days after the ¯ attacks. The RedCross policy on donating bloodis dearly ¯ out of date and harmful in how absolute its exclusion of ¯ Gay men has been since the 1980’s. The only response ¯ from Gay leaders thus far is still ringing of victimization, ¯ or has just been silence for fear of raising an issue that : makes us all sound selfish. ¯ However, there is a "united we stand" approach to ¯ giving blood. Again, sad as it is, there will likely be need ¯ for more blood before this war is over. We should respect- " fully, without fanfare and action alerts, approach the Red ~ Cross and explain that Gay men would like to hdp the ¯ effort. While we do understand that Gay men are more ¯ likely to be HIV positive then the general public, we ¯ should not confuse sexual orientation with health status, : and the policy should be consistent in its approach to ¯ sexual behavior. For instance, heterosexuals with mul- ¯ . tiple partners are not screened outin thesame way as aGay ¯ man who has had sex once since 1977. ; During times of war, scapegoats are often sought out in ¯ every society. Will Gays and Lesbians become targets of ¯ greater hate crime activity? I doubt it. But I do believe that : Arab Americans or anyonelooking like them will be. The ¯ greatest weapon against intolerance is educating our- " selves, so we should be role models. ¯ In the "unitedwe stand" paradigm,we can explain to the ¯ public that we know what it is like to bejudged, discrimihated against and even physically beaten because of who : weare. Thoughweknow many Islamicleaders inAmerica : have shown little tolerance for Gays and Lesbians, we as ¯ acommunitylove andrespect ourfellow Americaus under ¯ attack. We support them and their civil rights, so that we : never again make the mistake of how we treated Japanese ¯ Americans in World War II. ¯ The overall paradigm of the Gay civil rights movement ¯ must change, see Change, p.ll " Welcome to Our Reality : by Tom Neal, editor &publisher ¯ Hate crimes have beenmuch onmymind in theseweeks ¯ since the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. This : horror has brought out the best in so many Americans but it has also brought out the worst in a few. Some of those few have used this mad event as an ¯" excuse to express their prejudices, theirracism, their anti- " immigrant bigotry, and their homophobia, around the : country as well as here in Tulsa. ¯ In Tulsa, we’ ve seen the beating of a Pakistani man and : apparently, according to Barbara Moore of the Asian- " American Society, others who are perceived as "foreign" ¯ have been harassed. No one in th.e Gay communities has missed the shameless opportunism of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, perhaps the greatest disgraces to contemporary Christendom, at trying to incite violence against Lesbians and Gay Americans and others in the wake of the terrorist ¯ attack. : My comment to our Muslim and Asian sisters and ¯ brothers is welcome to our reality of violence, prejudice ¯ and hatredin Tulsa. What you’re experiencing as,new has : been our ongoing reality. What you’re experiencing as a : new sensation of lack of safety has long been our experi- ¯ But while attacks on you are decried by Tulsa’ s pro- : foundly hypocritical "do-good" organizations: NCCJ, ¯ Jewish Federation, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry, Tulsa ¯ Interfaith Alliance, those same groups have been shame- : fully silent when Gay men were brutally beaten like the ¯ Tulsa Pakistani man. ¯ It’ s not that they didn’ t know that the attacks happened. ¯ Tim Beauchamp and Tony Orr’ s beating on Brookside a few years ago was well reportedin this newspaper as well ¯ as in The World. Beauchamp and Orrlater testified before ¯ the US House of Representatives about their beating, a ¯ fact also reported by The WorM. ¯ I personally told Nancy Day ofNCCJ of themost recent ¯ beating ofaGay man which this newspaper reportedin our ¯ August issue. But neither Ms. Day nor NCCJ, nor any ¯ other of these organizations has felt it incumbent to ¯ express for Gay Tulsans what they fall over themselves to ¯ do for Muslim Tulsans. ¯ Clearly themessage here is that NCCJ, Jewish Federa- ¯ tion, and possibly TMM and Tulsa Interfaith Alliance do ¯ not consider the attacks on Gay Tulsans to rise to the same level of concern as the attacks on other minorities. Or if ¯ perhaps their values are slightly more humane, then they ¯ are cynically utterly unwilling to expend any oftheir effort ¯ or "capital" in acting upon them. ¯ As horrible as it to contemplate, for some time I have been convinced that the only thing that would get these : groups off dead center would be for Tlffsa to have our own ¯ Matthew Shepard murdered- as much as I pray that such will never happen. ¯ What is it about this city that it is so profoundly morally ¯ bankrupt that only the veritible cruxcifiction of an iuno- ¯ cent might, and only_ might, move them to acknowledge ¯ the right of Lesbian and Gay Tulsans to live unassaulted ¯ and with even a fractiOi~ of the civil rights and other legal : protections other residents, including other minorities, : take for granted? ¯ Indeed I am glad to see that attacks against Muslim and ¯ others are condemned. I also am glad to see new networks ¯ formed to address hate crimes but I am deeply troubled : that this new effort, again, starts by excluding Gay and ¯ Lesbian Tulsans and describes hate crimes only as race, ¯ religion and ethnicity when those who hate, attack race, ¯ ethnicity, rdigion and sexual orientation equally, and ¯ sometimes us first. ¯ ¯ The latest Tulsa anti-hate crime network did invite our Nancy McDonald, PFLAGfounder, butit’ s not at all dear ¯ that she was invitedinher role as a more acceptable proxy ¯ for Gay folk but rather in her role as new co-convertor of ¯ the Say No to Hate Coalition. ¯ see Hate, p. 10 Czechs Seek Partners Recognition PRAGUE, .Czech Republic (AP) - Czech Gays and Lesbians soon could become the first in a former communist country to be allowed to register their partnerships. Prime Minister Milts Zeman’ s Cabinet has thrown its supportbehind a draftlaw grantingGays equal rights with the rest of the population. And backers ofthelegislation say they’ ve neverhada better chance for passage of the measure. The bill gives Gay and Lesbian couples the same fights as those of heterosexual ones in areas such as inheritance and health insurance. Couples would be ¯ allowed to seal their partnerships at local government offices, and severing a union would require a courtapproved divorce. The draft, approved by the Cabinet, however; bars couples from adopting children. Legislation that would allow homosexual unions already has been turned down twice by the Czech parliament, in 1997 and 1999. But this time will be different, Gay activists say. "Public opinion has changed," said Jiri Hromada, an activist. "Any deputy should listen to that." A May survey by the state-sponsored CVVM polling agency said only33%of those polled opposed such a law, compared to 42% in 1999. The margin of error was 3%, To pass, supporters of the law need only a simple majority in the 200-seat chamber. Since the ruling party holds 74 seats, supporters say they only need just over two dozen votes to make the measure pass. Several other European nations already extend legal fights to same-sex partners. Denmark granted legal rights in 1989, a move followed later by other countries, including Swedenand the Netherlands. Germany recently began to allow Gay couples to register their unions, and in the United States, Vermont became the first state to recognize same-sex unions last year. The Czech Republic wouldbe the firstpost-communist country, however, to approve such a measure. Most post-communist societies, burdened with massive economic troubles, have largely neglected such social questions. Opponents arebracing for afight. TheRomanCatholic Church, which has long opposed such unions, sponsored a petition to pressure the parliament to reject the measure. Petition organizer Josef Zeman of the Brat-based group National Center for Family says 72,000 have already signed. Some 2.7 million people in theCzechRepublic say they are Roman Catholic: "It will have an irreversible impact on those young people who still are not clear about their sexual orientation,’" Zeman warned. The draft law should be discussed in the lower ch~amber, the House of Deputies, by the end of this year. Cleveland United Way Drops-Boy Scouts CLEVELAND (AP) - The Clevdand chapter of the United Way has decided to stop funding traditional Boy Scouts programs that discriminate against Gays. The money will instead go to Boy-Scout-affiliated programs such as Learning for Life, a program that does not prohibit Gay menfrom being leaders. -. Earlier this month, United Way Services of Greater Cleveland shifted $268,000 in Boy Scout donations to the Learning for Life program, said Mike Benz, president Of the local United Way organization. The program will be taught in Cleveland, Bedford and Lakewood public schools and teaches children to apply classroom lessons in their everyday life. Last year, the United Way Services gave about $90,000 ofits Boy Scout donation to Learning for Life. This year, the group considered cutting support to the Boy Scouts entirely but decided instead to shift all of its donation to~ngfor Life. ." Susan Lewis, spokeswoman for the Greater Cleve- ." land Council for the Boy Scouts of America, said ¯ shifting the money to a Boy Scout-affiliated program : was a good compromise. She said her chapter will try : to shiftaround other donormoney tomake upforlosing ¯¯ the United Way funding, which accounts for about 14% of t!~ir budget. Nearly 50 United Ways across the ¯ country and a dozen corporations have quit giving ¯ money to Boy Scouts of America since ihe U.S. Su- ¯ preme Court last year upheld the Scouts’ right to reject ¯ homosexual leaders. _" Jan Cline, an Eagle Scout and associate director of ¯ the Lesbian Gay Community ServiceCenter in Cleve- ¯ land, said he wanted United Ways to stop funding the : Boy Scouts altogether until they stop discriminating. : "If I give to United Way, I don’ t want one cent to go ¯ to Boy Scouts," Cline said. "There’ s no betterplace for ¯ boys tolearn citizenship, personal fitness and camping ¯ skills. But by enforcing a membership standard that : teaches young Gaymentheirfeelings are second-class, ¯ they’re teaching bigotry and discrimination." ¯ None of the Northeast Ohio United Way organiza- ¯ tions,including UuitedWay Services ofGreaterCleve- ¯ land, has employment policies that prohibit discrimi- ¯ nation against Gays. Finland Recognizes Same Gender Partners HELSINKI, Finland (AP) - Lawmakers passed a goveminent proposal recently that makes Gay partnerships legally binding but stops short of letting Gay couples adopt children or use the same surname. The bill, which comes into force next year, was approved 99 to 84, with 17 abstentions or absentees. The new law says Finns who are at least 18 can register a same-sex union in a civil ceremony comparable to matrimony. It also give~ Gay couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples when inheriting each other’ s property and in cases of divorce. TheFinnish Lesbian andGay AsSociationwelcomed the law but said it wished it went further. ’q’his at long last gives Gay couples the rights they deserve," said Rainer Hiltunen, the association’s secretary-general. "But it’ s a compromise, and we are disappointed that it doesn’ t secure the rights of chil&en in a Gay marriage because they can only be registered to one parent." The Finnish Evangdical Lutheran Church, to which 85% of the 5.2 million population belongs, has opposed giving Gay partners the same rights as married couples. However, Archbishop Jukka Paarma has said that the legal position of homosexual and Lesbian couples should be improved. The new law is in line with similar legislation in the other Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, where Gay partnerships have been legalized. Denmark and Iceland permit adoptions by Gay couples in certain circumstances. Houston Partner ¯ Benefits Up for Vote ¯" HOUSTON (AP) - Houston, voters in November will ¯ consider whether the city should offer health and other ~ benefits to same-sex parmers of its employees. The : Houston City Council approved for the Nov. 6 ballot a ¯ referendum that, ifpassed,-wouldprohibit the cityfrom ¯ providing same-sex benefits. The city doesn’t offer : thosebenefits now, but had been considering changing ¯ its benefits policy to include them. ¯ The council approved the ballot addition by a 9-5 vote after City Secretary AnnaRnssell validatedenough ¯ signatures on petitions to call for a vote. Petitioner ¯ Dave Wilson, who,opposes offering same-sex ben- . efits, led an effort to gather 21,028 signatures on those ¯ petitions. City law requires 20~000 valid signatures ." from registered voters in Houston to force a vote on a ¯ change to the city charter. "1623 N. Maplewood (918) 838-1715 mcctu/saOaoLcom 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, 6prn 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, 800-44d-5934 Family Owned & Operated Trinna L. W. Burrows, LSW, ACSW Child, Family, Individual & Couple Psychotherapy (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 Heart of the Hills Bed & Breakfast 5 Summit, Eurel~a Springs, Arkansas 501 - 363 - 9203 Come Stay Us for the Next Diversity Celebration, Nov. 2 - 4 Red Rock Tulsa Free Confidential HIV Testing Walk-in Cgtnics Tues. & Thurs., 5 -8 pm at the Center, 1307 East 38th Daytime appointments available. Call for more information: 918-584-2325 d i Ame.rlcan Red Cross American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter 10151 East Eleventh Tulsa 74128 Dannette Mclntosh Diversity Co-ordinator 838-1100 OPENARMS OPEN MINDS OPEN HEARTS 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 CouncilwrmanAnniseP~rker, thecity"srnly openly Gay elected official, voted against adding the referendum to the ballot, claiming that Russell missed errors orirregularities on !, 101 signatures. MayorLee Brown said he intends to oppose the referendum and that authorities should investigate any possible fraud. Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said his office would investigate if a complaint is fried. Wilson said he knew of no problems with the petitions or signatures. Houston voters in 1985 nullified a nondiscrimination ordinance approved by the council. Earlier this year, the council approved.a similar ordinance protecting Gays and Lesbians from discrimination, and the Nov. 6 referendum does not address the ordinance. Gay Adoption Considered In Nebraska LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - As the state Supreme Court prepares to hear a case that could decide ifGay couples have the right to adopt children, groups on both sides are weighing in on the dispute. Thehigh court is to hear the case next week of a Lincoln Lesbian who wants her lover to be able to adopt her 3-year-old boy. The case already has generated so-called "friend of the court" briefs from scores of organizations, including: theAmerican Psychological Association; the Family Research Institute; the Alliance for Children’s Rights; The National Organization for Women; the National Adoption Center; and the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. The Nebraska Catholic Conference, the Family Research Council, the Nonpartisan Family Coalition and Family First also have weighed in. The boy, called "Luke" in court papers, was born to "B.P," in 1997 through artificial inseminataon. The boy has lived with his mother and her lover, "A.E.," since birth. The two women were joined in a commitment ceremony in 1995, according to court records. Such ceremonies are not recognized as marriages in Nebraska, where voters last year approved a measure to keep same-sex marriages from being legally recog- B.P. already has custody of her 9-year-old son from a previous marriage. While Nebraska law contains no specific provision prohibiting adoptions by Gay couples, Deputy Attorney General Steve Grasz said does not mean it is legal. He also said A.E. has no legal rights to adopt the child, even though she has helped raise him. "Such caregivers, unlike parents, possess no substantive liberty interest in the child," he said in briefs filed in the case. "No fundamental constitutional right has been accorded in the law to individuals such as foster parents, grandparents, caregivers or ’partners’ of parents even though they have a deep emotional attachment to the child." Amy Miller, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, dismissed those arguments. "The state’ s bias is based on its discomfort with A.E. and B.P.’ s relationship, but is irrelevant asthe real issue is Luke’ s interests," she said. "The law only inquires into the best interests of the child to be adopted. Court Rejects Gag on Play FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A federal appeals court has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block a controversial student play, ruling that the issue is moot since the play has already been performed. The 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago last week rejected the complaint filed by opponents of the play "Corpus Christi" who accused Indiana University-Purdue University ofusing taxpayermoney to support an attackon Christianity. Theplayfeatured aGay, Christ-like characternamed Joshua and 12 other male characters, most of whom had the names of Christ’s disciples. In a one-page orderissued Sept. 19, the court said the ;" issues raised on appeal do not merit’fotther consider: ¯¯ ation because theplay has already been performed. Six sold-out performances took place Aug. 10 to 18 in a ¯ theater on the university’ s Fort Wayne campus. ¯ Opponents led by former Republican gubernatorial : candidate John Price had argued that staging the play ¯ on the grounds of a state university_violated the consti- : tutional separation of church and state. ¯ Attorney Stephen R. Pennell represented the univer- ¯ sity in thelawsuit. He said school leaders were pleased ¯ by the court’ s action. "The play has been performed, so ¯ there is no longer any relief the court could grant that ¯ would be effective in any way, so the point is moot," ¯ Pennell told The Journal Gazette. The same appeals court ruled Aug. 7 in favor of ¯ allowing "Corpus Christi" to be performed while the ¯ appeal was pending. The decision upheld a July ruling ¯ by U.S. District Judge William C. Lee, who said : issuing a preliminary inJunction against theproduction ¯ would cause more harm than allowing the play to : proceed. ¯ Patricia Corbat of Fort Wayne, one of the three ¯ plaintiffs participating in the appeal, was not sure ¯ whether there are any other ways to pursue the com- . plaint. ¯° She said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks put the churchstate relationship in a new perspective. "We don’t ¯ allow prayer in government at all, but all of a sudden ¯ everyone in government is praying," Corbat told the ¯ newspaper. "I just think that, all of a sudden, we’re : trying to get back in God’ s graces.’" Maine City OKs Civil Rights Bill BANGOR, Maine (AP) - Bangor became the 1 lth ¯ Maine city to enact a Gay civil rights ordinance when ¯ the city council approved the law by a lopsided vote. ¯ The law, approved by an 8-1 vote, bars discrimination ¯ based on sexual orientation in housing, public accom- ¯ modations, credit, education and employment. It is ." similar to measures that have been enacted by the ¯ Legislature, but overturned by Maine voters. ¯ The Bangor council’s passage came a week after a ¯ three-hour public hearing on the measure. Supporters ¯ said such a law is long overdue 17 years after a Gay i youth named Charlie Howard died after being thrown off a downtown Bangor bridge by three local teen- " agers. ¯ But opponents cited religious objections, and said it ¯ is an unneeded extension of the Maine Human Rights ¯ Act that_ should be decided by voters. Some asserted ¯ that the-law confers special rights on a specific group. ¯ Maine voters last November turned down a law that would have outlawed discrimination based on sexual ¯ orientation. Similar bills had been rejected by the : Legislature for two decades until 1997, when a mea- ¯ sure was enacted and signed by Gov. Angus King. ¯ Voters repealed it in 1998, and lawmakers responded ¯ by sending a new bill back to referendum. ~ While the state’ s voters repealed the Gay civil rights ¯ question in 2000, a majority of voters in Bangor ¯ favored the state law. After Monday night’s council ¯ vote, about two dozen spectators broke into applause. ¯ "Equal rights and equal dignity are not special rights," ¯ said Councilor Joe Baldacci, who sponsored the pro- " posal with Councilor Judy Vardamis. : An opponent, Bangor Baptist Church Pastor Jerry ¯ Mick, said he believed a planned effort to repeal the ¯ ordinance could be successful. ¯ Challenges to Gay civil rights laws in other Maine : cities have had mixed results. In 1992, Portland voters ¯ rejected a proposal to overturn the city’s Gay civil ", rights ordinance. But Lewiston voters repealed their : city’ s ordinance a year later. Los kn0olos May ment would prevent the city from provid- Host 2006 Games LOS ANGELES (AP) -Anonprofitgroup will send a delegation to SouthAfricanext month to lobby forthe city to host the2006 Gay Games, an Olympics-styl_e~l. event~that draws Gay and Lesbian athletes trom around the world. Los Angeles faces three other finalists - Chicago, Atlanta and Montreal - in its bid to host the games, which have been held every four years since 1982: As many as 15,000 competitors take part in the games, drawing upward of 250,000 spectators. The Federation of Gay Games will begin the selection process in Johannesburg, South Africa on Oct. 21, with the winning city announced four days later. The Gay Games include more than 30 sports, from aerobics to sailing to wrestling. The event was founded by Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell after enduring jokes and harassment on the sports circuit. The two-weekGay Games VII wouldbe the largest single event inLos Angeles in the next five years, according to the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau. The games could generate as much as $400 million for the city. San Francisco has played host to two previous games. Los Angeles has bid on the games, but has never been selected. LOs Angeles als0 is seeking to host the 2012 summer Olympic Games. Tt{~’summer Olympiad previously was held in the city in 1932 and 1984. Members of the nonprofit Los Angeles 2006 Inc. group that is seeking to draw the Gay Games said many Olympic venues would be used during the event. Michigan City to Vote Against Gays paign is under way here in the campaign over an anti-Gay civil rights proposal on the Nov. 6 city ballot. Both sides pledge to keep debate civil. But city voters could face an onslaught of door-to-door campaigns, yard signs, telephone polls, radio talk show forums and church debate. "We feel there is a great deal of discrimination in the impetus to getting this ballot initiative. It just r’eally stinks," said Robert Dempsey, campaign manager for the group fighting the proposal. It has been more than a year since City Manager Pat DiGiovatmi enacted a policy allowing Gay city employees to cover their parmers under health insurance. Opponents immediately moved to put before voters a broadly worded charter amendment that bans the city from adopting any ordinances or policies that give special preference based on sexual orientation. "We plan to explain to people why this is a bad amendment," said Dempsey, of Kalamazoo Against Discrimination. " The Michigan branch of the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association is aiding the group seeking the Kalamazoo Gays-rights b~a. The group’ s Michigan president said he is hopeful for its passage because the public is returning to spirituality. "Churches are full. People are returning to a faith in.God," said Gary It is unclear whether the charter amending employee benefits to Gay couples. City attorneys say the policy does not mention sexual orientation and therefore maynotbevoidediftheamendmentpasses. So far, "very few" of about 900 city employees have applied for same-sex benefits, said City Attorney Robert Cinabro. Kalamazoo is among three cities in Michigan and 17 communities nationwide that will vote on Gay civil rights measures in November. Huntington Woods and Traverse City also are voting on human rights measures. "The whole country will be watching the three communities in Michigan," said ;can Kosofsky, director of policy and victim services for the Triangle Foundation, a Detroit-based Gay civil rights organization. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Washington, D.C., last week announcedit will give $10,000 to Kalamazoo Against Discrimination. Meanwhile, American Family Association is supporting Kalamazoo Citizens Voting Yes For Equal Rights Not Special Rights, which is promoting the proposal. That group has about 50 volunteers, about half of whom live outside the city, the Kalamazoo Gazette said Sunday. Among themis the group’ s spokesman, Kalamazoo County Commissioner Jack Hoogendyk Jr. of Portage. "I have interest because I work in the city," Hoogendyk said. "Most people rig,h,t now have no clue what the issues are. Massachusetts May Add Benefits BOSTON (AP) - Gay, Lesbian and unmarried state workers would be able to get health insurance for their domestic partners under a bill approved by a key state Senate committee late in September. The bill, approved by the Senate Ways and MeansCommittee, would also let cities and towns decide to offer domestic parmer benefits as a local option. ¯ A domestic partner is defined by .the bill ¯ as someone of the same or opposite sex ¯ who shares financialresponsibilities and a ¯ home with a state employee. They must ¯ also say that they are in a relationship of ¯ "mutual support, care and commitment" and plan to live together indefinitely. : The Senate has approved two similar : bills in recent yb,ars. None became law. "I ¯ approach it as a matter of basic fairness," ¯ said Senate President Thomas Birming- ¯ ham, D-Chelsea. ¯ The full Senate is scheduled to vote on ¯ the bill soon. It is also expected to vote on ¯" bills that would allow Cambridge and ¯ Brookline to extend domesticpartner ben- " efits to their employees. Opponents of domestic partner benefits ¯ say they places homosexual relationships : on the same level as heterosexual mar- " riages. They also say that giving nnmar- ¯ ried heterosexual couples the same ben- " efits as married couples weakens theinsti- ¯ tution of marriage. ¯ In 1998, the Legislature passed a bill "- allowing Boston to provide the benefits - ¯ known as a"home rule petition" - but the ¯ bill was vetoed by former Gov. Paul Cdlucci. Conne . Kelly Kirb.y, CPA, 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 SOuth Harvard Avenue, Suite 210, Tulsa 74135 :¯ HIV ACtiViStS Educate Online ¯ ~AMI (AP) - Lighted by the blue glow ¯" of a portable computer, Marc Cohen is ¯ blazing a new trail in AIDS awareness. He : logs on to the Intemet, surfs into a busy chat room and uses his screen name - ¯ hivoutreachmiami@aol.com- to answer ¯ questions aboutAIDS, hepatitis and other ¯ sexually transmitted diseases. "Awareness Alert," he types in bold ¯ letters. "Miami is now secondinthenation ¯ for syphilis infection. Wilton Manors has ¯ hadan outbreak, too. STDand HIV screen- , ings can be done free of charge." "We are not the sex police," said Cohen, ¯ president of the United Foundation for- ¯ AIDS, a South Beach-based group-that offers counseling; HIV screening and ¯ therapy to people with the AIDS virus that ¯ causes AIDS. ¯ With the AIDS epidemic in its third ¯ decade, Cohen and a cadre of national ¯ AIDS prevention advocates are invading : chat rooms to get the attention of those ¯ most at risk of HIV infection. It’ s an ap- : proach that counselors and health Officials ¯ from San Francisco to South Beach be¯ lieve is working. Finding new ways to reach the (principal) at-risk groups - de- " fined as young Gay and Bisexual men, ¯ especially blacks - has been a focus of ¯ AIDS awarenes~ conferences. ¯ As chat-room counselors, they answer- " questions about HIV, hepatitis and syphi- ¯ lis that many would feel uncomfortable ¯ asking in person or on the phone. The ¯ Internet provides anonymity. "We treat it ~ as an opportunity for in-depth individual education," said Joseph Interrante, execu¯ tive director of Tennessee’ s Nashville CARES, an AIDS organization with staff ¯ members dispensing information in chat ¯ rooms. "The education actually becomes ¯ an online counseling session." ¯ Increasingly, warnings andAIDS statis- ¯ tics have fallen on the deaf ears of a ¯ younger, more reckless generation, health officials say. This summer, the U.S. Cen- ¯ ters for Disease Control and Prevention ¯ reported that among young men who have ¯ sex with other men, 4.4% - about 1 in 25 ¯ - get HIV. That’ s the same infection rate : asin the 1980s, before AIDS prevention ¯ methods andresearchtookroot. In Florida, ¯ blacks accounted for almost six of every : 10 new cases of HIV infection in the past ¯ four years. : Another trend: syphilis outbreaks in ¯ Wilton Manors, South Beach and Liberty -" City. Health officials say thegrowing num- ," bers are a signal mean thatGay and Bi- : sexual men are encouraged by news of ¯ powerfully effective drug cocktails and longerlife spans and are less worried about ", HIV infection. ¯ "The oldmodds do notwork," said Jeff ¯ Wilkinson of the South Beach AIDS ¯ Project, where staff members cruise chat : rooms as sobequest @aol.com. They an- ¯ swer questions and ask others to share ¯ what they learn. "The more the pebble hits ¯ the pond, the more it ripples out." ¯ Cohen says he spends at least 25 hours a ¯ week online as hivoutreachmiami on : America Online. His online profile gives ¯ information about syphilis, how itis trans- " mitted sexually., symptoms and telephone numbers to call for testing. He logs on in the afternoon and during peak chatting times, after 7 p.m. till until as late as 2 a.m. Since Cohen started the online campaign in June, he has seen the number of people who ask for HIV tests grow from a handful to a dozen or more a night. He takes their phone numbers, calls them and walks them through explains the process. He is training two volunteers to help. "So much that went on in bathhouses and publicparks now takes place in chatrooms, where people meet to engage in unsafe sex from the comfort of their living room,’" Cohen said. "It’s opening a tremendous dialogue in this town." Some Blood Donors Get Surprise RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Shocked by the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York, thousands havelinedupthepast two weeks to give blood. Now, some of those donors are the ones asking for help. Because many people are donating blood for the first time, more people have learned that they have viral diseases such as hepatitis, syphilis and even AIDS. Since the mid-1980S, blood has been tested for viral diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis, andprospective