J - Women`s Community Connection

Transcription

Women's Community Connection
June 2010
The only exclusively
lesbian-oriented
publication in the
Phoenix area
In This Issue
WCC Theatre Club….
pages 4 & 5
E-mail groups...pages 6-8
Sports...pages 10-11
Driving while brown
By JJ Esplin
I have never had a very high opinion of the Arizona state legislature,
but when SB 1070 was passed, it amazed even me. Arizona has sunk to a new
racial low.
How does Jan Brewer, who by her own admission can't tell what an
undocumented immigrant looks like, expect the police to be able to tell who is
documented and who isn't? Arizona has a high population of Hispanics and
most of those people are either citizens or legal immigrants. I've heard no serious
suggestion for discerning if a particular Hispanic person is legal or not without
stopping all Hispanic people and asking them for their papers. Maybe Brewer
secretly thinks they should take a page from the Nazis and require all Hispanic
people to wear badges declaring their citizenship status. Seriously, the first thing
that occurred to me, although not apparently to Brewer, is that while I may be
white, I have a darker complexion that some Hispanics I know, so what is to
stop the police from stopping me and questioning me about my status? How do
you tell a light skinned undocumented immigrant from a dark complexioned white
citizen? And what about undocumented immigrants from Canada or Europe?
How do the police propose to tell them apart from the rest of the white citizens? Really, the only fair way to do this would be to stop everyone on all possible occasions and ask them to show their papers. Of course, if the police did
that, they wouldn't have time to do their real job, which is stopping real crime,
but it would definitely cut down on the number of undocumented immigrants.
Of course, Joe Arpaio is unconcerned about all of this. He is already
being investigated by the Justice Department for racial profiling and, by his own
admission, most of the people his department arrests are Hispanic, so he would
just stop everyone who looked Hispanic. No problem. Just because it violates
the Constitution and the American principle of justice and fairness for all is a
small concern when it comes to busting those pesky uncontinued on page 2
Dining Out...pages 12-13
Ms. Knowitall...page 14
1VCC...page16
Paula G….page 18
Amazon Trail...page 19
Spirituality...pages 20-21
Support Groups
...page 24-26
Meetups...page 27
Mercury Schedule...page 39
Classifieds...page 40
2
Driving while brown
Continued from page 1
documented immigrants.
Currently, I live in New Mexico, where 60 percent of the population is either Hispanic or Native American. In the part of the state where I
live, the proportion is actually more like
75 percent, so if all crime was committed by Hispanics this would be Hell on
earth. It isn't. New Mexico, which by
the way has two official languages and
manages to survive just fine, has about
the same crime rate as the rest of the
country. Crime is a result of human nature, not the color of the perpetuator's
skin.
In reality, the only crime most
of those undocumented immigrants have
committed is coming to the United
States. Drug smugglers would not be
bringing drugs to the United States if
there weren't plenty of American citizens anxious to buy them. Good capitalists should understand that where
there is a market, people will find a way
to fill it. Most undocumented immigrants just want a chance to make a
better life for themselves. It is almost
impossible for a poor Mexican to immigrate to the United States under current
immigration laws. It isn't that they are
too lazy or too impatient to wait to
immigrate legally. They literally can't do
it. One of my ancestors who immigrated to this country was deaf and
illiterate. I am fortunate that she was
able to come at that time. Today, she
would be kept out of the country by
our laws.
When I was in college I spent
some time living in Mexico. I have seen
where those people come from. If I had
to live there I would want to come to
the United States and have a chance to
build a better future for myself too. If
PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
Welcome to our new look!!!
It was time for a change - nothing drastic, just a little
facelift! New font, wider spacing to make it easier to read, redesigned page headers, and better organization of information. I hope you like it!
The WCC has grown from a newsletter into a magazine, and the new look reflects
that transition.
You may have noticed that the calendar page is no longer here. Everything
on the calendar is elsewhere in the publication, with more detail. I’ve made it easier
to find by expanding the amount of pages for each category (dining out, sports,
spirituality, etc, eliminating the need to search all the pages to find what you want.
The Resources page is no longer with us either, for basically the same reasons. The biggest category was “Religious Organizations,” and they are all listed on
the Spirituality pages. I started verifying the individual listings, and found that everything I could verify was already in the publication. Many of the listings were out
of date, and nowhere to be found, with incorrect contact info, so I decided the
space on that page could be put to better use.
Enjoy this issue, and if you have any feedback, bring it on!!
someone thinks they are improving their
life by coming to the United States and
working 12 hours a day picking crops
for $50 a day, imagine how bad it was
where they came from. I would do
what I had to, to come to the United
States too.
Then there is the economic
impact on Arizona. Arizona has still not
recovered from the recession. The rest
of the country is picking up and going
on. Arizona is raising its sales tax and
desperately cutting the budget with no
end in sight. So why would they set
themselves up for more high legal bills?
Not only is it likely, although it hasn't
happened yet as I write this, that the
federal government will sue Arizona
over this bill, SB 1070 is written so
that citizens can sue local police departments if they don't think they are enforcing the law sufficiently. What that
means is that a skinhead can sue the
police if the police are being rational
about the law and trying not to violate
people's constitutional rights. Guess
what? More legal costs the state can ill
afford.
In addition, there is the cost of
the boycott of Arizona and the loss of
jobs, taxes, and other funds that come
into the state if the bill actually succeeds and gets rid of all undocumented
workers. It has been estimated that Arizona will lose $26.4 billion in economic activity, $11.7 billion in gross
state product, and approximately
140,324 jobs. Arizona has never recovered from the recession. It can't afford those kinds of costs. The state is
already hurting.
Then there is the potential loss
of productive Hispanic citizens leaving
the state because they don't want to be
discriminated against. This appears to
already be happening. Arizona just
can't afford this bill.
It isn't just racism. It is a violation of civil rights and the Constitution.
It will cost the state both physically and
economically. The truth of the matter is
SB1070 is just plain wrong.
3
ADVERTISING Be afraid, be very afraid
Display Ads
By Dianne Post
Monthly
deep at work in American government to turn the U.S. into a theocracy. I had felt
guilty thinking that the right wing nuts became active after the l960’s when the
Boomers drove them insane. But now I learned that this movement started in the
early 1900’s and was in high gear by 1935. However, it was in the 1960’s that
the Left noticed America drifting toward empire and tried to reverse that. Since then
the right has turned us back toward empire with a vengeance. The meaning of evangelical, according to them, is pro-market and pro-private property. Show me this in
the Bible, please.
Adherents to the Family live in a house in DC on J Street. They called it a
church for a long time thereby avoiding taxes, but have been found out and now have
been sued. The description of the goings on there among the young men sounds like
the hi-jinks at any fraternity house even though they can’t drink or have sex – or perhaps worse for that very reason. These are the men being groomed to control our
country. The idea was to train these college students, like the Hitler Jugend, to be
the leaders they wanted, hence the Campus Crusade. The Crusade did not care
about the theories or meaning of Jesus, only the worship of the person, the cult of
the personality. The terms they chose were faith-based initiatives, compassionate conservatism, servant-leadership – terms we are familiar with today.
This group is not any specific church, but “what would Jesus do” types.
The guy who wrote the book was Jewish and was living with them, a potential convert. Their main point is obedience and hierarchy – and of course they are at the
top. Adherents must accept divine authority without question. And one of them
will tell you what divine authority is. Obeying ones superiors is an act of devotion to
God. Now I understand why I have never gotten along in this world. From childhood on, parents, teachers, employers, friends, told me I had to stop fighting, respect
authority and do as I was told – obedience is the highest value. I’m not getting in
the club.
In 1935, God allegedly made a revelation to Abram, the big guy in establishing The Family. It was “To the big man went strength, to the little man went
need. Only the big man was capable of mending the world.” Honestly, I don’t
think God talks like this! Big men should distribute Gods blessing to little men, and
all violence would cease since they would be under control. I don’t know Jesus personally as some of these people claim to, but I really don’t think that’s what he had in
mind. It was Abram who coined the phrase “the new world order” in 1945. In
this new order, the distribution of wealth would remain the same, but the little man
would be happy because the controllers would not be greedy but God governed,
moral men. That is what is important – not plans or programs or what they actually
do but whether the leaders are moral.
This control consists of shot gunning union agitators because destroying the
labor movement was one of the goals. They have been doing a bang up job there,
funded of course by those big (rich) men. Their actions were decidedly fascist, and
they much admired and worked with, even recruited, Nazi’s. Yes, that includes
Henry Ford and Charles Lindberg. They admired the comcontinued on page 36
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Make checks payable to WCC.
Mail to WCC, 2544 N. Champlain
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also be sent via e-mail to
[email protected].
Call to arrange for payment; (480)9465570.
All advertising should be camera
ready hard copy or submitted
electronically. WCC/Zodiac Publishing
does not assume responsibility for
unsatisfactory print results due to poor
quality artwork.
The Women’s Community
Connection© is published monthly by
Zodiac Desktop Publishing.
Announcements of events and
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Address all submissions, subscription requests and advertising materials to WCC, 2544 N. Champlain
Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281, or e-mail:
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Women’s Community
Connection/Zodiac Publishing does not
assume responsibility for products and
services offered by advertisers.
The Family, a book by Jeff Sharlot, is about the religious fundamentalists
4
WCC THEATRE
Nearly Naked Theatre
presents
Evil Dead: The Musical
June 11 - July 13
The Little Theatre at Phoenix Theatre
100 E. McDowell
Nearly Naked closes their 11th Season in June with the Arizona Premiere of Evil Dead: The Musical. Based on the Sam Raimi movies Evil
Dead, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness this campy, quirky musical is really
just an old story, as familiar as the fingers on your hand. On spring break, five
college students break into an abandoned cabin deep in the woods, looking
for cheap fun and easy romance. Instead, they awaken an ancient, slumbering
evil, and one by one they die in horrible ways. And return to life as zombies.
And occasionally burst into song. Evil Dead: The Musical will open on Saturday, June 12th and run Thu-Sat at 8pm and Sundays alternating between
6pm or 2pm, until Friday, July 3rd. Directed by Damon Dering.
Performances
WCC Theatre Night: Thursday, June 24th
Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays:
8:00 PM
Sundays: 2:00 PM
Volunteers Needed for LSN
Click here for tickets
We meet every Friday evening, and are located in the
One Voice Community Center, at 725 W. Indian School, Phx
Hannah’s Caramel Apples
It’s an easy job: you’ll help set up tables & chairs, take
them down at the end of the night, put out
refreshments, and work the sign-in table at the door.
Must be willing to be scheduled twice a month, and
be reliable and punctual.
www.hannahscaramelapples.com
Volunteers will get in to LSN free, even when they aren’t
scheduled to work.
Inside Cookies in Bloom, 3939 E. Camelback Rd
www.cookiesinbloom.com
602602-955955-3030
If interested, contact
[email protected]
5
ASU Gammage
Tickets
presents
On sale at
In the Heights
ASU Gammage & Ticketmaster
June 15 - 20
200 S Forest Ave,
Tempe
Performances
Tuesday through Friday: 7:30 PM
Saturday & Sunday:
2:00 PM & 7.30 PM
1-800-982-ARTS(2787)
Click here for online tickets
IN THE HEIGHTS, winner of four 2008 Tony Awards® including
Best Musical, is a sensational new show about chasing your dreams and finding
your true home. With an amazing cast, incredible Tony® Award-winning dancing and a thrilling Tony® Award-winning score, IN THE HEIGHTS is an exhilarating journey into a vibrant Manhattan community – a place where the coffee
is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the
rhythm of three generations of music.
Experience the next chapter of the classic American story at the most
joyous, exciting and award-winning new musical on Broadway. Find out what it
takes to make a living, what it costs to have a dream and what it means to be
home…IN THE HEIGHTS.
WCC Theatre Night:Tuesday, June 15th
About the WCC Theatre Club
I can’t think of a more enjoyable evening out than attending live theatre, and
with that in mind, and hoping you feel the same way, I’ve created the Women’s
Community Connection Theatre Club. All you have to do to join is show up!
Yes, it is that simple! Here’s how it works: the WCC and friends go to the
theatre often. When we’ve scheduled attending a play, I’ll announce the date we’re
going, and other pertinent information here in the WCC (and on the WCC website), so if anyone would also like to attend that particular production, they’ll know
which night they can see the play, and run into lots of lesbians at the same time!
Sometimes I manage to negotiate a special deal for WCC readers: details
will be included with the details of each particular play. The deals are not the same
for the different theatre companies, so make sure you’re reading the right one. If you
decide to take advantage of these special deals, you can use them for any performance; you don’t have to go on the date I specify as WCC Theatre Night.
Lesbian Entrepreneurs!
Advertise in the WCC!
Target the lesbian market!
Inexpensive advertising rates
to help you get your business
going.
Check out our
advertising information at
www.womenscommunityconnection.
com/Advertising
6
E-MAIL GROUPS
The WCC E-Mail Club
Lilith’s Voice E-mail list
Imagine an e-mail list whose
objective would be to discuss feminist,
lesbian and women's issues in an
interesting, communicative, respectful and
intelligent manner without regard to one
path of idea or another. This would not
be a list for everyone, as one must be
quick witted and willing to have their
thoughts provoked!
Look no further!! Be prepared
to have your brain be entertained,
enlivened and cajoled while doing the
same to others. One liners and diatribes
are always welcome!
