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Obama signs
What makes a hate
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell group? by Arthur Breur
(Hint: Breaking a commandment,
repeal
repeatedly and unrepentantly)
President Barack Obama signed the law repealing the
military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ban on open gays Dec. 22.
“Yes, we did,” Obama said. “You know, I am just overwhelmed. This is a very good day. … I couldn’t be prouder.”
“No longer will our country be denied the service of
thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave
the military—regardless of their skills, no matter their
bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary
performance—because they happen to be gay,” the president said. “No longer will tens of thousands of Americans
in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder,
in order to serve the country that they love.”
TTfull story page 5
The out-of-state organizations that brought about the
unprecedented ouster of three of Iowa’s Supreme Court
Justices have put up a fuss about being labeled “Hate Groups”
by the Southern Poverty Law Center, launching an effort they
have called “Start Debating, Stop Hating.” The new website,
StartDebatingStopHating.com, launched by the Family
Research Council, starts with this oddly ironic statement:
“The surest sign one is losing a debate is to resort to character assassination. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal
fundraising machine whose tactics have been condemned by
observers across the political spectrum, is doing just that.
TTFALSE WITNESS continued page 4
Sanctity and Insanity
Page 5
Page 12
What’s Inside:
Section 1: News & Politics
by David Ruhe, Senior Pastor,
Plymouth Congregational Church, Des Moines, IA
I am truly honored to be here today. Your reputation
precedes you. The secret is out that the First Friday Breakfast
Club is about more than breakfast: that you are a community
of support and transformation that makes Des Moines a
better place. Thank you for inviting me.
I am flattered to think that somebody thought I might
have something to say to so broad an audience. Often the
perception of preachers can be summed up in Mark Twain’s
quip: “What did the preacher talk about?” “Sin.” “What did
he have to say?” “He seemed to be against it.”
It was also kind of Jonathan Wilson to invite me in July,
and so to permit me the illusion that you were not desperately
scraping the bottom of the barrel for a program today. When
that call came I thought I might talk to you about Christmas;
and I even prepared that talk. But it came to feel pretty bland
and safe to me, so I decided to talk instead about marriage,
marriage equality, inappropriate certitude and sanctity. My
title is “Sanctity and Insanity.”
I hope to strike a confessional note here, and to admit
that part of the furor surrounding marriage equality stems
from the misguided attempt on the part of Christians to fight
out our doctrinal divisions in the legislature and the courts.
Because the church doesn’t have its act together, innocent
people, particularly LGBT persons, suffer. What is properly
a theological conversation cannot find resolution; and so
some in the Christian community are trying to legislate, and
adjudicate, sanctity. That’s insanity.
Natalie Portman and Black Swan cast
talk ballet thriller—and that
girl-on-girl sex scene TTstory page 12
In the interests of full disclosure I should tell you a bit
about my background and convictions. I am the Senior Minister at Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ. This
Sunday will mark the 17th anniversary of my election to that
office. I got them to promise I could keep at it until I get the
hang of it, which has proven to mean job security for me.
Plymouth has been an Open and Affirming congregation
since 1993, which means that we have formally and publicly
declared ourselves to be open to and affirming of all God’s
children, regardless of sexual orientation. This action was
taken while my predecessor, Jim Gilliom, was in his final
months at Plymouth; the search committee for his successor would not even have considered me as a candidate had
I not been wholeheartedly in accord. This Open and Affirming declaration is now seen as one of the most important
things Plymouth Church has ever done. We understand it to
be consonant with other socially controversial but morally
obvious stands on issues like the abolition of slavery, women’s
suffrage and the civil rights movement.
Our denomination, the United Church of Christ, fancies
itself as having been “early to truth-telling” on divisive issues;
if that is so we are “early” only by the standards of the church
as a whole, which is a notorious defender and apologist of the
status quo. Too often in the church we are eager to settle for
peace without justice, and so end up with neither.
Be that as it may, the UCC ordained the first openly
TTSANCTITY continued page 18
Page 16
From the Editor: “Protecting Our Interests / Volume 25” 3
Iowa News
4
US News
5
World News 6
Inside Out: “...Both Still Fruit” by Ellen Krug
7
“Deficit and Debt” by Tony E. Hansen
7
Creeps of the Week
8
Minor Details: “When Can a Speaker of the House Cry?” 9
Section 2: Fun Guide
Entertainment Picks for January
Deep Inside Hollywood
“Dirty Dancing” (Black Swan) by Chris Azzopardi
Partying Hard: Please “Don’t Join My Gym”
The Outfield
Recurring Events, Statewide
Hear Me Out (Music Reviews): Best of 2010
Our first Chicago-style pizza
The Gay Wedding Planner: “Engagements & Flowers”
Cocktail Chatter:Vodka Stinger / The Bellini / Grappa
Out of Town: St. Petersburg’s Renaissance
Book Worm Sez: Stuff That Makes a Gay Heart Weep
Comics and Crossword Puzzle
Section 3: Community
11
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
23
25
26
26
Snap Shot: The Library at The CENTER
29
First Friday Breakfast Club: Dr. David Ruhe
29
Queeries: LGBT Etiquette by Steven Petrow
30
A Happy New Year at The CENTER by Beau Fodor
30
Positive Iowans Taking Charge: Peer-to-Peer Support
30
“How Ya’ Doin’?” by Jonathan Wilson
31
Editing ACCESSline 1996-2008: A 13-Year Experience 32
Business Directory
36-37
In Memoriam: John Karn; Wesley Richardson
38
Page 17
Page 25
ACCESSline Page 2
JANUARY 2011
JANUARY 2011
PUBLICATION
INFORMATION
Copyright © 2011
ACCESSline
P.O. Box 2666
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2666
(319) 550-0957
www.ACCESSlineIOWA.com
[email protected]
ACCESSline is a monthly publication by
Breur Media Corporation. The paper was
founded in 1986 by the non-profit organization ACCESS (A Concerned Community
for Education, Safer-sex and Support) in
Northeast Iowa.
Arthur Breur, Editor in Chief
Q Syndicate
Rex Wockner News Service
Contributors:
Bruce Carr; Joshua Dagon;
Beau Fodor; Tony E. Hansen;
Ellen Krug; Bob Minor;
Jonathan Wilson
All rights reserved. Original material
printed in ACCESSline (with the exception
of information from other sources) may be
“lifted” for use in other publications so long
as proper credit is given.
Publication of the name, photograph or
likeness of any person, business or organization in ACCESSline is not to be construed as
any indication of sexual orientation. Opinions
expressed by columnists do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of ACCESSline, ACCESS
or the gay and lesbian community. Letters to
the editor may be published. We cannot be
responsible for errors in advertising copy.
We welcome the submission of original materials, including line drawings and
cartoons, news stories, poems, essays. They
should be clearly labeled with author/artist
name, address, and phone number. We
reserve the right to edit letters and other
material for reasons of profanity, space, or
clarity. Materials will not be returned. A
writer’s guide is available for those wishing
to submit original work.
Advertising rates and deadlines are
available at ACCESSlineIOWA.com. All ads
must be approved by ACCESSline’s editorial
board.
ACCESSline Page 3
From the Editor: Protecting Our Interests
On January 1, 2011, Iowa’s LGBT+ a couple of drinks there, even just once or
community woke up with one less cultural twice a month. Even if you don’t particularly
treasure. With the close of Hamburger Mary’s like the choice of bars in your town all that
in Cedar Rapids, the state of Iowa is that much much, you will probably agree: having any bar
where you can openly kiss or dance or hold
poorer this year.
Due to unsteady business and the hands with your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/
general state of the economy, the fun and husband/lover is much better than having no
campy restaurant closed its doors after such bar in town.
Plan a trip to eat at Schera’s Restaunearly three years in business.
I am very strong on responsibility, rant and Bar in the little town of Elkader in
and I believe we have a responsibility to northeast Iowa. It’s owned by a wondersupport the things we treasure, and make ful couple who are proving every day that
no mistake: Hamburger Mary’s was a local diversity makes Iowa a stronger and better
treasure. We, as a community, can say, “Oh, place. Or eat at Paradise Pizza Café in West
Des Moines, or any other
well, the economy is
really terrible right now,
“If you liked it then you should place you know that is
LGBT owned, operated,
so it is no surprise that have put a ring on it.”
or just friendly.
some places are going
Do you appreciate
to close.” OR we can — Lyric from the song “Single Ladies”
composed by Christopher Stewart, that there are “open and
say, “There are enough
Terius Nash, Thaddis Harrell and affirming” churches in
of us around to throw
Beyoncé Knowles
your community? Then
our support behind the
attend the church that
businesses we love—or
the businesses we just like knowing are you feel most comfortable at—and be sure
there!—and keep our local LGBT-owned and to put some money in the offering when
you do. If you feel personally turned off by
LGBT-friendly businesses thriving.
Christian churches because of the frequent
bad behavior of some congregations and
I insist…
preachers,
then try a Unitarian Universalist
So let me not just encourage you, but
insist that you make an effort this year to Church; they are about as open-minded as a
patronize your local LGBT+ businesses and church can be—a real breath of fresh air.
Do you like having a Pride celebration
charities. If you like knowing that there are
such local Iowa businesses—whether they be in your town? Then plan on going—and
a bar, church, restaurant, store, artist, profes- marching!—and then shop at the street fair.
sional, whatever—then support them. You
don’t need to spend any more money than you Minding our businesses…
already would. Just spend your money on the
And for the businesses out there, buy a
businesses you want to keep around.
booth space in your local Pride street fair. If
So for example, do you buy coffee in your town has a local business network, join
downtown Des Moines? Visit Ritual Café or it and attend various events. Des Moines has
Zanzibar instead of always going to Starbucks Out Networking every 2nd Wednesday of the
or Friedrich’s. The chains will survive just month. Iowa City has Connections, which has
fine while we give a boost to our local small monthly business forums on the 1st Tuesday
community businesses.
of every month. Council Bluffs and Omaha
Or maybe you are thinking about getting have the “GO GLBT Network”. Participate and
someone a gift from Spencer Gifts? Consider network with other Iowa LGBT businesses.
buying at Liberty Gifts in Des Moines, or The We are stronger if we stand together!
First Avenue Wine House in Cedar Rapids
Finally—to be blatantly self-serving—do
(go figure: they have a great collection of you like that Iowa has a 25-year-old newspagay-themed cards, as well as many that are per working to serve the entire state of Iowa?
just delightfully campy).
Then advertise in ACCESSline, or subscribe,
or suggest a location where ACCESSline could
be distributed in your town. (I became editor
Go ahead, be social…
You may not be a regular bar patron, of ACCESSline because I felt it was another
but if you like knowing that there is a “gay” one of our local treasures that might be lost,
bar nearby, make a point to go out and have so I can claim one very personal win on the
ACCESSline Wants To Hear From You!
Send in photos and reports of your events... especially benefits and conferences.
Please send us information on any of the following:
• Corrections to articles
• Stories of LGBT or HIV+ interest, both in and outside of Iowa
• Letters to the editor
• Editorials or opinion pieces
• Engagement and wedding ceremony announcements or photos
• Questions on any topic we print
• Photos and writeups about shows, events, pageants, and fundraisers
Please email us at [email protected]. You may also contact us at
our regular address:
ACCESSline
PO Box 2666
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2666
ACCESSline reserves the right to print letters to the editor and other feedback
at the editor’s discretion.
“saving our local treasures” front.)
So stand up for the business or organization you want to keep alive in Iowa, and do so
by spending your money there. Otherwise
you might wake up tomorrow and find it is
another lost treasure.
My New Year’s Resolutions
ACCESSline is turning 25 this year. This
fact amazes me, nearly as much as it amazes
how many people in our communities I speak
to who have lived here for years—some even
all their lives!—yet who have never even
heard of ACCESSline!
My first resolution is to work diligently
to resolve that frustration, and to make
ACCESSline a source of pride for all LGBT+
Iowans.
I took over publishing ACCESSline from
John Wilson and Paul Danielsen at the beginning of 2009 (see their remembrances of
their notable strides on page 32). Since that
time the paper has mostly been one-person
show. (The paper has the benefit of syndicated content and some remarkable monthly
columnists: novelists Joshua Dagon and Brett
Edward Stout; the gay wedding planner, Beau
Fodor; and the very talented Ellen Krug. And
we have had many other contributors—more
than I can list here without offending the
ones I would forget! So everyone who has
sent an article, a letter, or a photograph has
my sincere thanks.)
This year my resolution is to turn
ACCESSline into a self-reliant business that
can continue without interruption. Bonnie
Hodson is rocking our ad sales manager position and Angela Geno-Stumme is our new
managing editor. This core team is here to
ensure that Iowa’s LGBT+ newspaper continues to be a valuable resource to all of Iowa’s
LGBT+ communities for years to come.
Subscribe to ACCESSline
Thank you for reading ACCESSline, Iowa’s only statewide, monthly
LGBT newspaper. Our goal continues to be to keep the community
informed about gay organizations, events, HIV/AIDS news, politics,
national and international news, and other critical issues. Don’t miss it!
$36 for 12 issues. Subscribe at: ACCESSlineIOWA.com or…
Send this completed form with check or money order for $36 for a
one year subscription (12 issues) or RENEW for $30. Send to:
ACCESSline, PO Box 2666, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2666
and we’ll send you ACCESSline in a plain brown envelope!
Good for the $36 annual rate!
Name:________________________________________________
Address:_ _____________________________________________
City:______________________ State:_____ Zip:___________
ACCESSline Page 4
JANUARY 2011
IOWA NEWS
Hamburger Mary’s Cedar
Rapids closes
December 31, 2010 was the last day
that anyone could order a “Buffy Burger” or
a “Barbra-Q Burger” in Iowa.
After nearly three years of service,
owners Rhonda and Stacy Winistorfer closed
the restaurant, citing the poor economy and
regularly unsteady business.
The restaurant opened its doors on
February 9, 2008, and held a grand opening
on February 22, 2008.
For two years in a row, Hamburger
Mary’s won 1st Place for Best Burger in KCRG
TV9’s A-List competition across eastern Iowa,
beating out even the iconic Hamburg Inn in
Iowa City.
2011 Matthew Shepard
Scholarship applications
now available
Applications are now available for Iowa’s
2011 Matthew Shepard Scholarship Program
honoring openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender Iowa high school seniors at
eychanerfoundation.org.
Gold Eagle Awards are valued at $40,000
over four years and pay full tuition, books
and fees at one of Iowa’s three state universities: Iowa State University, the University
of Northern Iowa or the University of Iowa.
Silver Eagle Awards are an initial award of
$500 that grow to a value of $9,000 and may
be used at any college or university in the
United States. Applications are due March
31, 2011.
All scholarships are renewable annually for up to four years upon evidence of
academic achievement and continued service
to the LGBT Community.
To date, the Matthew Shepard Scholarship Program has committed over one million
dollars in honoring one hundred and five
Iowans from across the state.
Scholarships are presented in each
student’s high school awards assembly, and
at a statewide awards dinner in Des Moines
on June 3, 2011.
Iowa’s Matthew Shepard Scholarship
Program is named in the memory of Matthew
Shepard, a student at the University of
Wyoming was brutally murdered ten years
ago, because he was gay.
SScontinued from page 1
FALSE WITNESS
“The group, which was once known for
combating racial bigotry, is now attacking
several groups that uphold Judeo-Christian
moral views, including marriage as the union
of a man and a woman.
“How does the SPLC attack? By labeling
its opponents “hate groups.” No discussion. No
consideration of the issues. No engagement.
No debate!”
The statement is ironic because the
Family Research Council (and the American
Family Association, Concerned Women
of America, the National Organization for
Marriage, the Liberty Counsel and “other
pro-family organizations”) all started practicing character assassination decades ago
by telling lies and calling names—which are
The Scholarship Program is underwritten and awarded by the Rich Eychaner
Charitable Foundation.
Additional information is available at:
eychanerfoundation.org. Tickets for the
awards dinner go on sale March 1, 2011.
Steve King backs newly
designated hate groups
US Representative for Iowa’s 5th
Congressional District, Steve King, signed
an open letter in support of numerous newly
designated anti-gay hate groups. The letter
was in response to several high-profile
national Christian “family” organizations
being labeled “Hate Groups” by the Southern
Poverty Law Center.
“We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Family Research Council, American
Family Association, Concerned Women of
America, National Organization for Marriage,
Liberty Counsel and other pro-family
organizations that are working to protect
and promote natural marriage and family.
We support the vigorous but responsible
exercise of the First Amendment rights of
free speech and religious liberty that are the
birthright of all Americans.”
It should be noted that neither free
speech nor religious liberty are affected
by the SPLC’s “Hate Group” designation.
The organization labels an organization a
hate group when that organization repeatedly publishes false information aimed at a
marginalizing a minority group.
The false statements which led to the
above listed organizations being labeled
“Hate Groups” include the falsehood that
homosexuals are more likely to be pedophiles, the scientifically disproven idea that
children are harmed by being raised by samesex couples, and the outrageous claims that
the German Nazi party was run by homosexuals or used homosexuals as their most
Lt. Governor Announces
One Iowa to Receive Final
‘One Iowa Award’
DES MOINES, Dec. 29, 2010 – Lt. Governor Patty Judge today announced that the
seventh and final recipient of the One Iowa
Award will be One Iowa, the state’s largest
LGBT civil rights organization. (This state-
exactly the behaviors that got them landed
on the SPLC’s list of hate groups.
Furthermore, the SPLC has provided
extensive documentation of the precise lies,
distortions, and name-calling that these
groups have perpetrated. These instances
are not just statements of Christian belief,
but are presented as “scientific fact” by the
groups, which—combined with using terms
like “sexual predators” and “perverts” to
describe homosexuals as a group—is why
they received the “hate group” designation.
For example, some of the “facts” that
are cited by FRC and other hate groups
have been provided by discredited
researchers such as Paul Cameron and his
“Family Research Institute.” The “research”
performed by this organization is unscientific from the start, notably—because their
wide diversity award is unrelated to the
grassroots organization.)
“I created the One Iowa Award to
highlight individuals and organizations that
are helping to eliminate intolerance and
prejudice in our society, and bring our state
together,” Lt. Governor Judge said. “Few
groups are doing that work as effectively as
One Iowa. For more than five years, this group
has made tremendous strides in making our
state a more welcoming and inviting place
for all, including LGBT Iowans. They have
been a great partner in the Culver/Judge
Administration’s efforts to make our state
a better place for everyone, and I am proud
to honor their work with the final One Iowa
Award.”
Since it was created in 2005, One Iowa
has grown into the state’s leading advocate
for LGBT IowSince it was created in 2005, One
Iowa has grown into the state’s leading advocate for LGBT Iowans. With 30,000 members,
One Iowa has proven itself effective not only
in achieving common-sense public policy
changes, but also in changing the hearts and
minds of Iowans. The organization helped
create a climate that saw forward progress
in the march for LGBT rights in recent years,
including the passage of an expanded civil
rights code to include LGBT Iowans and safe
schools legislation establishing anti-bullying
policies in schools. Since the Supreme Court’s
unanimous Varnum ruling establishing
marriage equality in Iowa in April 2009, One
Iowa has been leading the charge to educate
Iowans about the about the positive impact
LGBT families have on our communities and
our state, as well as working with the Iowa
Legislature to keep discrimination out of our
constitution.
“It is truly an honor for One Iowa to
receive this award,” said Carolyn Jenison,
stated goal presumes that certain things are
a threat to the “traditional family” (itself
an unscientific concept), and their goal is
to merely prove that threat, rather than to
research objectively:
The Family Research Institute was
founded in 1982 with one overriding mission:
to generate empirical research on issues that
threaten the traditional family, particularly
homosexuality, AIDS, sexual social policy,
and drug abuse.
Other false information is provided
by socially conservative organizations that
sound like larger mainstream groups, such
as the “American College of Pediatricians.”
SPLC reports: “Some anti-gay ideologues cite the American College of Pediatricians’ [emphasis added] opposition to samesex parenting as if the organization were
a legitimate professional body. In fact, the
Executive Director of One Iowa. “For far too
long, LGBT Iowans have been denied full
equality in our state. However, in recent
years, we have seen the tide turn as the hearts
and minds of Iowans have changed, and our
communities have become more welcoming
and accepting of LGBT Iowans, their loved
ones, and their children. I want to thank Lt.
Governor Judge, Governor Culver, our friends
in the Legislature, and our allies across their
state for their tireless efforts on behalf of
the LGBT community. We look forward to
continuing this work until we have broken
down the barriers in our state, and secured
the bright, welcoming future we all know is
possible.”
When Governor Culver and Lt. Governor
Judge took office, they laid out their vision
for the future of this state: “One Iowa, One
Unlimited Future.” This phrase represents
their firm belief that the only way for Iowa
to succeed is if everyone comes together to
work for the common good. For this vision
to become a reality, it requires the participation of every Iowan, regardless of race, age,
gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. This
work has already begun in towns and cities
across the state, and to help highlight the
efforts of those individuals and organizations
that are making the Culver/Judge Administration’s goal come true, the Lt. Governor
created the One Iowa Award.
Previous recipients include Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity of Des Moines; Sanford
Community Center of Sioux City; Diversity
Focus of Cedar Rapids, I’ll Make Me A World
In Iowa of Des Moines; Iowa Asian Alliance
of Des Moines; and Dr. Michele Devlin and Dr.
Mark Gray of the University of Northern Iowa
in Cedar Falls. One Iowa will be seventh and
final recipient of Lt. Governor Patty Judge’s
One Iowa Award.
so-called college is a tiny breakaway faction
of the similarly named, 60,000-member
American Academy of Pediatrics [emphasis added] that requires, as a condition of
membership, that joiners ‘hold true to the
group’s core beliefs … [including] that the
traditional family unit, headed by an opposite-sex couple, poses far fewer risk factors
in the adoption and raising of children.’ The
group’s 2010 publication Facts About Youth
was described by the American Academy of
Pediatrics and the American Psychological
Association as non-factual.”
To back up its position, the SPLC
published a list of commonly used anti-gay
myths (printed in its entirety on page 39).
So even in disputing their listing as “hate
groups,” these organizations are breaking
the 9th Commandment and bearing false
witness, repeatedly and unrepentantly.
JANUARY 2011
ACCESSline Page 5
US NEWS news analysis by Rex Wockner
Obama signs DADT repeal
President Barack Obama signed the law
repealing the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
ban on open gays Dec. 22.
“Yes, we did,” Obama said. “You know,
I am just overwhelmed. This is a very good
day. … I couldn’t be prouder.”
“No longer will our country be denied
the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military—
regardless of their skills, no matter their
bravery or their zeal, no matter their years
of exemplary performance—because they
happen to be gay,” the president said. “No
longer will tens of thousands of Americans
in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over
their shoulder, in order to serve the country
that they love.”
“I have spoken to every one of the service
chiefs and they are all committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently,”
Obama assured the hundreds of attendees
at the ceremony. “We are not going to be
dragging our feet to get this done.”
“I want to speak directly to the gay men
and women currently serving in our military,”
the president continued. “For a long time
your service has demanded a particular
kind of sacrifice. You’ve been asked to carry
the added burden of secrecy and isolation.
And all the while, you’ve put your lives on
the line for the freedoms and privileges of
citizenship that are not fully granted to you.
… There will never be a full accounting of the
heroism demonstrated by gay Americans in
service to this country; their service has been
obscured in history. It’s been lost to prejudices that have waned in our own lifetimes.
But at every turn, every crossroads in our
past, we know gay Americans fought just as
hard, gave just as much to protect this nation
and the ideals for which it stands. There can
be little doubt there were gay soldiers who
fought for American independence, who
consecrated the ground at Gettysburg, who
manned the trenches along the Western
Front, who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima.
Their names are etched into the walls of our
memorials. Their headstones dot the grounds
at Arlington. And so, as the first generation
to serve openly in our armed forces, you will
stand for all those who came before you,
and you will serve as role models to all who
come after.”
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal passed the
President Barack Obama signs the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 during a
ceremony at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C., Dec. 22, 2010.
Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy
Senate 65-31 and the House of Representatives 250-175.
Obama’s signature does not, however,
end the policy just yet—and gay servicemembers have been advised by military officials
and activist groups to stay in the closet.
That’s because the law’s language
requires Obama, the secretary of defense
and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
to now “certify” that the military is ready for
the change and that the repeal will not harm
military readiness or effectiveness, unit cohesion, recruiting or member retention.
It’s unknown how long that will take.
Obama told The Advocate that “my strong
sense is this is a matter of months … this
is not something that they’re going to be
slow-walking.”
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the
Department of Defense will proceed “carefully and methodically, but purposefully.”
“I will approach this process deliberately
and will make such certification only after
careful consultation with the military service
chiefs and our combatant commanders and
when I am satisfied that those conditions
have been met for all the services, commands
and units,” Gates said. “In the meantime, the
current law and policy (the ban on coming
out) will remain in effect.”
Once the certification is issued, the law
requires a further 60-day gap before the
repeal takes effect.
It is unclear if the military will continue
to pursue DADT discharges in the interim, but
many observers consider it unlikely.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis called
on the government to officially suspend
discharges effective immediately, but there
is no indication it plans to do so.
“In signing this bill today, President
Obama delivered on a defining civil rights
measure for our country and for gay, lesbian
and bisexual servicemembers who have been
silenced for far too long,” Sarvis said. “Clearly,
this is President Obama’s Lyndon Johnson
moment in history.”
Servicemembers United Executive
Director Alexander Nicholson said: “Today, an
historic wrong was finally made right. Today,
the long and painful struggle of one million
LGBT veterans was finally vindicated. Today,
66,000 gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans
currently serving in uniform will sleep easier
knowing that the odious Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
law is a thing of the past.”
UN General Assembly
overturns anti-gay vote
The United Nations General Assembly
on Dec. 21 overturned its recent vote that
removed a reference to sexual orientation
from a resolution against extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions.
The resolution urges member states to
protect the right to life of all people and calls
on governments to investigate killings based
on discriminatory grounds. For the past 10
years, the document included sexual orientation in a list of discriminatory grounds on
which killings are often based.
In November, a General Assembly
committee composed of all U.N. member
nations removed the gay reference in a
vote of 79 to 70 with 17 abstentions and 26
absences. That led to an intense campaign,
headed by the United States, to reinsert the
reference.
The reinsertion vote was 93 to 55 with
27 abstentions and 17 absences. Then, the
vote to pass the full resolution with the gay
language back in place was 122 to 1 with 62
abstentions.
The document is believed to be the
only UN resolution ever to reference “sexual
orientation.”
Most opposition to acknowledging
anti-gay killings came from Arab, Islamic
and African nations, whose representatives
complained that they don’t know what
“sexual orientation” means or that sexual
behavior is an inappropriate basis upon
which to grant official recognition or human
rights protections.
Notably, South Africa and Rwanda
reversed their previous votes against gay
inclusion.
“Countries that tried to roll back crucial
protections for gay and lesbian people have
been defeated,” said Boris Dittrich, acting
director of Human Rights Watch’s LGBT
Rights Program. “The resolution does justice
to gays, lesbians and transgender people
in countries where they are targeted for
assaults and killings simply because they
love someone of the same sex or because
they are transgender.”
The office of President Barack Obama’s
press secretary issued a statement that said:
“President Obama applauds those countries
that supported the amendment offered by the
United States to ensure that ‘sexual orientation’ remains covered by the United Nations
resolution on extrajudicial, summary and
arbitrary execution. Killing people because
of their sexual orientation cannot be rational-
TTUS NEWS continued page 38
“I want to speak directly to the gay men and women currently serving in our military.
For a long time your service has demanded a particular kind of sacrifice. You’ve been asked to
carry the added burden of secrecy and isolation. And all the while, you’ve put your lives on the
line for the freedoms and privileges of citizenship that are not fully granted to you. …
“There will never be a full accounting of the heroism demonstrated by gay Americans in
service to this country; their service has been obscured in history. It’s been lost to prejudices
that have waned in our own lifetimes. But at every turn, every crossroads in our past, we
know gay Americans fought just as hard, gave just as much to protect this nation and the
ideals for which it stands.
“There can be little doubt there were gay soldiers who fought for American independence,
who consecrated the ground at Gettysburg, who manned the trenches along the Western
Front, who stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima. Their names are etched into the walls of our
memorials. Their headstones dot the grounds at Arlington.
“And so, as the first generation to serve openly in our armed forces, you will stand for
all those who came before you, and you will serve as role models to all who come after.”
— President Barack Obama, December 22, 2010, upon signing into law the repeal of
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
ACCESSline Page 6
JANUARY 2011
World News news analysis by Rex Wockner
24 hours the existence of all LGBT people
or sympathizers known to them.
“The European Parliament is united
against this draconian piece of legislation:
left, right, center, everyone agrees that
LGBT people must not be criminalized,”
said Raül Romeva i Rueda, co-president of
the European Parliament’s Intergroup on
LGBT Rights.
Nikolai Alekseev, courtesy GayRussia.ru
Moscow blocks gay rally
Brazil creates national
council to protect LGBTs
Moscow City Hall banned a gay rally
that was planned for Dec. 17.
Members of the Russian LGBT Network
wanted to gather in front of the headquarters of the former KGB to demand that
Russia legally rehabilitate people who were
convicted under the former Soviet Union’s
law that banned gay sex.
The old law, Criminal Code Article
121, was enacted in 1933 and repealed in
1993.
Earlier this year, the European Court
of Human Rights ruled against Moscow’s
yearly bans on public gay-pride events.
In a group of cases brought by Moscow
Pride founder Nikolai Alekseev, the court
determined that the city’s pride bans violate
guarantees of the European Convention on
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
in the areas of freedom of assembly and
association, right to an effective remedy and
prohibition of discrimination.
Russia was ordered to pay Alekseev
12,000 euros ($15,928) in damages and
17,510 euros in costs and expenses.
The ruling has not yet come into final
force.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula
da Silva and Human Rights Secretary Paulo
Vannuchi signed a decree Dec. 9 creating the
National LGBT Council.
The document says the council’s
purpose is to “formulate and propose guidelines for government actions, at the national
level, aimed at combating discrimination
and promoting and defending the rights of
lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transvestites and
transsexuals.”
The body is composed of employees from 15 government ministries and
representatives of 15 nongovernmental
organizations.
“The creation of the council is something ABGLT has been pressuring for and
is a victory for civil society and the Lula
government,” said Toni Reis, president of
the Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Trans Association. “It shows respect for
the deliberations of the 1st National LGBT
Conference, held in June 2008, and will
be a means of ensuring social watch over
the implementation of the 166 actions
contained in the National Plan to Promote
LGBT Citizenship and Human Rights.”
Commons, Conservative Nigel Evans, came
out Dec. 19.
He said he was “tired of living a lie” and
was worried about threats from a Labour
MP to out him.
A day later, Evans, 53, attended the
launch of a new group for gay MPs called
ParliaOut.
Evans represents the Lancashire
constituency of Ribble Valley and becomes
the 22nd openly gay member of the current
House of Commons.
