SHOWING OUR PRIDE 2009 Pride Events June 7, Dubuque Pride Picnic June 13-15, Des Moines Capital City Pride June 20, Omaha NE / Council Bluffs Omaha Pride June 19-21, Iowa City & Cedar Rapids Corridor Pride June 20, Waterloo & Cedar Falls Cedar Valley Pride Paintball June 27, Davenport Quad Cities Pride Fest
George Takei talks... George Takei talks to us about marriage equality, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the amazing longetivity of Star Trek, and his first time coming to TrekFest in Riverside, Iowa, this June 26-27. Article on page 13
Sunday, June 7, 2009 Iowa City Pedestrian Mall ICARE Pancake Breakfast Serves up Gourmet Food, Green-style The Iowa Center for AIDS Resources and Education (ICARE) will be hosting the 22nd Annual New Pioneer ICARE Pancake Breakfast. Article on page 29.
National and World News Page 4
Joshua Dagon Page 9
Lucy Lawless in “Spartacus” Page 15
“(Senior Adviser) David (Axelrod) and I have been together for a long time. ... I think back to that day that I called Ax so many years ago and said, ‘You and I can do wonderful things together,’ and he said to me the same thing that partners all across America are saying to one another right now: ‘Let’s go to Iowa and make it official.’” — President Barack Obama at
the White House Correspondents’ Association Annual Dinner, May 9.
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Section 1: News & Politics
June 2009
June 2009
PUBLICATION INFORMATION Copyright © 2009 ACCESS in Northeast Iowa P.O. Box 2666 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-2666 (319) 550-0957 www.ACCESSlineIOWA.com
Section 1: News & Politics What’s Inside: Section 1: News & Politics US News.................................................4 World News ..........................................5 Police Smash Moscow Pride.................6 Editorial: I Am Not an Animal..............6 A Message from One Iowa....................7
ACCESSline is a monthly publication by ACCESS (A Concerned Community for Education, Safer-sex and Support) in Northeast Iowa, a registered non-profit organization in the State of Iowa and a federal non-profit organization under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS Code. Arthur Breur, Editor in Chief Aaron Stroschein, Assistant Editor Cory Tenney, Advertising Sales Joshua Dagon Brett Edward Stout Justin Uebelhor, One Iowa Lisa Schreihart (a.k.a IowaLisa) Q Syndicate Rex Wockner News Service All rights reserved. Original material printed in ACCESSline (with the exception of information from other sources) may be “lifted” for use in other publications so long as proper credit is given. Publication of the name, photograph or likeness of any person, business or organization in ACCESSline is not to be construed as any indication of sexual orientation. Opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinions of ACCESSline, ACCESS or the gay and lesbian community. Letters to the editor may be published. We cannot be responsible for errors in advertising copy. We welcome the submission of original materials, including line drawings and cartoons, news stories, poems, essays. They should be clearly labeled with author/artist name, address, and phone number. We reserve the right to edit letters and other material for reasons of profanity, space, or clarity. Materials will not be returned. A writer’s guide is available for those wishing to submit original work. Advertising rates and deadlines are available at ACCESSlineIOWA.com. All ads must be approved by ACCESSline’s editorial board.
Opinion & Commentary................... 7-9 Political IQ...............................................................7 Creep of the Week, with bonus creep..............8 Joshua Dagon .......................................................9 Health & HIV/AIDS News............ 10-11
Section 2: Community ICARE Pancake Breakfast..................29 Ask Auntie Emm..................................30 Hemming and Hawing........................34 Q Crossword........................................34 Comics.............................................34,35 Book Review.........................................31 Morals & Values:...................................32 NEW: Business Card Ad Section........33 Music Reviews......................................36 Business Directory/Resource List......36
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Still Getting Our Balance A Letter from the Editor Thank you to all those people who have provided encouragement and support as we have picked up the torch and started running on the next leg of ACCESSline’s long journey. I may be the editor in chief, but ACCESSline is the State of Iowa’s LGBT and HIV+ community newspaper. It is important that this paper reflect the diverse personalities of Iowa’s people and places. With this always in mind, I will work to make the paper serve its audience and its market. Please feel free to call or email with any suggestions or criticism. Also, our readers are always welcome to submit local and personal stories, articles, ideas, and photos. We are particularly in need of photos and recaps from fund raisers, pageants, and live performances. If you attend or participate in such things, please do not hesitate to send us the photos—or at least send us a link to the Facebook or MySpace page where you posted the photos for all your friends, family, or fans to see. We have a limited staff, and
all of us right now are based in the Cedar Rapids area. We can’t make it to all the bars in all of Iowa’s cities every weekend to cover every event, so we need your help. We are especially eager to hear more from Council Bluffs and Sioux City. To enable the paper to grow and better serve Iowa, we also are actively seeking new advertisers, across the state. So far we are doing pretty well reaching advertisers in the Corridor—and companies from inside and outside our state have contacted us to promote their wedding services. And we know (and love) the state’s well-established LGBT businesses. However, we can use some assistance around the state bringing in new advertisers. If you or someone you know is a go-getter, well connected to the business community, or just eager to help, you have our number. Give us a call. We are still getting our balance, but we are well on our way and happy to serve! Best, Arthur Breur Editor in Chief 319-550-0957 editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com
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Section 1: News & Politics
June 2009
US NEWS by Rex Wockner New York Assembly passes same-sex marriage bill The New York state Assembly passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage May 12 by a vote of 89-52. The measure now goes to the Senate, where it may not have enough votes to pass. “It’s time for the Senate, which now has pro-equality leadership, to ensure that loving, committed same-sex couples in New York can have the same rights and responsibilities under the law as loving, committed different-sex couples,” urged Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. The Assembly previously passed a same-sex marriage bill in 2007, but it stalled in the Senate. New York law already recognizes same-sex marriages entered into in states and countries that allow them. Gay couples can marry in Connecticut, Iowa and Massachusetts. Same-sex marriage laws will take effect later this year in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. In California, the state Supreme Court has until June 3 to decide the fate of a constitutional amendment passed by voters that halted same-sex marriages last November, five months after the state Supreme Court legalized them. Same-sex marriage also is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. New Hampshire governor to sign marriage bill Despite unrelenting pressure from antigay activists, including via TV ads, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch said May 14
he will sign a bill passed by the legislature legalizing same-sex marriage. Lynch, however, asked the legislature, known as the General Court, to make some changes to the measure first — alterations that legislative leaders and the state’s gay activist establishment said are fine with them. The process is expected to be completed quickly. The revised bill will include this painstaking language: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a religious organization, association, or society, or any individual who is managed, directed, or supervised by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society, shall not be required to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges to an individual if such request for such services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges is related to the solemnization of a marriage, the celebration of a marriage, or the promotion of marriage through religious counseling, programs, courses, retreats, or housing designated for married individuals, and such solemnization, celebration, or promotion of marriage is in violation of their religious beliefs and faith. Any refusal to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges in accordance with this section shall not create any civil claim or
cause of action or result in any state action to penalize or withhold benefits from such religious organization, association or society, or any individual who is managed, directed, or supervised by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society, or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society. “The marriage laws of this state shall not be construed to affect the ability of a fraternal benefit society to determine the admission of members ... and shall not require a fraternal benefit society that has been established and is operating for charitable and educational purposes and which is operated, supervised or controlled by or in connection with a religious organization to provide insurance benefits to any person if to do so would violate the fraternal benefit society’s free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States and part 1, article 5 of the Constitution of New Hampshire.” Other new language says the new marriage laws cannot be used to limit existing protections and exemptions provided to religious organizations. The alterations also repeal the state’s civil-union law effective Jan. 1, 2011, and prohibit any new civil unions from taking place after Jan. 1, 2010. In announcing his decision, Lynch wrote: “At its core, (this bill) simply changes the term ‘civil union’ to ‘civil marriage.’ Given the cultural, historical and religious significance of the word marriage, this is a meaningful change. I have heard, and I understand, the very real feelings of same-sex couples that a separate system is not an equal system. That a civil law that differentiates between their committed relationships and those of heterosexual couples undermines both their dignity and the legitimacy of their families. ... “We can and must treat both same-sex couples and people of certain religious traditions with respect and dignity. I believe this proposed language will accomplish both of these goals.” Gay couples can marry in Connecticut, Iowa and Massachusetts. Same-sex marriage laws take effect in September in Maine and Vermont. In California, the state Supreme Court has until June 3 to decide the fate of a constitutional amendment passed
by voters that halted same-sex marriages last November, five months after the state Supreme Court legalized them. Same-sex marriage also is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. Gay erotic magazines shut down Venerable erotic gay magazines Honcho, Inches, Mandate, Playguy and Torso were shut down May 11 by Mavety Media Group. The closure also extended to the company’s lesser-known gay titles. Mandate had been published continuously since April 1975. Reports said the Internet had made the magazines obsolete. Wanda Sykes criticized for comments to Obama Openly lesbian comedian Wanda Sykes has come under fire for comments she made to President Barack Obama on May 9 at the White House Correspondents’ Association Annual Dinner. “Rush Limbaugh, one of your big critics,” Sykes said from the podium. “Boy, Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails. So you’re saying, ‘I hope America fails.’ ... He just wants the country to fail. To me, that’s treason. He’s not saying anything differently than what Osama bin Laden is saying. I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight. ... Rush Limbaugh. ‘I hope the country fails.’ I hope his kidneys fail. How ‘bout that? He needs a good waterboarding, that’s what he needs.” Folks from the right and the left, including White House spokesman Robert Gibbs and liberal TV commentator Keith Olbermann, said Sykes had gone too far. “I think there are a lot of topics that are better left for serious reflection rather than comedy,” Gibbs said May 12. “I think there’s no doubt that 9/11 is part of that.” In his turn at the dinner’s microphone, Obama joked: “(Senior Adviser) David (Axelrod) and I have been together for a long time. ... I think back to that day that I called Ax so many years ago and said, ‘You and I can do wonderful things together,’ and he said to me the same thing that partners all across America are saying to one another right now: ‘Let’s go to Iowa and make it official.’”
June 2009
Section 1: News & Politics
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World News by Rex Wockner Lesbian couple denied marriage license in Moscow A lesbian couple were turned away when they applied for a marriage license at Moscow’s Marriage Registration Office on May 12. Irina Fet and Irina Shipitko were handed a document stating that Russia allows only opposite-sex marriage. The couple said they will now travel to Toronto and marry, then return to Russia and demand recognition of their union. Russia’s laws on nonrecognition of certain foreign marriages do not include same-sex marriage in the list of obstacles. “There is a clear loophole in the Russian law that we are going to use,” said gay leader Nikolai Alekseev. Fet told reporters: “We love each other for a while now and we want it to be officially recognized. We believe that we have the same rights (as) any other citizen for happiness. Our love is not different.” Activists expect the matter will end up at the European Court of Human Rights. Swedish gay leader beaten at Moldova Pride The president of the Swedish national gay group RFSL, Sören Juvas, was beaten up in Chisinau, Moldova, May 11.
Sören Juvas He was stopped by police as he left a pub and asked if he was in town for the gay pride events and if he was gay. When he answered both questions in the affirmative, Juvas was taken to a police station, then later released. As he left the station, Juvas was attacked by a group of men and suffered facial lacerations and bruises on his body. “The men who attacked him were most
likely police in civilian clothing or men who had been informed by the police that Sören Juvas was going to be outside the police station at that time,” said RFSL spokesperson Malinda Flodman. “Many politicians and public figures in Sweden are upset about what has happened and this has raised the issue of LGBT rights in Central and Eastern Europe in the public debate in Sweden, and has increased pressure on the Swedish government to address the issue when we assume the presidency of the EU (European Union) this summer.” The Chisinau pride events included roundtable discussions, workshops, awards, concerts, parties and a “Miss Flawless Queen” pageant. Activists also laid flowers at a public monument dedicated to oppressed people. GLBT people attended from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Ukraine, among other nations. (RFSL’s former initials are now its full name.) Gay Euro MP banned from speaking in England The president of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights was prevented by local officials from addressing an International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) rally May 9 in Birmingham, England. UK Gay News said the Birmingham City Council determined that Michael Cashman could not speak at the event because he is seeking re-election as a member of the European Parliament in June’s elections. Cashman’s West Midlands district includes Birmingham. The speech Cashman planned to give was instead read by a local activist as Cashman stood at her side. Derek Lennard, the UK coordinator of IDAHO, denounced the ban, saying politicians were involved in IDAHO events arranged by local councils in several cities across the country. “This rally was called to mark the International Day Against Homophobia — it has nothing to do with the Euro election campaign,” Lennard told UK Gay News. The report suggested the Conservativerun City Council had mistaken the antihomophobia rally for a political event or had deliberately chosen to interfere with the gath-
ering, at which Cashman was the featured speaker, because of anti-gay animus. Fired gay Chilean police officer sues A policeman fired in Santiago, Chile, in 2006 for being gay has filed suit at the Santiago Court of Appeals seeking reinstatement, back pay and $88,770 in damages. César Ricardo Contreras Segura’s action targets the district attorney’s office and is backed by the leading gay organization, Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation. The suit says Contreras’ dismissal violated the constitution’s guarantee of equal treatment under the law and other constitutional rights. “From 2006 to date, I have lived in family, emotional and economic hell because of my unjust and inhumane expulsion from the Civil Police, where I served for 15 years on a faultless path that police civil servants wanted to sully only because of my homosexuality,” Contreras said. Gays will have ‘house’ at 2010 Winter Games Gay athletes at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will have a “Pride House” in which to chill out together in the mountain resort town of Whistler, British Columbia. The “safe space” facility also will be open to gay Olympians’ friends, families, coaches and fans. According to the Vancouver Sun, the clubhouse is a joint project of the organization GayWhistler and the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre Hotel.
Lebanese gay group to target gay-sex ban In what may be a first for the Arab world, the Lebanese gay group Helem says it will launch an effort to overturn the nation’s ban on gay sex. The law, Article 534, criminalizes sex that violates “the laws of nature.” Some 20 members of the group recently staged a rally in the city center to protest police violence against gay men. EU criticizes Burundi’s criminalization of gay sex The European Union, in a declaration issued by its presidency, has criticized the African nation of Burundi for its recent criminalization of gay sex. “The criminalisation of consensual same-sex relations presents a violation of the rights to privacy, equality and nondiscrimination as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” the EU said May 11. “Adoption of such a norm is contradictory to Burundi’s obligations under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights.” The declaration also says bans on gay sex impede the fight against HIV by driving marginalized communities underground. In addition to the 27 member nations of the EU, the declaration was supported by Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine.
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Section 1: News & Politics
June 2009
Police smash Moscow pride for 4th year by Rex Wockner For the fourth year in a row, riot police broke up an attempt to stage a gay pride parade in Moscow on May 16, arresting up to 80 participants, including local gay leader Nikolai Alekseev, British gay leader Peter Tatchell and Chicago gay activist Andy Thayer. The city had again banned any public pride activities. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has called gay pride parades “satanic” and “weapons of mass destruction.” This year’s effort to march came just hours before the finals of the übercampy Eurovision Song Contest, held in Moscow this year because Russia won the contest last year. The competition has a huge gay following across the continent. Some of the people arrested, including Tatchell and Thayer, were seized in the middle of interviews with reporters. Cameramen were knocked around as police plowed through to get at various activists. Officers
managed to tear off one activist’s shirt and bra. Alekseev was seized and held down by no fewer than five policemen. As he was being hauled off, Tatchell shouted, “This shows the Russian people are not free.” “The Russian government is using this year’s Eurovision in Moscow as a gala showpiece to show the world how far the country has improved since the early 1990s,” Alekseev said. “However, what was witnessed this afternoon on the streets of Moscow shows the world just how little Russia has traveled when it comes to supporting fundamental human rights. ... This episode has shamed the Russian government and Moscow authorities before the world.” Several cases stemming from the bans on previous Moscow pride parades are pending at the European Court of Human Rights, which has a huge backlog of cases from Russia.
For the fourth year in a row, riot police broke up an attempt to stage a gay pride parade in Moscow on May 16, arresting up to 80 participants. Photo provided by an activist who must remain unnamed
I Am Not an Animal by Arthur Breur A friend of mine from way back in my high school days recently said that my homosexuality was equivalent to pedophilia, zoophilia, or—and this one really made me do a double-take—necrophilia. “Tell you what, as soon as pedophiles, zoophiles, necrophiles … are allowed to freely ‘marry’ and come ‘out’, then I’ll shut up about gay marriage. But, it seems the gay community has a ‘bias’ against other forms of ‘alternate lifestyles’ because it hurts their cause. Everything apart from a relationship between a man and a woman is ‘alternate’.” With an amazing blindness to his own previous words, he then said, “You have not nor will you find anything I have said that denigrates or impugns the gay community.” I only wish I were kidding, but that’s what he said. And it deserves a full and hearty smacking down. So first thing, let’s start with a little Mental Health 101, shall we? •
•
Pedophilia, Zoophilia, and Necrophilia are considered mental disorders by the American Psychiatric Association (the “APA”). Homosexuality is not.