Send subscription request to:
[email protected]
Arizona Lesbian List
Wild and
crazy e-mailers
listen up! For
those who love
mail, and want to
get out and meet
others, check out
the Arizona
Lesbian List
(azles). There are no rules, no forms of
decorum to be observed; the only rule is
that there will be NO RULES on this
list! It is for LESBIANS In ARIZONA.
Home page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/azles
Subscribe:
[email protected]
Connect with other WCC members online! Join our
e-mail club and message board so you can get the latest event
updates and last minute announcements that didn’t make the
print newsletter’s deadline. The WCC e-mail club will function
as a supplement to the webzine. Use this space to discuss or
ask questions about events you've read about in the WCC, tell
us what you'd like to see in our publication, write letters to the
editor, get to know other WCC members, or anything else!
You can get to the e-mail group from our website at
www.womenscommunityconnection.com. Click on the e-mail club button, which will
take you to the group’s home page, and follow the instructions to join.
Are you sick of lesbian email lists that give you a cramp in your delete finger? Do you come home from a hard day's work to find your e-mail box inundated
with mindless drivel and one-liners?
Join us at S.C.A.M.P. Our membership abides by strict posting rules in
order to keep the quality of the conversation UP, and the mindless emails OUT! If
you are a bright, charming, witty, confident, lesbian moping around in that lonely,
pathetic headspace, wondering if you'll ever meet anyone like yourself, look no further! At S.C.A.M.P. you will connect with women of substance. Just visit our
website at http://azscamp.com , and IF you're intelligent enough to make it through
the subscription process, you can join over 350 "local" lesbians (both single and
coupled) for fun, friendship, stimulating conversation, and who knows WHAT else!!
AZ Unity in Community
Arizona Unity in Community (AZUIC) is an e-mail list with open
membership for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people in Phoenix and
the rest of AZ.
The purpose of the list is to promote unity and communication within the
WHOLE community, developing friendships and focusing on our similarities while
becoming better educated about our differences. E-mail [email protected] for
more information.
7
Singles group
This is a place for single
and available lesbian women to connect. A safe haven in which
to chat, plan social events, make friends, arrange personal
meetings, or to exchange e-mail addresses for a more one on
one converging of the minds. And perhaps meet that someone
that will rock your world. Singles only please. This list can only
work through participation. Let's date!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/azsinglelesbians/
Trailer Park
Lezbos
Calling all real, downto-earth lesbians in the Phoenix
area! If you like to cut loose,
laugh loud, tell dirty jokes,
swear a lot, and sit around and BS with your sisters, come to
the trailer park!
We are some laid back women who don't give a damn
about showing off or making an impression. We just like to
have fun -- whether it's shooting pool, playing darts, camping in
the woods, hiking to a swimming hole, fishing, wheeling, taking
the boat for a spin on the lake, or just charring some meat on
the grill. Yes, we eat meat! We also drink, some of us even
smoke, and we act like fools if we want to.
However, just because we're called "trailer park lezbos," don't assume we're trashy! Though we can be loud and a
little crude, we're actually some classy broads when it comes to
honesty, Home page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/trailer_park_lezbos/
AZ GLBT Puppy Park Pack
The West Valley Lesbian
Clique
The West Valley Lesbian Clique is a group of women
who live on the west side of the Phoenix Metro area.
We share who we are and what is happening with us. We
encourage each other through all of life's ups and downs. We
meet several times a month at various gatherings, sharing laughter and our lives. Lesbians from other parts of the valley are
welcome to join if they know how to not take themselves (or
us) too seriously! If you'd like to be part of our group, sign on
at: [email protected]
Talent Doesn't
Belong in the
Closet
OUT Arts Alliance is a
Phoenix Metro group of GLBT artists and creative people.
The group is open to those who participate in all forms of creative endeavor. Painters, dancers, sculptures, writers, actors,
poets, photographers and singers are a few of the talents found
at OUT Arts. Our primary objective is uniting artists in the
GLBT community. Through meetings, outings and events, we
network, socialize and encourage the creative effort in us all.
To join, visit our website at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
OUT_Arts_Alliance/join.
MORE E-MAIL GROUPS ON
NEXT PAGE
This group was started for people who would like to find other Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgendered (GLBT) dog lovers throughout the Valley. The purpose of this group is to meet other
animal lovers and their pups! We would like to set up park gatherings during a cooler time of day,
which would be comfortable not only for the pups, but also for their owners. Please feel free to set
up gatherings anytime as we understand that members are in both the West and East Valley. Let's
take advantage of some of the most recognized dog parks in the nation! We can't wait to meet your
pride and joy.
Yahoo group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arizona_glbt_puppy_park_pack/
To join: [email protected]
8
East Side Women’s Connection e-mail group
This is an e-mail list and social planner for Arizona lesbian women who live on the east side of the
valley, i.e. Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gold Canyon etc. Though this group is geared to bringing a social connection to the gay community on the far east side of the valley, all women in the community are welcomed.
Home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eastsidewomensconnection
Subscribe: [email protected]
Womyn’s Night Out
WOMYNS NIGHT OUT meets once a month, at 6:00 PM on the 3rd Sat of the
month at different restaurants in the Phoenix area. Join us for a night of fun, laughter and networking.
This group is open to All WOMYN (straight, gay, bi, Trans).
If you are looking for something that is different from the bars and not looking for a pick up,
come and join us for a night of good conversation.
Home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WomynsNightOut
WREN
WREN is a PRIVATE, MEMBERS ONLY email list created for sharing communications
about recreational activities and entertainment type events and networking for women in the greater
Phoenix metropolitan area which are planned, hosted, or referred to the group by members of this
list. Our main focus is outdoor hiking and trips, but we are not limited to this.
This Group Charter will be to post only messages for recreational activities and entertainment type event announcements
to members of this group. Please do not cross-post our messages to other group lists.
Home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WREN_E-List_AZ
Subscribe: [email protected]
East Valley Coffee List
This group was originally founded in June 2006 for lesbian women of all ages who live in or
around the East Valley to meet each Sunday morning at different coffee house locations, to be determined
each week. The intent is to provide a safe, relaxed, social setting, in a non-club, non-threatening, and nonintimidating atmosphere for women to meet and make new friendships on their own terms.
Although we cater to the East and Southeast Valley in choosing our meeting locations, we warmly
welcome women to join us from any area! Our gatherings are always SMOKE-FREE! and afterwards, there
are always smaller groups of new friends getting together for lunch, movies, or something elsewhere... so
come ready for anything! It always feels like a party!
Home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EastValleyCoffeeList
Amazondotmoms
Azlesbiansbadabing
A Lesbian mothers group based in
Phoenix, Arizona.
To subscribe, send an e-mail to
[email protected]
This group is for women who enjoy the company of
other women.The focus of this group to post new events, keep
intouch , meet new friends, and have fun doing it !
Visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Phoenix Dykes on Quads
to ride with? Know of a cool trail? Need to find new trails?
Join our e-mail list and come ride the Arizona desert!
Have a quad or dirt bike? Looking for other women
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phxdykesonquads
9
Become a Member of the
Lesbian Social Network
Rates
1 year: $100.00
6 months: $60.00
3 Months: $35.00
Admittance:
Non-members: $5.00
Members: FREE!!
One Voice Community Center
725 W Indian School Road, Ste#125, Phoenix
For more information, e-mail
[email protected]
www.BestOnlineMall.Biz
10
SPORTS
Cactus City Softball League
The Cactus Cities Softball League (CCSL) provides a non-profit adult slow-pitch softball league predominately for gays, lesbians, and anyone dedicated to the promotion of the amateur athletic experience for persons of all
skill levels and abilities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, creed, religion, or national origin.
For more information, our web site at www.cactuscities.com.
AZ Gay Volleyball
The AZGV is actively seeking women to
come out and play!
AZGV, a Non-Profit Arizona Corporation, offers and organizes 3 levels
of Outdoor Sand Volleyball Play: Recreational, Intermediate & Advanced.
All Games are played at Steele Indian School Park, Central Avenue &
Indian School Road, in Downtown Phoenix or at The Radisson Hotel City Center,
located on 2nd Avenue just north of Osborn Road..
The purpose of Arizona Gay Volleyball Association is to foster local, regional, national and international sports competition predominately for gays, lesbians
and anyone dedicated to promotion of the amateur athletic experience for persons
of all skill level and abilities regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, creed,
religion or national origin. The primary focus of Arizona Gay Volleyball Association
will be to provide venues for adult volleyball competition. Additionally, the organization will endeavor to develop people of all abilities and experience to participate
in sports competitions.
For more information, visit http://www.azgv.org, or e-mail [email protected].
Golfers
Come
join Sunday
Women
Golfers for a
relaxing and fun
game of golf.
We play around the valley on the
first Sunday of each month.
Visit our web site at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
sundaywomensgolf for more
information.
Gay Sportbike Riders of Arizona
The Gay Sportbike Riders of Arizona is
for gay, lesbian, bi-, and straight sportbike riders
and other biker enthusiasts in Arizona, but there
are all types of bikes and everyone is welcome.
The only requirements are that you are 18 or over
and love to ride. There are a lot of sportbikes
who like to ride in the front and cruiser type bikes who like to ride slower, but we
all get to the same point and have a nice meal.
We have both scheduled and unscheduled rides and they are all posted on
our web board. The web site includes a list of planned rides.
For more information: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/gsraz/
Frontrunners is a gay and
lesbian walking and running group
designed to promote health and
fitness in the gay & lesbian community. For more information, visit
Frontrunners web page at http://
www.eteamz.com/azfrontrunners/
news/.
11
Gay and Lesbian Association of Darts
(GLAD)
Lesbian bowling
The Gay and Lesbian
Association of Darts
(G.L.A.D.) is the only Phoenix
area gay and lesbian dart league
that gives back to the community.
Founded in 1989, our joint
purpose is to unite the GLBT
community and raise money for
charity.
We have two regular seasons each year: Winter/Spring
and Summer/Fall. A team roster consists of five members, with
two substitutes. Dues are $5.00 per week with 51% of all
money raised going to three local charities. In our history, the
dart league has raised and donated more than $500,000.00
to local charities. .
Tuesday evening's play consists of five individual games
of 301, two games of team 501, and two games of team
Cricket. Individual awards are given to players who have thrown
a "Hat Trick," a "3 in a Bed," a "White Horse," or a "6 Dart
Out."
For more information, visit our website: http://
the premier lesbian bowling league
in the Phoenix metro area. We
bowl during the fall/winter season
on Wednesday nights at AMF
Glendale Lanes located at the
southwest corner of 43rd Ave.
and Dunlap/Olive in Glendale,
AZ. We meet at 6:15PM for practice, then 6:30PM to
start league bowling. There is still room for individual bowlers, couples or full teams of four women.
Call AMF Glendale Lanes at 623-931-3785
and ask for info about joining League Of Our Own. You
www.gladphxaz.org/
The Phoenix Sunfish is a (mostly) Gay/Lesbian/
Bisexual/Transgender (GLBT) masters swim team in Phoenix, AZ. We always welcome new swimmers, and we encourage everyone to join us - gay, lesbian, bisexual and
straight.
Our members participate on our team to have fun,
to meet people and make new friends, for exercise and
improved fitness, to improve swimming technique, and to
compete in swim meets.
Home page: http://www.phxsunfish.org/
Phoenix
Dykes on
Bikes
We are a group of
women who share the common passion of motorcycle riding.
Our diverse range of members illustrates the openness of our
community. Some members genderbend and some of our founding members enjoy the Leather lifestyle as reflected in our logo.
However, what unifies our group and is the driving force behind
the fun we have, is the love of motorcycles.
This group includes but is not limited to butch, femme,
androgynous, jock, transgendered, transsexual, intersexual, gender bending women who relish the fun and freedom of the wind
in their hair or rushing over their helmet. The motorcycle and the
ride unite us all in a common bond. Whether you are a beginner
or experienced rider, all dykes are welcome here.
It doesn't matter what you ride as long as you ride!!
Visit our website: http://phoenixdykesonbikes.org
League Of Our Own is
can visit out website at http://www.league-of-ourown.com/ or e-mail [email protected].
Desert Hearts Motorcycle Club
Desert Hearts Motorcycle Club is a woman only
riding club founded in 1991. We ride the gorgeous state of
Arizona, following the rules of the road, respecting and enjoying the company of the other members. Our rides are
mostly day trips, typically on a Saturday or Sunday.
E-mail us at [email protected], to join us
on any rides or to get more information on how you too can
be part of our club, or visit our web site at http://
www.desertheartsmc.com/
Phoenix Mercury schedule on page 39!!
12
DINING OUT
East Valley Sunday
Coffee Group
Westside coffee group
Join us at Bitzee Mama’s, on
58th Avenue, 1 block north of Glendale Ave, in historic downtown Glendale, every Sunday at 10am. Contact
Ilese at: [email protected]
Women’s Community Potluck
Pat McGee’s June potluck will
be on Saturday, June 19th, at 6:00
PM.
Bring table service, a dish to
share, your drinks, and have some fun.
Call Pat for directions and information at
623-9722471.
Eatin’ Out in the East
Valley
The Eatin' Out in the East Valley dinner group will be on it's summer
break. Join us again on September 20.
Location will be announced in August.
We meet the 3rd Monday of the
month at 7 p.m. at various restaurants in
the east valley. To get on the email list
contact Patty at golfing-
[email protected].
