May - First City Network

Transcription

NETWORK
NEWS
V O L U M E 2 4 I S S U E 8 - M AY 2 0 1 0
THE C O A S T A L E M P I R E
LGBT C O M M U N I T Y N E W S
A F I R ST CI T Y N E T W OR K P R O D U C T I O N
B!^&% I’m Pissed -
p.8
Sordied Lives - p.9
Slowvannah - Paradise for Lesbian Lateness - p.14
Come Out, Come Out Wherever you are Pt6 - p.22
Obama’s LGBT Report Card - p.24
Media Changing Gay Activism - p.30
NETWORK NEWS
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Distribution
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The Community
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Travis Sawyer
Hank Reineking
The Community
FIRST CITY NETWORK - Board Officers
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Carolyn Bowden
Jake Phillips
Elisabeth Edge
Ken Barthels
FCN BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Don Callahan
James Dowling
Mark Krueger
Ron Melander
Nicole Oretsky
SATURDAY
SOCIAL
Hosted By:
Gus and Dale
May 1, 2010
7:30pm - 10pm
Marshview Clubhouse
Whitemarsh Island
912-898-1757
Hank Reineking
Eugene N. Wilson
Billy Wooten
Spencer Wulwick
LESBIAN
POTLUCK
Hosted by:
?????
May ?, 2010
7:30pm - 10pm
????
????
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NETWORK NEWS - First City Network - 912.236.CITY - firstcitynetwork.net - 3
the
SAVANNAH GAY GUIDE
SUPPORT GAY-FRIENDLY BUSINESS - TELL THEM YOU FOUND THEM IN THE FCN NETWORK NEWS
ARCHITECT
Daniel Snyder. Member A.I.A.
216 East Gaston St.
(912) 238-0410
BOOKS & VIDEOS
Home Run Video & News
4 East Liberty St
(912) 236-5192
CEREMONIES
Ceremonies Plus – Teri Joseph
(912) 667-3119
[email protected]
COLLEGE ORGANIZATIONS
AASU Gay Straight Alliance
Apple PH 706-910-6426
[email protected]
Georgia Southern University
Multicultural Student Center Gay Straight Alliance
Contact Person: Laura Cahill
912 531 8326 [email protected]
Savannah College of Art & Design
Queer & Allies (Q&A)
(912) 525-6729
Contact Person(s):
Krista Haberson (Faculty)
[email protected]
Colleen Mattis (VP of Q&A)
[email protected]
COUNSELING & PSYCHOTHERAPY
Ellen Farrell LPC, EEMCP
Holistic Psychotherapy
6203 Abercorn St. #108
(912) 247-4263,
www.ellenfarrell.com
Braswell Gamble, LPC
23 East 38th St.
(912) 231-8429
Sarah Holmes, Ph.D.
23 East 38th St.
(912) 233-7304
Duke Miles, LCSW Psychotherapy
23 E 38th St..
(912) 233-1312
Nancy Wallace, LCSW
23 East 38th St.
(912) 447-0230
Martha Womack, PhD. Psychologist.
23 East 38th St.
(912) 447-5660 / fax (912) 447-5661
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Brouillette, Cowan & Glenn, Inc.
1 Oglethorpe Pro Bldg, Ste 102
(912) 354-2262
Dawn Phaneuf
(912) 398-2800
[email protected]
Mitchell Bush
340 Eisenhower Dr. 300 Ste A
(912) 356-0266 ext. 106
FUNERAL SERVICES
Adams Funeral Services
510 Stephenson Ave.
(912) 354-6260
(912) 354-6261
HOME REPAIR/CLEANING CONT.
SPARKLING HOUSE CLEANING
ASIAN STYLE
High quality house cleaning
Reasonable rates, no job too small
Call Kamon or Michael
for more information
(912) 257 6587
GOURMET FOOD & MORE
Brighter Day Natural Foods
Organic foods, books,
herbs, health supplies, etc.
1102 Bull St.,
(912) 236-4703
Thrive Carryout Cafe
4700 Highway 80 E
Whitemarsh (912) 898-2131
INSURANCE AGENCY
Bush Insurance Agency.
340 Eisenhower Dr. Bldg 300 Ste A or
1554 Hwy 80 in Pooler
(912) 356-0266.
LEGAL SERVICES
Robert W. Bush.
P.O. Box 8432.
(912) 651-2180 / (912) 231-9906.
HAIR SALONS
Designs 804 Salon.
210 East Park Ave.
(912) 201-0070
Christopher’s Hair Salon
529 E Gordon St.
(912) 234-7070
HEALTH/HUMAN SERVICES
Assisted Recovery Center of Ga.
7722 Waters Ave
(912) 352-2425 or (888) 570-6391
Georgia Legal Services
Bill Broker
6602 Abercorn Street
(912) 651-2180.
LODGING
912 Barnard Victorian B&B.
(912) 234-9121
NIGHTLIFE
Blaine’s Backdoor Bar
13 E. Perry Ln.
(912) 233-6765
My Brothaz Home Inc.
HIV/AIDS support
services for Everyone
2111 Price St.
(912) 231-8727 / fax (912) 231-8730
Chuck’s Bar
301 West River St.
(912) 232-1005.
Stand Out Youth
Every Friday at 7 pm
307 East Harris St.
(912) 657-1966
HIV Services.
Chatham CARE Center
107 B Fahm St.
(912) 651-2253
Hospice Savannah Inc.
Homecare and Hospice House; grief support services.
1352 Eisenhower Dr.
(912) 355-2289
Union Mission Phoenix Project.
HIV housing and support.
120 Fahm St.
(912) 231-0123
HIV/AIDS LEGAL PROJECT
Free legal services to HIV+ who meet income guides.
10 Whitaker St.
(912)651-2180
HOME REPAIR/CLEANING
II Davy LLC Home Repair Service
(912) 303-0363
I’m Fixin Too ! LLC
(912) 398-2800
Free Estimates. Call Today!
4 - NETWORK NEWS - First City Network - 912.236.CITY - firstcitynetwork.net
Club One Jefferson
(Home of The Lady Chablis)
1 Jefferson St.
(912) 232-0200
PRINTING/DESIGN
Creative Approach
306 Jefferson Street
acreativeapproach.com
(912) 233-8300
Advice Guys
Web Design & Business Services
(912) 228-3612
adviceguys.us
REAL ESTATE & MORTGAGE
Coastal Real Estate Group
Roy Hill & John Giles
315 E Liberty St.
(912) 233-5900
Donald Callahan
Keller-Williams
3 Oglethorpe Prof Bldg.
(912) 441-4416
Richard A. Gourley, Assoc Bkr.
Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners
(912) 713-5546
www.richardgourley.com
RESTAURANTS
The Bay Cafe
301 W. Bay St.
(912) 232-6953
Smooth
143 Bull St.
(912) 231-8100
Wright Square Café
21 West York St.
(912) 238-1150
WORSHIP SERVICES
Save-A-Life
Julie - (912) 354-7357
Asbury Memorial
United Methodist Church.
1008 East Henry St.
(912) 233-4351
TailsSpin
4501 Habersham St.
(912) 691-8788
TailsSpin.com
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church
2716 Mechanics Ave.
(912) 354-6815
the-friendly-church.org
PET SERVICES
PHYSICAL THERAPY
Skidaway Family Chiropractic Center.
5704 Skidaway Rd.
(912) 356-5886.
Small World Therapeutic Massage
Brantley Moate NCTM, NMT, CMT, LMT
Whitemarsh Island - next to Jalapenos
(912) 897-7979
Hinesville Spa - Hinesville GA
110 E MLK Dr. Ste. 2A
(912) 878-2206
POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Georgia Equality Savannah Chapter
106 W. 38th St.
(912) 944-0996
PRIDE ORGANIZATIONS
Savannah Pride Inc.
savannahgapride.org
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
34th and Abercorn - Savannah
(912) 232-0274
Unitarian Universalist Church
313 E Harris St
(912) 234-0980.
Unity Church of Savannah
2320 Sunset Blvd.
(912) 355-4704.
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
of Statesboro
www.uustatesboro.org
609 East Grady Street
(912) 489-8338
CLASSIFIEDS and EVENTS
G A Y
G U I D E
C O N T I N U E D . . .
FREE - EMAIL [email protected] FOR PLACEMENT BEFORE THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH
SATURDAY
SOCIAL
COMMUNITY ART|OPEN STUDIO
nineonetwo 114 East 40th Street
nineonetwo.org
--------------------------------------SAVANNAH PRIDE EVENTS
Hosted By:
Gus and Dale
- May 2nd - Brunch
Sol - 1611 Habersham Street
11am - 2pm
More info on p. 17
May 1, 2010
7:30pm - 10pm
--------------------------------------ENJOY A GETAWAY
TO TYBEE ISLAND
Marshview Clubhouse
Whitemarsh Island
Classic Tybee Efficiency Apartments
for rent by the week or weekend.
Three apartments to choose from.
