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Iowa’s Anniversary Chloe Belle’s 6th
Annual Capital City
of Gay Marriage
interview by Angela Geno-Stumme Pride Benefit interview
This month
Iowa celebrates
the 5th year of
marriage equali t y.
Camilla
Taylor was the
lead counsel on
the Varnum v.
Brien case that
affirmed
the
legality of samesex marriage in
Iowa. Camilla
took the time
to answer a few
questions about
Camilla Taylor
Iowa’s place in
Photo courtesy of Lambda Legal
history, changes
in the past five years, and other aspects of marriage equal-
TTANNIVERSARY continued page 4
by Angela Geno-Stumme
My inspiration
was to get directly
involved with my
community.
I’ve
always felt very
passionate for Pride
events, and this was
a way I knew I could
help build a bigger
and better pride....
and I love to throw
a party!
It started as just
Chloe Belle.
a show with 4 or
5 entertainers the Photo courtesy of Billy Dean Porter Jr.
first year, then I added a 50/50 raffle, and then a silent
TTCHLOE BELLE continued on page 15
Drag Kings in
Local Students
Talk about Bullying Sequins or Leather?
interview by Angela Geno-Stumme Interview by Angela Geno-Stumme
319 Drag Kings
In recognition of Day of Silence ACCESSline asked 7
teens and pre-teens a series of questions about bullying.
Their answers may sound familiar to you and don’t be
surprised to find tears in your eyes after reading them.
The National Day of Silence is a day of action in which
students across the country vow to take a form of silence
to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools.
TTBULLYING continued on page 30
Page 4
Gabriel Kahane
Ever wanted to know a drag king’s guilty pleasure?
Members of the 319 Drag King troupe shared this answer
and many more! The 319 Drag Kings are a King drag
troupe that does shows in the 319 area code of Iowa.
These male impersonators have done shows in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, and Dubuque, Iowa as special
guests or as a group.
What has been your favorite show?
Star E Knight: My favorite show is when I performed
‘Water’ by Brad Paisley. I got to bring my floaties on
stage and made a fool out of myself a little bit—I do it
for my fans.
JD Lesbiani: I would have to say the night they
surprised me for my birthday that was a great night and
show.
Charlie Diamond: It’s hard for me to choose a favorite
show, they all have been great! Especially with out of
town guests and our fans—we always see regular faces
Page 16
TT319 DRAG continued page 17
Page 17
Interview by Arthur Breur
TT page 11
What’s Inside:
Section 1: News & Politics
Remarkables by Jonathan Wilson
The Varnum Family
interview by Angela Geno-Stumme
Shrink Rap by Loren A Olson MD Now is the Time by Chaplain Royal Bush
Warren’s Words by Warren J. Blumenfeld
Minor Details by Robert Minor Ask Lambda Legal by Greg Nevins
Iowan Advocacy by Tami Haught
Ask Lambda Legal by Karen Loewy
Taking Advantage of the System
by Tony Dillon-Hansen
In the Name of Religion by Rev. Irene Monroe
Section 2: Fun Guide
3
4
5
5
6
7
8
8
8
9
10
Entertainment Picks for the Month
11
Gabriel Kahane: The Moment We Are In
interview by Arthur Breur
11
Skirting the Issues by Ellen Krug
12
Honor Your Body, Honor You by Davey Wavey 12
Wired This Way by Rachel Eliason
14
ALPHAs15
Comics and Crossword Puzzle
15-16
Our Stories review by Sarah Hoskins
16
ONE AND EVERY-ONE by Juan Carlos Herrera18
Section 3: Community
FFBC: Live Healthy, Live Proud, Get Covered
by Bruce Carr
22
From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev. Jonathan Page 23
2014 Mr & Miss Blazing Saddle
interview by Angela Geno-Stumme
24
Business Directory 26-27
Prime Timers of Central Iowa
29
Page 18
Page 24
BE IN THE KNOW WITH
THE ONE YOU KNOW.
BRING YOUR PARTNER AND TEST TOGETHER.
Testing Together lets you and your partner get your HIV tests and results together,
free of charge, in the company of a trained HIV counselor.
Schedule an appointment to Test Together!
Scan or schedule your
appointment online at
projectHIM.org
CALL 515-284-0245 | 1200 University Ave. Des Moines, IA 50314
All information is kept confidential
No insurance needed.
APRIL 2014
PUBLICATION
INFORMATION
Copyright © 2014, All rights reserved.
ACCESSline
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ACCESSline is a monthly publication by
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Community for Education,
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Angela Geno-Stumme,
Editor in Chief
Sarah Hoskins, Advertising Sales/
Online Media
Arthur Breur, Publisher
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ACCESSline Page 3
Remarkables by Jonathan Wilson
Tribute to Fred Phelps
I commemorate the passing of
one of our most infamous detractors,
the disgraced, ex-communicated, and
disbarred “Rev.” Fred Phelps. He was
noted for protesting against gay people in
general, and later the funerals of Matthew
Shepard and then US soldiers unconnected
in any known way to the gay community.
His protests were characterized by headline-grabbing signs like “God Hates Fags.”
He drew a great deal of
media attention and did
get people to talking.
Therein lies the power
and positive contribution his lies made in
advancing the cause of
equality for law-abiding gay children of
God. He got people talking. He drew the
line between us and our detractors so far
to the extreme that folks who had no idea
they were on our side found themselves
there thanks to the way Fred Phelps framed
the debate. The gay community wins when
and if folks will have dialogue about us;
the truth really does set us free. See Jesus
at John 8:32.
Beyond that big-picture, longerrange contribution made by Phelps, he
also contributed on a more tangible level.
Several years ago, and for two years in a
row, he and his entourage showed up in
central Iowa to protest the First Friday
Breakfast Club, an association of gay and
bisexual men. Annually it gives scholarships of $2500 apiece to Iowa high school
students who have done significant things
to reduce homophobia in their schools
and communities. It has awarded over
$170,000 in scholarships to students who
have been busy spreading enlightenment
on this subject throughout the state of
Iowa. It has been making a difference—a
positive difference—in part, thanks to
Fred Phelps. The Lord truly does work in
mysterious ways.
Each year he was here protesting, the
First Friday Breakfast Club sponsored a
fund raiser dubbed, “Phelps Helps,” on
the premise that if you take the “P” out
of Phelps, it “helps.” And help it did. We
sought pledges of scholarship contributions for every minute Phelps was
here protesting in
the exercise of his
First Amendment
rights. The longer he
protested, the more
money we raised.
The longer he exercised his rights, the more we could legitimately celebrate those rights that are so
critically important to our democracy. The
longer and louder he spoke evil and hatred
in the public arena, the more parents of
gays and lesbians declared that enough is
enough, and good-hearted Iowans flocked
to support us.
In the course of those two years we
raised over $22,000 in scholarship funds,
making Phelps the single largest contributor to our scholarship fund ever. He and
his ilk never came back again, so he was
missed long before he died.
It is said that we are known by the
friends we keep. The corollary is also true:
we are known by the enemies we make. I
consider it a high compliment to be counted
among those Fred Phelps saw as enemies.
That first year when Fred Phelps
protested the First Friday Breakfast Club
outside Hoyt Sherman Place where it meets
on the first Friday of every month, we had
all of our scholarship recipients and their
supportive families there for the meeting.
His protests were
characterized by headlinegrabbing signs like “God
Hates Fags.”
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
[email protected].
Our guest speaker was Ambassador James
Hormel, the first openly gay person ever
appointed as a US ambassador. Inside it
was cozy, warm, and about as gay-supportive as it possibly could be. Outside, where
Phelps and his lackeys were protesting on
the sidewalk, there was a cold, pouring rain
making them, literally and figuratively, all
wet. The Lord works in mysterious, sometimes wonderful, ways.
We’ve lost one of the single best friends
of the gay community. Fred Phelps violated
the law against unintended consequences.
The Lord really does work in mysterious
ways. I hope Bob Vander Plaats, Reverend
Keith Ratliff, and Father Frank Bisignano
are paying attention.
Bishop Tutu has said that he’d rather
go to Hell than spend eternity in an antigay Heaven. If I were to have the choice,
I’d rather spend eternity with Bishop Tutu
than Vander Plaats, Ratliff, Bisignano, or
Fred Phelps.
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ACCESSline reserves the right to print letters to the editor and other feedback at the editor’s discretion.
ACCESSline Page 4
APRIL 2014
The Varnum Family interview by Angela Geno-Stumme
Five Years
after Varnum v. Brien
Kate and Trish Varnum filed a marriage
lawsuit in 2005 that would take them into
the history books. Kate and Trish were one
of 6 couples in the case
of Varnum v. Brien. It
took 4 years for a decision to be unanimously
made in 2009 by the
Iowa Supreme Court,
but the ruling stated
that denying same-sex
couples the right to marry is unconstitutional. It has been five years now and Kate
and Trish spoke about the case, their family,
and changes in the past five years.
What was it like being the lead plaintiffs in Varnum v. Brien?
Trish: I really don’t feel we were in the
spotlight—we were all part of the case.
Kate: I think we were in the spotlight a
little bit, it was our name as lead plaintiffs
but otherwise it was a group.
What are some of the things you were
looking to have in the Varnum v. Brien
decision?
Trish: Well one of the big things is we
were able to adopt our son jointly instead
of having to have one parent adopt him and
have a second parent adopt him separately.
We were able to actually adopt together as
a couple, like anyone else would do.
Kate: The other thing is that Trish
had major surgery last year and I was able
to be her advocate during that time. And
if we weren’t able to get married I don’t
know if that would
have happened, I am
not certain that would
have happened. When
you want somebody
to be an advocate for
you and that advocate
should be your spouse,
your husband or your wife. A few years ago
we had a situation where I wasn’t able to be
an advocate for Trish and being able to be an
advocate now was a big deal. The hospital
recognized me as her spouse.
We were thrilled with the Windsor case
last summer and so happy that we were able
to not have to lie on our federal taxes this
year. That was a big deal.
Do you feel that legalizing your
marriage brought legitimacy to your
family in the eyes of society?
Trish: That’s kind of hard to say, it was
more of legitimacy in the eyes of our government. That’s what we were looking for to
be recognized with all of the same rights.
I think here in Iowa people recognized our
family and I think they did before. It’s a
That’s what we
were looking for to be
recognized with all of
the same rights.
SScontinued from page 1
ANNIVERSARY
ity that we continue to fight for.
This year is the fifth anniversary of
the decision in Varnum v. Brien where
you were lead counsel. You have also
continued to represent same-sex
couples in Iowa who are fighting for
equality, such as Gartner v. the Iowa
Department of Public Health. I think
you have a unique perspective of the last
five years. What changes have you seen
in this time period in Iowa?
I’ve seen many families that I love and
care about, and families I’ve gotten to know
as a development of litigation be able to
get married. And seeing what it meant to
them and their children. And that brings
us great joy.
Obviously, we still have issues on our
plate ahead; because you end a discriminatory exclusion with respect to marriage
doesn’t end all forms of discrimination.
The struggle for the freedom to marry
and potentially, it’s the struggle for human
dignity and for equality. And we have a
long way to go to end discrimination and
to make sure that we achieve that in reality,
not just the promise of it. That we achieve
equality in fact. And the Gartner case is an
example to achieve challenges we face in
Iowa in making sure that this promise of
equality in the Iowa constitution becomes
a reality in practical terms for families. The
Buntemeyer Case is a particularly heart
breaking case that we’ve brought in Iowa.
And it’s been a great joy for me to see the
Buntemeyer family grow, they now have
a son, Liam, who’s the cutest thing you’ve
ever seen. He’s really an amazing baby.
And then there’s still backlash in
Iowa with a lack of understanding of what
it means to achieve equality on the part
of many people. So, trying to make sure
that people don’t continue discrimination
against lesbian and Gay couples, by trying to
seek exemptions from non-discrimination
laws. That continues to be a very important
struggle.
I think the biggest thing that has
changed in the last five years is simply
that one of the couples we represented
described, in a blog post, that they had
spent their time before marriage equality
trying to defend who they were as a family
and to prove who they were, that they were
good people. Now they can just be who they
were and who they
are without having to
concern themselves
with defending the
fact that they are in a
gay marriage. It’s an
intangible thing but I
think it makes a huge
difference not just for the couples themselves but for their kids, they are no longer
telling their government there is something
wrong with their family.
In your work for marriage equality has there been a pivotal moment
where you’ve thought, “This will change
everything”?
I think the unanimous decision in
Iowa did change everything, it changed
the country! You can describe any number
of moments in our movement as being
‘the moment’ when everything changed.
Certainly there are a number of those:
the Lawrence v Texas decision at the U.S.
Supreme court was one such moment, the
Goodrich decision in Massachusetts was
another such moment, the Proposition 8
was a moment like that, and the Varnum
decision—the first decision off of the
coasts, the decision that told the country
that the freedom to marry was essential
everywhere including the heartland of
our country. It previewed the fact to the
From L/R: Trish, Alex, and Kate Varnum.
matter of giving voice and recognition to
that through the government of the rights
everyone should enjoy.
What are some of the changes in your
life these past five years?
Kate: I think the biggest change is that
we now have a son—we adopted him shortly
after birth. He’s definitely the biggest change
in our lives. The other thing is that I lost my
job in 2011 and Trish changed jobs at the
entire nation that ultimately history would
record our position as the right one and
the country was going to change. We were
going to see the freedom to marry coast to
coast and everywhere in between. And that
this was inevitable.
It was a moment when the community
was particularly beaten down after Proposition 8 and there was a lot of discouragement there was a feeling that we were out
resourced outnumbered and there were
a lot of people being hurt. And then the
amazing decision came down and it was
unanimous, and it was
issued in the heart of
the country and in a
state that many people,
outside the Midwest
had discounted in
some way and assumed
it would not go well for
us. It was written in strong and simple
terms that everyone could understand and
I think it made a huge difference. It became
a lot easier after Varnum to win victories
in courts around the country.
Can you tell me Lambda Legal’s
mission towards marriage equality?
We’re the oldest and largest organization, legal organization that works to
advance the civil rights of lesbians, gay
men, bisexual, transgender people and
people with HIV. And one aspect of our
mission is to seek equality in relationship
recognition including the freedom to marry.
What we seek is equal treatment for lesbian
and gay people, so when lesbian and gay
couples fall in love and build their family
the law respects them and accords them
equal dignity.
What are some of the lesser known
battles in the fight for marriage equality?
Marriage is just one element of how
we live our lives and who we are as people.
I think the unanimous
decision in Iowa did
change everything, it
changed the country!
same time. When Alex was born we decided
that I would stay home with him for awhile
and go back to school. So I could get a better
degree and he could stay home with me and
grow that way for awhile. He goes to daycare
now but it was nice to have those first few
months with him.
Have you traveled outside of Iowa
to states that don’t recognize your
TTVARNUM cont’d page 28
Some of us choose to marry and some
don’t, but discrimination is something
that lesbian and gay people encounter in
many aspects of their lives. There may be
continued discrimination that has to do
with recognition of people’s relationships
in various contexts and the Gardner and
Buntemeyer cases are examples of that.
There can be discrimination in employment
contexts, discrimination in schools when
gay kids are harassed and come out, there
is plenty of work to do to try and insure
that transgender people are safe and they
can be who they are at work without fear
of reprisal. And then we have a lot of work
to do, including a recent case that one of
my colleagues argued in the HIV context
before the Iowa Supreme court just a couple
of weeks ago.
What should Iowans feel on this
Anniversary of Varnum v. Brien?
I think they should feel a lot of pride in
the role that Iowa played in this movement
and how it spurred onto further victories
around the country. I think they should
feel pride at Iowa’s leadership. I think
we should remember how brave Iowa’s
six plaintiff couples were in joining that
lawsuit and standing up for themselves, for
their children, for their communities. Those
were early days and when that lawsuit was
filed it was 2005 and only one state in the
country allowed same-sex couples to marry
and that was Massachusetts. But they realized a dream in Iowa, in being able to be
married and Iowa has been this beacon
of hope for the rest of the country while
other states have gradually come along so
people have come from all over the country
to celebrate their relationships in Iowa and
be legally married. I think that’s something
that people should feel really proud of.
For more information on the Varnum v.
Brien case and to learn more about Lambda
Legal go to LambdaLegal.org.
APRIL 2014
ACCESSline Page 5
Shrink Rap by Loren A Olson MD
Accepting Your Age
Dr. Olson,
I was a 52 year old, gay, virgin when
I met my partner four years ago. I was
never a young man, but you should see my
collection of Converse Sneakers…orange,
grey, green and red. I feel so gay. But my
partner is 16 years younger than I am and
I can’t stop worrying that because of my
inexperience and age he will leave me for
a younger man.
Gay Virgin
Dear Gay Virgin,
Even with your collection of Converse
Sneakers, just because you’ve made the
difficult decision to come out doesn’t mean
that you know everything there is to know
about being a gay man.