The Sunday Morning East Valley Coffee Group meets every Sunday, from 10:30
AM -1:00 PM, at various locations in the
east valley. For location and info, join the
group mailing list at http://groups.yahoo.com/
group/East ValleyCoffeeList
1st Saturday Dinner w/Friends
Join us on Saturday June 5th, 7 PM, at the
Old Town Tortilla Factory, 6910 E Main St (just S
of Indian School), Scottsdale, in the heart of Old
Town in the arts district.
Enjoy this nice weather in a great outdoor
atmosphere! Our June Dinner will be a causal outdoor affair on one of the best dining patios in Arizona! Relaxed ambience, rustic décor and strings of miniature lites create a magical
setting!
Enjoy the best of the southwest with off beat menu drawing from
Native American & Sonora influences. Fluffy, floured, fresh made tortillas are amazing! Full bar with complete selection of beers, wines & liquors. Known for their impressive variety of margaritas. Offering over 120 premium tequilas. Winner of many
awards from Phoenix magazine, the Food Network, New Times, City Search & The
Rep. See website for listing. Pricing is mostly moderate with a few more expensive
options from the House Specialties section of the menu. As always, separate checks.
Evening doesn’t end with dinner. Get your groove on with a little dancing
afterwards!
Limited seating! Your RSVP a few days ahead will insure seating with the
group. Please RSVP with the first name and last initial of each person in your
party. Thanks! RSVP to [email protected]
WEB: www.oldtowntortillafactory.com ( menu /map & awards)
PH: (480) 945-4567 (for restaurant)
Central Phoenix Coffee Klatch
Meets the 1st and 3rd Sundays, 10:00 AM, at 16th Street and Camelback Road (1641 E
Camelback) at Starbucks. The north side of the building is shaded and misted, we found it very comfortable.
So grab your drink of choice and please join us as we would love to have you!
13
RESTAURANT REVIEW
There are days you feel the Universe came together to
make you happy, to comfort you. One of those happened recently when I found out Lao Thai Restaurant opened in south
Scottsdale. After years of waiting, we now have a family-run Thai
restaurant in the area that prides itself in using the freshest ingredients, a high-quality menu, and Sunday hours. Previously a fast
food Chinese restaurant, the new owners did an awesome job
remodeling the place into an inviting, airy, and cozy space for your
dining pleasure.
We normally do not order a lot of Appetizers, but straying from the norm, the Shrimp Fresh Rolls (shrimp, rice noodles,
vegetables, and mint; $5.50) were a welcome distraction from
the regular rolls with lots of fresh vegetables and a surprising crunch
in the middle that brought a smile to our faces. While we would
have preferred a good peanut sauce to go with them, the Thai
sauce that came with them brought all the ingredients into harmony
in our mouths. From the Salads menu, we thoroughly cherished
the Yum Woom-Sen (clear noodles, chicken, onions, cabbage,
bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, and roasted peanut Thai dressing;
$7.50) with its fresh depiction of a chicken salad. The noodles
were the medium where the rest of the ingredients clung together,
providing a bit of chicken, herbs, and vegetables in every bite.
This was a well-balanced and nutritious dish you can order time
and time again, and with the coming summer months, it is a perfect
reprieve from the heat.
Moving to the Entrées (with choice of chicken, beef,
pork, or tofu, and served with steamed rice), we tended to
choose the vegetable-heavy dishes like the Garden Delight
(broccoli, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, and green beans, stir-fried in
a Thai sauce; $9.00) and the Stir-Fry Eggplant (eggplant with
chopped bell peppers, onions, garlic, and fresh basil; $9.00)
with tofu. They were well put together, but they did not stand
out like the Spicy Pumpkin Basil (sliced pumpkin with onions,
basil leaves, and bell peppers; $9.00), which was very different
from anything we have had before: it had a nice, spicy kick, and
yet, the pumpkin contrasted with the other vegetables and rice,
creating a luscious experience of simultaneous heat and softness
unequaled yet in my culinary experience.
In addition to the Entrees, there are other mainstay flavors in Thai cuisine I always look for, Curry being one of them. I
really enjoyed their Musamun Curry (coconut milk flavored Thai
Curry Paste with onions, Musamun sauce, whole peanuts, carrots,
and potatoes; $9.50), which was peanut heavy and had a bit of
a bite. Paired with the jasmine rice, it became a spiritual experience with the crunchy peanuts, soft potatoes, and creamy sauce
enveloping everything and exploding with flavor in my mouth.
Another perfect dish came from the Cher’s Specials, and I would
not hesitate to order it again. It was Plaa-Rud-Pring (Whole fried
tilapia or pompano – Deep fried fish with chef’s special sauce;
$13.50), and it will change the way you look at fish. I chose
the pompano, as I had never tried it before. It was perfectly
crispy, juices seared inside, and bathed in a deliciously spicy sauce
filled with green onions, peppers, and lots of flavor. Although I
would have preferred to have the sauce on the side, I eventually
forfeited my fork and ate it with my fingers (proper fried fish eating
technique in my universe), dipping chunks of buttery pompano in
the abundant sauce, licking my fingers every so often to make sure
all goodness was delivered correctly.
I could go on about the delicious creations found in Lao
Thai’s menu, but you should go explore and discover the plethora
of flavors and textures available from one of our newest neighbors.
What are you waiting for? You will go back time and time again.
Location: 2200 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale
Hours: Lunch: Mon. – Fri.: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m
Dinner: Mon. – Fri.: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Open Sat. and Sun. – call for times
Phone: (480) 471-6609
Midtown Gay Women’s Potluck
Singles Dinners
Lao Thai Restaurant
By Karina Sandweg
Join us the 1st Saturday of every
month, at 1:00 PM, at the Church of the
Beatitudes, SE corner of Glendale and 7th
Ave, for food, fun, and chitchat!
There will be signs directing you to
the location at the church.
Bring a dish to share, a beverage,
plate, and silverware.
All adult gay women are welcome.
For more information, contact Jean at 602-544-8444,
or Pat , 602-595-9112.
This dinner group has 2 components: a Singles dinner
for all single lesbians, and an Under Age 50 Singles Dinner, for
single lesbians in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
If you would like to receive the current dinner ad, send
it to Carla at [email protected], please title your
email " Saw it in the WCC." Please specify in your email if I
should add you to the under age 50 email list, or the general
singles email.
This dinner group takes a LONG summer vacation, but I
am willing to reply to your email, and add you to the email list
at any time.
Si
nent
ans,
ner,
and
curre
viole
title
Plea
add
list,
summ
to re
the
14
MS. KNOWITALL
Dear Ms. Knowitall:
There are some lesbians on the various email lists who support Senate Bill
1070 (the "Show me your papers" bill) that the Republican-dominated state legislature passed and Governor Brewer signed into law.
I can't understand how members of a downtrodden segment of society like
us lesbians can support something like this, which is blatantly targeted at members of
another downtrodden segment of society. The bill ostensibly is to combat illegal
immigration, but it is actually a method of oppressing Hispanic and Latino/Latina
people.
Can you explain why there are lesbians who support such a heinous law?
Thank you.
Signed,
You know who I am
Dear Yes I Do,
Unfortunately, lesbians are just people, and not the higher life form that
some of us wish we were. Also unfortunately, most of us do not have enough affinity for our own group as a minority. Most of us don't care enough to fight for what
we believe in, and are content to live our little lives with as little conflict as possible, even at the expense of our civil rights.
Many of us are so devolved that we subliminally or ostensibly scorn those
who fight for those rights and are actually more comfortable bleating like sheep and
being controlled by the powerful - which brings us back to the fact that lesbians are
just people and reflect the attitude of mainstream America, where ME is the operative word and the collective is called "socialism."
Well, that answer was wrapped up very efficiently in a not so nice little
paragraph, says
Dear Ms. Knowitall,
I've been with my partner for
10 years.It's been a good relationship:
the normal ups and downs, but nothing
seriously threatening, until now.
A few months ago, I started to
notice changes in my partner's behavior:
increased sex drive (in spurts), irritability, sporadic bursts of energy, alternating with periods of extreme tiredness
and depression. I suspected drug use.
I confronted my partner, and I
was correct, she's using cocaine. I've
insisted she see a therapist, and get
treatment. It's too soon to tell if she's
making any progress; there's some lessening of mood swings, but I suspect
she's just hiding it better, or she has cut
down but not stopped. She doesn't
want to go to rehab.
My question is, can she really
get better without it? The long-term exdrug addicts I know credit rehab as the
key to their recovery. What about Narcotics Anonymous (or whatever it's
called)? Is joining that enough to make
a big difference? Are there things I can
do to help her? Where does the line
Announcement
from Ms. Knowitall
Anyone who's gotten advice from Ms.
Knowitall, please write in and tell us:
What advice did Ms. Knowitall give
you, did you use the advice, and if so,
how did it turn out? If you didn't use
the advice, what did you do, and how
did that turn out?
Send to:
msknowitall@womenscommunity
connection.com
between trying to help and support end
and enabling begin?
I don't want to have to leave
her. Aside from this relatively recent
situation, we've had a good relationship, and I really love her. I've always
felt that she returned that love, but now
I wonder, why isn't saving our relationship enough motivation to get off the
drugs?
I hope you can help me, Ms.
Knowitall!
Signed,
Feeling Helpless
continued on next page
15
Ms. Knowitall
continued from previous page
Dear Helpless,
Little did you know that your signature holds the key
to how much power you wield in your partner's recovery none. So get yourself to some kind of 12-step-anon meeting
to help you figure out what you need to do about you.
But here's some information that you should know:
There is no such thing as "cutting down" when it comes to
this drug. Because of its euphoric qualities, cocaine is one of
the most addictive drugs on the planet and one of the most
rapidly progressive. It can become addictive after only one or
two times. Research suggests that even a few months of usage
could cause neurophysiological changes in the reward center
of the brain that renders the addict incapable of experiencing
pleasure without the use of the drug. Because cocaine can
permanently damage the dopamine receptors, even if the addict stops taking it, the likelihood of relapse in the first year
of abstinence is a full 50%. Look for other signs. Almost all
cocaine addicts are or become cross-addicted. Alcohol abuse
is the prime co-addiction.
It's worrisome that your partner does not want to go
into rehab. It may indicate that the addiction has progressed
enough to protect itself, which brings us to your question:
Why isn't the relationship with you stronger than the relationship with cocaine? It's the most common question asked by
the people who love an addict. The answer is obvious but
extremely hard to swallow. NOTHING is more important to
an addict than their addiction. Why? Because the addiction
took possession of the person you used to know.
If your partner is truly addicted to cocaine, it is
Movie Night
Every 4th Friday
Join us for lesbian and
LGBT-themed movies
LSN meets at the
1 Voice Community Center
725 W Indian School, Phx
7:30—10:00 PM
www.womenscommunityconnection.com/LSN
wildly unlikely that she'll get better without help by a professional, and not just any professional. It needs to be someone
specifically qualified to treat addiction for the best outcome.
Rehab is an excellent place to get the right combination of
drugs, counseling, and behavior modification to combat this
disease.
What can you do? Decide what your boundaries
will be and do not let her cross them. Once you determine
what's best for you, do not make idle threats. And again,
Ms. Knowitall urges you to get help.
Address your questions for Ms. Knowitall t o
[email protected]. If you have a question
but do not have e-mail access, send your question to WCC/Ms.
Knowitall, 2544 N. Champlain Ave., Tempe, AZ, 85281. If you sign
your name (you don’t have to) it will not be printed. All letters are kept
confidential. Any advice given is the opinion of Ms. Knowitall only.
WCC does not take responsibility for any bad advice that appears in this
column.
5352 N 16th St., Phx, AZ, 85016
602-264-9866
Our $39.99 WCC Car Care Special will ensure that
your vehicle is ready for the hot days ahead.
This service includes:
Lube, Oil & Filter Change (up to 5 qts)
Check Charging System & Battery
Check Heating & Cooling System
Rotate Tires, Check Brakes & Front End
FREE Maintenance Inspection
A $162 value!
ADD ONE OR BOTH!
A/C Inspection
Coolant Flush
(134A only)
With one lb. Freon & dye
$39.95 ($98 Value)
(Green or Orange Coolant)
With one gallon coolant)
$39.95 ($98 Value)
Click here for a printable coupon
16
Center Hours
Our Mission:
Monday - Friday:
12:00 PM to 9:00 PM
One Voice Community Center serves as a cultural focal point uniting
LGBT individuals and reinvests in the community by providing vital
educational, social and wellness programs.
Our Vision:
Help to create a strong community
of LGBT individuals living without
fear, shame or isolation.
Women's Discussion
Group at 1VCC
This program is designed for
women in the LGBT community who
enjoy stimulating conversation and connection, and serves as a way for them to
network and support one another. The
Discussion Group serves to unify and
educate those who identify as “women”
in our community. The discussion group is
held the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every
month at 1 Voice Community Center,
725 W Indian School, Suite #125, in
Phoenix, from 2pm to 4pm.
One Voice Speakers Bureau
The Speakers Bureau serves as a conduit into the LGBT community within
the greater community. A diverse group of LGBT individuals go to organizations and
businesses within the Valley that are not LGBT knowledgeable, to discuss being
LGBT, answer any question, and give a “face” to the LGBT community. It serves to
fight prejudice, ignorance, and LGBT cultural phobias.
Toastmasters
Do you fear speaking in public? Conquer your
fears, improve your public speaking skills, enhance your
leadership skills, and network, all in the comfort of your
own community!
