Phi Phi O’Hara at IDPH Outrage Studio 13 and The Commentary by Arthur Breur Garden, Mar. 23-24 Interview by Seven Love The fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race has introduced the world to some amazing new talents, one of the “phiercest” being Chicago’s Phi Phi O’Hara. A transplant to the midwest from Texas, this rising star has made waves on Drag Race. While we don’t know Phi Phi O’Hara the outcome of the show, we know that Phi Phi will be coming to Iowa this month, and I had the “phabulous” pleasure of chatting with her.
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February 2012 brought us a poignant example of how, despite having legal marriage in Iowa, same-gender couples are still facing hurtful discrimination. Our hearts go out to Jenny and Jessica Buntemeyer at the loss of their son Brayden. But we must address our outrage at the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), which sent the couple the official certificate of death with Jenny’s name removed. Had the couple been a man and a woman, it would not have mattered to the IDPH if the man was genetically the child’s father or not. Iowa’s courts have now upheld this point in Gartner v. Iowa Dept of Public Health, though the IDPH is pointlessly wasting taxpayer money to appeal the case. We wholeheartedly agree with Camilla Taylor, National Marriage Project Director for Lambda Legal: “Death certificates and other vital records like birth certificates document legal parentage, and not biology. To white out a mother’s name from her stillborn baby’s death certificate is cruel to a family that is already devastated.” For the IDPH to appeal the Gartner v. IDPH case is a move of cold, bureaucratic desperation. But to so shamefully disrespect one of Iowa’s families by erasing a spouse’s name from their child’s death certificate—borders on the inhuman.
Stephin Merritt, Interfaith Chaplain Mirror to His Music Royal Bush Interview Interview by Arthur Breur by Angela Geno-Stumme If one were to compare songwriter Stephin Merritt—the person—to a drink, he would be an understated and dry spirit, mellow but complex. In contrast, Merritt’s songs—even the more mellow ones—are bright, colorful, splashy, and playful; they’re the kind of drinks that sport colorful umbrellas, bright slices of fruit, and salt- or sugar-rimmed Stephin Merritt glasses. They are the kind of drinks that the server lights on fire at your table. They may be bittersweet, but you will find yourself drinking
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Interfaith Chaplain Royal Bush speaks of Inclusive Life, an independent faith based organization serving Nebraska and Iowa offering compassionate; open, affirming, and inclusive-care, services, ceremonies and worship to all without exception. What is Inclusive Life? Maybe if I can share how I got there that might help to set that up a little bit. I was a deacon in training and a minister of hospitality at MCC here in Omaha. I realized that there was a revolving door in terms of members and people coming into the church. I started looking into other churches that were LGBT friendly, and realized that the same thing was happening in those churches. I started to do some research as I began my Masters in Pastoral Care, and I realized that up to 70% of the population of the United States doesn’t attend worship on a regular basis. Where do those people go when they want to get married, have someone to bury, or have relationship problems? We live in a time now that not everyone has
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What’s Inside: Section 1: News & Politics
Advertising rates 3 Letter to the Editor 3 2012 Iowa AIDS Walk/Run 4 Red Party Raises Record $30K for Scholarships 4 Marriage Equality: One Step Back, but Many Steps Forward 5 Marriage Equality Legislation Needed by Blumenfeld 6 Remarkables by Jonathan Wilson 7 Time for Work or Politics? by Tony E. Hansen 7 Minor Details by Robert N Minor 8 Statewide PITCH Conference Call Support Group 8 Inside Out: Beyond Grief by Ellen Krug 9 Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski 10
Section 2: Fun Guide
Entertainment Picks for the Month 11 Madonna - Interview by Chris Azzopardi 11 Wired This Way by Rachel Eliason 12 Deep Inside Hollywood 12 Easily Distracted: Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy by Joshua Dagon 13 Cocktail Chatter by Ed Sikov 14 Hear Me Out by Chris Azzopardi (Music Review) 15 The Gay Wedding Planner 16 Your Iowa Wedding Awaits:Sophistication & Culture 18 10th Annual Hearts for Housing Fundraiser Dinner 20 Out of Town: Key West Spring Break by Andrew Collins 21 The OutField by Dan Woog 23 Indian Creek Nature Center’s 29th Maple Syrup Festival 23 The Bookworm Sez by Terri Schlichenmeyer 24 Comics and Crossword Puzzle 24-25 ACCESSline’s STATEWIDE Recurring Events List 25
Section 3: Community
First Friday Breakfast Club John Berry by Bruce Carr 27 From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev. Jonathan Page 28 Diversity Focus to create LENS Student Leadership Series 28 Ask Lambda Legal:Transitioning at Work by Greg Nevins 29 PITCH Shares Support Group Survey Summary 30 Business Directory 33-34 National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 35
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MARCH 2012
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Section 1: News & Politics
ACCESSline Page 3
From the Editor : Building community in Iowa, one issue at a time by Arthur Breur As the editor-in-chief of Iowa’s statewide LGBT+ newspaper, I connect with people from across the state on a daily basis. A recurring frustration I hear from many Iowans is the challenge that the state’s community has with… well, with being a community. Rather than a statewide family of concerned citizens all working together, it often seems that we are very much divided: we’re divided by city, by gender, by HIV status, by age, by income—even by which charities we individually choose to support. But we are a community, and by necessity we need to act as a single community at every opportunity. Yes, we have diverse interests and diverse needs. But diversity is the very definition of our community. We have to remember, when celebrating our individual uniqueness within our community, to cheer on, celebrate, and support those who are different from us within our own community. We do have one over-arching community goal—equal and fair treatment under the law and in practice in society—though that goal can often only be addressed one small issue at a time, and even each small issue is often addressed only with separate, partial victories. As a community, we want to be treated equally and fairly on such issues as marriage, adoption, health care, personal safety, employment, housing—and we must remember that many of these issues relate to HIV-status every bit as much as they related to the varied characteristics that define a person’s gender, gender identity, gender
expression, and sexual orientation! One very significant thing that Iowa has—reaching across and uniting all of the divisions in our diverse state-wide community—is its own newspaper. The ACCESSline has existed for twenty-six years now, and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. True, the ACCESSline is a small publication, even after all those years. We depend on volunteers to help us distribute, and we depend on the community to provide us updates on events and news. We don’t have reporters running around the state to every spot that has an anti-gay press conference or a pageant or a fundraiser. But the paper itself continues to expand its distribution, and continues to expand the content it provides. It continues to get more national attention—sometimes just for its mere existence—and to share content with publications both in Iowa and across the country. The ACCESSline serves many purposes. As a community resource, The ACCESSline provides a 100% FREE resource directory, which includes medical and counseling resources, welcoming churches, community organizations, and friendly businesses. Further, we publish event announcements and press releases—for fundraisers, pageants, health clinics, meetings, get-togethers, and more—and help whenever we can, both online and in print, to promote those events in our community. We also provide a monthly review of important events in our state, our country, and the world. We try to send a copy to every single government representative at the state
Editor Arthur Breur and federal levels so that our politicians know that we are paying attention and that we have the power to speak with a single voice. And another very important purpose for the paper is to help promote those businesses and services that are either owned by members of our community, or that provide products and services to our community. Our advertisers are critical to us in order to keep us in business, but it is a major part of our business to help promote our advertisers in every way we can. To our readers, I ask: please support the advertisers you see in The ACCESSline. To our businesses, I ask: please support The ACCESSline and our community by promoting yourself through ads in our community’s paper. With your help, The ACCESSline can continue to support Iowa’s LGBT+ community—one issue at a time.
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ACCESSline Page 4
Section 1: News & Politics
MARCH 2012
2012 Iowa AIDS Walk/Run Red Party Raises Record You can be a hero this spring $30K for Scholarships Saturday, April 14th marks Des Moines’ 12th annual AIDS Walk/Run, benefitting the AIDS Project of Central Iowa. Hosted at Des Moines University, 3440 Grand Ave, a competitive 5K race or a more comfortable 1-mile walk await participants. And new this year, a health fair including everything from body manipulation to posture improvement to veterinary advice for your 4-legged friends—who are welcome during the event. Proving to be one of The Project’s most popular fundraisers, each year hundreds of people become heroes for Iowans living with HIV/AIDS through their support. Some are professional runners who love the challenge of the picturesque, hilly course in the South of Grand neighborhood. Some are families enjoying a
refreshing spring morning. Many people who come have lost friends and family to HIV/AIDS and know the fight against AIDS continues. In keeping with this year’s superhero theme, costumes are encouraged! “Secret identities” are also welcome. If you don’t have a costume, a sheet can make a quick and easy cape! The walk/run begins at 10 AM sharp. Registration and the health fair open at 8 AM, and you may register online now at iowaaidswalkrun.org. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more people. Prizes are awarded to not only race winners, but also to the individual who raises the most money in support of the event. For more information about fundraising, please visit the walk/run website.
Dear Mr. Monson, As you know, I am regrettably not able to attend your upcoming conference because of a scheduling conflict. However, I support the conference and its goal of eliminating bullying and making Iowa schools safe for all students. I do not object to you including the word “Governor’s” in the conference title in keeping with the historical name and the emphasis on its importance to Iowa schools. As you know, I have already officially proclaimed September 1 “Safe Schools Day.” I hope that in my absence, you will read that proclamation to conference attendees. You have my very best wishes for a successful conference this year and in future years. Sincerely, Terry E. Branstad , Governor
The annual Red Party scholarship fundraiser sponsored by First Friday Breakfast Club (FFBC) raised a record $30,500 for Iowa students committed to reducing homophobia and increasing LGBT acceptance. The event, held each February at HoytSherman Place in Des Moines, generates funds for college-bound Iowa seniors “who have significantly participated in efforts to reduce homophobia and educate their communities about LGBT issues,” said Jonathan Wilson, FFBC president. “With the record amount raised this year, FFBC will be able to award up to twelve $2,500 scholarships to deserving high school seniors,” Wilson continued. He noted that scholarship applications are being accepted through March 31 and donors may give to the fund year-round. Scholarship recipients will be awarded during FFBC’s June meeting. Details can be found at ffbciowa.org. Wilson said he was very pleased that this year’s event, the fifth of its kind, raised more money than in any previous year. “The outpouring of generosity was amazing,” he said. “I am so thankful to everyone who
supported this effort. It is truly making a difference.” John Berry, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and one of the highest ranking openly gay Obama Administration officials, helped kick off the event. He addressed the FFBC membership prior to the party and encouraged people to support this most important effort. Over 80 people attended this year’s event. Guests enjoyed live music by concert grand pianist Grant Baetz and The Ben Hagen Trio. The silent auction raised nearly $2,000. Supporter Eugina Kutsch-Stanton won the Best Dressed in Red contest.
About FFBC
FFBC is the largest breakfast club in the state of Iowa. In the last decade, it has awarded over $117,000 in scholarships. FFBC is an educational, non-profit (501(c)(3)) organization for gay and bi men who gather on the first Friday of every month to provide mutual support, be educated on community affairs, and to further educate community opinion leaders with positive images of LGBT people.
Section 1: News & Politics
MARCH 2012 SScontinued from page 1
ROYAL BUSH a family church or a relationship with a pastor. So, if they want to get married, or there is a funeral need, or if they have a problem with a relationship, they don’t just go down the street to the church because it’s “not their church”. That is how we got to Inclusive Life, and why Inclusive Life is a faith based organization that provides service to those that are non-denominational and to those that don’t know what religion they are, or don’t have a religious preference, or a religion at all. It doesn’t matter if you are a catholic or ex-catholic, a Christian, a Buddhist, or unionist, or you’re secular. It doesn’t matter where you are at; we are going to provide care and service for you. We want to be a resource for the community, and not just for the LBGT community, but for everyone without exception. You mention how you do multiple
services, and one of them listed is worship services—go over the services you offer. Pathways brings together…something, I don’t know what to call it, because it’s not really worship, because we’re not going to worship any one thing. It’s not just fellowship, because it may include scripture reading and it may include other things. Pathways is really bringing people together in a community. And that may look like worship on Sundays, because it may include scripture reading from the Bible. But it may include reading from the Koran, or principals of Buddhism, or poetry from Maya Angelo, or any number of things. Because there are people from many different faiths there it’s not just going to be a Christian service, it’s not just going to be a Native American service; it’s going to be bringing people together in community. What differentiates us is that you
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Inclusive Life ceremony.
ACCESSline Page 5
Marriage Equality: One Step Back, but Many Steps Forward Legislatures in three states—Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington—passed marriage equality laws in February, 2012. In Washington, Governor Christine Gregoire signed the legislation, and in Maryland, Governor Martin O’Malley has promised to sign the bill into law; both states will join five other states and Washington DC in recognizing Marriage Equality. (The anti-equality National Organization for Marriage has vowed to push for voter referenda in both states to overturn the new laws.) In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie promptly vetoed his state’s marriage equality legislation, as promised. (Marriage equality advocates in the state are already planning to attempt an override of the governor’s veto, an effort which would have until 2014 to be successfully completed.) Also in February, the 9th US Circuit Court ruled that California’s Proposition 8 was unconstitutional, although their decision carefully avoided applying their ruling to anything outside Proposition 8 and how it applies to California. Another step forward for Marriage Equality in the US was a decision on February 22nd by US District Judge Jeffrey White (appointed by George W. Bush) in the case of Karen Golinski, who has been trying to secure health benefits for her wife, Amy Cunninghis. Golinski and Cunninghis were legally married in California in 2008. White was very adamant in his 43-page decision that the federal Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. President Obama and the Department of Justice have refused to defend DOMA, which they agree is unconstitutional, but House Republicans have sworn to continue defending it (and are filing an appeal to the 9th US Circuit Court
Amy Cunninghis and Karen Golinski of Appeals. At the Federal level, February 17th brought another significant step forward: the Obama Administration announced it would not defend cases in which married same-sex couples seek military benefits. Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to congress announcing this decision: “The legislative record of these provisions contains no rationale for providing veterans’ benefits to opposite-sex couples of veterans but not to legally married same-sex spouses of veterans. Neither the Department of Defense nor the Department of Veterans Affairs identified any justifications for that distinction that would warrant treating these provisions differently from Section 3 of DOMA.”
“Today’s decision by the liberal 9th Circut Court, while expected, is sad and outrageous on many levels. Not least of which is “we the people” get bullied again by a few “robed masters.” It’s also evidence that when executives go wobbly on fighting the left’s agenda and not appointing ONLY strict constructionist judges, who take the Constitution and due process seriously, we continue to lose these battles. However, the 9th Circuit’s opinon is no surprise; they have been a friend of the radical homosexual agenda for years. As for us; we have only begun to and will continue to be in the fight!” — The Family Leader
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Section 1: News & Politics
MARCH 2012
Marriage Equality Legislation Needed by Warren J. Blumenfeld Marriage equality for same-sex couples gained momentum recently as a federal district court ruled unconstitutional the anti-equality California Proposition 8 passed by voters in 2008, and the state legislatures of Washington and New Jersey, and the Maryland General Assembly passed bills legalizing marriage for same-sex couples. The Maryland bill now heads to the state Senate. Washington Governor Chris Gregoire (D.) signed the bill into law, and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D.) praised the legislation and has committed to signing it once it reaches his desk. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R.), who has publicly opposed marriage equality, on the other hand, vetoed the bill while arguing that the citizens of New Jersey should vote on the issue, which he asserted “represents a profoundly significant societal change.” A number of politicians assert that the issue of marriage for same-sex couples must be left to the individual state legislatures or to the voters to decide because this falls under the category of states-rights or “majority rule,” and that the national government should not intrude by imposing its will on the states in this matter. I argue most emphatically that marriage rights in general, and more specifically,
legalization for same-sex couples is indeed a federal issue, and that national legislation or a Supreme Court decision must enforce the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution, which mandates that “no state shall… deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Since differentsex couples, upon reaching legal age, are accorded the rights and benefits of marriage, the current 30 states with state constitutional amendments legitimizing marriage only “between a man and a woman” effectively deprive samesex couples of “equal protection of the laws.” So then, should the civil and human rights of minoritized peoples be placed up for a vote or left to the discretion of state legislatures? In other words, should the majority determine the rights of minorities? Take the following cases for example: If the issue of prohibiting the practice of slavery had not been settled in Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and later codified in the US Constitution, and left to the individual states or by majority vote, I question whether the states would have uniformly voted on their own to outlaw the practice of slavery, and I indeed believe the practice of legalized slavery would have continued long after the Civil War in some
National legislation or a Supreme Court decision must enforce the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution, which mandates that “no state shall…deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
states. If the issue of school desegregation had not been settled in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education US Supreme Court decision and later strengthen by the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, and left to the individual states or to majority rule, I question whether the states would have uniformly relinquished the practice of de jure racial segregation, and I indeed believe that this practice would remain to this very day in some states. If the issue of prohibiting individuals from different races from engaging in sexual relations (miscegenation) had not been settled in 1967 by the US Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia and left to the individual states, I question whether the states would have uniformly relinquished the practice of arresting and incarcerating people of different races found engaging in sexual relations, and I indeed believe that these arrests and incarcerations would remain to this very day in some states. The court declared the state of Virginia’s anti-miscegenation statute, the so-called “Racial Integrity Act” of 1924, unconstitutional, thereby overturning Pace v. Alabama (1883) and ending all race-based legal restrictions on adult consensual sexual activity and marriage throughout the US. If the issue of freedom of speech for grade school students had not been decided in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District in 1969 by the US Supreme Court, I question whether the states would have uniformly relinquished the practice of restricting or banning students their First Amendment rights, and I indeed believe that today, students would face severe consequences for expressing their constitutional rights. If the issues of providing for the reproductive freedoms of women to control their own bodies had not been decided in the 1973 Roe v. Wade US Supreme Court decision, and left to the individual states, I question whether the states would have uniformly relinquished the practice of outlawing and arresting doctors for performing abortions, and I indeed believe the subterranean and dangerous practices of self-induced abortions and procedures performed by untrained armatures would continue to jeopardize women’s health and women’s very lives today. If the issue of consensual adult sexuality, in particular for same-sex couples, had not be legalized in the Lawrence v. Texas 2003 US Supreme Court case overturning Texas’s so-called “sodomy law,” and thus eliminating similar statues in 13 other states throughout the United States, I indeed believe we would find many of these laws remaining to this very day resulting in arrest and incarceration of anyone found in violation. These questions once again remind me of the concept of “tyranny of the majority” articulated in the 1830s by Alexis de Tocqueville, French political scientist and diplomat, who traveled across the United States for nine months between 1831-1832 conducting research for his epic work, Democracy in America. Though he favored US style democracy, he found its major limitation in its stifling of independent thought
Warren J. Blumenfeld is associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. He is editor of Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price (Beacon Press), and co-editor of Readings for Diversity and Social Justice (Routledge) and Investigating Christian Privilege and Religious Oppression in the United States (Sense). www.warrenblumenfeld.com and independent beliefs. In a country that promoted the notion of “majority rule,” this effectively silenced minorities. This is a crucial point because in a democracy, without specific guarantees of minority rights, there is a danger of domination or tyranny over others whose ideas, values, and social identities are not accepted by the majority. The founders of this country provided a mechanism for the protection of minorities against the tyranny of the majority. The checks and balances between the three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial, and the authority of national legislation over the individual states have been shown time and again (though of course not perfectly and not without major adjustments and reversal of policy along the way) to offer some form of protection for minority rights and benefits. If we leave these important issues of social justice and social inequality to majority rule and to state legislatures alone, then many of the evils that have plagued this country throughout its history would continue to this very day. Returning to the issue of marriage for same-sex couples, state laws currently on the books, as well as any proposed national legislation will not compel religious institutions to perform religious marriages if they are opposed, for they do and will continue to have an exemption. Religious institutions will continue to set their own standards for conducting marriage ceremonies as they always have, without fear of prosecution if they decide that marriage for same-sex couples falls outside of their teachings. The current state-by-state patchwork quilt of statutes not only serves to keep samesex couples in marriage limbo and secondclass citizenship status, and deprives us unfairly and inequitable of “equal protection of the laws,” but also is costly in terms of time and resources to all parties involved in political educational campaigns, litigation, and in the legislative process. Though I do not hold out much hope that the current Congress will do the right (correct) thing by passing national legislation, I believe that in the context of a massive grassroots effort, either the next Congress or the Supreme Court with make marriage equality a reality.
The founders of this country provided a mechanism for the protection of minorities against the tyranny of the majority.
Section 1: News & Politics
MARCH 2012
ACCESSline Page 7
Remarkables by Jonathan Wilson Nibbling to Lost
The Biblical parable is told about a flock of one hundred sheep. One of the not-so-bright critters gets lost and the “good shepherd” leaves the remaining 99 and goes in search of the lost one until it is found and returned to the safety of the fold. All well and good. Most folks take from that an important message about the worth of the individual and the dedication of a “good shepherd.” Both are valid messages. The individual is valuable and a dedicated leader will not ignore the plight of the individual. I also take from the parable another lesson. You see, the lost sheep almost certainly didn’t just run off in whatever direction and get lost. No, the lost sheep nibbled its way—wherever. It nibbled and took a step, nibbled a bit more and took another step, and so forth—not paying attention to where it was or where it was headed, and certainly not keeping track of the rest of the flock. Had there been a loud noise of warning just before it was lost and it was too late, that would have gotten the sheep’s attention and there’d have been an immediate course correction. Lacking such an attention-getting warning, the sheep kept on nibbling and
stepping on its way to being lost. So what, you say? The fact is that the same is true in human affairs, particularly as relates to our liberties. Little by little, they get nibbled away. Post-9/11 we, in the name of enhanced security, got the Patriot Act. So named for political purposes, not because of its adherence to the principles for which our patriots fought and died. With the 9/11 catalyst we got Guantanamo Bay detentions, admitted torture of those in US custody, renditions to other torture-prone countries, “black sites” for unaccountable detentions all over the world, and unprosecuted war crimes admittedly committed by our government leaders at the highest level. More recently, with “Gitmo” still unclosed, we have gotten indefinite detentions, without specific charges, without due process of law, without trial, and without proof by any accountable standard—not even the mere balance of probabilities standard, let alone the criminal standard of beyond a reasonable doubt. Thank goodness there’s a judge in Spain who is investigating the admitted war crimes with an eye toward prosecution, and George W. Bush has been circumspect about foreign travel since
leaving the White House out of fear of arrest. Not that he was all that interested in foreign travel before he took office and, even confined to this country, he is still “incarcerated” in relative comfort and with considerable latitude. Most recently we got the latest defense authorization bill out of Congress. It—get this—permits the government to imprison without trial anyone who has “substantially supported al Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States.” That includes American citizens arrested anywhere in the world, including within the United States. That includes me and everyone else among our known readership. And—get this—the act allows the president of the United States to define ”supporters” of terrorism as he/ she sees fit and to imprison whomever he/she chooses. There is small comfort—in fact, no comfort at all—to be taken from the signing statement of President Obama claiming that his administration would not allow the military to detain Americans indefinitely. This provision of the defense authorization bill, that this president doesn’t intend to use, is a flagrant violation of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 14th Amendments to the US Constitution, just
Over the course of the past few months (and years), GOP candidates have been ramping up claims that there are problems with President Obama’s leadership. Interestingly, they have also frankly stated that their number one goal is to “stop” Obama. Their focus is upon making Obama a one-term president: not job creation, not deficits, not wars, not civility and definitely not helping middle class Americans survive the Great Recession. Workers, rights, jobs, research, cost of education, military and such clearly are not in the interests of the GOP. There has never been any hope for bipartisan efforts because that has been contrary to the GOP focus since Obama was elected (especially since gaining control of the House). Within hours of his election (before even taking office), his policies were declared “failures” with no alternative proposed and no evidence to showcase these purported failures. Just because the talking heads say “Obama” and “failure” in the same sentence, herds of “sheep” go around bleating mindlessly this characterization with an eye on embarrassing Obama rather than addressing serious issues facing the United States. Perhaps the economy could have a chance to recover quicker with help from those on the right, but instead they choose to play the role of hecklers and thorns-in-the-side of Obama. The right-wingers have continuously voted to block government efforts without regard to the needs of the American public. Essentially, they have put politics ahead of doing the work they were elected to do (e.g. governing). This, at a time in American history, when people need responsible government and the government
needs to keep the economy from going into tailspins. They want to discuss the validity of birth certificates, failed notions of supply-side economics, or bailouts of companies (forgetting that we subsidize large corporations with far more money year after year). They have brought our financial stability into question without handling deficit spending, rather than attempting to solve the issues. They want to argue morality issues despite acting like spoiled adolescents willing to jeopardize global markets through their inaction towards budgets and fiscal matters. Even fellow Democrats have been willing to throw Obama under the bus when he is not as progressive or liberal as they would like. We hear so much about freedom of religion so long as you are practicing a certain type of Christianity. That is a mockery of religious freedom. As if to believe something different is painfully inconvenient, people like Santorum want to reverse the gains in equality and recognition of rights because that does not fit his contorted view of fundamental Christianity. These people want to protect the unborn but are completely happy with sending kids to die overseas fighting in Islamic countries. Are we fighting terrorists or are we becoming them? These people want to introduce legislation that extends “personhood” to the unborn, but does that also change when the “birthday?” Maybe these God-fearing right wingers are content with sending kids that are not even old enough to drink to die in battle because they do not want to clean up the streets at home. One has to question whether these
people even care to read the material (e.g. bills and laws) they are discussing or just wait for O’Reilly and his type to declare baseless talking points. Consider some of these guys did not believe there was a recession and they thought that the pessimism of the past years was completely unwarranted. As someone who works in the utility industry, I can assure you that there were dramatic reductions in commercial and industrial energy use during the past few years that warranted pessimism. People are so blinded by rhetoric that they do not see what Obama has accomplished in the last few years. We forget there were some really pressing issues that needed to be handled, and without intervention, these issues would have sunk the domestic and global economies. Even without the help of Congress, the Obama administration has managed to save entire domestic industries from collapse. Despite the posturing by the GOP in the Senate, we have long awaited health reforms that will surely breed more changes to cut medical costs. Despite the behavior of the GOP, Obama has moved forward with programs to help homeowners and to help with education loans. Despite the Congressional impasses, Obama has signed measures that will reduce budget deficits by half over the next few years. Despite the roadblocks set by Congress, he managed to keep our economy from going into a complete depression while he got Bin Laden and helped to topple Gaddafi. We know that job creation does not happen simply when taxes are low (we have the lowest tax rates in decades despite high unemployment numbers). We know that more money to the top 1% does not “trickle down” to “raise all boats.” That 1% benefits when the 99% are able to do things. We do know when more people have discretionary incomes; the economy can grow because
Liberties. Little by little, they get nibbled away.