To further clarify, Pedophilia, Zoophilia, and Necrophilia are included in the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (“DSM”) and are known as “paraphilias”. While in the past Homosexuality was included in the DSM, the American Psychiatric Association no longer considers Homosexuality a mental disorder. Now, what really frosts me about the comparison is that someone will say, with all sincerity, “I don’t hate homosexuals. I’m not a bigot! I love all God’s children.” Or maybe just, “You have not nor will you find anything I have said that denigrates or impugns the gay community.” Then they will go back to comparing Homosexuality to Pedophilia, Zoophilia, and Necrophilia. So what is so bad about using the comparison, and why do I think these people are, in fact, bigots? Let us agree to look past the idea that “anything other than male/female is an alternate lifestyle”. Instead, let us focus on what
is being said about the participants in the relationships being described. In your usual, run-of-the-mill, longterm heterosexual relationship, you have two consenting adults, one of each gender, attracted to each other physically and emotionally, and having committed themselves to each other, ideally for the rest of their lives. (Now, it should go without saying that two consenting adults would be, by definition, adult humans, because any other species would not be capable of “consent”, much less the necessary tasks of reading, understanding, and signing a marriage license, selecting a caterer, and booking the band. However, I am not one of the people screaming about how same-sex marriage is going to lead to folks wanting to legally marry their dog or their horse—which would, again, be Zoophilia—so clarifying the definition of “consenting adult” seems sadly necessary.) So, we have the following criteria: Two. Consenting adults. Opposite gender. Attracted to each other. Committed to each other. For life. Now, there are adult humans who are not attracted to people of the opposite gender, but instead are attracted to their own gender, both physically and emotionally. These people are referred to as “homosexuals”, and are generally lumped into the colloquial term “gay”. Yes, these people do exist, despite arguments to the contrary—most often coming from those who are NOT attracted to people of the same gender and therefore don’t really have the slightest clue. Using the same criteria to describe their relationships, you would have only one difference: the gender of the partner. Two. Consenting adults. Same gender. Attracted to each other. Committed to each other. For life. This brings me to what angers me when people haul Pedophilia, Zoophilia, and Necrophilia into the mix: there is only one consenting “partner” in these paraphilic situations; the other half of the equation is a child, an animal, or a dead—though most likely human—body. So back to my high school friend. What he was really saying is that a committed, adult, life-long relationship with someone
of the same gender is equivalent to an adult having a relationship with a child, an animal, or a corpse. Let me rephrase this and you will understand why the comparison is so hurtful and bigoted: “The partner(s) in a homosexual relationship are: A) not worthy of being respected as “adults” and B) not even worth being considered human.” With the comparison to Necrophilia, one could argue that it is even being said that homosexual partners are not even worthy of being alive. The blatant yet unspoken statement is that homosexuals are somehow “less” than heterosexuals. Lower. Less deserving. Even when being conciliatory about legal rights, these kinds of statements are demeaning: “Sure, fine, let homosexuals sign a bunch of contracts together if they want legal securities, but don’t call it ‘marriage’. What homosexuals have together could never be as meaningful or as important or as ‘sacred’ as
heterosexual ‘marriage’.” So that is why I have to call out my high school friend and all the other people who make these comparisons for, in fact, being bigots, and blatantly and repeatedly impugning the gay community. Note: Paraphilias were also used as arguments against legalizing interracial marriage, but were then more easily pointed out as being directed at just one of the partners in an interracial relationship. It should be remembered that the racially incendiary and disrespectful term “boy” was just another way of declaring that the person being addressed was also not worthy of being considered adult. In addition to the paraphilia comparisons, interracial marriage was also argued against using other familiar-sounding phrases one hears addressed toward same-sex marriage in the present day, such as: “it’s unnatural”; “it’s bad for the children”; “it’s immoral”.
“At a state level, it’s (same-sex marriage) up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary — it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we’re supposed to do — what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we’re supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I’ve had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn’t have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they’re people, and they’re going to do their thing.” — Samuel “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher to Christianity Today, May 4.
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A Message from One Iowa Marriage in Iowa: This Fight is Far from Over By Justin Uebelhor, Director of Communications with One Iowa With weddings and happy couples abound in Iowa, there’s certainly cause for celebration this summer. It’s wonderful to see couples who have stuck together through thick and thin, in some cases for decades, finally have the legal recognition they deserve from the state of Iowa. The unanimous Supreme Court ruling on April 3rd was a victory for all Iowans, but we risk losing these freedoms if we as a community become complacent. After the Supreme Court ruling came down, our legislative leadership stood strong against four attempts to undermine this historic ruling. However, next year’s legislative session will bring new challenges. Since the ruling came down late in the legislative session, leaders were able to block attempts from the far-right to amend the constitution due to rules and procedures. In 2010, our friends and allies will not have the same ability to block these attempts. And, some leaders in the Republican Party have vowed to advance a constitutional amendment in the 2010
legislative session and defeat fair-minded legislators in November 2010. Their hopes are pinned on proactively moving an anti-marriage amendment next session. They hope that our fair-minded legislators, facing the prospect of November’s election, will bow down in the face of pressure. When it comes to voting directly on an anti-marriage amendment, rather than
procedural votes, they believe they have the votes to push through a divisive amendment to the Iowa Constitution. This means Iowa voters could face an amendment battle as early as 2012, asking them to vote on stripping the freedom to marry from gay and lesbian couples. This is where we come in. Supporters of equality must keep the eye on the prize
and continue to stay engaged. If we don’t, we risk being caught off-guard like many in the gay community in California who assumed “this won’t happen in our state.” This summer will be crucial to solidifying support for marriage equality with legislators across the state. As legislators return to their home districts, they are sure to be confronted with strong opinions on both sides of this issue. We must continue to give a voice to Iowans who support equality and encourage our legislators to stand with us for equality. Our efforts at One Iowa will be focused on having conversations about the freedom to marry with voters all across the state. From canvassing to phone calls we hope to build a strong base of allies in legislative districts across the state to advocate for the freedom to marry with their elected officials. We need your help to make our efforts successful. There are many opportunities for folks to be engaged in their local communities. Whether you join your local steering committee, commit to a couple hours of calling to find supporters, or devote a few hours to walk around your neighborhood to identify supporters, we need everyone involved. Please join us at www.oneiowa.org to keep informed and stay involved. We’ve come this far and there’s simply too much at stake to lose our focus now!
Political IQ: Undermining the Religious Right by Diane Silver Hate Crime and Marriage Victories Wound Conservatives The ghost of Jerry Falwell must be howling as his successors absorb one body blow after another. The movement pioneered by the late cofounder of the Moral Majority isn’t near collapse, but the religious right has been wounded by recent GLBT victories. The pummeling began with wins for marriage equality in Vermont and Iowa, and more importantly, with the ho-hum response those victories drew from voters. Continued progress on same-sex marriage in other New England states compounded the pain. The increasing possibility that the Matthew Shephard Hate Crimes Act will finally become law has also hurt. The bill easily won House approval. If the Senate passes it, President Barack Obama has promised to sign the bill. While any GLBTpositive proposal faces an uncertain future in the Senate, the act counts several key swing senators as co-sponsors, including Maine’s GOP senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snow, and Republican turncoat Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Penn. What makes these blows so damaging is that they either weaken or demolish some of the arguments the religious right has long relied on. The first is the idea that GLBT Americans can’t be treated equally because they never have been in the past. Such a thing is simply unthinkable, the right has long argued. As our victories increase, though, the unthinkable not only becomes easy to imagine, it becomes downright boring.
Witness the response to the first same-sex marriages in Iowa: We saw long lines of happy couples, and a meek handful of protestors. The religious right has also used intimidation to push politicians to vote against their GLBT constituents. Defy us, the heirs of Falwell bluster, and we’ll destroy you at the ballot box. Every GLBT victory, though, highlights the decreasing power of the religious right. The collapse of their patron saint, the Republican Party, hasn’t helped. This doesn’t mean the far right can’t defeat pro-GLBT lawmakers, particularly in some states and certain legislative and Congressional districts. It does mean that a pro-GLBT vote is no longer an automatic ticket to electoral defeat. Every time politicians vote for equality and aren’t struck dead by the religious right, their next vote for fairness is a little easier, and the vote after that easier still. The most significant injury, though, may have been taken by the idea that equality is an attack on religious freedom. The right has long rallied its supporters – and millions of fence-sitting moderates – by claiming that every pro-GLBT law is designed to
imprison pastors and close churches. Those claims, along with the idea that equality undermines the heterosexual family, helped propel Proposition 8 to victory in California, for example. But these arguments are getting harder to make because many recent pro-GLBT measures exempt churches. These include the bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Vermont and the Matthew Shephard Act. If that act becomes law and adds sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the exiting federal hate crimes statute, the anti-gay movement may face its greatest challenge. The religious right has long argued that the Matthew Shepard Act will turn anti-gay rhetoric into a hate crime. If the bill passes, they claim, conservative ministers would be tossed into jail for speaking against homosexuality. Even Jesus, if he were alive today, would be a wanted man. Leaving aside the absurd idea that Jesus would twist his message of compassion into sermons of damnation for peaceful, loving people, what will the religious right do if the Matthew Shepard Act becomes law and not a single minister is jailed? How much credibility will its leaders have, especially with
moderates, if their doomsday predictions never come true? In my last column, I wrote that the recent marriage victories meant little, especially politically. I stand by much of what I put in that column: GLBT Americans remain politically flabby; we continue to face steep obstacles in winning the hearts and minds of reluctant voters. But I have a confession: I plead guilty to falling prey to cynicism. My heart has been broken so many times by politicians and voters that it’s hard for me to accept that a victory can actually be a good thing. I keep waiting for the backlash and the “inevitable” final defeat. We do face challenges. The heirs of Falwell aren’t going to disappear, but I’m finally getting it that something wonderful is happening. The victories in Iowa and Vermont, haven’t triggered a backlash, according to polls taken in April. The most pessimistic survey, conducted by Quinnipiac University, showed virtually no change in support for same-sex marriage. CBS News/New York Times and ABC News/Washington Post polls showed increasing support. The ABC poll even showed a 20-point jump in just five years in support for same-sex marriage among conservatives. Falwell must be rolling over in his grave. Diane Silver is a former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, whose work has appeared in The Progressive, Salon. com, Ms, and other national publications. She can be reached care of this publication or at PoliticalIQ@qsyndicate.com.
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Creep of the Week: Rep. Virginia Foxx by D’Anne Witkowski Was the murder of Matthew Shepard a hoax? Is he actually alive and well, hanging out with Elvis, perhaps? My, what a scandal! Thank you Virginia Foxx, Republican Representative from North Carolina, for bringing this matter to our national attention. To be fair, Foxx didn’t claim that Shepard wasn’t actually killed, nor was she saying she’s glad he’s dead. She was simply saying that Shepard wasn’t killed for being gay and that all the homos who say that he was are just trying to get poor, gullible straight people to feel bad for them and grant them protection from similar crimes. “The hate crimes bill that’s called the Matthew Shepard bill is named after a very unfortunate incident that happened where a young man was killed, but we know that that young man was killed in the commitment of a robbery. It wasn’t because he was gay,” Foxx said during the hearing on the U.S. House floor on hate crimes legislation. “This ... hate crimes bill was named for him, but it’s really a hoax that that continues to be used as an excuse for passing these bills.” For some reason, Foxx’s comment made a lot of gay rights supporters pretty upset. “A hoax? Belittling the brutal murder of a 21-year-old college student? And Republicans wonder why their angry, hateful, pathetic party is now only 20 percent of
the U.S. population,” wrote John Aravosis of AmericaBlog. “I wonder where Virginia Foxx stood on letting blacks swim in our pools fifty years ago. Actually, I think I already know.” “He was killed because he was gay and she is making light of that fact,” said Matt Comer, editor of Q-Notes, North Carolina’s LGBT paper. “She should be ashamed,” said Rep. John Lewis, a Democrat from Georgia. “That is unreal, unbelievable. The law enforcement people and almost every reasonable person I know believes he was murdered because he was gay.” It only took a few days for Foxx to claim that the whole thing was just a big misunderstanding. “The term ‘hoax’ was a poor choice of words used in the discussion of the hate crimes bill,” Foxx said in a statement. “Mr. Shepard’s death was nothing less than a tragedy, and those responsible for his death certainly deserved the punishment they received.” How very generous of her (then again, she’s a Republican. She can’t risk seeming soft on crime, so long as it’s not motivated by sexual orientation). So where did she get her information about robbery being the motivation for Shepard’s killing? An ABC report that has long since been written off as a load
of garbage void of journalistic integrity. “Referencing these media accounts may have been a mistake, but if so, it was a mistake based on what I believed were reliable accounts,” she said. “In the heat of trying to handle the rule on the floor, anybody can use a bad choice of words. Saying that the event was a hoax was a poor choice of words,” Foxx later told WXII-12 News. “I’ve apologized for that. I never meant in any way to harm the family or offend the family or anybody else
for that matter.” In other words, it’s not her fault if she used bogus sources. Who has time for fact checking when such a heated debate is in full swing? “She’s apologizing for semantics,” said Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother. Which, of course, is not the same thing as saying, “I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Shepard, for perpetuating a lie about your viciously murdered son in order to score political points with my anti-gay base.”
Bonus Creep of the Week: Maggie Gallagher by D’Anne Witkowski I was talking to a friend of mine who was bemoaning the lack of cogent arguments against issues like marriage equality and second-parent adoption. She’s an Ivy League law school graduate who currently represents a rather liberal district in Michigan, a state with plenty of conservative sinkholes. She’s exactly the kind of person you want in government: educated, principled, committed to public service. And while she’s proudly progressive, she’s willing to look at issues from all sides. The problem, of course, is that when it comes to gay issues, the opposition can’t make logical, rational, well supported arguments. They have to rely on religion, fear and giant “what ifs” that aren’t based in the world of logic. This is precisely why it’s so hard to argue with them. You can’t debate hysteria, and yet when it comes to two women
or two men marrying each other, hysteria rules the day. For example, take Maggie Gallagher, the president of the National Organization for Marriage. For years, she’s been an outspoken opponent of gay marriage (sometimes at the secretly paid behest of the Bush Administration). She’s anti-gay for a living – even she has to resort to scare tactics to make her case. “I think civilizations that can’t hang onto an idea as basic as to make a marriage you need a husband and a wife aren’t going to make it in the long haul,” Gallagher told Rod Dreher of the Dallas Morning News earlier this month. “So I’m not worried about the progressive myth that 200 years from now gay marriage will be the new world norm. I’m somewhat more worried about the kind of cultures around the world that
might survive.” In other words, gays are going to end up killing us all. You know, just like gay pterodactyls wrecked it all for the dinosaurs. Gallagher also complained that because she wants to discriminate against gays and lesbians, she’s labeled a bigot. This isn’t fair, she said, because the real bigots are gays who won’t just accept being oppressed. She claims that “losing marriage” to gays will result in “the redefinition of traditional religious faiths as the moral and legal equivalent of racists. The proposition on the table right now is that our faith itself is a form of bigotry.” And, as every person of faith knows, the ability to oppress folks you don’t like or agree with is a special religious right. Besides, gay rights advocates are just bullies, pushing around the poor, powerless majority that opposes them. “Public opinion hasn’t changed much at all,” Gallagher said, citing a March 12 CBS poll that shows the majority of Americans opposing gay marriage. After all, the majority rules. Minority rights are for atheist, liberal elites who would rather gay marry aborted stem cell babies than go to church. “What’s changed is the punishment the gay marriage movement is inflicting on dissenters, which is narrowing the circle of people willing to speak,” she continued. “This is a very powerful movement, no question. Nobody understands that better than I do.” Yes, nobody knows the trouble she’s seen. Nobody knows her sorrow. It’s a favorite tactic of the right to play the part of a powerless group standing up against gay mercenaries fighting to obliterate religious freedoms. Sure, it doesn’t match reality. But
Maggie Gallagher it sure is scary – and that goes a long way when fear is all you’ve got. 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.
“(Nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage is) a sure thing. Clearly, the momentum is on our side. It’s just a matter of time.” — Openly gay American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Anthony Romero to The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 11.
June 2009
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The Real Trouble with “Traditional Marriage” by Joshua Dagon Prior to the passage of California’s Proposition 8, several of my male friends traveled to Los Angeles to get married. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Uh... JD, you’re thinking, exactly how many of your friends got married and why haven’t I seen this remarkable group on Oprah? Please allow me to elucidate. My friends indeed got married, but they did so in groups of two, as opposed to twelve of them exchanging vows at the same ceremony and then proceeding to share a bed the size of a volleyball court. Personally, I think a group marriage would be considerably interesting, as I believe that gay men are like LEGOs in that we’re able to fit together in virtually any quantity and form an infinite variety of seamless and delightful configurations. So, my friends came back to town—two at a time—as married couples. I couldn’t be happier for them. However, I don’t believe that marriage would be in any way viable for my own life. There are two reasons for this: I am physically incapable of sharing the television remote and I have no degree of tolerance for anyone who does anything at all selfish while they’re sharing a room with me, such as fart. Please don’t misunderstand me, though. Marriage might be incompatible with my own personal sensibilities, but that does not mean I believe the institution itself should be denied to any adult couple, even those who happen to share the same gender and may or may not suffer from weapons grade digestive issues.