Meetings are held at the 1 Voice Community
Center, 725 W. Indian School, Suite #125, in Phoenix. For dates and more information, contact [email protected].
Coming in July! Communiversity summer classes!
Shaken & Stirred for Equality
LGBT Monthly Social every 3rd Thursday
Join One Voice Community Center and HRC Arizona for an evening of
fun and fellowship at our monthly social. Come find out what HRCAZ and 1VCC
are doing to support the LGBT community.
Mixer promoting equality starts at 6pm; event goes from 7:00 - 9:00
PM. Snacks will be served and special social drink prices all night long.
Location: Kobalt Bar, 3110 N. Central Ave. Suite 125 Phoenix, AZ, 85012
17
Every Friday,
7:30 - 10:00 PM
Admission: $5.00
(Includes refreshments)
1 Voice
Community Center
725 W Indian School, Phx
1 Voice Community Center,
725 W Indian School, Phoenix, Suite 125
SW corner of Indian School & 7th Ave
alcohol--free alternative to meeting people at the bars
The alcohol
Join us for games, lively discussions, special guests,
exceptional events, unique theme nights, lesbian movies,
fun & laughter, & MORE!!!
Movie night every 4th Friday!
Become a member, and get in FREE!
(see ad on page 16)
For more information about LSN, visit the WCC website:
www.womenscommunityconnection.com/LSN
Or e-mail [email protected]
18
Are You Open to Receive?
By Paula Gregorowicz
When something good comes your way, are you
open to receiving it? This might seem like an obvious
question and you might quickly answer "of course I am",
but I'm here to ask you - are you sure about that? It's not
that I doubt your sincerity, it's just that I know just how
sneaky our reluctance to receive can be and how it can
sabotage us, in oh so subtle ways.
Not too long ago I was offered the opportunity
to receive an unbelievably generous gift. You would think
my initial reaction would be - Hell yeah! - and that it
would have been a done deal right away. Yet, it wasn't.
In the process of working through my own beliefs, feelings, and resistance I learned a great deal about why it is
so hard for many of us to receive openly and how that
holds us back from having greater levels of happiness and
success.
First off we are just not hardwired to feel totally
deserving and receive with open arms and no attachments. It is not our nature because of the myriad of messages we have absorbed throughout our lives. Women
tend to be even more reluctant to feel totally deserving of
all they desire and are more likely to focus on nurturing
everyone but themselves.
When faced with the opportunity to receive
something really great - money, professional opportunities, generous gifts of time or things, or even real, unconditional love, Sherrie, do you find yourself:
• Thinking - Who am I to deserve this?
• Worrying - How will it appear to others if I accept
this?
• Agonizing - If I weigh the options from a million angles
I'll be in total control, right?
• Fearing - If I accept this good thing will something bad
be right around the corner?
After all, it might feel really unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and scary to simply open up to grace and willingly
receive with a great deal of gratitude, right?
Here's the thing: your resistance to receiving is
not just about any one circumstance. Sure you can decline the offer for a babysitter, choose to get work done
rather than indulge in a romantic date night offered by
your partner, or pass when a friend wants to pick up the
tab for lunch. Sometimes it is the right choice for the moment. Yet, if you are always turning away from the
chance to receive or agonizing at the doorstep of opportunity, you'll find that little by little doors close and the
possibilities for your life personally and professionally
dwindle to a trickle or a stagnant puddle.
Think of it this way. Opportunity and good fortune are like someone driving around looking for welcoming places to stop and stay awhile. If it sees the doors
locked, the blinds drawn, or the sign in the window says
"go away!" it'll move on to a more welcoming spot. It's
only natural, wouldn't you do the same?
You get to choose how appealing you look and
feel to opportunity and good fortune. Do you want to
be the closed up shop or the homey looking space when
good things come looking for you?
Learning to receive openly takes practice and a
willing spirit. Here are some ways you can catch yourself
when you're being resistant and enhance your ability to
receive:
• When presented with an opportunity or gift, pause
before responding. Say nothing until you've had a chance
to drink it in.
• If you feel resistance surging into your mind and body,
acknowledge it, allow yourself to feel it, and just let it be
(don't try to change it or push it away).
• Check in with your head and your heart to see what
you truly want to choose.
• Breathe deep and receive without judgment or attachment.
As you start to break down the barriers of resistance and open the gates of your heart wide to receive,
you will find more and more opportunities showing up in
your life or business seemingly "out of the blue". That's
how it works because remember that what you most want
is out there and it's closer than you think. Take the actions you need to but don't forget to open the door or it
will pass you by in favor of a more welcoming recipient.
Copyright 2004-2010, All Rights Reserved, The
Paula G Company™.
http://www.thepaulagcompany.com
19
We Are Living History
By Lee Lynch
Up on the podium is a short, wide dyke in a cowboy hat. Next to her is a shirtless gay guy in leather pants,
suspenders and cap. They take turns at the mike, exhorting
the crowd. Down in the audience a slight balding man in a
pink tutu periodically does demi-plies as he applauds the
speakers. Back a few rows two white-haired women, one in a
wheelchair, are so moved they are crying.
Millions of gay people have now witnessed scenes
like this. They’ve been happening for at least 40 years now.
It’s an ongoing story with the makings of history even as we
live it, even as gay historians document it.
When my first few books were published, readers
thanked me for depicting our history. I’d explain at readings
that I wasn’t writing history, that I was writing reality as it is
experienced by many gays who aren’t on the ramparts. The
stomping diesel dykes who wear high heels to work and effeminate male hairdressers who are still married to women, for
example, are not anachronisms. They are alive and well and
always would be with us in some form or other.
History happens in daily life. The first time a teacher
came out to her school principal, she made history. Teachers
continue coming out today. History is an accumulation of
these acts.
When I meet young readers I can see that nothing
but the present is real to them. The way they see it, a book I
wrote twenty-five years ago depicts history, while to me it’s
my reality. My fictional characters dress with a style that
could seem a bit stale to kids with piercings and tattoos, but
is true to the dykes I see.
The irony is that I have always been bored silly by
history. I would never purposely write an historical romance.
At the library today I was perusing a two-volume edition of
Herman Wouk’s War and Remembrance. In his introduction,
he called those towering novels historical romances even
though all the events happened in his lifetime. Maybe I have
been writing history all along.
I really hated world civ in college. This weird teacher
would climb on the long table at the front of the auditorium
and pace, gesticulating wildly with his mic. It was hard to
concentrate on Roman Emperors and Visigoths while waiting
for him to fall off. In section classes he’d have us, college
students, color in maps. He provided the crayons. I learned
best from teachers who were passionate about their subjects.
Guys like him bled passion out of history.
What if the schools had taught gay history, would I
have liked the subject then? Well, they couldn’t. It wasn’t
documented back then. We had no pictures of gay heroes,
no Gayttysberg Address to memorize, no significant dates
about which to write reports. Gay history was left to the
novelists: Gale Wilhelm, Radclyffe Hall, Gore Vidal, Mary
Renault.
Today, because our history has become visible, it has
also started to look more like our present. The tattooed baby
gays are keyboarding us: churning out stories of the here and
now that reflect this new world. They’re doing love scenes
between characters who can legally marry and mysteries featuring party boys unabashedly mobbing the streets.
The tableau of the gay guy and the gay woman at the
podium is a sign of both early and later post Stonewall years;
they couldn’t get more current, yet they’re making history.
The lesbian pushing her lover’s wheelchair and the gay boy
dancing for joy in a pink tutu are living history. Their acts
become bedrock we stand on. Every book a gay person
writes about a gay life, every time we come out to a boss –
or every time we hide while the bigots win elections – we
may think we’re just living our lives, but we’re actually determining our history.
Copyright Lee Lynch May 2010
SPERM DONOR
Good looking, GWM, brown hair, brown eyes,
5’9”,Phoenix area. Healthy, HIV Negative.
English, Welsh, and Hungarian descent.
College degreed. Have partner-in-life.
Contact Richard:
[email protected]
20
SPIRITUALITY
Phoenix Shambhala
Meditation Group
Buddha Heart
Buddha Heart is holds weekly
meditations, every Tuesday, at 7:30
PM at Peaceful Roots, 4630 North
7th Avenue, Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.
The group incorporates Buddhist meditation practices that embrace
body, speech, and mind: chanting, silent meditation, Kai Gong (Buddhist
Yoga) and Qi Gong. No previous experience is necessary.
Wear comfortable clothing.
For more information, contact Rev.
Carey Avery, 602-275-6261,
[email protected].
Shambhala Phoenix Meditation Center is part of an international
community of urban meditation and
rural retreat centers founded by Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
and is now led by Sakyong Mipham
Rinpoche. Our center offers public
meditation two times per week, a core
curriculum of Buddhist and Shambhala
teachings, as well as training in advanced contemplative practices. We
invite you to explore our diverse programs designed to help people of all
traditions discover their inherent sanity,
gentleness and humor. Please come sit,
come study and come see what we are
all about.
www.rpascottsdale.com
Dignity/Integrity
Dignity/Integrity Phoenix provides a welcome, open environment for
gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender
Catholics and Episcopalians, their families and friends.
Join us every Saturday at 7:00
p.m. as we celebrate the Roman Catholic liturgy at the Church of the Beatitudes, 555 W. Glendale Avenue,
Phoenix (SE corner of Glendale and
7th Avenues in the chapel located in
the Britt Center which is the building
east of the main sanctuary facing Glendale Avenue). A potluck is held on the
third Saturday. This is your opportunity
to meet some great new friends.
For more information, call our
Info-line at 623-772-6999, visit our
website, at http://www.diginphx.org/,
or e-mail [email protected].
Unity of Phx
The Unity of Phoenix GLBT
Connections Group provides community
and support for one another, with the
guiding principles being our relationship
with God, and living Love. We meet
at various times during the month in private homes and at Unity of Phoenix,
1500 E. Greenway Parkway.
For more information, visit our
website at www.unityphx.org/, or email:
[email protected].
AVIV
AVIV is a spiritual and social
organization for the Arizona GLBT
Jewish community. For more information, call 602-952-1612.
Soulforce is an interfaith movement committed to ending spiritual violence
perpetuated by religious policies and teachings against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) people." Join our network of friends learning nonviolence from
Ghandi and King, seeking justice for God’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
children.
Spiritual violence is the misuse of religion to sanction the condemnation and
rejection of any of God’s children. Misusing religion and/or God to support society’s bias against sexual and gender minorities also inappropriately justifies psychological, legal and physical violence against them. Some zealots blatantly articulate
spiritual violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people when they
scream “God Hates Fags.” Mainline churches may be less blatant and more sophisticated, but they are no less guilty of spiritual violence. It is just as violent spiritually
when pastors and parents—quoting scripture—condemn and reject members of
their congregation and their family.
E-mail [email protected] for more information, or visit our website at
http://www.soulforce.org
21
LGBTLGBT-friendly churches
Asbury United Methodist
1601 W. Indian School Rd., Phoenix
(602) 279-2369
Interfaith Unity Church
1641 East University Drive, Mesa
(480) 946-9481
www.aplaceforallpeople.com
www.interfaithunitychurch.org
Casa de Cristo Evangelical Church
1029 E. Turney Ave., Phoenix
(602) 265-2831
Olive Tree Christian Fellowship at Palo Cristi Presbyterian
3535 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley
(602) 955-6080
www.casadecristo.org
Celebration Of Life Presbyterian Church
2530 South Alma School Road
Mesa, AZ 85210-4016
(480) 838-8550
www.celebration-of-life.org
Church of the Beatitudes United Church of Christ
555 W. Glendale Ave, Glendale
602-264-1221
www.beatitudeschurch.org
Community Church of Hope
4121 N 7th Ave, Phoenix
602-234-2180
www.communitychurchofhope.com
Christ of the Desert Catholic of the Antioch at Faith
Evangelical Lutheran Church
801 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix
(602) 789-6251
Desert Palm United Church Of Christ
1230 East Guadalupe Road, Tempe
(480) 831-006
www.palocristipres.org
Scottsdale Congregational United Church of Christ
4425 North Granite Reef Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
(480) 946-2900
www.scucc.com
Shadow Rock Congregational
12861 N. 8th Ave. Phoenix
602-993-0050
www.shadowrockucc.org
Soka Gakkai International
1930 E. Myrtle Ave, Phoenix
480-664-3004
www.sgi-usa.org
Temple Emanuel (Reform Judaism)
5801 S. Rural Rd, Tempe
480-838-1414
http://emanueloftempe.org/
First Congregational United Church of Christ
1407 N. 2nd Street, Phoenix
602-258-6891
Trinity Center of New Thought
6411 S. River Drive, Tempe
480-491-6707
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
100 W. Roosevelt, Phoenix
(602) 254-7126
www.phoenixucc.org
www.trinitycathedral.com
Gentle Shepherd Metropolitan Community Church
South Mountain Community Church, 717 E Southern
Avenue, Phoenix
602-864-6404
Valley Unitarian Universalist Church
6400 W. Del Rio St., Chandler
(480) 899-4249
www.gsmcc.org
Grace Lutheran
1124 N. 3rd St., Phoenix
(602) 258-3787
Via de Cristo United Methodist Church
7430 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, Suite 134,
Scottsdale,
(480) 515-4490
www.graceinthecity.com
www.viadecristo.com
www.desertpalmucc.org
www.vuu.org
22
'Sex and the City 2' Extends Its
Marketing Ploys
By Jennifer Merin
(WOMENSENEWS)--Get set for even more tantalizing foreplay before we finally reach the spectacular latemonth multinational release of "Sex and the City 2" on May
27. Between now and then you can count on an ongoing
spring blizzard of media teases, with bits and snippets
dropped about everything from plot twists to hat tricks, from
fashion, makeup and hairstyle tips to illicit interludes.
