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ACCESSline Endorses
Roxanne Conlin
Senator Charles Grassley has never represented the
individuals of Iowa’s LGBT+ community in all of his 30
years as US Senator. He has consistently argued against
allowing same-sex marriage rights, employment nondiscrimination, open military service, and hate crimes
legislation. The Senator has notably flip-flopped on issues
such as mandatory healthcare and end-of-life counseling.
His vehement opposition to the recent health care reform
bill would be less questionable were his highest campaign
contributors not the health care and health insurance
industries.
Senator Grassley scored a 0/100 on the HRC’s
TTCONLIN continued page 9
Jason
Mraz:
He’s
Ours
He sings, he
Jason Mraz. Photo: Justin Ruhl
Iowa Women’s Music Festival
a thrill, despite weather
Jason Mraz is all love, because even when the wordplaytoying troubadour isn’t singing about it, he’s spreading it. To
everyone.
Since the hipster launched his career eight years ago with
Waiting for My Rocket to Come, he’s been an outspoken gay
rights supporter—maybe even more (sexually “open-minded,”
as he told us). But Mraz is also remarkably talented: How else
do you hold a record for most weeks on the singles chart …
ever? But, for 76 weeks, there he was with “I’m Yours,” off
his latest studio album, 2008’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal
Things.
As the singer-songwriter readies his upcoming release,
due next year, he’s working out the new material on the road.
We stole a few minutes with Mraz, 33, to chat about…
TTStory on page 13
Jonathan Wilson
Page 7
On September 21, Arthur Breur, editor of ACCESSline,
started the Facebook group, “Vote YES to RETAIN IOWA’S
JUDGES,” to gather support for the retention of Iowa’s
justices this election. The group’s Facebook page can be
seen at: http://bit.ly/YesForIowaJudges
As of the publication of this issue, the group itself had
nearly 200 members, but the group’s event, “ Vote YES to
RETAIN IOWA’S JUDGES; Vote NO on a CONSTITUTIONAL
CONVENTION,” already had well over fifteen hundred
participants, and had generated numerous comments—
the vast majority of which were strongly supportive of
judicial retention.
What’s Inside:
Section 1: News & Politics
From the Editor: Scary Things
Iowa News
US News
World News “Retention of Iowa Judges” by Jonathan Wilson
Iowans for Fair and Impartial Courts
Creeps of the Week
National day to celebrate LGBT Centers
“There Oughta Be a Law” by Jonathan Wilson
Section 2: Fun Guide
dances, he steals
hearts—but the
musician also cares
about equality
By Chris Azzopardi
Facebook group and event
launched to promote retention
for Iowa’s justices
Nabedi Osorio and Steph Taylor are “The State Of”—shown
here performing Saturday night, Sept. 18, at The Mill.
Photo: Arthur Breur
The three-day Iowa Women’s Music Festival in Iowa
City September 16-18 again drew audiences from across the
state and beyond, and was a hit despite the main event being
moved to its rain location, The Mill.
This year’s Performers included Bitch, with The State Of;
Leslie & the Lys; Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps;
Kelly Carrell with Laurie Haag; Kim-Char Meredith; Lojo Russo
with Natalie Brown; Armonia; The Vagabonds; Sarah Cram
and the Derelicts; Kim-Char Meredith; Rae, Emily Louise, and
Jenny Kohls; Mary McAdams; Desdamona with Carnage; Ruth
King; Chris Pureka; The Refugees; The State Of; SONiA and
disappear fear; and Congress of Starlings.
Iowa Choruses
Call for Singers
Page 13
Imperial Court
of Iowa
Page 15
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Entertainment Picks for October
Deep Inside Hollywood
Partying Hard: “Red Carpet Terror” by Joshua Dagon
Rehearsals Begin for Gay Men’s Chorus
Jason Mraz: He’s Ours
CAAP seeks nominations for “Keeper of the Wings”
The Outfield
Recurring Events, Statewide
Hear Me Out (Music Reviews)
Dancing Queen: Robyn
The Gay Wedding Planner
Cocktail Chatter: Planter’s Punch / Brass Monkey
Jeffre Dean “EXIGENCY Exhibition” Opening
Out of Town: Atlanta’s Hippest Neighborhoods
Book Worm Sez: Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man
Comics and Crossword Puzzle
Section 3: Community
“the benefit”
Sweet Equality
First Friday Breakfast Club: Dan Johnston
Inside Out: “Voting It Forward” by Ellen Krug
“A New Perspective” by Mary M. Thome
Queeries: Lessons in LGBT etiquette
GLRC is now Cedar Rapids Unity
Annual CAAP Picnic
Friends of Iowa Civil Rights Award
What FFBC Has Meant To Me, and Can For You
Business Directory
Kicking Off the Year with CONNECTIONS
Welcoming
Congregations
Page 24
Business
Directory
Page 31
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ACCESSline Page 2
OCTOBER 2010
OCTOBER 2010
PUBLICATION
INFORMATION
Copyright © 2010
ACCESS in Northeast Iowa
P.O. Box 2666
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2666
(319) 550-0957
www.ACCESSlineIOWA.com
[email protected]
ACCESSline is a monthly publication by
ACCESS (A Concerned Community for Education, Safer-sex and Support) in Northeast
Iowa, a registered non-profit organization
in the State of Iowa and a federal non-profit
organization under Section 501(c)3 of the
IRS Code.
Arthur Breur, Editor in Chief
Q Syndicate
Rex Wockner News Service
Contributors:
Doug Brenner; Joshua Dagon;
Renee Evans;
Beau Fodor; Ellen Krug;
Mary M. Thome;
Jonathan Wilson; Sandy Vopalka
All rights reserved. Original material
printed in ACCESSline (with the exception
of information from other sources) may be
“lifted” for use in other publications so long
as proper credit is given.
Publication of the name, photograph or
likeness of any person, business or organization in ACCESSline is not to be construed as
any indication of sexual orientation. Opinions
expressed by columnists do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of ACCESSline, ACCESS
or the gay and lesbian community. Letters to
the editor may be published. We cannot be
responsible for errors in advertising copy.
We welcome the submission of original materials, including line drawings and
cartoons, news stories, poems, essays. They
should be clearly labeled with author/artist
name, address, and phone number. We
reserve the right to edit letters and other
material for reasons of profanity, space, or
clarity. Materials will not be returned. A
writer’s guide is available for those wishing
to submit original work.
Advertising rates and deadlines are
available at ACCESSlineIOWA.com. All ads
must be approved by ACCESSline’s editorial
board.
ACCESSline Page 3
From the Editor: Scary Things
Per our masthead’s caption this month,
it is the time of year when scary things come
out in Iowa.
Scary big things are invading our state,
like the American [Only Heterosexuals Make
A] Family Association and the National
Organization for Marriage [For Straights Only
And Nobody Else].
Then there are the scary little invaders,
like the hard-right, socially conservative
politicians touring the state, smiling big and
kissing up to Iowa’s “values voters” (what
does that even really mean), all the while
greedily eyeing the thing they really want:
the power that maybe, somehow they might
acquire in November 2012.
Of course, Iowa has its own scary
things—like seemingly long-dead but
somehow reanimated gubernatorial candidates, pandering to hard social conservatives
about protecting honored tradition (when the
honored tradition they speak of is really just
a history of hurtful treatment of people who
are different just because they don’t fit the
proper “black and white” definition of what
defines a man or a woman). That this resurrected creature from the past is now plotting
how to undo our state’s merit-based judicial
system is scarier yet.
And like the classic monster-movie alien
that just won’t die no matter how many times
it is shot down, blown up, or tossed out an
airlock, we have a scary failed gubernatorial
candidate climbing back out of the muck and
stalking our State Supreme Court justices
(and being financially supported by one of
those big monsters I mentioned earlier).
It’s this last scary thing to which I really
want to bring your attention. Bob Vander
Plaats, for only-God-knows what real motivation, has it out for our marriage rights.
Personally, I don’t see how my relationship
with my husband affects him at all, whether
it is legally recognized or not. I don’t want
to stick my nose into his closest relationship
(which I presume is with his ego) and I really
don’t want him sticking his nose into mine.
However, that is exactly what this scary
little “keeps-refusing-to-finally-die” political
monster is up to.
His new gig—after failing to be nominated as the GOP gubernatorial candidate—is
heading up an organization called, ironically,
“Iowa For Freedom” (IFF). The Freedom that
this organization is For is the freedom for
other people to vote so they can take away
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Send in photos and reports of your events... especially benefits and conferences.
Please send us information on any of the following:
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Please email us at [email protected]. You may also contact us at our
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ACCESSline reserves the right to print letters to the editor and other feedback at
the editor’s discretion.
some of our legal rights. Since its launch,
IFF has received funding from the virulently
anti-gay American Family Association and
has started airing commercials that mislead
about both the role of the judicial branch
of our government, and about the actual
meaning of the 2009 marriage decision.
They have a website on which they blow
the proverbial “dog whistle” to drive social
conservatives to a frenzy, using phrases like
“blatant judicial activism,” “legislated from
the bench,” and “attempted to amend our
constitution.”
And in case the laughable “threat” of
black-robed meanies forcing folks to get “gay
married” against their will doesn’t instill
enough fear in its impressionable readers,
the site brings up a bunch of red herrings,
performing a clever “bait and switch” routine
with the actual issue:
If the Iowa Supreme Court will do
this to marriage, every one of our
freedoms, including gun rights and
private property, is in danger of being
usurped by activist judges who are
unelected officials. Most Americans
believe that government is out of
control. Now is the time to take a stand
against the radical judicial activism
of the Iowa Supreme Court.
So not only is the scary little monster I’m
talking about scary in and of itself, it’s doing
its best to sound and be even scarier.
Look: we don’t want an elected judiciary.
Look at how screwed up our elections and
our “representative government” has gotten
because of corporate money, influential individuals, and political machinations. It’s pretty
much amazing that anything is getting done at
all at the federal level, considering how much
lobbying and stalemating and filibustering is
going on there.
How would it be if our judges had to
raise money to be elected, and therefore were
beholden to—or worse, eventually appeared
to give special treatment to—whichever big
business or multi-billionaire bought them the
most television air time?
A number of other states still run their
judiciary this way, but Iowa does not.
So what can you do to fight this scary,
creepy, seemingly unstoppable monster?
First, TALK: Talk about the issue with
your friends and your family. Point out that
the Iowa Supreme Court acted in exactly the
manner it is supposed to, by defending our
state constitution’s promise of equal protection for all Iowans. Tell them to vote their
conscience, but before they vote, to honestly
research the history any justice for whom
they wish to vote “NO,” and not to just listen
to the false political double-talk from Iowa For
[Just Letting Some People Have] Freedom and
Bob [Why Won’t He Just Go Away Already?]
Vander Plaats.
Talk about how the only real argument
being made for a constitutional convention
is so discrimination can be written into our
state’s most cherished document.
Second, GET SOCIAL. Get online and
chat about the issue on Facebook, Twitter,
MySpace, and any other social network you
are on. Join a group or event like “Vote YES
to RETAIN IOWA’S JUDGES” on Facebook.
Or start your own group on the issue. And
when someone online disagrees with you
on the issue, don’t resort to name calling or
parroting talking points; keep it classy, and
challenge people to actually consider what
they are saying and what it would mean to
you, personally, if what they are pursuing
actually came to be.
Third: VOTE. Vote now (early voting
has started!) or vote on November 2, but get
your perky little self to a polling place and
vote YES for judicial retention and NO for a
constitutional convention.
If you believe that Iowa’s constitution
should continue to provide equal protection
to every Iowan, please take these three simple
steps. Because on April 3, 2009, the justices
of the Iowa Supreme Court weren’t being
“activists,” and they weren’t “legislating from
the bench,” and they weren’t “attempting to
amend the constitution.”
They were simply protecting our
constitution from a scary little law that was
intentionally created in order to make some
people less equal than everybody else.
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ACCESSline Page 4
IOWA NEWS
Out-of-state interests
join up to attack Iowa’s
Supreme Court justices
The “National Organization for Marriage”
(NOM) and the “American Family Association”
(AFA) have together backed Bob Vander
Plaats’ new anti-judicial project, “Iowa For
Freedom.”
NOM was started in New Jersey and now
is based in Washington DC. AFA is based in
Mississippi.
Together the two groups have launched
an ad attacking the Iowa Supreme Court
for its ruling on the 2009 Varnum vs. Brien
case (which overturned Iowa’s ban on
same-sex marriage). The ad can be viewed
at http://bit.ly/aJgGEE. The “fine print”
at the beginning of the ad says: “Paid for
by IowaforFreedom.com, a project of AFA
Action, Inc. … and the National Organization
for Marriage. …”
The ad includes numerous misleading
claims and assumptions, and falsely implies
that the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision is
taking away rights from Iowans (presumably
the “right” to deny equal protection to gay
people) and that the court is “gunning” for
other cherished rights (presumably homeschooling, freedom of speech, and the right
to bear arms).
“Activist judges on Iowa’s Supreme Court
have become political, ignoring the will of
voters and imposing same sex marriage on
Iowa. Liberal out-of-control judges ignoring
our traditional values and legislating from the
bench, imposing their own values on Iowa. If
they can usurp the will of voters and redefine
marriage, what will they do to other longestablished Iowa traditions and rights.”
Matt Baume, founder of Stop8.org,
provides a brilliant dissection of the ad at the
following link: http://bit.ly/ddX0ui
To date, NOM has spent $235,000 for
this anti-judicial campaign, and the AFA
has invested nearly $60,000 to Iowa For
Fairness.
Knights of Columbus
funding NOM
Jesse Zwick of The Iowa Independent
reported on September 20 that the Catholic
fraternal society known as the “Knights of
Columbus” (KOC) donated $1.4 million to the
anti-gay National Organization for Marriage.
This amount was more than the KOC allotted
to many of its charitable causes that year.
According to Timothy Kincaid of
BoxTurtleBulletin.com: “Of the $34.6 million
that the Supreme Council spent in 2009, only
[three million] went for doing good deeds.
Eight million went to the church’s hierarchy,
five million for the KOC museum, three million
on “evangelization”, and over six million went
for ‘family life’ and ‘pro-life’ programs ($4.7
million for anti-gay and $1.9 million for antiabortion political advocacy). In 2009, one of
the Knights’ largest individual donations,
$1,430,000, went to the National Organization for Marriage.”
HIV anti-stigma
message lost on GOP
senatorial hopeful
The Iowa HIV Alliance ad featuring HIVpositive John Chamberlain and HIV-negative
Iowa Senator Matt McCoy has been grossly
misinterpreted and attacked by State Senator
Matt McCoy’s Republican opponent for Iowa’s
31st district.
The ad in question shows Chamberlain saying “HIV won’t stop me from facing
every day with dignity and courage,” and
Senator McCoy saying “HIV won’t stop me
from shaking hands with my constituents.”
Then a voiceover finishes the message,
saying, “Whether HIV positive or HIV negative, we are talented, hard-working and
lovable. We are neighbors, providers, family
and friends. HIV is not the sum of who we
are.” The caption for John Chamberlain
says: “Volunteer & Person Living with
HIV.” The caption for Senator McCoy says:
“State Senator.” The end of the commercial shows two children, credited only as
“Malea Van Brocklin” and “Keyni Williams,”
with Malea’s arm over Keyni’s shoulder.
Malea says: “HIV won’t stop me from making
a friend.”
The obvious point of the commercial
is to abate the false information and stigma
surrounding HIV, and to educate viewers that
HIV cannot be spread through a handshake
or other casual contact—such as children
playing together.
However, Des Moines anti-abortion
activist and music store owner Dave Francis
OCTOBER 2010
Centerlink,
the Community of
LGBT CENTERS by Beau Fodor
Leach said in a statement on his website on
September 7, “Was McCoy actually telling us
that he has HIV, but he is willing to accept the
risk of giving it to us by shaking our hands?”
Leach is most famous for his vocal and visible
support of the man who murdered Kansas
abortion doctor George Tiller. Leach is the
publisher of the extremist “Prayer & Action”
newsletter, which has advocated the killing
of abortion providers as justifiable homicide,
and has even included instructions on making
bombs.
Grassley vote
compromises military
readiness
DES MOINES (OneIowa.org)—Iowa
Senator Chuck Grassley voted on September 21, 2010 to block debate of the Defense
Authorization Act, including a provision that
would repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell legislation prohibiting gay and lesbian Iowans
from serving openly in the military. More
than 13,500 servicemembers have been
discharged under the policy, leaving critical
national security needs unmet. Iowa Senator
Tom Harkin along with 55 other senators
voted in favor of cloture, but they fell short
of the 60 votes needed to end a filibuster and
begin debate.
“Senator Grassley should stop playing
politics with our national security,” said One
Iowa Executive Director Carolyn Jenison.
“Gay and lesbian servicemembers provide
additional expertise and skills the military
needs. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell compromises the
integrity of our armed sources and puts gay
servicemembers at risk.”
“Was McCoy actually telling us
that he has HIV, but he is willing
to accept the risk of giving it to us
by shaking our hands? In trying to
think of a more favorable interpretation, I considered whether he
meant he will not let the possibility
of some of his constituents having
HIV keep him from shaking hands
with them; but I had to rule that out,
since that is so much the opposite of
which direction the disease would
be most likely to travel…”
— Anti-abortion activist and GOP
senatorial candidate Dave
Leach, on his reaction to Senator
Matt McCoy’s participation in
an HIV Alliance anti-stigma
commercial.
September 24, Portland, Oregon—I’m
in Portland, Oregon this week at the Executive Director and Board Leadership Summit,
representing Iowa’s new LGBT center, based
in Des Moines, and this has to be one of the
most exciting and motivating conferences
I’ve ever attended.
The presenting sponsors and facilitators of the Summit are corporate executives from Prudential, David Bohnett
Foundation, Orbitz, The Standard, Metro
Wellness Centers, Sodexo and Chuck Wolfe,
President & CEO of the Gay and Lesbian
Victory Fund.
The CENTER in Des Moines has a new
Board of Directors as well, and I’m humbled
to have been asked to be part of it. I’m
extremely proud and grateful to represent
our great state of Iowa.
The CENTER is located in downtown
Des Moines, on the southwest corner of
13th and Locust. It serves about 50 adult
clients weekly, and roughly 35 at-risk gayidentified youth on Sunday nights.
I hope this number continues to grow,
and I encourage our other great Iowa-based
LGBT organizations, such as PROs and First
Friday Breakfast Club—and especially our
local gay elected officials—to increase their
support for The CENTER. I would like to
think our LGBT population deserves to
have one of the best LGBT centers in our
nation!
About CenterLink
CenterLink (formerly The National
Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Community Centers) was
founded in 1994 as a member-based coalition to support the development of strong,
sustainable LGBT community centers. The
organization has played an important role
in supporting the growth of LGBT centers
across the country and addressing the
challenges they face, by helping them to
improve their organizational and service
delivery capacity and increase access to
public resources.
Serving over 168 LGBT community
centers across the country in 45 states
and the District of Columbia, CenterLink
assists newly forming community centers
and helps strengthen existing LGBT centers,
through networking opportunities for
center leaders, peer-based technical assistance and training, and a variety of capacity
building services.
Centers serve a vital and multi-faceted
role in many communities across the
country. They are often the only staffed
non-profit LGBT presence in the area and
the first point of contact for people seeking
information, coming out, accessing services
or organizing for social change. 40% of
LGBT centers provide direct health care
and 10% of these centers exclusively serve
LGBT communities of color, youth, seniors
or women. At the same time, half of the
LGBT community centers have budgets
under $50,000 and no full-time staff.
A fundamental goal of our mission
is to help build the capacity of centers to
meet the social, cultural, health and political advocacy needs of LGBT community
members across the country. OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 5
US NEWS news analysis by Rex Wockner
Senate fails to move
forward with Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell repeal;
measure likely dead for
this year
The U.S. Senate failed by four votes Sept.
21 to end a filibuster by Sen. John McCain,
R-Ariz., and move on to consideration of this
year’s military funding bill that contains
congressional authorization to repeal the
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell gay ban.
The vote was 56 to 43. Sixty votes were
needed to halt the filibuster. The measure
already had passed the House of Representatives. Although Congress may opt to fund
the military after the November elections,
the provision repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
seems unlikely to survive now, advocates
predicted.
“Today’s Senate vote was a frustrating
blow,” said Servicemembers Legal Defense
Network Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis.
“We lost because of the political maneuvering dictated by the midterm elections. Let’s
be clear: Opponents to repealing Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell did not have the votes to strike
those provisions from the bill. Instead, they
had the votes for delay. Time is the enemy
here. We now have no choice but to look to
the lame-duck session where we’ll have a
slim shot.”
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Executive Director Rea Carey accused “politicians (of) playing politics with people’s
lives.”
“Seventy-eight percent of Americans
support ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” she
said. “The senators who led and supported
the filibuster effort should be ashamed.”
Servicemembers United Executive
Director Alexander Nicholson blamed
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
for the loss.
“The votes to break the filibuster had
previously been lined up, but last week …
Harry Reid decided to use an uncommon
procedural privilege on the bill that eroded
support for breaking the filibuster and
guaranteed the vote’s failure,” Nicholson
said. “Intense lobbying and public pressure
over the past week proved not to be enough
to force either side to back down.”
Courage Campaign Chairman Rick
Jacobs responded to the loss by saying the
Justice Department and President Barack
Obama should opt not to appeal the recent
federal court decision in Riverside, Calif., that
struck down DADT as unconstitutional.
“We applaud the Log Cabin Republicans for initiating this case and we hope
the Justice Department recognizes that it’s
time to consign this discriminatory law to
the dustbin of history,” Jacobs said.
Human Rights Campaign President Joe
Solmonese said the filibuster “was electionyear politics at its worst.”
HRC sent a letter to Attorney General
Eric Holder joining Courage in demanding
the government not appeal the district court
decision.
“We expect the Justice Department to
recognize the overwhelming evidence that
proves DADT is unconstitutional,” Solmonese said.
GetEQUAL responded by calling on
Obama to issue an executive order suspending discharges under DADT between now
and the time that repeal is achieved.
“Four months ago, we asked the president to stop military discharges while the
U.S. Congress haggled over our rights,” the
group said. “He didn’t respond, and we’re
now seeing the result of this complete lack
of presidential leadership and courage. So
we’re taking the fight back to the White
House.”
“We need volunteers to help us hold
the president accountable and meet him
head-on during this election season, asking
him at each campaign stop and at each
fundraising party, ‘When will the discharges
end?’“ the direct-action group said. “Now it’s
time for our ‘fierce advocate’ to step up to
the plate for us.”
Nearly 80 percent of Americans support
repealing DADT, according to a recent CNN
poll.
If the Senate had passed DADT repeal
and President Barack Obama signed it,
nothing would have happened right away.
That’s because of language in the bill that
delays repeal until three things take place:
the Pentagon completes a study by Dec. 1
on how to implement DADT repeal; Obama,
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint
Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen
Lady Gaga. Photo by Rex Wockner
certify that the military will not be harmed
by implementing DADT repeal in accord with
the Pentagon’s plans; and 60 additional days
pass after the certification.
Lady Gaga pushes
repeal of Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell
Buoyed by a federal court ruling declaring the military gay ban unconstitutional
on Sept. 9 and by Lady Gaga’s aggressive
adoption of the cause of Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell repeal at MTV’s Video Music Awards
on Sept. 12, gay advocates stepped up their
push Sept. 13 for the full U.S. Senate to vote
on DADT.
Hours later, Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced that he was
planning a vote on the defense spending
bill, of which DADT repeal is a part, the
next week.
At one point, the afternoon of Sept. 14,
Gaga and Reid communicated directly via
Twitter.
Gaga tweeted: “http://twitpic.
com/2ocx9i - Gay Veterans were my VMA
dates. Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. CALL
HARRY REID to Schedule Senate Vote.”
Reid tweeted back: “@ladygaga There is
a vote on #DADT next week. Anyone qualified
to serve this country should be allowed to
do so. http://bit.ly/9ucdIj #nvsen.”
Gaga responded: “God Bless and Thank
you @HarryReid, from all of us, like u, who
believe in equality and the dream of this
country. We were #BORNTHISWAY.”
Reid replied: “@ladygaga It’s the right
thing to do. Come back to Vegas soon! #nvsen
#DADT.”
He then further tweeted: “VIDEO:
@HarryReid & @LadyGaga tweet abt
repealing #DADT & the fight for equality
http://ow.ly/2EBfm #nvsen.”
Then Gaga really found her groove. On
Sept. 17, she posted a seven-minute video
to YouTube explaining DADT and the repeal
effort in detail and showing her placing calls
to her U.S. senators. Her call to Sen. Chuck
Schumer terminated itself unanswered after
11 rings. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office hung
up on her with the message: “The mailbox
belonging to Senator Gillibrand’s office is
full. Goodbye.”
TTUS NEWS continued page 10
“Regulations are we do not go out and seek to find out someone’s sexual
orientation. We do not. That is the fact. That is the fact. … I know the military
very well and I know what’s being done. And what is being done is that they are
not seeking out people who are gay. And I don’t care what you say, I know it’s
a fact. … I don’t care what you say and I don’t care what others say. I’ve seen it
in action. I’ve seen it in action. I have sons in the military, I know the military
very well. So they’re not telling you the truth. … Just to make sure: We do not
go out and see … if someone is gay or not. We do not go out and seek if someone
is gay or not. They do not, they do not, they do not. You can say that they are
… it’s not true. … It is not the policy. It is not the policy. It is not the policy. It
is not the policy, it’s not the policy, it’s not the policy, it’s not the policy. You
can say that it is the policy, sir, if you choose to. It’s not the policy. I’ll be glad
to get that to you in writing.”
— Arizona Senator John McCain on Sept. 21, responding to Advocate reporter
Kerry Eleveld and others regarding Major Michael Almy, whose private emails
were searched in Iraq in 2005 by the military in pursuit of his discharge
under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
ACCESSline Page 6
OCTOBER 2010
World News by Rex Wockner
Russian gay leader
Alekseev abducted,
released
Russian gay leader Nikolai Alekseev.
GayRussia.ru photo
Moscow Pride founder and leader
Nikolai Alekseev has reported that he was
abducted by government agents of some sort
at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport Sept. 15
and held for more than two days.