donors have been screened for risky behavior such as intravenous drug use. Now, with so many more people learning they are infected, disease hoflines have experienced an increase in calls from donors seeking help. "They’re really panic-stricken. They have no idea what it means," said Thelma King Thiel, chairman of Hepatitis Foundation International. More than 22,000 units of blood have been donated in the Carolinas blood services region of the American Red Cross since Sept. 11, spokeswoman Debbie Estes said. The organization collected twice as much blood as normal the week of the attacks and donations are running about 20% to 30% more than usual every day, Estes said. Offices are staffed 24 hours a day and donors have been asked to make appointments for later this fall. Since the attacks, more than 330,000 people nationally have donated blood to the American Red Cross, said Dr. Peter Page, senior medical officer for the Red Cross. The Red Cross, which supplies about half the blood in the country, was collecting two to three times more blood than normal the week after the attack and about 11/2 times more last week. Just over 1% of donors test positive for infections, Pagesaid. Onein20,000 wholeblood donors to the American Association of Blood Banks will test positive for antibodies to HIV, said Sara Foer, spokeswoman for the American Association of Blood Banks in Maryland. One in 2,500 will test positive for hepatitis B and one in 500 for hepatitis C, she said. ButThiel says itmay be goodfor donors to find out they are infected. ’’The tests and screens in tiff s blood drive are a good thing for them," Thiel said. "Otherwise they may go blissfully on their way not knowing ~ey are infected, spreading the disease. by TFN entertainment editor Tulsa’ s Theatre Arts will present Lionel Bart’ s"Oliver!" outin the country atTulsa Community College’ s PACE Theatre at 81st Street and Highway 169 from December 14th - 22nd. The production will be directed by Jon Grodeski of NYC and will star as "Fagin," Jamie Farr wall known for playing "Klinger"intelevision’ s M.A.S.H. series. Tulsa Family News is delighted to note that TFN writer and former entertainment editor, James Christjotm, has been cast in the characterof" Mr. Sowerberry," the undertaker that Oliver is sold to before he ends up in London as Fagin’s prot~g6 pickpocket. And on December 6th, Theatre Arts will host "An Evening With ~Iamie Farr," at the PACE at 7pm, where the actor will speak about his life and career, and take audience questions. Please call 595-777 for ticket information. Charles Dickens’ novel,"OliverTwist," is the basis forLionel Bart’ s musical Oliver! Dickens began the novel as a magazine serial that ran in a London.monthly for more thantwo years beginning in 1837. Its popularitywas so greatthatDickensrushed it to completion for publication - in three volumes ~-in 1838. Still, the serial continued to run for more than six months after the publication of the book. Some wellknown songs from the show include "Where Is Love," "Consider Yourself," "Who Will Buy," "As Long as He Needs Me," and many others. The story of Oliver Twist begins in. a seedy workhouse where he and the other orphans are kept by Mr. Bumble and Widow Comey. When Oliver asks for morefood, Bumbleis enraged and decides to sdl the boy. Mr. Sowerberry, the undertaker, buys him, but Oliver is terrified of the man and his coffins and runs away. TheArtful Dodgerandhis gangofyoung street thieves find Oliver woandering the "...Tulsa Family News is delighted to note that TFN writer and former entertainment editor, James Christjohn, has been east in the character.., of the undertaker..." ." streets of London and take him to the ¯ master pickpocket, Fagin. That training ~ quickly lands Oliver in jail, where he is " rescuedby Mr. Brownlow,arichold gentle- [ man who takes the boy into his home. ¯ Meanwhile, Fagin and his cohorts - Bill ¯ Sikes and Nancy - fearful of being in- [ criminated by thelad, plot his kidnapping. Nancy abducts him but then is overcome with guilt and attempts his return to Brownlow. Suspecting her kind (and traitorous) intentions, Sikes kills Nancy. He grabs Oliver but is foiled by the amval of the police Finally, Oliver is safely returned to the arms of his benefactor, who proves to be his own grandfather. Oliver! (the name shortened for Broadway) became a partof themusical stage ¯ repertoire in 1960, written in total by the ¯¯ multitalented Lionel Bart, who crafted the book, the music and the lyrics. With Ron ¯ Moody. as Fagin and Georgia Brown as ¯ Nancy, Oliver! opened in London on June : 30, 1960,and ran until September 9, 1966, ¯ foratotal of2,618 performances - making ¯ it the longest-running musical in British ¯ theatre. ¯ This production marks Christjohn’ s re- " turn to the stage after a long absence. ¯ "Therewas apoint that I thought the talent, ¯ the gift, the ability hadleft me. SoI shut. the ¯ dooronthatdream."Ironically,thatdream ¯ began as a young boy, when he was taken ¯ to his first liveproduction- aperformance ¯ of "Oliver!" at Theatre Under The Stars ; (TUTS), in Houston, Texas. Christjoha ¯ notes, "I remember seeing the little boy ¯ singing "Where Is Love," and identifying ; completdy. I also was filled with wonder ¯ at’the ’magic’ of seeing London appear ; when they sang ’Who Will Buy?’, and ¯ seeing the city literally fly in from left, ¯ right, andabove. Andlknew then I wanted ¯ to be a l~art of that, to help make the magic ¯ happen. And I wanted the applause that kid was getting!" Info: 595-7777. Tulsa’ s Performing .Mas Center Trust celebrates its 25thznniversary season with a number of great performers. At the end of October, on the 30th, the usually staid and fairly stodgy Chapman Music Hall will host nothing less than a circus! Quebec’ s Cirque Eloize (that’ s said,"elwas") and the Tulsa Philharmonic will combine classical music with circus spectacular: aerials, haru~s work,and feats of strength (and I’m sure men and women in fights,, could Lesbians and Gay men want anything more.’?). Cirque Eloize began in 1993 as part of the "Cirque Nouveau" movement that sprung from Quebec. Seven then recent graduates of Montreal’ s National Circus School began thecompany which drew on ¯ the Eurotx~tn, animal-free style of circus ¯ combining theater, music and dance. ¯ Cirque Eloize quickly gained acclaim ¯ forits acrobatics, and choreography. After ." touring Canada and the US, then in the ." United Kingdom, France and Ireland, Cir- - que Eloize garnered rave reviews from ¯ London’ s Sunday Times, "... hauntingly ¯ heart-catching.., conjur[ing] up the spirit ¯ of a medieval fair..." and from The ." Scotsman in Edinburgh, "pure dead bill- " liant.., this is circus with atmosphere, ¯ poetry, humor and above all, hear~..." ¯ The music ranges from Rimski- : Korsakov, Sibelius, Grieg, Saint-Sachs, ¯ Rachmaninov and more. This is a don’ t : miss performance. Call 596-7111 or800- ¯ 364-7111 for information or tickets. The Twilight of the Golds What happens when a young couple finds thru’ genetic testing that their unborn child might be Gay and how their conflict about whether to keep the child affects the young mother’s Gay brother¯ Oct. 26th- Nov. 4th Broken Arrow Community Playhouse Only 1,487 miles offBroadway In the Main Place, 1800 South Main 258-0077 for tickets and info. THE GILDED AGE Treasuresfrom the Smitbsonian American Art.MuSeum SEPTEMBER -- 4 .NOVEMBER 200I THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM OF ART 2727 SOUTH ROCKFORD ROAD SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - For a while, entertainer Ha Ri-soo seemed to be everywhere: in a film, in a music video, in ads for makeup and wedding gowns. Television talk shows couldn’ t get enough of the sex symbol and her sensual dances. People gabbed abouther athome andonthestreet, in offices and coffee shops. No wonder. Ha, 26, is a transsexual. While sex change operations are old news from the United States to Thailand, they’re a novelty in South Korea, where Confucian ideals of illial piety and a maledominatedhierarchyare strong. So it was starfling when Ha surged to thetopofSouth Korea’ s entertainment industry this year. "I think the society and cnlture is changing in Korea and it should change," Ha said in an interview at a beauty salon, her hair in curlers as makeup artists dabbedherface with lipstick, eyeliner andpowoperations are old news from the United States to Thailand, they’re a novelty in South Korea, where Confucian ideals of filial piety and a mah-domlnated hierarchy are strong°. 2 character is a transsexual woman who works as an express delivery worker by day and moonlights as a singer. The movie title alludes to the bleached blond look that some young South Koreans adopt to be rebellious. "I chose the fi~m because I went through a lot and I wa~ed to look back on those days," Ha s~d. "I wanted to break the stereotype of transsexuals - the demureness and extreme weakness with which they are often portrayed." Ha’s autobiography, ~’From Adam to Eve," also failed to make the best sdler list. She got her sexchange operation several years ago in Japan, where she studied hairstyling. While in high school, she had taken female hormone injections and was exempted frommill tary service on grounds of "mental illness." South Korean men must serve 26 der. "Transsexuals haven’t killed or cheated anyone. Why should they be mistreated when they haven’ t done anything wrong to others?" She said. Many South Koreans agree, but their fascination with Ha reflects .as much prurience as tolerance for the maverick. In a country where women flock to clinics for cosmetic surgery, Ha fits right in. "I think she is popular because of her charm and looks,, said Jeon Dong-ki, a male university student. "It doesn’ t.mean that people’ s prejudices against Gays and transsexuals have changed as wall." Ha’ s overheated presence inpop culture has cooled some recently, and she’s had mixed success. She appeared in "Ydlow Hair 2," a movieabout people on society’ s fringes that failed at the box office. Her ¯ months in the armed forces, a precau- ¯¯ tion in the event of conflict with communist North Korea. ’¢Fhink about it: What ¯ would happen to the. military’ s discipline ¯ if a man with breasts went into the mili- ~ tary?" Ha said, laughing. ¯ Her sex changewas toughonherfamily, ¯ particularly in a society that covets male ¯ offspring. Ha said she played with dolls as ¯ a child, and her frustrated father eventu- ¯ ally accepted her femininity. ¯ Ha’ s career took off in January with a television ad for cosmetics, but it’s un- ." dearhowlong she’ 11 stay in thepubliceye. ¯ Some religious leaders have denounced ¯ her. "It makes me angry that the media is -." trying to make something ’abnormal’ ap- ¯ pear normal," said Lee I-Iee-ja, a 58-yearold housewife. Saturday, October 20, the historic town of Medicine Park will host the first annual DrumFest. Organizers hope to attractmore than 800 drummers to this eventinhope of breaking the current Guirmess Book of World Records. Medicine Park is located at the main entry to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, the second most visited wildlife refuge in the country - hosting almost 2 million annual visitors. The community has a rich and colorful history. Originally founded on July 4th, 1908- Medicine Park was Oklahoma’s first planned tourism resort, Medicine Park was once the "playground" of the state’s rich, famous and notorious. Folks would come to town for the weekend and leave their "work-a-day" world, troubles and reputations behind them. Outlaws and horsethieves mixed with noted politicians and businessmen, families and socialites. The pages of the ¯ town’s colorful history are filled with the ¯ -likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Will Rogers, ¯ Wiley Post, Frank Phillips, Bob Wills, A1 ¯ Capone, Col. Jack Abernathy, Lil Hardin, Bonny & Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Les ¯ Brown, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and ¯ countless others. : Ok Spoke Bike Rides ¯ All these rides begin at Ziegler Recre- ¯ ation Park, 3903West Fourth Street, at the ¯ parking lot. All rides are open to GLBT ¯ people and those who are Gayffriendly. ¯ OnOct. 6andOct. 13,there will bea20- ¯ 25mile rides beginning at 7:30am, helmet ¯ and water bottle required. Lateron the 6th, ¯ there is also 5 mile ride along the Sand ¯ Springs Trail beginning at 2pro. And on ¯ Oct. 13, therewillbea5mileridealongthe ¯ Arkansas River Trail starting at 2pro. For more information, contact ¯ Okiebicycle@prodigy.net, orwrite to POB 9165, Tulsa 7~157. by LamontLindstrom : the not-unhappy looking bin Laden. The Internet slowed to a crawl on Sep- ¯ Whether F.rnpire State Building as phaltember 1 lth. People crowded the system ¯ lus, or middle finger as phallus, these folk with messages and postings about that : imagesconceivemale-on-maleintercourse day’ s death and destruction. We turned to ¯ as appropriate revenge. Osama-"screws" email,chatrooms,lists,dis- ,, America; we screw him cussion groups and clubs to discuss, mourn, be angry or be reflective about the attacks: The older media - newspapers, telephones, radio, television - still carry the bulk of our words andimagery. Butthe Internet further speeds and spreads national (and international) conversation, intensifying this exchange. .. And exchange still continues. Since September 1 lth, I have been collecting folk-produced images that respond to the attacks. These, like the Interuet’ s bothersome chain letters and bad jokes, are still bouncing from site to site, person toperson. Computer imaging software (Photoshop and the like) and the WWW facilitate this outburst of creative reaction. Years ago, one of my anthropology professors, U.C. Berkeley folklorist ¯ . . equations d sex and vlolenee are so familiar, so embedded in our language and culture, as to be unremarkable. But we should remark them, at least occasionally. First, if we can think it we can do it - this is anthropology’s message about the power of cultural understandings to shape behavior..." Alan Dundes, along with Carl Pagter published a collection of Urban Folklore from the Paperwork Empire (1975). Such "paper folklore" consisted of joke letters, memos, cartoons, drawings, and the like that people produced and circulated using an earlier technology -the office copy machine: As soon as photocopiers became a standard business appliance, people copied and recopiedjoke memos and cartoons that spread from office to office, and cubicle to cubicle. Today, the Internet, like the photocopy machine, spreads our responses to the everyday world, and to tragic national events. Much of the attack-related folklore flooding the Internet is patriotic, affirming the goodness and the spirit of Ainerica. Images of U.S. flags, pictures of candles andribbons, upliftingpoems, and recycled Canadian newspaper columns lauding American generosity probably filled your email boxes, as they did mine. Other imagery, less warm-hearted, portrays anger and revenge. Two of the folk images that ended up in my email box particularly caught my eye. Both strum American cultural chords that blur violence with sex. The first depicts a reconstructed World Trade Center. Instead of the Twin Towers, however, this features five towers in a row, like fingers. The middle tower sticks up highest into the air. This folk image rebuilds the WTC as "the bird," flipping off m~icious Osama bin Laden and his terrorists. The secondimageis ruder. In this "jpg," Osama’ s turbaned head is superimposed on a nude, muscular body that bends forward. Coming in behind is the Fxnpire State Building. Its