To date, Warner Bros.' marketing team has been
quite coy about revealing elements of this latest incarnation of
Carrie and crew and I have not been able to preview it. Amid
all this, suspense is inevitably building about whether this sequel can inspire anything like the massive public love affair
with the first "Sex and the City."
What we know thus far about the story is that the
quickly-approaching middle-age and already somewhat settled
shopportunistic quartet takes off on a girls-go-wild vacation to
Abu Dhabi--yes, Abu Dhabi--where Carrie, whose marriage
to Mr. Big is in a slump, happens to bump into her exsqueeze Aidan Shaw. That's all that's been revealed, but oh
oh, and oh my--and all of that in Abu Dhabi.
For starters, join the club of skeptics who are wondering why the famously New York-centric hedonistic fashionistas would choose to jet off for a girly getaway in the capital
of the United Arab Emirates. We all need a little escape, but
are audiences--women and men--who are so stressed by this
punishing recession ready to embrace these notoriously conspicuous consumers' foray into a famously oil-rich capital?
If you've been speculating that the film's clever and
resourceful writer-director Patrick Michael King and his producers were lured to Abu Dhabi by oil-rich sheiks who've
already demonstrated intent to buy into the glamorous, influential movie industry by founding the affluent Middle East
International Film Festival, you're probably wrong.
Instead, it seems that the socially and politically conservative
authorities of the United Arab Emirates banned the filming of
this tale of liberal ladies in their country.
Camel Rides to Somewhere
So when Carrie and crew step out of their Jimmy
Choo shoes and away from the party-girl platform to embrace
their wild-woman inner instincts and mount camels for desert
rides, they're actually in Morocco, apparently a more indulgent host to U.S. cultural trends and those who represent
them. Even so, Abu Dhabi anticipates a tourist rush following
the film's release. Such is the influence of the Sex-and-the-City
franchise.
The first movie was marketed in 2008 to the
"women's niche audience" and achieved huge box office success. "Sex and the City" earned $55.7 million on opening
weekend, making it the fifth largest R-rated opener ever. To
date, it has grossed more than $400 million dollars worldwide.
For some, the success of "Sex and the City" was
hailed as a benchmark for women in film. Those of us in a dissenting camp thought differently. We enjoyed the show and
were pleased to know that a film starring women could make
money and generate a massive, built-in audience for further
adventures. But the cartoonish gals' consumerist preoccupations hardly seemed to represent real women's concerns or
interests. It was about female escapism, not affirmation. The
upcoming movie may stir a bit more dissent.
In this film, the quartet seems so oblivious to any realworld external concerns that there's substantial Internet chat
suggesting fans may be less enchanted this time around.
Meanwhile, several films of particular interest to women were
released earlier in the month and genuinely warrant our attention and support.
Motherly Themes
Of three highly worthwhile films, two play right into
the motherhood theme.
"Babies," a documentary by French filmmaker Thomas
Balmes (the film's in French with English subtitles), follows the
first year of four babies born in different corners of the world;
Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo. It's a fascinating comparative revelation of how different cultures welcome
their babies into the world and immediately begin the process
of cultural integration. The quartet of babies is adorable and
their emerging personalities are profiled with love, warmth and
gentle understanding.
In "Mother and Child," writer-director Rodrigo Garcia takes on the subject of adoption in a story that interweaves
three engaging stories. Annette Benning plays a middle-age
physical therapist who lives with and cares for her aging
mother and is suffering guilt and bitterness from having given
up the child she had when she was 14 years old. Naomi
Watts plays that child, now a bright and ambitious lawyer
who's in two unsatisfying relationships: one with her boss
(Samuel Jackson) and one with her neighbor, whose wife is
pregnant. In the third plot line, Kerry Washington plays a
woman who is desperate to
23
Sex & the City
have a child but cannot conceive and, so, with her husband, seeks a solution
through a private Catholic adoption service.
Garcia, who's revered by the actresses who've worked with him,
brings his characters' stories together in surprising, always interesting and meaningful ways. I highly recommend this film.
Also opened in May, in limited release, "The Oath" is Academy
Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras' extraordinary investigation of the disparate fates of two brothers who were both arrested as suspected terrorists in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the World
Trade Center. Both brothers were formerly staunch al-Qaida supporters and
close associates of Osama bin Laden. One brother, Abu Jamal, went through
detainment and trial and is now a taxi driver in Yemen. The other brother,
Salim Hamdan, is currently imprisoned at Guantanamo.
Poitras' compelling work provokes public consideration and debate
about how the war on terrorism is being handled by U.S. authorities and how
international perceptions of U.S. anti-terrorism practices affects foreign attitudes toward the United States as an international power.
Compelling Hawaiian Princess
Opened on May 14, "Princess Ka'iulani" is a narrative feature based
on the true story of the Hawaiian princess, who in 1888, when she was but
12 years old, was removed from her family and relocated to Victorian England. Through personal fortitude, Ka'iulani (played by Q'orianka Kilcher) develops the commitment to try to right the injustices her people are suffering
under American control. Ka'iulani's story is compelling and Kilcher's performance is gripping. The film is moving and inspiring.
Queen Latifah stars in the femme-centric "Just Wright," also opened
May 14. Directed by Sanaa Hamri ("Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,"
2005), this smart romcom features a gal who maintains her cool and selfrespect as she bounces between being a best friend and seeking true love. The
film's unique basketball twist makes this chick flick appealing to men as well as
women.
"Letters From Juliet," features Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, a romantic young woman whose travels bring her to the home of William Shakespeare's star-crossed heroine in Verona, where heartbroken lovers leave letters
to invoke advice from the spirit of Juliet. Sophie finds and answers a letter
that was written in 1957 and in doing so facilitates a lover's reunion that was
50 years in the making. Vanessa Redgrave plays the letter writer, who is now
advanced in years. It is a charming and romantic story that's brought to life
with two beautifully realized performances by two generations of superb actresses.
After that, we get closer to the big debut of "Sex and the City 2,"
which will undoubtedly be the month's box office powerhouse, while the
other films flowering in May provide as much, if not more, viewing satisfaction.
National Organization
for Women
The Phoenix/
Scottsdale Chapter of
the National Organization for Women is a
grass roots organization of volunteers who
work to support women’s rights. There are
several chapters in the Phoenix area.
East Valley NOW:
Andrea Giunta
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.myspace.com/
evnowchapter
Meetings: Second Thursday every month,
6:30-8:30 PM, Tempe Public LibrarySW corner of Rural and Southern, Tempe,
AZ.
Phoenix/Scottsdale NOW:
P.O. Box 3514, Scottsdale, AZ
85271-3514
480-948-5014
Website: www.phxscottsdalenow.org
Meetings: Second Wednesday every
other month, Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 Drinkwater Blvd, in the Silver or Gold Room from 6:30-8:30 pm.
Sun Cities/West Valley NOW:
15318 W Skyview Way, Surprise, AZ
85374
623-975-7411
Or Co-coordinators
Mary Smiley
Marge Mead
10035 W Royal Oak Road
GH #1052
Sun City, AZ 85351
623-815-8522 (call or e-mail for meeting schedule and location)
E-mail: [email protected], or marge-
24
SUPPORT GROUPS
Life support group
"Life" Support Group is meeting on Tuesdays from 7pm to 9pm at
Ajo Al's.
This is a new peer support
group where all members have one voice
and one vote. This is a safe and loving
environment to work on relationships of
all kinds and personal growth. We have
chosen to respect each individual's spiritual beliefs however the group will not
focus on spirituality.
We meet each Tuesday, 7pm
to 9pm ,at Ajo Al's Mexican Restaurant which is on 16th St. just north of
Camelback on the east side of the
street. We will be meeting on the patio
in the back where it will be quieter.
Also, they have misters and fans to
keep us comfortable.
We are a work in progress. We
are attempting to reach consensus before
posting a fuller description. ....stay
tuned!!!!!!! !!!!!!!
To find out more please call
Jen at 602-451-5390. Or email Jen
at higginsjennifer@ yahoo.com
The Gay and Lesbian (LGBT) Relationship Breakup
and Intelligent Dating Support Group
We meet every Tuesday, 7 - 9pm, at Casa de Christo Church, 1029
E.Turney Ave (north of Indian School, west of 12th st) in the middle room of the
office building on the east side of the complex.
While our priority is to support those going through the painful and difficult
early stages of a relationship breakup, the group has expanded to include where we
go after we have healed from our loss and is very much focused on Spiritual and
personal growth. It is our mission to, in time, be better off for the experience of our
breakup due to greater self awareness and better dating and relationship skills.
Contact Sue Piscatello at 602-299-7588.
Sojourner Center’s Support Groups
* Adult Women who have and/or are experiencing domestic violence: Thursday,
6:15 to 7:30 PM
* Spanish support group for adult women who have and/or are experiencing domestic violence: Thursday, 6:15 to 7:30 PM
* Adult lesbian/bisexual women who have and/or are experiencing domestic violence: Thursday, 6:45 to 7:45 PM
*The locations for the above groups
are confidential. Please call (602)
244-0089 for more information.
* Adult Women who have and/or are
experiencing Domestic Violence:
1-800
800--799
799--SAFE (7233)
Tuesdays, 6 to 7:30 PM, The
Women’s Resource Center, 1130 E.
McDowell Rd.
The Wellness Community
Facing Cancer Together is a group for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgendered (LGBT) community, addressing the many ways cancer affects our
relationships with partners, family and friends. We will discuss tools and resources to
nurture and support our most important relationships.
For more information, visit the website, http://www.twccaz.org/.
The National
Domestic
Violence Hotline
Support
is just a phone call
away
25
Gay/Lesbian AA Groups
The Casual Nooners: Meets every day at 12:00 NOON, at the Lambda
PFLAG
PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of
Lesbians & Gays) is a support and informational group for those of us learning to deal
with the reality of homosexuality and how to
provide loving support for our children, friends,
and each other. We welcome our gay and lesbian children, family, and friends at meetings.
For more information, support, education, resources and more, visit the PFLAG
website at www.pflagphoenix.org/index.html.
Meetings:
Every 1st Wednesday: Familias del Arco Iris,
(bilingual/Spanish support), 7– 9:00 PM, at
the First United Congregational Church of
Christ, 1407 N. 2nd Street, Phoenix
Every 1st Friday: 7-8:30 PM, Dayspring
United Methodist Church, 1365 E. Elliot
Road, Tempe
Every 2nd Thursday: 7-8:30 PM, Via de
Cristo United Methodist Church, 7430 E.
Pinnacle Peak Road, #134, Scottsdale
Every 3rd Monday: 7-9:00 PM, at the First
United Congregational Church of Christ,
1407 N. 2nd Street, Phoenix
Every 4th Saturday: 1:30-3:00 PM, Lord of
Life Lutheran church, 13724 W. Meeker
Blvd, Sun City West
Phoenix Center, 2622 N. 16th St. (SW corner at Virginia).
Happy Hour: Meets every day, 6:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Honesty: Meets at 7:00 PM on Monday at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Alcoholics Together: Meets at 8:00 PM on Thursday at Lambda Phoenix
Center
Reality: Meets at 8:00 PM on Friday at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Let Go and Let God: Meets at 7:30 PM on Tuesday at the Lambda
Phoenix Center
Youth AA Night: Fridays 6::00PM, One Voice Community Center,
:725 W Indian School, #125, Phx
This is How: Every day at 10:00 PM,at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Variety Meeting: Sundays at 7:15 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Spiritual Experience: Mondays at 8:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix
Center
Women Sharing in Recovery: Tuesdays at 7:30 PM, at the Lambda
Phoenix Center
Come to Believe: Wednesdays at 8:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix
Center
BYOBB: Saturdays at 10:00 AM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Saturday Night Live: Saturdays at 8:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
AlAl-Anon:
Working On the Solution: Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:30 PM at Lambda
Phoenix Center
Absolutely Fabulous Al-Anon: Fridays at 8:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Gamblers Anonymous
Lambda GA: Sundays at 1:30 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Crystal Meth Anonymous
Monday at a Time: Monday, 8:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
New Hope: Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix Center
Nicotine Anonymous
Nicotine Anonymous: Wednesdays at 7:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix
More support
groups
on page 28
Center
Narcotics Anonymous
MGLA(more Gratitude, Less Attitude): Thursdays at 7:30 PM, at the
Lambda Phoenix Center
All Fellowships
Recovery Birthday Meeting: Sundays at 7:00 PM, at the Lambda Phoenix
Center
26
Free LGBT Quit Smoking Classes
1n10, Inc. offers life-enhancing
programs for LGBTQ youth ages 1422 We meet at the Community Church
of Hope, 4121 N 7th Ave (enter
north of Indian School on 6th Drive) on
Thursdays at 7:00PM.
For more information please call
602-475-7456.
1n10 provides a safe environment for LGBTQ youth to develop
positive self-acceptance through life enhancing programs. 1n10 strives to ensure all LGBTQ youth are respected,
valued, and can be themselves wherever
they are.
