NOM Launches “Reclaim Iowa” Campaign

Transcription

www.ACCESSlineIOWA.com
NOM Launches “Reclaim Iowa” Campaign
Anti-Equality Group Funnels Significant Funds Into Local Special Election
“Taking the battle for marriage back to the heartland,”,
the New Jersey-based National Organization for Marriage
(“NOM”) launched a fund drive for its “Reclaim Iowa
Project” on August 24th.
The organization’s web site describes the effort as
follows: “The Reclaim Iowa Project is a multi-year campaign
to pass a state constitutional amendment reversing last
spring’s same-sex marriage ruling from the Iowa Supreme
Court.”
The initial goal was to provide nearly $90,000 in
advertising just for the September 1, 2009 special election
in House District 90 (“HD90”), which includes all of Van
Iowa City’s Studio 13, Remodeled
Buren county and most of Wapello and Jefferson counties in
southeast Iowa. The special election was required to replace
Democratic Iowa State Representative John Whitaker, who
on July 17th was named by President Barack Obama as the
Iowa State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency
at the USDA.
In HD90, NOM is backing three-term Jefferson County
Supervisor Stephen Burgmeier, who previously proposed a
successful local resolution in support of a marriage amendment, and who pledged to pursue an amendment if elected to
the house. Burgmeier is also supported by the Iowa Family
Policy Center, which sent letters to local voters with the
spurious claim that “out-of-state pro-homosexual groups”
support Burgmeier’s opponent, Democrat Curt Hanson.
OneIowa has criticized NOM’s advertising expenditures
as an attempt to buy the election, and launched an online
petition to have the organization forced to disclose its donors.
Charlie Smithson, the Director and Counsel for the Iowa
Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, sent a letter to
NOM’s executive director, Brian Brown, warning that the
organization would have to follow Iowa’s campaign laws
and that there were limits to donor confidentiality.
“Iowa is not going to become a dumping ground for
undisclosed campaign contributions.”
The REAL thing. Start to finish. That’s the line-up
for the 16th Annual Iowa Women’s Music Festival (IWMF),
to be held September 11-12 in Iowa City and headlined by
the legendary Michelle Shocked and fast-rising blues star
Carolyn Wonderland.
The eclectic line-up includes a Grammy nominee
(Shocked), an Internet mega celebrity, a master mystical
storyteller, and the 2008 Official Texas State Musician (the
first woman to be honored). There is music for everyone at
the IWMF: jazz, folk, pop, rock, country, Americana, roots,
comedy, hip-hop, the blues, honky-tonk, soul, and gospel,
as well as provocative performance art.
Full story on page 11
Michelle Shocked’s
Americana and
Wonderland’s Blues
Headline the
16th Annual
Iowa Women’s
Music Festival
in Iowa City
Iowa Women’s Music Festival
September 11-12, 2009
The CENTER
See the new look on page 20
Iowa News
Page 3
The CENTER is the LGBTQ and Progressive place to
be! Come join us anytime Monday through Saturday from
noon to 6pm.
The CENTER will provide a voice and visibility to
the un-served and under-served LGBT community, their
supporters and families in Central Iowa. Everyone is
welcome at the CENTER. We always appreciate any help
too. For more information please email thecenterdm@gmail.
com, call at 515-243-0313 or visit www.equalityiowa.org/
thecenter.
The CENTER is a project of Equality Iowa and is a
501(c)3, nonprofit organization, as defined by the IRS. All
contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by
law. Donations can be sent to: The CENTER, 1300 Locust
Street, Des Moines, IA 50309.
US News
Page 5
World News
Page 6
“The statement was made that your organization does not have to disclose donors.
However, if you are going to engage in express
advocacy activities in Iowa that is only partially
correct. If people are going to donate to your
organization for express advocacy activities in
Iowa and those donations exceed $750 in the
aggregate in a calendar year, your organization will be required to form a PAC and disclose
those contributors. …”
—Excerpt from the Iowa Ethics and Campaign
Disclosure Board’s letter to the National
Organization for Marriage
Entertainment
Page 11
Community
Page 27
ACCESSline Page 2
Section 1: News & Politics
September 2009
September 2009
PUBLICATION
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Iowa News..............................................3
US News.................................................4
World News ..........................................5
Political IQ..............................................6
Health & HIV/AIDS News....................7
A Message from One Iowa....................7
Creep of the Week, with bonus creep.8
Joshua Dagon ........................................9
Section 2: Community
From The CENTER.............................27
Finance, Shaken Not Stirred..............28
Ask Auntie Emm..................................29
Transformations Iowa.........................29
GLRC Picnic.........................................29
Morals & Values....................................30
Business Directory........................ 33-34
ACCESSline’s
“Fun Guide”
Theater Ads
Waterloo Community Playhouse
Iowa Women’s Music Festival.............11
The Outfield.........................................12
IowaLisa’s List......................................13
Cocktail Chatter..................................14
Deep Inside Hollywood.......................15
Wedding Vows Anew............................16
Studio13’s Remodel.............................20
Out of Town: Berlin, Germany............21
Comics and Crossword Puzzle...........24
OneIowa Canvassing Experience.......24
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ACCESSline Page 3
IOWA NEWS
Rep. Steve King Will Not Pursue Office
of Governor
On August 27, Rep. Steve King, who
has been vocal in his opposition of the
Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage
equality, announced that he will not run
for Governor in the 2010 election.
In addition to saying that all judges
on the Iowa Supreme Court should
resign after the marriage-equality ruling,
King also raised the specter of Iowa
becoming a “Gay Mecca” if residency
requirements were not added to Iowa’s
marriage laws.
45% of Iowa Same-Sex Marriages Are
Out of State Couples
Maybe Rep. Steve King was right.
On Saturday, August 29, nine samesex Minnesota couples traveled together
to Iowa to get married.
In an August 30 article about the
“love bus”, The Des Moines Register also
reported that 46% of the same-gender
marriages performed in Iowa during the
first month after such marriages became
legal were for out-of-state couples.
Of the marriages of in-state couples,
approximately 6% were for same-gender
couples and about the same amount of
marriage licenses opted to conceal the
participants’ genders.
The financial benefit that these
marriages will have on Iowa’s economy
has yet to be determined, but according to
a study by the UCLA Williams Institute,
same-sex marriages are a boon to a state’s
economy, both with direct purchases
related to the event of the wedding, but
also by attracting young “creative class”
professionals.
There is no solid data available yet
as to how many same-gender couples will
permanently move to Iowa in order for
their marriages to be recognized as legal
in their home state.
In the August 2009 issue of
ACCESSline, the paper included a story
about tattoo artist Aiden Kaine and
Jesicca Andrade, who moved to Cedar
Rapids from Falls City, Nebraska, specifically because of the Iowa Supreme Court
marriage equality ruling.
The breakdown of out-of-state
couples coming to Iowa to be married is
as follows:
• Illinois: 57
• Minnesota: 36
• Missouri: 37
• Nebraska: 38
Issue of Iowa’s HIV Transmission Law
May Again Drop Off the Radar
After Plainfield resident Nick
Rhoades was sentenced to 25 years in
prison for having “intimate contact” with
another man without disclosing his HIV+
status, The Iowa Independent published
articles questioning the severeness of
Iowa’s penalty under this statute and
suggesting the state legislature revisit
the law.
The law was enacted as a direct
result of President Ronald Reagan’s
“Presidential Commission on the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus”, which in its
early form included recommendations for
states to add criminal statutes intended
to reduce activities that transmit the
virus. (Criminalization has since been
removed from the Federal HIV recommendations.)
As for Nick Rhoades, his sentence
may be adjusted by Judge Bradley Harris
any time within the twelve months after
the sentencing.
“It seems to me that since it is now 11, almost 12, years
later, it wouldn’t be [a] bad time to take a look at it again…
surely [there] are some tweaks or changes that the legislature could consider relevant to this law, especially with
all the new knowledge we have of the disease.”
—Former state Rep. Ed Fallon (D) on Iowa’s HIV transmission law. Fallon supported the law when it was passed
in 1998
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ACCESSline Page 4
September 2009
US NEWS by Rex Wockner
GLBT march on Washington, DC, planned
for Oct. 11
A grassroots GLBT network called
Equality Across America will stage “a massive
national day of action” Oct. 11 in Washington,
D.C.
According to organizers, the National
Equality March has been endorsed by the Gay
and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation,
the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community Churches and Join The Impact,
among other groups.
Oct. 11 also is National Coming Out Day,
and 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the
first gay march on Washington.
“We’re marching this October to demand
action from the federal government to protect
our rights in all 50 states,” said co-organizer
Kip Williams. “Real equality can only come
from the president, the Congress and the
Supreme Court.”
Organizers said the march also is
supported by veteran national GLBT activists
David Mixner, Torie Osborn, Cleve Jones,
Ann Northrop, Nicole Murray-Ramirez and
Nadine Smith, along with newer activists such
as Dustin Lance Black, Lt. Dan Choi, Corey
Johnson and “Meet in the Middle” organizer
Robin McGehee.
“We’ve got people from the Stonewall
generation to the Facebook generation
working together to win real equality,” said
McGehee. “We’re tired of compromises and
delays.”
Black said the march will refocus attention on the federal government following
decades of gay activists’ working more on
state and local issues.
“The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees equal protection under the
law, but LGBT Americans are still denied
that protection — now is the time to push for
real equality, in all matters governed by civil
law,” Black said.
Organizers say they are “recruiting
volunteers in all 435 U.S. congressional
districts to pressure members of the House
of Representatives.”
“We want every member of Congress to
know that there are LGBT people and our allies
in every single district,” said Johnson.
On Aug. 12, the Human Rights Campaign
issued a “statement” on the march, calling it
“a starting point—not a destination.”
“I’ve heard criticism about this gather-
ing diverting resources from existing goals
such as marriage equality in Maine and New
Jersey,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese.
“It’s our intention and our obligation to ensure
that in October, we amplify our energy not
divert it. ... With thousands of LGBT people
and allies coming to Washington to make
a difference, it’s our mission to help them
become the citizen lobbyists that they want
and need to be.”
A list of large, mainstream GLBT organizations that do not appear to have endorsed
the march would be lengthy. However, the
post-Prop-8, “Stonewall 2.0” era also is one
in which grassroots activists have achieved a
prominence and visibility not seen since the
days of ACT UP.
The weekend also will feature workshops, trainings, seminars and teach-ins, but
no officially sanctioned parties, concerts or
other entertainment.
Nonpolitical events “are being actively
discouraged,” the 60-member steering
committee said.
“It’s not about another party, it’s about
getting to work,” said Williams.
The march route remains to be
finalized. For more information, go to
nationalequalitymarch.com.
Anchorage mayor vetoes gay rights law
Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan on Aug.
17 vetoed a gay rights bill that had passed the
Anchorage Assembly (city council) 7-4.
“My review shows that there is clearly
a lack of quantifiable evidence necessitating
this ordinance,” Sullivan said. “My review
also shows that the vast majority of those who
communicated their position on the ordinance
are in opposition.”
The measure banned discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity
in employment, housing, public accommodations and finance, with certain exemptions for
religious groups and churches.
The city council would need to find one
additional vote to override the veto, and would
have to do so by Sept. 7.
Anchorage is home to 40 percent of
Alaska residents.
Gay legal groups locked out of federal case
against Prop 8
U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker on
Aug. 19 blocked Lambda Legal, the Ameri-
can Civil Liberties Union LGBT Project, and
the National Center for Lesbian Rights from
joining the federal lawsuit seeking to overturn
Proposition 8.
The case is being argued by famed attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, who say
Prop 8 (perhaps along with other same-sex
marriage bans) violates the due-process and
equal-protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution by singling out gays for disfavored legal
status and discriminating on the basis of gender
and sexual orientation.
The American Foundation for Equal
Rights, which hired Olson and Boies, opposed
the gay legal groups’ becoming parties to
the suit, saying the groups refused to join
the suit earlier when invited to participate,
have denounced the suit publicly, and would
slow down the court process if allowed to
take part.
In a scathing letter to the groups on
July 8, AFER Board Chair Chad Griffin
wrote: “Given our (previous) willingness
to collaborate with you, and your efforts to
undercut this case, we were surprised and
disappointed when we became aware of your
desire to intervene. You have unrelentingly
and unequivocally acted to undermine this
case even before it was filed. ... Your strident
criticism of our suit has been constant.”
More recently, the gay groups have said
that while they still believe it’s the wrong time
to take a same-sex marriage case to the U.S.
Supreme Court, if one is heading there anyway
— which is the goal of the Olson and Boies
suit — then they want to be a part of it to make
sure all the legal bases are covered.
Judge Walker, however, rejected the
notion that Olson and Boies wouldn’t or
couldn’t cover all the bases, and set a Jan.
11 trial date.
Assistance: Bill Kelley
The Oct. 11 GLBT march on Washington,
D.C., has been endorsed by, among others,
veteran activists David Mixner, Cleve Jones,
Ann Northrop and Nicole Murray-Ramirez.
Photo by Rex Wockner
Groups split on Prop 8 repeal timing
Equality California said Aug. 12 that it
does not support returning to the ballot to try
to repeal Proposition 8 until 2012.
Other groups are preparing for a 2010
ballot fight. They include the Courage
Campaign, Love Honor Cherish, Los Angeles’
Stonewall Democratic Club and at least 40
other organizations.
“Donors want to make sure their investments to win back marriage are wisely invested,” EQCA Marriage Director Marc Solomon
said in an Aug. 12 conference call with reporters. “Monolithically, they are not supportive
of returning to the ballot (in 2010).”
“There’s no question that the community
is, you know, not unified behind one position
and we really feel that we ... owe the LGBT
community and our allies our best analysis,”
Solomon said. “We’d be leading people down
a path that I don’t feel comfortable leading
them down (if we supported 2010). It’s our
job to say, ‘We think this 38-month path is
TTUS NEWS continued page 7
Gender requirement may cause trouble for
transgender passengers from The CENTER
Transgender individuals may run
into problems flying because Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) new
program Secure Flight requires passengers
to give their full legal name, date of birth and
gender as it appears on the government-issue
photo identification they intend to use.
These new regulations attempt to reduce
false positives of individuals who are not
a threat to national security and prevent
individuals from flying who are on federal
watch lists.
Problems arise for people transitioning
because their name and gender presentation
may not match their government-issue identification. The potential inconsistency may
lead to additional security screening before
individuals are allowed to board the plane.
TSA began implementing the program
in May requiring the full legal name and
date of birth for domestic flight passengers.
In August, gender became required for
domestic flights as well, and on October
31, 2009 passengers’ full legal name, date
of birth and gender will be required for
international flights.
The National Center for Transgender
Equality is working in coalition with privacy
organizations to ensure that TSA’s policies
do not cause additional delay or difficulty
for transgender travelers. If you encounter
difficulties at the airport because of your
gender expression or transgender status,
please contact NCTE at 202-903-0112 so
they can work with TSA to prevent the
problem for occurring in the future.
September 2009
ACCESSline Page 5
World News by Rex Wockner
HRW reports hundreds of anti-gay
murders in Iraq
Iraqi militias are torturing and murdering
men suspected of engaging in gay sex or of
not being manly enough, and the authorities
have done nothing to stop the killings, Human
Rights Watch confirmed Aug. 17.
The organization documented a
campaign of extrajudicial executions, kidnappings and torture that began early this year
in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, a
stronghold of Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army
militia, then spread to other locations.
MahdiArmy spokesmen have denounced
what they call the “third sex” and the alleged
feminization of some Iraqi men, and have
proposed militia action as a remedy. HRW
said some of its sources reported that state
security forces have joined in the killings.
The killers invade homes and grab
people on the street, HRW reported. Victims
are interrogated for names of others before
being murdered. Torture practices include
supergluing victim’s anuses shut, then
feeding them laxatives.
Iraqi gays also told HRW they face
“honor killings” by homophobic parents and
brothers who believe “unmanly” behavior
shames the family or tribe.
“Hundreds of men may have died,”
HRW said, though the precise figure is
“almost impossible” to determine.
One man told HRW that militiamen
kidnapped and killed his partner in April:
“Four armed men barged into (my partner’s
parents’) house, masked and wearing black.
They asked for him by name; they insulted
him and took him in front of his parents. ... He
was found in the neighborhood the day after.
They had thrown his corpse in the garbage.
His genitals were cut off and a piece of his
throat was ripped out. Since then, I’ve been
unable to speak properly. I feel as if my life is
pointless now. ... (F)or years it has just been
my boyfriend and myself in that little bubble,
by ourselves. I have no family now—I cannot
go back to them. I have a death warrant on
me. I feel the best thing to do is just to kill
myself.”
Consensual adult gay sex is not illegal
under Iraqi law but the militias have claimed
to be enforcing Islamic Sharia law. HRW’s
report said, however, that the killings also
violate Sharia law standards for legality,
proof and privacy.
Some Iraqi gays have escaped to nearby
countries that are only marginally safer for
gay people and where, in most cases, gay
sex is illegal. HRW urged the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, as well
as governments that accept Iraqi refugees,
to offer rapid resettlement to Iraqi GLBT
people.
Here are some additional personal stories
from HRW’s report:
Hamid: “[The killers’] measuring
rod to judge people is who they have sex
with. It is not by their conscience, it is not
by their conduct or their values, it is who
they have sex with. The cheapest thing
in Iraq is a human being, a human life. It
is cheaper than an animal, than a pair of
used-up batteries you buy on the street.
Especially people like us. ... I can’t believe
I’m here talking to you because it’s all just
been repressed, repressed, repressed. For
years it’s been like that—if I walk down the
street, I would feel everyone pointing at me.
I feel as if I’m dying all the time. And now
this, in the last month—I don’t understand
what we did to deserve this. They want us
exterminated. All the violence and all this
hatred: the people who are suffering from
it don’t deserve it.”
Idris: “We’ve been hearing about this,
about gay men being killed, for more than a
month. It’s like background noise now, every
day. The stories started spreading in February
about this campaign against gay people by the
Mahdi Army: everyone was talking about it, I
was hearing about it from my straight friends.
In a coffee shop in Karada, on the streets in
Harithiya (Baghdad neighborhoods), they
were talking about it. I didn’t worry at first.
My friends and I, we look extremely masculine, there is nothing visibly ‘feminine’ about
us. None of us ever, ever believed this would
happen to us. But then at the end of March
we heard on the street that 30 men had been
killed already.”
Mohammad: “They did many things to
us, the Mahdi Army. ... They kidnapped (my
partner) for six days. He will not talk about
what they did to him. There were bruises on
his side as if he was dragged on the street.
They did things to him he can’t describe,
even to me. They wrote in the dust on the
windshield of his car: ‘Death to the people
of Lot and to collaborators.’ They sent us
veiled threats in text messages: ‘You are on
the list.’ They sent him a piece of paper in
an envelope, to his home: there were three
bullets wrapped in plastic, of different size.
The note said, ‘Which one do you want in
your heart?’ ... I want to be a regular person,
lead a normal life, walk around the city, drink
coffee on the street. But because of who I
am, I can’t. There is no way out.”
Nuri: “At 10 a.m., (Ministry of Interior
officers) cuffed my hands behind my back.
Then they tied a rope around my legs, and
they hung me upside down from a hook in
the ceiling, from morning till sunset. I passed
out. I was stripped down to my underwear
while I hung upside down. They cut me down
that night, but they gave me no water or food.
Next day, they told me to put my clothes
back on and they took me to the investigating
officer. He said: ‘You like that? We’re going
to do that to you more and more, until you
confess.’ Confess to what? I asked. ‘To the
work you do, to the organization you belong
to, and that you are a queen.’ For days, there
were severe beatings. ... They beat me all
over my body; when they had me hanging
upside down, they used me like a punching
bag. ... They used electric prods all over my
body. Then they raped me. Over three days.
The first day, 15 of them raped me; the second
day, six; the third day, four. There was a bag
on my head every time.”
Following the release of the HRW
report, Sweden’s national gay group, RFSL,
“demand(ed) that the Swedish government
explore the possibility of evacuating gays
from Iraq,” said Executive Director Maria
Sjödin.
“It is not enough to condemn the ongoing
cleansing,” added RFSL President Sören
Juvas. “We encourage Sweden to explore
the possibilities of evacuating homosexuals,
bisexuals and transgenders who face the risk
of sexual cleansing.”
For a PDF of HRW’s full 67-page report,
visit bit.ly/1cWi7D. (From HRW and RFSL
press material)
New arrests for same-sex relations in
Senegal
There have been new arrests and convictions for same-sex relations in Senegal, the
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights
Commission reported Aug. 20.
Two men from the town of Darou
Mousty were convicted in mid-August of
illegal sexual acts “against nature” and
jailed for two and five years respectively,
IGLHRC said.
A third man, age 17, arrested at the
same time faced trial Aug. 24. The situation
of a fourth man arrested at the same time is
unknown.