I didn’t come out until I was forty and
I bought some very short shorts and some
blue and white striped jeans. Looking
back, I probably looked like a caricature
of what a forty year old man who was
mostly a gay virgin thought a gay man
should look like. For my 71st birthday, I
received a card that said, “You don’t need
a motorcycle or a tattoo to look younger.
You need to be born later.”
We must accept that we were born
when we were born, and because we
thought we were straight, we missed out
on a special part of being gay adolescents.
We’re still wearing our gay training
wheels in midlife.
Most of us who came out late don’t
regret what has transpired in our lives
before we came out. I am blessed to have
an ex-wife and kids who are very supportive. All of us have learned to live our lives
more authentically.
Being inexperienced as a gay lover can
be difficult, and I sense that your lacking
confidence about holding your partner’s
interest because of your inexperience.
And if you’ve been together for four years,
some of the passion
dies. Things become
a bit predictable and
routine if you’re not
careful. If he’s more sexually experienced,
he can help you. If not, I would recommend
a book called The Joy of Gay Sex. That can
teach you some of the basics.
One of my friends speaks about the
“compression of time” as we get older; you
and your partner will experience time in
different ways. He had this to say:
Days are clicking by you like mileposts
on a superhighway. Tues, Thurs, July,
Autumn, 2014... In your perception, you
are still doing things at the same apparent
interval you’ve always done them... even
as a kid. But in reality, much more time
is rushing by you between those events.
As an older man you may have a
greater sense of urgency, a great need to
hurry and get your inexperience behind
you, wanting to know it all now and experience it as quickly as possible. But slow
down. Take some time. Learn to make
love in slow time. Tell him what you like
and don’t like and ask him what he wants
from you. Many of us are afraid to have
these conversations with the people we
are closest too.
What are the rules of the relationship?
What is acceptable and what is not? What
are your secret fantasies? Open yourself
to these discussions;
make yourself vulnerable. These discussions will sometimes
cause conflict, but once resolved, they
lead to a deeper and more meaningful
relationship.
You have some insecurities, understandably. It isn’t up to him to fix those
for you. You must develop a confidence
in yourself that you are the person you
want to be. Your insecurities about being
older are probably more related to your
discomforts with your age than his.
As my friend Paul said, “I know that
my time-compression will reach avalanche
speeds. So, I don’t want to waste those
events with people I don’t care about. I
want everything to count. They are highvalue to me.” If you’re having great sex,
rejoice in that. If it’s not enough for either
The next topic I would like to touch
on is sensitivity within our own community. There are enough people outside
the LGBTQ community that are standing in line to tear us down, rip us apart
and tell us how unloved, unworthy and
unwelcomed we are,
we do NOT need it
from within our own
community. It is true
that our “alphabet”
(LGBTQ) community is
vast, diverse, and ever
changing. There are sub groups within
most every group.
The L we use to describe those who
identify as lesbian. The G we use to
describe those who identify as gay. The
B we use to describe those who identify
as bi-sexual. The T we use to describe
those who identify as being transgender.
And, Q for those who identify as queer,
and or those who fit in a category that is
not specifically listed (kind of catch all if
you will, please).
Everyone has a coming out story, some
are positive, drama and trauma free, and
some are not. We never know what the
person next to us has gone through, is
going through or is about to go through.
So when “one of our own” uses a descriptive word, incorrect pronoun, or words
of hate to describe someone within the
same community, it hurts a bit more and
sets our progress back a bit. If we don’t
respect ourselves, how in the heck can
we expect others to respect us? We can’t!
Hurt people, hurt people… SO DON’T HURT
PEOPLE!
I submit to you, that some of the work
that is needed to achieve equality in the
United States begins with a grass root
effort in each of our lives, in each of our
communities that will benefit the rest of
the world. Now is the time for us to come to
the aid of one another by building bridges,
tearing down walls and sharing hope.
You are beautiful, you are loved, and
We’re still wearing our gay
training wheels in midlife.
Now is the Time by Chaplain Royal Bush
They say that April showers bring May
flowers. I say April TV ads will make you
mad! Now is the time of year for mid-term
elections, and that will fill the gaps with:
finger pointing, blame, lies, manipulation
and promises to do this and that. I am
not sure what is more
sad; the fact that most
registered voters will
not vote (less than
half will) OR at one
time, an American Idol
received more votes
than ANY US President.
The tide is changing slowly and our
work is not done, you know, that LGBTQ
agenda that we keep pushing on America
(little do they know; we don’t collaborate
well in most cities let alone form a national
agenda!).
Listen, we have work to do! I have
always said we have a duty to come out
of the closets whenever, and however
we can. We need to be the face that our
family, friends, neighbors, co-workers,
fellow students, and others think of when
election time rolls around. Will it make a
difference every time with every person
you know? No. But it will
make a difference, slowly
and intentionally. It IS about
building relationships and
networks with our allies. We
MUST remember that there
is not enough of the LGBTQ
community in this country to
single handedly vote change,
if we affect big and lasting
change it will ONLY be with
the help of us uniting with
allies.
We never know what the
person next to us has gone
through, is going through or
is about to go through.
Loren A. Olson MD is a board certified
psychiatrist in the clinical practice of
psychiatry for over 35 years. Dr. Olson has
conducted research on mature gay and
bisexual men for his book, Finally Out:
Letting Go of Living Straight, a Psychiatrist’s
Own Story. He has presented on this subject
at conferences across the United States and
Internationally. His blog, MagneticFire.
com, has a strong following among mature
gay and bisexual men. He established Prime
Timers of Central Iowa, a social organization
for mature gay/bisexual men. For more
information go to FinallyOutBook.com or
contact him on Facebook.com.
of you, figure out what is an acceptable way
of dealing with the differences that don’t
compromise your relationship.
To connect with Chaplain Royal, find him
on Facebook or visit www.inclusivelife.org
you are worthy. May peace, love and
compassion be with you. And always
from you.
ACCESSline Page 6
APRIL 2014
Warren’s Words by Warren J. Blumenfeld
An Open Letter to Franklin
Graham Regarding His
View on Homosexuality
Hey Franklin,
How’s it going? By the way, can I call
you Frank?
So Frank, I read your March 2014
column in Decision Magazine, the organ
of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association named in honor of your father. In
your column you took President Barack
Obama to task while praising Russia and
its president, Vladimir Putin, for its stand
against homosexuality and homosexual
propaganda.
“It’s obvious that President Obama
and his administration are pushing the gaylesbian agenda in America today and have
sold themselves completely to that which
is contrary to God’s teaching. Isn’t it sad,
though, that America’s own morality has
fallen so far that on this issue—protecting
children from any homosexual agenda or
propaganda—Russia’s standard is higher
than our own? In my opinion, Putin is right
on these issues….[H]e has taken a stand
to protect his nation’s children from the
damaging effects of any gay and lesbian
agenda.”
As you know Frank, you are referring
to last June when the Russian Parliament
passed and President Putin signed what has
come to be known as the “Anti-Homosexual
Propaganda Law” outlawing “propaganda
of non-traditional sexual relations” to
minors. Among its provisions, the law
forbids LGBT Pride marches, positive media
depictions of same-sex relationships and
public displays of same-sex affection, and
discussions in the schools. It carries a fine
of up to 5,000 rubles ($156) for individuals
and up to 1 million rubles ($31,000) for
media outlets.
Frank, you think Putin is great? Well,
I could direct you to other Russian leaders
who would literally blow your socks off!
Going back to the early 17th century,
you would get a real kick out of Czar Alexis
Mikhailovich who made it routine to round
up males and females accused of homosexuality and burnt them to a crisp. Hey,
he needed kindling to keep the palace at a
reasonable room temperature.
Tsar Peter the Great (at what?) continued the crackdown by banning homosexual
relations in the Russian military, and he
criminalized sexual relations between
males in the larger Russian society.
I’m sure, Frank, you were extremely
upset to learn that following the Russian
Revolution of 1917, leaders jettisoned the
former anti-homosexual laws in Russia.
Openly gay and lesbian people even served
in Vladimir Lenin’s government. But fret not
Frank, when Joseph Stalin took control, he
recriminalized homosexuality with eight
years imprisonment or
exile to Siberia. Actually, untold numbers
never returned since
Uncle Joe had them
killed.
Frank, if your
socks have not already
been blown from your toasty toes, you
may be pleased to know that Russia is not
the only place in the world that currently
protects its youth from the evils of love
and relations between people of the same
sex. You might even consider moving to
the country of Uganda where its righteous
Parliament passed on December 20, 2013
and President Yoweri Museveni signed this
February a law criminalizing homosexual
relations with up to life imprisonment. You
probably like this new twist: the law even
doles out punishments to friends and relatives of suspected homosexuals if they fail
to turn them in to authorities. As you can
imagine, the Uganda “homosexual agenda”
has been exiled.
But Frank, you don’t even have to go
over the oceans and the seas to find supportive role models since we have so many here
at home in the U. S. of A. For example, Rev.
Charles L. Worley of the Providence Road
Baptist Church in Maiden, North Carolina,
during a 2012 sermon, argued for the building of a large fence some 150 miles long
to place inside “lesbians” in one section
and “queers and homosexuals” in another
section. “And have that fence electrified
‘til they can’t get out. Feed ‘em. And you
know what, in a few years, they’ll die out.
Do you know why? They can’t reproduce.”
The Sunday following Worley’s sermon
going viral on YouTube, his congregation
gave him a standing ovation in support for
his directives.
And Rev. Sean Harris of Berean Baptist
Church of Fayetteville, North Carolina had
the young people’s needs in mind when
he loudly and vehemently lectured during
his Sunday sermon (April 29, 2012) that
parent’s must enforce strict gender role
behaviors, their duty before God, on their
children. “Dads,” Harris commanded, “the
second you see your son dropping the
limp wrist, you walk over there and you
crack that wrist. Man up! Give him a good
punch.” He directed fathers to say to their
sons: “Okay? You’re not
going to act like that.
You were made by God
to be a male and you
are going to be a male.”
He also instructed
that parents should be
“squashing that like a
cockroach.” He warned
that “the word of God
makes it clear that effeminate behavior is
ungodly.”
And to parents directing their daughters, Harris shouted and flailed: “And when
your daughter starts acting too butch, you
rein her in, and you say, oh, no. oh, no, sweetheart. You can play sports. Play them. Play
them to the glory of God. But sometimes
you’re going to act like a girl, and walk like a
girl, and talk like a girl, and smell like a girl,
and that means you’re going to be beautiful.
You’re going to be attractive. You’re going
to dress yourself up!”
Oh Frank, I’m sure you are grieving
over the death this week of your buddy, Rev.
Fred Phelps, the founder of the Westboro
Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. As you
know, he and his followers traveled around
the country protesting funerals of fallen
soldiers (most of whom are apparently
heterosexual) claiming that these deaths
are God’s punishment against a country that
tolerates homosexuality. Phelps is also (in)
famous for his 1998 protest of the funeral
of Matthew Shepard, a college student
from the University of Wyoming in Laramie
murdered in a brutal homophobic assault.
On his website, godhatesfags.com,
Phelps made a connection, here linking
his own version of homophobia with antiJewish oppression. Phelps and company
directed their protests a few summers back
in my then home state of Iowa against “…
the Jews…[who] arrested, falsely accused,
prosecuted and then sentenced [Jesus] to
death…” and because “God hates Iowa” for
being “the first to begin giving $ to little
“And have that fence
electrified ‘til they can’t get
out. Feed ‘em. And you know
what, in a few years, they’ll
die out. Do you know why?
They can’t reproduce.”
Warren J. Blumenfeld is author of
Warren’s Words: Smart Commentary on
Social Justice (Purple Press); editor of
Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price
(Beacon Press), and co-editor of Readings
for Diversity and Social Justice (Routledge)
and Investigating Christian Privilege and
Religious Oppression in the United States
(Sense). www.warrenblumenfeld.com
[homosexual] perverts for no other reason
than they brag about being little perverts.”
So as you can appreciate, Frank, you
have plenty of people to admire. Don’t
worry, since marriage for same-sex couples
remains illegal in 33 U.S. states and most
countries throughout the planet, and antigay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
attitudes and statutes are alive and well in
our country and abroad.
Oh, Frank, you have much to be thankful for.
http://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/march-2014/putins-olympic-controversy/
h t t p : / / w w w. h u f f i n g t o n p o s t .
com/2012/05/21/north-carolina-pastorgay-rant-starvation_n_1533463.html
http://thinkprogress.org/
lgbt/2012/05/02/474809/amendmentone-pastor-crack-your-four-year-old-sonslimp-wrist/
http://thinkprogress.org/
lgbt/2012/05/02/474809/amendmentone-pastor-crack-your-four-year-old-sonslimp-wrist/
APRIL 2014
ACCESSline Page 7
Minor Details by Robert Minor
The Conclusions of a
Progressive Democrat’s
Self-Reflection
On June 3rd, voters in California’s 33rd
Congressional District will have the chance
to vote in their state primary for an independent candidate known internationally for her
writing and speaking on spirituality, not her
politics. Her work is so influential that six of
her ten books were New York Times bestsellers and Time magazine included her with
yoga and cabala as three things that “have
been taken up by those seeking a relationship with God that is not strictly tethered
to Christianity.”
Marianne Williamson, a life-long
progressive Democrat running as an independent, will hear the usual complaints from
true believer Democrats, saying it will ruin
their chances to do whatever Democrats
swear they will do while giving their usual
excuses for not doing it.
Running makes spiritual sense to her:
“While many seekers have turned away
from politics, viewing spiritual and political pursuits as mutually exclusive, I agree
with Mahatma Gandhi that ‘Anyone who
thinks religion doesn’t have anything to do
with politics doesn’t understand religion.’
I don’t believe we can afford to be ‘selectively conscious,’ applying more enlightened
principles to only some aspects of human
endeavor.”
In a March 11th radio interview with
John Fugelsang, Williamson described her
progressive history, decades of fidelity to the
Democratic Party, and past support of the
current president. But, as she puts it, today
“progressives have a codependent relationship to the Democratic Party.”
In 2010, years before launching her
candidacy, she wrote: “I see so many
people now—many of
them men, interestingly
enough—tangled up
in an almost schoolgirlish, co-dependent,
apologetic relationship
with this President. As
though ‘poor baby’ should be tacked onto
the end of every description of his failures.”
“I
remember
Bobby
and I remember Martin. I remember when there was a moral force
at the center of the Democratic Party. I see
it sometimes still, in a Sherrod Brown, a
Dennis Kucinich, an Anthony Weiner, a Marcy
Kaptur and an Alan Grayson [today she’d add
Elizabeth Warren].
“But they’re not reflective of the general
tenor of the Democratic Party anymore, and I
think we would all do well to wake up to that
fact. We elected Obama and then he sort of
became someone else. He’s doing a lot of good
things in various areas, but he’s certainly not
changing the new bottom line: that corporations get to run the world.”
Now, can those of us who’ve put so much
hope in the Democratic Party consider that
she could be right? Are we willing to listen
to her? Or will we respond with the same old
codependent excuses that abused spouses
give for their abusers?
I can hear them now: But you don’t
know, or give him credit for, the troubles
he faces. But he’s doing the best he can. But
you just need to be more supportive. But you
just need to be more understanding, loving,
forgiving. But you just
need to better communicate. But he promises
to do better (just listen
to his speeches). But
aren’t you expecting
too much from him? But
he’s better than the alternative—infidelity is
better than death.
From outside codependency, Williamson appears right. And what that means is
that her analysis is crucial to an honest debate
that we must encourage, not stifle.
It means we’ll need to pick our battles
and our candidates. Fred Phelps, after all,
ran for governor on the Democratic ticket
in Kansas because he too was a lifelong
Democrat.
It means we need to speak up loudly,
showing we disagree with those for whom we
still might cast our vote. It means we need to
recognize that in both major political parties
the squeaky wheel is big business.
It means that we might have to protest in
the meetings of both major parties. Various
communities have learned that parties
seldom respond to quiet, rational requests.
Protesters, for example, have regularly
called President Obama, who has deported
57% more undocumented immigrants per
month than his predecessor, the “Deporter
in Chief.” Though they’ve been criticized with
all the above, though he ran on immigration reform twice, garnering 70% of Latino
votes, and though he continued to respond
that he had no power to end his reign as the
president who’ll win the award for the most
deportations; unexpectedly on March 13 the
White House changed its tune and told the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus that it will
review “more humane” procedures, signaling
finally that it might slow down the number.
Protests work. Being nice doesn’t when
you’re up against moneyed interests buying
both parties.
We must face the fact that both parties
are part of the power structure that supports
what author Mike Lofgren told Bill Moyers
is the “deep state” behind the real one. And
It means we need to
recognize that in both major
political parties the squeaky
wheel is big business.
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.
that, as Frederick Douglass told us: “Power
concedes nothing without a demand. It never
did and it never will.”
It means that we recognize all elections
are important. The Republicans have given up
on the functioning of the federal government.
Their method is to maintain enough of a rein
on national Democrats so that they’ll accomplish nothing. Whether they field a viable
presidential candidate has lost importance.
The Republicans and their funders,
like the Koch brothers, have turned to the
states and municipalities to enact their will.