pointy tower sodomizes right back. Theserepresentations of skyscraper as phallus (or dildo) are no metaphorical accident. Beyond the deaths of 6500 innocents, some of ,amaerica’s rage certainly stems from this symbolism. Osama’s hijackedplanes ftrst appeared to circumcise both the mighty shafts of the WTC, slicing into theirheads. But then, ~brribly, the towers collapsed completely and New York, and America, suffered an awful castration. Actually, the WTC had already lost its Big Man claims. Since 1998,the tallest buildings in the world are the twin Petronas Towers in KualaLumpur, Malaysia. Their edifice is bigger than our edifice. But luckily, New York has in hand a backup tool - the Empire State Building ¯ (once again the tallest in the city) - that, symbolically, can stick it to Osama. ¯ Mass murderers need be brought to jus- ¯ tice, but what does it mean when werepresentjustice (or perhaps revenge) as homo- " sexual anal intercourse? The penis, more ¯ than a tool , becomes awcapon. Andsexual ". intercourse, .rather than an act of love, ¯ becomes one of rape or war. I penetrate ¯ you, and thereby I dominate you. ~ These equations of sex and violence are ¯ so familiar, so embedded in our language ¯ and culture, as to be unremarkable. But we ¯ should remark them, at least occasionally. ¯ First, if we can think it we can do it - this ¯" is anthropology’ s messageaboutthepower ¯ of cultural understandings to shape behav- ¯ lOt. ¯¯ Currently, two 14-year-old boys are in custody here in Tulsa. They, along with ". other members of their freshman football " : team, anally raped one of their young ¯ teammates with a broom handle in their high ~chool locker room. This is Tulsa’s : teenaged version of the Abner Louima : case. New York cops likewise wielded ¯ broom as dildo to prove their manliness. ¯ (The Empire State Building, presumably, - ¯ was unavailable.) Our folk fantasies of ¯ homosexual rape are far more likely to be ¯ realized here in America than in Afghani- ¯ start. ¯ Second, all those "sex = war," and "pe- ¯ uis = weapon," metaphors are danger- . ously slippery. What, exactly, are we say- " ing when we admit a desire to sodomize : Osama? Where does violent hatred end ¯ and erotic desire begin? Dildos also are : toys, and sex (of whatever sort) is play ¯ more often than it is aggression. Are we : then to pleasure Osama to death? 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 appointments are available: IOTA member Call341. 6866 International TourSio,mo,e nio on. 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 w.orship~ prayer, study and fellowship. Trusting in a living, loving God, we seek to become a compassionate voice 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. Membership is open to all people 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) Tulsa’s only professional body-piercing is an alternative worship experience that celebrates the mystery and wonder of life, without telling you what to believe. Soulful Sundown combines live music, inspirational readings, video, and audience ~articipation to create a rand new experience. Soulful Sundown happens at All Souls Unitarian Church at 5:3oPM on Sundays. Join us. on Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 3oth. All people are welcome! All Souls Unitarian Church z95z S. Peoria, 743-z363 And it’s only 20 years now that our oldest community organization, indeed Oklahoma’ s oldest non-religious community non-profit, Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights, TOHR, has been around. Any one want to bethow many more years it will be until these groups figure out that we exist? It is in the end this: you are either part of the solution, or you are part of the problem. AndTulsais filled with those who are not part of the solution. ~Ihey are our mayor and most of our city councilors: certainly they are Tulsa’ s business elite: the ChamberofCommerce staffand board and especially some of Tulsa Area United Way’ s board and staff for whom I have little doubt that Dante notes a special place in hell; and they are TU’s unrepentent bigot president and those prominent Tulsans who selectedhim despitehis documented prejudice. And it will take all these individuals deciding that they are going to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem for Tulsa ever to be that which it hopes to be. In the meantime, I hope that Muslim Tulsans will be safe and if God really moves their hearts that Tulsa Muslims might actually take their horrible experience as being this moment’s America’s hated "other" and will try to be do for Gay and Lesbian Americans that what they would have done for themselves. Average Gays and Lesbians feel much more in me with the American people in the spirit of "united we stand." For those weaned on identity politics, it will be hard to verbalize or imagine an America where they can speak from a "united we stand" perspective, but this new period will require it. We still have challenges as Gay Americans, but the terrorist agenda of America’ s enemies is far more dangerous to Gay Americans than anything we face within our own society. These terrorists have come to our country to murder us, and hope to eradicate our way of life in all its forms. The Taliban of Afghanistan, who is harboring these terrorists, believe that homosexuality is a crimepunishablebya sadisticdeath, which is meted out with pride in their society. More than ever, we should welcome the chance to serve in defense of liberty. We should document carefully the success of Gay soldiers. This act of patriotism, of the willingness to die for our country, is precisely why the current military policy is wrong. Our determination will be hugely educational to an American public who views our motives on this issue with suspicion. We will demonstrate with action the moral absurdity of the old policy and it will cave-in under that moral weight. Steve May, the hero who fought the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy and won, is on message now. He said recently that it is an obligation ofevery Gay servicemember to acceptthe country’ s call to serve. United we stand today, and the military’ s policy on Gays has divided us as Americans. We now can look at new, real heroes. I’m g!ad Mark Bingham was such a strong man m body and soul. He took brave action with a small group of men and womenwho answered the call ofservice in that moment of crisis, sacrificing their lives to save maybe thousands of others to thwart the murderous actions of those who want to destroy our country. Can we find a maturity and resolve inside ourselves that we have neglected for so long, and defiaonstrate that unity means equality? Surely, as we look squarely at ourenemies, and see the face of brutality and hatred that stares back at all of us, that hates freedom and liberty in any form and would annihilate Gays and Lesbians at the first opportunity, the answers to these questions become dear. Buchanan has said that he approved the domestic partner policy in order to keep the county competitive in recruiting and retaining the best employees possible. He was not required to get the commissioners’ approval beforehand, although he did discuss it with them. Domestic partner benefits are common among many of Wichita’ s major employers, such as Boeing Co. Such benefits also are routinely offered by government agencies on both coasts. However, in a stretch of the country from the Mississippi River to Arizona, domestic partner benefits are offered by local governments in only four metropolitan areas: Denver; Albuquerque; Austin, Texas; and Iowa City, Iowa. "Nationwide, it’ s been going on for a good while," Norton said. "But in the Midwest, we’re probably a little far up on the curve. Whether you call it Midwest values or Moral Majority or whatever you call it, I think that’ s what you have to deal with in the Midwest." Commissioner Tom Winters said last week that he would back Buchanan’ s action because it was within the manager’s area ofresponsibility tomake suchchanges. Commissioner Betsy Gwin said Monday that she initially saw the policy as a business decision to make the county a more attractive employer and to "show some sort of compassionate understanding for all people." Now, she said She is undecided after receiving about 50 phone calls and e-mails, all but one in opposition to the policy. One event raises about 4.4% of the annual budget for the Hoosier Trails Council. A Boy Scouts spokesman told The Republic that scouting programs in the county may have to be scaled back if they cannot find a replacement for Cummins’ funding. But a company statement said that the en.gine, manufacturer’s executives were revzewmg their contributions to reflect the corporation’ s values. This was not the first time the company has confronted criticism regarding its policies. Last year, Cummins’ decision to extend partner benefits to employees’ same- and oppositesex partners was met with anger by some employees and shareholders. Helga’ Horribles present the Rocky Horror Pictu re Show followed by the Time Warp Ball Saturday, October 27 8pm midnight Doubletree Hotel Downtown 616 West Seventh Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data newspaper periodical Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Family News, October 2001; Volume 8, Issue 10 Subject The topic of the resource Politics, education, and social conversation toward Tulsa’s Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities. Description An account of the resource 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. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Family News Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://history.okeq.org/collections/show/24 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tom Neal Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Christjohn Karin Gregory Barry Hensley J.P. Legrandbouche Lamont Lindstrom Esther Rothblum Mary Schepers Hughston Walkinshaw Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Tom Neal/Tulsa Family News Relation A related resource Tulsa Family News, September 2001; Volume 8, Issue 9 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image PDF Online text Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource newspaper periodical Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa(Oklahoma)---newspaper Tulsa---Oklahoma Oklahoma---Tulsa United States Oklahoma Tulsa United States of America (50 states) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/617 "Oliver!" 9/11 adoption AIDS AIDs Walk American Red Cross Bank of Oklahoma Blood Donation Boy Scouts businesses churches Cirque Eloize Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation Cummins Czech Republic Domestic Partnership Doug Dodd Finland gay-friendly businesses hate crime Helga's Horribles HIV HIV Education HIV testing House of the Holy Spirit Houston Iowa Civil Rights Commission Kelly Kirby Korea Los Angeles Maine Massachusetts Medicine Park Drum Fest Metropolitan Community Church United Michigan Mr. Oklahoma Leather Nebraska OK Spoke Openarms Youth Project Osama Bin Laden Partner Benefits Pride Store rape Red Cross Red Rock Tulsa restaurants Rigoleto Rocky Horror The Twilight of the Golds Tom Neal Transgender Tulsa Family News Tulsa Performing Arts Center Tulsa Theater Arts Webster High School https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/87f63225eb56713b9d349f191b023789.jpg c555c6723bf895277d563b0bb250f3b3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Cover Subject The topic of the resource 1993 March on Washington For Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation Description An account of the resource Cover of media packet for 1993 March on Washington Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource National March on Washington Committee Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available National March on Washington Committee Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 25, 1993 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Folder Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant March on Washington Activism 1993 National March on Washington Committee Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2043 https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/6d41686965aca86263031b6bb5d4486b.pdf 12d3c18d082f3f8c919f89f1f6322cd6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Calendar of Events Subject The topic of the resource 1993 National March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation Description An account of the resource Calendar of events for 1993 National March on Washington. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource National March on Washington Committee Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available National March on Washington Committee Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 25, 1993 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Calendar Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant One in Ten District of Columbia Arts Center Old Lesbians Organizing for Change UUA Lutherans Concerned National March on Washington National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Mobilization Against AIDS National Task Force on AIDS Prevention March on Washington People of Color Caucus Bears from Everywhere ACT UP/Seattle McClintock Project Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance Federal GLOBE National Association of Black and White Men Together National Minority AIDS Council Outspoken NAPWA PETS-DC Wooly Mammoth Theatre Black Lesbian Support Group Whitman-Walker Clinic Sophisticated Ladies Productions DC People of Color Caucus Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum Forgotten Scouts BiNet USA National Minority AIDS Council Gay and Lesbian Employees' Association of the US Small Business Administration Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International ACT UP Network Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund National Center for Lesbian Rights Miami Beach Police Department Dade Action PAC Oregon March on Washington Organizing Committee Shock T Music National Center for Lesbians March on Washington Cartoon Project Raymond Carter Gregory C. Hutchings Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum American Civil Liberties Union Delta Lambda Phi Washington Project for the Arts National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association Holocaust Museum Raul Wallenberg Plaza Gay and Lesbian Pilots Association GLAD Asians and Friends Human Rights Campaign Fund The Experience NABWMT Gay Men's Chorus of Washington ACMOW Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer Whitman Walker Lesbian Health Services Fantastic Realities Prince Georges County Zip Code Neighbors Dance Place ECBN Radical Faerie People with Disabilities Community Congregation Bet Mishpachah Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association National Organization of Women Bon Vivant Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance Carlene Cheatham Nalty, Comic with AIDS Dulles Triangles National Coalition of Drag Entertainers Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America National Coalition Building Institute March on Washington Transgender Caucus Wheaton College of Illinois Outsider Productions Gay Committee of the Smithsonian STAR Log Cabin Club Gay Spirit Meditation Coalition Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance ECBN BiNet-USA AmBi Washington Blade League for Lesbian and Gay Prisoners Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns American University Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Community