300 for a weekend (Friday – Sunday)
500 for a week (Monday – Sunday)
Includes:
FREE WIFI – Kitchenette – Grill –
Backyard – you just bring the fun.
Call Pat at 912.786.0776
912-898-1757
LESBIAN
POTLUCK
Hosted by:
?????
May ?, 2010
7:30pm - 10pm
????
????
FIRST CITY NETWORK
Board Meetings
Open to the Public
First Monday of Every Month
6:30pm
307 East Harris St. - Third Floor
Come One Come All
STAND OUT YOUTH
The Board is currently discussing
a New Schedule for Meetings.
307 East Harris St. - Third Floor
SAVANNAH PRIDE BOARD
First Tuesday of the month at 7 pm
307 E Harris St. Third Floor
For more information...
See below for more information
Go to www.FirstCityNetwork.net
for up to date information regarding
The Socials and Potlucks
GLBT HELPING OTHERS
The GLBTQ students of Armstrong Atlantic State University will be
organizing a volunteer day for the GLBTQ Savannah community. The
project chosen is the Special Olympics to be held on April 21st here
in Savannah.
If you are interested please call Jesse Morgan at: 912-690-2714.
Details to come. This is a great cause and we have the opportunity to
make a great impact here in our community. Come join in on the fun.
If you need more information, please call the above number. We are
hoping to get a HUGE turnout for this event. So, if you think anything
else is needed please do not hesitate to call.
Another way you can help!!!
Many of our members do not have the time to serve on a committee
or run for the board, but there are other ways you can help our organization. We can use in-store discount coupons for any of the office
supply businesses, Office Max, Office Depot, or Staples.
Every month we buy envelopes for our bulk mail distribution of The
Network News; when we have a coupon that provides $10 off a $20
purchase, or $15 off a $50 purchase, we save money that can be
used for other member services. If you have access to coupons like
these, mail them to FCN; we can definitely use them!
Directions to the Saturday Social
Head east on Victory Dr. (HWY 80)
as if you were going to Tybee Beach.
Stay on Victory Dr. past the first Johnny Mercer Dr.
Turn RIGHT on BRIAN WOODS Dr.
Proceed approximately 1/2 mile.
Turn LEFT into gated community MARSH HARBOR.
Once inside gate turn RIGHT then take first LEFT,
The Clubhouse is directly in front of you.
First City Network
MEMBERSHIP & SUBSCRIPTION
Mail your completed form with payment to:
First City Network
PO Box 2442
Savannah, GA 31402-2442
$100 Corporate $40
Family/Couple $25 Individual You can also become a member online at: firstcitynetwork.net
Name(s)
Address
City/State/Zip
Email
Local clients include: Wanda Brooks Realty, Blaine’s Bar, Michael DeCook Antiques.
International clients include: DJ Phillip Kimball, Bellagio Las Vegas, Royal Caribbean Intl.
PRESIDENT OF DUKE COLLEGE
REPUBLICANS FORCED OUT
AFTER FELLOW STUDENTS
DISCOVER HE’S GAY
Armstrong Gay/Straight Alliance
Supports the Special Olympics
By Jesse Morgan
Armstrong Atlantic State University Gay-Straight Alliance will be
hosting a volunteer team for the Special Olympics event in Savannah.
The Special Olympics provides athletic events for those with intellectual disabilities to celebrate and be celebrated. The Special Olympics
of Georgia is very excited to welcome with open arms volunteers from
the LGBTQ Savannah community. As LGBTQ citizens of Savannah,
we have the opportunity to shine as a community in benefiting a truly
remarkable organization.
By Andy Towle
Justin Robinette, the Chairman of the College Republicans at Duke
University, was impeached last week for “conduct unbecoming of a
person in a position of leadership” according to the Daily Tarheel.
The paper reports: “Carter Boyle, the new chairman of the chapter,
said Robinette disrespected members of the board, deliberately ignored members of UNC’s College Republicans, did not attend events
and used the organization’s funds for personal use.”
B!^&%,
I’m Pissed
By Jesse Morgan
My name is Jesse Morgan and I am an out gay man and have lived in
Savannah for two years. I have been a witness to LGBTQ discrimination in the Savannah community since my arrival.
On the night of April 17, 2010, my best friend Andrew Currie and I
had an unimaginable experience with homophobia. We decided to
stop by a gas station on Victory Drive to buy a few things and could
never have foreseen what would happen to us. A man parked directly
beside us began screaming “Hey faggot,” as I walked into the gas station. During my walk back to the car he screamed the same thing over
and over again. As I began to get back into the car scared and nervous,
he asks, “Did you hear me faggot?” After replying “Yes sir,” he begins
to threaten our lives. He begins threatening to kill us and “shoot our
brains out.” We were scared to death. We both feared for our lives.
We reported the incident to the police and will receive a report on
April 22, 2010.
After leaving the scene and gaining back my sense of safety, I began to
get angry. No one should have to face that. And we did have to face
that. And now, “B!^&%, I’m pissed.” Too long have LGBTQ people
suffered from ignorance and have had to succumb to homophobia. No
longer will I lay down to homophobia. These incidents are taken too
lightly in our society and enough is enough. I am not going to allow
this situation to frighten me into saying nothing. I have a lot to say.
We must fight homophobia with every ounce of strength and hope we
possess. I am so tired of LGBTQ discrimination getting “swept under
the rug.” You better believe I will not be swept under the rug. And
I ask you to join me. We must be agitators for political and social
change in our everyday lives. I will always encourage safety first, but
I stress to you the importance of standing up for who you are. We must
be progressive and radical to accomplish our common goal of LGBTQ
equality. This incident will be a driving force in my efforts to ensure
that everyone is treated equally and fairly. Stay tuned for my effort for
equality and change.
Robinette, however, says he was forced out because fellow students
found out he was gay.
Said Robinette: “Comments were made directly to me and my executive board before and after the meeting concerning my sexual orientation, calling me a supporter of the faggot center, calling me ironic,
calling me disgusting.”
Sordid Lives
THE DAILY TARHEEL ADDS:
By Chris Stanley
“Cliff Satell, former vice-chairman of the university’s College Republicans and president of the Duke Conservative Union, said he attended
the meeting as a neutral observer. He said both sides were at fault, but
he was appalled at the way the impeachment was carried out. ‘There
was no debate, no opportunity for rebuttal,’ Satell said. ‘It was clear
back room deal-making had been done.’ Although several members
of the organization’s executive board knew Robinette was gay, executive director Samuel Tasher found out only the weekend before the
meeting took place, Satell and Robinette said. ‘The fact that it went
from a few people knowing to a lot of people knowing was a catalyst
to his impeachment,’ Satell said. ‘If he wasn’t gay, he would still be
chairman.’ Boyle, the new chairman, said Robinette’s sexuality wasn’t
linked to the impeachment. Boyle said Robinette used the chapter’s
funds to buy Polo shirts and wrote them off as incidental purchases in
February. ‘He threatened to eliminate us from the board,’ Boyle said.
‘He treated us like second-class people.’”
Said Satell to the
Duke Chronicle: “It
was premeditated. It
was set in stone before anything happened. These people,
all of them, voted
three weeks ago to reelect Justin. And during the three weeks
where it was discovered that he is gay...
the next meeting that
was held... he is impeached.”
A Dark Comedy about White Trash
becomes a Benefit for Savannah Pride
Sunday, April 18th marked closing night for The Bay Street Theatre’s
production of Del Shore’s “Sordid Lives”. The show, directed by
Kimmi Sampieri, ran for two weekends, with a portion of the proceeds
benefitting Savannah Pride.
This particular production, the second for the 2010 season, has been
one of Bay Street’s most ambitious to date. This set and prop heavy
show with a sizable cast was put together in just under four weeks.
With an equally sizable audience during the run of the show, Bay
Street was also able to raise a substantial sum of money for this year’s
Savannah Pride celebration, which occurs the weekend of September
11th.
The theatre’s next endeavor will be a revue/cabaret style show entitled
“Broadway Divas”, which will showcase local talent performing famous song and dance from Broadway’s best musicals (auditions are
being held May 3rd at 6pm in The Bay Street Theatre at Club One).
They are also very excited to have secured the rights for John Cameron
Mitchell’s “Hedwig & The Angry Inch” for this September, which is
making it’s Broadway debut later in the fall. Rounding out the season
will be the cult classic “Rocky Horror Show”, which makes for an
exciting collective offering to Savannah’s theatre community.
For those of you who missed this event please check us out to learn
more about more performances and events.
The Bay Street Theatre is located at:
Club One
1 Jefferson Street
Savannah Ga
www.clubone-online.com
912.232.0200
The event will be on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at the Savannah
Country Day School (824 Stillwood Drive Savannah, GA 31419). The
event will begin at 10 am and end approximately at 1 pm. Volunteers
are asked to arrive at the event at 9 am. The event will consist of track
and field events. Volunteer duties range from cheering, to measuring
distances jumped, timing races, assisting participants during events,
etc. AASU GSA members as well as other people from various LGBTQ Savannah organizations will be present. Even if you are only
able to volunteer for part of the time, please still participate.