The head of the Brazilian Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual and Trans Association was
honored Dec. 13 with the National Human
Rights Prize.
Toni Reis received the bronze statuette
from Culture Minister Juca Ferreira at a
ceremony in Brasilia, the nation’s capital.
He also received personal congratulations
from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula
British House of Commons Brazilian gay leader
deputy speaker comes out wins National
A deputy speaker of Britain’s House of Human Rights Prize
Euro Parliament
again denounces
Ugandan anti-gay bill
The European Parliament on Dec.
16 again denounced the pending “AntiHomosexuality Bill” poised to pass Uganda’s
Parliament.
The legislation would imprison for life
anyone convicted of “the offense of homosexuality,” punish “aggravated homosexuality” (repeat offenses or having gay sex while
being HIV-positive) with the death penalty,
forbid “promotion of homosexuality” and
incarcerate gay-rights defenders, and jail
individuals in positions of authority for up
to three years if they fail to report within
da Silva and Human Rights Secretary Paulo
Vannuchi.
The prize is the nation’s highest decoration for individuals and organizations
working in the human rights field.
Groundbreaking report
looks at LGBT Cambodians
The Cambodian Center for Human
Rights released a groundbreaking report
Dec. 9 titled “Coming Out in the Kingdom:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
People in Cambodia.”
It says that LGBT Cambodians face
unique challenges, including ostracism
from their families and communities that
often leads to economic hardship as well as
discrimination by employers and authorities.
The report argues that the concept of
homosexuality as understood in “the West”
may not directly transfer to Cambodia.
“The Cambodian understanding of
sexuality is derived from concepts of
gender, character and personality,” it says.
“The focus on these character traits and
outwardly visible characteristics instead
of sexual orientation means that many
Cambodians who are homosexual do not
identify themselves as such.”
Buddhism, the report says, generally
tolerates homosexuality.
“Homosexuality, whilst seen as an
oddity, does not attract the kind of aggressive reaction as can be seen in Christian or
Muslim cultures,” it states. “Buddhism itself
places no value on marriage or procreation.
Marriage and procreation are considered
positive if they bring about love and respect,
but may be deemed negative if pain or strife
is caused. However, in Cambodia, cultural,
social and economic pressures override
Buddhist teachings on marriage—family
values are incredibly important and pressure is strong for sons and daughters to
marry and have children.”
“Sexual behavior amongst male youths
may be seen as harmless experimentation, since women are expected to remain
‘pure’ until marriage,” the report continues.
“Youthful indiscretions may be forgotten or
may continue unnoticed. However, eventually men are expected to marry and father
children. Given traditional gender roles,
women have less ability to pursue same-sex
relationships than homosexual males, either
privately or publicly.”
“The risk of ostracism from a close
family network and economic difficulties
posed by living outside the family network
may mean that LGBT persons do not live
the lives they wish to or have to conduct
homosexual relationships in secret,” the
researchers conclude.
Nonetheless, an LGBT community is
emerging in the nation. A pride celebration, which includes workshops, movies,
art exhibits and social gatherings, launched
in 2003. Four hundred people attended the
culmination of the events in 2009.
Pride organizers have formed an
organization called RoCK to support LGBT
people and raise awareness among non-gay
Cambodians.
A gay “scene” has developed in Phnom
Penh and Siem Reap.
And “the Internet has allowed gay
Cambodian people to connect to other gay
people, thus raising awareness of a wider,
global LGBT community and the possibilities
of participating in this,” the report said.
The research, funded by the Swedish
Association for Sexual Education, can be
downloaded in English and Khmer at www.
cchrcambodia.org.
Malta fights trans
marriage
Malta’s attorney general is appealing
a ruling that transgender woman Joanne
Cassar must be allowed to marry her
boyfriend.
The constitutional arm of the First
Hall of the Civil Court had ruled that European Law and European Court of Human
Rights decisions establish the right of postoperative transgender people to enter into
an opposite-sex marriage as a member of
their new sex.
Cassar is no longer engaged but will
continue to pursue the case.
Chilean court to rule on
same-sex marriage
Following a referral from the Santiago
Court of Appeals, Chile’s Constitutional
Court will take up a same-sex marriage
case this week.
The court will consider a protection
demand from MOVILH, the Homosexual
Integration and Liberation Movement,
and three same-sex couples who want the
nation’s opposite-sex definition of marriage
struck down on constitutional grounds.
The plaintiffs also seek to negate a
law that blocks recognition of same-sex
marriages entered into abroad.
MOVILH President Rolando Jiménez
called the case a historic before-and-after
moment for Chile’s LGBT movement.
All three plaintiff couples seek to marry
in Chile. In addition, one couple seek recognition of their legal Canadian marriage,
and another seek recognition of their legal
Argentine marriage. The couples attempted
to marry in Chile but were turned away by
civil registry officials.
TTWORLD NEWS continued page 10
JANUARY 2011
ACCESSline Page 7
Inside Out: Apples to Oranges but Both Still Fruit by Ellen Krug
passports, social security cards, mortgages,
life insurance (I’m still working on that one),
their credit cards, their AARP cards. Almost
all of these changes entail providing a court
order---an embarrassing document---which
details that you once were a boy and now are
a girl. I know, what is the embarrassment
about giving this to a perfect stranger? Well,
try it and see whether it feels uncomfortable
or not.
But here is the biggest difference
between us. Ts cannot escape their history.
Thank god I have children (hey, that’s no
longer a difference between Ts and Gs or Ls,
thankfully), but I’m a Dad, when to the world
I should be a Mom. Despite our rehearsing in
the car, my youngest still calls me “Dad” in
front of the server at our favorite restaurant.
I have hundreds of pictures of me as a boy,
many with my daughters when they were
younger, pictures I cherish. I can imagine
the situation where someone dating me
finds him or herself in my condo looking at
one of those pictures at the same time my
daughter yells, “Dad!” Can you imagine that
scene? It will take a person with remarkable
fortitude (and great love) to put this history
in the right perspective. (I’m beginning to
wonder if that person even exists, but that’s
for another column another day.)
There are some Ts who “go stealth”—
who literally try to erase their prior history
by burning pictures, diplomas, and other
artifacts of another life, another gender. That
just is not for me. For sure, I want to be known
as a woman first, no question about it. After
all, that is what I am: a woman. I did not come
this far to be known as anything else. Still I am
not stupid, and reality is that my history is my
history. It is rich in people and experiences
and frankly, I would not change a thing. I just
wish I knew a bit more about hair.
Let’s talk about how being transgendered (“T”) is different from “simply” being
gay (“G”). I initially came out as G, only to
find that really, I’m T (duh), so I figure that I
have some perspective on the two subjects.
But before I venture into this minefield any
farther, a word of caution is in order: much
of what follows is generalities (or, yes,
stereotypes), so don’t get hot and bothered
(and to you male-to-female T folk, don’t get
your panties in a bunch) if you think I have
something wrong or if I’ve painted with too
broad a brush.
The letters in the Lesbian-GayBisexual-Trans alphabet represent people
outside “mainstream society”—whatever the
hell that is. Let’s face it, none of us is straight
people, and that is a good thing. However,
you Ls and Gs are quickly
becoming assimilated
into the larger culture.
Take contemporary
television shows and
movies: L and G characters are becoming
ho hum, just part of the
larger landscape. Hell,
Kurt in “Glee” is downright adorable, giving
many straight boys a
reason to wonder and many straight girls
reason to hope. We’ve come a hell of a long
way since Queer as Folk.
I wish I could say the same for the
Ts. Yes, James Franco recently dressed in
drag for a magazine cover and yes, some
television shows and movies (most notably
TransAmerica) contain T characters. And, of
course, we always have Rue Paul. But being a
drag queen or a cross-dresser is far different
from being T—sort of like how a bicycle is
different from a Cadillac. We are light years
from viewing Ts as nothing unusual. Much of
that distance is due to the fact that surgery
is part of our landscape. While girls kissing
girls (and sometimes boys kissing boys) is no
longer the object of ridicule in mainstream
culture and media, the same is not true for
Ts. Many people just don’t understand why
someone would want to trade in his penis for
a vagina or remove her breasts for a flat chest.
It is too weird for them, too far out there.
Another difference is fashion, or more
accurately, being fashionable. Let’s face it,
the Gs know how to do it. They know what
shirts match which pants, which accessories
go with what, and oh, do they know shoes.
Contrast this with many male-to-female Ts
who don’t have the first clue about women’s
fashions, let alone make up and hair. Unlike
genetic females, we did
not get the benefit of
teenage years where
girlfriends, sisters, and
mothers told us how
to dress and how to
properly apply eye
shadow or use a curling
iron. My first venture
into public as a woman
required three make-up
books, three showers (to
correct the make-up mistakes), and a horrible
looking skirt. The experience garnered a
really poor compliment about “looking good
but why didn’t you wear a wig if you’re going
to get all dressed up?” You Gs just don’t have
to deal with this stuff. Be happy for that.
The Ls are a different story but I have a
word limit here, so I better move on.
More differences: Ts have to change
their names after they come out, Gs and Ls
don’t . Once Ts have new names, they have to
change—oh let’s see—their driver’s licenses,
Budget deficits have been a primary issue
in my policy interests since before I could vote.
By ignoring the budget deficits, we cripple
future ability to handle crisis, run public
services, and risk economic insecurity. The
recent efforts at defining a deficit reduction
plan have been encouraging to say the least.
These present themselves as wide alternatives to the current gluttonous spending in
Washington, and they address important
elements that drive the cost of our government. Incidentally, they align with some of my
recommendations from a piece that I wrote
a few years ago (2008). While they identify
three factors (e.g. health care costs, defense
spending, and tax reform), there essentially
is another factor in energy costs:
First, we should review the aspects of
spending that need to change since that is
grossly over revenues paying for them. The
most encouraging aspect of the commissions
is the recognition that all aspects of government spending have to be considered in these
proposals rather than focus upon the 25%
of the budget titled so-called discretionary
spending. We cannot seriously address budget
issues if we are only focused upon a minority
of those costs to run our government (as has
been the call of several political campaigns).
Thus, we have to address defense, stimulus
and so-called entitlement spending.
For decades, the defense has been given a
blank check to run our nation’s military while economy both under Bush and Obama. This
they buy expensive toys with hammers that follows the Keynesian theory that governcost hundreds of dollars (with no plausible ments can raise spending in bad times to
explanation for the huge oversights). In addi- offset market inequalities, but that same
tion, we are managing two costly wars that theory requires governments to reign in
pull over $1.5 trillion out of our economy. spending when the economy recovers (that
did not happen). So in
For the first time in our
republic’s history, we are
Incidentally, the Soviet addition to spending
we have poured
fighting a war without
Union was also trying to gaps,
massive amounts of
additional taxes to fund
the war. Reagan used manage a particular war in debt to help “stimulate”
the theory the military Afghanistan while building the economy without
plan to pay that
buildup would push the
military systems to defend any
money back.
Soviets into an arms race
Social insurance,
that they could not afford. again the United States,
Incidentally, the Soviet and thus, bankrupted their usually called “entitle(e.g. Medicare,
Union was also trying
economies while trying to arm ment”
Medicaid, and Social
to manage a particular
war in Afghanistan themselves without taking care Security) is a political
while building military of domestic needs. Does this hot potato especially
Americans expect
systems to defend again
sound too tragic for the United since
to use the money
the United States, and
for retirement, but
thus, bankrupted their States?
these are tremendously
economies while trying
to arm themselves without taking care of important to consider since the outlays are
domestic needs. Does this sound too tragic almost half the entire budget, baby boomers
for the United States? The answer is that we will be retiring in the next decade, and these
face similar issues if we do not turn around depend highly upon the cost of health care.
Since health care has quadrupled in
our spending.
Stimulus spending is supposed to help price over the past decade alone, legislation
prevent the negative swings of the economy, needs to stop the cost growth. As well, since
but we have spent large sums to stimulate the the balance of outlays to income will have to
Can I think of anyone who,
sight unseen, I’d be willing to
trade places with. Is there
anyone whose place I’d be
willing to take, swapping my
“stuff” for their undisclosed
current and future “stuff.”
Ellen Krug is a writer, lawyer, human.
She was a trial attorney for 28 years before
realizing there is more to life. She is now on
sabbatical to write a book, and if that does
not work out, to wait tables. She is parent
to two adult children and hoping for the
best, despite the odds. She can be reached
at [email protected].
In the end, there are some significant
differences between the (L+G+B) and (T)
communities. However—and this is a huge
caveat—we all share key things in common.
The first is that we simply want to love and
be loved. The other is that we are humans
just trying to be ourselves. All of us have
struggled and fought to get to a place where
we can say, “I am ME,” and “I am loved for
being ME.” Above all else, these are the things
that forever bind us.
As they should.
Happy New Year my L, G, B, and T brothers and sisters!
Deficit Commissions and Debt Independence by Tony E. Hansen
be maintained for SSA solvency with more
people retiring, the deficit commissions are
wise to look at increasing the retirement
age. Otherwise, baby-boomers will exhaust
the funds before Generation X has a chance
at them (without additional revenues
appropriated from Congress or reductions
elsewhere).
The other devices that the commissions
offered were revisions in the tax code. This
recommendation is a solid idea that should
be fully vetted. The tax code is supposed to
be a progressive set where people in higher
brackets pay more in proportion than lower
brackets, but with numerous deductions,
the revenue estimations are porous at best.
By closing loopholes (the really only service
special interests) and simplifying the code, we
can in fact lower rates and increase revenues
for the government according to Alan Gamer
of the Federal Reserve of KC in 2005 (among
others). If you earn income or profit, you pay
a certain rate in proportion. The one area that
needs careful consideration is small business
as people pay themselves from the profit of
the firm where business income and personal
income may cause cases of double taxation.
The other element that drives the budget
is long-term energy security since our whole
economy (e.g. heating, transportation, and
plastics) currently is based upon petroleum
TTDEFICIT continued page 10
ACCESSline Page 8
JANUARY 2011
Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski
William Donohue
places—friends who will soon hold the
Smithsonian’s purse strings. “If they’ve got
If there’s one thing that makes America money to squander like this, of a crucifix
uncomfortable, it’s art. Because art is gay being eaten by ants, of Ellen DeGeneres
in a very literal, serious, and horrible way. grabbing her breasts, men in chains, naked
And it must be stopped. Especially if Jesus brothers kissing, then I think we should look
at their budget,” Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston
is involved.
Which is why, on November 30, the day told FOX News. And yes, there is a photo of
before World AIDS Day, a short video segment Ellen grabbing at her hoots. Who knows?
by David Wojnarowicz, a gay artist who died Maybe she’s got ants in her bra.
Soon to be House Majority Leader Eric
of AIDS in 1992, was yanked from an exhibit
Cantor told FOX that it
at the Smithsonian
Institution in Washing“It is a sad commentary was an “outrageous use
of taxpayer money and
ton D.C. The exhibit,
“Hide/Seek: Difference on the judgment exercised by an obvious attempt to
offend Christians during
and Desire in American Smithsonian officials…”
the Christmas season.”
Portraiture,” is touted
Cantor is right. “Hide/Seek” is obviously
as “the first major museum exhibition to
focus on sexual difference in the making of just part of the War on Christmas. Thank
modern American portraiture,” which means, Jesus the Republicans are going to be back
in charge and we can start focusing on some
of course, H-O-M-O.
Wojnarowicz’s piece, titled Fire In My real issues for a change.
Belly, contains a brief segment of a Hummel
figurine-looking Jesus on the cross with live
ants skittering all over it. Clearly, as far as
Catholic League President Bill Donohue saw
By the time you read this, no doubt “don’t
it, Wojnarowicz meant to offend Christians, ask, don’t tell” will be but a sad blip in our
especially Catholics, even though Donohue is nation’s long and storied anti-gay history. No
to Catholics what Fred Phelps is to Baptists. doubt Congress will have repealed this arcane
Donohue is ardently anti-gay and believes and idiotic measure that keeps gays and lesbians
that homosexuality and pedophilia are irre- out of the army and forces gays and lesbians in
vocably linked. This is a guy who, while on the army deep into the closet.
CNN in March, called the Catholic sex abuse
Wait, what’s that you say? Congress hasn’t
scandal “a homosexual crisis” and said, “They done a damn thing? How can that be? The
can’t keep their hands off the boys. Don’t majority of the country supports repeal, even
you get it?”
Republicans! Repealing DADT is a no-brainer.
In his November 30 press release, That is, unless Congress recently received a
Donohue misrepresented Wojnarowicz’s letter urging them to keep DADT in place. A
video as showing “large ants eating away letter signed by, oh, I don’t know, 40 million
at Jesus on a crucifix.” There is no eating anti-gay constituents—or at least the leaders of
happening. The figure is some kind of glazed nearly 90 anti-gay groups and organizations who
ceramic. Not exactly the kind of thing you see claim to represent 40 million members.
ants carrying away from a picnic.
A letter from the so-called Freedom FederaThere is one thing that Donohue and I tion, a group made up of many Creep alumni like
agree on, however. “It is a sad commentary Tony Perkins, Lou Sheldon, and Don Wildmon,
on the judgment exercised by Smithsonian was sent to Congress on December 2, 2010
officials that it took a pressure group like the urging them to ditch any plans they might have
Catholic League to send them a wake-up call,” to overturn DADT.
he said. That Wojnarowicz’s work was pulled
“We ask that you delay consideration of
from display is, indeed, “a sad commentary the bill until January when the new Congress
on the judgment exercised by Smithsonian convenes,” the letter reads. Gosh, why ever
officials.”
would the Freedom Federation want Congress to
“The decision wasn’t caving in,” the wait until January? I don’t know. Total mystery.
museum’s director, Martin E. Sullivan, told (Hint: Republican majority).
The Washington Post. “We don’t want to shy
The Freedom Federation, a veritable who’s
away from anything that is controversial, but who of the blogosphere, argues that letting gay
we want to focus on the museum’s and this and lesbian soldiers serve openly “would change
show’s strengths.”
our military in ways we cannot yet measure or
But as Frank Rich pointed out in The understand.”
New York Times, Dude, you totally caved. And
Really, FF? You can’t “measure or
caved for a guy whose opinion isn’t worth the understand” what it’s like to be around a gay
kilowatt hours it took to post his press release person, even one with a gun? This isn’t exactly
to his bullshit organization’s website.
uncharted territory here. The United Kingdom,
“I regret that some reports about the France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Spain, and a
exhibit have created an impression that the good number of other countries let gays serve
video is intentionally sacrilegious,” Sullivan and none of their forces shriveled up and died
said. “In fact, the artist’s intention was to once homos were allowed in.
depict the suffering of an AIDS victim. It was
But the FF folks want to see more proof,
not the museum’s intention to offend.”
evidentially borrowing their talking points from
This explanation did little to quell the John McCain. “It is a serious risk to national
anti-gay fire in Donohue’s belly. That a figu- security to repeal DADT without first investigatrine of Jesus was used to “depict the suffering thoroughly—in public hearings—the effect
ing of an AIDS victim” probably just made it of the proposed repeal,” the letter reads. “Our
worse. So after they pulled the video Donohue troops are in harm’s way in Afghanistan, Iraq
is still calling for a cut in federal funds for the and elsewhere. This is no time to experiment
museum. Never mind that the “Hide/Seek” with social engineering of the military.”
exhibit is privately funded.
Social engineering? To let people who
And Donohue has friends in high are already serving our country come out of
Freedom Federation
“I understand your point of view. I
understand the point of view by the majority
of the media,” he said. “But the fact is, this was
a political promise made by an inexperienced
president or candidate for presidency of the
United States.”
In other words, it’s all Obama’s fault. He’s
too young to know what a good idea it is to
discriminate against homos in the military.
Why, when McCain was Obama’s age he had
to walk 15 miles in the snow uphill both
ways in order to make a campaign promise
like that.
“The military is at its highest point in
recruitment and retention and professionalism and capability,” McCain continued. “So
to somehow allege that this policy has been
damaging the military is simply false.”
Tell that to the thousands of gays and
lesbians who have been booted out of the
military since “don’t ask, don’t tell” was
enacted. According to Servicemembers Legal
Defense Network, that number is upwards of
14,000. You may recall that in 2002, amid a
severe shortage of Arabic-speaking translators, the Army fired six linguists trained in
Arabic simply because they were gay.
Apparently McCain sees this as some
kind of success. “The fact is that this system
is working,” he told Crowley.
McCain repeatedly stressed that he
wanted to know what the effect will be of
letting gays serve openly - and that’s the
operative word, “openly.” Because gays
already serve in the military, they just have
the weight of a government-mandated closet
on their backs threatening to tumble open
and ruin their careers at any moment.
“I believe we need to assess the effect
on the morale and battle effectiveness of
those young Marines and Army people I met
at forward-operating bases that are putting
their lives on the line every day,” he said. Never
mind that some of these “young Marines and
I wish I still had my dog-eared and Army people” are probably gay.
McCain said he has had “a number of”
tattered copy of Conduct Unbecoming so
military folks come up
I could send it to John
McCain. Not that he’d
We’ve been kicking service to him and say, “Look,
fight together, we
bother to read it. The
members out simply because, we
sleep together, we eat
U.S. military’s vicious
anti-gay history with say, he’s a soldier who doesn’t together.” His choice of
its witch-hunts and get turned on by big jugs, or anecdotes illustrates
of the main concerns
outright persecution of
she’s a soldier who does. That’s one
of homophobes: that
gay service members
probably isn’t of much the policy McCain has been so homosexuality is contagious, and the best way
interest to McCain. Espe- rabidly defending?
to guard against it is to
cially since “don’t ask,
don’t tell” solved everything. Don’t you dare make sure you never know when and if it’s
around you and to punish gays and lesbians
try to tell him anything different.
During a November 28, 2010 appear- who dare make such an enormous sacrifice
ance on “State of the Union” with host Candy to serve the country.
Crowley, McCain actually had the audacity to
claim that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is an effective policy that doesn’t harm anyone, gay
or straight, and that the call for its repeal is
“Today is a very sad day,” sighed a
just politics.
doddering and out-of-touch John McCain on
“There was no uprising in the military,” the day “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) was
he said. “There were no problems in the finally repealed by Congress.
military with ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’”
Oh, shut up, McCain. Your completely
“If you were gay it was a problem,” indefensible and fear-mongering position
Crowley interjected.
lost. Suck it.
“No it wasn’t,” McCain snapped. “It’s
“I hope that when we pass this legislacalled ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ okay? If you don’t tion that we will understand that we are
ask them, you don’t ask somebody, and they doing great damage,” McCain said before
don’t tell.”
the vote.
Got that? It works. End of story.
The only thing that the DADT repeal is
Crowley tried to ask McCain something going to do great damage to is McCain’s repuelse, but he cut her off.
TTCREEPS continued page 10
the closet if they wished is hardly social engineering. The letter reads, “It is conceivable
that chaplains will be forbidden to preach or
speak about their denomination’s position on
homosexuality.”
If you’ll recall, the military just released the
results of a questionnaire they gave to thousands
of service members and their families. The
results were that most of the folks in the military
were fine with repealing DADT.
Well, the Freedom Federation knows why:
service members were bullied into it by the big
bad gay supporters.
“We are deeply concerned about the
methodology of the DOD report and survey. In
view of … Admiral Mullen’s and Secretary of
Defense Gates’ unseemly cheerleading on this
issue, we believe it behooves the next Congress
to investigate whether proponents of repeal tried
to create a climate of not-so-subtle intimidation
in the Pentagon.”
That’s right. FF wants an investigation
launched into whether Mullen and Gates’ were
strong-arming support for the gays. This would
mean, of course, more delay.
“The rush to repeal DADT by January of
2011 is a slap in the face of the American people
who are tired of bully politics,” the letter reads,
seemingly oblivious to the irony of sending this
message while gay and lesbian service members
continue to get thrown out of the armed forces
just for being gay.
“Moreover, the consequences of repealing
DADT will no doubt result in service members
leaving the military or refusing to join,” the
letter continues. “We cannot afford attrition or
demoralization of our military.” Yes, because
it would be so demoralizing to have to look at
a homo. Honestly, if military people are going
to truly quit or leave in droves, then maybe gay
people are not the ones with the problem.
John McCain (12/13/2010)
John McCain (1/3/2011)
JANUARY 2011
ACCESSline Page 9
Minor Details: When Can a Speaker of the House Cry? by Bob Minor
Some are calling right-wing Ohio
Republican John Boehner “The Weeper of the
House,” as he strengthens his control over the
US House of Representative’s agenda. New
Speaker Boehner openly tears-up when he
talks of his own working class background
and his personal success in achieving “the
American Dream.”
Speculators say he’s mentally unstable
or that this reflects trouble with alcoholism.
I wouldn’t be surprised if both were true.
But there’s a larger issue too. John
Boehner has to navigate its waters as carefully as any other male.
What he’s doing when he sobs in public
is pushing the boundaries of an exacting and
complicated code of masculinity regarding
the expression of emotions other than anger
and “righteous” indignation. How can a man
get away with this without being put down
as weak, feminine, or gay?
Imagine the chorus of criticism if Nancy
Pelosi reacted with tears. There’d be little
pity. Her ability to lead would be suspect.
She’d be labeled a hysterical woman
unable to control her feelings. We’d hear
putdowns in terms of uncontrollable monthly
cycles and the spread of fear that we don’t
want her as our leader in times of military
crisis.
In the short-lived TV series, “Commander in Chief,” its woman President of the United
States had to prove otherwise. In every crisis
situation, particularly numerous military
ones, she had to be tough-as-nails and
militaristic. This was no time to make her a
follower of Gandhi or have her demonstrate
how non-warrior solutions work better.
While real-life Nancy Pelosi or fictional
President McKenzie Allen, show ability,
power, and leadership over men, there’s little
way either can get kudos for any of this. The
more of these they appear to have than the
men around them, the more they’re known
as “man-haters,” “bitches,” or succubi.
Imagine as well how openly gay Democrat Barney Frank would be criticized if he
cried as often as Boehner in public. Frank
must keep a stiff upper-lip and use his quick
wit as a sharp weapon to best those who
criticize him.
Yet when the calm and reasoned Edmond
Muskie broke down and cried while defending his wife during the 1972 presidential
campaign after the Manchester Union-Leader
smeared her, it shattered his reputation as a
logical man. Counter-punching by claiming
that the “tears” were actually melted snowflakes, didn’t restore his acceptable manly
image and became fodder for his enemies.
This is because the dominant masculine
code about expressions of feelings, which
keeps men from being put down as less
than manly, is strictly defined. Most men
thereby know that they’re not supposed to
cry in public.
They monitor themselves in fear of
showing their deficiencies in mastering the
code no matter how hurt they really feel.
They don’t want to be seen as somehow
emotionally out of control in the way women
are supposed to be.
Real men also aren’t supposed to talk
about this code or spend much time analyzing it. They’re just supposed to internalize it,
walk its narrow line, and enforce it on others,
fearing the consequences of slipping.
The code does allow men to cry when
they have proven they have power over other
men as determined by the dominant cultural
system. Beat other men first; cry later.
Notice that in some sports there’s a
similar permission for a man to smack
another on the butt. It’s appropriate because
that man has shown his superiority over
another—such as after a great play or slamdunk.
Winning, according to this conditioned
code, means defeating another man. Teamwork means a group of men bonding together
by beating, defeating, or killing another group
of men. So these butt-smackers have recently
proven they’re real men.
It’s also appropriate for men to cry when
they’ve shown their superiority by winning.
But crying when they’ve lost is unmanly.
Thus, Boehner can pull off his crying as
long as he comes across as a winner, as long
as he shows that he is powerful over others.
Effective criticism of his emotions will stick
only as he looks like a loser when compared
to other men.
And here we see implications of the code
for President Obama—who knows this. As in
control of his emotions in public as any President and even criticized for it, he’s aware of
how deviations by an African-American from
such rational calmness will be taken.
There’s a “catch-22” here. A Black male
with presidential powers already threatens
the power rules of racism. His story of living
“the American Dream” is a similar threat to
the powers that be, whereas Boehner’s story
affirms them.
Obama has little leeway to show
emotions since that threatens the dominance
that whiteness is supposed to have. And even
coolness in the midst of crisis gets interpreted
as being uppity, the accusation that resulted
in lynchings of African-American males in
America for over a hundred years.
Forget a show of anger, because that
raises white fears of angry Black men. And
Republicans knew how to play on those fears
during the last presidential campaign by
replaying over and over a snippet of a sermon
reflecting standard liberation theology by
Jeremiah Wright that said little different than
many white fundamentalist preachers about
God’s judgment of American morality.
But a man of color crying is only
acceptable if it comes out of an appropri-
Robert N. Minor, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at
the University of Kansas, is author of When
Religion Is an Addiction;
Scared Straight: Why It’s So Hard to
Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard
to Be Human and Gay & Healthy in a Sick
Society. Contact him at
www.FairnessProject.org.
ate lack of power in the system or from the
entertainment industry. Emotional people
of color along with flamboyant males have
long provided entertainment for white folks
after all.
This all fits the American manhood
code that ought to be abandoned for the
sake of men’s health. Boehner is a straight,
upper-class, able-bodied white male with
political power.
He fits all the historical demographics
for dominance in America. He can cry as long
as he symbolizes all the classist, sexist, racist,
and heterosexist attributes that allow a man
to show emotion and he uses his privilege to
convince voters that he remembers what it
was like to be one of the poor, unfortunate,
pitiful majority with little power.
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ACCESSline Page 10
JANUARY 2011
CREEPS
DEFICITS
tation. He’s staked his claim to the wrong side
of history. As DADT’s staunchest defender in
the face of possible repeal, he’s made himself
the George Wallace of this issue.
What’s especially unseemly is McCain’s
complete about-face. While today he stands
with the anti-gay right-wingers he’s so
capriciously aligned himself with, three
years ago he was Mr. “DADT repeal is fine
with me so long as the top brass are cool
with it.”
“I listen to people like General Colin
Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, and literally every military leader that
I know. And they testified before Congress
that they felt the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy
was the most appropriate way to conduct
ourselves in the military,” McCain said in
2006. “But the day that the leadership of
the military comes to me and says, ‘Senator,
we ought to change the policy,’ then I think
we ought to consider seriously changing it
because those leaders in the military are the
ones we give the responsibility to.”
But of course, as soon as “the leadership
of the military” was cool with it, McCain
was not.
McCain went out of his way to insist that
DADT was “effective” policy and that only
military folks who agreed with him were
worth listening to.
“They’re saying if it isn’t broke, then
don’t fix it,” McCain said. “I understand the
other side’s argument because of their socialpolitical agenda, but to somehow allege that
it has harmed our military isn’t justified by
the facts.”