IGLHRC said “denunciations from
neighbors were the only evidence against
the men.”
There has been a series of anti-gay
arrests in Senegal since early 2008 for such
“crimes” as “homosexuality,” “incitement to
debauchery,” “corruption of good behavior,”
“acts against the order of nature,” “indecent
conduct” and “homosexual marriage,”
IGLHRC said.
The group also reported recent incidents
of desecration of gay men’s graves and exhumation of their bodies.
“In May 2009, the body of 30-year old
Madièye Diallo was dug up from his grave in
the town of Thiès,” IGLHRC said. “After his
family re-buried him, his body was exhumed
again and dumped outside the family’s home.
Finally, family members buried the body in
the grounds of their own house.”
Prime Minister Souleymane Ndéné
Ndiaye said in May that “homosexuality ...
is a sign of a crisis of values,” ILGHRC said.
Senegal’s penal code punishes gay sex with
up to five years in prison and a $3,000 fine.
Argentine govt. agency rules against ‘gay
cure’ event
The Argentine Justice Ministry’s
National Institute Against Discrimination,
Xenophobia and Racism (INADI) has ruled
that a “gay cure” conference in Córdoba
engaged in prohibited discrimination by
implying that gays are sick.
Acting on a complaint filed by gay
activist Víctor Bracuto against the Integra
Group Foundation, INADI determined that
“holding a conference on sexual health,
which has among its objectives ‘curing the
homosexual,’ is discriminatory in terms of
article 1 of Law 23,592.”
INADI interpreted that law’s ban on
discrimination based on sex as including sexual orientation and explained:
“Homophobia is defined as intolerance or
scorn toward gays and lesbians. That is to
say, discrimination, hate, fear, prejudice or
aversion against homosexual persons.”
The law states in part, “Anyone who
arbitrarily impedes, obstructs, restricts
or otherwise impairs the full exercise
on an equal basis of the fundamental
rights and guarantees recognized in the
National Constitution will be compelled,
at the request of the victim, to nullify the
discriminatory act or cease its execution
and to repair the moral injury and material
damage.”
INADI’s determination in the case is
nonbinding and Bracuto said he plans no
further legal moves.
The ruling by itself, he said, was “a
historical development not only in Argentina but perhaps also in Latin America and
the world.”
ACCESSline Page 6
September 2009
Political IQ: by Diane Sliver
Children Suffer When
the Religious Right
Wins—A Personal
Story
For any mother, the day her child turns
18 is a milestone, but for a lesbian mom that
particular birthday can be overwhelming.
The day my son turned 18 was routine,
as birthdays go. I went to work. I made
jokes about how I couldn’t possibly be old
enough for him to be 18. A high school
senior, Tony played trumpet in the marching band, and his friends surprised him that
night with an impromptu concert on our
front lawn. They stayed for cake and ice
cream and then jammed in my living room.
It was a good day, but it was also odd.
As much as I enjoyed it, I felt strange. It
wasn’t that I felt bad; I felt relieved, but I
couldn’t figure out why. Tony had always
been healthy. He got good grades. He was
a normal, rowdy teen. I couldn’t figure out
why I was so incredibly relieved that he had
turned 18.
Nothing made sense until I had a
“eureka” moment in the shower the next
morning. Tony had reached the age of adulthood. No one had the legal right to rip him
away from his family anymore.
Tony is the biological child of my late
life partner, who died of breast cancer more
than a decade ago. As co-parent—particularly as co-parent in the very red state of
Kansas—I was a legal nonentity.
I was there when he was born. I held out
my hands for his first step. I heard his first
words. I sat up all night with him when he had
his first cold. I went to every single parentteacher conference. I paid for his doctor
checkups and school fees, and I kept him in
shoes. I held him when his birth mother died
when he was just 7. I love him more than I
ever knew you could love any soul. Despite
all that, without the intervention of a court, I
wouldn’t have had the legal right to be in the
same room with him, let alone to be his parent.
We were lucky, though. I was able to legally
adopt him, largely because my partner’s
family supported me. I might not have
succeeded if they hadn’t.
I didn’t know how close Tony came
to being torn away until my late partner’s
brother told me he considered taking my son
after his sister died. He consulted a psychologist friend. That psychologist—bless him—
told the man I still consider to be my brotherin-law that taking me away from Tony would
mean that he would lose both parents and not
just one, with the death of his birth mother.
Even though this good man had seen me
with Tony for years and knew how close
we were, it never occurred to him to think
of me as Tony’s parent. To his credit, my
brother-in-law saw the truth in his friend’s
statement and supported the adoption.
Think about how close that was. What
if my partner’s brother couldn’t see the
wisdom of his friend’s words? What
if he had talked to a different friend?
My son and I are blessed. Despite one
tragedy, our family avoided another. We
stayed together when so many other families have been forced apart. In the 1990s,
12-year-old Cassie was taken from her
mother, Mary Ward, in Florida and given to
her father—a convicted murderer. In 2006
and 2007, the children of Keri Jones of Utah
and B.F. in Kentucky lost the right to even
visit their co-parents. Today, Kathryn Kutil
and Cheryl Hess of West Virginia are fighting to keep custody of the baby they fostered
when no one else wanted a child born to a
drug addict.
Despite our family’s good fortune,
it wasn’t until my son became a legal
adult that I realized how frightened I had
been. I never knew whether the people
who believe I’m an abomination would
find a way to legally remove my son
from the only family he had ever known.
This is just a taste of what it is like to be a
lesbian or gay parent in the United States
today. With the 2008 passage of the adoption
ban in Arkansas and the Religious right’s
continuing agitation for other bans, our
families face repeated attacks.
If an adoption ban had been in effect
when my partner died, it would have been
impossible for me to adopt Tony. What a
tragedy that would have been.
Hate Crimes and
Congressional Farce:
How the Twisted Path
of One Bill Shows Us
the Future
Get ready to laugh. I’m going to lead
you through the twists and turns of one of
the most ridiculous places known to humankind: the U.S. Congress. The purpose of this
exercise is to explain what has happened to
the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
But I have a deeper goal. The hate crimes
bill is the first in a series of pro-LGBT proposals expected to come before Congress. These
include the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, changes in immigration laws and
repeals of the Defense of Marriage Act and
the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbians
and gays in the military.
Given that President Obama has said he
favors these proposals, the trick for LGBT
America is to get them through Congress
and onto his desk. This is no easy task. To
succeed, our community and allies must
understand how Congress really works.
We need to know when to relax and let
the process rumble forward, when to flood
Congress with phone calls and letters and,
yes, even when to panic.
The civics class explanation of Congressional procedure is simple. First, a bill is
considered by a committee, and then it
comes up for a vote by either the House
or Senate. The bill next heads to the other
side of the Capitol where it goes before yet
another committee and passes a vote by the
other chamber.
Any differences between House and
Senate versions are worked out in a conference committee. The revised bill goes back
to the House and Senate for final votes. If that
version passes both chambers, it goes to the
President for either a veto or a signature.
Oh, that Congressional action really
were that easy.
The civics class outline is accurate, but
it leaves out the differences between the
House and Senate. Civics classes also ignore
the cajoling, hand holding, threats and deals
necessary to herd 219 contrary cats in the
House and 60 grumpily independent cats in
the Senate in the same direction.
The twisted path of Matthew Shepherd
Act shows the real process. In the House, the
proposal came up for a vote as a stand alone
bill and won approval without being larded
with amendments. That’s because House
rules give pro-LGBT Speaker Nancy Pelosi
tight control over the chamber and the ability
to block unsavory amendments.
The Senate, though, is the home of
100 powerful individuals. Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid can’t make any other
senator do a darn thing.
Senators can offer amendments during
floor debate. Senators can also filibuster,
which freezes debate and takes 60 votes to
break. Despite the Constitution’s insistence
that only 51 votes are required to pass a bill
in the Senate, these days it only takes the
threat of a filibuster to kill a proposal. One
can safely assume that threats will be made
against any pro-LGBT legislation.
Because of the Senate’s gnarly nature,
controversial measures seldom arrive for
floor debate as stand alone bills. Thus, hate
crimes became part of the National Defense
Authorization Act.
Senators also like to insert “poison pill”
amendments. These cute little things are
so noxious that they make lawmakers vote
against bills they actually like. In July antigay Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama inserted
several poison pills into hate crimes.
All of this is why the fate of hate crimes
protection has been tied, at various times, to
the future of the F-22 fighter, a concealed
carry gun proposal and the death penalty.
The good news is that versions of hate
crime protection have passed both the House
and Senate. Human Rights Campaign Senior
Policy Advocate David Stacy predicts the
Matthew Shepherd Act should be ready
for the President’s signature by the end of
September.
I love Stacy’s optimism, but I’m a tad
more jaded. As Stacy notes at HRC Back
Story, much remains to be done. The defense
bill is now the vehicle for passing hate
crimes protection. Congressional staff will
meet during the August recess to work out
differences. Key decisions will be made by
the House and Senate when they return to
work in September.
Watch the progress of the defense bill.
Pay attention to action alerts from the Human
Rights Campaign and National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force. Visit with your representative and senators when they’re back at
home in August. Also, cross your fingers or
say a prayer if you’re so inclined.
One more thing: The Matthew Shepherd
Act is supposed to be the easy part of the
pro-equality agenda. I can’t wait to see what
happens to the rest of our legislation.
Diane Silver is a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor,
whose freelance writing has appeared
in The Progressive, Salon.com, Ms., and
other national publications. She can be
reached care of this publication or at
[email protected].
September 2009
HEALTH & HIV/AIDS BRIEFS
Lambda Legal Urges Swift
Adoption of Proposed Rules
Eliminating HIV Travel and
Immigration Ban
‘After over twenty years of barring
people living with HIV from traveling
or immigrating to the United States...
Lambda Legal strongly urges the CDC to
move swiftly to finalize and implement the
proposed regulations’
(New York, August 18, 2009) — After
over twenty years of barring people living
with HIV from traveling or immigrating to
the United States, the federal government
is one step closer to getting this baseless,
discriminatory law off the books, according to comments submitted yesterday by
Lambda Legal to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS).
Lambda Legal’s letter supports the
CDC’s proposed rules that would lift the
HIV travel and immigration ban by removing
HIV from the list of communicable diseases
of public health significance for immigrants
to the United States because the restrictions
are discriminatory, violate basic human
rights, and cannot be justified on public
health grounds. The letter also asserts that
lifting the ban will reduce the stigma faced
by people living with HIV.
Said Scott Schoettes, HIV Project Staff
Attorney at Lambda Legal: “Lambda Legal
SScontinued from page 4
US News
the right path.’”
Solomon said the next ballot fight will
cost “$40 million to $60 million.”
“Californians have been static on the
issue of marriage equality over the last four
years,” he added. “We’ve been stuck and
we need to figure out how to get unstuck. ...
There are a small number of undecided voters
on this issue.”
EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors
said that “if (other) people want to move
forward with 2010, they’re welcome to it.”
“It’s a democracy and a free country,”
Kors said. “If something qualifies, we will
support it (but) we think we have one shot
over these next elections. ... We’ve come to a
different conclusion than other organizations.
... We’re going to do this right and smart and
strategically.”
Meanwhile, the Courage Campaign
announced Aug. 12, an hour before EQCA’s
announcement, that it is moving forward with
plans for a 2010 ballot battle.
In recent months, the Courage Campaign
arguably has become as important a player in
statewide GLBT politics as EQCA, though
EQCA is a traditional lobby group while
Courage Campaign is more of a netroots and
grassroots operation.
In an Aug. 12 mailing to its 700,000
supporters, the Courage Campaign sent a
“special message” from Steve Hildebrand,
who was Barack Obama’s deputy campaign
manager.
In the message, Hildebrand, who is
openly gay, said: “I feel strongly that 2010
is the right time to courageously win back
strongly urges the CDC to move swiftly to
finalize and implement the proposed regulations, thereby ending the discriminatory and
disgraceful HIV travel and immigration ban
and allowing the United States to more fully
assume its role as a leader in the global fight
against HIV/AIDS. Adoption of these rules
will ensure that people living with HIV
will no longer face this type of stigma and
discrimination from our government.”
“Once these rules are finalized, U.S.
policy will reflect the broad consensus
among the scientific, medical and public
health communities that admission of individuals living with HIV into the U.S. does
not present a threat to the public health of this
country nor pose any danger to its citizens.
The United States will join the vast majority of countries across the world that do not
restrict the travel and immigration rights of
people living with HIV.
“Lambda Legal looks forward to the
day, in the very near future, when people
living with HIV have equal rights to enter
this country to visit or immigrate, and
we welcome the change that will end the
discriminatory policy that has been in place
for over twenty years.”
Jonathan Adams:
[email protected]
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition
of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men,
bisexuals, transgender people and those with
HIV through impact litigation, education and
public policy work.
New Evidence in Debate Over
Treatment as Prevention
marriage rights in California—as strongly
as I felt when I decided to devote two years
of my life to help Barack Obama run for
President despite warnings from the pundits
and pollsters that he would never occupy the
Oval Office.”
In an Aug. 10 interview with Los Angeles
journalist Karen Ocamb, Hildebrand elaborated: “I believe it’s winnable in 2010 and
that the community should not be afraid to
take this to the ballot in 2010. ... In a perfect
world, you want everybody on the same
page but we don’t live in a perfect world and
different people have different ideas. I do
believe that if groups move forward and start
a petition drive, that most all groups will feel
compelled to join because they don’t want to
see a loss. But they might come kicking and
screaming.”
Hildebrand said the California “gay
community ... needs to have confidence that
it can win this” and should not “let political
prognosticators who suggest they can’t win it
in 2010 scare them away.”
Some California gay groups expressed
dismay with EQCA’s announcement and
vowed to carry on without the organization.
“We are extremely disappointed, but not
surprised, by Equality California’s decision
today to wait until 2012 ... especially since
every poll we conducted shows majority
support within the LGBT community (including 70 percent of EQCA’s own membership) to
put a marriage-equality initiative on the ballot
next year,” said Yes! on Equality.
Newly prominent California blogger
August 19, 2009 - People with viral
loads less than 50 copies tend to keep their
virus suppressed consistently, which lends
weight to the argument that such folks are
unlikely to pass their infection on to their
HIV-negative sex partners, according to
a study published in HIV Medicine and
reported by aidsmap.
A declaration by Swiss researchers sent
a shockwave through the HIV community
in January 2008, when they claimed that
certain heterosexual people with HIV simply
couldn’t pass the virus on to their HIVnegative partners, even in the absence of
condom use or other barrier methods. There
were some qualifiers: Both partners needed
to be sexually monogamous, and neither
could have a sexually transmitted infection.
Also, the HIV-positive partner needed to be
adherent to his or her medication and have
had an undetectable viral load for at least
six months before engaging in unprotected
sexual activity.
A number of studies have, in fact,
demonstrated that people with HIV are far
less likely to transmit the virus if they have
an undetectable viral load, but the Swiss
declaration was the first to claim that the
risk is essentially nil. One counter-argument
raised by critics: People with HIV adhering
to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy may experience viral blips, where their virus goes
up temporarily. This could, theoretically,
ACCESSline Page 7
increase the risk of transmission if condoms
are not being used.
To examine the likelihood of blips,
Christophe Combescure, PhD, from the
University Hospital Geneva, in Switzerland,
and his colleagues from the Swiss HIV
Cohort examined data on 6,168 patients
who were on ARV therapy and had successive viral load tests between 2003 and 2007.
Though the frequency of visits varied, most
people had viral load tested once every three
months.
Combescure’s team found that when
people claimed to have missed no doses
of their ARVs in the previous four weeks,
they had an 85 percent chance of having
their HIV levels remain under 50 copies
consistently. Most viral load blips were
transient. In people whose virus jumped to
between 200 and 1,000 copies—detectable
but still associated with a very low risk of
HIV transmission—66 percent went back
to undetectable at the next test.
This was less true for people whose
virus had jumped to more than 1,000
copies—when transmission may be more
likely to occur, the authors explain. Just
30 percent of them went back to undetectable. This occurred rarely however. The
overall chance that a person would go from
undetectable to more than 1,000 copies
was just 2 percent, and if a person was on
a potent three-drug regimen this dropped
to 1 percent.
In the final analysis, poor adherence
TTHEALTH & HIV continued page 10
Phillip Minton (unitethefight.org) said the
Aug. 12 developments kicked off a battle
between Equality California and Courage
Campaign over “who’s going to win the right
to win rights.”
“The California LGBT population is
experiencing whiplash and fears that these
announcements will drive the wedge of division that already exists deeper into the heart
of the community,” Minton said.
Proposition 8, passed last Nov. 4 by 52
percent of California voters, amended the
state constitution to re-ban same-sex marriage,
which had been legal since June 16, 2008,
following a state Supreme Court ruling that
banning gay couples from marrying was
unconstitutional. In May of this year, the
state Supreme Court ruled that Prop 8 was a
valid exercise of the voters’ power to amend
the constitution.
Bill Clinton regrets DOMA and Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell
Former President Bill Clinton said Aug.
13 that he regrets the way his Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell military gay ban was implemented, and
that he doesn’t “like” the Defense of Marriage
Act he signed into law.
Speaking at the Netroots Nation conference in Pittsburgh, Clinton said: “When
Gen. Colin Powell came up with this Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell, it was defined while he was
chairman much differently than it was implemented. (Powell) said: ‘If you will accept
this, here’s what we’ll do. We will not pursue
anyone. Any military members out of uniform
will be free to march in gay rights parades, go
to gay bars, go to political meetings. Whatever mailings they get, whatever they do in
TTCLINTON continued page 10
ACCESSline Page 8
September 2009
Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski
Peter LaBarbera
The topic of health care is on everyone’s
lips, and Peter LaBarbera, president of
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality,
“a group dedicated to exposing the homosexual activist agenda,” is no exception.
Granted, most folks are focused on
things like America’s large number of
uninsured or the rising cost of caring for
the sick and injured. LaBarbera has a much
more limited scope: the gays. Specifically,
gay men and sex and how it’s bad and the
government must stop it.
Speaking July 24 at the 2009 Reclaiming Oklahoma For Christ Conference,
LaBarbera called for a government study of
the dangerous of homosexual sex. Because,
you know, priorities.
“When it comes to combating cigarettes, the government not only restricts,
taxes and bans smoking, it also funds and
encourages anti-smoking messages and
advertisements,” reads Americans for
Truth’s Web site. “Given the immense health
risks of male homosexual sex, shouldn’t
the federal government do a comprehensive study on the matter, tax sodomitic
establishments and educate the public and
especially young people about the dangers
of ‘gay’ sex?”
One wonders just how LaBarbera thinks
the government should restrict, tax and
ban gay sex. Given his obsession with the
subject, my guess is he’d be happy to take
on the volunteer title of gay sex enforcer,
much like those old guys who stand on the
Texas border with shotguns looking out for
illegal immigrants.
It is also worth noting the fact that
Americans for Truth about Homosexuality
advocates educating “young people” about
the horrors of gay sex. Keep in mind, this is
a group that believes that LGBT activists are
infiltrating schools and corrupting children.
So it’s OK to talk to kids about homosexuality if the topic is gay sex=bad, but not OK if
the topic is, say, anti-gay bullying.
Also, the cigarette analogy is not
new one. Anti-gay groups have long been
batting around the claim that men having
sex with other men is more dangerous than
smoking. That there has been no valid data
indicating as much doesn’t seem to matter.
Science is, after all, the providence of secular
heathens.
So what is fueling LaBarbera’s clarion
call for such a study is information from the
FDA’s Web site about gay men donating
blood in the United States. While LaBarbera acts as if this information is new and
revelational, the policy has been in place
since 1983.
In fact, the policy, which lumps gay and
bisexual men in with hookers and junkies
and bans them from donating blood for
life, has been widely criticized. The Red
Cross has called it “medically and scientifically unwarranted.” The executive vice
president of America’s Blood Centers has
publicly expressed his disappointment over
the policy.
Martin Algaze, spokesman for Gay
Men’s Health Crisis, has called the policy
“archaic and discriminatory because it
falsely assumes that all gay men are HIVpositive regardless of their sexual behavior.
At the same time, it allows heterosexuals to
donate blood even if they have participated
in risky sexual or drug-use behavior.”
But hey, never mind that. Let’s do
a government study of hot man-on-man
action, because LaBarbera needs something
to replace his dog-eared and tattered copy
of the Starr Report.
Sen. Paul Stanley
I’ve come to a conclusion: Sanctimonious anti-gay politicians are more likely to
be hypocritical adulterous pricks than other
segments of the population. Granted, I have
no scientific evidence to back me up. It’s
just a hunch. A hunch that is made stronger
every time I read the news.
My theory is that it takes the same lack
of conscience to, say, argue that kids are
better off in state care than with gay adoptive parents that it does to cheat on your
wife with a young intern.