There are those within the global community, however, who have strong feelings against the notion of same-sex marriage. They have a range of beliefs that compel them to consider a state of matrimony between two adults of the same gender to be “wrong.” Do not, under any circumstances, listen to these people. After nearly two decades of study regarding this issue, as well as an annoyingly sufficient exposure to the assortment of judgments denouncing gay unions, I have been able to successfully diffuse all dissenting arguments on the grounds that they are stupid. Although it’s any person’s unquestionable right to regard same-sex marriage as personally unappealing or even distasteful, it’s the application of the terms “wrong” or “sinful” that firmly establishes them as, at best, socially and philosophically naïve and, at worst, theological zombies who’ve never so much as heard of hermeneutics must less possess the ability to define it. The first stumbling block for opponents of gay marriage is the definition of marriage itself. The fact is that there isn’t a single definition. Even sources providing explanations for contemporary English terminology, such as Merriam-Webster, offer an assortment of differing classifications. One prominent example is “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage.” That declaration, though, as any third-grader not currently in a coma would be able to point out, is no help at all, as now we’re obliged
to define “traditional” marriage. Here I’m compelled to offer a warning to anyone who, on the grounds that it’s not “traditional,” opposes gay marriage. Please do not follow me down this road. History is not on your side and the facts I am about to present will only undermine your intellectual confidence and equate your ability for rational thought with that of a tub of Jell-O. If your definition of traditional marriage resembles “a holy union between a man and a woman, ordained by God, sacred, and distinguished by love, respect, monogamy, and foundational equality,” you’re in for an unpleasant shock. Yes, there are millions of couples around the world who consider their relationships to conform precisely to the above definition. However, the idea that such an arrangement is “traditional” is not only shamelessly inaccurate, but funny to the point where I may wet myself laughing. Let’s all attempt to maintain some perspective and reflect on the big picture, shall we? First, let’s all admit that the dynamics of the institution of marriage differ significantly from culture to culture, and that’s merely considering modern civilizations. Now let’s add the variations of matrimonial facets as they’ve existed throughout history. The variables involved in this perception range from the American miscegenation laws to the oh-so-romantic Stone Age tradition of acquiring a wife by burning her village and killing her father with a rock. [Such ceremonies rarely included any familiar elements, such as a Maid of Honor, although it was always a plus when they did, as then there’d be plenty of meat for the reception buffet.] Then there are the Biblical examples of a traditional marriage. I might be wrong, but it’s my impression that contemporary American women tend to frown on the notion that their husbands be allowed to collect wives like baseball cards. Then there’s the ancient Israelite definition of adultery, which only applies to married women. A man could diddle any woman he wanted, unless she was already someone else’s wife, or, more accurately, someone else’s property. Oh, and by the way, within the same system, a married man could have sex with another man and it was never considered adultery. [I know that this idea will greatly confuse a lot of people who believe the Bible somewhere states that
Joshua Dagon homosexuality is a sin. I won’t get into it here—it’s a subject deserving of an article of its own—but suffice it to say that, although the interpretation of homosexuality as a sin is currently a popular one, it’s also irrefutably inaccurate. Yes, that may be difficult to believe, but I can not only prove it, I can do so in less than ten minutes.] All in all, I would think opponents to same-sex marriage would be highly reluctant to tout “traditional marriage” as a phrase meant to bolster their position on contemporary social policy. Now, I won’t criticize anyone’s desire to model their marriage according to what they believe is the prominent contemporary American ideal. However, once that “ideal” is used to demonize the facets of another loving couple’s union, it can only serve to expose an innate insecurity that can easily be categorized as neurotic. So, all you opponents of gay marriage, please just try to be happy with the conditions within your own household and refrain from dictating to others the manner in which they are allowed to share their lives with someone they love. As I once heard Lisa Simpson say, in quoting, I believe, Abraham Lincoln, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” 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 jd@joshuadagon.com.
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HEALTH & HIV/AIDS BRIEFS
BIO Challenges Biotech Community to Help Benefit Elton John AIDS Foundation Biotech Leaders, Patient Advocates Highlight Cutting-Edge HIV/AIDS Therapies, Need for Next Generation Treatments ATLANTA, GA – May 19, 2009 – Leaders in biotechnology research and patient advocacy joined forces today at the 2009 BIO International Convention to discuss the latest breakthroughs in HIV/ AIDS treatments. Following a keynote speech by Sir Elton John focused on the needs of the HIV/AIDS community, representatives of biotech companies previewed the next generation of treatments while patient advocates reiterated the need for new therapies, particularly for those who have developed resistance to existing medications. Researchers are developing new therapies that are more effective in treating HIV/AIDS ways, including an AIDS vaccine and new methods of delivery that hold the potential to increase patient compliance. “Through biotechnology, we have been able to suppress many of the symptoms of AIDS, increasing both quality of life and life expectancy for millions of people around the world who are living with HIV/AIDS. Day in and day out, the men and women of biotechnology are working to find a way to one day put an end to this terrible disease,” said Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. Greenwood was joined by a number of companies and patient representatives:
· John Bonfiglio, CEO of Argos Therapeutics, · Marie-Pierre de Bethune, Ph.D., Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Tibotec · Michael Manganiello, Board Member, Whitman-Walker Clinic · Robert McNally, President and CEO, GeoVax Labs · David Miller, Board Member, AIDS Institute · Paul Stoffels, M.D., Company Group Chairman, Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson “For 22 years, I have lived with a disease for which there is no cure,” said Michael Manganiello. “But I am hopeful. And, initiatives like the ones we are learning about today give me hope. I believe that innovative approaches to the discovery and development of new treatments will lead to a cure for the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS.” Approximately two million people die from HIV/AIDS each year, and an equal number of children live with the disease. Today, there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, although the annual number of deaths attributed to AIDS has declined in the past two years, in part as a result of greater access to treatment. Biotechnology has led the way in devel-
oping advanced treatments for the more than 33 million people worldwide who are HIV positive and/or living with AIDS. To help meet the needs of people living with AIDS, BIO announced a two week fundraising campaign to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. BIO challenged the broader biotech community to match the association’s own donation of $150,000. To make a contribution to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, log onto IAmBiotech.org/ejaf between now and June 2. About Argos Therapeutics, Inc The Company has generated multiple platform technologies and a diverse pipeline of products based on its expertise in the biology of dendritic cells – the master switch that turns the immune system on or off. The Company’s ArcelisTM technology trains the immune system to recognize and attack the disease. Although current therapies (primarily highly active antiretroviral therapy) constitute a $5 billion market, they have a number of limitations and challenges and often ultimately fail due to viral mutation and resistance. Argos’ArcelisTM HIV immunotherapy addresses a number of these issues by mobilizing a broad-based and completely relevant immune assault on the patient’s own virus. The company is currently enrolling and treating patients in a Phase 2 HIV trial
at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. About GeoVax Labs, Inc GeoVax is a Biotechnology company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus - AIDS) and other infectious agents. The company works to develop AIDS vaccines for global markets, manufacture and test these vaccines under GMP/GLP conditions (FDA guidelines), conduct phase I/II and III human trials for vaccine safety and effectiveness and obtain regulatory approval of these vaccines in the USA and specified international markets. About Tibotec Tibotec R&D is dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative new drugs for HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases of high unmet medical need. Tibotec was established in 1994 by Rudi Pauwels as a drug discovery laboratory. In 1995, Virco was established as a spin-off to improve the management of HIV/AIDS with innovative, new molecular diagnostic tools for HIV resistance testing that would better inform the treatment decisions made by physicians. In April 2002 Tibotec and Virco were acquired by Johnson & Johnson and evolved to a fully integrated pharmaceutical company focusing on the discovery and the TTAIDS BRIEFS continued page 12
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AIDS Briefs development of new drugs for Infectious Diseases. About 2009 BIO International Convention The world’s leading biotechnology industry event, the BIO International Convention, is taking place May 18-21, 2009, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The BIO International Convention is the largest global event for the biotechnology industry and attracts the biggest names in biotech, offers key networking and partnering opportunities, and provides insights and inspiration on the major trends affecting the biotech industry. The annual event draws industry leaders from 48 states and 60 countries. The BIO International Convention helps to support BIO programs and initiatives. BIO works throughout the year to create a policy environment that enables the industry to continue to fulfill its vision of bettering the world through biotechnology innovation. For more information on the global event for biotechnology, including program and housing information, please visit http:// convention.bio.org/. About BIO BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members
Section 1: News & Politics are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.
“At its core, (this bill) simply changes the term ‘civil union’ to ‘civil marriage.’ Given the cultural, historical and religious significance of the word marriage, this is a meaningful change. I have heard, and I understand, the very real feelings of same-sex couples that a separate system is not an equal system. That a civil law that differentiates between their committed relationships and those of heterosexual couples undermines both their dignity and the legitimacy of their families.” — New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch announcing May 14 that he will sign a bill passed by the Legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. Lynch requested the addition of some specific language protecting certain rights of religious entities that oppose gay marriage -- and legislative and gay leaders said the changes were fine with them.
June 2009
ACCESSline’s fun guide
George Takei Talks
...about Iowa, his upcoming visit to TrekFest, and history. George Takei (rhymes with “okay”) is a proud member of two American minorities: he is a Japanese American man; and he is gay. He and his partner of more than two decades, Brad Altman, were married in September 2008. This was during the brief window of time that marriage equality was a reality in California—after the California Supreme Court overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, and before the passage of Proposition 8 which wrote marriage discrimination into California’s constitution. This makes them both part of an even smaller minority: same-sex couples who are legally married in their state. Whether gay and lesbian Californians will be allowed to have legally-recognized civil marriages again in the future was yet to be announced at the time this paper went to press. In his autobiography, To the Stars, published in 1994 (and available in audio format), George Takei wrote about his life up to and including the untimely death of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, in 1991. The book was not intended to be just an autobiography, but was rather an intentional spotlight on one terrible, seldomreported point in American history: the forced relocation of Japanese Americans, during World War II, into “War Relocation Centers”—internment camps—an act that has since been officially decried as
the result of “race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership”. The experience left his family painfully aware of discrimination as one of America’s failings, and—remarkably—it seems to have made them that much more devoted to the promise that is “America”. Beyond this history lesson, To the Stars includes many stories about Takei’s participation in the original Star Trek, from the three-season television series all the way to the sixth Star Trek movie, “The Undiscovered Country”. What the book does not include is any mention of his own sexuality. Takei, while not vigorously closeted later in life, did not come out “officially” until 2005. He has, since that time, replaced his public reserve on the subject with open and vigorous advocacy. This new role for the 72-year-old actor has been bolstered by his Star Trek fame, which has allowed him through the years to travel around the world, acting, attending science fiction conventions, and more recently, narrating for symphony orchestra performances. All this, he gratefully admits, is due to Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek and to the unending generosity and loyalty its generations of fans. We spoke by phone on May 15, 2009: You’re coming to Iowa next month. Yes I am. A very significant convention:
it’s the first time I’ve done one in Riverside, Iowa, and that’s supposed to be the birthplace of James T. Kirk. But if you’ve seen the latest Star Trek movie, now you know where he actually WAS born: in space. But where he grew up was Riverside, Iowa. Spectacular beginning, don’t you think? It was an amazing movie all around. Have you been to Iowa before? Des Moines I’ve been to. I’ve done a convention there. And I’ve done one in Cedar Rapids. Are you planning on doing anything in Iowa while you’re here for TrekFest? I would like to do a little exploring there in Iowa City, but it’s Trek Fest that I’m coming there for. We’ve had some other things happening here in Iowa you’ve probably been paying attention to… Well, Iowa certainly has been one of the leaders and, certainly in the Midwest, the leader in getting equality for gays and lesbians. I think the tide is turning, finally, and I think Iowa played an important part in that. In Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry had the idea of “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”. There are fan films, for example, “The Hidden Frontier” series, that have openly included gay characters and storylines. Why do you think that TTGEORGE TAKEI continued page 17
IowaLisa’s List by Lisa Schreihart 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 June through July. To submit events and announcements, or to sign up a friend to receive this list by e-mail, e-mail iowalisa@juno.com. To view this list on-line, go to www.myspace.com/iowalisa. I am also now on Twitter (@iowalisa) and on Facebook, and I’ll post events there periodically. So join me in cyberland! ANNOUNCEMENTS: MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR IWMF!: Prairie Voices Productions is excited to announce the 2009 16th Annual Iowa Women’s Music Festival, set for Friday-Saturday, September 11-12 at Upper City Park in Iowa City. A Friday night comedy show with Poppy Champlin (she has appeared at Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival, National Women’s Music Festival, on Olivia, and at Dinah Shore) is in the works. The Saturday lineup is currently coming together and looks to be another great one! We are very excited about Austin, TX award-winning blues woman, Carolyn Wonderland, who is rising to national fame. Many more big surprises are to come! Check www. prairievoices.net for updates. HELP THE 2009 IOWA WOMEN’S MUSIC FESTIVAL: This year’s IWMF will be a big one! We are challenging ourselves to bring the community some very exciting (and bigger) performers this year who haven’t been seen around Iowa in a long time. We need the help of the community to pull this off, both in monetary and volunteer help. To help raise our goal of $10,000 by festival time, I challenge everyone to donate whatever they can to help this great festival continue to grow and amaze. I, IowaLisa, will match dollar for dollar any donations from new donors that arrive to the IWMF PO Box by my birthday, June 13. Mail donations (and make payable) to: Prairie Voices Productions, P.O. Box 3411, Iowa City, Iowa, 52244-3411. If you are curious to know who we have as tentative performers, drop me an e-mail at iowalisa@juno.com. Prairie Voices Productions 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 iowalisa@ juno.com if you want to help plan the festival or volunteer the day of the festival. We’ll happily put you to work! SUMMER OF THE ARTS: This is the season of fun, especially in Iowa City! Iowa Arts Festival is June 5-7, and Iowa City Jazz Festival is July 3-5, both on the Ped Mall in downtown Iowa City. The summer Free Movie Series on Saturdays kicks off on June 13 and runs til August 22 on the U of Iowa Pentacrest outside of Macbride Hall in Iowa City. All films start at sunset. Also enjoy the ever-popular and always wildly entertaining Friday Night Concert Series on the downtown Iowa City Ped Mall running now through August 28, all starting at 6:30 p.m. Check out our friends the Awful Purdies on June 19. Check out www.summerofthearts.org for more info on all of these events. IOWA SUMMER REP: Presenting the work of contemporary playwright SARAH RUHL, June 19-July 19 at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Lots of other great things going on at U. of Iowa in the arts, including book readings, art showings, plays, concerts, recitals and dance. Check out www.uiowa.edu/artsiowa. 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/essential-feminists.html. Check it out! 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. The group rides only in warmer weather, typically on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with an hour to eat lunch. Saturday rides for 2009 are planned for June 6, June 20, July 3-4 (overnighter!), July 18, August 1, August 15, and August 29. On Wednesdays, starting June 10, the Moto Posse will meet at 6 p.m. to ride to dinner. For details on scheduled rides, visit: http://bit.ly/3kqRfF or contact Jewell at:
crazelefty@hotmail.com. SUMMER LESBIAN READING GROUP is starting up in June at the Women’s Resource and Action Center, 130 N. Madison St, Iowa City, 319-335-1486, wrac@uiowa.edu. This group is designed to offer Lesbians a safe, comfortable environment to have interesting discussions about good books. The goals of the group are to empower lesbian women to learn from each other, and to provide a sense of community among the participants. This is a safe place for Lesbians to meet on a regular basis, relax, have coffee and engage in thought-provoking conversation. The group will meet approximately every 3rd Sunday at 6 pm, beginning June 14. Pre-registration is required; space is limited. For more info, visit http://www.uiowa.edu/~wrac/groups/lesbianreading.htm. ART FEED: A new website that promotes local Corridor artists is on-line at www.TheArtFeed.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. NEW YOUNG PROFESSIONALS GROUP IN THE CORRIDOR: Young professionals groups Access Iowa and Next Generation are merging under the CR Chamber of Commerce. Find out more at www.access-iowa.org. 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/. 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 mfender@ lambdalegal.org or call Matt Fender at 515-2884019 ext 202. Matt is also requesting feedback from people regarding events that families would
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Events be interested in attending in the future. WEDDING PICTURES NEEDED: Are you and your same-sex partner married, civil unionized, or have you celebrated your bond with a commitment ceremony? We’re 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, we 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 outhistory@gc.cuny.edu. CAPITAL CITY PRIDE: The 2009 forms for Parade, Volunteering, Sponsorship, and Pride Guide for the Des Moines festival are at: http:// www.capitalcitypride.org/forms.php. Please download the forms you need and send them back to the P.O. Box listed on the form or scan and email to info@capitalcitypride.org. Email info@ capitalcitypride.org with any questions or needs. 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 malone.bridget@gmail.com. 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 malone.bridget@gmail.com. QUAD CITIES GROUPS: 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, and meet the 4th Saturday of each month from 7-8:30 p.m. OUT (Our United Truth): A GLBT Support Group meets every Tuesday evening from 7-8:30 p.m., also at the Unitarian Universalist Church (address above). For more info, call 563-359-0816. CEDAR RAPIDS GLBT READING GROUP: The GLBT Reading Group meets in the conference room at Red Cross Building at 6300 Rockwell Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month. The group is open to new members; please contact crglbtreadinggroup@yahoo.com for further info. CEDAR RAPIDS GLBT SPIRITUAL GROUP: There is a new GLBT Spiritual Group that will meet to socialize, discuss topics, share stories, hang out 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 liddelles@aol.com. Or sign up for the new Google Group cedar-rapids-glbta-interfaithgroup@googlegroups.com. 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 snhoffman@mchsi.com. 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 kaylola3@aol.com. Visit the Old Capitol City Roller Girls at http://www.myspace.com/oldcapitolcityrollergirls or e-mail occrgirls@yahoo.com. 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! The Indigo Girls just released their new
the fun guide CD “Poseidon and the Bitter Bug,” another great one from this pioneering duo! 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 elsiepub@ aol.com 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 mmh52204@hotmail. com 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 queerconnections@ yahoo.com. IOWA PRIDE NETWORK: If you are interested in getting more involved and active in Iowa’s GLBTQ community, focusing on safe schools and LGBT student leadership and development, check out the Iowa Pride Network’s new website. 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: The ICSW has a new, updated website! Visit www.women.iowa.gov to find resources and tools for women, ICSW initiatives, and information for girls. NEW SPEED-DATING EVENTS: Silvia is creating a new series of speed dating events in Cedar Rapids. To get on Silvia’s list for future events in Cedar Rapids, e-mail her at diversity4dating@hotmail.com. ONE-TIME EVENTS: NOW through June 7, GIRLS ONLY at the Prairie Meadows Temple Theatre, 10th and Locust Sts., downtown Des Moines. Girls Only is an original comedy that celebrates the honor, truth, humor and silliness of being female. With a two-woman cast and audiences full of raucous, laughing ladies, the show has found quick popularity in its unique examination of all things girly. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com. Tuesday, June 2, 9 p.m., CAROLINE SMITH AND THE GOODNIGHT SLEEPS, at The Mill Restaurant, 120 E. Burlington St., Iowa City. Anchored by the tight playing of the Goodnight Sleeps, Caroline Smith’s voice floats above these songs like a hummingbird zipping from one killer melody to the next. Free! Check out www.myspace.com/carolinesmithmusic. Tuesday, June 2, 7 p.m., author ELIZABETH BERG will read from her newest book, “Home Safe,” at the Des Moines Public Library, 1000 Grand Ave., downtown Des Moines. For more info, call 515-283-4152. FREE. Tuesday, June 2, 7-9 p.m., CONNECTIONS FORUM: OUT OF THE CLOSE AND INTO THE ARCHIVES at hotelVetro, 201 S. Linn St., Iowa City. Join Cedar Rapids Pride, Iowa City Pride, Connections, and the University of Iowa LGBT Staff and Faculty Association for a special June Pride Forum presentation in the hotelVetro Conference Center. Kären Mason (curator of the Iowa Women’s Archives) and David McCartney (University Archivist) will present on local LGBT history and resources in area archives. For more info, visit www.queerconnections.org. Wednesday, June 3, 7-8:30 p.m., RAINBOW READING GROUP discusses “When You are Engulfed in Flames,” by David Sedaris, sponsored by Connections, at the Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room C.