Controlling statehouses, governorships,
school boards, and county offices, they
believe, will give them the power they want.
This further means that we have to be
the change we want. We’ll have to run for
offices and encourage other progressives
to do so.
In 2010 Williamson concluded: “Should
we re-brand the Green Party perhaps, or
draft another Democrat to challenge Obama
in the primaries in 2012? I don’t know what
we should do, but I know one thing that we
shouldn’t do: pretend to ourselves that this
man is delivering on what he promised when
he first won our hearts.”
So what will we do to change things? In
2014, Williamson’s decided that she’ll just
run for Congress herself.
ACCESSline Page 8
APRIL 2014
Ask Lambda Legal by Greg Nevins
Greg Nevins, Counsel and Workplace
Fairness Program Strategist for Lambda
Legal.
Job Seeking
While Openly Gay
Dear Lambda Legal,
Q: I just graduated college, and am
looking for my first full-time job. I was
very active on campus advocating for LGBT
rights, and I’m concerned about how that
may affect my chance to find employment.
What are my rights with regards to being
out while job seeking?
A: Congratulation on getting your
degree, and good luck with your job hunt!
Despite the progress our community
makes every day in gaining acceptance
and equality, it’s very common for out and
active people such as you to have these
concerns. Unfortunately, the short answer
to your question is: it depends.
There are 29 states without statutes
prohibiting sexual orientation employment discrimination; when such mistreatment occurs in the private sector (meaning
non-government jobs), it is challenging
to take action against the offending
employer. Discrimination is much easier
to challenge in the public sector; many
states prohibit such discrimination, and
the federal constitution also provides
protection against irrational anti-gay
actions taken by public sector managers.
If you’d like to find out more information
about a specific location, look at a stateby-state breakdown on our website here:
http://lambdalegal.org/states-regions
The patchwork of employment
protections for lesbian, gay and bisexual
people is a problem that could be fixed
nationwide on a federal level with ENDA,
the long-delayed Employment Non
Discrimination Act. This was recently
made perfectly clear when the talented
Missouri University
football player Michael
Sam came out of the
closet months ahead
of the start of NFL
draft. Michael Sam
is a highly qualified
gay man looking for a
job. If Sam is skipped
over and not drafted
by any NFL team, Sam
would be the victim of
employment discrimination.
Sam’s situation clearly illuminates
the complications that we are currently
enduring without ENDA. The NFL, like
many private employers, has its own
policy that prohibits discrimination based
on sexual orientation: the NFL Collective
Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”). However,
it’s not clear if the CBA applies to potential
draftees. After that, Sam could invoke the
state anti-discrimination statute in New
York, the site of the draft, to hold all the
teams accountable. If that doesn’t work,
supporting social justice and civil rights
movements and has proven to be a strong
ally in this work. Grinnell is enthusiastic
to host the conference
and is offering steeply
discounted rates for
the venue, lodging and
meals.
The conference
will feature workshops, presentations
and panels over the course of three days,
including: Grassroots Organizing and State
Legal Advocacy, HIV Criminalization 101;
Understanding the Legal and Medical
Implications of HIV; How criminalization
Drives Stigma; Strategies to Engage Public
Health Officials to Address Criminalization; Promising Practices for Community
Engagement and Mobilization; Legislator
Education; and others.
HIV is Not a Crime may become an
annual gathering, which will fill a critical void in current HIV advocacy. While
important in their own way, other HIV
conferences are typically geared towards
professionals working within the HIV
service delivery infrastructure. HIV is Not
a Crime will focus on
uplifting the work of
people with HIV and
networks of people
with HIV, as well as
grassroots activists
already engaged in HIV and other intersecting issues (LGBT, drug policy, sex
work, etc.). It will provide an opportunity
to coalesce networks of people with HIV
from around the country on a policy issue.
As a result of HIV is Not a Crime, individual and organizational participants will
be better equipped to initiate or advance
advocacy in their home states addressing
HIV-related criminalization, stigma and
discrimination. The conference will help
to rebuild and reenergize state-based HIV
advocacy efforts.
HIV is Not a Crime will also play a key
role in helping to integrate state-based
LGBT efforts and other issues along with
resurgent local HIV advocacy networks.
One Iowa, Iowa’s statewide equality
organization, is playing a critical role in
organizing HIV is Not a Crime, including its executive director, Donna Red
Wing, serving as the conference program
Iowan Advocacy by Tami Haught
HIV is Not a Crime: The
Grinnell Gathering
The HIV is Not a Crime conference
is a first-time national gathering to
bring together community organizers,
advocates, experts in law and policy, and
individuals living with HIV from across
the country, united in a common cause to
end the criminalization of people with HIV.
HIV is Not a Crime will take place on
June 2-5, 2014 at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. For several years, advocates in
Iowa have worked to reform that state’s
criminalization statute; extensive grassroots, legal and policy advocacy have all
taken place in tandem in recent years, and
a reform measure is presently pending
in the legislature. HIV criminalization
reform advocacy may be more advanced
in Iowa than in any other US state and
can provide important information and
lessons for organizers elsewhere. Grinnell College itself has a long history of
13 of the 32 teams in the NFL are in
states with nondiscrimination statutes. To
hold the other 19 teams accountable, he
could turn to local ordinances but would
wrestle with the absence of ordinances in
Charlotte, Nashville,
and Jacksonville. Also,
while Washington D.C.
has a nondiscrimination ordinance, the
Washington NFL franchise’s headquarters
is in Virginia, whose
legislature makes
local governments ask
permission to enact
nondiscrimination
laws and always responds “no.”
We need a clear federal law that
prohibits discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation, gender identity and
expression that applies to all employers and job seekers across the country.
Congress should pass the Employment
Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) now.
If you have any questions, or feel you
have been discriminated against because
of your sexual orientation, contact Lambda
Legal’s Help Desk1-866-542-8336 or
http://www.lambdalegal.org/help
The patchwork of employment protections for lesbian,
gay and bisexual people is a
problem that could be fixed
nationwide on a federal level
with ENDA, the long-delayed
Employment Non Discrimination Act.
The conference will
help to rebuild and reenergize state-based HIV
advocacy efforts.
Tami Haught has been living with HIV
for almost 20 years. She is the CHAIN
Community Organizer, President for
PITCH, and new member of the SERO
Project Board of Directors. Tami started
speaking out about her HIV status when
her son started school hoping that
providing education and facts would
make life easier for her son, by fighting
the stigma, discrimination, isolation,
and criminalization people living with
HIV/AIDS face daily. Contact info: tami.
[email protected] website:
www.pitchiowa.com
committee’s co-chair (along with Scott
Schoettes, from Lambda Legal, and Robert
Suttle, from The Sero Project).
We will need many people to be a
part of the Iowa Host Committee, around
50 volunteers will be needed for Monday,
June 2nd as people are arriving from across
the nation. If you are willing to volunteer
to make the conference run smoothly
and provide a big Iowa welcome, please
contact: Tami Haught, Conference Coordinator at [email protected].
APRIL 2014
ACCESSline Page 9
Taking Advantage of the System by Tony Dillon-Hansen
Most people can agree they would
like not to be poor, underemployed, or
unemployed. When that does happen, we
do our best to get out of those situations
because we have bills to pay, mouths to
feed and simply would like to not worry
about how to afford our basic need, the
next item or next meal. We would like to
be able to work to have more than simple
foods on the table.
With wages as they are
today and life’s basic
bills, these are real
concerns for Americans, especially those
trying to get started
in the workforce. Yet,
there are people that
abuse the system for personal benefit,
and as a result of some high profile cases,
Americans have become suspicious about
any government proposals that claim to
reduce poverty. Are the attacks on poverty
programs warranted?
We know that there are some people
who in those unfortunate situations feel
entitled to milk any resources from wherever they are being distributed without
care. There is a plain lazy, selfish and
greedy aspect that is driving that set of
people. They provide a great example
used by the supposed righteous among
us to paint the picture of what all people
do with government funds (never mind
the actions of those doing this painting.)
Selfishness and greed is, however, not a
feature only of the unfortunate and the
destitute.
It is no mistake that some have hid
behind religion to elucidate their motives
for abusing the system. Those supposed
righteous people then persuade large
swaths of the American people (using
conjured inferences of facts, distorted
media and cherry-picked phrases from
religion) to look at the other “sinners”
while they pillage the
public treasury.
The righteous
want a society that
is comfortable with
exclusion from access
or even from recognition. They will divert
attention from the
pillage by showcasing differences in
society (race, gender, religion, or sexual
orientation.) They amass great wealth
claiming the parable of talents as an
excuse to hoard cash and while having
contempt for the Sermon on the Mount
by suggesting that poor people want to
be poor and meek.
You have to wonder about these
people doing the complaining because
the loudest complainers are likely the
guiltiest. There is little doubt that they
are taking advantage of the system, but
they are blaming the meager ones on the
bottom rung of society for their mischievous actions. There are farmers, landowners, businesses and corporate moguls that
will use the levers they have in reach to
squeeze out a little (actually billions) more
They scare the rest of
Americans into thinking
that supporting the poor
will somehow make everyone poorer.
for themselves. They, then, point fingers at
families of the lower class that may claim
collectively a mere fraction of what a single
oil company or family like the Koch brothers will suck from the system. They use
these people that are grabbing after the
scraps of society to scare the middle class
into voting against middle class. They will
have the middle class be more suspicious
of the government, which is incidentally
the only institution in our society that
can guarantee equal access for everyone
to quality education, health care, or even
safe cars to drive.
Providing help to low-income
(poverty) in America including the cost
of Medicaid (which primarily goes to
elderly and disabled citizens rather than
people with children), Federal housing
(WIC), TANF, child tax credits, SNAP, free
lunch program, and the children’s health
insurance program (CHIP) combined are
no match for the cost of oil subsidies, farm
subsidies, and defense spending. Yet, the
people receiving the large oil, farm and
defense spending want to yell the loudest
about others getting taxpayer money
because apparently no one should benefit
unless you have millions to spend. The
yellers are part of the richest and most
powerful elites. They are part of country’s financial decisions, but they want
to blame financial woes on those with the
least power. Then, they scare the rest of
Americans into thinking that supporting
the poor will somehow make everyone
poorer. Further, there are the people that
Tony E Dillon-Hansen is a web developer,
organizer, researcher, writer, martial artist,
and vocalist from Des Moines.
are supposedly in support of the poor and
meek are mishandling the programs, and
that provides even more fodder for the
critics of poverty programs.
In a capitalist society, no rational
person would stop trying to acquire
wealth. Regardless of an economic policy
or social leaning, there is always an
avenue to make money. People are able
to become wealthy through strategic
planning and use of resources (including
people). Without those resources, people
could not get wealthy. The Republican
establishment, along with many Democrats, realizes this and realizes that
people with money in hand are likely to
TTDILLON-HANSEN cont’d page 10
ACCESSline Page 10
APRIL 2014
In the Name of Religion by Rev. Irene Monroe
White gay men
are not the culprits
gentrifying Harlem
Building 1644 on Park Avenue is gone.
So, too, is building 1646.
On March 12th witnesses and residents of the area all reported hearing an
explosion before the buildings leveled
leaving plumes of dust where they once
stood. Tremors from the fiery blast were
felt more than a mile away. The night
before the conflagration the smell of gas
was detectable. These two buildings, like
the many surrounding ones, housed NYC’s
poor and low-income families on 116th
Street in an enclave renownedly known
as Spanish Harlem.
News spun of a possible terrorist
attack. But the story had no legs. And lifelong Harlem residents knew better.
With landlords refusing to repair their
buildings and blatantly violating building
codes—especially of rent control buildings—news of a possible terrorist attack or
accidental explosion divert attention of any
suspicion of arson as a tactic to expedite
gentrification goals. And now Park Avenue
even at 115th and 116th Streets is prime
real estate in a shifting landscape brought
on by gentrification.
In expressing his outrage that so many
Harlemites felt, Keith Boykin, a renowned
African American gay activist, tweeted,
“This is the 3rd building collapse in Harlem
in the past 5 years.”
In the past five years, Harlem’s empty
lots and burned-out buildings have sprung
up luxury condos, upscale restaurants,
boutique shops, hotels, B&Bs, and unimaginable improved services in an area the city
had long forgotten.
And the resentment of this shift has
targeted both Harlem’s recent and life-long
LGBTQ communities.
“Obama has released the homo
demons on the black man. Look out black
woman. A white homo may take your man”
a towering sign hung for months outside of
ATLAH World Missionary Church on West
123rd and Lenox.
The pastor of ATLAH, Rev. James David
Manning opposes the gentrification going
DILLON-HANSEN
spend that money when they have some
left over after bills. Major companies, like
Wal-Mart, base their
business model upon
this premise. Volume
sales require volumes
of people with money
to spend. The poverty
programs help people
have something to
spend besides necessities of housing, food,
education or health care. Additionally,
those dollars turn into jobs. The programs
also provide the safety net for those that
get tossed out of the capitalist markets
(e.g. unemployment.)
Further, educated people bring skills
to work and tend to spend more money
on in Harlem and has implored its residents and his congregants to boycott the
new luxury condos, upscale restaurants,
boutique shops, and hotels. According
to Rev. Manning the boycott would maim
the “white homo” where it hurts him the
most- his pockets.
And Manning expounded as to why on
the church’s online video.
“Black woman let me say something
to you: you have
a very hard time
competing against
a white homosexual
male. He’s usually
got money—a white
homo usually has an
American Express
card. He usually has
an opportunity at the
theater—homos love
the theater. They love
to go out to dinners,
parties, they love that kind of a thing... “
Raymond Madson of New Mexico
corroborates with Rev. Manning about gays
being the crux of the problem, and shared
his sinister thoughts with me in an email
on how to resolve the matter.
“It’s about time someone spoke to the
bad effect “gays” are having on housing,
commerce, culture and all the other facets
of American Society. “Save Harlem. Kill the
Gays.” Or at least relegate them to their own
ghettos and don’t let them out.”
If Manning and Madson were merely
lone opponents on gentrification whose
homophobic expressions were perceived
as on the lunatic fringe they could then
simply be dismissed. But their public
diatribes are what many are not expressing
but sadly are also harboring.
For example, let’s not forget the
murder of Islan Nettles. In the pre-dawn
hours of a Saturday in August, Islan Nettles,
21, was strolling and lollygagging with a
group of her sister-friends on Frederick
Douglass Boulevard between 147th and
148th Streets in Harlem. When she and
the girls were recognized as transgender
women, Paris Wilson, 20, began spewing
homophobic epithets. Enraged by the sight
of the women, Wilson crossed the street
to where the women were and savagely
pummeled Nettles, resulting in her death,
because he’d allegedly been teased for
flirting with a transgender woman.
The query raised by many Harlem
residents is why their neighborhood, that
has been long forgotten and completely
disinvested from public/private businesses and real estate interests, is suddenly a
hot land grab?
The prevailing thought today in the
area of urban development and city planning
is that if you want to
revitalize a decaying
city and get rid of its
urban plight you create
gayborhoods. And
new studies reveals
that these enclaves
have overall positive
economic and cultural
effects.
For example, in
February I was on the HuffPo Live show
“Why We Still Need Gayborhoods.” Also on
the show was Janice Madden, a Professor of
Regional Science, Sociology, Urban Studies,
and Real Estate at UPenn, to discuss her
new book “Gayborhoods: Economic Development and the Concentration of Same-sex
Couples in Neighborhoods Within Large
American Cities.” Madden revealed that
gay white men on the Northeast and West
coasts had significantly greater income to
created gayborhoods that are “close to or
have easy access to the downtown and had
older housing.”
But not every African American and
Latino who opposes gentrification in his
or her neighborhoods blame white gay
men. Filmmaker Spike Lee’s beef with
gentrification in black and brown enclaves
throughout NYC is the permanent dislocation not only of a people but also of
the inimitable culture and lifestyle they
created.
Truth be told, Harlem is not only being
gentrified by the supposedly demographic
group Rev. Manning labels “white homo.”
African American professionals -straight
and LGBTQ- are moving in, too.
“I’ve seen empty lots get filled with
condos. I was fortunate to purchase one,”
Media professional Barion Grant told
“It’s about time
someone spoke to the bad
effect “gays” are having
on housing, commerce,
culture and all the
other facets of American
Society.
because they theoretically have more
money. To deny the masses something
like affordable, quality public-education
through promotion of private and charter
schools instead, like the TEA party
proposes, means that families will be
limited to basic needs
and their children will
not be able to afford
proper education-the
access to the ladder
to success.
This can perpetuate a divide in
our society between
those who have and
who have not. Yes, Americans should
be cautious of more spending, but all
programs should be scrutinized. If we
are concerned about welfare fraud, we
should be more concerned with the fraud,
in billions, blown on companies that do
not need the money.
…families will be
limited to basic needs
and their children will not
be able to afford proper
education…
Rev. Irene Monroe is a graduate from
Wellesley College and Union Theological
Seminary at Columbia University, and
she has served as a pastor at an AfricanAmerican church before coming to Harvard
Divinity School for her doctorate as Ford
Fellow. She is a syndicated queer religion
columnist who tries to inform the public
of the role religion plays in discrimination
against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and queer people. Her website is
irenemonroe.com.