But hey, that’s Tennessee Sen. Paul
Stanley’s life. Over the past couple of weeks
Stanley’s “honorable” conservative reputation has gotten a little bit, well, destroyed.
It turns out that back in April Stanley was
involved in a sex scandal complete with
blackmail. How it was kept under wraps
for so long I do not know. But Stanley’s
balls are out of the bag, or whatever that
expression is.
If only Stanley hadn’t snapped nudie
shots of McKensie Morrison, the 22-yearold intern he was screwing. And if only
Joel Watts, Morrison’s boyfriend, hadn’t
found them.
Now, you might think Watts would be
all, “Thanks, Gramps, for keeping my girlfriend entertained at work and for giving her
an experience I would never be able to since
I am not a hot shot Senator.” But no. Watts
was pretty pissed. And so he blackmailed
Stanley asking for $10,000 in exchange for
the pictures.
So Stanley sicced the Tennessee Bureau
of Investigation on Watts’s ass and Watts
went to jail for extortion. But now Stanley
has to deal with the fact that his dirty laundry
is waving all over the godforsaken place.
Stanley, good Christian father (of two)
and husband (of zero, soon) issued a public
statement about the matter on his Web
site. “For my errors I am very sorry, and I
will continue to make amends,” he wrote.
“Admitting failure is difficult but necessary
if one expects to ever better themselves by
allowing God to work His will in their life.
Giving myself to Him and rebuilding my
family relationships are now the focus of
my life.”
Aww, isn’t that sweet. Nothing puts
the focus on the family quite like a public
adultery scandal. Keep in mind that this is
coming from a guy who was totally hot for
abstinence-only education and a complete
ban on gays and lesbians adopting children
in his state. Because, you know, family
values.
“The best home environment is one
where mom and dad are there,” Stanley
has been quoted as saying. “When you’re
married, there’s a commitment there.”
Not that this experience has changed
or humbled him. His statement continues,
“Finally, many have critisized [sic] me for
violating pro-family stances I have taken
on a number of issues. I firmly believe
God’s standards are where they have always
been. Just because I fell far short of those
standards, does not negate the standard set
by God.”
In other words, “God still hates you,
fags. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to a
prayer meeting.”
Nassau County
School Board
In many places across the country, GayStraight Alliances are old news. I don’t mean
“old news” as in “not needed,” I mean “old
news” in that they hardly raise an eyebrow
anymore.
Sometimes being a creep can also make
you a loser. Or so Florida’s Nassau County
School Board learned after their attempt to
keep a Gay-Straight Alliance out of their
Yulee High School failed.
When students at the school first tried
to start a GSA they were told no. One of the
reasons they were given was that it was not
OK to use the word “gay” in the organization’s title. Why? Because having a group
called the Gay-Straight Alliance violated the
school’s sacred abstinence-only education
curriculum. Because, you know, a GSA is a
group of students who get together to have
sex with each other on school property.
Actually, that’s not what a GSA is.
According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight
Education Network, “Gay-Straight Alliances are student clubs that work to improve
school climate for all students, regardless
of sexual orientation or gender identity/
expression.”
Basically, it’s a bunch of kids who want
to stamp out homophobia, anti-gay harassment and discrimination in their schools.
Some of the kids are gay, others aren’t, but
all of them have been witness to or touched
by anti-gay bias and want to do something
to combat it.
Sounds pretty devious, eh? Well, to the
Nassau County School Board it did. They
rejected requests to form a GSA repeatedly at
both the high school and middle schools.
In February, the students sued and the
American Civil Liberties Union stepped
in and was all, “Uh, you have to let the
students form a GSA because of the federal
Equal Access Act, which protects all extracurricular clubs not just gay ones.” And
the school board was all, “Well, then no
extracurricular groups get to meet. I hope
the gays are happy.”
Of course, no one was happy with
this. In March a U.S. District Judge issued
a preliminary injunction saying that the
school had to let the GSA meet. On Aug.
14 U.S. district judge Henry Lee Adams
issued a permanent injunction saying that
the school couldn’t discriminate against the
club and couldn’t put the smack down on
people involved in the lawsuit.
“We started a Gay-Straight Alliance
because we wanted a safe space where all
students can talk about harassment and
discrimination that LGBT students face,”
said plaintiff Hannah Page. “We’re grateful that the court recognized that the GSA
should be allowed to meet and be treated
like any other club.”
“This is a victory for our clients, for
the Yulee High GSA and indeed for gay and
straight kids all across America,” said Robert
Rosenwald, ACLU of Florida LGBT Advo-
cacy Project Director and lead counsel for
the students. “Time and time again, we’ve
seen discrimination and intolerance struck
down by the courts in these cases, and for
every school that wishes to cross the line,
we’ll be here to defend the students.”
And what did the school board have
to show for its hissy fit? A lot of bad press
and about $40 grand in legal fees to dish
out. Discrimination is expensive, in more
ways than one.
Maggie Gallagher
When beauty queen Miss California
Carrie Prejean stood up at the Miss USA
pageant and declared her support for “opposite marriage” I personally thought, “Who
cares?” I mean, the fact that people got so
angry with her afterwards was nothing short
of ridiculous.
Especially Perez Hilton.
I mean, come on. Miss USA contestants
are allowed to disagree with the opinions
held by the people asking them the questions. And anyway, if you don’t want Miss
USA contestants off the cuff musing about
controversial subjects then don’t ask them
questions about gay marriage, ask them
questions like, “Do you feel pretty when
you get your hair did?”
Granted, when Prejean didn’t become
Miss USA she claimed it was all because
of her courageous stance against the queers.
In reality it had more to do with her bare
hooter photos and the fact that her answer
to Hilton’s question was borderline retarded
(see: “opposite marriage”).
But that was, like, years ago. And in a
country with its priorities straight we’d all
have forgotten about Prejean and moved
on to things like who Jennifer Aniston may
or may not be marrying. But thanks to the
anti-gay right, Prejean has become a quasicelebrity “one penis, one vagina” marriage
advocate.
Looking past the fact that she’s not the
brightest bulb in the chandelier, you really
can’t blame the so-called “defenders” of
marriage for glomming onto her. After
all, Prejean is young and pretty (which, I
realize, is a relative term, especially when
you consider her eye makeup. In fact, the
other night I heard animals rummaging
through my trash cans and am fairly certain
I saw Prejean’s head peek out with an apple
core in her mouth). Young and pretty isn’t
typically the demographic of the anti-gay
right. In fact, polls show that younger
Americans are far more likely to support
marriage equality.
Take Maggie Gallagher, president of
the National Organization for Marriage.
Gallagher, neither young nor pretty, is super
hot to hold Prejean (but not in a gay way) out
in front while Gallagher does the talking.
In an article in the Aug. 10 issue of The
National Review, Gallagher credits Prejean,
who she calls “a stunning, young Christian
beauty-pageant contestant,” with, basically,
the undoing of support for marriage equality
in America. Her answer to Hilton’s question
was, writes Gallagher, “powerfully moving”
because we “see her choose between truth
and the tiara.”
“Culture consists of ideas. Ideas, like
civilizations, can die out. They die when
no one is willing to defend them out loud,”
TTCREEPS continued page 10
September 2009
ACCESSline Page 9
Let’s Chat by Joshua Dagon
(Originally published in Circuit Noize Magazine,
Winter 2001, Issue Number 30)
“I met a great guy on-line,” my friend
told me.
“Cool,” I said. “What’s his name?”
“HotSchlong9.”
This is a very popular thing, I guess,
meeting people on-line via the Internet. I’ve
tried it. It doesn’t work so well for me.
One reason, I think, is because it takes far,
far too long to make crucial discoveries regarding the criteria by which I decide if I’d like
to spend time with a person, such as whether
or not they are skanky. Normally, under the
standard, practical way of meeting a guy, like
at a party, or a coffee house, or in a truck stop
men’s room, I am easily able to establish an
enormous amount of vital romantic information based upon his vocal timbre, mannerisms,
the size of his package, and by taking note of
the fact that he is not currently in prison.
It’s often difficult to obtain these important dating facts, with the necessary accuracy,
while cruising on-line. During my time on the
Internet, I had to learn that, “I’m in pretty good
shape” actually means, “I still have most of my
own teeth and am currently not using portable
oxygen.” I also learned that someone who tells
me he’s in his “early thirties” actually means
that he looks like he’s in his early thirties—to
himself, in the dark, after consuming enough
magic mushrooms to blind a water buffalo,
when with the lights on, he in fact looks
like a very, very old water buffalo—not that
there’s anything fundamentally wrong with
resembling an enormous, geriatric, East Indian
bovine; my personal romantic tastes are simply
not geared that way.
Sure, I could always ask for a picture.
Sometimes, I’m told, the photographs that
are sent even contain an actual image of the
actual person with whom one is corresponding.
Although, in my experience, that has rarely
been the case.
CUTEGUY:
I don’t think this
pic is really you.
BUTPLWR:
Why not?
CUTEGUY:
It’s a publicity
photograph of Ashton Kutcher.
Even when the picture is of the authentic
person, and was not taken during the Civil
War, photography can still be a bit, let’s say,
“misleading.” I’ve seen what good lighting and
a complimentary angle are capable of achieving. Guys have taken digital photographs of
themselves, sent them to me immediately, and
then shown up at my door looking as though,
on the way over, they were abducted at random
and given an autopsy.
No, the Internet will simply never be
able to replace the efficiency of personally
walking through a crowded bar or party and
making an instant visual assessment as you
pass each person: No. No. Nope. Not if I
were dead. Maybe after a couple of beers.
No. No. Eeew!
“I just give them my neighbor’s address,”
my friend explained. “Then, I watch out the
side window. When they pull up in their car,
if they’re cute, I run out and tell them I accidentally messed up the address.”
“What if they’ve lied about themselves
and they’re not really cute at all?” I asked.
“Then they deserve what they get.”
“Who lives next to you?”
“Some grumpy old chick who looks like
Antonin Scalia with leprosy.”
“Don’t you think it’s mean to her?”
“Not at all. She’s gotten lucky a couple
of times.”
Another problem I have with Internet
cruising is that, suppose I actually want to meet
the person with whom I’ve been chatting, even
given all of the above? I’d be encumbered
with the overwhelming task of accurately
representing my physical appearance. In a bar,
standing right in front of someone, I’m still
allowed a degree of humility. “I’m in pretty
good shape,” any guy could humbly say to you
in person, even if passersby are ducking around
his bulging pectorals. But on-line, we know
what that phrase really means! No, on-line, we
have to exaggerate just to sound average! “I
look exactly like James Marsden’s much more
attractive younger brother. And my body is
perfect. Male models pay to worship me.”
So, essentially, I could spend the better
part of an evening frantically singing my own
overstated praises to an individual who last left
the house to vote for Herbert Hoover. That,
or I could spend an hour or more enduring the
intimate inquiries, typed with one hand mind
you—you know what he’s doing with the
other hand—of some lying net junkie living
vicariously behind a photograph of Justin
Hartley, but who in fact resembles a walrus
with excessive back-hair.
Then, of course, there is the added issue
of the ‘intimate inquiries’ themselves. When
I’m meeting someone for the first time, my
second question to them is never “Do you like
hanging from the ceiling in a sling, or do you
prefer being bent over stuff?” Yet, on-line,
right after “Hi. How r u?” I often get, “Do
you like it when guys piss on you while you
lick their feet?”
Really, I wouldn’t know, although, I
imagine not.
Also, trust me guys, you shouldn’t even
think of beginning an on-line flirtation unless
you know the exact circumference of your
penis. Apparently, this is vital information that
must be shared straight away, preferably along
with length, circumcision status, and enough
additional statistics to create an accurate
computer model. Most guys will request this
information from you prior to even wondering
Joshua Dagon
in what country you reside. Therefore, have
it handy, so to speak.
Given all this, you guys have fun with
your on-line cruising as you clumsily attempt
to confirm that HotSchlong9 isn’t measuring
himself using the metric system. I’ll stick to
the normal, respectable, and accepted manner
of meeting nice guys… which is in the steam
room at the gym, thank you very much.
Novelist Joshua Dagon is the author
of Into the Mouth of the Wolf, The
Fallen, and Demon Tears. For more
please go to www.joshuadagon.com. To
contact Mr. Dagon, please e-mail him at
[email protected].
“Look, I think it’s (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell)
ridiculous. Can you believe they spent -whatever they spent -- $150,000 to get rid
of a valued Arabic speaker recently? And, you
know, the thing that changed me forever on
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was when I learned that
130 gay service people were allowed to serve
and risk their lives in the first Gulf War, and
all their commanders knew they were gay;
they let them go out there and risk their lives
because they needed them, and then as soon
as the first Gulf War was over, they kicked
them out. That’s all I needed to know, that’s
all anybody needs to know, to know that this
policy should be changed.”
— Bill Clinton speaking at the
Netroots Nation conference Aug. 13
in Pittsburgh.
ACCESSline Page 10
US News
their private lives, none of this will be a basis
for dismissal.’ It all turned out to be a fraud
because of the enormous reaction against it
among the middle-level officers and down
after it was promulgated and Colin was gone.
So nobody regrets how this was implemented
any more than I do.”
“Look, I think it’s ridiculous,” Clinton
continued. “Can you believe they spent—
whatever they spent—$150,000 to get rid of
a valued Arabic speaker recently? And, you
know, the thing that changed me forever on
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was when I learned that
130 gay service people were allowed to serve
and risk their lives in the first Gulf War, and
all their commanders knew they were gay;
they let them go out there and risk their lives
because they needed them, and then as soon
as the first Gulf War was over, they kicked
them out. That’s all I needed to know, that’s
all anybody needs to know, to know that this
policy should be changed.”
As for DOMA, Clinton said he doesn’t
like it but that it was the lesser of two evils.
“The reason I signed DOMA was—and
I said when I signed it—that I thought the
question of whether gays should marry should
be left up to states and to religious organizations, and if any church or other religious body
wanted to recognize gay marriage, they ought
to,” he said. “We were attempting at the time,
in a very reactionary Congress, to head off an
attempt to send a constitutional amendment
banning gay marriage to the states. And if you
look at the 11 referenda much later—in 2004,
in the election—which the Republicans put on
the ballot to try to get the base vote for President
Bush up, I think it’s obvious that something
had to be done to try to keep the Republican
Congress from presenting that. The president
doesn’t even get to veto that. The Congress can
refer constitutional amendments to the states. I
didn’t like signing DOMA and I certainly didn’t
like the constraints that were put on benefits,
and I’ve done everything I could—and I am
proud to say that the State Department was
the first federal department to restore benefits
to gay partners in the Obama administration,
and I think we are going forward in the right
direction now for federal employees.”
Clinton addressed the two issues after
being interrupted by a heckler yelling from
the audience.
Blogger Lane Hudson shouted: “Mr. President, will you call for a repeal of DOMA and
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell right now? Please.”
DOMA prevents the federal government
from recognizing married gay couples as
married and allows states to refuse to recognize
other states’ same-sex marriages.
President Barack Obama repeatedly has
vowed to see that DOMA is repealed, but has
taken no steps to launch the process.
Six states—Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and
Maine—have legalized same-sex marriage,
while 30 states have amended their constitutions to ban it. In addition, New York and
Washington, D.C., recognize the marriages
of gay couples who have married elsewhere.
The new same-sex marriage laws in Vermont,
New Hampshire and Maine have not yet come
into force.
Same-sex marriage also is legal in
Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway,
South Africa, Spain and Sweden.
HEALTH & HIV
or an inferior regimen explained most of
the viral load increases to more than 1,000
copies. The authors concede, however, that
the “data leave open the possibility that
unexplained rises in viral load above 1,000
copies/ml, although rare, may occur.”
These data also do not explore the
possibility that viral load in the genital
compartment may be much higher than in
blood, and the impact that may have on
infectiousness.
From AIDSmeds.com
Study: No Evidence That HIV
Worsens H1N1 Flu Mortality
Risk, Complications
August 21, 2009 - Obesity and diabetes are the two main underlying conditions
associated with death in people with H1N1
CREEPS
Gallagher writes.
Yes, Prejean, that brave soul, dared to
defend aloud the idea that gays should not
be allowed to get married. No doubt thousands of little girls watching the Miss USA
pageant were inspired by her answer to also
defend “opposite marriage” and to starve
themselves and hate their bodies.
“Despair is gay-marriage advocates’
most powerful weapon,” Gallagher writes,
“especially when it is fed by social conservatives’ failure to create solid strategies of
September 2009
virus (swine flu), according to a new study
published in the August 20 edition of Eurosurveillance as reported by aidsmap.com.
The authors, from the French Institute of
Public Health, do not cite HIV as a mortality risk factor.
Furthermore, HIV-positive people
are not thought to be at increased risk for
contracting H1N1, nor are they thought to
be at greater risk for developing H1N1 flu
complications unless their CD4 count drops
below 200.
The study—which examined H1N1associated deaths before July 16—also
found respiratory disease and heart disease
to be underlying risk factors. Immunosuppression was reported in 16 patients, including five cancer cases, two transplantation
patients and three people with autoimmune
disease.
Of the 564 H1N1-related deaths identified, detailed information was available for
only 213.
From AIDSmeds.com
hope.”
Funny how that works. Who knew that a
campaign against couples in love who want
to marry would lack hope?
The folks who want to keep gays away
from marriage are banking on Prejean.
Because she’s their best hope. Which isn’t
saying much.
D’Anne Witkowski has been gay for pay
since 2003. She’s a freelance writer and poet
(believe it!). When she’s not taking on the
creeps of the world she reviews rock and
roll shows in Detroit with her twin sister
and teaches writing at the University of
Michigan.
ACCESSline’s fun guide
Shocked’s Americana & Wonderland’s Blues Headline the 16th Annual
Iowa Women’s Music Festival Sept. 12 In Iowa City
The 2009 IWMF kicks off with a
comedy and music show on Friday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Old Brick, 26 E. Market
St. in Iowa City, featuring popular Iowa
singer-songwriter Lojo Russo and comedian
Poppy Champlin from West Hollywood, CA
(as seen on cruise lines, on TV, and at top
comedy clubs around the nation). This event
will also feature a live auction and refreshments, and the show will be American Sign
Language (ASL) interpreted for the deaf and
hearing impaired.
The festival’s traditional main event, the
“day stage” in Iowa City’s Upper City Park,
comes to life on Saturday, September 12 at
noon and continues until approximately 5:30
p.m. The non-stop stage lineup includes (in
reverse order) headliner Michelle Shocked,
Carolyn Wonderland with Shelley King,
Cosy Sheridan, Tracy Walker, and Lynne
Rothrock and Friends, with high-energy
emcee Kim-Char Meredith hosting the show.
All performers will be ASL interpreted.
The festival fun continues indoors at
the Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St. in
Iowa City at 8 p.m. on Saturday night. The
night show is dubbed the “Pop, Hip-Hop
& 80’s Dance Party!” The lineup features
Kim-Char Meredith, festival emcee, in her
own set of high-energy pop and feel-good
folk-rock. Ames, Iowa’s own Leslie & the
Ly’s take the stage next with some of the most
provocative and artistic hip-hop around.
Around 10 p.m., the Mill blasts into
the 80’s with the retro rock’n’roll, pop, and
new wave of the Jodie Foster Connection.
A dance floor will be open for attendees to
grove to the music. At midnight, the festival closes out with an all-women’s jam, to
which festival attendees are able to add their
instrument or voice for impromptu fun. The
performers for the Mill show will also be
ASL interpreted.
Carolyn Wonderland, who will be performing Saturday afternoon,
September 12, in Iowa City’s Upper City Park.
The tickets for the Friday night
comedy and music show at Old Brick can
be purchased at the door for a suggested
donation of $8-20 (sliding scale), or $25
in advance for VIP table seating. Proceeds
benefit Prairie Voices Productions and will
help pay for the operations and performances
of this and next year’s festival. Advanced
tickets are available by calling Laurie at
319-335-1486. Please note: The comedy
show may contain adult topics, so parents
should use discretion in bringing children.
For directions or more information about
Old Brick, visit www.oldbrick.org.
The day stage in Upper City Park
on Saturday afternoon is free (no tickets
required), everyone is welcome, and families are encouraged to attend. Food and
merchandise vendors will line the festival,
and Iowa Shares will host a silent auction.
Attendees should bring blankets or chairs
for grass seating. The park is wheelchair
accessible. Pets on leashes are welcome. In
case of inclement weather during the outdoor
portion of the festival, the rain location will
be The Mill Restaurant in Iowa City.
Admission to the night show at The
Mill Restaurant is a sliding scale of $5-15
at the door. Attendees are asked to pay
what they can to support the IWMF. For
directions or more information about the
Mill, visit www.icmill.com or call 319-3519529.
For more information about the
events of the 2009 Iowa Women’s Music
Festival, or to apply to be a vendor, go
to www.prairievoices.net, call 319-3351486, or e-mail [email protected].