What exactly does McCain mean when
production. We got a glimpse of this when
gas prices shot up in 2008 and some consider
the underlying reason for invading Iraq was
to maintain oil supplies. Without a serious
attempt to change that foundation, we risk
the stability of our future when the oil production changes. We may find pockets at times,
but oil supply is limited. We simply cannot
ignore that fact whether we are looking at
50 years or later because the progress of
future generations will depend upon our
willingness to consider the inevitable. Higher
gasoline taxes can help to lower consumption
and to encourage investment in alternative
energy before we have no choice or before
oil becomes too costly to use.
There was hope for things move when a
bunch of new representatives where elected
to bring the budget under control, but that
was shattered when they voted down the
needed revenues the next month. Further,
if we mean to reduce spending, all spending
has to be considered (e.g. tax subsidies to
companies, defense, social insurance and
pork) and we have to simplify the tax code.
Doing nothing leaves us vulnerable to financial shocks, future economic instability and
foreign rejection of our debts. Few disagree
that continued excessive spending or lack
of tax reform will further erode confidence
in American economic stability. Discipline
towards spending and deficits will help the
country find prosperity, but politicians would
have to grow a spine.
Reference: Hansen, T E. (2008,
Feb 25). Policy Topic: Balancing a
Budget. Walden University. Retrieved from:
http://www.iowapolicyresearch.org
he calls DADT “effective policy?” Effective
at what? Ruining people’s lives? Punishing
members of the military who are doing a
job the vast majority of Americans are too
chickens--t to do? Coddling members of the
military who think that gay people are too
“icky” to work alongside?
And how does kicking trained personnel
out not harm the military?
In 2007 McCain said, “We have the besttrained, most professional, best-equipped,
most efficient, most wonderful military in
the history of this country. There just aren’t
enough of them.” Did he mean there just
aren’t enough straight ones?
It takes a lot of time and money to turn
a new recruit into a fully trained member of
the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines. And
yet we’ve been kicking service members
out simply because, say, he’s a soldier who
doesn’t get turned on by big jugs, or she’s a
soldier who does. That’s the policy McCain
has been so rabidly defending?
As Joe Sudbay of AmericaBlogGay wrote,
“They’re on the front lines, putting their lives
on the front lines for the rest of us.”
By saying that repealing DADT is simply
another notch in the belt of some “socialpolitical agenda” McCain is essentially saying
to the thousands of gay and lesbian service
members who have lost their careers under
DADT, “You’re worthless.”
In the end it’s McCain himself who is
worthless. A man who once seemed to have a
shred of integrity but who now barely clings to
a shred of dignity after he’s sold out his career
trying to appease the anti-gay right. It looks like
that isn’t exactly “effective policy.”
WORLD NEWS
The lawsuit claims that Chile’s ban on
same-sex marriage and its refusal to recognize foreign same-sex marriages infringe a
constitutional promise that all people “are
born free and equal in dignity and rights”
and a constitutional guarantee of “equal
protection of the law in the exercise of
rights,” among other violations.
Should the Constitutional Court rule
against same-sex marriage, activists plan to
appeal to the Supreme Court and, if necessary, the Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights.
Irish civil-partnership
law comes into force
Ireland’s new same-sex civil-partnership law took effect Jan. 1.
Couples can unite before a registrar
after giving three months’ notice of their
intention to tie the knot.
Civil partners receive marriage rights
and obligations in matters such as taxes,
pensions, property, tenancy, inheritance,
alimony, immigration and social benefits.
To end a partnership, a couple will go
before a court and prove they’ve not lived
together for two of the last three years.
The law also recognizes foreign samesex unions and provides some rights for
unregistered couples who have lived
together for at least five years.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern called
the law “one of the most important pieces
of civil rights legislation to be enacted since
independence.”
“Persons in committed gay relationships who wish to share duties and responsibilities now have the choice to register
their partnership and become part of a
legal regime that fully protects them in the
course of that partnership and, if necessary,
on its termination,” he said. “The new law
recognizes and supports diversity.”
An informational booklet on the
registration process is available at www.
groireland.ie.
UK to expunge gay sex
‘crimes’
The United Kingdom is preparing legislation to expunge the “crimes” of adult men
who were prosecuted for having consensual
sex with adult men in earlier eras.
The slate will be wiped clean for men
whose partners were at least 16 years old.
At present, such “crimes” must be
disclosed when applying for certain jobs or
volunteer positions.
England and Wales decriminalized gay
sex in 1967 for people over age 21, lowered
the age to 18 in 1994 and lowered it to 16,
the age that applies to heterosexual sex,
in 2000.
Scotland and Northern Ireland decriminalized gay sex in the early 1980s. The
subsequent age reductions applied to all
four UK political entities.
Assistance: Bill Kelley
ACCESSline’s fun guide
Our Picks for January
1/4/2011 North Iowa Community Auditorium:
MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT
1/6-1/7 The Englert, Iowa City:
MY FAIR LADY IN CONCERT
1/14, 1/16 Theatre Cedar Rapids:
TOSCA
1/14-1/23 Playcrafters Barn Theater, Moline IL:
LEND ME A TENOR a comedy by Ken Ludwig
1/21 Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts,
Fairfield: LET’S GET AWAY FROM IT ALL
(Broadway Show Stoppers & Pop Hits of 1950s-70s)
1/22 Sinclair Auditorium, Cedar Rapids:
Orchestra Iowa, MUSSORGSKY, SHOSTAKOVICH
AND TCHAIKOVSKY
1/25 7pm First Unitarian Church, Des Moines:
StageWest’s StripTease (play reading)
THE LAST OF THE BOYS by Steven Dietz
1/25-1/27 Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls:
BLUE MAN GROUP
1/26 Civic Center of Greater Des Moines:
PILOBOLUS
1/27-2/13 Orpheum, Omaha NE:
MARY POPPINS
1/28-2/12 Theatre Cedar Rapids:
CRIMES OF THE HEART
1/28-2/13 Des Moines Community Playhouse:
STILL LIFE
1/30 Orpheum, Sioux City:
RIVERDANCE: FAREWELL PERFORMANCE
1/31 Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts,
Fairfield: MEREDITH WILSON’S THE MUSIC MAN
2/4-2/5 The Englert, Iowa City:
THE SECOND CITY “FAIR & UNBALANCED”
2/1 Adler Theatre, Davenport:
RIVERDANCE: FAREWELL PERFORMANCE
Oh, there's nothing halfway about the Iowa way to treat you, when we treat
you, which we may not do at all. There's an Iowa kind of special chip-on-theshoulder attitude we've never been without (that we recall).
We can be cold as our falling thermometers in December if you ask about our
weather in July. And we're so by God stubborn we could stand touchin' noses for a
week at a time and never see eye-to-eye.
But what the heck, you're welcome, Join us at the picnic. You can eat your fill
of all the food you bring yourself. You really ought to give Iowa a try.
... But we’ll give you our shirt and a back to go with it if your crops should
happen to die. So, what the heck, you’re welcome, Glad to have you with us. (Even
though we may not ever mention it again.) You really ought to give Iowa a try!
— Lyrics from the musical number “Iowa Stubborn” from Meredith Wilson’s
“The Music Man,” which was inspired by his boyhood in Mason City, Iowa.
Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
Gus Van Sant to Boss
around Kelsey Grammer
Gus Van Sant’s career can be divided
into high-profile successes like Milk and
Good Will Hunting on one side and arthouse
hits like Elephant and Paranoid Park on the
other. And his new project will tip the scale
to the seriously mainstream side: a TV series
starring Kelsey Grammer for Starz and Lionsgate Television. Van Sant will direct the pilot
for Boss, penned by Apocalypto co-writer
Farhad Safinia and already picked up for
eight episodes. It will feature Grammer as a
Chicago mayor (great casting, too—who’s got
a more authoritarian politician’s voice?) with
a secret degenerative mental illness. The King
Lear-like story of power and politics will be
Grammer’s first time on a cable series, not
counting those promo spots for the fizzling
Tea Party cable channel RightNetwork he did
earlier this year while simultaneously starring on Broadway in La Cage Aux Folles. We
can just pretend that never happened.
Tarnation director’s
long-awaited new
(untitled) movie
Indie film audiences who still remember
being blown away by Jonathan Cauoette’s
2003 debut Tarnation– that audacious,
zero-budget, intimately moving portrait of
his struggle growing up with a mentally ill
mother—have been waiting patiently for the
day when he’d get behind the camera again.
He has, of course, by taking on cool-director
duties for the All Tomorrow’s Parties concert
film and debuting a new short at the New
York Film Festival (a weird little piece that
juxtaposed footage of his grandfather and
Chloe Sevigny). But his next feature, one he
describes as a collection of interconnected
short films, is underway and still in production. The movie will return to the subject
of his mother but will also feature fictional
elements, possibly placing both her and
Cauoette in imaginary circumstances. Eager
fans of this talented man, keep the faith. These
things take time.
Daniel Day-Lewis drinks
Lincoln’s milkshake
Maybe you heard somewhere—OK, yes,
you heard it here—that Liam Neeson was the
man stepping into Abraham Lincoln’s tall
hat and odd, mustache-less beard for Steven
Spielberg’s agonizingly slow-moving Lincoln.
But things change. People move on. They have
creative differences. Their schedules get too
busy. They want to star in Taken 2 instead.
Whatever. And that’s when you have to go
find a new actor. Taking Neeson’s place in the
film, already written by gay Pulitzer/Tony
Award-winning playwright Tony Kushner,
will be equally tall actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
And now finally American moviegoers will
learn who Abe Lincoln was. If you think
that was a joke, just go to any mall and ask
a random stranger to explain the man’s job
and what he did in history. It’ll make you sad
for the rest of the day. They say this movie is
coming Christmas of 2012. We’ll see.
The Reichen movie
wants you… meaning
Chace Crawford
Reichen Lehmkuhl. Photo: Logo
As a veteran Air Force pilot, author,
Lance Bass dater, winner of The Amazing
Race and current most-recognized face of
Logo’s hit trainwreck The A List: New York,
Reichen Lehmkuhl finally realized that his
calling in life is not to star in off-off-Broadway
productions of My Big Gay Wedding (nor is
it recording pop songs, as A List viewers can
attest). It’s fighting against Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell. And what better way to light another
flame that holds the culture’s feet to the fire
than with a movie version of his 2006 memoir
Here’s What We’ll Say: Growing Up, Coming
out and The U.S. Air Force. There’s already a
screenplay and a producer, now the project
needs a director and star. Lehmkuhl has
expressed a desire to see Taylor Lautner or
Chace Crawford take on the role, and either
of those young men would give it the A-list
face it needs. But whatever happens, make
sure that if a theme song needs singing, give
that job to anybody but Reichen. Please.
Robert Downey Jr. gets
next to the Normal guys
At this point in his career, all Robert
Downey Jr. wants to do is sing. Good thing
he’s already terrific at that or his next planned
project might not turn out so well. As it is he
has teamed up with Warner Bros., Tom Kitt,
and Brian Yorkey. Those last two names are
the composer and lyricist of the Pulitzer
and Tony Award-winning musical Next to
Normal, and they’re working on a musical
comedy feature for Downey. The plot, as it
is now, seems very much like that of the hit
indie musical Camp, with Downey to star as
a down-and-out Broadway songwriter who
winds up teaching at a musical theater camp
for kids. It also bears a passing resemblance
to the premise of a certain Fox TV series
that a few people seem to enjoy. Whatever
TTHOLLYWOOD continued page 15
ACCESSline Page 12
the fun guide
JANUARY 2011
Dirty Dancing: Natalie Portman and Black Swan cast talk
ballet thriller—and that girl-on-girl sex scene by Chris Azzopardi Natalie Portman. Photo: Niko Tavernise
Natalie Portman flaps her arms and
moves as gracefully as a bird in the twisted
psychosexual thriller Black Swan, but the
comparisons don’t stop there. The actress
ate like one, too.
To transform into mentally unstable
ballet dancer Nina Sayers, a darkly disturbing role that’s already giving Portman major
Oscar pull, the 29-year-old had to train
intensely—for nearly eight hours a day
she exercised, toned and practiced—and
eat lots of carrots and almonds. Then, as
soon as production wrapped, she stuffed
her face with pasta… for breakfast, lunch
and dinner.
“The physical discipline really helped
for the emotional side of the character,”
Portman says, a sweet laugh escaping her
as she discusses the film during a press day
at Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre. “That’s a
ballet dancer’s life—you don’t drink, you
don’t go out with your friends, you don’t
have much food. You are constantly putting
your body through extreme pain, and you get
that understanding of the self-flagellation
of a ballet dancer.”
But simply twirling around in pointe
shoes, in Nina’s case anyway, is only
the half of it. Pressure to be the best, to
succeed in every way for everyone—herself,
her mother (Barbara Hershey) and her
instructor (Vincent Cassel)—mounts in
mental madness, as Black Swan becomes
less about dance than the psychosis of
performing it. New dancer Lily (Mila Kunis),
who impresses with her dark Black Swan
personification, only adds to the fire burning
inside Nina, throwing her into a charged
competition that’s as destructive as the
dance form itself.
“It’s really just a retelling of Swan Lake,”
says director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), “but it definitely shows the challenges
and the darkness and the reality of how hard
it is to be a ballet dancer.”
Hype, however, isn’t over how much
weight Portman and co-star Kunis (That
’70s Show) shed to play rivals—about 20
pounds each—or that it took a grueling
year for Portman to move as skillfully as she
does onscreen. All anyone’s talked about is
how they get it on (intensely), how far they
go (pretty far), and how much of Portman
you see (sorry, zilch). Recently, Portman
told V Magazine, “It’s not raunchy—it’s
extreme.”
At the November premiere in New
York, she also insisted that shooting sex is
hard whomever it’s with: “It doesn’t matter
if it’s a friend, a male, a female,” she told
The Huffington Post from the red carpet.
“You’re with 100-something crew members,
lighting you, repositioning you; there’s no
comfort whatsoever.”
It was just as awkward for Kunis, who
spoke about the scene at the Pantages
Theatre: “Whether you have a same-sex
scene or a scene with the opposite sex, it’s
a sex scene nonetheless,” says the actress,
who suggestively bedded another woman—
but not so graphically—in 2007’s After Sex.
“Doing something like this with Darren was
very safe and as comfortable as it could be. I
never had a fear of being exploited.”
The steamy scene, a switch from Portman’s usually prim-and-proper image
(there’s a reason we fell madly in love with
her in Garden State), is pivotal in creating
Nina, whose newfound liberation after
years of repression leads to a raging sexual
awakening.
She masturbates, vomits, hallucinates
and anxiously scratches herself until she
bleeds. The Harvard-educated actress—
who says, “This was actually a case where
something I learned in school did turn into
something practical” —has a name for it:
“religious obsession-compulsion.” And
then there’s Nina’s smother-mother. Think
Mommie Dearest, but with Hershey in Faye
Dunaway’s place.
“It was really exciting to come in and
do this insular, claustrophobic, intense
relationship,” says the Beaches actress.
“(Portman and I) got to a feeling of ritual.
And I tried to copy her eyebrows as much as
I could. We were very aware of the symbiotic
everydayness of living together forever, and
that was fun. We didn’t talk about it too
much, but we knew it.”
How they reached that unique bond
was the product of Aronofsky’s genius
suggestion: Exchange letters in character,
as mother and daughter.
Portman starts, “Barbara wrote
gorgeous letters that were really in character that really gave a sense—”
“Of our history,” Barbara adds. “To
Barbara Hershey and Natalie Portman.
Photo: Niko Tavernise
suggest that was just amazing preparation
and it gave me the door to my character,
which was great.”
Singularly, as Nina, Portman was made
for this role. Until age 12, she was a dancer
and dreamed of growing up to be one.
“I always idealized it, as most young
girls do, as the most beautiful art,” Portman
says. “I always wanted to do a film related
to that. So when Darren had this incredible
idea that wasn’t just related to the dance
world but also had this really complicated
character—two characters, really—it was
just something completely exciting.”
Really tough, too. Training aside, it’s one
of the actress’ most complicated characters,
a role that summons an extensive out-ofbody performance that only someone with
Portman’s range could pull off. And she has
before, effortlessly slipping into the erratic
seductress role in Closer, as a stripper, and in
period pieces like The Other Boleyn Girl. In
January, she’ll star alongside Ashton Kutcher
in the sex farce No Strings Attached. Aronofsky was sold far sooner, though, with one of
the actress’ first films, starring a then-13year-old Portman as a precocious sidekick
to a hit man in The Professional.
“One of the reasons I think Darren
and I had such telepathy during this was
because he’s as disciplined and focused as
could possibly be, and that’s what I try to
be,” Portman muses, mulling over her Black
Swan character. “And I’m not a perfectionist
but I’m definitely… I think I like discipline.”
Laughing, she insists: “I’m obedient!”
Big shock.
“Every time you do any love scene, it’s just awkward, it is.
But it’s never uncomfortable after you do it the first or second
time... We never discussed it. It was like the pink elephant in
the room that was never touched upon until it was the day to
shoot. Then we just did it really quickly and called it a day.”
—Actress Mila Kunis discussing the lesbian sex scene she
performs with Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”.
JANUARY 2011
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 13
Partying Hard: Please Don’t Join My Gym by Joshua Dagon
Well, kids, it’s the start of a brand
new year, and that means a lot of things. It
means I can now go and purchase that new
computer printer I need because, since the
Christmas buying frenzy is over, the price
will be marked down to roughly the cost
of an electric stapler. The start of the new
year also means that my gym will be filled
with guys who’ve sworn to finally lose that
extra bit of gut they’ve put on since Thanksgiving. They’re easy to spot, those guys. If
you see someone working their gluts on a
machine designed to develop triceps, that’s
one of ‘em.
The month of January has always been
important to the health and fitness industry. People, it seems, enjoy setting goals for
themselves, dates on which they plan to start
dieting or exercising regularly. The first of
January has always been a popular choice, for
some reason. Evidently, hopping right out of
bed to do some push-ups while still vomiting
champagne is the sign of a real man.
As I’ve discussed many times before,
it’s vital that gay men maintain a healthy
diet and a spectacularly muscular physique,
otherwise you will not be allowed to vote or
go to college. So, sticking to your resolution
to finally obtain that Muscle Magazine Cover
Model look you’ve always wanted is an excellent way to begin the New Year. Just don’t
do it at my gym.
Seriously, guys. Please don’t come and
join my gym. Every single January it’s the
same story. I park my car, put my stuff into
my locker, go out to the weight floor, and then
nearly pass out from laughing. Every new
year I see gangs of grown men attempting to
lift weights the size of tractor wheels. They
lay there on the flat bench, the bar loaded
with enough iron to construct a tool shed,
and strain every fiber in their body as though
their goal is to shoot all their shoulder ligaments into the cardio room. At the same
time, their closest pal is standing just behind
them wearing lycra bicycle shorts too tight
for Elle MacPherson saying, “It’s all you, man!
You got it, dude!”
No. Clearly, he doesn’t have it. What
he has is a severely torn trapezius and a
dislocated cervical disk.
Of course it’s a good idea to exercise
regularly, but there’s a right way and there’s
an idiotic way. Here’s my advice on the very
best way to get started: Read a book. Yes,
guys, just because you have testosterone
in your body doesn’t magically make you
capable of effectively toning and sculpting
muscle. Go to a bookstore, or go on-line,
and find a beginner’s guild to bodybuilding. Personally, I pick up at least two new
volumes every year; physical fitness is a
science, which means that the understanding
of the human body and the manner in which
it reacts to exercise changes all the time. No
one does sit-ups anymore. Well—at least no
one who wants to preserve the health of their
lumbar tissue does sit-ups anymore.
I cannot stress enough the importance
of purchasing a book on the proper way to
exercise. Sure, fitness trainers can be helpful,
but they can also be expensive. Whatever
you do, though, do NOT simply copy what
you see some random moron doing. I have
personally watched a man contort his entire
body on a bicep curl machine in an attempt
“Given the generational transition that has taken place in our nation, I feel that this
policy is outdated and repeal is inevitable. However, I remain convinced that the timing
of this change is wrong, and making such a shift in policy at a time when we have troops
deployed in active combat areas does not take into consideration the seriousness of the
situation on the ground. But, the vote this morning to invoke cloture on this bill indicated that
the broader Senate was prepared to move forward with a change, and despite my concerns
over timing, my conclusion is that repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is the right thing to do.”
— Senator Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) on his surprise vote in favor of repealing Don’t
Ask Don’t Tell, Decemeber 29, 2010.
“I think there are a lot of things that people of all political stripes tolerate from their
politicians, but endorsing immorality and allowing military recruits to be preyed on by
homosexuals is not one that I will tolerate.”
— Mecklenburg County (NC) Commissioner, Bill James, on Senator Burr’s vote to repeal
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
to lift the amount of weight he apparently felt
would justify his masculinity. I stood there
like a statue, staring in awe, sure that at any
moment the man’s rotator cuffs were going to
explode like pomegranates in a microwave.
Miraculously, the gentlemen finished his set
without requiring any emergency orthopedic
procedures. Right away, however, a second
man sat down on the very same machine and
proceeded to precisely duplicate the absurd
manner in which the first man had attempted
to destroy his bones and connective tissue.
By this time, a small group of us had gathered
to watch. We passed around some popcorn,
eyes wide with anticipation, placing bets on
which rep would be the fatal movement, and
deciding who would best be able to brief the
paramedic team.
Here’s another rule of mine: Don’t do
anything at the gym that you could do at
home. Boys, I’m not kidding. If I walk out
of the locker room and see you performing
some kind of deep knee bending type walk
across the gym floor, I’m likely to rupture
intercostals while I lay on the ground and
laugh until I pass out. Sure, maybe some
thirty-dollar-per-hour fitness trainer taught
you that particular routine, and maybe
it’s somewhat effective, but guys, it’s also
hysterical. The next time you’re squatting
your way around the stationary bikes huffing
like a buffalo in labor, look around for your
trainer. You’ll spot him right away. He’s the
teenager with the camcorder pointed right at
you while he high-fives the protein-smoothie
girl. Yeah, go ahead and do the deep squat
walk—or whatever it’s called—if you think it
helps you. Just do it at home. Please, please,
Novelist Joshua Dagon is the author of
Into the Mouth of the Wolf, The Fallen,
and Demon Tears. For more information,
please go to www.joshuadagon.com.
To contact Mr. Dagon, please e-mail him at
[email protected].
do it at home.
The same rule applies to crunches. Why
on God’s great earth would a person pay
their hard earned money for the privilege of
performing crunches on some sweat-soaked
mat while the rest of the gym members stare
at you? Even if you’re doing the crunches
correctly, all anyone is thinking is, “Doesn’t
that dork have a floor at home?”
All of us want to feel attractive and
desirable and, yes, muscles on gay men act
like peacock feathers. So, by all means, work
hard and stay strong, but stay away from my
gym. I had to learn the hard way; it’s just as
easy to get a hernia from laughing.
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 14
JANUARY 2011
The Outfield by Dan Woog
Looking back at 2010
Here are a few Outfield stories from
2010 we had no space for—but that
merit a big ol’ LGBT shout-out.
Queers4Gears.com
“Gay” and “NASCAR” are rarely used
in the same sentence. But if we truly are
everywhere, that includes stock-car speedways. And Michael Myers makes sure we
connect with each other, above the roar
of race cars.
Queers4Gears.com is a website for gay
NASCAR fans—though all are welcome.
It features photos, race reports, even
discount ticket deals. It’s been named one
of NASCAR’s top 50 blogs.
“NASCAR fans have been more
accepting of (Myers) being gay than gay
people have been accepting of his being a
NASCAR fan,” the site says of the 37-yearold founder.
According to a recent article in the
New York Times, Myers “acknowledges that
gay male race fans are attracted to stock
car drivers the way straight female race
fans are.” However, he adds, it’s really just
about the races.
“I’m not there to ask drivers what they
think about gay marriage,” he says. “I’m
there to ask them about racing.”
Billy Van Raaphorst
Another oxymoron could be “gay
professional baseball umpire.” But when
a manager attacked an out ump with antigay language, it was the manager who
suffered most.
The Golden Baseball League incident
began in July, when Billy Van Raaphorst
ejected Edmonton Capitals manager Brent
Bowers for repeatedly objecting to a call.
Bowers raced over, called Van Raaphorst
a “f------g faggot,” and asked, “Do you take
it up the f------g ass?” (Just to make sure
there was no mistake, Bowers bent over
and grabbed his ankles.)
The tirade continued, with the
manager saying, “I ought to kick your ass,
you faggot.” The league suspended Bowers
for two games. Van Raaphorst’s fellow
umpires thought the punishment was
insufficient and threatened to walk out.
The league then suspended Bowers
for the rest of the season—and fined him
$5,000. The Capitals’ owner—who also
owns the National Hockey League Edmonton Oilers—supported Van Raaphorst
and the league against its now-former
manager.
Then—recognizing a “golden” opportunity when they saw it—the owners
announced plans to provide diversity
training for all its baseball and hockey
staffs.
Kiss Cam
In more gays-and-baseball news, a
group of gay men and lesbians got fed up
watching the St. Louis Cardinals’ heteroonly “Kiss Cam.” That’s the traditional shot
shown on an enormous scoreboard of a
man and woman passionately smooching.
A cute little heart is superimposed on the
shot, and cute little music plays.
Big deal, huh?
To David Whitley—a columnist for
MLB.Fanhouse.com, a national website—
it was.
“I can’t help sympathizing with that
father who’ll be sitting next to his son or
daughter at Busch Stadium,” the not-veryempathic dad/fan/writer wrote.
“Daddy, why are those two men
kissing?” he imagined a child saying.
“Umm, err, hey isn’t that Albert Pujols
coming to bat?” he figured would be the
only possible reply.
“I’m not ready to discuss same-sex
relationships with my three-year-old,” he
wrote. “I don’t think she’s ready, either.”
Using that logic, he would have to discuss
opposite-sex relationships every time the
“Kiss Cam” showed two straight people
making out.
Scrambling to avoid charges of
homophobia, he added: “If my daughter
grows up and falls happily in love with
another woman, I’ll proudly walk her down
the aisle.” Chances are, though, he’d first
have to get over his daughter’s fear that he
wouldn’t, in fact, be proud—based on his
reaction, years earlier, when daughter and
dad watched two women doing the exact
same thing straight people do every day,
at every ballpark in America.
Finally, from the Stand-Up-AndCheer Department:
For the fifth consecutive year, the Gene
and John Athletic Fund of Stonewall has
awarded a scholarship to an outstanding
gay athlete. 2010’s recipient was Jessica
Leigh Weather.
At the University of Florida, Jessica
studied six languages. A runner, she has
completed two marathons, three halfmarathons and a half-Ironman triathlon.
She’s a swimmer too, with a 12.5-mile
swim around Key West and 8-mile swim
through Boston Harbor and a relay swim
of the English Channel to her credit.
She hopes to compete in the 2014 Gay
Games in Cleveland.
Jessica is currently enrolled in Duke
University’s Physician Assistant Program.
Her goal is to specialize in pediatrics.
“My knowledge of the mental and
physical benefits of athletics, along with
my first-hand understanding of the spectrum of sexuality, will make me a unique
asset to the field for the next generation
of youth, both straight and LGBT.”
Including those who aspire to be
NASCAR drivers, baseball umpires, or kiss
their same-sex partner in public.
Glenn Burke’s story
“Glenn was comfortable with who he
was. Baseball was not comfortable with
who he was.”
That encapsulates the life and career
of Glenn Burke, Major League Baseball’s
first openly gay player. And it is a measure
of the sports world’s continuing discomfort with homosexuality that it has taken
three decades for his compelling tale to
be told.
Out. The Glenn Burke Story premiered
last month in San Francisco. The one-hour
documentary played to a sold-out audience
at the Castro Theatre—Burke’s old backyard. It described his rise, from multi-sport
star at Berkeley High School to his heralded
signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers as
“the next Willie Mays.” And then his fall.
In 1978—one year after starting in
the World Series—Burke was traded to
the Oakland Athletics. By 1980 he was
out of baseball. Despite being loved and
admired for both his athletic skills and
great clubhouse personality, it is widely
believed that Burke’s tacit acknowledgement of his sexuality led to the quick end
of a promising career.
The documentary details his public
announcement of his homosexuality in
1982 (on the Today show with Bryant
Gumbel), to a life filled with drugs and
prison, through a period of homelessness
and his AIDS diagnosis in 1994.
Burke succumbed to the disease—but
his story ends with support from the A’s
and some former teammates.
The documentary pulls no punches.
Claudell Washington recalls Oakland
manager Billy Martin introducing Burke to
his new teammates: “This is Glenn Burke
and he’s a faggot.”
A high school classmate says that
Dodger executives offered Burke $75,000
to get married. His response: “I guess you
mean to a woman?”
Former sportswriter Lyle Spencer
remembers Burke’s popularity. When he
was traded, several Dodgers cried.
And Pamela Pitts, Oakland’s director
of baseball administration, says Burke was
amazed his former team would reach out to
a man with AIDS. “I can’t believe someone
wants to help me,” he said.
It is a sad testament to his life that
Pitts had to say this about his death: “I do
believe he was in a much better place. His
demons were gone.”
Glenn Burke
After the premiere, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area hosted a town hall meeting
in the theater. Bay Area professional
athletes, journalists and sports executives
discussed the film and whether the sports
climate has changed in the three decades
since Burke played.
San Jose Sharks hockey broadcaster
Drew Remenda took his 14-year-old son
to the screening. The boy could not understand why anyone cared about sexuality,
but Remenda took a more nuanced view.
With Americans still battling over issues
like gay marriage and Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell, Remenda said, “I don’t know how far
we’ve come.” Gay athletes, he said, are still
“fearful” about coming out.
Remenda described the movie as “a
great story of courage” about Glenn—but
a story of cowardice about society.
San Francisco Giants president and
chief operating officer Larry Baer countered that “there is enlightenment in
sports.” He pointed to his team’s promotion of the AIDS-awareness “Until There’s
a Cure” Day as far back in the early 1990s.
Giants manager Dusty Baker took a lead
role in the event.
The Giants stood up—as Burke
did—for “what’s right,” Baer said.
Discussing any potential problems his
team would face today from advertisers if a
Giant came out, Baer replied: “The answer
should be, ‘Too bad.’ At the end of the day,
we have to do what’s right.” Of course, he
TTOUTFIELD continued page 15
the fun guide
JANUARY 2011
ACCESSline’s STATEWIDE
Recurring Events List
The following list is provided by—and
corrected by—ACCESSline readers like you. If
you would like to add an event, or if you notice
a mistake in this list, please email editor@
ACCESSlineIOWA.com.
Interest Group Abbreviations:
L: Lesbian
G: Gay
B: Bisexual
T: Transgender
D: Drag
+: HIV-related
M: General Men’s Interest
W: General Women’s Interest
A: General Interest
K: Kids and Family
Sunday
Every Sunday, GLBT AA, 5-6 PM, at First
Baptist Church at 500 N. Clinton St., Iowa City.