The Root. “I’m a college-educated person
from New Jersey who has moved to this
community, so I’m fine with identifying
myself as a gentrifier. But at the same
time I’m re-investing in this community,
mostly via my church, First Corinthian
Baptist Church.”
Buildings 1644 and 1646 on Park
Avenue are now empty lots. A luxury
condo, or upscale restaurant, or boutique
shops, or hotels or B&Bs will be placed
there. The people who once resided in
those buildings have been relocated to
what most likely will now be their new
permanent address.
Since the fire, however, Rev. Manning
has taken down his invective sign to
replace it with another. In expanding his
thoughts on who the actually culprits are
responsible for gentrification going on in
Harlem he no longer blames white gay
men only.
And it’s reflected in the new towering
sign outside the church that now reads:
“Jesus Would Stone Homos. Stoning Is
Still The Law.”
ACCESSline’s fun guide
Our Picks for April
3/21-4/13, Des Moines, Iowa, Des Moines Playhouse,
Les Misérables, DMPlayhouse.com
3/21-4/21, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Theatre Cedar Rapids,
To Kill a Mockingbird, TheatreCR.org
4/5, Iowa City, Iowa, Studio 13,
Elation Dance Party, SThirteen.com
4/5, Johnston, Iowa, Dining for the Arts: A
Taste of Spring, MetroArts.org
4/5-6, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Paramount Theatre,
The Rite of Spring, ParamountTheatreCR.com
4/5-6 & 4/12-13, Dubuque, Iowa, Grand Opera House,
Swan Lake, TheGrandOperaHouse.com
4/6, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Legion Arts, Red Molly,
Legionarts.org
4/6, Des Moines, Iowa, Le Boi Bar, Mr LeBoi 2014
Competition, LeBoiBar.com
4/11, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Club David, Brittany
Does Dallas…The Sequel, Facebook.com
4/12, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Vets Memorial Coliseum,
CVDD Double Header, CVDerbyDivas.com
4/13, Des Moines, Iowa, The Blazing Saddle,
Ms Iowa Leather Beer Bust & Bingo,
TheBlazingSaddle.com
4/19, Des Moines, Iowa, Lime Lounge,
E&E Ball for Reign XXI, ImperialCourtofIowa.org
4/21, Coralville, Iowa, Coralville Center for the Performing
Arts, Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer,
CoralvilleArts.com
4/24-25, Iowa City, Iowa, Hancher,
Gallim Dance, Hancher.UIowa.edu
4/24, Cleveland, Ohio, Sheraton Cleveland Hotel,
CLAW 14, CLAWInfo.org
4/26, Des Moines, Iowa, The Temple Theater,
Gabriel Kahane, DesMoinesPerformingArts.org
4/27, Iowa City, Iowa, Studio 13,
Miss Pickle Competition, SThirteen.com
...and May
Miss Gay Latina & Mr Gay Latino Iowa
USofA Pageant, MissGayIowa.com
Matthew & Muffy’s Tupperware Party,
ImperialCourtofIowa.org
Gabriel Kahane: The Moment
We Are In interview by Arthur Breur
Gabriel Kahane
Songwriter, singer, pianist, composer,
guitarist, and occasional banjo player,
Gabriel Kahane’s style has been called
eclectic. Arthur Breur interviewed Gabriel
about his sound, the intricacies of his
composition, what’s on his play list, his
inspiration and his upcoming show!
Gabriel is performing with Rob Moose,
Saturday, April 26th at The Temple Theater
in Des Moines, Iowa.
As a composer of concert works,
Kahane has been commissioned by,
among others, Carnegie Hall, the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, American Composers Orchestra, and Kronos Quartet.
Gabriel has performed or recorded with
artists ranging from Sufjan Stevens and
Rufus Wainwright to Jeremy Denk and
composer/conductor John Adams. His
new release, ‘The Ambassador’ releases
June 3rd.
You’re performing in Iowa on April
26th, at the Des Moines Performing
Arts. How is your tour been going so
far?
I’m actually not on tour at the
moment. I’m at home. The concert that I
am doing in Des Moines is part of a brief
run of duo shows that I am doing with my
friend and colleague Rob Moose, who is a
wonderful multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, and violinist, primarily. They’re in a
sense, orphan gigs that are leading up to
the release of my new album, ‘The Ambassador’, which is coming out June 3rd on
the Masterworks label. These dates are
kind of scattered, and not connected to
any particular tour. Although, the show
in Des Moines will be an opportunity for
people to hear some sort of preview of
some elements from the new record.
Ok. I apologize. I was going off the
tour page of your website.
Oh yes. I just refer to all concert dates
as “tour dates”. I sort of think of a tour
as when you don’t get to sleep in your
own bed for more than one night out of
ten nights.
Your style is described as eclectic
and I wholeheartedly stand behind that
description. Do you have a particular
comfort zone or a particular discomfort
zone in your styles of music?
No. I know people can get hung up
on genre and so forth, but I think that I
am primarily interested in telling stories
through music. More and more, as I look
back over the work I have done over the
last decade, I think there is a preoccupation of storytelling. Whether it is in the
context of an orchestral song cycle or
performing a pop song or an orchestrated
pop song or a three minute song on the
guitar. So, I would say that storytelling is
my comfort zone. And the toolbox or set
of paints that I use to tell those stories
varies from piece to piece. But generally,
that is the kind of through-line I think of
with most of the work that I do. I would say
that I’m probably most out of my element,
when I am writing strictly instrumental
music. I feel very comfortable writing
orchestral instruments. This is not to
say that I do not think that I am a great
orchestral composer. But the moment you
take away the vocal line and text, I become
more insecure when I think about what I
am doing.
Now, on the most recent album, for
example the song, ‘Charming Disease’,
the instrumentation on there is very
layered and very subtle. It uses the
instruments in a way that you normally
don’t hear them used. You use some
very interesting string effects, some
TTKAHANE continued page 28
The Fun Guide
ACCESSline Page 12
APRIL 2014
Skirting the Issues by Ellen Krug
Oasis
My day job involves running a Twin
Cities nonprofit that helps low-income (read
poor) people connect with lawyers and legal
resources. Recently, our accomplishments
were featured in a local newspaper article
that quoted me repeatedly.
Nowhere in the article is the any reference to me being transgender. When I later
asked the reporter if she
was even aware of my
gender variant status,
she answered, “yes.” She
then added that it wasn’t
relevant to the story
about my nonprofit and
thus she didn’t include it.
My reaction: We’ve come a long way,
baby!
At least in the Twin Cities and Minnesota.
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Minnesota
each have laws which prohibit discrimination
because of someone’s race, ethnicity, sex,
gender, and all the other usual characteristics that make people different. Additionally, they’ve made it illegal to discriminate
on the basis of gender identity and sexual
orientation—two boxes that I’d check in a
Lady Gaga second.
In other words, I live in an oasis with a
capital “O.” Yes, it’s also the land of Ten Thousand Snowmen, but it’s an Oasis nonetheless.
Given the breadth of freedom here, it’s
easy to forget about the other forty-nine
states. Every day, I interact with successful gay and lesbian people—legislators,
company owners, doctors, lawyers, and
entrepreneurs. It’s nothing to hear about
another man’s “hubby” or to see a lesbian
gleefully sharing her daughter’s baby picture.
There are at least three area nonprofits
that are dedicated to transgender health—
physical and emotional. There’s even a bar
that trans folk have claimed as their own.
I’m also living proof that it’s not only
possible to survive as
an “out” trans person,
but actually thrive. My
nonprofit job takes me
into the bastions of
traditional older white
male privilege—law
firms, the judiciary,
and corporate America.
Most of the people I encounter have never
knowingly interacted with a transgender
person before me. In nearly thirty months
on the job, I can honestly count on three
fingers the number of times someone’s used
the wrong pronoun.
What makes this even more remarkable
is that while I look like a fairly attractive
middle-aged woman (we call that “passing”),
I can’t get rid of my darn man-voice. Thus,
as I’m apt to admit, I’m only “98 percent
passable.”
Still, that doesn’t seem to matter to the
people who deal with me.
On occasion, I talk to groups about living
as a trans person. I recently presented to a
large national employer that’s headquartered in Minneapolis with a branch office,
in of all places, Montana.
After reminding the audience that
transgender people have legal protection in
only eighteen states (including the District of
Columbia), I offered a hypothetical: what if I
worked for the employer and was such a good
team member that the employer wanted to
transfer me to Montana to head that office?
I then asked the audience to consider that I
wasn’t “legal” in Montana—without a city or
state law to protect trans people like me, a
landlord could legally deny me housing; an
insurance agent could legitimately refuse to
offer me car insurance; and the local gynecologist could safely deem me too exotic to
treat.
In other words, someone in power could
say, “I don’t like who or what you are and I’m
not going to do business with your kind.”
The audience members registered
shock. Their collective reaction: Really? Such
discrimination—and attendant hatred—are
possible today? And absolutely legal?
My answer: Yup. They sure are.
With this year’s brutal winter, I’ve given
thought to moving somewhere warm.
The problem?
Nowhere south of the Mason-Dixon
Line is there a state with laws that protect
transgender people. Why would I ever want
to move from somewhere that protects me to
a place that doesn’t? To a place where hating
me is legal?
A year and a half ago, Vice President
Biden called the push for transgender
equality “the civil rights issue of our time.”
Incrementally, we trans people are acquiring
rights and protections. I’m confident that in
twenty years, we’ll be talking about how most
states, if not all, protect transgender folk.
That’s twenty years from now. I may not
be around then, but others will be.
through months of intense training. At the
end of the training, the actors were administered the following test. Based on their
time, the actors were each given a score.
25 pull-ups
50 deadlifts at 135 pounds
50 push-ups
50 box jumps with a 24-inch box
50 “floor wipers” at 135 pounds
50 “clean and press” at 36 pounds
25 more pull-ups
It’s a grand total
of 300 reps (just like
the name of the movie)
and it’s meant to be
performed without
any rest. Keep in mind,
the ability to punch
through this workout
test was the result of
months of training. If it
seems daunting, work
up to it over time. Completing the test can
be a great fitness goal.
If it all sounds like a lot of work, that’s
because it is. Between training, massages
and fight classes, many of the actors
worked four hours per day to achieve their
300 look. For a lot of people, that might not
be realistic–and that’s okay.
At the end of the day, 300 can–at
the very least–inspire each of us to build
stronger, healthier bodies that are fueled by
delicious and nourishing foods. We might
not end up looking like Greek gods, but we
can certainly make progress toward our
health and fitness goals.
Love,
Davey
Nowhere south of the
Mason-Dixon Line is
there a state with laws
that protect transgender
people.
Honor Your Body, Honor You by Davey Wavey
How to Get Abs
Like the Movie 300
Dear Davey,
I’m a big fan of the movie 300 and I’m
excited to see the new sequel. I’ve always
been really envious of the actors’ bodies
and especially their six pack abs, and I was
wondering what their secret is?
From,
Ben
Hey Ben,
The chiseled, strong, oiled bodies of
the men in 300 are a sight to behold–and
can certainly serve as workout motivation
and inspiration to the rest of us.
The secret to getting a highly defined
body (like those showcased in 300) really
isn’t a secret at all. It can be summed up
in two steps:
Train hard.
Eat fewer calories than you burn.
The truth is all of us have abdominal
muscles. Training hard means strengthening and developing those muscles. But
even highly developed abdominal muscles
will remain hidden if they’re covered by a
layer of body fat. Eating fewer calories than
you burn (while continuing to train hard)
is all about leaning down to a lower body
fat percentage. As you become leaner, the
coveted six pack becomes visible.
Exercise guru Mark Twight worked
with the 300 actors to whip them into shape
Ellie Krug is the author of Getting to Ellen:
A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender
Change. She welcomes your comments at
[email protected].
As we collectively march toward the
goal of legal equality, please share with
your family, friends, and most importantly,
employers, about how it’s still possible for
a landlord to deny housing to a trans person
in most of the United States. It’s not right nor
is it fair—most people readily understand
this, regardless of where they stand on the
gender spectrum.
As for me, I’ll stick it out in the Oasis
despite the snow, ice, and subzero temps.
That’s way better than being kicked out of a
warm-weather apartment because I sound
like a dude.
Eat With a Purpose!
When we talk about fitness, exercise is
only part of the equation. To get the fantastic results you really
want, you’ll need to
spend as much effort in
the kitchen as you do in
the gym. Though often
neglected, nutrition is
absolutely crucial.
To elevate the
importance of nutrition, I follow a simple
rule: Eat with a
purpose.
When I eat with a purpose, it isn’t
just to titillate my taste buds or to fill my
stomach, it’s to fuel my body with the
nutrients it needs.
Consider this. Depending on your
goal, you probably aim to consume somewhere between 1,750–3,000 calories
per day. That’s not a lot, especially when
you consider the amount of nutrients we
require on a daily basis. There’s calcium
and protein and vitamins and healthy fats
and so on…
Between training,
massages and fight
classes, many of the
actors worked four hours
per day to achieve their
300 look.
In other words, each of those calories
Davey Wavey is an AFPA certified
personal trainer shares his passion for
and knowledge of fitness, exercise, health
and nutrition with the world. For more
information go to DaveyWaveyFitness.com.
is precious–and so it makes sense to spend
them effectively and productively. You
want to get the most bang for your buck.
Sucking down an 18-ounce bottle of soda
with 200 calories will take a serious bite
out of your daily caloric allotment… and
yet won’t provide any of the nutrients your
body needs. When you eat with a purpose,
soda just isn’t a wise choice.
The bottom line: Just about everything
you eat (except for the occasional treat)
should have substantive nutritional value
and serve your fitness goals. Eat with a
purpose.
APRIL 2014
The Fun Guide
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The Fun Guide
APRIL 2014
Wired This Way by Rachel Eliason
Rachel Eliason is a forty two year old
Transsexual woman. She was given her
first computer, a Commodore Vic-20 when
she was twelve and she has been fascinated
by technology ever since. In the thirty years
since that first computer she has watched
in awe as the Internet has transformed
the LGBT community. In addition to her
column, Rachel has published a collection
of short stories, Tales the Wind Told Me
and is currently working on her debut
novel, Run, Clarissa, Run. Rachel can
be found all over the web, including on
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Goodreads.
Farewell to XP
April 8th, 2014 will mark the end of an
era. Windows XP, the most popular version
of Windows, will no longer be supported.
A short history of XP
Microsoft was formed in 1975. The
company released its first computer operating system, MS-DOS in 1981. It was text
based, you entered commands on the screen
to make programs open or run. In 1985 they
released Windows 1.0. Public reception
of this new system was lukewarm at best.
Apple had released the early Macintosh
computers in 1984 and the joke when I was
in college in 1989 was that Windows 2.0
was almost as good as those earlier apple
computers. Still IBM’s were a lot cheaper
than Apples and they came with Windows.
Windows didn’t really take off until
the mid nineties. Windows 3.0, followed
by Windows 95 and 98 lead Microsoft
to virtual domination of the personal
computer market.
This century has been marked by
alternating hits and misses for the software
giant. The millennium edition was panned
by both critics and consumers. XP, released
in 2001 has proven the most reliable and
popular version of Windows yet. Vista,
released in 2006, was unpopular. Windows
7 has been lauded by tech reviewers as one
of the best, most secure systems, but reception by consumers has been more reserved.
Windows 8, the most current version, has
struggled out of the gate. The adoption
rate for Windows 8
has been lower than
even Vista.
As a testament to
both the reliability and
popularity of Windows
XP, an estimated 500 million computers are
still running the operating system. There
are a number of reasons. Non-tech savvy
consumers don’t like change. Problems with
Vista and now 8 has scared some consumers away from upgrading. Changes in the
electronic market are important as well,
many consumers are opting to buy tablets
and devices rather than new computers.
Consumers are making due with older
desktops.
the support hotline and you will be told to
buy a new computer.
Support for third party software is
already becoming a dicey prospect. Third
party software means all those games and
programs you buy at the store or online.
You have to read the fine print to see if they
will run on XP and increasingly the answer
will be no.
Then there is internet explorer. Windows
XP comes with IE 6.
End of support for
your browser will
have most of the same
consequences in terms of security. No more
security updates and increasingly vulnerability. The web is slowly moving toward
HTML 5 and web developers, like software
companies, are less and less concerned with
how their web applications work on older
computers. You will still be able to browse
the web for the foreseeable future, but more
and more web pages will bring up errors
or display incorrectly.
Save your boot disk.
Guard those suckers
with your life.
What does the
end of support mean?
What faces the 500 million XP users on
April 8th? Never fear, your computer will
still boot up and it will still run. If you love
your Windows XP computer you can keep
right on using it, with a couple of warnings.
Save your boot disk. Guard those
suckers with your life. XP reached its “end
of sales” period back in 2008, meaning you
can’t buy an official copy. If you need a new
computer, it won’t support XP anyway. But
that’s only part of the equation.