The festival is also seeking volunteers,
who may call Laurie at 319-335-1486 to
sign up.
The mission of Prairie Voices Productions (PVP), the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that produces the IWMF, is to support
and promote the work of women artists and
musicians through accessible events for the
community. PVP also strives to provide
women diverse volunteer skill-building
experiences in planning, organizing, producing, and implementing major public events
such as the music festival.
The festival is supported by Toyota/
Scion of Iowa City, Rockwell Collins, a
grant from the Iowa Arts Council, Iowa
Shares, the Women’s Resource and Action
Center of the University of Iowa, and many
other generous community businesses and
individuals. To become a sponsor, please
call Laurie at 319-335-1486.
FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT:
Laurie Haag, 319-335-1486
Lisa Schreihart, 319-431-0982
[email protected]
Prairie Voices Productions
OUT in the SILENCE wins Audience Favorite Award at festival
On August 8, in the small central Iowa
town of Tipton, OUT IN THE SILENCE, an
entertaining and inspiring documentary film
about the struggle for fairness and equality
for GLBT people in rural and small town
America, won the Audience Favorite Award
and Runner-up for Best Documentary at the
Hardacre Film & Cinema Festival.
Filmmaker Joe Wilson told the Cedar
Rapids Gazette, “Coming to Tipton is thrilling to us. For an Eastern Iowa town to have
TTEVENTS continued page 11
the courage to air this in their film festival
is an credible display.”
The film captures the firestorm of
controversy and remarkable chain of events
that unfold after filmmaker’s same-sex
wedding announcement is published in his
rural Pennsylvania
hometown newspaper. Wilson returned
after the mother of a
tormented gay teen
asked him for help.
Wilson’s journey
dramatically illustrates the challenges
of being an outsider
in a conservative environment and the
transformation that is possible when those
who have long been constrained by a traditional code of silence summon the courage
to break it.
After the film screening, an enthusiastic
audience engaged in conversation with the
film’s director. Equality Iowa and One Iowa
invited the audience to become involved
in important grassroots organizing and
advocacy efforts across the state. Equality
Iowa is working on bringing a showing to
Des Moines.
As
Iowans
grapple with the
meaning of the recent
Supreme Court decision on marriage
equality and other
important concerns
of the state’s GLBT
residents, OUT IN
THE SILENCE is a
great tool for community educational events
aimed at building bridges and uniting people
in the search for common ground on issues
that have divided our communities for far
too long. To learn more, check out the film’s
Web site: OutInTheSilence.com
From The CENTER.
ACCESSline Page 12
the fun guide
September 2009
The Outfield by Dan Woog
Gay Soccer:
The World’s Sport
Though soccer is the world’s most
popular sport – and the International Gay and
Lesbian Football (Soccer) Association boasts
more than 80 teams in over 20 countries – this
year’s annual international tournament almost
did not happen.
But thanks to the energy
and enthusiasm of gay men and
women – and straight allies – in
Washington, D.C., the 2009 Gay
Soccer World Championship was
a rousing success.
When the Philadelphia organizers bowed out of their commitment just nine months before the
event, the Washington soccer
world kicked into high gear. The
Federal Triangles Soccer Club
has long been one of the strongest
members of the IGLFA, participating in every world championship since the
club’s founding in 1990. Led by president
Jim Ensor, they put on a show that attracted
26 teams, from as far away as Australia and
Argentina.
London Stonewall repeated as men’s
Division I champion. The Seattle Jet City
Strikers took the men’s Division II title, while
the Philadelphia Falcons won the women’s
exhibition category.
Gay soccer provides clubs and teams
a place where “people can feel free to play,
and be who they are. Too often gay men
and women are stereotyped, and made to
think they can’t do certain things. It’s telling
that, still today, there is not one out athlete
actively playing in a major U.S. team sport,”
says Michael Pranikoff, 2009 tournament
marketing chair,
Pranikoff notes that many youngsters still
find it difficult to be both athletes and out of
the closet. In Turkey, a gay soccer referee was
recently banned. Rumors about top soccer
players around the world continue to make
harsh headlines.
Gay soccer offers a sanctuary. “There
is a freedom on the pitch,” Pranikoff says.
“People can relive a childhood desire that
they couldn’t, or were too afraid to try. They
can even relive a high school or college
moment when they played, but now they can
celebrate a goal with their partner, boyfriend
or girlfriend who is sitting on the sideline,
openly and loudly cheering for them. That is
not something you see on most soccer fields
in the world.”
At the same time, Pranikoff says, straight
and questioning players are welcome. And
this year’s tournament received a big boost
from Washington’s two professional teams.
DC United of Major League Soccer and the
Washington Freedom (Women’s Professional
Soccer) both offered key support. They joined
organizers at D.C.’s Pride this year, supplying
players to sign autographs. (The Freedom sent
superstar Abby Wambach.)
But staging the tournament was ultimately a grassroots effort. Ensor – who first
played in the tournament in 1997, coached
high school soccer for 12 years and worked
extensively with the Maryland State Youth
Soccer Association – helped beat the bushes
to get the D.C. soccer community, gay and
straight, involved.
People rolled up their sleeves, he says,
“because the event was unique, the visibility
of GLBT sports has improved in recent years,
the stigma attached to gay sports has softened,
and the need for outreach and acceptance is
creeping in at all levels of sport.”
The Greater Washington Sports Alliance,
Destination DC (local tourist bureau) and
mayor’s office were all early supporters. Their
assistance enabled organizers to reach out to
area businesses. Adidas, Eyre, ASG Sports,
Experient and Front Point Security all came
through strongly.
Social events, as well as all-week Metro
passes and shuttle buses to fields, extended
the feeling of camaraderie – and partying –
beyond the matches themselves.
“All of the teams hung out together,”
Pranikoff reports. “Old friendships were
renewed, and new connections made.”
Pranikoff spent countless hours updating
the website, and posting Feedback and Twitter
news. “People told me they’d call home to tell
their boyfriend, partner or family they’d won,
and the person on the other end would say they
already knew because they were watching
online,” Pranikoff says with pride.
At the closing party, JC Cummings – a
Washington-area gay soccer pioneer – was
honored for his contributions to the IGLFA.
He expressed gratitude and love for what gay
soccer has given him.
“The people who were supposed to care
for me when I was young tried their best, but
they didn’t do a very good job,” Cummings
said. “They told me that gay people could
not participate in sports. That confused me.
Groups like the Federal Triangles Soccer
Club and ILGFA have liberated me from
their prejudices.”
Cummings called the players and officials at the 2009 championships “part of a
movement. In 1995, when the tournament
was in Berlin, the leader of the German
women’s national team told his players that
anyone who played would lose her place on
the national team.
“In Germany today, gay couples can
legally marry. We move the beach one grain
of sand at a time. It’s a slow movement, but
you are doing the work.”
‘The OutField’
opens eyes
Last winter, “The OutField” profiled a
closeted All-America college soccer player.
“Mason” (a pseudonym) described his love
for the game – and the repressive environment
that kept him from coming out to teammates
and coaches.
What a difference six months makes.
When the column appeared in February,
Cory – that’s his real name – was ready to
come out to his best friend. He showed him
the story. The friend thought it was great, and
shared it with his friends. Soon, everyone
knew that “Mason” was Cory. All reacted
positively.
A month after graduation, the piece
reached Chris Kranjc, Cory’s coach at Hastings College. He texted Cory, saying, “We
need to talk. I’m here for you.”
“I knew what it was about,” Cory recalled.
“We chatted for a little while about
soccer and my new job. Finally we
started talking about the article.
He said he wished I came to him
earlier. He said he would’ve been
very supportive.
“It was so nice to hear him
say that. He also said he wants me
to come back for the alumni game,
and nothing will change. We
talked for an hour, and he ended
by saying the article was a slap in
the face for him. But he said he
needed to read it. He wants to do
more research, and learn from this.
“After the conversation, I felt amazing. I
can’t wait to see what the future has in store
for the program.”
Cory suggested I call Kranjc. The coach
was eager to talk.
“Cory’s such a great kid. He’s responsible, intelligent, he works hard every day,”
Kranjc began. “He’s a heck of a player – and
young man.”
In his 10 years as head coach, Kranjc
said he never knew any gay players. Because
Cory had many female friends at Hastings –
an NAIA school in Nebraska – Kranjc never
suspected he was gay. But after reading the
“OutField” article, he knew he had to call his
former player.
“It was Cory,” Kranjc explained. “He
was a human being. For four years he gave
his heart and soul to the program. I love him
and his family. My kids love him too.”
Kranjc told Cory: “I wished you’d talked
to me when you were here, so we could have
dealt with things. But I understand why you
didn’t.”
Kranjc calls himself “as conservative
as can be. And I’m stubborn. But this was
Cory. He needed my support, and he needed
to know I accepted him. That was the most
important thing. I slipped a couple of times
when we talked – and I told him to tell me
when I did. But I felt we reconnected. It was
an awesome conversation.”
Kranjc said the talk opened his eyes. He
decided to educate himself about gay issues.
He began by calling other coaches.
“I asked if they coached someone they
knew was gay, and how they handled it,”
Kranjc said. “I feel badly Cory didn’t feel he
could have been who he was. I don’t think it
affected his play, but I want to hear as many
stories as I can.
“I need to understand how people look at
the world,” he added. “Cory’s story has taught
me so much. It’s been a great learning experience. It will help all of us move forward.”
As the college soccer season begins,
Kranjc will try to make sure his athletes know
“they can talk to me at any time. Whatever
they say will be confidential, if they want.
I’ve always said that, but maybe I need to
emphasize it more.”
He apologized to Cory for once saying
to a player who pretended to act feminine,
“There are no fags on this team.” But, as Cory
also knows, team environments are often rife
with jokes and putdowns.
“Guys say things,” Kranjc noted.
“Trying to stop that is like trying to stop
drinking in college. You’re better off trying to
educate people about it.” If he hears anti-gay
comments now, Kranjc said, he will respond:
“Hey, don’t say that. You have no idea who
you might offend.”
Kranjc will also encourage athletes to
attend lectures about GLBT subjects. “We’re
a liberal arts school,” he said. “It’s important
to expose everyone here to everything. They
may not always agree, but they have to start
thinking about different things. I know I’ve
been opened up to a different landscape, and
it’s great.”
He also hopes to start a discussion on gay
issues – perhaps with Cory by his side – at the
national coaches’ convention in January.
Kranjc is eager for the season to start, so
he can influence a new team. But his effect
on Cory is already apparent – including one
way he never intended.
Recently, Kranjc read a story about
another gay soccer college player. He
forwarded it to Cory.
The two men are now dating.
Dan Woog is a journalist, educator,
soccer coach, gay activist, and author of the
“Jocks” series of books on gay male athletes.
Visit his Web site at www.danwoog.com. He
can be reached care of this publication or at
[email protected].
TTAUGUST continued page 13
September 2009
the fun guide
IowaLisa’s List by Lisa Schreihart
Howdy folks!
This is a list of Iowa’s live music, arts, social
events and culture for, by, featuring, and of interest
to women and friends for September. To submit
events and announcements, or to sign up a friend
to receive this list by e-mail, e-mail iowalisa@juno.
com. Visit me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
iowalisa or on MySpace at www.myspace.com/
iowalisa. I’m on Twitter too (@iowalisa)!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
IWMF ON TWITTER: Iowa Women’s Music
Festival is now on Twitter. To get last-minute
updates, follow us @iwmfest.
IMPACTCR FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS: ImpactCR is here! Found out more at www.
impactcr.org. This organization was formerly
Access Iowa.
DES MOINES CIVIC CENTER 2009-2010
SEASON FEATURES: Rent, Cirque Dreams Illumination, South Pacific, Judy Garland in Concert,
Sister’s Christmas Catechism, Dixie’s Tupperware
Party, Girls Night The Musical, and MORE! Visit
www.civiccenter.org.
NEW GAYLA DRAKE PAUL CD: Gayla’s
new CD - Eating From the Tree - is up on CDBaby
here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/GaylaDrakePaul.
There is apparently a problem with the previews,
so if you want to hear it, please visit myspace.com/
gayladrakepaul to check out some songs.
PAVE YOUR LANE: As you read this, KATIE
VISCO is running east to west across America (the
youngest woman to do so) to inspire people to
follow their passion. She’s also raising funds for
Girls on the Run. Check out Katie’s story and follow
her on the road at www.paveyourlane.com.
HISTORY DISPLAY: Ongoing, now through
September 19, WOMEN BUILDING BETTER
COMMUNITIES: 75 Years of the Junior League
of Cedar Rapids, at the Carl and Mary Koehler
History Center, 615 1st Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids.
Open 10a-4p Tu, Th, Sat. More info: 319-3621501, [email protected].
CEDAR RAPIDS DOWNTOWN FARMER’S MARKET: Remaining dates are September
5 and October 3, 7:30a.m.-Noon along 3rd and
4th Avenues including 2nd and 3rd Streets SE, and
Greene Square Park.
NEW LGBT SOCIAL CIRCLE AT THE
SENIOR CENTER: Gather at the Senior Center in
Iowa City on Wednesday afternoons with other gay,
lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender seniors. This is
your opportunity to meet new people in a welcoming environment. Starting September 2, the group
will meet at 2 p.m. in the Mezzanine Conference
Room. Activities will be determined based on the
interests of participants. For more information call
Thomas at 319-354-1784.
LESBIAN GROUPS AT THE WRAC: There
are a couple of support groups starting up this Fall
at the Women’s Resource and Action Center, 130
N. Madison St, Iowa City. The Lesbian Reading
Group will meet on Thursdays starting September
17 and The Lesbian Writing Group will be starting
Wednesday, September 16. Space is limited and you
must pre-register through the WRAC http://www.
uiowa.edu/~wrac/groups/lesbianreading.htm.
LGBTRC ARTIST SHOWCASE: Are you a
LGBTQ-identified artist? Do you know a LGBTQidentified artist? If yes, please submit photographs
of your work to be featured in the 2009 QueerIowa
Artist Showcase that will be opening September
2 at 125 Grand Avenue Court, Iowa City. Send
all submissions to [email protected],
916-712-9256.
DOCUMENTARYFILMAKERS IN TOWN:
Some fantastic filmmakers from the Netherlands are
here in Iowa working on a film about queer life in
small town USA and seek people who want to tell
their story. If you’re interested in doing an interview,
please contact Sam de Jong at 563-607-3914.
CONNECTIONS WELCOME WAGON:
Ever been the new kid in school? It can be lonely
and scary. Connections is looking for volunteers
to meet and greet GLBT people who move to Iowa
City and are looking for information about the
community. We are looking for friendly people who
have lived in the area for a few years who could have
a cup of coffee with a new Iowa Citian and answer
their questions. Not a huge time commitment. We
are hoping to have a big enough pool that we could
match up like-minded people. Contact Bridget if
you are interested in helping at malone.bridget@
gmail.com or 319-338-0512.
JANE AND JANE MAGAZINE: You can
read the entire issue of Jane and Jane Magazine
on-line absolutely free by going to http://www.
janeandjane.net/.
NATIONAL EQUALITY MARCH FOR
LGBT RIGHTS: An Iowa City contingency is
organizing a trip to the March for LGBT Rights
in Washington DC, October 10-11, 2009. Anyone
interested in helping with this effort or interested in
attending as a group, please attend an organizational
meeting at 6 p.m., Wednesday, August 19 at the
Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room B. For
more info, or if you miss the meeting, call 319-5948389 or e-mail [email protected].
HELP THE 2009 IOWA WOMEN’S MUSIC
FESTIVAL: This year’s IWMF will be a big one
and we need your support to pull this off and keep
it free for years to come. Mail donations (and make
payable) to: Prairie Voices Productions, P.O. Box
3411, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244-3411. If you want
to charge donations, you can do so securely on-line
at www.networkforgood.org (search for Prairie
Voices). PVP/IWMF is a 501(c)3 non-profit arts
organization, so your donations are tax deductible
(we will send you a receipt), and your place of
business may match too. Check it out please! If
volunteering is your thing, we need you! Contact
me at [email protected] if you want to help plan
the festival or volunteer the day of the festival.
FRESH ORGANIC PRODUCE: With the
MVC Organic Farm CSA (Community Supported
Agriculture) and Café Dodici’s Shop in Washington, you can pick up a box of organic, locally grown,
nutrient-rich, fresh picked fruits and vegetables
direct from the farm every week. You pay the farm
directly. Learn more and enroll in Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) at www.mvccsa.
com. For more info on Café Dodici, visit www.
cafedodici.com.
IOWA CRUSH: Did you know there is a
women’s professional football team in Des Moines,
Iowa? Visit www.theiowacrush.com. Tryouts are
currently being held for the 2010 season.
THEATRE CEDAR RAPIDS ANNOUNCES 2009-2010 SEASON: All shows are subject to
change, so get updates at www.theatrecr.org. On
tap for the new season: Altar Boyz, Sept. 11-27;
Rock ‘N’ Roll, Oct. 16-25; Annie, Nov. 20-Dec. 6;
The Laramie Project, Jan. 15-24; The Producers,
Feb. 26-March 14; Proof, April 9-18; Still Life with
Iris, May 14-23; and Rent, July 9-25.
MOTO POSSE: Revving their engines! Moto
Posse is a group of LGBT motorcycle enthusiasts
who go on bi-weekly organized rides to explore the
scenic back roads around Iowa City. For details
on scheduled rides, visit: http://www.queerconnections.org/index.php?option=com_content&ta
sk=view&id=149&Itemid=129 or contact Jewell
at: [email protected].
ART FEED: A new website that promotes
local Corridor artists is on-line at www.TheArtFeed.
ACCESSline Page 13
ACCESSline Page 14
the fun guide
September 2009
Cocktail Chatter by Camper English
A Sopping Wet Martini, Please
You think you don’t like vermouth,
and you are probably wrong. If you only
ever ate moldy cheeseburgers found in the
dumpster you would think cheeseburgers
are disgusting, and likewise that nearly-full,
dusty bottle of vermouth in your cupboard
probably went bad a couple of years ago.
Try a fresh bottle and you may change
your tune.
Vermouth is a fortified and aromatized
wine. The wine part is why it spoils once
it’s opened. The fortified part indicates that
has some higher-proof spirit added to give
it a longer shelf life than table wine. (Other
fortified wines include port and sherry.) That
vermouth is aromatized means that it has
extra flavorings added, in this case herbs,
flowers, spices, and bark, according secret
recipes unique to each brand.
We generally speak of two types of
vermouth: sweet/Italian/red, and dry/French/
white. I sometimes forget which is Italian
and which is French, so I remember that the
sweet/Italian/red has the acronym SIR, and
the other has the same initials as the Dallas/
Ft. Worth international airport.
The red one (Thank you, SIR) usually
pairs well with dark spirits like whisky and
goes into drinks like the Manhattan, Negroni,
and Americano. The white works well with
clear spirits and goes into the vodka or gin
Martini, of course, as well as newly popular
old drinks like the Chrysanthemum and
the Obituary Cocktail. When you request
an Extra Dry Martini you are requesting
one with less dry vermouth, not more, so
perhaps it should be called the “Extra Vodka
Martini” instead.
But long before anyone put vodka in a
Martini, the drink (and its predecessor, the
Martinez) was made with genever (a malty
gin from Holland) and sweet vermouth.
Over the years leading up to Prohibition, the
London dry style of gin became increasingly
popular, and dry vermouth is a better match
to that. So the term “Dry Martini” may have
first referred to dry gin and dry vermouth
over the sweet versions of each. Nowadays it
refers to using as little vermouth as possible,
and that’s a shame because the wet version
can be delicious.
To improve your Martini and Manhattan
mixology at home, buy the smallest bottles
of the most expensive vermouth you can
find. Look for boutique brands Dolin or Vya,
but Noilly-Prat is a good and inexpensive
dry vermouth and Martini & Rossi is a
good sweet one. Before you throw out your
current bottle, buy a new one and compare
the two. The old vermouth will smell like
vinegar and rancid vegetation (kind of like
that dumpster cheeseburger) while the new
will have a crisp fresh aroma.
After opening, keep your vermouth in
the refrigerator to help it last longer. (This
is especially important with dry vermouth.)
The better and fresher the vermouth,
the more of it you’ll want mix into your
cocktails. Soon instead of crying for a dry
Martini you’ll be begging the bartender to
make it wet.
Camper English is a cocktails and spirits
writer and publisher of Alcademics.com.
or have you celebrated your bond with a commitment ceremony? One Iowa is putting together a
collection of photos from these ceremonies featuring couples from across the state, to demonstrate the
need for marriage equality in Iowa. E-mail digital
or scanned photos of the ceremony to justin@
oneiowa.org with partner names, address, city,
and phone number. For privacy purposes, One
Iowa will only share first names and City with the
public. By sending photos, you release the right
to use the images to One Iowa in promotional,
educational, and other publications or multimedia.