Please don’t miss out on this rewarding volunteer opportunity to help
those with intellectual disabilities. With such an inviting welcome
from the Special Olympics of Georgia, we as a community have the
chance to participate in a truly remarkable event and shine as the LGBTQ Savannah community.
For any questions or to participate, please contact Jesse Morgan:
[email protected] or via phone at 9126902714.
Jesse Morgan
AASU GSA
GA Equality Advisory and Action Committee
thank you, thank you Correction
We inadvertently omitted the names of two people from the list of
contributors who helped make our Oyster Roast a great success. The
listing appeared on page 24 of the April issue of Network News. We
offer our apologies as well as sincere thanks to:
RAINBOW SPONSOR – $100.00
Tony Yu
From the FCN Board
Ronald Melander
HIV/AIDS service organizations benefit
from annual Dining Out for Life
by Roger Brigham
Lemon and ricotta griddlecakes with a glass of fresh grapefruit juice
and a side of apple wood bacon for breakfast in Providence. Turkey
burger with crumbled blue cheese and sliced apples, a bowl of homemade soup and a fizzy cherry phosphate for lunch in Chicago’s Boystown. And filet mignon with wasabi mashed potatoes for dinner and a
dessert of salted vanilla ice cream in West Hollywood.
With such culinary enticements, restaurant goers across the country
can feast all day long on Thursday, April 29, during Dining Out for
Life.
ActionAIDS started Dining Out for Life in Philadelphia in 1991. It is
now in 55 cities and 3,500 restaurants in the United States and Canada,
generating nearly $4 million annually for AIDS and HIV services. Local HIV/AIDS organizations pay an annual licensing fee of $1,000,
but proceeds from the meals -- typically 25 percent of the food bill
-- go back to them.
This year will be Boston’s first modest step into DOFL, with Cambridge Cares About AIDS receiving 25 percent of the dinner tab from
nine local restaurants. Philadelphia’s 20th annual DOFL for Action
AIDS will involve roughly 200 restaurants throughout the Delaware
Valley offering 33 percent percent of their proceeds, and many restaurants offering an additional weekly year-round discount for donations
made that evening.
Kathy Power, development manager with Cambridge Cares, said a
volunteer with her organization mentioned she had just moved from
St. Louis, where DOFL had pulled in nearly a quarter of a million
dollars.
“I’m a former restauranteur,” she said. “I could see the appeal -- why
something like this would seem like a good idea.”
Power said many AIDS/HIV organizations had found annual gala
fundraisers were not the best use of time.
“We were really just looking for a different way to engage with the
community,” she said.
Power added the Cambridge event is being promoted with 11 by 17
color posters customized with the name of the neighborhood restaurant.
“Geographically, Boston is not a huge city,” she said. “We’re hoping
the neighborhoods will get involved. It’s our first year, so we just just
really don’t know how much this will; generate. But we have a lot of
excitement with our host table captains.”
Philadelphia’s first event nearly two decades ago was equally as modest. It started with less than two dozen participating restaurants, and it
raised around $20,000.
And now?
“It’s by far our largest fundraising event event of the year,” said Michael Byrne, communications and development director for Action
AIDS. “It’s our signature event in Philadelphia. It’s become
a local tradition. it’s
very important to our
bottom line besides
being a really fun
event. it’s easy and
everyone can participate. And everyone
likes to go out to eat.
We make it easy by
making sure there are restaurants in all price ranges and all categories.”
He said the organization last year pulled in $190,000 from the event.
In addition, 35 restaurants in the Philadelphia-Delaware Valley DOFL
are participating in a “20 percent off Tuesday” campaign. For cash
donations of $25 made during the meal, a patron will have 20 percent
off the tab for his or her entire table every Tuesday for the next year.
Byrne said he understands the difficulties cities faced in trying to find
sponsors to organize the events. He added, however, having a uniform
annual date will make it easier to advertise DOFL as a national event.
His advice to new cities?
“Start where you want to be,” he said. “Don’t start low and think
you’re going to get where you want to be later. It’s hard to change
businesses’ minds once you’ve told them something. We’ve always
asked for 33 percent. If you pack them in, and your turn them, over
three times, every restaurant owner loves a full house. The restaurants
are a tight community; they know what’s happening with each other.”
Byrne has actually had the chance to enjoy DOFL as a diner rather
than as an organizer for the last couple of years.
“I’ve gotten a chance to go out and eat at a decent time,” he said. “It
was great. I enjoyed it immensely. Before I was always eating at 11
o’clock.”
“It’s a way for us to further thank our restaurants and get people back
into the restaurants on what is typically a slow night of the week,” said
Byrne.
Action AIDS partnered with smaller regional HIV/AIDS organizations to enable them to participate and benefit without having to foot
the entire licensing fee. Each restaurant is assigned at least one volunteer from the participating agencies.
Organizations in several large cities, such as Dallas and New York, do
not participate in DOFL, typically because their local calendars are
already heavily booked around the mandatory date. Others that joined
the program before the requirement was established that all cities need
to use the same date to make the event hold their event on another date.
Washington, D.C., for example, observed DOFL on March 11.
Hospice Savannah News
What:
Hospice Savannah’s Full Center for Education and
Grief Support is beginning a new “Grief 101” adult
grief support group.
When:
Commences Tuesday, May 11, 2010 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Where:
Full Circle, 450 Mall Blvd., Suite H. Registration
is required as space is limited.
The San Francisco Bay Area DOFL includes more than 150 restaurants
in multiple counties. Its primary beneficiary is the Stop AIDS Project, as well as AIDS Project East Bay, Allen Temple Baptist Church
AIDS Ministry, California Prostitutes Education Project, HIV Education and Prevention Project, Rainbow Community Center of Contra
Costa County, and Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening
Disease.
How much:
Free of charge. Offered as a community service of
Hospice Savannah, Inc.
In Los Angeles, some 40 restaurants will help raise money for Project
Angel Food. Chicago’s 17th annual DOFL, with 40 restaurants, will
benefit AIDSCare Progressive Services.
Contact:
Call Holland Morgan, Bereavement Counselor and group facilitator,
at 912.303.9442 to register today.
The Ft. Lauderdale/Miami DOFL, in which several restaurants are
also participating in the “20 percent Off Tuesday” program, will benefit Care Resource with proceeds from nine restaurants. Providence’s
sixth annual DOFL has 21 restaurants and benefits AIDS Project
Rhode Island.
What else:
This seven week group affords the opportunity to connect with others
who have lost loved ones to death and to learn specific tools for
coping. Our music therapist, story keeper and massage therapist serve
as additional resources.
Participating cities and restaurants as well as reservations for most of
the restaurants are available at the DOFL Web site. Reservations are
highly recommended and patrons are urged to bring their checkbooks
to make donations.
Texas Court Hears
State’s Appeal in
Gay Divorce
By The Associated Press
Georgia Equality
backs Jason
Carter in State
Senate Race
A lawyer for a Dallas man trying to divorce the man he married in
Massachusetts told a Texas appeals court Wednesday that his client is
entitled to a divorce because he had a valid marriage.
In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to let same-sex couples
get married. Now Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont and
the District of Columbia also allow them.
But the Texas Attorney General’s Office argued before the three-judge
5th Texas Court of Appeals panel that the marriage isn’t recognized
by Texas, so they cannot get a divorce. Jimmy Blacklock, an assistant
Texas solicitor general, said the men’s union can only be voided.
Gay and lesbian couples who turn to the courts when they break up
are getting mixed results across the nation. A Pennsylvania judge last
month refused to divorce two women who married in Massachusetts,
while New York grants such divorces even though the state doesn’t
allow same-sex marriage.
“The parties lack standing to file a divorce case because they’re not
married,” he said.
By Dyana Bagby
The Dallas men wed in 2006 in Massachusetts, where gay marriage is
legal, and separated two years later.
Attorney General Greg Abbott appealed a Dallas state district judge’s
ruling in October that granted a divorce to the men and said the state’s
same-sex marriage ban violates equal rights guaranteed by the U.S.
Constitution.
Jason Carter, the grandson of former president Jimmy Carter, today
picked up the Georgia Equality endorsement for the open state Senate
District 42 seat. A special election is set for May 11.
No other endorsements from groups or organizations are listed on
Carter’s website. He does have a list of endorsements from current or
former elected officials:
In a press release from Georgia Equality, Carter says, “I believe that
Georgia Equality provides an invaluable voice on many issues affecting our community’s health and human rights, and it plays a crucial
role in supporting the rights of the LGBT community in particular. I
am honored to have their support and I look forward to being a friend
and strong advocate for Georgia Equality in the state senate.”