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Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
But Almodovar himself is in the process of developing his crowd-pleaser for an international English-speaking TV audience with the production company right now. The one-hour, so-far-untitled pilot will focus on a suburban group of women (cue Desperate Housewives comparisons, even though that series studied at the feet of Almodovar) who are confronting middle age and all the comedic scenarios that come along with it. Unknown is if, like in the film, one of the women on the verge will be a voice-over actress who gets abandoned by her lover and proceeds to drug houseguests with sedativelaced gazpacho. But it could happen.
Lucy Lawless to imprison Spartacus A perfect storm of gay TV is on the horizon, thanks to ancient Rome and Xena. The upcoming Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand was already set to feature a 300-style interpretation of the Spartacus legend, meaning that lots of muscular, barelydressed men would be training or battling non-stop on your basic-cable system. We’ve also been promised queer characters. But now that the cast is fixed, lesbian audiences have a reason to tune in: Lucy Lawless. Yes, yes, it’s a cliché, but it would appear that all lesbians everywhere on earth still love Lucy. Recently seen online interrogating former L Word cast members about the murder of Jenny, Lawless will star on Spartacus as the owner of the gladiator prison holding the rebel slave. That means she’ll probably be somewhat wicked. And who doesn’t like that? So while the warriors may be men, the princess returns to weekly TV in January of 2010. That gives you about eight months to plan the viewing party. Steve Buscemi is not Handsome Harry The new indie drama Handsome Harry stars veteran character actor Jamey Sheridan (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) in the title role of a man on a mysterious road trip to uncover the truth about a long-ago event involving several men in the Navy. And if that brings to mind The Village People then, well, that’s not exactly the movie’s fault. Yet Handsome Harry is about a disruption in the ranks of traditional masculinity and stars Steve Buscemi as a dying man out to make amends for that breach of the brotherhood. Joining him are Campbell Scott, Aiden Quinn and John Savage as participants in the wrongdoing and keys to the puzzle. From Bette Gordon (director of 1983’s acclaimed feminist drama Variety), this serious exploration of gay denial is already making the film festival rounds and wants a distributor, so catch it while you can. Almodovar on the Verge of a Fox TV Series If you were brainstorming about unlikely pairings in the entertainment world, and even if you were brainstorming really hard, then Fox TV Studios and Pedro Almodovar’s breakthrough hit 1988 film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown still might not ever cross paths in your mind.
Broadway + Liberace: What could go wrong? Romeo’s already reported on a Liberace biopic in the works, but are modern theater audiences clamoring for a recreation of one of his Las Vegas concerts, starring an accomplished Liberace impersonator? Even if they aren’t, it looks like they’ll be getting one if Liberace: the Man, the Music and the Memories opens this fall season as planned. Starring Wayland Pickard as the be-sequinned one, it appears that this channeling of one of the late pianist’s showroom revues is going to be, pardon the pun, done with as straight a face as possible. Pickard’s already been performing a version of the show, most recently at the Welk (as in Lawrence) Resorts Theater in Escondido, Calif., which tells you something about its audience and what’s most likely not in the show itself, aka any kind of commentary on the man’s life. But then that would be fitting, as Liberace himself vehemently denied his homosexuality even as he died from AIDS in the 1980s. Still though, doesn’t this all seem a little bit weird? Jackman: More musicals, more Wolverine Perhaps no Hollywood leading man since James Cagney has been able to balance tough-guy roles and musical-comedy chops as easily as Hugh Jackman. And his upcoming projects indicate that Jackman will continue to divide his time between the two. Having won a Tony for his portrayal of gay song-and-dance legend Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz, Jackman will return to Broadway to star in a new musical about Harry Houdini, a show that will feature a score by Danny Elfman. Also on Jackman’s dance card is a sequel to his recent X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which broke box-office records on its opening weekend. Both projects are in early stages of development, so until the man decides he wants his own cooking show, too – or the day comes that Baz Luhrmann writes a Wolverine musical (don’t laugh, it could happen) – Jackman will keep genre-hopping. Re-Used Guys Development Hell is what they call it in Hollywood when your movie dies before it ever gets made. That’s what happened to the original incarnation of the sci-fi comedy Used Guys, which was to star Ben Stiller and Jim Carrey as two emasculated males in a woman-dominated society of the future where men are cloned and discarded like old appliances. Now, thanks to Reese TTHOLLYWOOD continued page 28
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Cocktail Chatter by Camper English Crafting the Cosmopolitan The Cosmopolitan is one tasty cocktail and probably most popular drink created in the last 30 years, but it is not magically original. The recipe calls for lemon vodka, lime juice, orange liqueur, and a splash of cranberry for color. Minus the cranberry, the drink follows the formula of spirit plus lime plus orange liqueur. If that spirit is tequila, that’s a Margarita. If it’s unflavored vodka, that’s a Kamikaze. In fact, the prevailing theory on the creation of the Cosmopolitan is that it was a spin-off of the Kamikaze created by a Miami bartender named Cheryl Cook in 1985 or 1986. She said the Cosmo is, “Merely a Kamikaze with Absolut Citron and a splash of cranberry juice.” But her version called for Rose’s lime juice, a bottled lime juice that’s a poor substitute for fresh-squeezed, and triple sec, which usually refers to the low-end orange liqueurs that are poor substitutes for Cointreau. These items are often served at high-volume bars that want to save money on (admittedly pricey) orange liqueur and don’t want their bartenders taking the time to squeeze limes for each drink. But I find the Cosmo to be intolerable without them. So too did Toby Cecchini, a New York bartender credited with finessing the drink into its best form. Someone told Cecchini about the drink, but in their version it was made with unflavored vodka, Rose’s
lime, and the red-colored syrup grenadine. He liked the look of the drink — soft pink and served in a Martini glass — and experimented with ingredients to make the flavor match the fashion. In the end, his version came out just like Cheryl Cook’s version, but with better ingredients. This version caught on like wildfire in New York, causing Cecchini and other bartenders to make them by the thousands. In the era of bottled sour mix and vermouth-free Martinis, this drink seemed high-maintenance enough for Cecchini to call them “labor-intensive pink monstrosities.” The trick to making a good pink monstrosity, even if you have the proper ingredients, is getting the ratio of them right. Apparently this is a problem for bartenders too — I’ve had Cosmopolitans in every shade from clear to deep red. When I make them at home, I’m too lazy to look up the recipe so I just take it one ingredient at a time: a couple ounces of Citron, a small splash of Cointreau, and a large quantity of lime. (I like them tart.) I make mine in keeping with Cheryl Cook’s original instructions of “just enough cranberry to make it oh so pretty in pink.” That’s my starting point, anyway. One thing I’ve learned making this drink is that cranberry juice, like slimming black clothing, hides many sins. Even if you get the initial ratios of liquor and juice all wrong, or have to
resort to bottled lime juice and bottom-shelf triple sec, you can always make a drinkable version of this drink. Just keep adding cranberry until it’s good. Hangover Helper In addition to being painful, hangovers are a waste of time. I’ve got things to do in the morning — work, exercise, brunch cocktails — and it’s much harder to do those things with a churning stomach and throbbing headache. For a cocktail writer, hangovers are an occupational hazard. I try to attend every restaurant opening, tasting session, open bar party, brand launch, bartender brunch, and after-party in whatever city I happen to be in. But I rarely endure hangovers the next day because I make a vigilant effort to avoid them. Here’s how: Eat first. If dinner isn’t part of your plan for a night out, make it your plan for the preparty. Food in the stomach helps slow the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, but it does more than that. I drink more when I’m hungry, filling my stomach with liquids instead of solids, so I always try to grab a snack on the way to the bar. Also, if I have a belly full of food there isn’t room for a six-pack of beer in there. Hydrate. Surely you know that much of a hangover is caused by dehydration, yet still you do not drink enough water. Order a glass of water with every drink and not only will you stay hydrated, you’ll spend more time peeing instead of drinking. Drink water before you go out and more when you get back from the bar. Water is your friend.
Watch the caffeine. Most people underestimate their level of sobriety when combining caffeine with alcohol. If you dink five Rum and Cokes you’re likely to feel less buzzed than you would on six shots of rum, though you’ll have just as much liquor in your system. Additionally, all the sugar in flavored sodas contributes to a hangover, so if you’re having more than a couple of drinks watch your mixers too. Drink lighter. Consider consuming beverages with less alcohol if you’re planning to drink more than a few. One beer has the same quantity of alcohol as an ounce and half of a spirit like vodka, but at the average gay bar they pour two or three times the standard amount of vodka into the glass. (Admittedly, this is a great from a bargain drinking standpoint.) Or try a non-alcoholic cocktail in between drinks - try bitters and soda, or soda water with a splash of cranberry and lime. These give the experience of a standard cocktail without contributing to the next day’s ruin. Drink better, not more. Top-shelf spirits tend to have less hangover-causing congeners than those mystery bottles poured from the drink well. Additionally, if you order fancy cocktails from the drink menu you may spend more time savoring the drink instead of slurping it up through the straw. Skip out early. Nothing good ever happens at the after-hours party anyway. The later you stay out the more trouble you’ll get into, and the more of the next day you’ll miss. And nobody wants to miss brunch. Camper English is a cocktails and spirits writer and publisher of Alcademics.com.
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Newly Listed Wedding Services and Resources The Wedding Chapel My name is Rev. Kathy Love and my husband, James and I own The Wedding Chapel in Clive, Iowa (Des Moines). We are both interfaith ministers, and have been performing gay and lesbian commitment ceremonies for over 9 years. We feel honored and awed to be a part of this historic time in our country’s history. The Wedding Chapel seats up to 30 guests, is beautifully decorated, and provides an intimate and romantic setting for your wedding. We are unique in our “all-inclusive” wedding concept! We are the only facility in Des Moines that provides everything all in one place! It is designed to be stress and worry free because all you need to do is show up, so even if you don’t live in Des Moines, we have you covered! We are also available to perform
weddings at any other location that you choose. www.IowaSameSexWeddings.com
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with it today. So you have to understand the times. It was such an explosive issue that [it] would have terminated Star Trek then. It was important for Star Trek to be on the air so that he [could] make those statements that he could make, without the show being cancelled. But Gene Roddenberry personally, someone who had the guts to coin a phrase like “Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations”, he wasn’t naïve, he knew that that was an important social issue. And I’m sure that if he had lived that would have eventually been introduced to the network Star Trek series. Unfortunately he passed in 1991. Were you “out” with Gene Roddenberry? You know, we had a silent understanding relationship. As a matter of fact, I had that with the other actors too. You know, at the beginning when I was starting my career, I’m a young actor and I want to work, I want to get hired. We go out for interviews and they eliminate you for the most extraneous of reasons: too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny, too old, too young. You know. And you want to minimize all those reasons for them to reject you. And I certainly didn’t want “too gay” to be added. So I was mute on that. However I lived a double life. When I went to screenings or parties I took a female friend. However, once I got a sense of security with my career—you know, when we were doing the Star Trek movies—at the end of the week we would have our “wrap” parties and beers would be brought out and pizza would be ordered in and we’d have our party on Friday nights on the set. And people would bring their girlfriends or their wives—or their husbands, depending on their gender—and I would bring whoever I happened to be “friendly” with, a boyfriend, to the party, and introduce him as a friend. And they’d say, “How are you, Joe?” You know. But then Joe appears again a couple of weeks later. And these are sophisticated people. So they’d think, “Oh, George has got Joe here again. Uh huh… I get it.” But they’re cool. And so they don’t say anything about it. The first time I knew that Walter Koenig was “hip” was—in the mornings after we get made up and wearing wardrobe and waiting for the activity to start on the set,
George Takei the “official” Star Trek never got behind the idea of gay people being “integrated” with everybody else? We went on the air in 1966. And if you know the temper of the times then, Star Trek was a revolutionary show. We had minorities in America depicted as equals, and in fact, in leadership positions on the Starship Enterprise. Gene Roddenberry kept reminding us regularly that the Starship Enterprise was a metaphor for the Starship Earth, and the strength of this starship was in its diversity coming together and working in concert as a team. And so you saw that diversity. But, in fact, what was happening in America was turbulent racial strife, race riots exploding in flames in some of the major cities. And here you saw that diversity, heard that diversity in the accents of the people there, one of them being Chekov, who spoke with a Russian accent, who was proud of his Russian heritage. And this at a time when were locked in the coldest of cold wars, two great powers, the Soviet Union
and the United States, threatening each other with mutual nuclear annihilation. And at a time like that to depict a Russian working as an equal and a trusted colleague on that team was absolute political fiction. So Gene Roddenberry felt that it was important for Star Trek to be on the air to make these revolutionary statements and to use sci-fi as a metaphor for these issues. And I had discussions with Gene at one of his parties. He was someone who was aware of social issues [and] was certainly aware of and sensitive to the issue of equality for the GLBT community. However, that was so explosive an issue at that time— we’re barely now making some progress
Gay Wedding Expo The First Annual Gay Wedding Expo will be held at the top of the Downtown Holiday Inn on June 7, 2009 from 5:308:00pm. Tickets will be available at the door and will include complimentary signature martinis and a tasting buffet with a carving station!! $5 of each ticket will be donated to One Iowa. Iowa’s Gay Wedding Planner is here to connect gay and gay-friendly Iowa businesses with gay and lesbian couples that are planning a marriage in Iowa. We appreciate your visit and look forward to helping you celebrate diversity and human equality for all. www.iowasgayweddingplanner.com we’d gather around the coffee urn and stand around sipping coffee and chit chatting—I was chatting with Walter and he started making these, you know, head gestures, kind of urging me to turn around and look behind me. And so I turned around and there’s this stunningly, drop-dead gorgeous young extra wearing the tight Star Fleet uniform— Hopefully not a red shirt? As a matter of fact, it was a red shirt! [laughs] A gorgeous guy! And that was when I knew that Walter knew. And I turned around and winked at him and said, “Thank you.” [laughs] So there was that kind of silent understanding. [In the new Star Trek movie], you gave at least one contribution to the plot that I’m aware of in that Sulu fences. Well, he didn’t quite. In this new film, that’s not fencing, that’s slashing. Right, there wasn’t a foil, but that was what he said in the shuttle. That’s right, he fences. As a matter of fact, there’s a story behind that too. This was about a month before we were to actually film that episode [The Naked Time]. The writer of that episode happened to be down on the set and I was sitting in my canvas chair and relaxing. He plunked himself down beside me and we chatted and he said he was working on a script where the crew of the Enterprise gets infected by this virus and it cuts out all inhibitions in us and we
start acting out. He said he was thinking of putting a Samurai sword in Sulu’s hand and he goes around accosting everybody. I told him, well, yeah, that’s ethnically consistent with me, because I’m a Japanese American. But I told him I’m third generation and when I was a kid I didn’t play Samurai. As a matter of fact I saw Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, and I was completely swept away by that. So I said it would be more consistent with Sulu, who is a twenty-third century man, to not see his heritage as narrowly ethnocentric; that he would consider the heritage of the world, the planet Earth as his. So why don’t we put a fencing foil in his hand. And [the writer] went on to develop it a fencing thing rather than a Samurai sword. So I was kind of disappointed when [Sulu in the new movie] used a sword and slashed away. I guess writers are still thinking in terms of ethnic stereotypes. I listened to your autobiography on audio. It was very moving. The most egregious violation of the Constitution in recent times was the summary rounding up of one minority group—without charges, without trial, without due process—and imprisoning [us] simply because we looked like the people who bombed Pearl Harbor. It was an egregious violation of our Constitution and yet TTGEORGE TAKEI continued page 27
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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 jonathanwilson@davisbrownlaw.com.