For more info, contact Justin Uebelhor at justin@
oneiowa.org.
OUTHISTORY REQUESTS HISTORIES
OF LGBT EMPLOYEE AND OTHER GROUPS:
Knowledgeable members of the public can create
on-site histories of LGBT corporate employee
groups, unions, and professional groups. Any
logged-in users can contribute to the site. The
entries can be accessed on OutHistory through
their group titles: LGBT Employee Groups: A
History; LGBT Union Groups: A History; and
LGBT Professional Groups: A History. OutHistory.
org is a freely accessible, nonprofit, educational
website produced by the Center for Lesbian and
Gay Studies. For more info, e-mail Jonathan Ned
Katz at [email protected].
GLBT EVENTS LIST: Bridget Malone sends
a comprehensive monthly (and sometimes more
often) listing of GLBT events in the Cedar Rapids
and Iowa City area. To get on her list, e-mail
[email protected]. Bridget’s list comes
out twice per month, around the 1st and the 15th. If
you hear of GLBT related events, please send them
to her at [email protected].
CEDAR RAPIDS GLBT SPIRITUAL
GROUP: The GLBT Spiritual Group meets to
socialize, discuss topics, share stories, hang out
Events
com. The Art Feed is part online gallery and part
promotional tool for artists. Artists can upload
images of their art for a low annual membership.
The public can come and browse as well as find out
about art-related businesses and events.
CEDAR RAPIDS CIVIL RIGHTS
COMMISSION IS RETOOLING: The Cedar
Rapids Civil Rights Commission has two articles
concerning important GLBT news. Also, they are
at the climax of a long process of a total retooling of
our civil rights code which will serve as an example
of how-to for communities nationally. Visit http://
cedar-rapids.org/civilrights/, http://cedar-rapids.
org/civilrights/newsletter/Civil%20Rights%20
Newsletter%20-%20May%20200 9.pdf, and http://
cedar-rapids.org/civilrights/documents/20072008%20Annual%20Report.pdf.
FAMILY POTLUCK IN DES MOINES: A
group in Des Moines is planning casual family
potlucks with a short time dedicated to brainstorming and getting organized. People interested in
joining the group should e-mail [email protected] or call Matt Fender at 515-288-4019 ext
202. Matt is also requesting feedback from people
regarding events that families would be interested
in attending in the future.
FEMINIST, POLITICAL, SMART, ESSENTIALLY ESTROGEN! Check out www.essentialesstrogen.com for blogs by and concerning
women. The link www.essentialestrogen.com/
blogroll.html has a list of Iowa blogs of all different
sorts by women of all different sorts. For feminist
blogs, go to www.esssentialestrogen.com/essentialfeminists.html. Check it out!
WEDDING PICTURES NEEDED: Are you
and your same-sex partner married, civil unionized,
and have fun! The current plan is to meet alternating months for dinner and get together to do
a fun activity other months. To be included on
future e-mails and invitations, contact Susan at
[email protected]. Or sign up for the new Google
Group [email protected].
OUTLOOK MAGAZINE, Iowa City’s own
LGBT magazine, is looking for volunteer photographers, copy writers and advertising salespeople.
Contact Scott Hoffman for more info at [email protected].
ONE IOWA, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, is dedicated to supporting full
equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
individuals living in Iowa through grassroots
education and advocacy. Check out their website,
donate, volunteer, and become involved: http://
www.oneiowa.org/web/.
OLD CAPITOL CITY ROLLER GIRLS:
Iowa City has started a roller derby team and is
recruiting new members. For more info, contact:
Sarah Carter (Huzzie Lecher #FU), Coach, Asst.
Team Manager at 515-201-0161 or kaylola3@
aol.com; or Amanda Sergent (Kila Kaylola #H8),
Team Manager, Asst. Coach at 515-201-4743 or
[email protected]. Visit the Old Capitol City
Roller Girls at http://www.myspace.com/oldcapitolcityrollergirls or e-mail [email protected].
Practices are Sundays 6-9 p.m. at Grant Wood
Elementary School (1930 Lakeside Dr. Iowa City)
and Wednesdays 9-10 p.m. at Robert A. Lee Rec.
Center (220 S. Gilbert St. Iowa City).
NEW WOMEN IN MUSIC CDs! Visit www.
ladyslipper.org for the best of women in music!
COMMUNITY CALENDAR: Find GLBT
events of interest at www.glbtiowa.com.
DO YOU GET LC? Lesbian Connection
is the free worldwide forum of news, ideas, and
information for, by, and about lesbians, with
info on festivals, travel, conferences, retirement
communities, books, health issues, relationships,
politics, and much more. Ambitious Amazons have
been publishing since 1974, and they mail issues
out every other month in plain brown envelopes.
If you’d like to start receiving LC for free, all you
need to do is email [email protected] with your full
name and mailing address. LC’s official name and
address is Elsie Publishing Institute (EPI), PO Box
811, East Lansing, MI 48826, ph 517-371-5257,
fax 517-371-5200. EPI is a tax-deductible 501(c)3
nonprofit charity.
WEBSITE FOR MIDWESTERN EVENTS:
If you want to know what’s going on in neighboring
states for women, check out Kai Phillipi’s website
www.lambdabuzz.com.
BETA SIGMA PHI is an international
women’s friendship network. It provides educational programs to its members and opportunities
for service to others. It includes women of all
ages, interests, and educational and economic
backgrounds. It’s the largest organization of its
kind in the world. For more info, contact Mackenzie Hootman at [email protected] or
call 319-721-2105.
CONNECTIONS, the Iowa City organization
that provides social and networking opportunities
for GLBT folks and friends with a range of interests,
is in full swing. Connections offers it all (a nature
group, a spiritual group, a chess group, a movie
night group, a cooking group, and a sewing group,
just to name a few), and what it doesn’t offer can be
arranged! Check out the Connections website at
www.queerconnections.org. For more info, e-mail
[email protected].
IOWA PRIDE NETWORK: If you are interested in getting more involved and active in Iowa’s
September 2009
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 15
Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
keep your hopes in check
when Black Swan grand
jetés its way into theaters
in 2010.
A “Savage Love” sex
column you don’t have
to read
Gay sex advice columnist Dan Savage has been
educating, titillating and
infuriating readers for
years with his syndicated
column “Savage Love,”
Natalie Portman. Photo courtesy of Focus Features.
which gives frank answers
Portman & Kunis get busy in Black to questions about everything from coming
out to S&M to non-monogamy to getting
Swan
There’s a certain formula to famous those tricky stains out of your bedsheets.
actresses shooting lesbian scenes in Holly- He’s politically frank as well, calling out
wood movie – some tee-hee coy kisses, the enemies to the gay community like former
curtains billow, one lady moans and rolls Pennsylvania Republican senator Rick
her eyes to the ceiling, and then the camera Santorum, who once compared gay sex
discreetly pulls away. Writer-director Darren to “man-on-dog” action—Savage coined
Aronofsky (The Wrestler) is promising the the phrase “santorum,” which refers to …
exact opposite for his upcoming feature well, Google it and find out for yourself.
film Black Swan, which will feature Natalie Anyway, the columnist may take his bluntly
Portman and Mila Kunis having what several funny advice-dispensing to the airwaves,
sources have described as hungry, aggres- if the Savage Love pilot he shot for HBO
sive, Ecstasy-induced sex. (That’s how in August scores points with the network.
it’s described in the script—co-written by And if the cable channel that gave us Real
Aronofsky and Mark Heyman, based on an Sex and Taxicab Confessions can’t handle
original screenplay by John McLaughlin.) Dan Savage talking about dildos and crossThe film tells the story of a literal gaggle dressing, who can? OK, yes, Showtime
of ballerinas in a New York City dance maybe.
company, duking it out for the lead role
in Swan Lake. Will it be about lesbians or Bryan Singer pulls Excalibur from the
about hetero women performing sexually Stone
Not a month passes without openly gay
for straight men? Who knows. But this is
Hollywood we’re talking about here. So X-Men and Valkyrie director Bryan Singer
Events
GLBTQ community, focusing on safe schools and
LGBT student leadership and development, check
out the Iowa Pride Network’s new website http://
www.iowapridenetwork.org. Register at http://
www.iowapridenetwork.org/jointhenetwork.htm
to join this LGBT and Allied network of students
and supporters.
WOMEN’S CULTURAL COLLECTIVE:
Check out the happenings in Des Moines and the
surrounding areas that are sponsored or supported
by the Women’s Cultural Collective (WCC) at
www.iowawcc.org.
IOWA COMMISSION ON THE STATUS
OF WOMEN: Visit www.women.iowa.gov to find
resources and tools for women, ICSW initiatives,
and information for girls.
PRAIRIEWOODS: Check out all the events
for women and friends at Prairiewoods Franciscan
Spirituality Center in Hiawatha. If you’ve never
been there, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Visit www.prairiewoods.org for more info and a
long list of events. An Environmental Book Club
starts September 16. Many other workshops and
groups are listed on the website.
ONE-TIME EVENTS:
Wednesday, September 2, 7 p.m., CONNECTIONS RAINBOW READING GROUP, Iowa
City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St. Reading
“Before Night Falls” by Reinaldo Arenas. This
celebrated Cuban writer, a victim of AIDS, committed suicide in New York in 1990. His autobiographical memoir is a fascinating and frightening
tale of growing up extremely poor in rural Cuba,
of varied personal and political relationships, of
rebelliousness, homosexuality, suppression, and
persecution. Everyone is welcome. The group has
a “no guilt” policy; if you have not finished a book,
you can still take part! For more info, contact Todd
at [email protected].
Wednesday, September 2, 2 p.m., LGBT
SOCIAL CIRCLE AT THE SENIOR CENTER,
Johnson County Senior Center, 28 S. Linn St.,
Mezzanine Conference Room. Gather at the Senior
Center on Wednesday afternoons with other gay,
lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender seniors. This is
your opportunity to meet new people in a welcoming environment. Activities will be determined
based on the interests of participants. For more
info, call Thomas at 319-354-1784.
Wednesday-Monday, September 2-7,
MIDWEST THRESHERS REUNION, featuring
lots of great music including the Awful Purdies on
Sept. 2, Heidi Newfield on Sept. 4, in Mount Pleasant. For more info, call 319-385-8937.
Saturday-Sunday, September 5-6, NEW
BOHEMIA VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS
FESTIVAL, at New Bohemia Park in front of
Bottleworks, 10th Ave. and 3rd St. SE, Cedar
Rapids. This festival features 50 plus Midwestern artists showing and selling their work, street
performers, interactive arts demonstrations, family
arts activities, food and great music provided by
local musicians. If you are interested in showing
or performing, or if you are interested in serving
on one of our planning committees, e-mail new.
[email protected].
Monday, September 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., TIME
FOR LUNCH IOWA CITY, Labor Day Potluck in
Lower City Park, Iowa City. Bring a dish to share
and a beverage. Held in/near Shelter #12, this
getting talked up as maybe/maybe-not
attached to a hot new project. One Singer
assignment that looks like it might actually
happen is a remake of 1981’s Excalibur, John
Boorman’s gritty and mystical take on the
King Arthur tale. That film featured a notable
cast that included Helen Mirren and Nigel
Terry alongside such then-newcomers as
Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart and Gabriel
Byrne. Singer’s approach to the material is
said to be more epic, along the lines of 2004’s
King Arthur, which starred Clive Owen. No
word yet as to when Excalibur might start
shooting—Singer’s known to tie himself to
projects like Logan’s Run or The Mayor of
Castro Street that never quite make their way
out of development hell—but keep watching
the interwebs for updates.
The Jay Leno Show taps Feldman
Filling five hours of primetime TV a
week is too much for one man to handle, so
potluck kicks off the “Time for Lunch” campaign
to call on Congress to make real food the standard
in public schools. For more info, call 319-321-7935
or e-mail [email protected].
Tuesday, September 8, 9 p.m., THE PRETTY
THINGS PEEP SHOW - BURLESQUE SHOW,
at Vaudeville Mews, 212 4th St., Des Moines. $10.
Ages 21+. The Pretty Things Peepshow is a traveling road show started by go-go Amy and Bettina
May. The tour includes the world’s sexiest sideshow
siren the tattooed temptress INSECTAVORA. For
more info, visit www.vaudevillemews.com.
Wednesday, September 9, LGBT SPEED
DATING. For more info, visit www.oneiowa.
org.
Thursday, September 10, 7:30 p.m., THE
SECOND CITY 50th Anniversary Tour, America’s
Greatest Comedy Theatre, at the Sondheim Center
for the Performing Arts, Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, Fairfield. Get tickets on-line at www.
fairfieldacc.com, or call 641-472-2787. Visit www.
secondcity.com to learn about the comedians.
Friday, September 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m., THE
EMERALD HORIZON: The History of Nature
in Iowa at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality
Center, 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha. Local
author and ecologist Cornelia Mutel will discuss
her latest book, The Emerald Horizon: The History
of Nature in Iowa. Begin the evening with a walk
through the prairies followed by the book discussion. The book will be available for purchase and
the author will sign. Fee: $15. Preregister by
Sept. 9 by calling 319-395-6700 or visiting www.
prairiewoods.org.
Friday, September 11, 8 p.m., THE JOFFREY
BALLET with the UI Symphony Orchestra, at the
it’s no surprise that Jay Leno is calling out
for backup when The Jay Leno Show debuts
Sept. 14 on NBC. The one-time Tonight
Show host has lined up several comedians
who will contribute taped bits to the show,
and one of them is lesbian stand-up comic
Liz Feldman, who’s already hit the bricks to
shoot a segment in an old-folks home, where
she taught a roomful of seniors how to use
Twitter. Feldman, along with Mikey Day and
D.L. Hughley, will appear regularly on the
nightly show, finding the funny out in the
world while Jay does his thing in the studio.
Will NBC’s gamble pay off? Will the show
rocket Feldman into a new fame bracket?
Check it out weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern/
Pacific and decide for yourself.
Romeo San Vicente has resorted to
watching Gimme Sugar for his recommended weekly allowance of lesbians on TV. He
can be reached care of this publication or at
[email protected].
An Evening with
Dolores Huerta
-- A Latina Perspective on Civil-Marriage Equality -Monday, September 14 -- 7:00 p.m.
Trinity United Methodist Church
1548 8th Street, Des Moines
Dolores Huerta is President of the
Dolores Huerta Foundation. Her mission
includes developing community leaders
who advocate for the working poor, women
and children. She travels daily, speaking at
universities and organizational forums on
issues of social justice and public policy.
In 1962, she co-founded the National Farm
Workers Association with Cesar Chavez,
which would later become the Unit’s Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee.
The event is free and open to the public.
Dolores will present her speech in Spanish
and English. It is sponsored by Iowa Civil
Liberties Union; Interfaith Alliance of
Iowa; One Iowa; Equality Iowa; Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
(State Council of Iowa-PFLAG); Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa (PCCI); Des
Moines Human Rights Commission; The
Roundtable; and, the Des Moines Catholic
Worker.
The event is organized by I’MI AM
for Iowa and Marriage Equality USA (Iowa
Chapter).
For more information about this event,
contact [email protected] or call
(515) 201-9405.
ACCESSline Page 16
the fun guide
September 2009
Wedding Vows Anew by Beau Fodor Our Picks for September
What’s the most important detail in a wedding?
Ceremony? Music? Floral?
Cake? Seating charts? Attire?
Open bar? My head spins
when asked this question.
They’re all equally important
to different people.
So, when asked that same
question now by an engaged
couple, I’ve asked them to
think about what they want
to say to their fiancé, and
contemplate the honesty and
sincerity in exchanging of
their vows.
Suddenly the other
details seem minor...
There are many options
for YOUR vows. You have
been given the right to create your own vows,
and maybe even given carte blanche to say every
word that is chosen and ordered by you.
Here are some thoughts… Along with a
little note on etiquette.
Before you begin, please remember these
vows will be spoken publicly. This is not just a
private moment between you and your partner,
and will evoke many emotions for everyone
present (unless you ramble...)
Last week in my blog I started “Wedding
Vows 101” and repeatedly stated there is no right
or wrong. They are yours... the TWO of yours...
Try to begin by analyzing your own feelings
and then broach a conversation with your future
spouse and come up with your plan.
Who will say the vows first? Will you be
reading them yourselves (note cards?), or led by
your officiant? Will they be religious or secular?
Are you “starting a new adventure together,” or
“continuing the shared life you have established
over these many years”? How about adding a
conclusion that pulls them both together? Is
less more???
OMG, stressed out yet?!
Just do some homework... (For some
ideas, check out the following links: http://bit.
ly/OB2Xo - http://bit.ly/1M1sUp )
Straight up, just speak from the heart... No
rambling. Think integrity... And breathe. Just
look in their eyes and breathe… it’s all good.
Stand tall. Suck in that gut, and tighten those
glutials. (Makes for better pictures!) Oh, and
smile. Someone is probably taking a picture.
Mention lessons learned, favorite memories, goals and dreams shared. Say your promises
of forever in front of all your witnesses. This is
why you’re both here in front
of all of us...
You can even have your
wedding vows printed in your
program, or displayed with the
guest book.
Just know this… it is the
foundation of your marriage
we’re talking about here.
And people will be paying
close attention. And want to
hear your vows. And believe,
again, in faith, hope, love and
marriage.
I recently cried like a
drunk maid of honor at a
wedding reception, where a
glowing groom of sixty-seven
told me his story of a college
romance of a lifetime.
From Stonewall to Studio 54, to ACT-UP
in the eighties and how an HIV-positive gay
couple survived the 90s with anti-virals and
meals-on-wheels.
And then, thank God, the new and improved
super drugs and back to work in publishing…
And now, finally he’s married his lifetime
partner.
I asked him what the most significant thing
about his wedding day was, almost assured it was
the cake he had micro-managed for three days
with the bakery, but he looked me in the eye and
said “I made a commitment to my higher power
and myself, that if and when I got married, I
would be committing myself for the rest of my
life to love my man in good times and bad, in
sickness and health, and as we started our vows,
in that small moment in time, those series of
words that I said while looking into the eyes
of the most beautiful man I have ever seen was
by far one of the most important and amazing
moments in my life. I had forgotten about the
stressful times of desperation—from last-minute
life and death decisions, to this damned wedding,
to the feeling I was never gonna live to say
those words. There is nothing more validating
than to have heard him say ‘I do’. We will live
happily-ever-after.”
And that’s where I started blubbering like a
fool… ‘Til the photographer walked in, anyway.
Compose yourself, darlings, there’re people
taking pictures everywhere!!!
Beau Fodor is a gay wedding planner
based in Des Moines, Iowa. He can be emailed
at [email protected], his website is
IowasGayWeddingPlanner.com, and his blog
is located at panachepoints.blogspot.com.
• September 11, Civic Center of Greater Des
Moines: Joffrey Ballet
• September 11-12, Iowa City:
• September 11-19, Hope Martin Theatre,
Waterloo: Leaving Iowa
• September 17, Hilton Coliseum, Ames:
Sugarland
• September 17, Englert, Iowa City:
Dave Mason
• September 18-19, The Grand Opera House,
Dubuque: American English – Beatles Tribute
• September 20, St. Paul’s United Methodist
Church, 1340 3rd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids:
Gary L Anderson in “Clarence Darrow’s
Search for Justice”
• September 23-October 18, Civic Center of
Greater Des Moines: WICKED
• September 26, Orpheum, Sioux City:
Sioux City Symphony – Opening Night
September 2009
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September 2009
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Wake Up With
Pride!
Come to the First Friday Breakfast Club
at 7 AM on the first Friday of every month
at Hoyt Sherman Place.
We are an educational, non-profit corporation for gay men
and the largest breakfast club in Iowa. We gather 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.
Visit us on the Web at ffbciowa.org.
For a reservation contact
Jonathan Wilson at 515-288-2500 or
[email protected].
September 2009
Studio 13’s Long-Planned Renovation
When Brett Thomas took over the bar at
13 S Linn Street in Iowa City back in 2002,
he had a limited budget for decorating and
cleaning up the bar that had previously been
known as “The Alley Cat”.
He had been a successful restaurateur
in Beverly Hills, California when 9-11 his
restaurant’s cash cow: lunch deliveries to
the high rises in nearby Century City. He
considered going back to school, but when he
learned that The Alley Cat was going out of
business, he arranged with the bar’s creditors
and landlord to take over the existing debt
and even get a bit of additional cash. But it
didn’t leave much headroom.
After a few years successfully running
the bar, Thomas started planning a more
complete renovation of Studio 13, and
scheduled it for 2008. This plan was derailed
entirely with the flooding that came that
June. The Cedar Rapids Piano Lounge—
which is one level down from street level
just two blocks from the Cedar River—was
completely devastated by the flood. The
entire location was underwater for several
days. The next several months were spent
almost entirely focused on restoring the
Cedar Rapids bar.