Time for Work or Politics? by Tony E. Hansen
Maybe these God-fearing right wingers are content with sending kids that are not even old enough to drink to die in battle because they do not want to clean up the streets at home.
Jonathan Wilson is an attorney at the Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines, and chairs the First Friday Breakfast Club (ffbciowa.org), an educational, non-profit corporation for gay men in Iowa who gather on the first Friday of every month to provide mutual support, to be educated on community affairs, and to further educate community opinion leaders with more positive images of gay men. It is the largest breakfast club in the state of Iowa. He can be contacted at JonathanWilson@DavisBrownLaw.com.
TTREMARKABLES cont’d page 30
more people can buy more products. Yet, the GOP cares more about protecting the 1% than letting them share the burdens of capitalism. Over the next few months, we are going to hear more distortions and ridicule from various candidates. Americans have to realize that despite the awful set of circumstances; Obama helped the United States weather a big storm. Hopefully, we can realize a better future when we are able to fully implement a recovery instead of these temporary emergency bandages. Maybe with a little help from others in government, we can see a recovery that works for all Americans rather than a select few as proposed by the several GOP candidates. We need substantial work from Congress rather than this rhetorical garbage that paints falsehoods and ignores reality. Tell Congress to get beyond the pettiness and do what they were elected to do: govern.
Section 1: News & Politics Minor Details: Will “Culture Wars” Work Again? by Robert N Minor ACCESSline Page 8
“Culture Wars” are back in the headlines. They actually never left politics. Right-wing leaders have been invoking the symbol of “Culture Wars” ad nauseam without attracting mainstream media attention. But now current Republican leaders and presidential candidates have decided to compete to prove who is the most committed cultural warrior. Ask activists in the field all this time. Among others, the idea of “War” has been used to justify support for Proposition 8 in California and to oust the Supreme Court justices who supported marriage equality in Iowa. Next we’ll hear it used to attempt turning back Washington State’s legalization of marriage equality. The “War” is also framed as a “War on Religion.” The recent flap about requiring employers, religious or not, to cover contraception was expertly turned by the right-wing into this larger “war.” Framing it as a “War on Religion”— with reinforcement through right-wing fear of unbridled sexual license—politically seduces fundamentalist Protestants who feel their world is coming down around them into joining Catholics they’d never worship with in the battle. Even users of contraception must be made to fear that something bigger is taking place that threatens their religious freedom. Picked up by right-wing talkers and Republican Party leaders who dutifully follow the script of talking-points handed to them to defeat President Obama, “religious freedom” became the rallying cry. In the mind of Darrel Issa, Republican Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, this “War” justified his exclusion of women on a panel of “experts” during a congressional hearing about allowing religiously-owned institutions an exemption from covering contraception. Responding to complaints from Democrats, a letter from Issa’s staff invoked this broader frame: “As the hearing is not about
reproductive rights but instead about the administration’s actions as they relate to freedom of religion and conscience, he believes that [your one allowed panelist] Ms. Fluke is not an appropriate witness.” Guns, God, and gays are useful issues. They’ve been tools to rile up the right-wing religious voting base on which Republicans depend. Back in an August 17, 1992 speech at the Republican National Convention, presidential candidate Pat Buchanan infamously invoked the fear: “There is a religious war going on in this country. It is a cultural war, as critical to the kind of nation we shall be as the Cold War itself. For this war is for the soul of America.” As Thomas Frank argued in 2004 in What’s The Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America, this call from political/ economic conservatives to vote for them as warriors in an apocalyptic battle to save religion and culture was a diversion meant to lure the religious right-wing into supporting economic policies that would actually destroy the financial futures of their everyday members. “Cultural anger is marshaled to achieve economic ends,” Frank wrote. “The leaders of the backlash may talk Christ, but they walk corporate. Values may ‘matter most’ to voters, but they always take a backseat to the needs of money once the elections are won.” The success of this strategy for the Republican Party, as I argued in When Religion Is an Addiction, was due to the psychological condition of the radical religious right-wing at the time. They were ripe for the picking. Their frayed, worn out addictive usage of religion while their churches were rejecting being yoked with “the world,” was no longer providing the “high of righteousness” on which they had come to rely. They needed assurance that they were still right. They needed something more to relieve their fears about their beliefs, to prove they
Positive Iowans Taking Charge (PITCH) is having a statewide conference call, March 28th at 7 PM. The Conference call is to provide emotional, social, and educational opportunities for Iowans across the state. Please contact Tami Haught at 641.715.4182 or tamih@pitchiowa.org to get your passcode for the call. The call in number for the conference call is 916.209.4534. Peer social support groups can help improve mental and physical health outcomes. PITCH hopes to accomplish this by providing: Educational support: PITCH is providing educational opportunities at the Wellness Summit, support groups, and working with other organizations to reduce stigma and discrimination. Speaker panels are available around the state.
Reducing isolation: PITCH has started hosting peer to peer led support groups around the state. Encouragement and Empowerment: PITCH members have found by helping others they empower themselves. Participants are now leaders at the Wellness Summit, support groups, and educational speaking around the state. PITCH (Positive Iowans Taking Charge) is a state-wide non-profit organization with a clear mission: To create an atmosphere where HIV+ people can unite, advocate, and assist other HIV+ people for better health and wellness. PITCH wants to be a source of encouragement, provide educational opportunities, camaraderie, and a sense of community to Iowans living with HIV/AIDS.
Guns, God, and gays are useful issues. They’ve been tools to rile up the right-wing religious voting base on which Republicans depend.
Statewide PITCH Conference Call Support Group
weren’t just kooks on the margins of an American culture that was leaving them behind. They found their salvation in movement politics. Their addiction had progressed, so they needed continuous political battles and victories. Once addicted to those new user activities, they couldn’t stop finding and fighting one cause after another after another. They needed the rejuvenating energy of fighting culture wars. They needed to believe they were crusading for their souls. Their presidential hope, George W. Bush, let them down. Then, the symbol of everything they feared was elected president, and they portrayed President Obama as the face of all that is evil. But the culture continued to change. Marriage equality picked up support. Women began to take for granted that they should have control over their bodies and reproductive choices. Younger generations grew less interested in the old people’s tired “war.” A five-year study of the Millennial generation by the conservative Barna Group, for example, found that conservative evangelical churches are losing young people, particularly their most creative. Their report concludes that young Christians see the evangelical church as an exclusive club that runs counter to young peoples’ values of open-mindedness, tolerance, and support of diversity. Still, the old right-wingers have gone back to what they knew. They’ve taken refuge again in “Culture Wars.” Fittingly, Pat Buchanan began his February 4, 2012 column: “Yes, Virginia, there is a religious war going on. It is for the soul of America. And traditional Christianity is besieged.” We know what the “Culture Wars” and “War against Religion” really are. It’s the diversion used to bring the religious rightwing to the polls and to move progressives off their strongest issues by responding to the outrageous things the right-wing says. With religious addicts, as with any
MARCH 2012
Robert N. Minor, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas, is author of When Religion Is an Addiction; Scared Straight: Why It’s So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard to Be Human and Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society. Contact him at www.FairnessProject.org. addict not in recovery, we know we must not be distracted by their arguments. We must set the agenda ourselves and refuse to let them get us off track arguing phony wars. Barry Goldwater predicted this kind of fight. The defeated conservative presidential candidate in 1964 told Nixon advisor John Dean: “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know; I’ve tried to deal with them.” Robert N. Minor, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of Kansas, is author of When Religion Is an Addiction; Scared Straight: Why It’s So Hard to Accept Gay People and Why It’s So Hard to Be Human and Gay & Healthy in a Sick Society. Contact him at www.FairnessProject.org.
Section 1: News & Politics
MARCH 2012
ACCESSline Page 9
Inside Out: Beyond Grief by Ellen Krug Three years ago, I walked into an intermediate memoir class at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. At that time, I only knew how to write legal briefs and courtroom motions—authored with awkward phrases like, “may it please the Court,” and “the plaintiff’s claim is nullified by the principle of res judicata.” My legal writing was guaranteed to put any normal human being asleep in five— wait, no, make that two—minutes, tops. With the help of Loft instructors and fellow writers, including a woman named Elizabeth, I began a long journey of learning how to write as a real writer. I’ve made some progress, but hell, I’ll always have some distance to go. I may never get to the point where I consider myself an actual writer, but then again, many writers think like that. Along the way, I’ve learned that many of us write because we’re survivors in one form or another. In three years, I’ve read pieces by rape and incest victims, beaten wives, abused children, suicide survivors, parents struggling with children who have life-altering disabilities, and adult children of alcoholics. In one way or another, we write about the human condition and how it’s possible to make it past many of life’s most difficult tragedies. A year and a half ago, Elizabeth invited
me into a group of well experienced writers. “Ellen’s a good writer,” Elizabeth vouched. The group took me in—there are nine of us in the Thursday Writing Group—seven women, two men. All but one are parents. Some in the Thursday group write for pleasure; others write to get published. Count me in the latter group. A retired biology professor writes about his years at Yale and in Paris in the 1960s, his conversion to Judaism, and how French scientists transformed biology into a scientific power field. A woman has completed a compelling memoir about growing up with Mimi, an African American maid in Trenton, New Jesey in the early ‘60s and the racism of that time. The single man of the group is writing about his father’s suicide nearly thirty years ago and how it shaped him forever. A hospice nurse has written about how her son—disabled from birth—has remarkably achieved living independence. For me, the Thursday group offered both professionalism and refuge. These people—all straight white folks—have allowed me the grace to grow as a writer. The put up with my abysmal first steps and urged me on as I wrote and rewrote page after page of my book. They accepted me, a transgender, and never blinked at any of the oddities about my life. It is a group of people I cherish dearly.
Parents are never supposed to bury their children. I have two twentysomething daughters, and the idea of losing either of them is unfathomable.
Recently, unbelievable tragedy struck the Thursday group. Incredibly, in the span of four months, two in the group lost twenty-something sons. In September, Elizabeth’s son Tom—by coincidence, a U of I student taking part in an outdoor leadership program—lost his footing on a mountain path in India and fell to the Goriganga River 250 feet below. Then, on New Year’s Day, Lucinda’s son Ben didn’t awake from an afternoon nap. It’s hit all of us like a sucker punch to the collective gut. I’ve been to two funeralmemorial services in the past three months, and I’ve listened to the stories of promising vibrant lives cut short. My heart has cried for my friends, but really, I can’t imagine Elizabeth and Lucinda’s pain. After all, parents are never supposed to bury their children. I have two twenty-something daughters, and the idea of losing either of them is unfathomable—I can’t even picture myself being able to live through it. I don’t know how Elizabeth and Lucinda are doing it. The rest in our writing group are struggling. We are collectively at a loss to find meaning out of the tragedies that have befallen our colleagues and their families. I walked into our most recent Thursday writing group session—which neither Elizabeth or Lucinda could bring themselves to attend—and saw palpable numbness. No one knew what to say, and everyone searched for something to grab onto to find meaning in the losses. I wondered if the group would continue, but given that we’re survivors at heart, I’m sure that it will. Last month, I invited Elizabeth out on a Saturday night. She’s alone—her son Tom is gone, as is her boyfriend of two years, who bailed when the pressure of the grief got to be too much. I took Elizabeth to a Lambda Legal fundraiser in downtown Minneapolis and then we went hip hop dancing at a basement club not far from my condo. The club was packed with twentyand thirty-somethings—people not far off from her son Tom’s age. On the dance floor, as I awkwardly gyrated to non-stop music vibrating at a percussive beat, I saw Elizabeth smile for the first time in months.
Ellen Krug, writer, lawyer, human, is presently completing her memoir, “Getting to Ellen: Crossing the Great Gender Divide,” which will be published in 2012. She lives in Minneapolis and works as the executive director of a nonprofit serving the underrepresented. She welcomes your comments at ellenkrug75@gmail.com. We forget that life is transitory, that none of us own forever. I’ve learned that I write because of that precise reason— words are permanent, whereas life is impermanent. There is a part of me that hopes my words will live on forever, as a way to reconcile everything that flowed from my decision to live authentically. Unlike Tom and Ben, at least I got the chance to live my life to the fullest. For the moment—and maybe forever—my ability to find authenticity pales in comparison to the grief—the bottomless hole of hurt and blackness—that Elizabeth and Lucinda now live given the loss of their children. I suspect they will write about their losses someday, giving us more words of survivorship and the human condition. Don’t confuse that with closure, however. As Elizabeth put it, “There’s no closure when your child goes before you.” I’d like to offer up some meaningful phrase or quote to reconcile how unfair life can be, but I can’t think of any. I can only say that some things simply are beyond grieving.
ACCESSline Page 10
Section 1: News & Politics
MARCH 2012
Creep of the Week by D’Anne Witkowski Patrick Wooden
Holy shit. And I mean that literally. Because Patrick Wooden is both a pastor and a man whose imagination is wildly scatological, at least when it comes to the gays. Wooden is a North Carolina pastor and an outspoken, to say the least, critic of LGBT rights. The American Family Association, National Organization for Marriage, and the Family Research Council all consider Wooden a good pal. In an interview with anti-gay chattering heads Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber on their Americans for Truth Hour radio show, Wooden made clear that he thinks gays are basically full of it. “The God of the Bible made the human sperm, the God of the Bible designed it and it was not designed to be emptied into an area that is filled with feces, there is nothing for it to germinate with, it will most certainly mean the extinction of the human race,” Wooden said. Hope you weren’t eating when you read that. But don’t worry. It gets worse. “My belief is that if the medical community would just step forward and just would share with the American people what happens to the male anus, the problems that homosexuals have with their rectums, the damage that is done, the operations that are needed to sew up their bodies if you will, and how many of the men don’t even give these stitches time to heal before they are back out there practicing that wicked behavior,” he continued. “Some are bleeders, men who are not turned off by ingesting the feces of other men.” Woah. Where to even start? First of all, the claim that anal sex will bring about the extinction of the human race is a little hyperbolic. Just a tad. I mean, if somehow people all over the world, gay and straight and everything in between, stopped any other form of sex then, sure, that might be an issue. But to even suggest that is going to happen takes a really big leap of faith and imagination. Then again, I think it’s pretty clear that Wooden’s imagination is very, well, active. “Bleeders” eating poo? Dude. I also really think that the key words in Wooden’s comments are “my belief.” It
is his belief that the medical community should “step forward” and “share” this anal fiction with America. As if there’s some huge underground anus operation cabal no one is talking about. And speaking of truth, Wooden had more to spew: “If the truth was told, people would literally gag and no one would want to be in a lifestyle like that. Who wants to practice anything that is going to ultimately lead a grown man to about the time he’s in his 40s or 50s, or what not, having to wear a diaper or a butt plug just to be able to contain their bowels?” Wow, how do you even respond to that? I mean, besides having gay men with healthy butts send photographic evidence to Wooden.
Stacey Campfield
There are a lot of things wrong with State Senator Stacey Campfield (R-Tennessee). Mainly mouth things and brain things, as in the thoughts he has and the things he says out loud. Sadly, because he’s a state legislator, those things manifest themselves in actual legislation, like the bill he authored that would forbid sex education classes to even mention anything other than heterosexuality. Because, as has been widely shown, if you say “gay” three times in a row, you become gay. Or maybe that’s Beetlejuice. It doesn’t matter. Campfield knows the best way to prevent homosexuality is to pretend it doesn’t exist. For reasons I don’t totally understand, Campfield was recently interviewed on Michelangelo Signorile’s SiriusXM radio show OutQ. I’m fairly certain Campfield’s reason for going on the program had something to do with a desire to increase the number of people who think he is terrible. In that case: success. Campfield made some really stunning anti-gay points. Like how anti-gay bullying “is the biggest lark out there.” In his opinion, gay kids don’t kill themselves because they’re bullied, they kill themselves because they’re gay. He said, “I think a lot of times these young teens and young children, they find it very hard
First of all, the claim that anal sex will bring about the extinction of the human race is a little hyperbolic. Just a tad.
on themselves and unfortunately some of them commit suicide.” He also complained that you can’t turn on a TV these days without something gay getting shoved down your throat. “Homosexuals represent about 2 to 3 percent of the population yet you look at television and plays and theaters, it’s 50 percent of the theaters, probably more than that, 50 percent of the theaters based on something about homosexuality,” he said. He is, of course, 100% mathematically accurate about TV, but he’s really low-balling that “plays and theaters” number. As for his gay gag order bill, he stood up for it. “I just think there are situations where some kids may be sexually unsecure in themselves or sexually confused and don’t necessarily know clearly what direction they are,” he says. “If someone, a person of influence, says maybe you’re gay, maybe you should explore those things—maybe the child, who is young and impressionable, says maybe I am gay.” Hmm…A kid wondering whether or not he’s gay. The horror! But what if he actually is gay? Best he ignore it, I guess. And I don’t know what kinds of people “of influence” Campfield had in his life as a kid, but his idea that, say, teachers and guidance counselors are telling kids, “Hey, you might be a homo. Go try out some gay sex and get back to us,” is ludicrous. But Campfield isn’t a man who worries about seeming ridiculous. Or ignorant. You need look no further than his comments to Signorile about AIDS. “Most people realize that AIDS came from the homosexual community—it was one guy screwing a monkey, if I recall correctly, and then having sex with men,” Campfield said. “It was an airline pilot, if I recall.” And he may, in fact, recall, just like I recall hearing that eating Pop Rocks and drinking Coke at the same time would cause my stomach to explode. He can recall all day long, but that doesn’t make the above comments factually accurate. But wait, there’s more. He also said, “My understanding is that it is virtually—not completely, but virtually—impossible to contract AIDS through heterosexual sex.” This man clearly has a lot of trouble with “understanding,” because that’s totally incorrect. Terrifyingly incorrect, actually. Like “something only a dumb shit says that out loud” incorrect. Campfield is, to borrow his own words, the biggest lark out there. And the joke’s on us.
week’s Creep is not just a million random ladies with kids. One Million Moms is an affiliate of the American Family Association. So you can imagine how much these moms love homos. OMM loves homos so much that they won’t stop calling JC Penney to talk about them. Or, specifically, “her,” as in one particular homo: Ellen DeGeneres. I know what you’re thinking: “JC Penney still exists? And there are really people who are freaked that Ellen’s gay? I thought both of those things became nonissues in 1997.” We l l , n o t s o much. In any case, DeGeneres recently signed on to be JC Penney’s celebrity spokesperson and anti-gay folks are fuming because obviously JC Penney is obviously trying to recruit young ladies onto Team Lesbo by selling Hush Puppies, tailored suit jackets, and softball jerseys in the junior miss section. Also Ellen will most likely be giving live, in-store lesbian sex demonstrations. Otherwise, what’s there to fuss over? Plenty, if you read the One Million Moms’ poorly written alerts on their website. “Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families,” OMM muses. “DeGeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store. The majority of JC Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there. The small percentage of customers they are attempting to satisfy will not offset their loss in sales.” I’m not sure of OMM has noticed, but Ellen DeGeneres has a wildly popular TV show and millions of people love her. So it seems a bit of a stretch to say the “majority” of JC Penney shoppers are going to go buy their $8 knit fashion tops and $4 bath towels somewhere less gay friendly. Well, I’ll give them one thing: DeGeneres really isn’t a true representation of JC Penney’s customer base. But it’s not because she’s a lesbian. It’s because she’s rich. OMM is determined to bring JC Penney to its gay-loving knees and they’ve been working the phones demanding that Ellen be fired. “Ask JC Penney to replace Ellen DeGeneres as their new spokesperson immediately and remain neutral in the culture war,” the OMM website reads. And, of course, to groups like OMM and its parent group, the AFA, being “neutral” means pretending that LGBT people do not exist. And having a prominent lesbian representing a store where “families” shop makes that fiction ever harder to live by.
In his opinion, gay kids don’t kill themselves because they’re bullied, they kill themselves because they’re gay.
OMM is determined to bring JC Penney to its gayloving knees and they’ve been working the phones demanding that Ellen be fired.
One Million Moms
Lest there be any confusion, this
TTCREEP continued page 30
ACCESSline’s fun guide
Our Picks for March
3/1-4, Des Moines, Heartland Swing Festival, heartlandswingfestival.com 3/2, Fairfield, Fairfield 1st Fridays Art Walk, fairfieldartwalk.org 3/2-4, North Iowa Fairgrounds-Mason City,
Madonna Expresses Herself Interview by Chris Azzopardi
North Iowa Home and Landscaping Show, iowashows.com
3/2, 7:30 PM, Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Riverside, Tower of Power, hancher.uiowa.edu 3/3, 10 & 11 AM, Botna Bend Park, Maple Tree Tapping, pottcoconservation.com 3/3, Iowa State Center, Ames, “Tschaikowski” St. Petersburg State Orchestra, center.iastate.edu 3/3-4, 8:30-12:30 PM, Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, Maple Syrup Festival, indiancreeknaturecenter.org 3/4, 3 PM, Ames, Young Artists’ ConcertCentral Iowa Symphony, cisymphony.org 3/5, Iowa State Center-Ames, Danu,center.iastate.edu 3/16, Reiman Gardens, Ames, Celtic Music in the Gardens reimangardens.com 3/23, Iowa State Center, Ames, FabFour center.iastate.edu 3/23, 7:30 PM, Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts, Fairfield, Yesterday: A tribute to the Beatles, fairfieldacc.com 3/24, 7 PM, Ohnward Fine Arts Center-Maquoketa,
Glenn Miller Orchestra
ohnwardfineartscenter.com 3/27, Riverside-Riverside Casino & Golf Resort Event Center, Soweto Gospel Choir hancher.uiowa.edu 3/28, Englert Theatre, Iowa City:
The Magnetic Fields
Madonna on the set of her movie W./E. Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company.