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TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
“A GuARANTEED GET-HAppY HIT!” upN-9 TV, NEW YORK
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CiviC Center of Greater Des Moines www.mamma-mia.com
MaMMa Mia! original cast recording available on decca broadway
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The Outfield by Dan Woog Negative Recruiting: Positively Wrong
Imagine this: A college coach tells a high school prospect, “Don’t go to (name of a rival school). There are lots of black people there.” Ridiculous, right? Now replace “blacks” with “lesbians.” Not so far-fetched, is it? The practice of stating outright – or through insinuation – that another institution is filled with lesbian coaches or athletes is called “negative recruiting.” No statistics are available on its prevalence – high school students and their parents don’t report it, college coaches who are affected by it seldom draw attention to it, and no central clearinghouse collects information on it – but it is a major issue in NCAA Division I women’s sports. Now, for the first time, something is being done about it. Dr. Pat Griffin, director of the It Takes a Team! LGBT education campaign for the Women’s Sports Foundation, and Helen Carroll, sports project director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, collaborated recently on a groundbreaking report. “The Positive Approach: Recognizing, Challenging and Eliminating Negative Recruiting Based on Actual or Perceived Sexual Orientation” aims to educate – and offer “best practices” to – four distinct but crucial constituencies in sports: coaches, administrators, student-athletes and parents. It is not an easy sell. Talking about SScontinued from page 14
Events Friday, June 5, 8 p.m., THE QUIRE, Eastern Iowa’s GLBT Chorus’ Pride Concert: “Americana,” at CSPS, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids. Freewill donations taken. For more info or if in need of accommodations to attend, call 319-321-2349. Friday, June 5, 5:30 p.m., 2009 MATTHEW SHEPARD SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS DINNER, featuring music by members of the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, a keynote address by Chair and CEO of Garden State Equality Steven Goldstein, headliner Judy Shepard, and presenting Iowa’s 2009 Matthew Shepard Scholarship Recipients. Held at the HyVee Conference Center, 5820 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines. 5:30 PM Reception (Cash Bar), 6:45 PM Dinner and Program. Advanced tickets available through March 31 for $65. From April 1-May 15, tix are $75. From May 15-June 1, the price goes up to $85. To register or for more info, go to http://www.eychanerfoundation. org/scholarships/mssdinner.html. Friday-Saturday, June 5-6, 7:30 p.m., SPT THEATRE COMPANY in “Tales of Wonder,” at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 3rd Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Doors open at 7 p.m. SPT Theatre Company founding members Doug Elliott, Gerard Estella , Jane Pini and Janelle Lauer will be joined by special guest performer Megan Turner Ginsberg. Tickets are $20 each. To order advance tickets, call 319-361-5297 or visit www.spttheatre.org. Tickets will also be available at the door. Friday-Sunday, June 5-7, IOWA ARTS FESTIVAL on the Ped Mall in Iowa City. A great time to be had by all, with fabulous music, vendors, arts, and activities. Check out www. summerofthearts.org. Our young rocker friends who make up Lipstick Homicide are on stage at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Saturday, June 6, 3:30-10:30 p.m., TANAGER PLACE SUMMER FEST 2009, a family night of fun for everyone, at the Rockwell Collins Sports Complex, Collins Rd. and Rockwell Dr., Cedar Rapids. Over 75 free activities for kids of all ages, plus music, demonstrations, dancing, video game tournament, a hot-air balloon ascension, and food! For more info, call 319-365-9164 or visit www.tanagerplace.org. All proceeds benefit Tanager Place.
sexuality and sports is difficult to begin with; discussing a subject filled with inferences and innuendoes is tougher still. But Carroll is adamant that it be addressed, starting with administrators. “Athletic directors and presidents have to understand that negative recruiting does not just affect coaches and teams; it harms everyone,” she says. “It undermines everything they say about diversity, and calls into question the entire university.” Negative recruiting can be subtle. One coach might point out that a rival is unmarried; another may use code phrases like “no family values” to discredit a rival program. Carroll explains some broad effects of negative recruiting. “Of course it hurts GLBT athletes. But it puts pressure on heterosexual student-athletes too by forcing them to ‘prove’ they’re straight or causing resentment against their lesbian teammates. It creates a hostile climate for lesbian and gay coaches. And heterosexual coaches, too – especially unmarried women.” The report provides strategies for coaches, no matter their gender or sexuality. The 16 recommendations include focusing on positive aspects of the coaches’ own programs and answering questions about sexual orientation by emphasizing the accomplishments and qualifications of their own staffs and teams. Also included: Discussing diversity as a strength and leaving personal information for all coaches out of media guides and Web sites.
Administrators are urged to develop written policies that describe negative recruiting as unethical, to educate all coaches about negative recruiting, to advocate for athletic conference policies that specifically ban negative recruiting based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, and report any incidents to conference and coaching association authorities. Recommendations for student-athletes include discussing the importance of diversity – and the irrelevance of sexual orientation – when hosting recruits, and while working at summer camps. Parents of recruits, and recruits themselves, are advised to spend their time and energy exploring positive attributes of schools and programs, rather than listening to negative statements. They should also tell coaches up front that their family values diversity as part of the college experience. “We wanted to give the right language, in print, to coaches, administrators, parents and athletes, so they can see there are real actions they can take,” Carroll says. “We do it with issues like gambling and alcohol, so why not with this?” Of course, she notes, “We’re not saying that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people are problems. The problem we’re addressing is the unethical behavior of negative recruiting.” The report has been sent to the NCAA. Carroll and Griffin hope that umbrella organization includes it in their “best practices”
brochures and in diversity and inclusion training sessions with coaches and administrators. Carroll and Griffin also plan to speak about the report at athletic conference meetings. “We’re not going to hit them over the head with it,” Carroll promises. “We’ll be friendly. We want them to ask how they can put these recommendations in place.” How will the report’s authors measure success? “Part of it will be when coaches can be out, and still keep their jobs,” Carroll says. “And part will be when we see our work trickle down into written policies of conferences and schools.” She is optimistic that will happen – and that the next generation of sports leaders will understand intuitively that negative recruiting is not acceptable. After all, today’s student-athletes are tomorrow’s coaches and administrators. Carroll senses this is already happening. “More and more student-athletes are thinking, ‘Who cares if there are lesbian players or coaches?’ Some of them – gay and straight – may even choose a school because of it, or because they like diversity.” Negative recruiting may have a positive effect after all. 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 OutField@qsyndicate.com.
Saturday, June 6, 10 a.m., PRIDE RIDE, starting out at the Saylorville Lake-Cherry Glen #1 pavilion, 5600 NW 78th Ave., Johnston. Proceeds will benefit One Iowa and the LGBT Community Center of Central Iowa. Registration begins at 9 a.m. 20 and 40 mile rides start at 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., a 2-mile family ride begins. A picnic follows at the original starting location at noon til 3 p.m. Free t-shirt while supplies last. This ride will travel on a bike trail. Cost is $25 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Sunday, June 7, 7 p.m., THE QUIRE, Eastern Iowa’s GLBT Chorus’ Pride Concert: “Americana,” at Zion Lutheran Church, 310 N. Johnson Ave., Iowa City. Freewill donations taken. For more info or if in need of accommodations to attend, call 319-321-2349. Sunday, June 7, 5:30-8 p.m., GAY WEDDING EXPO, at the Top of the Tower, Downtown Holiday Inn, Des Moines. A portion of the proceeds benefits One Iowa. Sunday, June 7, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., ICARE PANCAKE BREAKFAST, on the Ped Mall in downtown Iowa City. All proceeds go to ICARE in support of AIDS/HIV education and prevention. Tix are $8 in advance and $10 “at the door.” Children 7 and under are free with an adult. Visit www.icareiowa.org. June 10-14, MAMA MIA, at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com. Thursday, June 11, 7 p.m., DISCUSSION ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY AND THE IOWA SUPREME COURT DECISION with noted newspaper reporter, Clarence Page, at the Iowa Historical Building Auditorium, Des Moines. Mr. Page is a Washington Bureau reporter for the Chicago Tribune and is a staunch supporter of marriage equality. For details visit: http://www.imforiowa.com/ht/display/ EventDetails/i/1254765. Thursday-Saturday, June 11-13, RIVERenaissance: A Flood Anniversary, in Cedar Rapids. Commemorate the one year anniversary of the 2008 flood crest, celebrate progress, and acknowledge the road ahead with 35 anniversary events! Visit www.downtowncr.org to download a master calendar of events. Friday, June 12, 7 p.m. (until 9 a.m. June 13), RELAY FOR LIFE, a benefit for the American Cancer Society, at Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids. For info on this and other Relay for Life events, visit www.cancer.org. Friday, June 12, 5:30 p.m., ONE IOWA HAPPY HOUR at Dos Rios, 316 Court Ave.,
Des Moines. Friday-Sunday, June 12-14, HELLO DOLLY! at The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City. Friday-Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. For tix, go to www.iowatix.com. For more info, visit www. englert.org. Friday-Sunday, June 12-14, CAPITAL CITY PRIDE in Des Moines. For more info, visit www.capitalcitypride.org. Friday-Sunday, June 12-14, AMERICA’S RIVER FESTIVAL at the Port of Dubuque. For more info, visit www.traveldubuque.com. Sunday, June 14, 9 a.m., GAY PRIDE BRUNCH: “The Party Before the Party!” at The Grand Piano Bistro, Des Moines. Proceeds to benefit Capital City Pride and the AIDS Project. Get tix at www.iowatix.com. Tix: $20. For more info, visit www.myspace.com/gaypridebrunch. Monday, June 15, 6 p.m., COLBIE CAILLAT at Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater, Downtown Des Moines. Tix: $25 in adv., $30 at door. Get tix at www.iowatix.com. Monday, June 15, 8-11 p.m., STUDIO 13 PRIDE BAR CRAWL, starting at Studio 13 at 13 S. Linn St., Iowa City. Pre-registration and entry free are required. Check out www.queerconnections.org for more info.
Friday, June 19, 7 p.m., SCOTT & MICHELLE DALZIEL at Java Creek Café, corner of Boyson Rd. and C Ave., Cedar Rapids NE side. For more info, visit www.javacreekcafe.com. Friday, June 19, 6 p.m., CORRIDOR PRIDE PATIO PARTY at the Sheraton Hotel, 210 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Be there to experience the Friday Night Concert Series on the Ped Mall at 6:30 p.m. with the Awful Purdies and The Recliners! Friday, June 19, 9 p.m., AMANDA OVERMYER at People’s Court, 216 Court Ave., Des Moines. For tix, visit www.iowatix.com. For directions and more info, visit www.peoplesdm. com. Must be 21+ to attend. Friday-Sunday, June 19-21, annual NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN (NOW) CONFERENCE in Indianapolis. For more info, visit www.now.org. Saturday, June 20, CORRIDOR PRIDE in Iowa City. The Cedar Rapids Pridefest combines this year with the Iowa City Pride Festival. The parade and rally start at 11:30 a.m. at College Green Park in Iowa City at the corner of College and Washington Streets, and ends at the U. of Iowa
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Out of Town: Amsterdam by Andrew Collins Few European locales have more to offer lesbian and gay travelers than the remarkably forward-thinking and tolerant city of Amsterdam. Even better, a combination of consistently reasonable airfares, direct flights from myriad North American cities and palatable prices for most goods and services makes this compact, scenic city of about 750,000 residents one of the great world capitals for GLBT visitors. It’s extremely easy to explore Amsterdam on foot, as the majority of the city’s key attractions and most diverting neighborhoods lie in the city center, within relatively short walking distance of most hotels. You can also travel by public tram or grab a taxi - fares for the latter run about 9 to 12 Euros for most trips within the City Center. A good strategy for taking in the city is to begin at the central Dam Square and work your way around the city center, passing through some of the other main squares, such as the Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein. Be sure to plan visits to the city’s most esteemed repositories of art, the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. Although the enormous main section of the latter has been closed for some time for renovations, a significant chunk of the collection - including some of the most important works - are
The Little Black Book -- Amstel Taveerne 20-623-4254 www.amsteltaveerne.nl -- April 20-625-9572 www.cafeapril.eu -- ARC 20-689-7070 www.bararc.com -- Argos 20-622-6595 www.argosbar.com -- Black Tulip 20-427-0933 www.blacktulip.nl -- Cockring 20-623-9604 www.clubcockring.com -- Downtown 20-622-9958 www.coffeeshopdowntown.nl -- Dylan Amsterdam 20-530-2010 www.dylanamsterdam.com -- Exit 20-625-8788 www.clubexit.eu -- Frenzi 20-423-5112 www.frenzi.nl -- Getto 20-421-5151 www.getto.nl -- Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky 20-554-9111 www.nh-hotels.com -- Het Tuynhuis 20-627-6603 www.tuynhuys.nl -- Hotel Freeland 20-622-7511 www.hotelfreeland.com -- Hotel Okura 20-678-7111 www.okura.nl -- Koffee Salon 20-330-4314 -- Lloyd Hotel 20-561-3636 www.lloydhotel.com -- Le Montmartre 20-620-7622 www.cafemontmartre.nl -- Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions
www.holland.com/us -- Prik 20-427-9185 www.prikamsterdam.nl -- Saarein 20-623-4901 www.saarein.nl -- Selecta 20- 624-8894 www.restaurantselecta.nl -- Soho 20-330-4400 www.pubsoho.eu -- Spanjer & van Twist 20-639-0109 -- De Spijker 20-620-5919 www.spijkerbar.nl -- Vive-La-Vie 20-624-0114 www.vivelavie.net -- Werck 20-627-4079 www.werck.nl
Amsterdam on exhibit in the museum’s Philips wing. No visit to Amsterdam is complete without a tour of the poignant Anne Frank House, which is close to the Joordan district, a warren of narrow lanes lined with cozy cafes and engaging boutiques. Close by the Anne Frank House is the Homomonument, a memorial consisting of three pink granite triangles remembering the lives of lesbians and gays persecuted throughout history, and especially during World War II. It overlooks Keizersgracht Canal. A few feet away,the Pink Point kiosk is a small, but well-stocked GLBT gift and bookshop and also an excellent place to grab free brochures on nightlife and obtain advice on what to see and do. On the east side of city center the Rembrandt House offers one of the more fascinating museum experiences in Amsterdam. Nearby, a branch of Russia’s famed Hermitage museum has just opened inside a late-17th-century building overlooking the Amstel River. If you’re a fan of shopping, be sure to walk along Kalverstraat to find most of the leading department stores and hit Leidsestraat and P.C. Hooftstraat to find dozens of slick boutiques and fashion shops showing the styles of some of Europe’s leading designers. Other areas that have considerable sway among shoppers include the narrow lanes of the Joordan, bustling Utrechtsestraat and the blocks around Waterlooplein, near the Rembrandt House. For one-stop shopping, don’t miss the trendy De Bijenkorf department store, which carries a whole slew of top labels. Amsterdam’s restaurant scene has improved markedly in recent years, with quite a few places serving healthier and lighter food than you’d have typically found in the Netherlands a decade ago. In the gay-popular Reguliersdwaarstraat district, Het Tuynhuis is one of the most refined restaurants in the city - the elegant spot serves first-rate modern Mediterranean-French food, such as rack of lamb with sausages, lentils and fresh spring vegetables. The gay-trendy Getto, which is along the lovably seedy and leather-oriented Warmoesstraat, is an inviting spot that’s known as much among see-and-be-seen types for sipping cocktails as for tasty food, from camp-themed burgers (try the Priscilla, with mozzarella, tomato, basil and pesto-mayo) to more elaborate daily specials featuring seafood and wild game.)