He was seized after passing through
passport control and taken to a room by security officials and an airline worker, he said.
There, his luggage, documents and computer
were examined for more than two hours.
Alekseev then was turned over to what
he called “hulking men in civilian clothes,
with faces not disfigured by intellect,” who
removed him from the airport via nonpublic
passageways and drove him to a police facility two hours away, where he was further
searched. In a moment when he was left
alone, Alekseev used his iPad to discover
where he was.
“I got my iPad and with two taps learned
my location,” he said. “If I did not have this
device, I would have never found out where
I was the first day. Thanks, Apple! The location showed up as the city of Kashira. I began
frantically finger-zooming the map to find the
exact address, but there was no 3G Internet
there and the EDGE network loads maps very
slowly. … Afraid that they would catch me, I
disconnected the iPad completely. Then they
tried to get into it, but couldn’t, because it was
password-protected.”
Alekseev said he was mocked and insulted, called “faggot” and “pederast,” probably
drugged via a glass of water, and eventually
presented with a paper to sign, which said
that an agreement had been reached to drop
his lawsuits at the European Court of Human
Rights over Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s
bans of gay pride parades. He didn’t sign it,
“despite persistent ‘advice’ not to enter into
conflict with the authorities.” The second night, Alekseev was moved
to another police facility in the city of Tula,
farther south of Moscow, he said. Around the
same time, someone used his cell phone to
text false information to the media—saying
that Alekseev was in Belarus, had sought
political asylum there, and was dropping his
European court cases.
When this was reported in the media,
activists and journalists around the world
who have regular contact with Alekseev
strongly suspected that the information had
not come from Alekseev or that he was no
longer in control of his own mind.
Alekseev was released on the outskirts
of Tula early the morning of Sept. 18, made
his way to the city center, and took a bus to
Moscow, he said.
“I intend to sue the Domodedovo Airport
and its aviation-security services, which
violated international law and forced me back
under Russian jurisdiction,” Alekseev said.
“In addition, my ticket was bought in
Switzerland. Thus, the contract between
Swiss Air Lines and the passenger falls under
Swiss law. In this regard, I will seek a trial in
Switzerland. I will also demand a complete
investigation into the basis of crimes against
me in the form of illegal deprivation of
freedom and kidnapping.”
(Though he speaks English fluently, Alekseev’s primary lengthy account of his ordeal
was written in Russian on his LiveJournal
blog, and the quotations here have been translated. On Facebook, Alekseev said he would
“get mad” if he tried to translate it.)
In a five-year battle with Luzhkov, who
has banned the gay pride march each year
and sent police to arrest small groups of
activists who defied the bans, Alekseev, a
lawyer, has filed a series of lawsuits at the
European Court of Human Rights. The court
has merged the cases and is expected to deal
with them this year.
“It appears the Russian authorities
realize their inevitable humiliating defeat
at the European Court of Human Rights and
employ such desperate methods as intimidation, threats and abduction to prevent it,”
said the European Region of the International
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex
Association, or ILGA-Europe.
Gay Saudi diplomat
seeks U.S. asylum
The former first secretary of Saudi
Arabia’s consulate in Los Angeles has
requested asylum in the United States
because he says he’ll be executed for being
gay if he returns home.
“If I go back to Saudi Arabia, they
will kill me openly in broad daylight,” Ali
Ahmad Asseri e-mailed media outlets in
mid-September.
Asseri said Saudi officials ordered
him home after finding out he’s gay and is
friends with a Jew. He apparently has been
in hiding since.
The U.S. does grant asylum to foreign
gays if the U.S. is convinced they face genuine
harm in their native lands. The laws treat gay
asylum-seekers as members of “a particular
social group.”
Saudi Arabia’s entry in the United States’
2009 State Department Human Rights
Reports says: “Under Shari’a as interpreted
in the country, sexual activity between two
persons of the same gender is punishable
by death or flogging. It is illegal for men ‘to
behave like women’ or to wear women’s
clothes and vice versa. There were few
reports of societal discrimination, physical
violence, or harassment based on sexual
orientation. There were no organizations
of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
persons. There was no official discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, statelessness, or access to
education or health care. Sexual orientation
could constitute the basis for harassment,
blackmail, or other actions. No such cases
were reported.”
The entry continues: “On June 13,
Riyadh police arrested 67 men from the
Philippines for drinking and dressing in
women’s clothing at a private party. Accord-
Openly gay Nepalese MP Sunil Babu Pant riding an elephant in Kathmandu’s Aug. 25 LGBT
pride parade. Photo courtesy of Blue Diamond Society
ing to their embassy, police released the
men to their employers while charges were
being processed. In 2007 the newspaper
Okaz reported the public flogging of two
men in the city of Al-Bahah after being
found guilty of sodomy. The sentence was
7,000 lashes.”
Honduran policeman
sentenced for stabbing
trans woman
Honduran police officer Amado
Rodríguez Borjas will spend 10-13 years
in prison after being convicted Sept. 9 in a
stabbing attack on a transgender woman in
Tegucigalpa.
The woman, Nohelia Flores Álvarez,
was abducted and stabbed 17 times on Dec.
18, 2008, after she refused to have sex with
Rodríguez when he approached her in public,
Human Rights Watch said.
“The case was fraught with acts of
intimidation, with police, a witness and
prosecutors as well as Nohelia threatened
by anonymous attackers and callers,” said
HRW researcher Juliana Cano Nieto. “On
March 21, unknown men kidnapped Nohelia
and threatened to kill her if she continued
with the case. She was shot in the arm in the
ensuing struggle with the kidnappers but
managed to escape.”
The Inter-American Commission on
Human Rights ended up providing protection to Flores and some other people
involved in the case.
Human Rights Watch says that “nearly
every” transgender person it has spoken
with in Honduras has told of personal
“harassment, beatings and ill-treatment at
the hands of police.”
George Michael
sent to jail
Gay pop singer George Michael was
jailed for eight weeks in London on Sept. 14
for crashing his car into a building last July
after apparently mixing pot and prescription drugs.
The court also took away his driver’s
license for five years and fined him nearly
$2,000.
It was Michael’s fourth incident of
being caught driving while seemingly
impaired, and his second conviction on
such charges.
60 LGBT protesters
arrested in Kathmandu
Around 60 LGBT protesters were
arrested in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 14,
apparently for demonstrating too close to
government buildings.
They were demanding that the government issue identity cards to transgender
people showing that their sex is neither
male nor female but rather a “third”
reality.
Gay MP Sunil Babu Pant said on Facebook that he was among the detainees.
“We had a meeting with Prime Minister
today,” he wrote Sept. 16. “He said he would
solve the Citizenship ID problem soon, but
we need to keep the pressure.”
Israeli Supremes:
City must fund
gay center
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled Sept.
14 that the city of Jerusalem must fund the
LGBT community center, Jerusalem Open
House, the same as it funds other social
groups’ institutions.
JOH Executive Director Yonatan
Gher said the decision follows “years of
homophobic refusal of City Hall to support
the JOH and its activities (and) almost five
years of legal struggle.”
“The direct result of this groundbreaking ruling is that no official body within
Jerusalem will be able to discriminate gays,
lesbian, transgender and bisexual people as
a policy,” Gher said.
Irish support
same-sex marriage
Sixty-seven percent of the Irish support
legalization of same-sex marriage, according to an Irish Times/Behaviour Attitudes
poll released Sept. 15.
But only 46 percent of those questioned support gay adoption.
The poll also found that 91 percent of
respondents do not think less of people who
come out as gay or lesbian.
Gay activists said the results mean
Ireland’s new civil-union law already is
passé and it’s time to legalize same-sex
marriage.
Assistance: Bill Kelley
OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 7
Retention of Iowa Supreme Court Judges by Jonathan Wilson
I recently attended a business association meeting where Terry Branstad’s running
mate, Kim Reynolds, was the featured
speaker. She’s a first-term member of the
Iowa Senate and, from all appearances, was
already out of her depth when tapped by
Branstad to run for Lt. Governor. Like the
choice of Palin by McCain, inviting Reynolds
onto the ticket says more about Branstad’s
judgment than anything negative about her
personally. There’s nothing particularly
wrong with being inept, there’s a lot of that
going around. There’s something wrong,
however, with the head of the ticket showing
poor judgment right out of the chute.
After laboriously reading and struggling
with some prepared, platitudinous remarks,
she cheerfully opened it up for questions.
Mine was the first and, given the setting,
may have caught her a bit off guard. I asked
what guidance she and Branstad have for
Iowa voters regarding retention of the three
Iowa Supreme Court Justices who will be on
the November ballot. After recovering from
the shock of this question coming from what
she’d assumed was a monolithic group of
business folks with nothing but business
and taxes on their minds, she parroted that
neither she nor Branstad had any recom-
mendation for Iowa voters on this topic. She
actually said that they felt each voter should
research the competence of each of the three
justices and make their own decision about
how to vote on retention.
To her obvious chagrin, I managed to
get in a follow up question. I asked her
how exactly voters should do that research
and evaluation, and pointed out that I am
a practicing attorney and, despite firsthand knowledge, the vast majority of my
own clients don’t know whether or not I’m
competent so long as I spell their names
right. Undeterred and unconvincingly, she
suggested that the Internet offers the voters
easy access to all the necessary information.
She was particularly perplexed when I got
in a second follow up question asking how
realistic it was to expect voters to do that
research, and wouldn’t voters deserve to
have the benefit of her presumably thorough
research and carefully considered judgment on the subject—as in “leadership” to
be expected of a governor and lieutenant
governor. That received a chillier repeat of
her prior response and someone else got
quickly called upon for a question.
As it happened, she fared little better
with the questions from others who wanted
to know, repeatedly, exactly how it would
be possible to cut taxes as she and Branstad
have proposed, streamline government while
conspicuously ignoring the multiplicity of
local and county governments all across the
state, improve governmental performance,
create jobs in a global economy, and still
balance the budget. You’d have thought she
was competing in a dance competition and in
need of dancing lessons, rather than running
for lieutenant governor of the state.
Here’s the truth, and it will come
as no surprise. She and Branstad want the
potential benefit of Bob Vander Plaats’s
lynch-mob rhetoric on the retention topic
even though they know it is utterly misguided
and contrary to our remarkably effective
and apolitical judicial selection/retention
process. Their pandering presents an
opportunity for Culver to claim and, despite
his frequent missteps, to articulate that the
crux of truly “good government” worth our
pursuing lies in maintaining the separation
of powers and avoiding theocracy. If he can’t
do that then the outcome will be essentially
six one way, and half a dozen the other.
Jonathan Wilson is an attorney at the
Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, and
chairs the First Friday Breakfast Club (www.
Iowa’s court system is considered one
of the finest in the country—and Iowa’s fair
and impartial judges are cited as a major
reason. Our merit selection and retention
process has successfully kept politics and
campaign money out of our courts, safeguarding the fairness and impartiality of
the courts.
However, to ensure that our system
continues to work well, it is important for
voters to make informed decisions during
the upcoming judicial retention elections.
In a year with much anti-incumbent sentiment, it is important that voters have the
tools and resources so that they can make
informed decisions when they go to the polls
in November.
If judges are defeated merely as a result
of randomness or vindictiveness, it may lead
to judges forming campaign committees in
the future to make their cases.
If politics and campaign money are
allowed into the courts, a citizen’s perception that he/she will receive a fair and
impartial day in court may be in jeopardy
- particularly if the opposing party is politically influential or has made large donations
to the judge or justice.
will be working to educate voters on how
our merit selection and retention process
works and how Iowans can be informed
voters in this November’s retention election. IFIC will use various forums, speaking
engagements, the Internet, and other means
to communicate this important message.
IFIC will not advocate for a yes or no vote
for any specific judge or justice.
efforts politicize our judicial retention
elections, judges and justices will have little
choice but to create campaign organizations
and start raising campaign donations.
If politics and campaign money are
allowed into the courts, a citizens’ perception that they will receive a fair and impartial
day in court may be in jeopardy - particularly
if the opposing party is politically influential
or has made large donations to the judge
or justice. Imagine you are a small business in a
contract dispute with a corporation that
has contributed large amounts of money
to the retention campaign of the presiding
judge. Imagine that you are in a child custody
battle and you discover your former spouse’s
attorney has contributed a large amount to
the judge’s retention campaign – and your
attorney did not make any contribution.
Are you feeling confident about your
chances for a fair and impartial hearing? In Iowa, it is important that voters
become informed voters as it relates to the
judicial retention process. While 30-second
political spots are a part of the election
process for our representatives and executive officials – let’s not allow the politics and
influence of campaign donations to affect the
selection and retention of our judges.
• The Iowa State Bar Association posts the
results of a survey in which lawyers assess
the performance and qualifications of
the judges and justices up for retention.
Referred to as the ―plebiscite,‖ the survey
evaluates judges on important characteristics such as fairness, legal analysis skills,
diligence and decisiveness. The results can
be assessed at www.iowabar.org (available
this fall).
• Ask your local attorneys regarding their
knowledge and experience with the judges
up for retention.
• Ask other community and business leaders
that may have knowledge of the judge’s or
justice’s ability and performance.
By becoming an educated voter, all
Iowans can prevent the politicization of our
courts.
What is at Stake?
Iowa has fair and impartial judges as
a result of our ability to keep the influence
of politics and campaign money out of our
process for selecting judges. If organized
Becoming an
Educated Voter
There are several ways for voters to
become informed about our judges and
justices. Before you vote yes or no in a retention election, we encourage you to explore
the following sources of information:
• The Iowa Judicial Branch offers a voter
guide with biographies of all judges
subject to retention elections (see
iowacourts.gov).
About IFIC
mission is to educate Iowans on the high
ffbciowa.org), an educational, non-profit
corporation for gay men in Iowa who gather
on the first Friday of every month to provide
mutual support, to be educated on community
affairs, and to further educate community
opinion leaders with more positive images
of gay men. It is the largest breakfast club
in the state of Iowa. He can be contacted at
[email protected] or
515-288-2500.
quality court system, the merit selection
process, and how voters can be educated on
judicial retention elections. It is important
that voters have tools and resources so that
they can make informed decisions when they
go to the polls in November.
IFIC will identify a variety of resources
that voters can use to become educated
about the judges up for retention. IFIC will
not advocate a yes or no vote for any specific
judge or justice.
“In 2010, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
recognized Iowa’s judiciary as one of the best
in the nation. Iowa was ranked fourth in the
country for judges’ impartiality, third in the
country for jury fairness, and fifth overall.
The rankings demonstrate that Iowa’s merit
selection system has been effective at
promoting fair and impartial courts that
encourage a vibrant business community and
guarantee equal justice for all Iowans.”
— American Judicature Society, 8/6/2010
ACCESSline Page 8
OCTOBER 2010
Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski
Tim Ravndal
You know what’s totally hilarious?
Matthew Shepard jokes. You know, the
21-year-old guy who, in 1998, was brutally
beaten and then hung on a fence like a scarecrow to die in rural Wyoming because he was
gay. So much potential for comedy there.
Shepard’s murder is the exact kind of
thing that seems so terrible at the time but
you think, “One day we’re all gonna look back
on this and laugh.” If you’re a total s--t-forbrains a--hole, that is.
Enter Tim Ravndal, president of the Big
Sky Tea Party Association in Montana.
On July 23, Ravndal posted a link to a
story about marriage and gays on his Facebook page with the following comment,
“Marriage is between a man and a woman
period! By giving rights to those otherwise
would be a violation of the constitution and
my own rights.”
A friend named Dennis Scranton wrote
in reply, “I think fruits are decorative. Hang
up where they can be seen and appreciated.
Call Wyoming for display instructions.”
Ravndal writes back, “Dennis, Where
can I get that Wyoming printed instruction
manual?”
“Should be able to get info (from)
Gazette archives. Maybe even an illustration,” Scranton posts. “Go back a bit over
10 years.”
Get it? LOL! ROTFLMAO! I mean, sure,
they don’t mention Shepherd by name, but
they don’t have to. We all get the joke.
Not everybody is laughing, however.
“Mr. Ravndal’s comments are outrageous,”
Kim Abbott of the Montana Human Rights
Network told the Great Falls Tribune. “He is
a public figure, in the public sphere, condoning and making light of violence against gay
people. It’s actually pretty frightening.”
Kim Abbott, also with MHRN, said, “I
would like to know if Mr. Ravndal thinks that
gay people are entitled to the same safety,
security and protections as everyone else,
because his comments seem to suggest he
thinks it’s OK to hurt or even kill members
of the LGBT community.”
I’m going to guess that the answer to
Abbott’s query is, “No, he doesn’t think
homos deserve the same protections as
everybody else.” I’m not inside Ravndal’s
head (thankfully), but that’s where I’d put
my money.
Ravndal is now claiming that he had no
idea what Scranton was talking about and
that he does “not condone violence to any
human being.”
“I wasn’t even thinking about the
tragedy that happened in Wyoming,” Ravndal
said. “I made a mistake and I apologize to
anyone I offended.”
Really? Ravndal had no idea that “fruit”
means “fag?” And that to “hang up” means,
well, to hang? As in lynch? As in kill? Hasn’t
he ever heard Billie Holiday sing “Strange
Fruit” before? And even if all of those things
really did go right over Ravndal’s head,
wouldn’t the specific mention of Wyoming
be, at minimum, confusing?
Because Ravndal doesn’t reply with
something like, “Dude, WTF? I don’t get it.”
He writes, “Where can I get that Wyoming
printed instruction manual?” Kind of hard
to believe he didn’t know the significance of
“Wyoming” in this instance.
It’s interesting to note that on his Facebook page in the list of things Ravndal “Likes”
right alongside “Tea Party protests” is “Not
everything that pops into your head needs
to be shared on Facebook.”
Ironic, yes. But it really makes you
wonder what kinds of things he isn’t
posting.
Charlie Crist
Look, I don’t know if Florida Governor
Charlie Crist is gay. And while it really should
be a non-issue because being gay is not this
scandalous thing that makes a person unfit
for public office like some loonies on the far
right believe, the fact is: it matters. It’s an
issue because Crist is making it an issue by
reiterating his support for a constitutional
ban on same-sex couples getting married.
Granted, this isn’t the first time Crist has
said he supports such a thing. Apparently he
mentioned it at some point while running for
governor and governors don’t really have
much power when it comes to the United
States Constitution. But now he’s running
for Senate as an Independent. The United
States Senate.
On August 29 during an interview on
CNN, Ed Henry brought up the issue of same-
In a recent televised conversation with
sex marriage and pointed out that Marco
Rubio, one of Crist’s opponents in the Senate Bill O’Reilly, Beck said that gays marrying
wasn’t atop his list of concerns: “Honestly, I
race, supports a constitutional ban.
“The former Republican Party Chair- think we have bigger fish to fry.”
“Do you believe gay marriage is a threat
man Ken Mehlman came out and said he’s
gay and he called on conservatives to kind to the country in any way?” O’Reilly asked.
“A threat to the country? No, I don’t,”
of move to the political center and be more
tolerant on this issue,” Henry said. “Now that Beck said.
For all the grief he’s getting from the
you’re trying to occupy the political center,
are you still in favor of a constitutional ban right, Beck might as well have asked O’Reilly
to gay marry him.
on same-sex marriage?”
This, combined with Ann Coulter’s
“I feel the same way, yes, because I feel
that marriage is a sacred institution, if you agreement to speak to a group of gay conserwill,” Crist responded. “But I do believe in vatives, has people like World Net Daily’s
tolerance. I’m a live-and-let-live kind of guy, managing editor David Kupelian in a huff.
Beck, says Kupelian, is a coward. “Very
and while I feel that way about marriage, I
think if partners want to have the opportu- simply, most people in today’s America,
nity to live together, I don’t have a problem including conservatives, are afraid of ‘the
gay issue,’” Kupelian writes on WND. “Why
with that.”
So he’s a “live-and-let-live kind of guy” are they afraid? The gay activist movement
who believes in “tolerance,” eh? And while relies heavily on intimidation ... and no one
marriage is “sacred,”
likes to be mocked,
thereby rendering
Yes, he’s married. To a lady. marginalized, demonhomos unfit for such an
called ugly names,
Since 2008. Which, of course, ized,
institution, he doesn’t
boycotted, persecutmind partners living proves that he’s not gay because ed, prosecuted for
together. So long as of how getting opposite-sex ‘hate crimes’ (thought
their relationship isn’t
actually), fined
married automatically makes crimes,
in any way recognized
or imprisoned.”
or protected and the you not gay.
Kupelian’s lament
law treats them as legal
is a classic case of
strangers then Crist doesn’t “have a problem the oppressor positioning himself as the
with that.” Oh, how very magnanimous of oppressed. Though it’s true that people
him.
don’t like to be kicked around. Remember
“I think that’s where most of America Stonewall? Apparently ever since then gays
is,” Crist continues. “So I think that, you have become big ol’ bullies, strong-arming
know, you have to speak from the heart their way toward U.S. domination.
about these issues. They are very personal.
“Interestingly, (during) the exchange
They have a significant impact on an awful between Beck and O’Reilly, Beck added that
lot of people and the less the government he was OK with same-sex marriage ‘as long
is telling people what to do, the better off as we are not going down the road of Canada
we’re all going to be.”
where it now is a problem for churches to
Since telling the government to stay have free speech,’” Kupelian writes. “Glenn,
out of people’s personal lives and writing it will go down ‘the road of Canada’ and
discrimination into the constitution seem other Western countries where Christians
to be contradictory, Henry accuses Crist of are persecuted for openly expressing deeply
trying to have it both ways (no pun intended, held biblical views.”
I’m sure).
And the gays won’t stop “until ChrisBut Crist doesn’t budge. “Well, every- tians and other traditionalists opposing
thing is in a matter of degree, Ed, and when it homosexuality are shut up, discredited and
comes to the institution of marriage, I believe utterly silenced.”
that it is between a man and a woman; it’s
And Kupelian knows a thing or two
just how I feel,” he says.
about trying to discredit his opposition.
Call me crazy, but “it’s just how I feel” He’s perfectly content with positioning
is a pretty flimsy argument for amending homosexuals as evil bogeymen.
the Constitution to keep gay people from
“If same-sex marriage becomes the law
marrying each other. Hell, it’s a flimsy reason of the land, moral confusion will dominate
to amend it for anything.
our culture, polygamy and other aberrant
By itself, Crist’s unabashed support forms of ‘marriage’ will quickly follow,
of writing discrimination into one of our traditional Christianity will be essentially
nation’s founding documents is alarming to criminalized, and much more,” he writes.
say the least. But it’s even more alarming if “In a word, America will become unrecoghe is, indeed, gay. And he is widely rumored nizable.”
and believed to be just that.
And if gays aren’t scary enough for
Yes, he’s married. To a lady. Since 2008. Kupelian’s readers, he has another scapegoat
Which, of course, proves that he’s not gay up his sleeve: Muslims.
because of how getting opposite-sex married
Letting gays marry each other, he says,
automatically makes you not gay. So who will inevitably lead to legalized polygamy.
knows? Maybe all of the gay rumors are
“For Muslims living in the U.S., for whom
wrong. Either way, Crist is still a creep.
polygamy is allowed under the Quran (up to
four wives), we will see large numbers of
polygamous marriages within the United
States of America,” he writes. “And of course,
You know, there are so many reasons to polygamy’s legalization in the U.S. will serve
dislike Glenn Beck. So, so many good, good as a powerful magnet to draw vastly more
reasons. He is, in my most personal and unre- Muslims to immigrate to the U.S., and no
served opinion, a moron. He is not, however, doubt will encourage more American men
TTCREEPS continued page 10
Mr. Gay Marriage all of a sudden.
David Kupelian
OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 9
National day to celebrate LGBT Centers
SScontinued from page 1
CONLIN
rating scale until the 2007-2008 rating,
for which he only increased to 20/100.
He has achieved “the third-worst voting
record in the entire US Congress (both
House and Senate combined) on veterans
issues, according to the Disabled American
Veterans, earning a 40 rating (Wikipedia).
He received 11/100 and 5/100 from the
ACLU and NAACP respectively (2005). He
received a 0 rating from NARAL.
On the other hand, he has scored
100/100 for the Family Research Council,
whose president has referred to homosexuality as a “death-style.”
Roxanne Conlin, while a blank slate as
a federal politician, has a notable history
of civil service in Iowa: as an Assistant
Attorney General for the state ( 1969-1976),
and as one of the first female attorneys for
the United States (1977-1981)—having
been appointed United States Attorney for
the Southern District of Iowa in 1977 by
President Jimmy Carter.
Conlin signed an amicus brief in
support of same-sex marriage rights in
Iowa’s historic Varnum vs. Brien (samesex marriage) case. She is against the
military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell policy. She supports employment
non-discrimination and inclusion of sexual
orientation as a protected group in hate
crimes legislation.
For these reasons, ACCESSline, as an
advocate and resource for Iowa’s LGBT+
community, strongly endorses Roxanne
Conlin for US Senator.
September 15th 2010 marked the
second celebration of LGBT Center Awareness Day, a day dedicated to creating awareness of these valuable centers throughout
the country as well as highlighting the
services offered for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community. This day was
also created to promote the central role that
LGBT centers play in local communities, as
well the growing LGBT political and social
movement.
Founded by CenterLink, a memberbased coalition to support the development
of strong, sustainable LGBT community
centers, LGBT Center Awareness Day is
dedicated to the promotion of community
centers that help to empower the LGBT
community.
The CenterLink organization founded
in 1994; has played an important role in
supporting the growth of LGBT centers
across the country and addressing the challenges they face, by helping these centers
to improve their organizational and service
delivery capacity and increase access to
public resources.
CenterLink based in Washington, DC,
works with other national organizations
to advance the rights of LGBT individuals
and to provide their respective community
centers with information and analysis of
key issues.
The LGBT Center Awareness Day,
launched in 2009. This year’s letter of
support from President Barack Obama
and varying nationwide events proved to
Sandy Volpalka, Mike Smith, Beau Fodor, Josyph Glazebrook, Kyl James, Jameie Hurett, and
Rachel Ellison, at The CENTER’s open house on September 15. Photo: Photography by Gayle
be successful, for LGBT Center Awareness
Day in 2010.
This year’s theme is “Building Our
Community From The Center,” a theme
that marks the unified effort and hard
work of each LGBT center’s respective
community and the growth that could arise
from them.