Now, just a little behind schedule,
Studio 13 has had what Thomas refers to
lightly as “a tummy tuck and a face lift”.
The main room was gutted down to the studs
and rebuilt. The back bar was taken back to
similar to what it was in the beginning and
a dance cage was added where the DJ booth
had been. Windows and window frames
were replaced, and new carpeting and tile
were added throughout. Both bathroom
doors were changed from the hard steel doors
that never closed correctly to wooden doors
with hand sculpted mannequins to indicate
which is men’s and which is women’s.
And there’s more to come. “Stage two
is to renovate the bathrooms,” says Thomas,
“and stage three is the front bar. We also
have some work to do on the main bar but
it’s 85% of the way there. We just hope our
clientele likes the changes we’ve made.”
the fun guide
September 2009
ACCESSline Page 21
Out of Town: Berlin, Germany by Andrew Collins
It wouldn’t be a stretch to declare that
Berlin has evolved into first major gay city
of the 21st century - it rivals London, Paris,
and New York in sheer enormity, cultural
importance, and it factor, and more than any
of other prominent world capital. Its gay
scene is defined less by clusters of discos
and drag bars and more by the remarkable degree to which GLBT residents and
visitors permeate the fabric of numerous
neighborhoods.
To be fair, plenty of other big cities
- including those mentioned above - have
seen a trend away from gay ghetto-ization,
and Berlin has a Gay Village (around
Nollendorfplatz, in Schoneberg) that
bears a striking resemblance to Sydney’s
Oxford Street, West Hollywood’s Santa
Monica Boulevard, and countless others.
But outside of this still highly charming
district of campy bars and cafes festooned
with rainbow flags, your “gaydar” is likely
to detect critical mass all over the city, in
areas that fall both west of the former Berlin
Wall, and east of it.
Particularly among the younger
generation of queer Berliners, there’s a
sense that every intersection blessed with a
few sidewalk cafes and diverting boutiques
qualifies as miniature anchor of gay society.
And yet in the most buzz-worthy of these
areas - such as Oranienstrasse in Kreuzberg,
Schonhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg,
and Boxhagener Platz in Friedrichshain people care not a lick about one’s sexual
orientation.
Berlin is an expansive city with excellent, though sometimes a bit complicated,
public transportation (a legacy from the
city’s Cold War-era division). One highly
enjoyable way to acquaint yourself is to
choose a different neighborhood each day,
and explore it. Here’s a look at a few of the
city’s most alluring districts, and the exact
streets and squares where you’re likely to
find the great concentrations of noteworthy
shops, galleries, restaurants, nightspots,
and attractions.
The Little Black Book
-- Ackselhaus & Bluehome
www.ackselhaus.de
-- Arcotel Velvet
cc.arcotel.at
-- Axel Hotel Berlin
www.axelhotels.com/berlin
-- Berlin Tourist Office Gay Travel Site
www.bit.ly/Vt6wN
-- Frauenhotel Artemisia
www.frauenhotel-berlin.de
-- Germany Office of Tourism Gay Travel Site
www.bit.ly/3d1e5Q
-- Hotel Art Nouveau
www.hotelartnouveau.de
-- Mini Loft Mitte
www.miniloft.com
-- Pension Elefant
www.pension-elefant-berlin.de
-- Westin Grand
www.westin.de/berlin
Friedrichshain
Like Kreuzberg, which it was administratively joined with in 2001, Friedrichshain
is a somewhat hardscrabble neighborhood
that’s lately become fashionable, at least
in certain sections. It’s the area around
Boxhagener Platz that has the greatest
concentration of indie shopping and dining.
It’s also worth walking along Karl-MarxAllee, which leads into the district from
Mitte, and is lined with imposing Stalinist architecture. One of these buildings
contains Klub International, a retro-fabulous cinema that morphs into a gay disco
the first Saturday of each month.
Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial, in the Mitte neighborhood, is one of the city’s
most popular—and poignant—attractions. Photo by Andrew Collins
Mitte
This is Berlin’s city center, home to
many smaller sections, a considerable
number of international hotels and restaurants, and dozens of prominent attractions.
Plan to focus a good bit of your time here,
exploring Museum Island (home to the
Old Museum, New Museum, Old National
Gallery, and Pergamon Museum), as well
as Brandenburg Gate and the nearby Holocaust Memorial, a moving and incredibly
striking site. Across the street, on the edge
of Tiergarten park, you can also view the
small but poignant Holocaust Memorial that
specifically honors the plight of gays and
lesbians. Many other prominent museums
are located here.
Tiergarten
Just west of Mitte, you’ll find Tiergarten, which is the name of both a neighborhood and the huge park for which it is
named.
First, let’s point out the exciting
part: the area of grassy lawns and light
woodland just southwest of Siegessaule
(Victory Column), just off of Hofjageralle,
is a notorious haunt of gay sunbathers.
And in Berlin, you’re perfectly welcome
to laze about in public parks completely
nude. Tiergarten also abounds with noteworthy attractions, such as Germany’s key
institutions of government, which include
the Bundestag, occupying the infamous
Reichstag building. The park is beautiful to
walk through and is also home to a mix of
classic and postmodern monumental buildings, from Berliner Philharmonie concert
hall to Neue Nationalgalerie (modern art
museum).
Schoneberg
Southwest of Tiergarten and adjoining
the swanky Charlottenburg neighborhood,
Schoneberg is itself a rather upscale district
with wide, tree-lined streets and handsome
homes and apartments.
Shoppers flock to KaDeWe, a massive
department store comparable to Herrods
and Bon Marche. Within Schoneberg,
chiefly along the streets just west of Nollendorfplatz (the former home of W.H. Auden
and Christopher Isherwood), you’ll find
Berlin’s lively and cruise-y Gay Village.
You’ll find the majority of the gay bars
and sex shops along Motzstrasse, but be
sure to venture along Fuggerstrasse and
Eisenacher Strasse, too. If you can’t get
into trouble (in the fun sense of the word)
in this part of Berlin, you may as well pack
it in and go home.
Prenzlauer Berg
Creative spirits and a slightly at-odds
mix of self-conscious hipsters and antiestablishment artists favor this enormous
swath of handsome 19th-century apartment
blocks northeast of Mitte, in the former
East Berlin.
Although teeming with gay hangouts,
Prenzlauer Berg is the least gay-ghettoized of any Berlin neighborhoods - along
such fashionable streets as Schonhouser
Allee, Kastanienallee, and Greifenhagener
Strasse, you’ll find cosmopolitan cafes,
notable art galleries, fashion-forward
boutiques, and elegant boutique hotels.
There are few genuine attractions in this
neighborhood, but much to see for fans
of dining, shopping, and neighborhood
exploring.
Kreuzberg
Just south of Mitte, Kreuzberg was a
lower-income immigrant district of West
Berlin during the pre-reunification days,
but it’s steadily developed cachet in recent
years as a haunt of radical activists (queer
and otherwise). This is especially the case
near the Kottbusser Tor metro station,
where you’ll find arty bars, authentic
Turkish restaurants, and bohemian bookstores and cafes along Oranienstrasse. The
more gentrified SW61 section, around
Mehringdamm metro station, is home to
the Schwules (Gay and Lesbian) Museum
as well as several gay-popular eateries
and bars, and an exceptionally good food
market, called Marheineckplatz (considered by some to be the finest in the city).
Where to Stay in Berlin
Here’s a sampling of GLBT-popular
hotels in Berlin, from affordable B&Bs to
luxury palaces:
Ackselhaus & Bluehome. Comprising
two stunning Victorian boutique hotels and
the trendy Club del Mar restaurant, this fab
hostelry is steps from the bohemian cafes
and funky bars of Prenzlauer Berg. Rooms
mix vintage, even rustic sensibilities with
modern luxury - like staying with friends
with impeccable taste.
Axel Hotel Berlin. New and earning
plenty of buzz, the “hetero-friendly” Axel
(there are others in Barcelona and Buenos
Aires) sits smack in the middle of the
Schoneberg gay scene. Rooms are compact
but smartly done with fabulous showers,
and amenities include a hip restaurant, sexy
lounge, and full-service spa.
Arcotel Velvet. The dramatic design of
this smart, contemporary, gay-friendly hotel
along a trendy street in the Mitte delights
style-conscious travelers. Each of the 85
rooms and suites has a wall of windows,
and the on-site Velvet Lounge is a snazzy
spot to enjoy cocktails.
Hotel Art Nouveau. Mod rooms with
either international or color-driven themes
are the draw of this antiques-filled boutique
hotel about a 10-minute walk from the
Schoneberg gay scene. A great choice if
you’re seeking upscale digs at fair prices.
Frauenhotel Artemisia. Catering
exclusively to women, this lesbian-friendly
property is well-maintained with simple
but airy rooms. Breakfast is included, and
there’s even an art gallery on premises. A
very safe, economical option.
Mini Loft Mitte. The slick design of
this modern apartment-loft hotel contains
14 chicly furnished units with high ceilings
and full kitchens. Given the reasonable rates
and central locale near Tiergarten, it’s no
wonder this place books up fast.
Pension Elefant. With seven highceilinged, charming rooms, this affordable, gay-owned B&B occupies a grand
19th-century building in the heart of the
Nollendorfplatz Gay Village.
Westin Grand. A sophisticated, elegant
hotel with a wonderfully central location
along fabled Unter den Linden near Brandenburg Gate, this posh property has a beautiful
gym and pool, excellent restaurants, and
tastefully contemporary rooms.
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].
ACCESSline Page 22
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September 2009
September 2009
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the fun guide
September 2009
Door-to-Door for Marriage Equality:
My One Iowa Canvassing Experience
by Aaron Stroschein
This summer I had the chance to talk
to many Iowa residents about same-sex
marriage. I worked for One Iowa, Iowa’s
largest LGBT non-profit organization as
a canvasser. At first I was not sure I could
go around door to door asking residents of
different towns about a subject many people
are very sensitive about. I have a bit of social
anxiety and it gets in the way sometimes in
my everyday life.
It was amazing though the transformation I went through after a few weeks. I
found myself falling into a routine where
once I started knocking on doors I did not
care so much about who was standing at the
door. It became like clockwork to ask people
questions and get signatures on petitions for
marriage equality.
The way the canvassing worked was
as follows: Three teams were created to
survey major towns in Iowa depending on
region. One team was delegated to around
the Council Bluffs area of the state, one to
the Des Moines area, and lastly a group
was made to cover the areas near Iowa City.
Our goal was to go to each house and ask
people if they had an opinion on the April
3rd Iowa Supreme Court Decision striking
down Iowa’s state version of the Defense of
Marriage Act. We then asked people if they
had an opinion on whether or not they would
support a constitutional amendment to try
and ban civil marriage for gay and lesbian
couples. The last question in the set we asked
Across
1 Place for a stud
5 Shakespeare, for one
9 The Pet Shop Boys “___ to Heaven”
15 Opening for the crack of dawn
16 Protected from the wind
17 Make fizzy
18 Educator/writer ___ Lee Bates
20 Film in which Tom Wilkinson played a
transsexual
21 Southwest California city
22 Suffix with switch
24 Org. for Vijay Singh
25 Relates
26 Type of marriage named for the college of 18-Across
29 P-town’s Crowne Pointe, e.g.
30 Roof animal of Tennessee?
32 Diner sign
33 Camelot’s “___ Moi”
35 The Oscars, e.g.
38 Took the center out of a fruit
39 With 68-Across, song lyrics written
by 18-Across
43 My Own Private ___
46 Hot L Baltimore producer
47 Blow to the buttocks
51 Stud of the early days of horse racing
54 Chop down
56 Congressman Hutchinson
57 Colorado mountain that inspired 18Across to write the song in this puzzle
60 Seafood sauce type
62 Net destination
63 Garb for Troy Perry
64 Natural talents
65 Misleads with the tongue
68 See 39-Across
Q-PUZZLE: “Above the Fruited Plain”
70 Incites to attack
71 “You want the light ___ off?”
72 Maupin story of the city
73 David Sedaris’ works
74 Distant prefix
75 She and she or he and he
Down
1 Legally Blonde director Robert
2 Like a rainbow of colors
3 Fastens (down)
4 Gay cultural values, e.g.
5 Lord Byron was part of this
was if they were willing to sign a petition to
show house district legislators on the fence
on the issue of marriage equality.
The overall response I got was positive.
There were many different types of people
I came across in the process. There were
some libertarians who believed government
should not have an involvement in marriage,
period. I met people reserved to the “one
man, one woman” arguments. I even found
a few people who changed their minds after
I helped them understand the issue better.
Not everyone was civil about the matter,
either. Some of my team members had odd
experiences happen while they were out on
the job. I for the most part had only a few
random occurrences.
Before long, I was explaining my job
to friends and acquaintances when I was off
the proverbial clock and doing so the same
way each time. One must understand as a
canvasser I went by a script on the job so as
not to get lost when trying to convince people
of the case for same-sex marriage. I would
go through how “I work for One Iowa, the
statewide organization advocating for the
freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples
in Iowa,” almost verbatim each time. People
did not mind though since it was a noble
effort. There was only one way to explain
my job, but it needed to be done.
After a while, though, burnout is to be
expected, by the end of the summer everyone
had wound down and was ready to call it a
wrap. It was a different kind of job for me
than I was used to doing. In college I had an
6 MacGraw of Love Story
7 Continue to get On Our Backs
8 Handle on a tractor?
9 Kind of cooking oil
10 Matthew in The Producers
11 Hockey legend Bobby
12 Box of Whitman’s chocolates
13 Place for trinkets
14 Passed along
19 Mabius of The L Word
23 Picador’s cheer
27 Engrave with acid
28 Madonna wore 45 pairs of these in
Evita
31 Billy Budd, for one
34 California border lake
36 Like a one-incher, in Dogpatch
37 Aviation hero
40 Does some yard work
41 Mouth-open-wide sound
42 She recorded Radio Quiet with Cris
Williamson
43 Sudden urge
44 Where milk comes out
45 Low socks
48 Queen of Chicago
49 In general
50 Green garnish
52 Nick Malgieri’s protection
53 Old Olds
55 Peter Doyle’s partner Whitman
58 Monastery head
59 Carolyn who wrote about a Nancy
61 Singer Bonnie
66 FICA funds it
67 Plaything
69 Embarqmail competitor
• SOLUTION ON PAGE 27
September 2009
internship where I worked between classes
on web development at Clarke College.
My first real-world internship was at the
Corridor-based Gazette Newspaper in Iowa
City. That job was mainly first shift. My work
for One Iowa, however, was second shift.
On weekdays we would meet about 2:00 or
2:30 in the afternoon depending on where
we were going to canvass. On weekends
we would meet at noon and go from there.
We would work until about 8 once again
depending on location and then we would
head home to recharge. This was of course
with driving time factored in the equation,
but we usually started out from Iowa City
to our destinations.
One goal I hoped the door-to-door
campaign would bring about was great
awareness of not only same-sex marriage,
but also One Iowa itself. Out of the hundreds
of homes I went to and surveyed it seemed
very few people had heard of the organization. Hopefully awareness through promotion of marriage will now help the voice of
One Iowa be heard more. All in all, it gave
me a view on people I never had before and it
gave me courage to speak out about a cause I
believe in. Hopefully I can find causes in the
future to help with that courageousness.
“I think that (the campaign against)
Prop 8 ignored the basics. They did not
let the voters know who would be hurt by
passage of the bill and how they would be
hurt. The campaign against Prop 8 talked
about human rights (but didn’t) put a face on
the campaign. ... Harvey (Milk) understood
that you had to show who exactly would be
hurt if Proposition 6 (or in this case Prop 8)
passed. Everybody knows somebody who
is gay. It might be your neighbor, someone
you work with, a relative or even a friend
of a friend. These relationships make the
difference. The voters can understand if you
are talking about taking rights away from
someone they personally know but if they
can’t see the impact, if it is too abstract, then
it is easy to vote for or against a measure.
Ultimately, I think this is why Prop 8 passed.
... The campaign was not made personal and
didn’t put a face on the men and women
whose rights were revoked. A lot of money
was raised, lots of money was spent and we
lost Prop 8. I think we were missing a focus.
... Personally, I believe if Harvey had been
alive we could have won.”
— Anne Kronenberg, who was Harvey Milk’s
campaign manager, in an interview with
GayRussia.ru, Aug. 13.
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Events
Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. This is a benefit performance
for Hancher Auditorium and the UI School of Music. For tix or more
info, visit www.civiccenter.org or call 800-745-3000.
Friday, September 11, 7:30 p.m., COSY SHERIDAN at 1st
Unitarian Church of Des Moines. Visit www.ucdsm.org. Contact
Louise Alcorn for more info at 515-277-2248 or lalcorn@yahoo.
com.
Friday, September 11, 7 p.m., PROFESSIONAL BOXING
(featuring women boxers), at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, 4261
Oak Crest Hill Rd. SE, Iowa City. For tix or more info, call 319-3381633. Tix are $20 pre-sale, $25 day of event. All ages.
Friday, September 11, RIFF RAFF THEATRE spoofs the movie
ELEKTRA, at The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., downtown
Iowa City. For more info, visit www.englert.org.
Friday, September 11, 7:30 p.m., IOWA WOMEN’S MUSIC
FESTIVAL COMEDY NIGHT, featuring POPPY CHAMPLIN,
MASSAGE THERAPIST - QC
TAXI CAB - CEDAR RAPIDS
WINE - CEDAR RAPIDS
the fun guide
nationally-popular comedian who’s appeared on cruise lines, at Dinah
Shore Weekend, in Provincetown, at Michigan Womyn’s Music
Festival, and on many TV comedy specials. Her stand-up pedigree
is flawless; from VH-1, to A&E, Oprah Winfrey and Joan Rivers to
her newest gig on Atlantis cruises she has earned a reputation of being
one of the fastest witted female comediennes on either coast. Lojo
Russo opens the show with her kick-a** brand of folk and roll. At
Old Brick, 26 E. Market St., Iowa City. Tickets available at the door
for a sliding scale of $8-20. This is a fundraiser for the Iowa Women’s
Music Festival, so please pay what you can. VIP table seating also
available by calling 319-335-1486 (Laurie). Refreshments available.
We’ll also have a live auction of some really cool stuff, so bring your
checkbook! More info: www.prairievoices.net or [email protected]. Attention: This show will have adult content.
Friday, September 11, 10 p.m., IOWA WOMEN’S MUSIC
FESTIVAL COMEDY NIGHT AFTER PARTY at Studio 13, 13
S. Linn St., Iowa City, 319-338-7145. Come and meet comedian
Poppy Champlin and be ready for a special surprise! Studio 13 will
be spinning some women in music mixes all night, and there will
be drink specials ($2 domestic bottles and $2.50 UV Vodka drinks)!
The drag show starts at 10:30 p.m., hosted by Sasha Belle. Visit
www.sthirteen.com.
Saturday, September 12, Noon-5:30 p.m., 16th Annual IOWA
WOMEN’S MUSIC FESTIVAL, Upper City Park, at the intersection
of Templin and Park Roads, off of Dubuque St., Iowa City. Featuring a crazy awesome line-up, surely a coup! Emcee KIM-CHAR
MEREDITH from Chicago; Iowa’s own jazz diva LYNNE ROTHROCK; soulful Cincinnati singer-songwriter - TRACY WALKER;
mystical, magical storyteller COSY SHERIDAN from UT; blues
master from Austin - CAROLYN WONDERLAND with the 2008
Official State Musician of Texas - SHELLEY KING; and the oneand-only Americana pioneer MICHELLE SHOCKED! FREE!!
Everyone welcome, pets too! Family-friendly! Merchandise and food
vendors available. Iowa Shares will again have a silent auction, so be
prepared to browse! Bring chairs or blankets for grass seating, and
plan to stay all afternoon! Visit www.prairievoices.net. Rain location:
The Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City.
Saturday, September 12, 8 p.m., IOWA WOMEN’S MUSIC
FESTIVAL’S “POP, HIP-HOP and 80’s DANCE PARTY!” at The
Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. Featuring a wild
night without bounds, with KIM-CHAR MEREDITH (festival
emcee) in her own high-energy set, Ames, Iowa’s hip-hop performance art phenomenon and YouTube craze – LESLIE AND THE
LY’S, and Cedar Rapids’ own retro rockstars - THE JODIE FOSTER
CONNECTION. Dress in 80’s fashions for even more fun! An allwomen jam closes out the night at Midnight, when all women are
welcome to add their voices or instruments to the stage. Visit www.
prairievoices.net, www.icmill.com, e-mail festival@prairievoices.
net, or call 319-351-9529. Cost is $5-15 sliding scale at the door
(more if you can, less if you can’t….it all goes to the festival!).
Saturday, September 12, 10:30 a.m.-Noon, CREATIVE
CONNECTIONS: Artists in Action with Photographer KATHRYN
HAGY, at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 3rd Ave SE, Cedar
Rapids. FREE. This is a collaborative effort between the CRMA
and local artists to reach and teach non-artists about the artistic
processes. Come learn from the pros, see how work is done and what
it really takes to make great art. Kathryn Hagy will be discussing
photography. Kathryn is a professor of Art at Mount Mercy College.