Lesbian Health Services of Whitman-Walker and Women's Education Team of the Northwest AIDS Foundation Northwest AIDS Foundation Asian Pacifica Lesbian Network Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Network DC Frontrunners Shanti Project San Francisco AIDS Foundation Lyon-Martin Women's Health Service The Women's Building/Edificio de Mujeres Metropolitan Community Church Community United Against Violence Operation Concern Continuum HIV Day Services DC Sports Association International Conference on Transgender law and Employment Policy Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition Queer nation Ellipse AIDS, Medicine and Miracles of Boulder, Co. UFMCC DCLARE Washington Project for the Arts National Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Student Caucus of United States Student Association National Center for Lesbian Rights S/M Leather-Fetish Contingent ACT UP/DC Women's Cancer Resource Center National Coalition of Feminist and Lesbian Cancer Projects Lesbian Health Brigade National LLEGO Lesbian and Gay Alumni/ae Association of Vassar College Artists Confronting AIDS National lesbian and Gay Law Association GLU Coalition of United Airlines Unitarian Universalists Washington Area Gay and Lesbian Interfaith Alliance Network of Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Organizations Paul Bodkin National Cathedral Northwestern University School of Law Lesbian and Gay Alumni/ae Organization of Lesbians and Gays of America (OLGA) Organizing Committee for a National Lesbian and Gay Labor Organizations American Friends Service Committee Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League Gay and Lesbian Resource Network (GALERN) Unitarian Universalists for lesbian and Gay Concerns (Interweave) Citaeron Libertarians for Gay and Lesbian Concerns The Pride of the Hill Foundation Gays and Lesbians in Urban Planning American Association of Physicians for Human Rights WAGLIA TransLations TransNation Texas Human Rights Fund Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby of Texas Greens Green Party Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Queer Caucus Lambda Legal Defense Delta Lambda Phi Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition The Ad Hoc Committee for Lesbian Visibility Lesborados Stars and Squares forever! IAGSDC Lesbian Avengers Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance Lesbian and Gay Bands of America Inner City AIDS Network Peer Counselor Board 1993 Capital Round-Up The Triangle Club Bridges, A Journal for Jewish Feminists and Our Friends NAPWA Rich's Houston and San Diego Fruit and Nut Bar Lincoln Memorial Party Girl Productions ECBN Entre Nous GWU LGB Yale Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Tracks DCAC The Spring to Life Foundation Amnesty International Michigan State University Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae National Coalition Building Institute Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Veterans of America Alumnae Association of Vassar Lifelink GAYLAW Faith Temple Pride Info Line Ladies for the 80's Dignity Sophisticated Ladies Productions American Foundation for AIDS Research National Minority AIDS Council American Theatre Productions Georgia Political Action Committe Universal Spada ATLAS Mission in Action Committee Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League March on Washington 1993 Don't Ask Don't Tell Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2044 PDF Text Text ����������� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/d57c76d06eafb4f3e490c9699cdc6cf4.pdf ed5eb3559022c883c878fd30060cc4cc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fact Sheets Subject The topic of the resource 1993 March on Washington Description An account of the resource Fact sheets containing information pertaining to LGBT issues, including military inclusion, violence, and discrimination. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource March on Washington Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available March on Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 25, 1993 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource March on Washington Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Fact sheet Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Don't Ask Don't Tell Military Inclusion Violence Homophobia Gay Bashing Civil Rights March on Washington Civil Rights Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2045 PDF Text Text ���� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/60b22964617cfd666fe31e0107761c62.pdf 332f8fdc665bafee77cb3fb689e430fc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 1993 March on Washington Flier Subject The topic of the resource 1993 March on Washington Description An account of the resource Flier for the 1993 March on Washington. Contains list of demands, information about 1987 march, action statement, registration form, partial calendar of events, and travel information. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource March on Washington Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available March on Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 25, 1993 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource March on Washington Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant March on Washington 1993 Activism Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2046 PDF Text Text �� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/8309cac61465c28a4f46adfde69269dd.pdf a7e34aae4289daec6e1e4fedfbabbfd6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gay-Rights March Organizers Say 1 Million May Participate Subject The topic of the resource 1993 March on Washington Description An account of the resource Washington Post article covering the planned 1993 March on Washington. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Lee Linda Wheeler Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Washington Post Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 19, 1993 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tim McFeeley Sandra Alley Nadine Smith Dean Wilhelm Billy Hileman Don Michaels Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper article Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant March on Washington 1993 Don't Ask Don't Tell Civil Rights Human Rights Campaign Fund ACT UP NAACP Union of American Hebrew Congregations Evangelical Lutheran Church in America United Church of Christ Activism National Park Service Bisexual Transgender Bill Clinton Tim McFeeley Sandra Alley Nadine Smith Dean Wilhelm Billy Hileman Don Michaels Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2047 PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/854680c3e5376b17f8e0fffca557ca39.pdf 3cd0c2cc13d2c3b77b8512d04b6bc002 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Million seen for gay march in D.C. Subject The topic of the resource March on Washington Description An account of the resource San Francisco Examiner article covering planned 1993 March on Washington. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marcia Stepanek Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived San Francisco Examiner Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 8, 1993 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tanya Domi Troy Perry Barney Frank Jean Shaw Nancy Riker Billy Hileman Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper article Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Sam Nunn March on Washington 1993 Bill Clinton Military inclusion Don't Ask Don't Tell Tanya Domi Troy Perry Barney Frank Jean Shaw Nancy Riker Billy Hileman Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches Internal Revenue Service Senate Armed Services Committee Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2048 PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/c6fca6b01b9c124adf818416981363cb.pdf ca55bf453d1b14d34d4facec595c8e8e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource NAACP Resolution of Support Subject The topic of the resource March on Washington Description An account of the resource Press release from the NAACP voicing support for the March on Washington and their demands, and announcing that the organization would participate in the march. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James D. Williams Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived NAACP News Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available NAACP Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 20, 1993 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Benjamin L. Hooks Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Press Release Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant March on Washington 1993 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Homophobia Civil Rights Benjamin L. Hooks James D. Williams Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2049 PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/e0c1ceb37ef0a2af65407ebfc84b5fd6.pdf 81850620167fdf71bffa15420663824b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Our Time Has Come Subject The topic of the resource 1993 March on Washington Description An account of the resource Newspaper released by the March on Washington committee. Includes calendar of events, local march and national steering committee listings, travel information, merchandise order form, registration form, sponsored advertisements, pictures, cartoons, lobbying information, and articles about the upcoming march. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Newspaper Project of the March on Washington Committee Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 25, 1993 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Billy Hileman Deborah Bell Leslie Ewing Jason Heffner Dan Kaufman Liz Magill Linda Wheeler Eric E. Rofes Donna Minkowitz Susan Slohm Victor Raymond Laura M. Perez Derek Charles Livingston Loree Cook-Daniels Pat Hussain Phylis Randolph Frye Michael Broder Gil Aurellano Susan YF Chen Constance Ratliff-Campbell Danny Blitz Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Newspaper Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Billy Hileman Deborah Bell Leslie Ewing Jason Heffner Dan Kaufman Liz Magill Linda Wheeler Eric E. Rofes Donna Minkowitz Susan Slohm Victor Raymond Laura M. Perez Derek Charles Livingston Loree Cook-Daniels Pat Hussain Phylis Randolph Frye Michael Broder Gil Aurellano Susan YF Chen Constance Ratliff-Campbell Danny Blitz March on Washington 1993 George Bush United States Congress Activism Lobbying Civil Rights Day Quayle Employent Discrimintation Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Civil Rights Bill AIDS/HIV Discrimination Adoption Custody Parenting Family Foster care Education Reproductive rights Racism Gay Bashing Homophobia Housing Bisexual Al Gore Forgotten Scouts March on Washington National Steering Committee One in Ten District of Columbia Arts Center Old Lesbians Organizing for Change UUA Lutherans Concerned National March on Washington National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Mobilization Against AIDS National Task Force on AIDS Prevention March on Washington People of Color Caucus Bears from Everywhere ACT UP/Seattle McClintock Project Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance Federal GLOBE National Association of Black and White Men Together National Minority AIDS Council Outspoken NAPWA PETS-DC Wooly Mammoth Theatre Black Lesbian Support Group Whitman-Walker Clinic Sophisticated Ladies Productions DC People of Color Caucus Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum Forgotten Scouts BiNet USA National Minority AIDS Council Gay and Lesbian Employees' Association of the US Small Business Administration Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International ACT UP Network Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund National Center for Lesbian Rights Miami Beach Police Department Dade Action PAC Oregon March on Washington Organizing Committee Shock T Music National Center for Lesbians March on Washington Cartoon Project Raymond Carter Gregory C. Hutchings Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum American Civil Liberties Union Delta Lambda Phi Washington Project for the Arts National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association Holocaust Museum Raul Wallenberg Plaza Gay and Lesbian Pilots Association GLAD Asians and Friends Human Rights Campaign Fund The Experience NABWMT Gay Men's Chorus of Washington ACMOW Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer Whitman Walker Lesbian Health Services Fantastic Realities Prince Georges County Zip Code Neighbors Dance Place ECBN Radical Faerie People with Disabilities Community Congregation Bet Mishpachah Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association National Organization of Women Bon Vivant Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance Carlene Cheatham Nalty, Comic with AIDS Dulles Triangles National Coalition of Drag Entertainers Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America National Coalition Building Institute March on Washington Transgender Caucus Wheaton College of Illinois Outsider Productions Gay Committee of the Smithsonian STAR Log Cabin Club Gay Spirit Meditation Coalition Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance ECBN BiNet-USA AmBi Washington Blade League for Lesbian and Gay Prisoners Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns American University Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Community Lesbian Health Services of Whitman-Walker and Women's Education Team of the Northwest AIDS Foundation Northwest AIDS Foundation Asian Pacifica Lesbian Network Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Network DC Frontrunners Shanti Project San Francisco AIDS Foundation Lyon-Martin Women's Health Service The Women's Building/Edificio de Mujeres Metropolitan Community Church Community United Against Violence Operation Concern Continuum HIV Day Services DC Sports Association International Conference on Transgender law and Employment Policy Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition Queer nation Ellipse AIDS, Medicine and Miracles of Boulder, Co. UFMCC DCLARE Washington Project for the Arts National Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Student Caucus of United States Student Association National Center for Lesbian Rights S/M Leather-Fetish Contingent ACT UP/DC Women's Cancer Resource Center National Coalition of Feminist and Lesbian Cancer Projects Lesbian Health Brigade National LLEGO Lesbian and Gay Alumni/ae Association of Vassar College Artists Confronting AIDS National lesbian and Gay Law Association GLU Coalition of United Airlines Unitarian Universalists Washington Area Gay and Lesbian Interfaith Alliance Network of Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Organizations Paul Bodkin National Cathedral Northwestern University School of Law Lesbian and Gay Alumni/ae Organization of Lesbians and Gays of America (OLGA) Organizing Committee for a National Lesbian and Gay Labor Organizations American Friends Service Committee Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League Gay and Lesbian Resource Network (GALERN) Unitarian Universalists for lesbian and Gay Concerns (Interweave) Citaeron Libertarians for Gay and Lesbian Concerns The Pride of the Hill Foundation Gays and Lesbians in Urban Planning American Association of Physicians for Human Rights WAGLIA TransLations TransNation Texas Human Rights Fund Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby of Texas Greens Green Party Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Queer Caucus Lambda Legal Defense Delta Lambda Phi Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition The Ad Hoc Committee for Lesbian Visibility Lesborados Stars and Squares forever! IAGSDC Lesbian Avengers Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance Lesbian and Gay Bands of America Inner City AIDS Network Peer Counselor Board 1993 Capital Round-Up The Triangle Club Bridges, A Journal for Jewish Feminists and Our Friends NAPWA Rich's Houston and San Diego Fruit and Nut Bar Lincoln Memorial Party Girl Productions ECBN Entre Nous GWU LGB Yale Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Tracks DCAC The Spring to Life Foundation Amnesty International Michigan State University Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae National Coalition Building Institute Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Veterans of America Alumnae Association of Vassar Lifelink GAYLAW Faith Temple Pride Info Line Ladies for the 80's Dignity Sophisticated Ladies Productions American Foundation for AIDS Research National Minority AIDS Council American Theatre Productions Georgia Political Action Committe Universal Spada ATLAS Mission in Action Committee Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League March on Washington 1993 Don't Ask Don't Tell Lesbian NAACP Transgender Labor Unions Asian Americans African Americans People of Color Accessability Arts Arts Contingent for the March on Washington (ACMOW) Legislation Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2050 PDF Text Text �������������������� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/4b51569218be4675fe0ebdd6ddd37275.pdf d68f9a9d642659ca10cec2e1ca364d4d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Photos Subject The topic of the resource March on Washington Description An account of the resource Four photos showing the March on Washington. Year or years uncertain. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Doug Hinckle Jana Birchum Unknown Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The Washington Blade Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 25, 1993 Unknown Relation A related resource 1993 March on Washington Media Kit Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Photographs Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant March on Washington 1993 March for Life Washington DC Activism Protests Doug Hinckle Jana Birchum Unknown Washington Blade Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2051 PDF Text Text ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1993] March on Washington Media Kit Subject The topic of the resource 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian , Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation Description An account of the resource Official media packet for 1993's March on Washington for LGBT Rights. Includes informational pamphlet, photos from previous marches, a calendar of events, media releases, and fact sheets pertaining to discrimination. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource National March on Washington Committee Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available National March on Washington Committee Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 25, 1993 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Media Packet Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1993 March on Washington Activism Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/618 1993 1993 Capital Round-Up A Journal for Jewish Feminists and Our Friends Accessability ACMOW ACT UP ACT UP Network ACT UP/DC ACT UP/Seattle activism adoption African Americans AIDS Medicine and Miracles of Boulder Colorado UFMCC AIDS/HIV Al Gore Alumnae Association of Vassar AmBi American Association of Physicians for Human Rights American Civil Liberties Union American Foundation for AIDS Research American Friends Service Committee American Theatre Productions American University Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Community Amnesty International and Bisexual Veterans of America Artists Confronting AIDS arts Arts Contingent for the March on Washington (ACMOW) Asian Americans Asian Pacifica Lesbian Network Asians and Friends Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association ATLAS Barney Frank Bears from Everywhere Benjamin L. Hooks Bill Clinton Billy Hileman BiNet USA BiNet-USA Bisexual Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum Black Lesbian Support Group Bon Vivant Bridges Capital Metropolitan Rainbow Alliance Carlene Cheatham Citaeron civil rights Comic with AIDS Community United Against Violence Congregation Bet Mishpachah Constance Ratliff-Campbell Continuum HIV Day Services custody Dade Action PAC Dan Kaufman Dance Place Danny Blitz Day Quayle DC Frontrunners DC People of Color Caucus DC Sports Association DCAC DCLARE Dean Wilhelm Deborah Bell Delta Lambda Phi Derek Charles Livingston Dignity discrimination District of Columbia Arts Center Don Michaels Don't Ask Don't Tell Donna Minkowitz Doug Hinckle Dulles Triangles ECBN education Ellipse Employent Discrimintation Entre Nous Eric E. Rofes Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Faith Temple Families family Fantastic Realities Federal GLOBE Forgotten Scouts Foster care Fruit and Nut Bar Gay Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance Gay and Lesbian Employees' Association of the US Small Business Administration Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International Gay and Lesbian Pilots Association Gay and Lesbian Resource Network (GALERN) Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Network gay bashing Gay Committee of the Smithsonian Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America Gay Men's Chorus of Washington Gay Spirit Meditation Coalition GAYLAW Gays and Lesbians in Urban Planning George Bush Georgia Political Action Committe Gil Aurellano GLAD GLU Coalition of United Airlines Green Party Lesbian Bisexual Gay Queer Caucus Greens Gregory C. Hutchings GWU LGB Holocaust Museum homophobia housing Human Rights Campaign Fund IAGSDC Inner City AIDS Network Peer Counselor Board Internal Revenue Service International Conference on Transgender law and Employment Policy James D. Williams Jana Birchum Jason Heffner Jean Shaw Labor Unions Ladies for the 80's Lambda Legal Defense Laura M. Perez League for Lesbian and Gay Prisoners legislation lesbian Lesbian and Gay Alumni/ae Association of Vassar College Lesbian and Gay Bands of America Lesbian and Gay Rights Lobby of Texas Lesbian Avengers Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Civil Rights Bill Lesbian Health Brigade Lesbian Health Services of Whitman-Walker and Women's Education Team of the Northwest AIDS Foundation Lesborados Leslie Ewing Libertarians for Gay and Lesbian Concerns Lifelink Lincoln Memorial Linda Wheeler Liz Magill Lobbying Log Cabin Club Loree Cook-Daniels Lutherans Concerned Lyon-Martin Women's Health Service March for Life March on Washington March on Washington Cartoon Project March on Washington National Steering Committee March on Washington Transgender Caucus Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer McClintock Project Metropolitan Community Church Miami Beach Police Department Michael Broder Michigan State University Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae military inclusion Mission in Action Committee Mobilization Against AIDS NAACP NABWMT Nadine Smith Nalty Nancy Riker NAPWA National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) National Association of Black and White Men Together National Cathedral National Center for Lesbian Rights National Center for Lesbians National Coalition Building Institute National Coalition of Drag Entertainers National Coalition of Feminist and Lesbian Cancer Projects National Gay and Lesbian Task Force National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association National lesbian and Gay Law Association National Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Student Caucus of United States Student Association National LLEGO National March on Washington National March on Washington Committee National Minority AIDS Council National Organization of Women National Park Service National Task Force on AIDS Prevention March on Washington People of Color Caucus Network of Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae Organizations Northwest AIDS Foundation Northwestern University School of Law Lesbian and Gay Alumni/ae Old Lesbians Organizing for Change One in Ten Operation Concern Oregon March on Washington Organizing Committee Organization of Lesbians and Gays of America (OLGA) Organizing Committee for a National Lesbian and Gay Labor Organizations Outsider Productions Outspoken parenting Parents Party Girl Productions Pat Hussain Paul Bodkin People of Color People with Disabilities Community PETS-DC Phylis Randolph Frye Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns Pride Info Line Prince Georges County Zip Code Neighbors protests Queer nation Racism Radical Faeries Raul Wallenberg Plaza Raymond Carter Reproductive rights Rich's Houston and San Diego S/M Leather-Fetish Contingent Sam Nunn San Francisco AIDS Foundation Sandra Alley Senate Armed Services Committee Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League Shanti Project Shock T Music Sophisticated Ladies Productions STAR Stars and Squares forever! Susan Slohm Susan YF Chen Tanya Domi Texas Human Rights Fund The Ad Hoc Committee for Lesbian Visibility The Experience The Pride of the Hill Foundation The Spring to Life Foundation The Triangle Club The Women's Building/Edificio de Mujeres Tim McFeeley Tracks Transgender TransLations TransNation Troy Perry Union of American Hebrew Congregations Unitarian Universalists Unitarian Universalists for lesbian and Gay Concerns (Interweave) United Church of Christ United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches United States Congress Universal Spada Unknown UUA Victor Raymond violence WAGLIA Washington Area Gay and Lesbian Interfaith Alliance Washington Blade Washington DC Washington Project for the Arts Wheaton College of Illinois Whitman Walker Lesbian Health Services Whitman-Walker Clinic Women's Cancer Resource Center Wooly Mammoth Theatre Yale Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/635a32495478a2bd0bdbc64ca72dd069.pdf 17512ddcf4528d6f743032dbfd5b0105 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Boys of Team OK Subject The topic of the resource Gay Games Description An account of the resource Calendar featuring 2002's Gay Games Team OK. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Team OK Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 2002-December 2003 Relation A related resource Gay Games Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Calendar Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Team OK Gay Games 2002 Athletics Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2053 PDF Text Text ���������������������������������������� Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Calendar Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2002] Gay Games Subject The topic of the resource Gay Games Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to the Gay Games. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2002 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Team OK Relation A related resource Other Organizations and Events Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Gay Games Athletics Team OK Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/620 2002 Athletics Gay Games Team OK https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/9ae249ad87a356e1eac90b4d8fc3b692.pdf 3101158713799c0ac4aaa2a7412a9d73 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Proposal for 50 State March for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Subject The topic of the resource Activism Description An account of the resource Proposal from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for simultaneous protests at all fifty state capitols to be held in 1999. Includes member list of Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations as of January 20, 1998. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived 50 State March Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 12, 1997 February 1, 1998 April 1, 1998 July-August 1998 1999 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Proposal Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 50 State March for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Activism Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations PDF Text Text ������������ https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/3abec8380239ac42697724ed4b7afd9a.pdf afc2a5e08777113ec7b68e4da9dd00bb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations Subject The topic of the resource Activism Description An account of the resource Member list of the Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations, marked 9/16. Probably from 1997-8. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1997-8 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations Relation A related resource 50 State March Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Contact list Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2056 PDF Text Text �������� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1997-1999] 50 State March for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Subject The topic of the resource Activism Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to the 50 State March for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Other Organizations and Events Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oklahomans for Human Rights Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/622 50 State March for Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights activism Federation of Statewide GLBT Organizations National Gay and Lesbian Task Force https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/b4d2853f96416de026e3969299fdf88c.pdf ccec6162734d79eee6d9923527440f63 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource History of T.U.L.S.A. Subject The topic of the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Description An account of the resource Page from the T.U.L.S.A. website providing information about the organizations's history. Retrieved August 7, 2014. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived www.tulsaleather.com Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-Present Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Printed webpage Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2057 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Social Clubs Fetish Leather Uniform PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/7f1f6406d299c633b91467b59a7d41e1.pdf b62a022b4fcab663dff6d1e2e487fe63 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2001: A Leather Odyssey Subject The topic of the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2001 Description An account of the resource Program for event Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2001. Includes information about the event, promotional artwork, advertisements, and information about the Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 20-22, 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Bruce Crouch New Age Renegade Schatzi's Terrell Brown Leather's West The Silver Star Leather Network National Leather Association Yellow Brick Road Tulsa Dungeon Society Aaron's TNT's Toolbox Restraints Etc. The Bamboo Lounge People Exchanging Power Oklahoma (P.E.P.) CW's Relation A related resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Program Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2058 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Oklahoma Mr. Leather Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Bruce Crouch New Age Renegade Schatzi's Terrell Brown Leather's West The Silver Star Leather Network National Leather Association Yellow Brick Road Tulsa Dungeon Society Aaron's TNT's Toolbox Restraints Etc. The Bamboo Lounge People Exchanging Power Oklahoma (P.E.P.) CW's 2001 2000 Lee Pruitt Leonard Williams Randal Kinnear Dante Artadi Danny Fort Steven Fendt Ira. C. Smith Dan Noel Mark Frasier Mike Taylor Mike Siemer Arnie Holder Dan Bastian Randal Kinnear Kevin Eddings Gregory Rose Kevin Young Terry Nutter PDF Text Text ������������������������ https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/0fa09b31870c4edee82f6599c5ce4a5b.pdf d6ed1c52d3a2d92ffdcfd3444a136d6e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2002: Masters of the Universe, Diversity in Leather Subject The topic of the resource Social Clubs Description An account of the resource Program from 2001 event Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2002: Masters of the Universe. Includes schedule, letter from the President of T.U.L.S.A., information about the event, and ads for various bars and businesses. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 19-21, 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Kenneth E. Cowhick Gene West Jim Stout Ira C. Smith Yellow Brick Road Wolf Trucking Leathers West Bamboo Lounge Green Country Cloggers Play-Mor Lounge Channel 13 Visuals Kelly Kirby Ozark Mountain Men Mr. Ozarks Leather Elite Books and Videos Dreamland Video Sooner State Leather The Silver Star The Curiosity Shoppe Jungle Red People Exchanging Power Oklahoma (P.E.P.) Dave Shook Tulsa Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Community Center Levi's Whittier News Tulsa Dungeon Society BearHide Creations Team OK USA Lynette Hadlock The Metro Diner Oklahoma Mr. Drummer Mr. Tulsa Leather Driller Bears Aaron's Flowers and Gifts Habana Inn Gusher's Restaurant The Ledo Cabaret and Lounge The Copa Finish Line Glenpool Flowers and Gifts CW's Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Other Organizations and Events Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Program Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2059 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Oklahoma Mr. Leather Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Kenneth E. Cowhick Gene West Jim Stout Ira C. Smith Yellow Brick Road Wolf Trucking Leathers West Bamboo Lounge Green Country Cloggers Play-Mor Lounge Channel 13 Visuals Kelly Kirby Ozark Mountain Men Mr. Ozarks Leather Elite Books and Videos Dreamland Video Sooner State Leather The Silver Star The Curiosity Shoppe Jungle Red People Exchanging Power Oklahoma (P.E.P.) Dave Shook Tulsa Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Community Center Levi's Whittier News Tulsa Dungeon Society BearHide Creations Team OK USA Lynette Hadlock The Metro Diner Oklahoma Mr. Drummer Mr. Tulsa Leather Driller Bears Aaron's Flowers and Gifts Habana Inn Gusher's Restaurant The Ledo Cabaret and Lounge The Copa Finish Line Glenpool Flowers and Gifts CW's Leonard Williams Lloyd Samuels Pat Sullivan Charles Johnston Dante Artadi Steven Fendt Chris McGill Bruce Crouch Olivier Pratt Teresa Ramadan Greg Rose Randy Wheeler Bryon Dawkins Terry Nutter Reba Lynn Tony B. Richie Johnson Ron Greenwood Jason Pelky Dave Shook Dan Noel Thom Dombkowski Mark Frazier Lynette Hadlock DanAzevedo Sam Sampson Denis Jacobs Greg Rose Kevin B. Scott Roewer Jessie Penley Terrell Brown Ric Poston Roger McConnell Chance Stettenbenz Vic Reyes Larry Everett Terry Gatewood Craig Poos Mike Miller James Eldridge Patrick Sullivan PDF Text Text ������������������������������������� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/b0c8766bf0c452db6271e8b672418e64.pdf d8a819480c304461663a61b9782af0cc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2003 Flier Subject The topic of the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather Description An account of the resource Flier advertising 2002 event Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2003. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 17-20, 2003 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kenneth E. Cowhick Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Relation A related resource Other Organizations and Events Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2060 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2002 2003 Play-Mor Black and Blue Ball CW's PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/936e3f2da63b8f0f5de0504542dbd0ba.pdf a9c85600350170342aff5773631543d0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather Past Titleholders Subject The topic of the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather Description An account of the resource List of previous winners of Oklahoma Mr. Leather, 1990-2013. Pulled from www.tulsaleather.com on August 7, 2014. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990-2013 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Relation A related resource Other Organizations and Events Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Printed webpage Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2061 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Oklahoma Mr. Leather 1990-2013 Patrick Sullivan James Eldridge Mike Miller Craig Poos International Mr. Leather Terry Gatewood Larry Everett Vi Reyes Chance Stettenbenz Roger McConnell Ric Poston Terrell Brown Jim Stout Jason Pelky Richie Johnson Keith Hunt Mason Alexander Jim Scudder James Hollingwood David Howell Brad Gemeinhart Ron Harwood Jerry Straley Charlie Roberts Nate Benner PDF Text Text �� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/42e12b61a238a6690a0dec13905f4503.pdf 468f83bfc46e1ad1294bb31e89f8be9d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather XVII Subject The topic of the resource Oklahoma Mr. Leather Description An account of the resource Flier advertising 2006 event Oklahoma Mr. Leather 2007. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 14-16, 2006 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Relation A related resource Other Organizations and Events Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2062 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) 2006 2007 Club Maverick Hawthorn Suites Metro Diner KC Leather University Tulsa Eagle K.E.C. PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1988-Present] Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Subject The topic of the resource Social club Description An account of the resource Documents and items related to the Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association social club. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Other Organizations and Events Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988-Present Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Social clubs Lifestyle Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/623 1990-2013 2000 2001 2002 2003 2006 2007 Aaron's Aaron's Flowers and Gifts Arnie Holder Bamboo Lounge Bars BearHide Creations Black and Blue Ball Brad Gemeinhart Bruce Crouch Bryon Dawkins Chance Stettenbenz Channel 13 Visuals Charles Johnston Charlie Roberts Chris McGill Club Maverick Craig Poos CW's Dan Bastian Dan Noel DanAzevedo Danny Fort Dante Artadi Dave Shook David Howell Denis Jacobs Dreamland Video Driller Bears Elite Books and Videos Fetish Finish Line Gene West Glenpool Flowers and Gifts Green Country Cloggers Greg Rose Gregory Rose Gusher's Restaurant Habana Inn Hawthorn Suites International Mr. Leather Ira C. Smith Ira. C. Smith James Eldridge James Hollingwood Jason Pelky Jerry Straley Jessie Penley Jim Scudder Jim Stout Jungle Red K.E.C. KC Leather University Keith Hunt Kelly Kirby Kenneth E. Cowhick Kevin B. Kevin Eddings Kevin Young Larry Everett Leather Leather Network Leather's West Leathers West Lee Pruitt Leonard Williams Levi's Lloyd Samuels Lynette Hadlock Mark Frasier Mark Frazier Mason Alexander Metro Diner Mike Miller Mike Siemer Mike Taylor Mr. Oklahoma Leather Mr. Ozarks Leather Mr. Tulsa Leather Nate Benner National Leather Association New Age Renegade Nightlife Oklahoma Mr. Drummer Oklahoma Mr. Leather Olivier Pratt Ozark Mountain Men Pat Sullivan Patrick Sullivan People Exchanging Power Oklahoma (P.E.P.) Play-Mor Play-Mor Lounge Randal Kinnear Randy Wheeler Reba Lynn Restraints Etc. Ric Poston Richie Johnson Roger McConnell Ron Greenwood Ron Harwood Sam Sampson Schatzi's Scott Roewer Social Clubs Sooner State Leather Steven Fendt Team OK USA Teresa Ramadan Terrell Brown Terry Gatewood Terry Nutter The Bamboo Lounge The Copa The Curiosity Shoppe The Ledo Cabaret and Lounge The Metro Diner The Silver Star Thom Dombkowski TNT's Tony B. Toolbox Tulsa Dungeon Society Tulsa Eagle Tulsa Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Community Center Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A.) Uniform Vi Reyes Vic Reyes Whittier News Wolf Trucking Yellow Brick Road https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/5327bf1dbc483fc9feb25d5fa5def142.pdf cb5afbac003e014fd5332347024dac51 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Millennium March Press Release Subject The topic of the resource Millennium March on Washington Description An account of the resource Press release from the Human Rights Campaign event Millennium March on Washington. Includes endorsement form signed by TOHR President Steve Horn. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Human Rights Campaign Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 30, 1998 April 30, 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Millennium March on Washington Donna Red Wing Jim Birkitt Benjamin Sheppard Steve Horn Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Press release Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2064 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Millennium March on Washington Human Rights Campaign 1998 2000 Steve Horn PDF Text Text ����� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/b46f8b19b38e1d01e44c010427c7181e.pdf 0c5c696c90d88f9bd3c9e2fdd952de7b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Board Resolution #4 Subject The topic of the resource Millennium March on Washington Description An account of the resource Resolution from the board of the Millennium March to support the National Association of Community Centers by increasing their visibility and organizational development. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Board of the Millennium March Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Millennium March on Washington for Equality Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Millennium March Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 30, 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Board of the Millennium March on Washington Relation A related resource Millennium March on Washington Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Official Document Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2065 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Millennium March on Washington for Equality National Association of Gay and Lesbian Community Centers PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/76eee950c8671294d22b835849757753.pdf a483b19dcc6123e0c63e975a06f1f7aa Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource GLBT Vote 2000 Subject The topic of the resource Millennium March on Washington for Equality Description An account of the resource Press release from the Millennium March on Washington announcing GLBT Vote 2000, a voter registration campaign. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Millennium March on Washington Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Millennium March on Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Millennium March on Washington Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Press Release Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2066 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Voting 2000 Elections Millennium March on Washington GLBT Vote 2000 PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/9f0a541409e4a4f6008629e680f775de.pdf 00bdc22f7d1a81c9646055058051d3af Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to Steve Horn Subject The topic of the resource Millennium March on Washington Description An account of the resource Letter from the Board of the Millennium March to LGBT center presidents. Addressed to TOHR President Steve Horn. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Millennium March on Washington for Equality Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Millennium March on Washington Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 24, 2000 April 30, 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Millennium March on Washington Ann DeGroot Dianne Hardy-Garcia Jonathan Zucker Relation A related resource Millennium March on Washington Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Letter Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2067 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Millennium March on Washington for Equality The Pride Center Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) Ann DeGroot Dianne Hardy-Garcia Jonathan Zucker Steve Horn PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2000] Millennium March on Washington for Equality Subject The topic of the resource Millennium March on Washington for Equality Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to the Millennium March on Washington for Equaltiy. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2000 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Human Rights Campaign Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Human Rights Campaign Millennium March on Washington Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/624 1998 2000 2000 Elections activism Dianne Hardy-Garcia GLBT Vote 2000 Human Rights Campaign Jonathan Zucker Millennium March on Washington Millennium March on Washington for Equality National Association of Gay and Lesbian Community Centers protests Steve Horn The Pride Center Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) Ann DeGroot voting https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/6eb07437dddd90b0ee369b94e1cb36e6.pdf 909617503e2c0b4f54edfe911a581931 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Eva Unterman Holocaust Education Fund Letter Subject The topic of the resource Eva Unterman Holocaust Education Fund Description An account of the resource Letter soliciting donations for the Eva Unterman Holocaust Education Fund. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jewish Federation Foundation Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 13, 2002 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jewish Federation Foundation Eva Unterman Holocaust Education Fund Martin Belsky Vera Berlin Relation A related resource Jewish Federation Foundation Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Letter Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2068 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Jewish Federation Foundation Eva Unterman Holocaust Education Fund Martin Belsky Vera Berlin Holocaust Yom Ha'Shoah PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2002] Jewish Federation Foundation Subject The topic of the resource Jewish Federation Foundation Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to the Jewish Federation Foundation. Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Jewish Federation Foundation Eva Unterman Eva Unterman Holocaust Education Fund Yom Ha'Shoah Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/625 Eva Unterman Holocaust Education Fund holocaust Jewish Federation Foundation Martin Belsky Vera Berlin Yom Ha'Shoah https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/51cf60d3a26ba204073ffad139754a96.pdf bc1396dd71e8ab89db80bf7925e24a86 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tango Tulsa Invitation Subject The topic of the resource Fundraising Description An account of the resource Invitation to Deco Decadence Committee event Tango Tulsa. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Deco Decadence Committee Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Deco Decadence Committee Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Deco Decadence Committee Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 22, 1985 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Deco Decadence Committee Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Invitation Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2069 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Deco Decadence Committee Tango Tulsa 1985 Fundraisers Bob Cisar Charlie Cobb Don Davis Donald Donaldson Dean Dugan Mike Green Vic Groves David Millison Patrick Murphy Dennis Neill Larry Ravenscroft John Willis Steve Wilson Cabaret Theater PDF Text Text ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1985] Deco Decadence Committee Subject The topic of the resource Fundraisers Description An account of the resource Documents and items related to the Deco Decandence Committee fundraising group. Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tango Tulsa Deco Decadence Committee Fundraising Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/626 1985 Bob Cisar Cabaret Theater Charlie Cobb David Millison Dean Dugan Deco Decadence Committee Dennis Neill Don Davis Donald Donaldson fundraisers John Willis Larry Ravenscroft Mike Green Patrick Murphy Steve Wilson Tango Tulsa Tulsa State Fairgrounds Vic Groves https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/115e11d2469ac62fe133d575f746f289.pdf a0e4912f89a62be7ac47d548d03284a9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [ND] Rainbow Rose Flier Subject The topic of the resource Bars Description An account of the resource An advertisement for the Rainbow Rose bar in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rainbow Rose Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rainbow Rose Relation A related resource Bars Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2070 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Rainbow Rose Bars Nightlife Trudy Tyler and Friends Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ND PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/b5361c8cd318c10f6c4f6f2cb4dcb173.pdf 4bb52f93d33b5cb366b7d23c3fbe459c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Shangri-La Letters Subject The topic of the resource Bars Description An account of the resource Lettters from John Hitt, of the Associated Booking Corporation to Gino Scaggs, owner of the Shangri-La Club. Letters concern payment for a previous performance and booking future acts. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource John Hitt Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource November 24-26, 1965 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Associated Booking Corporation Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Letter Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Bars Nightlife Performing arts Christine Jorgensen Diamonds John Hitt Gino Scaggs Shangri-La Associated Booking Corporation Peggy Lord The Diamonds Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2095 PDF Text Text �� https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/88fb47253b6dff2e0a6dfac58103138f.pdf 9ddbe4693cc30ed40a8cddd0480c1acd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Bamboo Lounge presents Neil Diamond Revisited Subject The topic of the resource Nightlife Description An account of the resource Program for event Neil Diamond Revisited presented by the Bamboo Lounge. Event was held in honor of Bill Francisco and benefited the Imperial Court of All Oklahoma, "Cloggerball", Francisco Youth Scholarship Fund, and the "Cloggerball" Computer Fund. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Imperial Court of All Oklahoma Bamboo Lounge Relation A related resource Bars Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Program Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Neil Diamond Toby Jenkins Bamboo Lounge Bars Nightlife The Imperial Court of All Oklahoma Tim Watchous Bill Francisco Jonnie Cronin Tim Marquis Snapp SSRA Cowboy Sooner State Rodeo Association (SSRA) Uncle Sam Matthew Heath Fitzgerald Randy-Kris Kohl Jonathan Brown Daffy Duck CloggerBill DJ T-Cub Green Country Clogger "Cloggerball" Francisco Youth Scholarship Fund The "Cloggerball" Computer Fund King Grandfather Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2096 PDF Text Text ������������������ Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1965-ND] Bars Subject The topic of the resource Bars Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to gay bars in Tulsa. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Rainbow Rose Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Bars Nightlife Rainbow Rose Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/627 "Cloggerball" Associated Booking Corporation Bamboo Lounge Bars Bill Francisco Christine Jorgensen CloggerBill Daffy Duck Diamonds DJ T-Cub Francisco Youth Scholarship Fund Gino Scaggs Green Country Clogger John Hitt Jonathan Brown Jonnie Cronin King Grandfather Matthew Heath Fitzgerald Neil Diamond Nightlife Peggy Lord performing arts Rainbow Rose Randy-Kris Kohl Shangri-La Sooner State Rodeo Association (SSRA) SSRA Cowboy The "Cloggerball" Computer Fund The Diamonds The Imperial Court of All Oklahoma Tim Marquis Snapp Tim Watchous Toby Jenkins Trudy Tyler and Friends Uncle Sam https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/8350067613f1b78bba637197a49aa508.pdf 717ce397d89ad1336dbf4285ba991ef9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource PFLAG Kite Day Flier Subject The topic of the resource Fundraisers Description An account of the resource Flier advertising PFLAG event Kite Day. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 13 Unknown Year Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2071 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Kite Day PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [ND] Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Subject The topic of the resource Activism Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to the organization Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbian s and Gays (PFLAG). Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Kite Day Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/628 activism children Kite Day Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) youth https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/723e54c2d785ba5a22527bdc5d7c428d.pdf 1376badaaa23f0ec71ab55942e8a716f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Multicultural Advisory Council July 17, 2001 Meeting Minutes Subject The topic of the resource Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Description An account of the resource Meeting minutes for July 17, 2001 meeting of Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Multicultural Advisory Council. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 17, 2001 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Renee Reed Suzann Stewart Jackie Terry Tom Neal Glenn Baisley Russ Florence Heather Williams Relation A related resource Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Meeting Minutes Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2072 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Renee Reed Suzann Stewart Jackie Terry Tom Neal Glenn Baisley Russ Florence Heather Williams Multicultural Advisory Council Businesses Churches Activism Organization Restaurants Nancy Phillips Connie Stewart 2001 PDF Text Text ��� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2001] Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Subject The topic of the resource Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 17, 2001 Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/629 2001 activism businesses churches Connie Stewart Glenn Baisley Heather Williams Jackie Terry Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce Multicultural Advisory Council Nancy Phillips Organization Renee Reed restaurants Russ Florence Suzann Stewart Tom Neal https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/2dc03161319dc50ace68559d3557770c.pdf 650fd43a3df0dc5f948587a748ddd202 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Ride Schedule and Press Release Subject The topic of the resource OK Spoke Club Description An account of the resource Multiple versions of OK Spoke Club's ride schedule. Also includes press release from president Jerry Custer advertising the group. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource OK Spoke Club Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived OK Spoke Club Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available OK Spoke Club Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jerry Custer Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Schedule Press Release Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2073 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant OK Spoke Club Jerry Custer Clubs and Social Groups PDF Text Text ���� Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [1990] OK Spoke Club Subject The topic of the resource Clubs and Social Groups Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to OK Spoke Club, an LGBT cycling club. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource OK Spoke Club Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Other Organizations and Events Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1990 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jerry Custer Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Clubs and Social Groups OK Spoke Club Jerry Custer Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/630 Clubs and Social Groups Jerry Custer OK Spoke Club https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/a59a5f6a2afb6c03dff5dc0cfe1c0209.pdf a25e212532cba210178ed1d21a5a1e49 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust Flier Subject The topic of the resource The Holocaust Description An account of the resource Flier for The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust, a presentation given by historian Sir Martin Gilbert at Congregation B'nai Emunah synagogue. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Council for Holocaust Education Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Yom Hashoah Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 21, 2005 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2074 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant The Council for Holocaust Education Yom Hashoah Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration Yom Ha'Shoah The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust Martin Gilbert Congregation B'nai Emunah Temple Israel B'nai B'rith Youth Organization Bridges for Peace Camp Fire USA Circle Cinema Coalition of Hispanic Organizations Northeast Oklahoma Holocaust Educators Heritage Academy Midrasha National Conference for Community and Justice National Council of Jewish Women Native American Times Oklahoma State University - Tulsa Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Phillips Theological Seminary Say No to Hate Trinity Episcopal Church Tulsa City-County Library Tulsa Community College Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism Tulsa Interfaith Alliance Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Tulsa Public Schools University of Oklahoma - Tulsa University of Tulsa Urban League The Holocaust Anti-Semitism PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2005] Yom Hashoah Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration Subject The topic of the resource The Holocaust Description An account of the resource Items and documents relating to the Yom Hashoah Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Other Organizations and events Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant The Holocaust Yom Ha'Shoah Yom Hashoah Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration Council for Holocaust Education The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/631 and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Anti-Semitism B'nai B'rith Youth Organization Bridges for Peace Camp Fire USA Circle Cinema Coalition of Hispanic Organizations Congregation B'nai Emunah Families Heritage Academy Martin Gilbert Midrasha National Conference for community and Justice National Council of Jewish Women Native American Times Northeast Oklahoma Holocaust Educators Oklahoma State University - Tulsa Parents Phillips Theological Seminary Say No to Hate Temple Israel The Council for Holocaust Education The Holocaust The Righteous: Unsung Heroes of the Holocaust Trinity Episcopal Church Tulsa City-County Library Tulsa Community College Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism Tulsa Interfaith Alliance Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Tulsa Public Schools University of Oklahoma - Tulsa University of Tulsa Urban League Yom Ha'Shoah Yom Hashoah Interfaith Holocaust Commemoration https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/8b17955f2598aacfc0fa751135eff656.pdf b20ef2ed67c11db8ba8c3001c21df295 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Open Arms Project Flier Subject The topic of the resource Youth Description An account of the resource Flier advertising new Open Arms Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Openarms Youth Project Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Openarms Youth Project Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Openarms Youth Project (OYP) The Pride Center Youth Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2076 PDF Text Text � https://history-okeq-org-red5.dev.unicomm.me/files/original/3fbab7671d048605dbd43b402e5deff6.pdf 27263251f71274bb38adfbee4f95171a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource You Are Not Alone Subject The topic of the resource Youth Description An account of the resource Flier advertising Openarms Youth Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Openarms Youth Project Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Openarms Youth Project Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Flier Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Openarms Youth Project Youth Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/files/show/2077 PDF Text Text � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [ND] Openarms Youth Project Subject The topic of the resource Youth Description An account of the resource Documents and items relating to youth group Openarms Youth Project. Language A language of the resource English Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Openarms Youth Project (OYP) Youth Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://history.okeq.org/items/show/632 Openarms Youth Project (OYP) The Pride Center youth