“Over 40,000 people visit the over
180 community centers each week and
centers have more direct access to the LGBT
community than any other organization. Centers are the real backbone of the LGBT
movement, and we are excited to highlight
that work through Center Awareness Day,”
said Terry Stone, CenterLink’s Executive
Director. The CENTER in Des Moines hosted
an Open House which featured finger
sandwiches from LUCCA and coffee from
Ritual Café.
The CENTER has been opened for
sixteen months and is serving on an average
up to 120 people a month with a main focus
on reaching the un- and under-served
LGBTQI community.
ACCESSline is seeking
advertising sales reps in
jobs.ACCESSlineIOWA.com
THE JOB BOARD FOR
MEMBERS OF
LGBT COMMUNITIES
IN IOWA
…and it’s FREE!
Ames
Council Bluffs/Omaha
Dubuque
Iowa City
Quad Cities
Sioux City
Waterloo/Cedar Falls
Help the LGBT-owned and -friendly
businesses and services you support
to promote themselves
by advertising in ACCESSline.
ACCESSline Page 10
CREEPS
to convert to Islam to give religious cover
to their dreams of convening their own
personal harem.”
No doubt, huh? Really? Somehow I don’t
buy that there are scores of American men
who wish they could have multiple wives.
Multiple sex partners, yes. I’ll give you that.
But you don’t have to convert to Islam to
screw someone you’re not married to. And,
my goodness, there sure are a lot of anti-gay
conservatives who know all about that.
Tony Perkins
Everybody loves a parade, don’t they?
Especially gays. And gay-loving militaries the
world over. I mean, with homos in the ranks,
they aren’t much for fighting, but they can
build a fabulous flotilla of floats.
Or so Tony Perkins of the Family
Research Council thinks. On Sept. 17, Perkins
hosted a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” panel at the
Values Voters Summit, which is basically
a circuit party for social conservatives—
except there’s no dancing, since gyrations of
any kind are the devil’s movements.
Perkins claims “our military is under
immense attack from within our country”
because Obama has made it a priority
to “force the military to embrace homosexuality” regardless of “what the military
thought.”
And to explain what the military thinks,
Perkins was flanked by retired Lt. Col. Robert
Maginnis, a senior fellow for defense policy
at FRC, and Sgt. Brian Fleming, a young man
injured twice in Afghanistan.
Fleming claims that gay soldiers can’t be U.S. allies.
trusted because you wouldn’t know if they
Take Israel, for example, where gay and
had “inappropriate” motives for wanting to lesbian troops have been serving openly
be your friend. Never mind that DADT is a since 1993. And then there are countries
recipe for mistrust since it’s a policy based that have sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan,
on dishonesty.
including Australia,
Maginnis calls the
Sgt. Brian Fleming claims the United Kingdom,
U.S. military a “moralCanada, Germany,
based organization” that gay soldiers can’t be France, Italy and Spain.
(because it’s moral for trusted because you wouldn’t
Now, I’m not a
a dude to kill another know if they had “inappropri- military expert, but I
dude, so long as he
have a feeling these
doesn’t kiss another ate” motives for wanting to be allied troops are doing
dude).
your friend. Never mind that more than dressing up
And since no moral DADT is a recipe for mistrust as clowns and riding
person would want to
unicycles while throwbe around a bunch of since it’s a policy based on ing candy to smiling
queers, Perkins claims dishonesty.
Iraqi and Afghan chilthat if we let gays into
dren lining the streets
the military “we will see
(although I do admit I
Bible-believing chaplains being forced out think soldiers dressed as mimes would be
of the military and not joining the military, an excellent psychological warfare tactic.
leaving a huge vacuum.”
This responsibility would obviously fall to
Letting gays serve openly would be to the French).
“just stab (service members) in the heart”
Oh, by the way, those countries “that
and would be “suicide for an all-volunteer have the 10 largest militaries in the world”
force,” according to Maginnis.
and who also reject homos include China,
“That’s why countries … that have the 10 Russia, North Korea and Egypt. As Matt Gertz
largest militaries in the world say, ‘No, this of Media Matters says, “That’s generally not
isn’t the thing to do,’” Maginnis says.
a list you want your country to be on where
Perkins chimes in: “Well, those that do human rights issues are concerned.”
(let gays serve), they’re the ones that particiBut that would be a real bummer. So
pate in parades, they don’t fight wars to keep Perkins makes a hilarious joke about tranny
the nation (and) the world free.”
soldiers trying to figure out which uniform
The crowd bursts into applause and to wear. And everybody laughs.
Maginnis responds, “Right.”
D’Anne Witkowski has been gay for pay
Except, you know, not right. In fact, not since 2003. She’s a freelance writer and poet
only are the countries that allow gays and (believe it!). When she’s not taking on the
lesbians to serve openly more than glorified creeps of the world she reviews rock ‘n’ roll
color guards, several of them are actually shows in Detroit with her twin sister.
We pledge to honor
families, traditional
marriage, life, and the
private and faith-based
organizations that form
the core of our American
values.
—From the Republican
"Pledge to America"
OCTOBER 2010
US NEWS
“I have called both of the senators that
operate in my district,” Gaga said. “I will not
stop calling until I reach them and I can leave
them this message: ‘I am a constituent of the
senator. My name is Stefani Joanne Angelina
Germanotta, also known as Lady Gaga. I’m
calling to ask the senator to vote with Sens.
Harry Reid and Carl Levin to repeal Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell and oppose John McCain’s
shameless filibuster. We need to do this for
our gay and lesbian soldiers.’”
Gaga advised viewers to try calling their
senators the following day during business
hours and said she would do the same.
The repeal measure had already passed
the House of Representatives.
“Repeal proponents may well need 60
votes in the Senate to (prevent a filibuster
and) get to this important debate in September,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director
of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
“We are now in the final stretch and we must
prevail. Repeal supporters should not stop
calling their senators. Sen. John McCain has
been a strong and vocal opponent from the
start and it is critical that we beat back any
filibuster threat, defeat attempts to (remove
DADT) repeal (from the National Defense
Authorization Act), and defeat any crippling
amendments.”
“If the defense budget bill doesn’t move
to the Senate floor by the end of September,
DADT repeal may not happen for several
more years,” said SLDN. “If Republicans
take back the House in November, as many
are beginning to predict, SLDN doesn’t
see (John) Boehner (who would become
speaker) pushing a vote on DADT next
year.”
If the Senate had passed DADT repeal
and President Barack Obama signed it,
nothing would have happened right away,
because of language in the bill that would
delay repeal until three things take place:
the Pentagon completes a study by Dec. 1
on how to implement DADT repeal; Obama,
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint
Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen
certify that the military will not be harmed
by implementing DADT repeal in accord with
the Pentagon’s plans; and 60 additional days
pass after the certification.
The earliest that gay people in the
military could have safely come out of the
closet would have been sometime in February 2011.
ACCESSline’s fun guide
Our Picks for October
10/8 Iowa State Center, Ames: Legally Blonde
10/10 Gallagher Bluedorn, Cedar Falls:
Legally Blonde
10/12-10/17 Des Moines Civic Center:
9 to 5
The Laramie Project
The Laramie Project -10 Years Later, An
Epilogue
10/14 Iowa State Center, Ames: David Sedaris
10/14 Orpheum Sioux City: OKLAHOMA!
10/15 Sondheim Center for the Performing
Arts, Fairfield: Meara Oberdieck in Concert
10/16 Sondheim Center for the Performing
Arts, Fairfield: Ashu and Kuang-Hoa Huang
in Concert, Saxophone and Piano Concert
10/22 Iowa State Center, Ames:
Spring Awakening
10/23 Orpheum, Sioux City: Sioux City
Symphony - A Night at the Movies
…and November
11/3 Des Moines Civic Center: Carol Burnett
11/4 Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts,
Fairfield: Forever Plaid
10/27/10 at the Sioux City Orpheum
The Sioux City Human Rights Commission Presents:
“Bullied in Siouxland”
The problem, the costs and the strategies
that work to fight bullying.
Special preview of the National Documentary “The Bully Project” by Emmy
& Sundance Winner Lee Hirsh.
A Symposium with a goal to make the Siouxland Community aware of the
issues underlying bullying in our schools and workplaces.
There will be professionals from various areas speaking on topics they
specialize. Professionals from mental health, teachers, counselors, police and
others. Topics such as cyber bullying will be covered. Additionally, there will
be information about what the Siouxland schools and organizations are doing
to combat this important area.
COST: Free • TIME: 6:30pm • CONTACT: 712.258.9164
Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
Schumacher reteams with
Cage and Kidman for
Trespass
Gay director Joel Schumacher didn’t
exactly set the world on fire with his
rich-kids-on-drugs melodrama Twelve
this year—even if it did get him his first
invitation to Sundance. But the filmmaker
is back on familiar ground in his next
project, working with big stars on what
sounds like a standard-issue thriller (hey,
you’re good at what you’re good at). Nicolas
Cage and Nicole Kidman are set to star in
Schumacher’s Trespass as a married couple
who gets taken hostage and who discover
that the situation reveals hidden cracks in
their relationship. It’s a reunion, of sorts;
Schumacher previously directed Cage
in 8MM and Kidman in Batman Forever.
With shooting under way in Louisiana—
the cast also features Twilight heartthrob
Cam Gigandet, and breakout indie guy
Ben Mendelsohn from Animal Kingdom—
Trespass is set to break and enter into
theaters next year.
Van Hansis vacates
daytime for Occupant
The recent cancellation of As the World
Turns has meant the loss of one of daytime
TV’s most incident-prone gay characters,
Luke Synder, played by actor Van Hansis.
He survived “ex-gay” therapy, the loss of
a boyfriend in a train accident, expulsion
from school for trying to rig a student
election and several dozen other moments
of soapy intrigue, all the while becoming
half of a supercouple with Noah Mayer
(played by Jake Silbermann, part of the
pair collectively known as “Nuke” by hardcore fans). But with ATWT just a memory,
Hansis is moving on to other challenges,
namely the starring role in a new indie
film, Occupant. He plays the inheritor of a
spacious New York apartment who, by the
terms of the will, has to lock himself in for
12 days. But is he alone in there? And does
it really matter that it’s a piece of primo
Manhattan real estate if he has to share it
with a demon or psychotic person? Also
starring Jamie Harrold (Erin Brockovich),
Occupant could move into theaters as early
as this winter.
French titans Deneuve
and Depardieu clash in
Ozon’s Potiche
François Ozon is one of the most exciting younger directors working in France
today. And while he is gay and not hesitant
toward homo subject matter in movies like
the twisted Criminal Lovers, the tragic Time
to Leave, or the lush mystery-musical 8
Women , he’s an amazingly eclectic auteur.
With Potiche, which recently premiered at
the Venice Film Festival, he makes his very
first full-on comedy, and he does it with a
cast of French screen legends. Catherine
Deneuve stars as a bourgeois housewife
who becomes a corporate executive,
bringing her into farcical conflict with
union organizer Gerard Depardieu. With
supporting performances by Jérémie
Renier (Summer Hours) and the darkly
handsome Sergi Lopez (Pan’s Labyrinth),
Potiche promises to be one of 2011’s most
hotly anticipated imports.
Hilary Swank. Photo: Fox Searchlight.
Hilary Swank faces life
after wartime
Hard-working lesbian producer
Christine Vachon (I’m Not There, Boys
Don’t Cry) always keeps a full dance card,
and it looks like one of the more notable
projects coming from her is Dreams of a
Dying Heart, the directorial debut of writer
Shawn Lawrence Otto (House of Sand and
Fog). This suspenseful drama stars Hilary
Swank as an Iraq war veteran who returns
home to her husband (Josh Brolin) and
daughter with her body in one piece but
her mind shaken by the experience. Almost
as soon as she arrives at the airport, she
starts having visions of a ghostly boy in
blue. Soon, she’s waking up screaming
and covered in blood, pictures of her are
missing from the wall, and there’s a strange
Middle Eastern man in her house—who
seems to have designs on her daughter.
Sounds chilling—and Swank is always at
her best in a short haircut. Shooting starts
in October, with Dreams set to haunt the
big screen in 2012.
Glee gets closer to Rocky
It’s full steam ahead for the televised
mashup machine that is Glee. The appropriation of every single music reference
of the past several decades—well, the
ones they can get the rights too anyway, a
task that’s getting easier and easier with
each passing moment—has become the
show’s real star. And now it’s The Rocky
Horror Picture Show’s turn to become…
family friendly? Yes, the transgendered,
pansexual, orgy-in-a-swimming-pool,
“Time Warp”-line-dancing template for
weirdo queer culture will be introduced to
a new generation of Gleeks and their moms
as Hairspray director, choreographer and
So You Think You Can Dance judge Adam
Shankman takes over directing duties
for Glee’s all-Rocky episode, coming this
season. Guesting so far? Barry Bostwick
and Meat Loaf. Tim Curry said no. But
how much do you want to bet that Susan
Sarandon is game?
TTHOLLYWOOD continued page 24
ACCESSline Page 12
the fun guide
OCTOBER 2010
Partying Hard: The Emmy Awards: Red Carpet Terror by Joshua Dagon
Following is the mostly true story of
how I didn’t go to the Emmy Awards.
For those of you who’ve been wondering—both of you—yes, I did travel to Los
Angeles to attend the red carpet event at
the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Arrangements were made for my admittance, a press-pass was issued, my black-tie
outfit was tailored and ready, I had my digital
camera loaded with a fully-charged battery,
and I chickened out at the last minute so I
could go to an Emmy party and get drunk.
In my defense, I was in LA for several
days prior to the Emmy event during which
time I mistakenly listened to the horror
stories told by friends who’d spent time
on the red carpet themselves. Evidently, I
would have had to be dressed and ready to
navigate the first security checkpoint near
the Nokia Theatre no later than 10:00 AM. There would be, I was told, at least two
additional checkpoints at which full cavity
searches might or might not have been
conducted. The use of camera probes, I was
informed, was not unlikely.
Once—if—I made it to the red carpet, I
would have been expected to stand around
for several hours in the Los Angeles heat—
shade at the Emmy’s red carpet event
is evidently prohibited—watching for
celebrities so that I could try to get a photo
with them and possibly ask a question or
two. Although, according to veterans of
the red carpet, approaching any celebrity
could have been acutely hazardous to my
health. “The other members of the media
will kill you,” I was informed by an indus-
try insider. “Seriously. If you get too close
to a celebrity, someone from CBS or CNN
will cut you. Whatever you do, don’t get
between a camera crew and the nominees. The team from the Today Show will not
hesitate to shank you and throw you into
a dumpster.”
It was at this point that my red carpet
enthusiasm began to wane.
A very close friend of mine—who’s one
of the most sought after celebrity hairstylists in the world—invited me to come and
share his rented house for the weekend. He
lives in New York but flies out to Hollywood
regularly for the award seasons. His clients
during this particular Emmy weekend
included Keri Russell, Felicity, Running
Wilde, and Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock, Ally
McBeal. I almost got to meet Jane Krakowski
but was stopped in the lobby of the Four
Seasons hotel.
“You’ll have to wait down here, sir,” said
the security dude, Pauly the Petulant Polar
Bear, right after he let my friend go right up
to Ms. Krakowski’s room.
“But I have a press-pass,” I insisted.
“But I have a taser.”
“I’ll just wait down here, then.”
My weekend wasn’t totally without
notable celebrity interaction, however. I
don’t want to drop names—just kidding;
yes I do—but included in my experience
were pop music artist Pink, her husband
(still?) Carey Hart—I got to see him flip-off
some paparazzi; it was sooo cool!—Rutger
Hauer, and the incomparable Alan Cumming. I didn’t technically get to speak to any of
those people; our dealings were pretty
much limited to introductions so quick that
humming birds would have missed them. One or two of the stars actually smiled and
waved, though. Who knows? It might even
have been at me.
There was certainly a lot of marijuana
in Hollywood, too. Really. That’s because, I
discovered, everyone has a prescription for
it. Everyone, including multiple parolees. Apparently, physicians in LA are somewhat
liberal with the dissemination of marijuana
prescriptions.
“That’s a nasty lookin’ splinter you have
there, Mr. Smith,” the typical Hollywood
doctor will say. “Better smoke some pot.”
Although I didn’t make it onto the red
carpet, I did attend some amazing Emmy
parties. They were the pinnacles of glamour
and I’m very glad to have packed outfits
that cost more than rhinoplasty. Everyone
looked as though they’d just stepped off of a
Paris runway—for at least two of the guests,
I happen to know that is not an exaggeration. All of the bars in the houses were stocked
with enough varying forms of alcohol to
make anything from a Coconut Rum Monkey
Fizz to a Melon Liquor Calabatini, each of
which could dissolve the armor off of a tank. The houses also had copious pieces of art,
the collective value of which exceeded the
budget of France. There was a lot of food,
too. Truffles and wine marinated mushrooms, salmon pâté and caviar, as well as a
whole table of beautiful cakes and pastries
that I’m sure the famous skinny people
sincerely enjoyed staring at.
The festivities on Emmy Sunday
began with a whole gang of us watching the Red Carpet Pre-Show on several
flat screens, followed by the Red Carpet
Wandering Celebrity Watch, followed by
the Ugliest Gown Contest—won handsdown by January Jones who boldly wore
the curtains from the set of Queer Eye
for the Mentally Ill—followed by totally
unscripted interviews with child stars
who evidently believed that “Um…” was
an adverb, followed by the Post-Pre-Emmy
Show, followed by the actual award part,
Novelist Joshua Dagon is the author of
Into the Mouth of the Wolf, The Fallen,
and Demon Tears. For more information,
please go to www.joshuadagon.com.
To contact Mr. Dagon, please e-mail him at
[email protected].
which was inside the actual theatre, where
Jimmy Fallon played a guitar and sang, which
wasn’t bad at all—the first time. After three
hours, however, someone maybe should
have told him to, um… stop.
The most surprising moment of my
Hollywood weekend, though, didn’t happen
on Emmy day. No, since we were staying
in West Hollywood, we of course hit BoysTown’s famous Santa Monica Boulevard for
some drinks and hot guy hunting. The boy
watching got a bit out of hand, however,
when—and this is the actual truth—some
guy, who wasn’t at all bad looking, decided
for some reason to take off every stitch of
clothing he was wearing and then climb a
tree while buck-ass naked. I haven’t done
this yet, but I’ll bet that if you hit an Internet
search engine and enter “Naked Dude Wows
West Hollywood Emmy Weekend” you’ll
be able to find some fairly fantastic digital
images. My thinking is that the dude had
smoked too much pot.
I do like to visit Los Angeles, but I sure
wouldn’t want to move back there. And, of
course, I’m looking forward to not going to
the Emmy Awards next year.
“We are so happy that you have let us into your families We tried to make the show very real and relatable.
The show has embraced emotion. Emotion in comedy has
sort of gone out of vogue, so maybe people were hungry
for it a little bit. I think people genuinely wanted to feel
good after watching a comedy.”
— Steve Levitan, executive producer of “Modern Family,”
which won best comedy series at the 2010 Primetime
Emmys on August 29.
“To be honest with you, really no one. I'm just ready to
get out of this heat—that’s what I have my eyes set [on].
I like more thinking about video games and all that.”
– Rico Rodriguez of “Modern Family,” when asked on the
red carpet about his romantic interests. He is 12.
OCTOBER 2010
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 13
Jason Mraz: He’s Ours by Chris Azzopardi CAAP seeks nominations for
He sings, he dances,
“Keeper of the Wings” award
he steals hearts—
but the musician also
cares about equality
Jason Mraz is all love, because even when
the wordplay-toying troubadour isn’t singing
about it, he’s spreading it. To everyone.
Since the hipster launched his career
eight years ago with Waiting for My Rocket
to Come, he’s been an outspoken gay rights
supporter—maybe even more (sexually
“open-minded,” as he told us). But Mraz is also
remarkably talented: How else do you hold
a record for most weeks on the singles chart
… ever? But, for 76 weeks, there he was with
“I’m Yours,” off his latest studio album, 2008’s
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
As the singer-songwriter readies
his upcoming release, due next year, he’s
working out the new material on the road.
We stole a few minutes with Mraz, 33, to
chat about the new tunes, his Björk-loving
inner girl, being a gay rights activist and how,
sometimes, he walks around naked.
Word is there’s lots of love on this
upcoming album. What kind of love—
romantic? bromantic? gay?
You know, The Love Album was actually a
working title for this record, and it’s still in the
running. Love is always a recurring theme in
my work. I feel like everything I try to create is
to reveal a blessing from a hardship or just to
add more positive articulation to a situation
or the current state of the world. Optimism
has always been my genre—so yeah, it’s bro
love, it’s love for all, it’s equality.
You’ve said your songwriting tends
to have a feminine sensibility about it.
Are you tapping into your inner girl for
these songs?
Um… maybe. As a songwriter, my inner
girl is Björk. And I know that sounds weird—
we’re nothing alike—but I love her singing
style, and that’s what pushes me over the
top as a singer.
The inner feminine in my songwriterness is nothing more than keeping a diary
(laughs). Whenever I open up that thing and
start scribbling in it, I feel like a 12-year-old
girl.
Do you have a special pen?
You know what, I get attached to pens,
I do. And then I always get upset when I
lose them.
You should get Björk onboard for
this gay rights song you’re interested in
doing with Elton John. You three, what
do you say?
Yeah! That’s not a bad idea.
Has that song reached Elton yet?
It hasn’t. I went to his Oscar party and
I had the flu. I couldn’t talk without coughing, so I chose to just sit there tight-lipped
because I didn’t want to cough on anybody’s
face and be repulsive. But if anything, I got a
little face time and I’m going to see him again
in October, so hopefully!
You’ve been incredibly outspoken
about gay rights. How did you get involved
in the fight, including Cyndi Lauper’s Give
a Damn campaign?
They came to me. I did a project with
the True Colors Fund and Broadway Impact
in New York—a fundraiser/small cabaret
performance thing—and I got to know a lot
of great people in that organization. Then
they put out the Give a Damn campaign and
they just called me up.
I was always turned on by people making
a difference. And most of my management
team is gay, a lot of my friends in San Diego
are gay, and so are a lot of my high school
friends. It seemed pointless for me to not
speak up when I have such a huge audience
that I can speak to.
Have you always been close to gay
people?
In high school, my best friend was gay.
Also, a friend of mine got kicked out of his
house because he came out, and so my dad,
being a hero, took him in. I was bullied myself
in high school, and then taking a gay kid into
our house—it felt so good to do that.
I went to musical-theater college, so
I was probably the only straight kid there.
And now, you know, I’m in the entertainment
business.
Could you empathize with gay people
because you were bullied for doing something that wasn’t considered macho—
cheerleading?
Yeah, I just didn’t understand it. In fact,
I had older family members that were kind
of closed-minded that would talk bad about
other people and use stereotypes and it never
sat well with me as a kid. Those are the kind
of things that make kids grow up to think that
being gay is wrong or that people of color
are unsafe to be around, and so I wanted to
overcome that. I wanted to make sure that
my kids didn’t grow up that way.
What did you learn about yourself by
experimenting with your sexuality when
you were younger?
I learned that I’m not really into facial
hair! It has nothing to do with being too
selective other than I kind of like smooth
features (laughs). Going up against someone
else’s facial hair or chest hair, it’s just not my
thing. And yeah, that’s about it.
In 2005, you told Genre magazine that
you’re “bisexually open-minded.” Are you
still keeping your options open?
Well, I would say it’s still an option in that
I’m open-minded, but I’ve found someone
who just makes me feel so great. I’m with a
beautiful woman, and the way she supports
me and holds me up gives me the strength
to go out and fight for these causes.
Did you ever attend a gay wedding
while California, where you live, allowed
gay marriage?
TTHE’S OURS continued page 15
The Annual CAAP Benefit is
almost on us!! With that being
said the CAAP board of Directors
are now taking the nominations
for the prestigious “Keeper of
the Wings” award given out
each year.
The recipient of this award
is an individual or organization
that has shown outstanding
work, effort, and support on
behalf of the AIDS community.
Please, if you have a nomination
feel free to contact us through
the CAAP Facebook page or
cont...act any one of the Board
of Directors -- Curtis S. Dietz, Renee Evans,
Nick Hedrick, Michelle Dietz-Merry, Chuck
Ohl, Jerry Larson
The Keeper of the Wings
CAAP annually presents this award
to an individual or group for outstanding
work done on behalf of AIDS support in
our area.
Nominations must be submitted in
writing and must include the person or
group name and an explanation of the nominee’s contribution to AIDS-related services
in the area.
The 2010 award will be presented at
the 2010 CAAP Benefit at Sullivan Bro’s
Convention Center Sat Nov. 13th.
Past Keeper of the Wings recipients:
Ethel Baumgartner - 2009
-2008
DeLon R. Gobeli - 2007
Courtney Micheals - 2006
CASS - 2005
Tim Walker - 2004
Imperial Court of Iowa - 2003
James Raymond - 2002
David Fenelon - 2001
ACCESSline - 2000
Larry Phillips - 1999
Aley Lehr - 1998
Neil Soppe - 1997
Jeff Mehmen - 1996
Summer Knight - 1995
ACCESSline Page 14
the fun guide
OCTOBER 2010
The Outfield by Dan Woog
Out tennis player…
at a Catholic college?
Troy Smith grew up gay and halfblack in a small Pennsylvania town. A
highly recruited tennis player, he attended
a conservative Catholic college whose
president was President George W. Bush’s
director of Faith-Based Initiatives.
A recipe for disaster, right?
Wrong. A feast of all the good things
in life is more like it. After coming out in
college, Troy blossomed. He had a successful tennis career. He was elected Homecoming King. And he forged a strong friendship
with Saint Vincent College president James
Towey.
Welcome to the face of young gay
athletes, circa 2010.
Life was not always easy for Smith. As
a youth, he could hide his sexuality but not
his biracial identity. He heard more racial
slurs from hateful classmates than he cares
to remember. He heard anti-gay taunts too,
but they were not directed at him. He did
not come out until college.
Smith chose Saint Vincent not because
of its religious background—he’s not even
Catholic—but because of its academic rigor
and proximity to home. Even before enrolling, however, he realized there would be
challenges on campus.
“I’m a risk-taker,” Smith says. “I knew
I’d come out at some point—and I knew it
would be hard. I definitely chose a tough
path.”