Stacey Abrams - State Representative, House District 84
John Ahmann - Decatur School Boardmember, District 1, Post B
Kathy Ashe - State Representative, House District 56
Kecia Cunningham - Decatur City Commissioner, District 2
George “Buddy” Darden - Former U.S. Congressman, 7th District
Pat Gardner - State Representative, House District 57
Pierre Howard - Former Lt. Governor and State Senator,
Senate District 42
Robert James, Jr. - DeKalb County Solicitor General
Emmanuel Jones - Chair of Georgia Legislative Black Caucus,
State Senator, Senate District 10
Mary Alice Kemp - Former Decatur City Commissioner, District 2
Jim Martin - Former State Representative, House District 47
Lee May - DeKalb County Commissioner, District 5
JoAnn McClinton - Former State Representative, House District 84
Mike Mears - Former Mayor, City of Decatur
Julie Rhame - Decatur School Boardmember, District 2, Post B
Bernadette Seals - Decatur School Boardmember, District 2, Post A
Cathey Steinberg - Former State Senator, District 42;
Former State Representative, District 46
Rashad Taylor - State Representative, House District 55
Elizabeth Wilson - Former Mayor, City of Decatur
Valarie Wilson - Chairman, Decatur School Board, Post At Large
David Adelman served as the state senator for District 42, which encompasses parts of DeKalb County including Decatur and Atlanta, until he was recently appointed U.S. ambassador to Singapore.
Other candidates qualifying to run for the seat are: Libertarian David
Montane, Independent Steve Patrick and Democrat Tom Stubbs.
Jason Carter is an attorney at Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore. In 2006,
he co-founded Democrats Work, a national volunteer organization for
Georgia residents wanting to work on community service projects. He
also founded Red Clay Democrats in 2002 for young professionals.
Several gay leaders such as Ken Britt, Lawrie Demorest, Jamie Ensley, Glen Paul Freedman, Harry Knox, Alex Wan and Kyle Williams
are hosting a fundraiser for Carter on April 15 at the home of Jimmy
Paulk. Also, Carter is holding an LGBT mixer at Radial Cafe on April
20 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Radial is located at 1530 DeKalb Ave.,
Atlanta, GA 30307.
Abbott is also appealing an Austin judge’s ruling this spring that granted a divorce to two women married in Massachusetts.
Jody Scheske, who represents the Dallas man listed in court records
only as J.B., said his client doesn’t want to overturn the state’s marriage ban, but only wants to end his own marriage.
“He is not seeking to enter into a same-sex marriage; he’s seeking to
end a marriage that was valid,” Scheske said.
“The trial courts have the right to hear divorce cases from people who
have valid marriages,” he said.
Hiram Sasser, an attorney for the conservative Liberty Institute in
Plano, told the court that the issue of same-sex marriage should be
determined by the people. And he said Texans have already spoken
on the issue.
In 2005, Texas voters passed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage by a 3-to-1 margin even though state law already prohibited it.
Liberty Institute had filed a friend-of-the-court brief to the appeals
court on behalf of the two Republican state lawmakers who cosponsored the amendment banning gay marriage: state Rep. Warren
Chisum and former state Sen. Todd Staples.
Attorney Peter Schulte, who also represents J.B., said J.B. and his
partner, known in court filings as H.B., had an amicable separation,
with no disputes on separation of property and no children involved.
He said the couple simply wants an official divorce.
“But for the actions of the attorney general,” Scheske told the court,
“my client would already be divorced and there would be one less
same-sex marriage in Texas.”
Blacklock told the judges that the state’s ban on gay marriage doesn’t
violate the Constitution and asked them to confirm that voidance is the
correct way to dissolve a same-sex union.
“Voidance is the remedy Texas has long provided to dissolve a void
marriage,” he said.
Scheske said voidance isn’t applicable to his client because he has a
valid marriage. And, he said, the constitutional issues only arose in
the case after Abbott tried to intervene. The judge did not allow the
intervention, so Abbott appealed.
“My client’s very private matter has become a public spectacle,”
Scheske said.
The court did not give a time frame for a ruling in the case.
SLOWVANNAH ... PARADISE
FOR LESBIAN LATENESS
By Wilson Huff
In all your marathon partying during the recently concluded holiday
frivolity, did you notice a lack of punctuality among the distaff side
of our local “queer nation”? Before moving to Savannah a thousand
years ago, I thought it was just me. Having been premature at birth,
I have not often been since. Then my first local lover was the latest
person anyone had ever met (so notorious that every invitation we
received mentioned a start-time 30-45 min. earlier than anyone else’s)
so of course I thought it was always HER fault. Deep down, I guess
I really thought that Lesbian Standard Time, though a decided deviation from the norm, was an internationally recognized floating time
zone covering wherever lesbians chose to meet, not just a snide joke
by people who are always already there when I arrive. Then I moved
to Savannah, Slowvannah as our Northern visitors and transplants are
wont to call it, and discovered an aversion to promptness, to being
hurried, really, that is as characteristic of Savannah as the spirits that
seep out of the ground around us. Ruminating on all that, I decided that
among the lesbians I have known (and I’m old enough to have known
a lot) the top ten reasons for lateness other than that genetically linked
to lesbianism itself, are as follows:
1. THEY WERE MAKING LOVE This one’s universal, of course. It’s
the reason most heteros think we’re queer anyway! Yes, we do like to
do it ... especially when it’s “new love”. Those newly in love or just
newly intimate are always the last to arrive at any gathering, if they
make it at all. Sometimes they’re found outside in the car, with the
windows fogged up, having arrived onsite but never making it inside.
Even singles or old-timers are often late for this very reason. Just the
thought of seeing other lesbians must be a turn-on.
2. THEY WERE FIGHTING Universal, too. Just the thought of seeing other dykes can push our worst buttons --- “All neuroses take two
steps forward, please”. “How many of your ex’s will be there, dear?”
“Is there anyone on the guest list you haven’t slept with?” Not to mention that we’re capable of fighting about the other nine things on this
list, like who’s car are we taking, why the hell is she always everywhere we go, who’s the designated driver, can I wear your new jeans?
For those not ‘with’ someone, there are always roommates, Mothers,
siblings, coworkers or landlords to fight with. And we all know the
best time to pick a fight is 5 minutes before we have to leave to be
somewhere because that means it will be a short (read: not so damaging) fight and/or one in which you just have time to get in your licks
but not enough time for her response because, of course, you “have to
leave now or you’ll be late”. Somehow these fights always escalate
and take much longer than planned.
3. THEY WERE MAKING LOVE AFTER FIGHTING Since #1 is #1
and #2 is #2 that leads to #3 a lot.
4. THERE IS A CLOTHES PROBLEM If it isn’t the unable-to-findanything-I’m-comfortable-in-blues, it’s the old washday blues (nothing clean, or if you’re really compulsive, ironed). Looking good is half
of getting there. This can hang you up for hours.
5. YOU’RE TOO MUCH THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY Or as a friend
of mine put it in her ladylike way, “asshole overloading”. Doesn’t it
seem to you that many of us commit ourselves to more than we can
possibly do, given the pace we usually take, whether it’s fun time,
gotta’s, errands, eating or whatever? Like, we really don’t want to miss
anything and we’re so open to anything anyway, and there’s just so
much fun to be had in this world, and if we don’t have it all who will,
right? Or if I don’t belong to more than 35 organizations, what good
am I?
6. IT’S JUST DAMN HARD TO GET THERE Getting there, in and
of itself, causes much lateness, no matter where “there” is. What mode
of transportation shall I take; car, bus, walk, bike, roller skates, hitch,
plane, boat, cab, metro, friends (together or in separate cars?)? And
each of these choices leads to endless other points of debate which
take up precious time, such as who drives, what’s the quickest route,
do we have gas, money for tolls or any cash?
7. THE CUSSED SHORTAGE OF NECESSARIES The bathroom.
Most of us have them, but often only one, even if we’re a household of
2 or more persons. Eureka! Supply and demand demands that someone will be last and therefore late, unless you start planning all these
preparations way ahead, and God knows we aren’t into that or we’d
never be late in the first place! The mirror is the single biggest offender
in many households. I can hear you natural gals scoffing at the mirror
bit, but I know for a fact that it takes at least 20 minutes in front of a
mirror making sure you don’t look made-up to look so damned natural
without being nondescript.
The shower/tub and/or lack of hot water is also major major. Many
dykes argue that showering together alleviates this cause of tardiness,
but then showering together often leads to making love, so there you
are back at square one and #1!
8. MAKING SURE YOU GET THERE AT THE RIGHT TIME
(ONLY APPLIES TO GROUP FUNCTIONS, NOT INDIVIDUAL
APPOINTMENTS) Calculating just when the right time might be is
so difficult as to be nearly impossible and leads to much confusion and
therefore takes up much time. The “right time” is a function of (a) your
state of being (single, married, newly dumped, newly married, new in
town), (b) who else might be there (ex’s, potentials, your boss, thegirl-you-hate-most-in-town, known sluts you’ve not been with, etc),
(c) whether you want to arrive before them (perchance to find the best
or least obvious seat in the house, strike the most irresistible pose possible, or run off the competition) or after them (to make the grandest
entrance, to be sure you’re seen arriving alone/with that hot little number, or to appear blasé about even being there, and (d) how long you
plan to stay (“If I’m only staying a couple hours, should they be early,
late, in the middle, eat and miss the entertainment, miss the dinner but
catch everyone with a good buzz?).