For more info about Intergroup and Alcoholics
Anonymous call the 24-Hour Answering Service
at or visit the AA-IC website: http://aa-ic.org/. [
LGBTMWA]
Every Sunday, L WORD LIVES: L NIGHT,
7PM, at the Firewater Saloon, 347 South Gilbert
St., Iowa City, 319-321-5895. The night will start
with Season 1, Episode 1 of the L Word... because
a good thing should never die. FoLLowing the L
Word wiLL be a Drag King show at 9:30 p.m. No
cover. Tel, 319-321-5895. [ L B T W D ]
Every Sunday, THE QUIRE: EASTERN
IOWA’S GLBT CHORUS REHEARSALS, 6-8:30
PM, at Zion Lutheran Church, 310 N. Johnson
St., Iowa City. Membership is open to all
GLBT folks, as well as allies who support the
community. There are no auditions; you only
need to be willing to attend rehearsals regularly
and learn your music. The Quire prepares
two full concerts each year in the winter and
spring, and occasionally performs shorter
programs at events in the Iowa City/Cedar
Rapids area. The Quire is a member of Gay and
Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA), and
has developed a reputation for excellence and
variety in its concert programs. For more info,
visit http://www.thequire.org/. [ L G B T M W
A]
Every Sunday, QUEER GUERRILLA
BRUNCH, Locations around Iowa City to be
announced each week. LGBTQIs & Allies gather
for Sunday brunch to celebrate community and
create visibility. Sign up for future brunches on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.
php?gid=120517046371 [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Sunday, RAINBOW AND ALLIED
YOUTH, 8:00pm-11:00pm, The Center, 1300
Locust, Des Moines, IA 50309. Social group for
Queer youth 25 years and under [ L G B T ]
Every Wednesday, LEZ TALK (LIVE TALK
SHOW), 9pm, Des Moines Social Club, 1408
Locust St, Des Moines, IA . New talk show in the
Capital City, Des Moines, IA. This show is hosted
by Lezzies and made for ALL people. We have
successfully secured a slot (we said slot) at the
DMSC Wednesdays 9pm! Talk about must see
TV! [ L G B T + A ]
Monday
1st 2nd Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
NORTH IOWA CHAPTER MEETING, 7 PM, at
First Presbyterian Church, 100 S. Pierce St.,
Mason City. Meetings are held the First and
Second Monday (alternating) of the month. For
more info, call 641-583-2848. [ L G B T M W
AK]
1st Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
QUAD CITIES CHAPTER MEETING, 6:30 PM, at
Eldridge United Methodist Church, 604 S. 2nd
St., Eldridge. For more info, call 563-285-4173.
[LGBTMWAK]
4th Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
WAUKON/NORTHEAST CHAPTER MEETING, 7
PM, First Lutheran Church, 604 West Broadway
Street , Decorah, IA 52101. in the Fellowship
Hall at First Lutheran Church, Decorah. 604
West Broadway Street. (563) 382-2638‎ [ L G B
TMWA]
Every Monday, DES MOINES GAY MEN’S
CHORUS REHEARSALS, 7pm-9:30pm, Plymouth
Congregational Church, 4126 Ingersoll Avenue,
Des Moines, IA . For more information about
singing with the Chorus, contact Rebecca
Gruber at 515-865-9557. The Des Moines Gay
Men’s Chorus does not discriminate on the basis
of sexual orientation. [ G M A ]
Every Monday Wednesday Thursday
Saturday, GLBT ONLY AA MEETINGS IN DES
MOINES, 6 PM - SAT 5 PM, at 945 19th St. (east
side of building, south door). [ L G B T M W A ]
Tuesday
2nd Tuesday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
AMES CHAPTER MEETING, 7 PM, Youth and
Shelter Services Offices, 420 Kellogg Ave., 1st
Floor, Ames, IA 50010. Meets in the Paul Room
of Youth and Shelter Services at 420 Kellogg
Avenue, Ames. For more info, call 515-2913607. [ L G B T M W A K ]
2nd Tuesday of the Month, CEDAR RAPIDS
UNITY BOARD MEETING, 6:30-8 PM, Cedar
Rapids, IA . at 6300 Rockwell Dr, Cedar Rapids.
Meetings are open to the general public. For
more info, call 319-366-2055 or visit: http://
www.crglrc.org [ L G B T M W A ]
2nd Tuesday of the Month, SPIRITUAL
SEEKERS, 7-8:30 PM, Iowa City, IA. at Trinity
Episcopal Church, 320 E. College St, Iowa City.
Spiritual Seekers is a group for people of all
faiths, or of little faith, who wish to make deeper
connections between their sexual identities and
the spiritual dimension in their lives. Meetings
include discussion of specialized topics, telling
of pieces of our faith journeys, and occasional
prayer and meditation. (On the 4th Tuesday
of each month, the group gathers at a local
restaurant for food and fellowship.) For more
info, contact Tom Stevenson: tbstevenson@
mchsi.com or 319.354.1784. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Tuesday, OUT (OUR UNITED
TRUTH): A GLBT SUPPORT GROUP, 7-8:30
PM, Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist, 600
3rd Avenue Southeast, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.
For more info, call 563-359-0816. [ L G B T M
WA]
Every Tuesday, ACE INCLUSIVE BALLROOM,
7-8:30 PM, Old Brick, 26 East Market Street,
Iowa City, IA 52245. All skill levels are welcome.
American social dance, Latin, a mix of dance
from the last 100 years. For more info, contact
Mark McCusker at [email protected],
319-621-8530 or Nora Garda at 319-400-4695,
or visit http://iowadancefest.blogspot.com/. [
LGBTMWA]
Every Tuesday, ARGENTINE TANGO, 7:309:30 PM, Iowacity/Johnson Co Senior Center, 28
South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. Practice
and open dance. A donation of $1-2 per person
is requested for use of the Senior Center. For
more info, contact Karen Jackson at 319-4471445 or e-mail [email protected]. [ L G B
TMWA]
Every Tuesday, KARAOKE IDOL, 9 PM,
Studio 13, 13 South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA
52240. Drink specials and great competition!
Visit www.sthirteen.com. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Tuesday, ACE HAS FACE THE MUSIC
& DANCE, 7-9pm, 26 E Market St, Iowa City,
IA 52245. All skill levels are welcome. Tango,
Waltz, Disco, Country, American social dance,
Latin, a mix from the last 100 years. Join on
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.
php?gid=372454708295. For more info, contact
ACE experiment at 319-853-8223. [ L G B T M
WA]
First and Third Tuesday, YOUTH FOR
EQUALITY, 4-6pm, The CENTER, 1300 W
Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309. A service and
action group for youth who identify as LGBTQI
and their allies. Open to all students in grades 5
through 12. [ L G B T M W A ]
Second Tuesday of the Month, PITCH HIV+
PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUP, 6-8pm,
The CENTER, 1300 Locust St, Des Moines, IA
. Contact John at 515.284.3358 with questions.
[+]
TTEVENTS continued page 28
OUTFIELD
acknowledged, things might be easier in
San Francisco than other cities.
Four-time Super Bowl champion Bill
Romanowski said that nearly every day in
the San Francisco 49ers locker room, he
hears gay slurs. “It’s not right,” he noted.
“But it just is.”
Asked whether having an openly gay
athlete would divide a team, Romanowski
said “probably.” But, he added, far smaller
issues divide teams too. “That’s reality,”
he explained.
The 49ers’ trainer was openly gay,
Romanowski said. “That opened my eyes.
He was a phenomenal trainer—and a really
good man.”
Fourteen-year NFL fullback Lorenzo
Neal said flat out: “People will feel uncomfortable” with a gay teammate. “We’re
humans. We can’t control other people’s
emotions.”
HOLLYWOOD
its antecedents, this sounds like just the
right costume for Iron Man to try on next,
doesn’t it?
Becoming Chaz and bikini
kill docs coming right up
ACCESSline Page 15
But Bay Area sports columnist Ray
Ratto thinks things will be fine—if the
openly gay athlete is “an indispensible
player.” That, he said, would force teammates to realize that their feelings of
discomfort were less important than the
opportunity to win big with a gay guy.
Jackie Robinson’s teammates didn’t
like him at first, Ratto said, “but they came
around when they realized he’d help them
make money.”
Robinson was, of course, the first
black Major League Baseball player. His
team was the Brooklyn Dodgers. They
moved to Los Angeles in 1958—where,
20 years later, they cast aside the man
who eventually became the first openly
gay baseball player.
Dan Woog is a journalist, educator,
soccer coach, gay activist, and author of the
“Jocks” series of books on gay male athletes.
Visit his website at www.danwoog.com. He
can be reached care of this publication or
Bravo needs an
A List and they’re
going to get one
From The Bottom To The Top. Seriously,
that is the working title of the new Bravo
reality show. Guess what it’s about? If you
said, “Lots of gay guys working hard to be as
bitchy and horrible and reductive as those
people on Logo’s The A List,” then you’d
be correct. It seems that while everyone’s
favorite gay network (that would be the
one with Andy Cohen) was busy with all the
housewives, Logo scooped them with buzz
and ratings for their own all-gay variant.
Not to be outdone, Bravo is now on the trail
of fabulously unpleasant gays to cast for a
show that will finally re-teach America to
dislike homosexuality once and for all. Did
you hear that, men? It’s time to go get paid
to misbehave for the cameras! First group
cast gets to record their own dance single.
As for that title, chalk it up to Bravo always
keeping it classy.
Chloe Sevigny, Eliza
Dushku, Margaret Cho join
RuPaul’s Race
Reichen Lehmkuhl. Photo: Logo
A tale of two documentaries, one financing and one finished: In the starting gate is
a film about the already-remarkable career
of third-wave feminist pioneer Kathleen
Hanna, founder of the band Bikini Kill and
early proponent of the Riot Grrrl movement
in the early 1990s. Sini Anderson (cofounder
of the lesbian/feminist collective Sister Spit)
is the woman raising funds and footage for
The Kathleen Hanna Project aka Who Told You
Christmas Wasn’t Cool? that will chronicle
Hanna’s life from its roots in Oregon to New
York, where she lives and works now. And due
to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in
late July is Becoming Chaz from Fenton Bailey
and Randy Barbato. Obviously, that one is
about the current life of Chaz Bono—son of
Sonny and Cher, born biologically female as
Chastity—and his ongoing public transition
to maleness. It may or may not wind up in
theaters but it’ll definitely hit cable sometime
later in 2011. And it’s got to be more interesting than Burlesque, right?
If RuPaul’s Drag Race were a cooking
show with Emeril, he would say it just got
kicked up a notch. Check out this list of celebrity judges for the third season coming Jan.
24, 2011: Wayne Brady, Margaret Cho, Eliza
Dushku, Carmen Electra, Fantasia, LaToya
Jackson, Sharon Osbourne, Susan Powter,
Rita Rudner, Mike Ruiz, Chloe Sevigny, Cheryl
Tiegs, Lily Tomlin, Aisha Tyler, Bruce Vilance,
Jody Watley, Johnny Weir and Vanessa
Williams. Whoever’s in charge of filling
those seats is working 10 times as hard as
the people on that singing competition show
who spent last summer slowly trying to find
replacements for Simon, Ellen and Kara. So
season three is officially going to be interesting now. But with this much star power
behind the judging table, at what point will
the audience be paying attention to the actual
drag queens?
Romeo San Vicente is concerned about
how that treacherous Austin keeps meddling
in Reichen and Rodiney’s relationship. He
can be reached care of this publication or at
[email protected].
ACCESSline Page 16
the fun guide
JANUARY 2011
Hear Me Out: Best of 2010 by Chris Azzopardi
way in, it would’ve been. But the airiness
of Ezra Koenig’s voice floated to the clouds
and the songs were some of the most smiley
sounds to fall on ears.
fully conceived canon of Janelle Monáe’s
futuristic world, a mind-blowing saga
stretched over 70 crazy minutes. Taking
off from 2007’s debut EP about a robot-led
land, it turns the Kansas-born ingénue’s
easy “soul” tag on its head, spins it around,
and makes musical gumbo out of it. What a
mess you’d think, what with all the influences
(from James Brown to Michael Jackson, and
then pastoral folk and crazy theatrics), but
it’s uniquely spellbinding—like nothing, and
everything, before it.
an Elton piano solo on “All of the Lights,”
which boasts an impressive guest list) and
electro-dance of extreme grandeur. Songs
are big as his ego, but just try turning
away.
10. Melissa Etheridge, Fearless Love
Hearing the musician return to her
zenith and kill songs with raging burn was
a rush like no other. She blows the spiraling
top off the title track, spilling desperation
into a Kings of Leon-like arena rock tune, and
sticks it to her home state on the rip-roaring
fireball “Miss California.” She doesn’t always
bite down hard, though: Her narrative about
family and illusions on “Gently We Row” is as
beautiful as her own fearless love.
7. Sia, We Are Born
The singing Aussie, especially known
for bummed-out numbers that hurt like hell,
danced her way out of downers with this
jiggy shake-up splashed in rainbow colors.
A nod to her adoration for the ’80s era, even
covering—and one-upping—Madonna’s
“Oh Father,” Sia’s messages of optimism and
survival were also intrinsically hers despite
dollops of toy pianos, chimes and child chirps
(see standouts “The Fight” and “Never Gonna
Leave Me”). A new Sia was born, indeed, and
cooler. Than. Ever.
9. Elton John and Leon Russell,
The Union
Two music greats got together and
created, well, more greatness. Theirs is
a Union, but so much more: a rare act of
appreciation—the album came to be because
of John’s fandom for Russell, a soul veteran—
deeply felt in their exchanges about war,
morality and expensive shoes. It crosses
genres, from gospel (“Hey Ahab”) to piano
rock (“Monkey Suit”), with hat-tips to the
’70s era that both were born out of. Oh, and
did we mention that it’s John’s best album
in, like, forever?
4. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Never one to disappoint, the Montreal
supergroup tempered their tiptoe-to-takeoff
bombast, stepping back from bloated epics
to deliver this resonating rock opus. Impressive again is how transcendent their sound
is, especially with the majestic “Sprawl II”
and lines like, “Let’s go for a drive and see
the town tonight/There’s nothing to do but
I don’t mind when I’m with you.” It plays out
like the fleeting years of life—except in life,
you can’t go back. The Suburbs at least takes
you there.
6. Taylor Swift, Speak Now
No one hates Taylor Swift as much as
they might say they do. It’s why the Southern
sugarplum’s as big as she is, something her
third album—as she expands past her limited
pop-by-numbers palette—strongly justifies.
Love is, as expected from a boy-crazy 21-yearold, what brings out the best in her songwriting (which, here, she exercises in full) with
“Back to December” and “The Story of Us,” all
about the tickles and tortures of relationships
that Swift’s so good at exposing. Speak now,
later, whenever—just keep doing it, Taylor.
8. Vampire Weekend, Contra
The shameless sophomore album from
the indie hipsters came out earlier in the year,
so by now, in this breakneck music industry,
it should be long forgotten. Had it not been
for how the N.Y. quartet expertly merges classical components with dainty pop melodies,
making feathers of harmony that ease their
2. Jónsi, Go
5. Janelle Monáe, The ArchAndroid
(Suites II and III)
Retro and funk collide in this wonder-
Hope got a new name this year: Jónsi
Birgisson, lead singer of Iceland’s Sigur Rós
who, for the first time, went solo. Going at it
alone, with support from his boyfriend Alex
Somers and conductor Nico Muhly, proved
revolutionary as he gave the vox behind
some of the most soulful classic-rock restored
life—working his soaring instrument into
kaleidoscopic bursts of orchestral whimsicality. From the ecstatic “Animal Arithmetic” to
the consuming swell of “Grow Till Tall,” Jónsi
was the sun, singing.
1. Robyn, Body Talk
3. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark
Twisted Fantasy
Hated like few others, the rapper’s
narcissism often gets in the way of his
crafty, boundary-breaking work. This time,
it was the reason for it, as he probed his own
reckless psyche for a thrilling, demented,
self-deprecating, even vulnerable genre
buster that stretched hip-hop beyond its
roots and into classic rock (uh-huh: That’s
Her body talked, but did you listen?
The irresistible (and overlooked) Robin
Miriam Carlsson—flooding the club scene
with her genius trilogy, which culminated
in a 15-track masterpiece of shoulda-beenhits—wised-up a genre that’s otherwise
become insipidly dumb. “Dancing on My
Own” was moving in every sense, and the
hearty “Hang With Me” and “Call Your Girlfriend” only confirmed what a refreshing,
distinct diva of dance-pop this delicious
Swede is. Innovative, transparent, entrancing, geeky and adorable—Robyn’s a firecracker that just kept popping.
Chris Azzopardi can be reached online at
“For many years we have talked about fulfilling one of our
greatest wishes by becoming parents. And now this wish has
been granted to us, we feel so blessed and lucky.”
— Sir Elton John to Us Magazine, Monday December 27, 2010,
in an interview with his partner, David Furnish, regarding
their newborn son Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John,
born to a surrogate mother on December 25, 2010.
JANUARY 2011
the fun guide
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Our first Chicago-style pizza by Arthur Breur & Brian Trimpe
On the return leg of our holiday vacation last month, my husband Brian and I
purchased the magazine “Popular Plates:
Pizza” and both read it, cover to cover. (This
was easy to do since our plane was missing
a part and sat empty for three hours before
we finally departed.
Inside this wonderful publication
were delicious looking photos of every
kind of pizza you can imagine—and some
you probably never imagined!—plus
descriptions of various ingredients and
pizza-making techniques. Best of all, it
contained dozens of recipes for crusts and
sauces. Even waiting in an airport, we were
in heaven scouring through the culinary
possibilities.
Brian is a brilliant cook, and we have
dined on home-made pizzas for most of our
fourteen and a half years together. We are
fond of thin crusts, but also loved getting a
great Chicago pizza at Pizzaria Due on our
last visit to the Windy City.
Interestingly, though, we had never
made a Chicago-style pizza at home. New
Years Eve we corrected that oversight.
Following are the crust recipe straight
from the magazine, and the recipe for our
first Chicago pizza filling.
This was an excellent pizza (if we do
say so ourselves), and was honestly quite
easy to make—though plan a little time for
the making and kneading the crust, and
allowing it to rise. The trick with a Chicago
pizza is making sure the ingredients are not
too moist, so be careful if you improvise
on ingredients!
We also recommend a nine- or ten-inch
springform pan, rather than the deep dish
pan: it makes serving the slices of pizza
much easier!
Chicago deep-dish crust
(From “Popular Plates: Pizza – Across
the Country with Roadfood’s Jane & Michael
Stern” by Source Interlink Media)
To make this crust right, you need a
deep-dish pan that is 2 to 3 inches deep
and 10 to 12 inches across.
• 1 package yeast
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
cooks. When the sausage is evenly brown,
carefully drain the meat into a colander to
remove excess moisture.
2.Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium
saucepan over medium heat. Add the
chopped onion and a pinch of salt (to draw
out the moisture) and cook until the onion
softens and becomes translucent.
3.Add the garlic and pine nuts and stir.
4.Create a space in the middle of the pan
and add the tomato paste. Cook for about
a minute then stir into the onion mixture.
Pour in red wine, stir. Add oregano and
pepper flakes. Let reduce until starts to
thicken.
5.Add chopped tomatoes. Stir and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add kosher salt to taste.
Assembling the pizza
1.Combine the yeast with about a third of the
warm water. When it begins to foam, add
the remaining water, sugar, flour, cornmeal,
salt, and all but a tablespoon of the oil. Stir
until blended, then turn the mixture out
onto a well-floured surface. Knead 10 minutes until the dough is silky and smooth.
Use the remaining oil to oil a bowl, roll the
dough around in it, cover it and let it rise
in a warm place 2 to 3 hours.
2.Generously oil the deep-dish pan.
3.Punch the dough down and knead it 2 to 3
minutes. Press it into the prepared pan. Let
it rise again about 15 minutes, then push
it down again, ensuring that the dough
reaches up the sides of the pan.
Our first Chicago-style pizza filling
If you don’t want to make a sauce from
scratch, just use a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. (We recommend Trader Joe’s
brand, now that it is available in West Des
Moines—or Madison, WI.)
Tools needed: skillet or frying pan,
saucepan, 9-inch springform pan (or
deep-dish pan).
• ½ lb pork sausage
• ½ lb sweet Italian sausage
• 1 25oz box Pomi chopped tomatoes (substitute 1 28oz can copped tomatoes)
• ½ can tomato paste with Italian herbs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (or 1-2 cloves freshly
chopped garlic)
• 1 tsp oregano, dried (substitute Italian
seasoning blend or dried basil)
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• pinch kosher salt
• ½ cup red wine
• ¼ cup pine nuts (optional)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 15 slices of pre-sliced low-moisture mozzarella or provolone (do not use FRESH mozzarella as it can be too moist and will soften
the crust) sub 12oz shredded cheese
• 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Optional: Top with 1-2 tbsp freshly chopped
parsley, basil, or arugula.
1.Cook the sausage in a skillet or frypan
over medium heat, breaking it up as it
1.Put 2-3 layers of cheese slices on the bottom of the crust; add the sausage, then the
sauce on the top. Lightly sprinkle with
parmesan cheese.
2.Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven
for 30 minutes (or until crust is golden
brown).
3.Remove from oven and let cool 5-10
minutes.
4.Top with freshly chopped parsley, basil, or
arugula (optional).
5.Slice with a large knife—no pizza roller
here!—and serve. (If using a springform
pan, remove the metal outer ring before
serving.)
6.Optional: take a photo of the pizza and
post it on Facebook to amaze your friends
and family!
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JANUARY 2011
The Gay Wedding Planner: Engagements & Flowers by Beau Fodor
Since there are no gay-marriage proposal cultural traditions I could establish for you
quite yet, my personal opinion is to “just
ask”—however YOU choose to!
Engagement 101
Engagements, or betrothal, rings date
back to the ancient days of marriage by
purchase when gold rings were circulated
as currency. The groom-to-be would offer
his bride-to-be a gold ring both as his partial
payment and as a symbol of his intentions.
Brides-to-be in these earlier times wore
woven bands made of rush (a flexible marsh
plant with hollow stems), and replaced them
each year. Roman brides-to-be wore rings
made of iron to symbolize the permanent,
unending nature of marriage. During Medieval times, grooms-to-be placed the ring on
three of the bride’s fingers in turn to represent the Holy Trinity—the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit.
The gimmal ring originated during the
Elizabethan period and is a set of three interlocking rings. During the engagement, the
bride-to-be, groom to-be, and their witness
each wore one of the rings until the wedding
day when the three pieces were united as a
single ring for the bride.
The type and style of ring GAY couples
use when formalizing their commitment to
each other is dependent on several factors,
including, of course, budget. A consideration
when deciding whether or not to add an
engagement ring to the equation is what
sort of message you are trying to send to the
SANCTITY
gay pastor in America, the Reverend Bill
Johnson, in 1972. And our General Synod
in 1985 called for all our congregations to
become Open and Affirming. In 2005 the
General Synod of our United Church of
Christ overwhelmingly passed a resolution
entitled “Equal Marriage Rights for All.” That
resolution received immediate affirmation
at Plymouth, where we had already been
conducting same-gender ceremonies for
members for many years. This past year
Plymouth Church passed a formal declaration in favor of marriage equality. The vote
was unanimous; the only discussion was
whether a separate resolution on marriage
was required, since we thought we were
already on record about it.
community about your relationship.
Engagement rings are also a good idea as
they serve as a sign of your current commitment, your dedication to each other and
silently announce the upcoming wedding.
The combination of a wedding and engagement ring, particularly in lesbian engagements, is a statement of the well thought out
and dedicated approach the couple has taken
in getting married. (Culturally, women in our
country generally grow up with the idea of
getting an engagement ring and a wedding
ring.) And, of course, many people would
not object to being given another ring from
their loving partner. Wedding Flowers 101
When choosing the flowers for your
wedding, you’ll certainly want to think
about the color, size, and shape of different
flowers, but it’s also nice to think of their
significance. In Victorian times, hundreds
of flowers, plants, and herbs were assigned
meanings. People selected them to communicate matters of the heart. For the flowers
in your events, consider the ones that best
express the feelings you share to make the
arrangements more special.
Here I’ve listed individual flowers and
their meanings to help you decide.
• Baby’s breath = Everlasting love
• Bachelor’s button = Celibacy, delicacy
• Calla lily = Magnificent beauty
• Carnation (pink) = Woman’s love
• Carnation = Pure love
• Cornflower = Delicacy
These positions grow from some
theological affirmations. We believe in the
centrality of the love of God and neighbor, as
Jesus taught. We seek to love God with all our
heart and soul, strength and mind and our
neighbors as ourselves—to love God with our
whole being. This means that every activity
of human life is to be brought under the rule
of love, including sexuality.
Ideally sexuality is a medium for the
expression of love. Of course there is a recreational quality to sex. But you can also use an
iPad for a paperweight: it accomplishes the
task, but when it’s holding down paper it is
hardly fulfilling its deeper reason for being.
Within the context of a committed, loving
relationship, sexual love can take on the character of a sacrament: the outward and visible
sign of an inward and spiritual reality.
So this requires sexuality, as with all the
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Crocus = Cheerfulness
Daisy = Innocence
Dogwood = Duration
Fern = Magic
Forget-me-not = Remember me
Freesia = Innocence
Fuchsia = Confiding love
Geranium = True friendship
Hellebore = Calming
Hyacinth = Sport and play
Iris = I have a message for you
Ivy = Friendship
Jasmine (pink) = I attach myself to you
Jasmine (white) = Amiability
Lady’s mantle = Comfort
Lilac = First emotions of love
Lily-of-the-valley = Return of happiness
Mint = Virtue
Myrtle = Love
Oak leaf = Bravery
Orchid = You’re in my thoughts
Peony = Bashful
Peppermint = Warmth of feeling
Primrose = Youth
Ranunculus = Radiant with charms
Rose (white) = I am worthy of you
Rose = Love
Rosemary = Remembrance
Snowdrop = Hope
Sweet pea = Delicate pleasures
Sweet violet = Modesty
Sweet William = Sensitivity
Tulip (pink) = Caring
Tulip (variegated) = Beautiful eyes
Tulip = Declaration of love
Violet (blue) = Faithfulness
rest of life, to be brought under the ruling
discipline of a loving commitment. That’s
why I believe in marriage!
So that’s where I’m coming from in
this conversation. Much more could be said
regarding how one regards scripture and so
forth; but that conversation feels like an old
one to me.
Now to restate my thesis: LGBT folk are
getting caught in the crossfire of sanctity
wars among Christians. The public dialogue
is harsher, shriller, and more emotional than
it needs to be because the church is duking
out its doctrine in the public arena.
This is not to underestimate the virulent nature of homophobia even when it’s
not supported by religious rhetoric. We
see homophobia everywhere, and clearly it
finds expression in the public conversation.
Political opportunism enters in, as well:
if you want to find yourself in a majority,
join in oppressing a minority. That’s an old
formula. I don’t deny these factors at all.
Beau Fodor is an Iowa wedding planner
who focuses specifically on weddings
for the LGBT community. He is also
the host of the new docu-reality show
“BRIDES & GROOMS”, which is co-produced
by Pilgrim Films and Coolfire Media,
and will be premiering this winter on
cable television. Beau can be reached
through iowasgayweddingplanner.com or
gayweddingswithpanache.com.
Last but not least, contemplate the
fragrances of your blooms... especially if
there’s an allergy-related issue, and take
consideration of where flowers will be
placed; especially centerpieces, as fragrances
can conflict with foods.
But the misguided urge to legislate sanctity
makes it all worse.
I am reminded of three sayings about
church. Paschal said, “Men never do evil so
cheerfully or so thoroughly as when they
do it in the name of God.” Churches tend to
be populated by what Mark Twain called,
“Good people in the worst sense of the word.”
And finally Otis Young, one of my colleagues
in ministry in the United Church of Christ
coined what he modestly called “Young’s
Law”: “Church fights are so nasty because
the stakes are so low.”
Think about it: generally when we
disagree in the church we simply undergo
ecclesiastical mitosis: we divide ourselves
into what we take to be little pockets of
purity around whatever issue caused the rift.
We move down the block and form a new
church with people who agree with us. In this
regard, you can tell that the sacraments are
important to us because we’re always fight-
TTSANCTITY continued page 33
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Cocktail Chatter by Ed Sikov
A Really Big Surprise:
The Boilermaker
“Who is Lady Gaga?” I asked in imperfect
innocence, thus driving the table of six to a
jolting silence.
They gaped at me. “What?” I shouted.
Heads swiveled around the restaurant. I
quickly regretted the stupid (and loud) joke.
The maitre d’ came over. “I’m not well,” I
explained, then beelined for the men’s room,
attempted to take three Advil without water,
gagged and threw up, washed out my mouth,
sampled the free facial moisturizer (wouldn’t
you?) and returned.
“Let’s change the subject,” I said as I
plunked myself back into my chair. “We
already have, doll,” said Craig. “I’ve invited
a guest—lucky number seven.” “But there’s
no room!” I complained. Dan elbowed me
so hard in the ribs that I coughed. “Garcon!”
Craig shouted, though we were at an Austrian
restaurant. The blond youth who sings
“Tomorrow Belongs to Me” in Cabaret rushed
over. “May I help you, sir?” “That’s Madame,
sonny,” Craig replied. “Set another place—for
my new boyfriend!”
Craig was now the object of the group
gape. “Tell!” Paolo demanded. “Yeah, dude!”
Sammy said. “Is he a chub, too?” Jack Fogg
shot Sammy a withering look, but Sammy was
undeterred. “You’re way fat, dude. That’s cool.
I just want to know if he’s chubby, too.”
“Where is that Nazi Breck Girl when you
need her?” I snarled. I felt an inexplicable
anxiety on top of the residual Gaga humiliation and reverted to my Western Pennsylvania
roots: I needed a shot and a beer. Two shots
and a beer, actually: a double Absolut Peppar
and a Hefeweisen, a yeasty German brew.
(That’s why I love New York. Order that combo
in my embarrassingly named hometown—
Beaver Falls—and you might get hurled out
of the bar or worse. In Snatchville, a shot and
a beer means rotgut whiskey and Pittsburgh’s
own, terrible Iron City.)
We scooted closer to make room—
except for Craig, who sat regally still, smirking.
I asked the waiter, “Could I have a—” “I’ll take
your drink orders in a minute, sir,” the Aryan
prototype sassed. “My name is Rolf—I’ll be
your server tonight.” “Gevalt,” I snorted.
“Hey!” Dan said. “That’s Kyle at the front
door. What a coincid—”
“Ohmygod!” I gasped. “Jesus fucking
Christ!” Sammy blurted. Dan, Paolo and Jack
Fogg simply stared in wonderment as the
adorable puppy Kyle strode to the table and
sat down next to Craig. He blushed, shrugged
and then kissed Craig on the lips. The rest of
us were too stunned—and in my case, too
psychotically jealous—to speak.
“You all know Kyle,” Craig pointlessly
announced. “Turns out he likes chubby
daddies.” Kyle demurely looked at his fingernails.