At first he played life straight. He did
not want to be known as gay before people
got to know him as a person—particularly,
the tennis players with whom he would
share the next four years.
The first friends he told were those
with whom he lived. They said they did
not agree with the gay “lifestyle”—but that
their friendship would not change.
After his first semester—when Smith
made the dean’s list, with a 3.85 GPA—he
felt comfortable coming out to his tennis
teammates. He told the captain, who said
he already knew. His other teammates
were equally blasé. They respected him as
a tennis player and a human being; even on
a conservative Catholic campus, that’s all
that mattered.
Coach Enrico Campi also knew Smith
Troy Smith
was gay. The two never discussed it—but
that did not prevent them from having a
close, trusting relationship. Campi named
Smith a captain during his sophomore
year, a rare honor. “He could see that I was
a leader,” Smith says. Leadership was far
more important than sexuality.
Perhaps more intriguing was Smith’s
friendship with Towey. The college president welcomed the varsity athlete into his
office—and the Towey family often played
tennis with Smith.
As with his coach, Smith never had
an explicit conversation about sexuality
with the president. Then again, he never
felt the need to. The ease of their relationship let him know that Towey felt being
gay was OK.
Smith did discuss his sexuality with the
vice president of student affairs. He developed a strong bond with Mary Collins. She
reassured him there was nothing wrong
with being gay. “Stay true to yourself,” she
counseled—and he did.
That ease with himself—and his
willingness to talk to anyone, anywhere,
without judgment or typecasting—no
doubt contributed to his election as
Homecoming King. Smith was crowned
at halftime of the football game—before
what he calls the largest crowd in Saint
Vincent history.
The applause was thunderous. He
received a hug from the president, highfives from some football players. And the
world continued to turn.
Two of Smith’s best friends were
football captains. He went out with them
socially all the time. They tried to hook
Smith up with their gay friends—and, when
trying to make themselves attractive to
women, asked Smith for advice.
Smith graduated with a degree in
political science—and a priceless education in the importance of living life with
integrity. When he received his diploma
from Towey, the president told him: “You
really are a star, Troy.”
Smith is proud of his academic and
athletic achievements, he told the gay
sports website OutSports. But he is just as
proud of what he calls “the message made
by my career at Saint Vincent: No matter
where you are, you can fit in no matter
who you are.”
He entered college—a conservative
Catholic college—expecting to be an
outcast. He left it filled with hope and
courage (and a job as executive producer
of the Pittsburgh Mr. Gay competition).
“I don’t stereotype or live my life with
negativity,” Smith says. “I’ll go up and talk
to people who call me ‘that fag.’
“I don’t think people who are racist
or prejudiced or homophobic really know
what life’s about. They don’t know we don’t
choose who we are. They don’t understand
that diversity is one of the joys of life. It’s a
key to our great nation—and our world.”
Rippin’ Gaysurfers.net
With its chill, let-it-all-hang-out
image—and its show-off-that-bodaciousbody beach environment—you’d think
surfing would offer a welcome haven for
gay men in the larger, often homophobic
sports world.
Think again.
When a magazine article implied that
rising star Cheyne Horan was gay, he lost
endorsements and friends.
When top-ranked surfer Robbins
Thompson’s sexuality became known, he
heard slurs in the water. On land, his car
was vandalized.
And when young surfing sensation
Shane Dorian was asked what he’d most
like to eliminate from the world, he
responded, “diseases, the Devil, flat spells
(and) dykes and fags.”
Those incidents took place in the
1990s. The situation changed little through
the past decade.
Earlier this year, all that changed.
Just four months after “Thomas”—a
Frenchman who spent seven years in
Australia, and prefers to not divulge his
last name—started www.gaysurfers.net,
the site had drawn over 1,500 members.
Most came from the US, Australia and
France. But it spread rapidly, and now
there is solid representation from South
Africa, the UK, Spain, Italy, Indonesia, South
America and India.
Users love the chance to search for
other gay surfers, and send private messages. They have created groups and forums.
They read surfing articles, and search for
movies with “gay” and “surf” in the title.
And they share a growing list of gayfriendly surf spots around the world.
“I believe there is a surf culture beyond
the macho young man, and there are things
we want to share with other gay surfers
beyond dating,” Thomas told Australia’s
gay magazine DNA. “I was hoping someone
out there would build this community, but
it never happened.”
So Thomas did it himself.
His social-networking site has two
goals. One is to help gay surfers meet—
including those deep in the closet. The
other is to change public awareness by
spotlighting gay surfers and bringing
the sport’s homophobia into the bright
sunshine.
The DNA story tried to explain surfing’s anti-gay history.
One surfer called the sport “adolescent.” Teenage boys, he said, “are the least
sure of their sexual orientation.” Having
perhaps experimented with same-sex
activity, they may “tilt toward homophobia
as a means of denial.”
He believes there will be little change
until “some courageous, high-profile dude,
basically a pro, comes out and says ‘f--- you
homophobes.’”
An 18-year-old commenter on
Gaysurfers.net said that geography has
little to do with attitudes. “Sydney is
supposed to host the biggest community
of surfers in the world, and the second
biggest gay community after San Francisco,” he wrote.
“But still no sign of gay surfers. I can’t
seem to find any.”
Thomas said that the U.S. “seems to
be the country with the biggest number
of gay surfers.” Most, he noted, live in very
open-minded places like San Francisco, Los
Angeles, New York and Hawaii. Gay surfers
from Hawaii are “very active on the site and
supportive of the project.”
Several gay European surfers said
they had found little hostility on the
shores of their continent. They admitted,
however, that they know very few other
gay surfers.
Australia, by contrast, “has more rural
communities of surfers that do experience
homophobia,” Thomas said. One surfer
from Down Under refused comment for
the DNA story. Most gay surfers are still
closeted, he said—“especially the older
guys.”
“Gay surfers are all hiding somewhere,” a 26-year-old named Alan posted
on Gaysurfers.net. “I hope here (too). In
my hometown there are at least five gay
surfers, but they keep their sexuality for
themselves. I don’t know how to tell them
that I am gay. Maybe they are on here?”
Gay surfers are not the only ones who
read and comment on his website. It’s
attracting straight people, too. They bring
a variety of attitudes.
“Some don’t understand why gay
surfers need their own space,” Thomas
said. “Some others do get it, and think it’s
a great idea.”
Perhaps, he added, surfers think their
culture “expects” them to be homophobic.
As they read and learn about the gay surfers
in their midst, they “slowly open up to it.”
A heterosexual surfer named Scott
TTOUTFIELD continued page 28
the fun guide
OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 15
ACCESSline’s STATEWIDE
Recurring Events List
The following list is provided by—and
corrected by—ACCESSline readers like you. If
you would like to add an event, or if you notice
a mistake in this list, please email editor@
ACCESSlineIOWA.com.
Interest Group Abbreviations:
L: Lesbian
G: Gay
B: Bisexual
T: Transgender
D: Drag
+: HIV-related
M: General Men’s Interest
W: General Women’s Interest
A: General Interest
K: Kids and Family
Sunday
1st and 3rd Sunday of the Month, TANGO
LESSONS AT CSPS, 3-6pm, at 1103 3rd St. SE,
Cedar Rapids. Cost is $5. Everyone welcome; no
partner or experience necessary. For more info,
call Elie at 319-363-1818 or e-mail [email protected].
[LGBTMWA]
Every Sunday, GLBT AA, 5-6pm, at First Baptist
Church at 500 N. Clinton St., Iowa City. For more
info about Intergroup and Alcoholics Anonymous
call the 24-Hour Answering Service at 319-3389111 or visit the AA-IC website: http://aa-ic.org/.
[LGBTMWA]
Every Sunday, L WORD LIVES: L NIGHT, 7PM,
at the Firewater Saloon, 347 South Gilbert St.,
Iowa City, 319-321-5895. The night will start with
Season 1, Episode 1 of the L Word... because a good
thing should never die. FoLLowing the L Word wiLL
be a Drag King show at 9:30pm No cover. Tel, 319321-5895. [ L B T W D ]
Every Sunday, THE QUIRE: EASTERN IOWA’S
GLBT CHORUS REHEARSALS, 6-8:30pm, at Zion
Lutheran Church, 310 N. Johnson St., Iowa City.
Membership is open to all GLBT folks, as well as
allies who support the community. There are no
auditions; you only need to be willing to attend
rehearsals regularly and learn your music. The
Quire prepares two full concerts each year in the
winter and spring, and occasionally performs
shorter programs at events in the Iowa City/Cedar
Rapids area. The Quire is a member of Gay and
Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA), and has
developed a reputation for excellence and variety
in its concert programs. For more info, visit http://
www.thequire.org/. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Sunday, QUEER GUERRILLA BRUNCH,
Locations around Iowa City to be announced each
week. LGBTQIs & Allies gather for Sunday brunch
to celebrate community and create visibility. Sign
up for future brunches on Facebook at http://www.
facebook.com/group.php?gid=120517046371 [ L
GBTMWA]
Every Sunday, RAINBOW AND ALLIED
YOUTH, 8-11pm, The Center, 1300 Locust, Des
Moines, IA 50309. Social group for Queer youth
25 years and under [ L G B T ]
Monday
1st 2nd Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
NORTH IOWA CHAPTER MEETING, 7pm, at First
Presbyterian Church, 100 S. Pierce St., Mason City.
Meetings are held the First and Second Monday
(alternating) of the month. For more info, call 641583-2848. [ L G B T M W A K ]
1st Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG QUAD
CITIES CHAPTER MEETING, 6:30pm, at Eldridge
United Methodist Church, 604 S. 2nd St., Eldridge.
For more info, call 563-285-4173. [ L G B T M W
AK]
4th Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG WAUKON/NORTHEAST CHAPTER MEETING, 7pm,
First Lutheran Church, 604 West Broadway Street
, Decorah, IA 52101. in the Fellowship Hall at First
Lutheran Church, Decorah. 604 West Broadway
Street. (563) 382-2638‎ [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Monday, DES MOINES GAY MEN’S
CHORUS REHEARSALS, 7-9:30pm, Plymouth
Congregational Church, 4126 Ingersoll Avenue, Des
Moines, IA . For more information about singing
with the Chorus, contact Rebecca Gruber at 515865-9557. The Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus does
not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.
[GMA]
Every Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Friday Saturday, HAMBURGER MARY’S WEEKLY
HAPPENINGS at 222 Glenbrook Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids, off of 1st Ave. Mondays – Charity Bingo at 8pm
with a special guest hostess; Tuesdays – Kid’s Night;
Wednesdays – Game Night; Thursdays – Mary-oke
with Nic from 9pm to 1am; Fridays – Drag Show at
9pm (all ages) and 11pm (21 and over); Saturdays
– Open Mic Night followed by Drag Show at 9pm
(all ages) and 11pm (21 and over). For more info, email [email protected] or visit www.
hamburgermaryscr.com. [ L G B T M W A K D ]
Every Monday Wednesday Thursday Saturday,
GLBT ONLY AA MEETINGS IN DES MOINES, 6pm
- SAT 5pm, at 945 19th St. (east side of building,
south door). [ L G B T M W A ]
Tuesday
2nd Tuesday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG AMES
CHAPTER MEETING, 7pm, Youth and Shelter Services Offices, 420 Kellogg Ave., 1st Floor, Ames, IA
50010. Meets in the Paul Room of Youth and Shelter
Services at 420 Kellogg Avenue, Ames. For more
info, call 515-291-3607. [ L G B T M W A K ]
2nd Tuesday of the Month, GLRC OF CEDAR
RAPIDS BOARD MEETING, 6:30-8pm, Cedar
Rapids, IA . at 6300 Rockwell Dr, Cedar Rapids.
Meetings are open to the general public. For more
info, call 319-366-2055 or visit: http://www.crglrc.
org/. [ L G B T M W A ]
2nd Tuesday of the Month, SPIRITUAL SEEKERS, 7-8:30pm, Iowa City, IA . at Trinity Episcopal
Church, 320 E. College St, Iowa City. Spiritual Seekers is a group for people of all faiths, or of little faith,
who wish to make deeper connections between
their sexual identities and the spiritual dimension
in their lives. Meetings include discussion of specialized topics, telling of pieces of our faith journeys,
and occasional prayer and meditation. (On the 4th
Tuesday of each month, the group gathers at a local
restaurant for food and fellowship.) For more info,
contact Tom Stevenson: [email protected]
or 319.354.1784. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Tuesday, OUT (OUR UNITED TRUTH):
A GLBT SUPPORT GROUP, 7-8:30pm, Peoples
Church Unitarian Universalist, 600 3rd Avenue
Southeast, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. For more info,
call 563-359-0816. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Tuesday, ACE INCLUSIVE BALLROOM,
7-8:30pm, Old Brick, 26 East Market Street, Iowa
City, IA 52245. All skill levels are welcome. American social dance, Latin, a mix of dance from the last
100 years. For more info, contact Mark McCusker at
[email protected], 319-621-8530 or Nora
Garda at 319-400-4695, or visit http://iowadancefest.blogspot.com/. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Tuesday, ARGENTINE TANGO, 7:30-9:30pm, Iowacity/Johnson Co Senior Center, 28
South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. Practice
and open dance. A donation of $1-2 per person is
requested for use of the Senior Center. For more
info, contact Karen Jackson at 319-447-1445 or email [email protected]. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Tuesday, KARAOKE IDOL, 9pm, Studio
13, 13 South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.
Drink specials and great competition! Visit www.
sthirteen.com. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Tuesday, ACE HAS FACE THE MUSIC &
DANCE, 7-9pm, 26 E Market St, Iowa City, IA 52245.
All skill levels are welcome. Tango, Waltz, Disco,
Country, American social dance, Latin, a mix from
the last 100 years. Join on Facebook at http://www.
facebook.com/group.php?gid=372454708295. For
more info, contact ACE experiment at 319-8538223. [ L G B T M W A ]
First and Third Tuesday, YOUTH FOR EQUALITY, 4-6pm, The CENTER, 1300 W Locust St, Des
Moines, IA 50309. A service and action group for
youth who identify as LGBTQI and their allies.
Open to all students in grades 5 through 12. [ L G
BTMWA]
Wednesday
1st Wednesday of the Month, CEDAR RAPIDS
CHARTER CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION, For more info, visit
charter-chapter.tripod.com. [ L W ]
TTEVENTS continued page 28
HE’S OURS
I have not been to a gay wedding, no. My
friend, (recording artist) Abby Schwartz, is
engaged. She’s the one that actually got me
into the LGBT center in San Deigo, which
really kind of led me to the whole fight. So
she’s engaged, and hopefully I get an invite
to her wedding.
What song of yours would make a
good gay wedding song?
I’ve written a few for this next record
that I hope are good wedding songs. I
mean, I’ve heard people use “I’m Yours” and
“Lucky” for their wedding, but I’ve written
one called—fuck, I don’t even know what
it’s called—but I’m calling it “This is What
Our Lives Look Like” or “This is What Our
Love Looks Like,” and it’s just getting present
with the person standing in front of you. It’s
basically wedding vows.
On tour you change up your set-lists
for each show. Is that because you get
bored playing the same show night after
night?
Yeah, a little bit. And I feel like we have
a lot of material, and it’s going to be tricky
to sneak it in without boring everybody. I’m
changing up my band, I’m changing up the
feel a little bit, but it’s not going to be a stretch.
It’s just going to be tight and exciting, and it’s
still going to be a show about community
and participation. And it’s never planned, so
the current events and the current weather
conditions and the room and the energy of
the audience all weigh in to how great the
show will be.
You test the new songs on the road,
right?
Yeah, I’ve been in the studio for quite a
bit this year, so now—before I put the final
touches on the album—I want to get on the
road and see how these songs feel, because
they’ll change so much as soon as you get
onstage.
You’re hitting all sorts of venues. What
differences do you notice in the crowd and
vibe between different rooms?
You could play the same room every
night and always have a different vibe, different crowd. It’s really about the day: Was
there traffic coming in? Was there traffic on
the way to work this morning? Everybody
comes in with some kind of energy, so I’m
no longer attached to the room. I make the
best of every situation.
My friend claims that there’s more
pot depending on where you perform.
Oh yeah, that’s true. Festivals, obviously.
With theaters you’re less likely to get away
with pulling out an apparatus … and getting
it done.
Some pretty risqué photos of you are
floating around online—some in which a
guitar is the only thing covering your bits
and one of you in your underwear. Are you
an exhibitionist?
I’m growing more into my exhibitionism. Where I live at home is more like a
compound, and so my significant other, she’s
always getting an exhibit. We frolic around
naked. And then she and I both went to
Burning Man, an exhibitionist’s dream that’s
kind of off the radar in the desert, and so
that’s nothing but sheer exhibitionism.
But you know, I’m growing more into
it as I’m growing as a young man. I’m still a
well-mannered kid—and I’m worried that my
mom is looking at everything!
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 16
OCTOBER 2010
Hear Me Out by Chris Azzopardi
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
CEDAR AIDS SUPPORT SYSTEM
As if Christina Aguilera and Ke$ha didn’t
already send pop music to its deathbed this
year, Katy Perry comes close to finishing it
off. The Bible-girl-gone-bad runs wild on the
emotionally scrambled hit-factory Teenage
Dream—not kissing girls (and liking it), but
waking up in a post-party haze, reliving her
horny adolescence and shrugging off scandalous pics of her online. And then, to add more
cotton candy to her song catalog, there’s the
frothy first single “California Gurls,” where
life is peachy, there are popsicle-melting
peeps… and Snoop Dogg. The title track
lives in paradise, too—a celebration of youth
and finding love, themes that bobble along a
current of cosmic rev and a guitar line that
sounds faintly like it belongs to “Since U Been
Gone.” “Let’s go all the way tonight,” she hoots.
And when she follows it up with the trashy,
oh-so-clever “Peacock,” her subtly challenged
ode to you-know-what that’s so ‘80s it wears
a leotard, she’s obviously not bluffing. Perry,
who began criminally overtaking the charts
with mind-hijacking hits off 2008’s One
of the Boys, is still the McDonald’s of pop
music: an irresistible no-no that quenches
hook-hungry heads, especially with the
‘90s-sounding soap opera “The One that Got
Away.” The pop tart’s a decent writer, a decent
singer and a perfect sexpot. And she knows
exactly what she’s doing—living deep in our
own dirty dreams.
Grade: C+
Sara Bareilles,
Kaleidoscope Heart
That big voice, which blew up because of a
certain “Love Song,” commands throughout
her follow-up, one that’s poised for lots of
play on the CW with its jaunty coffeehouse
pop. Her good-vibes sound—for instance,
“Uncharted,” a sugary high that’s pure power
anthem—feels good even when she’s not.
On “Gonna Get Over You” Bareilles bebops
through heartbreak, and she makes “King of
Anything,” a killer kiss-off, seem as inviting as
a prettily packaged bazooka. But this album
isn’t some “Love Song” molding machine;
Bareilles’ voice reaches into her, well, kaleidoscope heart to pull out all the colors of her
voice—the most gorgeous of which shines
through “The Light,” a simple, cushy ballad.
The delicate “Bluebird,” with its careful
breaks and floating piano, achieves the same
greatness. “Machine Gun” begins deceivingly,
another acerbic rant that bounces into a blaze
of instrumental fury and a vocal that reaches
past the sky. And it’s Bareilles’ voice that, even
when she’s sometimes off her game lyrically,
makes this Heart beat.
Grade: B+
Also Out
If we learned anything from Sara
Bareilles’ Little Voice, her impression-making
major label debut, it was that she was lying:
Nothing about her sweet, soulful croon is tiny.
The Weepies, Be My Thrill
Like She & Him, the Weepies’ whimsical
indie folk-pop—also performed by a genderopposite duo—is as cute as it is emotionally
charged. The title track is a perky piece of
genius, and even boasts lesbian love in its
video. Dig deeper, past ditties like “I Was
Made for Sunny Days,” and there’s melan-
choly longing, as heard on the clever tearjerker “Not a Lullaby.” A thrill, for sure.
Megan McCormick, Honest Words
Off to a good start with a line of songs
that drill and bite, the 23-year-old’s debut
coasts with raw, bluesy rockers and a muscular beyond-her-years voice. “Do Right,” a
pop-country cut, especially sounds like a hit
looking for a home. But when the charged
opening tuckers out, she falls back on tedious
folkie balladry that’s authentic and endearing, but monotonous and sagging.
Ryan Star, 11:59
Reality show-birthed rockers often
feel like extensions of each other—Chris
Daughtry sounds like David Cook sounds
like Ryan Star. CBS’s Rock Star: Supernova
offspring, though, likes to play up the pop
sensibility more than either Idol contestant,
turning songs into aural avalanches. But, if
Star wants to be one, it’ll take more than some
bait and a big voice.
Reach Chris Azzopardi by email at
[email protected].
“Wow, looks like my play date with
Elmo has been cut short! If you still wanna
play see it at www.katyperry.com Tag you’re
it, Elmo! “
— A September 23 tweet from Katy Perry
after Sesame Street nixed her “Hot & Cold”
Elmo video due to parents’ complaints
about her low-cut costume.
Serving Northeast Iowa by:
- Offering confidential support services with
compassion and respect for the diversity of
those impacted by HIV or AIDS
- Increasing awareness and understanding in
communities
- Offering CASS services free of charge
319.272.2437 | 800.617.1972
www.cvhospice.org
CASS
A program of Cedar Valley Hospice
OCTOBER 2010
Dancing Queen
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 17
Robyn talks queer club culture, gay fans
and her music trilogy
By Chris Azzopardi - Photos: Rankin.
Of all the dance queens claiming the
fame, Robyn’s our best queer-kept secret.
But the Swedish stunner wasn’t always this
exclusive—in the ‘90s, the world did exactly
what her teen-pop megahit “Show Me Love”
told it to.
Ever since, the 31-year-old dark horse
has rebuilt her career on crying-in-the-corner
Eurodisco club anthems—following “With
Every Heartbeat,” 2007’s comeback heartbreaker, with this year’s liberating triumph
“Dancing on My Own”—and evolved into a
boundary-pushing purveyor of swaggering,
post-modern electronica.
Robyn’s music, some of the best pop
in recent years, speaks to the feet—and the
heart. No wonder she calls her CD series
_Body Talk_, a trilogy rolling out this year on
her label, Konichiwa Records. After touring
the U.S. to support the first edition, Robyn
rang us to chat about ‘80s club culture
inspiring her music, feeling close to the gay
community and her “nerdy self.”
How was touring the U.S.?
I had such a good time on tour in
America. I loved being there, performing.
It’s really not just something I’m saying. It’s
actually been a real pleasure to do this last
tour. Such a warm crowd at every show. Just
fantastic.
There seems to be a really strong
emotional connection between you and
your fans. When you were growing up
and listening to music back in the ‘80s,
did you look for that connection with
other artists?
I don’t know if I was aware of it, but that’s
what I connected to in people like Prince or
Kate Bush. I was listening to a lot of really
commercial pop music as well, like Michael
Jackson and Janet Jackson and Madonna.
But my parents had a theater group, and
I was always around people discussing
performance and communication with an
audience. That really shaped how I look at
what I do—even though I do something very
different from my parents.
I was lucky that I had that. When I got
into the industry, I was really young and like
all 16 year olds you don’t really know what
you want to do. Getting to where I am was a
really natural thing. For people on the outside,
it was a more drastic kind of change. But for
me it was always there. It’s just that I was
making my way toward it in an industry that’s
not very open to change.
The same subjects pop up in your
songs—being on the outside, not being
understood and, of course, heartbreak.
Why are you stuck on these sad themes?
Because that’s how life is. I mean, isn’t
that how we all feel? Those are the things that
everybody—or a lot of people, at least—think
about. That’s what pop music is supposed to
be doing—talking about those everlasting
issues, like love, being on the outside ... and
feeling like you want to dance.
Do you think that’s why your gay fans
connect with you so much?
That’s what always defined gay culture,
and that’s what defines a lot of cultures. But
gay culture has always defined itself from that
perspective, and also from the perspective
of, like, making the space that is yours—
creating that space where you can be what
you want to be.
Naturally, being gay puts all those questions in front of you in a different way than
they do for other people. Anyone who’s different, anyone who feels like that—no matter
who you are—it makes you question what
society is and what it makes you feel, so I
always connected with the gay audience. Ever
since “Show Me Love” I was always aware of
my gay audience and I always felt like I could
connect back.
You got a fantastic tweet from
someone recently who wrote, “I wonder
if Robyn realizes how many fags around
the world are in love with her?”
Of course I do! I mean, that’s obvious
to me. I’ve consciously decided to show
my appreciation as well because I always
loved the music that was connected to gay
culture.
How does gay club culture play into
the next two Body Talk albums?
It’s there all the time, not only with
Body Talk. But on this album I’ve consciously
chosen to explore that world sound-wise,
and I’ve listened to a lot of old house and
techno—everything from Sylvester to Donna
Summer. Even the dirtier stuff—things that
are more raw—talk to me. ABBA and Erasure,
the bittersweet kind of songwriting that’s
present in that world, have been important
to me as well.
How will the rest of Body Talk compare
to the first disc?
To me, they’re one album, and I just
decided to release it in three parts because
I felt like I needed to change my way of
working—figure out a way where I could be
more fluid and more intuitive and, I guess,
spontaneous.
Also, everyone knows how music is
changing. People go out on the Internet and
they find what they want and what they’re
into, and I think as an artist, you look stupid
if you don’t recognize that, you know? For me,
that was obvious, and it was logical to assess
that. And I don’t think it’s a new idea; people
have been doing this in a lot of different ways
for a long time. Look back 20 or 30 years—like
with Thriller, it was nine songs. Even before
that, people were releasing one album a year
and they weren’t so long. You had a more
direct relationship to the music.
Why did you turn the video for the first
single off Body Talk Pt. 2, “Hang with Me,” into
a touring travelogue?
Touring has been a really important part
of this record. I wanted to make this album
through touring, because I think it’s necessary. And in the environment that we’re in at
the moment, where things are changing and
there’s a lot of really tough and hard attitudes
in the visuals in pop music, I wanted to show
the emotional side of what I do and connect to
the audience in a way that feels real to me.
I also feel like it fits the song—it’s a very
sweet song, and I didn’t really know how to
perform the song in a way that would still give
it the kind of depth and sincerity that it has.