She has long been fascinated by pattern and rhythm in nature, and
that fascination is manifested in her work via movement through
air, space and fluid, most especially through water. Visit www.
crma.org.
Sunday, September 13, 3-5 p.m., COSY SHERIDAN at KUNI’s
Studio One on Iowa Public Radio’s Folk Tree, on the campus of
UNI, Cedar Falls. Visit www.iowapublicradio.org. Tune in on 90.9
FM in most of Eastern Iowa.
Sunday, September 13, 7 p.m., LUCY KAPLANSKY at
CSPS/Legion Arts, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids. For more info
or tix, call 319-364-1580, visit www.legionarts.org or e-mail info@
legionarts.org.
Tuesday, September 15, 9 p.m., TUESDAY NIGHT SOCIAL
CLUB with Olivia Rose Muzzy, at the Mill Restaurant, 120 E.
Burlington St., Iowa City. FREE! Visit www.icmill.com or call
319-351-9529.
Wednesday, September 16, 9 p.m., NERISSA CAMPBELL
with SARAH CRAM at The Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St.,
Iowa City. Check out www.crookedmouthmusic.com, www.icmill.
com, or call 319-351-9529 for more info. $6 at the door.
Thursday, September 17, 7:30 p.m., SUGARLAND at Hilton
Coliseum, Ames. For more info and tix, visit www.ticketmaster.
com.
September 2009
Friday, September 18, 7-9 p.m., MARY MCADAMS, CD
Release Show, at the Temple for Performing Arts, Temple Theatre,
Des Moines. $5 cover, thru Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com)
or at the door. For more info, e-mail [email protected].
Friday, September 18, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., 2009 YPIOWAANNUAL
CONFERENCE at the Downtown Des Moines Marriott Hotel. This
conference is sponsored by Young Professionals Connection, Des
Moines and is for all young professionals in the state to come together
and discuss living, working, and playing in Iowa. The conference
includes inspiring speakers, workshops, networking opportunities,
and a luncheon session. The conference will kick-off with a party
on Thursday evening at West Glen in West Des Moines hosted by a
variety of entertainment establishments. The conference will wrap
up Friday night at the races at Prairie Meadows. Registration is $89
per person. Go to www.ypiowa.com to register.
Sunday, September 20, 1:30-3 p.m., CATHERINE MCAULEY
CENTER TEA PARTY, at Mercy Medical Center, Hallagan Education Center, 701 10th St. SE, Cedar Rapids, fundraiser plus raffle,
$20 per person. For more info, call 319-363-4993, e-mail info@
cmc-cr.org, or visit www.cmc-cr.org.
Wednesday-Thursday, September 23-24, Part of LANDFALL
FESTIVAL, presented by CSPS/Legion Arts in Greene Square Park,
downtown Cedar Rapids. Sept. 23 features Minyeshu and Sept. 24
features Rosie Burgess. Always great entertainment from CSPS!
Visit www.legionarts.org for more info.
September 23-October 18, WICKED (Broadway production) at
the Des Moines Civic Center. Tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.
Friday, September 25, 7:30 p.m., IMANI WINDS with Stefon
Harris, at Iowa City High School, Opstad Auditorium. Visit www.
hancher.uiowa.edu for more info.
Friday, September 25, 8 p.m., JOE and VICKIE PRICE at The
Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. $7 at the door.
Check out www.icmill.com for more info or call 319-351-9529.
Friday-Saturday, September 25-26, 8 p.m., LYNNE ROTHROCK with Ron DeWitt at ARA Gallery, 4850 Armar Dr. SE, Cedar
Rapids. Lynne is a performer at the 2009 Iowa Women’s Music
Festival. If you like what you hear at IWMF, come and see her in the
more intimate setting of the ARA Gallery. Check out the wonderful
art while you’re at it. Visit www.lynnerothrock.com.
Friday-Sunday, September 25-27, CAMELOT, presented
by Iowa City Community Theatre, at The Englert Theatre, 221 E.
Washington St., downtown Iowa City. For tix, call 319-688-2653
or visit www.englert.org.
Saturday, September 26, LINCOLN HIGHWAYARTS FESTIVAL, on 1st St. in Mount Vernon. Enjoy strolling musicians, the
Eastern Iowa Brass Band, walking history tours, and food vendors.
For more info or to get involved, contact Galen Lacey at 319-8950636 or [email protected].
Saturday, September 26, ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION
MEMORY WALK, registration begins 8 a.m., kickoff 9 a.m., route
is 1-3 miles. Four locations: Harding Middle School/Noelridge
Park in Cedar Rapids, Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo,
Wickham Elementary School in Coralville, West Union Recreation
Center in West Union. For more info: www.alz.org/memorywalk,
www.alz.org/eci or 800-272-3900.
Saturday, September 26, 10 p.m., JOE AND VICKIE PRICE
at Vaudeville Mews, 212 4th St., Des Moines. For more info, visit
www.vaudevillemews.com. Tix: $10. Ages 21+.
Saturday, September 26, 7 p.m., CEDAR RAPIDS ROLLERGIRLS at US Cellular Center, downtown Cedar Rapids, vs. the
Paper Valley Flyin’ Squirrels. Visit www.myspace.com/crrollergirls.
Tix at the door or www.ticketmaster.com.
Tuesday, September 29, 9 p.m., TUESDAY NIGHT SOCIAL
CLUB with COYOTE GRACE and STEPHANIE NILLES at The
Mill, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. FREE! For more info, visit
www.icmill.com or call 319-351-9529.
Wednesday, September 30, COYOTE GRACE at Ritual Café,
on 13th St. between Locust and Grand, downtown Des Moines. Visit
www.ritualcafe.com.
Thursday, October 1, 8 p.m., CHERYL WHEELER at CSPS/
Legion Arts, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids. For more info or
tix, call 319-364-1580, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.
legionarts.org.
Friday, October 2, 8 p.m., THE BOP ENSEMBLE at CSPS/
Legion Arts, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids. For more info or
tix, call 319-364-1580, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.
legionarts.org.
Friday, October 2, 9 p.m., THE DIPLOMATS OF SOLID
SOUND with THE DIPLOMETTES at The Mill Restaurant, 120
E. Burlington St., Iowa City. $7 cover. For more info, visit www.
icmil.com or call 319-351-9529.
September 2009
ACCESSline Page 27
From The CENTER, Des Moines
SOFFA Iowa:
Significant Others,
Friends, Families
and Allies
by Jaye
When I was 14, in high school, I met an
intriguing, tormented, young woman. I was
fascinated by her. I had a need to be near her.
I wanted to impress her. I wanted to know
her better, but at the same time, I feared getting closer to her. I did not understand why
I was so taken with her. It was not because I
knew she was self-destructive. A lot of it was
because she was a girl.
I had no doubt I was straight. I only
had attractions to boys. I never doubted my
sexuality. I just did not understand why I was
so interested in knowing and being around
this girl. She graduated, and I did not see her
again until a chance meeting 10 years later.
Seeing her again felt the same. Strange. I still
did not understand those feelings.
Four years ago, I began an online conversation with an interesting guy. I liked him
right away, and we bonded immediately. I
suspected I already knew this person. After
several phone conversations and the initial
face-to-face meeting, it was confirmed that
this guy was the same person I was intrigued
with in high school.
I began to understand what was different
about this person. This girl I knew in high
school was actually a boy and because of a
birth defect had been born to appear female.
With the help of therapy, hormones, surgery
and some legal changes, the girl I knew in
high school became the man he was always
supposed to be. My new love was a female
to male (FTM) transgender person.
At first, I was a shocked. Until meeting
this man, I did not know there were transgendered people in Des Moines. In fact, I did not
know what transgender meant. It was all new
to me. I was not sure I would ever understand.
Because I fell in love with this man, it was
important for me to figure it out.
Unfortunately, I did not know anyone I
could talk with who was also in my situation.
I learned a lot from my significant other, and
he introduced me to Transformations Des
Moines (now known as Transformations
IOWA). A support group for transgender,
gender queer, cross dressers, intersexed and
gender questioning people and their significant others and supporters. I met other
transgendered people and began to understand
their struggle.
I rarely met anyone in my position: a
straight, genetic female in a relationship with
a transgendered male. While it was beneficial
to hear stories of transgender people dealing
with their transitions, they could not help me
with what I was feeling. I had a transition of
my own to make.
Four years later, I have a better understanding of my role and the life of my Trans
Man. We understand each other and know
how to support one another. We are happily
married, and I do not regret making the decision to begin and continue our relationship.
It is my passion, to give other people in
my position a place to go when they need
support. A place where we can talk about what
it means to be the significant other, family
member, friend and ally of a transgender,
gender queer, cross dresser, intersexed or
gender questioning person. A place to understand what this means to the ones we love and
what it means to us.
The CENTER, 1300 Locust Street, Des
Moines, has provided such a place. Those of
us who need to grow in understanding the
relationships we have with the people we
love can finally come together and support
each other.
If you are the significant other, family member, friend or ally of a transgender
(FTM or MTF), gender queer, cross dresser,
intersexed or gender questioning person in
need of support, resources and fellowship
with others like you, and you would like
to take part in a private and confidential
monthly support meeting, please contact
me at [email protected]
or (515) 779-5185.
Announcement: Central Iowa Bisexual/
Fluid Discussion Group
We are excited to announce the formation of a new bisexual/fluid discussion group
meeting at The CENTER @ 1300 Locust Street, Des Moines on the second Thursday
of the each month at 7pm. Central Iowa Bisexuals sponsors the group and is for anyone
bisexual, fluid, pansexual, pomosexual, hetro-flexible, homo-flexible, queer and their allies. For more information contact Mark at [email protected] or go to the Central
Iowa Bisexual Facebook page.
Announcement: Clothing Share
Need Clothes? Come to The CENTER. Those needing clothes or interested in donating clothes in good condition may do so in person at The CENTER, 1300 Locust Street,
Des Moines. The CENTER is open Monday through Saturday Noon – 6pm. For more
information contact Jayden at [email protected] or (515) 779-5187.
“His name was Harvey Milk and he was here to recruit us — all of us — to join a
movement and change a nation. For much of his early life, he had silenced himself. In
the prime of his life, he was silenced by the act of another. But in the brief time in which
he spoke — and ran and led — his voice stirred the aspirations of millions of people. He
would become, after several attempts, one of the first openly gay Americans elected to
public office. And his message of hope — hope unashamed, hope unafraid — could not ever
be silenced. It was Harvey who said it best: ‘You gotta give ‘em hope.’”
— President Barack Obama awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the late
gay activist Harvey Milk, Aug. 12.
ACCESSline Page 28
September 2009
Finance: Shaken not Stirred by Tracy Freese
Dear Tracy,
My partner and I are contemplating marriage but are concerned about
the details of combining our daily expenses, assets, and any other area of
finances we haven’t even thought of yet.
Any advice for folks in our position?
— Blushing Bride, West Des Moines
Dear Blushing,
For years the LGBT community steadfastly pushed towards marriage equality in
Iowa, but now that the clever picket signs
have been recycled into garage sale signs,
reality of this groundbreaking decision is setting in – and it’s boring! Checking accounts,
wills, and insurance – Oh My!
Well let’s start at the most common piece
of the puzzle: joint banking accounts.
From a bank’s point of view you could
open a joint account with your neighbor’s
cat and they wouldn’t mind so long as the
cat had proper identification. Whether legally married or not, banks will open joint
accounts for you and your significant other
and only request a marriage certificate if
there is a legal name change.
Now, an important factor for any person
that holds assets at a bank is to list someone
as “payable on death.” Listing beneficiaries
is an important piece to any estate plan.
Once upon a time, FDIC stipulated that
only a familial relationship could qualify
as a beneficiary but last fall the definition
was opened up to include any individual,
qualified association, or charity. So head
on in and feel confident that you can make
basic financial changes freely!
On to estate planning we go.
Without a legal marriage, a couple needs
to sign several agreements to create even a
partial framework of protection in the event
of a death. Certain tax benefits are forever
denied to unmarried couples. Generally,
the surviving spouse inherits everything
if the partner dies without a will; however
federal law does not yet recognize a samesex couple which means you must protect
yourself legally even if you are lawfully
married at the state level. Laws involving
inheritance and gift tax do not yet apply to
same sex relationships either, at a federal
level. With regards to jointly-owned property, getting married normally means you
both own everything regardless of who paid
for it, whether alive or dead. If splitting half
of your assets sounds as much fun as a root
canal, Kanye wasn’t kidding - holler “We
want pre-nup!” Pre-nuptial agreements are
the only way to keep your assets separate in
a legal marriage.
And don’t forget insurance!
Since I want you to protect yourself
in the event of death, it makes sense I also
want you to protect yourself in life. Life and
heath insurance companies resemble lumbering buffalo when responding to this new
marriage law change; they know something
happened, but it takes them a long time to
turn their policies around. I recently spoke to
Pacific Life about their guidelines on covering same sex marriages and was very pleased
that they have made immediate changes
to accommodate these scenarios, whereas
other life and health insurance companies I
have spoken to have not been so responsive.
Imagine living on a daily basis with half of
your income; that is what will happen if your
spouse dies or becomes disabled. Disability,
health, and life insurance are not just for
nuclear families with white picket fences,
everyone needs to be protected. It’s cheap
and worth the piece of mind.
Good luck to you, my blushing bride,
because marriage brings all sorts of fun
things like budgeting, credit scores, debt and
saving habits to light. Keeping an open and
honest line of communication is the key to
successful planning.
And always keep in mind that if you are
willing to marry someone, then you should
be able to disclose even your most hidden
financial demons.
Tracy Freese is an Iowa financial advisor that seeks to empower women and the
LGBT community. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
Registered Representative and Investment Advisor Representative, Securian Financial Services, Inc. Securities Dealer. Member FINRA/SIPC. A Registered
Investment Advisor. Securian Financial Services, Inc.
is not affiliated with Liberty Bank.
September 2009
Auntie Emm
Answers Your Questions
& Gives Advice As Only
Your Auntie Can!
Dear Auntie Emm:
I think I might be addicted to porn,
but I’m not sure. Weeks can go by that I
don’t look at ANY, but then there are times
that I will spend hours surfing adult sites,
sometimes way into the wee hours of the
morning. I don’t think it has hurt my sex
life at all (in fact, I think it has definitely
HELPED at times by giving me ideas for
things to do with my boyfriend—AND we
have watched porn TOGETHER, which
was pretty hot, too). However, on those
days that I DO look at porn by myself,
I lose all track of how long I’m doing it,
and I end up feeling like I’ve just wasted
a bunch of time that I should have been
doing something else. I don’t think I need
to join a twelve-step program (at least I
hope not) but I would like your advice.
Thanks!
Distracted in Dubuque
GLCR Picnic
More than 75 people (and several family
dogs) attended the Cedar Rapids Gay and
Lesbian Resource Center's Annual Pride
Picnic at the Lodge Pavilion at the PalisadesKepler State Park on Sunday, August 30.
It was a beautiful afternoon with badminton, horseshoes, and a beanbag toss, not
to mention lots of friendly conversation.
Burgers courtesy of Hamburger Mary’s
were the headliners for a table full of all sorts
of picnic fare. People ate both in the lodge
dining area and outside.
Lisa Schreihart provided music as well
as the sound equipment for speakers and
announcements.
More than two dozen silent auction
items earned nearly $1000 for the GLRC's
operating budget. The GLRC Board is
working to develop a variety of activities
to engage members of the community during the coming months. The proceeds from
the picnic will be important to making that
happen.
Dear Distracted,
Auntie Emm is no addiction specialist, so she can’t really say whether you are
addicted to porn or not. What you say in
your letter, though, suggests that you have
a periodic fascination with porn that leads
to your wasting a lot of time watching it.
But, you don’t watch it all the time, and
it’s not affecting your sex life. So, Auntie
Emm doesn’t think there’s much to worry
about here, in her very amateur opinion. If
you’re worried about how much time you’re
spending watching porn why not set an
alarm to give yourself a time limit so that
you don’t waste so much time watching it?
If an alarm doesn’t work to get you away
from the computer, you might want to think
about seeing a professional. Good luck with
cutting down your porn-watchin time!
Auntie Emm
“Though this page will back
same-sex marriage no matter what
the year, we hope the Courage
Campaign will rethink its timing.
Gay-rights activists must recognize
that their lackluster campaign did
little to sway the public, especially
considering the misleading ads by
gay-marriage opponents. So far,
the Courage Campaign has not articulated a sophisticated strategy
for changing this. Without other
gay-rights groups by its side, its low
chances are further weakened.”
— The Los Angeles Times editorial page weighs in Aug. 17 on
the battle between gay rights
groups over when to attempt
to repeal Prop. 8—in 2010 (the
Courage Campaign’s plan) or 2012
(Equality California’s plan).
ACCESSline Page 29
Transformations Iowa goes to Ohio by Rachel Eliason
Three members of the Des Moines
based transgender group, Transformations
Iowa, recently went to the second annual
TransOhio conference in Columbus, Ohio.
The conference was held at Capital University Law School in downtown Columbus.
The conference drew over 160 guests from
all over the region, from Iowa to New York.
Among the presenters were some nationally
recognized names.
The keynote speaker for the weekend
was Helen Boyd, author of “My Husband
Betty.” Helen writes, speaks and teaches
courses aimed at the significant others and
family of transgendered people. Watching her husband go through the process of
transition, Helen has become a remarkably
insightful and strongly out spoken ally for
the entire LGBT community.
Mara Keisling, director of the National
Center for Transgender Equality, gave a
wonderfully informative speech at the conference, and a witty stand up routine at the
Wall Street club later that night. She is truly
a woman of many talents.
Also presenting were Dr. Christine
McGinn, a noted surgeon, Tara McKenzie
Allison, a prominent Columbus lawyer
and Barbie Rogers, noted intersex activist.
The presentations were high quality and
informative.
The community of TransOhio was
friendly and welcoming, taking conference
participants to two different clubs and a
nice brunch on Sunday before things wound
down. We were treated to a wonderful stand
up comedy show by Mara and Karen Patrick,
as well as a powerfully moving show by
drag king Adam Apple. It was an amazing
time for all.
As one of the Iowa contingent, this
weekend also brought home to me just how
lucky I am to live in Iowa. We live in a great
state with clean air, marriage equality and
many civil rights that others do not have,
even in progressive cities like Columbus.
We came home with new ideas, but also a
deeper appreciation for the state and community we had left behind.
“Any closeted gay person who votes
against the interests of gay people and is
outed because of it is getting what they
deserve. My only concern is that sometimes
the sensational aspect of outing somebody
gets us to lose sight of just what it is that
was so bad about them. And they get
drummed out of office and are replaced by
somebody who is just as bad.”
— Human Rights Campaign President Joe
Solmonese to U.S. News & World Report,
Aug. 7.
ACCESSline Page 30
Morals & Values
Some Iowans proved themselves not to be
all that open minded this past month. On August
1st, advertisements purchased by the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers started appearing on Des
Moines buses. Some people who saw the ads
complained to Des Moines Area Rapid Transit
(“DART”) to say that they found the advertisements offensive, and as a result the ads were
removed a few days later.
What could be so offensive? This phrase:
“Don’t Believe in God? You Are Not Alone.”
The ads were eventually put back, with
DART clarifying that only obscene or profane
ads would be banned in the future.
The story didn’t end there. Bus driver Angela Shiel refused to drive the bus assigned to her
when she saw the advertisement on its side, and
for refusing to do her job, she was suspended.
Now of course this has led to claims that she is not
being allowed to practice her religious beliefs, but
doesn’t this all seem a little bit ridiculous?
Many religious folk are clamoring about
losing the right to say what they believe, but why
can we not respect the rights of someone to NOT
believe, and why can we not respect their right
to speak about their non-belief?
Atheism has been a “bogey man” to unyielding dogma throughout history, and atheists are
often referred to as if they are out to destroy all
that is good and cherished in the world. Atheists, find themselves “outside the mainstream”
— something that this column’s readers can
probably relate to in a very personal way.
So, since real knowledge on the subject
seems to be lacking, in the spirit of inclusiveness,
open-mindedness, and fearless learning, following is an excerpt from www.Atheists.org.
What is Atheism?
“What is atheism?” is usually the one question never asked of most atheists. Most people do
not ask this question because they already have
their own ideas about what atheism is and what
atheists are. Where these ideas originate vary.
Older dictionaries define atheism as “a belief
that there is no God” and/or “denial of God.”
Some dictionaries go further and say that atheism is “wickedness,” “sinfulness,” “heathenism,”
“paganism,” and “immorality.” Some dictionaries even say that atheism is the “doctrine that there
is no God.” At least The American Heritage ®
Dictionary says “God and gods” after the word
“doctrine,” but that does not detract from the fact
that use of the word doctrine is incorrect.