“Who knew?” I said as a montage providing vivid, horrifying answers to the question
“who does what to whom?” in various lurid
and upsetting ways looped through my
brain. The next thing I knew, I was standing
up and screaming across the room, “Rolf!
Getten zie assen uber hier, schnell! Ich needen
ein drink!”
The Boilermaker
It’s just a shot of liquor with a beer
chaser. Back home, you get cheap whiskey and local swill. In more cosmopolitan
locales (Calgary, Oklahoma City, Denver), you can fearlessly order a shot of
Jameson, Chivas, or even Absolut. I like a
double shot of Peppar and a tasty beer:
try a local microbrewery’s offering (think
globally, drink locally), a great American
mass-market brand like Sam Adams,
or an equally fine and widely available
import like Stella Artois or Molson.
Kahlua, Cream & Fiasco:
The White Russian
My cold lasted another week, so forget
about literary reticence. Let the gross descriptions fly: Snot spewed out of my nose like raw
scrambled eggs, only darker, more translucent, and graced by tiny bloblets of blood.
My lungs hacked up a hocker so gray it could
have come out of an old coal miner. When I
wasn’t wiping smears of sputum off my hands,
sheets and nearby skin mags, I contemplated
my recent poor behavior. Dan was right: I’d
become “an old-fashioned a--hole.” Dan was
nothing but affectionate with me, even after I
spat goose-shit-green mucous onto his pillow
while he slept. He deserved better from me.
So did my friends.
When I stopped being viral, I invited
Craig and Kyle to dinner. Surprisingly, Craig
didn’t hang up on me when I called. “I’m
sorry…” I began.
He cut me off: “Listen, dollface—I’ll
forgive you anything as long as you keep your
tongue off my boyfriend.”
“Right-O!” I sang out, anxiety turning
me strangely into Terry-Thomas in some
British war comedy. “How about dinner
here on Saturday? It’s Chicken Cacciatore
and an after-dinner drink that doesn’t suck.”
All was well.
Dinner was a disaster. Dan was late, so I
had to wield the vacuum cleaner and a can of
Pledge and set the table while trying to make
what turned out to be an absurdly complicated “hunter’s style” chicken with only
half the ingredients the recipe called for. (I
hadn’t bothered with a shopping list. “Calling
Dr. Freud! STAT!”) The result was a greasy,
taste-free horror—no wild mushrooms, no
fresh sage or thyme, clumpy years-old garlic
salt instead of garlic… “Hunter’s style?” What
were they hunting—something out of Oliver
Twist?
Having tasted the cacciatore, I downed
some Tormore Single Malt and became
morose. But when Dan waltzed in mere
minutes before Craig and Kyle were supposed
to show up, my irrepressible life force
returned. I became hostile. Craig and Kyle
thus entered during the second act of Who’s
Afraid of Virginia Woolf, with me playing
both George and Martha. I behaved terribly;
Dan was rightly embarrassed. I might have
summoned enough dignity not to spend the
whole evening staring at the gap between
Kyle’s bottom shirt button and his belt, a
space out of which a perfect tuft of soft hair
emerged. Craig noticed, much to his glee and
my continuing disgrace.
But dessert was fabulous! The White
Russian is one of my favorite cream-based
cocktails because of its subtlety, simplicity
and relative lack of sweetness. It’s got a little
Kahlua for a café au lait effect, vodka for
some kick and thick, chilled heavy cream for
the mouth-to-belly bliss that only cold dairy
fat can provide. Still, two rounds of White
Russians wasn’t enough to make up for
hurling lettuce fragments and bacon chunks
in Craig’s face after discovering that puppy
Kyle had been gobbled up by Jabba the Hut.
Am I still bitter? You bet your elephantine
ass I am.
The White Russian
• 1 part Absolut
• 1/2 part coffee liqueur
• 1 part chilled heavy cream
1.Put some ice in a shaker and add all the
ingredients; put the cap on and swirl it
around a bit rather than shake it. (After all,
you’re not trying to make liquor butter.)
2.Pour through strainer into a good-looking
glass and serve.
Ed Sikov is the author of Dark Victory:
The Life of Bette Davis and other books about
films and filmmakers.
ACCESSline Page 24
the fun guide
JANUARY 2011
JANUARY 2011
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 25
Out of Town: St. Petersburg’s Renaissance by Andrew Collins
Although Florida’s fourth-largest city
has seen a minimal increase in population
over the past 30 years, this sunny metropolis on a peninsula between Tampa Bay and
the Gulf of Mexico has changed a great deal
demographically. Once unflatteringly dubbed
“God’s Waiting Room” for its predominant
retirement-age population, the city and
surrounding beach towns have become
dramatically more youthful and vibrant of
late, and this extends to the region’s gay
community, which has grown significantly.
St. Petersburg now hosts the state’s largest
gay pride march (in late June), and the
region is home to dozens of LGBT-owned
businesses.
Greater St. Petersburg is made up of
numerous distinct neighborhoods and
municipalities, from downtown—which
fringes Tampa Bay—to the many beach towns
that extend south to north some 50 miles
from Fort De Soto State Park (which regularly
notches awards for having one of the cleanest
and most beautiful beaches in the country)
to Clearwater, Dunedin and Tarpon Springs.
Much of the region’s emerging gay scene is
focused on downtown, a historic mid-city
neighborhood called Kenwood, and the small
town of Gulfport, which lies just across lovely
Boca Ciega Bay from St. Pete Beach and the
Gulf of Mexico. All of these areas have been
integral in St. Petersburg’s steady renaissance, increased hipster appeal and continued popularity with LGBT visitors.
Downtown St. Petersburg is home
to several noteworthy hotels as well as a
bumper crop of trendy restaurants and
boutiques, many of these located in the
upscale, open-air BayWalk shopping center.
What’s particularly special about downtown
is the wealth of internationally renowned arts
and cultural attractions. The one receiving
the most attention right now is the iconic
Salvador Dali Museum, which has been
a fixture in St. Petersburg since the early
1980s but is slated to reopen in a dramatic
new waterfront space on the south edge of
downtown in January 2011—right beside
the impressive Mahaffey Theater performing
arts complex.
Another must is the acclaimed Museum
of Fine Arts, which has a sterling permanent collection and also mounts important
traveling shows. Steps away is the striking
Chihuly Collection, opened in summer 2010
and containing works by seminal glass artist
Dale Chihuly. Both attractions are along leafy
Beach and Bay Shore drives, which straddle a
lush park and overlook Tampa Bay. From here
it’s a short stroll along 2nd Avenue out to St.
Petersburg Pier, which is presently anchored
by a kitschy-looking inverted-pyramid
with touristy shops and an aquarium (it’s
currently slated to be razed and replaced
with a new building in a few years).
Head just a couple of miles west of downtown to reach the Grand Central District, the
commercial center of historic Kenwood and
home to the highest concentration of gayowned businesses in the city, not to mention
dozens of impressively restored Craftsman
bungalows. About four miles southwest,
funky and historic Gulfport is notable for its
offbeat cafes and galleries, and for hosting a
popular Art Walk the first Friday and third
Saturday of each month.
Continue west across the Highway
682 causeway to reach the string of barrier
Downtown St. Petersburg's beautiful waterfront, with the elegant (and very pink)
Renaissance Vinoy Resort in the background. Photo by Andrew Collins
islands that hold the region’s beach communities—turn left (south) to reach pristine Fort
De Soto State Park and the charming town
of Pass-A-Grille, or turn right (north) to visit
St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island and Madeira
Beach. In Treasure Island, you’ll find the most
gay-identified of the region’s beaches, the
so-called “Bedrocks Beach.” It’s a little tricky
to find—when you cross the bridge from St.
Pete Beach onto Treasure Island, turn left at
the 7-Eleven onto West Gulf Boulevard and
follow it south for a mile to the parking area
just north of the Mansions by the Sea condo
tower. Follow the boardwalk over the short
span of dunes, and you’ll typically find plenty
of gays and lesbians tanning their hides along
the beautiful beachfront.
Head a bit north up the coast and you’ll
come to the resort city of Clearwater, which
has a lively, somewhat up-market beachfront
separated from downtown by a picturesque
harbor. And still a bit farther north is the
funky little town of Dunedin, which has a
charming, gay-friendly cluster of shops,
boutiques and restaurants along its historic
downtown Main Street.
St. Petersburg has seen an influx of
notable restaurants in recent years. One of
the city’s classics is Marchand’s Bar & Grill
(MarchandsBarAndGrill.com), a refined
venue inside the historic Renaissance Vinoy
Resort—for a special occasion, this is one of
the top spots in town, whether for dinner or
Sunday brunch. Overlooking the marina at
the foot of the pier, Fresco’s Waterfront Bistro
(ChefJasonEsposito.com) pulls in a festive
happy-hour crowd, serves mouthwatering
haddock po’boys, and provides lovely views
of the waterfront.
A relative newcomer, Cassis (CassisAB.
com) serves reliably good French bistro
fare in an urbane setting—choose a table
on the sidewalk when the weather is nice.
A few blocks north, Hooker Tea Company
(HookerTea.com) is a cheery option for
gelato, pastries and toothsome breakfast
fare. Drop by slick and arty Kahwa Coffee
(KahwaCoffee.com) for first-rate espresso
and drip coffee. Bella Brava (BellaBrava.
com) and Ceviche Tapas Bar (Ceviche.com)
are two additional downtown notables, each
cultivating a fairly trendy crowd. And the
see-and-be-seen Independent (IndependentBeer.com) attracts a stylish, arty crowd
for hard-to-find imported beers, fine wines
by the glass and live music.
In Gulfport, head to Habana Cafe
(HabanaCafe-USA.com) for authentic Cuban
fare (including delicious drunken shrimp
with garlic and mojo sauce); and La Fogata
Churrascaria (LaFogataOnline.com) for
well-prepared seafood, steaks, tapas and
elegant cocktails. MadFish (MadFishOnline.
com) is a slick spot set inside a shimmering
stainless-steel diner in St. Pete Beach—the
kitchen here turns out creative contemporary
fare. At nearby Wildwood BBQ & Burger (bit.
ly/fTUM0t) you can feast on tasty comfort
food—note the impressive list of small-batch
bourbons.
Tiny downtown Dunedin has several
good restaurants, including Pan y Vino
(PanYVino.com), for brick-oven pizzas and a
nice selection of wines by the glass; and the
gay-popular Mexican restaurant Casa Tina
(CasaTinas.com).
St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District
has a few good restaurants, one of which,
the stylish Queen’s Head (TheQueensHeadBar.com), is also one of the city’s top LGBT
nightlife options. Sip cocktails in one of
the outdoor cabanas or inside the slick bar
and dining area, where you might enjoy a
dinner of pan-roasted skate with trufflemash carrots, beetroot-vanilla chutney and
lemon oil. A few blocks away is arguably
the most gay bar in the city, Georgie’s Alibi
(GeorgiesAlibi.com), which pulls in a youthful, see-and-be-seen crowd.
Other good bets along the Grand Central
corridor include Gemini Lounge (myspace.
com/gemini_lounge), which books fun live
bands; Detour, a laid-back watering hole;
quirky Lucky Star Lounge (myspace.com/
luckystarlounge28), which is tucked behind
a liquor store; and Beak’s Old Florida, an
inviting tavern and grill that has a popular
following with straights and gays.
You’ll find a few other neighborhood
bars around the city, such as Haymarket Pub,
a low-keyed dive bar on the north side of the
city—it’s next door to the Hideaway, which
bills itself the longest-running lesbian bar
in the United States. Gulfport gay lounges
include the Oar House Bar and Pepperz
Lounge, both of which are a bit down at the
heels. You may have a better experience
strolling along the community’s main drag,
Beach Boulevard, and stopping by any of the
many gay-friendly bars and eateries—Peg’s
(PegsCantina.com) is a particular standout,
known for terrific hand-crafted ales with a
kitchen serving fresh and well-prepared in
Mexican food.
In downtown Clearwater, the convivial
Pro Shop Pub (ProShopPub.us) is one of
the oldest gay bars in the state and has a
popular following at happy hour. Just north
in downtown Dunedin, the Kelly’s/Blur
(KellysChicaBoom.com) complex comprises
an LGBT-friendly nightclub, showbar, martini
lounge and casual American restaurant.
St. Petersburg is home to one of the
largest gay resorts in the country, the Flamingo (FlamingoFLA.com), which in addition
to being a popular LGBT nightlife venue has
a large central pool, a good restaurant and
130 simply but pleasantly furnished—and
reasonably priced—hotel rooms.
The city’s grandest and most famous
hotel is the swell-elegant Renaissance Vinoy
Resort (Marriott.com), which has long been
a friend to the gay community. This pink
palace overlooks the downtown waterfront,
comprising both a historic main building,
which opened in 1927, and a newer wing
with roomier accommodations but a stillclassic color scheme and design. Amenities
include an impressive health club and spa,
TTST. PETE continued page 28
ACCESSline Page 26
the fun guide
JANUARY 2011
Book Worm Sez by Terri Schlichenmeyer
Stuff That Makes a
Gay Heart Weep
A Definitive Guide to the Loud
and Proud Dislikes of Millions
by Freeman Hall 216 pages
©2010, Adams Mediax
$13.95 / $15.99 Canada
It’s enough to make you scream.
Seriously, how many fashion faux-pas do
you have to see before everyone understands
that Plumber’s Butt and muffin tops are
not acceptable? Don’t those people look in
mirrors before they leave the house? Do you
need to rent a plane and sky-write it: “Wear
Across
1 Supporters in the bedroom
6 Bump off
10 Like someone blown away
15 Scroll at Beth Chayim Chadashim
16 Giggling Muppet
17 Capone rival
18 Capital of Ghana
19 Groups of games, to Mauresmo
20 Jodie Foster’s ___ Room
21 Common insult
24 Carol, for example
25 Boy who shoots off arrows
26 Sault ___ Marie
29 Granny
31 Diana, to the Greeks
36 Running into overtime
38 Dottermans of Antonia’s Line
40 Rivera portrayer, in Frida
41 Start of a family response to the insult
45 Upright shaft
46 It’ll float your boat
47 Teen outbreak
48 Grabs greedily
50 Stole at the Oscars, e.g.
53 Boating pronoun
54 Stadium level
56 You might get dates from it
58 End of the response
66 Last letter from Socrates
67 Pita sandwich
68 Gertrude’s partner
69 Type of pole
70 Bus. school course
71 Cole Porter’s “___ I Kissed My Baby
Goodbye”
72 Broadway whisper
73 ___ ex machina
74 Hot to trot
pants that fit”?
It’s enough to make you want to break
down in public, which you hate.
But that’s not the only thing that you
hate. There are dozens more, as you’ll see
in “Stuff That Makes a Gay Heart Weep:
A Definitive Guide to the Loud & Proud
Dislikes of Millions” by Freeman Hall.
So somebody gives you a bottle of cheap
booze or wine. Or that box that made an interesting sound when you shook it turned out to
be a stupid gay T-shirt. Or you got tacky home
décor for Christmas. You know—the kinds of
things that make you want to simply crawl
into a fetal position until it all goes away?
That’s what you’ll find in this book.
Don’t you just hate it when your gaydar is
broken? Or you miss “Real Housewives” one
too many times—or the Oscars? Or, OMG, you
get a Facebook gift (what’s the use of that??)
or a lame status alert. OMG, it just makes you
reach for the tissue.
Now that you think of it, so does the
overuse of “OMG”.
And fashion? Don’t even start. Bad
weaves, flip-flops with socks, sideways baseball caps, crocheted ponchos, fanny packs,
people who wear scarves in the summer.
And Capri pants. Who ever said they look
good on anybody? You can feel your eyes
filling up now…
Justin Bieber. Now he really makes you
want to bawl your eyes out. So does Richard
Simmons and a certain Mama Grizzly with
Q-PUZZLE: “Comeback for Coming Out”
Down
1 Deer, or without a dear
2 Nuts
3 Curve and others
4 Fruit desserts
5 Stone of _If These Walls Could Talk 2_
lipstick. The Kardshians—sniff. Guidos and
Guidettes—sniff. And that Angelina Jolie and
Hugh Jackman are NOT gay? Waterworks,
simply waterworks.
Virtual pets? Really? Like they’re better
than a real cat or dog? And who puts a
Snuggie on their dog – or worse – a costume
on any day except Halloween? Speaking of
which, don’t you hate when people go out for
Halloween but don’t wear a costume?
Careful. You feel a crying jag coming
on…
And if this book doesn’t make you weep
from laughter, there’s something wrong.
“Stuff That Makes a Gay Heart Weep” is
absolutely hilarious.
With his signature snarky sense of
humor and his feel for the absurd, author
Freeman Hall pokes fun at kitschy, faddish,
everyday things, places, and people that
practically beg to be ridiculed. In this book,
there are over two hundred entries that are
so hilariously, awfully tragic that you don’t
have to be gay to want to break down in tears,
even if you’re a guilty party. And once you’re
done reading, you almost have to come up
with your own Stuff List.
Wrap yourself in your Snuggie because,
OMG, you need a good laugh out loud. “Stuff
That Makes a Gay Heart Weep” is an absolute
scream.
6 Edith Head, e.g.
7 He did Jackie’s clothes
8 Cho’s “___ One That I Want”
9 “Our” to Pasolini
10 Fake
11 He took on a pair of bears
12 Composer Thomas
13 Play a mean sax
14 Env. fattener
22 Latina writer Castillo
23 Singer with an accent?
26 You don’t want to get pink ones
27 Bring to the auto repair
28 ___ Gay
30 “Uh-oh!” to Shelley
32 Lanchester of _Bride of Frankenstein_
33 David’s _Baywatch_ role
34 Nuts
35 Pop singer Leo
37 Chug-a-lug
39 One way to cook fruit
42 Some heteros change it at the altar
43 Ancient Celt
44 Moby Dick stickers
49 Classified, informally
51 “That was good, honey!”
52 Tickle pink
55 Auto pioneer Henry
57 Sasha Obama’s big sister
58 “___ light?”
59 Tori who sang “I am not from your tribe”
60 Legendary Himalayan
61 Dated
62 Drop ___ (moon)
63 Rhames of _Holiday Heart_
64 Homo leader?
65 Not e’en once
• SOLUTION ON PAGE 28
JANUARY 2011
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 27
PHOTOGRAPHER
QUAD CITIES: MASSAGE
INSURANCE
CEDAR RAPIDS: WINE & GIFTS
FREELANCE WRITER
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 28
ST. PETE
golf at the resort’s private course a couple
of miles away, and excellent dining at three
different restaurants.
There are also several excellent, midpriced chain properties downtown, including
the Courtyard Marriott (Marriott.com), the
Hampton Inn and Suites (StPeteHamptonSuites.com) and the hip, lime-hued Hotel
Indigo (HotelIndigo.com)—all are just a few
minutes’ walk from Tampa Bay and major
museums. You’ll also find few gay-friendly
and very charming B&Bs in the Old Northeast
Historic District, which flanks downtown and
is a pleasant walk from shops and restaurants. Among these, the gay-owned Dickens
House (DickensHouse.com) is a stunning
example of Arts and Crafts architecture with
plush, beautifully furnished accommodations. Also consider the Mansion House
B&B (MansionBAndB.com), with its glorious full-size pool; and the Beach Drive Inn
(BeachDriveInn.com), which is across from
the famed Renaissance Vinoy Hotel.
The well-priced and popular clothingoptional GayStPete House (GayStPeteHouse.
com) is an excellent base for proximity
to the bars and restaurants of the Grand
Central District, and in Gulfport, consider
the marvelous Sea Breeze Manor Bed &
Breakfast (SeaBreezeManor.com), a historic
Tudor-style 1920s house that overlooks
Boca Ciega Bay and has spacious, warmly
appointed rooms.
Across the bay in St. Pete Beach you’ll
find the area’s other famous grande dame,
the Loews Don Cesar Resort (LoewsHotels.
com), an opulent, pink wedding-cake of a
hotel that’s hosted countless celebrities and
appeared in such prominent films as Health
and Once Upon a Time in America. Nearby, the
circa-1957 Postcard Inn on the Beach (PostCardInn.com) is a sleek, surfer-chic boutique
hotel on the water that’s steadily developed a
gay following—book a poolside cabana room
for optimum swank factor.
For easy access to Clearwater and a
location in the heart of charming downtown
Dunedin, look no further than the stylish
Meranova Guest Inn (Meranova.com), which
has eight tastefully furnished rooms, each
with private entrances.
Andrew Collins covers gay travel for the
New York Times-owned website About.com
and is the author of Fodor’s Gay Guide to the
USA. He can be reached care of this publication
or at [email protected].
“Evangelical Christians seem
sincere in their desire to help build
healthy, lasting marriages. Well,
if that’s their goal, encouraging
gay men to enter into straight
marriages is a peculiar strategy.
Every straight marriage that
includes a gay husband is one
Web-browser-history check away
from an ugly divorce.”
—Dan Savage, New York Times
Op/Ed, “Don't Let Your Babies
Grow Up to Be Ex-Gay Cowboys”
published February 10, 2006
EVENTS
Wednesday
1st Wednesday of the Month, CEDAR RAPIDS
CHARTER CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN
BUSINESS WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION, For more
info, visit charter-chapter.tripod.com. [ L W ]
1st Wednesday of the Month, WOMEN’S
SACRED CIRCLE, 6:30-8 PM, Prairiewoods
Franciscan Spirituality Center, 120 E. Boyson Rd,
Hiawatha, IA 52233. This group is for women
who are interested in gathering for spiritual
growth. The direction and activities of the
group are determined by participants. $5 per
session. For more info, visit www.prairiewoods.
org. [ L W ]
1st Wednesday of the Month, CONNECTIONS’
RAINBOW READING GROUP, 7 PM, Iowa City
Public Library Meeting Room B, 123 South Linn
Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. For more info,
contact Todd at: [email protected]. [ L G B
TMWA]
2nd Wednesday of the Month, STONEWALL
DEMOCRATS, THE GLBT CAUCUS OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, 6:30-8 PM, For more
info, contact Harvey Ross at linnstonewall@
gmail.com or call 319-389-0093. [ L G B T M W
A]
2nd Wednesday of the Month, WOMEN
FOR PEACE KNITTERS, 7-9 PM, Hiawatha, IA.
at Prairiewoods, 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha.
Knitting, crocheting, and discussion. For
more info, call 319-377-3252 or go to www.
womenforpeace-iowa.org. All ages and levels
of needlework skills welcome. Come knit for
charities. [ L W ]
Every Wednesday, HOT MESS EXPRESS,
8:00pm, Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust
St., Des Moines, IA . The hottest most messiest
citizens of Des Moines providing a comedic look
at the hottest most messiest current events
around the world. Featuring: Paul Selberg,
Rachel C. Johnson, Kelley Robinson & Tyler
Reedy [ L G B T A ]
Every Wednesday, U OF I GAY LESBIAN
BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER AND ALLIES
UNION MEETINGS, 7-9 PM, Iowa City, IA. at the
Penn State Room #337 of the Iowa Memorial
Union, U. of Iowa campus, Iowa City. For more
info, visit http://www.uiowa.edu/~glbtau/ or
e-mail [email protected]. These meetings are
open to the public. [ L G B T M W A ]
First and Third Wednesday of the Month,
PITCH HIV+ PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT
GROUP, Friends and Children’s Council, 500 E
4th St, Ste 414, Waterloo, IA . RSVP to tamih@
pitchiowa.org (requested but not required).
(First meeting will be January 19, 2011 from
5:30-7:30pm at the CASS office, 2101 Kimball
Ave, Ste 401, Waterloo.) [ + ]
Second Wednesday, OUT NETWORKING,
5:30, Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust
St, Des Moines, IA 50309. A social, business,
and philanthropic networking organization
for anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgendered, questioning or supportive. The
group presents year-round events focused on
business, culture, community, and philanthropic
subjects. [ L G B T A ]
Thursday
1st 3rd Thursday, EVENINGS FOR SPIRIT,
6:30-8:30 PM, West Branch, IA . at SpiritHill
Retreat, 604 Cedar Valley Road, West Branch.
First, third, and fifth Thursdays of each month.
Women gather at SpiritHill (or other locations)
to share our spiritual experiences, visions and
longings. The evenings include time for sharing
and time for silence. Laughter, tears and singing
are often shared as well. No specific spiritual
practice is followed. This event is always open to
newcomers. For more info, call 319-643-2613,
or e-mail [email protected]. Calling in
advance is highly recommended to confirm the
location for the specific month of interest. [ L
W]
2nd Thursday of the Month, OPEN MIC
WITH MARY MCADAMS, 7-9 PM, Des Moines,
IA . at Ritual Café, on 13th St. between Locust
and Grand, downtown Des Moines. Visit www.
ritualcafe.com. For more info, e-mail mary@
marymcadams.com. [ L G B T M W A ]
2nd Thursday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
OMAHA/COUNCIL
BLUFFS
CHAPTER
MEETING, 7 PM (6:30 PM social time), Omaha,
IA . at Mead Hall, First United Methodist Church,
7020 Cass St., Omaha. For more info, call 402291-6781. [ L G B T M W A K ]
3rd Thursday of the Month, OPEN MIC
HOSTED BY KIMBERLI, 7-10 PM, Cedar
Rapids, IA . at the Blue Strawberry Coffee
Company (now open after the flood), 118 2nd
St. SE, Downtown Cedar Rapids. Signup at 6:30
p.m. or by e-mailing [email protected]
the week prior to the open mic. [ L G B T M W
A]
3rd Thursday of the Month, LGBTQI YOUTH
MOVIE NIGHT AT THE CENTER, 6:30-10pm,
The CENTER, 1300 Locust, Des Moines, IA . This
is part of the LGBTQI youth program, anyone 24
years old and younger is welcome. Come down
spend the evening with your friends and make
some new ones. 515-243-0313 [ L G B T + ]
3rd Thursday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
DUBUQUE/TRI-STATE CHAPTER MEETING, 7
PM, Dubuque, IA . at St. John’s Lutheran Church,
1276 White St., Dubuque. For more info, call
563-582-9388. [ L G B T M W A K ]
3rd Thursday of the Month, CONNECTIONS
GAME NIGHT, 7-9 PM, Iowa City, IA . at
Donnelly’s Pub, 110 E. College St., in downtown
Iowa City. [ L G B T M W A ]
4th Thursday of the Month, PROFESSIONAL
WOMEN’S NETWORK (PWN), For more info,
visit www.pwn.org, e-mail [email protected], or
call Shelley Woods at 319-981-9887. [ L W ]
4th Thursday of the Month, THE GLBT
READING GROUP, 7:30 PM, Cedar Rapids,
IA . Red Cross Building at 6300 Rockwell Dr.
NE, Cedar Rapids. The group is open to new
members; contact crglbtreadinggroup@yahoo.
com for further info. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Thursday and Friday, SHANNON
JANSSEN, 6-10 PM, Cedar Rapids, IA . Dawn’s
Hide and Bead Away, 220 E. Washington St.,
Iowa City. Shannon performs a variety of music
including original songs on the Grand Piano in
the hotel’s beautiful atrium. No reservations
required. [ L G B T M W A ]
Last Thursday of the Month, DRAG KING
SHOW, 9:00pm-2pm, Studio 13, 13 S. Linn St,
Iowa City, IA 52240. The show starts EARLY at
9pm, so all you fans under 21 (meaning 19 &
20) can come for a jam packed hour of show!
Your kings will also have another photo signing
with awesome king swag! Plus, a SECOND mini
show after the signing!!! $3 Bomb shots, $2 Calls
and Domestics, and $1 Wells and shots! Cover is
only $3! [ L G B T D ]
Friday
1st Friday of the Month, FAIRFIELD
ART WALK, For more info, visit www.
FairfieldArtWalk.com. [ L G B T M W A ]
1st Friday of the Month, GUERRILLA QUEER
BAR MEETUP!, Tired of the same old bars? Crave
the idea of bringing your queer and straight
friends together in a fun, new environment?
We’re descending upon an unsuspecting
straight bar and turning it into a gay bar for
the night. To join in: join our Facebook group,
Google group or Twitter feed. You’ll receive an
email the morning of each event with the name
of a classically hetero bar and the meeting time.
Call your friends, have them call their friends,
show up at the bar and watch as it becomes the
new “it” gay bar for one night only. Visit http://
groups.google.com/group/iowa-city-guerrillaqueer-bar. [ L G B T M W A ]
1st Friday of the Month, FIRST FRIDAY
BREAKFAST CLUB, Sherman Place, 1501
Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA 95030.
The First Friday Breakfast Club (FFBC) is an
educational, non-profit corporation for gay men
who gather on the first Friday of every month
to provide mutual support, to be educated on
community affairs, and to further educate
community opinion leaders with more positive
images of gay men. It is the largest breakfast
club in the state of Iowa. Hoyt Sherman Place,
1501 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA 95030.
Contact Jonathan Wilson at (515) 288-2500 or
email: [email protected] [ G B ]
1st Friday of the Month, DAWN’S COFFEE
HOUSE, 5-8 PM, Iowa City, IA . Dawn’s Hide and
JANUARY 2011
Bead Away, 220 E. Washington St., Iowa City.
First Friday of every month between February
6 and December 4. Music and light snacks are
provided. Proceeds from the door are split
between the non-profit of the month and the
store (to cover the cost of snacks). Any other
donations received go 100% to the non-profit.
$3 cover. For more info, phone 319-338-1566. [
LGBTMWA]
2nd and 4th Friday, DRUMMING CIRCLE, 7
PM, Cedar Rapids, IA . Unity Center of Cedar
Rapids, 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar
Rapids. Every 2nd and 4th Friday of the each
month. For more info, call 319-431-7550. [ G M
]
3rd Friday of the Month, OLD-TIME DANCE
FOR ALL, 8 PM, Iowa City, IA . A Barn Dance 12
miles east of Iowa City at Scattergood Friends
School. A Barn Dance 12 miles east of Iowa
City at Scattergood Friends School. Admission
is $5.00 per person. Singles and couples,
beginners and veterans welcome. The music is
live, and all dances are taught and called (that
is, prompted while the music is playing). Note:
(1) same-sex couples are common at these
dances, (2) they’re no-alcohol, no-smoking
events, (3) every dance is taught, so beginners
are welcome, and (4) people can attend alone
or with a partner. People of a variety of ages
show up, and the atmosphere is friendly and
inclusive. For more info, phone 319-643-7600
or e-mail [email protected]. [ L G B T M W
A]
Saturday
4th Saturday of the Month, LESBIAN
BOOK CLUB, 7 PM, Davenport, IA . is reading
books by or about lesbians. Non-lesbians are
welcome to attend. All meetings are held at the
Unitarian Universalist Church, 3707 Eastern
Ave., Davenport. For more info, call 563-3590816. [ L ]
4th Saturday of the Month, TANGOVIA, 7:30
PM, Iowa City, IA . join area tango dancers at
the Wesley Center, 120 N. Dubuque St., Iowa
City. Enjoy a candlelit evening of dance, hors
d’oeuvres, and conversation in a relaxed
atmosphere. Cost is $5. Partner not necessary.