What end of support really means is
that Microsoft will no longer issue patches
for the system. Since the majority of patches
are for security purposes that means XP
computers will be increasingly vulnerable
to viruses and hackers.
But you have antivirus software. That
should protect you right? Unfortunately
anti-virus software requires constant
updating as well. Once Microsoft has
removed support its just matter of time
before other companies follow suit. Keeping
legacy systems operational isn’t a high
priority for anyone.
Tech support is going away as well. Call
What options are there?
You can always buy a new computer.
That probably means making the leap to
Windows 8. It’s a radical redesign but after
the initial outcry (even tech people hate
change) the verdict is that it’s not that bad.
Give yourself some time to learn the new
interface.
One of the reasons that so many users
have not upgraded their computers is the
tablet revolution. Many consumers don’t
really need a computer anymore. Tablets
have limited storage but otherwise they
can meet most of the average person’s
computing needs. They can surf the net,
check email, stream video and facebook.
Another option for consumers who
mostly use their computers to surf the web
is a chromebook. These netbooks come
with their own custom operating system
based on the Chrome web browser. They are
fast, easy to use and cheap to buy. Despite
Microsoft’s multimillion dollar “Scroogled”
campaign, consumers are discovering and
loving the chromebook. One report states
as much as 23% of new computer sales are
chromebooks.
Now is also a great time to check out
Linux. Linux is a free open source operating system. There are literal hundreds of
versions available. Popular “distros” or
distributions include Ubuntu, Mint, and
Fedora. Linux is very efficient and requires
fewer resources to run. That makes it ideal
for keeping an older computer alive and
running. There are multiple desktops, or
user interfaces, available. Some, like LXDE,
look and work a lot like the classic Windows
interface. As I joked when Windows 8 came
out, Linux is now more like Windows than
Windows. Most versions of Linux can be
downloaded and there are multiple tutorials on how to burn a boot disk and install it.
The good news for XP users is that your
computer isn’t going to stop running on the
end date. You can start researching your
options and make an informed decision.
APRIL 2014
CHLOE BELLE
auction. My goal each year is to raise more
money than the year before, last year we
raised about $2,200 and my goal this year
is $2,500.
My most memorable moment would
be last year...Woolys donated their venue
for free. It showed that they wanted to get
involved with the LGBT community in Des
Moines and that meant the world to me. I
can’t thank them enough!
This year...we are doing a meet and
greet of the Capital City Pride Drag Race
contestants at 7pm. Then the main show
at 9pm with performers from all over the
state. There will also be a silent auction
of art items, only this year, from artists in
Iowa. Some drawings, some pottery, stuff
like that. All made here locally! There
will also be shot boys and we are doing a
small auction with a few very good looking
gentlemen (and hopefully ladies) where
you “buy” a date with them and we furnish
the gift cards! That is new this year and
I’m very excited for it!
Performers this year include Cityview’s
Best Drag Queen in Des Moines Tyona
Diamond, Dominique Cass, The Saddle
Boys, all of the pride drag race contestants,
Satine LaChance, and many more!
There isn’t really a theme this year.
It’s on Easter Sunday night, so I guess you
could say Easter is the theme—pastels...etc!
I would like to thank ALL of the people
donating their time, work, and talents in
performing and auction items. I’d like
to thank David Lewis and the crew at Le
Boi for hosting the event. Beau Fodor of
Panache for donating his time and talent
decorating the event. And of course our
community for coming together to build
up each year!
The Benefit is Sunday, April 20th at Le
Boi Bar 508 Indianola Ave. To reserve tables
for $20 each, email mschloebelle@yahoo.
com (we only have a total of ten tables).
Anybody that has donations (art, gift cards,
etc) can email or drop them off at Le Boi and
let them know it’s for the Pride Benefit! All
donations are graciously accepted!
ALPHAs
ALPHAs have a meet and greet every
third (3rd) Friday of the month, held at
Icon’s Martini Bar located at 124 18th Street
in Rock Island. It’s a gathering for members
of the LGBT community, supporters and
friends to socialize, celebrate and get to
know one another over martinis. Events are
posted on Facebook at alphaselitecrew@
facebook.com or for more information
contact [email protected].
The Fun Guide
ACCESSline Page 15
The Fun Guide
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APRIL 2014
Our Stories review by Sarah Hoskins
out to stay alive and save whatever is left of
the world. Who would ever have thought that
a zombie apocalypse would be humorous?
“‘One minute they were dead, the next,
undead. Sort of. Like, uh, mostly dead but
with privileges. And by the looks of things,
they know we’re in here, and they look kinda
hungry, if you ask me.’
Blondella pointed at Kit. ‘Buffet.’”
The story is fun from start to finish. The
“girls” are magnificent and they make the
survivors they meet along the way a part of
the fun. The determination and grit shown in
the face of terror, with a little quip thrown in
here and there, is just another aspect of drag
queens that stereotypes
tear down. The author
sets out to create a
world where things can
be better, showing that
in the end we all really
are alike, and that when
in a living versus dead
setting all bets are off and anyone can be
your best ally.
Rob Rosen brings to life the dramatic
world in which drag queens are the center
that brings and holds their community, any
community, together. Entertaining as they
are, they are people
too and this book
highlights that in true
drag fashion, with
pure fun, hijinks, and
drama. Rosen’s world
is purely entertaining
on the surface but he
addresses many in the “now” issues that
the LGBT community, and drag queens in
particular, face every day.
“Queens of the Apocalypse” by Rob Rosen
is available as an e-book on Amazon.com.
Who would ever have
thought that a zombie
apocalypse would be
humorous?
“Queens of the
Apocalypse” by Rob Rosen
This witty, sarcastic tale of 3 queens
going on the adventure of a lifetime, while
tackling the zombie apocalypse, is an
engrossing comedy. It is well written and
embraces stereotypes about drag queens
and turns them into a bridge to a new
understanding of the inner sanctum of the
drag community. The book is riddled with
amusing quips, glimpses of true vulnerability,
feats of emotional and character strengths
and an adventure that compels you to finish.
From the dressing room of a seedy
gay bar in San Francisco, on a jaunt across
country to New York battling zombies, Miss
Kit Kat, Blondella and Destiny St. James set
Across
1 Where boxers are visible
5 Prick
9 Regarding
13 Chocolate sandwich
14 Part used in forking around
15 Direction from Stephen Pyles
16 Last name in out talk-show hosts
18 Emulate Clay Aiken
19 Start of a Dallas Buyers Club med
comment
21 Wilde country
24 The Wizard of Oz scorer Harold
25 Balls in battle
26 Whitman and Proust
28 Wolfson of Freedom to Marry
29 Bethlehem product
31 End of a Dallas Buyers Club med
comment
36 Sentence subjects, often
37 Like Palm Springs’ climate
39 No one can collect it
43 One ruled by a dictator?
44 Freudian slip follower
45 Lickety-split
47 Character who made the comment
50 Disney sci-fi flick
51 Rita Mae Brown novel
55 Type of crime
56 A girl named Frank
57 Singer Anita
58 You might ride one in Aspen
59 Monster’s loch
60 Fairy godmother’s stick
Q-PUZZLE: Dallas Buyers Club Med
Down
1 Poet McKuen
2 It makes one hot
3 Master of photog.
4 Tries for a Hail Mary
5 Howard, who went drag for Miss
America
6 Fagged out
7 From the top
8 Rupert Everett’s The Next _ Thing
9 State with conviction
10 Sit on, in a way
11 Fire starter
12 Keyboardists finger them
17 Home st. of Maupin
20 Ethiopia’s Selassie
21 “___ Got You Under You Under
My Skin”
22 Sitarist Shankar
23 Cowboy actor Jack
26 Get off the breast
27 Stonewall Jackson and others
29 Like an A-List gay
30 Oddly shaped testicle?
32 Bridge bid, briefly
33 Transfer of computer info
34 Unrefined metals
35 “Is so!” rebuttal
38 Initial sound, in The Sound of
Music
39 Results of nongay sex
40 Lacking family values
41 Indicate
42 Occurred to (with “on”)
43 Where a cobbler puts the tongue
45 Jeremy of Brideshead Revisited
46 Schnozzolas
48 The Good Earth heroine
49 Ready to come out of the oven
52 Lupino of Women’s Prison
53 Boy played by Martin and Duncan
54 Rock guitarist Barrett
• SOLUTION ON PAGE 15
The Fun Guide
APRIL 2014
ACCESSline Page 17
319 DRAG
or even new faces.
Jayden Knight: My favorite show so far
has been our last show—March Mystery
Madness. A good friend of mine, Frank
Lee Overit, performed alongside us. Plus,
it was my first time back since I had taken
a break to work on some things.
What is your favorite costume and why?
Charlie Diamond: Batman footie PJs
was probably my favorite!
Jayden Knight: My favorite costume
would be my Marilyn Manson outfit. I get
real into it, white face paint, fake blood,
a leather trench coat, ripped bloody
clothes—the whole nine yards!
JD Lesbiani: It would be my Elvis
outfit, it took a lot to make it and it is a
blast to be the king!
Star E Knight: My favorite costume
would be my red button down shirt with
my vest. I also wear my skinny jeans and
my skater shoes—I love the way I look
when I dress up! It may or may not have a
tie but I feel famous when I wear it.
Would you pick sequins or leather?
JD Lesbiani: Maybe both. You can
never have too many sequins! [Laughs]
Charlie Diamond: Sequins or
leather, hmm…I would have to pass
on both of those—not really my style.
Star E Knight: I wouldn’t wear sequins
unless I was doing a Prince Song, but
I would definitely wear leather! I love
motorcycles and I like leather jackets too.
Jayden Knight: Leather all the way!
Reminds me of Adam
Lambert.
If you could learn
any dance move,
which one would
it be?
Charlie Diamond:
Not too sure about this…but I would
probably pick the Freddie! [Laughs]
Star E Knight: Out of all the dance moves
I can think of I would love to be able to
break dance! I think it would take my
performance to the next level and I don’t
see a lot of people who can do it. My second
choice would be to learn how to liquid
Charlie Diamond
dance—I’m just not that graceful though.
Jayden Knight: The Shuffle
JD Lesbiani: Not sure not much of a
dancer so maybe… just learn to dance. I
also love to do funny songs.
Who would you dance
with if you could pick
anyone in the world,
past or present?
Jayden Knight:
It would be a tough
decision it would be
between, dancing with Marilyn Monroe
and performing along side of Joey D.
Drag King!
JD Lesbiani: That is a hard one. I really
have no idea. Maybe Elvis so I could learn
more of his moves.
Charlie Diamond: I would love to
dance with my girlfriend Sara; she would
be my only dance partner
You get to experience a
whole new world—women
into men, gender bending.
Jayden Knight
in my life.
Star E Knight:
I’m not much of a dancer but I would like
to dance with my grandmother. She died
before I was born and I’m not sure what
she would think about my lifestyle, but
just to see her once and get to know her
would be the biggest gift in my life.
Tell me one of your guilty pleasures?
Charlie Diamond:
Cake would be a big
one—Charlie loves
cake! Just a fare
warning. [Laughs] Star E Knight: I love to
read. If I had a couple
hours in the day and
a book lying around, I would read it. It
brings out my imagination and makes me
apart of the story.
Star E Knight
Jayden Knight: I would say watching
movies at home and eating junk food—
everybody has to have that little bad side!
JD Lesbiani: CHOCOLATE! [Laughs]
What’s a great reason to see a Drag King
performance?
Charlie Diamond: A great reason to
see a drag king performance. Well, they are
so much different
than a queen show
that you just don’t
know what you’ll be
seeing until you get
there! There’s a lot of
great talent out there with new or old
kings, they still strut their stuff to make
everyone happy.
Star E Knight: Until a year ago, I had
never seen a drag show in my life! Before
I met Jayden I was going to go to a pride
festival with some of my friends—just to
see just how it happened.
In these shows there is no judgment
and there is lots of diversity! You get to
meet a lot of people and maybe even you
meet your soul mate…that’s kind of what
happened to me. But I met my soul mate
two months before, and I got to perform
in the pride festival with him!
JD Lesbiani: To see the outfits and the
performance itself. Nothing better than
being at a show, seeing someone take the
stage and kill it with the perfect music
and outfit.
Jayden Knight: Because you get to
experience a whole new world—women
into men, gender bending. Plus, it’s always
fun to see what new acts they are going
to perform!
Also I just want to shout out to my
fans. Thanks for the love and support,
staying by my side through my journey as
a king—you mean the world to me.
To learn more about the 319 Drag
Kings find them on Facebook.com.
I wouldn’t wear sequins
unless I was doing a
Prince Song, but I would
definitely wear leather!
JD Lesbiani
ACCESSline Page 18
The Fun Guide
APRIL 2014
ONE AND EVERY-ONE by Juan Carlos Herrera
Five years after the Supreme Court of
Iowa declared that it was “firmly convinced”
that “the exclusion of gay and lesbian people
from the institution of civil marriage” [….]
“excluded a historically disfavored class of
persons from a supremely important civil
institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification”, ONE AND EVERY-ONE is
a series of photos produced by photographer
Juan Carlos Herrera to celebrate the fifth year
of equal rights in the Heart of America. ONE
AND EVERY-ONE is a series of photo portraits
of members of the Iowa LGBT community
(including Drag Kings and Queens) that will
be continued through the week before Pride.
While he lived his teens and twenties surrounded by the Latin American
synchronic cultural experience that is tied to
the Caribbean Sea, Juan Carlos Herrera spent
his childhood in the Midwest. In Venezuela,
he graduated from the Universidad Central
de Venezuela with a BA in Literature, and
studied photography with Latin American
visual artists like Nelson Garrido. It can be
said that his experience reading and writing
between two cultures expresses itself also
in his photography. With a background in
fashion and artistic photography in Venezuela, and a journalistic background acquired
in the Midwest, where he came back to get
his MA in Latin American literature with
a focus on visual arts and gender/sexual
identity, among the themes that Juan explores
since his early years in Venezuela are gender,
sexual and cultural identity. The series ONE
and EVERY-ONE is a series of portraits of
members of the Iowa LGBT community that
challenge and celebrate identity, love and
marriage as unquestionable rights for EVERYONE. They are portraits of a community that
celebrates uniqueness and love for everyone
and everybody. The photos are a celebration
of Marriage and Identity in Iowa’s LGBT
community.
If you have an interest in being a part
of this project, please contact Juan Carlos
Herrera on Facebook or follow him on twitter
at @Vagamundo35mm.
Above: Maxxx E. Mum of the I.C. Kings
Above and below: Elizabeth Jackson.
Above and left: Franky D. Lover of the I.C. Kings
APRIL 2014
The Fun Guide
ACCESSline Page 19
Above left and below: Maxxx E. Mum of the I.C. Kings, Above right and below: Laura Ruebling.
Above: Holden Cider of the 319 Drag Kings
Below: Olly Wood
ACCESSline Page 20
The Fun Guide
APRIL 2014
Above: JD Lesbiani of the 319 Kings, Below: Kat Cannon.
Above: Maeby Darling, Below: Maxxx E. Mum of the I.C. Kings .
APRIL 2014
The Fun Guide
ACCESSline Page 21
ACCESSline Page 22
FFBC: Live Healthy, Live
Proud, Get Covered by Bruce Carr
rights for all. “It’s a non-issue for them,” she
said, “It’s a Meh…!” Same-sex marriage is the
New Normal in Iowa.
Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel is One Iowa’s
Health and Wellness Coordinator, to which
One Iowa Executive Director,
Donna Red Wing.
Our guest speaker on Friday morning,
March 7, 2014, was Donna Red Wing, Executive Director of One Iowa. It was Red Wing’s
third appearance before our group; she had
been one of our very first speakers, in April
1999, and returned again in August 2012
shortly after she moved to Iowa. Red Wing
brought with her this time her colleague
Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel, LGBT Health & Wellness Coordinator for One Iowa.
Red Wing and Hoffman-Zinnel’s mission
on March 7 was to present to us—as part of
an informational series sponsored by the
Iowa Insurance Division—the specifics of the
federal government’s new Affordable Care
Act as they relate to LGBT citizens. Starting
in 2014, she noted, every individual must
have minimum essential coverage, or else
must pay a tax penalty. The Health Insurance Marketplace (www.HealthCare.gov) is a
great way for people to explore a wide range
of coverage plans with a single application.
Applicants shopping for insurance on the
Marketplace will have the choice of multiple
insurers, and all plans offered will meet the
minimal essential coverage requirements.
Red Wing was particularly excited that
certain preventive services particularly
important to LGBT people are to be covered
by insurance as Essential Health Benefits,
including HIV testing, depression screening, and tobacco use screening. In addition,
subsidies will allow millions of working-class
people, including LGBT people, to afford to
buy health insurance for the first time.