9. GETTING YOUR HEAD IN THE RIGHT PLACE Or getting
warmed up, in the mood, in the swing of things, primed, prepped,
front-loaded. This applies mostly to parties per se but not exclusively.
I have friends who like to get primed for any sort of interaction, so a
mere trip to the grocery might call for just one cocktail, or a hit or two.
Things like a trip to the dentist or long distance call to Mom require
more prep time. Usually pre-partying causes sufficient impairment to
greatly lessen the possibility of a timely arrival at the real party.
Besides chemical impairment and frivolity, the other most common
form of preparing for an event is napping. Often one doesn’t wake up.
Often napping leads to making love. Often pre-partying’s other forms
lead to making love. See why it’s the #1 cause of lesbian lateness? Prepartying also often leads to fighting ... #2, which leads to #3!!!
10. I HATE TO BE THE FIRST ONE THERE A universal, also. I
don’t know anyone who wants to be the first one there! Of course,
someone is always the first one there, even if they arrive two hours late
but before everyone else. However it’s excusable to be the first one
there if you yourself are terribly late in doing so. I don’t know why no
one wants to be the first (sad lament of all virgins), except that it may
imply eagerness, or no place else to be, but who wouldn’t want first
crack at all the food?
Save the Date
In general, tardiness is indigenous to Savannah, and arriving within 45
minutes of the appointed hour is considered on time, so is this a great
place to be a lesbian or what?!
September 11th, 2010
Forsyth Park
Date Change For
Film Society Screening
by Deb Riney
The screening date for the Savannah Gay & Lesbian Film Society’s
presentation of HANNAH FREE has been moved to Friday, May 14th.
In place of our normal Sunday screening we will now screen this fabulous film at Telfair’s Jepson Center for the Arts on FRIDAY evening at
8:00 pm. It’s a perfect “date night” opportunity and, if Sunday screenings have been difficult or impossible for you to attend then, here’s
your opportunity to see one of SGLFS’s award-winning films on a
weekend night.
FILM SOCIETY Moves to
Incorporate As A Non-Profit
By Deb Riney
The Savannah Gay & Lesbian Film Society has officially become a
Georgia non-profit corporation and is also in the process to become
an IRS certified 501c3 organization. As many already know, SGLFS
was formed in 2008 under the wings of First City Network’s 501c3
non-profit organization until we could form our own entity. Happily
we are now able to realize that goal as we move forward as our own
non-profit corporation.
The Savannah Gay & Lesbian Film Society wishes to publicly acknowledge and sincerely thank FCN for making it possible for the film
society to form and we wish to express our desire to always maintain a
close, on-going relationship in support of and community partnership
with FCN. I had the dream of bringing the best in lgbt films to our
community and FCN made it possible to realize the dream. THANK
YOU FCN!
In our move towards independence the film society hopes that many
of you will also move forward by becoming society members and consider purchasing at least one ticket to each of our films whether you
can attend our screenings or not. Now, more than ever, we will need
your added support. We need to increase our membership numbers.
We need to fill seats at our film society screenings. We need more
sponsorships that will help sustain our existence. Current times are
challenging for so many right now but we hope that with ongoing support, of and for our lgbt community, we will continue to grow and be
sustained.
Yes, I, Deb, formed SGLFS and in doing so dedicated myself and lovingly have given enormous amounts of my personal time in getting the
film society to this point. Now it is time for more community members
to step forward and become involved in YOUR film society. There are
many areas that need volunteers and mini-managers especially now as
we have become our own non-profit entity. It is perfect timing for the
involvement of the community and evolvement of the corporation to
establish mini-managers and volunteers.
Timing is also such that I, Deb, will be moving shortly after the May
14th film to Louisville due to pressing family health care issues. It
is imperative that I become a health care provider for my mom for a
two year period. My move does NOT mean that I am stepping down
or leaving the film society. I will remain an active President and I
will be here, baring any emergencies, for each of our quarterly films
and be here for the October film festival. I will continue working on
my vision to bring the best in international lgbt films to Savannah.
The SGLFS Board and I will continue our dedication to the film society’s mission statement to organize and manage year-round cinema
that supports and strengthens LGBT visibility through media arts by
affording access to films and videos that provide entertainment aspects
and deal with a wide variety of issues related to sexuality and gender.
I cannot be here 24/7, but I will be here for our films and I will retain a
key role in being active and involved in the direction and advancement
of the film society. I did not form a “Deb film society”. This is Savannah’s Gay & Lesbian Film Society. Now as we embark upon being our
own corporation and as I must go to Louisville temporarily, it is an
opportunity, a time for more of YOU to step up to support YOUR film
society if you wish it to grow and to remain viable.
If you can dedicate and commit time to an area that the film society needs
help in please email me at: HYPERLINK “mailto:debsavglfilms@
yahoo.com” [email protected]. Please include your phone
number so that we can reach you to discuss the opportunities for assistance. Thanks and I hope to see everyone at the upcoming FRIDAY,
May 14th film, and at our August 22nd film and at our second annual
Film Festival tentatively being planned for October 15th to 17th.
There will be one screening of HANNAH FREE preceded by a hilarious short film, TOOLS 4 FOOLS beginning at 8 pm at our Jepson location, 207 West York Street. Advance tickets are $10 per person. Ticket
outlet locations are: Creative Approach, 306 Jefferson Street; at Home
Run Video, 4 E. Liberty Street; and at TailsSpin, 4501 Habersham.
Pending availability, tickets will also be at the Jepson Box Office on
May 14th one hour prior to screening time. Day of show tickets will be
$12 at the door. Note: there will be no online ticket sales for this show
date. Tickets will be available thru the above outlined business locations, at the May 1st FCN Social, and pending availability, on the day
of the show at the Jepson. If you are a Film Society member and wish
to exchange any of your passes or film vouchers for this May 14th film
date please email your request to: HYPERLINK “mailto:info@sglfs.
com” [email protected].
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HANNAH FREE synopsis (per SF Frameline): “Adapted from one of
Claudia Allen’s award-winning plays, Hannah Free tells the story of
a decades-long love affair between Hannah — an adventurous, butch
lesbian with gruff charm — and Rachel, a pristine, married homemaker with a religious upbringing. Set in a present day nursing home,
Hannah is forbidden from seeing the now-comatose Rachel, due to
her not being “family.” When a mysteriously kind student promises
to help Hannah gain access to Rachel’s room, Hannah is forced to
reconcile her own desires with those of Rachel’s family and, oddly
enough, Rachel.
Through a series of flashbacks and past incarnations that Hannah
imagines in her old age, the viewer is treated to the passionate beginnings of their relationship, which was both tumultuous and enduring.
Hannah, marvelously played by icon Sharon Gless (Cagney & Lacey,
Queer as Folk), manages to convey the introspection that comes with
age, while still being spunky and sharp. Though Hannah is out and
unashamed while Rachel is much more reserved, both characters are
revealed to be courageous in entirely different ways.
The film easily questions matters of same-sex partners’ rights, the
definition of family and the difficulties surrounding seeing your loved
ones become old and fragile. Together from childhood until they were
seniors, Rachel and Hannah’s relationship is multi-layered and poignant — sometimes an entire lifetime isn’t even long enough to be
with the person you love.”
FYI here’s a link to the film trailer:
“http://www.hannahfree.com” www.hannahfree.com.
Hope to see you at the movies on Friday, May 14th.
This is one terrific film. Don’t miss it!!!
A-A
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I was determined that I would not lose my nerve. I first had to be
very careful that no-one was around – who might see me go in –
and especially careful that there was no sign of Police. (In those
days, “queer bars” were frequently raided. If you were among those
“chosen”, you might be taken out, possibly beaten by the Police and
arrested. It was that simple).
COME OUT, COME OUT
WHEREVER YOU ARE!
6th in a series of articles
By Spencer Wulwick
Although my closet
door had been cracked
open with Jim, there
was no significant
change in my behavior. Even with Jim –
although I had undressed him and revealed my deepest
secret – I did not actually “participate”
in sex; I was simply
a “passive” partner.
What bothered Jim
the most, was not the
fact that I was passive
but that I would not allow him to kiss me above the neck. On more
than one occasion, he told me that “when” I would engage in kissing, I would be his “perfect Spencer!” In my mind, I decided that
I could easily accept being less than perfect and he would simply
have to accept it, too (or not).
One of the things that did change is that yet someone else learned
about my secret. Jesse was a close friend of Jim’s and knew him like
a book. It was obvious to him that there was something “going on”
between the two of us. I salved my conscience by reminding myself
that he didn’t learn it from me and that it was “hearsay” only.