Beginners welcome to come at 7 p.m. for an
introductory lesson. For more info, call Gail at
319-325-9630, e-mail [email protected], or
visit www.tangovia.com. [ L G B T M W A D ]
Every Saturday, WOMEN FOR PEACE
IOWA, Noon to 1PM, Collins Rd NE & 1st Ave SE,
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. hosting Weekly Street
Corner Vigils for peace, rain or shine. Meet at
the corner of 1st Ave. and Collins Rd. SE (in
front of Granite City Brewery), Cedar Rapids.
Show your support for our troops by calling for
their return from Iraq. For more info, e-mail
[email protected]. [ L G B T M W A K D ]
Every Saturday, BAILE LATINO: SALSA,
CHA-CHA, MERENGUE AND BACHATA
LESSONS, 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM, Cedar Rapids,
IA . taught by Gloria Zmolek, at CSPS, 1103
3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids. No experience or
partner necessary. All ages welcome. No signup required. $5 per person requested. For more
info, contact Gloria at 319-365-9611 or visit
www.crsalsa.org. [ L G B T M W A K D ]
JANUARY 2011
ACCESSline Page 29
Snap Shot: The Library
First Friday Breakfast Club:
at The CENTER by Charles Timberlake Dr. David Ruhe by Bruce Carr
The CENTER in Des Moines has a
library to serve the specific needs of the
LGBT community. Although it is only one
and a half years old, the library has grown
rapidly and already has over 2,000 items.
Of particular interest to the LGBT
community are books—both fiction and
nonfiction—on LGBT subjects or by LGBT
authors. These include novels, short
stories, and poetry. A wide variety of
nonfiction books include both new and
classic LGBT titles. In addition, videos—
both DVDs and VHS cassettes—are available of TV series, documentaries, and
informational programs of interest to the
community. Rounding out the LGBT collection are periodicals such as The Advocate,
Out, and ACCESSline which include recent
issues and, frequently, back runs of several
years.
In addition to LGBT materials, there is
a significant collection of general interest
books, both fiction and nonfiction. Popular
movies, TV shows, nonfiction DVDs, videocassettes, compact discs, and tapes are
available, also. Finally, the library has a
small collection of books and videos for
children and teenagers.
The library has been created out of
materials generously donated by members
of the local LGBT community and from a
collection at Iowa State University. For ease
of access, the library is divided into two
major areas: LGBT materials and generalinterest materials. In each area, nonfiction
materials are organized by the familiar
Dewey Decimal System; fiction books are
arranged by author; and videos, CDs, and
tapes are shelved by title.
Library materials may be borrowed for
free. The library has a large table and chairs
for readers, and The CENTER provides
additional comfortable chairs and sofas.
DVD and VHS players and TV sets are also
available to watch your favor or “new” flick.
The CENTER and library are open Monday
through Saturday from 12 noon to 6pm and
Wednesday 12 noon to 8pm.
The CENTER is always seeking donations for the library. Persons wishing to
donate books, videos, magazines, and other
materials may bring them to The Center
when it is open.
We offer a Literary group the first
and third Wednesday of each month. The
meeting starts at 6pm.
If you would like more information
about the library, The CENTER, or the
literary group you can reach us by phone
at 515-243-0313, email at thecenterdm@
gmail.com, on the web at www.equalityiowa.org, on Facebook at The CENTER.
Dr. David Ruhe (left), senior minister of Plymouth Church in Des Moines, with Rick Miller, a
member of both the Plymouth congregation and the First Friday Breakfast Club.
About Charles Timberlake
The library at The CENTER is overseen by Charles Timberlake, who is a
retired librarian. A former resident of Des
Moines, Charles returned to the city over
two years ago. He stopped by The CENTER
about a year ago to try to connect with
other LGBT people in Des Moines. During
that visit, The CENTER Director, Sandy
Vopalka, showed Charles the spacious
facility. When he saw the library, which
had books and other materials on shelves
in no particular order, he knew that he had
found a volunteer project that fit both his
interests and abilities. His future plans for
the library include an online catalog and
the addition of more books and videos to
the LGBT collection.
Our speaker on December 3 was Dr.
David Ruhe, senior minister of Plymouth
Church in Des Moines, who gave us a compelling homily on the issue of same-gender
marriage. He was, to be sure, “preaching to
the choir,” but his message was less about
sexuality and more about the absurdity of
politicians wrangling over messy churchdoctrinal issues. “Sanctity cannot be legislated,” he said.
Churches exist, he implied, to argue over
what is sacred and how people should go
about being or becoming sacred. Churches
have risen, fallen, divided, prayed, wrestled,
and come to blows over these issues; it’s what
they do. Ruhe gave the example of baptism:
who is to be sanctified by this rite, and how
and when? Children, adults, sprinkled,
dunked, privately or in public? But we do not
allow the state to have a say in any of this.
Some of us even call this the “separation of
church and state.”
Similarly with marriage, Ruhe said.
Who may enter this particular condition of
sanctity, and how may they do so? We may
differ individually on the answers to these
questions, but they are theological questions
and not political ones. Sanctity cannot be
legislated.
TTFFBC continued page 33
ACCESSline Page 30
JANUARY 2011
Queeries LGBT Etiquette by Steven Petrow A Happy New Year at
Too affectionate
The CENTER! by Beau Fodor
at the mall?
Q: Do you think there was anything
improper about the lesbian couple I read
about recently who held hands in a public
mall, kissed each other lightly, and then
found themselves asked by a security
officer to leave the premises?
A: I read about this story too, and no,
they weren’t doing anything wrong. I actually had a difficult time believing the entire
scenario: Just as they were being sweet with
each other, the guard puts a halt to their business, and orders them to leave. So, too, did her
supervisor, even when the couple pointed out
that they were being singled out; of course,
straight couples cuddle in public all the time
without any sort of disruption.
The rules about showing affection
publicly are the same for gay men and
lesbians as they are for straight people:
Handholding, eye gazing, and light kissing
are perfectly fine in public; groping, tongue
kissing, and touching below the waist are
not. If there are any distinctions to be made,
they’re not based on sexual orientation, but
according to venue or situation. What you
do in a nightclub or bar is different than at a
family dinner or—the mall.
But the next chapter is also key: Management at the mall was quick to apologize, if
only because of the tremendous Facebook
outcry, which was obviously bad for business. In the apology, also on Facebook, the
PR team insisted that its mall is a “friendly
shopping center that welcomes the entire
community,” concluding with this statement:
“(We’re) committed to maintaining an open
and welcoming environment for everyone.”
All’s well that ends well? Yes, in this
case. But if this incident had not occurred
in such a progressive city—which has a lot
disposable LGBT money that can be spent
elsewhere—it’s easy to imagine a different
outcome. Either way, it’s worth remembering that LGBT people exercise their political
will not only at the ballot box, but also in the
dollars and cents we spend every day.
Turning heads at the
holiday office bash
Q: Even though I’m completely out
at my office, I always turn heads when I
dance with a gent at the company bash.
Sometimes there’s even some giggling
from my coworkers. What tips do you have
when it comes to attending a workplace
holiday party with a partner or date?
A: First, I’d make sure that your date
is cool about being part of your continuing
coming out journey. There’s a public dimension to attending a work function as a couple
and not everyone is comfortable with the
kind of attention a same-sex couple may
attract. Assuming the answer’s yes, also keep
in mind that it’s one thing for your straight
coworkers to know that you’re gay; it’s
another to see you slow dance, tête-à-tête,
with your same-sex sweetie.
But honestly, that’s their problem, not
yours. As long as you keep your PDA in
check—which is a good idea for anyone at a
work function, you’re on the right side of the
line. And the more times you and other gay
colleagues take to the dance floor, the less
novel and giggle-producing such moments
will be. In fact, if you have other lesbian or
gay colleagues lean on them to join you.
One final note: In most states, you can be
fired simply for being gay or lesbian. Anyone
considering coming out at a workplace
holiday bash is wise to make sure that yours
is a gay-friendly company and that you’re
not putting your livelihood at risk by outing
yourself by bringing a same-sex date.
Invite for the holidays?
Q: How serious should my son and
his boyfriend be before we include the
newcomer in our holiday celebrations?
A: Do the same as you would with your
straight kids and their boyfriends or girlfriends—or follow this rule if you have none:
When it seems as though the couple is serious
and becoming part of your family, be proactive and extend an invitation for two. On the
other hand, the entire responsibility for this
important holiday detail shouldn’t rest with
you. Your son could make your job easier by
calling or sending an e-mail saying something
like, “Hey Mom, I’m really hoping that James
can join us in our family celebration this year.”
Bingo! Asking to bring home your significant
other is a sign that the relationship is getting
serious. It doesn’t sound like it happened that
way with you, but never mind. If you need to
know, go ahead and ask. If you both like the
idea of the boyfriend joining in, then you’re
on to your next challenge: whether to include
the boyfriend on your holiday shopping list.
The answer is yes—don’t get him anything
too pricey, but do pick up a small gift.
Kiss-ins?
Q: I read recently that when the pope
was visiting Spain—denouncing gay
marriage—a large contingent of LGBT
people staged a kiss-in. What do you think
of this behavior? Is it a free-for-all or are
there any “rules?”
A: I think it is wrong for the pontiff to
condemn same-sex marriage. Is that the
behavior you are asking about? As for kissins, they are a well-honed political tactic in
the LGBT rights movement that, while intended to disrupt the status quo, are not aimed
at curbing free speech or breaking any laws.
Kiss-ins rank high, along with other forms of
civil disobedience and political protest, as a
means of affecting social change—or simply
to draw attention to an issue.
But good behavior at a kiss-in also
includes these basic rules:
• You’re there for a reason: The reason is
not to hook-up; you’re making a political
statement.
• Follow the leader: Break only one
rule at a time. Don’t go rogue on your
comrades, (i.e. no name-calling, clashing
with police).
• Be clean and kissable: Bring your
breath mints; you may be kissing a lot
of strangers. Don’t hog the best kissers.
If everyone else is moving on to a new
partner, it’s time to let go.
Steven Petrow is a regular contributor
to 365gay.com, GayWeddings.com and the
author of the forthcoming, “Steven Petrow’s
Complete Gay & Lesbian Manners” (www.
gaymanners.com). Send him your questions:
[email protected]
We’re making BIG changes at the LGBTQ
Center in Des Moines as the New Year begins
and hope you’ll be a part of it!!!
We’ve re-evaluated the needs and
services The CENTER provides, sending out a
call for a new Executive Director, since Sandy
Vopalka will be stepping down on February
1st, 2011 to facilitate the new “SAGE” group
for older LGBTQI adults. Last month we re-formed a brand-new Board of Directors ( bringing in more diverse
and “pioneering” Board members), working
with the David Bohnett Foundation for a new
computer and media center, redecorated
and refurbished six offices and community
spaces, doubled our grant applications, and
are now re-focusing on Youth and Senior
on-site programming.
We are also home to many LGBTQ
groups and two businesses: Equality Iowa,
Gay Weddings with Panache, the Iowa Corn
Haulers, Transformations, P-PLAG, P.I.T.C.H.,
Sunday Night Youth Group and The Dykes
of the Round Table. All of these groups
hold monthly meetings and parties at The
CENTER.
We are also now in the process of
forming an “Advisory Board” (re: Community Committee) and asking you to put in
your “two-cents” worth—or, even better, to
be a part of this new group. Help us be the
Celebrating the holidays at The CENTER.
best and most supportive we can be to our
community—locally and even state-wide, via
the “satellite centers” coming soon in Iowa
City, Mason City, and Dubuque.
In moving forward, we need to respect
the past, but look to the future, bringing
in new energies. And make the changes
necessary to be the best we can be in Iowa.
Here at the new LGBTQ CENTER, we
hope our mission, values, and impact resonate with you. We are at the beginning of a
fabulous new and long journey, and need
your support.
So, if you have any ideas, thoughts, questions, or input, and would like to be part of
one of the BEST LGBTQ centers in our great
nation, please visit our website at www.
equalityiowa.org or e-mail us at [email protected].
This is YOUR LGBTQ CENTER.
Be a part of it!
Positive Iowans
Taking Charge (PITCH)
Peer-to-Peer Support
Groups for Persons Living
with HIV/AIDS
We’re starting peer led support groups in
four areas of the state. I think the timing is right,
most of us haven’t had one for a few years. With
many more people being newly diagnosed and
the rest of us living longer and healthier than
before. We need to be there for one another, to
help reduce the isolation, loneliness and stigma
that can affect us all after a positive diagnosis.
Happy New Year to everyone infected and
affected by HIV/AIDS. May we all be blessed
with GREAT Health, love, happiness, positive
thinking, and desire to help someone else in
their journey, which often brings support in
our own. Thank you all and be safe.
— Tami Haught, PITCH President
Des Moines
Peer Support group will meet at The
CENTER, 1300 Locust St. the 2nd Tuesday
monthly from 6-8pm. Contact John at
515.284.3358 with questions.
Waterloo
First meeting will be January 19, 2011
from 5:30-7:30pm at the CASS office, 2101
Kimball Ave, Ste 401, Waterloo. PITCH will
host future meetings at the Friends and
Children’s Council (fccouncil.net) at 500 E
4th St, Ste 414, Waterloo, which will meet
the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays monthly. RSVP
to [email protected] (requested but not
required).
Cedar Rapids
1st support scheduled for January 25,
2011 (4th Tuesday monthly) at 7pm at
Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist, 600
3rd Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids (6th Street
entrance, free evening on-street parking,
adjacent parking lot available). Contact Jeff
at 319.540.5413 with questions.
Iowa City
First meeting will be January 11, 2011
from 5:30-8pm at the Johnson County
Public Health & Human Services Bldg, 856 S
Dubuque St, Iowa City (free parking). Please
RSVP to [email protected] (requested, but not required) or call 319.688.5890.
To locate each of our future meetings
and exact dates, times and locations (as
they are subject to change up to 48 hours
prior), please use the following sources:
• www.pitchiowa.org
• Become a Facebook friend: PiTCH
(Positive Iowans Taking Charge)
• Subscribe to Yahoo group: http//groups.
yahco.com/group/Pitchlowa
• Contact Tami (PITCH President) at
641.715.4182 or [email protected]
PITCH (Positive Iowans Taking Charge) is
a non-profit organization with a clear mission:
To create an atmosphere where HIV+ people
can unite and assist other HIV+ people for better
health and wellness. PITCH wants to be a source
of encouragement, provide educational opportunities, camaraderie, and a sense of community
to all Iowans living with HIV/AIDS.
JANUARY 2011
ACCESSline Page 31
How Ya’ Doin? by Jonathan Wilson
How ya’ doin? We hear that almost
every day. No one who asks it really wants
to know. The truth is that we all have our
issues, whether they’re physical ailments,
psychological challenges, relationship problems, financial reversals, job frustrations,
interactions with family and friends, or—and
most likely—a fluctuating combination of those
and other things that we
deal with day in and day
out. Still, when asked,
I answer and answer
honestly, despite the
particulars, and without
sharing the particulars. I
say I’m doing fine. And
it’s the truth—so far—
because I don’t answer
based on more or less difficult things I’m
having to deal with in one aspect of my life
or another. No. I answer using my personal
litmus test: Can I think of anyone who, sight
unseen, I’d be willing to trade places with. Is
there anyone whose place I’d be willing to
take, swapping my “stuff” for their undisclosed
Yes, there are people who are younger
than I am, who are more attractive than I
am, who are smarter than I am, who are
in better physical shape than I am, who
have more money than I do, and who are in
uniquely enviable positions of influence and
leadership. There are people who, today, are
healthier than I am and who have a longer life
expectancy. Believe me, I have and continue
to have my challenges. You name the category. In one of life’s dimensions or another, it’s
easy enough to find folks who, on the surface,
appear to have it better than I do. But, we have one thing in common:
we’re all going to die. My litmus test is
therefore designed to check in with myself
and evaluate whether I’d rather deal with
my fluctuating issues between now and then,
or someone else’s undisclosed problems
that are confronting them now or will be in
their future.
Now, if you decide to try using my litmus
test—no charge for its use, by the way—don’t
cheat. You can’t pick one favorable characteristic from one acquaintance, and another
one you’d like to have from a different person.
You’re not assembling the perfect person
with no problems now or forever. That
person doesn’t exist. For the test to be valid,
you have to be okay with accepting the whole
package from just one other human being—
with no prior disclosure, no questions asked,
and no returns.
Don’t get me wrong. There could come
a day when I’d make the trade. There could
come a day when my burdens are simply so
great and my life is such a struggle that I will
be able to look around
me and find more
and more people with
whom, sight unseen,
I’d be willing to trade
places. When that day
comes, and I’m asked,
“How ya’ doin?” I’ll be
answering, “Not well.”
Hopefully, I’ll still have
the circumspection—
and good grace—even
then, not to bore people with the particulars.
I don’t know exactly when that day will be
except that it will definitely be the day I
can no longer wipe myself. I’ve teased my
partner, saying that he should do that for
me now and then just to get in practice
for the day when I actually need the help.
Truth be known, I don’t want that help now
or ever from him or anyone else. Hmmmm.
I think I’m about to write an article on
euthanasia.
So, “How ya’ doin?”
Can I think of anyone who,
sight unseen, I’d be willing to
trade places with. Is there
anyone whose place I’d be
willing to take, swapping my
“stuff” for their undisclosed
Case in Point…
Speaking of people who would appear
to have it all, consider Elizabeth Edwards.
A very few years ago, she was an attractive
woman, was married to an attractive, wealthy
man (thanks partly to expensive haircuts,
I guess, for the attractive part), had a nice
looking family and was—depending on just
a few lucky breaks—someone very close to
becoming the First Lady of the United States
someday.
And what befell her: a couple of failed
political campaigns, a child lost in a car accident, cancer, an unfaithful spouse, becoming
stepmother to a bastard, and premature
death—all in high profile public view. Given
what life ended up handing her, it makes my
point about whether and with whom to trade
places. A considerable number of us who
are older than she have now lived longer.
Coupled with relatively good health, on any
given day, that’s winning.
And wouldn’t you know it: the Reverend
[sic] Fred Phelps decides to show up at her
funeral to protest and to declare that she’s
in Hell. As if what she lived through weren’t
enough hell. If I go relatively soon, she and
I could share the distinction of a Phelps
appearance perhaps. If it happens, be sure
to turn it into a fund raiser for the FFBC
scholarship fund. It’s certainly possible that
God could send me to hell, with Elizabeth and
a bunch of other really fun folks, but if Fred
isn’t there, it won’t be all bad. Now there’s a
real dilemma for God.
Can’t Say I Blame Her…
Tipper Gore came to our house once
when her husband was a candidate for President. She was there for a fund raiser and an
opportunity to meet and greet members of
the GLBT community in Central Iowa. It was
fascinating to deal with the Secret Service
people who wanted to identify where she
would be prior to her actual appearance, and
wanted it to be somewhere with access to a
windowless closet large enough to use as a
“safe” place. As it just so happened, I had
a closet I wasn’t using. It was suitable for
their purposes even though I hadn’t found
it all that safe.
Knowing that such a special guest would
be using the master bath (and closet, potentially), we cleaned in there to a fare-thee-well,
and we set up a vase with a rose bud, along
with a crystal goblet and her choice of bottled
water or a carafe of expensive white wine.
She showed up, was her usual charming,
disarming self, and went on her way without
any security challenges.
Jonathan Wilson is an attorney at the
Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines,
and chairs the First Friday Breakfast Club
(ffbciowa.org), an educational, non-profit
corporation for gay men in Iowa who
gather on the first Friday of every month
to provide mutual support, to be educated
on community affairs, and to further
educate community opinion leaders with
more positive images of gay men. It is the
largest breakfast club in the state of Iowa.
He can be contacted at JonathanWilson@
DavisBrownLaw.com or 515-288-2500.
While she was there, by the way, she
chose the wine over the bottled water, in
order to fortify her for meeting and greeting our local GLBT community. Can’t say I
blame her. I still have the crystal goblet she
used, with her lipstick print still showing. Its
appreciating value is the proverbial Plan B to
pay for my retirement someday.
ACCESSline Page 32
JANUARY 2011
Editing ACCESSline 1996-2008: A 13-Year Experience
by John T. Wilson and Paul L. Danielsen
We took over publishing ACCESSline
with the MARCH/APRIL 1996 issue. ACCESSline was no new effort for us. We’d been
involved with the paper since the summer
of 1988. In the early days, we all gathered
monthly to assemble the separate pages
of ACCESSline. Then, with the editorial leadership of Carolyn Mashek and Terri Sarver
(Terri has since passed away), ACCESSline
was printed in a tabloid format on regular
newsprint. For us, our editing and managing
ACCESSline began when Terri and Carolyn
moved out of state. The choice was to either
assume the publishing of ACCESSline or let
it vanish. We decided to do what we could
to keep the paper being published.
The idea of being “Editor” and “Business
Manager” fascinated us. It was a challenging extension of my writing and publishing
academic articles in Science Education Journals. Assuming the responsibility of ACCESSline was a decision that lasted for 13 years.
Paul was an excellent business manager
and we were able to keep the paper costs
out of the red without having fund-raising
garage sales.
Many people living in rural Iowa were
supportive of the paper as it provided information about “being gay” and “gay events.”
We became one of their only sources of
information about the gay community in
Iowa. People who were very closeted also
became avid readers of ACCESSline.
Editing ACCESSline
My term as editor was blessed with
a printer in Oelwein that printed the
paper in tabloid format. No more single
Xeroxed pages assembled by hand. This
switch to professional tabloid style newspaper was made by the previous editor, Carolyn
and Terri. The Oelwein crew was also tolerant
and helpful of us as somewhat inexperienced
publishers. For a few years, we had to paste
up each page on special cardboard which the
printer then photographed and made their
print plates. However, soon after, we then
learned to take computer digital images of
each page to the printer, which saved time
and added clarity, especially to photos.
Looking back at my first few issues, I
found that my very first page back in 1996
featured three parallel articles and opinions about same-sex (“gay”) marriage. The
major title of the three articles was “Gay
Marriage Unlikely in Iowa.” Here in 2011, gay
marriage is finally legal in Iowa and also in a
few other states, but for how long with the
newly elected politicians? As in the past, the
politics of “being gay” and “gay rights” still hit
a sour note with many conservative, pseudoreligious leaders, who blame their negative
attitude on various biblical passages. (Yet
they continue to ignore other passages about
certain men and their three or four wives!)
They also chose to ignore the legal rights and
protections afforded a married couple. Time
hasn’t changed their attitude or education
very much.
Becoming editor of ACCESSline, I also
developed a deeper interest in the various gay
social events and special drag shows, fundraisers, and, of course, attempts to educate
people about AIDS. One of the top fundraisers was and continues is the annual Imperial
Court of Iowa Coronation where they install
a new Empress and Emperor of Iowa each
year. They continue then to travel around
Iowa entertaining people at various bars and
pubs, sharing information about AIDS and
what it is to be gay. Another group working
on social attitudes toward gay people has
been the annual CAAP (Community Aids
Assistance Project) picnic and show. Funds
were raised to financially assist those with
AIDS, helping to cover expenses not covered
by other sources.
During the 13 years as editor, many drag
queens offered top entertainment in various
bars around Iowa. It became important to
cover these various social events, which were
important in the gay community, but often
overlooked. Many of their moneys raised
through their tips went to assist people with
AIDS. On the top of my list of Drag Queens
would be Ruby James Knight, Courtney
Michaels, Saundra Truit, Pretty Bell, Dena
Cass, Channel Cavallier, and many others.
Expanding ACCESSline
As part of rounding out the focus of
ACCESSline, and attempting to make it more
of a true newspaper, we added comics, political cartoons, tasty recipes, and of course, “Ask
Auntie Emm,” an advice column. The name,
Auntie Emm, was lifted from the Wizard of
Oz, remembering Judy Garland calling out in
the movie for “Auntie Emm ... Auntie Emm.” In ACCESSline, Auntie Emm offered advice
on many problems perplexing gay couples,
gay people with parent problems, advise to
roommates, and even some to teachers with
gay students in their classes.
Here’s one request from a frustrated
40-year-old:
One evening I wanted to meet
someone for a serious date. So, I went
to the local gay bar. I’m a good looking
40-year-old gay man, but no one at the
bar even said hello!
And one from a fed-up party goer:
If I get invited to one more party
pushing things to buy I think I’m going
to scream! I like partying with my
gay friends, but would like to gracefully
TT13 YEARS continued page 35
JANUARY 2011
FFBC
Ruhe spent some time praising and
thanking the people of Plymouth Church for
already completing the intensive theological
work of becoming an Open and Affirming
Congregation in 1993, the year before he was
called to minister here. The phrase “Open and
Affirming” designates congregations, campus
ministries, and other bodies in the United
Church of Christ which welcome persons of all
sexual orientations and gender identities into
their full life and ministry. He also cited the
Resolution which his congregation adopted
at the beginning of this year, in response to
the issue of Varnum vs Brien then before the
Iowa Supreme Court. Here is an extract from
that inspired and inspiring document:
WHEREAS the United Church of Christ
was the first American denomination to ordain
an African American minister (1785) and the
first female pastor (1853), and
WHEREAS in 1972 the United Church
of Christ became the first denomination in
America to ordain an openly gay man, and
WHEREAS in 1985 the General Synod of
the United Church of Christ passed a resolution
that called on congregations to declare themselves open to and affirming of gay, lesbian and
bisexual people in the full life and ministry of
the church, and
WHEREAS Plymouth Congregational
Church in Des Moines became an Open and
Affirming congregation in 1993, and has been
recognizing commitment ceremonies of same
sex couples since that time, and
WHEREAS, in 2005 the General Synod of
the United Church of Christ adopted the reso-
lution “Equal Marriage Rights for All” calling
upon all settings of the United Church of Christ
to engage in “serious, respectful, and prayerful discussion of the covenantal relationship
of marriage and equal marriage rights for
couples regardless of gender,” and
WHEREAS civil marriage carries with
it significant access to institutional support,
rights and benefits; and
WHEREAS equal marriage rights for
couples regardless of gender is an issue
deserving of serious, faithful discussion by
people of faith, taking into consideration the
long, complex history of marriage and family
life, layered as it is with cultural practices,
economic realities, political dynamics, religious history and biblical interpretation;
THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED, that
Plymouth Church affirms equal access to the
basic rights, institutional protections and
quality of life conferred by the recognition of
marriage; and
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that the
officers, ministers and members of Plymouth
Church are called upon to communicate this
resolution to appropriate local, state and
national legislators, urging them to support
equal marriage rights for couples regardless
of gender.
About Dr. David Ruhe
David Ruhe was born in Pittsburgh and
grew up in suburban Chicago. He graduated
from Grinnell College as a philosophy major,
then earned a master of divinity degree from
Yale and a doctor of ministry degree from
Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis.
He served two Congregational churches in
Connecticut—the first as director of Christian education and the second as associate
minister for Christian education—and then
moved to Omaha to work as associate minister at First Central Congregational Church,
where one year later he was named senior
minister. After serving in Omaha for 16 years,
David became senior minister at Plymouth
in 1994. He is married to Priscilla, a family
practice physician, and they have two sons,
Jonathan and Paul. He may be reached at
515.255.3149 x 17 or by email at druhe@
plymouthchurch.com.
SANCTITY
ing over them and founding new churches
around them.
Baptism is an outstanding example.
What are the questions about baptism? Who?
What? Where? When? Why? We disagree
about all of them. Who is eligible? Standards
vary. What does one do in baptism? Some of
us sprinkle and some of us dunk (“aspersion”
and “immersion” are the polite theological
terms.) Where should one be baptized? Some
groups favor “living” water—a river or lake.
Some churches have heated baptisteries,
some have portable fonts, sometimes in the
front of the sanctuary and sometimes at the
entrance. When should one be baptized? As
an infant? Upon adult profession of faith?
That’s a big point of contention. And why
do we baptize? What is happening? Is a
person’s standing with God changed in some
way through baptism? Is one who has been
baptized somehow acceptable to God in a way
that one who has not been baptized is not?
You don’t have to be an expert in church
doctrine to realize that there are differences in belief and practice. Some churches
acknowledge the validity of a variety of
practices and forms; others think they’re the
only ones who do it right.
But here’s the key point: we don’t expect
the state to legislate or adjudicate when it
comes to baptism. We don’t tie legal rights
to religious rites. We don’t discriminate
against those who have or have not been
baptized this way, that way, any way or no
way. We leave it to the churches to work this
out. And the churches, whether they like it or
not, understand that there will be a variety
of practices, and if they want to preserve the
sanctity of baptism—to protect their peculiar
set of beliefs and practices around the sacrament—they do that in church. Church is the
setting of sanctity. People have very strong
ACCESSline Page 33
“…if anyone reading this
believes that gay men can actually
become ex-gay men, I have just one
question for you: Would you want
your daughter to marry one?”
Op/Ed, “Don't Let Your Babies
Grow Up to Be Ex-Gay Cowboys”
published February 10, 2006
feelings about these things and they are free
to affiliate with those who do it “right”; but
they can’t compromise or impinge on another
community’s right to do it differently.
But in the case of marriage, you have
church-going people calling on the state
to resolve what is essentially a theological
dispute. They are trying to enforce a particular view they have of the sanctity of marriage
as a religious sacrament, as though their religious practice were somehow endangered by
extending the legal protections of marriage to
same-gender couples. That’s insanity.
Some months ago a number of us Iowa
clergy signed a public petition in favor of
marriage equality. We were then summarily
attacked in the media (and through e-mail)
and accused of being “un-Christian.” Now
that was unpleasant; but at least it was the
right argument: an argument regarding the
sanctity of marriage as viewed from within
the Christian Church. If somehow we could
manage to let the Christians fight among
themselves, we would diminish the likelihood of innocent people getting caught in
the middle.
People of faith are commonly afflicted
with what I call “inappropriate certitude.” We
are “sure” about things that are essentially
matters of faith but feel the need to regard
them as matters of fact. I may be “sure” that
my wife loves me; but it is a fact that this will
fall when I drop it.
Our ardent insistence on the universal
truth of our particular religious assertions,
reminds me of the custodian who found a
sermon manuscript that had been left on the
pulpit. As he went to pick it up he noticed
a note hand-written in the margin: “Weak
point: pound pulpit and scream like hell!”
We think our theology can be validated by
turning it into legislation. Bad idea.
But equal justice before the law is a
good idea… for all people. Let’s keep church
doctrine out of it.
ACCESSline Page 34
JANUARY 2011
JANUARY 2011
13 YEARS
avoid having to buy expensive stuff I don’t
need or can afford.
And then, there’s the frustrated
lesbian:
Every time I spent the night with my
new lesbian friend, all she talks about are
her other encounters. How do I tell her
that I really don’t want to know all that?