Gay icon relates herself to ‘strong women’ in new film, talks being an outsider and the latest era of her career With all of Madonna’s metamorphoses throughout her balls-out career, slipping in and out of cultural zeitgeists (and accents), the queen chameleon is still the master of reinvention. Just don’t tell her that. “Please don’t throw those tired, old clichés at me,” Madonna playfully insists, nodding her head at me in half-kidding agitation. (Hey, at least it wasn’t hydrangeas.) Her annoyance is marked with cheekiness—and a smile—that only the First Lady of Pop can pull off, and has for three decades. This is a new chapter in the indelible diva’s run, as she drops her hyped 12th album, MDNA, in March via a three-disc deal with Interscope; plans to launch an extensive world tour; does, perhaps, the gayest Super Bowl halftime ever; and releases her feature-length directorial debut W.E., a pet project that recently won her a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
3/30-4/22, Des Moines Community Playhouse, Des Moines, Ring of Fire, dmplayhouse.com 3/31, Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, Des Moines, Moulin Rouge-The Ballet civicenter.org 3/31, Englert Theatre-Iowa City, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 englert.org
...and April
4/28-29, Eagles Landing-Marquette, Iowa Wine Trail eagleslandingwinery.com
Madonna. Photo courtesy of Shaun Mader/ PatrickMcMullan.com.
And she—sexpot, spiritualist, Material Girl—really only has one word to define herself at the moment: “Busy.” Always unpredictable, she’s not interested in breaking down the details of what’s to come. All she cares to talk about is the film, a semi-biopic on Wallis Simpson (played by Andrea Riseborough) and King Edward VIII dovetailed with a modernday love story centered on fictionalized damsel-in-distress Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish). Seated with Madonna at a WaldorfAstoria suite in New York City on a December afternoon, one writer tells her he has a question to kick off the interview. “I’m sure you do,” she quips all-knowingly, as if to acknowledge the fact that she’s aware how much gay men go gaga over her. This is, after all, the room reserved for a small group of gay press, her first stop after a tardy arrival—“It’s all too much. That’s why I’m late! I’m late for everything now.”—and the one her longtime publicist, Liz Rosenberg, insists will put her in a good mood for the rest of the day. Madonna agrees, sighing: “Let’s start with levity.” Madonna’s in her groove around us. She knows we get her even when she’s wielding snarky cracks. Ask her if she knows how to do the twist like the characters in her film and she responds: “Yes.” Hard pause. “Pretty simple.” Reminisce on when you last interviewed Madonna and she won’t care. “All right, let’s get down to business,” she insists, done with small-talk. And so we do. Looking stunningly flawless, not at all her 53 years, in a deep blue dress with her now-infamous black gloves and a bracelet of four crosses to represent each one of her children, she gives us exactly what we want: Madonna. No pretense. No filter. No warm-and-fuzzy. In the interview, she talks about the challenges of being a strong woman in a man’s world, teaching her children to be unique and how outsiders can relate to her new film. What similarities do you see between Wallis and Evita?
TTMADONNA cont’d page 31
the fun guide
ACCESSline Page 12
MARCH 2012
Wired This Way by Rachel Eliason
Who is PFC Bradley Manning?
A year ago this month I started a new column, Wired That Way about the interconnection between the Internet and the LGBT community. My first article was on the subject of Hacktivism, the use of computer skills (hacking) for political purposes (activism). I thought for my anniversary I would return to the subject by looking at one of the most interesting, controversial and pivotal Hacktivists of our time, Private First Class Bradley Manning. To say that Manning is an iconic figure of our times would be an understatement, but an icon of what? The image we are most used to seeing is of a young man in a military uniform and beret. His face may be smiling and innocent but the headlines paint a very different picture. He is facing no less than 22 charges, including aiding and abetting the enemy, a charge that could bring the death penalty or life in the army brig. An elementary school teacher compared the young Bradley Manning to a hummingbird, small but always active. Still slight and barely a man, he is now one of the most heavily guarded prisoners in our country. He was a gay soldier before the repeal of Don’t ask Don’t tell and yet it seems that his sexuality was an open secret. Everything about this person seems contradictory. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that such a young man with so many conflicting elements would come to
mean so many different things to different people. Many see him as traitor, the most infamous spy of our generation. To others he is a hero for free speech, a whistle blower who spoke out against the war in Iraq. A short history of Bradley Manning:
Born December 17th 1987 in a small Oklahoma town he would later quip, “had more pews than people” Bradley Manning was the second child to a Navy veteran and his Welsh wife. Even at a very early age Manning loved computers. His mother remembered him as a toddler sitting and “pecking away” at keys on his father’s computer. Described as intelligent, a straight A student and a nerd, Manning started learning programming from his father at age 8. Manning’s family life was less than perfect. His father has been described as verbally abusive and his mother drank. Despite his high grades and academic achievements, his parents showed little interest in Manning’s schooling, rarely even attending parent teacher conferences. The two separated in 1999 and divorced in 2000. Manning was thirteen. That same year Manning confessed to a friend that he had a crush, on another boy. He informed his mother he was gay and for the next almost seven years he was “out” about his sexuality. When his father remarried he went to live with his mother in Wales. He had trouble fitting in Wales and after graduating high school he returned to Oklahoma to live with his father and stepmother. His father helped him land a job in comput-
Many see him as traitor, the most infamous spy of our generation. To others he is a hero for free speech, a whistle blower who spoke out against the war in Iraq.
ers. He still struggled to fit in socially and fought terribly with his stepmother. He ended up leaving and for a short time was homeless and living in Chicago. In 2006 Debra Manning, Bradley’s aunt came back into his life. He lived with her for fifteen months and then on his cousin’s advice enlisted in the army. He told Bradley it would give him structure and the army would help him go to college. He entered basic in October of 2007.
Army life
Manning’s intelligence and aptitude with computers made him a natural fit for military intelligence. Nothing else about Manning did. Like all gay soldiers at the time, Manning was forced to hide his sexuality. Unlike many, he had been open and was active in the gay rights movement before entering the service. His sexuality was an open secret for his superiors and he groused online about being forced to live a double life. Manning’s troubled childhood had left its mark and he was often angry and prone to outbursts. In addition to his sexuality he had also been in counseling for GID (gender identity disorder). In addition there were numerous red flags that Manning was not adjusting to military life. He clashed with his roommates and had few friends in the army. His immediate superiors questioned his mental stability and required him to go to counseling. In a Facebook post he said cryptically “Bradley Manning is not a machine.” In order to receive security clearance Manning underwent a psychiatric exam. The psychiatrist recommended that Manning be held back when his unit deployed. But the army was short of military analysts. Manning was given top secret clearance and sent to Iraq.
Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
Porn star James Deen recruited by Bret Easton Ellis
Ellis, alt-porn star James Deen and Taxi Driver screenwriter/Cat People director Paul Schrader. All are possibly-maybe working together. Recently, Ellis got on Twitter (where his wildest work’s been appearing lately) and talked about an “L.A. noir micro budget Paul Schrader movie” he’s got cooking that would star Deen. Apparently the role will require the adult film star, who’s built a reputation as the approachable guy-next-door porn star, to be fully naked and having sex with “girls and guys realistically,” so he’s already qualified. And as an actor, he can’t be any more monotone than fellow adult performer Sasha Grey was in Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience, right? More news as this one develops.
it was time for Julian Fellowes’s addictive smash hit upstairs-downstairs drama to cast the visiting mother of Downton’s Americanborn Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) with…Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine will join the cast for season three, which begins shooting next month. Obviously, no story lines have been leaked yet but it’s safe to say that, even in a grand home of more than a hundred rooms, the place isn’t going to be big enough for the both of them. And OK, maybe it won’t reach the hair-pulling heights of Joan Collins and Linda Evans duking it out in a fountain on Dynasty, but this is going to be good. So good.
Ryan Murphy’s New Downton Abbey matriarch Normal: song-less and horror-free cage match! James Deen courtesy of Glenn Francis/ PacificProDigital.com. It doesn’t get crazier than this combination: American Psycho author Bret Easton
The only thing that could possibly be better than watching Downton Abbey’s Maggie Smith, as the Dowager Countess, stop the rest of the cast dead in their tracks with withering glances and haughty comments would be watching her spar with another matriarch of her own caliber. And that’s why
It’s official: Ryan Murphy is taking over all of television as we know it. He’s already got Glee and American Horror Story on the air, and now NBC has ordered a pilot for The New Normal, a half-hour comedy project Murphy co-created with Allison Adler. It’s set to star The Book of Mormon’s Andrew Rannells and its plot concerns a blended family of a
Rachel Eliason is a forty two year old Transsexual woman. She was given her first computer, a Commodore Vic-20 when she was twelve and she has been fascinated by technology ever since. In the thirty years since that first computer she has watched in awe as the Internet has transformed the LGBT community. Her collumn, Wired That Way discusses how technology has fueled and propelled the LGBT community. In addition to her column, Rachel has published a collection of short stories, Tales the Wind Told Me and is currently working on her debut novel, Run, Clarissa, Run. Rachel can be found all over the web, including on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Goodreads.
The Crime Despite struggling with living a double life and trying to fit in with military life, Bradley was eager to go. He told his aunt that he wanted to use his skills in the field and assured his sister he would be
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gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate to help the men make a baby. Its prospects are good, too: there was already a bidding war over the project. So if it goes to series, it’ll be for the TV and cultural critics to sort out what the impact will be of the kind of gay parenting show we’ll all ultimately get from Murphy. He is, after all, a man whose screenwriting approach to gay men leans heavily toward the old-school “fabulous” end of the spectrum, but at least those guys on Modern Family and Lea Michele’s invisible gay dads won’t be alone now.
When Kylie Minogue met the French art film director
If you’re gay then it’s fairly certain you’re aware of pop diva Kylie Minogue, but how up are you on your Leos Carax? Not much? Not at all? OK, crash course: He’s one of the bad boys of French cinema and his last feature was the dark, difficult 1999 film Pola X, which starred the late Guillaume Depardieu (having real sex on camera) and Catherine Deneuve (not with her). And now, finally, Carax is back with a feature titled Holly Motors, about a man
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the fun guide
MARCH 2012
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Easily Distracted: Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy by Joshua Dagon Another season has come and gone. The winter is winding down; snow is melting, leaves are budding, eggs are hatching, and every stitch of the clothing you own is now unfashionable. It’s Spring Fashion Week, kids, which means you’ll need to make some serious decisions regarding your wardrobe in the sense that according to Perry Ellis—who died in 1986 but evidently left instructions concerning turn-ofthe-millennium leather belts and messenger bags—not only are your existing outfits un-wearable but you might also suffer serious trauma by continuing to don them, in that tailors and department store clerks will take one look at you, vomit, and then maim you with a steam iron. I understand that the standards of this season’s fashions can be confusing, especially if you haven’t been keeping up with the latest industry guidelines, such as the new way your jeans must fit and the fact that socks should only be worn if you’re over thirty. However, don’t panic. I’m here to address your questions and concerns in this year’s installment of Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy, tackling any quandary, unless it is simply too stupid. Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy, I’ve read that denim shirts are making a comeback and, as it happens, I still own one from the fall of 1994. Assuming that wearing the shirt again is acceptable, what kind of pants would you think best to compliment it?
— Recycling Dear Recycling, Denim shirts were not fashionable in the spring of 1994, so I have to assume that you have recently had a stroke. That being the case I’ll try to cover the very basics of this dilemma in that you obviously have the style sense of a blind Amish boy. First and foremost, even if your ridiculous denim shirt looks exactly like one you may have seen in the 2012 Burberry London Spring Collection, let me assure you that it is very different. There are likely distinctions in the weight of the material alone that informed critics would quickly recognize. Burn the shirt immediately and then perhaps consider a neurologic consultation. Where pants are concerned, however, you can never go wrong with a pair of low waist Marc Jacobs spring corduroys ($495.00). Or, if the cost of such a garment is prohibitive for you, maybe a pair of Iron Man pajama bottoms will serve well enough while you’re attending ComicCon. Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy, Some of this season’s fashions are very bold, featuring striking patterns and brightlycolored solids. Giorgio Armani’s collection includes a unique plaid vest and a solid navy, double-breasted jacket. Donatella Versace’s collection contains a vivid, canary yellow suit while Frida Giannini presented a burgundyaccented plaid ensemble. These are not the sort of choices most men can make, are they? Sure, they look great on the male models while
they’re on the runway, but at what point do the compositions become practical? — Everyday Guy Dear Everyday Guy, You’re absolutely right. Bold fashions are for bold men. Still, I hear what you’re saying; it’s not necessary to actually be a male model to pull off the kind of styles being presented by today’s top designers. As long as you’re under the age of twenty-five, and have been a personal health and fitness trainer and/or professional lifeguard for at least three years, you should be just fine. Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy, I know that polished brown oxfords and suede desert boots are in right now but I also read that a clean pair of traditional sneakers can complement just about any spring outfit. Why should I spend six-hundred dollars on a pair of Fratelli Rossetti shoes when I can get away with some plain Keds? — Spending Sensibly Dear Spending Sensibly, It sounds like you need to do some prioritizing. Do you want to make a stylish impression this season or do you want to blend in with the cast of Jersey Shore? Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy, I was out shopping just yesterday but I didn’t see any items that have recently been featured in male fashion magazines. What’s going on? — Searching for Style Dear Searching for Style, You were likely shopping in the wrong store. Here’s how to check: Is there an express check-out lane? Yes? You’re in the wrong store. Dear Mr. Über-Chic Spring Fashion Guy, When did form overtake function? Why on God’s great Earth would anyone pay five-thousand dollars for a Louis Vuitton tote bag? Are you all out of your minds? And who is Oliver Peoples that he can charge
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Originally I was named Phoenix O’Hara, but when I moved to Chicago so many people called me Phi Phi as a nickname so it just stuck! Sounds like a Pomeranian puppy… I love it! Ha! What can audiences expect during your performances at Studio 13 in Iowa City on March 23rd, and at The Garden Nightclub on March 24th? “PHIERCE PH**KING SHOW!” I love dancing and high energy and really bringing a level of entertainment some may not have seen, whether it be costumes, hair, makeup—I like to just have fun! How has your life changed since being on Season 4 of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Wow where to start, it is honestly a dream come true, people treat me differently and for me I know I am the same person, and instead of being looked at as a celebrity I want people to know me as their friend! I am excited because doors have opened not just with shows, but my music career! I finally get to finish not one but two albums! Something I have dreamt of doing! Do you have an idol or mentor? And what have they inspired in you? Definitely my mother. She is a very strong independent person who was able to fight through so many struggles and always ended up on top! The perfect person to aspire to be like! God, I love her! You are on quite a tour. What’s been
your favorite club to perform at from across the country? It has been a craaaazy tour and I love it, I love ALL of the cities I work because I get to meet all my “phanatics” that have been tweeting and Facebook and “phanmailing” me! It is just nice to know that whichever city I am in I am able to be with my real supporters! But right now the PHIERCEST place would be here at The Garden, duh!!! Ha! Showing the GLBT community in a positive light is important to you, how do you go about doing that? For me it is about being strong! I always get upset hearing about teen suicide and abuse, and it saddens me… I don’t recommend being soooooooo strong with their words like I am, but I think people should really value their self worth and realize they are beautiful and believe it! If by me being on TV and sharing my story helps even one person, I did my job! You have a PhiPhipedia, what are some of your favorite words and their definitions? I love PHIERCE and PH**K, probably the most used words by all of my PHANATICS, hehe, it is really great to be able to take everyday words and make them my own! I didn’t think it would catch on like it did though! I love it! Costume design is one of your passions, can you share a favorite?
It sounds like you need to do some prioritizing. Do you want to make a stylish impression this season or do you want to blend in with the cast of Jersey Shore?
PHI PHI You moved from Texas to Chicago when you “found” yourself. Can you tell me a little about that? I loves San Antonio, but I had bigger dreams and goals for myself that sadly I wasn’t able to achieve in Texas, so I literally woke up one day and packed what I had and sold my furniture and car and hit it to Chicago… not the smartest plan, but I like an adventure. ‘What tips would you give a young queen starting their ‘Drag Journey?’’ I have been called a “bitch” so much, and to be honest it is my bitch mentality that got me where I am. I don’t think any new queen should ever let someone tell them they are not capable of success! Make sure that you are having fun, and as long as your fans are happy that is all that matters. Drag is a learning experience, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right away! How did you get your start in the drag world? Someone told me I would never be successful, pretty, or talented… I think I clearly proved them wrong! I don’t like when someone says I can’t do something! I prove them wrong. Where does the name Phi Phi O’Hara come from?
Novelist Joshua Dagon is the author of Into the Mouth of the Wolf, The Fallen, and Demon Tears. For more information, please go to www.joshuadagon.com. To contact Mr. Dagon, please e-mail him at jd@joshuadagon.com.
five-hundred dollars for a pair of sunglasses? I can see splurging a little on a business suit, but suggesting that a CP Company military jacket is even a necessary spring item much less that it’s worth seven-hundred dollars is preposterous. Don’t you think that the fashion industry has lost sight of real world application? Don’t you think it’s just a little insulting that designers are making such a big deal over how many bracelets should be worn with a watch and whether or not to cuff your chinos? Don’t you think this has all gotten way out of hand? — Functionally Frustrated Dear Frustrated, No. I love creating costumes!!! I get to make everything my own and put a piece of me into every design. I think it is important to stand out with what you wear, and I try hard to never repeat costumes… although now it is getting harder! My recent phave would definitely be outfit I wore for the LA premiere!
“I've dedicated my career to fighting the mundane. My hope is that my career will be a shining example to children everywhere that life is more meaningful when you are not afraid to see all colors of the rainbow.“ — RuPaul
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the fun guide
MARCH 2012
Cocktail Chatter by Ed Sikov The Rob Roy: A Wee Tale
“A Rob Roy,” Chipper announced much too loudly. He looked around the table at our stunned expressions and seemed quite pleased with himself. As we stared—Chipper is a devout martini drinker—the server asked in a bright tone of voice, “How would you like that, sir?” “Perfect, please,” Chipper said. He leaned back in his chair and asked, “And what will you all be having?” “Rob Roy!” Craig cried. “Same!” said Dan. “Make mine a Rob Roy!” Paolo decided after pretending to think about it for a moment. “Who am I to break this chain of fools?” I inquired. “Rob Roys all around.” “Perfect!” Chipper said. “What’s so perfect about it?” Craig asked. “It’s a different kind of perfect,” I started but was immediately cut off by Chipper. “A perfect Rob Roy is made of Scotch mixed with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth,” he explained. Everybody turned to me for verification. “Och! The laddie’s right. Even the
wee bairn o’ Scotland know it.” Having once played Harry Beaton in a community theater production of Brigadoon, I’m prone to launching into a Broadway brogue at the least excuse. Dan groaned. “There he goes,” he said wearily. “He’ll be Harry Beaton for the rest of the evening.” “I’m leavin’ Brigadoon!” I blared and got up to use the men’s room. When I returned, there were five Rob Roys on the table. “We waited for you,” Paolo said. “To make an appropriate toast,” Craig added. Dan harrumphed. “Och!” I sang out. “I cannae believe how kind ye are! To the Rob Roy, to wee Chipper, and to Sean Connery’s kilt and the bonnie peenie that lies beneath!” Craig rather spoiled the festivities by spitting out a mouthful of Rob Roy onto the tablecloth. “Blechhhhh!” he said redundantly. “That’s the worst drink I’ve ever had!” Chipper was appalled; the rest of us couldn’t help but giggle. “Noew then,” I began, only to feel Dan’s hand squeeze my thigh. “Put Harry Beaton to bed, hon.” “Och!” I cried—Dan was not going to have the last word on this—“OK. I think it’s the ‘perfect’ that makes it imperfect.”
“To the Rob Roy, to wee Chipper, and to Sean Connery’s kilt and the bonnie peenie that lies beneath!”
“ H ow s o ? ” a s ke d C h i p p e r. “It’s the wee—I’m sorry, this is hard for me—the small amount of sweet vermouth that clashes with the smoky scotch. If anyone cares for a second one, I suggest ordering it dry. And by the way, Chipper, what’s with the Rob Roy to begin with?” “My aunt Kate started doing genealogical research and she just told me that she’s sure that we’re related to Rob Roy McGregor, for whom the drink is named. He was the Robin Hood of Scotland.” “Bullshit,” Craig snapped. “You’re more likely to be related to Farmer McGregor.” Chipper and I were the only ones to go for a second Rob Roy, and we both ordered them dry. “Och!” I said much to Dan’s consternation. “I’m nae Harry Beaton noew. I’m Grrrroundskeeperrrr Willie, an’ I say it’s a fine a’drrrrrrrinkie!” “I live with this,” Dan said to his plate. He received no answer.
The Rob Roy, Dry
• 4 parts Scotch (it was originally made with Dewar’s, but use any brand you like) • 1 part dry vermouth Mix both liquors in a shaker filled with ice; shake; serve in a martini glass.
I Walked (Barely) with a Zombie
My birthday was approaching, and Ramona insisted on taking me out to celebrate. “Let’s get shitfaced,” she advised. She’d just broken up with a 24-year-old gymnast. For some reason she wanted to revisit Le Quai à Nice, the French bistro we’d gone to several months ago. When I arrived I found Ramona on the sidewalk staring at the storefront. “What’s up, Mo?” I asked. “It’s gone!” she cried. “Look!” She pointed to a Caribbean restaurant called Turks and Cake-O’s. Le Quai à Nice was now a calypso joint. “Oh well,” she shrugged. “Conch fritters, anyone?” We were seated immediately, Turks and Cake-O’s not having quite caught on yet. “Two Zombies,” Ramona yelled at the dark, handsome waiter before she’d even taken off her coat. “Mo, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said. “F*** you,” she advised. “It’s your birthday, and I just got dumped by the best lay I’ve ever had.” (This was an achievement; Ramona isn’t known for sexual restraint.) “What’s in a Zombie anyway?” she asked. “A laundry list of heavy duty alcohol mixed with some fruit juices so you won’t
know how strong it is. Let’s have one each and switch to seltzer.” “No!” she shouted. The bartender turned and looked at us warily, as did the three other diners in the room. “Fasten your seatbelts,” she quoted. “It’s going to be a bumpy night.” A shiver ran down my spine. Mo polished off her Zombie before we’d even ordered any food, which gave her the opportunity to describe every inch of Geoff the gymnast’s body before getting anything to sop up her boozy misery. I’ve never heard even the gayest guy describe a man’s body in such hot detail. I felt like I’d spent a weekend in the sack with Geoff—with a magnifying glass and Klieg light. The highlights: “The best-tasting treasure trail ever.” “Pecs like granite.” “I swear he had a 12-pack. I counted!” “His dick was only seven inches, but he made up for it in other ways, if you know what I mean.” (I didn’t, but didn’t care to ask for clarification.) “And the sweetest little hairs around his nipples.” “Anotherrround,” Ramona slurred when the waiter arrived with the conch fritters. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I said though my own buzzy haze. Ramona leaned toward me as though she was about to reveal a secret. “Theysayitsyrbrthday, yagonnahaveagoodtime,” Ramona said conspiratorially. The rest of the evening was like limbo—the place, not the dance. I remember helping Ramona on with her coat at the front door with the waiter hurrying toward us with the check, which we hadn’t paid; pulling Ramona off the sidewalk, where in an inadvertent homage to “Loony Tunes” she’d slipped on banana peel; folding her into a cab and giving the cabbie $20 to get her safely into her building; somehow landing in my bed; and Dan waking me up as he pulled my shoes off with a scowl. They don’t call them Zombies for nothing.
I’ve never heard even the gayest guy describe a man’s body in such hot detail. The Zombie
• 1 oz. white rum • 1 oz. golden rum • 1 oz. dark rum • 1/2 oz. fruit brandy • 3/4 oz. pineapple juice • 3/4 oz. papaya juice • Lime juice to taste • 151-proof rum to float on top Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake, then strain into a Collins glass (a tall, usually straight-sided tumbler) filled with cracked ice. Float the 151 rum on top by inverting a spoon over the glass and slowly pouring a thin stream of 151 over the back of the spoon.