For more information or to become a volunteer or donor for 1n10,
please contact the group’s director, at
[email protected]
1n10, Inc does not discriminate and all are welcome.
Loved ones overseas?
Here is what we know about the LGBT community and tobacco:
• 74% of LGBT have used tobacco products.
• 70% have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
• Smoking prevalence rates of LGBT respondents is 31% compared with 20% for
AZ Adult Tobacco Survey (ATSa).
• In past 12 months, about 67% stopped smoking for a day or longer because
they were trying to quit, compared with 42.5% of respondents of the ATS.
• A lot of casual smoking occurs in LGBT bars and has become a social norm.
• Many LGBT smokers are contemplating cessation, but not ready to quit. Increasing readiness and building motivation may facilitate cessation.
Are you tired of smoking or chewing tobacco? Do you want to quit for
good, but need help? Maricopa County Tobacco Use Prevention Program offers
FREE quit tobacco classes for LGBT community throughout Maricopa County.
Participants learn techniques to help them quit and get the support needed to stay
quit. The classes are facilitated by Arizona Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialists.
Participants also receive 50% off the retail price of nicotine replacement therapy,
such as the patch or gum. Call (602) 372-7272 today to register for free classes,
Why Attend Quit Classes?
• Learn techniques to stop using tobacco and to handle nicotine cravings.
• Learn how to stay quit and handle stressful situations without using tobacco.
• Gain support from others who are quitting.
• Learn how to manage weight gain through diet and exercise.
• When you quit, your body starts to heal immediately and has long-lasting effects.
• In 20 minutes, blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
• In 24 hours, your risk of heart attack decreases.
• In 1 year, excess risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker.
Gay/lesbian friendly support
group for those of us who have loved
ones and or family overseas/Middle East etc. We will protect their anonymity of them if they
are gay/lesbian by not using names. We will be meeting at least once a month in the central
Phoenix or Glendale area. If you are interested or know someone who is please contact me at
[email protected].
WCC Columnist Lee Lynch wins awards
Lee Lynch is the recipient of the 2009 ForeWord Book of the Year Bronze
Award in Gay/Lesbian Fiction for her novel Beggar of Love from Bold Strokes
Books. ForeWord Reviews' Book of the Year Awards were established to bring increased
attention to librarians and booksellers of the literary and graphic achievements of independent publishers and their authors.
Beggar of Love was also voted 2009 Favorite Lesbian General Fiction by the Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Awards. The Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Awards were
created to allow readers a voice. The readers nominate for the award categories and the
readers vote.
27
AZ Lesbian Moms
This group is for lesbian moms who want to share stories, work
out issues and get together for playdates and family BBQ's. A place
where new friendships can grow with those with the same interests....their
children. Maybe a mommies night out too!
http://www.meetup.com/az-lesbian-moms
Join the Lesbian Social
Network Phx on Meetup!
The Lesbian Social Network is everywhere! Join our newest online group, on
Meetup.com. Meetup gives you the opportunity
to RSVP to meetings and events, meet people,
and make new friends. The people who join
Meetup are those who want to get out of the
house, away from the computer, and do things
with others, in person. What a concept: using the
internet to get off the internet!
Check us out at http://www.meetup.com/
Latina Lesbians Y Gay Latinos
De Arizona
Our mission is to bring Latina Lesbians and Latino Gays together
in Arizona, as well as their supporters and partners. Our goal is to build
a strong community and provide support for the members. We want to
share our Latin culture and Spanish language but we also want to promote understanding and tolerance in our families and society in general.
Our vision is to champion our rights as gay latinos to marry, adopt children, have inheritance rights and be recognized as a strong force for
change in our community, our state, our nation and around the world.
http://www.meetup.com/Latina-Lesbians-Latino-Gays-De-Arizona/
Lesbian-Social-Network-Phoenix/
Club Explorer
Phoenix Latina Lesbian
Social Group
Looking for that all in one kind of group, where they don't just
talk about setting up parties and adventures-they DO IT? We are a
group of lesbian women aged 21 to 99, that LOVE to have adventures,
whether they are going on a hike, camping, swimming, or going out to
dinner, having a book club, a wine tasting party, or just chilling at a
friends house. We will have themed parties, and trips out of town, and
adventures that are just an afternoon long-as we go to craft fairs, concerts,
and outings to the museum. This club is all about women, sorry guys, no
men allowed. You can be single, or coupled-it doesn't matter-as long as
you want to have fun! Join us today and get started on the adventure at
Club ExploreHer!
Join the Phoenix Latina Social Group on
Meetup.com. We’ll be meeting one or twice a
month. It’s a great place to make friends with
strong Latina Lesbians. Make friends without being
in the bar scene. Lesbians from other cultures are
welcome to join as well.
To join, just go to http://
www.meetup.com/Phoenix-Latina-Lesbian-Social/,
and sign up. It’s free to join.
http://www.meetup.com/Lesbian-Adventurers-Group-Club-ExploreHer/
Join the Lesbian Social Network Phoenix group on GLEE, the social
networking site for the LGBT community. Lesbian Social Network Phoenix is
intended to be the online counterpart to the Lesbian Social Network (LSN)
group that meets every Friday. Share information, freely discuss anything you feel
moved to talk about for any reason, make new friends, and just have fun!
To join GLEE, visit www.glee.com and register. Once you’re a GLEE
member, you can join the LSN Phx group athttp://groups.glee.com/lsn.
28
Rainbow Book Club
H.E.R.O. is a grassroots group of community organizers committed to organizing and motivating the community, planning actions, and fighting for the human,
civil and equal rights for ALL. We are comprised of members of every sex, age,
race, and affiliation and we have a seat for everyone with a commitment to fighting
for human equal rights at our table!
Join us every 1st and 3rd Monday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Community
Church of Hope, 4121 N 7th Ave; Phoenix, AZ 85013.
For more information, to volunteer, to get involved or because you want to
tell us something - email us: [email protected].
Rainbow Fences/COLAGE (Children of
Lesbians and Gays Everywhere)
Rainbow Fences will be meeting every second Saturday of the month from
2PM-5PM, at the Community Church of Hope, 4121 N 7th Ave, Phoenix
(please enter on 6th Dr). Beverages and snacks will be provided. Focus of the
group will be family activities
We know that we are not the only GAY couple in the Valley with children, so we really hope you can take the time to come and meet some other families
just like yours!!! Moms, Dads, and children of all ages are welcome!!
We are not JUST a support group, email group or a "gathering"
group...we are a group that is going to make a difference in our "families' lives," Together we are going to teach our children that we need to act "OUT!!!”
For more information or to join Rainbow Fences you can email me at [email protected], or call Angela at 480-217-9340.
Love
books? Love
hanging out
with lesbians?
Then the Rainbow Book
Club is for you!
Next meetings:
Meetings are in east Mesa,
potluck after, usually on the 2nd or 3rd
Thursday.
Book suggestions will be
posted on our Yahoo groups polling
site, where members can vote for their
choices for future reads. To participate,
send an e-mail to [email protected] .
For more info, e-mail [email protected].
ASU Lambda League
Lambda League was formed as
a coalition to promote and support diversity at Arizona State University. The
League consists of several different
groups that cater to the needs of the
gay, lesbian, transgendered, queer,
questioning and ally communities on
campus.
Visit http://www.asu.edu/
clubs/lgbtq/groups.html for a list of
groups with links to their home pages.
creating a strong,
centralized assoThe Phoenix chapter of the ciation in the Phoenix area supported by individuals with clear,
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education strategic, and effective goals.
Network (GLSEN) meets every 3rd Wednesday 99 E. VirFor more information, visit GLSEN’s website at http://
ginia Ave, in the NCCJ Office Suite 150, at 6:30 pm.
chapters.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/phoenix/home.html
The GLSEN Phoenix chapter leadership team envisions or e-mail [email protected].
Phoenix GLSEN
society that is materially sufficient, socially equitable, and ecologically sustainable, and one that is more satisfying in human
The Simplicity Circle meets the second Wednesday of terms than the growth-obsessed society of today." - Meadows,
the month.
Meadows, and Randers.
"Sustainability, not better weapons or struggles for
For information, call Carey at (602) 275-6261 or
power, or material accumulation, is the ultimate challenge to the Jo at (602) 482-2875.
energy and creativity of the human race... how to bring about a
The Simplicity Circle
29
Reign Productions presents the
First Annual Phoenix Femme
Pageant with special guest judges
and entertainers at Cash Inn
Country on Sunday, July 18th
Phoenix, AZ : The Phoenix Femme Pageant is a
creation of the current reigning Mister Arizona USofA MI
2009 Anson Reign of the newly founded Reign Productions.
The event is intended to raise awareness of the Valley's many
talented Femme performers. Mya McKenzie and Lezbein
McKenzie will be emceeing the first annual Phoenix Femme
Pageant.
"A Femme performer, for the sake of this pageant, is
defined as a female - identified woman who performs as a
woman," says event created Anson Reign. "If you've ever attended a Sisterzz Twisted or Reigning Men drag show, or
community fundraisers or pageants, you have most likely seen a
Femme performer."
The contestants will compete in four categories: Interview, Original Evening Wear, On-stage Question and Talent.
Each category will be reviewed and scored by a panel of 8
Jane Lynch on her
upcoming nuptials
So happy for Jane Lynch.
She’s not only enjoying the role of a lifetime
as Sue Sylvester on Glee but is experiencing the love
of a lifetime with fiancee Lara Embry.
“It’s a great and wonderful thing at the tender
age of 49 to have finally found somebody that I
want to be with,” Jane told PEOPLE this week.
“I’m so lucky. … “I’m looking forward to spending
every day with this woman all the time, and we’re
making that happen.”
Even though Jane’s singing has been a highlight of the last two episodes of Glee (first
Madonna’s Vogue followed by Olivia Newton-
distinguished judges comprised of Barbra Seville, MsTer
AGRA 2010 Ace Master, Miss Metropolis AZ American
2010 Patricia Mason, Dirty Martini of Sisterzz Twisted,
Casa Grande's Seryna Michelle, local performer and dancer
Nick Cianciotto, actress Erin Meyer, and former national title
holder Richard Cranium, Mister USofA MI 2009 and the
current Ms.Ter Indiana King 2010.
The Phoenix Femme Pageant was designed to catapult these oft-overlooked performers to the forefront of the
community's attention. Head judge and nationally recognized
Femme performer Erin Meyer states, "It is important for Phoenix to recognize these talented ladies because Femmes work
just as hard as the Queens and Kings they perform beside all
year long. We support the same causes and work hard to raise
money for our community." She adds, "We are more than just
props, set pieces, or back up dancers."
Sponsors for the Phoenix Femme Pageant include
Carlos Silva Photography, Bosch Party Services, BS West,
Central Arizona Rainbow Education, Photo Fetish Photography and more.
Proceeds from the Phoenix Femme Pageant will be
donated to the Arizona ALS Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education, outreach and
assistance to individuals and families affected by Lou Gehrig's
Disease.
John’s Physical) she isn’t
planning to be the entertainment at the wedding:
“I will not be singing and
don’t expect any track
suits at my wedding.”
So how is Jane
like her TV alter-ego?
“I can be aggressive like her. One of the
things Sue Sylvester is –
she’s a warrior,” she said.
“She’s always looking for a fight, and I go through
stuff like that. With the wedding plans and even
when I got to my hotel here in New York, I was
looking for everything to be wrong and I was like,
‘Oh my God, I’m doing my Sue Sylvester.’ “
30
Lesbian Authors - The Publishing
Success of Lesbian Writers
With the burgeoning of the lesbian and gay rights
movement in the US in the past 40 years has come an influx of lesbian writers who are publishing through both traditional and non-traditional channels. These lesbian authors
have proven that lesbian-themed books of all kinds can be
successful and well received. They can compete with the
best of books by non lesbian authors.
One challenge for lesbian writers is the cross-over
factor. Many women will watch movies with men in the
lead roles, but many men are not interested in movies with
women in the lead roles. Similarly, most lesbians will read
books by mainstream authors but heterosexual people often
don't read books with lesbian main characters. In this way
lesbian authors historically have not gotten the attention that
many of them deserved.
However, with the dramatic expansion of awareness and acceptance of gays and lesbians in everyday life,
lesbian writers have experienced an ever expanding reader-
ship, as people from all walks of life can and do read their
books. We all read books about people in very different
cultures, of different genders, ethnicity, ages and life situations. It expands us and we find it fascinating to read about
people different from ourselves. Thus, non-lesbian people who form the majority of the human population - can read
and enjoy books written by lesbian authors which have lesbian main characters.
Obviously, many lesbian authors also write books
that are aimed at and read by lesbians, because after all,
people also like to read novels about characters they can
relate to, who are like them. Especially if you are part of an
oppressed minority. Lesbian writers understand that although they may focus on niche which is small relative to
the whole population, it is nonetheless millions of people in
terms of sheer numbers.
Regarding publishing, these days lesbian writers
more options than they used to. Today they can selfpublish or get published by one of many lesbian publishers.
However, lesbian authors also can and do get picked up by
the big publishing houses like Random House.
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31
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32
Engineer Says Robotics Can
Use a Woman's Touch
By Marsha Walton
(WOMENSENEWS)--Robin Murphy's robots
don't look human. Nor do they act like R2D2, or Rosie from
"The Jetsons."
Instead they are small and flexible; built to slither
through collapsed buildings, fly over wildfires or floods, and
check the integrity of a bridge from underwater, sending back
live video and audio.