The restaurant is close to Waterlooplein and the cluster of gay bars along the opposite shore of the Amstel River. There’s an excellent list of Italian wines and here you can dine on superb rustic fare, including pastas and grills. If you’re with a friend, order the ginormous antipasti platter. Just around the corner from Homomonument, the restaurant Werck is another stellar option, set in a charming coach house and serving globally inspired haute cuisine, such as tuna sashimi with gingersoy glaze, and smoked duck salad with mango-raspberry vinaigrette. You’ll also find several excellent Indonesian, Thai, and other International restaurants throughout the city center. Indonesian food is a major specialty in the Netherlands, and one of the best - and most stylish - places to sample it is Selecta, a smartly furnished eatery just around the corner from the Reguliersdwaarstraat gaynightlife strip. There are plenty of places throughout the city to grab a light lunch, among them Spanjer & van Twist, near the Homomonument and Downtown, a quite gay-popular spot along bustling Reguliersdwaarstraat. On Utrechtsestraat, fans of java should duck into the Koffee Salon, a comfy place with hardwood floors and plenty of seating (plus free WiFi). You can relax here with friends while sipping some of the best coffee in the city, plus outstanding chocolates and snacks. Amsterdam’s trendiest gay bars and clubs are set along Reguliersdwarsstraat. These include such hip hangouts bars as April, Soho and ARC (which is also a restaurant serving very good contemporary Continental food), and the pulsing disco, Exit. In the heart of Spuistraat’s gay red-light district, Prik is a fashionable and festive spot that draws a mixed-gender bunch - in good weather you’ll see the crowd spill out onto the street, especially during the early evening hours. Fans of leather bars should stroll along Warmoesstraat, just north of Dam Square and check out the Argos and the super-cruisy late-night favorite, the Cockring. Among favorite locals hangouts, try Amstel Taveerne and Le Montmartre. Both of these places draw a friendly all-ages, mixed-gender crowd and have a convivial, almost campy vibe. Another laid-back but somewhat more cruisy option is De Spijker, which is conveniently close to the city’s famous gay bathhouse, Thermos.
Alas, the lesbian nightlife scene in Amsterdam leaves something to be desired, although women are quite welcome - if in the minority - at virtually all of the bars mentioned above, except for the leather haunts along Warmoesstraat. Two mixed gay/lesbian bars of note are the long-running Saarein, in the Jordaan and the art deco-style Vive-La-Vie, near the camp bars by the Amstel River. Amsterdam’s lodging landscape has plenty of variety, including simple and cheap gay-oriented guest houses, luxe grande dames, and a growing crop of trendy boutique hotels with avant-garde design themes. Among gay-owned places, the Hotel Freeland is an economical, wellsituated property (close to the Joordan and the main gay-nightlife areas) with 15 clean and comfortable rooms. Hosts Pascale and Rick speak a few languages between them and are quite knowledgeable about the city. The hotel welcomes a mix of gays, lesbians and open-minded heteros. Amsterdam is a popular destination for leather aficionados who should consider staying at the Black Tulip, a luxury inn catering to guys who seek rooms with both cushy amenities (VCRs and minibars) and kinky accoutrements (whipping benches, bondage slings). One of the more cosmopolitan hostelries in the city, the Dylan Amsterdam occupies a stunning 17th-century building on the prestigious Keizergracht, one of the most picturesque of the city’s 165 canals. The 41 rooms and suites, however, feel distinctly modern, with bold color schemes and sleek furnishings. The hotel’s Dylan Restaurant serves top-notch East-meetsWest cuisine. If you’re seeking a sumptuous old-world experience, check into the vaunted Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, a stately Belle Epoque property overlooking the central Dam Square. A 10-minute tram ride outside the city center, the hip Lloyd Hotel opened in 2005 catering to an artsy crowd and offering quirky, stylish rooms for every budget, from simple shared-bath units for 90 euros to lavish loft suites with hot tubs for upwards of 450 euros. This former immigrantprocessing center (circa 1920) is in the supercool Oostelijk Havengebied (Eastern Harbor) neighborhood, which is fast becoming famous for its striking contemporary architecture and swish design shops, such as Pol’s Potten. For sheer luxury, it’s hard to beat the Hotel Okura, run by an upscale Japanese chain that’s known for outstanding service. The hotel, which occupies one of the tallest buildings in the city, recently completed a quite grand refurbishment of its rooms and bathrooms - the tubs and showers now have spectacular views through tall windows (ask for a room on a high floor facing the city center). The hotel, which is 15-minute walk from the Reguliersdwaarstraat bar area, is famed for its dining - it’s home to the only Michelin two-star restaurant in the country, Ciel Bleu, as well as the renowned traditional Japanese restaurant, Yamazato, which has a single Michelin star. 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 OutofTown@qsyndicate.com.
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George Takei our history books are very mute on it. In fact, when I went on the book tour, so many people who looked like they’re otherwise educated people—professional looking men and women—came up to me and said they had no idea such a thing happened in the United States of America. Barbed wire fences, innocent people being imprisoned for no good reason for the duration of the war. And the other story, the flip side of that story is, a year into internment the Government realized there a wartime manpower shortage in the military, and so as suddenly as they rounded us up, they opened the US Army for service by Japanese Americans. And the astounding thing is thousands of young Japanese-American men and women volunteered to go from behind those barbedwire fences to serve in the US military and they served heroically. The women were put into the Women’s Army Corps, the men were put into a segregated, all Japanese-American Unit, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and they fought amazingly on the bloody battlefields of Italy, France, and ultimately Germany. And they are the single most decorated unit of any unit of its size: 19 Medals of Honor, they sustained the highest combat casualty rate of any unit. So while their parents and wives and children and other loved ones were incarcerated behind US barbed-wire fences, there they were fighting for the ideals of America. An irony of this is it was the JapaneseAmerican unit that was part of the group that liberated Dachau, the Nazi concentration camp. So that story has never been told in American textbooks. So I wrote my autobiography primarily with the intent of telling that story and shamelessly using Star Trek as a hook—you know, there I am on the cover in the Starfleet uniform looking to the stars—to get a larger reading public to know about that dark chapter of American history. We have a situation now with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, where basically people are being told they can serve as long as they don’t tell anyone that they’re gay. Yes. I’ve been speaking out on that. And beyond that, it’s one of the stupidest things that we can be doing. And it’s a threat to our national security. In the military intelligence service we have people who are fluent in Arabic, in fact, [Iraq War veteran] Daniel Choi [who was discharged this year under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell] is fluent in Arabic, and there have been many others who are fluent in Arabic. They are essential for our national security, and yet we’re firing them simply because they’re coming out as gay or lesbian. Again, as in the Second World War, we’ve got a wartime manpower shortage, and they’ve been recruiting vigorously and not meeting their goals, and so what do they do? They lower the standards. We’re now accepting people with criminal records. And, on the other hand, soldiers with outstanding records, when they’re found to be gay or lesbian, are fired. What sense does that make? How can they justify their position of securing America? That is the stupidest thing. One might think that you wouldn’t want to talk about Star Trek one more time or you wouldn’t be happy because Star Trek is such a behemoth in your life. I owe so much to Star Trek. I’ve done
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films Australia and [the U.K.], as a matter of fact I have a contract to go back to London this November to do a play. Now why would they fly an Asian-American actor from the West Coast to London, when there are fine British-Asian actors right there in London? It’s because I sell tickets. And why do I sell tickets? It’s because of my association with Star Trek. I’m reminded of that every time I come out of the stage door: there are the people waiting with books and action figures and other Star Trek memorabilia for me to sign, when the play I’m doing is totally unrelated to Star Trek. So I’m grateful to Star Trek for not only this longevity, but for having given my name that sort of “box office currency” that has me going to do a film with Brian Brown Australia or doing theatre up and down the British Isles. It’s because of Star Trek. You’ll be narrating for a couple of symphony orchestra performances later this year? Well you know, [that’s] another career that Brad Altman who’s also my manager as well as my husband, has developed for me: doing narration work with symphony orchestras. I’ll be narrating with the Cleveland Orchestra [Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, August 16, 2009]. And I was in Ottawa Canada working with the symphony orchestra there about three or four weeks ago. I’ve worked with symphony orchestras from Hawaii to Long Island, from Florida to Seattle Washington. So who knows? Some day soon I might be there in Cedar Rapids working with your symphony. Do drop my name with them! I’ll definitely do that! SScontinued from page 17
Events Pentacrest for a rally in front of the Old Capitol. The festival follows from 1-5 p.m. in Iowa City’s Upper City Park, Shelters #2-4, 200 W. Park Rd. Enjoy music by NY singer Pauline Pisano, The Honeybees from Des Moines, Iowan Kellee Van Hemert, and The Quire. FREE! Saturday, June 20, OMAHA PRIDEFEST, at Lewis and Clark Landing, 515 N. Riverfront Dr., Omaha. Saturday, June 20, Eastern Iowa/Corridor TOUR deCURE, a benefit for the American Diabetes Association. For more info or to register, visit www.diabetes.org/tour or call 888-DIABETES. Sunday, June 21, 2-4 p.m., Interfaith & Affirming Churches Picnic, LeClaire Park, Beiderbeck Dr, Davenport. Sunday, June 21, 8:30 a.m. to Noon, IOWA CITY PRIDE GAY GARDEN TOUR, starting at Happy Hollow Park, 850 Brown St., Iowa City. The tour sets off at 9 a.m. and visits a variety of gardens in the Iowa City area. Sunday, June 21, 11:45 a.m., ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS (quartet with 3 women performers) at Unity Center, 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. For more info, e-mail Nancy at NancySDearborn@mchsi.com. Sunday, June 21, 7-10 p.m., NATURE ROCKS, an environmentally-friendly benefit for Indian Creek Nature Center and SPT Theatre Company, featuring a concert by Doug Elliott, Gerard Estella, Janelle Lauer and Jane Pini, outdoors at the Indian Creek Nature Center, 6665 Otis Rd. SE in Cedar Rapids. The rain date will be Monday, June 22, from 7-10 p.m. The four performers will be joined by musicians Greg Kanz, Dave Ollinger, Ron DeWitte and special guest, folksinger Dave Moore. Nature Rocks will also feature lessons about conservation, recycling and sustainability, courtesy of the Cedar Rapids/ Linn County Solid Waste Agency. Families are encouraged to bring food, beverages and lawn chairs. Food will also be available for purchase. Cost is $25 per adult; children 16 and under are free. For more info or to reserve a spot on the admission list, contact the Indian Creek Nature Center at 319-362-0664, or pay at the door. Sunday, June 21, 4 p.m., Colors Across the
River for Equality (CARE) on the Centennial Bridge over the Mississippi River. Join 500 LGBT and ally Quad Citians as they hold 1000 PRIDE flags across the bridge. Participation in the event is free and you can keep your rainbow Pride flag for just $5. Contact Rich Hendricks with questions at richdhendricks@msn.com. Monday, June 22, 7-8:30 p.m., READ OUT, SPEAK OUT, Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City, Meeting Room E. Read “Hallowed Murder” by Ellen Hart and join in the discussion. To join the group’s mailing list, e-mail Todd at faunides@yahoo.com. Thursday, June 25, 4-8 p.m., GLBTQ Night at the Emma Goldman Clinic, 227 N. Dubuque St., Iowa City. This is an evening of free health care services for GLBTQ men and women. Exams will be by appointment. Call 319-3372111 or 1-800-848-7684 for an appointment. Thursday-Sunday, June 25-28, CEDAR RAPIDS BBQ ROUNDUP, downtown Cedar Rapids. The band Stampede plays at 7:30 p.m. June 25. Friday, June 26, 8 p.m., HEART at Riverside Casino Event Center, 3184 Hwy 22, Riverside. Tickets are $35 or $65 + tax and ticketing fee. More info and tickets are available at www. riversidecasinoandresort.com. Saturday, June 27, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., QUAD CITIES PRIDEFEST 2009: “WINDS OF CHANGE” at Le Claire Park on Beiderbeck Dr. in Davenport. For info, contact Rich Hendricks at richdhendricks@msn.com. Saturday, June 27, 1:15-3 p.m., STAR TREK CONVENTION featuring NICHELLE NICHOLS, GEORGE TAKEI, and WALTER KOENIG, at Riverside Casino Event Center, 3184 Hwy 22, Riverside. More info and tickets are available at www.riversidecasinoandresort.com. Sunday, June 28, TAYLOR SWIFT with Keith Urban, at the I-Wireless Center, Moline, IL. Fore more info and tix, go to www.ticketmaster.com. Thursday-Sunday, July 2-5, NATIONAL WOMEN’S MUSIC FESTIVAL in Madison, WI. Visit www.wiaonline.org for the line-up. Held over the 4th of July weekend, NWMF will feature fireworks too! Friday-Saturday, July 3-4, 80/35 FESTIVAL, Western Gateway Park, downtown Des Moines. 80/35 will feature some of the top progressive bands with more than 40 national,
regional, and local acts. Prominent female acts include Tilly and the Wall, Girl in a Coma, and several others. For more info, visit www.80-35. com. For tix, go to www.iowatix.com. Friday-Sunday, July 3-5, IOWA CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL on the Ped Mall in downtown Iowa City. This is the place to be if you are in Eastern Iowa. Check out www.summerofthearts.org for full details. Wednesday, July 8, 7 p.m., THE VERONICAS with Pretty Reckless and The Love Willows at People’s Court, 216 Court Ave., Des Moines. For tix, visit www.iowatix.com. For directions and more info, visit www.peoplesdm.com. All ages show. Friday-Saturday, July 10-11, ERIN BODE and her band live at Campbell Steele Art Gallery, on the historic downtown Marion strip, 1064 7th Ave. Tickets are $40. For more info or tix, call 319-373-9211 or visit www.campbellsteele.com. Friday-Sunday, July 10-12, NO BIZ LIKE SHOWBIZ, Follies 2009, presented by the Cedar Rapids Symphony – Orchestra Iowa, at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. For more info or tix, visit www. gbpac.org or call 319-273-4TIX. Thursday-Sunday, July 16-19, THE WIZARD OF OZ at The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City. For tix, visit www.iowatix.com. For more info, go to www. englert.org. Sunday, July 26, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., KIMCHAR MEREDITH will provide the special music at the 10 a.m. service for Unity Center of Cedar Rapids, 3751 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. Following the 10 a.m. service, Unity Center will host a luncheon. After the luncheon, Kim-Char will perform a full concert in the sanctuary starting at 1 p.m. The public is invited to all events. A love offering will be accepted. Kim-Char’s music is a mixture of adult contemporary, lively pop-rock, and Christian music. Kim-Char hosts an internet radio station named SpiritRise Radio. Check it out on-line at www.SpiritRiseRadio.com. Visit www.kimchar. com and www.myspace.com/kimcharmeredith. Folks would likely recall that Kim-Char was IWMF’s emcee last year and she’s played some rousing concerts in the past in Eastern Iowa. She is a great friend to our community. Please help us welcome Kim-Char back to town!
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the fun guide SScontinued from page 15
Hollywood Witherspoon, the show might go on. The new idea? Stiller and Walk The Line’s Oscar winner as a clone and a clone-owner. Translation: romantic comedy time! Will themes of masculine panic and debasement get drowned in formulaic hetero smooching? And what about the gays? Where are they in the future? Arranging the flowers? Simply non-existent? No one knows. Meanwhile, Little Miss Sunshine’s Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris might come on board to direct. So consider this one officially back in Development Purgatory. Leighton Meester, Single White Roommate Queer activists no longer protest in the streets over movies with homicidal lesbians, but that doesn’t mean those characters no longer appear. And Romeo will eat his hat if that turns out not to be the subtext of The Roommate, a Single White Female–style thriller starring Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester as a college student who becomes rabidly obsessed with her roomie (Friday Night Light’s Minka Kelly). There’s going to be plenty of pretty young Hollywood men on display, including Matt Lanter (90210)
June 2009 and Cam Gigandet (Twilight), but you just know there’s going to be that moment where Meester puts the moves on Kelly, and it’s not going to end well. See for yourself when The Roommate stalks into theaters in 2010. She’ll probably leave dirty dishes in the sink, too. Madea’s Family-Friendly Reunion Tyler Perry knows how to make money. Lots of it. And he’s got drag to thank for his success with his most famous character, the loose cannon known as Madea. She’s a white-hot cash cow, a bawdy old woman played by Perry himself to manic effect and aimed at adult audiences. But what about little kids? Don’t they deserve to enjoy the antics of a big man in a dress? Sure they do, which is why Perry is currently creating an animated version of the gun-toting granny for a family-friendly sitcom that may go directly to DVD. Currently taking a back seat to Perry’s current five film projects in the works, the cartoonish live-action lady patiently waits her turn to become the Bugs Bunny (he did drag a lot, too) of this generation. All she needs is a team of animators in Korea to finish the job. Romeo San Vicente is never straightfaced. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@ qsyndicate.com.
“I wish to spend my life’s twilight being just who I am. I could claim noble reasons as coming out in order to move gay rights forward, but I must admit it is for far more selfish reasons. Now is the time I wish to find someone and I do not desire to force any potential partner to live a life of extreme discretion with me.” — Actor David Ogden Stiers, who played Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III on the ‘70s TV series M*A*S*H, in a March interview with Gossip-Boy.com that just recently caught the attention of other media.
June 2009
Section 3: Community
iCare Pancake Breakfast
Join us Sunday, June 7 for a delicious breakfast and leave feeling “full-filled” as you support this worthy cause. The Iowa Center for AIDS Resources and Education (ICARE) will be hosting the 22nd Annual New Pioneer ICARE Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall. Stop by as you stroll through the Iowa Arts Festival. ICARE is proud to offer biodegradable and ecofriendly serving ware this year! A gourmet breakfast of pancakes, orange juice, sausage, fruit and coffee will be served from 8 a.m. -1 p.m. during the Arts Festival. All proceeds will support ICARE’s mission to enrich the quality of life for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
Last year, ICARE served approximately 400 people through a variety of services including medication, housing and food assistance as well as HIV education and prevention. Your support helps ensure that we can continue helping those affected by HIV and AIDS. If you are interested in volunteering for the event, please contact Ericka Pullen, at epullen@meccaia.com or call 319-248-3977. For more information on the breakfast and where to purchase tickets, please visit www.icareiowa.org.