Yeah, the video’s very intimate.
Good! That’s what I wanted.
There’s been debate about the
gender you’re referring to in the chorus
of “Dancing on My Own,” which would
change the whole perspective of the song.
Is it a guy or girl?
Yeah, I know! I guess it’s my Swedish
accent, but I am saying, “I’m not the girl you’re
taking home.” To me, it doesn’t matter—however you want to read into it, that’s fine.
Several of your songs involve robots.
Why the obsession with them?
They’re funny. They’re like more simple
versions of humans. It just helps me to put
my finger on what it is that I want to get
through. I guess it’s like a metaphor for the
human condition.
I’m a sci-fi nerd—I was super into Battlestar Galactica; I know it’s tacky!—so it’s just
fun to me. And yeah, I’ve been doing it for a
while, so for me it’s not about trying to be
trendy. It’s more about my own nerdy self.
ACCESSline Page 18
the fun guide
OCTOBER 2010
The Gay Wedding Planner: Keeping What We’ve Got by Beau Fodor
Fred Joseph Namovich, and Gordon
Thomas Studebaker (pictured) met in
1970 and have been together ever since.
Their nuptials, in Dubuque early this past
summer on June 11th, were to celebrate
and cherish, before God, and mankind,
that 40-year relationship.
This 40-year, same-sex, common-law
marriage comes with stories of homophobia, hate crimes, personal shame, fear, and
loathing in Wisconsin. I am humbled to
share in their (finally) wedded bliss. The
reception was hosted by Linda and Jim
Burch—lifetime friends of the couple—
who were simply overjoyed, as well, and
who put Martha Stewart to shame in the
hospitality department!
Another couple who are about to
celebrate the first year anniversary of
their legal marriage in our great state—
Gary Swenson and Dean Genth of Mason
City—have a similar story of a lifetime of
secrecy and shame. Until now, that is...
What matters most here is that both
of these couples, having spent a lifetime
together, and now have become activists
and mentors to our community, are living
happily-ever-after.
(On a side note, I personally need
to thank both Gary and Dean for their
generous and continued support of the
new LGBT CENTER in our Capitol City
of Des Moines, Iowa. The CENTER would
not be where it is finally at, without these
two men supporting its work.)
I’ve wondered over this past 18
months how much life has changed for
these and all the newly married couples
from Florida to Idaho. One basic response has been they
have become advocates and (loud) voices
of the movement. And also “that nothing
much has changed for us personally,
except we are much more proud of and
supportive of LGBT causes”. But the
“dailies”—or day-to-day living—hasn’t
changed at all.
That being said, as Iowa’s Gay
Wedding Planner and now host of a
docu-reality show on the subject, what
I am most excited about is the statistics
for Iowa’s economy. The dozen-or-so
millions of dollars of income that has
come into our state now due to destination wedding couples alone is FABULOUS!
The Williams Institute at UCLA Law
School projects 45 MILLION DOLLARS
to come in these next two years of Gay
Weddings in Iowa.
As a gay man who NEVER saw this
coming (but had dreamed about it since
I was a Boy Scout and then a Corpsman in
the U.S.Navy), I have to say I’m humbled
by these four men (along with ALL of the
couples who marry) and am thankful for
them enduring the unjust and hate-filled
lifetimes, to overcome and persevere.
These couples were visionaries,
whose bold challenges of the status
quo now afford all Iowans, and soon
ALL Americans, this privilege they are
experiencing.
In closing, and aside from the sweet-
Beau Fodor is an Iowa wedding planner
who focuses specifically on weddings
for the LGBT community. He is also
the host of the new docu-reality show
“BRIDES & GROOMS”, which is co-produced
by Pilgrim Films and Coolfire Media,
and will be premiering this winter on
cable television. Beau can be reached
through iowasgayweddingplanner.com or
gayweddingswithpanache.com.
ness and light I try to present as Iowa’s
Gay Wedding Planner, well, I just also
NEED to say:
This is not the time to become
complacent. Our hard-fought-for rights
are at stake, as well as our lives and livelihoods. Our community needs to AGAIN
get off the bar stools, and off of Manhunt,
and off the comfy sofas in our living
rooms, and FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS, like
we’ve never fought before!
I believe that every person in this world has the right to profess the beliefs they have and I am in agreement. We have to
respect what each human being decides to do with their lives, no? Clearly, there are limitations, of course, also, as there
also are with heterosexual couples, no? Better said, there are limitations for any of the two—if they are heterosexual or
homosexual—but I believe we have to learn to be respectful because they are people who are the same as us. There is no
difference. And I don't believe it's just to discriminate somebody based on the gender they prefer, no? Based on the partner
they choose to select, if it's a man or a woman. The truth is that I am absolutely against discrimination and, well, what
can I say. I have many friends who are homosexual and I adore them. And they are equal folk: There is no reason we should
want to set them aside, there is no reason why we shouldn't let them enjoy what they want to enjoy with their partner.
—Jimena Navarrete, Miss Universe 2010, August 31, 2010, in an interview with Salvador Camarena of W Radio, Mexico.
OCTOBER 2010
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OCTOBER 2010
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OCTOBER 2010
OCTOBER 2010
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Cocktail Chatter by Ed Sikov
How’d Ya Like a Nice
Planter’s Punch?
“That’s the thing about Planter’s Punch,”
Sal shouted over the din at BarHarbor one
Friday evening as a crowd of guys holding
sweaty dress shirts over their arms, not-sofresh from the city, yelled remarks at each
other while getting smashed on overpriced
drinks. “What’s the thing?” I screamed back.
Sal only seemed to mouth his reply; I couldn’t
hear a word of it. Sal’s boyfriend, Shea, broke
in: “Fact is, this drink was served by Cuban
slave owners but made by slaves from rum
distilled by slaves and fruit grown by slaves.
Bottoms up!” (“Where?” the wag next to us
cried.)
Sal and Shea are once-a-month housemates. Shea is a successful and very handsome 32-year-old actor; he’s always in
something, from Broadway to off-off-off. Sal,
whose last name is Amminio—his parents
were either clueless or just plain mean—
comes from South Philadelphia via Harvard
Law, and is 50. Dismissing a lucrative career
in corporate law in favor of various lowpaying legal gigs for the LGBT community, Sal
had little savings. He’d also learned from the
bitter 25-year experience of working with
and for PIGs (Phenomenally Idiotic Gays)
to detest much of our community. I teased
him relentlessly about his name and spent
that weekend obscurely singing, “Who killed
Teddy Bear? Does anybody care?”
BarHarbor’s Planter’s Punch was obviously made in vats meant for storing crude
oil. Heavy on cheap juice and full of ice, it still
cost $12 a pop. By the time the bar boy, who
looked like a sixth-grader with very grownup armpit hair, worked his way through
the pheromone-high crowd, the punch was
basically flavored ice water.
“I ‘an do be’er than this!” I slurred over
the requisite playing of Cher’s “Believe.” “Duh
yoo buh-leeof…” Shea sang out in perfect
imitation. “We can, darling,” Sal hollered
back. And with that we headed home for
dinner.
The conversation over grilled salmon
and store-bought potato salad became
heated. Sal and I held equally rigid but opposing positions on the subject of Planter’s
Punch. Saturday’s beach time consisted of
more squabbling interrupted by comments
about the Speedo-clad boy parade at the
water’s edge. The words “rum,” “juice,” and
“you’re such an a--hole” formed the founda-
tion of our debate. We finally agreed to use
Quaker principles: we had to reach consensus on every ingredient and proportion.
Well, we followed the rules but didn’t
act very Quakerly. There was far too much
tasting and giggling, and Sal and I were
already flying high by the time Dan and Sean
came downstairs. Sal spent the whole dinner
laughing wildly at anything anyone said,
while I (I am told) simply passed out at the
table. Sal says everybody loved the punch,
but I can’t remember the evening at all.
Planter’s Punch
This recipe makes enough for six drinks
• 1-cup dark rum (I prefer Havana Club
Rum)
• ½-cup orange juice
½-cup pineapple juice
¼-cup unsweetened lime juice
• ¼-cup Orange Curacao (Sal’s idea)
• ¼-cup brandy (my idea; I like Azteca de
Oro)
Pour all ingredients into a pitcher. Let it
blend and chill for a few hours. Then serve
over a limited amount of ice.
(Note: Some people add grenadine; we
say “yuck!” Some people stick foofy little fruit
slices on the edge of the glass—slivers of
orange or lime. We say, “Who wants a piece
of orange going up a nostril?” I, for one, don’t
like anyone or anything getting between me
and my drinks.)
Drag Not a Drag with
Brass Monkeys
The Labor Day drag party in Fire Island
Pines is either a hilarious gender circus or
a reason to blow some queen’s brains out.
Drag is fabulous. It’s the sweating, stinking,
drunken guys in wigs who brazenly stick
their tongues in your ears that’s either a kick
or a nightmare.
It’s a party for Pines boys who’ve
discovered the glamour girl within. I wasn’t
about to reveal mine in public. I’d make an
incredibly ugly Nancy Sinatra. (I’d call to
mind a blonde Cynthia Ozick in white leather
boots.) Dan wouldn’t do it, either. He’d just
look like Dan in a dress. But our housemates
all brought suitcases stuffed with secrets;
nobody named their inner woman until the
big reveal.
Jack Fogg came downstairs first. Sammy
had put him up to doing it. Jack was clearly
miserable—he was wearing a burqa. (His
eyes said it all.) Sammy followed in a
luxurious purple sari and a bhindi on her
forehead.
“So what drink are you sending us off
with, dude?” Sammy asked. “Miss JackieAnne Taliban here needs a drink.” JackieAnne was fussing with her crotch.
“There’s a pitcher of Brass Monkeys in
the fridge,” I said.
“What’s a Brass Monkey?” Ms. Taliban
asked through the slit in her headpiece.
“Rum, vodka and orange juice. The color
resembles buffed old brass.”
“Make mine a double,” the Islamic fundamentalist begged her Hindu girlfriend.
Frankie and Ian then made their
entrance. I’d expected more, but all they did
was put on long blonde wigs and matching
white tennis outfits. Ian immediately sensed
my disappointment.
“Don’t you know who we are?” he asked
in disbelief. I shook my head no.
“We’re the Doublemint Twins,” they
sang out in unison.
“Brava, divas!” Dan said, applauding.
“It’s delicious and really strong!” The
non sequitur came out of the burqa’s mouth
slit. Sari Sammy agreed. “Seriously, dude!”
she said. “I’ll be on my ass before we get to
the party.”
Then Sal and Sean came down, reminiscent of grizzled, gray Old Year and adorable Baby New Year. Sal went for distinctly
middle-aged laughs: he was “Edie Gourmet.”
With his face framed by Edie’s signature
hairdo, Sal actually looked like her in a most
disturbing way. Of course this Edie was
carrying a copy of M. F. K. Fisher’s The Art of
Eating and had a can of duck confit serving as
a hat. Being brilliant himself, Sal persistently
overestimates the average gay man’s wit. My
unspoken prediction: nobody at the party
would get the joke. I was right.
It was Sean who stole the show, not
only at our place but at the party, too. With
his actor’s makeup skills, a copper-colored
wig and naturally voluptuous body, he was
an eerily perfect Beyonce. When he grabbed
the burqa woman by the waist, yanked her
close and began singing “We’re your dream
girls” in precisely the voice of Ms. Knowles,
it was way too much, and I shot some of my
Brass Monkey out my nose.
The Brass Monkey
• 1 part dark rum
• 1 part Absolut
• 2 parts orange juice
1.Pour the ingredients into a shaker filled
with ice, and shake it just enough to chill
it.
2.Pour the contents into the pre-chilled
glass of your choice. This drink shouldn’t
be served on the rocks.
(Note: the original (some might call
it real) recipe contains much more OJ. It’s
boring. My version is a lot more fun.)
Ed Sikov is the author of Dark Victory:
The Life of Bette Davis and other books about
films and filmmakers.
the fun guide
Jeffrey Dean “EXIGENCY Exhibition”
Opening Reception, Oct. 23 in Johnston, IA
ACCESSline Page 24
Dean was born in 1952 in Waterloo, IA,
received his B.S. degree in Psychology from
St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, and
currently resides in La Porte City, Iowa.
Selected paintings from the artist’s
Exigency collection are on display now, with
newer works available for viewing only on
October 23rd at Frame Works.
Art Opening and Artist
Reception
Art Exhibition and Opening Reception
When: Saturday, October 23, 2010
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Where: FRAME WORKS
5800 Merle Hay Road
Johnston, Iowa 50131
Contact: Tom Perrine, Frame Works
515-270-9142
www.frameworks1.com
[email protected]
Frame Works, in collaboration with
Iowa artist Jeffrey Dean is pleased to
announce the EXIGENCY Exhibition. The
exhibition will open at Frame Works, 5800
Merle Hay Road, Johnston, Iowa on Saturday,
October 23, 2010. Please join us for the
opening reception 5:00pm to 7:00pm and
meet the artist Jeffrey Dean.
The Artist
As one of “Iowa’s own,” Dean showed
promise as an artist early in life, but pursued
other careers in teaching and organizational
development until January of 2007. Since
then, however, this late blooming artist has
been making-up for lost time, developing a
level of mastery in acrylic painting that takes
others a lifetime to achieve.
The artist’s growing collection of
portrait paintings—called “Exigency”—
engage with psychological themes of vulnerability, alienation, and detachment, but also
appeal with reflections of universal, human,
emotional experience.
“As a body of work,” Dean says, “I hope
to tell the story of ‘victory over defeat’—not
just the story of one man—but a story that
everyone can relate to.”
EXIGENCY: The Exhibition
The Exigency Exhibition is a collection of works meant to visually relate a
story—one of victory over defeat… While
the ‘storyline’ involves one man, more than
one model is used to represent the story’s
relevance to every man…
Even though it is decidedly a story
involving uniquely male experiences, the
story should have meaning for everyone
if only because of the common, human
emotions represented on canvas.
Frame Works
Frame Works is a locally owned custom
frame shop located in the Village Square
- 5800 Merle Hay Road in Johnston Iowa. Frame Works was opened in 2004. Tom
Perrine bought the frame shop August 15,
2008. Tom continues to offer one of the
finest selections of framing supplies in
the area, represented by Larson - Juhl, TC
Moulding and Nurre Caxton frames. Frame
Works carries over 700 frame styles to
select from. Tom has added a line of unique
sculptures from Global Views, Hawkeye and
Cyclone posters, art work from local artists
and hosts art shows in the gallary space. Frame Works also offers photo restoration services as well as unique ways to turn
your photos into canvas prints, in a variety
of art styles - such as pastel, oil painting,
watercolors or into “pop art” prints.
Tom’s background is varied, having
worked as a Visual Merchandiser, Television Studio Dresser/Manager, Director of
a Comedy Improv Troupe, Director of a
Teen Theatre Troupe and has worn many
hats in the local community theatre scene
- costume designer, make-up designer, set
designer and as director for many theatrical
productions. Tom is also a member of the
local stagehand union, working backstage
for many of the touring shows that visit the
Civic Center and Wells Fargo Arena. Before
purchasing Frame Works, Tom had worked
for over 9 years for Passageway, non-profit
helping adults with mental illness. Tom was
awarded a Heroes in the Fight Award from
Eli Lilly in 2008.
“Today was an enormous DISAPPOINTMENT, for myself, and for many young
American people. Not only because Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was not repealed by our
Senators, but moreover because LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE is being abused to
stop public business, public debates, from happening while America is watching. There was a debate today, we just didn’t get to watch it. Instead, it has
been customary now for antiquated procedures and partisan politics to take
precedence over debate, America’s needs, and today, sadly, over the needs of US
troops. I will keep fighting, I will not give up. I am passionate about the rights
of the LGBT Community and SLDN [Servicemembers Legal Defense Network,
SLDN.org] and I will continue to activate as many young people as I can, and
encourage them to get politically involved in their future.”
— Lady Gaga, in a message on her website, www.LadyGaga.com,
September 21, 2010.
OCTOBER 2010
QC Pride Sports 2010 Kickball Tournament
Day: Time:
Location:
Saturday, October 16
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Junge, 301 West 35th Street, Davenport, IA
It’s our first Kickball tourny and boy are we ready! Google the address for directions. We have two fields at Junge so it will be a jam packed day of play! $7 per
person, minimum eight on a team, maximum 10. Come solo or join a team. BYOB…
and yes, this is approved by the city rec deptartment. There’s an on-site bathroom, a
vending company will be serving food, and the QC’s own Zack Thomas will be guest
DJ, throwing out great music all day. The winning team will be crowned with kickball
champ t-shirts!!!!
Come join the madness!
HOLLYWOOD
Baron Cohen to play killer
Queen Mercury
Borat proved that Sacha Baron Cohen
could grow a killer mustache; Brüno
showed us he was comfortable with
on-screen flamboyant gay excess; and
Sweeney Todd revealed that he could sing.
So now Baron Cohen is putting all three
of those things together to play Freddie
Mercury, the legendary lead singer of
Queen, in what promises to be a memorable
biopic. Mercuryís own story is a fascinating oneóborn of Parsi Iranians and raised
in Zanzibar and India, he became one of
the worldís leading rock vocalists; when
Mercury became HIV-positive, he kept it a
secret from the media, despite being visibly
worn down by AIDS complications. Only 24
hours before his death in 1991 did Mercury
go public about his condition. The film,
which will be written by Peter Morgan (The
Queen, Frost/Nixon), will focus on Queenís
preparations for Live Aid in 1985. Shooting
starts next year, which should give Cohen
time to work on his high notes.
Pushing Daisies creator
brings Pinocchio back to
life
In recent years, no one has done darkly
magical whimsy like Bryan Fuller, the gay
TV creator behind the cult series Wonderfalls (inanimate objects give important
advice to cynical slacker) and Pushing
Daisies (piemaker can reanimate the
dead, but only for a minute). While neither
show got the viewership it deserved, they
both captured Fullerís bizarre sense of
the otherworldly, which contrasts with a
wonderfully weird candy-colored visual
sense. All of which is to say that Romeo is
very excited to see what Fuller does with
a live-action version of Pinocchio, which
heís currently writing for gay producer
Dan Jinks (American Beauty). Unlike the
creepy man-child vibe that Roberto Benigni
Sacha Baron Cohen as Brüno.
Photo: Universal Pictures.
(remember him?) brought to his recent take
on the Carlo Collodi tale, Fullerís version
promises to be both dark and eye-popping,
and sweet without being sappy. Look for
the puppet boy to come clomping into
theaters in 2012.
Cher, starring someone
else as Cher
Andy Fickman, gay director of the new
comedy You Again, isn’t waiting around
for his next job. He’s hard at work on a
theatrical piece based on the life and career
of Oscar-winning actress and pop-music
icon Cher. Now, stop for a minute and
think about what that’s going to mean. All
those songs. All those costumes. All those
wigs, headdresses and chainmail. All that
career drama, Sonny drama, Gregg Allman
drama. All that roller disco. And don’t
forget Chastity/Chaz. It practically writes
itself. But who, WHO, will they find to even
come close to approximating the one-of-akindness that Cherilyn Sarkisian, the single
most powerful Armenian woman in the
world, has brought to the last four decades
of entertainment? It’s going to be a tall
order. But there has to be a singing, dancing
actress out there with the impersonation
skills necessary to pull it off. Right? This can
only get more interesting as it develops.
Romeo San Vicente used to watch
the “If I Could Turn Back Time” video
just for all the sailors on the ship. He can
be reached care of this publication or at
[email protected].
OCTOBER 2010
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 25
Out of Town: Atlanta’s Hippest Neighborhoods by Andrew Collins
The cultural and commercial capital of
the Southeast, Atlanta (www.atlanta.net)
has rapidly become one of the nation’s
true A-list gay destinations, with its hugely
visible and dynamic LGBT scene and a
wealth of accommodations, nightspots,
restaurants and shops with strong ties to
the community.
Atlanta’s considerable sprawl and
sometimes dizzyingly intense traffic can
feel a little overwhelming at times, but if
you venture away from the freeways and
beyond the skyscrapers of downtown,
you’ll discover a number of engaging,
vibrant neighborhoods rife with gay-popular bars, restaurants, inns and boutiques.
Here’s a look at some of the best Atlanta
areas for exploring.
Inman Park and Little Five Points - 2.5
miles east of downtown
Inman Park (inmanpark.org), which
is considered to have been Atlanta’s first
suburb, had become run-down and derelict
before gay and African-American gentrification took hold in the early ‘80s, leading
to the restoration of many of its elaborate
Victorian houses. The mix of interesting
architecture extends south to neighborhoods like Cabbagetown and Grant Park
(grantpark.org), and the cool, eclectic
shopping and dining pushes east into Little
Five Points (littlefivepoints.net).
Highlights for hanging out and
eating well in Inman Park include
Shaun’s (shaunsrestaurant.com), a chic
contemporary eatery known for stellar
regional American cooking; and Wisteria
(wisteria-atlanta.com), which presents a
creative take on classic Southern fare—
the fried chicken with bacon-braised
collard green is among the best in the
city. In the more dressed-down Little Five
Points—where piercings and tattoos have
been in style for years—check out famed
emporia like kitschy Junkman’s Daughter and Psycho Sisters vintage clothing,
before snacking on hefty burritos at El Myr
(elmyr.com) or a spicy Cajun pie at Savage
Pizza (savagepizza.com).
East Atlanta Village - 3 miles southeast of downtown
One of the most diverse and independent-spirited enclaves in the city,
East Atlanta Village (eastatlantavillage.
net) is a great area for walking, with a
number of decidedly offbeat, arty and
affordable businesses and restaurants
set along two main streets: Greenwood
Avenue and Flat Shoals Avenue. Highlights
include a pair of gay bars, the fun-loving
and quirky lounge Mary’s (marysatlanta.
com), and the friendly lesbian bar My
Sisters Room (mysistersroom.com), which
relocated here from Decatur, Georgia
a few years ago. Stop by Joe’s Coffee
(eastatlantavillage.net/joes_coffee.phtml)
for strong java and a chance to mingle with
a cross-section of neighborhood locals.
Virginia-Highland - 2 miles east of
downtown
Just beyond Piedmont Park and the
heart of Midtown’s well-established gay
scene, and with arguably the city’s best
all-around window-shopping, VirginiaHighland (virginiahighland.com) has been
a fashionable place to live and
explore since the neighborhood was developed roughly a
century ago.
Rather than possessing
one definitive center, VirginiaHighland comprises several
small but lively commercial
hubs. At Amsterdam Walk
you’ll find lively gay nightspots like Amsterdam sports
bar (mysp.ac/cCck4D) and
Bellissima lesbian lounge
(mysp.ac/a8BS5G). Drive south
along Highland Avenue through
Morningside, and past the
intersections of Amsterdam,
Virginia, and Ponce de Leon and
you’ll discover many more cool
places to dine, drink, and shop.
The old-school Majestic Diner
(majesticdiner.com), whose
neon sign proudly proclaims
“food that pleases - since 1929”,
can be counted on for late-night
pancakes after the bars close—
it’s a short drive from several
gay clubs.
hood is known as the Westside
Arts District (wadatlanta.org),
and its culinary stars include
Bacchnalia and its adjacent
lunch room and gourmetfood shop Star Provisions
(starprovisions.com), the seeand-be-seen contemporary
American restaurant Bocado
(bocadoatlanta.com), and the
colorful coffeehouse Octane
(octanecoffee.com).
Castleberry Hill - 1 mile
west of downtown
Rapidly
up-andcoming Castleberry Hill
(castleberryhill.org) comprises a patch of handsome warehouses and industrial buildings that have been collectively
rehabbed into a notable arts
district. Along bustling Walker
and Peter streets, you’ll find
several provocative galleries.
You might begin your explorations with lunch at the superb
(and gay-owned) No Mas
Cantina (nomascantina.com),
Midtown - 3 miles north of
a festive Mexican restaurant
downtown
that serves tantalizingly good
Star Provisions is one several trendy restaurants that have led
With its central location
tortilla soup and fish tacos. It’s
to a renaissance in Atlanta’s hip West Midtown neighborhood.
just off the interstate and
attached to a dramatic homePhoto by Andrew Collins.
skyline of modern apartfurnishings store filled with
ment, office and hotel towers,
stunning, handcrafted furniMidtown may not leap out as a particularly options of note include One Midtown ture and decorative arts from Mexico.
notable neighborhood for walking around. Kitchen (onemidtownkitchen.com), a
Indeed, valet parking is commonplace at bustling restaurant just northeast of Pied- Decatur - 6 miles northeast of Atlanta
Midtown’s many fine eateries. But this is mont Park that serves some of the city’s
An entirely separate city of about
the heart of Atlanta’s LGBT community, and most memorable regional American fare, 20,000 that’s a 10 to 15-minute drive from
it’s unquestionably trendy and fun.
and Pacci (pacciatlanta.com), which is set Midtown, Decatur is far more than a mere
The neighborhood has a few cultural inside the hip Hotel Palomar and turns out Atlanta neighborhood. This liberal-leaning
highlights, including the High Museum sensational rustic Italian cuisine, including community with a vibrant downtown does in
of Art and Margaret Mitchell House & some of the best steaks in town.
some ways feel like an extension of Atlanta’s
Museum. And if the weather’s cooperating,
LGBT scene. It’s home to the gay and lesbian
do not miss the 15-acre Atlanta Botanical Westside - 3 miles northwest of downnightclub Traxx (traxxatlanta.com) as well
Garden, which adjoins leafy Piedmont Park town
as the seminal mod-Southern-food restau(a favorite haunt of the city’s gay sun-worKnown variously as West Midtown rant Watershed (watershedrestaurant.
shipers and outdoorsy types). Here you’ll and Home Park (homepark.org), the very com), which is owned by one-half of the
find one of the world’s most important eclectic neighborhood that broadly takes Indigo Girls duo, Emily Saliers, and serves
displays of tropical orchids.
in Atlanta’s Westside is most interesting absolutely fantastic food. Don’t miss the
Midtown contains the lion’s share of these days along Howell Mill Road, south Sunday brunch, which features creamy
Atlanta’s gay bars, including such popular for several blocks from about 14th Street. chicken hash, corn griddle cakes and
haunts as Burkhart’s (burkharts.com) video Large warehouses and shiny new struc- poached eggs. Cafe Lily (cafelily.com), with
bar; Bulldog’s, one of the South’s LGBT tures contain condos, lofts, and a smat- its delicious pan-Mediterranean cuisine, is
African-American hangouts; and Blake’s tering of galleries and restaurants, some another great option for a meal.
on the Park (blakesontheparkatlanta.com), of them superb. This part of the neighborTTATLANTA continued page 28
a classic bar with a young, pretty crowd.