“I don’t mind straight people, as long as they act gay in public.” — Dennis Rodman
MARCH 2012
the fun guide
Hear Me Out by Chris Azzopardi Kathleen Edwards, Voyageur
Her songs have generally been outside herself, but Kathleen Edwards isn’t writing about other people anymore. She’s writing about herself. Voyageur is the Canadian alt-folkie’s most personal work, a 10-song musical catharsis after the tumultuous end of a five-year marriage. For all the doubt, soul-searching and heart-shattering sadness, though, it’s off to a surprisingly carefree start: “I’m moving to America,” she asserts— following it with the punch line: “It’s an empty threat.” Her wingman/new boyfriend, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, adds just enough of his trademark soft-rock euphoria to shake up Edwards’ girl-with-guitar sound. Plainspoken and brutally honest, the words, however, are all Edwards—regrettably recalling her wedding day (dire “Pink Champagne”), seeking solace (sprawling beauty “A Soft Place
to Land”) and rebounding on the redemptive rocker “Change the Sheets.” Her fragile drawl whirls into a mesmerizing dream that’s really more of a nightmare on the hauntingly solemn “House Full of Empty Rooms,” a standout so in touch with its feelings of uncertainty and isolation that it could’ve only been written in the midst of her own hell. She picks herself back up on ’90s-esque “Sidecar,” a buzzy breather that’s uniquely hopeful and upbeat. Simple and direct, working in context of the rest of the downer album with that ditty, is all Edwards needs to be. That straightforward voice, in every sense, is what makes Voyageur an insightful and fulfilling journey. Grade: B+
Joyful Noise soundtrack
the churchy musical that’s about as campy as pitching a tent. Speaking of tents, it stars Dolly Parton, a good enough reason to invest in this gospel lovers’ gay dream come true. The other? Queen Latifah, turning a soulful, if short, take on “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” during the otherwise hilariously cornball mash-up “Higher Medley” that also replaces Usher’s sexisms with call-outs to the Father. Together, the divas vocally throw down on the uplifting love-is-all “Not Enough,” a choirlifted whopper that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Sister Act movie. To cover its bases, like the country crowd that Parton pulls, the legend does “From Here to the Moon and Back,” a stripped-down orchestral charmer, with Kris Kristofferson. It’s a fine song that’s basically a more subdued “I Will Always Love You.” On “In Love,” Kirk Franklin preaches to the choir, literally, and Latifah’s “Fix Me Jesus” is one of her most understated performances ever. The rest just feels like Glee in God’s house: bombast nearly butchers the end of “Maybe I’m Amazed” and Nickelodeon star Keke Palmer does a decent but forgettable job with her Disney-fed rendition of “Man in the Mirror.” The music from Joyful Noise isn’t nearly as sinfully bad as the movie is said to be. What does that mean? You can listen and not go to confession the next day. Grade: B-
Also Out God and Glee walk into a recording studio and…no, it’s not a joke. It’s Joyful Noise,
Imperial Teen, Feel the Sound Such a breezy listen that it goes down too
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easy, the 16-year-old cult foursome—two of which are queer—pull together hum-worthy hooks on their first album in five years. Like Scissor Sisters for rock radio, the co-ed collective from San Francisco leans on chompy guitar riffs and enough melodic sing-alongs to write a book on the science of sound (see: 1999’s “Yoo Hoo,” used in Jawbreaker). Giddiness rides out “Runaway,” a mindless piece of illuminated pop; the rest follows similarly and sounds like more beguiling versions of songs by the Shins. The refrain during the last tune, a musically transcendental highlight, sums up the album best: “It’s overtaking, it’s overtaking us.” First Aid Kit, The Lion’s Roar Deep-rooted Americana from the depths of…Sweden? Besides a Stockholm nod, there’s nary a hint that this sibling act are from Robyn soil, especially when Johanna and Klara’s sophomore CD is back-roads folk with an affinity for the genre’s legends. Proof: “Emmylou,” a hat-tip to traditional tropes that also features an adorable refrain. And then there are those voices, instruments that recall the greats in how enchantingly throwback they are. “To a Poet” works into a mesmerizing chorus that’s pure country heartbreak, harmonized beautifully in a highsung lament. Handclaps and horns round out this gem of an album on the boisterous hootenanny “King of the World”—and if anyone rules the world this year, let’s hope it’s First Aid Kit. Reach Chris Azzopardi at chris@pridesource.com.
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MERRITT them again and again. Merritt will be performing in Iowa City with The Magnetic fields on March 28th, one week after The Englert presents “Strange Powers,” a documentary about Merritt and the band on March 21st. You’re coming to Iowa City March 28… I don’t think I’ve been to Iowa City before. I know I’ve been to Des Moines. You’ll be performing with The Magnetic Fields. Tell us about the members of the group. Sam Davol will be playing Cello. John Woo will be playing acoustic guitar. Claudia Gonson will be playing piano and occasionally singing. Shirley Simms will be playing the ukulele and singing about half the time. And I will be playing the harmonium, melodic, and kazoo, and singing about half the time. So your performances use acoustic instruments, rather than synthesizers, which were used so much on your current album which is being released March sixth? We always ignore the sound of the album when we tour. But you will be performing songs from the new album? We will, but they will sound very little like the performances on the album, which is normal for us. What should people expect at a Magnetic Fields performance? Um… we may be the quietest group you’ve ever seen. Our motto is, “If it’s too quiet, you’re too young.” But you also have a hearing problem in one ear, yes? Yes. So if people see you covering one ear, it’s protective? Last night I did a benefit show at Carnegie Hall with many artists including the headliner, Lou Reed. At the end of the show, we all got back out on the stage—ten Tibetan chanters Philip Glass, and Laurie Anderson, and Antony—and we all got back on stage to vaguely sound along as the background vocals to Lou Reed singing “Beginning to See the Light.” I knew it was going to be earthshatteringly loud on stage with Lou Reed, but I had my fingers in both ears and wished that I had giant mattresses around them. I’ve been listening to your new album, and a number of comparisons come to mind. The sound and some of the lyrics remind me of “They Might Be Giants.” People would be surprised that some of your very original lyrics aren’t humorous parodies—along the lines of Weird Al Yankovich. Mix it all together and you have a unique style of music and lyric. What is your process? How do these songs come to be? Well, I sit around in gay bars for hours every night trying to write songs, eaves-
the fun guide dropping, and trying to turn the music that I’m hearing and the various other stimuli from the bar into art—cocktail in one hand, pen in the other, writing in my little black notebook. People will notice there are a lot of interesting takes on romance in your lyrics. Do your lyrics reflect your own romantic life? My lyrics are vague enough that they reflect my own romantic life as well as everyone else’s. You have a dog, Irving, named after the famous songwriter, Irving Berlin. Will Irving be touring with you? No, Irving will be staying at home with his dog sitter. We did actually tour once with Irving. It really didn’t work out very well. He would hear me singing from backstage and he would want to make sure that I knew… where he was. So he would howl. You have a song titled “Andrew in Drag” on your new album, and you use the word “fag” to rhyme with “drag.” I was curious if you’d had any negative reaction to that. No, I think by the time listeners get to that word, they understand that it’s not meant in a hurtful way. I played it live for the first time last night, and there was no gasp after the word “fag.” There was a lot of laughter during other parts of the song, but no audible gasp at that. I was listening for it. Like many of your songs, the romance in “Andrew in Drag” seems to be both unrequited and impossible. Or extremely difficult… Yes, those are two themes I seem to return to a lot. Does that reflect your personal life? Well, it reflects my personal life and the personal lives of most of the people I know. Of course, most of the people I know are alcoholics and sit around in bars for hours every night. You know, you could be affecting your perspective with your work location! Yes. Have you ever tried working in bright, sunny, flowery… outdoors? Yes, I tried writing in cafés all day long and bars all night. And I consumed so much caffeine that I would have to drink a great deal in order to get to sleep. So I would have tea for eight hours and then vodka for eight hours. It was a great discipline. But nowadays I can’t have very much caffeine at all. I dunk a green tea bag in water for five seconds and I’m set for the day. If I have too much more than that then I start having heart palpitations. So, it would literally kill me to do what I was doing. So no cafés, only bars. You’re in town on a Wednesday night. If you can stay another night, there’s a great drag king performance at Studio 13 on Thursday night… Ah, Claudia has been known to enjoy a good drag king performance. Maybe I’ll talk her into staying another day!
MARCH 2012
The Gay Wedding Planner by Beau Fodor I first touched base with Curt and Mark (the handsome & rather debonaire grooms) last summer, mid-June, after them contacting me to plan their dream wedding and reception. In these nine months since, we’ve finally put together a very thought-out plan.
Beau Fodor is an Iowa wedding planner who focuses specifically on weddings for the LGBT community. iowasgayweddingplanner.com or gayweddingswithpanache.com.
We built a solid foundation for the event that will leave their friends and families, along with Burlington (the Grooms’ hometown) breathless and in awe of these two gentlemen for a VERY long time. The guys met in college, finished their education, renovated an 1870’s farmhouse, while always keeping the relationship THE priority, and finally after what seemingly has already been a life-time together, went to Peru. While they were hiking Machu Picchu, Mark proposed to Curt. In the weeks and months that are about to follow, I so look forward to getting to know these two better. I consider them
pioneers and have the utmost respect for their relationship; the kind I hope to find for myself someday.
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10th Annual Hearts for Housing Fundraiser Dinner On March 31st, the 10th Annual Hearts for Housing Fundraising Dinner benefiting DeLaCerda House, Inc. will be held at the Holiday Inn in Rock Island from 5- 11 P.M.. There will be a pre-dinner cocktail hour, a murder mystery performance by It’s a Mystery, a Silent Auction, 50/50 raffle drawings and more. The menu for theAnnual Dinner includes: Stuffed Iowa Pork Chops Chicken Marsala Vegetarian Stir-Fry Rasberry Cheesecake. Through March 17th, tickets may be purchased for $45 by contacting Maya de Quervain or Roberto Espinosa at 309-7867386 or by purchasing tickets online (online ticket sales will end at midnight, Thursday, March 29). After March 17th all ticket prices increase to $50 in advance and at the door for $50 but the entree choices may be limited. DeLaCerda House’s mission is to provide housing, advocacy services, and intensive case management for persons living with HIV/AIDS and other special needs. DeLaCerda House Inc. is a non-
profit (501 (c) 3) organization that was formed in 1995. The organization was founded to respond to the housing needs of people living with HIV and AIDS, as medical treatment has advanced, infected people are living longer.
2012 Annual Dinner
Saturday, March 31, 2012 Holiday Inn 226, 17th Street, Rock Island, IL Business Casual $45 until March 17th, $50 after March 17th
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Out of Town: Key West Spring Break by Andrew Collins Even with much of North America enjoying a comparably mild winter this year, let’s face it—thoughts of sipping tropical cocktails by the pool, floating happily on a catamaran, and scampering to the beach in flip-flops sound pretty appealing right now. There are still a few mean weeks left in winter, and one of the world’s most delightfully distinctive and wonderfully scenic gay resort destinations beckons. In fact, sunny Key West has lately made a strong push to market itself as the ultimate Gay Spring Break getaway. This tiny island is linked to the Florida mainland by the 105-mile Overseas Highway (U.S. 1), which crosses dozens of bridges as it wends its way scenically through the Florida Keys. It’s the southernmost point in the United States (with the exception of Hawaii), and it’s less than 90 miles across the Straits of Florida from Cuba. In other words, while Key West is very much part of the United States, it feels much like its own little Caribbean nation (they don’t call it the “Conch Republic” for nothing). This makes it an ideal tropical getaway if you’re seeking the climate and character of the Caribbean, but with an exceedingly welcoming attitude toward gays and lesbians. It’s also pretty easy to get here—if you’d rather forego the pretty 3-hour drive from Miami, just fly here: Key West is served by a variety of major airlines with direct flights to Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Atlanta, and Tampa. Key West’s Gay Spring Break promotion (gayspringbreakkeywest.com) is aimed squarely at the thousands of college students who plan their vacations throughout late winter and into early spring. All you have to do to partake of a number of discounts provided by local gay-frequented resorts, restaurants, bars, and attractions is present your student I.D. to the staff at the Key West Business Guild (gaykeywestfl.com), right off historic Duval Street at 513 Truman Avenue. Do this, and you’ll be issued a Gay Spring Break Card.
Other attractions well worth a visit include the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservancy, Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, and Mel Fisher Heritage Maritime Museum. You’ll also find a several tour companies and boat charters catering enthusiastically to the gay market, including Blu Q Catamaran Gay Sailing, Danger Charters, and several other outfitters. And you can catch a ride to Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas National Park on the Yankee Freedom II ferry—it’s a long way out to this intriguing island park, but the ride—which includes breakfast, lunch, and snorkeling—is part of the fun. There’s also a Gay Key West Trolley Tour every Saturday at 4 pm. It’s sometimes said, erroneously, that Key West lacks beaches. It is true that compared with many Florida and Caribbean destinations, few accommodations have direct beachfront. But you will find some stunning stretches of sand within walking distance of Historic District hotels and guesthouses, including Fort Zachary Taylor, Smathers Beach, and Higgs Beach.
Sunny Key West has lately made a strong push to market itself as the ultimate Gay Spring Break getaway.
Attractions
Of course, even if you’re not a student, this is a great time of year to visit. (Perhaps you like hanging out in bars and gay resorts packed with college students?). And the Key West Business Guild, which functions as the town’s gay welcome center, is worth a stop as well to pick up brochures and advice on where to go, and also to visit the fascinating free exhibit on legendary playwright Tennessee Williams, who spent much of his life here. As utterly relaxing as it is here, Key West actually has enough in the way of museums and activities to keep activity-seekers quite happy. In addition to Tennessee Williams, the island has been a part-time home of author Ernest Hemingway, whose rambling old mansion is open for tours (note the many friendly six- and seven-toed cats living on the property, descendants of “Papa’s” own feline friends). And President Harry Truman set up his “Winter White House” here in 1946—it, too, is a museum.
Eating
As you might guess, given the island’s location, both seafood and Latin American cuisine are major culinary highlights in Key West. You’ll find plenty of excellent restaurants around town, all of them casual in spirit but some turning out impressively sophisticated contemporary cuisine. A couple of newer spots around town have been garnering acclaim of late, including gay-owned Flaming Buoy Filet Co. (theflamingbuoy.com), a cozy and romantic spot serving eclectic, first-rate cuisine, like tuna-watermelon ceviche and pan-seared mahimahi with banana salsa. Don’t miss the avocado cheesecake when it’s featured. Tucked down a quiet lane off of Duval, brandnew 2 Cents (facebook.com/2centsKw) is garnering raves from discerning foodies for its stellar yet affordable gastro-pub cuisine. Near the gay guesthouses on Fleming Street, dapper Azur (azurkeywest.com) turns out artfully prepared Mediterraneaninspired creations, such as yellowtailsnapper Benedict for brunch, and duck and pork ribs cassoulet at dinner. You can’t go wrong with Pepe’s (pepescafe.net), a stalwart for steaks, oysters, and old-school classics since 1909. Nearby B.O.’s Fish Wagon (bosfishwagon.com) is a breezy, open-air spot serving delicious conch fritters, soft-shell crab, and quite possibly the best fried grouper sandwich in Key West. Walk a few doors over to Coffee Plantation (coffeeplantationkeywest.com) for espresso drinks, tasty desserts, and comfy seating with free Wi-Fi. One of the better Italian restaurants in town, and also one of the gayest, La Trattoria (latrattoria.us) draws high praise for such tasty, traditional creations as gnocchi gorgonzola and scallops in scampi sauce. Seven Fish (7fish.com), which occupies an old luncheonette and has a sleek, sophis-
Key West’s beautiful waterfront, from near the foot of historic Duval Street. Photo: Andrew Collins ticated interior, serves seafood-oriented bistro fare, such as crab and shiitake mushroom ravioli. El Siboney (elsiboneyrestaurant.com), with its simple ambience, is the place in town for humble, stick-to-your-ribs Cuban fare. As for traditional Cuban sandwiches, tiny 5 Brothers Grocery (5brothersgrocery. tripod.com)—on a side street in the historic district—serves the best around.
Bar-Hopping
Most the town’s several gay bars are along the main drag, Duval Street. Here, the La-Te-Da (lateda.com) guest house has a poolside bar, an intimate piano bar, and a much-beloved cabaret. Down a few blocks, the New Orleans-inspired Bourbon Street Pub (bourbonstpub.com) is a sauce-y spot with a small bar up front with cocktail tables, a larger outdoor bar in back (along with a lively pool area and hot tub), and video screens galore. It’s part of the sexually charged (and very friendly) New Orleans Guest House (neworleanshousekw.com) complex. The same owners run the lovably raffish 801 Bar (801bourbon.com), Key West’s definitive neighborhood hangout since the 1970s. There’s almost always a crowd of gossipy locals around the bar. The adjacent One Saloon caters mostly to leather-and-Levi’s types and is reached through 801’s back door. Aqua Nightclub (aquakeywest.com), which was handsomely remodeled in 2011, is best known for its raucous drag shows and an impressive dance floor with high-tech laser-and-sound shows, and a cozy video bar.
Where to Stay
Key West has a number of inns that cater either exclusively or predominantly to the gay market. One of the best is Alexander’s (alexanderskeywest.com), a long-popular gay resort with the relatively unusual policy of being both clothing-optional (on the two upper sundecks) and welcoming to both women and men. Aromatic tropical flowers, sundecks, rattan and wicker furnishings, and sparkling tiled bathrooms impart Alexander’s with a classy but casual
look. In addition to the aforementioned New Orleans Guest House, the town’s other favorite accommodation for guys seeking cruise-y adventures but still wanting upscale and extremely well-maintained accommodations is the iconic Island House (islandhousekeywest.com). Day passes are available, with access to bar as well as the 24-hour heated pool, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, gym, sauna, steam room, and erotic-male-video lounge. Most of the town’s men’s resorts are along Fleming Street, the Historic District’s main drag. Here you’ll find Equator (equatorresort.com), which has plush rooms with contemporary Caribbean-influenced furniture. The lovely grounds include a compact but pretty pool and a nice sundeck. Nearby, the largest gay resort in town comprises three distinct and very social properties—the Oasis, Coral Tree Inn, and Coconut Grove (keywest-allmale.com)—operated by the same management. Drawing a predominantly male crowd, Big Ruby’s (bigrubys.com) is less than a block from Duval Street, hidden behind high walls from noise and street traffic. The grounds feature towering palm trees and fragrant flowers, and an abundance of sundecks. Rooms are warm, contemporary, spotless. Key West has dozens of other terrific places to stay among mainstream properties, from historic inns to posh resorts—they all readily roll out the rainbow carpet. A favorite among the former is the atmospheric Cypress House (cypresshousekw.com), a rambling compound that includes a historic mansion and two Bahamian conchstyle cottages—22 rooms total. With a central location, reasonable rates, and a super-friendly staff, this gay-owned property is a great find. Among larger hotels and resorts, the Crowne Plaza Key West (laconchakeywest.com) on historic Duval Street, the elegant Hyatt Resort & Spa (keywest.hyatt.com), and the swanky Westin Resort & Marina (westinkeywestresort.com) are all great bets. Andrew Collins covers gay travel for the New York Times-owned website GayTravel. About.com and is the author of Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA. He can be reached at OutofTown@qsyndicate.com.
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ROYAL BUSH don’t have to be a member of Pathways to receive any of our services. This is just an outreach for us because we know there are a number of people that don’t want to be told what or how to think. So Pathways is a gathering of people that share a message—it’s dialoging. Where you’re not going to hear a message and go home. You’re going to come, be allowed the space to participate, where the message is given with dialogue. We also allow time for people to check in and tell us how you’re doing in life. A minute or two about how your life is going. And what cares, concerns, or joys you have which can be shared with the group. It’s very untraditional in that it’s two-way interactive. Church today isn’t interactive. You go there, you get told what the message is and how it applies in your life, in most cases. And that is not what this is about. It’s about bringing people together in community. So, that’s one of our outreaches that we do. We started Pathways in Lincoln, and it continues. We’re starting it here in the Council Bluffs, Omaha area. The next component would be pastoral care. Pastoral care includes so many things. One thing that resonates with me is hospital visits. For friends, family, for those who we serve, who have a family member, loved one, or they themselves are hospitalized. Sometimes they want someone to come there and offer them a prayer, or offer just a friendly face to spend time with, because hospitals can be scary, they can be lonely. It can be dark places. But it can also be a healing experience to have someone there to share that with you. Also, baptism, communion, prayer services, spiritual dedication, so if someone wanted their house blessed, or their business blessed, we certainly do those things. And that really makes up the pastoral care component. End of Life, when we think of end of life planning, most people think about going to a funeral home and prepaying for their funeral. And that is a component of End of Life planning, but we think there is a lot more to that then just prepaying your funeral expenses. At the end of the day, when you are in the hospital, or you are
Interfaith Chaplain Royal Bush. in Hospice Care, how do you want to be treated? If you are unable to make those decisions for yourself anymore, who is your number one and number two choices to take over those decisions? If you’re in your End of Life days, who do you want to be told, how do you want them to hear it, and by whom do you want them to be told by? How do they want their funeral, or life celebration to be? Do they want a funeral? People often times have something they want to share with their family—words to their siblings, their brothers and sisters, or their children. We help put all of those answers into a legal form that becomes their End of Life wishes. Those documents need to be there so the family all knows this is exactly what this person wanted, A-Z. That just relieves such a burden from those who are going to have to plan it. Then of course we get into funerals and life celebrations. Do you want a traditional funeral, a memorial service, or do you want a life celebration? Do you want it to be light hearted—sharing stories of that person’s life? Then the other important thing is pet
Inclusive Life same sex ceremony officated by Interfaith Chaplain Royal Bush.
memorials. Some people understand that their pets are their children. Honoring them in a time of need is very important. So, pet memorials are something that we do as well. We offer pre-marital coaching. We don’t require it, but we certainly recommend it. It’s 8 to 10 sessions and I don’t mean 8 to 10 weeks. It just depends on the couple and what they have going on. We don’t spend time worrying about old wounds. But we do spend time lying down the foundation—of understanding the past, understanding what each other needs in the relationship, and speaking the same language. It’s about Communication, Commitment, and Compromise. Helping them understand all of those things in a format that requires both of them to communicate on intimate levels. Though other more traditional marital programs cost $1,000 or more, ours cost a third of that. It’s a price point that everyone can afford it. It’s including information that is just incredibly important for the success of a foundation. Weddings, of course in Nebraska, we can’t do same sex weddings, but in Iowa, we can. Facilitating legal weddings and vow renewals, holy unions, and commitment ceremonies are all a component. We believe that any two people that love each other in a consented relationship, that are of age, they should be in a relationship. And we will help them facilitate that— whatever that looks like. We don’t have a box with a predetermined ceremony that says, ‘Here’s our ceremony’. We have a philosophy; we want to get to know you, so you are married by a friend of the family, and not a stranger. We spend a couple hours asking detailed questions, we ask to meet with them again, and we also ask to be invited to the rehearsal dinner. We get to spend time with family and friends, so they’re not married by a stranger, and we know the dynamics of their family and their friends. So, the day of the ceremony, everyone knows who we are, and we know who all the important people in their family are.
MARCH 2012 What’s really important is spending time with them, understanding what it is, their goals, their visions, for what they need for that day are. Then make sure that gets pulled off. Weddings, funerals, the coaching and counseling, those are all just components of taking care of people that are really important. Let’s talk a little bit about what your staff’s like and what they go through for certification. Right now there are two, and soon to be three, chaplains that are part of Inclusive Life. We have a vetting process by our council of elders. They meet with an applicant, they have their series of questions, and then they make the determination, they want to forward this to the board of directors or no they don’t. The board of directors would meet with him or her and the board of directors would have a vote. Then we have an ordination process where there is a laying of hands and that is when they are a part of the organization. The license is issued for one year at a time for all of us. That’s to make sure we are in good standing, and that there’ve been no complaints against us, or the organization. I as a founder of Inclusive Life, if it was found that I wasn’t doing my job—there’s a process in place that I’d be removed. Inclusive Life is made to go long beyond my days, so that other people will become involved in the organization and it will be a perpetual organization. As far as your location in Iowa, Council Bluffs, what are your hours and is all of your staff accessible there, or who is primary? For the most part, we meet by appointment and I probably spend most of my time in the Omaha office. In terms of having “office hours”, we meet anyone during the day, evening or weekends—when it fits their schedule. People aren’t available Monday through Friday 9 to 6. They’re not available at those times because they have lives, school, and family. So, for some couples it’s that 9 o’clock on a Friday night or 7 o’clock on Saturday morning, it just depends on what their needs are, when we meet with them. How would they be able to contact you? Three easy ways; they can reach us by email at info@inclusivelife.org , they can reach us at 402-575-7006, and they can also go to our website at inclusivelife. org. Now is there anything else you’d like to say as we wrap this up? When beginning Inclusive Life I thought that the LGBT community had the corner on running from organized religion, if you will. And how wrong I was—the straight community, the non LGBT community, feels the same way. Their organized religion is scaring them and they don’t want to be a part of that. They don’t want to be told what to think, how to think, and when to think it. They want to be able to ask questions, they want to be able to have diverse views, they want to be able to question authority, and they want to be able to not believe in all components. Its human beings in general and the figures speak for themselves, 70% of the population doesn’t worship on a regular basis. So, providing a home for those people that need that service, that’s what Inclusive Life is about.