"We've gone from things that look like a camera on
wheels to things that look like an eight-foot long caterpillar,"
said Murphy, 52, Raytheon professor of computer science
and engineering at Texas A and M at College Station. She's a
pioneer in the field of rescue robotics, a new and key tool for
responding to earthquakes, hurricanes, mining accidents, even
terrorist attacks.
Murphy, director of the Center for Robot-Assisted
Search and Rescue, sent robots into the rubble of the World
Trade Center after 9-11. The center had been in existence for
just 10 days. That nightmarish situation taught the team a vast
amount about what kind of machines work best.
Lesson No. 1: slinky and agile, like the caterpillar robot,
trumps big and powerful. That's because "snakebots" can enter
very confined spaces without further disturbing rubble. They
are also being designed to disarm bombs and landmines without detonating them.
Being fast on the scene is also critical. While it may
take days to move in heavy equipment, robotic aircraft can fit
in a couple of suitcases and be assembled and launched in 15
minutes.
Expanding Role in Disasters
With those basic rules in place, plans are underway
for robots to play an expanding role in other aspects of disaster relief. After an earthquake, for instance, a small flying robot could help in long range planning for survivors by providing information about the surrounding area and how people
are using it.
"Just understanding things like land use, where are
refugees going to go?" said Murphy. "So we're designing aerial vehicles that help more quickly ascertain that. A good
decision early in the game can cut a year off of a recovery,"
she said.
Murphy earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical
engineering and graduate degrees in computer science at
Georgia Tech in Atlanta. She encourages other women with
similar educations to join her in the research because the field
is so new and could benefit from female-influenced research
styles.
In 1995 she was teaching at the Colorado School of
Mines in Golden--working on artificial intelligence projects
including the design of robots for interplanetary travel--when
the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed.
Career Takes New Focus
Murphy realized there was a need for robots on this
planet. The Oklahoma bombing and the Kobe, Japan, earthquake, also that year, re-focused her career on rescue robots.
She said she quickly noticed that not enough was known
about the relationship between humans and robots, motivating
her to conduct basic research on human-robot interaction.
How might accident or terror victims respond if a
robot reaches them and starts asking questions?
"Studies show that robots can either calm you down
or stress you out. So we don't want victims being terrorized
by this robot," said Murphy, an author or co-author of about
100 academic papers. She also gives expert technological
advice to the Pentagon on robotics as a member of the Defense Science Board in Washington.
Within U.S. manufacturing, robotics represents a $5
billion industry growing by around 8 percent a year, according
to a 2009 study by the Computing Community Consortium.
Women make up less than 25 percent of graduate
students in engineering and computer sciences, according to
the National Science Foundation, far below levels in biological
and social sciences where women are about 50 percent of
graduate enrollment.
Murphy and her colleagues at Texas A & M, along
with researchers at Stanford University, received a $1.2 million federal stimulus grant to create a multimedia "survivor
buddy," the robot personality that will interact with people in
situations ranging from emergency response, to hostage negotiation, to lower-keyed settings such as healthcare assistance.
'SciGirls' Episode
For a taping of the PBS TV show "SciGirls," Murphy
helped pre-teen girls conduct experiments to come up with
the best demeanor for a rescue robot. Their findings were similar to her research: A calm but enthusiastic voice; and no
blinding lights.
The most effective design for a rescue robot designed
to interact with people is
continued on page 37
33
Maloney Mulls GAO Study
on Hysterectomy
By Frances Cerra Whittelsey
(WOMENSENEWS)--Asserting that America
is in the grip of an "epidemic" of avoidable hysterectomies, U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney has promised to study the feasibility of legally requiring doctors to
tell women about the life-changing impact of the surgery.
Maloney, a Democrat from Manhattan, made the
pledge recently at the 28th annual conference of HERS,
a foundation based in Bala Cynwyd, Penn., dedicated to
reducing the number of hysterectomies.
"Ninety percent of hysterectomy patients who
opt for the surgery have non-cancerous, non-lifethreatening ailments for which there are alternative, less
invasive procedures," Maloney told the audience.
"Where is the outrage?"
A spokesperson for the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists said the College doesn't
collect statistics on the surgery or why it's done, "so I
can't check-confirm the 90 percent figure," she said. The
College does not support mandating or legislating informed consent for any condition, the spokesperson said.
About 600,000 American women undergo
hysterectomies every year. Rarely do they hear anything
from their doctors about adverse effects other than the
inability to have more children, said Nora Coffey, founder of HERS, during an interview.
Pre-Surgery Video
Coffey started the foundation 28 years ago to
educate women about the effects of losing their reproductive and sex organs and to give women a place to
share stories about the after-effects of surgery. The organization has created a video explaining how and why many
women suffer a loss of libido, urinary incontinence and a
host of other debilitating and painful health problems
when their uteruses--and often their ovaries as well--are
removed.
The foundation is championing a law that would
require doctors to show its video to women 48 hours
before they consent to the surgery.
Maloney said that before she introduces such
legislation, she will ask for a study by the U.S. General
Accountability Office, GAO, and gather expert advice.
Maloney herself thought better about having a hysterectomy after friends who are women's health advocates
talked her out of it.
So far, no law requiring video consent has been
introduced in any state. In January, the Indiana legislature
held a hearing on an informed consent bill introduced by
Rep. Bruce Borders, a Republican, whose wife underwent a hysterectomy and removal of her ovaries about
four years ago. "It destroyed my wife's life and a lot of
mine, too," said Borders, who spoke at the April conference.
He said that after the surgery he had become
"desperate" to understand why his wife had lost interest
in sex. After connecting with the HERS Foundation, he
says he concluded that his wife had been "lied to" about
her need for the surgery and decided to introduce legislation.
The Indiana legislature held a hearing on Borders'
bill in January, but no vote was taken. The bill would
have required that women be told in writing "all of the
ramifications of hysterectomy," he said. Now Borders is
hoping a special legislative summer committee will study
the issue and write a bill requiring a video.
Women at the conference said their doctors told
them they no longer needed their uteruses and ovaries
after completing their families and justified taking out
healthy ovaries to lower their risk of ovarian cancer.
However, ovarian removal raises their risk of heart attack
and osteoporosis, according to a 2005 article in the
journal, Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The article notes that removal of the uterus alone
reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 percent, and
that women 40 to 44 who lose their ovaries face double
the risk of heart attack. The article's conclusion is that "at
no age is there a clear benefit" from removal of healthy
ovaries. About half the women who have hysterectomies
every year--300,000--lose their ovaries at the same
time.
For more information:
HERS Foundation: http://www.hersfoundation.com/
34
’Juicy Pink Box’ opens new
world of lesbian porn
by Winnie McCroy
Jincy Lumpkin, Esq. was dissatisfied with what lesbian porn there was available to view; which led her to create
her own. Called Juicy Pink Box, she takes the genre to a new
level -- offering women the opportunity to watch sensual porn
made by lesbians, for lesbians in the comfort of their own
home. EDGE’s Winnie McCroy spoke to Lumpkin about
what she didn’t like about lesbian porn, how she got her company going and what the future has in store.
Blond bimbos in tacky lingerie, leaving lipstick smears
and stroking each other with their long acrylic nails: until recently, this "gay-for-pay" lesbian porn is what most women
have had to be contented with. But now, thanks to Juicy
Pink Box founder Jincy Lumpkin, Esq., women can watch
sensual porn made by lesbians, for lesbians in the comfort of
their own homes.
"As a lesbian porn watcher, I had few options," said
Lumpkin. "There was mainstream gay-for-pay porn, made for
men by men, which for a lot of other lesbians was not arousing
because it was not real. A second option came later, with the
Crash Pad series out of San Francisco. Dyke porn is what they
call it, and many lesbians find it too extreme. I wanted something in between, something real yet beautiful and cinematic,
and that’s what inspired me to start Juicy Pink Box."
A place to share erotic experiences
As a banking litigation lawyer, Lumpkin said she
found her 70-hour work weeks unfulfilling, and the long wait
periods between cases frustrating. Single at the time, Lumpkin
remembers spending most of her down time amusing her
straight male coworkers with stories of her dating exploits.
Because she had intended to practice fashion law, she had
maintained a fashion blog, but at her coworkers urging, started
an anonymous sex blog in 2008.
"There was a surge of interest-it took off in a way the
fashion blog had not," said Lumpkin. "I thought that if people
wanted to talk about their sex lives on the Internet, I might as
well make a space for them to do it."
Lumpkin connected with a network of lesbian sex
bloggers and in the fall of 2008, launched Digiromp.com, a
social network for women to share their erotic experiences.
According to her, the site soon gained worldwide popularity
as a space for lesbians, bisexuals, and genderqueer folks to
talk about
sex. Looking
to make her
site into a
successful
business,
Lumpkin began toying
with the idea
of creating
porn for
women, by women.
"I had it in my mind that I wanted to do porn videos,
but as a lawyer, I had no contacts in the porn industry," said
Lumpkin. "So I left my law job, and started contacting porn
stars through fan sites. In July 2009, I shot my first video
series, Taxi, a dozen encounters between women in the back
of a cab."
High quality, unscripted vignettes
The series had professional-quality styling, lighting,
and aesthetics, all produced with a cinematic quality. The 10minute erotic vignettes didn’t bother with the premise of plot
lines, but unlike soft-core "Skinemax" flicks, did feature graphic
footage of penetration. The dialogue was unscripted and the
narrative loose, but the scenes were shots with "all that stuff
that makes it more like a movie than porn."
Lumpkin said that although all of the scenes are filmed
with the same aesthetic take, the actors "encompass a range of
womanly beauty from pretty femmes to butches, styled in a
way that makes them their sexiest possible." The Taxi series
featured a classic retro look, with butches styled in a way
reminiscent of Grease, cigarette packs rolled in sleeves in a
soda-shop vibe. Her upcoming series Therapy, set for release
this summer, will feature women in a therapists office, sharing
their fantasies with an aesthetic she describes as monochromatic and futuristic, with a Studio 54 vibe.
Lumpkin does not work with amateurs, but often uses
the same actors, like crossover lesbian porn star Dylan Ryan.
She asks her actors to keep their nails natural, and to keep the
hair down there. "I don’t need them to have disco-era bush,
but I want real bush, not shaven. That’s too prepubescent. I
think it’s crazy how porn has penetrated our culture, so that
women think that’s how they have to do things. I like it to be
natural but glamorized."
She released a new scene each week via her website
JuicyPinkBox.com, a $25-per-month subscription site. Due
to overwhelming demand,
35
Juicy Pink Box
Lumpkin has began investigating releasing the series as full-length
DVDs for home use, and has also added a new three-day trial membership for five dollars.
Her work has been screened at several film festivals, including
CineKink in New York; Lumpkin was among audience members at the
screening, and said women approached her after the film to thank her.
According to Lumpkin, the site has reached its target demographic.
"Honestly, most subscribers are bicurious and bisexual women, followed by lesbians, with straight men as a distant third," said Lumpkin.
"People seem to be really excited about it. There is a market out there
for those interested in seeing real lesbian sex in a way that’s glamourous."
And while she no longer spends her days negotiating banking
litigation, Lumpkin’s background in law has given her
leverage in making her new business a success. Understanding the legalese of state and federal regulations has allowed her to safely push the boundaries
of her content to include more graphic acts like fisting, which she says many lay people falsely believe is
not permitted. She also writes all of her own contracts, without which she refuses to conduct business, saying, "I can see where the sticky points are
from the beginning, and that has given me the armor
to go forward in business, because I know the legal
repercussions."
The success of JuicyPinkBox.com has
prompted Lumpkin to pursue a line of products,
events, and parties. With her eyes on the model
established by the Playboy Mansion, Lumpkin hopes
that a successful series of parties may eventually be
parlayed into a club, and a larger, more well-known
brand featuring articles about the lesbian lifestyle and
culture.
"I am in it to win it, for the long haul," said
Lumpkin. "This is an interesting time for lesbians;
everybody is fascinated by them, and it’s reached a
fever pitch in pop culture. I get creative fulfillment
out of being a pornographer, and would like to become a household name."
Winnie McCroy is a freelance writer based
in New York City. She has written for publications
including The Village Voice, The Advocate, Curve
Magazine, Gay City News, and GO NYC.
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Squares
Desert Valley Squares
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36
Be afraid, be very Afraid
continued from page 3
munists as well and emulated the cells of Lenin and Stalin.
Buchman, an early proponent, thought the best type of government would be, “A God-controlled Fascist dictatorship.”
This is what they have in store for us. Legislators are to take
their orders from this group of God controlled men. We can
easily see in many instances (ERA, gun-control, health reform,
war, abortion) that legislators are taking orders from somebody, but it’s not the people. All responsibility was transferred to God – that meant the men could not be held accountable for any of their actions, no matter how venal, because God had so directed. What a set up for the complete
irresponsibility we have seen.
The way to sell this new order was fear plus desire.
One of the early leaders was an advertising man who suggested stoking consumer’s anxiety that they lacked something,
and then hit that “go buy” button because consumerism was
the core of this Christianity. Remember what Bush told us
after 9/11 – thou shalt shop. The eight Bush years were
based on fear starting from the lie of a mushroom cloud coming
out of Iraq and ending with the collapse of the economy.
Military might remained the framework of their program called Moral Re-Armament. According to them, economic depression was a result of spiritual disobedience. I
wonder who it was who disobeyed this time – Goldman
Sachs? GM? AIG? So why are we paying the price?