There’s also Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse (outwritebooks.com), the city’s
highly successful source of LGBT books
and literature that doubles as a cozy java
joint.
Definitive gay brunch spots include
festive Babs (babsmidtown.com); Einstein’s
(einsteinsatlanta.com), also fun later in the
evening for drinks or dinner, and the Flying
Biscuit Midtown (flyingbiscuit.com), the
original of which is in yet another cool part
of town, Candler Park. Atlanta’s branch of
the upscale chain Ra Sushi (rasushi.com)
is spacious, trendy, and enjoyable both for
colorful cocktails and tasty Japanese food,
while Ecco (ecco-atlanta.com) is reliable
for first-rate southern European cuisine,
including a dazzling selection of cheeses
and cured meats.
Other stylish and sophisticated dining
ACCESSline Page 26
the fun guide
OCTOBER 2010
Book Worm Sez by Terri Schlichenmeyer
Portrait of an Addict as a
Young Man
by Bill Clegg
© 2010 Little, Brown
$23.99 / $28.99 Can.
240 pages
It seems so benign.
Seriously, what’s the harm in a bite
of chocolate? A grande latte? One more
can of cola, yes to the caffeine? A bakery
donut with sprinkles?
None, that’s how much. Life goes on
if you partake. The world won’t come to a
complete standstill if you indulge in that
seductive, legal-but-forbidden treat. You
know it. Everybody knows it.
We all have our addictions – some,
more innocuous than others.
In the new book “Portrait of an Addict
as a Young Man” by Bill Clegg, Clegg’s addiction was far from harmless. In the end, in
Across
1 Their fruits are acorns
5 Take by force
10 Sushi ingredient
14 Buck heroine
15 Where Bruce Wayne kept Dick Grayson
16 “Like ___ not”
17 Start of a straight man’s reply to a woman
coming out
20 Nova follower
21 Like Marcia Brady, to her sisters
22 Hint in an Ellen Hart mystery, e.g.
24 Regarding
25 More of the reply
32 Boy played by Martin and Duncan
33 Nancy’s older son, on Weeds
34 Earthllink competitor
35 Opportunity for Glenn Burke
38 Where a trucker parks his bottom
39 Snake charmer’s pet
41 Streisand’s Funny Girl costar
43 Book about autoeroticism?
44 More of the reply
48 Vegetable soup bean
51 One of a Full House twosome
52 Some writers work on it
56 Did an encore of “Food, Glorious Food”?
57 End of the reply
59 The whole shebang
60 Be good in bed
62 WWII site where a flag was erected
64 Bit
fact, it almost killed him.
And it all started out so innocently.
Like many college students, Bill Clegg
and his roommates enjoyed a good time.
They smoked a little pot, drank and serialdated women, pulled pranks, did cocaine,
and got high again. Yes, it got them into
trouble—they were kicked out of college—
and Clegg was sometimes too wasted or
hungover to function, but it was fun.
His introduction to smoking crack
came from the first man he ever had morethan-fleeting sex with. A hometown lawyer,
a man Clegg had known forever, invited
Clegg to his apartment for a drink. They
talked about the man’s kids and his wife,
made out a little, then the man disappeared
into the bedroom. He came back with “milkcolored crystals” and a clear glass tube.
After his first gulp of crack, Clegg says
of himself, “He misses the feeling even
before it’s left him and not only does he
want more, he needs it.”
Q-PUZZLE: “Geographical Orientation”
65 Compensation in a lawsuit
66 CHiPs costar Erik
67 Rubbers
Down
1 Package appreciation cries
2 Guinness of The Lavender Hill Mob
3 Boxing win
4 Tattletale
5 German marks
6 So, in Alan Cummings’ tongue
7 Us, to Rilke
8 Chicago director Marshall
9 Mychal Judge and Malcolm Boyd
10 In a way
11 Suffix with leather
12 George Michael’s johns
And from then on, he needed it all
the time.
But that—the night of firsts—that
was all before Clegg repeatedly lied to his
friends and family. It was before he left
his boyfriend, Noah, at an important film
festival in order to fly home to get high.
It was before he slept with other men in
seedy hotels, wore the same sweater to
filthy tatters, and didn’t bathe for weeks.
His first hit from the clear vial was before
his business partner changed the locks, and
before Noah did the same on their shared
apartment.
And it was before Clegg nearly died
from the drug that had ruined his life.
Reading “Portrait of an Addict as a
Young Man” is definitely a different kind of
experience. This book makes you squirm,
and you’ll want to try to get through each
page as quickly as possible, not because
the story is good (which it is), but because
reading about what author Bill Clegg lived
is hard to endure.
Starting with a major binge, then
moving back and forth between childhood
memories and fuzzy recollections of being
high, Clegg walks a tightrope between
wry humor and wrung-out horror. Early
memories are written in third-person,
giving them a remote feeling and adding
more tenseness to this already-raw
memoir.
If you relish a tough-to-read story
with edge, you’ll want this one. Like any
craving, “Portrait of an Addict as a Young
Man” will be impossible to let go of.
13 Bapt. or Meth.
18 Leon Uris’ ___ 18
19 One kind of opera queen
23 Really big tale
24 Gaza Stripper, e.g.
25 Cruising areas
26 “$#@!&”, e.g.
27 The New York Liberty’s org.
28 Home st. of Harper Lee
29 Perfume brand
30 Traditional round dance
31 Jerusalem server
36 Aida solo
37 Carol contraction
39 Rainbow flag sticker site, often
40 Dollar bills
42 Left with mouth wide open
43 Stud of the early days of horse racing
45 Audre Lorde, to Hunter College
46 Overdraft letters
47 Abuse orally
48 Spell of forgetfulness
49 Michael Musto’s tidbits
50 Type of badge for the morally straight
53 Peter of Say Uncle
54 Male-on-male kissing target of Bugs
55 School group
57 It may put one in an awkward position
58 Home of Picasso’s Stein portrait
61 Eleanor’s beard?
63 Pres. without a first lady Buchanan
• SOLUTION ON PAGE 28
OCTOBER 2010
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 27
PHOTOGRAPHER
QUAD CITIES: MASSAGE
IOWA CITY: INSURANCE
CEDAR RAPIDS: WINE & GIFTS
FREELANCE WRITER
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 28
OUTFIELD
EVENTS
wrote on the site: “I know sooo few gay
surfers. It intrigues me. Surfing is for all
who appreciate this world.” He offered to
help “mediate with a straight’s perspective
on surfing.”
As with most Internet ventures—
especially one dedicated to a sport that
puts a premium on looking hot—the talk
often turns to sex.
“Quite honestly, I was hoping to see
as many near-naked butt shots of guys as
I see of girls in most surf magazines and
website,” wrote one commenter.
But, he told Thomas, “thus far, you’ve
kept it classy.”
Dan Woog is a journalist, educator,
soccer coach, gay activist, and author of the
“Jocks” series of books on gay male athletes.
Visit his website at www.danwoog.com. He
can be reached care of this publication or
at [email protected].
1st Wednesday of the Month, WOMEN’S
SACRED CIRCLE, 6:30-8pm, Prairiewoods
Franciscan Spirituality Center, 120 E. Boyson Rd,
Hiawatha, IA 52233. This group is for women
who are interested in gathering for spiritual
growth. The direction and activities of the group
are determined by participants. $5 per session.
For more info, visit www.prairiewoods.org. [
LW]
1st Wednesday of the Month, CONNECTIONS’ RAINBOW READING GROUP, 7pm,
Iowa City Public Library Meeting Room B, 123
South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. For more
info, contact Todd at: [email protected]. [ L
GBTMWA]
2nd Wednesday of the Month, STONEWALL
DEMOCRATS, THE GLBT CAUCUS OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, 6:30-8pm, Hamburger
Mary’s CR, 222 Glenbrook Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids,
IA 52403. For more info, contact Harvey Ross at
[email protected] or call 319-389-0093.
[LGBTMWA]
2nd Wednesday of the Month, WOMEN
FOR PEACE KNITTERS, 7-9pm, Hiawatha,
IA . at Prairiewoods, 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha. Knitting, crocheting, and discussion. For
more info, call 319-377-3252 or go to www.
womenforpeace-iowa.org. All ages and levels
of needlework skills welcome. Come knit for
charities. [ L W ]
Every Wednesday, HOT MESS EXPRESS,
9:30pm, Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust
St., Des Moines, IA . The hottest most messiest
citizens of Des Moines providing a comedic
look at the hottest most messiest current events
around the world. Featuring: Paul Selberg, Rachel C. Johnson, Kelley Robinson & Tyler Reedy
[LGBTA]
Every Wednesday, TRANSFORMATIONS
IOWA, 7-9pm, The Center, 1300 Locust, Des
Moines, IA 50309. TransformationsIowa is a
Transgender support group. It is open to all
ranges of the gender spectrum, male to female,
female to male, cross dressers, drag queens,
gender queer, questioning, as well as friends,
significant others and allies. [ T D ]
Every Wednesday, U OF I GAY LESBIAN BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER AND ALLIES UNION
MEETINGS, 7-9pm, Iowa City, IA . at the Penn
State Room #337 of the Iowa Memorial Union,
U. of Iowa campus, Iowa City. For more info,
visit http://www.uiowa.edu/~glbtau/ or e-mail
[email protected]. These meetings are open to
the public. [ L G B T M W A ]
Second Wednesday, OUT NETWORKING,
5:30, Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust St,
Des Moines, IA 50309. A social, business, and
philanthropic networking organization for anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered,
questioning or supportive. The group presents
year-round events focused on business, culture,
community, and philanthropic subjects. [ L G
BTA]
ATLANTA
Where to Stay in Atlanta
The Hotel Palomar (hotelpalomaratlantamidtown.com) was opened by the
favorite LGBT-friendly brand Kimpton in
2009 and has quickly become a favorite
lodging choice for the design-minded,
with its contemporary, understatedly
elegant rooms. Try to get one facing south
on a high floor, as views of the downtown
skyline are impressive. It’s an easy walk
from Piedmont Park, gay nightlife and
Midtown museums, as is the cushy Four
Seasons (fourseasons.com), a striking,
20-story hotel with a stunning 12,000square-foot spa.
For a reasonably priced Midtown
option that’s strong on personality and
ambience, try the gay-popular Artmore
Hotel (artmorehotel.com), which occupies
a 1920s Spanish-Mediterranean-influenced building that’s just steps from the
High Museum. Also well-priced and with a
sleek, smart design, the whimsically decorated Hotel Indigo (hotelindigo.com) has
artful rooms with Nantucket-inspired blueand-white furniture. There’s also a 24-hour
gym and a dapper little coffeehouse with
comfy seating off the lobby.
In a city with relatively few historic
inns, the gay-owned Gaslight Inn
(gaslightinn.com) in Virginia-Highland
stands out for its regal accommodations.
In charming Inman Park, the King- KingKeith House B&B (kingkeith.com) occupies
a dramatic 1890s “painted lady” Victorian
with four period-style guest rooms plus
a charming detached cottage. And just
down the street from Piedmont Park and
several gay bars and eateries, the ecoconscious and pet-friendly Stonehurst
Place (stonehurstplace.com) is one of the
city’s most romantic small inns. The five
spacious suites are exquisitely decorated
and contain such plush amenities as iPod
docks, flat-screen TVs with DVD players,
and—in the top suites—fireplaces, heated
bathroom floors, and two-person walk-in
showers and spa tubs.
Andrew Collins covers gay travel for the
New York Times-owned website About.com
and is the author of Fodor’s Gay Guide to the
USA. He can be reached care of this publication or at [email protected].
Thursday
1st 3rd Thursday, EVENINGS FOR SPIRIT,
6:30-8:30pm, West Branch, IA . at SpiritHill Retreat, 604 Cedar Valley Road, West Branch. First,
third, and fifth Thursdays of each month. Women
gather at SpiritHill (or other locations) to share
our spiritual experiences, visions and longings.
The evenings include time for sharing and time
for silence. Laughter, tears and singing are often
shared as well. No specific spiritual practice is
followed. This event is always open to newcomers. For more info, call 319-643-2613, or e-mail
[email protected]. Calling in advance is
highly recommended to confirm the location for
the specific month of interest. [ L W ]
2nd Thursday of the Month, OPEN MIC
WITH MARY MCADAMS, 7-9pm, Des Moines,
IA. at Ritual Café, on 13th St. between Locust
and Grand, downtown Des Moines. Visit www.
ritualcafe.com. For more info, e-mail mary@
marymcadams.com. [ L G B T M W A ]
2nd Thursday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS CHAPTER MEETING, 7pm (6:30pm social time), Omaha, IA . at
Mead Hall, First United Methodist Church, 7020
Cass St., Omaha. For more info, call 402-2916781. [ L G B T M W A K ]
3rd Thursday of the Month, OPEN MIC
HOSTED BY KIMBERLI, 7-10pm, Cedar Rapids,
IA . at the Blue Strawberry Coffee Company (now
open after the flood), 118 2nd St. SE, Downtown
Cedar Rapids. Signup at 6:30pm or by e-mailing
[email protected] the week prior to the
open mic. [ L G B T M W A ]
3rd Thursday of the Month, LGBTQI YOUTH
MOVIE NIGHT AT THE CENTER, 6:30-10pm,
The CENTER, 1300 Locust, Des Moines, IA . This
is part of the LGBTQI youth program, anyone 24
years old and younger is welcome. Come down
spend the evening with your friends and make
some new ones. 515-243-0313 [ L G B T + ]
3rd Thursday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG
DUBUQUE/TRI-STATE CHAPTER MEETING,
7pm, Dubuque, IA . at St. John’s Lutheran Church,
1276 White St., Dubuque. For more info, call
563-582-9388. [ L G B T M W A K ]
3rd Thursday of the Month, CONNECTIONS
GAME NIGHT, 7-9pm, Iowa City, IA . at Donnelly’s
Pub, 110 E. College St., in downtown Iowa City.
[LGBTMWA]
4th Thursday of the Month, PROFESSIONAL
WOMEN’S NETWORK (PWN), For more info,
visit www.pwn.org, e-mail [email protected], or call
Shelley Woods at 319-981-9887. [ L W ]
4th Thursday of the Month, THE GLBT
READING GROUP, 7:30pm, Cedar Rapids, IA
. Red Cross Building at 6300 Rockwell Dr. NE,
Cedar Rapids. The group is open to new members; contact [email protected]
for further info. [ L G B T M W A ]
Every Thursday and Friday, SHANNON JANSSEN, 6-10pm, Cedar Rapids, IA . Dawn’s Hide
and Bead Away, 220 E. Washington St., Iowa City.
Shannon performs a variety of music including
original songs on the Grand Piano in the hotel’s
beautiful atrium. No reservations required. [ L
GBTMWA]
Last Thursday of the Month, DRAG KING
SHOW, 9pm-2am, Studio 13, 13 S. Linn St, Iowa
City, IA 52240. The show starts EARLY at 9pm,
so all you fans under 21 (meaning 19 & 20)
can come for a jam packed hour of show! Your
kings will also have another photo signing with
awesome king swag! Plus, a SECOND mini show
after the signing!!! $3 Bomb shots, $2 Calls and
Domestics, and $1 Wells and shots! Cover is only
$3! [ L G B T D ]
Friday
1st Friday of the Month, FAIRFIELD ART
WALK, Fairfield, IA. For more info, visit www.
FairfieldArtWalk.com. [ L G B T M W A ]
1st Friday of the Month, GUERRILLA QUEER
BAR MEETUP!, Tired of the same old bars? Crave
the idea of bringing your queer and straight
friends together in a fun, new environment?
We’re descending upon an unsuspecting straight
bar and turning it into a gay bar for the night. To
join in: join our Facebook group, Google group or
Twitter feed. You’ll receive an email the morning
of each event with the name of a classically hetero bar and the meeting time. Call your friends,
have them call their friends, show up at the bar
and watch as it becomes the new “it” gay bar
for one night only. Visit http://groups.google.
com/group/iowa-city-guerrilla-queer-bar. [ L
GBTMWA]
1st Friday of the Month, FIRST FRIDAY
BREAKFAST CLUB, Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA 95030. The First
Friday Breakfast Club (FFBC) is an educational,
non-profit corporation for gay men who gather
on the first Friday of every month to provide
mutual support, to be educated on community
affairs, and to further educate community opinion leaders with more positive images of gay
men. It is the largest breakfast club in the state
of Iowa. Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland
Avenue, Des Moines, IA 95030. Contact Jonathan Wilson at (515) 288-2500 or email: info@
ffbciowa.org [ G B ]
1st Friday of the Month, DAWN’S COFFEE
HOUSE, 5-8pm, Iowa City, IA . Dawn’s Hide and
Bead Away, 220 E. Washington St., Iowa City.
First Friday of every month between February 6 and December 4. Music and light snacks
are provided. Proceeds from the door are split
between the non-profit of the month and the
store (to cover the cost of snacks). Any other
donations received go 100% to the non-profit.
$3 cover. For more info, phone 319-338-1566. [
LGBTMWA]
2nd and 4th Friday, DRUMMING CIRCLE,
OCTOBER 2010
7pm, Cedar Rapids, IA . Unity Center of Cedar
Rapids, 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids.
Every 2nd and 4th Friday of the each month. For
more info, call 319-431-7550. [ G M ]
3rd Friday of the Month, OLD-TIME DANCE
FOR ALL, 8pm, Iowa City, IA . A Barn Dance 12
miles east of Iowa City at Scattergood Friends
School. A Barn Dance 12 miles east of Iowa City
at Scattergood Friends School. Admission is
$5.00 per person. Singles and couples, beginners
and veterans welcome. The music is live, and all
dances are taught and called (that is, prompted
while the music is playing). Note: (1) same-sex
couples are common at these dances, (2) they’re
no-alcohol, no-smoking events, (3) every dance is
taught, so beginners are welcome, and (4) people
can attend alone or with a partner. People of a
variety of ages show up, and the atmosphere
is friendly and inclusive. For more info, phone
319-643-7600 or e-mail [email protected].
[LGBTMWA]
Saturday
4th Saturday of the Month, LESBIAN BOOK
CLUB, 7pm, Davenport, IA . is reading books by
or about lesbians. Non-lesbians are welcome to
attend. All meetings are held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3707 Eastern Ave., Davenport.
For more info, call 563-359-0816. [ L ]
4th Saturday of the Month, TANGOVIA,
7:30pm, Iowa City, IA . join area tango dancers
at the Wesley Center, 120 N. Dubuque St., Iowa
City. Enjoy a candlelit evening of dance, hors
d’oeuvres, and conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. Cost is $5. Partner not necessary. Beginners welcome to come at 7pm for an introductory
lesson. For more info, call Gail at 319-325-9630,
e-mail [email protected], or visit www.tangovia.com. [ L G B T M W A D ]
Every Saturday, WOMEN FOR PEACE IOWA,
Noon to 1PM, Collins Rd NE & 1st Ave SE, Cedar
Rapids, IA 52402. hosting Weekly Street Corner
Vigils for peace, rain or shine. Meet at the corner
of 1st Ave. and Collins Rd. SE (in front of Granite
City Brewery), Cedar Rapids. Show your support
for our troops by calling for their return from
Iraq. For more info, e-mail [email protected]. [
LGBTMWAKD]
Every Saturday, BAILE LATINO: SALSA,
CHA-CHA, MERENGUE AND BACHATA LESSONS, 3:30-5:30pm, Cedar Rapids, IA . taught
by Gloria Zmolek, at CSPS, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar
Rapids. No experience or partner necessary.
All ages welcome. No sign-up required. $5 per
person requested. For more info, contact Gloria
at 319-365-9611 or visit www.crsalsa.org. [ L G
BTMWAKD]
“I spent 48 hours trying to find the
perfect thing to say. My address to you
today is called ‘The prime rib of America.
… Equality is the prime rib of America,
but because I am gay, I don’t get to enjoy
the greatest cut of meat my country has
to offer. … Shouldn’t everyone deserve
to wear the same meat dress I do? Repeal
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ “
— Lady Gaga during her speech at a
Portland, Maine DADT protest on
September 20, making reference to
the dress, hat, and purse, made of
real cuts of meat, which she wore
to the MTV Video Music Awards
ACCESSline Page 29
First Friday Breakfast Club:
“the benefit”
See it and be seen, November 7th Dan Johnston: Out, Proud,
OCTOBER 2010
and Insightful by Bruce Carr
Formerly called the All Iowa AIDS
Benefit, the benefit variety show and
auction will feature much more than just
a new name when it’s presented on Sunday, November 7th at The Embassy Suites
on the River in Des Moines. The annual
event raises funds for the AIDS Project of
Central Iowa.
This year’s event-- the twenty-fourth
annual-- will include a red carpet parade
of entertainers and celebrities, a diverse
line-up of select talent, photo opportunities with performers , valuable and enticing
auction packages and items, as well as red,
red, red, everywhere!
Inspired by Hollywood red-carpet
events like those preceding the Oscar
awards show, the benefit will spot light
entertainers and hosts as they arrive
and stroll down a red carpet in front of a
custom-made logo backdrop. Guests will
have the opportunity to be photographed
with celebrities. The photos will be printed
and available for purchase during the
evening.
the benefit planning committee is
proud to announce that Rachel Pierce,
co-anchor of ABC5 News at 5, will serve
as emcee. Featured performers include
world-renowned Cher impersonator Candi
Stratton, Michael Jackson impersonator
Chris Dewees, crooner Fred Gazzo, and talented crowd pleasers Champagne Showers and Michael Miller. Also featured will
be production numbers by one of Iowa’s
favorite drag groups The House of Love,
theatre troupe Stage West performing a
musical scene from Broadway hit The 25th
Annual Putnam Spelling Bee, The Imperial
Court of Iowa, and Gay Youth Unlimited.
The Embassy Suites on the River’s
grand ballroom will be dramatically embellished in the color red by designer Saley
Nong, her staff and event volunteers.
V.I.P. tables for ten range in price from
$350 to $1,000. Individual tickets cost $20
if purchased prior to the event, and $25
when purchased at the door. For table
and tickets sales, visit www.aidsprojectci.
org/benefit or call The Project at 515284-0245.
the benefit planning committee members include Matt, Billy Dohrmann, Jesus
Lopez, Anthony Marinaro, Nathan Ritz, Jim
Sterba, Cy Stewart David Vitiritto, Frank
Vaia, Ross Wallace and Tony Zika.
Local celebrities and
professional bakers from
around the state will satisfy your sweet tooth at One
Iowa’s third annual Sweet
Equality—a celebration
of marriage equality with
delectable desserts. On
November 12 from 5:308pm at Forte (615 3rd
Street) in Des Moines,
professional chefs, local
celebrities and businesses
will come together to
show off their skills in the
name of equality.
The annual dessert competition features professional chefs and local celebrities facing off for the coveted “Sweetest
Thing” and “Best Presentation” awards.
Awards are given in both the professional
and celebrity baking categories. Winners
in the professional category are decided
by public vote, and a panel of local media
personalities will judge the celebrity
category.
The event also features a cash bar,
music and more! Tickets for Sweet Equality are $35 and can be purchased by
emailing [email protected] or calling
Amanda at 515-288-4019 ext. 214.
This competition was created to raise
awareness of businesses and individuals
who support equality in Iowa. With the
April 2009 Iowa Supreme Court decision
in favor of the freedom to marry, Iowa is
starting to see the economic advantages of
equality. A recent Williams Institute study
estimated $160 million in new spending
on weddings and tourism in the state over
the next three years.
All proceeds from this event will go
to One Iowa Education Fund, a 501(c)
(3) organization. All donations to Sweet
Equality are tax deductible.
Sweet Equality celebration
Nov. 12, 5:30-8pm
Lawyer and politico Dan Johnston is
back in town and living on Chautauqua
Parkway, and he lobbied and entertained
us hugely on Friday September 3 at Hoyt
Sherman Place as our first speaker of the
new season. Now pretty much retired
from the New York endeavors he left
Des Moines for 25 years ago, Johnston
now does political consulting here, for
the Democratic Party to be sure and, as
always, for important progressive issues
such as marriage equality.
Johnston regaled us with some moving and often hilarious stories of his early
career in Des Moines as an ‘out-but-notpublically’ gay Polk County Attorney, and
as an ally of the colorful State Representative Norman Jesse—with whom he was
partnered for 36 years up to Jesse’s death
of cancer in 2000. “I miss him every day,”
said Johnston.
Dan Johnston grew up in Marshalltown, a high-school classmate of the tragic
actress Jean Seberg (“the sweetest girl I
ever knew”). Fresh out of law school, he
gained nation-wide attention in the Vietnam era when he took on the “black armband” case of Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District, which he
argued before the United States Supreme
Court in 1968--and won when Justice Abe
Fortas wrote for the Court’s majority that
Dan Johnston. Photo by Arthur Breur.
“neither students nor teachers shed their
constitutional rights to freedom of speech
or expression at the schoolhouse gate”—
thus establishing that students on campus
are persons under the Constitution and
that states must respect their rights in the
same way they would those of citizens in
other contexts.
Johnston’s 1984 election campaign
against Phil Miller presented a problem to
TTFFBC continued page 32
ACCESSline Page 30
OCTOBER 2010
OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 31
Inside Out: Voting It Forward by Ellen Krug
A few years ago when I had my law
firm and still when I was a boy, another
transgendered person asked for help in
getting the male gender maker on her
driver’s license changed to female—in
other words, substituting an “F” for an “M”
on her license. She had already undergone
gender reassignment surgery, she had a
letter from her doctor attesting to this, and
even Social Security had accepted her as
female. All she needed was a short court
order signed by a judge advising the DOT
to change the gender marker on a newly
issued license. This sounded like an easy
enough legal matter to handle.
Boy, was I wrong.
I prepared a court filing asking the
judge to simply acknowledge this big
change in my client’s life and sign a court
order. Shortly after submitting the paperwork, I received an order from the judge
denying my request. I was shocked. This
was not like a normal lawsuit where two
parties were fighting. No one was resisting
my client’s request.