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The OutField by Dan Woog Two Super Bowl winners
Although billions of dollars were bet on this month’s Super Bowl, the score of the game shouldn’t have mattered to the LGBT community. Both the New England Patriots and New York Giants were winners. As the website OutSports noted, the title contenders are among the NFL’s most gayfriendly teams. Both have long and varied histories of supporting LGBT issues. For example, when the Gay Bowl took place in New York, the Giants sent a lesbian staffer to a panel discussion on being gay in the NFL. A team spokesman told Outsports founder Cyd Zeigler that the Giants were “an all-inclusive family that does not care about sexual orientation.” Those are not mere words. Last spring, team owner Steve Tisch and former star Michael Strahan created videos supporting New York’s successful drive for same-sex marriage. Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft is at least as gay-friendly as Tisch. Last year he spoke at an LGBT networking event. The Pats had already become the first NFL team to sponsor a Gay Bowl. They also sent player Andre Tippett to the opening ceremonies to speak on behalf of the team, and make the ceremonial coin toss. Kraft’s support for gay issues has created an environment of openness and celebration that filters down throughout the entire organi-
zation. Player Brett Lockett has appeared in the NOH8 (“No Hate”) campaign against California Proposition 8, and has been a vocal supporter of gay marriage. Ziegler also notes that the two Super Bowl teams represent states— Massachusetts and New York—that allow same-sex marriage. New Jersey— where the Giants actually play—may soon do the same. In addition, the NFC runner-up San Francisco 49ers offer same-sex domestic partner benefits to all employees. (As for Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, who last year participated in a Super Bowl ad for the anti-gay Focus on the Family group: He got trounced by the Pats.) But it’s not just Super Bowl participants that—Tebow-types notwithstanding—are moving the NFL forward on gay rights. Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo—hey, he played for a team that was in the conference championship too—has been an outspoken supporter of Equality Maryland, the gay marriage effort in that state. And he too stripped down—well, he took off his shirt, which was plenty—to make a NOH8 statement. When a Twitter fan wanted to know his greatest accomplishment, he tweeted back: “marriage equality support & playing in a Super Bowl.”
In a speech at the University of Delaware, Ayanbadejo told students that hearing some negative responses to his own background— his mother is white, his father is Nigerian— impelled him to fight for equal rights for gays. He added that straight allies are important, and that he has never received backlash from teammates. Also standing up for the LGBT community: Scott Fujita. In a 30-second “Americans for Marriage Equality” video for the Human Rights Campaign, the Cleveland Browns linebacker said, “I’ve been married for 12 years and I know that it is unfair to keep other loving and committed couples from getting married and protecting their families.” “It’s just me standing up for equal rights,” he told the New York Times last year, about his earlier advocacy efforts. “It’s not that courageous to have an opinion if you think it’s the right thing and you believe it wholeheartedly.” Fujita too knows something about prejudice. His adopted father, a Japanese-American, was born during World War II in an internment camp in Arizona. Fujita began speaking out on gay rights when he learned about laws limiting gay adop-
tion. Such legislation, he said, focuses on sexual orientation, rather than finding safe homes for children. “It’s also saying that we’d rather have kids bounce around from foster home to foster home throughout the course of their childhood, than end up in a permanent home.” “By and large, the players are more tolerant than they get credit for,” he said. “It’s not a big issue. Some guys will think you are crazy for believing one way, but they’ll still accept you.” The league itself is also more accepting of gay issues than many people believe. Its collective bargaining agreement protects all players against discrimination based on sexual orientation, and the league office offers samesex domestic partner benefits. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has been a very public supporter of PFLAG. He spoke at a New York chapter dinner about his love for his gay son, Drew, and Drew’s partner. Tagliabue also made a major contribution to the organization. Last fall he and his wife donated $1 million to his alma mater, Georgetown University, to establish the Tagliabue Initiative for LGBT Life. What we don’t know, though, is which gay-friendly team—the Patriots or Giants—Tagliabue supported in this year’s Super Bowl. Dan Woog is a journalist, educator, soccer coach, gay activist, and author of the “Jocks” series of books on gay male athletes. Visit his website at www.danwoog.com. He can be reached care of this publication or at OutField@qsyndicate.com.
programs for small groups by appointment between February 28th and March 24th,” says Aiels. “The programs include tree tapping, sap boiling, history and lore, and end with a taste of delicious syrup over ice cream. It’s a wonderful way for children and adults to learn a fascinating heritage craft.” Maple sap only flows when warm, sunny days are followed by cold nights with temperatures below freezing. That weather pattern usually happens in early March and can last up to six weeks according to Nature Center Director, Rich Patterson. “When sap begins dripping
we know the end of winter is near, and there is nothing more delicious than fresh maple syrup.” Advance tickets for the festival are $7 for adults; $4 for children 3-12 and are available at the Indian Creek Nature Center, from any board member or online at indiancreeknaturecenter.org. Tickets prices increase $1 at the door on the day of the event. Groups interested in scheduling individual programs should call the Nature Center at 362-0664 to reserve a time slot. Additional information can be found on the calendar page of the Nature Center’s website.
Both the New England Patriots and New York Giants were winners... the title contenders are among the NFL’s most gay-friendly teams.
Indian Creek Nature Center’s 29th Annual Maple Syrup Festival
Pictured from previous Maple Syrup Festivals. Photos courtesy of Indian Creek Nature Center, 6665 Otis Road SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Maple trees are pushing sap up their trunks to become the year’s first and sweetest crop of maple syrup. Follow the sap as it flows from tree to table through live demonstrations of sap collecting and syrup making, re-enactments of American Indian and early colonial sugar making. Then sit down and enjoy a delicious breakfast of pancakes, sausage and real Nature Center maple syrup, plus live music and more. This annual awakening is celebrated at the Indian Creek Nature Center on Saturday, March 3rd and Sunday, March 4th at their 29th Annual Maple Syrup Festival. Hours are 8:30am until 12:30pm each day. Education Facilitator, Jan Aiels, says syruping activities go on throughout the month of March. “We provide syruping
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The Bookworm Sez by Terri Schlichenmeyer “Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality” by Hanne Blank c.2012, Beacon, $26.95 / $32.00 Canada 228 pages, includes notes For most of your life, people have been making decisions without you. When you were born, for instance, they decided whether you were a boy or a girl (admittedly, based on obvious visual clues). Because of that, they hung a gender-specific moniker on you, dressed you in pink or blue, cuddled you more or less, and gave you certain toys accordingly. Consequently, people presumed your
sexuality before you were able to confirm or deny it. But what is a heterosexual, anyhow? Or, for that matter, what’s a homosexual? Find out in the new book “Straight: The Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality” by Hanne Blank. For most of human history, people were just people, un-pigeonholed. There were no heterosexuals prior to about 150 years ago, nor were there homosexuals. Love existed, of course, as did various sexual desires and behaviors, but terms and categories describing humans themselves did not. In 1868, a Victorian-era writer coined
the word “heterosexual,” and there we are. Those Victorians, says Blank, were a randy bunch who loved to be titillated so we shouldn’t be too surprised at their prurient interests, especially that which concerned the maintenance of “manly” virtues and the defining of “deviant” behavior of the lower class. Those “degenerates” were the ones who needed to be “weeded out.” Suddenly, what others were doing in the bedroom became a really big deal. Serious names for every sexual activity, as well as judgments for them, were topics of hushed conversation and extreme care
had to be taken to remain on the good side of gossip. Anything other than “normal” sexual relationships were considered immoral, though it was extremely common for same-sex couples to share a bed and nobody gave it a thought. Freud weighed in with his ideas. Other “scientists” followed suit, and by the 1950s, “‘heterosexuals’ were everywhere,” many ushered into marriage because it was expected of them. After all, wedded bliss was the only respectable allowance for having sex, and sex was only for procreation. And then came The Pill… But all this history begs a modern question: because we know now that there are way more than two categories of human sexuality on the spectrum, does anyone’s sexual identity really matter to anybody but that individual? Who cares anymore? Blank says that, of course, it depends on who asks. “Straight” is… well, it’s pretty straight, and probably not the kind of book you’d pick up on a lark, although author Hanne Blank does occasionally employ a sense of the absurd in her accounting of the history of heterosexuality and everything
TTBOOKWORM continued page 32
Across 1 One that may be beaten 5 Demonstrated heterosexuality 9 Answer to “Who’s there?” 14 Coin on the Continent 15 It was gauche, for Debussy 16 Henri’s boyfriends 17 St. Patrick’s land 18 Tight-assed 19 Taco topping 20 Start of a quote from Tate Taylor’s The Help 23 Thousandth of an angry inch? 24 Poet’s before 25 S&L assets, maybe 26 Accuse of wrongdoing 28 Old car brand name 30 Takes too much GHB, e.g. 32 Bottom’s offer to pay? 33 Relates with 35 Literate boast? 36 More of the quote 39 Type of hole 40 Weatherspoon of the WNBA 41 Soothing agent 42 Edvard Grieg’s land (abbr.) 43 Swallowed hard 47 At the top 49 BB propellant 50 Vein filler 51 Head of the bd. 52 End of the quote 56 Word before “ho!” 58 Minute opening 59 Charger, to a Cockney
Q-PUZZLE: “Taylor-made Advice”
60 Joe of The Ruffian on the Stair 61 Resolve, with “out” 62 Poetic adverb 63 “... evil” 64 Relief of Lincoln 65 Blows it
Down 1 Took it off 2 Shirley’s Terms of Endearment role 3 Hot dish holder 4 Fine-tune 5 Just out
6 Fruit refuse 7 Cole Porter’s “Well, Did You “ 8 Penn. neighbor 9 Hedda Gabler playwright 10 Leaves for a drink 11 Giant actor 12 Robert Preston Broadway role 13 Lifted up 21 Sharpness 22 Scale notes 27 Along the back 29 It won’t give you mono 30 Multiple-choice answer 31 Closet opening 34 “And bed” 35 Get a policy on 36 Playing with a full deck 37 Daddy’s (gay-positive kids’ book) 38 Privates standing at attention, perhaps 39 Pampas cowboys 42 Last in a series 44 Wedding vow word 45 Rubber 46 Tries to put a restraint on 48 One ruled by a dictator? 49 Composer Copland 53 Spartacus or Ben-Hur 54 In need of BenGay 55 Outta here 57 Maria _ Trapp • SOLUTION ON PAGE 26
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ACCESSline’s STATEWIDE Recurring Events List
The following list is provided by—and corrected by—ACCESSline readers like you. If you would like to add an event, or if you notice a mistake in this list, please email editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com.
Interest Group Abbreviations: L: Lesbian B: Bisexual +: HIV-related A: General Interest W: General Women’s Interest
Sunday
G: Gay T: Transgender D: Drag K: Kids and Family M: General Men’s Interest
Every Sunday, GLBT AA, 5-6 PM, at First Baptist Church at 500 N. Clinton St., Iowa City. For more info about Intergroup and Alcoholics Anonymous call the 24-Hour Answering Service at 319-338-9111 or visit the AA-IC website: http://aa-ic.org/. [ L GBTMWA] Every Sunday, L WORD LIVES: L NIGHT, 7PM, at the Firewater Saloon, 347 South Gilbert St., Iowa City, 319-321-5895. The night will start with Season 1, Episode 1 of the L Word... because a good thing should never die. FoLLowing the L Word wiLL be a Drag King show at 9:30 p.m. No cover. Tel, 319-321-5895. [ L B T W D ] Every Sunday, THE QUIRE: EASTERN IOWA’S GLBT CHORUS REHEARSALS, 6-8:30 PM, at Zion Lutheran Church, 310 N. Johnson St., Iowa City. Membership is open to all GLBT folks, as well as allies who support the community. There are no auditions; you only need to be willing to attend rehearsals regularly and learn your music. The Quire prepares two full concerts each year in the winter and spring, and occasionally performs shorter programs at events in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area. The Quire is a member of Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA), and has developed a reputation for excellence and variety in its concert programs. For more info, visit http://www.thequire.org/. [ L G B T M W A ] Every Sunday, QUEER GUERRILLA BRUNCH, Locations around Iowa City to be announced each week. LGBTQIs & Allies gather for Sunday brunch to celebrate community and create visibility. Sign up for future brunches on Facebook at http:// www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120517046371 [ L G B T MWA] Every Sunday, RAINBOW AND ALLIED YOUTH, 8:00pm11:00pm, The Center, 1300 Locust, Des Moines, IA 50309. Social group for Queer youth 25 years and under [ L G B T ] Every Sunday, OMAHA FRONTRUNNERS/WALLKERS, 10 AM. For more information call 402-804-8720. [ L G B T M W A ] Second Sunday, GAY MEN’S MEDITATION GROUP, 2 pm, Iowa City/Corridor Area, 319-354-3285 for more information. [GBTM] Second Sunday, LGBT MOVIE NIGHT, 2 p.m., Johnson County Senior Center, 28 S. Linn St., room 202 , Iowa City, IA 52240. A series of narrative and documentary movies focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues with informal discussions afterward. An encore screening and discussion of each movie will be offered on the following evenings to accommodate more participants. The selections will share with the audience some of the traumas and successes experienced by the LGBT community throughout history, as well as center around gay love stories and the universal search for meaningful relationships. For more information, or to request a favorite title, contact the series organizer, Elsie Gauley Vega, at 319-337-4487 or jgvega@hotmail. com. [ L G B T ] Every Sunday, LESBIAN READING GROUP, 5:00 p.m., WRAC, 130 N. Madison Street, The Lesbian Reading Group will be starting their Spring group on Sundays. The group is designed to offer lesbians a safe, comfortable environment to have interesting discussions about good books. Space is limited and you must preregister. To sign up for the group, call WRAC at (319) 335-1486 or register online at: www.uiowa.edu/~wrac/read.shtml [ L ]
Monday
1st 2nd Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG NORTH IOWA CHAPTER MEETING, 7 PM, at First Presbyterian Church, 100 S. Pierce St., Mason City. Meetings are held the First and Second Monday (alternating) of the month. For more info, call 641-5832848. [ L G B T M W A K ] 1st Monday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG QUAD CITIES CHAPTER MEETING, 6:30 PM, at Eldridge United Methodist Church, 604 S. 2nd St., Eldridge. For more info, call 563-285-4173. [LGBTMWAK] 3rd Monday of the Month, SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASK (HASTINGS) PFLAG, 7 p.m., First Congregational United Church of Christ, 2810 W. 7th, Hastings, [ L G B T M W A ] 4th Monday of the Month, PFLAG WAUKON/DECORAH (NORTHEAST IOWA) CHAPTER MEETING, 7 PM, (Decorah) Peace and Justice Center, 119 Winnebago St., Decorah, IA 52101. No December meeting. [ L G B T M W A ] Every Monday, DES MOINES GAY MEN’S CHORUS REHEARSALS, 7pm-9:30pm, Plymouth Congregational Church, 4126
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EVENTS Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines, IA . For more information about singing with the Chorus, contact Rebecca Gruber at 515-865-9557. The Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. [ G M A ] Every Monday Wednesday Thursday Saturday, GLBT ONLY AA MEETINGS IN DES MOINES, 6 PM - SAT 5 PM, at 945 19th St. (east side of building, south door). [ L G B T M W A ] Monday, DIVERSITY CHORUS REHEARSALS, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m., Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Ave., Des Moines, IA 50310. Des Moines Diversity Chorus welcomes new singers, begins 02/07/2011. No audition required. Singing with meaning since 1997! Call Julie Murphy at 515-255-3576 for more information. No cost to members. Rehearsals continue on Monday evenings through 5/2/11. [LGBTMWAD]
Tuesday
1st Tuesday of Every Month, OUT, 6:30-7:30 PM, Monarch Therapy Services, Waterloo Office 3356 Kimball Ave Ste. 5, Free Support Group for the LGBTQ Community in the Cedar Valley! [L G BTDAWM] 2nd Tuesday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG AMES CHAPTER MEETING, 7 PM, Youth and Shelter Services Offices, 420 Kellogg Ave., 1st Floor, Ames, IA 50010. Meets in the Paul Room of Youth and Shelter Services at 420 Kellogg Avenue, Ames. For more info, call 515-291-3607. [LGBTMWAK] 2nd Tuesday of the Month, CEDAR RAPIDS UNITY BOARD MEETING, 6:30-8 PM, Cedar Rapids, IA . at 6300 Rockwell Dr, Cedar Rapids. Meetings are open to the general public. For more info, call 319-415-1511 or visit: http://www. cedarrapidsunity.com [ L G B T M W A ] 2nd Tuesday of the Month, SPIRITUAL SEEKERS, 7-8:30 PM, Iowa City, IA . at Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 E. College St, Iowa City. Spiritual Seekers is a group for people of all faiths, or of little faith, who wish to make deeper connections between their sexual identities and the spiritual dimension in their lives. Meetings include discussion of specialized topics, telling of pieces of our faith journeys, and occasional prayer and meditation. (On the 4th Tuesday of each month, the group gathers at a local restaurant for food and fellowship.) For more info, contact Tom Stevenson: tbstevenson@mchsi. com or 319.354.1784. [ L G B T M W A ] Every Tuesday, OUT (OUR UNITED TRUTH): A GLBT SUPPORT GROUP, 7-8:30 PM, Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist, 600 3rd Avenue Southeast, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. For more info, call 563-359-0816. [ L G B T M WA] Every Tuesday, ACE INCLUSIVE BALLROOM, 7-8:30 PM, Old Brick, 26 East Market Street, Iowa City, IA 52245. All skill levels are welcome. American social dance, Latin, a mix of dance from the last 100 years. For more info, contact Mark McCusker at iowadancefest@gmail. com, 319-621-8530 or Nora Garda at 319-4004695, or visit http://iowadancefest.blogspot. com/. [ L G B T M W A ] Every Tuesday, ARGENTINE TANGO, 7:309:30 PM, Iowacity/Johnson Co Senior Center, 28 South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. Practice and open dance. A donation of $1-2 per person is requested for use of the Senior Center. For more info, contact Karen Jackson at 319-4471445 or e-mail kljedgewood@msn.com. [ L G BTMWA] Every Tuesday, KARAOKE IDOL, 9 PM, Studio 13, 13 South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. Drink specials and great competition! Visit www.sthirteen.com. [ L G B T M W A ] Every Tuesday, ACE HAS FACE THE MUSIC & DANCE, 7-9pm, 26 E Market St, Iowa City, IA 52245. All skill levels are welcome. Tango, Waltz, Disco, Country, American social dance, Latin, a mix from the last 100 years. Join on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group. php?gid=372454708295. For more info, contact ACE experiment at 319-853-8223. [ L G B T M WA]
First and Third Tuesday, YOUTH FOR EQUALITY, 4-6pm, The CENTER, 1300 W Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309. A service and action group for youth who identify as LGBTQI and their allies. Open to all students in grades 5 through 12. [ L G B T M W A ] Second Tuesday of the Month, PITCH HIV+ PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUP, 6-8pm, The CENTER, 1300 Locust St, Des Moines, IA . Contact John at 515.284.3358 with questions. [ + ] Fourth Tuesday, LINCOLN NEBRASKA PFLAG, 7 PM, Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street, [LGBTMWA]
Wednesday
1st Wednesday of the Month, CEDAR RAPIDS CHARTER CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION, For more info, visit charter-chapter.tripod.com. [ LW] 1st Wednesday of the Month, WOMEN’S SACRED CIRCLE, 6:30-8 PM, Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, 120 E. Boyson Rd, Hiawatha, IA 52233. This group is for women who are interested in gathering for spiritual growth. The direction and activities of the group are determined by participants. $5 per session. For more info, visit www.prairiewoods.org. [ L W ] 1st Wednesday of the Month, CONNECTIONS’ RAINBOW READING GROUP, 7 PM, Iowa City Public Library Meeting Room B, 123 South Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240. For more info, contact Todd at: faunides@yahoo.com. [ L GBTMWA] 2nd Wednesday of the Month, STONEWALL DEMOCRATS, THE GLBT CAUCUS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, 6:30-8 PM, For more info, contact Harvey Ross at linnstonewall@gmail.com or call 319-389-0093. [ L G B T M W A ] 2nd Wednesday of the Month, WOMEN FOR PEACE KNITTERS, 7-9 PM, Hiawatha, IA . at Prairiewoods, 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha. Knitting, crocheting, and discussion. For more info, call 319-377-3252 or go to www.womenforpeaceiowa.org. All ages and levels of needlework skills welcome. Come knit for charities. [ L W ] 2nd Wednesday, OUT NETWORKING, 5:30, Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust St, Des Moines, IA 50309. A social, business, and philanthropic networking organization for anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning or supportive. The group presents year-round events focused on business, culture, community, and philanthropic subjects. [ L G B T A ] Every Wednesday, HOT MESS EXPRESS, 8:00pm, Des Moines Social Club, 1408 Locust St., Des Moines, IA . The hottest most messiest citizens of Des Moines providing a comedic look at the hottest most messiest current events around the world. Featuring: Paul Selberg, Rachel C. Johnson, Kelley Robinson & Tyler Reedy [ L GBTA] Every Wednesday, U OF I GAY LESBIAN BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER AND ALLIES UNION MEETINGS, 7-9 PM, Iowa City, IA . at the Penn State Room #337 of the Iowa Memorial Union, U. of Iowa campus, Iowa City. For more info, visit http://www.uiowa.edu/~glbtau/ or e-mail glbtau@uiowa.edu. These meetings are open to the public. [ L G B T M W A ] Every Wednesday, PRIDE BOWLING LEAGUE FOR GLBT & SUPPORTERS, 7 PM, Des Moines, IA at Air Lanes Bowling Center 4200 Fleur Drive. For more info, email pridebowlingleague@gmail.com or call 515-650-1725. [L G B T M W A] Every Wednesday, Lez Talk!, 8:30 p.m., Des Moines, IA. Capital City Talk Show hosted by lezzies and made for All people. [L G B T M W A] Every Wednesday, OMAHA FRONTRUNNERS/WALLKERS, 6:30 PM. For more information call 402-804-8720. [ L G B T M W A ] First and Third Wednesday of the Month, PITCH HIV+ PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUP, Friends and Children’s Council, 500 E 4th St, Ste 414, Waterloo, IA . RSVP to tamih@pitchiowa. org (requested but not required). (First meeting will be January 19, 2011 from 5:30-7:30pm at the CASS office, 2101 Kimball Ave, Ste 401, Waterloo.) [ + ]
Thursday
1st 3rd Thursday, EVENINGS FOR SPIRIT,
6:30-8:30 PM, West Branch, IA . at SpiritHill Retreat, 604 Cedar Valley Road, West Branch. First, third, and fifth Thursdays of each month. Women gather at SpiritHill (or other locations) to share our spiritual experiences, visions and longings. The evenings include time for sharing and time for silence. Laughter, tears and singing are often shared as well. No specific spiritual practice is followed. This event is always open to newcomers. For more info, call 319-643-2613, or e-mail spirit-hill@earthlink.net. Calling in advance is highly recommended to confirm the location for the specific month of interest. [ L W ] 2nd Thursday of the Month, OPEN MIC WITH MARY MCADAMS, 7-9 PM, Des Moines, IA . at Ritual Café, on 13th St. between Locust and Grand, downtown Des Moines. Visit www. ritualcafe.com. For more info, e-mail mary@ marymcadams.com. [ L G B T M W A ] 2nd Thursday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG OMAHA/COUNCIL BLUFFS CHAPTER MEETING, 7 PM (6:30 PM social time), Omaha, IA . at Mead Hall, First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass St., Omaha. For more info, call 402-291-6781. [ L G B T M W A K ] 3rd Thursday of the Month, OPEN MIC HOSTED BY KIMBERLI, 7-10 PM, Cedar Rapids, IA . 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. [ L G B T M W A ] 3rd Thursday of the Month, LGBTQI YOUTH MOVIE NIGHT AT THE CENTER, 6:30-10pm, The CENTER, 1300 Locust, Des Moines, IA . This is part of the LGBTQI youth program, anyone 24 years old and younger is welcome. Come down spend the evening with your friends and make some new ones. 515-243-0313 [ L G B T + ] 3rd Thursday of the Month, IOWA PFLAG DUBUQUE/TRI-STATE CHAPTER MEETING, 7 PM, Dubuque, IA . at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1276 White St., Dubuque. For more info, call 563-582-9388. [ L G B T M W A K ] 3rd Thursday of the Month, CONNECTIONS GAME NIGHT, 7-9 PM, Iowa City, IA . at Donnelly’s Pub, 110 E. College St., in downtown Iowa City. [LGBTMWA] 4th Thursday of the Month, PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S NETWORK (PWN), For more info, visit www.pwn.org, e-mail pwn@pwn.org, or call Shelley Woods at 319-981-9887. [ L W ] Every Thursday and Friday, SHANNON JANSSEN, 6-10 PM, Cedar Rapids, IA . Dawn’s Hide and Bead Away, 220 E. Washington St., Iowa City. Shannon performs a variety of music including original songs on the Grand Piano in the hotel’s beautiful atrium. No reservations required. [ L G B T M W A ] Last Thursday of the Month, DRAG KING SHOW, 9:00pm-2pm, Studio 13, 13 S. Linn St, Iowa City, IA 52240. The show starts EARLY at 9pm, so all you fans under 21 (meaning 19 & 20) can come for a jam packed hour of show! Your kings will also have another photo signing with awesome king swag! Plus, a SECOND mini show after the signing!!! $3 Bomb shots, $2 Calls and Domestics, and $1 Wells and shots! Cover is only $3! [ L G B T D ]
Friday
1st Friday of the Month, FAIRFIELD ART WALK, For more info, visit FairfieldArtWalk.com. [LGBTMWA] 1st Friday of the Month, GUERRILLA QUEER BAR MEETUP!, Tired of the same old bars? Crave the idea of bringing your queer and straight friends together in a fun, new environment? We’re descending upon an unsuspecting straight bar and turning it into a gay bar for the night. To join in: join our Facebook group, Google group or Twitter feed. You’ll receive an email the morning of each event with the name of a classically hetero bar and the meeting time. Call your friends, have them call their friends, show up at the bar and watch as it becomes the new “it” gay bar for one night only. Visit groups.google. com/group/iowa-city-guerrilla-queer-bar. [ L GBTMWA] 1st Friday of the Month, FIRST FRIDAY BREAKFAST CLUB, Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA 95030. The First Friday Breakfast Club (FFBC) is an educational, non-profit corporation for gay men who gather on the first Friday of every month to provide mutual support, to be educated on commu-