Another addition to ACCESSline came
in the form of a recipe column, Chef DiJon. It tapped the various talents of the many
great cooks in the gay community. The
requirement was their recipes were simple
to fix, often by modifying a mix, and that the
recipe had strong nutritional value. One
frequent writer for this column was the
past editor, Carolyn, an excellent cook in her
own right! Included were recipes such as
Chocolate Croissants, Snowy Night Cherry
Cobbler, Baked Potatoes Parmesan, and
Steak Diane.
Politics was as important topic then as it
is today. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” began under
the Clinton Administration, as did many other
political, gay related issues. My editorial
board approved using political cartoons by
Paul Berge, available from the gay newspaper
syndicate, “Q Syndicate”. ACCESSline continues to use these cartoons. Below are two
from the January/February issue, 2004. Q
Syndicate also provided several comic strips,
including “A couple of Guys”, “Bitter Girl,” and
“Dykes to Watch Out For” by Alison Bechdel. We also were among the first to publish
“Kyle’s Bed and Breakfast,” by Greg Fox.
We also started the printing Rex
Wockner’s National and International News
columns in ACCESSline, which are still
included today. And, thanks to the folks at
the Black Hawk County Health Department,
we were able to publish a column, “Health
and HIV/AIDS Briefs.”
Retirement from ACCESSline
After 13 years with John as Editor and
Paul as Business Manager, it came time to step
down and find a new editor. The search was
very fortunate. We found an editor who was
experienced in printing, publishing, graphic
design, and web sites, Mr. Arthur Breur. He
not only had the computer skills to produce
the paper, he also already had the needed
computers and computer programs. He
immediately increased the publication rate
to a monthly newspaper and has done an
excellent joy rounding up inspired writers
for ACCESSline!
While we miss the excitement writing
ACCESSline Page 35
and publishing ACCESSline after 13 years, it
is very encouraging to see that the newspaper
is still doing very well under its very capable
new editor.
Thoughts about the future
Reflecting on the years as Editor, several
questions remain for thought and possible
writing in the future:
Why do so many young people in the
gay community not seem to read much
(like ACCESSline) unless it is a “text” on
their cell phone?
What really will be the long
term success rate for “gay marriage” when
the success rate for “straight marriage” is
slipping so rapidly?
With the recent discarding of the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” regulations, will
society in general also become more
accepting of gay people … many of whom
may be neighbors and members of their
churches?
“ ‘Gay activist’ is a term
evangelicals apply to any
homosexual who isn't a gay
doormat.”
Op/Ed, “Don't Let Your
Babies Grow Up to Be Ex-Gay
Cowboys” published February 10, 2006
ACCESSline Page 36
DIRECTORY NOTICE
The ACCESSline community directory is updated each issue. LISTINGS
ARE FREE but are limited by space.
Free online listings are available at
www.ACCESSlineIOWA.com.
Information about new listings must contain a phone number for publication and a
contact (e-mail address, land address, or
website) for our records. For more information or to provide corrections, please
contact [email protected] or
call (319) 550-0957.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350,
Washington, DC 20005
www.victoryfund.org.
202-VICTORY [842-8679]
Human Rights Campaign
National political organization,
lobbies congress for lesbian & gay issues,
political training state and local
www.hrc.org
1-800-777-HRCF[4723]
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund
I I E. Adams, Suite 1008, Chicago, IL 60603
www.lambdalegal.org
312-663-4413 Fax: 312-663-4307
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)
1325 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Ste 600, Washington, DC, 20005
www.ngltf.org / taskforce.org
National Organization for Women (NOW)
733 15th ST NW, 2nd Floor
www.now.org 202-628-8669
PFLAG National Offices
1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350,
[email protected] - www.pflag.org
202-467-8180
The Trevor Lifeline
The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide
prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and questioning youth. Each
year, our lifeline fields more than 30,000 calls
from LGBTQ youth as well as their families,
friends and educators.
(866) 4-U-TREVOR - (866) 488-7386
Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
All calls are toll-free and confidential
STATE ORGANIZATIONS
Equality Iowa
P.O. Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125
www.equalityiowa.org
515-537-3126
Faithful Voices
Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality
project. www.faithfulvoices.org
Imperial Court of Iowa
Non-profit fundraising & social,
statewide organization with members from
across the State of Iowa.
PO Box 1491, Des Moines, IA 50306-1491
www.imperialcourtofiowa.org
Iowa Chapter of the National
Organization for Women (NOW)
Janis Bowden, President, IA NOW
[email protected]
PO Box 41114, Des Moines, IA 503111
Iowa Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA)
921 Diagonal Rd, Malcom, IA 50157
[email protected] 641-990-1411
Iowa PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of
Lesbians and Gay) State Council
PO Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125
http://community.pflag.org/Page.
aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2
515-537-3126 or 641-583-2024
Iowa Pride Network
777 Third Street, Suite 312,
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
Pridenetwork.org
Executive Director: 515-471-8062
Outreach Coordinator: 515-471-8063
LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force
PO Box 1997, Des Moines, 50306
515-243-1221
One Iowa
500 East Locust St, Ste 300
Des Moines, IA 50309
515-288-4019 Fax: 515-244-5846
www.OneIowa.org
Stonewall Democrats of Iowa
5 Creekside Ct Mason City, IA 50401
Contact: Harvey Ross
[email protected]
319-362-3099
Ames
First United Methodist Church
516 Kellogg Ave, Ames, IA 50010
Contemporary worship Sat. 5:30;
Sun at 8:30 and 11:00am.
www.acswebnetworks.com/firstunitedmcames/
515-232-2750
Living with HIV Program
126 S. Kellogg, Suite 1
Ask for Janelle (Coordinator)
515-956-3312 ext 106 or
I -800-890-8230
ISU LGBTA Alliance
GLBT Support, Activism,
Social Events, Newsletter
L East Student Office Space
2229 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014-7163
[email protected]
http://www.alliance.stuorg.iastate.edu
515-344-4478
Lord of Life Lutheran
2126 Gable Lane, Ames 50014
Services Sundays at 9:00a.m.; Wed. 7:00pm.
515-233-2350
PFLAG Ames
Youth and Shelter Services Offices
2328 Bristol Drive, Ames, IA 5001
2nd Tuesday, 7pm
www.pflagames.org
515-291-3607
Romantics Pleasure Palace
117 Kellogg Street, Ames, IA 50010-3315
http://www.romantixonline.com
515-232-7717
United Church of Christ-Congregational
6th & Kellogg, Ames, 50010
Sunday Continental Breakfast, 9:00am;
Sunday School, 9:30am; Worship 10:45am.
[email protected].
515-232-9323
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
1015 Hyland Ave.
Services: 9am and 11am, Sunday
www.uufames.org
Unity Church of Ames
226 9th St.
Sunday service and Sunday school 10:30am.
Wednesday mediation 6:30pm, .
www.websyt/unity/ames Daily dial-a-blessing
515-233-1613
Arnolds Park, Okoboji,
Spencer, Spirit Lake
The Royal Wedding Chapel
504 Church Street, Royal, IA 51357
712-933-2223
www.TheRoyalWeddingChapel.com
Wilson Resource Center
An Iowa Great Lakes area gay-owned
nonprofit community based organization.
PO Box 486, 597 W. Okoboji Rd.,
Arnolds Park IA 51331-0486
[email protected].
www.wilsonresource.org
712-332-5043
BURLINGTON
Arrowhead Motel
2520 Mount Pleasant St
Burlington, IA 52601-2118
319-752-6353 www.arrowheadia.com
HIV/AIDS Screening @ Des Moines County
Health Department in Burlington
522 N 3rd
By appointment between 8:00am to 4:30
319-753-8217 Confidential
RISQUES IV (adult store)
421 Dry Creek Ave, West Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-5455
Sun - Wed 8am-Midnight
Thurs - Sat Open 24 Hours
www.LoversPlayground.com
Steve’s Place
852 Washington St, Burlington
319-754-5868
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Services start at 10:30 am
625 N 6th St, Burlington, IA 52601-5032
(319) 753-1895 - www.uuburlington.org
Cedar Falls - Waterloo
Adult Cinema
315 E 4th St
Waterloo, IA 50703-4703
(319) 234-7459
Black Hawk Co. Health Department
Free HIV testing (donations accepted);
MW, 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Thurs,
1:00pm to 4:45pm
1407 Independence Ave. (5th fl)
Waterloo 50703
319-291 -2413
Cedar AIDS Support System (CASS)
Service, support groups & trained volunteers
for persons with HIV/AIDS in Waterloo/CF
call Elizabeth or Karla,
319-272-AIDS(2437). [email protected]
Cedar Valley Counseling Services
Promoting personal growth and development
in a strengths-based environment
Joan E. Farstad, MA, Director.
319-240-4615
www.cvcounseling.com
[email protected].
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry. In
Lutheran Center
2616 College St, Cedar Falls, IA
319-415-5747
[email protected]
www.episcopalcampus.org
Community AIDS Assistance Project (CAAP)
Funding for special personal needs, community projects, and small grants that are
AIDS related.
PO Box 36, Waterloo, IA 50704
LGBTA Support Group at
Hawkeye Community College
Call Carol at 319-296-4014 for time & location
of meeting
[email protected]
Iowa Legal Aid
Free civil legal service available to low income
persons who qualify under income/asset
guidelines.
607 Sycamore, #206, Waterloo, IA 50703
1-800-772-0039 or 319-235-7008
Kings & Queens Tap
304 W. 4th St, Waterloo, IA
www.//myspace.com/kingsandqueensspace
319-232-3001
Romantix Waterloo (Adult Emporium)
1507 La Porte Rd, Waterloo, IA 50702
319-234-9340
http://www.romantixonline.com/
Stellas Guesthouse
324 Summit Ave, Waterloo, IA
Private B&B, Overnight accommodations for
adults only.
319-232-2122
St. Lukes Episcopal Church
2410 Melrose Dr, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
www.st-lukes-episcopal.org
Services: Sunday 8:00 & 10:15, Thurs 11:30
319-277-8520
St. Timothys United Methodist Church 3220 Terrace Drive, Cedar Falls, 50613
sttims-umc.org, 319-266-0464, info@sttimsumc-org, Contact Rev. Linda Butler “...
welcome of all persons, including those of all
sexual orientations and gender identities.”
Together For Youth
233 Vold Dr, Waterloo, IA 50703
www.TogetherForYouth.net
319-274-6768
UNI-LGBTA
Alliance-Student Organization
244A Bartlet Hall, University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls 50613
[email protected]
319-222-0003
United Church of Christ Cedar Falls
9204 University Avenue, Cedar Falls
319-366-9686
Unitarian Universalist Society of
Black Hawk County
3912 Cedar Heights Dr, Cedar Falls, IA
319-266-5640
Cedar Rapids/marion
Adult Shop
630 66th Ave SW, 319-362-4939
Adult Shop North
5539 Crane Lane, 319-294-5360
Cedar Rapids Unity
(Formerly GLRC of Cedar Rapids)
Support, social activities.
[email protected], cedarrapidsunity.org or write
to PO Box 1643 Cedar Rapids 52406-1643
Call and leave a message—all calls will be
returned. 319-366-2055
Christ Episcopal Church
“We have a place for you.”
220 40th Street NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
319-363-2029 www.ChristEpiscopal.org
Club Basix
Open 5pm to 2am M-F, Sat & Sun 3pm-2am
3916 1st Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
319-363-3194
Coe Alliance
Education, activism & fun for GLBTQ and
straight students, staff and people from the
community.
Coe College
1220 First Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
For information contact: [email protected]
or Erica Geers, faculty advisor at
319-861-6025
Community Health Free Clinic
947 14th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
319-363-0416 www.communityhfc.org
Free Medical Services provided for the
uninsured and underserved patients of Cedar
Rapids, Marion and the surrounding areas in
Eastern Iowa.
CSPS Legion Arts Contemporary Arts Center
1103 3rd St. SE
[email protected]
319-364-1580
Faith UMC
1000 30th Street NE, Cedar Rapids, 52402
Pastor Kathy Moore
Sunday services at 11:00am.
www.crfaithumc.org
319-363-8454
Foundation 2 Crisis Counseling
24-hour telephone crisis counseling.
[email protected] or
www.f2online.org
1540 2nd Ave. SE Cedar Rapids, IA
319-362-2174 or 800-332-4224
Linn County Public Health
501 13th NW
Free confidential HIV testing,
319-892-6000
Linn County Stonewall Democrats
2nd Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m.
The LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party,
meets at Hamburger Mary’s,
222 Glenbrook Dr. SE, behind 2nd Wind off
of 1st Ave SE in Cedar Rapids. For more info,
contact linnstonewall@ gmail.com
Rapid AIDS
Grant Wood Area Red Cross
3600 Rockwell Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, 52410
319-393-9579.
People’s Church Unitarian Universalist
A welcoming congregation.
600 Third Avenue SE
11am Sunday. 319-362-9827
PFLAG CR, Linn Co and Beyond
Meets at People’s Church (in Cherry Room)
600 3rd ST, Cedar Rapids Iowa 52401
Contact Person: Diane Peterson
Phone: 319-362-9827
6:30pm on the 4th Thursdays except
months like November. (Email
[email protected] for alternate dates.)
Stonewall Democrats of Linn County
Contact Roy Porterfield
[email protected]
319-362-5281
Tri-ess, Iota Kappa Phi Chapter
P.O. Box 8605, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52408
We are a transgendered organization supporting crossdressers, their families, and friends.
www.yahoo.com/group/Tri-essIotaKappaPhi
www.tri-ess.org, 319-390-6376
E-mail: Georgia [email protected]
E-mail: Judy [email protected]
Unity Center of Cedar Rapids
“A center of positive, practical Christianity.”
3791 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
www.unitycr.org - (319) 393-5422
CLINTON
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clinton
309 30th Avenue North, Clinton, IA 52732
(563) 242-4972 - uuclinton.org
Sunday services at 10:30 (year-round)
Where YOUR spiritual and ethical journey is
welcome! Rev. Ruby Nancy, minister
Council Bluffs, Omaha (Ne)
AIDS Interfaith Network
100 N. 62nd, Omaha, NE
Call Br. Wm. Woeger
402-558-3100
Broadway Joe’s
3400 W Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA 51501
712-256-2243
Citizens For Equal Protection
1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102
www.cfep-ne.org - [email protected]
402-398-3027
Council Bluffs NOW
Write PO Box 3325, Omaha, NE 68103-0325
DC’s Saloon
610 S. 14th St., Omaha, NE
Open everyday 2pm-1am,
western/levi/leather.
402-344-3103
Diamond Bar
712 S. 16th St., Omaha, NE
10am - 1am, M-Sa, closed Sun
402-342-9595
Front Runners/Front Walkers
Walking/jogging club.
P.O. Box 4583, Omaha, NE 68104
402-496-3658.
Gilligan’s Pub and Grill
1407 Harney, Omaha, NE
Everyday 4pm-1am
Friday and Sat. After hours 12-4am
402-449-9147
GLBT Rainbow Outreach Omaha
Serving GLBT community in eastern
Nebraska and western Iowa. Excellent message and info. Also office for Imperial court
of Nebraska.
1719 Leavenworth St, Omaha, NE
www.rocc.org - 402-341-0330
Heartland Gay Rodeo Association (HGRA)
(Midwest Division of the International Gay
Rodeo Association)
PO Box 3354, Omaha, NE 68103
www.hgra.net - 402-203-4680
HGRA serves both Iowa and Nebraska
Imperial Court of Nebraska
P.O. Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103
402-556-9907
JANUARY 2011
L.E.O. (Leather Engineers of Omaha)
Educational-social group for Gay Men with
interest in Leather Lifestyle. Meets 2nd Saturday at Gilligan’s Pub at 7:00pm.
L.E.O. PO Box 8101 Omaha, NE 68108.
The Max
1417 Jackson at 15th, Omaha, NE 68102
6 bars in 1 - 402-346-4110
MCC Omaha
819 South 22nd, Omaha, NE 68103
Sun 9 & 11 am
Wednesday “ReCharge” Worship, Wed 7pm
402-345-2563
PFLAG Omaha
Mead Hall, First United Methodist Church
7020 Cass St. (Omaha)
2nd Thursday, 7, 6:30 Social time
402-291-6781
River City Mixed Chorus
Gay/lesbian chorus
PO Box 3267
Omaha, NE 68103
Call Stan Brown, marketing
402-341-7464.
Romantix Council Bluffs (North)
(Adult Emporium)
3216 1st Ave, Council Bluffs, IA 51501-3353
515-955-9756
Tri-ess Chapter, Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter
Omaha, NE 68107
We are a transgendered organization supporting crossdressers, their families, and friends.
www.tri-ess.org, 402-960-9696
E-mail: Judy [email protected]
Romantix Council Bluffs (South)
(Romantix After Dark)
50662 189th St, Council Bluffs, IA 51503
712-366-1764
Youth Support Group for GLBT
Youth 13-21, meets twice monthly.
Omaha, NE - 402-291- 6781
Decorah
Decorah Human Rights Commission
Contact: City Clerk
400 Clairborne Dr, Decorah
563-382-3651
Meetings: First Tuesdays, 5:30pm
Luther College Student Congregation
Contact Office for College Ministry
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101
563-387-1040.
PFLAG Northeast IA (Waukon/Decorah)
First Lutheran Church
604 W Broadway St, Decorah, IA
Meetings: 4th Mondays, 7pm-9pm
in the Fellowship Hall
Call Jean @ 563-535-7680
PRIDE Luther College Diversity Center,
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101
Contact Chris at 563-387-2145 or Melanie at
563-387-1273
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Meets alternating Sundays at 10:30am,
Decorah Senior Center
806 River St
Call Bill at 563-382-3458.
Des Moines
AIDS Project of Central Iowa
Free HIV testing, prevention supplies,
care services, food pantry, information.
711 E. 2nd, Des Moines, IA 50309
515-284-0245
Blazing Saddle
416 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA - 515-246-1299
www.theblazingsaddle.com
Buddies Corral
418 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA - 515-244-7140
The CENTER
1300 Locust
The new LGBT and progressive place to be.
[email protected]
Facebook: The CENTER & Equality Iowa
www.equalityiowa.org 515-243-0313
Church of the Holy Spirit-MCC
Pastor Pat Esperanza
Sunday service 10:30am at the
1st Christian Church
2500 University, Des Moines
Des Moines Diversity Chorus [A gay-friendly
mixed chorus] Rehearsals on Mondays at 7
p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church,
Beaver Ave. at Franklin St., Des Moines.
All are welcome, no auditions.
PO Box 65312, West Des moines, IA 50265
Julie Murphy, Artistic Director
[email protected], 515-255-3576,
desmoinesdiversitychorus.org
Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus
515-953-1540
[email protected], www.dmgmc.org.
Family Practice Center
Safe, supportive LGBT health care.
200 Army Post Road, Ste 26
www.ppgi.org
515-953-7560
JANUARY 2011
First Friday Breakfast Club
Educational breakfast club for gay/bisexual
men. Meets first Friday of each month.
Contact Jonathan Wilson for meeting topic
and place. 515-288-2500
[email protected]
First Unitarian Church
1800 Bell Avenue
Services Sundays at 9:30 & 11am
515-244-8603
The Gallery (adult store)
1000 Cherry St
Des Moines, IA 50309-4227
(515) 244-2916 Open 24 Hours
www.LoversPlayground.com
The Garden
112 SE 4th Des Moines, IA
515-243-3965
Wed-Sun. 8pm-2am www.grdn.com
Gay & Lesbian AA & AI-Anonymous
Mon. 7 pm; Tues. - Thurs. 6 pm; Sat. 5:30
pm at Drake Ministries in Ed. Bldg. 28th &
University
Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee
4211 Grand Avenue, Level-3
Des Moines, IA 50312
515-277-1117
Iowa Affirmation
Lesbian/Gay United Methodist
Thoreau Center, 35th & Kingman Blvd.
Write Affirmation
Java Joe’s
Gay friendly
214 4th St.
515-288-5282
Lavender Victory Fund
Financial assistance for women in need for
medical emergencies.
[email protected]
Le Boi Bar
508 Indianola Rd, Des Moines, IA
Liberty Gifts
333 E. Grand Ave., Loft 105, Des Moines, IA
Gay owned specialty clothing, jewelry, home
decor. 515-508-0825
Libertygiftsonline.com
MINX Show Palace
1510 NE Broadway, Des Moines, IA 50313
Open 9am - 2am, M-Th; 9am - 4am,
F-Sat. 10am -9pm Sun.
515-266-2744
National Association of Social Workers (NOW)
(Nat’1 Organization of Women in Des Moines)
www.meetup.com/locale/us/ia/desmoines
North Star Gay Rodeo Association of IGRA,
Iowa Division of North Star
[email protected] or 612-82-RODEO
Rainbow Union, Drake University
Contact Sara Graham
[email protected]
Ray Perry Law Firm
515-279-2244
Free Initial Consultation
PFLAG Des Moines
515-537-3126 or write
3520 Grand Ave #51, Des Moines, IA 50312
Plymouth Congregational UCC
Church and the Plymouth GLBT Community
4126 Ingersoll Ave. 515-255-3149
Services at 5:30pm Sat, 9am & I lam Sunday.
www.PlymouthGLBT.com
Polk County Health Department
Free STD, HIV, and Hepatitis B & C testing.
HIV. Rapid testing also offered.
1907 Carpenter, Des Moines, IA
515-286-3798.
TransformationsIOWA
Monthly meetings for the female to male,
male to female, transgender community,
cross dressers, gender queer, questioning,
and their significant others. For location
and info, email Jayden at
[email protected]
or call 515-779-5187
Trinity United Methodist Church
1548 Eighth Street - 515-288-4056
Services Sundays at 10am
Urbandale UCC
An open & affirming congregation.
3530 70th St., Urbandale, IA 50322
515-276-0625
Walnut Hills UMC
Join us at 8:30 or 10:30am for Sunday
worship. Sunday classes and group studies
are at 9:30am. 515-270-9226
12321 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA 50323
Westminster Presbyterian Church
4114 Allison Ave - www.WestPres.org
Sunday services 8:45 and 11am. Of note is
their Gay Lesbian Straight Affirmation small
group ministry. 515-274-1534
Word of God Ministries
Join us at 3:30 for Sunday Worship at
3120 E 24th St, Des Moines, IA
515-276-6614
Women’s Culture Collective (WCC)
A lesbian social group.
Des Moines, IA - www.iowawcc.org
Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure
Open daily. Gay-friendly
2723 Ingersoll, Des Moines, IA
515-244-7694
Dubuque
Adult Warehouse
975 Jackson St., Dubuque, IA
563-588-9184.
Dubuque Friends Worship Group (Quakers)
Tired of being rejected by your church?
Tired of following church pronouncements
that smack of homophobia? Join us at an
unprogrammed meeting on Sunday at 10am.
Open and Affirming
St. Mark’s Community Center
1201 Locust Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001
563-556-3685 for info and directions
Dubuque Pride
Monthly social group, meeting for meal and
conversation.
www.dubuquepride.org
Dubuque Regional AIDS Coalition
Direct services, education. HIV+/AIDS support
group and family/friends support group. Contact Kay Auderer or Connie Sprimont, Mercy
Health Center. 563-589-9606.
PFLAG Dubuque
St. John’s Lutheran Church
1276 White St.
3rd Thursday, 7pm 563-582-9388
Q Bar East
90 Sinsinawa Ave, The Strip,
East Dubuque, IL 61025
[email protected]
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dubuque
1699 Iowa St., Dubuque, IA
“The uncommon denomination.” Adult religious education meets Sunday at 9am before
general services at 10am.
www.uuf-dbq.org. 563-583-9910
Fort Dodge
Raccoon River Resort
Accommodations for men, women, or
mixed in campgrounds, lodge, Teepees or
Treehouses. Reservations: 515-996-2829 or
515-279-7312
Romantix Fort Dodge (Mini Cinema)
15 N. 5th St, Fort Dodge, IA 50501-3801
Ritual Café
On 13th between Grand and Locust.
Gay owned great music, awesome food
and coffee. 515-288-4872
[email protected] - ritualcafe.com
Saints Ephrem & Macrina
Orthodox Mission. Welcoming worship in
the Eastern Christian liturgical tradition.
Sunday services at 10am. (Affiliated with the
Orthodox-Catholic Church of America.)
Divine Liturgy is served Sundays during the
College academic year 1:30 p.m., Herrick
Chapel, Grinnell College Campus
1226 Broad Street, Grinnell, IA
641-236-0936
Romantix North Des Moines Iowa
(Bachelor’s Library)
2020 E Euclid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317
www.romantixonline.com 515-266-7992
Romantix
1401 E Army Post Rd, Des Moines IA 50320
www.romantixonline.com - 515-256-1102
SOFFA Iowa (Significant Others Family
Friends and Allies of people who fall under the
Gender Variant umbrella)
Monthly meetings held at
The CENTER, 1300 Locust
contact Jaye at: (515)779-5185
[email protected]
Spouses of Lesbians & Gays
Contact Ruth Schanke, 515-277-3700
St. John’s Lutheran Church
600 6th Ave
“A Church for All People.”
Services Sat 5pm, Sun 7:45, 8:45 & 11am.
See web page for other services.
515-243-7691 - www.StJohnsDSM.org
Grinnell
Stonewall Resource Center
Open 4:30pm to 11:30pm,
Sun through Thurs and by Appointment.
Grinnell College
1210 Park Street
PO Box B-1, Grinnell, IA, 50112
INDIANOLA
Crossroads United Church of Christ (UCC)
An Open & affirming congregation. Services:
Sunday 10:30am, Summer worship: June,
July, Aug, @ 9:30 am, worshiping in the
Lounge at Smith Chapel, Simpson College,
corner of Buxton and Clinton. Mailing address:
P.O. Box 811, Indianola, IA 50125
515-961-9370.
Iowa City
AA (GLBT) 319-338-9111
Meetings Sundays 5 - 6pm at First Baptist
Church, 500 North Clinton Street. For more
info, call IC Intergroup Answering Service,
Congregational Church UCC
An Open and Affirming Congregation
Sunday Worship 9:15am (July & August)
30 N. Clinton St. (across from Ul Pentacrest)
319-337-4301 - www.uiccic.org
Counseling Clinic 319-354-6238
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sensitive and supportive counseling for individuals,
couples, families and groups. Sliding Fee.
505 E Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240
Counseling and Health Center 319-337-6998
Client-centered therapy.
Les-Bi-Gay-Trans always welcome.
616 Bloomington St, Iowa City, IA
Crisis Center 319-351-0140
1121 Gilbert Court, Iowa City, 52240
Emma Goldman Clinic
227 N. Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52245
319-337-2111or 1-800-848-7684.
Faith United Church of Christ
1609 De Forest Street, Iowa City, IA
Services Sundays at 9:30am 319-338-5238
GLBTAU-U of lA
Student support system and resource center,
info, activism, events, and other community
involvements.
203 IMU, University of IA
Iowa City, IA 52242-1317
[email protected] 319-335-3251 (voice mail)
Hope United Methodist Church
Worship Service at 9:30am.
2929 E. Court St., Iowa City, IA
Contact Rev. Sherry Lohman. 319-338-9865
Human Rights Commission
(City of Iowa City Human Rights Commission)
319-356-5022; 391-356-5015; 319-356-5014
Fax 319-887-6213
[email protected]
ICARE
(Iowa Center for AIDS Resources &
Education) Practical & emotional support,
youth programs, information, referrals and
support groups.
3211 E 1st Iowa City, IA 52240-4703
319-338-2135
Iowa City Free Medical Clinic
Free & strictly confidential HIV Testing.
2440 Towncrest Dr Iowa City,
Call for appointment 319-337-4459
Iowa City NOW
PO Box 2944, Iowa City, IA 52244
for information & meeting times/places
Iowa Women’s Music Festival
P.O. Box 3411, Iowa City, IA 52244
319-335-1486
Men Supporting Men 319-356-6038, Ext 2
HIV prevention program exploring issues that
gay/bisexual men deal with on a daily basis.
Discussion Groups, Educational Series, Safer
Sex Workshops, Book Club. Contact Andy
Weigel, email: [email protected]
New Song Episcopal Church
912 20th Ave, Coralville, IA
Sunday services at 10am.
Rev. Elizabeth Coulter, Pastor
Rev. John Harper, Associate.
319-351-3577
Pride Committee
WRAC
130 N. Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242
Bridget Malone - 319-338-0512
Charles Howes - 319-335-1486.
Romantix Iowa City
(Pleasure Palace I)
315 Kirkwood Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240-4722
www.romantixonline.com 319-351-9444
Studio 13
13 S. Linn St. (in the Alley)
Iowa City, IA
Open 7pm ‘til 2am, daily 319-338-7145
Thich Nhat Hanh based
“Mindfulness” meditation and study group
Iowa City Public Library, Sundays 1 to 2:30pm
Usually Room E
319-354-4065
U of I Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
Staff & Faculty Association
c/o WRAC, 130 N Madison, Iowa City, IA
52242, 19-335-1486
Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City
Inclusive and free religious community
nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth and
fostering ethical and social responsibility.
10 S. Gilbert, Iowa City, IA
Sunday services: 9:30am & 11:15am.
www.uusic.org 319-337-3443
United Action for Youth (UAY)
A GLBTQA youth group providing support and
counseling for teenagers and young adults
processing sexual identity issues. Meets
Mondays 7-9pm at UAY
410 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, IA
319-338-7518 or Teen Line, 319-338-0559.
The Ursine Group
Bear Events in the Midwest.
PO Box 1143, Iowa City, IA 52244-1143
319-338-5810
Vortex Gifts
211 E. Washington, downtown Iowa City
319-337-3434
Women’s Resource Action Center (WRAC)
Leads & collaborates on projects that serve U
of l and the greater community, offers social
& support services, including LGBT Coming
Out Group.
University of Iowa
130 N. Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242
319-335-1486
Marshalltown
Adult Odyssey (Adult Video Store)
907 Iowa Ave E - 641-752-6550
Domestic Violence Alternatives/
Sexual Assault Center, Inc.
24 hour Crisis Line: 641-753-3513 or (instate
only) 800-779-3512
MASON CITY
Cerro Gordo County Dept. of Public Health
22 N. Georgia Ave, Ste 300
Mason City, IA 50401.
Free confidential AIDS testing. 641-421-9306
PFLAG North Iowa Chapter 641-583-2848
1st Presbyterian Church
100 S. Pierce.
1st/ 2nd Monday (alternating), 7pm
Mount Vernon
Alliance Cornell College
810 Commons Cir # 2035
[email protected]
www.cornellcollege.edu/alliance
Contact person: Glynnis 319-895-5874
NEWTON
PFLAG Newton 641-521-7436
UCC Church, 308 E 2nd St N
3rd Thursday, 7pm
Pella
Common Ground (Central College)
Support group for GLBT students and allies.
Contact: Brandyn Woodard,
Director of Intercultural Life
Quad Cities
AIDS Project Quad Cities
Info, education & support. Ste 360
1351 Central Park West
Davenport, IA 52804 563-421-4266
Augie’s Tap
313 20th St, Rock Island (IL)
Noon - 3am daily. 309-788-7389
Black Hawk College Unity Alliance
Serving GLBT community at
Black Hawk College.