I immediately submitted another
filing asking the judge to reconsider his
decision. Because I was now concerned
this was becoming far more complicated
(and expensive) for my client, I tried to
shortcut things by telephoning the judge.
He came on the line right away. I explained
how simple this was and how no one was
resisting my client’s effort to have the
gender marker changed.
I’ll never forget what the judge said
to me.
“No, Mr. Krug, I’m not going to sign
the order. I’m not going to stick my neck
out on this.”
I thought, huh? Then the phrase, “stick
my neck out,” registered. The judge was
concerned that someone—someone who
hates the LGBT community—would get
wind of him doing such a radical thing
as acknowledging a person’s change of
sex. If that happened, the judge could be
subject to criticism by vocal opponents of
our community.
Unfortunately, before this, a judge in
Sioux City had been attacked for granting
two lesbians (who had been married out of
state but who now lived in Iowa) a divorce.
My judge on the driver’s license change
wanted to avoid that kind of heat.
In Iowa, judges are appointed for life,
but are subject to “retention votes” every
six years. In other words, if the public does
Here is what you need to do.
not like how the judge is doing his or her
On Election Day, you need to vote. Get
job, after six years they can vote to end the off your ass and go vote.
judge’s appointment.
After completing the front of the balThis is important for all Iowans— lot, turn it over. The retention question
LGBT and straight—to know, especially for is on the back of the ballot. There will be
the upcoming election. In November, four three sections of candidates for retention:
judges who ruled in favor of marriage for Supreme Court of Iowa, Court of Appeals,
gays and equal rights for all Iowans will be and District Court. The question reads
subject to a retention vote. The names of “Shall the following judges of the ____Court
the trial judge who initially heard the case, be retained in office?” Each judge must
Robert Hanson, and three Supreme Court obtain a simple majority of “yes” votes
Judges (Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and to keep their job. Unless you have a huge
Justices David Baker and Michael Streit) issue with one of those judges, check the
will be on the ballot. The people who hate box that says “yes.”
us, led by Bob Vander Plaatz but funded by
As importantly, you need to tell your
people and groups from outside the state, families and friends to vote for retaining all
judges. It is exceedingly
want to vote against
retention of these
As importantly, you need to crucial that as many
judges. The reason: to tell your families and friends to people as possible vote
retain judges. Only
intimidate other judges
vote for retaining all judges. It to
then will judges stop
in the future. And so
that a Republican gov- is exceedingly crucial that as worrying about losing
ernor, if elected, can many people as possible vote their jobs if they do the
pack the courts with to retain judges. Only then will right thing.
And as for my clireplacements who
judges stop worrying about ent who
simply wanted
subscribe to some kind
of conservative ideol- losing their jobs if they do the an “F” on her driver’s
license gender marker?
ogy which dictates right thing.
We had to go to a westthere are two kinds of
people: those who are equal, and those ern state where she was born to ask for her
who are way more equal. Only the latter birth certificate to be changed. The first
lawyer I hired quit because of fear when
people get to marry.
This retention thing is also a bit more he learned he would need to personally
complicated than saying “yea,” or “nay.” appear before a judge in that state to ask
The problem is that only the votes of the for a court order changing the birth certifipeople who actually mark the ballot are cate. Other attorneys were similarly afraid
counted. In other words, if a majority of
people simply vote against retaining any or
all of these judges, then the judges are gone.
Done. Punished for speaking the truth.
Is that how we want to live in Iowa?
Retaliating against people who speak the
truth?
Fear is a powerful thing. It can make
you meek and it can be a straightjacket for
how you approach the world. That’s one
thing if you are an ordinary citizen who
plays no role in affecting the lives of strangers. It’s a whole different thing if you are
a judge who is charged with interpreting
and enforcing the law where literally tens
of thousands of people are impacted. If we
have judges who are afraid to enforce the
law, who become afraid to speak the truth
for fear of losing their jobs, then we have
a horribly broken system.
of being labeled as LGBT friendly. Finally,
the only ACLU attorney in the state came
forward and got the job done. All told, my
client spent $5000 to get her “F.”
Like I said, fear is a powerful thing.
We need to be afraid of losing judges who
understand human rights. Make that,
judges who understand everyone’s human
rights.
Ellen Krug is a writer, lawyer, human.
She was a trial attorney for 28 years before
realizing there is more to life. She is now on
sabbatical to write a book, and if that does
not work out, to wait tables. She is parent
to two adult children and hoping for the
best, despite the odds. She can be reached
at [email protected].
ACCESSline Page 32
FFBC
the political staff of the Des Moines Register, who wanted to continue maintaining
respectful silence on the homosexuality
issue despite the issue creeping into the
election.
Johnston was handily re-elected
and shortly thereafter departed for
freer shores. With the rest of us, he is
astounded—and very gratified—at “how
far we’ve come” in the years since.
But Johnston’s main message on September 3 was clearly, passionately this:
We. Must. Register. And. We. Must. Vote.
He’s disappointed that political ac-
tivism these days seems so exclusively
Internet-driven—a far cry from the old
(effective!) days of getting individuals
registered and driving them to the polls
on Election Day.
The current campaign to deny Judicial Retention to three of the seven
Iowa Justices—who ruled unanimously
with the four other justices that no Iowa
citizen may be barred from marriage on
account of sexual orientation—must not
succeed.
We can’t afford to lose one single
judge over this. Said Johnston: “Anybody
here today [at FFBC] who doesn’t register
and vote to retain these three justices
ought never to come here again.”
Dan Johnston, speaking at the First Friday Breakfast Club at Hoyt Sherman Place
on September 3, 2010. Photo by Arthur Breur.
OCTOBER 2010
A New Perspective by Mary M. Thome
As a fresh face in the eastern Iowa
gay and lesbian community, I was asked
to write an article about what my perspective was on some of the people and
organizations I have encountered in the
past few months. It is my pleasure to do
so as I am very impressed by both.
Living in a small town in northern
Iowa it is very hard to meet people of the
same sexual orientation. Lesbians don’t
walk around with t-shirts that state “All the
cool girls are lesbians”, we don’t have gay
or lesbian bars, and there are no organizations up here that I could attend to meet
others who have the same sexual orientation as myself. I had a friend recommend
that I “friend-request” the person who
founded Cedar Valley Pride (CVP) on
Facebook and to start attending some of
the events that were being held for the
community during the summer.
After attending a few of the CVP
events, I had the pleasure of not only getting to know the founder of CVP, Renee
Evans, but also the pleasure of interacting
with many of the other organizations she
is involved with and correlates events
with, such as Cedar Rapids Unity (CRU),
Community Aids Assistance Project
(CAAP), Iowa City Pride, Hamburger
Mary’s, Basix, and Studio 13—some of
which are private businesses that help
support the gay lesbian community. I can
only say this, “WOW!”
It was amazing to me that these
people and organizations give so much
personal time and energy—as well as
personal resources—into organizing
these events. They’re out there making
sure we have a voice in not only social
actions, but equal rights in the political
arena as well.
These people and organizations made
Mary M. Thome at CRU Pride Football, 2010
Photo by Renee Evans
me feel as though I was family. Everyone
had a kind word and a welcome smile. It
has been an awesome feeling to be a part
of each and every event.
My perspective (on the eastern Iowa
gay and lesbian community and its organizations) is amazement and awe. All that
is and that will be is due to all the hard
work of these inspirational people, the
events that they create, and the people
that attend. I can only say thank you,
which doesn’t seem adequate enough for
all you do!
So please, next time you attend an
event and see these people, stop and say
thank you. Don’t take them for granted,
because they are a resource we cannot
be without!
“The activity that is advocated by these TV commercials that are now airing,
in my view, demonstrates … a complete misunderstanding of the role of the
judiciary in our form of government. … The determination was made that it was
not fair to single out that group of people—homosexuals—and deny them the
opportunity to participate in [legal marriage]. … You’re being asked to turn this
retention vote into a referendum on one decision amongst hundreds of thousands
of decisions. That’s not what the retention system is intended to do.”
— Polk County District Court Judge Robert Hanson, September 21, during a
panel discussion at Wartburg College.
OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 33
Queeries LGBT Etiquette by Steven Petrow GLRC is now Cedar Rapids Unity
Teaching Kids of
Gay Parents
Q: I teach fifth grade, and every fall
we study genealogy and create what
are called “family trees.” I have a new
student this year who has two dads, and
I think he’s adopted. How do I handle
this topic appropriately in class?
A: First of all, kudos to you for being
sensitive to this subject—the family tree
project can be a tough one for adopted
children—actually for anyone whose roots
don’t match the classic format, whether
that means kids with
two LGBT parents;
single parents of any
kind; or grandparents
and any other adults
serving as their guardians.
The wisest approach is to discuss the
lesson with the child’s
parents in advance so
you can develop a plan
as partners. In fact,
don’t be surprised if
the dads approach
you directly about
how the larger topic
of how their sexuality
may affect their child
at school. No doubt,
they’re worried about
potential name-calling
or bullying. As for the family tree lesson,
this topic has likely come up for them already, so they may have some good ideas
on how to handle it smoothly. Let the
parents know that you respect their family
structure and want to honor it in a way that
instills pride in their child—which is, after
all, the whole point of the lesson.
Finally, when it comes time to start
the project, do your best to explain to the
entire class that families come in all different shapes and sizes, even presenting some
varied examples that include gay families
and others. And then see where your new
student takes the exercise himself, with
your guidance if necessary.
when it first came into bloom, probably
was not. And you probably knew at 17 that
you were straight, right?
My friends want to
set me up with every
gay guy they know
Q: I moved east about six months
ago as a single guy. While I do happen
to be looking for a boyfriend, I find
it very annoying that every straight
person I’ve met knows one gay man to
set me up with. You
know the drill—the
gay neighbor, the gay
hairdresser, the gay
mechanic, the gay
lawyer. I certainly
appreciate all the
good intentions, but
how do I explain that
just because I am gay
doesn’t mean I want
to be matched up with
every gay man they
know?
A: Hey, be thankful that you have so
many friends who care
enough to try and set
you up. And while another man’s sexual orientation is not enough
to make him the match
of the century, it’s also true that meeting
someone through a friend gives you a leg
up over a chance encounter online or at a
club. Definitely don’t be snarky with your
matchmaker friends. Instead of giving
them the “just because I’m gay” line, ask
questions about the guy: How old? What
line of work? Truly single? Funny? Smart?
Red-headed? Why do you think we might
be interested in each other? Don’t make
it into an inquisition, but find out a little
about the potential date—besides the fact
that he’s gay. If you like what you hear, ask
for an introduction—via email, through a
social media site—or let your friend know
it’s okay to give out your phone number.
And even if you don’t end up going out with
a particular fellow, thank your friend for
trying to help you out. And keep trying.
When someone comes
out to you—especially a
child of yours—keep in
mind that she has given
this matter much thought
and has also put great trust
in you. It’s not likely to
be a “phase,” just as your
own sexuality, when it first
came into bloom, probably
was not. And you probably
knew at 17 that you were
straight, right?
How does my daughter
know she’s gay?
Q: Last week my 17-year-old daughter told me that she’s gay and has a
girlfriend. I think she’s really too young
to fully understand her sexuality and
want to ask her whether this lesbian
relationship is really just a phase. Is
that okay?
A: Not really. This question is usually
posed as a means to deny or object to
someone’s true sexual orientation, and
it can be perceived as either uninformed
or at worst hostile. Even those who may
“questioning” their own identity or experimenting have a right to decide whether
they want to embrace some particular
term or identity (and I’m not suggesting
that’s the case for your daughter). When
someone comes out to you—especially a
child of yours—keep in mind that she has
given this matter much thought and has
also put great trust in you. It’s not likely
to be a “phase,” just as your own sexuality,
Looking for a second date
but don’t want to beg
Q: I had a wonderful evening earlier
in the week with this woman I met in
the neighborhood wine store. The sex
was great, too. I called her a couple of
days later and haven’t heard back. How
many times can I call back before I look
like a loser?
A: Give it one more shot. She may have
lost your number, been out of town, or otherwise been distracted. If she still doesn’t
respond after a second attempt, it’s much
more likely that was a one-night stand and
she’s not interested in a second outing.
Steven Petrow is a past president of the
National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association and writes for the Huffington Post and
The Advocate. He’s also the author of “The
Essential Book of Gay Manners & Etiquette.”
Learn more at www.gaymanners.com
Say goodbye to the Gay and Lesbian
Resource Center of Cedar Rapids. We
have a new board, a new direction and a
new name. Let us introduce you to the
new LGBTQA group, Cedar Rapids Unity
(CRU). Our board consists of the following:
Chair John Karn; Vice-Chair Renee Evans;
Treasurer Rick Smith; Secretary Missy Hall;
Members at Large Miles Hoffnagle, Jennie
Ocken, and Trish Varnum.
In light of the current economic state
for all non-profits, as of October 1, 2010,
CRU will no longer occupy a physical space.
We will still maintain a resource list for the
community through our website, social
networking (look for us on Facebook!)
and referrals.
The new board has been involved with
the Pride Picnic, where we first announced
our name change, as well as the Pride
Football Tournament. We want to thank
everyone who supported us for those two
wonderful events. We especially want to
thank all the Sponsors. We couldn’t do what
we do without you.
Coming, we have many events that we
hope will reunite the community and show
our commitment to our local community
and the entire eastern Iowa community. In
October, we are looking to hold a Progressive Haunted House Bus Trip. We need to
have 40 people sign up for this trip to make
it happen. The date for this event is Saturday, October 23rd. Find more information
at our website, www.cedarrapidsunity.org
where you can also sign up to be included
on the bus trip!
Please join us for a Community
Thanksgiving on Saturday the 20th. This
has been a great event in the past to share
time with your other “family”. It will be at
1:00 at Christ Episcopal Church in Cedar
Rapids in the lower level. Check out the
website for more details. We will be holding our Annual Meeting at 3:00 on that
same day. At this meeting will be giving
a State of the Board Address and electing
Board Members. If you wish to be nominated or have someone to nominate, please
let us know, either on our Facebook page
or through our website at [email protected].
Putting “Unity Back in the Community”
is going to take everyone. Come be part of
this exciting time, help us plan events, tell us
what resources are needed, and let’s make
a new future for all of us… together!
Cedar Rapids Unity Board
ACCESSline Page 34
OCTOBER 2010
OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 35
Annual CAAP Picnic a
Walk in the Park
What FFBC Has Meant To Me,
and Can For You by Ryan Weidner
The flames on the grill, perfect
weather, and the sounds of a united
community ushered in a great day for
the annual Community AIDS Assistance
Project’s picnic held at Exchange Park on
August 29th. Activities included a wide
variety pot-luck and grill out, raffle items,
bag toss, and many other games.
The picnic allows for the entire community to get together and socialize and
raise money for CAAP’s charities. The
picnic this year raised nearly $750 that
will help to support local clients with
much needed items.
The annual picnic is the warm-up
prequel to a season where CAAP board
of directors goes full force getting ready
for the formal benefit in November. The
2010 benefit being held on November
13th is one that will set to outdo last
year’s benefit with a theme based on
“Broadway.”
The benefit show will once again
being held in the Five Sullivan Brothers
Convention Center in downtown Waterloo. This is the 16th year for CAAP and
its charities. A pre-show is scheduled
to be hosted at Kings and Queens Tap in
Waterloo on Friday, November 12th to
kick of the fund raising weekend.
DES MOINES— The 15th Annual
Friends of Iowa Civil Rights, Inc. Award
and Special Recognition Luncheon will
be held from 11:30am to 1:00pm on
Friday, October 29, 2010, in the Diplomat
Room of the Embassy Club at 801 Grand
Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa.
At the luncheon, the Friends of
Iowa Civil Rights, Inc., a non-profit
corporation dedicated to educating
individuals and groups on civil rights
issues and recognizing individuals,
businesses, non-profit organizations
and educational entities that make a
significant contribution to civil rights
in Iowa, will recognize the recipients
of this year’s award.
This year’s Individual winner is Dr.
Nicholas Pace.
This year’s Organization winner is
Youth and Shelter Services, Inc.
To attend this year’s luncheon,
please call 515-225-1051 or e-mail
[email protected] . Cost of the
luncheon is $35.00.
A list of previous award winners can be viewed on our website at
www.iowafriends.org.
The following is a personal account
of how the First Friday Breakfast Club has
impacted my life.
About three years ago I started on the
arduous journey of coming out. It was a
scary time for me, with a spouse and two
young children. Despite the progress that
has been made at this point in history, with
a wife and two kids, at no point in history
is it easy, safe, or fun to come out. Once
we’re comfortably out it can “appear”
easy, but it was anything but easy in the
position in which I found myself!
By chance, an attorney that I had
located through ACCESSline mentioned
Jonathan’s name and also that he was the
president of the FFBC. Jonathan invited
me to attend a meeting as a guest. It still
took several months (over a year) before
I finally considered myself “out”—a
healthy, fully integrated personality for
the first time in my life.
In addition to fearing the worst
with my family, I also feared the worst
when it came to my career success. Then,
there I sat at my first meeting, realizing
that the host of the event, Jonathan, was
a successful attorney. Next to me sat an
Iowa Senator. Someone else mentioned
that there were also two other financial
advisors in the room. I was able to realize
that life “out” would be okay.
I have made so many friends, many
of whom have also introduced me to
others not even in the club. One of those
Friends of Iowa Civil Rights Award
and Special Recognition Luncheon
individuals has become the best friend I
have ever had in my life! I cannot imagine
life without his friendship. We have traveled together on three vacations over the
last few years, seldom does a week go by
that we are not going for dinner, taking
the kids to do something, or chatting over
coffee. I am truly blessed to have a best
friend that I realize I would not have if it
weren’t for the FFBC.
The club has had a huge impact, not
only on my personal life, but also on my
professional growth.
If I could formulate a motto for this
indispensable aspect of the club, it would
be this: “If you are not ‘out’ yet, know that
you are always welcome here, we have
been in your shoes before, and we’ll be
there to support you as a friend when and
as you make the decision to be out.”
ACCESSline Page 36
DIRECTORY NOTICE
The ACCESSline community directory is
updated each issue.
LISTINGS ARE FREE.
Information about new listings must
contain a phone number for publication and a contact (e-mail address,
land address, or website) for our
records. For more information or to
provide corrections, please contact
call (319) 550-0957.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
1705 De Sales St NW, Ste 500
Washington, DC, 20036
www.victoryfund.org.
202-VICTORY [842-8679]
Lord of Life Lutheran
2126 Gable Lane, Ames 50014
Services Sundays at 9:00a.m.; Wed. 7:00pm.
515-233-2350
PFLAG Ames
Youth and Shelter Services Offices
420 Kellogg Ave 1st Floor.
2nd Tuesday, 7pm
www.pflagames.org
515-291-3607
Romantics Pleasure Palace
117 Kellogg Street, Ames, IA 50010-3315
http://www.romantixonline.com
515-232-7717
Stonewall Democrats of Ames
[email protected]
[email protected], or
Terry Lowman, 515-292-3279, or Mary Goodwin 515-292-0352
Human Rights Campaign
National political organization, lobbies
congress for lesbian & gay issues, political
training state and local
www.hrc.org
1-800-777-HRCF[4723]
United Church of Christ-Congregational
6th & Kellogg
Ames, 50010
Sunday Continental Breakfast, 9:00am; Sunday School, 9:30am; Worship, 10:45am.
[email protected].
515-232-9323
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund
I I E. Adams, Suite 1008, Chicago, IL 60603
www.lambdalegal.org
312-663-4413 Fax: 312-663-4307
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
1015 Hyland Ave.
Services: 9am and 11am, Sunday
[email protected] 515-292-5960
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)
1325 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Ste 600, Washington, DC, 20005
www.ngltf.org / taskforce.org
Unity Church of Ames
226 9th St.
Sunday service and Sunday school 10:30am.
Wednesday mediation 6:30pm, class 7:15pm.
www.websyt/unity/ames Daily dial-a-blessing
515-233-1613
National Organization for Women (NOW)
733 15th ST NW, 2nd Floor
Washington, DC 20005
www.now.org 202-628-8669
PFLAG National Offices
1726 M St. NW Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
[email protected] - www.pflag.org
202-467-8180
STATE ORGANIZATIONS
Equality Iowa
P.O. Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125
www.equalityiowa.org
515-537-3126
Faithful Voices
Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality
project. www.faithfulvoices.org
Imperial Court of Iowa
Non-profit fundraising & social, statewide
organization with members from across the
State of Iowa.
PO Box 1491, Des Moines, IA 50306-1491
www.imperialcourtofiowa.org
Iowa Chapter of the National Organization for
Women (NOW)
David Steward, President, IA NOW
1010 Charlotte Ave.
Davenport, IA 52803
Iowa Gay Rodeo Association (IAGRA)
921 Diagonal Rd, Malcom, IA 50157
Iowa PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of
Lesbians and Gay) State Council
PO Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125
www.equalityiowa.org/PFLAG
515-537-3126 or 641-583-2024
Iowa pridenetwork
3839 Merle Hay Rd, Ste. 285
Des Moines, IA 50310
www.iowapridenetwork.org
515-243-1110
LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force
PO Box 1997, Des Moines, 50306
515-243-1221
One Iowa
500 East Locust St, Ste 300
515-288-4019 Fax: 515-244-5846
www.OneIowa.org
Stonewall Democrats of Iowa
5 Creekside Ct Mason City, IA 50401
Contact: Harvey Ross
[email protected]
319-362-3099
Ames
First United Methodist Church
6th & Kellogg
Contemporary worship Sat. 5:30; Sun at 8:30
and 11:00am.
www.fumcames.org.
515-232-2750
Living with HIV Program
126 S. Kellogg, Suite 1
Ask for Janelle (Coordinator)
515-956-3312 ext 106 or
I -800-890-8230
ISU LGBTA Alliance
GLBT Support, Activism, Social Events,
Newsletter
East Student Office L, Memorial Union, ISU
Ames, IA. 50014
[email protected]
http://www.alliance.stuorg.iastate.edu
515-294-2104
Arnolds Park, Okoboji,
Spencer, Spirit Lake
The Royal Wedding Chapel
504 Church Street, Royal, IA 51357
712-933-2223
www.TheRoyalWeddingChapel.com
Wilson Resource Center
An Iowa Great Lakes area gay-owned nonprofit community based organization.
PO Box 486
Arnolds Park IA 51331-0486
[email protected].
712-332-5043
BURLINGTON
Arrowhead Motel
2520 Mount Pleasant St
Burlington, IA 52601-2118
319-752-6353 www.arrowheadia.com
HIV/AIDS Screening @ Des Moines County
Health Department in Burlington
522 N 3rd
By appointment between 8:00am to 4:30
319-753-8217 Confidential
RISQUES IV (adult store)
421 Dry Creek Ave, West Burlington, IA 52601
(319) 753-5455
Sun - Wed 8am-Midnight
Thurs - Sat Open 24 Hours
www.LoversPlayground.com
Steve’s Place
852 Washington St, Burlington
319-752-9109
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Services start at 10:30 am
625 N 6th St, Burlington, IA 52601-5032
(319) 753-1895 - www.uuburlington.org
Cedar Falls - Waterloo
Adult Cinema
315 E 4th St
Waterloo, IA 50703-4703
(319) 234-7459
Black Hawk Co. Health Department
Free HIV testing (donations accepted); MW,
1:00pm to 3:00pm; Thurs, 1:00pm to 4:45pm
1407 Independence Ave. (5th fl)
Waterloo 50703
319-291 -2413
Cedar AIDS Support System (CASS)
Service, support groups & trained volunteers
for persons with HIV/AIDS in Waterloo/CF
call Elizabeth or Karla,
319-272-AIDS(2437). [email protected]
Cedar Valley Counseling Services
Promoting personal growth and development
in a strengths-based environment
Joan E. Farstad, MA, Director.
319-240-4615
www.cvcounseling.com
[email protected].
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry. In
Lutheran Center
2616 College St, Cedar Falls, IA
319-415-5747
[email protected]
www.episcopalcampus.org
All welcome!
Community AIDS Assistance Project (CAAP)
Funding for special personal needs, community projects, and small grants that are
AIDS related.
PO Box 36, Waterloo, IA 50704
LGBTA Support Group at
Hawkeye Community College
Call Carol at 319-296-4014 for time & location
of meeting
[email protected]
Iowa Legal Aid
Free civil legal service available to low income
persons who qualify under income/asset
guidelines.
607 Sycamore, #708, Waterloo, IA 50703
1-800-772-0039 or 319-235-7008
Kings & Queens Tap
304 W. 4th St, Waterloo, IA
www.//myspace.com/kingsandqueensspace
319-232-3001
Romantix Waterloo (Adult Emporium)
1507 La Porte Rd, Waterloo, IA 50702
319-234-9340
http://www.romantixonline.com/
Stellas Guesthouse
324 Summit Ave, Waterloo, IA
Private B&B, Overnight accommodations for
adults only.
319-232-2122
St. Lukes Episcopal Church
2410 Melrose Dr, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
www.st-lukes-episcopal.org
Services: Sunday 8:00 & 10:15, Thurs 11:30
319-277-8520
Together For Youth
233 Vold Dr, Waterloo, IA 50703
www.TogetherForYouth.net
319-274-6768
UNI-LGBTA
Alliance-Student Organization
244A Bartlet Hall, University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls 50613
[email protected]
319-222-0003
United Church of Christ Cedar Falls
9204 University Avenue, Cedar Falls
319-266-9686
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk
County
3912 Cedar Heights Dr, Cedar Falls, IA
319-266-5640
Cedar Rapids/marion
Adult Shop
630 66th Ave SW, 319-362-4939
Adult Shop North
5539 Crane Lane, 319-294-5360
Cedar Rapids Unity
(Formerly GLRC of Cedar Rapids)
Support, social activities.
[email protected], cedarrapidsunity.org or write
to PO Box 1643 Cedar Rapids 52406-1643
Call and leave a message—all calls will be
returned. 319-415-1511
Club Basix
Open 5pm to 2am M-F, Sat & Sun 3pm-2am
3916 1st Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
www.clubbasix.com 319-363-3194
Coe Alliance
Education, activism & fun for GLBTQ and
straight students, staff and people from the
community.