The most moving moment of the presentation came right at the beginning, when Red
Wing pointed to that very morning’s frontpage Iowa Poll, reporting that a plurality of
Iowans now have no objection to marriage
Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel, One Iowa’s Health
and Wellness Coordinator.
he brings seven years of non-profit experience. Currently he is Chair of the LGBT
Health Initiative of Iowa and has been a
coalition member since 2008. In addition,
he is Co-Chair of the Health Equity and
Disparities Committee of the Iowa Cancer
Consortium, and has worked with the Iowa
Cancer Consortium on the Iowa CommunityBased Cancer Prevention Project. He was the
Karen Packer Spirit of Collaboration Award
recipient at the 2012 Iowa Cancer Summit.
Hoffman-Zinnel received his Master of Arts
in Health Studies from the University of
Alabama and is a Certified Health Education
Specialist. He can be reached at daniel@
oneiowa.org.
Donna Red Wing has decades of
experience in working for full equality for
LGBT people across the country, serving as
Executive Director of Grassroots Leadership
before she moved here to head up One Iowa
two years ago. In her years as a visionary
leader, she was Executive Director of Interfaith Alliance, Policy Director of The Gill
Foundation, National Field Director for the
Human Rights Campaign, the National Field
Director for The Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD), and Executive
Director of The Lesbian Community Project.
She can be reached at [email protected],
515-288-4019.
APRIL 2014
APRIL 2014
ACCESSline Page 23
From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev. Jonathan Page
Talking
About the “S” Word
Sin. There, I said it. It is a word that
none of us like to hear. I cannot recall
meeting anyone who likes to talk about
sin, either their own or that of others. It
brings up so many feelings of guilt and
self-loathing. As a gay man, the word sin is
particularly repulsive. Who among us has
not felt some degree of shame for being
gay, and how often has that been linked to
the concept of sin?
It is remarkable to see how many
churches today agree with that assessment. Starting in the early 20th century,
liberal Christian churches began to alter
or remove their confessions of sin from
Sunday morning service. Today in many
evangelical churches, they leave out the
confession of sin in spite of the fact that they
claim to embrace a robust concept of sin.
Confessions of sin are inconvenient. They
make us feel bad. So, leave it out.
Recently, however, I have been doing
some reading that has challenged me to
think some more about sin. Specifically,
I have been reading about oil producing
countries in West Africa. A little random, I
know, but it has been fascinating. Take the
example of Nigeria.
Oil was discovered in Nigeria in 1956.
Four years later the country secured
independence from Great Britain. Initially,
half the revenue from oil was going to be
directed at the local communities who
supplied the oil. In 1966, there was a mili-
tary coup, and things took a dramatic turn
for the worse. By 1990, only 3% of the oil
revenue was allocated to the communities
that supplied the oil, usually in the form of
“development” schemes that were more of
a way to enrich the government cronies
who carried out the contracts. The oil
region was one of the
most polluted areas
on the planet and one
of the poorest areas in
Nigeria.
Then, in the early
1990s, a non-violent, grassroots movement
emerged in the Niger Delta. That movement brought international attention to
the suffering of the people as a result of the
oil industry. The government played along
for a while, but in 1995 they executed the
leaders of this movement on trumped up
charges. Through it all, the oil continued
to flow uninterrupted.
Unsurprisingly, the movement that
had begun as a peaceful movement, turned
violent. They did targeted kidnapping of oil
workers and sabotaged the production of
oil where they could. In response, the Bush
administration denounced this movement
as a terrorist group and showed their full
support for our ally—Nigeria. In the wake
of 9/11, the US needed to secure its nonMiddle Eastern sources of oil. That meant
supporting Nigeria, Angola, Chad, and
Equatorial Guinea no matter what their
level of corruption or the number of human
rights violations.
Every time we go to the gas station to fill
up, we support the worldwide oil industry.
Who among us would advocate for higher
gas prices if only we could avoid supporting
corrupt and abusive regimes? The reality is
that the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations have taken the same position visà-vis the oil producing countries of West
Africa. We want their
oil, and so we make
moral compromises
to get it.
The vast majority of us consider
ourselves to be good people. We try to abide
by some version of the Golden Rule: do unto
others as we would have them do unto us.
What does that mean for our tacit
support of the oil industry? We live in the
United States. We have few options. We are
not actively harming others, but we are
supporting a system that does bad things.
What about the corrupt government
officials in Nigeria? They are trying to
support their families and get ahead while
functioning within their society. They
cannot singlehandedly change the system.
For them, that means corruption and
protecting the oil in the Niger Delta. The
rebels in the Niger Delta are also trying to
do what they think is right, even if it means
perpetrating violence against innocent oil
workers. The oil companies are merely
trying to make profits for their shareholders. That means they have to work with bad
governments. Are they to blame?
This brings me back to the concept
of sin. How do we describe the complex
As a gay man, the
word sin is particularly
repulsive.
FFBC member Jonathan Page.
web of moral choices that makes up the
world? How can we hold up the good in
the midst of our society? Perhaps the first
step is an honest acknowledgment that we
are involved in bad things. We do mess up.
If we can begin there, maybe we can have
a dialogue about how to move beyond it
and make ourselves, and the world, better.
ACCESSline Page 24
APRIL 2014
2014 Mr & Miss Blazing Saddle interview by Angela Geno-Stumme
Miss Blazing Saddle Janeeda DeMornay Diamond & Mr Blazing Saddle Aaron Albright.
Photo courtesy of Greg Tew.
Aaron Albright and Janeeda DeMornay Diamond won the right to represent
the Blazing Saddle Saturday, March 29th.
Mr & Miss Blazing Saddle 2013, Des and
Kata Klysmic, stepped down for Mr & Miss
Blazing Saddle 2014. Aaron and Janeeda
took the time to answer a few questions
on the competition, surprises during the
night, and their responsibilities during
their reign.
How did you feel competing for
Miss Blazing Saddle?
Competing for Miss Blazing Saddle
Janeeda DeMornay Diamond during the
talent portion of Miss Blazing Saddle
competition. Photo courtesy of Greg Tew.
was a personal test for me. I felt great
about competing in it and honestly it
didn’t even feel like a competition, it felt
more like a show that I got to do with my
drag sisters.
How did you feel competing for Mr.
Blazing Saddle?
I love the Saddle. I consider it a second
home of sorts… my family. I was honored to
play a part in the evening and work to gain
the responsibility of representing the bar…
and I love the stage, so any opportunity to
perform is a good night by me.
What did you do to compete?
Janeeda DeMornay Diamond: What I
did to compete was just relax. I took the
month off from doing other shows and just
focused on me. I took time to make sure
everything was prepared and lined up and
not last minute (that’s usually how I roll).
Aaron Albright: The competition is
made up of 3 parts: talent, bar-wear and
onstage question. I’m a member of the
burlesque troupe The Fox Family, so for
my talent performance my dance partner,
Satine LaChance, and I did a routine to
Lana Del Ray’s “American”. A performance
in which I played a disheveled, drug
addicted doll maker, dressing and then
undressing Satine in order to construct
the perfect companion… the perfect drug.
For bar-wear, I whipped out some leather
gear and spruced it up with a bedazzled
blazer while I rattled off the address to the
Blazing Saddle which was the answer to
my (very simple) onstage trivia question
Have you ever competed before?
Aaron Albright: Just recently I
competed against local and non-local male
performers for the title of Mr. Supernova
2014, a preliminary title to Mr. Gay Iowa.
I was flattered to have won that title
as it was my first real taste of performance competition as opposed to merely
performing for the love of performing.
Janeeda DeMornay Diamond: I have
competed in a handful of competition and I
always ended up being the bridesmaid and
not the bride. There has been Miss Teen
Iowa, AAG (All American Goddess), and
Miss Le-Boi. All of the competition helped
me to grow and learn from my mistakes.
What was your favorite part of the
competition?
Janeeda DeMornay Diamond: I would
have to say my favorite part of the competition would have to be the whole thing! The
friendships and the sisterhood made the
whole thing enjoyable and well worth it.
Aaron Albright: Like I mentioned, I
love the stage. I can dress up and parade
myself around until my legs fall off, but as a
musician and an entertainer my heart will
always be in the performance. The adrenaline I receive in an attempt to depict a story
to my audience through music, by trying to
make my audience feel an emotion… that
will always be my favorite part.
Were there any surprises for you
during the competition?
Aaron Albright: Realizing I’d forgotten
part of my costume for my performance
number minutes before the show. Thank
God drag queens wear boys’ clothes sometimes. [Laughs] Janeeda, your new Miss
Aaron Albright & Satine LaChance during
the talent portion of Mr Blazing Saddle
competition. Photo courtesy of Greg Tew.
Blazing Saddle 2014, stepped in and lent
me a stand-in garment. Gotta love that
encouraging and generous attitude of
Saddle goers. It’s quite a common quality
within their patrons.
Janeeda DeMornay Diamond: There
were not really any surprises. Maybe the
onstage question? But I had that in the bag!
What will you do as Mr Blazing
Saddle 2014?
Albright: My responsibilities are
simple: march in the pride parade and
Crowning of the new Miss Blazing Saddle.
Photo courtesy of Greg Tew.
throw a fundraising benefit show during
the year. Both of these requirements were
already in the works. Next month, The Fox
Family and my other entertainment family,
The Saddle Boys, will put on a benefit
show where a portion of the proceeds
will be donated to local families suffering
from domestic violence. The Saddle Boys
will also be throwing shows throughout
2014 to raise money for various causes
near and dear to us. If I can play a part,
however big or small, and be a source of
help and relief to others just by performing and doing what I love to do, I can’t
think of a way I’d rather spend my time.
If the Blazing Saddle’s taught me anything
in the few short years I’ve been a patron
there, it’s the fact that community isn’t
just an important thing, it’s everything.
In times of need, it can be all we have. As
Mr. Blazing Saddle 2014, I’m ecstatic for
the year to come and beyond grateful for
the opportunity to represent an establishment that has welcomed me and countless
others into their family with open arms.
Janeeda DeMornay Diamond: The sky
is the limit for me since becoming Miss
Blazing Saddle. I have so much in store and
plan on great things for this community.
Are there any people you would
like to thank?
Janeeda DeMornay Diamond: I would
like to thank the Blazing Saddle, Kata
Kylsmic, The Diamonds, and everyone’s
support.
Aaron Albright: I’d love nothing more
than to get mushy with my response, but
I’ll try to tame it down. Kata Klysmic (Miss
Gay Iowa 2013)… whatever I am today
was hiding, camped out deep inside of me
somewhere just a short year ago. When
I’d let myself be defeated, you resurrected
whatever ambition in me that had died.
Thank you. Thank you Saddle Boys and
Fox Family for sharing equally in my love
and unbridled passion for creativity and
performance. The list goes on, but in an
effort to be short and sweet, I’ll conclude
by thanking the Blazing Saddle. Thanks
for being the family I’d been looking for.
For more information you can find
Aaron and Janeeda on Facebook.com.
APRIL 2014
ACCESSline Page 25
ACCESSline Page 26
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.ACCESSlineAMERICA.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 (712) 560-1807.
The ACCESSline is
expanding our resource
directory to include
heartland resources
outside of Iowa. Please
bear with us as we
continue improving our
resource directory.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Breur Media Corporation : Website Consultation,
Design, Programming, and Hosting.
HIV and STD Testing Sites near You, including
places where you can get tested for free:
hivtest.org/
Crisis or Suicide National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline: suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Information on Mental Health National Alliance
on Mental Illness: nami.org
Counseling, Information and Resources about
Sexual Orientation GLBT National Help Center:
glnh.org or 1-888-843-4564
Information on Mental Health for Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender nami.org
Information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Health, cdc.gov
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350,
Washington, DC 20005, victoryfund.org
202-VICTORY [842-8679]
Human Rights Campaign,
National political organization, lobbies congress
for lesbian & gay issues, political training state
and local, hrc.org, 1-800-777-HRCF[4723]
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund
I I E. Adams, Suite 1008, Chicago, IL 60603
lambdalegal.org, 312-663-4413
Rivendell Media National Advertising
212-242-6863, [email protected]
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) ngltf.org - taskforce.org
1325 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Ste 600, Washington, DC, 20005
National Organization for Women (NOW)
733 15th ST NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20005, now.org
202-628-8669
PFLAG National Offices
1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington,
DC 20005, [email protected] - pflag.org, 202-4678180
The Trevor Lifeline
|Crisis and suicide prevention lifeline for
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
questioning youth. (866) 4-U-TREVOR - (866)
488-7386 Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. All calls are toll-free and confidential thetrevorproject.org/
IOWA ORGANIZATIONS
Equality Iowa
P.O. Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125, equalityiowa.
org - 515-537-3126
Faithful Voices
Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality
project. 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
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 (IAGRA)
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 - Iowapridenetwork.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 - OneIowa.org
PrimeTimers of Central Iowa. A social group
for mature gay/bi men and their admirers.
Several social events during each month. Find
us on Facebook: “PrimeTimers of Central Iowa”.
Email: [email protected].
The Quire
Eastern Iowa’s GLBT chorus, thequire.org
NEBRASKA ORGANIZATIONS
(LIST IN PROGRESS)
Citizens For Equal Protection-402-398-3027
1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102.
cfep-ne.org - [email protected]
The Imperial Court of Nebraska
Meets the third Monday of Every month at the
Rainbow Outreach Resource Center at 17th and
Leavenworth in Omaha, NE. Meetings start at
6pm and are open to the public.
PO Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103
Nebraska AIDS Project
Omaha Office (Home Office)
250 South 77th Street Suite A
Omaha, NE 68114
(402) 552-9260 - Email us: [email protected]
(also serving Southwest Iowa)
AMES, IOWA
Collegiate United Methodist Church / Wesley
Foundation, 2622 Lincoln Way, 50014, School
Year worship Sunday 8:30am, 11:00 am and
5:30 pm followed by fellowship www.
cwames.org or find us on facebook.
First United Methodist Church
516 Kellogg Ave, Ames, IA 50010, Contemporary worship Sat 5:30; Sun 8:30 & 11am
acswebnetworks.com/firstunitedmcames/ 515232-2750
ISU LGBTA Alliance
GLBT Support, Activism, Social Events, Newsletter - 515-344-4478
L East Student Office Space,2229 Lincoln Way,
Ames, IA 50014-7163, [email protected]
- alliance.stuorg.iastate.edu
Living with HIV Program, MICA
230 SE 16th Street, Ames, IA 50010, Ask for
Helen (Director), 515-956-3333 ext. 106 or
800-890-8230
Lord of Life Lutheran - 515-233-2350
2126 Gable Lane, Ames 50014, Services
Sundays at 9:00a.m.; Wed. 7:00pm.
PFLAG Ames at Youth and Shelter Services
Offices, 420 Kellogg Ave. 50010, 2nd Tuesday,
7 pm, [email protected] or find us on
facebook.
Romantics Pleasure Palace
117 Kellogg Street, Ames, IA 50010-3315
romantixonline.com 515-232-7717
United Church of Christ-Congregational
217 6th Street, Ames, Iowa, 50010, Sunday
Continental Breakfast, 9:00am; Sunday School,
9:30am; Worship 10:45am. office@amesucc.
org 515-232-9323
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
1015 Hyland Ave. Summer services: 10:00 am,
Sunday. Services 10 a.m. for the rest of the
summer. Contact [email protected] and www.
uufames.org or call 515-231-8150.
Unity Church of Ames - unityofames.com
226 9th St, Ames, IA 50010-6210, Sunday service and Sunday school 10:30am. Wednesday
mediation 6:30pm
Daily dial-a-blessing 515-233-1613
ARNOLDS PARK, OKOBOJI,
SPENCER, SPIRIT LAKE, IOWA
The Royal Wedding Chapel
504 Church Street, Royal, IA 51357
712-933-2223 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 513310486 - 712-332-5043
[email protected]. wilsonresource.org
BURLINGTON, IOWA
Arrowhead Motel - arrowheadia.com
2520 Mount Pleasant St, Burlington, IA 526012118 - 319-752-6353
Faith Lutheran Church E L C A
3109 Sunnyside Ave, Burlington, IA 52601
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
PFLAG Burlington at Zion United Church of
Christ, 412 N. 5th St., 52601, (319)671-0332.
Meetings held the 3rd thursday at 7PM.
RISQUES IV (adult store)
421 Dry Creek Ave, West Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-5455, Sun - Wed 8am-Midnight
Thurs - Sat Open 24 Hours, 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 uuburlington.org
CEDAR FALLS - WATERLOO, IOWA
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, cvcounseling.com
[email protected].
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry.
In Lutheran Center, 2616 College St, Cedar
Falls, IA - 319-415-5747, [email protected],
episcopalcampus.org
Community AIDS Assistance Project (CAAP)
- PO Box 36, Waterloo, IA 50704
LGBTA Support Group at
Hawkeye Community College, Call Carol at
319-296-4014 or [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
304 W. 4th St, Waterloo, IA, 319-232-3001
Romantix Waterloo (Adult Emporium)
1507 La Porte Rd, Waterloo, IA 50702
319-234-9340, romantixonline.com
Stellas Guesthouse
324 Summit Ave, Waterloo, IA
Private B&B, Overnight accommodations for
adults only. 319-232-2122
St. Lukes Episcopal Church - 319-277-8520
2410 Melrose Dr, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Services: Sunday 8:00 & 10:15, Thurs 11:30 st-lukes-episcopal.org
St. Timothys United Methodist Church
3220 Terrace Drive, Cedar Falls, 50613
sttims-umc.org, 319-266-0464, info@sttimsumc-org, “Welcome of all persons, including
those of all sexual orientations and gender
identities.”