According to The Family adherents, we don’t need legislation
to control business, let God do it. It seems he’s not been
paying much attention lately. Since 1943, this group has
been trying to undo the New Deal and have done a good
job, especially today with schools, libraries, museums, community centers, and parks shutting down while two or maybe
three wars rage on. Social Security is about the only success
of the New Deal left standing, and the Republicans are hard
at work to destroy that.
In Abrams pamphlets, he stated that all the vital operations of industry, commerce and government are carried on
by corporations that are getting bigger and bigger with power
concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. This he thought was
good, because the masses of the people need to be dependent on those strong men. “It is the age of minority control.”
The success of this military-industrial-congressional complex is
very evident today and just got better with the Supreme
Court decision that lets corporations openly, as opposed to
covertly, buy elections.
This group started the President’s Prayer Breakfast
that has grown into military members proselytizing in uniform
and handing out Bibles in Iraq. Prayer cells go on in the halls
of government, while most Americans are completely blind to
what is really going on.
Eisenhower was the first president to come into
power with help of evangelicals and fundamentalists.
“In God we Trust” was added to our coins during his reign by
this group as was the phrase, “under God” to our Pledge of
Allegiance. It was part of their payback. In 1954 Eisenhower installed Ngo Dinh Diem, a Christian and profoundly
corrupt man, as head of Viet Nam, a Buddhist nation, when
France lost the war. This eventually led to the 50,000
Americans and several million Vietnamese killed in the war
that lasted until 1973. Twenty years of war – for absolutely
nothing.
This crew from The Family supported the South Korean dictator and Haile Selassie of Ethopia, who also thought
he was divine. After Abram’s leadership came Coe, who
knew and was excited that he would be dealing with violent
characters. Suharto in Indonesia, Papa Doc in Haiti, Barre in
Somalia, Jonas Savimbi in Angola, Barzil General Costa de
Silva, Pinochet in Chile, Shah of Iran, Marcos of Philippines
are all dictators that Coe was more than willing to work with.
Pinochet and Savimbi are both international war criminals, the
others died or are in hiding. This is the fruit of The Families
work.
Their well known disdain to help the poor stems from
a belief that all the poor need is Jesus – not training, shelter,
education, food or medical care. To The Family, moral matters are more important than food on the table. Obviously
they have always had food on their table. According to
them, the cause of poverty is disobedience. We can hear Pat
Robertson’s rants that 9/11 was caused by LGBT sinners and
the Haitian earthquake because they made a pact with the
devil to be free of French oppression. Anyone saying these
things should be in a mental hospital, yet the media gives him
headlines as if he were a sane man.
An adherent of The Family is to put Jesus ahead of
his mother, father, and children. Coe talked favorably about
the Red Guard of China and how they forced children to
inform on parents and watch them being tortured and killed.
That is the kind of obedience they want. In the Lords Resistance Army, they kidnapped and brainwashed children as
young as seven to kill their own parents. The work of The
37
Be afraid, be very Afraid
continued from page 36
Family in Uganda convinced the government
to go to abstinence only and wrote it into
law. There were huge bon fires of condoms. Prior to their intervention, the AIDs
rate had been dropping but after, it doubled. The Family calls it a success. The
actual fate of humans is not their concern.
They are also behind the recent Ugandan
legislation to not only make homosexuality a
crime but to make the penalty death.
When international outrage was voiced,
they quickly backpedaled claiming it was
not their influence.
The creation of Promise Keepers
was an attempt by Christianity to take the
moral imperative back from the women,
who had always been assumed to carry the
moral teachings to the next generation. The
“culture wars” was their term which they
followed up with “not religion as opiate of
the masses, but Christ on meth.” Abortion
was a relatively new concern focused on
control of women not concern for life. The
group fought against gay marriage, for
school vouchers, against hate crime legislation and for abstinence only sex education,
against diplomacy with North Korea and for
war with Iran. Yet even Hilary Clinton is
considered a “friend” of this group, visits it
and participates in a prayer cell. Even she
said her church focuses too much on rights
of the poor and not enough on personal
faith and growth.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
Engineer Says Robotics Can Use
a Woman's Touch
slow moving. It's painted yellow or orange, with lights underneath so a victim
can see it approaching.
Murphy's research often keeps her out of the lab, roaming through
rubble piles. But robotics researchers can wind up virtually anywhere. In one
intriguing collaboration, Murphy's students worked with Texas A & M's theater department to provide small robotic fairies for a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." The tiny robots interacted with both the actors and
the audience.
"She and her team came to every single production meeting," said
theater lecturer Amy Hopper, who directed the play. "They were very open,
very generous with information and easy to talk to. The robotics students
videotaped every production to gather data on how the audience treated the
robots."
Murphy sees rescue robotics and the overall field of artificial intelligence--a branch of computer science that designs machines to "think for themselves"--as providing a high level of challenge, creativity, and service, especially for women.
"Where else do you find such a wide open new field of technological challenges that will have a profound societal impact?" said Murphy. "Where you
will make a huge difference? Everything you do is new. I also think it requires
a woman's touch," she said, "a better sensitivity, to really put people first in
designing rescue robots."
Marsha Walton covers science, technology, environment and space
issues. She was a producer for CNN's science and tech unit for more than 10
years. Her work has also appeared on Mother Nature Network, Appalachian
Voices, and the National Science Foundation.
For more information:
Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue
http://crasar.org/2010/01/25/living-with-robots-screened-at-sundance/
Looking for breaking news?
Visit our website:
www.womenscommunityconnection.com/newsfeeds
38
Baseball Makes Play to Women,
But Not as Players
By Regina Varolli
(WOMENSENEWS)-- Major League Baseball has
been making a big play for women, who represent about 45
percent of the sport's following, according to a recent study
for the league's commissioner.
There was a bat girl contest earlier this month and
there were Mother's Day games with players wearing pink
wristbands and swinging pink bats to promote breast cancer
awareness. There was the March launch of a line of sports-fan
lingerie ("I only kiss Yankees fans") in partnership with Victoria's Secret PINK. The league even celebrated Women's History Month with a "salute to women in baseball" at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown,
N.Y., where only one woman--Effa Manley, co-owner from
1936 to 1948 of the Negro League's Newark Eagles of
New Jersey--has been inducted.
This weekend the league will be serving up honors to
Billie Jean King at a May 16 lunch alongside Baseball Hall of
Famer Willie Mays and Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor and
social activist, as part of the league's fourth annual civil rights
weekend.
In addition to King's tennis stardom, the league will
be honoring her promotion of gender equality in sports, something that Tiffany Brooks, a 33-year-old baseball player, says
the major and minor leagues conspicuously lack on its own
playing fields.
Baseball Dreams Deferred
"The real tragedy is that since the early 1970s girls
should have had the opportunity to dream to play baseball,"
Brooks said in a telephone interview. "Women players are so
far beyond the playing fields of MLB that I think nobody
even wonders about why there are no women….there are no
pathways that allow girls and women to get to the skill level
where a team would be interested in you."
Brooks said her own recent experience playing for the
Western Canada Minors, in the professional independent
Arizona Winter League, reinforced the importance of training.
"I'd never been exposed to the level of the Arizona Winter
League. But then I got the kind of training and coaching the
guys take for granted and about three weeks into the game I
blossomed and started hitting and pitching better."
Like many others, Brooks, a relief pitcher from Spokane, Wash., who has competed alongside men in the professional independent leagues, had the impression until a few
months ago that Major League Baseball had an outright ban
on female players.
Steve Arocho, a spokesperson in the Office of the
Commissioner of Baseball, recently cleared that up with
Women's eNews. No such ban exists, Arocho said. "We had
to do a little digging," he said. "But we went to the Baseball
Hall of Fame and they did a little research for us. What they
found was that there was a memo circulated in 1952 about
no women signing contracts, though it didn't rise to become a
written rule or regulation for the league."
Brooks, who spent years playing softball before setting her sights on the professional independent baseball
leagues, criticizes the league's civil rights weekends for so far
overlooking women in baseball such as Perry Lee Barber, an
umpire, and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, an outstanding Negro
League player from the 1950s, and Ila Borders, who pitched
for the independent Northern League from 1997-1999.
Brooks was drafted by the Big Bend Cowboys of the
independent Continental Baseball League this spring but recently left the team fearing that she would have little chance to
play since three other players had also been signed to play her
position. She is currently seeking a position with another team
in the independent leagues.
Women in Tune
East Valley Book Club
The Arizona Women in Tune Chorale
rehearses every Thursday, from 6:45-9:15 PM, at
the Faith Lutheran Church, 801 East Camelback
Road (Camelback and 7th Street) This nonauditioned community chorus welcomes all women willing to embrace a mission of increased visibility for lesbians, celebrations of the accomplishments of
women in music, and the passionate pursuit of artistic excellence.
For more information, e-mail [email protected] call 602-4871940.
A group of fabulous and intelligent
womyn have formed a book club in the EAST
VALLEY.
If you are interested, and for more information, email
catscan1968@ yahoo.com.
39
International Gay
Screenplay Contest
The One In Ten Screenplay Contest, a screenplay
contest dedicated to the positive portrayal of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, trangender and queer individuals in film celebrates its 12th anniversary in 2010. Entries are now being
accepted online and are limited to the first 600. Executive
Director, David Jensen, "We are excited to celebrate our
12th anniversary and are looking at a record number of entries this year. We re continually amazed with the quality of
talent that comes through the door year after year." Jensen
continues, "We receive entries from around the globe and
Hollywood is taking notice in a very big way. Many of our
past winners are now hard working screenwriters. Last year's
winner has received substantial interest and representation by
one of Hollywood's top management and production
houses."
The One In Ten Screenplay Contest has gained respect and notoriety from Hollywood studios, agents and
producers. Entries for the 2010 screenplay contest are now
being accepted online
at: www.OneInTenScreenplayContest.com.
Prizes for 2010 include cash, industry exposure and
merchandise. The 2010 One In Ten Screenplay Contest is
sponsored by: Cherub Productions, Hollywood Creative
Directory, www.iScript.com, Brainstorm Warehouse, LLC,
Michael Weise Productions, www.ScriptPIMP.com,
www.ScriptDelivery.net, www.TopFilmFestivals.com ,
www.ScreenplayContests.com and Jungle Software.
The submission deadline for 2010 ONE IN TEN
SCREENPLAY CONTEST is September 1, 2010. Entry
forms are available online through the contest website:
www.OneInTenScreenplayContest.com. Entry forms may
also be obtained through the mail by sending a selfaddressed, stamped envelope to:
Cherub Productions
One In Ten Screenplay Contest
Post Office Box 540
Boulder, Colorado 80306
(303) 629-3072
June
Opponent
Time
Tue 01
@ Minnesota
4:30pm
Fri 04
vs Los Angeles
7:00pm
Sun 06
@ Seattle
6:00pm
Tue 08
@ Los Angeles
7:30pm
Thu 10
vs Minnesota
7:00pm
Sat 12
vs Tulsa
7:00pm
Fri 18
vs San Antonio
7:00pm
Sun 20
vs Connecticut
3:00pm
Fri 25
@ Connecticut
4:30pm
Sun 27
@ Washington
1:00pm
Tue 29
@ Atlanta
4:00pm
July
Opponent
Time
Thu 01
vs Washington
7:00pm
Sat 03
vs New York
7:00pm
Tue 06
@ Los Angeles
7:00pm
Wed 14
vs Seattle
12:30pm
Sat 17
vs Tulsa
7:00pm
Thu 22
@ Tulsa
5:00pm
Sat 24
@ Minnesota
5:00pm
Tue 27
@ Seattle
6:30pm
Thu 29
vs Minnesota
7:00pm
August
Opponent
Time
Sun 01
vs Chicago
3:00pm
Tue 03
@ San Antonio
5:00pm
Fri 06
vs San Antonio
7:00pm
Sun 08
vs Indiana
3:00pm
Tue 10
@ Chicago
5:00pm
Fri 13
@ Indiana
4:00pm
Sat 14
@ New York
4:30pm
Tue 17
@ Los Angeles
7:30pm
Fri 20
vs Seattle
7:00pm
Sun 22
@ San Antonio
12:00pm
TV
TV
TV
40
CLASSIFIEDS
Bulletin Board ad rates: $5 for up to 50 words, an
additional $5 for up to 100 words, limit 100 words. Send
to WCC, 2544 N. Champlain Ave., Tempe, AZ 85281,
or e-mail [email protected].
Lesbian Dating sites! At the Women’s Community
Connection, we’ve gathered all the online dating sites
that have a “woman seeking women” option, so you
don’t have to waste time finding them yourself. It’s
fast & convenient! Women are out there: whether
you’re looking for friends or dates, you can meet them
through the WCC Lesbian Dating page.
www.womenscommunityconnection.com/lesbiandating
Do you need astrological advice, but don't want to
pay for a full astrology consultation? Try The E-mail
Astrologer: Affordable, issue-focused astrology at your
fingertips: Ask any question, receive a 2 page response for only $25.00. Longer reports also available. These are not canned astrology software reports;
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wide range of astrological topics. Over 25 years experience. www.theemailastrologer.com.
Carl’s Professional Window Cleaning: Experienced,
reasonable rates, evenings & weekends available, free
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Call 602-332-5453, or e-mail carlswindowclean-
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J - Women`s Community Connection

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