For the rest of the world, I continued my “charade.” I continued
“dating” Barbara, spending every weekend with her. During the
week I continued meeting new people, both young men and women.
A favorite pastime was going to a local “hamburger” drive in. You
could meet up with friends, sit in your car to eat and enjoy music.
That was all well and good, but I needed to satisfy my other “cravings.” Jim had told me about “Juanita’s” and cautioned me not to go
in there. He said Juanita’s was notorious and that anyone seeing you
go in there would know you were homosexual.
But I found that my curiosity kept toying with my mind. Imagine a
bar full of “those” people. I would sometimes sit in my car, parked
outside the door, and listen to music but I couldn’t get myself to go
in. One night I met a “pleasant” young man named Bob. We chatted for awhile; he took off and so did I. On a subsequent evening,
I decided I simply had to go into Juanita’s. Aha. I would go in to
see whether Bob was in there … just a “normal” guy looking for
a friend of his. It wasa “major event” and very nerve-wracking but
The bar did not seem either that big or that crowded but once I was
inside the front door, it seemed enormous. It was long and narrow
and I slowly started walking further in. I stopped at a table to ask
whether anyone knew “Bob” and if he was in there. I was nervous
and my throat was so dry I doubted I could speak .. but I got my
question out and was told he might be towards the back. With each
and every step I took, I felt like every eye in the bar was on me. The
truth is, they may well have been. I had always felt “ugly” so that it
never occurred to me that I was actually attractive. Not only that, but
I was a “new face” something that was rare for this small “hidden”
bar in the then small town of Nashville. I continued my “journey”
for what seemed an eternity until I finally got to the last table. I was
almost pleased to see Stan there (the guy who “raped” me) because
it was at least a familiar face and he acted pleased to see me. Neither then, nor any time in the future (Stan and I actually became
“friends”) was anything said about that first evening I had spent at
his house; I was drunk and therefore “innocent” of anything that
might have occurred. Period. End of story! But, most importantly, I
had now broken another barrier. I could sneak out of my closet and
slip into this other “secret” place, (for some reason, in spite of the
inherent risks of doing so). It was a convenient place for me to go
when I needed to “hook up.” Even so, it always had to be done with
a very delicate balance. I was neither emotionally nor mentally prepared to share my secret with others. I would continue drinking so
that I could either actually get – or be able to “fake” being – drunk,
so that I could allow someone to take advantage of me.
One night, I was fully prepared to “go” with someone who had
picked me up outside of the bar. But, while he was driving around,
he confronted me by saying “Haven’t you ever been out with a
‘queer’ before?” The mere mention of the word was a total turnoff
to me and all my defenses came into play. I said something like “hell
no”, opened the car door, got out and went home (alone). I simply
could not deal with any acknowledgement of what I was doing.
Subsequently, one warm Thursday night I was at the bar near the
rooming house. I was bored and was mentally prepared for some
“action.” I decided to head for Juanita’s. It was a nice night, so I
put the top down on my car (an old but attractive Pontiac Bonville
convertible) and started on the drive for Juanita’s. I hadn’t gotten
far, when I noticed a brand new Pontiac convertible that seemed to
be siding up and keeping pace with me, sometimes falling a little
behind or moving ahead. When we got to a traffic light, I looked
over and I felt like I had swallowed my heart. He was so incredibly
masculine and so very good-looking and he was obviously trying to
be friendly, making conversation about the car, what was up, etc…
My heart was racing and my spirit was “up” and “down” as we were
driving. At one point, he took off ahead of me and I thought he was
gone forever …. only for him to slow down and meet me at another
red light. Clearly he was absolutely straight.
None of the people I had met at Juanita’s or in any of my experiences was so young and handsome. He simply couldn’t be anything
but straight! Then I remembered a conversation I had heard between
Jim and Jesse, a while back. They were talking about a football player at Vanderbilt University who – although straight – was known to
enjoy being “taken care of” by homosexuals.
I’m not sure precisely what difference it made to me because I
would never consider “taking care” of someone’s sexual needs (other than having someone else take care of my own). Still, I knew that
I wanted to be with him. So, at the next light, I blurted “Are you a
football player?” He looked at me like I was crazy; indeed, what
would possibly motivate me to ask a question like that. I was sooooo
disappointed when he said “no – why do you ask?” I muttered something like, “oh, I thought you looked like someone I might have seen
play.” I was doomed. Nothing could possibly happen between us.
He was straight; I was attracted to men … but there was no way I
could possibly conceive of acting on my feelings and desires.
We were getting close to Juanita’s and I thought it was inevitable
that we would part company, when, suddenly he asked me whether I
would like to have a drink with him. I hesitatingly (just for “show”)
said “ok.” He suggested that I park my car and hop in with him. I
was surprised when we pulled into a drive-through (having assumed
he meant an alcoholic drink) for a coke. Our conversation flowed
easily and I was having a delightful time … but in the back of my
mind expected disappointment. Once again, I was surprised when
he mentioned that it was a beautiful evening and suggested taking a
ride to a park he knew of.
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We went to the park and he stopped the car in a scenic but somewhat
secluded area. The conversation continued and I was completely
enraptured by the experience. We were sitting and talking when he
nonchalantly raised his right hand, placed it over the back of my
seat and rested it on my shoulder. I felt as if I had been touched by
lightening. Surely, I must have died and went to heaven. Not only
was it the most incredible experience I had ever had but I was filled
with emotion and felt a connection to him that never, in a million
years, could I have imagined.
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We went to pick up my car, drove back to my house, parked and
spent hours in the car (I had a roommate at the time so I couldn’t
invite him in) just talking and enjoying each others company. Neither of us wanted to leave and I, personally, had no idea how I could
ever separate myself from him. We sat and talked until at least 5 or
6 in the morning, exchanged telephone numbers and, much to my
chagrin, finally separated. I have no idea whether I ever believed
in “love at first sight.” But that’s precisely what happened or – at
least – what I was experiencing. Never, by the wildest stretch of
my imagination, could I conceive of having such strong feelings
towards and for another person. As I lay in bed, I felt fulfilled and
complete while, at the same time, I felt emptiness like I had never
known. I needed Jack to be laying there besides me. Real or imagined, I was – for the first time in my life – totally and completely
in love. Now I knew - I new what it was like to be in love and …..
with a man!
Remember that you are welcome to share your thoughts by e-mail
([email protected]), or phone (912-376-0036) or comment on the
“Do Tell (Blog)” at www.sglbt.org
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Y
Obama’s LGBT
Report Card
By John Culhane, Professor of Law, Widener University
At a recent fund-raiser for Senator Barbara Boxer, Obama was heckled on the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and some think
this isn’t such a bad thing. Even though Boxer is one of our biggest
supporters, the protesters’ sentiment captures a frustration many in
the LGBT community feel over Obama’s record on our issues.
But is the frustration justified? How, more
than a full year into his Administration,
should our community grade the President
on his performance so far? Speaking from
my legal perspective, I’d give him a
passing grade (B-, maybe).
This may seem startling to some
that I would pass him at all, because very little of the legislation
he promised has been enacted.
From a candidate who courted
the LGBT community on issues
ranging from DADT, to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act,
to the repeal of the Defense of Marriage
Act, we’ve gotten nothing on those issues
to date. ENDA may not have the votes in the Senate to pass DADT
repeal seems like a moving target, and DOMA’s not even on the
radar screen.
We have only hate crimes law, hardly a major victory. Worse, Obama
has spent little of his political capital pushing for any of these goals.
So why the B-? It sounds like a “D” would be more appropriate.
But this overlooks the limits of Presidential power to enact legislation. It’s obvious but easy to forget that the President has no power
to actually pass any laws. True, Presidents do suggest legislation
that they want to see enacted, but they have only the “bully pulpit”
of office to make anything happen. And one thing we’ve learned
about Obama is that he’s reluctant to use that pulpit to talk directly
to the people in support of his agenda. His passionate advocacy for
the health care reform bill is the exception that proves the rule.
Of course, Obama could and should use the fact that his party substantially controls both houses of Congress to urge action on these
bills, but given the way the filibuster has metastasized into an everyvote thing, he needs all of the Democrats and now at least one Republican for anything to clear the paralyzed Senate. So what can or
should he do?
Let me quickly dispel any suggestion that I’m giving the President a
pass on any of this. He could and should be trying to do more, especially on DADT where the Administration’s public pronouncements
have been harder to chart than the course of a mosquito.
Saying in response to hecklers that he supports the policy’s repeal
just won’t cut it any more. And the protesters deserve our gratitude
for calling Obama on what Andrew Sullivan has called “the fierce
urgency of whenever.”
Yet legislative inaction isn’t the whole story. We should look at
what Obama is doing in areas where he can effect change without
Congress. Here I’m talking about the vast body of law – including
administrative matters and the interpretation and enforcement
of legislation – that’s under the control of the Executive
Branch. And here, with at least one glaring exception, he’s done much better.