Coe College
1220 First Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
For information contact: [email protected]
or Erica Geers, faculty advisor at
319-861-6025
CSPS Legion Arts Contemporary Arts Center
1103 3rd St. SE
[email protected]
319-364-1580
Faith UMC
1000 30th Street NE, Cedar Rapids, 52402
Pastor Kathy Moore
Sunday services at 11:00am.
www.crfaithumc.org
319-363-8454
Foundation 2 Crisis Counseling
24-hour telephone crisis counseling.
www.f2online.org
1540 2nd Ave. SE Cedar Rapids, IA
319-362-2174 or 800-332-4224
Hamburger Mary’s
222 Glenbrook Dr., Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
319-378-4627
www.hamburgermaryscr.com
www.myspace.com/hamburgermaryscr
Krug Law Firm
6 Hawkeye Drive, Suite 103
North Liberty, IA 52317
319-626-2076
Linn County Public Health
501 13th NW
Free confidential HIV testing,
319-892-6000
Linn County Stonewall Democrats
2nd Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m.
The LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party,
meets at Hamburger Mary’s, 222 Glenbrook
Dr. SE, behind 2nd Wind off of 1st Ave SE
in Cedar Rapids. For more info, contact
linnstonewall@ gmail.com
Rapid AIDS
Grant Wood Area Red Cross
3600 Rockwell Dr NE, Cedar Rapids, 52410
319-393-9579.
People’s Church Unitarian Universalist
A welcoming congregation.
600 Third Avenue SE
11AM Sunday.
319-362-9827
Stonewall Democrats of Linn County
Contact Roy Porterfield
[email protected]
319-362-5281
Tri-ess, Iota Kappa Phi Chapter
P.O. Box 8605, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52408
We are a transgendered organization supporting crossdressers, their families, and friends.
www.yahoo.com/group/Tri-essIotaKappaPhi
www.tri-ess.org, 319-390-6376
E-mail: Georgia [email protected]
E-mail: Judy [email protected]
CLINTON
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clinton
309 30th Avenue North, Clinton, IA 52732
(563) 242-4972 - uuclinton.org
Sunday services at 10:30 (year-round)
Where YOUR spiritual and ethical journey is
welcome! Rev. Ruby Nancy, minister
Council Bluffs,
Omaha(Ne)
AIDS Interfaith Network
100 N. 62nd, Omaha, NE
Call Br. Wm. Woeger
402-558-3100
Broadway Joe’s
3400 W Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
712-256-2243
Citizens For Equal Protection
1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102
www.cfep-ne.org
[email protected]
402-398-3027
Council Bluffs NOW
Write PO Box 3325
Omaha, NE 68103-0325
DC’s Saloon
610 S. 14th St., Omaha, NE
Open everyday 2pm-1am, western/levi/
leather.
402-344-3103
Diamond Bar
712 S. 16th St., Omaha, NE
10am - 1am, M-Sa, closed Sun
402-342-9595
Front Runners/Front Walkers
Walking/jogging club.
P.O. Box 4583, Omaha, NE 68104
402-496-3658.
Gilligan’s Pub and Grill
1407 Harney, Omaha, NE
Everyday 4pm-1am.
Friday and Sat. After hours 12-4am
402-449-9147
GLBT Rainbow Outreach Omaha
Serving GLBT community in eastern
Nebraska and western Iowa. Excellent message and info. Also office for Imperial court
of Nebraska.
1719 Leavenworth St, Omaha, NE
www.rocc.org
402-341-0330
Heartland Gay Rodeo Association (HGRA)
(Midwest Division of the International Gay
Rodeo Association)
PO Box 3354, Omaha, NE 68103
www.hgra.net - 402-203-4680
HGRA serves both Iowa and Nebraska
Imperial Court of Nebraska
402-556-9907
L.E.O. (Leather Engineers of Omaha)
Educational-social group for Gay Men with
interest in Leather Lifestyle. Meets 2nd Saturday at Gilligan’s Pub at 7:00pm.
L.E.O. PO Box 8101 Omaha, NE 68108.
The Max
1417 Jackson at 15th, Omaha, NE 68102
6 bars in 1 402-346-4110
MCC Omaha
819 South 22nd
Sun 9 & 11 am
Wednesday “ReCharge” Worship, Wed 7pm
402-345-2563
PFLAG Omaha
Mead Hall, First United Methodist Church
7020 Cass St. (Omaha)
2nd Thursday, 7, 6:30 Social time
402-291-6781
River City Mixed Chorus
Gay/lesbian chorus
PO Box 3267
Omaha, NE 68103
Call Stan Brown, marketing
402-341-7464.
OCTOBER 2010
Romantix Council Bluffs (North)
(Adult Emporium)
3216 1st Ave.
Council Bluffs, IA 51501-3353
515-955-9756
Tri-ess Chapter, Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter
Omaha, NE 68107
We are a transgendered organization supporting crossdressers, their families, and friends.
www.tri-ess.org, 402-960-9696
E-mail: Judy [email protected]
Romantix Council Bluffs (South)
(Romantix After Dark)
50662 189th St, Council Bluffs, Ia 51503
712-366-1764
Youth Support Group for GLBT
Youth 13-21, meets twice monthly.
Omaha, NE
402-291- 6781.
Decorah
Decorah Human Rights Commission
Contact: City Clerk
400 Clairborne Dr, Decorah
563-382-3651
Meetings: First Tuesdays, 5:30pm
Luther College Student Congregation
Contact Office for College Ministry
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101
563-387-1040.
PFLAG Northeast IA (Waukon/Decorah)
First Lutheran Church
604 W Broadway St, Decorah, IA
Meetings: 4th Mondays, 7pm-9pm
in the Fellowship Hall
Call Jean @ 563-535-7680
PRIDE Luther College Diversity Center,
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101
Contact Chris at 563-387-2145 or Melanie at
563-387-1273
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Meets alternating Sundays at 10:30am,
Decorah Senior Center
806 River St
Call Bill at 563-382-3458.
Des Moines
AIDS Project of Central Iowa
Free HIV testing, prevention supplies, care
services, food pantry, information.
711 E. 2nd, Des Moines, IA 50309
515-284-0245
Blazing Saddle
416 E 5th St
www.theblazingsaddle.com
515-246-1299
Buddies Corral
418 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA
515-244-7140
The CENTER
1300 Locust
The new LGBT and progressive place to be.
[email protected]
Facebook: The CENTER & Equality Iowa
www.equalityiowa.org
515-243-0313
Church of the Holy Spirit-MCC
Pastor Pat Esperanza
Sunday service 10:30am at the
1st Christian Church
2500 University, Des Moines
[email protected]
515-287-9787.
Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus
515-953-1540
PO Box 12269, Des Moines, IA 50312
[email protected]
www.dmgmc.org.
Family Practice Center
Safe, supportive LGBT health care.
200 Army Post Road, Ste 26
www.ppgi.org
515-953-7560
First Friday Breakfast Club
Educational breakfast club for gay/bisexual
men. Meets first Friday of each month.
Contact Jonathan Wilson for meeting topic
and place.
[email protected]
515-288-2500
First Unitarian Church
1800 Bell Avenue
Services Sundays at 9:30 & 11am
515-244-8603
The Gallery (adult store)
1000 Cherry St
Des Moines, IA 50309-4227
(515) 244-2916 Open 24 Hours
www.LoversPlayground.com
The Garden
112 SE 4th Des Moines, IA
515-243-3965
Wed-Sun. 8pm-2am www.grdn.com
Gay & Lesbian AA & AI-Anonymous
Mon. 7 pm; Tues. - Thurs. 6 pm; Sat. 5:30
pm at Drake Ministries in Ed. Bldg. 28th &
University
OCTOBER 2010
Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee
4211 Grand Avenue, Level-3
515-277-1117
Urbandale UCC
An open & affirming congregation.
3530 70th St., Urbandale, IA 50322
515-276-0625.
Iowa Affirmation
Lesbian/Gay United Methodist
Thoreau Center, 35th & Kingman Blvd. Write
Affirmation
PO Box 1726, Des Moines, IA 50309
Walnut Hills UMC
Join us at 8:30 or 10:30am for Sunday worship. Sunday classes and group studies are
at 9:30am.
12321 Hickman Rd.
Urbandale, IA 50323
515-270-9226.
Java Joe’s
Gay friendly
214 4th St.
515-288-5282
Lavender Victory Fund
Financial assistance for women in need for
medical emergencies.
700 Rose Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315
Contact Bonnie at 515-244-7946
Le Boi Bar
508 Indianola Rd, Des Moines, IA
Liberty Gifts
333 E. Grand Ave., Loft 105, Des Moines, IA
Gay owned specialty clothing, jewelry, home
decor.
Libertygiftsonline.com
515-508-0825
MINX Show Palace
1510 N.E. Broadway
Open 9am - 2am, M-Th; 9am - 4am, F-Sat.
10am -9pm Sun.
515-266-2744
National Association of Social Workers (NOW)
(Nat’1 Organization of Women in Des Moines)
http://www.meetup.com/locale/us/ia/desmoines
North Star Gay Rodeo Association of IGRA,
Iowa Division of North Star NSGRA@
NSGRA.org or
612-82RODEO
Rainbow Union, Drake University
Contact Sara Graham
[email protected]
PFLAG Des Moines
515-537-3126 or write
3520 Grand Ave #51, Des Moines, IA 50312
Plymouth Congregational UCC
Church and the Plymouth GLBT Community
4126 Ingersoll Ave.
515-255-3149
Services at 5:30pm Sat, 9am & I lam Sunday.
www.PlymouthGLBT.com
Polk County Health Department
Free STD, HIV, and Hepatitis B & C testing.
HIV. Rapid testing also offered.
1907 Carpenter, Des Moines, IA
515-286-3798.
Raccoon River Resort
Accommodations for men, women, or
mixed in campgrounds, lodge, Teepees or
Treehouses. Reservations: 515-996-2829 or
515-279-7312
Ritual Café
On 13th between Grand and Locust.
[email protected]
Gay owned great music, awesome food and
coffee.
515-288-4872
Romantix North Des Moines Iowa (Bachelor’s
Library)
2020 E. Euclid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317
www.romantixonline.com 515-266-7992
Westminster Presbyterian Church
4114 Allison Ave.
www.westpres.org
Sunday services 8:45 and 11am. Of note is
their Gay Lesbian Straight Affirmation small
group ministry. 515-274-1534
Word of God Ministries
Join us at 3:30 for Sunday Worship at
3120 E. 24th St, Des Moines, IA
Mailing address:
PO Box 4396, Des Moines IA 50333
515-276-6614
Women’s Culture Collective (WCC)
A lesbian social group.
Des Moines, IA
www.iowawcc.org
Zanzibar’s Coffee Adventure
Open daily. Gay-friendly
2723 Ingersoll, Des Moines, IA
515-244-7694.
Dubuque
Adult Warehouse
975 Jackson St., Dubuque, IA
563-588-9184.
The Q
920 Main Street, Dubuque, IA
Open Mon - Sun, 7pm to 2am.
www.myspace.com/qbar_dbq
563-557-7375
Dubuque Friends Worship Group (Quakers)
Tired of being rejected by your church?
Tired of following church pronouncements
that smack of homophobia? Join us at an
unprogrammed meeting on Sunday at 10am.
Open and Affirming
St. Mark’s Community Center
1201 Locust Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001
563-556-3685 for info and directions
Dubuque Pride
Monthly social group, meeting for meal and
conversation.
www.dubuquepride.org
Dubuque Regional AIDS Coalition
Direct services, education. HIV+/AIDS support
group and family/friends support group. Contact Kay Auderer or Connie Sprimont, Mercy
Health Center. 563-589-9606.
PFLAG Dubuque
St. John’s Lutheran Church
1276 White St.
3rd Thursday, 7pm 563-582-9388
Q Bar
920 Main St, Dubuque, IA, 52001
563-557-7375
The only gay owned & operated All Lifestyle
Bar and Dance Club in the Tri-State area
www.facebook.com/qbar.dubuque
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dubuque
1699 Iowa St., Dubuque, IA
“The uncommon denomination.” Adult religious education meets Sunday at 9am before
general services at 10am.
www.uuf-dbq.org. 563-583-9910
Fort Dodge
Romantix
1401 E. Army Post Rd.
Des Moines IA 50320-1809
http://www.romantixonline.com/
515-256-1102
Romantix Fort Dodge (Mini Cinema)
15 N. 5th St, Fort Dodge, IA 50501-3801
SOFFA Iowa (Significant Others Family
Friends and Allies of people who fall under the
Gender Variant umbrella)
Monthly meetings held at
The CENTER, 1300 Locust
contact Jaye at: (515)779-5185
[email protected]
Saints Ephrem & Macrina
Orthodox Mission. Welcoming worship in
the Eastern Christian liturgical tradition.
Sunday services at 10am. (Affiliated with the
Orthodox-Catholic Church of America.)
1226 Broad Street, Grinnell, IA
641-236-0936
Spouses of Lesbians & Gays
Contact Ruth Schanke,
515-277-3700
Stonewall Resource Center
Open 4:30pm to 11:30pm, Sun through Thurs
and by Appointment.
Grinnell College
1210 Park Street
PO Box B-1, Grinnell, IA, 50112
St. John’s Lutheran Church
600 6th Ave
“A Church for All People.”
Services Sat 5pm, Sun 7:45, 8:45 & 11am.
See web page for other services.
515-243-7691
www.stjohnsdsm.org
TransformationsIOWA
Monthly meetings for the female to male,
male to female, transgender community,
cross dressers, gender queer, questioning,
and their significant others. For location
and info, email Jayden at
[email protected]
or call 515-779-5187
Trinity United Methodist Church
1548 Eighth Street
Services Sundays at 10a.m.
515-288-4056
Grinnell
INDIANOLA
Crossroads United Church of Christ (UCC)
An Open & affirming congregation. Services:
Sunday 10:30am, Summer worship: June,
July, Aug, @ 9:30 am, worshiping in the
Lounge at Smith Chapel, Simpson College,
corner of Buxton and Clinton. Mailing address:
P.O. Box 811, Indianola, IA 50125
515-961-9370.
Iowa City
AA (GLBT)
Meetings Sundays 5 - 6pm at First Baptist
Church, 500 North Clinton Street. For more
info, call IC Intergroup Answering Service,
319-338-9111
Congregational Church UCC
An Open and Affirming Congregation
Sunday Worship 9:15am (July & August)
30 N. Clinton St. (across from Ul Pentacrest)
319-337-4301 - www.uiccic.org
Counseling Clinic
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sensitive and supportive counseling for individuals,
couples, families and groups. Sliding Fee.
505 E Washington St., Iowa City, IA 52240
319-354-6238
Counseling and Health Center
Client-centered therapy.
Les-Bi-Gay-Trans always welcome.
616 Bloomington St, Iowa City, IA
319-337-6998
Crisis Center
1121 Gilbert Court, Iowa City, 52240
319-351-0140
Emma Goldman Clinic
227 N. Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52245
319-337-2111or 1-800-848-7684.
Faith United Church of Christ
1609 De Forest Street, Iowa City, IA
Services Sundays at 9:30am
319-338-5238
GLBTAU-U of l
Student support system and resource center,
info, activism, events, and other community
involvements.
203 IMU, University of IA
Iowa City, IA 52242-1317
[email protected]
319-335-3251 (voice mail)
Hope United Methodist Church
Worship Service at 9:30am.
2929 E. Court St., Iowa City, IA
Contact Rev. Sherry Lohman. 319-338-9865
Human Rights Commission
(City of Iowa City Human Rights Commission)
319-356-5022; 391-356-5015; 319-356-5014
Fax 319-887-6213
[email protected]
ICARE
(Iowa Center for AIDS Resources & Education)
Practical & emotional support, youth
programs, information, referrals and support
groups.
3211 E 1st Iowa City, IA 52240-4703
319-338-2135
Iowa City Free Medical Clinic
Free & strictly confidential HIV Testing.
2440 Towncrest Dr Iowa City,
Call for appointment 319-337-4459
Iowa City NOW
PO Box 2944, Iowa City, IA 52244
for information & meeting times/places
Iowa Women’s Music Festival
P.O. Box 3411, Iowa City, IA 52244
319-335-1486
Krug Law Firm
6 Hawkeye Drive, Suite 103
North Liberty, IA 52317
319-626-2076
Men Supporting Men
HIV prevention program exploring issues that
gay/bisexual men deal with on a daily basis.
Discussion Groups, Educational Series, Safer
Sex Workshops, Book Club. Contact Andy
Weigel, email:
[email protected]
319-356-6038, Ext 2
New Song Episcopal Church
912 20th Ave, Coralville, IA
Sunday services at 10am.
Rev. Elizabeth Coulter, Pastor
Rev. John Harper, Associate.
319-351-3577
Pride Committee
WRAC
130 N. Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242
Bridget Malone - 319-338-0512
Charles Howes - 319-335-1486.
Romantix Iowa City
(Pleasure Palace I)
315 Kirkwood Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240-4722
www.romantixonline.com 319-351-9444
Studio 13
13 S. Linn St. (in the Alley)
Iowa City, IA
Open 7pm ‘til 2am, daily 319-338-7145
Thich Nhat Hanh based
“Mindfulness” meditation and study group
Iowa City Public Library, Sundays 1 to 2:30pm
Usually Room E
319-354-4065
U of I Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
Staff & Faculty Association
c/o WRAC
319-335-1486
Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City
Inclusive and free religious community
nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth and
fostering ethical and social responsibility.
10 S. Gilbert, Iowa City, IA
Sunday services: 9:30am & 11:15am.
www.uusic.org 319-337-3443
United Action for Youth (UAY)
A GLBTQA youth group providing support and
counseling for teenagers and young adults
processing sexual identity issues. Meets
Mondays 7-9pm at UAY
410 Iowa Ave. Iowa City, IA
319-338-7518 or Teen Line,
319-338-0559.
The Ursine Group
Bear Events in the Midwest.
PO Box 1143, Iowa City, IA 52244-1143
319-338-5810
Vortex Gifts
211 E. Washington, downtown Iowa City
319-337-3434
Women’s Resource Action Center (WRAC)
Leads & collaborates on projects that serve U
of l and the greater community, offers social
& support services, including LGBT Coming
Out Group.
University of Iowa
319-335-1486
Marshalltown
Adult Odyssey (Adult Video Store)
907 Iowa Ave E - 641-752-6550
Domestic Violence Alternatives/
Sexual Assault Center, Inc.
24 hour Crisis Line: 641-753-3513 or (instate
only) 800-779-3512
MASON CITY
Cerro Gordo County Dept. of Public Health
22 N. Georgia Ave, Ste 300
Mason City, IA 50401.
Free confidential AIDS testing. 641-421-9306
PFLAG North Iowa Chapter
1st Presbyterian Church
100 S. Pierce.
1st/ 2nd Monday (alternating), 7pm
641-583-2848
Mount Vernon
Alliance Cornell College
810 Commons Cir # 2035
[email protected]
www.cornellcollege.edu/alliance
Contact person: Glynnis 319-895-5874
NEWTON
PFLAG Newton
UCC Church, 308 E 2nd St N
3rd Thursday, 7pm
641-521-7436
Pella
Common Ground (Central College)
Support group for GLBT students and allies.
Contact: Brandyn Woodard, Director of
Intercultural Life
Quad Cities
AIDS Project Quad Cities
Info, education & support. Ste 360
1351 Central Park West
Davenport, IA 52804 563-421-4266
Augie’s Tap
313 20th St, Rock Island (IL)
Noon - 3am daily. 309-788-7389
Black Hawk College Unity Alliance
Serving GLBT community at
Black Hawk College.
6600 34th Ave, Rock Island, IL
309-716-0542.
Connections Nightclub
822 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA 52802
563-322-1121
DeLaCerda House
Provides housing and supportive services,
advocacy and referrals for people living with
HIV/AIDS.
P.O. Box 4551, Rock Island, Il. 61201
309-786-7386.
The Hole-In-The-Wall
A Private Membership Men’s Club
Located 3 miles east of Galesburg, IL
just north of I-74 at Exit 51
309-289-2375
www.HoleInTheWallMensClub.org
Holy Spirit Catholic Faith Community
Meets one Sunday per month for Mass at
6:30pm at MCC-QC
3019 N. Harrison St, Davenport, IA
Mailing: PO Box 192 East Moline, IL 61244
For more info, call 309-278-3359
Mary’s On 2nd
832 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA
563-884-8014.
MCC Quad Cities - Svcs Sat 5pm, Sun 11am
Bible study Wed 7pm
3019 N Harrison, Davenport, IA 52803
Call 563-324-8281.
Men’s Coming Out/Being Out Group
Meets 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7pm.
[email protected]
309-786-2580
ACCESSline Page 37
PFLAG Quad Cities
Eldridge United Methodist Church
604 S.2nd St., (Eldridge)
1st Monday, 6:30 pm
563-285-4173
Prism (Augustana College)
Augustana Gay-Straight Alliance
Augustana Library
639 38th St, Rock Island, IL
Contact Tom Bengston
309-794-7406
Quad Citians Affirming Diversity (QCAD) Social & support groups for lesbian, bi, and gay
teens, adults, friends & families; newsletter.
309-786-2580
Community Center located at
1608 2nd Ave, Rock Island.
Quad Cities Pride Chorus.
At the MCC Church in D’port, 7pm Wed.
[email protected]
Call Don at 563-324-0215
Rainbow Gifts
www.rainbowgifts.net
309-764-0559
T.R. Video
Adult books & video
3727 Hickory Grove Rd, Davenport, IA
563-386-7914.
Venus News (Adult)
902 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA
563-322-7576
SHENANDOAH
PFLAG Shenandoah
712-899-2743
Sioux City
Am. Business & Professional Guild. Gay
Businessmen.
Meets last Sat. of the month; ABPG
P. O. BOX 72, Sioux City, 51102
[email protected]
Grace United Methodist Church
1735 Morningside Avenue
712-276-3452.
Jones Street Station (Bar)
412 Jones St.
Nightly 6:00pm to 2:00am.
712-258-6922
Mayflower Congregational Church.
1407 West 18th Street
Call 712-258-8278.
Morningside College Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual
Alliance
Contact Professor Gail Dooley, Advisor
Morningside College GSA
1501 Morningside Ave.
Sioux City, IA 51106-1717
[email protected]
712-274-5208
PFLAG Siouxland
PO Box 1311, Sioux City, IA 51102
[email protected]
Romantix Sioux City
(Adult Emporium)
511 Pearl St, Sioux City, IA 51101-1217
712-277-8566
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Service Sun 10:30am
406 12th St, Waverly, IA
Rev Mary Christopher 712-258-0141
Western Iowa Tech. GSA
[email protected] for info.
Zaner’s Bar
3103 N Hwy 75, Sioux City, IA 51105
Monthly drag shows & events; hometown bar
for Imperial Court of Iowa’s Western Chapter
[email protected]
712-277-9575
Waverly
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry.
717 W. Bremer, (St. Andrew’s Episcopal)
Waverly, IA
www.episcoplcampus.org
319-415-5747
Gay, Lesbian Bisexual Student Alliance
Wartburg College, Waverly, IA 50677
Contact Susan Vallem
319-352-8250
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
717 W. Bremer
We welcome all to worship with us on Sunday
at 10:30 am. Bible discussion Wed. 6:45pm
Rev. Maureen Doherty, Pastor 319-352-1489
ACCESSline Page 38
Kicking Off the Year with CONNECTIONS
A new semester. Football. Chilly—or
at least less than tropical—temperatures.
There are many signs of fall in Iowa City,
and for the past five years the social and
educational organization Connections
has been marking the season with their
annual Kickoff. An opportunity for a
wide variety of local service providers,
including GLBT-owned and -friendly businesses, to make themselves known to the
queer community, the event also fosters a
welcoming atmosphere encouraging that
community to renew old connections and
create new ones.
Referred to fondly by Connections
Vice-President Bridget Malone as The
Big Gay Expo, the Kickoff has a history
of packing a wide variety of vendors into
the hotelVetro downtown.
Areas represented range from
medical services (MECCA, Emma Goldman Clinic) to the arts (The Quire, Iowa
Women’s Music Festival) and sports (Old
Capitol Roller Girls), in addition to many
local GLBT organizations (regional Prides,
UI, Kirkwood, and high school alliances).
Political candidates, individual artists,
and an occasional drag queen or king also
attend to publicize their endeavors and
get to know their audience.
The Kickoff is the premiere event on
Connections’ calendar but not its only
activity. The group sponsors memberrun small interest groups like the Moto
Posse and the Rainbow Reading Group,
and also holds monthly forums (with
summers off after Pride) with speakers
Jill Jack, Diane Finnerty, Laurie Haag at a Connections forum. Photo: Doug Brenner
and discussion of GLBT issues such as
marriage and relationships, finances,
religion, art, and politics.
Malone reports that the Connections
Board is currently forming a subcommittee to facilitate the logistics and content
of the monthly forum, making now the
perfect time to get involved in the upcoming year’s program.
Dr. Kristin Sturdevant, of Tem’enos
Holistic Therapies, is new to the Kickoff
but enthusiastic about the opportunity
to support Connections’ mission to foster
a proud and inclusive community. As
a counselor, she knows that “everyone
wants to be accepted -- and Connections
does that.”
What: The Connections Annual Fall
Kickoff. When: Tuesday October 5th,
2010 from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Where: the
hotelVetro on the downtown pedestrian
mall. The event is free, with a cash bar;
further information can be found at
www.queerconnections.org.
OCTOBER 2010
“Doesn’t ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell’ seem to be backwards?
Doesn’t it seem to you
we should send home the
prejudice? The straight
soldier who hates the gay
soldier, whose performance
is affected because he is
homophobic? He holds and
harbors hate and he gets to
stay and fight for our country? We gay soldiers, who
harbor no hate, no phobia,
are sent home … I’d like to
propose a new law, a law
that sends home the soldier
that has the problem. Our
new law is called ‘If you don’t
like it, go home.’”
—Lady Gaga during her
speech at a Portland,
Maine DADT protest on
September 20.
OCTOBER 2010
ACCESSline Page 39
TICKETS $20 IN ADVANCE / $25 AT THE DOOR
VISIT AIDSPROJECTCI.ORG/BENEFIT FOR MORE INFO
A FUNDRAISER FOR THE AIDS PROJECT OF CENTRAL IOWA

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