MARCH 2012 nity affairs, and to further educate community opinion leaders with more positive images of gay men. It is the largest breakfast club in the state of Iowa. Hoyt Sherman Place, 1501 Woodland Avenue, Des Moines, IA 95030. Contact Jonathan Wilson at (515) 288-2500 or email: info@ ffbciowa.org [ G B ] 1st Friday of the Month, DAWN’S COFFEE HOUSE, 5-8 PM, Iowa City, IA . Dawn’s Hide and Bead Away, 220 E. Washington St., Iowa City. First Friday of every month between February 6 and December 4. Music and light snacks are provided. Proceeds from the door are split between the non-profit of the month and the store (to cover the cost of snacks). Any other donations received go 100% to the non-profit. $3 cover. For more info, phone 319-338-1566. [ L G B T M W A ] 2nd and 4th Friday, DRUMMING CIRCLE, 7 PM, Cedar Rapids, IA . Unity Center of Cedar Rapids, 3791 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. Every 2nd and 4th Friday of the each month. For more info, call 319-431-7550. [ G M ] 3rd Friday of the Month, OLD-TIME DANCE FOR ALL, 8 PM, Iowa City, IA . A Barn Dance 12 miles east of Iowa City at Scattergood Friends School. A Barn Dance 12 miles east of Iowa City at Scattergood Friends School. Admission is $5.00 per person. Singles and couples, beginners and veterans welcome. The music is live, and all dances are taught and called (that is, prompted while the music is playing). Note: (1) same-sex couples are common at these dances, (2) they’re no-alcohol, no-smoking events, (3) every dance is taught, so beginners are welcome, and (4) people can attend alone or with a partner. People of a variety of ages show up, and the atmosphere is friendly and inclusive. For more info, phone 319-643-7600 or e-mail treadway@netins.net. [LGBTMWA]
Saturday
4th Saturday of the Month, LESBIAN BOOK CLUB, 7 PM, Davenport, IA . is reading books by or about lesbians. Non-lesbians are welcome to attend. All meetings are held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3707 Eastern Ave., Davenport. For more info, call 563-359-0816. [ L ] 4th Saturday of the Month, TANGOVIA, 7:30 PM, Iowa City, IA . join area tango dancers at the Wesley Center, 120 N. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Enjoy a candlelit evening of dance, hors d’oeuvres, and conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. Cost is $5. Partner not necessary. Beginners welcome to come at 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. [ L G B T M W A D ] Every Saturday, WOMEN FOR PEACE IOWA, Noon to 1PM, Collins Rd NE & 1st Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402. hosting Weekly Street Corner Vigils for peace, rain or shine. Meet at the corner of 1st Ave. and Collins Rd. SE (in front of Granite City Brewery), Cedar Rapids. Show your support for our troops by calling for their return from Iraq. For more info, e-mail khall479@aol.com. [ LGBTMWAKD] Every Saturday, BAILE LATINO: SALSA, CHA-CHA, MERENGUE AND BACHATA LESSONS, 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM, Cedar Rapids, IA . taught by Gloria Zmolek, at CSPS, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids. No experience or partner necessary. All ages welcome. No sign-up required. $5 per person requested. For more info, contact Gloria at 319-365-9611 or visit www.crsalsa.org. [LGBTMWAKD]
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First Friday Breakfast Club PITCH Calendar John Berry by Bruce Carr
John Berry Our guest speaker on Friday morning, February 3, was John Berry who, as Director of the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM), is the highest ranking openly gay official in the Obama Administration. (He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 3, 2009; the ceremonial swearing-in on April 23 was attended by First Lady Michelle Obama. He lives in Washington and has a partner of over a decade, Curtis Yee.) Berry had everyone’s intense attention, particularly as he recounted his memories of the late John Kameny, the pioneering gay rights activist. As Berry wrote in his Washington Blade tribute last October: “Kameny honored me personally by attending my swearing-in as head of the OPM, and showed his ability to forgive by accepting my official apology on behalf of the government for the sad and discredited termination of his federal employment by the U.S. Civil Service Commission. We presented and he accepted OPM’s highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Award, given to those who are courageous in defense of our nation’s Merit Principles. Dr. Kameny also made clear how tickled he was that John Macy, the anti-gay head of the Civil Service Commission who fired him, was eventually succeeded by a gay man. He knew, as I know, how direct the line is between his battles and my oppor-
tunities. Frank Kameny opened the door: I and countless others are honored and humbled to pass through.” Berry also spoke of a conversation he’d had with Supreme Court Justice Arthur Kennedy: “Oh! You’re the Snow Guy! [a nickname Berry got because he’s the one who issues work reports for Federal employees during inclement weather],” said Kennedy, as Berry thanked the Justice for writing the Court’s 2003 majority decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which invalidated criminal prosecution of homosexual sodomy. One of our members spoke with Berry briefly afterward, and related how he had experienced his own workplace discrimination in a federal job after he was outed at work; the OPM director surprised him by saying “Thank you for your service and for being able to survive that.” John Berry, a native of northwest Washington, earned a bachelor’s degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland, summa cum laude, in 1980 and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University in 1981. From 1985 to 1994, he worked as legislative director for U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer. He held posts in the U.S. Treasury Department, the Smithsonian Institution, and the U.S. Department of the Interior until 2000, and worked as director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Smithsonian National Zoological Park [the National Zoo, where John the Lion is named after him] until 2009, when he was nominated by President Barack Obama as OPM director, where he is now responsible for managing the human resources of the federal government. The OPM web site writes that “John is working closely with partners both inside and outside of government to fulfill President Obama’s charge to ‘make government cool again by developing flexible, results-oriented HR policies and working to change how Americans view their public servants.’ His goal: to build a workforce of dynamic innovators who put serving the American people at the heart of everything they do.”
The Project of the Quad Cities Calender
Founded in 1986, The Project of the Quad Cities is a non-profit HIV/STI/AIDS Service Organization that provides support to persons living with HIV/STI/AIDS as well as their families and friends in Iowa and Illinois. www.apqc4life.org Symptom Management Group—Every Wednesday from 1-2:30 pm Life Skills Group—Every other Wednesday from 10-11:30 am Coffee Hour—10-11:30 am on Wednesdays when the Life Skills Group does not meet; A relaxed and casual atmosphere Groups meet at our Moline office. We also offer free HIV testing Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm. For more information call Susie or Mollie at 309-762-5433
“Frank Kameny opened the door: I and countless others are honored and humbled to pass through.” — John Berry, Director of the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Positive Iowans Taking Charge (PITCH) is a volunteer-run non-profit organization, founded in 2007, their goal is to provide social networking and support to Iowans living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS. Their mission is to create an atmosphere where HIV+ people can unite, advocate, and assist other HIV+ people for better health and wellness. Waterloo PITCH Support Groups meet at 4th floor in the KWWL Building, 500 E. 4th Street Ste. #414, Waterloo. More information can be found at pitchiowa.org
March
August
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Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected 15 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected 29 Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected
2
April
September
12 Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected 26 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected
27 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected
May
24 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected 4-6 2012 Wellness Summit
June 7
Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected 21 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected
July
19 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected
Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected 16 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected 30 Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected
October
11 Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected 25 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected
November
8 Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected
December 1 6
World AIDS Day Waterloo Support Group for Iowans infected 20 Waterloo Support Group open to those infected and affected
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Section 3: Community
MARCH 2012
From the Pastor’s Pen by Rev. Jonathan Page In the struggle for gay rights we have one big advantage and one big disadvantage. Our advantage is that straight parents keep pumping out gay kids. We are everywhere. Muah ha ha! The big disadvantage is isolation. All too often gay kids have little sense of community or identity, especially in a predominantly rural state like Iowa. This past week I was on vacation visiting friends in New York City. One of my buddies, Paul, has an intriguing idea for using technology to foster both community and identity, one that does not rely on Manhunt or Grindr. He has already started his project and he needs your help. While I was in graduate school at Yale, the activist and playwright Larry Kramer complained vociferously about the way the Larry Kramer Center at Yale was spending his brother’s money. Kramer was angry that the center dwelt endlessly
on parsing the constructs of gender and sexuality and poststructualist analysis of literature and culture. While Kramer was not opposed to these efforts, he lamented that the more practical pursuits of gay history and activism were being neglected by the academy. Since LGBT people were the sons and daughters of straights (usually), they never learned the history or identity of what it meant to be gay. Without an identity bred from a careful reading of history, there was insufficient impetus for change. Kramer complained that younger gays knew nothing of Stonewall or the early AIDS crisis or ACT UP. Being gay was defined narrowly as men who have sex with men, or women with women, instead of a group with a long history of great accomplishments and oppression. Kramer’s agitating made an impact on Yale. The next year they hired George Chauncey to teach gay
history. But Kramer’s point still holds true. With the advent of the internet, gays can easily find sex without having to hang out with other gays. It is comparatively easy to go along with ignorance of the past. I remember reading in one article that claimed if all the members of Manhunt actually wrote a letter to Congress, the issue of gay rights would be over. The numbers are too great. But where do we tell our story? Where do we find our narrative? In Iowa people might justifiably complain that gay history is too focused on New York or San Francisco. But of course, there is a long gay history of the Hawkeye state as well. The story simply needs to be told, both pre Stonewall and post. That is where you come in. If there is a critical mass of gay history, and if we can locate the stories, we can make Iowa into a virtual museum of gay history via technology. In this day and age, we do not need big buildings or foundations or even chapters in textbooks. All we need are smartphones, a little gay ingenuity, and you. Some young guy or girl in rural Iowa is struggling with
sexuality right now, struggling with what it means to be gay. How powerful would it be to let that teenager know that he is not alone? There is a gay history right in her hometown. That bit of comfort might make all the difference in the world. Let me know if you want to help.
Diversity Focus is expanding its youth programming initiative to include multiple leadership events under a new brand called “LENS.” LENS Student Leadership Series is a collaboration between Diversity Focus and local organizations to promote after-school and summer programs for high school students in Iowa’s Creative Corridor. The goal of the series is to eliminate the achievement gap of our future leaders by sharing experiences, knowledge, and developing leadership skills. “We are excited to partner with the Mayor’s Youth Empowerment Program (MYEP) of Iowa City, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) of Eastern Iowa and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) of Cedar Rapids, to expand our student leadership program,” says Chad Simmons, Interim Executive Director of Diversity Focus. “We will continue to announce additional partners and events throughout the year.” The first event is the FasTrac Civil Rights Tour, on March 10-18, 2012. The tour is open to all high school students in Iowa’s Creative Corridor. The bus tour leaves from Iowa City, traveling to Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Students will learn about the civil rights movement by visiting various historical museums, churches, and colleges that honor civil rights’ leaders. “This tour helps build student’s confidence by learning from the past and planning for their future,” proclaims FasTrac organizer Henri Harper. FasTrac, a MYEP initiative, is a support program for high school students to assist with their academic performance, community involvement, social growth, identity, and preparation for college. For more information, visit http://www.fastracprogram. org or contact Henri Harper at h.harper@ myep.us. The second event is the Coretta Scott King Scholarship Luncheon on April 28, 2012 at the University of Iowa Athletics Hall
of Fame in Iowa City from 11:30am-1:30pm. The luncheon is hosted by the Tau Psi Omega Alumnae Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., (AKA). The luncheon celebrates Mrs. King’s lifetime achievements and her legacy as an extraordinary woman. The event will also acknowledge the next generation of leaders and will raise money to fund an annual scholarship. “Tau Psi Omega chapter is grateful to be partnering with Diversity Focus to put on our event,” says Tenika Johnson, event chairperson. “Our hope is that we empower youth and all women throughout the Creative Corridor. “ Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first historically African American sorority founded at Howard University in 1908. Tau Psi Omega Alumnae Chapter was chartered in Iowa City in 1993. Alpha Kappa Alpha’s mission is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of “Service to All Mankind.” For more information contact Tenika Johnson at tdjohn315@ hotmail.com. The third event is the NAACP Youth Empowerment Luncheon on May 19, 2012 from 11:30am - 1:30pm, at the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center, Cedar Rapids. The NAACP Youth Empowerment Luncheon was created to recognize the accomplishments of graduating African-American high school students. “We need to highlight the success we are having in the community,” says Davena Johnson, Cedar Rapids public school educator and NAACP member. “I want them to know that we care about them and their future.” Diversity Focus will sponsor, SHIFT Speaker, Azure Antoinette. Azure is a world class spoken word artist/poet, youth advo-
cate and a dynamic speaker. NAACP is a non-profit organization that has a vision to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or discrimination. For more information contact Davena Johnson at DaJohnson@cr.k12.ia.us. Continuing on May 19, 2012, from 2pm - 4pm, Diversity Focus will introduce its debut event, the Student Leadership Conference-Unplugged, at the Clarion Hotel & Convention Center, Cedar Rapids. The Student Leadership Conference-Unplugged is specifically designed for past participants of Diversity Focus’ Student Leadership Conferences. The two hour session will be an intimate dialogue with 2011 conference workshop facilitator, Azure Antoinette. The students will examine and discuss issues surrounding the struggles and achievements of youth today. Antoinette has spoken at youth events and conferences around the country, using spoken word poetry to influence youth to be themselves and to create change in their communities. Limited
space is available for additional high school students. For more information contact Zorana Wortham-White at zworthamwhite@diversityfocus.org. “Azure had such an impact on the students this past October, we just had to bring her back,” says Diversity Focus Program Director, Zorana WorthamWhite. View all events and register at www. diversityfocus.org/student Diversity Focus was established in 2005 as a non-profit organization devoted to enhancing the diversity of the Cedar Rapids - Iowa City corridor. Diversity Focus Vision: Diversity is the crucial link to economic, cultural, academic, and technological success. Diversity Focus’ vision is that the Corridor community be the model of inclusion that values, nurtures, attracts, and retains people of diverse backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. For more information about Diversity Focus, please visit diversityfocus.org.
All too often gay kids have little sense of community or identity, especially in a predominantly rural state like Iowa.
FFBC member Jonathan Page is senior pastor of the Ames United Church of Christ, 217 6th Street, Ames, Iowa. Sunday service at 10:45. He can be reached at jon@Amesucc.org.
Diversity Focus to create LENS Student Leadership Series
Section 3: Community
MARCH 2012
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Ask Lambda Legal—Transitioning at Work by Greg Nevins Q: I’m a transgender woman, and it is time for me to transition at work but I am concerned about being able to keep my job. Will the law protect me from the discrimination I might face because I’m transitioning? A: As far as we’ve come in the march towards equality, there are still many legal hurdles for the transgender community, particularly when it comes to employment—but we’re making significant progress in the courts. A recent Lambda Legal case, Glenn v. Brumby et al. is an example of a positive ruling where a transgender woman faced discrimination when she found the courage to transition at work. Vandy Beth Glenn was working as a legislative editor in Atlanta, Georgia for two years. After working with her doctor and establishing that gender transition was necessary (Vandy Beth was assigned male sex at birth, but has a female gender identity), she informed her immediate supervisor at the Georgia Assembly’s Office of Legislative Counsel that she planned to transition. The head of the office subsequently called her to his office, confirmed that she intended to transition, and fired her on the spot. Lambda Legal filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Vandy Beth, asserting that her termination was a result of sex discrimination—a
violation of the United States equal protection guarantee. On December 6, 2011, only five days after a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments, they unanimously upheld a District Court ruling that the Georgia General Assembly had discriminated against Vandy Beth based on her nonconformity with gender stereotypes occurring as a result of her intent to transition and live in accordance with her female gender identity. Three days after the ruling, she returned to work. Lambda Legal is very excited by the impact of our victory in Glenn v. Brumby et al, but there is still a lot of work to be done to advance workplace equality for transgender people. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia prohibit discrimination in private and public employment on the basis of gender identity / expression: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Vermont. A growing number of cities and counties have implemented non-discrimination ordinances prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity for both public and private employees in the absence of a comparable state law. To learn more about your rights at work
Sixteen states and the District of Columbia prohibit discrimination in private and public employment on the basis of gender identity / expression.
how to transition at work smoothly read the newest edition to our Transgender Rights Toolkit: Workplace Rights & Wrongs here: http://www.lambdalegal.org/publications/ trt_workplace-rights-wrongs. For information on Lambda Legal’s work with transgender rights, see lambdalegal.org/ issues/transgender-rights Gregory Nevins is the Supervising Senior Staff Attorney in the Southern Regional Office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV. Nevins has won a number of important cases in the family law area. In Perdue v. Mississippi State Board of Health, the state refused to issue a new birth certificate with a four-year-old boy’s adoptive name and parents listed, because it objected to the fact that his parents are lesbians. Lambda Legal won a ruling ordering the state to issue the birth certificate. In Kaufman v. Virginia Department of Social Services, Lambda Legal prevailed after the state blocked an exemplary mother from adopting a child from the District of Columbia’s foster care system solely because she is a lesbian. Nevins is also exploring numerous potential new cases and speaking extensively throughout the region. A Tennessee native, Nevins joined Lambda Legal in 2002 after working as deputy city attorney with the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, where he submitted San Francisco’s friend-of-the-court brief in a tragic case on behalf of a lesbian whose
Gregory Nevins is the Supervising Senior Staff Attorney in the Southern Regional Office of Lambda Legal,. partner was fatally mauled by her neighbor’s dogs. The case led to a groundbreaking legal victory for lesbian and gay couples. Previously, Nevins was an attorney for 10 years for the San Francisco law firm of Morrison & Foerster, which is known for its extensive pro bono work. Nevins is a 1989 cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Students for Public Interest Law organization. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Memphis summa cum laude.
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REMARKABLES for starters. Our founding fathers—our original patriots—must surely be rolling over in their graves. Winston Churchill may have said it best in a speech at Westminster College: “[W]e must never cease to proclaim in fearless tones the great principles of freedom and the rights of man which are the joint inheritance of the Englishspeaking world and which through Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Habeas Corpus, trial by jury, and the English common law find their most famous expression in the American Declaration of Independence.” This article is intended as such a proclamation. We have nibbled our way to this point; we are lost; the very foundations of our democratic system have suffered this final erosion; and it will require leadership unprecedented since the founding of our nation in order to return us to the fold of a free people.
This provision of the defense authorization bill...is a flagrant violation of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 14th Amendments to the US Constitution, just for starters. Our founding fathers—our original patriots— must surely be rolling over in their graves.
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CREEP Apparently the OMM call-in campaign isn’t working as JC Penney has announced it has no intention to fire Ellen. And OMM is complaining on their website that JC Penney’s corporate HQ keeps hanging up on them. Their solution? Call the managers of local stores and harass them instead. Rather than bother folks with actual work to do, why not fight fire with fabulous and go shopping? Plopping some of your hard earned dollars down on a JC Penney counter is the best way to thank them for not caving to anti-gay bigotry. And I wasn’t kidding when I said they had $4 bath towels. They even have them in totally gay colors like Purple Opulence,
Romney went out of his way to make clear that he has no love for gay-marrying homos or the people who support them when addressing the fervently anti-gay crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Section 3: Community
MARCH 2012
PITCH Shares Support Group Survey Summary The stigma attached to being HIVpositive and the pervasive isolation that is a result are two of the most significant and heinous hurdles faced by the HIV/ AIDS community. Through the annual Wellness Summit and peer-to-peer led support groups, PITCH intends to combat these barriers head-on. By providing members and attendees of the summit with information, materials and additional support, we hope to allow those individuals to become more active members of society, thus improving their personal situation as well as influencing and improving society as a whole. PITCH sent out a support group survey, via social media and assistance from AIDS Service Organizations across the state, asking Iowans to provide feedback on what they are looking for in a support group in their area. We received 27 replies from the survey. We received 13 surveys from the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area, 4 from the Des Moines area, 3 from Waterloo area, 1 from Davenport, and 3 from Mason City area, and 3 who did not specify their area or ASO. When asked if they are currently attending a support group offered by PITCH or their local ASO, 26 (96.3%) reported they are not attending a support group with
1 (3.75%) response that they are currently attending a support group. No support group offered in their area was the reply from 14 (56%) of the respondents. I do not need a support group at this time was the response of 7 (28%), being concerned about confidentiality was a barrier for 6 (24%), and 2 people (8%) expressed that lack of transportation was an obstacle preventing them from attending a support group. Wednesday and Thursday were the days that worked best for 12 (46.2%) people. Monday and Friday both received 5 (19.2%) votes followed by Tues and Saturday both getting 2 (7%) responses for the best day of the week to attend a support group. When asked what time of the day would be the most convenient for you to attend a support group: 9 (34.6%) responded evenings from 5 to 7 pm, 8 (30.8%) said evenings 7 to 9 pm, 3 (11.5%) answered Afternoons 1 to 3 pm, and Mornings 9 to 11 am, Morning 11 am to 1 pm, and Afternoons 3 to 5 pm each received 2 (7.7%) votes as the preferred time for a meeting. An open group with people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS is preferred by 18 (25%) of the respondents. 4 (16%) people reported they would like peer-to-peer led
When asked if they are currently attending a support group offered by PITCH or their local ASO, 26 (96.3%) reported they are not attending a support group...