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Section 3: Community
June 2009
Auntie Emm
Answers Your Questions & Gives Advice As Only Your Auntie Can! Dear Auntie Emm, My lesbian partner and I have been together for over 10 years. Yet, the straight community (and some family) still treat us like “this too, will end” because gay relationships never last! Some seem to plan things to add stress to the relationship but we survive anyway. Do they really think we should live alone? Or, that we would go straight if we were not together? How do you get them to “wake up and smell the roses?” Committed Couple Dear Committed Couple, Auntie Emm thinks that the issue of
getting the unenlightened portions of the heterosexual community to take alternative relationships seriously is a year-round problem. For instance, is it really true that the families in question only wanted “their own” to come to holiday celebrations? Does that mean that no spouses, children or people other than the immediate family came? Are your straight siblings to come without their spouses? Auntie Emm doesn’t think so. Auntie Emm suspects that your families are using this excuse as a way not to deal with their homophobia. If they refuse to allow “outsiders” in to their family celebrations, then they don’t have to be confronted with the idea that you’re gay. This same homophobia is at play when people assume that
IowaLisa’s List, 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 319-363-1818 or e-mail epsa@aol.com. 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.bridget@gmail.com. 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 June, 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
LGBT couples won’t stay together. Excuse me very much, but aren’t the heterosexual divorce rates hovering around 50%? Do your families act the same way about the heterosexual couples in the family who are married? Auntie Emm doubts it very much! These are difficult issues to deal with, because if we take a stand on them, we may very well lose our families, people with whom we have deep connections, even though they may treat us very badly. Auntie Emm would say that those of you who want to spend family time together at holidays need to bring up some hard questions for those families about who is being defined as “our own.” Explain that your partner is one of “our
own,” in as many ways as are possible in our incredibly homophobic culture. And, Auntie Emm thinks that we need to start telling our families and friends that it is unacceptable for them to treat us this way. They should be proud of having raised children who are making their way in the world, and finding happiness despite all of the ways in which society tries to ostracize us for being who we are. If our families refuse to become decent human beings, then we also need to be willing to make the hard choices about whether and under what circumstances we want to interact with them.
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 lori-eiserman@uiowa.edu. 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: tbstevenson@mchsi.com 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 iowadancefest@gmail.com, 319621-8530 or Nora Garda at 319-400-4695, or visit http://iowadancefest.blogspot.com/. Every Tuesday, 8 p.m., OPEN CIRCLE DRUMMING with Rusty Ekland, www.malikan. com, at Ritual Café, on 13th St. between Grand & Locust, downtown Des Moines, 515-288-4872. Drumming is in the world, traditional West African style. Free. 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 kljedgewood@msn.com. 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. 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 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 linnstonewall@gmail.com 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 glbtau@uiowa.edu. These meetings are open to the public. First, third, and fifth Thursdays of each month, 6:30-8:30 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 spirit-hill@ earthlink.net. Second Thursday of the month, 7-9 p.m., OPEN MIC WITH MARY MCADAMS at Ritual Café, on th 13 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 flyingmonkeyscr@aol.com 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 pwn@pwn. org, 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 crglbtreadinggroup@yahoo.com 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. Every Friday, 6 p.m., “What the Bleep Do We
Auntie Emm
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Book Review
Sugar-baby Bridge by Brett Edward Stout A Debut Novel that Doesn’t Disappoint Review by Janelle Willbanks Brett Edward Stout has done something incredible with his first novel, Sugar-baby Bridge. Stout himself is an Iowa native and recent graduate of the University of Iowa. He has returned to the state after serving in the Marines as a Russian linguist. While his debut novel is not autobiographical, he writes it with such rich personal detail it is hard not to see his characters as anything but real. It is not a story that details the painful coming of age of a homosexual man. It does not describe the anguish many feel upon coming out of the closet. The main character, Brad, is confident in his own sexuality. This is one of the many reasons why his character is so refreshing and unusual. Many authors choose to have their characters explore the possibility of homosexuality; most mainstream novels featuring homosexual heroes (what few there are) have protagonists that travel from uncertainty to denial, before they
finally journey to realization. The main character of Sugar-baby Bridge has already gone through all of that. His over-riding issue is a sense of misplacement; Brad is at the end of his career in the United States Marine Corps. His anxiety stems from something that most readers can empathize with: Brad has no idea where he’s supposed to go. In an effort to clear his head, Brad uses his terminal leave from the Marine Corps to go to San Francisco. Once in San Francisco, Brad meets Ron, an extremely wealthy businessman. It is a fateful meeting. Brad and Ron are almost complete opposites; throughout the course of the novel, they become the perfect foils for each other. Despite Brad’s successful tour in the Marines, he has his own brand of insecurities. Ron is outwardly arrogant, as one would expect from an extremely wealthy man; but as the novel progresses, Ron is proven to be a character whose insecurities rival Brad’s. The narrative remains close to Brad and his thoughts; the other characters are strictly seen from Brad’s point of view.
This bias, which can be frustrating at times, is partly what makes the novel intriguing. Ron’s motivation for bringing Brad along on his trip from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe, for instance, is not entirely clear. On the surface, it seems like an alcoholic rich man’s whim. Upon further reflection, the road trip is as much a journey of character development for Ron as it is for Brad. Both the rich man and the Marine are insecure in their worlds; both of them are characters who have lived lives beyond the ordinary. Readers who are journeying with them throughout the pages of Sugarbaby Bridge, however, can fully relate to their issues. Brad is painfully, vulnerably insecure. One striking example of this is made clear in the scene at a gas station, in which he frets over a choice as seemingly insignificant as a beverage. He deliberates over his choice: “How would this choice reflect on me?” a question he is constantly asking himself. The story is riddled with Brad’s obsessive need to make the right choice; he is constantly aware and worried of Ron’s perception of
Brett Edward Stout him. To Brad, Ron has it all: wealth, power, and consequence. It is not until Brad journeys with Ron, and watches Ron’s interaction with his family, that he realizes that Ron is, fundamentally, on the same level as Brad: insecure and unsure of himself. These realizations give Brad the tools to face his future without the disabling fear he felt at the beginning. Sugar-baby Bridge is available at Amazon.com, Iowa Book, or Prairie Lights Bookstores. Stout is currently at work on his second novel, The Lives Between, which is a continuation of Brad’s story. Janelle Willbanks is a graduate of the University of Iowa. Her forthcoming debut novel is entitled The Tainted Bough.
Section 3: Community
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Morals & Values
Survey shows mainline protestant clergy support broad rights
for gay and lesbian americans
Survey shows support from important group of Christian leaders surpasses general public, finds among the ‘Uncertain Middle’ willingness to separate theology and policy stands Mainline Protestant clergy are broadly supportive of equality for gay and lesbian Americans, according to a report released today by some of the nation’s leading researchers on religion and politics. Their conclusions are based on the most in-depth study ever conducted of theological and political attitudes among Mainline clergy toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in the church and society. “Mainline clergy are generally more supportive of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans than the general public,” said Dr. Robert P. Jones, President of Public Religion Research, which conducted the study. “Clergy in these denominations have wrestled with theological questions around sexuality and report that they’ve been moving toward more supportive positions on equal rights in society and full inclusion in the church.” The Clergy Voices Survey (CVS) is the only broad survey of Mainline clergy in seven years, and the most comprehensive ever in scope. Findings on broad social and political attitudes and behavior during the 2008 election cycle were released earlier this spring; the report released today analyzes the answers to more than 60 in-depth questions about attitudes toward sexuality and the role of LGBT people in the church and broader society. Martin Marty, a leading scholar on Mainline Protestantism, said the “Uncertain Middle” identified in the survey illustrates a paradox of what he calls Ecumenical Protestantism. “Because it seeks to minister to an ever more pluralist America and internally diverse church, it concentrates on conversation more than confrontation, dialogue more than diatribe.” Marty says this characteristic “represents one strength of this group of clergy who are well-suited to our current task of living justly together amidst our differences.” Mainline Protestants make up 18 percent of all Americans and nearly a quarter of all voters. The CVS surveyed senior clergy from the seven largest Mainline denominations: United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, American
Baptist Churches USA, Presbyterian Church USA, Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The survey found significant differences across the denominations on religious and political measures. Among the survey’s findings: On a range of policy issues, Mainline Protestant clergy are generally more supportive of LGBT rights than the general population, and mostly in line with Mainline Protestants overall. Two-thirds of Mainline clergy support hate crimes legislation (67%) and workplace protections for gay and lesbian people (66%), and a majority (55%) supports adoption rights. Same-sex marriage is the only major LGBT public policy issue that does not enjoy majority support from Mainline clergy; on this issue, one-third supports same-sex marriage and another third supports civil unions. Support for same-sex marriage increases significantly when clergy were provided with an assurance that no church or congregation would be required to perform same-sex marriage services against its beliefs. With this religious liberty assurance, support among clergy jumped from one-third support to nearly half (46%), a movement of 13 points. There are significant and sometimes stark differences across denominational lines. Generally speaking, clergy in the UCC and Episcopal Church are more supportive of these LGBT rights, while clergy in UMC and ABCUSA are less supportive. Clergy in the other three denominations—DOC, PCUSA, and ELCA—cluster in the middle but lean supportive on all of these issues with the exception of same-sex marriage. A plurality of Mainline clergy constitute an Uncertain Middle, while close to onethird are strongly supportive of or opposed to LGBT rights and inclusion in the church. · Supportive Base (29%), clergy who strongly support gay and lesbian rights and generally do not see homosexuality as a choice nor as a sin; · Opposing Base (30%), clergy TTSPIRITUAL continued page 33
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Section 3: Community
June 2009 who strongly oppose gay and lesbian rights and generally see homosexuality as a choice and as a sin; and The Uncertain Middle (41%), clergy who are supportive of some gay and lesbian rights but are ambivalent on others. On most policy issues the Uncertain Middle tends to be closer in opinion to the Supportive Base. Strong majorities of the Uncertain Middle support adoption rights (65%) and workplace nondiscrimination laws to protect gays and lesbians (79%). A similarly large number of the Uncertain Middle opposes a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage (71%). A religious liberty affirmation is particularly powerful in moving clergy in the Uncertain Middle toward support for civil marriage equality. Support for same-sex marriage nearly doubles among the Uncertain Middle, from just 26% to 49%, when they are assured that the law would guarantee that no church would be forced to perform same-sex marriages against its beliefs. Overall, close to half (45%) of Mainline Protestant clergy support the ordination of gay and lesbian people with no special requirements. A huge majority (84%) of UCC clergy supports the ordination of gay and lesbian people with no special requirements, more than 2.5 times the number of ABCUSA clergy (28%) or UMC clergy (32%). ELCA and PCUSA clergy are largely split on the issue, with 54% and 50% respectively supporting ordination. Mainline clergy believe strongly in separation of religious institutions and the state and are willing to differentiate their
religious beliefs from their public policy opinions. Fifty-five percent of Mainline clergy support a strict separation of church and state, and 68% believe that opposing homosexual practices on theological grounds does not mean that one has to oppose legal rights for gay and lesbian people. Strong majorities of clergy in most Mainline denominations, and a slim majority overall, believe that the church should not oppose efforts to make homosexuality acceptable in society. Fifty-one percent of ministers believe that the church should not work to oppose making homosexuality acceptable, including 81% of UCC clergy, 77% of Episcopal clergy, and 61% of ELCA clergy. Among United Methodist and American Baptist ministers, less than 4-in-10 agree (39% and 31% respectively). Mainline clergy have become significantly more progressive on gay and lesbian issues over the past decade. Between 2001 and 2008, the number of clergy agreeing that gays and lesbians should have all the same rights and privileges as other American citizens increased nine percentage points from 70% to 79%. Nearly half (45%) of Mainline clergy report that their views on gay and lesbian issues are more liberal today than they were 10 years ago. About 4-in-10 say their views have not changed. Only 14% say their views are now more conservative than they were a decade earlier. The survey, which was conducted by mail, contained over 250 separate questions and generated 2,658 respondents with a response rate of 44%. The Mainline Protestant Clergy Voices Survey was funded by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund.
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ACCESSline Page 33
Know” Happy Hour at Ritual Café, on 13th St. between Grand & Locust, downtown Des Moines, 515-2884872. Join your Ritual Café friends “down the rabbit hole” and redefine happy hour as we meet weekly to explore science and spirituality. No Cover. First Friday of the month, FAIRFIELD ART WALK. For more info, visit www.FairfieldArtWalk. com. 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. 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 treadway@netins.net. 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 tax-deductible 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 a.c.experiment@gmail.com. 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.
"Tom Brokaw appears with his wife. Why can't Anderson Cooper appear with his boyfriend?" — Gay activist and author Larry Kramer to New York's Daily News, May 3.
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ACCESSline Page 34
Section 3: Community
June 2009
Hemming and Hawing by Aaron Stroschein
Column #3: It’s Not All About Sex? I must admit I have grown to be an audio book junkie. Most every vacation I took with my parents when I was younger meant a book on tape or CD for the mini-van ride to our destination. We had our various genres to give a listen: sci-fi, mystery, nonfiction, etc. To this day in free moments when I am at their house we still listen together to CD book series like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. The interesting part about some of these authors, though, was they would throw in a sex scene or two in some of their more prominent works. Their ideas for plots were riveting (sans scenes of intercourse), but they liked to add a dash of excitement to the story by bringing out the primal urges of lead characters. Sparks can fly when the main protagonist (who is for the sake of argument a male homicide investigator with the New York City Police Department) eventually develops a fast relationship with a lady in the book who didn’t quite seem like a secondary heroine and has a sinister streak. The creator of the story might intertwine the duo of Freudian desires towards the end of the novel before the so-called “big reveal” or climax of the writing. If the same instance were to come up in a novel written about a male protagonist
ACROSS 1 Peggy of Split Bitches 5 Opposite of loads 9 NG: Weight-room exercise 14 NG: Mata ___ 15 HRC’s equal sign, e.g. 16 NG: Palmer of “The Boys From Brazil” 17 NG: Persian Gulf land 18 Start of a quip 20 More of the quip 22 NG: Mammy Yokum’s creator 23 NG: Beethoven’s “Für ___” 24 Hot-tub buildup 26 Top record 28 NG: Vitamin bottle abbr. 29 One that ought to be paddled 31 Hilary of Boys Don’t Cry 33 “Lesbians ignite!” e.g. 34 “I’m ___ your tricks!” 35 More of the quip 40 They’re not homo sapiens 41 Hauls ass 42 NG: Shankar’s instrument 44 Like an gray-haired prostitute? 45 NG: Deposit slip abbr. 48 Tongue ending 49 It arouses you in bed 51 Francis Bacon work 53 “I felt the earth move” experience 55 Actress Bea and source of the quip 56 End of the quip 59 NG: Food on the floor, maybe 60 Gay men’s lifestyle magazine
Q-PUZZLE: “BEA HONEST” Honoring the life of actress Bea Arthur.