Let’s start with the exception: In defending DOMA against a lawsuit last year,
Obama’s Department of Justice
wrote a needlessly offensive
brief that, as I wrote at the time,
“seemed to have been intended
to set the course of judicial progress on gay rights back many years.”
I was hardly the only blogger to go
ballistic over the brief, and then…
things got better. A later brief in the
case expressly disavowed the argument
that children did better in homes headed by
opposite-sex parents than in our homes.
Then there was another encouraging performance by the DOJ in
a recent bullying case. The Administration took an aggressive and
unsettled legal position, arguing that Title IX (the federal law that
protects against gender discrimination in education) also covers discrimination based on gender stereotyping.
From the administrative law standpoint, there have been a few other
encouraging moves: putting into place long-awaited rules that lifted
the HIV immigration restriction; the very recent directive to the
Department of Health and Human Services to honor hospital patients’ visitation wishes (in a memorandum that expressly cited the
problems of gay and lesbian couples); a memorandum that extended
some limited benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees;
and the recent announcement that DADT will now be enforced more
“humanely.” None of these actions require acts of Congress, and
Obama has at times stepped smartly into this breach.
Should any of us be satisfied if Obama’s (first? only?) term ends
with a few more administrative moves, but no additional legislation? No. He has to deliver what he promised, whatever the obstacles. We have to demand results. Above, I gave him a passing
(probably inflated) grade on his performance so far.
But the more precise assessment is: ”Incomplete.”
John Culhane is Professor of Law and Director of the Health Law
Institute at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware. He blogs about the role of law in everyday life, and about a
bunch of other things (LGBT rights, public health, biology, sports,
pop culture, philosophy and lots of personal stuff) at http://wordinedgewise.org A fuller bio is here. Starting next Tuesday, he will
be blogging the week-long Equality Forum from Philadelphia.
NOT GAY ENOUGH
SOFTBALL PLAYERS SUE
By. Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
All Steven Apilado, LaRon
Charles and Jon Russ wanted
to do was to win the championship game at the Gay Softball World Series for their
amateur San Francisco team.
Instead, they were marched
one by one into a conference
room at the tournament in suburban Seattle and asked about
their “private sexual attractions and desires,” and their
team was stripped of its second-place finish after the men
were determined to be “nongay,” they said in a lawsuit
accusing a national gay sports
organization of discrimination.
The suit, filed Tuesday in U.S.
District Court in Seattle, pits the National Center for Lesbian Rights,
a San Francisco group backing the men, against the North American
Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance, which prides itself on barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.
At issue is whether the gay sports alliance violated Washington state’s
public accommodations laws by enforcing a rule limiting to two the
number of heterosexuals who can play on a team.
Apilado, Charles and Russ were members of D2, a team that was part
of the San Francisco Gay Softball League. The squad made it to the
championship game at the August 2008 tournament in Kent, Wash.
But another team, the Atlanta Mudcats, which had lost to D2 in a
semifinal game, complained that the San Francisco team had too many
straights.
D2 ultimately lost the championship to a team from Los Angeles. Afterward, Apilado, Charles and Russ were called separately into a conference room in front of 25 people for a hearing to determine whether
they were heterosexual or gay, the suit said.
They were asked “very intrusive, sexual questions,” including what
their sexual interests and preferences were, Suzanne Thomas, a Seattle
attorney for the plaintiffs, said Wednesday.
Charles, who was D2’s manager, asked whether he could say he was
bisexual and was told, “This is the Gay World Series, not the Bisexual
World Series,” the suit said.
According to Charles’ Facebook profile, he is married to a woman.
In a statement, Charles said, “When you play softball, you never expect for anyone to corner you and ask you personal questions about
who you are and what you do. It was emotional for me as a coach to
go in there and not only get grilled, but watch my team be put in this
situation.”
The alliance ultimately determined that the three men were “non-gay”
and that D2 had broken the rules. The alliance placed the San Francisco Gay Softball League on probation, “with the consequence that if
a San Francisco team is found to have too many ‘non-gay’ players on
its roster again,” the league will be expelled, the suit said.
D2 has since disbanded, but the plaintiffs each want at least $75,000
in damages and their second-place standing reinstated, along with a
team trophy.
Thomas said the men were essentially branded as “not gay enough.”
“It engages in a whole series of stereotyping that somehow, gay men
are less able players than straight men,” the attorney said.
Beth Allen, an attorney for the alliance, said Wednesday that the suit
has no merit and that none of the plaintiffs suffered any discrimination.
She said the San Francisco league’s suggestion to remove the heterosexual limit is problematic.
“Presumably, if that were to occur, teams could be comprised of heterosexual players only,” Allen said.
“This is not a bisexuals vs. gays issue,” she said. “It’s whether a private organization may say who may be a member of their organization. It’s an issue of freedom of association.”
WHO ARE YOU?
By Wilson Huff
Lately I have become aware of how much more complex and confusing some things have now become that were seemingly pretty simple in the past. With sexuality, sexual identity, and even gender I am
sometimes surprised by the myriad permutations and combinations
encountered these days. And I’m intrigued by what to me seems to
be a juxtaposition of one human need - to “fit in” with the crowd, and
another to emphasize one’s uniqueness, or delineate one’s perceived
true essence.
Are you gay or are you straight, or are you somewhere in the middle?
Are you a he or are you a she, or are you somewhere in the middle?
Are you butch or are you femme, or are you somewhere in the middle?
Used to be you were either straight or, God forbid, gay. (Actually,
used to be that everyone was straight apparently because almost no
one was openly gay and gay awareness was non-existent.) Ultimately
the “bi” label established its red-headed-step-child self. Now “alternative lifestyles” have come so “interesting” that we have the new bicurious and serial-alternating sexuality folk, and heaven knows what
else. I guess the next time you’re asked “Are you straight or gay?” the
follow-up question will be “Full-time?”
The gender thing used to be pretty straightforward too. Girls. Boys.
If you wore your reproductive organs externally, you were on the guy
side. Simple enough. Now you can be born with a tool hanging from
your belt and have it made into a purse, if you swear you were delivered in the wrong body. Or you can hang in that new middle ground,
wearing some girl parts and some boy parts, and defy definition even
to oneself. The popular question in the dark comers of your local bar
may be “Innie or outie?” and not referring to belly buttons.
On the subject of butch and femme, if you asked the next fifty lesbians
you encountered (your next trip to Home Depot, maybe), or for that
matter, every lesbian I’ve ever met the following question: “Are you
butch, femme or in the middle?” the overwhelming answer would be
“in the middle”. Really. Even the gal who responds, “Oh, I’d say the
middle, probably. I mean I can be butch. I rebuilt the motor of my
F150 by myself. I’d feel funny in a skirt but most of my girlfriends like
make-up and heels and stuff like that. I always wear pants but they’re
not usually men’s pants! Yeah, definitely I’d say I’m in the middle.”
And while everyone you know would claim to be in the middle, everyone who knows them could assign a 1-10 number (other than 5) in a
heartbeat, without the slightest difficulty knowing who was a 7 femme
or a 4 butch, for example. We know this; we just absolutely know this.
About OTHER people. Not so much, ourselves. No one would call
you the five you think you are.
Those of us who remember when Kennedy was shot or Nixon resigned
know where this comes from, and will also recall that when gays/gay
rights started becoming more a part of the public consciousness forty
years ago we were strongly encouraged to repudiate the butch/femme
paradigm because it was thought to mimic the hetero relationship
construct which gay rights activists pronounced backward, and the
newly empowered feminist community labeled the patriarchal maledominant model anathema. Perhaps most influential was the stance
of N.O.W. (the National Organization for Women) which was afraid
at the time that its butch contingent would alienate folk who otherwise supported a feminist agenda but were very uneasy with queers.
N.O.W. declared the butch/femme concept “anathema to progressive
behavior”, thereby in essence disallowing even the merest possibility
that butch/femme might be something uniquely lesbian in search of a
real definition, without meaning exactly male/female.
And why is denial so addictive? Are the yin and yang of human behavior the slippery slope of the middle ground? If you still think you’re
in the middle, go find an honest woman you aren’t living with and
ask her. I know you know a butch-femme couple. Think about who
really seems to “wear the pants”. Would the one “in charge” be the
femme, really? Right? Wrong? How can you tell? The longhaired one
in nail polish might be rebuilding the motor. And think how butch that
woman in a tux looks, until her butch-in-a tux femme partner joins her,
and you really see who’s who.
Even language used to be simpler. When I first came out, I was “gay”.
Then as the movement gained steam, the heretofore hateful pejorative
“lesbian” started to be used to mean female gays, while queer men
were still just “gay” (not faggots, the male equivalent of lesbian at that
time). So then “dyke” became the female pejorative of choice among
homophobes, and even among queers lesbian and dyke were no longer
just synonyms. When I first came out, lesbian seemed nearly unpronounceable, even to those who were, and most sounded like they were
choking on something when trying to say it. You rarely heard the word
“dyke”, and at that time (sometimes preceded by “diesel” or “bull”)
was mostly used by truck drivers to intimidate their wives from hanging out with their gal pals ... or female truck drivers! ... while hubby
was on a long haul. But when lesbian came to mean all gay girls, dyke
had to be something worse.