Garnet, and Exotic Pink. Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!
Mitt Romney
It makes me sad that there are LGBT people in America who will vote for Mitt Romney should he get the wet bar of soap that is the Republican nomination. I mean, I understand it. There are some folks who feel like Romney meets their needs. These people are mostly rich. Or dumb. Or both. Mind you, President Obama hasn’t exactly been perfect on LGBT issues. I don’t blame anyone for feeling disappointed. Especially about his weak stance on marriage equality. But that doesn’t mean voting Republican is the answer.
Especially since Romney’s stance on marriage equality is not weak. In that he is very vocal about his opposition to it. Because you may remember that Romney was the governor of Massachusetts when it became the first state in the country to let gays and lesbians get legally married. And man does Romney want to get that rainbow stain off of his shirt. Which is why he went out of his way to make clear that he has no love for gay-marrying homos or the people who support them when addressing the fervently antigay crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 10. “[D]uring my term in office our conservative values also came under attack. Less than a year after I took office the state’s supreme court inexplicably found a right to same-sex marriage in the constitution written by John Adams,” he said, pausing for comedic effect. “I presumed he’d be surprised.” The crowd laughs heartily at Romney’s stand-up routine. He’s killing! (Although to be clear, CPAC attendees prefer their killing done not with laughter but with guns because of the Second Amendment and Obama’s desire to steal all of their firearms so that they may be powerless to fight against his plans to turn America into a Socialist nightmare where all kids get insurance and rich people pay taxes.) On a roll, Romney continues: “I fought to have a stay on that decision, then pushed for a marriage amendment to our Constitution. We lost by only one vote in the legislature.” One vote! My goodness. I am not a politician or a campaign manager or a
group, followed by the wish to have speakers/ educational groups and Hetero HIV+ groups by 3 participants. When asked if there were specific topics they would like addressed 26 (96.3%) people answered open discussions, followed by 8 (29.6%) who would like treatment options discussed and 7 (25.9%) who would like to talk about disclosure. Medication compliance and coping and advocating were also topics people would like to discuss. PITCH recognizes that transportation is a major barrier for many people, so we asked how many people would participate in a monthly conference call if PITCH set one up, realizing that the call would not be an 800 number; 14 (53.8%) said they would participate in a conference call. A majority of the people who answered the survey questions said they wanted to receive further information from PITCH and 10 people provided their email addresses. Finally, we asked what a respondent would be willing to do to assist PITCH in providing a support group in their area answers given were: helping with transportation, event planning, volunteering, set up, calling, attend meetings, organizing, and leading a session on how to live your life fully without this one thing from getting you down. PITCH would like to thank everyone who took the time to fill out the survey and to everyone who helped get the survey out to Iowans living with HIV/AIDS. CPACer, but I wonder if it’s a good idea for Romney to be emphasizing the fact that this anti-gay amendment that he pushed for was foiled by so slim a margin. I mean, doesn’t that make him seem, well, ineffective to say the least? But Romney also reminds folks that he managed to use a rare 1913 antiinterracial marriage law to keep homos from flocking to, and further sullying, Massachusetts. “And I successfully prohibited out- of-state couples from coming to our state to get married and then going home. On my watch, we fought hard and prevented Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of gay marriage.” This receives a lot of applause from the CPAC crowd. Though I have to point out what a disappointment it was to all of the drive through Elvis-themed wedding chapels that began to spring up everywhere to cash in on all of those Boston marriages becoming official. So much wasted capital. And to think Romney says he supports business. “When I am president, I will defend the Defense of Marriage Act,” he continues while the crowd cheers, “and I will fight for an amendment to our Constitution that defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman.” Mind you, Romney is promising to do on a national level what he failed to do on a state level. But this makes perfect sense. I mean, if you can’t walk a block then it’s probably time to run a marathon. Anything to increase the distance between himself and the queers. Homophobes (Internal and External) for Romney 2012.
MARCH 2012
Section 3: Community
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MADONNA What they have in common is what many people have in common who are public figures, who become iconic and who have some kind of historical impact, especially women—strong women. People have a tendency to feel intimidated by the strength of these women, and in order to accept—actually, the word “accept” is wrong, because I don’t think they’re actually accepted. I think in order to deal with them, a lot of people who write history books, and humanity in general, have a tendency to diminish women or undermine their accomplishments or try to portray them as heretical or as someone with an evil possession of some kind of sorcery, or undermine their strength or intelligence, so I think they have those things in common. Now I’m not saying that Eva Peron is without flaws or that Wallis Simpson was this perfect holy human being, but I do think they were both dealt with in a very unfair way in the history books. Have you felt that way? (Laughs, expecting the question) Well, yeah, sure. Yes, of course. I mean, I don’t think it’s just me. It’s strong women in general. Why? Why? Because…(hesitates) You’re a threat? No. It’s just the nature of the universe. It’s the nature of the world that we live in. We live in a patriarchal society and strong women have to… Challenge that? No. They’re held under a microscope and judged and measured in a different way. That’s just the law of the universe right now. The film is driven by a contemporary woman’s view of this historical figure. Do you see anything in your story that may, or that you hope may one day, do the same for someone else? The Duchess is really Wally’s spiritual guide, so to speak, and even though she (the Duchess) came from a different era where women didn’t have the same kind of choices and opportunities, we as women still are all raised on this fairytale idea that no matter how many opportunities we have education-wise or job-wise, your knight in shining armor is going to arrive on his beautiful white stallion and sweep you off your feet and take you off into the twilight, and you’re going to live happily ever after. This is something that we all have to deal with when we grow up. But one person isn’t going to be all of those things to us; ultimately, we have to make our own happiness, and when we can own that and take responsibility for our own happiness, then we can find a mate for ourselves, or companion or significant other or whatever you want to call it. That’s certainly
Madonna on the set of W./E. Photo courtesy The Weinstein Company. what the Duchess imparts to Wally, and I hope her observations, but obviously she couldn’t that I can inspire other women to think that talk him into her point of view. He was just way with my own life and behavior. cunt-struck, as they say in England. (Laughs What’s the thing that surprised you at her choice of words) Sorry! most about Wallis Simpson while doing Did you ever think of making the your research? movie without the contrasting modernThe discoveries that Wally makes in day story of someone reflecting on a her journey and her investigations were historical figure? essentially mine. When I heard about the No. I wasn’t interested in making a story—what a magnanimous, generous straightforward biopic. I don’t think it’s romantic gesture Edward VIII made toward possible to tell the story of one person from Wallis Simpson—I thought the same thing that beginning to end in two hours. I think that’s Wally says when she’s looking in the mirror actually an unfair challenge to give oneself. trying on the necklace: “What must it feel to And also, truth is so subjective and each of be loved that much?” us could read the same five books about the As I started to unravel the story and read Duke and Duchess of Windsor and we would the letters and go on the journey that I went walk away with a different interpretation. It on to write the script, I realized that, in fact, it would impact us in a different way, and so it wasn’t this fairytale romance as I had imagined was important for me to establish that. As it would be. I found that Wallis Simpson tried much research as I did, and as close as I tried to avoid the actual marriage from taking place to stay to the truth and as authentic as I wanted and how she saw the writing on the wall and to be, it was important that I be clear that it how she tried her best to get Edward to see is a point of view. I never intended to just tell the writing on the wall. She was very astute in the story of Wallis Simpson. What’s the importance of telling this story from your point of view? Most of the perspective on the story is, “Look what he gave up for her,” and it’s told from the male point of view. I think that when Wally starts to make all these discoveries about the Duchess, she appeals to Mohamed Al Fayed (keeper of the Duke and Duchess’ letters) as an outsider, because he lives as a foreigner and as an outsider in England, not really accepted by society. Really, in my movie, each character is an outsider. Wally is living in alienation in the Upper East Side, where she doesn’t fit in; (Wally’s love interest) Evgeni is a Ukrainian immigrant working as a security guard, but From Madonna’s movie W./E. Photo courtesy The Weinstein Company. he’s really an intellectual and an artist and
ACCESSline Page 31 he doesn’t fit in; the Duchess doesn’t really fit into this aristocratic world that she’s found herself in, and Edward doesn’t really fit into the Victorian world that he was raised in. So it’s how all these people who feel like outsiders try to come to terms and find their way in the world. Is that something you draw from your own experience? Yeah, but I think a lot of people can relate to it. A lot of us feel like we don’t fit into the conventional norm or what society expects from us. More and more, people are redefining what makes a family, what makes a couple, what makes love, what romance is, what a union is, what soul mates are—all of these things we’re reinventing, because family is what you make it. It’s funny how things turn out that way. Sometimes your parents aren’t really the people who nurture you. You have other role models in your life that become your mother and your father. It’s unusual when the family you’re born into is actually the people that feel like your family. Growing up, you rebelled against your upbringing and convention, becoming a major trailblazer. How is it different being a mother with kids who will not have to fight the same battles that you fought? Not that this has anything to do with my film, but it’s an interesting question. I don’t think that I’m a conventional parent. I realize that, to a certain extent, my children are raised with privilege; they have housekeepers, I didn’t. There are a lot of differences. On the other hand, my parents raised me in a very conventional way and I rebelled against it, and now my children come to me and they often want to do things because everybody else does them, and I say to them, “That’s just the worst reason I’ve ever heard for doing something.” I encourage them to question things. Question their behavior, take responsibility for their behavior, think outside the box. And they will have a different set of challenges. They will be compared to me. I will be some kind of a benchmark that they have to live with and deal with, and they are going to have to find their way in the world. We are all born with, and into, our challenges, so I don’t think for a second that life is going to be so simple and easy for them. Do you feel like all your years of research on Wallis Simpson is over with, or are you still invested in her? I’m done with my deep research, but I still feel a strong connection to her. She’s always going to be a part of me. I am still uncovering little gems about her. People come to me and say, “Oh, look at this little note that we found in this handbag that was auctioned off 20 years ago.” People are still bringing me bits and bobs and memorabilia, so I’m still discovering things about her—and I’m sure I will for the rest of my life. I was actually going through my papers in my files the other day and found an astrological reading that someone had done for me 30 years ago. I was reading it, and the woman was talking about some aspect of my personality and she quoted Wallis Simpson: “All for love and the world well lost.” I thought, “How weird, she was already a part of my life.” That was a little foreshadowing. That happened 30 years ago, so who knows what’s going to happen 30 years from now. Chris Azzopardi is the editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBT wire service. Reach him via his website at www.chrisazzopardi.com.
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WIRED THIS WAY in an air conditioned trailer well behind the lines. His appreciation was short lived. He quickly became disillusioned with war, commenting on Facebook, “If people knew what was really going on, they wouldn’t support the war.” Still he did well at his job and was promoted during his deployment. While on leave from Iraq, he started spending time in Boston, hanging out in the tech community surrounding MIT, especially at an open hacking community known as Pika house. He confessed to his then boyfriend Tyler Watkins that he had ‘sensitive information’ about the war in Iraq. Shortly after his return to Iraq the website Wikileaks began showing a short video, filmed in 2007 showing U.S. forces shooting at unarmed civilians. Back in Baghdad there were plenty of indicators that something was wrong with Manning. Superiors described his behavior as “bizarre”. He struck a female coworker for no apparent reason and later could not explain why he had done that. He was demoted for his actions and was threatened with medical discharge for either “Adjustment Disorder” or possible “Gender Identity Disorder”. His security clearance however, was not reviewed. Sometime in May 2010 Manning lip synced to Lady Gaga while allegedly downloading two large sets of files. The two files, the Afghan War document and the U.S. diplomatic cables have become the largest security breach our government has faced.
Arrest and incarceration
Manning’s own erratic behavior and the testimony of one online confidant quickly led the authorities to him. He was arrested on May 26th, 2010. He was charged with 22 crimes ranging from illegal access to computer records to aiding and abetting the enemy. He was held at Quantico Naval Base. There he was kept in solitary confinement. He would stay in solitary confinement with little or no contact with anyone until almost a year later, April of 2011. After an international outcry against what many said was cruel and unusual punishment, Manning was moved to minimum security at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Manning remains a controversial figure. To supporters he is a whistleblower, acting on his conscience to reveal what he saw as a miscarriage of justice. To his detractors he is a traitor and spy. They would say his actions, regardless of his intent, endangered national security and American lives. Given the controversy surrounding Bradley Manning and the fact that LGB
Section 3: Community people* just recently won the right to serve openly in the armed forces, many would like to distance themselves from Manning’s sexuality. However his sexuality is likely to play a key role in his trial, whether the community likes it or not. From what Manning’s lawyers have said, his defense will be two pronged. They will seek to prove that for all the scandal, none of the intelligence leaked actually harmed the country. Much to the chagrin of both sides, the Wikileaks documents have very little effect on the political scene. Despite fears that covert operatives and local informants might be revealed, the State Department can’t name any specific individuals that have been physically harmed as a result of the breach. (Peace activist who hoped that the Wikileaks documents would create a huge outcry against the war have been similarly disappointed.) The second prong of his defense is intertwined with his sexuality. The open secret of his sexuality and the revelation that he had been counseled for gender related issues should have disqualified him for security clearance under the armies own rules. His own behavior should have prompted superiors to send him to counseling and to review the level of clearance he had. In short, his command shares at least some of the responsibility for the security breach and that should mitigate the punishment that Manning should face. Manning may have failed in his duty, but the army may also have failed Manning. It will be up to a military tribunal to decide what to do with Bradley Manning, but it will be up to history to decide who he is. Maybe someday the two competing views with fall way: The patriotic whistleblower, hero of free speech and freedom of the press and the diabolical spy, traitor to his country. Maybe then we see the real Bradley Manning, a troubled young man who simply saw too much of the ugly side of war. *It should be noted that Transgender people still can not serve openly in the armed forces. Gender Identity Disorder is treated as a mental illness by the armed forces and disqualifies one for service. Sources: h t t p : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / events/235599839832744/ Who is WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning? - The Washington Post WikiLeaks: Bradley Manning’s sexuality central to his defense in trial for leaking U.S. intelligence - NY Daily News BBC News - Profile: Bradley Manning
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HOLLYWOOD who can leap into the consciousness of other people and who becomes, over the course of the action, both men and women and at least one “monstrous creature.” It’ll star French character actor Denis Lavant (from Carax’s The Lovers Under The Bridge, with Juliette Binoche), Eva Mendes and Minogue. Now, given that Minogue’s acting output since her teenage years on the Aussie soap Neighbours hasn’t included much more than Bio-Dome, Street Fighter and a magical absinthe fairy in Moulin Rouge! it’s a little shocking—and sort of thrilling, too—to see her dive back in by working with one of cinema’s crazier cats, but it should be something to see. Can’t wait.
Jane Lynch, out of the tracksuit
Jane Lynch credit Fox.
Admit it, as much as you appreciate her evil one-liners on Glee, part of you misses the days when Jane Lynch felt more like your own little comedy secret, when she would show up as a surprise supporting character in films like The 40 Year Old Virgin and Julie & Julia. But with the track suit taking up so much of her time lately, we’ve seen less and less of her in feature films, so it’s nice news to report that she’s recently signed on for the indie feature A.C.O.D. Starring alongside Richard Jenkins (Eat Pray Love) and Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation), Lynch will play “Dr. Judith,” a therapist and author—we’re imagining Suze Orman meets Dr. Phil—who’s experiencing a career downturn and takes on Scott as a patient. Of course, if you can’t wait for that one’s SScontinued from page 24 eventual release to see her on the big screen again, you can always bite the bullet and catch her in this spring’s sure-to-be bizarre Farrelly that it wasn’t. Brothers reboot of The Three Stooges. And For casual, time-starved readers, no, Lynch doesn’t play Moe. though, that might not be enough. What Blank says runs somewhat deep and semiphilosophical, with solidly-based research and biographical examples. These things are tempered by Blank’s sharp-as-an-ax wit, but that doesn’t lessen the fact that this book Welcome to the 137th update on the begs to be pondered. decades-long gestating movie adaptation Still, if you’ve ever wondered how of Larry Kramer’s ’80s stage classic The we got to this point in our bedrooms, you Normal Heart. Now a period piece, the AIDS really can’t miss it. If you’re heterosexual drama about gay men caught in the wide (or know one), reading “Straight” is a good net of the disease’s first, devastating wave decision. has, as reported earlier, found a director
BOOKWORM SEZ
Matthew Bomer: gay and Normal
MARCH 2012 in Ryan Murphy and a cast including the now-officially-publicly-gay (as opposed to everybody-on-the-Internet-knew-he-wasalready) White Collar star Matthew Bomer. Joining him for the angry, sorrowful story is Big Bang Theory star (and, for the purposes of this discussion, right now classified as merely probably-maybe-gay because he won’t talk about it) Jim Parsons. And joining them? A powerhouse supporting cast including Julia Roberts, Mark Ruffalo and Alec Baldwin, none of whom have to stumble around the new media glass-closet scenario. Lucky them. And lucky you, the movie will, we hear, finally hit theaters in 2014.
Cherry Jones and B.D. Wong are wide Awake
It’s always good news when cool, gay character actors—people whose faces you know because they’ve been in a million different things on stage, TV and film, the queer version of “Oh hey, it’s That Guy”—keep on succeeding. And on NBC’s new series Awake (premiering March 1) both Cherry Jones (24) and BD Wong (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit) get theirs. They both play therapists to Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in those little-seen Harry Potter films), each one determined to convince him that their version of his reality is the truth. Confused? That’s because Isaacs plays a man who, depending on whether he’s awake or asleep, is living in a reality in which either his wife or his son has been killed in a car accident. Which no-win situation should he accept as true? And how does this play out over the course of a series? Who knows right now, but In Treatment meets The Twilight Zone is just original and weird enough that it ought to meet your DVR’s programming queue.
Gay(ish) pilot season casting news: the roundup
Recently, on the hilarious Happy Endings (which you should be watching, as it boldly allows its gay male character to be both a layabout slob and to make out with guys with no crazy special-episode build up) “Max” (Adam Pally) kissed Jimmy Wolk. Wolk’s name will only be familiar to fans of the cancelledquickly Lone Star, but the handsome young actor has also just been cast on Greg Berlanti’s (Brothers and Sisters) drama pilot Political Animals. So here’s hoping it doesn’t get Lone Star’d…Meanwhile, Ellen Barkin has joined the cast of Ryan Murphy and Ali Adler’s comedy pilot The New Normal. She’ll play the mother of a woman who becomes involved as a surrogate for a gay male couple trying to have a baby…Kevin Bacon will take on the lead role in Kevin Williamson’s still-unnamed pilot about a serial killer using the internet to build a serial-killing cult…And the outcome of a network bidding war sees Portia DeRossi starring in The Smart One for ABC. Produced by DeRossi and Ellen DeGeneres, it’s a comedy concerning an intelligent, successful woman who goes to work for her sister, a former beauty queen who’s now a big-city mayor (and, presumably, not so smart). Start building your scorecards now; pilot season is a tricky beast to keep track of. Romeo San Vicente can’t get you out of his head. He can be reached care of this publication or at DeepInsideHollywood@ qsyndicate.com.
MARCH 2012 DIRECTORY NOTICE The ACCESSline community directory is updated each issue. LISTINGS ARE FREE but are limited by space. Free online listings are available at www.ACCESSlineIOWA.com. Information about new listings must contain a phone number for publication and a contact (e-mail address, land address, or website) for our records. For more information or to provide corrections, please contact Editor@ACCESSlineIOWA.com or call (319) 550-0957.
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Please see the list of resources below about HIV, mental health, sexual orientation, and where you may seek help if you’re in crisis. Breur Media Corporation : Website Consultation, Design, Programming, and Hosting. HIV and STD Testing Sites near You, including places where you can get tested for free: http://www.hivtest.org/ Crisis or Suicide National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Default.aspx or call 1-800-273-TALK Information on Mental Health National Alliance on Mental Illness: http://www.nami.org/ Counseling, Information and Resources about Sexual Orientation GLBT National Help Center: http://www. glnh.org/index2.html or 1-888-843-4564 Information on Mental Health for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ Find_Support/Multicultural_Support/Resources/ GLBT_Resources.htm Information on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health http://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/index.htm Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund 1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005 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 www.lambdalegal.org 312-663-4413 Fax: 312-663-4307 MortgageLoan.com Housing & Mortgages for Gay & Lesbian Couples, http://www.mortgageloan.com/lgbt/ 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 1133 15th Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20005 info@pflag.org - www.pflag.org 202-467-8180 The Trevor Lifeline The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Each year, our lifeline fields more than 30,000 calls from LGBTQ youth as well as their families, friends and educators. (866) 4-U-TREVOR - (866) 488-7386 Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year All calls are toll-free and confidential http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ RealManToys.com : Discreet home delivery of adult products.
STATE ORGANIZATIONS Equality Iowa P.O. Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125 www.equalityiowa.org 515-537-3126 Faithful Voices Interfaith Alliance of Iowa’s marriage equality project. www.faithfulvoices.org Imperial Court of Iowa Non-profit fundraising & social, statewide organization with members from across the State of Iowa. PO Box 1491, Des Moines, IA 50306-1491 www.imperialcourtofiowa.org Iowa Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Janis Bowden, President, IA NOW janleebow@aol.com PO Box 41114, Des Moines, IA 503111
Section 3: Community Iowa Gay Rodeo Association (IAGRA) 921 Diagonal Rd, Malcom, IA 50157 polebender60@yahoo.com 641-990-1411 Iowa PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gay) State Council PO Box 18, Indianola, IA 50125 http://community.pflag.org/Page. aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2 515-537-3126 or 641-583-2024 Iowa Pride Network 777 Third Street, Suite 312, Des Moines, Iowa 50309 Iowapridenetwork.org Executive Director: 515-471-8062 Outreach Coordinator: 515-471-8063 LGBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force PO Box 1997, Des Moines, 50306 515-243-1221 One Iowa 500 East Locust St, Ste 300 Des Moines, IA 50309 515-288-4019 Fax: 515-244-5846 www.OneIowa.org The Quire Eastern Iowa’s GLBT chorus www.thequire.org
Ames
First United Methodist Church 516 Kellogg Ave, Ames, IA 50010 Contemporary worship Sat. 5:30; Sun at 8:30 and 11:00am. www.acswebnetworks.com/firstunitedmcames/ 515-232-2750 ISU LGBTAAlliance GLBT Support, Activism, Social Events, Newsletter L East Student Office Space, 2229 Lincoln Way, Ames, IA 50014-7163 alliance@iastate.edu alliance.stuorg.iastate.edu 515-344-4478 Living with HIV Program 226 SE 16th Street, Ames, IA 50010 Ask for Janelle (Coordinator) 515-956-3312 ext 106 or I -800-890-8230 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 2328 Bristol Drive, Ames, IA 5001 2nd Tuesday, 7pm www.pflagames.org 515-291-3607 Romantics Pleasure Palace 117 Kellogg Street, Ames, IA 50010-3315 romantixonline.com 515-232-7717 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: 9:30 am and 11:30 am, Sunday uufames.org uufa@aol.com 515-292-5960 Unity Church of Ames 226 9th St, Ames, IA 50010-6210 Sunday service and Sunday school 10:30am. Wednesday mediation 6:30pm unityofames.com Daily dial-a-blessing 515-233-1613
Arnolds Park, Okoboji, Spencer, Spirit Lake The Royal Wedding Chapel 504 Church Street, Royal, IA 51357 712-933-2223 TheRoyalWeddingChapel.com Wilson Resource Center An Iowa Great Lakes area gay-owned nonprofit community based organization. PO Box 486, 597 W. Okoboji Rd., Arnolds Park IA 51331-0486 F.JosephWilson@aol.com. wilsonresource.org 712-332-5043
BURLINGTON Arrowhead Motel 2520 Mount Pleasant St Burlington, IA 52601-2118 319-752-6353 www.arrowheadia.com Faith Lutheran Church E L C A 3109 Sunnyside Ave Burlington, IA 52601-2341 HIV/AIDS Screening @ Des Moines County Health Department in Burlington 522 N 3rd By appointment between 8:00am to 4:30 319-753-8217 Confidential RISQUES IV (adult store) 421 Dry Creek Ave, West Burlington, IA 52601 (319) 753-5455 Sun - Wed 8am-Midnight Thurs - Sat Open 24 Hours www.LoversPlayground.com Steve’s Place 852 Washington St, Burlington 319-754-5868
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Services start at 10:30 am 625 N 6th St, Burlington, IA 52601-5032 (319) 753-1895 - www.uuburlington.org
Cedar Falls - Waterloo Adult Cinema 315 E 4th St Waterloo, IA 50703-4703 (319) 234-7459 Black Hawk Co. Health Department Free HIV testing (donations accepted); MW, 1:00pm to 3:00pm; Thurs, 1:00pm to 4:45pm 1407 Independence Ave. (5th fl) Waterloo 50703 319-291 -2413 Cedar AIDS Support System (CASS) Service, support groups & trained volunteers for persons with HIV/AIDS in Waterloo/CF call Elizabeth or Karla, 319-272-AIDS(2437). 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 episcopalcampus.org
Coe Alliance Education, activism & fun for GLBTQ and straight students, staff and people from the community. Coe College 1220 First Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 For information contact: coealliance@coe.edu or Erica Geers, faculty advisor at 319-861-6025
Imperial Court of Nebraska P.O. Box 3772, Omaha, NE 68103 402-556-9907
Community Health Free Clinic 947 14th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 319-363-0416 www.communityhfc.org Free Medical Services provided for the uninsured and underserved patients of Cedar Rapids, Marion and the surrounding areas in Eastern Iowa.