61 NG: Cube designer Rubik 62 NG: Steed stopper 63 Nice buns, for example 64 Word to a dominatrix 65 Daly of Judging Amy
DOWN 1 NG: Black eye 2 “The Wizard of Oz” scorer Arlen 3 Land of Lawrence 4 NG: Bowery bums
who falls in love with another male, all of a sudden it has been labeled as “typical” LGBT reading fare. But that is not everything on the shelf! What exactly gives people reason to believe that a the first few chapters in a book is always going to be the main plot? The author throws in a sexual encounter just to whet the reader’s interest long enough so they will read through to the end of the novel. Pure copulation does not a masterpiece make. If certain folk in straight society are painting our niche group as the creative offspring of Danielle Steele, they have the wrong idea of what we as a community write and read. This inaccurate idea was recently bolstered by a recent issue of The Advocate, the front cover of which read “Porn Panic!”. A photoshopped plastic male sex doll on the cover looked like it was extracted from a modern-day interpretation of Edward Munch’s “The Scream”. An article inside of the magazine talked about the porn industry and how—even though it was facing a similar cash crunch to what the rest of the nation had been dealing with—it would never completely go under. This topic should barely rate a casual conversation over a couple of lattes, much less be a front page issue. What exactly is this panic rooted in? The porn industry, for all sexual orientations, will be there the next 5 Bedfellow 6 Foot fetish digit 7 NG: Star’s rep 8 Morsel of AZT, e.g. 9 Positions 10 NG: Costa ___ 11 Symbol for Log Cabin Republicans 12 Don, as a nightie 13 Pose for Bruce Weber 19 NG: St. Pete’s state 21 NG: Interior design 24 Queen’s “subjects” 25 NG: Seek 27 NG: WBA decision 30 NG: Two-time link 32 Feelings of hitting rock bottom 33 High place with a flat top 35 First and Second Peter 36 NG: Old hands 37 NG: Cowboy actor Jack 38 NG: Essen article 39 Hatcher on Desperate Housewives 40 Wall St. bears watch it 43 NG: Type of aircraft engine 44 James Baldwin’s birthplace 45 Jeffrey director Christopher 46 “Tales of the City” author Armistead 47 NG: Power of films 50 NG: Reed of rock 52 Get the ball rolling 54 Jane ___ (Moorehead flick of 1944) 55 Exotica director Egoyan 56 Org. that uses ball-washers 57 “I Got Rhythm” writer Gershwin 58 NG: Aunt in Bambi • SOLUTION ON PAGE 38
June 2009 SSHemming and Hawing, continued day. If not supplied to us by paid names such as Brent Corrigan and Tera Patrick, most will still have xTube and Manhunt to log onto when we get a quiet moment to ourselves at the end of the day. We must start to dismantle the image of emphasized sex and start to promote what our literature is about if we want progress to happen. As long as we let the lie grow, we are mislabeled. Giving people information about topics such as HIV, AIDS, or how the LGBT crowd can cope with loss during the American recession are things people might have on their minds. Suicide prevention is also a big issue in the LGBT community that can be researched and shared with an audience. Getting the message out does not rest solely on the shoulders of high-profile, openly gay people such as Representative Barney Frank. The movement can begin with people submitting short stories and articles to magazines, local or national. Why not work together for a common cause and assemble a collective anthology of LGBT writings to bring to the public’s eye? Also, there are many, many great books out there that could use attention. We have local authors here in Iowa who write about LGBT themes. Sugar-Baby Bridge by Brett Edward Stout of Coralville, a book I have mentioned before in my column, is one such work. Bridge is about a gay ex-marine at a crossroads in life. It deals with subjects such as younger men being attracted to older men, the cultural scene out in California, and life of a gay man formerly in the Armed Services. While the characters do have sex, the writing is discreet and leaves the details to the imagination. Into the Mouth of the Wolf, by Joshua Dagon, is another book worthy of reading by a wide audience. The story is about AIDS and fear, the message cleverly wrapped in the allegory of werewolves. While there are many other ideas to list, the point comes across loud and clear: there should be no hesitation to start moving in the direction of promoting our community through its literature. While respect for our community is growing in multiple ways, reading and writing are very powerful, crucial tools to help change minds and hearts. People like my parents like to get caught up in the throes of a good story or real-life breaking news. If they can enjoy the story of how a gay man like Harvey Milk can rise to high political office, it is just proof of how powerful—and how inspiring—our stories can be to everybody.
Section 3: Community
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Section 3: Community
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June 2009
Hear Me Out: Levi Kreis, Rascal Flatts by Chris Azzopardi Levi Kreis, Where I Belong Some might say he belongs in their bed, but Levi Kreis’ third album’s title, Where I Belong, is really conveying his sense of serenity, overcoming the internal homosexuality vs. religion struggle he fought on his sophomore disc. Maybe it also has something to do with the LP’s sonic vibe, which is less contrived and heavy-hearted – and consistently more him – than genrejumping The Gospel According to Levi. Here, too, the out troubadour’s Southern-swayed voice is flexed to the max, scaling from falsetto to Barry White deep. The funk-soul “This Girl” (wait, isn’t Kreis a man-lover?), with a Jason Mraz-type vocal and some chin-up exaltation, and “Gonna be Alright” lead the pack. Its pop-friendly partiality runs through the disc’s first half, making it a bit non-cohesive thematically (from girl lovin’ – still confused – to god lovin’), before worshipping churchy uplifters. The religious messages, and sounds, are funneled through spoken word, choral components, organs and Kreis’ charismatic asides – “sing, girl!” – that you’d imagine from a flamboyant choir director. Or a gay guy who’s wholly comfortable with himself,
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 Editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com 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 info@pflag.org www.pflag.org 202-467-8180
STATE ORGANIZATIONS Equality Iowa P.O. Box 18 Indianola, IA 50125 www.equalityiowa.org 515-537-3126
his insecurities and his sound, which, especially this time around, is heaven on earth. Grade: B Rascal Flatts, Unstoppable The wholesome guys of Rascal Flatts seem like they’ve got good intentions – hell, they had Jessica Simpson join them on their latest tour – but with well-worn lyrics that make Hallmark sentiments look like Emily Dickinson, they should’ve just sent chocolate. Then, at least, we’d spare our poor ears “Love Who You Love,” a cheesy message-song with overworked guitars about, well, loving who you love, with all the love you have, however you want to love them (got it?). Good on them for extending the theme’s declaration publicly to the gay clique, but the power ballad – typical RF exalted by a showy, sky-climbing Gary LeVox vocal – is rife with cliché and a chorus that’ll make you feel lost in a cul-de-sac (luckily there’s an easy escape: skip!). More bearable – and not by much – are “Here Comes Goodbye” and “Forever,” two tear-stained weepies that’ll inevitably slam-dunk at radio, even if LeVox can barely convey anything except how good
Faithful Voices Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality project. www.faithfulvoices.org Imperial Court of Iowa Non-profit fundraising & social, statewide organization with members from across the State of Iowa. PO Box 1491 Des Moines, IA 50306-1491 www.imperialcourtofiowa.org Iowa Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) David Steward, President, IA NOW 1010 Charlotte Ave. Davenport, IA 52803 Iowa 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 figfinesse@yahho.com 641-583-2024
AMES Central Iowa Bisexual Social Monthly meetings on Sundays at 5:30pm, call for location. Open to bisexuals and their friends. www.public.iastate.edu/~vraymond/BiSocial. html 515-233-3189 First United Methodist Church 6th & Kellogg Contemporary worship Sat. 5:30; Sun at 8:30 and 11:00am. www.fumcames.org. 515-232-2750
his range is. Note to band: Spike recycling bin of Songs That Make You Cry (They’re So Painfully Bad) with savvy, metrosexual style sensibilities. Grade: CAlso Out Erasure, Total Pop! Deluxe Box The ’80s club kind will get a kick out of Erasure’s ultimate must-have collection, featuring four discs – three CDs and one DVD. Everyone else should. The bisexual duo – Andy Bell, (really) gay, and Vince Clarke, straight – churned out electropop singles awash in lyrics about love and longing for much of their style-challenged heyday. Hit-heavy disc one is the remastered 1992 collection Pop! – The First 20 Hits, while CD No. 2 highlights their more obscure years. Also included: A live disc and a DVD, a best-of their BBC performances – and a reminder that ’80s fashion really should stay there. Sara Watkins, Sara Watkins The lone lady in the contempo-blue-
Living with HIV Program 126 S. Kellogg, Suite 1 Ask for Janelle (Coordinator) 515-956-3312 ext 106 or I -800-890-8230 ISU LGBTA Alliance GLBT Support, Activism, Social Events, Newsletter G-46 Memorial Union, ISU Ames, IA. 50014 alliance@iastate.edu 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 tlloman@aol.com goodwinm@istate.edu, 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. uccames@midiowa.net. 515-232-9323 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames 1015 Hyland Ave. Services: 9am and 11am, Sunday uufa@aol.com 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
grass Nickel Creek troika tackles a broadsounding 14-song set, her first go as a solo artist. Her girly-toned authenticity sells the sad ballads, like the nerve-rattling album closer “Where Will You Be,” and adds blithe vigor to “Long Hot Summer Days,” a mandolin-picked barnburner that’ll inspire sprinkler cool-offs. With that voice, even the worship cuts are strong enough to woo non-believers. Jesse McCartney, Departure: Recharged Jesse McCartney is one pair of Fubu jeans away from making his urban image come to fruition. The former Disney star clones Usher’s free-flowing fluidity on “Leavin’,” tries out rap on “Rock You” (and fails) and on “How Do You Sleep?” employs a hook so ear-wormy you’ll regret reading this review. The new cuts on the re-release (the best-of-the-worst being “Body Language”) are more of the same: synth-driven, girl-crazy, corny urban-wannabes. Merry Christmas, New Kids On the Block fans. Chris Azzopardi thinks Jesse McCartney could really be Usher if he took his shirt off more often. Just sayin’. Reach him at chris@pridesource.com.
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 F.JosephWilson@aol.com. 712-332-5043 BURLINGTON 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. Steve’s Place 852 Washington St Burlington 319-752-9109
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/Cedar Falls call Elizabeth or Karla, 319-272-AIDS(2437). cvhospice@forbin.net 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 farstd@cvcounseling.com. Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry. In Lutheran Center 2616 College St. Cedar Falls, IA 319-415-5747 mcdinoiwa@aol.com www.episcopalcampus.org All welcome! Community AIDS Assistance Project (CAAP) Funding for special personal needs, community projects, and small grants that are AIDS related. PO Box 36 Waterloo, IA 50704
LGBTA Support Group at Hawkeye Community College Call Carol at 319-296-4014 for time and location of meeting chedberg@hawkeyecollege.edu 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 50702-2713 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 Drive Cedar Falls, IA 50613 www.st-lukes-episcopal.org Sunday services 8:00 and 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 lgbta@uni.edu 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 Drive Cedar Falls, IA 319-266-5640.
Section 3: Community
June 2009 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 jchaimov@coe.edu 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 info@legionarts.org 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. f2crisis@aol.com 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 lnfo@crglrc.org 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
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 info@cfep-ne.org 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
Krug Law Firm 401 1st St SE Suite 330 319-297-7515
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
Linn County Public Health 501 13th NW Free confidential HIV testing, 319-892-6000
L.E.O. PO Box 8101 Omaha, NE 68108.
Linn County Stonewall Democrats Second 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 royboycr@mchsi.com 319-362-5281
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. Romantix Council Bluffs (North) (Adult Emporium) 3216 1st Ave. Council Bluffs, IA 51501-3353 http://www.romantixonline.com 515-955-9756
Romantix Council Bluffs (South) (Romantix After Dark) 50662 189th St. Council Bluffs, Ia 51503 http://www.romantixonline.com 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 Drive 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 chsmccdmia@aol.com 515-287-9787. Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus 515-953-1540 PO Box 12269 Des Moines, IA 50312 dmgmc@mchsi.com 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. Jonathanwilson@davisbrownlaw.com 515288-2500 First Unitarian Church 1800 Bell Avenue Services Sundays at 9:30 & 11am 515-244-8603 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
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Iowa Affirmation Lesbian/Gay United Methodist Thoreau Center, 35th & Kingman Blvd. Write Affirmation PO Box 1726 Des Moines, IA 50309
Trans-Formations Monthly meetings for the female to male and male to female transgender community and their significant others. For location and info, email Jeff at frogestyie@aol.com or call Jordan at 515-284-0245
Java Joe’s Gay friendly 214 4th St. 515-288-5282
Trinity United Methodist Church 1548 Eighth Street Services Sundays at 10a.m. 515-288-4056
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
Urbandale UCC An open & affirming congregation. 3530 70th St. Urbandale, IA 50322 515-276-0625.
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 Des Moines, IA 50313 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 ru@drake.edu PFLAG Des Moines 515-537-3126 or write 3520 Grand Ave #51 Des Moines, IA 50312 Plymouth Congregational UCC Church and the Plymouth GLBT Community 4126 Ingersoll Ave. 515-255-3149 Services at 5:30pm Sat, 9am & I lam Sunday. www.PlymouthGLBT.com Polk County Health Department Free STD, HIV, and Hepatitis B & C testing. HIV. Rapid testing also offered. 1907 Carpenter Des Moines, IA 515-286-3798. Raccoon River Resort Accommodations for men, women, or mixed in campgrounds, lodge, Teepees or Treehouses. Reservations: 515-996-2829 or 515-279-7312 Ritual Café On 13th between Grand and Locust. ritualcafe@aol.com Gay owned great music, awesome food and coffee. 515-288-4872 Romantix North Des Moines Iowa (Bachelor’s Library) 2020 E. Euclid Ave. http://www.romantixonline.com/ Des Moines, IA 50317-3668 515-266-7992 Romantix 1401 E. Army Post Rd. Des Moines IA 50320-1809 http://www.romantixonline.com/ 515-256-1102 Spouses of Lesbians & Gays Contact Ruth Schanke, 515-277-3700
Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee 4211 Grand Avenue, Level-3 Des Moines, IA 50312 515-277-1117
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
Heartland Gay Rodeo Midwest Division of the International Gay Rodeo Association. 402-203-4680
The CENTER 1300 Locust; The new LGBT and progressive place to be. thecenterdm@gmail.com
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. 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 http://www.romantixonline.com
Section 3: Community
ACCESSline Page 38 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 srcenter@grinnell.edu 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 AA (GLBT) Meetings Sundays 5 - 6pm at First Baptist Church, 500 North Clinton Street. For more info, call IC Intergroup Answering Service, 319-338-9111 Congregational Church UCC A registered “Open and Affirming Congregation,” Sunday Worship 10:15 am 30 N. Clinton St. (across from Ul Pentacrest) 319-337-4301 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 glbtau@uiowa.edu 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 Bi-Group A discussion and support group for bisexual people and people exploring their sexuality. Meets bi-monthly. Call WRAC, 319-335-1486 Iowa City Free Medical Clinic Free & strictly confidential HIV Testing. 2440 Towncrest Dr Iowa City, Call for appointment 319-337-4459 Iowa City NOW PO Box 2944 Iowa City, IA 52244 for information & meeting times/places Iowa Women’s Music Festival P.O. Box 3411 Iowa City, IA 52244 319-335-1486 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: aweigel@co.johnson.ia.us 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 http://www.romantixonline.com 319-351-9444 Studio 13 13 S. Linn St. (in the Alley) Iowa City, IA Open 7pm ‘til 2am, daily 319-338-7145 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 52244-1 143 319-338-5810 The Vortex 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, suite 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 alliance@cornellcollege.edu 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
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
Common Ground (Central College) Support group for GLBT students and allies. Contact: Brandyn Woodard, Director of Intercultural Life woodard@central.edu 641-628-5134
Venus News (Adult) 902 w. 3rd St. Davenport, IA 563-322-7576
SHENANDOAH PFLAG Shenandoah 712-246-2824
SIOUX CITY
Black Hawk College Unity Alliance Serving GLBT community at Black Hawk College. 6600 34th Ave. Rock Island, IL 309-716-0542.
Am. Business & Professional Guild. Gay Businessmen. Meets last Sat. of the month; ABPG P. O. BOX 72 Sioux City, 51102 abpguild@yahoo.com
Connections Nightclub 822 W 2nd Street Davenport, IA 52802 Phone: (563) 322-1121
Grace United Methodist Church 1735 Morningside Avenue 712-276-3452.
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. Holy Spirit Catholic Faith Community Meets one Sunday per month for Mass at 5:30pm at MCC-QC 3025 N. Harrison St. IL For more info, call 563-340-7488 Mary’s On 2nd 832 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA 563-884-8014. MCC Quad Cities. Services Sun. 10am and 12 noon. Bible study Wed. 7 pm. Write to: 3019 N. Harrison Davenport, IA 52803 Call 563-324-8281. Men’s Coming Out/Being Out Group Meets 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7pm. dennyray3@juno.com. Call Dennis, 309-755-7346 PFLAG Quad Cities Eldridge United Methodist Church 604 S.2nd St., (Eldridge) 1st Monday, 6:30 pm 563-285-4173 Prism (Augustana College) Augustana Gay-Straight Alliance Augustana Library 639 38th St. Rock Island, IL Contact Tom Bengston 309-794-7406. Quad Citians Affirming Diversity (QCAD) Social & support groups for lesbian, bi, and gay teens, adults, friends & families; newsletter. 309-786-2580 Community Center located at 1608 2nd Ave, Rock Island. Quad Cities Pride Chorus. At the MCC Church in D’port, 3pm Sun. qcswede64@aol.com Call Don at 563-324-0215
PELLA
June 2009
Rainbow Gifts www.rainbowgifts.net 309-764-0559 T.R. Video Adult books & video 3727 Hickory Grove Rd. Davenport, IA 563-386-7914.
“Only in America would the notion of a nearly naked fundamentalist Christian beauty queen tossing her processed hair and parading brand new pageant-bought plastic breasts across a Las Vegas stage in front of millions of television viewers with all the modesty of a blue ribbon heifer at a county livestock fair (the same fundamentalist Christian beauty queen who would later tell a television reporter that she heard God whispering in her ear as she answered a celebrity-worshipping Internet gossip columnist’s question about gay marriage) be treated as anything other than an occasion for high comedy and mirth.” — Journalist Michael Rowe writing about Miss California USA/Miss USA first runner-up Carrie Prejean at Salon.com, May 4.
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 dooley@morningside.edu 712-274-5208 PFLAG Siouxland PO Box 1311 Sioux City, IA 51102 siouxlandPFLAG@aol.com Romantix Sioux City (Adult Emporium) 511 Pearl St. Sioux City, IA 51101-1217 St. Thomas Episcopal Church Service Sun 10:30am 406 12th St. Waverly, IA Rev Mary Christopher 712-258-0141 Western Iowa Tech. GSA widemal@juno.com for info.
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 Write to: 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
June 2009
Section 3: Community
ACCESSline Page 39
NAKED PRIDE DES MOINES GAY MEN’S CHORUS Friday June 12, 2009 7:30 p.m. Sheslow Auditorium, Drake University 2507 University Avenue / Des Moines For more information, call 515.953.1540 or email DMGMC@mchsi.com Order Tickets Online at: www.DMGMC.org Retail Ticket Outlet: Liberty Gifts, 333 E Grand Ave, Des Moines Advance Tickets - Adults $10, Children 12 & Under $5
Tickets at the Door - Adults $15, Children 12 & Under $10