A lesbian drinks from a glass.
A dyke swigs from a can.
A lesbian cooks.
A dyke defrosts.
A lesbian buys stock.
A dyke puts it back on the shelf.
A dyke on a bike owns a Harley.
A lesbian, a Schwinn.
A dyke buys her playboy over the counter.
A lesbian has a subscription.
A lesbian does brunch.
A dyke does drive-thru.
A lesbian has friends.
A dyke has buddies.
A dyke makes dinner.
A lesbian makes reservations.
A lesbian can pass (usually).
A dyke can actually say the word dildo.
Maybe not truisms but you get the drift. Perhaps it’s not whether I am
a dyke or a lesbian, but when am I a lesbian and when a dyke? Oh,
the variations, permutations, and complex combinations! Am I a gay
lady, a homosexual, a lesbidyke, or a monosexual female, or a uniorientational, or a time-dependent multisexual? Seems to me this is all
just too queer for words.
JEA
Art SHOW
By Harriet Meyerhoff
The Art Show at the JEA beginning May 2, 2010, will feature the
works of Maureen Kerstein & Ruth Hunter
Maureen Kerstein - Biography
Says Kerstein, “After moving to the Savannah area I was drawn to
the water and the beautiful coastal landscape. My goal is to capture
the essence of my subject by giving the viewer just enough information to spark their imagination. I want to draw the viewer in to participate in the painting, take a closer look, and experience the reason
I was motivated to paint this particular painting.“
Maureen E. Kerstein is a full-time artist painting in both watercolor
and pastel. She also enjoys developing unique experimental techniques that have been published in various art magazines. Along
with painting in her home studio, Maureen has decided to venture
out from her home studio to paint outdoors. She is one of the founders of the local organization: The Plein Air Painters of Savannah.
Maureen E. Kerstein has been awarded the honor of Signature
Membership with the Georgia Watercolor Society. Maureen is also
a Juried Member of Aquafolio, a group of international artists exhibiting in 7 countries, and an Exhibiting Member of The Southern
Watercolor Society.
Ruth Hunter - Biography
Ruth Hunter was born in Dallas. Her formal education included fine
art studies at Eastfield and Richland Community Colleges. Since
1992, Ruth has worked as a full-time artist. Using her life drawing
skills, Ruth developed a gestural approach to drawing quick portrait
sketches in such tourist destinations as The West End Marketplace
in Dallas, Texas; St. Augustine, Florida; City Market Savannah,
Georgia; and various festivals and fairs along the East coast.
Ruth has been exploring an intuitive painting approach to image
making through the medium of oil and wax. With an ardent interest
in mythology, psychology, and the spiritual, she immerses herself
through painting ‘Inner Landscapes.’ Combining abstract elements,
color and emotion with the figure, Ruth conveys the dreamlike
world of the subconscious.
In addition to painting, Ruth shows her work at Fine Art festivals
regionally, teaches workshops in oil pastel techniques and portrait
sketch techniques, and is represented by several galleries.
Says Hunter, “Maureen and I met through our association in Alvida
Art Gallery. Our personalities just ‘clicked’ and we’ve been friends
since 2004. We share a mutual respect and admiration of each others
artwork. It is an honor to hang my work beside hers and work with
her on an exhibition project!
The Piano Lesson
May 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23
Presented by City of Savannah’s Cultural Arts Theatre
At the Black Box at S.P.A.C.E., 9 W. Henry Street
Under the Direction of Vickie Blackshear, this 1990 Pulitzer Prize
winning play set in the 1930s, follows an African American Family’s
conflict over an heirloom piano. The piano was once traded by the
family’s white master for two of the family’s ancestors. The play explores the struggle of becoming liberated from a painful legacy without losing cultural values.
Cost: $10/$7 seniors, students
651-6783 - www.savannahga.gov/arts
How social media is changing
gay activism
By Ruth Schneider, 365gay.com
Greg Porter checked his Twitter messages one recent morning and
found a very hateful message.
The day before, Porter posted a tweet on his @MU_gay_prof Twitter account asking “#gay why can’t we give blood?” with a link
to a column on the outdated Red Cross policy that bans gay men
from giving blood. The response came the next day. An account for
“Ricky Joaquin,” who appears to be a Brooklyn resident, tweeted
“because we don’t want your fag blood.”
Porter was angry. He was hurt. The 61-year-old former mass communication professor at Marquette University used social media to
respond. He knew a “teaching moment” when he saw one.
“Within seconds, though, my anger turned to sorrow regarding the
circle of bigotry,” he wrote in a blog about the incident. The link he
posted in his response was retweeted several times, exponentially
increasing the number of people it reached with each retweet.
“I haven’t sent this person a [direct message] yet, but I want to thank
him for the inspiration and give him a link,” said Porter.
Porter’s story is just one way the LGBT community is using social
media to further gay rights causes, fight homophobia and promote
education. Between blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, activists
are using the power of social media to increase the reach of their
advocacy messages.
Indeed, social media is the place to be – a survey found that 69 percent of women 17-25 rate Facebook as their favorite site; for men
in the same age group, 56 percent called it their favorite site. In all,
more than 400 million people use Facebook. This week, industry
data showed Facebook generates more hits than Google.
“Social media has had a tremendous impact on all advocacy, for
better or worse,” said Sree Sreenivasan, a dean at Columbia University’s School of Journalism where he teaches a course in social
media. “If you are smart, you can use it to amplify audiences, to
raise more money.”
Last year, The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force hired Sarah
Kennedy just to handle social media for the nonprofit organization.
As the interactive media coordinator, Kennedy exchanges tweets
daily with the more than 3,000 followers of the Task Force’s twitter
account. And the group’s more than 8,000 Facebook friends see her
news posts daily.
“I believe that is the number one key to social media. That it is social. In the past, organizations have sent out newsletters to inform
them about their work,” Kennedy said. Now there are tweets, posts,
blogs and videos to spread the message. “Before LGBT groups had
social media, there wasn’t always that level of information.”
Sreenivasan agrees that some people forget the social aspect. “They
use it to broadcast instead of listen,” He said. “They use it to point to
themselves instead of to point at something interesting about them.”
He stresses the need for listening to what others say and encouraging an open dialogue.
A new type of social media that is gaining traction is mobile fundraising — highlighted by the success of texting donations to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, which raised millions in just a few days. The
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is using a similar technology
for raising awareness about its Queer the Census campaign. Recent
Twitter and Facebook messages urged people to “Text ‘Count’ to
69866 to order your free Queer the Census sticker!”
For smaller state-based organizations such as New York’s Empire
State Pride Agenda, the cost of mobile fundraising is too expensive.
But networking on social media sites including Facebook and Twitter is connecting the group with individuals across the state. “When
we call on our members to do something, it’s amazing how quickly
they can mobilize,” said Stephanie Bergen, the organization’s communications coordinator.
“With people on Facebook and Twitter, they many seem more passive but its easier to reach out than ever,” she said. “They are building these huge social networks online and we find that does translate
[to gay rights activism].”
Pride Agenda also finds that phone banking events are a low-tech
social media tool that still has a place in the gay rights fight. At a
recent evening in the Pride Agenda office, about a dozen volunteers
sat in individual cubicles, dialing constituents to tell them about
the Gender Equality Non-Discrimination Act, a bill that proposes
to protect transgender individuals from discrimination in housing,
employment, credit and education.
Caprice Bellefleur, who identifies as mixed-gender, sat in one of the
cubicles, a phone attached to her ear and a list in front of her. She
called Long Island residents in State Sen. Ken LaValle’s district to
discuss support for gender equality protections in New York.
Her voice was chipper as she read the script. “I’m calling because
you are a constituent of Sen. LaValle. Sen. LaValle needs to hear
from his constituents regarding the Gender Equality Non-Discrimination Act. I need you to call Sen. LaValle and tell him to support
GENDA.” She smiled when the man on the other end of the call
agreed.
Hanging up the phone, she said, “He said he’d call tonight.” She
made a notation for each person who agreed to call the senator. She
also noted when a voicemail is left or whether a call back is necessary. It’s all a familiar part of the phone banking ritual for which
Bellefleur is a veteran.
Bellefleur is a strong believer in grass roots activism — and she
finds phone banking a very effective tool. “Obviously, politicians
don’t get too far going against the will of their constituents,” she
said. “Phone banking does make a difference.”
Whether it’s through high-tech strategies or low-tech tools, social
media is changing the nature of activism.
“It’s all about having a plan about new technology rather than jumping down rabbit holes,” said Sreenivasan. “You have to do everything you did before. This is something you need to add into the
mix.”
Timothy Burkett Interiors
Timothy Burkett, IIDA
Phone
912.236.6500
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