The fact that the dictionary’s definition
uses the phrase “there is no God” betrays the
theistic influence in defining the word atheism.
If dictionaries did not contain such influence,
then the definition would read, “A belief that
there are no gods.” The use of god in singular
form, with a capital G, is indicative of Christian
influence.
In addition, using words like “doctrine” and
“denial” betray the negativity seen of atheists by
theistic writers. Atheism does not have a doctrine
at all and atheists certainly do not “deny” that
gods exist. Denial is the “refusal to believe.”
Atheism does not “know there is a god but refuse
to believe in him” (or her). That would be like
saying that you know Big Foot exists but you
refuse to believe in him. If the evidence of gods
was insurmountable and provable, and atheists
still refused to believe, then that would be an
act of denial.
Speaking of the original meaning, the word
atheism comes from the Greek atheos, which
means “without god.” The original meaning of
the word, based on its Greek origins, mentions
nothing about “disbelief” or “denial.” A short
and single-word definition would be “godless.”
Is Atheism a belief system or religion?
Theists usually define atheism incorrectly as
a belief system. Atheism is not a belief system.
Atheism is not a religion.
Atheism is a lack of belief in gods, from
the original Greek meaning of “without gods.”
That is it. There is nothing more to it. If someone
wrote a book titled “Atheism Defined,” it would
only be one sentence long.
Let us look at the different definitions of
religion and see if atheism belongs in any of
them.
1. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural
power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. A personal or institutionalized
system grounded in such belief and worship.
No atheism resides in that definition. Atheists do not believe in a supernatural power or
powers.
2. Beliefs, values, and practices based on
the teachings of a spiritual leader.
Atheism does not have a spiritual leader
and atheism does not have any rites or rituals
(practices) around such a spiritual leader. Atheism requires no initiation, no baptism, there is
no Atheist Bible (Koran, Vedas, etc) to read, no
rituals that atheists must go through to join an
Atheist Church (temple, mosque, synagogue,
sect, etc), and no central beliefs that all atheists
must adhere to in order to be “true atheists.”
The common thread that ties all atheists together is a lack of belief in gods and supernatural
beings. Every atheist is as unique as a fingerprint
when it comes to his or her individual philosophy,
convictions, and ideals.
September 2009
September 2009
ACCESSline Page 31
ACCESSline Page 32
RECURRING EVENTS:
Every Sunday, 5-6 p.m., GLBT AA, 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 319-338-9111 or visit the
AA-IC website: http://aa-ic.org/.
Every Sunday, 7 p.m., L WORD LIVES: L NIGHT
at the Firewater Saloon, 347 South Gilbert St., Iowa City,
319-321-5895. The night will start with Season 1, Episode
1 of the L Word... because a good thing should never die.
FoLLowing the L Word wiLL be a Drag King show at
9:30 p.m. No cover.
Every Sunday, 6-8:30 p.m., THE QUIRE: Eastern
Iowa’s GLBT Chorus Rehearsals, 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/.
Every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, 3-6 p.m.,
TANGO LESSONS at CSPS, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar
Rapids. Cost is $5. Everyone welcome; no partner or
experience necessary. For more info, call Elie at 319363-1818 or e-mail [email protected].
Second and every other Sunday of the month, 3-4
p.m., IOWA CITY PRIDE PLANNING COMMITTEE,
Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room D. Come help
plan the 2009 Iowa City Pride Festival (to be held Saturday, June 20). For more info, contact Bridget at malone.
[email protected].
Third Monday of every month, 6 p.m., PFLAG
(Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
of Cedar Rapids Metro Area, 6 p.m. (social time), 6:30
p.m. (meeting time), in the Middle Room of Faith United
Methodist Church, 1000 30th St, NE, Cedar Rapids.
Call 515-537-3126 for more details. Coffee and refreshments will be served before the meeting, beginning at 6
p.m. Everyone is welcome; confidentiality is required.
PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families
and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse
society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public;
and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal
civil rights.
First Monday of the month, 6:30 p.m., Iowa PFLAG
Quad Cities Chapter Meeting, at Eldridge United Methodist Church, 604 S. 2nd St., Eldridge. For more info,
call 563-285-4173.
First/Second Monday (alternating) of the month, 7
p.m., Iowa PFLAG North Iowa Chapter Meeting, at First
Presbyterian Church, 100 S. Pierce St., Mason City. For
more info, call 641-583-2848.
Fourth Monday of the month, 7 p.m., Iowa PFLAG
Waukon/Northeast Chapter Meeting, at St. Benedict’s
Catholic Church, 309 W. Main St., in the Parish Center,
Decorah. For more info, call 563-535-7680.
Fifth Monday in August and November, 7-9 p.m.,
WOMEN’S SINGING CIRCLE: Meet at Lori’s home
for a short ritual followed by singing and chanting. Lori
will supply lyrics and melodies for many circle songs
and chants, but please feel free to bring your own songs
to share (preferably with printed lyrics to pass around).
However, singing is not required - you can still be involved
and contribute by simply being present in the circle.
Musicians, feel free to bring drums or other percussion
instruments. To RSVP and get directions, e-mail [email protected].
Every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday at 6 p.m., and
every Saturday at 5:30 p.m., GLBT ONLY AA MEETINGS IN DES MOINES, at 945 19th St. (east side of
building, south door).
Second Tuesday of each month, 7-8:30 p.m., SPIRITUAL SEEKERS, 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.
Second Tuesday of the month, 6:30-8 p.m., GLRC
OF CEDAR RAPIDS BOARD MEETING 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/.
Second Tuesday of every month, WOMEN FOR
PEACE KNITTERS meet for knitting, crocheting, and
discussion, 9:30-11 a.m. at Prairiewoods, 120 E. Boyson
Rd., Hiawatha. 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.
Second Tuesday of every month, Iowa PFLAG
Ames Chapter Meeting, 7 p.m., at the Youth and Shelter
Services Offices, 420 Kellogg Ave., 1st Floor, Ames. For
more info, call 515-291-3607.
Every Tuesday, 7-8:30 p.m., CONNECTIONS
INCLUSIVE BALLROOM at Old Brick 26 E. Market St,
Iowa City. An equal opportunity social dance workshop/
rehearsal for LGBT people. 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/.
Every Tuesday evening, 7:30-9:30 p.m., ARGENTINE TANGO practice and open dance, at the Iowa City
Senior Center, 28 S. Linn St, Iowa City. 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 e-mail [email protected].
Every Tuesday evening, 7 p.m., OUT (Our United
Truth): A GLBT Support Group meets 7-8:30 p.m. at
the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3707 Eastern Ave.,
Davenport. For more info, call 563-359-0816.
Every Tuesday at 9 p.m., KARAOKE IDOL at
Studio 13, 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City. Drink specials and
great competition! Visit www.sthirteen.com.
First Wednesday of every month, CEDAR RAPIDS
CHARTER CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION meets. For more
info, visit charter-chapter.tripod.com.
First Wednesday of the month, 7 p.m., CONNECTIONS’ RAINBOW READING GROUP, Iowa
City Public Library Meeting Room B, 123 S. Linn St.,
Iowa City. For more info, contact Todd at: faunides@
yahoo.com.
First Wednesday of the month, 6:30-8 p.m.,
WOMEN’S SACRED CIRCLE at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha.
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.
Second Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m.,
STONEWALL DEMOCRATS, the GLBT 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 Harvey Ross at
[email protected] or call 319-389-0093.
Every Wednesday, 7-9 p.m., U OF I GAY LESBIAN BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER AND ALLIES
UNION MEETINGS in 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.
First, third, and fifth Thursdays of each month, 6:308:30 p.m., EVENINGS FOR SPIRIT at SpiritHill Retreat,
604 Cedar Valley Road, West Branch. Women gather at
SpiritHill 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].
Second Thursday of the month, 7-9 p.m., OPEN
MIC WITH MARY MCADAMS 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.
Second Thursday of the month, 7 p.m. (6:30
p.m. social time), Iowa PFLAG Omaha/Council Bluffs
Chapter Meeting, at Mead Hall, First United Methodist
Church, 7020 Cass St., Omaha. For more info, call
402-291-6781.
Third Thursday of every month, 7-10 p.m., OPEN
MIC HOSTED BY KIMBERLI, at the Blue Strawberry
Coffee Company (now open after the flood), 118 2nd St.
SE, Downtown Cedar Rapids. Signup at 6:30 p.m. or
by e-mailing [email protected] the week prior
to the open mic.
Third Thursday of every month, 7-9 p.m., CONNECTIONS GAME NIGHT, at Donnelly’s Pub, 110 E.
College St., in downtown Iowa City.
Third Thursday of every month, 7 p.m., Iowa
PFLAG Dubuque/Tri-State Chapter Meeting, at St. John’s
Lutheran Church, 1276 White St., Dubuque. For more
info, call 563-582-9388.
Every 4th Thursday of the month, PROFESSIONAL
WOMEN’S NETWORK (PWN) meetings. For more
info, visit www.pwn.org, e-mail [email protected], or call
Shelley Woods at 319-981-9887.
Every 4th Thursday of the month, 7:30 p.m., THE
GLBT READING GROUP meets in the conference room
at Red Cross Building at 6300 Rockwell Dr. NE, Cedar
Rapids. The group is open to new members; contact
[email protected] for further info.
Every Thursday and Friday, 6-10 p.m., SHANNON JANSSEN at The Cedar Grille at the Cedar Rapids
Marriott, 1200 Collins Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. Shannon
performs a variety of music including original songs
on the Grand Piano in the hotel’s beautiful atrium. No
reservations required.
First Friday of the month, FAIRFIELD ART
WALK. For more info, visit www.FairfieldArtWalk.
com.
First Friday of every month between February 6
and December 4, 5-8 p.m., DAWN’S COFFEE HOUSE,
at Dawn’s Hide and Bead Away, 220 E. Washington St.,
Iowa City. 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.
First 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.
Every 2nd and 4th Friday of the each month at 7 p.m.,
a DRUMMING CIRCLE meets at the Unity Center of
Cedar Rapids, 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids.
September 2009
For more info, call 319-431-7550.
Third Friday of every month, 8 p.m., OLD-TIME
DANCE FOR ALL, 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].
Every Saturday, noon to 1 p.m., WOMEN FOR
PEACE IOWA host 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 khall479@
aol.com.
Third Saturday of every month, 2-4 p.m., QUEER
SCRIBBLE FEST at Old Brick on the corner of Market
St. and Dubuque St., Iowa City. Different subjects or
motifs highlight each month. All are welcome. Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Straight Allies
are gathering to scribble, draw, write, talk, or what you
will. Bring some music and a snack. It’s FREE but taxdeductible donations are welcome. Donations of papers,
pencils, books, and other art materials are also appreciated.
For more info, call Mark McCusker at 319-621-8530 or
e-mail [email protected].
Fourth Saturday of every month, 7:30 p.m., TANGOVIA, join area tango dancers at the Wesley Center,
120 N. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Enjoy a candlelit evening
of dance, hors d’oeuvres, and conversation in a relaxed
atmosphere. Cost is $5. Partner not necessary. Beginners
welcome to come at 7 p.m. for an introductory lesson. For
more info, call Gail at 319-325-9630, e-mail irelandg@
gmail.com, or visit www.tangovia.com.
Fourth Saturday of every month, 7 p.m., THE
LESBIAN BOOK CLUB 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.
Every Saturday, 3:30-5:30 p.m., BAILE LATINO:
SALSA, CHA-CHA, MERENGUE AND BACHATA LESSONS 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.
Hamburger Mary’s Weekly Happenings, at 222
Glenbrook Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids, off of 1st Ave. Tuesdays
– Kid’s Night; Wednesdays – Thift Store Bingo at 10 p.m.
with Katrina Cass; Thursdays – Mary-oke with Nic from
9 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Fridays – Drag Show at 9 p.m. (all ages)
and 11 p.m. (21 and over); Saturdays – Open Mic Night
followed by Drag Show at 9 p.m. (all ages) and 11 p.m.
(21 and over). For more info, e-mail hamburgermaryscr@
mchsi.com or visit www.hamburgermaryscr.com.
September 2009
DIRECTORY NOTICE
The ACCESSline directory is updated each issue.
The directory may also be found at
ACCESSlineIOWA.com.
LISTINGS ARE FREE.
Information about new groups must
contain a phone number for publication and a contact
(e-mail address, land address, or
website) for our records.
For more information or to provide
corrections, please contact
[email protected] or
call (319) 550-0957.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
1705 De Sales St NW, Ste 500
Washington, DC, 20036
www.victoryfund.org.
202-VICTORY [842-8679]
Human Rights Campaign
National political organization, lobbies
congress for lesbian & gay issues, political
training state and local
www.hrc.org
1-800-777-HRCF[4723]
Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund
I I E. Adams, Suite 1008
Chicago, IL 60603-6303
www.lambdalegal.org
312-663-4413
Fax: 312-663-4307
National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)
1325 Massachusetts Ave NW,
Ste 600, Washington, DC, 20005
www.ngltf.org / taskforce.org
National Organization for Women (NOW)
733 15th ST NW, 2nd Floor
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
ISU LGBTA Alliance
GLBT Support, Activism, Social Events,
Newsletter
G-46 Memorial Union, ISU
Ames, IA. 50014
[email protected]
http://www.alliance.stu.org.iastate.edu
515-294-2104
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
United Church of Christ-Congregational
6th & Kellogg
Ames, 50010
Sunday Continental Breakfast, 9:00am; Sunday School, 9:30am; Worship, 10:45am.
[email protected].
515-232-9323
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames
1015 Hyland Ave.
Services: 9am and 11am, Sunday
[email protected] 515-292-5960
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
Arnolds Park, Okoboji,
Spirit Lake
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
Equality Iowa
P.O. Box 18
Indianola, IA 50125
www.equalityiowa.org
515-537-3126
Arrowhead Motel
2520 Mount Pleasant St
Burlington, IA 52601-2118
(319) 752-6353 - www.arrowheadia.com
Faithful Voices
Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality
project.
www.faithfulvoices.org
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
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 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
PO Box 3, Des Moines, IA 50309
Stonewall Democrats of Iowa
5 Creekside Ct Mason City, IA 50401
Contact: Dean Genth
[email protected]
641-583-2024
Ames
RISQUES IV (adult store)
421 Dry Creek Avenue
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
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].
First United Methodist Church
6th & Kellogg
Contemporary worship Sat. 5:30; Sun at 8:30
and 11:00am.
www.fumcames.org.
515-232-2750
Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry. In
Lutheran Center
2616 College St, Cedar Falls, IA
319-415-5747
[email protected]
www.episcopalcampus.org
All welcome!
Living with HIV Program
126 S. Kellogg, Suite 1
Ask for Janelle (Coordinator)
515-956-3312 ext 106 or
I -800-890-8230
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 Grain Lane, 319-294-5360
Club Basix
Open 5pm to 2am M-F, Sat & Sun 3pm to
2am
3916 1st Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
www.clubbasix.com 319-363-3194
Coe Alliance
Education, activism, & fun for GLBT and
straight students, staff, faculty and people
from the community. Regular meetings.
Coe College
1220 First Ave. NE
[email protected]
www.public.coe.edu/organizations/Alliance.
Call John Chaimov (contact) at 319-399-8594
for details.
CSPS Legion Arts Contemporary Arts Center
1103 3rd St. SE
[email protected]
319-364-1580
Faith UMC
1000 30th Street NE, Cedar Rapids, 52402
Pastor Kathy Moore
Sunday services at 11:00am.
www.crfaithumc.org
319-363-8454
Foundation 2 Crisis Counseling
24-hour telephone crisis counseling.
[email protected] or
www.f2online.org
1540 2nd Ave. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA
319-362-2174 or 800-332-4224
GLRC of Cedar Rapids
Support, social activities
[email protected]
www.crglrc.org or, write to
P.O. Box 1643
Cedar Rapids 52406-1643
Call and leave a message -- all calls will be
returned.
319-366-2055
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.
PFLAG Cedar Rapids
3rd Monday, 6:30pm, 6 social
Faith United Methodist Church
1000 30th St, NE
515-537-3126
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
Council Bluffs,
Omaha(Ne)
AIDS Interfaith Network
100 N. 62nd
Omaha, NE
Call Br. Wm. Woeger
402-558-3100
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 to 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)
PO Box 3354, Omaha, NE 68103
www.hgra.net
402-203-4680
HGRA serves both Iowa and Nebraska
Imperial Court of Nebraska
P.O. Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103
402-556-9907
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. Write
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 of Omaha
819 South 22nd
P.O. Box 3173, Omaha, NE 68103
Sun. 9 & 11 am.
Contemporary Worship Service, Sat 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.
ACCESSline Page 33
Romantix Council Bluffs (North)
(Adult Emporium)
3216 1st Ave.
Council Bluffs, IA 51501-3353
515-955-9756
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 Diversity Appreciation Team
Martin Klammer, Luther College
700 College Dr., 52101
563-387-2112.
Luther College Student Congregation
Contact Office for College Ministry
700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101
563-387-1040.
PFLAG Northeast IA
(Currently seeking a place to meet.)
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
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
[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] 515288-2500
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
Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee
4211 Grand Avenue, Level-3
515-277-1117
Heartland Gay Rodeo
Midwest Division of the International Gay
Rodeo Association.
402-203-4680
Iowa Affirmation
Lesbian/Gay United Methodist
Thoreau Center, 35th & Kingman Blvd. Write
Affirmation
Java Joe’s
Gay friendly
214 4th St.
515-288-5282
ACCESSline Page 34
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
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
Ramada Des Moines West/Clive
1600 NW 114th St, Des Moines, IA 50325 US
( I80/I35 & Exit 124 )
515-226-1600 Fax: 515-226-9022
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 50317-3668
515-266-7992
Romantix
1401 E. Army Post Rd.
Des Moines IA 50320-1809
515-256-1102
Spouses of Lesbians & Gays
Contact Ruth Schanke,
515-277-3700
St. John’s Lutheran Church
600 6th Ave
“A Church for All People.”
Services Sat 5pm, Sun 7:45, 8:45 & 11am.
See web page for other services.
515-243-7691
www.stjohnsdsm.org
The CENTER
1300 Locust;
The new LGBT and progressive place to be.
[email protected]
Transformations
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
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
(Quaker) Worship Group. An unprogrammed
meeting at 10am Sunday through September
May. Meeting at the Roberta Kuhn Center
1100 Carmel Drive
Dubuque, IA
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
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 Fort Dodge (Mini Cinema)
15 N. 5th St, Fort Dodge, IA 50501-3801
Grinnell
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
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
[email protected]
641-269-3327
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
Trinity United Methodist Church
1548 Eighth Street
Services Sundays at 10a.m.
515-288-4056
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
Urbandale UCC
An open & affirming congregation.
3530 70th St.
Urbandale, IA 50322
515-276-0625.
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
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.
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 9:30 a.m.
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
ICARE Iowa Center for AIDS Resources &
Education
Practical and 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
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 1Oam.
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
319-351-9444
Studio 13
13 S. Linn St. (in the Alley)
Iowa City, IA
Open 7pm ‘til 2am, daily
319-338-7145
U of I Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Staff & Faculty
Association
c/o WRAC
130 N. Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242
319-335-1486
Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City
Inclusive and free religious community
nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth and
fostering ethical and social responsibility.
10 S. Gilbert, Iowa City, IA
Sunday services: 9am & 10:45am.
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.
P.O. 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
Uofl & the greater community, offers social
& support services, including LGBT Coming
Out Group.
University of Iowa
130 N. Madison
Iowa City, IA 52242
319-335-1486
Marshalltown
Adult Odyssey
[Adult Video]
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 –Iowa 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
[email protected]
641-628-5134
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.
September 2009
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
712-246-2824
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]
Connections Nightclub
822 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA 52802
Phone: (563) 322-1121
Romantix Sioux City
(Adult Emporium)
511 Pearl St, Sioux City, IA 51101-1217
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.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Service Sun 10:30am
406 12th St, Waverly, IA
Rev Mary Christopher
712-258-0141
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
Western Iowa Tech. GSA
[email protected] for info.
Holy Spirit Catholic Faith Community
Meets one Sunday per month for Mass at
5:30pm at MCC-QC
3019 N. Harrison St., Davenport
For more info, call 563-340-7488
The Royal Wedding Chapel
504 Church Street
Royal, IA 51357
712-933-2223
www.TheRoyalWeddingChapel.com
Mary’s On 2nd
832 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA
563-884-8014.
MCC Quad Cities - Svcs Sat 5pm, Sun 11am
Bible study Wed. 7 pm
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
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.
SPENCER
(NEAR SIOUX FALLS)
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
September 2009
ACCESSline Page 35
ACCESSline Page 36
September 2009

NOM Launches “Reclaim Iowa” Campaign

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