Together For Youth
233 Vold Dr, Waterloo, IA 50703,
TogetherForYouth.net 319-274-6768
UNI-LGBTA
Alliance-Student Organization, Center/Maucker
Union, CM 0167, University of Northern Iowa,
Cedar Falls, IA [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 - 319-266-5640
3912 Cedar Heights Dr, Cedar Falls, IA
CEDAR RAPIDS/MARION, IOWA
Adult Shop
630 66th Ave SW, 319-362-4939
Adult Shop North
5539 Crane Lane, 319-294-5360
CRPrideFest (formerly Cedar Rapids Unity)
Social activities, non-profit Pride festival organization. PO Box 1643 Cedar Rapids 52406-1643
- CRPrideFest.com
Christ Episcopal Church
“We have a place for you.” 220 40th Street
NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404, 319-363-2029 ChristEpiscopal.org
Belle’s Basix - 319-363-3194
Open 5pm to 2am M-F, Sat & Sun 3pm-2am
3916 1st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids
Club CO2, A GLBTQA Nightclub, 616 2nd Ave
SE, 319-365-0225, Open 7 days a week 4PM2AM, Happy hour from 4-8 pm, club-co2.com
Coe Alliance
GLBTQ and straight students, staff and people
from the community. Coe College, 1220 First
Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. coealliance@
coe.edu
or Erica Geers, faculty advisor at 319-861-6025
Community Health Free Clinic
947 14th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 319-363-0416 - 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
- 319-364-1580
1103 3rd St. SE, [email protected]
Diversity Focus,
222 2nd Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401,
319-363-3707, DiversityFocus.org, Lead in the
promotion of diversity, cultural awareness, and
inclusion in the Corridor community.
Eden United Church of Christ
351 8th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
(319) 362-7805
Sunday School 9am - Worship 10:15am
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
For more info, contact linnstonewall@ gmail.com
People’s Church Unitarian Universalist
A welcoming congregation. 4980 Gordon Ave
NW, Cedar Rapids, IA. Worship starts at 10 AM
and Adult and Children Religious Education is
at 11:15 AM on Sundays.
319-362-9827 - peoplesuu.org
PFLAG CR, Linn Co and Beyond
Support Group meets on the 2nd Thursday
at 7pm - call for details. 319-431-0673,
[email protected], www.pflagcr.com
The Linn County Stonewall Democrats
Meet 2nd Wednesdays, Blue Strawberry, 118
2nd St SE in Cedar Rapids, IA. Contact Harvey
S. Ross, [email protected].
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. - riess.org, 319-390-6376, georgia523@yahoo.
com
- [email protected]
Unity Center of Cedar Rapids
“A center of positive, practical Christianity.”
4980 Gordon NE, Cedar Rapids
unitycr.org - (319) 393-5422
CLINTON, IOWA
18 and Beyond (aka ABC Books),
135 5th Ave South, 563-242-7687
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, IOWA
Council Bluffs Community Alliance
“…will promote the city of Council Bluffs as a
developing gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender
family community, & to assure the equality of all
Council Bluffs’ residents.”
CouncilBluffsCommunityAlliance.org
Council Bluffs NOW
PO Box 3325, Omaha, NE 68103-0325
Romantix Council Bluffs (North)
(Adult Emporium) 3216 1st Ave, Council Bluffs,
IA 51501-3353-romantixonline.com-515-9559756
Romantix Council Bluffs (South)
(Romantix After Dark) 50662 189th St, Council
Bluffs, IA 51503
romantixonline.com, 712-366-1764
DECORAH, IOWA
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, 563-3871040.
Luther College PRIDE-Diversity Center,
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101
Contact Charles 563-210-6570
PFLAG Northeast IA (Waukon/Decorah)
Meets 4th Monday of the month at 7 PM in
Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center, 119
Winnebago St., Decorah. Contact Ellen C. at
563-380-4626.
APRIL 2014
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Meets alternating Sundays at 10:30am, Decorah
Senior Center, 806 River St, Call Bill at 563382-3458.
DES MOINES, IOWA
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
theblazingsaddle.com - 515-246-1299
Buddies Corral
418 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA - 515-244-7140
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, 4126 Ingersoll Ave, Des Moines
- [email protected]
Des Moines Pride Center
@ One Iowa (temporary location) 419 SW, 8th
St., Des Moines, IA 50309
Family Practice Center - 515-953-7560
Safe, supportive LGBT health care. 200 Army
Post Road, Ste 26, ppgi.org
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] ffbciowa.org
First Unitarian Church
1800 Bell Avenue, Services Sundays at 9:30 &
11am - 515-244-8603, ucdsm.org
Franklin Family Practice
Dr. Joe Freund, MD
4908 Franklin Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310
515-280-4930, [email protected],
UCSOnline.org/FranklinFamilyPractice
The Gallery (adult store)
1000 Cherry St, Des Moines, IA 50309-4227
- (515) 244-2916 Open 24 Hrs, LoversPlayground.com
The Garden
112 SE 4th Des Moines, IA, 515-243-3965
Wed-Sun. 8pm-2am grdn.com
Gay & Lesbian AA & AI-Anonymous
Mon 7pm; Tue-Thu 6pm; Sat. 5:30pm, 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
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
MINX Show Palace - 515-266-2744
1510 NE Broadway, Des Moines, IA 50313
MCC of Central Iowa
2500 University Ave, 2nd Floor Chapel,
Worship, Sunday at 11:00 am, Pastor’s Email:
[email protected], 515-393-7565
North Star Gay Rodeo Association of IGRA,
Iowa Division of North Star, NSGRA@NSGRA.
org or 612-82-RODEO
Primary Health Care Inc., David Yurdin, 2353 SE
14th St., Des Moines, 503020, Works with GLBT
ages 16 to geriatric, 25 years of experience.
515-248-1427
Rainbow Union, Drake University
[email protected]
PFLAG Des Moines - 515-243-0313
1300 Locust , Des Moines, IA 50312
Plymouth Congregational UCC
Church and the Plymouth GLBT Community
4126 Ingersoll Ave. 515-255-3149
Services at 9am & I lam Sunday. 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.
Pride Alliance, AIB College of Business
Gay and straight students celebrating diversity.
Contact: Mike Smith, Advisor,
[email protected] - aib.edu/pride
Pride Bowling League for GLBT & Supporters
- Every Wednesday, 7 PM, Air Lanes Bowling
Center 4200 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 503212389. Email [email protected] or
515-447-2977.
TTDIRECTORY cont’d page 27
APRIL 2014
DIRECTORY
Raccoon River Resort
Accommodations for men, women, or mixed in
campgrounds, lodge, Teepees or Treehouses.
Reservations: 515-996-2829 or 515-279-7312
Ritual Café - ritualcafe.com
On 13th between Grand and Locust.
Gay owned, great music, awesome food
& coffee. 515-288-4872 [email protected]
Romantix North Des Moines Iowa
(Bachelor’s Library) 2020 E Euclid Ave, Des
Moines, IA 50317, romantixonline.com 515266-7992
Spouses of Lesbians & Gays
Support group for spouses of gays and lesbians.
515-277-7754
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 - StJohnsDSM.org
TransformationsIOWA
Meets every Wednesday at 7pm, 2nd saturday
of each month at 1pm at OneIowa, 419 SW 8th
St, Des Moines, IA. For more information email
[email protected] or call
515-288-4019 x200
Trinity United Methodist Church
1548 Eighth Street - 515-288-4056
Services Sundays 10am, trinityumcdm.org
Urbandale UCC - An open & affirming congregation. 3530 70th St., Urbandale, IA 50322,
515-276-0625, urbucc.org
Walnut Hills UMC
Join us at 9:30 am for Sunday worship. Sunday
classes & group studies at 10:45 am. 515270-9226, 12321 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA
50323, whumc.org
Westminster Presbyterian Church
4114 Allison Ave - WestPres.org
Sunday services 8:45 and 11am. Of note is
their GAY-LESBIAN-STRAIGHT AFFIRMATION
GROUP, GLSA 515-274-1534
Women’s Culture Collective (WCC)
A lesbian social group. Des Moines, IA iowawcc.org
Word of God Ministries, Sunday service:
3:00pm, at 3120 E 24th Street, Des Moines,
Iowa 50317, Gay, lesbian & straight affirmation
515-707-5947.
Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure
Open daily. Gay-friendly, 515-244-7694
2723 Ingersoll, Des Moines, IA
DUBUQUE, IOWA
920 Main
920 Main St., Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Tue - Sat:
8:00 pm - 2:00 am, (563) 583-2121 or dbq.
[email protected]
Adult Warehouse - 563-588-9814
975 Jackson St, Dubuque, IA
Dubuque Friends Worship Group (Quakers)
Join us at an unprogrammed worship service
on Sunday at 10am. Welcoming and Affirming,
563-582-9388
St. Mark’s Community Center, 1201 White
Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Rainbow Pride support and
socialization group.
For members of the LGBT+ community who
want to expand their social circle, get support
for LGBT specific issues, & help with advocacy.
Meets Mondays at 1pm
Hillcrest Wellness Center
225 W 6th St., Dubuque, IA 563-690-1239
PFLAG Dubuque/Tri-State
Carnegie Stout Library, 3rd Floor Conference
Room, 360 W. 11th St. 3rd Tuesday, 7pm
563-581-4606
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dubuque
- “The uncommon denomination.” general
services at 10am. 1699 Iowa St, Dubuque, IA
uuf-dbq.org 563-583-9910
ELKADER, IOWA
Bethany Church (ELCA) - 563-245-1856
307 3rd St. NE, Elkader, IA 52043
Inclusive. Welcoming. A ‘ReconcilingWorks’
congregation. www.bethanychurchelkader.org
[email protected]
Schera’s Restaurant & Bar
107 S Main St, Elkader, IA 52043,
Scheras.com, E-mail: [email protected]
Fine dining featuring Algerian & American
Cuisine. 563-245-1992
FORT DODGE, IOWA
Romantix Fort Dodge (Mini Cinema)
Sun-Thu 10am-12am, Fri & Sat 10am-2am 15
N. 5th St, Fort Dodge, IA 50501-3801
RomantixOnline.com - 515-955-9756
GRINNELL, IOWA
Broad View Seed , BroadviewSeed.com, Manager/Owner: John C., [email protected]
Saints Ephrem & Macrina
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
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, srcenter@
grinnell.edu 641-269-3327
United Church of Christ-Congregational,
‘An open and affirming church.’ 902 Broad St,
641-236-3111
INDIANOLA, IOWA
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. crossroadsucc.org
IOWA CITY, IOWA
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 10:15 a.m.
30 N Clinton St (across from Ul Pentacrest)
319-337-4301 - 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
Client-centered therapy. Les-Bi-Gay-Trans
always welcome. 616 Bloomington St, Iowa City,
IA - 319-337-1679
Crisis Center 319-351-0140
1121 Gilbert Ct, 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
An open and affirming congregation.
1609 Deforest Street, Iowa City, 52240
Sunday Worship 9:30 AM 319-338-5238
[email protected], faithucciowacity.org
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 522421317 - 319-335-3251 (voice mail)
[email protected]
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. 319-338-2135
3211 E 1st Iowa City, IA 52240-4703
Iowa City Free Medical Clinic - 319-337-4459
Free & strictly confidential HIV Testing. 2440
Towncrest Dr Iowa City, Call for appointment
Iowa City NOW
PO Box 2944, Iowa City, IA 52244
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. Discussion Groups,
Educational Series, Safer Sex Workshops, Book
Club. Andy Weigel, email: [email protected].
ia.us
New Song Episcopal Church
912 20th Ave, Coralville, IA. Sunday services
at 10am.
Jennifer Masada, Jane Stewart, and John
Greve. 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 - 319-351-9444
(Pleasure Palace I) 315 Kirkwood Ave, Iowa
City, IA 52240-4722 - romantixonline.com
Studio 13
13 S. Linn St. (in the Alley) Iowa City, IA
Open 7pm ‘til 2am, daily 319-338-7145
U of I Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Staff & Faculty
Association, c/o WRAC, 130 N Madison, Iowa
City, IA 52242, 319-335-1486
Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City
Inclusive & free religious community nurturing
intellectual & spiritual growth & fostering ethical
& social responsibility. uusic.org
10 S. Gilbert, Iowa City, IA Sunday services:
9:30am & 11:15am. 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
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, IOWA
Adult Odyssey (Adult Video Store)
907 Iowa Ave E - 641-752-6550
Domestic Violence Alternatives/
Sexual Assault Center, Inc., 132 W Main St.
24 hour Crisis Line: 641-753-3513 or (instate
only) 800-779-3512
MASON CITY, IOWA
Cerro Gordo County Dept. of Public Health
22 N. Georgia Ave, Ste 300 Mason City, IA
50401. Free confidential AIDS testing. 641-4219321
PFLAG North Iowa Chapter 641-583-2848,
[email protected], Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Cafe @ 7 p.m. Wed.
MOUNT VERNON, IOWA
Alliance Cornell College
810 Commons Cir # 2035 - [email protected] - orgs.cornellcollege.edu/alliance/
NEVADA, IOWA
Carleton Family Medicine PLLC, Accepting and
Affirming Health Care, Alison B. Carleton, MD,
1011 6th St. 50201, 515-231-3159
PELLA, IOWA
Common Ground (Central College)
Support group for GLBT students and allies.
Contact: Brandyn Woodard, Director of Intercultural Life
QUAD CITIES, IOWA
AIDS Project Quad Cities
Info, education & support. Davenport, IA 52804,
www.apqc4life.org 319-762-LIFE
Black Hawk College Unity Alliance
Serving GLBT community at Black Hawk
College. 6600 34th Ave, Rock Island, IL 309716-0542.
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 309-797-4688
Provides free primary medical care to patients
age 16-64 who are working but have no medical
insurance. [email protected]
602 35th Ave, Moline, IL
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. HoleInTheWallMensClub.org
Holy Spirit Catholic Faith Community
Meets one weekend a month for mass. Please
visit our web site:
www.transformationalcatholicchurch.com for
more information or call: 309-278-7909.
Lucky Shamrock
313 20th St, Rock Island, IL - 309-788-7426 An
Irish Pub open to all types.
Mary’s On 2nd 563-884-8014
832 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA
MCC Quad Cities - Svcs 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. QCAD.
PFLAG Quad Cities 563-285-4173
Eldridge United Methodist Church
604 S.2nd St., Eldridge 1st Monday, 6:30 pm
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, trans, and gay
teens, adults, friends & families; newsletter.
309-786-2580 - Community Center located at
1608 2nd Ave, Rock Island.
Quad Cities Pride Chorus (Call Don at 563-3240215) At the MCC Church in D’port, 7pm Wed.
[email protected]
Rainbow Gifts
www.rainbowgifts.net - 309-764-0559
T.R. Video
Adult books & video, 3727 Hickory Grove Rd,
Davenport, IA. 563-386-7914
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad
Cities, Rev Jay Wolin, Sunday Service 11am
- 563-359-0816
3707 Eastern Avenue, Davenport, IA 52807
Venus News (Adult)
902 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA. 563-322-7576
RED OAK, IOWA
First Congregational United Church of Christ
(open and affirming) - 712-623-2794
608 E Reed St, Red Oak, IA 51566
Rev. Donald Morgan, Pastor
www.redoakucc.org, [email protected]
SHENANDOAH, IOWA
PFLAG Shenandoah
1002 South Elm Street - 712-246-2824
SIOUX CITY, IOWA
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 St - 712-258-8278.
Morningside College
Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Alliance
Contact Professor Gail Dooley, Advisor Morningside College GSA.
1501 Morningside Ave,
Sioux City, IA 51106-1717
[email protected] - 712-274-5208
PFLAG Siouxland
PO Box 1311, Sioux City, IA 51102
[email protected]
Romantix Sioux City 712-277-8566
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.
SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA
Center for Equality, PO box 2009 Sioux Falls,
SD 57101-2009, 605-331-1153,
centersforequalitysd.org
WAVERLY, IOWA
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry.
717 W. Bremer, (St. Andrew’s Episcopal)
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 10:30am. Bible discussion
Wed. 6:45pm 319-352-1489
Rev. Maureen Doherty, Pastor
NEBRASKA
(CONTENT IN PROGRESS)
HASTINGS, NEBRASKA
PFLAG Hastings - [email protected]
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
Diviner Lighters of God, PO Box 22881,
Support line for ex-Amish & ex-Mennonite. 402328-2339, evenings & afternoons.