6600 34th Ave, Rock Island, IL
309-716-0542.
Connections Nightclub 563-322-1121
822 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA 52802
DeLaCerda House 309-786-7386
Provides housing & supportive services, advocacy and referrals for people living with HIV/
AIDS. P.O. Box 4551, Rock Island, Il. 61201
Good Samaritan Free Clinic
602 35th Avenue Moline, IL 309-797-4688
[email protected] - Provides free primary
medical care to patients age 16-64 who are
working but have no medical insurance. Patients are seen by volunteer physicians, nurss
practicioners, and physician assistants.
www.GoodSamaritanFreeClinic.org
The Hole-In-The-Wall 309-289-2375
A Private Membership Men’s Club
Located 3 miles east of Galesburg, IL
just north of I-74 at Exit 51
www.HoleInTheWallMensClub.org
Holy Spirit Catholic Faith Community
Meets one Sunday per month for Mass at
6:30pm at MCC-QC
3019 N. Harrison St, Davenport, IA
Mailing: PO Box 192 East Moline, IL 61244
For more info, call 309-278-3359
Mary’s On 2nd 563-884-8014
832 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA
MCC Quad Cities - Svcs Sat 5pm, Sun 11am
Bible study Wed 7pm 563-324-8281
3019 N Harrison, Davenport, IA 52803
Men’s Coming Out/Being Out Group
Meets 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7pm.
[email protected]
309-786-2580
PFLAG Quad Cities 563-285-4173
Eldridge United Methodist Church
604 S.2nd St., Eldridge 1st Monday, 6:30 pm
ACCESSline Page 37
Prism (Augustana College) 309-794-7406
Augustana Gay-Straight Alliance
Augustana Library
639 38th St, Rock Island, IL
Contact Tom Bengston
Quad Citians Affirming Diversity (QCAD) Social & support groups for lesbian, bi, and gay
teens, adults, friends & families; newsletter.
309-786-2580 - Community Center located at
1608 2nd Ave, Rock Island.
Quad Cities Pride Chorus.
At the MCC Church in D’port, 7pm Wed.
[email protected]
Call Don at 563-324-0215
Rainbow Gifts
www.rainbowgifts.net
309-764-0559
T.R. Video
Adult books & video
3727 Hickory Grove Rd, Davenport, IA
563-386-7914.
Venus News (Adult)
902 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA
563-322-7576
SHENANDOAH
PFLAG Shenandoah
712-899-2743
Sioux City
Am. Business & Professional Guild.
Gay Businessmen.
Meets last Sat. of the month; ABPG
P. O. BOX 72, Sioux City, 51102
[email protected]
Grace United Methodist Church
1735 Morningside Avenue
712-276-3452.
Jones Street Station (Bar) 712-258-6922
412 Jones St.
Nightly 6:00pm to 2:00am.
Mayflower Congregational Church.
1407 West 18th Street
Call 712-258-8278.
Morningside College
Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Alliance 712-274-5208
Contact Professor Gail Dooley, Advisor
Morningside College GSA
1501 Morningside Ave.
Sioux City, IA 51106-1717
[email protected]
PFLAG Siouxland
PO Box 1311, Sioux City, IA 51102
[email protected]
Romantix Sioux City 712-277-8566
(Adult Emporium)
511 Pearl St, Sioux City, IA 51101-1217
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Service Sun 10:30am
406 12th St, Waverly, IA
Rev Mary Christopher 712-258-0141
Western Iowa Tech. GSA
[email protected] for info.
Zaner’s Bar 712-277-9575
3103 N Hwy 75, Sioux City, IA 51105
Monthly drag shows & events; hometown bar
for Imperial Court of Iowa’s Western Chapter
[email protected]
Waverly
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry.
717 W. Bremer, (St. Andrew’s Episcopal)
Waverly, IA
www.episcoplcampus.org
319-415-5747
Gay, Lesbian Bisexual Student Alliance
Wartburg College, Waverly, IA 50677
Contact Susan Vallem
319-352-8250
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
717 W. Bremer
We welcome all to worship with us on Sunday
at 10:30 am. Bible discussion Wed. 6:45pm
Rev. Maureen Doherty, Pastor 319-352-1489
ACCESSline Page 38
In Memoriam...
US NEWS
ized by diverse religious values or varying
regional perspectives. Killing people because
they are gay is not culturally defensible—it
is criminal. While today’s adoption of an
inclusive resolution is important, so too are
the conversations that have now begun in
capitals around the world about inclusion,
equality and discrimination. Protecting gays
and lesbians from state-sponsored discrimination is not a special right, it is a human
right. Today’s vote in the United Nations
marks an important moment in the struggle
for civil and human rights. The time has come
for all nations to redouble our efforts to end
discrimination and violence against lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
The United States’ former ambassador
to Romania, Michael Guest, who now works
with the LGBT-oriented Council for Global
Equality, called the U.S. campaign to rescue
the gay language “remarkable.”
“The United States took a very principled
position, and our diplomats worked very
hard at the U.N. and in capitals around the
world to explain to other countries why this
is an important human rights cause,” Guest
said. “The State Department and the White
House should be commended.”
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Trans and Intersex Association said: “We
want to celebrate the victory over the forces
which tried to push the reference to sexual
orientation into oblivion one month ago (and
which) still refuse, in theory and in practice,
to acknowledge that human rights are truly
for all, LGBTI people included, and—what
is perhaps worse—grotesquely mask their
homophobia and transphobia by referring
to the universality of the Human Rights
Declaration and indecently try to include
under the term ‘sexual orientation’ bestiality
and pedophilia.”
Spacey won’t discuss
sexual orientation
Actor Kevin Spacey told The Daily Beast
on Dec. 15 that he’s not interested in discussing his sexual orientation.
“I have not given up my right to privacy,”
Spacey said. “People have different reasons
for the way they live their lives. You cannot
put everyone’s reasons in the same box.
It’s just a line I’ve never crossed and never
will.”
“You have to understand that people
who choose not to discuss their personal
lives are not living a lie,” he continued. “That
is a presumption that people jump to. … I
just don’t buy into that the personal can be
political. I just think that’s horses--t.”
Activists hope to force
teaching of gay history
A bill introduced in the California Legislature by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco,
would require that LGBT people be fairly
and accurately included in school teaching
material.
The measure is sponsored by Equality California and the Gay-Straight Alliance
Network.
The bill also prohibits the State Board
of Education from using instructional material that discriminates on the basis of sexual
JANUARY 2011
John Franklin Karn
John Franklin Karn, 64, of Cedar
Rapids, passed away December 13,
2010, at the University of Iowa Hospital
& Clinics, following complications from
open heart surgery.
Visitation was held on Saturday,
December 18, 2010, at Stewart Baxter
Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar
Rapids. Memorial Services: 3pm on Saturday, January 8, 2011, at Peoples Church
Unitarian Universalist, Cedar Rapids.
John is survived by his husband, Tony
Browning, of Cedar Rapids; his sister and
brother‐in‐law, Pat and Ron Doncavage,
of Bloomington, Minnesota; nephews,
Todd (Jackie) Doncavage, and their chil-
dren, Evie and Henry; Kent (Heather)
Doncavage, and their children, Franklin
and Lewis.
John is also survived by his step‐
mother, Lois Karn of Spearfish, South
Dakota; aunts, uncles, and a number
of cousins in various states. John was
preceded in death by his parents, Frank
and Evy Karn of Belfast, New York.
John came to Cedar Rapids in 1986,
as the first Executive Director of the
Science Station, a position he held until
1995, when he joined the private sector
until his retirement in 2008. John was an
active member in Peoples Church Unitarian Universalists, including serving as
Membership Director for several years.
John was also active in the community
as past President of the Cedar Rapids
Gay and Lesbian Resource Center (GLRC)
and past executive board member and
Treasurer for the Iowa Abortion Aid
Fund (IAAF).
John was a volunteer with One Iowa
in the pursuit of marriage equality.
John’s passion was singing and
performing in the theatre, having participated in a number of productions at
Theatre Cedar Rapids, as well as singing
with the choir at Peoples Church and The
Quire in Iowa City. His beautiful tenor
voice will be missed by many.
Instead of flowers, the family
requests that contributions be made in
John’s name to OneIowa: www.oneiowa.
org
Please sign the online guest book
and share a memory about John at
www.stewartbaxter.com
Wesley, 61, was born on July 20,
1949 and passed away on December 18,
2010. He was currently in Psychiatry
Practice with Everly-Ball Community
Mental Health Services and Golden Circle
Behavioral Health.
He lived in Charleston, WV before
moving to Des Moines in 1994. He attended and received the following degrees: BA
from University of Charleston; Masters
from University Tennessee/Knoxville and
Doctor from West VA Osteopathic Medical
School. He was a Board Certified in
Psychiatry & Family Practice. Wesley was
the past President of American College of
Neuropsychiatrists. He was dedicated to
the Osteopathic Profession and a member
of American Osteopathic Association.
Wesley is survived by Charley White,
his partner for 39 years of Des Moines;
mother, Dora; sister, Gerry (William)
Kohler; niece, Emily; nephew, William all
of Parkersburg, WV. He was preceded in
death by his father, John.
Burial will be made at the Mills
Cemetery in West Virginia at a later date.
Wes may be gone now, but he will not be
forgotten.
Online condolences may be left at
caldwellraddatz.com.
Mark Leno. Photo by Rex Wockner
orientation or gender identity.
EQCA said that if enacted, the law “would
add LGBT to the existing list of underrepresented cultural and ethnic groups (that) are
covered by current law related to inclusion
in textbooks and other instructional materials in schools.”
“LGBT people should not be pushed into
the closet when it comes to what students
learn about history,” said EQCA Executive
Director Geoff Kors. “Educating youth about
the contributions of LGBT Californians and
our state’s rich diversity will help foster
true acceptance of LGBT students and will
ultimately create a safe school environment
for all students.”
GSA Network Executive Director Carolyn
Laub added, “LGBT youth are denied a
fair education when they are exposed to
harmful stereotypes in classroom materials
and are excluded from learning about their
history.”
Leno said that “most textbooks don’t
include any historical information about the
LGBT movement.”
“Our collective silence on this issue
perpetuates negative stereotypes of LGBT
people and leads to increased bullying of
young people,” he said. “We can’t simultaneously tell youth that it’s OK to be yourself
and live an honest, open life when we aren’t
even teaching students about historical
LGBT figures or the LGBT equal rights
movement.”
Lesbian becomes Colorado
Supreme Court justice
Monica Marquez became the first
openly gay or lesbian member of the Colorado Supreme Court when she was sworn
in Dec. 10.
Her partner, Sheila Barthel, helped her
put on her black robe at the ceremony.
Marquez, 41, previously served as
deputy attorney general.
Assistance: Bill Kelley
“Killing people because of their
sexual orientation cannot be rationalized
by diverse religious values or varying
regional perspectives. Killing people
because they are gay is not culturally
defensible—it is criminal. … The time
has come for all nations to redouble
our efforts to end discrimination and
violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender people.”
— The office of President Barack
Obama’s press secretary, December
21, 2010.
Wesley Dale Richardson,
D.O. F.A.C.N.
JANUARY 2011
10 Anti-Gay
Myths Debunked
Evelyn Schlatter & Robert Steinback, SPLC
MYTH #1: Homosexuals molest
children at far higher rates than heterosexuals.
THE ARGUMENT: Depicting gay men
as a threat to children may be the single most
potent weapon for stoking public fears about
homosexuality — and for winning elections and
referenda, as Anita Bryant found out during her
successful 1977 campaign to overturn a Dade
County, Fla., ordinance barring discrimination
against gay people. Discredited psychologist
Paul Cameron, the most ubiquitous purveyor
of anti-gay junk science, has been a major
promoter of this myth. Despite having been
debunked repeatedly and very publicly, Cameron’s work is still widely relied upon by anti-gay
organizations, although many no longer quote
him by name. Others have cited a group called
the American College of Pediatricians to claim,
as Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council
did in November 2010, that “the research is
overwhelming that homosexuality poses a
[molestation] danger to children.”
THE FACTS: According to the American
Psychological Association, “homosexual men
are not more likely to sexually abuse children
than heterosexual men are.” Gregory Herek, a
professor at the University of California, Davis,
who is one of the nation’s leading researchers
on prejudice against sexual minorities, reviewed
a series of studies and found no evidence that
gay men molest children at higher rates than
heterosexual men.
Anti-gay activists who make that claim
allege that all men who molest male children
should be seen as homosexual. But research
by A. Nicholas Groth, a pioneer in the field of
sexual abuse of children, shows that is not so.
Groth found that there are two types of child
molesters: fixated and regressive. The fixated
child molester — the stereotypical pedophile
— cannot be considered homosexual or heterosexual because “he often finds adults of either
sex repulsive” and often molests children of both
sexes. Regressive child molesters are generally
attracted to other adults, but may “regress” to
focusing on children when confronted with
stressful situations. Groth found that the majority
of regressed offenders were heterosexual in
their adult relationships.
The Child Molestation Research and
Prevention Institute notes that 90% of child
molesters target children in their network
of family and friends. Most child molesters,
therefore, are not gay people lingering outside
schools waiting to snatch children from the
playground, as much religious-right rhetoric
suggests.
Some anti-gay ideologues cite the
American College of Pediatricians’ opposition
to same-sex parenting as if the organization
were a legitimate professional body. In fact,
the so-called college is a tiny breakaway
faction of the similarly named, 60,000-member
American Academy of Pediatrics that requires,
as a condition of membership, that joiners “hold
true to the group’s core beliefs … [including]
that the traditional family unit, headed by an
opposite-sex couple, poses far fewer risk factors
in the adoption and raising of children.” The
group’s 2010 publication Facts About Youth was
described by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association as non-factual. Francis Collins, director of
the National Institutes of Health, was one of
several legitimate researchers who said Facts
misrepresented their findings. “It is disturbing
to me to see special interest groups distort my
scientific observations to make a point against
homosexuality,” he wrote. “The information they
present is misleading and incorrect.”
MYTH #2: Same-sex parents harm
children.
THE ARGUMENT: Most hard-line antigay organizations are heavily invested, from
both a religious and a political standpoint, in
promoting the traditional nuclear family as the
sole framework for the healthy upbringing of
children. They maintain a reflexive belief that
same-sex parenting must be harmful to children
— although the exact nature of that supposed
harm varies widely. THE FACTS: No legitimate research
has demonstrated that same-sex couples are
any more or any less harmful to children than
heterosexual couples.
The American Academy of Pediatrics in
a 2002 policy statement declared: “A growing
body of scientific literature demonstrates that
children who grow up with one or two gay and/
or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional,
cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as do
children whose parents are heterosexual.” That
policy statement was reaffirmed in 2009.
The American Psychological Association
found that “same-sex couples are remarkably
similar to heterosexual couples, and that parenting effectiveness and the adjustment, development and psychological well-being of children is
unrelated to parental sexual orientation.”
Similarly, the Child Welfare League of
America’s official position with regard to samesex parents is that “lesbian, gay, and bisexual
parents are as well-suited to raise children as
their heterosexual counterparts.”
MYTH #3: People become homosexual
because they were sexually abused as children or there was a deficiency in sex-role
modeling by their parents. THE ARGUMENT: Many anti-gay rights
proponents claim that homosexuality is a mental
disorder caused by some psychological trauma
or aberration in childhood. This argument is
used to counter the common observation that
no one, gay or straight, consciously chooses
his or her sexual orientation. Joseph Nicolosi, a
founder of the National Association for Research
and Therapy of Homosexuality, said in 2009
that “if you traumatize a child in a particular
way, you will create a homosexual condition.”
He also has repeatedly said, “Fathers, if you
don’t hug your sons, some other man will.” A
side effect of this argument is the demonization of parents of homosexuals, who are led to
wonder if they failed to protect a child against
sexual abuse or failed as role models in some
important way. In October 2010, Kansas State
University family studies professor Walter
Schumm said he was about to release a related
study arguing that homosexual couples are
more likely than heterosexuals to raise gay or
lesbian children.
THE FACTS: No scientifically sound
study has linked sexual orientation or identity
with parental role-modeling or childhood sexual
abuse.
The American Psychiatric Association
noted in a 2000 fact sheet on gay, lesbian and
bisexual issues that “no specific psychosocial
or family dynamic cause for homosexuality has
been identified, including histories of childhood
sexual abuse.” The fact sheet goes on to say
that sexual abuse does not appear to be any
more prevalent among children who grow
up and identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual
than in children who grow up and identify as
heterosexual.
Similarly, the National Organization on
Male Sexual Victimization notes on its website
that “experts in the human sexuality field do
not believe that premature sexual experiences
play a significant role in late adolescent or adult
sexual orientation” and added that it’s unlikely
that someone can make another person a
homosexual or heterosexual.
With regard to Schumm’s study, critics
have already said that he appears to have
merely aggregated anecdotal data, a biased
sample that invalidates his findings.
MYTH #4: Homosexuals don’t live
nearly as long as heterosexuals.
THE ARGUMENT: Anti-gay organizations
want to promote heterosexuality as the healthier
“choice.” Furthermore, the purportedly shorter
life spans and poorer physical and mental health
of homosexuals are often offered as reasons
why gays and lesbians shouldn’t be allowed to
adopt or foster children.
THE FACTS: This falsehood can be
traced directly to the discredited research
of Paul Cameron and his Family Research
Institute, specifically a 1994 paper he co-wrote
entitled, “The Lifespan of Homosexuals.” Using
obituaries collected from gay newspapers, he
and his two co-authors concluded that gay
men died, on average, at 43, compared to an
average life expectancy at the time of around
73 for all U.S. men. On the basis of the same
obituaries, Cameron also claimed that gay men
are 18 times more likely to die in car accidents
than heterosexuals, 22 times more likely to die
of heart attacks than whites, and 11 times more
likely than blacks to die of the same cause. He
also concluded that lesbians are 487 times more
likely to die of murder, suicide, or accidents than
straight women.
Remarkably, these claims have become
staples of the anti-gay right and have frequently
made their way into far more mainstream
venues. For example, William Bennett, education secretary under President Reagan, used
Cameron’s statistics in a 1997 interview he gave
to ABC News’ “This Week.”
However, like virtually all of his “research,”
Cameron’s methodology is egregiously flawed
— most obviously because the sample he
selected (the data from the obits) was not
remotely statistically representative of the homosexual population as a whole. Even Nicholas
Eberstadt, a demographer at the conservative
American Enterprise Institute, has called
Cameron’s methods “just ridiculous.”
MYTH #5: Homosexuals controlled
the Nazi Party and helped to orchestrate
the Holocaust.
THE ARGUMENT: This claim comes
directly from a 1995 book titled The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, by Scott
Lively and Kevin Abrams. Lively is the virulently
anti-gay founder of Abiding Truth Ministries and
Abrams is an organizer of a group called the
International Committee for Holocaust Truth,
which came together in 1994 and included
Lively as a member.
The primary argument Lively and Abrams
make is that gay people were not victimized
by the Holocaust. Rather, Hitler deliberately
sought gay men for his inner circle because
their “unusual brutality” would help him run the
party and mastermind the Holocaust. In fact, “the
Nazi party was entirely controlled by militaristic
male homosexuals throughout its short history,”
the book claims. “While we cannot say that
homosexuals caused the Holocaust, we must
not ignore their central role in Nazism,” Lively
and Abrams add. “To the myth of the ‘pink
triangle’ — the notion that all homosexuals in
Nazi Germany were persecuted — we must
respond with the reality of the ‘pink swastika.’”
These claims have been picked up by
a number of anti-gay groups and individuals,
including Bryan Fischer of the American Family
Association, as proof that homosexuals are
violent and sick. The book has also attracted
an audience among anti-gay church leaders in
Eastern Europe and among Russian-speaking
anti-gay activists in America.
THE FACTS: The Pink Swastika has
been roundly discredited by legitimate historians
and other scholars. Christine Mueller, professor
of history at Reed College, did a line-by-line
refutation of an earlier (1994) Abrams article
on the topic and of the broader claim that the
Nazi Party was “entirely controlled” by gay men.
Historian Jon David Wynecken at Grove City
College also refuted the book, pointing out that
Lively and Abrams did no primary research of
their own, instead using out-of-context citations
of some legitimate sources while ignoring
information from those same sources that ran
counter to their thesis.
The myth that the Nazis condoned
homosexuality sprang up in the 1930s, started
by socialist opponents of the Nazis as a slander
against Nazi leaders. Credible historians believe
that only one of the half-dozen leaders in Hitler’s
inner circle, Ernst Röhm, was gay. (Röhm was
murdered on Hitler’s orders in 1934.) The Nazis
considered homosexuality one aspect of the
“degeneracy” they were trying to eradicate.
When the National Socialist Party came
to power in 1933, it quickly strengthened
Germany’s existing penalties against homosexuality. Heinrich Himmler, Hitler’s security
chief, announced that homosexuality was to
be “eliminated” in Germany, along with miscegenation among the races. Historians estimate
that between 50,000 and 100,000 men were
arrested for homosexuality (or suspicion of
it) under the Nazi regime. These men were
routinely sent to concentration camps and many
thousands died there.
In 1942, the Nazis instituted the death
penalty for homosexuals. Offenders in the
German military were routinely shot. Himmler
put it like this: “We must exterminate these
people root and branch. … We can’t permit
such danger to the country; the homosexual
must be completely eliminated.”
MYTH #6: Hate crime laws will lead to
the jailing of pastors who criticize homosexuality and the legalization of practices
like bestiality and necrophilia.
THE ARGUMENT: Anti-gay activists,
who have long opposed adding LGBT people
to those protected by hate crime legislation,
have repeatedly claimed that such laws would
lead to the jailing of religious figures who preach
against homosexuality — part of a bid to gain
the backing of the broader religious community
for their position. Janet Porter of Faith2Action
was one of many who asserted that the federal
Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention
Act — signed into law by President Obama in
October 2009 — would “jail pastors” because
it “criminalizes speech against the homosexual
agenda.”
In a related assertion, anti-gay activists
claimed the law would lead to the legalization of
psychosexual disorders (paraphilias) like bestiality and pedophilia. Bob Unruh, a conservative
Christian journalist who left The Associated
Press in 2006 for the right-wing, conspiracist
news site WorldNetDaily, said shortly before
the federal law was passed that it would
legalize “all 547 forms of sexual deviancy or
‘paraphilias’ listed by the American Psychiatric
Association.” This claim was repeated by many
anti-gay organizations, including the Illinois
Family Institute.
THE FACTS: The claim that hate crime
laws could result in the imprisonment of those
who “oppose the homosexual lifestyle” is false.
The Constitution provides robust protections of
free speech, and case law makes it clear that
even a preacher who suggested that homosexuals should be killed would be protected.
Neither do hate crime laws — which
provide for enhanced penalties when persons
are victimized because of their “sexual
orientation” (among other factors) — “protect
pedophiles,” as Janet Porter and many others
have claimed. According to the American
Psychological Association, sexual orientation
refers to heterosexuality, homosexuality and
bisexuality — not paraphilias such as pedophilia. Paraphilias, as defined by the American
Psychiatric Assocation, are disorders characterized by sexual urges or behaviors directed at
nonhuman objects or non-consenting persons
like children, or that involve the suffering or
humiliation of one’s partner.
Even if pedophiles, for example, were
protected under a hate crime law — and such
a law has not been suggested or contemplated
anywhere — that would not legalize or “protect”
pedophilia. Pedophilia is illegal sexual activity, and a law that more severely punished
people who attacked pedophiles would not
change that.
MYTH #7: Allowing homosexuals to
serve openly would damage the armed
forces.
THE ARGUMENT: Anti-gay groups are
adamantly opposed to allowing gay men and
lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces,
not only because of their purported fear that
combat readiness will be undermined, but
because the military has long been considered
the purest meritocracy in America (the armed
forces were successfully racially integrated long
before American civilian society, for example).
If gays can serve honorably and effectively in
this meritocracy, that would suggest that there
is no rational basis for discriminating against
them in any way.
THE FACTS: Homosexuals now serve in
the U.S. armed forces, though under the “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy instituted in 1993,
they cannot serve openly. At the same time,
gays and lesbians serve openly in the armed
forces of 25 countries, including Britain, Israel,
South Africa, Canada and Australia, according
to a report released by the Palm Center, a policy
think tank at the University of California at Santa
Barbara. The Palm Center report concluded that
lifting bans against openly gay service personnel
in these countries “ha[s] had no negative impact
on morale, recruitment, retention, readiness
or overall combat effectiveness.” Successful
transitions to new policies were attributed to
clear signals of leadership support and a focus
on a uniform code of behavior without regard to
sexual orientation.
A 2008 Military Times poll of active-duty
military personnel, often cited by anti-gay activists, found that 10% of respondents said they
would not re-enlist if the DADT policy were
repealed. That would mean some 228,000
people might leave the military in that instance.
But a 2009 review of that poll by the Palm
Center suggested a wide disparity between
what soldiers said they would do and their actual
actions. It noted, for example, that far more than
10% of West Point officers in the 1970s said they
would leave the service if women were admitted to the academy. “But when the integration
became a reality,” the report said, “there was
no mass exodus; the opinions turned out to
be just opinions.” Similarly, a 1985 survey of
6,500 male Canadian service members and a
1996 survey of 13,500 British service members
each revealed that nearly two-thirds expressed
strong reservations about serving with gays. Yet
when those countries lifted bans on gays serving
openly, virtually no one left the service for that
reason. “None of the dire predictions of doom
came true,” the Palm Center report said.
MYTH #8: Homosexuals are more
prone to be mentally ill and to abuse drugs
and alcohol.
THE ARGUMENT: Anti-gay groups
want not only to depict sexual orientation as
something that can be changed but also to
show that heterosexuality is the most desirable
“choice” — even if religious arguments are set
aside. The most frequently used secular argument made by anti-gay groups in that regard
is that homosexuality is inherently unhealthy,
both mentally and physically. As a result, most
anti-gay rights groups reject the 1973 decision
by the American Psychiatric Association (APA)
to remove homosexuality from its list of mental
illnesses. Some of these groups, including
the particularly hard-line Traditional Values
Coalition, claim that “homosexual activists”
managed to infiltrate the APA in order to sway
its decision.
THE FACTS: All major professional
mental health organizations are on record
as stating that homosexuality is not a mental
disorder.
It is true that LGBT people suffer higher
rates of anxiety, depression, and depressionrelated illnesses and behaviors like alcohol
and drug abuse than the general population.
But studies done during the past 15 years
have determined that it is the stress of being a
member of a minority group in an often-hostile
society — and not LGBT identity itself — that
accounts for the higher levels of mental illness
and drug use.
Richard J. Wolitski, an expert on minority
status and public health issues at the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, put it like this
in 2008: “Economic disadvantage, stigma, and
discrimination … increase stress and diminish
the ability of individuals [in minority groups] to
ACCESSline Page 39
cope with stress, which in turn contribute to poor
physical and mental health.”
MYTH #9: No one is born a
homosexual.
THE ARGUMENT: Anti-gay activists
keenly oppose the granting of “special” civil
rights protections to homosexuals similar to
those afforded black Americans and other
minorities. But if people are born gay — in the
same way people have no choice as to whether
they are black or white — discrimination against
homosexuals would be vastly more difficult to
justify. Thus, anti-gay forces insist that sexual
orientation is a behavior that can be changed,
not an immutable characteristic.
THE FACTS : Modern science cannot
state conclusively what causes sexual orientation, but a great many studies suggest that it
is the result of biological and environmental
forces, not a personal “choice.” One of the
more recent is a 2008 Swedish study of twins
(the world’s largest twin study) that appeared in
The Archives of Sexual Behavior and concluded
that “[h]omosexual behaviour is largely shaped
by genetics and random environmental factors.”
Dr. Qazi Rahman, study co-author and a leading
scientist on human sexual orientation, said:
“This study puts cold water on any concerns
that we are looking for a single ‘gay gene’ or
a single environmental variable which could
be used to ‘select out’ homosexuality — the
factors which influence sexual orientation are
complex. And we are not simply talking about
homosexuality here — heterosexual behaviour
is also influenced by a mixture of genetic and
environmental factors.”
The American Psychological Association (APA) acknowledges that despite much
research into the possible genetic, hormonal,
social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no evidence has emerged that would
allow scientists to pinpoint the precise causes
of sexual orientation. Still, the APA concludes
that “most people experience little or no sense
of choice about their sexual orientation.”
In October 2010, Kansas State University
family studies professor Walter Schumm said he
was about to release a study showing that gay
parents produced far more gay children than
heterosexual parents. He told a reporter that he
was “trying to prove [homosexuality is] not 100%
genetic.” But critics suggested that his data did
not prove that, and, in any event, virtually no
scientists have suggested that homosexuality
is caused only by genes.
MYTH #10: Gay people can choose to
leave homosexuality.
THE ARGUMENT: If people are not born
gay, as anti-gay activists claim, then it should be
possible for individuals to abandon homosexuality. This view is buttressed among religiously
motivated anti-gay activists by the idea that
homosexual practice is a sin and humans have
the free will needed to reject sinful urges.
A number of “ex-gay” religious ministries
have sprung up in recent years with the aim of
teaching homosexuals to become heterosexuals, and these have become prime purveyors
of the claim that gays and lesbians, with the
aid of mental therapy and Christian teachings,
can “come out of homosexuality.” Exodus
International, the largest of these ministries,
plainly states, “You don’t have to be gay!”
Another, the National Association for Research
and Therapy of Homosexuality, describes itself
as “a professional, scientific organization that
offers hope to those who struggle with unwanted
homosexuality.”
THE FACTS: “Reparative” or sexual
reorientation therapy — the pseudo-scientific
foundation of the ex-gay movement — has been
rejected by all the established and reputable
American medical, psychological, psychiatric,
and professional counseling organizations. In
2009, for instance, the American Psychological
Association adopted a resolution, accompanied
by a 138-page report, that repudiated ex-gay
therapy. The report concluded that compelling
evidence suggested that cases of individuals
going from gay to straight were “rare” and that
“many individuals continued to experience
same-sex sexual attractions” after reparative
therapy. The APA resolution added that “there
is insufficient evidence to support the use of
psychological interventions to change sexual
orientation” and asked “mental health professionals to avoid misrepresenting the efficacy of
sexual orientation change efforts by promoting
or promising change in sexual orientation.” The
resolution also affirmed that same-sex sexual
and romantic feelings are normal.
Some of the most striking, if anecdotal,
evidence of the ineffectiveness of sexual reorientation therapy has been the numerous failures
of some of its most ardent advocates. For
example, the founder of Exodus International,
Michael Bussee, left the organization in 1979
with a fellow male ex-gay counselor because
the two had fallen in love. Alan Chambers,
current president of Exodus, said in 2007 that
with years of therapy, he’s mostly conquered
his attraction to men, but then admitted, “By
no means would we ever say that change can
be sudden or complete.”

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