The Max 1417 Jackson at 15th, Omaha, NE 68102 6 bars in 1 - 402-346-4110
CSPS Legion Arts Contemporary Arts Center 1103 3rd St. SE info@legionarts.org 319-364-1580 Eden United Church of Christ 351 8th Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404 (319) 362-7805 Sunday School 9am - Worship 10:15am 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 Linn County Public Health 501 13th NW Free confidential HIV testing, 319-892-6000
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
Linn County Stonewall Democrats 2nd Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m. The LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party, meets at March 9 we will be at the Kirkwood Hotel Lobby Cafe.After that we may go back to Blue Strawberry downtown, but we need time to check our options. For more info, contact linnstonewall@ gmail.com
LGBTA Support Group at Hawkeye Community College Call Carol at 319-296-4014 for time & location of meeting carol.hedberg@hawkeyecollege.edu
People’s Church Unitarian Universalist A welcoming congregation. 4980 Gordon Ave NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 11am Sunday. 319-362-9827 http://peoplesuu.org
Iowa Legal Aid Free civil legal service available to low income persons who qualify under income/asset guidelines. 607 Sycamore, #206, Waterloo, IA 50703 1-800-772-0039 or 319-235-7008
PFLAG CR, Linn Co and Beyond Support Group meets on the 4th Thursday at 7pm except for Nov Dec - call for details. 319-431-0673, pflaglcb@gmail.com
Kings & Queens Tap 304 W. 4th St, Waterloo, IA myspace.com/kingsandqueensspace 319-232-3001 Romantix Waterloo (Adult Emporium) 1507 La Porte Rd, Waterloo, IA 50702 319-234-9340 romantixonline.com Stellas Guesthouse 324 Summit Ave, Waterloo, IA Private B&B, Overnight accommodations for adults only. 319-232-2122 St. Lukes Episcopal Church 2410 Melrose Dr, Cedar Falls, IA 50613 www.st-lukes-episcopal.org Services: Sunday 8:00 & 10:15, Thurs 11:30 319-277-8520 St. Timothys United Methodist Church 3220 Terrace Drive, Cedar Falls, 50613 sttims-umc.org, 319-266-0464, info@sttims-umc-org, Contact Rev. Linda Butler “...welcome of all persons, including those of all sexual orientations and gender identities.” Together For Youth 233 Vold Dr, Waterloo, IA 50703 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
The Linn County Stonewall Democrats Meet 2nd Wednesdays, Blue Strawberry, 118 2nd St SE in Cedar Rapids, IA. Contact Harvey S. Ross, HRoss007@aol.com. Toxic Nightclub 616 Second Ave SE, Cedar Rapids Tri-ess, Iota Kappa Phi Chapter P.O. Box 8605, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52408 We are a transgendered organization supporting crossdressers, their families, and friends. www.yahoo.com/group/Tri-essIotaKappaPhi www.tri-ess.org, 319-390-6376 E-mail: Georgia georgia523@yahoo.com E-mail: Judy marlenemarschel@yahoo.com Unity Center of Cedar Rapids “A center of positive, practical Christianity.” 4980 Gordon NE, Cedar Rapids www.unitycr.org - (319) 393-5422
CLINTON Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clinton 309 30th Avenue North, Clinton, IA 52732 (563) 242-4972 - uuclinton.org Sunday services at 10:30 (year-round) Where YOUR spiritual and ethical journey is welcome! Rev. Ruby Nancy, minister
Council Bluffs, Omaha (Ne) AIDS Interfaith Network 100 N. 62nd, Omaha, NE Call Br. Wm. Woeger 402-558-3100
United Church of Christ Cedar Falls 9204 University Avenue, Cedar Falls 319-366-9686
Citizens For Equal Protection 1105 Howard St, Suite #2, Omaha, NE 68102 www.cfep-ne.org - info@cfep-ne.org 402-398-3027
Unitarian Universalist Society of Black Hawk County 3912 Cedar Heights Dr, Cedar Falls, IA 319-266-5640
Council Bluffs NOW Write PO Box 3325, Omaha, NE 68103-0325
Cedar Rapids/marion Adult Shop 630 66th Ave SW, 319-362-4939 Adult Shop North 5539 Crane Lane, 319-294-5360 Cedar Rapids Unity (formerly GLRC of Cedar Rapids) Support, social activities. lnfo@crglrc.org, cedarrapidsunity.org or write to PO Box 1643 Cedar Rapids 52406-1643 Call and leave a message—all calls will be returned. 319-415-1511 cedarrapidsunity.com Christ Episcopal Church “We have a place for you.” 220 40th Street NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 319-363-2029 ChristEpiscopal.org Club Basix Open 5pm to 2am M-F, Sat & Sun 3pm-2am 3916 1st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids 319-363-3194
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DC’s Saloon The Midwest’s hottest GLBT Country & Dance Bar! 610 S. 14th St., Omaha, NE Open everyday 2pm-1am, western/levi/leather 402-344-3103 Front Runners/Front Walkers Walking/jogging club. P.O. Box 4583, Omaha, NE 68104 402-804-8720 GLBT Rainbow Outreach Omaha Serving GLBT community in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Excellent message and info. Also office for Imperial court of Nebraska. 1719 Leavenworth St, Omaha, NE www.rocc.org - 402-341-0330 Heartland Gay Rodeo Association (HGRA) (Midwest Division of the International Gay Rodeo Association) PO Box 3354, Omaha, NE 68103 www.hgra.net - 402-203-4680 HGRA serves both Iowa and Nebraska
Inclusive Life “Religious and Non religious care, services and ceremonies for all!”, 105 S. 49 Street, Suite E, Omaha, NE 68132, (402) 575-7006, http://inclusifelife.org
MCC Omaha 819 South 22nd, Omaha, NE 68103 Sun 9 & 11 am Wednesday “ReCharge” Worship, Wed 7pm 402-345-2563 PFLAG Omaha Mead Hall, First United Methodist Church 7020 Cass St. (Omaha) 2nd Thursday, 7, 6:30 Social time 402-291-6781 River City Gender Alliance Peer support, friendship, and understanding for crossdressers, transgenderists, and transsexuals. PO Box 4083 Omaha, NE 68104, 402-291-6781, info@rcga.us - www.rcga.us 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 romantixonline.com 515-955-9756 Tri-ess Chapter, Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter Omaha, NE 68107 We are a transgendered organization supporting crossdressers, their families, and friends. tri-ess.org, 402-960-9696 E-mail: Judy marlenemarschel@yahoo.com 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 Human Rights Commission Contact: City Clerk 400 Clairborne Dr, Decorah 563-382-3651 Meetings: First Tuesdays, 5:30pm Luther College Student Congregation Contact Office for College Ministry 700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101 563-387-1040. PFLAG Northeast IA (Waukon/Decorah) Beginning May 23rd: meeting at Northeast Iowa Peace and Justice Center, 119 Winnebago Street, Decorah, IA (lower level), corner of Winnebago and Main Street Meetings: 4th Mondays, 7pm-9pm Call Jean @ 563-535-7680 PRIDE Luther College Diversity Center, 700 College Dr, Decorah, IA 52101 Contact Chris at 563-387-2145 or Melanie at 563387-1273 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, Des Moines, IA - 515-246-1299 theblazingsaddle.com Buddies Corral 418 E 5th St, Des Moines, IA - 515-244-7140 The CENTER 1300 Locust The new LGBT and progressive place to be. thecenterdm@gmail.com Facebook: The CENTER & Equality Iowa www.equalityiowa.org 515-243-0313 Church of the Holy Spirit-MCC Pastor Pat Esperanza Sunday service 10:30am at the 1st Christian Church 2500 University, Des Moines chsmccdmia@aol.com 515-287-9787 Des Moines Diversity Chorus [A gay-friendly mixed chorus] Rehearsals on Mondays at 7 p.m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Beaver Ave. at Franklin St., Des Moines. All are welcome, no auditions. PO Box 65312, West Des moines, IA 50265 Julie Murphy, Artistic Director jahmurphy@hotmail. com, 515-255-3576, desmoinesdiversitychorus.org
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DIRECTORY
Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus 515-953-1540 4126 Ingersoll Ave., Des Moines administrator@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. 515-288-2500 info@ffbciowa.org www.ffbciowa.org First Unitarian Church 1800 Bell Avenue Services Sundays at 9:30 & 11am 515-244-8603, www.ucdsm.org The Gallery (adult store) 1000 Cherry St Des Moines, IA 50309-4227 (515) 244-2916 Open 24 Hours www.LoversPlayground.com
Section 3: Community St. John’s Lutheran Church 600 6th Ave “A Church for All People.” Services Sat 5pm, Sun 7:45, 8:45 & 11am. See web page for other services. 515-243-7691 - www.StJohnsDSM.org TransformationsIOWA Monthly meetings for the female to male, male to female, transgender community, cross dressers, gender queer, questioning, and their significant others. For location and info, email at r.eliason@hotmail.com or call 515-979-6959 Trinity United Methodist Church 1548 Eighth Street - 515-288-4056 Services Sundays at 10am, www.trinityumcdm.org
Counseling Clinic 319-354-6238 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
Women’s Culture Collective (WCC) A lesbian social group. Des Moines, IA - www.iowawcc.org
Gay and Lesbian Issues Committee 4211 Grand Avenue, Level-3 Des Moines, IA 50312 515-277-1117
Word of God Ministries, Sunday service: 3:00pm, at 3120 E 24th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50317, Gay, lesbian & straight affirmation 515-707-5947. 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.
Liberty Gifts 333 E. Grand Ave., Loft 105, Des Moines, IA Gay owned specialty clothing, jewelry, home decor. 515-508-0825
Dubuque Friends Worship Group (Quakers) Join us at an unprogrammed worship service on Sunday at 10am. Welcoming and Affirming St. Mark’s Community Center 1201 White Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001 563-582-9388
MINX Show Palace 1510 NE Broadway, Des Moines, IA 50313 Open m-th noon-2 a.m., f noon-3 am., sat 3 p.m.-e a.m. 515-266-2744
PFLAG Dubuque/Tri-State Carnegie Stout Library 3rd Floor Conference Room 360 W. 11th St. 3rd Tuesday, 7pm 563-581-4606
North Star Gay Rodeo Association of IGRA, Iowa Division of North Star NSGRA@NSGRA.org or 612-82-RODEO Primary Health Care Inc., David Yurdin, 2353 SE 14th St., Des Moines, 503020, Works with GLBT ages 16 to geriatric, 25 years of experience. 515-248-1427 Rainbow Union, Drake University ru@drake.edu Ray Perry Law Firm 515-279-2244 Free Initial Consultation PFLAG Des Moines 515-243-0313, 1300 Locust , Des Moines, IA 50312 Plymouth Congregational UCC Church and the Plymouth GLBT Community 4126 Ingersoll Ave. 515-255-3149 Services at 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. Pride Alliance, AIB College of Business Gay and straight students celebrating diversity Contact: Mike Smith, Advisor PrideAlliance@aib.edu www.aib.edu/pride Pride Bowling League for GLBT & Supporters Every Wednesday, 7 PM, Air Lanes Bowling Center 4200 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA 50321-2389. Email pridebowlingleague@gmail.com or 515-447-2977. 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. Gay owned great music, awesome food and coffee. 515-288-4872 ritualcafe@aol.com - ritualcafe.com Romantix North Des Moines Iowa (Bachelor’s Library) 2020 E Euclid Ave, Des Moines, IA 50317 www.romantixonline.com 515-266-7992 Spouses of Lesbians & Gays Support group for spouses of gays and lesbians. 515-277-7754
AA (GLBT) 319-338-9111 Meetings Sundays 5 - 6pm at First Baptist Church, 500 North Clinton Street. For more info, call IC Intergroup Answering Service,
Walnut Hills UMC Join us at 8:30 or 10:45am for Sunday worship. Sunday classes and group studies are at 9:30am. 515-270-9226 12321 Hickman Rd, Urbandale, IA 50323 www.whumc.org
Gay & Lesbian AA & AI-Anonymous Mon. 7 pm; Tues. - Thurs. 6 pm; Sat. 5:30 pm at Drake Ministries in Ed. Bldg. 28th & University
Le Boi Bar 508 Indianola Rd, Des Moines, IA
Iowa City
Congregational Church UCC An Open and Affirming Congregation Sunday Worship 10:15 a.m. 30 N. Clinton St. (across from Ul Pentacrest) 319-337-4301 - uiccic.org
Westminster Presbyterian Church 4114 Allison Ave - www.WestPres.org Sunday services 8:45 and 11am. Of note is their GAY-LESBIAN-STRAIGHT AFFIRMATION GROUP, GLSA 515-274-1534
Lavender Victory Fund Financial assistance for women in need for medical emergencies. lavendervf@aol.com
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. www.crossroadsucc.org
Urbandale UCC An open & affirming congregation. 3530 70th St., Urbandale, IA 50322 515-276-0625, www.urbucc.org
The Garden 112 SE 4th Des Moines, IA 515-243-3965 Wed-Sun. 8pm-2am www.grdn.com
Java Joe’s Gay friendly 214 4th St. , 515-288-5282, www.javajoescoffeehouse.com
INDIANOLA
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Dubuque 1699 Iowa St., Dubuque, IA “The uncommon denomination.” general services at 10am. www.uuf-dbq.org 563-583-9910
ELKADER Bethany Church (ELCA) 307 3rd St NE, Elkader IA 52043 Pastor Jim Klosterboer 563-245-1856 www.alpinecom.net/~bethanychurch bethanychurch@alpinecom.net Inclusive. Welcoming. Discover the Difference. Bethany is a Reconciling in Christ congregation of LC/NA Schera’s Restaurant and Bar 107 S Main St, Elkader, IA 52043 563-245-1992 Scheras.com E-mail: info@scheras.com Fine dining featuring Algerian & American Cuisine. Voted Best Mediterranean Restaurant in Eastern Iowa on KCRG TV-9’s A*List.
Fort Dodge Romantix Fort Dodge (Mini Cinema) Sun-Thu 10am-12am, Fri & Sat 10am-2am 515955-9756 15 N. 5th St, Fort Dodge, IA 50501-3801 RomantixOnline.com
Grinnell Broadviewwildflowerseed.com, Broad View Wildflower Seed, 428 Hamilton Ave., Grinnell, Iowa 50112, Manager/Owner: John C., chicoski7@yahoo.com 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.) Divine Liturgy is served Sundays during the College academic year 1:30 p.m., Herrick Chapel, Grinnell College Campus 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
Counseling and Health Center 319-337-1679 Client-centered therapy. Les-Bi-Gay-Trans always welcome. 616 Bloomington St, Iowa City, IA Crisis Center 319-351-0140 1121 Gilbert Court, Iowa City, 52240 Emma Goldman Clinic 227 N. Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA 52245 319-337-2111or 1-800-848-7684. Faith United Church of Christ An open and affirming congregation. 1609 Deforest Street, Iowa City, 52240 Sunday Worship 9:30 AM 319-338-5238 bob.faithucc@g.com, www.faithucciowacity.org GLBTAU-U of lA 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 Human Rights Commission (City of Iowa City Human Rights Commission) 319-356-5022; 391-356-5015; 319-356-5014 Fax 319-887-6213 humanrights@iowa-city.org ICARE (Iowa Center for AIDS Resources & Education) Practical & emotional support, youth programs, information, referrals and support groups. 3211 E 1st Iowa City, IA 52240-4703 319-338-2135 Iowa City Free Medical Clinic Free & strictly confidential HIV Testing. 2440 Towncrest Dr Iowa City, Call for appointment 319-337-4459 Iowa City NOW PO Box 2944, Iowa City, IA 52244 for information & meeting times/places Iowa Women’s Music Festival P.O. Box 3411, Iowa City, IA 52244 319-335-1486 Men Supporting Men 319-356-6038, Ext 2 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
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.
Quad Cities Pride Chorus At the MCC Church in D’port, 7pm Wed. qcswede64@aol.com Call Don at 563-324-0215
Vortex Gifts 211 E. Washington, downtown Iowa City 319-337-3434
Rainbow Gifts www.rainbowgifts.net 309-764-0559
Women’s Resource Action Center (WRAC) Leads & collaborates on projects that serve U of l and the greater community, offers social & support services, including LGBT Coming Out Group. University of Iowa 130 N Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242 319-335-1486
T.R. Video Adult books & video 3727 Hickory Grove Rd, Davenport, IA 563-386-7914
Marshalltown Adult Odyssey (Adult Video Store) 907 Iowa Ave E - 641-752-6550 Domestic Violence Alternatives/ Sexual Assault Center, Inc., 132 W Main St. 24 hour Crisis Line: 641-753-3513 or (instate only) 800-779-3512
MASON CITY Cerro Gordo County Dept. of Public Health 22 N. Georgia Ave, Ste 300 Mason City, IA 50401. Free confidential AIDS testing. 641-421-9321 PFLAG North Iowa Chapter 641-583-2848, pflagmcni@yahoo.com, Carlos O’Kelly’s Mexican Cafe @ 7 p.m. Wed.
Mount Vernon Alliance Cornell College 810 Commons Cir # 2035 alliance@cornellcollege.edu orgs.cornellcollege.edu/alliance/
Pella Common Ground (Central College) Support group for GLBT students and allies. Contact: Brandyn Woodard, Director of Intercultural Life woodardb@central.edu 641-628-5134
Quad Cities AIDS Project Quad Cities Info, education & support. Davenport, IA 52804, www. apqc4life.org 319-762-LIFE Black Hawk College Unity Alliance Serving GLBT community at Black Hawk College. 6600 34th Ave, Rock Island, IL 309-716-0542. Connections Nightclub 563-322-1121 822 W 2nd St, Davenport, IA 52802 DeLaCerda House 309-786-7386 Provides housing & supportive services, advocacy and referrals for people living with HIV/AIDS. P.O. Box 4551, Rock Island, Il. 61201 Good Samaritan Free Clinic 602 35th Avenue Moline, IL 309-797-4688 gsfc@ mchsi.com - Provides free primary medical care to patients age 16-64 who are working but have no medical insurance. Patients are seen by volunteer physicians, nurss practicioners, and physician assistants. www.GoodSamaritanFreeClinic.org The Hole-In-The-Wall 309-289-2375 A Private Membership Men’s Club Located 3 miles east of Galesburg, IL just north of I-74 at Exit 51 www.HoleInTheWallMensClub.org Holy Spirit Catholic Faith Community Meets one Sunday per month for Mass at 6:30pm at MCC-QC 3019 N. Harrison St, Davenport, IA Mailing: PO Box 192 East Moline, IL 61244 For more info, call 309-278-3359
Pride Committee WRAC 130 N. Madison, Iowa City, IA 52242 Bridget Malone - 319-338-0512 Charles Howes - 319-335-1486.
Lucky Shamrock 313 20th St, Rock Island (IL) 309-788-7426 An Irish Pub open to all types... you don’t have to be rich or poor, young or old, gay or straight... just don’t be a jerk! Know how to be respectful to everyone, or the Shamrock staff will happy to explain it to you.
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, 19-335-1486 Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City Inclusive and free religious community nurturing intellectual and spiritual growth and fostering ethical and social responsibility. 10 S. Gilbert, Iowa City, IA Sunday services: 9:30am & 11:15am. uusic.org 319-337-3443
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.
The Ursine Group Bear Events in the Midwest. PO Box 1143, Iowa City, IA 52244-1143 319-338-5810
New Song Episcopal Church 912 20th Ave, Coralville, IA Sunday services at 10am. Rev. Elizabeth Coulter, Pastor Rev. John Harper, Associate. 319-351-3577
Romantix Iowa City (Pleasure Palace I) 315 Kirkwood Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240-4722 www.romantixonline.com 319-351-9444
MARCH 2012
Mary’s On 2nd 563-884-8014 832 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA MCC Quad Cities - Svcs Sun 11am, Bible study Wed 7pm 563-324-8281 3019 N Harrison, Davenport, IA 52803 Men’s Coming Out/Being Out Group Meets 2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7pm. QCAD.OutForGood@GMail.com 309-786-2580 PFLAG Quad Cities 563-285-4173 Eldridge United Methodist Church 604 S.2nd St., Eldridge 1st Monday, 6:30 pm Prism (Augustana College) 309-794-7406 Augustana Gay-Straight Alliance Augustana Library 639 38th St, Rock Island, IL Contact Tom Bengston
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities, Rev Jay Wolin Sunday Service 11am 3707 Eastern Avenue, Davenport, IA 52807 563-359-0816 Venus News (Adult) 902 W 3rd St, Davenport, IA 563-322-7576
Red Oak First Congregational United Church of Christ 608 E Reed St, Red Oak, IA 51566 (712) 623-2794 Rev. Elizabeth Dilley, Pastor uccwebsites.net/firstcongredoakia.html firstconguccredoak@yahoo.com Open and affirming.
SHENANDOAH PFLAG Shenandoah 712-899-2743
Sioux City Am. Business & Professional Guild. Gay Businessmen. Meets last Sat. of the month; ABPG P. O. BOX 72, Sioux City, 51102 abpguild@yahoo.com Grace United Methodist Church 1735 Morningside Avenue 712-276-3452. Jones Street Station (Bar) 712-258-6922 412 Jones St. Nightly 6:00pm to 2:00am. Mayflower Congregational Church. 1407 West 18th Street Call 712-258-8278. Morningside College Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Alliance 712-274-5208 Contact Professor Gail Dooley, Advisor Morningside College GSA 1501 Morningside Ave. Sioux City, IA 51106-1717 dooley@morningside.edu PFLAG Siouxland PO Box 1311, Sioux City, IA 51102 siouxlandPFLAG@aol.com Romantix Sioux City 712-277-8566 (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. Zaner’s Bar 712-277-9575 3103 N Hwy 75, Sioux City, IA 51105 Monthly drag shows & events; hometown bar for Imperial Court of Iowa’s Western Chapter zaners-sioux-city@hotmail.com
Sioux falls, south dakota Toppers, 1213 N Cliff Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57103, (605) 339-7686, Su-Tu 7:00pm - Close : We-Sa 3:00pm - 2:00am, http://www.sdtoppers.com/ Center for Equality, 406 S Second Avenue in Sioux Falls, 605-331-1153, http://centersforequalitysd.org/
Waverly Cedar Valley Episcopal Campus Ministry. 717 W. Bremer, (St. Andrew’s Episcopal) Waverly, IA www.episcoplcampus.org 319-415-5747 Gay, Lesbian Bisexual Student Alliance Wartburg College, Waverly, IA 50677 Contact Susan Vallem 319-352-8250 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church 717 W. Bremer We welcome all to worship with us on Sunday at 10:30am. Bible discussion Wed. 6:45pm Rev. Maureen Doherty, Pastor 319-352-1489
MARCH 2012
Section 3: Community
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