Indigo Bridge Books
The Creamery Building, 701 P St, Ste 102,
Lincoln, NE 68508 - 402-477 7770
“Indigo Bridge Books strives to provide a solid,
relevant Gender Studies section with a focus on
LGBT titles. indigobridgebooks.com
Nebraska AIDS Project (Lincoln Office)
1921 South 17th Street, Lincoln, NE 68502
(402) 476-7000 - nap.org
OUTLinc - outlinc.org
Bringing Lincoln’s LGBT Community Together
Panic - 402-435-8764
200 S 18th St, Lincoln, NE 68508
PFLAG Cornhusker Chapter
PO Box 82034, Lincoln, NE 68501
Meetings 4th Tuesday, Unitarian Church of
Lincoln, 6300 A St, 7-9pm
pflagcornhusker.org
PFLAG Helpline: 402-434-9880 - Confidential
Support & Information - We’re Here For You !
ACCESSline Page 27
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland
Sexual and Reproductive Health Care,
Transgender Care - (402) 441-3302
2246 O St, Lincoln, NE 68510
The Rainbow Clinic in the UNL
Psychological Consultation Center
“…a specialty outreach service to the GLBTQ
community. Psychological services, including
individual, couples & family therapy, are provided within the UNL Psychological Consultation
Center by regular PCC staff…open year round;
day & evening appointments available. $10 for
intake & $25 for therapy sessions. Application
can be made for reduced fees based on federal
poverty guidelines.
325 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588
402-472-2351 unl.edu/psypage/pcc/
Star City Pride
starcitypride.org - [email protected]
The Unitarian Church of Lincoln
6300 A Street, Lincoln, NE 68510-5097
(402) 483-2213 - unitarianlincoln.org
Sunday from 10am to 11am
OMAHA, NEBRASKA
AIDS Interfaith Network
100 N. 62nd, Omaha, NE
Call Br. Wm. Woeger, 402-558-3100
Citizens For Equal Protection-402-398-3027
1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102.
cfep-ne.org - [email protected]
Flixx Bar
1019 S. 10th Street www.flixxomaha.com
Front Runners/Front Walkers
Walking/jogging club. P.O. Box 4583, Omaha,
NE 68104, 402-804-8720,
frontrunners.org
Greater Omaha GLBT Network - goglbt.org
“…to advance growth & equality for its members,
businesses & allies by providing educational,
networking & community-building opportunities.
Meetings 1st Thursday every month locations
at a traveling location to see the community and
be seen. For more info or to be included on
the e-newsletter list, please email us at info@
goglbt.org.
Heartland Gay Rodeo Association (HGRA)
(Midwest Division of the International Gay
Rodeo Association) PO Box 3354, Omaha, NE
68103, hgra.net - 402-203-4680, Serves Iowa
and Nebraska
Heartland Pride
”…to develop a high impact and relevant cultural
festival & events annually that promotes equality
& unity for the LGBTQ & Allies Communities of
Western Iowa and Greater Nebraska. heartlandpride.org
Imperial Court of Nebraska 402-556-9907
P.O. Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103
Inclusive Life Pastoral Services
Holistic Health-Weddings-FuneralsCoaching-Essential Oils-Holistic Health www.
inclusivelife.org 402-575-7006
The Max
1417 Jackson at 15th, Omaha, NE 68102
6 bars in 1 - 402-346-4110
McLovin
1010 South 10 Street, Omaha, NE, 68108
[email protected], MclovingStore.com
402-915-4002, A store for men.
MCC Omaha
819 South 22nd, Omaha, NE 68103, Sun
9:30AM & 11:15 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,
402-291-6781
Queer Nebraska Youth Network
https://sites.google.com/site/theqnyn The
QNYN is the only youth-focused, peer-led
group providing social activities, connections to
resources, and confidential online discussion
to lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer youth in
Nebraska
River City Gender Alliance Peer support,
friendship, and understanding for crossdressers,
transgenderists, and transsexuals. PO Box 4083
Omaha, NE 68104, 402-291-6781, info@rcga.
us - rcga.us
River City Mixed Chorus
Gay/lesbian chorus, PO Box 3267, Omaha, NE
68103, Call Stan Brown, 402-341-7464
Tri-ess Chapter, Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter,
Omaha, NE 68107, Transgendered organization supporting crossdressers, their families,
and friends. tri-ess.org, 402-960-9696, Judy
[email protected]
Youth Support Group for GLBT
Youth 13-21, meets twice monthly. Omaha, NE
- 402-291- 6781
ACCESSline Page 28
VARNUM
marriage?
Kate: Yes, our son was actually born in
Texas. And even though our adoption was
finalized in Iowa, Texas
will not put both of his
parents’ names on the
birth certificate. We
were told by the state of
Texas that we needed to
choose a mother.
Were you happy
with how your adoption proceeded?
Kate: We only worked with an agency in
our home city because our adoption was a
kinship adoption. It was a little different; we
already knew the birth mother and we pretty
much handled things on our own. We found
our own attorney in Texas who was great to
work with, he was great to work with. And
our attorney in Iowa was wonderful as well.
Is Alex in school yet? And have you
had any problems with daycares?
Trish: He’s not in school yet, daycare
is just fine and they don’t have any issues
with two moms. We’ve had the opportunity
to educate not only parents but children as
well. When they say, “You can’t be his mom
because that’s his mom!” But we’re both his
mom, well how does that work? It’s been an
opportunity to explain that he has two moms
and he’s really lucky that way. You have a
mommy and a daddy and you’re lucky that
way. So it’s normalizing the situation for him.
Do you have fears
for Alex being bullied
in the future?
Kate: I don’t know…
he’s going to be picked
on for any reason. Kids
pick on kids for any
reason and whether it’s
because he’s adopted, whether it’s because
he has two moms, they’re going to find a
reason. Our goal is to teach him to accept
himself and accept the differences in other
kids as well.
Is there anything you want to talk
about specifically with the Anniversary
in April?
Kate: We’re really happy to continue
working with One Iowa to not only keep
marriage alive in Iowa but to work on other
issues that impact the LGBT community, such
as; HIV/AIDS de-criminalization, working
with you, and working with elder populations. We’re really proud of the work One
Iowa has done over the years.
APRIL 2014
It’s been an opportunity to explain that he has
two moms and he’s really
lucky that way.
KAHANE
very subtle clarinet, and some interesting drum sounds. Are all the instrumentation and arrangements done by you?
Yeah. Generally, the way I approach
those kind of songs, I would say that very
frequently, when I am doing a song, the
initial sketch is just for a single instrument and voice. That is sort of my pencil
drawing or series of sketches that precede
the fully colored in picture, and then I
start to conceive the arrangement around
Gabriel Kahane
that. Generally I sit, after having done a
rough recording, and just sort of listen to
the song. I sit in silence and think of how
to color in the rest of the picture. Or to
emphasize and highlight certain lines of
text with certain coloration.
The freedom that one has in the
recording studio is that I think you can
get away with denser arrangements than
you can in a theater setting. Where the
primacy of the text is so crucial and so
important that the listener apprehends
every line of the lyric. I had this experience
when I wrote a piece for the public theater.
I had a group of
six musicians and
over the course
of the previews, I
was just stripping
away a lot of the
color and lushness in the orchestration because
I was finding it
was hard to focus
on the vocal line.
Where when you
have the luxury
of a really detailed
mix, when you are
in the studio, you
can have that kind
of string harmony
that you are referring to. And how
it sits in a way
where it is not
competing with
the vocal.
I was going to
say; incidentally,
generally I record
with a string
section. But all
of those strings
were played by
Rob Moose, the
guy who is going
to play with me
in Des Moines.
From L/R: Kate, Alex, and Trish Varnum.
He multi-tracked all of it. A lot of that is
testament to his incredable sensitivity as
a player.
That leads me into the question
about you performance. Tell us about
the ensemble.
A lot of what I do is very modular. I
play a lot of shows solo. Rob and I have
now, I would say a five year, actually, a
six year history playing as a duo concert
together. I play with a band, I play various
chamber ensembles,
and so these songs live
in different arrangements, depending on
who is there. With
Rob, it’s very skeletal,
I don’t mean skeletal in
an aesthetic way. But
rather, you really just
get the bones of the
song in a very distilled
format. Rob and I both
play electric guitar
in these concerts, he plays violin, I play
some banjo, I play piano and it’s really an
opportunity to hear the songs in the most
stripped down way possible.
What can the audience expect from
a Gabriel Kahane performance?
Well, I will probably say some stupid
things on stage, which I will regret immediately and Rob will be there to catch
every one of them with that evil eye, or
rather evil ear. I think folks who have
experienced the duo concerts, it’s kind
of chamber music of the 21st century. I
think we are really trying to listen to each
other, and we’re trying to be sensitive and
responsive. I know some of the songs we
are playing; we have played for several
years. I do think it will be somewhat
eclectic, repertoire wise. We’ll probably
do some excerpts from ‘Craigslistlieder’,
‘This old cycle from 2006’, ‘On text from
Craigslist’. We’ll do some songs from ‘We
Are the Arms’. We’ll do, probably, some
songs from the new album, ‘The Ambassador’, which is; all songs linked to street
addresses in Los Angeles. It’s sort of an
inquiry of the underbelly of LA, through
its architecture; and then sort of inquiries
into films and literature, and the politics of
Los Angeles—we’ll do some of those songs.
I was going to ask what inspires
you, but I think maybe for you, the more
interesting question would be what
doesn’t inspire you? You seem to have
so many resources for the music and
the inspiration that you write. So, what
doesn’t inspire you in a way? What do
you find completely
uninteresting?
I think the older I
get, the less I find my
own life interesting. I
think I went through a
very developmentally
correct way of writing
a lot of songs about
myself, or people in
my life. As I’ve gotten
older, I’ve become
much more interested
in turning the lens outward. I think of
literature and history, which of course
could not be broader. But I think a great
deal of work that I do comes out of the
written word. Either novels that I read,
poetry that I’ve read, or historical accounts
that I’ve read. I think I’m always interested
in, whether on a very small scale or on a
large scale, something historical—it forms
the moment that we are in. I do hope to
be part of the conversation, a broader
conversation, of the time that we live in.
But I find, in general, that I find myself
more interested in engaging in the present
with a kind of critical distance. I don’t
think I am someone who is particularly
interested in writing about current events
in a literal way. I’m more interested in
finding the analog in history and writing
about that, or allowing people to connect
it to the present or not.
You mentioned, when you were
working on ‘Gabriel’s Guide to the
48 States’, you were researching the
recovery from the Great Depression.
Rob and I both play
electric guitar in these
concerts, he plays violin,
I play some banjo, I play
piano and it’s really an
opportunity to hear the
songs in the most stripped
down way possible.
TTKAHANE cont’d page 29
APRIL 2014
KAHANE
And as you were doing that, you were
noticing parallels in the economy in the
U.S.—current day.
Absolutely. But there are actually
more specific parallels that that were
surprising. I think the initial impetus to do
a piece about the New Deal’s W.P.A. project
came from Orpheus, who commissioned
me. They had asked for a piece about the
W.P.A. project, and I think that part of their
interest had to do with the fact that we
were in the midst of this great recession
and that the nearest analog economically
was the Great Depression. The thing I
thought was surprising in doing the
research had to do with the conservative
reaction to F. D. R. and the rhetoric that
was spewed in his general direction. The
discovery that I made, which the students
of history would not be surprised by, is that
a lot of the rhetoric around Socialism and
Communism that was hurled at Obama
around the health care bill and so forth.
I think that there was a kind of dogma on
the left, and I am very much politically
on the left. That all of that invective was
kind of masked racism, and I think it was a
very popular opinion among liberals that
actually made a lot of assumptions, and it
was really unfair. And this was particularly
borne out when I discovered the same kind
of invective came at F. D. R. The same accusations of being a socialist, a communist,
and harboring communists. There was a
lesson for me in the kinds of judgments
that we make, either as progressives or
as conservatives, about trying to assign
subtext to someone’s political positioning.
Gabriel Kahane
It was somewhat sobering to me to make
that discovery and that, of course; is the
value of history—you study history and
you may avoid some of the same mistakes.
I just have a few random questions.
What is the sound at the end of the song,
‘Merritt Pkwy’?
‘Charming Disease’ and ‘Merritt
Pkwy’, the basic track channels of the vocal
and main electric guitar were recorded as
one. In the bridge of ‘Charming Disease’,
Rob began to build this loop—essentially
a sounds cape. That soundscape plays
all the way through the end of ‘Charming
Disease’, and at a very low volume through
‘Merritt Pkwy’. At the very end of ‘Merritt
Pkwy’, he’s manipulating one of the effects
pedals. He was basically creating a kind
of feedback, turning up the intensity of
the variables on the pedal, such that it
creates that kind of crescendo. Then he
abruptly turns off the pedal, and that’s
what that sound is.
You have a sudden brass choir
appearance in Calabash and Catamaran, how did that come around?
That began as a rhythmic study. There
was that clave that runs through the
entire song, which is basically a three beat
pattern of 7+7+7+9, which is 30 beats long
and the kind of rhythmic etude of it. A lot of
songs that I write start as kind of studies in
one thing or another. It was basically how
many different ways can I break up that
pattern, 7+7+7+9, so you hear it initially
with 5s implied by the banjo.
Where 6 groups of 5 and then later
in the song you hear in the chorus, it sort
of straightens out and becomes groups
of 4 and a group of 5. Then there’s also a
ACCESSline Page 29
moment where there’s a 6/8 implied by
the backbeat of the guitar with 6 groups
of 5 instead of 5 groups of 6. The idea
with the brass sort of Balkan cadenza in
the middle was just to really let that clave,
7+7+7+9, just speak really clearly. The
song has this kind of jovial celebratory
feel to it, it’s just one of those silly ideas I
couldn’t walk away from.
Who are your favorite artists to
listen to?
Well a record that I am really enjoying
right now is the Bad Plus’s ‘Rite of Spring’
transcription that came out about 2 weeks
ago. They were commissioned by Duke
to make their own version for the 100th
Anniversary of the Premiere of the Rite.
They are a piano trio, nominally they are
jazz piano trio but they are far beyond that
and they’ve done everything from transcriptions of Badet, to Ligeti, to Nirvana,
to the Pixies, and it’s the recording they
have done of the ‘Rite of Spring’, which is
part transcription and part improvisation.
And I found both incredibly moving and
intellectually stimulating.
I’ve really, really loved about a third
of the new Beyonce records and I think
about a third of it is terrible, and the rest
of it I can sort of take or leave.
There’s a guy called Blake Mills out of
Los Angeles who is a wonderful guitarist,
he has a new record coming out soon that
I was lucky enough to hear early. And I
think it’s extraordinary and he’s a wonderful song writer, a wonderful singer and
a really beautiful and very understated
guitarist.
For more information on Gabriel Kahane
go to GabrielKahane.com and to purchase
tickets go to DesMoinesPerformingArts.org.
Prime Timers of Central Iowa
Prime Timers Is a social organization of mature gay and bisexual men.
Our only mission is to provide a variety
of social activities for a diverse group of
men. In March we initiated a Dine Out
event. Thirty one men showed up to have
a good time. Many have commented upon
the number of new friendships they have
developed through our activities.
We are planning a “Spring Fling” in
May featuring food, fellowship and music
to dance to from songs we know and love.
More information will follow.
Contact PrimeTimersIowa@gmail.
com to learn more about us. It just may
be the best investment you’ve ever made.
ACCESSline Page 30
BULLYING
Marcus, 16 years old
What is bullying?
When you make someone feel bad and
you know you are doing it.
Have you ever been bullied?
Yes.
What did it feel like to be bullied?
It hurt and made me angry.
What did you do when you were bullied?
Nothing
If you could help another person who
was being bullied, what would you say
to them?
What they say only has meaning if
you let it.
Ciara, 15 years old
What is bullying?
Intentionally hurting people.
Yes.
It made me want to do things and get in
trouble, to make other people think about
those things because they are half cool.
Got in trouble and ran away.
to them?
I would say, “Stand your ground and
never let them win.”
Blake, 13 years old
What is bullying?
Being mean.
Yes.
I felt bad inside.
I got into fights.
to them?
Tell someone, fight back, and don’t
change who you are.
Robert, 13 years old
What is bullying?
Picking on someone smaller and
different from you.
Have you ever been
bullied?
Yes.
What did it feel like
to be bullied?
It makes you think less of yourself.
I cried, I told but nobody did anything.
to them?
Be yourself.
APRIL 2014
Becca, 13 years old
What is bullying?
Hateful people, who don’t like themselves, are bullies.
Yes.
I was upset and hurting every day.
I tried to hurt myself.
If you could help
another person who
was being bullied,
what would you say
to them?
I would say ignore them—they are
stupid.
What is bullying?
Hating on people.
Gracie 12, years old
What is bullying?
Hating on people.
Yes.
I felt fat and ugly because of what
they said.
I got scared and sad.
to them?
Don’t listen.
Chris, 11 years old
What is bullying?
Bullying is being mean to other people.
Yes.
Bad, I didn’t like myself.
I went to counseling and learned to
love myself and not feel like a failure.
to them?
Don’t listen, remember what a great
person you are!
If you have been bullied and need
support or desire to report it, go to
ReportBullyingIowa.com. Day of Silence
is April 11, for more information go to
DayofSilence.org.

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